Sunrise at the Beach

[Deleted]

While Ashford had everything she could ever want or need, Maggie had to admit that Jump Citys beaches were beautiful. Not because of how clean they were, but due to the beautiful view it had of the sunrise.

How the waves dances in the first faint blush of gold that crept towards the beach and throughout the rest of the city in a wash of gold. How the waves sparkled pink and blue-white, the rising sun bathing the city in such beautiful colors that it was almost like living in a dream. Which is why Maggie was there, enjoying the beauty of it all.

If only I could take some of these colors and paint my room with them, Maggie thought, wishfully thinking as she watched the sun rise, thankful that she had brought a towel to sit on. She was dressed in a pretty pink floral dress, a demin jacket, and pretty wedges that were currently beside her while her toes were burried in the sand. Her brown hair done up in a perky ponytail, and she had a cute little brown backpack (not a real one, but one big enough to carry her towel as well as her phone, among other things) that was layed out next to her.

Maggie closed her eyes as she enjoyed the rising sun, wishing that she could paint the world with these colors. Then she would be truly happy.

[Gaunt]

It was a lovely morning out. The sun was just starting to rise, the sky was clear, and a demon was carrying a stack of manhole covers to the beach.

Well, you couldn't tell he was a demon to look at him. Hellsmith was in his human form, dressed in a blue tank top and cargo shorts. He strolled down to the water's edge, stepping out of his sandals and dropping the stack of manhole covers on the sand next to him. The water was calm, it was a great day to skip stones. Or, you know, big heavy metal discs stolen from around town. That works too.

Hellsmith looked around before he started. He had an audience, a girl around his age sitting on a towel not too far away. He gave a wave, but didn't go to introduce himself yet. He had some showing off to do. The demon hefted one of the covers, holding it like a frisbee and tossing it out over the water. It skipped three times across the waves before sinking out of sight. Not bad, but not good either. Time for the next.

[Deleted]

Well a howdy to you too, Maggie thought as a good looking boy waved at her, giving him a nod as she looked back out at the sea. She waited until he wasn't looking to look back at him, scanning over him quickly yet with care.

He, from what she could tell, was a good looking lad and quite muscular and fit. He looked much like a jock and was certainly tall enough that it wasn't at all difficult to picture him in a football uniform. Maggie watched him as grabbed one of the large, flat, circular objects that he had carried to the shore line and, much like a frisbee, tossed it over the water where it skipped three times before being lost to the ocean.

Those are the biggest frisbees i've ever...wait a second,' Maggie thought, sitting up straighter before finally getting up and making her way, barefooted, towards the boy. Upon closer inspection, Maggie saw that they were manhole covers. Meaning that he had to have super strength to simply carry all of them. Meaning he had a superpower, meaning that he may be either a titan or a villain.
 
And hopefully hes a titan, because he is mighty fine lookin, Maggie thought as she looked him up and down. He was mighty good looking, even up close. "Howdy, haven't see you round here before." Maggie observed to him, having to tilt her head quite a bit to look at his face, for he was very tall.

[Gaunt]

He had just tossed another cover when a voice piped up behind him. Hellsmith turned, and didn't see anyone at first. Then it dawned on him that the voice was coming from lower. He looked down, seeing the girl he had waved to earlier. She had a cute accent, though he wasn't sure from where. Modern accents were still mostly a mystery to him. The girl was cute, there was no mistaking that. She had sort of a girl next door charm to her.

"Hey there." he said with a smile, extending a hand to shake. His accent was a bit unusual, and damn near impossible to place. It made sense, an accent like that hadn't been heard for nearly two thousand years, and never in English. "The name's Brock. I'm new around here." Not the most creative alias, but it would do for now. It was a hell of a lot more subtle than going around calling himself Brokkr. Sometimes he wondered what those names were for when most demons either went by a title or an alias anyway. It seemed a waste of time.

He took a seat on the pile of manhole covers, reversing their heights. He had to angle up a bit to look her in the eyes now. Not that there weren't other places to look, but he didn't want to make her nervous. "So, you from around here?"

[Deleted]

I'm not that short, Maggie thought as the guy looked over her then down at her, though part of her was wishing that she had worn her wedges over here. Those made her quite a bit taller, though walking in them on sand was just asking for a twisted ankle.

Maggie could not help but smile right back at him and took his extended hand to shake. "Mighty fine to meet ya Brock. I'm Maggie," She said, tilting her head ever so slightly as he spoke. His acent was new and sounded off in her ears, being impossible to place. Why couldn't my ability be more useful and tell me what the heck ima hearin? Maggie thought bitterly as she watched him take a seat on the pile of manhole covers, making it so that he would have to look up to her.

It allowed her to get a good look at his face and his eyes, which made her smile bloom. "I'm a bit new here too. Only been here for a week and a half, though long enough to know that people shouldn't be able to carry around a manhole cover, let alone a pile. So, you have super strength?" Maggie questioned, her smile turning impish as she put her hands on her hips. She already knew that it was true, but it would be nice to hear him admit it.

