#efe002

[swimmingwiththefitzes]

"I don't think I care for Superman," Billie muttered. "He makes no sense." None of this made sense. Then again, most media didn't make sense unless it was a documentary or educational program. Perhaps Billie just missed the person she'd been sharing most of this stuff with. It was fun to lean into the silliness, the unbelievability, of things like superheroes or dinosaurs when you were appreciating it with someone important. She started to nod; she knew what a wolverine was. But then Efe mentioned yellow suits and claws, and she groaned. "I don't know a wolverine like that."

Billie laughed a little. "I think some of them have ways to communicate inside them, though I'm admittedly not an expert in scuba gear. I've never needed it." He was right, though. There was little in comics that was actually realistic, and Billie was beginning to think that, perhaps, that was the point. "I think that... excitement is subjective. What you find exciting might not be what others do, and that's perfectly fine. I feel like there's enough... excitement in this town most of the time that extra is almost unnecessary." She was, quite frankly, exhausted by excitement. If she didn't force herself to do other things, Billie was quite certain she'd simply stay at home, in her bathtub, and sleep. Or scream underwater. She wasn't certain. "That's kind of nice, not having to interact with things. When I was younger, I'd try to find websites that would... let me watch recordings of musicals," she murmured. "Documentaries would be nice. About anything?"

It was hard for her not to hunch in on herself, shrugging. Was this place actually safe? Safer. Maybe. "Thanks. I'm not-- I'm not like that anymore," she said softly. She appreciated the turn of conversation, latching onto it. "Do the names of the vessels mean anything, or are they just supposed to be... fun? But I agree. I think that history is hard, though. Some people don't want to reckon with the past."

Efe cocked his head to one side, his brow shooting up as he spoke. "Well, Superman can also...fly in space, I think. So he's just impervious in general. He's an alien of some kind. His weakness is kryptonite. It's, like, this glowing green rock that takes away his powers." Pursing up his lips, Efe gave a low hum. "They're another group of superheroes. I think maybe they go to a secret school or something? Do you know Wolverine? Like, the guy with the yellow suit and the claws? He's one." He laughed, ducking his head. "Ah, well, I insist you were."

Efe smiled. "I don't know. Do scuba suits have little radios in them or anything? Maybe they could talk to everyone else who's also wearing a scuba suit. But between you and me, I'm not sure comics care very much for what is and is not realistic." Thinking for a moment, Efe allowed his features to harden. He gave a weak shrug. "I'm not sure, though. To be honest, I work in what a lot of people would consider an exciting job, I guess, but at the same time...I don't think I really do very many exciting things. I'm sure someone must give lessons around here, but...I don't know." He shrugged, deflating a bit, before giving a nod. He worried, quite often, that he was boring. "The good thing about YouTube is you don't actually have to interact beyond watching if you don't want to. But sure. Some are like movies. Others are more like...podcasts. Or documentaries maybe. Just about any topic you could ever want."

Efe crossed his arms, shifting a bit in place. "Ah...Yeah. I had this buddy, who...well. I'm glad you're here and safe." Said friend and he did not really talk anymore, after Efe had reacted badly to the revelation of a hunter's upbringing. He was trying to give more benefit of the doubt in this moment. "I..uh, read this book about the USS Tang? It was my dad's really. But then I picked it up and started thumbing through, and before you know it, I was reading another one about the USS Alligator, which was the American Navy's first submarine. I just think history can be interesting. We repeat what we don't learn from. Every damn day, to be honest."

[fivepointpalettes]

Paper Cuts And Glitter Pens

#de1655 | #efe002 | #13a38d | #f4a1e9 | #005ecd

[itsronniebish]

Giggling, Ronnie said, "No way. I'm not going back in there. Everyone in there's fucking crazy." All of them turning on each other, yelling about shit, stealing her stuff and then trying to make her give up what she'd just gotten. No, thank you. She'd rather not. Her smile was slow, languid, her black eyes hooded. "You're so sweet," she said. It was so funny, the way his expression faltered, the way he stumbled with his words. He was trying to be so brave. She wondered if he'd be able to stop her from ripping into his throat. But he didn't have any magic, as disappointing as that was, and she wanted more than just blood. She needed more. Ronnie stood up on her toes before falling back down, rocking onto her heels and turning away from him. "I'm gonna go grab a bite, Efe. But, you know. You should still protect yourself out there."

