i don't wanna be like you // p with poisongelatin

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    ETHER HANSEN - 23 YEARS OLD - FEMALE

    She found herself in costume again, wandering the streets. She always did it when she wasn't quite able to make rent. Her hair tied up and hidden under a hood, a mask over her face, her signature boots clunking on the sidewalk. Tonight she would be Ether. She entered the department store, close to closing, with only a couple cashiers and a lot of customers. The greeter looked at her with suspicion. She stepped into the building, and then clapped her gloved hands. A flame emerged. The door also burst into flames. No one was getting out or in. "This," she said, approaching the cash registers, and the frightened looking cashier, "Is a robbery. Please put the money in the bag." She held it out, and waited patiently as they began taking out cash with shaking hands.

    Celeste, your average 20 year old non-binary person, was carrying a secret. One that only their parents knew, mostly because their parents got them into it in the first place. Yes, Celeste has an alter ego- the Angel of New Augusta. Never mind that they didn't have wings, and wasn't particularly holy; the city of New Augusta adored her, and they could afford to be adored. They were spending their normal evening, reading a book on the plush couch in their spacious apartment, the smell of flowers permeating the air, when they heard it. The police scanner sitting innocently on their desk, hidden behind a pencil holder.


    Suspicious activity at a nearby department store.


    They suited up as quickly as possible, their silvery armored suit bulky, yet fashionable, thanks again to their rich parents. They affixiated their mask to their face, opened up a window, and launched themselves into the sky. They were a quick flier, thanks to rigorous training from their mom. Upon reaching their destination, their eyes rapidly surveyed the scene. Flames at the door. It could only be one person. Celeste began quickly looking for an open or shut window, hoping to dear God that they didn't have to break another window.

    Ether, preoccupied with her current situation, didn't notice at first when someone called the police. When she did hear their voice, she turned, and pointed a flaming finger at the person. "Put it down, buddy, you don't want to see what I can do to you." The man, who looked rather young, rather reckless, put it down quickly. She motioned upwards, and the flames by the door lifted higher.


    She grabbed the filled bag of money, when, quite suddenly, a tall woman grabbed her by the arm. "You need to stop this right now, young--" Ether ripped it away, and brought up flames from the ground as if from a stove. The woman let out a startled cry of pain, and jumped away. She held fire in her empty hand, and stepped closer to the woman. "Do you wanna fuck with me? Do you?" She opened her mouth to say more, when she saw someone outside. It was her. The Angel of New Augusta or whatever. Better to let her think she had the element of surprise. "If you shut the hell up, I'll let all of you go." The voice changer she had made her even more intimidating that she would be otherwise.

    Celeste's eyes widen, as they observe the scene within. They can't really hear what's going on, but they do see the woman get hurt with tall, devilish flames. Quickly making up their mind, Celeste notices a nearby tree, and raises a hand. It's branches reel back, and smash through the window. They wince, knowing that their parents are going to have to make another donation to the city. (Honestly, it's a miracle that nobody's figured out that when the Angel does damage to buildings, the Masons donate money.)


    Celeste floats gently through the broken window, and lands gently on the floor, making a stereotypical heroic pose. Their silver padded suit shimmers in the sunlight, and a nearby civilian notices the Angel, and cheers. The nearest cashier despairs at the broken glass that's all over the floor.


    "It's you again." Celeste says in a slightly disgusted tone, their voice sounding deeper and more masculine, thanks to technology. Their hands are curled into fists, and ready to fight. "Why must people do things like this? Terrorizing the city isn't exactly the nicest thing in the world to do, you know." They take a step forward, anger glinting in their eyes.

    Ether felt relieved to have the bag of cash. No paying for lunch for a few weeks. She started moving away from the cash register, and turned towards the Angel just as the glass shattered. She had to take a couple steps back, and a few people jumped out of the way. She held fire cupped in one hand, the other holding the bag of cash. She hated the Angel, whoever they were, just for their outfit. The shiny tinfoil bullshit. She bet it was bulletproof or something. Had to cost a lot. Compared to her own 'costume', which was literally just a sweatshirt with a hood, a mask covering half her face, and leggings with boots, they looked like a real, cheesy superhero. Great.


