Hello, my name is Terry Johnson and I’m the new IT guy for SDN.
Though I might find the IT Help Desk to be a bit of a waste of my talents, I appreciate the opportunity to work with all of you.
Just to clear the air about my past, yes, I used to be the supervillain known as Technomancer. As a part of the conditions of my parole and with the help of the Phoenix Program, here I am.
Anyway, the IT portal is down again so send any requests you have to me directly and I’ll handle them. Thank you.
Terry Johnson (he/him)
IT Help Desk Technician
Phoenix Program Member
About the OC - SDN Bio:
LORE
Technomancer was arrested by Arthur Greystorm, known as Wizard (@the-mighty-wiz)
He was released 4 months later on parole with a few conditions: He must stay within the LA area. He cannot use his powers. And he must work for the Superhero Dispatch Network.
He hates inefficiency so he is doing his best to make the IT department of the Torrance SDN Branch work to the best of its ability.
Terry recently found out that a good portion of tech and weapons that he made is still on the street, likely in the hands of an unknown criminal syndicate. Terry is working with the FBI to track the weapons down.
He has a crush on Blonde Blazer.
He hates being called TJ. His preferred nickname is Tech.
He likes Dungeons and Dragons, cheese curds and buffalo wings.
He has a black and white cat named Cookie.
(MOD)
Hi! It's @cheeseknight5. I'm having fun with the Dispatch RP tag so I'm updating Terry.
I'm also running @the-mighty-wiz, @dispatch-control, and @always-punching-up so I'm clearly having fun here.
INFO & RULES
Mod is 30+ years old and uses he/him pronouns.
If you wanna ask something OOC, please distinguish it however you please.
I’m down to interact with anything, especially if it is Dispatch related.
I'm a-OK with flirting
However, I won’t interact with the following:
Racism, homophobia, exclusionism, etc.
OOC rudeness
Major NSFW. I'm getting okay with some of it so keep it light.
THIS PUTA COMES UP ME AND SPILLS FUCKIN COFFEE ALLLL OVER MY CIRCUITS. RIGHT ON MY BATTERY TOO! THEN INSTEAD OF HELPIN ME, THEY FUCKIN TOLD ME TO WATCH WHERE I WAS WALKIN EVEN WHEN THEY WERE THE ONE STARING AT THEIR PHONE AND CRASHED INTO ME
RAAAH I HAD TO REPLACE A NEW MOD I WAS TESTING OUT ON MY ARM BECAUSE OF IT, MAAANNNNN
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
"Of course it's no trouble! You might want to give me directions." She's never bothered to figure out peope's addresses. In her mind, that is something they need to choose to give away. She doesn't look through people's files that thoroughly.
Hearing the request makes her realize how stressful taking off and landing was, and she really doesn't want Terry to feel like that again. She nods immediately, "Absolutely. You can hug me if it makes you feel safer- or anything else." She truly seems to want the best for Terry and cares about his comfort a lot. "Do you need me to carry your bag to free up your hands?"
She offers, putting her arms up at the same time to create space for Terry to grab onto her, now just sort of standing with her arms open. She really doesn't mind people wanting to hold onto her, she understands flying this way can be a bit odd! She'll do whatever makes them be calm.
"Nah, I should be good with my bag," and Terry carries the bag under his right arm. He pulls out his phone and get directions to his apartment. He was never in this part of town so it took him a second before he started with a direction for Blazer to go.
When Blazer outstretches her arms, he takes a second. It looks a little silly, like she is waiting for a hug, and Terry smiles that smile when they see someone do something silly. He had heard around the office that Blazer can be a bit of a dork. Good to see the reports were confirmed true.
He walks over and holds out his left arm and waits a beat, like he is waiting for consent and if Blazer gives it, Terry folds his arm around her, resting it above her hip. He will then reach out with the other hand for her outstretched right arm and put it back around him where she was carrying him on the way here. It leaves them giving each other a side-hug. "Okay. I'm good." he says, smiling right at her.
Blazer nods and waits for Terry to get ready for her to take off. She watches as he pulls his phone out and stands there patiently for him to get comfortable and let her know when he's okay to fly. She's not really in a rush, so it doesn't matter to her how long he takes, as long as he's not too stressed about it. Preferably not stressed at all, but she can't make people feel or not feel stuff. So she'll settle for being as accomodating as she possibly can.
She sees Terry smiling and does it back, warm, friendly. Like she always does. She smiles a lot, the only times she doesn't is when she's actively fighting someone out on the field, it feels like.
She lets her left arm fall at her side when she realizes Terry approached her from the right side. She gives another small nod at him as he wraps his arm around her and lets him guide her own arm around him. After all, he knows himself best and knows how to hold him so that he'd be comfortable. She takes a quick look at the phone before slowly lifting off the ground, similar to how she did it last time. "Hold on tight." With that, she heads in the direction of Terry's house. One thing about flying is that you don't really have to take many turns, so she just flies in a straight line.
