Masks 23.4 - THE Talk [Cutscene] [RP]

It’s getting late and people are to shuffle out of Fat Man’s. Ones and twos to start: an emergency call here, a promised meeting there. Duty always calls for the supers crowd eventually, even when you’re a teenager. Sergeant Amari didn’t stay long-- a few more in-depth conversations with some of the trainees and a firm handshake and his thanks to Chase was all he came in for. Adam tried to give him enough time so it wouldn’t look like he was following him out and then hover towards the door. He didn’t have to be home until 7--8:30 if there was an emergency--but there were still some things he wanted to talk to his dad about. Things he didn’t feel comfortable talking about around his mother. But that conversation never happened. Instead Adam was grabbed by the arm and pulled in close by Super Chica. She asked, “Where are we going now?” Adam just stammered in reply. Luckily, Sol made the save. The look in Adam’s eyes didn’t change, but Concord’s voice went calm and he said, “Our apologies. We about to leave without checking in with our teammate Link. Please let us speak to him first and we will return shortly.” Super Chica seemed to accept this and Concord walked back into the crowd. “What are you doing, Sol?” Adam asked mentally. “You are distressed by this woman, much like you were distressed by the Pony individuals,” Sol answered. “Our enhanced form seems to be causing this.  Leo has expressed an interest in helping in these matters. As he currently our only teammate not currently expressing a similar distress at the moment, he is the best source of guidance in these matters.” “Only teammate…” Adam started to ask, but quickly got back to the point. “This isn’t the time and Leo’s-” “Leo is a highly Compassionate teammate and…” Sol paused for a moment, searching for the right word. “And he is your Friend. He will help .” Adam wanted to argue this. Desperately so. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about this right now, but he couldn’t argue with what Sol was saying to him.  Leo took so many leaps of faith with his trust, Adam had to believe he would return the favor. The conversation with Sol over the mental link was over in an instant. It was Weird like that. Even the longest talks only took a second or two, but that just made the walk over to Link feel like an eternity. When he did finally made it through the thinning crowd to Leo, Adam leaned in close to whisper, “Hey, do you have a minute to talk in private?”

Leo pockets his phone, a thoughtful look on his face. "Yeah, this is a good time, bro. Lead on, and lead off." He shows a complex facial expression to Aria - Pneuma, and she responds with a warm and understanding smile before going back to her own phone. Sorry, duty calls, but I haven't forgotten you and I'm thinking about you. The Concordance powers include empathy and some telepathy, so unless you tell me not to bother, I'll be annotating any of Leo's responses with his thoughts. Decide whether to receive or act on them at yr discretion.

Will do The fear doesn’t leave Adam’s face even once the two reach the corner of the room. He briefly considers changing the topic, but a questioning look from Leo is all it takes for the walls to come down. “Super… Keri wants to talk. With me.” Adam pauses, expecting the full weight of this to hit Leo. When it doesn’t, he continues. “What am I going to talk about? I’m a kid. She’s like…an older kid who’s-” The cadence immediately shifts when Sol takes over the conversation—along with the face, mostly for Leo’s benefit. “Our Host is highly uncertain of subjects to speak upon but he also is worried about accidentally revealing any personal information. The Parents have strictly enforced upon us that his identity is not to be revealed to anyone outside of the Gale family and the Menagerie, but we are ignorant of much of the subtext and nuances of human verbal communication. We cannot censor his speech if we do not understand it and his emotional emanations at such elevated levels that he himself may not-- Sol’s sigil disappears as Adam takes back over. “I can speak for myself, Sol .” While Sol doesn’t take back over, he does whisper mentally to Adam, “But you lack the Courage to express your feelings, Agent Amari. This behavior will hinder our combined ability to engage in threats.” It’s always about the mission, Adam begins to think but then Sol surprises him.  “And you are not happy with this either. That-- pains us. In ways that we are unfamiliar with. Please listen to your Friend’s advice in this matter.” All Leo sees of this exchange is a quick shake of the head. “Sorry, he’s talkative today. But he means well.”

