[hr][center][b][h3][color=#636363]BLACKSTAR[/color], [color=gold]LIGHTNING GIRL[/color][/h3]Ferris Wheel, 1:45pm[/b]
[color=#636363]ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ ᴡɪᴛʜ[/color] [@FourtyTwo][/center]


[quote][color=gold]"Cotton candy?"[/color][/quote]
Blackstar, who was currently getting her ponytail yanked on by a little girl who'd asked to be held, only to lean over her shoulder and immediately reach for her hair -- tilted her head to see around the girl. From behind the white lenses of her mask, her eyes locked onto the spun sugar Lightning Girl was offering. [i]Um, YES please.[/i]

[color=gray][b]"Oh gosh yes, thank you,"[/b][/color] she started. [color=gray][b]"I am [i]starving[/i]--"[/b][/color] 

She was cut off with a small grunt as the little girl over her shoulder abruptly yanked on her ponytail again, causing her head to tilt back a bit. [color=gray][b]"Ow."[/b][/color]

With a deep, long-suffering inhale, she held up a finger to signal [i]just a second[/i] to Lightning Girl, then carefully bent over to set her passenger down. [color=gray][b]"Aaaalright kiddo, better go get back in line or you're gonna lose your spot."[/b][/color]

The girl pouted as she was set down but was quickly distracted by some excited squeals from the Ferris Wheel, prompting her to run back over to the line. Straightening up, Blackstar dusted her gloved hands off and looked back to the white-haired heroine... only to realize she was not only being offered cotton candy, but an absolutely massive stuffed panda.

[quote][color=gold]"My new 'friend' reminds me of you with that mask. All yours......I think I shouldn't play funfair games, Blackstar. I'm beginning to think I am a little bit overpowered compared to the last time I was at a funfair when I was like, 12. Or carnival. Sorry, forgot it's different over here!"[/color][/quote]
Blackstar accepted the cotton candy then reached, much more tentatively, for the offered stuffed animal. 

LG was still talking, saying something about how the carnival was an easy job and one of the other stuffed animals she'd apparently won was for James, another was for Hat Trick... Alaine shook her head a little, snapping herself out of her thoughts as she looked over at the other woman. Very casually, very gently, she curled her arm around the panda and tucked it against herself.

She hadn't said anything yet and still didn't, using the excuse of eating some of the cotton candy as Lightning Girl talked to avoid speaking. 

Truth was, she felt like she was about to cry.

She really [i]shouldn't[/i] be tearing up under her mask over a silly giant stuffed panda, but that was exactly what she was doing. It was probably just some mass-produced bulk buy toy, maybe not even worth the price of the tickets needed to win it, and yet -- it was soft. Alaine could feel one of the fuzzy ears brushing under her jaw, one of the few places where she could actually feel the texture without suit material in the way. 

She didn't have anything soft. Nothing. She'd denied herself anything [i]comfy[/i] for probably around two years already. The thought of going back to her apartment that night and setting this big, cuddly panda anywhere in her bare-minimum lodgings was forming a lump in her throat. It'd look so funny. It'd make everything else so obvious.

And Lightning Girl had [i]thought of her[/i]. Had she really? Or had she just spotted Blackstar and tried to hand off one of her various carnival plunderings? Her mask looked absolutely nothing like a panda's face -- ...right? -- but she supposed she could draw the connection between the black and white combo. The idea that LG had seen that big, stupid, cute stuffed animal and thought of [i]her[/i] was just making the urge to cry worse. 

Of course, she reminded herself, having another bite of cotton candy -- Lightning Girl had immediately gone on to say she was planning on giving the other two to James and Hat Trick, so it wasn't like Blackstar was [i]special[/i] or anything. Yeah. No need to read more into it than was actually there. LG was just being nice. She was spunky and friendly and seemed to look out for her teammates, so that was all it was. Right. Right, right, right...

[quote][color=gold]"How are you getting on? Do you want to...."[/color][/quote]
Whatever the white-haired heroine had planned to ask, it was interrupted by an incoming of more kids. Once again with the wrong names, but it wasn't like that could really be blamed given that ridiculous ad.

Alaine cleared her throat lightly as the kids exclaimed, letting LG take the social bullet for a minute while she attempted to swiftly compose herself -- at least enough to properly talk and not just stand there like a statue. Of course, she wouldn't have offered a photo, she wouldn't assume anyone would want a photo with [i]her[/i], but she supposed the opposite could be said for Lightning Girl. Or Lightning Woman, rather. That seemed like one of the most decent name-changes from the ad. What had it called Asteroid? ...Meteor? No, Meteorite, that was it.

She didn't realize it, but thinking about it made her feel a little better.

LG straightened up and Blackstar sucked in a breath, casually hoisting her new fuzzy companion up so that the head covered the lower half of her face that was, currently, uncovered. She would've put on that bottom part of her mask if she'd known they'd been working the carnival -- now that she was little more comfortable with the team, who all had their own identities to protect, she didn't mind not wearing it around them or on actual dispatches where they were dealing with crime or helping someone out real quick.

At the carnival, though, with all those phones and cameras all over the place? She wasn't so sure she wanted a million pictures of her face, only half-covered, all over social media. [i]Someone[/i] would see. Surely [i]someone[/i] would find something similar in the shape of her jaw, the curve of her mouth. It wasn't so much that she didn't want her family to find out, it was more that she didn't want her family to be put in danger [i]because[/i] they found out.

Blackstar could feel the buzzing sensation from LG's sparks, and she smiled a little as the phone cameras snapped some pictures, even though she was casually keeping that panda held up. Didn't mean Lightning Girl couldn't still see whether she was smiling or not.

The kids and their parents thanked them, all laughing and chatting together as they moved on and left the two heroines to their conversation again.

Alaine cleared her throat a little, letting the protective shield of the panda drop slightly as she glanced at Lightning Girl.

[color=gray][b]"Um, thanks. For the panda."[/b][/color] She hefted the stuffed animal a bit, as if to illustrate the comment. [color=gray][b]"He's cute. I'll have to start totin' him around as a sidekick."[/b][/color]

Lightning Girl giggled, gently poking the panda’s belly a little, smiling with a grin.  [color=gold][b]“Yeah, I thought you looked lonely over there. With kids hanging off you. So I thought you needed a friend to help you man the fort. And this panda for help.”[/b][/color] She chuckled, as she let her indulge in that joke. And a serious reply.

It felt like kind of a weak joke, but she persevered. [color=gray][b]"But, uh -- yeah, it's... [i]different[/i]. From being on the beat. I mean I'm not gonna say I don't like kids--"[/b][/color] She dropped her voice, just in case anyone was around who'd take offense. [color=gray][b]"--But if I wanted to be stuck with them for more than ten minutes I would've chosen a different career path."[/b][/color]

Might've been an odd comment from someone who so clearly seemed to radiate "big sister", but maybe that was just the old, secret childhood bitterness about never getting any attention because there were always so many other kids running around. She'd been an only child for just about 4 months before her mom got pregnant again, so. Not much time to enjoy the spotlight or be anyone's sole focus. Which she'd gotten used to, and she of course wouldn't trade her siblings for the world -- but there was always some deeply-buried twinge of resentment about it, whether she liked it or not.

[color=gray][b]"Anyway."[/b][/color] Blackstar shrugged, moving on and absently waving the stick of partially-eaten cotton candy. A pause, then she asked, maybe [i]too[/i] nonchalantly, [color=gray][b]"...How was the flight over?"[/b][/color]

She was definitely just asking about the flight. Just making sure there hadn't been any turbulence. LG had flown someone over too, yeah, but that totally wasn't why Alaine was asking, no. Of course not.

LG smiled, herself chewing through the sticky cotton cloud, it getting all over her lip balm in a not so pleasant way, looking down at the black-suited, brown haired heroine that was holding the fort here, her Southern tones warding off kids messing around, but she was clearly still getting messed about. Though….she did seem almost stunned anyone would come to her with a panda. Blackstar hadn’t clearly spent enough time with Sophie to realise that if she could find a way to cheat at a rigged game to make it even, she would for the sake of her team-mate. And well, who else would like the Panda? Asteroid? Actually, where was he…..