Terry hands the take off much easier maybe clinging to Blonde Blazer a little closely. Hopefully she doesn't mind. She has been so accommodating on this whole trip so far.
The view from flying is much more enjoyable this time and the night lights really make the city feel a little more peaceful from this high up.
"Do you ever get tired of this?" he asks having to raise his voice a bit over the wind.
Blazer honestly doesn't register Terry might be holding her tight, really just happy to help out. She looks down at the city, looking for her coworker's house as the directions suggest it should be a few minutes flying from where they are. She's sort of learned to transform 'regular' direction time into flight time the more she used that to get places.
She briefly looks at Terry when he asks her a question, taking a moment to fully process it and make sure she heard it right so she doesn't make a fool of herself when she answers, "The view, sometimes. The flying part, not really. Gets me some fresh air and stuff. I'm very grateful to even be able to do this."
Terry smiles. "Yeah, I'd do this all the time too if I could." It's a few more minutes of directions and Terry points out the blockly apartment building that sits in the northern part of Torrance. "That's where we're going."
As they get closer and Blazer comes in for the landing, Terry hangs onto her a little tighter again and when she touches down, he lands his feet like Blazer told him and does not trip.
Terry, ever so slightly pleased with himself, smiles and says, "Awesome. Thank you for that." And he will break away from her.
"Oh, I could fly you places more often if you'd like." The words come out of her mouth faster than she can think. Sure, it probably wouldn't be every single day to work and back, but... occasionally, she wouldn't mind that.
She nods, confirming that she heard Terry and gets ready to land near the building. It's not much different from what she usually sees. She plants her feet on the ground and watches Terry to make sure he doesn't stumble or lose his balance. Seeing that he's okay, she lets go and smiles. "One SDN employee, safe and sound at his doorstep."
She crosses her arms, standing in a sort of idle position as she looks at the building, then back at Terry. This evening's been pretty fun. She makes a mental note to put a reminder on her phone about the message to the FBI she needs to send the next day. "Of course, anytime. Is there anything else you need before I leave?"
Terry stops and thinks. He got home safe. He has his backpack and he fishes in his pocket and pulls out his keys. "No, I think I'm good. And it's pretty late so I don't want to keep you further."
This evening was a lot fun. He almost wished it didn't have to end but he felt a yawn creeping up and remembers it's better to quit while ahead. Hopefully they could do this again. He felt at ease around Blazer.
"This was a nice evening out. Thank you for inviting me. If you ever want to do it again, you know where I live, now." Terry said, gesturing broadly to the building.
"Alright, awesome." She truly wouldn't mind helping a little more before going home, but she is glad that Terry has everything figured out already. It means he can go to sleep without having to worry about much. That was good.
She feels a bit of warmth within her, this really was a nice evening out. One of the rare cases where she didn't go straight home. She should get out of the house more often.. "I agree, this was pretty nice. We should definitely do this again, just maybe not too late."
She holds back a small laugh when Terry mebtions her knowing his address now. She wasn't fully sure why she found it funny, it was just one of those things that makes you chuckle for no particular reason. "Yeah, guess I do. Well, I'd better head home myself, so- see you at work!" She waves goodbye to him and takes off.
"Have a good night, Blazer." And she takes off. He watches her fly a ways, all the while thinking about how everything about her is heroic and inspiring, even watching her fly.
Frickin superheroes, man, he thinks to himself. How could anyone not be inspired. It feels unfair. Like a cheat code.
Terry turns to head inside and thinks back to that very quick offer to fly with him more and about what it would be like to have a friend to commute with. But Terry has no idea where she lived and wouldn't want to take advantage of her incredible kindness.
In fact, Terry is caught thinking about how much we wanted to hang out with Blazer again. It's been a very nice night. And the amount of sympathy she voiced towards his situation and how much she wants to help is still in his mind.
Terry makes it to his apartment door and with a turn of his key and a smile, heads inside and ends a truly wonderful night.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
"Of course it's no trouble! You might want to give me directions." She's never bothered to figure out peope's addresses. In her mind, that is something they need to choose to give away. She doesn't look through people's files that thoroughly.
Hearing the request makes her realize how stressful taking off and landing was, and she really doesn't want Terry to feel like that again. She nods immediately, "Absolutely. You can hug me if it makes you feel safer- or anything else." She truly seems to want the best for Terry and cares about his comfort a lot. "Do you need me to carry your bag to free up your hands?"
She offers, putting her arms up at the same time to create space for Terry to grab onto her, now just sort of standing with her arms open. She really doesn't mind people wanting to hold onto her, she understands flying this way can be a bit odd! She'll do whatever makes them be calm.
"Nah, I should be good with my bag," and Terry carries the bag under his right arm. He pulls out his phone and get directions to his apartment. He was never in this part of town so it took him a second before he started with a direction for Blazer to go.
