((Collab Post between BlackPanther, TheUnknowable, and Letter Bee))

It was 12 hours before Mikhail would go back to Earth, and he decided to spend his time exploring the city, surrounded by a blue aura of force that marked him as a Powered, and clad in his new armor. He had already reported to Madam President and Ms. Feather, who were not suprised at Mikhail's loss; after all, Mr. Natsumoto was a genius as well, and Mikhail was a bit smug in his own plans...

Still using his 'Hope Sense' to keep away from the more dangerous parts, Mikhail found himself gravitating towards a source of hope that was not too intense, but not too dim, either. That source of hope was Castyel.

Castyel ends up heading to a relatively cheap place to stay for his visit. Having dropped off his things, he seemed to barely notice what is going on around him let alone that he may have someone following him. After all, this is his first trip to the moon and he had been dreaming of this since he was a child....this is a slightly different version of what he had hoped for as a child but at least he was here. His normal rigidness and unemotional barrier seems to have been left behind, so he is actually an approachable human being right now. As he wanders, one hand slips into his jean pocket and a faint smile tugs at his lips.

Kyle had gotten off the ship a day earlier, and watched his client find a decent motel to stay in before he headed into town.  He had brought a few thousand LC worth of US currency with him and taken it to the exchange booth as soon as he was certain his client was safe.  He could live for well over a year up here on the money he brought if he had to and have a pretty good life, but he was here as a tourist, and had to play the part in case anyone was watching.

After getting a decent room, he left the motel and started walking the streets.  There were plenty of places where he'd like to shop, but for now he wanted to get a read on the place.  When he first stepped off the ship he was shocked at all of the things that were in this city.  The first thing he noticed were all of the Supers using their powers in public.  That just didn't happen on Earth.  Noticing a young teenager with a blue field around him he decided to do something similar.  [i]When in Rome.[/i] he thought as he paused and took a few seconds to activate his Aura before continuing.

Mikhail approached Castyel openly, his arms and palms open and relaxed. The other man would know the boy's identity; he had to if he was any good as an information broker. However, whether Mikhail knew the other man's indentity as well...it didn't matter; the Moon was a truce zone. So, he finally said:

"Hello there; you finding this a nice place? My name's Mikhail, Mikhail Peacemaker, and, well, I'm happy to see you." He offered his hand.

Castyel hears someone greet him and that causes his attention to snap to Mikhail. A quick once over and Castyel recalled the kid from previous gatherings of information. All of his relaxed nature seems to disipate as he holds out his own hand. Ironically it is the hand with the blue showing and somehow he still doesn't catch the barest hint of the color. "Castyel, and it is quite an interesting place" His tone seems relatively monotone and unemotional. His sunglasses hiding any emotions that may have even experienced a glimmer of life in his eyes. This is the Cas that many saw, the wall.

[i]Peacemaker,[/i] thought Kyle.  [i]Now where have I heard that name?[/i]  Then he remembered.  It was that old rich woman's son, the Lucky woman who adopted a kid that could manifest Hope.  Didn't they work for the US government, though?  Kyle sat down at a table in a Japanese restaurant near where they were talking and ordered a glass of Sake.  He let his aura disappear and sipped his drink.  People rarely paid attention to the guy drinking alone.  He wasn't drowning his sorrows as they expected, though, he was listing to a conversation between a US agent and a man that seem familiar as well.

Mikhail smiled, it seemed that he wasn't the only one whose skills in spying slipped on the Moon.

"You shouldn't have used your real name, you know. Or at least the name we know you by. Also, I think that this place has artificial skin or something - the city is very advanced." He then looked at Castyel.

"It's also a truce zone, so you needn't worry about us fighting each other unless you really want to." A smile.

"And I don't want to fight you, not today. As for fishing information, we already know you're secretly...biased towards the Free World Group. After all, your former superior gave us a lot of insight to your character." Mikhail then held up his hands.

"But, I'm not here to scare you, or fight to intimidate you. Rather, I'm here to tell you to enjoy the place." A thought.

"If my presence makes you refuse to do so, though, I have a deal." He then took out a spare, empty laptop with only the most basic of programs installed in its hardware, mostly video games."

"Beat me in a closed-network game of Civilization VI, and you can have one piece of information from me. If I defeat you, however, I get one piece of information - pertinent information - from you. And no winning via cutting the Goridan Knot; aka messing with the computers themselves."

Castyel's features seem to crack a bit as waves of both anger and shock ripple through him. However, considering who he is he manages to pull the waves back to his normal stone wall self. "I make my own suits. Id rather not have some....stranger make my skin" His tone seems monotone, but with a bit of venom laced through it. Yes he had given away his name, but this is the moon. A place that seemed safe, then again, who is he to think he deserved some sort of vacation. He sighs, something hardly ever heard from him, and listens to Mikhail's offer. A small chuckle escapes. "Considering who you are, and the fact that I dont play video games, I will pass. If you want any information from me you will have to do it the hard way. You will have to get on my good side". Of course, no one has managed that since before the meteor hit. So it would be interesting to see the boy try. 

