Tsumé hummed pleasantly to herself as she reached into the soil with her elemental energy, commanding the earth around the flowers in the garden to uproot the weeds that had managed to find their way into the flower patch. By her command, the weeds were forced up, root and all, where she was able to pick them up and toss them into a bucket at her side and move onto the next.

The garden was developing something of an issue with quack grass - a nuisance more than a real threat to the garden, but a nuisance, nonetheless. She searched all through the garden to make sure she had removed all of it as leaving even one of the tenacious weeds would soon lead to a resurgence of them. With a satisfied nod, she stood, picked up the bucket and took it over to the composter to dump the contents inside. With that, she set down the bucket briefly to dust off her hands and take in the yard around her.

The lawn had been mowed, the gardens had been weeded, and she had mixed the compost and watered all the flowers. She allowed herself a sense of pride and a smile as she admired her work before she took a moment to see if she had missed anything.

Lost in her thoughts, Tsumé didn’t hear the porch door opening, but she did feel the vibrations in the ground. She turned to look behind her and saw Avory stepping out. “Hey, boss man,” she called, waving with a dirty hand in greeting.

“Pftt… you don't have to call me that,” Avory said. “Good afternoon, Tsumé. Are you looking forward to tonight?” He asked, sharing a soft smile.

“I sure am,” she replied, nodding as she walked over to the patio to pick up a water bottle. “And while I’m your gardener, you are my boss. So, where were we going?” she asked as she drank.

“The Old Hacienda,” Avory stated. “A lovely, charming, family-run restaurant in town.”

“Hacienda… Sounds South American?” Tsumé asked for clarification as she lowered her water bottle.

“More or less. Avelyn and I went a few weeks ago at Ordagova's recommendation. It's really nice inside and the food is to die for~” The raven-hoopoe cooed as he stood beside the door.

“Alright, sounds good then,” agreed the Earth Phoenix, nodding in approval. “What time is it; when did you want to go?”

Avory looked down at his wrist for a moment, “It’s almost three thirty now. I was thinking six or seven?”

Tsumé nodded again. “Perfect. Gives me enough time to clean up and pick out something to wear then,” she said. Then, she seemed to remember something. “Oh, I almost forgot. Rikyuu stopped by while you were gone - said something about picking up where you were before, about finding out what info P.A.C.E had on Dr. Nero?”

“Ah… I’m guessing he didn’t get my message about having to cancel today,” Avory said, reaching around behind his head to scratch, “That union visit couldn’t wait, unfortunately.”

“Having a phone of his own is probably still a little new to him,” the earth phoenix offered with a shrug. “But, I said you’d call him back and he headed home.”

“Right.” Avory nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out his Feather phone and starting to call the dragon, “I’ll see if he can come over tomorrow…”

“Right. I’ll go get cleaned up then,” said Tsumé, taking her water bottle with her as she headed into the house.

On the phone, it rang only twice before there was an answer. “Y-ello?” came the friendly voice of the blue dragon.

“Hey, Rikyuu! Sorry about earlier; something came up and it couldn’t wait, unfortunately.” Avory apologized as he walked back into the house, closing the backdoor behind him.

“Ah, no biggie. Sorry if I came by at a bad time,” Rikyuu replied.

“Perhaps tomorrow afternoon? I’ll make sure I’m still home when you come by. I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Sounds good! I’ll be there,” replied Rikyuu, “And, I know I probably said it once already but, I really appreciate this, man.”

“Well, hopefully, it will be of use to you!” Avory chirped hopefully, “Anyhow, I need to get going now to get ready this evening. I’ll see you tomorrow”.

“Ah right, you’re on a date tonight,” said Rikyuu. “Have fun! You picked a heck of a gal there,” he added in a teasing tone.

With that, the two said goodbye and hung up, leaving Avory to go about his day…

Later that afternoon, Tsumé stepped out of her room to join Avory down at the front door. She had cleaned her feathers spotless and had changed her clothes; she wore a form-fitting blue top with no sleeves, accentuating her figure marvellously, with a matching knee-length skirt, and she had decorated her wrists with a pair of matching, hand-crafted gold bracelets.

The bracelets looked well-worn; the gold had faded with time despite showing signs of a recent polish. She also wore a matching pair of anklets, which looked newer than the bracelets but still showed signs of age and, like the bracelets, were hand-crafted.