When Blazer outstretches her arms, he takes a second. It looks a little silly, like she is waiting for a hug, and Terry smiles that smile when they see someone do something silly. He had heard around the office that Blazer can be a bit of a dork. Good to see the reports were confirmed true.
He walks over and holds out his left arm and waits a beat, like he is waiting for consent and if Blazer gives it, Terry folds his arm around her, resting it above her hip. He will then reach out with the other hand for her outstretched right arm and put it back around him where she was carrying him on the way here. It leaves them giving each other a side-hug. "Okay. I'm good." he says, smiling right at her.
Blazer nods and waits for Terry to get ready for her to take off. She watches as he pulls his phone out and stands there patiently for him to get comfortable and let her know when he's okay to fly. She's not really in a rush, so it doesn't matter to her how long he takes, as long as he's not too stressed about it. Preferably not stressed at all, but she can't make people feel or not feel stuff. So she'll settle for being as accomodating as she possibly can.
She sees Terry smiling and does it back, warm, friendly. Like she always does. She smiles a lot, the only times she doesn't is when she's actively fighting someone out on the field, it feels like.
She lets her left arm fall at her side when she realizes Terry approached her from the right side. She gives another small nod at him as he wraps his arm around her and lets him guide her own arm around him. After all, he knows himself best and knows how to hold him so that he'd be comfortable. She takes a quick look at the phone before slowly lifting off the ground, similar to how she did it last time. "Hold on tight." With that, she heads in the direction of Terry's house. One thing about flying is that you don't really have to take many turns, so she just flies in a straight line.
Terry hands the take off much easier maybe clinging to Blonde Blazer a little closely. Hopefully she doesn't mind. She has been so accommodating on this whole trip so far.
The view from flying is much more enjoyable this time and the night lights really make the city feel a little more peaceful from this high up.
"Do you ever get tired of this?" he asks having to raise his voice a bit over the wind.
Blazer honestly doesn't register Terry might be holding her tight, really just happy to help out. She looks down at the city, looking for her coworker's house as the directions suggest it should be a few minutes flying from where they are. She's sort of learned to transform 'regular' direction time into flight time the more she used that to get places.
She briefly looks at Terry when he asks her a question, taking a moment to fully process it and make sure she heard it right so she doesn't make a fool of herself when she answers, "The view, sometimes. The flying part, not really. Gets me some fresh air and stuff. I'm very grateful to even be able to do this."
Terry smiles. "Yeah, I'd do this all the time too if I could." It's a few more minutes of directions and Terry points out the blockly apartment building that sits in the northern part of Torrance. "That's where we're going."
As they get closer and Blazer comes in for the landing, Terry hangs onto her a little tighter again and when she touches down, he lands his feet like Blazer told him and does not trip.
Terry, ever so slightly pleased with himself, smiles and says, "Awesome. Thank you for that." And he will break away from her.
"Oh, I could fly you places more often if you'd like." The words come out of her mouth faster than she can think. Sure, it probably wouldn't be every single day to work and back, but... occasionally, she wouldn't mind that.
She nods, confirming that she heard Terry and gets ready to land near the building. It's not much different from what she usually sees. She plants her feet on the ground and watches Terry to make sure he doesn't stumble or lose his balance. Seeing that he's okay, she lets go and smiles. "One SDN employee, safe and sound at his doorstep."
She crosses her arms, standing in a sort of idle position as she looks at the building, then back at Terry. This evening's been pretty fun. She makes a mental note to put a reminder on her phone about the message to the FBI she needs to send the next day. "Of course, anytime. Is there anything else you need before I leave?"
Terry stops and thinks. He got home safe. He has his backpack and he fishes in his pocket and pulls out his keys. "No, I think I'm good. And it's pretty late so I don't want to keep you further."
This evening was a lot fun. He almost wished it didn't have to end but he felt a yawn creeping up and remembers it's better to quit while ahead. Hopefully they could do this again. He felt at ease around Blazer.
"This was a nice evening out. Thank you for inviting me. If you ever want to do it again, you know where I live, now." Terry said, gesturing broadly to the building.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
"Of course it's no trouble! You might want to give me directions." She's never bothered to figure out peope's addresses. In her mind, that is something they need to choose to give away. She doesn't look through people's files that thoroughly.
Hearing the request makes her realize how stressful taking off and landing was, and she really doesn't want Terry to feel like that again. She nods immediately, "Absolutely. You can hug me if it makes you feel safer- or anything else." She truly seems to want the best for Terry and cares about his comfort a lot. "Do you need me to carry your bag to free up your hands?"
She offers, putting her arms up at the same time to create space for Terry to grab onto her, now just sort of standing with her arms open. She really doesn't mind people wanting to hold onto her, she understands flying this way can be a bit odd! She'll do whatever makes them be calm.
"Nah, I should be good with my bag," and Terry carries the bag under his right arm. He pulls out his phone and get directions to his apartment. He was never in this part of town so it took him a second before he started with a direction for Blazer to go.
