horngeek

Glamazon would actually work quite well in more than a few ways!

Haukea, perhaps?

"Well..." Memorial smiled. "Right now I'm pretty limited compared to where I would be at full capacity. I can still fire and fire lasers at any threat that might be in there, and I'm quite a bit stronger than a standard human. If needed, I could probably make a window entry, give supporting fire?" She looked at the... movie set? Remembering the shadow that passed by the windows. "Whatever's in there seems like it was pretty big to me- we don't want to all go in by the same entry point and get bunched up, right?"

Shiranui is, indeed, a sophomore.

Stronghold soared. The first few times she'd used the ring to fly, her reaction had been 'ohgodthegroundtoofaraway', but she was over that, now. Now... it was just calming. She was starting to get used to the cold (when she wasn't using the Ring to cheat, like now)- which would be a good thing, now it was starting to get cold again. And the day really was beautiful. Haukea kept an eye on the Lear as she flew, mostly making sure she didn't fly into it. She was not the fastest thing in the sky by any measure, after all, and it was a good idea to make sure she didn't have to pull off any quick maneuvers. So, keep clear of any planes if she could. Still, she didn't see harm in at least shadowing the plane for a bit, flying in the same general direction. Whose plane was that, anyway?

Introduction Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence. "Well, I'm Haukea, a typical kid from Hawaii. Except I've got Asperger's. And I'm a superhero. And that's three sentences. Sorry." Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume? "Well, my superhero name's Stronghold. My sister- Kalani- calls me Kaikaina, sometimes, it's Hawaiian for a younger sibling. Or 'Kea." What is your full birth name? "Haukea Kawena." Where do you live? "Freedom City. My parents' house is in Hanover, but I mostly live at the Claremont Academy now." How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)? "I actually just turned 17- I was born in '97." Physical Traits What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain. "...it's pretty obvious I'm a girl." How would you describe your heritage? "Hawaiian. Not much European heritage, actually, which is pretty rare nowadays, I think there's a European ancestor a few generations back?" How tall are you? "Five feet, six inches. I'm... not exactly petite, but I'm not the tallest, either." What is your body type? "Pretty slender, I like to think I'm in shape. Nowhere near as fit as my sister, though." Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities? "Nope!" How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence? "Um. I'm a bit socially awkward, a bit shy. So, I tend to hang back slightly." Describe your skin, eye, and hair color. "Well, I've got fairly tanned skin... brown eyes, and black hair." How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair? "Tie it back or wear it loose. Facial hair would be pretty hard." Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others? Haukea blushes. "I... maybe? I don't know if others-" "They do." "'Lani!" Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks? "Ew. No. No tattoos or earrings." "I don't really get why you're so against earrings, Kaikaina. They don't hurt that much..." "Whose interview is this?" Do you resemble anyone famous? "...sis?" "No one comes to mind." Do you have a dominant hand? "Left-handed." What kind of clothing do you wear? "Nothing really that fancy, I don't really see the point." Do you wear makeup? "For formal stuff, yeah, but it just takes too long, and I look fine without it." "For once, I actually agree with you on the 'look fine without it'. Anyway, going now! Have fun with the rest of the interview, 'Kea!" What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way? "I'm a Mezzo-Soprano, I remember, so middle of the range for girls. Not distinctive, I don't think." Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people? "Um... I say um a lot when I'm thinking. Sometimes annoying." History Where do you come from? "Hawaii, my family used to live on Oahu- it's not the biggest island, but it is the most populated.." Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown? "Yeah, moved to Freedom City." Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country? "...not really, come to think of it. I've always been more focused on the people in that country." How do you feel about the place you come from? "Beautiful. Sometimes dangerous, but always warm. And the surf... yeah. No place like home." Where is your home town? What was/is it like? "I grew up in Honolulu- capital of the state, and it was... pretty busy, actually. Nice to live in." Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you? "Native Hawaiians are pretty rare nowadays. I'm... not sure how it affected us, really. Have to think on that." Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life? "I am not good at social interaction. Not horrible at it, but... it's not that easy to learn social stuff for me." Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)? "...not that I can think of." Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life. "Like I said before, I was a pretty socially awkward kid. Still am. But Kalani... she always looked out for me, made sure any bullies backed off. That's... one of the major reasons I developed a desire to help people, I suppose." What stupid things did you do when you were younger? "...well, there was that one time I tried catching a wave that was waaaaay too large for me..." Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it? "Primary and Secondary school was in a school in Hawaii, and once we moved to Freedom, I ended up at Claremont. It's been pretty good so far- we've had good teachers, and I haven't got hit by any nightmare bullying stories I've heard about." Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not? "Not... really? Nothing really important to me." When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision? Haukea blushes again. "To be honest, it wasn't a single, active decision. More like I got the offer from Cobalt Templar and accepted." Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why? "I don't go into full detail, but no, my stated reason's pretty much it." Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you? "I really don't." Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why? "I suck at lying- I couldn't hide who I was if I wanted to." If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets? "...not very much. This bit's pretty boring, sorry." Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge? "Nooooope." Family What are your biological parents' names? "Mikala's my dad, and Kaena's my mom." Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you. "Yep, they did!" What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living? "Let's see... well, we were pretty well-known to the neighbours. Dad works for AEGIS- I thought he worked in ordinary law enforcement until secondary school- and mum's a web designer." Where are your parents now? "At home in Hanover. Actually, Dad's probably just arrived home, given their schedule..." Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot? "We pretty much stayed in one area- Freedom City's the first big move we've done." How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable). "We get along really well..." How do your parents view you now, or how would they? "...they're really supportive of me. And the whole superhero thing." Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them. "One sister, Kalani. We're twins, and she's a looot more athletic than I am. I mean, I'm not unfit, but she's a Savate practitioner. She's also better at emotions than I am." What was your birth order in the family? "Last, by about twenty minutes. Actually, Kalani's legally a day older than me- she was born ten minutes before midnight, I was born ten minutes afterwards." Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do? "Kalani's at school in Hanover. Still too young for a family, but I think she's actually working towards a martial arts tournament? I'm going to go cheer her on in a few months." Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged? "Not going to lose touch with 'Lani. No way." Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular? "...not really." Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)? "Mum's pretty similar to me in a lot of ways... and 'Lani's always been there. Dad, too, although we don't see him as often, and he interacts with Kalani more. Can't really decide, huh." Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain. "Noooooo... don't think so." Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life. "Again, don't think so. We might have had a chief back in the family line somewhere." Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them. "I'm six- seventeen. Oh, god, I actually can give consent, can't I? Um. Noooo... not yet." If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind? "...yeah. I think I do want someone to be with. Kids... I'm not actually sure I am attracted to boys enough to want to be with one. But that can be gotten around, so... yeah. I think I would." What type of person would be your ideal mate? "...kind. Shares at least some of my interests, and, ah... might be willing to... try new things out. Um. Next question!" Relationships Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them. "Um... let's see... I've got a couple of friends back in Hawaii... but most of my friends are here at Claremont. Cho, Will... and Kalani, of course. And... okay, there is the Psycho-Collective. Which is more a 'me giving support' than anything else. I'm not actually afraid of bugs anymore, though." Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend? "Probably my sister." If you were to go missing, who would worry about you? "My parents, my sister, and my friends at Claremont. ...if I ever get kidnapped, I pity whoever did it." Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do? "Nope." Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you. "I hope not." If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future? "...I don't have many friends. So, trying to attack them... might work. On the other hand, my friends are tougher than I am. And I seriously pity anyone dumb enough to go after Dad." What is the worst thing someone has done to you? "Not talking about that one." Where do your loyalties lie? In what order? "...protecting the innocent comes first... family second. The United States... maybe. Doesn't live up to the ideal much." Who or what do you trust the most? Why? "...Kalani or my dad. They'd always have my back if I needed them to watch it." Who or what do you despise? Why? "Anyone who'd attack the innocent for their own gain." What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess? "Protectors. People who... just know what to do. I'm growing into the first, not so much into the second." What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities? "Willful ignorance, racism... disregard for others. Glad to say I don't." Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why? "I do. My friends and family all know it- my family has the right to know, and I literally go to a school for superheroes, so of course my friends know." Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower? "I work fairly well in teams, but I'm definitely not a good leader." Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them? "I'm part of the reboot of Next-Gen." Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that? "Nooo... might see if I can start an RPG club at Claremont sometime." Personality & Beliefs Who are your heroes? "...Cobalt Templar. Partially because the guy trusted me to be a Ring-Bearer." Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances? "...not me, personally, but... I always thought the Centurion shouldn't have disbanded the Freedom League. Seemed a lot like just running away." Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it? "I like helping people. Protecting them." Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides? "...being crippled might make me retire, depending. I... honestly can't see me switching sides." What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)? "Finishing up at Claremont... I think I want to go into architecture." What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)? "I'm not sure. Still protecting people... maybe help with disaster relief, that's something the Orange Ring should be good at." What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear? "I'm... not sure. Losing the friends and family I have, maybe?" Is there anything you would give you life for? "If it's a choice between my life and those of innocents... if it does come down to that... yeah, I could see myself giving my life to save those people." How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it a mark of success, or a means to an end? "Having it's nice, I suppose? Having money's not a bad thing, but wanting it just for itself... eugh. It doesn't have any value by itself! So, yeah, means to an end. And I probably will be generous. Not to the point of putting myself in poverty, but... yeah, it's another way to help." How do you generally treat others? "I try to treat people well... um, I can occasionally speak before I think, though. Have in the past, anyway." Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused? "I try to think the best of people... not talking about the second one." Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence? "Introverted." How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex? "Ummm... mostly start blushing a lot. Gets worse when they flirt." What are your most annoying habits? "...Kalani could answer this one. I, uh, sometimes don't realise when I'm doing an annoying habit. And by sometimes I mean often." Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why? "The willfully ignorant in general, and people who are prejudiced more specifically. This one should really be obvious. Also... had a bad experience in Primary. Not going into that." What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can? "Pizza..." What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? "Something cold and fizzy. Pepsi." What is your favorite treat (dessert)? "Ice cream in general." Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat? "...should I make a list? Anything... slimy." What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike? "Red, I'd say..." What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate? "I really, really don't like heavy metal. That stuff that you really feel in your body. Urgh. Um... I like soundtracks." If you have a favorite scent, what is it? "Not really. Freshly-cooked stuff is always nice, though." Do you have a favorite animal? "Not since I found out what dolphins get up to, I don't." What is your most treasured possession? Why? "The Orange Ring, I'd say. Mostly because... hmm. I suppose because it's a representation of what I want to do with my life. And the trust that it represents." Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts? "...no real preference. I slightly prefer creature comforts, but camping can be fun." Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do? "...do you want a list?" Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life?How important is it to you? "I don't think the universe came from nothing, but... I don't really believe any of the religions out there. Not yet, anyway." Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special? "Noooope." If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization? "Not applicable, see above." Could you kill? Have you killed? "I haven't killed... I... don't know if I could. Hm." What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action? "...nothing in particular, I think. Life. Same stuff that lead to my wanting to protect people." Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they? "The last possible way to protect a large number of innocents. Nothing else." How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours? "Stop the person who did it before they could hurt anyone else. And no, I don't think my reaction would be any different." How would you react if something important was stolen from you? "I... don't know. I'd be pretty angry, I know that much. I'd want it back." How would you react to public humiliation? "...depends on the type." How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you? "I... don't think I'd handle it well... I don't have many close relationships. No, it's never happened." What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why? "Genocide, for the obvious reasons. Heck, any kind of mass murder." If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours? "Not entirely sure. Say goodbye to my friends and family... then contact the Freedom League, ask if there's anything really dangerous they need help with. Best person to send into a situation that might call for a heroic sacrifice is someone who knows they're about to die anyway, right? Basically, look up Tv Tropes and go to that one on The Last Dance." Career & Training Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it? "I've got some training from Claremont, and Cobalt Templar's done some work with me on using the Ring- not really specific stuff, since our Rings have really different abilities." Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person? "Templar. He's a bit standoffish sometimes, but he's pretty cool." Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them? "Not... really? Don't think so, anyway. Maybe I should pick up escapology or something..." Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to? "I go to school. So no, not really. I do plan to do something, probably architecture." What is your preferred combat style? "Hang back, make constructs, do a Toph Bei Fong impression with my geokinetic skills and generally act as ranged support instead of getting in close." Have you ever received any awards or honours? "Not really been a hero long enough to get those." What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could? "Let's see... mostly get some more skill with the Ring, I think. There's nothing in particular, although I'll probably figure out some good areas to expand in as I go on." How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn? "Teach me, sensei! Or sifu. Or kumu, depending on what language you're using." Lifestyle & Hobbies What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine? "Wake up, go to school, save the world. Okay, maybe not the last one, but i do have a pretty good routine down. As far as interruptions go, I... tend to get a bit annoyed." Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up? "I'm a pretty avid anime watcher. Me and my sister are currently working our way through Jojo. As for where I picked that up... hm. Not sure. I think mum might have introduced us." What do you do for fun? "Read, mostly..." Do you have a costume? What does it look like? "I do! It's orange with a black top section, and I've added armor to it recently. It's all created by the Orange Ring... which could be awkward if anyone ever nullified the thing somehow. Hrm." How do you normally dress when not in costume? "T-shirt, jeans... pretty casually. I sometimes wear my swimwear around the house, but that's when I'm planning to go swimming and I don't really do that in Freedom." What do you wear to bed most nights? "Pajamas now we're living in Freedom. I wore undies to bed back in Hawaii, but not sure why that got asked." Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like? "The Orange Ring of the Protective Builder. It's a platinum ring with a wulfenite set into it. Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables? What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance? "Local... probably by car or walk. Long distances, by plane. Or, I can use the Orange Ring to fly there, but that's not what it's good at." Miscellaneous Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make? "I... no. The big thing would be the Orange Ring, and that should go back to Templar for safekeeping." If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body? "Uh... dental records?" What would you like to be remembered for after your death? "Here lies Haukea Kawena. She died doing the right thing. To quote the Dresden Files." Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not? "...of course not. Come on, I'm a hero, why would that be a thing?" What do you perceive as your greatest strength? "Uh... determination." What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? "I really don't get social interactions sometimes." As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice... It can help to be a bit flexible when things go differently than you were expecting. And you're not as bad at social stuff as you thing you are.