"Oh, uh, do you want to maybe go back into the Inn and get a room there? Just to, you know, catch your breath?" Given the uproar that had seized the place earlier, Efe was not quite certain that was actually a good idea. He did not imagine anyone was actually watching the desk, but maybe, he thought, he could get Ronnie someplace secure to lie low until whatever was happening had passed. "Like I said, not judging. It's just...you know, want to make sure you're all good," he smiled weakly, but the sudden burst of speed did take him aback. His expression faltered, a steadying breath rolling through him. "I do. I can walk you there," he replied softly, voice hitching a bit, mind scratching at thoughts of self-defense training he suddenly could not remember. "I'm...uh, maybe we could watch each other's backs on the way. That would be all right, wouldn't it?"

[pitymisskitty]

"Well, when you put it that way, these don't sound like the kinda cups I need," Kitty said with a laugh. "TikTok's fun! It's kind of addicting; like, you think you're only gonna watch a video or two, but you end up watching for two hours. But I don't really post anything there anymore. I did when I was back home. There's a difference between doing stupid dances with my friends and posting a video of me wolfing out, though, I guess," she said. She shivered at the thought of it. The wolf had already killed one person she loved. She couldn't let anyone else know about that. "Friends on the other side is why I don't tweet about, like, half the shit I want to. But I posted about climbing water towers back home, so going to working and falling asleep on my parents' couch here is pretty tame in comparison." She perked up. "Oh! Subway Surfer's this phone game. It's really fun. Also addicting, in a mind numbing phone game kinda way."

"It might be nice if the rest of the world could be like this place," she mumbled. "Minus, like, all the shit from the last few months." But, then again, wasn't all of that caused because people out there didn't like the fact that people seemed to get along in here? Lunar Cove was far from perfect, Kitty knew that. But it was proof that people could get along. Things shouldn't have to be shrouded in secrecy, even if she got that it was important that they were shrouded in secrecy. She laughed, not wanting to tell him that imagining a wall probably didn't do much good. It was the thought (likely being read by a telepath) that counted. "Some of them can. I think they nice ones try not to pry, though. And there's gotta be at least one kid out there that doesn't hate the night news. Some 'old soul' or some shit that's really into the weather, you know?" Was she really thinking about this? She was. It'd be good, maybe. Dangerous, but, really, what in town wasn't? She was dangerous, after all. Firefighting on the side would at least get out more energy than waitressing, too. "I'm definitely thinking about it," she said with a small smile.

Efe nodded. "Mostly mugs, but some regular cups too, yeah. I don't drink out of them, though. Because, like, the paint is weird and peely? And I feel like it might be toxic. I think they're decoration cups." He grimaced at that. "Full disclosure? I don't really have the TikTok thing. Like, I've got a sense of what it's all about and whatever. But...I don't...I have a Facebook? And an Insta? Social media is weird. Like, I can't actually post anything if I don't quadruple check it. Friends on the other side, you know?" Bringing up his hands, Efe gestured around himself as if to indicate the general sense of the barrier. "But what's a Subway Surfer?"

Biting his lip, he leaned against the wall of washers. "It's, uh, yeah...I think it must be good for everyone that Lunar Cove protects. But I grew up here. I didn't really realize life could be any other way, I guess. I think I just thought there were witches and werewolves everywhere until I was older." And in truth, Efe was not entirely sure how he felt right now about the supernatural being part of the day to day. The town and his desire to maintain his own memories hung around his neck like an albatross, a sensation that was once again playing on his nerves. There came moments where he thought leaving and forgetting would be easier. "I think some witches can, though. I don't know which ones. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I think of a wall like in this weird old movie I saw once," he joked with a laugh. "No, I don't think it was good. But it was either that or the news. Every little kid hates watching the news." He shrugged. "You can be allotted more time if you require it. And, uh, if you want I can totally help you study. It's up to you, of course. But I think it's really great when people are interested in getting involved."

