Eun-ji Choi (Earlier today):
I guess my actions the other day were suspicious to Klein and Cain, so they reported that day's events to Ironhide. Now I'm in some room with a tacky grey carpet and some gaudy decorations. In the center, there's a brown mahogany desk with six people in it, including me.
Ironhide, the top two heroes, Paragon and Elementalist, and their two daughters, rank third and fourth. No one around here refers to them as their hero names. They're just Elizabeth and Elaine.
The first to speak is Paragon, "Oh, Sonar. What are we gonna do with you? I so graciously gave you a chance to live, yet you stopped the top two B Rank Heroes from killing a villain? I mean, seriously, a 'ranker level threat'? Did you expect anyone to believe that? According to them, it was a one-sided beatdown on the self-proclaimed 'Bag Boy'."
Elaine is the next to speak up, "An ex-villain now protecting current villains? Why don't we treat him like a villain and lop his head off right here?"
Ironhide immediately interjects, "Sonar must have had a good reason. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves-"
Paragon cuts Ironhide off, "Don't give me that. I hated the fact that we let him become a hero from the beginning. I won't give this villain any benefit of the doubt."
Ironhide turns to Paragon, almost pleading, "Paragon, let's just allow the man himself to explain. It can't hurt." It's a little pathetic, but honestly, I can't blame him. I'm scared of Paragon too.
Paragon sighs, "Fine, one chance. If there's even one word I don't like. You'll be dead where you stand."
Great one chance. One problem, though. If I spill too little, Paragon will kill me. If I spill too much, Claire will kill me. Both are equally brutal, so my death will be equally as painful. I don't want to die either way, so I need to find a very happy median.
One last issue. I don't want to put the kid in danger. He's most certainly a little blunt bastard, but I don't want him to die.
Well, let's see what I can come up with. Happy Median, Eun-Ji. Keep a happy median.
I begin explaining, "Well, as you all know, before becoming a hero. I was in the information dealing business. So I'm great at gathering info and-"
Speaking up for the first time, Elementalist slams her fist on the table, shouting at me, "Out with it! Stop with your pointless prattling!"
I nod my head before continuing, "Got it. Uhm, as I was saying, my info pertains to Claire Davis, and said info will explain my actions-"
I was cut off again, this time by Elaine, "Wraith! Do you have info on her?! Tell me. So I can hunt that-"
Elaine is cut off by her father, who glares at her. She immediately goes quiet, now fidgeting with her hands. I attempt to continue again, "So as I was saying. I have very reliable sources that indicate she has a young apprentice whom she cares deeply for, with similar abilities to her own. I saw that the self-proclaimed 'Bag Boy' fit the bill. So I saved him from Klein and Cain. If that boy died, I am almost certain that Claire would have gone full scorched earth and raided HQ, killing almost all of us. Trust me, I know her better than you guys do because she was my number one customer back when I used to do the information business."
I see a smirk now plastered on Paragon's face, and he takes a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking, "A young apprentice, huh? You know what, I still think your reasoning is unfathomably stupid. However, it makes enough sense. I'll let you live since you gave me that nice bit of information."
Ironhide, speaking up, asks Paragon, "Now, how is that reasoning stupid? That is perfectly in line with Wraith's behavior-"
Paragon cuts him off, "Because if she tried anything, I'd handle her myself."
That shuts everyone in the room up, but for totally different reasons.
I can't help but wonder if this guy has brain damage, or if his ego is that large. I know he's strong, but Claire would absolutely maul him in a fight. But either one of them would easily beat me, so what do I know?
Anyway, I hope that I walked that happy median enough because although I may have escaped Paragon from killing me, I still need to deal with Claire and hope that she doesn't kill me.
Elaine immediately speaks up, "Dad! Let me handle it! I will take care of Wraith and her apprentice myself!"
Paragon shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively in response, "No. You have more important things to do, remember? Wraith is Ironhide's case anyway. We'll let him handle it."
It's Ironhide's case? Oh, thank goodness! He won't hurt the kid. I'm saved! All I gotta do is lie to Claire and say that Ironhide is the only one who knows, and I'm off Scott-free!
I'm glad all of this was resolved peacefully. I stand up and leave the room. I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. When I leave the room and enter the elevator that leads to the lobby of the WWSHA HQ. Before the elevator doors fully close, Ironhide stops the doors and enters the elevator. "Any more info on Claire that would help me?" Ironhide asks.
Jackpot! I immediately whip my head around and tell Ironhide, "This is unreliable, so don't expect much out of it, but she might be targeting A Rank Hero 'Surt' tonight. I think he's investigating something in the east parking garage in Paragone."
