The families we are born into shape us and define our earliest years. As we grow and develop into the people we want to be, however, those families can guide and nurture us or hold us back. They can push us into directions we resist, or follow anyway because of obligations.
For good or ill, our families lay paths before us in ways we may never truly escape.
==============================
At the end of every session, choose one:
• Grow closer to the team. Explain
who made you feel welcome; give
Influence to that character and clear
a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself.
Explain how you see yourself and why;
shift one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why
you feel detached. Take Influence over
you away from another character.
Sunday was quiet as is generally the case, with no super hero events that called for the team to suit up and fight bad guys. Instead, it was a good chance for school work and studying to get caught up and to process the earlier revelations.
Classes resume, with this being Halloween week the halls are decorated with orange and black streamers, plastic pumpkins, rubber spiders, and other trappings of the holiday.
A small prayer vigil again sets up outside the walls, but the media attention has moved on to other topics.
As she nears Max, she waves them off before taking a seat beside Max. ”Hey. Rough night, huh?” she asks.
Max nods. ”Yeah.” She seems to be struggling to make eye contact. "Kayla... I don't think it's a good idea for us to keep seeing each other."
Kayla takes a sip of her latte. Max can see in her eyes she’s hurt, but she is a practiced celebrity, used to controlling her public displays of emotion. ”Why? Because I went back in and tussled with those demons?”
"No, it's not that. It's just... I saw the way you were looking at me when we left. I can't give you what you want, Kayla. What you need."
Kayla looks over at Max. ”I know that. And I’d never ask you to. One, I think those b+**#es were lying. Two, my parents wouldn’t stand for it. Three, I wouldn’t stand for it.”
"But everytime you see me, it's going to remind you of them. What they're keeping from you," Max persists.
”I’m reminded of them every time I walk through my house. Every time I fly over the city. Every time I see their statues. Every time I write my name on a paper in class. So, why do you think I can’t deal with what they’re going through and still try and have a bit of normalcy?” Kayla asks.
"I just... I don't want to add to your burdens."
Kayla let’s out a breath. ”If you want us to go our separate ways, then fine. But I liked hanging out with you. But I’m not gonna force you to be a friend,” she says as she stands and straightens out her skirt.
"I liked hanging out with you, too." Max hesitates. It seems like she wants to say more, but she just shakes her head. "I think this is for the best. I'm sorry."
”Alright. See ya around,” she says before walking away. Soon enough she is inundated with a following yet again. Before heading out of sight, she gives a glance over her shoulder in Max’s direction, and then steps around the corner of the building.
Max holds her head in her hands, hoping she made the right decision...
***
After Percy's rooftop revelations, Max finds herself wanting to spend more time with the young wizard. Where most of the other team members seem to have excluded him or written him off, whether consciously or not, Max makes an effort to stay close to him and help him with his troubles. And in return, Percy does his best to help her with her own issues as well.
Shin spends his Monday putting his worries on the backbones for now. He tells the team that other than the usual classes they would be free of any hero obligations for the week. He spends lunch at his usual table, staring a bit fondly at Grace regardless of decorum, and busts his tail studying history in the afternoon to try and improve his grade before the midterms.
Despite her biting words, Caio feels a bond to Connie. She helped him when he needed and he believes he helped her when she needed as well (even if she'd not ask for it!).
---
Caio spends some time with Skyler, inviting her again to sit with them for lunch. She is curious to see how Connie and Femms are in relation to each other, but he doesn't ask them anything unless he is sure they are ok.
He also keeps an eye on Max, worried about her after Knighthall... and hoping Skyler would not think anything bad about this.
Max is grateful that the hubbub around her has largely died down. Fortunately, the media and the public have a short attention span. She no longer sits with Kayla or her crew at lunch, preferring to either stay near Percy or, more often, by herself. Redirecting the students who are either infatuated with her or angered by her presence has become second nature by now, and they barely register.
As the day wears on, she catches Caio studying her several times from across the way. It’s clear he is keeping an eye on her. Somewhat annoyed by his scrutiny, she confronts him at the end of the school day. ”Is there something you want to say to me?” she inquires, with a slight edge in her voice.
Midweek, Max at some point sees her communicator lighting up with someone trying to reach her.
The synthesized voice of Steel Guardian comes over the earbud. "Hey. It's Guardian. There a time at some point we could meet and talk?"
