RadioActivity

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Josh emerged a moment later, and Lydia was waiting for him. She got to her feet. "Alright, come on, W-... Josh," the sound was clearly odd on her tongue. "Let's see if we can go with Adrian. Ordinarily I'd run, but my whole body is pretty sore after yesterday. I overworked myself and I only have about 20% of my strength left today." She rubbed her shoulder.

Josh nodded. He went into the kitchen, Lydia following behind him. She picked up a banana. "Oh hey, look, just in time. They're about to leave." She peeled the banana, before picking off a small section with her fingers. "Are you guys driving? I kind of overworked myself yesterday. And I can't go running to school with my currently average-human strength. So if you're driving... Willow and I want to go." She purposely said Willow, too embarrassed to use his real name in front of other people. "And which side are you going to? Heroes or villains? Willow and I will take the other." Deciding to wait for an answer, she ate the piece of banana before pinching another piece off.

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Willow finished showering, and changed his clothes. He stood in front of the mirror, his hands on either side of the sink, staring into it. He lifted the towel around his neck and rubbed it into his hair, drying it off before throwing it aside. He changed his sheets next and flipped his mattress. The side he'd been on was drenched and gritty from drying sweat. He carried all the clothes and sheets to the laundry room, before a servant, a young lady with short brown hair and clear blue eyes, took them from him, offering to do them. Willow nodded, deciding not to press the matter. "It's kind of embarrassing, but... Thank you. I hope you weren't too affected by the vines this morning." He left the laundry room, and ran into Lydia in the hallway.

"Oh, Willow," she looked away from him, awkwardly. "There you are," she muttered under her breath, thinking to herself, trying to work up the nerve to apologize, or to ask him his name, or anything. "I... uh... I didn't know you manipulated plants," she started, crossing one leg over the other, staring down at her feet.

Willow tilted his head. "Yeah?... well, you never asked either. It's where my name came from. The first plant I ever manipulated was a willow tree in my back yard. Until it got cut down, I guess..." The conversation was a bit tense and Willow didn't understand why she had stopped him to talk.

"Oh... I see," Lydia muttered again, looking at her feet. "Um... so, after, the thing... I got to thinking and I thought... we've been... working together for a long time. How long has it been? Three and a half years?"

"Halfway through my first semester, you saved my life from a senior villain." Willow prompted.

Lydia looked up at him, puzzled. "I did?"

Willow looked puzzled now. "Yeah, you did. You don't remember?" Lydia shook her head. "Oh. Well, I was cornered downtown by a fire-type and I was pretty sure he was going to wreck me,"

"Oh, wait," Lydia thought a moment. "Hey, yeah. I remember fighting that guy. He was real waif-y, wasn't he? Skinny but batshit. Like... a starving wolf, kind of. So hey, wait. That kid who was on the ground, that was you?" She frowned. "That kid was a hero though. He told me."

"Was a hero..." Willow crossed his arms. "He changed his mind."

Lydia was silent a moment. "Oh."

"Yeah."

There was a few moments of silence as Lydia processed the information she'd just recieved. She hesitated again. "So, what's your name, anyway? I'm getting tired of calling you Willow."

Willow, almost without even realizing it, brightened visibly at the question, seeming excited to hear the question from her. "Joshua. Josh is okay."

"... Joshua, huh? ... Alright. I can live with that." Lydia muttered under her breath.

"I did want to apologize for this morning too though. I'm going to apologize to Adrian when I see him too... I don't usually have bad dreams like that, I don't know what was wrong with me. It must have been a doozy because I haven't lost control of my powers, sleeping or waking for a few years..." Josh hesitated. "I'm just glad that the only seeds I had on me were my creeping vines. It would have been bad if I'd had some of the other ones. So... I'm sorry that I attacked you like that. I don't know what came over me."

"I'm curious about this girl you were talking about. What's the deal with that again?" She frowned.

Josh looked straight at Lydia, his brows knit. "... I'm sorry. What girl? Dillon?"

Lydia stared back at him. "No, not Dillon. The one on your phone?"

Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking through it. After a moment of fruitless searching, he looked back up at Lydia. "Sorry. I guess I don't remember." he slipped it into his pocket again.

Somehow, Lydia felt disconcerted by Josh's memory lapse. "Oh... you were freaking out about it this morning. You were saying something about a girl at the junior villains matches and you took a picture of her and..." she trailed off, noting the blank look on Josh's face.

He looked back through his photos again, frowning. "No, there's no pictures of any girls on here. I don't just take pictures of girls like that. I'm not a creep."

"Oh... Well, I'm getting ready to go to the sophomore competition. Do you want to come?" Lydia asked.

A look of pure terror flashed across Josh's face for a moment before it disappeared, leaving him with a confused look on his face. "Uh... y-yeah... I'll go. I just need a few moments to get ready."

There's definitely something wrong with him. He doesn't remember anything about this morning? Lydia frowned to herself, watching Josh go into his room.

