endbringer, meet gun

[peterxy]

...Very unseasonable rains can be seen in the distance from the shores of Acapulco.

The Brockton Bay Protectorate starts organizing volunteers to be transported or teletransported in batches to it. Heroes, rogues, villains, anyone's assistance is appreciated. A rendez-vous point is set for non-Protectorate capes wishing to volunteer, and Protectorate capes are informed of the situation via communication devices.

Comments

[mxglam]

"Mmmmnnno, that doesn't need much testing. Of course, you could prove me wrong." Two can play this game.

[alicornucopia]

"Don't flatter yourself, queer."

"James," says Chevalier.

"What, is flatter a bad word now?"

"That's not the problem and you know it."

[mxglam]

"Oh, Bootsy, you tempt me so much."

[alicornucopia]

"Don't get cute with me," snaps Boots.

"Glam, don't make it worse," Chevalier sighs.

[mxglam]

"Sorry, I promise I won't pick on James." They almost say 'too much' at the end, there, but that would probably be noticed. One scolding has already been enough for the day.

[alicornucopia]

"Thank you, Glam," says Chevalier.

Boots picks at his food.

[mxglam]

"So, Betty, I am curious about your power, but I understand if you don't like talking about it."

[alicornucopia]

"It's airborne poisons," says Betty, not looking their way.

[mxglam]

"I meant a bit more detail than that, but I won't pry any more. My apologies."

Okay, how to talk to people who aren't Boots about things that aren't likely to trigger people or make them unhappy?

...good thing food's such a good excuse not to actually need to talk.

[alicornucopia]

Om nom, go everybody.

[mxglam]

...Glam is going to die here. "So, Echo, what have you picked up with your power so far?"

Echo looks up from her food and says, "Fencing, piano, violin, taekwondo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, krav maga, karate, judo, aikido, rock climbing, swimming, and parkour," in a sort of monotone.

"Oh, that's interesting!"

She shrugs.

...Glam is going to die here.

[thinkering]

There isn't a whole lot of conversation, although Lorica and her dad occasionally look at each other in a way that suggests private helmet-to-helmet conversation. The fruit's delicious.

[mxglam]

Glam decides not to make it known how uncomfortable they are with the lack of conversation. How do they tread the line between 'interest in other people's lives and hobbies' and 'not reminding everyone that their personal lives are probably more traumatic than average'?

They'll probably have to find out.

[alicornucopia]

Miss Militia manages to engage Windflower in conversation about school. Apparently Windflower likes art. Over at the other end of the table Beneficence is talking to Drupe too quietly to hear.

[mxglam]

School and art, yes! With the problem that as of this moment Glam isn't in Arcadia... Well, that's all the more reason to sound interested in the conversation and eventually ask at the appropriate time, "Can you show me something you've made sometime?"

[alicornucopia]

"The Arcadia art show is in six weeks," mumbles Windflower.

[mxglam]

"Oh, cool! I bet I'll like it. I'm actually pretty bad at art, I manage to butcher drawing stick people."

[alicornucopia]

"Yeah, you'll get to skip your art class to go see," Windflower nods.

[mxglam]

"What do I have to do to actually pass in that class? 'Cause, stick people with four arms probably aren't it."

[alicornucopia]

"I don't know about the older grades. We have to turn in sketchbooks and do the class work how the teacher says."

[mxglam]

"I wonder if I actually have to take that class... It's elective, right? What are the choices?"

School: not trauma territory (for Windflower). Good.

[alicornucopia]

"You have to do it ninth and tenth but after it's elective or you can do sculpture or jewelry or painting or something else I forget."

[mxglam]

"I do sculpture, it's actually lots of fun," Dauntless says.

"Oh I might do that. I bet I can do abstract art that looks more artsy with than than drawing."

"So... you're older than tenth grade?" Dauntless asks tentatively.

"I'm seventeen, turn eighteen in November," Glam explains. "Other than the gender and potentially the face, I'm not weird about other things, you can ask. And you can ask about the gender, too, I'm not weird about talking about it."

[alicornucopia]

"Potentially the face?" says Windflower.

[mxglam]

"Well, the face has to do with the gender, actually. Like, I'm pretty sure whatever gender I remotely look like when I show Boots my face will be my Eternal Real True Gender Forever and that makes me slightly uncomfortable."