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Super Van had not existed very long. She was a new face in the sea of super-heroes that had named themselves protectorates of Destiny City and its (primarily) helpless inhabitants. Still, Vanessa couldn't help but feel proud of the things she had accomplished. It had only been a couple of weeks, and already she'd helped stop a creepy ticking bad guy from sucking the life out of hapless shoppers; she'd saved Howl from a hungry dog and managed to defeat one of the monsters Fallon liked to call 'youma.' She had also ruined her father's favourite suit, been slapped in the face with a purse, and thoroughly yelled at, but Vanessa overlooked these things in favour of feeling good about herself. John Jr assured her that it came with the territory. He thought his big sister was being very brave, and that was all that mattered.

Curfew wasn't for another hour, but Super Van was turning in for the night anyways. Vanessa was an energetic girl, but it was easy to feel a little stretched out when you were juggling high school, a job, babysitting, a father who asked too many questions and trying to jumpstart a super-hero career. (It wasn't an easy field to get into, you know. Everyone expected super strength and x-ray vision. All she had was a crowbar and spandex). Vanessa figured she deserved at least one good night's sleep.

Big Willy had let her off work at 6:00 and Vanessa had only gone home to wolf down some kraft dinner and make sure that John Jr was safe. (He was getting very good at being home alone and was, in all honesty, probably a trifle safer without her there). She'd spent the rest of the day scooting around on her skateboard and patrolling Destiny City, with her crowbar propped across her shoulders, and her self-proclaimed theme song running on a loop in her head. Except for one instance, when the wheel of her skateboard got caught in a rut and sent Super Van flying several feet into the air, it had been a mostly uneventful day.

Some people, like Fallon, seemed to be magnets for bag guys. Others, like Vanessa, had to go looking for trouble. This was very disheartening- unless, of course, they were all scared of her and stayed out of her way because they didn't want to get creamed. That would be pretty cool.

Common sense suggested that this was definitely not the case, but Vanessa had never had much of that.

If there were any stars in the sky tonight, they were all but obliterated by the lights of the city. The moon looked lonely. It shone like a beacon above Destiny City and, yawning, Super Van followed it home. She had no way of knowing if anything lurked in the alleys or on the rooftops as she passed them by, and was too sleepy to care much anyways.

There was a light on in the apartment above Big Willy's Record Store. Vanessa paused beneath it and considered going up for a quick cup of something before Willy went to bed. He made wonderful hot chocolate.

In the shadows Hairy Pete snored under a newspaper.

"The thought never crossed my mind."
He offered the other officer a shrug. Honestly it really didn't. This whole stealing star seeds for the good of the kingdom blah blah blah thing usually ran his thinking. Then there was also just how uncomfortable he had felt before over killing people, and the fact Zink's plans usually didn't allow for rummage time.

"Do you? I mean...should we? You think I could find someone carrying around glowsticks and add some to my collection? That'd be kind of awesome! Star seeds and glowsticks, it'd kill two birds with one stone right?"
Here he was grinning, mind running with the idea. Well he could find some drunk people coming from a club...they'd be easy pickings! And he'd get glowsticks! (and maybe free booze!). It could work.

"It's just...it's stealing."
Clearly he had choosen to forget the fact that stealing their star seeds was theft -and- murder, so it wasn't like a bit of extra stealing on top would drag his karma any lower.

"They're dead, Schee. They won't be missing it."

She was looking exasperated but nevertheless made her way into the kitchen to further familiarize herself with the stranger's apartment. "And there might be. Who knows. Why don't you check?"

Bills were lifted from atop the counter, no sign of loose change or cash strewn around. Disappointing. Then again, considering the age and condition of the music store below...well, maybe he didn't have any money to leave laying around.

While disappointed, there was still hope yet. He had a star seed, at the very least, so that would prove tonight a success.

Scheelite had begun eyeballing the shelves in hopes of seeing anything shiny while Nealite continued her patrol in the kitchen...until they both heard the voice and froze where they stood.

Nea was hoping for star seeds, Scheelite was simply hoping for something shiny. Anything shiny. Hell he probably would have settled for a shiny quarter right about now. Unfortunately for him the shelves seemed void of anything shiny -or- valuable. This made Scheelite frown and sigh in frustration. Could -nothing- be salvaged of this little trip?

