You can't hide from your problems | Calibrations

[wearingthestars]

WHO: Billy Kaplan, OPEN
WHERE: Billy's Calibration Room
WHAT: Calibrations
WHEN: 3 June - 10 June
WARNINGS: Potential Warnings for Violence, Depression, Death and Suicide, but also some happy things



The room you step into isn't all that different from Billy's actually room back home, for those that know it. It looks like the room of a typical nerdy teenager, walls adorned with posters of his favourite heroes, and a desk cluttered with unfinished homework. There's shelves with books, and assorted action figures, as well as a few old games- like operation, which don't seem to have gotten much attention lately, covered in a layer of dust.

Billy lays on his bed with an assortment of comics, reading through them, though when he glances up you might note that his eyes are wrong. All black with fields of stars, like you can see the depths of universe in them.

He curls a finger, and a box beneath the bed scoots further back into the darkness.

Comments

[wearingthestars]

"It is..." Billy acknowledges, palming the back of his neck. The answer stands for both questions.

"You have gone totally super hero on me. I have two better plans. The first--" The other starts, but Billy interrupts him.

"Let me guess. 'Lend the treacherous little God stupid Billy Kaplan's remaining powers as Loki's stronger now and wouldn't burn out before finishing the spell.'" He gives Loki a look. "Forget it. You may have come back the first time but I definitely don't trust you when things are this bad."

"You are growing up," Loki notes, "Which is good...because the second plan involves growing up fast. At least for a few minutes."

[out_of_order]

"Did this actually happen?"

It's a strange way to interpret a memory, but Cal supposes if Billy's so fond of comics, perhaps all the more fitting. Superheroes. He catches himself from moving to turn the page. If this is a memory, what right does he have to keep reading?

"...what is it that you do, anyway?" he asks instead, glancing at Billy then. Between somehow conjuring up a festival and what he'd done in the hospital, it seems like such a broad scope.

[wearingthestars]

Billy nods, "It did. Not too long ago, back home at least." He's still not sure how the time here lines up with when he's been pulled from.

He pauses with that question, trying to think of the simplest way to explain. "...I'm magic. My magic operates by my will, so as long as I want something badly enough I should be able to do it. I'm still...learning. And back home I try to help people with that, me and my friends, we're a superhero team."

[out_of_order]

Time discrepancies were strange to have to figure in around here. It wouldn't have been something he'd thought about if the people from familiar worlds didn't also come from such vastly different timeframes.

Cal tilts his head. "Some think that the Jedi use magic. There is a certain amount of will applied to using the Force, but it's nothing like that. Your magic's pretty impressive." And he can see how potentially dangerous it could be too. Billy at least has seemed like a responsible person, and as he mentions being part of a superhero team, the padawan smiles.

"Sounds like a busy job. What sort of things do you usually have to deal with?"

[wearingthestars]

"I'm just kind of winging it, honestly. It must have been helpful to grow up with people like you...who could teach you."

He gives a small laugh and shrugs a shoulder, "Um, well, super villains, not the top tier ones usually, but...them, and alien invasions, and a weird amount of inter hero fighting for a while..."

[out_of_order]

"I can't say it wasn't. The Jedi made it a point to try locating those who were Force sensitives, specifically so that we could be properly instructed. So...you don't have anyone who can teach you?"

There's a long pause from him as he comes to grips with the fact that super villains are a thing by name. Well, why shouldn't there be, he supposes. If there are superheroes, then there obviously can be villains to go with them.

"Ah..." Cal says, words failing him for the moment as he processes this. Alien invasions are pretty much general invasions to him, not that it's a common thing anymore since the Empire. Infighting is nothing strange either, although it's unfortunate that it should happen between people who are supposed to be heroes. "That definitely sounds like it can be a busy time."

[wearingthestars]

"There's other magic users, but uh...not at first anyways. I kind of had to work most of it out myself. Teddy helped a lot. I've done a bit of work with someone since though..."

He gives a laugh and nods, "Yeah, that along with highschool? Never a dull moment."

[out_of_order]

He can understand that. Even the Jedi can't find every single Force sensitive in the galaxy. It can be dangerous trying to figure things out for yourself, but Cal's glad to hear that Tommy had found someone to help him eventually. He nods.

Even he has to smile a little at that. "School too? You've got a full plate," he laughs. And then he turns to look at the walls and the posters there. "Are those some of the superheroes of your world?"

[wearingthestars]

"Mm, yeah, there's Cap, Thor, the Scarlet Witch," he starts to list off, pointing to them in turn, smiling fondly, "I've been obsessed with them for as long as I can remember."

[out_of_order]

"They look pretty amazing," Cal admits. The costumes must be a part of the whole superhero gig. He grins. "I think I see where your inspiration for festival game prizes came from."

[wearingthestars]

He laughs and nods, "Yeah, I'm kind of a fanboy." It's not like he can deny it with his room looking like this. "I didn't have powers growing up, and I wasn't...super popular, so I really looked up to them."

[out_of_order]

Cal tilts his head. "You didn't? Did they take time to manifest?" He could understand looking up to such people though. Even as padawans, one would aspire to be as good as Jedi like Anakin Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi.

[wearingthestars]

"Heh, um...yeah, I'm a mutant, I think so...our powers usually manifest sometime in adolescence? Mine didn't show up until I was sixteen, so...it's a bit of a life change."

He knows it must sound strange.

[out_of_order]

It does sound strange, and yet at the same time seems to make some sense. "I don't doubt it," Cal says, nodding a bit as he can't help but give a faint frown. "Suddenly you just have something entirely different to have to deal with. But you seem to have handled it pretty well."

[wearingthestars]

Billy gives a uncertain laugh. "Well I've successfully fooled you into thinking I know what I'm doing, that's something," he teases, "...I guess we did all right for ourselves. I know a hell of a lot more now than I did then."

[out_of_order]

That makes Cal grin. "See, you're not supposed to admit that part," he chuckles. "But if you're able to tell the difference between then and now, then you can't say you haven't accomplished something."

[wearingthestars]

He mimes an overly exaggerated face palm and laughs. "Yeah, I guess that's right. I like you Cal, you're easy to talk to. You remind me of my friends back home."

[out_of_order]

Cal smiles. "For as strange as this all has been, I'm kind of glad to be able to just talk like this. I don't really have a lot of friends back where I'm from, so it's nice being able to meet people here, at least."

[wearingthestars]

"Yeah, just talking is...it's nice. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up either. I'm not the best with the whole...social thing, but...yeah. This is nice. We'll have to try and do this when you're not hurt, or...in my brain or whatever?"

[out_of_order]

That's something he can relate to, and there's no objecting to the latter. Laughing, Cal nods.

"Agreed."

[wearingthestars]

"I'm cool to keep talking, or you can poke around in more memories if you want, but just to be transparent about it, the doors unlocked. You are officially free if you want to be."

[out_of_order]

"I don't know," Cal says, looking around the room again. "Even with permission, it feels sort of strange to be poking around anyone's memories. If someone has something to share, I'd feel better just hearing it straight from them."

He smiles crookedly. "You make it sound like it's a prison." It's certainly nicer than what they're currently staying in. "We'll talk topside, how's that?"