Even though he knows she can teleport, it takes him by surprise. But as soon as he sees what she's doing, he grabs a few people, too, so they go with him - including a man with stubble and a mop of dark curly hair who gives him a nod of thanks before starting to immediately round up the others and make a counter-plan to deal with the demon.
Thankfully, since Reira was saving them, it doesn't count as insubordination and neither of them get shocked ... by the chip, at least. Whatever Norman expected, it wasn't this outburst. He ignores Cameron, the dark-haired man, who he's come to know as a capable computer tech and strategist, to stare at Reira: first in shock, then dawning horror. Whether it's the thought of a seven year old in a war zone or the fact that she calls him Uncle Norman, something in what she says breaks through the hyperfocus on E+L he's had since the surgeries. She's right, of course she is: and so was Beck, which stings even more because he'd let the other man down. Even if he hadn't seen Peter, it felt as though he'd let him down, too.
"Reira..."
Slowly, he reaches down and locks the safety clasp on his satchel - a clear signal that he no longer has any intention to use the bombs without careful forethought.
"I ... you're right. I ... I don't know what came over me. There're better ways to go about this. ... Are you ... do you need a minute?"
And then...a sniffle. A shaking, trembling sniffle, before rather than answering she goes for a hug.
It takes a moment before she answers- "...Y...yessss...."
Of course she does. And of course she's going to be honest about it. It's just....
"...I know it's important... ...it's important to everyone, to finish things... ...but it's just...everyone who comes here, has to fight, or else. ...Not everyone can do...show stuff, like singing, or...or dancing or..."
The girl swallows, looking up to Norman- and then, slowly, to the others who came with. "...We've got a choice. ...When we start it by attacking with things that...are only supposed to hurt, people who are scared won't see 'the good guys'. ...They'll see the ones who told them to fight, or get hurt. ...They won't want us to win. ....And in there... ...that's where anyone who doesn't want to fight will be... ...it might even be where someone trying to help us is, if they're looking for secrets..." she mutters, shaking her head.
"...I dunno. ...I just know... ...most of the people in there don't feel like...angry people. ...or people who 'hate', not really. They're just...people."
Another sniff- and she wipes at her eyes.
...
"...'m pretty sure she means what she's doing though," she mutters in admittance. "...she kinda...hurts a bit..."
He folds his arms around her and holds her close, stroking his fingerless-gloved hand over her fiber-optic hair. The hug seems to do them both a world of good, fully grounding Norman and pulling him the rest of the way out of that angry, jittery, defensive mode.
"She hurts?" Norman blinks, surprised. This empathy is news to him, and he wonders if Reira has always had it or, like Peter, it's a power that's returned to her here.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Some of the others mutter things like 'yeah, you can go do your job' and start to try making their way back to the battle zone. Norman winces.
"For what it's worth, Reira, you've convinced me. I - I don't know what came over me. Well. Maybe I do. Otto and Bruno are so happy here, and I - I just - I want them to stay happy. And protecting Elias ... he made all that possible. I thought if I protected him ..."
He breathes in slowly, then shakes his head. "But I could have done that without making weapons. That was unnecessary. That was when I went too far."
"Mnn. It's...well, it's close to hate, but it's mostly anger," she explains calmly, perhaps to the slight surprise of others with Norman. "...I guess that's not surprising, but it's still a lot. ...I can't really turn that off though. ...it's why it's important though. ...Fighting where the fighting is supposed to happen, I mean. ...At least there, they know they're fighting."
....She's quiet for a bit. And then- "...E+L is Elias, but.... ...Elias also isn't E+L, I'm still sure. ...I think...if they were the 'same' the same, we wouldn't be stuck here, or at least, not without any messages. ...Elias doesn't really like it, when he can't get to his friends. ...So...it doesn't seem right- treating them the same."
...
"..........I don't want him to be like this..."
She's not sure what she'll do, if he's already like this.
"...It's hard, to think about the right ways to do stuff. ...It's... ...It's not okay, what almost happened, but..."
The girl gives another hug- assuming the first ever even ended. "...I'm glad you know it's important."
He holds her close a little while longer, as the last of their squad leaves their immediate vicinity, waving the scene off. One of them mutters something about Norman needing to 'babysit', and his hackles momentarily rise. He knows if Reira wanted to, she could take every single one of them ... but in that instant it occurs to him that so much of her power comes from choosing not to.. Just don't Say The Parker Family Curse, Reira... we need you alive.
"So you can literally feel everyone's emotions and hear the entire network." Norman draws back, thinking that he's constantly seeing her with new eyes. "I'm starting to wonder how you even manage to think straight. But never mind that. I have one last sleeping gas bomb in there. I used the other one to get us past the sentries earlier. Might be able to drop that pyromaniac woman and get us all out unscathed."
They're going to mysteriously find their beds filled with itching powder later. It's fine.
True Power is being a little shit sometimes.
"Mnnnh...well, I can't hear the network right now- We're not really connected to Elias right now I guess? It's part of why I'm pretty sure they're not exactly the same....mmm..." Something, something, seacats and whatnot.
But still. The girl blinks. "Oh- Yeah, a sleeping bomb would work pretty good. Actually, using those at the caves is probably a good idea too- I don't think the fog here is good for them... ...I mean...I don't like her at home, obviously, but it doesn't do...whatever it's doing here at least."
