Rhythminthemind

While I agree with you on the first part, I am not entirely sure how this problem would relate to a lack of communication. Could you elaborate on that one? To me, this is kinda the first big fight that results from people NOT hiding stuff from each other. The only reason Hideyoshi's here is because James decided to be open with him. So, I'm curious what makes you say the lack of communication is to blame here.

Long story short. Yes, @Dthorn. Hideyoshi is very strong. He's much stronger than Leanne would normally be. But she was using the energy drain spell that keeps the slaves in line to turn them all into a battery. So Hideyoshi is one of the strongest mages in America, but Leanne is buffing herself with the powers of twenty eugenically crafted supersoldiers. So she has a bit of a strength advantage. Cuz she's cheating. As for your question @mikedup. Basically, here's what happened: After Leanne got punted through the floor by Jackie, she got fed up with conserving her energy as a reserve. Both she and Hideyoshi decided to go all out for the next round. Hideyoshi activated a form that would allow him to use his full power against her, but before he could do anything with it, Leanne used a supercharged version of that lightning speed attack of hers, and took him out in a single hit. Cuz, again, she has the power of twenty different supersoldiers right now. She's ridiculously OP.

Charlie: The boy was peeking into the hallway when the house caught fire. It was very quick. One moment, he was trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening downstairs, then there was a flash of light, and half the hall lit up. He had a moment to register a searing wave of heat, before something grasped him by the shoulder and yanked him bodily back into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He let out a pained yelp as he toppled, the heat still near to blistering the skin of his

I'm not exactly sure where the idea that Jackie doesn't know James is friends with her son comes from. She's actually fully aware of him. She's good friends with his dad, and their families are rather close. The only person in this sequence who doesn't know that James and Charlie are friends is Hideyoshi, who neither lives with James, nor keeps a particularly close record of his friends. And even he vaguely recognizes Charlie as a friend of James' when he hears him.

Hideyoshi: It took a minute or two for someone to answer the door. No surprise, really, given how late it was. Hideyoshi didn’t let it bother him, simply enjoying the low heat building beneath the surface of his skin, smiling lightly at the growing glow inside his chest. There had been a time when he lived for this. A new enemy. New challenges. Another chance to grow. He took a moment to turn a spell towards the house. Something simple, an easy scan. Two people inside, one male an

Agreed on both counts. 😛

It's not permanent. And don't worry. It's not a dumb question. The basic swap over is that James loses his powers for around a day or two, and Caleb gets all of the energy James had stored up at the time, which was a lot. It goes away after a couple days, or once he's used it all, though.

Caleb: He was a mountain. Those were the only words Caleb had to describe what he was feeling, the pool of newfound energy flowing out along his system. It felt vast, yet, weirdly delicate; like an ocean’s worth of water poured into a drinking glass. Every movement sent a tingle through his skin, his entire being radiating with an almost electric charge. He flexed the fingers of his right hand, then watched as, quite unbidden, a faint blue arc danced across his knuckles. He smelled ozone.

Heh. Caleb's an interesting one, I'll give him that. As for the rest, we shall see. Thank you for your thoughts.

Luckily, they did not attempt to kill each other, yes. Teamwork skills, for the win. As for James, I think he just needs a hug.

James and Caleb did the ritual they've been building up towards. It supercharged Caleb's magic, which he needed to do in order to free himself. Unfortunately, it was also very painful for James.

Indeed. Let's hope so.

Good question. 😜 (Honestly, tho, nah. The girl 23's hunting was shown to be around eight or nine. Bex is like, five.)

James: James Toranaga was still in his pajamas. He hadn’t bothered to change. The matter at hand was too important. He soared fast and low above the moonlit city, his phone pressed up against his ear. He’d already given his grandparents Charlie’s home address. “Tasha’s heading across town now,” Tsuru’s voice spoke from her end of the phone line, forced calm permeating every note of it. “Whatever you do, you can’t let Caleb start until she’s there to support you.” “We don’t have ti

"I read that 23 was called that in part because she's 23 years old and I thought I read Caleb was 15 years old but he was referred to as 13." Oh, nah. She's called 23 and has been called that all her life. She just happens to be twenty three years old as well. Caleb, on the other hand, has been called "13" since birth.

Twenty Three: Thirteen’s apartment was tiny; just a single room, really, with little more than the formality of a wall separating the toilet from the rest of the living space to justify the usage of the term. Twenty Three couldn’t bring herself to truly be upset about that. It was just one of the tiny ways her partner’s constant sass had of biting him in the rear. She contented herself that at least his punishment wasn’t something more severe. She moved to the bed, and one by one start

James: The silence that followed Caleb’s proclamation was a long one, Interrupted only by the bopping of Tuva’s music in her headphones. For the first few moments, no one moved. James’ grandparents still gazing across at the older boy, their expressions slightly stern. Tasha still looked angry. Eventually, Caleb lowered his eyes to the table, his cheeks a little red. “Wow,” he muttered. “That sounds so dumb out loud.” Across the table, Hideyoshi leaned back a little in his chair,

Agreed.

Interesting question.

My thanks. And yes, Tsuru is the scary one.

It is indeed slowly coming together.

Caleb: “So you’re the slave, eh?” the old woman asked. She was frowning at him from the doorway, the narrowing of her eyes pulling each wrinkle a little deeper into her face. He returned her gaze with a scowl. “Yeah. I guess.” He tried to keep the annoyance out of his tone. James stood between them, a little awkward. “Uhh,” he muttered. “Baba, this, uh. This is Caleb. Cal-” He was stopped short when the woman thrust out a hand. “Tsuru Toranaga,” she said. “Jame

Oh, do you work in therapy?

"How much older is 23 than Caleb?" He's fifteen. She's, ironically enough, twenty three. "That being said, is he considering Father one of his teachers?" Yeah. He's lowkey sorta half-lying about what Father actually is. He wants to keep James out of the loop on Father cuz he's kinda worried his friend's gonna pull a Tasha and get himself in trouble trying to be a hero. "I do wish everyone would be more open, I know it is not really realistic in a story and setting like this but still, something I can wish for..." Without wishing to spoil too much, I will promise that a couple of these people do get a bit better about sharing with one another over time.

These are some good questions, a few of which will be answered soon. Others, you may have to wait a while. Sorry 😛.