Dimetre Evans Darc

His leg was already covered in a makeshift ruby armor, and he knew that the only thing stopping the hole on his shoulder from molding into a sword was the fact that he was holding it shut as he ran. He didn’t need River here, not now. Not when everyone was still on such high alert for vigilantes. If River showed up now then it wouldn’t take long for the public opinion of the nightly heroes to plummet even further.

The mother and her daughter that had unfortunately been caught in the middle of the confrontation didn’t need to see anything worse than one criminal’s death. Even then, Red had seen the little girl’s shock when he’d shot the man towering over them. He hadn’t been able to tell if it had been gratefulness or fear that had her eyes following him for the rest of the fight.

But the rest of the gunmen hadn’t been so easily scared off, and he’d taken a hit to his leg and shoulder, his vision blurring, and he knew that he was running out of time. Red wasn’t entirely sure how he’d gotten so careless. He knew that he’d managed to take out the second gunman before he’d bailed, sirens growing louder as he’d exited the building. The third gunman had been disarmed, his own pistol flung across the store in a desperate attempt to at least buy time for the police to get there.

He’d barely turned the corner when he heard one of the cops yelling orders to ‘freeze’, and Red just kept running.

Once he deemed himself far enough, he found an alley to turn into, slumping against the wall as he pulled himself into a tight ball, pressing himself into the trash can at his side in hopes of keeping himself out of sight.

He was out of breath, and he knew that the armor on his leg must have been drawing on some vital organ’s blood because he felt nauseous too, a good sign that River had been seconds away from appearing. Pause. Breathe. He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that there wasn’t a threat anymore, trying to coax the blood to return to him as quickly as possible.

Footsteps startled him into alertness, and he winced when his head knocked against the garbage can. There was no way that the passerby hadn’t heard. He held his breath, hoping that maybe they would just ignore the sound; but he knew that with his luck, the chance of the passerby just walking away was slim. He drew out his gun, hoping that he wouldn’t have to use it.

During the nights spent perched atop a dark rooftop he became accustomed to one unspoken vigilante rule, steer away from the stinging stench of metallic blood. A deadly beast who will pierce your skin with hundreds of bullets walks among that smell. He wasn’t one to believe in urban legends but he had seen Red River’s foreboding form pass through alley ways in search of his next victim in the nights he spent watching. Today was no different, the wind wafted the stink throughout the city. Pyxis felt a shiver crawl down his spine as something about this blood made him uncomfortable, something wasn’t right.

His gaze was drawn to the scuttling of a couple who jumped and ran the opposite direction when a indescribable sound rang throughout the alley. He leapt off the building and landed on the sidewalk with a solid thud, immediately a presence caught his attention and he whipped his head to the right. With a quick movement he perched himself on top of a large trashcan and peered down at the injured individual. So this was Red River, a bit of a disappointment if Pyxis was being honest, not nearly as terrifying as he hoped. He made notice of the gun but simply scrunched up his nose in retaliation, that wasn’t going to stop anyone especially in the vigilante’s weakened state. He’d bet the poor guy could barely pull the trigger. “You take the saying human shield to an entirely different level.” He dug into his pockets and pulled out a makeshift first-aid kit dropping it into the man’s lap. “The aim of the game is to avoid the bullets bud.”

open starter

Bela hadn’t been to Newhaven since the government had picked up the slack on rebuilding after the invasion. When her help wasn’t needed to stitch the physical world back together, she noticed very quickly that certain people in charge were unusually cold. So she’d kept her distance. The things and people who had tied her to the city were beyond her reach now, and it hurt less to stay away.

Walking down the busy streets again was enlightening. Some people knew her, recognized her from news programs, but not all. It was nice to get lost in the anonymity of the crowd again. Of course, the reason she was here couldn’t be found with the sun still in the sky. 

So as the lights of the city flicked on and set their own glow into the sky, Weaver took to the streets. There were people here she was looking for, people she needed to check on, and as always, people to meet. Pulling herself from the ground to the roof and bounding from building to building was easy enough with pouches full of materials that could stretch away from her on a whim.

