"Ah, I think we needed that. Got my head on straight after freshening up, I think." I give my Laura a relaxed smile, once again trying to put all that strange behaviour behind me but finding it harder and harder to do so. I've yet to see the gathering of crows in the sky directly above, circling me with crooked smiles impossibly plastered over their beaks.

Pulling a tank top over that modest chest of hers, Laura flashes me a predictably charming smirk of her own, her cheeks still flush to betray her composure. "I knew... or hoped, that I'd be having a go at you after getting the opportunity to take you home with me but ah... I thought shower sex was just something you see in pornos and read in steamy novels, hehe." The girl scratches her cheek and I quirk my brow, knowing damn well that there isn't a book in this apartment but suddenly feeling very sorry for that poor laptop by her bed, conspicuous companion to the vibrator I'm only just noticing. 

"Did you ever use this while thinking about Orchard?" My vines curl around the toy and bring it to my hand, wiping off the moss and pressing it on with a playful glance towards my flustered companion. 

"All the time, Joy, why'd you ask?" Laura bites her lip and it makes me want to push the blonde back onto her knees already, temptation is becoming a real problem lately. This time I show some tasteful restraint, pressing the tip of the buzzing toy to my bottom lip with a hum while she continues. "Of course, oblivious as I am... I somehow never made the connection. Thought I just had a type." 

"Oh? And you've made it now?" I strike my hero pose a little sheepishly, the blonde rolling her eyes at me and nodding. This is how things should be, right? We're acting normal again. That's... good. 

"Well yeah, I'm just sorta instinctively aware of a lot more than I used to be, it's freaking me out a bit but uh, it's comforting to be part of a greater whole I think? Sorry if it was anticlimactic to skip the dramatic reaction to your secret identity, Joy, but I probably knew deep down anyway hehe." Laura talks of our connection like she understands it better than I do, just what was I filling her mind with during her time in that cocoon? It was almost disappointing to see her mostly unchanged, a total metamorphosis would be so... interesting. I heard that caterpillars turn into goo and reform into butterflies, not sure what I had expected but... wait, why I am I thinking about this again?

Riiiiiiing!

Wait, that's my hero phone ringing. It's supposed to be on silent right now, all these sleepless nights have me slipping up. Thankfully my only company already knows my secret identity, the hero Orchard, even if I haven't been particularly heroic lately. Reaching into my bag and retrieving the phone, I place it to my ear and answer neutrally. "Hello?" Usually it's just my agency rep calling for something related to admin, but I'm pleasantly surprised to hear a fellow hero's voice instead. 

"Hey Orchard, it's Mana. I've got-- hey wait, uh, who am I talking to?" The voice takes on an interrogating tone and I soon realise why when I glance over at Laura across the bed, holding my phone to her ear. Did I just answer using somebody else, as easily as flexing a limb?

"Oh uh, it's her... girlfriend?" Laura panics and I suddenly wish I hadn't returned her body quite so quickly, I was trying to be nice and she drops me in it like this!

"Uh huh... that a question, lady? Now, you better explain just who the hell you are before I--"

"Hi, hi! Uhm, sorry about that I shouldn't have let her answer that phone ahaha." Having snatched back my hero phone from the useless lesbian across from me with yet another experimental reach of my roots, I assure Mana that I'm not in need of rescue. What a funny prospect, now that I think about it. 

"Oh uh, long time no see. Or... speak, hahaha... Uhm, sorry to call you so out of the blue but... well..."

"Jeez, Mana, spit it out already." Ah wait, that's not something I would say. I spoke more like Laura in that instance, it's all starting to merge. Maybe I'll need to undo all of this the moment I figure out how to, it was a nice fantasy but if I start acting like other people it'll only make my life even more complicated going forwards. 

"Right, sorry. I've got a tip for you, but I can't say any more until we meet in person. It's sort of top secret, so the less who know the better. There's a few of us here already, it's urgent but we don't want to split all the glory y'know? Haha..." She sounds more nervous than I remember her being but that's to be expected given our awkward history. Mana is the first friend I made in this half of my life, though we haven't talked in months after I blew up and started getting those dumb gigs. During my 15 minutes of fame, my fellow rookie friend seemed to get jealous and ranted over drunken texts about how I was leaving her behind. It's all so strange to think back on now, why did she even care so much? When my viral status cooled off as they always do, Mana sent me several lengthy texts I didn't read for a month. When I finally opened them, it was just sad, she apologised so many times I forgot what her initial texts even said. Still, I never reached back out and seeming to get the message, she left me alone in kind. 

