Chapter 87 - WHAT ARE THOSE!?

Trying to act natural for not just one but two high-stakes audiences, both Lucas and Jonathan somehow manage to do sufficiently convincing jobs of it.

As Lucas is leading the group over to the nearest service bot, the front doors for the lobby swing open.

Freezing in place, he deliberates if it would seem notably odd to the live-stream viewers for him to turn around to look and see who just entered. After a few short seconds, he errs on the side of solidifying an excuse for realizing Mikah is there. He figures there's not much use worrying about what people that aren't even there might think, and he's rapidly running out of available time to make this decision in.

Coming to a similar conclusion, Jonathan also turns around to look, nearly in unison with Lucas. Oh well for not making it look too obvious.

Mikah, from still a bit of a distance away, bursts out laughing from the sight of their synchronized scan. Flashing a big toothy smile at them, he walks over to join the gathering of supes at a leisurely pace.

Once he's at the edge of comfortable conversation distance, which doubles as also being roughly the same range as his power, he waves a thick folder at them in greeting. Said folder is stuffed full of a borderline alarming quantity of documents bearing numerous colorful sticky tabs poking out at various angles.

Today's outfit of choice no longer involves pants that make Jonathan flinch at the mere sight of them, instead, he opted for a pair that is much more conducive to the travel required to get here. He is also somehow managing to make his ruffled low-collared poet shirt look genuinely masculine.

"Good morning once again, Lucas, Jonathan, and I assume Miss Masher. Ah, Marsha is it? Oh-ho, such a powerful name, well suited for such a powerful woman." When Mikah speaks up, Miss Masher goes from initially being largely surprised, when he recognizes her she escalates into a state of confusion, but in the end, she's left filled with thoroughly flattered smug pride. So much pride, in fact, that she doesn't even think about how or why he knew her real name.

Lucas smiles and nods in greeting, not entirely registering that his real name was used, since that's what he's used to Mikah calling him. Jonathan, on the other hand, has found yet one more reason to flinch when he realizes.

"G-good morning, Mikah." Stammering out his return greeting, Jonathan tries to break his line of sight with the offending recording phone, hiding at the far side of Lucas. He's all too aware of how often he's easily startled and would like to reduce as much documentation of it as possible.

Chuckling as he hears Miss Masher's internal response, Mikah then kneels in front of Willy, giving him a once-over.

"And I do believe that you must be Lucas's new friend, hm? How well behaved too... Wait, are those what I think they are? HAHAHA! Where in the world did you get those, I need their entire stock! Hahaha! Gods, I need to head there as soon as I'm done here, those are FANTASTIC." Once Mikah notices the three super-tuff chew toys that Willy is carrying, he nearly falls over from his laughter. It's infectious enough that the others present are all smiling along as well, and Willy happily wags his tail.

"Hells yeah, I had to get them the moment I saw them. He's Willy, by the way, I take it you can't..?" When Lucas answers and then poses his own question, Mikah shakes his head before Lucas even gets the words out.

"No, just people. It'd be such a mess if I could hear animals without understanding them, goodness. Oh, not sure if you were aware, but it's not like I automatically know what's being thought if it's in another language. Mark has put that knowledge to use on more than one occasion when he's mad at me. It's more like I hear everything as if it was being said out loud, though the voice is a little different when it's from inside, if that makes any sense. Ah, is it okay to pet him?" As Mikah casually explains his powers for not only those present but also those in the live stream, Lucas starts to panic a bit.

Mikah's power-confessions prove to be enough information that Miss Masher realizes that he read her mind earlier to learn her name, as she had been thinking something along the lines of 'ha, it'd be funny if he called me Marsha too after sayin' their names.' Having mixed emotions on the matter, she largely just stands her ground, after all the other two seem to be on good terms with the surprise-visiting psychic. Oh right, he was on the phone call too, he must have been talking about that Mark.

'Ah, wait, dude. I'm pretty sure that chick over there is recording us, maybe even streaming us. She's the one that took the video of me bashing in the front of that truck last night. Shoot, I should have tried to warn you sooner. Oh, but she doesn't mean any harm she's just... A weirdo. And a stalker. It might not have been the best idea to agree to hire her.'

