AN: Quick Omake. It's all on the tin.
There was something about this city that just seemed to not like me. I knew Capes were impossible to escape in a city like this one, but of course I'd end up at the mall the day that not only Circus decides to show up, but the Wards are having some kind of PR event. I hadn't even seen Circus go into the store either. They just showed up, threatened the workers, and started a smash and grab. I didn't know if they were stupid or up to something, because the store they decided to rob was only about fifty feet away from the wards. But I wasn't going to spend time wondering about the decision making processes of someone who seemed to be going out of their way to get all of the wards on their tail.
Instead, I sat on a bench not even thirty feet from the jewelry store Circus had just smashed around in, legs crossed at the knee, tapping a box of cigarettes and my foot. I guess I could add agitation to the list of things that made me want to smoke. The other people near me had all panicked and run away from the chaos, but I just could not bring myself to care. If anything, I was more interested in seeing how this whole thing turned out than running, even as annoyed by the situation as I was.
I slipped a cigarette between my lips and pulled a lighter from my pocket. I took a deep breath as I lit my cigarette, sighing out the smoke as Gallant approached me. He started to say something but stopped as I looked at him.
"Are you old enough to smoke?" He asked.
"You old enough to risk your life fighting crime?" I shot back.
He was silent for a few seconds before shrugging. "I'll need you to get a bit farther away, miss. I'm sure you can see the situation nearby." He gestured to where Circus was in the store, looking like they were coming up with a plan to escape. I noticed the only Wards here besides Gallant were Aegis and Shadow Stalker. Vista, Clockblocker, and Kid Win must've been off duty today. Lucky them.
"Yeah, no. I'm good right here."
"But you could be in danger. It would really help if you'd move. You could get hurt if Circus runs this way."
"Your time would be better spent focusing on Circus than on me." I said, leaning back into the bench, letting my hair hang over the back and looking through the skylight.
He stood there for several seconds as if trying to decide how best to get me to leave when Shadow Stalker called out to him.
"Gallant! Leave the civie alone and get back over here!"
He looked at me for a few more seconds before jogging back over to his team.
It was only a few minutes before Circus decided to get out of there, bursting through the glass of the jewelry shop and throwing a fire ball at Aegis. He tanked the hit and Gallant and Shadow Stalker shot at Circus, who hit the ground and rolled under them. They swept Stalker off her feet and slammed a sledgehammer into Aegis' chest before rolling past a blast from Gallant. It seemed like they were trying to fight instead of get away. I realized why when Circus went for the door and Glory Girl showed up to block the way. I didn't even know she was here.
Circus made a hard turn, running towards the stairs past me.
Then we made eye contact. I glared as they B lined it towards me. Hostages weren't usually Circus' M.O, but I guess exception could be made. I stood up to better fight when they got closer and they vaulted the bench, dodging Stalkers tranquilizer bolts and flipping over me. I didn't really get a chance to react, partially from shock, as Circus coiled around me like a snake.
"Great." Stalker scoffed.
"I told you this would happen." Gallant said. Aegis was keeping Glory Girl from rushing in and possibly hurting me in the process.
Circus ignited their hands, firing fire balls at the Wards as warning. Circus pulled a knife from their hammer space and pressed it to my throat, knocking their heel into my side to get me moving like I was a horse.
That was a line too far. I took a long drag off my cigarette and blew the smoke out my nose. Circus tapped me on the head a few times, trying to make me move, but I reached up, grabbed their knife arm, and flipped them off me. To their credit, Circus caught themselves and didn't hit the bench like I'd been planning. But I still had their arm. I pulled, yanking them back and tripping them to the ground. I felt more than heard the pop of the arm I was holding. I was pretty sure it broke it at both the elbow and shoulder. The heroes approached, Gallant trying to thank me for the help.
I wasn't quite done yet.
I held Circus' arm and just let loose. I started stomping on them. Hard.
"How dare you!? The fuck do you think you are?! Stupid bitch! Lucky I don't rip it off, dumb asshole. Better hope you didn't fuck up my hair or you're dead! You hear me? YOU'RE DEAD!"
"Hey, that's enough!" Aegis grabbed me, and flew me away from the now grievously injured Circus.
"Holy shit!" Glory Girl said.
Shadow Stalker didn't say anything, but she was loose like she was confused about what had just happened.
"Uh, well… We appreciate the help. But you know you're probably going to have to come to HQ to fill out some paperwork about this, right?"
"Fuck." Of course this was how I got the PRT's attention. The second Aegis let me go I dipped out, using a Sonido to get as far as I could. I may have just outed myself, but there was no way I was dealing with the PRT like this.
"Wonder if there are any good pastry shops around here?" I could deal with the fallout later. Sweets were more important.