"I cannot believe that Ewan Hamilton has been in love with you all this time and I never even noticed!" Lexa bemoaned loudly. Luckily, her cosy, meticulously trendy apartment was a studio with nobody else to listen in on any of our secrets.
"Well, I never noticed either, and your eyes are usually busy elsewhere. And besides," I lay back on her plush duvet with a whoomph, "nobody mentioned love. It's been like, a week, and we're still finding our feet."
"Okay," she said sceptically, patting my outstretched feet, "whatever you say. Anyway, as mind blowing as the knowledge that geek-chic Ewan is both a masked superhero and your secret paramour is, we do actually have other important things to discuss here." She rolled off the bed and padded over to her rather enormous built in wardrobe.
I sat back up to attention, self-indulgent dramatics over and eager to see what she'd been cooking up.
"And, voila!" She whipped open the doors and pulled a garment out to brandish with a flourish.
My first impression was of a lot of sleek, matte black. I ran my hand over the fabric, feeling it almost like a liquid, cool and soft, between my fingers.
"Put it on!" She urged. "You'll really see it then."
It was all one piece, like a full length, close fitting bodysuit, but it was made to look like two pieces with a cropped top, high waist and a large gap in between. It was like a glove on my body, yet flexible enough for me to move as I liked.
"Come out and let me see!" Lexa wheedled. She let out a low whistle when I emerged. "Damn, girl. Not bad if I do say so myself. Have a look!"
I walked over to the long mirror she'd gestured to, and took in a sharp inhale when I saw myself.
As I said, the bodysuit fit like a glove, hugging each curve of my body without suffocating any part. The sleeves reached down to my wrists, ending in slight points over the tops of my hands, and the legs reached down to my ankles.
But it was the wide gap in the middle that really caught my attention. It was made out of a gossamer like see through material that perfectly matched my skin tone and gave the illusion of separate pieces. Swirled into it were designs of crashing waves, as if whipped by ferocious winds, done in an iridescent lavender that seemed to come alive as I moved. They looked as though they were glowing tattoos on my own skin.
"The Tempest," I breathed delightedly, turning to grin at Lexa.
"You like it? I wanted to incorporate it somehow." She stepped up behind me to better admire her handiwork.
"I love it. It honestly looks like magic, Lex. And kudos for giving me something practical and yet stylish!" I cocked my head, studying my reflection and feeling pretty pleased with what I saw.
"I thought about giving you booty shorts, but who wants to be cold while they're fighting baddies, even in the holy name of fashion? You look like a stone cold fox, anyhow. You'll have noticed I included a built-in bra. It's meant to give you some extra support in case you end up doing any kind of crazy fighting, but also to make your boobs look great too. Might as well dazzle em as you kick their asses! What do you think?" she smirked.
"A success on both fronts," I laughed. "You're the best."
"It's all in the details," she nodded, looking immensely pleased with herself. "Speaking of which, I have a couple of accessories to round it out." Rummaging in her wardrobe for a moment, she pulled out a black leather jacket with thin lavender side panels, and a pair of killer black lace-up hightops with a small wedge heel. The only thing I was missing now was a mask, which I'd get from the technology experts at the Super HQ. It was, after all, the most critical part of the kit.
"Ready for action," I joked once I had it all on, saluting her.
"You'd better take best dressed at the Super awards," she saluted back.
"God, I hope that's not a thing," I said, wrinkling my nose.
"Nothing would surprise me anymore," she retorted.
*
All too soon, it was time for me and my kit to make our debut in training.
They were still looking for a telekinetic trainer, so for now, I was hitting the gym for some old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. While my particular brand of skills meant that physical fighting was rarely necessary, both Gareth and I felt it best that I learned the basics at least.
I strode in for my session, not sure what to expect, flutters of anxiety and a little bit of actual anticipation mixing through my insides. Taking in a deep breath, I put on a confident face behind my swanky new black mask.
A small group was already assembled around a lone maskless trainer, so it looked like I was the last to arrive.
"Tempest, reporting for duty," I sang out, still a little sarcastic under it all.
They all turned to look at me, and I realised that these were all people I knew, except one. Gareth had promised me a small training group for me to get my bearings before he introduced the newest member to the whole team. I suppose I ought to have known that he'd give me mostly familiar faces on my first go.
Their reactions were pretty varied as I approached. Seb, who I'd already expected, still looked a little bewildered, as if he couldn't quite believe that his stubborn sister was actually here and dressed the part.
Gaia's face broke into a wide smile, which I gladly returned.
Cobalt stared like he'd seen a ghost, and didn't know how to feel about it. I knew that I definitely didn't like seeing him there.
The stranger was a female Super, dressed in yellow and black. She nodded at me in a friendly but professional way, which I also returned.
The trainer set his mouth into a line, maybe not impressed with my attitude. Whoops.
Finally, Ewan made no movement but watched me walking towards him as if he'd suddenly spotted an oasis in the desert and it was hard for me to rip my eyes from his mesmerising gold ones.
