1; [video]

[andaway]

[Have a certain alien in a brightly-colored uniform in front of the mirror. Kal seems to be sitting front of the singing statues, the hymns marking the start of the message. It seems like he's been writing the hymns, trying to makes sense of them- they ring a bell, like he's heard them before but he can't quite place it.

Which is a new sensation for him. But considering most of his powers are gone he should get used to it.]

I know we're all settling in, so I will keep this short. I just figured we may as well use this... magic, or technology or whatever this happens to be.

I'd just like to know how long have all of you been here, if we all got here more or less at the same time. And...

[He wonders how to word what comes next. If this is someone's plot, if he's inside someone's... spell, or something by the sort he doesn't want to give them any clues about his weaknesses.]

Have you felt any... different since you woke up here?

Comments

sure!

[andaway]

[Kon may be intimidated, but Kal… well. It hasn’t been that long, for him since they got Kon back and guilt is a terribly powerful emotion. He notices Kon is hiding something, of course. He always does, Kon is as bad as not telegraphing his emotions as he was when he was his age. But he also knows prodding at him so he tells him what’s wrong will not end well.]

I’ll look for you. It may… take longer than usual.

[He never realizes how much he relies in his powers until they are gone. Which doesn’t mean he’s going to be lost without them, this is hardly the first time he’s lost them but it does make things a little harder.

So he eventually finds the place Kon described.]

Kon-El…?

Re: sure!

[konman]

[It really did take him longer than he'd have expected. Normally, Kal would've been there close to instantly, so unless he got caught up saving a cat from a tree, that probably meant...]

Did you -

[Kon's eyebrows go sky high as his brain puts everything together.]

- walk here?

[If he seems a slightly alarmed by that prospect, it's because he is. The last time Kal wasn't at full power, half of his rogues gallery attacked where he was recovering at STAR Labs, trying to kill him, and Kon, Wonder Woman, and a boatload of other heroes had to hold them off.]

[andaway]

[Kal shrugs a shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture he never quite got rid of.]

There's a reason I asked if people had felt any different. Lost most if not all of my powers. But if you're this surprised does that mean you haven't noticed any difference in your powers?

[konman]

[It wasn't so much that he was surprised as... okay, no, he was surprised. In his mind, Kal should've been untouchable and immune somehow. (Never mind that magic has always been one of their weak spots along with kryptonite.)]

[When Kal asks if Kon has noticed any difference in his powers, the teen freezes in place like a deer in headlights.]

[Then he tries to recover. And deflect.]

It's been a mixed bag for all of us. Instead of superspeed Bart's got some kind of weird magic where he can collect spells like Pokemon. Anita's got mostly the same stuff (I think), Cass lost her powers altogether, Tim's still got no powers other than being a freakboy [He says it affectionately.] Brainy lost his shields and has some kind of magic thing where he can see the magical writing that shapes existence or something and can mess with it - and he hates it, naturally.

[There, since he mentioned everyone, the focus isn't just on him.]

And I lost everything I usually have and now have some kind of weird magic, too. I can make stuff like magic vines that grab people.

[That's the most harmless spell, since the other two are sucking the life force out of people and grabbing souls, and he purposefully leaves out the part where they're creepy-ass shadow vines.]

[andaway]

[Kal just hums along through most of Kon’s explanation. Once you’ve been through so much weird stuff as they both have it takes a lot to surprise you, and a few power-switcheroos aren’t going to do it. But he does raise an eyebrow when Kon mentions his own newfound powers because-

Well. Kon was obviously hiding something, or at least squirrely about something. Is this it? The fact that he has magic powers now? It’s not a secret that Kal isn’t a fan of magic (he will claim he’s allergic to it to anyone who will listen), but he wonders if that’s what was making Kon so hesitant.]

That’s interesting. How do you know they are magical in origin? Have you used them much yet?

[konman]

Just...seems like magic. You know how it is with magic: kinda sparkly, slight tinge of ozone, makes your hair tingle.

