RPG vs [Limen]

RPG should know that a super making a wish was akin to a wish on a monkey’s paw. It was a dangerous thing to do, both for the super tempting fate and every innocent bystander around them, each of whom, if asked, would probably tell them the exact same thing. And then call the police.

Likewise, bored supers tended to be a danger to themselves and everyone in their vicinity. Limen, as it so happened, was finding herself recently with a lot more time on her hands and a mind to not sit idly with it. Boredom had always been that uncle at family reunions she tried to avoid at all costs and would attempt to ignore if forced to sit next to at dinner. The frequency at which she had been running into him in recent days had lead her to begin taking more… desperate measures. More risks, more excitements, more ill advisable actions, and, today, more churro trucks.

RPG was making a wish for crime and Limen was bored. Limen had appropriated a churro truck at the other end of the park, and RPG just so happened to be the only other super in the area. All fate had to do was attempt to crash the truck into the tree RPG had previously been using as a seat.

Attempt in that Limen was a better driver than fate gave her credit for (and whatever rumors might say), and so she didn’t crash into the tree. She narrowly avoided the tree and only took off a side mirror via its trunk. And then she slammed on the breaks because a prior rock had made the left tires of the car want to have a good bit less to do with the ground and she didn’t want to be pushing fifty (as she had been, crashing through the trees and honking at park goers on her way here) if the large white truck was going to tip.

Which it did. It was a strange mix of forces, on one hand coming to a screeching stop, and on the other gaining on ninety degrees to the right. The truck’s side embraced the ground for the first, and possibly last, time, and the whole of the vehicle skidded to a halt not more than a foot from where RPG stood in the shadows. Assuming he hadn’t gotten out of the way of the large hunk of metal, that was.

Limen pushed the airbag out of her face and the daze out of her mind, and elected that she wasn’t going to be telling anyone about this crash. No one to see it, no one to prove it had ever happened. She coughed to clear her throat, unbuckled her seat belt, and climbed up onto her sideways seat and popped the passenger-side door open. Resting her elbows on the skyside of the truck, she surveyed her surroundings.

And found she was not, in fact, alone. She regarded Paper Bag Guy with a raised brow. He was the fellow she’d fought with against her teammates back at the mayor’s rally thing, but what he’d been doing in that fight, she couldn’t be sure. It must’ve been something amazing, since the two of them had actually won against three other supers. Mental manipulation, perhaps? Mind control? Maybe he was psychically attacking them with invisible mind powers, or mentally possessing them. Whatever his abilities were, they must be fairly powerful. Certainly an interesting fellow to run into, this Paper Bag Guy.

She gave him a smile and a wave. “Afternoon. Want a churro?” She elected that, should anyone ever ask, she was going to blame this crash on him.

Limen suppressed a snort. Mistaken both to be young boy and a victim in this crime? She guessed none of those were uncommon errors - the bit about her being younger than she looked especially, apparently - but the part about her being in trouble here, and him attempting to squirm his way up the truck to help her, were particularly amusing. She saw no reason to stop Paper Bag Guy and his attempts at heroics, and so she did not. Limen wore an amused grin as she was momentarily princess, airborne, and then set down. It was too bad no one was around to spectate the perfect hero rescue (if one ignores the scramble to get there, the slip of tongue, and the crack upon landing). Limen would have to make up for the lack of crowd. Taking a step backwards, she spun on her heel to face him.

“Aw, thanks.” She said with a smile and a wink, both to his rescue and what she was going to take as a compliment.

It was kinda a shame, after that, that she’d left her bow in the truck. Limen trotted around the side of him, lowered down to a crouch, and lept high enough to take hold of the side of the truck with both of her forearms. Pushing herself up, she swung her legs up to join her arms and leaned down into the bowels of the passenger-side seat.

As she was prone to being suddenly inverted, Limen’s quiver was the sort meant to deal with changes in the direction of gravity and thus had not spewed its contents all over the insides of the truck. She lifted it and her bow out, pulled the first over her shoulder, and hopped down from the top of the truck, landing in a crouch and swinging back up to her feet as soon as the impact had been absorbed.

“So, I haven’t thanked you yet for helping me out back there at the mayor’s speech. Even if it was just circumstantial and the result of me attacking my Pandaemonium allies for reasons I’ve been told are objectively ‘not good’.” She happily trotted around him and to the back of the truck. Fishing her small bag of lockpicking tools out of her shoulder bag, she set to work on the sideways bolt. “Name’s Limen, by the way.” She said over her shoulder. “Or Rook, if you’d prefer that. Don’t think I ever introduced myself between the running and shooting and chairs flying at my face.”

The lock clicked. Limen slid the tools back into the slots in the bag and then the smaller bag into its place in the larger, and, standing up, popped open the truck door. It clunked to the ground with the satisfying sound of gravity at work and Limen dramatically spun to face Paper Bag Guy, throwing her arms out to either side, to match.

“Ta-da! Free churros for the both of us.”

