Jonathan
The stench of the dark alley she took on her way home from work was a familiar one. The horrendous odor of piss and marijuana permeated the air, the cold autumn air turned her breath and the breath of those lingering along the tight corridors into like the smoke of dragons. Their cold hard gaze did nothing to deter her from her journey through the seedy trash lined path.

Well. One thing might have. Coming up on the coridor than turned into her street, they were waiting there for her. A trio, two guys and a girl. They were decked out in biker leathers, piercings and tattoos. A style she might respect if it were on anyone other than these hooligans. 

"Wellll well- look at who we've got here guys." One of the men said, stepping into the middle of the path and blocking her entirely. He was tall, an athletic build about him, and if that wasn't enough, he carried an aluminium bat which he spun in one hand. "Sorry little lady, But I'm afraid there's now a _toll_ for passing through here."

"Yeah~!" The girl leaning on the left while chimed in, the gloves she worse had spiked knuckles, and the tattoo on her shoulder peeked past her t-shirt sleeve. A clear as day swastika. " 'fraid's not gonna be cheap neither, you know how it is. Keepin' _trash_ off the streets is hard work an' all~"

Her wry grin sickened Annabelle, she couldn't hold her tongue. "Oh is that it? You're keeping the streets clean? Sorry I can't tell with how much dirtier it's gotten since the Top hats started running you out of the Riverside." Annabelle stuck her hands in her pockets as she tensed up. She opened her mouth on impulse, gritting her teeth at the mistake and searching her pocket to make sure she had her taster. She didn't.

"_Fuck you just say shitlips?_" The man with the bat spoke up, his brow knit together and his grip on the implement tightening as he drew closer. The two behind him pulled off their respective walls and closed in with him. She was at a loss of what to do now, ill prepared and unable to use her powers without droppnig her identity. She could fight, but could she take the three of them? With the weapons they had, she doubt it. This was looking dire...
Ricky
*Almost as if on cue, a savior arrived...*

*Light always travels faster than sound... But the brain doesn't always perceive it that way, especially when so much is happening all at once. From the shadows, burst... Something. It was big, almost ten feet tall, and its inky frame seemed to jut out of the shadows at odd angles, with sharp points glinting off of what light permeated the alleyway. It soared through the air, leaping from some unseen vantage point with an almost-humanlike maw filled with sharp teeth and a long, serpentine tongue flailing about. Compound eyes and wings beating so fast the eye couldn't perceive individual movements gave away that this creature was insectoid in some way... But the sound was inhuman.*

*A mix between a scream, a howl, and laughter came from the open maw, and the wings produced a nauseating droning noise. Chitin clashed on itself, producing a cracking and splitting sound, as if the beast threatened to tear itself apart with every movement.*

*All of this, this cacophony of horror, occurred in just a split second.*

*The instant the thugs see* ***That*** *Coming from the shadows, they take off, dropping their weapons and running away, screaming for help. The creature touches down, skittering to a halt down the alleyway and shaking itself off, its wings going still as it hunches over, shaking its head at the sudden stop. Compound eyes seem to focus on Annabelle, and it turns towards her, its whole body turning to get a better look. Long, curling antennae twitched as it looked at Annabelle, and chitin chattered as the beast moved slightly.*

"Next time, take the bus." *It says, an accented human voice coming from the maw of the insectoid monster.*
Jonathan
Her arms had been up in a bracing motion since the creature blitzed the alley. Annabelle's heart pounded for a solid minute as the action unfolded, and the sickening crack and chitter of the giant bug's movements momentarily filled even her with fear, more than she already was filled with from her own mistake, which he so graciously sought to correct with his 'suggestion'

But now the restraints were off. No one but this obvious over grown roach to witness her. In that moment, lowering her guard, several things ran through her mind. One of them, was just what he was doing here, and who he was. She'd seen almost every cape active in the slums, or at least heard of them. The second was, that none of them were _bug_ themed. Thirdly...

For a couple years now in the slums, there has been a threat to the local thugs and even some of the small time villains. That threat never quite made it's self apparent in any normal way, other than that if you dealt in the area of the slums, or around it, You ran the risk of getting your shit kicked in by this.. Invisible, unknowable force. Even the stories of how _it_ operated were inconsistent, and mystifying. 

