[lonewolf]

He tilted his chin up ever so slightly. "The most dangerous opponent is the one you don't perceive as a threat."

He indicated his person again, as unassuming as he was. "If you're a bad guy, what's the bigger threat to you? Is it the police cruisers and cyclists that patrol the streets, that barricade the bank once you take hostages? Is it the gal in the flamboyant outfit that with the waggle of a finger can call down the power of God to smite anything or anyone in her way? Or is it that unassuming guy on the street corner with a scarf and a bad attitude?" He brought his index finger and thumb on his right hand close together, leaving a small gap. "People, by nature, are stupid. And that's something you can quote me on. But fact of the matter is, people only see what they want to see. I don't galivant in a flashy costume. I can't lift cars with my bare hands, leap over the tops of skyscrapers in a single leap, or shoot laser beams from my eyes. Anyone that presents themselves capable of doing something like that paint a target on their backs. Hell, even if a hero is in civilian clothes and gets into a scrap, using their quirk immediately paints them as a threat." Despite not wanting to be interviewed, once he got going he found that he couldn't stop. He wasn't sure why, maybe because he had been spending too much time around all these academics...damn, he was turning into the thing he hated.

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

Morgana loved being proven wrong. Sometimes. Like now. It was proof that even with as long as they had been alive, they could still be surprised. And goodness were they surprised. Once Mark started to spill the tea, he spilled, and spilled, and spilled. Morgana double checked their tape recorder to make sure it was getting every last drop.

“The bad attitude might still get you painted as a target of convenience.” Villains and common criminals alike did more to keep the phrase, talk shit, get hit, alive and well more than anyone else judging by assault and battery reports. “But I see what you mean.” Morgana might even see a little more than the man had intended.

“It would explain the Hero name too. If you didn’t work alone, then any joint operations would rely on you using whomever you’re working with as a scapegoat. Probably wouldn’t be considered very Heroic by the public or licensing bodies.”

Then again, by virtue of blending in with anyone or any group while working, he’d potentially be making civilians scapegoats too. Which did line up with some of the aforementioned anti-Quirkless propaganda floating around. Morgana let that implication hang unsaid in the air. No need to rile him up while he was entertaining their questions. Morgana chose their own scapegoat for the moment just in case.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll go snag us some plates. Gotta keep your energy up for the Q&A.”

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

He leaned back, thinking a moment. "Some fried pork, with whatever side available. I ain't picky about what."

He decided not to go on about the whole working with other people thing. While he preferred to take jobs on by himself, he wasn't above working with another hero or an agency if the need arose. Which he was going to have to do sooner or later, since his brother was still loose and he was no closer to finding him than he was since he arrived...but that was an issue for another time. Regardless, he didn't really care about the views of other people or the public as a whole, unless it was a major screwup. In which case...yeah, some worry was warranted.

Once Morgana had returned he'd shift to better face them, waiting on them before reaching for his utensils. "So what's first on your list?"

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

Morgana was only gone the moment or two necessary to navigate the dining hall and the students that filled it in between their classes and extracurricular activities. When they returned, they had a tray stacked with two piled-on plates, a glass of water, and a black coffee. “Delivery,” they said as they set the tray on the table and began to divvy up its contents. One plate and the glass of water went to Mark, the rest to Morgana.

“I accept tips.”

They fully expected the man to hit them with something like, don’t eat yellow snow, so Morgana skipped ahead to answering the question they were given as a greeting for their return with a question of their own. “How long do you see yourself sticking with being a Hero?” The, if you don’t get forcibly retired or killed, part was left unsaid. Sort of.

“Heroics are a relatively new field, even if they’re technically an offshoot of being first responders. So we don’t have a lot of people in the proverbial pool to gauge a ‘typical’ career end age range for the profession. In any other job, you’d be considered at the beginning. Projections based on current trends say you’re closer to the middle or end. So I’d like to know where the marker is for you in your ideal world.”

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

Without any kind of hesitation Mark would begin to dig in, munching away as the first question was tossed his way. It was, for lack of a better term, a strange one. Reasonable, but one he never thought of, especially considering the task he chose to undergo. "Never," he says, a cheek slightly puffed out with food in it but not so much that the contents would spill everywhere. "I have a specific set of skills that can't be applied to other fields, unless I get into the business of making specialty ammo or restoring classic cars. Except Bintos, those things are the second fugliest vehicle I've seen on the face of this planet. Second only to that stupid looking electric truck that was marketed in the 20s."

He swallowed what he had, reaching for the glass. "I'm close to the end though, huh? Guess it's a good thing that I don't have kids. I think."

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

Morgana took the opportunity to indulge in their own pile of food while Mark answered. If he thought the question was strange, it was nothing compared to how they felt about his response. “Might need to work on broadening your horizons if you can’t think of more than that for your skill set. Blending into crowds alone goes a long way in detective work and journalism.” They took a sip of their coffee to wash down the food before adding, “I would know.”

