January & February Test Drive

[thewakemods]

It's that time again!

→ Comment with a new character you'd like to test out in the game's setting. (put character/canon in subject line pls!)
→ You don't have to be in the game to comment! HI NEW PEOPLE LET US ENABLE YOU.
→ Tag around with new and old characters.
→ App all those characters
→ ???
→ PROFIT!

**NOTICE** - For new series and recent updates/occurrences to existing ones, please mark as SPOILERS if you must refer to such, but please use your own discretion in general.

Comments

[turncoin]

Don't need our powers to take care of ourselves. [They definitely made things easier to be sure, but they were capable even without them. They just had to work smarter not harder, which was definitely where Billy shone bright.

Either way the shift of subjects was definitely appreciated, something tense and coiled in the teen easing every so slightly.]

Sure. Good for both of us to keep up, and it's always better to get some partner sparring time in.

[morphitudinous]

Absolutely.

[Billy grinned and began his warm-up, and he seemed quite comfortable with the routine. When he felt prepared, he settled into a well-practiced stance]

Ready?

[turncoin]

[Tommy didn't need as much of a warm-up, already loose-limbed and limber from the run he'd been on. But he still went through a quick round of stretching, noting that Billy in his own routine? Definitely seemed more comfortable with the whole thing than he recalled him being.

Huh.]

On your mark. [Slipping into a ready stance of his own between one breath and the next, feeling a bit better for something familiar, something to focus on other than thoughts and emotions he'd rather ignore until...

well forever, if he was being honest.]

[morphitudinous]

Go.

[And so Billy began. His first moves were simple, easily parried, just to slip into routine, and it was clear that even now Tommy was head and shoulders above him. But he'd learned from all his teachers, and even slipped in a kick or two that Tommy had taught him.]

[Through it all, he smiled, encouraging.]

Whoa! You'll have to---show me that later.

[turncoin]

[There was a certain back and forth in sparring that one came into when they'd had enough experience. A rhythm that shifted depending on the partner. It was something Tommy knew how to fall into, but he was a bit surprised to find that Billy was falling into that tempo almost as easily, unlike his faltering attempts the last time he remembered their sparring together.

Billy was definitely more skilled, throwing combos that Tommy knew he hadn't known before, ones that were more reminiscent of things he might use.]

How long have you even been here? You've gotten better with your sweeps.

[morphitudinous]

[Billy looked pleased with himself, reaching down to take a sip from his canteen. He'd struggled the most with this, and if he'd eventually learned martial arts...he could eventually learn bending too.]

Four days. I've mostly focused on bending, but a new friend told me that practicing my martial arts could help too.

[turncoin]

Four days? [Tommy couldn't help but feel surprised at the idea, brows lifting.] That's a lot more improvement than four days of practice'd explain.

[Someone had mentioned the idea of different timelines, of coming from different points, but Tommy hadn't quite thought that was something that would actually happen to their team.]

[morphitudinous]

[The gears began to turn in Billy's head. He'd noticed the green clothing and shorter hair, but he hadn't expected Tommy to throw all those green shirts away. He couldn't dismiss that Tommy wasn't as friendly with him as usual, more than just exhaustion would explain.]

I think the gap between our experiences may be greater than that. What was happening in Angel Grove at the last point you remember?

[turncoin]

[Tommy wasn't sure what to make of it but at the same time it was Billy asking... he wouldn't without a reason. So no matter how unpleasant the conversation would be to go over so soon after everything had happened, he was willing to. Surely the other teen would be able to clarify with some more information to go off of.]

After Scorpina ambushed me at home, trying to steal the dragon coin.

[morphitudinous]

[Billy frowned, trying to remember when that had happened.]

I don't remember that at all, but if you had the dragon coin, we must be from different times. Have you ever held the white tiger coin? And how long have you been a Ranger?

[turncoin]

I've never even heard of the white tiger coin...

[And if Billy didn't remember the gongshow that had been the aftermath of Scorpina's ambush, or the absolute emotional meltdown that followed, Tommy was not going to be the one that reminded him.]

I want to say a couple months? [A faint grimace as his hands slid into his pockets, gaze skipping away.] I think anyways. Time was... weird. Before I joined up with you guys, that is.

[He remembered what he'd done. What he'd tried to do, when Rita had her claws in him, but the details like time seemed to slide away, had been hard to grasp both during and after the mess.]

[morphitudinous]

[Billy didn't know much about Tommy's life before, but he could guess. He'd moved around a lot, hadn't he? And then Rita had seized control of him before he could start making friends. It had been a rough time, but none of them had ever talked about it.

But he'd get to work on sorting this out.]

From where I stand, we've been friends for a year. All of you helped to train me, and you've been our team leader since Jason, Trini, and Zack moved away. Scorpina resurfaced again recently to torment Adam---he's the new Black Ranger, you might not know him.

[turncoin]

[It was... strange to hear that they saw him as a friend. He knew that of everyone Billy wasn't one to hold a grudge, but at the same time Tommy was operating under the assumption that something would give. He'd mess up in a way that even those like Billy, Trini, or Kimberly couldn't excuse.

Billy would be able to see that confusion in Tommy's expression, even before the mention of being team leader that had his eyes widening because what?]

...Clearly things change. [The 'are you all insane trusting me' went unsaid, but was painted all over his expression and in his tone try as he might to hide it.]

[morphitudinous]

Change from...what?

[The concern is clear in his eyes.]

Is it that surprising that we think highly of you?

[turncoin]

I'm not anyone's favorite person right now, let's just put it that way.

[As nice as they tried to be (barring Zack and his antagonistic attitude), he knew they were watching him. Worrying if he was going to keep it together, or if he'd end up falling apart. Or fall apart again at this point.

Or worse if somehow he'd wind up betraying them all again.

He was well aware he wasn't trusted.]

For good reason.

[morphitudinous]

Did something else happen after Rita's spell on you was broken? Or is this just from the spell?

[Billy could certainly never blame him for that. Especially after he'd been controlled and done damage to the team himself.]

We don't blame you, and I'd be the most hypocritical of all of us if I did.

[turncoin]

I don't even know. It could have been the spell, some backup in case she lost her hold.

[A faint shrug.]

Could just be I couldn't hack it.

[Or it could be the emotional breakdown that he'd been hurtling towards at breakneck speeds but like hell he'd admit that like... ever. Easier to just blame it on not being good enough, not like he thought he was anyways.]

[morphitudinous]

[Ouch, that sounded difficult. Billy paused a moment to think, but he made it clear he was still listening with his focused eyes.]

It was a spell, that was made quite clear to us at the time. But that's not the most important thing, because even if it wasn't? You still got up and helped us drive her back again and again. You're our hero, Tommy, and...well, you're especially one of mine.

[He looked up, willing Tommy to believe him, or at least to be willing to believe him in the future.]

You made a choice to keep fighting beside us when you could have walked away. That takes courage. And you've shown that again and again.