BUCK AND SKY ARE THE BEST FRIENDS also foreshadowing

<Harrison_Belingur>: Alright so let's skip to after the flight there unless you have something planned]

Skyler is flying above Suriname, close to Buck's hidey hole, his wings casting a large shadow over anyone directly below him. He casually sips some coffee, looking around for where Buck might be
Harrison_Belingur steps out onto his balcony sipping a cup of water
<Harrison_Belingur>: Aw fer..
<Harrison_Belingur>: Boy!
<Harrison_Belingur>: Geddown here

Skyler notices Buck, and swoops down to meet him on the balcony, blowing a large gust of wind in Buck's face as he pushes against his momentum to stop
<Skyler>: Sup.

<Buck_Bellringer>: It's about 11pm in Suriname and the streets are mostly quiet]

<Buck_Bellringer>: Not stealth apparently
<Buck_Bellringer>: Come in
Buck_Bellringer enters back into his one room apartment
<Skyler>: Pfft, I'm not paying for a plane. Too easily tracked.
<Skyler>: And expensive.

Skyler follows Buck inside
Buck_Bellringer rubs his forehead and leans up against a wall
<Buck_Bellringer>: Alright's
<Buck_Bellringer>: I said to come if ya had something on your mind
<Buck_Bellringer>: How's things, boy
<Skyler>: Been better.
<Skyler>: How much, exactly, is... going /on/, at this academy of yours?

<Buck_Bellringer>: Anything in particular you're wandering 'bout?
<Buck_Bellringer>: The wizards, the super soldiers, the s-men, or the staffs?
<Skyler>: I've figured out enough in terms of the wizards, which is to say nobody knows shit about shit.

Skyler goes over to the table and takes out his binder, full of scraps and notes and such
<Buck_Bellringer>: Noble houses fight for dominance or some such
<Skyler>: I get the impression that basically everyone higher up on the food chain around there has major skeletons in their closet. Between the tragic pasts, and the poor decision making amplified by being living WMDs...
<Buck_Bellringer>: There wasn't really's such thing as a closet when yer boss could sense if anything was rank
Buck_Bellringer taps the side of his head

<Skyler>: Oh, yeah. I've heard about that. Bellinger's Bells, or some other catchy alliteration.
<Buck_Bellringer>: Skeletons though are common in our business, kid, you either drown in 'em or you just keep yer fists up and yer eyes up"
<Skyler>: It's pretty easy to drown when half of the individuals are capable of bringing the destruction of the rest of the whole school.

<Buck_Bellringer>: Not talking about powers yet
<Skyler>: The daughter of a local crime lord is in the S-Men.
<Buck_Bellringer>: I thought we was talkin' about skeletons
<Buck_Bellringer>: Eye on the ball, dingus
<Skyler>: That's not powers, just /power/.

<Buck_Bellringer>: And you think she's responsible for her father's actions?
<Skyler>: No, but her father's a free man who could do a lot of damage if he's not happy with what he sees.
<Skyler>: And I don't think the leader of a gang should be trusted to be the rational type.

<Buck_Bellringer>: So?
<Buck_Bellringer>: So what if he does attack
<Buck_Bellringer>: What are you gonna do about it?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Tell Clara it was her fault while he guts yer friends
<Buck_Bellringer>: ?

<Skyler>: Fight a battle we could have avoided.
<Skyler>: That's what I'd be doing.
<Buck_Bellringer>: By kicking a girl out of her family and onto the street?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Kid, I think we may have gotten ahead of ourselves, I think yer hang up might be a question of what exactly you think a good guy is
<Buck_Bellringer>: Not a hero or a superhero
<Buck_Bellringer>: Just a good guy
<Buck_Bellringer>: Define that term for me

<Skyler>: Well, let's see.
Skyler takes a seat and leans back, kicking one foot on top of his knee
<Skyler>: A good guy /helps/ people. I'll admit, we generally have the right intentions with that.
<Skyler>: Uh, lessee here... a good guy doesn't needlessly endanger others!
<Skyler>: Good guys don't keep dangerous secrets to themselves
<Buck_Bellringer>: Think broader
<Buck_Bellringer>: You were close with helping people
<Buck_Bellringer>: Not that keeping secrets is a good thing
<Skyler>: Good intentions, try to better the world, give it their all...?
<Buck_Bellringer>: You're thinking goals not actions
<Skyler>: I haven't got any guesses left in me.

<Buck_Bellringer>: Sacrifice
Buck_Bellringer points to his blind eye
<Buck_Bellringer>: Being a good person, maybe even a hero is about Sacrifice
<Buck_Bellringer>: Bein' tough to just stomach what life serves up
<Buck_Bellringer>: Crime Lords?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Sure
<Buck_Bellringer>: WMDs?
<Buck_Bellringer>: I'll take seconds
<Buck_Bellringer>: The Brotherhood?
<Buck_Bellringer>: My favorite

Buck_Bellringer pops the cap off a bottle of beer on his table and takes a drink
<Buck_Bellringer>: I want you ta ask yerself are you a tough guy?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Are you a good guy?
<Skyler>: Eh, probably.

