Evelyn stayed like that for a bit as well. Those moments quickly turned to seconds then to a minute or two. Time was slowed yet it was moving so fast. She eventually pulled back, letting out of soft sigh.
”Do you… believe me now? I don’t want to hurt you…” she asked, giving him a sincere and caring look. Again, she wanted to give him another chance. She had to give it to Nightmare though, that mask was extremely unneeded as it blocked out such a pretty face.
”Come on… it’s getting cold outside…” she stated, taking the man by the wrist and hoping that he would follow.
(Can I just say that this is the second ship I actually adore with all my heart? (〃ω〃) )
(I agree. They are suh good. ^〃ω〃^)
Zeke didn't know what to say. He didn't even know why he had allowed himself to do that in the first place. He felt like he'd given in. Maybe he had. And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing? But he was still horrified at the pace everything was going. Last night, they were fighting in a dark alley– he'd had intentions to kill her– and now, a mere twenty-four hours later, they had just–
He blinked a few times. He felt like he was going insane. What was wrong with him? He was falling fast and hard and he had no idea how to stop.
"Okay," was the only reply he could manage to get out, and even that was barely above a whisper. His face was still flushed, his heart still going wild. He allowed her to lead him by the wrist, though, with no objections.
Nothing in the past day had gone as planned. Not even remotely. This morning, he set out to kill her. And now– well, he didn't even know what to think anymore.
Evelyn took him to her ‘house’, which was really just an apartment room. She let out a soft sigh before opening the door. As she invited the man in, her face had gone redder when she realized that the canvas she was working on— one of Nightmare—was the thing that stood out the most in the living room. She quickly closed the door behind her after he had entered and to quickly cover it with a piece of white cloth.
”Uhm… excuse me for that…” she gave a nervous laugh at the end of it, not entirely sure as to what she should be saying after… that.
Her living room wasn’t extremely big but it was definitely bigger than the needed size for two people. Nothing was very out of the ordinary except the flood of art equipment around the room and the white cat beanbag which was the perfect size for Evelyn. There were almost several paintings and drawings of heroes and villains around the room, stuck to the walls with some even framed. One of which—perhaps the most important one to Lynn as it was in a golden frame—was a printed digital drawing of Nightmare himself, in his usual clothes and placing his index on his lips while his other hand held his signature knife. The setting of the scene was clearly a darkened alleyway with the reflection from the knife and the man’s golden colored eyes being its clear focus point.
She sat down on the beanbag and gave the man a grin.
”Please… make yourself home…” she invited, her heart beating centuries a minute.
Zeke would be lying to say that he wasn't impressed, but as he observed the art– particularly the piece of himself– his already red face grew even warmer, if that were even physically possible at this point. He tried not to act it, but after what had just happened, and seeing the art, and everything else, he was flustered big time.
"Oh– Thanks," he responded sheepishly, his eyes landing on the couch– which was the nearest piece of furniture for sitting– and sat down on the edge, folding his hands together somewhat awkwardly. To be honest, he'd… never really been anyone's guest before, and he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. Especially not after their encounter outside. "Nice house." Really? Was that the best he could come up with?
His gaze drifted around the room again, to the various paintings and drawings, and eventually landed on the one of himself again. He didn't comment on it– frankly, he wasn't sure what to say. It was a good piece, no doubt– but he wasn't sure if it's existence made him flustered or flattered or what. Probably both.
Evelyn opened her mouth a bit before it quickly turned to a laugh which she covered with his hand. It was cute how socially awkward this man was though she won’t say that, she’d rather keep that to herself. She had just realized that Nightmare had noticed the drawing of himself… eh… it was too late to hide that one now. She wanted to know more about him… yet, she knew that this wasn’t the exact time to do that. Not after what had happened downstairs. Looking at the clock, the shorthand reached eleven.
”D-Do you want something to drink…? Or perhaps eat…? Hm?” She asked, heading towards the kitchen counter slowly. What. What was going on in her head. She had the sudden feel that something bad was about to happen… yet… she didn’t know what that could’ve been.
"Maybe some water. If you don't mind." Zeke unclasped his hands from one another, though he didn't really know what else to do with them. He rested one on his leg, tapping his fingers against his knee, trying not to feel so uneasy but finding it impossible. Honestly, he was a bit famished, too, but he didn't feel relaxed enough to eat. Plus, he didn't want to impose, even if she had offered.
Evelyn nodded almost immediately, filling a glass with some cold water. She was nervous when she realized that she was in the presence of perhaps the most infamous and the most wanted person in all of the country… yet all she felt was respect for the man. Maybe it was because she understood briefly of what it was like to be him. She had that phase way back as well.
”Here you go—“ she handed the glass to him, giving him a warm and welcoming smile.
She sat back down on the cat beanbag and played with its ears a bit.