[pitymisskitty]

--END

"Well, when you put it that way, these don't sound like the kinda cups I need," Kitty said with a laugh. "TikTok's fun! It's kind of addicting; like, you think you're only gonna watch a video or two, but you end up watching for two hours. But I don't really post anything there anymore. I did when I was back home. There's a difference between doing stupid dances with my friends and posting a video of me wolfing out, though, I guess," she said. She shivered at the thought of it. The wolf had already killed one person she loved. She couldn't let anyone else know about that. "Friends on the other side is why I don't tweet about, like, half the shit I want to. But I posted about climbing water towers back home, so going to working and falling asleep on my parents' couch here is pretty tame in comparison." She perked up. "Oh! Subway Surfer's this phone game. It's really fun. Also addicting, in a mind numbing phone game kinda way."

"It might be nice if the rest of the world could be like this place," she mumbled. "Minus, like, all the shit from the last few months." But, then again, wasn't all of that caused because people out there didn't like the fact that people seemed to get along in here? Lunar Cove was far from perfect, Kitty knew that. But it was proof that people could get along. Things shouldn't have to be shrouded in secrecy, even if she got that it was important that they were shrouded in secrecy. She laughed, not wanting to tell him that imagining a wall probably didn't do much good. It was the thought (likely being read by a telepath) that counted. "Some of them can. I think they nice ones try not to pry, though. And there's gotta be at least one kid out there that doesn't hate the night news. Some 'old soul' or some shit that's really into the weather, you know?" Was she really thinking about this? She was. It'd be good, maybe. Dangerous, but, really, what in town wasn't? She was dangerous, after all. Firefighting on the side would at least get out more energy than waitressing, too. "I'm definitely thinking about it," she said with a small smile.

[swimmingwiththefitzes]

"So he's either impervious to heat or simply to his own lasers," Billie murmured, nodding slightly as he considered it. "And invulnerable. That is... perplexing. Everything has a weakness that can be exploited. What is an x man?" she asked. She hummed. She was frequently, endlessly frustrated by magic. It lacked explanation, even if its weaknesses made up for that. Even her own body was traitorous, all thanks to magic. She didn't understand why it behaved the way that it did, only that it did, much to her own chagrin. She managed to give Efe a small smile, though. "You're welcome, though I... don't feel particularly helpful, I'm afraid."

She sighed. "It is all underwater, yes," she said. She'd made a mistake picking it up. Perhaps comic books weren't for her. She should stick to numbers. Sudoku was never this perplexing. Or irritating to think about. She did manage to huff out a laugh. "There would likely be less conversation if they were all wearing scuba suits," she said. "Though, the blonde one, the one called Dolphin, she doesn't talk much." She tilted her head to the side. "Have you ever wanted to? I'm sure there are people around here that do lessons, it being a coastal town and all." She shook her head. "I don't use social media very often, so I don't go on Youtube. That does sound... interesting, though. Long videos. Like movies? Perhaps not ones about comics, though."

For just a second, Billie considered what she was going to say. She couldn't lie, but she didn't have to tell the whole truth. "No." Still, most people were at least subconsciously aware, her history broadcasted in front of most of the town regardless. "I was raised to be a hunter. As in, one of supernatural people. Military and survival tactics were a part of my upbringing." That sounded nice, a show where people read to you. Something normal, something that was for children. Had she ever gotten to be a child? Quietly, she asked, "What kind of submarines?"

"Well, I, uh...." Efe felt his eyes widen, but in truth, he had never thought too hard about the intricacies of Superman. The questioning seemed to take him somewhat aback, and he found he had no real answers. "I think he's, like, invulnerable maybe. Like, he'd be immune to his own lasers? I think one of the X-Men has eye lasers too, but he needs to wear special glasses to keep them from firing all the time. Maybe it's magic? I mean, I've seen people around here make fire in their hands. Where does that come from?" He smiled. "Good then. Thank you for the help. Sometimes I need someone else to help me make a decision."

