........
Third Person P.O.V.
New York
Upside down on a gargoyle, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is hanging from the tip of his toes that are sticking to the chin of the gargoyle. The "city that never sleeps" is pretty much active beneath him, so the hero is still working even after a long day.
Right now, though, he is a little distracted by his phone.
"Dude… every new thing released is crazier than the other." His friend Ned's voice comes from the phone. But no face is shown; instead, Peter is reading some documents.
"I know… It is kinda messing me up. I think I am gonna stop reading about it." Peter sighs and removes the phone from his face, putting it down( or up because he is upside down). "It is putting me in a bad mood; even the criminals notice that I was not joking around as much…"
"Isn't you… like, forced to be on time with those things? As a hero and all…" Ned's voice continues to come from the phone; Peter didn't end the call.
"This is big stuff, like really big… I deal with small stuff."
"C'mon, what you do is great! Big!" Ned cheers him up
"Relatively small when comparing with this…"
"Well, you helped during the Invasion, as much as some Avengers, so you actually deal with the big stuff when it comes knocking on your door." Ned points "Aha! You know what you need?? A jet! Something that you can use to move faster and deal with the big stuff, like that other invasion in England!"
"I can barely deal with things in New York. I really don't need to make the whole world my responsibility." Peter gives him an ironic look even through the mask.
"Yeah… yeah… You are right." Ned relents, accepting that it was a bad idea. "What about a spider-mobile? To move fast around New York?"
"..." Peter stares in disbelief. "Okay, it would be kinda cool… but so impractical! You know the traffic in New York is, and I can web-sling."
"True… true… but hear me out, hear me out… what if the car can run in the walls," Ned says slowly.
"...Dude…" Peter says in a deadpan tone, "That is a great idea!!"
"Right? Right?"
"But how? Adhesion in the wheels? Like with my webs? Wheels made of web?"
"Siiick~ Maybe some propellers and a grappling hook to jump from building to building." Ned suggests excitedly
"Wait… wouldn't it be more practical to create a flying car like the Fantasticar?" Peter pauses
"But then it would not have your identity… it needs to be yours!!" Ned argues, "Maybe we can start small… a bike?"
This conversation is not entirely random; the two just wanted to talk about anything other than the recent revelations about the world's elite. The topic came up, so they prefer to distract themselves with this silly idea rather than linger on heavy topics.
Especially when, as Spider-Man said, there is not much he can do.
As they are talking, Peter's head suddenly moves a little to the side.
"Sorry, dude. I just saw… an acquaintance, I guess." Peter says as he puts his fingers on the gargoyle, ungluing his feet and letting himself fall to a normal position.
"Who?"
"Tell you later; she is moving away! Bye!" Peter let go of his spider-grip under the gargoyle and started free-falling.
"She? P- I mean, Spider-Man… Spider-Man… be careful with the women you keep company." Ned half-teases and half-warns his friend.
He knows that there are some "problems" that the female presence around the hero caused in his relationship with Gwen.
Peter almost let the phone slip from his hand upon hearing that. "I know." He finally ends the call and puts the smartphone in a hidden pocket of his suit. "I should hurry up with that communicator inside the mask…" He sighs after the scare of almost losing his phone.
The free-fall continues as Spider-Man enters hero mode… Knees flexing, hands raising in the air as he only feels gravity and nothing else. The world goes into slow motion for a moment…
Thwip
Till he uses his famous hand gesture to press the button of his web-shooter, a web leaving his wrist to glue high on the building in front of him.
He uses the new leverage and the momentary tension of the web to masterfully "slingshot" himself higher in the air.
Thwip
He uses another web with his other hand, and he repeats the same thing to go even higher, finally passing the skyscraper's line.
"..." Spider-Man pauses to take in the big city below him, his momentum slowly dying as he stops in the air before falling down.
Thwip
Then he focuses again and searches for the person he saw earlier. It doesn't take long; after all, there is no one else who knows this city better than he does from a web-slinger perspective. He can easily predict the person's route, because the person is a web-slinger herself.
"There." Just below him, she is web-slinging like him, but from a safer height, and it is clear she is inexperienced. "So she got her own web-shooters… What? She can fly??"
Spider-Woman suddenly floating for longer than physically possible almost made Spider-Man miss a web. Still, he quickly catches himself, and when he looks at Spider-Woman again, she is standing on the top of a building, looking at him.
It is good she noticed him without him needing to surprise her; it could create problems, so Spider-Man simply throws one last web and, with a flip, he lands on the rooftop too.
