Annie Hargreeves (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
defenderofdesmoines) wrote2021-04-30 11:38 am
defenderofdesmoines) wrote2021-04-30 11:38 am
Vought Tower | Late Friday Evening
Annie was brushing her teeth and trying to calm down after the adrenaline of the fight earlier -- it was a real shame Diego wasn't still here, honestly -- and it felt great. Maybe she could swing a visit to Fandom tomorrow? Or maybe she could...go out and do her own thing again, actually? She was feeling kind of brave after beating the shit out of those guys. It still felt really good to actually have done something.
At least, it felt good until Ashley came storming into her apartment, the door slamming out with the force of how hard she'd thrown it open.
"What the fuck, Starlight?"
...well, that wasn't good. Also, like, thank goodness Annie had discovered that Ashley was prone to just walking in now, rather than...oh, yesterday. Consider some mental, boyfriend-and-deadbolt-related notes being made.
"What?" Annie asked around her toothbrush, already getting the sense she was in trouble even before she spit.
Ashley wordlessly held up her phone as she crossed over to her. Her phone, which was playing security camera footage of Annie beating the hell out of those would-be rapists just a few hours earlier.
"...oh, shit," Annie said softly, looking up to meet Ashley's eye.
"Yeah. Oh, shit. And so glad you did it in plain clothes, so you could blow your secret identity," Ashley snapped, gesturing to her phone. She turned it around so she could read the comments on the video, calling out, "Oh-em-gee, I recognize Starlight! That's Annie January, I went to Hoover High with her, hashtag-she-was-bulimic."
And before Annie could respond, Ashley was in her face with a raised finger. "One: this was stupid. Two, it was really stupid to do it on camera. Always look for cameras!"
And Annie couldn't take getting scolded for this much longer. "They were about to rape a girl," she told Ashley in exasperation.
"What girl?" Ashley asked coolly. "There's no girl in that video. You get a name?"
"No, she ran off!" Annie said, because of course she had, she had narrowly avoided being raped by frat guys!
"Oh, great, she ran off, great. Always get a fucking name, Starlight!" Ashley yelled, pointing a finger at her chest accusingly. "Always."
"Wha...but they said -- hmmm." Annie struggled to find words, because those guys had known the girl, at least. "They said she was a friend. It was date rape, I think."
"Great, well, she hasn't come forward and statistically she's not likely to," Ashley told her. "So all we really have are two Delta Betas who insist they were just getting drunk in an alley until you beat them unconscious."
"They're lying." This was ridiculous. "Aren't I innocent until proven guilty?"
"When you're in the big leagues, you flip it." Ashley surveyed Annie in clear annoyance, nostrils flaring. "I don't know what you have planned for tomorrow, for your little, cute Saturday, but you're going to have to cancel everything, okay? You're gonna have meetings with Risk Assessment, with Crisis Management, with Legal. Jerry is going to lose his shit. Fuck!"
And it was just now occurring to Annie how deeply she might be in trouble. "Am...are they going to fire me?"
Goddammit. After everything she'd already been through?
"Just be in Stillwell's office at ten," Ashley told her, already impatiently walking away in a huff.
[taken from The Boys 1.02, 'Cherry,' and more warnings for referencing an attempted rape. This one's open for calls and texts, though!]
At least, it felt good until Ashley came storming into her apartment, the door slamming out with the force of how hard she'd thrown it open.
"What the fuck, Starlight?"
...well, that wasn't good. Also, like, thank goodness Annie had discovered that Ashley was prone to just walking in now, rather than...oh, yesterday. Consider some mental, boyfriend-and-deadbolt-related notes being made.
"What?" Annie asked around her toothbrush, already getting the sense she was in trouble even before she spit.
Ashley wordlessly held up her phone as she crossed over to her. Her phone, which was playing security camera footage of Annie beating the hell out of those would-be rapists just a few hours earlier.
"...oh, shit," Annie said softly, looking up to meet Ashley's eye.
"Yeah. Oh, shit. And so glad you did it in plain clothes, so you could blow your secret identity," Ashley snapped, gesturing to her phone. She turned it around so she could read the comments on the video, calling out, "Oh-em-gee, I recognize Starlight! That's Annie January, I went to Hoover High with her, hashtag-she-was-bulimic."
And before Annie could respond, Ashley was in her face with a raised finger. "One: this was stupid. Two, it was really stupid to do it on camera. Always look for cameras!"
And Annie couldn't take getting scolded for this much longer. "They were about to rape a girl," she told Ashley in exasperation.
"What girl?" Ashley asked coolly. "There's no girl in that video. You get a name?"
"No, she ran off!" Annie said, because of course she had, she had narrowly avoided being raped by frat guys!
"Oh, great, she ran off, great. Always get a fucking name, Starlight!" Ashley yelled, pointing a finger at her chest accusingly. "Always."
"Wha...but they said -- hmmm." Annie struggled to find words, because those guys had known the girl, at least. "They said she was a friend. It was date rape, I think."
"Great, well, she hasn't come forward and statistically she's not likely to," Ashley told her. "So all we really have are two Delta Betas who insist they were just getting drunk in an alley until you beat them unconscious."
"They're lying." This was ridiculous. "Aren't I innocent until proven guilty?"
"When you're in the big leagues, you flip it." Ashley surveyed Annie in clear annoyance, nostrils flaring. "I don't know what you have planned for tomorrow, for your little, cute Saturday, but you're going to have to cancel everything, okay? You're gonna have meetings with Risk Assessment, with Crisis Management, with Legal. Jerry is going to lose his shit. Fuck!"
And it was just now occurring to Annie how deeply she might be in trouble. "Am...are they going to fire me?"
Goddammit. After everything she'd already been through?
"Just be in Stillwell's office at ten," Ashley told her, already impatiently walking away in a huff.
[taken from The Boys 1.02, 'Cherry,' and more warnings for referencing an attempted rape. This one's open for calls and texts, though!]
no subject
But that narrative wasn't the reason why Jessica was texting.
Lucifer's not here and I can't get to Caritas. I'm drinking bourbon with raccoons. This is what I've resorted to.
Hi, Annie. How are you?
no subject
Goddammit, what had she sent Diego back into? (Not that he couldn't throw knives at monsters or creepy shit or whatever, but she'd kiiiind of thought that the portals opening back up meant things were cool now?
no subject
Way to bury the lead, Jessica.
no subject
And because Annie couldn't resist saying so -- and, honestly, Jessica seemed like she would probably like to hear about this, she added:
I saved a girl from some gross frat dudes earlier tonight. First real superheroing since I got here.✨
And now she might get fired, because she hadn't worn tulle while doing it.
no subject
Hey, Jessica had no idea what it was like in other dimensions for superheroes.
no subject
So it had probably been extra humiliating when Annie had thrown them through car windows and all, instead.
no axe body spray, thank god. idk if I could deal with smelling like overcompensation all weekend.
Hey now, Annie. In another universe, you would apparently be cool with dating a guy who used not only Axe but also children's shampoo.
no subject
no subject
It had ultimately been okay but ooooooof kind of a long week.
will probably try to make Summer's bar night? Right now, Tuesday to Wednesday was actually looking sort of doable.
You know, assuming that she still had a job and a schedule to even worry about. Might be even more doable, soon!