Debts To Be Settled

13

Tommy stalls, one foot on the floor of the second level while the other foot remains uplifted on the last step of the stairs. The keys jingle softly in his hands, but they soon fall into stillness when Tommy stops moving. The room is darkened, so the sheen across the metallic surface of the keys is extremely noticeable. It draws the attention of the person blatantly sitting on Tommy's desk, their feet positioned in the seat of his rolling chair. They are hunched over Tommy's radio, fiddling with the knobs. They stop messing with it, leaving the radio to fill the silence with a static-covered country song Tommy doesn't know the name or lyrics of.

Tommy has been absent from the super-powered for a little over a week. No one has interacted with him over that interim except for Wilbur, and he doesn't technically count since it was Tommy's powers that forged their relationship (not friendship. They weren't friends). Tommy has heard news over the radio about the Syndicate, of course, but he hasn't gotten any house calls from any of their members. He hasn't heard anything about Salamander, not in person or the radio, and Tommy doubts the vigilante will get over himself to purchase a suit from Tommy.

Shadow Girl's appearance in his room is strange. It isn't alarming, no, Tommy is far too used to random villains appearing in the tailor shop. But strange definitely covers it. Shadow Girl has turned off all the lights, though she left the curtains open for natural light to pool into the room. She is sitting on his desk, her back to the lamp light. She fidgets where she sits, and Tommy's powers rise to the surface. Someone around him is in pain. Tommy understands what she's doing. She is purposefully putting herself in the light to dampen her abilities. It's a tactic to put Tommy at ease. It, unfortunately, does make Tommy feel slightly better. It evens the playing field, at least until Shadow Girl slides into the darkness of the room.

"I can't believe you made Nemesis' costume before mine," Shadow Girl tells him. She sets his radio back on the windowsill, and he hears a low hiss coming from her mouth. Tommy closes his eyes, forcibly pushing down his powers. If Shadow Girl wants to harm herself to help Tommy, she can do exactly that with no sympathy from him. He didn't ask her to come here.

And even if he did feel a little sympathy, it disappears as soon as that damned name comes from her mouth. Tommy feels his stomach drop. Bile climbs up his throat like a thousand spiders scurrying under a flashlight. Nemesis is the name Nymph chose for herself when she transitioned from a vigilante to a villain. While no one has confirmed that Nymph and Nemesis are the same person, Tommy's favorite radio host- the one who frequently talks about the super-power and political scenes- is sold on the theory that the two of them are the same. Tommy is half-tempted to call in the show to confirm the truth, but that would require him to actually say the truth out loud. Tommy wants to vomit at the thought of it, so saying it with his own mouth is not possible.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tommy asks Shadow Girl, sizing her up. It would be easy to dismiss her since she's Phantasm's henchmen, a mere sidekick to one of the greats. Tommy cannot easily do that. Her powers alone give Tommy pause, making him want to flee in the opposite direction as quickly as possible. Her mastery with her powers is almost unrivaled. There is barely a hero or villain that outmatches her in sheer control. Shadow Girl could make Tommy's life a living nightmare, and Tommy rather likes existing in his unpleasant waking world.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Shadow Girl says with a soft giggle. She leans forward, putting her elbow on her bent knee. She is facing Tommy, but he cannot see her face in the darkness and the shadows that curl around her body naturally. "I want a new suit!"

"I'm not making suits anymore," Tommy rolls his eyes. He really should have known that's what she would be here for. He should think about making a sign for any future villains or vigilantes that come his way. The only person he's going to make a suit for if they ask is Salamander, but only because Tommy already offered. He isn't going to do it with anyone else, not even Shadow Girl.