Red eyes gleamed in the dark, the only thing visible in the shadows of the club. In the span of a heartbeat, the strobe lights flashed on and the eyes were a memory. Dylan blinked, blue eyes clearing. Okay, freaky. He slipped past dancing couples, looking for the eyes. Something drew his attention to the entrance in time to see a girl slip out; her fire colored red hair the last thing he saw of her.
"Dick?"
Ariel stared at the smoke. She knew well enough the only thing in that direction would be Mount Justice. She had realized that, weird as it was, if fire was near enough, she could sense it. Could see who it had trapped. Though she couldn't bear the thought of seeing Dick aka Nightwing burning, she couldn't help but want to know if he was alright.
"Ariel?"
The ball of fear that had gripped her heart slowly trickled away.
"You're alright?"
"Yeah," was his reply.
Ariel stared at the smoke, wanting to wander closer but choosing to stay away.
"What happened?"
Dylan kicked at a rock with his black shoes, watching the smoke. Why was it when something exciting happened in Happy Harbor, he was too far away to get there in relatively fast time? He began walking towards it. Was it too much to ask? A shadow passed him overhead and his head shot up, eyes widening as he took in the sight of a girl on a flying horse.
"Holy shit!" he cried, ducking into a shadow.
The girl's head whirled around. Her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses but Dylan knew she was watching for something. And since he had made himself so audible, he suspected he was her intended target. He crept back a few inches, so that he couldn't see the girl anymore. When he was sure he wouldn't be seen, he turned tail and ran, following the maze of alleys and back streets, not really sure where he was going. He glanced back, still running. No one was behind him. Slowly, he went from back breaking running to jogging until he was walking. Still he looked back. When he thought it was safe to turn away, he did, stopping fast. The girl was standing in front of him, her winged horse behind her. The black sunglasses made it hard to see her eyes but he knew she was glaring at him.
"Pretty late for you to be out, huh?" she asked.
Dylan didn't respond. How did she even know how old he was? Or was she just guessing?
"My mom doesn't really object," he retorted.
Her lips curled into a half smile.
"Impressive," she admitted. "But not the answer I was looking for."
Her hand went to the reins of her horse and she started to lead it away.
"I need your name," she said as she walked away.
"Dylan. Just Dylan."
He didn't know why he told her his name. Well, now it was too late.
"Just Dylan?" she asked.
A laugh was in her voice.
"Wait, why'd you need my name?" he asked.
He was suddenly nervous. That laugh had sounded amused yet a little dark.
"I just wanted to know who I'd have to hunt down if Sportsmaster started knocking at my door."
With that she and her horse vanished in a wave of flames. The flames shot back at him. Dylan threw up his hands, water developing between him and the attacking fire. The steam that resulted shielded him as he broke into another run, headed for home.
On a nearby roof, Ariel watched Just Dylan as he ran, holding tight to Loki's reins. The horse had aged a bit and in that time had lost his desire to talk to her much anymore. No more witty banter. Good. Back to Just Dylan though. He certainly had a little interesting power. Perhaps she should have called Nightwing but this was her find. And she intended to watch him well.