shortcomings [open]

[Max Abner]

Max strutted through the doors of the Chaser Headquarters like they owned the place. The thirteen year old got a couple of strange looks, mostly from the Chasers who didn't know them and didn't realize that they did in fact belong there, albeit being a little unconventional and younger than all the others. They were, so far, the youngest Chaser ever and so people generally seemed to question the actuality of their position. They didn't really mind considering how it often made for some funny pranks to be pulled.

Max was looking for a job today. There was a board against one of the walls that civilians posted Darkness sightings on. Max made their way through all of the other people to get a good look at the board. The bottom was mostly the easy stuff. A troublemaker in the area beating people up. A pipsqueak is ruining my garden. Those were the things that Max saw first because of their height, but Max wanted something better than just helping a little old lady with their pest problem. Alana also wouldn't be too happy if Max came back to her with a job of helping protect somebody's garden.

Max went up on their tiptoes trying to read the posters higher up. One said something about a brute. Alana might like that one, she was pretty strong. There was something else about another of the big three, but Max couldn't read it. They reached up higher and tried to snatch that poster off the wall, but it was just out of their reach. Of course Max never thought of theirself as being hindered by their age, but when it came to reaching high up things it might have helped to be a little taller. Max thought about waking Tomo up to grab it in her jaws, but the snake was asleep in Max's sweater and if they woke her up she might not be too happy. Max jumped up to try and pull the poster off the board, but it still was too high. Maybe Alana should have come to help out. Max sighed.

[Lon Grenweld]

    Walking into the headquarters, Lon adjusted his scarf. It was somewhat chilly outside, and he was grateful for having a nice scarf with the wind. Looking at the break-room, he pondered about getting some hot chocolate later. This time of year was always good for warm drinks, and Lon deeply enjoyed chocolate in most forms. Realizing the tangent he was on, he put the thought to the side as he focused in on what he came here for; he was anxious to get some work done and killing the Darkness was his main goal. Walking forward, Lon saw a myriad of coats and jackets on the racks as he moved between the other people in the building. Bumping into an office worker, he apologized quickly and went on his way. He could very well have flashed through the entire crowd, but somehow that didn't sit well with him. Using powers for harmless amusement is one thing, but when it came for utilizing his abilities for personal gain at the inconvenience of others, Lon had decided to draw the line there.

    In the end, most people there were either workers of the building or clients waiting to file a report. He gave a little sigh as the warmth came back to his hands. Rubbing them together and blowing softly into them, he noticed a familar aura near the missions post. That mixture of color, he recognized it as the person he met in the library. Lon smiled quietly as he noticed a bit of their struggle to reach a post on the bulletin board. Walking forward, he reached past them with a small "pardon me" and took it off of the wall. Handing it down to them, he smiled at them and said, "Nice to see you again! Is this the one you had an eye for?"

[Max Abner]

As Max was reaching for the paper they noticed something on it that read along the line of swarm. Max smirked and jumped for the paper again, only to fall just a little short. They grumbled. If it was about taking down a Swarmer then there was no way they weren't going to get that paper. They had never gone up against a Swarmer before and thus they had never stolen it's power. Max knew that, by most people's standards, Swarmers were the most dangerous Darkness, but they figured that since they could steal the power to multiply they could take out the Swarmer easier than anybody else. Max was just about to jump and reach for paper again when a hand came out of nowhere and plucked it off the board.

Max was just about to turn around and tell whoever it was that they were stealing their mission when the person handed them the paper. Max took it carefully and began going through what the paper said. The person was talking about how it was good to be seeing them again. Max looked up at him and began studying his face. They had to admit that the person did look familiar, but it was the type of familiar that made Max think really hard about where they may have met them before. "Yeah this is the one I wanted. Thanks for that." Max stated as the continued to study the other person. Maybe they had talked once and Max had forgotten? Maybe they had gone to Chaser Academy together? Max didn't ask, for fear of hurting the other person's feelings.

[Lon Grenweld]

Seeing that it was the one they wanted, Lon had a short sigh of relief under his breath. It would have been awkward if they were reaching for a different one instead. Catching a glance at the paper, he noticed the mission was about some Swarmer darkness attacking. His ears perked up slightly, he'd never killed a Swarmer before...he hadn't heard much about them either. It was basically taught as a death sentence for anyone who wanted to fight them. Although when Lon thought about it, he didn't really care much if people considered Darkness deadly or not.