Leo blinks. God damn this other guy talks a lot. Is it like this all the time? It must be rough, having your life narrated to you by some alien. I always knew this kid could handle a lot, but I need to rethink that. At least with Otto and Pneuma, my other voices were external. "Okay, so... Adam can't tell anyone that he's Adam. Sol doesn't know Earth people enough to always know when to shush Adam up. Sol can't read Adam when Adam's on edge, so can't help keep secrets at those times. Neither of you know how to fix this." That girl seemed kinda possessive of Concord, the couple of times I saw her. Oh god, is she another fan girl? He thinks further. "I dunno this Keri person very well. She apparently wants to talk to you. You're worried that you'll tell her something you shouldn't. You don't know what she wants to talk about, so it's hard to figure out what to prepare not to say. You think it might be easier to just not talk to her, but that sounds like it'll be annoying to dodge her all the time." "Is that the size of it?"

Adam begins to answer yes, but Sol’s words echo in his mind. Leo’s your friend. He has taken so many leaps of faith with you, take just this one on who you know he is. “This," Adam says gesturing down at his Concordance form, the final words pained with emphasis, "isn’t me.” It certainly doesn’t look his normal body anymore. At just a hair under six feet and built out of lean muscle, he more resembles a young clean-shaven Sergeant Amari with Doctor Amari’s expressive features than tiny Adam Amari.  The hints in the face are still there, but you'd be forgiven thinking it was Adam's hypothetical older brother from the senior varsity team. Adam glances back to the front where Super Chica is talking to Ninjess and Stingray now. “She didn’t know me before, but she looks at me like the Ponies look at me now. I get grabbed, and hugged, and pulled into pictures, and stared at, and asked questions and…” It’s fun? It’s scary? It’s confusing? All of the above?  Adam's twelve-year-old brain doesn't know and Solaris certainly can't help with this. Adam breaks eye contact for a brief minute to steel himself. “Two weeks ago, I got patted on the head and told I was cute and adorable and then completely overlooked and I was fine with it. That was me at everything I’d ever done.” Adam's voice goes quiet and breaks a few times.  “This isn’t that and I don’t know what to do.”

Leo nods understandingly. Oh god, if he's actually got the genes for that, he's gonna be a walking danger to women. His dad had better teach him that cop swagger to keep girls from mobbing him. "Well, good and bad news, dude. How they treat Concord now may be how girls want to treat Adam in a few years anyway. That's what growing up does to you. What you've got here is... a preview, like a movie trailer. Good news is that you can shut it off if you need a break. The bad news now is that this --" He gestures at Concord's appearance "--is also gonna turn into, like, really good news for you later. So, I could just say be patient and it'll all work out. I don't think that's good enough, though. Hm." Okay, next. Girls hanging off him. Explain that to a twelve-year-old. Wait. Wait a minute. Jesus. This is the Talk. I got this three times in my life and it never ever made sense until I actually got older. Shit, I shouldn't be the one doing this. His dad should be doing this, only his dad is a total hardass who's got no idea how to cope with his son the alien, might not know how to deal with his son the human, who means well probably but shit he's gonna just tell the kid, 'stay away from girls until you are 35 and President'. Do I even know what kinda cultural spin his folks might put on the Talk? Any? None? I have no idea at all. And maybe it's none of my business to say anything, they're his parents, they're supposed to be the ones molding him, but come on, his dad saw this today and if he didn't take the opportunity to say anything, maybe he's not ready to have that conversation or doesn't know what to do about the Concord side so maybe I have to be the one to step in precisely because I'm a disinterested if not dispassionate party to this conversation and honestly I have zero interest in those Ponies anyway so it's not like I'm gonna steer him wrong out of jealousy or something. I've already got HER. And well there's the situation with HER too, that's a really fucked up situation what the hell am I feeling about two girls who used to be the same girl and where the hell is Jason anyway did he run off with her to some kind of love nest in the Andes and what's gonna happen when Alycia kicks in the door and tries to atomize them? Goddammit. Leo holds out both hands and takes a breath. "It's complicated," he finally says. Try harder, you asshole. "So.. So.. Have you ever wanted something, like a dessert, or sugar, or sweets, or your favorite food, or whatever, really really bad? Like, your mouth is watering, your mom is making it, there's some of it on the kitchen counter, you start plotting your approach to grab it? Like, if I sneak in this way, I can get some of it and she won't catch me. And even if she does catch me, as long as she catches me after I got some, it's okay. Your mind turns into this machine for getting what you want, and nothing else matters." God, he's twelve, not eight. Too late, you're stuck with this analogy. "For some people, girls and guys and other folks who aren't strictly either, other people can cause that feeling. That sort of hunger or desire. It's a craving. We usually just call it 'attraction'. Your body has signals, called hormones, for things like food hungers. When you're hungry, or you see a food you like, the signals start firing and you go into overdrive to take care of it. As you mature, there's other hormones for other kinds of hungers. Like, I know you've been through some classes at school that talk about this stuff, but it's pretty academic until you really experience it. And they don't teach you how to cope with it either. So here goes." "When these girls get those kind of signals, they naturally turn into machines to fulfill what they're wanting. So they'll hug you or touch your arm or whatever they do. They'll try to talk to you, or ask you questions, because that fills up the hunger in a way too. Or they think it gives them an advantage some other way in being closer to you." Like the months of agonizing self-policing I did around Pneuma. Oh god, that was so rough. I mean, it had to be done, it was the right thing, but it can hurt so bad. "And here's the really, really important thing you gotta remember, dude. You aren't - I think? as far as I know? - doing anything that provokes this. This is happening to them, not because of you. It's on them to behave themselves." It's always on us to behave. No matter the personal cost. "Like, you know when you try to sneak food from your mom earlier? That example? Now, you are the mom. Sometimes, you might need to remind them that they don't have the right to do those things, you aren't happy with them doing them, you won't accept them. Sometimes, hard as it is, you might have to leave the situation to help them realize that this isn't acceptable. It's okay to tell them it bothers you, if it does. If your mom ever hit your hand with a ladle when you went for food early, or scolded you for it, or whatever, that's what she was doing." "So basically, I think they're just attracted to you as Concord, because you're tall and cut. It's gonna be annoying, and you're gonna have to establish boundaries, and I will help do that if you need." Leo looks searchingly, and worriedly, at his teammate and friend. "Make sense so far? If you got questions so far, lay 'em on me." God do not let me fuck this up.

