Haze decided to let the silver man come along with her. She hadn’t realised just how tired she was. She really needed a good sleep. “So do you have a name?†She asked.
“Yeah, just call me Chromium.†He said simply.
Haze nodded and decided not to push him about his real name. It just seemed odd to call someone by their ‘super’ name when they weren’t in super mode, so to speak.
Haze wasn’t sure where Oni’s hideout was exactly but she had a good idea. The pair were walking together when they saw a gold streak shoot by overhead. “That doesn’t look good.†Chromium said.
“Darklight is always busy. He’d feel rejected if he didn’t go out to play hero most of the time.†Haze said bitterly.
“You really don’t like him do you?†Chromium said, more as a confirmation than a question.
Haze let out a sigh. “Maybe I’m just jaded, but he’s so up himself.â€Â
Chromium actually laughed at that. “Maybe you need to get to know him better.â€Â
“I’ll leave that to my cousin.†Haze muttered.
Chromium lifted a brow, “Cousin? Did I miss something?â€Â
Haze suddenly realised she’d let slip some info she had meant to keep quiet. Not that there was much point now. “Starbright is my cousin.â€Â
“No way,†Chromium said, truly astonished.
“You can pick up your jaw now.†Haze said dryly.
“I’m surprised you’re not fighting by her side.†Chromium said.
Haze shrugged, “We’re not that close. She just tells me when she’s going after someone who’s a threat to her health. Mainly because she knows I can save her. Mind you that hasn’t happened for a long time.â€Â
Chromium looked amused, “So the great Starbright isn’t so great after all.â€Â
Haze looked confused, “What do you mean?â€Â
“I mean that she mustn’t be as powerful as people think if she relies on you as a back up.†Chromium said.
“What exactly are you insinuating?†Haze asked, wondering if he was backhandedly insulting her powers.
“I’m saying that everyone sees her as a powerful icon: a heroine that no other can compare to. When in fact she’s not. You are more powerful.†Chromium clarified.
Haze mulled over his statement. “I like to stay in the background. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve never really dedicated myself to either good or evil. I see things that incline me to make the move to one or the other, then something else happens to change my mind.â€Â
“Like what?†Chromium asked.
Haze let out a deep breath, “Okay, an example would be this. I meet Flame, he seems like a nice guy and is telepathic. He understands me better than most people yet he’s on the bad side of things. But I can’t see that much bad about him. Then I meet Jack who is a good guy. I actually decide to help him out since he has done a favour for me and then what happens? He runs away from me.â€Â
Chromium smiled, “Oh I think Jack scared himself.
Haze looked at him, “How would you know?â€Â
“I was at the café.†Chromium told.
Haze nodded slowly, “So you saw the whole exchange.â€Â
“Saw yes, heard no. I’m assuming you were talking telepathically.†Chromium said.
“Yeah, he wanted me to help him learn how to block a telepathic attack.†Haze replied. “The waitress mistook our concentration as a lover’s moonstruck gaze. Jack ran with the idea, I can only assume as cover, then he runs off like a scalded cat.â€Â
Chromium shrugged, “Only a telepath would know what he was thinking.â€Â
Haze remained silent. Chromium didn’t need to know that she wasn’t a true telepath. It was at that moment that they walked into the bar that Haze suspected was near Oni’s hideout. At that moment she didn’t really want to confront the villain.