Efe hummed, furrowing his brow. "It's all underwater, is it? Maybe it's just for convenience. Otherwise, they'd have to put people in scuba suits. I mean, I wear air tanks all the time at work, but I've never been scuba diving." He sighed, thinking better of going too far down this path with a siren. "Do you ever go on YouTube? Sometimes people post these long explanations on there? I mean, some of the kids I work with watch them. They're like, hours and hours long." He grimaced.

"Oh! Are you into...military stuff? I like...books about submarines." It sounded utterly ridiculous to say aloud, but he had found himself picking up some of his father's reading habit in his creeping, lifelong fate of becoming the man. "It was, like...this kid's show on PBS? They taught you about reading. Sometimes famous people would come on and read to you, but I was little and didn't know who any of them were."

[swimmingwiththefitzes]

"Can he?" she asked, genuinely curious. "That's hardly practical, shooting lasers from one's eyes. How does he keep them from hurting him? Are they actual lasers? How does the heat not affect his vision? Where do the lasers come from?" None of the questions seemed to have logical answers, something that she was finding seemed to be the way of most forms of media that were consumed. Even the things she liked, the movies and musicals she'd seen, didn't really make sense. "Retro," she murmured. "I think he should suffice, yes."

Billie frowned. "I can't tell what she does," she muttered. "Other than have scales and swim. Which. A lot of people swim in this book." That seemed to be all of what they were doing. She just didn't understand it. She sighed. "I think you're probably right. I don't understand where to start with these things. Do I look for the original? Would going back one issue be enough? How do you read these things?" It was, really, all quite frustrating.

Mouth twitching slightly, Billie managed an approximation of a sheepish smile back to him. "My father was also fond of... education. Most of what I read were, ah, etiquette textbooks or military tactics. Survival strategies." Things that she could then attempt to put into practice. Her head cocked to the side. "Reading Rainbow?" she asked.

Efe cocked his head to one side, as if he were really considering this fact for the very first time. "Yeah, yeah...I guess he does. I don't know. Does he have laser eyes? That sounds pretty scary to me. I mean, I like to think I'm pretty strong too, but I can't shoot lasers out of my eyes." He pursed up his lips, voice trailing off. "We'll go with Superman. He's retro. I'm sure he'll be fine. I hear there's a new movie coming too, so maybe I can get ahead of that."

Turning back, he offered a smile. "Oh. Yeah, I've heard of Aquaman. But what can Dolphin do? I know he, like, talks to fish, doesn't he?" Efe wrinkled up his nose. "Maybe you had to have read, like, the prior issue. A lot of these things have been running for years and years. I can't even keep up with the movies, and then...you know, like I said, they keep rebooting them, I guess. Maybe I should get action figures instead, and they can just play whatever they want."

The smile which followed was gentler. "I wasn't really allowed to read them myself. My parents were big on...educational media. If it wasn't teaching me something, I couldn't watch, read, or play it." He knit his brow. "There was a lot of...Reading Rainbow."

[swimmingwiththefitzes]

"He wears red undergarments over his tights," Billie mused, looking at the hero brightly plastered on some of the walls. "How scary could he be?" But appearances could be wholly deceiving. She knew that better than most. "I suppose he can be scary. Isn't he rather strong?"

She held up the issue she was reading, frowning. "It's..." she sighed. "Aquaman, apparently. He wears orange and has a beard. HIs companion's name, the blonde with-- with grey scales, is apparently Dolphin." She found it a bit ridiculous, the whole thing, and mildly uncomfortable, especially since that particular shade of scales was something she saw every time she got wet, much to her own chagrin. "I don't believe it's very good, but I also don't know what's going on, so that could be... contributing to my opinions."

She scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed. "I'm really a terrible judge of any of this. I don't think I really knew what a comic book was until I was in my teens, and I'd certainly never read one, even after. I'd never watched the movies." She understood so few of the references that she was supposedly robotic. A computer would at least have access and understanding of pop culture, though.

