Video

[assholic]

[There was a lot of pilfered alcohol, fumbled attempts, and finally resignation that had led to this video. Jessica wasn't great at asking for help, or showing that she didn't know what was going on, but this was so far out of her paygrade, she had no idea where to start. She'd poked around the library, but there were things that she couldn't learn there. Not really.

So the network is treated to a semi-annoyed looking dark-haired woman that some might find familiar. The introduction was minor.]

The name's Jessica Jones and I'm looking for- fuck -help with something. I can do this now-

[She'd never been one to shy away from showing what she could do or trying to hide it. She'd always been one of the more open freaks. But like she'd said to Spheeris, people felt safer when they could pretend they didn't know.

So for the camera, she made a fist with her right hand. A small line of concentration creased the middle of her brow and then - Woosh - a sword made of pure fire appeared in her hand. She didn't drop it, though she did flinch because that was never not going to be disturbing. She waved it around a bit. It looked a little like a scimitar, flaring white hot in the center. Then she opened her hand and it disappeared.]

-and that's great and all, but I don't know shit about swords or weapons or anything.

[She was doing an amazing job of not looking like that freaked her out.]

Who's gonna help me figure out how not to slice my other arm off?

Comments

[assholic]

Uh huh. Maybe you should look at seeing if they have a school here.

[And not, you know, talking to bitchy ladies on the network about sword fighting.]

[keybearing]

I know Namine said she hadn't been to school before. So I said we could check and see? I'm not sure if the kids here go to school or something like I did back home.

[But what if Sora wants to talk about sword fighting? That is so much more fun than Maths.....]

[assholic]

[Do your math, Sora.]

If they keep sucking up kids here, they might want to think about doing something with them.

[God knows what she'd gotten up to when she hadn't been properly monitored at that age.]

[keybearing]

I wasn't even thinking on how many of us are kids. But I guess, depending on how many of us there are. If there's enough for a class. I know one of my friends mentioned school and all.

[He just hasn't gotten around to figuring asking about that in between it all.]

[assholic]

Better than having you all run around without supervision.

[Yep. She was judging. But she was also a city girl who knew that kids running wild in a city was a bad idea. Trouble happened. Well, trouble happened in New York city. Last thing she needed to run into was some wild assembled from different universes gang in a city she didn't even want to be in. Good job, Asgard. Manage your children.]

[keybearing]

I have managed in other worlds on my own.

[Okay. Mostly he has been with Donald and Goofy. But still. He managed in Traverse Town for a bit before running into them? Even if Cid was also kinda keeping an eye on him all but from the start....And Leon and Yuffie.]

But I guess you have a point. At least, with kids as young as Alice here.

[And even if Sora is older and trying to help keep an eye on her, he's still just a kid himself at the end of the day, really.]

[assholic]

The fact that she's hanging out with a goddamn nutball says that this place needs to manage their kids more. And their psychopaths.

[keybearing]

It isn't like her parents, her family are here. And I'm not sure the Gods take us in like that. That they keep that close an eye on us exactly. I'm not sure if it would be...probably a lot to expect any of us to though.

[Take in the really young kids like Alice as sort of surrogate parents or something like that. Sora himself is not really eligible given he's still also a minor himself, for all that he has been off saving worlds.]

[assholic]

Kinda my point, kid. They don't have any control over who's getting sucked in, but they're not doing anything about the ones who have been. School or some kind of kid-herder.

[None of those people should be her. Jessica and kids didn't do well together. No thank you. All parties would be happier without that as an option.]

[keybearing]

Well, I am not sure how prepared they were. Maybe they're already setting something up for a school, I haven't asked yet.

[She says kid-herder and he just thinks of the play Islands they spent all their free time at back home. Things seemed so much simpler back then.]

[assholic]

I think it's pretty safe to say they weren't prepared at all.

[And as for asking for this place to do anything for kids, that would never be on her priority list.]

[keybearing]

Well, only the gods would really know how prepared they were for us. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing and I think they're working on that more now?

[Preparing for them. Helping them out and all. The bracelets letting them talk to each other was proof enough of that.]

[assholic]

Yeah, well, I had a chat with one of these 'gods' and they didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. No one seems to know the whys or hows behind it, so I'm not going to be looking to them for any kind of guidance.

[Nope. Sorry, Sora. This is one jaded moofah.]

[keybearing]

The worst we can get is that they aren't sure on something else. Doesn't hurt to ask. But I guess there could be some things even gods might not know or be able to do.

[Definitely jaded. But it isn't like that would stop Sora and his hope and optimism regardless. Even if Jess sees things differently.]

[assholic]

Part of the problem is that everyone has this 'ooh' factor over the idea of gods. They're not special.

[keybearing]

They are pretty powerful. I know that much, at least from meeting Zeus and Hades back home. And Herc, but I think he was more like a demi-god or something? I only figured that part more recently.

[He does not recommend a trip to the Underworld either for the record. But yeah. He can see why others might be in awe or scared of the gods.]

[assholic]

So's a strong cup of coffee. No one's worshiping at the altar of the java bean.

[Nope. Wasn't buying it, Sora. Anyone could slap a name on themselves and call themselves Zeus or Odin or God. Delusions of grandeur didn't mean immortal powers.]

[keybearing]

Well, no. I don't think that's quite the same. But they're gods. They might still be figuring out all the stuff we need. We didn't start out with the bracelets letting us talk like this.

[assholic]

No, they're not. Them upgrading their cell plan doesn't make them omnipotent creatures. Look, kid this is- well, it's what it is. I'm not arguing theological semantics with you. You wanna believe they're gods. Go right the fuck ahead. But I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid.

[keybearing]

Kool-Aid?

[Clearly that is the thing to focus on here. If Jess is this stubborn, Sora won't change her mind. It was up to her to make her own decisions and judgments. The same way it was up to him with his.]

[assholic]

Never mind. Doesn't apply here- until it does. Just... don't go believing everything people tell you.

[keybearing]

I don't. I know not to trust Hades anymore. Or...certain others.

[He's still Unsure with Vanitas because he knows there's someone called that back home who is bad news, but this one seems different. So Sora might be willing to give him a chance? Maybe.

Let alone the others here but so far he hasn't really had any trouble yet. No obvious familiar faces of his enemies or anything at least.]

[assholic]

Hades. Right. Because of course there's a Hades here.

[Why wouldn't there be a congregation of mythical names and beings? This was her life now.]

[keybearing]

Here? I haven't seen him around here. I meant he was back at the Coliseum where I was training with Phil with the tournaments there. And the Underworld, of course.

[Because that is his home and all. Sora does not recommend visiting.]

[assholic]

Right...

[Why was this her life? Oh, right. Because kidnapping by gods who had no clue what they were doing. Right, right. She'd almost forgotten.

Not.]

God, I need a drink.