She'd just witnessed it for herself. The phantom of this opera. The sound of a cicada you couldn't find in the dead of night but you knew was there. Her teeth grit, and gaze narrowed.

"No. I don't think I will. But since we're demanding things of each other, tell me. You're it aren't you? The Faceless vigilante, the batman of the slums. Or is 'bugman' more appropriate? Listen." She said, taking a step forward towards the monster before her like it was nothing. It didn't terrify her, he was fast, but she was faster, in a way. 

A green energy wrapped and twisted it's way around her in a half second, covering Annabelle's body, and in a blink of an eye, she was a just a foot infront of him, the flash of the energy briefly lit the alley way "-I appreciate your help, but don't assume every woman walking the alleys is helpless. If worse came to worse, I'd have done what I _needed_ to do." Her scowl was encapsulated perfectly by the way heir hair fell around her face. Of course, Annabelle was telling the truth, she'd not have let herself die in this alley, but someone would have had to and she wasn't sure yet if she was ready to go that far. Not to mention she'd still probably gotten a broken bone or two.
Ricky
*The allegations were true, at least as far as Annabelle knew them. He couldn't remember the exact date he Triggered, but Kurt had been 'Creepy-Crawly' for a few years now. He has, even until now, viewed his heroics (or lackthereof) as being wholly amateur by design, intentionally eschewing attention and fame in favor of results from the shadows. Hell, his Cape name was something he came up with just a year ago, and only because someone asked him about it after he'd stopped them from getting mugged. Ironic, considering the situation he'd inserted himself into now.*

*He'd sit around and wait, maybe follow some shifty types around for a bit, Break out and pounce on them once the time was right, and either leave them for the cops somewhere publicly or scare the living daylights out of them and be on his merry way. He was hoping this would be the latter, as it was much easier for him than going to blows with someone. In all his years of being an (unwilling) Cape, he'd never been questioned so forcefully by someone he'd saved. He almost smiles at himself internally: after all, were it him in her situation, he'd be doing the exact same thing.*

*Annabelle's accusations would make him blink in surprise if he could blink in this form. 'The Batman of the slums'? 'Bugman'? He was about to say something when the green energy began to cover her body.*

*As she does so, Kurt instinctively steps back, unwittingly triggering some kind of effect in Annabelle. The more she tried to keep her eyes on the bug, the more her brain tried telling her to look away. Other noises, other sights, seemed to take precedence over the 9 foot tall bug man in front of her.*

*Surprise turned to apprehension... Which turned to annoyance. 'Great,' he thinks, 'another Cape.'*

"Look, ma'am, what you want to do with your time is your business, but fights in this neighborhood, even Cape fights, aren't good. Scratch that, ***Especially*** Cape fights. You can call me whatever the hell you want, but the fact is that I'm not getting into a fight with you. Let's both calm down, alright? If you do, I'll answer a couple questions... But only because you're the first to ever actually question how this shit works. Kudos for having common fucking sense to be critical of how weird our Cape shit works."
Jonathan
Her eyes darted around the surroundings easily, his power giving her plenty of reason for directing them else where than him. She could sort of tell now why the stories never quite made sense. The reason no one could pin down just what or who this guy was- he never gave them a chance.

No one else seemed to be in the alley, that much she'd already confirmed. Andromeda's scowl softened and her firsts, which she'd unknowingly had balled up, relaxed. 

"Yeah" She curtly replied, eyes kept low to the ground, but ears kept wide open. _'Common sense'_ She thought to herself as she shoved her hands into her pockets. _'That's part of it, but he's come to a different conclusion. Still, not one I totally disagree with. Situations like the one I was in need to be carefully examined and the outcome of actions weighed.'_

Anna tried to lift her head to give him a proper look, but only managed to pull her view up a little bit before it was like pushing against the walls of her own mind, not quite a headache.. More of a block. "In retrospect, you did what you thought was right based on what you'd seen. One swift hit to my skull and that could have been it for me. The thing is, why would a woman be walking so confidently down a place like this if she wasn't prepared for the potential danger. Unless she were stupid, or unknowledgeable. Can't say I blame you for thinking I might have been either."

