[hr] [center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/8zfY3hBF/Untitled-design.png[/img][/center] [hr] [color=gray][center][h1][i][b] Thursday 1:00pm SDN [/b][/i][/h1] (( ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: [collab with [color=crimson]Payback[/color] further down] | ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: [various] ))[/center][/color] [quote][color=lightblue]"When a goon loses an appendage, you fill this one out. If they get killed, use the one on that pile there, and, I'll make sure we have someone from our Wellbeing team reach out. And I'll be here to talk too. Weirdly, it's shorter, as coroners tend to just want to know how to put down the mess they're about to walk into on their forms. We work in one hell of a fucked up business. But, it could be worse."[/color][/quote] [i]One hell of a fucked up business.[/i] She could've sworn John had said something like that to her once. It was supposed to make her feel better. If she was a cop and had to shoot someone who was about to blow up a hospital, sure. If she was a sniper who'd had to make a kill to save the country, sure. If she was a hero who had to take down the villain to save her team, sure. She wasn't. She was just a woman who'd seen a possibility and eliminated it. When it came down to it, she was no better than the man who'd sent his goons out in that van in the first place. She'd just killed his family and his thugs before he could do it to her. And then she'd killed him. And then she'd gone to play superhero on corporate pay. Alaine blinked, opening her eyes under her mask at some point. Just in time to look up and see a viking in a business suit looking into the break room. The towering woman had looked right at her. It felt like the stare lasted two seconds and two hours at the same time, and all Blackstar could do was look back. The woman's gaze didn't make her feel transparent -- no, it was worse. It made her feel like she was completely opaque and it wasn't enough. It hadn't scared her, per se, she had a hard time being scared of anyone in a business suit off a first glance. [i]But[/i] it did make her [i]mighty[/i] uncomfortable. Maybe this was the mindreader she kept worrying about. And, just like that -- viking-lady was gone. Blackstar had let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and was then free to go back to her pondering. [quote][color=lightblue]"...But, it could be worse. ... You could be me, Blackstar. With no fucking powers at all, a regional director that looks like she was about to run me through a meeting room wall, and some heroine that got promoted out of her capacity, punching me in the face."[/color][/quote] God, what she wouldn't give to have no powers at all. The sudden desperation of that longing had almost choked her up. Thank goodness he couldn't see her eyes and the way she'd stared at him for a moment, imagining it. She might be out on a ranch, maybe in Nevada. Maybe Montana. Working with animals, working the land, using her hands to nurture and grow and build. Riding horses from sunup to sundown. That dream was as distant as it had always been, if not more. Instead she was there, [i]wishing[/i] someone would punch her in the face. Wishing they'd send her on a dispatch where someone would land a hit on her. Or twenty. She was too much of a coward to hurt herself, so she'd leave it to someone else. She [i]deserved[/i] it. Maybe that was just the world she'd been raised in. Churches, responsibility, constantly striving to be a good example, an outstanding citizen. But was that so wrong? It wasn't wrong to be a good person. So what made one [i]bad[/i]? Why did she look at herself as a bad person who had still come nowhere close to making up for the bad she'd done? Blackstar gave a little shake of her head, glancing down at the folded form on the table next to her. She'd forgotten to grab a pen, so she'd just have to fill it out later. [i]Snap out of it,[/i] she thought to herself. [i]Got a good day ahead of you here. Just like the last two. C'mon, it'll be--[/i] [quote][color=lightblue]"Afternoon, team, checking in as we're on the clock. Looks like you're headed off to a carnival."[/color][/quote] [color=gray][b]"Aww what? C'mon, man..."[/b][/color] Blackstar dropped her head back in an overdramatic show of exasperation. Not the dang clownfest. With a bunch of screaming kids. Ughhh... [quote][color=lightblue]Be friendly. Polite. Nice. Show them why you're all heroes. And if you're not social....I don't know. Try and keep some families safe. ... Just don't be too weird. James, out."