Avory turned around as he heard his date approach, casting his eyes upward from his phone, only for his lower beak to fall open and remain stuck in place, gawking at what he saw. She was stunning and left him as such in silence. Her outfit did well to grace the girl in a beautiful blue, whilst still presenting a rebellious and rugged charm that Avory was oh so drawn to.

Tsumé looked at him, seeing how he was gawking at her, and gave a mischievous smile as she turned in place, letting him see her from every angle. “Like what you see?” she asked, snickering.

It took the male a moment longer to process it all, but when he finally did, his voice melted in a coo, “You wouldn’t believe me if I said how much…”

At that, she laughed again. “Are you this flattering to every girl you meet?” she asked as she walked to stand beside him.

“Only those I’ve gone on a date with… which as of tonight, is one” Avory started to smile, reaching out with his hand to her.

Tsumé seemed surprised by that, even as she took his hand. “You’ve never been on a date before?” she asked.

“Not with a lady,” he smiled, as he turned to open the door, leading her out of the mansion.

“You dated a guy before?” she asked. She didn’t sound too surprised; rather, she sounded like she had a suspicion confirmed - like she knew Avory had swung the other way as well.

“I have,” Avory assured, “Was certainly an experience. We’re still friends, but we can’t be together,” he admitted, as he closed the door behind them and unlocked his car, walking her over and taking the handle, opening it up on the passenger side for Tsumé.

“Well, why not?” she asked as she gently lowered herself into the car, genuinely curious.

“A few reasons, one of which being my father not approving,” Avory revealed, still holding a smile, “but lest not dwell on that. So far, he does not hold a candle to the wonderful women before me”

“Ah… That type of dad,” Tsumé muttered, distasteful as she settled back into her seat.

“I’m sure neither of our parents will matter tonight~,” Avory cooed, closing the door for Tsumé, now seated, before making his way around to the driver’s side of the volcano orange McLaren, and slipping inside behind the wheel.

The two of them set off, down the long private road down the hill to Climbers Lake, which they followed around until they found the next road down towards Unity Falls.

The sun was low and started to be eclipsed by the Rockies. The lights of the city below twinkled to life as they looked over them; growing brighter as the shadow of the mountain range cast longer, plunging the city into an early darkness.

After a few turns and traffic lights down the grid-like North American planned streets; the two found themselves driving through the Bolivárian district, long time home of many of the Spanish-speaking migrants in Unity Falls, including their serpentine friend who resided on the outskirts of the area. Tsumé didn’t take long to recognize the area, smiling fondly as they passed the street that led to the Temple of Tikal.

Silently, she wondered if Volcan would be there playing tonight. But Volcan had apparently been ill for a few days now and had not been playing as often at the bar. She hoped he was okay, and made a note to visit to check up on him as soon as possible.

“Things sure have quieted down for all of us,” she muttered, mostly to herself.

“For you, perhaps,” Avory chuckled to himself, “Well… I guess it has a bit for me, but there’s always work to do.”

“Well, I mean… At least now we don’t have to be afraid of P.A.C.E’s lackeys jumping out at us,” she said, “Like that night you saved me. Thanks again for that, by the way.”

Avory smiles, moving his hand to Tsumé’s, stroking it softly whilst keeping his eyes still trained on the road, “Don’t mention it”.

She turned her hand over and gently grasped his in gratitude, before releasing it so as not to distract him.

Eventually, Avory’s head started to twist and turn as he looked on either side of the road. He lifted one hand from the steering wheel to point at one of the buildings on the corner, as his other hand kept the car steady. “There it is… we just need to find a place to park…” he commented, before flipping his indicator and turning the corner to the other side of the restaurant, and continuing down that street trying to find any on-street parking.

The next turn brought them onto a one-way street, with metered, angular parking on either side. Miraculously - though most of the spots were occupied, the couple managed to find an open space on the left side, and Avory quickly claimed it. Once they were parked, Tsumé slowly lifted open the door to climb out, being careful not to hit the adjacent car as she stood, and closed the door again while she waited for Avory who made his way around to the meter, inserting a few coins to give them plenty of time.

“Right!” Avory began, looping his arm by his side towards Tsumé, so she could join arms with him as they walked, “Dinner’s right this way~”

Tsumé slid her arm through Avory’s and walked by his side as they headed up the street toward the restaurant. “How many times did you say you’ve been to this place?” she asked, making conversation to pass the time until they arrived.

