A portal opened in the middle of "The Strange Brew Diner" and from the other side into the diner stepped Bern, Ann, Sydney Missy and Hodges. The group looked around the ransacked diner, taking in the destruction caused by Veghana during her 'visit'. Hodges starting clearing a spot for everyone to sit at a table and Missy began to survey the kitchen for things to throw on the grill and Ann started a couple pots of coffee with the brewers that weren't busted. The group took a seat at the de-cluttered table and just sat there looking at each other. Ann was the first one to break the awkward silence "well, that was fun, now wasn't it??" The rest of the group looked over at the young blonde rocker, smirked and chuckled a little. Missy brought over a tray with multiple coffee cups filled with the hot coffee and a bunch of fixings for everyone. Pulling up a seat with the rest of the group, she looked around at each other them and began speaking. "So, I want to start by thanking all of you for saving my life back there.......where ever the hell that was." Looking over at Hodges "I know you all are into some weird, over the regular person's head kind of stuff, but what the hell is going on??? Do you all do this for money? Are you some kind of monster hunters for hire kind of thing? How do you all know each other??? Seriously, like it or not, I am part of this now and I want to know what the hell I just got myself into...." The group looked around at each other not knowing really where to start. The understanding of a genesis to this life that they are all a part of right now was something unknown to them as they all just sort of fell into it, be it literally or figuratively. Missy looked around everyone "Do you live together somewhere??" Bern piped, clearing is throat and taking a sip of the coffee. "Yeah, I guess we all do, not all the time. Syd here kind of took over the coffee shop in Blackhurst. Our friend Williams used to run it, until.....until he died. Syd placed a hand on Bern's large shoulder hearing the sadness fight to come through his words. Syd took over, "Yeah I run the coffee shop in Blackhurst, Ann works there on the weekends when she is not in school, as does Hodges, who I am sure you know works as a case manager for a psychiatric group home during the week. This guy...." looking over to Bern "he....works the door???....figuratively. I have my own place just outside Edison Park, Hodges has his own place in Edison Park. Williams constructed, a long time ago, a lower level to the shop where he monitored the goings on of the town, knowing some weird stuff was a foot. We took some time and made several sleeping quarters, Bern and Ann here use them permanently and Hodges and I use our respective ones at various time. Missy looked around again at all the group and then went back to the kitchen to check on the food. Bern looked up from his lap, collecting himself from his remembrance of Williams. "I think this is the longest we have all been in the same place, not fighting some kind of monster or witch.......why does this feel so weird?" Hodges slurped his coffee and offered his thoughts "Maybe because we have spent so much time fighting back monsters and creatures from a world that we are not all that familiar with, and dealing with our own demons that we never really took time to understand the other players involved in this cosmic game we are not caught up in..." Ann looked at Syd and Bern and then back to Hodges "Yeah, I think that about sums it up there....." Bern went on to add "Yeah, we have existed in a fight or flight mode for so long that we do not know what to do when we are in place where we don't need to hold onto that feeling...." Syd and Ann looked at Bern with a look of "oh, that was surprisingly deep big guy". Bern smirked and said "what, I have done my time in the mental health system and picked up a few things...." From the kitchen a frustrated Missy exclaimed "Damnit.....the burner is out!!! Looks like we are having plain bread and butter......" Bern got up from the floor as that is where he fit and said "hang on....I got this...." and proceeded to the kitchen. Looking at Missy he said "I think I can help with that." Removing his glove, he instructed Missy to put the food on the flat top and keep an eye on the food. Bern placed his hand on the flat top, the eggs began to cook, the clear yolks turned a bright white, the bacon began to sizzle, the potatoes seared up and the toast browned quickly. Missy looked at the quite brute "thanks big guy.." Bern nodded and returned to his place on the floor. Hodges went to the kitchen to help Missy gather up plates and utensils. The two took a second to look at each other and offer a smile of joy that they were both able to look upon the other again. Hodges, with concern and affection on his voice asked "how are you holding up??" Missy nodded "i'm ok..still kinda processing all of this." Hodges nodded "Yeah, I get that....this is a lot to take in all at once.......I am really glad you are ok Missy". Missy smiled and nodded "you too." The two brought the food to the table and everyone gathered their plate, utensils and proceeded to fill consume their much earned breakfast. Missy looked around at each of the group members and began inquiring about each of them. "So big guy.....let's start witht the elephant in the room..how did this happen?" motioning to his physical appearance. Bern stopped eating and thought a moment. "Uh....it's kind of a weird story", to which Missy retorted "weirder than being held hostage by some demonic witch with a jag on for being dumped by a wizard, then being saved by a large rock guy and his six sense daughter and her monster hunter friend??" Bern nodded "yeah, good point. So, it wasn't always like this for me....I was a guy just like anyone else...." Bern went on to tell the story of his drug and alcohol addiction and giving Ann up for adoption and the pain he went through everyday over that choice but knowing it was the best for her and that she stood a snowball's chance in hell if he kept her with him. Ann listened and took in the recollections of her father and the pain he lived with. "I was working for a construction company in Copper Point and got caught up in a bad demo site accident. Fell through the ground and landed on some alter for an older god of some kind. The thing awoke and made me his avatar of sorts. We fought him and killed him a while back and I have been a 'free agent' of sorts since then. The downside is I can't not be in this suit or I will do a lot of damage to people and property. Missy nodded and replied to Bern "That's a tough place to be in, a tough choice to make. Have you let go of all that stuff?" Bern looked up at Missy, surprised by the question and giving space to the thought "Uh....yeah, it gets easier little bit by bit" as he glanced at Ann "I am learning a lot about this new life".
