[ now that will understands, their appearance changes again - this time into a tall, brunet young man with green eyes. he laughs. ]
See, that's totally how I've used it before! Well - not so much scaring then, but making them easier to catch for sure. My powers aren't really made for combat, you know? But it's all in how you use 'em.
[which. he does not seem happy about. he frowns, fiddling with one of the strings on his hoodie.]
I tried to ignore it, but eventually I just couldn't. I ended up making a mess of one of the chairs in the lobby - and it seemed like the things I was doing to the chair were similar to what probably caused the injuries I healed. I tried to clean it up after, but...
[he shrugs.]
...it felt off. That's not how my healing works, usually.
Oh... That's not how healing should work, no. At least, I don't think so?
[ concern. frowning, they hold their chin as they consider what to do. ]
If you're anything like us, your own power can't change, so it's something we'll have to deal with somehow, assuming it'll always be like that. [ thinking, thinking... ] There are hospitals and clinics around, so you shouldn't have to use your healing all the time, at least. For when you do, we could try to set up a spare room in the dorm so you have somewhere safe to let off steam afterward? What do you think?
Yeah... but it's not like I can just not use my power, either. If someone's injured and they need to be stabilized before they could be moved to the hospital, or even if it's a case of - well, it's not life threatening and we did what we could, but because you weren't treated sooner you're going to have to deal with this not being fully healed for the rest of your life... it'd be wrong not to help them.
[he sighs.]
...a spare room might work. We should definitely give it a try. I just - what if it gets worse?
[what if the more he uses it, the more he wants to hurt someone, and not just something?]
Or if I don't make it back in time before I have to do something... There's that rule about not breaking stuff...
I know. I'm not saying you shouldn't help if you can, just to remember that there are options if it really can wait a bit, you know? I trust you not to go overboard with it.
[ they nod. it's a valid concern. ]
If it does get worse, and you're having trouble getting back, call me, okay? One of my other powers is teleportation. I can get you somewhere safe. Or I guess you could swap your team power, too? I dunno, that's up to you.
But I'd say don't worry about the rule just yet. Just try to take care of yourself first, and we'll figure it out.
Noooo apologies! It's totally understandable that you'd be worried, and it's my job to help you!
I'll see what I can do for that spare room. We can probably even get it soundproofed so no one else has to hear, if you want. More private, you know? But I'll leave that one up to you.
...so, moving on from the depressing stuff - this city's pretty neat. I bet it'll be even neater once more stuff is rebuilt. Anywhere in particular I definitely have to check out?
Ah, man, that's kind of a big ask! There's tonnes of nice places around here, but obviously you have to start with the Storybook Cafe! It's not our headquarters for nothing!
The karaoke's not bad, though! Oh, and don't forget the art museum or the hot springs! And then there's the beach and the amusement part on the boardwalk, too!
I will add all of those places to my list. [imagine if he dies before getting to see the beach. that would be funny as hell.] Sounds like there'll be a lot to do around here, even when we're not doing hero stuff.
I dunno when they're all gonna open, though, so you might be waiting a while for some of them. But you can probably catch glimpses of things when you look around what's open - like, I think it's just the headquarters in each district right now, but you can totally still see the beach from Tiger's!
[maybe he can tide himself over by catching a glimpse of the beach... (no)
thinking about other headquarters - and other teams by association - he looks a little thoughtful.]
...actually, I've got another question. So, I know we're not supposed to share what our team power can do with the other teams. [...] But, uh... my boyfriend's on Crimson Phoenix. And before we got here, I kind of got on him about keeping secrets from me. I'd be a pretty terrible boyfriend if I went and kept secrets from him now.
[which is, frankly, gonna make this fucking hilarious.]
He's gonna be helping me deal with the weirdness of my healing power, too. Can I tell him, just so he knows what other things I'm able to do to that might help us deal with it? I know he won't tell anyone else.
Ohhhhh. So you guys must trust each other a lot, huh?
[ hums. ]
Normally, I'd say it's best not to share... It's supposed to be safer that way, so you have an ace up your sleeve in case of a fight, you know? But you're kind of a special case, with those side effects.
If you really believe he'll keep it quiet and will be able to help you, I think it's okay. It's Nico, right?
[ nico did come to speak to them, and he saw will talking to phoenix. fair guess. ]
[his expression is fond. nico might be a grumpy little ball of darkness, but he's his grumpy little ball of darkness, and will wouldn't have him any other way. nico is honestly one of the most loyal and most trustworthy demigods he's ever met.]