Making use of the covert form of communication, Lucas think-talks directly at Mikah, who looks a little amused in response. At first, at least. As he processes the fact that everything just said might have been streamed, he grimaces a bit. He sneakily glances at Clarissa, noting the way she's holding up her phone while grinning.

Filled in with some extra thoughts from Jonathan's side, Mikah makes a point of having his back to Clarissa, then revealing a horrified look. Whispering quietly so it isn't picked up by the recording, but also making a point of exaggerating the mouth movements to help make his apology clear, he gives a panicked "I'm sorry".

'I'm sorry too, I should have let you know sooner. Oh, right.'

"Well, that's up to him, but usually the answer seems to be yes." As Lucas outwardly gives a slightly delayed answer to Mikah's question, Willy's tail wagging increases its level. Further letting his opinion known, Willy barks out once in consent.

'Well there you have it, go ahead.'

Thinking the follow-up at Mikah, Lucas receives a slightly confused look in return.

Mikah reaches out to start gently petting the top of Willy's head and neck, musing further on Lucas's phrasing before considering an unlikely possibility.

"Wait, he understood what I asked, and that bark was a proper answer?" When Mikah quietly asks if he comprehended the truth, Willy gives another singular bark in answer. Lucas simply grins, proud of his four-legged family member.

Miss Masher has her own smile as well, now feeling smug about knowing of Willy's intellect before an actual mind reader did.

Jonathan's discomfort intensifies with the amount of information that is being so readily shared for Clarissa's audience, desperately hoping there won't be a V.o.D. of it afterward as well. As if the current viewing audience wasn't so large that it wouldn't matter anyway, everything being said is already being re-posted and clips are being made of various occasions in real-time.

A new four-panel meme has even begun, alternating between Mikah and Willy. The first panel consists of Mikah's face with the text "Wait, are those what I think they are?" The second panel is comprised of a wide array of poorly done edits for varying objects to be hanging from Willy's mouth, if not replacing his head entirely. The third panel is back to Mikah with some variation of "Where in the world did you get those, I need their entire stock!" And the fourth panel is a picture of a usually unlikely source, sometimes edited to just be replacing Willy's head instead of taking up the whole panel, or in a thought bubble above his head.

There are quite a few with the ending thought bubble being a form of "your mom". Humanity continues to be every bit as immature in the future, fear not.

-----

Lucas kills this chapter: 0

Lucas total kills: 7

Lucas deaths this chapter: 0

Lucas total deaths: 10

Lucas current GDV: 9.03 (+.01 net change)

Lucas's fame level: 2.75* (Mostly just local)

Lucas's hero suspicion level: 1.5* (Only highly paranoid people)

Jonathan kills this chapter: 0

Jonathan total kills: 5

Jonathan deaths this chapter: 0

Jonathan total deaths: 2

Jonathan current GDV: 2.01

Jonathan's fame level: 1.75* (Just local)

Jonathan's hero suspicion level: 1* (Only highly paranoid people)

Supervillain social circle size: 11

-----

Little character theater:

Jonathan, still every bit as stressed, if not more so than before.

Willy, leaning into the ear rubs he is now receiving from an impressed Mikah: Bark!

Lucas, filled with pride over Willy's intellect, as if he had anything to do with it: That's right, my boy's the best. Oh, Jon's actually pretty good too.

427, wishing he had a physical form just so he could repeatedly bash his head into a wall over how much info-dumping they're doing in front of a live studio audience, even though he managed to warn them in time: 'Should I just speak up so he has to have a rollback? WHY ARE ALL OF YOU LIKE THIS!?'

Author, trying to sound stern, even though they're smiling: Mikah! I swear I'm not just using you as a well of information! But! You keep doing it no matter how I try to do your scenes! Y u do dis!? I'm gonna have to reduce your screen time if you keep this up!

Mr. Quacks, posting his own version of the new meme, featuring him sitting on top of Willy's head in the second panel, and the fourth panel is ominously filled with TV static: Quack!