The conversation continued for a while longer, awkwardly at first but then more casually once the unpleasant topics were well and truly left behind. The topic of fighting a Nightmare came up, either to test out Dyllan’s new powers or just to help someone out - but after some discussion everyone agreed it was best to wait a day just to be safe. Then there was just chatting for an hour or so, talking about TV shows, comics, and other such things friends normally talked about.
Cedric participated in the conversation, of course… but he mostly just listened. Listened to the topics his friends chose - listened to what they said and how they said it. He was good at listening. By the time the conversation was over and they’d parted ways, Cedric had come to four conclusions.
One: Dyllan really was doing way better than he should be, just as he’d claimed. Two: Dyllan was… different, now. It was probably a good different, and he was still Dyllan… but it made Cedric uncomfortable. Change always made him uncomfortable. Three: Andie was avoiding the topic of heroes. She still talked about her favorite stories, but she didn’t gush about them like she usually did, and she seemed to focus more on lore and trivia than on her favorite characters and scenes. When she did talk about scenes, it was more about emotional and subdued scenes than badass or action-packed scenes. Fourth and finally: Andie seemed utterly oblivious to the fact that anything was off about her. Whatever thoughts she was suppressing, she was doing a really good job of it. Way too good of a job for this to be her first time with this coping mechanism. Avoiding uncomfortable subjects was clearly a habit for her. Which was odd, because she rarely shied away from being open and vulnerable. Cedric struggled to think of something that could scare her like this, and the idea that there was more than one terrified him.
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“Are you sure you aren’t just projecting?” A voice half his own echoed in the back of Cedric’s head. “…don’t even think about ignoring me. You know it would just prove me right.”
“Fine.” Cedric’s Cunning detached from his back, where it had been concealing his shadow’s ectoplasmic ears and tail. Even though Andie was comfortable showing hers, and Dyllan’s had changed into something less… ominous, Cedric still wasn’t comfortable leaving his visible. “Reach through the darkness, my Cunning.” An illusion of Cedric’s shadow shimmered into existence. He didn’t need to do this to talk with his… hidden side, but he tried to avoid talking to himself. “You can explain yourself now, but make it quick - I have more important things to think about.”