Darren helped Tora clean up, storing any extra food carefully for Tora to take home while throwing the rest in the trash. After they finished cleaning, they began to pack up to leave, taking all the gifts and food with them. They walked down the stairs, out of the café, and onto the street.
"So, how long are you staying?"
"I took a week off of work since yesterday, so I'll be here for the next five days. Can you drop me off at my hotel?"
Tora shook her head as she closed the trunk of her car. "No. You're staying with me. We'll go to the hotel to get your things, but after that, we'll go to my place. I have an extra bedroom." She walked to the front of the car. "I'm not taking no for an answer. You drive."
She threw him the keys, which he fumbled with before catching them. "Okay."
As they were preparing to leave, a loud crack pierced the air, and a bright flash of lightning descended on the ground. It instantly drew their eyes to the large crowd of people gathering in the park across the street.
Darren furrowed his brow before running toward the commotion, much to Tora's dismay. "Darren!" she called. Tora released a sigh and hurried after him. She'd have rather stayed away from the super-powered conflict, but Darren tends to behave like an impulsive teen when it comes to these things.
She called his name repeatedly as she made her way through the crowd, "Darren." She looked up at the battle going on in the sky. She saw the same figure in white from this afternoon, Electro, battling a large Prowler.
The prowler- a Blodraven- was a large black bird. The setting sun's rays passed through the Blodraven's black and brown feathers, creating an orange aura around the bird that if it were not a five meter-tall flying tank of death and destruction, it'd almost look beautiful.
From his hands, Electro shot two bolts of lightning at the Blodraven, which the bird deflected by wrapping its wings around its body. The wings deflected the electricity like an insulator. The bird's feathers detached and shot toward Electro, like a blast from a shotgun. As expected, Electro dodged the attack with ease. The many of the feathers fell straight down, toward the crowd that had gathered in the park. People screamed and ran in panic as the feathers hit the grassy lawn like a volley of arrows.
In the panic, Tora lost sight of Darren. The flashes of lightning that lit up the sky impaired her vision. She closed her eyes for a few moments, then opened them again, trying to adjust. She saw the bystanders had already cleared out, moving further back to avoid being collateral damage in the fight.
Public battles like this were becoming a more common occurrence. Tora inferred Electro chose to battle in the middle of the city for publicity. Although fights between Supers and Prowlers were not uncommon, people still gathered in large crowds to watch and film their favorite heroes in battle. It was like when a favorite singer would visit a town, and fans and the media would crowd to get a glimpse or even a photo of them. The Supers were no different than celebrities. It was free publicity. The people in the crowd filming on their phones would surely upload the videos to social media. Several news outlets would fill the park in hopes of getting an interview with Electro once the battle is over.
Gasps of awe and panic filled the crowd as the lightning struck the trees and lampposts. People ducked low every time the lightning struck a nearby object.
The lightning was like a spotlight in the sky, illuminating the park. Tora looked around again before her eyes caught a small figure. She paused and looked back. She saw a child moving in the center of the park, right below the lightning storm.
The little girl was walking to the middle of the park, further from the safety of the crowd.
"Hey," Tora called after the girl, "come back here. That's dangerous." The girl didn't seem to hear her. With how the lightning traveled, it could strike anything or anyone in the area.
Tora groaned then cursed under her breath before she chased after the little girl. She could search for Darren later. Darren was an adult and would be fine, but that girl could get hurt. The lightning was growing wilder as Electro built up to his final attack.
After making her way through the crowd, Tora was about to take off running before someone ran past her. She stopped in her tracks, looking with wide eyes as she realized who ran ahead of her.
"Darren?!" she gasped.
Darren caught the little girl by the arm and bent down to her level. "Hey," he said in a soft, kind voice. "It's dangerous here. You could get hurt. Let's go back, okay." The flash of lightning illuminated his and the little girl's faces.
"But, I want to see Electro."
Darren's heart and breathing quickened every time he saw a flash reflect off the girl's face. What the hell was he thinking? He chased after the girl because she could get hurt, but how was he going to bring her back? He could lift her and make a run for it, but what if she ran back out? His mind became crowded again. He closed his eyes tightly, forcing himself to stop overthinking things. He needed to convince the little girl to come back to the safety of the crowd with him. That's all he had to do.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Abby."
Darren tightened his body to the best of his abilities to keep himself from shaking.
"Well, Abby, how about when the fight is over, we can go talk to him together. You see, Eletro is fighting that big, bad bird, so it's dangerous here. We can't have him distracted because he's worried about us," Darren explained to her. "He may even take a picture with you if you're a good girl."
Abby's face brightened at the prospect of taking a photo with her hero. "Okay."