And they did.

“Mechanical skills get you pretty far in other fields too. So maybe it’s less that you can’t see a use for your skills elsewhere and more that you can’t see yourself elsewhere, and that’s your excuse. But what do I know? Well, besides what I just said I did know.”

Sometimes interviewing people accidentally turned into free therapy. Given Mark’s follow-up about being glad he didn’t have kids, it seemed like he definitely had a lot to unpack. Whether he realized it or not.

Morgana knew they shouldn’t pry into his latter issue. It didn’t technically have to do with their topic, but their mind saw connections where others didn’t. It totally wasn’t because curiosity got the better of them. As it so often did.

“Are you comfortable in your role as a teacher that is preparing these young adults for a career that put you on a path that makes you glad you don’t have children so they don’t have to potentially deal with receiving tragic news about you?”

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

There was an awful lot that Mark could say about that, but chose not to. They were, for all intents and purposes, right. He could have lived a life of a simple man, working with his hands and away from all this law business. Unfortunately for him, life didn't work out that way.

Which lead to his next answer. "I'm lukewarm on being a teacher. Pays the bills, and gets me access to resources I otherwise wouldn't have. Unfortunately, I have to run exercises on a daily bases and run three...is it three? Lectures a semester. At the very least, the number of academic people on campus are at a minimum, so anything that doesn't have to do with how not to be seen or the Five Ds of Projectile warfare I can point other people to."

He struggled a little, taking another bite out of the cutlet he had. "'Sides, my classes have a reputation. In the roughly two years I've taught, I've been the cause for two students to get off of this path. Dozens more've dropped the class citing I'm too rough. Not my fault everyone can't problem solve their way through a minefield."

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

“Interesting,” Morgana replied in between sips of their coffee. And it was. If only because it proved their point in a roundabout way.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong for seemingly being proactive in using your position to cause students to quit or rethink their choice. It’s not a career one should get into lightly. No first responder position is.”

They took a bite of their meal before continuing. Partly to let the man consider what they were actually about to say, but mostly because they were well and truly hungry and the food wasn’t bad for what was essentially a glorified cafeteria with bistro price tags. Good thing they could write off the expense.

“But don’t you think it’s a little telling that part of your job that isn’t in your description, meaning you’ve chosen to take it on, is keeping people away from it? If they aren’t cut out for it, then they’re not only likely to get themselves killed, but other people too.”

Morgana pointed their fork at Mark. “Not every single future Hero from this school, much less Japan, passes through you though and not every country is quite as thorough with their training protocols. Did you know some train high schoolers for the job then let them be Pros upon graduating? Children that aren’t even old enough to drink in most countries patrol the streets fighting Villains. Needless to say, these reasons, among many others, are contributing to the decrease in average lifespans for the populace after years of perpetual increases thanks to advances in medicine.” They took a breath. Proving their earlier point had accidentally turned into a tirade that mirrored the passion they had once had in their youth.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to rant. Must be the caffeine kicking in.”

That didn’t stop them from taking another drink.

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

"I'm assuming you're from the States too, based on your accent," he says, taking a sip of water. "We both know how things go over there. Most of the power is in the hands of the states, and each one writes their own criteria for their police and other first responders. There are of course national guidelines, but obviously its easy for people studying in one state to get their license easy compared to the next."

He holds his chopsticks up, clacking the points together. "You're right. Lotta stupid kids go to take the exam. Most manage to get it. At least, was the case with me. Barely graduated high school, and I found myself more knowledgeable than some of the proctors." He shrugged a little, picking up another piece of food. "I don't try to cull numbers for some noble cause. There is a second of Ground Beta that is lovingly referred to as, 'No Man's Land' because I've set it up closer to a war zone. Whenever people see heroes on the news, on the side of cereal boxes, their faces plastered on ads, you know they're fake. Manufactured. When the rubber meets the road, they're the first ones to burn out 'cause they've never had to hold in someone else's guts."

He went quiet for a moment, washing down another chunk of meat with water. "Kids don't understand what real heroism is. The ones that do either get out of the business immediately, or are the ones put in the pinewood box. And anyone crazy enough to stay lose a few screws in exchange for knowledge and experience."

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

In any other universe, hearing a twenty-something speaking as a grizzled war veteran with the weight of a lifetime of war behind them would have been absurd. But they weren’t sharing a meal over such a macabre subject in another universe. For them, it was quite literally an ordinary day with an ordinary discussion.

