making a difference

[chuju]

atom smasher + quake

"It's about making a difference. About saving people's lives."
"Being different can mean making a difference."

Comments

[grower]

[ At his core, Al is a fanboy. While the original JSA held the majority of his interest, he wasn't blind to other superheroes and vigilantes through the years. His childhood bedroom can attest to that, littered with posters, collectables, and any other merchandise he could get his hands on at the time. Hell, his current apartment proves that he hasn't grown out of that mindset— however, it's a little more subtle, as long as you don't go digging through closets and other storage spaces.

Don't get it wrong, though, he's not ashamed. Give him the chance, and he'll likely talk anyone's ear off about Hawkman, Dr. Fate, The Original Atom Smasher ( who just so happens to be his uncle ), Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash... honestly, the list could go on.

The point is... since Quake began making a name for herself, appearing all across the country, Al and the rest of the world took notice. In essence, it does give him an in. A way to complete his mission. It's kind of shady when you look too closely, but Al is none the wiser. All he knows is that the leader of the JSA is interested in her for one reason or another.

There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

His hand sort of just stays there, in the air, for a solid ten seconds. Like he doesn't really know what to do with himself. At the very least, the eyes of his mask are quite expressive, easily conveying his surprise. ] —Atom Smasher. [ He finally blurts out with a light shrug, idly shifting from one foot to the other. ] Or just Smasher. Some people call me that too.

Gotta say, I'm a huge fan.

[chuju]

[ Being a fan of superheroes is something Daisy understands all too well. As each new Avenger had appeared on the scene, she'd spent countless hours researching everything she could about the heroes. She'd even cosplayed outside Stark Tower with a whole crowd of other fangirls. (Once, it had been one time.) But then she'd become one of the heroes and learned just how hard that life can be. How lonely and dangerous... She envies the ones who can manage to hold onto that childlike wonder and secretly hopes that one day she might be able to get it back.

As the seconds tick by, she starts to wonder if her gut is wrong and this guy is an awkward fan just trying to figure out how to approach her. She's about to prod him a little more when he answers.

Smasher. Is he— No, he's definitely serious. It takes a whole lot of willpower for Daisy to hold back the laughter that threatens to bubble out of her. She really wants to make a Hulk joke (like, really really), and it's extremely unfair that no one in this universe would have any idea what she's talking about.

So this actually is a fanboy talk. That's fine. She can do this. ]

Thanks, Smasher. [ Okay, so she can't entirely hide her amusement at the name. It at least shouldn't come off as cruel or dismissive. ] I appreciate that. Is there something I can do for you?

[grower]

[ The amusement in her tone doesn't phase him in the slightest, as far as he can tell, there's nothing to suggest that he should take offense. But if he had to hazard a guess, well, she is fairly new on the scene, and maybe she's not used to the attention. In all honesty, Al hasn't experienced a one-on-one encounter like this, but he's sure he'd probably react in a very similar fashion.

Or so he likes to think. There's a very real chance that his own excitement would overtake any subtleties he could try to muster. ]

Yeah, no— [ He rubs at the back of his neck, taking another step or two toward her. ] Have you... ever thought about teaming up with others, or...? [ Oh okay, he's just gonna... go straight for the sales pitch, is that what he's doing here? That tracks. He basically tried to recruit Teth-Adam... or rather, Black Adam, as he goes by now, apparently. ]

I mean, I get the whole solo thing. [ He doesn't, actually. Maybe if he had more practice under his belt— then again, he's the kind of guy that thrives on teamwork. ] Kinda. But it's nice having someone watch your back, you know?

[chuju]

[ It's pretty rare for Daisy to be really surprised by something these days. Between aliens and time travel and parallel worlds, there's just not much that catches her off guard anymore. But this? Yeah, she's surprised, and there's no keeping it off her face. ]

You know, that's honestly not where I thought this conversation was going... [ Her voice trails off for a moment, then she shakes her head with a frown. ] But okay, I'm with you now.

[ Sort of. Maybe. Is he asking her to team up with him or... Is he part of a team? She has a million questions, of course, but none of them are likely to lead her to give him a different answer. Teams aren't in the cards for her. Not here. Her team is back home waiting for her; she doesn't need to make connections here that will just be painful to leave later. Because she is leaving this universe, whatever it takes.

So she shrugs and apologizes with actual sincerity. ] Sorry, I'm not interested, but thanks for the invite.