25 years after Houston was destroyed in a brutal supervillain attack, Jay Martin is accepted into the Texan Hero Network. Tasked with this sacred duty, he takes on the alter ego of Quickwit and vows to always protect Neo Houston.
Unfortunately, desp...
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Arriving at Arcadia, they're greeted by an array of games, all shimmering and flashing in the dark. Luckily, it's mostly deserted—not many people want to drink and play video games in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, Jay guesses.
Gannet scuttles off to the bar as Jay and Walljumper explore the area. Immediately, the teenager finds something interesting; he swipes the plastic card received at the entrance and begins to aggressively skeeball.
Jay watches with mild amusement, sitting at a nearby table. Gannet joins him soon after, setting the drinks down.
"Jesus Christ," Jay marvels at the giant pink and purple slushy the villain sets on the table. "You're not going to be able to walk after drinking all that! And—is that glitter in there?!"
"I asked them to half the spirits. And yes, it has edible glitter in it and sprinkles shaped like Pomeranians."
"How much did it cost?"
Gannet smiles innocently, sipping the diabetes-inducing slushy. "16 bucks."
"16—16 bucks!?"
"Worth it."
"How?!"
"It's so pink."
"Jesus—"
"You wanna try some? You know you wanna!" Gannet sing-songs, shaking the glittering drink.
Against his better judgment, Jay lifts his mask, taking a sip. His mouth recoils at the overpowering taste of artificial grape, cotton candy, and vanilla.
Gannet grins, chuckling at the pinched expression. "Yes! Come to the dark side, Quickwit!"
Jay sputters, coughing as a Pixiepuff-shaped sprinkle goes up his nose. "Shut up!"
Gannet pretends to hold a microphone, grinning as he attempts his best Scoops impression. "His first step towards villainy was sipping a glamorous pink cocktail while in the care of a minor. Absolutely shameful."
Jay continues to cough-laugh. "You asshole! I'm gonna suffocate!"
The villain giggles, unrepentant. Jay turns his attention to Walljumper, watching him score insane amounts of tickets. He soothes his throat with a swig of his own drink, still wincing at the sweet taste.
"Um, anyway, thanks for letting me bring him along. He needs a break."
Gannet nods. "I saw what happened with him and recluse. He's a good kid to care about a villain like that...he reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age."
"Yeah?"
The dark-haired man mixes his drink with the straw, watching how the shimmering hues swirl in the low light. "Yeah. Things were rough for me, so I acted out a lot."
Jay frowns. The rule about tragedy also applies to villains. Did something happen to Gannet to push him to this lifestyle?