"Why are you following me?" Jessica Drew, as Spider-Woman, asks Peter in a distant tone. She doesn't know the guy beyond what she hears around, so she is on guard. "And don't get too close, Mr. Pheromones." She also has her reasons.
Peter almost tripped after landing.
"Wha-That-I mean… Ugh… Ah maaan~ Will it really be the first impression that sticks?" Peter stutters before seemingly accepting his fate, scratching the back of his head.
Jessica hides a smile. In truth, Eidolon already talked with her about Spider-Man, telling her that he is a good guy, saying that if she had any trouble, she should seek him out if he is not available.
If the strong flying man is vouching for the little spider, she will believe in it… a little.
But taking risks is another story.
"Yeah dude, nothing against you, but let's keep a safe distance from each other."
"You know what? Fair enough." Spider-Man raises his arms. "Eidolon said that mine and… Silk's issue is unique, but better safe than sorry."
"Good. Now can you tell me why you are following me? That was suspicious as hell." Spider-Woman gives him an up-and-down look.
"Ahem… it is kind of in the job description to check on people that seem in trouble. Have to keep the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man title alive, after all."
"I never once heard anyone calling you that…" She deadpans
"That was because of the smear campaign of the Daily Bugle!" He points out, looking offended. "I take care of the neighborhood, and you are in the neighborhood, so…"
"So you assumed I was in trouble?" It is clear she raises an eyebrow even under the mask
"Well… I thought I would at least check…" Spider-Man starts hesitantly, "You looked in a hurry, body language and all that… not that I was looking at your body! I mean… overall… Like as a whole! Not specifically at any part! More like as your moves… I mean!"
"..." 'What the hell… This guy is easy to tease!'
Watching Peter torture himself alone was more or less fun, but Jessica doesn't have time for it.
"Okay, Spider-Man… Don't worry about me. I am a big girl who can deal with my own problems." Jessica says before waving him away and turning around.
But when she turns around, Spider-Man is in front of her.
"So you really have a problem… Is big? Like a Super-problem, if you get what I mean… You are in your costume, so I assumed. Do you need my help?" He rapid-fires words at her
"It is none of your business, dude." She huffs, annoyed, being a little more rude before walking around her.
"..." Peter just stays in place, watching her jump from the rooftop and continue on her path.
......
After leaving Spider-Man behind, Jessica continued on her own path.
Yes, she is in a kind of a pickle, but she can't ask for help.
After she went through the medical tests and received the help provided by Eidolon, Jessica Drew decided to take this whole hero thing for a spin and see how it is. She is still unsure whether she will dive deeply into this, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.
And to be honest, it felt good, and apparently she has a talent for it. On her debut night, she saved some people from robberies and even stopped a crazy vigilante/villain.
It was kinda easy; her new powers made it almost trivial to overwhelm normal men, and none of them were even armed, a courtesy of Eidolon's existence.
The problem stems from the vigilante she helped arrest, born of her not thinking deeply during this "test drive" on the hero path.
The vigilante escaped the police after she left, and apparently she gained the first villain of her gallery. Jessica almost made a sarcastic remark about how quickly she became a proper hero, but she was not in the mood.
The vigilante/villain apparently calls himself Needle. He also discovered her identity and sent her a letter with cut letters from magazines. Now she needs to meet this guy to prevent him from hurting more people or revealing her secret identity.
She barely dipped a toe in the hero life, and she already got a headache; it is not for nothing Eidolon warned her.
Now, instead of doing anything else, she is going alone to an empty part of the city.
One that was destroyed during the invasion and no one cared to rebuild. Originally, it was just a bad neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen anyway, with buildings officially without anyone, but everyone knew it was a gang-infested and drug-infested spot.
'Good riddance,' is what the politicians and maybe even Eidolon thought about this place.
Well, it ended up being the same thing again, just uglier. Bad people used this area as a hideout, after all; not even the police patrol this place. Not even the heroes, because here there are no innocents to save in this hellhole.
The meeting point is a derelict, half-destroyed building, standing only by a miracle. There is no roof, so she lands on the last floor and takes the stairs down to the floor below.
It is dark, despite the many holes in the walls and the broken windows.
With a look around, she found nothing. "I am here! Are you gonna hide now?" 'Did she come too early?'
Jessica has never been in this situation before, so she is quite inexperienced. Should she survey the area? Lay a trap?
The opportunity to do anything was taken away from her when the villain appeared from behind a rocky pillar.
He is the same as she remembered. She doesn't know, but he thinks of himself as Needle, real name Josef Saint.