And Bart can save individual spell castings so it's not just a meta thing or him copying powers, it's individual uses.

[Making it seem more like a spell thing.]

I haven't used mine much yet. [It's not a lie, he stopped using them after accidentally hurting Tim.] Being depowered by itself would be one thing, I've at least done that before, but using something different feels weird, you know?

[He hopes Kal will just leave it at that and not ask any more questions.]

[andaway]

That’s smart.

[He says easily, because it’s true. In normal conditions Kal would have wanted to know everything about newfound powers, but this… are far from normal conditions and it makes complete sense that Kon has been settling first. Doesn’t make the reporter in Kal any less curious, though.]

But if we’re to stay here in the long run we’ll have to learn as much as we can about our powers, won’t we? And probably figure out why you were given magical powers while I wasn’t, for example.

[He’s 100% fine not having magical powers, thank you very much, but he is rather curious about the why. But he’s not insensitive, and it’s very clear Kon is hesitant to share more about his powers. He’ll have to find out more later, but for now he’ll give him an easy way out if he’ll take it.]

I haven’t talked to Bart yet, didn’t know he was here. Tim seems to be as driven as always, though.

[konman]

[He hates lying like this. When Kal compliments him on being smart to focus on settling in first -- when really he's avoided using the powers because he's terrified of them -- he feels terrible.]

[He did this before, when he'd kept the Luthor thing a secret and look at where it led. If he'd just told him sooner, maybe he would've had Kal backing him as he looked into it more. Kal probably would've encouraged him to go to STAR Labs to get checked out and they could've found the programming sooner.]

Yeah. He's...being his usual self. [He smiles as he says it. Then he raises a hand to signal for Kal to come with him.] I ought to show you around -- not that we'll even be staying here that long. We've been trying to gather up enough supplies to be able to leave here. We all basically came in with just the clothes on our backs.

[andaway]

[Kal smiles at nods at Kon. Like he doesn’t notice anything’s amiss, like nothing’s wrong with the way Kon is tensing up. Like he doesn’t look exactly how he looked in his teens when he was trying to keep certain secrets to himself and feeling the guilt take over, hot and heavy in his chest.

He’s always respected Kon, he’s always trusted him to come when he’s ready and he’s not going to start pushing for answers now. He knows from experience that’s only going to make him pull away and that’s the last thing he wants.]

Sure, I’d love that. [He motions at the temple.] So far I’ve mostly spent some time with my singing friends. Have you been inside?

[konman]

[Oh crap. He'd been intending to show him around the outside a bit, since there are different areas that people are building things or collecting things in. Then he planned to ghost with an excuse about something that still needed to be done outside and a "why don't you check out the inside? I'll meet you later." Then he could've slipped in as the sun set and tried to go to sleep before Kal saw his what the temple did to his eyes.]

[All he had to do was be like a Bat for a little while, right? Slip in, slip out, in the dark, unseen, and then hang out outside in the light of day. But with Kal immediately inviting him to check out the inside, he's stuck.]

Yeah. I've been inside a bit.

[He freezes up, like he's somehow afraid to go through the door.]

There's stuff outside to see.

[He immediately cringes. No, that doesn't sound natural at all. He's already screwing this up.]

[andaway]

[Kal didn’t see that coming. So whatever it is that has Kon one edge (around Kal, or just in general? He’ll have to find that out) has to do with the temple? Kal didn’t notice anything weird around it but to be fair he’s been mostly focused on adapting to being power once more so it makes sense he’d miss a thing or two.

Kal’s brain tries to fill in the gaps, but putting two and two together isn’t that easy when you’re missing half of the equation. Kon did say his powers seemed to be based on magic, so maybe the temple affects his powers?]

I… yeah, sure. [He tilts his head.] Any reason we can’t start there, though?

