The problem with summer time in Destiny City was that being in the northeast didn’t really seem to help matters at all when it came to fighting off the summer heat, and there was no time that the summer heat became completely unbearable than during the night when someone was trying to sleep. Nyasa Freeman had no qualms in sleeping in the nude, nor did it bother her to throw the blankets onto the floor where all that laid on top of the sweat soaked sheets was herself. At some point in the night, she pulled the curtains down and opened the windows, so desperate for some kind of comfort that she truly did not care of any peeping toms would spy in on her as she slept. Let them perverts get a good, long look at her. In this blazing heat, she figured that they’d deserve whatever relief they could get, or maybe the combined heat from their own hormones and the air would cause them to combust and leave one less problem in the world.

All she wanted was relief, and apparently, so did her roommate. Only his way of finding relief from the summer heat involved allowing an extra 98 degrees into his bed. She wasn’t a prude, and she was fine with Richard bringing home whatever slank he could trick into getting under the sheets with him, but it simply blew her mind that he could tolerate the heat so much that he was eager to play a few rounds of roll in the hay. Never underestimate the sex drive of a perverted red head, she told herself, as she tried to roll over to her side and tried to go back to sleep, hoping that they could at least offer some white noise to assist in that endeavor. The one night where all she wanted to do was sleep in and it would figure that Destiny City itself was working against her.

She had managed to feel herself slipping away when a strange noise caught her ear. Richard had screamed. No big deal, normally- that’s just how he got into the game. But this scream was different. There was no joy, no relief in it. It was strangled, and it didn’t stop. “... the ******** wasn’t sure what possessed her to grab a shirt and flee the room instead of simply powering up- that would have been quicker and might have helped whatever the hell was going on in the room up the stairs, but she was running on pure adrenaline by this point. She didn’t even remember going up the stairs and Baldwin’s obsessive scratching stopped, only to be replaced by her slamming her fists on the door. “Richard! Richard, open the door, right now!”

Nyasa didn’t mean to let her fear be heard, and she could always worry about restoring her strong image after she was certain that Richard was safe. Something was happening behind the doors, as she heard feet stomping and items being flung about, and she reached for the doorknob, despite knowing that it’d be locked and was preparing to slam her shoulder against it, when it suddenly flung open to reveal a half dressed woman, panic and fear evident in her eyes and a little blood on her lips as she rushed past Nyasa and Baldwin. The Irish wolfhound slunk into the room immediately, looking for his master, and Nyasa turned her head to watch the woman try to flee, tripping on her own feet and sending her tumbling down the stairs. The EMT in Nyasa winced when she swore she heard a bone snap, and her shrieks intrigued her. “He’s crazy! Absolutely crazy!”

’Richard? Crazy? Tell me something I don’t know.’ Nyasa thought to herself before looking into the room, and it didn’t take her long to find him. Baldwin was laying on the ground, half his body covered by the bed, which led her to believe that he was sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed, just out of sight. She dared venture into the room, her bare feet stepping in something wet but warm, and she assumed it to be blood, and the shrieking banshee in the living room could wait, as she called into the bedroom. “Richard. Are you alright? Are you bleeding?”

His reply was listless, nothing at all like the scream she heard earlier, and almost immediately, her fears were quelled. “No. It’s hers… I… tried touching her starseed.”

“... did you remember to power up?”

He didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. She already knew the answer, and she gave a shake of her head, before looking back towards the living room. “You want me to finish the job?”

“Could you? I’d do it myself, but… I think one failure is enough for tonight. Just going to sit here… until the swelling stops.”

It was incredibly easy not to laugh at the poor man’s dismay, and he didn’t need to tell her anymore. The woman had defended herself and it was no question where she struck, and only when she had pulled the door close did she take the moment to transform. It wasn’t often that she had to clean up Richard’s messes, but Captain Mica was willing. The woman had just barely made it to the door when Mica leapt from the top of the staircase and landed next to her, and she almost admired the woman’s bravery. Her ankle was broken and her tongue was swollen from where she bit herself, but she was willing to continue struggling, and it was a pity that Mica had no interest in corrupting this one.

Perhaps Richard had? Whatever his original intention was, either taking her starseed or pushing for a corruption, it was no longer an option on the table, and Mica was willing to give the woman a quick demise… if it was at all possible, anyway.

The woman didn’t suffer for long, and for all her vigor, her starseed was relatively pathetic to look at. Maybe she’d give it to Richard anyway? Put it on a tray with an ice pack and a shot of bourbon to make the sting of his failure hurt a little less, but she couldn’t help but ponder…

What would have driven a Negaverse officer to try ripping a starseed when they were not transformed? Had he simply forgot, or was it something deeper? “I think you’re starting to lose it, friend.”

((Word Count: 1083))