Coming out of thought, he smiled at the...person. He always had a hard time figuring out that person's gender. The blonde hair was a really nice color, though. Lon wondered if it would be insensitive to ask, but decided to put that on the back-burner. He smiled at them and said, "I think we met in the library one day. You copied my mirror magic when I burned an origami phoenix on your table...wow, that sounds kinda weird when I say it out loud."

Letting a little laugh escape his lips, he pointed at the paper, "Anyways, I couldn't help but notice the mission you're looking at. I've heard that Swarmers are kind of tough to kill in numbers. You aren't gonna go alone to kill them are you?"

[Max Abner]

Max was still trying to figure out where they had met the guy when he explained it for them anyway. In the library when they had played with the origami birds. Max laughed and nodded. "Yeah that was a fun game we played. Of course I totally won it. I mean you probably don't even know how I copied your power. Or do you?" Max taunted as they studied the person. Their eyes were drawn to the guy's ears and tail as they were one of the things that Max couldn't copy.

Then the guy commented on the job they had taken. Max gave the older boy a shrug. "I hadn't decided yet. I was thinking I might do it with my parter, Alana, but with the Swarmer I might just go along. Then again it would be my first time going up against a Swarmer so maybe bringing along a few people just in case would be helpful." Max was kind of thinking out loud as they talked to the guy. They had never duplicated their body before so it might be a little strange to go through that process for the first time in the heat of battle without anybody there to back them up if something went wrong. Max was still thinking it through when they remembered that there was somebody else there that they should maybe talk to.

"Why do you ask. Did you want to go on the mission with me? I mean I know I'm charming dude, but we've only met twice now. The first time we didn't even talk. I hadn't planned on you falling for me this fast." Max teased the older boy with a smirk. They were, of course, playing another game with him. It was kind of a habit for Max to just slip into goofing off, or rather, never slip out of goofing off. They were a silly kid and they almost never took anything seriously. Some people found that annoying.

[Lon Grenweld]

Lon listened attentively as they remembered the game. He was glad that they did, or it might have been awkward. But then again, what isn't awkward during teenage years? He heard the person's question about their power. It's true that Lon didn't know specifically how they did it, just that he was aware of their technique. Shrugging slightly he replied, "I don't necessarily know exactly how you did it, just that it was a mimic technique. It looked like you could only do it after I did it, which suggests that you needed to experience it physically rather than just instantly recognize it as your own."

After replying, he heard about their strategy to fight against the Swarmer. It wasn't a terrible idea, but Lon would feel much better in conscience if they went with another person rather than trying it alone. Then they heard the remark about their charm. He gave a patient smile and laughed a little. No one had really teased with Lon like this, and he felt slightly awkward about receiving it from someone who was younger than him. But Lon didn't mind too much. Some people just naturally poked fun at others, and that was fine.

"Heh-heh. Very funny, very funny... I will admit I am interested in this mission you're taking on, and I wouldn't be opposed to coming with you. However, I think it would be best if I actually knew your name if I did join you. You can call me Lon."

[Max Abner]

Max listened as he explained what he thought their power was. Well the guy didn't really explain what he thought it was thoroughly, but he did explain what he thought they could do. Max shrugged non-committally as in to say, 'maybe I can copy powers and maybe I can't.' They laughed and looked down at their sheet again. The Swarmer apparently was running around out by the abandoned docks. The page didn't say anything about there being any other Darkness wandering with the Swarmer so that would probably make it easier. Max smiled at the idea of finally getting to try out a Swarmer's power to multiply themselves.

The other boy laughed at their joke, although they didn't seem all too thrilled about it. Max laughed too. They listened as they stated that they were interested in their mission. Then the older boy said that it might be better if they actually learned each other's names first. Max burst into laughter again. "Oh yea that might be important." They giggled a little as they guy said that his name was Lon. Max held out their hand to shake. "Nice to meet you Lon, I'm Max." They told him. As they stated their name Max then remembered that they should probably also tell them about their gender since some people got confused by that. "Oh by the way, I'm genderfluid so if the last time you saw me I looked more like a girl then that might explain that. So yea you can ask me questions about that if you want to. I don't mind." Max gave Lon a little thumbs up to accentuate the whole, 'I don't mind' part..

