What's the saying? Advanced technology isn't distinguishable from magic? Something like that.
[ He'll shrug at this point. The whole science and magic thing is interesting, but that's so not his territory. In fact, the first person he can think of who's interested in it is Doom, and no one wants Doom here. ]
No, but I've heard of San Francisco and Tokyo. [ He's not super surprised by it any more. It's not like he hasn't seen or heard some strange stuff out traveling the multiverse. ]
Both of those still exist. [There's an amused smirk.] San Fransokyo was established in the early 1900s after a huge earthquake in San Francisco. When they started rebuilding the city they just sort of built another one right next to it and that's where it came from. We're pretty close to San Francisco. ...I kinda miss it.
I don't think you can entirely get away from homesickness here. I miss New York, and the people I left behind.
[ He'll look away for a few moments. Boy, this beanbag chair is super interesting or something. When he finally looks up again, it's with forced cheer. ]
I dunno, dude, I was doing pretty good so far. [And Billy's the only one he'll admit that to. He doesn't even mind changing the subject because man, screw being homesick. Screw this place sometimes.
But he grins even if it's also sort of forced, waving his hands to gesture around the room.]
We need some more places thanks to Caer Scima being destroyed, right? Why not build up this one? Saber asked me to help out and I kinda got carried away. I wanted to make it into something I created instead of just something I was adding onto.
Yeah, I don't know. I think I'm okay, but then I'm not. [ This isn't something he's told anyone else about yet. Not that he wants to sit here talking about his feelings. ] It's a work in process.
[ He'll grin, when Hiro talks about the spire again. ] You? Get carried away? I can't imagine.
["You and me both." But he's not going to finish that line of thought because no, he doesn't want to sit here and talk about feelings either. Maybe another time but there are more important things to discuss right now.] Some things are just progressing a lot faster than others.
Oh come on, it's not that bad. [It's...really that bad.] I don't have a whole city to protect anymore. This was the next best thing. Nobody's stopping me either so it's probably a good idea. [Somehow.]
I bet they're too bowled over by your enthusiasm to even think about stopping you.
[ Not that it's a bad thing. Billy's happy that Hiro seems to have found his place here, especially since Billy himself is still struggling with that. ]
You better watch out, you might get a city to design next.
[That was probably the wrong thing to say because that enthusiasm? Suddenly amped up by another ten or so.] You think? That would actually be really cool. I could make it look like home with skyscrapers and everything, but I'd probably need some more elves...
[Hiro. Focus. He tones it down a little then, giving Billy a slightly sheepish look as he focuses on his hands instead.] Somebody told me there's no room for heroes here, so this is the next best thing. We just started the hero thing anyway so maybe it's better this way.
Yeah, city building probably requires tons of elves. I'm sure there's something about this in a Dungeons and Dragons manual back home. [ Is he teasing Hiro? Maybe a little, but it's a friendly sort of ribbing.
The thing about heroes gets Billy frowning slightly, though. He can guess who said that, and it doesn't exactly thrill him. Attacking the person probably won't help when Hiro's involved, but Billy can at least challenge the words. ] Do you really think that? That there's no room for heroes here at all?
[He can take the teasing in stride at least. In fact, he just snaps his fingers and returns with a cheesy sort of grin.] That's a bummer. I left mine in my other backpack.
[At least it's nice to know he's not the only one who finds all of this still a little...weird. Beyond that though Billy's guess...probably isn't wrong. It was one of the first things Jason said to Hiro when they first met, and therefore one of the things that has stuck with him the longest. When Billy asks the grin fades and he settles for shaking his head.] I don't really know. Left my superhero manual in my other backpack, too. ...heroes are the ones who sacrifice everything to save other people, right? How many people would be willing to do that in a place like this?
I don't know how fair it is to say 'everything'. [ This was something that Billy had given a lot of thought to in the last few months. He thought he knew what a hero was, but Cassie's death, the business with Mother...it left him wondering if it was possible or even healthy to frame it as sacrifice. Heroes want to help people, but there's always a cost. The hard part was weighing that. ]
But I do want to help people here. I don't think it has to be an either or thing. Everyone has their own way of being a hero, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Jason told me that the difference between being a hero and not being a hero is the choice between killing and not killing. [May as well come out and say it. Sorry Billy, Hiro has absolutely no idea what you've gone through back home.] Heroes can't kill and will sacrifice themselves first. But doesn't it seem so...black and white?
