Drabble 10 _ Everybody wants to be a... (Part 4/4)
It didn't take long for Tucker to get dressed with the new outfit and then Danny dragged them all to the Fenton Testing Arena. There were several already burned targets scattered around and hanging on the walls and most of the surfaces were scorched (since probably Jack Fenton had had many rounds to train his aim).
‒ Okay, we should have roughly two hours before our parents come back from patrol. ‒ Danny said, as he checked his phone. They had also promised to come back with pizza, so that was an added bonus. ‒ We'll start easy by building ectoplasm in your hands. This way is easier to control the shot and aim. You'll just have to adjust to a shorter starting point than the Ectoguns. ‒ He explained, demonstrating by lighting up a fist with a thin film of crackling ectoplasm.
The four stared at the display with various degrees of determination, but before they could start, Jazz raised her hand. Her brother raised a brow at the display, but nodded towards her in acknowledgement. ‒ How much ectoplasm do we have to use?
The seasoned halfa hummed, pensive. ‒ Try starting with a little more than intangibility, that power usually uses ectoplasm more than other standard abilities, so it's a good start.
The attempts had several hiccups, like Jazz's ecto-fist fizzling out seven times out of ten because she kept using too little energy, or Valerie that accidentally continued to activate her core fire instead of un-typed ectoplasm. However, by the time the Fentons called them up for dinner, all of them had managed to be able to shot an Ectoblast with various degrees of precision.
‒ Oh, hi girls! Did the boys give you troubles? ‒ Maddie greeted them when they entered the dining room.
‒ Not as much as usual this time. ‒ Sam teased. ‒ Danny even brought out the new targets for practice without us asking!
‒ Yeah, but only just because someone kept blowing them up! ‒ Said boy grumbled, earning a sharp elbow in the ribs courtesy of Valerie (who had been that someone).
‒ That's good to hear! Are you still planning to sleepover here tonight too? ‒ Jack interjected.
‒ That would be ideal, yeah. It's still okay for you, Mr. F.? ‒ Tucker tentatively asked, probably fearing the prospective of passing the second night as a halfa alone.
‒ Even if tomorrow's Sunday, it's just the start of the spring holidays, so why not? ‒ The larger man shrugged. ‒ Besides, we still have to find that spook that spooked you yesterday. At the end of our patrol we found this old empty storehouse blown up and with scattered ghostly ice around the debris. We still have to investigate it better, but probably Phantom already caught it. We'' ask him next time.
And thank Clockwork for the Truce, because that meant actually ask and not threaten while shooting him. …Maybe Danny could use that chance to introduce the "newbies" to his parents and include them in the Truce. They had to come up with a cover story together later.
Being growing teenagers and having a new (accelerated) metabolism, the five of them made quick work of the pizza, then Danny shooed his friends and sister up while he cleaned the cartons and the dishes. He needed to ask his parents a few things…
~OoO~
It didn't take long for Jazz's little brother to join them in his (temporarily shared) bedroom. It had been odd how he had volunteered to clean up, Danny usually avoided that chore like the Plague!
However, the purpose of that endeavor became clear when he came back with a green tinted notebook (along with a pen) and a withered and contorted camellia that dad had gifted mom two month before.
‒ Why did you get those? ‒ Sam raised an eyebrow, gaining the dry plant as an answer.
‒ Because they're homework! Here Jazz, these are for you. ‒ Danny gave her the remaining objects.
‒ I don't get it. ‒ Tucker admitted, sitting cross-legged on Danny's bed. ‒ Why only them? Not that I'm not grateful for not having extra-work, but why?
‒ Because now that Karen is integrated into your suit, you're going to work in getting her back while you're in human form. ‒ Danny grinned. ‒ And if you do, collaborate with her to make her keep the PDA form. ‒ He pointed at Sam next. ‒ Our resident Goth is going to try and revive that plant or at least manipulate it in any way, while Val and I will work on keeping in check that fire core of hers.
‒ Ah, because you can put out her fires with your ice! ‒ Jazz realized, earning a nod from her brother. ‒ But what about me? I finished my spring break homework ages ago!
