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[Today is a good day for serious business, apparently. There's a certain something he's been putting off for a while, and after one-too-many dreams interrupting his sleep, he's had enough: this morning when Billy wakes up, the first thing he does is jot out a note in the journal-]

[Private to Ben Grimm]

Hey, would it be okay if I swung by to ask you a few things?

[He'll work through his morning routine until he gets a response, after which he'll go for a visit and get a hell of a lot more than he bargained for.

After that, his mood for the day is drastically altered; he'll skip out on school, trying to sort out his feelings on the matter. Tommy's still AWOL, and he's trying not to worry Teddy, but what he's just been told has really got him thinking- about people, and heroes, and the unfairness of mankind in general. And eventually he'll just go ahead and return to his journal for it. He's kind of in over his head here.]

[Open to All]

I know Luceti's full of heroes- seems kind of a standard trait for most of us, for whatever reason. Back on my world, super-humans aren't that uncommon, and in general they're revered for everything they do for the world. Some of them were born that way, and some of them are from other planets, and some were altered to get their powers, and some have a lot of talent or skill instead of powers. But they're all considered to be super heroes. There's bad guys, too- just as diverse and unique as the heroes they fight. People fear them and celebrate their defeat.

There's another group, though... humans who got their powers because of evolution. It's much more natural, in a lot of ways. Some are heroes, some are villains. Some are just trying to get by without becoming one or the other. But regular humans fear them, and hate them for it, even if they save the world just as much as the heroes they love. They're called criminals or monsters, no matter how innocent they might be.

[He hesitates- it's probably obvious to some, what he's talking about, and he's not sure if he should lock it from the mutant population, or apologize, or something, but it relates to them even if it's not by name. Hiding it wouldn't be right.

In the end he just leaves it be.]

...Sorry for the ramble. But it's not fair, and... I just can't understand why. Why hate one and love the other, when they're basically the same?

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["No more mutants". Just like that, and millions of them lost everything.

Teddy had seen some of their reactions on TV. Despite how much some would want to give up their power, despite wanting to be normal, he'd seen them crying, fallen to their knees with their hands pressed to their face with someone else's arms wrapped around their shoulders. One had even shouted at the camera and shoved it away. It was awful. And, at the time, Teddy had looked down at his hand and was, shockingly, incredibly relieved to find that he could still shapeshift.

And now he knows why it all happened. He knows what caused such despair, such anger, even death. He knows what made him so afraid for himself and for others out there.

Is he afraid now? A little. But it's not for himself, or a repeat of that incident. No, he's afraid for the love of his life. Not because he doesn't trust him, but because he's thinking along the same lines as Billy. Teddy can't really believe that it was her either; it just doesn't sound like her in the slightest, even if she lost it. And if something else caused her to do that, then it might make Billy do it too. Teddy has no qualms in admitting that Billy has much, much greater power than he does, and he knows that he'd have a hard time stopping whatever force might be more powerful than him, than Wanda, no matter how much he fights it and gives whatever he can to protect him.

He purses his lips and looks away as a result, the movement in Billy's hair stopping once more as he resists the urge to clench his fists. Just three words and Wanda destroyed more than just millions of mutants' lives. She destroyed everyone's trust, possibly even her own, and created many, many enemies.

That isn't something Teddy ever wants to happen to Billy.

Thankfully, he's able to quell the mild confusion, the moderate fear, and the insanely powerful protective instinct, and instead he looks down at his boyfriend and moves a hand to pass a thumb along his brow soothingly.]

Billy... How do you feel about it? About what she did? [Because, no matter how Teddy feels, it affects Billy the most. That's his possible soul-mom and all.]

[For a long moment, Billy looks torn. There's so many answers to that question, and not enough words in his head to articulate it properly. Finally he sits up, tucking his legs underneath himself and pressing his body against Teddy's, his head on the blond's shoulder, his hand on his chest. There's a hundred conflicting emotions showing clear as day in his expression, and he's not sure he can face Teddy with them just yet. It's too raw, too new, and while it's not like he thinks that Teddy's going to judge him for it, he just doesn't want to be worrying his boyfriend for nothing.

Too late for that, his cynical subconscious is telling him, but he shoves it off. This is more comfortable anyway, and it means they can have a good cuddle. It's a perfectly acceptable reason to move.

There's still the matter of Teddy's question, though... and after another pause, he breathes in deeply and gives it a shot.]

...I don't know. I wish I did, but... I haven't sorted it out yet.

[That's a weak answer, he knows, so one more pause and he tries again.]

I know a couple of things. I know it wasn't her. Something drove her to do that. She was an Avenger, a hero... I can't imagine she'd do something that extreme on her own. But that still doesn't answer what it could've been. Whether it's still out there, or it's still affecting her or... whether it could do it again. With someone else.

[With me, he doesn't say, but Teddy probably already knows he's thought of it. With him having inherited Wanda's powers, it's a natural concern.]

[He'd have offered more or less the same kind of response as the rest, but the terminology is an immediate ping. That sounds like...]

Benders... like Avatar-benders? Are you one of Aang and Korra's friends?

