The Arrival (open)

In the daylight Jump city was bustling with the white noise of people going here and there and the honks of horns in the after work traffic rush. The sidewalks were crowded, Isaiah working his way through with practiced ease. He kept his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, the sleeves of this brown jacket rolled up his forearms.

It was almost unreal; his mind drifted to the fact that although he had followed the trail of the young woman Darius had infected he had not unearthed any clues to her whereabouts. She was gifted with his powers, but infected with his madness. Isaiah had only heard tell of the city’s usual criminal denizens and the Titans.

The sound of rapid footsteps came from behind him and a woman’s yell. He snapped out of his thoughts and turned, ~seriously?~ was his first thought as a man in a dirty coat with facial hair ran in his direction holding a small gray purse. As expected of the crowd they scrambled to get out of the way of the possibly dangerous man. Isaiah knew better, if the purse snatcher had been armed he would have had his weapon out already. Bottom end crooks weren’t the brightest crayons in the box, so having a hard time not smirking Isaiah left his foot casually out in the way. The purse snatcher fell onto the sidewalk, Isaiah having braced for impact.

The contents of the purse fell onto the ground: toiletry items, a pen, gum, chapstick and a wallet. The purse snatcher scrambled to his feet grabbed the wallet. The owner of the purse pushed through the gawking spectators, “that’s my purse!” she managed. Isaiah glanced around no one really moved, with a growl he turned to run after the thief. ~So much for keeping a low profile~ he clenched his teeth.

The thief took off down an alleyway, throwing down a trash can. "Hey, you!"Isaiah yelled, darting inches around the fallen trash can. It wouldn't be long before he caught up to the thief. Now that he'd witnessed the crime there wasn't any going back. He allowed red to creep into his vision, he better focused on the erratic movements of the purse snatcher. His eyes changing from a blue to a glowing red-violet. As they emerged on the opposite side of the alley, he forced the color away. His eyes returned to normal.

Ten minutes ago class was over, and an English assignment she'd crammed at the last minute yielded a satisfactory B-. Not a great grade, but a great grade for such a last minute reading frenzy.

Tara -Terra- Markov had chosen the opposite end of the alleyway as means of her shortcut. Sure there was the perpetual risk of muggers, and other unsavory types, but some lingering sense of crime fighting remained in her mind, and for some reason she felt immune to the likelyhood of being robbed. Low and behold, the first dark alleyway shortcut was about to shatter her understanding...

Complete with a school uniform and a satchel containing all her class assignments and supplies, Terra hadn't expected her shortcut through the alleyway to errupt into a highspeed chase of sorts. An older man in a dirty coat with a strange beard ran desperately past her. She turned to see him bolt by, then looked back to see Renegade hot on his heels. School or no school, she stepped in the path of Renegade and swung her school bag in a heafty arc, mistaking him for the hoodlum.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" She said, despite being clearly a little shorter.

Isaiah's eyes widened as a school bag came at him. He lifted up his forearms to block the blow, the bag colliding with a hefty *smack*! Isaiah hissed as felt his arms stinging, "hey, he's getting away!"he growled. He shoved the bag down, "he stole a wallet and I almost had him," he glared at her before remembering that he was far out of his juristiction and not to mention not even suited up. He bit his lip, things were just not going his way since he'd left home. Not at all.

Was Jump City always so full of good Samaritans, ready to jump criminals (or their pursuers) at a moments notice? He took a deep breath looking at the girl that had attacked him, trying to desperately to cool his temper. He crossed his arms, rather carefully, "get it?" he managed, lips pursed.

Terra's eyes widened as she realised her mistake. The stranger's impatience was a familiar response, and she instantly shirked back. Even without her powers she seemed prone to a screw up.

"Oh. Oh man I'm sorry. I.. I can call the cops," she fished into her bag and withdrew a small, yellow mobile phone. "I thought you were the mugger." She turned around and watched the bearded man still running off. "Or... or we could go this way."

She bolted left, into a second alley, pulling Isaiah's hand, trying to drag him along. "I think I know a short cut."

Terra had spent her entire life doing just two things; messing up, and running. Needless to say it gave the girl ample stamina as she weaved through trashcans and leapt over a puddle, before skidding onto the main street, and turning right. Even as she sprinted she found the breath to apologise some more, "I, look I didn't mean to help him. I thought... you just looked... you know?"

An image went through her mind. A brief flash. An assault course at Titan's Tower. It was the first time in her life she'd ran at something and not away from it. Now she was running again, really not equipped to fight a thug of any level with a school bag containing nothing heavier than a copy of I Am The Cheese and a calculator.

Around another corner and they came to her shortcut from school, pointing to where the alleyway opened up. If they were quick enough, it would still be possible to cut the purse snatcher off. "Come on, you can still catch him."

"Come on, you can still catch him." the girl grabbed his hand and pulled forward. He stumbled, before following after her. He followed her, rather impressed by her speed. He raised his eyebrows at her earlier accusation, "looked?" she seemed to ignore him, turning her face away.

