”Woah, aren’t you looking bright eyed today.  What’s up with you?” Her cubicle buddy and longtime friend says to greet Solar. Solar also notices that her friend is looking especially chipper today, and she smiles satisfied. 

“Wait, could it be that after decades, you finally met someone last night? Is that why you ditched me? Because honestly, that’s the only thing I’d forgive you for.”

Solar doesn’t respond just yet. First, she sets her coffee down at her desk and gets some things in order.

“Solar,” Wheein whines. “Get to talking. I want to know what she was like.” Wheein rolls her chair over so she’s right next to Solar.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Wheein. I’m just calmly sipping on my coffee.”

“Ah, don’t be like that! You know I can tell when you’re lying. But maybe I’m being too hopeful, you never meet anyone. Well, did something happen?” Wheein continues to talk without even waiting for a response. Which is fine with Solar. “You know last night, I thought you ditched me with no warning, then comes in- Oh! It’s a work thing isn’t it? You used me!”

“So you’re going to tell me you didn’t have a good time?” Solar finally looked at her friend wearing a smirk.

“Whatever. That’s beside the point. You straight up used me.” Wheein crossed her arms and glared at her.

“Yeah, maybe but we both got something we wanted. I got some information, and you finally got a date with the person you’ve been mooning over. Win-win.”

Wheein sighed defeated or unwilling to continue this argument. “Fine. So what did you do last night that has you so excited? Although, whatever it is, it’s going to be a lot more boring than a date. At least, my date.” Wheein smiled warmly, remembering the night before.

“Um. Not much.” Solar turns away, not wanting to get into the dangerous stunt she pulled last night. She knew her friend would only scold her. Again.

“Oh no. You’re being evasive, which probably means you did something dumb.”

Damn. Solar thought. Her friend knew her too well. Solar swiveled her chair so she was facing Wheein.

“I did something pretty crazy last night. Like really crazy. You have to promise me that you won’t get mad.”

“This sounds worse than usual.”

“Yeah but, you promise, right?” Solar asked hopeful that Wheein would follow through when she inevitably agreed.

Wheein let out a sigh and shook her head disapprovingly, but she ended up shrugging. “Well, whatever it was, you’re still here.”

Wheein never met anyone as dedicated to finding stories than Solar. She was constantly putting herself out there, seemingly unafraid of the consequences. Wheein had asked her numerous times to slow it down and be more cautious, but not once had Solar really considered it. So whatever it was, Wheein didn’t think she’d be surprised to hear it.

“Last night, I went into Exo territory looking for-“

Wheein’s eyes immediately widened and she already began yelling at Solar. “You went into-“

Quickly, Solar slapped her hand over Wheein’s mouth to cut her off.

“God Wheein, I’m telling you not everyone in the office.”

Wheein pulled Solar’s hand from her face and glared at her. “Do you seriously have a death wish? I don’t know how you managed to get out this time, but it won’t happen again.”

“I know. I know.” For once, Solar actually relented.

She knew that if the Silver Fox hadn’t shown up, she would not have been able to come into work today. She probably would have ended up being in one of their pieces though. Maybe Wheein would have done the story on her body washing up on shore.

“I’m not saying I’m going to stop, but I’ll be more cautious, I swear. That’s all I can promise though.”

“Well, after the thousands of times I’ve asked you, I wouldn’t expect things to change much now anyway. I have a feeling you’re always going to be dumb. But, since it already happened, tell me about it.”

“Okay. Let me start from the beginning.”

Solar wrote stories for the crime section of the paper, but she never restricted herself to one type of crime. She wrote on corruption, murder, thievery, whatever she felt the people should be informed about. She didn’t write them as scare pieces. Solar just wanted people to know what was happening around them, what was happening in their city. She especially felt they should be aware of the gangs that were so prominent in the city. Especially when they so often seemed to go unchecked. Which only allowed them to get bigger, badder, and bolder.

