⊕ .029 caliber

[neverplays]

I have questions about weddings.

I need to know these things.

[Mindy will write them down, her writing is mostly printing and it's trying to be very neat.]

1. What do you wear at a wedding?

2. Do I have to get them a present?

3. Should I know anything else about weddings?

Comments

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Yeah, my dad was Big Daddy which was accurate and intimidating.

mindy ]

[blabs]

[ blurted out: ]

You know, I can do stuff too.

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Really? [Super interested.]

I didn't think there were other heroes my age. [Except Damian, but his secret isn't hers to give away.]

mindy ]

[blabs]

Oh, there aren't! You're alone there. I'm not a hero, exactly, though I guess I did help save the world a couple times.

I'm just... different!

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Saving the world? [Skeptical.]

That sounds like a huge job.

mindy ]

[blabs]

Well... it is, and it isn't! It's apparently the small stuff that really matters, and everything helps when the world is at stake.

And really, I just help. It's Max who does all the work.

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Max? The girl who works down at the bar?

mindy ]

[blabs]

Huh? [ she remembers max as one of the adults from halloween; her? ] Oh, nah. My Max, from my world. She's my big sister.

[ well, as good as. ]

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Oh. 'cause Max does stuff too. I don't know if she saves the world, but she's really fast and has a really good sense of smell. [and more than that, but really - Mindy was half-listening.]

She's part cat or something.

mindy ] 1/2

[blabs]

[ stop the tapes!!!! ]

mindy ]

[blabs]

Part cat?

[ holy crap. holy crap. could there be someone else from the school here, an she didn't know it?? but... max was in her twenties at least, were there any experiments that old??? it's obvious from nudge's voice that this means something to her, in any case. ]

Do you know how she.. got like that? If she was born like that or...?

nudge ]

[neverplays]

I think she said she was part of some experiment thing. They took her DNA and cat DNA and then mixed it all together. [SHRUG]

So I think she was born like that, because I think that's what the DNA stuff means. She told me that she doesn't like it when the castle sends us places because it makes her normal and we started to talk about her being able to smell and run fast.

mindy ]

[blabs]

Oh. [ it comes out like a squeak, because hooooooly moly, that is eerily similar ]

Okay.

...She wouldn't mind you telling me, right?

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Of course -- [crap.] she won't mind.

I mean, it's Max. Max is pretty cool.

mindy ]

[blabs]

[ wow.............. she wonders if max has nothing to be scared of. that would be nice.

she takes another second to think about this. ]

You know, I kinda know someone like Max.

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Really? Who?

mindy ]

[blabs]

[ vaguely. ]

A friend of mine. Except she doesn't have cat DNA; she has bird DNA. Hawk, to be specific. In case you wanted specifics.

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Can she fly? Like a bird can?

mindy ]

[blabs]

Uh huh. She's got wings just like a bird's on her back. Except a lot bigger. And there's other bird stuff going on with her, but it's mostly the wings.

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Really? That's got to be awesome.

mindy ]

[blabs]

[ so far so good. ]

You really think so?

nudge ]

[neverplays]

Yeah! I mean, we all have to be special somehow. My dad always said that I was supposed to be the best version of myself.

mindy ]

[blabs]

The best version of yourself... that must mean you're really good at what you do, huh?

nudge ]

[neverplays]

I try at least.

mindy ] 1/2

[blabs]

I bet you do.