[/color][/quote] Hard to be the weird ones at a carnival with a clown mascot, but whatever. She'd have to follow somebody who knew where the place was, she hadn't been paying attention to the TV, except for that weird ad with all the wrong names... She stood up, stretching her arms up over her head and glancing across as a familiar black-clad figure showed up. Ooh, nice. Mood automatically improved by 75%. She opened her mouth to offer him a lift-- [quote][color=lightblue]"Asteroid, you want a lift to the carnival? I ain't pooled with you yet."[/color][/quote] Blackstar shut her mouth, looking at Lightning Girl for a second and ignoring the sudden twinge of emotion behind her sternum. Uh-oh, she knew what that was. [i]Juuuust a touch of jealousy.[/i] [i]Way, waaaay too soon for that, Alaine.[/i] She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, then tried to transition it into another stretch, as if that was what she'd been doing the whole time. She could still give somebody a lift. Payback? Madcap, even? Everybody else could get around on their own, right? Was she forgetting anyone...? Hmm, Princess. She had yet to really interact with that one. Blackstar [i]assumed[/i] Princess could get herself where she needed to go because she hadn't heard anyone else offering her a lift yet, nor had arranging transport for her been mentioned as far as she knew. The Canadian guy skated everywhere, she was pretty sure. [color=gray][b]"If anybody else needs a lift, I'm happy to take you,"[/b][/color] Blackstar started, folding up the form from the table even smaller and tucking it into an inner pocket of her jacket. [center] [b][h3][color=#636363]BLACKSTAR[/color], [color=crimson]PAYBACK[/color][/h3]Giggle's Playground for Little Heroes[/b] Cowritten with [@Thayr][/center] She glanced around, eyes landing on Payback. She’d already flown with the redheaded ex-con once, maybe that was the safest bet. [color=gray][b]"Payback?"[/b][/color] She offered the other woman a small grin. [color=gray][b]"Want a lift?"[/b][/color] [i]Well, it was better than the alternative. Probably.[/i] Myla hadn't yet flown with Fenom and she wasn’t entirely sure how gentle the guy would be. In all likelihood he'd treat a passenger like glass until they said they were alright or he forgot about them, and then all bets were almost off. Maybe. [i]Probably[/i]. Still, though, she was fairly surprised at the offer. Seems that lil Blackstar didn't feel like arguing over things - fair enough, really. She pushed off the wall. [color=crimson][b]"Sure, yeah. If you start charging me let me know."[/b][/color] A little smile at the joke. Shit. Was she starting to actually be chill with someone? And [i]Blackstar[/i], miss I-fly-and-cut-off-hands? Well…maybe compared to others she wasn't [i]that[/i] bad. Heck, compared to Tsunami she was almost cool. Maybe it wasn’t that bad. One hand went searching. Fukkin…where were those…had she even taken them off, before? Surely she had, when they went to the pub. Was it in the other pocket? [i]Ah[/i]. There it was. She pulled out the previously ‘misplaced’ motorcycle googles, put those things over her forehead quickly enough. Hey, didn't she get them from…[i]here[/i]? Well, shit, maybe. Possibly. Blackstar grinned back as Payback went searching around in her pockets for something; she wasn’t sure what the other girl meant about "charging". She almost asked, but – [i]oh[/i]. Well. She [i]had[/i] chopped off a hand in front of her, so… Warranted, she supposed. She kept grinning like yeah, that was totally funny and she’d never accidentally ran anyone through before, nope, yeah. Haha. [color=gray][b]"Will do!"[/b][/color] she hummed, maybe a little too brightly to be genuine. [color=gray][b]"Mind if we head up to the roof? It’s easier to take off from there."[/b][/color] Beginning to head that way, she pulled her SDN phone from her pocket and added, half to herself, [color=gray][b]"Lemme just…uh… look up the directions…"[/b][/color] While trying to figure out the cardinal direction she needed to go and landmarks to look out for, she asked the redhead, [color=gray][b]"You got any preferences? For flying, I mean. Last time I just went bridal carry because of the speed and all, but, uh – I figured out I can keep someone afloat with me via handholding, if that’s better for you?"[/b][/color] The handholding hadn't even been a method she knew she could do until her first dispatch with Asteroid; she should probably look into that more, honestly, see if there was some new facet of her power there. She should probably explore her power further in general, like John had suggested multiple times before, but... well. Couldn't say she loved the idea of finding out she was more dangerous or volatile than she'd originally thought. [color=gray][b]"I mean. Whatever works for you."