Missy moved on to Sydney. "So, Ms. Jaques, where did you learn to shoot like that?" Sydney wiped her mouth a bit "Oh, we don't need to talk about all that...." Missy smiled "lady, I just almost got my soul ripped out by demonic witch....I don't foresee myself getting away from the lot of you. C'mon, fill me in a little, that was some fancy work you did back there." Sydney thought a moment and recalled her childhood in Romania and being trained by her father. Syndey explained that she was far older than she looked. "I'm about 800 years old first of all" Both Ann and Missy's jaws hit the table and Missy exclaimed "damn, what do you use for skin care? and where can I get some???" Sydney laughed "eh, it's courtesy of this thing here" and pulled out a small amulet from her shirt. "It's an ancient artifact passed from Hunter to Hunter in my family. It's blessed with a spell that grants the wearer an extended life and vitality." Hodges nodded "well now the whole Geghis Khan thing makes a whole lot more sense now." Sydney continued "I didn't have much of a traditional childhood, playing with my toys meant various blades, crossbows and other instruments of pain and killing. My bedtime stories consisted of ways of tracking various creatures and how to use their remains for healing or hurting others." The others listened on as Sydney recalled her stolen childhood and her life as a bounty hunter for the highest bidder. Missy nodded "well I can't speak to anything from the 15th century, but I know about trying to balance one's life. Are you doing things that make you happy ever?" Sydney looked up as if to shake off the memory of the old world Romania "uh....i think, I mean I work at the museum as a curator, been there since I finished Graduate School. I like that...." Missy asked again "if you had a whole day to do what you wanted, what would you do?" Sydney thought a moment about the idea of "free day" and replied "I.....uh....I'd like to just sit and enjoy a good movie.....something funny and then sit and read a book in a cafe somewhere I don't work." Missy smiled.....maybe we should do that sometime..." Missy looked around "ok and then there were two." Looking at Hodges, she smirked "you know for the time we have been seeing each other, I feel like I don't know a whole lot about you Adrian Hodges." Hodges turned a little red "uh....well, not much to say....had a near death experience as a kid, saw 'the other side' and was able to tap into the stream of magic that flows through everyday life. I was in and out of mental hospitals as a kid and teenager as my parents thought I was Schizophrenic, the whole talking to ghosts looking to make peace with their old lives tends to draw attention from people who can't see who you are talking to." Missy nodded and asked "did your parents ever believe you?" Hodges shook his head "Nah, uber religious people and thought I was some kind of possessed, we stopped talking around the time I was 19. I finished school and got into the social service field. I got up close with the idea of 'not all who wander are lost'. I got a chance to put some good back into the world. I use my position to help those who have similar gifts channel and harness them, I am also able to help those who just are not well." Missy raised a brow "for a guy who just made such a vulnerable statement, you have a hard time letting people get close....care to explain?" Hodges thought a moment and continued in his vulnerability "fear.....fear of hurting others, fear of being rejected and labeled and fear of being hurt." Missy nodded and placed a hand on his arm. Missy turned to Ann and looked her over "you know, you seem to be the most grounded out of all of this lot. How did you get lumped into this?" Ann collected herself a little and thought back to her experiences in the foster and group homes. She thought about the anger and aggression that coursed through her. "Well as you heard, me and pops here got a little separated from each other. I grew up in 'the system' and it was about what you might think it was. They weren't all bad, but it was at times a mobile life. I never truly felt settled anywhere." Ann explained learning to protect herself and the near encounters she had with an "overly friendly father or brother". She went on to explain her introduction to music and playing guitar from one of the therapists that actually stuck around. She explained the forming of Annie O and the Trickshots. "It has been the most exciting thing that has happened to me. Three months ago I would have said most interesting, but since I got back from the veil with Hodges that time, I got this going on now" and she raises a hand bathed in a red plasmic energy and explained being able to communicate with the dead and use their emotional energies to her advantage. Missy smiled "you have a gift their girl and I mean the music. I can't tell you the power that a song can have and the impact it can make on a person." Ann smiled and looked at Hodges "I like her....so help me god, if you screw this up I will make your life hell." Missy looked at all of the people at the table. "It seems that you all have something in common with each other..." The group looked around at each other in a bit of confusion trying to figure out the common thread between them. Missy let them off the hook and explained "you have all had your worlds turned upside down and been rejected in some way by the lives you lived before you all came together...you all formed a bit of new family for yourselves." The group looked around again at each other and with what seemed like new eyes, saw each other in a different light. . The sun had begun to rise and the bell over the front door rang as the it opened and customer walked in hoping to get a meal. The man froze as he took in the site of the diner being turned upside down. The group looked over at the man with that 'deer in the headlights' look. Missy explained "um....sorry we are closed." The guy, with a confused face replied "um....but you are all in here and the front door is open...." Bern stood up and turned to face the guy, Hodges hand erupted in a green energy, Ann cracked her knuckles and Syndey chambered a bullet in her gun. Missy explained again "we are in the middle of family meeting. Now be a good guy and flip the sign on the door on your way out...." ~To Be Continued~
