secondling

Legatus Blue eyes flicked to Leon and Owain's conversation and a faint surge of nostalgic regret passed over Felix. Ah, youth. Not that I'm that much older, of course. Returning his gaze to Carmen, he nodded gravely, giving her shoulder a (very) gentle squeeze. "People can be cruel, but family is far more than blood." Even if you can't choose them, as you can your friends... they aren't always related to you by blood. He shifted uncomfortably at where that thought might lead him, shoving it back. "Sometimes you leave home, and sometimes home leaves you. Whenever you reunite afterwards, well..." He added. "Nothing's ever the same as it was." He remained silent for a time at the suggestion of fear of herself. I... The bloody mess, the tearing flesh, the screams - all filled his head for a moment before he shook them off. "I know how you feel, if not exactly. Losing control of my power could hurt anyone I touch - and a bunch of people that I don't. I could even cripple myself if I'm not careful." Felix took a breath, before leaning in closer to whisper to her. "Why are you afraid of yourself?" He asked, oblivious to the gentle warmth of his breath on her skin.

Legatus Felix rubbed a hand over his face, turning to look over the pool before turning back to Carmen with a tired smile. "I'm... sorry that you went through something like I did. No one should need to." Privately, he doubted she had gone through quite the same experiences as him, but... No one should have to endure growing up without affectionate guardians. He hesitated. "I guess I was 'normal' - without powers - for about as long as you. I only got them a few years ago, back when I joined Claremont." Now, XX, what can I share with this young woman? How much of our burden can I put on her shoulders? "I just had a number. No real name. I was, after all, to be a hero." Felix said finally, the last words coming out bitter. "A hero, the professor believed, had no need for a... 'normal' name." He turned to her fully, gently placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "Being afraid sucks." He added bluntly. "I don't blame you for wanting to move past it. To change the lives of everyone we can for the better." He smiled a little, but shook his head. "I'm still working on being normal. It's probably going to be a lifelong effort for me." Though really, I don't know how long I'll live. Probably quite some time, but... maybe not. His siblings' dead faces rose up in his memory. No. Not right now. She deserves my attention. Not you. "Do you remember your family, at all?" He asked, finally. "I had a family, after a fashion. My siblings and I... though we definitely weren't normal." XV, XX, I'm so sorry... The guilt never really went away.

Legatus Girls (And Boys) Just Want to Have Fun (at the Pool) (2)

Legatus "Sponsored, huh?" Felix eyed the younger woman thoughtfully. "They did it for me, too. More or less." He scratched his chin. Though now that I think about it, I'm not wholly positive who's paying for my education at Claremont. Shaking the thought away, he looked at her sympathetically when she mentioned being an orphan. "Yet another thing we have in common. Probably. I've never met my parents, anyways, so I'm close enough to be an orphan, I figure." He laughed aloud, before holding up a hand to forestall any offense. "I'm not laughing at your reason to come to Claremont, just at the similarities between us, and the differences. You see, I'm here for a similar reason, but with the opposite... direction, I guess?" Felix sighed. "I came to Claremont because I needed to learn how to be a normal person in a place where I wouldn't be a cause for chaos if I lost control of my strength and hurt someone... and myself." He looked away. "You see, I was raised to be a hero. Helping people was all I knew when I was young. Or rather, it was the goal towards which all of my education was aimed. Coming to Claremont was a step towards 'normal' for me, rather than a step towards heroism, I guess."

Legatus Girls (and Boys) Just Want to Have Fun (at the Pool) (2)

Legatus "It's good to relax over break. Take it easy, figure out what you're doing and..." Felix abruptly laughed at himself. "Now I'm just talking about my own feelings about the summer. Anyways, you never know what might come up during the summer. Not as much structure for us means more chance to end trouble. Or get into it." He winked, before turning his eyes to the pool. "I understand what it feels like to be an outsider." He said, his smile genuine but slightly sad. "I am from around here, but... well, my upbringing was more than a little weird compared to some folks'." So many opportunities missed. Such a strange life, compared to the average person's. Need to figure out how to keep in touch with others, otherwise I'm going to end up disconnected from people. He took a slow breath, releasing it in a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "You're from Puerto Rico, though?" The way he says the name is oddly accented - not Spanish, but not American English either. "What brought you to Claremont, then?"

Legatus "Yeah, I'm Felix." Now I am, at any rate. "I think I've seen you around once or twice, but I've not been very, uh... sociable." Felix chuckled dryly. "Call it a product of a troubled upbringing. Anyways..." He settled back on the lounge chair, wincing as it creaked alarmingly. "As you say, I don't think we know much about each other. Do you have plans for the summer?" He looked over at the other teens as they bantered with one another, his sense of isolation pushing in on him against his will. Camaraderie. Friendship. My siblings, I still miss you... He shoved it aside, trying to pay attention to Carmen. Focus on the now.

