Worlds Asunder (Closed for LordUsagi)

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“That’s what you think.” Blitz straightened up in her seat, a swell of pride. “The only person I couldn’t best was Star, and he’s OP as hell.” She used the present tense without even thinking about it-and here was that youthful overconfidence again. Blue Blitz, media and League darling, making villains look like fools as she teleported circles around them and sling shotted criminals through vortexes-all while keeping herself unharmed behind her shields.

Star Citizen wasn’t the only ‘overpowered’ hero on the team.

“You can hardly get the drop on me if I -know- we’re going to spar.” Right? She does seem curious, even intrigued. She’s plenty clever, but this was Tac-man, after all. Strategy and overcoming odds was his entire thing. He probably...maybe...could beat her?

Hm.

“Kill me maybe, but in a nonlethal fight? I dunno Andy, I think I’d still bet money on me-I’m pretty good at avoiding being hit in the first place. I think you’d wear out before my magic would, and never get a hold of me in the meanwhile.” Was that a returned jibe? It sounded a bit like a returned jibe.

“We’ll just have to find out sometime, hm?” And she winked, plucking her juice box right back up for another sip, the green flecks in her eyes catching the light and seeming to half twinkle as she looked around at the space, a sharp contrast with the dark red of her hair.

“I just need to recharge, first.”

 

[LordUsagi]

“Oh I still keep in shape, so I have enough stamina for you, but you are right, I don’t think fighting you with powers will be easy at all.” He smiled, “but still I will gladly take that bet with you.”

When she winked at him, he almost wanted to scream at her not to do that. She was a sexy young woman and little things like that seemed a bit flirty. He had been alone for a long time and now this hot little heroine had invaded his life. He had grown up reading comics and had a bit of a thing for sexy heroes, that was why he could never say no to Lady Light.

When he looked into her sparkling eyes all he could manage was a hoarse, “and what do you need from me to help you get fighting fit again.”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“Oh I still keep in shape, so I have enough stamina for you-” A glitter of mischief again, eyes narrowing a fraction as he continued to talk, the tip of her tongue briefly caught between her straight white teeth. She’s caught between wanting to make a dirty joke and feeling competitive about this supposed ‘bet’, and lets it go.

Seemed like he was already feeling a bit teased without having to make a crass crack.

“And what do you need from me to help you get fighting fit again?”

Her amused smile still curves her lips as she looks away, rubbing one of her eyes with a sigh. “I feel bad saying it given it’s all I did for four days-but sleep. Sleep, and somewhere quiet to meditate, recharge. I’m not sparring on any bet until I’m running hot.”

She glances back up, a more genuine, softer curve to her lips, the sharing smile in her eyes again. “I -am- sorry about passing out on your doorstep Andy. Not quite the first impression I strive for.”

 

[LordUsagi]

“Oh your first impression was perfectly fine,” he almost said a hot woman passing out in my arms, what could be better. “But to be honest you have made plenty of first impressions on the tv over time, and they were all good.”

He smiled, “I can forgive you first personal impression given the circumstances.” He reached out and gave her free hand a gentle squeeze, “so why don’t you get some more rest, meditate, whatever you need to do, to make yourself hot again,” he grinned, “and then you can remake your first impression.”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

The next two weeks were a little rough. There was still no word from any other survivors, and no one else showed up. She was too afraid to tally the known dead-matter of fact, she had avoided the news entirely since that first awful day awake. If she didn’t know, it wasn’t real, not yet.

She’d cried more than once, alone and when she should be sleeping or trying to meditate. It made her a mixture of angry and half ashamed because crying wouldn’t bring anybody back from the dead, and if she didn’t recharge she’d be useless too-but then that’d only made her cry more because she HAD been useless, had let innocent people, civilians die in her own city, had led David right to them.

Her brother had said ‘they’ wanted him to kill her. Who were the ‘they’? How had all these sociopaths banded together against her and her friends? And where on earth would she and Andy start if it WAS really just them, only them, alone in a world full of villains and their revelers?