...but, an ace up our sleeves in case of a fight - I get keeping it on the down-low from the public because, y'know, villains and all, but... even if we're in this competition with each other, we're all still heroes, right? It's not like we're gonna be fighting each other.
Awww, that's so sweet! I'm happy for you guys! [ pause. ] Maybe not that you're on different teams, though. I really wish I could do something about that.
I'd hope you aren't! And I understand what you're saying, really. I was pretty open about my powers at first, too, but... [ they pause again, biting at their lip. ] That made it easy for villains to find ways around us, you know? It's kind of why the other four didn't make it.
Yeah, it's... The whole separate teams thing isn't great for either of us. I figure trying to make sure we tie for first with Crimson Phoenix's team is our best option just in case. You haven't heard anything about there being a tiebreaker, have you?
[of course he's going to try to figure out how to get all of the teams home safe, but - nico has to go home safely. and will refuses to leave him behind or be left behind himself. they made it through tartarus together - there's no way he'll accept them not making it through this together, too.]
...oh. [...] I'm sorry. I did hear a little about that while I was walking around earlier... it must've been hard. Losing people like that is...
Could be. Probably won't be easy, but... [he shrugs] ...an eight-way tie could work too, in theory, if we don't find an alternative solution. But that'd be a lot harder to coordinate than a two-way or even a three-way tie. Super worth it if it worked though.
[...]
It'd be a lot better if we find a surefire way to get everyone out of this, so we'll definitely do what we can do help with that. I don't wanna leave anyone behind.
[he sighs a little.]
It's - well. It happens. [it happens so often for demigods.] A lot of people like me don't end up living for very long.
It'd be pretty amazing if we could pull that off, to be honest! Buuuuut we'll keep looking, just in case there's something out there. I don't want to leave anyone behind, either.
...What do you mean by that? You're still a kid. You shouldn't have to worry about things like that.
Right? Maybe pulling off an eight-way tie would be the most heroic act of all. We should get extra points for that.
[he grins - but that grin fades slightly as the conversation continues.]
I'm a demigod. So, y'know - monsters and danger and so on, that stuff comes with the territory for all of us. If we're found early and trained, it gets easier for us to survive. But... a lot of demigods aren't that lucky.
Whoa, so demigods are real? Does that mean all the myths are, too? [ it would sound cool, if will didn't keep talking. ] I'm sorry to hear that, Will. There's no way to make it easier for you guys?
Yep. Well, a lot of them are. Although how accurate they are is sometimes in question. [he smiles.] ...it's fine. The gods are better about claiming their demigod kids these days, and that makes it easier to get them somewhere safe for training. That helps a lot.
Well, we don't control the points, but maybe whoever does will take it into account?
That's a relief! It sounds like it's still pretty hard, but anything to make it better. So that means one of your parents is a god? Which one? Maybe I've heard of them!
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[ now that will understands, their appearance changes again - this time into a tall, brunet young man with green eyes. he laughs. ]
See, that's totally how I've used it before! Well - not so much scaring then, but making them easier to catch for sure. My powers aren't really made for combat, you know? But it's all in how you use 'em.
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[...he sighs.]
Speaking of. I wanted to ask a question about my own power - "Call an Ambulance". I used it yesterday, and... something kind of weird happened.
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[ oh, that doesn't sound good. fox slow their pace, full attention on will. ]
Weird how?
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[which. he does not seem happy about. he frowns, fiddling with one of the strings on his hoodie.]
I tried to ignore it, but eventually I just couldn't. I ended up making a mess of one of the chairs in the lobby - and it seemed like the things I was doing to the chair were similar to what probably caused the injuries I healed. I tried to clean it up after, but...
[he shrugs.]
...it felt off. That's not how my healing works, usually.
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[ concern. frowning, they hold their chin as they consider what to do. ]
If you're anything like us, your own power can't change, so it's something we'll have to deal with somehow, assuming it'll always be like that. [ thinking, thinking... ] There are hospitals and clinics around, so you shouldn't have to use your healing all the time, at least. For when you do, we could try to set up a spare room in the dorm so you have somewhere safe to let off steam afterward? What do you think?
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[he sighs.]
...a spare room might work. We should definitely give it a try. I just - what if it gets worse?
[what if the more he uses it, the more he wants to hurt someone, and not just something?]
Or if I don't make it back in time before I have to do something... There's that rule about not breaking stuff...
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[ they nod. it's a valid concern. ]
If it does get worse, and you're having trouble getting back, call me, okay? One of my other powers is teleportation. I can get you somewhere safe. Or I guess you could swap your team power, too? I dunno, that's up to you.
But I'd say don't worry about the rule just yet. Just try to take care of yourself first, and we'll figure it out.
