Spark of the Rebellion

Chapter 20 (TBBS): Vincent, The Benevolent Bartender

Moody, Duncan, The Crawler, and a disguised Viper appeared in a flash of bright light a few miles away from the Beheaded Bengal Saloon; Ollie had made sure to teleport them in out of sight so they wouldn't draw suspicion by abruptly appearing out of nowhere, especially since the saloon was located in the impoverished, crime-ridden half of the Citadel. 

As the quartet advanced towards the tavern, The Viper grabbed Duncan's hand and held him back while Moody and The Crawler continued forward, much to the doctor's initial confusion. 

"Huh? What's going on?" he asked her. "We're going to fall behind." 

A cheeky grin spread on the heroine's face. "Don't worry, we'll catch up to them later. I just wanted to ask you something, since the suspense is killing me. How are things with you and Nightclaw? You and her got along.....very well.....during our campaign against Malcorchus, if you know what I mean." 

She tried her best not to stifle a laugh at the obvious feelings between the two. "Honestly, I never thought to you be someone who'd be.....aroused.....by displays of violence. Don't get me wrong, I'm genuinely happy for you both, but, like.....why her?" 

Duncan stammered incoherently for several seconds. "I....how....what? How did you hear about that?" 

The Viper pulled out her phone and waved it around. "She texted about it. Not in the Paragons group chat, though; just through several direct messages to me. So don't worry.....not everyone knows." 

"Ugh! Okay, well.....guess the cat's out of the bag. Truthfully, I have no idea, either." 

".....Seriously?" 

"Yep, not joking. And I wouldn't call it 'love', if that's what you're about to do. More like a 'fascination'. There was just something about her.....the brutal way she dispatches of her enemies.....that really got me going back then. Regardless, she seemed to reciprocate, anyway, so it seems everything turned out fine." 

"Would this technically be considered a touchy subject since she's at least part werewolf?" 

Duncan shook his head. "Nope. She's a human first and foremost, not an animal. Her werewolf form, though real, is ultimately just her 'costume', in other words. It's kind of like the difference between what you have on right now and your normal clothes, except more.....extravagant." 

The heroine shrugged. "Okay! To each their own.....who am I to judge? Just one more thing, though. I use violence quite a bit whenever I have to deal with.....uncooperative.....suspects. Sometimes I have no choice but to use my pistols, which cause bleeding gunshot wounds. My Toxin Blade literally gives people seizures, dude.  How come you've never felt that way towards me?" 

".....Is someone getting jealous?" the doctor teased. 

The Viper's face immediately turned red. "No!" she insisted. "I was just curious!" 

"Good, 'cause I can't explain that, either," Duncan replied. "I guess I just have a type. I don't really see us as anything more than just really good friends and crime-fighting partners, alongside The Crawler and the other Paragons." 

"So.....give it to me straight. Are you and Nightclaw a thing?" 

".....We're 'going over options'. She and I have a separate direct message strand aside from the Paragons group chat, but, like.....she's all the way back in Los Angeles, California. The Paragons physically disbanded after dealing with Malcorchus, remember? Everyone returned to their own cities?"