Lawrence's got a great house, that beansprout. I feel like it's been forever since I last came here. Even though it was less than a month ago!

Man, hero work is really stressing, huh?

People usually hears 'heroes' and they go all "Pew, pew! Laser Beam!" I thought like that too until I got my own power... Oops, I guess the Law-enforcing Hero Union doesn't like it when we say 'powers'. It's 'meta-ability', alright. I hate it when people make stuff too difficult over a couple of silly people. Why to change the whole terminology just because Upside Down went crazy and thought he was a comicbook superhero?

Although, well... I guess trying to avoid repeating a nation-wide crisis where gravity reverses in regular intervals and rips everything from the ground and back does deserve a small re-edit on a couple of dictionaries.

Man, that was one hell of a fight. Oh, I know! I'll tell Lawrence about it when I get there...!

Oh, there's his door...

Hmmm? Is that old lady weaving at me his neighbor?

Oh, let's wave back at her!

"Hello there, darling! Mind helping me with these?" she pointed at a couple of heavy-looking bags she was carrying with her. Groceries? Wow, that's a lot of food for a little old lady. Though I guess she looks like she's quite active...

"Sure! Wait a second, let me get there!"

Hop hop... Oh, I hadn't felt so relaxed in quite some time. My steps feel lighter, don't they?

"Sorry to bother you, darling" This lady is called... Rosa? Rose? Yeah, I think Rose was her name. She said hi to me last time too. Shes a nice lady, isn't she?

"But I'm too old to carry so much weight myself. To tell the truth, I was about to spot by Mr. Lawrence's house to ask him for help. You are his brother right? It was... Laurent, wasn't it?"

"I'm glad to see you remember Mrs. Rose." Let's smile the best we can.

"Hehe, these old bones might be getting a little moldy, but I'm not near the age of forgetting things so easily. You're a nice young man. Hard one to forget, you". Ouch, she pinched my arm. She's stronger than she looks like!

"Let's help you out with that." And... heave-ho! O-Oto, this one's a heavy one! She was carrying this by herself? Mrs. Rose, my respect over you has leaped barriers and boundaries! Even I'm having some trouble dealing with this... But let's not think about it.

"Thank you darling. Say, would you know if there's something happening with Mr.Lawrence lately? He used to go out little more than a day a week, but now he's coming and going all the time. He looks livelier" Did she just blink an eye...? Oh! Ohohoh! Might it be...?!

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Is that beansprout hanging out with a girl? Nice! I want to meet her already!

"He's gotten himself a partner, the beansprout?"

Uhm, well, I guess it was natural she blinked blankly. Naming someone 'beansprout' isn't the most polite thing to do, right?

"Eheheh, so you call him beansprout...! Well, yes, I can see he does look a little on the small side compared to you. Although you're quite tall yourself, darling, you must have gotten yourself a nice lady too."

I wish that was true. All my girlfriends brake up after a couple of months. I guess one of the downsides of being a hero is that you're always busy and you can't stay at home too much...

"Well, it would look so, darling. He is living with a lively girl. She's quite nice: she always says hi to me when we see each other! She looks like a lovely person. Oh, but there's also this other girl! She's constantly visiting Mr.Lawrence, and she looks very... satisfied when she leaves. She's quite calm, and very polite. She also lends me a hand when we run into each other! I wonder if Mr. Lawrence is going out with one of them?"

Ohohohohoh! What's with all this information? Isn't the beansprout turning into a ladies man?

Oh, I wonder if he's going out with both of them? I mean, we did legalize polygamy a few years ago. Thanks to Date to Live, that lucky bastard! A skill that summons girlfriends with combat-based meta-abilites? That's too much luck in a single man, I've always said it. And now he's retired in the commodity of his own mansion with a harem of four beautiful girls. Gununu...

"Mr. Laurent?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I kinda blanked out... Anyways, isn't that great for him? Lawrence, boy... I'm so proud of you!"

"Hehe, yes, as his brother, it would be natural to feel that way about him. But enough about that! Tell me a little bit about yourself. You said you were a hero before?"

Did I? I don't remember that, oops!

"Yeah, I'm currently working for the LHU as a movilized hero. Sometimes over here, sometimes over there. I'm on my way to Hogwinton CD. They say they have a little crisis with criminality levels going up."

"Ah, that's regrettable. Do heroes fight normal criminals?"

"Not usually, no. The problem is that, the highest the crime's power turns into a town, the more likely it is that more villains will appear in said town. And those villains go engross the lines of criminals. It's a descending spiral of sorts... Ah, but I shouldn't be bothering you with this!"

"Not at all, darling! I like to have silly talks with people."

She fidgeted with her fingers for a few seconds. "Say, would it be too curious of me to ask what your power is?"

Ah, I guess people would be curious over that. I shouldn't usually disclose this information but... Mrs. Rose doesn't look like a bad person. And, just in case...

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Rose Everblue

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Like I expected, nothing came out.

Man, these gadgets Watchmaker does are neat, aren't they?

"Well, I shouldn't be telling this to you... But you've been so nice with Lawrence, it would be a shame. So I'll tell you this little bit: I can figure out when people lies. And make those lies work against them. But keep quiet about it, please?"

"My, my, what a hero-like power! That does seem convenient... And don't worry darling, I won't tell anyone. You're too good to betray!"

This is the friendliest old lady I've met in my life.

"Well, this is my stop, darling. Thank you for helping me with my bags. My husband's coming tonight after a big event at work, so I want to make him a very special dinner."

"Sure, sure. Well, will see you around, Mrs. Rose!"

"Of course you will darling! See you!"

A goodbye wave should be fine right...?

Right.

Let's head to Lawrence's now. I can't wait to ask that beansprout about the ladies!