[konman]

[Kon is very stubborn and that means the more you push him, the harder he resists. The only reason Tim had gotten away with prying so hard into the Lex Luthor connection when they'd first been tipped off was because Tim was one of Kon's best friends - and even then Kon'd gotten pretty pissy about his prying. The more Tim insisted they shouldn't wave it off as some crazy lie, the more Kon dug his heels in and insisted it was insane to even entertain the idea. It'd taken Tim straight up stealing Kon's hair and genetically testing him without his permission before Kon had finally acknowledged the truth, and he'd been crabby about it the entire time. There were very few people in existence besides Tim that could violate his trust and privacy that much without Kon straight up shutting them out.]

[Kal's approach, all along, of quietly wondering if something was up, but gently allowing Kon to bring it up on his own - that had actually almost helped Kon open up about it without being pushed. Kon'd been inches away from telling the Titans - and then Kal - about it when Lex had kicked the mind control programming into gear.]

[So this...works. It's the earnestness that gets him. It's easier to lie to Kal when he's lecturing or digging more aggressively or just doing his pat-on-the-shoulder "good job, Superboy" kind of thing, but that little head tilt gentle question thing is a move that's right out of a Ma Kent's playbook. She's so hard to lie to, sometimes all it takes is a genuinely kind look and a few earnest words and it makes you want to confess your whole life story on the spot.]

No reason.

[The words spill out of him but the more he talks, the more obvious it is that he's covering - and that he's anxious about something.]

It's just there's plenty of outside stuff and there's nice outside weather and those weird Enya statues get annoying after a while? Pretty shrill, right? No reason we can't just take a nice little stroll around the -

[He just...peters off and stops.]

Who am I kidding? I can't do this.

I can't do this again.

[In Kon's head a mental notebook page with the words "What does Lex Luthor do? ✔ Lies to Superman" gets ripped out and set on fire the same way the physical one had been that night he'd camped out with his friends.]

[He can't lie again. He can't try to hide something like this again. The last time he'd done it, it'd been a total disaster, and it'd been wrong to do to Kal - and it'd just hurt Kon himself. Maybe it would've been a little awkward, but Kal had supported him in the end, with the Luthor thing. Raven had shown Kon things he hadn't been there to see, like Kal arguing with Batman over it in the Batcave. Even looking at the X-ray of Tim's crushed bones hadn't changed Kal's tune.]

["He's a good kid." "He's a machine." "He's a boy trying to find his place in the world."]

[He'd supported him in the end because Kal would've supported him all along, even if maybe they'd have had to work through some stuff. Maybe if Kon'd told him earlier that support could've been there and he couldn've been nudged towards Martian Manhunter or STAR Labs sooner to get the mental cobwebs cleared out before they caused harm.]

[Kon's made a lot of mistakes in his very short life and some of them were completely idiotic and easily preventable, but one thing he is good at? Not making the same ones over and over. So he doesn't lie again, he doesn't try to hide what he feels like he should hide.]

[That doesn't mean he can face Kal easily, though. He's mortified and this feels like a slap to the face after all the hard work he did trying to get past the Luthor mess, trying to prove to himself that he hadn't been made rotten to the core from the start. And sometimes that blue-eyed gaze feels impossible to withstand, even though it's being made with identical eyes to the ones Kon sees every day in the mirror.]

[Kon turns away from Kal and sits down on the temple steps with his back to the temple doors, just outside the threshold, right on the edge of where he can still look like a normal (half) human.]

I was going to try to lie to you again, just like last time, even though this isn't as bad as last time since it's not quite the same garbage fire that being cloned from your worst enemy was. But if I lie and it turns into another kind of garbage fire, it'll be an even worse garbage fire because the lying came first when I should've learned my lesson.

[He draws his knees up and buries his face in them, wrapping his arms around his head. One of his hands threads through his hair, as if he's almost trying to reassure himself that he's not going evil-bald right on the spot. Because if his newly-acquired darrrrk magic takes over him and makes him evil, he knows, deep down in his heart, that it'll make him go bald just on principal. He knows.]