She replied back to her, after her eyes drifted when a trio of very concerning looking clowns caught her eye.

[color=gold][b]“Oh, yeah, it was good. Sunshine at last…..even if it burns my skin, it beats rain turning my skin into needles. And I got to know the other cosmic hero of the team, beyond you strolling in awkwardly into the gym on Tuesday. I try to mix it up with people, make sure everyone’s welcome, given it feels like I’ve been here the longest…..even if that doesn’t feel like long at all. Anyway, Asteroid’s a character, isn’t he? For a Phoenix Programme, he’s really well spoken, cool guy. I hope he does well at SDN, he deserves something good. I’m happy your dispatch went well with him. It still comes up on my socials every now and then from Ultra.”[/b][/color] She didn’t give anything up, she was astute enough for that, especially because she didn’t have feelings for Asteroid. But a promise was a promise. Lightning Girl wasn’t giving up words that easy, not without more of a poke. She seemed honest, in a way that seemed refreshingly straightforward. She had her pinch points, but that wasn’t one of them.

But she hinted. She hinted at almost an unsaid bond, like a way of saying ‘yeah, he’s nice, you can trust him’. He was trustworthy. Someone she could count on, and hopefully, someone Blackstar would know their feelings weren’t wrong, because Asteroid’s definitely weren’t.

Alaine nodded slowly, still feigning total nonchalance as she continued munching on the spun sugar. She wasn’t cotton candy’s biggest fan ever, but she was hungry enough that it tasted like the best thing ever. The trio of suspicious-looking clowns – well, they all looked suspicious – caught her eyes as well. 

Lightning Girl’s reply was what she’d expected, though Blackstar did perk up a little when Asteroid was mentioned, as she’d hoped he might be. [i]I hope he does well at SDN, he deserves something good[/i]. That was a nice thing to hear. It was a nice thing to think of deserving something good.

Lightning Girl cleared her throat, keeping an eye out, stopping any more kids from breaking into the queue, as was tradition. You didn’t break through the queue. A heroic thing to do was to stop queue jumping.

Wait, that was a British thing.

Well, fuck it, these little fuckers were learning manners, Sophie’s inner goblin tittered, glancing back to Blackstar, back on her earlier comment about kids. She was new to this. Lightning Girl realised she may be a bit of a mentor, a bit of a wiser head. Blackstar had that older sister energy, but Lightning Girl was the more experienced hero of the two of them, and well, unofficially, felt like the resident here in Claremont.

It may not have been home, but hell, it was what it was, so Sophie replied to that.

[color=gold][b]“And yeah, I’m not keen on stuff like this normally either, but, this makes for a change after the week we’ve had. It’s worth saying, when I have lots of voltage in me I am chatty, I guess it just happens that I gush, and give into being a bit more…..maximalist. I’ll tell you why someday.”[/b][/color] She looked on, seeing some kid in a Phenomaman T-Shirt, chuckling, adjusting her mask a little, watching the crowd before turning her head back to Blackstar.

Blackstar opened her mouth but shut it again, deciding against jokingly commenting on the fact that Lightning Girl seemed chatty 24/7. She assumed the “why” was similar to if you gave a battery-powered toy more juice than it actually needed. Maybe there was something more to it, though.

She wondered what the woman under LG’s mask acted like when she wasn’t expected to be a voltaged-up heroine.

[color=gold][b]“And I guess those kids….they’ll talk about us all the time, and they’d love to be us when they grow up. Same way they look at firemen, doctors, astronauts in costume. When you put that mask on, you’re everything they want to be…..and I know it’s a lot of weight, when we go back home that goes away. But you get used to it with time.”[/b][/color] Lightning Girl looked across to Blackstar, knowing this was heavy, very, very heavy for a carnival. But if Alaine had big sister energy, then even as the younger sibling, Lightning Girl’s want to prove herself, clamber the ranks and get on that shiny star of LA’s top team, had come back to her own roots, perhaps, seeing a little of herself. 

Blackstar glanced over when she felt Lightning Girl looking her way, returning the sentiment with something of a wry smile. It was a multilayered thing. On the one hand, she wanted to say [i]‘kids wouldn’t want to be me if they knew what I’d done’[/i]. One the other hand – well shoot, she’d spent her whole life being the role model. With five younger siblings, it was unavoidable that her parents would be telling her to be on her best behavior. [i]Little eyes are always watching, little ears are always listening. They copy you because they want to be like you. You’re their model for growing up.[/i]

It was weird, feeling totally used to something but completely unfamiliar with it at the same time. She kept those thoughts to herself though, knowing Lightning Girl was trying to encourage her and just generally being the quieter of the two.

Sophie may have still been learning, hell, she wasn’t really even at her prime really, but Blackstar reminded her of the really early days. In Manchester. Trying to make it work, the costume, the identity, the photos, the feeling of being this……thing people liked and you didn’t know if to turn to bad or good. The lines were grey. You could just do anything when you had the ability to short-circuit ATMs, people, lifts, whatever you liked. And seeing Blackstar felt like an echo.

Blackstar was new to this, but Lightning Girl could tell she was in this for the right reasons. Even if her past felt cloudy, she felt unsure, any of it, Lightning Girl could cut through people. Even the people she struggled for rapport with, like Eclipse, Madcap, Payback…..well okay, damn that was quite a list, but most people, she tried, the former two, definitely so lately. Blackstar was clearly harbouring something in her heart, it didn’t take a mind reader to see it, but if Lightning Girl could lighten that load, she was going to find a way. Maybe she would get that phone call from a high profile branch, a marketing role, that would be dreamy. But right here, she had a job to do, and well, in a city where she was getting to know people, she wasn’t turning down a chance to hang with someone like Blackstar that clearly Sophie had the chance to influence. Maybe when the time would come, Sophie would be able to reveal she wasn’t just a masked hero and neither was Blackstar. That weight of being a hero, with the mask peeled back was someone else. And Sophie knew that person was more confident, better, stronger, hell, sitting on a pylon in a leather jacket and tights was fucking insane the first time she tried it.

But Lightning Girl was so much cooler. And she had a bottomless battery for people. Madcap seemed to be the only other member of the team that was like that, and she realised the comparison was not a great one.

For now, Sophie reasoned they were just working together. So it was best to keep that relationship proffesh. A chance for mentoring would also look good in the reports, sure, but at the same time, it felt like the right thing to do. Same way that putting herself in the way of harm felt when saving civilians. It was like a beacon, a guiding light, that screamed. And it helped that you didn’t die when you got shot, at least from something lower in caliber. So it was easy enough. Too easy to be a dipshit in this world, and, it cost no manners to be nice. And it meant you could save all your repressed anger on Brick Frog’s fucking face when he ruined your hair and send him across a road…...okay, maybe that was half true!

She cut her thoughts out, putting her rubber gloves back on, zipping up her hip pack and looking across to the shorter of the two heroes, aware that they’d been getting snapped from afar. Finishing her thought.

[color=gold][b]“I guess for me, it feels like we need to try and live up to that dream, if at least for our younger selves. Even if what's under it struggles, at least we can do good playing us. And they'd think we were the coolest things ever. I mean, dark energy and a costume as cool as that, Blackstar? When I grow up I wanna be like you.”[/b][/color] She chuckled, with a reassuring chuckle, knowing it would maybe put Blackstar a bit more at ease. Let her seep into the vibes that Lightning Girl was on. 

[i]You reeaallly don’t.[/i] Alaine almost said it, almost. Still. She appreciated what LG was trying to do. 

And she [i]did[/i] look up to the white-haired heroine. Lightning Girl would probably be an excellent mentor for the new role she found herself in, certainly John would approve. Right? Or would he think that was too risky? …Couldn’t be [i]that[/i] risky. A mentor was still a perfectly professional contact. Now if she started yapping to John about having found a new bestie, he’d probably caution her against that.