Efe flashed a small, apologetic smile before breaking into a laugh. "See, that's just the thing. I mean, I'd assume as much. Superman is usually pretty...PG maybe. From what I gather? But I feel like everything has a gritty reboot these days? How's someone supposed to know what's normal Superman and what's...scary Superman?"

He sighed, but really, some part of him knew he was winding himself into knots over nothing. Holiday toy drives were naturally not competitions he could or should strive to win. But he really did want to make someone's Christmas a little brighter if he could help it. It was that nagging fear of screwing up holding him back.

"What are you reading? That one any good?" He inquired, craning his neck. Efe almost asked how she was doing, but he held himself back. So much had happened, and he had, at least, witnessed Billie that night. But he knew pressing the matter was not his place. Perhaps casual neighborly conversations like this were more helpful.

[swimmingwiththefitzes]

Billie had never touched a comic book in her entire life. She only tangentially knew what a superhero even was, having seen glimpses of the movies or heard references being made. Superman could fly. Batman had a strange cape that she thought was horribly ill-suited for his line of work as apparently a billionaire vigilante without powers. Of course, if he figured out a way to utilize it as a weapon, it might perhaps be useful. As it was, though, she could only see it as, at best, a style choice and at worst a hinderance to mobility. So she knew nothing about comics, and yet she was at the comic book store, getting hopelessly lost in images of some brightly colored individuals intermixed with more sinister looking ones, dark greys and shadows punctuated by pops of red. Another attempt to broaden her horizons, since her usual reference to help explain pop culture references didn't want to talk to her, right now. Because Billie was an arsehole.

She was holding up a new-ish run of an Aquaman comic and attempting to not look deeply offended at the character apparently named Dolphin, with her blonde hair and silvered scales, when she heard Efe speak. "I have no idea," she admitted quietly. "I actually don't know who any of these people are. Superman? Superman is child friendly, right? He seems like he smiles a lot."

Open starter @lunarcovestarters Location: Hero Comics

The holiday festivities were not yet in full swing in Lunar Cove, but in truth, with the shadow of Halloween still hanging over the town, quite a literal shadow, as it were, Efe had not yet managed to capture even a glimmer of the spirit. Long ago, he had learned, through his profession, that fearlessness was arrogance. And so, he was afraid. He was usually afraid. But he knew a person needed to find a way to live with that. One of the best methods he had discovered was putting good into the world as a way to balance out the bad.

And so, for now, he made his way through the store, piling graphic novels and action figures into his arms. "Say, do you know, what are...what are little kids into these days? I don't know which of these are for mature audiences. I've been fooled once before." He sighed, giving a shake of his head as looked down at the articles. "I was just getting a headstart on holiday shopping, you know? I want to make a real dent in toy donations this year."

[pitymisskitty]

"Sports themed drinkware? Is it just the mugs or do you have like regular cups, too? Bc I could always use some cups," Kitty said. She scratched at the back of her neck. "Full disclosure? I've only watched clips of Seinfeld on TikTok, and I found the clips of Subway Surfers playing beside it more interesting. But, like, I do know the guy's name is Jerry." Hip was relative, anyway. "It's nice to imagine it as... chill. We didn't have a place like this growing up. All harmonious and shit. Like, no one back home knows that my family are witches. I met the werewolf that turned me on accident. We didn't talk about magic or the supernatural outside of the house. But I bet it would've been nice if that was just a part of the day to day. Even, like... not being a part of it, I guess." Maybe it wouldn't have felt so much like being on the outside looking in. Or maybe it would have been worse. Kitty couldn't say. "Nah, they can't read minds, even if they act like they do." She laughed, "Nah, I've never seen the Brady Bunch. Was it good, at least? For a corny-ass sitcom?" She snorted, but she sobered up a little. "Physical I could... probably do. I might be fucked with the written portion. I've always sucked at test. Letters are fucking alphabet soup to me, sometimes."

