"This is nice, huh?"
Trinity found herself smiling. It wasn't often that she would, but it always seemed to be Bastette who made her feel happy. Even Krashna looked somewhat entertained, his usual scowl replaced with the slightest of smirks.
"Really nice," Trinity smiled brightly at Bastette, who stood nearly a head taller than her, her violet hair pulled back into a roguish ponytail. Trinity's own blonde hair was styled much the same, something she usually did where Bastette was concerned. She was her idol. Her example. She'd walk the ends of the Earth with her and for her.
It was the summer of 2014, and the 13-year-old Trinity grinned at the pool of water before them. This was a huge risk they were taking, doing this at all, but Bastette had guaranteed they wouldn't be caught. The Messiah never let them outside of the underground facilities, and for once, the feeling of the warm sun on her skin… it was exhilarating!
However, there was something that made her apprehensive. The pool wasn't empty outside of water, it had other people swimming and playing in it. Mostly kids, some older people, though most adults were lounging near the pool on benches or strange bed things she'd never seen before. Some with umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun, others letting the sun bake them.
"There's… a lot of people." she pointed out, and felt Bastette grab her hand.
"It can get crowded, but it's still fun. Come on, I'll ease you into it."
Trinity glanced over at Krashna, about to ask if he needed to be eased in as well- though the 10-year-old clearly had no qualms with people, taking off at a sprint and diving into the water, going unnoticed by a lifeguard who seemed distracted by a couple girls talking to him.
Allowing Bastette to lead her to the water, Trinity dipped her toes in to find it was comfortably warm. A bit chilly, but that passed quickly. She looked up at Bastette with a smile, who gave her a nod. "Come on, this is the shallow part. Let's wade in."
Trinity didn't argue as she allowed her best friend to slowly lead her into the water, which covered her feet in a couple steps, then slowly started to climb up her shins the deeper they went in.
They paused when it reached her knees, and she looked up at Bastette, who was still smiling patiently down at her. "How are you holding up?"
"It feels weird, but also nice," Trinity commented, her wide grin clearly showing off the gap between her two front teeth, something she'd been told she'd need braces to fix. They started to slowly wade deeper in, avoiding some of the other kids.
"Good," Bastette replied, "and how about your dad?"
At this, Trinity fell silent. She… didn't really feel like talking about him. If he knew she was here now, he'd probably flay her alive. "Still mad," she replied simply, and felt her friend squeeze her hand in a gentle, caring fashion.
"That's okay, but don't let that get between you," she advised. "He's still your dad, and he loves you, even if he makes you mad."
Trinity didn't respond to this, instead focusing on the water as it passed her waist, lapping almost playfully at her stomach. Seeing she wasn't interested in the topic, Bastette let it go for now, instead swiping her hand through the water, splashing Trinity in the face.
The younger girl was rooted, shocked as water dripped down her face, but when she turned her head to see Bastette laughing, it caught like a disease and she giggled before splashing back at her.
So began the 5 minute splash war as the two dived and weaved around other people, trying to hit each other with splashes, before Bastette eventually called a cease fire and led Trinity to the pool's edge, where they both sat, swinging their legs through the water as they watched Krashna use his magic to make it look like people were peeing, forcing people in the area flee in terror and sometimes resulting in somebody getting kicked from the pool. Alongside that, he'd yank down trousers, and even pushed a lifeguard in the pool with his magic when he'd been yelled at for running.
"Thanks for taking me here," Trinity said, leaning her shoulder against the older girl, who chuckled.
"No prob, bestie. We always look out for each other."
"You and me, at least," Trinity replied, prompting Bastette to look at her, brow creasing.
"What do you mean by that?"
Trinity shrugged, biting at her cheek for a moment. "Krashna is only ten and they're already talking about making him a lieutenant because he can use his magic really well. He doesn't even sit with us in the cafeteria anymore."
Bastette looked over at Krashna as he laughed hysterically at a boy his age that had slipped on a puddle. "Krashy is… on his own path. It might be different than ours for now, but he's still our friend."
They sat for a few more moments of silence before Bastette playfully shoved Trinity. "Come on, let's get back in the water. You need to learn how to swim sooner rather than later."
