Chapter 2 – Meet the Heberts
I'd taken the time to read Rob's notes on the Forge, while Ben drove. Reading that my Soul might go *poof* wasn't exactly exciting, but at least I knew I would have a place of my own even if things didn't work out at the Heberts.
'Hm?' Another star from the Forge made itself known to me. Mentally, I focused on latching on to it and felt it come to my grasp easily.
D38 Roll Result: 25
D51 Roll Result: 2
"My Magic isn't something the common man or wizard can appreciate. It takes a certain understanding of time, a certain appreciation of Infinity to really see the truth of the matter. That blankie I enchanted when I was in the cradle? Yeah, I still use it. What does it do? What do you think a baby wants from a blankie? They give a feeling of comfort and security. As a babe, it protected me from the cold and reassured me against the dark. Now? Yesterday I walked through literal Dragon Fire. I'm still here aren't I, what does it say about that?"
I know actual Magic now! Sure, it's slow as hell, but still! Magic!
OK, it's probably not going to be useful to me at all in the short run. I can only cast Charms and Wards that will be weak in the beginning and become stronger over time. I'll try to think of them as a long-term investment, but they aren't something to really rely on.
'Still, I should be able to put some weak enchantments on some things.'
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In the short amount of time that I'd come to know Ben, I'd decided that I quite liked him. But you seriously need to stop asking so many questions man…
"Well, this is it. Casa de Hebert. Now, I know you said you didn't want anything else, but are you sure about only buying Bug Spray? Brockton might look a little more beat up than most places, but it isn't that bad." Keep your hands off my magic bug spray! I need that stuff!
"Uh, I just saw this huge cockroach at the park…it kinda freaked me out."
Saying so, I just decided to simply shoulder my backpack and walk to the house. Apparently, my other luggage had been delivered separately and had either already arrived or would in some time.
I'd been feeling oddly energetic for a while now. I'd thought my improved physique was to blame, but it could have been the other thing I'd done before coming here.
'Maybe I ate a little too much ice cream?'
I knew that interacting with my 'family' would be necessary, so like with all things I didn't like but had to do, I would engage them on my terms. That way I would dictate when the conversation would end, which would hopefully be soon after it started.
The house I saw was indeed old, just like it'd been described in Worm and its fanfiction. But when placed next to similarly old houses, it honestly didn't look that bad.
Waiting by the porch were the two people I didn't want to meet. Both tall and thin, and bespectacled, they radiated feelings of awkwardness and uncertainty. The girl, with long dark hair, outfitted in an oversized hoodie stood on one of the steps with the shade covering her upper body as if she couldn't decide whether she wanted to come all the way down. The man had walked to the bottom but hesitantly stopped when he realized that his daughter didn't seem to be walking forward anymore. Mentally, I cringed. Ugh, OK game-face on.
Pasting a bright smile on my face, I stepped forward. "Hello, my name is Daniel Hill, I'm 12 and 3-quarters old. I have many hobbies, but I've recently been into jogging and callisthenics. Thank you for accepting me into your beautiful home!"
My hand shot forward to firmly catch Danny's and shake it, while also giving the slightest of bows.
At the side, I saw Taylor twitch and step back. My smile became a bit more genuine; my teeth were probably shining with a light that repelled her depressive grimdark-ness. Hehe. Perfecto!
'How's that! Simultaneously channelling my best Kirishima Eijiro and Inasa Yorashi impression while following Kakashi's example in OPSEC without making it obvious.'
"Woah! That's a strong grip young man. I can see you weren't kidding about working out huh?"
Chuckling, Danny turned so he also had Ben in his periphery. "So uh, Ben. You called us yesterday. It was…a little short notice. So, we've just got your room set up with your stuff, it just got delivered earlier today. And…"
These two really have a talent for making things awkward. Perhaps sensing the stagnating conversation, Ben took over.
"Ha-ha, you know how the paper pushers can be. It was a sudden thing for us too. Why don't we let Taylor show Daniel around while we talk? He's even got some ice cream for you two."