A man wearing a strange white costume appears. The costume is a tight-fitting jumpsuit, except for a long, protruding peak on the top of his head. Jessica initially thought he would have some Klan affiliation, but the pointy part falls to the side, withered. The color scheme is mostly white, with purple sleeves and boots.
His mask only shows a single eye, his right one, and his body is athletic but not overly muscular. Nothing really impressive.
Jessica is nothing, seeing it now, but she knows this guy has a needle and a line he used to sew the mouths of some criminals. It was very brutal and macabre, something she put a stop to.
"So… here I am… What do you want?" She asks, annoyed and cautious.
"..." But Needle says nothing.
"Don't tell me your mouth is sealed shut too?" She tries to taunt him. Guessing that his anger issues and psychotic behavior of sewing criminals' mouths come from somewhere.
Last time, she didn't take a good look at his face. In truth, it was a pretty quick encounter.
She found him using a needle on other people's mouths and quickly drop-kicked the man in the back. He hit a wall headfirst and went unconscious.
Pretty easy; it made her think she has a talent for this life.
But that ended up being the reason why she is in this situation.
After so quickly defeating this villain, she got no information from him, unaware that he has a superpower… That is how he escaped the authorities.
He has the power to paralyze anyone he looks at with his right eye(hence why he leaves it unobstructed by the mask), and he just used it against Spider-Woman.
"...?" It takes a second for Jessica to notice that she is under the effect of his power.
Silently and eerily, the villain approaches the paralyzed Jessica, raising his hands to reveal a needle glinting in the room's dim light.
"N-No…" Jessica struggles, but she is unable to move. 'I shouldn't have ignored that tingle in my head just because he is not moving…' She is still too green, never expecting the unexpected even when this world is anything but normal.
Her common sense held him back now, allowing her to fall into a terrible trap.
Alas, there is no medicine to regret in this world.
Spider-Woman can just stare motionless as the villain approaches her, ready to turn Spider-Woman into his newest victim of psychopathic behavior.
Ironically, her costume leaves her mouth exposed, giving the villain easy access.
Her eyes tremble under the mask; her lips are tightly pressed in a futile attempt to prevent what is about to happen to her. The needle is already raised at her mouth level, and the fingers of the villain are already reaching for her lips.
The whole moment is creepy and frightening to the woman; she doesn't care that she has enough strength to throw a car; now she is just as helpless as anyone else.
Luckily, a hero is sometimes late, but they arrive…
ThwipThwipThwip
Balls of web hit the villain in the body, sending him stumbling away.
Spider-Man himself lands on the ground and quickly checks on Jessica.
"Are you okay? He asks
"..." She still can't move, but she shakes herself as if to say something.
Spider-Man reacts without even looking.
He turns fast, hands in his famous gesture, and he shoots a thick web in a wide range. His target is not even the villain; he is creating a wall of webs in the room between them and the villain.
Now the villain can't see them… Peter was smart enough to figure out the possible condition for the villain activating his power.
The problem is that now Spider-Man can't see the villain either, but…
Spider-Man stares at the wall of webs for some time; he sends a web to a nearby broken piece of furniture, brings it to his hand, and walks a little; his other hand reaches up to the wall of webs.
Whoosh
Then he suddenly throws the furniture with a quick, strong motion. It goes through the webs and hits the villain straight in the chest with a thud. Needle hits a real wall behind him, and he falls unconscious, completely helpless against the unseen surprise attack.
"How did you know? Oh, I can move again…" Jessica asks without thinking, before realizing she is free from the villain's powers.
"Always trust your spider-sense," Peter says a little cockily while tapping his head.
"...Okay, maybe there are things I still need to learn," Jessica admits with a sigh. "Thank you, by the way… for coming even though…" She looks ashamed of both rejecting his help and of how easily the bad guy subdued her.
"Part of the job, you know? You can't be a friendly neighbor without being a little nosy." He quips cheekily
"Heh, I guess not." She laughs. "I owe you one, Spider-Dude."
"Nah, you owe me nothing." Spider-Man waves a hand dismissively
"No, I will remember your help… One day I will repay this debt." Spider-Woman assures him. It seems she is serious about that
"Eh… okay, geez…" Peter scratches the back of his head, already understanding that it is useless to argue. He will just never use the favor.
"I mean… I will help with anything but that, Pheromone Boy." Jessica adds, taking a step away from him
"Pfft! Wh-What??! No, no, no,no! I am in a happy relationship! I would never-" Peter splutters, but Jessica is not even looking at him anymore.
