No Capes: Chapter 4

Sara led Ryan to the cafeteria. The aroma hit him as soon as he walked through the door and his mouth began to water. The breakfast he had grabbed at a convenience store had been barely edible. He was looking forward to a decent meal. 

The cafeteria looked exactly like the ones he had seen on TV shows depicting high school life. His education had been less structured. Math lessons had been the percentages of his cut from a heist. English and Art were forging documents and Chemistry had been making gunpowder or other necessary components. The supervillains he had worked for as a youth ensured he was taught well. An uneducated underling was a liability.

“Get whatever you want and charge it to my account. Sara turned and handed Rachel a card. “Rachel, just text me when you two are done and I’ll meet you outside. I’m going to go delete the security videos from Sam’s lab before someone sees her underwear.”

“They take our order over here,” Rachel said to him.

He followed her towards the counter, her fluffy tail swayed behind her the entire time. She would occasionally turn her head, ears twitching, to make sure he was still following and he couldn't help but smile.

Ryan loaded his plate up with food since it was on Sara’s dime and followed Rachel to a table beside the window. He had followed Rachel’s suggestions on what was good from the cafeteria.

“So, are you from Cape City?” Rachel asked.

“Cove City, I just came to Cape City for a job,” Ryan said as he took a bite of the food.

“What kind of job?” Rachel asked, her tense smile told him she already knew.

“Jewel heist,” Ryan said nonchalantly, taking another bite.

“Why did you get involved if you're…If you're a….” Rachel whispered, struggling to say the final word.

“A supervillain? Because there are unwritten rules to the game and they weren’t playing by them,” Ryan said. “And I was a supervillain. I’m in the hero in-training program as of this morning.”

Rachel smiled at him and her tail swished behind her, at least until she noticed it and tried her best to stop it. Much to Ryan’s amusement.

“Hey, Fluff. Who’s your friend? A cousin visiting?”

A four-armed woman with short green hair came over and sat down at their table. Ryan noticed she wore a super-suit with the hero in-training logo.

“Gale! Don’t call me that!” Rachel quietly scolded Gale, before raising her voice back to its normal volume. “This is Ryan, he’s joining the hero program.”

“Nice to meet you,” Gale said as she shook Ryan’s hand. 

She then turned back to Rachel with a big grin on her face.

“So, Rachel, have you heard any more about your bad boy?” Gale asked. “I heard you got busted by the Directors for trying to sneak into the hospital to see him.”

Rachel turned bright red. She glanced at Ryan before focusing on the ground. Gale turned to him with a surprised look on her face.

“Oh! It was you!” Gale said. “Well, thank you for saving our fur ball.”

“Gale!” Rachel said with a glare.

Gale responded with a laugh, slapped Rachel on the back, and gave her a wink. “I’ll leave you two be. See you both in training!”

With that, the four-armed woman left their table. Rachel was still fuming and it amused Ryan how flustered Gale had made her.

“What about you? Are you a local to Cape City?” Ryan asked, trying to bring Rachel back to their previous conversation.

“Umm, no. I’m actually from Grasston. It's a farming town between Rapid City and Cape City. It’s a pretty rural area,” Rachel said.

“That’s pretty far. What made you want to be a hero?” Ryan asked. “Must be something that drives you for you to come all the way to Cape City from there.”

Rachel blushed and her tail flicked.

“I used to watch a lot of the superhero documentaries growing up. I was a little obsessed as a child. I want to see the world outside of the Godson Republic and being a superhero is the only way to do that,” Rachel said with a smile.

The only legal way, Ryan thought to himself. The Republic kept a tight leash on who they allowed out of the country. A superhero knew they had made it to the big leagues when they were assigned a city to protect outside of the Republic, and the legal documents that let them cross the boarder.

Likewise, most supervillains held the goal of smuggling themselves out of the Republic and establishing an underworld empire in a foreign city. Even a small supervillain would be a big fish in a city without super-powered individuals.

He saw the nervousness start to leave Rachel and excitement in her eyes at the mention of the outside world. He wanted to see that excitement grow.

“Okay, I get that,” Ryan said, truthfully he never had the desire to leave the Republic, but he understood it. “Once you hit the big leagues, what cities do you hope to visit?”

