2.18.2 – Confrontation

2.1 - Edited by: Rellawing, AlliterativeArts - 3/6/2021

Despite her daughter’s clear embarrassment, Goonie walked into Leona’s room and gave her a little kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d get naked until you got into the bathroom. I’ll be downstairs with Quinn if you need anything. The water’s warm and has the nice scented oils you like.”

Leona smiled in thanks as her mom left with a wink. Once out, the embarrassed girl got her towel and wrapped it around herself to cover herself chest to waist.

Taking a deep cooling breath, she popped out of her room around the corner and into the bathroom. Leona wasn’t completely comfortable in her skin since her body still didn’t completely match her self-image. Once she crossed the threshold of the upstairs bathroom, as promised it was filled with the scents of her favorite Mandarin Orange and sandalwood oil. She practically jumped into the bath once she’d tossed her towel onto the sinktop.

Sinking down to nose-level, Leona relaxed and allowed the heat to spread throughout her body. The bath smelled like her love for her Goonie, filling her with a sense of bliss and peace even though she’d been barged in on!

The now squeaky clean little heroine stayed there until the water’s temperature lowered enough for the magic of the moment to fade. At this point the sun was down and her eyelids were growing heavy. Outside the sky had darkened over the last fifteen minutes and she witnessed the setting of the sun below the tops of the trees through her bathroom window.

She saved washing up for the last moments of her bathtime and when finished, hopped out and wrapped her towel tightly about her to ward off chills. With a little patting and some rubbing motions, she shepherded the little droplets of water on her lithe form. After she finished, she was more at ease than she felt that morning. Finally wrapping herself in her snuggly and fluffy bathrobe, she tied it off with an equally puffy belt before returning to her room with a soft yawn.

I don’t think I’m in the mood for some TV… She eyed her bed and smiled softly. The sight of it was seductive for a sleepy hero ready to catch some z’s.

There was a soft cool breeze suddenly wafting through her bedroom, rustling papers on her computer desk and slipped right beneath her robe, giving her that chill she was trying to avoid. With chattering teeth, Leona cast her eyes around her room to explain why the air was moving and so very cold.

Wait, why was her window open? Had it blown open? She ran to the window to throw it closed with a scowl.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Leona yelped as she found herself knocked clear across her bedroom to fall onto her bed.

Blinking in shock at having been bowled over by the veritable zephyr that had torn through her room, Leona blearily looked around and noted that her books and papers were untouched despite her having been sent flying. Her eyes were tugged to her window when she saw a shadowy figure coming through it. Her jaw dropped when said form turned out to be familiar.

Platinum blonde hair literally shone in the moonlight streaming through the window silhouetting her form.

It was Mistral, herself! She was in HER room!

The window closed behind her at a simple gesture. The winds swirled around her and buffeted it with gentle precision. Her eyes were fastened on Leona and she wore a very serious expression. “Young lady, I need to have a word with you.”

It was like a complete role-reversal of what had happened between Leona and Sarah earlier today! Was she about to be kidnapped by her hero?! Please?

Mistral’s expression was grave and cold in contrast with all the joy that bubbled up from deep inside Leona.

Leona stared and her jaw dropped. An expression of star-struck confusion crossed her face, fading into a pure grin that was inevitable. She started to squee, the pitch of her voice increasing by the moment.

“It’s YOU! Mistral! Is it really true? You’re here! Kyaaaaaaaaa!” Leona screamed in elation. She was so caught up in her excitement that Mistral’s serious and confrontational expression didn’t really register on her. “I’m SUCH A FAN! I love you!” She gushed, past beet red as she bounced up and down.

With a heart that was about to burst from the excitement, Leona looked down at herself as it registered on her that she'd started overflowing from her bathrobe that had already been jarred by Mistral’s huge gust. With an intense blush, Leona quickly re-wrapped her robe and hoped Mistral hadn’t noticed anything unusual below.

In an attempt to change the subject and move past her little wardrobe malfunction, Leona pointed at the pictures, posters and newspaper clippings pinned to her walls. “L-look! I’ve got so many posters and stuff, all about you! I’m so embarrassed that you’re here! Kyaaaaa!” Leona fidgeted as she clapped her hands to her cheeks. Maybe she hadn’t needed to point at them. Her love for this superheroine was almost obsessive. She was seriously considering transforming to zap them to spare her further embarrassment. What must Mistral think of her?

Taking a moment to look around with hard eyes at everything that decorated this girl’s room, she noticed that much of it had something to do with her and so despite her intention to remain direly strict, Mistral allowed herself a small smile for the duration of a blink. “I’m flattered,” she  calmly said, seeming to relax very slightly as she walked over to the bed, making her expression more stern. “May I sit?”

