(no subject)

[basic_powers]

Little boy, at a table with his homework, eating a big plate of paradoxes.

Nothing abnormal about this kid.

Except this is a place where everything is pretty gosh darn abnormal.

Let this kid know he needs to work on his ability to blend in.

Comments

[gone_byebye]

"Hey, Tyler," says Ray, whose idea of blending in involves hiding in the library and not coming out until the janitor's gone home. "How's it going?"

[basic_powers]

"Pretty good... the usual weirdness. I had to teach Malphast about Valentine's Day and what it was about." Tyler replies, smiling and setting his homework aside.

For your information it was mostly about sending candy to friends. Tyler emphasized the candy portion for many reasons.

[gone_byebye]

"Malphast," Ray says. "I'm trying to remember. Which one is that again?"

He adjusts the sling that dangles from one shoulder. It's the kind that carries a load, not the kind that holds an arm or anything.

[basic_powers]

"He's the kid whose mom and dad are a demon general and an angel of order, respectively. And he's the kid who accidentally summoned a tentacle monster in the locker-vator when he listened to a Weird Al cd."

[gone_byebye]

"Oh, right, you mentioned him once," Ray says. "Although the tentacle monster's new, from what I remember. You guys get that cleaned up okay?"

[basic_powers]

"Actually, the grownups never caught it. It likes to run around the elevator system and grab kids and then toss them out of the elevator. We got the marshmellow monster he summoned when Cecil invited him over for Halloween taken care of though." Tyler grins. "What's new in your world?"

[gone_byebye]

"Hopefully it doesn't get anybody hurt in the process," says Ray, who lives with enough weird things that a tentacle monster that doesn't eat people seems like just another denizen of the walls. "Oh- we've got a new sentient species in our oceans, as it happens. Or rather, we've made contact with at least one. They seemed to indicate that there were multiple species gathered under one political umbrella, if I read their communications properly."

[basic_powers]

"...like than the Deep Ones?" Tyler replies after a momentary pause. "Are they friendly?"

[gone_byebye]

"They're friendly, but they're nothing at all like the Deep Ones," Ray says. "They're... well, they're octopi. Extremely deep-water octopi, from a species most people don't even know exists. They can't come into the air and they can only stand to be in the surface waters for a very short time, but they've learned human writing thanks to all the printed matter that humanity's dropped in the oceans over the years. They live in the Pacific and they've never met the Deep Ones."

[notahugfan.livejournal.com]

Ned's never really tried to blend in so much as succeeded accidentally, in his perennial grey slacks and shirt.

He's acquiring something that resembles a milkshake when he sees Tyler, and he starts to head towards the boy before stopping himself.

[basic_powers]

Tyler would blend in, if this were anyplace but the perenienniel sort of weirdness that makes no sense that is Milliways.

Eventually, however, the boy does have to look up. Only so long you can stare into your social studies homework before you start to wonder if all grownups are crazy.

...Huh. Grown up lookin at him, felicitous greeting time!

"Hi!"

[notahugfan.livejournal.com]

"Hi."

He's...he's exactly the same.

"You're Tyler, right?"

[basic_powers]

Yes...Yes he is. (Although if Ned ever got his hands on a good piece of philiotic signature reading hardware, he'd be seeing a whole different picture, but that's neither here nor there)

"...yeh, I am." The grown-up knows his name..and..something familiar. Just give him a chance to place it. "...this is gonna sound weird ...but have we met before?"

[notahugfan.livejournal.com]

And he remembers him.

"My name is Ned," he starts, finally crossing the rest of the way and sitting down in front of Tyler. "The last time we saw each other, I was nine years old."

[basic_powers]

"...This is going to be what meeting Harold is going to be like." Is Tyler's immediate thought as he boggles a bit. "...whoa. ...you grew up a lot. ...How's Digby?"

[notahugfan.livejournal.com]

"Digby's good," Ned replies, relaxing immediately.

As much as Ned ever does, anymore.

"I know he'll be happy to come here again -- we don't have a lot of room for him to run around in, at home."

[basic_powers]

"Aww..." Digby is a dog, and a very nice one, who probably needs someplace to run around in. "You know if you take a drink coaster with you when you leave, you can use it to come back through just about any door you want..."

[justiceoverlaw]

Hey, this is convenient!

"Tyler!" calls his approaching mentor. "Well, that saves me travel or postage."

How often does one see a dark and spooky vigilante carrying a white plastic bag from the local SupR-SavR?

[basic_powers]

...

Not that often. Hence the kid staring at his after-school tutor.

...srsly. WHUT.

[justiceoverlaw]

"I know your parents haven't gotten you any of these yet, so I thought I'd pick you up some as long as I was out. Thought I'd have to send them to you, though."

He pulls out of the bag a flat, brightly-coloured cardboard package of Officially Licensed valentine cards, all inscribed with terrible puns and none expressing any particular affection, perfect for classroom distribution.

[basic_powers]

...The superhero vigilante just brought Tyler valentines for his class project.

...Tyler has a new weirdest thing to happen in Milliways.

"Thanks... ...why are my parents on the box?"

[justiceoverlaw]

The Nightmare Detective sounds a bit embarrassed. "Sorry. It was that or ponies."

[basic_powers]

Tyler looks up from holding the box at the Revenant and then back to ther box.

.
.
.

"....would you be mad if I said I'd like to try making my own?"

[justiceoverlaw]

"Not terribly." He's rich, remember? "But hang onto them in case."

[basic_powers]

"Alright... I'm going to go and get some construction paper and get started then..."

As Tyler gets up, a folded up piece of lavender paper flutters to the floor from his homework pile.