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"What do you want to be when you're older?" Jason asks. He swirls his steaming hot Top Ramen with a fork. (Yes, he eats Top Ramen with a fork. Doesn't everybody?)
Jason and Reyna sit on one of the low couches as they're eating dinner. Plates of food fly everywhere, and goblets float by, invisible wind spirits making them glide through the air and land gingerly on people's tables.
The chatter of the dining hall and the clanking of silverware on plates is at a dull roar, but it's almost annoying. Like when people munch on popcorn or food in the movie theater when you're trying to watch the movie.
Reyna smiles,"You tell me first."
"I asked you first." Jason retorted.
"But isn't the rule ladies first?" Reyna asks.
"You just called yourself a guy."
"And I called you a girl."
"Yeah, but you-"
"Just answer the question, Grace."
"Well, if you insist," Jason begins. He drops his gaze and heaves a sigh, then his voice drops to a murmur. "I want to... I don't know, exactly. I want to find my sister first. To know I have someone in my family-my blood related family- other than my dad. Maybe I'll be a pilot, or something that pays good and has to do with the sky. Anything but an astronaut. It'd be too annoying to wear those dorky helmets up in space when I can breathe perfectly fine without it on."
Reyna blinks a few times, her mouth hanging open slightly. Jason's suddenly worried he said something wrong.
"What? Reyna, don't look at me like that. You're acting like I fell out of the sky."
She closes her mouth and blinks again,"You never told me that you could breathe in space... Do you float around in it, or are you-"
"Oh, yeah. I can, um... well... fly? I could sort of go anywhere in space if I wanted to, I guess. Kind of like Superman." Jason says.
"I wish i could go with you, but something about space scares me. The huge vastness of it. I guess I'll be like Lois Lane, always confined to the laws of gravity." Reyna says, sounding almost sad. Jason suddenly feels a little bad for her.
Reyna blushes and Jason realizes what she'd accidently implied. Them. Together. As a couple. Blood and lightning. Conquest and power. He clears his throat.
"Well, I'll always be able to catch you when you fall," Jason says, half smiling. He locks eyes with her and doesn't want to look away. "Maye we can find something to do together, as a team. Go off together, fight monsters. Protect people. Like superheroes."
Reyna laughs for a while,"Superheroes. Really, Jason? Superheroes?"
She continues laughing, and Jason frowns because he feels slightly offended.
"Why not? Okay, fine. What do you want to be when you're older, Reyna?" Jason asks rudely.
Her laughter dies down. She 's still smiling and looking like she could have another laughing fit at any moment,"No, I wasn't laughing at you! It's not half bad of an idea, Jason! It's just... what will the mortals see through the Mist? I doubt they'll see someone with a cape and a mask. They'll probably think it's luck or something that saves them. You won't get any credit for it."
Jason shrugs, he doesn't really care about the credit, or the fame. Okay, maybe he does want the fame.
"You never told me what you want to be when you grow up."
"I guess I'd want to be a trainer for young demigods? Help teach the new generation. Train them to fight. But I also sort of want to be able to go places and not be stuck in one place, you know?"
"Yeah. I might not mind staying here for the rest of my life. Your idea sounded pretty good to me. Train kids, live in the city. Never having to worry. That'd be nice. Except I'd get claustrophobic."
"It would still be nice, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah it would."
Jason reaches for her hand, but pulls it back to his side when Dakota comes and squeezes in between them, sloshing his Kool-Aid on the table.
"I'm gonna have a demon ninja butler named Sebastian, and an old one named Alfred in that one thing... Manbat? Batman. And live in a big house in Hollywood with a computer built into it, like Sherlock Holmes in Iron Man!"
"You mean Tony Stark, right?" Gwen asks, standing over him.
"Tony Holmes. Sherlock Stark. Same difference."
Gwen smirks then rolls her eyes, and takes the flask out of his hands, starting to walk away with it.
"Hey! Give me back my Kool-Aid!" A dazed Dakota yells, jumping up, and bumping the table in the process. He trips over the couch and scrambles after Gwen. Jason and Reyna try to hide their smiles. That poor guy was going to die young, but with a smile on his face.
There's such a peace and a joy in the dining room, Jason feels completely relaxed. He looks at Reyna and, with both of their hands close enough to be touching, thinks that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here after all.