With two more additions to their group, Dick had taken the decision to keep them safe by laying low for a while. As if that had worked out the last time. Of course, he would follow his previous right choices, like staying away from the road and rest before resuming their escape route. This time, as he had made clear when they had stopped by the gas station, he intended to keep any other person away, preventing another incident like Dawn's.
Robin had experienced the ironical safety of these torn down places, and how they sheltered from danger, at least the one you're trying to avoid. "Nice. Another murderous looking motel," her gaze traveled up the trail of mold that crawled to the second floor and went around the windows. "Hey, maybe I should get some pictures printed out for when they're talking about our case in the news."
The two teenagers laughed at her joke, comprehending her humorous coping mechanism. Gar looked past the flaws of the place, which was extremely difficult, in every glance, there was something more disgusting than the last. "I don't care about the place as long as I have a bed," he explained with honesty. Dick gave him a side-smile, contemplating their surroundings. "What I can't believe is that you traded the Porsche for this trashy minivan."
They turned to look at the old, dark-green vehicle, comparing it with the expensive sight of the previous one. "At least we can all fit in, I was getting tired of the complaining," he tried to sound positive, scowling at his new car. After a second of thought, he nudged Robin, getting her attention. His hands moved around to explain his point as he said: "look at this, one road in, same road out. Only one point of access we have to watch. And also, it's quiet. If trouble comes our way, we should hear it first."
Artemisia folded her arms, looking at the empty area they had ended upon. Not a single car in the road, and only a few parked in the lot. Their situation called for some teasing to brighten up, "trouble won't be the only thing we'll be hearing tonight when we try to sleep."
"Who said anything about sleeping?" Dick commented, his tone expressing a possible double meaning.
Kory silently gagged, making the teenagers chuckle, too. It wasn't until Dick saw her disgusted expression that he realized what he had said, and how. But, he was given little time to take it back, Artemisia's reddening skin fueled the will of continuing, "get a room, you two."
"Oh, please don't," Rachel whined, eyes wide as two plates, attempting to erase the picture she had formed in her mind. Her light eyes roamed over the spotlighted pair, "like you said, Dick, too quiet."
Gar and Kory joined her in a fit of laughter, somehow finding something amusing in their spot. For Robin, there was nothing to laugh about, they were stuck in this horrid place, all by themselves, their chances of lung illness high from the mold that became part of the motel. But then again, Artemisia saw this as a chance to stretch their backs, settle for a few moments, allow themselves to know each other better. After all, a road trip with people you barely know is but a boring experience.
Dick scoffed, throwing his keys into the left hand as the other was buried in his pocket, searching. "You're so mature, all of you," he shot a glare at Kory, who pushed the kids into teasing them along. From the darkness of his jacket, he took a few hundred dollars, halving them, "I'll book us some rooms. Get us some food."
Robin snatched the dollar bill from his grasp, smirking at the simplicity of his actions. He did not care for the value, only feeding them, "on it, Grayson," she winked, immediately regretting it. Looking away in shame, she spotted across the lot, a small store, almost like a gas station. She supposed they must have decent food to provide the passersby, otherwise, they would not remain in business.
Glancing back at the group, she offered them a shy smile, tugging her clothes closer to her curves. She crossed the humid pavement, gaze fixated on the small store ahead. She spotted an ATM outside, underneath the camera, placed in the perfect angle in case of a robbery. Her eyes moved to the second camera, by the Store's doors, capturing every person that came in or out.
At last, she reached the machine, irises brightening at the screen exposure. Quickly, she peeked over her shoulder, making sure no one was watching. From the back of her brain, she began tipping the numbers of her shared account, accessing her hard-worked budget. Seconds after pressing on the right options, she allowed herself to get money, maybe use it to finally change those dirty, boring clothes.
Moving on from the machine, ticket balled up in her fist, she pushed the glass door open, entering the silent store. From behind the counter, she received an inviting smile, already making her feel comfortable in the strange place. Her feet wandered around the place, passing throw rows of different things, amazed by the diversity of products such small businesses had.
