Tyler answers the initial questions without hesitation, and doing his best at the intelligence testing even though he finds it somewhat boring since he's done then before and they're always so easy.

Then the ring comes out, and gets more interesting.

When asked to lie, he goes with something silly, "I was born on the planet Krypton."

His cheerfulness drops as he sees the brass knuckles, suddenly nervous. But he answers immediately, "No way, not ever."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:26, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 197):

Candice's smile becomes flatter.  She knocks the table top with the brass knuckles.

"Have you ever considered the overthrow of the Canadian government?"

She continues along this line, asking you questions that make it sound like you're some kind of comic book super villain.

Her seventeenth weird question is

"Are you human?"

And suddenly the knuckles make sense. Though, it doesn't make it any less scary.

He answers every question quickly and honestly, which isn't hard. He continues to fidget, though. When asked if he's human, he answers quickly again, "Yeah." Nervousness keeping him concise, in case a joke might anger her.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:36, Fri 18 Dec 2020.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 199):

The ring flares for just a moment.  But the color isn't red like she said it would be.  It's kind of a soft green.  Then the ring goes back to just being dull.

She stares at the ring for a moment, and then nods.  "Okay.  You can come out of it now."

You blink after she says that, your breath coming out of your mouth in ragged gasps.  Candice is seated across the table, hands folded in front of her, the warm smile back on her face.  There are no brass knuckles on her hand.  You can't see them anywhere on the table.

She leans forward slightly.  "You okay?  Need something to drink? Just try to breath slowly.  Let me know if you start feeling any pain.  Or if you think you might black out."

She waits until you have your breathing under control. If you want something to drink, she gives you a cold can of Fresca she comes up with from somewhere.

"Remember I told you the short story about that ring?  Well, here's the long version.  What that ring does is create an illusion.  It makes you think you're in a situation where you have to tell the truth.  I'm sure you never had an intention of not giving an honest answer to any of my questions. But there are some we have to ask and be sure we get a truthful response on.  We can't use telepathy on you without your consent.  And some people...well. Some people won't tell the truth no matter what.  So they make us use that test.  Whatever you saw, it wasn't real." She is quiet a moment, and then adds, "I'm sorry.  It's the only part of the testing that's like that.

"You okay?  You want to go on?  Want me to call your Mom in?"  She points at the ring.  "You can take that off if you like."

It takes Tyler a few moments to calm down and catch his breath, and he looks around a little in confusion. He had been very scared, but he didn't remember hyperventilating like that.

"Yes please," he answers, a bit shakily, when offered a drink. But the comfort of the sugary flavour calms him down more. Enough to listen to the explanation.

Even though it makes sense, and even feels like he's coming out of a bad dream, he has to take a peek under the table to make sure she hadn't simply hidden the brass knuckles before he's entirely sure. But, once he is, he says, "That's actually kinda a cool idea. And I understand, I know kids who probably would've answered yes to one of them. Just wasn't very fun," he adds.

He very much wants his mom, but he also doesn't want to look like a baby. So, instead, as he takes off the ring and slides it back across the table, he says, "I'm okay. It's like a bad dream, and anyway, it wasn't as scary as that first ghost I told you about, with the cat."

Before any further questions, he asks, "Why did it flash green when I said I was human? Was that the end of the illusion?"

Candice seems to hesitate just for a moment.

"Green usually indicates...well.  I guess you could call it an indicator that yes, that's the truth.  But there's more to the story."

She spreads her hands out on the table top, palms facing up.  "Now, don't get any funny ideas.  Your medicals show you to be a normal, healthy boy.  Though, you are a little short for your age.  But there is nothing that makes anyone think you're an alien or something else.

"But when we're dealing with Meta Onset Syndrome, it's usually brought about by three factors.

"First is puberty.  You certainly are at that age.  But there's nothing in your genetic makeup that leads us to think you are a mutant.

"Second is what's called 'Willful Artificial Onset'.  Basically it's guys like Borealis who build super powered armor or something like that."

She folds her hands up into a ball now.

"The last category is called 'Forced Onset'.  It's where some outside force causes the condition to occur.  It could be a chemical spill.  A meteorite.  Being struck by lightning.

"Can you tell me anything you remember about that first time the lightning struck you?  Anything odd at all?"

Please feel free to add any details or backstory on this you wish. Tyler already provided a written account of the incident.  So if you don't want to, Tyler can just say no.