But during the day the two of them carefully danced around the subject entirely. They prepped meals together for him to cook, Andy told her stories about the old days and she shared a few tales about her own career (still a rookie, he’d teased), mostly antics she and her friends had gotten into, funny stories rather than ones about her or their victories. She even talked about her parents and what it was like growing up in that pocket dimension, how fantastic and awe inspiring it had been to stumble into the larger world, see all the sights and become a part of it.

Every day, Blitz’ face took on a bit more color and lost that sickly pale pallor for her more familiar (at least, from what he’d have seen on television) healthy glow, her movements holding more energy, her laughter uninterrupted by dizzy spells. She didn't seem at full health, though she hid it well-he'd be able to pick up on the things that didn't quite seem right.

But she -was- spending more and more time awake-which meant more time hanging around while he scrolled through data and worked on various tools and projects, tried to trace the movements of criminal villains and villainesses, tracked them as they held ‘court’. Planned. A lot of planning. Planning he might find harder to focus on with a leggy redhead wandering the place.

But she was a charming young woman, there was no denying that. Cocky perhaps, overly confident in some ways-but not quite venturing into arrogance. For all that fame and the public’s worship, she was surprisingly genuine and practical. And, a goddamned flirt. Never raunchy per say, but those kaleidoscope, shifting eyes could go from warm and sweet to mischievous and teasing in a split second as a joke or jibe rolled off her tongue and formed on her plush, blue painted lips. He’d asked about that lipstick. She told him it made her feel better to ‘dress proper’. Dress like Blue Blitz, she seemed to have meant-though she did steal a second shirt, this time a sweater.

She looked better in it than she should have.

But as the days progressed she grew more and more antsy, cooped up. He’d gone into town and brought back good news that things were relatively sane in the immediate area-and the requested ice cream. She hadn’t gotten to go. He’d correctly pointed out that everyone knew her face-right now both the good and the bad guys thought she was dead, and it was safer that way.

Still, she was getting to feel more than a little cooped up-and rearing to get out there and do something, no matter what it was.

~*~

“What about that spar?” Blitz said out of nowhere, slowly spinning in the swivel chair not too far from his own at his console, the scrolling data screens. She was in her costume, boots and all-long legs over one arm of it since she was sitting sideways, idly pushing at the console edge with one finger to continue the slow, slow swivel. She tipped her head back and looked at him upside down. “I remember you saying you thought you could beat me. I’m feeling better, isn’t it time you had to eat those words?” A grin as she straightened up in the chair, swinging her leather clad legs and boots off the arm and back to the floor, wheeling over to him with a stronger push-slowing into a gentle bump of chair on chair, now leaning on the arm of his, chin resting in her upturned hand, elbow on his chair arm.

She got entirely too close sometimes. It was always casual but also vaguely flirty, much like everything the heroine did, accident or on purpose. A woman looking like her shouldn’t tease as much as she did.

“I’m feeling better, let me prove it.”

 

[LordUsagi]

He had offered her his room to recover in. It was the most comfortable and he had a lot of work to do. This had resulted in him often taking power naps on the couch in his office and she would occasionally catch him napping at his desk. She would not know but his thoughts during these rests were a mix of her and the task at hand.

When she had stolen another of his tops, this time a sweater that was long enough to keep him wondering whether she was wearing anything underneath. It had been way too distracting, even though he didn’t mind her borrowing his clothes, she looked so much better in then than him.

That had lead to him visiting the local store in town to secure some practical sporty undergarments for her as well as some T-shirts. The underwear had taken a bit of a story not to be embarrassing, and the young saleswoman had been all to happy to help him with some simple sporty underwear for his daughter whose luggage had gone missing out her flight. The shirts had been easier as he already knew the size she was wearing from what he had given her. He had purposely taken the size the saleswoman who he had flirted with said would fit her, knowing that Jeanine was a bit more busty. When the saleswoman had enquired about shorts he had hastily asked for a few pairs that would fit her, to keep up the ruse. His eyes had also wondered during this to the more flirty underwear and he had to slap his mind for thoughts of seeing Blue dressed up so.

It was her own fault, he thought, her tousled hair, long legs and damned flirtatious nature were playing with his thoughts. Was she flirting on purpose, it was hard to tell, but it was staring to have an effect on him.