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Lydia was silent when Adrian said he didn't hate her. She felt an embarrassed warmth in her core, letting his words sink in. She was embarrassed and annoyed when he said that maybe Willow liked her, and that was why he had done what he said. It was likely it was all in her imagination, but she wasn't totally sure if it was or wasn't. I'm so awkward and ashamed right now... Even Adrian's... He sounds so genuine. I can't help but be tricked by that. "Yeah, I guess I will." Lydia looked down at her bagel, her eyes shifting over to look at Adrian out of the corner of her eyes. He was sitting on the counter next to her. Her eyes roamed over him, studying him with interest. She accidentally met his eyes before looking back down at her bagel. She tossed the half a bagel across the room and it landed in the trashcan with a firm thump.

"I need to do that," she murmured, embarrassed that he had caught her looking. She slid off the counter, but leaned against it. "I don't hate you either... I really respect all the work you've done to get as far as you have. As we have... And also, even though I'm your enemy... You still saved me this morning when you thought I was in danger from Willow." Her tone was awkward and formal. "I wanted to thank you for that. It was very... gentlemanly." She looked away from him. "I guess I owe you a favor now." She moved away from the counter, too embarrassed to say more, heading towards the kitchen exit.

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

"That is weird... It's weird how that happened." Lydia murmured. "I always thought you hated me so much you just purposely kept up with me. It pissed me off so bad that I would fight even harder to go further, thinking that I could break the neck-and-neck pace we had. Usually that just ended with me getting my ass kicked and fed back to me... to no avail. We'd be at the same level anyway. I think... maybe Willow purposely kept up with me all that time...?" Lydia's tone was hesitant. "I don't want to think that, so egotistically... but I really think that it's possible he held himself back to match my pace? But why would he do that? He probably could have graduated already. I don't even know his real name. Until now, I didn't even know he controlled plants... Dillon's a real cutie though. I don't think you could have a better minion." Lydia nodded, leaning back, picking at her bagel. "I'm just annoyed, I guess. I'm annoyed that all that crap happened, and I'm annoyed that I didn't trust him. I'm embarrassed for myself."

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Lydia looked over at him, before swallowing her bite, letting her arm fall against the counter. "No. Actually, I kind of feel like a dick. I mean, Willow's been with me for like, three and a half years, and I treated him like shit. I don't really understand why he freaked out like that, but I should trust him by now." She sat up, crossing her legs. "He's always matched me. For three and a half years, he matched me rank for rank. Isn't that weird?" She looked at her bagel before taking a bite. She was silent a moment. "I should have trusted him more in the three years I know him... I guess I've got to apologize to him, but... I'm just... annoyed." She frowned to herself. "... Adrian, he seems pretty solidly strong for a sidekick... I don't know. I guess I don't know what I'm thinking. I guess I'm wondering why he's a sidekick. I kind of thought they became sidekicks and stuff when they couldn't be heroes."

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Willow shook his head. "I don't know... I don't have any honest idea how it happened. My door was locked, my windows were locked. I slept all night, but I had horrendous dreams... I can't imagine any other way they got in..." he murmured. He looked over at her, his hesitation and fear showing on his face. He studied her, entirely, his eyes looking over her scarlet hair, seeming to absorb her vibrancy and kindness. He debated to himself a moment before sighing. "Sorry. I... I was just acting ridiculous. I can't even remember the dream I had. Maybe I deleted the picture. I don't know... It's all so... hazy now." He shook his head. "All of it... I ... I had a nightmare and I made a fool of myself." He looked away. "Thank you, though... so much... for..." he hesitated. "Everything. But I don't even remember what I'm upset about anymore... so..." He looked over at her. "I need to take a shower and then clean up the vines you guys cut."

Lydia didn't see Adrian anywhere on the first floor, and she looked up the stairs to the second floor. I don't see him anywhere... She frowned to herself. The second story is Benjamin's floor and I don't know if I even want to go up there. I don't even know what's going on up there. She picked up a bagel from the kitchen. But if Willow's scared out of his mind like that, something's wrong. I've known him for... he's been my sidekick for almost three and a half years now. She realized this with a start. That's an awful long time to know someone, considering I didn't even know he was a plant manipulator. She looked at one of the vines lying on the kitchen floor. Or even his real name. He's always just kind of been there, upbeat, saying we'd work together and we'd take on whatever came our way. I thought he was a real nut. I never imagined he could have been number one. But if he can do all this in his sleep, he must have been holding back, this whole time.

That was startling to her, that thought. Is it really possible that Willow could have been graduated already? Someone with this much power, what was he doing on the bottom? Even more than that, why isn't he a hero? She hopped on the kitchen counter, her dark wash blue jeans sliding smoothly over the countertop, crossing her legs at the ankles. He could probably be a hero with this power. What's he doing fucking around as a sidekick? She took a bite of her bagel, chewing it absentmindedly. She ended up lying down on the counter, holding the bagel above her face, taking periodic bites while she stared at the ceiling and thought about the possibility Willow might have been telling the truth. If they had been broken into in the night, if Willow had really seen something scary at the games, and she had really come into their house, then Lydia owed him a huge apology. And Willow didn't make a habit of lying. The thought of having to apologize put an annoyed pout on her face.