This is also the info I gave to Claire, so I'm sure she and Ironhide will end up seeing one another tonight. While it isn't ideal, since I didn't tell Ironhide about Claire's plans for Paleoumbral, at least he probably won't see the kid. Hopefully, Claire handles it before Ironhide ever meets him.
I'm home free! I'm so amazing! Nothing can go wrong with this.
Eun-ji Choi (Present):
Shit. Claire is gonna kill me! How was I supposed to know that Ray was gonna tag along with her to observe her fighting A Rank hero?! So much for my happy median.
I'm currently on my knees in front of her and Ray, who are sitting on this buttoned brown leather couch. After explaining everything, I look back up at them. "See? I had to! They were gonna kill me if I didn't say something convincing! So all I did was say a little bit of the truth whilst omitting all of the important stuff. I didn't tell Ironhide about Ray's target in hopes that he'd never see him!"
Claire seems to be contemplating my words carefully. I hope she feels merciful today. I like being alive. The first one to speak next wasn't Claire, but Ray, "Miss Claire, I believe him. Besides, you shouldn't kill your only informant. He has so much to teach me, too!"
I can't believe the kid is actually defending me. I was expecting him to take the side of Claire immediately. At his words, Claire's eyes soften, and she speaks, no longer with any venom towards me, "Okay, kiddo. You have a point. Besides, I wasn't planning on killing Eun-ji this time. At worst, I was gonna… make sure he never felt like squealing again." Her glare returns, her eyes piercing through me like daggers.
It seems the kid has some influence on Claire's decision-making. Good thing to keep in mind.
"Mr. Eun-ji," Ray says, garnering my attention as I turn my head towards him, "Yeah, Ray?"
"Since you're here, could we train a bit? I want to learn how to use your power better." He asks me. His eyes are pleading, like a puppy.
"Sure, Ray. I'd be glad to." I reply. Anything to get away from Claire, it's too scary to be near her when she's still this pissed at me. I'd rather not risk upsetting her further.
Ray stands up and walks over in the direction of the lair's training room. I follow suit. As I walk over to catch up to Ray, I notice the gadgets lined up that I haven't really thought much about beforehand. I find it odd that they're even here. Claire Davis, the combat junkie who loves direct close-quarters combat has gadgets. It isn't her style.
Regardless, when in the training room, Ray walks over to the corner of the room and grabs a shirt. He takes his current shirt off and puts on the new one. When he changes, I see countless scars. Burn scars, cuts, and permanent bruises. All kinds. It's enough to make me want to hurl.
How did this eight-year-old boy get all of those scars?!
He turns around and runs back over to me. "Sorry! I changed shirts because that's my favorite shirt and I don't wanna get it damaged! Let's get to training!" He chirps, beaming with excitement. Pointing back to a shirt that has the words "BEST IN THE WORLD" on the back.
I'd rather refrain from asking about the scars. It's not like we're close, and I doubt they're from Claire; they look old. If he wants to tell me, he can. Also, he looks happy; there's something that makes me not want to dampen his mood. Not sure what, though.
"I attempted using precognition, but it wasn't too effective." He tells me.
"Well, it's a little hard. I wasn't able to do it effectively in combat until I was nineteen." I tell him before following up, "How about sticking with the basics? There are still better ways that you can utilize the other aspects of my power."
"How?" He asks me.
"Have you ever heard of the concept of softening your vision?" I ask him in return, answering his question with a question.
"No." He says plainly, staring up at me. He does look interested, however.
"Well, softening your vision is unfocusing your eyes on command. For most people, it makes their vision blurry, and it hurts their vision more than it helps. But for me and you, it only helps." I begin explaining.
"How would it help us?" He asks me.
"Well, since my power enhances all senses over a hundred times more than a normal person. Unfocusing my eyes not only allows me to see a clear 180 at all times, but it also lets me see my blind spots next to me. But there are also moments when I want to refocus my eyes and use them to hone in on one thing." I explained to him.
"Your next step in using my power properly is learning how to quickly swap between the two as needed. When using my power, try defaulting to softening your vision to get that clear, enhanced peripheral. But only do it when using my power; otherwise, you'll hurt your eyes." I tell him. I also threw in that warning. I don't need him hurting his eyes and risking me getting a lecture from Claire.
"But my peripheral vision is already enhanced while using your power, why would I need to soften my eyes if my peripheral vision is already increased?" He argues.
"Yeah, that's true. But you can't see your blind spots, remember? Plus, your brain subconsciously will focus on different things even when using my power normally. Softening your vision can combat that and allow you to see the whole picture more easily. In moments you need that focus, you refocus and hone in on whatever you need to focus on." I retort. I don't need him arguing with me. It's my power; why would he argue with me when I obviously know better than he does in this case?
I have enough argumentative children in my life. Are all kids like this?
