[For a moment, it seems tempting to just try and go along with what Jayce is assuming. After all, back home he spent years trying to keep people from finding out he could do things no ordinary human could, even though a few people like Jimmy were able to see through his lame excuses and put two and two together. But since he's arrived here, he's learned that there's not much point in hiding his true nature for long; not only do other people have their own powers, they were able to see through his half-hearted lies pretty quickly. And keeping things from his friends at home already caused enough conflict.]
Sorry, but...those didn't come from my glasses. They came from me. [Even though Jayce's face is a bit closer than he's comfortable with, he also tries to keep his voice low. Even if having powers isn't unusual here, he doesn't want to cause a scene.]
[ So the thing is, Jayce has only been in this new dimension for a couple of days at most. He still hasn't gotten used to the idea that many of the people here come from vastly different worlds with vastly different rules than his own. While mages and people with innate powers certainly do exist in Runeterra, they're so rare that most will go their entire lives without ever encountering one, especially in a city like Piltover. Prosthetics and body augmentations, on the other hand, were a common enough sight and often a display of cutting-edge technology.
Which is why he says what he says next. ]
You...augmented your eyes? [ Jayce does not have super speed, but one would be forgiven for mistaking so with how fast his pen is suddenly in his hand and hovering over his notebook. ] That's incredible! How on earth did you compress the diode to that size while still maintaining the integrity of the structure? Is the optical material glass, gas, or something else?
[Clark never thought he'd have to explain this in-depth to someone he only just met, but it looks like he has no other choice.]
No, I mean, when I say they came from my eyes, I really mean that. I kind of just...concentrate until the heat builds up behind them. [He wishes he'd asked Kara exactly how it works before he ended up here, or else he could give Jayce a better explanation than that. His cousin would probably know more about the particulars of Kryptonian biology than he does.]
The thing is, I'm a Kryptonian. An alien. I look like a human and I was raised as one, but I've got these powers that humans don't. I've spent most of my life trying to hide them, since back where I'm from not everyone is so accepting of that, but I've been using them more openly for about a year. And even now, I'm still figuring out the full extent of what I can do.
Oh. [ For a split second, Jayce looks crestfallen that he has not, in fact, found a fellow scientist genius enough to invent prosthetic laser eyes before the rest of what Clark says hits him. ] Oh!
[ Then he rewinds the rather one-sided conversation in his head and goes bright red, burying his face in his hand. ]
Ugh, I'm sorry, I've been a total ass. Can we just - can we just pretend the last two minutes never happened and start over? [ Lifting his head back up, he gives Clark an embarrassed smile. ] So, an extraterrestrial, huh? That's really fascinating! I don't know how similar your powers are to the mages in my dimension, but I've spent my whole life researching magic. If I can be of any help figuring out what you can do, you're more than welcome to ask me.
N-no, really, it's okay. A lot of us have been taken here from all kinds of places, so...
[It's probably easy to make assumptions about other people based on their experiences back home.]
Honestly, there are still things I don't know about how my own biology works, so I wouldn't know either. But usually I discover new abilities when I see someone else in danger. [After all, that's how he first discovered he had super-strength, when a car speeding by the Kents' farm had spun out of control and he saved it from crashing.]
I'm not even sure if there is magic where I'm from, though they've had some technological breakthroughs in the past few years. I've always been interested in that stuff, even though I'm a reporter back home.
Some sort of adrenaline response? There's been studies on people suddenly gaining a massive burst of strength or speed when in crisis, maybe your physiology works the same....
[ His hand is already absently jotting down notes as he talks, completely on automatic. It's only when he's halfway through a hasty sketch of Clark's face that he notices what he's doing, dropping his pen and going red again. ]
Oh, um. Let me know if I'm being too invasive by the way, I don't want you to feel like some sort of experiment or anything. [ Even though he personally would love to be treated as an experiment, he's learned through experience that most people don't see the appeal?? Well, maybe a reporter would understand the urge - god knows he's felt like a specimen on display all too often when surrounded by a pack of journalists. He does at least prop his chin up on his hand to block the temptation of the sweet sweet siren call of his notes. ]
You're a reporter? You must have some interesting stories to tell! Do you report on any specific beat, or more general news?
That could be it. Though I still wonder if adrenaline works a little differently for Kryptonians, or if it's a different kind of hormone we have that acts the same way. We do have some differences from humans, like how we don't need oxygen to survive in space.
[That, and other things like being almost literally solar-powered or having a very bad reaction to Kryptonite.]
