blue beetle !

Sylvia stared uninterested at her phone, swiping absentmindedly at the dating app she had open. “If another man messages me pretending to be a woman, I may just swear these apps off altogether.” She said, annoyance clear in her tone. “It seems easier than cutting men out of my life entirely.”

winnie was unsurprised to hear how similar her future line of work and superheroing actually was – considering how many people she had grown up around in that line of work, it wasn’t too shocking that she’d end up wanting to help as many people as she could, whenever she could. chuckling a little, winnie turned to look at him. “oh, that’s so lovely to hear, though. i love that you’ve got a legacy. that’s so cool.”

raising her eyebrows, winnie was caught a little off guard. “i– oh! i’m glad i… exude that sort of passion, i guess. hopefully that means i… have a good future in that area?”

Ted firmly believes that you don’t have to be a hero to make a difference. Everyone can do it in their own way, and if you can make a different somehow then go ahead and do it. He was probably strange for going at being a superhero with no abilities — just a human, but he does some good work despite that fact. “Yeah, thanks. I think legacies are nice.” It kept the dream alive so to speak.

“hero-ing is more of my parents job, i think.” winnie admitted, shrugging a little. “they have other jobs, too, but still. i’ve grown up around heroes. i couldn’t imagine just how draining a job like that must be.” although, she knew somebody might say the same thing about her future line of work – both focused on other people, but taking on an awful lot of responsibility. but being a superhero took a certain bravery and boldness winnie couldn’t begin to comprehend.

nodding, the redhead replied, “oh, yes. a lot of my interests are in what happens after, but a lot of that is obviously influenced in… history and politics and things. it’s heavy, but rewarding and worthwhile if you can get through that side of it.”

“It can be exhausting, but you know what? All the hardship you go through is worth it when you see how much of a difference it can make to at least one person.” Ted never minded the fatigue much, although his doctor might argue with him on that. “I always figured if I could make a difference then that’s what it’s all about. I’m the second person to hold my hero title. There’s another after me — good kid.” 

making soft little noises of interest and surprise in all the right places, winnie listened intently – people who lived lives she almost considered leading were particularly interesting to the redhead. how could it not be? still, she was nothing but polite, and his life did seem interesting.

and it was nice of him to ask about her, too – whether or not he was actually curious or was just being nice, she couldn’t say, but she would answer him anyway. “oh! i– i’m doing global studies, international development-type things. i… i like to help people, and i think politics is super interesting, so, it made sense to me.”

It was always something important to Ted in trying to form bonds with students even if they weren’t in his classes. He just likes to be able to connect to other people. It was probably what makes him so good at his job with his company. Reaching out was always easy on his end — even if sometimes he does end up on his own. 

winnie was easily impressed – whether or not that was a positive or negative trait was debatable, but it was undeniable. the redhead listened with rapt attention, fascinated at the concept of being so knowledgeable in so many areas and having so much passion for something, and then wanting to share that passion with others. it was admirable.

“that’s… i can’t imagine why somebody wouldn’t enjoy your classes, from what i can tell.” she said. “you must enjoy it, then? though, i’m sure there’s bad days. like there is everywhere, but… just working with people so much.”

“I do enjoy it. I think it’s fun to build something up from scratch or even just to fix it. I’ve programmed an artificial intelligence for my company building. I did too well since they wanted access to movie libraries.” Ted chuckles at that, but it was sweet really. He has a lot of experience with people and technology alike. He just wants to help pass on that type of passion to others.

for a while, winnie had considered going into education. she had decided against it eventually, but it had been on the table for quite some time – funnily enough, however, the redhead ended up being particularly fond of, or in social situations with, teachers. she vaguely wondered what drew him to it when she heard what he taught. letting out a rush of air, winnie shook her head, very clearly impressed.

“i could never. i don’t know how you tackle those subjects – maths is fine, but the rest, i… it’s all very clever.” she told him. “i can’t even imagine the sorts of things you’d teach!”

Ted loves to teach, and inspire people. Even before he got a teaching job he would go around to colleges and give special lectures on a variety of subjects. Not everyone would be interested, but if he could inspire at least one person than that would be a good day in his book. 

“oh! wonderful!” winnie replied, “i do love company. and this way, i can’t forget your order.” she said lightly, before gesturing towards the door and allowing him to walk through the narrow aisle first. she was glad for the company, really, for as awkward as she was, winnie often found herself rather lonely – plus, she did offer him the coffee as a payment, so it would hardly be fair to just sneak off on him.

“you teach here, right?” she asked when they’d made it out of the library. “i’ve seen you around paragon but i don’t think i’ve ever had any of your classes.”

“Exactly!” Ted says with a chuckle, although his order was always fairly simple. He doesn’t ever care for the fancy drinks too often. He likes a good mocha coffee beverage, but that’s about it for him. He likes company as he doesn’t always get it — unsure where his husband was off to these days. Something about protecting the timeline makes him awfully busy. Which was okay, he filled his time with work while he’s gone.

