Week 92: Stranger in Seoul

Glowbug nodded a long until a thought struck him, and then he looked dismayed. "Aw, Oracle? Not you too!" He seemed totally bummed out by this idea and his massive broad shoulders even hunched a little in despair. "I thought you'd be, uh, I don't know.. Different. You don't seem like an agent." He was trying to put more affection and pep into his words, but it was hard for him to get excited about it.

As Glowbug's face fell, Subira's own smile turned a little sad. "Like I said, mate, bunch a' thieves and corporate stooges, not the stuff heroes are made of. I'm just glad to see someone's still fighting the good fight out here."

A thought seemed to strike her, and she leaned in again. Her smile was back in full force, her eyes twinkling with the reflected glimmer of his costume. "Tell you what, you seem like a good sort. Can you keep a secret?"

There was a sudden, eager nodding from Glowbug. "I'm a hero with a secret identity. Keeping secrets is part of the job." He placed two fingers over his heart as a gesture of sincerity. It would be very hard not to notice that the intrepid young hero was fond of Subira, his namer! He flashed another bright smile with teeth that had to be augmented or chemically straightened or.. something.

Subira glanced around, perhaps a touch too theatrically, then whispered in his ear. "I'm here on a top-secret mission for Justice and Righteousness. Undercover, mate. Can't say more, or I'd be putting you square in the firing line with me." Stepping back again, she gave him a big wink. "Our secret."

Glowbug shot Subira a quick glance that could be at least felt if not seen. "Well, I hope they pay well, or at least care about you enough to extract you if you need it." When it came to Oracle, his boyish delight was dampened. "At best, they're unethical, they put you in tons of danger, everyone hates you, and.. I don't know, it seems to either damage or only attract.. damaged people." There was a little bitterness in his voice, now, and sadness too. Worry.

He put his hand on Subira's shoulder, and she could feel how strong it was and how light his arm seemed, relative to its size. "No matter what your secret mission is, you need to be careful. Promise me you'll be careful." There was more concern in his words than was really warranted, but he was achingly earnest.

It was... surprisingly touching. Big lummox had a bigger heart than she'd expected. Against her better judgement, Subira wrapped her fingers around his great paw.

"Friend of mine has a saying," she said. "If you can't be careful, then you'd better be bloody good." She grinned at Glowbug again, but this time it had less sharp edges and more warmth. "Words to live by. Although, mate, I'll tell you what: you ever find you need a temporary sidekick, or a helping hand from the sidelines, you know where to come find me, right? Can't promise I'll be about, but if I am, I'll do what I can." Her eyes took on the glimmer of amusement again. "Especially if it's bleeding vampires. Can't leave that to the newbs, after all."

Glowbug nodded, his grim expression relaxing into a tight smile. "You.. might need a different costume. Maybe. Our outfits don't match." He appeared to consider this for a moment before shaking the thought from his head. "At the very least, though, I don't think vampires'll be interested in me, anyway...So, are you gonna go in? Do you want me to watch your back? ...They have a lot of turrets." He sounded almost.. nervous for her. He took his hand off her shoulder to assure himself he still had his shotgun before twisting his fingers anxiously together.

Subira tucked his comment about the vampires not being interested away for later consideration- definitely an odd conviction. She regarded the Oracle building thoughtfully. "I probably should go knock on the door," she said. "Shouldn't need any backup. I have an invite, after all, and if that's a trap..." She shrugged. "I'm quick on my feet." She gave Glowbug a genuine smile. "Thanks, mate. Wasn't expecting such a friendly welcome, truth be told, but I don't want to keep you from your business. Got to be a whole lotta folk in this city need a hero more than I do."

She turned and took a step towards the road, then paused. "Oh, and Glowbug? I'm very attached to my threads. Live with it."

Glowbug turned away, to the wall. He put his hands on the building. "Gimmie a while to come up with a new design for you, though. I promise it'll keep some of you, er.. natural aesthetic." His smile and tone of voice, the little tilt of his head showed he was clearly joking. His face got a little more serious. "Just be careful, though, okay? I'll watch from the roof until you get in, anyway." He waited for her to nod or give some sort of acknowledgement before climbing UP the side of the building, at speed, to get to roof height.

Subira gave Glowbug a jaunty little salute, which quickly drooped, forgotten, as he streaked up the side of the building like he was scooting up a ladder.

There was definitely more to him than met the eye, and Subira was suddenly glad that they seemed to be on good terms. Unknown factors were never good, and she had gotten careless, dismissing him as mostly harmless. If she'd been that clumsy a few weeks back, she'd have got a clipped ear for her trouble. Here, it could lead somewhere much, much worse.

And that means not staring, genius, she told herself. With one last, almost imperceptible nod, she spun on one thick-soled heel and hoiked her bag back over her shoulder. There was a gate in the wall, across the street and just a few hundred yards down. Subira didn't look back again as she headed towards it, but her skin prickled with every step, letting her know that the hero was still watching.