It was an otherwise typical night in Paragon City. Despite the usual noise of gunfire, alarms, or screams, it could have almost have been considered a nice evening. The man known to most as Dissonance, stared out from the back alley of Melodies, into Galaxy City's vista. Needing fresh air from the confines of the night club's smokey and congested environment, he sighed at the gentle crisp autumn breeze that wafted its way through the alleyway he now stood in. Leaning back against the brick wall beside the club's rear entrance, he carefully pulled a cigarette out from his coat's pocket and lit it up. He took a long drag off the cylinder of nictotine and exhaled. I really should quit. Before he could take a second drag, the door beside him opened, and Mynn stepped out to join him.
She wore a look of disappointment like a veil across her face, but didn't say anything as she pulled her own cigarette from her jacket and ignited it. Her green-grey eyes searched his own olive eyes for answers before she even asked a question.
"Why didn't you invite me out with you?" She finally asked.
Flicking the loose ashes from his smoke, he flashed an impish grin before responding in a sarcastic tone. "I came out here to get away from you, that's why?"
She was unamused. He thought a little better of his answer. "I just wanted to get outside, away from the people for a little while."
She smiled. "I know. It is a little weird in there."
A little weird wasn't the half of it. It was always hard to adjust from the superhero personas. One minute acting like you're just a man who played a show infront of an audience of a hundred or more people, from a man who just battled the Pantheon and Circle of Thorns the night before. It was a little awkward at times. Yet, in the heart of it, there was always the music to keep everything in order. Playing his guitar on stage, and using his powers of sound control to customize and manipulate it, was the best thing to return his focus to who he was. The Dana Clow that was at the nightclub of Melodies, was different from the man who takes the monicker of Dissonance when the chips hit the floor.
He always wondered if the same went for his girlfriend and musical partner Mynn. Taking the nickname she had as a child for her hero persona, was logical for her. It brought her comfort and a familiarity to who she was as a person. Her powers of vocal blasts, and her manipulation of dark energy, she was every bit the Siren, every bit the diva. Jennifer McLenaghan acted as rationally and logically as she would in her everyday life, as she did when facing off against villains. He did not. Cool and rational when dealing with his normal existence, hotheaded and foolhardy at times in costumed battle. It was always a struggle to seperate who he was. He wanted so hard to be the hero constantly. In the end, he knew how disturbing his everyday life would get. Privacy was always an issue with him.
"Are you just going to stand out here all night?" Jen asked him. Jen, not Mynn.
He exhaled the smoke from his lungs, and butted out the cigarette in his hands. I really should quit.
"I'll be in in a little while." He responded. "I just want to clear my thoughts, maybe have another smoke." I really have to quit.
"Alright, don't be out here too long." She said before closing the door behind her.
Shaking off the cacophony of thoughts that ran rampant in his head, his ears perked to a nearby cry for help. Standing straight again, he stepped away from the wall he was leaning on and made his way to help. His heart raced as it usually did when confronted with the thought of fighting for the endangered citizens of Paragon. The music of the club died in his ears, and only the pounding of his heart could be heard as he darted down the the alleyway to face whatever lurked at its end.
It was an otherwise typical night in Paragon City. Despite the usual noise of gunfire, alarms, or screams, it could have almost have been considered a nice evening. The man known to most as Dissonance, stared out from the back alley of Melodies, into Galaxy City's vista. Needing fresh air from the confines of the night club's smokey and congested environment, he sighed at the gentle crisp autumn breeze that wafted its way through the alleyway he now stood in. Leaning back against the brick wall beside the club's rear entrance, he carefully pulled a cigarette out from his coat's pocket and lit it up. He took a long drag off the cylinder of nictotine and exhaled. I really should quit. Before he could take a second drag, the door beside him opened, and Mynn stepped out to join him.
She wore a look of disappointment like a veil across her face, but didn't say anything as she pulled her own cigarette from her jacket and ignited it. Her green-grey eyes searched his own olive eyes for answers before she even asked a question.
"Why didn't you invite me out with you?" She finally asked.
Flicking the loose ashes from his smoke, he flashed an impish grin before responding in a sarcastic tone. "I came out here to get away from you, that's why?"
She was unamused. He thought a little better of his answer. "I just wanted to get outside, away from the people for a little while."
She smiled. "I know. It is a little weird in there."
A little weird wasn't the half of it. It was always hard to adjust from the superhero personas. One minute acting like you're just a man who played a show infront of an audience of a hundred or more people, from a man who just battled the Pantheon and Circle of Thorns the night before. It was a little awkward at times. Yet, in the heart of it, there was always the music to keep everything in order. Playing his guitar on stage, and using his powers of sound control to customize and manipulate it, was the best thing to return his focus to who he was. The Dana Clow that was at the nightclub of Melodies, was different from the man who takes the monicker of Dissonance when the chips hit the floor.
He always wondered if the same went for his girlfriend and musical partner Mynn. Taking the nickname she had as a child for her hero persona, was logical for her. It brought her comfort and a familiarity to who she was as a person. Her powers of vocal blasts, and her manipulation of dark energy, she was every bit the Siren, every bit the diva. Jennifer McLenaghan acted as rationally and logically as she would in her everyday life, as she did when facing off against villains. He did not. Cool and rational when dealing with his normal existence, hotheaded and foolhardy at times in costumed battle. It was always a struggle to seperate who he was. He wanted so hard to be the hero constantly. In the end, he knew how disturbing his everyday life would get. Privacy was always an issue with him.
"Are you just going to stand out here all night?" Jen asked him. Jen, not Mynn.
He exhaled the smoke from his lungs, and butted out the cigarette in his hands. I really should quit.
"I'll be in in a little while." He responded. "I just want to clear my thoughts, maybe have another smoke." I really have to quit.
"Alright, don't be out here too long." She said before closing the door behind her.
Shaking off the cacophony of thoughts that ran rampant in his head, his ears perked to a nearby cry for help. Standing straight again, he stepped away from the wall he was leaning on and made his way to help. His heart raced as it usually did when confronted with the thought of fighting for the endangered citizens of Paragon. The music of the club died in his ears, and only the pounding of his heart could be heard as he darted down the the alleyway to face whatever lurked at its end.
To be continued....