Aryana's feet were half stepped off from the ledge of the building. Her heels stayed on the rooftop while her arms extended outwards like she were floating without powers. Her eyes were drowsily closed. She took long and deep breathes as she listened to her heart beat in a meditative manner.
There was a lightness to her darkness. The atmosphere was cool and the night sky was calming. She was happy. It was an escape. Escaping and pretending that the world around her didn't exist and that she alone was the life and love of the entirety of the universe. Nothing scared her in this state, because she knew now staring off into nothing, that if she wanted to, she could escape into the tranquility of her closed eyes.
If she didn't have powers to catch her fall, she'd practice this exercise on an empty desk at home. In a way, this was her own illusion of what power was. She wanted to feel strong by choosing not to die. Because in her mind, her life was just victim of fate, chance, destiny, and the people around her. This was her trying to feel powerful. This was her knowing that dying didn't scare her. Knowing that falling was always close to her. Knowing that gravity could only bring her down if she'd let it.
Emily stepped onto the rooftop. Opening the rooftop door, she stared at her. "Aryana?" she spoke out, hoping not to startle her.
Aryana immediately turned around and opened her eyes again, lightly floating back onto the platform of the roof. She smiled, "sup rookie." Emily looked to the ledge of the building, wondering what she was doing. "It's a trust exercise," she answered for her.
Emily wasn't sure whether to question it, but she did want to move on from the topic quickly. "I have to go home now. Thank you for everything. For having me on the team, for saving me. Thank you."
Aryana turned around again and took a seat at the ledge. She pointed to the spot next to her. "Sit, I wanna chat real quick."
"I really should get going."
"It'll be quick, I promise. I wanted to talk to you about yesterday." Emily was hesitant, more because she was worried she'd say something wrong than about the subject itself. She slowly walked next to Aryana and looked down at the height of the twenty story building. "Relax, my powers will catch you if you trip and slide off."
That did make her feel better. Why was she so afraid? She'd put her life in Aryana's hands before and she hadn't failed her. She couldn't really explain it. Emily slowly took a seat to her.
Aryana swung her feet out, "Sorry about asking about asking about your trigger event, I didn't mean to put you in the limelight like that."
Emily didn't say anything. It did feel inappropriate when she'd asked. Capes, of all people, should understood that well enough.
"I wanted to ask why you didn't join the Wards. We're glad you're on the team, but you act more hero than villain." Emily was the cautious type, which was ironic considering her powers. She over thought everything she did which made her seem more nervous than the average cape. That line of thinking was far more in line with the PRT than with other villains.
Personally, Aryana thought she was better in the background than in the limelight. Emily was constantly anxious around them, and she really wanted to get that kicked out of her. She even debated right now whether to take Emily by the shoulders, shake her furiously, and yell, '
hey, you're awesome, stop being afraid of everyone!'
Emily rubbed down at her hands, knowing that of the laundry list of reasons she could've picked from, she needed to say the truest one. "Because of my trigger event," she answered softly.
Aryana could put the two and two together. People dying or getting hurt during trigger events was common, or even the circumstances of trigger events could border along the illegal side. "I'm sorry," Aryana said, genuinely meaning it. Aryana was doing her best to keep the atmosphere light, getting sad or getting serious was always outside of her comfort zone. But she knew that in a world of rational people, there came times when she needed to speak in ways that others preferred, and not in ways that she'd prefer.
She took a deep breathe. "The reason I asked was because I wanted to give you an option before uploading the video. We can edit you out, and you could join another team. We're crazy and the world knows it, so once everyone knows you're with us, a lot of bridges will be burned."
Emily nodded her head, "I like it here. I like you guys, this is a nice place to be."
Aryana took out a pack of cigarettes, she offered one to Emily, to which she refused. After lighting it, she said, "really? Because I think we're a bunch of freaks."
Emily chuckled. She almost wanted to tell her the truth about what she'd seen in them. When Emily was four years old she had a brother two years younger than her, one that died falling off from the kitchen counter while playing. She grew up imagining what it would've been like to have a little brother growing up. And seeing Aryana and Vivan together was like seeing what her relationship with her own brother could've been.
"Glad you didn't pick the Undersiders," Aryana mentioned.
"Really?" Emily stared, "why?"
"Because Tattletale is a biiiiitch."
Emily laughed out loud. She remembered Tattletale being smug, but she didn't know her well enough to call her a bitch. "I don't think you should say that behind her back, I heard she can read minds."
"I heard that too, that's why I always say it to her face when I see her." Emily laughed harder, completely believing Aryana's attitude. "Yet another reason why we keep our shit in the air, people can't use that against us. Which is also why Tattletale hates me a ton, I don't give her ammo for her to use."
"I believe you," Emily said smiling. "I'll… Tell you guys about my trigger event tomorrow. Maybe I can post a origin video too. Leet lied for his video, right? I'll do that too."
"That would be splendid," Aryana smiled between her teeth, "just make sure it sounds real, people tend know when we lie, so make it a half-truth, or something."
Emily nodded, "I'll sleep on it. I'll make it dramatic, tragic, and mundanely relatable all at the same time." Emily counted her fingers with excitement.
"That's the way to do it," Aryana said approvingly.
Vivan walked onto the rooftop entering from the building walkway. "Aryana," he called out opening the door, "someone uploaded another audition video."
"Really? Nice, let's go get'em."
"Actually, Robert and Edwin are
really against this one."
"Really? Why?"
"Come and see it."
