Chapter 241 : Eager rats

Standing by their school's entrance, a quintet of young rodent siblings waited for their adoptive father and his friends to come fetch them to go back home and play games.

When put like that, Goliath had to admit they had an odd life, with a strange family history. But he loved it all the same. Everyone at school was so nice, Mr. Pteryx taught them lots in class - even if studying all that extra stuff to catch up on what they had missed by not being raised as sapient citizens until now was a little annoying - and thanks to their daddy's work and efforts, they even had the time and space to still train for becoming Heroes! And, just as good, Goliath knew that while their daddy had some trouble at work, having a bunch of new people and a growing company put a lot of his worries to rest. He still calculated and schemed fairly often, but he allowed himself to be carefree and live in the moment more and more.

Goliath looked down at his younger brother, sitting on his haunches next to him. He was carefully shaping a small vortex of wind around one of his claws, experimenting to find the best way to sharpen it. Lucille's whiskers twitched as she stared at him, though she held her tongue in check. She was annoyed that he was playing with his powers in public, but his control over them allowed him to do it discreetly, and even if anyone noticed his aerokinesis, they could downplay it. The amount of air he was moving was laughable and could be explained as the magical equivalent of twirling hair with a finger. Nothing on the level of a Super. There was no way to tell the air was sharp either unless they were touching it or had particularly sharp fighting instincts themselves, something unlikely in this civilian zone, doubly so since most people had left already.

"Hey, David?"

"Yes, Goliath?"

"Are you excited to meet Daddy's friend, too?"

David paused in his experimentation and, after taking a good look at his claw, enjoying the way it gleamed in the sunlight, he turned to look up at his older brother, already used to smothering the faint envy at his sibling's size, twice his own.

"An emo kid and a mage who talks about magic like a kid's show. Sounds fascinating."

Now, Goliath himself would happily admit he could be a little naive, but he wasn't stupid. He was more willing to trust than others, for sure, but he could still detect the dripping sarcasm in his brother's words. He even had a feeling David may have exaggerated his tone for his sake, which was very nice! David often did stuff like that. He was grumpy and prickly, but he cared.

"I mean, he can't be an emo kid if he's an adult. And! Magic sounds like a lot of fun. I thought you'd appreciate someone who does magic and likes blowing things up. You like explosions, no?"

Foudre injected herself into the discussion, leaving Blanche behind and hanging as the albino was going on and on about some new silver and gold accessories she and her sea serpent siren friend had found online and were planning to ask their parents to buy. Foudre loved her sister, she truly did, but sometimes her gushing about things she absolutely did not care about was... Well, she'd rather talk about, say, Captain Cyan or new stunts they could try during training. At least Blanche was less overbearing now that she had found a similarly-minded soul.

"Whatcha doing, boys? Talking about dad's friends?"

"Yeah! I'm super excited to meet them, but David doesn't think he'll get along."

"I did not say that. I just think I'd rather hang out with one of the old man's weird colleagues than his internet pals."

Now, to the oblivious ear, this might sound like David would rather be with odd strangers he wasn't too fond of than engage with soon-to-be family friends. His siblings, however, knew he was merely referring to... Well, the Silhouette side of things. Things they couldn't mention in public.

And truth be told, Lucille didn't fully disagree with her youngest sibling. Yes, she wished he weren't this open about it, but she, too, preferred the more interesting characters that surrounded their father's alternate persona. They could be egocentrics, but they were also fascinating and taught them valuable lessons. She knew and appreciated that civilian life was about having fun and not worrying about their Hero careers, but... Well, she couldn't deny that she was a bit of a workaholic. Just a bit. She preferred classes to recess, and she was tied with David and Foudre for their enjoyment of training, even if each sibling had different reasons. The only time she let herself fully relax was when watching Captain Cyan with the rest of the family.

"David, Father's friends are also his colleagues. Just the less important ones, I'll admit. And we should be encouraging him. He's been stressed with all the ill-intentioned actors approaching Shades of Penumbra, and he's only allowing himself to rest and have fun more lately."

"You're one to talk, Miss All-The-Work-All-The-Time. At least the old man tries to be casual sometimes. You're stuck in military mode 24/7. I don't see how that nerd with glasses can stand you."

"Timothy and I can easily cohabitate and collaborate thanks to our similar work ethics. That said, I would like to remind you that the purpose of this exercise is to further family bonds and improve our social skills in a controlled environment."

"It's board games and spaghetti night, not a drill or a class. Goliath, you're the friendly one. We need you to carry the team there. Lucille isn't wrong to say the old man needs to feel once in a while."

"Okay! But I think we're all friendly. Foudre is lots of fun, I'm sure they'll like her!"

"Aw, shucks, thanks, Gol. And yeah, I should be able to get along with Dad's friends. The explosion girl sounds like she'd have great stories and pointers for my lightning stuff."

"Foudre, no asking about powers or anything too personal. You know father's work is secretive."

In other words, not talking about Silhouette, Shades of Penumbra's activities, nor about the ratlings' own powers and abilities. Someone noticing David playing with air currents? Annoying, but ultimately salvageable and explainable as weak powers. Foudre asking questions about the best applications of lightning powers to defeat opponents? Now, that was far more specific and suspicious, especially if she let slip that she was the one with powers. Air powers could be pretty harmless, but electricity was always a dangerous thing, even in small amounts. A light shock could be enough to still a heart, or, less drastically, to paralyze or stun for a moment.

