Quoted By:
<span class="mu-g">“He was no incorruptible superhero, but the work that he and his team did was still very important to the world’s survival and prosperity. Not many people know of this.”</span> she said with a smile. <span class="mu-g">“Do you remember the vampire that we killed together? Baron Blood?”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“How could I forget?”</span> you said, glad that your mask could hide the flush in your cheeks. That night was magical in more ways than one.
Anastasia’s grin turned mischievous for only a moment, before it went back to being wistful. <span class="mu-g">”My father and his team fought the Axis Powers during the war, and Baron Blood was among the enemies that he slew personally. It was a different man under the costume, but I still took some pride in bringing down the man that thought it wise to carry on the mantle. Like I was doing my family a service.”</span> she admitted, sounding a bit embarrassed. <span class="mu-g">“It’s childish, I know.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“No!”</span> you said a little too quickly and a little too loudly. <span class="mu-r">“No, I don’t think so. It’s kind of sweet.”</span>
The smile she gave you was warmer than anything that you’d ever received from her. It caused your skin to tingle and your heart to skip a beat. You basked in the warmth of the moment for a few minutes longer, before Anastasia continued.
<span class="mu-g">“Sometime after that, my father met my mother at a social gathering. He was loudly bragging about all of his great conquests and the trophies he’d collected. My mother thought him a blowhard and a fraud, so she walked up to him, and threw her drink in his face.”</span> she said, snickering to herself. <span class="mu-g">“When my father caught up to her and explained that everything he said had been true, she apologized, and the two became close friends.”</span>
<span class="mu-r">“And then they became something more?”</span> you added.
She nodded. <span class="mu-g">“My mother’s family was incredibly wealthy as well, and with their combined forces, the Kravinoff family became something truly great and respectable!”</span> she declared.
Anastasia sounded like she really loved her family. She was proud of who she was, and what they did. It was her whole life. But you felt like she was unsure of where she stood with her father. She didn’t know whether he thought her worthy of walking in his footsteps. Of being a <span class="mu-s">true</span> Kravinoff.
Before either of you got a chance to say anything more, Peter made a truly horrid noise that cut through any and all conversation. It was like a strangled rooster got thrown into a woodchipper. The worst part about it was you knew exactly how good of an impressionist Pan was, so the fact that he’d made that sound on purpose filled you with more than a little annoyance.
But as you stepped into the clearing that he flew through, you quickly understood why.
(Cont.)