A/N: Well, I'm back from New York Comic Con! I had a really fun (and BUSY) time working there. I got to geek out with a ton of other fans, talk superheroes, Tolkien, and other fandoms. I'm exhausted from the long hours working (and the 10+ hour car ride home!), but it was totally worth it. I managed to get all the chapters updated on schedule, but am still catching up on replying to all the reviews. Thank you guys for your patience, and here's the new chapter!
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Origins: Loni
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Loni knew she was one of the lucky ones. She grew up in a sheltered world where no one looked down on those with powers, or feared them. In fact, both her parents were retired Supers, who fought with the Riders of Rohan in the years before she was born. Her mother was a powerful empath, who could calm frightened crowds and instill order in an otherwise chaotic world. Her father could control water, bending and shaping it to his will.
Loni was born with the ability to hear people's thoughts. It wasn't something she came into later in life like most Supers, but more akin to being raised in a bilingual household. As a toddler she was taught the differences between speaking-voices and hearing-voices, and learned to shield herself from always hearing the latter.
While most of her classmates were busy learning to play soccer or read chapter books, Loni learned the ethics that became the foundation of her life. She learned when and where it was appropriate to use her powers, and how to act on what she heard without giving herself away. Loni became adapt at coming across as insightful when really she was reading people's thoughts. She learned to shut out her powers in school, so she could learn on her own without hearing the answers in her head. Although it was tempting at times to cheat on an exam she hadn't studied for, Loni never abused her powers. Her mother would always know if she made even the slightest misuse of her abilities- you couldn't lie to an empath.
Still, it was difficult to feel like you belonged when you heard so much more than you should, and Loni had a difficult time making friends. People were fickle and oftentimes a stray thought would slip past her shields and into her mind. It was hard to stay friends with someone who would make one statement, then think another. Honesty became the most important thing, the foundation for ever friendship she cultivated. She didn't mind if someone didn't like her, as long as they weren't afraid to say it to her face.
When she met Gloín her senior year of high school, Loni told him about her powers on their second date. She wasn't sure why she trusted him, but the trust was there. Perhaps she had inherited a touch of her mother's empathy and could judge his character. Or perhaps she could simply read his heart the way she could read other people's thoughts. Whatever the reason, Gloín took the admission in stride. He told her that he didn't care about her powers and that she was welcome into his thoughts whenever she pleased. He was an open book and said what he thought, even when his opinion was unpopular.
They married two years after graduation and while Loni spoke traditional vows out loud, she whispered quiet promises into his mind. Gloín was her heart. Her solid foundation. Her everything.
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