Things Are Just Swell
Summer 2021, Week 3
Saturday morning
St. Maria University, City Centre
DeAndre Walker (Victory)
Andre landed in the open space of the University wearing jeans and a grey t-shirt. Opting for casual attire to try--key word there--to avoid grabbing attention. That was getting harder with each passing day and patrol. Since the meeting at HQ, he had been out on the streets, above them really, doing as much as he could. By his count he had stopped two simple robberies, and nearly ten elderly people with their groceries or cross the street. Superhero indeed. Making his way to the location they agreed on, he found a bench and took a seat. Relaxing in the early morning sun.Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
Aloy had parked a few blocks away, dressing in what he usually wore on “unbreakable” business. god that name is so stupid. Aloy finally made it into the uni. He was expecting to see victory flying around but was somewhat surprised when he saw someone who looked an awful lot like him and sat down on the bench next to him the face mask and hood still on but the goggles resting on his neck. “Hey.” God you’re an idiot. What if this isn’t even him? Why am I bothering with this again? Cus, you got shot at….nah I’ll be right on my own? Okay no just stop overthinking it it’s just conversation.DeAndre Walker (Victory)
Looking over at the person who sat next to him and called out to him, it took a few seconds to recognize the man he had only saw in the night light of the city shortly before. “Hey there, Unbreakable.” Andre replied with a smirk. Uniform and all, this guy is ready to go it seems. “How are you doing? Did you get patched up okay?”Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
“Victory.” Aloy nodded at the question as he looked over and saw the man next to him. “Well. I’m holding up swell, besides y’know. Being shot, crashing into a park, and letting two people know my identity. They’ll keep quiet though. I’ll be fine. Had an ice bath and cleaned it out just a graze luckily.” Yeah, just a graze that burnt like hell and made me wanna rip my leg off yeah. Aloy grunted and fixed his position a bit with a soft hissing sound as his pants rubbed against the bandage and then the wound. “I….I’m not fuckin’ normal, no matter how hard I try and……it’s getting harder to control my strength, I cut through a cutting board Thursday with a blunt knife. I think I might actually need help. With….” Aloy sighed again hating the admission of needing help. “With my evo thing. Anyway, not here for some sob story. I’ll tell ya about the shootin, some black-haired guy, had enough weapons to sink a ship. Names Laslow, though I wouldn’t think he’d actually be called Laslow.”DeAndre Walker (Victory)
Well…shit. Andre listened to the young man talked and felt a bit of his normal smile and it’ll be okay-ness not rise up as usual. It wasn’t Unbreakable, no. It was the constant situations he found himself in. Why approach him? Why tell him? That had always been the question hadn’t it? Why him. “I broke a punching bag a few days back. First one in a month, but I say that to let you know I understand the feeling. What’s hard to learn is that the stronger you get the more you need to control. It took me a while to get that.” Relaxing back into the sun, he breathed in the air. “You asking for help tells me you understand that better than I did. That’s good. Quick advice before diving into that other bombshell: By a lot of those little grip trainers normals use. Have them somewhere nearby. Use them. You’ll break a lot, but I use them to tell me where my normal strength is. And I memorize it. I have those resistance bands and some other things to do the same. Basic stuff that helps me gauge where normal is. And I memorize it. Beyond that, use meeting up and working things out might help.” Turning in his seat to look at the other, aware that he should be the one moving given the others earlier hiss. “Onto the bombshell Did you report this guy? Actually—never mind. If you’re telling me that means it’s more than a police matter, right? Tell me what happened.”Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
“Yeah, well I was told it was gonna happen eventually. I might be a hothead, but I don’t wanna hurt people who haven’t earnt it y’know? I’ll keep those in mind. Luckily I’ve got enough saved up from some stuff.” From my fucking mother. Aloy face mask still up looked to Deandre and shook his head no. “Can’t risk me being an evo gettin out. I was practicing flying in the wards cus I know the area there really well and most of the people are ok good terms with me. Mask up or down.” Aloy sighed and messed his hair underneath his hoodie and adjusted the collar a bit. “So, I was practicing like moves like going up and dropping my flight and weaving, turning a bit more so I’m less likely to y’know. Buildings…and I landed walked a bit and I see this guy across the street when I land, and he started trying to talk to me and I can’t remember much and then he drew a gun and I started running into an alleyway but it didn’t seem like….it seemed like he knew I was an evo and he wanted me alive. I remember he…” Breathe Aloy breath just a deep breathe. Unbreakable took a deep breath in and out doing a whisper count to himself. “He said he was gonna have my powers kid.”DeAndre Walker (Victory)