Both ignoring the murmur of "overachiever" from the Peanut Gallery, Danny answered. ‒ Yeah, but while their and mine cores are pretty straightforward, yours is a little more complex. From your dreams and from how paper and ink reacted while you were asleep, I think yours deals with written words, but the rest is up to you. Your "homework" is trying to understand what your core does. ‒ He patted the front of the notebook. ‒ I got these from mom. They're lightly infused with ectoplasm, so you can channel yours better through them. Experiment a bit. ‒ He encouraged.
Jazz looked at the gift with new eyes and hummed in assent. Clicking the pen and opening a new page, she stared at the greenish sheet, wondering where to start. Danny had implied that he thought her core-power was "ink manipulation", so she could start with testing that hypothesis.
Curling herself against the headboard of her bed, the redhead sketched a spider, trying to infuse the pen with her own ectoplasm. The ink, which before the infusion had been dark green (she had made a filled square in a corner of the page as a sample), now was ectoplasm-green. Concentrating hard, Jazz attempted to make the spider move, but not even a leg twitched.
Hypothesis one: halfway checked.
Maybe it just needed more ectoplasm, like it had happened with Ectoblasts.
At the 10th spider drawn with incremental energy infusion still yielded no result, Jazz was ready to discard that idea. Probably Danny had guessed wrong.
The redhead looked up to assess the progress of the others and smiled at how her little brother seemed to finally enjoy himself after the stressful past 24 hours. Even if their core were the opposite, their manipulation was probably similar, because Danny was keeping on showing her certain tricks that Valerie was able to imitate and thankfully not set fire to the furniture at the same time.
On the carpet, Sam was cradling the "ex" dead plant between her crossed legs and her glowing hands were waving around, apparently without logic. "Ex" needed because the plant was twitching as if pulled by invisible strings, however that was the only reaction she had managed to get, so it was a work-in-progress.
Still on Danny's bed, Tucker was concentrating on his cupped hands, where electric blue ectoplasm was crackling, seemingly coalescing into a prism-like construct. …Wait. That color looked like his transformation ring one! And Valerie's amber fire matched too! Up until now, Jazz had used ectoplasm for her experiment, yes, but un-typed! Maybe…
Okay, I can work with this. Jazz took a deep breath and searched within herself her core, like she had learned few hours before. Upon finding it, she took hold of it and began building its energy, until her ring lit up, but she stopped before it could split and complete her transformation. Instead, Jazz physically snatched the hoop and forced that energy to gather in her palm and around her pen. Still deep in concentration, the redhead halfa once again doodled a spider, but this time the ink was colored dark grey.
Feeling embolden, with her hand still coated in core-typed ectoplasm, the 19 years old tried to wave the limb, trying to compel the picture to move. It felt like she was pushing a large weight, but she kept on, struggling to breach that separating veil. Maybe with more ectoplasm…!
Something snapped and the spider instantly scurried along the page, going even to a corner and starting to weave a web. Jazz waited until it had finished, before cutting off the energy-feeding… and suddenly she felt like she had just had multiple rounds against Vlad. She slumped back against her headboard and not even a second later, she felt someone straighten her up.
‒ …zz? …azz?! Jazz! ‒ Danny shook her out of her daze, looking both worried and tense. But why? He had been having fun a minute ago!
‒ What? ‒ Jazz grumbled, sitting up and letting out a yawn out of nowhere.
‒ What the heck was that? You passed out for a minute! ‒ Her brother shot back, scanning her for new injuries.
‒ Really? ‒ She blinked, now more awake, then shook her head and turned her notebook to show him her progress. ‒ Later that, Danny look! You were right! I can manipulate ink!
‒ Well, not just that apparently. ‒ Sam dryly commented, pointedly turning to look at a corner of the ceiling. Frowning, the older Fenton followed her line of sight and gaped at the spectacle.
A massive (in comparison to the standard of an organic) spiderweb decorated the corner of the bedroom and its maker was resting at the center, waiting.
‒ I did that? ‒ She demanded, flabbergasted.