"Trying to butter me up with a juicy tip is nice, Mana, but if you want to invite me on a date you'll have to be more direct." I borrow the tone Hive would talk to me with back when the power dynamic was reversed, finding it cathartic to tease her once my newfound wisdom has me figuring out that she must have been pining over Orchard all along. Am I really so attractive to have two friends crushing on me without even having to show a slither of interest in return? Maybe I am now, but back then? These women are hopeless, but at least they're not joyless. 

There's a notable pause before Mana responds. I smirk trying to imagine how such a statement might affect her and wonder if this is how Murmur feels when she manipulates me just as well. "I... you have a girlfriend, huh? I didn't know you liked girls, Orchard..."

Click.

"Did you just hang up on her? We're not going to kick ass after all?" Laura pouts, having already started to collect her gear with the rising bloodlust her alter ego is well known for. It's curious that she could hear our phone call from way over there, is she tuned into my hearing too? It's like we're all one garden, it'd scare me if I weren't so curious. I feel phantom fingers all over me and shudder, Hive's many experiences overlapping across the city as they relay back to me, overwhelming my body as my mind holds on for dear life alongside it. 

"She... she texted the address, of course we're going. I-I think I need some normality and as embarrassing as it is to admit this, my hero life is about as mundane as it gets... usually." Thankfully, despite my recent tardiness, I'm still anal enough to carry my scrappy costume around in the bottom of my bag. It seems a humiliating collection of threads to don right now but I can think about that later. 

"Sounds a plan... mistress." The word drops from Laura's tongue like a drop of Florasma's concoction into Hive's dryad form. I don't need to bother with that now, since I can recreate the chemical mixture in my garden as much as I like. Hive's a lucky woman, she fell backwards into my control and could not be happier for it. Just as I was trying to climb out of this pit of dark temptation, Laura's playfully punctuated word feels like a ten tonne weight against my psyche. 

"Come on, she said it's urgent." I'll have to touch base with Murmur later, she might be too busy to talk right now and I know instinctively that Hivemind is not currently with her anyway. 

Time to go be a hero.

"Uhm, how're they gonna react to you bringing a plus one, J--" I silence Laura from saying my real name in public while in this outfit, not even turning around to do so with the link we share. No roots are required thanks to Hivemind's power being sapped up by my Orchard. 

"I think it's more who I'm bringing as tagalong that'll spark controversy, Firefly. Doubt I'll even need to explain myself though, haha, everyone will probably just assume you followed me like you usually do." As burdensome as she can be, it was always a little sweet when she'd play my bodyguard during patrols, in Laura's own violent and misguided way. Murmur came to us both and gave us the guidance we so sorely needed and now I... well, I'm not exactly sure what the hell I'm doing but I can't pretend it isn't thrilling.

"Is this a date, Orchard? Maybe we could hold hands and let the crimefighting world know we're an item. Some real good cop bad cop shit, eh?" With no more than an eyeroll to acknowledge Firefly's words, I turn the corner into the alley and find a gathering of small time heroes wating for us. 

Mana perks up at the sight of us before giving Firefly some predictable stink eye. "That's the last person or ah, people we were waiting on, Jazz." She quickly says before walking over to my side and giving me a sly look I wasn't expecting given her nerves over the phone. "I thought your girlfriend's voice sounded a little familiar, I guess she finally wore you down huh? Or were you two like, always a thing?" 

Laura laughs and throws an arm around my shoulder, she's always so much bolder with her combat gear on, acting as bulletproof as her kevlar vest. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, but we're not exclusive or anything." The blonde by my side gives the magic swordfighter a lecherous grin that I remind myself to punish her for later, smiling sheepishly in my silly apple costume I desperately need to update. 

"Oh?" Once again, Mana perks up though it isn't Laura she appears to have eyes for. I used to be so oblivious to this type of attention, but now it's clear as day. Tilting my head and playing innocent, I return the other's shy glance and decide it's my turn to speak up. 

