Scene 24 - May 30th

Interior MLED Compound, Early Afternoon

Holly Koval

“Smile for the camera!” Canaveral said, turning a little so that the picture Zookeeper was about to take of the three of us, Quinn and I holding homemade ‘diplomas’ would catch us better.

“My mask covers my mouth,” I pointed out.

“Smile with your eyes, then.”

“My mask covers my eyes, too,” Quinn said, and we all chuckled.

“Perfect!” Zookeeper said, lowering the phone and tapping at it for a moment. “Do you three want to double-check my wording before I post it?”

Canaveral took the phone from her and held it so we could all see the picture, which had indeed come out rather nicely - she had a talent for capturing just the right moment. “‘Congratulations to the newest members of the at New Venice New Champions Official, at Lieless Loki and at Newton’s Third, on their graduation from the at MLED official’s local training program’,” he read. “‘At New Venice Journeymen Official no longer, they stand beside us as masters! Hashtag I’m so proud, hashtag they’ve grown so much, hashtag and I know they’ll do great, hashtag official heroes, hashtag MLED heroic agents, hashtag hero graduations’.” Quinn laughed. “What? Is something wrong with the post?”

“No, the post is fine,” they assured him as they pulled their mask off again. “But ‘at New Venice New Champions’? ‘Hashtag I’m so proud’?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“For one thing, you don’t usually pronounce the tags and hashtags aloud,” I said.

“For another, you pronounced them wrong,” Newton joked, meeting my eyes with laughter dancing in their own.

“How the hell are they supposed to be pronounced, then?” he asked, bemused.

I felt a smile tugging at my lips, and took the phone from his hand. “Here, let me.” I cleared my throat and read aloud, “‘Congratulations to the newest members of the @nvNewChampionsOfficial, @LielessLoki and @NewtonsThird, on their graduation from the @MLEDofficial’s local training program. @nvJourneymenOfficial no longer, they stand beside us as masters! #I’mSoProudOfThem #they’veGrownSoMuch #andIKnowThey’llDoGreat #officialheroes #MLEDheroicAgents #heroGraduations.”

Canaveral gaped at me as Quinn and Zookeeper laughed, joined by Simone and the other Journeymen where they sat in the makeshift audience. “How...” he whispered, sounding horrified. “...how did you make those noises with your mouth?” I just laughed.

“It’s easy!” Newton assured him. They caught my eye again, and I gave them a subtle nod, ready as they spoke. “You just have to #talkLikeThis.”

He did a passable thousand-yard-stare. “Hashtag what the fuck.”

“No, like #whatTheFuck.”

Everyone laughed again, and I took charge as they settled down. I had been planning this for a while. “Can I make an announcement real quick?”

“Are you announcing a coup of the Champions?” Canaveral asked. “If so, I’ll have to ask you to sit on that for a bit.”

I chuckled. “No, not that. I just don’t really want to explain this more than once.”

“Go ahead, Loki,” Zookeeper told me.

“Most of the New Champions know this already, I think,” I began, “because all of you except Vulcan have been around since before I started wearing it full time. But, um...” I swallowed. This was harder than I thought.

Quinn walked next to me and took my hand, squeezing it gently. They didn’t say anything, but just that simple gesture was enough to remind me of their support.

“You all know I don’t actually look like Loki,” I said, switching from the costume illusion to the blonde form that I had worn as a civilian for four years now. “But I don’t actually look like this either - it’s just as artificial as Loki is. I designed it to split myself further from Loki. But...” as I trailed off, Quinn squeezed my hand again, and I rallied. “I’ve decided that that’s probably not healthy. I’m not going to do it anymore.”

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut as I psyched myself up, then let the illusory form drop. I let them see the real me, or what passed for it - the stupid chubby cheeks that I had hated for years, the uneven freckles and splotchy skin, the boring brown hair that I could never get to do what I wanted it to. Features that I had hated for most of my life and striven to forget about, but was now determined to accept as part of who I was.

“I’m proud of you, Holly,” came Zookeeper’s voice. “I think this was the right choice.”

“Yeah, mazel tov, kid,” Abe agreed. “I’m proud too.”

“As am I.”

“Go Holly!”

“You look great, Holly!”

“Hell yeah!”

I felt my eyes watering, and I didn’t fight the happy tears that began to fall. But for the first time in years, I allowed them to be seen.