Lightning flashed outside Brute's peripheral vision, illuminating the musty room and mildly startling him into flicking an ear. Next to him, he saw Mook briefly lose grip on the metal bat he held and tilting his head to recover before it slipped out of his jaws.
Thunder followed soon after, pulling him fully back into the waking world and coyly reminding him that, at the end of the day, no matter how important he was in his fantasies, at the end of the day he was guarding a hostage in an abandoned warehouse. Super.
As he mentally back tracked through his life, trying to find the source of his current problems and willfully ignoring his mothers naming of him, Brute caught a glimpse outside and a grey wing passing by one of the barred holes providing moonlight. Despite assuming it at first to just be another common mutated pigeon, his attention was further spiked by a silhouette suddenly illuminated by more lightning. Brute's eyes widened, and he frantically began comparing the mental snapshot to as many dramatic entrances he had seen from various vigilantes.
Before he could run down half of his list, the figure had burst through the hole, casting them into the light for a moment long enough to strike fear into the hearts of even the most mild sinners in a mile radius before crashing to the ground, hitting several outcropping bricks before crumpling in a heap on the ground. For a hot second Brute genuinely began to wonder if the masked figure had died immediately after perfecting their entrance, before they sprung back up triumphantly, giving the men the longest look at them Brute had gotten.
Brute personally believed superhero costumes as a genre to be rather tacky, so he supposed he had to give creativity points to what may have been the worst costume he had seen in his days; A green Xbox container with holes for the mask, a black shirt with '+1 armour' shoddily scrawled in silver sharpie, and a plunger wielded with all the courage of someone holding Excalibur.
For a second they stared each other down, the new face still keeping its mouth shut. Finally Brute raised an eyebrow at Mook he didn't even dignify with an acknowledgement, instead electing to charge down the figure with an actual weapon while she seemed to zone out, oblivious to the threat. As Mook swang his head back, Masky came to her senses and leapt back, crookedly spreading a set of wings that only served to collide her into the wall a second time.
Mook swung the metal bat full force at a brick wall, sending vibrations through his teeth upon impact and disorienting him enough to be easily toppled when Masky fell on top of him. She recovered faster than him, electing to run full speed at the remaining goon. Brute's horn lit up briefly as he mentally reached out for his holstered gun, only to be suppressed with the *crack* of the plunger, shattering on the pointy surface. Despite this, it worked for long enough to warrant a cardboard coated headbutt, knocking him to the ground.
Mook shakily got up, hearing another group of alerted henchmen running in as he tried to still his angry teeth. Stealthy black and screaming neon green flashed back and forth as one, and several more blows were heard coupled with grunts and thuds. Finally, after some disorientation, Mook grabbed his bat, lifted his head, prepared to throw himself into the fray, and immediately had the same cardboard box previously being used as a makeshift mask thrust onto him.
Carrot Top watched this with a slowly growing sense of awe, ignoring the costume and choosing instead to watch her savior spar with a style that seemed to combine Fallen Caesar with falling over. Despite this, eventually reason won over as a sneaking suspicion crawled up on her, finally confirmed when her heroine took off the mask.
"Oh. Hi Derpy. I thought it might've been you."
She stared for a second before registering that she was being talked to, and happily smiled. "Hi Carrot! How are you?"
"Better now."
"That's good! I don't know why you were hanging out with these people, they seem mean!"
"I'll be sure to take that into consideration next time."
"Anyway, they all seem a little sleepy now, but I'm glad you're awake, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to do what I came for!"
She picked the Xbox container off Mook's head, rifling through it until she found what she was looking for; a plain envelope she proudly handed to Carrot. She glanced at the letter skeptically.
"This is for Bon-Bon"
"Oh! So it is. My mistake! Enjoy your day!"
She tossed it back into its box, slapped it on her head, and flew out the window again. Carrot watched her leave, sighing and wiggling around to try and break the ropes binding her to the chair.