“Yes! Please! Can I get you anything?” Leona asked excitedly, her heart thudding at the very thought of her sitting with her on her bed. And then her heart skipped a beat as she did her very best to be a good hostess, “I can put on some clothes real quick and get you some tea or anything else you might like!” The girl blushed and twiddled her fingers. “I-I… I’d really REALLY like to talk!” Leona squealed.

Mistral’s smile reappeared and deepened as Leona’s gushing went on. Leona was unable to restrain her inner fangirl.

“Just answer a question first,” the Canadian heroine said as she looked again at the room’s decor, almost looking incredulous. With a shaking of her head, she returned her eyes to Leona as she settled down onto the foot of her fan’s bed. Even though Leona was apparently harmless, Mistral still regarded Leona with a certain amount of caution.

“Yes! Anything!” Leona nodded quickly.

As the heroine with platinum hair moved, her skintight suit stretched over her body, accentuating sexy curves. “I’ll get to the point then. I sensed a familiar power rekindled several days ago and soon afterwards I teleported here to watch. I’ve seen the things you’ve done with this power.” Mistral shook her head. “It says a great deal for your character, and yet, I would like to use magic to probe your memories and emotions. There are things you may have witnessed that were sealed from your mind. Would you be willing to open your mind to me so I can confirm your condition and intentions?”

Leona flashed a sunny grin at Mistral and shook her head. “Of course! I trust you completely, Mistral. You’re my hero! My role model! We were both trapped by bad people and you showed me the way. Even though that happened, you became stronger than ever when everything went wrong… you powered on. Anyhow, you don’t have to…” Leona trailed off. She was willing to share, but part of her was sad that her heroine couldn’t trust her word and she understood why.

The girl bit her lip as she rushed on to explain, “You probably sensed Black Angel’s return, kinda. I know about her. But this isn’t as bad as you think... it’s not that exactly… see… I should tell you about how it happened. My friend got me a present at Justicon… she got it for me because it was supposedly memorabilia from a fight you were in. It was likely the last one between you two. I thought it was just a knock-off… it was a nice thought, knowing how I-l-l- you… um...  The tuft was kinda grey, not like Black Angel’s feathers at all, so I didn’t suspect it could TRULY be hers. I thought it was probably pigeon feathers stuck in a bauble of glass. I know what people do to make a buck and I’m not a sucker for things like that.” Leona was in full motor-mouth mode.

“Anyhow, a few nights ago, I had a dream about being in this bleak-like cemetery. Black Angel was chasing me around through it. She was all sinister and creepy and weirdly sexy, maybe? Anyhow, I just wanted to get away from her. She had me all bound up and locked me away.” Leona threw her hands down like slamming a lid closed. “When it seemed she’d won, her good side stepped in and saved me. A side of her that she’d tried to bury after she fell.”

Leona flashed a grin and clenched a fist. “She said she wanted to help me fight off Black Angel and was ashamed about how her powers were being used by her dark side. She asked me to become a hero to atone for her sins or something. I had no way to get out of the situation unless I accepted. I agreed and the power she gave me unchained me. She told me pretty much that I’d get both of her halves as passengers in the deal, or suspected it, but I feel that if I’m a good person who only wants to do good, her bad side can’t do more than tempt me from the shadows of my mind. Well, I’m not ever going to let her do anything to hurt anyone. I have full control.”

Leona wiggled embarrassedly, happy to be sitting beside Mistral...alone in her room... on her bed. It was a dream come true! “I can show you her… the angel. Aurora.”

“I’ve seen her.” Mistral nodded. “Hmm, I see. I’d still like to see your history for myself, if you’re willing,” she insisted.

Leona hung her head with shame for a moment but smiled shyly. “I trust you, Mistral. You’re my hero, truly.” She closed her eyes and impulsively transformed. In a flash she was Aurora again. The wings sprouted from her back and scuffed up the blanket on her bed.

Mistral froze and looked away for a moment to clear her eyes, but when she looked at Aurora she sighed and leaned forward to caress Aurora’s face. Her expression was even more serious. “You look just like she did, but you’re not dark at all. You shine. I’ve watched you.”

The Canadian heroine took a deep breath and stood, beckoning for Aurora to stand with her.

Leona did as asked and Mistral spoke again, “I’ve just cast a spell to ensure our meeting is private. But too much power or a commotion will cancel it. Stand slowly please, and don’t make any sudden moves for your own sake.” Her eyes narrowed.

