maskormenace | Second Song | Video Mirrornet

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Second Song | Video Mirrornet

[ The video comes on with a flicker, a boy obviously early to mid teens at best sits on a stump looking at the camera. Clearly not not dressing like many others here. He's not looking to fit into the society here, not unless it affords him some fun or what he needs.

He wants to be himself, after all. He will not be shaped or moulded as someone so clearly pointed out to him by this land's expectations.

For now though, he appears to be inquisitive, a curious look on his face as he rolls an apple in his hand.]

Tell me, what do you believe is the most powerful thing of all?

[He says it rather casually despite how odd a question it would seem from a boy.]

Humour me. After the ordeal that some of us have endured a distraction would be welcomed.

[ He touches his expression with nothing more than what appears to be a small shadow of sadness across his face. Something to give his audience to cling to, to feel sympathy for. ]

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[ Peter will slip this into private, subtly as he can. ]

Are you quite sure? Belief can move nations, bring legions of soldiers and others behind a single banner for a cause. Be it a god, a concept, or magic.

But, I suppose you have a point. You could probably swat a hand at someone far more normal and destroy them completely. [ He's been spying on you, Tetsuo. Ever since you heard the call of his pipes. He knows things now.

But he will move on with his thoughts. ]

However, what if it's someone's power that is fuelled by belief? What if just thinking they are stronger truly does make them so? Or maybe with that they could create whatever they wish? Brute force can only do so much.

Then that's still power. Belief isn't gonna do anything on its own. It's whoever's behind it that counts.

You have a point, but that said, do you have that kind of belief?

What part of 'belief isn't gonna do anything' don't you get, dumbass? I don't need belief.

[Tetsuo be nice]

[ Wow, rude, Tetsuo. But, at least Peter can be nice. ]

If you say so, but, let me ask you something. What kind of power did this land bless you with?

You wanna know? I can show you.

[Yes please, let him show off how awesome he is, check it out]

Of course. Where would you like to meet?

[ Yes, show him. Show him how bad you are at controlling the gifts you have, how he can use you. ]

[Nothing can possibly go wrong with this.]

Alley behind the arcade. Nonah.

[ At least for Peter anyways. ]

I'll see you soon.

[ And the feed is cut. Peter will be there in moments. He's taking a slightly longer route. Teleporting to the porter, then to heropa and teleporting the rest of the way their in moments. He could just appear there without the fuss, but he needs to at least keep up appearances that he can't magically be wherever he wants.

He'll be waiting in the shadows for Tetsuo to arrive first before he thinks of showing himself.]

[Tetsuo, due to supposedly being on shift at the arcade (read: lounging around with painkillers in a dark side office with a magazine over his face for most of the day), is there pretty quickly. It's the most convenient space possible for him, and close enough to his own territory that hey, he can do what he wants, right?

So, for Tetsuo's perspective, it's only a few minutes before he shows up, leaning against a wall and looking only a little worse for wear.

There's no way he's going to miss the chance to actually show off. None.]

[ Peter gives it a good hour. Waiting and watching. He remains hidden and careful. He can't just appear when Tetsuo does. Peter may have shown off a bit at his camp with his powers, but that was there. Anyone could've thought they just didn't see him.

But, appearing in a whole other city so quickly? Not a good idea.

Then finally he comes out from his spot as if he only just got here. ]

Hello, chum. I hope you weren't waiting long.

Well, you sure took your time.

[He'd be annoyed - okay, there's definitely annoyance there - but at least someone's acknowledging he can do cool things. He can forgive it. This time.]

It takes awhile to get from one city to the next with walking.

[ Peter would let this behaviour slide. After all, he could steal this boy's heart and make him a tool. A use for him against the public and other imPorts that got in his way. This a waiting game, however. Carefully putting pieces into place and what better way than to make himself trusted absolutely?

He gestures to Tetsuo with a sweeping hand motion.]

Care to demonstrate?

[That grin can't get bigger. Like a kid in a store a kid has no business being in, really.]

Yeah... Check this out.

[He shoves himself off the wall, walking slowly forward into the middle of the alleyway, and tenses. It's only been a week at most since he got these; but he thinks he might slowly be getting the hang of it.

He isn't, at all, but don't tell him that.

He slashes his hand out with a yell, nicely tearing up a long line down the pavement. The feedback is almost instantaneous, slashing right through his only halfway-effective medication and instantly lashing back into his mind. That's totally not a very pained wince, shut up.]

[ Peter watches, intrigued at the display, but the rebound of the boy's powers does nothing to impress. He has no control, no grasp on his abilities. He flails at things he doesn't understand and forces them to cooperate.

This is a toddler who plays with a knife without fully understanding the consequences to wielding such a thing.

Still, Peter will give credit where credit is due. ]

Impressive, but sloppy.

Sloppy?!

[Whirling around was a mistake; he practically stumbles. Ugh. He definitely needs to find something a little stronger than what he's got, or something. COME ON, he just tore up stuff with his MIND, what does it TAKE to get a little acknowledgement around here?!]

Hahhh... like to see you do better...

Would you? All right.

[ He says it with nothing more than a smile. A hand he raises and he makes a small gesture to the ground and telekinetically he cleaves the earth in two, the cut being far larger and deeper than Tetsuo's.

Then he lowers it, raising a brow to Tetsuo. That better for you, punk? ]

[What. WHAT?! That's not fair! That's not fair at all. He was banking on this kid not being able to flat out do that, let alone show him up.]