'He is really so easy to tease~' She turns around to hide the smirk on her lips.
.......
Next Day
Secret Island Vacation
A door in a dark room is open, light shining inside first as a single line that slowly expands.
When the door is fully open, a single tall shadow looms over the only bed in the room. In that bed, a woman sleeps in a very strange position, so bizarre that it would hurt a middle-aged person's joints just by looking at her.
"Emma… Wake up."
"Nggh…"
"You really sleep horribly… How did you even end up in this position?" Eidolon asks in a rare tone of amazement. He is genuinely impressed. "But forget about it; you should get out of bed already."
"Uggh…" Emma slowly changes positions three times, crawling under the sheets and trying to avoid the light. "What time is it now?" She asks without even opening her eyes
"Six AM," Eidolon answers immediately
"Six?? Fuck no!" She buries her face in the pillow and pulls the sheets to cover her body.
"You had an 8-hour sleep, don't act tired." He deadpans, pulling the sheets gently.
But Emma doesn't allow him. "No!" She cries petulantly, like a kid. "5 more minutes… or two hours…'
"..." Eidolon looks down on the woman for a moment before speaking; his tone is ominous. "You leave me no choice. Know that what is about to befall you is a product of your own whims." Then he leaves the room silently, sliding really.
"..." Emma stays still, ignoring whatever bullshit Eidolon was spewing. Her brain didn't register any of it.
Blam
That was her first mistake of the day.
The door reopens with a brutality completely at odds with Eidolon's style, because it is not the hero returning.
The light from the outside world creates five small shadows that stretch to Emma's bed.
"""""Mama!""""" They shout in unison, creating an echo in this closed room.
"...oh no…" A single eye of the blonde woman opens, but it's too late.
"Mama!" "Mama!" "Wake up!" "Breakfast!" "Lazy!"
They jump on the bed, jump on Emma… five small bodies acting like gremlins, removing the covers, pulling the pillows, pushing the woman.
"..." Emma looks dead, not even reacting as one daughter lies on her face while another pulls her arm. They are not even working together to take her off the bed; it is just chaos.
Eidolon walks inside the room like a satisfied villain who just saw a hero fall into his trap, hands in front of him while the tips of his fingers tap each other methodically.
"You could have avoided that… Now look at you…" He sighs melancholically, looking down on Emma being strangled by one daughter while the other pushes her back to make her sit.
"..." What can Emma say?
The truth is, it is kinda nice being woken up by her daughters like that, the sleepiness already leaving her… but she is still acting spoiled, letting her body go soft like a puppet without strings. She will not make her daughters' job easy.
"Don't let her go back to sleep, girls… Only stop when she stands up on her own." Eidolon says with a smile before turning around to walk out of the room. "Breakfast will be ready when Your Highness decides to make an appearance." He finishes sarcastically.
"Ugh… I hate you…" Emma sighs, swaying back and forth, her daughters unsure which direction to push her in. "Okay, girls. Okay. I'm up. I'm up."
......…..
"♪ Bacon pancakes… Makin bacon pancakes…♪ Take some bacon and put it in a pancake.♪ That is what I'm gonna make! Bacon Pacaaaakeee~" Hector is finishing the breakfast when Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos step into the kitchen. "Excellent timing. Take the plates and cutlery and set the table, please?"
He calculated the optimal time to finish preparing the food so that it would be fresh and hot for everyone.
"What sort of song was that?" Emma raises an amused eyebrow. She just saw a very silly side of Eidolon… kinda cute and precious.
"Just something I learned from a magic space dog." Eidolon shrugs, a smile on his lips, and decides to show off by expertly flipping all pancakes in the air and making them land perfectly on a plate, each one dropping perfectly above the other.
"If it was not you, I would never believe in anyone who said those words in that order." Emma deadpans before walking to the front porch with some plates.
The girls carry some things to help, too.
The same table they ate at yesterday is almost ready, with more than they could eat, an exaggerated breakfast normally only seen on TV shows in rich people's houses.
During the day, the atmosphere is completely different even when it is still so early. The sun has just appeared, the temperature is pleasant, the breeze is refreshing, and the waves are weak; all of that creates a pretty background perfect for breakfast.
No better way to start the day on the right foot than seeing the beauty of the world with some delicious food and good company.
"Eat a lot; we have a long day ahead," Eidolon says while helping the quintuplets settle into their seats.
"Oh, anything big planned?" Emma asks curiously.
"It is a surprise." The hero acts mysterious.