Leona nodded, putting her hands up slowly. She extended her wings and stood still for Mistral. “I won’t. I know why you’re so worried. She hurt you a lot, I know… I hoped that some day I could go see you and tell you that her powers had been turned to the good side. I’m glad that it happened this early, even though it’s like this.”

“I’ll connect physically with you now.” Mistral maintained her sobriety in the face of a furiously blushing Leona who was trying desperately for those words to not dirty her mind before they stepped into it. Her eyes did slide towards her bed for a moment. “This is so I can ensure that what you’re saying is the unvarnished truth. It’s not that I don’t believe you, or rather, I believe you yourself believe what you are saying, I’ve witnessed what you’ve been up to but your last outing made me question your intentions. But, I need to know that you’re not just deceiving yourself into believing you have control. Either way, I may be able to help you get rid of these powers if you prefer to return to a normal life,” she said.

“Mistral… if I can call you that directly…” Aurora gulped and shook her head. “Oh gosh, I’ve been doing that the whole time haven’t I? I mean... I know. I understand your reasons. I know about what Black Angel has done and is still capable of, but I don’t want to get rid of these powers. I wouldn’t mind if she stopped leaping from the shadows like she does, but I’m not even sure getting rid of her would be fair to her. That’s the same as killing or saying someone doesn’t have the right to exist.”

Mistral nodded, swallowing subtly. Her eyes didn’t express her thoughts.

Aurora finished, “Anyway, I trust you… and I know you won’t hurt me, Mistral. I appreciate any help you can give.” Leona smiled warmly. “Would you ever think about becoming m… m… my…. M… mentor?” she managed to stammer out with a small shy voice.

Mistral couldn’t hold back another smile. “First things first,” she said. “You must know my magics are primarily based around weather, but I know enough other sorcery arts that I’ll be able to make a mental connection with you. Just relax if you can.” To that point, Mistral had been stiff and official, but she was finally speaking to Leona as a real person might now.

She chanted and reached out to touch Aurora’s forehead. For a few minutes nothing seemed to happen. Then there was a sudden wrenching feeling and Aurora blinked to find herself in what looked to be a gazebo in an open field. The ceiling of the gazebo was open, and there was an amazingly bright starfield spreading above the grass.

Mistral was standing under the same gazebo wearing a bare-shouldered dress version of her costume alongside Black Angel’s good side who wore Aurora’s costume. At a closer look, she wasn’t entirely Black Angel since her face was hers, but older. Leona stared at her in her bathrobe, divorced from her powers for the moment.

Mistral looked around and nodded. “Excellent… I have brought us here to see the truth of what has happened.”

The ‘good’ form nodded to Mistral and when she turned, Leona noticed that on the back of her head was the form of the evil Black Angel’s face. Her eyes opened and she flashed Leona a creepy and sly smile as she lazily winked.

Mistral gestured and cast another spell and in the sky played something like a video that showed her the events of Leona’s meeting Black Angel. They watched as she tried to take her body. She saw how her good side helped Leona survive the ordeal. The angels nodded all the while as the scene played out. When the vision faded to show the stars in the ‘sky’ again, Mistral looked at Leona.

“You’re a very lucky girl,” her role-model said with a heavy sigh. “You think it was her good side that did all that hard work, but the truth is that you had to be strong enough in yourself to allow the small remnant of her true self help you. It was your heart that called to both halves.

“First the bad and then to the good left inside her. By connecting with her, you’ve restored that glimmer of good in her to its full brilliance…” Mistral paused and her eyes narrowed as she regarded the Angel.

“I can still sense her presence here…” she paced as she spoke pensively, “but you’re right. It is very weak and submerged. I believe I can explain exactly what happened, if you’d like. Afterwards, perhaps you would allow me to take you somewhere very important?”

Leona looked at her and bounced up and down with giddy joy, happy to know that her willpower was what was truly holding back Black Angel, keeping her from resurrecting. It wasn’t just the dark one’s own power turned against herself, but instead Leona’s own mind and feelings that were responsible for her suppression!

“Of course!” Leona squeed, practically vibrating. “Of course! I’ll do anything you want, Mistral!” The relieved girl sighed and her face shone. “I’m glad that everything turned out well! To know for sure that I beat her bad side myself!” She exclaimed happily, and yet she felt curious about certain details. “That makes me feel better… like the powers are really mine.”