Of course, after trying to gossip in friendly fashion with Payback, Alaine wasn’t too sure she was able to make friends like she used to. Maybe she’d lost the “yes, I’d love to hear your life story” vibe that she’d seemed to bring everywhere growing up… Thank goodness if she had, honestly. That was a lot of pressure too, not that she didn’t find hearing total strangers’ life stories interesting… It could just be a little jarring when all she wanted to do was get in and out of the grocery store as fast as possible.

Alaine blinked, bringing her throats back to the present. Right, Lightning Girl as a source of direction. Probably a good idea. Blackstar was already looking up to her.

Lightning Girl turned and rested a hand on her fellow hero’s shoulder, a smile back, knowing Blackstar must have been probably a little scared to go out into it, especially because this felt like a job. As someone a little her senior, and a little more experienced in this, Lightning Girl didn’t want her to feel like this was too serious a job, and with that gloved hand, reassured.

[color=gold][b]“Go have some fun, Blackstar. I’ll keep an eye out and make sure nobody gets up to nothing naughty here. They just told us to be here to look after things. We are doing just that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go and get some more cuddly toys. What’s James gonna do. Fire the best performing hero he’s got on his roster?”[/b][/color] Lightning Girl smiled, sincere, and a beam of positive energy as always. 

[color=gray][b]“[i]Fun?[/i]”[/b][/color] Blackstar echoed incredulously, rocking a little under the friendly weight of LG’s hand on her shoulder. 

She knew it was possible, thanks to that first dispatch with Asteroid, but that was different. Wasn’t it? The fun had been part of the dispatch, actively. Having “fun” now – like if she actually went and won some more stuffed animals – would be shirking the dispatch itself, although she’d technically still be on site. Right? 

Lightning Girl had literally just said [color=gold][i]“what are they gonna do, fire us?”[/i][/color] but Alaine wasn’t so sure it wasn’t a possibility. They had a lot of heroes on the team. She’d gotten in trouble in previous jobs without even doing anything wrong, so she didn’t like to give anyone any reason to make notes on her file.

Blackstar pursed her lips in an expression of serious consideration, which probably looked a little funny paired with the giant stuffed panda she was holding like a puppy.

[color=gray][b]“...Well,”[/b][/color] she said at length, uncertain. She might as well go find something to eat, or just… take a break from all the kids. Had to be somewhere she could hide for a few minutes. [color=gray][b]“...If you’re sure…?”[/b][/color]

Lightning Girl had a little bit of an undertone, of not being a purist, she was less letter of the law, more spirit of it. A little wildfire behind grey eyes, as she spotted a kid trying to cut in and only gave a glare and a [color=gold][b]“Hey!”[/b][/color], and that kid reconsidered very, very fast when Sophie cast shadow towards him. She looked over her shoulder and nodded to Blackstar, letting her do her thing.

Alaine blinked under her mask, taking the nod as a [i]“yeah, I’m sure”[/i]. Okay then. Well… she could find something to do. Clearing her throat lightly, she said, [color=gray][b]“Alright. Uh – here, I can take that for you, at least.”[/b][/color]

Taking LG’s now-bare paper stick, still faintly colored from the cotton candy, she deposited both their trash in the nearest trash can, like a responsible carnival-goer, and proceeded to try and figure out what to do with herself.

[hr]
[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/W4F0DmkZ/Copy-of-Asteroid-20260315-004107-0000.webp[/img][/center]
[center][color=gray](( ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ ᴡɪᴛʜ [@SonnetNSunbeam] | ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: [@Auragreedia]/Madcap in the beginning ))
(( ᴛʟ;ᴅʀ . . . Asteroid & Blackstar go civilian to enjoy the carnival while on break! 
Lemonade & elephant ears, balloon darts, and wholesome cuteness overload. 
Asteroid & Blackstar part ways at the end, Blackstar heading back for the Ferris Wheel.))[/color][/center]

[hider=On Break]Asteroid felt rather disheveled sitting on the bench next to Madcap. His mask was rolled up to the minimum necessary for corndog eating. A cup of mustard dangled loosely in one hand, he slowly worked his way through the dog in his other. For a moment, he mourns his meal prep. But only between bites- he only went to the carnival when he was a kid during Summer sports- so this was a treat. 

Madcap had led him on an absolutely insane adventure. He still wasn’t sure it was real, or if he slipped into whatever side reality Madcap usually existed in. Why were there tunnels under a Carnival? Maintenance?

What were the others up to? Was Eclipse going to spend all day inside the corndog trailer? Maybe he’d check and see if the lemonade stand needed help. He could get a free lemonade- and XL for himself, and at least a large for Blackstar? Did she like lemons? 

So many questions, what had gotten into him? If they weren’t in public, he likely would have bent to rest his head in his hands. But instead- he stares straight ahead. Dead eyed, and praying that the children leave them in peace for just another moment. 

And they do. Long enough for him to see a familiar form in her white on black costume. It’s a shake up, and rather than react, he watches her move through the crowd. She draws attention from everyone around her like this, can’t really miss costume design like that. She continues to weave through bodies. Watching her makes his pulse race as he tries to decide if he wants to catch up to her. He can’t tell where she’s headed. The farther she gets, the less he wants to let her out of his sight. 

[color=mediumpurple]”Madcap- I’m gonna take a walk-”[/color] He offers no more explanation before he tosses his garbage, pulls down his mask, and runs after her. Bobbing and weaving through children is difficult. He nearly trips over a toddler barely hanging onto an ice cream cone. Cream actively drips onto their shirt. 

When he is within ear shot- he tries his luck- [color=mediumpurple]“Blackstar! Hey!”[/color]  

At first, the crowd noise prevents the words from carrying too far. So he tries once more- [color=mediumpurple]“Blackstar!”[/color] His tone is even and he’s cupping his mouth with his hands for range. 

In all honesty, Alaine still hadn’t really gotten used to being addressed as “Blackstar”. She did hear Asteroid the first time, probably, but it didn’t register. The second time though, probably both because it was a little louder and it had a chance to sink in, she realized oh, wait, that’s me.

Pausing, she turned around. Luckily, most of the crowd was under 5’6, so she could actually see over heads for once. She did have to lean to see around a passing pair of parents, and that was when she spotted the familiar black and gold.

For a split-second, she just stared. He’d called her? Why?

But then, part of her she hadn’t felt in a while asked why does it matter?

Alaine blinked, starting to weave her way towards him, stepping around a few teenagers with a quiet [color=gray][i]“‘scuse me”[/i][/color], around a mom and a screaming kid – in a crowd, with all those eyes on her, she didn’t feel like a hero. She felt like someone who hated being looked at getting actively stared at. Skirting past someone else, she abruptly realized she didn’t have to walk. Ah, right.

Pushing off the ground with one foot, she simply lifted into the air – an over-extended jump over the remaining children, teens, and parents between her and Asteroid. Slowly, she let herself drop lightly to the ground in front of him, the big stuffed panda Lightning Girl had given her held securely in both arms, like she thought if she held it too loosely somebody would make her hand it over. She and the stuffed toy seemed inverted, with the majority of her suit being black and the majority of the panda’s fur being white.

[color=gray][b]“Hello,”[/b][/color] she hummed, smiling at him. Funny how the tight feeling in her ribs had just lessened a little, like it was easier to breathe. [color=gray][b]“Meteorite, was it?”[/b][/color] Asteroid laughs.

The teasing came naturally, somehow, as if she hadn’t been dying inside minutes ago. [color=gray][b]“Where’ve–”[/b][/color]

[color=lightgreen]“Hey!”[/color]

Aw, shoot, she recognized that demanding little voice. A glance over her shoulder saw the kid who’d first accosted her at the front of the carnival marching up, one hand raised like he was hailing a taxi. Which he probably was attempting to do, given he now knew “Darkstar” would give free flights if pushed a little.