    "Don't exaggerate," said Ether, ready to fight. "I'm terrorizing one grocery store. Like, twenty fucking people. Chill out." She just had to pay her goddamn rent. It might be her dramatic streak that made her decide that this was the best way to do it instead of, you know, getting another job, or reconciling with her parents. She got closer to them, fire on her fist. "You wanna fight? I'll burn all your pretty trees down." She was feeling pissy today, and taking it out on this snarky superhero was exactly what the doctor called for.

    Celeste looks the supervillian (who puts the super in supervillian) up and down with a disapproving eye. It's like she put barely any effort into her costume, just enough to disguise her true face. Now, if one was going to go through the trouble of committing crime in a city watched over by a bonafide superhero, the least they could do is dress up a little. Throw some glitter on those leggings, something.


    They make a 'tsk' through their teeth, shaking their head in disapproval. "Watch your mouth, there are children here, and my innocent ears are burning." Celeste pauses, and then laughs at their own accidental joke. Then, they assess the situation. Not many plants in New Augusta- there were two trees in range of the store's broken window. They would mostly have to rely on their own strength, and wits, not to mention the leverage that came from being able to float. "Do you really want to add property damage to your list of crimes? Leave the destruction of public property to the pros, dearest."

    Ether felt more and more annoyed with this person the more they spoke. It was like her hatred grew exponentially with the more words that came out of their mouth. So pretentious. So irritating. "I haven't damaged any property. Unlike you, and your broken windows!" She motioned towards the shattered glass. "It's more of a hazard to children than my fucking swearing is!" She suddenly realized, as she spoke, they they had just been shit talking each other, and they should really get to the part where they fought. Also, she was out of insults. So, she balled her hands up into fists, dropping the cash on the ground, and set them afire. She charged at The Angel with burning fists, and threw a punch towards her face, an aggressive and a bit clumsy uppercut.

    Celeste is more focused on the safety of the civilians than her own safety. They've always been like that, to be honest. Often times, they'll get hurt more than they should've been, because of their ability to be easily distracted by the civilians. Unfortunately, this is one of those cases, as their eyes are wandering over the civilians when Ether starts to charge at them. "There you go again with the-" Their eyes snap to Ether, and they lean back, away from the flames, but it's too late, and her hand connects with their jaw.


    Their suit may be bullet proof and flame retardant, but their face sure isn't. They wince, and reach for the branches of the tree that just smashed through the window. The branches strain towards Ether, but they aren't long enough to do any real damage inside the store. Celeste groans in frustration, and knows that this is going to be a bitch of a fight. In retaliation for the punch, Celeste aims a kick for the inside of Ether's knee, aiming to take her down to the floor.

    Ether felt a jolt of gratification when they winced, and was about to go for another punch when the unexpected kick to the back of her knee sent her to the ground. Her hand flew out to keep herself from falling, which was successful-- but she got broken glass in her palm. She cried out, then cursed, then decided she felt even more angry. At least her flame-retardant gloves kept some of the glass out of her hand.


    With one hand on the ground, she found herself at a good angle to lift up one leg, and throw it up towards the Angel. She hoped to hit them in the stomach, or something, somewhere real soft where her heavy combat boots could do some damage. She didn't notice the tree behind them, not paying enough attention.

    Celeste forgot about the broken glass again. They were mentally kicking themselves for causing unnecessary damage to the criminal, and damage that could easily become infected if the glass wasn't fully removed. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Keeping aware of everything at all times was important to any superhero, fledgling or otherwise, and Celeste blew it.


    Stuck in a vicious cycle of doubt and self-hatred, Celeste doesn't have their heart in the fight anymore. They'll still try their best to apprehend the criminal, but when you aren't strong internally, how are you supposed to be strong externally? Ether's kick hits them straight in the stomach, and they grunt with such force that there's a little crackle in the voice manipulator. Thankfully, the padding of their outfit softens the blow a little, but it'll still probably leave a nasty bruise. She aims a swift kick to the downed supervillian, in hopes of causing enough damage that they don't want to fight anymore.

