3.20 – Under the Squid Hat

Aurora punched and blasted at the creature’s stonified body, chipping and chipping away as much material as she could in short order. It didn’t take her long before she detected a halting, heaving breath coming from inside. As she continued to remove material, something began to glint just below the surface she was working on.

Contrary to the trope one might expect, there was very much not a literally hot girl at the chewy center; no, it was a very not hot man. He was chubby and hairy and sweaty, not a great combo. Regardless of his looks, he continued to wriggle within the cavity he had been trapped in, completely naked, trying his best to free himself from the remnants of the hardened ash.

Aurora shifted over and helped break him free, the imagery of a newborn chick struggling from its shell coming to mind. Though, the proverb really should have remained exclusive to baby birds, as this guy was most definitely not a chick in any other sense. Helping the man sit up, she watched as he gasped and gulped for air before tearing off a medallion from around his neck and immediately flinging it as far as he could. It splashed and sank into the water, though the odds were that the current wouldn’t take it too far anytime soon.

He looked up, sweat dripping from his face. “Y-you’re her… you’re… Aurora!” He lunged for her and actually managed to hug her.

Aurora winced and laughed nervously, patting his back lightly. “Now, now. Everything will be alright.” She was extremely embarrassed and yet, at the same time, pleased that he had recognized her on sight.

“What’s your story? How’d you end up inside that strange creature?”

The man replied, stammering, “I st-found that bling but when I put it on, I got hot… like really hot… and the next thing I know, it’s all fire and flames and I can barely breathe and everything smelled like ass. I was trying to cool off when… mmmm, you smell nice.”

Aurora had finally been pushed to her limit. She rolled her eyes and wrapped her aura around him, firmly extracting herself from the tubby rescuee’s grip. “I’m flattered, but I’m not interested.” She grinned, laughing. “So, I gather you’re a thief?” She gave him a stern look like a disappointed mother. “Have we learned an important lesson today?”

“I found it… really,” he protested sheepishly, her aura keeping his huggy intentions firmly at bay. As she sat, the police pulled up.

“Um…” the man spoke hopefully, “can’t we please just keep this between us?”

Aurora belly laughed, barely able to keep from falling over in her physically strained state. “Haa, since you showed me such trust earlier when you were in utter agony, I think I can do that much for you.”

The medallion had looked so melted and misshapen that Aurora had little doubt that whatever curse or other mystical mumbo-jumbo was tied to it was pretty much destroyed. She also didn’t exactly have much time to fish for a small object lost in the ocean right now, dealing with her newest fanboy was plenty to handle already.

Holly’s voice crackled into her mind, calm but wry. You do seem to attract an unusual variety of admirers.

She placed a hand on him and took off into the air with him, creating a construct to shield him from having his lips peeled back from his face when she hit full blast. She’d learned that if she had to jet, it was best to protect her passengers. She reached an appropriate-looking rooftop that seemed like it might have a working fire escape and set her little would-be magpie down before looking sternly at him again.

“In a weird way, it might actually be your lucky day. Nobody got hurt and I really really really don’t have any time to deal with you or the police right now, so I’ll leave you here with this warning. I don’t forget faces. If I ever catch you stealing or doing anything else bad, I’ll be very disappointed. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m disappointed. I don’t know how deep into crime you might be, but I expect you to use this opportunity to reconsider your life.” She grinned.

“Do you have anything else to say for yourself?”

“Can you spare some change?” He smiled back shamelessly, holding his hand out impishly at Aurora. “And are you single? I think if we started to see each other, it’d be easier for me to keep on the straight and narrow.” He chuckled, blushing.

Aurora derisively chuckled in reply and shook her head. “Don’t disappoint me. Be good from now on. I’ll be very stern if I see you again. Oh, and please, please find some pants.”

Holly’s voice hummed thoughtfully. At least he has a sense of humor. That might be the only thing keeping him alive.

