We Need to Talk

## Premise

After the events of Stress Testing*,* Nikola has asked all of the other members of the party to a special meeting on the roof of the 8-12.

## Cast

* Zen (DM)
* Tailwind (Tallestnull)
* Nikola N. Change (Authorticity)
* Brittney Megan Bronson (Talatala)
* Kat Afka (Lordlyhour)
* Shaun (Verl)
* Carolina "Lina" Noticia (kt)

## Notable NPCs

* Perspicuity Witt
* Roadkill

## Plot Summary

The morning after Media Blackout, Tailwind wakes up and checks the Hellspring City blog. They see that the blog now has a more modern theme and more information has been posted, notably a drawing of Brittney in her mutant form, a warning about her powers, and a recounting of how she attacked Nightlight. No information on other members of the group has been posted, but the posts that Nightlight had previously taken down at the group's request are back up. Tailwind wonders what they missed, and texts Kat, telling him to find Brittney and that she's in trouble but he should not tell her that. Tailwind examines the site and sees that Nightlight is active, preemptively trying to prevent the site being taken down. They make a post in the forum, pinging the admins and asking what happened. Nightlight doesn't answer, and instead puts a tag on their account to follow them more closely. Tailwind posts again, saying they will try to figure it out on their end and offering to arrange a meeting to listen if Nightlight wants to talk. Nightlight then responds saying that the group's ties to Penumbra have made her wary to trust them. Tailwind reassures Nightlight that they'll get to the bottom of this, takes a picture of the blog on their phone to show the others later, and heads to school.

Nikola arrives to school on time and texts Lina a meme, then waits for the others to get to their homeroom class. Kat and Shaun were early to school, and Tailwind arrives on time and is looking for the others. Brittney arrives to class late, only a few moments before the teacher (who is also late). Tailwind texts Nikola and Shaun, telling them to keep track of Brittney and that everyone needs to meet up ASAP. Nikola telepathically tells everyone (including Brittney) that they're meeting on the 8-12's roof after school. Brittney isn't acting too out of character, but when Nikola tries to read her mind, Brittney tells them to stop reading her mind and they aren't able to get anything else from her mentally, though they can tell she's tense and keeping an eye out for something. Nikola tries to reassure Brittney and switches his focus to someone else's mind. Nikola looks around the room for Lina and gets the sense she isn't at school today, which makes them start to worry.

After school, Nikola arrives at the 8-12 before the others, and Perspicuity notices that they look exhausted and worried. Perspicuity asks if Nikola wants to talk about what they're going through, and they admit to asking someone out on a date, which perspicuity correctly guesses is Lina, though he promises not to share the news. Nikola tries to put a positive spin on the difficulty of the past few days, and then asks Perspicuity for a hug, which he obliges. They apologize for asking him for a hug, and he brushes them off, and encourages them to get help from their friends. Perspicuity then helps Nikola pick out snacks for the rest of the group. Nikola sets up a nice picnic on the roof for the group and texts Lina again, still getting no response.

Tailwind buys some apples and rope at the 8-12 before heading to the roof, and Shaun arrives without incident, blissfully unaware. Kat has been shadowing Brittney all day, who delays going to the meeting by chatting with her friends but eventually heads over in her casual disguise. As Brittney arrives at the 8-12, she realizes that Perspicuity is watching her more closely than usual and likely knows something about the events of last night, but ignores him and heads for the roof. Kat trails in behind Brittney, arriving at the roof last.