Thanks

Tyler closes his eyes to think about that day again, putting all his effort into pulling out hidden memories. "I wanted to go to the brook because it's so nice to play there in summer. Comfortable rocks to lie on and relax and talk but water to cool off in if we got too hot. But there was a blue guy waiting for us on the rock. I don't think there was even a thunderstorm yet. But maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I think I wanted to talk to my friend about something important, and I was thinking about that, until I saw the guy. I don't remember what that thing was."

After another moment of thought, he says, "I remember going forward to talk to him. I don't usually do that, but I really wanted to know who he was. I don't think he answered. I don't remember much about after that. Le… My friend saying that I was glowing… Wait, no, he was pointing at me but he said 'it's' glowing! Maybe he was pointing behind me? I… think I was floating in the air, too, at some point. Like, I was above him, I think, but not by much. But maybe I was just standing on a rock or something."

Then, a moment later, he says, "That wrapped up feeling was scary. It didn't feel like a stretcher, but maybe it was. It felt like it was all around me, even my face. Like I was a mummy. I really, really didn't like it."

He makes a frustrated noise, slumping back as he opens his eyes again, and says, "I've been trying to remember it all for months, but it's all so fuzzy!"

I hope this is okay. I tried to add details without going too far. :-)
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:27, Mon 21 Dec 2020.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 203):

That works just fine.  Thanks.

Feel free to add in details about Tyler's life or the city or school.  It's Tyler's world after all.  We just dance in it.

She listens to you with a look of concentration and then makes some notes on her paper.

"Okay.  Thanks.  I think this tells us what we need to know."

She puts the paper into the folder she was holding and shuts the folder.  She then looks back at you.

"So here are the next steps.  I look at the test results from today and I write up a report.  And the doctors and specialists who looked at your medical tests write up some reports.  And then it goes to people a lot smarter than me."  She smiles again.

"I'll need to talk to your mom.  But I can say a few things to you now.

"You remember those three categories I mentioned before? Well there's nothing that has come up so far that makes us think it is puberty.  It's still too early to tell.  But there doesn't seem to be anything in your make up that would explain what's going on.

"You don't seem like you fall into the Willful Onset category either.  You would have had to build something or caused something.  And since you say you don't know how all this started, that seems to leave that out.

"So that leaves us with a Forced Onset.  And that's...it's tricky." Candice nods her head, as if she's agreeing with what she just said.

"The thing about Forced Onsets is that sometimes the person who's showing the power isn't really the meta.  They're more like a focus."

She seems to consider for a moment, like she's trying to figure out how to explain it.

"When I first started this job, I had to do an intake for a young girl who could suddenly start commanding spiders.  She was bitten by one and then a week later, she noticed spiders started popping up around her with more frequency.  And they would do what she said.

"Turns out, the bite was actually from a...we'll call it an alien.  The bite was actually where the alien had deposited an egg into the girl's skin.  The alien inside the egg was very intelligent. And telepathic.  It could pick up this girl's thoughts and transmit them.  But it only was able to do so to spiders.

"It took a few years for this egg to...hatch is I guess the best word for it.  Once it did, the new alien went off and the girl didn't have powers anymore."

Candice waves her hand.  "Of course, a lot of folks just get powers they can keep. But sometimes, it's only a temporary situation.  I do have to wonder if that is what we are dealing with in your case."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 01:40, Tue 22 Dec 2020.

Tyler's eyes widen at this explanation. As frightened as he is of accidentally hurting someone with these powers, the idea of losing them seems, somehow, just as terrible.

Confused by his own emotions, it takes him a second to ask, "How do we know if it's like that?"

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 205):

Her smile softens.  After a moment, she shrugs slightly.  "I don't know.  But's it's something you may have to consider.  It doesn't sound like you're scared of everything that's been happening to you.  Is that a fair statement?

"The only way to know for sure is to try to figure out what's going on.  But at the same time, you need to be careful in how you approach learning about your powers.  If you can call lightning, what if you call it by accident when you're in the middle of a crowd?  You have to think about things like that."

She gives it a moment's more thought and then says, "We do have a program where you can work with someone who's a skilled meta.  Someone who went through the same kind of thing you're going through.  Your Mom would have to okay it.  But would you be interested in something like that?"

After a second of thought, he nods to the first question, then more emphatically to the next warning, "That's the part that scares me. Don't mind its happening to me, but I don't want to hurt anybody else."

Then he nods quickly again, not even hesitating, "Please! That would be awesome. Mom will probably be okay with it, if she knows about the lightning in a crowd thing."