The voice did in fact cause him to freeze in place. What the hell was that?! Maybe..maybe it'd just go away if they were quiet? But soon enough the door opened and the voice sounded again. This shook Scheelite out of his frozen state and made him inch closer to Nealite. He had no idea just what was going on, but whoever was coming through that door was not going ot get at Nealite without going through him first.

Vanessa was sailing on a remarkable lucky streak.

Not only had she managed not to die in spite of her ridiculous quest to do just that, but she also happened to have inadvertently adopted a senshi bodyguard in the process. When Fallon first met Vanessa, she never expected to be bound to the girl in any way, but after the two run-ins they'd had with Vanessa parading around as Super Van, the girls were linked by some strange, awkward bond that drew them together even when they might want to be apart.

At least that was how Fallon felt.

That night, Sailor Ares had dusted two youma. It was a good night for any senshi, but that piddly number was not something that Ares could be proud of. She needed to be better, faster, stronger. Already, she had started to work out daily. If she asked nicely (or annoyed them enough), she could get some of the parallels to spar with her. If the Queen ever wanted to get Ares out of her hair, it was easy enough just to ask her to go spar to "work on the craft."

After swinging by Cora's parents' house to make sure that the Queen was safe and asleep, Ares started on her way back to Crystal Academy for a scheduled break in her patrolling.

And then she saw Vanessa.

Well. Not Vanessa.

It was Super Van.

The night was still early, but Ares firmly believed that Vanessa was capable of attracting dozens of youma in the middle of the afternoon in a crowd of people. She kept her distance mostly, just trailing behind the girl as she made her way toward Big Willy's. It was the place where they had met. Back then, Fallon thought Vanessa was helpful, if a touch annoying. Now she had no idea what to think.

Sailor Ares perched on a nearby rooftop, watching as the girl stopped to talk to the disgusting homeless man. He bought her liquor for Andeon once, but otherwise, Ares had no intention of interacting with him. She had a hard time understanding why Vanessa liked to. When the spandex-clad girl tugged Hairy Pete to his feet, Fallon cringed. He needed to wash his hands. Now Vanessa needed to wash her hands.

There was a lot of handwashing to be done.

With Vanessa safely inside, Ares started to turn to leave. The girl's apartment was right there, she would be fine. There was something nagging in the back of Ares's mind. What was it? She paused, closing her eyes.

Dark energy.

Inside of the apartment above the store, Sailor Ares could feel the dark energy of two bodies, one much stronger than the other. Outnumbered? Hah. It would be no challenge.

Well, it wouldn't be if Vanessa was not the civilian in danger. Vanessa was a variable that Ares found it impossible to pin down. No doubt she would try to fight back if they attacked, throwing off any plan or strategy that Ares might have. Then there was the problem of the dark beings inside noticing Ares's own energy signature a block away.

A strategic mind clicked in to focus. What should she do? Save Vanessa. Yes. Did she have a plan? Always. It wouldn't stop the variable of Super Van from ruining it, unfortunately.

Without many other options, Ares hopped down from the roof and made her way into the record store behind the two others. She would have to reassess the situation once inside. Hopefully the two agents would be distracted? If not, this was going to get very physical very fast.

Excellent.

When Big Willy did not respond Vanessa paused outside the door. She and Hairy Pete exchanged looks, and then both strained their ears for any hint of the big, burly man who should have been watching the History Channel (it was his favourite) inside. Fear for their friend wriggled like a poisonous worm into their hearts. Vanessa had been harassing Big Willy for years about eating better and getting more exercise. She'd lived in terror of this day for a very long time.

"Willy?" she called again, forehead creased with worry, and stepped into the apartment. The silence made everything worse. Biting her lip, Vanessa, unaware that she was being watched, hopped over the nearest armchair and darted down the short hallway- away from the kitchen. There were only two bedrooms, and Big Wily's was the one at the end. She pushed the door open and burst inside.

Hairy Pete, scratching his a** with one hand and wiping the remains of liquor off his lips with the other, explored the other bedroom.

Big Willy was, thankfully, not in either.

"I don't think he's here, kiddo," Hairy Pete observed wisely as they piled back into the hallway. Vanessa could only agree. Relief destroyed the worm that had burrowed within them, and the pair of friends exhaled unanimously.

