Chapter 8
Dark Titans – Arc 7 – Atlantis - Act 2 - Incursion
Chapter 1
Well, with Covid well and truly over and life returning fully to normal, I think its time to put my little story here back on the shelf. I was kind of hoping to finish off this Arc before bowing out, but, honestly, this story line is just way too ambitious. I got like 400 pages here between outline, notes and actual chapters, and I'm just now starting the second Act of a planned five? Time to bow out while the bowing out is good. Maybe, I can spill the plot to anyone that is actually curious to how this mess might end.
On the bright side, stepping back from this has let me focus on working on some original stuff. I don't think I can say anything about it on here, I don't recall the rules, but I'm trying something new and unprecedented: being succinct! Is it even possible to tell a whole story in like 50 to 70k words? Who knows.
Anyway, thanks to everyone that's been reading up to this point. It's been fun getting to know quite a few of you over the years.
So, one last time.
I don't own Ranma or Teen Titans.
Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.
"Hey, hey! You can't just barge in there!"
Tula ignored the orderly and barged through the doorway of the medical tent. Garth was as light as a scale in her arms, but the weight of her concern already had her gasping for air after running straight from the harbor.
"Garth needs help, now!" she barked loudly, drawing gazes from every corner of the large tent.
A part of her felt like a complete sea cucumber, bursting past the line of injured soldiers, and now disrupting the work of dozens of people, but the young sorcerer quashed that side of herself fiercely. This was her best friend, and he was bleeding, and he wasn't moving and - and was he even breathing?
She felt strong hands on her shoulders begin to pull her back-
"Wait a moment." One of the doctors approached, lifting her hand to forestall the orderlies holding Tula. She was an older lady, with a scattering of gray in her otherwise black hair, and she immediately scanned Garth with a professional, if impersonal glance. A second later, let out an annoyed huff and glared at the blue-clad orderlies.
"Fools, this is the King's apprentice. And you're laying hands on a Sorcerer." The doctor rolled her eyes. "Are you asking to be keel-hauled across the entire city?"
Immediately, the hands released her, but she didn't spare a glance behind her to see if the would-be bouncers were fleeing. If anything, she felt even worse now, using their stations and connections to gain advantage over the rest of the city's defenders.
Leaning in closer, the aging doctor did a more thorough inspection of Garth's wound, before giving a disgruntled grunt.
"Hmm. Non-responsive, but aside from the bleeding, can't tell much through his suit." Leaning back, the doctor thumbed her chin. "What happened?"
"He was struck in the side by a Trident with super-Atlantean strength, he collapsed right after," Tula explained. She didn't add the weird thing that Garth had been doing with his hand at the time, or what had happened to his attacker, but mostly because she had no idea what it had been herself, and she had spent a lot more time at the Conservatory of Sorcery than Garth did!
"Heavy blunt force trauma, then. Potential internal bleeding, fractured ribs, and organ damage." She nodded to herself, then gestured to the side of the tent. "Luckily for you, we have a Healing specialized Sorcerer here. They're extremely helpful with unquantified damage like this that might otherwise require highly invasive surgery."
Really? They had a healer here? Tula followed the older woman's outstretched hand, only to find herself staring at a familiar face. Two of them, in fact, though one was far less familiar.
"Coral?" she called out in surprise, before rushing over to her friend's side. Tula briefly nodded to the human brunette working adjacent to her friend, but she was engrossed in stitching up a nasty looking cut. Her name was on the tip of Tula's tongue but evaded her deftly.
Her junior classmate looked up from her own patient, clearly surprised to see her, only to gasp in shock when she saw Tula's passenger.
"I'm sorry," she said to the soldier she was working on. It looked like she had been sealing some slashes in his shoulder. "I need to look at this patient. Can you please wait for Kasumi, there? She can finish stitching you up."
Kasumi! That was her name! The statement caught the surface dweller's attention; looking a bit frazzled, she looked up sharply at Coral, at least until she noticed who was being put onto her table. Immediately, Kasumi's proto-glare softened and she gestured to the now frowning soldier to sit next to the woman she was currently working on.
"It's no problem at all," Kasumi offered in a soft voice, before turning to her growing line of patients. "I apologize to both of you, please bear with me and I'll have you both out of here as quickly as I can."
Tula didn't have the inclination to notice their responses, focusing all her attention back to Coral who was now waving her hands over Garth's bleeding side.
"So, how is he?"
Her friend gave no indication she had heard a word she'd said, only leaning more closely into her inspection. Tula almost repeated herself, until a clearing of a throat distracted her. Looking up, she caught another doctor staring at her. This was an older man, sitting on the far side of Kasumi. He graced her with a compassionate glance.
"Excuse me, Miss. We appreciate your concern, but now that you've dropped off your friend, you'll need to leave."
Tula fell back a half-step, only to lean forward, clenching her fists. "What do you-"
"You're not even wearing a mask." Reaching up, he tapped a webbed finger to his perfectly exposed mouth, only to elicit a shimmering blue field of energy to appear where his finger touched, "Do you want to risk infecting everyone? There's nothing else you can do here."
Glancing over her shoulder, Kasumi nodded. "Please, Tula. You're going to be blocking the aisles if you stand there. Let Coral do her work."
Tula frowned… but there was something about the older woman's voice that made her feel like even more of a sea cucumber for causing a fuss. She almost let out a massive sigh, before realizing she would be breathing out all over three injured and bleeding people and chose instead to make a quick retreat while holding her breath.
Still not happy with the situation, she made her way back out of the tent, dodging orderlies, nurses, and doctors along the way. Okay, Kasumi was right; it was a frantic mess in there.
Outside once more, she found Tramm sitting next to the entrance. He was still in his normal, tiny form, curled up with his knees to his chest and looking lost. Finally letting out her sigh, Tula sat down and dropped a hand on his small shoulder.
"It's okay, Tramm. He's going to be fine."
He said something back, but, honestly, his accent was really thick, and half the time she couldn't understand him. She didn't know too many people from Crastinus, after all.
She wasn't sure how long she sat there - it felt like an eternity - until a disturbance caught her attention.
The crop of neon pink hair stood out, even among the colorful inhabitants of Poseidonis, and the young woman's companion stood out nearly as sharply. It was actually cute, seeing the pink haired girl and her red-haired boy side by side. They were being led by the Signifer, and both men looked to be fussing furiously over Jinx, who was fighting back playfully.
Despite herself, she felt a smile wriggle onto her lips as the young officer strode straight up to one of the orderlies and began to wave his arms about.
"These two need immediate attention!"
The disabused looking medical attendant looked over the pair quickly. Jinx was bouncing on her toes perkily, her hands folded behind her back as she smiled shamelessly. Speedy was cradling his shoulder and looked to be in some amount of pain. Without any warning, she reached out and poked the archer in the shoulder-
"Eff-me, Lady! Not cool!"
