[hr][hr][center][h3][b][color=42A9FF]April[/color][/b][/h3][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019a32b8-61bb-718f-82f1-903e3238ae55.webp[/img] [hr][hr][/center] They’d done it!! April could hardly believe it, screaming and hugging the rest of her team excitedly, especially the ones who returned from medical. She made sure to take pictures with people, especially a selfie with her boys. They’d done it!!! They’d won!!! The high propelled her through the photography session, and she was still riding it when they transitioned to doing a group interview with reporters. No one in her family had messaged to congratulate her or even check in on how she was doing, but she didn’t care. Their stance on her was clear, so she was more than happy to return the feeling in kind. Her real family was here with her, sitting behind microphones at the interview table. She didn’t need anyone else. She didn’t want anyone else. She’d shut her phone off and put it away. No distractions, just living in this moment. And when she got the first question directed at her, she perked up in excitement. [i]“April, are you sponsored by Mountain Dew? We loved the Baja Blast!” [/i] She grinned and laughed.[color=42A9FF] “Yeah, totally!” [/color] In the back, She-Hulk made eye contact with her and shook her head. The message was clear. [i]No.[/i] [color=42A9FF]“... totally not, I mean!”[/color] April recovered quickly. [color=42A9FF]”But, um, I think it would be super cool if I was so - if Mountain Dew wants to hit me up?”[/color] She knew that some brands tended to do sponsorship deals with contest winners, in order to boost their own popularity. She wasn’t really interested in those in general, as she wasn’t particularly excited about fame. But she could make an exception for Mountain Dew, she supposed. The next question directed towards her was less fun. [i]“April, is it true that none of your family showed up for your own matches? How does that make you feel?"[/i] She couldn’t help but grimace. She’d thought they were supposed to be largely anonymous - school affiliations, superhero names, first names. But as she looked at the group of reporters, her stomach churned slightly. They weren’t here to give them easy questions. They were here for a story. And the time they’d spent in medical and taking photographs had been enough for them to do some digging, enough to realize April hadn’t had anyone cheering for her in the stands. No one that she was related to by blood, at least. [color=42A9FF]“Um…”[/color] she trailed off, biting her lip. She didn’t know how honest to be here. She hadn’t been prepared for this. Sure, she’d fantasized about winning the contest for ages, but she’d never considered this part of the process - had never studied how to answer these questions. So she tried to keep things vague, to mimic the way her teammates were answering things - to be honest without letting things get too parasocial. [color=42A9FF]“It really sucked, at first. But… now I know where I stand with them. And I know who the people who really care about me actually are. They’re the ones up here with me today.”[/color] The next question was even worse. [i]“April, why did you go to CAGE before your debut in the Contest? Were you simply looking for attention? Did you fear you may snap during the battle?"[/i] She was speechless for a moment. These people didn’t know her. They didn’t know her and here they were, circling like vultures. Had they cheered when they uncovered that fact about her - had they excitedly told their coworkers about how they were going to get such a good story, interviewing the deranged, crazy member of Excelsior? Did it matter to them that she was a child? Did they care? [color=42A9FF]“I…”[/color] she swallowed, trying to keep her composure. She didn’t want to answer this question though. She didn’t want the world to think that she was insane. She was barely comfortable telling her friends about her diagnosis, that she was bipolar, but complete strangers? She shook her head, as her heart started beating faster and faster. Could she just get up and leave? Or would that only make matters worse? Could she… But her rescue came in the form of Danni - who helpfully interjected, and began to talk loudly about his skincare routine. Her hands were still trembling, though, by the time she received her final question. It was gentler, at least. [i]"April, what does it feel like to have such a finite power? Did you panic when the water ran out?"[/i] [color=42A9FF]“Um, it’s fine? Like - I actually would argue it’s not really finite, the majority of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. But even then, you just need to keep an eye on your resources… and the fans in the stadium just so happened to have what I needed.”[/color] She then paused for a moment. [color=42A9FF]“Most heroes have to do that, too. Even for something like your stamina, not everyone is Captain America - you have to think about how often you attack and how hard. Mine’s just a little more visible.”[/color] After the interview session, they transitioned to what was supposed to be a small party for them, with snacks and refreshements… but instead seemed to be a networking event, with stressed out, balding folks in suits and heels swarming them at every opportunity. At first, April tried to be polite, but it became clear relatively quickly that these folks wouldn’t just take anything but a firm commitment. She faked receiving a phone call a few times - which was actually easier than she’d thought, as while her family hadn’t messaged her, her phone was vibrating so much from incoming messages from friends and strangers that it mimicked an incoming call vibration pretty well. And by the time they managed to escape, loaded up with more swag and business cards than they could possibly know what to do with, April was beyond starving and exhausted. Returning to the Kingston-Gray house, where she could lounge on the couch with her friends and eat junk food was all she wanted in the world. And maybe a cuddle pile. And a Shark Girl autograph. [hr] Later that evening, April headed with the rest of her friends to the Court of Two Sisters. She’d never tried it before, and she was pretty excited to have some authentic Cajun food. The bag of Oreos she had scarfed down at the Kingston-Gray house hadn’t been as filling as she had hoped. And with the contest winnings, she didn’t have to worry about money for food - even though she wasn’t entirely sure if this place would even accept money. Danni and Dorian’s descriptions of how things worked in the French Quarter confused her still. She had opted for comfortable clothes, wearing a branded pair of Margaret Carter sweats, a blue, white, and pink Team Excelsior jacket that had just felt [i]right[/i], and a retro Mountain Dew t-shirt (they had, in fact, had a representative there for her to talk to!). It wasn’t the prettiest outfit she’d ever worn, but strangely enough, she felt more comfortable in it than she ever had in a dress or a skirt. [color=42A9FF]“Hey guys!!”