Time spent with the young heroes awo closest friends was a balm that went beyond any private time and shopping spree could provide. As Sonya ughed and pyed games with the others she remembered more and more why she had thrown herself so hard into what she was doing in the first pd who she had do for. She wondered if that exhausted dream from the previous night had been more ho with her than she’d ever been with herself.
Ever sihe death of Firestorm and her fight with hua she had thrown herself with ever increasing ferocity into her efforts. Her fun loving and mischievous side had bee yet another mask to wear to cover up the exhaustion and bitterhat had been threatening to overwhelm her. It was not until she got to experiehe same brighthere in the living room of her New York apartment that she finally was able to see that with some measure of crity. That crity had e as something as a humbling shock, she had alrided herself on her own self awareness. She khat she ocrite in a lot of ways and often did not practice what she preached. She hadn’t realized, though, how deep that went.
Realizations aside, she could not just stop w with the timetable she erating on. Liberty was still making moves and steadily growing in power if the few Night Society observers they’d mao maintain amongst her people were to be believed. Qilin had been pacified for now though she represented a siderable threat if she ever decided to end their business retionship. Craftsman was now an object of attention for the Pandora ittee, Ewen’s recorded fession of his existence had driven the ittee to begin looking into the man known as Graham Taylor in order to uh his secrets.
There were long term problems to sider as well. Astaroth was still active in Paris, though the small gathering of vigintes arouive Martin who now called himself Mimir were angling to take the fight to him. That left First Wind and Majordomo as the most out-of-reach among the Heralds. First Wind’s antics had tapered off after Car’s assion to the role of Chairman. Her hard-lian colteral damage moving his more unseemly behaviors into the dark rather than bringing them out into the light. Majordomo was abseirely. He’d been sed only to Otis in the previous timeline and world famous for his power. No one had heard a thing about him in the current timelihough, and it was beginning to worry Sonya a little.
Surprisingly, the least pressing problem was the biggest threat. Otis was now a signed hero with ASTA and firmly under her observation. Though she had no trol over what kind of missions he went on and where, she could keep a much better eye on him and watch how he and his abilities developed over time. She hoped that, in that way, she could uh the secrets of his abilities and how to put ao him ond for all. Something told her that would be a long time ing, though, and it was best to be patient.
All of those s were finally put out of her mind as she enjoyed a little quality time with the people she had e to care about. Not all of them could be there, but that was something she had e to accept far more easily than her own shortings.
She was in the middle of watg Lillian and Snow duke it out in a rag game when she made a decision. “Hey gang, a moment?” she called out, drawing everyone's attention. She hopped to her feet and took a few skipping steps forward before spinning to stand in front of the TV. She searched their faces, a little sad not to see Ollie there but acc to Lillian he had quickly arranged for lodgings in the guild dorms before throwing himself int with the iigative team. Sonya roud of him for that.
Amos, Val, and Marta walked over from the ter where they’d been talking. “What’s up Sonya?” Amos asked.
Sonya put her hands on her hips, “Here’s the deal! I’m pnning a trip week. I was going t it up back at the Guild but I figured I’d address it with you guys first,” she said and held up a finger, “I’ve been pnning expanding ASTA’s is into Asia for a while, particurly Japan, and have a few people I’d like to meet while I’m there. Now I know you guys are on yrace period and should be spending time familiarizing yourself with New York, but what do you guys say to a little vacation before you dive into it?”
She grinned, “We could check out the guilds there of course, maybe do a little flexing,” she wi Lillian before looking up to the ceiling, “The tourist destinations would be a bst, though. Hot springs, shopping arcades, maid cafes,” she said the st item with a lecherous ugh. The ave her a ft look and she retur with her hands on her hips, “What! I know what I like!” She protested.
“I’ve always wao go,” Marta said with a wistful sigh.
Amos snorted, “Well of course yoing, you go wherever she does,” he teased her.
“True, but the perks don’t hurt,” Marta pointed out.
John raised a hand politely before putting it down after getting a raised eyebrow from Sonya, “I’m afraid it will not be possible for me to attend,” he said with a bit nation, “I have already created a work schedule with the Guildmaster.”