A purr came from behind Nightmare so she looked to see what was going on. Just in time, the two cats decided to come out and play.
The adult one seemed calm enough that he already occupied a seat on the couch. The kitten, on the other hand, was not ready for a guest and shook like the nervous wreck he was.
Evelyn noticed this and chuckled softly, standing up to pick the kitten up. She was divided between playing with the kitten herself or…
”Bloop~” she had placed the amber kitten on Nightmare’s lap and placed the adult white cat beside him. She laughed a bit at the scene she had created.
Nightmare, the emotionless and cold killer, surrounded by two adorable cats. Perfect.
"Thanks." Zeke nodded in appreciation when she gave him the water, eyeing it closely– more out of habit than actual distrust– before taking a few sips. He'd likely been drugged before, so it was only natural for him to be cautious.
Though, he wasn't prepared to be bombarded with kitties.
"Oh–" He blinked, glancing down at the tiny kitten on his lap and at the white cat next to him. He wasn't really used to cats like this. He was used to the feral kind you find the alleys. Scrawny ones with sunken sides, wild eyes, and bared teeth. The kind that hiss and arch their back at you when you get too close. Scraggly and rejected. The ones who trust no one. He always felt like he related to those cats on an emotional level.
But these cats were far cuter and more gentle than the ones he had previously encountered. A bit fluffier. A bit more… huggable. And the little nervous one– well, Zeke might've related to it on an emotional level, too. Just not as obvious about it.
He hesitated momentarily before running his fingers over the kitten's head and down its back. He smiled faintly. Not only did he not have experience with pet cats, but he didn't have much experience with pets in general. He never really had time to worry about having a pet when he was younger. He was too busy trying to make it through to the next day. "I've never had any pets, but these guys are cute," he commented. As a "villain," he wasn't sure if it was normal for him to talk about the cuteness of kitties, but– come on. They were pretty darn cute. "What are their names?"
Evelyn was quite surprised that Nightmare was even interested in her cats. Well, the change was happening she’d guessed.
”The white one is named Kao, meaning ‘white’ in Thai. I just thought it was cute. The amber kitter is named Topaz and I adore him” she answered, smiling a bit.
Unexpectedly, she was quite calm with the situation. However… she did want Nightmare to be here for some reasons. One of them being…
”Uhm… forgive me for asking but…” she took a deep breather ”…do you remember how many people you’ve killed? Not the bystanders, just famous heroes and such…”
Zeke raised his gaze from the cat on his lap to look up at her. He kept a record of everyone who died at his hands. He… thought maybe remembering their names was the least he could do since he was the one who took their lives. But he was justified, as far as he concerned. He thought them to be liars and frauds, the people he slew. Killing innocent people wasn't on his agenda. He might not've been a good person, but he wasn't a serial killer of psychopathic murderer. And the bystanders– well, none of them were ever intentional kills. Always accidents. Always regrets.
But, it was no secret that he'd killed heroes– so the only thing that made him sheepish about answering was the fact that she was a rogue hero and that last night he had literally told her he was going to kill her. Should he apologize for that, or did helping her twice make up for it? He wasn't sure.
"Yes. I remember them all. Six famous heroes. Five slightly less popular ones. Eight that were nearly unheard of." He swallowed, glancing down at the ground. He didn't necessarily regret his actions, but he felt a bit guilty saying it to a hero of sorts that he'd threatened before. "Nineteen total." That wasn't counting bystanders, but again– those were unintentional. "Why do you ask?"
Evelyn’s theory was proven correct; this man wasn’t a villain, but he was definitely not a hero per se. It had been quite clear that he killed those people to prove their wrong doings. Honestly speaking, the ‘heroes’—as they claimed to be—preformed crimes which were most likely punishable by law. Nightmare was that balancing figure. He wasn’t like the previously found Crescent and wasn’t like the ‘hero’ named Inferno. He was different but in a good way.
”I… was just curious…” she started.
”You might’ve seen already that I’m quite a big fan and honestly… I look up to you…” she claimed with a small smile on her face.
”You had the courage to step back and dismantled society to find its weaknesses and its flaws and you tried to fix it…” she continued.
”Frostbite, for example, one of the heroes you’ve killed and the kill that made you infamous. He wasn’t a ‘hero’, he abused his family so much that his wife committed suicide while his children practically left him, scarred,” she raised her voice a tad bit when talking about Frostbite. That was one name she hated to remember as he was the very person who turned her ‘Rogue’.
”…I feel like you’ve been having it too hard, working on your own…” she turned to him, looking him in the eye.
”…please let me help you” she stated dead clear.