[Lon Grenweld]

So that's what that was, he thought as he looked at Max. An aura usually gave certain hints about one's gender, personality and emotional stability, but the gender-fluidity would certainly explain why he saw such a contrasting mixture of color in the time before. Even with his experience in his abilities, Lon hadn't found many people with a mixed aura in gender... mixed emotions were natural, and a mixture of color and texture usually was normal in personality. In the end, he thought about writing out the different details of aura sometime. The boy smiled and said, "Max, then. That's a nice name."

Glacing at the report again, Lon caught glimpse of the words "abandoned docks" and pieced together the location. If Max didn't wish for him to come, then at least he would know the last place she had been if something were to happen. Perking up his ears, a thought came to him and he nibbled his thumb out of habit. Closing his eyes for a moment to organize the words he would choose, he opened them and said, "I suppose if you are letting me ask questions, I guess I am wondering what pronouns you prefer?"

[Max Abner]

Lon seemed to be studying something about Max. They wondered what it was for a specific reason in their looks. Max was pretty sure they look generally normal, but maybe there was some crazy stupid thing going on with their face or something. Then Lon mentioned how they had a nice name. Max bowed a little and smiled. "Thanks, dude I like yours too. Lon sounds cool." Max told him. They thought it kind of sounded like a pen name or something that a super hero would use. Here comes Lon! Saviour of the world! They thought to themself as they watched the older boy.

When they mentioned questions Max perked up a little. He wanted to know about their pronouns? Well that was easy. "I use they or them pronouns. It's just easier that way you know? No need to switch every other day or whatever." They explained and shrugged. They smiled and looked around at the crowd. Today seemed to be a pretty busy time in the Chaser Headquarters, but not all of the people in the Headquarters were Chasers, some were there putting in orders or requests or whatever. Max started rocking on their heels as they waited to see what Lon would say. They weren't too talkative today, for no reason really, but they were happy to just answer questions really.

[Lon Grenweld]

Looking around at the busyness in the Chaser Headquarters, Lon concluded that he should look for a mission if Max didn't let him go with them. Listening to the compliment on his name he replied, "Thanks. It's short for Lonrei."

As Max continued to answer the question about their pronouns, he was glad he could just use "they". He didn't have anything against those who switched their pronouns, but it did make for slightly risky conversation. As he saw a coffee pot filled with hot chocolate, Lon glanced at the mission again and had an idea - "You in the mood for hot chocolate? It usually tastes good around this time of year, and it helps you stay warm for a while in the cold."

Turning slightly to be ready to go get the hot chocolate, he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to the counter where the drink rested. Lon stood where he was and awaited Max's reply.

[Max Abner]

Lonrei was a really cool name. Max had definitely never heard it before. They tried to remember if they had ever met somebody who used the same nickname or even had the same name. From what they could tell they hadn't. As they thought about this they felt their pet, Tomo, lazily slither up their arm. It seemed like the animal had woken up from it's sleep in Max's pocket. The animal stopped moving once it had wrapped itself once around Max's neck loosely. They gave the little palmetto corn snake a little pat of affection. The snake went everywhere with Max, although it slept more often than not.

When Lon mentioned hot chocolate Max perked up a little. Hot chocolate would never be turned down. Max was pretty sure that nobody in the whole world didn't like hot chocolate. "I'm always in the mood for hot chocolate, although I don't think us being cold has much to do with how good it tastes since we are inside a heated building so you should think your theory through a bit more." Max stated as they walked over to where Lon had motioned. They threw a smile over their shoulder to show Lon that they were joking. Once they got there Max started pouring two cups of the drink. They kept their eyes on the hot chocolate as they talked. "So what level of Chaser are you? Like are you a newbie or are you an apprentice or full or what? I don't wanna bring a newbie on this mission since it could be really really dangerous and that might mean just watching over you. So which are you?" Max pushed one mug towards Lon as they finished talking.

