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[Delivered to Huvrye's hotel room is a wrapped package. Inside are two books 'The Greatest Meals of Central City: 2023 Edition', and 'A Visitors Guide to Central City']
You can show me how to get the thing on my phone, and then, I dunno, we can talk?
[How do you pass free time with another person? With a friendly civ? He doesn't really know, but he's willing to figure it out.]
[How do you pass free time with another person? With a friendly civ? He doesn't really know, but he's willing to figure it out.]
[Well that works. Mark nods and gestures for his phone. Time to teach the guy how to do adding apps.]
[A neatly-wrapped package will be delivered to Huvrye shortly before Christmas! Otto never used to be that great at wrapping, but it turns out the actuators are; who knew?
Anyway, contained within are a couple books: Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot and Devotions by Mary Oliver. The attached note reads:]
Merry Christmas, Huvrye! I guess you probably don't have that holiday in your world, but I'm glad you signed up for the gift exchange anyway.
My late wife was a poet, and while we don't know each other well, I believe she'd have thought you could use some poetry in your life. These were some of her favorites. I hope you enjoy them.
- Otto
Anyway, contained within are a couple books: Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot and Devotions by Mary Oliver. The attached note reads:]
Merry Christmas, Huvrye! I guess you probably don't have that holiday in your world, but I'm glad you signed up for the gift exchange anyway.
My late wife was a poet, and while we don't know each other well, I believe she'd have thought you could use some poetry in your life. These were some of her favorites. I hope you enjoy them.
- Otto
[Huvrye had been idly scrolling through the food delivery app - Mark had really helped him out by showing him that one - when a call comes through and he nearly drops the phone.]
[It's Hunter. Huvrye has been getting Hunter's texts, and it's not enough to assuage the worry, but they've at least been consistent as promised. But he'd told Hunter to call if he needed anything, and now Hunter is calling-]
[He fumbles the phone and manages to answer.]
Hunter? Are you oka-
[-that's not Hunter.]
[That's not Hunter.]
[His stomach plummets abruptly, and then the rest of the world drops away, leaving nothing but pinpoint focus and the awful feeling that he's going to need to move very fast very soon and that he might already be too late.]
Yeah, I am. Is he okay?
[It's Hunter. Huvrye has been getting Hunter's texts, and it's not enough to assuage the worry, but they've at least been consistent as promised. But he'd told Hunter to call if he needed anything, and now Hunter is calling-]
[He fumbles the phone and manages to answer.]
Hunter? Are you oka-
[-that's not Hunter.]
[That's not Hunter.]
[His stomach plummets abruptly, and then the rest of the world drops away, leaving nothing but pinpoint focus and the awful feeling that he's going to need to move very fast very soon and that he might already be too late.]
Yeah, I am. Is he okay?
No.
[ No use sugar coating it, really. Dylan struggles to keep his voice steady as he continues, but it still cracks just a bit.]
I... I think he'll be okay, but he was shot. We — other friends of his — we're at a clinic with him now.
He asked us to call you.
[ No use sugar coating it, really. Dylan struggles to keep his voice steady as he continues, but it still cracks just a bit.]
I... I think he'll be okay, but he was shot. We — other friends of his — we're at a clinic with him now.
He asked us to call you.
Edited 2022-12-28 17:50 (UTC)
[Ohhhhh no. Oh no. No no no-]
[The pinpoint focus comes in handy. His voice is tight when he speaks again.]
Give me coordinates and I'll be there. [Wait - civ.] Or an address.
[The pinpoint focus comes in handy. His voice is tight when he speaks again.]
Give me coordinates and I'll be there. [Wait - civ.] Or an address.
[His phone dings with a new message - the coordinates. Good.]
Got it. I'm on my way.
[He notes the address, shoves his phone in his pocket and pulls a sweater over his head, throws the window open, and is gone. He's a fast flier - it won't take him long to get there.]
Got it. I'm on my way.
[He notes the address, shoves his phone in his pocket and pulls a sweater over his head, throws the window open, and is gone. He's a fast flier - it won't take him long to get there.]
[Boy, he really does not want to have this as an actual conversation, does he. Huvrye just texts back.]
you're the one who brought it up and I still don't understand why
I just wanted an explanation
that's all
you're the one who brought it up and I still don't understand why
I just wanted an explanation
that's all
yeah it turns out I'm not most people
so you can do skeletons and zombies but you can't bring anyone back to life
right?
[He thinks he saw something about zombies on the hotel TV once - he's still not great with human media, and there'd been a lot of screaming so he'd turned it off - but the idea of dead body walking was easy enough to retain, especially when paired with Hunter's initial explanation.]
so you can do skeletons and zombies but you can't bring anyone back to life
right?
[He thinks he saw something about zombies on the hotel TV once - he's still not great with human media, and there'd been a lot of screaming so he'd turned it off - but the idea of dead body walking was easy enough to retain, especially when paired with Hunter's initial explanation.]
I know you aren't
you saved his life
[He hadn't expected this to become an interrogation; he'd thought they were just talking, and then it took a turn.]
there's a lot here I still don't get and I'm trying to understand
that's all
you saved his life
[He hadn't expected this to become an interrogation; he'd thought they were just talking, and then it took a turn.]
there's a lot here I still don't get and I'm trying to understand
that's all
Okay.
