Rose-Colored and Jaded

Chapter 1-

An UNCONVENTIONAL Encounter;

A Mysterious Woman Appears

Early morning light filtered between thin, cheap curtains, the hum of the AC unit under the window filling the empty space. A single bed occupied the room, along with the meager furnishings of a desk, TV, and stand, and a couple of night tables. Covered in the sheets, a young man in his late teens, dishwater-blonde hair matted to the pillow as he snored away.

The dim glow of the rising sun was halted abruptly by the piercing light of a fluorescent bulb springing to life from under the bathroom door. A shadow could be seen through the crack where the wooden door stopped, and the floor began. It swayed back and forth as the person inside clattered something loud into the bathroom sink. Next came the sound of something hitting the floor, followed by a hushed, “Fuck.” The figure inside scrambled to collect its belongings from the linoleum floor, then continued to rummage around noisily for an extended period of time.

This continued for well over an hour, the young man simply slumbering away before a loud, chaotic rhythm suddenly filled the room. A low groan billowed from the blond, his hand reaching out and slapping around on the end table, searching for the unseemly noise. Unfortunately, he extended a little too far and knocked his phone onto the floor, a loud thud joining the alarm. “Fuck,” he muttered, sitting up on the bed as he threw the sheets away. He sat for several moments in his shorts before he took a moment to glance at his still screaming cellphone. He grunted and reached out with a toe, turning the alarm off. With the sound deceased, he leaned forward and scooped up the device, using the momentum to stumble out of bed.

His back arched as he yawned, scratching his stomach as he thumped towards the bathroom. His head hit the door first, hand knocking soon after. “Peeeggyyy,” he moaned loudly, forehead still pressed on the door. “You in there?”

The closer to the bathroom door he got, the easier it was to make out what the person inside was saying. “-gonna throw this eyeliner outta third story window!” She grumbled. Swiftly, she chucked the little bottle of black liquid into the sink and huffed. After a moment of contemplating how to murder a makeup product, she finally noticed the voice on the other side of the bathroom door. “Yeah, babe, I’m in here-” She called out, reaching over to pull the door open. “You gotta piss?”

“Just checking on you,” he answered, scratching at his chin. “Everything okay in there?”

She glanced back at the sink to shoot the glorified eye paint a death glare before opening the door. “Yeah, just gotta stop by the hardware store on the way home from the convention.” She smiled at him as she stepped out of the bathroom. “I’ve gotta fit my eyeliner for a pair of cement shoes…” She was already in her costume, ready for their trip. She adjusted her bright yellow skirt, then tucked a piece of orange and silver hair behind her ear. “So, whaddaya think? Look okay?” She twirled in place, then posed with her hands on her hips.

Green eyes traveled up and down her form, taking in her costume. The loose, white blouse, tied together at the neck with a lovely blue bow, thigh-length goldenrod skirt, blue stockings to match the bow, and chocolate brown flats. A small smile grew on his face. “Beautiful as ever,” he complimented, eyes lingering for a moment before meeting her gaze.

The newest accompaniment to her ensemble was her flushed cheeks. She nervously gripped the edges of her skirt, avoiding eye contact with him. “W-well, thank you for saying so…” Her flat heels clicked against the floor as she turned her back to him and walked towards the bed to sit. “I worked real hard to look this way…”

“And it certainly shows,” he replied, still smiling as he walked over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. He gave a little chuckle at her blush before he turned and started on his way to the bathroom. “Now it’s my turn.” He grabbed a large duffel bag as he went, the sides slumping without any form of support. He turned and flashed a little grin before closing the door. There was a bit of a commotion as he began to get ready, a bit of hushed singing accompanying it.

She flopped onto the bed, her hand pressed firmly against the cheek that he had kissed. She leaned back against the headboard, her arms crossed in front of her. One quick button press and the cheap television clicked on. Her brows furrowed as she contemplated their interaction. “He always makes my heart pump like crazy…” She mumbled to herself, then smiled. “Derrick, you’re such a good person…” She glanced at the closed bathroom door, then focused on the TV once more.