[andaway]

[Kal expected Kon to come clone eventually, of course. He’s a good kid, when all is said and done and even though Kal took a while to come around he’s never doubted Kon had a good heart- hidden under a lot of other issues, and he won’t deny the kid made him facepalm more than once (or twice) when he first met him but he still trusted him with the S-shield and gave him a Kryptonian name for a reason.

He just needs a nudge in the right direction and, sometimes, a bit of time to get there on his own. Granted, the universe doesn’t usually see it fit to grant them said time, but still, they both try their best.

He just didn’t expect for it to be so soon. And so… raw, so honest. They were talking about exploring just a second ago and now Kon seems to… maybe have seen something in Kal’s expression, in his eyes that must have told him he could start over and not put up new walls now that the old ones had been torn down. Maybe he should feel a little guilty about it- and he does feel bad seeing Kon so distraught, the inner turmoil so obvious. He looks so much like a teenager like this. But if it ends up with him deciding not to lie to him, not to lie anymore? He can’t bring himself to feel any regret.

He walks down next to Kon, sitting by him and reaching to place a hand on his shoulder- slowly, as always, so Kon has time to pull away if it’s unwelcome. Kal has always… needed that gentle reassurance a hand on your shoulder brings, always needed the human contact but Kon could be completely different.]

We really don’t have to talk about it, Kon. You don’t have to lie to me, I’m sure whatever it is is either solvable or not as big a problem as it seems when you’re on your own. But I can wait until you’re ready to tell me.

But, for the record: That Lex stuff? Not your fault. Absolutely none of it.

[konman]

[Kon doesn't pull away from the hand on his shoulder. Instead, he's just comforted. Kal not demanding he tell him right away, trusting him to do it when he feels ready, telling him everything to do with Lex wasn't his fault...]

[It's exactly what he needs to hear. And that means it's okay to tell him now, instead of waiting.]

[He looks up at him.]

I need to tell you now because I can tell it keeps trying to mess with my head. I've got a better chance of fighting it after training so much to resist mind control, but you still need to know what's going on right away since there's a chance I might lose control.

[The magic messing with how he thinks means he could lose himself again, the way he did with Luthor's programming.]

Like I said, I got magic instead of my powers. A few people have. But their magic doesn't seem evil. It's like Zatanna's or Dr. Fate's.

What I got? It's bad. It's not just one of those 'what matters is what you do with it' things, either, it's some kind of magic that's dark at its core. It messes with my head and it's sort of...hungry. Lets me suck up life energy or give someone's soul a wedgie.

[He closes his eyes again tight, his expression pained.]

He's okay now, but I accidentally hurt Rob with it.

[Kal knows what that means. After hurting Tim during the mind control biz, it's a big deal to have accidentally done it again.]

[Kon opens his eyes again and looks at Kal plaintively.]

You can even tell it's dark from how it looks. When I use it my eyes turn black. That's why I didn't want to go with you into the temple. It's a holy place or something and I can tell the magic in me doesn't like that; it's all unsettled by it. I can still go inside but going in there makes my eyes do a Village of the Damned thing even when I'm not using the magic.

I'm gonna try not to use it, since it messes with the way I think, but I don't know how much control it'll be able to have over me. We've seen stuff like this all the time -- people that think they have control of the situation, but because they tapped into something dark, eventually it takes over them. That might happen to me.

[andaway]

[Kal bites his lower lip as he tries to process what Kon is telling him. There is no judgement, how he could judge the kid for something that is not his fault? For something he’s obviously fought hard against, something he can’t exactly control. But there is some worries, because he knows exactly what Kon means when he speaks of a power that is evil in and on itself, no matter the intent.]

You’re not alone, Kon. [Since his hand hasn’t been pushed away he squeezes it gently, trying to reassure him that he’s there and will be for as long as they are stuck together in this place.]

It’s… smart not to be using it if you feel the magic pushing against your own thoughts. At least until we know more of what’s going on. If this has happened to you it may have happened to other people as well. Or there may simply be other people with more experience in these matters.

But telling me, telling others was the right thing to do. We’ll be here to make sure to help you stay yourself.