Distant thunder announced its presence as he scaled the last few rungs and heaved himself over the ledge and onto the rooftops of the dorms. The forewarning mist pattered against his hood and gloves but he paid it no mind as he gazed out past the haze toward the dimly lit field, now deserted of all life in the forgotten hour. The time was late, well past curfew, which meant it was the perfect opportunity for him to slip away and begin the hasty ritual of sorting through his jumbled and often very disoriented thoughts.
It was times like these he looked for quiet places to be alone...well, as alone as someone with a miraculous and a constant animal companion could ever be. This was no oceanside rock carved just perfectly for resting but, for now, it would have to do. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to take the silence and the easy lapping waves for granted until now when all he could hear were the noisy streets and blinding city lights.
Are you sure we should be up here? came the whispery nervousness he had long anticipated from deep within him, so closely ingrown within that he had difficulty differentiating which were Lorr's concerns and which were his own. It is late and you have already had a very long day.
Nicholas tried not to wince as he recalled how their conference with Rikard had run long and he'd been forced to sprint nearly halfway across the campus, managed to get his directions mixed up twice, been unable to decipher which hall he was in (apparently Lorr's translation skills only went so far as the spoken vocabulary), and had ended up being ten minutes late to his first lecture. He had been fortunate enough not to receive a tardy, though his professor had been less than pleased to give him his first warning not to show up late a second time.
The sun has gone to sleep, Master, Lorr implored again as Nicholas selected a spot against the edge of the shingles where he had a bird's-eye-view of the entire property. As has everyone else. Should we not be doing the same? And you have studies early in the morning, hardly later than the sun's rising. It would be in your best interests to rest now while the world is still and free of strife.
"I'll go back in a few minutes," Nicholas promised, growing rapidly annoyed by the hippogriff's endless pleading. "I just need some time alone first."
Alone?
Not you, man, Nicholas hastily corrected himself, hearing the sharp sting in his kwami's words. I don't mind you being here with me. It's everyone else that I'd like to avoid.
I do not understand this process, Master Nicholas, Lorr confessed. Is it not wise to seek guidance from allies in times of great despair and hardship? Do you not wish to discuss your concerns with the Guild or-
-or with Milo? Nicholas cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say. He let his gaze flick briefly to the envelope he was clutching so tightly in his fingers before returning once more to the illuminated city. Not for this, he went on. Grimm wouldn't understand. He doesn't...have the kind of relationship with his family that I did. He doesn't love his sister with the same feelings that I do for Nino.
And so you push him away and retreat to undisclosed locations on your own to attempt and solve your own problems without aid?
It's worked for me so far, hasn't it?
Lorr was strangely silent and Nicholas wasn't sure whether to take that as agreement or complete disappointment with his life choices. Well, either way, the bird (kwami, the hippogriff huffed, though perhaps with not as much irritation as usual) was stuck with him now. They'd been through too much together to be separated. The Guild had seen that when they had first arrived, Master Fu had seen that, even upon his (highly forced by Su-Han) departure.
"Keep an eye on this kwami, young man," Fu had urged as he had been led away by a number of threatening men, "and Lorr, you take care of this one. He's not like the rest. I think the two of you have a great destiny ahead of you."
Nicholas almost laughed at the irony of that now. Great destiny indeed. Five years of hard work and excruciatingly long hours of study and what did he have to show for it? A fake diploma and a fake degree at a college he hadn't even wanted to attend in the first place. This was very far from the grandiose life full of excitement and thrill he had been hoping for when he agreed to come with Fu and Kila, nor as rich with knowledge as he had been promised.
In fact, in terms of receiving the answers to hundreds of unspoken questions, he felt further from the truth than he had back when he'd first discovered Lorr.
No, at times like these, it was better for everyone if he was alone.
Breathing deeply through his nose, during which he tried not to think how high off the pavement he really was, he heaved himself onto the ledge and swung his legs haphazardly over the end, allowing his heels to clunk into the solid brick wall. He swayed for a brief moment, righting himself by gripping the railing tightly with both hands. At the same time, he fished for a pen from one of the many hidden pockets he'd come to discover lined his suit and carefully tapped the end to the piece of paper, pondering how best to phrase what he wanted-no, needed-to say.
