Chapter Text
A swift kick to the face is enough to send the gang member flying back, slamming onto the roof of the building, eyes looking unfocused. Slowly, the gang member toppled over, losing consciousness. Halcyon grinned, tightening the grip on her saingeom as she turned to face the other gang member. She bared her teeth, a wicked grin growing upon her face. Her hand raised upwards in a beckoning motion as feet collided with the uneven terrain, bounding towards Halcyon. She dodged to the side as the shorter gang member stumbled forward. He let out a snarl, running back towards her.
Halcyon leapt upwards, using her blade to connect with the ground underneath to help create the upward momentum. The running gang member turned back to her, snarling and firing a firebolt directly at where she had just landed.
As the firebolt flew towards Halcyon, sparks fizzled off it and hit the roof below. Drawing up a shield, flowers fluttered around her as she held steady, waiting for the collision. As the blazing inferno drew closer, Halcyon slid back, the fire sizzling away at the protective barrier. Halcyon's attention is drawn to a second firebolt flying her way as she is forced to drop her shield, the flowers fluttering around her as the fire slammed into the protective barrier, sizzling away. The flowers wilted as they were consumed by the flames. Underneath, Halcyon remained undamaged.
The second firebolt inched closer as Halcyon raised her blade, closing her eyes at the blazing heat that wafted through her; the heat growing less tolerable the closer it grew. With a steady breath, Halcon sliced the firebolt in half as it lost momentum, dropping onto the ground beside her, petering out into small wisps with nothing to help it stay ablaze.
She swung her blade at the villain, taking satisfaction as it hit the material of his shoulder perfectly, sending him tumbling backwards as the sword pierced through the fabric, hitting the ground without an inch for forgiveness, leaving the villain pinned. Halcyon whines at the smack of the villain's head hitting the ground, as they let out a sharp cry.
Halcyon walked over to the villain, placing her boot on the villain's shoulder to keep him trapped. "Sorry about that," she whispered into the villain's ear as he let out a shiver, "but, really, you made me have to do that."
Slowly, Halcyon pulled her saingeom out from where it kept the villain contained, wincing at the slice as a crimson streak followed her blade on its release.
"Whoops," she muttered, shaking off the sword as the blood drips down onto the rooftop underfoot. "That must have been closer than I thought it was."
Footsteps echoed across the rooftops as Halcyon's head flew up, eyes tracking the noise. In the distance, two heroes approached. Glittering icicles hovered overhead, swirling around the duo as they slowly grew sharper, as a cold chill blasted past them. Halcyon had to resist shivering as the cold burst reached her rooftop. The ice-wielder Sorbet, Halcyon's mind filled in for her as she turned her attention to the other hero.
With one came the other, and Halcyon was not surprised to see Flashfire right beside Sorbet, sharp bursts of flames licking at the palms of the flame-based hero.
"Just my luck," She muttered, looking down at the bloodied blade that hung from her hands. "Okay, it's not over just yet."
Halcyon took a step back from the villain as he let out a grunt of pain when she stepped on his stomach while backing away. Tracking the surrounding rooftops, there were plenty of steep drops surrounding them, but she quite frankly did not want to test her lightning reflexes today. Noting a balcony to a building on the left, Halcyon checked for the heroes' approach, gulping as they drew closer.
Halcyon's blades were poised as the heroes made their approach, one roof between the duo and herself. Her eyes lingered on them before glancing back at the balcony with a sigh. "It's now or never," she said to nobody but herself.
With a sigh, Halcyon willed herself backwards, diving off the side of the building. As she free-fell down towards the ground, her hands reached out towards the balcony, eyes locked onto the flower beds that lined the balcony.
Reaching out her hands, Halcyon willed the flowers closer, letting them arch upwards towards her, a bridge of flowers blooming, cupping her as her fall is slowly softened. Halcyon bounces upwards and then again, slightly lower, as the flowers change formation. An arch of flowers urged her down, sending her sliding down to the footpath.
Steadily, Halcyon stepped down, turning back to her floral bridge and urging them to wither away until all that was left was the bush in full bloom, flowers shining brighter than they had before.
"Hey," a voice called behind her.
Halcyon was not waiting to see what the hero wanted. Her eyes singled out an alleyway only a few inches away. It was dingier than where she would have liked to go, but the perfect place to shake off some unwanted visitor.
Turning back to look at the hero as her eyes locked onto Sorbet's own, Halcyon made the decision. With the hero within throwing distance of her icicles, Halcyon dashed into the alleyway.
Two sets of footsteps echoed through the alleyway as Halcyon let her feet lead the way.
