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 Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:32 pm
"I know, right?" Birhan agreed when Tony complimented the move. Her breathing was heavier than it had been earlier, as if she was only now allowing herself to be tired or show the effort involved. Still, there was nothing like the natural high of beating the bad guys and saving the damsel librarian in distress. "Thanks!"
She froze up when Tony gave her his jacket. She debated reminding him that she didn't feel the cold, but then thought that maybe he was of the mind that teenage girls should run around in as little as Birhan wore. It could have been a modesty issue, not a health one. She shrugged and decided it couldn't hurt for a while. "And thank you for this, too," she laughed gently, tugging it a bit more firmly around herself. Though even if she did it up completely, anyone looking at her would just think she was hooker with nothing on underneath a man's jacket.
"Um, where was it?" Birhan looked skyward, trying to remember where she'd seen the move. "Some fighting game. A busty girl in a short skirt kept doing it... Appropriate, right?" she grinned, gesturing to her outfit. The girl had also kneed the male fighters in the groin, she thought, though she wouldn't mention that one.
"Anyway, we should get you home," Birhan decided, hands on her hips. "And I have to admit, I'm a bit curious about how you already knew about senshi. Are you in the habit of needing to be rescued?" she teased.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 11:37 am
Tony laughed. He was not well versed in video games, so the idea that there was one feature busty women killing people with their knees didn't surprise him but it certainly made him wonder. He was sure Nate would have some of these games, but Tony wasn't exactly invited to play.
He rarely saw anything he bought for his son again, and sometimes wondered if he was just trying to buy the boy's affection.
And was failing.
"Home? That might be a good idea," he sighed, looking tired now that all the chaos had ended and the youma had been killed. His head was cold anyway, from being stuck in the snow, and he really just wanted to sit down some place warm. A simple request, but it had seemed rather impossible for a bit there. Like when he was dangling from the youma's arms.
He moved to lead, thinking she would follow him so she could hear his answer to her question.
"I seem to be in need of rescuing... a lot. The theory is there's something in the library that draws these stupid youma things, but ah..." he laughed, shaking his head.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:13 pm
"Are you sure you don't your coat more than I do?" Birhan prompted, peering at Tony. "You've been thrown in the snow a few times, and I've been running about, keeping warm."
She had just enough subtlety to not flat out say that Tony didn't look so hot (no pun intended), and she thought he was the one who needed to be worried about. She just thought it instead. So she trailed along after him. Once she'd worked out that he was walking home, not driving, it seemed a natural conclusion to walk with him in case he collapsed or was attacked again. If the police showed up, it was easy enough to leap away and avoid being arrested as a 'terrorist', but in the meantime, it was like her civic duty or something to ensure Tony didn't die on her watch.
"In the library?" Birhan repeated. She peered over her shoulder at the building slowly disappearing in the distance. "Well, we could always check that out for you. Y'know, if you wanted. But it could be you they're after..."
She trailed off, realising that wouldn't be a comforting thought for Tony. But she did think it more likely, considering the Negaverse seemed to go for people, not places, from what she'd seen.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 10:55 pm
He smiled brightly, shaking his head.
"No, no, honestly. You're ah, probably more cold than you notice? I believe, even with the coat, I am still wearing more clothes than you are." He laughed, shaking his head. He felt bad for them, though if they designed their own outfits then perhaps not... that was another piece of information about senshi that he did not have.
He chuckled, though he looked very nervous.
"Ah... well, it was mostly a joke... the library thing. Do you think it's me? Perhaps I smell particularly of youma food," he looked down at himself, sighing. He did seem to be magnetized to draw them to him, at least. But there was always someone to help save him. And not always senshi, either: last time, he had managed to kill a youma. Or rather assist another civilian, like himself, in killing it. Either way, it had been awesome.
He scratched the back of his head, leading the way toward his apartment. He lived in a bad area, run down and with shady looking people constantly lingering on street corners or in alleys. Not the kind of place one might picture a librarian living. He limped slowly, though he did his best to hurry along.
"Thank you very much, by the way, for saving my life. It was truly amazing, and you killed that thing with, ah... gusto!"