"That's not really important right now, is it? Mana it's... good to see you again, I feel really bad about falling out of touch and... stuff. Friends?" I offer her a handshake in my typically cheesy fashion and with a light blush I chalk up to relief, the girl shakes. I didn't even have to say 'paw'. 

After shaking my hand and giving Firefly another shifty look, Mana pulls back and leads us over to the others. Only three other heroes are here, it really is a small gathering for such a supposed emergency. Two of them are bickering while the other shoots us an apologetic glance. "Hey, welcome to the first come first serve event, aha... these two are arguing over the credibility of this tip, maybe we're all out here for a dumb prank but still... one of the big four gone rogue? This sorta shit makes small timers like us into somebodies, right?" 

"Orchard, this is Jazz Comet. She's the one who got the tip off initially and like, she's usually good for it." Mana prods the other hero who rolls her eyes in response, looking us over with a nod. 

"I'm always good for it, if this is fake news it'll be a stain on my shining record." Jazz crosses her arms, her glittering bright orange leotard making me feel a little less embarrassed about my own costume. We can't all run around the city in a Kimono like Mana here, right side over left to remind anybody with the cultural knowhow just how cursed she is. Such a drama queen. "Doesn't stop these two behind me from bickering, sorry. Called in my gals and one of them decides to bring their new super sidepiece..."

"Aha... we kinda did the same." Laura peers over at the two arguing behind Jazz and giggles. "Shoulda figured it'd be the one dude here causing a fuss." 

"Because you're so uncombative, vigilante girl." Mana clicks her tongue and I wonder if these two have any history that would justify such a standoffish attitude. After a quick search of Firefly's memories I come up short, interesting. Perhaps she just has something against unlicensed crimefighters in general or is it that she's simply jealous again? It's an ugly and unnecessary emotion to be harbouring here, I wish I could do something about it. 

"I'm telling you, there's no chance in hell Discoman is wreaking havoc in our block. Probably someone with a similar power, stolen tech or like... some villain trying to frame him." The male hero defends his idol defiantly while his girlfriend shrugs indifferently. 

"Does it really matter, then? There's still somebody up to no good, we can ask questions later right? You can't invite yourself to my outing and then complain about it, ugh..." The final hero turns to face us newcomers with a flustered smile, seemingly a little worked up from the constant back and forth with her sceptical tagalong. 

With a long sigh, Jazz Comet places hands on her hips, intent to take the lead on a mission briefing now that we're all gathered. "That makes six of us in total, we can split into pairs and patrol, I don't like the idea of anyone going it alone if this really is Discoman. If anybody starts acting funny please react immediately as they may be under subliminal control, we all know how this guy operates right?" The crowd nods their heads and I decide not to let on just how intimately familiar I am with such technology. "Good. Okay first off, everyone introduce yourselves so we can act like a team of whatever. Who knows, maybe this is the start of a powerful union haha... kinda doubtful, but teamwork is still important yeah? I'll go first. The name's Jazz Comet. the first part is more a homage to my pa, my actual powers are as hard hitting and burning hot as the second half of my name would suggest."

"Mana, I fight with a magically imbued tachi. I don't usually get much chance to cut with it given I'm a superhero, but I can parry people's powers. Orchard once let me practice on her roots... oh ah, I guess that's your cue haha..."

Oh, that's my turn. "Uhm, I'm Orchard. An apple a day and all that... with my roots planted in the ground, I can pull unsuspecting targets into my mental space and keep them held there. It's not very flashy, but I can subdue multiple targets at once so..."

"And I'm Firefly, but you all probably know me already. Looking forward to working with y'all, just ah, don't get in my way 'cause these knives are as sharp as they look hehe." Laura saves me from trailing off awkwardly so I squeeze her hand to thank her before remembering I don't even need the physical touch to relay that anymore. Still, touch is nice, I don't think it could ever really be made redundant. 

"Suppose I'll go next then. I'm probably the newest hero here, I've been going by Trifecta but it's not set in stone. I was originally three different people who merged into one after a freak accident I do NOT want to get into right now, but it means I have three times the average human strength and intelligence. Jury's out on that last part, but I pack a mean punch. Just got a lot of family to deal with these days so I can't patrol very often right now. Somehow managed to have six equally overbearing parents, all of them knowing I do this and wishing I wouldn't." Trifecta groans and I feel a bout of sympathy... or perhaps empathy? Her outfit might be scrappier than mine although she did just start and it appears homemade. It's cute that she wears a cape, but the neapolitan colours are just making me hungry.