Rolling her eyes, she turned to Jinx, simply raising an eyebrow.
"Naw, I'm cool. These guys are just making a sea-mountain out of a sea-mole, sea-hill!"
The orderly let out a snort. "Cute."
It was then that the Signifer inserted himself back into the situation, pointing to the tent. "I insist you take them in straight away."
"These two are suffering from a sprained shoulder and terrible surface humor. They can afford to wait." With that, the orderly turned her back on them and moved on to the next group of soldiers, even as the Signifer sputtered indignantly at the dismissal.
Tula giggled to herself, before patting Tramm's shoulder. "Wait here, I'll go check on the new kids."
Her companion gave a tired nod and made no move to follow as she hopped to her feet. No one noticed her as she crossed the distance, the Signifer too busy looking for someone else to bother and Speedy and Jinx deep in hushed whispering.
"Hey guys! Fancy meeting you here!"
The pair of heroes nearly jumped at her voice, spinning on her with wide eyes. Sheesh, something must have spooked them to get that kind of reaction. Immediately, their panic drained away, replaced by weary smiles.
"Hey Tula," Jinx greeted amiably, hands still behind her back.
"How's it going, Red?" Speedy added, impervious to the fact that he was wearing a thousand times more red than she was, and that his hair was a much brighter shade of red than her own, practically orange!
She stuck her tongue out at him before reaching her hands out to Jinx excitedly. She noted a large bandage on her cheek that hadn't been there before, then grew more wary as Jinx reluctantly twisted from side to side, refraining from reaching out to grab her hands in return. Eyes narrowing, Tula studied the pair more closely.
"You are both fine, aren't you?"
"Of cour-" Jinx began, only to let out a squawk as Speedy suddenly reached behind her back and pulled out one of her hands.
"Does this look fine to you?" he asked, sounding a little angry, actually.
Jinx made a token effort to pull her hand back, but obviously didn't want to jostle her companion's shoulder anymore. The blackened skin covering most of her fingers, complete with missing nail and oozing blood around her remaining nails, was enough to make the experienced Sorcerer give a sympathetic hiss.
That was some classic over-channeling damage right there. She'd suffered similar a few times, but never to this extent. Reaching out, she grabbed Jinx's wrist and pulled her closer to get a better look.
"Poseidon's beard, that looks like it stings!" she muttered to herself.
"I keep telling everyone, I'm fine," whined the pink-haired sorcerer petulantly.
Shaking her head, not believing a word of it, Tula gestured to the nearby officer. "Hey, Signifer! Leave these two to me. I'll look after them."
He glanced back at her, skeptical for a moment, before gratitude finally bloomed on his face. Nodding, he gave a tired salute, offering brief thanks and salutations to the surface dwellers before moving on to whatever his next priority was.
"You will look after us?" Speedy asked with a teasing note in his voice.
Rolling her eyes, she nodded. "I'm not a pro, like Coral, but I know enough healing magic to get by. At the very least I should be able to help you two with the pain."
That said, she dragged the surface duo back to where she'd left Tramm, and sat them on some empty crates. While she couldn't knit flesh back together like a true Healer, she could stimulate natural healing a bit past the limits and soothe inflammation. That seemed like enough for the pair here; she began to work quietly, coaxing lightly glowing waters along Jinx's cracked skin.
"So, where's Aqualad?" Speedy asked, patiently waiting as Tula tended to Jinx's mangled fingers.
This guy was annoyingly sharp. Did he miss anything? Grimacing, she looked away just long enough to plaster a forced smile on her face before meeting his gaze.
"Garth is in there. He… got hurt -" she cut off the imminent outbursts, quickly blurting out - "Don't worry, though! He's fine! Just fine - totally fine! Coral is looking after him! Nothing to worry about!"
Jinx and Speedy shared a look, unfortunately, she looked every bit as sharp as he was.
"Just fine?" Jinx asked skeptically.
"What happened?" Speedy followed up, genuine concern in his voice. If she recalled, Speedy was the only one of the surface dwellers that Garth had mentioned on previous trips home.
She began to formulate her response in her head. How much did she tell them? About the odd magic Garth performed? Jinx did her own kind of strange magic, she might have more of an idea than her? What about-
"Ah, Tula! There you are!"
Tula was puzzled for a moment by the unfamiliar voice, but her new companions zeroed in on the source like magnets.
"Kasumi!" Jinx leapt to her feet and launched herself at the taller woman, wrapping her arms around Kasumi's narrow waist. Speedy, for his part, only rose to his feet and gave a jaunty wave.
"Oh my," replied the Japanese woman, a bright smile on her face as she reached down to hug the far slenderer girl affectionately. "It's good to see you, even though I had explicitly hoped to not see either of you here."
"Hey, don't worry about us, we gave better than we got," Speedy attempted to humble-brag.
"Is that so?" Kasumi asked with an odd lilt in her voice… only to reach down and pull Jinx's arms from around her, holding up both of the pale girl's hands for all to see. "Then what happened here?"
"Oh, come on!" Jinx sputtered, pulling her hands back and tucking her singed fingers under her armpits. "Can everyone just lay off?"
"Don't worry, I'm looking after them," Tula supplied with a smile. "Does this mean you have some news about Garth? He's fine, right?"
Kasumi's gaze fell for a fraction of a second, before she smiled brightly and nodded. "Coral informed us that she was able to stabilize him. …However, she wasn't confident doing any more, so she's taken him to the palace."
Taken to the palace? Coral couldn't manage all of his injuries herself? Just how hurt was he?
"But he's stable, right?" Speedy asked as she struggled with painful uncertainty. "That's good. The doctors at that palace should get him back on his feet in no time!"
She certainly hoped that was true. There was only one thing to do, though.
"Thanks for letting us know, Kasumi. I need to go check on him right away, sorry for running off."
Kasumi waved off her concern gracefully. "Not at all. I understand completely."
"Hey, come with us," Jinx invited, garnering a nod from Speedy.
The tall brunette only shook her head. "Sorry, but with Coral gone, they need even more help. Doctor Herod told me to take a short break to tell you, but I still have a few hours until I finish."
Tula, Jinx and Speedy all turned to look at the steadily growing line reaching halfway down the street. As if the Medical Tent were the hottest Club on the block. It was depressing just to think about. With another round of heartfelt goodbyes, she gathered her new friends and began to lead them back to the palace.
The first half of the walk passed mostly in silence, a heavy pall hanging over all of them, a mixture of exhaustion and anxiety that drained even her Atlantean constitution. The awkward lull was finally broken when Jinx teased Speedy over hurting his shoulder using the borrowed Atlantean rifle.
Almost immediately, Tramm exploded with frantic energy, gibbering away at Speedy. Thankfully, though she could make out some of what her short friend said, and her friends none at all, Tramm was fully capable of understanding them. It didn't take long for Speedy to peel the young mechanic off to walk ahead as he tried to explain some half-baked idea for something to replace his bow and the rifle.
