"everyone needs a little light in their life."

[nightstarofcentral]

aherocslcgacy‌:

john chuckled as he lowered his head - batman’s stories were like myths now, batman disappeared to become a gothamite urban legend, but all of his successors remained. there was a red robin and a spoiler, a nightwing, and from the looks of it there was going to be a red hood soon enough. the bat symbol would never fade but they would be realities to those in the family. 

john noted the look on mar’i face, a look of concern, and understandably so – the bar was for all descriptions a sleazy place, and if it hadn’t been for the desperation not to just break off the hang out and go their separate ways so soon john would have turned around and never stepped foot into that place and let his sister in it. he moved closer to mar’i, his hand hovering at the small of her back protectively as he sneered over her head at the men’s hungry eyes that followed them inside. 

“two beers.” he muttered tersely as soon as they’d arrived at the bar, not even giving mar’i the chance to browse, it was better if they got in, had a drink, and got out immediately. john tried to relax but every muscle in his body was coiled for springing, and not in a good way, as he leaned against the bar and studied it carefully and the patrons inside it.

Mar’i could feel John’s mood shift from jovial to protective, maybe it was due to them being twins, but she could just feel the air around them change ever so slightly. She gave him a reassuring smile as they walked to the bar, taking a seat on one of the less dirty bar stools. “Well, it’s a good thing I like beer.” She said jokingly, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

She took a sip of beer and nearly let out a sound of disgust. “Warm beer... Nice.” She said with a laugh, finding it remarkable how she felt simultaneously at home and out of place in the dingy light of the bar. She held up her glass for him to cheers. “Here’s to you, Nightwing.” She’d missed messing with him.

[nightstarofcentral]

abercrombiearcher‌:

“Hey, it’s alright.” Roy took her gently by the shoulders, giving them a soft squeeze to try and calm her down. “I get it, okay. I know it’s not the same, but when I started this I had my own doubts to contend with.” He admitted. He knew getting back in the game held a lot of risks - to himself, to his family, not least of all to the stability of his marriage that had been on such a straight course since he gave up the hood - that he had often wondered if he should do it at all. “And briefly, I had powers I couldn’t control - a long, long time ago. But Oliver… he taught me ways to manage it. To keep my mind under control, and  therefore keep everything else the same. It takes time, but you’ll learn to keep it under control. I know you will.”

Mar’i took a deep breath, looking at her Uncle with a worried expression. Her mom had mentioned once that Roy had powers once upon a time, but she’d always told Mar’i and John not to bother him about it. “I know that I’ll get there, but it’s just frustrating.” She said honestly, feeling herself calming down. “I just want to be the best me that I can be.”

[nightstarofcentral]

aherocslcgacy‌:

“i guess i do.” john smiled - though it was an easier smile, as he stood up. he tossed the peanut container into the trash before looking back at his sister, debating it momentarily. they could just grab two beers quickly and leave, it didn’t have to become a fender bender, right? “yeah sure, let’s go do that.” he finally agreed as he tucked his hands into his jacket’s pockets. 

he threw his head back as he tried to recall the bar’s name, “god, i can’t remember it, at all.” he shook his head, laughing a little, “riddler was only a threat to himself, once you come to think of it.”

Mar’i pulled her jacket on, and began to slowly walk to the exit alongside John. “Oh totally. He’d literally leave clues around to make it easier for Pops to bust him.” She said with a laugh, brushing her hair off her face as they walked into the cool night air.

She looked at the bar apprehensively. It had a smashed window and a crap ton of biker guys outside, so she wasn’t exactly confident about the pair of them not getting into trouble. Nonetheless she marched across the street, leading the way to the door of the bar and ignoring the wolf whistles of the patrons outside.

[nightstarofcentral]

aherocslcgacy‌:

it was odd, to go this long without seeing his sister, or his mother. he hadn’t meant to cut them off, but in his anger he’d shielded himself from any reminders of his family, focused on his training, let his anger fester and become his sole propellant. but there was someone in his life that reminded him there was more to life than anger, and as their father’s anniversary rolled around the corner, john realized he’d talked big but that’s all he had. talk. in reality, he realized, he needed his family more than ever. he knew it would be difficult to just call up his mother after all this time - there was a great deal of shame involved. did she even know he’d picked up his father’s mantle? but mar’i? she’d forgive him, he was sure.

and he was right. even when the suggestion of going out bowling seemed overwhelming at first, he went along with it - he was in no position to negotiate, but somehow, some way, they’d gotten back into the routine of it all, and the competitiveness took over. they were only a few points apart, john was going to win, only if mar’i didn’t get a “- what?!” he blew out, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips, “you…damn. i can’t believe that.” he shook his head, clicking his tongue as he finally got up from the seat he was at, “i guess i owe you a drink then.”