Not to mention, the more ratlings had their powers known, the worse it was for their career plans. Five rat Heroes working together and five rat siblings? It could be a coincidence. Five siblings with the same elemental affinities and powers as the rat Heroes? Now that was damning evidence. Lucille's powers already couldn't be as hidden because of her naturally metallic fur, so there would always be that one connection, even if she didn't actually use her power to the max in public. She figured David's power would leak sooner or later, he just didn't have the patience for subterfuge for too long, but Foudre? Now her sister could be reminded to be careful.

"Right, sorry, Lucille. I mean, I can still ask, but in theory, you know? Like, 'hey, what kind of magic spell would you use to fry a bunch of giant carnivorous bugs?', you know, casual stuff, things any kid would ask a wizard."

"You say that like you ain't a kid too, Sparks."

"You know what I meant, Murder Boy."

"Hmph. You really think a civilian like her will have any idea of how to use combat spells effectively?"

"I mean, Bruce knows how to make a pipe bomb and how to ruin cement, and he's a civilian. He just likes looking up weird stuff online because it looks cool."

"Skateboard guy knows how to make explosives? Okay, you have the second-best new pal out of all of us, I'll give you that."

"I'm guessing the number one spot goes to orc girl?"

"Lyra knows how to debone a still living Sickler, using just an axe. She earned her spot. We already plan to have a little hunting trip during the next holidays, so we can share tricks and techniques. Gotta show her how to dig in and crawl into a living thing to tear its insides apart."

Lucille, not liking where this discussion was going, promptly raised her tail to point its sharp edge at his snout, though both rodents were trained enough to make sure no actual contact or damage would happen. This was just their way of pointing fingers. She just so happened to have a sharp tail, much the same as David had sharp fingers, with how often he took care of his claws.

"You will not go on any such expedition, at least not without Father's approval, and if you do, it will be accompanied by experienced hunters, ready to help children such as you."

In other words, no rampaging to the best of his abilities. Lucille wasn't worried about her brother getting himself killed fighting some instinct-driven wild animals, a pain in her side he may be but he was a fearsome fighter, but rather she was worried that he could expose too much. Frankly, that was her second greatest concern on all matters related to David, with the first being the threat of violence. As in, the threat of him actually using violence, rather than merely threatening others with violence. To quote him, David didn't see the need to threaten people when actions spoke louder than words.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Soft and cute little rats can't go and have fun ripping and tearing things apart anymore these days."

"And Foudre, no bothering our guest with inquiries on combat spells. Even if she did know about them, it would be improper and inappropriate for a casual setting."

"Pretty sure one of the first questions most kids ask cops is if they killed people, and that seems like a worse question. Asking her her opinion on flashy spells doesn't seem that bad in comparison."

"Sister."

"Fine. I won't ask. But if she does broach the topics, I will ask questions."

"That... If she is the one who initiates that specific discussion, then... Alright. It is a fine compromise. But remember, our objective is, first and foremost, to have a good time with father and his friends. Plural. Don't only pay attention to the mage."

"Bah, David and Goliath got the other guy covered. Right, boys?"

David's deadpan stare was answer enough, while Goliath gave a very enthusiastic thumbs up. Blanche, finally noticing that no one had been listening to her for the past few minutes, let out a little offended humph before getting closer to the others, her ears twitching as she caught the last of the conversation. 

"Oh, Mister Black And White? Don't worry, dears, I'll handle it. I know Papa isn't the best with fashion, so he struggles to explain it properly. We'll see if that Silence knows how to pull off such a style correctly... Or if he will require a remedial lesson. I, for one, am eager to finally meet with an associate of his who has some fashion sense, even if poorly implemented. The others are all... Bleh. Better someone who actually tries, even if it's an abject failure."

David groaned and rolled his eyes, clutching his forehead between his claws.

"Seriously? You've got nothing better to do than talk about clothes?"

"Goodness, no! Skincare and accessorisation are important too. Depending on the shade of grey of his skin, that's very important too. Would it work well with silver, or would the two colors clash or merge too much? Should we bring out the lips or not? And the hair! I mean, you know Papa. He goes for a messy style to give it a noticeable silhouette, and that works well enough for him, but normal humans have more shades of black! And depending on the exact shade and how glossy it is, a cut with defined contours like Papa might serve well, or maybe something smoother instead! Not to forget the structure of the face, the shape of the skull... Oh, and general posture and mannerisms too!"

"Right, for a moment I forgot who I was talking to. Blanche, if I ever ask you that question again, just slap me. It will be faster and hurt less."

"Hmph. You're just a wild beast with no appreciation for aesthetics. Appearances matter, you animal. Appearances are what people see first, and statistically influence most people's long-term opinions. There's a reason the big Supers - Heroes and Villains both - are those with proper style and charisma, regardless of their power. Yes, stronger is generally better, but you'll never have a following or a big role with an even bigger paycheck if you don't get people's attention and, in one way or another, adoration. Charisma is a weapon, brother. Not as lethal as metal or bone, I'll grant you that, but just as damaging in the right hands. Influence is power, dear."

Foudre cleared her throat.

"Hey, sis? When you're done giving villain speeches, I think Dad's arriving."

The rat with the crooked tail nodded toward the street ahead, and the two bickering siblings followed her gaze to the trio of people arriving around the corner, the central one recognizably pitch black aside from his clothes, with one in red on one side and one in black and white on the other. Lucille and Goliath had already noticed the group, and were eagerly waiting for them - even if Goliath was more open about it than his younger sister's usual stern look. 

When the trio and the quintet noticed each other, two female voices could be heard rising at the same time, one from each side.

"Oh my Nine, they're adorable!"

"Oh yes, he's fashionable!"

Well, they were off to a great start.