Max activates the communicator when it lights up. ”Max here. New comm, who dis?”
She blinks when she hears the voice. SG has never reached out to her before. ”Uh, sure, sure. I’ve got a few hours to kill after classes today. Stop by my dorm room.”
Max has no idea what to expect from this meeting. She sets out a tray of snacks and sits on her bed, nervously watching the door and waiting for her teammate to arrive.
”Uh…how about somewhere off the grid? Because I’m not really subtle…” Steel Guardian counters.
”Okay, text me the coordinates and I’ll head there,” Max replies.
She arrives at the appointed location at the designated time.
"Not really... I'm just worried Max. No matter what happened, you are still my best friend and I do care about you." He explains in the defensive because of her tone, trying not to touch in any still open wounds between them. "I'm still here for you for whatever you need. If you want to deal with all that is happening without my help, you certainly do have the right... just don't do it by yourself, please."
Max receives some coordinates that lead her to a rooftop of a skyrise in downtown Halcyon. From there, Max can see most of the major buildings in the city. After waiting a few minutes, she hears the sound of SG's repulsors approaching and a moment later the armored hero arrives.
"Hey. Thanks for coming," they say. They walk a bit closer and ask "I didn't see anybody with you. You came alone, right? No shrunken Femtite or magicked up Indarius or anything?"
Thanks to a steady afternoon rain, cheerleading practice was moved into the gymnasium. Forced to be double-booked with the volleyball team, the cheer squad is relegated to one corner while the volleyballers are forced to run most of their drills on the far side.
It's not a comfortable arrangement.
Sophie, Jasmine, Grace, Siobhan, Taylor, and the other girls on the volleyball team set a punishing pace for their practice, playing their scrimmage as aggressively as they would during a match with a school rival.
Jade and the rest of the cheer squad are forced into a smaller and smaller corner by the aggressive play style of the volleyball team, but they adapt as best they can. Pru, Sanvi and Chae-Won start by practicing their acrobatic tumbles while Jade and the rest work on their routines.
When Connie and Femtite arrive, Jade is cool but the others seem to greet them warmly. However, when they start to work on the pyramid, Sophie and Jasmine shout at them because it's going to interfere with the volleyball drills.
Max’s expression softens a bit. She lowers her eyes and sighs. ”Sorry. It’s... it’s just a lot. I do appreciate your offer of help. I just need some time by myself for a while to figure things out. And I don’t want anything to jeopardize our friendship, either. Things are... weird between us. But it will get better.”
***
Max nods when SG approaches. ”It’s just me, I promise. Do a sensor scan or whatever if you want to be sure. So, what’s this all about? This seems a bit out of character for you. No offense.”
Steel Guardian walks over to the edge and looks out over the city. ”I’ve just been on edge lately. Worried. And since we had talked about it before, I was wondering if the others were still playing ‘Guess WHO’ with my identity.”
”Ah.” Max shrugs. ”I think all those guessing games sort of died down. Everybody seems to have more important things to worry about these days. I know I do.”
She moves to stand beside the armored person. ”What’s got you all twisted up?”
Caio puts his hand on Max's shoulder. "It will. Let me know if you want help then." He then leaves Max on her own, going for the door and then speeding up to catch Skyler.
---
As he gets closer, he calls for her and as she stops, he grabs her hand. "Hey, was wondering if you'd like to watch a movie tonight?"
”Ah.” Max shrugs. ”I think all those guessing games sort of died down. Everybody seems to have more important things to worry about these days. I know I do.”
She moves to stand beside the armored person. ”What’s got you all twisted up?”
SG doesn’t look away from the city skyline. ”I dunno. Just the stress of it all. It’s hard, keeping everything straight and separate and secret. I’m on edge all the time, and I want to just, give something up. But I can’t. Right?” they ask.
”Why not?” Max asks SG. ”Is it really so important for you to keep your hero life and mundane life separate? If it’s making you feel so strung out and on edge, it doesn’t seem healthy to me. You’re going to drive yourself crazy if you try to keep up this pattern.
“Everybody deserves a chance to relax a bit and unwind. Even if it’s just for a few minutes. You need to do something for yourself, and for your mental well-being.”