“I guess you do.” She said with a smile, punching her brother lightly on the arm and taking a sip of her soda. She was a little sad that the game was over, and she wasn’t ready for their reunion to be cut short. “There’s a bar across the street? It’s a bit gross, but it can’t be anywhere as bad as that irish place in downtown Gotham.”

She thought hard for a second, trying to remember what the place’s name was. “Oh god, what was it called? Dad and Pops used to go there all the time to deal with Riddler.”

[nightstarofcentral]

abercrombiearcher‌:

“This is why you don’t drink before checking the cup.” Roy told her, wiping at the lip of his cup as he took it back. “There’s nothing wrong with the classic. You’re lucky I could even say whatever it is I got you. I think it’s your usual.” He told her, digging around in the bag he had brought for a croissant and biting into it. He gave her a sympathetic look at her words, before a weak chuckle escaped him as he considered her question. “I really wish I could say yes to that, kid.” He muttered, shaking his head a little. “When you put on a mask, there’s sacrifices you make in other parts of your life. And you gotta decide how much of those sacrifices you’re willing to make - if they’re worth it.”

She mock laughed at his comment, taking a sip of her oat milk latte and giving him the finger. She couldn’t help but feel a little sad when he said no, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. Everyone she knew in the hero game had suffered in aid of someone else, and she knew that one day she would too. “I just- I’m happy to be doing what I’m doing, I just don’t know of it’s what I should be doing.” She started, her voice shaky. “I mean, I can barely control my powers Uncle Roy, what happens if I lose control and-” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. “Sorry, got a little locked on there.”

[nightstarofcentral]

historyhasitseyesonus‌:

William hung back in the darkened shadows of the first alcove that spotted. Underground fight clubs are a lot more spacious than I expected. He knew he needed back up but didn’t have the heart to call on Uncle Roy to cover his ass this time. It wasn’t fair to put him in the line of fire; not anymore. This wasn’t his fight anymore. Mar’i wasn’t his resolution for his lack of skill but more so the perfect cover for his search. Mia’s disappearance wouldn’t have signaled too many flags seven months earlier. The two hardly knew each other then but now he believed they had a better connection than this.

The radio silence made him queasy and he exhausted all of his resources and tech to find her. Why not start where this all began? 

“Hello to you too, Mar’i. It’s nice to see you,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “I thought a young woman like you would know a thing or two about clubbin’.” William smirked. His motives weren’t entirely impure. Maybe he’d find his sister and get a few dances in with his favorite Grayson. 

Mar’i eyed him suspiciously, wondering what was really going on here. “Oh yeah, you know me.” She looked around, grimacing a little when she saw someone wasted struggling to stand up in the corner. “Party animal.”

She’d forgotten how easy it was to be around William. He never expected too much from her, and he always knew exactly how to get a smile out of her. “Look, let’s cut the crap Willy,” She said, smirking as she said William’s least favourite pet name. “You want to club, just as much as I want to give Killer Croc a sponge bath. Spill.”

[nightstarofcentral]

abercrombiearcher‌:

Roy shot Mar’i a smile as she opened the door to him, accepting her hug readily. “Hey kiddo.” He murmured. At least someone was happy to see him recently. “Of course, you ever doubted me?” He told her as he pulled back from the hug where he had kept his arms awkwardly stock-still - balancing two cups of coffee in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other. “Just checking on in things. You doing okay?”

Mar’i let out a grateful sigh, taking the cups of coffee and pastries and placing them on the kitchen counter. “Thank you.” She said, smiling and taking a sip of coffee before letting out a sound of disgust. “Americano.” She said as she passed the cup to Roy, knowing that was his drink of choice. “I’m okay. Just had a lot going on with John and all this hero stuff.” She settled on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Does it ever get easier to balance the normal with the, well, not so normal?”