He could feel Lorr's curious consciousness swivel toward the card and envelope and the gentle cluck of acceptance from the kwami. It's that time already? Lorr mused, shaking an invisible tailfeather and sending chills all through his holder's body. My, how the time has flown. Pardon my use of colloquiums.
Nicholas did not respond to the questions. Instead, he lowered the ink pen and began to scrawl out hasty amethyst words across a small space.
It is now late in the season. The world has evolved greatly these past years. The threat of destruction grows ever nearer and I fear I have not been properly equipped for the storm that brews across the horizon. Daily, I await the end, for I do not know the day nor the hour. We are the keepers of the secret world, a dangerous world, one that the rest of humanity would give everything to know. But, yet, it remains too risky. The miraculouses are too dangerous-too corruptive-for the governments of Earth to wield. What we see as weapons of peace could easily become instruments of destruction and division. This is why they were hidden away in the first place, so that no one man could have too much control; actually, much like the government system of the country in which I have come to reside. It is...different here, so much varies from the familiarities of Paris. I have not yet grown accustomed to this place, but I know I will. That's a lesson I have learned to be true after all this time; adapt, survive, grow stronger and-
He stopped there, lifting his ink to set the pen down beside him with a frown, rereading his messy handwriting, second-guessing everything from the wording to the amount of information he was spilling onto a document that could easily be intercepted before it could reach its destination. If this fell into the wrong hands, or worse yet, if something happened to its recipient because the bad guys realized the ties between them...
He promptly crushed the paper in his fist with a growl, proceeding to shove the ball and pen back into his pocket as he began to stand up, crossing his arms and glowering at the silent courtyard below.
You have quite a way with words, if I do say so myself, Master.
Nicholas scoffed and rolled his eyes, pulling the tail of his cloak close as he looked on-though what exactly he was hoping to locate, even he was not sure. I can't send this, Lorr, he complained. I can't say what I need to say. It puts too many people at risk. Why does this whole superhero thing have to be so stupidly hard?
Lorr offered a few reassuring chitters but they did absolutely nothing to resolve the knawing sinking feeling of despair that had firmly settled into the human's stomach as Nicholas finally pulled away from the ledge, all hopes and concentration regarding the peaceful night shattered by crushing disappointment.
Okay, man, you win. I'm done. Let's go back. "Lorr, Talons Do-" he began, however, the words did not completely form on his tongue as he was cut off mid-thought by the sudden click from a nearby door and the crunch of dead leaves as whoever was below trudged away from him.
Hang on, he telepathed, already moving along the edge of the structure. I thought we were the only ones out here.
It is well after midnight, Lorr chittered, his anxiety rolling over onto Nicholas. There are no night classes that require attendance at this hour.
Meaning someone is disobeying the rules.
You're going to follow them and find out who it is, aren't you? He didn't sound extremely surprised. MightI remind youthat you too are out of your dorm and thus are disobeying the rules also?
Which means I have the perfect opportunity to catch them red-handed! Nicholas was picking up the pace now, hurrying along toward the opposite edge of the structure.
I am not sure you are comprehending the folly of your own situation here, Master.
But Nicholas, per usual, wasn't listening to his frets, his attention solely fixated on the sweeping coat and huddled mass swiftly moving across the field and back toward the dorms.
Tread cautiously, Nicholas, Lorr sighed, having long learned the boy's tendency to zone out when he got hyperfixated on something-or someone.
Aren't I always?
Our consciousnesses are unified. Is it truly prevalent to the situation thatI respond?
Nicholas grunted his disapproval as he reached the far end of the roof at last and quickly made his way down the fire escape, moving swiftly and noiselessly through the adjacent alleyway formed by the two dorms. The figure passed a moment later and Nicholas drew further into the darkness, flattening himself against the icy-cold concrete, going as small as he possibly could.
What is your plan now? Lorr whispered. And for the Guild, what are you planning to do with those? he added with an alarmed squeak when Nicholas didn't answer right away and instead drew two of his daggers from his costume, spinning them thoughtfully between his fingers as his eye took in everything around him and the beginnings of a plan began to form.
