After Thugs Comes Coffee

September 10, 2016:

Power Girl and Quicksilver teamup to stop some idiotic thugs in Mutant Town.

Mutant Town

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: None

Plot:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

One of the popular things for anti mutant extremists to do is to go start trouble in Mutant Town, usually under the guise of mutant, just so they can get mutant more of a bad rep. They figure eventually rules against mutants will pass with continued pressure.

Today a group of three have gathered in mutant town Jim, Gordon and Sarah. Wearing facemasks, they move towards a nearby convenience store before getting violent throwing a molotov and shouting, "wake up mutants brothers and sisters, we are stronger, and we should set down the laws. Not the government served by humans!"

The three don't really get people rallying or rather rioting with them, instead they are terrorizing the poor shoppers who flee the store.

"Look, we can have what we want for free, I'm Flamemaster," Jim announces, few people after all would have even noticed he started the fire with a molotov. Sarah and Gordon pull out pistols, announcing, "we're the sharpshooters, and we can't miss a single shot, we all have gifts, use them and take over!"

Karen Starr happened to be nearby on a conference for a charity in mutant town run by Starrware Industries, so it doesn't take long for Karen to excuse herself from a meeting, and for Power Girl to fly into the scene.

"District X. How appropriate." A mutant mutters to himself while dashing through the streets at supersonic speed.

Being a speedster is not always about being fast. It is about timing, rhythm, tempo, about knowing when to run and when to stop and enjoy the background, the little details, a cup of coffee, perhaps, in a little place located in one of the most odd places in town. Mutant town. But, anyone who has given that little unnamed coffee shop a chance, knows it is worth returning. If you don't get lost in the process… Which is what is just happening to a silver-haired meta-human today.

"Freak town, you never cease to amuse me." Pietro continues his brief monologue, now wandering slowly through the streets, still in search of the enigmatic coffee shop. A pair of googles is raised, revealing his deep blue eyes. Messy hair, matching the always present mischievous smile on his lips and maybe even the black Queen shirt he wears today.

And then, as it couldn't be otherwise, the mayhem and explosion begins.

"You never cease to amuse me…" Pietro Maximoff, also known by some as Quicksilver, echoes himself with a sad smirk and a bitter tone as he listens to the explosion. It doesn't take him long, of course, to get to the place of the action, being just a few blocks away.

And it just take him a heartbeat, or even less, to be very, very close to the action.

"Hey, flame boy," He softly whispers in the self-proclaimed Flamemaster's ear. When did get get there? Surely, that's something the fire handler will ask himself. But probably not fast enough. "You chose a very bad day to set things on fire in Freak Town. But only because you are the most annoying punk here, I will save you for last." His Transian accent is more evident than ever, and there is a tint of hate mixed in the entertained tone of his voice.

Force comes from mass and acceleration. And the Speedster accelerates very direly, fists ready, towards the other two Sharpshooters.

"W-what? Who the fuck are you and where did you come from?" The wouldbe Flamemaster is caught so off guard, for a moment he forget he just made a rallying cry for mutants to uprise, and Quicksilver could potentially be interested. He's just so spooked by his sudden arrival, his inherent fear of mutants shows inadvertently. The duo who dubbed themselves Sharpshooters immediately train their pistols on Quicksilver, "back off freak!" They call at him, apparently the whole pretense of them being a mutant is now over when they're concerned for their safety. They claimed they couldn't miss, but then, how are they supposed to hit something they can't see. They shoot alright, as Quicksilver moves, but before they can tell if they hit him or not, the two are already knocked to the ground from the rapid fists. They actually don't look like they're about to get up.

'Flamemaster' aims his arms at Quicksilver as if they were weapons, "that was a dumb move, because now…maybe I feel like frying you, huh? Wouldn't you rather just join us? It's a good cause! We can topple the human government, take back the city!"

Power Girl in the meantime flies into the scene, but seeing Quicksilver taking care of the thugs, she instead flies into the store they just set on fire, and using her freezing breath eliminates it. A few moments later and she steps outside, "okay, who are the bozos responsible for this?" She asks, looking between the two knocked out and the one guy threatening Quicksilver.

"Freak?!" Pietro retorts to the now-on-the-floor vandals. "And you," he turns for a brief moment to Flamemaster, "You wait where you are and shut up."

Quicksilver's image seems to appear and disappear, as if he was teleporting, forming a circle around the two Sharpshooters who are now laying on the ground. Running to a spot to the next, showing himself sporadically.

