"Back To You" (Aqualad x OC)

Part Eight

"So what are your powers?"

Nightingale and Equinox were circling the base of the hill that Angelsport rested upon, sticking to the trees for cover as they searched for the best way to sneak in to the sleepy town. Once Hooty seemed to confirm that was where Aqualad had been, Emma sent him back to Mid-Nite to report their progress.

"They change all the time," Equiniox said, "Like with the seasons."

"Oh, so that's how you chose your name," Nightingale realized.

Equinox almost smiled, "Yeah, like the spring and autumn equinox."

"Very clever."

Equinox blushed at the compliment. "Why did you chose your name?" She asked curiously.

Emma frowned, stopping suddenly. Why had she chosen that name?

"Well, I like to sing, and since we started out as Robin and Finch, and as we were growing up, my brother and I thought it might be nice to continue the bird motif."

"And he's Nightwing? I've never heard of that bird before," Equinox helped Nightingale up over a pile of boulders.

"It's not really a bird. He was talking with Superman, and the Nightwing was a hero from his homeplanet. He thought it sounded cool, and it sounds bird-like, so he went with that. I chose Nightingale to match."

Emma shuddered in the cold, "It sounds really lame when I say it out loud like that," She sighed.

"I don't think it's lame," Equinox said, "It has meaning to you. Reminding you of your past as Finch, your brother, and your talents. That sounds pretty cool to me."

It was Nightingale's turn to blush now. "Equinox, you're probably the nicest hero I've ever met."

Equinox shook her head, "Nah, not really. I mean, not with Superman in the running, anyway."

"You could definitely give him a run for his money," Nightingale chuckled.

"So you said your powers change with the seasons. What are they right now?"

"I seem to be able to fly year-round, and right now I've just been shooting energy at stuff, and my Grandmother says I'll be able to do more, but I still have to learn how to do it."

"Any weaknesses I should be aware of?" Nightingale asked.

"Well, I'm still learning, obviously, and I can only use my powers so long as I'm in contact with Cree soil, so I carry a jar of dirt from the foundation of my grandfather's store with me, like my father did." Equinox showed her, tucked into a pouch inside her belt.

"What about you?"

She should have expected that.

"Well, at the moment, I'm still recovering from a hangover of sorts, so my doctor says that I should avoid using my powers to aggravate that, but he's not gonna hold me back from doing my hero work." She didn't mention that her powers were useless

"Uh-huh," Equinox nodded slowly, and she glanced at Nightingale's shoulders doubtfully. They'd stopped for now, behind a rather large rock that hid them from the view of the town. "What about your wings? I thought I saw you using them to get across the river to the mainland."

"I was trying to use them," Emma corrected her quickly, "They're a little brittle because I got drugged a couple missions back and they still haven't recovered."

"How often do you get drugged?" The high inflection at the end of Miiyahbin's sentence conveyed the bewilderment she felt at Nightingale's survival, and if Emma knew how she had managed to make it this far, she would have been happy to inform the bright-eyed young hero.