Fwomph
Blake On The Street, Talking With His Classmate's Mom
"Blake Smith ma'am, me and Alex go to school together!"
Blake smiled and then quickly went to a not-smiling state after realizing an implication behind Val's words.
"Yeah the werewolf thing's a bit surprising but uh... Hey, he's just a very good boy werewolf so yeah!"
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
For the Horde!
Gill tried to follow Mindy but he was quickly crowded by the now less-dazed beachgoers. They didn't make any comments about him being not human, but all of them seemed to be in awe about his singing abilities. A young lady asked him about it.
Gill stammered, clearly overwhelmed by the attention he was getting.
"Huh? Well, I mean... I've always... it's just something I do... my mom taught me..." he admitted. Which was true, his mother had always loved singing to him and he had picked up the habit from her. It was far more than that, though, he had always sung when he was happy, even when he was very young. It just seemed entirely natural to him.
"I mean... it's not that good, it's just... I've always... I don't— I'm kind of... wait... hey, I'm trying to... uh, Mindy??" he called. "Coral? A little help here please?"
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
The Mad Titan
Mindy
As Mindy heads to her bike, she notices Gill's not with him. Where could he be? she wondered. And suddenly there comes Coralie, attempting to convince her to stay at the beach. And she couldn't help but turn red in the face after being told she looked good in her swimsuit."It ain't her! It's all these people that came around after he burst into song. He wants to get outta here, look for Queens or somethin'. Don't really blame 'im myself!" And then she heard the cries of Gill as it became clear the beachgoers gathered around him to question him about his singing. She sighs in irritation. "Come on, Corals. He's in a jam."
Mindy makes her way through the beachgoers, shoving them out of her way as she makes he way over to him. Some of them were quite mad she was pushing them aside. But she didn't care. She made her way over to Gill, grabbed his hand and with a flick of her other hand, it suddenly ignited like a torch. Another squeeze of her wrist made the flame bigger and hotter.
"Back off! Back off!" she ordered. "I get it, he's a great singer! Give the man his space, huh?" She pulls his away while she still looks at the beachgoers menacingly. Some of them scared for their lives. Mindy pulls Gill away to the bike as she rescinds her flames. "So where to now?"
THE SLORG!
Saturday, Little Haven, somewhere between Oddity High and Alex's house - Alex Palencia the werewolf who got himself into the supernatural school.
"So you go to school with-" Alex's mom started to reply to Blake, but then Val made their non-presence known and she took a step back with a sharp, "Mierda!" She blinked a couple times, then pointed at Val. "Wh-what are you, a ghost!?"
Alex himself watched his mother's reaction, his ears pointing back in worry. He then wheeled around to face towards Val('s general direction) and let out a warning growl while lifting his clawed hands.
Thankfully, Alex's mother was quick to realize there was no actual threat going on, and put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "No no, Alex, it's okay. I was just startled," she told him, though still glanced towards Val with a mildly concerned look in her eyes. Alex looked back at her and let out a little whine, then lowered his hands. His mom let out a sigh, then looked back at Blake and Val. "Why? He asked me to go there, but didn't really say why. I didn't believe it was actually a real school for supernatural kids, I just... I was just relieved that he wanted to go to school for a change," she explained, rubbing her hand that was on Alex's shoulder down his back, which he seemed to enjoy.
She then remembered something else, and quickly turned her head up and then down the street. "Goodness, can't let him be seen like this, uh, here Alex!" Alex's mom said, then whistled as she opened the back seat door. Alex let out a happy arf and climbed in, not sitting but rather splaying himself across the whole row on his back, lazily panting. His mother shut the door and climbed back into the driver's seat. As she started the car, she then looked back over at Blake and Val. "Oh, do you two, uh... Where are you going? Do you need a ride?" she asked, thinking that she shouldn't just leave the two there without saying anything more.
Saturday, Little Haven, the fountain area - Lynn the quadruplets finding a sensitive topic.
Carolyn was responding to Layla with a nod, only to be a bit taken aback by Heidi's outburst. After the angry girl started walking and had her back to Carolyn, the quadruplet looked over at Layla with a raised eyebrow. Carolyn walked near Layla, and kept her voice down. "Is it really a school for psychics? That's what our parents think we are, but I think they're making a mistake." Lindon followed closely after the two of them, getting his phone out and opening the map app.
