[IC] Tales of Millennium

[CloseEnough]

"Named him after the first and only rollercoster I ever rode." Soft smile on her features, she felt the handle shift slightly as Manny began to give her companion attention. It was nice, meeting up with a friend and not make it about work, no contest no vigilant. Just to go out and have a bite to eat.

Yet hearing about his mother caused a brush of crimson to dust her features. He actually brought his mom here? Aside from Fiona she never done well with moms...or dads...or any family for that matter. The idea she was meeting a woman she never met caused her to fumble with her hands, "oh...what was her name again? She...she doesn’t have any pet peeves dose she?"

She was over thinking, over thinking to the point that when Manny led her into the restaurant, the air hinting spices on her tounge and smelled of honey and grilling meats, she still found herself jumping when he spoke. Whoever his mother was, she was sitting right in front of her, no word, no hello. It made her shrink back slightly, her voice tiny, hesitant even as she offered a wave.

"Um..h-hello..It's nice to meet you..." She was lost, very lost yet she still took a deep breath. She's just a lady, Manny said she was nice but what if she messed up? Oh gods what if she spilled a cup or something, she always dose that!

[Artifex]

Sonya smiled when Aurora spoke. It was obvious that the girl was extremely shy, but Sonya was used to it. Working with children all day automatically made you a pro at first impressions if you did it long enough.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Aurora,” she said in the sweetest voice. It wasn’t a forced kind of sweetness, but the sincere kind that can only come from a kind, calming soul. “Manny’s told me so much about you.”

Manny rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“That’s such a ‘mom’ line. You gonna show her my baby pictures next?”

“Don’t tempt me, Manhattan...Manny told me about the accident you had a while back...I’m sorry to hear about your horse, sweetheart.” Sonya noticed the cast on Aurora’s hand. “It must’ve really been something for you to still be in a cast.”

[CloseEnough]

Being pulled at the words, Aurora jumped as though she had just woken from a nap. The mom...her voice, she could tell Manny was related to her. She had that same softness undertone that he dose, she was patient, she could see that, maybe easy going? She was not totally sure. Relativily fit, middle aged maybe?

Realizing she must have been stairing or something, Aurora bit her lip. Only to tilt her head at the words. "He's...He's been talking about me?" The idea that Manny was talking about her was indeed new, and something she really just could not picture. "What..what had he said? Must have been kinda boring." A shy smile at the joke she rubbed the back of her neck only to snort a little at Manny's comment.
"Be a wasted effort to show me anything really, but I'm a good listener for stories."

Yet whatever lightness they were able to bring to the albino was soon smothered. One could see her shoulders falter as if someone had placed a weight on her. She shouldn't be surprised that Manny didn't bring up the idea she was injured two separate times. She was an outsider to vigilant work, she could tell.
"Yeah...It was my first time riding her. I heard the roof start to cave in and I was too hesitant in my command so she froze up. I was planning to take her over the arena wall but she just wasn't fast enough. So she took most of the impact..." A sigh escaped her, Goliath whinning at her feet caused her to pet her companion.
"If Manny didn't show up when he did, I would be dealing with a lot worse than a few broken ribs."

Realizing what she was saying she shook her head, offering a smile instead. "I'm being dreary, sorry about that, it's okay really."

[Artifex]

“Oh, don't be sorry, sweetheart. Trust me, I have my own share of dreary stories,” Sonya said returning Aurora’s smile. Manny had indeed neglected to tell his mother that Aurora had actually been hurt twice, but only because the second time was his own fault.

“You know the perfect thing to clear away a dreary moment? A little music...,” Manny said with a grin. He motioned silently to Sonya with his eyes toward Aurora’s cast and gave his mom the ‘please heal my broken little friend’ look. He started lightly tapping a rhythm on the table and waited for his mom to join in. Sonya smiled and began to sing softly with Manny’s beat. It seemed quite automatic as if they had done the sort of thing regularly -- which was precisely the case. Music had a strong presence in Manny and Sonya’s relationship and they made music together constantly. As Sonya sang, she let her power activate to heal Aurora.

[CloseEnough]

"I guess that's the case for everyone." Tilting her head at the mention of music, she tried to figure out just what it was that Manny was trying to do. His hands reaching over to play a even tempo causing Goliath to slowly poke his head up and over the table to see what was going on.
And that's when she started singing.

It was like being wrapped in a heated blanket on a winter's night. A warmth washing over her in waves as she was encased in a feeling of security from the simple yet soothing sound of Sonya. She wondered if her mother was ever one to sing, would she feel the same way? To be comforted by her parent? Yet as moments passed she began to feel something else, a lightness in her chest, an ease in pain as if time itself had turned backwards.
Clouded eyes opening lazily in bewilderment, she turned her attention to the source of the music, not daring to speak until it was over as she sat in utter confusion. She would not have thought this woman was a super, but to have such power was a beautiful thing, one that brought a small, quiet smile to her lips.
"That's amazing" to her party, it was obvious what she was talking about. Placing a hand on her abdomen only to find it absent of pain she took in a deep breath, one she had not been able to in some time. "No wonder why Manny can afford to run into a collapsing building, he has you."

