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

[likeits1999]

It's cool. It'd heal itself.

[ That's... really not the point, Kevin. And given the context, probably not reassuring. ]

Is it weird blood?

[mark_in_the_sands]

I dunno, I hit pretty hard.

[ No, no it's not reassuring. Cassie narrows her eyes briefly, then shrugs. ]

It might be? That last time someone tried to drink my blood, she dropped the magical whammy she had on me the moment she tasted it and started apologizing and begging for mercy. I don't have my powers here, but I don't know if they're just suppressed or stripped from me completely.

[likeits1999]

Oh. Yeah that's definitely not a normal thing that I think people's blood does.

[ That's just his expert opinion. ]

Don't get me wrong though that's really cool of you. I know this isn't a normal thing to ask strangers to do.

...Or friends, I guess.

[ He shakes his head a little. ]

Don't ever be a vampire, dog. Shit just quits making sense.

[mark_in_the_sands]

[Cassie pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs.]

You know what, I'm being cagier about this than I need to be, especially when you're being all up front about the whole vampire thing.

Long story short, my dad is Zeus. The...lamia, I think she was? The monster that tried to drink my blood could tell by the way it tasted, and I guess chowing down on the kids of Olympians is a no-no. Hence the begging and all that.

[Cassie's still not fully comfortable with the whole "my dad lives on Mount Olympus and chucks lightning bolts" situation, but she might as well be honest about it when it's relevant. She'll just have to make sure that Bart and Anita don't spoil the "surprise" for her past self.]

Anyway, so yeah. Stuff's already stopped making sense for me. But hey, it's possible that becoming a vampire isn't even an option for me?

[likeits1999]

Oh. Dope.

[ Kevin's entire feelings about Greek mythology. He doesn't remember a whole lot, but he did like learning about that in school. It was way less boring than American history, that's for sure. ]

Sorry about the bloodthirsty monster thing. I'm sure that doesn't mean whole lot coming from me, but... y'know...