Back into the water they went, spending less time splashing and this time practicing their swimming. Trinity now understood why she had to wear this uncomfortable swimsuit, as her usual clothes would just get in the way and drag her down. At least, that's what Basty said. It bugger her that she knew how to infiltrate a maximum security vault, yet swimming was not one of her skills.
However, after a while, they returned to the shallows, where Bastette became distracted when the lifeguard started talking to her.
She played with her purple hair as they talked, and Trinity stared at the both of them incredulously, before narrowing her eyes at the lifeguard, feeling mad at him for some reason. So as they spoke, she quickly spotted Krashna in the process of giving some guy a wedgie, before she swam over. "Krashy," she called, and he turned to look at her. "That guy," she pointed to the lifeguard. "I don't like him."
"I don't like him either. What should I do?" Krashna asked, raising a brow.
"Knock him over? Make him pee his pants? I dunno. Something," Trinity shrugged, to which Krashna smirked.
"Normally I'd ask for a favor, but I see why you don't like him," he nodded to Bastette as she blushed at something the guy said, which made Trinity flush.
"He's trying to take my Basty."
"Trying to do more than that. Don't worry, I'll save her," he rolled his eyes, smirking, before he sunk into the water so that only his eyes and head were out of the water, before he twitched his hand beneath the waves, and a small golden tendril appeared behind the lifeguard chair, then slapped it.
Immediately, the lifeguard let out a yell as his chair tipped, and he fell into the shallows. Trinity laughed, giving Krashna a high five, but her victory was short-lived as she found Bastette helping the guy out of the water as he wailed, one of his legs bloody and bent at an unnatural angle that made her skin crawl and her stomach tighten.
An ambulance was called and the lifeguard was taken to the hospital as Bastette dragged them out of the water, and once they'd made some distance with the pool, she whirled on Krashna. "Why the hell would you do that?" she demanded.
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," Krashna replied with a sly smirk. "Trinity asked me to do it."
Bastette's eyes widened slightly, before she looked at the girl, who was staring in shame at her feet. "Trin, why would you do that?" she asked, her tone softer than when she'd used it with Krashna, though the younger girl flinched all the same.
She couldn't formulate a response because… she didn't really know exactly why she wanted the guy out of the picture, but she felt awful now knowing he'd been hurt because of her.
"Because she's got a little crush and was feeling jealous," Krashna sneered, at which Bastette silenced him with a finger to her lips.
"I'm sorry," Trinity finally formulated. "I was just… I… don't know but… I didn't want to hurt him!" she blurted, now looking up at Bastette. "I don't want to hurt anybody, and he… I didn't think-"
"None of you seem to have the capacity to 'think'," a voice interrupted them.
All three heads turned to see the lieutenant Warmth glaring back at them through his golden eyes, blonde hair cut short to his scalp, a scar crossing from his cheek and over his lip, wearing the usual robe-like attire he donned.
"Lieutenant Warmt,." Bastette immediately said, turning fully to him and stiffening her body to attention, something that Krashna did in unison, Trinity lagging behind as she followed suit.
"The Leaders are VERY disappointed in you three," Warmth stated. "What went through your minds as you left your stations? You know this type of action deserves punishment."
"With all due respect, Lieutenant, this was Bastette's idea," Krashna mentioned. "I wasn't even aware of-"
"Shut it," Warmth replied, before his eyes set onto Bastette, who gulped.
"It's true, sir. I organized this."
"Very well. Then Trinity will receive the punishment." Warmth stated, and she felt her blood run cold as Bastette's eyes widened.
"S-sir?"
"You never learn from your own punishments, so we're trying a different method. Maybe this one will stick. Twenty lashes. Let's go."
Trinity felt sick as she glanced from Krashna's smug expression to Bastette's horrified gaze.
The crowd was roaring as Krashna held a disembodied head in his right hand by its hair, his body covered in blood. Trinity clapped and cheered along with them for Krashna's victory, even if the sight was something that made her stomach uncomfortably churn like a clothing dryer.
