Smoke and Mirrors
((Closed RP with @namco-why))
Bravo Woman never paid any attention to Bravoman before, and she was pretty good at coming up with reasons why she shouldn’t care about him or his silly adventures. She was performing real heroics, he was just some dumb kid with dumb powers who was playing hero. And yet, he was more widely recognized and beloved than she ever was. She knew that it wasn’t his fault. He had no control over his popularity. And who didn’t like a goofy underdog, right?
Still… she let her envy cloud her judgment. As the real hero, she should have been keeping tabs on the younger, less experienced goobers who called themselves her teammates, right? She, of all people, should have known better… that’s what she kept telling herself, anyways. That this was all her fault. It was irrational, it was silly, the others weren’t her responsibility before and they shouldn’t have been her responsibility now!
But she couldn’t help it… she couldn’t help that she was being eaten up by feelings of guilt and shame. Had it not been for Alpha calling her out of the blue, she might have never even known…
Three days. Three whole days, that poor little hero had been all alone in that hospital, surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place. No friends to call upon. No family to comfort him. Nothing to keep him company, except for the machines that beeped and hummed all around him.
Seeing him like that was the first time that it really sunk in for her. That Bravoman was just a kid. She’d been petty and cruel to a kid all this time.
It was the first time that she felt something for him other than annoyance and bitterness. She was horrified. She was heartbroken. She wanted to take that damned supersuit, throw it into Alpha’s face, and tell him that their game was over. She wanted to protect him and take him back to their home world, so that he wouldn’t have to be so isolated from everything that he knew.
And the most powerful feeling of them all? More powerful than her sadness and mother bear-like defensiveness over Bravoman? Anger. She was mad. And she wanted to avenge the young hero tenfold.
Bravo Woman was twice as vigilant as usual, as she flew around Mega City with her eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. She’d already managed to help several people today with minor problems, but she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t hoping for something big. Something to punch. Something to tear into pieces. She was angry at herself and whoever hurt Bravoman, and she needed some way to let it all out before she exploded!
No, stars, what was she thinking? Mindless violence wasn’t going to make her feel any better. That wasn’t the kind of person that she wanted to be; just some mindless machine that wrecked things for fun. She needed… she needed to sit down. Away from the chaos of the busy city streets. Away from people.
She found her way to one of the large and lush parks that dotted the city. She would have left and gone to someplace totally unpopulated by people, but she felt the need to stay close, incase someone needed her help. Bravoman already got hurt because she wasn’t around. She couldn’t let someone else share his fate.
Wandering for the last three days had left Reverse Anti cranky. He was used to taking things rough; spending a few years living in tents and makeshift shelters, eating whatever food one could get their hands on, it had been his norm for some time. That didn't make it any more enjoyable.
Somehow, this was worse. More than once, he'd been mistaken for one of the remarkably human robots of this world, and treated accordingly. Other times, he'd been mistaken for a small child, lost without his parents. And while, technically, he did qualify for some of those qualifiers, it still pissed him off.
His stomach growled lightly. He hadn't ate much today, on account of having very little money - he'd had to scrounge for dropped change to get what he did. Maybe a nap would make him feel better. With that in mind, he made his way in the direction of a nearby park he remembered passing.
He hadn't expected to see a familiar face when he arrived. Another familiar hero, but not the one he despised so much. He ducked behind a hedge, antennae perking up as he looked over Bravowoman.
Had Bravoman been foolish enough to tell her about him? He'd made it very clear that there would be consequences, and he doubted he was courageous enough to do anything after the beating he gave him.
... If he was still alive.
He pushed that unpleasant thought out of his head. No, it would be fine. If Bravowoman was here, maybe he could find out something useful from her. Something that could help catapult him back into the heroic spotlight. So, after a moment to rehearse what he'd say to her once she noticed him, he stood up and began to approach.