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:29 pm
"Well, yes," Birhan nodded, bemused, as Tony commented on her lack of clothes. "I'm sure there are strippers in the seedier areas of the city who are wearing more than I am. Not my choice," she was quick to assure him, "but I do get some useful magical bonuses, like not really feeling the cold."
She eyed Tony as he joked about smelling youma food. Okay, so there was a bit of perving mixed in, but Tony didn't have to know about that. For all he knew, she was seriously considering his scent as it applied to youma. "Maybe you just have bad luck," she offered with a shrug. It wasn't like she knew what the youma might be after when not with their Negaverse masters. "Wrong place at the wrong time. Or right place at the right time, if you have so many senshi showing up to save you." She grinned and winked, not wanting to think about the people who didn't get saved. Tony could have had it much worse.
As they moved into a bad area, Birhan quickly pulled Tony's coat tighter around her. Better than Tony's neighbours think he'd bought a prostitute than call the police on him as someone aiding terrorists.
"You're very welcome!" Birhan beamed. It was her first time interacting with a civilian in her senshi form. If they were all as nice as Tony, then it wasn't a bad thing at all. Though somehow Birhan doubted that all of Destiny City's residents would be so understanding about the senshi situation. She chuckled at the compliments on her 'gusto'. "I try," she said. "I like what I'm doing. I believe in it. So why not put 120% into it every day?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:45 pm
Tony laughed and nodded. He was completely oblivious to many things. Her eying him, for one, or her thoughts on how strange it might look for her to be walking with him. Perhaps he was so used to strange things, they didn't register.
Or, more likely, he was just not thinking on that wave length.
He smiled, nodding once he reached the door to his apartment building. He imagined Nate would be home, which didn't comfort him at all. It would likely just make getting warm and relaxing even more vexing and difficult than it needed to be.
Tony sighed, just thinking about it.
"I'm glad you think that way," he said, nodding, his eyes bright and warm, sincere, "though not many will agree with me, I think what you do is important. I believe in you, you senshi, and I wish others would. I know it's silly, but I tend to worry more about you, senshi I mean, than any 'terrorism'."
His expression fell, when he thought about it. It always made him worry, thinking about young people out there, fighting monsters. And he had no idea that his own son was one of them.
"You'll stay safe, won't you?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:47 pm
Relief swept through Birhan as Tony reached his front door. She congratulated herself for a job well done (even if it had meant looking like a hooker). Tony was safe, though, and that was the important thing.
"Well," she said with a shy smile, "it helps to know that there's at least one person who doesn't think we're out to destroy the city." And it did. If Tony believed in them, maybe others did too - or would, if they were saved by senshi simply doing their jobs.
"You'll stay safe, won't you?" Tony asked.
That earned him a pleased grin. Someone actually cared about her well-being and was worried about her. (Okay, her parents cared and worried, but they worried about the wrong things entirely.) She shrugged off Tony's jacket and handed it back to him, before using the now-free hand to give a lazy salute. "Number one item on my list of goals every day: don't die," she winked. "You'll do the same, right? Not that I'd object to saving you again."
With a wink and a laugh, she turned and headed for the stairwell. Going up, she made her way to the roof and all too soon there was a brightly coloured streak of a senshi leaping across the rooves of Tony's neighbourhood, if anyone cared to look up.
'So, a librarian,' Birhan thought as she made her way back to her patrol area. 'Maybe I should check in on him sometime.'
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:34 pm
Tony smiled, taking his jacket when it was offered. He held it over his arm, since he would be inside soon enough anyway. He was hiding how cold he felt well enough, anyway, though he certainly would be glad to get in to where it was warm and safe. Hopefully safe, anyway.
He supposed one could never really assume.
"Good list," he said, nodding his head in approval. I'll rearrange my own list of priorities in a similar way. I think right now my number one is ah... getting to work on time."
He chuckled teasingly, then waved as she made to leave. He waited until he couldn't see her, then made his way to his apartment. He was slow up the stairs and fumbled with his jacket to find his keys, but once he was inside he flopped right on the sofa, pulled a blanket over his head, and fell straight to sleep.
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