"Wait," Sorbet called out, an ice shard pillaring out from the ground as Halcyon is forced to dart to the side to avoid being skewered.
"Hey, that's dangerous," Halcyon called back, a metallic twang to her voice courtesy of her voice modifier. In response, Sorbet simply laughed, a sharp giggle in her tone as she continued with the pursuit. "Right, two can play at that game."
As Halcyon turned a corner, she eyed the dandelions growing on either side of the alleyway, sending them sprouting upwards as they intertwined into one mesh of a wall. There was no turning back to check the success; all Halcyon could do was keep running.
The vigilante took a sharp turn, the alley only offering one way to go. As she turned the corner, Halcyon's feet slid to a stop, sending her tumbling forward as she reached outwards, colliding with a wall - a dead end blocking the path forward.
Desperation clouded the vigilante's vision as she searched for any little flower to aid in her escape. All she needed was a wilted weed or some wild flowers hiding beneath the surface, but her search came back empty. Even as she called out to the flowers that inhabited the city, none willed themselves to her, too far to offer any assistance.
"No," Halcyon muttered, "not like this."
The footsteps of Sorbet grew louder, the hero having slowed to a steady walk. Each step forward echoed off the walls, bouncing around the corner. Halcyon willed the panic to quieten, her heart beating faster with each step the hero took forward.
The hero was right around the corner. A step further, and Sorbet would have her trapped. Halcyon took a steady breath, stepping away from the wall as she got herself into a fighting position, raising her saingeom in front of her. Her blade held steady as she pointed it towards the corner.
A beep echoes out across the space as Sorbet's footsteps stopped, her hero's guild issued communicator beeping away. With a moment of silence, a second beep is heard, slightly lower in pitch.
"Sorbet, come in," Flashfire's voice jumped out, grunts coming through from her end.
"They were unconscious," Sorbet's voice peaked, a static sputtering out of the ice hero's vocal modifier towards the end. "I thought it was handled."
"Evidently not," Flashfire snapped. "Get back here. Now."
"But-" A sharp cry sounded out before the communicator cut out.
"Flashfire! Flashfire, come in!" Sorbet's voice was laced with panic as she was only met with silence. "Hold on!"
Sorbet's footsteps sped up, slowly growing quieter as she ran in the opposite direction.
As the footsteps of Sorbet quietened down, the alley was engulfed in silence. Relief washed over Rumi as she dropped down to the ground, her knees hitting the ground with a thud that echoed across the space. She leaned forward, yanking the voice modifier off as she gulped in the air.
"Too close," she muttered to herself as she found herself steadily going to her feet. Her voice modifier shoved unceremoniously into her pocket as she grabbed a medical mask, covering herself up before any more untimely guests decided this alley was particularly suspicious.
Willing her blade away, the flowers wilted away, petals floating down to the ground. The pile they left behind was the only sign that her sword had existed in the first place.
And as she shook the last of the adrenaline away, Rumi willed herself out of the alley, a steadiness to her that seemed impossible only moments before.
--
"Mira, please, I'm sorry," Zoey said, crouching down in front of the other woman who had an icepack firmly pressed against her cheek.
Instead of a response, Mira stared out past her. An unsettled silence filled the room as Zoey readied up another apology, leg bouncing from where she sat beside Mira. "Something could have happened to you, and I wouldn't have been there to do anything," Mira looked at her with a fire burning in her eyes.
"She was more scared of us than we are of her," Zoey attempted to justify, wincing as the passionate gaze turned into a harsh glare. "And-"
"-And when someone is scared, they fight dirty," Mira snapped, cutting the other girl off. "Nothing is known about this new vigilante. I am not letting you get hurt because some newbie on the scene does not know the way things are done."
Mira flinched as her voice rose, the icepack lowering down to reveal a bruise forming on her cheek. She let out a hiss, raising the icepack quickly to recover the injury.
"But-"
"No buts," Mira cut Zoey off before she could formulate any argument back. She lowered the icepack, placing it on the coffee table in front of their couch. "No, I can't do this right now, Zoey. I need to go and report this to the guild. One of the men we detained had been pierced with a sword - what if that had been you?"
"Mira," Zoey sighed, reaching out to Mira, her hand held up towards the other woman's own, but she sidestepped, leaving Zoey's hand hovering in the air. "It was minor at best, clearly an accident."
"Or she is testing the boundaries of what is acceptable," Mira muttered, sliding her mask back over her face, wincing as the mask rubbed the wrong way against the fresh bruise. "The guild will want to know either way."
Before Zoey could respond, the door was slammed shut, and she was left alone in the apartment.