At the same time, Marilyn and Linton had moved to walk alongside Heidi. "So, does this skating rink serve food? We're actually out and about to get dinner, too," Marilyn said, having put her phone away. While her attention was on Heidi, Linton was looking forward in the way they were going.
Edited by FirockFinion on Feb 8th 2023 at 8:52:37 AM
You are reading this.
The Mad Titan
Layla
"If it makes you feel better, I didn't really want to go here, either", Layla says, not really sure how to respond to Heidi's rant. She was definitely taken aback by it. She had simply thought Heidi was a bit confident and strong-willed. But then she just does this. Part of her just wanted to run away right now. She did stop to answer Carolyn."Psychic? Uh, no. I'm certainly not a psychic," she whispers back, still unsure whether or not Heidi will blow up again. "I don't think Heidi is either. Don't know what she is. Actually, I don't really know what kind of school this is. Something about oddities, but I don't really know what that includes." And of course she still had not clue what exactly this school entailed. But as such, she followed Heidi anyway, presumably to the skating rink. All while getting something of a tight feeling in her stomach.
Toa of Anarchy
The Beach
Things were getting too much for poor Gill, as the awestruck gawkers continued to mob him. Mindy decided to step in and threaten them all with a fire-fist, which could only make matters worse and probably result in many more awkward questions.
Thinking fast, Coralie clapped loudly and strode in front of the pair with the easy spontaneous smile of a talk show host. "Aren't they great, folks? Siren Song Gill and the Amazing Fire-Eater! Let's give them a round of applause. There, that's it." Once enough started clapping, Coralie started waving them all away while keeping the showmanship act on. "All right, now don't crowd the talent! Show's over folks, nothing to see here no more! We'll have our mytube account up within the week. Watch this space! 'til then, thanks for coming out, everybody!"
The Beach
Mindy's display led to a lot of panicked shouting. So much panicked shouting that it was basically impossible to hear what anyone was saying.
However, Coralie's quick response led to everyone calming down significantly, with most of them assuming it was some sort of publicity stunt. This did not, however, lead to people leaving; they still had loads of questions, although most of them were directed at Coralie now.
"Where can I find that singing online?" "MyTube? Is that some kind of new alternative to YouTube?" "How did she do that fire thing? That was a crazy practical effect!" Etc, etc.
The Road
Val basically devolved into a panicked mess of "...uh..."s and "...um..."s when Alex's mom asked if they were a ghost. They managed to regain their composure a bit when she asked them if they needed a ride. "...oh, uh...no, I'm not going anywhere...I just, um...I forgot there was no school on weekends..."
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
For the Horde!
Gill winced when Mindy approached and her response was immediately to threaten the group of onlookers with her fire. Coralie defused the situation (somehow? He still wasn't sure what she meant by Youtube or Mytube or whatever?) and allowed Mindy and Gill to retreat.
Once the crowd had focused more on Coralie than Gill, Gill moved off to the side and crossed his arms, leaning against the rock wall that sat alongside the stairs up off the beach.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Gill asked. "If you don't want people to hate and fear you... then you should stop threatening people with fire," he pointed out. "I don't hate you, and I'm not scared of you, but I could see how someone who doesn't know you would think the worst..." He sighed, walking up the stairs and sitting at the top step. "Are you coming, Coral?" he called to the young scientist.
"Oh yeah, there's a lot of great snacks at the rink," Heidi told them. "Nachos, pizza, hot dogs. Fuckin' A, you can stuff yourself with the best shit right there."
Of course, as she continued to walk, it was painfully obvious that they were headed the wrong direction. There was no sign of a roller rink in the area. At least she didn't seem to notice the others' conversation about Oddity High.