“Only once, with Avelyn.” he replied, “It was really good, so been looking forward to going back,” he chirped softly, “but apparently Ordagova and Volcan come here almost weekly.”

“Given the proximity to Orda’s place, I guess that doesn’t surprise me,” said Tsumé. “He does seem to be quite… What’s the term…” she thought for a moment. “Involved, I guess? Involved with the Spanish community here in the city. Besides the obvious reason as to how,” she rolled her eyes as she said this, “he seems to know all that goes on around here.”

“Well, of course… but it’s for our own good, I believe.” Avory commented as they walked, “It’s kept us safe; including from Kieran and Korban.”

“I wouldn’t really say those two are a threat now, but I do see your point,” Tsumé agreed.

“I meant initially when they tried to assassinate us,” he replied as they neared a crossing, waiting patiently to cross the street to the next block. “Have you spoken to Volcan lately, by the way?”

“Not since he visited your house that day when you wanted to run check-ups on us,” replied Tsumé, shaking her head. “I have been speaking to ‘Sid on the phone and she said he’s still sick. I’ve been wanting to come into town to check on him, and maybe see how Orda’s doing too, but now that I don’t have a car of my own anymore it’s too far away to be practical,” she gave a hapless shrug, though she sounded disappointed.

“You should have said; I would have happily driven you down here,” Avory assured.

“You aren’t always home; you’re a busy guy,” she reminded him. “But that’s alright; sooner or later, I’ll be able to get a car again. Maybe Lighris can hook me up with something from the backyard at his shop - he has a few old lemons there,” she tilted her head back. “That’s the slang term, right? Lemons, to describe old cheap cars?”

“I believe so,” Avory chuckled, “We’ll see…” he commented before drifting off in thought a little. “But yeah, I’ve only seen Volcan once since he visited us… Seemed very distracted. It’s still a headache according to Ordagova.”

“Yeah, I remember that… He’s still getting those?” Tsumé asked.

“Apparently.”

It wasn’t long until they reached the corner in which the Old Hacienda stood. The building itself looked like it was picked up directly from somewhere in South America and just plopped in the middle of a city in Canada. They rounded the corner to the front entrance through the doors where they were greeted by the warm candle-lit glow inside.

It was quiet, but still with a comfortable level of talking around the occasional sound of cutlery tapping against ceramic, or shuffling of waiters moving to and fro.

Eventually one of the servers noticed them, almost immediately as he walked out of the kitchen with two plates and gave the pair a quick nod before taking the plates to a table and giving his customers the courtesy for any other service at that moment in time before coming over to the entrance.

“Buenas noches, mi amigo!” the flamingo waiter welcomed.

“Buenas noches, Reynaldo” Avory copied, with a smile.

“You bring to me a new wife?” the charming pink bird asked, smiling at Tsumé, reaching down to lift her hand and kiss it softly.

Tsumé allowed Reynaldo to kiss her hand, but she gave him an odd look. “‘New’ wife? Something I should know about?” she asked teasingly, directing the question to both males.

“I jest,” the flamingo replied, catching the female’s gaze, “but it is not the first female señor Lo’Raven has brought to me.”

“That was my sister, Rey,” Avory smiled and shook his head, pausing for a moment, “Anyhow… I’ve booked us a table for two?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have forgotten.” the Hispanophone replied, picking up two menus from the counter by the entrance and leading them away from the door, “right this way…”

Tsumé looked around the establishment as they followed Reynaldo to their table, taking in the decor and the number of customers seated at the tables. She breathed in the smell of the food as they went and hummed contentedly as she seemed to pick up something she liked.

“Nice place you have here,” she complimented the flamingo.

“Muchas gracias, señora” he replied, “it has taken us many years to get it to where it is today. But, I’m sure you will agree, it is worth every detail” he spoke proudly as he stopped in front of a small table for two, still in the main room but away from other customers to give them a little more privacy.

The flamingo pulled out one of the chairs, looking at Tsumé with a warm smile adorning his long beak for her to take, whilst Avory seated himself. She smiled back as she slid into a seat herself, accepting the menu he offered her.

“Any recommendations?” she asked. “What is your specialty?”

“Oooh… well we pride ourselves over everything on our menu…” he began as he took out a matchbox from his vest, removing and striking a match to light the candle between the couple, “But tonight we have a magnífico Argentinian steak con verduras that I cannot recommend enough, and are going fast.”

