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Sep. 11th, 2010 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
estiroseAnd a happy birthday to tptigger, my partner in writing! How many years have we known each other, now? :)
"I don't know," Trent said, running a hand through his hair. He looked at his boss, Hayley, as if she'd sprouted two heads.
Ever since he'd gotten some semblence of a normal life back - if one called fighting bad guys, one of which was his dad, a "normal life" - he'd been jittery about almost anything that was not normal. After all, his life had been turned upside down by that damned Gem, and it seemed like everywhere he turned, he found something abnormal.
"You don't want to have lunch on an exotic desert isle?" Hayley asked, her smile slipping a bit. "You do need a vacation, Trent...."
And it wasn't like Hayley couldn't get them both back in the blink of an eye. Trent knew that, but still.
"Even superheroes could use a day off or two per year," Hayley told him, crossing her arms. "I've been told that by a very reliable source. Otherwise, you'll burn out."
"Figuratively, or literally?" Trent asked. He'd been watching that Japanese show about their adventures, and his counterpart was not a nice guy *at all*. And his morpher was due to explode at some point, too - or at least that's what the show's fansites said that the original Japanese mentioned. The fact that he was following the English dub of the Japanese version of his team's adventures gave him a really big headache sometimes.
"Literally," Hayley said, fussing with her hair. "Look, it's not like a Beach Party, where you're going to have to hide to get away from everyone. Adam and the others don't care if you were evil. It'll just be a small picnic among friends."
Friends that he didn't know, she hadn't said, but he didn't know her friends... and he wasn't sure he could deal at the moment. Okay, maybe he could if Rocky was there.
"I guess I'll go," he said. "Just... if we need to...."
"If we need to," Hayley said firmly, "I'll take you back."
Trent nodded. "Then... I guess I'll go."
* * *
It wasn't wildly exciting, but then again, it wasn't terrible, either.
Hayley had introduced him to a bunch of her friends from all over the globe. Some had clearly started their day, some were ending it, and some were clearly up when they weren't supposed to be. It was like the Internet, Trent supposed, a lot of people networked together, except this group had the telepathy and teleporting thing. Well, most of them did. Some of the people there were just regular, ordinary folks like Rocky's wife and daughter, and he'd found out that there were various and sundry sisters and brothers and husbands and wives and parents and children there. One black woman was chewing on a brownie; a stack of them sat nearby.
He stepped around a girl taking a nap and walked by a trio of people talking about a mysterious Tomorrow Person who had appeared and disappeared and nobody had any clue who she had been. Some conspiracy theorist was saying that maybe she was from a parallel universe, or something. The Tomorrow People seemed to be just as odd as most of the people on the 'net; at least those who were on the 'net.
"How are you enjoying things?" Rocky asked as Trent settled down beside him, another plate of food in his hand. He rocked Iz in her stroller as she slept.
"It's... well, just kinda like any party where I don't know most of the people." On the other hand, at least they weren't trying to pat him on the head and tell him that everything was all right. It did beat the Ranger Beach Parties when it came to that. And there was a variety of food, and Trent had to admit it was good.
"Yeah, and you don't have telepathy so you can understand everybody," Rocky said. He smiled over at Trent. "Here, at least you're normal, right?"
Trent was just about to complain about that, when he realized what Rocky was telling him. In this place, in this time, he was normal. He was not anything special. Despite the place, this was an ordinary picnic with extraordinary people, with no pressures to be a hero or guilt about what he'd done. Some of these people had saved the world, too, but that didn't matter.
He looked at Rocky, who was grinning wider, as if he'd realized what Trent was thinking. And then Trent remembered that Rocky was an empath; he could read emotions as well as some people read minds. "Yeah," he said. "I am normal."
"Yeah, you are," Rocky said, continuing to rock Iz.
Grinning, Trent watched the picnic.
Now, I go to bed.
tptigger, my partner in writing! How many years have we known each other, now? :)"I don't know," Trent said, running a hand through his hair. He looked at his boss, Hayley, as if she'd sprouted two heads.
Ever since he'd gotten some semblence of a normal life back - if one called fighting bad guys, one of which was his dad, a "normal life" - he'd been jittery about almost anything that was not normal. After all, his life had been turned upside down by that damned Gem, and it seemed like everywhere he turned, he found something abnormal.
"You don't want to have lunch on an exotic desert isle?" Hayley asked, her smile slipping a bit. "You do need a vacation, Trent...."
And it wasn't like Hayley couldn't get them both back in the blink of an eye. Trent knew that, but still.
"Even superheroes could use a day off or two per year," Hayley told him, crossing her arms. "I've been told that by a very reliable source. Otherwise, you'll burn out."
"Figuratively, or literally?" Trent asked. He'd been watching that Japanese show about their adventures, and his counterpart was not a nice guy *at all*. And his morpher was due to explode at some point, too - or at least that's what the show's fansites said that the original Japanese mentioned. The fact that he was following the English dub of the Japanese version of his team's adventures gave him a really big headache sometimes.
"Literally," Hayley said, fussing with her hair. "Look, it's not like a Beach Party, where you're going to have to hide to get away from everyone. Adam and the others don't care if you were evil. It'll just be a small picnic among friends."
Friends that he didn't know, she hadn't said, but he didn't know her friends... and he wasn't sure he could deal at the moment. Okay, maybe he could if Rocky was there.
"I guess I'll go," he said. "Just... if we need to...."
"If we need to," Hayley said firmly, "I'll take you back."
Trent nodded. "Then... I guess I'll go."
* * *
It wasn't wildly exciting, but then again, it wasn't terrible, either.
Hayley had introduced him to a bunch of her friends from all over the globe. Some had clearly started their day, some were ending it, and some were clearly up when they weren't supposed to be. It was like the Internet, Trent supposed, a lot of people networked together, except this group had the telepathy and teleporting thing. Well, most of them did. Some of the people there were just regular, ordinary folks like Rocky's wife and daughter, and he'd found out that there were various and sundry sisters and brothers and husbands and wives and parents and children there. One black woman was chewing on a brownie; a stack of them sat nearby.
He stepped around a girl taking a nap and walked by a trio of people talking about a mysterious Tomorrow Person who had appeared and disappeared and nobody had any clue who she had been. Some conspiracy theorist was saying that maybe she was from a parallel universe, or something. The Tomorrow People seemed to be just as odd as most of the people on the 'net; at least those who were on the 'net.
"How are you enjoying things?" Rocky asked as Trent settled down beside him, another plate of food in his hand. He rocked Iz in her stroller as she slept.
"It's... well, just kinda like any party where I don't know most of the people." On the other hand, at least they weren't trying to pat him on the head and tell him that everything was all right. It did beat the Ranger Beach Parties when it came to that. And there was a variety of food, and Trent had to admit it was good.
"Yeah, and you don't have telepathy so you can understand everybody," Rocky said. He smiled over at Trent. "Here, at least you're normal, right?"
Trent was just about to complain about that, when he realized what Rocky was telling him. In this place, in this time, he was normal. He was not anything special. Despite the place, this was an ordinary picnic with extraordinary people, with no pressures to be a hero or guilt about what he'd done. Some of these people had saved the world, too, but that didn't matter.
He looked at Rocky, who was grinning wider, as if he'd realized what Trent was thinking. And then Trent remembered that Rocky was an empath; he could read emotions as well as some people read minds. "Yeah," he said. "I am normal."
"Yeah, you are," Rocky said, continuing to rock Iz.
Grinning, Trent watched the picnic.
Now, I go to bed.
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Date: 2010-09-11 02:11 pm (UTC)*glomps*