‒ Yeah, but it looked like you were forcing yourself. Or at least it did after you materialized the spider. ‒ Danny explained, still worried.
‒ Did you try to move it with your mind? ‒ Valerie asked, tilting her head. Once she had earned a nod, the Huntress continued. ‒ Maybe you took the wrong tactic. When you drew it, it seemed effortless, so maybe you should keep on writing or drawing to make the spider move. ‒ She suggested, making Jazz pause.
The speech made ridiculously sense! She had fainted only because the effort had been too much, but! If she took it easy, it wouldn't be as draining since it was a (new) part of her.
‒ Wait a minute! ‒ Her brother stopped her, squeezing her shoulder in warning. ‒ Before you try again, lemme grab something real quick. ‒ He scurried to the wall opposite to the dark grey spider and rummaged inside the drywall, before emerging with an energy drink bottle that had a distinct glow to it. ‒ You drink this, then if you feel up to it, you try again. I don't want to see you pass out once more tonight.
‒ What's that? ‒ Tucker asked curiously, still PDA-less.
‒ A low-powered version of the Ecto-dejecto. It works just like an energy drink instead of an OP boost. You'll need just a gulp to replenish your reserves for a hour rush, trust me. ‒ Danny handed her the bottle and, even if a bit dubious, she took a gulp of it.
It took just the time to reach the stomach for the fluid to take effect: suddenly Jazz didn't feel droopy anymore.
Revitalized, Jazz summoned her ring once again, grabbed the dark grey ectoplasm and quickly started writing what she wanted the spider to do. Lo and behold, gasps reached her ears as she finished her paragraph with barely breaking a sweat. She looked up to observe her handiwork and smiled: the fist-sized spider had weaved a star-shaped new web on the wall.
‒ Can you make it go away too? I don't want to sleep here tonight with that thing hanging there. ‒ The Techno-Geek edged away from the construct.
‒ Wait, let me see it before you do anything. ‒ Sam almost made a grabby hand gesture at the spider before thinking better.
‒ Of course, let me write it. ‒ The redhead obliged and her construct obediently lowered itself on the Goth's palm, unmoving all the while the younger girl observed and prodded at it.
After few minutes, Sam stood and joined Jazz on her bed, sitting beside her on the edge. ‒ Let me confront it with the drawing, I want to check a thing. ‒ Once again, Jazz complied, but this time she checked along with the Manson heir if the two matched. While her drawing had been a simple but accurate enough (she had drawn both thorax and abdomen instead of just a point with eight lines), the ectoplasmic construct was more detailed and resembled a Nephila, AKA a Golden silk orb-weaver spider, just two or three times bigger… which, oddly enough, was what Jazz had been thinking of since she had drawn the very first spider.
‒ Did you mean to do this kind of spider? ‒ Sam asked her.
‒ Yes and no? I mean, I was thinking about it when I drew them, but I didn't refer at its species when I wrote about it. ‒ Jazz answered, getting a gleaming glance from the younger girl.
‒ Try make it change through words. ‒ She prompted. ‒ Then let's try to create something new through words while you're thinking about something else.
Excitement coursed through the oldest new halfa at every experiment the other proposed. This was going to be the funniest sleepover she had ever had!
~OoO~
‒ Well, I don't know if I should feel reassured that they're having fun or threatened. ‒ Tucker turned to his best male friend, who snorted.
‒ Yes. ‒ Danny meme-d, before looking at him a bit more serious. ‒ You good? Need any Yoda-like* suggestions?
‒ Eh, I was trying to do something like Jazz did, yanno? Create any piece of technology out of my core ectoplasm, but they're more complex than puppets like your sister's. ‒ He pointed at the growing legion of minions on the older teen's bed.
‒ Maybe you're thinking about it the wrong way, like she did. ‒ Valerie quipped. ‒ If you can't create, try something else.
‒ Yeah, really insightful, but how do I get Karen now if she's integrated with my ghost suit and I can't recreate her? ‒ Tuck huffed, crossing his arms.
‒ Well, technically speaking, the things you have on when you change form don't really stop existing, they're just… stored somewhere. ‒ Danny made a vague gesture to the empty space before his chest, as if referencing to Karen.