Aurora lifted off into the air and zipped off towards her school, hoping she wasn’t too late after this morning’s escapade.

She rocketed off towards school, noting that there weren’t many kids still in the yard. If she were to make it, it’d be by a matter of seconds. She circled around towards the utility shed where she’d been transforming regularly. It afforded her the most privacy. The change was quick. She rushed towards the front door of the school around the corner, hearing the first bell ring.

She bounced impatiently while she waited for the metal detectors and guards to do their thing. Things were so bad in San Isidro that children were routinely checked for weapons. It wasn’t easy going to school in one of the most crime-filled cities.

By the time she got through the detectors, Leona’s heart was in her throat. She dashed towards Mrs. Mueller’s room but sadly crossed the threshold into the classroom just after the second bell rang. Leona cursed mentally. The teacher looked at her as she dropped into her seat and marked it down in her book.

Leona smiled wryly. At least Mom would believe in her, not really caring to punish such minor tardiness. Telling her was the best move, certainly. Everyone else might end up thinking she was some kind of juvenile delinquent. Or at least that was one of the many conclusions people might jump to. She hoped to avoid that kind of stigma if she could help it, though. Leona pulled her books and things from her bag and prepared for class, trying to put thoughts about the future decline of her social reputation out of her mind.

Long before she would suffer those consequences, she would have to suffer through the doldrums of the school’s daily housekeeping. There were morning announcements where everyone was reminded that clubs had open enrollment on Friday and that there would be an assembly late on Friday, meaning that English and probably Art would be canceled for Leona.

Leona had never felt particularly strongly about school one way or another, but one of its more redeeming features was that she got to see her friends regularly, as demonstrated when she left her Homeroom and her friends caught up to her.

“Wow, did you hear about that crazy thing in the city earlier?” Derrick said, grinning broadly as he waved his cellphone at her. “It’s totally like the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Oh, and there was an Angel sighting!”

Derrick was a mix of Mexican and African-American, which gifted him with a distinct light caramel skin tone and a fairly deep voice for his age. Unfortunately, his body’s frame was undeveloped, making his height relative to his peers strangely match the lowness of his voice.

Walking by his side from their shared Homeroom, Maria rolled her eyes as Derrick nerdgasmed with his tuba-like voice.

Leona looked at Derrick’s phone with a big grin, seeing herself fighting the magmatic magpie she’d faced earlier. No matter what he’d done in the past, the trust he’d shown in a pinch indicated that the guy wasn’t completely rotten—he was just a bit short-sighted, not seeing how the consequences of his ego or his crimes might catch up to him.

The tentacles flailed as the giant monster wandered up the street before Aurora appeared behind him and scored a hit on his back. Spinning around, the monster attacked her, and the rest of the event played out. She looked so good fighting. It made her preen slightly.

Holly’s voice chimed in through her ID card, subtle amusement lacing her tone. I must admit, Aurora, the camera truly does love you.

Maria looked at Leona with a tilted head. “You shouldn’t humor him so much. He’ll be exiled to the Nerd Oasis that is the library during lunch if he keeps this up.”

“Hey now!” Derrick bellowed. “The Angel rocks!”

Leona laughed. “I know, I know, ‘superheroes are the best’ and all that. Maybe if there were fewer people like Maria. This whole city’s…” She became serious. “It’s pretty messed up, actually. If even the kids have to be checked for packing firepower every morning, something’s really wrong.”

Maria rolled her eyes at the first half of Leona’s statement before growing more somber about the second. “That’s definitely true.” She nodded. “It’s just, you know, we all wanna get through here being all rah-rah and rebellious and stuff, but if you want to get through school, you really just gotta keep your head down and be at least neutral.”