“Well, in a very large part, yes. The down was part of Black Angel’s body that remained after her fight against me. Anyway, whatever material her feathers are made of, they’re very psycho-reactive. They key into your emotions if you’re compatible. Your dark emotions fed the darker aspects that were left imprinted there first certainly, but your inherent goodness was also able to connect to her true original nature even as weak as it was.”

Mistral mused and nodded to herself. “I’ll explain more about her in a moment. But in all honesty, these aspects you’ve seen are more part of you than her. They’re parts of you that  have found resonance with her psychic echoes. Truly, your latent mystic profile was what made the difference. You may not have known it, but you’re quite powerful. If you’d messed around with ouija boards or other such uncontrolled peering into the mystical realm, I’m not sure what would have happened. It’s a good thing your latent powers manifested in this way instead of taking you along a more perilous path.”

Mistral walked to the image of Black Angel’s good self and with a nod she turned her head so she could inspect the evil and good versions at a glance. “As I said, this manifestation is more part of you.” Her eyes turned on Leona and her lips crinkled. “I suspect that someone in your ancestral tree had a connection with her race. It was something her essence could bind to. Either way you look at it, it was your psyche that made the connection. It simply needed a way to express your mystic potential. A desperate crying out for power you didn’t have.”

Leona took a deep breath. She was implying that this was practically all her own doing. She simply couldn’t believe something as fantastical as that even though Mistral was her hero.

“Now would be a good time to mention something important,” Mistral continued. “You won’t usually talk to ‘her good side’ because you represent that same side of the coin. However, her ‘bad’ side will always be more active when you are tempted to do bad things. That means you’re doing well. If you stopped seeing her… hearing her… that would mean you became her.”

Mistral paced, deep in thought and started weaving her hands as she continued and Leona seated herself cross-legged as the mystic said, “To make things a little more complex, these echoes of Black Angel are real. I know this seems contradictory. She does exist in all this, so this isn’t just you developing a case of schizophrenia.”

Leona nodded thoughtfully. “I get that, I guess. The one I beat in the crypt wasn’t me. I couldn’t act like her to save my life even though it used to be fun to play out one of your fights with toys when I was younger. Anyhow, her dark side wanted out for ‘just an hour’ today when I was frustrated and angry. She said she’d solve all my problems for me.” Leona stuck out her tongue to show what she thought about that.

“Don’t give her a toehold. Not an inch.” Mistral nodded.

“Yeah.” Leona shrugged. “I’m not going to let her out to do ANYTHING. I could never build a reputation like yours if I did.” Leona smiled, feeling a little better having received so much information about her situation.

Looking deeper into herself and some of what Mistral told her, Leona was creeped out a bit thinking that this Black Angel who was teasing her might have been some side of herself that she’d never acknowledged. She saw herself as nothing but a good girl. In essence this said that she had a dark side that Black Angel could combine with. No matter how weak it was, it still worried Leona. She was reassured that she wasn’t in danger of being taken over again, but nonetheless there was a risk.

Seeing that Leona was troubled, Mistral knelt by her and put a hand on her shoulder as she said, “If you ever truly fall to despair, you may find it difficult to resist her… but seeing you… seeing this space, I am confident you will keep hold of yourself.” She reached up and put a finger below the girl’s chin to lift it gently.

Leona nodded and sighed. Don’t despair. Always believe in yourself. She told herself. Mistral smiled a bit more and continued, ”Now I think you should have an explanation of what ‘Black Angel’ herself is and was. Before that, shall we return to the real world. You look like you’re in need of comfort. I have a special place that brings me serenity and clarity of thought that I’d like to share with you.”

“Yes!” Leona said unreservedly. “Can I tell my Mom and Sis I’ll be gone for a while?” Leona squirmed at the thought of going someplace special with Mistral. She couldn’t help jumping to her feet and hopping up and down again.

“Are you sure you want to show me to your family?”

“They know my secret, I love and trust them. I’d be honored if you’d say hi to them while I say bye. It won't take long.” Leona smiled.

“You’re quite open.” Mistral smiled. “I’d be honored to meet the family of such a brave girl,” her heroine said as she rose and actually HUGGED HER! Leona kyaaaaaa’d endlessly in her head as she was embraced by her hero as she returned the hug with interest, making it super tight. Mistral held her a bit longer than the girl would have expected.

When Mistral broke the hug, she touched Leona’s forehead gently at arm’s length. She took a step back as the scenery faded to become her bedroom. “I’ll wait in the hall for you to get dressed so you can change,” Mistral said and turned to leave.

Having returned to the real world, Leona shook her head as she replied, “I don’t think it matters. My family knows me in either form.”

“I’m talking about your clothes, Leona.” Mistral chuckled.