‒ …You mean in the Hammerspace. ‒ The nerd deadpanned.
‒ If you want to call it that, yeah. As long as it works! ‒ The seasoned halfa shrugged carelessly. Like the existence of an iconic trope wasn't a big deal.
Tucker took a deep breath and did a long sigh, it had been a long day and even if the new experience was a dream come true, the technicalities of it had been exhausting.
Okay, Hammerspace. I just need to retrieve Karen from there and then we can play around a bit. The Foley heir tried to pimp himself up and center himself. Let's try to find it first, then we search foe Karen.
It took a while, but while prodding at his core, he felt the newly familiar presence of the link with his Girl. She had said, at a certain point during the target practice, that she was at his service whenever he summoned her, so maybe… He tried to call upon her and few nanoseconds later with crackling electric blue ectoplasm she manifested in his hands like the hexagon she had been on his suit.
Tuck whooped in victory, holding Karen like cub Simba, earning snorts and half-hearted "nerd" from his friends, but he didn't care because his Girl was back!
"Master Foley, is there any imminent threat to your person?" The AI inquired.
‒ Nono, don't worry! I'm just training. On that topic, are you capable of changing form autonomously or do you need an additional energy source? ‒ The Techno-Geek interrogated her.
"Form changes are basic functionalities that do not necessitate further energy. Do you wish me to perform a demonstration of my mods?" Karen beeped.
‒ Yeah! But until further notice, the word "wish" is banned. Due to Desiree's existence, we can't take chances. ‒ He explained, getting an affirmative beep in answer. ‒ You can start the demonstration.
The device in his hands shifted to her usual PDA form for three seconds, then shuffled to a tablet, a laptop, a camera, a graphics tablet, heavy duty headphones, a flat TV (he had to put her down for that), a stereo, several gaming consoles, DVD/CD players and so on. If there were the blueprints somewhere online, she could turn into that tech. The only limitation was that larger things, like washing machines or cars, needed a supplement energy boost, but only to satisfy the equation of energy conservation (the famous E=mc²), because supernatural activity could transcend the laws of physics to only a certain degree.
‒ Say Karen, ‒ at a certain point, Danny and Val had shifted his attention to the show and they had watched intrigued, ‒ do you think that if you had access to the blueprints for a Portal to the Ghost Zone, would you be able to replicate it and open a passage? ‒ That. That was a really good question. If they could rely on an independent Portal, they wouldn't have to risk coming to the Fenton Works every time they needed to go to the Zone!
"That is within my range of abilities. However that would require large amounts of energy that unfortunately my Master does not possess yet. My estimation of Master Foley growth puts the accessibility to that power at: 3 months, 2 weeks and 1 day from this moment." Karen paused, beeping as she was calculating something. "The comparison to opening a portal to the Ghost Zone would be akin Sir Fenton's Ghost Wail. Powerful, possible, but ultimately draining."
‒ Heard that Tuck? You'll have an OP ability of your own! ‒ Danny offered him a fist bump that he gladly returned. ‒ But you'll have to use the transportable version instead of the bulky-like of the Fenton Portal, maybe something like what Johnny 13 stole. This way Karen will only have to concentrate in the power output instead of the mass of the machine.
"That would be optimal." The AI agreed.
HA! Take that Sam! Tucker gloated in the privacy of his mind, since he had enough self-preservation. Among the four of them, she was the only one behind the schedule. What was taking her so long (apart from experimenting things with Jazz, but that was mostly for fun)?
~OoO~
‒ Are you done already? Jazz can continue on her own and you still haven't learned one trick with your powers! ‒ Tucker teased the Goth, who snapped off her idea-binge. It seemed like her friend had not enough sense of self-preservation.
Before Sam could turn around and snap at him, he shrieked like a parrot on drugs, making her recoil. She hadn't even done anything! However the reason became clear when she looked at what was happening: the camellia, which had been nearly unresponsive until that moment, was trying to assault Tucker, but Karen had leaped at his defense and was shredding the vines with improvised fan-blades.
