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Post by Zuyuri on May 22, 2019 2:12:03 GMT
Weeks of resting and physical therapy had done Shadow some good. By doctor's orders, he could finally get to the point of walking without feeling pain. The only downside was his signature super speed couldn't be put to use. As for his inhibitor rings, Sunshine had still held onto the one he had loaned her, which meant only one half of his body was protected from the surge of his power. Once he recovered to a point where throwing just a smidge of chaos didn't feel like it'd rip his arm off, he'd be fine. Tony's Pizza was on his right. He thanked his uber driver with a very generous tip before exiting, staring at his reflection in the window. He was still the same red and black hedgehog he had been created as. Without his inhibitor ring, stitching was showing on one hand, betraying his literal patchwork anatomy. He blinked, remembering how he was last here with Sunshine and Yang, recovering from the attack of Sapien.
Her with a cute brown bob, Yang with both arms, and him as a raven-haired man with stubble.
He blinked back, and it was just him. Recovering cop after nearly wiping out the world. He entered Tony's after one final nod, inhaling the sauce and cheese decadence. Shadow didn't know where to start after eating nothing but undercooked or bland food. All he knew was he wanted something in his stomach.
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 6, 2019 15:20:23 GMT
Jane yawned as she headed home. It had been a long day at work. Despite it being the end of the world, she had still taught kids. Namely at Agreste manor but now she and the other teachers had been cleaning up the school so they could use it properly. Namine had even used the Agreste funds to hire in a team from a neighboring town to help clean up the destruction. By the end of the week, she might even have her classroom back. But still, she was far too exhausted to cook. So a late night bite at Tony's it was. She had a desperate craving for garlic knots with sinful amounts of margarita sauce. Her musings were cut short when she entered the shop, bumping into someone.
"Oh, excuse me! I wasn't - Shadow?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 6, 2019 17:10:57 GMT
Someone bumped him from behind, gently. The one good thing about having this body, perhaps, was the protective quills didn't jut out like some of the professor's terrifying prototypes seemed to have. Sunshine had shown him pictures from the old man's diary. This could have been so much worse. At least he was, as they jokingly said, 'prickly' and not dangerous. He scooted aside after being lightly tapped, a hand over his unprotected wrist. His red eyes were surprised, but also relieved. He knew she was a tough woman that could survive much, but not even an apolcalypse could have shaken her down.
"Jane..."
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 6, 2019 17:35:39 GMT
"Shadow, you... uh... It's good to see you." she said.
She hadn't seen him since he got out of the hospital. She had a few things on her mind. Namely her father and the repair of the school but she worried about him. Perhaps more than she would have cared to admit. It was just every time she had gotten around to go seeing him, another emergency popped up. Adrien. Namine. Her school. The students. Her father. She swallowed thickly. Would he be mad she hadn't come to see him? Did he hold it against her or hate her for it? She certainly hoped not.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 6, 2019 20:15:38 GMT
"Yeah...you too..." he said.
Getting back in the groove of being social was unusual for him. It scared him how after news reports painting him as the black sheep of Bellerouge, he was strangely calm about the ordeal. A calm that maybe would churn up a storm in the future, no doubt about it. Don't think about that, Shadow. Think about Jane. She's safe, which is all that matters. And if she was safe, a bunch of the kids she taught would be safe. He had watched her in his timeout chair in purgatory. Around her, people were safe, which put him at ease.
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 7, 2019 14:52:53 GMT
"I'm famished," she announced, wincing slightly at her abruptness. "Want to split one of their colossal pizzas and stuff ourselves silly?"
Their colossal was advertised as the largest pizza in town. Larger than a usual large, which was saying something since those pies were typically about 18 inches around. No, this pizza was more like 25 inches across and was always something Jane liked to refer to as a gut buster. But, seeing Shadow as weary as he was, she felt they both deserved it. Clearly, Shadow was here because he was hungry. She vaguely recalled him saying he didn't cook often and that he had a Styrofoam palace built in his fridge to takeout. He was a cop. They worked weird hours.
"We can even split some garlic knots?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 7, 2019 16:19:06 GMT
“If by split, you also mean we’re splitting the pay for it?” Shadow asked cheekily. “Then yes.”
He had seen the delivery size of the collosal she was talking about. Rumor had it there was some eating challenge for anyone to finish it in an hour. The winner got a t-shirt. Shadow had rolled his eyes. Heart attack on a piece of bread was more like it. Jane added the second whammy of garlic knots. His stomach made a noise like a car engine and he blushed with embarrassment. Hospital food was maybe not as filling as they said it was.
