behemoth, meet the opposition

[mrglam]

Sadde doesn't seem quite able to focus on homework at the moment. He's fidgeting, and sometimes stares off into space for long periods of time before James has to snap him out of it.

Comments

[mrglam]

He shakes his head. "No, I want to." He exhales slowly. "You remember what my trigger event was?"

[thinkering]

"Behemoth, New York."

[mrglam]

"Yeah. I lived with my mom. She- she died in the attack. I dunno if I told you that part, I know I told you she's dead, but. Yeah."

[thinkering]

Lorica goes over and scoops him out of the air and hugs him.

[mrglam]

He hugs her back, and buries his face in her neck, sighing.

[thinkering]

Her neck is plated in armor and not super buryable, but she pats his back.

[mrglam]

Well. The meaning behind the movement is still clear, and he's kinda used to the mechanics of hugging her with armor.

"My mom divorced my dad when I was little, because he- hit me. A lot. After she died, I had to live with him again. And he started hitting me again. Because of the gender thing. Transphobic asshole. Used to say he was gonna make me into a man whether I liked it or not."

[thinkering]

Squeeze.

[mrglam]

"I'm pretty sure he's hurt me more than Boots ever did," he continues explaining, deadpan. "Eventually he kinda gave up on the 'making me a man' thing and decided he was just teaching me a lesson or something. He didn't really say. Then I emancipated. It was easy, actually, he didn't want anything to do with me by then, he wanted to forget I existed, I think." Pause. "I hope he did."

[thinkering]

"When was it you got out?"

[mrglam]

"Bit after I turned sixteen. A year and a half ago, give or take. I- moved to Brockton Bay, I could already fly then, I wanted to be a hero in a big cape city that was not New York, so."

[thinkering]

"Does he know you're a cape?"

[mrglam]

"No. I never, ever let him figure out. It's- part of the reason why I took so long to really learn the stuff. The very first thing I could do, the gender thing, I couldn't do it then. He'd have noticed."

[thinkering]

Pat pat. Lorica lets him go. "I'm glad you got out."

[mrglam]

"Yeah. Me, too. So, uh, I've lived alone since then, I went to school at Winslow High, and after joining the Wards I've been living here."

[thinkering]

Nod.

[mrglam]

"And now you know my story!" he says, trying to inject some cheer into his voice. "Oh, I also have two half-siblings, but my father basically prohibited me from interacting with them."

[thinkering]

"Uh, are they okay?"

[mrglam]

"Neither of them are trans, as far as I know both of them were Christian as of the time I left, so Tobias never had an excuse to beat them up."

[thinkering]

"If you say so, but if you'd been going through a social worker or something instead of just relying on him wanting rid of you they would check the entire family, I think."

[mrglam]

"Yeah, maybe. I mean, I'm pretty sure they are okay, and of course Tobias knew not to be too obvious about it. He did give me food, my room was okay, I went to school, the bruises were in easy-to-hide-and-explain places."

[thinkering]

"Before I got my powers I was the klutziest kid alive and when I was in first grade someone thought my parents might be hitting me because I was always bruised and they took some convincing. ...My powers don't affect my clumsiness directly, I compensate with technology."

[mrglam]

"...is it bad that I kinda think the klutziness is endearing?"

[thinkering]

"Well, you're a little late, because it's no longer a factor even out of costume."

[mrglam]

"Really? How'd you fix that out of costume?"