It's the kind of power abuse he can still get behind, really. But Reira's comment about not being connected to the network throws him a little, even as he's fishing in his bag for the last sleeping bomb. The top glows a darker green, the pattern down the sides a little different, its lines wavy instead of sharp. He watches the fight unfolding near the mouth of the cave for a moment, thinking, then tosses the bomb toward his decided target. All the skee-ball in Insert Coin and Elias' own arcade has kept Norman's aim true: it lands square at the feet of the demon and looses a massive blue cloud.
"C'mon, kiddo," he says, grabbing Reira by the hand. "That cloud is gonna spread. We should move it."
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ninetydegrees
For Reira
21/10/22 13:11 (UTC)Thankfully, since Reira was saving them, it doesn't count as insubordination and neither of them get shocked ... by the chip, at least. Whatever Norman expected, it wasn't this outburst. He ignores Cameron, the dark-haired man, who he's come to know as a capable computer tech and strategist, to stare at Reira: first in shock, then dawning horror. Whether it's the thought of a seven year old in a war zone or the fact that she calls him Uncle Norman, something in what she says breaks through the hyperfocus on E+L he's had since the surgeries. She's right, of course she is: and so was Beck, which stings even more because he'd let the other man down. Even if he hadn't seen Peter, it felt as though he'd let him down, too.
"Reira..."
Slowly, he reaches down and locks the safety clasp on his satchel - a clear signal that he no longer has any intention to use the bombs without careful forethought.
"I ... you're right. I ... I don't know what came over me. There're better ways to go about this. ... Are you ... do you need a minute?"
(no subject)
21/10/22 14:49 (UTC)And then...a sniffle. A shaking, trembling sniffle, before rather than answering she goes for a hug.
It takes a moment before she answers- "...Y...yessss...."
Of course she does. And of course she's going to be honest about it. It's just....
"...I know it's important... ...it's important to everyone, to finish things... ...but it's just...everyone who comes here, has to fight, or else. ...Not everyone can do...show stuff, like singing, or...or dancing or..."
The girl swallows, looking up to Norman- and then, slowly, to the others who came with. "...We've got a choice. ...When we start it by attacking with things that...are only supposed to hurt, people who are scared won't see 'the good guys'. ...They'll see the ones who told them to fight, or get hurt. ...They won't want us to win. ....And in there... ...that's where anyone who doesn't want to fight will be... ...it might even be where someone trying to help us is, if they're looking for secrets..." she mutters, shaking her head.
"...I dunno. ...I just know... ...most of the people in there don't feel like...angry people. ...or people who 'hate', not really. They're just...people."
Another sniff- and she wipes at her eyes.
...
"...'m pretty sure she means what she's doing though," she mutters in admittance. "...she kinda...hurts a bit..."
(no subject)
29/10/22 23:01 (UTC)"She hurts?" Norman blinks, surprised. This empathy is news to him, and he wonders if Reira has always had it or, like Peter, it's a power that's returned to her here.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Some of the others mutter things like 'yeah, you can go do your job' and start to try making their way back to the battle zone. Norman winces.
"For what it's worth, Reira, you've convinced me. I - I don't know what came over me. Well. Maybe I do. Otto and Bruno are so happy here, and I - I just - I want them to stay happy. And protecting Elias ... he made all that possible. I thought if I protected him ..."
He breathes in slowly, then shakes his head. "But I could have done that without making weapons. That was unnecessary. That was when I went too far."
(no subject)
31/10/22 15:51 (UTC)....She's quiet for a bit. And then- "...E+L is Elias, but.... ...Elias also isn't E+L, I'm still sure. ...I think...if they were the 'same' the same, we wouldn't be stuck here, or at least, not without any messages. ...Elias doesn't really like it, when he can't get to his friends. ...So...it doesn't seem right- treating them the same."
...
"..........I don't want him to be like this..."
She's not sure what she'll do, if he's already like this.
"...It's hard, to think about the right ways to do stuff. ...It's... ...It's not okay, what almost happened, but..."
The girl gives another hug- assuming the first ever even ended. "...I'm glad you know it's important."
(no subject)
11/11/22 14:59 (UTC)Just don't Say The Parker Family Curse, Reira... we need you alive."So you can literally feel everyone's emotions and hear the entire network." Norman draws back, thinking that he's constantly seeing her with new eyes. "I'm starting to wonder how you even manage to think straight. But never mind that. I have one last sleeping gas bomb in there. I used the other one to get us past the sentries earlier. Might be able to drop that pyromaniac woman and get us all out unscathed."
(no subject)
12/11/22 15:32 (UTC)True Power is being a little shit sometimes.
"Mnnnh...well, I can't hear the network right now- We're not really connected to Elias right now I guess? It's part of why I'm pretty sure they're not exactly the same....mmm..." Something, something, seacats and whatnot.
But still. The girl blinks. "Oh- Yeah, a sleeping bomb would work pretty good. Actually, using those at the caves is probably a good idea too- I don't think the fog here is good for them... ...I mean...I don't like her at home, obviously, but it doesn't do...whatever it's doing here at least."
Feels kinda...funky.
(no subject)
14/11/22 19:53 (UTC)"C'mon, kiddo," he says, grabbing Reira by the hand. "That cloud is gonna spread. We should move it."
(no subject)
15/11/22 10:24 (UTC)"Mnh. Yeah, let's go."
Off they go.
They can talk later.
Just not at the right time.