About twenty minutes passed before the door opened up again, the light casting a shadow into the room. “Whattaya think?” Derrick asked, widening his arm as he held a helmet under the other.

Peggy sprung up from the bed to look him up and down. A colorful coat collar, sharp, metallic shoulder armor spilling clean-cut rainbow lines of sewn fabric across his chest, then down to the middle of his shins and out along the bottom edge of the white trench coat. Each arm was adorned with a silver band around the bicep and silver and blue bracers around the forearm. Under the coat was a white and silver full-body suit tucked neatly into a pair of two-toned silver leg bracers and a pair of white boots. The whole costume was held together by a silver belt with an electric blue morpher as the buckle. The helmet shared the outfit’s color scheme of white with rainbow lines, the colors cascading from around the visor and out around the back of the helmet. Two sharp, white accents stuck out from the forehead of the helmet, not unlike the pincers on a beetle, held together in the middle with a gold, shield-shaped emblem. “Well, now, don’t I just feel underdressed?” She finally spoke, now circling him like a vulture. “You’re a real pretty sight, Derry.” She stopped in front of him. Her whole body leaned forward as she pressed her lips to his cheek to return the romantic gesture from earlier. “So many folks are gonna wanna take a picture with ya.”

"People'll want just as many with you," he beamed, his cheeks tinting a bit at the edges of his grin. "At least the true fans. Might've drawn in a few more stares if you'd gone all out."

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” She crossed her arms, leaning back onto her heels. “I just didn’t feel like drawin’ that much attention to myself…” She glanced down at her outfit, frowning. “Though I regret it a bit now.” A smile that wasn’t entirely happy spread across her face. It turned into a grimace as she held the bow on her chest. “Damn thing woulda been better if the broach I ordered hadn’t been trashed in the mail.”

The young man's smile took a small hit at that, a frown starting to form. "I'm sorry, babe," he consoled, a lot of the previous energy leaving his voice. He reached out and gently rubbed her shoulders.

A few seconds passed before his eyes lit up again. "But, hey, who knows," he said, a little cheer returning to his tone. "Maybe we'll get lucky and find a stall that's got one!"

Peggy couldn’t help but giggle a little, her warm brown eyes meeting his in an intense gaze. “Oh, Derry, you always know just what to say to cheer me up. I don’t know what I’d do without ya...probably punch a wall…” She grinned wide, then plopped down on the bed. She grabbed a small, brown backpack adorned with several blue and yellow bows to tie in the colors from her costume. With one swift motion, she pulled open the flap and unzipped the main pocket. Inside was a sewing kit, a couple of snacks, a large journal, a few haphazardly scattered pencils, and-

“Tada!” She reached into the bag and pulled out two round canteens. The first was silver and white with a strap made using the leftover rainbow fabric from Derrick’s costume. The second was silver and blue with a yellow strap and several yellow bows and blue rhinestones. In a flourish, she tossed the metal container that matched his outfit to him.

Derrick caught the container with practiced ease. “Water these for?” He asked, smirking as he managed to slip his pun into his question.

Peggy snorted, nearly dropping her canteen. “Oh hardy har, Mr. Comedian. You’re hilarious.” She unscrewed the lid of her canteen, then took a large drink from it. “Joke’s on you, mine is full of lemonade.”

The blond raised an eyebrow, shooting a glance at his canteen before unscrewing the lid and taking an experimental sip. Surprise sparked in his mind as the sweet, smooth, and tangy flavor of blue Dominade washed over his tongue. “Oh, wow,” he breathed, taking a moment to lick his upper lip clean. “You really did think of everything.”

Peggy nodded, then closed her canteen. “I like to be prepared for every eventuality. What if the bus drops us off in Arizona, and we’ve got nothing to drink?” She stuffed her belongings back into her bag as she contemplated. “Well, I mean, I think we’d notice if the damn thing drove us several hours outta our way, but you know what I mean.” Two chocolate brown shoes tapped onto the floor as she stood, slinging the bag over one shoulder. “Can’t ever be too prepared.”