[nightstarofcentral]

Mar’i was woken up by the sound of her doorbell ringing.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. As they adjusted to the light, she stretched and grabbed her phone from her side table. She slipped out of bed, heading in the direction of the front door to see who was visiting this early. She’d been out on patrol all night, and she really could have used another couple of hours.

She looked through the peephole, seeing her Uncle Roy and pulling the door open. She smiled at him groggily, giving him a quick hug. “If you’re dropping in this early, I sincerely hope you brought breakfast.” She said, moving aside to let him into her apartment.

@abercrombiearcher

[nightstarofcentral]

Mar’i usually wouldn’t be caught dead in Star City. But when she’d received the call from William, she knew that she needed to pay him a visit. If it was anyone else, she’d have left it a while. But after he’d helped her through everything with her dad, she owed him. Big time.

When she’d gotten to the address he’d texted to her, she was puzzled. A huge warehouse on the outskirts of the city wasn’t exactly what she’d expected, but when she saw a group of people heading to a small hatch at the side of the warehouse, her curiosity was piqued and she followed. As she went through the hatch, she began to hear music pounding and realised that this must be some sort of underground club. She desperately wanted to think about how cool this was, but she was anxious to find William and find out what they were doing there. She was about to walk further in when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see William standing in front of her.

“Do tell, why the hell have you brought me here?”

@historyhasitseyesonus

[nightstarofcentral]

Before he died, Mar’i’s dad would take her and John bowling every other weekend. 

He’d drive them to the bowling alley, singing along to the radio as he did, and they’d play a few games. Usually, the day would end with them eating far too much pizza before passing out on the couch whilst watching cartoon reruns. It wasn’t your typical type of bonding, but it was theirs. It was sacred.

When she’d received the text from John, asking if they could hang out, she’d immediately suggested bowling. She hadn’t seen him since their argument on the rooftop, and she wanted to do something special. Something that could remind them of their dad.

When they’d first arrived, it had been a little awkward. But as they started playing, and the game had gotten closer to the end, things were actually kind of nice. She’d just thrown her last ball, watching as it soared down the middle of the lane and earned her a strike.

“That’s how it’s done, Johnny Boy.”

@aherocslcgacy

[nightstarofcentral]

aherocslcgacy‌:

“it was never my intention for it to be a secret.” john shrugged his shoulders - despite the distance, his mother was far too close for him to try keep secrets from her, so was his sister. he kept them at a distance, for their safety. surely the court would take attention to the new nightwing and he wanted them as far away as possible when they showed up. or at least, that’s what he told himself.

“just because you have powers doesn’t mean you should be doing this. mom isn’t, and it’s a smart decision. it’s a not go time for people with powers.”

“Could have fooled me.” She said, words dripping with hurt as she spoke. John and Mar’i were best friends when they were kids, but now? They barely spoke, and when they did they butted heads.

“I want to help people John. Mom and Dad used to risk everything, and I’ll be damned if I let innocent people get hurt whilst I sit back and do nothing.” She’d been inactive for too long, the resistance needed help and she had the power to do so. “The resistance needed help with the underground railroad, so I stepped up. I figure actually doing this to protect people is better than doing it for revenge.” Mar’i regretted it as soon as she said it, but she couldn’t take it back. This was months, maybe even years, of emotions building to a breaking point. She needed her brother, and he wasn’t there.

[nightstarofcentral]

abercrombiearcher‌:

Roy shook off the question with a laugh at first, but Mar’i’s insistence made him pause long enough to consider it. “Invulnerability.” He answered after a moment. “Like… Supergirl and Superman had, y’know? Conventional weapons couldn’t hurt them. I could protect people without having to think and assess the risk.” He muttered. It had been the choice he ultimately had to make when he retired as Arsenal - was being a vigilante, a hero, more important than his own life, than ensuring he lived long enough to see his children grow up and take care of them? It hadn’t been easy for him to reconcile that there was only really one choice he could make - nothing could come before his family, even his city.

mar’i nodded in understanding, she could see why her uncle roy felt that way. she’d been lucky, inheriting her mom’s enhanced durability. other people didn’t have that luxury. “i think that’s one of the reasons i always found what you, dad, and uncle jason did so amazing.” she said quietly. “you’re just as in danger as those you’re protecting, but you risk everything to keep them safe.”