Edited (i accidentally a word or three) 2012-12-17 12:14 (UTC)

...I just...

[He's not even sure. He doesn't know what there is to know. All he knows is that there's a connection between her and M-Day, and he can't rest easy until he finds out.

The only answer he's got is the most honest one.]

The Scarlet Witch... she's my mom. I need to know what happened to her- and what happened to the world. What caused M-Day? What... what is the "House of Magnus"?

[He's not sure if that answer completely satisfies him, but after a moment's pause, his gaze fixated on Loki to gauge his sincerity, apparently he decides that it's enough. Ducking his head again, he curls his fingers tightly around his coffee mug, watching the steam rise to avoid looking at anything else.]

My power... it's the same as hers. She's so strong, though- she has the power to change the world, literally. And back home... she did. Something happened to her, and with just a few words, the entire planet was remade just the way she wanted it.

...Ah...

[There's an obvious reluctance in his tone, and a bit of regret.]

Sorry, it's... it's nothing against you, but it's a private issue.

"Poison Joke"? That sounds like a really weird case of trouble.

[It is silly, yes, but he could do with a bit of silly right now. It's more appealing than thinking about his own problems.]

Superior... it's funny to hear that, even though it's probably true. A lot of humanity is obsessed with the idea of evolution, that it's a natural progression. But they only like it as long as they're on top of the evolutionary scale. As soon as something more advanced comes along, they feel threatened and want to get rid of the whole species.

[Fidget. He's really not sure what to expect from this, so he looks hesitant.]

...Hey.

Your flames... did you ever get in trouble for that back where you're from?

That's true, actually. There's a ton of people in the history of my world who died thinking nobody cared about their work, but they're ridiculously famous now.

It's pretty hard not to focus on negativity when those others are forming lynch mobs.

[Figuratively, if not literally. Depends on where you live and the kind of trouble you've managed to cause when manifesting powers decide to blow something up.]

[He thinks about that for a moment- of his brother, the mutant friends he's made here, both of his mothers and the rest of his family, Teddy...]

...Yeah, me too. I'm not just going to give up.

[ He isn't really surprised people think of Korra and Aang first when benders are mentioned. They're both avatars and really amazing after all. ]

Yeah, I am. I'm Bolin.

[He looks on hesitantly, fear prickling up. After all, Kurt wasn't sure whether or not Billy's home was an alternate world or the future. Could this be whatever Apocalypse had in store for them?]

Is it something that I'd... want to know?

So, maybe it'll be the same for those guys you're talking about? They might not be geniuses, but the principle isn't too different.

[Loki is silent for a long, thoughtful moment. His first, automatic thoughts are much the same he had when Rogue finally told him of her powers: interesting and dangerous and potentially useful. Those sorts of thoughts, he will consider later. Now, it would do no good. And now, such a strange sensation that he's not entirely certain how to deal with it, he feels as if Billy needs him in some way. Perhaps somewhat like Rogue did.

And like Rogue (though not in the same way), he rather likes Billy, feels a certain almost kinship with him for all that he's mortal.]

I see.

[And then he thinks, it's a good thing he's trying to teach Billy better control. Because that's not the sort of thing anyone wants happening higgledy-piggledy.

He doesn't seem in the least bit frightened or upset by this revelation, though. Just the same curiosity as always.]

Did it eventually get put back the way it was?

That's fine, sorry to pry. But if you do need someone me and Jack have plenty of hot chocolate and snacks.

[doesn't want to pry, after all. But the offer to help or whatever he could do in his limited capacity would stand.]

Yeah, a lot of times, actually.

...I guess.

[Though it does matter an awful lot when those people aren't so much not appreciating it as trying to kill you... still, that's awfully depressing for a Disney hero, so he just shrugs.]

I just worry about how to stay optimistic in that kind of world.

What about me? I'm nobody's hero, kid.

[So anyone expecting anything from him, especially in the long term, is just fooling themselves.]

I must say that I am kind of shocked to know you have a brother. I take it he has been held prison by the Malnosso as well, just like...well, everyone here, right?

[Oh, Loki understands the concept of personal things very well.]

I see, I see. Are they troublesome personal things? The kind of personal things you wish to discuss in private with someone you really, really trust?

[A pause.]

...Like me?

Oh dear... I can see why that would be a problem.

[There isn't much to say to that, is there?]

...I'll tell you once. And then we're not talk'n about this again.

[If Ben had his way he'd never talk about it ever again. Wouldn't think about it, wouldn't remember it, wouldn't let anyone that didn't live through it deal with what happened.]

Magneto and Wanda- they caused it. The whole world changing and everything that came after? It's on them. The house of Magnus...Best I can figure is him, his kids. I wasn't around them for any of it.

[Pepper isn't really sure what she should say when she sees this. What's obvious to her is that he's hurting, and even with the other pieces she can put together, that's foremost in Pepper's mind.]

You don't need to apologize. Sometimes people need to ramble.

[Although Billy's put this over the journal, Pepper has to wonder just how comfortable he is talking about it on the network. So after a moment, she asks quietly.]

Do you want to meet somewhere in person to talk? I don't know if I'll be able to give you answers, but I can listen.

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