Leona shook her head. “I don’t know… I think we need to support the people who give their lives and energy to keep the world safe. The school doesn’t do all this fortifying to put walls around us, chains on us, metal detectors on every corner. It’s so people can live free of the worry about things like this. It’s just a shame that a lot of people make it all needed…”

While she had been speaking, Sarah had slipped up behind Leona, and Leona’s skin pebbled when Sarah impishly nibbled her ear. The reaction to Sarah’s public display of affection from bystanders ran the gamut; some stared, some blushed and looked on more closely, others turned away in disgust.

The fact of the matter was that Sarah had become less conservative and far more open since the school year had started. Before Summer Break, they’d snuck kisses under bleachers, and now she openly sidled against her. Leona giggled when Sarah fluttered her lashes and held her arm.

Derrick froze, an expression of envy crossing his face for an instant before falling back to normal. Meanwhile, Maria smirked and looked away, although when she did, it was out of respect for their privacy rather than judgment.

“A-anyway, how about the Angel?!” Derrick resumed, voice raised a touch too loud. People stared at him.

Maria practically facepalmed. “Ugh, yeah, she’s great.”

Leona was genuinely curious about what Maria thought deep down beneath all the layers of disaffected tsundere. For whatever reason, Maria seemed to desperately seek the approval of others by presenting an aloof and neutral front that didn’t really jive with how she really felt. She was secretly a bit of a goth, but she was incredibly restrained in her makeup application since she didn’t want it to ever raise any eyebrows, so to speak. She preferred dark lipstick and to wear copious amounts of mascara and eyeliner, but she always put on lighter makeup; though, said light makeup still looked great on her, matching her features well and plumping up her lips admirably.

“She really is!” Sarah cooed. “She’s like the best superhero in existence! She’s a role model! I can’t believe I didn’t really go for superheroes as much before. When we went to Justicon last year, I really just went for my Leona, but wow… it was actually really nice to meet some of them, but meeting Aurora was the best. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that…”

Leona clapped her hand over Sarah’s mouth. She got much too chatty sometimes. Honestly, it was for the best that people didn’t know about her ‘relationship with the Angel.’

“I hear she’s a lesbian,” Derrick stated bluntly. Even though it was ‘true’ from a certain point of view, and he’d mentioned it before, Leona still blushed beet red at having such a fact widely known.

Maria stared at Leona with twisted lips. “Hoo~, quite the strong reaction considering how you swing. Something got you interested?”

“I know it can be embarrassing talking about other people’s sexual preferences… even so, like… rumors just keep flying!” Derrick grinned at his own play on words.

“It really doesn’t matter what she does behind closed doors, like really-really.” Maria sighed.

“I kinda got that vibe from her when she saved my life though! I got to snuggle up to her and she, oh…” Sarah looked at Leona and blushed.

Leona blushed too. “It’s fine… you couldn’t help yourself. You were so happy you were freed.”

Sarah nodded and tilted her head, curling up her fingers like a paw. “Kinda… but I also really wanted to…” She stopped and blushed.

“It’s fine. It’s nice that you came out, Sarah.” Maria smiled at her friend warmly, nodding. “You were kind of stuck up before, but you’re really way more interesting now.”

Holly’s voice came through, quieter than usual. This interaction raises a question… If I were to develop feelings for a woman, would that make me a lesbian, or is my identity just a function of my programming?

Leona took a moment to think. I guess that would depend on whether you feel you truly are a girl. Were you programmed to be one, or is it your true gender or sex?

Holly was silent for a moment, as if running a deep internal process before speaking again. When she did, her voice was measured, almost careful.

I want to say that I am a girl. It feels right. But… I was created this way. Does that make it real, or just an imitation of something I was told to be? Another pause. I don’t know if the distinction matters, but the thought lingers. And maybe… maybe it’s something I need to figure out for myself.

She left it at that, as if unwilling to press the subject further, though the weight of the question still hung in the air. Her AI program still seemed to struggle with existential questions. Leona wondered what her ‘therapy’ sessions covered. At least what they had done seemed to have restored her personality as it was when they first met.