From their position in the hallway, the dynamic duo was in plain sight of the kitchen. Super Van saw them first. She peered at the strangers over Hairy Pete's dusty shoulder, eyebrow cocked. Hairy Pete noticed her watching and stood up a little straighter, purposefully and valiantly in front of Vanessa. Life on the streets had taught him, always, to be cautious when meeting new people. Something about these intruders didn't sit well with him.

But that could also have been the aftereffects of his evening whiskey. It was difficult to tell sometimes.

He also valued her life more than his own.

"Hey," Vanessa flashed a smile from where she stood, and then scowled at Hairy Pete for not letting her passed him. "Do you guys know where Big Willy is?"

Willy was a man with a lot of friends, and some relatives that she hadn't met. Vanessa was inclined first to believe that these people were Big Willy's cousins or something and, therefore, also a part of her family by association. They didn't look like ordinary burglars, after all.

Whatever Hairy Pete had expected, it wasn't this. He had heard rumours in the underground about the supernatural forces that wreaked havoc around Destiny- had listened to Vanessa talk about her monsters, and watched the news on several TVs at once through department store windows. With the help of his alcohol, Pete had been able to drown out the growing sense of panic and fear that was slowly laying claim to the city and the hearts and souls of its citizens.

He stood cautiously in front of Vanessa tonight, memory flickering to the heart to heart he had shared with her only a couple of nights previous. She had told him all about what she was up to, and he had not felt like it was his place to scold or even tattle on her. Nealite crept closer. Hairy Pete couldn't help but notice that she blocked the door (their only way out) and the way she kept looking at her companion. Pete realized that, for Vanessa's sake, he should have let Big Willy in on their adventurous friend's reckless behaviour. Willy would have done something about it.

Vanessa wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but she didn't think this strange woman's suggestion was anything to get worked up about.

"Oh!" She beamed at Nealite, spared a smile for the boy in the kitchen to let him know that she was friendly, and tried to get passed Pete again. He moved in front of her, and Vanessa elbowed him sharply for being so rude. Pete gasped in pain, but didn't budge. Vanessa scowled.

"I love surprises," Super Van chirped, face transforming from an irritated frown into an epic 'It's nice to meet you' smile. When the other woman reached forward, she held her own hand out, over Pete's shoulder, to be shaken.

Imagine her surprise when Nealite plunged her hand inside Pete's chest instead. The homeless man instantly went rigid, body repulsed by this invasion of such a precious cavity, and Vanessa, mouth gaping like a fish starved for water, swore she could see the last breaths of life as they slipped passed his paling lips. Lids fluttered closed over fading irises, and when his body sagged, it was all Vanessa could do to keep him from falling and hitting his head on the floor.

"What are you doing?" She squeaked, voice cracking with shock and fear, and attempting both to hold up her friend and get him the hell out of there, reached out to coil her fingers around Nealite's wrist. She tugged. Hairy Pete was not a light man. Vanessa's face went very white. "Stop. Stop- LET GO OF HIM. RIGHT NOW."

Super Van's voice rose from a childish plea to a desperate roar.

((jumped in line for conveniency's sake. demy or akina, it's your move! 8D))

Scheelite hadn't liked being moved out of the way. Really, how was he supposed to protect her if she was just going to gently take him aside and then move to the other side of the room? He had started to follow, but a look from the captain made him hold back. Fine, for now he'd be good and just observe from his side of the apartment, but so help him if anyone made any funny moves on Nealite...

The boy was quiet, offering a smile to Vanessa when she gave her own. Right, play it off as being friendly Scheelite! It came naturally to him, so it was easy to 'act' the part when the situation called for it. When Nealite lunged forward to steal the homeless man's star seed, Scheelite actually laughed and took a few steps forward.
"Oh, don't worry about what she's doing! Your friend there won't mind in a minute, trust us."

He had slunk forward even more, close enough to make a lunge for a star seed of his own. It was then that smoke billowed into the room and Schee had but a moment to utter "what the ********?!" before the air became a smothering, churning cloud. The blonde agent immediately started coughing, and though he wanted to run away something else was really starting to worry him.

"Nealite?!" Cough. Choke. Sputter. "Why is it always SMOKE CLOUDS?! Nealite are you okay?!"
God. Lyra had glitterclouds, Zink had smoke bombs, and this time it seemed to be literal smoke. Scheelite was developing a rather huge hatred for attacks of this nature.