"Freak? I will tell you something," His voice might sound menacing, but his smile shows how much fun he is taking from the moment. "That is /racist/. I can call mutants freaks, because I am a mutant. But you can't, because I /doubt/ you are. I've seen ugly mutants, I recently fought Beast, but your level of hideousness surpasses anything the X-Gene can do to someone." He ponders his words for a moment, "Ok, maybe comparing you with Beast is a bit harsh, but—" His last word was just spoken, and Pietro has already dashed to place himself at Flamemaster's back.

"I guess she is it here with you?" A surely rhetoric question, referring to the newcomer super heroine. "Anyway. If you want to fry me, do it now. Because it is now just you and me."

It seems that Power Girl doesn't need to much to figure out this one, as she smirks at the exchange between Quicksilver and the wouldbe Flamemaster, "yeah," she quips after Quicksilver's invitation for the guy to fry him, "you can go right ahead and fry him…I won't interfere. Buuuut," she adds with a mischevious smile, "I also won't interfere if he decides to do something to you."

Flamemaster finds himself at a rather uncomfortable position, Quicksilver is clearly a mutie, he can't even tell when he moves. He has no chance, and seeing how he has no powers, despite his claims, he does the only thing that comes to mind, "look! It's Magneto!" He cries out and then turns to run as fast as he can away from the scene. Clearly leaving his friends behind isn't a moral issue for him. Power Girl in the meantime shakes her head, as she offers to Quicksilver, "I'll go get these guys booked while you help that guy finds the police department?" She moves over slowly to pick up the knocked out Sharpshooters, meaning to give them a non stop flight to be processed for jail.

Pietro laughs and nods approvingly at Power Girl's words about her lack of future actions that would help or prevent the flame guy from being seriously kicked. And then, another nod, now accompanied by a smile, goes to her in response for the plans to take the group to jail.

"Sounds like a plan. And it's actually pretty convenient, since my previous plan was to have a coffee, until this revolutionary-wannabes decided to burn the place down. Speaking of which," The fleeing man has certainly ran a fair distance in the meantime. But there are a few more words directed to him.

"Hey, human torch, don't you want to join us for a coffee?" Swiftly followed by a "Boo!" Whispered again, now very close to him.

There might be a period of time Flamemaster can't remember. More precisely, from the moment he was knocked out, to the moment he awoke in a cell.

A rude awakening, some would say.

"Pietro Maximoff. That is my name. It's a pleasure to meet you. I wish we had met in a better situation, though," Quicksilver, at a later point in time, taking the chance to speak with Power Girl at the police station. "But thank you for stopping the fire. Thank you very much." his words are kind and sincere.

"Haven't seen you around before, I could do with a cup of coffee, good job dealing with these idiots, I like your moves," Power Girl says with a grin, laughing as she hears Quicksilver refer to the wannabe as Human Torch while inviting him for coffee with them. Power Girl proves to be super fast in her own right, zooming to the police department with the two knocked out 'Sharpshooters'.

'Flamemaster' in the meantime feels good about the distance he built from Quicksilver and Power Girl, "whew, that was a close call," he mutters to himself. Not minding the ridicule he gets from afar, so long as Quicksilver lets him go with some derision, well, it's a good deal. Only it sounds too good to be true, and turns out it is, because hearing that 'Boo!' so close to his face, he loses his footing, and then everything becomes dark as he's brought to jail as well.

Power Girl is waiting for Quicksilver outside, and when he's done bringing in the 'Flamemaster', which doesn't take all that long at all, she extends a blue gloved hand towards him, "pleased to meet you, Pietro, is that your actual name?" She's surprised at not being given a codename, "I go by Power Girl," she keeps to using her codename when in costume. Considering her muscular frame, and exceptional height for a woman, it's quite obvious why she picked that name. "No problem, thank you for making quick work of those idiots. So…you still want to have that coffee? I got some time to kill."

"Oh, no, people don't see me around. That's my super power." Pietro grins friendly. "I am, sort of, new in town. And thank you, I like your moves as well. Flying is very fancy!" one could easily tell from his accent alone, but all this is said before the persecution finishes happily and the vandals are left in their new residence.

The mutant seems pleased as they meet again outside. Though, a bit tired. It may not be too noticeably, because he tries to hide it at all costs. In reality, he has no reason to be tired. He could do this all day long. But today, it is different. His powers were recently drained, and this opportunity was a good excuse to test his skills again. But this is a story that can wait.

