entranceway | video;

( if he's being honest: jon definitely doesn't need to be watched. not in that sense, anyway; the oges don't scare him at all, he's pretty sure he could get rid of most of them pretty fast, but they don't seem like they're getting inside, so--as long as it's just a party of ogres wandering around out there, he probably shouldn't go fight them?

jon will anyway, but that's entirely beside the point. ) Jon. Um, I'm okay? I'm used to being on my own sometimes--so it doesn't really bother me! ( a lie, but. ) I can come find you if you want, though. ( this place isn't that big, he could superspeed his way around and find this guy pretty fast, probably. his hair looks like it'd be hard to miss, even when he's going real fast. )

Jon, ok butー no! Don't move!

[ Sadly, the concept of superhuman (even more so superkid) barely exists within him. So when a weepy kid says 'I'm okay, I'll come find you', it pretty much translates as 'I'm trying hard to be strong and I'm gonna get lost' in his mind. Nuh uh. He's not gonna let a brat run around and get into danger. This mansion is fucking huge and they don't know yet what else will pop out apart from those goddamn ogres. ]

Where're you now? What can you see around? Imma find you.

( but it would take him so much less time to find this guy if he just found him by himself. . oh well. he does take a look around, squinting behind his glasses as he looks down the hallways around him. )

Close to the kitchen? ( he hears the sound of a microwave, some pots banging around. . so probably kitchen. ) Are you sure you don't want me to come find you instead?

[ There's no fucking way a brat who's just arrived here will find him, he's totally, absolutely sure of that. It takes even him, who's supposedly good in navigating, quite a while to memorise the places within the mansion after all! Not to mention the first day of the event had them teleported randomly around with every door opening. He's just relieved that's not happening anymore. At least not yet, anyway. ]

Yeah no, stay there!

[ Kitchen, kitchen... okay he's not far from there. Actually wait. That's the dining room. Kitchen's really close from here, he just needs to turn right from here and, alright, that's the hallway leading up to the kitchen! Mondo powerwalks through the hall, hoping Jon really doesn't go anywhere ー the palm pilot in his hand's been totally forgotten ー and halts immediately once he spots the boy he was talking to.

Phew. He seems alright, but also, smaller than what Mondo predicted from the video. ]

Yo. You good? Where you came from?

[ Mondo squats down so he can be at eye-level with the kid, and whoa. Those are some huge glasses, small dude. ]

( waiting around's a little boring, but that's fine. he takes his time to play with the network device, tapping around at it and searching through posts. now that he's got the hang of turning it on, it's not that hard at all; jon knows how to operate a smartphone, after all; these aren't that different once you get used to them.

he hears the guy before he sees him, head tilting up to take a look at him as he approaches and--yes, that hair would have been way easy to spot even if he was going at mach 5 speeds. he's almost as tall as his dad, too. but not quite. )

Yeah, I'm okay! ( jon raises a hand up, adjusts the glasses on his nose to push them a bit more into his face. he's not quite used to them yet, and they are big. but it's all part of the disguise, isn't it? ) I came from Hamilton County.

[ How do you like this corncob, kid. ]

Hamil-what? America? [ Everything that sounds foreign is the USA to him, and it just so happens to be correct. ] Uh, anyway. [ Where should he start explaining things... ] This ain't the Earth. It's a totally different world, they said. The people here anyway.

[ Mondo stops there to see how the boy reacts, since he's aware it took himself quite long to take in that fact. Like how the hell's that even possible?! But maybe kids take it in much more easily than he does. ]

Yeah, um, I kinda noticed. ( that same hand he raised moves to scratch at the back of his head. ) It'd be a little weird if this was Earth. . since it looks like a place out of a fairy tale or a comic book.

( he's been stuck in stranger dimensions--but never for long. and it's not really the knew place that has him stressed and worried, but the absence of familiar faces. new places are strange and weird but manageable. new places alone are the worst. )

[ Well that's definitely a total opposite to how Mondo reacted. But this kid's brought up a very good point! Attaboy! ]

Right?! [ Duuudee, he feels you. It still doesn't feel real even now! ] Lemme tell ya somethin' crazy, this place was totally different just days ago! ...Well, it sorta looked like a palace then too, but it was nothing like this.

[ He gets on his feet, gesturing for Jon to follow him. ]

They call these kinda stuff 'events' here. Sometimes you oughta fight monsters or somethin'. But you don't gotta worry 'bout that. There're lotsa people here who can take care of it.

( that moment when you're standing there, following some guy with really pointy hair, listening to him tell you that you don't need to worry about fighting monsters and stuff, when--when you can bench press like eighty of him without an issue.

secret identities are hard. he gives a thoughtful sound in response, because jon knows that he is a really bad liar, and he hates lying; opening his mouth and forming a full response would just ruin it. but he falls into place a step behind mondo. )

What kind of monsters?