Taking the tiny modicum of privacy provided, Tula leaned in towards Jinx and casually grabbed one of hands. The move elicited a small jump and hiss from the shorter woman - was she really that unused to casual contact? - before Jinx realized her intent and offered a sheepish shrug. Nodding, Tula renewed her interrupted treatment of the slight girl's fingers while they walked.
"So…" Tula led conversationally. It was a bit awkward to walk clasping their hands between them, but it did force them to huddle in a conspiratory manner. "It's good to see you and your boyfriend are getting along better."
She laced her whisper with as much innuendo as she could muster, but Jinx stared back at her blankly. "Um… yeah?" The slight surface-dweller glanced about, looking a tiny bit paranoid. "I mean… did it seem like we weren't getting along? Did he say something?"
Tula rolled her eyes before nodding ahead of them. "Come on. Back at the armory you were giving him the cold shoulder?"
She could almost see the gears spinning behind Jinx's eyes, staring in apparent incomprehension. Finally, Jinx followed her own glance to the red clad archer, who just happened to glance back over his shoulder to fire off a gregarious grin and thumbs up their way. A moment later, the sputtering girl nearly pulled her hands from Tula's.
"What!? He's not my boyfriend!"
Tula rolled her eyes again and giggled. "Yeah, right. You said that, but now look at you two, all cute and comfortable. Must have been some mission you guys went on."
Jinx's unnaturally pale skin quickly took on a bright red hue, but she couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger… though the pink sparks dancing along her arms pointed towards the latter.
"You take that back!" Jinx looked to Speedy again, making sure he hadn't heard them, before locking eyes with Tula again. "I'm dating Ryouga! Not that human radish! Are you trying to cause trouble?"
That set Tula back a step, physically and verbally. Her jaw snapped shut as she processed that new piece of data. It took her a few seconds just to remember who Ryouga was again, and for the concept to bounce around her head a few times before coming back in the form of a 'Huh?'
"Wait, the surly, polite guy is your boyfriend?" she asked, really not seeing it. "I mean, he spent the whole conversation exasperated with you."
Jinx grinned impishly, shrugging her shoulders. "What can I say? I am pretty exasperating. Also, he's really cute when he's exasperated!"
Tula grinned indulgently. "Yeah, he is."
"Hey!"
"I'm just teasing!" Tula's grin died as something else occurred to him. "Wait, you're dating him?"
Jinx cast some side-eye her way. "Um, yeah. That's what I just said, isn't it?"
The Atlantean Sorcerer glanced about, making sure their male companions were still distracted. She leaned in again, lowering her voice. "But… isn't that dangerous? I mean, he's as strong as an Atlantean. Aren't you worried he'll hurt you whenever you make lo-"
"Hey whoa!" Jinx cut her off with a harsh bark, this time fully pulling her hands away and stepping back. "You and I are nowhere near close enough to be having that conversation, so please drop it!"
Tula took in a breath, preparing to press further - the lure of such high-level gossip was hard to resist - but a single glance at the borderline hurt expression on Jinx's face was enough to take the wind out of her sails. Sighing, she nodded and let the topic drop.
After all, that look on Jinx's face made it abundantly clear that she was thinking about it now.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Speedy called back; somewhere along the line, the pair of ladies had slowed, and the gentlemen had quickly begun to leave them behind.
"Nothing!" Tula called out with a wave of her hand. Pensively, she grabbed Jinx's elbow and began to pull her along to catch up. The slight woman didn't offer any resistance, too busy looking furtively off to the side, chewing her lip anxiously.
Man, Tula had really stepped in it this time.
Usually, she was so good at reading these situations, too…
Ryouga drew in another deep breath. After being stuck in the choking haze of the port, the fresh air in the city proper was a welcome relief. It still amazed him how fresh the air was, brisk and just a bit salty, like he was standing on a beach rather than parking his butt on a bench at the heart of a major metropolitan city.
Another odd thing he noted was the lack of shade and shadows. With no sun at the bottom of the ocean, the city seemed to be lit by some kind of omni-directional light that he couldn't find the source of. Maybe the dome itself was giving off the light? Didn't make much sense to him, honestly, and made him wonder about other things. Was there weather inside the dome? It was big enough, surely, but if not, was it always this exact temperature? Did it never rain? Were there seasons here?
For a consummate wanderer of the world, finding an entire city where it never rained or snowed, never got freezing cold or boiling hot… it felt like a hidden paradise that was beyond even his ability to get misplaced.
He looked up, craning his neck to study the highest reaches of the palace at the far end of the courtyard, and didn't even need to shield his eyes to do so. The magical light was neither too bright, nor too dim, and even the colossal structure didn't bathe them in shadow while they sat right next to it. Perhaps most people wouldn't even notice such small details, but it seemed surreal to the perennial Lost Boy.
Sighing, he dropped his gaze back to his side, running his hands through the golden hair draped across his lap. A smile grew on his lips, revealing a hint of fang, as he studied the young woman that was sleeping soundly on the bench beside him.
Terra was really sleeping the sleep of the dead, too exhausted to even snore as she lay curled up. Despite what they had seen and done, though, her face was serene and untroubled, which was an even greater relief to the wandering martial artist.
He was still in disbelief at the display of her power. True, he had been told by Raven and the others just how powerful Terra was… but this was the first time he had really seen it; actually witnessed her wielding the full extent of her might. Even though he knew people like Ranma, who could create tornados on a whim, and Herb, who could shatter mountains with his fury, and heck, he wasn't a slouch when it came to dishing out destruction himself… it was still humbling to see how far she outstripped him.
All the more reason to be training her to control all that power! And control it she did! He couldn't wait for her to wake up! He wanted to tell her how proud he was of his star pupil!
Gently, he brushed the hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ears; if she noticed, she gave no sign at all.
…On the other hand, he was glad that she had fallen asleep when she had. Ryouga was still feeling uncomfortable with the way that a lot of soldiers had started dropping to their knees. Even Kaldur had looked like he was ready to start praying to Terra. It was just lucky that every able bodied Atlantean had been pulled off to join the fleet as it moved around to help the other port defenses. The token soldier ordered to bring them back to the palace had been more than enough.
Which was what brought them to where they were, sitting on one of the colorful stone benches that framed the elaborate courtyard before the palace. Also, the bench situated farthest from the massive, far too ornate, and energetic fountain that was constantly blasting water dozens of feet into the air. He'd told the guard to leave them here. The idea of going to the actual palace without Garth, or Kaldur or anyone else had seemed weird - he'd never been one to mingle with the wealthy, famous, or powerful, after all - but now he regretted not trying to find a more comfortable place for Terra to sleep.
Of course, now there was another, far more familiar reason to not try to enter the palace. He hated to admit it, but there was zero chance of him actually making it all the way through the front door and finding someone to help before he got them so lost they somehow ended up back on the surface. Better to wait for someone else to show up than risk that.