    After the kick, Ether gave herself a push to get her to her feet, digging the glass deeper into her hand. She made it to her feet just before Celeste managed to kick her. They seemed to be getting rather low in morale. She supposed that was not a surprise, she didn't have any plants, and plants were, like... their thing. Ether was glad fire could be started anywhere. She held it in her hands, and started getting closer to Celeste, as she reconsidered her choices.


    She needed that money. She knew she needed the money, and that Celeste didn't want her to have it. She glanced back. The bag was still sitting right there on the floor. She had a plan. She made in her hands, held above her head, a large ball of flames, which she then took, and slammed to the ground under Celeste's feet. The fire burst up, bright and hot but unnoticed to herself, and she spun, hurrying back to her prize.

    Celeste watched Ether with a wary eye. They weren't about to make the same mistake twice, after all. They watched, almost in slow motion, as Ether advanced towards them, then seemed to change her mind. What happened next, Celeste probably could have predicted, but due to their low morale and low energy, didn't.


    Celeste lets out a surprised screech as there are suddenly flames right under them. The screech was very high-pitched, and would be comical under other circumstances. Their suit may be flame retardant, but their shoes melted a little under the sudden extreme heat. They became so distracted with trying to put out the flames, that they didn't even notice Ether going for the bag of money. So much for vigilance.

    Ether didn't waste any time grabbing the bag from the ground, and then, holding her hoodie over her hair to make sure it didn't slide off, she sprinted out the double doors, the flames that had formed a barrier disappearing. She felt a little bad, actually, because the Angel had seemed really upset by the whole fire thing, but hey, it was self defense. She made her way down the well-lit streets for a moment, before hearing police sirens. Shit. That ain't good. Luckily, she wasn't an idiot like she was the first time she tried this.


    She ducked into a dark side street, after being sure no one was nearby, and searched behind the large garbage bin. Then, she pulled out her backpack, floral printed and inconspicuous. She pulled her hoodie off, then her gloves, and then her boots. Instead, she put on a warmer jacket, some converse, all pastel colors. Then, she let down her blonde hair, and tried on a smile. The police were looking for an angry woman with an unknown hair color, wearing all black. The only thing she had in common with the image was a similar height. She stuffed the money in the backpack, pulled it over her shoulders, and left the alleyway without realizing her hand was still bleeding.

    Celeste sighs. They check on the civilians, and then fly out the broken window as soon as possible. Let's avoid talking to police about their uncommon behavior, shall we? A failure it was, for all Celeste knows about the villain is that they're (most likely) broke, and can wield flames. That's it.


    They land on their balcony with a sigh, and run a hand over their short brown hair. Their hair is cut nearly in a buzzcut after the last supervillain, the one with the wind powers (and flight capabilities) fought them on an airplane and their hair nearly got caught in one of the engines. Hair just gets in the way, honestly, and it's better to keep it as short as possible. Zombies could also grab onto said hair, and with the super-powered heroes, villains, and civilians wandering around, they wouldn't put it past the Earth to also create zombies. Always expect zombies.


    Celeste's obsession with zombies aside, they need to do something to relax. Besides, Butterscotch (their never before mentioned golden retriever) needed a walk. They pet their dog's head, and went over to the door to get the leash hanging on the hook. With a whistle, they left their apartment, dog in tow.

    Ether held her backpack close to her, a little bit nervous in the night. She wouldn't want to have to fight again. She could reveal her identity that way. She walked with purpose down the streets, continually glancing behind her to make sure no one was following. She deliberately went the opposite direction of the police, as she didn't want any questions. She just wanted to get home with her prize, and she wouldn't be able to relax until the cash was hidden deep in her apartment.


