Problem Child

[likeits1999]

...So, uh. Got some things I should probably tell you guys.

[ Kevin seems a little nervous, he has trouble doing "eye contact" with the mirror. ]

I guess like... first of all, I'm Kevin? I'm from New York? I skate? I've met some of you but not everybody so...

[ He shrugs. ]

You ever known somebody who... uh, has a personal problem? But it turns out that if you know 'em and are around 'em all the time it kinda winds up to be their crap ends up being everybody's shit to deal with?

It's kinda like that.

[ Everything about trying to explain this is awful. Everything. ]

The thing with me is... well..

I'm... kind of a vampire?

[ There. He said it. Getting that part out helps him square up and face it a little better, his gaze steadies straight on the mirror. ]

Actually, not "kind of" at all. I'm definitely a vampire. I drink people's blood. I have to. Been doing this shit a good while, too. The Green's got my back with the whole sunlight deal, but I still ain't exactly keeping down regular grindage if you know what I'm saying.

[ Kevin winces a little. He tried. ]

So... here's the deal: I need to drink blood sometimes. Otherwise I get hungry, and when I get hungry I stop... being able to be a person so good? It's bad. Trust me.

[ Please, please trust the self-described vampire. ]

It's not a lot all the time, I can go a bit if I'm full up, and I can stretch it on animals and junk like that, but it's... yeah, dog.

[ He makes his lungs pull in air and breathe it back out in a long hwoo. ]

The other thing is it's probably... if I'm gonna be real with allay'all, I don't want to put my teeth in you? I mean, I got 'em.

[ He takes a second to drop fangs and show the mirror before pulling them back in, which probably does a whole lot of good for his image with the team. ]

It does stuff to people, though? And I don't want to be like that if we're gonna be doing this Lord of the Rings shit together, alright? If we're gonna be real, I'm gonna be real.

[ Kevin's shoulders sink a little as this sudden surge of confidence falters. ]

I don't know what I'm supposed to do about this, but I'm not lying about it and I'm not gonna sneak around. And I mean.... if y'all wanna run me off into the woods, cool, but I'm gonna end up stuck comin' back like any of the rest of us.

If I could just go find someplace else to be, I mean...

[ He smiles weakly. ]

You wouldn't be hearing this.

Comments

[wherenoonegoes]

You're welcome, as long as didn't just make it worse.

So, the surprised blinking. Was it because of the Viking thing, or because of my name?

[easy_as_cake]

Oh, probably, but he'll get over it.

[How to explain that she's just happy he isn't writing both of them off because her best friend's a jerk?] Well, I don't know what a viking is, so I guess kinda that, but mostly that you think Harper's not very shouty. He's like the second most shouty person I know.

Why would I be surprised by your name?

[wherenoonegoes]

Vikings are...mostly loosely associated tribes of very loud, very boisterous, and very violent seafaring warriors that originally came from Norway.

That said, My tribe's island is actually closer to Scotland, we've been there for centuries, we prefer riding dragons over sailing boats, and we prefer ending fights over starting them. [Most of the time they even managed to do so relatively peacefully!] The loud and boisterous part still applies, though.

And most people who don't know my tribe's traditions tend to wonder why I'm named after a bodily function.

[easy_as_cake]

[If Hiccup is looking to get fewer confused looks, this is probably not the way to go about it. Trance knows Earth is a place that exists and that Boston is apparently the greatest city ever or something, but that's about as far as she gets on actual geographic knowledge. Dragons, she's at least heard of, but not on Earth, except Nietzschean Dragons, and she can't quite picture anyone riding a Nietzschean. Certainly not a whole village of them.

...Right, no, smiling and nodding time.] Your home sounds nice?

I don't think Hiccup's that bad a name. It's kind of cute.

[wherenoonegoes]

...nothing, huh?

[He's been on the receiving end of the smile and nod more than enough times to recognize it for what it is.]

I can't explain Norway and Scotland, especially since I've never been to either. Dragons though?

[The mirror flips around to show an absolutely adorable looking winged reptile.]

That's a dragon. Say hello Toothless.

[The pair of short growls Toothless gives do sound remarkably like a hello.]

[easy_as_cake]

[The sound Trance makes is probably a little embarrassing, but she's never let that stop her before.] Hi! Why's your name-

[She will have to continue wondering why the dragon is named Toothless, unfortunately, as Harper takes advantage of her distraction to take back his mirror. There's yelling and running and not much else.]