John had a good reason for being in his daughter's room. John's wife took her out with a friend and he had permission to go in and put up some shelving. They'd moved into the new house recently and they were still putting together the final touches to make it a home. He loved taking on the handyman role, and even more so when it was for his family. He'd been looking forward to the project all week; but, once he was in her room a more pressing issue developed. There, sitting on his daughter's bed, sat a dark blue duffel bag with a bright blue lightning bolt on it, and the initials, 'L.S.'. He recognized it instantly and faint disappointment blossomed in his heart. Lightning Strike was his greatest nemesis once upon a time. It'd been years since they both retired; but, L.S. managed to turn celebrity enough to market branded merchandise. It was something John could have done too; but, he was a family man first and foremost.
He'd retired as a Superhero when they had their daughter and he did the best he could for them every day. But, seeing the bag there came as an inconvenient surprise. He wasn't mad of course, not exactly. But, at the very least, he was mildly put out that the day he was looking forward to was probably going to be delayed if not outright canceled. It was the one day when they were gone from the house and he could enjoy working in peace and making as much noise as was necessary. But now, decisions had to be made. Actions had to be taken to correct the situation. He could of course ask his wife to deal with it; but, that wasn't who he was. The thought only crossed his mind to work out the logistics and he realized he would rather take the task on himself rather than involve her.
But, maybe he didn't have to. He decided on the tiniest amount of snooping and stepped closer to the bed to heft the duffel. It was heavy enough to be full of something. That was all he wanted to check, he didn't dare open it. But, the weight of it confirmed it was in use. If it were lighter, he could have ignored it as an empty bag; but, it wasn't. He needed to act.
John sighed, and turned to leave the room. If he was going to do anything about it, he needed to get ready. But, then, a stray thought crossed his mind as he ran through the logistics. He didn't want to bring his wife into it; but, it occurred to him he had other options, maybe. He ran a risk of straining a tenuous relationship, but he would rather that one than his own marriage. He decided on the new course and dashed back into the room to grab the duffel bag, then walked out again. He didn't stop until he was standing outside in his front yard. But, he sent a Whisper on his way out of the house.
He wasn't sure he would get a response but before too long he noticed a swarm of black spiders gathering in front of him. They seemed to be coming out of nowhere as the swarm grew larger, vertically. It would have been unsettling if he didn't expect it; but, in seconds the swarm took the shape of pale teenage girl with black hair and unnatural solid black eyes. He hated to ask anyone; but, bothering her was tolerable if it worked out.
"Hey, John," Abby smiled at him with a nod. "What's the favor?" She greeted him before she noticed the duffel bag. "Is that a Lightning Strike duffel bag?" she asked the new question with a giggle. "Aren't you a little old for Supervillain merch?" He was concerned at first, but she seemed to be in a good mood and he relaxed somewhat.
"It's not mine," John shook his head. "I found it in my daughter's room," Abby interrupted before he could explain more.
"You weren't snooping, were you?" She asked on behalf of all children.
"No, I wasn't snooping," he shook his head with a chuckle. "I went in to put up some shelves and found this on the bed," he answered and meant to explain more; but, she interrupted again.
"You were a hero, right? And you're daughter's got Supervillain gear? That's kinda funny," she grinned.
"Listen, please," John said. He tried to use a firm tone without sounding stern. Abby nodded. "Lightning Strike used to be my nemesis back in the day," he said as he hefted the bag again. Luckily, this time, Abby stayed quiet so he could continue. "We're best buddies these days; this isn't my daughter's," he said. "We had a sleepover last night and Lightning Strike's daughter was here, it looks like she forgot this when Majesty took them out this morning. They went shopping for the wedding and they're supposed to drop her off after going to the mall and whatever; so I don't think they've realized it's missing yet. Instead of making them come home for it, I was going to take it to them. But, that was going to cut into my plans for the day. So, the huge favor I'm asking is...," he held the bag out. "Can you deliver it to them for me? I want to see if I can get done in her room before they get back."