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Lydia went to her room and put some clothes on. She didn't understand what had happened, but she knew that something was seriously wrong with Willow. She decided to go check up on Adrian. She supposed she felt flattered that he'd helped protect her when WIllow had gone off the deep end. She pressed her face against the cool wood of her closet door, blushing a bit. So embarrassing. I could have taken care of myself... Why did he have to come save me? ... Still though. He looked so cute, all angry like that. Defending me. She went and looked for Adrian, wondering where he'd disappeared to.

Willow took a deep breath. "Thank you, Dillon," he murmured. "Thank you for defending me... I... I just got so frustrated. They wouldn't listen to me." He shook his head. "I... I don't know. Void?" he questioned. "That must have been her. I wonder if she came through my dreams..." He buried his face in his hands. "I feel like I'm not safe anymore... If they can come to attack me in the dead of night, I'm never going to be safe again."

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Willow stopped moving before turning his head to stare at Adrian, shaking. "If she came here, if she can do this... go ahead and kill me. I'd rather be stabbed. I don't want to be killed by her."

"Adrian, it's okay," Lydia rubbed at her throat. "I've known Willow for years... he'd never act like this without a reason. Willow, what's wrong with you?" She brushed some hair out of her face. She looked down at herself. "Willow, calm yourself down. I'm gonna get dressed. Once you're calm, I want to know all about whoever you're talking about... because if they're making you want to die and freak out..."

Willow let out a small choking sob. "I don't know, I don't remember..." he shook his head. "I had a picture of one of the junior villains, she... I don't know why I took it. I don't remember her name. It's all gone. She must have come somehow and taken it. My picture is gone and her name is missing from my data but I know... I didn't make her up."

"So someone, a junior villain, came into your room last night, and deleted a picture off your phone?" Lydia raised an eyebrow. "How, Willow? No doors were opened. No one came in. Your window's sealed... your door was locked."

"... I don't know." Willow said, miserably. "I don't remember."

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Lydia hacked at the vines that came out from the bottom of the door, angrily wondering what was going on. She grunted and panted. "What the fuck, Willow?" She said, annoyed. "Why is he doing this?"

Finally Adrian managed to hack through and Lydia ran and jumped into it, landing on her knees. "I feel like I'm in a den of snakes!" Lydia shuddered, but she ran over to Willow who was sleeping in the center, shuddering and sweating in fear.

Lydia punched him in the face and he awoke with a start, the vines beginning to retreat towards his body, the ones that weren't cut crawling back onto themselves. He sat up, taking deep breaths, the sweat shining on his skin. "I... I'm sorry." He murmured. "I... I was having a bad dream..." the vines crawled back and receded against him, eventually disappearing, all but the ones they'd cut.

"A bad dream? Don't be such a little bitch." Lydia said angry. "I just ran across the house almost naked because you were having a little nightmare?"

"I... it was about the villain matches..." he pulled his phone out. "I... it was about..." he hesitated, before staring at his phone. "Her... her photo's gone." He choked back a sob. "I didn't delete it. I didn't delete it." He threw his phone, and curled up in a ball.

"Willow, what the fuck are you saying?" Lydia scowled. "Stop talking nonsense. Man up." Lydia suddenly gasped as Willow's vines suddenly slammed into her, slamming her into the wall.

"You never listen to me!" Willow was clearly upset and out of control. The wall began cracking. "I swear to god, she came here! She came here last night, I," he choked.

"I don't even know what you're talking about." Steelia muttered, writhing under the vines. "Who did?"

Always Enemies ((FMN && Gilgamesh))

Lydia shook her head, scowling. "I have no fucking idea what's going on... I don't think we're under attack... These things might have tried to molest me but I'm not sure there's any intent... Where the hell is Willow? Did this thing get him?" She tugged her top down, suddenly awkward about it. "These vines locked me out of my closet... I swear if this is someone's idea of a joke, I'm going to kill someone. This is so stupidly embarrassing..." she looked at Dillon's room. "Why the hell are YOU so lucky that you don't have any vines molesting you while you sleep?" She stormed off down the hallway, heading towards where where the vines seemed to be coming from. They all seemed to be coming from the same room, and Lydia peered in. "I think this is where it's coming from?" she yanked at the door and ripped it off the hinges. The room was knee deep in vines covering everything, and all the vines seemed to becoming from a deeply asleep Willow, who was drenched in sweat and whimpering.

Lydia stormed in but the vines rose up and stopped her from entering. "Oof! WILLOW!" she yelled through the door. "WILLOW GET YOUR STUPID ASS UP. I AM BASICALLY NAKED IN THE HALL!" She pounded her fists against the vines. "URGH." She looked over at Adrian. "Adrian, you have swords, cut these things down."