<Buck_Bellringer>: Let me ask you another question
<Buck_Bellringer>: what's with the binder and the notes
<Skyler>: Notes, leads, connections.
<Buck_Bellringer>: On who?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Your team mates?
<Skyler>: And faculty.
<Buck_Bellringer>: You dingus
<Buck_Bellringer>: Ya don't trust em do you?
<Skyler>: Why should I?

<Buck_Bellringer>: I don't think I need to define why trust is a good thing to you
<Buck_Bellringer>: If you manage ta pull yer head outta yer ass you would know why
<Buck_Bellringer>: Look, kid
<Buck_Bellringer>: I understand being afraid
<Buck_Bellringer>: and suspicious
<Buck_Bellringer>: More than you know
<Buck_Bellringer>: You can imagine there's someone out to ruin the academy or your life
<Buck_Bellringer>: But I heard it
<Buck_Bellringer>: everyday for almost ten years
<Buck_Bellringer>: I heard people trying to ruin my life and my work
<Buck_Bellringer>: If my best friend had a gun in his hand it was just as loud as anything
<Buck_Bellringer>: But that's just a power, an instinct
<Buck_Bellringer>: It's never something you should be defined as
<Buck_Bellringer>: Fear and suspicion are tools, kid, not who you are

Buck_Bellringer takes a drink and adjusts his shoulders
<Skyler>: Yeah, it must be /so/ challenging, having a power that lets you be aware of any possible threats.
<Skyler>: You must really feel unsafe, when you're actually /aware/ of all the shit going on in there.

<Buck_Bellringer>: Every possible threat
<Buck_Bellringer>: The floor, I could slip
<Buck_Bellringer>: Ringing like a fire truck
<Buck_Bellringer>: Your wings are like the liberty bell going in my ears this whole time
<Buck_Bellringer>: You're not a threat though are you?

Skyler smirks
<Skyler>: It must be terrible not to know.
<Buck_Bellringer>: Pardon me?
<Skyler>: I'm trying to give you insight about how /I/ feel.
<Buck_Bellringer>: I don't know either dingus
<Buck_Bellringer>: I don't know if I'll slip on the floor
<Buck_Bellringer>: But my brain sure as hell feels the need to shout at me that I could
<Buck_Bellringer>: You think I don't know what it's like to trust these kind of instincts on everything
<Buck_Bellringer>: You may not hear bells but I know the behavior when I see it
<Buck_Bellringer>: The notes on everyone, what are they doing what's making me feel uneasy what's making them ring
<Buck_Bellringer>: Yer not an animal, boy, instincts and fear don't control your every move
Skyler adjusts his wings some
<Buck_Bellringer>: Or do you really enjoy being scared huddled in a corner unsure of what's happening around you
<Buck_Bellringer>: Trust and Sacrifice, and do it with confidence

Skyler breathed out through his nostrils, and crosses his legs the opposite way
Buck_Bellringer takes a gulp of beer

<Skyler>: I'm upset because, let's be perfectly honest, I'm not the /strongest/, or most /influential/ guy around.
<Skyler>: I'm playing around with the same group of people who can level cities through sheer force, or take them apart from the inside out through cunning.
<Skyler>: And all of those people already obviously have something to hide.

<Buck_Bellringer>: My power is hearing noise constantly
<Buck_Bellringer>: Let that sink in
<Skyler>: Your /powers/ are being aware of all the things I just said, and that none of it can ever catch you off guard.
<Skyler>: And you have /power/ over every individual I just described. Or, at least, you /did/.
<Buck_Bellringer>: What because I sign their pay checks?
<Buck_Bellringer>: You think that gives me power over gods?

<Skyler>: Because they respected and relied upon you, Buck.
<Skyler>: I'm expendable.
<Buck_Bellringer>: So this is a confidence issue
<Buck_Bellringer>: They're other people, Skyler, they ain't sociopaths
<Buck_Bellringer>: And before you defines my powers for me again let me try and explain this to you
<Buck_Bellringer>: Everything makes noise to me
<Buck_Bellringer>: Loud ringing head crushin sound
<Buck_Bellringer>: And you expect an old fart like me to be able to tell a fist apart in that ruckus?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Not in a split second
<Buck_Bellringer>: Actually gettin' any mileage takes time and focus

<Skyler>: Sounds like a better power than involuntarily projecting your emotions at all times, and being unable to put on muscle mass.
<Buck_Bellringer>: Seems like yer hang ups might have started long before ya came to the school
<Skyler>: They weren't a problem when my life wasn't suddenly on the line.
<Buck_Bellringer>: Are yer emotions what yer worried about in the middle of a fight?
<Skyler>: Hmph.

<Buck_Bellringer>: I understand what yer going through, and I want to help you
<Buck_Bellringer>: You can be a good guy
<Buck_Bellringer>: but I know you can do better than that
<Buck_Bellringer>: When a good guy, has a mission
<Buck_Bellringer>: and a passion
<Buck_Bellringer>: Then they're a hero
<Buck_Bellringer>: Do you have a passion, kid?