It's alright, I don't mind questions. [In Clark's experience, just talking about it is better than being kidnapped and interrogated because your girlfriend's dad thinks you're a living weapon sent to spearhead an alien invasion, or having your memories manipulated and letter getting brainwashed by a simulation.] I'm more of a general reporter for the Daily Planet for now, since I was just an intern until about a year ago. Though even back when I started out, I've ended up investigating some weird stuff...like how a group of criminals were using tech that was more advanced than anything we use, and that turned out to be made by Kryptonians, too.
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expiationlogs2024-12-09 08:17 am
no subject
[For a moment, it seems tempting to just try and go along with what Jayce is assuming. After all, back home he spent years trying to keep people from finding out he could do things no ordinary human could, even though a few people like Jimmy were able to see through his lame excuses and put two and two together. But since he's arrived here, he's learned that there's not much point in hiding his true nature for long; not only do other people have their own powers, they were able to see through his half-hearted lies pretty quickly. And keeping things from his friends at home already caused enough conflict.]
Sorry, but...those didn't come from my glasses. They came from me. [Even though Jayce's face is a bit closer than he's comfortable with, he also tries to keep his voice low. Even if having powers isn't unusual here, he doesn't want to cause a scene.]
no subject
Which is why he says what he says next. ]
You...augmented your eyes? [ Jayce does not have super speed, but one would be forgiven for mistaking so with how fast his pen is suddenly in his hand and hovering over his notebook. ] That's incredible! How on earth did you compress the diode to that size while still maintaining the integrity of the structure? Is the optical material glass, gas, or something else?
no subject
No, I mean, when I say they came from my eyes, I really mean that. I kind of just...concentrate until the heat builds up behind them. [He wishes he'd asked Kara exactly how it works before he ended up here, or else he could give Jayce a better explanation than that. His cousin would probably know more about the particulars of Kryptonian biology than he does.]
The thing is, I'm a Kryptonian. An alien. I look like a human and I was raised as one, but I've got these powers that humans don't. I've spent most of my life trying to hide them, since back where I'm from not everyone is so accepting of that, but I've been using them more openly for about a year. And even now, I'm still figuring out the full extent of what I can do.
no subject
[ Then he rewinds the rather one-sided conversation in his head and goes bright red, burying his face in his hand. ]
Ugh, I'm sorry, I've been a total ass. Can we just - can we just pretend the last two minutes never happened and start over? [ Lifting his head back up, he gives Clark an embarrassed smile. ] So, an extraterrestrial, huh? That's really fascinating! I don't know how similar your powers are to the mages in my dimension, but I've spent my whole life researching magic. If I can be of any help figuring out what you can do, you're more than welcome to ask me.
no subject
[It's probably easy to make assumptions about other people based on their experiences back home.]
Honestly, there are still things I don't know about how my own biology works, so I wouldn't know either. But usually I discover new abilities when I see someone else in danger. [After all, that's how he first discovered he had super-strength, when a car speeding by the Kents' farm had spun out of control and he saved it from crashing.]
I'm not even sure if there is magic where I'm from, though they've had some technological breakthroughs in the past few years. I've always been interested in that stuff, even though I'm a reporter back home.
no subject
[ His hand is already absently jotting down notes as he talks, completely on automatic. It's only when he's halfway through a hasty sketch of Clark's face that he notices what he's doing, dropping his pen and going red again. ]
Oh, um. Let me know if I'm being too invasive by the way, I don't want you to feel like some sort of experiment or anything. [ Even though he personally would love to be treated as an experiment, he's learned through experience that most people don't see the appeal?? Well, maybe a reporter would understand the urge - god knows he's felt like a specimen on display all too often when surrounded by a pack of journalists. He does at least prop his chin up on his hand to block the temptation of the sweet sweet siren call of his notes. ]
You're a reporter? You must have some interesting stories to tell! Do you report on any specific beat, or more general news?
no subject
[That, and other things like being almost literally solar-powered or having a very bad reaction to Kryptonite.]
It's alright, I don't mind questions. [In Clark's experience, just talking about it is better than being kidnapped and interrogated because your girlfriend's dad thinks you're a living weapon sent to spearhead an alien invasion, or having your memories manipulated and letter getting brainwashed by a simulation.] I'm more of a general reporter for the Daily Planet for now, since I was just an intern until about a year ago. Though even back when I started out, I've ended up investigating some weird stuff...like how a group of criminals were using tech that was more advanced than anything we use, and that turned out to be made by Kryptonians, too.