Adam blankly nods along with Leo’s explanation. He’s not sure what Leo’s on about and it’s hard to follow his nebulous emotions and thoughts. And then when he starts thinking about Pneuma, Adam is completely lost the point of all this. But somewhere in the middle of the baking analogy, something clicks. “Wait, is this the Talk? Why does Leo think I need the Talk? ” “ The Talk? ” Sol questions. “ Yeah, the Sex Talk. Everyone gets this.  Momma and Papa sat me down with it a wait back and told me I wouldn’t understand it all but to... ” Adam freezes in mid-thought. It is quiet in his mind for a long second while Sol lets him process everything. “ …No… ” " ... " " ...No... " " ... " " ...No... " Sol finally breaks the repetition, “ I believe there is relevant data you have not considered. ” Adam doesn’t understand what Sol’s talking about, but feels his Senses focus in on Leo and his connections to others. He finds a particularly strong one between him and Pneuma.  It is one of many between them, but multi-faceted and distinct from the others. And then the Sense drifts back to himself and his connections... “ Oh hell, this is relevant isn’t it. ” “ We believe so. These are new concepts for us and- ” “ No, no, no, ” Adam stops Sol, mentally shushing him. “ Leo’s the expert here, let me listen. ” Slowly Adam’s confusion turns to actual understanding as Leo’s descriptions get more specific. Adam runs down the mental checklist, “ Communication... Check in on what’s okay… Boundaries… Okay, this...sounds horrifyingly frightening.  And helpful... ” “ If you would like me to schedule regular reminders to check with others about... ” “ Please no, Sol. Just… I don’t know… make sure I’m not an idiot talking to people. ” Sol actually seems angry at this suggestion, “ Agent Amari, you are not an idiot . You were chosen by the Concordance based on highly stringent criteria including mental aptitude. If you feel inadequate around your peers, it is merely due to their greater experience because of their older age. ” “ Greater experience ...” Adam muses while memories of the team flicker through his mind.  Two random thoughts collide and the end result is something Adam wished that his mind had never put together. " That is... a troubling thought, Ag--Adam " Sol says, a consoling tone touching his mental voice.  " Many of these concepts are already outside our ken and there are many variable involved we are not prepared for.  We will assist if the situation ever occurs, but--perhaps Leo has some experience with this? " " I very much hope not. " Adam gives Leo a moment to wrap up his final thoughts. He’s trying his best and Adam loves him for it. Putting himself out there is just what Leo does and seeing panic over the advice he’s giving is all the help he needed in this situation. If Leo’s having trouble, Adam doesn’t need to worry so bad about being confused. "Make sense so far? If you got questions so far, lay 'em on me."  Big breath.  Clear mind.  Horrible implications.  Not ready in the slightest, but Adam start, "I have one question..." “You are really smart and you love Pneuma. And she’s great. Even Sol loves her and he doesn’t like anyone other than me,” Adam says with a smile.  Sol doesn't even chide him for that remark.  Good so far, but now he needs to get into the difficult subject. “Jason,” Adam chokes on the name for a moment, uncertain he can be so critical of his friend, “is also really smart. And he pines every day that I’ve known him for someone who has hurt him so very badly.” Adam pauses. This is unbearable hard. Sol offers to take over the question, but Adam declines. Leo didn’t get any help during this conversation and he just wrecked himself trying to explain uncomfortable things for Adam. Adam can be strong for a moment longer. “How do I know a Pneuma from an Alycia and don't...”  The question dies in Adam's mouth.  It's so unfair and accusatory, but Adam can't deny the Truth he knows.  "He cares so much about her that it tears him up inside and I don't want to be like that." Hopefully Dave doesn't mind some speculation here from Adam.  If anything is too far afield, hopefully we can just chalk this up to exaggeration on Adam's part or his being twelve and not understanding these complex emotions very well.  Passion, infatuation, longing, and nostalgia run so far afield from his borrowed expertise that it's easy to imagine he got some crossed signals.  Also Jason seems like he has some crossed signals himself so that's just even more confusing.