“Amen to that,” he agreed, picking his backpack off the floor and depositing his helmet and canteen inside. He threw the strap across his back and went over to the end table, picking his phone up and moving his coat out of the way to reveal the rest of his belt. He moved his arm to his back and stuffed it in a small pouch, adding it to a cylinder with a handle and some sort of rectangular grip. “You ready to go?”

“Sure, lemme just-” She strode quickly to the bathroom to gather her makeup from the sink. She stuffed all of it into her bag, then zipped it back up and walked out to stand beside Derrick. “There, now I’m ready, dear.”

A slight chuckle escaped him as he watched her. “Let’s go, then,” he said, starting towards the door. “That bus isn’t going to wait for us.”

“Remind me to sell a kidney when this is all over,” Peggy grumbled to Derrick under her breath as she tried to disappear into the side of the bus. She pressed her cheek against the window, her eyes watching as the yellow dashed lines on the road flew by. “I’m gonna get a damn car if it kills me.” The bridge of her nose crinkled as a stench worse than death invaded her senses. “Which one of these assholes had beans for lunch?” She whispered, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Try to relax, Peggy,” her boyfriend replied, eyes drifting to look around at the other passengers. “It’s just a twenty-minute trip, and we’ll be at the convention hall. And by the time we have to ride it again, no one will be on.”

“It’ll be the longest twenty minutes of my life in the meantime.” She huffed, then reached over to lace their fingers together. “These folks are lucky you’re here to keep me on my leash.”

“Something tells me I wouldn’t be able to do much if you actually wanted to do something,” he murmured, eyes lingering on one of the other passengers before moving on. As he did, the bus began to slow down, pulling towards the sidewalk where he could see another bus stop, a single person waiting on the bench. The vehicle lurched to a halt, the sound of the air brakes screeching before the door opened. Derrick watched as the person, a woman somewhere in her early to mid-forties, walked up the steps, quickly diverting his gaze as she turned down the aisle.

He tried to keep his eyes on the seat in front of him as the lady passed, looked further down the seats, and took the seat next to them, drawing a small satchel up to her body. The doors closed, and the air brakes screamed once more before the bus began to roll again, reentering traffic. Several moments passed, and Derrick once again looked up, continuing his silent vigil. At least until he and the woman made eye contact with one another. The auburn-haired woman gave a little smile, lifting a hand to wave.

“Hiya,” she greeted a kind, warm tone to her voice. “You two wouldn’t happen to be heading to Jabada Plaza for the convention?”

The young man only hesitated a moment before flashing his own smile. “Yeah, actually,” he answered, keeping his voice friendly. “Are you going, too?”

The woman nodded, adjusting her bag. “Indeed I am,” she answered, turning shining eyes back on him. “I’m actually a vendor. Hoping to get some sales this year.”

“Oh, really?” Derrick questioned, turning a bit to face the woman better. “What kind of stuff are you selling?”

“Oh, just some little knick-knacks,” she replied, her smile seeming to widen at his curiosity.

Peggy grimaced, her eyes still laser-focused on the road. Ugh, she’s trying to sell us some shit. Just let Derrick handle it, Peggy. Act like you don’t hear her, and everything will be fine. At this point, she looked as though her body was, and always had been, part of the side of the bus. She put the straps of her backpack over her arms backward, wearing the bag across her chest.

Meanwhile, Derrick and the vendor continued their conversation, the pair seeming to get more excited the longer they went on. “So, how many cons have you attended?” The young man asked, his curious nature getting the better of him.

“Ah, well,” she started to answer, looking away for a moment and shifting in her seat. “I haven’t been to a convention in many, many years.”

“Why not?”

The woman’s face darkened a bit at that, turning away from him as she frowned. “Well…” she started slowly before letting out a sigh. “Family came first for those years, and I let my… hobby fall to the wayside.” She stopped there, falling quiet for several moments before clearing her throat. “But, well, the kids have gone off, and my husband… well, we aren’t together anymore.”

“Oh…” the young man answered, his smile fading away as he awkwardly looked elsewhere. “I’m sorry….”