Edited by AllHailThrall on Feb 12th 2023 at 10:57:40 AM
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
The Mad Titan
Mindy
Upon Gill asking about why Mindy threatens people, she comes in with a rebuttal of her own. "That's the point, Gill," she says sharply. "I come in here and make a threat, people'll think twice not to mess with me. Been doin' that since New York... except for the fire thing, but you get the idea. Point is people'll think twice before they come in and try and start a fight with me... unless they're too stupid to get the message." And then she notices Coralie getting hounded by the crowd. She sighs before quietly saying "Wait here."Mindy pushes her way through the crowd and quickly grabs Coralie by the arm. They both make their way out of the crowd while leading Coral and Gill to her bike.
"Now, let's get outta this place," she adds before climbing on her bike and setting off, going in a slow speed to where they both can follow.
Layla
Layla went along with Heidi and the twins to where she thought would be the skating rink. But as they all kept going, she was starting to get a bad feeling here. That Heidi was not taking them to the rink after all. But somewhere else. She got more and more uneasy. She finally built up the courage to say something."Uh... where are you taking us? I don't know much about this town, but I think we went way past the skating rink," she says, not knowing what to expect from Heidi.
Fwomph
Blake On The Street
"Yeah that's the weird thing it is a school for the supernatural but only because every other supernatural parent locally thought it was legit and sent their kids. But also my mom sent me there too for some reason? I don't have powers though, I'm a normie."
Blake waggled his arms as though demonstrating his apparent normality.
"I can walk home, don't worry. Just wanted to make sure Alex got home safe, maybe also make sure his human self knows his wolfie self is harmless."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
THE SLORG!
Saturday, Little Haven, somewhere between Oddity High and Alex's house - Alex Palencia the werewolf getting taken home.
Alex's mom stared at Val and Blake with just a slightly more confused look on her face, but then gave a little nod. "Well, thank you," she said, her tone tired, but very genuinely grateful. She then started the engine and drove off, staying at a relatively slow pace for the car.
Saturday, Little Haven, somewhere in the streets - Lynn the quadruplets who don't think it's a problem to be talking to someone and looking at their phone at the same time.
"Um, yeah we can see on Google Maps that there doesn't seem to be any skating places on this side of town, unless you intend us to walk all the way to the next town over?" Marilyn added in with a nod after Layla's comment. Of course, Marilyn wasn't looking at her phone or anything at that moment; it was in her pocket, in fact. Though her brother Lindon, at the back of the whole group, was looking at the Google Maps app on his phone.
You are reading this.
Toa of Anarchy
The Beach
Coralie held up her hands as she tried to get the crowd to settle down, her broad smile growing a little more sheepish. "People, people! Your questions will be answered once we get a good media presence." Just in time, Mindy came to drag her away. "Catcha on the flipsiiiide...!" she called as a parting shot to the crowd.
Once they were out of earshot, Coral melodramatically fawned on Mindy's shoulder. "Ah, my hero~! You snatched me from their clutches like a knight in shining armour~! Heck, with your firepower, you could qualify as the dragon if you wanted!" She quickly scampered off and returned to their side moments later atop her jet-powered hover-scooter.
"So, you two have had a bonding moment, we drove away a snooping psi-spy, we almost got our covers blown in public, I'm wearing swim things under my clothes and I haven't even dipped in the water. What's next?"
For the Horde!
Gill looked rather disappointed, looking at Mindy and shaking his head as he walked alongside Mindy's bike with her.
"No, you're missing the real point," Gill told her. "Meeting people, making friends, enjoying life. That's the point of being human. It's the meaning of life. It's the whole reason I wanted to become human in the first place. If you're going to push everyone away and act like a nasty old shark to everyone, why bother? You're just going to be alone. If I did that... then I might as well stay in the sea. I'd be alone either way, but at least it would be a familiar kind of alone," Gill explained.
Coralie asked what was next, and Gill turned towards her, specifically fixating on having his cover blown.
"I promised Mindy that I would be more open about what I am. But that doesn't mean pushing people away. It means opening up to them, doesn't it?" he asked.
Heidi stopped in her tracks once the others pointed out they were going the wrong way. She stood there silently.
"Son of a bitch," she growled. "I knew that!" she added loudly, turning around and starting to walk the other direction. "I said I knew this place like the back of my— fuck!" she started to say, when she felt a squirming in the pit of her being. Shuddering, she looked around for a place to hide. In a panic, and on the verge of transformation, she dove into a bush out of nowhere. At once, her body shifted and she transformed back into Jackie, hidden from view. Jackie crawled out of the bush, wincing in pain.