"Thank you for joining us, Tempest," the trainer said a little curtly. "I'm Mark and, obviously, I'm the Super team's head combat trainer. I don't know who of the team here you're acquainted with, so I'll run through names. Zeus and Wasp are two of our best hand-to-hand fighters, so they will especially be able to help you learn. Gaia, Cobalt and Enigma are all here for regular training as well. We'll start in three pairs of three, please. Zeus, perhaps you'll partner Tempest first."
I grinned evilly at Seb as he walked over to face me. "Hello, Zeus, you ready to do some sparring?"
"I do not know how I feel about this," he muttered.
"You never told me you were a star fighter," I teased quietly.
"I'll go easy on you for now, even though I know you fight dirty." The ghost of a smirk crept onto his face.
I snorted too loudly, earning a disapproving frown from Maskless Mark. Nearby, I heard Ewan covering up a chuckle with a hasty cough.
First we worked on blocking hits, as Mark deemed that easiest for me to start on. Unfortunately for me, he wasn't kidding about Seb, and the damn kid was fast.
"You are infuriating," I complained after he'd gotten another lightning quick jab to my shoulder.
He tweaked my nose to add insult to injury. "You'll get it eventually, rookie."
Luckily, his brotherly wisdom was sound, and I managed to start blocking him fairly regularly after realising that although he was faster and a little stronger, I was smaller, more agile and could pick up little signals from his energy field about which way he might go.
"Good, that's enough of that for now," Mark commented with an air of grim satisfaction. "Now we'll move on to a basic hit." He spent a bit of time explaining it and demonstrating with Wasp, who definitely seemed like a seasoned fighter. I was lucky that Mr Personality had put me with Seb for now.
This time, though, we ran into a real roadblock.
Seb and I got set up for our first run at me trying the hit out, but as he rushed towards me and I threw out my hands the way I'd watched Mark do it, Seb flew back through the air before I'd even touched him.
He landed on a crash mat with enough hooplah to make everyone else stop and look at us.
"As impressive as your telekinetic powers are, that is not the point of this training," Maskless Mark said dryly. "You have to fight with your body only."
"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. Let's try again, Zeus." I'd gotten a bit tired and cranky after working hard just to block Seb and it seemed as though my Super instincts were starting to go on autopilot.
But the next time, I couldn't help but push Seb back like he'd been hit by an energy wave before my hands even got near him. And the next time. And the time after that.
"This is getting old," he panted, as he picked himself up for the fourth time. "I knew you'd fight dirty."
"You're obviously having a hard time disconnecting from your natural impulses, Tempest. I don't usually recommend this, but it looks like you need to focus on separating your mind from your body," Mark advised.
"Does it really matter if the results are the same? Seems effective to me," I said cantankerously, frustrated with myself and the whole exercise.
"That's not the point. What if for some reason you aren't able to use your own powers? You should be able to fight on your own," he retorted sternly. "I think maybe a switch in partners might help shake things up for you. How about you pair with Cobalt?"
I gritted my teeth, but didn't bother replying as I flashed Seb a look and trudged grimly over to where Greg had been sparring with Wasp.
Our own sparring match began with words.
"Well, well, Tempest. Has Hell frozen over?" he asked with a little smirk. It looked like he'd recovered from his shock.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out personally one day," I shot back sweetly.
The blow landed, and he softened. "Look, K- uh, Tempest, I really am sorry about everything that just happened with Shadow," he said quietly. "I hope you know I had nothing to do with that, and I would never threaten your brother."
"Whatever makes you sleep at night." I turned to walk away and get set up for the move, but Cobalt stepped forward to grab my arm and pull me back around to him.
"I never should have been with her; I should have seen through to her rotten core, okay? It just makes me look bad, and even suspicious around here." When I tried to shake my arm away, he held on tighter. "But now that you're here, our biggest differences have been resolved, haven't they? Maybe we can be friends again ... or even something else? You remember how you used to feel, don't you? Think about what we could do together."
Before I really knew it, I'd shot my hand up and given him a quick jab to the chin. He reeled back a little, surprised, and let my arm go.
"What is wrong with you?" I hissed, leaning in until my nose was inches from his. "I am not a toy, or a prize, and there's nothing here for you but bad memories of your own making. If you grab me like that again, I'll make sure you have new ones."
When I turned away, I met Ewan's eyes across the room, and I thought I saw concern in their golden filter. I nodded just slightly, and his shoulders seemed to relax a little.
"That's better, Tempest. Your form needs a bit of work but you're getting the idea of it," Maskless Mark praised, sort of.
It was pretty uncomfortable to keep sparring with Cobalt, but I did manage to land a few more hits, which gave me a sense of grim satisfaction. He kept up a sullen silence, and I wondered if he was thinking more about what I'd said.
Finally, Mark put us out of our misery by announcing that we'd be working next on breaking out of a hold, and suggesting that I move on to partner Enigma, who was kind of an expert at getting out of anything.
I jogged over to where he waited, trying not to look as positively delighted as I felt.
"Hello, Enigma. How nice to finally get to work with you after all the good things I've heard," I grinned coyly.
"Lexa has outdone herself," he said appreciatively. "Someone pinch me."
I tried to comply, but he danced away before I could reach him.