For this breakfast, Hector prepared three types of pancakes, scrambled eggs, various flavors of yogurt, croissants, bagels, fruit, muffins, cinnamon rolls, juices, chocolate milk, coffee, jams, cheeses, and French toast…
The variety is so vast that even if a normal person takes a single bite of everything, they would be full before they could finish it. The full table and big family create a picturesque scene that could be a postcard photo of the planet.
A beautiful big family, eating harmoniously with sprinkles of the chaos expected among children. The parents help their daughters spread jam on a toast or clean their mouths while eating their own food.
They finish the breakfast while talking about small things, the food mainly, and after that they simply sit on the front porch watching the sea.
Emma is sitting on a comfortable couch, between two of her daughters, with a third in her lap. Hector is on a rocking chair with two of the quintuplets on his lap, one on each thigh.
On his index finger, he holds a canary, the beautiful yellow bird, amicably letting the two girls caress its feathers.
"See, Phoebe? You don't need to hold it tightly… It will stay if you are gentle." He speaks to the girl after admonishing her for being too aggressive toward the small animal.
"Power…" She points at her dad, accusingly.
"Yes, I am using my powers to communicate with it. Normally, a bird would not be so friendly." He admits with a small smile, "But if it doesn't want to stay, you shouldn't force it. Let it fly."
To illustrate it, Eidolon makes a small gesture, and the canary starts flying, first circling him, chirping happily before moving away.
"See? Beautiful and happy, we can admire even from afar… Isn't that much better than when it was struggling in your grip, or if it was in a cage?" Eidolon asks her.
"..." Phoebe nods. Of the five sisters, she is the one with the most aggressive behavior, so Eidolon gives special attention to her and those lessons to teach her to control those impulses.
The canary that just flew away was created by him, by the way. He wanted to show it off, knowing exactly what would happen when Phoebe saw it land on him.
The power copied from the Stand Gold Experience can not only create animals from inanimate objects, but also can reflect the damage suffered by the creature.
So when Phoebe grabbed it, she also felt the same thing. She did not immediately understand the relation between the two acts because Hector toned down the "payback", but that discomfort should be enough for her to remember that it is not nice to do that with small animals.
Maybe it is a little manipulative on his part, maybe a little over the top… But he is raising telepaths. He needs to do a good job; otherwise, the consequences can be catastrophic. And there is no guide to follow.
So yes, he is going to be creative and use his powers to teach his children, who also have powers. He believes a good way is some visual/sensation learning.
At least he is not using a belt or shouting.
That will be reserved if they really screwed up, even after he tried to teach them gently.
"It is the same with the power that all five of you have… You shouldn't use telepathy aggressively against those who can't defend themselves. You shouldn't use telepathy on most people. Only in special cases, to defend yourself or others." Eidolon continues, "Especially when you are so young and inexperienced… you can really cause irreversible damage."
"..." They didn't answer, but they all listened attentively.
"It is like that time with that squirrel… I know that you are all curious and want to 'talk' with it, but you committed a mistake and hurt it, remember?" He asks, his tone a little more inquisitive. The girls all lower their heads in unison. "Animal minds are different. I know that you don't want to hurt them… but the world is not so fair that you only hurt others when you have the intention. If you are not careful, you can hurt even the people you love and love you… And then you can only regret. You all still feel bad about that squirrel, right? Even after your mother solved it, right?"
"..." They nod
"See? Regret and guilt are awful…" He sighs and speaks more softly, even hugging them as he rocks back and forth in the chair. "Isn't it better to just be a little more careful in the present, so that you don't carry those feelings in the future?"
........
"Isn't it funny that it is called 'Shell Hunting', but there is no hunt involved? It is more of a 'Shell Gathering'." Eidolon comments as he walks side by side with Emma on the beach. The two co-parents observe the quintuplets crouching on the sand with their little buckets, each in a different color.
"It is a children's play, not an activity to bring food back home." Emma gives him an amused look. "Did anyone even tell you that you think too deeply about things?"
"Only a hundred times…" He scoffs playfully. "But I think it's a good quality to have… most of the time…"
"When is it not good?"
"When overthinking makes you not act, trapped in your mind, surrounded by fictional scenarios that don't exist. Locked in place as you are pushed forward by the many possibilities and held down by the possible consequences."
"Wow… Very philosophical. Someone write that down." Emma makes a little joke, but she is genuinely impressed by how profound his answer is to a casual question.