He also spent a good deal of time training, with a strict regimen on the treadmill and with weights. This was often timed to hopefully catch her eye and he would occasionally be caught walking around without his shirt and even twice exiting the shower with just a towel around his waist. These accidents would be followed by the proverbial question about her rest or medication, to cover up any more nefarious intentions. He had to hope she liked a scar or two, as his torso carried the reminder of his military days, over a developing muscular body.

~*~

He had been trying to ignore her, she was right, she looked good in her costume. Her long leather clad legs were definitely noticeable draped over the office chair.

She tipped her head back and looked at him upside down. “I remember you saying you thought you could beat me.

He gave her a brief look, his heart racing slightly as he marveled at how cute she looked, it also didn’t help that such a pose accentuated the form of the body.

Does she know what she is doing to me, what she has been doing to me over the last few weeks.

This wasn’t the first time she had donned her costume, but it was definitely the most flirtatious, whether intended or not. The other times he had brushed her off with a firm No, she wasn’t ready. He was preparing to brush her off again when he felt her chair bump against his.

Now she was practically leaning over him, her arm resting on his chair and her eyes that held so much emotion, looking up at him. It was too much and he knew he had to do something about it or face another uncomfortable night.

Perhaps it is the time for a lesson

“So you think you are ready then?” His question was touched with a hint of skepticism because her had been watching her.

No doubt she was a lot better, he could see it in the coloring of her face, the brightening of her eyes, but he could tell she wasn’t one hundred percent ready.

“If I recall, you were willing to take the bet that time, are you that confident that you will make this a slightly more than friendly wager?”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

Her lips remain curved in that faint, casual amusement even as her eyes narrow.

"What kind of "more than friendly" wager? This is a powered fight I'm talking." She's not quite running hot, but she's better than she's felt in days and days. She could take him, she's sure. Her powers were good for evasive tactics-blinking out of the way and keeping her opponent off their guard. You never knew if Blitz was going to poof and smack you from behind or if she was going to hold her ground and hit back.

"We could make it a game." She says thoughtfully as she straightens up off the arm of his chair and reaches into the breast pocket of her jacket. She used to wear a navy blue, short silk scarf around her neck like a chocker-something she thought had been pretty cool at the time, and something Warwick had pointed out could be used to strangle her. He'd been right-if someone got a hold of it while it was knotted around her throat, she'd be in trouble.

So she'd stopped wearing it immediately but kept it around, used it when she dressed up for events, sometimes.

Now Blitz draws it through her graceful fingers and stands up, deftly looping it through the belt loop just above the curve of her pert derriere. It's a loose knot-a sharp pull would easily undo it.

"You manage to snag this and you can call it a win. Won't happen, though. "That cocky, flirty grin. "But that's what the game will be. Deal?"

 

[LordUsagi]

“Okay, so all I have to do is pull that little piece of material off your costume?”

He uses the opportunity to get a good look at the enticing curve of her lower body.

“Is there a time limit for the session...there should be,” he smiled thoughtfully, “it would be unfair on you if I had unlimited time. But then, you never know when your enemy will strike.”

He knew what he would ask for, but wanted to see how cocky she was feeling, “and what will my prize be,” he grinned, “when I win?”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

"Hm!" Blitz hadn't really considered a time limit for the game. "I guess either until I get bored, or you give up aren't very good limits..." She agrees, adjusting her fingerless gloves.

"Though I DO think I'd eventually wear you out, Andy," Her eyes flick from her glove to his grin with another flirtatious little smile. "We'll say a solid hour, hour in a half. I don't care how good your stamina is-my whole schtick in one on one fights is being virtually untouchable." She pretends to brush imaginary dust off of her shoulders with a 'casual' expression before a less cocky, more genuine smile lights through her eyes and graces her lips.

For all her youthful overconfidence, Jeanine was also rather companionable, even sweet.

"But it'll be fun, you know? So whatever you want, I don't care. Me winning will just proves I'm feeling better."

And then there's that shift back to amused teasing, a wicked bent to her widening smile. "So. You gonna wear spandex?"

 

[LordUsagi]

He balked at the mention of spandex, that could be a little embarrassing considering how she looked. But then his mind strayed to the extra effort he had been putting into training and although his costume did look silly, he still looked okay in it.