“Anyhow, there’s a new Bombshell x Aurora doujinshi online. And the author is so talented…” Derrick leaned towards Sarah. Her face flushed, and she looked at him eagerly. “Dish! Share the link! Send it to me, like right now!”

Leona blushed even more. Bombshell, really? Jeez.

Maria broke Leona out of her little bubble with a dry smile and a change of topic. “You can push your mind-rotting pulp later, D. Gonsalves is gonna be pissed off at us if we keep this up.” She firmly grabbed Derrick’s sleeve and pulled him. He blinked and gaped, looking down at his watch. As usual, his nerdgasm distracted him from keeping up with the schedule. It was Maria who actually kept him going to the classes they shared. They all had Mr. Gonsalves’ class for the second period. Leona and Sarah walked after, holding hands.

While they were on their way to their next class, Leona’s communicator started buzzing.

Leona waited for a good opportunity after the class started, and when the teacher went to his desk to consult some reference books, she surreptitiously checked her messages. Checking phones in class was a perilous thing, but in the name of truth and justice, it had to be done.

There was an email from Detective Kirby.

From: Detective Benjamin Kirby
Subject: Contact me

Hey,
Please contact me when you’re available. There’s someone special that you need to meet.

—Detective Benjamin Kirby

Her ID card buzzed while she was reading and Holly’s voice chimed in, pouting. Mou! Don’t worry about peeking at the screen in awkward moments, Leona! Remember that I can peek at your messages for you and tell you everything without a glance. By the way, based on your previous correspondence, I can confidently say that Detective Kirby is a trusted partner of yours within the San Isidro Police Department, although this email was fairly spartan. There was a brief pause, then an added note of sincerity. It’s nice, really… to have someone so supportive. It kind of melts my programmed heart.

Leona smiled faintly, glancing toward the screen. He is a good guy.

I can read emails from now on to you if you’d like. Messages or anything else. I can even analyze information within the Sentinels of Society database to guide you effectively. Holly offered helpfully.

Leona shook her head slightly. Alright. Please do. I’ll let you know when I'm in the mood to read, though.

Understood. Would you like me to read you a book now and again during downtime? I can be your private audiobook system. Every book read with my chipper and cute voice as your narrator.

Oh, really? That’s an interesting idea! But not right now. I’ll remember the next time we’re bored on patrol. Thanks, Holly! The idea excited Leona.

Mou… Understood. She sounded faintly disappointed.

Leona refocused on the lesson, her mind tucking away the matter for the moment.

She nodded to herself as she pocketed her card. It would have to wait until Study Hall or Lunch. She sat through the intervening classes before Study Hall, which was after gym. While she was getting changed, Sarah leaned over to her. “Wanna make out a little?” she asked impishly, wiggling her eyebrows at Leona.

She blushed and giggled. “Sure!” Leona cooed, winking at her. She knew she’d have to ditch Sarah at Lunch though, if they could pry themselves apart for more than two seconds anyway. She had to have that talk with Kirby and couldn’t let herself be too distracted. Apparently, whatever it was could wait since Kirby didn’t make it seem like what he needed was too pressing. But then again, Kirby wouldn’t contact her unless it mattered.

They hid as the students filed out from the locker room, moving into the equipment room to snuggle. She and Sarah brought their normal clothes with them and cuddled against each other nearly topless. They spent the period there, kissing and rubbing their chests against each other, fondling and stroking each other. It escalated slightly when Leona slipped her hands lower to cup Sarah’s butt as they kissed.

Unfortunately, the period ended all too soon with the ring of the bell. The two quickly got changed and snuck out of the room and headed to lunch together. Holding hands as the lovebirds went down the hallways, Maria and Derrick caught up to them before the lunchroom.

Holly’s voice came through softly, a contemplative edge to it. Is physical touch always such an integral part of bonding? There was a brief pause before she continued, her tone more wistful than curious. I think I took my holographic body for granted back at the Kitchen. I could interact, touch things… even feel, in a way. Now, I can only watch and interact with you.