Her hands shifted out from her pockets, and she folded her arms while turning her head to look towards the corner that turned, and led down towards her street. So close to home, unarmed, with only her powers to get her out of the situation. _'Maybe I was stupid'_ She thought. "As for what I have to ask, it's simple. I know you. I know what you do, anyways, and with parahumans like you, that's about as much as one can hope to know." 

Annabelle forced herself now, she didn't care what pain befell her, though it did send a shudder down her spine to look at him. Her mind screamed at her to look away, to run maybe, She told herself that he would do her no harm, and dug her heels in, even as her psyche betrayed her. It triggered her, a cackling green energy like lightning coursed around her, but she kept her shaking arms and legs as still as they could be. Not enough to hide it completely.

"I w-want.. I want to know. Over your time operating here... H-have you ever caught, and drug d-dealers? Any, _female_ Drug deal-l-l... Lers." She was pressing herself hard to ask this question while looking him in the eyes, and she didn't keep that contact after she finished asking either, her head spun to literally anything else, she barely kept her body from flashing out, involuntarily. The arcs of emerald light still bounced around her frame.
Ricky
*Kurt realized it too late that the secondary part of his powers had activated. A blessing for maintaining secrecy, but a headache for dealing with people in his Breaker form. Annabelle struggling to keep her gaze locked on him, and the physical exertion she put on her body just for that one simple gesture spooked him. Not that she'd do something like that, but because he was unintentionally hurting her.*

"Woah, hey! Calm down. Just... Just take deep breaths, try not to think of me as a threat. OK? If you do that, you can get a good look at me again." *He says, stepping back into the shadows, still quite observable but not as exposed as before. He sits against the wall, sliding down the brick before a soft 'thump' signified that he'd made it to the ground.* 

"I'll talk, just... Just don't do stuff like that. I don't want... I don't want to hurt people that don't deserve it." *He runs a chitinous hand over his face, antennae darting down to clean his eyes. He didn't know quite where to start with her questions, but he felt the beginning was as good a place as any to start.*

"I think you got it right, there: I can't read minds, and I'm not some god, as much as some Capes seem to think they are. I saw a three on one between a couple 'Outsiders' rejects and a lone woman in an alleyway. Common decency says I intervene, even if it's none of my business."

*He holds up a chitinous hand, two fingers raised.* "Second part of the question: I've caught a couple drug dealers, of all genders. I'm an equal opportunity shit stomper, but I don't go after low-level dealers that aren't selling hard shit. Not worth the trouble, and they're not really harming folks; they're just surviving, more often than not. You're gonna have to be more specific on what kind of female drug dealer you're wanting information on."
Jonathan
Annabelle took a deep breath in, and the energy faded in little neon particles around her. She could feel the tension on her mind ease as she continued to reframe the situation. That was strange to her, it'd been the first time since triggering that her powers manifested on their own. Why was that? Despite doing her research, there was something about certain powers that eluded her. That was one of them. Anna could theorize about this later, but for now, the calm would need to be maintained.

When her head turned to face him again through the darkness, the expression she wore was a tired one, exhausted from a long shift, from the confrontation with the unsavories, and pushing through to make a point to him: She was a woman of conviction.

"Shot in the dark, maybe you know names. Sophia Lindberg. She deals, or at least did deal with hard drugs, hallucinogens. Tall, lanky, looks half dead most of the time, dark hair." 

_'Cute.'_ She held back her emotions.

"I don't even know if she deals around this parts anymore, if at all, but if she did, maybe you could tell me if you've caught.. Or at least run into her." She couldn't hold back much though, It was clear through the hesitation in her voice that this 'Sophia' was more than just a dealer. Sister? Partner? Friend? That much would be hard to tell by her voice alone.
Ricky
*Kurt takes a deep breath of his own, exhaling through the maw of his Breaker form and crossing his arms over his knees. He was lanky in his Breaker state, his limbs almost too long for his body, causing them to hang limply from the sides of his knees as he tried to relax himself.*

*Her world-weary look made him pause, cocking his head slightly. There was conviction in her actions, the drive to accomplish something. She clearly wanted information on Sophia Lindberg, whoever that was. She meant something to her, which justified her pushing through his secondary power. In a way, it was almost refreshing to see someone with a spine in this city... Too bad it was a Cape. Ordinary folks needed it more than them.*

"Lindberg doesn't ring a bell; sorry, kid. If she was dealing shit that makes you see shit, then I probably didn't stick my nose into her business. 'Half-dead' describes a lot of people around here, so that doesn't really help me. Like I said: I go after only the ones selling hard stuff who are harming others. Chances are your friend wasn't someone like that, so she didn't get a visit from me."

