Ella con su triste canto te acompañará

[unpocoloco]

WHO: Héctor and closed to close CR only
WHERE: Lumiere to Aube
WHEN: Wibbly wobbly time but a little after the WYMW plot
WHAT: A phone call reunion
WARNINGS: The BIG SPOILER tm (I will NPC the person on the phone as needed)

The conversation starts off in Lumiere. It's not a voice that most will have heard around Imelda, let alone coming from her room. Hitching sobs and gasps, and eventually laughter and quick spoken Spanish. It starts in the early evening, but soon carries late and the door opens but the conversation doesn't stop, a phone cradled to his ear and not a care in the world for who sees him, tear tracked and smiling wide. 'Coco' and 'Mija' and 'Te extraño mucho' are words that come with frequency. Héctor barely minds his path, let alone those he passes.

But there are still one or two for whom he might pause, wet-faced and still heedless as he stops to say, "Mija, este es mi buen amigo, my good friend..."

It's a rare honor, but he does reserve for those already in the know of his situation. None of it holds him so long that he's late for their song. Even with her voice on speaker now, they both sing softly-- as best they can with tears in their voices-- so as not to be heard. But his fingers play upon the guitar and those notes ring out, like it or not, throughout the common room of Aube. Those up terribly late may just catch the tail end, or at least the sung word, "Recuérdame".

Comments

[made_up_names]

Uggghhhh why. Grant him this much dignity, Héc, he's begging you.

"But I'm never gonna be older than seventeen," he complains. "So hombre's never gonna happen."

[unpocoloco]

Hmmmm... no.

Maybe.

"First off, you don't know that yet. We're waiting for your birthday and taking measurements." Just as a reminder. "And second, so what? You're a primo now! Part la familia de los muertos! We'll count your age as you mature." He reaches over to tap Peter's head. "Mentally."

But he makes no personal promises on calling Peter un hombre.

[made_up_names]

Right, right. Technically he's only been like this for maybe six months. There's no real way to know for certain. But ... well, he has a feeling, okay.

"And if I don't mature mentally?" Look, he's just saying. If he could age physically, he'd still probably be a kid at heart.

[unpocoloco]

"Then I guess I'm teasing you forever. You can't guilt me, mijo. I was the kid with my primos half the time."

He doesn't look sorry at all. But he does at least consider the possibility, smile softening. "If you're a kid forever then I'm going to look after you like one. Which means you'll always be a boy to me anyway. But I'm sure you'll convince others to call you hombre."

[made_up_names]

Siiiiigh. You're the worst, Héc. Just the worst.

"Still not fair," he grumbles.

[unpocoloco]

"You'd have to wait the same amount of time if you didn't have special circumstances. It's totally fair." A pause. "Also, that was a very teenager thing to say."

[made_up_names]

"Yeah, yeah, I knew it before I even said it." But. Still a teenager. Dammit.

Peter shakes his head a bit, letting a smile come back to his face. "I'm still really glad things are better with Coco. I've been talking a lot with my aunt too."

About - well, the obvious, for starters.

[unpocoloco]

Which is part why he doesn't feel bad teasing Peter. The boy's not completely un-self-aware.

His own smile is softening again. "Oh yeah? I'm glad to hear that." He's only been asking Peter to confide in his aunt since they got know each other. And she's probably been asking it far longer.

Gently, he asks, "How'd it go?"

[made_up_names]

His own expression is a bit aching, but - well, not bad. That meant the conversation went well. "She yelled at me a little, but only a little," he says. And by yell he means an exasperated, affectionate talking to. "But she knew everything already. I guess she knew everything from the beginning."

Which honestly comes at no surprise when he thinks about it. No way his aunt wouldn't know something; the only surprise is in how much.

"She's been having me track stuff. How I'm feeling, when I wake up, how bad I react to things." He gestures to the notebook he'd been working on just now - it's where he's tracking some of this stuff. "And, uh, trying to figure out how many people know."

[unpocoloco]

He doesn't need an explanation to know exactly what he means by 'yelled at'. It's what all kids say. He's kind of glad she got the chance to get it out of her system even for as little yelling as he imagines there was.

And with his own knowing look, he doesn't need to say that he thinks her knowing everything is the case too.

