the challenger

    strange is an understatement. this couldn’t have been a normal power outage⁠—the lights didn’t flicker, they just died. the backup generators, which should have started up, had yet to bathe the room in their deep, red glow. something, or someone was tampering with things. “curious,” the voice speaks, their spine straightening. they don’t turn to address wednesday directly⁠—in the darkness, there’s no need. “we should make our way to the backup generators. something is inhibiting them.” a pause. “we would appreciate you coming along with us. you’re better in combat situations than we are.”

With Kara having the day off and the apartment to herself while Connor was out, she decided to take the opportunity to do some cleaning. With both of them working full time, the dust had been slowly been accumulating and she’d had enough. The blonde had just finished her intense spree with Pledge and a dozen paper towels when a banging at the door startled her. Once she heard a very familiar voice, she quickly relaxed and ran to put away her supplies before answering. 

“Oof, hello,” she greeted, gathering the tupperware of baked goods into her arms with a short laugh. “Why if it isn’t my favorite day of the week. You know I’d love to test your newest creation so you came to the right place. Come on in.” Kara stepped back, leaving the door open for Wednesday to follow her inside to the kitchen where she set the container on the counter and popped it open. “I can tell it’s an emergency, you still got a little somethin’––” She smiled warmly, gesturing to her own cheek to indicate Wednesday had just little flour…everywhere. 

The older Meta inhaled the sweet scent before her. “Mm, smells goods. Okay, explain to me exactly what fusion-inspired cake truffles are made of.” 

   an unimpressed glance is thrown at the little title. it’s gone in a blink and replaced with a silly grin. “ aren’t you the clever one , kara. always coming up with the trendiest little names and creations. can’t wait , to hear future baby name ideas. ” she throws out playfully , graciously stepping into the woman’s living space. toeing off shoes , she’s placing them neatly to the side. “ yes , yes. i know , i know. i couldn’t be bothered with making myself presentable , my apologies. anything more than an hour , and you start to lose that freshness. and what sort of friend would i be , for allowing such foolery? ” wednesday counters with an arched brow. she’s oozing excitement , hardly able to keep from bouncing around. 

Simon nodded in response to the girl’s question. “An honest answer,” Simon had never looked at them in the past – he’d had more important concerns and doubted he’d ever recognize any of the kids if he happened to come across them. Even when he did stop to read the poster, most had been missing for ten or more years – what was the likelihood they’d return then? “I can’t exactly tear through schools looking for one person, no,” He shook his head. “I doubt I’d ever even run into them at the gas station or grocery store. But I…I can’t blame them – these families, I mean – for not taking any posters down. Unless you know what happened…you’ll always keep hoping they’re out there.”

  “ these situations rarely , hold anyone at blame. it is unfortunate for those families , you’re right. though i’m sure by this time .... they’ve learned to move on. ” she suggests with a small frown , now eyeing the same poster. “ in all fairness ... some of them could have very well , returned home. a few missed posters are no surprise , since you’re not thinking of how many , you post. ” wednesday tires to offer the stranger some peace of mind , instead of continuing to think too hard on it. “ are you by chance ... speaking from experience? you don’t have to answer , if it’s a touchy subject. just seems you’re overly fascinated , with this topic. ” 

@wotnastarters​

“How often do you pay attention to these missing child posters?” Simon absently asked. He knew he stood right in the middle of the pathway, knew he was a bother to many as evident by the grumbling and cursing he heard from those who pushed passed him, He knew – or assumed, at least – that the person approaching him intended on asking him to move to the side or see if this stranger standing on a busy pathway with a red scarf and gloves staring at have you seen me? posters that had to be at least five years old was having some sort of mental breakdown. He wasn’t, actually, but he did stand there and he did stare. “I try and memorize their faces. At least one face. I know it’s more likely to see these kids enrolled in a school than on the street, but…” He shook his head. “I’d like to reunite them with their families. If I could.”

  a strange question , indeed. she certainly felt for the missing children and their families but trying to memorize their faces though? not exactly something she did. it’s hard to worry about anyone else these days , her own family taking top priority. in wednesday’s mind , there wasn’t a need to fuss over the posters. for all they knew , the child could have been found. “ well ... i’ll be honest ... not very often , if at all. and i know that sounds harsh but .... it’s really not any of my concern. why worry about it , if it’s out of your control? that time and energy could be used to benefit yourself , or to do something more useful. ” she answers honestly , with a slight shrug of shoulders. “ you certainly can’t go school to school or class to class , in search of a child who may very well ... be gone , gone. it’s best not to think too much on it , it’ll send you into a spiral. ”  

It’s been a while since Valentine played the violin. He hadn’t touched a violin since the Nephilim attack. Ever since it felt like a symbol of mediocrity. What he could have been- an orchestra violinist playing every night. Funny how powers can change a person. 

As he continued playing Bach’s Sonnata No.1, all the memories shifted back to his old placeholder days. The days he just wanted to impress his parents guests and his siblings with his skill. He would have been lucky to be considered the next Hilary Hahn but he could play in the best orchestras if he wanted to.  

Valentine felt hmself stop playing and put his violin down. There was some dollar  bills and change in his case. Valentine shook his head. “I can’t believe someone put money for my playing.” He said to no one in particular. “Any professional would have scolded me, don’t you think?” 

@wotnastarters​

    “ good thing i’m far , from a professional. i thought you played beautifully for what it’s worth , it sounded great. ” wednesday gives him a small smile as she steps forward , curtly placing a ten, among the change. “ you seem to truly enjoy playing and that’s what matters , not what some old stuff , thinks. plus , you sound way better than my little sister. she’s still learning her chords and finger placement , all that fun beginner stuff. ” it’s always refreshing to see others who are passionate about something that others find boring or unimportant. earning recognization was both overly easy and tough , nowadays. “ are you practicing for something , or just playing for fun? ” 

     they nodded, turning to guide the young woman back toward where testing would be conducted. some of them were attuned to the metahuman following behind, but most resources were put to considering the task ahead—abilities of their type and caliber were interesting, but difficult to study. “yes, we were surprised as well.” their departments were closely linked, but then, most are. “we have isolated a key gene resulting in a specific hybrid-class metahuman, but there are several thousand others that may also require collection. but we hope to continue making progress in replicating it.” they paused, reaching their destination. “if you would take a seat here, please.”

He had to admit that he was bit surprised by her answer. Most women thanked him for coming to their rescue, but she didn’t seem to be like most women. Maybe he should’ve waited before he swooped in to save the day. But better safe than sorry was what he always said. “Trust me bars are much more my scene to, but the money here is too good to pass up” Nick told her. Watching the man get back up and make his way back over. “Well it looks you’re going to get your explanation.” Although the man didn’t look like he was in a talking mood anymore.