Legatus Hades Gala, departure (4) Girls (And Boys) Just Want to Have Fun (at the Pool) (4)

Legatus With no sign of any authorities, Felix shrugged mentally, flew over the fence, and landed nearby to the pool. He considered the group, a faint smile ghosting over his lips. Carefree. Not a bad thing to be. He stripped off his shirt, tossing it aside to reveal an unsurprisingly sculpted physique, and began some warm ups. Not that he needed to do so - he couldn't drown, as he didn't need to breathe, but being an example for others who did have those needs was an important part of who he needed to be. Not that I'm going to tell them off for not doing so. He smiled as he finished up, before looking to Owain. "It's a good point, but as Leon says, I think we're safe enough." He shrugged. "I wouldn't drink any of it, though. That would be a terrible idea, but that's true of most places you could swim." Felix turned to some of the others. That's... Carmen, right? He approached her, settling down on a chair nearby, though not lounging. "Not interested in the water right now?" He asked, before lifting a hand. "If you'd rather I leave you alone, though, don't hesitate to tell me. I won't be offended."

Legatus Felix blinked, flushing faintly as he turned to Naomi. "Oh really? Sorry about that, Naomi. I... well, never mind what I assumed. As the saying goes..." He shook his head. As Neko moved forward to climb the fence the young man lunged forwards to grab at her, but was just barely too late to do so. "Wait! She said not to... touch the fence... dammit." He flew upwards, surveying the area to see if there were any visible alarms. "I don't see anything, but they might be silent alarms..." Felix turned to the others. "Are we going to risk sticking around?"

Legatus "Hi Wilona." Felix grinned and nodded at his fellow (former) classmates, and ran off to get changed. Once ready, he rejoined the others, bright eyes sweeping over them. Wait, we're not headed to the Academy pool? Huh. I wasn't expecting that. "Uh, I'd also like to borrow a ride if one's being offered. I could fly overhead, but... I'm not terribly surreptitious... oh." A private bus. He hadn't been expecting that. During the ride over, he looked at the two time-lost students. I hope they're okay... they both look a little stressed. He settled himself a comfortable distance away from anyone else - not wanting to intrude. Most people were more used to having (excess, to him) space around them. Whereas we never really had much room to run around, even as children. Once they arrived, he chuckled. "Wow. You've outdone yourself, Wilona. I did not expect to come to something like this for a little hangout."

Legatus "I was thinking that myself, yeah." Legatus nodded at Grim. "But at the same time, xenia requires that we eat, if we want to be considered guests." The young man grinned at Kimber. "Glad to hear it. Cheating Hades seems like a good idea. I suppose we all do it fairly often, actually." He scratched his chin with his shepherd's crook, fighting down the alarm at Sea Devil's comment. I... does she eat sapient people? He didn't know enough about her to say whether she was being serious or not, and her facial expressions weren't enlightening him any further.

Legatus Legatus grinned. "Xenia, I remember." Hopefully he does, as well... and hopefully it's not in the Underworld. I wouldn't really want to be trapped there. The smile faded. "Will you be alright? I can't imagine that getting out of Hades' reach will be in any way easy for someone who's, uh, not alive any more." He snorted at her suggestion of the Olympians being like teens. "True enough."

Legatus Shielding his eyes, Felix surveyed the dorm area for what would probably be the last time. Graduated already, huh? And me feeling only slightly less lost than I was when I joined. I guess, at least, I can go out in public and not make a fool of myself now- His thoughts were disrupted by the sound of multiple voices. Huh. The pool? "Hey everyone." The young graduate - who didn't feel quite fit for the title - approached them. "Mind if I come along?" He asked. For the last time before I jump into the sea of pseudo-adulthood, at any rate. "I'd just need to grab my own swimwear."

Legatus Legatus frowned, troubled, before blinking and shaking his head. "Sorry, I forgot my manners. I'm Legatus." He grinned. "Though I don't normally look like this, as I'm sure is the case for all of you." He extended his hand to each in turn, his brow furrowing briefly as he looked at Sea Devil. He shifted uncomfortably at the discussion of breasts, both bemused and mildly embarrassed to be listening. When Sea Devil and Grim voiced their agreement, he nodded swiftly, hoping to move past the subject as soon as possible. "Oh, it's a trap." The young man agreed, growing serious once more. "But is it a trap by other gods as well as Hades? Or..." A more troubling idea occurred to him. "Is it a trap for those other gods? I'm not sure why he'd invite the heroes of the world, if that were the case, but..."