[ Mondo shrugs at the question. ]

Just came here couple of days ago. No clue what the past ones're like, but you prolly already seen the ones outside there. You scared?

[ Well, it's natural to be scared of things you don't know, even more so when you're a kid alone and have been separated from your parents. He'll turn his head to examine Jon's expression, ready to cheer him up if that's the case... as much as a Mondo can. What is even cheering kids up. He's much more talented at scaring them off. ]

( he was scared of being here by himself, sure. but that was more--homesick than anything else. while jon has plenty of life experience for his years, and some experience being stranded without his parents, he wasn't ready for the concept of being stranded alone.

but monsters? those are no big deal. his lips twist up into a small grin, head tilting up to look at mondo. ) I'm not scared. They're not so scary.

[ Well, ain't that a good boy! Mondo's eyes light up, hand roughly ruffling Jon's... cap? head? whatever it is. He was once as brave as he was, wasn't he? A mix of fond memory and a strange sense of helplessness attack him at once, but doesn't falter the smile in his face. He's... getting dangerously good at that. ]

Great! But don't go do anythin' rash, ya hear?

[ For some reason, he doesn't feel that telling Jon about the death system here will be good for him. Knowing that you can come back to life can easily make you take your life for granted, thus doing things you usually wouldn't. ...Looking at it that way makes him wonder if fear's sometimes a good thing to possess.

Whatever it is, Jon's just a kid, talking about life and death'll probably go over his tiny head. He'll just lead Jon to the bedrooms. ]

There're lotsa rooms here, on the floors above and below too. Ya can choose whichever unoccupied. Simple as that.

See any that strikes your fancy?

[ Well. They all look pretty much the same from outside... ]

( his nice, red and blue cap. it helps to hide his Superman Curl™ by shoving down his hair. the hand on his head doesn't bother him; he scrunches up his nose a little in response, smile still on his lips. it's not technically being brave, is it, if his lack of fear is mostly based off of knowing that he's fairly indestructible, and that nothing that's here should be able to hurt him that much.

what would be rash, considering? )

They all look the same, right? ( so he'll walk up to one of the closest doors, give a gentle knock against the wooden frame of it to make sure no one's actually inside of it before he twists the handle to open it up. )

This one's fine.

[ For someone so young, Jon's incredibly independent. Are all the kids nowadays like this? Mondo blinks at his unperturbed manner, wondering if it's because the situation hasn't sunk on him. Didn't he cry earlier, though? Well, he'll just accompany him for a bit more to be safe.

He follows Jon inside, standing by the door with his arms crossed. ]

You can alter the room however y'want, by the way. Just gotta imagine it and it'll happen.

[ Sounds weird, he knows, but it's happened before his eyes and he can't deny it. ]

( unlike a lot of kids his age--Jon had the advantage of being raised on a farm with a pair of loving parents intent on teaching him how to deal with whatever comes his way. because, you know, being the half-alien child of superman comes with just as many perks as it does disadvantages: a lot of power, but three times as many responsibilities to go along with it.

responsibilities like not telling mondo that he’s not concerned about the monsters, the place he’s in, or the people he’s around, really--because jon fully expects to be strong enough to handle that. being left on his own? not something he’s strong enough to deal with. mondo seems like a nice person, and his presence is appreciated.

even if jon’s acting tough about the whole thing. ) Oh, really? Haha, that sounds pretty cool! ( and weird and unnatural. are they sure they’re not just stuck in mxyzptlk’s dimension? he closes his eyes and thinks about his room back home on the farm regardless, brows furrowing as he concentrates really hard on it; remembering the dumb monster movie posters over his walls, the justice league toys and action figures scattered across bookshelves and any empty furniture, the desk right under his window facing out towards the giant tree situated right next to their house.

it doesn’t turn out as an exact match, but it’s close enough and that’s what matters. jon opens his eyes, gives an excited sound in response. ) It looks almost like I never left home!

[ Well, Mondo guesses kids take those kinda information much easier? Sometimes it's a good thing. He watches the room taking shape into what the boy seems to be picturing in his mind, still finding it surreal despite having seen this a couple of times now ー it's like he's in one scene from a movie. He takes some time to scan around the room, noting what seems to be the vocal point: monsters and action figures. Typical of boys his age, but one that's very... uh, American? Well, whatever's foreign in Mondo's head's American anyway.

A hint of smirk perks on one side of his lips at the cheerful reaction. Endearing. He doesn't have a younger sibling so this is kinda nice. ]

You like superheroes? Which one's your favourite?