Minutes later, she walked out with two bags and a warm pizza box for lunch, the scent of melted mozzarella reaching her nostrils, watering her mouth. She hurried to the motel, where Dick waited for her, resting against a dirty wall. Somewhat ashamed of the private stuff she bought, her arm held out the two boxes of pizza, shoving them into his chest. Taking a long sniff, he smirked, "I can never get tired of eating pizza."
Robin smiled at him, swallowing the results of the delicious food smell. They entered the motel, pushing past a glass door and meeting with a long hallway, dark-red carpeted floor. "It's one of the perks of being on the run, I guess. Fast food becomes your best friend," she said, stopping by the bedroom door as Dick knocked three times in a particular rhythm.
Soon, Kory opened the door, glaring at the pair, "what took you so long? All these kids talk about is video games and apps."
"I promise it was worth it," Dick suggested to the boxes at hand. Kory nodded, stepping away from the entrance, allowing them to come inside. Artemisia was quick to toss the bag filled with a change of clothes for everyone, as well as underwear and mouthwash. The two teenagers turn their heads from the television, eyes falling on the food. They sprint towards it, fighting over a slice of mozzarella and pepperoni, the melted cheese threatening to drip on the floor.
Gar exclaimed, getting under the portion and opening his mouth, eating the fallen cheese. Rachel sighs and drops her hold from the slice, deciding to go for the second-best portion.
Robin's lip curled on one side, enjoying seeing the kids having fun. They saw past their situation, evading it for as long as they could. That's what always made teenagers so special nowadays, acknowledging the dangers whilst facing the fact that it will reach them at some point. All they had to do was be prepared and stop worrying about it so much, like the adults in their lives constantly did. Maybe they were to learn from the youngers.
In her blurred vision, from being stuck in her thoughts, a waving hand appeared, slowly drifting her back into real life. She blinked twice, adjusting her view. Dick's hand had moved away, offering her a set of keys, "these are the keys to your room. It's right next to mine, so if anything happens..."
"I'll try to figure it out myself," she chimed, the response surging faster from between her than when she actually thought of it. Using her inner voice, she thanked the internal force for helping her out in more than battles. Her eyes moved from him to his hand, and back up again. He had a shy expression, suggesting he intended to take the talk another way. Seeing no wrong in complying with his wish, she gave in with a slight tone of irritation, "and then ask you, but only if I seriously need it."
"Only if you seriously need it," he accepted, bringing his hand up. Smiling, she took the key and saved it in her pocket. Then, she decided to join the feast before there was nothing else. Carefully using both hands to hold the slice, she faced Dick once more when he clapped for their attention. "All right, guys, listen up. We're all in one piece, more or less. We need to figure out where we stand and determine what's mission critical."
Gar's entire body straightened at the strange combination of words, but before he had a chance to learn more, Kory stepped in. She licked her thumb, absorbing all the cheesy oil from the pizza. Cleaning the remain on her coat, she pushed on Dick's statement, "I'm sorry, you were referring to we?"
"We as of right now are a group of people who share a common enemy," he glared in Kory's direction, meeting with a quizzing gaze. Looking around, he noticed the interest in the teens' faces, and then, Robin's resting face, no emotion showing in her physique. He swallowed a lump that blocked his air conducts, "an alliance. One born of mutual need."
"And what is that?" The dark-skinned woman continued to push.
Artemisia side-smiled at the refusal plastered in his expression, a simple word denying to slip past his tongue. Perhaps it had to do with her former girlfriend, whose new partner hated him. She could read in his brown irises that the last time he had labeled a group as a team, several things had gone wrong. "He doesn't want to say it," she concluded, mouthing the forbidden word to her companions.
Dick rolled his eyes, regaining his posture as he resumed explaining, "we have no idea how long we have until they find us."
"Right," she carried the word for a few seconds, long enough to copy his stance, arms folded over her chest, "but we should be gone in a few days. If we stay in one place for too long, they'll come," a dangerous idea came into her mind, scaring her. She plopped both arms down, "damn, they're surely tailing us right now."
"You just said they," Gar said worried, the pizza box in his hold almost dropping. He leaned closer to Rachel, wishing to understand more about these people who now became his enemies, too. "Who are they? What do they want?"