“That sounds perfect,” said Tsumé, and began studying the drink menu. “And for drinks… What do you have that’s fruity?”

The flamingo chuckles before answering, “Our cholado is very fruity. But we can offer it as either a drink or a dessert.”

“I’ll try that then,” she said, nodding and studying her menu some more while Avory made his selection.

“Did you want to share a starter, perhaps?” Avory peered over the menu, looking towards Tsumé.

“Sure,” she replied, focusing on the appetizer section of the menu.

“I had the tequeños before, recommended by Orda. It’s like a twisted breaded cheese.” Avory suggested.

“Sounds good… What about some Spinach and Ricotta empanadas too?” she added.

“Sounds like a plan” Avory smiled, “We’ll have a plate of each of those, two Argentinian steaks, and I’ll have a Batida de Coco, por favor.”

“Of course, for the beautiful couple~” Reynaldo replied, accepting back the menus.

Tsumé giggled as Reynaldo took the menu, and looked at Avory, waiting until the host was out of earshot before she spoke. “Nice fellow, eh?” she asked.

“He is…” Avory returned her smile, “and he’s half right, at the very least~”

Tsumé giggled again. “I suppose she is,” she said with a wink. “So far, you’re off to a good start, mon beau camarade.”

“Parlez-vous à votre reflet?” The raven then replied with a smirk.

She gave him an odd look. “Uh, no. I don’t talk to my reflection. Why?”

“That was… it was meant to be ‘are you talking to your own reflection…’” The raven-hoopoe explained, lifting his hand to rub the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

At that, Tsumé chuckled. “Easy mistake to make, I guess,” she replied. “You only missed one word.”

“Well then hopefully, given time, you will teach me to speak as fluently as yourself,” he smiled again sweetly.

“I could do that,” she replied, smiling back at him.

The two occupied themselves with a few short lessons in French, until their drinks arrived, followed shortly by their appetizers. As they sampled the first round of the Old Hacienda’s cuisine, Tsumé marvelled at how good the spinach and ricotta was, and likewise with the tequenos, enjoying every bite.

“My dad always hired top-tier cooks to make us dinner,” said Tsumé, “yet I think this is even better than anything they prepared. This is frickin’ delish.”

“Top chefs or not; nothing beats true mother and father made food… so much love and soul put into every ounce of it… Its imperfections make it perfect, it makes it real.” Avory critiqued trying another.

“Well said,” agreed the Earth Phoenix.

They continued to munch a little more before the male spoke up again/ “What would you say is your favourite cuisine?”

Tsumé, swallowing another mouthful, let out a huff. “Oh, that’s hard to pin down,” she said. “I’ve grown up on expensive French cuisine most of my life… This food we’re having now is incredible too. But there was one other thing I had the night I left home - something I never knew I was missing out on my whole life, and once I had it I practically fell in love with it at that moment.”

She smiled broadly, remembering the meal Obsidian bought for her that night. “A cheeseburger.”

Avory was caught off guard. He wasn’t disturbed or detracted from the answer; simply surprised. “Your favourite food you’ve ever had was a burger?” he asked, smiling curiously as he looked at her in intrigue, wanting her to continue and explain.

“It was my first time ever having one,” she replied, shrugging. “My dad never let us have such ‘peasant’s dishes’. But Obsidian bought me one that night, and it was just… Mm! It was so delicious. My family has no idea what we’ve been missing for all these years.”

Avogadro chuckles happily to himself at Tsumé’s enthusiasm, “I have to admit; a good burger can be heaven done right” he cooed, “my preference would be a nice thick juicy beef patty on top of some crispy iceberg lettuce, topped with a rasher or two of bacon, caramelized onions, some either brie or morbier or roquefort with rocket and drizzle of balsamic vinegar… oh so flavourful and it all just melts in your mouth”

Tsumé chuckled at that. “Sounds amazing,” she said. “Good thing we came here with an appetite, eh? I’m getting hungrier just thinking about it.”

Avory nudged half of what remained of their starters apart, pushing half towards Tsumé as he picked up the rest to munch on. “No burgers tonight, but I’m sure that steak will not be a disappointment either~”

“I imagine not. I’ve heard a lot about how Argentinians prepare their steak and I’m looking forward to trying it,” agreed Tsumé.

Fortunately, they did not have to wait too much longer. Reynaldo soon returned carrying their main courses in his arms to serve to them…

“And two beautiful Argentinian steaks… for the pretty lady~” Reynaldo cooed, placing both plates down in front of Tsumé, with a cheeky smile upon his beak.