[/b][/color] She looked up from her direction-searching to flash Payback another smile and a shrug. [i]Preferences for how to fly[/i] - yeah, Myla listened as she followed on up, and yeah it was a question, but she had no idea on that. Handholding versus bridal, which was less embarrassing for either of them - shit, she really didn't know. A chuckle came from that thought, quiet enough as they got onto the roof, but it was still there. Then again though, if they went with [i]handholding[/i], Myla was sure she'd fuck up somehow there, or someone would cramp their hand, or some other stupid lil bit of nonsense. It somehow didn't seem like a great idea. [i]Bridal carry[/i]. Yeah, it was a term. For a brief second the thought of the tabloids screaming about this or that because they saw this hero or that hero in a bridal carry flashed in front of Myla's eyes. Yeah, it was a term. She really care about the news, though? They'd left her alone, after all, generally speaking. It was easy to say fuck what the world thinks, when the world doesn't look at what you do, but she wasn't so certain in anything ever would change. But, in any case, was it better than handholding? Fuck it, both answers kinda sucked. [color=crimson][b]"Honestly, why fuck with what worked before. Bridal carry it is."[/b][/color] Blackstar laughed a little. [color=gray][b]"Okay, that’s that then."[/b][/color] Wait a fuck. Was Blackstar asking because of like…Asteroid or some other nonsense? Was she…no, no, no, it wasn’t great to try to analyze the other people, especially when you start making assumptions about this or that or what the fuck they actually value, and then you're making decisions based on things that might not actually be real, all to look like an ass. No, she wasn't going to do that, definitely not. It wasn’t the time for those straightforward questions, fuck no, not when Blackstar was getting ready to fly her over. She kept her mouth shut on that front, just let the other lady figure out her directions. Up the stairwell and out the door to the roof, and Blackstar tucked her work phone back into an inner pocket of her jacket, zipping it up. Wouldn’t be good to have that fall out mid-flight. She stretched a bit and glanced briefly at Payback; last time they’d been in a hurry to get to that car chase, so she’d just scooped the other woman up and off they’d gone. Now it almost felt a bit awkward. But she was determined not to make it awkwarder by actively [i]being[/i] awkward about it. [color=gray][b]"Alright, hang tight."[/b][/color] Turning to the redhead, she quickly leaned down and smoothly scooped her up. She was pretty sure she could’ve picked Payback up even without the enhanced strength, but it was nice to not have to worry about getting tired. As far as carrying someone went, of course. Exhaustion as a whole was a very real problem that was steadily getting worse each day but, hey, that was what happened when you were living off a couple hours of sleep every night. Directions in mind, Blackstar glanced up at the sun to gauge her course then lightly pushed off the roof with one booted foot. Into the air they went, and she flew leisurely – there no careening car full of gun-toting thugs to apprehend, and she doubted Payback was any more excited than she was about working a clown carnival all day. [color=gray][b]"So, [i]Payback[/i] – gotta be a story behind that name, right?"[/b][/color] she asked as she gained some height over Claremont; not too much, but enough that she wouldn’t have to keep adjusting to get over taller buildings. At her current speed, there was no need for shouting to be heard. [color=crimson][b]"Fucking marketing. That’s the story. Marketing wanted a shiny name, so they slapped me with that one."[/b][/color] Myla paused. Well, yeah, that was like…halfway true. There was something else with it, that there had been around a dozen names marketing had tried to spin up, with various stupid campaigns that could be possible for this or that or the other, and Payback had been maybe the hardest one for them to figure a good angle to spin things. [i]Magnet Girl[/i], that had been one of them. Had a costume and everything sketched up, it was so fucking stupid. But hey, there was another reason still…’payback’. Pay back all the fucking money that had been blown when she’d broken that data center. Pay back the company and the government and people. Pay everything fucking back. Yeah, there was