[color=gray][b]“I’m on break,”[/b][/color] she blurted to the kid. Without thinking, she let go of the stuffed panda with one hand and grabbed Asteroid’s hand instead. A gentle push off the ground and up they went – just enough that she could hover them above the height of some of the nearest stands and smaller rides, well out of reach of sticky, demanding little hands. 

[color=gray][b]“Sorry,”[/b][/color] she said to the hero in black and gold, dipping her head towards him in an apologetic gesture. She hadn’t asked to do that. [color=gray][b]“I’ve had kids yanking my hair for the past hour, I need a break.”[/b][/color]

Her hair did look a touch disheveled. She probably needed to re-fix it, but to do it right she preferred to slip her mask down and make it look nice. 

[color=gray][b]“Where’ve you been?”[/b][/color] she finished her previous question. He couldn’t see her eyes behind the white lenses of her mask but they were fully on his face – covered as it was. Like any slight movement would tell her what expression he might be making.

Asteroid lets out a relieved breath. Glad to be away from the crowd as well. [color=mediumpurple] “I'm glad to follow your lead honestly.”[/color] The sound of his smile bleeds into his voice. He looks her over, noting the fluffy panda bear in her arms. 

[color=mediumpurple]“I spent the last while with Madcap, which was an experience, per usual it seems.”[/color] Asteroid attempts to manipulate gravity so he's floating more directly in front of her. With his free hand, he reaches and gently scratches the bear on the head. [color=mediumpurple]“He somehow knew the code to a secret passage, which led to a tunnel, which led into a fun house.”[/color] The more he says, the more crazy he feels. [color=mediumpurple]“All with murder vibes?” [/color]The last two words come out as individual questions. 

Alaine almost grinned a little at the way she could feel him manipulating gravity. It was like the weight of his hand in hers warbled slightly. But then she did grin as he went on, tilting her head to the side at [i]“murder vibes”[/i]. She watched his free hand move for the panda’s head – so very close to her own – but she didn’t edge away at all.

[color=mediumpurple]”Honestly- maybe James is right about laying off the drugs I'm not taking.”[/color] He snickers just a little.[color=mediumpurple] “How'd you get this little thing?”[/color] Jet anticipates the jolt of jealousy, but it doesn't come. And it's comfortable. Which rattles him, with his exes he was the jealous type. 

[color=mediumpurple]”Any secret admirers we need to worry about?”[/color] His voice is playful and low. This is clear flirting territory for him. Still hopefully harmless enough to be deflected, but a sign post to refer to in the future. He stresses for whatever amount of silence that remains, but it's for fear of making her uncomfortable. Their friendship is new, and the last thing he wants to do is spook her. 

Jet wants to know her. He's not looking for anything else. If she lays out a boundary, he'll figure out how to forget the green in her eyes. But he isn't going to do it in advance. Instead he's going to chase this foreign joy- and maybe just a little desperation- for everything she's willing to share.

Alaine blinked behind her mask, the question taking a second to sink in. She may or may not have been distracted by how close his hand was to her face.

[color=gray][b]“Hm? Oh–”[/b][/color] She started off in easy dismissal before she actually realized what he’d asked and cut herself off with an embarrassed little laugh. [color=gray][b]“Oh, ha! No…”[/b][/color] She couldn’t imagine that. She’d helped secret admirers of her sisters before – when she approved – to pass along gifts or something. But secret admirer for [i]her[/i]? That’d be a first.

Wait. Was that just a joke? Or was he… 

Alaine felt her face getting a bit warm. [i]Nah. No way.[/i] …Right?

Wow, that was a nice thought though. If he [i]was[/i].

She cleared her throat lightly, realizing she still hadn’t answered the question. [color=gray][b]“It’s, um – Lightning Girl had an armful of prizes, I think she went on a little gaming spree. She said it made her think of me. Probably the, um… black and white.”[/b][/color]

Quiet for a second, she hesitated before musing softly, [color=gray][b]“I don’t think he’ll be very happy at my place. It’s kinda…”[/b][/color] She stopped herself. [color=gray][b]“Um. Well.”[/b][/color] A little shrug. [color=gray][b]“He’ll be the softest thing there, I guess.”[/b][/color]

Soft things ought to have other soft things, or so she’d always felt. Right now, her apartment was three rooms – living room and kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom. With one bedframe and mattress, some paper plates, plastic cups and utensils… all her clothes were still in the duffel bag by the foot of the bed, everything else in the big backpack next to it. 

Oh, and a little piece of triangular red glass on the windowsill of the one window in the living room. It was from somebody’s breaklight. She’d picked it up while she was on that dispatch with Fenomaman and Payback the other day. 

Her mom would say it was junk. It was, in every sense of it, and the light didn’t hardly even come through that window thanks to the building right next door, but – the red glass glowed just a little, when the streetlamp light snuck between the two buildings. Closest thing to stained glass she’d have for… probably ever.

She pushed the thought out of her head. There she went again. It was like she [i]wanted[/i] to be depressed.

Alaine’s hand tightened around Asteroid’s just barely, a subconscious movement, the pad of her thumb against his knuckles. Even with their gloves on, she was sure she could feel the warmth of him.

Jet frowns. It’s not the reaction he was hoping for. He’s a bit of a flirt when he has one too many at the casino. It’s not something he’s disrespectful about. He hums at her comment of not having soft things. Maybe she’s really new to town- he’ll have to help her with that. It’s when her hand tightens on his that his stomach does a flip. 

[color=gray][b]“You wanna… do somethin’?”[/b][/color] The question came out a little more vulnerable than she would’ve liked. She felt her face getting hot again. [color=gray][b]“I mean – Lightning Girl said I could take a break… um. Sounds like you could use one, too. Something with less murder vibes, maybe?”[/b][/color]

She tacked on a little smile, hoping it looked like she’d meant to ask and it was a totally normal thing to ask and it hadn’t just slipped out. He kept making her do that, just – say things. And, for someone who should really, [i]really[/i] be taking care [i]not[/i] to just say things… she didn’t mind much at all.

When she asks him to do something- he imagines what it’d look like to twirl her around like this. While she’s the engine of flight. His Adam's apple bobs. She continues-

[color=gray][b]“Unless you were digging the murder vibes.”[/b][/color] The smile that came with that was easier. [color=gray][b]“We can totally try to find another secret tunnel, I’m down.”[/b][/color]

Snickering at the comment about murder vibes, he enthusiastically agrees. [color=mediumpurple]“I’m good on murder vibes for at least the next hour. I’ve been in search of extra large lemonade at least, and maybe you could share an elephant ear with me? It’s so messy we’d probably need to find a private place to eat it.”[/color] They are his secret favorite, even though he’d only been to a carnival with his tennis team once or twice. That’s probably why following Madcap wasn’t even a question- Jet was still curious about carnivals. What else was there about them that he didn’t know?

That earned a small laugh out of Alaine, followed by an equally enthusiastic nodding. One stick of cotton candy, however delicious, wasn’t enough to make up for a week of skipped meals. [color=gray][b]“Oh, wow, yes, yes please,”[/b][/color] she agreed. [color=gray][b]“Honestly I could eat the whole elephant, I never had breakfast.”[/b][/color]

Or dinner the night before… or lunch the day before… had she had breakfast yesterday? …Huh… Geez, her mom would kill her if she knew. Maybe. 

[color=gray][b]“Oh – here.”[/b][/color] Alaine adjusted her position midair – she’d never actually thought about it before, flying and hovering and going up and down, all that. It had always just been her, and it was like something in her knew instinctively how to move in the air. Holding somebody else’s hand, though… she wanted to make sure she didn’t just yank him straight to the ground. 