Leona chewed her lip. That was true. She’d just been in the bath and-- No! She was right back to her Aurora form and didn’t notice! Maybe she’d never been disconnected with her powers to start with! Leona couldn’t help but blush redly, embarrassed, but more than that, she remembered the hug they shared. Kyaaaaaa!

She tried to summon a little ‘adult’ decorum so she wouldn’t disappoint her idol. “They should still be downstairs.” Her clothes wouldn’t matter because when she was back in her bedroom after this, it’d be easier to get into bed. “I was just getting dry from my bath and if I wasn’t feeling kind of tired I’d have gone down to munch popcorn and watched a movie with them. I’m sure they’re still down there. Maybe they heard something?”

Mistral shook her head negatively. “I warded your room right from the start. It’s soundproof. I didn’t want anyone interrupting.”

Aurora heaved a relieved sigh and hopped up with a grin. “Let’s go say hi!”

With a nod of her head, Mistral took the lead as they left Leona’s room and went downstairs.

Goonie and Quinn were sitting on the sofa together, laughing, but Aurora’s glowing outshone the television set and when they looked in the direction of the two heroes, their jaws dropped. Of course Quinn and Goonie would know Leona’s most favorite heroine, outlined by Aurora’s glowing while she hid behind her! It was like putting a spotlight on her hero!

“Um, family…” Leona peeked out from behind Mistral in her Aurora form. “I’m incredibly honored to introduce you to… theeeee... Mistral! She’s going to take me somewhere special tonight. I didn’t want you to worry, but…” Despite herself, Leona bounced again, as she slid from behind Mistral’s cloak, unable to restrain her excitement. So much for that ‘adult’ facade she’d tried to maintain.

The two stammered and gasped. Mistral nodded affirmatively and smiled at Aurora’s infectious squeeing and bubbly positivity.

“I apologize for barging into your home,” Mistral said, “I was concerned for your daughter’s spiritual health and didn’t want to take the chance of walking into a trap, so I took the initiative to meet with her but a moment ago.”

Quinn stifled a giggle at the mention of traps, eyeing Leona meaningfully.

Leona’s eyes widened. Damn it Quinn, shut off that smart mouth of yours, please! Not now!

“Ah, Mistral,” Goonie said as casually as she could manage as she stood quickly. “You’re my daughter’s favorite superhero. Please sit down. I’ll get you some organic coffee or--”

“Please,” Mistral interjected, holding up a hand. “Don’t trouble yourself. I’d like your permission to take your daughter to my spirit circle and introduce her to some of her heroic peers. I realize it’s short notice--”

“Oh, no, please… we’re all very aware of what kind of heroine you are,” Goonie interrupted back with a broad smile. “If Le-oh… uh… Aurora trusts you, then I don't see why we shouldn’t as well… um… do you have a time when she’ll be back?”

“Well, I don’t want to keep her out too late, but it might be for more than an hour or two. Do you want her to call if we’re going to be later than, say… nine?”

Goonie nodded. “Aurora, you know your curfew is ten PM, so just give us a call if you’ll be later, okay?”

Leona smiled at her Mom gratefully. “Thank you Mom! This is pretty important. I’m glad you understand.” She grinned. It was a little embarrassing talking about curfews with her Mom right in front of her superhero idol like this, but it was inevitable in a way.

“I’ll definitely keep you notified.” Aurora said with conviction before looking to Mistral. “Should we go back upstairs, or would the front door be okay?”

“We’ll use a mystic portal to go from here,” Mistral replied, eye half-turned to Goonie before continuing, “It won’t affect anything in your house so don’t worry about privacy or anything like that.” She smiled reassuringly and now looked to Goonie and Quinn fully. “Also, don’t worry about anyone seeing anything out of the ordinary here.”

With that, Mistral deployed her perhaps most unsung power on them, her megawatt smile. “It was my pleasure meeting the family of such a unique girl.” Mistral offered Aurora her hand. “Are you ready, Aurora?” she asked.

At Aurora’s affirmative nod, Mistral made a simple gesture with her off hand. Right in front of the family, the portal opened. An arcane portal leading down the swirling drain of space itself.

Everyone’s eyes widened. It was a popular theory that Mistral had teleportation powers, but this was confirmation!

Leona wasn’t sure her family could see the gently spiralling blue-black corridor of ethereal energy quite like she did, but their googly eyes definitely meant they saw something. There was some kind of a log cabin on the other side. If that was in Canada, she’d be leaving the country for the first time in her whole life! She didn’t even have a passport!

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!