[ “Coven”? that sounds awfully magic-y. Kon doesn’t like magic-y. this just adds more questions, though. why would magic people summon him out of anyone else? it would make sense if it was a Titans thing, since it wouldn’t be the first time the Titans get sent traveling through time, but he seems to be the only one around...
...please don’t let it be a ‘getting stuck’ thing. ]
No answers? What, they just snatch us then expect us to sit quiet and wait for them to tell us what’s up? [ who does that? villains, that’s who. you fucked up, Conner. ]
Just... point me to these Coven people. I’ll take care of this.
[ That's pretty much the natural response, and Jean's initial response too. However, after visiting the Coven and learning all that he knows now - and also getting that information checked with Mikasa - he's calmed down since. He knows that this place exists outside time and he's just going to return to the same time point, so there's no actual need for so much urgency. ]
You see that castle over there? That's the Coven. [ Jean points in the direction of a large stone castle tucked away in the city interior, its gothic fixtures standing out from behind the other buildings. ] Hold on, what do you mean by 'take care of this'?
[ Sounds like he's dealing with another reckless person. ]
Just gonna give them a stern talking to. I've been meaning to practice my Superman voice. [ you know, that patronizing tone Clark does that makes you feel bad for every single wrong thing you've ever done in your life. Kon's heard it at a lot himself.
...nevermind that Jean probably doesn't even know what a Superman is.
still, it's not like Conner has any intention of actually fighting whoever these guys are, especially if they're spellslingers. the few times he's gone against some it usually ends with him feeling sick or sitting on his butt, defeated. he's all alone there so he gotta be more subtle. even if he's usually as subtle as a punch in the stomach. ]
Thanks for the help, though. Appreciate it!
[ there is a salute towards Jean's direction and a grin, before Conner turns away from him and just... stops. he stands still in place and his expression changes from that grin to pure confusion. if Jean were to be staring at him, he'd notice Conner doing a few weird things, like raising one of his hand and muttering "up, up and away...?"
it's only after he's done both of those things that the realization hits and his expression changes once again, this time into pure horror. ]
I can't fly. [ it's said like it's the most normal thing in the world. just a human being. horrified at the idea that he can't fly. of course, that doesn't mean it is for other people, but Conner is too busy freaking out about the possibility of having lost his powers to think about that. ]
[ He has no idea what a 'Superman' is. Is that a title for someone? It sounds like a very conceited title for sure. If all he's doing is talking to the people at the Coven sternly though, perhaps he's not as reckless as Jean had first thought.
All that's settled then. He fully expects the witches to tell Conner the same thing they had told Jean -- which wasn't much of anything. Conner can find out on his own how cagey they seem to be about why or how they brought the mirrorbound here to begin with. ] Sure thing.
[ That sounds like the end of their interaction, until he's met with the scene of a guy trying very desperately to fly when logically most people ...cannot fly. Jean just stares, crossing his arms and pondering if he should be sympathetic or not. He eventually decides that he shouldn't be, because this is stupid. ]
Yeah? I can't either, but you don't see me getting upset about it. [ People typically don't fly. ]
Yeah, well, you’d get upset too if you could and now you can’t anymore. [ there is a scoff and even some arm crossing from Conner who is now definitely annoyed at the circumstances. he tries to test if any of his other powers works — and if Jean is still looking at him, he’d just see Kon randomly staring at things too hard — but he doesn’t bother testing super-speed after he’s made sure that none of his super-senses work. what he also tests, though, is TTK, just to make sure it isn’t some sort of magic just messing with his kryptonian part, but that also comes out with nothing.
he eventually sighs. this would make the whole getting back home thing much harder. he turns his attention back to Jean suddenly, almost as if he had forgotten about the other guy’s presence until that moment. with all the weird movements he’s making he’s probably looking absolutely ridiculous to him. ]
Guess I’m going by foot. I gotta ask, though, how did these Coven people look? Nice guys or bad ones? Good Witch, Wicked Witch? Dumbledore or Voldemort?
[ just making sure! of course they had established that Jean wasn’t exactly familiar with references like those, but watch Conner (not) remember that. ]
[ Thankfully, Jean's caught on that Conner is probably trying to test out some other kind of ability he must have, given the talk about flying. Watching him stare intensely at nothing is still a strange sight, but he at least understands why it's happening. ]
I don't know who any of those people are. [ References will always go over his head. Conner should realise this by now. ] You keep bringing up random people.
[ Are they important?? Historical figures??? He is 19 and he does not know. ] Most of the witches at the Coven don't look any different from you or me. It's not like you can tell who's good or bad from just looking at them.
