Disclaimer: Don't own
:}
Lunch found the group of friends sitting together again, in a strange echo of years past. They looked to be exactly what they were, the main people of Hollywood Arts. Beck had withdrawn from some of the acting he'd been doing, allowing others to have the spotlight more, but it was understood that he was the leading man who could get any lead roll he wanted, almost any time he wanted. Tori was the amazing ball of talent who was always gonna be in the spotlight. Andre the musician slash actor who costarred when he wanted, and could lead a band, playing every instrument while romancing a string of girls. Cat was the ditzy girl who could act, sing, juggle, and on some days, seemed to be able to play off type when needed. Robbie, seeming to be the odd man out, was known to be a budding actor and musician who just didn't get that he was funny, except for when his insecurities got in the way. Self deprecating humor was appreciated, and gave him control of the narrative. Being willing to look the fool was the nerdy boys ticket to riches, where, as the song said, he'd be able to get back at his bullies when they were washing his car.
Jade always fit in. Singer, actress, director, writer, the pale goth was a known talent who had fallen for a while and while her output wasn't up to what it had been, she was back. Many students now slinked quietly, wishing to avoid the inevitable backlash against them for whatever they'd gotten away with while the blue eyed girl was down. Only now they had far less to worry about, and it was obvious to anyone who bothered to look. Jade no longer sat next to Beck, worrying about every freak and Northridge girl who might try to win his attention. To her, he was someone else's problem now. The problems of maintaining her once toxic relationship had been replaced with something new. Now, Jade sat next to Tori Vega, and they held hands, cuddled, even kissed, Jade marking her property as publicly as her girl would allow. And Tori, for her part, embraced being with the talented girl, showing off her growing affection while basking in the odd envy many guys, and girls, were sending her way.
'They may not wanna be me, but I know so many of them wish they could have what we have, that sickening young love that makes me feel so good.' Tori pondered before slipping her hand down the other girls ass, getting a quick thrill from doing it in public, as well as the tender flesh she was squeezing. 'Plus, Jade here is a long term girl, and the kind of girl who'll keep this city safe. Yea, we're gonna have us a wonderful love, and I'm gonna be there for my girl. I'll hold her hands, help her through this probation, up until she's free, and becomes the kind of hero dad wants her to be.'
"You know whats weird?" Cat asked, and everyone at the table except Robbie braced for impact. Rob just nodded for her to continue. "This," She pointed at Tori and Jade, "It happened so quickly, and already, it's like the new normal. Everyone's just gotten used to it. Jade's with someone who's not Beck. I mean, sure, Tori does kinda look like Beck, like she could maybe be his sister. But Tori, you're not Beck."
Jade's face broke into a big grin, and she opened her mouth to make a comment. "Not one word." Tori warned. "Sorry, Beck, I know what she was about to say, and it'd have hurt both of us."
"How could anything she said hurt both of you?" Cat asked.
"Jade was going to claim that Tori here was way more masculine then I am." Beck said with a shrug. "Hay, I dated her. I know the kind of dark thoughts that live in that head."
"Actually, I was gonna point out that Tori's a better kisser." Jade said. "No way anyone would mistake her for being masculine." Blue eyes looked into coffee brown. "Sorry, babe, but you're about as far from a he-man as I could hope to find. Hell, even Robbie's a bit more of a man then you. Not much, just a bit."
Rob looked hurt, just for a second, before he smiled. "Yea, I get that. Curse of the nerdling. Course, the nerd queen should be more careful of what she calls her people." His smile morphed into a smirk.
"Girl nerds are in." Jade countered. "And we get dates."
"Robbie could get a date." Cat jumped in to defend him. "Of course, he shouldn't, in case I decided I wanted to date him, but he so could get a date."
"You gonna date him?" Jade asked.
"No, gross." Cat said, making a face.
"Well, recently, Trina said she's reevaluated whats important to her, and Rob, you're stock is rising. Still not at the Beck level, but definitely rising."
"Funny, if she went for a nerd, I was so sure it'd be Sinjin." Andre chipped in.
"Cause he has money?" Jade asked. "I don't know if you've noticed, but our shallow girl, er, untalented and shallow girl isn't interested in rich guys, just hot ones."
"Cause she's so sure she'll be rich all on her own." Robbie said. "What? It may be delusional, but I admire her self confidence. We all should be able to believe in ourselves that much. Have a backup, but believe in ourselves."
