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[wicka]

welcome to the saltburnt network

domingos choi

@dom

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[duracells]

[ long pause. ]

this tim guy know anyone from the first round of murders?

[wicka]

No idea
I didn't really pay attention to him after all that
Sorry dude

[duracells]

nothing to be sorry about, i was just curious.

[ ... ]

oh, hey
i've got a question

[wicka]

Yea?

[duracells]

were you born a werewolf or were you bitten?
assuming that's how that actually works and it's not a bunch of urban legend nonsense.

[wicka]

[ Oh no, his heart is racing. ]

Why are u asking

[ Another person who thinks he might be a monster. ]

[duracells]

[ breathe, dom. neon's not pointing any fingers. ]

my friend who died
his head is still missing
i guess i was just wondering if you might be able to help me track it down.

i know we all seem to have lost our powers, but it got me thinking
is being a werewolf really a power, or just a natural state of being?

[ if neon was able to tap into whatever it is that influences dom's ability to shift, then it stands to reason that it must be some sort of "power" or supernatural ability, but neon's not the type of person who's quick to draw conclusions without asking some questions first. ]

[wicka]

I lost all the stuff I could do
Like I don't hear heartbeats anymore
I'm just normal
I guess that doesn't really make me useful anymore

[ ... ]

I was bitten

[duracells]

if you put it like that i guess we're both useless.

[ which, like. neon can't say he doesn't feel that way without his powers, but he also has enough awareness to know that's not true of either of them. ]

here?

[wicka]

U don't sound like ur useless

I was a kid
My dad was with me when we got attacked
He died and I became
This

Ur not gonna tell the others are u?

[duracells]

you should see me next to my family.

[ found family, anyway. ]

why would i?
that's not my business to tell.

[ not his business, end sentence. but sue him, he's curious. ]

i'm sorry about your dad, though.

[wicka]

Why do u say that?

Thank u

[ For his sympathy, for not saying anything. He's been in a near-constant state of panic. That people might attack him the moment they find out he's what the game was named after, and - that he might have hurt people. That thought aches, it makes him sick, it makes him think of that night his father died, it makes him think of his mothers who'd be devastated that everything they've done to keep him and others safe was for nothing.

He wishes he never came here. He wishes he could have rescued his friends from this stupid cult and this horrible game. Iggy would still be alive, Ren wouldn't have gotten sick, Melissa wouldn't be mourning her friend. He wouldn't be scared all the time. ]

[duracells]

i kind of drew the short straw when it came to the power lottery.

[ one day he will realize his worth to the team but today is not that day. ]

yeah.
how've you been otherwise, though?
before this whole shitshow started, i guess.

[wicka]

Oh
Sorry

[ Whatever that means. He's not done so great with his magic, either. Something about both his mothers being old school witches that don't think boy-witches are valid. ]

I was OK I think
I was trying to find a way to get my friends out of the weird cult
Now everything is worse

[duracells]

yeah.
seems like once you're here, you can't leave.
i might have stayed behind if i'd known.

[ actually, he would have stayed behind if cellar and devon hadn't followed everyone else past the gates, but he's nothing if not loyal to his family. ]

you're a good friend though
for trying

[wicka]

Thanks

[ He doesn't think so, but he appreciates the kindness. ]

Is there anything else u wanted to ask?

[duracells]

[ much later: ]

when i helped you the first time
in the kitchen
i felt like i was picking up on something else outside of you being a werewolf, but i couldn't put my finger on it and i was a little more focused on helping you feel comfortable
any idea what that might have been?

[ neon's fairly certain he knows, because devon's spilled the beans, but neon wants to be sure, and he also wants dom to feel like he has some control over what people know about him even if that might not necessarily be as true as he might hope. ]

[wicka]

[ He can't even pretend it's a secret. They've already added him to a group chat for witches and other people with magic, so... ]

U mean my magic?

[duracells]

is that what it is?
it's so broad i couldn't pin it down

[wicka]

Yea probably

Does it feel weird
Sensing that kinda stuff

[duracells]

it used to, when i was new to it
now the only time i really notice it is when i run into something new
like you

[ for instance, he doesn't really pick up on any of the other agents' powers anymore; it's all background noise to him, until he needs to tap in and give someone a boost or pull them back a little. ]

it's like when you get so used to something happening all the time that you eventually just kind of tune it out until you need to pay attention to it again

[wicka]

That's me with heartbeats
Kinda

It's weird
Not hearing them anymore

[duracells]

i bet
could you tell them apart
when you could still hear them

[wicka]

Kinda depends
Some people are calmer than others
Some are healthier than others too
It's kinda like when u can tell someone's footsteps if u know them well enough

[duracells]

yeah, that makes sense

so what kind of magic do you use
someone i work with back home, she leaves rainbows everywhere

[ maybe bending the truth a little bit about emperor, but. ]