“For you Jeanie, I’ll wear spandex, I know how excited you are to see me in a proper superhero outfit.” He could also tease and flirt a little, “and we will see who tires first.”

“So an hour and a half, to prove my stamina to you, in the gym area. We will confine it to the mat square, that is big enough for you to have some proofing space,” he smiled, “but also soft enough that when I bring you down your delicate body won’t get hurt.”

Despite her slight overconfidence he did have to accept she could win, “if I don’t snag your tail in the allotted time you get bragging rights, if I do...whatever I want.” He said it with enough playfulness to his voice that she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant, but also not terrible.

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

Blitz dramatically rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, -you- get carte blanche with a nubile young thing if -you- win, but -I- just get bragging rights? That sounds reasonable."

A hand rests on her cocked hip and she flashes a grin at him, not actually calling him out, mostly teasing. Business as usual.

"Nice try, but I wasn't born yesterday. How about, if you win- I'll don one of those "proper" spandex costumes for a day. Deal, Mr. Lecherous?"

She doesn't wait to hear one way or the other, just turns and takes those long legs of hers to the gym. "Go paint your costume on old timer, I'll see you on the mat."

-*-

It's spacious enough. He's not going to win-she doesn't care how good at martial arts or hand to hand or whatever. A friendly spar doesn't leave room for gadgets, and she's powered up. Still, she won't entirely discount the possibility. She doesn't see how he could unless she loses focus and let's him, and she's not going to let him.

She wants to get out there and stop -hiding-. She's fine! She's Blue Blitz! She's not dead and she's not going to let the world go to shit without trying to do something about it.

So she'll show him she's better, perfectly fine, and then they can start figuring out what the hell they should do first. Blitz gets the concern, really-she'd shown up half dead and utterly wiped, slept for four solid days-but she's recovered. Right? Right. It's sweet that he's worried and maybe he ought to be with her looking at flying solo out there-but she didn't become a hero because she thought it'd be a safe occupation.

She has to stand where her friends would have stood, because she's still here and they...

Jeanine shakes her head. The responsibility weighs heavy and the grief is there, but she needs to focus right now. A hand absently catches at the scarf. This would be easy so long as she pays attention-Andy can't break through barriers to hit her and he can't follow her into The Other. He was about to get a first hand look at why she'd done so well in the League and on the field.

 

[LordUsagi]

He wouldn’t have been able to deny fully that he hadn’t considered the more extreme possibilities if she had not laid the ground rules. But his first tactic had already worked, she had made the bet about a proper costume, and that was pretty much all he was hoping for. The modern hero didn’t wear spandex, but it would be nice to see what their interpretation of old style costumes would be.

His own costume still fitted okay, although he still could do with some more conditioning before he will fill it out properly. It was spandex as she had eluded to, and consisted of a wrestlering type outfit, that covered the full body and had cut off sleeves. The bottom half went to about mid thigh and had the proverbial armored dancers belt that offered both protection and modesty. The chest of the outfit had a compass motif on it. The bottom half was black and the top a dark grey color, with the compass in white. It was rounded off with lightweight combat style boots, especially crafted for him.

He had never really liked the costume and few had ever seen him in it as most of the time he had been the voice in his teams ear.

~*~

When he got to the gym he did a few quick stretches, feigning stiff and sore muscles. That was followed by a few quick shuffles on his feet, and air jabs, much like a boxer would when entering the ring.

It was part of his plan, make her think he was going to attack with punches and kicks when his actual plan was to feint all his attacks as not to tire too quickly. She had already meantioned her fields she could construct and he knew striking at her would be useless. No the best plan would be to pretend to be eager to attack when all he was actually doing was seeing if there was a pattern to her avoiding him. Was there a telltale sign before she poofed away and did she give off which direction. His main plan was to try and grab her, even if just by the wrist. Firstly to see if she could still jump away, and if not if it used more of her energy.

“So Jean Jeanie, you ready for this?”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“I changed my mind. When I win, you let me dress you up-you’re showing more skin than I am!” This was true, but to be fair-her costume didn’t have much skin showing in the first place. Her face and pretty throat, just a bit of her chest-and then her top covered the rest, no trace of scandalous cleavage on the nation’s sweetheart, much to everyone’s chagrin.