Before Sam could react, a green orb-like shield encased the plant and Karen, along with the debris, making Tuck stop screaming and the girls freeze. Looking to her left, the Goth saw Danny's eyes glow as did his raised palm that had definitely generated the shield.
‒ Sam cut it out! My parents will come at any moment! ‒ Danny used his serious Phantom Voice and glared at her. Flabbergasted, Sam shook herself and searched for the link between her and the plant, managing to cut it and let Danny remotely phase the whole orb inside the floor just as the loud hurried footsteps of the Fenton patriarch thundered in the hallway and the door was thrown open.
‒ Where's the menace?! ‒ The man boomed, Ectogun raised and poised to shot.
Wait, the ecto-minions! Sam nearly had a whiplash in turning her head to Jazz's bed, but nothing was there.
‒ Don't worry dad, it was just Sam scaring Tucker. ‒ Years of deflecting her father's attention had clearly harbored fruits, because Jazz's excuse pacified the hunter. ‒ You can go back, we'll tone the excitement down. Sorry for disturbing you.
‒ Don't worry, Jazzyricess, I was wild at your age too. We'll power up the Shield, so no spook will disturb your sleepover! ‒ The man reassured, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
The group collectively held their breath until his footsteps had faded away, only to sigh in relief afterwards.
‒ That was close! How did you hide your minions? ‒ Gray asked Jazz curiously, while Danny carefully extracted both the plant (now inert and once again dead) and Karen from the floor.
‒ I wrote that they became invisible. And they did! Only I can see them while they're in this state. ‒ The redhead was practically vibrating in excitement, but it didn't register in Sam's mind.
The Goth, the anti-violence activist, the friend of cellulose based beings, had just used a plant to attack one of her friends. Again. However, before she could devolve in angst and existential crisis, a hand gently landed on her shoulder, making her look up into cyan irises.
‒ Hey Sam, can you come with me for a while? I need you to try something. ‒ Danny asked casually and if Sam hadn't been in slight shock, she would have snapped at him, however this time she just numbly nodded and followed him out of the bedroom.
Distantly she could still hear the murmur of the other three, something along the lines of "do you think he's gonna conf-…", but they went out of range and up to the stairs leading to the OPS Center.
‒ Good, dad must have been distracted, the Ghost Shield is still down. Can you go ghost? ‒ Danny asked her, letting go of her shoulder and becoming Phantom at the same time.
With barely a thought, her pajama shifted to her newly made jumpsuit and she floated up, to join her best friend few centimeters from the roof. ‒ Now what, weirdo? ‒ She grumbled, trying to regain some sort of dignity.
‒ Now we fly to your greenhouse, pet the dodo and make you meet again your plants so you'll get confidence with your core powers. ‒ At the latter Sam startled, this time a bit more ready to snap, but he anticipated her before she could open her mouth. ‒ Nothing that will happen there will leave my mouth, I promise. And you know what happens when I really promise something. ‒ Toxic green eyes shone with sincerity and a plea. ‒ Just this once ignore your pride, please.
Something inside the still shaken new halfa melted, making her sigh. ‒ Fine, only this time.
Grinning in victory, Danny began flying towards the East side of the town, where the Mansons' greenhouses rose. The flight was quiet and Sam actually began to relax a little, until both halfas' Ghost Sense went off. While the girl's was a simple groan, the older half-ghost actually growled in anger.
‒ Stay here a minute invisible, I know you're capable of handing me my ass whenever you please, but I need to make true a promise I made yesterday. ‒ He pointed at a random roof, making her raise an eyebrow.
‒ And that would be? ‒ She crossed her arms, looking around for the other ghost.
‒ A Wail in the face if anyone would have come to Amity to cause trouble in 48 hours. Since the deadline ends Monday morning, whoever is here clearly likes to live their afterlife dangerously. ‒ Phantom crackled his knuckles and scurried around to search for the invaders.
The girl rolled her eyes, but relented. Who was she to stop a man from keeping a promise? She turned invisible, but followed her friend at a safe distance, just in case. It didn't take long to find Kitty and Johnny 13 casually hanging out by the town plaza fountain. The fact that they were quiet and calm was probably the only reason Danny didn't dive bomb them, but instead slithered beside them with crossed arms and a scowl.
