Weekly Side-Story, Marta 2 (Patreon)

It had been a while since she’d taken a day off just for herself. The convention had been weeks ago and to be honest she really hadn’t felt up to getting out there and getting some fresh air. Helping Sonya always took priority, so she’d thrown herself into her work both as a caretaker and as a bodyguard. Marta had even offered to take on a more direct role, as an enforcer if necessary. Instead of accepting her offer, Sonya had insisted that she take some time off and separate herself a little from the work they were doing. She knew Sonya was worried about her conscience, worried about her burning out, but Marta was fine, really.

They’d gone this far already, why not just see it through to the end? They were committed.

Even so, Sonya had put her foot down as her employer. Her argument? What was the point of all the money she was paying Marta if she didn’t ever actually use it besides the occasional convention? So she’d low-key threatened Marta with shutting off all of her streaming subscriptions if she didn’t get out there and take a breather. That had been enough to convince Marta that her friend was serious, she’d taken the next day off, and now here she was. She’d rationalized it well enough, there wasn’t much to do right now and the Chairman would be arriving in a few days. Might as well collect herself before things got busy again.

New York was as big and oppressive as ever, the presence of the city simply overwhelming. Marta was used to smaller cities with smaller and less impressive buildings. Every structure around her seemed to reach towards the sky as if daring the heavens above to challenge humanity’s greatness. She’d opted for a pale sundress for the day, a wide brimmed hat to protect her from the sunlight that reflected harshly off the sides of the buildings around her, a simple strap purse and a pair of heels.

As for her face? She’d decided to wear her real face today. Sonya had suggested she go out in full cosplay now and then just for giggles, Marta had opted against it, for now anyway. Maybe when she was more confident. Maybe when she got over what happened at the convention. Every time she looked at one of her costumes now she saw his face screaming in front of her, full of hate.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pushed the memory aside before glancing up at one of the shops that she passed. A bookstore.

She smiled, This could be refreshing.

She slipped inside, the door chiming and the owner looking up from the counter, his nose having been buried in a book. He smiled at her and waved before gesturing at the store, saying nothing. She nodded at him and drifted past, taking the long route towards her destination. She stopped in fiction, wandered about biography, quickly hustled past romance, before finally coming to a stop at in the comic-book section. Specifically, manga. She smiled as she scanned the high shelves, her eyes tracing over the titles. She mentally worked her way through her personal reading list. Read it, read it, oh a new volume.

She reached for it and paused, frowning. I can’t reach it. Who sets up shelves this high? Limited space I guess… She grumbled inwardly and glanced around for a stool or portable step, she didn’t want to bother the owner, he seemed a bit reserved.

“Which one?” A voice came from behind her.

She jerked and spun before taking an instinctive step back. A humongous man stood in front of her, broad chested with short black hair. He looked down at her with intense eyes and cocked an eyebrow. She met his gaze. Familiar… she thought.

“Well? You were trying to reach one, yeah?” The guy grunted, nodding to the shelf.

She blinked, “O-oh! Right, yes, um,” She turned and pointed at one of the volumes. “That one there.”

He reached for it easily and plucked it off the shelf, handing it to her. She took it and looked up at him again. He really looked familiar but she couldn’t place it. Was it just his face? Or was it his build? She’d seen several heroes at the Hero Day event that had a similar build to him, if a bit smaller. “Barry,” He grunted and held out a hand with an awkward grin, “Barry Logan.”

She raised an eyebrow beneath her wide-brimmed hat, That name. Why do I know it? She shook her thoughts off though and reached out to take his hand. Her small grip wrapping only around two of his powerful fingers. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her another awkward smile. Her eyes widened and she cleared her throat. “R-right! Marta Daphne, it’s nice to meet you Barry. Thank you for… you know,” She held up the manga and gave him a little smile.

He shrugged, hoisting a small pile of books in his other arm to get them more comfortable in his grip. She couldn’t help herself, she tilted her head and squinted at the titles. The Complete Works of Lovecraft, Ichthyology, Mammals of the Sea, Great Beasts of the Deeps. She pursed her lips for a moment before looking back up at his face. She let her imagination drift for a moment and coughed, holding back a small laugh before leaning forward and whispering. “...Shark? Is that you?”

He blinked, “Wh-? I uh…” He looked left and right, “I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

Marta’s lips twitched a little bit and she whispered again, “I’m Sonya’s assistant, Marta.” She said, putting a little emphasis on her name. She reached up and tilted her wide-brimmed hat up a little bit to give him a better look at her face. He stared at her for a heartbeat before snorting out a small laugh that sounded more relieved than amused. This was a self-proclaimed supervillain? It was hard to imagine with him looking so awkward, though she supposed he was trying to keep a low profile.

“Well I’ll be,” He grunted and glanced down at his books, “This is…”

“She mentioned you needed to do some reading,” Marta said with a nod.

“It’s a little strange seeing you alone, you two are normally attached at the hip,” The Supervillain admitted, turning and leading her over to a table set up for people to read around. He glanced at one of the chairs and frowned, considering his options before just setting his books down and standing near the table rather than risking it with his bulk.

“Told me I needed a day off,” Marta said with a sigh.

He shrugged, “She’s a good boss, all things considered,” An awkward silence stretched out for a moment before he cleared his throat. “So… comic books?”

“Manga,” She corrected with a squint, “Have you never read manga before?”

“Can’t say I have,” He said, “I only got my hands on a few comics when I was a kid. What are they?”

“Anything,” She said flatly, “There’s a genre for everyone.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Sports?”

“Sure,” She said, getting a thoughtful look from the big man. He scratched his head and stared at the volume in her hand. He glanced over at the shelves and then back at her. He looked like he wanted to ask something but couldn’t bring himself to do it. She snorted out a laugh and set her volume down next to his own books, “I’ll help you pick something,” She said with faux resignation. He brightened and walked over with her. The two of them spending a little time as she explained stories and pointed out series that would probably interest him. His eyes nearly zoned out when she told him that they were read in a different direction from what he was used to, but he soldiered on. Soon, the two of them were at the checkout counter.

The owner looked up from his own book and glanced between the two of them, “Big haul today, Barry?” He gave Barry a bit of a grin.

The supervillain cleared his throat, Marta noticed the red flushing up his neck. The big man gave the owner a daring look, “Just let me pay, Anders.”

“Sure, sure,” The owner, Anders, said and held up his hands. He started scanning the books and comics, even grabbing Marta’s. Marta opened her mouth to say something but Anders just winked at her and Barry didn’t say anything. When they were done, they stepped outside and back into the sun. Barry reached into his bag and pulled out her manga, handing it over to her. 

She looked at it and up at him, “You know I’m paid pretty well, right?” She asked.

“Just take it,” He grunted.

She pursed her lips and took it out of his hands, tilting her head and looking up at him. To hell with it. She thought and let out a breath, “You know, I still have a while before I should be getting back and I’m enjoying the fresh air. Walk with me?”

He looked down at his sizeable bag, up at her and met her eyes. He seemed to think for a few seconds before he nodded, showing her that signature big toothy grin. It wasn’t that bad when he was in his human form. “Sure.”

The two of them turned away from the store and started walking. A hulking man walking just a little behind a small young woman in a pale sundress. Somewhere behind them, far in the distance, a disembodied glowing eye watched them move down the sidewalk before winking out of existence. Somewhere even further away, Sonya chuckled to herself. “Atta girl.”