That Meddling Meddler

[on_repeat]

WHO: Echo et AL
WHERE: Various about The Hero City
WHAT: Normal moments, action moments, normal action? Whatever happens in between the bigger events.
WHEN: May?
WARNINGS: N/A?

-----

Every morning, Echo woke up. Every morning, he answered his door, leaning against the frame before looking down.

"We need to stop doing this."

The orange tabby meowed, pressing against the man's legs to slink past him and the threshold. And after watching the cat take over his apartment yet again, he sighed, bending forward to grab the newspaper that came with it.

* * *

Place An Order

Because even in a city full of Superheroes, folks still needed saving...

...From exaggerated hunger pangs.

Ramen, hero sandwiches, pad thai – whatever it was, Echo was out there, picking up orders and delivering them to the awaiting customers in need of feeding.

"GrubDash!"


On The Way

There were plenty of times he was there outside of making an online food delivery.

Not every single event could be taken care of within twenty-four hours by one person, of course. That would be ridiculous. Echo chose what was realistically doable with the constraints he had to work with, which included being mostly normal as opposed to being someone with actual superpowers.

Anything within the lower to middle tier, really, scripted and unscripted. The latter at least didn't involve reading tomorrow's newspaper articles ahead of schedule.

He knew some things weren't fixable. But if he could change an outcome for the better, he took the risk.


Wildcard

[Other ideas/suggestions/scenarios/what have you go hereeeee]

Comments

[on_repeat]

"Sure, but– " Echo's gaze lowers, darting to either side of him to be sure they're alone. When he looks back at Ezra, he lets his voice drop to nearly a whisper. "How do you know about him? Who put you up to this?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

The smile wipes off of Ezra's face, leaving just serious and intent.

"Nobody did, Echo. I just...remember him. And Gregor and Wollfe and Ahsoka."

[on_repeat]

"You're not trying to recruit me for anything?" From what he can tell, Ezra is speaking on a personal level if he says he remembers Rex. Like they've known each other for a while. "Because my answer's still the same..."

The earlier wariness and tension that ran through him slowly dissipates as he trails off, his expression changing slightly at the mention of those names.

He's heard them somewhere before. He feels like he should know who they are? The uncertainty in the silence that lingers is weighty the longer he mulls over it.

"...What else do you remember?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra opens his mouth and closes it. Is he trying to recruit Echo?

"I remember a whole other life. Ahsoka was the commander of the 501st Battalion. Rex was a captain in it. You were part of it, too. I wasn't. I'm from....later but I know Rex and Ahsoka. You and I were pulled from when and we were to a planet called Agra-10."

He sigh out. "And, uh, a lot of it was not great, actually, but-" He sighs. "I'm pretty sure this entire city was created by someone. I don't know if it was done intentionally, and if so what the intentions were. And if it wasn't intentional whether it's...stable and safe."

[on_repeat]

501st. Captain Rex. Agra-10. Commander...Tano?

Echo runs a hand over his face, shaking his head slowly as he tries to make sense of why this is all familiar. Why he suddenly recalls some of the 'not great' things that didn't happen within this city. Why he feels like he's talked to Ezra at length about things instead of dropping by for a quick delivery.

Normally this is where he leaves. This is where he blows off Ezra, thinking the kid has a great imagination while telling him to stay in school before heading back home to take the rest of the evening off. But he doesn't. A small part of him stands firm, not quite sure how to process everything so far.

"But...this feels real." The more he tries to internally reason it out and tries to reassure himself this is the life he's used to, the more it sounds off. "This would be a cruel joke if it was intentional."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Yeah. Yeah. I know, it really would be," Ezra says staring, eyes wide.

"Like, here there's my brother Ben. And he's...happy, and all he really has to worry about is me and his articles for the paper. But in the other life, he used to be a High General in a war he didn't want to have to fight in, which is at least as kriffed up as it sounds."

[on_repeat]

Echo lets his hand drop off, the corner of his mouth twitching at the idea of Ben being a High General. "That's a huge contrast. And you're right. I mean, who would?"

Although he sounds conflicted. They're on a similar wavelength now, and Ben is somehow linked to a name and an image he recalls fully despite not knowing who Ezra's brother is. "Have you tried bringing all of this up to him, or...?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I tried to bring it up like - like I'd dreamed it. I wanted to see if there was any recognition." Although, honestly, he'd brought it up that way, because he'd already assumed that Ben wouldn't remember.

"And he laughed it off as a wild dream and asked me about school."

[on_repeat]

His brow furrows as he nods. "I guess that's a natural reaction to anything considered a dream." It's just as natural as asking about school and he remembers how that goes.

Despite how strange it still sounds, Echo can't help but feel bad that the suggestion of another life outside of this one isn't working. "Maybe you can try again. Make it less obvious."