Nikola greets everyone and says they want to have a discussion so that everyone is on the same page, and asks if there's anything urgent to discuss. Tailwind immediately speaks up and asks what Brittney did last night, showing the group the photo of the Hellspring City blog on their phone. Nikola also asks Brittney what she did, and Shaun reads through the post on Tailwind's phone. Brittney says that they can piece together what happened from the blog, refusing to tell the story herself. Nikola uses Detect Thoughts to take a deeper look into Brittney's mind, and they see Brittney unmasking and interrogating Nightlight from Brittney's point of view. Brittney retaliates against Nikola with Mind Sliver, but Nikola makes the save even with Brittney using Silvery Barbs to force disadvantage. Nikola continues probing Brittney's mind, but they also aren't hiding their thoughts from Brittney, who sees Nikola's memory of asking Lina out, and then thinking about asking Brittney for advice on what to wear to the dance. Brittney fails to break free from Detect Thoughts, and Nikola sees Brittney threaten and use Suggestion on Lina.

Brittney uses Maximilian's Earthen Grasp to have Nikola's shadow grab them, alerting the rest of the group to the conflict that has until now been entirely mental. Nikola calls out Brittney out loud, saying she was a bully last night and he expects more from her. Tailwind pulls out their shock gauntlet and tosses the rope they bought to Kat. Brittney doesn't pay them any attention, letting Nikola go and saying she'd rather do anything else than talk to the group. Brittney turns to leave, Nikola asks her to stay, and Brittney says it's best for everyone if they stop talking to her. Tailwind shocks Brittney with Shocking Grasp to try to stop her from leaving,but Nikola tells them not to hurt her and tries to convince Brittney to stay and talk. Brittney tries to attack Tailwind with more shadow tentacles, but Tailwind disperses them with the light from their shocking glove. Brittney telekinetically shoves Tailwind aside and tries to leave the roof, but Shaun stands in the way, demanding that someone tells him what's going on, which Kat seconds. Brittney hits Shaun with Dissonant Whispers, but he makes the save and asks if Brittney really just attacked him. Nikola tells Shaun to let Brittney go, but Shaun retorts that "Kat hasn't gotten to talk to his bestie" and Brittney becomes enraged to a degree Kat has never seen before. Kat is conflicted, but puts the rope down and asks Brittney if she's okay. Brittney says if they're curious about what happened last night, they should ask Nikola, then hits Shaun with Dissonant Whispers again (using Silvery Barbs to make sure it hits) and heads down the stairs after he moves out of the way. Kat starts to go after her, but stops and asks Nikola what's going on, to which Nikola answers that they think they made a mistake. While their minds were linked, Nikola also picked up on Brittney's current emotional state as she reels from what she discovered at the end of Media Blackout, tipping him off that something is wrong, though he doesn't know what exactly.

Nikola asks Tailwind to tell everyone about what happened with the Hellspring City blog, which they do, and they theorize that Rhett Bronson pushed Brittney into looking into the blog. Tailwind says they want to find Nightlight and Roadkill because the group still needs their help, and Nikola tells them that he asked Nightlight on a date the day before, which confuses everyone. Nikola, obviously upset but trying to keep a calm demeanor, explains that he saw Brittney's memory of unmasking Nightlight, and Nightlight is Lina. Nikola says that Lina wasn't at school today, and asks Kat if he thinks Brittney will go to her father and what she might say. Kat says she won't talk about the group, but he doesn't know if she'll reveal Lina, and they should assume she will. Tailwind wants to threaten to reveal Brittney's information, but the rest of the group argue against it, with Nikola insisting Brittney is their friend. Shaun asks why Kat didn't go after Brittney, and he explains that he didn't know what was going on and is going to go after her and offer his help after the meeting. Shaun warns Kat against Brittney's psychic attacks, and Tailwind says he shouldn't go alone, but Kat says he won't bring any of the others because Brittney will feel like they're ganging up on her, and he doesn't think she'll want to hurt him. The group decides to split up, with Tailwind and Nikola going to Endsville to find Lina, and Kat and Shaun going to talk to Brittney. Nikola apologizes to the group for escalating the situation and they split up.