Tsumé blinked in confusion. “Wait, what?” she asked. “I can’t eat both of those; do I look like a big eagle or something?” she asked with a giggle, clearly knowing that Reynaldo was just playing with her.

“You wanted two, no? But you look like a big strong lady who needs all of the protein she can get?” Reynaldo chuckles, taking the second plate and placing it in front of Avory, where it was intended all along, “Well I am sure your amor can fit in your second one…”

“Muchas gracias,” Avory smiled, playing along with their waiter, “I might be able to fit it in~”

“All joking aside, this looks amazing,” said Tsumé, eyeing the steak hungrily.

“Would you like anything else?” Reynaldo asked.

“Please may I have another Batida de Coco?” The raven-hoopoe requested, tapping his empty glass.

“Just water for me next, please,” Tsumé replied.

“You don’t have to worry about the cost; I’m paying for all this” Avory assured Tsumé with a warm smile.

“I know. But, I’m just not sure I’m ready to know what I’m like when I’m drunk yet,” she said, smiling half-heartedly and giving a light shrug of her shoulders. “I’ve got a lot of emotional baggage, after all.”

“That’s ok,” Avory gave her a reassuring smile, then turned back to Reynaldo, “Just the cocktail and water, please”

“Of course, señor,” Reynaldo smiled back, giving a short nod, and disappearing towards the kitchen.

The pair moved on to enjoying their meals. Tsumé cut into her steak and placed the first piece into her mouth; her expression lit up as the flavours coursed over her tongue, and she was slow to swallow it, not wanting to lose the flavour just yet.

“That is delicious!” she practically crowed with delight.

Avory took his utensils to his own meat and cut into it, before forking it to bring it up to his beak, savouring the taste as it touched his tongue, “Mmm… Does not disappoint,” he cooed.

“Good grief, why did my family and I never come here before?” Tsumé asked, shaking her head as she cut another piece of steak.

“Dare I ask if it’s the neighbourhood?” Avory asked, concerned.

“Knowing my dad, probably,” said Tsumé, rolling her eyes. “Every meal we ever had was always at home, unless we were on holiday somewhere, and he wouldn’t go anywhere unless it was exceedingly expensive and far removed from the highest traffic areas.” She took a look around before continuing, “And I doubt it had anything to do with what we are.”

“Well I’m glad that I’ve managed to open up new experiences for you, and hopefully more going forward” Avory smiles, having reached out with one of his hands, clasping Tsumé’s.

Tsumé giggled. “Certainly hasn’t been boring since you and I first met,” she said, letting her free hand rest in Avory’s as she gave him a grateful smile for a long moment.

Eventually, Avogadro pulled his hand away to pick up his cutlery again. “Bon appétit~”

The two enjoyed their dinners, changing the topic of conversation occasionally as they ate until their plates were clear, and Reynaldo returned to the table just as they finished their main courses.

“That was fantastic,” cooed the Earth Phoenix.

“That is great to hear” the flamingo cooed as he began to tidy up the plates and cutlery in front of them, “Can I interest you in any dessert?~”

“I think I’ve had my fill for now,” said Tsumé, patting her stomach. “But I will definitely be trying them next time; I’m so coming back here, trés certainement!”

“Oui, it was delicious, but I don’t think I can fit any more in either” Avory agreed, “La cuenta, por favor?” Avory then asked their waiter.

“Si un momento” Reynaldo agreed, taking their dirty plates away.

Avory then turned his attention back to his date, “I’m glad you enjoyed that~”

“Oui,” she agreed with a nod. “I wish I’d come here sooner. I can see why Volcan and Orda like it here, for sure.”

“Well, I will be happy to bring you back again soon” Avory smiled, before taking a few more sips of his cocktail.

Tsumé nodded and took a sip of her water in kind. “Well… After we let our food settle, what’s next?” she asked.

“What’s next?” Avory repeated, a little caught off guard, “Did you want to go anywhere else this evening?”

Tsumé shrugged. “We could. There’s no need to hurry home if there’s somewhere else we could go,” she offered. “We could catch a movie at the cinema, maybe? There might be something interesting there.”

