Forums » General Roleplay » A late Refuelling

AJ walked back to her flat, climbing the stairs slowly. When she got home, she was surprised to see that Roosevelt was already gone. She frowned, wondering if he went across the street, or went to meet Cody alone. She stretched out on the couch, pulling the quilt around her. It wasn't too cool in the flat, but it felt good to be warm, though. She laid down in a cocoon and cuddled into her couch, feeling a spring come loose, "Oh, really? Honestly? I hate you, fate." She groaned loudly, "Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate." She kept repeating it over and over again.

Roosevelt opened the door to the flat in time to hear a string of "hate-hate-hate" coming from AJ. He paused, bakery box in one hand and looked at her.

"Everything alright?" He shut the door behind him and retrieved a knife from the kitchen. Carrying the box into the room with the couch, he set the box down and then easily cut the two pastries in half. "Have a donut. It'll help."

AJ frowned, "Nothin' much." She sat up and unrolled herself with a struggle, "Went to the bakery?" She stretched and got up, wrapping her arms around him from behind, "You're too tall to really do this." She smiled and took a piece of the beaver tail, "Good choice." She kissed his cheek softly before taking a bite.

Roosevelt laughed a little. "I'm not too tall if I'm sitting down. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got two things. They seemed pleasant enough; what happened that caused you so much trouble?"

"Er, well, you see, it wasn't long after I got my powers. I had a total meltdown while in there and had a bad string of luck. Destroyed a display case, something in the kitchen caught fire and I slipped and headbutted the owner in the face. Long story short, they don't like me too much. Not banned, but honestly, I don't see myself winning any favours." She blushed and nibbled on the pastry, "Can you afford this?" She thought of her own dwindling bank account, "Actually, don't answer that. You get a hold of cody?"

"How did you get your powers?" Roosevelt inquired, taking a bite of the bearclaw. It's fried-doughy goodness making him devour it slowly.

At her question though he nodded. "Rather, Cody will get a hold of me. I set up a time to meet this afternoon, so probably 3-ish we should hear something from him. If not sooner."

AJ mulled over the explaination in her mind, "Well, I'm free all afternoon."

"Well, it was about two year back..."

Skipping stones in the small lake, AJ stood in a bikini despite the coolness of the early summer day. Behind here was a group, all about her age, twelve in all. They had a fire going and looked like they were having a good time. The sky was grey, clouds causing the water to take on a dark, sinister colour. Picking up flat rocks, AJ didn't seem too bothered, content to be away from the group for now. Her hair was long, a naturally brown that had little threads of gold intermixed into it.

She stooped down to find another rock when she noticed the shadow under the water. It looked like a large fish, and honestly there was nothing dangerous about the water. Well, save for maybe the tempature, but that's what the fire was for. She stepped forward, her toes curling when she felt the jolt of cold.

The shadow twisted and turned, like an injured fish. A few steps closer, she could feel the burning cold all through her body the deeper she went. The shadow neared her, but never touched her.

Diving under the water, AJ opened her eye. Her lungs were on fire, her eyes burned and there was an unholy pain all throughout her body. It wasn't just the cold. It was the shadow. She was fighting to rise to the surface, but there was no strength in her, nothing left to fight the monster that tried to invade her.

My lucky day, she thought ruefully.

That was enough for the shadow. It slowly let go, stealing her life while preserving it, luck settling into the back of her spine. An outlet for it's anger, sadness, frustration, happiness.

Someone grabbed her when she rose to the surface, giving her mouth to mouth. Even as her life was saved, it would never be the same.

Roosevelt listened to her story intently and had finished his half of the bearclaw when she finished.

"Wow. I would never have guessed. A shadow, water, and luck...at least you survived. I'm glad you survived. And I think you're not giving your luck enough credit. You're lucky that Cody didn't shoot you; that I bailed you out; that you had the right timing and the right amount of money to bail me out of jail..." he trailed off and shrugged. "I'm thinking you'll be lucky enough to keep me from getting shot as well, this afternoon." He offered a tentative smile.

As she reached for her half of the bear claw she laughed, "I see how it is. I'm just being used for my powers." She smiled, "I'm glad you have faith in me. It's pretty nice to have someone who doesn't think I'm only a walking disaster, nothing else." She leaned against a counter, the cabinet door falling to the floor with a soft thunk, "Since my flat doesn't seem to be holdin' up too good."

Roosevelt reached to pick up the cabinet door. "Well, when was the last time you fixed anything? That might account for something. A screwdriver, too, comes in plenty handy."

He set the door down and then looked at AJ reproachfully. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Using you for your luck?"

