Overstepped

Trial and Error

  Even though Addie disregarded most of Mercy's advice, they did take one bit to heart--not using their hydrokinesis. This was difficult, as it was her primary form of attacking and defending, and they weren't ready to give up on it yet. That's not to say that her black and white dust were useless, of course, as they were still potent tools in both healing and attacking. This meant Addie could still technically go off searching for the Ninja... Killing him would just be a bit more difficult. Another small problem? They were still working as an EMT. As if that wasn't enough, the mysterious Ninja hadn't shown his face in quite some time... And this left Addie's thoughts to fester.

  Though Addie no longer used their hydro-sword while sparring with Genji, the two still sparred with wooden swords, if only to keep Addie's skills sharp. "It's nice to spar with you again," Genji began, "But I feel like..." "Like it's not as fun? Thrilling? Challenging?" Addie interrupted, "I feel like that, too. I can't give it my all like this..." "I'm sure if you keep working on it slowly, it'll go back to normal soon. Have you tried clearing your mind?" Genji replied, taking a seat on the ground with his legs crossed. Addie joined him on the floor as they replied, "Like, meditation? I've never been good at that." "Maybe music would help you? Some people focus best with silence, others with sounds. Everyone is different!" "Sure," Addie replied, "But I don't know any music from this timeline. Need I remind you, most of my favorite artists are ancient now, if not dead." "Then find something new! Hana's friend, Lúcio is a popular and very talented musician. You should ask her to show you some of his stuff! She'll be in today, too," Genji explained, seeming satisfied with his answer. With not much else to go on, Addie agreed and waited for Hana to arrive.

  Though it took quite a while, Hana did in fact arrive. Addie didn't want to bombard her immediately with questions about Lúcio, or what other kinds of music she liked, so they gave her space when she walked in... But that seemed to be redundant, as the young woman made her way over rather quickly. "Addie! It's been a while, how've you been?" "I've, uh... Been better, actually. I wouldn't want to bring down your mood by explaining too much, but I'll need your help with something later on... If that's okay," Addie replied, avoiding eye contact. "Aw, I'm sorry to hear that it's been rough for you. Lucky for you, I'd be glad to help!" Hana replied with a nod. Upon hearing Hana's agreement to help, Addie snuck a quick glance at the latter. Though her tone was cheerful, her eyes were tired. "Enough about me, how are you? Are you hungry? I could order some lunch for us, but we'd have to go pick it up," Addie said, gesturing a little in between words. Hana laughed a bit before replying, "Nah, I ate already. I am kinda tired, I guess, but I was thinking of just kinda chillin' with some music!" "It's funny you say that, because I...wanted to get into some artists from this timeline and was hoping you could help," Addie remarked, grateful on how this fell into place without any explanations. "Oh, sure! We can listen together, I don't mind! C'mon!" Hana explained, heading off to her temporary dorm. Addie followed, albeit a bit cautiously. When they arrived, Hana decided it would be fun to hear some music from Addie's time as well, so she handed over her phone and requested to hear Addie's favorite song. Addie explained that it was hard to pick one, but they eventually decided on something from Halsey, hoping it wasn't too 'old-school' for the latter. Still, Hana couldn't help but remark on how old the song choice was, leaving Addie feeling, quite frankly, ancient. "Hehe, I'm sorry! That was a good choice, though!" Hana exclaimed, though she was still giggling between words. "Fine, fine. What's your favorite, then?" Addie asked, crossing her arms as the two sat on the floor. "Well," Hana began, "It's not actually my favorite, but I think you'd like it. It's by Lúcio! You've heard of him, right? He's crazy popular, and a friend of mine!" "Yeah, I've heard about Lúcio, but I don't know too much about him... I've seen him on a cereal commercial," Addie replied, laughing a little after. "Hey, don't knock Lúcio-Ohs, they're good!" Hana said after laughing a bit as well. She then played a song off of Lúcio's 'Synaesthesia Auditiva' album. Within the first few seconds, Addie was smitten. This song completely quieted their mind--and not only that, but they felt...more in control of their powers, somehow. "Ooh, you look like you're enjoying this one! See, I never miss," Hana bragged, smirking a bit. "What's it called?" Addie asked quickly, breaking out of the trance the song had put her in. "Huh? Oh, it's uh... Rejuvenescência! Here, take a look and write it down," Hana replied, showing off her phone. Addie made careful haste taking note of the song and the album, realizing that this could prove useful in preserving their powers... "This seems kinda important to you... Is something going on?" Hana couldn't help but ask after a few moments of silence. The silence extended a few moments longer before Addie answered, "My powers are malfunctioning, and Genji recommended I try to clear my mind to regain control of them. I have trouble with that kinda thing, so he told me I should try Lúcio's music, but I didn't know where to start, so I came to you..." "Ooh, that makes sense! Well, I'm glad I could help! I hope everything works out! If it's cool with you, I'm gonna game a little now," Hana explained, moving over to her bed. "Oh, for sure. I'll leave you to it... Thank you again," Addie replied, taking their leave after.