She glanced from the seat she stood at toward Bastette, or by her new name 'Trickster', as she clapped from the Lieutenant's booth directly beneath the Leader's viewing stand. Her gaze wandered up to see her father and the other two leaders, shrouded in shade, mostly unmoving outside of Nikolai shouting in Russian.
When the cheering had subsided, and Krashna was named as a new lieutenant, Trinity found herself rushing down to the arena entrance to congratulate her now 12-year-old friend on his accomplishment.
Yet, as she watched him approach, he didn't seem to notice her, staring straight forward, smiling proudly. She brushed it off, calling his name. "Good job, Krashna! I never doubted you for a minute!"
Finally, he looked at her, and his eyes showed a look of disgust that took her aback. "You'd be a fool to think otherwise. Out of my way, I have more important people to talk to."
She found herself blinking as he strode calmly past her, not even giving her a second glance.
Bastette found her later in the bunks, staring blankly at the book she'd been reading, her eyes skimming over the same line again and again, mind not even registering the words.
"Hey," Bastette greeted, peering up at Trinity from her top-bunk position.
"Hey…" she replied, closing the book and turning her head to look at her best friend, who put a comforting hand on her arm.
"You okay?"
"I don't know," came Trinity's reply. "Krashna doesn't want anything to do with me. It's like- like he thinks I'm trash or something."
"Well listen up," Trickster immediately said. "You're not trash. If he thinks that, then he's losing the companionship of the BEST girl in the world," she smiled, raising her hand to wipe a silent tear from Trinity's cheek. "He'll come crawling back when he sees what he's missing, you'll see. But don't worry, bestie. I'll always be here for you. No matter what."
Trinity gave her a small smile, turning onto her side to look at her best friend. "You promise?"
"I promise. Wherever you go, I go. Now get down here so I can hug you."
Trinity let out a giggle, before complying as she slid off the bunk, practically landing in Bastette's arms as they wrapped around her. "Love you, Trin. Always will," she said softly as Trinity held onto her a little tighter.
"I love you too, 'Trixie'. Always will."
Though deep down… perhaps she wanted more than love. She wasn't sure of her feelings, but a part of her wanted to…
"Trixie?" Bastette asked, pulling slightly away from Magnum, who blushed lightly.
"Sounds better than 'Trickster'. I mean, uh… at least I think so. Is that okay?" she asked, blushing even harder after seeing how close her face was to Bastette's, who only smiled before hugging her again.
"I love it. We'll come up with a cute nickname for your title when you get it, too."
"Magnum."
Trinity felt a sense of glowing pride as she rose to her feet, accepting the title, looking up past Leader Maverin, toward her father who stood behind him alongside Leader Nikolai. She couldn't see his face, as it was shrouded in darkness like usual. She hated that.
She felt her excitement dissipate as he turned, and walked out of the room without a word, followed by the other Leaders. Usually the newly titled Lieutenant would follow them out, but she was rooted to the spot, staring as the door closed behind Maverin, and her pride deflated like a balloon.
"Chin up."
Magnum glanced to her left as Trixie approached her, offering an encouraging smile. "He's proud of you. Guess what, I am too, 'Mags'," with the delivery of the new nickname, she winked, and Magnum couldn't hold in a small laugh. "Cute enough for you?" she asked, and Magnum gave her a small smile, brushing a strand of hot pink hair from her face.
"Yeah. Definitely."
Her best friend led her out, quickly improving her spirits by taking her to play some pinball in the game room, before they made their way to the front entrance, where Trinity stared at the door. "So… I can just… go of my own free will now, right?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am. Any places you wanna head to first?"
Many. Magnum thought of all the possible options, places she'd heard of, maybe even that pool again, though it was cold and snowy right now so maybe when summer came. "Hm…" she pondered. "You have any haunts?"
"There's this male strip club I've been to once or twice." Trixie admitted with a shrug. "Abs like you wouldn't believe."
Magnum shrugged at this, biting her cheek. "Eh… not really into that," she replied. "Maybe uh… just somewhere fun? Where we can… hang out?" she asked, and this time, Trixie hummed as she thought, before her face lit up.
"Oh, I got just the thing. It's this cute little- you'll see when we get there. You'll love it."