Rachel’s eyes shined and she started talking about all the places she wished she could visit. New York, Paris, London. Ryan just smiled and listened to her. It was cute how animated her tail and ears got when she was excited. She was more than cute. Ryan thought she was downright gorgeous.

“I would love to try authentic Japanese food in Kyoto! I mean, you can get pretty close at some of the restaurants here, but to actually eat there—” Rachel’s phone chimed and she pulled it out. Her ears and tail dropped as she read the message. “Oh, Director Sara got dragged into a meeting. She says you're free to leave after we’re done eating and to come back Monday for training.”

“Alright. Well, thank you for showing me around,” Ryan said. He finished eating a while ago, and was enjoying listening to Rachel talk.

Rachel bit her lip as if in thought for a moment before she replied. “I’ll walk you to the gate.”

The walk back to the gate was relatively quiet, with Rachel making forced small talk. Ryan had been around her enough to pick up a few signs that she was nervous. Years of working con’s made him fairly good at picking up on them. Her ears seemed to twitch more and he noticed the hair on her tail slightly frizzed. He just smiled and went along with the forced small talk.

“Well, thank you again for showing me around, Rachel,” Ryan said to her once they made it to the gatehouse.

“Ryan.” Rachel’s tail drooped and her ears went canted. “I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner this weekend. A-as, you know, thanks for saving me...”

Her face was red and she was looking at the ground, while she bit her lip.

“That sounds fun. I’m still pretty new to the city so I don't know many restaurants. Actually, I only know one,” Ryan stated.

Rachel’s eyes went wide and she stared at him with a huge smile on her face, her fangs poking out barely over her bottom lip.

She was expecting me to turn her down.

“That’s fine! What restaurant? Also, Saturday at seven?” she asked as her tail went wild behind her in excitement.

“It’s called The Sharks Den. We can go somewhere else if you can give me the address. I don’t know how expensive it is. CCSO paid when Director Sara took me there to pitch the job offer,” Ryan said.

“No, that's great. I’ll see you there at seven then?”

Ryan gave her a wave and started walking through the gate. The guards gave him a smirk as he passed through. He looked back towards Rachel.

“It’s a date!” he called back to her.

Rachel smiled then quickly turned and walked back the other way. Ryan watched her long enough to see her start to do a small victory dance when she thought he was no longer looking.

As Ryan walked back into his apartment building he was greeted by the sight of a raven-haired girl with a bob cut wearing a bulky jacket. She was trying to fit a loveseat into the elevator but had only managed to get it wedged in the doors. When she noticed Ryan looking at her a panicked look broke out on her face and she started talking to someone in the elevator in a hushed voice.

Natasha's head popped over the couch from her spot within the elevator, her mask in place to hide her shark's teeth.

“Hey, Ryan! Good timing. Can you help us get Leah’s new loveseat up to her apartment?” Natasha called out.

“Wait, you know him?” the girl he assumed was Leah blurted out to Natasha.

“Yeah. That’s my half-brother I was telling you about.” Natasha answered.

Ryan gave Leah a smile and a nod as he picked up the end of the loveseat.

“How is this thing not going in?” Ryan grunted ten minutes later.

“Because you’re pivoting wrong! Like I keep trying to tell you!” Natasha replied.

Leah had kept silent during their negotiations on how best to move the piece of furniture.

“There’s only so many ways I can pivot! I’m pretty sure I’ve done them all at least three times!”

“Well, this is the only way we’re going to get it there unless you have a bright idea!” Natasha shouted back.

Ryan gave Natasha a deadpan look as the realization dawned on him.

They took the stairs to the tenth floor where Leah’s apartment was. She seemed to have a very gothic ascetic for decoration and her bookshelf was lined with horror novels. Leah showed him where she wanted the loveseat, and Ryan used his ability. The loveseat was on the upper limit of what he could summon and it took a few seconds to fully materialize.

“Took you ten minutes to remember what your powers could do?” Natasha jeered.

“Yeah, I’m dumb. Also pretty sure it’s a family trait, Sis,” Ryan jeered back.

Leah made a gleeful noise as she plopped down on the loveseat.

“Thank you both! I never would have got it here by myself. So, like I promised Natasha, pizza on me! Ryan, do you have any preferences?” Leah asked as she pulled out her cellphone.

