@the-hellblxzer

@the-hellblxzer​

Sharon put down her burger slowly. Looking at it for a long moment before popping her lips and looking up at Constantine. "And what would you have? Hot tea and crumpets?" She could have phrased it a thousand other ways that weren't rude or offensive, but Sharon had lost her taste for civility years ago. And Constantine was always quick to match her energy. (She knew she didn't have to hold back with him. Or apologize for existing how she did.)

"This is the best in the Tri-State area. What would you do that's so much better?"

@the-hellblxzer

"Do you get paid to handle this shit?" Colleen asked conversationally, looking up at the night sky, trying to find the person who had just taken off, but it was hard. They were just a speck in the night sky. (Which was also very dangerous, but Colleen was trying not to focus on the 'what happens if they fall' question that was screaming at her from the side.) "Because if you get paid - I should get paid. This is bullshit." She glanced at Constantine. "What do you Brits say? Piss? This is piss. I take it you don't fly, do you?"

They were talking again. That was a step at least. In what direction, Zatanna wasn’t sure yet. Knowing them, it would only be a matter of time before that penny dropped too and they started fighting with each other — but hopefully, that would be saved for a different conversation. But knowing what she had seen in Hell, she doubted it. Chances were, they’d start talking and Zatanna would fly off the handle again, about her father, and they would stop speaking for months again. 

And, in proper Zatanna fashion, the second that she saw him the words came flying out of her mouth. “Did you know?” She asked, heat in her voice, angry at the world for the revelations she had. Angry at John because she couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t know. “About my dad? About what he did? Did you know?” She wondered if he could smell the ash in the air. It didn’t matter how much she showered, she couldn’t rinse herself it. “I took a trip to Hell, John. Do you know what I found there?” 

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It was just a glimpse, that was all that Tabitha got before she was forming a bomb in her hand and in a panicked flurry, throwing it at the strange monstrosity that had formed. It looked like something had stepped straight out of hell and Tabby wished she could say she was drunk enough to imagine it. But the first look she got at it, whatever it was, had sobered her up in an instant. Her heart beating in her chest as she tried to breathe, another bomb forming in her hand. (It had been a long time since she had been this focused.) But then something happened and the man next to her said something. Surprises. She hadn’t even noticed he was there. Tabby clenched the energy in her hand and nearly threw it at him — but he wasn’t a monster. So, she quickly pitched it down the alley she had just thrown the last one in and huffed. “Jesus, wear a bell around your neck. Fuck.” Tabitha dramatically shook it off before shrugging. “What the fuck was that?”

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To his credit, he was trying. But Zatanna was uninterested. He was there and then gone so fast, and Zee had the same knack of dropping off the planet (sometimes literally) that this back and forth was exhausting. Right now? She was thinking about the last time this ended, and how if they tried it again, it’d get upended into another shitstorm that would leave her gutted. He had washed up for the Gala and put on a nice-ish outfit, passable at least. But her wounds ran deep, and a compliment wasn’t enough to smother the flames. 

Be polite. That was what she should have done. Smile and thank him and move on with your night. That was what she should have done. But she stood a few feet away from him with her arms crossed and a twisting in her stomach that told her to scream at him. Fighting the urge to tell him that a few nice words couldn’t make up for lost time or what had happened between them. Wouldn’t make up for the mistakes or disguise the fact he had compared her to his addiction. But they were in public. A place where she was working. So, she pulled back what she was feeling. Pulled back on her anger and pushed a smile to her face that was entirely for show. “Thanks,” she said, shifting in her spot, glancing to the side towards the small bundles of people inside the gala. “This isn’t your usual scene. A newfound interest in technology?” 

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It was all over the news. Nothing specific about who had died and how many were injured, but the general story... That was plastered everywhere. Mutants in the park. A battle --- people were dead and injured. No matter who was telling the story though, it was clearly slanted --- it felt like they were blaming everything on the mutants and Sofia was scared. And she hadn’t been that way in a long time. Even when she was sixteen and traveling a few hundred miles every day, she hadn’t been scared. With the power that she held in her hands, she knew she’d be safe.

But this was different. This wasn’t just about protecting herself --- it was so much more, and Sofia felt lost. And a bit panicked which lead to a small burst of energy from her hands, a bright orange glow that was gone in an instant when she clenched her fists. Someone saw. She heard the footsteps and Sofia turned around both hands up, the glow much brighter this time, ready to attack if she needed to. “Yeah,” Sofia said, trying to mask the panic she was feeling. “Learned that a long time ago. Dog eat dog world, right?”