No one should be out this late unless they are up to no good, Nicholas reasoned darkly. This has to be our spy.
You do see the flaws of your logic here, don't you?
You worry too much, Lorr. I fought Su-Han and survived. I think I can handle one simple spy.
But you didn't beat him! Lorr urged. Please, Nicholas, be careful! Don't make the same mistakes as before!
I am always careful, dude.
And with that, he closed one eye, took aim, and chucked the daggers as hard as he could. They landed with a clink and ping on either side of the figure, stopping them in their tracks and providing Nicholas the momentary distraction he needed to make his move. He swung out of the shadows at such a force he felt his legs momentarily buckle, but the earth rose to meet him much too quickly for him to have time to worry about it and he twisted, catching ahold of the figure by the shoulders and dragging them down onto the earth with him. He landed hard on top of them and gasped as the wind was knocked from his lungs.
The being gave a startled shout but quickly reacted to the attack, extending and arching backward and lashing out with their legs, wrapping them around his neck and throwing him off to the side. They scrambled up and braced themselves to fight while Nicholas lay on the grass, seeing stars.
What was that?!
Master, get up! Lorr yelped. He's coming back!
Nicholas obeyed, his eyes shooting upwards just as a boot came soaring for his head. He gasped and automatically rolled to his right. The shoe crashed into the dirt and Nicholas took advantage of this to flip over and strike out with a leg-sweep/breakdance combo, kicking the figure's feet out from underneath them and sending them dropping back to the dirt, coughing in surprise.
Nicholas didn't wait, scrambling over and pinning the figure down with a firm push against their shoulders. "Who areyou?" he demanded, tensed and slightly straddling his opponent. "What are they planning? Why do you want miraculouses? Why did you kill my father?"
The being stared up at him for the longest time before they spoke, an appropriate amount of fear in their tone, at least in his opinion. "Oriole?"
Nicholas froze. That voice...sounded familiar. Why did that voice sound familiar?
Careful, Lorr breathed. This could be a trap.
Yes, that was a very real possibility, but there was only one way to be absolutely sure. So, drawing a sharp breath, Nicholas reached out and yanked back his opponent's hood, revealing a very familiar face underneath.
Nicholas lurched back at the awe-struck pools of blue staring up at him. "You?" he exclaimed, recognizing the female from the previous day. Immediately, he loosened his grip on her shoulders, allowing her to push herself onto her elbows. "What...it's you?"
"I...I don't understand. Y-you're Oriole," the girl stammered, seeming almost, if not more, confused than the boy. "How is that p-possible? I...I mean, you are Oriole, aren't you? The...the French superhero? The one who vanished five years ago?"
Nicholas could feel his defenses crumbling the longer he knelt before her. "You...know who I am? Wait, why...why are you after my miraculous?"
She looked extremely befuddled. "After your...what? I don't know what a miraculous is, but I didn't even know you were still alive until now! What happened in Paris? Why did you leave and why in the world are you in New York?"
"Wait...so you're not the one sent to steal our miraculouses?"
"No, seriously, what's a 'miraculous'?"
"But...if you're not using the computer lab to send encrypted messages to the bad guys, what are you doing out past curfew?"
She wrinkled her nose and cautiously raised a hand to adjust her glasses. "I think I could ask you the same question since clearly,you must be a student as well if you somehow know me."
"You don't know that," Nicholas countered quickly.
She raised an eyebrow. "No, but nothing else makes sense and I can say for certain that I don't make it a habit to hang around missing and presumably dead French metahumans. So, you want to tell me howyou know me and why you thought jumping me on the way back from the library was a good idea?"
Yes, I too would be interested in understanding the motivation behind your actions, Nicholas.
Lorr...
I know, Master, I know. Zip my beak.
"An interesting use of a movie reference," Nicholas granted, trying his best not to grin like an idiot while he was trying to be tough. "But I still don't know if I believe you."
"Eh, fair enough," the girl shrugged. "If I were in your shoes, I don't know if I would believe me either. But do you think you could at least get off of me? This is going to look super uncomfortable to any poor security guard who might happen to be on duty tonight. I promisenot to run."