The demoness looks around the rooftop. ”It’s just us up here. Why don’t you take a little break, relieve some of that stress in whatever way you see fit? You can trust me. What happens on this rooftop stays on this rooftop.”
Steel Guardian nods their head. ”You bet it is. There’s just…too much risk. I can’t. But…I do need a breather. Someone to just…talk to.”
They look off in the distance and ask, ”So…you’ve been up there, right? What’s it like?” they ask. When Max turns her eyes towards the city to see what the armored hero is looking at, it soon becomes clear.
Praetor Tower.
Max’s expression sours as she follows Steel Guardian’s gaze. ”Oh. It’s...nice. Very expensive. Pretty much exactly like you’d expect. But...there’s also a sadness about the place. Despite all the fancy furniture and electronics and indoor swimming pools, it feels kind of empty. All that space, and barely anybody living in it. It just strikes me as...lonely.”
Shin had a lot on his plate. A good amount of responsibility. People counted on him all the time. But sometimes, even a person as noble and responsible as himself could get some amusement from just sitting back and watching petty drama. It was decidedly much lower stakes than any other conflicts he had put himself through.
Sophie was a bossy, if private, volleyballer who he saw work harder than the rest. Jasmine was always quick to back her up, like they were with the cheerleaders as they crammed in the same space. He definitely was trying to hide his smile behind his history notebook as he watched from the bleachers, ready to give a hand if necessary bit content to just relax and enjoy the spectacle.
Caio puts his hand on Max's shoulder. "It will. Let me know if you want help then." He then leaves Max on her own, going for the door and then speeding up to catch Skyler.
---
As he gets closer, he calls for her and as she stops, he grabs her hand. "Hey, was wondering if you'd like to watch a movie tonight?"
Skyler shifts her bag that's slung over her shoulder to a more comfortable position as Caio takes her hand. She looks up at him through her pink bangs. "Um, sure. You have a movie in mind, or do we have to go through the, 'what do you want to see?' game?"
"I have no movie in my mind. Feel free to chose anything... anything that keeps my mind on the movie and not on doing things we have agreed to wait." He says, parts joking, parts serious. "Do you prefer going to the theaters or one of our rooms?"
Skyler thinks for a moment. "There's a little arthouse theater in Jackman Village, we could see whatever they're showing. Or see whatever loud, dumb CGI-fest is playing at the multiplex. I mean, if you want to, we could stream a scary movie on Infini-flix here in the dorms."
She studies Caio's face for a moment. "Whatever will distract you more from that thing we're not going to do?"
The arthouse theater was risky, since of course there were good art movies out there, but it was always a gamble... most of the artistic films he has ever watched were really boring. With Skyler already calling a heavy CGI movie dumb, he also crossed it out of the list, leaving only the scary movie. He usually avoided those, but he would not chicken out now, and he was pretty sure he'd be distracted from happier, pleasurable thoughts.
"The scary movie. I don't know many, so I'm cool with any that is not about werewolves, since if it is not accurate, it will piss me off and if it is... I think it will be hard for me to see you scared by a version of myself."
Femtite turns to the volleyball players. “Please, ladies. Try to be more understanding. Sharing this space is ideal for neither party, but words of anger will not help. Especially not for a cheerleading squad. We must be cheerful to cheer.”
Oh jesus f!*!ing christ I'm dying.
Connie wasn't out of shape, but there was a wiiiide chasm between her morning yoga or keeping up a reasonable pace for a mile and the cardio a competitive cheer squad demanded. And then there was just So Much More. She had the flexibility for tumbling, but not the power. She was light enough to be a flyer, but didn't have the technique. Absolutely no part of her was supposed to be a base.
"It's okay. It's okay. I've got a solution," she barely kept from slurring out of fatigue.
She plopped down on the bleacher and procured a piece of her jewelry. "I'll keep the balls away so you don't have to worry about friendly fire. And maybe you just face the pyramid the other direction so you don't see the balls rocketing towards your face."
Max’s expression sours as she follows Steel Guardian’s gaze. ”Oh. It’s...nice. Very expensive. Pretty much exactly like you’d expect. But...there’s also a sadness about the place. Despite all the fancy furniture and electronics and indoor swimming pools, it feels kind of empty. All that space, and barely anybody living in it. It just strikes me as...lonely.”