"Only that I have this aunt who discovered them about a decade ago, and she keeps sending me sports team-themed drinkware. Do you need any Chicago Bulls mugs?" Efe grimaced, offering up a weak shrug of his shoulders. He laughed. "I don't get that show. Seinfeld, I mean. Maybe I'm not hip," he said, as though, genuinely, thirty-year-old sitcoms were the definition of modern. A low laugh echoed from his throat, and Efe ducked his head. "Yeah, I mean, I get it, I get it. It's all been a lot. But ten years ago? Lunar Cove was...chill. It's easy for me to say. What do I know? I'm just a guy." Still, he had met his ex-wife through some sort of strange boredom-induced arson dance. That story was one for another time. "Yeah, those. I mean, I was married to a witch, but our dog was just a regular dog. He still is, of course. Positive intentions, though? They can't read minds, can they?" Efe bit his lip. "This corny-ass old sitcom about a blended family. What I mean is, the brothers and sisters always get along at the end of the episode. But, uh, you've never seen The Brady Bunch? Maybe I'm just old and boring. We used to get it on our not-cable TV channels." He furrowed up his brow. "Think about how I felt. I used to do homework for fun," Efe laughed once more. "But, uh, there's a qualifying test and all. Physical exam. Written portion. All that, but we'll train you. Help you prepare. No one comes in an expert. Just need drive. The volunteer base is all citizens looking to help out anyway."

[pitymisskitty]

"You got something wrong with mail order catalogues, punk?" Kitty said with mock sternness. "Oh, every Jerry's got to be a millionaire. Seinfield... The mouse. That's two right there! Very famous, very rich Jerrys, I'm sure." She thought about it, seriously. It might actually be... nice to do good things. Selfless things. Kitty didn't mind being a waitress, but she'd also always kind of thought that was the best she was going to do. She'd never had any aspirations. And there had never been a problem with that, in her mind, but she was wondering if she wanted more. She wondered if it was even fair of her to want more. "It's, like, admittedly hard to imagine Lunar Cove being mellow," she said, and then she laughed. "Do you mean familiars? My mom has one that's a hound dog. They're not so bad as long as you give them positive intentions and no ill will towards their witches." She liked the way that sounded, very sage, as if she knew shit about magic. "What's the Brady Bunch?" Kitty asked absentmindedly, thinking about her brothers and sisters, about fighting and magic and fighting about magic. Holding out hope that maybe she'd be a late bloomer only to realize that it just wasn't happening. The family mourning, the pity. Fuck the pity. Fuck the fact that she'd never get it. It was for the best that she'd never get it. "No video games, no cable tv. You're killing me, you know that? Breaking my poor heart." Kitty gave a far too big sigh and shook her head. Still, she managed to perk up. "Yeah? That's kind of awesome. I mean, I might. I don't-- I don't even know if I'm firefighter qualified or whatever, you know?"

Efe ducked his head, letting out a genuine laugh at that. "Is it? I'm not sure. For every, you know, Naomi Campbell or whatever, there's, like, a thousand 'Jerry's who do mail order catalogues.' Is every Jerry a millionaire?" He wiggled his brow up and down, but that was sort of a funny thought. People would buy moderately priced mail order clothing from him. He could play grill dad on a Home Depot billboard. Efe smiled. "You should come by. We're having information sessions. You know, there was a time when Lunar Cove was pretty...mellow. As far as emergency calls went. That's not always the case anymore, but the more hands on deck, the more we can work it. Just be careful of the cats, though, yeah? Some of them aren't cats. They're, like, magic witch...things. Creatures? I don't really know." He sighed very deeply, crossing his arms and leaning against the washers. "Siblings are never like the Brady Bunch in real life, huh?" There was love, always, between him and his sisters, but these days, they seemed to argue more than anything else. "I only played, like, the really old one. My parents also didn't believe in cable TV. Fun fact. But I kind of get that, I think. It's a bad feeling when everyone around you seems to be doing better, even when you're trying your damnedest, huh?" Efe had excelled until high school, of course, when powers began to come in. And suddenly, people with whom he had grown up were outperforming him everywhere. "Well, the firehouse has some entertainment budget leftover. You come learn more about joining up, and maybe you can talk the higher-ups into getting a system of some kind for the main room. I'll take anything if I can stop watching sitcom reruns all day."