When Blazer outstretches her arms, he takes a second. It looks a little silly, like she is waiting for a hug, and Terry smiles that smile when they see someone do something silly. He had heard around the office that Blazer can be a bit of a dork. Good to see the reports were confirmed true.
He walks over and holds out his left arm and waits a beat, like he is waiting for consent and if Blazer gives it, Terry folds his arm around her, resting it above her hip. He will then reach out with the other hand for her outstretched right arm and put it back around him where she was carrying him on the way here. It leaves them giving each other a side-hug. "Okay. I'm good." he says, smiling right at her.
Blazer nods and waits for Terry to get ready for her to take off. She watches as he pulls his phone out and stands there patiently for him to get comfortable and let her know when he's okay to fly. She's not really in a rush, so it doesn't matter to her how long he takes, as long as he's not too stressed about it. Preferably not stressed at all, but she can't make people feel or not feel stuff. So she'll settle for being as accomodating as she possibly can.
She sees Terry smiling and does it back, warm, friendly. Like she always does. She smiles a lot, the only times she doesn't is when she's actively fighting someone out on the field, it feels like.
She lets her left arm fall at her side when she realizes Terry approached her from the right side. She gives another small nod at him as he wraps his arm around her and lets him guide her own arm around him. After all, he knows himself best and knows how to hold him so that he'd be comfortable. She takes a quick look at the phone before slowly lifting off the ground, similar to how she did it last time. "Hold on tight." With that, she heads in the direction of Terry's house. One thing about flying is that you don't really have to take many turns, so she just flies in a straight line.
Terry hands the take off much easier maybe clinging to Blonde Blazer a little closely. Hopefully she doesn't mind. She has been so accommodating on this whole trip so far.
The view from flying is much more enjoyable this time and the night lights really make the city feel a little more peaceful from this high up.
"Do you ever get tired of this?" he asks having to raise his voice a bit over the wind.
Blazer honestly doesn't register Terry might be holding her tight, really just happy to help out. She looks down at the city, looking for her coworker's house as the directions suggest it should be a few minutes flying from where they are. She's sort of learned to transform 'regular' direction time into flight time the more she used that to get places.
She briefly looks at Terry when he asks her a question, taking a moment to fully process it and make sure she heard it right so she doesn't make a fool of herself when she answers, "The view, sometimes. The flying part, not really. Gets me some fresh air and stuff. I'm very grateful to even be able to do this."
Terry smiles. "Yeah, I'd do this all the time too if I could." It's a few more minutes of directions and Terry points out the blockly apartment building that sits in the northern part of Torrance. "That's where we're going."
As they get closer and Blazer comes in for the landing, Terry hangs onto her a little tighter again and when she touches down, he lands his feet like Blazer told him and does not trip.
Terry, ever so slightly pleased with himself, smiles and says, "Awesome. Thank you for that." And he will break away from her.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
"Of course it's no trouble! You might want to give me directions." She's never bothered to figure out peope's addresses. In her mind, that is something they need to choose to give away. She doesn't look through people's files that thoroughly.
Hearing the request makes her realize how stressful taking off and landing was, and she really doesn't want Terry to feel like that again. She nods immediately, "Absolutely. You can hug me if it makes you feel safer- or anything else." She truly seems to want the best for Terry and cares about his comfort a lot. "Do you need me to carry your bag to free up your hands?"
She offers, putting her arms up at the same time to create space for Terry to grab onto her, now just sort of standing with her arms open. She really doesn't mind people wanting to hold onto her, she understands flying this way can be a bit odd! She'll do whatever makes them be calm.
"Nah, I should be good with my bag," and Terry carries the bag under his right arm. He pulls out his phone and get directions to his apartment. He was never in this part of town so it took him a second before he started with a direction for Blazer to go.
When Blazer outstretches her arms, he takes a second. It looks a little silly, like she is waiting for a hug, and Terry smiles that smile when they see someone do something silly. He had heard around the office that Blazer can be a bit of a dork. Good to see the reports were confirmed true.
He walks over and holds out his left arm and waits a beat, like he is waiting for consent and if Blazer gives it, Terry folds his arm around her, resting it above her hip. He will then reach out with the other hand for her outstretched right arm and put it back around him where she was carrying him on the way here. It leaves them giving each other a side-hug. "Okay. I'm good." he says, smiling right at her.
Blazer nods and waits for Terry to get ready for her to take off. She watches as he pulls his phone out and stands there patiently for him to get comfortable and let her know when he's okay to fly. She's not really in a rush, so it doesn't matter to her how long he takes, as long as he's not too stressed about it. Preferably not stressed at all, but she can't make people feel or not feel stuff. So she'll settle for being as accomodating as she possibly can.
She sees Terry smiling and does it back, warm, friendly. Like she always does. She smiles a lot, the only times she doesn't is when she's actively fighting someone out on the field, it feels like.