I can easily adjust PL for this, so let's see who else is interested and with what PLs.

So, an introduction thread for Shiranui! When a 16-year old girl is kidnapped, it turns out that the girl in question had recently developed powers of what may well have been a mystical source... and there's some signs that magic may have been involved in the kidnapping itself. As such, the heroes are contacted by the authorities/get involved. This plot would work with street-level or mystical characters- I still need to do some plotting out, so I can actually work the PL around whoever shows interest. So, who's interested?

I know, I did that.

REIMAGED by Thevshi Stronghold Please switch her character portrait to this image: In addition, to bring Stronghold's age in line with the other kids in her year, please switch her age to 17, and her birthday to 28 September, 1997. Finally, she needs an update on her thread name, now she's PL10.

Stronghold >Dream of You (1 post) >Welcome to Earth (2 posts) >UndrWYRMed (2 posts) >A Little Friendly Competition (1 post) Memorial >When the Nothing Shines Upon (3 posts) >Metallic Mesozoic Monsters! (1 post)

"The ship's kinda redundant anyway, now that the reactors are up and running." At the question, Kyla paused. "We called it... what we're pretty sure it called itself. The Communion. As for what it was..." For about half a minute, she was silent. "Best we could figure, it was a... kind of self-replicating mechanical hive mind of some sort. Viewed itself as the pinnacle of existence." Kyla practically spat the words out. "It'd worked to subvert, control and assimilate worlds for... we don't know how long. Absorb the minds it viewed as valuable, turn everything else into resources. Static, unlearning. A working blasphemy against life itself. We knew it was coming... it... helped somewhat." She sighed. "At least, we put up a fight. But we didn't have time. So... I was sent off. To warn people. I... don't remember all of what followed." She frowned. "What we learned of the Communion lead us to believe that they act in... patterns, perhaps. Absorb life in one area, then settle into dormancy and wait. There were some sensors hidden, so they'd monitor the area, and if the Communion started stirring again, they'd send a signal. That's actually what the ship's for- and before I went under to preserve power, I set up some protocols to start transmitting a distress signal if I received that..." The young woman fell silent again, before raising a hand to her face, covering her eyes. "No. Cry later. The long and short of it is, if that distress call went out, the Communion's probably active again. And we need to let more people know, or the dammed cycle's going to repeat. I'm not letting that happen if I can stop it."