"Going to have your powers..." Andre said slowly, repeating the phrase to memorize it and digest the possible meanings. "What the hell does that mean?" The question was more to himself as he leaned his chin into his hands, going through his memory which contained snippets from his time in the library learning about Evos and their history and--Ragnarok. "Ragnarok apparently had a power that could take the abilities of others. I think they termed it a...absorber? Copier? Something like that. Basically, Evos with that ability can take or copy powers and use them their selves. Maybe that's what the guy meant? That's the only thing that comes to mind besides maybe snatching some DNA to study it? But if he knew you were an Evo--" Wasn't there an ability for that? Fuck, who knows. There's so many. "You said he was armed, but I think you said with a lot of weaponry, is that right? Where did this happen, where in the city?"Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
“I dunno.” What else think….Aloy use that brain. He could’ve killed you if he wanted. He had the shot but… Aloy listened and nodded before he looked down at his leg again. “I think something along those lines… hey. He could’ve killed me. But he didn’t maybe he needs them alive for it?” “Yeah, handgun was what he shot me with, an alleyway near an intersection in the wards. I could take ya there now, but I don’t wanna leave my car alone for too long.”DeAndre Walker (Victory)
Waving the offer off, Andre just said. “The specific location isn’t big. Just the area. I’ll fly around and take a look. But maybe you’re right. If he didn’t need you alive.” Thinking on those implications, he cursed. “Another maniac running around. I’ll look into it. See what I can do.” The to do list just keeps growing. “How was that concert by the way? Heard it was huge?”Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
“Oh well if I died woulda just been another death nothing too special, but I ain’t.” Aloy admitted rather casually as if it was a moot point to worry about. Which was the opposite of his mindset when he was being shot at. Are you trying to make fuckin’ small talk? Uhm. Shit how do I? Uh fuck uh. “Uh Yeah it was pretty big. Lots of people there I think uh yeah. Uh anyway. I was thinking we’re similar right evo wise. Maybe we should I don’t fuckin’ know. Like what’s the gym term….spot? Yeah yeah. Spot each other I don’t fuckin know.” Aloy’s superhero tone broke when he got asked the seemingly random question. Well at least from his view. His voice accidentally going to it’s less although still deep for a teen deep and heroic sounding default.DeAndre Walker (Victory)
"Every life matters." Andre said sternly. No wavering in his voice, and clearly not an attempt to convince the young man but more a statement of the truth as he saw it. "So, I'll do what's necessary to make sure that maniac doesn't take any lives." His fists clenched unconsciously as the memories of the dead flashed in his mind, but his anger was quelled by Unbreakable's question. Sort of a question. "Spar. It's sparring. And that doesn't sound too bad. There's not many who can actually keep up with me enough for me to improve. If you're good with it, we can start on Monday. Your body needs time to heal or you're not going to be a fair partner."Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
“Yeah. Just y’know to most I’d be another number to count.” Aloy shrugged it off again. He did want to live he just hadn’t been raised around people who made it feel more then “eh” to live. He was being brutally honest with himself. No point holding back when you’re getting inhumanely strong right? “If I see him again, you’ll be the first to know. Thought you’d wear a mask out here. Anyway, yeah, a sparring partner, but we’d also like look up ways to help hold back, like in the comics what is it uh ‘I live in a world made of cardboard’ or something. I’m good for Monday, just give me a time and a place I’ll have to organize my volunteering around it.” Aloy looked down to the burner phone he had in his pocket at the time. “That’s all I got on these topics. You got anything you wanna say before I head off?”DeAndre Walker (Victory)
"People already know who I am. No point wearing the mask all the time. It gets stuffy in there. I have your number now, so I'll shoot you a text." Andre stood up and stretched, looking over at the other man--Man, that's generous. Probably half a decade younger at least.--"Take care of yourself. And try to not get shot again." He added with a smile, tossing up a wave before saying, "See ya Monday" and taking off into the sky.Aloysius ‘Aloy’ Fumi
"Boy does it get stuffy as fuck. Alright." In actually Aloy was closer to a decade younger given he was seventeen. "Oh yeah, I'm just gonna go running at people with guns for fun. Cya." He joked chuckling before he walked off and got into his car.
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
July 10, 2021
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