another reason, and the reason fucking [i]sucked[/i] in Myla’s opinion. It was nice, though, that they weren’t flying oh-so-fast. She could actually talk, actually look around - the goggles almost felt like too much, really, but they were nice enough. She looked down, saw the ground pass by them like it was just a river of buildings and some trees and roads, grey little ribbons moving through everything the eye could see. In the distance, there was the San Clemente Canyon, and CA52 going across the whole thing. It almost seemed…nice, ish. It was too hot, though, at least in Myla’s opinion. [color=crimson][b]"Honestly, it was the best one they could come up with, too. Other one was ‘Magnet Girl’. Not my idea, really."[/b][/color] She paused, considering it before adding, [color=crimson][b]"How about you? ‘Blackstar’ and all that."[/b][/color] Blackstar was trying not to grin too much at the name [i]Magnet Girl[/i]. Of course from the way Payback was talking, she didn’t think the redhead would be very offended either way. [color=gray][b]"[i]Marketing[/i], gotcha. Well hey, it sounds sick."[/b][/color] She fell quiet for a second as she considered her own response. In truth the answer was pretty similar to Payback’s – John had come up with a few different name ideas for her while working everything out. She might’ve been a little more enthusiastic about it if she wasn’t coming out of the worst time of her life. [color=gray][b]"...It was kind of the same deal for me, actually, I just – I had a friend who came up with some names for me instead of a marketing department."[/b][/color] She shrugged a bit, the motion slightly moving Payback in her arms. [color=gray][b]"One of the candidates was Darkblade, but that sounded kinda grim to me."[/b][/color] That was a lie. Darkblade had been the one she’d sullenly said fit her best. Sounded like someone who’d show up to kill people. John had immediately scratched the idea out. [color=gray][b]"From what I understand, my powers have a… cosmic origin? Sorta?"[/b][/color] she went on, glancing up to gauge direction again and altering her flight path a touch. [color=gray][b]"So this friend came up with some spacey sounding names too and convinced me Blackstar sounded the coolest. Fits the uniform. Well, the other uniform."[/b][/color] Blackstar didn’t make as much sense with a uniform that had a white star on it, but, although John had suggested Whitestar, something about that sounded… dumb. Blackstar was probably just as dumb, honestly, but she liked that color better, so. [color=gray][b]"Better than ‘Comet’,"[/b][/color] she tacked on in amusement. [color=gray][b]"Although that would’ve been funny to have both a Comet and an Asteroid on the team."[/b][/color] [color=crimson][b]"Fuck it, all we’d need is a ‘Nebula’ and we’d start having themed fuckin response teams,"[/b][/color] Myla responded, chuckling a bit. ‘Darkblade’, yeah, she could see that getting scratched out, too. There wasn’t much that could be done for some random nobody who’d suddenly get to hear ‘oh yeah Darkblade and Murderhobo are here to save you’. It’d be real good for any sort of response to not hear names that didn’t spell ‘help’ but instead spelled ‘you are in danger’. Or, really, that was the thought. Then again, you had some people like Madcap who, well…sounded like a villain, really, if you heard the name out of nowhere, and Hat Trick, who sounded like another wacky time. So hey, there wasn’t something you could do for everyone Myla guessed. Cosmic origin, though, that was…yeah, that was a thing. Spacey, flying, make dark matter that you slice hands off, it connected a bit. Was more interested than Myla’s own time, which was just ‘hey the thing appeared out of nowhere’ for someone who was, also, just kind of out there as a person. She’d never really thought about that sort of angle. Their own discount-Phenomaman was cooked up in a lab, she’d heard, and as for Princess there was really no telling how she came into being. Was a whole gaggle of randoms, all told. Fucking weird. [color=crimson][b]"Could have gone with worse, I guess."[/b][/color] She paused, thinking for a second. A sly little smile, then, with a thought on a joke. [color=crimson][b]"Other uniform? Don’t tell me - spandex unitard with thigh-high boots."[/b][/color] [color=gray][b]"Oh, God, no."[/b][/color] Blackstar scoffed, grinning and shaking her head. [color=gray][b]"I am [i]not[/i] about to mess around with spandex."