[Gaunt]

"Maggie, huh? Cute name." She seemed a little curious when he was speaking, like she was trying to figure something out. He wasn't sure what, she seemed to understand him perfectly well, and what he had said was about as simple as it got anyway. Maybe it was just one of those mysteries demonkind was never meant to solve.

She seemed to perk up a bit at looking him over, which was certainly a good sign. He mirrored her cheery smile. "Yeah, I think I got here around when you did. It's a pretty nice place so far." She was interested in his powers too, another bonus. He flexed an arm for her, grinning. "You guessed it! It's a pretty handy power sometimes." She had a playful look, like she was up for some mischief. Hellsmith shifted, pulling a cover out from under him. He bent it into a right angle before tossing it out to sea. It didn't skip like the others, just splashing down. "What about you, you got any powers?" Not the typical line of discussion, but then again Jump City was not a typical town. There were all sorts of supers running around, and he was curious.

[Deleted]

"Thankies," Maggie said as he complemented her name. Well, her shortened name because who in their right mind would go by Marguerite as a child? Not her, thats who.

Maggie couldn't help but grin as he mirrored her smile, because she knew that her happy face was her prettiest face. "I suppose, thought its a bit more exciting then what i'm used to with all the superheroes and villains runnin around." Maggie stated, before bursting out into giggles as he flexed an arm for her, showing off his muscles.

"I bet! Everything must be so fragile and light to ya, isn't it?" Maggie asked, debating if she should tell him about Kaie or vice versa. It would be interesting to see who was stronger, that was for sure. Maggie watched as Brock picked up a cover from under him, bent it so that it created a right angle, and then tossed it out into the sea where it sank. And believe me, she was mightly impressed.

When he asked if she herself had any abilities, Maggie couldn't help but once more smile. "You're the first person to ask me that and as a matter of fact I do, though its not very impressive. I'm omnilingual, though to be specific its receptive omnilingualism. I can read and hear other languages and translate them into my own, though I can't speak any of them to save my life," Maggie admitted, enjoying being able to talk about her own abilities with someone.

[Gaunt]

He didn't know if she was giggling because she liked the flex or how goofy the gesture was, so Hellsmith decided to believe the former. Overall she seemed pretty interested, and who was he to second-guess that sort of luck? Maggie was apparently a fan of the super scene, so that was a bonus too. He wondered if he should show her his full power, but thought it would be best to save that for later. No reason to spoil all the surprises.

"Well, it's not so bad. I mean I'm not at full power all the time, so usually things are pretty normal. I only go all supery when I have to." All true, from a certain point of view. He would have to show her full power sometime, it was a pretty impressive sight. Super fan like Maggie would probably swoon all over that. Yes, he definitely liked that idea. He made a mental note to try sometime.

"That's a pretty cool power! Not a lot of supers have the brainy stuff." It was a good thing Maggie explained her power, because Hellsmith had no idea what omnilinguatchamacallit was. Big words had never been his strongest subject. He really was impressed by that ability, it was the kind that some of the older demons would have where he had been hanging out lately. Besides, a little flattery couldn't hurt.

[Deleted]

So he only uses his full powers when he needs to. Thats good, though i'm surprise the titans haven't discovered him yet, Maggie thought as she listened to Brock talk. With his abilities she was honestly surprise that none of the titans had found him yet. For petes sake, he carried multiple manhole covers to the beach!

"But even when you're not at full power you're able to lift manhole covers that I am pretty dang sure you can't buy anywhere and is therefore stolen, right?" Maggie questioned as she crossed her arms, even though she knew she was right. She doubt the titans would like him if they found out he was the one who took the citys manhole covers and threw them into the sea. Also, didn't they have some ocean people titans? Wouldn't they get kind of mad at manhole covers raining down on them? Those things were heavy!

Course, Maggie couldn't help but blush as he complemented her ability, a small smile appearing. "Really? You think?" She asked, fighting the urge to twirl her hair by keeping her arms crossed. "I mean, its not really useful unless people need a quick translation." Maggie stated, shrugging her shoulders at the truth of it.

"So, what are you're plans? Going to join the Titans?" Maggie asked, curious about what his plans were. If he was going to be a titan, that would be cool and perhaps she could introduce him to Kaie or the other titans once she meets them.

[Gaunt]

He shrugged, grinning. Maggie really wasn't a very intimidating bad cop. "I prefer borrowed." She didn't seem too focused on bringing him to justice. She was more focused on idle chit-chat, and Hellsmith didn't mind that one bit. She was fun to talk to, and easy on the eyes to boot. "And I don't really need full power too often. It's more fun without it, really. Keeps things interesting." It was a bad habit he had inherited from one of his demonic mentors, holding back as much as possible. Not the most practical way to fight, but it was sporting.