[Lon Grenweld]

Hearing Max's reply about Lon's logic in hot chocolate, he gave a smirk and replied, "You know what I mean..."

He followed them to the hot chocolate, seeing that they were interested, and noticed movement inside of Max's jacket. Lon immediately stopped and checked the movement to see if it had aura. It appeared to be a snake, so it was most likely Max's pet. Seeing it move around until it rested contentedly on Max's neck and them giving it a pat, Lon breathed a small sigh of relief. He had met serpentine Darkness before, and they were not fun. Lon took the cup from Max as they offered and said a small "thanks" to them.

Hearing their question, Lon pondered for a moment while taking a sip. What level was he? It hadn't been something he'd been keeping track of constantly, so it might have changed. Holding his cup in one hand, he took another sip as he checked on his phone and looked up the student website. Going under his name, he read his status - "...Full Chaser...so I guess they consider me qualified for solo missions... I guess you wouldn't need to worry about babysitting me, then."

"Speaking of caring for others, do you mind introducing me to your little friend?"

[Max Abner]

Max took as sip of their hot cocoa as they listened to Lon explain his ranking. As long as he wasn't some apprentice or newbie Max would be fine with bringing him along, it was just that they didn't want to have to worry about somebody dying while they were on the mission. Tomo got closer to the cup of hot chocolate and Max pulled the mug away. Snakes aren't allowed to drink cocoa. They thought mater of factly. The snake settled down a few seconds later and seemed to forget about the hot drink.

When asked about the snake Max smiled broadly. "Oh this is Tomo. She's the snake my parents got me to keep me safe on missions and stuff, although she's kind of just a lazy lug. She's really smart though. I taught her how to get things for me when I can't reach them, but earlier she was sleeping so it isn't really helpful in those situations. That's where tall people like you come in though." Max laughed and took another swig of the drink, making sure that the snake didn't get their head into the cup. The corn snake was smart, as Max had said, so they had to watch and make sure that she didn't trick them and drink their hot chocolate. "Do you have any pets?" Max asked Lon.

[Lon Grenweld]

Lon smiled at Tomo. What a cute name for a snake, he thought as he took another sip from his mug. The cocoa was nice and sweet, with the warmth radiating from inside out. As Max asked about Lon's situation with pets, he stopped drinking. Putting his phone back in his pocket Lon replied, "I had a cat a while back - black and white one named Lucky. She was cute. Eventually she got too old and passed on..."

Seeing he had finished his drink, Lon poured some more cocoa into his mug and looked back at Max. They seemed to be very caring towards Tomo. Looking at their aura once more, he could see there was a certain tenderness present - a nice warmth that seemed to radiate towards the little corn snake. Taking one more sip, he placed the mug on the counter for a moment and gestured to his ears and swished his tail - "My current status with animals tends to fluctuate a bit. Some animals like dogs feel obligated to chase me with these ears and the tail. Cats still seem to like me... I guess I'm just in a different head-space right now to be thinking about pets."

Lon gave a little laugh and traced a small circle on the counter before picking up his mug again; "Still," he continued, "It would be nice to enjoy an animal's company every once in a while. I guess that makes me more of a cat person than a dog person..."

[Max Abner]

Max listened to Lon talk about his cat. They had never had a 'normal' pet like a cat or a dog. The only reason they had a snake was that their parents had wanted an animal to protect them against the Darkness. Maybe a snake wasn't the best choice, but hey Max loved Tomo and the snake kept them calm so it worked in a form of protection, just not the form that their parents had wanted. Max was fairly certain that their parents had wanted some guard animal that would do all the fighting for them, but Tomo just kind of slept all the time. Much like a cat would do.

Lon poured another glass of cocoa and Max looked down at theirs. It was about three fourths empty so they chugged the last little bit. They laughed a little as they set down their mug and looked at the other boy. He was the second person Maxhad met that had ears and a tail. Max couldn't copy physical features so they were always a little jealous of the cool ears and tails that some people had. Although it seemed that the new appendages changed the way that other animals treated the boy. After Lon finished talking Max thought for a second before unravelling the snake from their neck and holding her out so Lon could take her. "Maybe you're a snake person!" They explained.