"Pietro is my real name, indeed. And I'd assume Power Girl isn't yours, unless your parents had a curious sense of naming, which could still happen…" He grins and smiles broadly. "Actually, I think a real name is the one you give yourself. So, it is a pleasure to meet you, Power Girl." He shakes her offered hand, "And some call me Quicksilver. It's funny, because our code names are pretty self explanatory." A smirk occurs. "And, as a matter of fact, I think I /need/ that coffee. So, after you?"

"You'd be surprised, I have pretty sharp eyes," Power Girl says with a playful grin, before admitting, "you are as fast as it gets though, I'll give you that." She gives Pietro a thumbs up, "certainly a favorite of mine, there's very little that's quite like it."

"Believe it or not," Power Girl says to Quicksilver once they're outside, "but I got a life that I like to very much keep private, so, there's this whole codename thing coming into place. Works for Superman, you know?" Having shaken hands, and now having heard of his codename, Power Girl grins, "I like it, Quicksilver suits you well."

Looking around, she asks, "you want a ride on my back? Try some of that flying, or you rather run there?"

"So you're saying…" Pietro answers in pondering tone, "Superman does have a life? Huh, that's something new." He laughs, clearly just lightly joking. "And I have a life, too. The difference is, you are a super heroine. I can see that. And that is a big difference, because I'm not. I help people, yes, and I hate those who harm others. But I keep a low profile, so I could even have a shirt with my name on it, and people wouldn't care! Given they could actually see it…"

Quicksilver might be what some people call a 'difficult person' when dealing with a criminal. Or perhaps what other people would call 'being a jerk'. But, outside of that, he likes to be as kind and friendly as possible with the people he likes.

"I am certainly curious about flying. But I think I will save it for another time. Because," he smiles a challenging smile, "I saw you are pretty quick. And there is only one way to see which one of us is quicker. Where to, um, Power Girl?"

Placing her index finger to her lips, Power Girl immediately follows with a "shhh, no need to say too much about that, but I trust all heroes out there have lives besides heroing all the time, wouldn't you agree?" She adds a playful wink, "part of the charm." She nods at Pietro's words, "well, the fact you have an ability and care enough to help makes you a hero, no matter what you like to call yourself."

When he seems to suggest a race, Power Girl grins, "well, that's an interesting thought. You know the Bleecker St Cafe? Let's make it that one," and she just races off, clearly she thinks Quicksilver is fast enough she would rather take the head start quite sneakily.

Pietro sighs and glances around. "It also adds mystery. Mystery is a good thing. Mystery has charm in itself."

Aside from not calling himself a hero, he may have some things he regrets in his past. Some things not heroic at all. But that is, as well, part of the mystery. So he smiles softly while looking again at the flying girl.

When she estates the final point of their race, Quicksilver nods in agreement, as if he knew the place she is taking about. "Of course I don't." He replies, just after she has already started the run. He grins and continues to himself. "But I have a phone."

The mutant disappears from the police station, seemingly transforming himself into a raging gust of silver wind, while at the same time searching for the place on his GPS app. How could meta-humans save the world before cellphones? A question for later. For now, he just runs to his destination.

Power Girl has no qualms about the worth of mysteries, they are exciting, when they don't wind up blowing up in your face. She does cheat a little in gettng the head start, and she doesn't need to check a phone along the way, and she's also a blur when she moves in top speed. In the end she winds up beating Quicksilver by just a little bit, and she grins, "not bad at all, but coffee's your treat, you okay with that?"

Pietro is a very good multi-tasker, so checking his phone along the didn't precisely make him slower. He was running at top speed, but meeting her at the finish point steal him a big smile.

"Wow! You are fast!" He looks very excited! Not everyday does he find someone worthy of competition when talking about speed. "This is crazy, but, you know? Next time I will beat you. I don't know how, but I will." He winks confidently. "Because there has to be a next time. I am too proud to let you hold the title of 'winner against Quicksilver' for long." His arm extends to open the place's door and hold it for Power Girl to enter. "But I am an honorable competitor, so, of course. The coffee's on me."

"Hey, I don't shy away from a challenge," Power Girl says with a brilliant smile, "but I'll have you no there's no shame in being beaten by Power Girl, I'm kind of a big deal," she winks. At this point it's hard to tell if she's being super cocky or tongue in cheek with her mannerism. "I was impressed with your speed too." As he holds the door for her, Power Girl walks in, waving at some of the people who look her way. After all, her costume tends to draw attention, and she has been in the news more often lately. "You're quite the gentleman, Pietro." She moves to an open booth and slides in. "I'll have an espresso, double shot."

"No. Shame. At. All." The mutant confirms. "And I have good news. There's no shame in being beaten by Pietro, either. Just, have that mind for when we race again." He is very confident when losing. How would he be in victory?