[/b][/color] Another slight course adjustment as she spotted the landmark she’d been looking for. [color=gray][b]"Nah, I just meant the uniform I started the week with. Black-on-black, instead of this black-on-white one. I like that one better. But I guess me and Madcap synced up our laundry days… I’m just lucky I had an actual spare uniform and didn’t have to resort to… uh, whatever the heck that was he was wearing. Which is probably gonna fit in fine at the carnival, actually."[/b][/color] She sighed a little, still put-out about the assignment. Carnivals, amusement parks, big places with lots of people – not her vibe. [color=gray][b]"So,"[/b][/color] she piped up again, mostly to distract herself from moping. [color=gray][b]"How long have you been working here now? You like the team? Or – do you get along with them alright, I guess? Everybody seems pretty cool to me so far."[/b][/color] Of course she wasn’t too sure about Madcap yet, and Fenom unnerved her just a little, and she hadn’t had any interaction with Hat Trick or Princess yet… So, maybe more accurately, Payback and Eclipse and Lightning Girl and Asteroid all seemed pretty cool so far. Especially the latter. How were he and LG flying? The handholding method? Could Lightning Girl do that too? Or were they going bridal carry too? How was that going? Was– [i]Nope[/i]. She yanked her train of thought back onto the rail, feeling her face heat up a little. [i]Pay attention[/i]. She’d just asked Payback a question and there she was not listening to the answer. [i]Rude[/i]. [color=crimson][b]"They uh…"[/b][/color] Fuck. Did she really actually want to fucking talk about the other team members. Did she really want to bear out on all the other bullshit with Blackstar of all people. Did she really feel that comfortable about things…I mean, yeah, she’d done a heart-to-heart with the fucking dispatcher, but he’d leveled with her first, so that was like…expected, almost. Had she leveled with Blackstar? Had Blackstar really leveled with her? Was it good to talk shit about teammates to a teammate, even if you weren’t really going to talk shit about her? Fuck. [color=crimson][b]"Been here too long and not enough, I think. Fucking…government, y’know? But the other people, they…they’re interesting…fucking weird at times, and they all kinda parade around, but feels like they throw on a name and a mask and feel big about shit. Me, I’m…here, because fuck prison, fuck the jail walls, fuck the…"[/b][/color] She trailed off. Yeah, fuck the whole thing. But there was more to that than just ‘fuck this’ and ‘fuck that’. There had to be. Myla swallowed, looking out. [color=crimson][b]"I wouldn’t get this view there. Y’know? So yeah, put on a name someone else gives you and do the job, but it feels better out here than in there."[/b][/color] Shit. She hadn’t actually answered the question. She’d just kinda fucking exploded all over the place like some fucking child and had gone and thrown everything own. Fuck. Myla added on, definitely as an afterthought, [color=crimson][b]"The others are kinda…all over the place, versus that."[/b][/color] Blackstar had never been to jail. If she ever ended up there, it’d probably have to be of her own free will – unless somebody knew what the heck had made her what she currently was and knew how to stop it, or suppress it… she was pretty sure she could break herself out. That said, she didn’t like the idea of it. She’d never liked being stuck in one place, and prison was kind of the epitome of that. [color=gray][b]"I don’t blame you,"[/b][/color] she mumbled, lost in thought for a second before shaking her head. Saying something sympathetic crossed her mind, but she wasn’t wholly sure Payback would appreciate it – or, rather, she worried the other woman would take it as some kind of lofty pity from someone that, as far as anyone else knew, was a law-abiding, upstanding hero. Still, she was pretty sure that was a genuine answer. Maybe Payback hadn’t meant to be so open about it but Blackstar liked to think that maybe she just gave off that [i]“you can talk to me”[/i] energy even after being away from her siblings for so long. She felt like she’d unintentionally brought the mood down though so she shifted the topic ever so slightly. [color=gray][b]" ‘All over the place’ sounds kind of vague, though,"[/b][/color] she said in amusement. [color=gray][b]"[i]Buuut[/i] I guess that means you don’t hate them all, right?"[/b][/color] [color=crimson][b]"Hate is a strong word. Feels like a lotta kids playing around with something I get to be stuck with, y’know? And yeah, you can’t blame em because they’re kids, but…"[/b][/color] She trailed off, shaking her head. A little chuckle at the thought, though, Myla adding, [color=crimson][b]"I think Fenom-Man actually is a kid, though. Fucking…arm out, ‘halt’ to that car. He looked like he didn’t expect to cut it in fucking half."