Down she went, bringing her coworker down with her and making sure there were no stray kids below before they touched down. [color=gray][b]“Elephant ears are the things with the cinnamon, right?”[/b][/color] she asked as they landed. [color=gray][b]“I’ve never had one.”[/b][/color]

[color=mediumpurple]”Yeah- it’s basically a flat but bubbly piece of fried dough covered in topping! You’ve gotta take bites of it without taking it off the paper plate they give you it on. Or the sugar and cinnamon, standard topping, go everywhere.” [/color]He rattles on a bit about how they’re his fav but it’s been probably a decade since he’d had one.

Alaine smiled slightly to herself. She liked people who talked a lot. Lightning Girl, Asteroid… it made her feel less like she had to keep the conversation going when she always felt she was so bad at it, but she still wanted to be part of the moment. Besides, she liked listening more than talking herself.

When they touch down, Jet gets an idea. A bad one. [color=mediumpurple]“Ever think how we could just shed our costumes right now and blend into the crowd?”[/color] He whispers it, afraid that his communicator might be listening. Skipping out on work is a sure way to get fired, and [i]Jet really needs this job.[/i]

He peaks out from the thing blocking them from view, and peers out over the crowd. [color=mediumpurple]“After all, nobody knows what I look like under here but you.”[/color] It’s a soft admission- but also it’s own kind of secret. 

[color=mediumpurple]“I’m kidding- of course.”[/color] He laughs, but there is an insinuation of sort of [i]not[/i] joking. Maybe they could come to a carnival on their own sometime.

Alaine stared at him for a second, taking the suggestion quite literally. That sounded… really nice, actually. And very possible. He was right, nobody knew what they looked like under those masks except – well, each other, apparently. 

That made a funny, butterfly-like sensation flutter behind her ribs. [color=gray][b]“No, yeah. We… totally could.”[/b][[/color] She had a similar tone of [i]“haha funny thought – [b]although[/b]…”[/i]

Of course, there was one problem with the idea. Alaine grinned a little.

[color=gray][b]“...Unless you’ve got a full second outfit on under there, though–”[/b][/color] She realized she was still holding his hand and let go, only to reach up and gently poke his chest instead. [color=gray][b]“I think we’d end up standing out anyway without clothes on.”[/b][/color]

Giggling to herself at the mortifying idea, another thought occurred to her. [color=gray][b]“I mean – if there’s some employee uniforms around or something…”[/b][/color] Her voice dropped too, and she wiggled her panda slightly as the gears started turning in her head. [color=gray][b]“We could totally qualify for a little free merch, right? Like some t-shirts?”[/b][/color]

Wait, no, that was crazy. That was [i]crazy[/i]. Right? Alaine stared at Asteroid, subconsciously realizing she was waiting for his reaction before attempting to finish formulating the rest of that plan.

The more Alaine talked the more Asteroid was ready to take his mask off. The loss of her hand was burned away by the press of her finger to his sternum. Another beat of his heart, skipped. [color=mediumpurple]“I'd think so? There were uniforms in that building and tunnel.”[/color] Jet visibly shivers. [color=mediumpurple]“But I'm not sure I'd want to go back there.”[/color]

He watches her panda waggle. [color=mediumpurple]“Let me see.”[/color] Jet peeks out the door, and searches for articles of clothing to swipe. Shirts are in abundance, but then the thought of shoes stumped him. Flip flops? Oh they always had those somewhere. 

[color=mediumpurple]“We definitely need to get our treats, but what if we just came back? Us, later? Not necessarily tonight-”[/color] he cuts himself off. This is a dangerously close to a date invitation and he immediately back pedals. [color=mediumpurple]“There are always new ones coming into town though, lots of time.”[/color] He rocks back on his heels and then squeezes the panda’s cheeks each with a thumb.

Alaine watched him reach for the panda again, squeezing its puffy face like he needed something to distract from what he’d just said. 

In all honesty – she had been hoping to stay somewhere for more than a few months, especially now that she had a proper job, but… who really knew? Never staying anywhere long was a lifestyle she was so used to that it was almost the norm. Living somewhere for more than a couple of years was what sounded weird. 

What if she messed up, bad? She’s already taken some guy’s hand off in her first week on the job, who knew how long or short it would take for her to do something worse and be fired? Or worse – for the connections to be made between Blackstar in Claremont, California and a lone [i]mirlo[/i] in Arizona? 

Even [i]worse[/i]… what if Asteroid saw something that would make him not [i]want[/i] to come back some other time, no masks?

She could feel the ominous anxiety of that scenario looming in the back of her mind like towering, distant thunderclouds. Lightning Girl was sweet and supportive now, but what if. What if, [i]what if.[/i]

[color=gray][b]“I’m not… used to having time,”[/b][/color] Alaine replied carefully. It sounded an awful lot like he’d almost asked her out. She wasn’t sure if he’d meant to, judging by the way he’d seemed to hastily rephrase. 

No, she didn’t trust time to give her a chance to come back. She made her mind up – well, so long as he was doing it with her.

[color=gray][b]“No time like the present, right?”[/b][/color] she added lightly, giving him a small smile. [color=gray][b]“C’mon, I thought you were a big scary criminal. Scared of pulling a little hijinks? Uh – hijink?”[/b][/color] 

Something occurred to her that might get them the extra clothes they needed. She wasn’t so worried about shoes – her boots were separate from her costume, though they didn’t look that way, and she doubted anyone would be looking too hard at her feet anyway. If they did… it’d probably just look like she was wearing bowling shoes or something. 

[color=gray][b]“I’ve got an idea.”[/b][/color] Alaine abruptly handed over the panda. [color=gray][b]“Watch him, would you?”[/b][/color]

With a smile she gave Asteroid a little two-fingered salute, then stepped back and pushed up into the air. It only took her a second to spot the stand she’d had in mind; she hadn’t known where it would be, but she could see what she’d been thinking of beneath the awning.

Touching down in front of a bored-looking, purple-visored employee, she cleared her throat and put on her best [i]Woman Who Was Definitely A Hero[/i] voice. [color=gray][b]“Hello there,”[/b][/color] she greeted brightly. It’d be a small lie. For the greater good. [color=gray][b]“I need to grab a couple of those sweatpants for some parents, kid spilled ice cream all over them.”[/b][/color]

In her time at the carnival so far, she’d already seen at least three parents walking around with the same, brightly-colored, carnival-specialty sweatpants on. They were rather bold, black with a rainbow star print all over – but looking at the tags past the employee, they were, for some reason, the cheapest out of the available options. Weird, because as far as she was concerned they were the least awful compared to the ones with a clown balloon plastered all over them in garish colors. [color=gray][b]“And I’ll need a couple of complimentary t-shirts.”[/b][/color]

[color=plum]“We don’t have complimentary t-shirts,”[/color] the employee replied, sounding as bored as she looked. [color=plum]“And the cheap sweatpants are thirty bucks. Each.”[/color]

[color=gray][b]“Well I’d hope heroes were entitled to at least, like, one free t-shirt,”[/b][/color] Blackstar replied with gentle insistence. [color=gray][b]“Aaand maybe the sweatpants might have a little hero discount? Hm?”[/b][/color]

The girl squinted at her. [color=plum]“Which one were you again?”[/color]

Alaine sighed. [color=gray][b]“...Darkstar?”[/b][/color]

[color=plum]“Oh.”[/color] The girl thought for a moment, glanced at her Giggles-themed watch, then shrugged and rolled her eyes. [color=plum]“Whatever. Just take ‘em.”[/color]

A quick question of sizes and the sweatpants were handed over – along with two t-shirts, garishly clown-themed but that would just have to do. And, with a little cajoling, Alaine managed to get the girl to hand over a tote bag too.

Thanking her and beaming, Alaine took off again before dropping down elsewhere and walking her way back over to where she’d left her panda-sitting coworker behind one of the various booths. 