She lets her left arm fall at her side when she realizes Terry approached her from the right side. She gives another small nod at him as he wraps his arm around her and lets him guide her own arm around him. After all, he knows himself best and knows how to hold him so that he'd be comfortable. She takes a quick look at the phone before slowly lifting off the ground, similar to how she did it last time. "Hold on tight." With that, she heads in the direction of Terry's house. One thing about flying is that you don't really have to take many turns, so she just flies in a straight line.
Terry hands the take off much easier maybe clinging to Blonde Blazer a little closely. Hopefully she doesn't mind. She has been so accommodating on this whole trip so far.
The view from flying is much more enjoyable this time and the night lights really make the city feel a little more peaceful from this high up.
"Do you ever get tired of this?" he asks having to raise his voice a bit over the wind.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
"Of course it's no trouble! You might want to give me directions." She's never bothered to figure out peope's addresses. In her mind, that is something they need to choose to give away. She doesn't look through people's files that thoroughly.
Hearing the request makes her realize how stressful taking off and landing was, and she really doesn't want Terry to feel like that again. She nods immediately, "Absolutely. You can hug me if it makes you feel safer- or anything else." She truly seems to want the best for Terry and cares about his comfort a lot. "Do you need me to carry your bag to free up your hands?"
She offers, putting her arms up at the same time to create space for Terry to grab onto her, now just sort of standing with her arms open. She really doesn't mind people wanting to hold onto her, she understands flying this way can be a bit odd! She'll do whatever makes them be calm.
"Nah, I should be good with my bag," and Terry carries the bag under his right arm. He pulls out his phone and get directions to his apartment. He was never in this part of town so it took him a second before he started with a direction for Blazer to go.
When Blazer outstretches her arms, he takes a second. It looks a little silly, like she is waiting for a hug, and Terry smiles that smile when they see someone do something silly. He had heard around the office that Blazer can be a bit of a dork. Good to see the reports were confirmed true.
He walks over and holds out his left arm and waits a beat, like he is waiting for consent and if Blazer gives it, Terry folds his arm around her, resting it above her hip. He will then reach out with the other hand for her outstretched right arm and put it back around him where she was carrying him on the way here. It leaves them giving each other a side-hug. "Okay. I'm good." he says, smiling right at her.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blazer doesn't notice Terry's internal worries, too focused on actually being able to help someone to make herself be more aware of people's body language. She's almost forgotten about her food, that's how happy she is to have a chance at bettering Terry's situation.
"Hey, it's the least I can do for you." What's the most she can do for him? She's not sure yet, but she will find out and she will make that happen. Her first thought is getting the FBI to void their requirements, but she knows that's a long way to go still. Which is sad, but she's willing to try.
She tosses the last bit of her second taco into her mouth a couple minutes after Terry finishes his meal and wipes her mouth with a napkin, then collects her trash. She instinctually grabs Terry's trash along with her own and takes it all to the restaurant's trash can before turning back to Terry. "..want me to fly you home? It's kind of late, and I did drag you all the way out here."
Terry smiles at her kindness, thinking about how generous she has been and this is their first like main interaction that wasn't work related. When he sees Blazer cleaning up the trash, he quickly tries to help her but she already has most of it. Dang it. I was gonna do that. It's the least I could do for her inviting me out and paying for dinner.
When she comes back and offers to fly, Terry looks at his phone. It was late but within the hours that the buses are still running. As Terry thought about it though, it would take him twice as long to get back home and he wanted to sleep. And she did offer.
"If it's not too much trouble," Terry responded. "And could I make a request? Could I get an arm around you, as well? Not because I'm scared I'd fall but for the take off and landing, it would be good to hang on to something. If that is okay, that is"
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blazer nearly stands up from her seat at the request, barely able to stop herself from getting way too animated about all of this. It's very clear that she's extremely interested in helping Terry and excited to do anything she can for him.
"Of course! I'll contact them first thing in the morning and see what I can do for you." And she really hopes that she can manage to get the supervised power training approved, because it seems like something that would benefit Terry. She cringes a little at the 'ownership' being mentioned. She doesn't like that word very much... even if she knows that's how people should describe this dynamic. She really wishes she could just call Terry a coworker, and she does! In casual conversations. On paper, she knows that word is the proer way to refer to this situation.
She smiles back at him, warmly, geniuinely, like she always does. She's just.. such a positive person overall. "I promise to have your best interest at heart."
There is a little bit of hesitancy in Terry's face. It is probably coming from a place of not wanting to get his hopes too high and a fear of being let down. But, hearing the passion in Blazer's voice and how much her expression and body language is conveying that she is rooting for Terry and his success, it goes a long way. Blazer has instilled a fair amount of trust with Terry in this conversation.
Terry takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you, Blazer. I appreciate that."