[pitymisskitty]

"Hey, it's never too late for a career change," Kitty said. "I hear modeling's a super lucrative business. Could be worth it. I'd recommend a 'Bite Me' shirt that fits, but, you know, to each their own." She laughed. "Fuck, yeah. I'd love to be. a firefighter. I'm, like, super strong now, and shit, so I could definitely do all the heavy lifting things. And! I can climb a tree, so, like, rescuing cats is a sitch." She scratched the back of her head. "I was-- am, I am the second oldest, so, like, I guess I was usually the one to be looked after until my brother came along." And she'd needed to be looked after. Kitty was a trouble maker, a problem child. She'd given her older siblings and her parents plenty of headaches. Danny, at least, was pretty chill for a teenager. "Kinda like Zelda, though a lot of the new Zelda games are kinda open world. You can explore where you want to and everything." She thought about his words and nodded. "I've always hated reading. I mean, I had problems with it, and I felt stupid a lot, and it really sucked. But games... People really underestimate video games, I think. You can learn a lot of shit from them, a lot of really cool shit."

Efe laughed heartily at that, ducking his head. "You know, maybe I do need a new gig. I've been fighting fires a very long time. Maybe it's good to change things up every now and again. My short-lived stint as a calendar model turned out not to be the best career move. Who knew?" While Efe viewed his profession as a vocation, one which he regarded with a genuine degree of duty and fulfillment, sometimes, especially in Lunar Cove, he felt himself stagnating. He awoke, grasping for more, just out of reach, fingers grazing a barrier that kept him inside rather than keeping others out. "Sounds like it. I think I could handle it, though. We do chores around the firehouse in shifts. I can make a kitchen spotless. We're recruiting, by the way. If you had any interest. We could do a 'trading jobs' bit. Maybe even get a reality show out of it." A low hum came at that, and Efe gave a nod of understanding. "I'm the oldest. I get it. Had to watch my sisters until they were old enough to watch me. They were all pretty precocious, though. I don't think they broke things; but sometimes they lectured people. There was this one crossing guard they found incredibly inefficient at traffic directing." He sighed very deeply, but taking the device, he peered at the screen. "Right. Right. Like Zelda? I remember playing Zelda at a friend's house," he replied, trailing off. "That's actually really cool. You know, I'm part of this program...where I, like, mentor human teens. Try to build them up because it's pretty easy to feel down when you're not superpowered at that age." He wrinkled up his nose. "Getting them to read is impossible, but maybe there's something...literary in video games, huh?"

[pitymisskitty]

"I'm, like, a professional waitress, so my word's law, and I totally think so," Kitty said, attempting seriousness but unable to hold onto it. "I mean, everybody drops a few plates when they first get started. It's a part of the job, unfortunately. But bussing, now, that's a tough gig. Very stressful work. You've gotta make sure the table is clean, you know? It's hard." She laughed, watching him pretend to dump plates into a bin. "Oh, yeah, three whole Pokemen. I'm pretty proud of it. My parents would kick us out, too. And then I'd have to watch my younger brother for forever to make sure he didn't, like, break anything." She handed over her Switch, letting him look at it. "So, a dungeon crawler's got, like, levels that you have to beat, with regular enemies and then boss fights to battle to get through the levels, becoming more difficult as you progress. So... yes to fighting things. But! It's so much more than fighting things. Every time Zagreus, the main character, fails and goes back to the start, you learn more about his life, his family, the people around him, and why he's trying to escape. It's really cool."

Efe offered a very serious nod of affirmation. But the sizing up seemed to make him self-conscious; he allowed his own brow to raise before doing the same, giving her a look up and down. A low laugh echoed from his lips. "Do'ya think so? I mean, yeah, I can pick things up and put them down, But I'm not sure I've got the sense of balance. Maybe I'd be better bussing. I could just...knock everything into one of those tubs," he replied, miming this action. Efe gave a low, impressed hum. "Three whole Pokemen, huh? Sounds like a lot. I, uh...My parents didn't really let us have video games growing up. They made us read and go outside. And watch educational television programs," he admitted. Craning his neck to look at the screen, though, Efe did seem genuinely interested. "What's a dungeon crawler, huh? I don't think I've heard of that." Still, he knew something about being a son living under his parent's gazes. Comparing his own departure from Lunar Cove to the underworld felt kind of dorky, though. "Do..you...do you fight things?"