Rachel's shoulders slumped, her gaze darkening with gloom, "we don't know who they are, but they want me," she explained to Gar, receiving a pitiful expression in response. There was a short second of silence in which the girl's mood got bluer, radiating it off in everyone else.
Manifesting her support with a small action, Robin walked towards her and squeezer her tense shoulder, leaving a smudge of oil behind on her black clothes. Cringing outside of her view, she pulled away, "but they won't get you."
"Okay, one thing at the time," Dick demanded, watching the diversity of emotions sculpted in their faces. Gar was shocked by the thought of someone wanting Rachel, and said girl was ashamed of the reason and having dragged everyone into her problems. But of course, neither felt that way, which explained the concerned nature of the Asian woman, brows knitted close as she noticed the sadness that controlled the teen. Sighing, he repeated his method to get everyone to hear him, "Robin, they cannot be following us yet. We just got here."
Trading her worry for offense, the short female stepped up to the detective, entirely sure of her point. It was more than a random fretting over the kids' safety, it was a proven fact. "Yeah, and we had just arrived at Hank and Dawn's when they attacked us," sarcasm felt natural in her tongue by now, years of getting used to responding back had finally reached the high of comfortable. "I'm not going to wait around and be surprised by their arrival."
"And that's where I was going," Dick stopped her from moving away, as she had attempted in the car hours prior, by blocking her path with his muscular arm. She glared at it, ready to grab it and use it against him, but he kept on talking, convincing her to stay a little longer and find out if something good was coming out of his mouth. "The people that attacked us fought in unison. They were perfectly coordinated, we're not. We can't fight like that unless we learn each other's moves."
Kory leaned against the wall, expressionless, "and how do you suggest we do that?"
"We stick together and we train," at the last word, Robin smirked. It had been long since she balanced her powers with other people without intending to hurt them. This should be fun.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
How he knew about these places was a mystery. But it was a safe area for the group to train together, a warehouse far away from the human eye, no one to walk in on them while using dangerous forces.
A square light from the warehouse's window shone down on them, eyes squinting to see properly. Dick was the only one safe, giving his back to the source of sun as he spoke to the group about the tactics they were to use when facing the enemy. In the case that it happens, he assured, not wanting to admit the chances were high. "Okay, in order to work together, fight and defend yourselves like a coordinated team, we gotta see what each other can do. Any volunteers?"
Rachel wrapped her arms around her, keeping those dark powers inside, believing they had seen enough of what she could do. Robin was the exact opposite, body language opening up, ready to exhibit her gifts. The two females smiled at each other, different emotions behind the beaming mask.
"Kory," the woman's eyebrows raised at the mention of her name, it would be the first time he'd mixed a positive tone with her, "Rachel said you can create light. Heat. Is that right?"
Robin elbowed Gar, explaining into his ear how exactly had they met Kory. She liked seeing the grin in his face grow, indicating his worries were going away. If only she could do the same with Rachel. "I think it comes from the sun. I can absorb its power and direct it," the black lady explained, hoping to understand herself better with more heads to think. "I'm weaker at night, though. I'm sometimes empty. And it takes me a while to recharge. Maybe a few hours, a day, I don't know."
"Can you control it?" Dick questioned. Kory scoffed, pushing her fuchsia hair over her shoulder. Taking her actions as an answer, he opted to play along, test her abilities she hyped so much, "okay. Could you hit that tractor?"
Forming a smirk on her face, she stepped forward, staying a few seconds under the sunlight, absorbing the energy. Gar snickered anxiously when the woman's natural hair fired up, her coils burning as hot lava. Then, with a sharp exhale, she shot a beam of fire at the vehicle. Noticing the flame getting stronger, Robin took a step closer to the door. Kory stopped, her body returning to normal, she turned around and shrugged, "I suppose I could use a bit of practice."
On her way back, she high-fived Gar, whose hand sizzle at their contact. He was called forward by Dick, who seemed to know what he was doing, creating a safe space before commencing with the real deal. "Okay, I just, uh... Give me a second," he cracked his neck nervously, hands rubbing together, leaving them waiting. Dick insisted on him. The teen smiled sideways, looking for a safe gaze amongst the group, "it's a little weird with you guys watching and all. The first time I transformed, I tore through my clothes and, like, this is my favorite jacket."