Tailwind heads back to the junkyard, and messages Lina through the blog, asking to meet at the playground again. Nikola instructs them to also send a message implying that Nikola will be there, and they do. Across the river, Lina tries to convince Roadkill to let her go to the meeting, pouting and saying it would be good to have allies, and Roadkill tries to dissuade her but ultimately gives in and agrees to go with her. Lina agrees and sets a time to meet that evening, but specifies she will only talk if Nikola is there.

After leaving the 8-12, Brittney heads to the mall to hang out with her official friends. Kat seeks out a friend from outside the group and asks if they've seen Brittney, and they point him towards the mall. Brittney spots Kat following her, but does her best to ignore him. Kat doesn't approach her, because he doesn't want her to feel threatened, and instead tries to think loudly to get her attention. Brittney responds telepathically, reiterating she doesn't want to talk to the party anymore. Kat tells Brittney he's worried for her, and she says she's done with all the mutant stuff; that she's not going to be sharing their secrets, but also won't be doing superhero stuff anymore. Kat says he's not trying to get her to rejoin the group, Brittney scoffs, and Kat says he's her friend and she doesn't seem okay. Brittney reminds Kat how he blackmailed her into going to Endsville in Superhero Fast-Track, and he apologizes and says he didn't expect there to be such big consequences and just missed spending time with her. Brittney says that incident is to blame for why she's been acting strange, Kat says it *has* been a stressful time for everyone, and Brittney hangs up on him. Kat tells Shaun that Brittney said she wouldn't reveal the group, and Shaun says they should probably actually discuss it at some point but it's a start. To avoid pushing Brittney's psychic boundaries, Kat starts texting her instead, saying he's there if she needs to talk and asking if she'll expose Lina. She responds that he needs to learn when to stop talking, but says that Lina will be fine as long as she doesn't try anything, then blocks Kat. Kat texts the others to let them know that Brittney won't expose Lina.

Nikola and Tailwind receive Kat's text on their way back to the playground in Endsville, Tailwind in their mech and Nikola in their mutant form and cloak. Nikola says he's a bit relieved that he doesn't have to lie to Lina, because he likes her a lot and she's scary. Tailwind says they really need more information from Lina and from exploring Endsville, and help from this side of the river would be very good. Nikola tells Tailwind a bit about their recent talk with their mom, and turns back to their normal form under their cloak as they approach the playground. As they enter the playground, Tailwind and Nikola spot Lina and Roadkill waiting on the balcony overlooking the clearing. Tailwind teases Roadkill about posing up on the balcony, and Nikola asks if Nightlight trusts their backup. Lina recognizes Nikola's voice and Nikola pulls back their hood, and Lina gets excited. Tailwind announces that Penumbra isn't going to reveal Nightlight as long as things don't go any further, and Nightlight approaches the duo with Roadkill trailing behind them. Tailwind says they believe honesty is the best policy, and opens up their mech, revealing themself. Nightlight recognizes Tailwind, and the heroes tell Lina they know who she is, and she pulls her hood down too.

Nikola transforms into their mutant form with their hood down, and Lina stumbles back, confused. Roadkill gets in front of Lina, and Lina looks back and forth between him and Nikola. Nikola turns back and apologizes, and Roadkill asks what the hell that was. Both Roadkill and Lina seem very confused and surprised by the fact Nikola can turn back and forth. Nikola also discloses that he can read minds, though he's not on Penumbra's level of psychic powers, which Lina and Roadkill have a poor reaction to. Lina asks who Penumbra is, and Nikola says it's someone who's also been hurt by Bronson, not revealing that it's Brittney. Tailwind again assures Lina that Penumbra won't reveal her as long as things don't go farther, and promises to help Lina get revenge if she does. Lina asks what she should do with the blog, and Nikola immediately says to keep it up, but Lina speculates that it might be better to work more subtly with new allies. Nikola says that seeing a blog that told the truth about Wellspring was very meaningful to them, and Tailwind suggests reverting the blog to its previous tacky state and add the information in a more hidden way.