Leo actually beams at that. Thank god it's getting through. This is going to be easier than I feared. "Okay. This is really, really important. This is the part they don't teach you. Remember that day the Farlander showed up? Sablestar appeared? We saw that video from Jason's dad, 'sexually transmitted diseases'? Ugh. But yeah, I know you know this part. The important part isn't that part." "See, here's the problem, the really awful, scary, terrifying part of it. I'm vague about 'hungers' because there's food hunger, yeah. There's sexual attraction, yeah. People can desire sexual experiences with others. But those are only two of dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of hungers. So many of them don't even have a name." Leo's many and varied attractions to Pneuma filter through his mind. When she was no more than a box on his desk, he was already hungry for something that she could give him. She became a cute and affectionate companion, fulfilling others, even when she was a humanoid made of salvaged scrap and exposed servo-muscles. She's as fully human and real as he's been able to make her, and yet there's whole worlds of experience the pair haven't shared yet. Not for lack of ability or interest, from either of them. The journey itself, the long walk down the multivarious road of love, is something they're both enjoying at a casual pace. They have all the time in the world, and more beyond. "What you want, and what someone else wants, may not be the same hunger. Ever. And that is one of the saddest truths of existence, Adam. And what you hunger for may not be the real person, but an idea about the person, a lie you tell yourself about that person. You go for that cookie dough while your mother isn't watching, only it's not cookie dough, it's something gross or bland." Any suggestions, genius? No way, I eat TV dinners and shitty school hot dogs and drowned pancakes. Who the hell cooks when you live in a smelting yard or carriage house? "This is.. something I'm really wrestling with myself, right now. Numina is off with Jason. I confronted him in his lab. I'm 100% sure he's attracted to her. And that bothers me, because I'm attracted to her too. Well, I sucked it up and wished him luck, 'cause my girls make their own decisions, Numina knows where to find me if she wants, I have Aria, I'm the luckiest sumbitch in the world, but I still... " I still want both of them. Because I still think they're the same person. Aren't they? I predicted a split. I'm just not emotionally ready to accept what that means, because I don't want to lose her. Any of her. "Anyway, I think what Jason wants is some girl who will fall for him, that he can talk to and will just listen to his bullshit forever. I think he wants a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Like, a girl that just exists to give his life meaning and joy. I'm pretty sure Alycia is not that. I know for a fact Numina isn't. And I think with Alycia, he's got himself this idea that he'll save her, he'll be the knight that rides in to fight the dragon and rescue the princess, only the dragon is the princess and his love will transform her back... You know, skip that analogy, I don't know what the hell is in Jason's head. Anyway, he's pretty messed up, well spotted." "So. To find happiness, people need to have desires that match up. People need to want the same things from each other. You want to be young Adam and be told you're cute and stuff, it sounds like. The Ponies, and Keri... don't want that. So there's gonna be tragedy and hurt if they pursue it too far. And to know that what you want matches what they want, you have to know yourself. You have to be brutally honest with yourself about what you feel. You have to test that feeling, understand it, own it. I think you, personally, are in really good shape to do that." "To not be Jason, you have to be truthful enough to admit what you want from others. You have to be wise enough to recognize what others want from you. And you need to be brave enough to push away, say no, give up, when one of you can't have what they want or when it would hurt. And sometimes, maybe some time soon, you'll need to be brave enough to reach out and take hold of something, or someone." Leo grins. "Truth. Courage. Love. Sacrifice. Sound familiar?"