That just leaves the guy. I'm well used to patrolling with male heroes of course, despite three of the big four being women men still make up the majority of active heroes in this city. For some strange reason, I feel oddly disappointed at his presence today even with that all being said... I can't help but think how I'd be more excited to be in a team of all women, temptation from every side. Do I really not like men at all anymore? Did I ever? I feel like I'm beginning to forget the old Joy entirely, she's just a small part of what I am now, it's getting harder and harder to pretend she's all I am in front of these cute girls in their adorable little costumes. So shiny and with bright colours that make them look like candy wrappers. 

"Hey. I'm Mare, another generic super who can run fast and bulldoze whatever's in my way with impressive strength or whatever." Oh, that was his entire introduction? The hero runs a hand through his chestnut mane and spits on the alley floor, his motorcycle jacket and jeans making for a poor superhero costume. It'd look so much better on a lesbian, someone who'd make Laura look as femme as myself by comparison. 

"Pfft." Laura cocks her head with an appropriately cocky grin to go with the tilt. "You realise Mares are female, right? 

"Yeah? Well fireflies are fucking gay." I think we all collectively cringe, not sure what to even say to such a childish retort even if Laura is being just as juvenile. 

"Guilty!" The vigilante Firefly makes a show of turning my head in her hands and kissing me, going so far as to use tongue in front of our four spectators before pulling back and flashing triumphant smile. "Any further points, racer boy?" The hero across from us looks down at his feet awkwardly, his cheeks tinted as badly as mine are. We're getting way off topic here, aren't we?

"Okay okay, while we're here dicking around there's a villain or something like it causing a fuss for the people we swore to protect, right? Let's buddy up and go hunt, see if we can't get to the bottom of this confusing likeness to our great and groovy hero. We'll reconvene here in an hour if nothing turns up, okay people?" Jazz Comet takes control of the chaos admirably and I suddenly feel arms wrapping around mine, much more slender ones than Laura's. 

"I'll partner with Orchard then. We work so well together after all." Mana holds me tight, like a fresh catch, and I can't help but feel the urge to put the brazen girl back in her place. She's so pretty, like a flower, that I'm sure kissing her is as sweet as it gets. If she keeps flirting, keeps throwing herself onto me like this, how am I supposed to keep my head on straight? Laura flashes me a concerned look and I tell her it's okay through psychic link, not admitting how tempted I am by the girl who clings to my arm competitively. 

"Fine, I'll go with the thoroughbred, then. You two are friends, right?" Firefly cuts across to split girlfriend and boyfriend with an innocent whistle, Jazz and Trifecta seeming to be fine with the pairings given their lack of a solid response. Mare opens his mouth to protest but then we hear a loud crash from a block over and the sudden honking of car horns, deciding that we've all dallied for too long. Mana tugs on my arm and we take to the left, Laura comforted by the fact that even with our physical separation, we're still both unified by my orchard. 

"Okay, take these walkies, they're the same type the Nova Hero Agency use when Disco messes with usual comm equipment so they're pretty reliable. Don't ask where I got them, I'm such a fucking nepo baby." 

We all grin and take the devices, clipping them to our belts before heading out in each respective direction in roundabout routes to that distant commotion.

"Hey Orchard, wait up." Mana lags behind having to lug around that heavy Japanese sword while I'm light on my feet and eager to prove that there's still a hero in me somewhere. If it really is Disco on the loose, does this have something to do with Miss Murmur? 

"Oh, sorry." I stop and wait for her to catch up, tensing up when Mana's arms hook around my waist and she pushes her face into my back. "Ah, uhm... Mana?" My head whips around to find us alone in an empty lot between buildings, no witnesses to this strange hug. 

"No, I'm sorry. I said all those horrible things and then I had the gall to ring you up like nothing happened. God, I was such a bitch back then! I mean it was like two months ago, I'm still a bitch but like... y'know..." Mana hugs me tighter and my confusion only grows. Her words make sense to me but her body is an enigma. Why is she so close?

