Baltimore | Tuesday Night

[knife_bender]

Since everyone's powers had been restored (not that Diego lost his), it seemed that a trip to Baltimore was called for to make sure everything was in working order. It also had the added benefit of seeing Annie in her Starlight outfit which was something Diego was never going to complain about. They didn't even have to stick to the shadows since the city seemed to have collectively agreed that this whole week was Halloween and they were actually some of the more normal looking people around.

"There's an awful lot of drunk people around for a Tuesday night." It was the Halloween spirit, Diego!

[For the aforementioned shiny superhero]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Where there almost certainly aren't any robberies in progress." Not that there were any here, either - a kidnapping, sure, but no robberies - but at least on the island she could be more confident about kissing without potential crime-related interference.

She took his hand, smiling. "It would totally serve us right if there's like twenty bad guys around the corner." But at least that would be a great distraction!

[knife_bender]

"I'm not too worried about it; I have a lot of confidence in my reflexes," he said. "And I know from experience yours are pretty good too."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You can throw around corners, anyway, right?" Which was one of the cooler aspects of his powers, she thought. "And I still owe you a beer, speaking of that."

[knife_bender]

"And I will be making good on that beer," he said with a smile. "And, yeah, I can make them go anywhere I want."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"What about like, far away?" she checked. And for fun, she angled her free hand up towards the wall, casting a little spotlight about four or five stories up and craning her neck to see. "Like what about...there?"

[knife_bender]

Diego looked at the spot she was pointing out briefly, pulling one of the knives he had on him out of a pocket. "I think I can manage it."

He could pretend to be humble, at least. Emphasis on pretend.

He was looking at Starlight rather than his target when he whipped the knife directly ahead of him. It took a sharp turn to the side and then up before sticking in the wall.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Starlight let out a low whistle, tracking the knife's path with her hand's beam of light before looking back over to him with (literally) glowing eyes. "Show-off."

She had no room to talk, but it also wasn't like she didn't like seeing him show off, either.

[knife_bender]

Diego smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I'm trying to impress you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe it's working." Starlight's eyes and hand faded in the dark, and she smiled over at him. "I think you're gonna have to let that knife go, though. I'm not climbing up there."

[knife_bender]

"It won't be the first knife I've lost," he said. "...or the last, probably."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Could you throw something a lot heavier than a knife?" Starlight wondered. "Like, have you ever thrown a person?"

Look, if they were going to be superheroing together - on nights when crimes actually occurred - this would be useful to know.

[knife_bender]

"I think you have a better chance at throwing someone than me." Though it might be possible in the future once he started hanging out with his siblings again.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I don't know, you lifted me fine, and that was a pretty fair fight," she pointed out, though he was also not wrong at all that she was really good at throwing people. "I'm just spitballing. Your powers are so useful."

[knife_bender]

"Now you're just flattering me," he joked. "I like your powers. They suit you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"What, the spooky eyes and light-up hands?" she asked lightly. "Thanks. The rest of it - the strength and the skin and all that - is just part of having powers where I'm from. I'm not even really that strong for a Supe."

[knife_bender]

"I don't think they're spooky" Diego said, chuckling. "I didn't realize you all had super strength. Luther was the only one of us who was born being able to take a hit, the rest of us had to be trained to do it."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Taking a beating is a skill," Starlight noted, remembering what he'd said last week. "Though holy shit, was that training you did when you were a kid, too?"

She was also just quietly filing away the fact that he didn't think her eyes were weird, since - well. Her strength wasn't exactly the only thing that scared guys off, if she didn't watch it.

[knife_bender]

"...yeah." That didn't sound great, did it? "It wasn't so bad. I at least use that skill still."

Now he just made it sound worse. But he considered himself lucky that he wasn't locked in mausoleum like Klaus was for his "training".

[defenderofdesmoines]

"A lock on the bad parent hall of fame," Starlight repeated, sighing. "I know I don't have to tell you that's child abuse. So is letting a little boy play with knives. 'Cause, like, I'm assuming he didn't let you practice with something less lethal?"

Cotton balls, maybe? Beanbags?

[knife_bender]

"You assume correctly," he said. "Man you are going to be really shocked when you find out how old we were when he made us get matching tattoos."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," she said, looking at him curiously. "And it better at least be a number ending in 'teen.'"

[knife_bender]

"Thirteen, whew. Just made it," he said, putting a hand on his chest. "It's nothing interesting; just an umbrella on my forearm."

And it was the only tattoo he would ever have considering his completely justified fear of needles.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Because of your team name," she remembered. "Right? And I was kind of joking, but that's still child abuse. Thirteen. No wonder you don't talk to your dad."

She kind of wanted to beat the guy senseless, and she'd never met him.

[knife_bender]

Sir Reginald had that effect on people.

"It was pretty screwed up," he agreed. "But, hey, I managed okay. I'm out here with you, aren't I?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

Okay, Starlight was starting to think his secondary superpower was maybe downplaying horrible things, because he was great at it. Don't think she hadn't noticed.

"That you are. Got any other, less traumatic tattoos?" she wondered lightly, because that was a lot more fun - and normal - to talk about.