With a sigh, Zoey leaned back on the couch, pulling out her phone as she opened up Twitter on her Sorbet account, retweeting a few memes and liking a video of Mira as Flashfire, flames inching a little too close to the crowd than would be best. The crowd did not seem to care, cheering on the hero as she fought two minor villains at once.
As Zoey's finger hovered over the button to return to her home screen, she quickly pressed the retweet button, making sure to add a caption: 'Hot!'
What was supposed to be a quick browse of what the fans were saying turned into half an hour of mindless scrolling and liking images that appeared on her feed. As Zoey was finally about to put down her phone, her feed refreshed.
Normally, Zoey would have taken this as a sign to take a break, but instead, a video blasted out of her speakers, causing the woman to toss her phone to the side in shock, quickly scrambling to lower the volume.
"Flowers can be used to say many things," the speaker said, a light, jovial laughter filling the silence. "With the right ones, you can have entire conversations without having to say a word."
Zoey managed to find her phone, having to rummage down the side of the couch in the process. As she turned her phone over, there was a video of the floral hero Everblossom, a lower-ranked hero that Zoey vaguely remembered from some Hero Guild events over the years.
If a physical lightbulb could have appeared above her head, it would have done so as Zoey leaned forward, furiously typing away on her phone. With a click of a button, her search engine presented her with a dozen different florist options.
Clicking the first result with a near-perfect five-star rating, she scrolled through the florist's website. Her finger hovered over the screen as her eyes locked onto the little note at the bottom of the page: '*custom bouquets for any occasion made upon request*'.
"Derpy's Daisies," she hummed to herself, clicking back off the site to look at the reviews. There were a lot of the same 'good customer service' and 'beautiful flowers' types of reviews. As she was about to click the back button to check the next florists on the search results, Zoey's eyes caught onto a review.
'Somehow she can say a thousand words with just a singular bouquet. Will be back again!'
Zoey's eyes gleamed as she gathered up her belongings, making a rush towards the door. In a moment of consideration, she turned back and quickly scribbled out a note for Mira, not wanting the woman to worry if she got back from her meeting with the Hero's Guild and there was nobody here.
'I haven't been kidnapped. Be back soon - Zoey'
She nodded at the note with satisfaction before grabbing a magnet and pinning it to the fridge.
--
The flower shop was further away than Zoey had expected. As each minute passed by and the florists was no closer to being in sight, Zoey was beginning to question if she should have just had a bouquet delivered. It would have been less personal, sure, but far easier than the marathon she seemed to have sent herself on.
Zoey turned a corner, and her phone beeped, an indicator she was here. Looking around, Zoey's eyes noted the small florists tucked in the back corner, baskets of premade bouquets were bundled outside, each looking just as full of life as the others.
The shop itself was quaint. You'd miss it if you were not looking for it, tucked away in a little alcove just off a busy street. It's there if you are looking for it, but otherwise, it would be so easy to simply pass by.
As Zoey approached the shop, an older lady was leaving. Her arms snuggly gripping onto a large bouquet, curled around but not quite able to hold it fully. The bouquet was just as lavish as any of the flowers found within the baskets outside. While the sun's rays glimmered off the flowers, echoing across the petals, the flowers seemed to dance, life consuming them. Zoey had never seen any flowers quite as magnificent as these flowers, grown by the hands of someone more skilled than the average gardener.
The lady struggled with the door, trying to push it open with the hands that were still holding the bouquet tighter than necessary.
"Let me," Zoey insisted, holding open the door.
Exiting with much more ease without the burden of a door, the lady turned to Zoey with a smile.
"Thank you, dear," the lady said, walking away with a pleased bounce to her steps.
Entering the flower shop, Zoey is bombarded by the fresh fragrances of the flowers, melding together into a medley of summer scents. The flowers' song guided Zoey from the florists into a summer meadow that was blooming with life.
"Be with you in a second," a woman's voice called from within the shop.
Zoey scanned the shop, certain it had been empty when she had entered, but with how luscious the flowers spread, it was entirely possible to miss someone in the menagerie of it all. A crash sounded from the front of the shop as Zoey's head swivelled round, still searching for the apparition of a voice, as her eyes rounded on a door slightly ajar, a 'staff only' sign hanging from it.
"No Rush, really!" Zoey shouted back, turning away from the door to continue browsing the selection of flowers.
It was only a couple of minutes later before the florist popped out, an apologetic smile upon her face.
"Sorry about that," she apologised, setting a small vase on a small table at the front of the shop. A 'Pick-Ups' sign hung overhead.