She grins, laughter to her tone and an appraisal from those currently green, amber flecked eyes. “You look good for an ‘old man’ in paint, though, gotta say. I like the Compass emblem.”

He does look pretty good in it, honestly-but it also seems undignified somehow. Man deserved a proper pair of pants-what if someone stabbed or swiped him in one of those muscular thighs? At least he has the form for it, she supposed.

Hm.

He stretches and warms up and she just stands there, pretending to look at her nails at one point-messing with him. She’d stretched before he’d gotten here. Not too hard on cold muscles-but enough to avoid injury if you believed the health magazines.

“So Jean Jeanie, you ready for this?”

The redhead smiles at him, a genuine, involuntary look of softness. She honestly hadn’t heard her name-or any variation thereof-much since her parents had died. She’s Blue Blitz, sure-but despite the lack of a mask, it was still something of an alter ego. With Star gone, only Andy and David knew who she really was under everything, an alien interloper on a planet with billions of people.

But then she props her hand on her cocked hip again, relaxed-and flashes him that wicked grin and narrowed glance again.

“Are you?”

As soon as he says 'Go' her lips quirk into a slanted smile-and the air pulses with power enough to raise the hairs on the back of his neck. There’s suddenly a wavy, reality defying distortion in the space between her and him, a heat wave looking vortex that had Blitz looking so much farther away from him than she had previously in some impossible way-it hurt the brain to look at, to try and process. To his left and right, behind him the mat was exactly as it had been-but in front of him the space stretched quadruple what it had been before.

Blue Blitz vanishes with the slightest lean back on her trailing heel-and he’d suddenly feel hands against the upper part of his back and shoulders shoving him forward and further into that space before it collapses-and sends him snapping forward with a sensation similar to running out of control downhill.

Behind him, she laughs-a delighted, prankers trill.

 

[LordUsagi]

Her comment about him looking good in his costume, made his chest puff out slightly with pride. But when he thought about ‘for an old man’ , he began to consider the age gap. Here he was a man twice her age, whose mind was racing with some explicit thoughts of her. Everything about her his sweet inits youthfulness, cute and laced with ‘unintentional’ sexy.

Her first attack did catch him by surprise, and he stumbled forward out of control. His instincts cut in and he dropped down into a forward roll, coming up in a fighting stance side on to her initial attack. It was the smarter thing to do, Incase she followed him for an attack or poofed back to her original position. Despite his reasonably quick recovery it didn’t matter, he was disorientated and vulnerable to an attack in the end. His mind filed that away as a tactic they could exploit against strong or fast opponents.

“Not bad for a little Jeanie, you almost managed to bowl me over,” he grinned at her, “I’ll have to watch for that.” He knew if this was a points bout, she had just scored a lot.

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“Momentum still builds within my space distortions, so collapsing them tends to slingshot people and objects forward if they were moving.” Jeanine says with a flippant shrug, a graceful step forward on those navy blue boots. There’s a subtle flex of her leather encased thighs and calves as she takes her own stance, graceful hands curling into loose fists and rising before her chest, blue illuminated discs spiraling into view and solidifying just over her knuckles. Over the tops of them, her multicolored eyes sparkle and reflect some of the blue light.

“Hope you’re ready for more of them.” She says with a cheeky grin before darting for him. He moves to block but she steps-disappearing and reappearing at his right, nearly catching him off guard-but not quite.

His shoulder and upper arm rise to take the blow and his other hand darts out to grab her jacket-but she knocks the hand away on her barrier protected forearm. Twisting to face her, there was an exchange of pulled punches, deflections, and attempts to grab-but Blue Blitz was a cheat with those powers of hers. As soon as Andy gets her on the retreat she’s gone, reappearing on his unprotected right and giving a playful flick to his ear.

His instinctive flying elbow is caught on a blue buckler that flared to life in front of her forearm, the heroine dancing backwards-only to disappear as soon as contact ended and before he could turn to deliver a follow up. Where did-!

A flash of brilliantly lit blue to his lower immediate left. Blue Blitz with her head ducked behind her shoulder and body lowered like a footballer, one of those constructs of hers (this one a tower shield shape easily spanning her lowered form’s height) hitting him like a battering ram.