"Wait," Robin gasped softly, already sensing her awkwardness grow, "you have to be naked to do this?" Gar smiled, complimenting her uneasy feeling. They were just as embarrassed to face the situation, and she wasn't even going to be nude. "Let's just turn around and give you some space."
She gave him her back, using her cold digits to slow the heated blood flow that sat on her cheeks. Her eyes moved from one corner to the other, watching her company do as she had said. Behind them they heard Gar trotting away, then his jacket unzipping. "If this wasn't a drill, we'd all by dead right now."
Their humor stuck on their chests when a loud growl came from behind them. Robin froze on the spot, feeling her hair standing up all over her arms, legs and neck. Eyeing Dick, she dared to turn around with him, heart racing in fear. Above the covered machinery stood a ferocious tiger, which exhaled another low growl, shaking its head.
Choking out a laugh, she tapped Dick's biceps with the back of her hand, somewhat still scared of tearing her eyes off of it. "It's the green tiger from the story! Those cops were talking shit for nothing. Idiots. What do they know."
"That's him?" Dick panted, unashamed to show his fear for the green animal.
Rachel chuckled, unamused by the strange sight. With a bright grin painted on her lips, she beamed at the started trio, "I know, right?" The question how slipped from one of their tongues, which the girl also replied with excitement, "'got sick or something."
"The flu turned him into a tiger?" Kory laughed, still amazed by the animal that paced before them, exhibiting every dangerous bit of it. The tiger growled, showing the sharp rows of teeth, yet it did not seem threatening, if anything, Gar might have been crackling inside.
Watching with his jaw dropped, Dick decided it was time to finish the show. As Gar made a trick to make them laugh, the detective suggested he turned back, "into Gar," heeding his demand, the tiger began moaning as bones crackled, his figure rapidly shifting into a humanoid form. Back to his normal body, the boy jumped to his feet, his skin still changing hues.
Robin gasped, her hand coming upon both eyes, seeing the inside of her palm rather than the boy's naked body. "Gar," Rachel deadpanned, sight diverting from him. He apologized, telling them he had forgotten about having no clothes. His barefoot slapped against the barn's ground, giving away he was returning back to his clothes. Once the footsteps stopped, the Asian woman released her hand, sighing in relief at the closeness of seeing something unforgettable.
"So have you eaten anyone before?" Dick questioned over the rapid zipping and struggles.
Gar emerged from behind a pile of hay, still fighting with his pant's zipper. He gave a harsh jump and finished the job, now chuckling at the question, "eaten? No. Dude, I haven't even bitten anyone before. Eaten anyone."
He shot a playful gaze at Robin, but a vivid image flashed in her head, forcing her to look away. It would take a long time to get over this one. Kory chuckled at her reaction, finding everything amusing, funny memories filling the empty gaps in her mind, "'be a lot scarier if he wasn't green. Or vegan."
"Okay," Robin rubbed his hands together, looking at the small group of special people, "so we have sun woman and tiger boy. There's definitely potential here," his eyes landed on the short raven-haired woman that took a deep breath, foreshadowing her election. "Robin?"
A bolt of energy charged her muscles, sending her forward, "Okay!" She eased the euphoric sensation by cracking her knuckles, finding the action calming. Her sweaty hand reached for a metal object on her belt, holding it out for her crowd. The excited glances from the teens pushed her to continue, "may I present to you the result of years of practice and obsession over Star Wars combats."
With a sharp snap of her wrist, the simple metal rectangle commenced unfolding, revealing with each unfolding move, the real extension of the object. Tight on her grip was a katana, the blade so sharp it reflected the sunlight. Gar's mouth was open, not a single word daring to come out, each response was soon toppled by a better one, a neverending cycle. At last, he got out one sound, "woah."
Robin gave it a good swing, her wrist and shoulder accompanying her movement, along with a shameless smile. Her charm was interrupted by Dick's deep tone, those skillful maneuvers coming to a halt, "what about the other special thing?"
"Oh, right, that," Robin giggled nervously, lowering her weapon to start over. Again, she searched in each gaze for approval, taking a deep inhale, absorbing every good and evil encircling them, she focused on the hot aura that radiated from Kory. In a blink of her eyes, some energy erupted, expanding to every inch of her.