It was unusually quiet, fountain excepted, which made sense, he supposed, what with most of the city being evacuated. He could only imagine the size of the shelters that would be needed for a city this size. He didn't even see any guards roaming the grounds, likely busy elsewhere. Barring his sleeping companion, this was the first time he could really remember being left to his own devices for over a week, since before the Titans left…
The moment of peace finally let his mind wander to absent friends. Cyborg and Beast Boy were likely having fun, at least. That, or bored out of their minds by a bunch of stuffy royal wedding rules. Robin was probably out of his mind, too, for very different reasons. He certainly hoped Robin was able to foil the wedding, one way or the other. Sure, it was selfish, but he still wasn't ready to let go of his erstwhile little sister just yet.
Just the thought of Starfire's 'wedding' left him fretting in an anxious state, half wanting to shout to the heavens and collapse a building, the other half wanting to weep and get lost in the middle of nowhere for a month.
Honestly, he needed better coping mechanisms. Maybe too much time alone with his own thoughts wasn't a good thing, after all. He needed a distraction, someone to talk to. Preferably someone that could help him find a more comfortable place to nap.
"Hey! Ryouga!"
The shout drew the martial artist's attention from his own inner monologue and back to the palace. Stepping out of the grand entryway was the easily recognizable warrior, green of skin and bare of chest, La'Gaan. His new friend waved from the distance and began to walk briskly in their direction.
Speak of the devil and he appears.
Ryouga chuckled, chiding himself mentally. Raven hated when he used that term… though he wasn't completely sure why.
A wistful smile settled on his lips, as well as a small pang of guilt. Despite knowing he might never see Starfire again; he still couldn't help but miss a certain amethyst eyed woman. True, those eyes were usually exasperated, or annoyed, or wryly amused, but all equally beautiful in their own regard. He missed her monotone voice, so tantalizingly prone to slip into genuine amusement or anger from time to time and letting more of the inner Raven show through. Also the way she often smelled of strange incense, melted candle wax and the pages of old books. Honestly, was there anyone more different from himself?
A frown creased his mouth into a hard line. But, if he missed her so much… then why did it feel like this was the first time she'd crossed his mind in what felt like an eternity? It felt like this was the first time he'd even thought of Raven ever since Jinx arrived at the tower…
He felt an almost imperceptible, throbbing pressure in his temples as the uncomfortable thought began to cycle-
"Hey, man. You alright, you're looking spaced out!"
Ryouga shook his head, noticing the powerful grip of a deep green hand resting on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw that La'Gaan had apparently teleported to his side, crossing the entire distance from the palace in a moment. Despite the unblinking red eyes and large fins and gills around his face, Ryouga could still see the concerned look on the Atlantean's face.
Chuckling weakly, Ryouga waved off the question. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about…"
A blank. Wait, what had he been thinking about again? His brain searched for the lost train of thought but turned up nothing, so he shrugged.
"Heh, never mind. Couldn't have been important," he finished amiably. Looking around, he noted that no one else was exiting the palace to join them. "Where's Kaldur? Looks like you guys made it through alive."
La'Gaan stared at him oddly for a moment, before nodding and laughing quietly, mindful of the sleeping geokinteticist on the bench. "You bet. We just got back a few minutes ago from bailing out King Orin. Kaldur went with Team Royal to figure out their next moves, so I figured I'd see about rounding everyone up."
Ryouga smiled, glad to hear that the rest of his team was safe, and managed to help the King as promised. Unconsciously, he gave Terra's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Their success was in no small part thanks to her hard work.
"Does that mean Jinx and the others are finished, too?" he asked, not even trying to hide the eagerness from his voice.
A quick nod. "That's right. I just got a call from Tula. She wanted to let us know they were coming back." He frowned darkly, looking off into the abandoned city. "Apparently something happened to Garth, but she promises it's nothing serious."
Moving gently, Ryouga slid from beneath Terra and lowered her head to the bench so he could stand. Stretching a bit, he gave his new friend a pat on the shoulder. "He's a tough guy, I'm sure he'll be fine, whatever it is." Looking around expectantly, he hoped to catch a glance of their returning friends. "How did you know where to find us, anyway?"
La'Gaan chuckled, shaking his head. "Total dumb luck. I had no idea you two were out here. What are you even doing? There are better places to sleep, for sure."
Hmm, how to explain that one without giving more information than he really wanted to give? La'Gaan still seemed to be under the impression he was cool, and he didn't want to spoil it with unnecessary family details.
"Well… you see-"
"Hey! There you guys are!"
Ryouga let out a sigh of relief as they turned to the latest shout. Sparing a quick glance to see that Terra was still dead to the world, he spun about to see Speedy come around one of the large coral hedges, flanked by the athletic red-headed sorceress and the short fishman they'd left with. He caught some flashes of pink and purple from behind the trio, but a certain someone was trying to stay out of sight.
His wide smile descended into a neutral line as Speedy's team moved to join them. Tula called out some greetings and waved, while Tramm made some noises that Ryouga would never understand. Speedy was the only one that caught on to his rapidly changing mood. Glancing back over his shoulder, Speedy huffed before nodding to Ryouga.
"Hey, buddy. Looks like you guys made it through."
A nod. "A little worse for wear, but nothing a rest won't fix." The martial artist tried to glance past Speedy to little avail. "Is… everything alright with you guys?"
That seemed to get everyone's attention; Tula and Tramm both glanced at their hidden teammate, going quiet. Speedy, for his part, let out a weary sigh before stepping forward and to the side, revealing the last member of their team.
For a moment, Ryouga felt his nose threaten to explode at the form fitting and very flattering outfit that Jinx had somehow acquired, but the euphoria was fleeting. Something was off, downcast eyes, nervous shuffling. Was she scared about something? Why would she -
And then he saw the bandage on her cheek, a bright line of red staining it, and then the blackened tips of her fingers that she was currently fiddling with. Those bastards had hurt her? A growl began to rattle in his throat, and he felt the urge to run right back to the port and-
Casually, Speedy wrapped an arm around his shoulder and spun him away from everyone else. Ryouga stared at him, but the archer just leaned in to whisper. "Hey, she's had a bit of a rough time. She feels bad enough already, so the last thing she needs is you getting upset over it."
Ryouga frowned at that, trying to parse the foreign concept of 'not getting angry' over something. He glanced back at Jinx, feeling his heart clench just seeing that look on her face. Fighting for a girl's honor was pretty much the only way people went about this stuff back in Nerima. If running off to attack whoever hurt her wouldn't make her feel better… then what would?
Speedy, obviously reading the confusion on his face, leaned back in.
"Sheesh, you're lucky I'm here. Just say this to her:"
The fanged fighter listened to his friend's wise words… failed to understand them in the slightest, then shrugged and figured he'd try it anyway. Not like he could think of anything better.