A little flattery seemed to bring her back on track. He smiled at her blush, it was kinda cute he had to admit. "Don't count those brain powers out, that's like mission control stuff. It can be pretty cool." Just a few more compliments and maybe she would be willing to overlook the pile of stolen manhole covers he was tossing around for kicks.

Of course, Maggie had to bring up the Titans. Hellsmith had been told about them, and they were the opposite of cool. Just a bunch of boring supers trying to spoil everyone's fun. "Nah, I just do my own thing. Teams really aren't for me." He didn't tell her what he really thought, she seemed to be a fan and he didn't want to push her away.

[Deleted]

"Whatever you say. Though if I fall down a manhole while walkin my dog, its you i'll be coming after," Maggie said, though it was in such a teasing matter that there could be no mistaking it for anything else. Unless he was dummer than a pile of rocks, though he didn't seem that stupid.

"Really? That hardly seems practical in a fight. I mean, what if they start winning? Would you use it then?" Maggie asked, even though it was a pretty stupid question. Of course he would use his full strength if hes loosing. Why would let themselves get beaten up? Maggie thought, fighting the urge to facepalm herself.

Maggie couldn't help but smile at his flattery, because who didn't like being flattered from time to time? No one, thats who. "Aww, you are so sweet. And i've never really thought of it like that so thank you kindly," Maggie said, looking out at the sea before looking back at Brock, who was stating how he liked working by himself than with a team.

"Too much of a lone wolf or do you enjoy the thought and attention of taking on others all by yourself?" Maggie questioned, not quite catching his dislike of the titans. "Bet the ladies flock to ya, don't they?" Maggie teased, giggling. Well, it wasn't like they wouldn't have a reason to flock, didn't they?

[Gaunt]

"Don't worry, they're all in out of the way spots." Strictly speaking this wasn't entirely true. In fact, it wasn't true at all. But she was in more of a friendly, jokey mood, and he didn't want to spoil things. Maggie really seemed to be warming up to him.

Like a lot of people, Maggie didn't exactly approve of his fighting style. He was the first to admit it wasn't always the most practical, but boy was it fun. He just shrugged. "If they're worth it I can go all out, sure. But most of the time I don't need it, and it's no fun to go overkill. This way's more interesting." That at least was true. Hellsmith knew how to use his powers. And while powers were on the table, Maggie seemed to like the flattery of hers. Hellsmith wasn't sure what to say to her thanks, so he didn't say anything. He just answered with a smile and a wink.

Hellsmith was pleasantly surprised that Maggie had some flattery of her own for him. Maybe that interest wasn't all in his head after all. "Well, I got at least one, does that count as flocking?" He neglected to mention the other ladies he'd been flirting with since his arrival. "What about you? Guys must be all over you."

[Deleted]

"I guess that makes sense. No kill like a overkill, right?" Maggie said in a joking way, though it wasn't very effective. Maggie could effectively guess that Brock enjoyed fighting a bit too much, which could probably lead towards trouble in the future. Might even get him into trouble.

Maggie let out a giggle when he smiled and winked at her before rolling her eyes. "I ain't flocking to ya! I was just wonderin what you were doing with those manhole covers, thats all." Maggie said, blushing so badly that even her ears were tinged red.

"Me? Well I did have some admirers back home in Georgia, but as for here I can't say that I have any, though I am starting school in a few days so i'm sure I get some admirers there. Course, I do have a friend whos trying to fix that. In fact, I think shes going to try to set me up with one of the guys from the Titans." Maggie said with a smile, thinking of Kaie fondly. She was a sweet girl, even though she was 12 feet tall and still growing. "Course, it ain't nothing you should be worryin about." Maggie teased, grinning at him.

[Gaunt]

Hellsmith wasn't sure what she meant by that overkill comment, but he didn't let on. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt. He just shrugged, giving her a playful grin. He thought that should be enough to cover his bases.

"I'll bet." he commented when she said she had admirers. Never hurt to sprinkle a little extra flattery here and there. He did look a little surprised at the Titan matchmaker. This girl knew someone who knew the Titans? No wonder she was such a super fan. He would have to watch his step around her, word might get back to those wet blankets at the Tower. "I got a feeling you're gonna collect plenty more admirers here. You got at least one already, so you're off to a good start." He returned her grin. It was hard not to smile around Maggie, she was a fun person to be around.

[Deleted]

"Well aren't you sweet," Maggie said with a blush on her face, doing her best to act normal. However, internally she was jumping with joy and squealing. Did he just mean what I think he meant? Ohmygosh I think he did! Oooh I can't wait to tell Kaie - she might not even have to try to set me up with someone after all. Maggie thought excitedly, a hand going to her ponytail and twirling a lock of hair.

It was a habit.

"Soo, do you always toss manhole covers into the ocean this early in the morning?" Maggie questioned, unsure of what else to say as well curious if she would see him here again often. But it was mostly because she wasn't sure what else to say to him and couldn't let things get quiet. 

Silence is awkward.