[nightstarofcentral]

marcelinedeleon‌:

Marceline chuckled softly at the younger being in awe of her. “Well you’ve certainly come to the right place.” She said. “I’m glad you decided to step up to help.” She added.

She wasn’t gonna scold the woman for sitting on the sidelines til now. “Tamaranean. Read a file once about them. Proud warriors I believe. Could be mixing that up with another Alien species. Been a really long time since I kept up with Alien races.” She explained.

“In any case, the Resistance welcomes you.” Marceline said. “How about we walk and talk. Then you can get a sense of what you’re helping protect.” She said with a soft smile.

“proud warrior? that sounds a hell of a lot like my mom.” she said with a laugh, relaxing a little. “i actually don’t know much about them myself.” her mom never really spoke about her home planet, most likely because it was too painful.

“thanks.” kory said, looking around again. “yeah, walking and talking. two of my favourite activities.” she’d said with a laugh, before cringing at her weird attempt at humour.

[nightstarofcentral]

aherocslcgacy‌:

john hated it when his sister put on the same vigilante leathers he did and ventured out in the street. he knew, technically, she had the advantage of her powers. but every time she went out, he shadowed her, made sure she didn’t get in over her head. each time her fighting got better, her reflexes more succinct - but each blow she got in return of miscalculations made the tension run through his body. he was preparing to engage when took the last of thugs down, emerging out of the darkened alley when she called him out.

“does mom know you’re running around in her old suit?” john commented as he dragged his eyes along the suit – it nothing for practicality, that was for sure. “what are you doing, mar’i?”

mar’i let her eyes roll back as her brother started talking, a sudden surge of irritation going through her. “i mean, i haven’t told her, but she probably knows.” she said with a shrug. “same way she’s probably guessed who’s running around using dad’s old codename.”

“what am I doing?” she said incredulously. “same thing as you genius.”

[nightstarofcentral]

marcelinedeleon‌:

Marceline noticed the woman’s look at her armor. “What never seen an Amazonian?” She joked with a small smirk. “Joking aside, Sanctuary is always looking for helpers, and the Resistance always needs more fighters.” She said. “Nice to meet you Mar'i. I’m Marceline, I run Sanctuary.” She introduced.

“If you’re looking to stay out of the field and just help, then there is plenty to do around here. From cooking and cleaning, to helping moral, teaching kids, passing out rations, and making sure people are kind to each other.” She explained.

“If your looking to take the fight back to A.R.G.U.S. we have all kinds of things to do that help.” Marceline said. “So what can you tell me about yourself?” She asked.

“nope. i heard a lot about them when i was growing up though.” mar’i said, smiling at the women in awe. she nodded along with the woman’s words, considering what she was saying carefully.  after a few seconds of deliberation, she spoke. “i’m here to fight. i’ve spent too long sitting around whilst innocent people are in danger.” 

“well, i’m half tamaranean, half human. so there’s a few powers that come hand in hand with that. flight, starbolts... all that stuff.”

[nightstarofcentral]

abercrombiearcher‌:

“You’re not the only person I know nowadays who can fly - not so impressive after the third or fourth person.” Roy quipped back with a joking smirk mirroring her own. “Besides, I’m not a big fan of flying - I get travel sick something awful on planes, so if I had to pick a superpower flight wouldn’t be it.”

“okay. fair point.” she said with a smile, punching her uncle lightly on the arm. “what would you choose?” she said curiously. “i’m serious! if some magic wizard said he could give you one superpower, what would it be?”

[nightstarofcentral]

marcelinedeleon‌:

Marceline had spotted the woman, and it was easy to tell how overwhelmed she was. Walking over she gently tapped her on the shoulder. A smile crossed her face as the other turned around.

Though perhaps she might come off a little intimidating to someone new, armor usually had that effect. She didn’t exactly get many chances to wear civilian clothes. “You look lost, can I help you?” She asked.

mar’i’s eyebrows raised a little when she saw the woman wearing armour, a little confused as to how things had gotten quite so weird so quickly. “yeah, i’ve come to help out. or- i don’t know. fight or whatever.” she said quickly, making a weak punching motion when she said the word fight. “my name’s mar’i.”