"Yea, that sounds nice." Jade said, even as she lay her head down on Tori's shoulder. "Okay, Beck has more shoulder to rest on, but it's okay. I like it here. Comfortable."
"And we look cute." Tori said. Her eyes tracked around the group, begging for affirmation.
"Too cute." Beck said. "And yea, Cat, you're right. It's amazing how, just a short while ago, Jade was so busy trying to avoid getting into worse trouble, she was out of the group. Now, she's back, cause she and Tori..."
"Just to be totally clear, it's because they were rivals, and not the girl on girl bit, right?" Rob asked.
"There is that." Cat agreed. "However, mostly, it's that Jade's with someone other then Beck, and Tori's with someone. I don't think anyone would care about the genders involved."
"Okay, lets get one thing straight." Jade breathed out. "I'm still in trouble, even if I'm eating with my girl. Cat, the only reason I'm allowed this close is school is, by default, a neutral zone, and I don't have to worry about getting permission from my social worker to hang out with you. That stupid juvenile record you have, plus your roommate, is complicating things. But right now, I can eat here, be around you guys, cause I'm doing good, and they like that I'm dating the child of a police officer."
"Plus, dad likes her." Tori added. "What? He does. You've shown a lot of initiative in your program, and dad says you're making strides in achieving their goals for you. Course, that just means they have to set new goals, but as long as I get my snuggle time, I'm good."
Jade smiled, still resting her head on Tori's shoulder. 'Tori's got the ability to manipulate probability. Still can't believe she can do that. Course, that's not the biggest surprise. No, during my vision quest thingy, a side effect of having Koval around, I discovered just what it was that Trina could do. Trina is Warpath, my first real friend in the program. That was a kick in the pants, but I'm keeping it cool. As long as we keep that little secret to ourselves, and not let Tori here know I know, then I can keep being friend with Warpath, and not have to justify the Trina of the situation.'
"Too cute." Beck echoed his statement from before.
"I'm taking your picture." Cat informed the couple. "You want a copy, it'll be on Robbie's page on the slap."
"Wait, why Robbie's page?" Andre asked.
"Cause he has a page set up for that, and I don't." Cat said with a shrug.
"You know, you could just..." Dre started. "You know what, forget it."
"Why?" Cat asked.
"Because it's not worth discussion." Rob guessed.
"No, why should I allocate any of my Slap resources to a picture gallery, when Robbie here is more then willing to allocate his?" Cat clarified. "I can save my data for other galleries, like the one where I compare everyone to fruit, or that one where I look at cities with the same names as other cities. Did you know there's a Hollywood in Florida too? My brother thought of going to visit that Holywood, but didn't."
"Right." Tori said, smiling at the perky redhead. "So, I' glad no one is objecting to me dating Jade here."
"Um, Vega, not that I mind, but A, we've only been dating a short amount of time, and B, we're in public." Jade said, redirecting Tori's hand down to her midsection.
"My god, I'm so sorry." Tori felt embarrassed. "I had no idea my hands had been drifting up that much."
"You knew." Beck accused. "I get it, your roles are nebulous, and from what I've heard at Yoga, there are even straight girls who'd occasionally like to feel other girls funbags. You know, just out of curiosity."
"I'm curious." Rob offered.
"Of what, how life would be if you were one handed?" Jade asked. "One armed? I can go on, or should I remove a different, more offending appendage?"
"Please be talking about Rex." Cat chimed in. "I hate to think you'd talk about such dirty things when threatening to maim a friend."
"Besides, maybe Cat'll have a use for it one day." Beck finished for her.
"Yea, wait, what?" Cat shifted, glaring at the boy. "I'm a proper girl, and never admit to the dirty thought I've had. Otherwise, Rob here would have known I'd though of including him when I was trying to win over Evan."
"Um, not into that kind of thing." Robbie said.
"You sure?" Cat asked. "I could have sworn you were. Oh well, me and Evan, didn't work out, and I'm also innocent, so I don't admit to ever having dirty thoughts. No, no dirty thoughts for Cat, who would like Tori to stop trying to grope Jade, cause then I'd start imaging things, and they don't stop with the groping."