She went to get her tools, feeling a touch annoyed, "I fix things when I can figure out how." Her face softened, though, "No, that was supposed to be a joke. I don't think you're just using me, hon." She looked at his face, "No, if I thought that, I'd have kicked you out faster than... a fast thing."

Roo grinned and held his hand out. "I'll fix it for you; wouldn't want your luck to get in the way."

She offered him the tools, "Tonight, depending on how things go, I'm gunna take you out for dinner, okay? Something good." She lightly kissed the top of his head, hoping that he realized how much he really meant to her.

He made quick work of fixing the door and doing other odd jobs around the apartment before his phone rang and he answered. The appointment was set and he was to meet them at the location given. He hung up and flashed AJ an uncertain smile.

"Alright, here goes...everything. We're meeting at one of the local parks. I wouldn't advise tagging along behind me, but I might suggest you run ahead and pretend to be an innocent bystander. He should ignore you." Roosevelt took a deep breath. "And I'll just play it cool." Right. What could possibly go wrong?

AJ tossed on a hoodie, smiling at him as she grabbed her pepper spray, checking to make sure the button wouldn't depress in her tight jeans. She grabbed her crutches, "See you soon." She paused to give him a kiss, rushing out and finding a place in the park to sit and read the paperback novel from her purse. It was lucky she had it, otherwise she'd look like a creeper.

Roosevelt gave her ample time to get there before him. But not enough that Cody might suspect anything. He arrived at the park precisely when he meant to and glanced around for his friend, the paranoid Resistance leader.

"Did you come alone?" a voice asked from behind.

Roosevelt flinched and turned to find Cody behind him, watching him warily with, of course someone at his back. "Of course."

He could see the gears turning in Cody's head; the calculating, the paranoia, and he was suddenly grateful for the public environment. "We lost track of you, you know." Cody's brown eyes were intent; his voice void of emotion. It was a testing question.

Roo nodded. "I rescued four guys, and nearly got caught for my troubles. Sorry. Um, I also wanted--"

Cody's slight nod almost went unnoticed until two men stepped out behind Roosevelt and began to pat him down. "Just want to check you're not wired," Cody explained at Roo's startled and flushed expression.

"Of course I'm not wired! What do you think I am?" Remembering to lower his voice he hissed out: "I'm no traitor-"

One of the men pulled something from his pocket and Roosevelt realized belatedly what it was. Not the note! He grabbed without thinking--and found himself on the ground, a gun pressed to his chest.

AJ watched, terror shrinking her belly into a hard ball of ice. She didn't know if she should get up or wait. She swallowed, having faith that everything would be okay. That Cody wouldn't kill his friend. That her only real male friend wasn't about to die.

If he does die, my apartment is gunna be lonely. She got up slowly, trying not to be noticed, pulling out her phone to dial 9-1. Her thumb hovered over the second 1, her heart pounding.

He froze and looked up into Cody's cold, unyielding eyes. The man still had his S&W revolvers, damn. The pressure of the barrel against his chest eased somewhat when the man who had collected the note, unfolded it and read it out loud.

Roosevelt turned red. "I-I was going to tell you," he said. "But I never had time after the...the thing."

Cody slowly let him up. "So you're dating some girl you just met? You don't really think that she's going to like you when she finds out who and what you do."

"Did." Corrected Roosevelt, his voice cold and his heart hammering in his chest. "I-I'm, as of n-now, resigning from the R-Resistance."

Cody stared at him. "What? You can't resign. I won't let you."

Roosevelt slowly stood up again, and brushed himself off. "It's been an experience, Cody, and I wish you luck with it; but I have something else to pursue now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Mustering all his courage, he turned his back to Cody and walked stiffly away.

"So you're giving up everything to be with a girl?" Cody called after him.

"No. I'm tired of the deception and she's offering me a way out of this lifestyle. So I'm taking it." Roosevelt tried to make a point of avoiding walking towards AJ--though he did glance in her general direction once. If he was going to die--he wanted her to be the last thing he saw.

AJ closed her phone with a snap and turned away, giving a half nod. She chewed her lips, starting down the path, keeping her eye on them. She hobbled with her crutches, willing all her luck to go onto Cody and his men -if something went wrong, it would go wrong for them. If it went right, well, she prayed that wouldn't happen.

Cody watched as his best friend turned and walked away. Upset didn't even begin to cover his emotions. But he was more stunned than anything. Without Roosevelt, who could he trust to lead his men? Who else could he be sure would care for those he led?

"Roo!" he called. "Don't leave." He stopped to collect himself. If Roo was no longer in the group, it might make him a threat. Cody scanned the park, and noticed Roosevelt's glance towards a certain park bench. Furthermore, he recognized the girl on the park bench...the crutches helped.

Scowling, he pocketed the revolver and headed for the super hero.