"Smart of her," He says. "You're probably the first if not only one like yourself. It does leave some navigating alone. That part I was lucky with, there's been plenty before me." Which does lead to the more unfortunate part. "So... how many do know? What are we working with?"

[made_up_names]

Yeeeep. Peter's a teenager after all, and he darn well acts like one.

As for that question. Well. He winces a bit, a hand drifting to the cracks at his temple. There are more than the last time Héc saw him, though not too many. "I don't know," he admits. "But it's definitely at least ten. I kept a lid on it pretty good while I was trying super hard not to fail, but..."

But the instant he talks to someone new, it all seems to fall out. Which. Well, no one is surprised about that. He sighs a little.

"It's not hurting me, exactly. But um. I can't seem to stay awake during the day any more. I gotta change my class schedule."

[unpocoloco]

"Well it's not not hurting you if that's the case," He says, making something of a face. He'd suggested Peter move to night classes but he hadn't wanted the kid to be forced into it.

"Night classes will have fewer people, less chance to tell. I think I mentioned that before. We need to work on getting you a story to tell too. A half-truth is best, it starts to become second nature after a while."

He's pretty sure Peter doesn't even have a good half-truth for Spiderman. Which probably didn't help with hiding that part either.

"I'll talk to who I can about schedule changes."

[made_up_names]

"Yeah. Good idea on multiple levels, I guess." His now mandatory sleeping schedule, limiting contact with people, all that good stuff. He just. Wishes he didn't have to, but that isn't going to help him now, is it.

At least he perks up a bit at that second part. "Story? What kinda story?" he says, brightening. "Do I need to invent a curse or something? Maybe I'm literally a night owl."

Look, he can't help but get excited about dumb shit even now.

[unpocoloco]

It's unfortunate but it's for the best. The boy will get used to it.

And then he finds himself staring. Literal night owl...

"Okay, okay, slow down," He says, hands going up. "We're going to teach you how to lie. Because for some reason you missed that part of being a teenager." Like, really missed it. "Half truths. But, it also should be something that invites less questions unless you can't be called upon it at a later point. One story, consistent. Hit me with one; Peter, why would you want to do night classes?"

[made_up_names]

Peter just sort of. Shrugs. What can he say really? He's just a really straightforward kid, and too excited to keep secrets half the time. Especially his own. It's a good thing he wasn't Spider-Man for long back home, because he'd probably have blabbed everything on the internet and gotten himself in real trouble.

"Okay, okay," he says, holding up his hands. He knows how to do half truths, jeez. "I'm ... uh, allergic to normal magic, and night classes teach differently?"

[unpocoloco]

The flicker of a grin on his face is the only show of approval he gives. He keeps going, in that same falsely unaware voice.

"Allergic to normal magic, huh? Wow, I've never heard of that." He gives just a moment for Peter to be tempted into explaining more.

[made_up_names]

Sure enough, the moment Héctor gives him an opening, he’s off to the races.

“Oh yeah. I have a medical condition,” he says. “It’s like insomnia but magic? And I get sunburns like instantly now, so. Gotta do stuff at night.”

Completely smooth. He doesn’t sound like a vampire at all.

[unpocoloco]

This time he falters because it's so smooth he wants to ask if that sunburn thing is true. If so, ouch, but he's got to focus.

"That sounds pretty serious. Have you seen a doctor for that?"

[made_up_names]

It’s absolutely true, which is why it came out like that. So Peter is accidentally telling Héctor more things by trying to lie, oops.

“Uh - yes. I have a doctor.” A long pause. “We’re working on it? I take uh. Medicine. And stuff. Which I also have to take at night. The medicine is allergic too.”

[unpocoloco]

Just when he almost, almost has some hope, the train completely derails, flying off the tracks. His palm smacks to his face. He takes a minute before lowering it down.

"Come on, kid," He pleads. "Your life literally depends on this. What did you do wrong here? Say it back to me."

[made_up_names]

Uhhhhhh.

"The ... medicine is allergic too?"

Yeah okay that sounds pretty dumb. Even he can hear that.

[unpocoloco]

He sighs, then nods. What's he going to do with you, Peter?

"Less is more, mijo," He says. "The less details anyone has, the less tools they have against you. In this case you would want to say you're working it out with your doctor and leave it at that. Shrug it off, say it's no big deal. Like the way you do anything dangerous with your hero stuff."

Just saying.