[/b][/color] He really did seem like a kid, sometimes. Cooked up in a lab, probably wasn’t used to all the complex stuff that happened in the normal world and SDN was maybe the best place for him to do some good before turning into some primordial soup or whatever might happen to him. There was maybe a reason why you didn’t try to mass-produce heroes, but then again maybe whatever mad scientist that had done it had actually solved the thing. Maybe. That was a big fucking maybe. [color=crimson][b]"Princess gives me the fucking creeps, though. Weird ass girl."[/b][/color] Blackstar laughed lightly at the Princess comment, though something about the first part of what Payback said struck a chord with her. Maybe it wasn’t exactly comparable, but… as far as she could tell, nobody else on the team exactly resented their powers. Not that she would really know if they did, she supposed, but… it felt like they were all well-accustomed to their powers and comfortable in their roles, one way or the other, and she was – not. Maybe that was imposter syndrome talking, but she felt like they were all heroes in their own right, [i]'playing around'[/i] as Payback put it, while she was just [i]stuck[/i] with it, whether she liked it or not. But yeah, Fenom could probably be given a pass. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with him, but she’d agree that he genuinely didn’t seem like he expected to cut that car to ribbons. She didn’t plan on diving further into the topic, though. [color=gray][b]"Is she even a girl? I mean I guess she looks like one…?"[/b][/color] Blackstar frowned a little as she considered it. [color=gray][b]"She’s kinda unnerving, yeah, I agree. Hey, you were sitting at her table at the bar the other night – do you have any idea what she was drinking? I caught a glimpse of it and I swear that was straight-up blood."[/b][/color] Blood? What the…yeah, no, Myla could believe that, even if she hadn’t gotten a glimpse at whatever the heck Princess had been drinking. Either that or Kool-Aid for some random reason, because yeah of course someone would just drink that or something. Did they do Kool-Aid cocktails? Was that a…was that a thing? Fuck, that bar had been so weird, honestly. Too many themes drinks that required a solid ten seconds to figure out what the fuck they actually were supposed to be, though there were a few that solidly were ‘absolute trash’ and not actually meant to be anything. Weird fucking place. [color=crimson][b]"No, but honestly I wouldn’t be surprised. Girl doesn’t seem stable."[/b][/color] Was she a girl? Yeah, that certainly [i]was[/i] a question. Myla thought on it for a brief second. [color=crimson][b]"Think she is a girl, though. I [i]think[/i]. Would be ironic for the person named ‘Princess’ to not be, but then again I think her whole deal would be like…fairytales and shit. It’s not very fairytale-y to be a ‘Princess’ that’s not, yknow?"[/b][/color] [color=gray][b]"I guess that makes sense, yeah,"[/b][/color] Blackstar mused. Princess wasn’t exactly her idea of [i]fairytale-y[/i] but Payback had known her longer, so. Maybe she’d learn more if she was ever put on a dispatch with the odd heroine. [color=gray][b]"That bar was nice, though. Kinda weird, but nice. I had a good time after. I mean during,"[/b][/color] she corrected quickly, clearing her throat. [color=gray][b]"Before that water-girl or whoever showed up. But, I mean. Seemed okay overall. Oh!"[/b][/color] She shot Payback a grin, briefly forgetting she was at work and lapsing into spilling-the-tea-with-her-sisters mode. [color=gray][b]"Did you hear Lightning Girl and Eclipse were up on the roof hugging after that Tsunami thing? I mean LG totally needed a hug I think, but Eclipse was definitely being prickly about it when me and Asteroid came to check on her. Wouldn’t that be an unlikely couple? LG and Eclipse? I mean I can totally see it, kind of got that ‘good girl, bad boy’ vibe–"[/b][/color] [i]Ah.[/i] Suddenly she very much missed sitting up into the late hours of the night and yapping about nothing and everything with her little sisters. The sudden homesickness for people she hadn’t seen in years made her pause, but she played it off with a faint laugh. [color=gray][b]"Ha, sorry, I read too much into things. Always fun to have a little workplace rumor or two though, yeah?"