A Mockingbird In The Crows Nest

Tommy's First Patrol 2: Electric Boogaloo

"This..Is for me?" Tommy whispered, holding his hands to his chest to keep himself from snatching the porcelain staff from Warden. He's wanted to grab it ever since the hero had taken it out of its case; but now that it was barely a foot away from his hands? It was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to grab it.

The creeper hybrid chuckled. "It is. I was hoping to have it done last week for your initial patrol; but I decided last-minute to add in some enchantments. That took a few extra days to get sorted out."

"It's enchanted ??" He whispered, his voice full of awe as he stepped closer. He clenched his fists into his shirt to latch onto something other than the staff. "With what?"

"Unbreaking and knockback! I also toyed with the idea of adding thorns, but I don't want you to smack yourself on accident and get hurt." He chuckled again, holding it out more towards Tommy. "But here- try it out real quick. I wanna make sure it works."

And that was all the permission Tommy needed.

As carefully as he could, he picked up the staff. It was lighter than he expected- even lighter than his villain weapon. He'll have to get used to that. But right now, he allowed himself to feel a little entranced by it.

He ran his hand down the shaft with a quiet whisper of amazement. It felt clean. Slick and smooth. Clearly crafted by someone who knew what he was doing. Someone who could make metal do his bidding, and had perfected the art of manipulating every material to do the same without the use of powers.

The hand grips on the ends were a little stiff, but that would change the more he got to use it. There were glowing strips just under the hand grips as well- and Tommy imagined that was so he could find it in the dark. Which was oddly smart. The ends of the staff also felt slightly weighted, and oh was Tommy excited about that. That meant this thing would pack a punch when he swung it.

It was perfect.

"Try twisting it for me?" Warden prompted, watching closely with his deep green eyes. And Tommy did. He gripped the smaller grips towards the middle and twisted. There was a soft click and a hiss, and then the staff broke into two parts. Tommy laughed a bit and grinned at the familiar weight of the weapons in his hands. "How does it feel?" Warden asked, his eyes skimming the staff parts with a furrowed brow. "How was it? Any resistance? Weird jolts?"

Tommy shook his head. "No..It's perfect." He grinned, clicking the staff back into one piece and holding it close to his chest. "Thank you, sir.."

Warden smiled, and a calloused hand pat his shoulder as he walked past him. "You might want to leave it behind for your first patrol; but make sure you practice with it, alright? Get used to the weight." He chuckled, and Tommy's mood fell a bit as he set the staff onto the table that Warden stepped behind. "But have fun, alright? Make sure you listen to Peleus and Erebus, and don't get into too much trouble." His eyes crinkled behind the gas mask, and Tommy assumes that means the man is smiling.

Not really sure how to respond, Tommy smiled softly and shifted on his feet. "Right..Thank you, sir." He bowed his head a bit. Warden gave him another warm look, and Tommy scurried towards the elevator with his hands in his pockets. He didn't really like the idea of going out on patrol without any real weapons- and no the power-dampener cuffs on his belt did not count -but he wasn't going to argue. It was probably a safety measure or something. Make sure he doesn't kill anybody on his first outing. That'd be pretty shit for their reputation.