[itsronniebish]

"I've been somewhat homeless for the last few months," Ronnie said matter of factly. It wasn't that big of a problem when she didn't actually need to sleep, but it could be an inconvenience. She shook her head, pouting. "I don't know where she lives. And, heyyyy, I only had half of one. Just an itsy-bit." Even if she did feel a little slow like she was moving through molasses at the moment. She didn't think that was the gummy, though, not tonight. It was mean, the way he stepped away, and she was in front of him in the blink of an eye, looking up at him. "I don't know where the Cabaret is, either," she lied, her voice dulled and almost hollow. There was no magic radiating off of him, nothing for her to reach out and take. Even if she was thirsty, that could be controlled, barely. She didn't need that, not at the moment. She needed something more. "That's really unfortunate, Efe. You should protect yourself, too."

Efe grimaced, evidently not finding quite the same humor in this situation. He cleared his throat, craning his neck. "You don't know where you're staying? Maybe I can help you find your way back there. Do you know anything that's around it? People were...going into those gummies pretty hard. And look, I'm not judging, but I just don't want anyone to get hurt out here." Subconsciously perhaps, Efe took a step backward to try and maintain some of the distance between them. "I'm not sure where Bri lives, but she runs the cabaret, doesn't she? Maybe we could go there?" He was not sure it would be open, but for the moment, he wanted to keep Ronnie talking, especially now that he was beginning to sense the hunger. When Efe spoke up again, his voice was authoritative. "I took an oath to protect the people and property of Lunar Cove regardless of...potential danger to myself. My job is to get you where you need to go safely. Why don't we do that? That would be good, right?"

[pitymisskitty]

"It's a totally valid question, you know? And apparently an important one in the world of advertisement." She looked Efe up and down, as if she was sizing him up. The she nodded. "As a professional waitress, I can say that you would be qualified for the job. You could carry so many trays without dropping them, I just know it." She laughed, shaking her Switch. "I've got like three Pokemen, for your information. No Fortsights, though. That one's on my... Wii?" One of her older siblings had one of those that they all used to take turns playing when they were younger. Kitty looked down at the game and saved the file before restarting it and handing it over to let him see. "So it's a dungeon crawler, right? You're the son of Hades, and you're trying to escape the Underworld. The art's awesome, and the story's amazing. It's great."

Efe laughed at that, shaking his head. "A whole generation of magazines and novelty restaurants have asked that same question. You know, I met this guy at a bar once who tried to recruit me into his waitstaff. It was sort of like a firefighter-themed...whatever." The memory was a weird one, and he did not think said novelty restaurant ever actually made it off the ground in Chicago. "That so? Like so many? You got Pokemans or Fortfights?" Offering a soft shake of his head, Efe leaned against the tower of washers. "No, I don't think so. I has a PS3 at one point, but I kind of just played, like, Madden. What's it about?"

[pitymisskitty]

"I mean, if you've got something to advertise, what better way than a crop top?" Kitty asked, mildly amused by the whole situation, especially when Efe still took the time to fold the shirt and place it on top one of the machines. She laughed. "My Gameboy's got so many good games, dude," she said, humoring the inaccuracy. It was just a thing old people did, like how her mom always asked if she was winning, no matter what she was playing. "Have you heard of a game called Hades?"

Shaking his head, Efe gave a low scoffing laugh, but he still folded the shirt and placed it gingerly atop one of the washing machines. "Yeah, right. That's me. Resident human...vampire billboard? I don't know. I could maybe get a forearm in that thing." He sighed, but really, the shirt was quite tiny. Casting Kitty a glance, he raised an eyebrow. "Playing anything good? On your Gameboy?" He knew that was not actually what it was called, but he was officially mature enough where he could annoy other people by pretending he did not.