    She finally spotted someone following her. Great. Some guy that was behind her. She considered the possibility that he may not be following. She crossed the street. A few minutes later, he did too. She couldn't quite discern his features in the orange streetlights, but he was tall, and strong, and scary. She walked faster, and was glancing behind her when she nearly ran into someone with short hair and a dog. She sighed in relief internally. "Sorry," she said quickly, and paused. "Can I pet your dog?" she asked, eyes flicking back towards the man, who had apparently given up, and turned to walk down a side street.

    Celeste's eyes follow Ether's, and she notices the man disappearing in a rather suspicious fashion. Their hero senses tingling, they quickly respond to Ether with a bright grin, and a cheery, "Sure!" They follow this by lowering their voice, and leaning in.


    "Was he following you?" They murmur, and their emotions seem to trigger their dog, who looks between Celeste and Ether before growling lowly. Celeste shushes Butterscotch, and pets her head soothingly with a long fingered, elegant hand, with chipping silver nail polish. Celeste is worried about this beautiful stranger, walking alone at night. Something was bound to happen, and honestly, they wouldn't be surprised if that man was following this girl. A pretty girl, alone at night, with a bag? A magnet for trouble, and Celeste was honor-bound to help her. "Did you want me to walk you home?"

    Ether scratched the dog behind the ears. Real cute dog. She liked them. She noted Celeste's nail polish, and felt a little jealous, since her own fingernails were chewed down. It bothered her if they were too long. She cast a glance behind her, towards the man, and saw him walk away. She glanced up at the murmured question. "Guess so, yeah," she said in reply. Then, in a lower voice, "The fucker's lucky he didn't get any closer."


    She was busy being bitter when Celeste asked her second question. She glanced up, surprised, to their face. Something about them seemed strangely familiar, but she couldn't place it. She stood up from Butterscotch, and nodded. "That'd be pretty nice of you," she said, the surprise clear in her voice. No one's ever offered to help her get home safe or anything before. In this sort of situation, she wanted to avoid using her powers, anyway. Or getting the police called, and having them find all the money in her bag. "My apartment's not too far. Oh, I'm Ether," she said, with a crooked smile on her face. Play helpless, that would be good.

    "It's my pleasure, really. I'd be glad to help out such a pretty girl." Celeste then laughs nervously. They hope that they aren't too creepy, as they've been called out for being too much of a flirt, or too much of a prude, or just too much before. It's not like they were trying to flirt; though they wouldn't mind if she took it as flirting, after all, she was very pretty, and seemed super sweet. Honestly, Celeste needed some friends in their life that were a little sweet rather than completely sour. Though they did catch the brooding, Celeste thinks she is perfect friend material- like a solid rock in her sea of life.


    They smile, the corners of their mouth turning up in a perfect grin. "I'm Celeste."

    Ether's eyes widened a little, felt a bit of flush on her face, when Celeste said she was pretty. She wasn't sure why it was so different when it wasn't a guy calling her a pretty girl, but it definitely was. She pushed her hair behind her shoulder, and smiled at her. "Nice to meet you." They seemed pretty friendly. She straightened up from petting Butterscotch, and glanced back again. No one else was here. That was a relief. She started walking.


    She felt a little cold in the night air. She tucked her hands into her pockets. She wished she had pants that were warmer than leggings. They let the air right in. Walking warmed her up, however. "So, you live 'round here, I'm guessing?" she asked. She hadn't seen her around much, which was interesting. Most of the other people in the neighborhood were at least recognizable by her.

    They grin, their smile bright as the sun, and cheerful against the dark night and its secrets. "Kinda, yeah! I just moved, to uh, get away from somebody." Celeste avoids their companion's gaze, and Butterscotch whines at the mention of their ex boyfriend. They used to live with their ex in the northern part of New Augusta, but when things went sour (and boy did they go sour fast) Celeste moved out and as far away as possible while still being in a semi-safe neighborhood. Not that they couldn't defend themselves, but their parents wouldn't allow them to live in too terrible of a place.


    "I don't really get out much." They admit, with a hint of embarrassment.