She doesn’t have the weight to actually knock him over-well, normally. Because as she hits him in the side, there’s that tell tale waviness out of the corner of his eye-another distortion-and it collapses almost as quickly as it was formed, seemingly to grab a hold of his tipped shoulder and jerk him across the mat. It’s something she repeats three times in quick succession, coming from his left, behind him-his left again. If it weren’t for his footwork and quick thinking, reorienting rolls, he’d have faceplanted or landed on his ass more than once.

Those distortions are taking more out of her than they should. Of all her abilities, the vortexes are the most draining-but not to this degree-she felt a flash of concern for a moment, but shook it off. Still, she decides she’d back off of those for now.

“Fun, right?” Blitz tosses out as she flexes her fingers and adjusts the biker gloves, feigning flippancy. Her eyes flick from the cuffs of those to him, a wink-before she shifts back on her heel and vanishes again.

Rather than a surprise attack from the side or back she’s suddenly right there in front of him, pressing the attack in a flurry of blue shielded blows that he meets, not actually letting her get a hit in, but going on the retreat anyway. Watching, learning-feeling her out, she feels like. He’s fast, and she senses he’s holding back.

Yeah, well, let him.

She vanishes mid blow and was suddenly on his right, several darting jabs-a shift of her weight to her opposite foot-and she’s on his left in a blink. The red head is pulling the ports fast enough he would almost get the sense he was fighting three opponents, not just the one-and she was pressing him at least a little, given he was going easy on her.

Andy would be able to pick up on a few things, however, even if Blitz did keep her attacks and teleports sporadic, kept her telegraphing confusing and deceptive. How she was never actually physically touching him, using the barriers both to span her attacks in the spar and to protect her striking fists, elbows, and knees. She was never making direct contact when she teleported, and always seemed to lean her weight back or forward, be physically stepping before vanishing. As if she either had to lean into or step to what she’d called The Other. And she never comes back in the same position. She was moving through that other plane, not instantly porting.

It’s starting to take her a little longer, too-and she ports less and less. Instead of feeling like he’s fighting three, it now feels like two. And then one and a half. And it’s subtle, but those constructs aren’t glowing quite as brightly, sixty seven minutes in. She’s in good physical shape though-they were both exerting themselves at least a little, but neither one is badly winded.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a master martial artist?” She teases. To be fair, she hasn’t really managed to land much of anything-if she couldn’t teleport, she probably wouldn’t have even gotten the few she has.

That might’ve sparked something, she’s not sure-because next he blasts under her guard and his hand closes on the front of her jacket-and Blitz pulses-a blue wall slamming out around her person like a bubble, blowing him back a good three feet before vanishing. Jeanine staggers back a step with a shake of her head-and barely gets her arm and a blue buckler up in time when he surges back in. It’s definitely a lighter color, now.

Behind it, he’d catch a flicker of a frown on those navy blue painted lips. She backs up another step, then another-the heroine the one on retreat, now. She doesn’t teleport when he would have now come to expect it, and those barriers are definitely getting weaker-they crackle where he strikes them, a bit of give instead of the previously hard, impenetrable surface.

She’s burned through a lot more magic than any of this should have cost her, and her limbs are starting to feel heavy again. She’s tired. She needs to ends this somehow, because suddenly...

The blue barrier winks out mid shot for her shoulder-and so does the woman herself. She reappears under that arm, one hand tight on his wrist and the other at the elbow, chest to chest with him nearly and his arm thrust upwards. The five foot eight woman is able to press a quick flirty kiss smack on his lips, those navy blue painted ones warm and soft. It lasts all of a nanosecond though-because in the next one she shifts her weight to her left foot, stealing the rest of his forward momentum as she turned her body under it in the same motion, knees bending-before pulling the arm down hard over her shoulder, one hand still around his wrist while the other had moved higher up towards his shoulder-and used her legs as a sort of spring to throw him bodily onto the ring floor.

“Ha!” She breathes, her hands resting on those toned, leather covered thighs, bent down slightly to grin saucily down at him, eyes bright and mirthful-but she’s looking a little pale again, and...her hands are trembling some. “That’s gotta count as a win, right?”