"I have 12 hours," some of Mikhail's old smugness returned. "Why don't we pal around for a bit? I'll show you what this city has to offer."

Castyel raises an eyebrow and shrugs. Maybe his mini vacation has a bit of hope after all. "Sure why not?"

"Thanks!" Mikhail fully let down his metaphorical mask, before taking Castyel's hand and taking him to an amusement park, which had a giant ferris wheel where, when the cart reached the top, he can see space in all its glory. Though, not, of course, after buying some cotton candy. After that would come a trip to a swimming pool and gym, where the two would swim, and Castyel's blue hand would not be remarked at by the inhabitants. Then, a movie, before the two would then go to a bookstore, where Mikhail would buy Castyel anything he wanted.

And, finally, after 6 hours were up, the two would sit on an observation deck on the edge of the city, where they can look on the silver fields of Luna and the bright globe of the Earth. Mikhail would then say:

"You know a secret about myself?" spoke the boy, "I had to be put back together using Powers. No, really, I was so broken by being used as an assassin, by being bought and sold multiple times," he shook, "that my recovery took drugs, Psychic Surgery, and Subjective Time Dilation - they basically had to slow down how I perceive time, making me see hours as days, and counseling me all throughout that time as well as putting me through mental stimulations, in order to get me into working order. I also had to heal myself using my own powers of Hope; that part was what made everything stick."

Castyel feels his walls crumbling quite a bit as the tour pogresses. Of course, there was already quite a bit of cracking just from being in space. The amusement park had him feeling like a kid again and to top it off he actually grinned. Later, at the gym, he got to show off a bit considering part of his abilties was inhuman strength. Swimming was interesting for him since he had to remove his gloves and his sunglasses meaning both his red eyes and his blue hands were exposed, but the others seemed not only to not notice, but also seemed not to care. He actually felt...human for once. To continue on, the movie was good and the small rocket ship key chain he sheepishly recieved made his day. 

And now, while he stares into space, Mikhail opens up to him. With something as horrifying as a past where he was put together again like some kind of humpty dumpty spin off. "I'm...sorry that happened to you. If it makes you feel any better, which I doubt, I was....I was a completly different person at one point." Cas looks down now his past flooding him a bit, after all, he wasnt always a cold ice wall. "I became what was expected of me because what else was I? Nothing was ever good enough and...I...I killed so many people for reasons i dont even know. Now to top it off, I'm a blue skinned red eyed freak who gathers information and pretty much free lances" *He rubs his face after removing his sunglasses "I'm sorry...I probably sound...I dont even know...Pretty sure the last time i opened up to someone was before I was a primary color" Cas looks at Mikhail every wall that had built up for so long crumbled quite a bit, leaving him vulnerable. He hadn't expected to actually like the guy as a potential friend, he had actually believed that his walls were secure enough. Probably the moon's fault.

"What matters to me..." Mikhail trailed off, "was that you gave me the time of day. I mean, I may [i]look[/i] normal, but I'm more dangerous than you. I've seen the looks from my own allies; most people think me a threat or a potential threat, thinking that I should not have been 'fixed' in the first place. But the President, she's a kind person. So is Ms. Feather and countless others. They gave me a new lease on life, and freedom to do what I want as long as it is within reason and morality."

"And in return, I give them my loyalty." He then stared at Castyel, making eye contact, showing that he wasn't afraid of the man's red eyes.

"You are a good person at heart, a kind person, and you are not a monster. You're just...a person making the best of circumstances that aren't their fault." Mikhail's aura then turned off. He then, slowly and carefully, unclasped the tech-polymer armor he wore, leaving him in his T-Shirt, jeans, and shoes. He then stood, and looked up at Castyel.

"Take me anywhere, any place you want on the Moon or on the Earth; I trust you." It was the truth; Mikhail had purposefully left himself vulnerable. But there was a challenge in that, as well - betray Mikhail's trust, and Castyel [i]will[/i] prove himself a monster.

Castyel takes all of that in. Then blinks as Mikhail says that he trusts Cas. "....you....trust me" That was unexpected. If anything he had expected to get hurt. Cas takes a deep breath and exhales finding himself sitting down. "If it is all the same to you....I think id like to sit here for awhile....just...take this all in" Space, the moon, everything in general. With an almost what the heck type moment he removes his flesh suit and pulls it out from under his clothes without removing his clothes, considering how full body pretty much the thing is, this shows just how long he has had to put up with the things. With a faint smile he balls up the skin a bit and tosses it into the trash. "It was torn anyway" Course it was more of a 'if you are going to be vulnerable so will i' type moment, but he won't admit that.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," said Mikhail. "Just as [i]I[/i] have nothing to be ashamed of." He then took a good, long, look at Castyel, before getting up again.

"So, once you're done thinking things out, let's go back to the amusement park! Bumper Cars rock!"

[b][i]END[/I][/B]