An ache lanced through the apathy draped across Morgana’s heart. The way the world turned closer to darkness and farther from light was something they had once fought so hard against. Now they just reported on it. Even a small act such as that fed the ember of their old self. An old self kept alive by the hopes that the articles they wrote would inspire a new generation to pick up where they had left off decades ago. Maybe someday, someone would fix the things they hadn’t been able to fix themselves. But today was just that. Today. Not a hypothetical someday.

“Born and raised in Cali,” Morgana confirmed. They name dropped the state in question as a reminder about the jabs Mark had taken earlier, though there was no ill will in their voice. If anything, they just sounded tired. Being seventy-five in what felt like a slow burn apocalypse did that to a person. Speaking of which.

“So how many screws are you missing then?”

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

As sad of a fact that was, Mark had uncovered some of the ugliest things the human race had to offer. He knew worse existed out there, but he wasn't keen on finding it. Or worse, it finding him.

Granted, it didn't help that his father was just as, if not more, crazy than him. Marines were like that though.

Their admission of where they came from made sense to some of their earlier statements, too. It wasn't surprising, but made things click into place. "If I had to keep count, I'd probably get shacked up in the wacko basket. I've got more important things to do than count threads in the pads on a wall. It's bad enough I have to audit all my ammo daily." He paused mid chew, thinking. "Or am I crazy because I have to count my ammo daily..."

He shrugged, appearing to be unbothered by this as he looked up at them. "You have to be a little crazy to deal with the deviant, anyways. The 'bad guys' have different motivations, similar to the 'good guys'. Some kids just want fame and fortune, some just wanna contribute to society. Likewise, not every thief is thieving for a big payout. Some crooks wind up on the wrong side of the law because of circumstance. But then there's those that do sick things for the fun of it. Those are the ones that normal people can't understand. And in this quirky world of ours, they may or may not have incredible abilities."

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

Morgana would have been worried had he denied the absence of a few screws. More worried, that is. The truly crazy ones never saw their own issues.

They didn’t respond for a few moments. Time lapsed as they poked at their food. Their appetite had been subdued by the weight of the conversation more than what they had consumed. Then they sighed, dropped their fork, and stretched their arms up over their head to release some of the tension.

“Heavy stuff.”

There was no elaboration. Their entire conversation had baggage decades in the making for the new world order. Even someone half a century younger than Morgana could see that without them holding their hand and leading them to the point.

“Any final words to get in for the interview? Maybe something I didn’t ask that you think is relevant. Or even just something you want the world to know whether it has something to do with the life span topic or not.”

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[lonewolf]

Mark thought a moment. There was a lot he wanted to say. Deep, philosophical stuff that might actually help young people do better. Obviously not better than him because he was perfect, but that was besides the point. But then again, he wasn't a scholar, was he? It was a mask he wore, but instead of something serious it was more like a jester's hat. It suited him; only made him even more assuming to the student body, the public, and more importantly, the underworld.

"Kids should stop pretending," he says, shrugging. "If this were a game or movie, announcing your presence, striking a heroic pose, and naming all your moves would be really cool. But the sad reality of it? It just looks corny." He scoffed a little, holding his hands up. "Maximum Overload, Shinigami's Gaze, Yamato's Revenge! I'm sorry, but kids these days don't know how to name things properly. It's goofy. If they're gonna put a name on something, it's gotta be simple! Like...'Joe'. What the hell does that mean? It would throw people off, giving the heroes that edge they need. If you just robbed a bank, ran down an alley, and heard somewhere above you, 'Shapoopi!', would you or would you not stop and try to process what that was? It'd make me stop in my tracks. I dunno, but if I hear one more 'Deathbeam' in one of my classes, I'm gonna have to take drastic steps: having a surprise lecture where no one can get out as they are forced to watch an old 2000s sitcom that isn't even funny."

Morgana Moriarty

[Morgana Moriarty]

THE WATCHER

FOREVER IS COMPOSED OF NOWS

“So the key to survival and a longer life is saying off the wall stuff?”

Morgana thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. “Well, you’re the expert here.” How many times had Morgana died already? Maybe they would try saying the stupidest thing they could think of next time. They hoped there wouldn’t even be a next time, but live as long as they did in a world like theirs, not to mention with their profession, there was always a next time.

“I think I need a smoke and a stronger drink.”

They lifted their bag up and shouldered it once more. “Meal is paid for as promised. Thanks for the interview, old man. It’ll be in the Sunday edition of the Sentinel Independent Press if you want to check it out.” Then they waved and walked away.

Without getting Mark his pie.

Notes & Tags: lonewolf

[Fanthes]

[nospaces]

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✨EVENT SUCCESS!✨

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✓ What an enlightening interview!! Lone Wolf is now capped out on seasonal event tokens, great job Coffeeman! [break][break]

+ 75 TOKENS!

[break]
Lone Wolf - 75 // 150[break]
Morgana - 0 // 75

---

Tag: Morgana Moriarty, lonewolf

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