”Well, so the princess isn’t perfect, huh?” SG muses. ”Shoulda figured. Nothing matters but PR and maintaining their fortune, I guess.”
"Nobody's perfect," Max muses. "Everybody's got their own s#$@ they're dealing with. Some people just hide it better."
”I guess,” they reply as the turn away from the city and lean back on their elbows against the wall edge. ”Thanks. I think I’ gonna go fly a lap and take your advice. Little me time. You’ll let me know if the others start digging again, right?”
Max nods to Steel Guardian. She's managed to glean much from their short interaction.
|
Percy had wanted to stay at knighthall just chatting with Mathers and Quincy, but it seemed things were not to be as they left as to not overstay their welcome. The entire trip back, which took the form of everyone finding their own way was a lengthy process. He thought about stopping at one of his usual haunts, but decided against it, taking a bus back to his actual home he spent the rest of the weekend at his parents.
Traveling back to the school Sunday night he finds himself buried once again in his spellbook listening to some lofi-beats from Infini-tube, glancing at his familiar and letting it out the window to roam for a few free hours. He felt uplifted away from that slight pit in his stomach of having to deal with Connie, admitting he freaked out to her hurt to think about. Taking Max's advice he reaches out to Feya hoping to talk or at least inform her and pluck her mind about the scales, and the journals from Dr. Infinity.
At the end of classes Monday he makes to retreat to the library or somewhere nice and quiet like normal. Walking down the hall he spots Max and Caio chatting and he sends her a text shortly after.
Percy: Hey you got any free time to figure out what we wanna do for our costumes to the dance?
Max: Sure thing. Meet at the costume shop at the mall?
When Percy arrives, Max is sitting outside with a pair of chocolate milkshakes. She offers the wizard one of them. "Hey. Ready to browse?"
The pair spend most of the afternoon looking at the various options, laughing at some of the more ridiculous ones, and ultimately having fun spending time as friends.
|
|
Percy: For sure, see you there.
Percy spots Max holding two shakes next to the halloween shop, still with plenty of people streaming in and out. When she offers him a chocolate milkshake he smiles, "A little different than tea, but still great. Any idea on what you wanna go for?"
After nearly an hour of going through costumes and talking about them all, pointing fun at the ridiculous 'old school' outfits for other popular heroes and just chatting, the pair leave with a good smile and new ideas.
"Wow, you can do that?" Shin asks, having sat down behind Connie. He couldn't help himself here. It wasn't often that he got a chance to play 'normal Shin' while brushing up against his other life. It was actually a little bit thrilling to dare to do this. "Oh, I'm Shin. You're...what was your hero name? Charmer?" He asks, playing it up like this was the first conversation they were having.
And if it made it less suspicious later if they were caught talking, then that would also be ideal. He also thought that being friendly to a member of the cheer team would hopefully make the volleyball team less aggressive to them as well. "Is there like a trick to your powers that I could learn? Or do I have to have magic in my blood?"
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Connie gave Shin a withering glare while she took a long gulp of water. "Conflux. Like a confluence but messy. Kinda like a shin is a small bony thing that's incredibly annoying when you bump into it unexpectedly."
"It takes a little bit of magic, but not more than most people have. Focus is where most people fall short for something like this. Making a barrier's easy, modulating the answering force for different materials so that it'll stop a ball cold, but just slowfall a person in case someone gets overly exuberant when flying or running is just good safety when you're talking about putting an invisible wall near a bunch of athletes."
Femtite giggles at the shin comment, but tries to ignore Shin since she suspects she can’t convincingly feign not knowing him.
“Is Connie’s solution acceptable, ladies? I’m very new to this activity, and wish to support Halcyon’s athletes in the way that I can.”
Do I throw her a bone...? Yeah, why not, she deserves some fun.
"I mean, Shin's kind of the shortened version of my name," Shin tells her. "I find the whole version a little embarrassing." Now he knew she would probably be looking to find out what his full first name could be. He looks up at Grace and Taylor watching him, giving them a thumbs up to show them that everything's fine.
"Do you mind if I watch you work? I want to take notes and see if I can't replicate it," He asks eagerly, posing himself as a superhero fanboy looking to learn magic. And if he happened to actually learn something in the process, that was fine, too.
Connie puts up the shield, and it isn't long before the first volleyball caroms off it. The players pause for a moment in their practice to marvel at the magical effect, then resume their practice.