‒ And what the heck are you two doing here? Hasn't Technus spread the voice? ‒ The couple startled and the Shadow peeked from its resting place, looking more anxious that it had any right to.
‒ Pipsqueak! Are you really patrolling the town at a time like this? ‒ The biker shot back, covering with indignity the jumpscare he had.
‒ Not really, I was around and you're just afterliving your "unlucky" fame. So I'm asking, once again: what the heck are you two doing here? ‒ Phantom growled, eyes upping their glowing.
‒ We're just having a date, man! We're not even disturbing anyone! ‒ Even if he was intimidated, Johnny stood his ground and protested. ‒ We don't want to cause trouble!
Fine, time to defuse the situation. Sam reached out and took hold of some of the fabric on the scruff of Danny's jumpsuit, pulling him back a bit. At the same time, to avoid getting blasted accidentally, she whispered him: ‒ Leave the losers, you can kick their asses tomorrow if you hear anything about them causing chaos.
That seemed to be enough, because the male halfa huffed, un-tensing his stance. ‒ Fine. But if this ends like the ice-cream fiasco, you know what will come to you. ‒ He made a "I'm watching you" gesture, then he flew away, dragging Sam along.
The Goth turned off the invisibility after a while, sliding at her friend's side, while flying towards the greenhouses. ‒ So… What was that with Johnny? You're usually chill with them when they don't quarrel and cause chaos. ‒ Unknown to her, she had mimicked his ghostly tail and it lazily waved behind her.
‒ Yeah, I know. ‒ He groaned. ‒ But you know what? I'll tell you, if you tell me why you froze before. ‒ He challenged.
Caught off guard, Sam clammed up and looked away. The following minutes were flown in silence until they reached their goal and phased through the glass. Instantly the dodo specter was upon them and screeched at the sight of a "new" ghost beside Phantom.
After reassuring it that she was just Sam, her friend, and that there wasn't anything to worry about, the pacified tiny spirit toddled behind them, as the halfa duo went deeper inside the greenhouse. They reached a carnivorous plant and Danny pointed at it at a respectful distance away.
‒ Since Demilo Jr. is one of the most reactive plants you have, try communicating with it fist. Maybe it will be easier than a dead camellia. ‒ He encouraged.
Sam sighed. She was being unreasonable, she knew that. Her plants were her friends! …And now her minions, too.
‒ Easy there! ‒ Danny's voice shook her from her inner-dialogue, just in time to see a creeping orchid slid down on his hastily risen barrier in an attempt to catch him. ‒ Whatever mental image you had up, Sam, it's the wrong one! Try switching gears.
Not minions, bad Sam, "just friends" worked too. The Goth focused on the attacking plant and nudged her back up on her perch, mentally scolding her.
‒ Are you going to unleash the plants of war whenever we'll come near one? Just to know, so I'll ready the shields in advance. ‒ Phantom sassed good-naturedly, but unknown to him, this time he had struck a nerve.
‒ I don't know, okay?! I didn't mean to do that or attack Tucker! ‒ She snapped, making Danny and the dodo recoil.
‒ Oookay, let's calm down a little before Demilo Jr.'s friends decide that I'm the one who's upsetting you. I'm starting to believe that the plants are reacting to your emotions, like when I had Vortex's powers. ‒ The halfa boy offered, making placating gestures and prompting her to groan in misery.
‒ You mean the powers that a supervillain specter accidentally passed you and the only way to avoid a climatic disaster was to emotionally manipulate you, something that I despised with every fiber of my being? ‒ Sam growled frustrated, unintentionally making the plants vibrate in anticipation.
‒ No, more like empathy. They are attuned to your emotions, as if now you were another plant like them. Like, you know, that research you mention at least once a month where they demonstrated that plants feel emotions. You just need to change their reaction to your emotions, not your emotions. L-like, "anger" doesn't mean "attack", or something like that. ‒ Danny hastily explained, but at the last statement he paused, as if a thought had come to him. ‒ But maybe… They're not responding to anger, after all. ‒ He hummed, hand on his chin, deep in thought.
