My Heart Goes Out With This One

Ethari in the last seconds of 6x09:

The rest of the Silvergrove

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

-----

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know...

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

“Where?” He asked after a good minute of walking, finally catching the words.

“Unless you don’t mind if I stay.” He offered, “can never tell with you vigilante types.”

“And you call me a dumbass.” He muttered, before sitting back a moment.

After a few minutes, he made absolute sure Catalyst-or Ethari, actually-was truly asleep…then reached up and unclamped the gas mask. Pulling it carefully away from the vigilante’s face.

He looked at the mask in his hands now, careful not to move it too much now he knew the voice changer was sensitive. So that was how it worked…he may consider something similar in the future. It did become a pain for both of them when he had to change his appearance her way…

He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. He looked at the sleeping figure again, then took a deep breath before leaning forward again. It would be a bit tricky…but it wasn’t the first time for him.

After that little whine, Ethari readjusted his sleeping position to account for the mask, but luckily for Aaravos he was unaware of the bull fuckery that had just occurred. 

Three hours later, Ethari woke with a groan, lifting a hand up to his face to try to pull away the mask before the off texture of the couch struck his hand, and he jolted, sitting upright immediately. He looked around, eyes fully alert and momentarily alarmed before he saw Aaravos, and settled with a relieved sigh. “Oh, it’s just you.” Ethari mumbled, more to himself. His hair was a mess, even if he couldn’t see it he could feel it and a part of him began scolding the other part for flipping off the hood while he was delirious. He reached up with a gloved hand then brushed the white, purple highlighted hair away from his face. He then fixed Aaravos with a look of inquiry. “How long was I out?” From what he could tell, it was still dark so he hadn’t been gone for two long but Runaan was probably home by now…

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

“Where?” He asked after a good minute of walking, finally catching the words.

“Unless you don’t mind if I stay.” He offered, “can never tell with you vigilante types.”

“And you call me a dumbass.” He muttered, before sitting back a moment.

After a few minutes, he made absolute sure Catalyst-or Ethari, actually-was truly asleep…then reached up and unclamped the gas mask. Pulling it carefully away from the vigilante’s face.

He looked at the mask in his hands now, careful not to move it too much now he knew the voice changer was sensitive. So that was how it worked…he may consider something similar in the future. It did become a pain for both of them when he had to change his appearance her way…

He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. He looked at the sleeping figure again, then took a deep breath before leaning forward again. It would be a bit tricky…but it wasn’t the first time for him.

After that little whine, Ethari readjusted his sleeping position to account for the mask, but luckily for Aaravos he was unaware of the bull fuckery that had just occurred. 

Three hours later, Ethari woke with a groan, lifting a hand up to his face to try to pull away the mask before the off texture of the couch struck his hand, and he jolted, sitting upright immediately. He looked around, eyes fully alert and momentarily alarmed before he saw Aaravos, and settled with a relieved sigh. “Oh, it’s just you.” Ethari mumbled, more to himself. His hair was a mess, even if he couldn’t see it he could feel it and a part of him began scolding the other part for flipping off the hood while he was delirious. He reached up with a gloved hand then brushed the white, purple highlighted hair away from his face. He then fixed Aaravos with a look of inquiry. “How long was I out?” From what he could tell, it was still dark so he hadn’t been gone for two long but Runaan was probably home by now...

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

“Where?” He asked after a good minute of walking, finally catching the words.

“Unless you don’t mind if I stay.” He offered, “can never tell with you vigilante types.”

“And you call me a dumbass.” He muttered, before sitting back a moment.

After a few minutes, he made absolute sure Catalyst-or Ethari, actually-was truly asleep…then reached up and unclamped the gas mask. Pulling it carefully away from the vigilante’s face.

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

“Where?” He asked after a good minute of walking, finally catching the words.

“Unless you don’t mind if I stay.” He offered, “can never tell with you vigilante types.”

@asking-the-danger-star

Basis: Xadia is a single, massive city full of people with superpowers. The strongest of these powered individuals- Heroes- have control of the city, and the right by law to do whatever necessary to keep the people safe.

However, unrest grows as crime runs rampant in the poorest districts of Xadia, with three gangs rise to power beneath their noses. Forced to defend themselves when the heroes won’t, everyday civilians rise to take the roles of vigilantes- Illegal, untrained, and unlicensed heroes with the intent to defend their homes the way heroes do not. 

Tensions are rising, gang violence is becoming commonday, and the heroes are arresting Vigilantes for doing what’s right.

The city lies in unrest for the uncertain road ahead.

—–

Deep Breath.

In. Out. 

Again.

The cold, crisp air of winter filled Ethari’s lungs, only to flow out once again as he continued his exercise, winters final breaths dancing around him like a flame, but frozen. Instead of red, burning embers, only the pale white of snowflakes dotted the air around him.

Probably the last snow Xadia would see for awhile. 

A quiet part of Ethari’s mind reminded him of the dangers that came with doing this: Sitting on the rooftop of some apartment in Lower Xadia, watching the sky while snow fell around and on him without remorse. 

He could catch a cold like this, and then when he returned home Runaan would question why. Surely a simple walk wouldn’t cause that much damage, right? The accountant would know. 

Actually, that thought was quite loud now, as Ethari’s throat seemed to close in on itself with the fear of Runaan guessing the true reason for a cold correctly. Even if it had been ten years of them being together, with barely a hint of suspicion, Runaan couldn’t know…

Ethari shoved the fear away as quickly as he felt it come, but finally the vigilante stood. He shook the stray snow out of the mess he called his hair, then pulled his hood up to hide the white strands from the public, zipping up the purple and green jacket to fight the cold, then following quickly with the mask as a final seal to prevent him from being recognized.

Though simple compared to most of the hero’s masks, Ethari always felt a sense of pride when thinking about his own, a gas mask that barely stopped at his cheekbones, carefully painted purple with green and silver accents as it wrapped around the bottom half of his face, clipping onto the hoodie then locking in a way only he knew how to undo. 

“Test.” He started, listening closely to his voice through the mask before sighing in relief when the same words came out low and borderline menacing, monumentally different than his own. He had to fix the voice changer not two days ago because it had stopped working, so to hear the familiar electronic rasp was a relief. Missed like an old friend.

But okay, Ethari had his relaxing time, now the moon was rising and as it did so would crime throughout Lower Xadia.

“Where?” He asked after a good minute of walking, finally catching the words.

“Unless you don’t mind if I stay.” He offered, “can never tell with you vigilante types.”