“I’m not picky, so whatever you and Natasha prefer,” Ryan said as he took a seat in a nearby bean bag chair.

“How did the CCSO tour go?” Natasha asked as she dragged another beanbag chair over.

“It was alright. I had to sign a ton of paperwork and meet a few of my future co-workers. Some are a little odd.”

“And how many hit you up for a date?” Natasha asked as she cocked an eyebrow at him. The crinkle of her eyes told him she was smiling under her surgical mask.

Ryan coughed and scratched his neck.

“What! No way!” Natasha laughed.

Ryan sighed and gave his half-sister a smile.

“Yeah, I’m meeting her Saturday at seven at The Shark’s Den. It’s the only place in the city that I know and she was cool with it.”

Leah stood up and walked away from them. He could hear her in the distance placing the order.

“Okay, I need details. Who is she and how did you meet her? Please tell me it’s not that cougar, Sara.” Natasha asked.

“Her name is Rachel. She’s a new hero in-training and hasn’t picked a nickname yet,” Ryan said before scratching his cheek. “She’s the person I saved that landed me on the CCSO radar.”

Leah walked back to the loveseat and sat down.

“Okay pizza’s ordered. So you’re a superhero or applying to become one?” Leah asked.

Ryan started to answer, but Natasha cut him off.

“He signed the paperwork today and even got a date while he was there.”

She seemed to finally notice that she was still wearing the surgical mask and took it off. Revealing her shark teeth.

“Anyone famous? Jet, maybe?” Leah asked, leaning in for gossip.

“No. She’s just starting. I did meet Jet. She seemed pretty full of herself, to be honest,” Ryan said as he thought of the dense, but cocky superhero.

“I bet she's still a bombshell. I heard CCSO is like ninety percent women,” Natasha grumbled.

Ryan smiled as he thought about Rachel.

“She’s pretty cute. Her canine mutation makes it easy to read her emotions. Her tail always betrays her when she’s happy.” Ryan smiled as he thought about Rachel.

“Wait. She has mutations and you like them?” Leah exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Something clicked in Ryan’s brain at her words. Natasha always hides her shark teeth. He was now wondering if maybe there’s more to that than just a fashion statement. It might be good that she hears mutations are not bad and guys like them.

“Of course. They make her unique compared to the other girls and I find it adorable how they reflect her emotions.” Ryan leaned forward and gave his best smile. “Don’t believe the magazines. A lot of guys like girls with mutations.”

Leah gave him a nervous smile as she stood up and walked away from the loveseat. Natasha had a big grin on her face and was staring at him as if she knew something he didn’t.

Leah returned to the loveseat a moment later no longer wearing the bulky jacket. Instead, she now had black raven-like wings on her back, but she was still wearing her nervous smile.

Oh wow! I need to say something to reinforce her confidence in herself.

Ryan gave her his con man smile and made sure she was making eye contact before he said, “Leah, you have beautiful wings.”

The nervous smile grew into a big grin as she started to blush.

Natasha coughed.

“Working on a second date there, big brother?”

Despite Natasha calling him out, she had a massive grin on her face.

“Sorry, Leah. I promise I’m not a womanizer. I wasn't lying about your wings, though.”

Leah laughed, but the way she blushed made Ryan worried that Natasha’s comment had hit closer to home than he’d like to admit.

The pizza came about thirty minutes later and they all dug in. The girls threw on some game show that was clearly scripted and they all chatted with each other while stuffing their faces.

“Seriously? You can cook?” Ryan asked Leah.

“She makes the best sweets. And I mean the best!” Natasha said as she took a bite of pizza. A string of cheese stretched from the slice of pizza to her mouth.

“I work at the coffee shop across the street and learned to bake there,” Leah said with a small blush. “You should stop by sometime, Ryan.”

“Leah! Going right for the kill?” Natasha chided her friend with a laugh. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Natasha. I’m just advertising my place of employment,” Leah said as she took a sip of her soda.

Once they were done eating, Ryan told the girls he was headed up to his apartment with the excuse of being tired from the CCSO tour. Truthfully, he was worried he had gone a little further than boosting Leah’s confidence. Tomorrow was Saturday and his date with Rachel.