[There's a slightly subdued smile.] I want to help people, too. That's what the spire's for. And I'm going to do some other things to help. But is it really being a hero, or is it playing pretend? I don't know. The news called us heroes back home because we stopped the destruction of the city and prevented the murder of Alistair Krei but it wasn't just about that. We did it to bring down the guy in the mask for something else he'd already done, too. Where's the line between doing it for the greater good and doing it for yourself?
[He's worried about that, really. He knows he stopped Callaghan because he couldn't let him destroy the city or kill Krei or cause even more damage with his microbots...but he also stopped Callaghan to make sure he received the proper punishment for his other crimes. The ones that directly affected Hiro. And maybe it's bad to ask Billy but right now Billy might be the only one who kinda gets it.]
[ The mention of Jason's thoughts on super heroes has Billy sighing. Of course Jason got to Hiro with his opinion on this, as biased as it is. ]
So it might come as a total surprise, but Jason and I don't agree on some things. This is one of them. I could be totally wrong, but I get the feeling that Jason is really tied to his own point of view on this. There's nothing bad about that by itself, but he tends to get so wrapped up that he ignores other points of view? The way I see it, killing or not killing is more of a personal decision. Most heroes in my world do their best not to kill, but it doesn't always work out the way they want it to. Then there's people like Captain America, who fought in an actual war and probably wasn't just knocking out the Nazis.
I don't kill. It's not about super heroes, it's about what I will and won't do. Plus, people are already afraid of my powers. What do you think would happen if I showed a disregard for human life? Bye bye freedom, it was nice knowing you. But on the other hand, I- [ He's going to look down here, because this part doesn't make him proud. ] It may seem like the easiest solution to the problem, but it's better to try and find another way. Sacrificing yourself only hurts the same people you were trying to help.
[ Then Billy starts thinking about selfishness and Cassie and it all hits him again. He doesn't want to do this, but telling Hiro about it might help? You know, or drive him further away from super heroes. It's a tricky situation and Billy doesn't know what to do. ] The line's pretty thin.
Oh yeah? I hadn't noticed. [It's not like they didn't completely butt heads when Loki told them about Ragnarok...oh wait.] Jason's opinions aren't really wrong but I think he might just be presenting them wrong. He's just as stubborn as the rest of us and he kinda doesn't know everything about the hero thing. [Give him a sec to think on that.] Like accidentally killing someone or bringing them down before they hurt themselves.
["Why would people be afraid of your powers?" He wants to ask. He really, really wants to ask but he doesn't because it seems like something Billy's ready to discuss yet. Maybe in...five minutes. There's something bigger here and even while Billy's not looking at him anymore Hiro's hanging on to every word.]
...either that, or sacrificing yourself only gives the same people you were trying to help leverage to hurt others. [That's what happened in the case of Tadashi and Callaghan, right?] How thin is the line?
Stubborn, us? What gave you that idea? [ We're not stubborn, Hiro, we're just...really attached to what we think we know is true? Something like that. ]
I think the moral of the story is don't sacrifice yourself, because there has to be another way. Not that finding it is always easy. [ He'll hesitate, before contining on. ] The line thing was more about doing the hero thing to help people or for your own selfish reasons. Like was I searching for the Scarlet Witch to help her or because I wanted to find my mom? I don't think I can answer that, even now.
Oh, you know. Little bird told me so. [Hah..hah...if he only knew.]
There's a couple of people I wish I could explain that to. [Casually spoken like it doesn't hurt to think about it.] There's always another way to solve problems if you look at it from different angles. [...and if you have enough time.] Maybe there's nothing wrong with being a little selfish sometimes. If you can accomplish both of those at the same time it doesn't make you a bad person. I think.
With something like that though? [Hm.] Was anyone else trying to help her?
Yeah, I have some experience with wishing I could go back into the past and yell at a couple of people. [ Including himself. Mostly himself, in fact.
He'll flinch a little, when they drift back to Wanda. ] She did something terrible, or at least everyone thought she had. The Avengers and the X-Men were somewhere between never wanting to find her and wanting to make sure she couldn't hurt anyone else again. It wasn't actually her fault, but at the time I had nothing to go on but my gut.
