Chapter Text
“Taylor!” The little girl could hear her mother’s voice call out, barely louder than the sound of the ocean waves hitting against the sand of the beach, the morning sun glistening in the water. Taylor giggled as she ran in between the large rocks–mom would never find her here! Soon, she will be known throughout the lands as the best hider ever!
She pulled up the red lighter she had totally not stolen from her dad, holding it up triumphantly before flicking it on–and on her first try too! She ventured deeper between the rocks, her chest spread out with confidence like a true adventurer. After all, every adventurer needed their trusty torch.
Taylor paused as she noticed a white candle standing atop a rock in the distance–a candle she could light! With glee, the little girl ran towards the candle. Stopping in her tracks, she bent down, caressing the black wick with her lighter’s flame, lighting the candle. The girl stood proudly, nodding to herself at a job well done.
Then she heard it–a low hum. Turning to the side, she bore witness to a giant figure, draped in a sparkling dark cloak. A long white beard split in half cascaded down from its face, almost touching the sandy ground it stood on. A horned crest sat above its almond-shaped glowing eyes as it stared down at her. Though the more Taylor stared at it, the more it looked like a boat, really.
Leaning to the side, the towering old man grabbed a large staff, crooked and bent ever so subtly.
The old man let out another low hum as it leaned down, pressing its large hand against Taylor’s head, ruffling her salt-water-soaked hair, making the girl giggle in response.
“Taylor, there you are!” Taylor turned to see her mother jog towards her, sundress flowing through the wind.
“Mommy!” Taylor squealed as her mother grabbed her, lifting her and holding her to her chest. “I made a friend, look!”
But when she pointed towards the old man, nothing was there except a flock of white birds. The birds flew away as Annette walked away with her.
“I’m sure you did, honey,” Annette said, pecking her on the cheek. “Now let’s go get some ice cream.”
“Okay,” Taylor said, still staring towards where the old man had sat.
Lily got up from the bench, stretching her body as she looked at herself in the mirror. The new costume was pretty nice, finally having gotten rid of her old one. There wasn’t much difference, to be fair, at least not visually. Most of the changes were just from her growth spurt, so the old one got a bit too tight for her liking.
“Flechette, you there?” The voice of Clockblocker rang out from her earpiece. Putting on her helmet and strapping on her crossbow, she began to make her way towards the exit of the PHQ. “V and I are suited up.”
“Just finished, coming over,” She said as she walked through the corridors of the ENE PHQ.
It had been about a month since she moved to Brockton Bay, and she had finally started to get the hang of things. The whole thing had been an anxiety-inducing affair, so much time with the New York Wards spent getting to know them, and now she had to get acquainted with an entirely new group. Legend had promised it was only temporary, though, so they could deal with… her, letting Lily take a break for a bit. At least the Wards in Brockton were nice enough. Shadow Stalker, maybe not so much–pretty, though.
“Ay, there she is!” Clockblocker called out, standing next to Vista at the edge of the landing platform. “New suit doing you well?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s great!” She said, smiling as she stopped walking and stood next to her fellow wards. “They got my measurements just right!”
“Really?” Clockbocker said, and Lily could just hear the dumb grin on his face. “Do we need to call HR?”
“Since when do we have an HR?” Vista said, chuckling as she fiddled with her visor. “Suit’s cool, by the way. I’m actually wondering if I should get a new one too. Starting to snag a little on the shoulder, I think.”
“You think?” Clockblocker questioned, looking down at Vista as she warped the space between the landing pad and the Boardwalk. With only a few steps, they passed over the ocean and onto the asphalt roads of the city. Even after a month, she couldn’t help but admit it was kinda cool, if a bit of a mind screw.
“I don’t know.” Vista shrugged as they began walking. “Maybe I’m just having one of those days where clothing doesn’t feel the same.”
Lily slowly tuned out of the conversation as they all continued walking, giving a wave to a passing child. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk; she just couldn’t think of anything to add to the conversation at the moment.
It was right then that something to converse about stepped past one of the arches into the Boardwalk. A towering figure stood about two dozen feet away from them, everyone stopping in their tracks. A black cloak enveloping their body with a dusty blue collar on its shoulders, so large it dragged a few feet behind it on the pavement. On their face was a stone-like mask in the form of an eight-sided star, the middle glowing a blinding white. White, curly hair flowing down their back.
“Uh, Clockblocker? Vista?” She turned to look at the two wards, but they seemed overly relaxed at the sight of the cape. “That a hero, or…?”
“Oh, no worries, that’s just Lamp Post,” Clockblocker said, folding his arms. “She’s one of the more… what’s the right word?”
“Low-key,” Vista said.
“Right, that,” Clockblocker said, nodding before turning towards the setting sun. “It’s a bit early for her, though, not like she hasn’t come out during the day.”
“Right, Lamp Post.” Lily nodded before her brain caught up with everything. “Wait, Lamp Post?”
“That’s on me,” Vista said, pointing to herself sheepishly, though she didn’t continue.
“We should probably call this in still,” Clockblocker said, turning to Vista. “You take the call?”
“Gotcha,” Vista said, giving a two-finger salute as Clockblocker pulled Lily towards the looming cape.
“So, she’s friendly?” Lily asked as she heard Lamp Post let out a thrumming hum sound, a pulse of light emanating from its mask.
“Oh, her? Not really,” Clockblocker said, shaking his head. “She’s a bit… detached, might be the right word. Her kids are pretty fun, though.”