<Skyler>: ...
Buck_Bellringer looks at Skyler and raises an eyebrow
<Buck_Bellringer>: Might consider lookin' into that
<Skyler>: Of course.

<Buck_Bellringer>: Why did you come to the academy?
Skyler huffs a little bit
<Skyler>: I figured that having superpowers has a sort of built-in obligation to use them.

<Skyler>: And, apparently, hitting on girls was not the most effective use.]

<Buck_Bellringer>: That's fair
<Buck_Bellringer>: I think it was batman's that said with great power comes great duty
<Skyler>: Something like that.
<Buck_Bellringer>: But that's a comic books
<Buck_Bellringer>: I think you like the idea of saving people and bein' a hero, yer hearts already trying to help people
<Buck_Bellringer>: But this investigatin' paranoia isn't the way ta do it

<Skyler>: Corrupt heroes are more dangerous than villains. And when everyone pushing so much shit under the carpet, it's worrisome.
<Skyler>: The last thing I want is people getting hurt because nobody's even bothering to look into it.
<Buck_Bellringer>: That's a fair point
<Buck_Bellringer>: I think attacking people's flaws and trying to publicly denounce them is a terrible way to go about it

<Skyler>: Hmph.
<Buck_Bellringer>: Now I have a few more questions for you before I opens the floor again
<Buck_Bellringer>: Percival Augerson you know him?
Skyler taps his foot a few times, looking down
<Skyler>: Percy. Gold kid. Went to be a politician, right?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Yeah
<Buck_Bellringer>: He's visiting the school

Buck_Bellringer seems to be racking his old mind considering his words carefully
<Skyler>: To what end?
<Buck_Bellringer>: He's saying it's a social call, but it's to drum up his campaign
<Buck_Bellringer>: You'll probably see him more than you would like
<Buck_Bellringer>: They might say he's a child
<Buck_Bellringer>: But a kid don't ring that loudly

Buck_Bellringer tosses now empty beer in a milk crate along with a few other recyclables
<Skyler>: Campaign... for what?
<Buck_Bellringer>: Presidency
<Buck_Bellringer>: It's pure delusion
<Skyler>: How so?

<Buck_Bellringer>: Well he's popular sure, plenty of progressives love him
<Buck_Bellringer>: But there are a lot of bigots in the world, America might be more tolerant but a mutant, who by some standards is only eleven years old?
<Buck_Bellringer>: But still he keeps ringing
<Buck_Bellringer>: too loudly

<Skyler>: I recall him being around that age, physically. How old is he, actually?
<Buck_Bellringer>: His mind was wiped when he gained his powers
<Buck_Bellringer>: So he's only been 'him' for about 10 years, but his body's whatever he wants it to be, and his brain is a lot older than the one driving it
<Skyler>: Hmmmmm... I can see the concern.

<Buck_Bellringer>: He was a quiet kid
<Buck_Bellringer>: But he unnerves me, his time in the brotherhood certainly didn't make him a well adjusted person
<Skyler>: I can imagine.
Skyler takes out his notebook and begins making notes

<Buck_Bellringer>: I know I just told you to trust people more
<Buck_Bellringer>: So don't let this encourage being paranoid, but don't tell him about Suriname, and don't visit again for a few weeks if you must

Skyler looks up from his paper and a dickish smirk
<Skyler>: We can just call this two ideologies meeting halfway.
Buck_Bellringer raises an eyebrow
<Skyler>: Sounded better in my head...
<Skyler>: So, is there anything in aprticular to know about this kid?

<Buck_Bellringer>: He's smart, and he's ambitious and I don't think in an entirely honest way
<Buck_Bellringer>: Just don't mention meeting me to him, and tell me honestly if you're going to think about anything else I've told you
<Skyler>: You think he still has Brotherhood connections?
<Buck_Bellringer>: They're both playing ball but he's got a whole 'nother game in mind"
<Skyler>: So he's just a regular mystery until we crack open the case.

<Buck_Bellringer>: For now
<Buck_Bellringer>: I'm /trusting/ you with this, kid
<Buck_Bellringer>: You're gonna be fine

Buck_Bellringer pats Skyler on the shoulder
<Buck_Bellringer>: Get some rest, or go home if you can manage
<Buck_Bellringer>: Im getting too old for these hours

Buck_Bellringer steps away and sits down on the bed
Skyler closes his notebook and slides it into the rings of his binder, and puts that in his bag
<Skyler>: I'll contact you if I can get any leads.
<Skyler>: I'm good to fly still, so I'll just head out. I can make it to a motel around Texas before I get too tired.

Buck_Bellringer seems to nod as he lays down on the bed he's still built like a tank but his age is rather obvious he doesn't seem frail just weary
<Buck_Bellringer>: Good night, kid
<Skyler>: Goodbye, Buck.
Skyler goes back onto the balcony, flares his wings out as he's enveloped in his aura, and takes off into the sky