The inside of Leo's head right now is basically:

[GM says: first, awesome stuff. Second, IF you decide there's a comfort/support happening (and I could see Adam doing that for Leo as well, with a 'you're good at this' kind of thing), just roll it and paste it in here, or save the roll for Monday, or whatever you prefer. I don't know that I need to be involved in that unless it explodes in your face. :)]

Leo has actually figured out that he's kind of good at this by now. The real support he would benefit from is figuring out his feelings about the Numina situation, and that may be out of scope for what Mike wants to accomplish here.

One additional thing I think is cool about this arc with Adam is, regardless of when/if Mike decides to change playbooks, the dichotomy between Adam's 12-year-old 'mundane' form and his 'hot teen' Concord form really gives us another angle on that Janus drama.

Sol recoils at the mention of Sablestar and Adam is slightly relieved at the temporary reprieve from having to pay attention to two conversations at the same time. Sablestar was a problem for a lot of reasons and Adam still wanted to know what the deal was between was between the Concordance and her. But those weren’t immediate problems and Adam’s immediate problem was currently trying to make eye contact from off in the distance. Adam snaps back to Leo. Jeez, Leo. He never gets enough credit for understanding people. Papa had once told him that all advice is autobiographical, so you need to always make sure you know the background of that advice. Situations could be utterly different and heartfelt advice could still be the worst thing for you. While Adam was certain Leo hadn’t ever been in his situation, he could see Leo painstakingly tweak his words trying to craft something relevant for him. It might not all be from his experience, but Leo’s trying his best here. Adam finally smirks at Leo’s last line. “A little familiar,” he admits. His gaze drifts back over to Super Chica and then back to Leo. “I don’t think I’m ready for all this. The testing part. It’s--I can face down some alien bug guy because I know I’m not going to get hurt. Not really. This stuff--I am worried about hurting sure, but I’m more worried about other people getting hurt because of what I do. But that’s part of the deal, isn’t it?” Adam closes his eyes in thought. “I think I’m going to go fly around. Sol said I can now use some of my abilities for non-Duty related activities . Do you think it’s okay to invite her along? Like just to talk, you know. Set boundaries. Test to make sure she’ll respect them? Is that how that works?”

Leo and Pneuma, standing in Leo's room, raising their voices at each other, fearfully realizing what they'd just done, tearfully apologizing. Leo and Otto, sitting together at night, parked on a high road overlooking the city, and just talking about their troubles like two lonely dudes. Leo crying himself to sleep when Pneuma left. Leo lashing out, breaking a pen and one of his rare toys, when he thought she had abandoned him. Pneuma cringing away when he reached out to touch her shoulder. Pneuma telling him she felt afraid. That she needed him. That she couldn't be with him. Pneuma telling him what the rules were, asking what his were. Long conversations, deep conversations, a constant exchange of thoughts over months and months and months -- "Yeah. That's exactly how it works. You both talk. You tell her what you need her to know. You listen to what she says. Maybe one or both of you gets hurt. Hurt isn't forever. You recognize that hurt was done, you make it right, you carry on the conversation." Leo claps a hand on Concord's shoulder. "You're not alone, ever. But for what it's worth, I think you can handle this just fine on your own, dude. I believe in you."

[Mike if you want a scene with Keri, cue it up. I'm prepared for her to go RIDE OR DIE big sister mode if you reveal your identity. :) ] 

Keri is Sablestar's secret identity. It sounds like Adam's got a plan and the confidence to go enact it, whether that is played out or not I'm interested in seeing the outcome. Hopefully Leo's advice was useful - it's the general gist of what I'd tell someone about relationships, filtered through a 17-year-old's vocabulary and approach, and informed by his personal history, and I'd like to think the advice itself isn't total nonsense. :) If Concord does go through this talk, he might later decide to come back and help Leo figure out his Numina situation - that's up to Mike, but if so, the timing makes sense if it happens after (a) Adam interacts with Keri and the Ponies more and (b) Jason and Numina/Summer get back from their thing.

