Very few things could turn Vanya’s opinion of something around quite as effectively as a cash tip. When Cheryl, the hostess working tonight, had brought up a three-bag order to deliver right as Vanya clocked out, he’d kinda wished he’d known any of her socials. Antagonizing her with one of his many alt accounts could’ve provided some decent stress-relief, especially since Cheryl stood a full 6’2” without her heels and weight-trained like she wanted to be Wonder Woman in real life. Mouthing off to her out in meatspace could very easily have gotten Vanya punched, or kicked, or thrown around like a ragdoll.
But then he’d noticed the receipt stapled to the bag: already paid by credit card, so Vanya wouldn’t need to worry about taking any money back to the restaurant, with an additional note “Will tip cash on delivery.”
Any complaints out of Vanya got swiftly and effectively, even the usual one about being sent to take people sushi in the middle of any given city park. Bayside Park wasn’t that far from his apartment—only a slight diversion off the path from work to home, and the weather was nice tonight, so some extra fresh air didn’t bother Vanya—and at least the people who’d ordered made themselves easy to find. Hard to mistake two picnic tables full of guys in assorted t-shirts and soccer uniforms (not that Vanya recognized any of the teams, but he did recognize the general appearance of a soccer uniform).
“Hope it wasn’t too hard to find us, man,” the guy paying said, as he started shuffling the bags from Vanya’s hands to his……friends? teammates? whatever?
“Not hard at all,” Vanya told him, not even needing to fake a customer service smile or anything. He had a cash tip for a huge order coming his way, and a couple bags of “someone thinks sending their worst enemy sushi is a hilarious prank” remnants to take home for himself. “You guys are my last of the night and you’re kinda on my way home. So, I know this park pretty well.”
The guy laughed good-naturedly, taking Vanya’s hand for him and curling it around a bill. “Well, thanks for getting all this to us. Take care and get home safe, alright?”
Vanya nodded, then lifted his bike off the tree he’d rested it against while making the actual delivery. He’d didn’t notice how much of a tip he’d gotten until he was a decent walk away from the table—one downside to Bayside Park: no bike-riding on the paths—and felt safe to take out his wallet, but as he uncurled his hand, he gasped at the whole $50 bill waiting for him.
Tonight was a good night. Even if something would inevitably ruin the Good Feelings, it was probably okay for Vanya to enjoy them for the time being, right?
genovianprince
Thinking Vanya/Farbauti, then Vesuvianite, then Ash for the tag order, just to keep things organized? heart
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 9:53 pm
Vesuvianite still was pretty down on his draining luck. He just... struggled with the concept a lot of the time. It didn't seem quite right to just attack random people when they were drunk, even if that was the easiest. But...
This guy... Well, he'd been eyeing the soccer group, hoping they'd split up soon, but the delivery boy had showed up.... And he seemed pretty energetic. Draining him would probably be a bit difficult, but Vesuvianite would bet real money that he could get a lot more off this guy than he really expected.
So he dropped from the roof near to Delivery Boy and grabbed his arm, starting the drain.
The sudden feeling of a negaverse signature nearly sent Ash running. As it was, the small grey body crouched lower under the cover of a steel park trash can and debated the merits of fleeing, torn between a sense of self preservation and a nagging voice that said she had a responsibility.
She hated that voice. It came out of that foggy area of her brain where memories should be, of the time before the twins had discovered her in the stasis pod. She still had questions about that time in her life, though she'd found hints and scraps of it in the digital trail she'd left behind. 'The Silver Lady' had probably once rushed into the fray, confident in her abilities, but Ash felt very alone at times like this, and very aware that she was a very small creature. Her only solace was the plastic toy in her subspace pocket and the limited burst of power it would give her.
The silver shape slipped out of its hiding place and slunk across the open ground, heading for the safety of the bushes beside the walking path.
She could just take a look. Just see what was happening, and then she could run away. She didn't have to get involved. She could call someone in her contacts who could handle it, and that's all she needed to do. No one would fault her. No one expected her to be a hero.
And maybe some day I'll figure out how to get back to Mau. Her inner voice grumbled.
genovianprince
amorremanet
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:29 am
Vanya honestly felt like his idea was so solid in theory. He was off work, he’d gotten tipped cash, and honestly, why couldn’t he simply go home—or, well, back to his shitty apartment, which was the closest thing he truly had to a home in the traditional sense of the term—and relax, and not get randomly ******** assaulted?
Moreover, he didn’t think “I don’t want to get accosted by Negaverse guys” was asking for so much—and yet.
When the blonde guy all in red and black dropped down in front of him, Vanya groaned before anything had even started.… No. Noooo. He’d had such a shockingly decent day all over, and now this s**t was happening to him again? Even when the Negaverse guy grabbed his arm and started siphoning off energy, the most that Vanya could bring himself to do was pout like a sad, bedraggled kitten.
“Why,” he groused as if the one word on its own made any sense at all. Even to Vanya himself, it really didn’t.
Just like how the pain in his chest did not make sense. This Negaverse guy wanted to drain Vanya’s energy, and who knew how much he’d take? The fake-a** Hawkeye dude and the girl in the cute thigh-highs hadn’t taken that much from him overall, but what if this guy did? What if this guy took everything that Vanya had? And what if Vanya had to spend his last moments in this life in pain because whatever this guy was doing to drain the energy, it made Vanya’s chest feel like someone had set it on fire, like a storm was itching to burst loose, like all it needed was someone to unlock its cage.
Why did things like this always happen to him?
genovianprince
comes in one month late with starbucks for my own character’s awakening, whoops
Vesuvianite almost wavered, but... No, he had to do his job. He needed to—to earn his place in the Negaverse. They knew what they were doing, the universe had to be fixed, and all these aliens who were here to suck the life from Earth and give it to their own planets needed to be stopped. Taking energy from people who lived here to stop more evil people on a grander scale just made sense.
"I'm saving lives," he said softly, trying to give the guy an encouraging answer. "I'm sorry it hurts, but I won't kill you. We just... need to save the world."
amorremanet
well, me too, sorta, sorry xD;;
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:53 pm
Crap. No one was coming, and this... whoever it was, was just going to get away with draining the energy from the poor guy. Duty nagged at Ash to the point she was puffed all over, tail lashing.
Look, its just a Lieutenant. You have your ray gun. You're stronger than he is, and that other guy needs help. There was also something about him that... pulled at her. Too much for the small silver cat to ignore it. Damn it.
Ash was a streak of silver as she broke from cover, flattened to the group as she raced for the pair. Sparks began to trail behind her, leaving a faintly glittering trail, before she jumped and they exploded about her. A small, purple and plastic toy gun popped out of the air and fell in an arc, turning end over end before a small, slim hand caught it and a girl landed on the cement in platform boots and a retro futuristic skirt. Silver ears twitched and a silver tail lashed behind her as she pointed that gun straight at the Lieutentant's head.
"Hands off!" She yelled as she pulled the trigger and the little toy lit up with flashing lights and made a sharp whirring sound, like the inner mechanism was winding up. A searingly bright light formed at the tip of the gun, condensing into a ball and then exploding outwards in a laser beam.
"This way!" Ash shouted as she ran to grab the civilian's other arm.
Firing Lasers! Ash points her toy ray gun at her opponent and a ball of light forms in front of the tip before shooting off in a laser-beam-like shot of energy. Getting hit with the beam feels like setting a burning match to your skin, painfully hot. Bare skin can receive a burn with direct contact, but clothing can block the beam, the amount dependent on the material and how much of it there is. Leather or metal is likely to block it entirely. The duration is short on the beam, only a few seconds, and she can use it twice per battle.