He finishes what remains of his last taco and starts collecting trash and takes a long drink from his water bottle. "I'm ready to head out when you are," he says and he'll wait for Blazer to finish her dinner.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blazer nods. "I think you're on the right track. At least from SDN's point of view, your reports are... actually outstanding." She doesn't want to reveal too much, so she decides to keep the fact that she feels like he's probably the best case the Torrance branch has right now to herself.
She freezes for a moment when Terry asks about her training sessions, mouth slightly open, taco halfway to her mouth. The food nearly drops from her hand, she somehow manages to put it back in its container safely before... "Absolutely- yes, yes you could! The moment we know you can, I'd love to have you there."
Of course it would likely be between sessions with the dispatchable heroes, since they'd naturally take priority, but... it seems like a good idea to her. And a sign of improvement in her eyes, the way Terry's trying to think of solutions to problems and is willing to train under supervision. Or maybe she's just very very gullible, but she'd rather not consider that option. She believes Terry geniuinely wants to be a good person, he's shown that throughout the entire time he's been at SDN.
"Whatever gets approved, it would still be great to train with you. Could make for nice reports as well." She adds, because honestly? This is the most anyone in the Phoenix program wants to do to get better.
Terry is similarly shocked at Blazer's immediate and passionate support for his request. He thought he would have to argue harder or build up more trust with Blazer but here she is supporting him right away.
"Oh. Well that would be great. I hate to ask this of you but would you be willing to let the agents know that you'd be down to help train me? It would almost certainly be better coming from you than me. And then you'd know what the FBI is okay with letting me do. I know SDN also bears some ownership of me given my being in the Phoenix Program."
Terry cracks a smile that he hopes wasn't too over the top given that it was due to Blazer's belief in him. He hadn't often gotten this kind of support from his superiors, let alone someone with her prestige.
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
"I'm glad you're adapting. It's not ideal, I know that, but... still, it's good you're finding solutions for yourself and doing things by the book." She knows that everything Terry has to do must be tiring, and she geniuinely wishes he didn't have to. She wishes his freedom wasn't in some stuck-up agents' hands. She glances at the gauntlet briefly before looking back up at Terry's face, a weird sense of hurt washing over her for a moment. Guess she just feels that deeply about others' situations.
"Ah, that... does suck." She absentmindedly touched her amulet, she... doesn't want to say she knows how it feels to be powerless in that way, but in a way, she could. Whenever she takes that thing off, she's just- a normie. A nobody. No powers, no nothing. Not even that much physical strength. She quickly brushed those thoughts off though, this isn't about her. "Sounds great. I hope things get better for you."
She sighs at Terry's last words. "Yeah, they.. really don't like changing their minds. And it sucks, because- you're trying, really trying! I see it, most of SDN definitely sees it- and you're doing great! And it's just so-"
She stops and takes a deep breath. She may have gotten a bit too animated. "Sorry. It's just.. really unfair to you. Is there any way I can help?"
Terry takes a deep breath and considers her offer. "I know SDN and the FBI are closely monitoring me so I hope that my progress has been good. It feels like that's the best I can hope for right now is progress." But there was a thought that came to Terry.
"I hope this isn't asking for too much. Could I take one of those training sessions that you offer? I know you usually offer those to the field heroes but if I'm going to push to get my powers back someday, I'd love to not be rusty. And if it's under your supervision then maybe I can take off the dampener for a little bit."
Terry said that last bit and was worried how it sounded. An ex-supervillain just wanting a little taste of power again and then goes crazy with it and betrays the hero's trust. Maybe if he built up for trust with Blazer that could happen.
"Maybe that's too much. If it has to be powerless training then I'd be good with that too."
Blonde Blazer was working late, as she tends to, making sure people gather all their belongings when their shifts and and seeing to it that they get home safe via text. She also makes sure their equipment is all turned off and everything that belongs to SDN is back where it's supposed to be stored for easy access the next day, so that people always know where to look for stuff.
She's noticed Terry has a similar habit, she rarely sees him leaving before anyone else, actually she almost always sees him go home last. And she doesn't really notice him in the break room, either... so, like the caring boss she is, she figures she'll ask if he wants to grab some food with her. To make sure he eats something. She knocks on the IT department's door, "Hey, Terry, great work today. Want to wrap up for the day and get some dinner?"
@theradiantlight
Terry pulled his headphones off his head. He was previously locked in cataloging some equipment in an inventory list when he saw Blazer enter the room. He was a bit caught off guard.
"Oh, hey boss. Thanks, I guess. um..." He looked back at his spreadsheets. There was still a lot to do. However, the offer of food reminded him that was late for dinner and Terry hadn't eaten for a few hours. She was probably right. It was time to wrap it up for the day.
"Yeah, Did you have something specific in mind?" he said as she started saving documents and closing windows on his monitor.
She had to admit she felt relieved when Terry agreed to stop working and eat something. She always wants the best for the people she works with, after all, and nutrition is extremely important! Even if at this time barely any establishment is open, it's still possible to get some kind of food.