It was mostly luck she’d seen the figure in the darkness. Her habits of checking corners had remained after the invasion, but this wasn’t her turf anymore, and not knowing who ran the scene made things tricky. But a glance at the right angle as she’d been about to scan the next block over made her pause. A few more lengths of rock and metal rose from where she’d stored them as she touched down gently. Better safe than sorry.

“Well, it’s always nice to meet the locals. Do you mind letting a visitor tag along for a bit?”

Unlike the vigilantes who had quickly made a name for themselves he preferred to stay among the shadows, not that he hadn’t stopped a few criminals here and there. Or took down a drug cartel single handily, but he was still learning and thus had to watch his step. There were extra precautions one had to take when their alter-ego was connected to the guild, even though Pyxis had yet to be officially introduced to the public. So he purposely steered away from the groups of congregating people and masked figures that slipped between alley ways, plus, he was more than content simply watching anyways.

He felt someone enter his space before he heard them. The weight of their step and the area their shape consumed was familiar but he still prepared himself for combat, like second nature after many tiring training exercises. The gentle landing and soft shifting of body weight clued in to who the individual was, Pyxis bit back a curse. When they spoke it only solidified his assumption. Of course she’d catch him today, on a school night. “Oh.” He hummed, “I’m a local now? Does this mean I’m not allowed back home for winter break?” Pyxis turned around and approached Weaver cautiously. He knew she wouldn’t physically attack him but he was waiting for the verbal beat down. “I couldn’t stop you when you forced your way into my life once, what makes you think I can stop you now?” He gave her a cheeky grin.

caspian-see‌:

Bo had originally come to the fair to keep an eye on the protests. He appreciated that people wanted to show up and tell the mayor and the rest of the city that they wanted Watcher and the rest to stick around. But that didn’t mean he was going to let them get in trouble for it. The plan had been to hover and stuff his face all day while keeping an eye on potential troublemakers using the crowd to incite something more nefarious.

When Evans caught his eye, he’d been surprised. In all honesty, he hadn’t expected the vigilante to be anywhere in public given the scrutiny he must be under. He’d started towards him with a grin- a friendly face would probably be nice, and they hadn’t exactly spoken since the hotel. He hadn’t expected the small child next to the man to grab his attention and his grin slipped a bit as he came up.

“Evans, it’s good to see you,” he called when he realized he’d been noticed. With a little wave he bounced over to the pair. He could feel his mouth watering as he smelled the funnel cake the boy was holding. “You have excellent culinary taste,” he said seriously before sticking his hand out. “I’m Bo, it’s nice to meet you.”

Smiling at the taller man once more, he noticed a tension in the way he held himself. “I didn’t expect you here, but I’m glad I caught you. My group ditched me,” he lied, glancing over the man’s shoulder. “Do you mind if I hang around with you for a bit? We can get turkey legs down on the boardwalk- my treat!”

Dimetre’s entire demeanor flipped when he heard the familiar voice call out his name. Of course, he was still frightened by the heightened presence of both protestors and the mayor’s supporters but having a friend by his side meant that he had an alley in any sticky situation. A grin spread across his face as he watched the boy bounce over to them, Bo’s excitement spreading to him. “Hey kiddo, got some time away from work and school to destress I see.” When Bo addressed Wesley Dimetre had begun to prepare himself to introduce his little brother, knowing that strange social situations were not the kid's strong suit. But, to his surprise, Wesley moved away from him and stood tall in front of other. 

“Say aaaah,” Wesley stood on his tippy toes holding out a large fork full of funnel cake towards Bo, he barely reached the top of the boy’s chest. He eagerly waited for the other to accept his offer before putting on a dashing smile and giving Bo’s hand a gentle shake. “I’m Wesley, but you can call me Wes if ya like.”