[Artifex]

“Trust me...she’s let me suffer plenty of times.”

“Suffer? More like whine…” Sonya added with a sly grin.

“What? I don't whine!” Manny protested. It was just on the cusp of being convincing. Sonya rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. After pouting for a second, Manny turned his attention to Aurora. She looked far less pitiful than she had a few minutes prior and it brought a smile to Manny’s face. He was glad that he was able to convince her to see his mom and he hoped that getting her healed would be a step towards building some trust back into their friendship. Now that she was better, he managed to push the regret for hurting her aside and enjoyed the rest of the lunch.

[CloseEnough]

A smirk appeared on her features, "you whine." It's all she said, Goliath raising his head with the sloppy grin on his face as though they both just gained a great victory from those two words. A hand reaching for the top of his head, missing a bit only for the dog to shove his face in her palm.
That afternoon melted away her anxiety around this woman. Aurora was able to be a little light hearted around her, smiles on her features as she tossed a joke or two, usually aimed at Manny. Yet all good things must come to an end, her phone vibrating in her pocket, she began to apologize as her features grew crimson, fishing the device out and feeling the screen to see she had gotten a text from her own mother.

Her chest finally began to tighten again, a cold sorrow pinging her mind when she realized that Sarah wanted her back at the barn for a private lesson. She began to realize that if Manny had not introduced her to Sonya today, she would have been in for a lot more pain, before her injuries were healed she was in no shape to ride. "I'm so sorry, umm, my own mother wants to meet with me for a lesson at the barn....uh..it, it was really nice talking to you guys, nice meeting you Miss Sonya."

Offering one more smile, Goliath already began to stand. "Oh, Manny, I'll need to talk to you on a later date." She kept it vague but she was sure he could figure it out, she had a job to do as Raven and she needed help.

[Artifex]

* * * * *

Omega sat perched on the edge of a tall building in a part of town that was all too familiar to him. He took in the crisp night air through slow, shallow breaths and peered down at the street below while contemplating his recent history with Raven Tale. There had been several ups and downs between them which now all took on a whole new perspective. Because she isn't just Raven Tale. She's Aurora. A tiny, super shy, blind albino...and his friend. Until this point, Manny had never known another vigilante outside of costume. In all honesty, the only other super he knew personally was his mom. So this new alliance...no, friendship...was rather new territory. In a weird way, his vigilante work and his personal life were meshing together, and it felt odd.

He believed in things like destiny and purpose, and fate had let their paths cross several times. For what reason, he couldn't yet tell, and only time would reveal such things. For now he would need to prove that he could actually be trusted for more than just healing from his mother; so, he synched his music player to his headphones, put on one of his favorite nighttime playlists, and waited.

[CloseEnough]

The cool air had been nipping at her feature's throughout the night, the clicking hooves of her beloved Dullahan echoing through the ally ways as the woman made her rounds. A new ease in her stance, she was no longer hunted, at least by Omega.
Omega, Manny...

It's been leaving a strange taste in her mouth. To be realizing that someone out there, someone alive, a human in fact, now knows that she has powers. There is someone in this world who no longer sees just a blind woman, but a vigilant, there is someone who can see under her mask and imagine the features that lay barred beneath the skull that rests on her face. It's still had to get her head around the thought, she didn't know if it was going to become her undoing or her saving but for now, she was going to use it to stay alive for as long as she could. She had an ally now, one that she's just going to have to trust, least it goes both ways.

A hand reached to her abdomen, there was no more pain. She could still feel herself humming that little song that Manny and Sonya had made. It was a beautiful gift she had, and one she was both grateful for and jealous of. She'd have to find a way to return the favour sometime, she felt bad about being so awkward, Sonya was a kind woman, the world needed more like her.

As she neared her perch, she felt Dullahan rear beneath her, a bray escaping the beast as she turned in tight circles, heavy breaths escaping her sides as sweat began to collect at her coat. "Easy my friend, easy..." A hand patted her trembling neck, muscles bunched like knots beneath her palm before rearing again.
She was a horse, even a magical beast, she was still a horse after all. And something was spooking her, a hand waving over her neck, Raven began to whisper her words, feeling herself air born as she landed on the ground beneath her. "Disperse my friend"
Reaching for the book, hands on the pages, Raven began to feel a pair of bony arms around her torso before she could even finish her call. "Time of death, October 10th" the feeling of familiarity as the smell of cinnamon embraced her senses, only to be taken by the sound of sand paper like breath as a growl like rumble erupted behind her. "Upon the building, I need to meet."

Without another sound, she was lifted, her feet dangling in the air as the wraith carried her through the air in an eerie silence. The beast was gentle, like a mother holding a child as she was set down beside who she could only feel was Omega.
A smile on her lips, she mentioned for the wraith to come to her side. "A pleasant night my friend, now, are you fit to accompany me on a small errand?"