capitalchan | [email to Nomad]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you don't have any powers. Hypothetical you.

[ But THAT answer surprises her ] Even if those powers are literally the only reason they're alive? I mean, it seems pretty... "you're only alive because of these powers, you have a responsibility to use them" to me.

I think you have a responsibility to not be a jerk and use them for evil, but... no one owes anyone their whole life that way. [ She laughs a little, lips twisting into a wry little smile. ] If I save someone, does that mean they have to join CONDOR? 'Cause that's a recruiting program we haven't tried.

[ ...no, she's not technically CONDOR. She still thinks of herself as one of them, and probably always will. ]

[She sticks her tongue out a little] That's different. I doubt you're giving people old magic when you save their lives.

No, but... everyone technically has the ability to do this kind of work. I mean, people like me and Hawkeye are proof of that, right

Lots of people could be cops or doctors or first responders or whatever. Or even superheroes, if they train hard enough. And they could help a lot of people, if they did that. Doesn't mean they're doing something wrong if they decide not to. Even if they have superpowers.

Mmm. I guess.

[ She doesn't really look convinced, but it's not that Rikki's argument isn't good. It IS good. There's just something deep in Aña's chest that clenches up at the idea of giving it up. She's just not sure if it's that she doesn't want to stop or that she doesn't want to let Papá and Miguel down.

She picks at the frayed hem of her Goodwill jeans and sips at her coffee. ]

Sorry, I'm being kind of depressingly serious, aren't I?

[ She shakes her head, smiling softly. ] No, you're not. I thought about it a lot, af- before I came here. I still do, sometimes.

Obviously I decided to stay, but... that's me. I didn't want to walk away. Anyone who'd blame me for doing it, though... well, they'd be wrong. Nobody owes the kinds of things this job asks of us.

[Aña snorts and smiles wryly]

Yeah, try telling that to my bosses.

[She pauses for a moment to think about that, then clarifies] Miguel wouldn't have thought so. If I'd wanted to quit, I don't think he would've told me I shouldn't. [she shrugs] But Miguel's not here anymore. And our bosses are assholes, even if they're trying to keep the world safe.

[ Rikki presses her lips together. The more she hears about these bosses of Araña's, the less she likes them. ]

Well, if you quit, they're not your bosses anymore. They don't own you, whatever they think.

The only reason I'm alive and not dead from getting stabbed is 'cause I'm descended from somebody or other that let Miguel give me their ancient Hunter powers. They kinda do.

[ Aña doesn't like them much either. She likes the Wasps less, though, and doesn't particularly want the weight of Web Corp coming down on her. ]

So what? You didn't ask for that. Even if you owed them... I think you've paid them back, by now. Saving your life and then claiming the rest of it is kind of supervillain behavior, you know.

[ And if she thought Araña would go, she'd drag her back to the Trailblazers building right now, or straight to CONDOR, somewhere these people couldn't touch her for as long as she wanted it. ]

[She wouldn't go. Not without Tommy and Matilda, and they wouldn't want to go. Sorry, Rikki.]

Yeah, well. They keep the Sisterhood in line, and trust me, that's a good thing. Those people are muy psycho.

They've been doing it without you, right? They can keep doing that.

[ She sips her coffee while she studies Araña, and finally lets out a slow breath. ]

Did you come here because you don't want to do it anymore, or because you wanted to be talked out of leaving?

[That gets a little laugh out of her]

Honestly? I have no idea.

[Honesty is safer with people who don't know you as well, right? Especially when they're good people like Nomad?]

I mean, I'm not doing any crime fighting now, my arm's not up to it and anyway I'm still getting used to only having wall grip and webs on my left side. But I just... I think about quitting and I get sick to my stomach, but I don't know if it's because I don't want to quit or I don't want to let anybody down, y todo está muy jodió.

[ She's silent for a long moment, thinking. ]

Do you miss it? I mean, forget feeling like you should be doing anything... when you're sitting around at home or whatever, do you wish you were out punching bad guys instead?

I wish I still had a mission, instead of just punching muggers and dumbass kids who try to knock over convenience stores.

