Gold Star For You!

Summer 2021, Week 4, Friday morning

Royal Metro Library, Old Towne

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

Andre touched down on the steps outside the Library. He could see a staff member unlocking the door as it opened. Just as he had hoped. He walked up and the staff member held open the door for him. With a smile, he said “Thank you. Is the Head Librarian in? I need to speak to them quickly.”   The Staff member said they would go look as Andre waited patiently with a stack of books under his arm. The quiet of the space was enticing. He had gotten his fill of looks and questions yesterday night as he patrolled. Starting off the morning this way was a good start to the day.  

Storyteller

The librarian nodded, "They're in at their office. You returning books? You can stack them on the main desk, and someone will get to them." The person smiled, letting the patron in. "This floor, past the desk for your books, last door on the left. There's a big sign on it, that says 'Head Librarian'."  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

Andre smiled and complied by setting the books on the main desk before following the directions to find the office. He gave a soft knock on the door and opened it slightly, "Hey there, do you have a minute?"  

Lavrentis

They look up from the early morning barrage of emails, smiling. "Hello, yes of course I do!" Their eyes widen slightly. "It's...Andre, right? You came in several weeks ago, but you've been popular in the news, you and a group of evolved humans, yes?"  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

Andre took in the head librarians appearance and ran through their previous conversation “Lavrentis?” He took a shot at remembering that their name varied. He was pretty sure he was correct, but better to add the question tone to not assume. “Yes, I’m Andre. It’s great to see you again.” He walked fully into the office rather than loiter in the doorway. “Popular is one word for it. I was hoping to take a moment of your time. I had a question I was hoping you’d be able to answer.”  

Lavrentis

"It's great to see you, too. And yes, Lavrentis today. Gold star for you!" They grin. "Of course you can have a moment, I have most of the morning free of meetings, and should it go longer than that, well I'm sure they can understand. What's up?"  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

Closing the door, he moved to an open chair in front of the librarian's desk and sat down. His frame almost dwarfed the chair, not something he was unused to. Crossing one leg over the other, his brain finished up the thought he had been buying it time to complete. "I need to get stronger, and I need to know how." Andre paused for only a second before continuing.   "I've read all the books you gave me. From what I can gather, I'm in the physical enhanced category for most of my powers. Or the strongman category, super category. You know the names go on. What I put together is my power comes from my body not having a limit. But it does. I've been stuck at a max weight for a while now. When I first started I jumped up super quick...but now." His face darkened with the fresh memories of his failure and his scars seemed to burn. "I need your help. How can I get past this?"  

Lavrentis

They sit and listen to him. His fears made sense, considering the last weekend and his job. "Its a mental strength as well as a physical strength. Remember when you were a kid, and magic still had a sense of wonder over you? You believed in it, and it helped you through tough times. Now you have magic, or as close to it, and you have mental barriers in place from growing up and losing the sense of wonder."   They pause, looking at their desk. "You see this? Its a rather artfully crafted hunk of wood. Someone poured their time and energy into learning all aspects of their trade. You've got some basics down, but in terms of this desk, you can slap a few pieces of wood together with nails and screws. You need more - the books are being constantly updated, but people are asking about if there is someone like them. They've given me contact information for people who are willing to meet up - the library has become a bit of a safe place like that." They shrug. "But knowing you can pump whatever weight you're at now, that's not enough. You have to let some room in your head for believing you can do it, and believing you can do more. Trust in yourself and you'll get yourself a long way."  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

Listening to Lavrentis talk, he started to shake his head. Exasperated, he ran a hand through his hair. "I try, Lavrentis, I do. I add a few more pounds and my body just quits on anything over 500lbs. And believe me, I'm focused on....on..." His words trailed off as his mind dug into the words and seemed to focus on the desk. A mental block. Did he have one of those? Thinking back to his time in highschool on the football team, he never had issues with his powers. He was naturally faster, stronger, but at a reasonable level. He didn't have to train to get there, or worry about being too strong or dangerous during a game because it was always at that level. It always stopped there.   He focused on the desk and then back on the Head Librarian. Magic. Sense of wonder. The words were borderline childish, but they resonated with Andre somehow. People who can lift cars only exist in stories...or so I thought. But he could be that person couldn't he? "I--I think I understand. The mental part. How do I get the skills to go from slapping wood together to carving, as you say?"  

Lavrentis

"The thing to keep in mind with the analogy is that there is skill involved. Inherent skill. The good thing is that you have it - your powers are that innate skill to carve the wood. But even the best masters - jumping analogies to marble - even Michelangelo started out as a newbie. So it's acknowledging your weakness but perservering to get better. Everyone plateaus at points along their journey - the really special ones manage to jump again."  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

He turned his hand underneath his gaze as Lavrentis talked about skill. His strength was his skill? No…more than just strength. Right? He was strong, but he was also sturdy. And he could fly. Those were three separate powers, but… “My powers. Plural. For the longest time I thought of them as separate and treated them that way. But that’s not how it works, is it? My skills are my powers, all of them, and my knowledge of them. And I need to take those skills, have the right mentality, remove my self limiter, and be persistent. Is that what you’re saying?”  

Lavrentis

They nod, grinning. "That is an excellent start, yes. Everything that makes you, you, both the powers and everything else - they need to come to a harmony. They're each part of a chord, with you as the base, the power as the fifth, and anything else you know supporting the whole." They chuckle slightly, blushing. "I do apologise for jumping around so much with the analogies - but sometimes where I start with one, someone might take a different aspect a bit easier to understand."  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

“No, no. It’s fine. I think they helped. Some of them at least.” He returned the smile, if not the laugh. “I think I’m starting to get a handle on what it is I need to do next. But if it’s not too much trouble, could I come back to you if I hit a wall again? I think talking it out helps and so far you’ve been the most helpful person I’ve met when it comes to this.”  

Lavrentis

"That's good to hear. Of course you can come and talk again. It's also good to see if there are any with your abilities who are looking for someone to talk to - speaking of, is it fine if I have your permission to give out only your name and phone number when requested? It will only be for those who want to know more themselves - I have my eidetic memory, and there is only one more source where the information is kept to be shared." They tap a smallish notebook on their desk.  

DeAndre Walker (Victory)

"More than half the city knows me, so my name and number is fine. If I could leave it to you to root out the ones who actually need my help. I'm more than comfortable with helping Evos understand their powers, even if I'm still figuring it out. But I don't want to spend time wasting it on fan meet and greets only posing as people seeking help." He stood and leaned forward, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. Writing down his name and number, he slid it over. "For you too. If you ever need me, just call. I'm not exactly the hero I want to be right now, but I'll still help out however I can. Thank you, Lavrentis, for everything." A wave and a smile, and the large man made his way out the door, onto trying out what he had learned today.