"It is because I think too much…" He gives her a playful, arrogant look. "Thankfully, I think incredibly fast too. It also helps to not freeze in indecision… Not that doing nothing is bad. Sometimes it is as good a choice as any choice; you wait and see… You just need to prepare for all possibilities. And as the prepared guy I am (because I overthink), I tend to be prepared. And that is why it looks like I am a little passive, but in truth it is all under control." And he knows that time is on his side. Nothing wins against a patient man.
In many aspects of life, waiting and acting at the perfect time is Hector's way; after all, it maximizes gains and minimizes risks.
Like him not getting rid of any potential future villain… Instead, he will do small things like keeping an eye on them or manipulating things to steer the villains to the good side. It would not be fair either to kill someone because an alternative version of them is bad.
"So this is your Modus Operandi… I guess I noticed that when you revealed that you had too much information about the Hellfire Club, and haven't acted on it till our talk." Emma comments
"There is always hope they can turn around and become better people."
Emma scoffs, "As if… but I guess it gave me time to change sides."
"If changing sides, you mean become a better person, yes… See? Worth it!" Eidolon smiles at her before turning to look at the quintuplets playing.
"..."
The girls move to another spot, and Hector follows, leaving Emma behind with her thoughts. She didn't stay still for long, following him and the girls at a languid pace.
Why hurry? There is no other place she would rather be than here.
Emma Frost never thought it would be a day she would be waking up with the rising sun just to stare at kids playing in the sand… but here she is. And it's pretty nice.
Mindee comes running to them, holding a shell in her hand.
"Papa! Mama!" She raises it to them. It is a pretty red one.
"Oh, it looks like a hermit crab is without his home." Eidolon comments after a look at the shell, looking interested.
"Ah…" But that looks like the wrong thing to say because Mindee suddenly looks sad. The two can feel some sort of childish guilt coming from her like she is the one who stole the hermit crab's house.
"Erm… Maybe he already died." Emma tries to help, but it only makes things worse.
"...!" Mindee looks to be on the verge of tears.
The two tripped on this path of parenthood, but thankfully, as he said, Eidolon can think fast.
"Ahem, you see, Mindee… hermit crabs grow and discard their old shells for bigger ones." He explains calmly while kneeling to keep at eye level with the girl. "So this is a home that he left behind for others… smaller hermit crabs or even little girls that can find it." He pinches her cheek slightly at the end. "I bet he would be happy you found it."
Mindee seems to understand and smiles through the tears, finally putting the shell in the bucket and returning to collect shells with her sisters.
"How can they be so different?" Emma asks, shaking her head.
She is talking about how Mindee and Celeste are such sweet kids, and on the other hand…
"MINE!"
"MINE!"
Sophie and Phoebe are rolling on the sand and fighting for a pretty shell, and Esme is on the side laughing and metaphorically throwing gasoline on the fire.
"Well… It keeps things interesting at least." Eidolon laughs before using his telekinesis to separate the two.
After expertly putting the two troublemakers on their feet, the two parents stare at them with disapproving looks and crossed arms.
"..." That is enough to pass the message, and they stop fighting.
It seems Sophie was the one with the shell on her hand, so in a show of maturity she decided to throw it away in the sea.
It wasn't launched very far, but at least it fell into the water, and Phoebe didn't go to get it. The issue seems to be solved for now.
"I kind of see this positively." Eidolon finally speaks
"Because they have individuality, right?" Emma guesses
"Yes. Do you remember how they are at first?"
"Yep. They talked, and even moved in unison… Very unsettling seeing them eating at the same pace." Emma says with a distant look, "They would be great in artistic swimming." She says with a pensieve expression afterward.
"That would be unfair." Eidolon chuckles. "But seeing that there are conflicts, and the normal sibling rivalry from time to time, our efforts paid off. They are their own people, and not the whole."
"They still do everything together, though."
"That is natural… In the end, they still feel strange without the comforting presence of the others. I think that over time they could grow further and further apart, but maybe they will always prefer their sister's presence. A hive-mind forever…"
"...as long as they are happy." Emma can't seem to find a reason to care that much.
"We at least gave them the chance of walking other paths… Their choice." The hero shrugs. "We can only support them in whatever they do."
"And here we see your 'wait and see' tactic." She points out.
"Finally getting it, huh? You have to admit it is the better option." He looks at her. "It may be a hard thing for you to consider, as a telepath and all that, but I believe in letting people have their autonomy." His tone is sarcastic.
"Shut up." She slaps him on the arm
"I mean, it would be easier if we controlled every step they take, and it probably is why so many parents do that… but seldom what is easy is the right path," Eidolon speaks a little more seriously. "If they fall, we pick them up and talk about the mistakes, and if they succeed, we clap from the audience while letting them shine under the spotlight."