"Mana, it's okay really. We're college students, right? These sort of dramatic fall outs are par for the course haha, superhero or not. Uhm... you're just, very close right now?" It's not helping my new urges one bit, I've been repressing the desire to touch her since we paired up and now she goes and throws herself onto me like this. It's not fair, she's just asking to be mine... isn't she?

The girl breathes down my neck and giggles nervously, her grip loosening slightly around my waist. At first I assume she's releasing me but on reflection, she's simply getting weaker for me. I notice this when her hold becomes more of a lean, like I'm a pillar she's using to support herself and stay upright. "S-sorry Orchard, you just... fuck, you smell so good... I was pretty nervous about seeing you again but the moment this perfume hit me it was like I couldn't think about my nerves at all. I just wanted to be closer... get a better... get a better whiff... haha, is that weird? I'm being really silly right now, aren't I?" Mana drags her nose over my back and when her breath tickles my neck I shudder, like my thoughts are grinding to a sudden halt. When the warm droplets spill from her lip onto my overheating shoulder, my breathing loses all sense of steady rhythm. I'm trying to be a good girl, the hero Orchard, but she's making it impossible. 

"Mana... I'm not wearing any perfume..."

"Oh?" The sagging hero giggles and buries her face into the side of my neck, my eyes flicking down to assess her as best I can. "Maybe lesbian pheromones? Hehe... I-I didn't know you liked giiiirls, Orchard~" Another drop of drool that makes me feel sick with slick heat, this costume of mine feeling unbearably stuffy right now. Pheromones? She may have the right of it, but I swear I didn't do it on purpose... she just gave me too much attention and I must have responded automatically. It's funny, really, when you think about it. When you think about it, it's just... a funny turn of events. "Do you liiiike me, though? I'm a girl..."

Clenching my fists tight by my sides, I exhale and confess in quiet utterance. "Yes..." Of course I like her, I'm not particularly choosy with women these days but even so, Mana is gorgeous. The moment I heard that pretty voice of hers on the phone with my newfound attractions, it's like I forgave her a thousand times over. Forgiveness can be conditional, though, and a part of me wants to see if I couldn't exploit that some. "You're so hot..." I meant it literally, the hero clinging to me from behind is seriously burning up, but immediately realise how she's going to take that line. 

More giggles. Mana suffocates me with heat as her lips only become looser. I want to loosen her kimono and bear her breasts in this empty lot, sink my teeth into the soft flesh like a ripened apple. Gushing. Pleasure. "Orchard... I know you have a girlfriend... but I need to kiss you. I'm so hungry, hehe, I'm starviiing~ Please? Just a little peck or uhm, whatever you'd like really!" Have I really reduced her to a begging alley slut through subconscious pheromone control without even lifting a finger? I aim to correct that, turning around and lifting her face with a finger under her chin while the intoxicated hero holds onto my hips shyly. 

"Is this what you want, Mana?" I ask pointlessly, knowing that she's in no state to give me anything resembling consent but too turned on to care. Just like before, I've been drugging myself with Florasma's mix just as much as my victims. Ahahaha, what a scary word, that totally makes me sound like a villain huh? I'm a superhero, this is just... collateral. 

"God yesss..." Mana leans forwards and presses her body into mine, my back meeting concrete and lips curling mischievously. 

Still holding her chin up, I can't help but smile proudly. "Good girl." Now consciously in control of it, I surround us both in a haze of pink mist that would have knocked me out before my resistance training. Thanks to Hive, I can withstand this while the girl holding me melts under the intensity. My vines curl around her ankles and wrists graciously, one crawling under her clothing and exiting at her collar, replacing my finger to keep her chin supported with its oozing tip. Mana's eyes glaze over when I kiss her, my eyes closing to drink in the taste of her submission like I have any idea what I'm doing. As vines snake out of my hair like I'm Medusa ready to turn this poor girl to stone, a blue aura begins to surround Mana's sheathed tachi but I'm far too lost to notice. I kiss her passionately, greedily, proving that her hunger pales against my own as I put the pitiful hero in her place with each lovely stroke of my powerful tongue. My tendrils frame her face and latch on like parasites, a fine sheen of sap where they roll over that smooth honey skin as pristine as a porcelain bowl... and just as easily broken. 

