Superhero ... ish IV + V

IV

Life was predictable and boring. Paying bills, closing contracts, filing applications, calling offices, falling asleep in waiting rooms, homework, housework, social duties and her usual rotten mood filled Jimmy's daily life as they always had. It was all so typically annoying and it bored her to fucking death, but she managed to bear with it, reminding herself to stay patient and inconspicuous, at least until the ... accomplishments ... of her nightly life had progressed enough for her to stop bothering with all the disappointing rest. And it was going well.

During her nightly escapades she tried to be as efficient as ever, all the while sparing half an eye and a fraction of her consciousness to stay on the lookout for The Shade. She was bound to show up again, sooner or later. Jimmy was sure of it. Maybe it would help if she did something slightly more flashy, more outrageous, than just trick people into giving her money or killing them in lonely dumpster alleys and backyards. Although murdering seemingly random passers-by ought to be outrageous enough for most people, thought Jimmy as she wiped her long dagger on a pant leg. Not her own, of course. She pushed the dead leg over the rim of the dumpster and pulled the lid shut.

Roughly an hour later, she reached through the crack of a bedroom window that was tilted open. She held the frame in place while turning the handle to open the third hinge. It cracked a little, but no more than it would have through appropriate handling. Carefully and silently, she opened the window and slid onto the other side of the windowsill, then down onto the soft carpeting. She was silently grateful for the lack of pot plants and knick-knacks that girls typically liked to scatter on their windowsills. She closed the window and opened it properly again, letting it stand wide open in case she needed to make a hasty retreat. She doubted it, but having to turn around and open a stupid window before vanishing into the night would seriously cramp her style.

She turned towards the bed, where the stranger was breathing softly. Looking around the room, she noticed school books and a bunch of notes and drawings on the untidy desk, and picked up a small notepad. It was opened to a page with half-assed doodles and lines of letters. This girl seemed to be trying to alter her handwriting. Jimmy smirked a bit and flicked through the little notebook, leaning against the windowsill. There was nothing of consequence in this pad, so Jimmy just tore out the first sheet and crumpled it into a ball, which she tossed at the sleeping girl's face.

It landed in her hair.

Jimmy tore out the second sheet, bundled that up as well and aimed more thoroughly. It bounced off the girl's cheek.

She stirred and wiped over her face, but did not wake up.

A third paperball hit the girl's forehead. She twitched and woke up slowly. Her arm brushed over her face again and she opened her eyes.

Jimmy stopped moving and just watched, waiting for the girl to notice her on her own.

Which she did.

When she faced the open window and saw the figure standing there in the gloom, she gasped and sat up at lightning speed.

"Calm down, I'm not going to harm you." Jimmy had not moved yet. "The asshole is dead, and he died horribly." The girl seemed preoccupied with disentangling herself from her twisted bedcovers, but stilled now and stared at Jimmy.

"... He's dead," she croaked. She looked ready to vomit. Jimmy nodded and tossed the notepad back onto the desk.

"I killed him in your name, and made sure he knew who sent the pain."

The girl's eyes were crying, but her face still looked simply shocked.

"But," she sobbed, staring at Jimmy.

Jimmy crossed her arms leisurely and waited.

"My mum ... " The girl seemed to expect a reply. Jimmy tilted her head.

"I'm sure she'll be relieved that she won't have to go through with the lawsuit," she offered. The girl kept staring and clawing at her bedcover while her face dripped tears.

"But," she said again.

Jimmy breathed out impatiently. She was rubbish at this.

"You don't have to charge your uncle with rape anymore. He got some roughly appropriate payback and he can't do it to you or anyone else anymore." Jimmy nudged the window open wider and climbed back on the sill. "Feel free to tell them anything you like." She stood and looked back at the stunned girl. She hesitated for a few seconds before climbing out and up the facade, leaving the window open.

Several roofs later, Jimmy paused and sat down in the shadow of a slated chimney, straddling the ridge. She leaned back and breathed out in frustration. Or impatience. Or a general vexation with the rotten state of humankind. No. Rotten state of humankind implies that it used to be whole and healthy at one point. But that has never been the case.

Jimmy drew up her knees, crossed her arms over them and buried her face in them. In her head she apologised to the girl whose satisfaction she had stolen. But she was fairly certain she wouldn't have wanted it anyway. That was the most irritating part of all these cases. The victims usually stayed victims.

Only once had she helped someone in this way who wanted it, but for the sake of an alibi couldn't be present when she took vengeance on the man. But that had been an exception. Most people didn't dare even imagine taking their compensation into their own hands. Or their hands and Jimmy's, for that matter.

"Hey," said a soft voice behind her.

Jimmy didn't move. Of course. Of all possible and impossible moments, she has to pick this one to show up. Fucking excellent.

