It was almost laughable. Threats were meaningless in a world where everyone was out to kill you. All you could do was make it on your own...
But, Toby could tell that these people weren't a temporary distraction in his life. He felt compelled to join them on whatever quest, journey, or pilgrimage they were on. The moment Jim brought up the villagers and metas, Toby chuckled. He was about to make a response, but the kid had disappeared. So, instead, he projected his voice to them, through his mind.
<They don't speak English and aren't familiar with metas. Trust me, I know them better than you do.>
Then came Mike's comment. Toby wasn't turned to them as he continued his brisk pace away. He smirked at the threat, if you could call it that. Pretty empty, if you were to ask Toby his opinion.
He decided to be a smartass.
<Then It's totally fine if I project my voice into your head, right? Hey, I'm not talkin' to you.>
With that, Toby disappeared around a corner at the edge of the village, thinking. 'Tobias Fletcher, the abuser'. That's what Mike had said, he was sure of it, but the meaning? The meaning slipped through Toby like water. He hadn't a clue what the man was talking about. Toby wasn't abusive.
He had no drinks or drugs to abuse.
No significant other to abuse.
He didn't use his powers for evil, but just to help him, and keep him alive. That wasn't abuse.
He decided to drop it altogether. It wasn't important, because Mike wasn't even important. The man liked to act like he knew everything, he could see it clear as day in his head.
But Mike obviously was inexperienced in that are of expertise. Toby's power was, in fact, not 'Mind Control', but advanced telepathy. He didn't control minds. He borrowed them. He always gave them back to the user. His power wasn't much good in combat, unless he turned a friend into a foe. The enemy of my enemy.
...
Or perhaps, Mike was just racist? If that was the reasoning, Toby needed not at all to worry about him. Race didn't matter in the world of metas.
He finally reached his small hut, which he didn't own. It was just an abandoned shed the villagers had forgotten about, so Toby kept his stuff here. This was home.
Inside, he was immediately mauled by a beast of black and white fur. He chuckled lightly as the female dog, a Husky, attempted to smother the boy in licks. "Sasha! Let me in!" He laughed lightly as he began to affectionately pet her, and she removed her paws from his chest, as she'd been standing on her hind legs.
He moved in and opened up a musty old trunk, revealing a few dozen sandwiches, all bundled up in plastic. Sasha peered into the box as well. Toby looked at her, and she him. "Alright." Toby sighed, giving in. "You can have one. The rest are for our guests." He told her sternly as she sat on her hindquarters and licked her chops. Toby stooped over, grabbing one of the sandwiches, and unwrapping it, before giving it Sasha, who started to wolf it down. "Sasha! Manners!" Toby said. She quickly began to eat more slowly, but as Toby turned to grab an old bag, she continued to scarf it down.
Toby began putting all of the sandwiches into the bag, before tying the top closed and slinging it over his shoulder, turning to find Sasha staring curiously at him, her head tilting in question. "No, Sasha. We're not moving. We just have... some new friends." He stated. The dog almost appeared to pout, and Toby shook his head with a smile. "No, no, Sasha. I'm sure they'll love you... but you're right. We won't have food anymore. Probably. We'll just have to work harder to get some.
She barked loudly in response. "Come." Toby smiled at her as he opened the door, allowing her to dash out into the snow before leaving the hut himself.