[color=gray][b]“Tada!”[/b][/color] She fished out the sweatpants and t-shirt she’d scored for him with a big, dumb grin on her face. She was well aware of how silly the combination was, but luckily for them, in a carnival full of clowns they weren’t that likely to be the odd ones out. [color=gray][b]“Pretty sick, right? I guessed your size so hopefully it fits good enough for a half-hour civilian spree.”[/b][/color]

Jet practically rips his mask off when she returns. The panda is firmly held to his front with his left arm. His mask balled up in his right. [color=gray][b]“These are the goofiest pants I've ever seen. But they actually would look really nice with a black leather jacket and tight shirt I think.”[/b][/color] His smile is blinding. 

[i]Wow[/i]. Alaine stared at him, still smiling but looking a little starstruck for a second. His smile was so nice. His [i]face[/i] was so nice. She didn’t know if anything could make those pants look good but she did think [i]he’d[/i] look good in a tight shirt and leather jacket…

[color=mediumpurple]“You're really crafty, ya know that?”[/color] It's bright, and meant as a compliment. Between the idea for bungee jumping and this one, he's impressed by her ability to just figure something out. And generally, fast too. 

That snapped her out of her momentary daze. The praise immediately made her stand a little taller, a happy warmth spreading through her chest. She was aware she reacted to praise like a loyal dog desperate for the slightest word of approval, but she couldn’t help it.

[color=mediumpurple]“Okay hold Bear for a min and then I'll stand guard.”[/color] Gently he checks the sizes of the clothes in her arms. Grabbing the slightly larger ones, he presses the bear into Blackstar's arms. Then, he finds a hanging curtain behind him and ducks behind it. Its practically touching him so he's sure it looks silly from outside.

While inside the curtain, he comments on her earlier statement. [color=mediumpurple]“I also move a lot. I'm really hoping this will stick though.”[/color] His costume zipper is loud as he straps off the top and bottom. It's less than a minute and a half and he's peaking out of the curtain at her. 

[color=mediumpurple]“How do I look?”[/color] On the walk back he shimmies his shoulders. His uniform is over one arm, and he's taking the Panda back with the other. He's avoiding eye contact with her mask, mostly. Jet feels exposed under her eyes, and seeing the reflection of that in the lenses of her mask is too much.

Holding Bear in one arm, she hefted the strap of the tote over the other shoulder, casually bouncing from one foot to the other with a little extra floating than normal until Asteroid popped back out from behind the curtain.

Alaine couldn’t help a giggle at the way he wiggled his shoulders, and she replied, while handing over the stuffed animal and the tote bag if he wanted to put his suit in it, [color=gray][b]“You look like Giggles’ biggest fan.”[/b][/color]

[i]And your eyes are so pretty. And I wanna ruffle your hair. And–[/i] She kicked the thoughts out, clearing her throat lightly and heading behind the curtain.

[color=gray][b]“You mentioned that the other night, when I flew you home,”[/b][/color] she said to him through the curtain, quickly tugging off her gloves then going for the well-hidden latches and zipper going up her side. [color=gray][b]“The moving, I mean.”[/b][/color]

On went the Giggles’ tshirt and the painfully colorful sweats over her boots; they were long enough that they hid the majority of the pattern that might’ve aroused suspicion, and it did look like she was just wearing bowling shoes or some other funky option. 

Popping out from behind the curtain, she reached over and tucked her suit and gloves into the tote bag, reaching up to take out her ponytail and the pin that held the red portion of her hair down under her cowl. Tying the mousy hair up into a small bun, she left the red part loose around her shoulders – it drew more attention than the natural color, which was the point. 

She huffed a strand of mousy hair out of her face, glancing up at him briefly before focusing on Bear and extending her arms in an offer to carry both the stuffed animal and tote bag. [color=gray][b]“I’d, uh – I’d ask how I look but seeing as we’re wearing the same thing, I guess I’m just Giggles’ biggest fan times two,”[/b][/color] she mused with a faint laugh, feeling a little heat rising on her face. God, she hoped she wasn’t blushing. He’d already seen her face before but she felt naked all of the sudden.

When Alaine pops out of the curtain, Jet finally looks at her directly. She’s a knockout. Her smile is the second thing he decidedly commits to memory. After her mossy-ocean eyes.

[color=mediumpurple]“Does that make us Giggles’ groupies?”[/color] He hides a smile behind his fist and he bites a thumbnail. The star pants are baggy- perfect lazy day loungewear. Stop it- stop it- stop it- he chants at himself. 

That earned a laugh and an eyeroll out of her. [color=gray][b]“So – where’s this lemonade and elephant ear you were talking about?”[/b][/color] she asked, trying to sound casual and trying to avoid eye contact but unable to resist glancing at his face again. She’d thought it last time but darn it, why’d he have to look so cute? 

When she looks up, she finds him looking at her. Really looking at her. It takes him a few seconds to realize she’s asked a question. [color=mediumpurple]“Oh- yeah- right- your uniform?”[/color] His face flushes and it spreads all the way to the tips of his ears. He extends a hand to accept it, and then uses gravity to lift them up to the top of whatever booth they’re hiding in. An orbee inflates and rests atop a support beam. He rests their uniforms there. [color=mediumpurple]“Hopefully well hidden enough that kids won’t get to them?”[/color] He looks for her approval before turning back to the exit. 

[color=gray][b]“Or coworkers,”[/b][/color] Alaine hummed, busy watching the way the orbee floated up – enough that she didn’t see him reaching over right away.

Jet almost doesn’t do it. But he can’t help himself, he reaches for her hand and then pulls her along. [color=mediumpurple]“This way- they had the extra big cups for lemonade.”[/color] He laces their fingers together and pulls her along. Their bare hands pressed together is surprisingly intimate. His hand is just slightly clammy- not wet- but not dry. Jet’s heart is hammering in his chest, and inside his mind, he is chanting the same mantra. ‘Don’t fuck this up’ over and over again. 

Alaine inhaled subtly at the feeling of his hand nice and cozy against her palm, his fingers laced between her own. That was probably a bad idea. Right? Being coworkers and all. 

Though – her fingers curled gently against his knuckles as he started pulling her along – they were on break. So. Technically they didn’t have to be coworkers at the moment. Just… a couple of people at a carnival.

Yeah. That could work.

When they get to the food booth, it’s a pretty sparse line. Only one couple ahead of them. They lean in for a kiss and Jet averts his eyes from them and Alaine. The tips of his ears are red, but his grip on her hand tightens and then loosens very gently. Get a grip Jet you’re nearly 30- Blackstar is awesome- so you’ve gotta try to be smooth here.

He settles on rubbing his thumb against her index finger slowly- and then he clears his throat. [color=mediumpurple]“So- 1 Lemonade and an elephant ear for sure. Anything else?”[/color]

Although her gaze was ahead, Alaine wasn’t even actually seeing the couple ahead of them. All her focus was on the hand pressed against her own. She wondered what that callous on his finger was from – it wasn’t a normal working-with-hands callous, it was more specific. Writing? No… he’d mentioned sewing before, hadn’t he? Or was she just confusing that with the way he’d talked about clothing? 

[color=gray][b]“Hm? Oh–”[/b][/color] Ah, shoot, he’d asked something. She blinked, vision coming into focus again as she hurried to comprehend the question. [color=gray][b]“Oh, yeah, no, that’s fine by me, if I can have a sip of that lemonade.”[/b][/color]


He’d suggested sharing the elephant ear but hadn’t technically mentioned sharing the lemonade, and suddenly she was overanalyzing what exactly he’d said and what she’d said and hoping he didn’t think she was assuming he’d just share everything. If there was anything she hated it was being misunderstood… probably some logical reason for that in her raising, but she tried to make herself stop puzzling over everything so hard right then.

Instead – Alaine breathed out, settling into her boots a little. She was always tense, always on the balls of her feet slightly, like she’d have to take off any second.