 

[LordUsagi]

He looks up at her, his own smile evident, “nice distraction there, the kiss I mean. It got this old man’s heart racing and his mind confused.” He winked, “it probably would have been more effective if you had worn a more traditional costume.”

He was subtly warning her that something was up.

“Good thing our bet wasn’t for carte Blanche otherwise you would have asked for something more than just bragging rights.”

He was baiting her cockiness, seeing what her reply would be now that she thought she had deserved the win.

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“Nice distraction there, the kiss I mean. It got this old man’s heart racing and his mind confused. It probably would have been more effective if you had worn a more traditional costume.”


“Well, we can’t all skate by on our sex appeal, Andy.” She says with mock condescension. “I only did that as a joke, not a tactic. Though, if that’d work-says more about you than me, dirty old man.” Tease.

She steps over him and turns so that he’s not seeing her upside down, offers a hand to help him up as he continues. “Tsk, like I’d have to blackmail you or anybody else.” She’s clearly joking, but at the same time-not wrong.

He doesn’t say anything about the magic, and neither does she. She won. She’s better. That was...that was the deal. “And see? Good as new-” Until she tried to help him up, that was-and nearly fell down herself when a wave of dizziness washed over her.

“Hell-” She murmurs. “Well, I still won-”

 

[LordUsagi]

She hadn’t taken the bait, so he just smiled at her, “why don’t you join me down her,” she looked tired, “it is quite peaceful.”

He looked up at her fluttering his eyes in mock sauciness.

“As for winning,” he held out his hand toward her, letting the blue scarf dangle from his finger, “to the winner goes the spoils.”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

Blitz sinks down to her knees beside him on the mat and sits back on her calves, shaking her head at his teasing with a faintly amused smile and closed eyes against her palms.

“That’s why I threw you down-for a nap.” She gloats tiredly-until she turns her head a little away from her hands and opens her eyes-catching sight of the scarf.

What.

Her eyes flare wide and her lips part in surprise, a hand flying back to the waist of her leather pants. “Did you take that just now?” She doesn’t think so-she’d been standing, he’d been down here-a flush of color in her paled face. “When? I didn’t let you touch me more than like-what are you, some kind of pickpocket?”

Her expression of triumph is soured, now. She can hardly believe this.

 

[LordUsagi]

He nodded with a little less gloat than he should have, “yup when I distracted you by letting you kiss me,” he still felt the need to tease her. “I saw how much you wanted to kis me, so I lured you in,” that was not true, he had gotten an opportunity and reacted quickly.

“Seriously Blue,” he said sitting up so that he was now more level with her, “I am a little quicker than you think and really good with my hands,” he let her decide if there was innuendo in that or not.

“You did well, still too cocky and overconfident, but the lesson is now learned and I am sure that in a real fight or next time we do this I will probably lose.” He smiled to let her know he was not trying to be mean in proving his point.

“Now let me put this back on you,” he waved the scarf, “and we can take it from there.” He wasn’t sure how much she had over exerted herself.

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

Blitz fails to be mollified. She’s something of a poor sport, her normally teasing, light hearted mood soured due to the loss but mostly-her frustration. She doesn’t understand why she’d petered out so quickly, felt sick again.

“It’s not that I thought you were going to be slow or bad.” She grumbles half to herself. “My powers are just cheap. I’ve come out on top with some pretty ridiculously unbalanced match ups. Quick Tonne, Livewire-that damned Anderson guy-” Oof, that’d been a rough fight. He’d actually gotten a hit in, and it’d shattered her left forearm. Miss Miracle had patched her right up though, after.

Yeah, her abilities were cheap. She didn’t need super strength or durability-she could use a person’s own momentum against them, come at them from any angle, and so long as she was paying attention-keep them the hell off of her. Her powers were cheap.

And they weren’t there when she needed them today. The energy, the strength-any of it. Draining. So, very, very draining.

It’s not Andy’s fault she’d been impatient. Better to lose to him here than have gone out there and died…

She just thought she was better, now. Maybe she had only wanted to be.

He waves the scarf and her hazel, green and amber flecked eyes shot the material a look-as if it had betrayed her, offended her.