[/b][/color] Myla stared for a good three seconds. Yeah, that was a comment and a half, fucking…yeah, let’s go and talk about the Lighting Brit and Mr Shadows-And-Drugs, yeah, there was no way that’ll not get fucking awkward. Up on the roof hugging and shit, fucking…yeah, that sounds about right, but she really, really wasn’t there to talk about it. Bit whoop, really, and if the girl scout got with the guy, then they could be another cliche in the room. And yeah, her and Asteroid went up there, and yeah that could get kinda weird if the roof was small or so, but Myla didn’t know what that place really looked like. Kinda weird to have two couples up in a place though, even if there was a lotta space. Someone always feels like there’s someone behind them, watching them, and she could believe it that Eclipse was more paranoid than most. Fucker was probably jonsing, honestly. He might get better, though, might get worse but hey, that was also not something for Myla to really comment on. [color=crimson][b]"Yeah, uh…yeah. Bar was fucking weird. Themed drinks everywhere, I think it took me waaaay too long to find something that was vaguely normal."[/b][/color] She swallowed, mouth wry at the empty space. [color=crimson][b]"But yeah, Tsunami was kinda a bitch. Glad she got the fuck out of here, even if I never got a chance to work with the lady, but if she gets drunk like that, no thanks."[/b][/color] [i]Okaaayy[/i], so friendly gossip wasn’t up Payback’s alley, if the way she’d completely dodged that was any indicator. Blackstar just felt a little stupid now, mostly because she realized she might’ve been trying, a teensy bit, to recreate the feeling of having her sisters around. Not Payback’s thing though, okay, duly noted. She could respect that. Wow, she should call Grace and Brook sometime. But timezones got weird when they were all in different states. And it just… wasn’t really the same as being in person. She pushed the thought away. [color=gray][b]"Ha, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I get it – I can understand where she was coming from, but… but yeah, no, she handled it in all the wrong ways, for sure. Especially lightin’ into James, that was totally uncalled for."[/b][/color] Her southern accent popped a little at the phrase but she brushed by it, shrugging slightly. [color=gray][b]"Definitely wouldn’t want to worry about getting punched in the face every time something went wrong."[/b][/color] Blackstar glanced down, scanning for the next landmark. There it was… course adjusted slightly, and she announced, [color=gray][b]"Alright, I think we’re almost there. Hope you’re not scared of clowns. I mean I think this dispatch sucks already but it’d probably be a million times worse if I was scared of clowns, too."[/b][/color] [color=crimson][b]"What a fucking joke,"[/b][/color] Myla sighed, [color=crimson][b]"Well…let’s get on with it."[/b][/color] [hr][color=gray][center][h2][i][b] Clownfest [/b][/i][/h2] (( ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: n/a | ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: none ))[/center][/color] Blackstar touched down at what seemed to be an open space just past the entrance of the carnival -- which she hoped was okay and they weren't supposed to go through security or a ticketbooth or something... Carefully planting her passenger, Payback, on the ground, she took a moment to observe their surroundings as she straightened up. Her eyes lingered on the huge, slowly-turning wheel; if there was anything that she'd submit herself to the torture of a carnival for, it'd be a [i]Ferris Wheel[/i]. Nobody else had ever wanted to do that, though, the few times she and her family had gone to something like this growing up. Half of them didn't like the heights, the other half thought it was boring, and she didn't want to go by herself while the rest of them waited around for her on the ground. Alaine's thoughts were jolted back to the present as a couple of squealing kids ran by, and it took a lot of self-control to make sure her expression didn't devolve into a grimace. Okay, well. Not all kids were sticky and screamy and bitey. Some of them were nice. And you couldn't always blame the kids anyway, their behavior had a lot to do with their parents and the environment they were growing up in and all that kind of stuff, blah blah blah... uughhh God this was going to be a long one. And she was [i]hungry[/i], dang it. And tired. Not to tired to work, but definitely too tired for a million children. [i]You're fine, stop being dramatic,[/i] she scolded herself, even though she was literally just standing there with a neutral expression. [color=gray][b]"...What are we supposed to do, exactly...?"[/b][/color] she asked quietly, to no one in particular. [color=lightgreen]"Who the hell are you?"