[/color] April waved happily, as she identified the teen zone and headed on over there. She gave a quick hug to everyone who would let her, for both Excelsior and the Young Avengers. [color=42A9FF]“Honestly that fight was intense - it was so close the entire time! But, um, how are you all feeling? I know it got a little rough there at the end and if you need anything or if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?”[/color] She felt a little flustered as she made her offer, worried that it would come across as ingenuine, but she meant it. They were all just kids trying to figure things out.[hr][hr][center][h3][b][color=ed1c24]Percy[/color][/b][/h3][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b29ec-87e6-745e-afed-c64ed081c458.webp[/img] [hr][hr][/center] Percy did not want to be here. He hated being photographed. He hated being touched. He hated it when strangers asked him personal questions. And he hated the feeling that he could not leave without disappointing Dorian and the others. He had calmed down since his treatment in medical, managing to breathe a little easier, and the sensation of ants crawling all over his skin had ceased. But after the extended photography session, he was beyond ready to be done. In short, he was essentially glaring at the reporters as he sat behind the table, a neat little placard in front of him identifying him by his superhero name, Odysseus. This must have been how the real Odysseus felt to return home to Penelope, only to find a swarm of suitors in his home. He wished that he had his axe. He didn’t want to attack anyone - only to scare them enough to leave him alone. The questions he received were infuriating as well, and tested his already thin patience. [i]"Percy is it true your jumps are so small they may as well be running leaps?"[/i] [color=ed1c24]“No.”[/color] [i]"Percy, was it intimidating being so small surrounded by such large competitors?"[/i] [color=ed1c24]“No.”[/color] [i]"Percy, how does having the ability to translate languages help you at all?"[/i] [color=ed1c24]“geugeos deogbun-e dangsin-eul ihaehal su issge doeeoss-eoyo. geuleohji anh-assdamyeon jeoneun babocheoleom malhaess-eul tenikkayo.”[/color] [i]"Percy did you ever actually learn to speak and read or is it only a mutation?"[/i] [color=ed1c24]“Yes.”[/color] [i]"Percy how does it feel to know your own boyfriend merged with two other guys but didn't ask you?"[/i] [color=ed1c24]“Horrible, thanks for asking.”[/color] If looks could kill, that reporter in particular would have perished long ago. His stomach had started to churn again with a vicious mixture of anger and jealousy. His knuckles were white from how he’d clenched his hands, and it was taking all of his willpower to not teleport out of the room, and leave all of this in his wake. But he wasn’t here for himself. He was here for the others. He didn’t want to ruin their moment. And once this was all over, he would go back to the Kingston-Gray house and lock himself in his room for a few hours. Maybe find something to drink. He wanted to turn his brain off and pretend like the last few hours simply hadn’t happened. The others wouldn’t miss him too much during their celebrations. He hadn’t been meant to be on their team in the first place. After the interview had concluded, they were whisked away to a corporate mixer. Percy avoided talking to anyone at all costs. Whenever someone got too close, too keen on speaking with him, he redirected them in Danni’s direction. He was soaking up the attention, anyway. The ones who could not be persuaded to leave, he teleported away from, appearing on the other side of the crowded room. At one point, he took refuge in the bathroom, hiding in a stall as long as was acceptable. He almost jumped for joy when Vision lied for them and ushered them back to the Kingston-Gray house. The synthezoid quickly shot up in his mental rankings of the teachers at Margaret Carter, becoming his newfound favorite. But there was nothing he loved quite more than peace and quiet. Once at the house, he made his excuses, lying that he had a headache, before practically running up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him and locking it. Percy was too overstimulated to crawl into the bed, instead slowly sinking to the ground and hugging his knees to his chest. He then fished his phone out of his pocket, and turned it off, before setting it aside. He vowed to never do something so public again. He closed his eyes, and after a while, drifted off to sleep, his back against the door. At some point, Dorian had come to check on him; he woke up in the bed, gently tucked in. [hr] By the time he arrived at the Court of the Two Sisters, Percy had started to feel a bit more like a person again. The time alone had helped. He could have used more of it, though. But he didn’t want to disappoint or worry his friends by not showing up. He knew his mother would be at the dinner, too. He didn’t want to add stress to her, especially with Diana’s situation. As he entered, he did a quick scan of the people there. The Young Avengers were concentrated in one area, including Andy and Gideon. Speed had put Danni into a headlock, and Dorian had gone to sit with Cassie and Patriot. Sabine and Leah were over there as well. And at the other end of the setup, the adults had gathered - where Vicky was speaking to Max. Percy was still for a moment. He knew he ought to go over to where the other teenagers were - that he should be sociable and interact with them all. But after everything that had happened for the contest that day, the thought of talking with a large group made him nauseous. He didn’t want to make a scene, though. He didn’t want to be an embarrassment. He wished he’d brought a book with him. He hadn’t for this very reason - to not give himself such an easy path to avoid everyone. So instead, he made a compromise with himself. He didn’t have to go sit at a table with other people. But he had to go sit at a table [i]near[/i] other people. He didn’t have to initiate conversations. But he had to respond if someone talked to him. He had to stay for one hour. He had to try to have fun. And if anyone touched him, he got to leave immediately. He could live with these rules. He took a seat near the other teens, but not next to anyone, and began to quietly study the menu. That was one of the rules, too. He had to eat something. [hider=Translations]Korean, geugeos deogbun-e dangsin-eul ihaehal su issge doeeoss-eoyo. geuleohji anh-assdamyeon jeoneun babocheoleom malhaess-eul tenikkayo = It helps me understand you, as I would not otherwise speak idiot.[/hider]