"...there's this one taco place that's still open? My treat." She offers, but immediately adds, "Unless you have any allergies, I'm not sure how seriously they treat those there."
She waits for Terry to finish closing everything and turning the equipment off before leaving the room and motioning for him to follow her.
Terry clocks out and begins the restart sequence on the computer. He folds up his notebooks and his headphones and stashes them in his grey SDN backpack. As he packs up, he is thinking to himself, It's just casual getting food with your superhero boss. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong. He glances back and sees her leaned up against the doorframe looking so chill.
Yeah. It's fine. He thought in a desperate attempt to calm himself with only limited success. The computer was in the process of shutting down which was good enough for him. He grabs his bag and heads for the door.
"Yeah, tacos sound great!" He said as he followed her out the door, flicked the lights off and locked the room.
Blazer doesn't see how nervous Terry is, just thinking she's doing something nice for a coworker. She's never really been the most observant on emotions like that, obviously she's good at analyzing what people might be feeling, it's part of the job to be aware of others, but that's a skill she learned. And she figures she doesn't need to be constantly doing that.
"Awesome, because I don't know what else would be open at this hour." She says that to try and lighten the mood, sensing just a little awkwardness between the two of them.
She leads him outside, to the parking lot, before stopping and looking around. "...do you have a car?" She figures she'd ask, since she doesn't have one but she's not sure about Terry. Most people do drive to work instead of flying there.
Terry looks out to see the completely empty parking lot. "Oh, I do not. I still have to take the bus to get around. I guess I had assumed you knew a place close by. Shoot." Terry looks around. The food places that he knew around the office probably wouldn't be open at 10 pm. Maybe a cab, he thinks to himself?
"Ehh, it's a bit from here. I was just checking in case you drove here-" Usually she'd just fly places, but she isn't sure whether Terry is alright with that. Hell, for all she knows he could be afraid of heights! Or be uncomfortable with close contact or physical touch or anything like that! Still, she figures she'd offer, "...I could fly us there?"
"Fly us?" Terry says out lout as he immediately tries to consider all angles.
I've flown before but that was with jet packs and rocket boots. Never long distances but I think I could handle it. Would she carry me? That feels a little weird. We're not that close. But at the same time, I feel like a cab or an Uber is the wrong call. She is a superhero who can fly. Why shouldn't she just save us the trouble of getting there? Besides, it might be fun, right? Come on, Terry! It's more fun to say yes to things.
"Yeah, I think that would be fine," he finally responds, still a little unsure but willing to go along with it anyway.
"Yeah, um, unless you're not okay with-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence, which she's perfectly fine with, at least there's a decision made. She can respect that, though she still wants to make sure Terry is absolutely alright with being carried like that- even if it is just being held in a sort of half-hug. "Okay, that does mean I'll have to grab you, just a heads up. Are you fine with that?"
I agreed so no stopping this now. Terry thought to himself. He grabs his backpack and holds it in his arms. "Yeah, I'm pretty good with physical contact. Do what you gotta do." He has to mentally brace himself but is feeling good for this.
Blazer nods, now having confirmation that Terry is okay with everything that's going to happen, she wraps her arm around Terry and gives him a warm smile before slowly and softly floating off the ground, making sure not to startle SDN's IT guy. "Let me know if you want to get down or just- anything."
Terry immediately tense, first at Blazer wrapping her arm around him and then when she lifts him up. She floats off the ground and Terry nods in response. "Uh huh. You got it."
When she takes off, Terry has to brace himself as they pick up speed but after a minute, eases up. Once they get farther from the ground, he relaxed but only a little bit. Something about being farther away from the ground made it seem less scary.
Being so high up gave Terry the chance to appreciate the view. As he looked at the tiny cars on the tiny roads, a thought occurred to him. The only thing keeping him aloft was Blazer's left arm. The thought was about to make Terry uncomfortable again until he looked at Blazer. She was focused on looking ahead and where they were going. And she looked so calm. She wasn't worried about anything, and she was doing all the work right now. If she wasn't worried, why should Terry be. It was her confidence that put Terry at ease.
As he looked at her, he also had the thought. Huh, her eyes are really blue. Almost as blue as her mask. And it was at that moment that Terry realized that he was staring at her for longer that was appropriate and quickly looked away and ahead.
Once in the air, Blazer focuses on watching what's ahead of them, careful not to bump into potential birds or maybe even kites or anything of the sort. She'd hate to ruin someone's fun evening with the kids or what have you. Even if it might not look like it, she holds Terry very carefully, not wanting to squeeze too much but also making sure he doesn't fall. Once she grabbed him though, she tries not to adjust her hold, at least not this high in the air. Yes, she's flown others like this before but everyone needs their own unique way to be held in order to be comfortable!