[color=gray][b]“I feel like I’m pretending,”[/b][/color] she said suddenly, voice low amid the overall noise of the carnival, and she leaned slightly towards him so only he could hear. [color=gray][b]“It’s so confusing. Do you feel like that? Like I’m pretending to be normal. Or I’m pretending to be a hero. I’m not even sure which one’s the real one anymore, sometimes. Blackstar, or Al–”[/b][/color]

She caught herself just in time, a tell-tale flush spreading across her cheeks. [color=gray][b]“Ah. Well.”[/b][/color] Alaine laughed a little embarrassedly. Could it hurt? Just her first name? It wasn’t the most common name, but – well, without the last name it couldn’t hurt. Right? 

But she didn’t want to make him feel like he had to tell her his name… even though, technically, she supposed his name was a lot easier to access than hers. She’d probably just have to snoop around in James’ desk, it had to be in his criminal record. But she wouldn’t do that. 

Oh, screw it. John was gonna kill her – but he didn’t have to know.

[color=gray][b]“Well,”[/b][/color] she said again, clearing her throat and glancing up at Asteroid. The couple ahead of them was doing something stupid and cute like arguing over who was sweeter than whatever sugary treat they were buying. [color=gray][b]“I was gonna– um. Alaine.”[/b][/color]

She gestured to herself with her free hand. [color=gray][b]“I mean, don’t – uh. Don’t tell anyone, but.”[/b][/color] She could’ve given him her middle name or something, but would he have believed her if she’d said her name was “Star”? He’d think she was joking. [color=gray][b]“Sorry, you didn’t ask, but – well, I mean, if you’ve gotta get my attention or something you can’t really just go shouting Blackstar, so…”[/b][/color]

Her fingers fidgeted a little against his. Was his hand clammy or hers? Why was she so nervous? Probably because that was the first time she’d said her own name out loud in months… and because she kept thinking about him looking at her earlier like he was memorizing her face… was that a good thing? Or a bad thing? Did he like her face? Wait, why the heck did that matter? It didn’t. Nooot at all. Nope.

Jet grins- it’s like magic to be trusted by this woman. He wants to pick her up and twirl her around in a circle. With how dizzy he is, it feels like they’re already spinning. [color=mediumpurple]“Jet.”[/color] It’s all he can manage to say as he looks at her from beside him. His body is still facing forward but his neck is craned to see more of her. The red of her hair settles the anxiety in his chest- just like red always does. He thinks it’s cute pinned up in a bun like that, especially the pieces falling out in front of her face.

[i]Jet?[/i] Alaine glanced up at the sky for a split second, puzzled, before it abruptly clicked in her head and she looked back at him and that charming grin of his. God.

[color=mediumpurple]“I mean- I didn’t ask but.”[/color] A purposeful inhale of breath. [color=mediumpurple]“I’m Jet and-”[/color] In between words he lifts their conjoined hands purposefully, hoping he’s being obvious enough  [color=mediumpurple]“I wanted to know. And for the record- I feel like I’m pretending almost all the time.”[/color]  

Alaine glanced at their hands as he held them up, and she started smiling without realizing it. He wanted to know. That… wasn’t the horrifying feeling she’d have expected upon learning someone wanted to know what her name was. In fact it was a very, very nice feeling. So was hearing she wasn’t the only one who felt like her existence was a big game of play pretend.

He’s smiling so hard his eyes are crinkled at the edges. The fact she hasn’t pulled away yet, has to count for something. He reasons with himself until he remembers he held Madcap’s hand at least twice today already. Was this a thing friends did that he was unaware of? He and Rey never held hands. They hugged a lot- which had been a weird transition after he got out.

[color=mediumpurple]“We’re going to have to come up with a nickname to beat into my brain though. Don’t want to slip up in front of everybody else. I’m not too protective of my first name though- so it’s okay with me if you say it around the team. Just maybe not on live tv.”[/color] He makes a half laugh sound.The idea of Blackst- Alaine calling him Jet full time makes his stomach do a tiny flip. [color=mediumpurple]“You have a pretty good nickname for me already.”[/color]

It’s their turn in line now- so he orders their items and they shift over to take it from the pickup window. He decisively does not order two lemonades, but he does order the largest size they have. Jet loves lemonade, so much he wants a juicer.

Quiet while he ordered, Alaine piped up again to continue the conversation as they moved to wait at the pickup window. [color=gray][b]“Yeah, now I’m thinking I’ve got to make up some new nicknames. Like F-22 or Blue Angel or something.”[/b][/color] She grinned impishly, huffing in amusement and adding, [color=gray][b]“Sorry, that’s dumb, I know. Couldn’t resist, I like jet. Jets!“[/b][/color] she corrected quickly. [color=gray][b]“Fighter jets. Ha.”[/b][/color]

Alaine cleared her throat lightly. [color=gray][b]“Jokes aside – that’s a nice name.”[/b][/color] She nodded a little, murmuring to herself, as a memorization tactic, [color=gray][b]“Jet.”[/b][/color] She didn’t think she needed that to remember though.

As for nicknames for herself… huh. “Black” would be weird for a number of reasons. “Star” was easy, but it was also her middle name which would also feel weird, not that she’d particular mind though. What else was there? Coming up with nicknames for other people was easier.

Absent-mindedly, she swung their intertwined hands between them a little. It felt nice. It all felt nice. 

One of the employees working the booth brought their lemonade and elephant ear over. Reluctant to let go of Jet’s hand, Alaine stubbornly held on just a little tighter and took the plate with the warm, just-fried dough with her free hand so he could take the lemonade with his and they could keep holding hands in the meantime. Jet takes a drink of the lemonade the moment its in hand.

She thanked the employee even though they were already turning away and glanced to her companion, physically unable to resist saying his name again. [color=gray][b]“So, Jet–”[/b][/color] Yes, that felt right on her lips. She was in such a good mood all of the sudden. [color=gray][b]“–I have a question. If we were to attempt a totally-not-rigged game after some much-needed refreshment…”[/b][/color] She lifted her brows, and a beauty mark at the outside corner of her right eye was pulled into the crinkle around her eyes as she grinned. [color=gray][b]“...What should it be?”[/b][/color]

If Alaine kept saying his name over and over like that he was going to pass out. [color=mediumpurple]“I think a game of balloon darts would be fun.”[/color] When he was hanging out in villain bars, he'd hustle to get people to buy him drinks & food. The key was to lose at the right times. One thing about balloon darts though was his powers couldn't make things sharper. So if the darts were dull and the balloons were less filled, it would still be difficult. 

Ooh, that was a good idea. Alaine nodded, swapping the elephant ear for the lemonade. After a little warming up, she had pretty good aim… as far as throwing things went. Her dad used to say she should try softball but, unfortunately, she’d never really been one of the athletes of the family.

[color=mediumpurple]“What is on your list? I only think we have limited time on a break…..I'm also not sure if what Madcap and I did counts as work either.”[/color] He takes a huge bite from the side and some of the cinnamon from the middle gets on the tip of his nose. Even as he eats his smilelines at the edges of his eyes stick around.

[color=gray][b]“I’m not sure I’ve done much work either, unless getting climbed on by a bunch of first graders counts,”[/b][/color] she hummed in amusement, glancing over to see he’d gotten a little cinnamon on his nose. Oh God. It was a test, wasn’t it? [i]How long can Alaine go without thinking about kissing this guy’s face?[/i]

Yeah, well, she’d failed. Apparently the answer was, like, three seconds.

She cleared her throat, focusing on the lemonade. It really was a humongous size, she hadn’t known cups could be made that big. This Giggles Gigglegrounds or whatever it was really was… interesting. Yeah, that felt like the safest word for it.

[color=gray][b]“I’d love to throw some darts, though. Can’t say I have a list,”[/b][/color] she added, comment followed by a sip of the lemonade. She didn’t. Attempting any carnival games hadn’t even been a thought in her head until about two minutes ago when she asked. She just wanted to spend some time with him.

[color=mediumpurple]“How do you feel about the nickname Bee?”[/color] 

The question caught her by surprise. Bee? Bee. Alaine considered it. It was cute. She liked it before remembering it was supposed to be a nickname for her, which made it feel… not wrong, exactly, but… almost like something she wasn’t supposed to have. 