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 7, 2019 18:40:13 GMT
"Ha. If you can beat me to the check." she replied.
But she put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to a table. She wasn't about to let Shadow get the check first. She seldom ever treated... well, she supposed he was her friend, but there was something different. She wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. For now she was willing to enjoy the time she had with him. Because she honestly thought she would never see him again. She had been focused on survival but the relief was seeping into her veins like a shot. She smiled despite herself. She didn't know how to go about asking how Hell was, but figured the best thing to do was let Shadow come to her. He might not want to explain. She didn't necessarily blame him.
"What toppings do you want?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 7, 2019 20:44:06 GMT
"No fair!" he pouted, "I can't run just yet without tearing my leg in half!"
His protests and fussing were silenced with a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't so broken that he'd crumble into a pile of bones and muscles, but when she touched him to guide the over, he might as well have been putty under her grip. The seats made a signature farting noise as he scooted in. It amazed him that of all the things Tony fixed, the booths still had that cheap material. He would have hated to come here on a date. Wait...was this a date? He brushed the thought off. No, they just met by chance, besides, Jane was adamant and stubborn about paying.
"I'm boring when it comes to toppings. Keep to the classics like pepperoni and mushrooms or whatever,"
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 8, 2019 1:09:01 GMT
"Then it looks like you snooze you lose," she said, trying to air for light.
But Shadow didn't seem to protest much further than that. Good. Let someone take care of him for once. Shadow was always looking after other people. She wondered if this was the first time he stopped to take care of his needs. When had he decided that he was hungry enough to take a break? How hard had he been pushing himself? She was no doctor and she knew she had her father at home to worry about but even she needed a moment to herself. With Shadow things didn't seem too bad.
"Pepperoni and mushroom it is."
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 9, 2019 22:06:50 GMT
"Are you trying to make me fat?" he retorted.
He made a promise to not go in over his head as he used to. A broken body had been living proof of that. Time lying in the hospital was a second reminder of how much he missed being around those he cared. Jane, even though she liked to hide it beneath her gruff motions, was some of the few.
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 10, 2019 14:21:40 GMT
"Please, you have a metabolism faster than the speed of light. You can eat all this and still never put on weight."
She took him to a table but left him shortly thereafter to put in their order at the bar top. She figured the faster she could get Shadow to eat something, the better. The last thing she wanted was him passing out from hunger. She ordered the garlic knots, the large pizza and a surprise dessert, surprising even herself before she went back to their table. She settled herself into her chair across from Shadow. She wasn't sure what to say to him now that food had been taken care of and they would have at least fifteen to twenty minutes before their starter came to fill the silence.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 10, 2019 18:01:09 GMT
“Try metabolism that got screwed over from me saving the world after damning it. That and bad hospital food,” he muttered.
Physical scars would heal. Mental ones, not so much. Jane of all people would know. It still bewildered him that of all the cops in this city, she was chatting with him. Granted Yang, her best friend, was also in the squad but that didn’t count since they talked before. Jack The only other cop he could think of that Jane might get along with was Sunshine. But, hell, who didn’t get along with Sunshine? Besides greedy vampires?
“I imagine my...parental blowout made testing harder. I take full blame for that.”
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Post by skyeknight on Jun 11, 2019 2:04:42 GMT
"Are you kidding? The kids are delighted. They've been taking lessons at the Agreste manor. Adrien and Namine opened the place up." she said. "Besides... you and I both know that there is no stopping fathers..."
Her own father practiced self destructive lifestyles. Like thinking he could just sacrifice himself for the happiness of others without regards to his own well being. As if his well being wasn't what made people happy in the first place. As for Shadow's father? That was a can of worms no one wanted to touch, not even with a 49 and a half foot pole. Shadow was taking it all in stride though, with a bit of sarcasm, like he usually did.
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Post by Zuyuri on Jun 13, 2019 1:20:00 GMT
"Well, I guess that's one way to get the kids out of the classroom for a new testing environment," he said. "As for fathers, you're lucky you don't have to meet mine again."
Well, the worse part was, he didn't know the professor. All he knew the professor was well-meaning but misguided. Someone that loved so much, that he resorted to darker guides to give him something he desperately deserved. Well, it was a price that was already paid for. No worrying about it anymore. He picked at something on the tablecloth, probably coagulated cheese, not looking up at her. It had been difficult before, but now?
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