[ So it was a worry. Nico still swears he can see it in some of the other kids - that he’s bad because his powers are. That death is evil; therefore so is the god of the Underworld and his kids. The hood guys never have skeletal armies. ]
A lot where that you don’t get? I’m not from here. I’m not going to be any help if you’re trying to figure out what people here are like.
[ So it was a worry. Nico still swears he can see it in some of the other kids - that he’s bad because his powers are. That death is evil; therefore so is the god of the Underworld and his kids. The hood guys never have skeletal armies. ]
A lot where that you don’t get? I’m not from here. I’m not going to be any help if you’re trying to figure out what people here are like.
yeah but you're human
even humans who aren't from this world sound like they have a lot in common
there's a lot of similarities in human worlds even if magic or technology or whatever are different
I don't have that
my world is completely different from everyone else's
most people here have a lifetime of knowing this stuff and I've been here for six weeks
even if you're not from here you still know more about it than I do
I'm just trying to catch up
even humans who aren't from this world sound like they have a lot in common
there's a lot of similarities in human worlds even if magic or technology or whatever are different
I don't have that
my world is completely different from everyone else's
most people here have a lifetime of knowing this stuff and I've been here for six weeks
even if you're not from here you still know more about it than I do
I'm just trying to catch up
[ There’s a lot of assumptions in that, and maybe Nico wouldn’t mind them, if they didn’t make him feel like everything he’s had to struggle with was small and inconsequential. ]
My world doesn’t have superheroes, humans don’t know about magic, and I had to figure out how phones and the internet work because demigods can’t use them without attracting every monster in ten miles. And I don’t have a lifetime of movie references and music. I don’t even have my lifetime of memories.
[ Why is he telling Huvrye this? He doesn’t owe him anything. Just because he knows what it’s like to play catch up? He’s Hunter’s friend, or Jason’s, but he hasn’t told them much of it either. ]
Just listen more than you talk. You’ll figure it out.
My world doesn’t have superheroes, humans don’t know about magic, and I had to figure out how phones and the internet work because demigods can’t use them without attracting every monster in ten miles. And I don’t have a lifetime of movie references and music. I don’t even have my lifetime of memories.
[ Why is he telling Huvrye this? He doesn’t owe him anything. Just because he knows what it’s like to play catch up? He’s Hunter’s friend, or Jason’s, but he hasn’t told them much of it either. ]
Just listen more than you talk. You’ll figure it out.
[Huvrye had said he wasn't like most people; evidently Nico isn't like most people either, and Huvrye had just run roughshod over that. Good job. Way to hurt people, again.]
[It's a few minutes, and a few attempts drafted and deleted, before he sends a reply.]
I'm sorry about your memories
and I'm sorry if I hurt you
I didn't mean to but that's not an excuse
thanks for explaining anyway
I won't tell anyone about what you said unless you say it's okay
[He's keeping his own secrets, and Hunter's; he can keep Nico's as well.]
[It's a few minutes, and a few attempts drafted and deleted, before he sends a reply.]
I'm sorry about your memories
and I'm sorry if I hurt you
I didn't mean to but that's not an excuse
thanks for explaining anyway
I won't tell anyone about what you said unless you say it's okay
[He's keeping his own secrets, and Hunter's; he can keep Nico's as well.]
I’m not hurt. I didn’t say I was hurt - Hunter got hurt.
[ Which is a very narrow definition of hurt, and Nico knows that this isn’t going to fly. Huvrye’s not Will; he’s not even Mr. D, and so how does he know if Nico’s been hurt? Or if he’s upset that people just shot Hunter for no reason?
There’s supposed to be a reason when kids get hurt. Even if it’s just that’s what gods and monsters do. ]
It’s not okay. I’ll know if you say anything.
[ Which is a very narrow definition of hurt, and Nico knows that this isn’t going to fly. Huvrye’s not Will; he’s not even Mr. D, and so how does he know if Nico’s been hurt? Or if he’s upset that people just shot Hunter for no reason?
There’s supposed to be a reason when kids get hurt. Even if it’s just that’s what gods and monsters do. ]
It’s not okay. I’ll know if you say anything.
different kind of hurt
[He's honestly not sure whether Nico doesn't know what he meant or if he's just being obtuse, but since this entire awkward conversation came from Huvrye not understanding, it's probably better to clarify.]
okay
I won't say anything
[He's honestly not sure whether Nico doesn't know what he meant or if he's just being obtuse, but since this entire awkward conversation came from Huvrye not understanding, it's probably better to clarify.]
okay
I won't say anything
[Well, that answers the question as to whether Nico gets it. There's an argument to be made there, a conversation that should probably happen, but Huvrye is in no way qualified to have it and he damn well knows it. Plus, he'd just gotten checked for pushing Nico's boundaries and not knowing it; probably not a good idea to keep pushing.]
I can't promise we won't have another one, but I can promise I'll stop if you ask me to
[Conversations go weird, unpredictable places, but he can at least lay out a boundary for Nico to enforce if he chooses.]
I can't promise we won't have another one, but I can promise I'll stop if you ask me to
[Conversations go weird, unpredictable places, but he can at least lay out a boundary for Nico to enforce if he chooses.]
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