"I like this parenting style… keeping them alive and on the path of success." Emma nods approvingly. "But we should prioritize not spoiling them too much."
"Impossible. Look at us." Eidolon gestures
"Yep, you are right." Emma immediately understands his point.
"Let's make it like this… You make sure that they will not spit on poor people, and I make sure they will not lobotomize anyone." Eidolon suggests a division of responsibilities, but then he pauses. "You know what? Telepathy is also your thing… So you do all that." He winks while making the hand gesture of a gun to her.
"Hey, don't throw that at my chest." Emma replies indignantly, "I don't want to be the strict parent. This should be your role as the father."
"It is the best way… Girlhood and all that, to not let them lobotomize the first guy who thinks bad things about them… You know what again? Let them do that. Lobotomize the bastards."
"Pfft, hahaha! Ah, if I did that with every man that thought 'bad' things of me…" Emma laughs, her eyes glinting.
"See? You can teach them… Better teach them not to go looking into random people's minds then. It is the safest option." Eidolon makes a thumbs up.
"I thought you were the power specialist…" Emma gives him an up-and-down look, her eyes filled with disdain.
"I will be supporting you, don't worry."
"Ha-Ha!" She laughs without a hint of amusement in her blue lips.
Their little discussion is interrupted by Celeste, who runs to them, her small palm open with two shells.
"To us, sweetie?" Emma steps forward with a gentle smile.
The kid nods, raising her palm even higher.
"Look at that… in the shape of a spiral, like my symbol," Eidolon says before picking the one that is obviously meant for him. "Very observant, dear." He says while patting his daughter's head.
The two shells are white, but the other looks like a square, a little stretched.
"Diamond shaped, huh?" Emma smiles as she grabs her milk-white shell.
"It looks like the scale of some animal. Albino… that is rare." Eidolon observes.
"Thank you, Celeste. I will take good care of it." Emma also pats her head.
The little girl giggles happily. Eidolon, on the side, moves his hands super fast, in a blur, and suddenly his shell has a white string attached, making a collar, so he puts it around his neck.
"Want me to do the same? Or maybe another type of jewelry?" Eidolon turns to Emma
"Hmmm…" Emma considers. "Maybe too big to be a ring, no?" She even puts the shell on her left ring finger.
"..."
She laughs seeing Eidolon's face. "Make a collar too, please."
The hero quickly repeats the same process, and Emma has a matching collar.
"At the end of the hunt, I will turn your favorite shells into jewelry, okay?" Hector says to Celeste, "Go tell your sisters."
The little girl nods with a smile before running back to her sisters.
"Aaah~ So cute." Emma sighs
"Right?"
"Can you keep them this size forever?" She can't help but ask
"What we just talked about letting them grow on their own?" He gives her a side glance without heat, knowing that she is joking. "But yes, I could."
"Too bad they grow up on their own, then." Emma sighs melancholically.
"Too early for this mood… Wait till they go to school, at least."
"Ugh, my heart can't take that."
"You will not survive college then."
"Ack…" Emma holds her chest as if in pain.
"Try not to rub off your theatrics on the girls…"
"Please… even being 100% me, if they get any theatrics, it will be from you, Mr. Hero."
"Then they will be very cool kids."
"And I am not?" Emma gives that look any woman can give, the one that says she will not accept any answer other than the one she wants to hear.
"Not as much as me." But Eidolon doesn't care.
They enjoy the lighthearted conversation for a while as they follow the girls on the beach; that is when Emma decides to ask.
"By the way, they are finding a lot of shells… and they are all kinda nice… did you?" She looks at him suspiciously
"Yes, of course I planted them." He doesn't hide the truth, making her laugh
"Haha! So we can expect them to find something like a ruby in the sand?" She asks with a teasing smirk
"Nah, I didn't go that far… Only collected some shells around the world and put them here. Nothing too amazing that would create high expectations for the future… Like, I could make them super magical, right? I want the experience to be as normal as possible even with my hand behind it."
"I see…" She nods, getting his point.
"I planned a treasure hunt later, though." He reveals his plan with a smile that reaches his eyes.
"Should I worry?" Emma raises an eyebrow
"Worry? With me?" Eidolon looks offended
"Okay… don't do anything crazy."
"Relax… just a little exploration to spend some time doing something unique instead of repeating the same thing every day."
"Hm, I trust you… For your information, I am not gonna dig shit anymore." She huffs
"Heh, you would. Don't lie, you would…" He chuckles. "But relax, it will be light and fun. More of a little trip with an objective at the end."