A suspicious number of errant spikes slam into the shield throughout the practice.
On the volleyball side of the shield, Grace gives Shin a “what the Hell” sort of shrug when he seems to be taking the side of the cheerleaders over the volleyball team.
All in all, however, the rivalry doesn't flare too much even though the Lady Panthers seem to be eyeballing the cheer squad with a predatory glint.
===========================
"No werewolf movies. Got it."
Skyler takes Caio to the common room in the girls' dorm, where there's a television and several big comfy couches. As it turns out, a few other girls also seem up for a scary movie. Big bowls of popcorn are popped and after some debate the Hatchet Man and its sequels are selected for the evening.
Skyler claims a butter-less bowl of salty popcorn and sits in one of the couches, snuggling with Caio as the slasher flicks are shown on the TV.
Femtite is proud of Connie’s shield. She notices the look in the volleyball players’ eyes, but she doesn’t worry too much for now.
* * *
After practice, Femms tries to approach Jade. “Jade? Can we talk a little bit?”
Caio is surprised as a couple other girls join them for the movie, even wondering if Skyler had invited them as a third layer of protection, just in case Caio's words and the scary movie would be not enough for him to control himself. He was also surprised that they apparently did not care that he was what he was.
It was a pleasant evening, even if Skyler's smell so close to him caused some complications. While Skyler did not have a special ability to release pheromones like Max, she was still a hot girl and the Wolf was seeing her as "his mate". More than once he caught himself not paying attention to the movie, and instead imagining he was ripping her clothes off, caressing her body, and... he had to shift around, recovering himself and fearing she would notice any change in his aura.
Skyler doesn't notice -- or pretends not to notice -- Caio's adjustments and readjustments as they watch the movies in the common room. She doesn't jolt or react to the numerous jump scares that the movies try to throw at its audience. In fact, halfway through the sequel Skyler's rhythmic rise and fall of her chest seems to indicate that she actually fell asleep.
============
Jade acknowledges Femtite and drifts away from the cheer squad for the requested private conversation. Her stance is guarded, with her folding her arms and her body language indicating standoffishness. "All right. What do you want to talk about?"
Once the sequel finishes, Caio whispers to the other girls as he notices Skyler's keys have fallen on the couch. "Good night, girls, I'll take Skyler to her bad, ok?"
Caio picks Skyler up as if she was a little girl, taking care not to wake her up, carrying her back to her room. Once there, he puts her on her bed before closing the door and slipping her keys beneath the door. He was tempted to give her a goodnight kiss, but it would be awkward as hell if she suddenly wakes up.
============
Jade acknowledges Femtite and drifts away from the cheer squad for the requested private conversation. Her stance is guarded, with her folding her arms and her body language indicating standoffishness. "All right. What do you want to talk about?"
Femtite is actually a little nervous. You didn’t bring Connie because she would yell and swear, whereas you won’t know how offensive Jade’s words are… and it would be weird to walk away now.
“Well, first Jade, I wanted to thank you for inviting Connie and I to join the cheerleading squad.
“Pru, Sanvi and Chae-Won are making me feel so welcome. I feel like I fit in well here.”
Her amethyst eyes fall to Jade’s crossed arms.
”Except with you… who introduced me.”
Jade arches an eyebrow. "I'm not hearing a question or anything. What do you want to accomplish with this conversation?"
“I have a question… I’m just afraid to ask it.” She really does not want to shame Jade for her homophobia. Shaming won’t win her over. That may not be possible anyway…
“Humans find so many ways to hurt each other, Jade. I try to say things that do the opposite, that make people smile—I try to be that ray of sunshine, and this uniform—“ She pats her magical-girled-on pleated skirt. “—is designed specifically for that.
“But of course I am not all sunshine. I am fire, and sometimes I do as fire does, flames of passion outshine my surroundings, I try to spread that fire to others hoping my enthusiasm will catch… and as fire does, I burn bridges.”
And now, a question.
“Have I done something to burn a bridge with you, Jade?”
Femtite is genuinely hurt as she asks this. Part of it is that she has yet to approach Percy. Another is how bad things went with Connie on Saturday (though Sunday makes the weekend beautiful over all)… but she does feel for Jade, knowing she suffered.
(And she’s still not over Conway…)