"Of course! In fact, Taylor's been getting into fitness and running recently too. You kids probably have a lot to talk about." No, we don't, and I'm going to make sure she feels too intimidated by my weaponized social-fu to want to interact with me. Then I can go back to the blessed silence. HaHahahah!
"Hey there! I'm your cousin. I know I already introduced myself, but you seemed a little out of it so, yeah!"
Taylor stared at me for a moment too long to be normal. Rubbing her arm with the other hand she spoke. "I'm Taylor. I'll uh, show you to your room."
"Sure! Can you show me to the kitchen before that? I don't want the ice cream to melt."
"Right...It's this way. We only have two stories so I can just give you a short tour."
'This is the perfect simulation! Baby steps. If I can stay unaffected by Taylor's depressing shenanigans, then eventually it'll be the same for this whole world and its bullshit!'
D38 Roll Result: 3
D47 Roll Result: 24
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The Celestial Forge chose this moment to toss another star at me, one that I apparently didn't have enough celestial juice for. I tried to hold onto it regardless and found it hovering just within reach, waiting for me to build up the power to take it. Neat!
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POV – Taylor:
Yesterday, I'd been told I would be getting a new family member. Apparently, Mom had a distant cousin she rarely spoke to. She was married and had a family of her own, with a husband and son.
It was a shock to learn something new about Mom. Of course, it wasn't good news, everything just had to be tinged with negativity. The 3 were involved in a car crash, only the kid made it through. My cousin. A little brother.
'I didn't exactly have many expectations. But this…'
I knew that Mom was pretty, I knew that I hadn't inherited any of it apart from her hair, but Daniel took it a step further.
He was a head shorter than me, maybe 5'3? His hair was probably long for a boy, almost reaching past his ears, it was the same black, but it wasn't curly like me and Mom, instead, it had a wavy, silky flow to it that swayed with the wind, yet was otherwise undisturbed by it. He had vibrant green eyes, and his skin had a slightly healthy tan.
He was a little too muscular for a 12-year-old. And overall, his features were a little too good-looking to be normal, with a presence that seemed to shine. He was easy on the eyes.
I'd been expecting a depressed little boy. They might not have been exactly like me, but I doubted anyone would think we were related if they put us next to each other.
Maybe it was different for him. He wasn't at fault for his parents' death. Not like me. A quiet part of my mind whispered.
"Hello, my name is Daniel Hill, I'm 12 and 3-quarters old. I have many hobbies, but I've recently been into jogging and callisthenics. Thank you for accepting me into your beautiful home!"
It was weirdly formal yet also didn't seem impersonal. Almost like giving an interview. Dad seemed to like him and the man he came here with was smiling at the scene.
For some reason, my mind couldn't help but think of Emma. Making the comparison, I'd instinctively stepped back. I felt like Daniel's smile had stretched wider and for a moment I almost let my thoughts take hold, but I dismissed them. I was just imagining things. I wouldn't let the Trio ruin my perceptions of a family member I'd just met.
"Hey there! I'm your cousin. I know I already introduced myself, but you seemed a little out of it so, yeah!"
Yes. He was an energetic person. I thought someone like that would annoy me, but somehow I didn't seem to mind it as much.
My relationship with Dad was strained, but maybe this wouldn't be as bad. I'd go with the flow, start small and see where it takes us. I'd promised myself that I would try to turn anything negative into a positive. There wasn't anything objectively negative about this, so all I had to do was remember to remain positive. I'd dreaded having an extra person in the one place where I knew I was safe from everything life threw at me, but as long as I wanted it to be, maybe this could be a good thing?
"I'm Taylor. I'll uh, show you to your room."
"Sure! Can you show me to the kitchen before that? I don't want the ice cream to melt."
Well, if things went bad I could at least say they started off on a sweet note. Ha-ha. That was bad even for me…
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POV – Danny:
It was hard. Being reminded of Annete in this way. New relatives, he never heard about until they were already gone? The situation was bizarre.
He'd thought to call Annete's parents but couldn't go through with it, didn't know how the conversation would go, and didn't have the courage to speak to them.
"You don't have to worry about the finances Danny. Daniel's parents left a fund for a situation like this. He's a good kid – a little odd at times like all kids are – but still a good kid."