“Wait, kids?” Lily blinked in confusion, watching as five figures flew down and landed next to Lamp Post. The first was the tallest, just an inch shorter than Lily herself, wearing a black top with elbow-length sleeves and matching wide, baggy pants. A cloth belt wrapped around its body in stark white, with a glowing gem on its chest. White curly hair similar to its mother, framing its completely blank face. On its shoulders was a short black cape with a white underside. It stood next to its mother ramrod straight, its hands behind its back.
The next two were a pair of twins wearing sleeveless tailcoats with metallic hems and wide pants with a geometric pattern wrapping around the hem, swirling tattoos on their bare arms. But while one’s was blue and silver, the other’s was red and gold. The first sported a fluffy white mohawk, pointing down towards its bone-white mask, a single streak of blue cutting through the left eye. The second was completely bald, leaving only its own bone-white mask with a streak of red down its right eye. In contrast, the blue one had a red scarf wrapped around its neck, while the red one had a blue scarf.
The last two wore beige half-sleeve tops with pairs of matching shorts. Their masks were colored a dull yellow with a gem on top, an indent passing through the eyes. Both wore dusty brown capes on their shoulders, and their hair, a short, angular bob with a cowlick at the crown and a longer lock of hair on the right side, adorned with a silver and blue band. Judging by their height, those two seemed to be the youngest.
The oldest continued to stand by its mother as the other four began to run around the boardwalk, the younger two more cautious than the twins, who began what Lily could only assume was a game of tag. Lamp Post merely stood there, with subtle yet twitchy movements.
The entire scene was… weird, to say the least. This felt less like watching a cape in an open space and more like a mother spending time with her children.
“So, is this it?” Lily asked as she noticed Vista walk up to them.
“Kinda, yeah,” Vista said, shrugging. “Just sorta walks around with her kids. All the adult heroes and Director Piggot call them projections, but like, it doesn’t feel right to call them that.”
Lily watched as one of her younger kids came back with a boy, his eyes red and puffy. A woman ran up, scooping the boy up with a tight hug. The child gave a small bow with a hum, its pitch much higher than its mother’s. The woman gave an awkward bow before walking away with her son.
The twins had stopped their game of tag, helping an old man with his groceries, holding both of his wrinkly hands and walking together. The second of the youngest slept on its mother’s shoulder as she looked out towards the ocean, an arm pushing out from her cloak to lightly pet the child. The eldest, however, approached the wards, hands still behind its back as it gave a light bow.
“Monochrome, nice to see you again!” Clockblocker said, giving a small wave. “Sadly, Aegis is not here right now.”
Monochrome let out a disappointed hum as its shoulders sagged, its serious demeanor cracking before quickly picking itself back into shape. Monochrome turned to Lily, a slight tilt in its head.
“Oh, hi there,” Lily said, bowing a little. “I’m Flechette. I’ve technically been here for a month now, but still, nice to meet you.”
Monochrome let out a hum with another bow.
“Sorry, Aegis couldn’t make it, Chromy,” Clockblocker said. “I know how much you like flying with him, ya big softie.”
Monochrome folded its arms and stomped into the ground, turning its head the other way as it let out a hum similar to a harumph.
They heard Lamp Post’s own hum in the distance. Monochrome shook its head before waving as it ran back towards its mother along with the other children. The children stood in front of their mother as her cloak opened. The outfit she wore was regal, yet the slightest bit off–it was a bit baggy on her, akin to when a child might wear their parents' clothes.
The children raised their arms and then brought them down, their capes lighting up as Lamp Post’s cloak was blown off the ground. Crouching, Lamp Post flailed her arms as she took flight, her black cloak practically blotting out a chunk of the sky.
“Well then,” Lily said, staring up as she watched the giant woman and her children fly further into the city.
“Yup, that’s Lamp Post and her moths for ya,” Clockblocker said.
“Moths?” Lily questioned.
“Her kids look like moths,” Clockblocker replied with a shrug. “Or, well, start out looking like moths.”
“Moths,” Lily repeated as she continued to watch Lamp Post fly through the sky.
It was… kinda cute.
Lily’s thoughts were silenced as the roaring of a motorcycle came from behind them. They all turned to see Armsmaster riding on his motorcycle, the engine’s purr slowing down as he parked next to them. Armsmaster was interesting as a leader. She wouldn’t say he wasn’t charismatic, if maybe not as charismatic as, say, Legend, but he was fine enough. Though he did have his… peculiar moments now and then, where it felt like Lily was talking to another person entirely.
“Vista, you mentioned Lamp Post being here?” Armsmaster said, getting off his bike.
“Yeah, she just left though,” Vista replied.
“Hmm, unfortunate,” Armsmaster said, chewing his lip. “I had wanted to test something new today–guess I’ll have to wait for another time.”
Armsmaster stiffened before holding up two fingers and pressing them to his ear. His lips tightened as he listened to whatever was coming from his earpiece before beginning to get back on his bike.
“Well, I can’t stay for long, got a call about some trouble in Downtown,” He said before giving the three a nod. “Not something I can bring one of you with, so I will see you later.”
And then he drove off.
“Dang, and here I was hoping we might get some action,” Vista said before sighing.
…
“You gonna make a dumb joke or not?” Vista said.
“Who do you take me for?” Clockblocker said, amused yet also insulted.
Lily chuckled at their antics.
Maybe this place wasn’t that bad.