After her, Quicksilver follows, taking seat, ordering an espresso for himself as well.

"You can keep your personal life safe with your costume and secret identity, yes. But, how many pictures of you flood Instagram every time you go to a coffee shop?" He grins, looks at the curious people around and tilts his head. "That's why I stopped using a costume. That and because it sort of blew up while dealing with some mutant affairs, but that's not the point!" Pietro laughs and then just smiles. "So, will I seriously call you Power Girl all the time? I don't have a problem. You should see the names of some X-Men… But I'm curious. Though, I admit, Power Girls sounds… kind of big deal." He chuckles.

"I get it, you're a pretty quick guy, and I did get a head start on you, just because I saw how fast you were with those idiots," Power Girl laughs, "did they actually call you a freak? That's so lame." She nods at his questions, "I'm afraid so…if we ever meet when I'm out of costume, well, obviously I wouldn't be Power Girl then, right?" She turns to look at some admiring gazes she gets, and then the few lewd ones, "yeah…I get recognition in public," she turns back to look at Pietro, "and the fact you're looking at my eyes as we speak is a big bonus, most guys like to really study my costume. So, where you from Pietro? That's a pretty unusual name for these parts. Annnnd…can I get an example of an X-Men name?"

"They deserved swift punishment, if you ask me." The Speedster nods to the waiter as both espressos arrive. "And yes, they did call me a freak!" Far from an offense, he just laughs at it. "Well, I am a mutant, and I have my own conflicts with being one. But, after all, I can't expect the world to be nicer with the likes of me." The laugh faded over time, but his tone is always warmth, though a bit thoughtful at times. "And I have to admit, I'm a little freaky. Just a little. But I have lots of fun using my ability, so that's a plus." His mug is taken and he sips slowly. Yes, being a Speedster is not about always being fast.

"And maybe I /did/ study your costume, but I'm so fast you didn't notice!" He didn't, but he shrugs and returns to his usual laughing mood, so it may be apparent enough that he is just joking. "Yeah, no, I am not that kind of guy. But I hate to say that. I wouldn't trust anyone who said that. And neither should you." He chuckles and continues. "I am from Transia. A small country from Eastern Europe. I wouldn't say my name was common there, but yes, it is pretty unusual here. Not too many Pietros out there. Nor many 'Power Girls', I'm sure." His fingers drum for a moment on the table. "Broo, Toad, Hepzibah — well, that one sounds cool —, M, Quicksilver, there's a lot of odd names. And… Are you from… here? I know you fly and can be /everywhere/ but you know what I mean?"

"Well, if you wanna know a secret, we're all freaks in this city. It's just so stupid to try and label one group as different. Hatred is just dumb," Power Girl concludes, reaching to take a sip of her espresso, closing her eyes for a moment, "sooo good."

"Hey, there's only one Power Girl, and you're looking at her," she says with a grin, before shrugging, "I don't mind all that much, it helps when the bad guys get distracted." She does chuckle at the mention of Toad, "you know? Toad just doesn't sound all that inspiring." At the question she shakes her head, "I'm about as not from here as it gets."

As he said, Pietro still has its own internal conflicts with his own mutant nature. He does accept others being different with all ease. But when he is talking about himself… "My mother… my adoptive mother… she would be alive if I was not a mutant." There is a glimpse of sadness, of course, but he tells it in acceptance. "And not because of me, or my sister, per se. It was because people labeling others as different. So, yes, it is dumb. That's why I…" He manages a smile, "That's why I was so angry at that criminals of today. They are… a special kind." He comment is dismissed with a long sip.

"Oh, and that crazy girl of today didn't get distracted by me! Such bad taste. I still can't believe it." Quicksilver is not known for keeping on the sad topics for long. He shifts them to their most positive and jokingly possible form.

"If I was saved by someone called Toad, I would totally avoid speaking of any detail. I would just… say I saved myself! Yes, it's pretty uninspiring. So, may I ask where are you from? I know I shouldn't dig into any personal detail, but unless you were the only girl born in any given place, I won't figure out your identity just by that."

"Oh wow, I'm so sorry," Power Girl says bitterly, not offering any of her own story, after all it's not a misery contest and nobody would like it if it was. She is about to say something, when she goes instead with Pietro's switching of topics, "I think she got distracted by you when you knocked her out." Power Girl thinks a moment when Pietro asks where she's from, before emptying her espresso, "not from her is the best way to describe it, I mean, it's super complicated. It really is…"

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