the screen. "He's ours--that takes him off your wanted list--"
"I'm not going to try and put him in the Cape Cells," Marigold says, her irritation showing on her face. "There's a rule, in your school, that whatever Hall they came from, they go back to--"
"Not in Rocco's case. He's not related to any of your working capes, or affiliated with you, personally," Nico says. "He's a member of two Halls already, and I've gotten hints from a few others, as well. If he never wants to work with you again, he's perfectly in his rights."
"But he's still from my territory, which means I have the right to talk to him!" Marigold says. "Look, as much as I hate to, I'll explain what I want--and then you can tell him to talk to me."
Nico kicks his feet up on the desk. "I'm listening."
***
Rocco stares at his phone for a long, long moment, wondering what Nico was thinking by giving his number to Marigold. They don't get along, and that's putting it lightly. He'd have thought that his number would be off limits to the super that wants to put him in the Cape Cells--
"Answer it," Nico says over the phone speaker. Rocco jumps, accidentally hitting the accept call button.
"It took you long enough," Marigold says, her face appearing on the screen.
"Forgive me if I had second thoughts about answering," Rocco drawls, inwardly sighing. "You can't arrest me--all the stuff I've been doing lately is for school reasons."
"Sure, you SAY that," she starts out, only to stop. "Look, I want to be one of the helpers, or whatever it is you call them, for an advent day."
"And you call ME?" he asks, almost dropping the phone before he bursts out laughing. "YEAH RIGHT!" he hoots. "Do you really think I'd ask for anything from you?"
"I'm the one Hall Leader most closely associated with the U.S. Military," she says. He shuts up. "Now I'll admit, you and I will probably never see eye to eye, but how do you feel about our troops?"
"Oh," he says. He lets out a long breath, giving in. "Fine, I'll agree to let you help me--if I like what you have to say in the next... oh, let's say ten minutes," he says, just because it irritates her. He still hasn't forgiven her for chasing him for so long.
"I want to put together gifts and deliver them to our troops overseas," she says, going straight to the crux. "Showing them that our next super generation is willing to support them will boost morale. That I'm using a future super villain to do it, well, they probably haven't seen your debut."
"And what gifts will they get?" Rocco asks.
"I'll have supplies for gift packages sent to your school," she says. "Basic supplies, small luxuries, things that don't seem like much here, but you can't get over there. Your group can add whatever you want to them, just as long as it doesn't hurt morale instead of helping it. No war protesting crap, got it? I still don't like hippies because of that."
"Marigold," he says dryly, "we aren't STUPID."
"Tomorrow's your day, right?" she asks, ignoring that. "I'll have the supplies sent in the morning. I'll be there in the afternoon to go with you on the delivery."
"Delivery?" Rocco repeats, but she's already hung up. He groans and heads to bed, hoping to get some sleep and wake up to discover it was a bad dream.
Morning comes and Rocco hears his classmates shouting for him to wake up from outside. He groans and dresses, taking a shortcut through the Shadowlands to the platform at the top of the canyon. He already knows what to look for, after all. Most of the group is there, anyway, watching through the force field as a couple of delivery men unload boxes from the back of a black delivery truck. Nico walks up to the truck, wearing his Mastermental and puppets shirt, a coffee cup in his hand. He talks with the delivery guys for a moment before turning to the field.
"Everyone has clearance, come on out and grab a box or two," he tells them. They head out, looking confused, but Rocco doesn't explain until all the boxes are in the
"I'm not going to try and put him in the Cape Cells," Marigold says, her irritation showing on her face. "There's a rule, in your school, that whatever Hall they came from, they go back to--"
"Not in Rocco's case. He's not related to any of your working capes, or affiliated with you, personally," Nico says. "He's a member of two Halls already, and I've gotten hints from a few others, as well. If he never wants to work with you again, he's perfectly in his rights."
"But he's still from my territory, which means I have the right to talk to him!" Marigold says. "Look, as much as I hate to, I'll explain what I want--and then you can tell him to talk to me."
Nico kicks his feet up on the desk. "I'm listening."
***
Rocco stares at his phone for a long, long moment, wondering what Nico was thinking by giving his number to Marigold. They don't get along, and that's putting it lightly. He'd have thought that his number would be off limits to the super that wants to put him in the Cape Cells--
"Answer it," Nico says over the phone speaker. Rocco jumps, accidentally hitting the accept call button.
"It took you long enough," Marigold says, her face appearing on the screen.
"Forgive me if I had second thoughts about answering," Rocco drawls, inwardly sighing. "You can't arrest me--all the stuff I've been doing lately is for school reasons."
"Sure, you SAY that," she starts out, only to stop. "Look, I want to be one of the helpers, or whatever it is you call them, for an advent day."
"And you call ME?" he asks, almost dropping the phone before he bursts out laughing. "YEAH RIGHT!" he hoots. "Do you really think I'd ask for anything from you?"
"I'm the one Hall Leader most closely associated with the U.S. Military," she says. He shuts up. "Now I'll admit, you and I will probably never see eye to eye, but how do you feel about our troops?"
"Oh," he says. He lets out a long breath, giving in. "Fine, I'll agree to let you help me--if I like what you have to say in the next... oh, let's say ten minutes," he says, just because it irritates her. He still hasn't forgiven her for chasing him for so long.
"I want to put together gifts and deliver them to our troops overseas," she says, going straight to the crux. "Showing them that our next super generation is willing to support them will boost morale. That I'm using a future super villain to do it, well, they probably haven't seen your debut."
"And what gifts will they get?" Rocco asks.
"I'll have supplies for gift packages sent to your school," she says. "Basic supplies, small luxuries, things that don't seem like much here, but you can't get over there. Your group can add whatever you want to them, just as long as it doesn't hurt morale instead of helping it. No war protesting crap, got it? I still don't like hippies because of that."
"Marigold," he says dryly, "we aren't STUPID."
"Tomorrow's your day, right?" she asks, ignoring that. "I'll have the supplies sent in the morning. I'll be there in the afternoon to go with you on the delivery."
"Delivery?" Rocco repeats, but she's already hung up. He groans and heads to bed, hoping to get some sleep and wake up to discover it was a bad dream.
Morning comes and Rocco hears his classmates shouting for him to wake up from outside. He groans and dresses, taking a shortcut through the Shadowlands to the platform at the top of the canyon. He already knows what to look for, after all. Most of the group is there, anyway, watching through the force field as a couple of delivery men unload boxes from the back of a black delivery truck. Nico walks up to the truck, wearing his Mastermental and puppets shirt, a coffee cup in his hand. He talks with the delivery guys for a moment before turning to the field.
"Everyone has clearance, come on out and grab a box or two," he tells them. They head out, looking confused, but Rocco doesn't explain until all the boxes are in the
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