‒ What do you mean? ‒ The Goth demanded, setting aside the dread that he had figured her out.
‒ That's what I actually wanted to talk you about away from the others. ‒ Danny looked at her hesitantly, but with an honest glint in his eyes. ‒ I think you still have lingering trauma from your encounter with Undergrowth.
Before Sam could even feel the panic mixed with indignation for getting busted in one shot, he continued. ‒ And that's not bad! You know how I get when there's a thunderstorm particularly bad. ‒ The seasoned halfa pointed out, shuddering at the sole thought, making her wince in sympathy. ‒ Rationally speaking, I know that I can't get hurt by "normal" thunderbolts anymore, but whenever electricity is involved, I panic: it's something I can't help. ‒ He paused, letting his words sink in. ‒ But! At least I have the guts to admit it. ‒ He jabbed, bluntly, but not unkindly. ‒ So, just this once, don't think with your pride or Ego and admit it too. Let me help you.
Toxic green eyes of different shades stared into one another, waiting.
And Sam… knew that Danny was right: each time she had attempted to use her core-powers, she had had minor flashbacks of the time she had been under Undergrowth's control; she had heard whispers of annihilating animal life, leaving only flora; she had felt thorned vines wrap around her to maneuver her like a puppet.
‒ I… ‒ The Goth hated herself for how her voice trembled, but that seemed to be enough for Danny, because he smiled softly and put a hand on her shoulder, the only affectionate gestures she had ever allowed him during non-life-threatening situations.
‒ Take your time. I'm not going anywhere.
Sam sighed, deflating and leaning forward to rest her forehead on his best friend chest, still not up for a hug, but in need of a closer contact. ‒ It feels like I'm under his control again. ‒ She began whispering, staring forward at Phantom's logo, which she had designed for him. ‒ If I wanted, I could command a new army and conquer Earth. I already know how to use my powers actually, I'm just… blockading all that baggage, I guess.
‒ That's okay too. One little step a time. Now just focus in avoiding to incite any vegetal life-form at any given moment, then when you're ready we'll move further. ‒ Hesitantly, the other teen brought his arms around her and, not getting any signal of discomfort, he gently held her.
‒ Thank you, Danny. ‒ Sam whispered quietly, basking in the near-silent hum of the other halfa's core and the snuggles against her legs of the dodo.
~OoO~
Valerie observed with morbid curiosity at the older Fenton's growing lines of experiments, while making a flame idly dance on her fingertips.
‒ Do you think that those two idiots are finally confessing to each other? ‒ The Huntress huffed.
‒ I doubt it, Danny's still too clueless and Sam's still not ready. ‒ Foley didn't even look up from where he was still examining Karen.
‒ I can tell you, if my experiment works. ‒ The redhead hummed, turning the page she had been writing on to read the following… that she hadn't touched beforehand. What did she mean?
‒ What do you mean? ‒ At this, Foley did look up, intrigued.
‒ I left one of my spiders, a "bug" if you would, on Sam before dad barged here. As soon as they left, I "ordered" it to record whatever happens to either Sam or Danny. ‒ Jazz smirked in triumph. ‒ And it seems like it's working!
‒ Ooooh! Any juicy details? ‒ The third-wheel of the trio leaned forward eagerly. Val snorted at his eagerness, earning a green glare that had her laugh out loud, while the older girl kept reading.
‒ Well, it seems that Danny took her to her greenhouses to practice her Chlorokinesis; they had a quick run-in with Johnny and Kitty that resulted with no conflict and now they're still at Sam's. ‒ The Fenton firstborn hummed, pensively. ‒ They're talking, but Tucker's right, they won't confess anytime soon. Don't ask me what they're saying because it's a breach of privacy enough as it is.
‒ Do your spy-trick let you manipulate anything else beside what you construct? ‒ Val acknowledged her warning by changing the subject.
‒ Yes and no. I could make objects fall by manipulating the air around them with my core-type ectoplasm, but I can't implant ideas like in an Inception-fueled-trip. ‒ The other girl admitted.