“We can,” Avory nods as he watched Reynaldo return with the bill and accepti it, “Gracias”

The flamingo nodded and left them to work out how to pay it, although it was already decided. When he returned, Avory paid for the meal, and the two said goodnight to their generous host before they were on their way out, arms looped together between them as they walked.

“So, what’re you thinking; any genre in particular you want to see at the cinema?” she asked.

“I can’t say I’ve watched too many films; I do like action films though. I wouldn’t be averse to a romance if that’s your thing though.”

She cast a curious look at him. “Really? A romance flick, on the first date?” she asked, despite the sly look on her face.

“Well I… I don't know if that's what you… like?” Avory began to blush and get a little flustered with his words worried that he crossed a line, “It's not because of the date, just… are you not supposed to watch those films on dates?”

At the Earth Phoenix’s grin, Avory began to catch on… She was messing with him. When she saw his flustered expression, she let out a laugh. “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” she said. “In all seriousness though, I do prefer action movies myself. Or things with a bit of mystery.”

“Well, I’m not sure about mystery films, but I know that there’s a film out with Spider-Man in it. I keep seeing adverts for it” Avory suggested to his partner as they continued towards the cinema.

“Ah yes, I think I’ve heard about that one. Alright, we can go see that then,” she agreed with a nod.

“I can’t remember what it’s called though… It wasn’t a Spider-Man film… hopefully it’s obvious when we’re there; maybe we see a poster with him-” Avory trailed off, and slowed their walk as something caught his attention.

Tsumé noticed he had trailed off and looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Avory let go of Tsumé’s arm and brought his finger to his beak to stay quiet as he hurried light-footedly over to the entrance of the alleyway ahead of them, standing up against the corner, taking out his phone and holding it around the corner for the camera to see and show the feed on his watch on his other wrist.

Tsumé followed him and could now hear the sound of banging, shouting, and fighting between two groups of people. Peering down at Avory’s wrist she should see a group of half a dozen people beating down three others seemingly completely defenceless.

“Shit,” she whispered, and took a step back as she reached for her phone, intent on calling the police.

“Shhh… If we wait, there won’t be anything left,” Avory said quietly putting down his phone and reaching for Tsumé’s to lower it before reaching into his jacket, pulling out a pair of sunglasses, a balaclava and two modified extendable batons.

“Wait, you want to-?” she started to ask, speaking barely above a whisper. “Avory, you don’t have your armour, and I can’t use my powers in public; how do you intend to fight six thugs like this?”

“I don’t need my armour,” Avory commented as he adorned the glasses and balaclava, “You wait here, stay safe…” he pleaded before turning the corner, flicking out the batons as he ran in.

A couple of the assailants looked up to see the vigilante approach and started to shout as one raised their gun, “Get lost, freak!”

Avory raised his wrist and flicked it; sending a bolt of electricity towards them, bouncing between the two of them and a third which stunned them for a few moments, enough for the avian to get close; bringing his batons down on the first, causing him to drop his gun in the shock; and then shoving his momentarily limp body into the other; both crashing to the floor.

The other gang members’ attention had now turned to their attacker; a couple raising their guns and firing towards his direction, to which he used the third shocked body for cover as the bullets riddled him.

Avory flicked his wrist at one of the shooters, sending out another bolt which chained between him and three others behind, unfortunately also shocking one of the victims, but only catching each one in a daze. The raven-hoopoe then threw the weak and bloodied gang member he used as a human shield at the main shooter, causing him to stumble back, even if he tried to move to avoid the assault.

Whilst he was occupied, Avory turned around to see the first two he dispatched coming back around, and one reaching back for their gun to which the avian ran and kicked it away under some industrial bins, flicking his wrist again at him and stunning him on the floor. But the other one was getting up as well, and he still had his weapon…

He never had the chance to raise it though, before a small figure struck him from behind, jumping at him and delivering a knee strike to the back of his head. He dropped, eyes rolling back in his head, to the pavement, and the figure - their face covered by a hood from a sweatshirt, turned their attention on the other attackers, brandishing a knife and flicking it toward the sixth shooter as he sat up and raised his gun again, only to have the blade bury itself in his arm, causing him to drop his weapon and clutch his bleeding limb as he howled with pain.

Avory noticed this and turned to see Tsumé, also trying to obscure herself as they fought. “We don’t kill,” he stated as he turned his attention back to two more that began to rise from the floor, the closest leaving their gun behind having dropped it, and feeling he could best the bird in fisticuffs; only for him to receive two batons to the side throwing him against the bins and bin bags, spasming out like a fish out of water.