It made a strange kind of sense. With the way the world was now, leaving wills and things like them for after your death was logical. It was something he was starting to consider, after this incident.
"Ah the money's not exactly the problem, it just feels like…I'm already not sure if I'm doing well with Taylor. The Association work feels like it never ends, I'm not left with a lot of time. Does your department really think it'll be good for him here?"
"Don't sell yourself short. It was determined that this would be the best place for him. Besides, this might be good for Taylor too. The files say she's been recovering from an accident of some sort, right? She looked a little glum.
I've got 2 little sisters myself, and focusing on them always got me to forget my own problems. They'll look after one another I'm sure."
Taylor was…Yes, she wasn't happy I knew that. Apparently, it was obvious to others too.
She just wouldn't open up to him. It'd already been, what? A month, almost two. She wouldn't let him help her, and…and it made him feel angry. Not at her, never her. Just at his impotence.
Daniel didn't seem like he'd just lost his parents, but it could have just not set in yet. Maybe he was compartmentalizing. Or maybe he was just that resilient. Dock workers were some of the toughest bastards out there, he'd seen his fair share of strong men and women, seemingly made of stuff harder than steel.
He was doing a lot better than Taylor and he himself was like, after Annette. He couldn't quite remember what everything was like right after losing her, that part was just a blur. But things never seemed the same again.
Maybe, this would be good for Taylor. At the very least I can think of it as trying something, seeing if it works. Lord knows I don't do enough for her.
Yes. He would try harder. Not just for Taylor but for Daniel as well.
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POV – Daniel:
I'd handed the ice cream to Taylor when we were near the kitchen during the impromptu tour. It was only after I'd settled into my spacious room in the basement that I realized something.
'I'm supposed to be freshly fucking orphaned! Here I am jumping around all chipper-like. Fuck!'
Well, it didn't matter anymore. I was human at the end of the day. I'd just own it and move on. I'll avoid any topics related to that stuff and hopefully, no one finds it odd.
As for whether I was actually depressed? Hell no. I'd promised my Mum that I would call her when work ended, I wasn't going to go back on it. The only difference would be how long it would take me to finish work.
ROB had made it clear that he wasn't interfering in my life at all, so I would have to rely on myself. I was the owner of the Celestial Forge, even if I didn't know everything it was capable of, I would milk it for all it was worth. I'd save this sorry excuse of a world and get back home.
I knew that at least in the short term I was a little aimless, but at times like these, I just had to make do with what I had.
Nodding I brought out a bottle of bug-repelling spray from my backpack. When I bought it, it might have only been used to kill insects. But now, after I'd enchanted it with my Magic? The Bottle and its contents quite literally 'repelled' bugs away from it.
'First I'm going to make this room, and carefully make most of the house bug-free, only leaving some space for bug girl. Then I'll start enchanting some other stuff around here and get some protections going. Taylor has enough range to practice outside. I'm not going to let her put disgusting insects on me just to let her creepily track me around. I'll secretly cast some protections on her stuff as compensation.'
I had a lot of work to do.
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Remaining CP: 0 (300CP locked)
Total Word Count: 2391
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Perks Gained this Chapter:
* Old Patient Magic (Circle of Magic) (100CP): You have learned how to cast charms, wards, and protections over places that grow more and more powerful, stable, and harder to damage with age. A door you reinforced with magic a year ago will be tougher than one you reinforced a day ago, and a scrying mirror you made decades ago will be able to see further than one you made a couple of years back. The growth rate may not be much, and it grows slower over time, but it does add up over decades and centuries.
* I Know What We're Going To Do Today (Phineas and Ferb) (400CP): 24 hours just doesn't seem like enough time to get stuff accomplished, but you'd be surprised what determination (and this perk) can get you. You can now complete days and even weeks' worth of work in just a few hours, and this effect increases tremendously when you have a few helpers, to the point where a small team can work with you to complete years' worth of work in a simple afternoon.
* Choreographic (Free): Ever had a feeling you just weren't sure how to express? Well, now you can do so through song. You have a perfect singing voice, combined with a decent understanding of choreography, and the capacity to break into song almost anywhere and have musical accompaniment start up for you.
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