[ And 'good' and 'evil' is pretty relative, too! Sorry, Conner, he has no idea where you're coming from, because the 'bad' people from his world don't typically wear black or cackle maniacally in their dark robes. The people who commit the most atrocities deeds just look like everyone else. Floch shot a man point blank in the head just for disagreeing with him, and that asshole just looks like a young man with a baby face. ]
Tell that to the bad guys I'm used to. They like to wear flashy colors, laugh like madmen and tell you their evil plans every time they think they've won. You can tell where they lean pretty easily, usually. [ but yeah, Kon realizes Jean is probably not the best person to ask if he's about to meet the Order of the Phoenix or the Death Eaters. still, going there without any plan and without any powers sounds like a not so smart thing to do, and considers he's starting to think that he's got stuck there because of something stupid he has done, it's better to reduce the amount of those to a minimum. ]
Can't exactly ambush anyone while wearing flashy colours ... [ This is the reason the Survey Corps changed their uniforms to black in preparation for urban warfare at night. Of course, he doesn't like that they have to fight people at all, but it's not like he has any real choice in the matter. ]
And why would they tell you their plans? That's stupid. [ Then again, he can see Floch doing this just to gloat in someone's face. ]
Tell me about it! You'd expect that to be common sense. [ he's exaggerating a little, of course. there are plenty of clever villains where he's from, but mentioning that is not as fun. ]
They still get their butts kicked anyway. So joke's on them.
By you ...? That's what your smug face is telling me. [ Probably? Conner's stocky enough to look like he could hold up on his own in a fight, and he looks cocky about what he's saying right now, so the implication is there. ]
Are you law enforcement then? [ It's that, or military, but people in the military don't really talk about taking down 'bad guys'. When they fight, most of them know they're just fighting people who happen to be on the other side of a war. Jean doesn't really have any concept of 'heroism' because idealistic notions such as those aren't that prevalent where he comes from. No one's ever swooped in and saved them from their often perilous circumstances. ]
I mean... kind of? [ Kon just has to assume Jean doesn't have superheroes wherever or whenever he is from, because usually people he meets, even during time travels, do have an idea of what he is supposed to be. he hasn't been to the past many times, his time-traveling consisted mainly of going to the future, so maybe there lies in the problem.
having to put into words how the whole superhero business works is simple enough, but Kon's so used to people knowing exactly who he is on sight that having to explain it doesn't come up often. he's already told this guy that he can fly and that he kicks villains' butts, though, so... it'll be hard not to give Jean at least a small explanation. ]
Job's pretty varied. But apprehending bad guys and keeping people safe is part of it. I also save kittens from trees sometimes. Very rewarding.
It's Superboy, by the way. Or Kon, if the alias sounds too weird to say.
Jean Kirstein. [ Pronounced 'Jauhn'. He's finding 'Superboy' an awfully conceited alias to choose, but someone who's able to fly probably deserves to feel a little full of themselves. It is odd to be calling someone 'Superboy', so he's likely to go with 'Kon'. Jean doesn't give Kon a friendly 'nice to meet you', but he does nod in acknowledgement. We bros now, bro. ]
Did you choose that alias? It's gonna make people think you're gonna swoop down and solve all their problems. [ Though, he does consider that that might be the point. ] You're probably related to that 'Superman' you talked about, huh?
What gave that away? The Super part? [ his tone is poking a bit of fun at Jean's "perceptiveness" and there is even a half-smile coming with it, but it's all in good fun from Conner. but anyway, you gotta unlock friendship level 2 for his (not so) tragic backstory, bro. there isn't really a particular reason he doesn't wanna tell him he's a clone and all that, it's just a lot to explain to someone who doesn't know anything about Superman. ]
But yeah, you could say that. It's complicated stuff, though, so let's leave it at that.
If it's my turn to ask questions, can I ask a weird one? At least, it'll seem weird to you.
[ it's moments like these that Kon wishes he'd have paid more attention to the 'how to deal with people from the past' lessons in the Titans Tower... if they even had any. he's drawing a blank on that, too, now. too late to think about the consequences of messing with the timestream, though. if he goes back home and he finds dinosaurs strolling around he'll think of an excuse. ]
[ It is an odd question, and it has him feeling slightly embarrassed now. He's met people from future times, and they all seem to know much more than he does. It doesn't help that Jean grew up in a country closed off from the rest of the world. Is his ignorance that obvious? ]
The year was 854 where I come from. [ There's a frown now. He's going to cope with his feelings of embarrassment by putting on a petulant front. ] Look, I know we're a little behind, alright? You don't have to rub it in.