Dimetre wasn’t entirely sure how to react to the event he just watched so he simply decided not to and returned his attention back to his friend, “We would be more than happy to add another member to our little party, huh?” He placed a hand on Wesley’s head and ruffled his hair, “But, why don’t I pay for food? Wouldn’t want to see you go into debt because of a turkey leg.”

caspian-see‌:

Thalia had long moved past the awkwardness of going places alone. Especially places and events that were usually best enjoyed with a group of friends or… at least one other person. Yet despite her repeated mantra that anyone else was too busy focusing on the games, stalls or snacks in front of them to care that she was a party of one she couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched in some way. It wasn’t as though the blonde was parading around with a giant ‘mayors daughter’ stamp on her shirt but she was on edge enough about the fact that even the alluring lights of the Ferris Wheel couldn’t distract her from it.

The tempting scent of oil & sugar lured her over without much resistance, Thalia made a note of the cotton candy for the journey back towards the rides, and she was pleased to note that the queue for funnel cakes & doughnuts was pretty much non-existent. She had been too consumed with the inner debate over whether to get one funnel cake and a bag of mini doughnuts or be sensible to realise she recognised the face of at least of the customers also there.

She smiled slightly, silently sidestepping around the duo to take her place in line and wait patiently, and nodded her head in hello at Dimetre. “It’s nice to see you again. Are you enjoying the festival, or have you guys just got here?” Thalia asked quietly, an easy enough question for him to field and fill the waiting time with small talk should he not want to ruin the time he’d clearly set aside to spend with the younger male accompanying him.

Wesley’s odd way of alerting his older brother that someone was approaching had set Dimetre’s hairs on end, when Thalia took her place beside the two Dimetre’s head snapped towards her with a look of panic. He let out a sigh of relief and lessened his grip on his brother, who looked just a second away from yelping, when he realized that Thalia meant no harm. "Oh, hello princess! We haven't been here for too long. Just hitting up the food stalls before heading towards the rides, which is a ridiculous plan I know." He shot a glance down at Wesley who stared intently at the new woman, "But you try to tell this stinker no. I am not prepared to handle yet another catastrophe," The little Darc jabbed a bony finger into Dimetre's side and grinned when the other winced. "Are you here alone? Would you like some compa-" His strained invitation was cut off by a quizzical hum.

"Do you have a boyfriend?”

The sudden blunt question made Dimetre snort, “Ooooooo, do you think she’s pretty?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s very brave of you to come out of your shell to ask a beautiful lady on a date-“

“No.” Dimetre quirked an eyebrow and slowly began to point to himself which received an exasperated look from his brother “Big no.”

“Then who?”

“Mom.”

Dimetre huffed out a confused laugh, “You do realize that mom is married to appa, right?”

“Yeah,” The younger Darc jut out his hip “But she could do waaaaaaay better.” A hand clapped over Wesley’s mouth as Dimetre went bright red with embarrassment.

“I am so sorry Thalia.”

As many of you have become acutely aware, we of Newhaven now live in a trying time. Not only do we walk our hallowed streets with a constant fear of invasion, of destruction, and of crime, but we also find ourselves trekking amongst a closeted oligarchy. For years, our local government has ran, unopposed, with inefficient leadership stringing along nearly-negligent reinforcement. Now, I am not a man of confrontational background. Quite the contrary, in fact. But I have sat by and let tragedy linger in this city for too long. Today, I put my foot down.

In the year 2018, I was but a fellow citizen, like all of you. I went to work, building the buildings many of you reside in and work inside of. This all changed when the super villians terrorizing our city came barging in: Mainframe, to be specific. WIth his unchecked technology and NCPD’s negligence, my wife and daughter were taken from me. I had to watch them die in front of me because the systems set in place to protect them failed.

I am not saying I’ve taken justice into my own hands; as I’ve said, I am usually very non-confrontational. But I also know that those who have, these Vigilantes Mayor Winsor chooses to villainize, have made it so fewer Newhaven residence have to brace themselves for the tragedy I once faced. They are doing what must be done for this city. Now it is my turn.