"So you also planted the treasure…"
"No spoilers."
The two fall into a comfortable silence; the only sounds are the weak waves crashing against the sand and the girls talking and laughing.
Emma suddenly decides to ask a difficult question.
"Do you have a favorite?" Her tone is even, but low, as if afraid of the girls listening.
"..." Eidolon slowly turns to her. "No." He answers, "I don't think parents should have favorites."
"Haah~, spoke like the single child you are… Parents always have a favorite." Emma sighs. "For my father, it was obviously Christian… before the whole gay thing. The male heir after two daughters… He did not hide his favoritism."
"..."
"I was my mother's favorite, before I got rebellious… Then Adrienne got the spot. Good for her; she always wanted it. Heh." The woman releases a weak laugh
"...are you afraid that you are gonna get a favorite too?" Eidolon guesses, "The girls are mostly the same… and they are basically you, so you are gonna love them as much as you love yourself. And it will be a lot." He jokes about her narcissistic tendencies.
"Ha-Ha! True… I admit. But we can already see their personalities diverging a little… So yes, there is some chance I will develop some favoritism… Like to the one that is the easiest, or the one that is more similar to me. It's normally how it works… I know, I am in most people's minds, after all."
"We talked about this, so don't worry. I think your connection will be the same with all of them. And maybe… maybe! Just in case you get closer to one or another, as long as you treat them all fairly. It doesn't matter. What exists in your mind will remain in your mind as long as you don't bring it to the real world." Eidolon gives some advice.
"We are all telepaths… What if they discover?" Now Emma shows a little panic.
"Ironic… Finally afraid of something you don't want to leak to other people's minds, huh?" Eidolon teases her just a little, making the woman glare at him. "Emma, the fact you care that much about it is enough… If they can get glimpses of your emotion in the future, they will understand how much you love them. Don't worry." He grabs her hand for a moment and makes soothing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.
After a second, he lets go with a smile.
"..." Emma remains silent for a moment, even after the loss of his touch. She then shakes her head a little and continues. "And what about you? They are not your clones… And with the budding personalities they are showing… any favorite?" She inquires
"Like I said, no."
"C'mon, you can tell me." She urges him by poking his biceps. Taking advantage of the situation. "Sophie and Mindee are always the first to listen to you." She tries to guess.
"...hmmm." It looks like he is thinking about it while watching his daughters. "Nah. I even like their flaws. I am not blind to their differences. Sophie is the most proactive and brave, and always takes the leadership role… between us, I think she is trying to follow in my heroic footsteps. Phoebe is similar, but in a little more aggressive way. The two always butt heads. On the other hand, Mindee is the one who pays most attention when I show non-heroic stuff, other talents, I mean; she even takes her music lessons seriously. Celeste doesn't have anything to make hers stand out from the others, but she is the sweetest and is easy to like. And Esme is kinda evil. Haha, I mean, mischievous… She is a child. She looks to be the smartest too. Which shouldn't make sense because they're the same, so I guess she is the most cunning, or prone to developing street smarts."
"That… That is a very accurate description of them." Emma comments after thinking about it for only a second.
"They kind of complete each other."
"If they keep themselves together…"
"That is something only they can decide." But Eidolon is pretty sure they will not separate by much, unless his influence is so powerful that it can change this part of canon.
"Yeah, yeah… wait and see. I got it already." She says dismissively, making Eidolon laugh a little.
"Yeah, yeah… we got it." He repeats in the same tone.
......…..
After some nice time shell hunting, Eidolon decides to announce to the girls that they are going into another type of "hunt", a treasure hunt.
"Of course, this island is too small…"
"It is?" Emma looks around. The island is relatively small, but it is big enough for the girls to play and explore. She thought Eidolon would keep things on the island.
"No, I got clues of some treasure… underwater." He says dramatically to the benefit of the girls.
"Oohh~" They are all enraptured by his words, eyes twinkling
Emma half-smiles and decides to enter the act. "Oh! Is that so? Underwater? And how are we gonna get there?" She asks with a slightly exaggerated tone.
Ignoring her subpar acting skills, Eidolon grandly gestures to the sea with his arm.
Splash
And a submarine appears in the distance.
It is not any military-grade submarine; it is about the size of a van, like the one used by the Fantastic Four. The upper part is a transparent dome for visibility, allowing you to see the seven seats inside and some extra space.
"Who wants to pilot?" He asks as he creates a platform that takes them to the submarine using his powers.
"""""MEEEE!"""""
......…
A.N.: Hello There
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