Val shrugged o him, “Yeah and I’m not all that ied, no offense,” he gowards Marta apologetically. “There’s ara course I gotta take with the guild before I’m allowed to fly iy so I’ll be doing that. It ain’t long but it’s gotta be done. I’m not from the city so I’d like to spend a little time getting used to things around here.”
“I thought you were all from Nashville,” Lillian said.
“Teically true, I went to school in Nashville,” Val said, “Didn’t see much of the town though. My family is on a farm about an hour out so I usually went hht away at the end of the day.”
“Well I’m in,” Cass said and elbowed Alex who grunted and sat up from where he was zoning out a little.
“Me too, definitely!” Alex said, “I wanna take a peek at what kind of brawlers they got over there.”
“Sapporo is a brawler-type, teically,” Snow pointed out, her voice filling the air like static.
“I thought he made people go crazy or something,” Alex said.
Lillian gave him an aghast look, “He makes people party and draws strength from the size of the party. Everyone knows that. His ability requirements are some of the most well known in the world because of Vegas. Have you been living under a rock?”
He squi her, “You wanch?”
“You two mess around all you want after I hear from the others,” Sonya ughed, pulling them out of their bickering, “Snow, Lily?”
“I’d love to go, but don’t we need passports?” Lillian asked, “I never got mine.”
“Me her,” Snow said, “Didn’t have a lot of opportuo go out of the try before I joined up as a hero,” she added sarcastically.
Sonya chuckled, “What are you talking about? You have passports.”
All of the young heroes except for John bli her in fusion. John snorted and looked away, getting a scowl from his friends. She clicked her tongue and shook her head, “A few somebodies got a questi on their legal exam, obviously,” she said and poio Lillian’s pocket, “It’s in there. Heroes are often required to go across borders to neighb tries to assist or may even be called in to aid the Iional team if it es to it. Your hero lise doubles as a passport. Look closely at it.”
They all hurried to pull out their wallets and check the card, peering closely at the lihere were of course the usual lines, id number, code name, real ier, ahe bottom; “Passport Identification Number,” Lillian read aloud, “Oooohhh!”
—
Oher side of the ti, a solitary pair trudged through the thiow that had coated a mountaihe wind picked up, the bitter cold not even tingling what little exposed skin they had. The trees around them creaked and groaned with the growing storm, snow floating around them in gusts before abruptly parting to let them pass as if they were cutting through a field. The first of the two wore heavy red-and-green clothes with a hood and scarf around her face. A heavy backpack hung on her back that didn’t seem to bother her despite her slight frame. She hummed merrily to herself.
Guildmaster Evergreen turned back to che the woman traveling with her. As opposed to herself who had little trouble in such climates even without her abilities, Bck Lotus held no love for the ceaseless snowfall. She wore thick bck robes that were tied tightly at her ankles and wrists to keep the heat in, her long hair bound up beh a hood and ed with a crimson scarf that seemed to ripple faintly with an odd heat-haze in the snowy climate. She reached up and pulled at the scarf, fixing it over her nose as she nodded silently to Evergreen.
“That’s fancy!” Evergreen shouted over the wind, pointing at her own scarf for emphasis.
“Got it in a dungeon!” Bck Lotus shouted back, “How far out are we?”
“Just over this ridge!” Evergreen replied, “Which dungeon?”
“Seoul!” Bck Lotus said as they tiheir trudging path, making their and over the ridge to look down on a clearing that had taken shape irees. The woods seemed to have fallen away in a near-perfect circle around a tral point. There, amidst the clearing, air of obelisks practically radiating mana off of them. Between them a portal had taken shape, rippling and fluctuating as the wind blew through it. “What ?” Bck Lotus shouted.
“ I set up our living arras!” Evergreen called, “Don’t want our backup getting bowled over with snow when they e through!”
“Is the ittee sending backup?” Bck Lotus asked.