Zoey let out a wistful sigh, turning to look at the florist with a mournful downturn of her lips. "I read online you do custom bouquets?"
It came out as more of a question than Zoey had intended, but the florist did not seem to mind. As the florist approached, Zoey managed to get a better look at her nametag, holding in the hum. 'Rumi - it fits her,' she thought to herself.
"We do. Is there any specific occasion you are looking for?"
As Zoey went to answer, she paused. She mulled it over in her head, trying to work out how to word it without giving away her own identity, not wanting to make Mira any more upset with her than she already was. "I need to apologise to my girlfriend," she said slowly, carefully picking each word, although nothing she said had been a lie, and she did not owe the florist a reason for needing to apologise.
"I want something that says I'm sorry that I'm reckless, please forgive me. I love you, don't replace me," she blurted out, the carefulness forgotten in the rush to get it out, trying not to stumble over her own words.
The florist, Rumi, simply nodded. She did not ask any further questions as Zoey let out a sigh of relief. Zoey's eyes tracked Rumi as she hurried across the store, grabbing bundles of different flowers, stopping to drop each one off at her counter before resuming with her mission. As Rumi focused on her task, Zoey had to resist asking the woman about her flower choices, just watching her work away. It had become like Zoey was not even there anymore, the woman fully focused on her flowers.
As Rumi came to a stop in front of her counter, she turned towards Zoey. "Is there anything else you want to say?"
Zoey paused, mulling the question over. There was so much she wanted to say, to express her adoration, her appreciation, and her desire. "Nope," she said instead, ignoring the lilt to her voice. "That's all."
There was a silence that passed between the two. Rumi looked at Zoey curiously, an eyebrow raised before shrugging. "Okay, that'll be 50,000 won."
"Why these flowers?" Zoey asked, pulling out her card as she went to pay. "They're absolutely gorgeous!"
Rumi traced a finger along the petals of one of the flowers, smiling down at the flower as it bounced with life at the light touch. "What?" Rumi murmured before looking up at her. "Oh, right, you've got the purple hyacinths for asking for forgiveness."
"The primroses here are for being unable to live without your partner," Rumi stated, bringing one up to take a sniff at, a pleased smile upon her face as she lowered it back down to the bouquet.
Pushing a primrose aside, Rumi pulled out one of the smaller blue flowers that appeared to be towered over by the others within the bouquets. "Columbines are an expression of foolishness," Rumi explained, "they may not be the most obvious within the bouquet, but it is not complete without them."
Zoey stared at the bouquet for a moment, eyes lingering on each flower, attempting to put together the message they were sending across. The flowers are padded out by a foliage of fresh plants, the green shimmering under the rays of the sun that was coming in through the window.
"No roses? They're like staples, aren't they?" Zoey questioned, tilting her head towards the roses that lined a small back corner of the shop.
"I think they're overused," Rumi sighed. "Everyone knows a rose means love, but love can be expressed in so many different ways."
There is a pause as Rumi frowned, watching the bouquet that hung in the collection area. Roses towered high from the bouquet, colours clashing together as though they were competing for the recipient's affection. "It never has to be so upfront."
Zoey nodded enthusiastically. "You're so right! Thanks so much," she replied sincerely, grabbing a hold of her bouquet as she bounded out of the shop. A spring had returned to her step, excited to show Mira the gift she had prepared for her.
--
Rain battered down onto the rooftops as Sorbet and Flashfire dashed across, leaping from roof to roof. Sorbet dashed out in front, turning back every so often to make sure Flashfire was keeping up.
"Whoa!" Sorbet exclaimed, coming to a halt as she noticed the vigilante in the distance, holding her own as she took on 3 villains singlehandedly. They were minor villains, sure, but it was still a sight to behold.
Flashfire bumped into Sorbet, reaching her hand out to steady the smaller hero as they both tumbled forward. "Why'd we- Oh."
The duo watched the vigilante in the distance as a shield of flowers blocked a villain's ability, nail projectiles ricocheting off the shield and scattering onto the roof. One villain had to duck to avoid one planting itself within their ear.
While the vigilante was distracted with the nail-ability villain, a second one was encroaching, raising her hands as a ball of energy appeared within them. The vigilante jumped to dodge another nail sent in her direction; the villain chose this moment to send the attack.
A sonic boom sounded from the rooftop, sending a smoke cloud up that concealed the roof. Flashfire and Sorbet watched the roof with wide-eyed stares; Sorbet had taken several steps forward, preparing to offer the vigilante aid if necessary.