“consider it done,” winnie smiled, more than happy to buy him the coffee. strapping the watch around her wrist and picking up her things, the redhead wondered if she might buy him a muffin or something as well, assuming he wanted one. it might have been just a watch to him, but to her, it symbolised something much bigger – and she needed to thank him for that.

standing at the corner of his table again, she nodded. “i can get it, if you’d like to stay, or you can come with me. it’s up to you, just– just let me know the order if you want to stay behind. whichever you like.”

Ted is throwing his bag over his shoulder — his laptop and papers neatly collected inside of it. He makes sure it’s secure, and slides his phone into his pocket. “Well I’m ready whenever you are.” He admits with a smile for a moment. “I’m going to go with you. I need to stretch my legs, and my doctor will probably thank me for doing some exercise.” He jokes as he’s standing up out of his seat.

she didn’t ever expect somebody to extend a kindness to her, despite being so ready to extend kindnesses to others. it wasn’t that she was cynical – it was just that she never wanted to put that expectation on other people, and so having the watch fixed was both convenient and a delight.

“oh, i’d like to return the favour somehow, anyway,” winnie replied, shrugging a little, red hair falling off her shoulders. “coffee is doable. is there a coffeeshop you like in particular?”

The world is full of horrible things, and people who won’t stop to help others. Ted knows that first hand, but he hopes more people will learn to pass on kindness to strangers. It does make a difference whether it’s realized not. It’s important to keep in mind, and he tries to be that much good.

taking the watch gently from his hands, winnie was incredibly impressed. she had no idea how on earth he’d even fixed it, especially so quickly. slipping the modest leather band onto her wrist, admiring the fact that it was working. “you’re a genius. a proper, certified genius. well done. thank you so much!”

she was never too handy like this, but it was nice to know somebody who was. “i’m winnie, by the way.” she told him. “is it– is it too forward to ask if i can buy you a coffee? in thanks, i mean. i’ve been dying without a watch.”

“It’s nothing really, I’m glad to have helped.” Ted says with a smile, wondering if he should open up a clock fixing service -- another branch off of his company.  It’s something filed away for a later thought at the moment.

it was nice to have somebody finally fix her damn watch. between it stopping for no reason and running too quickly altogether was wildly confusing, and to have it actually work would be particularly helpful considering her schedule ( it didn’t occur to winnie to buy another watch, but that was besides the point ).

“you’re so nice,” the redhead said lightly, leaning against the table behind her. he was a stranger, and as much as she donated her time and effort for others, she never expected it in return. “that’s so sweet. thank you.”

“I try to be nice. The world has enough awful karma in it so I decided being nice was a better option.” Ted nods with a smile as he looks over at her.  He wanted to use his status to mean something. He can pass on the good lessons to the younger generation.

“well… as long as you aren’t bothered by me, and that this work isn’t too important.” winnie said, shrugging a little. something about adults she didn’t know had the redhead acting almost like a shy child, much like the way she might have behaved when she was little.

handing over the watch, she sighed. “i’m unsure, really. it stopped once or twice, but i thought i perhaps knocked the little… little knob thing,” she explained, “but perhaps not.”

Technology was so fragile sometimes, everything had a job when put together. It was like that for a reason so if something is knocked out of place it’s all thrown off. Ted was good at repairing things, an expert robot builder. 

“could you? if you wouldn’t mind, i’d love that.” winnie said a little shyly, handing over the modest brown watch.

noon. that wasn’t so bad – she’d been there since eight, so that was only a couple of hours. she wouldn’t be there for too much longer, perhaps only until two. “i hope i’m not bothering you too much?“ she asked. “i’m so darn lost without the thing!”

“You’re not bothering me. I’m thankful for the break from my work actually.” Ted reassures her with a smile. 

winnie, at this point, lived in the library. and sure, technically, she lived in an apartment with her best friend, but the amount that she studied in the paragon library was astounding. it was as though she couldn’t function without throwing herself into work. time slipped away from her, as it always did, and she hadn’t realised it was so late. looking up, she spotted someone at a nearby shelf. 

“excuse me– sorry,” the redhead started, “do you have the time at all? my watch has stopped.”

“I can take a look at your watch if you want, I’m good at fixing things. It’s uh, noon though.” 

“Do not worry about it.” Raynor shook his head, looking at the hole in the wall before looking back at Ted. “I’m fine, just got angry. I’m fine.”

“Well do you feel better after making the hole?” Ted questions as his gaze looks at the damage then back to Raynor. “I might still worry a little.”

In and out, in and out. Raynor breathed in and out as he focused. All the years of repressing the voice of Halvor out of his head, now Raynor struggled to get the voice back, he struggled to even conjure him. He finally gave up with a frustrated groan, a wall nearby the victim of his frustration with a punch to it.

Ted stops to look at the wall, then glancing back over to who had punched it. “Everything alright over here?”  He wanted to make sure that everything was okay, more concerned about him rather than the wall itself.

“Yeah, I mean, this market is supposed to inclusive but, like, it doesn’t always feel like it is.”