Chapter Text
Asa’s running. The warning sirens are going off so she has to run. She was at the street mall with her mother and stopped to look at some of the flowers, but then the sirens were going off and she couldn’t find her mom and everyone was running and she couldn’t keep up, kept falling.
The streets are empty now and she doesn’t know where she is, but the sirens are blaring and that means she has to get out. Before the fighting finds her. Before a villain finds her.
She doesn’t know where she’s going, and she turns a corner only to slam straight into someone’s legs. She stumbles, falling, but then hands catch her, keeping her upright, before just as quickly drawing back.
“Are you okay?” A woman’s voice asks and Asa looks up teary eyed to the person half bent over in front of her. She’s smiling, but in the way adults do when they’re worried or trying to make you feel better. Her hair’s a pale brown but there’s streaks of more blonde sections at the front and her eyes are a really pale blue. She also has on a white mask that almost blends into her skin with tiny rainbows in it like that material oysters have inside of them.
Asa’s never met a hero in person before and can only manage to nod.
“That’s good to hear!” The hero says, smiling brighter down at her. Asa feels bad she can’t recognize her, but there’s a lotta heroes.
“Do you think you can keep running back that way then?” She points behind her, red cloak shifting slightly at the movement. “We wouldn’t want you getting caught up in this fight, huh?” Asa nods again and the woman smiles, standing up straight again, oh woooow she’s really tall. She’s familiar, in her mix of pale chainmail and white leather armour, white pants and red cloak, but Asa still can’t remember which hero she is.
“You need to keep running little girl. I have to go to work now.” The hero says amusement and something else in her voice, and Asa will. She’s just starstruck and nothing bad can happen while the hero’s right here!
The woman turns away from her, face becoming sharper, smile falling away, as she lifts her head and whistles. It’s loud, loud enough to hurt and Asa backs away hands over her ears the longer it just keeps going, but she can’t bring herself to look away from the hero.
There’s howling mixed in with the woman’s whistle and then suddenly there’s giant wolves running towards the woman who’s grinning again, welcoming them with open arms. And Asa’s stepping back again as the woman in a blood red cloak hoists herself on top of one of the wolves that are white as snow or starlight.
“I told you to run.” The villain Blood Moon says down at her and finally Asa obeys, turning and bolting down the street away from the wolves and the woman she thought was a hero.
☽ 〇 ☾
Pearl doesn’t look back at the six or so year old who’d run into her.
Really she shouldn’t have even bothered keeping her from tripping in the first place, or taken her as a hostage after she did act on that persistant instinct.
She has a job to do, one that should be at odds with sav- helping a civillain.
She doesn’t send Villy to keep an eye on the girl at least.
The fight’s only a few blocks away her. Her target.
She should be focused on that.
It was the look in the girls eyes.
She’d thought Pearl was a hero.