This magical nature shattered from her fingers, jumping into the cultural sword. The blade burned orange, a halo of fire surrounding the metal, giving a mystical twist. She looked at Dick, wondering if she should stop. No words reached her ears, yet something told her to stop. So she did.
Taking the same path to expand, the glow traveled back into her core, leaving no trace of its existence. Her eyes blinked away the sepia hue that painted her vision, returning every color into its original shade. "You should've told me we were working with the same stuff. Maybe you can help me control them?"
"I can only try," she grinned, her hands already working on storing the katana back into its place. Her gaze flickered to an itching area, where a pair of brown irises remained on her, moving along her frame. She snapped the last fold together, shoulders narrowing under his sight. "Who's next?"
At last, he darted his view, leaving her an opening to wobble back into line, trying to wash off the heat that exhibited in her cheeks and ears. The black woman standing beside her grinned, witnessing every second of her embarrassment and finding it funny.
"No, I could hurt someone," Rachel's face was gone paler, her usual emotionless mask placed on top of her beautiful features. Kory pressed on the fact that the main idea was to hurt people. "I could hurt one of you," the teen shook her head.
"It's a part of you. You gotta stop being afraid of it," their unchosen leader counseled, for the first time, his words did not seem to come from his mind, but somewhere else.
Rachel frowned, still denying to show what she could do. They had seen it back at the mansion. Dick's insisting glare forced a sigh out of her, "if something goes wrong..." her voice was cut off by a knot that closed her throat.
"If it makes you feel any better, my instincts fire up by danger. I kind of do this thing that protects anyone around me," Artemisia's palm had rested on the girl's arm, giving a gentle, comforting squeeze. Now, it was her who Dick glared, rummaging for the continuation of her encouraging speech. "But I trust you. It won't be necessary," she stammered, pushing all the words out of her mouth.
Rachel nodded, stepping away from the woman. She stepped onto the middle, where Kory and Robin had stood. Gar muttered some cheering before the entire place fell into silence. As usual, Artemisia saw the darkness gather before it appeared before everyone's eyes, every single move made by the girl, completely cautious.
Dancing black magic left the teenager's body, head tilting back, veins growing darker against her whitening texture. Devilish whispers filled their ears as the void became bigger, wind exhilarating around them. "Okay, bring it back in," no answer other than an eerie growl, "Rachel."
Scared for not only Rachel's satiny, but for everyone's safety, Robin pushed her way forward, shooting her hand towards the unknown danger. Feeling physical pain in every cell, she made the effort to absorb the power that circled over the girl's head, pressing it into a smaller space. Wasting no time, she hurried to the teen, hand clutching hers, letting go of the pain.
Rachel pulled her hand away, her voice still distorted as she yelled: "stay back," her body slumped, everything about her returning to normal as if nothing happened. She veered back to them, face saddened, "I'm fine. I just― I just need a little more practice, that's all."
"Like I told Kory," started the kind-hearted female, gesturing to the taller woman not too far away, "I'll help you once we've established some place. Don't worry, you did good."
Rachel offered a side-smile, fists clenching to imprison the dark magic that escaped her. She breathed calmly, allowing the bright sunshine to lighten up her gloom. Robin rubbed her arm, feeling happy to see the girl move on, even if it was for just a second.
Gar nodded at the other teen, his eagerness crawling on top of the recent worry. He turned to Dick, eyebrows raised in wonder, "so, we all did our thing. What's your thing, man?"
He glanced at Robin, securing his secrets. His dark eyes came upon the teen boy, mirroring his attitude, "I can keep you alive."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Part one thousand of me becoming a better person:
So, I've realized Artemisia Robin might fall into a LOT of Asian stereotypes, which wasn't my intention at all. When I first created the character, Lana Condor was not in my mind, but then she was and I casted her.
The personality was created before I had a face.
Still, with this explanation, it continues to bother me the fact that it happened. So, for the next season I will be altering her personality and guide her out of the toxic stereotypes set by our society.
Thank you for taking your time to read this and have a wonderful day/night💕