"...that thing? Beyond repairs, I'd say. Which takes a lot of damage, actually, our technology is-" Kyla paused, for a long moment. "Was rather tough. Nine times out of ten, the problem's a lack of power. I can do space travel under my own power, anyway." She sighed. "To a degree. Right now, if there's somewhere where people are nearby, that's where I need to be. The... entity... that damaged this ship and I... well, there's a good chance they're going active again."

Since you're a fellow Aussie, this will get to you at the correct time (for you). Happy birthday, Darksider!

Try Orokos.

Stronghold's reaction was quite simple. As the robots moved forwards, the Orange Ring shone. Orange bands, reinforcing themselves, started to form around the giant robot- before it managed to slip out of the bonds. Still, her point was made. "Not happening. You are not welcome here. She is. Stand down." Well, that did it. Hopefully, she hadn't just started an interstellar incident. Or an invasion. But then again, she probably wouldn't have backed down from protecting someone even if she knew it would escalate. That just wasn't her. It would've been nice if that bind had worked, though.

"Uuuuuuuh..." Stronghold looked around. "Yeah, about that bit... we're not exactly at the point where we have easily accessible space travel just yet. You could always talk to the Freedom League, I guess. They'd have the most contact with space-faring civilisations? But people here on Earth... haven't really gone to space all that much, so I don't think the stuff you could use would be easily available. Sorry." Haukea shuffled around slightly awkwardly. "Um. Why were those drones after you, anyway?"

Corona wasn't the only one who noticed the activity- Memorial dropped out of the sky, pulling off a perfect landing on the pavement- dust slightly thrown up as her feet dropped lightly onto the ground. Her scarf played out in the wind, as the red-haired cyborg looked at the window. "Oooooh, so that's why there's all the Justices around, huh. Sorry, police officers. Need to get the correct terminology. Anyway, I'm Memorial, pleased to meet you... Corona, was it?" Kyla tilted her head in respect, both towards Corona and the Sergeant. "Anyway. No idea what that thing might be, but we could always go inside and check? I mean, I don't know about you, but I'd say I'm tough- and fast- enough to keep out of the way of... Whatever that is. Actually, what is that place, anyway?"

...that's actually a really good idea. souffle, want me to PM you a 'some of the stuff I thought up about Belran culture', see if we can make it work?

Tagged.

You could always switch 'avenger' to 'champion'. Why do her people have to be lost?

Charge successful. Primary reactor: rebooting. Memorial's hair started to glow, light playing over the walls of the ship as the last of the excess energy vented. Systems check commencing. Indefinite operation now possible. Repair systems report: that was dumb. But worked. Please don't do it again. "Did my repair systems just-" Kyla shook her head, before nodding to Thrude in respect. "Right. I thank you, Daughter of Storms. All of you." She smiled, although it looked slightly... forced, perhaps. "Yes. Kyla Han'denor. And yes, thanks, I'm feeling better. Implants all working- for a certain definition of working. I'm not at full capacity, but that'll just take time, I think." Finally, she sighed. "I'm... I don't actually know who the Star Knights are, sorry. Where am I, anyway?" And then, she saw the armored figure floating in, and decided to answer another question of her own. "These people just saved my life."

Haukea fell silent, thinking. "Well..." She'd come into this thinking it might be like anything else. Bad guys to beat down, someone to stop. But that wasn't it at all, was it? "More than I did. More than I could do. I've... never been very good at dealing with emotions. Mine... other peoples'... I've always relied on other people to help with that. My sister, my parents... friends..." She was rambling. Again. "Um. Anyway. I couldn't do what was really important in a place like that. You had strength I didn't. And..." ... "Okay, while it's really geeky, the best way I can think to put this is from Harry Potter. Yeah, it was a dream, but that didn't mean it wasn't real. If that makes sense? It might not have seemed like much, but it... It mattered."