[ video ]

[braveoff]

[ The face that appears in the feed is friendly and smiling, very guy next door, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Just a harmless dude with a question for the city. ]

Hey, Hadriel. My name's Drake, I'm... not exactly new, but figure I should introduce myself anyway since I'm about to ask a personal question. I'm from a human world where there isn't any magic. But I keep hearing that people here have powers and I'm curious what kinds. I've met a couple healers, and that's pretty amazing. And helpful -- thanks, guys, if you're watching.

So. What can you do?

[ The feed shifts like he's about to turn it off, then thinks better of it and adds: ]

You can ask me anything in return, but my answers probably won't be as interesting.

Comments

[restinglichface]

[oh, she's definitely sticking her tongue out at him for that.]

Doesn't seem nearly as fun as letting you come up with nicknames, but whatevs. The name's Lup.

[braveoff]

Oh, you're Lup. I hear you've been playing hero.

[restinglichface]

Hero? [The idea is laughable, so she laughs, but it's actually pretty fitting giving what she was up to before Hadriel.] Guess my reputation precedes me. Can't blame a girl for trying to make a connection that isn't solely based on her celebrity, right?

[braveoff]

Or just trying to help people. That's an admirable trait, too. [ The woman she saved seems grateful, anyway. ]

You're a celebrity back home?

[restinglichface]

[Lup shrugs off the compliment, but it's clear from the soft touch to her smile that she may be a little touched. There's not too much recognition when you've endured forty-eight different apocalypses.]

Not yet exactly, but I def would have been if my home world hadn't gotten destroyed. We all would have come back heroes. I'm guessing at least a dozen different statues in my honor, a whole staff to wait on me, maybe a timeshare on the beach. The works.

[braveoff]

Wait, back up. Your home world is destroyed... like right before you got here or...? You have nowhere to go home to?

[restinglichface]

[Haha, if only it was so easy.] Actually, it happened about fifty years ago. We've been planet-hopping since, trying to escape the force that took out our home. It's, uh, a long story. Super convoluted, but full of a lot of epic getaways and some fucking bomb-ass one-liners from yours truly.

But I guess you're right. I don't really have a place to go back to. [A fact she seems completely unbothered by. When you never have a home, you don't much care where it is you end up. As long as she has her brother, she already is home.] We've got our ship. It's basically home, though a little cramped for seven peeps.

[braveoff]

Huh... what took out your home? I mean, eventually you'll find somewhere to settle again, I'm sure, but probably not until you take them out.

[restinglichface]

That's the plan. Take it out and figure the rest from there. We've been calling it the Hunger. It's this sentient plane that consumes other planes and becomes stronger. Basically, a planet ate our planet and now it's Mega Planet. And it keeps happening. Chasing after us and taking out all of the planes we land on. It's an experience.

[braveoff]

It's a... how do you fight a plane?

[restinglichface]

...We're still figuring that out. Believe me, I've tried blowing it up, but no go so far.

[braveoff]

I wish I had any ideas for you. Maybe you could ask around here if anyone's dealt with something like that before?

[restinglichface]

I guess it's a plan. Couldn't hurt. My friends have been around here longer than me, so maybe they've already asked around.

[oh wait. no. they are all lazy and have been using this time as a 'vacation' so probably not.] But I'll give it a try. Thanks, Drake.

[braveoff]

You've got friends here? Lucky you. My girlfriend and I showed up on our own and nobody came in last month.

...considering some of the people from our world, that could be a good thing. But I know she's homesick.

[restinglichface]

Yeah, I got four of 'em here, my brother included. I guess that's a lot more than most people get, but at least you got your gf here. My boyfriend's still nowhere to be seen. It's been well over a month. C'mon gods, don't leave a girl hanging!

[braveoff]

Well you cross your fingers for her friends and I'll cross mine for your boyfriend. What's he like?

[restinglichface]

[It's such an innocent question, but one that Lup hadn't been expecting at all. Since her arrival, it had felt like her friends had been purposely avoiding using Barry's name around her, like talking about him would upset her. So, for the briefest of seconds, she's taken back.

But Lup being Lup, the moment is over too quickly and she's back to grinning, her usual amused expression in place.]

A giant nerd, but I dig it. [she has an awful weakness for nerds] Afraid of the dark, allergic to milk, ridiculously thick glasses. He was hired on as a science expert for our mission, so you can use your imagination. Majorly lame. But...but he's funny and sensitive and one of my favorite people to be around.

[They were pretty much the combination of every popular, hot girl gets together with the giant, sensitive nerd trope ever.]