"Come on, Louise, just show up for an hour!" James pleaded. Louise growled quietly, then hung up the phone without saying anything. James had declared an impromptu Halloween party at Legion HQ and begged her to come. Apparently Jumper was invited too.
But who had time for that? Louise had been working nonstop on Halloween costumes for a while, and getting her business attacked by Paris had not helped! A few all-nighters had allowed her to at least finish the work she had, but she'd had to turn down a few commissions because she simply didn't have the time.
On the bright side, Courtney's roommate Lillie had helped a bit. Fiore was busy with Legion stuff, but she would have welcomed his help too. As for Courtney herself, she had moved to a different place, but left her assurances that Lillie and Louise wouldn't be targeted again.
Based on what Courtney had said, though, Louise wondered if the girl hadn't gotten herself in some deep shit. It was all well and good if the two normies were safe, but the superhero had to be safe too!
Ah well. It had taken some getting used to, but having a roommate wasn't so bad. Lillie usually insisted on doing the cooking, so Louise took it on herself to make sure things were clean - when she wasn't sewing like a maniac to get things done.
With a sigh, Louise flopped down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. James was such an inconsiderate pig. Insisting she show up when he'd called her last minute was just...
It made her mad. Incidentally, Lillie was off at her own Halloween party, so if any kids came begging for candy, it would be up to Louise to hand it out. Not that she particularly wanted to do that either. She was truly tempted to just leave a bowl outside the door and trust common courtesy to do the rest.
Like every year, Louise would go through a bag of candy and watch some so-called scary movie on TV. She had no desire to go out and spend time with people.
Her phone rang again. James. She declined the call and tossed the phone onto the other end of the sofa.
Then came the thought that she could go just to see Fiore. The party was in a little less than two hours - impromptu indeed - so maybe she could pop in for just ten minutes. Ten minutes where she'd avoid James like the plague. Without Hot Rod there, maybe things would be more tolerable. Prime was fine. As was that Alchemist woman. And if Jumper came, she wouldn't mind seeing him.
Ugh. Fine. She'd go. With a groan, she stood up and wandered to her closet. Was there anything she could use as a last-minute costume?
Two hours later, Louise dropped into the old HQ building in a floaty pink dress she hadn't worn since her graduation from high school. Over the years, she'd carefully altered it so it still fit her. It was her first really big project, and no matter what happened, she couldn't bring herself to not keep it in wearable condition.
James was in some old robot costume, with Barrier Maiden next to him dressed like a fairy. They were talking to the kid, who was dressed up as Achilles for some stupid reason. There was also someone Louise didn't recognize in an old-style Western cowboy getup and a half mask.
Then there was Jo, dressed up as a mad scientist. Fiore was with her, wearing a flower crown on his head. Prime, dressed as an Arx Tech, and Knight, dressed as his heroic namesake, were with them too, having a casual conversation. And over by the food...that had to be Jumper, right? He was wearing a long dark cloak and a plague mask over his face, but by process of elimination it had to be him. Probably.
Louise wandered over and grabbed a piece of cake.
"Kind of surprised to see you here," she said. "Also what is with the costume?" She couldn't help but laugh a bit at the getup.
"Well, I kind of figured I should go and at least talk to Achilles a bit, since I didn't get to explain everything last time I saw him. As for the costume...I guess my landlord lent it to me?" Jumper laughed softly as he looked over the robe. "The whole thing does hide my face pretty well, though."
"I guess. If you wanted to hide your identity, this is the way to do it."
"It feels kind of weird to be back here after everything that's happened," Jumper said quietly, looking around.
"Were you much involved in the whole split deal?" Louise asked. She hadn't heard much about it from Courtney, just that she'd been booted and found someone else to work with.
"No. I'm not involved in much of any of the Legion stuff..." Jumper took a sip of pop, moving his mask out of the way slightly.
"Jumper! Louise!" I'm so glad you made it." James walked over to them, Barrier Maiden trailing behind him along with the brat and the cowboy.
"Hey, Achilles," Jumper said quietly, waving slightly.
"Heya, Jerkface," Louise said, taking a big swig of pop. For some reason he had alcohol here too, but she wasn't gonna take any. She had better stuff at home.
"I've heard a lot about you, Jumper," the cowboy said, tipping his hat slightly. Long sleeves covered his arms, but he still looked fairly muscular.
"Sorry, you are...?" Jumper stepped back uncomfortable, so James hopped in with a giant grin on his face.
"This is Ben Farley, sponsor of the Legion! I asked him if he wanted to show up today, and he did. We're very pleased to have him here."
"Nice to meet you both." Ben held out his hand, so Louise and Jumper both shook it.
"And Lightning thought he was suspicious!" the kid said with a laugh.
Louise didn't feel like commenting on that particular train of thought.
"So, Achilles," Jumper said quietly. "Could I talk to you for a bit? The two of us?"
"We can talk here! I have no secrets with anyone," James said with another grin. "Did you think about my offer to join the Legion? Ben said he'd love to have you as well!"
"I...won't be joining the Legion. Ever. I think. I...I'm working with Courtney and some others now. You met, uh, Jumbo."
"Why?" James asked, frowning.
"I just don't think I can join the Legion after everything that's happened. I'm still trying to live a normal life, and the crazy stuff keeps catching up to me, but I think I've finally found a place I can be mostly normal. Me and Courtney, and, uh, Jumbo and...Port...we're all doing our best in our own way. We can work together with the Legion, but I don't think we can join it."
"You'd pick Lightning over us?" James asked coldly. "She's not a real hero, Jumper. She's been chosen by the Evil Miracle Giver to sow chaos. We need to stop her."
"No you don't," Jumper replied firmly. "She's the best of any of us. She's the one who taught me everything I needed to know. Throwing her out was a bad idea."
"Jumper, you don't get it. This is how the Evil Miracle Giver will destroy us. Using people who look like they're on our side to twist us and infiltrate our ranks. We have to keep them out."
Jumper stared quietly at the ground, then looked back up at James.
"Then I guess we're done here."
Without another word, he walked out the door.
"Jumper. I didn't want you to be one of the rotten ones too," James said sadly. "That's it then."
"Next time I see him, I'll blast him," the kid said coldly.
Louise thwacked him on the head for that one.
"What was that for?" he asked, glaring at her. Seriously. It was just a tiny thwack. What was he getting so mad for?
"Blasting people you don't like is not the way to solve your problems," Louise replied simply. "Do you really think Jumper of all people is someone you should be fighting with?"
"He's evil!"
"Come on, Light Master. Let's go. Louise won't get it. She wasn't visited by the Miracle Giver like we were."
With one last huff in her direction, the kid followed Achilles over to Prime and Knight. Louise growled quietly at them.
"You aren't going with them?" she asked, looking at Barrier Maiden with a raised eyebrow.
"Not right now."
"How can you stand them? Honestly. There is a very good reason James has never had a solid girlfriend before now."
"Is that so?" Barrier Maiden asked softly. "Mind if we talk for a bit? Just while you're here."
"Sure. Why not? I doubt you can annoy me any more than those two have."
With one last glance at Ben, the two girls moved to a pair of plush chairs in a corner.