It turned out to be putt putt golf, the course weaving and winding in a small area through several holes and obstacle courses. She'd heard Trixie talk about these before, and now that she was here for herself, she really wanted to try it out.
So the girls paid for their turns, getting a couple clubs and golf balls before they started. Both of them were fairly terrible at it, but they still had fun, even as their numbers reached into the high hundreds before they turned in their equipment and left the course behind, walking along the sidewalk in their giant coats, fog drifting from their lips as the starks twinkled overhead.
"I never thought I'd be able to do this," Magnum admitted after they walked in silence for a bit. "Just be out here without worrying about getting caught. It's like I'm finally free. Just like we used to talk about, remember? Superheroes… I was 'Cowgirl Photon' and you were 'Super Eyes'."
At this, Trixie let out a snort of laughter. "Okay, looking back on it I wasn't creative at names," she giggled, to which Magnum lightly bumped her shoulder.
"It's cute, Super Eyes. Shall we fight crime tonight?"
Trixie shook her head, still giggling, before it died out and she looked up at the stars. "Yeah, I remember," she spoke after a minute. "We'd run away together, start a life in the woods, live among the fairies and unicorns," she smiled as she reminisced. "Sucks that fairies and unicorns aren't real though."
"As far as you know," Magnum smirked. "I plan to discover them."
"Oh yeah? How're you gonna do that?" Trixie asked, nudging playfully into Magnum, who nudged her back.
"Can't go spilling my secrets."
"Sure, sure," Trickster put an arm around Magnum's shoulder as they walked, making their way back into the city as they went. Once they reached a corner, they came to a stop as Trickster pulled out her phone. "Let me call an uber or something. It's a long walk back."
"Uber? You mean Taxi?" Magnum asked.
"Nah, ubers are different. Besides, we got lucky with that taxi. They're usually not around these parts at night."
After calling the uber, they leaned against the wall, standing idly side-by-side as they waited, silently competing with each other to make fog rings with their mouths, but finding it impossible to do.
"Pretty sure you can only do it with smoke," Trixie shrugged after a while. They returned to silence, before Magnum pursed her lips, staring up into the night sky, wanting this moment to last forever, before she moved fluidly, turning her gaze on Trickster, who could feel her body shift and turned to look at her, grinning.
"Nice night, huh?" she asked, and before either were even sure of what was happening, Magnum found her lips wrapping around her best friend's.
The moment held as she leaned into her, and for a second, she feared that she' be pushed away- that is, until the kiss was returned, and she could feel Trixie's arms slowly wrap around her toward her back, pulling her closer, and-
It was over too soon. Magnum found herself breathing like she'd just run a marathon, staring blankly forward with a look of bliss before she realized Trixie had turned away from her. Shaking her head slightly, Magnum blinked, once again feeling that fear of rejection rise in her.
"I…" she cleared her throat. "I-I'm… sorry, Trixie, I don't… I d-don't…" she couldn't finish her sentence, feeling herself shiver despite the warmth in her heart.
She stared fearfully at the back of Trixie's head, before she slowly turned to look at her, appearing just as fearful as she was feeling. "Mag…" she breathed, and Magnum felt her breath hitch at the way her name had been spoken, though any growing excitement was cut off as Trickster continued.
"We can't… Mag…" she said. "You know that. And your dad… we… it wouldn't…" she gulped, searching Magnum's eyes for a moment, who did the same, before Trixie looked away. "Let's pretend this… didn't happen…"
Magnum felt her stomach plummet, and looked back to the road, pursing her lips. "Probably… f-for the best…" she nodded slowly and frigidly as a car rounded the corner, pulling up to them.
"It's our ride. Come on," Trixie nudged her playfully, and Magnum got the message that what had just happened… was now fiction as far as Trixie was concerned.
And that stung, but… at least it wasn't worse.
So she climbed into the car after Trixie, and they returned to HQ to begin assuming their responsibilities, but one thing was certain. Trixie could pretend it hadn't happened, but Magnum? She'd be dreaming about it every night from now on, she was sure of it.
They were best friends, and that's probably what they'd always be. But she still wanted to be more than best friends, even still… she was happy just to be her friend. Best friends forever, and that promise wouldn't break.