"Oh," Nicholas blushed scarlet, backtracking so quickly that he nearly fell onto his rear. Lorr said something more in scolding but Nicholas was too overwhelmed with his own embarrassment to hear. "Kalimati, I'm...I'm sorry. I...what I mean is...uh, here." With that, he scrambled to his feet, backing away hurriedly and holding out his hand to assist her. She accepted his gesture and heaved herself up. The hood of her jacket flopped down over her shoulders, putting to rest any doubts Nicholas had been harboring concerning a possible siamese twin. This was undoubtedly the same girl he had met the day before-only, she didn't know they had ever spoken.
"Phew!" the girl exclaimed, brushing dead leaves and grass from her clothing. "Well, I can officially check that off my bucket list. 'Get tackled to the ground by a superhero while walking innocently home from school.' Check and check."
Nicholas blinked. "That's an odd thing to have on a bucket list, don't you think?"
She smiled nervously. "Well, to be fair, in my defense, I wasn't exactly expecting to ever meet a superhero. You know, since for the most part, they aren't real? Well, except for you, apparently. You're very real." There was no discomfort or stammer in her words now, Nicholas noted, though her knowing so much about him definitely freaked him out.
"So...I take it you've...heard of me?" He wasn't sure how uncomfortable he should feel about that.
"Oh, yeah, of course!" the female agreed. "Your name was on the news for weeks. There were a lot of rumors going around about why you left so soon after first showing yourself to the world. And now I am wondering why you are here. We're really far away from Paris. You're after something, aren't you? Or...someone's after you?"
"Ah..."
Careful, Nicholas, Lorr chirped warningly. Remember that we still have no proof that she will not betray us.
"Oh, right," the girl caught herself automatically when he didn't respond, smiling sheepishly. "You probably can't tell me that, can you? Super secret identities and all that."
"Yeah, something like that." Man, how much about superheroes does this woman know? I feel like I'm talking to the Su-Han of nerds.
So, in other words, the exact counterpart of you?
"Right, well..." she hitched her backpack further up on her shoulders and turned away from the man, blinking tiredly toward the distant dorms and trying to hide a yawn behind a fist. "I...should probably get going. And as much as I would love to stay and ask you a million more questions, you should go too. Classes start at eight and we both should get some sleep before then."
He agreed with her, knowing she was right, but, still, he followed her. He wasn't sure why, but there was something almost magnetic, pulling him after her. "Why do you assume I am a student?" he inquired again, moving to walk alongside her. She flashed him a brief look of surprise, but then shrugged. "How do you know I'm not a professor or just a random concerned citizen who happened to see you walking alone after dark and decided to be your knight in shining...uh...spandex?"
She actually smiled at that. "You're not a professor," was the answer he received without hesitation. "For one; Ihave met most, if not all, of the teachers at this school. Secondly; I don't think you're that much older than me. Five years, maybe, max. And even though I admit I started early, a professional teaching career is six to eight years depending. So, unless you started college when you were in, like, ninth grade, you're a student."
"I'm twenty-one," Nicholas blurted.
"Whoa there, Beast Boy. Personal information, remember? Wow, you really aren't used to this whole secret identity thing, are you? Besides, I don't even know you. You just told your age to a complete stranger."
"Well, since you already know so much about me somehow, I don't see how that could harm anyone. My name's Griffon."
She snorted. "Griffon? How did you come up with that one?"
He deflated slightly at her tone. "It sounded cool," he mumbled, feeling the heat rising as he scrambled for something smart to say. "And I think I'm more of a Robin anyway. Beast Boy is...well, he's not me."
Now she laughed. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead and tell yourself that, Garfield."
"No, really, I think I'm more of a Dick Grayson kind of dude."
"Oh, yeah, and I'm Starfire. Right."
"Well, I was thinking Raven, but sure."
She snorted again and, almost on cue, drew up her hood in a clear attempt to hide a furious blush. They walked in silence for a few minutes before either could find a way to break the awkwardness.
"So..." Nicholas tried as they rounded a bend and began the last leg to the complexes. "You know your superheroes."
