Daybreak IC Inbox

[unpocoloco]

Héctor
UN: OLLIN

STATUS: Graduate Student / Teacher's Assistant

ACCOLADES: I write music, know how to play a few instruments, mostly la guitarra.

BIO: !Hola¡ Soy Héctor. Yo hablo español y un poco inglés. I've come to Daybreak to learn a little about all this magic stuff and help out around the Campus. If you need an odd job taken care of, I'm your guy! (Unless you are la policía. Or someone I have borrowed from. If that is the case, do not contact me, por favor.)

© TESSISAMESS

Comments

Late July

[yokeye]

[After returning to Daybreak, Toki has been spending most of his time apologizing to people, making amends, and attempting to rekindle friendships. None of this really applies to Héctor, so it takes him a week to get around to Aube 302. Mid-morning, there's a soft knock on Héctor's door.

Toki waits in the hallway, accompanied by a personal guard assigned upon his return. He's wearing a bright yellow cat backpack with an attached leash that the guard holds. The guard, Marcel, is a tall man with thick-rimmed glasses and a bored expression. He's the one the who knocks.]

[unpocoloco]

[The blanket had been in his hand, pulled up for him to slip into. He groans, lets it drop, and trudges to the door. He's expecting some kid, or maybe someone passing off papers for the later evening. His eyes bug a little when he sees the man there. His hands fly up.]

Whatever it was, I didn't do it! I swear to-- Toki?

[He registers the kid there with his backpack and leash. He looks from the boy to the man, and then again.]

...Whaaat's going on?

[yokeye]

[Marcel doesn't change his expression at Héctor's surprise or immediate attempt to absolve himself from some incident or another. He speaks in a rehearsed monotone.]

Mr. Rikugou would like to speak with you. Is this acceptable?

[Toki holds up his hand in a little awkward wave.]

[unpocoloco]

Uuuhh... Yeah, yes, of course. Hola, Toki.

[He pauses, peering uncertainly at Marcel.]

Are you going to sit in on this...?

[yokeye]

That is at your discretion.

[Toki wants to make a little 'no' gesture. What he wants to talk about shouldn't be overheard by the guard. He stops himself though, because it is Héctor's decision in the end.]

[unpocoloco]

I'd prefer if it was just us. [He flashes a bracing smile.] I'm sure Toki can handle it.

[And he really isn't comfortable with being listened in on either, to be frank.

He opens the door wider to let Toki in.]

I'm sure it won't be long. Gracias, Señor.

[yokeye]

[Marcel nods, unclips the leash, and walks off down the hallway. He'll be watching.

Toki steps inside, and now that he's here, he doesn't know where to start. So, he begins with a greeting in English. His accent is thick, and he may be pronouncing things incorrectly, because he's learned it from textbooks and not conversations.]

Hello, Héctor~! I am pleased to see you!

[unpocoloco]

[As soon as Toki's in he shuts the door behind them. Tobias will probably be out for the day so they can both talk in peace.

And, it seems, in English. He blinks a little then grins wider.]

Oh! You've been working on your English! Nice to see you too!

[He's not about to judge the accent. He's still got an accent. ]

But I'm guessing that isn't why you came to see me.

[He goes to sit at the edge of his bed.]

[yokeye]

Yes! I had time!

[He's made use of his superspeed for something educational at least.]

No, I... I wanted to discuss the veil.

[Héctor's getting right to the point, and so will he.]

I know that I brought attention to this subject in the wrong way, and that it is more complicated. That does not change how I feel about it, and I... Did you make attempts before?

[That may be less coherent than he wanted it to be, but this a delicate subject and he's trying very hard not to get emotional at any point here.]

[unpocoloco]

[He's proud of Toki. He remembers when it was next to impossible to get the boy to sit for actual lessons. Now here he is teaching himself languages.

But to the point. His expression turns a little more serious then. Toki's keeping himself controlled. He knows he'll have to do the same if he doesn't want to set the boy off. Not lying, not hiding, just being careful in delivery.

He nods his head.]

In a sense. When I first got back to earth I wasn't the most attentive when it came to keeping secrecy. There were a lot of other things that I was concerned with before any of that. And so, I did a lot of things that... got attention, while I was trying to accomplish something else. I didn't intend to try and break the secrecy as a whole but what I did wasn't small either.

[yokeye]

Back to Earth? Were you in the Outlands?

[That doesn't matter though, and he focuses back on the topic.]

So it was an accident that you did things against that uhh... law? Is it a law? I don't know.

[unpocoloco]

I was, yes. I wound up in the Outlands by mistake about ten years ago. And yes, mostly accidents-- or me just not really caring. There were a few times I told people not in the know but those were more exceptions. [People who needed help. People he'd wanted to help.]

I don't know if there's an official all-around law so much as every corner of the world has different territories covered by people enforcing the secrecy. Like how different countries and states and things within those will have different rules, but pretty much every one of them has a law against murder. Since it's supernatural stuff, those territories are a lot blurrier and the rules may be enforced to different degrees. Some hunters I faced could pretty extreme. Others were just doing a job.

I've never really known how organized the supernatural world actually is. You have to be really involved and even high up in these things. That's not something that's ever been possible for me.

[yokeye]

[Toki nods and thinks over the information.]

It's... It's kind of... naive then, isn't it? To think that everyone can somehow have the knowledge they need and still... keep some sort of peace?

[Reality is complicated, and there's a part of him that wishes he'd never chosen to join it.]

[unpocoloco]

[Toki gets a sad look. He gets that feeling. But...]

No. I don't think it's naive. It's messy but... isn't everything in the world? Nice things can have downsides. And bad things can have good. It doesn't mean that we stop trying to work out the best for everyone, but it does mean that we can't make a perfect option.

I'm not sure what it will take for change. It might mean talking to a lot of people, pulling together a cause. I might mean a revolution. It will probably mean a lot of work and a lot of people explaining their own individual cases. But I don't believe it's naive. And I think it's wishing best and any person who calls it naivety is the bigger fool.

[yokeye]

[It sounds so complicated and far away, but Héctor's not discounting the possibility. There's hope.]

Then it's something to work for.

[He can't say much else or he'll cry.]

[unpocoloco]

[Now that? That brings a smile. It's bright and warm and fond.]

Such is my boy. That's how you make good things happen. Just like that.

[yokeye]

[Toki smiles back, something not fake or to cover his lack of understanding. A real smile.]

Thank you for listening, Héctor!