Though a secret from all of society, Evelyn had always looked up to villains like Nightmare. Her dreams, though, were far from reality as she was born into a family where their entire lives depended on heroic nature. Villainous ideals were not supported at all. That was… until she moved out on her own. And the encounter she had with her idol last night just proved to her that she wanted to do something bigger than just help the ‘innocents’ only to have them backlash at her for some stupid reason. Hopefully, Nightmare would open up and allow her to showcase what she was capable of. A ‘Rogue Hero’ was really nothing more than a villain in the making.
Though his expression remained unchanging, Zeke was speechless for a moment. He could kind of tell that she had a particularly fond view of him, but no one had ever really bothered to care whether or not his intentions were in the right place or not. No one bothered to care about things like the truth about Frostbite– or any of the other false heroes he killed. They only tended to notice the part where Nightmare killed someone carrying the title of "hero."
But apparently Evelyn took note of the other parts of the matter. Apparently she saw his side of things rather than just looking at the whole situation from one angle like most of society chose to.
And not only did she notice, but now she wanted to help him.
"That's all true. I don't kill heroes. I kill frauds," he muttered once she'd finished, though clearly deep in thought. "But… how would you intend to help me?"
Evelyn’s eyes lit up with… happiness? She would guess so. The question was reasonable to ask; how, exactly, could she be any help to the already talented Nightmare? Something then clicked.
”One of the things I might know more than you do is the Heroes’ abilities. I might be able to help you come up with how to exactly deal with them and plan escape routes in case things have gone out of control,” she presented. Being a fanatic, she had listed out almost every single hero she came across so far; what their powers were, what weapons do they use, and such. If she was being honest with herself, she really wanted to fight along Nightmare as well… but that just can’t be reality now, could it? No, he was fine on his own on the battlefield. She would just be a distraction to him, which was unwise…
”I can also help you with the fights sometimes…” there goes her mouth, not working as it should… again.
”I’m not as talented as you are but I can put my abilities to use in certain times. Maybe that could help…” she was low-key nervous. She was talking to her idol her crush and it was an experience she did not dare to forget.
Her shirt was still a light grayish color which meant that one of the things she controlled, at that time, was… concrete. She heard significantly interesting sounds coming from downstairs, in front of the apartment. She wasn’t wrong, it was Inferno again… but he was with another person. She couldn’t remember the other man’s voice immediately but upon feeling a sudden chill up her spine when the said man used his powers, it was clear.
”Speaking of frauds… Inferno and Snowstorm are in front of the apartment…” she mentioned. She had just realized that she zoned out of the conversation when she was focusing on the two downstairs. They were here for her, she was sure. Inferno wasn’t much of a threat… but Snowstorm was. His agile and precise movements were hard to both dodge and predict. His ability was also a problem as it can slow down enemy or even freeze them if he’d activated it long enough. Swallowing once, Evelyn turned to Nightmare.
”Should we just… stay put… or are you feeling like you want to get rid of them now…?”
Inferno’s crimes were clear; taking advantages and corruption. Snowstorm was a different case. He had killed his entire family on purpose and had kept their corpses frozen somewhere in his house. He, though, was not charged for murder and was never charged anything. These two were a problem to society to say the least.
As far as Zeke was concerned, Evelyn was a pretty capable force in battle– she did beat him the night before, after all, and he would not soon forget that. On top of that, her strengths were a lot different than his– his being darkness and the cover it offered, while hers were– well, he assumed anything colorful, but he didn't fully know the extent of her abilities, to be honest. He didn't know a lot about most people's abilities, so she could definitely help him with that, too. Point was– her strengths were different than his, meaning that when he was at a loss or in a position where the conditions weren't in his favor, they'd likely be in hers.
But they would discuss this later. They had other problems to worry about. Namely Snowstorm and Inferno.
"If we stay here, I'm sure they'll come inside after us– and if we're going to fight them, it might as well be on our terms," Zeke murmured, his voice barely above a whisper even though they were nowhere close enough to overhear him. Zeke had only encountered Snowstorm once– and that was a couple years ago. They didn't fight much, really, because Zeke was concerned with hunting down a different hero at the time. But he did recall that Snowstorm was a dangerous foe, therefore he'd have to be more careful with him. Inferno– well, he wasn't too dangerous so long as you paid attention and didn't let him get a hold of you. "Maybe this will be a nice test run to see how well we work together," he added quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips before he pulled his mask back up over his face and secured it in place.
Evelyn, though subtly, noticed the smile Nightmare gave to her and blushed furiously. She gave a nod before picking both the cats up and placing them on the beanbag, allowing them to rest while they were gone. Lynn had an idea as to how they might start… she went over to the light switch and turned the lights off, allowing darkness to fill the room. She then absorbed the black hue from the shadows.
”I’ll distract them for you, if that’s alright” she stated, her eyes shining past the darkness.