"Ow... ow..." she grunted quietly, crawling from the bush.
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
The Mad Titan
Mindy
As Mindy pulls Coral away from the crowd, she has to put up with the scientist playfully fawning over her for it. "Don't push it," she says flatly before they both get away from the crowd. Now away from the people, Mindy listens to what Gill has to say. Going on about the joys of people, enjoying life and all that. And all she can think of is how selfish people can be; only doing what they want without caring about how it affects others. And Mindy is not about to have that from him."Look, Gill, I don't care for popularity contests, all right?!" she snaps at him in a bit of a harsh manner. "I was never popular before I acted like this, so why start now? Why try to be friends with people who don't even care about you?!" After venting out some of her anger, Mindy adds "Look, I know you're new at this human thing. You expect everyone to be your best friend. It doesn't work that way. There are some people who will act all nice to you but then eat you like a shark when your back is turned. That's the way it is. You don't wanna be friends with everyone because some people aren't your friends. It's like my mom always says. It's better to have one or two people who have your back than to have a whole bunch of people who don't care about you at all."
As they make their way away from the beach, Mindy also adds "Look at my circle. You're a pretty nice guy. I have you in my circle because I think you're a good guy. Same with Queens, same with Corals. Then you have someone like Alex. A guy who doesn't care about anyone but himself. Remember when I tried to help him and he pushed me away? Or what he said about how you'll never be human like us? Why be friends with someone like that? And yeah, maybe I do act like a shark, so what? It shows people I ain't afraid to bite. Because I've been pushed around too many times and I'm not about to let that happen ever again. And if you can learn to live with that, yeah, I'll let you in my circle. Because I think you're a cool person to have. I'll look after ya too. I was like that in Brooklyn and I'll be like that in Little Haven. I have just a few friends and that's the way I like it. I got enough people to do stuff with. And that's good enough for me."
All she could hope now is for Gill to not prod her further over this.
Layla
Layla was taken a bit aback when Heidi snapped at the group for pointing out they were lost. And Heidi clearly didn't seem to want to admit she got them lost. And then suddenly she acted weird and watched as Heidi went into the bushes. And shortly after, there comes out Jackie. Layla just stood there, confused. She definitely caught on to something there about Jackie and Heidi. But they were both different, both physically and personality-wise. "Are you all right?" Layla asks, feeling a bit leery as she approaches Jackie to help her up. "I don't really know what's going on here. I think we're lost."
Toa of Anarchy
The Streets
Coralie blinked in surprise at being thrust into this sudden and complicated discussion. "...I mean, yeah, doy. That's kind of in the-"
Then suddenly Mindy fired back, and Coralie clammed up for a bit. Hoo boy, she'd gotten in the middle of one of those discussions. She was reminded of that one time she'd had a spat with her oldest brother about whether or not the fact he'd bought her breakfast cereal meant that he could have it as a snack when he felt like it. It was only now she'd realised how personal and petty the matter had actually been, and how she probably shouldn't have roped in her cousin to act as mediator.
Still, as the three made their way away from the beach, with Coralie casually floating along on her scooter, the science girl allowed Mindy to blow off steam and let out a whole monologue explaining her entire worldview. Her stubborn opinions on Alex, on people in general, on everything. Coral allowed the girl to get it all out of her system and gave it a second of silence before chiming in with a heaped spoonful of sarcasm.
"Oh, my, I do so apologise madame. I had no idea how hard it was being a cis-gendered white girl! And this Alex fellow sounds like an utter rapscallion, with no behaviours in common. It couldn't possibly be that he's lashing out because he's just as scared and angsty as you are!"
Coralie pumped the gas, getting ahead of Mindy before she had the chance to swipe at her for her comments. Then she spun around to face the two and rode backwards as she spoke more sincerely with Mindy.