She doesn't look at Terry while they fly, not wanting to take her eyes off where they're going in case something happens. It's just kind of what you learn when you're a hero for so long, you constantly scan your surroundings. Most of the time she doesn't even notice when she's doing it, she just knows she sees small things others might not be able to notice at first glance- either way, she keeps looking in the direction they're flying.
When she spots the place, she locks her eyes on it and starts to slowly descent, deciding to warn Terry before they actually get their feet on the ground again, "That's the spot, don't freak out when we land. Just lower your feet to smoothly touch the ground when we're close to it, okay?" She figures it's probably his first time flying this way, and sometimes people need instructions to feel calmer.
Terry nods and confirms the directions. As the descent happens, it feels to him like falling. He braces himself and realizes with how Blazer is holding him that he can't really hang on. The best he can do is he, reflexively, grabs the arm that's wrapped around him. When Blazer lands, Terry follows her advice and smoothly steps off. He does stumble for a second and reaches out for Blazer's hand which stops him from falling. He breathes a passive sigh of relief when he is on solid ground.
"Whoo, I see why you fly everyone. That was awesome." He will also take in his surroundings and see the restaurant they landed near.
"Oh, careful-" She holds her hand out to help Terry regain his balance. She understands that flying like this for the first couple of times can be a bit odd, and people might stumble a little after landing, so she's prepared to assist them if she notices they might fall over. She makes sure he's standing firmly before letting go. She keeps her arms slightly open for a moment more, just in case she assessed the situation wrong, but seeing Terry standing just fine she lets them fall at her sides.
"And eco-friendly." She adds with her usual smile, just glad Terry enjoyed the ride. She looks to the entrance of the restaurant, the building was a little beat up but what could you expect from a shop that's been here a while? There was the usual sombrero sign that lets people know that they are, in fact, at a mexican place, the restaurant's name glowing from the neon light sign, however some letters were dark- but one could still make out what tje sign is supposed to say. Blazer walks inside and motions for Terry to follow her once more. "Menu's inside, come on."
Terry follows inside. It's not a terribly big establishment. There are a few stools and tables to the side of the interior room and a counter by the far back wall. The rest of the room is taken up by the kitchen. The walls were covered in beautiful murals depicting a village with mountains and a sunset in the background. It was a very nice atmosphere.
Terry had never been in here before but he does know what he likes and goes a safe bet and orders three chicken street tacos. He does ask for an extra cup of the salsa verde, his favorite at places like this. They order and offer idle chit chat until their food finally arrives in takeout containers. Terry will see the tables outside under umbrellas and say, "It's still a nice night out. Want to eat outside?"
Blazer isn't that hungry, she had a decent lunch today, so she decides to order just two ground beef tacos. Enough to keep Terry company but not too much so that she doesn't force herself to eat. She greets the employee as she places the orders, asking how their pet is doing- clearly she knows these people quite well. She thanks them politely when they give them the food, promising to come by again.
She looks out the window when Terry offers to eat outside. It is a really nice night, not too cold, and the sky's surprisingly clear, there's even some stars they can see. She nods, "Sure, sounds great." And so she walks outside to sit at one of the tables. She's always liked eating outside, anyway. Especially on pretty nights like these.
Terry pops open the lid on his container and starts squeezing a lime over his tacos. "You were really friendly with them." Terry starts. "Do you come here often?"
He takes a bite of his first taco and it's delicious. It's wonderfully seasoned and the lime juice mixes well with the cilantro and chicken. "I can see why you chose this place. This is great!"
Blonde Blazer grabs one of her tacos from her container and takes a bite, hearing Terry's question she holds her hand up for a moment to signal she'll answer him when she swallows her food. Wouldn't want to talk with her mouth full, that just seems very rude. "Well, I wouldn't say often, but I come here sometimes when they're not very busy. Usually when going home, really."
"Glad you like it. Places like this are.. kinda rare, but so worth it for the taste." She smiles, happy to show Terry a nice spot to eat at. Who knows, maybe he'll come here again sometime? She decides to try and start conversation, "You uh.. have that stuff with the FBI, right? The no powers condition? How's that going?"
Goodness she hopes this isn't a sensitive topic for him.
"Yeah, that," Terry says. He had been dealing with everything from the parole check-ins to the no powers. He still didn't feel great about the situation but he was making it work.
"It's going alright. I haven't missed a check-in. Even, my therapy sessions have been going well. The no powers thing still sucks, but I'm learning to live with it." Terry reflexively tugs the black leather gauntlet covering his right forearm, the power dampener he is required to wear. He scratches an itch underneath the device.
"I think it's a feeling powerless kind of thing. Not in the way of superpowers but that I feel like I have less control over things." He kinda spaces out as he starts talking about his feelings on it. "I've taken up training with a few other people though so that's been good. Hysteria is teaching me hand to hand combat."
"But I think mainly I want people to see that I'm trying to put in the work. To be better than the villain I was. The FBI agents seem very resistant to that."