"Totally innocent." Jade teased. But it felt good, and she was enjoying this quiet day. 'Soon, the team will start training together. Man, what a trip, being a part of a team. I just thought I was gonna be Blue Steel's sidekick, assuming I ever get that far. But I get it, most of them are part timers, so why not take advantage and train for when they need us all.'
Jade made it to the program, ready to work, only to find Blue Steel waiting for her. "Suit up, we're heading out." He told the girl.
"Wait, what?" Jade asked, staggered by the order.
"I said we're heading out." The police hero repeated.
"Um, I don't know if you know this, but I kinda burned myself when I changed Meredith's powers, and I haven't totally recovered." Jade tried to explain.
"I know." David smiled under his helmet. "But several of the spells you rely upon are long lasting, and I have some body armor for you to wear under your dress. In short, you're coming with."
Jade sighed. "V's gonna hear about this." She grumbled as she made her way towards her room, not thrilled about this change in plans. 'Wasn't thrilled about studying law, but given my limits, it felt like the best thing to do. Sides, Robbie is expected, and I wanted to watch his training.'
"I already cleared this with V." Blue Steel called after before moving into the training area to wait for her. 'Besides, the new people, they need to be trained without you. Warpaths gonna be here to work with your friend, and I don't need you distracted. And hay, YOU'RE supposed to be my sidekick, so it's time to be seen out on patrol. Yea, you're low on power, but it's okay. You're under 18, and I really don't need you taking many risks yet.'
David was sure this concern he was feeling was due to the improvements he'd seen in the girl, and had nothing to do with her dating his youngest. Inside, he suspected he was shifting his view of the dangerous goth only based on her performance in the program since his wife had taken over, and not that her dating Tori had given him a new perspective of the girl. But none of that mattered as this outing was a direct request from Holy, who wanted something to shift for the goth.
Jade was almost done armoring up when a knock on her door let her know she had a guest. "Yo, Jade, you in there?" Warpath asked.
"Warpath?" Jade asked. "Trina?"
"Um, no, I'm Warpath, and you already know the truth, cause of why?" The altered teen asked.
"when I altered Meredith, er, she have a code name yet? Whatever, when I was under, I kinda, sorta saw things, and part of it was the truth about your duality." Jade explained.
"Yea, well, speaking of code names, lets keep this between us, and stick with ours, kay?" The altered girl said. Even her voice was different in this form, making it hard to accept this was the tallentless girl who's mere presence at Hollywood Arts had offended Jade for years. However, Jade now knew who she was, and as a result, hard as it was for her to accept, Jade was coming to understand how a lot of the good changes in her life was coming about. 'Mom's gonna freak. Betting, based on her explanation, she knows about Tori too. Looks like I have something to report.'
"Funny, cause I didn't hear Dahlia mentioned." The blue eyed girl shot back. She was smiling. 'This Trina I like.'
"Kay, I get it." Trina said, smiling. "If I want you to use my code name, I gotta use yours. Still, I wanted to say hi before you took off with Steel."
"So, if I'm heading out, why you here?" Jade wondered aloud as she finished strapping the body armor on. 'Gotta talk to Karl about enchanting my cloths so I'll be armored without having to cast a spell.'
"Training Achilles Junior." Warpath said. "Plus, we may have a new recruit for the auxiliaries, and if so, then we'll be there to check this one out. Anyways, good luck, cause this is gonna get interesting. You're life as you knew it is over."
"Any way you can make that less dire sounding?" Jade asked.
"Nope." Trina replied. "So, you ready?"
"As I'll ever get." Jade said. "Man, this body armor is uncomfortable. How do cops wear it without getting a rash?"
"Practice." Trina said. "So, you're ready now? Good, cause your ride awaits." Her smile hid a different thought stream. 'I trust Jade, cause she's been good at keeping our secrets. Still, mom's gonna love this...'
Jade walked out in her dress, thankful that it was designed to allow her to move, despite it's bulky appearance. Dark colors, black over black, shifted and moved with each step she took. But to the pale girl, it was more then just a fully covering dress, reminiscent of what a widow would wear when heading to a funeral. Her veil covered her face, and Jade worried that, without her spells, that was a major weak point that could easily be exploited.
"You have power enough for that spell." Koval informed her. "I'll help. I'll help you manage your power, to keep you safe. You won't be able to fly, not today, but soon, you're power will return, and you'll once again embrace the sky."