"I didn't know you could absorb the color black, too," Zeke commented in a whisper, though he felt like a dumb idiot for even saying anything about it. She could absorb all colors. Black was a color, after all. He… just hadn't thought about it all that much, really. He vanished into the darkness– not literally, but he was virtually undetectable when there were no lights, because his ability to draw the shadows around himself darkened any visible image of silhouette. Precisely the reason night was his favorite time to fight– or do anything, for that matter. Shadows didn't work well in the day; exposure to light caused them to dissipate, rendering them useless for his purposes. "Let's get rid of your unwanted guests, then, shall we?"
Evelyn had to hide her happiness from the man for now. She was living the moment. She gave a quick nod before stepping to her balcony.
”There she is…” Snowstorm said quietly to the man of fire as what could be interpreted as flames lit up in his eyes. For as much as Evelyn was unfazed, she knew how dangerous one of them was.
”I’ll distract them one way, you can do as you please…” she turned quickly to Nightmare and almost whispering those words ”—alright?” with that, she jumped down from the ledge and… realized one grave mistake she made. What was she thinking when she absorbed black…
There were not a lot of powers that were naturally black that were also useful in this situation. However, that time frame gave her an idea that might just work…
”Blackout…” she murmured as a sphere of complete darkness emitted from her body, blinding the two ‘heroes’ and allowing Nightmare to come in while of course enhancing his powers with the shadows provided. The sphere wouldn’t stay for long though, she needed to do something else later as well.
Warren cursed at the darkness. Of course he did. He was bad about using strong language, apparently. If Zeke had more time to taunt the jerk, he'd cram a bar of soap down the guy's throat just out of spite.
But that was beside the point.
Zeke's immediate goal was to take out Snowstorm. Inferno was an oafish brute, to put it gently, and therefore his threat level paled in comparison to Snowstorm as far as Zeke was concerned.
But the darkness– why, that was Zeke's domain. His expertise. His specialty. He was at an advantage as long as that lasted.
He ran onto the balcony, and from there teleported into the sphere of complete darkness. He could see; his eyes were sensitive enough to see in the dark (hence the reason his eyes were also sensitive to sudden bright lights once his had been adjusted to the darkness).
He swung a fist straight for Snowstorm's throat and grabbed his knife in his other hand– readying it for a kill, if necessary. His fist made contact, but then–
He was forced to leap back as Warren– that moron– erupted into flames, probably in a pointless attempt to light up his surroundings. It was likely that he nearly toasted both Zeke and Snowstorm with his incompetence– though both of them were relatively unharmed. "What the heck?!" Warren hissed when his fire failed to cast any light on the darkness.
(me, at 2 AM, when I should be sleeping but instead am very invested in the lives of nonexistent characters and therefore not remotely tired XD send sanity because I have none left)
(I don’t know how to helppppp~~ please get some sleep ;-;… though I can’t really say that can I? I don’t sleep early myself XD)
Lynn giggled teasingly as she was able to maneuver through the darkness quite easily. This ability—Blackout—was not her own. It was from a villain she met months back whose name she had already forgotten, sadly. The ability to completely sink others in darkness while being able to move around in it and see within in without a problem was clearly a treat in this situation. Even though she was afraid of the dark, this didn’t fall into that category.
Her target, though, was Snowstorm. She was able to get close to the man but when Inferno activated his power, it was expected that the darkness would be gone… yet it did not.
’This ability’s quite useful ain’t it?’ she thought to herself as her staff was pointed at Snowstorm.
”Blackhole—“ she murmured, creating what looked like a small pocket dimension which pulled… Inferno towards it. He was stuck there and was unable to do much.
”Impressive… I didn’t think I was going to be able to see this…” Snowstorm claimed, tiptoeing on the ledge of Lynn’s balcony. She looked up to see the man up there. How was he even able to move like that so quickly?
”Pastel… working with the ever so infamous Nightmare…? What a scene…” his hands turned into icicle-like claws.
The man’s choice of clothing was interesting. A light brown leather coat with its hood up alongside a white hazmat mask to hide his identity.
”This will be interesting…” the man, even with a mask on, was clearly smiling.
( sleep is for the weak. Okay, no, actually it's for the sane, but I only sleep when my body forces me into unconsciousness. 😂 Ah. The life of a writer and roleplayer.)
(“I only sleep when my body forces me into unconsciousness” MOOOOOOOOOOOOOD~~~~)
Zeke, too, was a bit taken aback by the swiftness of Snowstorm, but he didn't allow this to deter him or concern him. With Inferno apparently out of the way altogether, this should've been easier. Maybe not easy, but easier.
Zeke merely snorted at his enemy's comment, fingering the knife in his own hand. "Hm. How is that any stranger than you teaming up with a galoot like Inferno?" He teleported himself onto the balcony, ready to fight if he ever were. "Fire and ice? Seems a tad ironic, don't you think?"