Solar kept up on crime by listening to the police scanner. There was no other reporter out there that responded faster to big stories because of it.

 She was listening to it while she made her breakfast, like any other day, when she quickly picked up on odd chatter through the line. They were using codes she hadn’t heard before. That alone was enough to catch her attention, but the voices behind the chatter had changed too. It all seemed more urgent than anything she heard before.

Solar knew just who to visit to clear things up for her. She quickly finished her meal, grabbed her stuff and left.

When Solar walked into the police station, she began to think that maybe she was wrong. Everything seemed pretty normal. There was no havoc, no chatter, no running around, just casual work. Like just another day at the station.

Then she saw the chief. Solar had only seen Hwasa dressed like that once before. Hwasa had her overcoat on. The one that clearly displayed every badge of her achievement, every bit of her authority. Solar couldn’t keep back the pleased smile that always arose when she knew she was on the trail of a good story.

“Hello there, Chief.” Solar greeted Hwasa the moment she opened her office door. Hwasa, who at this point had grown used to Solar’s interruptions, didn’t bother to look up. Solar was just lucky that they were friends outside of work, or else she would never have gotten this far.

“Do you realize how unfortunate it is for me that one of my childhood friends became a reporter?”

“I’m sure you realize how fortunate it is for me that you became the chief. I take it as a sign that my work is worthy of God’s good will.”

Hwasa scoffed and smiled slightly. “His grace isn’t helping you today. I’m too busy to dance around your questions right now.”

Solar, who had already settled herself in the chair in front of Hwasa’s desk, didn’t budge.

“Hwasa, you should know by now that I won’t leave until you give me something.”

 “Well then, this will be a first. Bye-bye now.” Hwasa shooed her away without lifting her head.

“Wow, so it really is that good?” Solar scooted forward, somehow growing even more excited. She had her notepad out and ready, not wanting to miss a detail.

“You’re dressed up for a reason. Could it be because you’re dealing with the military again?” The small smirk that pulled up Hwasa’s lip for a moment was enough to confirm her theory.

“Wow, on my first guess. I’m good.”

Hwasa her fingers flipped a page, and continued to fill out the documents before her. “Go away, Solar,” she ordered Solar flatly.

“But Hwasa, I know a way we can both leave this interaction happy. I know your weakness.” Solar grinned picturing a certain person.

This is something she had kept in reserve for the right moment. Her gut told her this was it, and she always listened to her gut.

“Mhm, is that right? And what would that be?”

“Not what but who.” Hwasa’s pen faltered for a second. Solar already knew she had her, but that left her with no doubt.

“You know, Wheein and I were supposed to go out for drinks tonight, but I have a feeling I might be too busy. Maybe you could keep her company. What do you say Hwasa? You up for some drinks?” Even though Hwasa hadn't looked at her once so far, Solar wriggled her eyebrows her.

Hwasa calmly set down her pen and looked at Solar with a completely blank face, unamused.

Her words, however, were completely satisfying.

“So, do you have your pen ready or what?”

The information Solar got was massive. She did not regret using her secret weapon one bit.

Hwasa told her about a gang intercepting military shipment, killing everyone on duty and stealing everything they were protecting.

Hwasa didn’t have the clearance to be given information about what was stolen, but Hwasa was good enough to read between the lines and even she could do her own digging. She was able to gather that it was some experimental element.

That did not sit well with Solar. She had no idea what it was and what it could do, but she knew the gangs well enough to know that whatever they had planned to use it for wasn’t good. So, she had to figure out what it was and what they wanted with it.

After Hwasa gave her the location of the interception, Solar narrowed down where they might have taken it. They would obviously want to get the goods to a base as quickly as possible. The farther they had to take it the bigger the risk of getting caught.