Turning back to the group, and carefully shrugging out of Speedy's headlock, he took a step towards Jinx. Holding his hands out to the side, he smiled awkwardly and recited what he hoped was a really romantic line but was honestly just confusing.
"Um… if I said - uh, said that you had a great body… would you hold it against me?"
Dead silence. Jinx and Tula both just stared at him with wide eyes… for about a second before La'Gaan exploded into laughter, doubling over. The girls joined in, only to be followed by Jinx launching herself at him like a human arrow. Slamming into his chest, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his new uniform, still laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking.
"Oh God, how can someone that looks so good in tights be such a complete dork?"
Ryouga just felt even more confused, but he was used to that, so he just rolled with it and wrapped his arms around her narrow shoulders. Speedy, for his part, crossed his arms and let out an offended huff.
"Hey, that's a great line! Also, it totally worked!"
"By the Seas," Tula barked between laughter, "That line is so old they still use it in Lemuria!"
"Hey, the classics never go out of style," La'Gaan countered, still grinning like a maniac.
Still confused, but pleased at the results regardless, the martial artist leaned forward to whisper into Jinx's ear, taking note of the shiver that passed through her when he did.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, her pink hair flowing like twin waterfalls over her amethyst plated shoulders and replied with a whisper of her own. "I really am."
Leaning back, she giggled loudly. "I know better than to ask if you're fine, though. You indestructible dork."
"Oh, I don't know about that," La'Gaan interjected, his voice laced with sarcastic sincerity. "Mr. Hothead, here, ran off every damn chance he got! Nearly got himself killed!"
Jinx's neon-hued cat eyes locked back on him, piercing him down to the soul. Gulping loudly, Ryouga fired his most heated glare at the fish man, who was purposely not helping! An instant later, Jinx laughed, a touch high-pitched, possibly but not likely unhinged, and rested her head on his chest again.
"Well, it's not like wandering off is Ryouga's fault. It's just part of his charm."
Letting out an explosive sigh of relief, he laid his cheek on Jinx's head and gave her a gentle squeeze. Acknowledgement and acceptance of his oldest and most harrowing curse? That was a new one, he might need time to process that one.
Luckily, self reflection was delayed as another voice pierced the unnatural quiet of the abandoned metropolis.
"There you are my students."
As one, their small group/task force turned to the palace to see a familiar figure gracefully descending the steps. The pale hair and even more pale skin were striking to the Japanese youth, so Garn, the Headmaster of the magical university thing, stood out in his mind. The fact that he was one of the few Atlanteans that actually liked them was a big plus as well. The aging gentleman gestured flamboyantly with his hands as he spoke.
"I am pleased to see you all unharmed," his sharp eyes scanned quickly over the sleeping Terra - a smile forming - before locking latching onto Jinx's blackened fingertips, sending one of his snowy eyebrows arching upwards. "For the most part, at least."
Ryouga held in his chuckle as Jinx cursed under her breath and hid her hands once more.
"Master Garn!" Tula cut in, stepping forward and clutching her hands to her chest. "Is Garth okay? He's here, right?"
The old sorcerer nodded, smiling gently. "Of course," he assured, his hands flowing gracefully with his words. "I attended to him myself. Young Master Garth managed to compound already existing injuries, which complicated matters, but he is past the worst of it, and we've placed him in a Rejuvenation Ampule. I'll personally let you know when he is ready for visitors."
The martial artist wasn't certain what an 'ampule' was, but Tula looked relieved, so he assumed it had to be good.
"Speaking of recovery," Garn continued, gesturing grandly to Jinx, then Terra, "It appears that our impressive new sorcerers could use some rejuvenation themselves."
The old man grinned knowingly as Jinx grumbled under her breath, before gesturing back to Tula. "I've asked the Chamberlain to prepare some rooms for our guests in the East Wing. Tula, would you be so kind as to show your new friends the way?"
"Of course, Master Garn!" the attractive Atlantean responded, nearly snapping a salute with her fervor.
Tula gestured excitedly for them to follow, and with varying levels of enthusiasm, their ragtag group fell into line. As Ryouga leaned down to pick up Terra, Garn joined them and gestured lackadaisical to Jinx's blackened fingers.
"We should find some time to chat, my dear. I would be interested to learn about your style of sorcery, and perhaps I might be able to offer some sage advice." He winked knowingly. "I am very old, after all, and wisdom seems to be the only thing that accumulates with time… aside from arthritis!"
The sudden joke was unexpected enough to draw a laugh from the usually suspicious sorceress that Ryouga adored, even as Tula and La'Gaan groaned at an apparently very old joke.
"Um, yeah, sure. Maybe I'll take you up on that," Jinx replied, obviously not sure if she actually would or not.
Future promises loosely made, their small group headed for the palace.
"I'll take the young lady from here, thank you."
Jinx hid her grin as she watched Ryouga reluctantly hand Sleepy-Time-Terra over to the statuesque Atlantean woman. The group of them stood before an overly ornate door - so bedecked with gold trimmed whirls and graceful filigree that a five-star hotel on the surface would blush with envy - which had been allocated as 'Terra's Room.' The palatial, arched hallway stretched on as far as the eye could see, equally ornate doors lining both mottled, turquoise walls, but with at least a dozen meters between each one.
How big were these guest rooms?
"Maybe I should go with you?" Ryouga asked nervously, hesitating actually letting go of the tiny, tin-plated blonde, even as she was mostly being held in the Atlantean house maid's arms. The sharply dressed woman (apparently, she was the aide for one of the many nobles that were taking refuge in the palace, making herself useful to the Royal family) raised a single chestnut brown eyebrow at his antics.
"Are you normally in the habit of changing your underage friend's clothing while she's sleeping?"
The pointed question hit like a boulder and Ryouga pulled his hands back faster than even Jinx could follow, his face flushing brighter red than Speedy's new suit. It didn't get any better when Jinx and Tula burst into laughter, even as Speedy and La'Gaan just shook their heads in embarrassment.
Without another word, the professional looking woman vanished into the room, only pausing to close the door with her heel, slamming it in Ryouga's face so hard that the burst of air blew his hair back.
Man, Atlantean women were nearly as strong as they were sassy!
Still giggling, Tula led the rest of them further down the hallway. It was a bit of a hike just to get to the next room but once they reached it Tula spun ostentatiously before gesturing to the closed door. Winking teasingly, she pointed at Ryouga.
"Since you are sooo close to your student, you can have the room next to hers. Sound good, Ryouga?"
Flushing even harder, the bashful martial artist darted into his room with all speed, not even wasting a breath to reply. Smiling deviously, Jinx formulated a quick plan. Rushing forward, she grabbed Tula's arm and leaned into her bodily
"Tula, can I have this room?" she asked plaintively, gesturing to the door directly across from Ryouga's.