Isaiah hurried after her, until the alleyway ended. He stopped next to her with a disblieveing gaze he looked up, to see the purse snatcher (or more apptly the wallet snatcher) running toward them. "Hmph," he mused with a smirk at the girl. ~So this is an average day in Jump City~ he thought. The purse snatcher looked rather stupefied at the two of them, "just hand over the wallet," Isaiah called.

Terra skidded to a halt, allowing a second to catch her breath. She could see the mugger's disbelief at something she would call Titan Tenacity. Titan Tenacity... the inability to quit, be it on beating crime or saving those in distress. No amount of distance mattered, because she'd already decided to bring him down.

For a moment there was a Mexican stand off. The three of them weighing up the situation. She raised her fists, ready to knock some justice into the wrong-doer. Clearly the mugger wouldn't have been too impressed, but with Isiah in her shadow she felt she could take the guy.

Muggers were cowards. They did not understand being stalked, or hunted. They knew nothing but wrong-doing, and running. She charged ahead, jumping into the air and launching a spinning kick straight for the man's chest. It lacked strength but carried precision, and the man was sent back with a stagged, dropping the wallet before regaining his footing. By then she had her foot on the stolen item, and placed her hands on her hips to strike the pose of a hero.

"Now we're not going to tell you twice. This town is protected, and it doesn't need your type aroun-"

"-HEY TARA!" Came a cry from across the street. She froze, then turned to see some of her class mates across the street. Some were waving, and some were cheering. Two of the guys from the football team were walking over, pausing only for the traffic to lend support. Then a look of dread painted across her face as she saw Susan Summers snaping a picture, or maybe a video on her own mobile.

She looked to the mugger, then to Isaiah, then gave a guilty grimace." I've got to go. He's all yours. Don't forget to take the credit." Her words came out so swiftly even she was suprised by their sound. She darted back into the alleyway, eager to leave Isaiah to finish what he had initially started.

She knew right then she had no Titan Tenacity, save for the inability to quit screwing up. The last thing she needed were videos on youtube and pictures on facebook of a sixteen year old girl squaring off against a mugger. Like the mugger, it felt wiser to do the running.

With her school shoes hitting puddles and flecks of mud spotting her socks, Terra considered her options as she rounded one corner, then another, and got completely lost somewhere between the back of a Bistro, and a chinese laundry with speckled cat perched on its back door. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, taking in a lung full of air.

"That was totally stupid of me," she squatted against a dumpster. "Low profile, Terra. Low profile. That was my plan. Go quiet and be normal." She scratched her head. The impulse of her actions made her hair itch. "Its cool. Its cool. I mean maybe they just thought I was in trouble, so my friends took pictures for the police. Oh damnit that was stupid. That's background checks, wanting to meet my parents. Why did I just jeapordised everything for a wallet?"

The cat on the doorstep turned to her and blinked. It had that look of disinterest and yawned.

"What is it with animals not understanding my problems?" She slumped down onto the ground. "I mean its cool that guy chased the mugger down and everything, but that should always be left with the cops, right? I had no powers. I could have got stabbed."

"Meeeeeeeeeeow," the cat replied. Terra was discovering that unless she fed it, the cat wasn't going to offer comfort or advice.

"No I didn't desert him. That man had the thing totally under control. Hey, don't blame me. I'm not a superhero."

"Reeeeowww?"

"Oh you're just being preachy like Beast Boy. I'm not a hero. I'm not built to be one."

The cat scratched its ear, taking no offense in Terra's accusations. The plights of Earthquake inducing teenage girls played little part in cat politics.

"I didn't desert him."

Isaiah looked down at the mugger and grabbed his collar, "don't ever do something like this again," he growled, glaring at the man, "now beat it." He picked up the wallet as he watched the guy run. At this point he'd have to drop off the wallet at the police station. They'd be able to contact the owner.

"Tara huh..." he mused, her glanced back. She hadn't seemed too excited to see to those kids. He looked in the direction that she'd fled. He stopped a moment. He started in that direction with a sigh, ~I better make sure that she's alright~. Could it be possible, the way she delivered that kick and the way she'd panicked at being seen... could Isaiah just ran into one of the Titans?

"Tara?" he called hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off, "Tara?"

What did Batman and Terra have in common? Normally, nothing, but right now it was a problem with the word Hush.

"Hush," she hissed, hiding behind the dumpster.

"Reeeeeeoww."

"Hush," she commanded again.

"REEEEEEOOOOOW."

"I said hush. Shut up. Scram. Shoo. You'll blow away my cover."

"HISSSSSSSSSSSS"

Isaiah came closer, and he could hear him call her name.

"Tara?"

She pointed to the cat, "You asked for it, Mr Whiskers." Focusing her mind, her emotion, and her desperation to remain unnoticed, she sought to send a pebble right at the cat, flinging it from the ground. The only vibration came from a passing subway train beneath the roads.