She smiled awkwardly, refusing to look his way, her glasses flashing in the moonlight. "Yeah...I guess you could say that. And you're not too shabby either."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a working progress," he confessed. He felt a shift in his pocket and her eyes immediately darted to the crumpled letter he had been attempting to write, the words in plain view to the girl as she now stood in front of his before a small staircase he assumed would take her back to her room. He coughed weakly and stuffed the paper back away, catching a flash of pity in the female's eyes as he did.
"You're homesick," she guessed. It wasn't a question and Nicholas, caught off guard by the sudden transition, didn't have time to think before he found himself nodding tentatively. "You have family back...back in France?" He didn't answer again, afraid of what would come out, but she didn't seem put off by this. "I'm sure they miss you too. You should...you should finish that letter. Let them know that you're okay. That's what you were going to do, wasn't it?"
"I...I can't." His voice cracked terribly at this confession and he looked away abruptly to avoid seeing her reaction. "I mean...I tried, but I...it just wouldn't be safe for them to know. Not now. Not when I could put them in danger."
The brunette nodded, folding her arms and spinning to face him fully once more. "Well, then, I guess it comes down to finding out who is after you and stopping them, right? Because once you do that, then you can go home, yeah?"
"If only it were that easy," Nicholas scoffed.
She tilted her head slightly. "I think it could be," she argued. "You're just scared of how they will react when you show up on their front stoop."
"You don't understand," he muttered, crossing his arms defensively. "I'm here to learn the truth. I can't go back just like that. It's...not possible."
She sighed. "Okay," she said, shrugging heavily in defeat. "I'll admit, I don't know why you would come all the way to the United States and it's probably really none of my business anyway, but...well...I'm pretty good with...with figuring things out." He raised a questioning eyebrow and she hastily rushed on. "What I mean is, if you ever just want to...you know, talk, about...about anything, um...I'm here...most of the time." She pointed toward the second-floor balcony, curved around the front side of the dorm. "And I think I'm a pretty good listener."
Nicholas smiled. "I might take you up on that some time," he said. "Just as long as you promise to keep me out of your stories."
Her grin momentarily faltered. "What?"
Oops. Now you've gone and done it, Lahiffe.
"Ah, never mind!" Nicholas backtracked, physically stepping away from her. "I just...I noticed yesterday, that you were...er...writing...and it didn't look like you were doing a school essay and I just assumed...you know...?"
She squinted up at him suspiciously and he grinned apprehensively in return. "All right," she agreed deliberately and slowly. "No thrilling tales of the mysterious bird hero of Paris. You have my word."
"Hippogriff," Nicholas corrected before he could help himself.
"Hippogriff," she repeated. "Huh. Interesting." With that, she turned on her heels and started up the first few stairs, leaving Nicholas standing below, watching her until she had scaled her way to the top. She paused only briefly upon reaching her door-the fourth one door-and spun to give him one last questioning glance. "Good night, Griffon."
"Good night, mysterious stranger," Nicholas replied, tentatively raising a hand in farewell.
Master, Lorr coaxed, breaking his way into his holder's mind once again, his vow of silence coming to an abrupt end. It is time for us to depart.
All right, man. I hear you. I'm ready to go.
He stood, rooted to the spot for a moment or two longer, waiting until the girl was safely back in her room before he twirled on the heels of his boots and stealthily made his way back to his own dorm, being sure to take a series of round-about paths to avoid possible curious tails. Once he was sure he hadn't been followed, he quickly scaled the side of his complex and swung in through the window, dropping his transformation and closing the pane as Milo continued to snore like a rhinoceros.
"My word, dude," he grunted, not even bothering to translate to Arabic a second time as Lorr spiraled out of his miraculous and went to settle in a pile of small blankets and a beanbag-turned-bed next to Trekk's. Nicholas shook his head with a knowing smirk and went to sit down at his desk, twisting on the lamp and pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. He then drew out his pen, closing his eyes and inhaling yet another steady breath as what the strange girl had told him.
You should tell them the truth. They'll want to know you're okay.
He put the tip of the pen down and began to write.
Dear Nino,
I don't know if you are getting these letters, but if you are, watch your back. Something's coming. I can't explain everything yet, but I think I might have my first lead on Ab. Be careful and don't trust anyone.
I love you. I'll see you soon.
Keep that hat safe for me.
~N.