"Look, for what it's worth, I get it. Honest, I do. You act tough because you had to be tough, right? Back in New York, you felt you had to hit as hard as you took, then hit harder, faster, and get the first punch in the next time. You formed yourself a callus of cynicism so you’d never get cut again. Except now you’re out here in the sticks, everything’s quiet now, and yet you can’t relax. You’re constantly on edge, waiting for the next hit to come so you can slam them down even harder. Nobody messes with Mindy and gets away with it, right? But here's the thing. The world is a complicated place, just like any other, and there’s no one way to deal with your problems."
Coralie pointed to Mindy's wheels. "Take that bike, for instance. Say I was riding that two-wheeler down a slope when I spot a pothole coming up in the road. What do I do next? Well, that depends on the kind of hole. Sometimes you gotta slow up, or it’ll catch your wheel and send you flying tail over teapot. Other times, it’s small enough that you can skim right over, and slowing up would just trip you anyway. Now, maybe what you learned worked back in the big city, and maybe it didn’t. But when you moved, you got to put worlds between you and your bullies, too. Now you’re in a new reality, one that works by different rules. Now, the onus is on you to unlearn your old habits, be open to new experiences, and find new ways to handle your problems. Sure, it’s harder than it sounds, but nothing important ever comes without working hard on it."
Kicking the road beneath her feet, Coralie drifted to the side so she could look Gill dead in the eye. "Now, let's take your case, Gill. You've been on your own for...well, longer than I'd care to think. You want to meet new people, and make new friends, and you're more than in your right to do so. Of course, Mindy has a fair point. Some people might not wanna be friends, some people might be fake friends, and some people might want to pick on you instead. Of course, some people, shock and horror, might even want to be a genuine friend to you, and get to know..."
Coralie trailed off, glancing down at Gill's legs. Coralie cut her joke short, and her smile weakened. It became the kind of expression you have when your friend is having a great time at the Christmas fair and you have to tell them that their dog just got run over.
"...Then...there are some other people to consider, too." She turned her scooter back around and came up alongside Gill. "Some people, too many people, in fact, are used to seeing the world in a certain way, running by certain rules. So they get it in their head that these rules are how the world works, that these laws are absolute. So, when someone comes along who doesn't fit their parameters- Someone who doesn't fit their way of thinking on faith, on people...on gender...they decide that it must be bad automatically. That if something's weird then it must be evil, an affront to society, and an insult to the lord-on-high! Sure, nobody's ever seen or heard them, but they're sure that whoever made the universe and everything it surely shares their petty bigotry on...! But I digress.
"Those are the people who hold a pretty picture frame up to their own perspective and then cut off anything that doesn't fit inside, metaphorically speaking. What makes it worse is that they're often people in high positions, who persuade countless others that this is how things work and that if someone has the wrong colour skin, or falls in love with the wrong kind of person, then they deserve to be bullied...or far worse. If that's how they treat their own species, then I dread to think what would happen when they find out that mermen exist."
Coralie put a hand on Gill's shoulder, a look of grim determination on her face. "But I'll say this as well. Don't you ever, and I mean ever, let those kinds of people define who you are. You, Gill the Merboy, deserve to feel comfortable in your own skin, and you're worthy of being and saying exactly who you are. If you ever want to reveal yourself and your fishtail to the world, that's up to you. Just so long as you understand the kind of dangers from people out there, and the institutions they run. How you respond to them, well, that's up to you. You could do what Mindy does, and get mad with them. You could do what I'd do, and get even with them. Or you can try your best to make friends with them like the lovable sap that you are. Just make sure that before you do that, you're surrounded by friends already. The kind who'll leap to your defence at a moment's notice. The kind that has your back no matter what!"
She glanced away, with a distant, melancholy expression. "Not everyone gets to have friends like that..."
Edited by LizardOfAus on Feb 16th 2023 at 9:16:48 AM
THE SLORG!
Saturday, Little Haven, somewhere in the streets - Lynn the quadruplets seeing the signs.
"Huh? What's going on, did I- what?" Marilyn said, quite taken aback when Heidi suddenly dived into a bush. Then Jackie came out of the bush instead, in some pain. "Wait, now you're back? And once again nowhere the other girl could have gone... Do you two, swap places?" the yellow clad quadruplet wondered as she moved over to help Layla in getting Jackie to her feet. All four quadruplets had their brows furrow as they then realized something. "Hold on, your clothes are the same. Do you... Change your body? Psychics can do that?"
