[Video to Connor, but guess who forgot to make it private]

[easy_a]

I know I owe you a lot of explanations. Mostly about the whole "no touching" thing.

I've been a proper bitch about it, but I'm just scared about too many people knowing. A lot of shit goes down whenever someone does touch me, so it's not exactly a pleasant topic. ...Actually, we never really talked about The Storm outside our little shithead group back in Wertham. Skeletons in the closet and all; guess old habits die hard.

Wot I'm trying to say is... you deserve to know.

Comments

[ video, locked ]

[reanimated]

Oh no, no no no, no you don't, you absolute twat! Barry, I'm going to—

[ Nothing. ]

Seriously, duck and cover cos I'm gonna find you and—

[ Yep still nothing. ]

FOR FUCK'S SAKE! Christ's bloody wankrags, alright, fine. Jesus, man, I don't know. I'm not good at that sci-fi shit like you and Victor, it's not like I've got this grand scheme in mind or anything, it's more of the general idea that appeals to me now— FUCKIN' HELL!

[ video, locked ]

[weirdkid]

Helping people? Is that the idea?

[He looks vaguely amused. Nathan, this coming from you... he never would have imagined. Actually yes, he would have. But not seriously.]

Have you ever read Marvel's Runaways?

[ video, locked ]

[reanimated]

[ Flipping you double birds, Barry. Stop looking like you're taking pleasure in this. ]

YES, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA and no. I do know that's where Victor and his mates are from cos they call themselves the Runaways enough. Or they did when more of them were here.

[ video, locked ]

[weirdkid]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people. I don't know why you're so embarrassed.

Victor and Nico are here, I've seen them posting on the network. Who else was here?

[ video, locked ]

[reanimated]

Oh Christ, here we go. [ Once again, please imagine him looking like he's in so much pain that he's passing the world's biggest kidney stone while these words climb out of his mouth without his consent. ] It's not that I'm embarrassed. Mate, I don't even know how to be embarrassed. I was born without those genes! And they doubled the handsome ones instead. It's more that it took for-fucking-ever to come around to the idea of it and I'm still trying parse exactly what I want out of the situation. Also it's not like I ever expected you lot to show up and want to join in, so chalk it up to quite a lot of change at once, yeah?

[ DEEP BREATHS. Nathan is way more comfortable with the second topic. ]

Karolina and her ladyboy husband Xavin were here when I first got here. They've been gone for ages. Molly was too, she was this really great little arse-kicker of a kid, but she kept disappearing and reappearing over and over and it really fucked Victor up every time. Nico's also come and gone. Two more of 'em were here for a day, Chase and Gert, but that was different cos they acted like they'd been here the whole time and we were the weird ones for not rememberin' them. That one was an island fuck-up.

[ video, locked ]

[weirdkid]

[In stark contrast to Nathan's pained expression, Simon looks like he's trying to not actually let on how excited he is by this.] I'm not quite sure where to start here, either. It's a lot different now, with real superheroes around who have been doing this for years. But if you'd be interested in teaming up, I've been training for a while now. We could figure out where to go from there, at least.

[He files all of that away; genuinely interested in both the people in question and the come-and-go of the island in general. His brows draw together in confusion.] The island 'fucked up?' How do you know when it's a mistake, and when it's just the.. normal weirdness?

[ video, locked ]

[reanimated]

[ WEIRD KID, YOU ARE THE ACTUAL WORST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO HIM. ]

Yeah. Alright. I mean, I honestly didn't want to do all the "teaming up" bullshit but between you and Victor I'm sure you'd figure out a way to get started. Properly. And all that rot. And about the island fuck-ups— I mean, when you're here long enough it gets pretty obvious. It's not normal for a shitload of your mates to show up at once and act like they've been here the whole time. It kept happening to folks for a few weeks and they'd only stay a day. No word on why that ever happened, of course. Having an explanation for anything, that'd be far too easy.