Limen watched RPG with clear interest and a hand on her chin while he seemed to be connecting the dots of the situation like a children’s mystery novel. Real arrows, yes; real bow, she would hope so, considering she dropped almost four grant of money that was totally hers on it; tools, of course, she wouldn’t leave the home she didn’t have without them. That was a recipe for finding oneself with a locked churro truck and no way to open it. Girl? To this and his point she dramatically shrugged.

Limen strung the bow over her shoulder and began to pace around the side of tonight’s hero. The change in RPG’s demeanor bothered her; she never understood what her being a girl had to do with anyone else’s business. She was willing to give it a pass, however, for what he said next.

Limen stopped dead in her tracks. She planted her feet in the ground about thirty degrees on his left, and turned to face him, a look of utter surprise on hers. She hardly had time to realize he was not, in fact, kidding, when he continued on to attack her with all the power of an elementary schooler with a very active imagination. It was all she could do to suppress her laughter until he’d given her his dare.

At once, Limen burst out laughing, clutching her stomach, and decided that she liked this RPG guy quite a lot. It took her a good several seconds to regain composure, but the laughter did ultimately melt away. Into a dark and toothy grin. Limen’s posture dropped, her shoulders tensing up and eyes locking on the only other person in the dark playground, like a wolf choosing its prey.

“Reasonable Paper Guy, huh? And here I thought you were Paper Bag Guy. Pretty close there, actually.” A similar edge of darkness crept into Limen’s voice. “So you won’t attack me so long as I have the capacity to defend myself, huh? Challenge accepted.”

And then she sprinted at him. Limen was fast - not as fast as supers whose powers increased their speed, but she could - and had - outrun fit adult men. When one’s general options in combat were get hit by people who can destroy buildings with bare fists or run like hell, one got very quick very quickly.

It was because Limen had decided that she liked him that she took up his challenge rather than that second option, and it was also why when she threw her punch, she purposefully missed him. Limen came to an abrupt halt less than two inches from crashing into his chest, pulled back her arm, and swung. Her fist shot a hair’s width from the side of his paper bag mask, assuming he hadn’t moved.

If he tried moving backwards away from her, she would keep step with him, purposefully keeping herself well within what would be most people’s personal space bubble. He needed to be close so she could whisper, after all!

“Tell me, Radical Planchet Guy, what’re your powers?” The wolf-like grin had not left her face. “I’ve been curious since I didn’t see any physical manifestations or what not at the speech, and I like to make a mental log of how exactly all my super friends might try to kill me.”

Limen did not give RPG his personal space back. She had stolen it and it was hers now; thus, no matter how far he back peddled, she kept in step with him. Hope he didn’t run into any trees or unfortunately placed slides.

Her manner did lighten, however, and with it her voice. “Probably not going to kill me, huh? That’s a relief. Some of the more violent hero types would charge me an arm and a leg for stealing that there churro truck, good and literally. Or at least attempt to. But you, evidently,”

Limen’s hand shot back to her quiver and took hold of one of her few sharp arrows. In the same motion that she drew it out, she swung its pointed tip downwards, over what would be RPG’s chest. Assuming, of course, that he didn’t dodge. If Limen had money to bet, she’d place it on that he would; she made the motion slow, predictable, and easy to read. If he couldn’t dodge a strike like that, it was a wonder she hadn’t accidently hit him with her first punch.

“Are not. Hope you’re actually planning on fighting me, because a hero challenging a villain but not actually following through?” Limen shook her head. “Well, that makes you a failure and a liar in the ever judgemental eyes of the public sector. It’s hard knocks being a hero, hope you’ve got a power well suited for it.

“So, you going to go and make me guess your power, Resourceful Personification Guy? Since you haven’t hit me yet, I’m going to assume it’s not something outright physical like super strength or good old elemental abilities. Since I feel like normal Limen, I’m also going to guess it’s nothing mental. Since you haven’t attacked me at all, it’s got to be something that requires me to attack you first, right? Or something entirely not combat oriented, but then you would’ve learned how to be proficient with a weapon or something before leaving home with a mask on and a call to be a hero. Like me!” Limen said this all very cheerfully, like a normal person going through today’s crossword puzzle while eating not-burnt toast.

“You want to know what my power is, huh? Well, gaze upon the glory, the splendor, the true power of the friendly power giving gods.” Limen stopped abruptly, letting RPG get as much ground on her as he would like. A proud grin on her face, Limen raised the arm with the arrow above her head as though summoning lightning and began digging through her pocket with her other hand. “My name’s Limen, and I am the living embodiment of a taser!”

In her pocket, Limen slipped her brass knuckle onto her left hand and took a moment longer to make sure everything was properly situated. She deftly switched the metal arrow into her left hand to be balanced between the tips of her index and middle fingers. Then, she sprinted again at RPG.

“Here, let me show you.” Once she was within another two inches of RPG, she brought the arrow down on his shoulder; swiftly, this time, though it wasn’t the point that she wanted to hit. Rather, she made to lightly tap him with the shaft. When she did, she likewise tapped the back of the arrow to her brass knuckle. The arrow would spark, and while the shaft itself would not in itself be of any threat, RPG would be struck with an electric force about equivalent to someone rubbing their socks on the carpet and then touching a doorknob!