That'd explain it. [ the only thing he's ignorant on that's made Kon believe he's from the past is his lack of knowledge about superheroes. he refrains from making any comments about how ancient Jean is to him, though, since it seemed the guy was a little bit self-conscious about it. ]
What about this place? If we're still on Earth, that is. [ did people know about living on a planet during the 800s? Conner definitely needs to start paying more attention in class. all of them.. ]
I don't really know what year it is. We'd probably have to find a newspaper or something to check -- not that it really matters.
[ Since this is obviously a different world from Kon's and Jean's. Aefenglom doesn't look too different from Marley, so he assumes the time period is similar to his own. ]
Like you, it's only been a few hours since I came out of that bathtub. [ They're both new arrivals right now. ]
You came out of a bathtub? Sounds awkward. [ does that mean that everyone arrived in this city from different... portals? because that's what they are, right? but yeah, this guy is clearly in the same position as Kon so he should probably not be asking him all the questions.
a sigh, still annoyed at the fact that he has to walk to get to the Coven. the horror!!! non-metas sure have it rough. ]
Guess I better go to that castle if I want the full debrief, huh? [ he turns around towards the building Jean pointed to him earlier. he shouldn't get lost while trying to get there considering how much it stands out, at least. he could probably also ask them if any of his other teammates are around. if Jean arrived from a different portal than Kon, maybe so did they...? ]
[ Coming out of a bathtub was definitely awkward, and he gave the owner of the house quite the shock, but he's grateful that he didn't come out while someone was actually using it. ]
Yeah. I'd say. They won't tell you why we're here, but they'll at least tell you the basic stuff you need to know about this place.
[ Since Kon is off to the Coven, Jean considers parting ways here. However, he later decides that it doesn't hurt to follow along. As serious and sullen as he comes across, he's actually quite extroverted and enjoys company when he can get it. ]
You should probably collect your watch too. It's kinda useful.
That what you showed me earlier? [ Kon should have probably asked about it when Jean did show it to him, but he was already too engrossed on his totally fool-proof plan of flying right to the issue to give it too much thought.
he's a little surprised when it seems like Jean is intent on accompanying him -- and there is the paranoid superhero part of him that his best friend Tim would be very proud of that wonders if there is a second reason for that, like maybe this guy is actually the evil mastermind behind his current misplacement and he's luring him into the most obvious trap, but Jean's been so nice to him thus far that he's just hoping that isn't the case. he doesn't mind the company either, anyway. he's watched enough horror movies to be slightly creeped out by the middle ages(?) aesthetic of the place. especially when he can't punch stuff really hard like he’s used to. ]
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You love me
...please don’t let it be a ‘getting stuck’ thing. ]
No answers? What, they just snatch us then expect us to sit quiet and wait for them to tell us what’s up? [ who does that? villains, that’s who. you fucked up, Conner. ]
Just... point me to these Coven people. I’ll take care of this.
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You see that castle over there? That's the Coven. [ Jean points in the direction of a large stone castle tucked away in the city interior, its gothic fixtures standing out from behind the other buildings. ] Hold on, what do you mean by 'take care of this'?
[ Sounds like he's dealing with another reckless person. ]
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...nevermind that Jean probably doesn't even know what a Superman is.
still, it's not like Conner has any intention of actually fighting whoever these guys are, especially if they're spellslingers. the few times he's gone against some it usually ends with him feeling sick or sitting on his butt, defeated. he's all alone there so he gotta be more subtle. even if he's usually as subtle as a punch in the stomach. ]
Thanks for the help, though. Appreciate it!
[ there is a salute towards Jean's direction and a grin, before Conner turns away from him and just... stops. he stands still in place and his expression changes from that grin to pure confusion. if Jean were to be staring at him, he'd notice Conner doing a few weird things, like raising one of his hand and muttering "up, up and away...?"
it's only after he's done both of those things that the realization hits and his expression changes once again, this time into pure horror. ]
I can't fly. [ it's said like it's the most normal thing in the world. just a human being. horrified at the idea that he can't fly. of course, that doesn't mean it is for other people, but Conner is too busy freaking out about the possibility of having lost his powers to think about that. ]
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All that's settled then. He fully expects the witches to tell Conner the same thing they had told Jean -- which wasn't much of anything. Conner can find out on his own how cagey they seem to be about why or how they brought the mirrorbound here to begin with. ] Sure thing.
[ That sounds like the end of their interaction, until he's met with the scene of a guy trying very desperately to fly when logically most people ...cannot fly. Jean just stares, crossing his arms and pondering if he should be sympathetic or not. He eventually decides that he shouldn't be, because this is stupid. ]
Yeah? I can't either, but you don't see me getting upset about it. [ People typically don't fly. ]
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he eventually sighs. this would make the whole getting back home thing much harder. he turns his attention back to Jean suddenly, almost as if he had forgotten about the other guy’s presence until that moment. with all the weird movements he’s making he’s probably looking absolutely ridiculous to him. ]
Guess I’m going by foot. I gotta ask, though, how did these Coven people look? Nice guys or bad ones? Good Witch, Wicked Witch? Dumbledore or Voldemort?