The attack seemed to be the work of one of the more notorious gangs in the city, Exo. Over the years, Solar had managed to collect most to all of the various gangs’ territories. There was a smaller territory that they had established as well as couple bigger ones near the incident, but Solar figured that if they wanted to keep the good protected, they would take it to the smaller one. That way no one could sneak up on them.

Why she thought she could be the exception was beyond all reason. Perhaps she thought her cover was strong enough. By playing the role of an innocent lost young woman. Or maybe she simply put too much faith in her all black attire.

Regardless, Solar was lucky the Silver Fox had also heard about the incident, and she had managed to narrow her search to the same territory. The Silver Fox’s original plan had simply been to watch the territory to confirm whether she was right or not. She scoped the gangs’ territories often enough to know when there was unusual activity going on.

If she was right, she’d create a plan. There was no way she could just go in and fight everyone there. That would be a suicide mission.

Either way, her plan was foiled when she spotted the woman dressed in black. She should have stopped her then, but the Fox hesitated. Maybe she was a call girl or something. Who was she to stop her business?

She realized too late that that was not the case. She saw some of the men spot the girl and knew right away by their signals to each other that things were about to go south. The girl was oblivious to the men that were about to surround her. If she let things go any further, things would not have ended well for the woman in black.

The Silver Fox bolted towards their direction as fast she could. She stuck to the rooftops until she could land right beside the girl. Of course, she dropped surprises on the men first. This way she wouldn’t have to reveal anything to anyone just yet.

The explosions weren’t discreet and she knew that it wouldn’t work in her favor, but if she could get the girl and hide, they might just end up okay.

Whoever didn’t get knocked out by the explosions got single perfectly aimed shots to the head. That would leave them unconscious for more than enough time.

The girl had let out a shriek and ducked down after the first explosion. She didn’t see any of the action that went on around her, and that only worked in the Silver Fox’s favor.

She jumped from the building, slowing her fall with her gift, she landed safely besides the girl.

“Come on. There isn’t a lot of time. We have to move.” The Silver Fox grabbed one of the arms that was covering the girls head, and pulled her up. The girl looked at her with a face full of terror. The Silver Fox felt bad. She really did, but there was just no time. “You either trust me or you die. What’s it going to be?”

It only took a second for the girl to move her hand so it was placed in the vigilantes. She was immediately pulled forward. They only ran a short distance to a car the Silver Fox had spotted earlier. She yanked the car handle, but to her dismay it was locked. So she took out her brass knuckles, slipped them on and punched the window hard. It shattered under the pressure, and she was able to unlock the doors so they could get in.

“Quick, check if there’s anyone behind us.” When the girl looked back, the vigilante quickly started the car before she could see how she did it. Once it started, she booked it.

She drove them far enough to give them ground, but she would have to be naïve to believe they totally escaped. So, she abandoned the car, a lone car on the empty streets was too easy to spot, and took the girl to one of the many abandoned buildings in the area.

The building they entered must have been an old office building. The floor they were on was very open, and there was still remnants of the past inhabitants. Some desks and chairs were left behind. The Silver Fox walked over to the wall that was basically all windows, and looked out. They seemed pretty safe, but it was still best to sit it out just in case. She didn’t want to put the girl at risk.

“Phew. That certainly was a close one. Still, I think-“ When the Silver fox turned back towards the girl, she was a lot closer than she was expecting. The girl immediately pulled down her mask. It was just a moment. A very small moment that her face was bare.

She immediately pushed the girl back and pulled it back up. It was only then she thought about the object stuck to her leg. She took it out and pointed it at the girl.

“Have a seat.” She demanded. The girl looked to her right then her left and spotted nothing. “It’s behind you.”

“Oh.” She turned around and pulled the chair closer. The vigilante watched the girl very casually do everything, showing no trace of fear.

Finally, when the girl finally seated herself, the woman holding the gun spoke.

“I feel so betrayed right now.”

“Sorry. I was curious.” The seated girl shrugged.

“You know, curiosity killed the cat.”

“Yes, but satisfaction brought it back.”