She wasn’t trying to hurt him too much (or, presently, really at all), not when there was still so much to chat about. Limen straightened and stopped once more. Still wearing her smirk, she twirled the arrow between her fingertips.

“Your turn. Show me your powers, oh great and powerful Remarkable Prodigy Guy.”

Limen was ready. Her grin widened as RPG set up the punchline, at last showing off his abilities. Limen waited for something to happen. But then, suddenly, nothing continued happen, and Limen was left… mildly confused. Bzzt? Was he supposed to have electricity too?

She raised her eyebrow. “I’m not sure I’m seeing your point.”

Lowering to a squat, she put a hand on her chin and took a contemplative complexion. “Maybe your power is you can absorb powers and shoot them back at the person, and so that there was an attempt to zap me with my own electricity.” She mused. She tilted her head to the side. “But nah, then you would’ve been shooting light shows back at Dukes at the speech, and as far as I could see, you were doing about as much as you are now.”

Limen’s frown deepened. Putting her hand on her hip, she looked up at him. “You know, if you want to stop me from, I don’t know, taking all the money and churos in that truck and run an unstopped thief into the night, you’re going to have to step up your game.” Likewise, Limen stepped to her feet. She took a skipping step backwards, coming to balance on a single foot with her arms behind her. Her grin had returned in full. “So, Renascent Pretext Guy, you going to use your powers or what? ‘Cause otherwise,” she motioned to the truck with her thumb, “I’m going to go take everything I want from that truck because I don’t think you can stop me.”

Limen had gone and robbed the churro truck. The money box was in a larger box also full of churros, and she had taken it upon herself personally to immediately eat the most edible of the readily available and not scrambled or crushed waffle sticks. She was happily listening along to RPG’s protesting and lack of trying to stop her, perfectly content to continue on with her not being stopped in the sense that maybe it would get him to try a little harder. And try he did.

Limen turned to face RPG and blinked. “Liar.” She said through a mouthful of churro.

She swallowed. “That or you are extraordinarily new to this and have put zero thought into the consequences of your actions. Which is great and all, only these consequences involve being an unpowered fighting against supers. Villainous supers of all the kinds, if you’re claiming to be a hero. You’re going to get your heart torn out, kid, literally.”

Limen placed the box in her arms back down on the truck’s floor wall and strode towards RPG, her arms crossed and her brow raised. “So tell me, Random Person Guy, what is your gadget? Spare me no details, I’m interested and suspicious.” Once she was within a few feet of him, she changed course to a wide and slow circle around him. “Question two; if you took the time to put on your outfit and bag mask, how did you possibly forget your weapons? Question three; if you knew you didn’t have your invention and wouldn’t be able to fight me, why did you challenge me to a fight anyways? Question four; why didn’t you, as soon as you realized you’d left your gadget wherever, go back to get it? Question five; why are you fighting supers when you appear to have no other combat abilities? Question six; why in the hell are you fighting supers without powers? That is one of the stupidest things you could be doing. Only crazy people and idiots do that.”

The moments of silence were seconds of stunned silence for Limen. She’d slowed and stopped as he had gone on. Her expression had fell to general surprise, followed by a ‘he can’t be serious’ frown, and finished off with a ‘he’s totally serious’ grin. And then, not for the first time this afternoon, she burst out laughing.

For several seconds she didn’t even try to calm herself down. Once she had finished gripping her stomach and squeezing her eyes shut from RPG gut punch #2, she took several deep breaths and looked back up at RPG. There was no point in trying to hide her large and lingering smile.

“I give you a D plus with that lie. First off,” she held up her index finger, “your initial explanation has holes in it. If you wanted to become a hero, you should’ve joined the military or police force. Supers are auto-criminals, my friend, hero or not. Second,” she had to catch herself from laughing again, “second, you gave a terrible answer and then made it worse by trying to explain it with another terrible answer. Even news stations won’t take ‘you somehow didn’t’ as an acceptable response. Third, I’ll give you points for technobabble and for coming up with three on the spot, but I can’t believe you seriously just said ‘turbo-encabulator’. That’s- you realize how obviously fake that is, right?” A darkness came into her toothy grin, and she reached into her pockets. Two hunks of metal clattered to the ground in front of him; a pair of brass knuckles. The first drawn from her pocket, the second taken from her own fist. “Since you don’t have any of your weapons, not super super, I’ll share. Because you’re going to need them. And yeah, I’ve got one question for you.”

She brought her fists up into a fighting position. There was fire in her eyes and determination in her stance. If he wanted to hurry and pick the weapons up, she would give him a couple of seconds.

“You going to stop me or what, hero?”

Limen sprinted at RPG. Once about a foot away, she swung. Not all that hard, but unlike her previous pulled punches, this one was meant to hit him. In the jaw.