V is for Vagenda (Part 15 - Mistycal)

V is for Vagenda (Part 15 - Mistycal) 

 

I couldn't sleep. What happened with Ian, and later with Super Girl, really has my sense of self undermined. Restless, unable to stop adjusting how I'm laying down, my mind a tornado of conflicting emotion, invariably watching each minute tick by on my alarm clock. Hours start to fall like the colorful autumn leaves are in my hemisphere below on Earth. I have no peace.

Suddenly I realize if I leave now, I can catch the sunrise at my beach!!! Without hesitating I close my eyes and concentrate on being there - and suddenly I am laying in the cool sand, not yet warmed by the coming sun. The wind is brisk and a little cold but I'm not going back for a jacket - I'm staying right here. The horizon only beginning to light up. I run my hands up and down my arms quickly in an attempt to keep warm, in tense anticipation for what is to come!! The stars start to fade away as the sky transitions from black to dark blue, ever increasing. Alto-nimbus clouds make patterns like rows in a garden, or a great rib cage in the sky all the way to the vista. It is going to be so epic any second!

Staring as the sky starts to resemble a mauve cotton candy - colors transitioning fast and here it comes! Any second!

"NOW! Yes!" I yell out alone as the sky becomes a sea of pink cotton candy! I take a deep breath and absorb all the joy I can out of the moment! This is the V moment of the day, when I remember to try to catch it. In this moment - peace. I breath deep as the colors get richer and the edges begin to transition again.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mistycal says from behind me.

I scream like a little girl terrified totally taken off guard and fall on my ass in the sand. "Oh my god, don't do that! When did YOU become a ninja anyway?" I smile starting to laugh at myself, embarrassed as she reaches out a hand helping me stand back up.

I'd ask her how she knew I was here, but she is my mentor and by now I have already learned that her name is not some clever thing she got to choose before anyone else took it. Of course she knew I was here - she truly is

Mistycal

We stand together for a moment as the most brilliant stages of the sunset rapidly go by. It still sends tingles up my spine. I love it so much.

As the sun lifts higher, she turns to me and says "Hey, want to go get a coffee? I know this little place by Stacy's in the Tomorrow District"

I don't drink coffee, but think back to how much Black Canary cherished hers. "Absolutely!" I smile, following her lead out of the beach. Maybe this can be another chance to practice falling in love with coffee - or at least if it is all chemical reaction based, then at least another dose. Either way - I love the hanging out with Mistycal - that's really all that is important anyway.

We fly in and take a seat in an outdoor table that is fenced in by this really quaint iron-wrought decorative fencing. The table has an umbrella. It all seems like a postcard from France - so much decoration and celebration seems to surround this culture of coffee. I'm almost disappointed when the waiter is a young girl with tattoo's and not some fancy French Garcon - so I try to make up for it by ordering a Croissant with my coffee!

"So what got you upset V? The stuff J'onn and Black Canary found out, Super Girl retracting, your friend Ian? What's on your mind, hun?" Mistycal says in that way only Mistycal can. With a calm coolness packed with a sense of empathy - it's almost a superpower unto itself. Everything suddenly seems easier to process, seems smaller, and I feel stronger and more able to overcome already. I am partially in shock, though, and try to hide it by stuffing a corner of my Croissant in my mouth...

Still chewing, I can't wait to blurt "How did you know about that?" and realize I'm being a slob and wipe some crumbs off my Wizardly top.

Mistycal smiles and sips her coffee, almost smirking. "You know I have my ways. I hear things."

"I guess - but Ian? How the hel.."

"Hello, v! A great magician doesn't reveal all of her secrets. I was just waiting for a good time to talk and this seemed..." Mistycal smiled trailing off.

"Perfect... I know. It really is perfect. You know, everyone expects so much from Batman because he's famed as the best detective in the world. I'd say you are better, and part of the proof is that you are so good no one even knows just how good you are. Isn't that the measure of a great computer hacker, also? The best can protect themselves from ever being known, and all that? I mean, I can comprehend you finding out things in my life as Vagenda, but no one knows my other life. I protect my identity just like Superman" I say rambling as I tend to when I get confounded.

Mistycal takes another sip creating a calm silence before talking. "You are right. Just like Superman. He uses largely ineffective glasses to disguise himself as a normal human, and you use a largely ineffective Hat to disguise yourself as a superhuman."

I laugh at first, then suddenly cut short realizing the implication! "Wait! Do you mean that you know who I am?" I say startled in low tones so no one overhears.

Mistycal just stares back smiling softly without confirming or denying, then takes another sip of her coffee.

Somehow, I start feeling very content about the prospect of her knowing. If it was anyone else, maybe it would be a big issue. I'm actually quite OK with this. I'm sure that if there truly is anything she doesn't know, she hasn't heard about it yet. Wait... That didn't quite come out how I meant. Well, it is what I meant but didn't come out right. You know what I mean, right?

I take a sip of my coffee and smile back. "Things in Justice Girls are going well, at least. I first was approached about taking joining seriously when Super Power, Lady Lightbringer, Baretta Vixen, and Jan El started chatting me up in the East End Police Station by the vendors. They were saying that they really loved my sense of style and recognized on their own how hard it is to coordinate different shades of Pink. Super Power even said that, given the league slogan, I'd be the perfect poster girl for the league. It's "Because Justice Just Looks Better In Pink!" Perfect, right? I mean, I know my brother's fame brought our family a lot of hardship, and you know how I feel about fame - but part of me so loves being treated like a Rock Star! Does that make me bad?" I ask as I suddenly notice Mistycal is laughing at me fully entertained at my random enthusiastic rant. I start laughing with her. "What's new with you, anyway?"

"Not a whole lot. I just need a Class A Exoskeleton to finish off this collection I'm working on. It's supposed to be able to be found around here in this part of town somewhere, actually." she says, taking another sip.

"Really?! We so got to go look for that after this and if I find it first, it is so yours! Oh, guess what else!! There is a party coming up! A Halloween Party! You should come! You should join Justice Girls! They are a lot of fun!" I say excited.

"You know I would never leave Fearless Legion. I have too much loyalty there. I have a lot of friends there, and a lot of time already devoted to that league. Besides, I haven't seen Synerge on for a while which makes my daily function essentially as a number 2. People count on me and I would ever let them down." Mistycal says very matter-of-fact-ly. I can tell she is proud of the league, and loyalty to this magnitude is so rare - I admire it. I got pretty much the same answer when I invited her to Grey Wardens, also - I respect her pure resolve.

I take a sip, only very slightly disappointed, but more-so very proud to have a friend so morally grounded. "I know. I had to try. You are my best friend." I smile. "You should totally come to the party if you get the chance though!"

"I might be able to make it!" she smiles, finishing her coffee.

Mines only half gone - but it's coffee. I'm not in love with it yet. "Let's go find that Class A!" I scream, suddenly excited to do something. I jump up and run off excited to get started right away, accidentally leaving her to leave cash on the table to cover our bill.

Thank god she knows I mean well and am operating at my 34th hour without sleep.