The Atlantean teen rolled her eyes in a 'could you possibly be more obvious?' kind of way. Still, she was kind enough to play along; nodding playfully, she disentangled herself from Jinx.
"Fine, fine. Just remember that when you go in, that you need to register yourself with Selkie. She'll be able to help you with anything you need." Tula then spun back to Speedy, preparing to lead him to the next set of rooms, before turning back with that knowing grin of hers. "Oh, you might want to let Ryouga know about that, too, since he left in such a rush."
Both boys chuckled lasciviously behind her back causing the sorceress' cheeks to burn. Maybe she was being too obvious? Mercifully, Tula dragged Speedy and La'Gaan off, casually carrying on their conversation.
"Oh, we'll set up Kasumi across from you, Speedy, so make sure you let her know whenever she gets back…"
Whatever else they might have said was lost in the distance as Jinx dithered in the hallway. Once she was confident no one was looking she darted through Ryouga's partially open door. Letting out a long breath, Jinx leaned bodily against the door, closing it behind her as she took in Ryouga's 'guest room.'
Guest Mansion was more like it! The room was bigger than the massive penthouse suites that you saw in those casino heist movies. There was a bar as long as a bus, sporting more bottles than she could count. A half a dozen couches, an entire dining set, what looked like a TV that could pass as a movie screen.
Oddly, at the dead center of the room was what looked like a bird bath, but no birds in sight.
Then, of course, there was the bed… Jinx felt her cheeks burn again as she stared at the massive circular mattress festooned with blue sheets and foam green pillows, like a personal ocean to drown in.
It actually took her a moment to find her Waldo-adjacent martial artist, standing over by a bookshelf and absently reading, or at least trying to read the spines. Moving with feline grace, she flitted across the room and wrapped her hands around his bicep, pulling herself close as she enjoyed the feel of his muscles beneath the relatively thin fabric.
"I'm not a pervert," Ryouga sulked, a deep frown creasing his face.
Jinx sighed theatrically. "Of course you aren't. They were just teasing you; I promise." She giggled to herself. "Though, honestly, it wouldn't kill you to be a bit more perverted."
She considered her words for a moment as Ryouga turned a questioning look her way.
"With me," she amended. She fired her best death glare at the now grinning Hibiki. "It will definitely kill you if you do anything with anyone but me!"
He did his best to stifle a chuckle as she ineffectually dug her nails into the bedrock of his bicep; if he even noticed, he gave no sign. "I'll keep that in mind. But you don't need to worry, and especially not about Terra."
She felt a bit better about that, at least until he dropped an arm around her shoulder and casually said, "Also, it's a nice change of pace knowing no one else is clamoring over the girl I like."
Hey now! That felt perilously close to an insult! Well… true, it wasn't like there was anyone else trying to get with her at the moment, but she could totally get any guy she wanted! Right? Of course she could!
Pushing back from the stalwart hero, Jinx squared her shoulders, preparing for peak pique.
"Hey! I'll have you know that Tula totally thought that Speedy was my boyfriend, and that he was so into me!"
Ryouga's reaction was not at all what she expected from the famously jealous and 'fly-off-the-handle' martial artist. He just stared at her with a soft smile and a half shrug. "Huh. That's funny. You set her straight, right?"
The scale plated sorceress faltered back a step. "Well, of course I did," she replied lamely, then shook her head. "That's not the point, though! I'm saying that he'd totally be clamoring over me if I wanted him to!"
"You don't want that, though." Ryouga was just staring at her with a clueless, innocent expression that was driving her crazy! What kind of mind game was he playing now?
"Of course, I don't!" she barked, planting her fists on her hips, and leaning towards the clueless man. "But that's not the point!"
She threw her hands in the air and spun away, totally confused now. "Why in the world aren't you even the tiniest bit jealous?"
Ryouga shrugged his shoulders and dredged up that superior smirk of his, the one that he usually reserved for his 'Take that, Ranma!' moments. 'Damn, why is that so sexy!?'
"I'm not the man I once was," he replied haughtily, leaning against the bookcase, and crossing his arms over his chest. "Clearly I've grown beyond such petty notions."
Jinx noticed herself chewing her lower lip at Ryouga's puffed up display of bravado and quickly shook her head, annoyed that she was falling for it!
"Like hell you are," she fired back, struggling to hold on to her head of steam. "You literally burst into flame when I told you I kissed Ranma!"
Like a switch, Ryouga's cool demeanor incinerated. The martial artist surged forward, a manic look in his eye, like a wolf watching a hawk swoop down on the rabbit it had been stalking all morning.
"You said that was a lie!"
In an instant, all the parts clicked together. Jinx burst into laughter, couldn't have stopped herself even if she'd wanted to. It was so funny… she could barely breathe… ribs hurting! Ryouga's frantic panic melted away into a concerned gaze… likely questioning her sanity.
"O-o-oh my God!" She finally managed to regain enough control to speak, though her ribs still ached worse than during her fight with the Tridents. It was an effort to stand straight, but she made the effort so she could match Ryouga's gaze as evenly as possible, though the effect was spoiled a bit by the giggles that continued to leak out.
"You're not jealous of Speedy because you know you can beat him in a fight!"
"What? I - what… wait… what was the question?" Ryouga was back to his more classic 'clueless lost boy' expression that she adored. "What's so funny again?"
Sucking in a deep breath, Jinx let out a long wheeze, dropping her butt on the arm of the nearby couch. This really was too funny! Only from Nerima!
"You had me going there for a minute," she admitted with a laugh, pointing her finger at the Lost Boy. "Ha! 'Grown beyond such petty notions' my ass! You might have the shy guy routine down pat, but deep down you still think you can win a girl by beating someone up."
Her mirth dried up quickly as a deep frown set on Ryouga's face. Crossing his arms again, he stared down at her. "I've already learned that doesn't work," he bit-off sourly. Instantly, Jinx felt her stomach start to twist; she didn't think about it, like, at all, but she knew he was referring to that Akane girl.
"And what's wrong with fighting for something - someone that you care about?" Ryouga started to pace, agitation making his movements sharper than usual. Jinx's gaze fell and she tucked her hands between her knees, suddenly feeling small. "I mean, isn't that what you're doing with Raven?"
Well, she certainly hadn't needed that reminder. She gave a low hiss. "I hate that I feel like I have to fight at all."
"So do I!" Ryouga nearly shouted, spinning back towards her. "Ranma does too, and Akane and Ukyou and Shampoo and… well damn well everyone I know. But it's all any of us is any good at. What else can we do to show we care?"
She… hadn't really thought about it like that before. If all you've got is a hammer, then all your problems look like nails. If all you've got is martial artists, then of course all your problems are solved by fighting. Sadly, that seemed to apply to superheroes and super villains as well, now that she thought about it. And he was completely right; here she was, doing the exact same thing she was teasing him about, competing over him with Raven, slipping right in the second she left an opening to go visit another planet.