‒ No offense, but that's a relief. You're already OP as it is and that would be overkill. ‒ Val's fire drew a marionette in the air to underline her line of thought.
‒ None taken, I was relieved myself for that limitation. To manipulate someone against their will goes against everything I'm trying to learn in psychology. ‒ Jasmine nodded solemnly, turning the page back to her previous experiment. ‒ Now, let's try compacting all this constructs into cartridges for my pen. This way I won't have to recharge in that showy way every time I need to write.
Less than a hour later, the duo came back from their little adventure that neither them nor the older Fenton wanted to speak about. Valerie, even if curious, didn't feel the need to press: after all she was smart enough to guess it had been something personal and heavy that had probably lifted some sort of loaded burden from her shoulders. She could tell by Manson's demeanor.
After successfully getting rid of the dark grey constructs by creating the foretold cartridges and rearranging the sleeping arrangements (they made the boys share Danny's bed, which neither of them minded since they had already fallen asleep many times together before), the five of them crashed pretty hard from their first day as halfas.
…Valerie could get used to this new arrangement, after all.
*I needed to make that reference since few days ago was May the Fourth (be with you)! xD
A/N. At long last I finished! It's almost 3 AM here and I'm not sleepy enough, so here's the last chapter of this AU!
(I'm a bit late for DannyMay prompt #6: "Core", which saved my life because I didn't have any ideas on how to continue from the past chapter, as well as for the anniversary of both "Haunted Drabbles" and "Shivers"… However! Somewhere in the world it's still May 7th, so yay! \(✧o✧)/)
I'm sure that like "Blessing Sun & Moon" and the "Tiny" section, this could (and most certainly would) be continued, probably even in the next drabble If you would please leave a vote on the poll on my profile! (ಠ_ಠ)
(Sorry, I'm a bit salty and passive-aggressive because if I want to start planning, I need a bit of feedback… (｡Ó﹏Ò｡)')
That being said, did you feel if the characters were OoC? Sam is hard to write, but any odd behavior any of them had could be pointed as adjusting to their new condition, so I hope this wasn't too weird for your tastes.
By the way, here's the recap of core-related powers (I searched on SuperpowerWiki for many of them, I didn't know it was a thing xD):
Danny Fenton/(Danny Phantom) = Cryokinesis
Jazz Fenton/(? Phantom) = Ink Manipulation + Lexiconicy + Narrative Essokinesis
Sam Manson/(Name pending) = Chlorokinesis
Tucker Foley/(Name pending) = Technopathy
Valerie Grey/(? Huntress) = Pyrokinesis
Any suggestion for their hero names? I still haven't brainstormed them, so you get one (1) chance! ( ᗒ ᗜ •́ )
(By the way this behemoth is past the 30k words and exactly 49 pages… I'm kinda proud of myself. ᕙ( TT ᗜ TT )ᕗ)
EDIT: SHISH, I FORGOT! I never mentioned where the title of this Drabble comes from! Σ(°△°|||) If you're familiar with Disney's "older" works, have you ever watched the "Aristocats"? In the English version there's a song called... wait for it... "Everybody wants to be a cat"! (As nice as the original meaning is, I still prefer the Italian version, which is more jazz orientated -the rought translation of the title from Italian to English is "Everybody wants to play jazz".) I thought that the parallels with wanting to be a cat in the song and becoming a Halfa were funny, thus the title.
Thank you for your support with Favs, Follows and Review, hope to type ya soon!
[KuriMaster13: Yep, his new AI is pretty awesome, even if she's still rudimental, she'll have room to grow in the future.
And once again, you got it: Tucker didn't count Vlad just because he's a fruitloop and doesn't deserve to be counted. xD Jokes aside, yes that's still the reason.
Hope you've liked this "ending" too!
Aeon The Dimensional Girl: here's your Mother Henning Danny intake, enjoy!
Dp-Marvel94: Thank you for leaving so many comments, feedback is what I write for! *丶(✧囗✧)/*
Smallvillephantom14: Hope you'll also read the other drabbles, but I'm glad you liked the Raven!]