Video: the beach

[seriallylucky]

[Masked men are an unusual sight on a public beach, but if you're going to be playing with superpowers what good alternatives are there? Fred's attracting some attention, but he's found a reasonably remote area and most people seem to get that they shouldn't bother him.

The connection is propped up on something a little way back from Fred himself, so as to show him and the ground he's standing on.]

Hey, guys. I think I just figured out what one of those last pulses was. It's... a power, I guess.

[He shrugs; not much else to say before he demonstrates. By which we mean crumbles; in a moment he's replaced by a small pile of sand, pretty much indistinguishable from the sandy ground. The pile wiggles a little and lurches to the side, and then un-crumbles back into Fred.]

And that's about it. I'm pretty sure I should be able to move around like that, if I can figure out how. [He sighs.] It just feels lame, you know? I can make rocks show up, and heal, and... turn into a pile of sand.

Comments

video;

[hotshots]

[ BLINK. You know, Neil shouldn't be surprised at this point, all things considered. Yet here we are. ]

I dunno, that could be pretty useful, actually. How much can you move around after you change?

[video]

[seriallylucky]

[Have another shrug.] Not much more than I just did, at least so far. It's probably like learning to walk, figuring out what all the magic muscle things do and how to use them together.

[video]

[hotshots]

Even if you can't, that could be useful for a quick getaway, eh?

[video]

[seriallylucky]

[puzzled:] How so?

[video]

[hotshots]

Lots of ways. Someone's chasing you? Duck around a corner, behind something. Who's gonna suspect the pile of sand? Or drop through a sewer grate, or... hell, there's a ton of ways to use something like that.

[video]

[seriallylucky]

Oh.

[He thinks about that for a few moments.]

I'll have to see if I can get it to work when I'm not already on sand, because so far it hasn't.

[moreweaponsthanyou]

So er...what happens if someone carts that pile of sand you turn into and scatters it into the ocean while you're like that?

[Video]

[belphe]

[She watches, fascinated, as he reforms himself]

What does it feel like, being dispersed that way?

[seriallylucky]

[Fred blinks.] I have no idea. But I can switch back at any time, so I don't think it's a huge risk.

[Still, now that the idea's been mentioned... it doesn't sound like it'd be a pleasant prospect.]

[Video]

[seriallylucky]

[He's at a loss. Finally:] Sort of itchy, I guess? Sand doesn't have nerves or anything, so the sensations aren't like anything we've got words for.

[Video]

[belphe]

That's understandable. I would imagine a lot of things that normal people aren't meant to feel can't be described by normal words.

I had just wondered if you were aware of every grain of yourself or if you would notice if a few were lost along the way.

video;

[saviorsoul]

I guess it's good for camouflage... ?

[video]

[hotshots]

...so you can only do it when you're touching it, and just sand specifically?

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Any time lag to it at all? I mean...if you're currently a pile of sand, it doesn't take that much time to kick you over, and if there's a nice strong wind going on at the same time... I think you can see where I'm going with this.

[video]

[seriallylucky]

Yep. So far, anyway. Which is why it took me so long to figure out what it was - I got the pulse feeling about a week ago.

[video]

[hotshots]

Hey, at least it was something on you. I get those stupid things all the time and sometimes don't know what it was until me or the FBI's researchers have poked around my Gundam enough to know it got an upgrade.

[seriallylucky]

...Yeah, I think I can. It... maybe I should get help and do some tests in the other direction.

[Video]

[seriallylucky]

Oh. [He thinks about that for a bit.]

I don't think so. A few grains getting left behind or whatever seems like it'd be along the lines of losing a few hairs.

[video]

[seriallylucky]

Yeah, maybe. Except even if I don't come out of it on my own, it doesn't seem to last very long.

[video]

[seriallylucky]

[Blank look.] What's a Gundam?

[moreweaponsthanyou]

Sounds like a good idea to find your limits, yeah.

[video]

[hotshots]

[ He cocks a grin. ]

Remember the giant robots? That's one of 'em.

Re: [video]

[saviorsoul]

Did you remember what the other guy used it for?

[video]

[seriallylucky]

You got a giant robot? [Yep, that's envy in Fred's voice. Face, too, but he's still got the mask so it doesn't show up.]

[video]

[seriallylucky]

[He shakes his head.] No, I haven't gotten any memories about his powers.