Too bad they haven't really perfected time travel yet. At least not where I'm from.
[...don't think he didn't spot that, dude.] Who ever said gut feelings were wrong though? [There's a skeptical look at the names Avengers and X-Men though, a very vague hint of recognition but he's not saying anything.] But you were able to prove she was innocent, right?
It's not a great idea, even when it's an option. Plus, they don't usually let kids mess around in the time machines. [ Billy's only half joking here, but it likely sounds entirely like one. ]
Yeah, but not until after a lot of people were hurt.
[Joke or not, that's still something Hiro's honing in on.] Wait they actually exist where you're from? They've figured it out? [Huh. Maybe there's some hope for the future after all if other worlds not entirely unlike his own can make it happen.]
...just sorta ties right back into being the hero means sometimes hurting the people you're trying to help. I wish there was an easier answer to all of this. But it wasn't your fault. [...right?]
No, not like what you're thinking. Don't mess around with time. [ Most of the options that he could think of were magic, but that was partly due to the last few months and his own powers. Not that this was the time to think about Demiurge stuff.
He'll hesitate, before continuing. ] I thought it was my fault, for a long time. Still do, when I'm in a bad place.
Even if I figured out a way to make sure everything went off perfectly? [It's tempting. You have no idea how tempting it is, Billy, not to mention the fact that Hiro has a problem with having too many ideas and now having a lot of time on his hands.
Except that? That's not good. That's…oh…] …it's not fair to blame yourself for everything. [He's not going to say it wasn't entirely Billy's fault because he doesn't know, but he knows better than anyone that blame can't solely fall on one person all the time.] You weren't the only person involved.
That's the problem; you can't unless you're going for the god upgrade. [ The implication here being don't go for the god upgrade. It's not as awesome as you'd think. ]
No, there was a lot of blame to go around. I can see that now, but it was harder before. I mean, I was the one who pushed for it, who got my team involved, started working with a sometimes terrorist, and I could go on.
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[ He'll shrug at this point. The whole science and magic thing is interesting, but that's so not his territory. In fact, the first person he can think of who's interested in it is Doom, and no one wants Doom here. ]
Wait, San Fransokyo?
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Yeah. Home. [Why so surprised, Billy?] Heard of it?
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[ He'll look away for a few moments. Boy, this beanbag chair is super interesting or something. When he finally looks up again, it's with forced cheer. ]
So what's all this for, anyway?
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But he grins even if it's also sort of forced, waving his hands to gesture around the room.]
We need some more places thanks to Caer Scima being destroyed, right? Why not build up this one? Saber asked me to help out and I kinda got carried away. I wanted to make it into something I created instead of just something I was adding onto.
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[ He'll grin, when Hiro talks about the spire again. ] You? Get carried away? I can't imagine.
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Oh come on, it's not that bad. [It's...really that bad.] I don't have a whole city to protect anymore. This was the next best thing. Nobody's stopping me either so it's probably a good idea. [Somehow.]
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[ Not that it's a bad thing. Billy's happy that Hiro seems to have found his place here, especially since Billy himself is still struggling with that. ]
You better watch out, you might get a city to design next.
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[Hiro. Focus. He tones it down a little then, giving Billy a slightly sheepish look as he focuses on his hands instead.] Somebody told me there's no room for heroes here, so this is the next best thing. We just started the hero thing anyway so maybe it's better this way.
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The thing about heroes gets Billy frowning slightly, though. He can guess who said that, and it doesn't exactly thrill him. Attacking the person probably won't help when Hiro's involved, but Billy can at least challenge the words. ] Do you really think that? That there's no room for heroes here at all?
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[At least it's nice to know he's not the only one who finds all of this still a little...weird. Beyond that though Billy's guess...probably isn't wrong. It was one of the first things Jason said to Hiro when they first met, and therefore one of the things that has stuck with him the longest. When Billy asks the grin fades and he settles for shaking his head.] I don't really know. Left my superhero manual in my other backpack, too. ...heroes are the ones who sacrifice everything to save other people, right? How many people would be willing to do that in a place like this?
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But I do want to help people here. I don't think it has to be an either or thing. Everyone has their own way of being a hero, and there's nothing wrong with that.