You are reading this.
Fwomph
On The Street: Mission Complete!
"Man, that went well. Hope he feels better about literally-a-pupper mode once he's back to just-a-guy mode."
Blake was feeling pretty good about himself as Alex's mom drove off with Alex himself in tow. Heck, he had kinda-singlehandedly (two-handedly?) averted the possible suicide of a classmate and that was a big noble thing for an unpowered guy like him to do! Heck, if he could do that normally what could he accomplish with powe—
Oh right. That wasn't entirely a mundane interaction back there.
"Hey can I have my coin back? It's sentimental and yaknow, filled with weird quantum splitty timeline whatsit magic."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
The Road
"...oh, right..." After a bit of digging around in their hoodie pocket, Val handed the coin back to Blake.
"...where did you get that, anyway...I thought you said you were normal..."
Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir.
For the Horde!
Gill's eyes widened and he looked like a deer caught in headlights when both Mindy and Coralie went on long tangents. Gill looked right into Coralie's eyes, furrowing his brow, and then looking right at Mindy, who was biking beside them.
"I know that there are a lot of sharks in this world. People who would rip your guts out as soon as look at you," Gill said to Mindy, calmly yet firmly. "But I also know there are a lot of dolphins. People who know to do the right thing. To help people, to make friends. There are a lot of whales too, gentle folk and music makers. And there are plenty of octopuses, the smart ones and the creative ones. Not everyone is a shark, and the only way we can find out the difference between a shark and a good fish is by meeting new people." He smiled. "Sometimes you're gonna get bit. But more often than not, I know that you're gonna find someone who will stick by your side. Like the two of you," Gill said. "And I'm not going to give up on this world. And when I show them who I really am... tell them what I want to be... I promise I'll have you guys by my side." He grinned at the two of them. He wanted to pull the two into a hug but he didn't want to pull them off their vehicles.
His beaming was interrupted by a guttural groan. Gill looked at his gut sheepishly.
"Now, let's get food, please? I'm starving," he insisted. "Either of you know a good place to eat?"
Jackie reached out to be pulled up by both Layla and Marilyn. She winced, looking at her arms and legs, which were scratched up by the branches of the bush.
"I'm fine..." she groaned. "Yeah, we're lost. Heidi... needs to learn to swallow her pride. And about that... I..." She blushed, wincing again and looking away. "I didn't wanna tell you guys, I was afraid that you guys were gonna be afraid of me like everyone else. But I guess... I guess the cat's out of the bag," she sighed.
She looked at herself, wanting nothing more than to run and hide. But after what Heidi pulled, there was no way that the others were gonna let her get away from this. She looked back up at Marilyn.
"I'm... not a psychic. I don't know... what I am. But yes, I... I do change my body. N-not by choice! I don't— I don't choose to be her," she clarified. "B-but... every so often I... I turn into... I become someone different. Jackie... Jackie turns into Heidi, and Heidi... yeah. She becomes me. And Heidi's... every impulse I hide away. Everything I don't wanna be. She's awful! She's... she's gotten me expelled from so many different schools... and it's gonna happen again, and Mom and Dad... they..."
Jackie trailed off, and stood there, starting to cry.
Edited by AllHailThrall on Feb 17th 2023 at 9:42:46 AM
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
The Mad Titan
Mindy
Mindy had gotten a lot to think about. First there was Coralie describing her exact personality right to her face. It was like Coralie read her mind. She wanted to get a word in edge-wise, but she couldn't. Then the lecture centering around her bike and how to use it. But Coralie is the intellectual type, so Mindy's not exactly surprised by the response. But then it was what Gill said that really rattled her. And even more so, she was a bit shocked that it was Gill of all people that gave her quite the intellectual response. Not that she thought he was dumb. But that he didn't appear as naive as he seemed. His message of positivity towards people also shook up her cynical stupor even more. She really didn't know what to say.But then Gill asked where they could all eat at is when Mindy finally said something after a long time. "I... I heard about this pizza place. Was goin' over there before I met you and Corals. I guess we could all go over there if you all want. I'm feelin' pretty hungry myself," Mindy said in a slightly quiet and humbled voice. This time talking without her usual assertive tone. Mindy definitely had a lot on her mind there. Between what Coral and Gill told her, what was she going to do now? She now has a lot of figuring out to do.