It made her feel a bit queasy thinking about it like that.
Not enough to stop, though. Sheesh, this conversation had really gotten away from her. Fighting with Ryouga was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now. …Or was it?
Smiling slyly, Jinx rose to her feet. Ryouga perked up as he noticed her approach from the corner of his eyes. His expression screamed uncertainty; she could feel his guilt over blowing up at her radiating from him. Tentatively, he reached out his arm, offering a half-hearted hug.
"Jinx, I'm sorry-"
She exploded into motion! Like a snake, she latched onto his arm before twisting and flipping over his back, taking advantage of his fallen guard to launch him into the plush cushions of a couch. Even as she spun over him and levered his arm about for the shoulder toss, her free hand snaked around and unsheathed the ebony umbrella chained to his back. She skidded to a spinning stop a second after the martial artist crash landed, umbrella held out and shining silver blade hovering just at the tip of his chin. Chest heaving, she grinned triumphantly at the shell-shocked Hibiki pinned to the back of the couch, arms held out at his sides.
"W-what are you doing?" The question was rushed, but she could already see the counters forming behind the martial artist's eyes. For anyone else, she'd have them dead to rights, for Ryouga, it was just a minor inconvenience.
Before he could act, she retracted the blade and dropped the tip of the umbrella to rest on his chest. She then leaned forward, putting all her meager weight on the implement, to make certain that Ryouga got a very good view of her smile.
"Showing you that I care," she replied in the most sultry tone she could muster. Not really her forte, so she hoped she didn't sound like a complete moron but judging by the hint of red working its way up Ryouga's cheeks, it was working at least a bit.
"You're good at fighting, but I'm good at fighting dirty," she explained with a laugh.
Ryouga grinned in return, slowly reaching up to grab the umbrella digging into his chest like a foam sword on a concrete wall, only for her to pull it back as she spun about again. The dark canopy snapped open with a flourish, right in his face, as she spun.
She stopped her spin by stomping her armored boot down on the edge of the couch hard enough to snap wood, right between Ryouga's knees. Even the indestructible Hibiki gave a terrified 'eep!' and nearly pushed himself through the back of the couch as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her raised knee even as she spun the umbrella lazily over her shoulder.
"So, I'm gonna show you I'm willing to pull any dirty trick to win, got me?"
The bandanna-clad boy swallowed loudly before nodding. He began to lean forward-
"Ryouga… you in here?"
The muttered words, heavy with exhaustion, froze villainess and martial artist alike. She hadn't heard the door open! Why hadn't she locked it!? As one, Jinx and Ryouga looked to the side… to see Terra standing just inside the door, still looking half asleep and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. The tiny girl was wearing borrowed pajamas, a deep ocean blue (of course, Atlanteans seemed to live for the stereotypes!) and had a light blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
A hundred avenues of escape flooded Jinx's mind, but she'd managed to land herself in a perfectly unbalanced and awkward position, and - even better - she had Ryouga pinned in place so he couldn't escape either! If they were lucky, Sleepy Terra worked on T-Rex rules and only saw motion!
The distant hope was dashed as Terra slowly turned their way. A second later the blanket dropped to the floor as the slight blonde's eyes grew wide and her face went deep red.
"U-U-Umbrella Play!?"
Jinx felt her own face start to burn like the sun as Terra clapped her hands to her cheeks, utterly scandalized.
"Ryouga! That's too lewd!"
Oh no! Now she probably thought they had a weird umbrella fetish! Well, Ryouga but not her! Terra spun for the door, even as Ryouga lamely held out a hand, slamming the door behind her as she made her escape from the mortifying situation.
"Terra, wait!"
They both stared at the closed door for a moment, her heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest… before that last bit suddenly hit her. Turning slowly, she raised an eyebrow at Ryouga.
"Terra, wait?" she repeated questioningly.
Ryouga shrugged. "I panicked. Ranma always yells that when he gets into these situations. It's habit forming."
She snickered loudly, before snapping the umbrella shut and tossing it onto the couch. Still, as embarrassing as that had been, it had really gotten her heart going. She felt like she'd just downed a jug of coffee as she leered down at Ryouga.
"So… where were we-"
The door swung open so hard it slammed into the wall this time and the shock sent Jinx tumbling back to fall on her butt. She let out a sharp curse and rubbed her tailbone as Terra stormed back into the room.
"There is no way I'm leaving this door closed!" The tiny Titan pierced them both with her suspicious glare. "You two should be ashamed!"
Her piece said, Terra then stormed out again, this time leaving the door wide open. Jinx could hear her angry footsteps marching down the hallway.
Sighing loudly to herself, Jinx dragged herself up onto the couch and sprawled herself across Ryouga's lap in an open admission of defeat.
"Wanna nap," she muttered. Now her butt hurt! Asking Ryouga to rub it would only cause more problems, so now she was just grumpy.
Ryouga chuckled quietly. "Yeah, let's get some rest."
She ignored Ryouga as he carefully disentangled himself from the rest of his umbrellas. Her mood slipped further as her thoughts drifted to their prior conversation. Somehow, despite not even being in the same solar system, her rival in romance had managed to block her move.
'You win this round, Raven. Using Terra as a chaperon? And I thought I fought dirty!'
Kasumi had no idea what time it was. She'd lost track of how many hours she had spent in the medical tent; despite that, her walk back to the palace had been through the exact same level of ambient light as when they had first arrived. The sky was the same dome of perfect black, like a starless night.
Apparently, there was no concept of night and day at the bottom of the ocean.
Looking down at her communicator, she double checked the small map that Speedy had sent her. She appeared to be going the right way, anxiously treading down a hallway of oddly mottled turquoise. Just a few more doors to the one that Speedy had marked as hers…
Hmm, that was odd. One of the doors was open. Unable to contain her curiosity, Kasumi glided over to the overly pretentious doorway and peeked her head in, just for a quick glance.
Was this the kind of room they were letting them use? She stood for a moment, jaw slack, in complete bafflement at the level of extravagance they were being lavished with. She had thought the Titan's Tower had been the absolute pinnacle of decadence, with its massive rooms and ridiculously soaring ceilings, but this? She didn't even possess a frame of reference to compare. Before this, Tatewaki and his family had been the richest people she had known. She'd had the opportunity to visit their mansion a handful of times with Nabiki, but their home was not even a fraction as extravagant.
She twiddled her fingers nervously. Hopefully, these rooms didn't have nearly as many traps as the Kunou mansion. Was that a normal rich person thing, or was it just them? She wasn't even sure of that!
The Tendo sister was about to leave the apparently uninhabited room when a sound caught her attention. It was quiet, but unmistakable. Even more curious now, she slipped into the room to find the source.
The familiar noise drew her to one of the expensive couches. Tiptoeing a few steps closer, she peeked over the armrest.