As the smoke cleared, two of the villains had lost consciousness, caught in the crossfire of the desperate attack. In the centre of the roof, the vigilante was encased by a large floral shield. The large blast had splintered the shield, holes appearing where flowers had their petals blown clear. Dropping the shield, the vigilante faced off against the villain, flowers forming along her blade as she held it out defensively.
The last villain standing had a smug smirk on her face, a fake gold canine flashing at the vigilante. She said something to the vigilante, who took a step back, planting her feet in as the villain prepared a second energy ball.
However, as the villain attempted to send the energy, a blade pierced through the ball, sending a blast of energy in a sphere around them. The villain was launched back, hitting her back against a wall with a thud that echoed across the roofs; the two heroes flinch at the noise of the impact.
With the villains unconscious, they took this as their cue, bounding closer towards the rooftop where the fight had occurred. However, by the time they reached the roof, the vigilante was leaping off, having long since spotted them.
Sorbet took a step forward, ready to rush off after the vigilante, but found that her pathway was blocked by Flashfire's gok-do. "Don't," Flashfire commanded. "Do not go chasing danger."
"But Flashfire," Sorbet whined.
"She is not worth it," Flashfire cut off Sorbet's complaints, not allowing the girl to get another one in. "Focus on the task at hand."
Sorbet let out a sigh, pulling out the Hero Guild-issued cuffs from her pocket, simple little metallic bands, unassuming but powerful. With these on, not a single ability was getting cast by the wearer.
She slid them onto the nearest villain, careful not to do them too tight but also firm enough that they would not simply slide off.
Casting a glance at her partner, Flashfire was doing the same to the other villains. One had regained consciousness, hissing up a storm of insults. They lurched back, realising whatever they had been attempting to do was not working.
Pulling out her communicator, she sent a location ping to the extraction team, waiting for a moment until she got the confirmation that a team was on the way.
"You need me to contact the guild," Flashfire asked from across the rooftop, seemingly studying Sorbet.
"Already done!"
Flashfire nodded in approval, stepping over the villain and walking back towards her partner. "What's the eta?"
Looking down at her communicator, Sorbet let out a hum. "3 minutes."
"Better get cosy," Flashfire decided for them, sitting down at the edge of the roof, watching the three villains with a raised eyebrow.
Each villain remained seated where they were restrained, making no effort to move.
The woman who had been fighting the vigilante solo sat quietly, every so often looking up to check if they were still watching. When she noticed they were, she'd curl her lips, flashing her golden fang at them.
"Any idea what they wanted?" Flashfire asked, turning to look at the villains.
"Don't look at me," Sorbet shrugged, holding in a laugh. "You had the talkative one."
Flashfire turned back to look at the villains, her eyes catching on the serpent-like villain. They continued hissing like there was no tomorrow; their forked tongue curling around their words.
"Yeah, real talkative," Flashfire replied sarcastically, as Sorbet burst out laughing. Flashfire followed shortly after.
Their laughter is cut short by the whirling blade of a helicopter that flew overhead. A red H.G. was painted on the side of it. The two heroes looked up, nodding towards the pilot as the helicopter slowly landed.
Taking that as their signal, they stood up, bounding across the rooftops. The sound of the helicopter grew quieter as a door slid open and two armoured individuals stepped out towards the villains.
--
The two heroes were down on the street, walking back in the direction of their tower, pressed shoulder to shoulder. The rain had come to a stop, but clouds still hung overhead. A grey mist was cast across the city.
A silence filled the air around them as neither spoke a word. Flashfire's eyes scanned the surrounding area, checking for any sign of danger. Meanwhile, Sorbet watched Flashfire with a frown on her face.
"Did you like the flowers?" Sorbet asked, breaking the silence.
"Huh, what?" Flashfire turned back to look at Sorbet, a frown on her face.
"The flowers, did you like them?"
Flashfire let out a pleased hum, not saying anything else, but this seemed to be enough for Sorbet, who grinned widely in response.
"Good, because I mean it, y'know?"
"Mean what?" Flashfire questioned, an eyebrow raised at Sorbet.
"The flowers," Sorbet reiterated. "I was told they tell stories."
"Do you even know flower language?" Flashfire questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, no," Sorbet sighed. "But the florist does, and she helped me pick them out."
"Getting a florist to confess her love to me?" Flashfire teased, a playful smirk on her face.
Sorbet shoved Flashfire gently, rolling her eyes overdramatically. "Obviously not!"
Flashfire simply laughed, shoving Sorbet back, before linking her arm with Sorbet's own. "Let's cut this patrol short; there's plenty of others out patrolling tonight."
Sorbet let herself be dragged back in the direction of their tower, a carefree laughter echoing across the street.