Nova's happy expression fell, and was replaced with guilt and shame. "I'm sorry Snow. I didn't mean to upset you. I know, it's terrible about the kid, and Peri," she swallowed hard, glancing over at where Peri lay on the ground, covered in scratches. "I'm sorry if I seemed insensitive. You know I care about him, about everyone who lives in this city! As for the danger, Snow you realize that's part of the job right? Sometimes we have to put ourselves in danger in order to save everyone else." She paused, choking back unwelcome tears. "I just get so excited, you know? I love being a superhero and helping people, and sometimes I don't think about how other people, especially the villains we fight who are being controlled, how they must feel. I'm really sorry."
Snow's expression softened his eye's faded to a rich purple, "It's alright Nova, It's alright to love what you do, My worry is if you fail to realize the danger you're not going to be careful enough, this team would fall apart with out you Nova, I know our job in dangerous, but we don't have to make it more dangerous then it already is, This city needs a star we can't loose our Nova." Snow added Mari mentally, "Come on let's help that idiot of a super hero."
Slowly, Nova smiled at him. Snow always gave the best pep talks, and she was really grateful for that. "Thanks Snow." She told him, starting to walk to where Peri still lay on the ground. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Snow rolled his eye's his eye's returning to blue, "I'm sure you and prince charming could figure something out, speaking of prince charming, maybe you should give him a kiss to heal his wounds, that always works in fairy tales."
(quick question, would Snow know that Nova likes another boy? Like he's knows because he's Vincent, but would Nova have told Snow?)
(See Vincent knows even if Nova hasn't told him, remember his ability, it's really hard to keep a secret from him)
"Oh, shut up!" Nova shoved him, laughing. "We're not like that and you know it." She reached Peri, and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" She said softly, unconsciously reaching out a hand to touch the slashes on his face.
He smiled a goofy smile. He couldn’t help himself when she came around. She was so beautiful. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just took a hard hit, that’s all. Sorry I left you two to finish the fight alone.”
"It's alright," Nova told him, still speaking softly. "We had it covered. Anyway." She looked down, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry for surprising you with the whole 'throwing the kid through the air' thing. That's why you got hurt right? You were distracted." Nova sighed. "I feel like I do that a lot. That I distract you guys a whole lot more than I help you. As much as I love being a superhero, maybe I'm not cut out for it. I mean," she continued when both Snow and Peri opened their mouths to speak. "Peri you were hurt because of me. If I hadn't made that stupid, rash decision, you wouldn't be laying here on the ground covered in blood."
Peri stood up, trying his best to ignore the pain. Then he took both of her hands in his. “You are really important in this team, Nova,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “We need you. What happened today was my fault. I should have been more focused on what we were doing. But you saved that child’s life. You are important. I can’t imagine this team without you.”
"But this isn't about what we want," Nova protested. "And this has happened before. I make decisions without thinking about the consequences, and someone gets hurt. I don't mind if it's me, but I can't handle you guys getting hurt because of me. It can't happen again. And I know that if I'm here it will. Maybe it's better if I leave the superheroing to you guys."
Snow walked up to Nova, looked her in the eye's, then began to speak , "Nova, we need you, more then you think, we have our roles, you're our power house, we can ask you to take any job and you can do it, getting injured is a part of the job, Peri know's that risk, you warned us before throwing the kid, it's not your fault." A silver glean was slipping into his blue eye's.
Peri nodded. “Snow is right. You’re an asset to our team. We couldn’t handle all this alone. And all of us have gotten hurt one time or another, but that’s because we’re superheroes. It wasn’t your fault.”
"Thanks you guys." Nova gave them both a small smile. "You have no idea how much that means to me."
Snow raised an eyebrow, "I think we do, Now let's go check on the boy, If my suspicions are correct some one was mind controlling him through this." He pulled out the little device still covered in the clear frozen shell.
“When are you ever wrong?” Peri smirked as he nudged Snow. “But we gotta make this quick. I’ve got a previous engagement.”
"Hey what did I tell you Nova, I told you he Also Had some where to be." Snow commented leading the way to the boy.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Peri replied absentmindedly. Honestly he didn’t think much of it, considering the fact that he rarely knew what Snow was talking about anyway.
Nova shot Snow a look. "Nothing," she told Peri. "He's just being exasperatingly annoying as usual. But seriously, I gotta check on the kid and get out of here, there's somewhere I need to be too."
Snow found the child relatively easily, we was drinking a juice box and sitting on a fold able chair. "Hey little guy! How are you feeling." the boy's clear green eye's were pooling with tears and he began stammering when Snow showed up, "I-I I'm sorry." The boy jumped up from his spot suddenly and hugged Snow's legs.
"Hey little buddy it's alright, you're safe now." Snow looked over at the paramedic, "Have you found his family?" The woman nodded.
"They're on there way with a police escort, His name is Ryan, the poor boy went missing a few weeks ago, his families been worried sick, we were getting ready to close hos case file."
Snow ruffled the boy's light brown hair, "Hey you're going to get to see you're family again, soon." He addressed the woman again, "Does he remember much, Anything?" she nodded.
"He say's re remembers doing everything but not having control over it, we suspect someone was controlling his body, but he was still conscious, he remembers everything he did, apparently it started with a sharp pain in his neck, then he lost control." Vincent nodded he had expected this, it explained the device.
"There was a small device embedded in his neck when we found him I suspect it has something to do with him being controlled, I should be able to figure out what is does with in the week, I'll give you guy's a report once I have enough information."
Nova knelt down in front of the kid. "Are you alright?" She said softly. "I know this has been very hard for you. And I'm sorry it took us this long to help you. But I promise you're safe now. This isn't going to happen again. Everything's going to be okay."
Peri watched as Nova and Snow consoled the child, all while thinking about that robot. He wanted to ask the child more about it, but decided against it since he was most likely scared to death. Maybe they could ask the parents where the kid went missing.
"Well alright!" Nova announced. "I think our work here is done! Now if you'll excuse me," she gave Snow and Peri a sarcastic bow. "there's someplace I need to be!" With that, she used the air to lift herself up. "See you guys next time!" She waved to her team, and shot away, going back to the school where she hoped Vince and Kelton were okay.
“Yeah, sorry Snow, but I gotta head out too. See you next time!” He waved and flew off in the direction of the school. On his way, he wondered, quite ironically, where Nova had to be.
Mari landed in an empty alley about a block from the school, transforming back with a touch of the star jewel on her chest. She quickly walked the block to the school, praying that no one noticed she had left the building. She slipped through a side door, and sneaked down the hallway, trying to get her bearings. She realized that she was on the exact opposite side of the school and groaned, starting to run as she frantically tried to think of an excuse as to why she was late (very, very late) to her detention given for being late.