[ just making sure! of course they had established that Jean wasn’t exactly familiar with references like those, but watch Conner (not) remember that. ]
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I don't know who any of those people are. [ References will always go over his head. Conner should realise this by now. ] You keep bringing up random people.
[ Are they important?? Historical figures??? He is 19 and he does not know. ] Most of the witches at the Coven don't look any different from you or me. It's not like you can tell who's good or bad from just looking at them.
[ And 'good' and 'evil' is pretty relative, too! Sorry, Conner, he has no idea where you're coming from, because the 'bad' people from his world don't typically wear black or cackle maniacally in their dark robes. The people who commit the most atrocities deeds just look like everyone else. Floch shot a man point blank in the head just for disagreeing with him, and that asshole just looks like a young man with a baby face. ]
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Can't exactly ambush anyone while wearing flashy colours ... [ This is the reason the Survey Corps changed their uniforms to black in preparation for urban warfare at night. Of course, he doesn't like that they have to fight people at all, but it's not like he has any real choice in the matter. ]
And why would they tell you their plans? That's stupid. [ Then again, he can see Floch doing this just to gloat in someone's face. ]
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They still get their butts kicked anyway. So joke's on them.
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Are you law enforcement then? [ It's that, or military, but people in the military don't really talk about taking down 'bad guys'. When they fight, most of them know they're just fighting people who happen to be on the other side of a war. Jean doesn't really have any concept of 'heroism' because idealistic notions such as those aren't that prevalent where he comes from. No one's ever swooped in and saved them from their often perilous circumstances. ]
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having to put into words how the whole superhero business works is simple enough, but Kon's so used to people knowing exactly who he is on sight that having to explain it doesn't come up often. he's already told this guy that he can fly and that he kicks villains' butts, though, so... it'll be hard not to give Jean at least a small explanation. ]
Job's pretty varied. But apprehending bad guys and keeping people safe is part of it. I also save kittens from trees sometimes. Very rewarding.
It's Superboy, by the way. Or Kon, if the alias sounds too weird to say.
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Did you choose that alias? It's gonna make people think you're gonna swoop down and solve all their problems. [ Though, he does consider that that might be the point. ] You're probably related to that 'Superman' you talked about, huh?
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But yeah, you could say that. It's complicated stuff, though, so let's leave it at that.
If it's my turn to ask questions, can I ask a weird one? At least, it'll seem weird to you.
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Sure ...? Ask away.
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When are you from?
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The year was 854 where I come from. [ There's a frown now. He's going to cope with his feelings of embarrassment by putting on a petulant front. ] Look, I know we're a little behind, alright? You don't have to rub it in.
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What about this place? If we're still on Earth, that is. [ did people know about living on a planet during the 800s? Conner definitely needs to start paying more attention in class. all of them.. ]
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[ Since this is obviously a different world from Kon's and Jean's. Aefenglom doesn't look too different from Marley, so he assumes the time period is similar to his own. ]
Like you, it's only been a few hours since I came out of that bathtub. [ They're both new arrivals right now. ]
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a sigh, still annoyed at the fact that he has to walk to get to the Coven. the horror!!! non-metas sure have it rough. ]
Guess I better go to that castle if I want the full debrief, huh? [ he turns around towards the building Jean pointed to him earlier. he shouldn't get lost while trying to get there considering how much it stands out, at least. he could probably also ask them if any of his other teammates are around. if Jean arrived from a different portal than Kon, maybe so did they...? ]
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Yeah. I'd say. They won't tell you why we're here, but they'll at least tell you the basic stuff you need to know about this place.
[ Since Kon is off to the Coven, Jean considers parting ways here. However, he later decides that it doesn't hurt to follow along. As serious and sullen as he comes across, he's actually quite extroverted and enjoys company when he can get it. ]
You should probably collect your watch too. It's kinda useful.
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he's a little surprised when it seems like Jean is intent on accompanying him -- and there is the paranoid superhero part of him
that his best friend Tim would be very proud ofthat wonders if there is a second reason for that, like maybe this guy is actually the evil mastermind behind his current misplacement and he's luring him into the most obvious trap, but Jean's been so nice to him thus far that he's just hoping that isn't the case. he doesn't mind the company either, anyway. he's watched enough horror movies to be slightly creeped out by the middle ages(?) aesthetic of the place. especially when he can't punch stuff really hard like he’s used to. ]