Layla
As Layla and Marilyn helped Jackie up, she listened to what Jackie had to say. About how she's both Jackie and Heidi in one. She felt for Jackie, she did. Her talk about her fears of them being afraid of her rung a bell inside Layla. She too was afraid that people might be scared of her. After all, who'd want to be friends with a headless girl, she thought. After listening to her venting and crying, Layla felt like she had to say something. "I'm sorry you have to go through that. I can only imagine it's a real hassle to have to chance like that constantly. And if it makes you feel better, I'm also afraid of people being scared of me because of who I am. So I know how you feel there." After saying that, Layla felt a tinge of regret over saying that. She got afraid she would be probed by questions. But to see Jackie crying like that, what else could she do?
THE SLORG!
Saturday, Little Haven, somewhere in the streets - Lynn the quadruplets wondering what all the fuss about psychics is about if there are no psychics.
Marilyn blinked, then gave Jackie a slow, solemn nod. "That sounds awful. I'm so sorry you have to go through that," Marilyn said, then pulled Jackie in for a hug. "So it's because of that that you're here too? To be in Oddity High, I'm guessing?" the quadruplet added in a gentle tone.
The other quadruplets looked a bit upset as well of course, though Carolyn did turn to look at Layla. "What would people be scared of you for?" Carolyn asked, but then quickly added, "Um, not that I mean to pry though sorry. So you don't have to answer."
You are reading this.
Fwomph
We Walkin' Here
"My dad got it for my last birthday. Little bit before me and mom left for this town... But like, I am normal! Just cause I've got a coin that does magic shit doesn't mean it's like, my talent; the coin works for anyone and it's not even that useful..."
He looks at the coin a bit and pockets it.
"Most of the time it's the choice between bad and worse..."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Toa of Anarchy
The Streets
"Oh hey, I know the place!" said Coralie. "Took my folks there for a meal the day before I started school. Just gonna give my folks a quick call about it. Mama's probably gonna be cooking a big family meal tonight, in which case I'll just get some garlic bread for the road.
Out from a labcoat pocket Coralie fished her parallelegram, and made her call as the three friends rode along to the pizzeria.
For the Horde!
Gill smiled at Mindy and Coral when they both agreed on a place.
"A pizza place sounds really good! Quick question though— what's pizza?" he asked, sounding a little embarassed about having to ask the question. He glanced idly at the parallelegram, curious as to the nature of the machine.
Jackie sniffled, hugging Marilyn back for a little bit of assurance. After a moment, she pulled away, nodding sadly at the girl.
"This is... probably the fifth school I've been to in the past few years," she admitted. "Mom and Dad... used up all their savings to move out here. If I can't make it in this school... they're ruined!" She fought back some more tears and she sniffled, her eyes red from crying. "Then we'll never find out how to get rid of her..."
>>"Fuck you too, you crybaby,"<< Heidi mentally responded in Jackie's head. Jackie was in too much of a state to respond.
Edited by AllHailThrall on Feb 21st 2023 at 8:31:00 AM
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
The Beach
Well, it wasn't the devastating assault that Coralie had hoped for, but at this stage, she'd settle for having been annoying. Consider yourself warned, little psi-spy, her mind echoed, and then that was that. The intrusive girl was left free to flee, at least for now.
With the psychic running away, Coralie turned her attention to her two friends, one currently mobbed by fans, while the other was making for her bike. Coralie quickly trotted over to Mindy with a pouty expression.
"Aw, don't tell me you're leaving already!" she said, plaintively. "After all the trouble I went to getting my swim-jams ready, I was hoping the three of us could've had more of a splash-about together." Her mischievous smile returned. "Y'know, getting to see Gill's 'natural state'? And hey, you don't look so bad in a swimsuit yourself, hot stuff. C'mon, don't give that creep the satisfaction of spoiling a beach day."