place... for our kind. It's not very fancy, or anything, but--"
"Our kind?" Superior (or at least that's what he calls himself) asks. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Supers. Ones that aren't in their special little club," Taurus Sr. says. "Either they're not strong enough to qualify or they're like me--a minority."
"You didn't let minorities in?" Nico asks Superior.
Superior frowns, looking a bit confused for a second. "I never knew there were minority supers in this time, other than Mastermental," he admits. "The ones in the Hall were all screened and interviewed long before I met them. At this time, with the Cold War going on, the military insisted on making sure our Hall members weren't spies in disguise. They really didn't like the idea of bringing Tatia over, but it was an attempt at peace."
"So where is this place?" Nico says to Taurus Sr., not bothering to reply to that.
"It's um, this way," Taurus Sr. says, heading down the street. "Like I said, it's not fancy, so don't get any big ideas--you probably won't get your own bed, either--"
"Why are they living together? They could be out getting jobs and contributing to society," Superior says.
"They have them," Taurus Sr. says as he approaches a run-down looking four story building. "But you try fitting in with society when you've got powers. We don't know how to deal with norms, they don't really know how to deal with us, either. So you get a lot of guys like me--construction workers, and girls that work at diners."
"Why diners?" Nico asks.
"Because nobody thinks twice about a waitress carrying fifty plates of food at once, or a cook that can lift big pots of things," he says as he heads up the step and walks into the building. Nico and Superior follow him, looking around at the bodies that are scattered all around, most of them snoring.
"It's like a commune for capes," Nico mutters. "Why aren't they going out, joining the other branches?" he asks.
"You've said stuff about branches before--what are they?" Taurus Sr. asks.
"You haven't created the branches?" Nico demands of Superior.
"It was Mastermental's idea," Superior says.
"He's a far better leader than you ever were, you know," Nico says.
"I must admit, seeing it from this vantage, you might have a point," Superior admits, stepping over a leg. "As much as I hate to agree with you on anything," he adds in a bland tone.
Nico shoots him a dirty look, wondering if anyone would notice if Superior doesn't come back from this little trip into the past.
***
"What the--hey! HEY! This ISN'T FUNNY, GUYS!"
The bellowing from outside my tent makes me groan and pull my pillow over my head. Why so loud? Some of us are trying to sleep, you know!
"Noelle!! NOELLE! DID YOU DO THIS?"
I'm not going to get more sleep, am I? I groan and blink up at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. My hair is probably a mess, I know my clothes are--and makeup? Pretty sure that all wore off days ago, or something. But then again, it's just Jason, so who cares? I get to my hands and knees and crawl out of the tent, looking up at the rock sculpture bed.
"Why would I do that?" I demand. "Better yet, HOW could I do that, moron? I'm not an elementalist!"
"Yeah, but you've got freaky powers--" he starts out, squirming in the rock that seems to have tightened around him.
" Element -a-list," I repeat, stressing the word “element”.
"I know--" he stops and has the decency to look sheepish. "Oh."
"I'm going back to sleep," I say, starting back into my tent.
"Wait--waitt! You can't do that! Come on, Noelle! Help a cousin out, here!"
"I don't buy that cousin thing!" I reply over my shoulder. "You look nothing like Grandma Summer!"
"Okay, forget the cousin thing! If you don't help me down I'll keep yelling and someone will come and find us," he threatens. "Then how are you going to explain it?"
"You did this to yourself!" I say, getting to my feet
"Our kind?" Superior (or at least that's what he calls himself) asks. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Supers. Ones that aren't in their special little club," Taurus Sr. says. "Either they're not strong enough to qualify or they're like me--a minority."
"You didn't let minorities in?" Nico asks Superior.
Superior frowns, looking a bit confused for a second. "I never knew there were minority supers in this time, other than Mastermental," he admits. "The ones in the Hall were all screened and interviewed long before I met them. At this time, with the Cold War going on, the military insisted on making sure our Hall members weren't spies in disguise. They really didn't like the idea of bringing Tatia over, but it was an attempt at peace."
"So where is this place?" Nico says to Taurus Sr., not bothering to reply to that.
"It's um, this way," Taurus Sr. says, heading down the street. "Like I said, it's not fancy, so don't get any big ideas--you probably won't get your own bed, either--"
"Why are they living together? They could be out getting jobs and contributing to society," Superior says.
"They have them," Taurus Sr. says as he approaches a run-down looking four story building. "But you try fitting in with society when you've got powers. We don't know how to deal with norms, they don't really know how to deal with us, either. So you get a lot of guys like me--construction workers, and girls that work at diners."
"Why diners?" Nico asks.
"Because nobody thinks twice about a waitress carrying fifty plates of food at once, or a cook that can lift big pots of things," he says as he heads up the step and walks into the building. Nico and Superior follow him, looking around at the bodies that are scattered all around, most of them snoring.
"It's like a commune for capes," Nico mutters. "Why aren't they going out, joining the other branches?" he asks.
"You've said stuff about branches before--what are they?" Taurus Sr. asks.
"You haven't created the branches?" Nico demands of Superior.
"It was Mastermental's idea," Superior says.
"He's a far better leader than you ever were, you know," Nico says.
"I must admit, seeing it from this vantage, you might have a point," Superior admits, stepping over a leg. "As much as I hate to agree with you on anything," he adds in a bland tone.
Nico shoots him a dirty look, wondering if anyone would notice if Superior doesn't come back from this little trip into the past.
***
"What the--hey! HEY! This ISN'T FUNNY, GUYS!"
The bellowing from outside my tent makes me groan and pull my pillow over my head. Why so loud? Some of us are trying to sleep, you know!
"Noelle!! NOELLE! DID YOU DO THIS?"
I'm not going to get more sleep, am I? I groan and blink up at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. My hair is probably a mess, I know my clothes are--and makeup? Pretty sure that all wore off days ago, or something. But then again, it's just Jason, so who cares? I get to my hands and knees and crawl out of the tent, looking up at the rock sculpture bed.
"Why would I do that?" I demand. "Better yet, HOW could I do that, moron? I'm not an elementalist!"
"Yeah, but you've got freaky powers--" he starts out, squirming in the rock that seems to have tightened around him.
" Element -a-list," I repeat, stressing the word “element”.
"I know--" he stops and has the decency to look sheepish. "Oh."
"I'm going back to sleep," I say, starting back into my tent.
"Wait--waitt! You can't do that! Come on, Noelle! Help a cousin out, here!"
"I don't buy that cousin thing!" I reply over my shoulder. "You look nothing like Grandma Summer!"
"Okay, forget the cousin thing! If you don't help me down I'll keep yelling and someone will come and find us," he threatens. "Then how are you going to explain it?"
"You did this to yourself!" I say, getting to my feet
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