Normal Is Weird Now (Pride/Invite)

[Joy]

It was weird not to have any time to herself anywhere.  There were more people at the academy than the village back home.  Always the soudn of people coming and going, laughing and shouts and fights.  It was all well and good, but sometimes she needed a chance to breathe and deal with things.

Like apparently her monster gaining a new power. 

Joy was headed back to the Academy after some alone time, stopping to look at the store display of one of the shops that was on the way.

[Pride]

A guy would go flying down the street crashing into a wall hard enough to send cracks spider webbing away from the point of impact.

"Well damn. Don't try to start a fight if you can't even take a punch. That's disappointing."

Pride frowned from down the road, here on his own doing PRIDE STUFF or something. And now his buzz was killed.

[Joy]

Joy looked up from window shopping at the movement of a body flying through the air before crashing into the building beside her, cracking the wall dangerously close to where she was. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face whoever had interrupted her.

Pride. She sighed and shook her head, heading towards her brother with the small comfort that some things never changed.

"Still can't find anyone good enough?" It was kind of depressing.

[Pride]

"Nope. Met a few people at that Cabal place, but they were soft too. But they all thought they were tough shit."

So depressing. Even the military here sucked.

[Joy]

There was actually disappointment on her face.

"No wonder they wanted us to join."

[Pride]

"They can't even guard their compound. Three of them tried to stop me when it was locked down. Two of them went down before they could even get a hit in."

[Joy]

"When?" She didn't even know it could be locked down.

[Pride]

"When you went to join them on their mission. I found the experiments."

[Joy]

Of course he found it then. Joy scowled at the mention of the mission, lip curling slightly with the memory.

"We need to investigate them." At least, that had been teh order. Find the experiments, and see if investigation was needed.

[Pride]

"I've been in their home sis. They live ready to be killed at the whim of these soft people. Something can take over their minds, I saw it happen..."

He frowned.

"And one of them, one of them is kind of like us. And I found another one in Cabal that is kind of like us."

Kind of, but different.

[Joy]

Joy stared. Right under their nose. There's no way others didn't know.

"Why?" She frowned, less angry this time and more confused. Why would anyone want to live that kind of life? Why let someone soft like that decide what you were? And there were others like them?

That last part got her attention as she regarded him with more curiosity. "Kind of?"

[Pride]

"They are afraid. They either can't or won't fight the voices within if they speak."

He didn't know.

"Kind of. One of them had his monster out, separate from him. Their connection is damaged. It's scared. And I found a girl who always has her monster form activated, she can't turn it off and it doesn't speak to her. Or make her tired."

He was still super jealous.

[Joy]

"They can do that?" All of the above. It was interesting, and a little worrisome. Joy really didn't want to think what would happen if her monster was able to separate itself and do its own thing. It was already a pain in the ass.

But she couldn't leave the thought of the experiments locked up alone. It was like a mirror of her and Pride, but instead of being cast out for just the possibility of being dangerous, they were all locked away.

"We need to help them."

[Pride]

"I agree. I have already gotten one of them to agree to help me help them."

With or without Joy.

"I'm glad you feel the same way."

He had hoped she would, no one should live that way.

[Joy]

Joy nodded.

"When do we leave?"