THE MOMENT
"Is there anything we can do?" Disaster asked with genuine concern. "Has she been to Sharp Medical yet?" Disaster and Kwame met for lunch at a beachside cafe on a bright, sunny day. Neither of them planned to show up alone; but, circumstances surprised them both. If they weren't waiting on a third person, they might have decided to reschedule instead.
"Claudia agreed she would if it became necessary. Although, I'm not convinced anything is truly wrong," Kwame answered with a chuckle. "She's proven herself to enjoy a certain dramatic flair; I think she might be keeping her distance so that her new changes feel more impactful when she does join us again. She is very fond of her new AlterNet identity and I believe she plans to live in it full-time going forward."
"Okay," Disaster nodded. "Gavin was starting to think she was avoiding us," she laughed and her smile grew broader. "I guess he's going to get to say, 'I told you so'; but, I'm glad there's a reason."
"Hey, where's everyone else?" a new voice spoke up from beside the table. They looked up and saw their third, Gia, and she wasn't alone. She stood next to a man in comfortable jeans and a button-up shirt. His blonde hair was neatly combed to one side, and he had a sparkling smile as he acknowledged Disaster and Kwame. "Well, I guess Gavin; Claudia flaking out isn't a surprise anymore."
"Super emergency," Disaster shrugged. "He said he'd join us if they finished early."
"Ah, well, his loss," Gia shrugged, then she turned and introduced her companion. "Guys, this is Ronnie the Butcher; Ronnie, this is my future sister-in-law disaster, and Kwame, a family friend."
"It's so nice to meet Gia's family," Ronnie nodded as he approached the table and shook their hands before he and Gia sat.
"You too," Disaster nodded.
"A pleasure," Kwame agreed.
"Well, this was no fun; I built it up to Ronnie that he was going to meet my Super big brother," Gia giggled as she met Ronnie's eyes to come clean. "But, one conversation with you guys and he'll know Gavin's harmless."
"What can I get you to drink?" the waitress asked the newcomers as she collected Disaster's glass for a refill.
"Tea," Gia answered first, and Ronnie nodded.
"Two, please," he said.
"Comin' up," the waitress turned and walked away.
"How did you two meet?" Disaster asked once they were alone.
"Supervillain banquet," Gia said. "I had just gotten situated on this Earth and didn't really know anyone; Ronnie was easy to talk to," she said. But, the extra comment drew extra chuckles from both of them as they seemed to share an inside joke.
"Gia told me all about her pyro brother; but, what about you two?" Ronnie asked. "Are you Supers too? I haven't met many people from alternate Earths."
"I'm a Unique Soul," Disaster answered. "#42, La Calavera." It wasn't that she didn't trust Gia's judgement; but, Ronnie the butcher was still a stranger and did not need to know the full extent of her powers.
"I am a Myth," Kwame nodded. "I have some abilities. Minor things like summoning spiders and so on," he vaguely elaborated.
"Awww booo," Gia sighed. "Not having Gavin here really threw me off... I was hoping Uniques wouldn't come up until later." Disaster and Kwame shared a look with each other, then Gia. She fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment; and, they nodded.
"What's a Unique Soul?" Ronnie asked. His question was met by an extended silence before Disaster cleared her throat, and then stood up.
"Gia, I need to powder my nose; you should come along," she said, then turned to Kwame. "You're good at explaining it, will you fill him in with anything he needs to know about Uniques?" she asked.
"Of course," Kwame smiled at Gia as he answered Disaster. Then, the two women walked into the cafe, and then the restroom.
"Why didn't you didn't tell him what you are?" Disaster asked as soon as they were safe in the bathroom.
"I didn't think it'd be serious...," Gia sighed with a shrug. "I didn't think I'd like him enough to meet you guys. And, I didn't want him to get intimidated; he's kind of.... delicate for a Super," Gia giggled; but, it came with a warm smile. As well as Disaster knew her, she could tell how much Gia cared.
"Well, Kwame and I won't spill if you don't want us to. But, it's already out. Tonight's your best chance to come clean," she added.
"I know, I know, I will," Gia nodded.
"Well, let's get back out there then. We don't want Kwame revealing anything else he doesn't know he's not supposed to," Disaster smiled and the two women made their way back to the patio table.
"Oh, that was fast," Ronnie looked up when the two women sat down again.
"Was it?" Disaster asked. "Is your Superpower keeping time?" She saw a chance to change the conversation and took it for Gia's sake.
"Oh, no," Ronnie shook his head. The smile he had moments ago dimmed slightly and Gia inched closer to him. "I .. uh...," he fumbled the words until Gia took his hand and gave him a comforting nod. He seemed unsure; but, Ronnie took a deep breath. "My superpower is knowing how to best torture someone both physically and emotionally....," he said. As scared as Ronnie was, he watched them intently for any changes. Revealing the nature of his gift tended to draw fear out of most people; he was surprised when Gia wasn't afraid of him. And now, again, he was surprised as Disaster and Kwame both maintained their smiles.
"That is an unfortunate ability," Kwame nodded.
"Yeah, no kidding," Disaster added. "Do you manage it okay?" she asked. Ronnie was floored. Not even Gia had asked him that despite understanding him.
"I've gotten the hang of it over the years," Ronnie nodded. "Thank you for asking; most people assume it's an 'always on' thing," he sighed.
"Well that's silly," Disaster grinned. "It's not like Gia's on fire all the time. Pyrokinesis is her Superpower, torture knowledge is yours. But, wow. I can't imagine that power opening a lot of doors for you," she added.
"Not really, no," he shook his head. "I couldn't even register as a Supervillain; too niche," he shrugged.
"But, wait," Disaster asked. "Didn't you meet at a Supervillain banquet?"
"Yeah," Gia nodded with a giggle. "He was there as part of the catering team; I cornered him at the service table since I didn't have anyone else to talk to."
"Oh, of course," Kwame chuckled. "Now, I see. Butcher is your profession, not a Supervillain name."