*He chuckles, shaking his head.* "Names... Funny thing, those. Suppose no one around here really knows my Cape name, huh? I'd say you being the first to know is an honor, but let's be honest: it's really not." *He sits up, clearing his throat.* "Creepy-Crawly. Bad name, I know. But that's who I am. I'm not very public for good reason, and I think other Capes should follow my example. No more fucking theatrics, no more God complexes, none of that shit. You called me a Batman of the slums, but I prefer being a bug-man. The shadows are where shit should get done... I'd rather have results than a comic book made about me."
Jonathan
Disappointing. The one person in all of the slums who might potentially know _something_. The name didn't even ring any fictional bells. _'Whatever'_ She bitterly mused, expression dropping some as the realization that this was yet another dead end. Then again, at least this wasn't something she was chasing actively, and it was more likely that Sophia had moved operations since they last met anyways. The Top Hats, her original goal. They still might know something.

When he chuckled, it piqued her interest. _"Creepy-Crawly"_ She muttered, unable to stop the smile crawling onto her face. Still his ideals did strike her as odd, and it got her thinking about it. The idea that capes shouldn't be stars on a world stage wasn't something she was against, in fact she sort of agreed with him, or would have if it weren't for a few problems with it that came to mind. Maybe more than a few, but, she didn't feel like picking apart what was clearly his simplified belief here.

Instead she turned away.

"Creepy-Crawly's a cute name, bad? Sure, but it sounds like maybe that was on purpose. You'll figure it out sooner or later so i'll disappoint you now. I am a public cape, Hero leaning I guess you could say, but at the end of the day I have A goal, and wearing a fancy costume and collaborating with others, helps further that goal. If it didn't, maybe I wouldn't even have a name, but I do. It's Andromeda. Like the galaxy. Annabelle, if you see me like this. " 

She stuffed her hands back in her pockets and walked for the turn. She stopped just short of it, and turned back with a curious look to give him. "Mm... Food for thought but, just because you think bug-man suits you better, Doesn't mean they don't still see you as a Dark knight. You'll inspire stories and comics all the same. If you don't make a name, or make what name you have known. They'll make one for you." 

Finally, she faced the exit of the alley and waved him off. "So long Crawly, Hope you come to my rescue again sometime. The talk was nice."
Ricky
*Kurt couldn't help but smile back when Annabelle smiled at his Cape name. It was dumb, but he hadn't intended to even have a name, let alone a reputation. It was nice to see that his name at least made the people he saved feel a little better.*

"I figured you were a public Cape, Andromeda. Almost all of them are. You're a Rogue, like me. I can respect Rogues, even if the word is stupid."

*As she starts to walk away, he goes back into the shadows, shifting out of Breaker form and letting his voice echo through the alleyway.* "A word of advice, Annabelle? Always be critical of what Capes see as normal. I was in one of the first waves from Gold Morning: a Hero annihilated the entire East Coast, the 'good guy' did that. When people who should have died from that came here, we followed the exact same mistakes as before. Protectorate became Vanguard, the public continued to see Heroes as our saviors and Villains as society's demons. Good versus evil... With innocents caught in-between."

*He chuckles, keeping his body out of eyeshot of Annabelle, better to keep even his civilian identity a secret to his fellow Cape.* "I was 5 years old when Behemoth leveled Moscow. A force of nature... And those foolish enough to chase it, with the lives of millions destroyed because of it. In that way... I hope I never have to rescue you, or anyone else, again. Because even when a person like us gets so much as involved? The stakes are raised, people get hurt, or worse." *He turns around, keeping to the shadows as he goes back to his lonely walk back to his apartment.* "Food for thought, for a smart girl like you."