Tailwind then says they have something that Lina and Roadkill might get more use out of than they have, and takes Factoid in a sealed fishtank out of their mech. No one is happy about this. Tailwind explains that Factoid was responsible for the destruction in First Day on the Job, and that they've been keeping it in their workshop. Lina asks if Factoid is Yllwyll's, and when Tailwind confirms, she tells them to put it back in their mech so it can't watch them. While Tailwind tells Lina about the stickbug, she says Nikola and Tailwind should probably keep their faces covered and use their aliases just in case. When Lina mentions she practices doing anime flips, Tailwind mutters "there's two of them now", and Lina asks if Kat is part of the group but Tailwind refuses to answer.

Lina says they need to make a plan, and asks if she can return to Wellspring without trouble from Penumbra if she tones the blog back down again. Nikola and Tailwind say this should be fine, and Lina asks if Penumbra and will be close to her and be able to read Lina's mind again, or if there's some way to prevent Penumbra from reading her mind. Tailwind alludes to the events of A Fright to Remember, and Nikola discloses that he saw some of the events of last night through Penumbra's eyes. Lina checks with Roadkill, then temporarily takes down the website, planning with Tailwind to put it back up later in a safer way. Lina asks if the group have a space other than the junkyard, and they say no, though Tailwind does let her know that Perspicuity Witt is in the loop, and Nikola says he's a fan of the website. Lina plans to meet up with Tailwind at the junkyard the next day to get the website back up, and says she'll get some important info to share put together but it'll take a few days. Tailwind offers Lina a ride home on their moped, and Lina says she'll meet them at the junkyard in a bit after she wraps some stuff up. Roadkill and Lina run off farther into Endsville, leaving Nikola and Tailwind to make their way back to Wellspring on their own.

Once they arrive at the junkyard, Tailwind hands Nikola the keys to their moped to give Lina a ride with, then heads back to their workshop. Lina arrives at the junkyard and finds Nikola waiting by the scooter, which she's happily surprised by. Lina pulls out helmets for both of them to wear while driving, and holds onto Nikola to stay on the scooter. As Nikola drives Lina back into town, Lina apologizes for running off, and Nikola says they understand and they haven't even told their family about the mutant stuff. Lina is surprised that Nikola's mom Quartz doesn't know, since she used to live in Wellspring, and thinks of Roadkill among a lot of other things. Nikola tells Lina he's picking up on her thoughts and they're distracting him from driving, and says they should talk about it another day. They arrive at the Noticia Building and Nikola helps Lina off the scooter, confirming their date for Saturday. Lina hands Nikola a custom planner she made for them, hugs Nikola, and then heads inside. Nikola accidentally leans on the horn watching Lina go in, catching the doorman's attention.

That evening, Brittney takes another look at her big wound from Media Blackout, which has scarred over in pitch black. Having confirmed that she's still able to heal, she spends about an hour trying to check the extent of her robotification.

A couple days later, Nikola says he owes Brittney an apology, but will wait until she's ready to receive it. Brittney doesn't respond, and blocks Nikola's number.

## Notes

Tailwind drinks coffee from a huge mug they made from two separate coffee mugs

The party members all have the same homeroom class

Kat usually arrives to school early to play Card Game: the Purchasing and do club activities, and Shaun arrives to school early to avoid spending time at home

While complaining about Kat following her to her friends, Brittney casually says that "news people are the worst", setting off Author and kt

Nikola doesn't recognize the Hellspring City blog after its redesign

Tailwind implies Nikola will be coming to the meeting by asking if meeting up is worth a nickel to Nightlight

Kat has a fair number of social connections, and the only reason he isn't outright popular is that he has such a strong personality

Nikola happy stims when he's reunited with Lina

Lina is strong at least in part because she practices doing anime flips

Lina let Roadkill smash her phone after Media Blackout, keeping only the SIM card

After learning that Roadkill can't transform back to a non-mutant, Nikola worries they'll get to a point where they can't transform back either