This was GREAT! I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was great to see the group come together like that and also to see Bern's softer side. I've been wondering how Bern came to be since you pulled him out of DC continuity. It's altar . . . not exobytes now. It was good to see Missy befriend the group. Always nice to have a "normal" friend character integrated into a superhero story. Clark has Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. Bern has Missy and Nomad has Marcos. The interactions were humorous and brought the group to life. Overall I thought you did excellent! There is one little thing however . . . (insert foreboding music) Now hopefully this isn't going to escalate into a nitpicking thing between writers but the ending where the customer tries to enter the now-established familial group symbolically protecting itself from an outside "invader" was a bit over the top. If I tried to enter a business that I thought was open but in fact wasn't and saw someone chamber a bullet in a show of force, I promise you I would NEVER go back no matter how exotic their coffee beans were lol. But perhaps Blackhurst is at least as rough as Gotham, maybe worse. Only you know how you want Blackhurst life to come across as. At any rate that kind of aggression can't be good for business. However, if the customer is a werewolf in secret or the customer was a known criminal then it's a different story. Still . . . really good read and I love how your making your characters come to life! Keep up the good great work Bern!!!
Very nice, loved it. Although I do agree with Nomad about the end, that felt a bit ‘over-reacting’. It’d be more understandable if they hadn’t had time to sit and chat and were still mentally geared up for a fight. Can’t wait to see what’s next
Thank you very much friend. I greatly appreciate the kind words and feedback. No worries about the thoughts on the ending. I get how you could get what you got out of it. My intention was to just have a funny scene at the end where the customer comes in and sees this but then slowly backs out [like you might see in a cartoon where someone unknowingly walks into a situation and then realizes it and backs out]. Blackhurst is a "Gotham-ish" type place, no stranger to crime and hardship in some places [be it man made or of the supernatural type]. Perhaps I should have wrote that a little differently, but no worries or offense taken, this is all in good fun. Glad you liked it. Yes, Missy will probably serve as a tie to a "normal life". Though she will learn about the world she is getting into by being with Hodges. My hope for these stories is more about the characters and them as people versus what they can do. Anywho, again, thank you friend. Looking forward to reading more for you.
Thank you Sir......That Guy. To answer your question about if I drew those pictures..... as I a not that good. My stuff is way more cartoon-ee and not big on deal. Anyway, thank you for the like and the kind words. Things like this keep me going on this and try to get better.
Much appreicated on the like and comment. Yeah, I see how you might think it over-reacting. As I said with Nomad, was just trying to go for a funny cartoon-ish scene where the person has that "Uh OH" moment and then backs away slowly. Glad you like it though.
Very well done Bern. This one was more of a softer side of things in which we as the readers learn more and helps flesh out Bern, Ann, Syd, and Hodges as characters. And yes, I agree with everyone on the inclusion of Missy and her connection to all of them. She's the Lois or Jimmy for them. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor. It felt natural. However, it might be nitpicking, but there were some areas that perhaps needed some light editing. And similar to what others stated, the ending felt out of place but I understand what you were trying to convey, as you explained to Nomad. I think it could have ended with Missy serving everyone and then, when she went back to tidying up the cafe, the new customer walks in on the mess like this and similar to the shawarma scene in The Avengers, the group are eating but suddenly stop and stare at the customer This is when the customer funnily turns around and walks back out
Thanks Ms. Benz. I appreciate the feedback and likes. Yeah, reading over the stuff, there are somethings that could have used some editing and what not. There is some much I want to tell with this group but I just don't want to make it a mile long. The gifs you used are what I had in mind for the last scene and I get how it could feel/look out of place [the way it ended]. This was one that, as you said, I wanted to be a softer, slower pace and just highlight the idea that these are people with pasts, thoughts, feelings and difficulties. Overall, I feel like it went well. But I agree with the rest of you that some of the things may have been out of place or could have used a little polishing. Missy, will be around more and more, learning of the world she is a part of and keeping everyone else grounded as much as possible. Glad you like it and I appreciate the feedback.
