[Video]

[beyondthegreen]

[It's the middle of the day and somewhere in a city park, greenery behind her, Tefé finally ends up turning on the video feed, scowling. Under other circumstances, finding herself in a whole new universe might have been like some kind of omen, a fresh start. But the military thing sticks in her craw, and frankly, so far Tefé hasn't seen anything to indicate that, in a more planetary sense, things are much different than back home, which leaves her back with the same dilemmas as ever.]

How many of you Registered Heroes actually believe it's a good idea to basically be signing up with the military? You know, the guys that come up with new and creative ways for humans to keep killing each other, along with the rest of the planet as a hapless casualty? Do any of you even think about how completely fucked up it is being tagged like this? Knowing they've got a file on you is creepy as hell, too.

[Even though there's signs of anger on her face, she honestly sounds more pensive than anything, with one other question on her mind.]

And has anyone else found out that some things just... stopped working since they came here? Things you used to be able to do, I mean.

Comments

[beyondthegreen]

Yep. I know, it's a weird name. Not my choice.

[She comes right up, giving him the once-over curiously.]

What do you mean by connected to nature? I know... a lot about complicated, don't worry.

[fehus]

[Magnus moves obligingly over on the hood of the truck, to make room for her, if she'd like to sit or lean against it. it's almost like a bench, right?]

[with a sort of blank delivery, because it never gets less Weird to talk about with people he's getting to know]

-- I'm a dead demigod of the Norse god Frey. The god of peace, healing, summer, nature, fertility, elves, backyard barbecues, that kind of stuff. Basically, I can make things, grow, and warm, and heal. Hippie undead friend to plants and animals everywhere.

[pause, and more like a regular teen:]

Also I just, like it. Hiking and camping was a big part of my pre-dead life. And your name isn't weird just because it's not like, Kelsey.

[beyondthegreen]

Plants and animals?

[Like it's a little hard to believe or something. She hops up beside him, actually a little bit up in his grill. This is just another reason the network sucks in comparison to the real world. She can actually tell what's going on nearby.]

You seem alive to me. Your heart's beating and blood's flowing through your veins. And you were eating a sandwich. I saw it.

[fehus]

[Magnus stiffens a little at that -- he's weird about people in his personal space. but apart from that, he doesn't lean away, picking up his sandwich again]

I'm -- [damn, she's in his grill? it's fine, Chase] -- still living, I eat and sleep and stuff, but I'm reanimated by spooky pagan death-god magic. My first death was the end of me being alive in the natural sense. I'm eterna-teen.

[he pauses, addressing her other question after a bite of sandwich]

I've done more with plants than animals because of my whole sun-demigod deal. Animals just seem to dig me, and I can like -- sense them? Like I know there's a nest of eggs in that tree across the street, I can feel them just sort of being alive and thinking egg-thoughts if I try.

[points with his sandwich]

[beyondthegreen]

[Tefe sits back, giving him a little more breathing space and follows the line of his sandwich and... yeah, vaguely, almost through the tree itself, she can tell they're there too. But...]

Animals don't like me very much. [She compares, a bit sourly.] I like the trees here, though. They seem nice.

[fehus]

Do they? What's it like talking to plants?

[he does literally breathe, exhaling a bit as his personal bubble is returned to him. homf, homf, sammich. there aren't -- more, like him, in Valhalla. it's sort of low-key exciting, talking to someone connected to nature in a really intense way, like he is]

Do they find things funny? Or is that anthro-centric to assume humour is something every living thing has...?

[beyondthegreen]

I... don't think I ever heard one tell a joke.

[Now that you mention it.]

Maybe dad, a long time ago.

[fehus]

What kind of plant was your dad?

[this should be a weirder question to ask, but his best friends have sisters and brothers who are eight-legged horses and giant-world ending serpents and categorically evil wolves. he hopes it isn't rude]

[beyondthegreen]

[You can always count on Tefé to spend more time being perplexed by human reactions than by supernatural and metaphysical weirdness. And with more than one way to interpret that question:]

I don't know. I never really understood him.

What's it like having a god for a father?

[fehus]

I don't know. I met him once for like 5 minutes.

[dads are clearly something they both kick ass at]

You didn't answer, about talking to plants. I can't do that, I can just sort of feel their life and help them grow.

[beyondthegreen]

[Dads. Terrible all around.]

