24: What Friends Are For

"You better not push too hard, lest you incur the wrath of the Primordial Sovereign!" I say, slightly chuckling.

My friend looks flustered. She is torn between helping and letting things settle down as they are. I see her consider using her name as the Lightbringer, but she remembers where she is.

I feel like she is more afraid of everyone inside getting killed by the Primordial Sovereign, regardless of whether they are a villain or not.

While she is busy with her contemplation, with a flick of my wrist, I snap my fingers and the mannequins instantly stop and disperse, soon followed by the crowd once their entertainment is gone. The winning pot gets split among all those who betted on the mannequins and is instantly received.

Meanwhile, the high schoolers scamper off to the nearest portal. However, I do keep a grudge-record of those who try to wrong me or mine.

"Happy? Those high schoolers tried to snag one of my mannequins, but little did they know, those can put up quite the fight," I say.

"Are they… Grade A? No — Grade S, even? … Wait, did you just say 'my'?" Eir asks.

"Huh? Did I?"

"I swear you just did…"

"Musta just been a slip of the tongue."

Eir shrugs, thinking nothing more of it… or so I hope.

I grab her hand, pulling her to a portal, wanting to show off my work. We could take the stairs… but where's the fun in that?

"Watch this," I say.

"Wait! I don't want to! How do I know it will work? What if I'm not the same me when I come back out!?" Eir shouts. "What if the teleportation destroys my body here then reforms me at the destination!?"

I squint my eyes at her. Those were her concerns?

Whatever.

"It's fiiiiine. Let's gooooo." I pull her, but she doesn't budge. Darn that super strength of hers.

Assuming bear form, I pick her up and toss her through, gleefully leaping through the portal after her.

"I thought you could only turn into birds!?" Eir exclaims from her sprawled position on the floor.

Again, this was her concern?

"No? I can do whatever I want," I clarify, but the true weight of my words is lost on her.

Finally getting up, Eir looks around — speechless.

The dazzling floors and walls are made of polished, pink and cream marble with shimmering flecks, while elegant sculptures of creatures of myth adorn the space.

"Why doesn't the Hero Association have… this?" Eir gestures in awe at the expanse of the floor. It looks like the inside of a mall, but made up exclusively of cafes with the exception of a colossal library at the end.

"Dunno? Lack of planning? Lack of funds? Lack of an all-powerful and very bored being with lots of time on their hands?"

"Uhuh…" she says, slowly spinning around to take in the sights. "That last one was oddly specific."

"It's just what came to mind." I shrug. "Boba?" I offer.

"Sounds good."

My bright orange and white drink is brought out by a mannequin covered in cow-splotch patterns of various pastel colors, like Easter decor on steroids.

We sit by a window — if you can call it that. Despite being late at night, it shows bright daylight outside and seems to be a live view out into some European city. Each window of the cafe has a different view into a different city or town; some are directed down the street as if you are looking out from inside a shop on that street, while others pan the city like a bird's eye view.

"So… What's going on with you and Struan? Are you and Struan good? Who's that chick?" Eir finally asks.

"He said they bonded over their shared hatred of villains. Apparently, she lost her family in the decimation of LA," I say, shrugging.

"Yeah… that was pretty awful. I was there and I barely could do anything… and even then that's an overstatement."

"... He's mad at me for some reason…" I say, after some pause, aiming to suck the boba up my straw.

"Did you ask him what's up?" She asks.

"Yeah, but he thinks I did something that I didn't do, even though I insist I didn't."

"I can't imagine it could have been anything too bad, right? Though… I guess he did stop talking to you for a bit…" She takes a sip of her drink and stirs the boba within.

"Still, I can't ever imagine you doing something bad enough for me not to talk to you, much less assume something that bad and jump to conclusions." She says, wrapping her arms around me and pressing her cheek against mine.

I weakly protest her embrace.

"After all, you're my best friend — a bundle of goodness."

While her heart is in the right place, which I appreciate, she has no idea what she's talking about.

"… He thinks I founded a cult."