“Not unless you !” Evergreen shouted before hopping forwards and sliding down the snow bank a little. She threw out both hands and spyed her fingers, pointing them down before dipping forward in a scooping motion and dragging her hands up into the air. All around them the ground seemed to tremble as snow shifted and the wi still. Then, without warning, the snow around the portal began to draw into itself in a rge ring around the e of the clearing before ung up into the air. It arced over the portal before colliding with itself, More snow moved from the surrounding area, building and building on top of the mound that was beginning to take shape.
Evergree out a breath and brought both of her hands towards one another, palms soon pressing together as she hunched her shoulders in focus. The snow began to shrink in on itself, pressing down until a dome of smooth, opaque, white ice had formed over the dome while leaving the surrounding area almost pletely cleared. Bck Lotus let out a breath filled with awe, “That was amazing.”
Evergreen barked out a ugh, “Yeah? I may not be the stro in the world, but here?” she gestured around herself, “I’m invincible. e on! I made you a room!” she said eagerly and slid down the nearly clear hill that had bee behind after using its snow. She hustled over to one side of the dome and held out a hand, an opening f in the dome and revealing an already lit interior.
Bck Lotus hurried after her and stepped through the opening, pulling back her hood as she looked around and down. She was standing on a floor that looked like it had been shaped to look like tiles. The opening led into a hallway that stretched forward before stopping at a crossing. Evergreen threw her hood back as Bck Lotus looked up at the ceiling. A crystalline piece of ice was floating over their heads aing off a fortable glow that added a strange warmth to the space, “What is that?”
“I make ice with unusual properties depending on avaible ingredients,” Evergreen said as she walked forward, “on room ary to the portal room is on the left, living quarters are on the right.”
Bck Lotus raised an eyebrow, “Ingredients? You mean snow?”
Evergreen gnced back at her and winked, “Among other things, girls gotta have some secrets, right?”
“Sure, sure,” Bck Lotus admitted, looking around as they hung a left into a sizeable room with tables and stools all made of hardened ice. She pulled off a glove and ran her fingers across it. It was cold but not painfully so. More iingly, it was dry as stone. She rubbed her fiogether before looking back at Evergreen, “This is incredible.”
“I’m just getting started. We o fortify it as well. I’ll take care of that, though. You should probably call up Euclidia ahat scout of yours in,” she said and walked back through the entryway to the on room and down towards the outside.
Bck Lotus pressed her lips together and looked around the room one more time before letting out a breath and pulling her pho from within her robes. She opened her phone, spotting a notification she hadn’t felt e in. She ope and smiled. Sonya was standing with her phostretched and smiling with several of the new young heroes behind her as well as Marta and Amos. A message was attached, ‘Be safe’.
She rahumb over the image for a moment before letting out a breath. She wasn’t sure why seeing Sonya’s face dredged up plicated feelings beyond the ones she already had but she let it go. It wasn’t important. She had a job to do. She hadn’t been fident about fag this dungeon before but now she felt like she was ready to take it on. She selected a tad her phone dialed, the call ringing only once before Euclidia answered.
“Chuchu! Hey girl hey!” she said brightly.
“Hey Molly,” Bck Lotus said brightly, “We’ve arrived at the target destination.”
“Awesome!” Euclidia said before it sounded like she turned away from the phone, “Hey, Gravy-traihe nexus set up for a portal from the scouts rally point to Bck Lotus’ current location,” she paused, “Yeah I meant you! What, you don’t like the niame?” Euclidia came back to the phone, “New kid doesn’t like his niame. We’re on it.”
Bck Lotus ughed, “I don’t know if I’d like to be called that either,” she said, “Who are we getting?”
“Sending you a scout team of five and a few fresh graduates who will be shadowing them during the initial dive. They won’t be participating in the main op but it’ll be a good experience, one of our security boys is actually scout certified and offered to help out,” Euclidia expined, “His name’s z, good kid, be o him.”
“Looking forward to meeting him,” Bck Lotus said as an arch began to form in front of her.
“Portal ining, good luck Chuchu!”
Bck Lotus grinned, “Thanks, it's good to be ba the job.”