...

[This time, he's not smiling. He grits his teeth, channeling frustration, growing rage and searing pain all together into one more strike against that poor, poor back alley that no one's going to be able to safely drive through for a good while now. It's a lot more powerful this time, with enough force to throw debris a fair distance from him.

This time, his not even aimed strike hits a wall, smashing into it hard and leaving a dent.

Tetsuo's visibly panting from the effort and he can almost see his heartbeat throb in black lines across his eyes but he doesn't care. All that matters is if he did more than that stupid kid did. He's going to win this, whatever this is.]

[ And you know what Tetsuo? Peter looks more unimpressed than he was before. Tetsuo's attitude reminds Peter of the evil queen. Throwing magic about and letting her rage take over. Such an unsightly and ineffective use of magic, of power.

However, Peter remains completely unhurt by Tetsuo's power, a barrier he formed in front of himself to protect against any of the residual energy. His observations are made though, he reads the weakness he feels off Tetsuo now finally being close enough to steal the boy's secrets.

Abandonment, self doubt, anger. All easily exploitable. ]

You lack control.

[ He steps around the mess kicking broken bits of concrete from his way before he steps in front of Tetsuo. His eyes full of feigned sympathy, as he reaches out to rest a hand on Tetsuo's shoulder for but a moment. ]

But, I understand why. It must be hard, having to deal with people who don't understand how truly gifted you are. Being treated horribly because you're special, because you're better than them.

[Suspicion flashes across Tetsuo's face, quickly masked by a guarded glare as the kid draws close. He's primed to act; he can feel the power raging through his head until it feels like he's breathing solid gasoline. As the kid reaches out, there's a very real second where he could attack.

He doesn't understand what it is that keeps him rooted to the spot. What makes him barely even flinch away from the contact. Until he realizes what, exactly, this kid's saying.

This guy ... this guy just might get it.

And slowly, the rage shifts off his face to something a little more receptive. Yeah.. that's right. He is special; he has to be. Kaneda doesn't see it; none of the Capsules ever gave him a chance to show them what he could do. Kaneda's still acting like an asshole - and it's not fair that Kaneda's here, too. It's not fair that Kaneda also gets powers - he has to have them, everyone here does.]

Just you watch. I'll show them what I can really do someday.

[ He has the fish on the hook, now all he has to do is begin to reel it in. The bait he's laid is tasty and seductive. It should be mildly simple if the other can keep his emotions in check. ]

And you know what? I really believe you can.

However-

[ He steps beside Tetsuo, hand still on the boy's shoulder to continue to comfort, to support as Peter gestures to the destruction about them. ]

You need control. Master your abilities and you can do great things. You have a gift and your emotions control that gift. I can show you how with nothing but yourself.

[Tetsuo's breathing's still ragged, though he's starting to get it back under control now. On the one hand, this jerk asked to see what he could do and immediately did it better just to make him look like an idiot. On that same hand, Tetsuo doesn't need help. He figured this out on his own. He did his own experiments and - well, just look at what he did!

He's sure that with time, he can master this himself.

But.. then there's Kaneda. Who also has got to have powers, though Tetsuo doesn't know what they are. Who's always been infuriatingly better than him at everything he tries. Who decided he could start picking on Tetsuo the second he got here for no reason with nonsense accusations. Kaneda, who's been nothing but a confusing enigma of conflicting actions ever since he got here.

Kaneda can't be better than him at this. This is the first time Tetsuo's had anything he could do on his own, and he's not going to let him ruin this.

So does he have that time to master it, or is he impatient enough to deign to let someone else demean him by pointing out how much farther he has to go? Decisions, decisions. It's an infuriatingly hard call.]

You think I can't figure it out myself?

[ Whatever's left in that little head of Tetsuo's isn't very smart. Snubbing Pan came with a price after all. Enemies with someone who had more control, more power than this boy could really imagine. But, he's a patient player of the game, he can win this.

A few more well placed and sympathetic words is all he needs. ]

I think you could, but imagine how long that might take you. Playing a game of guessing to see what works and what happens if it blows up in your face? Do you really want people to see you fail and having to explain you're still "figuring it out"? Or would you rather come out and show them your full potential? Your mastery of the craft.

[ He leans into whisper in Tetsuo's ear ]

Or would you rather a certain someone else learn from another imPort and master his abilities far more quickly than you could on your own?

[That first argument hits a little closer to home than he wants to admit. First impressions are a lot, he knows that. He's been trying for most of his life to shake off being seen as nothing more than a little kid, and screwing up in front of everyone... No, he doesn't want that

That second one, however... Tetsuo's eyes widen, then narrow dangerously. But it's not aimed at the kid this time; he's not even looking at his direction.

He doesn't say it, not directly. He doesn't have to - more importantly, he's not willing to hear himself say it out loud, not here. He's got an appearance to keep up, after all... Still, then and there he knows it: he'll do whatever it takes to win. And if that means this, then for now, fine. He'll try this training thing until it bores him.]

I wasn't doin' much today anyway. Why not.

[ Wrapped around his finger.

Hardly even a challenge this one.

A smile spreads on Peter's face, as he lets his hand slide from Tetsuo's shoulder. He won't physically burden Tetsuo with his grip, he needs the other to believe he's a free agent after all. ]

You won't regret this.

[ He lifts his hand to Tetsuo, offering it for a handshake. ]

You can call me Peter or Peter Pan if you wish.

Second Song | Video Mirrornet

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