“And, you’re satisfied?”

“Yes, very.” The seated girl grinned.

“You’re going to steal another car?” Solar asked Moonbyul who was once again slipping on her brass knuckles.

“I mean I’m really just borrowing it. They’ll get it back eventually.”

“Yeah, with a broken window.”

“Do you want to get home or what?” Moonbyul put down the arm that was just about to be thrown at the window.

“Dammit. Fine.” Solar turned away frowning, not wanting to see the damage. Once she heard the doors unlock, she walked over to the passenger side.

Moonbyul pretended to fiddle with cords under the stirring wheel before starting the car. She actually had no idea how to start it that way, but Solar didn’t know that.

“Alright, so where do you live?” Moonbyul looked over at the girl who was buckling up.

“Um, is this information I should trust you with?”

“Well, I can take you to my place, but if you want hot water we’ll have to hop in together. I personally wouldn’t mind.” Moonbyul gave her wink.

Solar pretended to gag. “I live to the west of Memorial park.”

Moonbyul frowned. “That gag was a bit much, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re a bit much.”

Moonbyul laughed as she started pulling forward. “That’s fair.”

“I can’t believe the papers write you as a bad person. They’d be so surprised to figure out that you’re actually a dork.”

“I’m not a dork. I’m suave.”

Solar claps her hands and laughs. Moonbyul smiles listening to the pleasant sound.

“So anyway,” Solar finally manages to get serious again. “What do you have? I heard about smoke powers, ice, neon… Yada yada. You know ‘em.”

“I have the ability to make a decent cup of coffee. Sometimes I think it comes out better than most coffee shops. I don’t usually brag about it, but you’re pushy.” Moonbyul’s hands tighten on the wheel and she keeps her eyes straight ahead as she speaks.

Despite Solar seeing nothing at the fight, she knows her secret already. How did she manage that?

“You . I’ll figure it out eventually.” That’s what Moonbyul was afraid of.

“Um, do you want me to walk you to your door or something?” Moonbyul had parked in front of Solar’s apartment building, but she didn’t budge.

“We still have a lot to go over.”

“I’m tired. Get moving.” She leaned over and tried pushing her, but it was useless.

“No wait! At least give me a way to reach you.” Solar looked at her with wide, pleading eyes. Moonbyul actually had to look away because she felt herself being swayed.

“I’ll come to you if I want to talk.”

“That’s no fair! Aren’t we friends?” Solar grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. Moonbyul turned back towards her and sighed.

“Stop making that face.” She chuckled.

“Why is it working?”

“Were your cheeks always that squishy?”

“Yes. I’ll let you poke them if you give me a number or something.”

“So you are selling yourself in some way then. I wasn’t totally wrong.” Moonbyul laughed thinking about who she thought Solar was when she first saw her.

“What are talking about?”

“Nothing.” She let out a long breath. “Email me at: Solar hearts Silverfox sixty eight @ gmail dot com. If you’re lucky enough that that email doesn’t exist when I get around to making it, maybe I’ll consider responding.”

“Solar hearts Silver Fox sixty eight…? But that isn’t-!” She huffed. “Fine. I’m sure that’s all you give. There’s no way that exists, so you better respond.” Solar pushed Moonbyul’s hand away and turned away to get out.

“Wait! Don’t heroes that save the girls get a kiss?” Moonbyul asked puckering her lips. She for some reason found a lot of joy in teasing the girl, and she already found her button.

Solar scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sorry to break tradition, but that isn’t going to happen.”

“Well, not tonight anyway. Bye Solar!” She pushed her out and closed the door. Wasting no time to speed off into the night.

Solar was almost glad to be pushed out. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and felt the flush. She wasn’t sure where all this teasing came from, but she just hoped it wasn’t because the Moonbyul had seen through her.

--------------------------------------

heyy

happy holidays y'all

or happy regular days

whatever 

to each their own