The Shade came down from the chimney top behind Jimmy and somehow ended up in front of her on the roof ridge. Jimmy looked up. The Shade was still managing how to sit and had just decided to put one foot up in front of her and lean on her knee. She looked at Jimmy.

"Do you have a name yet?" she asked, kindly.

Jimmy frowned a bit. What was she-

"'Al the Assassin' doesn't really suit you. And I'm pretty sure it was a joke," said The Shade with a soft smile. Jimmy didn't know how to reply, nor did she feel like replying right now.

"How about 'Vigilante'?"

"How about something easier to pronounce?" said Jimmy listlessly.

"'The Ultimate Vengeance'."

Jimmy gave her a look, but The Shade just snickered.

"So you're not all selfish," she said, smiling.

"Why do you think that?" Jimmy leaned back against the chimney.

"You committed another murder for a girl."

"If you've been paying attention, you might have noticed that I enjoy what I do," warned Jimmy.

The Shade laughed softly and nodded.

V

"I've noticed." Her voice held a strange tone. It was soft and sounded like a teasing smile. Or that was what the visible parts of her face looked like, Jimmy couldn't tell which. She was glad for the scarf covering most of her face, because she was certain it looked rather stupid just now.

"How do you turn from an invalid into a circus acrobat?" Jimmy demanded, and cursed herself for sounding so harsh. And for her choice of words. The Shade's smile wavered a little, but returned.

"I'm sorry. That didn't come out right." Jimmy rested her forehead on her arms again. She hoped The Shade was not going to run away again.

"It's alright. I'm not telling you, though," said The Shade warmly. Jimmy nodded without looking up.

"I think the appropriate name would be 'Jackass' or 'Jerkmaster'," she muttered into the cloth over her mouth. The Shade laughed. It sounded lovely.

"You're a little awkward, but I wouldn't go that far," she said.

Jimmy didn't say anything and they kept sitting there quietly for about a minute or so. Jimmy wondered whether The Shade thought she was crying. Or whether she had fallen asleep. She hoped the latter.

"You're a tsundere person. I'll call you Tsun until you decide on a name," said The Shade. Jimmy looked up. The Shade was looking out at the gardens behind the house they were sitting on. The trees and thick bushes, lining lavish flowerbeds and lawns, filled up most of this courtyard enclosed in this block of residential buildings. Jimmy chanced a look to see whether she was watching anything in particular, and when she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, eyed up her face again. She looked really peaceful and happy with her quiet smile.

"Like -" Jimmy's voice was far too raspy, so she cleared her throat, "Like what people are called who," she frowned and thought about it, "Who are bitchy but turn out to have a heart of gold?" She winced at her eloquence. The Shade saw that and laughed again.

"Close enough," she said with a smirk that made Jimmy smile. Shade seemed to see that, as well, because she smiled back.

"I can live with that," Jimmy said softly. Shade's eye was black in the night, but it glittered.

Jimmy leaned on her hands and pushed herself up until she stood balanced on the ridge. She unfastened her scarf, put a hand on the hilt of her long dagger and bowed with a flourish, offering The Shade a gloved hand.

"Tsun, at your service." She wiggled her brow and Shade took her hand, laughing softly. She stood up in one fluid motion that ended in an awkward stagger, when Jimmy suddenly jerked her arm back and pulled her closer. She held her hand in an iron grip and leaned in with a darksome stare. Failing to pull her hand free, The Shade tried to turn and twist away, but Jimmy caught her by the back of her neck and held her in place.

"Tell me how you do it," she whispered menacingly. But she was still smiling. The Shade stopped moving and glared.

"You're so thick. I said no. 'Jerk'."

"Alright, you asked for it." Jimmy smirked and tugged on Shade's arm again, pulling her even closer and kissing her.

"Mmf!" complained The Shade. She started struggling again, until she remembered that one of her hands had been free the whole time.

"Hmfuck!" Jimmy let go of The Shade when something pricked her chest in a most uncomfortable manner. She quickly pulled back and saw something in The Shade's raised fist. She wore some distracting black padding over her hands but the dart was very visible. Jimmy looked down at her chest and saw that one was missing from her belt. Stupid! she cursed at herself and directed an irritated glare at The Shade, who had edged back a little and had assumed a defensive stance with the steel dart held high in front of her. She looked wary and a great deal less friendly now.

Well, that's that, Jimmy thought and pulled her scarf back over her face with one hand, keeping the other on her dagger and her eyes trained on The Shade. She glanced to one side to estimate the width of the roof and back at The Shade.

"You know I'll find out."

The Shade sneered. Jimmy licked her lips. And I'll do that again, to see this again.

She put one foot beside the roof ridge, crouched and pushed herself off.

To the next part.