With my eyes still closed in blissful ignorance, Mana's shoot wide open as the magic charge in her blade expels the chemical conditioning and sobers her mind so rudely. The startled hero quickly reaches for the handle of her blade and my vines are too slow to pull her wrist back to it's proper place, blade sliding from sheathe in a sudden explosion of superpowered deflection. Mana's power is to parry other supers and that's as powerful as it sounds even if her offensive capabilities are obviously lacking. My tendrils quickly try to push the blade back down into it's sheathe before I'm even made aware of the power struggle, my thoughts still lost between our kissing lips. The moment a vine so much as touches the magically infused steel, an eruption of power shakes the empty lot and I black out for several seconds, coming to with ringing ears and wondering what the hell just happened. 

When my eyes blink back open, the entire lot is just as Laura's room had been, a verdant glow coming from the grass at our feet and the vines hugging brickwork. I find Mana staggering from the explosion of flora and can't help but laugh, surprising myself when the sound exits my mouth. She parried my power and it got her nowhere! If I really was a villain, she'd be so screwed right now! Fortunately I'm nothing so scary. I quickly move to help her up now that the magic has done me the favour of clearing my head as it had Mana's, but the tachi suddenly slashes in a wide arc that tears the fabric of my costume and has me yelping in terror. Tripping backwards against the concrete wall now covered in cushioning moss, I stare down at my exposed tummy as a thin red line begins to form. Just grazed me like the nick of a razor, but any closer and I'd be in serious fucking trouble. 

"Wh-what the fuck? Mana, you need to calm down or--"

"Get the fuck away from me, you monster! I need to calm down or what? You'll do to me what you did to Orchard? Did... did you eat her?" Mana is in a total state of panic, she's too hysterical to reason with right now. I have no choice but to pull her into the orchard, right? It's not like I've been dying to do this from the very start, it's just the way things played out. Before she can get another word out, my vines lunge forwards and wrap around her so tightly that she's forced to let go of that troublesome tachi, the sound of its hefty weight collapsing onto my newest garden like music to my ears. My roots sap her as they would any dangerous criminal, she did just try to murder me so I hardly feel bad when I drag her into my internal orchard and invite her to take a timeout by the apple harvest. 

"Mana... you need to be careful with sharp weapons, okay? I'm... I'm fucking bleeding, you understand?" Even in mental projection my voice shakes a little, the fear of dying having kickstarted something vulgar in my brain, a survival instinct and vengeful streak I'll be sure to push back down later. 

The magical hero quickly scrambles to her feet in my orchard, a true professional even bereft of blade. Her head whips around a cute number of times until she figures out where she is, it isn't the first time I've pulled her into this place due to the training we performed in the past, but it looks a little different here nowadays. It's reflective of my mental state, I suppose. "Orchard? Oh... god... it's you, isn't it? What's going on?" Ah, mine isn't the only shaky voice, that's a relief. I'm not used to instilling fear but I can't pretend it doesn't feel deserved after the nasty cut she just gave me. 

"Mana... we... we were just kissing, you told me you wanted to. You came onto me and then... well, you tried to kill me? Ah... ahaha... you're acting like a villain, Mana. So I'm restraining you, we can clear all of this up later... okay?" I'm not sure which of us my words are trying to convince more, my memories of the past ten minutes are a blur I must confess but Miss Murmur tells me I'm a good person and so it must be true. Like Hive, everything she tells me is the truth. 

The captive hero does not appear to be placated by my words in the slightest, staring in shock at the new state of my orchard. Again, I feel a little pride at the reaction, letting her take in the sultry dryads peeking out from a forest of desire deep in the recesses of my psyche. The garden's floor is lightly damp, the trees all twisted and growing heavy black fruit that weights down the branches. One such branch extends out to Mana with juicy offering, its midnight skin reflecting her like a black mirror of want. The girl looks on in disgust and swats the fruit away, her foot sinking into the soft ground down to her ankle as the offended tree branch curls around her wrist. "Ah! Orchard, please!"

Why is she pleading with me? I'm not doing any of this, just watching on as she reaps what she sows. If you disturb nature then it will inevitably retaliate, is she really so naive? Still... she seems so distressed, maybe if I just flood the orchard with more of that pretty pink cloud, she can float for a while and forget all these fruitless concerns of hers. Plenty of fruit in my garden, after all!

