Chapter 146 - Dan Da-Dan Dan Dan

"As I imagine you have numerous decisions to make before we can finalize any details, would you perhaps like to exchange contact information... And how would you prefer I address you, Mind Flare? Well, what names would everyone else prefer, as well, while we're on the subject?" After Miss Calculated tenuously requests everyone’s desired supervillain nomenclature, Mark dismissively waves a hand back and forth.

"Oh please, there's no need to be so formal. Do you really think I would bother trying to act like you don't already know what my real name is? If anything, I should be the one asking you, Miss Calculated. Besides, if we'll be working together, there's really no need to be so stiff.

"Ah, right, Mikah mentioned that he didn't have the pleasure of making your acquaintance earlier, and I believe it would be foolish at this point to assume that Lucas will be doing the introductions." After speaking this far, Mark pointedly looks at the group of the three bird devotees, though they actually have recently started heading back over towards the main group.

"...I agree. Well then, by all means, please, you may call me Mary. ...If I may introduce my two bird-brained sisters, Maria, and Marsha. And no, don't feel bad for wanting to laugh, I'm sure you now understand why we so diligently stick to our supe names." As Miss Calculated drops the name reveals, she gestures at the recently arrived Miss Chievous and Miss Masher in turn.

'Mary, Mary, quite contrary, hehehe...'

Lucas, still holding Sylph cupped in his hands, continues heading over to stand near Dan, impatiently waiting for a lull in the introductions.

"Daaannn! Dan, Dan, Dan, could ya ask Sylph if they can hold her too!? And what'd Willy say!? Ah, right, if you're cool with it, can we have a whole big conversation later? Willy, you, Jon, and me? It can wait till after the ladies go home." While Lucas enthusiastically addresses you-damn-well-know-who, Dan chuckles a bit, smiling slightly.

While there are a few interspersed snorts and chuckles of amusement due to Lucas's antics, Miss Calculated does subconsciously pause the introductions, similarly curious as to what Willy has had to say thus far.

She had a slightly hesitant look when Lucas mentioned that the canine council would convene later in the evening after she leaves, but she doesn't give any voice to her complaints. She knows full well that she'd be effectively trying to butt into a family discussion.

With all eyes now turned to Dan, he whistles to Sylph a few times, receiving a few returning calls from the supreme one in turn. She eventually looks up to face Lucas's face directly, chirping merrily before hopping up onto the edge of his fingers and fluttering her wings twice.

"She said yes. Who’s first?" As Dan asks this, both Miss Masher and Miss Chievous have started rushing over to where Dan and Lucas are standing, holding their hands out excitedly.

After a few steps, Miss Chievous shifts to only holding one cupped hand outward, reaching over with her other hand to put it on her competing sister's shoulder. Once she makes contact with her, she activates her power to make Miss Masher turn invisible, while she herself continues to remain visible.

"Me!!!" Declaring herself the victor, Miss Chievous earns quite a bit of laughter from everyone nearby.

"No fair! Cheater!" Even though Miss Masher protests verbally, she doesn't make any motion to shove her sister away in order to break contact.

After laughing along as well, Dan whistles briefly and Sylph flies over to gently land on Miss Chievous’s waiting hand. Miss Chievous promptly brings her other hand over to provide additional avian support, releasing her power on Miss Masher as soon as she lets go of her shoulder.

While Lucas’s gaze briefly follows Sylph flying away, he does ultimately manage to turn his attention back over to Dan once more, desiring a doggo dialogue debrief.

Noting the intensity behind both Lucas and Miss Calculated’s gazes, Dan has a slightly helpless expression.

“Really, we barely had a chance to talk yet. We just greeted each other, I double-checked what name he wanted to be called, and he was just starting to tell me about when you found him last night.

“Ah, it’s a habit of mine, whenever a new animal comes in for grooming or a checkup or anything. I’ll ask the name they identify as, and their oldest memory with the people that brought them in, since it generally isn’t all that far back anyway.

“Usually, it’s one of their strongest memories if they are able to remember it for a while, though I suppose he’ll have a lot of differences from what I’m used to. It’s often the case that the most impressionable event that they can remember and how they describe it tells you a lot about how the animal is treated overall.” While Dan elaborates, Mark has a highly amused expression. Once he’s done speaking, Mark makes an exaggerated dissatisfied snort.

“Of course, the only time you’ll actually say more than like three words is if an animal is involved.” In response to Mark’s verbal jab, Dan merely rolls his eyes and unceremoniously sits down on the ground right where he is, turning to continue his conversation with Willy.

Thanks to having this just further proving his point, Mark loudly laughs once.

Miss Calculated looks extremely curious about the dog-related details, but doesn’t try to pry out any information. In an attempt to establish an image beyond feather-brained fools for the sisterhood, she resolutely turns her attention back over to Mark, Josephine, and behind them, Mikah.

Lucas, however, is beyond any such image concerns, and simply sits right down in front of Dan and Willy.

“I promise I won’t just keep askin’ you to repeat every single thing he says, but what’d he say for his name?” While Lucas is asking this, Jonathan has crouched down nearby with a curious look as well, not quite committing to sitting on the ground.

“Hmm? The name you gave him. He said his full name is “William E. Lynn”, but to casually call him Willy. He even pointed out that he likes that the E is unspecified, giving it more potential, and that he’s delighted to have what could colloquially be considered a ‘human name’. The only other thing that he had been called before, which could be at least vaguely be considered a name, was a serial number, but he’d prefer to never hear it ever again. He never felt that it would be right to pick a name to himself, as he feels that names are something to be either given or earned.” As Dan answers in a level voice, Lucas and Jonathan have both already begun hugging Willy before he was even halfway done speaking.

While the rest of the gathered party had a mix of soft and amused expressions at first, the overall tone could certainly be considered dark upon the mentioning of his only other name being a serial number.

Miss Calculated may be plotting some rather sinister plans, considering the rather stormy expression writ across her face.

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Lucas total kills: 7

Lucas total deaths: 11

Lucas total assists: 1

Lucas current GDV: 16.90 (+.01 +.01 = +.02 net change)

Lucas's fame level: 5.0* (Already beginning to receive authentic global attention. His local levels are effectively maxed.)

Lucas's hero suspicion level: 2.5* (More than just passing suspicion for many paranoid individuals, numerous people have realized he's an impulsive idiot.)

Jonathan total kills: 7

Jonathan total deaths: 2

Jonathan current GDV: 5.78 (+.01 net change)

Jonathan's fame level: 2.5* (What fame he does have is predominantly local.)

Jonathan's hero suspicion level: 3.0* (More than just overly-paranoid people are suspicious at this point.)

Willy's fame level: 1.5* (Anonymous meme fame, local fame primarily as 'Xenoclast's dog', but some strangers know him as William/Willy now.)

Supervillain social circle size: 14 (Ji Soo, bruh. For real, dude.)

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Little character theater:

Lucas, Jonathan, and Willy are busy having a moment, and are therefore all unavailable for comment. Lucas may or may not be on the verge of tears, even though he already should have been able to guess something along the lines of the truth with what information was already previously available.

427 has begun a renewed attempt at finding out more information on Willy’s past, now that it’s been pretty heavily confirmed that he has escaped from a lab of some sort, which was presumably run by an int supe to have managed such a breakthrough in animal related super-science.

Author, hiding their expression by taking a sip of water: Would be a real shame if that lab turned out to be hidden in this city somewhere, eh?

Mr. Quacks, doing his best to join in the family hug, but really is just sitting on Willy’s head: Quack!