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 207):

"Okay.  I'll talk to her.  Let me walk you back to the waiting room."

Mom is fidgeting nervously when you come in.  She gives you a big hug, and then nods to Candice when asked to follow her for a quick discussion.  Mom tells you to stay put.  She'll be back in a few minutes.

The girl whose hair was on fire and her parents are gone.  So is Mr. Eyepatch.  The heavyset woman is still staring at the ceiling.  No one else is in the waiting room.

After Mom and Candice are gone, you figure out there are no interesting magazines around.  There's a long silent pause.

"You can see the lightning, can't you?"

The heavyset woman has rolled her head around and is looking at you.  She licks her lips, like they were very dry, and asks again.

"You can see the lightning.  Can't you?"

As his mom and Candace leave, Tyler flops into a chair after looking through the boring magazines and amuses himself by imagining what kind of practice he might be able to safely do. For one thing, though, he needs to measure the current between his fingers because going without a phone these last few days has been entirely annoying.

Lost in his thoughts, he practically jumps out of his chair when the woman speaks. He blinks at her for a second, then quickly glances over her for signs of mortal wounds. It's starting to become a habit when he meets someone that acts creepy. Still, he's polite, and he answers, "Sort of? I mostly see a bright flash as it hits me and then I wake up in the hospital. How did you know?"

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 209):

She raises a hand, pointer finger extended.  She aims the finger at you.  And then, after a breath, starts waving it around the area around your head in a haphazard wag.

"Your halo ain't right.  It's gotten..."

She peers closely at you.

"I dunno know what ta call it.  It just ain't how it's supposed to be."

She lowers her hand and then reaches for a purse on the seat beside her.  She snaps it open and rummages inside, returning with a candy.

"You wanna Tootsie Roll Pop?"  She blinks.  "You know they print all these pictures of kids doin' stuff like they did back in the old days on these wrappers right?  Well.  One of 'em is little boy in an Indian Chief headress, shootin' an arrow up at at star.  If you collect enough of these wrappers with that star, you can send them into the Tootsie Roll people, and they'll grant your wish.  I have 10,427 of them.  I don't know how many I need.  The Tootsie Roll people won't tell me."

She glances at the lollipop, then back at you, as if wondering why she's still holding it in her hand.

Tyler glances up over his head as if expecting to see something. But, then he looks back to the woman. He's confused, but not as creeped out as he was a moment earlier.

At least, that is, until she offers candy (the number one creepy adult act) and mentions having over 10,000 Tootsie Roll wrappers. Still, he tries to refuse politely, "No thank you. Mom probably won't let me get a Coffee Crisp on the way home if I have any other candy first." This is mainly a polite excuse, though it probably also happens to be true.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Mon 28 Dec 2020.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 211):

She stares at you for a moment, then slowly nods.  She unwraps the lollipop, studies the wrapper, and then puts the pop in her mouth.

"10,428.  You should start collecting them.  You might need them someday.

"The play you're going to do.  Someone's gonna die."  She puts the pop back in her mouth and sucks on it, then nods at you.  "You'll see."

Mom walks back into the waiting room, chewing her lip.  She waves at you.  "C'mon.  Let's go."

She doesn't look happy.

Mom is quiet until the two of you get off the elevator.  She glances down at you as you walk towards the door.  "They gave me the name of a guy who could...'mentor' you.  Is that really what you want?  To be mentored?"

Tyler's eyes widen, and he can't quite find anything to say to that prediction. But then his mom is there, and he quickly moves to follow her out, not saying anything either as he processes those scary words.

The question distracts him, however, at least for the moment. "Yeah, definitely! I mean, if it is anything else I can figure it out for myself, but it's lightning! What if it happens when I'm standing next to you, or Levi again, or in the hundreds of people coming out of school at the end of the day? I don't want to hurt anybody."

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 213):

She takes a deep breath and then slowly exhales.  Her trick for when she wants to calm herself down.

"Okay.  I'll give the guy a call.  But this.  Will. Not. Effect your school work.  Understand me young man?  All A's.  That's the deal."

The two of you pick up your phone on the way home.  Levi has lit it up with messages.

Well?  Did they figure out you're a super dumbass or not?

Most of them are in that vein.

Tyler nods quickly, and says, without any hesitation, "All A's, promise." Though, he pauses for a second and asks, "Wait, even gym class?" He's always struggled with getting any higher than a B in gym class, at least since he got old enough that they started judging more than just participation and effort. Of course, it didn't help that his middle school gym teacher had acted like he thought that it was intentional laziness that he was smaller than everybody else.