"H-hey, what's going on here?" I recognise the voice at my back and tense up like a tree, suddenly feeling guilty and caught in the act. Was I doing something wrong after all? Oh Joy, you're not fooling anybody... says the crow. I have no idea how long we've been here for, but now Jazz Comet is spilling into the empty lot alongside her partner Trifecta. "Orchard? Where's... Mana?" They find me sitting against the wall holding my stomach while my vines force Mana into a kneel, her eyes empty while her mind explores the orchard. 

With real fear in my eyes I seek to repurpose, I stare up at them both and give my best performance yet. "Sh-she suddenly attacked me! Look, nearly spilled my guts out... somebody needs to restrain her so I can recall my roots and get up, I-I think she lured me here." 

"Uh-huh." Wait, why does Jazz sound so unamused? Is she suspicious of me? How? I'm telling the fucking truth here, more or less. "Tri, go see to Mana... watch out for those roots okay?" Jazz doesn't say what she intends to do while sending her partner over to Mana, but it should be obvious she intends to approach me instead. What's going on here? Why are they acting suspicious of my roots now? If they keep this up, I'm not going to be able to return to my normal life anymore... if they keep pushing, I really won't have any other choice but to retaliate. What did I do to find myself in this situation anyway? All four of us are heroes, we're supposed to be on the same damn side. 

"Jazz, I--"

"Spare me, Orchard. Or whoever you are in that shitty little apple costume. The Discoman tip was a dud or I'd think you were just... well either way, you need taking in. I know you can't move while you have your roots in the ground and I also know that if you recalled them, Mana would be able to finish the job. Remember the walkies? Just a push to talk, guess one of you were pushing against something or other and boy am I glad for it." Jazz Comet looks down at me with a prosecuting gaze that makes me feel unwell, still wondering if I have any hope of explaining my actions here or if it's all over. Will Murmur come to rescue me if they lock me up? She's good at stealing things and well, am I not her property to reclaim? I miss her a lot, she would know exactly how to get out of this situation just as she turned the tables on me during my mission to take her in. 

"She's breathing but these root things all over her are real strong, Jazz, I don't think I can break them." Trifecta cradles Mana before peeking the discarded sword and wondering if she might cut her fellow hero free. Wouldn't that hurt me? Do these do-gooders even care at all?

"Hang fire on doing anything rash, Trifecta, I... goddammit. Orchard, I think for everyone here's safety I'm gonna have to knock you out. It won't hurt really, but it'll sting when you wake up so I hope I'm not making a mistake here. Anything to say for yourself?" Jazz looks down at me with her fist heating up rapidly, my eyes bugging out a little as I consider how unfair this is. Mana struggles against the collapsing orchard as my thoughts become a mess of persecution complex, wanting everyone in this lot to just give me some space. 

Quietly, I mumble under my breath and Jazz sighs, leaning down with a burning fist raised in threat. "What was that, girl?"

"My roots aren't in the ground..." 

"Huh?"

"You said... I can't move when my roots are in the ground. They're not, look. Even if they were... this is my garden, are you even looking around at all? I can hear your thoughts buzzing around like fruit flies, I know Trifecta wants to chop me up a-and you just want the satisfaction of something to punch the lights out of... you're both no different to me. So get off your high horses... hehe, where's Mare when you need him?" Pessimism has its hold on me, I know they're not going to listen to me and I've found that words aren't the best communicator I have at my disposal now. Does the fact that I haven't moved despite admitting I could mean anything to them, I wonder? Maybe just a more lenient sentence, haha. Fuck that. 

Not waiting for a half-assed response from these small time sluggers, I swipe them both off their feet and focus on bringing those heady pheromones back into my latest garden. A bulbous flower sprouts from the ground beside Trifecta and a trickle of blood rolls over my lip from the exertion, Jazz calling out to stop Trifecta's triple sized intellect from taking Mana's sword and piercing my flower's bulb so brazenly. 

The initial spurt incapacitates Tri before she even knows what hit her, the poor thing laying on her back in a daze while my vines curl around her to feed off that dizzying heat she's now expelling. Jazz was further away from the flower, still at my side, but stumbles against the moss covered wall from which vines protrude and hold her. Restrained against the wall upright even as she goes limp, I finally find myself with some time to think things over and consider how best to proceed with... all of this. 