They're ...concerned about different things. They were here first, you know. But now, between being preyed on, cut down, and abused for so long, a lot of them don't like people, or even animals, very much. [She admits.]

But they know when people care about them, too. It's just another one of those things where you have to say 'It's complicated', I guess.

[fehus]

Honestly, I kind of feel that way about people, too.

[maybe it says something about his own antisocial tendencies he feels that way about Civilization, but he's been through some bullshit and can feel however he wants. Magnus thinks about that all, for a while, and then adds]

If you want a hand helping them feel cared for here, I wouldn't mind coming along sometime.

[beyondthegreen]

[Tefé usually has a lot of strong feelings. Most of them mean there's not too much to smile about most of the time, but right now... it's nice to hear something like that once in a while.]

I'm going out to the nearest forest tomorrow to ask a few more questions. [She says, frankly a little bossy for someone who doesn't like to be told what to do.] You can drive. You have a car, right?

[fehus]

Uhhh, no.

[a pause, and he kind of laughs]

I know, it's really misleading that I work at a garage. But I died before I got a licence, and then didn't like, need mortal transportation anymore. I can ride a horse, sort of?

[Sort Of. the eight-legged children of Sleipnir don't need much input to do their thing]

[beyondthegreen]

I don't see any horses around here, and that wouldn't work for me anyway. Do you know how to hotwire a car?

[Important skills that... she probably should have learned from Pilate or Barnabas on their cross-country trek, whoops. Too late now.]

[fehus]

No. Just assume if the question ends in "car" the answer is no?

[however]

I can get us a ride, since I know people with cars. I'm also a pro at public transportation and using the Porters, and I could get us within a couple miles that way.

[beyondthegreen]

What do you actually do at the garage? [Look that's dumb okay. How can you work at a garage and not know how to hotwire a car??? God.]

But fine. I think I can remember how to drive too, if we can ever just get a vehicle.

[Said with the utmost confidence, but that wording is very suspicious.]

[fehus]

I mean.

[his eyes... drop... to the truck, with all the comedic timing of a Bad Teen Decision about to be made]

I have the keys to this one. -- And I literally told you, I hold grimy things and pull levers.

[beyondthegreen]

[There are no Bad Teens Decisions, only Bad Teens... wait, no. This is flawless. What could go wrong? 'Mary Conway' had a license, and although that life seems sort of hazy and unclear in a lot of ways now, it's not like driving is that hard, right?]

Perfect. I'll meet you here in the morning. I have a few things I want to check out tonight first.

[She hops down off the truck. Not that she still really has a clue what she's doing but it is pretty nice to have people willing to listen to you and help out.]

[fehus]

[he wants to ask her -- are you gonna be okay? but has a feeling, yeah, she will be]

Sure. Good luck, out there. Hey -- wait.

[he jumps off the truck likewise, pausing to grab his sandwich]

Do you know how to send texts and make calls and stuff?

[beyondthegreen]

Right, like I haven't seen a phone before. Do you want me to give you a call when I'm ready to go?

[fehus]

[nods]

Yeah. Or like, if you got any questions about living in this shitty future-now place. Or just wanna bullshit. [the real reason he asked -- he wants to make sure she can reach him, if she needs a friend in this crappy new situation] I'm under "Magnus Chase" in your contacts, not whoever "Magnus Burnsides" is.

[beyondthegreen]

I don't know how many more questions there are about living here. It's not that different from back home. And I already know I'm not taking part in their shitty war, and just because they put those weird fucking things in my bloodstream still doesn't mean they own me. I have better things to do with my life than care about some useless human government.

[She says, feeling definitively defiant now. Getting thrown into this whole new situation might have thrown her off a bit to start, wondering just why she'd ended up here. It has to be something bigger than some stupid little human conflict, though.

And despite that, she smiles a little. Maybe Team Tefé's ragtag exploration crew is a go again.]

Might call to shoot the shit sometime though, yeah. I'm under Tefé Holland. Not like anyone is going on make a mistake on that one, though.

[fehus]

No, probably not.

[he quirks a smile back at her, lifting a hand as he turns to head back into the garage, where he'll pull some levers and hold grimy things, presumably]

See you tomorrow, then.

[for our cool teen veggie tales adventure where no one is going to crash a car at all, don't be crazy]