[ Oh, the things Mondo has yet to know. ]

Superman! ( he says it with a strange sense of pride; as if jon himself were somehow involved with how great of a hero superman is. or perhaps as if he's very familiar with him on a personal sense. which. well. considering jon's heritage, that's quite close to the truth.

three years ago, his answer may have been different. the flash is awesome, jon's fairly certain he could go faster than anything, even supeman. cyborg is strong, dependable. batman has displayed that even without special abilities and powers, you can save the world. wonder woman is absolutely amazing; pretty, strong, dependable, reliable. there's several dozen more that jon has seen on the news, several more that he would have considered a favorite years ago.

finding out your dad is superman kind of changes perspective a little, though. )

Who's your favorite?

[ Mondo can't help but laugh at the burst of energy. Superman, huh. That's a pretty popular one, even he's heard of him. That guy with the big 'S' on his chest, right? The rest of the crew, though... okay wait, he knows that black mask, uh. Bat...man, was it? ]

Mine?

[ Crap, er. ]

Th... this guy?

[ He points at the action figure near them ー Martian Manhunter's ー for the sheer reason of the great muscle mass. Ye...ah, lookin' good, pal. ]

( a nice choice, sure. jon gives a thoughtful nod of his head, before he makes his way over to the dresser, grabbing onto the flash and the superman action figures sitting on top of it to bring them over to mondo. )

I have a serious question for you. ( so serious. he raises them both up, holding one in each hand. ) Who would win in a serious race, the Flash or Superman?

[ Uh. Another difficult question.

Flash seems like a fast guy. That symbol's like, the lightning, right? And there's also a saying 'in a flash', which means super fuckin' fast so... Flash, maybe? But didn't Jon say Superman's his favourite? Will he be upset if Mondo says the Flash instead?

Obviously looking a little troubled, frown begins to emerge between his brows. ]

I guess...

[ Mondo's eyes dart from the Flash, to the Superman figure. Momentarily to Jon too, but quickly back to the figures as looking at the boy makes him waver. ]

...uh. Flash?

[ He can't lie, that's what his gut feelin's tellin' him. ]

( wow this guy is really thinking hard about a simple question, isn't he. jon is almost concerned by the way his brows furrow, frown forming on his own lips in response. he's about two seconds away from pulling the toys back, and telling him that it's fine, he doesn't have to answer, it's just a question.

but when he does answer, he gives the right one. jon's frown turns into a smile as he drops the superman figure down to his side, moves the flash to race in front of him. )

Yeah, I agree. Speed's kinda the Flash's thing, right? It wouldn't be fair at all if Superman was stronger and faster than him. And had laser eyes. And could fly and survive in space.

[ A quiet sigh of relief. Got it in one, phew. ]

Yeー yeah! You're right!

[ Whoa, so Superman can do all that! Those comic books sure really like writing about exaggeratedly strong superheroes, eh?

But now Mondo's not sure how to respond. He doesn't really want to break a kid's dream, but letting them live in delusion is kinda cruel too. ]

D'ya... wanna be like Superman when you grow up?

[ Well, he guesses Jon'll learn eventually, like he did. For now he's just gonna keep an eye so the boy doesn't try to jump off high places and break a bone or somethin'. ]

( overly exaggerated powers. . mondo doesn't even know the half of it.

his question's a real easy one to answer, though. jon raises the superman action figure up in front of him, eyes focusing down on it; the blue and red, the "s" carefully painted onto it's chest. )

I did, for a little while. But I think it's important to be myself, not be like Superman. I mean. . Superman's great, right? He's strong, reliable, he does what he has to, and he's always there for the people that need it. But aiming to be like Superman isn't going to get me anywhere. Trying to be like other people won't make anyone happy, right? I just want to be Jon Kent. But I'm sure that being Jon Kent's gonna be pretty great too.

Holy crap... You said some real good thing there.

[ Ah, shit. He tried his best not to curse in front of a kid, but it still slips so naturally. Well, what can he do? This kid's too amazing, what the hell?! He's never seen a snot-nosed brat who's so goddamn mature like him! Maybe this is some kinda over-exaggeration, but that was mildly touching to hear. ]

Yer parents must've taught you well.

[ Mondo closes his gaped mouth to form a proud grin on his lips. ]

'm sure you're gonna be a big shot when you grow up.

[ Though, ironically, this makes him feel ashamed of himself at the same time. What was he doing at Jon's age, he wonders. ]

( it's fine, he's heart a lot of mouths worse than mondo's. the cursing doesn't phase him, but the compliments have him responding a bit sheepishly, putting the toys down on the nearest piece of furniture to raise a hand up and scratch at the back of his head. )

Haha, uh, thanks? My parents're pretty awesome. I. . don't think I'd have been anything like how I turned out if it wasn't for them. ( which is true enough; it was their guidance that helped him discover exactly who he wanted to be, his mother's words that led to him realizing that trying to be like his father was stupid. )

I'll be a way better kind of hero than Superman someday. ( ah, but-- ) What do you want to do when you're grown up?

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