Chapter 199: Once a Hero...
"...Just like that?"
"Yup."
"And everyone seems fine with it..."
"That's right." Dina answered, applying lip balm as she stared out into the ocean under a beach umbrella with Eve sitting next to her staring out as well with another vacant expression.
"Nobody's questioning my motive?" Eve asked and Dina sighed and looked over at her.
"Then do you have ulterior motives, Eve?" Dina peered above her sunglasses at her , and the girl stared at the sand at her feet and rested her chin on her knees, taling inbthe cold ocean air with a deep sigh.
"I don't, but how can you just trust someone you don't know?"
"I never said I trusted you." Dina smiled and went back to relaxing.
"I don't have to trust you to be friends, in fact I think the best friendships are the ones where you don't trust each other, it means you have a complete understanding of the other person and they understand you as well, relationships are built on trust, friendships are built on mutual benefit." She clarified how she viewed their new friendship.
"Then, what benefit does having me as a friend bring to you who has everything?" Eve asked and watched Dina sit forward and think about it.
"Well, I have a family that I love and cherish, but Usami has been my only friend for as long as I can remember, she's a mom now and we don't see each other outside of our duties, so, your friendship is the benefit of our friendship for me, just having you being my friend is enough." She picked up a fistfull of sand and threw it out against the shore.
"And you're wrong about not knowing anything about you, it wasn't intentional towards you but I'd run background checks on the first day, every new person I see, I want to know if they'll be a problem in the future, we are the world's largest and most influential security group after all, I can't be in an environment where I can't focus on my studies."
"Background checks on everyone, as in for the entire college?"
"That's right."
"So, you already have a job?" Eve furrowed her brows. "Why bother finishing college then?"
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"Well, aside from work I wanted to have a little fun doing normal things and having friends for a change, it's not guaranteed whether we live or die tomorrow, I've already had near-death encounters on many occasions and I've made peace with dying at any given time because of my profession... I'll be right back."
"Huh-"
"Help!" A woman screamed out catching the attention of everyone in that area as she jumped urgently and pointed out in her water. "Someone please help, I can't swim!" She leapt and gestured again to a little boy drowning out in the ocean.
Before Eve could even react Dina was halfway to the shore, and already there waiting for her waist deep in the water was Sol with his back slightly inclined and his shoulder stiff in a punting motion as he balled his fists and pressed his hands together.
Coming to a halt before Dina was Usami who went on her knees in the water providing a foothold that wouldn't slow her down as she skipped across her back with her right and landed on Sol's punt with her left while he made a show of grunting and arched himself, sending her flying over his head almost eight metres out into the water where she landed close to the little boy and dived beneath the surface.
"Holy shit!" The lifeguard that was about to rush into the water hit her brakes at the shore in shock when Dina came from underneath the child and raised him but his armpits while Sol swam out to meet them, taking the kids from her and putting him onnhis shoulders as he and Dina swam back to the sandy shores, awaited by a crowd of onlookers and phone cameras pointed at them.
Placing the boy to sit in the sand Sol took a seat before him and riffled his hair while the crowd gathered closer, there a moment later was Arla and Ikaris followed by Eve and Uriyu while the three who took action first gathered together just as the boy was tackled in a hug by his mother and the lifeguard pushed through the crowds and started checking on him.
"Once a hero." Sol flashed his hair and raised Dina's hair from her face smiling proudly at her.
"Always a hero." Ikaris came through and took their hands. "That was spectacular, even with mundane skills you three shine as the heroes you were meant to be."
"Agreed." Arla slapped Usami's shoulder playfully. "That was some fine hearing, it is good seeing you in action again, Spear maiden."
"Holy shit are you even human?" Eve snapped at Sol and Dina. "I've never seen anyone get tossed like that before, and you made a perfect dive in such a hectic situation!" She exclaimed overexcited.
"That's because-" Sol leaned and scooped up both Arla and Dina, casing them to help from shock after he hefted them onto his arms and flexed, easily supporting their weights per hand, and then smiling at Ikaris who laughed at his playfulness. "-I'm strong!" Sol spun with them causing them to hold on to his head as they took began laughing.
For the sake of simplicity their sigils were mostly hidden, but Eve who was finally seeing them all together noticed the collar sigils around the three of their necks and the ones that rested just beneath those.
"Matching tattoos too?" She mused as she watched Sol dance and the crowds get her even more.
"Dear, let us eat, the children are getting hungry." Ikaris looked at the little girl holding her hand and smiled, ruffling her hair.
"Let's!" Sol put down his two lovers and rested his arms on his wife's shoulders leading her through the crowd who gave them room to pass because of the army of kids protecting Ikaris from all sides.
"Come on." Dina laughed and gestured to Eve when Sara brought everyone's belongings and gestured for her as well.
***
The rest of the day was without incident, and after each parent had collected their child from Ikaris the group left the beach and headed to their private villa overlooking the ocean by the side of a cliff.
"I still can't believe how strong he is." Eve mumbled watching Sol mess around and throw Arla into the infinity pool on the roof causing the woman to scream out from the sudden shock before creating a big splash.
"Effortlessly strong." Uriyu hummed, drinking a cold beverage as he sat behind the bar. "We didn't get to talk today because you were so caught in everyone else's charm." He smiled at her. "I'm Uriyu, Usami's younger brother, and you are... Eve, correct?" He smiled at her.
"Yes, it's nice officially meeting you, Uriyu... you don't look like her younger brother, in fact you look a little older than she does." Eve scanned him from head to hip behind the counter.
"That's because my sister is blessed with incredible youth, she's past thirty but she doesn't look a day over eighteen." He huffed pinching she skin of his cheek while Eve looked at Usami playing with Gia.
"They're all so incredible, I've never seen a a group like this before, they run a giant organisation together, and they still manage to be a loving family, nobody fights and it's just... Love everytime I look at them."
"That's all thanks to Uncle Sol." Uriyu chuckled. "They pretty much solved the world's problems when he formed that organisation, he even got a bunch of government leaders to sign non-aggression, I don't know what his pitch was but he really is an amazing guy."
"Solved?" Eve looked at him curiously.
"Well if you're hanging out with Aunt Dina you'll find out eventually, but the abolishment and disappearance of the Atlas organisation six months ago was all thanks to their efforts, when I say solved I really mean it, amazing doesn't describe them properly at all.
"Seriously?"
"Insane right, they're real life heroes and nobody even knows it."
"And we would like to keep the anonymity for the sake of living in peace." Ikaris approached from the downstairs and sat next to Eve in a large chair with Sara accompanying her and handing her something to chew on while she watched the others play around.
"Of course, the things I've seen and heard today make me feel like I've been let in on some huge secret, I wouldn't tell a soul." Eve chuckled.
"Thank you."
"But what about all those people who took pictures and videos of the beach incident?"
"Our friend already took care of that, there is a reason despite doing such public things you have never seen any of our faces on the internet and have instead just read articles and newsletters, some might call it a conspiracy, others will say it is manipulation, but my husband does not want the public eye to disturb our sanctuary." Ikaris answered, making mention of he fact that Alpha was always monitoring everything everywhere all at once, she was true omnipresence."