Jade smiled, ready for her first day as a sidekick. "Okay, lets go." She called out, even as she allowed her familiar to help her draw out some power, slowly reinforcing her dress to protect her. Now layered in armor, she felt ready to face the world.
"Okay, Dahlia, here are the rules." Blue Steel said as they made their way to his car. "In the field, when I give an order, you follow, got it?'
"Seems clear enough." Jade shrugged.
"And unless I tell you otherwise, you stay in the car, or do what I tell you, and nothing else." He continued. "Today its about meeting the people, being seen, and maybe doing something if the threats small enough. I know you're powers are weakened, and any casting you do will be limited, so we keep you out of danger."
"I have a familiar, a spirit lion, and I can focus some power through him." Jade informed her hero.
"What can you do right now?" The police hero asked.
"I've been charging up my protective spells." Jade said. "Almost up, but only about eighty percent of what I had when I tussled with you. With the body armor, it should be enough."
"Can you fly?" He asked.
"No." Jade sighed. "I might be able to manifest my familiar, but that's the biggest shift in reality I can muster until it no longer burns to cast."
"That's plenty." David said. "Jade, just stay safe. We'll do a patrol, see the sights, and hopefully today will just be about being seen. I do a LOT of being seen. Showing the flag, that kind of chiz. Once you get used to it, you'll understand why Tori thinks this will change your life."
"So does Warpath." Dahlia said. "So, game face on, lets go." She'd finished buckling into the special car Blue Steel used, and was ready to head out and see the city from the front seat of a police car.
Jade would quickly learn the ins and outs of the job as she rode along with the hero. They patrolled, being seen more then trying to actively stop crimes. Despite that, Blue Steel helped out in a couple of minor standoffs, stopping a runner and disarming a criminal who'd taken a hostage. Jade marveled at the speed the man could move when he needed to. But the big factor had been Steels willingness to make himself the target, saving the hostages by giving the illusion that the gunman was getting a better hostage. The Black Dahlia was only used to do a small amount of crowd control, as well as posing with tourists. She even spoke with a couple of gang members while Blue Steel questioned them, giving the most annoying, generic pep talk about following the law and working within the system. She rode off from that encounter wondering if some day, her name and image would be enough to garner the kinds of respect that Blue Steel did.
'They listened to him. I could see it. I mean, sure, they were afraid of him, and lets face it, they know he's a cop, but still, they respected him enough to actually listen.' Jade thought as she watched that corner slowly disappear into the background.
"Dahlia, we're almost done here." The police hero informed her. "Just one thing left to do, and we're on our way back. I promised a visit to the children's hospital. Those kids struggling with cancer could use a pick me up, and lord knows I always feel better when I get a chance to see how much fight they have in 'em."
"Sure, whatever." Jade said, not sure this was as good an idea as the man seemed to think it was. 'Is he serious? Chronically ill children? This job's not at all like it looked in the brochure.'
That's then the radio came to life. "All cars in the vicinity of Hollywood Vine, there is a report of a Shark-man tearing up the street at..." The address rattled off, with Blue Steel's computer already calculating the best rout there. The car smoothly accelerated, moving through traffic as the siren, for the first time that day, wailed to life.
"Dahlia, when we get there, you're job is to make sure people stay away." He lectured. "Crowd control. Thing is, no mater how dangerous the perp is, there's always some people who feel they need to record this for their Instagram followers. Trust me, no number of followers is worth your life."
"Crowd control." Jade confirmed. "And if the meta, assuming this is a meta, if it comes towards us?" She wondered.
"If it does, and you have no other choice, then you can engage." Steel said. "Otherwise, leave this fight to me. Just keep the crowds back, and make sure no one sneaks past. This thing may be a confused kid on their first transformation, a mutated shark, or even a super vandal, but in a fight, they're just as capable of ending a life as someone using a gun. More so, cause they may not realize their level of threat yet, and react instinctively."
"And if you need backup?" Jade dreaded the question. 'Don't have much energy stored up yet, so not a lot I can do.' But the image of her spirit familiar, in it's full leonine form, offered her some small level of hope.
"I won't." Blue Steel said, and it sounded final.
:}
So, looks like one burnt out witch is heading out for some action. Lets see how peaceful this patrol is, and what the man really does.
Trina was more prepared for Jade to know her secret then expected. Benifits of advanced warnings, I guess. (She told Blue Steel how she accidentally saw his identity.)
Thoughts?