“Oh just keep it.” Blitz grumbles with a dismissive wave before crossing her arms beneath her chest. “It used to be part of my costume, way back at the start. Then Warwick pointed out I was giving someone an easy way to strangle me, so-”

She softens up a little, a sigh.

“I only ever wore it at formal events. Looked cool with my blue dress.”

She has a headache, and can feel her pulse in her fingertips again. It takes some of the bite out of her, the tension easing out of her shoulders. She looks like she could fall asleep right there.

A faint smile plays around on her lips. “You could wear it with yours, if you want.”

 

[LordUsagi]

“I will keep it then,” he felt genuinely pleased that she had suggested he make it part of his costume. Was she softening to him. “I will find a way to wear it. Your friend was right, it would be dangerous to wear in a fight.”

“Don’t worry sweetie,” he grinned, “I won’t make you were spandex, despite it being our deal.” He said it with enough tease to say he didn’t really mind, but with a hint of challenge to her.

It would probably be too much for her, most of the old style costumes were totally impractical, bright and overly cheerful. It was a different time when villains didn’t use guns and the public didn’t want to snap selfies with you.

He wasn’t even sure if there would be something around, and spandex type costumes were hard to perfect. There was one somewhere, he thought, that had been intended for one of the side-kicks, but she had retired before her career even began.

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

She’d been making fun, and his genuine pleasure about the scarf makes her feel a little guilty for being so sour.

“Don’t worry sweetie, I won’t make you wear spandex, despite it being our deal.”

“Hey, I’m a sore loser, but I’ve got integrity.” Blitz says as she starts to feel a little better, if low. She slides her hands down her leather clad thighs and pops to her feet, offering a hand down to him again-and then this time able to help him up.

“One day in a silly costume won’t kill me.” One of those companionable smiles again, the kind that reached her eyes, made them warm and sharing-as if she was telling him a secret.

“But going out like this probably would. I’ll be patient, I guess. It’s hard, but-well.” A shrug. “Thanks Andy. I’m going to go shower and meditate for a while.”

 

[LordUsagi]

He let her help him up, appreciating her touch and closeness too much, and thus thankful that he had his protective ‘codpiece’. He looked down at her, his genuine smile matching hers, his one hand still holding hers as the other absently wiped a stray lock of hair away from her face.

“That will probably not be the last lesson I will teach you,” he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “but I do find it admirable that you want to get back out there and save the world.”

As if then realizing he had been holding her hand too long he let go abruptly with and almost embarrassed look. But in reality he wanted to scoop her up into his arms, and show her the beast she was absently poking.

Waiting for her to lead the way towards the showers and sleeping quarters he answered her earlier statement.

“No one day in a silly costume will not kill you.” He smiled, “I am sure you will look okay for your adoring fans.” He turned to look down at her, a reminder of his strength and power at this moment, “you can probably pull of anything.”

 

[CurtailedAmbrosia]

“Well, good. You did promise to help me-and it looks like I’ll need all the help I can get.” He’s the only friend she has right now, in this insulated little place.

The warm look stays until he releases her hand and looks embarrassed-and her eyes narrow, glittering with mischief and amusement, cocky again. “Don’t go getting handsy now.” She teases about the hand holding, whirling on one boot and leading the way out of the gym. For that bit of teasing there’s also the accidental bit of sexiness just in the way she walks.

Blue Blitz had been called ‘sex on legs’ more than once, and while she hadn’t ever publicly commented on it-or her declining of a Maxim photoshoot-she had to have some idea. She clearly did, but how much was intentional and how much was just God given genetics was anyone’s guess.

Her fingers lace just behind her head, those fingerless gloves the same black leather as her biker pants. “Tch, I wouldn’t wear painted on clothes out there if you paid me. People’d be salivating.” Down the hallway, sliding out of her jacket to hang it over a chair positioned down there-she gave him a side glance and that cocky little smirk. “Good in burlap, like I said.” And she winked.

"Anyway, shower, then rest. That took more out of me than it should have." A frown on those navy painted lips. "The distortions at the start-I felt the drain pretty quick. Probably should stick to physical training instead of another powered fight, next time."