Anyway, I suppose I need to have some practical training, not just a lecture. Sparring me wouldn't be entirely effective for this lesson…
I really hate to do this, and I'd rather not. But a small part of me wants the best for the kid.
I guess if I have to.
I walk out of the training room and into the living room area. I walked over to Claire and began speaking to her, "Claire, I need you for this lesson I'm giving Ray. Will you help?"
Claire shoots me a dirty look, probably still mad about me giving info away to the other heroes. But she stands up and follows me back to the training room.
Ray spots her and waves, "Hi, Miss Claire!"
She waves back, and her expression softens, "Hey, kiddo."
I clear my throat and begin speaking, "So, Ray. Claire and I are gonna spar. You observe and see how I utilize what I just told you about."
Claire now has a shit-eating grin on her face. Great. She's totally gonna use this as an excuse to beat the hell out of me. Whatever, as long as Ray learns something from observing.
Claire walks three steps backward. I do the same, looking straight at her. The moment we make eye contact, a giant tendril instantly comes flying at me from the side, faster than lightning. I dodge it by stepping back. Minimal movements for dodging are key, especially against Claire. She seems to be holding back a little. Which is good for me.
Three more come flying at me, I sidestep the first one, I then jump onto the second one, and step up to the third one. I use the third one to launch myself towards Claire.
I'm refraining from using precognition; I'm trying to only go about this fight using what I just taught Ray, so he can see the utility of it. I focus my eyes on the spot to the right of Claire, and I see the slightest move in the shadows. So the moment I land, I slide down to the right. The moment my body gets down to the floor, a tendril pierces the air right above me. When it dissipates, I launch myself back up and grab Claire, trying to grapple her to the ground.
In response, she lets herself fall, but she makes a portal in the ground and appears back above me, now on top of me. I kneed her in the stomach, but it didn't faze her. She hops back up onto her feet and gets into a boxing stance.
I slowly stand back up and mirror her stance. I honestly don't know how to box one bit. I have no formal martial arts knowledge.
I make the first move, stepping in and throwing a punch with my right hand. In response, Claire drops her guard, dipping her left hand into a portal. I feel a shadow hand grab my hair from behind as she grabs my shirt with her right hand.
A loud thud echoes in the room as she slams her forehead into my face, the brunt of the blow going to my nose. I fell onto the floor. I feel the blood flowing from my nose down my face like a faucet onto the floor and my clothes. Claire reaches out a hand and helps me up. It's clear this spar session is over.
I turn around and leave the room. I went to a few different rooms to try and find something to clean my nose up with. Eventually landing on some tissues in the bathroom that I use to clog my nose and soak up the blood.
I walk back into the training room. And Claire walks over to me. "So Eun-ji. What was that supposed to teach Ray?" She asks me.
"I told him special ways to use his eyes while using my power. I wanted to display that practically, so I wanted him to observe me using them against a strong opponent." I reply.
"Awww, you think I'm strong? I'm flattered, really." She responds teasingly.
Yeah, of course, I think you're strong you goddamn monster.
I can't say that out loud, though. I'd rather not get smacked for that.
Turning my attention to the kid. I began speaking to him, "So, Ray, through observation, have you figured out what I did in my fight with Claire?"
"I assume you did the softening your vision thing when you dodged Miss Claire's first tendril that came at you in your blind spot?" He says, clearly not exactly sure of himself.
"Yeah, you're right. I actually was having my vision softened for most of the fight, that's actually what I do in my everyday life, I have that done almost twenty-four-seven. It makes it easier to hone in and focus on the moments I absolutely have to." I explain.
"You said 'most of the time,' I assume you focused your vision when predicting that last tendril when you slid?" He asks.
"I did," I answer plainly before following up with, "So you ready to practice it on your own?"
Ray nods in response, and Claire starts leaving the room. "Cool, you oversee that. I'm gonna go get some work done," she says, giving Ray and me a wave before fully exiting the room.
As if right on cue, my phone began ringing. I grab it from my pocket and see that the Caller ID says "Paragon".
Great. What does he want?
I answer the call and greet him in a very fake happy tone, "Hey Paragon! What can I do for you?"
I hear him chuckle on the other end before responding, "Straight to the point, huh? Well, if you could do me a huge favor. A local gang of superpowered individuals is robbing a local museum right around where you live. Could you stop them for me? The museum is actually a holder of a WWSHA exhibit, so it's our obligation to send out a ranker to help them."
Before allowing me to respond, he follows up with: "You'll do it? Thanks!" before promptly hanging up.
I turn to Ray and say, "Sorry, bud. I got a work call. Gotta go." I turn around and begin leaving. Before I hear Ray shout towards me, "Wait!"
I gotta go, he better make this quick.