Wait, why are Tri and Jazz nowhere to be found in my orchard? Mana is right where I left her, tiring herself out with all that pointless fight, but the other heroes are... oh right, strength is their whole thing, how tiresome... 

Tri forces herself up out of sheer will as she spreads the concoction's intense effects over three overlapping selves, prying my vines away in a squeeze that really gets me going. Jazz Comet uses intense heat to force my roots into retreat, singeing the moss at her back even in that sexy heatproof leotard. Listen to me, I sound like a horny boy, I'm just sort of... weirdly excited. I'm so fucked right now, having spent the last of my power, at least what I can manifest out here in the real world. Clutching a victory against all odds is the height all of heroic stories, is it not? So just watch me, these two aren't going to put an end to everything these past few weeks has been leading up to. I'm on the cusp of glory, if I'm to falter it'll be at Nova's doorstep and no sooner. 

With a misplaced sense of achievement, Trifecta impressively withstands my flower's assault and returns to her feet, turning to look at Jazz for guidance but going pale when she sees the blade at her best friend's throat. 

"Move a muscle and I might slip in panic, okay?" The vigilante Firefly stands behind Jazz comet, a newcomer to this empty lot who heeded my call so punctually. Trifecta agrees to remain still while Jazz considers overheating to cause a distraction. "I wouldn't do that, your thoughts are so loud and that makes you predictable to react to." My vines curl around the handle of Mana's tachi in threat as I sigh out in relief over this closely cut victory, talking through Firefly while Laura takes a timeout. If I were still just Joy, this level of violence, even in bluff, would be far too much for me. Better than a threat, they need a demonstration. Mana's tachi lifts higher into the air and my vines wrap tight around the blade. It doesn't hurt like I thought it would when the razor's edge makes contact with my slippery tendril. "You said my roots are strong, right? Well... I'm starting to think you're right. I've penetrated city streets, after all, so they must be powerful. Let's see..." As the vines tighten and tighten, Mana's trusty blade begins to buckle and bend before it reaches its limit on allowed tension. The steel sword shatters and I think these heroes' confidence does too when they find themselves transfixed on the remnants dropping to the ground, vine curling in the air in a curtsey. 

"Firefly... and Orchard... you're both making a huge mistake, okay? We can talk about this. I'm... guessing it was just a misunderstanding between well meaning heroes?" Jazz sounds like she's trying to hide how afraid she is, which is somehow more pathetic than if she was just honest. 

"You heard it all." Firefly mutters, everyone knowing her knife arm can move faster than any sudden movements even if we weren't able to read them well in advance. "I can't go back now, even if I wanted to. We can't. None of us are going to be the same ever again... but that's okay, we'll all be in this together. It's like you said Jazz, we're just becoming a team." I stand up after having taken over for Firefly mid sentence, returning my obedient Laura to the forefront and trusting her to understand my logic. Firefly's arm doesn't falter and I thank her with a kind smile, one of my many vines injecting her back with a reward shot of concentrated pheromone. Laura's eyes cross and I giggle when I consider that I just incapacitated my own muscle, Jazz shrugging her off and lunging at me before being met with several shots herself until she's down for the count. My cooldown didn't take very long, such an unbalanced super. As Trifecta stumbles towards us with clumsy footing, I trip her with a loose root and wrap vines around the flower bulb to squeeze it into bursting. The entire garden floor fills with pink smog that turns her mind into a slutty mush, right on que for my roots to finally drag all of these threats into my orchard. 

"Laura... where's the other one? The man..." Pushing past a rooted Jazz, I curl that short blonde hair between my fingers and lightly pull. 

"Ah... I-I uhm... I knocked him out the moment you called for me, cuffed him too so it's up to a good samaritan now." The vigilante smirks and I steal it right from her lips, mine curling like a reflection. 

"Well, I know somebody very generous who might consider lending a helping hand." The vigilante raises her eyebrow as though questioning my judgement, which is sort of cute in its own way. Laura easily accepted that I have to convert these heroes into good girls for me now that they've seen too much, but the male hero is a slightly different case. My excuse for converting him is far flimsier and besides, what use does my sapphic garden have for a guy like that? In a flash of thought, I convey everything running through my mind to my accomplice and Firefly nods in agreement. 

We'll make a mare of him yet.