[ She snorts softly. ] Yeah. Me too, sometimes. Maybe we should go out of our way to piss off TRIDENT or something, make life a little interesting...

Oh, I have it out for TRIDENT, I just don't have the resources to take them on by myself.

[They fucked with Tommy. If there was any chance she wasn't going to violently hate them, they blew it when they did that.]

I haven't actually run into any of them since I got here. Clearly I've got to get to work digging out a few local bases.

[ Though it's going to be harder to go on TRIDENT-smashing fieldtrips without Cap at her back. Maybe she'll bring Clint. She likes the Trailblazers, but so many of them are babies by her standards, and she's not close enough to the more experienced ones to be sure of them either. It's weird and uncomfortable, but she figures it'll go away with time. ]

[ Aña shrugs a little. She hit them the once, with Jess and Tron and everyone, but she hasn't seen them either, other than that. ]

They hurt Tommy. I'm not really inclined to like them much. You better let me know if you find anything - even if I don't keep doing the hero thing, I want in on fucking TRIDENT up.

[ Right. She forgot about that part, and she sobers for a moment, studying Aña's face. ]

Sure. I can't... officially do anything without CONDOR approval, but you'll find out if there's anything going on. I figure I owe Tommy, at least once... Maybe twice for the broken nose.

Is he okay, by the way? Does he heal superfast too?

Definitely twice, if only because I had to put up with him complaining about it.

[she says with a weirdly dopey smile. The sort of smile that WOULD indicate adorable puppy love except for the fact that it's just Aña being totally stoked that they just realized that they are totally each other's family which makes her feel significantly less alone in the world. Rikki is welcome to take that however she wants.]

He's fine, though. Complained a hell of a lot, but fine. It even healed straight and everything.

Good. [ Her lips twitch into a tiny grimace. ] I really am sorry. I honestly thought he was... harassing you or something...

[snort] Well, he does that plenty, too, but not like that.

He wouldn't do anything like that, for the record. I think you know that, but just to clarify. He's a good guy.

[ Rikki's still deeply unsure about him, and the look she gives Anya over her coffee says as much, but finally she huffs a little and smiles faintly. ]

Well. I guess he didn't punch me back when he could've, so he's probably okay.

[that gets a bit of a laugh out of Aña]

More or less.

[she examines her coffee for a moment, as she takes a drink]

...Thanks, by the way. For talking with me.

[ Rikki blinks, and shakes her head after a moment. ]

It's no problem. I wasn't doing anything until later anyway... and it's nice to see you again.

[ She pauses, and flushes, realizing how that sounds. ]

I mean. That you're okay and all. And... yeah.

[ She takes after Forrest in the smoothness department. Which is to say, she has none. ]

[It's okay, Rikki - Aña probably has just as little game as you do, considering she flushes a little (harder to tell on her, to her relief) at all that.]

Yeah. It's nice to see you're... um, still alive and... stuff...

[oh god she fails so hard at this Tommy would be laughing his ass off right now. Maybe she can salvage this?]

Because I don't follow everything the Trailblazers are doing, I mean. I don't know, maybe you went to war with an alien race while I wasn't looking.

[...nope, that's worse.]

[ Rikki nearly chokes on the coffee she took a sip of to try to look all cool and not awkward, and manages to swallow before she gets it in her nose giggling. ]

You know, I think even without paying attention to the news, you would probably notice if we got involved in something that big. I mean. Most likely.

[she sniffs a little, staring down her nose at Rikki]

Shut up, Nomad, you don't know my life.

You're right. There is a small possibility that you live in some alternate dimension where you wouldn't notice alien ships descending on LA. I'm very sorry for making assumptions.

[ She even manages to say it straight-faced. Mostly. ]

[Aña laughs again, and reaches out with her foot to prod Rikki in the leg]

Shut up, I haven't really done a lot of socialization since I was 14, okay?

[ She snorts softly. ] It's fine. I haven't really had non-hero friends since I was sixteen, so I'm pretty used to... weird.

Not that you're especially weird. For a hero. We all are a little.

[ Stop saying words, Rikki. ]

[email to Nomad]

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