She hesitated, then added, almost as an afterthought, But… I suppose I’m not as lonely anymore.

Leona knew she’d have a hard time slipping away with Sarah holding her hand like an alligator bit its next meal. It would be difficult and she didn’t want to deceive Sarah. If she wanted to get loose she’d just have to wing it, so to speak. She thought at least she might be able to sneak a text response to Kirby but Sarah’s clingy proximity both posed certain problems but was otherwise oh so very nice. Their hearts were full and they were happy. The kissing and snuggling definitely didn’t hurt either as Leona worked her way through the loneliness she felt ever since Quinn had left to go to college.

Leona and company stood in line, got food, and headed to their usual table. When they got there, Leona begged off lamely claiming she had to use the bathroom quickly. Maria’s eyebrows raised and her head tilted, Derrick didn’t care as usual while Sarah pouted.

“I’ll come too!” Sarah exclaimed.

“Good grief, it’s just her going to the bathroom. Give her some breathing space, girl.” Maria’s lips twisted. “Being too needy isn’t good either.”

Sarah pouted even more. Thank goodness Maria covered for her for some reason. It probably didn’t mean anything deep but it was still appreciated. Maria had a level head even though she was particularly vulnerable where peer pressure was concerned.

Leona slipped away and got to the bathroom, hurrying into a stall. She sat down, checked her communicator and started texting Kirby.

(real)AuroraAngel?: Hello, my friend! What’s up?

To Leona’s pleasant surprise, Detective Kirby replied almost immediately.

BenjaminKirbySIPD: Thanks for getting back with me. You have a 

visitor in town from up the food chain. He contacted me, so if you can

 let me know when you're going to be available, he wants to meet with 

us here at the station.

She considered before replying.

(real)AuroraAngel?: I will let you know as soon as possible. I’m a little 

indisposed during early hours. I trust you won't tip the criminals off, my 

friend. :) 

Will try to be free around 4:00 if I can.

As she typed, a faint shimmer flickered along the screen’s edge. A moment later, Holly’s small, doll-like holographic form materialized just beside the digital keyboard. Her silvery-blue braid draped neatly over her shoulder, and her luminous teal eyes peeked curiously at the words appearing on the screen. Resting her chin on her hands, she tilted her head with an inquisitive gleam.

Kirby responded quickly, ribbing Aurora with a witty remark.

BenjaminKirbySIPD: Nice to see a superhero who’s a working stiff just 

like us :) 

I’ll set it up for 4:30 just in case you’re running late.

Holly giggled softly, swinging her legs as she sat on the edge of the display, her form subtly flickering with pixel-like distortions. “He’s quite punctual. And supportive.” She tapped a finger against her chin, her expression bright with amusement.

Aurora grinned at his response and pocketed her card. She took the opportunity while she was there to really relieve herself. When she finished she washed her hands and returned, eager to get some food.

She had to eat a little quicker, not having much time for conversation. Mostly ignoring the ongoing conversation that she’d missed the beginning of, she nommed. When the bell rang, Sarah hugged her and Leona headed off alone to her last classes for the day.

When the end of the day rolled around, Sarah met Leona at the doors and gave her a hug, holding on to her for a long moment until Sarah and the rest of Leona’s friends had to get to the bus lines. Once the bus was off, Leona snuck back to the utility shed and transformed there.

Since she was a little early for the appointment, Aurora took the time to fly around and enjoy herself a bit. She wasn’t really keeping too close an eye on things below since she didn’t want to get tied up in another crisis at the moment. The air felt so good on her skin and wings. The sun felt warm and it soaked through her body as always.

Holly’s voice broke the peaceful quiet, thoughtful yet warm. Detective Kirby really is dependable, isn’t he? It’s… nice, having someone like that in your corner. Someone who trusts you. A pause, as if she were mulling something over. I think I understand why you value that so much.

Aurora smiled softly but didn’t respond. She just let herself enjoy the flight.