A light, mirthless chuckle echoed from the lady. “No need,” she assured, looking up and flashing a smile. “My sons and daughter are well on their way to happy lives.”

Peggy clenched her fists, caught somewhere between anger and sympathy. She didn’t want to feel bad for the woman, but part of her couldn’t help it. If her husband had been anything like Derrick, then Peggy could only imagine how hard it must have been for her to be without him. In her head, she ran circles around many different scenarios, finally settling on the belief that the woman must be lying to them in an attempt to get them to buy her wares. She inhaled, then sighed, her hands relaxing. Well, at least I don’t have much money with me. I can always say that I can’t afford her little knick-knacks.

Derrick and the woman continued to talk, going over the materials of his suit, different cosplays the woman had seen during her time as a vendor, and other miscellaneous topics, all while Peggy stewed. It wasn’t until the bus began to slow down, horns honking all around them, that any semblance of an end started to come to their conversation. The woman started to trail off, eyes darting outside of the bus while Derrick was speaking, her gaze starting to become distracted. As the bus began to pull into the far right lane, the woman’s gaze seemed to graduate from distracted to actual worry.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she apologized, turning to Derrick for a moment and holding a palm out towards his leg. “Could you give me a moment?”

“Oh, uh,” the blond answered, blinking a moment before grinning. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”

She nodded with tight lips before turning to her satchel, digging around inside of it. After a second, she pulled a little piece of paper out of it, reading from it while glancing up and out the windows. But it was what she started murmuring that started to catch the young man’s attention. “Eight-ten, left the hotel…. Eight-fifteen, get on bus…. Bus leaves main traffic and enters rightmost lane…. Eight-twenty-three, bus turns and….” She stopped and looked up, her lips drawn into a tight line.

Peggy perked up when the woman started listing off times. She ran through their day in her head, realizing that 8:10 was when she and Derrick left their hotel. 8:15 was when their bus pulled up to the bus stop. She quickly slipped her hand into her skirt pocket, pulling out her phone. With a quick press, the screen lit up, revealing that the time was now 8:21. Her whole body froze. She swallowed hard, a cold sweat forming on her brow. She shot a concerned look at Derrick, holding out her phone for him to see.

His green eyes glanced for a moment, his frown and a nod letting her know that he understood. He cautiously looked back to the woman, finding her staring out the front window. “Um, is everything alright?”

The woman didn’t answer at first, her posture tense and her features unmoving. “...No,” she finally muttered, her eyes narrowing further.

Derrick’s brows dropped, following her gaze to the front of the bus. The driver was visibly upset, pounding on his wheel and screaming, occasionally sticking his head out the window to yell while the passengers nearest him looked highly unsettled. “What’s going on up there?”

“The driver is about to meltdown,” the woman answered, eyes locked on him and the traffic outside. “Soon, his anger will get the best of him, and he’ll try to drive around three vehicles at a standstill. When he tries to turn, another bus, which has lost its brakes, will ram ours, pushing us into that building,” she nodded to the building beside them, a mass of glass and concrete held up by thin concrete pillars, “collapsing the front half, crushing many of the remaining passengers that did not die on impact with the other bus.”

Peggy felt her stomach drop, her face losing all color. She shoved her phone back into her pocket, her brows furrowing. She grit her teeth, making direct eye contact with the woman. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “How do you know? Don’t try to tell me you’re psychic.” She leaned over Derrick’s legs, then poked aggressively at the woman’s shoulder. “How do we know that you haven’t been following us this whole time? What kind of fuckin’ game are you playing, lady?”

“The most dangerous kind.” The woman’s answer was stated as absolute fact, the vendor turning her deep blue eyes on Peggy, swirling vortexes appearing for just a moment before seeming to fade away. “In less than sixty seconds, we will all die.”

Peggy felt her eyes start to water, pulling away from the woman. She glanced out the window of the bus, then flinched when she heard the driver shout again. She gripped one of Derrick’s hands, her brown eyes locked on his as she felt panic wash over her. “Then what the fuck are we supposed to do?” She asked the woman, her voice cracking as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

“You need to trust me,” the woman answered, turning to face them properly as she set her bag on the floor, flipping it open completely to reveal many small, shimmering objects. “Take these.” From her bag, she pulled two trinkets. She held a small red device that looked like an old school tape with an image of a phoenix set off to one side in her left hand. In her right, a broach in the shape of a sunflower seed with gold, looped accents on the sides.

