ground.
"Grandpa--" I start out, only to fall as the earth shakes violently again.
"Your uncle did something similar," he tells me, still just standing there. "But he didn't have metal, he had earth and plants--it was a lot less violent."
"Would you quit talking and SAVE HIM?" I demand, trying to get back to my feet. "I need my beauty sleep!"
He takes to the air, scooping me off of the ground and floating out of reach of the spikes. "It'll calm down when he gets comfortable," he says in a calm tone. "This isn't the first time he's used his powers in his sleep--Jack was getting tired of having to redo Jason's wing every morning. He shouldn’t have. The kid needs to see what he’s capable of, even if it’s by accident."
"Won't it hurt him?" I ask, watching in awe as the boy starts to glow faintly. "Did Cold Steel have this sort of thing happen?"
"No, but Jack's not a true born elementalist, either," Grandpa say as the world shakes again and a large rock spike comes up then curls around Jason. "Jason is. He's more than Jack realized he was, even."
Jason stops floating, falling into the curl of rock as if it were a bed, and snoring. The earth stops rebelling. "Should we get him out of that?" I ask.
"He looks pretty comfortable to me," Grandpa says, landing on the ground. "Let him stay that way, it’s what I wanted him to see."
"I don't know if I like him," I say, scowling up at the snoring male.
"Don't know?" he repeats with amusement. "That's better than what you used to say about the kids at your old school."
"Because I KNEW I didn't like them," I say, yawning and heading for my tent. I look at it for a moment before picking it up and carrying it over to a flat spot. "Grandpa, what are you doing for the Hall?" I ask.
"Right now? I'm building the Cape Cells," he says.
"But weren't you stuck there for fifteen years?" I ask. "Why would you help them with it?"
"Because they're needed, and they don't have them. Go to sleep, kiddo. Your training starts tomorrow."
"Don't forget my shower!" I say.
"I won't."
"Night," I add, crawling back into my tent. I know I should be freaking out, or something, who knows what would have happened if my tent had fallen down a cliff or something? But overall I just feel tired and a little irritated. Tomorrow I am SO going to give Jason a hard time about messing up my night. I need my beauty sleep!
I'm a princess, after all.
***
"What WAS that?" Taurus Sr. demands as he stares at the two males in front of him. The explosion had been amazing, but that was nothing compared to the broken robot that had been left in the middle of it when the smoke cleared. It had looked exactly like the man walking next to Nico--except the flesh was gone and the gears had been exposed. "How did you put that together in twenty minutes?"
"What, the fake Superior clone?" Nico asks. "It doesn't work."
"Well, duh--it's not really possible, right? But it looked amazing!"
"Oh, it's possible," Nico says. "Not with the tech I had on hand, though."
"You stole a car, didn't you?" Superior asks, wincing slightly as he grabs his side. "I'd forgotten how hard she can hit," he adds in a mutter.
"I stole a car, a coke machine, a train engine, and a few other things," Nico lists off. "All of which had been wrecked by your fight, so don't try and make me feel guilty, here. What in the hell do you think you were doing?"
"I was looking for Mimic. Tatia just found me first," Superior says coldly, as if he had been perfectly within his right.
"There's nothing to hide behind in the air, moron!" Nico snaps.
"Hey, um--you know--" Taurus Sr. says, trying to interrupt what looks like will turn into a brawl at any moment. "It's getting late. We can't talk to Mastermental until morning, and it's been a long day, right?"
The two look at him, identical faces and identical expressions. It's a bit creepy, but he ignores that fact. "There's a
"Grandpa--" I start out, only to fall as the earth shakes violently again.
"Your uncle did something similar," he tells me, still just standing there. "But he didn't have metal, he had earth and plants--it was a lot less violent."
"Would you quit talking and SAVE HIM?" I demand, trying to get back to my feet. "I need my beauty sleep!"
He takes to the air, scooping me off of the ground and floating out of reach of the spikes. "It'll calm down when he gets comfortable," he says in a calm tone. "This isn't the first time he's used his powers in his sleep--Jack was getting tired of having to redo Jason's wing every morning. He shouldn’t have. The kid needs to see what he’s capable of, even if it’s by accident."
"Won't it hurt him?" I ask, watching in awe as the boy starts to glow faintly. "Did Cold Steel have this sort of thing happen?"
"No, but Jack's not a true born elementalist, either," Grandpa say as the world shakes again and a large rock spike comes up then curls around Jason. "Jason is. He's more than Jack realized he was, even."
Jason stops floating, falling into the curl of rock as if it were a bed, and snoring. The earth stops rebelling. "Should we get him out of that?" I ask.
"He looks pretty comfortable to me," Grandpa says, landing on the ground. "Let him stay that way, it’s what I wanted him to see."
"I don't know if I like him," I say, scowling up at the snoring male.
"Don't know?" he repeats with amusement. "That's better than what you used to say about the kids at your old school."
"Because I KNEW I didn't like them," I say, yawning and heading for my tent. I look at it for a moment before picking it up and carrying it over to a flat spot. "Grandpa, what are you doing for the Hall?" I ask.
"Right now? I'm building the Cape Cells," he says.
"But weren't you stuck there for fifteen years?" I ask. "Why would you help them with it?"
"Because they're needed, and they don't have them. Go to sleep, kiddo. Your training starts tomorrow."
"Don't forget my shower!" I say.
"I won't."
"Night," I add, crawling back into my tent. I know I should be freaking out, or something, who knows what would have happened if my tent had fallen down a cliff or something? But overall I just feel tired and a little irritated. Tomorrow I am SO going to give Jason a hard time about messing up my night. I need my beauty sleep!
I'm a princess, after all.
***
"What WAS that?" Taurus Sr. demands as he stares at the two males in front of him. The explosion had been amazing, but that was nothing compared to the broken robot that had been left in the middle of it when the smoke cleared. It had looked exactly like the man walking next to Nico--except the flesh was gone and the gears had been exposed. "How did you put that together in twenty minutes?"
"What, the fake Superior clone?" Nico asks. "It doesn't work."
"Well, duh--it's not really possible, right? But it looked amazing!"
"Oh, it's possible," Nico says. "Not with the tech I had on hand, though."
"You stole a car, didn't you?" Superior asks, wincing slightly as he grabs his side. "I'd forgotten how hard she can hit," he adds in a mutter.
"I stole a car, a coke machine, a train engine, and a few other things," Nico lists off. "All of which had been wrecked by your fight, so don't try and make me feel guilty, here. What in the hell do you think you were doing?"
"I was looking for Mimic. Tatia just found me first," Superior says coldly, as if he had been perfectly within his right.
"There's nothing to hide behind in the air, moron!" Nico snaps.
"Hey, um--you know--" Taurus Sr. says, trying to interrupt what looks like will turn into a brawl at any moment. "It's getting late. We can't talk to Mastermental until morning, and it's been a long day, right?"
The two look at him, identical faces and identical expressions. It's a bit creepy, but he ignores that fact. "There's a
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