Of course, a B is still pretty good for most kids, but compared to the rest of the grades that Tyler gets on a regular basis, he always feels like it's a failure.

He checks his messages as soon as he gets his phone, and replies to Levi right away.

Super lightning rod, anyway. They didn't talk much about anything else, yet, except asking a bunch of questions to make sure I wasn't some supervillain. They told mom about someone who can help me learn to control the lightning without hurting anybody. Tell you everything later, you staying over?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:29, Sun 03 Jan 2021.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 215):

Mom just smiles wickedly.  "All.  As."

Levi says he'll be over after 6.

You get a text from Sasha.  She wants to know if you can stay after school a couple of days this week.  The roles for Rocky Horror have been assigned out and rehearsals will start this week.  We have to start working out the lighting cues and go over the script for special effects.  Tim n Tom are all a quiver.

Tyler looks up and then asks as if continuing the conversation with his mom, "Then I can stay after school a couple of days to work on the play? There's a teacher there," he adds, though that's entirely assumption on his part. They wouldn't be allowed to stay if someone wasn't around, would they?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:56, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 217):

Mom sighs again.  "Yeah," she says, waving a hand.  "I figured that when you told me you'd signed up for drama.  Why'd you take that anyway?  Were you into that before?"

She glances at you, a skeptical look on your face.  "You never seemed to be."

Tyler shakes his head as he takes back a quick confirmation, and says, "I wasn't. And that was the point. New school, I wanted to try something completely new. And… Well, it seems like a cool way to make friends. It's the kind of class where I can't just memorize the textbook and pass all the exams. I have to work with people."

He looks up with a grin, and says, talking a mile a minute, "And it was just a total bonus that they have a techie group. And they really need me, they're pretty good at using the tech but they don't really know how it works like I do. The control board for the sound and lights was hooked up totally wrong, too, so I've been trying to sort that out. I'm on sound and special effects, so need the board to work. I also get to read all about how professionals make custom sound effects and special effects for stage, it's actually really cool stuff."

In reply to Tyler Thompson (msg # 219):

She smiles sheepishly but toussles your hair.  "At last.  A regular kinda answer.  C'mon.  Let's get brownies."

---

"Okay. So first things first, we make the prompt book."

Tanya hands you a razor blade.  You and the other techies are seated around a table with a copies of the script and musical score, two three ring binders, rubber cement, a hole punch, and lots and lots of copy paper set in front of you.

Tanya explains that you guys will need to prepare a specialized version of the script for both the control booth and backstage.  The books will have all the technical cues marked.  In order to make it, the five of you have to cut a rectangle out of the center of each sheet of copy paper, cement the page from the script or musical score into it so both sides of it show through the hole, and then put it in the binder.  In order.

"It's not all that bad once you get into it," says probably-Tom.

"Yeah.  It's just a matter of getting through it." says maybe-Tim.

"Just make sure you wash your hands before you go take a piss.  Right Tanya?"  Sasha giggles as she starts cutting up a sheet of paper.

Tanya rolls her eyes and then looks back at you.  "Any.Way.  Once we're done, we'll have to sit down with Alexa and run through the script-"

Sasha sets down her razor.  "Wait.  Alexa?"

Tanya looks anywhere but at Sasha.  "Uhhhh...yeah.  She's gonna be student director this time."

Sasha blinks a few times.  "Are you fuckin' with me?"

Tim and Tom are also both staring at Tanya.  Tanya shrugs.  "It's not a big deal.  At least it's not Anthony-"

"Un-fucking-believable."

Tanya sighs and stands up.  "I gotta go get some more cement."

She walks away, even though there are three full bottles in front of all of you.

Odds-are-good-it's-Tom leans over and whispers to you, "Tanya was supposed to be next in line for student directing.  But..."  He shrugs.  "We kinda get passed over for stuff like that."

Tyler grins at the mention of brownies. Even better than Coffee Crisp!

---

Looking skeptical at how this process will be useful, Tyler nonetheless starts to follow the instructions even as he listens to the initially confusing conversation.

After Tom's whisper, however, the usually calm boy is filled with sudden anger at the injustice, as white hot as only a young teen can feel it.

"But that's not fair! If it's her turn..." He says this loudly, not thinking to keep it a whisper.

This outburst is his only physical reaction, he doesn't do anything as dramatic as slamming his fist down, but his still uncontrolled meta abilities don't even enter his mind in that moment to try to control.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:02, Fri 08 Jan 2021.