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Got it, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks - I do appreciate it.
[the suggestion for the spare room and the offer to help with teleportation, if it comes down to it.]
...sorry. I don't mean to be a downer, it's just been on my mind. But I feel better now that we've got a plan.
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I'll see what I can do for that spare room. We can probably even get it soundproofed so no one else has to hear, if you want. More private, you know? But I'll leave that one up to you.
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[he smiles.]
...so, moving on from the depressing stuff - this city's pretty neat. I bet it'll be even neater once more stuff is rebuilt. Anywhere in particular I definitely have to check out?
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Ah, man, that's kind of a big ask! There's tonnes of nice places around here, but obviously you have to start with the Storybook Cafe! It's not our headquarters for nothing!
The karaoke's not bad, though! Oh, and don't forget the art museum or the hot springs! And then there's the beach and the amusement part on the boardwalk, too!
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I will add all of those places to my list. [imagine if he dies before getting to see the beach. that would be funny as hell.] Sounds like there'll be a lot to do around here, even when we're not doing hero stuff.
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[maybe he can tide himself over by catching a glimpse of the beach... (no)
thinking about other headquarters - and other teams by association - he looks a little thoughtful.]
...actually, I've got another question. So, I know we're not supposed to share what our team power can do with the other teams. [...] But, uh... my boyfriend's on Crimson Phoenix. And before we got here, I kind of got on him about keeping secrets from me. I'd be a pretty terrible boyfriend if I went and kept secrets from him now.
[which is, frankly, gonna make this fucking hilarious.]
He's gonna be helping me deal with the weirdness of my healing power, too. Can I tell him, just so he knows what other things I'm able to do to that might help us deal with it? I know he won't tell anyone else.
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[ hums. ]
Normally, I'd say it's best not to share... It's supposed to be safer that way, so you have an ace up your sleeve in case of a fight, you know? But you're kind of a special case, with those side effects.
If you really believe he'll keep it quiet and will be able to help you, I think it's okay. It's Nico, right?
[ nico did come to speak to them, and he saw will talking to phoenix. fair guess. ]
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[his expression is fond. nico might be a grumpy little ball of darkness, but he's his grumpy little ball of darkness, and will wouldn't have him any other way. nico is honestly one of the most loyal and most trustworthy demigods he's ever met.]
He'll definitely keep it quiet. [he nods.] And... yeah, it's him.
...but, an ace up our sleeves in case of a fight - I get keeping it on the down-low from the public because, y'know, villains and all, but... even if we're in this competition with each other, we're all still heroes, right? It's not like we're gonna be fighting each other.
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I'd hope you aren't! And I understand what you're saying, really. I was pretty open about my powers at first, too, but... [ they pause again, biting at their lip. ] That made it easy for villains to find ways around us, you know? It's kind of why the other four didn't make it.
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[of course he's going to try to figure out how to get all of the teams home safe, but - nico has to go home safely. and will refuses to leave him behind or be left behind himself. they made it through tartarus together - there's no way he'll accept them not making it through this together, too.]
...oh. [...] I'm sorry. I did hear a little about that while I was walking around earlier... it must've been hard. Losing people like that is...
[he shakes his head.]
It's the worst feeling.
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Mmmm, no tiebreaker that I've heard of. So it could be possible.
...It's okay! It's not your fault. [ they tilt their head at him with a slight frown. ] I'm sorry that you know how it feels, though.
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[...]
It'd be a lot better if we find a surefire way to get everyone out of this, so we'll definitely do what we can do help with that. I don't wanna leave anyone behind.
[he sighs a little.]
It's - well. It happens. [it happens so often for demigods.] A lot of people like me don't end up living for very long.
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...What do you mean by that? You're still a kid. You shouldn't have to worry about things like that.
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[he grins - but that grin fades slightly as the conversation continues.]
I'm a demigod. So, y'know - monsters and danger and so on, that stuff comes with the territory for all of us. If we're found early and trained, it gets easier for us to survive. But... a lot of demigods aren't that lucky.
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Whoa, so demigods are real? Does that mean all the myths are, too? [ it would sound cool, if will didn't keep talking. ] I'm sorry to hear that, Will. There's no way to make it easier for you guys?
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[should it? it's fine.]
Yep. Well, a lot of them are. Although how accurate they are is sometimes in question. [he smiles.] ...it's fine. The gods are better about claiming their demigod kids these days, and that makes it easier to get them somewhere safe for training. That helps a lot.
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That's a relief! It sounds like it's still pretty hard, but anything to make it better. So that means one of your parents is a god? Which one? Maybe I've heard of them!
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