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[There's a slightly subdued smile.] I want to help people, too. That's what the spire's for. And I'm going to do some other things to help. But is it really being a hero, or is it playing pretend? I don't know. The news called us heroes back home because we stopped the destruction of the city and prevented the murder of Alistair Krei but it wasn't just about that. We did it to bring down the guy in the mask for something else he'd already done, too. Where's the line between doing it for the greater good and doing it for yourself?
[He's worried about that, really. He knows he stopped Callaghan because he couldn't let him destroy the city or kill Krei or cause even more damage with his microbots...but he also stopped Callaghan to make sure he received the proper punishment for his other crimes. The ones that directly affected Hiro. And maybe it's bad to ask Billy but right now Billy might be the only one who kinda gets it.]
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So it might come as a total surprise, but Jason and I don't agree on some things. This is one of them. I could be totally wrong, but I get the feeling that Jason is really tied to his own point of view on this. There's nothing bad about that by itself, but he tends to get so wrapped up that he ignores other points of view? The way I see it, killing or not killing is more of a personal decision. Most heroes in my world do their best not to kill, but it doesn't always work out the way they want it to. Then there's people like Captain America, who fought in an actual war and probably wasn't just knocking out the Nazis.
I don't kill. It's not about super heroes, it's about what I will and won't do. Plus, people are already afraid of my powers. What do you think would happen if I showed a disregard for human life? Bye bye freedom, it was nice knowing you. But on the other hand, I- [ He's going to look down here, because this part doesn't make him proud. ] It may seem like the easiest solution to the problem, but it's better to try and find another way. Sacrificing yourself only hurts the same people you were trying to help.
[ Then Billy starts thinking about selfishness and Cassie and it all hits him again. He doesn't want to do this, but telling Hiro about it might help? You know, or drive him further away from super heroes. It's a tricky situation and Billy doesn't know what to do. ] The line's pretty thin.
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["Why would people be afraid of your powers?" He wants to ask. He really, really wants to ask but he doesn't because it seems like something Billy's ready to discuss yet. Maybe in...five minutes. There's something bigger here and even while Billy's not looking at him anymore Hiro's hanging on to every word.]
...either that, or sacrificing yourself only gives the same people you were trying to help leverage to hurt others. [That's what happened in the case of Tadashi and Callaghan, right?] How thin is the line?
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I think the moral of the story is don't sacrifice yourself, because there has to be another way. Not that finding it is always easy. [ He'll hesitate, before contining on. ] The line thing was more about doing the hero thing to help people or for your own selfish reasons. Like was I searching for the Scarlet Witch to help her or because I wanted to find my mom? I don't think I can answer that, even now.
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There's a couple of people I wish I could explain that to. [Casually spoken like it doesn't hurt to think about it.] There's always another way to solve problems if you look at it from different angles. [...and if you have enough time.] Maybe there's nothing wrong with being a little selfish sometimes. If you can accomplish both of those at the same time it doesn't make you a bad person. I think.
With something like that though? [Hm.] Was anyone else trying to help her?
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He'll flinch a little, when they drift back to Wanda. ] She did something terrible, or at least everyone thought she had. The Avengers and the X-Men were somewhere between never wanting to find her and wanting to make sure she couldn't hurt anyone else again. It wasn't actually her fault, but at the time I had nothing to go on but my gut.
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[...don't think he didn't spot that, dude.] Who ever said gut feelings were wrong though? [There's a skeptical look at the names Avengers and X-Men though, a very vague hint of recognition but he's not saying anything.] But you were able to prove she was innocent, right?
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Yeah, but not until after a lot of people were hurt.
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...just sorta ties right back into being the hero means sometimes hurting the people you're trying to help. I wish there was an easier answer to all of this. But it wasn't your fault. [...right?]
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He'll hesitate, before continuing. ] I thought it was my fault, for a long time. Still do, when I'm in a bad place.
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Except that? That's not good. That's…oh…] …it's not fair to blame yourself for everything. [He's not going to say it wasn't entirely Billy's fault because he doesn't know, but he knows better than anyone that blame can't solely fall on one person all the time.] You weren't the only person involved.
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No, there was a lot of blame to go around. I can see that now, but it was harder before. I mean, I was the one who pushed for it, who got my team involved, started working with a sometimes terrorist, and I could go on.
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