[/color] A little hand suddenly grabbed her leg and Alaine shot about five feet up, looking down at the kid who was now out of reach but still squinting up at her quizzically. [color=gray][b]"...Wow, sorry. Uh."[/b][/color] She cleared her throat, slowly sinking back to the ground. [color=gray][b]"I think the nicer way to ask that is: 'can you please--' "[/b][/color] [color=lightgreen]"Well you're not my [i]mom[/i],"[/color] the kid scoffed in response, and Alaine stared at him. [color=lightgreen]"You can't tell me how to talk!"[/color] [color=gray][b]"Well Mom put me in charge,"[/b][/color] she retorted automatically, before realizing that actually was not the case and just muscle memory from childhood. Before she could correct herself however, the kid simply blinked and rocked back on his heels with a simple and surprisingly accepting, [color=lightgreen]"Oh."[/color] They stared at each other. She realized she hadn't answered his previous question. [color=gray][b]"I'm A--uh, Blackstar."[/b][/color] The kid frowned, looking her over like he was analyzing the statement. [color=lightgreen]"The TV said you were Darkstar. And your costume looks different."[/color] [color=gray][b]"[I]Weeellll[/i], if you know exactly who I am, then why'd you ask?"[/b][/color] Alaine squatted down next to him and tilted her head to make up for the fact he couldn't see her raised brows. [color=gray][b]"And this is my laundry-day suit. The one in the ad is dirty."[/b][/color] [color=lightgreen]"How'd it get dirty?"[/color] [color=gray][b]"Because I've been wearing it all week and it got dirty while I was working."[/b][/color] [color=lightgreen]"Why didn't you wash it?"[/color] [color=gray][b]"That's -- that's literally why I'm wearing this one, because I'm washing the dirty one."[/b][/color] [color=lightgreen]"But you're here."[/color] [color=gray][b]"I, it's -- you just assume I'd be handwashing it?"[/b][/color] The kid shrugged. She didn't know if it was because he didn't know what she meant or he was saying, yeah, he'd assumed she'd be handwashing it. [color=gray][b]"Look, I... you need help with anything? Somewhere you wanna go? Where's your mom?"[/b][/color] she asked, exasperated. [color=lightgreen]"She said I could do whatever I wanted."[/color] Uh-huh, sure. Likely story. He considered for a minute, looking around, turning in a slow circle to regard the carnival. Alaine waited, sighing and wondering what kind of food they had around there. Something smelled good. She wasn't sure she trusted Clownfest food but, hey, maybe they'd give it to her for free. Abruptly the kid pointed. [color=lightgreen]"I wanna go to the Paris Wheel."[/color] [color=gray][b]"Ferris Wheel,"[/b][/color] she corrected lightly, standing up. That worked for her. [color=gray][b]"Alright, I'll walk you there."[/b][/color] The kid looked back at her, frowning. She paused. [color=gray][b]"What?"[/b][/color] [color=lightgreen]"The TV said you could fly,"[/color] he pouted. Ah, now, she wasn't sure that was allowed. Legally. What if the kid kicked himself out of her arms like kids seemed so prone to do? Besides, if she flew him somewhere then other kids were gonna see and then they'd all want to be flown around, it was a never-ending cycle. He was still pouting at her. Alaine inhaled deeply. [color=gray][b]"Okay, fine. But if I get in trouble I'm blaming you."[/b][/color] The kid beamed in satisfaction, lifting his arms expectantly. She feigned more exasperation and bent down, easily picking him up and pushing off the ground. He grabbed her shoulder. [color=lightgreen]"HIGHER!"[/color] [color=gray][b]"Ach! Geez, inside voices!"[/b][/color] Alaine cringed, the shriek echoing in her right ear. [color=lightgreen]"We're outside!"[/color] [color=gray][b]"Whatever, just don't shout, yeah? I can hear you fine."[/b][/color] With another huff she took off -- slow, and no higher than she needed to be to clear some concession stands and game tents, despite her passenger's insistence that she go higher. Reaching the Ferris Wheel, she settled down at the bottom of the short ramp leading up to it; it wasn't too busy currently, and she set the kid down on the ground gently. [color=lightgreen]"Thanks!"[/color] he chirped, which she appreciated, before running off up the ramp and immediately trying to skip in line. Deciding she'd settle in there, if anyone passed they'd no doubt find Blackstar, at any given point, acting exasperated but still carefully holding various kids from time to time and hovering up and down for the ones that wanted to hang on her legs while waiting for the Ferris Wheel.