With your absolute permission, I put my hat in the ring, announcing my candidacy for Mayor in this upcoming election. I know many of you do not know me. Perhaps that is for the better, for I am just that: one of you. I will not stand by as rights are taken away so that I may live more comfortably. I will not allow our authorities to slack off and point their fingers and guns at those who, too, are trying to keep us all safe. Instead, I shall move to stoke an alliance between Vigilante and Policeman alike. I will further the cleaning of this city without compromising the wellfare of those of lower economic class.

Newhaven is a city in dire need of taking a breath, of stepping away from our tragic past and into the sun. If you’ll have me, I’d gladly be the man to help us all along.

Here’s to a better tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The hotel fiasco was only a few days ago, but even as Pitch, it was hard to block the nights events from his mind. He’d suited up and changed in the past in public when the need called, but this time felt different. He didn’t like how worried he was, and how much stake he had. Between, the coincidental acquaintances to the people he’d shared a deeper connection with, for the first time, in a long time at least, he felt that his actions were compromised. The proof was in the girl, Hannah… or Shutdown as he knew her, discovering who he was. He exhaled deeply through his nostrils, waiting for the stress of it to roll off of him before he drove himself crazy thinking again about something in the past he had little control over.

“If you’re here to ask for an autograph, I’ll leave that to Caspian.” Pitch uttered into the night air in response to the light footfalls he could hear approaching him from behind. “He was also there that night and did most of the work.” He didn’t turn his head right away, as he didn’t feel like he was in any danger - which was a reckless assumption considering his short burst of fame he was riding out. Despite his reason for coming out to clear his head more than punish the criminals roaming the streets, Pitch was happy for the welcome distraction.

Caspian sighed, this was too much to think about when his concentration was supposed to be on patrolling the streets. When he rounded a sudden corner and was met with the sight of a dark silhouette he stopped in his tracks and held his breath. He slowly crept forward but relaxed when he recognized the voice, Pitch. “I think that may be a bit conceited if I did?” He gave a small wave, “And give yourself some credit Mr. Tall Dark and Sexy I really didn’t do that much, If you hadn’t shown up I’m afraid the shit show would have gotten shittier.” He placed a hand on the vigilante’s shoulder. “But if you don’t want to publicity I’ll gladly take all the acclaim.” He winked.

caspian-see

Puck chuckled. For once, the sound lacked the mania it usually did. No, this chuckle was labored with hard-earned knowledge that the owner had fought to forget. “You needn’t remind me of the cruel nature of humanity. I am all-too familiar with it. Unfortunately that is largely first-hand, though I shan’t begrudge the mortal for their fear,” he smirked. “It is usually a good idea to be afraid of the thing that goes bump in the night, no matter how watered-down it has become by your movies.”

He turned fully, breaking the hold Caspian had on him. He looked him up and down, attempting to find any trace of falsehood. “You would offer me a home among you? Even though I am but a stranger in a strange land, an unidentified being capable of destruction wrought without mercy? You would allow such a creature into your lives.

Puck scoffed. “You needn’t worry about the loneliness, little sea. I do believe that after long enough, even the worst of heartbreaks can be healed. As inaccurate as your words often are, I am proof that time heals all wounds.”

Caspian flushed at the sudden attention, although it wasn’t unusual for someone to look at him in such a manner it was different when the individual was as mysterious as Puck. Being in the vigilante’s presence made him feel as though he was traversing the plot of a storybook, Puck acting as the captivating being who enchanted Prince Caspian. When the other mused about being so easily accepted into the arms of the vigilante family the water bender couldn’t help but nod along to all of their worried questions, “Why wouldn’t we?” He hummed, not expecting Puck to answer. “Although we stay among the land it seems as though it no longer wants us. We are forced to band together so we never feel alone, but it truly isn’t a bad thing. It is because we are all capable of unbridled destruction that we have become a family.”