Ryouga's gentle snoring didn't seem to bother the young woman wrapped in his arms. Kasumi lifted a hand to her chest and gave a quiet sigh at the sight. Ryouga and Jinx, spooning together on the wide couch cushions, one of his arms draped over her side and the other acting as a - no doubt hard - pillow for the cotton candy haired young woman. Ryouga was wearing a suit that left little to the imagination, while Jinx was wearing a set of deep amethyst pajamas that looked super comfortable.
Where had she gotten those?
It was simply the most adorable sight that Kasumi had seen in some time and brought a wide smile to her face. Only for the smile to falter slightly as an errant thought bubbled up from the back of her mind unbidden. Something deep in her stomach felt a little… twisty?... at the sight. It wasn't something she was familiar with feeling before, but she felt… felt like she wanted something?
Was this what jealousy felt like? It just seemed so intimate but so innocent. Yet something felt odd in her mind. It looked so warm and comfortable to be held in Ryouga's arms like that; cared for after such an exhausting day… but she also wished she were the one holding Jinx in her own arms, protecting the slight girl from whatever nightmares she'd seen.
Was she jealous of both of them? …She could just wriggle in between them, then she could do both at the same time! They wouldn't mind, would they?
They probably would.
With a weary sigh, suddenly feeling all those hours in surgery settle back on her shoulders, she made it the rest of the way to her own room. It was every bit as extravagant, but she was far too tired and alone to be inspired by it.
That was an odd thought. It hadn't been too long ago that she prided herself on being so self sufficient. She did most things on her own, after all; even back home with her family she was on her own most of the time. So, what was this sudden urge for… what? Contact? Intimacy? It certainly wasn't desire. Jinx and Ryouga were both attractive people, but she wasn't attracted to either of them in that way.
Pressing her fingers to her temples, she tried to massage away the uncomfortable thoughts. She'd spent the better part of her day covered in blood and tuning out cries of pain; the last thing she needed to worry about was cuddling.
No, what she needed now was a shower. Quickly followed by sleep. Food could wait, she doubted she could keep anything down anyway.
That thought in mind, she focused on her far-too-nice room, and to her delight noticed that her things had already been brought here during her absence. Her pack was set on the nightstand next to the bed, the dress she had been wearing, as well as her raincoat, were both carefully laid out on the bed, both spotless despite the horrific mess they had collected from their trip.
The 'Box' was there as well, leaning against the bed. The pale beige box had also been cleaned, and there was a note taped to it. Closing her door quickly, she scooted over to the bed and hastily picked up the unobtrusive dress box. Looking back and forth despite being in a closed room, she quickly flipped the card open to read what it said.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she read.
'Greetings Surface Dweller,
Sorry for the intrusion, but our scanners had detected that the Xenothium in your 'superhero' suit had destabilized for some reason. As you are aware, this can be quite unsafe, so we took the liberty of restabilizing it for you. Wouldn't want any accidents while you are in the city.
Sincerely
Vulko, Royal Advisor to the Sciences
Kasumi started to feel lightheaded, only to realize that she'd forgotten to breathe while reading the utterly casual message. Stabilized the Xenothium in her suit? That was a thing that could be done? Then why hadn't Robin done it already? For that matter, what kind of people had such a blasé approach to such a dangerous element? After all the trouble she had gone through just to get a small amount, it felt absurd that they wouldn't even make the slightest issue of it.
Hmm, no accidents? Did that mean she didn't have to worry about her belt accidentally exploding any more?
Oddly, a very deep, very hidden part of herself felt a tiny bit… offended at the notion. Like some of the fun had been taken away, or that Red X had been tamed in some small way. Admittedly, that part of her seemed to be very dumb and she didn't want to dwell on it any longer.
With a tired sigh, she spun about and dropped to sit on the edge of the bed-
And was nearly swallowed as she fell backwards into the collapsing mattress, she panicked for a fraction of a second, before she bounced back upwards with a loud sloshing sound. She laid on her back, riding the current before realization sunk in.
Rolling her eyes, she could only laugh. A waterbed. Of course. Despite the dire situation, she wondered if the housing staff were having a bit of fun with them. Surrendering to the watery substrate, she let herself bob on the undulating 'bed' as she clutched the dress box to her chest.
Stabilized? Honestly, she felt a bit cheated. Like that had been one of her big challenges as a vigilante to overcome, and now the answer had just been handed to her on a lark by someone that didn't have a single idea of her situation. Which was ridiculous, of course, as she was as likely to unlock the secrets of Xenothium as Ryouga was to master the intricacies of a street map.
That thought only reminded her of her conundrum from earlier that day. Letting her head fall to the right, she looked at the odd bird bath style column at the center of the room.
What did she need this suit for again? She'd helped far more people today, in just a few hours, than she had in the months that she had owned the suit. The doctors had told her she had real potential, inexperienced as she was, and that with the proper training, she could do a lot of good. What could be more rewarding than a life of responsibility and duty to a greater cause?
Twisting her head to the left, she held out the box and stared at it, trying to see through the (supposedly shielded but apparently not enough) container. She sucked in her lower lip as she felt a warmth suffuse her body. She could almost feel the wind rushing over her as she leapt off a rooftop; the exhilaration of dancing around Speedy as he frantically tried to keep up.
The freedom to do what she wanted to do…
With a wince, she let go of the box, letting it slide over the edge of the bed to hit the floor with a hollow thud. It was just selfishness, that was all. She was slipping a bit, and she needed to be better. People needed her, they always needed her, and they always would. And if people needed her, then it didn't matter what she needed.
She felt her brow dip and her lip curl into a deep (for her) frown, as she looked where the box had fallen over the bed.
"I don't need you."
She didn't need anything.
… She didn't.
"Heh, I don't need them."
He smiled, quite pleased with himself, having evaded the many soldiers overseeing the evacuation of the Attica borough outside the city. Not that it took much skill, the stream of men, women and children fleeing from the outer dome was choking the relatively narrow subterranean evacuation tunnel. It had taken him the better part of a day to make a walk that otherwise would have taken an hour or two at the most.
Nodding to himself sagely, he acknowledged that times were grim. Their homeland under siege by an unspeakable threat, and their defenders stretched thin, doing their utmost to protect the vulnerable citizenry. It was a tragedy in the making.
Lifting the pipe in his hand, he grinned as he stared longingly through the broad window of the jewelry store.
Still, no reason he couldn't make the best of things. Who would even miss a few trinkets anyway? Why not turn a little profit while everyone was distracted?
With a twirling flourish, he reared back to smash the storefront.
"What do you think you are doing?"
Shocked, the looter spun, only for his eyes to widen in recognition.
"Wait! I know you-"
Stars danced across his vision as something smashed into the back of his head with savage force. The world was already going dark as he felt his body collapse to the ground.
"Be careful! We need them alive…"
He heard no more as everything faded to black.