Another of the thugs, having recovered from the previous shock he had taken, went for Tsumé. The Earth Phoenix though, despite her small size, was not helpless; the moment the thug went for her, she whirled, twisting out of the path of his charge and delivering a kick square to his face. His momentum met hers and he fell back, his legs dropping out from under him as he dropped unceremoniously to the ground again.

“Pendejo,” Tsumé insulted him, speaking one of the few words of Spanish she knew.

Avory shocked the last man standing who raised his gun at him, making him drop it and causing him to fall back onto the ground. He quickly looked around to see all six had been neutralized, and the three victims were all hugging the floor, trying to stay as low down as possible for safety.

“Quick, get these on the gang members,” Avory commanded Tsumé, throwing over to her a handful of advanced-looking cuffs, before going over to the three closest to him, grabbing their wrists as he turned them over onto the ground and binding their wrists together with the strong but thin ribbon like device.

“What are these; some kind of zip ties?” she asked as she got to work on the closest of the gang members near her, turning him over and pulling his arms behind him to secure them.

“Effectively…” Avory commented, wanting to keep the chatter down to a minimum just in case they were recognized.

They tied the six assailants up and left them there, with Avory turning to the victims, scanning them with his glasses to see what injuries they had sustained. Nothing was too serious other than one who had broken his wrist and cracked a rib. He leaned down to him, “Don’t move. Lay still. An ambulance is on the way.”

“We better make ourselves scarce when it gets here,” said Tsumé, “unless you want to explain our presence to Obsidian or her fellow officers when they arrive.” She added in a hushed tone.

Avory quickly got back up and raised his finger to his covered beak again towards Tsumé before making a hurried walk away out of the alleyway, grabbing Tsumé by the arm, “Yes, we should,” he said hushed, checking both ways on the sidewalks making sure no one saw them come out, before turning back the way they came from earlier and away from the cinema, removing his balaclava.

“Better get back to the car,” Tsumé suggested, “I don’t think we want to stick around here.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Avory agreed as they kept a hurried pace back down the street, turning down another where they left the car earlier, “Not how I hoped tonight would go…” the male commented opening the door to his car and stepping inside with Tsumé.

“You kidding? That was better than a movie. I was nervous at first but once we got into it, I was all in,” she said as she pulled off the hoodie and folded it into her lap, not wanting to leave it behind as evidence for the police.

Avory lets out a nervous chuckle, “Hah… I’m glad you did… I do… get a bit of a thrill out of it, I must admit.”

“I should hope so, considering what you do,” she commented, leaning back in her seat and fastening the seatbelt, before finding a kiss planted on her cheek. She lifted her hand to her cheek and looked at him with mild surprise before she smiled. “Going right for it, eh?”

“Huh?” Avory looked at her curiously, looking over at her from his side of the car.

“The date’s not even over yet and you already went in for the kiss,” she clarified.

Avory blushed, averting his gaze and keeping it forward before he spoke again. “You... Did well out there,” he said, backing the car out of its parking space. “Looked good doing it too…”

“I’m no damsel,” she clarified with a confident smile and a wink.

“That’s for sure~” Avory cooed happily as he focused on the lights ahead of him. “Where did you get that hoodie, by the way? I didn’t see you bring that out?”

“Oh. There was a donation bin on the corner,” she replied, “I grabbed it out of there. Got to say though, it stinks… How does Volcan stand dressing himself with the junk he gets out of those bins? There must be a better option.”

“Ah… You might want to wash up when we get back… Just in case it’s got something on it.”

“Yeah, good idea… I’ll give it a wash too and drop it into another bin,” she added.

“But hey, maybe you can be a Lightning alongside me?” Avory chuckled, giving Tsumé a little playful nudge.

She laughed at that. “Oh, no thank you,” she said. “Being in armour like what you and Avelyn wear would drive me crazy, movin’ around in a skin of steel, and I don’t think I could even feel the earth through it which would just feel… Wrong. I’m fine just as I am.”

“Not necessarily the same suit, or even a suit. You have proven you don’t need it,” he remarked.

“What did you have in mind then?” she asked, curious.

“We can workshop it, something lighter maybe,” Avory suggested, “but we can play around with that another time; I think we’ve worked enough tonight.”

“Agreed. Heck of a way to end our first date, huh?”

“Quite. But I’m glad you enjoyed it~”