Bill G. said: Keri is Sablestar's secret identity. Dammit I can't do it if you guys turn it into a joke first. :)

Bill G. said: Keri is Sablestar's secret identity. Doyce T. said: Bill G. said: Keri is Sablestar's secret identity. Dammit I can't do it if you guys turn it into a joke first. :) Oh jeez, let this be a joke.  The reality is too... no.  That'd be interesting.  Dammit guys, stop making me interested in horrible ideas.

Well there's so many possibilities. Pick the one you like (or that Concord will hate)? It's a joke, but it got people thinking, cool. Keri is Sablestar and knows it. She stayed in Concordance-style hibernation for 65 million years, occasionally coming out to accidentally discover fire, start a religion, or inspire a line of children's toys in the 1980s. She's playing the long game to get back at Concord. But then why is she enjoying these talks with him so much...? Keri is Sablestar but has forgotten it. Her memories got wiped out when Byron Quill unknowingly tapped into her powers in the 1990s to neutralize the gamma radiation from a nuclear bomb over the Panama Canal. She knows this kid but doesn't know why, and not knowing makes her interested in learning more. Sablestar will/did  Akumatize Keri, and probably other people in Concord's life, both for revenge and to siphon away their negative emotions to repower herself after hibernating so long. She's got some leftover Void Collective induction discs, they won't last long but they'll have to be enough... People from school! "You WILL come do theater with us, Adam... hehehehe". Teammates! Imagine Link's negative emotions coming out... Family! "Adam, I wanna play dinosaurs NOW! T-Rex!" "Jordan no!"

[For the record: 1. I was totally joking. 2. All these options are valid. :) 3. Option 4 is particularly brilliant, since I don't have to do or decide anything NOW. ]

For the record I'll never ever tell my real intentions. But I look forward to seeing what happens with Keri and or Sablestar in the future. :D

I am a fan of all the options but I feel bad for anyone who hurts Jordan.  Adam is hardly the scariest of the Amaris and he'd be pissed . Also, kudos Bill.  This took an entirely different track than what I'd first imagined, but then I remembered what I'd called the thread and smacked myself for not knowing this topic would come up.  I figured this would focus more on Adam's wallflower tendencies and while they did get brought up, Leo's advice makes total sense for his character--it's all personal responsibility and being honest about your emotions.  I'm starting to agree with Bill's comment from the other thread: Leo turned from Keith into Shiro so subtle no one noticed it until he started tucking the team into bed and reading them bedtime stories. :P Doyce T. said: [Mike if you want a scene with Keri, cue it up. I'm prepared for her to go RIDE OR DIE big sister mode if you reveal your identity. :) ]  I don't have anything in mind for another scene, but I might depending on if and how you follow up at the end here. “ Leo seems very wise on these topics .” Looks Sol is back finally. “ You have made a good decision in being his friend. ” Adam doesn’t answer Sol, but instead gives Leo a wordless nod. He’s seen it from his father a thousand times and it’s always made Adam think he was the most confident person in the world. Hopefully it comes across even half as confident when he does it. Adam returns the clap to the shoulder, the unspoken thanks visible in his alien eyes. And then he goes to face the Fear armed with all the tools Leo reminded him he already had: Truth, Courage, Love, and Sacrifice. Flight seems to back too now as Adam hovers back over to Keri. He starts to rush through his words, but Sol steps in to slow it back down. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes, “just needed to check in before I left. I was going to go for a flight around the neighborhood.” “I know we’ve been hanging out for a few hours but I don’t think we were ever really introduced. I’m Concord. Is it okay if it’s just Concord for right now?”

Mike: Hopefully Dave doesn't mind some speculation here from Adam. If anything is too far afield, hopefully we can just chalk this up to exaggeration on Adam's part or his being twelve and not understanding these complex emotions very well. Passion, infatuation, longing, and nostalgia run so far afield from his borrowed expertise that it's easy to imagine he got some crossed signals. Also Jason seems like he has some crossed signals himself so that's just even more confusing. Well, I think you nailed it in the final sentence. Jason is not a good role model for relationships (or, for that matter, sex). I will say that he would be really unhappy if he thought his own foibles (which he'll admit every other paragraph) were causing _Adam_ grief. And, with all that said, the situation with Jason and Alycia (et al., etc.) is more complicated than it probably looks to Adam. Or maybe it's more complicated from the inside, and a lot simpler and more obvious from the outside.