It was [i]cute[/i]. She wasn’t cute. She’d never been cute. Maybe for like the first year of her life she’d been cute, but then there was always another younger sibling to be adorable while she immediately became [i]grown-up[/i]. And now?

Now she chopped off hands with cosmic energy and wore black all the time and used broken brakelight glass as home decor. Not cute. She didn’t deserve something cute like that – no, it was that she didn’t deserve to be called something cute by somebody like Jet.

…And yet. She always wanted the things she didn’t deserve. [i]Selfish.[/i]

[color=gray][b]“...I like it,”[/b][/color] she replied after a few thoughtful seconds, voice a little quieter than before. Trying to act nonchalant, she shrugged and added, ignoring the way her ears were starting to feel hot, [color=gray][b]“But I mean – whatever works for you.”[/b][/color]

[color=mediumpurple]“Yeah? Okay, we'll go with that.”[/color] He hums and redirects his attention to the snacks. Jet's heart still squeezes in his chest.

She handed the lemonade back to swap for the cinnamon-dusted confection, for which she briefly let go of his hand to carefully pull a piece from. Despite being breakfastless, she ate and drank like someone who was constantly aware of being perceived – modest bites, small sips, polite. 

[color=gray][b]“Y’know, I was worried about this being weird because it’s freaky clown carnival food,”[/b][/color] she said in amusement after finishing her first piece, going to take a second. [color=gray][b]“But this is actually really good. My mom used to make stuff like this every now and then, but it was usually supposed to be something else. Like churros or donuts or something.”[/b][/color]

The memory slipped out without her even realizing it and she blinked, staring down at the elephant ear for a second. Well, everybody had a mom, at some point. That wasn’t too incriminating. 

She glanced up at Jet, catching sight of that sugar and cinnamon on the end of his nose again. A breath of laughter slipped away from her and she shook her head. [color=gray][b]“You got a lil’ somethin’...”[/b][/color] She reached over and gingerly tapped his nose. [color=gray][b]“What’s with you and getting stuff all over your face? Do I need to start carrying around a handkerchief?”[/b][/color] 

Her hand hovered, the tip of her index finger gently poking the spot between his brows too. Almost like she’d gotten distracted – because she had. It was another test from some higher power that wanted to play with her, surely, that had her hand so close to his dark mess of hair… that looked like it was supposed to have someone run their fingers through it… and twirl a little curl up by his temple…

Alaine quickly pulled her hand back, certain she was red all the way from her neck to the top of her head. [color=gray][b]“Ah. Sorry.”[/b][/color] [i]Rein it in, cowgirl,[/i] she chastised herself in a panic. [i]You’re gonna freak him out.[/i] 

Jet's eyes focus on her finger as it touches his face. It's gentle and after she pulls away he rubs the sugar away. [color=mediumpurple]“Oh, thanks.”[/color] His voice is low, and he swallows. The more contact she makes with him, the more his brain shuts off. 

Offering the fried dough back, in trade for the lemonade, she attempted to change the topic. [color=gray][b]“Uh – c’mon, there’s gotta be a balloon dart booth around here somewhere. I’ll try not to win by too much,”[/b][/color] she added with an innocent smile and a shrug. [color=gray][b]“No promises, though.”[/b][/color]

Before they know it, they're halfway thru the elephant ear and standing in front of a booth. An over enthusiastic man introduces the rules of the game, Jet hands over a $10 bill, and steps up to the line. When the prizes filter into his vision, he sets his eye on the perfect prize. 

[color=mediumpurple]“Alright Alaine- lets do this.”[/color] He smiles, adding emphasis to her name as he throws the first dart. The aim is pretty good, but the darts are definitely dull. It bounces off the under inflated balloon and hits the ground. 

She blinked, a full-body shiver going right up her spine when he said her name. Forget saying her own name for the first time in forever, that was the first time anyone else had said it in months. Not even her family – when making a direct call, you knew who you were talking to… wasn’t like her sisters opened their calls with [i]“Hello Alaine, how are you today?”[/i]

Alaine shook her head slightly, trying to focus. Instead she got distracted again watching Jet’s arm as he brought it back to throw a dart. 

[i]Stop staring![/i] She swallowed, forcing herself to look down and pick up one of the darts. It took her a couple of throws to figure out how much power to put into the throw – she didn’t want to put the dart through the board, but she did want to pop some of those balloons, solely for the satisfaction of hitting her mark. She wasn’t thinking too much about prizes.

Of course, Jet’s bicep may have distracted her once or twice again – but she still managed to make some decent points, despite the diversion.

He turns the force up on his throws adding just a little kick with his powers each time. Gotta win that prize for Alaine. He turns and watches her applying a similar force, so subtle that he hopes she can't tell the difference. He doesn't for one just so it's believable they aren't cheating. The booth attendant is much quieter once they've thrown their darts- [color=mediumpurple]“Okay, what prizes do you want?”[/color] 

[i]Oh, right,[/i] she mused, turning to look at the options. [color=gray][b]“Um…”[/b][/color]

Jet turns to watch Alaine review the prizes, watching for any signs of something she really wants. He had a good idea, but if she wanted a big prize he'd immediately pool their points. Her expression remains neutral, nothing in particular catching her attention.

He points up and gets the medium sized black and red teddy bear that looks like it's missing a bit of stuffing by the way it's hanging simply. Jet can add some more polyfill no problem, but it's the red and black that catch his eye. 

Alaine grinned a little at his selection, waving vaguely at the options and just asking the employee to give her one that fit the points she’d earned. They looked around, then reached up and plucked a golden puppy to hand over.

For some reason, it made her think of Lightning Girl. Alaine decided if she caught the other heroine before they split ways after work, she’d give it to her.

She glanced over at Jet as they turned to leave, hesitating briefly before reaching out to slide her hand into the crook of his arm.

[color=mediumpurple]“Okay as much as I'm having the, best, time- I think we need to get suited back up.”[/color] His smile is a bit subdued.  

Part of him wants to stay screw it and play hooky the rest of the day. But the biting cold and raging heat of his jail cell is always chasing him. If he wanted to keep seeing Alaine's smile, he needed to stay out of prison. He'll be the best damn hero if it means staying free.

[color=gray][b]“No, yeah, we probably should,”[/b][/color] she agreed, glancing around at the carnival again. She could appreciate it a little better when she wasn’t being Blackstar. [color=gray][b]“Be a shame if SDN had to fire their best cosmic team.”[/b][/color]

She grinned slightly and nudged his side with her arm as they began making their way back to where he’d stashed their uniforms. He bumps her gently back. A couple of quick changes later and Blackstar and Asteroid were back on duty. Asking if Jet would mind keeping the civilian clothes and her stuffed companions hidden where the uniforms had previously been, so her hands were free while working, Alaine took a moment to make sure her mask was situated right and her hair looked neat. 

Jet does so without much fanfare. He leaves his mask off. His cheeks hurt from smiling and he feels like the added heat under his mask would be suffocating. 

[color=gray][b]“I’d better go see if Lightning Girl’s still stuck at the Ferris Wheel and needs rescuing,”[/b][/color] she hummed in amusement, gently pushing off the ground to hover slightly. [color=gray][b]“...It’s not the hardest assignment but, uh – well, if you can’t find anything else to do… you know what they say, two heads are better than one.”[/b][/color]

She shrugged slightly, drifting up; putting a hand on his shoulder, she used him to gently flip herself upside-down midair, glancing over at him with a smile. 

She looked at him a second, then gave his collar a playful little tug. [color=gray][b]“Thanks for hanging out with me, Jet.”[/b][/color] And with that she spun herself rightside-up, gave him a wave, and darted off to resume her station at the Ferris Wheel.

He's looking up at her with a big smile, no mask. Jet waves. Quietly, he says, [color=mediumpurple]“No, thank you Starshine.”[/color] He celebrates with a short skip and a victory arm swing. Then it's mask on, even though it's too hot.[/hider]