Derrick’s confusion only grew further as he looked at the objects. “How is a Beast Tape supposed to-”

“Thirty seconds.”

“Done!” The spandex-clad teen snatched up the small item, a small tingle running up his fingers.

The woman nodded and turned to Peggy. “Your turn, girl,” she intoned, once again turning her eyes on her. “Take the broach.”

Peggy’s eyes darted from the woman to Derrick, then to the broach. “What if you’re lying to us? How do we know that this isn’t all some elaborate trick? I-” The whole bus lurched as the driver cut a car in the adjoining lane off. Their time was growing short. She looked to Derrick, her hands moving from their place in her lap to hold his face. She pressed a fearful kiss to his lips, her eyes closing. When they parted, she looked to the woman again, her mind racing.

“Fifteen seconds!” The woman announced, fear and worry replacing the calm, omnipotent tone she’d had before. “You’re running out of time!”

Peggy stole one last glance out the front of the bus, watching as the driver careened around three cars and barrelled towards the intersection. She tried her best to dry her eyes, then took a deep breath as she quickly snatched up the broach. When a small tingle ran up her fingers, she dropped the trinket. She caught it as it fell, gripping onto the jewelry so hard that her knuckles turned white.

“Be safe,” the woman intoned, raising her hand as if to push them forward. “And live well.” Before either could contemplate the sentence, they felt their seat fall out from under them. The pair found themselves falling into a void, darkness surrounding them as the hole in space grew smaller. The last thing they saw before the emptiness swallowed them was the woman disappearing before the bus exploded into shrapnel.

On the outskirts of a quiet little town, once made famous by its host of heroes, stood a dark, lonely castle. Its crystal branches still reached for the heavens, purple walls looming protectively over the countryside. Golden accents glinted in the full moon of the night, contrasted by the darkened windows pockmarking the outside.

Nothing stirred within its halls, the numerous rooms within having not been filled in a very long time. Stairwells stood untrodden, railings gathering dust, and bookshelves left abandoned. No heat came from the stoves of the kitchen, and no water flowed through the showers. It truly was the playground of ghosts in the form of memories.

However, at the very heart of the sleeping giant sat a table. Around this table, seven chairs sat planted to the floor, long having gone cold. Atop each throne was a colorful symbol, a mark for each of their previous owners, though the characters hadn’t shown in ages. The table in the center faired no better, layers upon layers of dust resting on its surface. What had once been the most beautiful display of what the world had to offer was dark and barren.

However, the winds of change always blew strongest when none were watching. Through the open windows, the breeze blew in, arching and snaking through empty halls. A sound like a thousand whispers followed in its wake, giving the proud architecture a voice once more. They beat against the greatest of the closed doors, hammering into it relentlessly until it finally gave way, not with a boom but a soft squeak. Invisible forces flowed over the table, unfamiliar designs blowing into the dust as it swirled away into the air.

A cloud rolled across the sky, moonlight twisting into the room and shining down on the flat surface, like a spotlight on a prized performer. The crystal glinted, its dim surface unflinching until a soft light began to emanate from its very core.

Author's Note

A new adventure begins. Though... something seems off. Where- or better yet, when- will Derrick and Peggy land? What kind of powers will they develop? Who was the woman on the bus? So many questions and only one way to get answers....

Whelp, I feel like shit. But you guys aren't here to be my therapists. You're here for entertainment! And that's exactly what I'm here to give. This is a new project that has actually been available for a while now over on my Patreon. If you guys want to get a hold of content much earlier than usual, or even want to decide which stories get uploaded next so you get your favorite stories sooner, check it out.

Anyways, I won't keep you guys. Tell me what you guys think in the comments below and stick around for a little while. More teasers are coming here in a few weeks. Until then, have a good one!