"Just kidding, I want to stay in this weird, wonderful dream." He smiled lazily at me.
"You sure? My task is literally to get away from you," I teased.
"You wound me, madam." He started to pull me back in against his chest, then whispered into my ear, "you sure you want to escape?"
"Subtle," I chuckled, though I couldn't deny the shiver that crept down my spine. I ran with it, and spun around so I was facing him. "Shall I tell you what I really want?" I asked quietly, making him lean in a little closer as I flicked a smouldering look upwards.
"Please do," he murmured.
"I want," I breathed, moving in just an inch more as I felt his pulse flutter, "...to win."
Then I jerked back suddenly and twisted the way I'd watched Mark to it, breaking free of Ewan's arms triumphantly.
Surprise registered on his face for a moment, but then, to my chagrin, he disappeared.
An instant later, I found myself encircled again as he reappeared all around me.
"You cheated," he complained.
"I don't think that counts as cheating, and besides, I didn't hear Maskless Mark ban a little dirty fighting, did you?" I grinned back up at him, then used my powers to lift him off of me until he was hovering a foot or so off the ground before I dropped him gently back onto the floor.
"Okay, that is definitely cheating," he laughed.
"You went full camo on me first!" I protested.
"Tempest, do you have a problem with following instructions?" Maskless Mark spoke up behind us, sounding annoyed.
"Maybe," I turned to face him, jutting my chin out defiantly, "but you might have missed that I actually did it properly the first time. It's not my fault that this way is more fun." I knew I was being a brat, but I was still having a tough time adjusting to taking orders, so to speak.
"She's right; she did break free like you told her to," Ewan spoke up. "I went off book first."
"Well, I'm glad that you might be learning something, at any rate," Mark said to me. "I think we'll call it a day now, before the session becomes unproductive. Next time, Tempest, try not to be so disruptive." With that abrupt dismissal, he turned heel and stalked away.
"Is he always like that?" I asked Ewan, a touch grumpily.
"He's usually cold but effective; I'm not sure he knows what to do with you yet," he answered soothingly.
"It's a lot to get used to," I admitted.
"Of course. Hey, was everything okay with Cobalt over there? What was he doing, grabbing your arm like that? It was really hard not to come over there, but you seemed like you took care of it anyhow." He was frowning slightly now, still keeping his voice low.
"Ugh. All kinds of weirdness. I think he made a pass at me in the end but I might have ... threatened him a little." I rubbed my offended arm ruefully at the thought of it.
"What a creep," he said, a little growly. "You okay?"
"I am, don't worry. I can handle him, but it's nice to know that I have some backup," I smiled up at him.
"Always," he smiled back.
"Hey, newbie!" A new voice cut in, and I turned to find Wasp, all charcoal and electric yellow, bounding over to me. "I just wanted to come over and say that, despite what Mark might say, it looks like you've got some pretty cool talent there. I, for one, am excited to have you on the team! Also, I know what it's like to have some issues with authority," she nudged me gently in the ribs. "It's pretty much what I was like when I started on the team. Anyway, got to run, but I just wanted to say hi and welcome before I went."
I blinked slightly in the face of such energy but managed to scrape together a 'thank you, nice to meet you!' as she bounded back off towards the gym doors.
"We have a lot of characters here," Ewan chuckled. "She is fierce on the job, though."
"Yeah, I saw her handiwork. Without my abilities, she'd wipe the floor with me, no doubt."
"Don't worry, you'll do the family proud one day," Seb said cheerfully, as he and Gaia met up with us.
"Oh, hello there, Mr Prizefighter. Recovered from your pratfalls?" I teased, giving him a push.
"Ah well, a sense of humour's a consolation, I suppose," he said magnanimously.
"You can keep your fists of fury, I like my way better," I muttered. At the looks I was getting, I conceded, "but yes, I can see the point of learning, okay?"
"I think it was a perfectly useful first day," Gaia interjected warmly.
"That's very generous of you," I laughed affectionately.
As we neared the exit, we'd caught up to Cobalt.
"Good train, everyone. Bye for now, Tempest. I hope to see you around again very soon?" He raised his eyebrows at me.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Seb beat me to it.
"Piss off, bro."
"What he said," I jerked a thumb in Seb's direction, before breezing past Cobalt and back out towards the ordinary world.
Later, as I finally lay my weary body in the soft, inviting comfort of my bed and reflected on this day that I never thought I'd ever experience, I wondered for the umpteenth time if I really had any idea just what I'd gotten myself into.
*
A/N
Hi!
Once again, I'm so very sorry that it's taken me over a month to get this new chapter up!
(pictured: me IRL realising how long it'd been)
To make up for it, this is a loooong 'un and I hope it's a bit of fun seeing Kenna try her hand at fight training.
As always, your thoughts, comments, votes, and general musings are VERY much appreciated!
(I know I've already used this one but I just love its weird little heart so much)
So who thinks Kenna is being a Bratty McBratface? Anyone think she's justified?
Also, why's Cobalt such a douche?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Coming up next, I can promise some SUPERIFIC ACTIONY STUFF™
Until next time, you radtacular people!