Taking no more, she threw her school bag at the cat. It missed by a mile, for Terra had never been one blessed with a throwing arm. The cat's face flashed raw unamusement, and it plodded along at a casual pace, heading toward the sound of Isaiah's voice. No doubt it sought amusement and snacks from a more promising individual.

"Ssssh, no, the other way. Come back."

"Meeeow," the cat declined. As it wandered off, Terra realised her bag was sitting clearly exposed on the steps of the chinese laundry, negating her perfect hiding spot.

"Oh man."

The road went on through downtown, Isaiah continued his search. A cat's mewing caught his attention the small cat coming his way. He glanced down at the cat, striding passed, he had no interest in the creature. The sound of the dryers and washers whirling and the coughing of an old window air conditioner came from the Chinese laundrymat. Isaiah noticed the bag laying on the ground.

He strode over to it and crouched down. He picked up the strap and looked at it. Dirt was smeared on side. He stood up and looked around. He turned to looked to the side and saw Tara standing there. "What's up..." was all he could manage.

Terra raised her hands in surrender, as though an invisible gun had been pulled on her by the persistant vigilante.

"Look I don't want any trouble. I'm just a girl walking back from school and I thought you were a mugger. That's all."

She looked back to the mouth of the alley where given enough speed, she could hide in the crowds of daytime shoppers and marching pedestrians.

"So if you're kinda cool with just handing me my bag back I'll get out of your hair and we'll call it quits, right?"

She took a half step forward, and reached out for her rucksack.

Jay was soaring high above the buildings of Jump breathing in the- well, not exactly clean air, but it was still completely exhilarating as she swooped down to catch an updraft, She glanced down and happened to she two people in an alley.
"Huh, well, what's going on here?" She asked herself.
She turned and landed on top of the laundry building they were behind and listened carefully, she didn't intend to get mixed up into this unless she had to.
"Look I don't want any trouble. I'm just a girl walking back from school and I thought you were a mugger. That's all." the girl said.
Well, that seems like a normal story, Jay thought, as she looked over the scene from the building roof.
"So if you're kinda cool with just handing me my bag back I'll get out of your hair and we'll call it quits, right?" She said, taking a step closer to the guy with her hand out for her bag.
Jay sighed, if there was one thing she didn't have, the one possible thing she wish she could change about herself... her patience level.
"Do you need help?"Jay asked from the building roof.
the poor kid is probably going to have a heart attack. Jay realized after she said that, Here I am on a roof top, over listening to there conversation. OH SHOOT! MY WINGS!
Jay attempted to hid her brilliant blue wings behind her shoulders hoping they hadn't seen them yet. She didn't need any addition gawking or anything because of them.

Isaiah hesitated. He wanted to know if she had any connections to the Titans, but he didn't know how to ask her. Not to mention he was already making waves in the city that he hadn't planned to. It was a great time to suddenly remember that he was socially awkward. He bit his lip and jumped when he heard the voice from above them ~another one?!~ "Yauh..." he let out an exasperated breath.

"Do you need help?" He looked up at the newcomer. He frowned, another girl that would accuse him of being a criminal? Did he really look that shady? Placing his hand on his hip, with a sigh and his eyes partially closed, he held out the bag. It wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth being jumped by a girl for the second time that day.

"Sorry, here" He said it flatly, but he already felt fairly embarrassed at this point. He was just praying that his face wasn't betraying how much.

Terra shook her head to the newcomer from above. "No no. Sorry, its cool. Its just a misunderstanding. This man just stopped a thief."

She took the bag and patted Isaiah on the shoulder, "You should have seen him chase the guy down. Woosh, right through the alleyways, and then he cornered him by my school and pow, bang. It was so awesome. You'd swear he was a Titan."

She took her backpack, then started to back slowly away, "You should tell her about it. You're technically a hero."

Terra's complemantary words were a complete smoke screen, to draw focus from herself and hopefully get the two good samaritans talking amongst themselves. Though she had no hate for Isaiah, she had a stinking feeling questions were about to be asked that she would hate to answer.

Jay raised an eyebrow curiosly,"Pow,bang? How many comic books do you read?" She shook her head and smirked to herself, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.
"anyway, if there's not a problem then." Jay sighed and shrugged. She looked at the two people below her.
A well, they would probably get over it eventually. she thought. She jumped from the top of the building and spread her wings slightly to slow her fall, well aware of the the shocked looks she was getting.
Her wings were starting to cramp and she didn't feel like flying all day, but randomly dropping down in front of people wasn't usually a good idea either. But hey, these were two people, and one read too many comics anyway by the sounds of it.
"lets make a deal, you don't tell any one about my wings, I don't tell any one your nuts, kay? Jay shrugged, "so, since I'm here, you guys have names? I'm Jay."

"Te-I mean Tara. Er, nice wings. So are you a superhero too?" She backed up another step, feeling this was getting a little worse already. Still, she'd promised not to mention the incident in the alleyway, and that was just what Terra wanted right now.