XXX
Rune threw rocks and pieces of junk into the outskirts of the junkyard. Upen hitting the targets, vehicles and gas tanks blew up. It was in the same spot Spitfire had made her video, but Rune's powers almost seemed more destructive in comparison. The way she used it, it wasn't cautious like Spitfire, it was her being as destructive as possible with powers that aren't overly powerful.
Rune turned her cell phone camera onto herself, "My name is Rune, and I'm sick and tired of the E88. I want to join the Losers, because the Losers can kick ass."
The video feed pointed down to the wake of destruction she'd created, "so if you guys need a
real agent of chaos, I'm your girl."
The video cut off. A barrage of comments followed its upload.
My, how the tables have turned.
Oh look, it's a wannabe teenage nazi bitch.
Hell to the fuck no, after everything she and the E88 have done, I will never watch another Loser video again if you guys recruit her.
XXX
Aryana stepped back from the laptop, "Let's recruit her."
"Hell no," Robert and Edwin said. Robert argued, "recruiting someone brand new is fine, recruiting someone who's done a load of bad shit? That's stupid."
Aryana waved her hand off at him, "oh hush puff, she can't be that bad."
"In fact," Vivan interjected, "weren't you guys the ones that thought it was okay to beat up hookers before we came along?"
"Don't bring that up again," Robert pointed. "We made up for that, how can she make up for all the shit she's done?"
Aryana cheered, "by joining us!"
Leet shook his head. "No, it's bad enough that's she's a nazi, it's worse that she might just be an E88 spy. Are you seriously gonna trust an actual racist into our group?"
"Well," Vivan argued, "if she's willing to join a team with me and Ary, maybe she's not so racist?"
"Bullshit," Edwiin yelled, "you really think people just change that overnight?"
"Either way," Aryana said, "
I'm alright with it, I don't see why you guys are overreacting."
"Because she's a nazi!" Edwin and Robert yelled again.
Aryana and Vivan glanced at each other. They wouldn't budge. So instead, Vivan suggested leaving the decision to someone else. "Okay, fine, you guys don't trust her. That's two for, and two against. How about we leave it to the tie breaker?"
The four of them turned to Emily. "Me?" Emily said in disbelief. "I've only been here for a day, you really want me to decide?"
"Exactly," Vivan said. "You're new to the cape thing, you know what it's like to not have a team. Right now, Rune must have pissed off a lot of people by uploading that video. With her reputation, she probably has nowhere else to go except us. She's in a tough spot, like you not too long ago. So…" Vivan bowed down to Emily, "we leave her fate, in your hands."
"Fuck," Edwin said. "Vivan's talking again. I know how this is gonna end. All of you know my vote, I'll be in the lab if you need me." Edwin turned away from the kitchen and headed to his bedroom.
Robert shook his head at Emily. "It's a bad idea. I guarantee she's either a spy or will be impossible to live with."
"Which," Vivan reminded, "isn't a big deal to you since you won't be living here."
"You're really alright with that?" Emily asked. "She might treat you guys like garbage, you're alright with living with that?"
"Believe me," Aryana said, "we won't be living with her, she'll be living with us."'
XXX
It took three capes to pull Rune out from the containment foam, and it only came out because the foam almost dissolved after a half hour. It was bad enough their reputation had steadily worsened since the Losers came in play, but damn, this ambush was meant send them to the grave, not set the nail on the coffin of their spiraling failures.
"Rune," Kaiser said as she was pulled out. "I need to speak with you." The implication was obvious, and the other capes left as soon as he said it.
Rune kneeled down in front of Kaiser while trying to take away from the reality of the defeat he'd just faced. It was both necessary and difficult. As a teenager, politeness went against her rebellious attitude, as an E88 member, respect was needed above all else to prosper. Showing courtesy after such a being disgraced by losers? That was a challenge. "Yes, my king."
"Stand," he said, implying that she could relax. "The plan I'd talked about to you before, are you still willing to carry it out?"
Rune nodded her head. She hated the plan, it involved getting close to the Losers, but after such a ridiculous mockery they'd made of the empire, she now knew it was necessary. "Of course," she said, mixing courtesy and and a light tone of casualness in her tone.
Kaiser placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to emit the same warmth that always guaranteed him the loyalty from all of his members. Even in defeat, he would show any falter. "Sabrina," he said in an honest-like tone, "what I'm asking from you is more than just a normal favor. The moment you join them, you'll be a traitor by the rest of us. I'll still be here to protect you, to vouch for you when you finally need it. But you'll be hated in the meantime, and I'll understand if this is too much I'm asking from you."
He was killing two birds with one stone. He cared nothing for Sabrina, nor her clan. By making her fall into treason, Kaiser could gain the excuse to dissolve her clan while potentially gaining vital information to kill Leet and the Losers.
He was just giving her the illusion of an option, not so that she can actually refuse, but so that she'll place more trust in him. He'd already guaranteed her answer before, he just wanted to fortify her trust with him. "I can handle it," she said in an almost venomous tone. "I can handle anything you need from me."
She sounded offended, like she was upset Kaiser could even question her willingness.
Good, Kaiser thought to himself. She believed she was thinking for herself, not knowing he'd steered her into his submission. "Alright, Sabrina." Kaiser embraced the teenager for a hug, "don't let them discover you."
Rune held still, she didn't
feel anything from his hug, but she knew now that this mattered to him. And she wasn't going to let him down. After letting go, he nodded for her to help clean up the destruction from the battle.
Rune caught up with Victor's group. "What was that about?" Othala asked to her cousin.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Rune answered with a grin. "Maybe I'm finally becoming Kaiser's favorite."