[Well, he hadn't expected that. The hate poster business doesn't surprise him, mind you, because let's face it, he experienced the hell of high school firsthand every day. You don't need to be a mutant to feel the abuse, but it doesn't help, either.

Her advice makes his lips quirk a little, though he doesn't quite smile. That isn't exactly the problem, though it's nice to hear it said. A few moments after she sits back down, he sits up, brushing a hand through his hair and dragging the headband off his head along with it. He doesn't need a costume for this; this isn't Wiccan, this isn't the super hero.

Billy Kaplan was a very different person, once upon a time.]

I don't care what people think of me, really. I never have. Hiding it wasn't something I could do.

[Maybe that's why he's lousy at keeping his identity a secret; maybe that's why he's always calling for his teammates by name in battle instead of using codenames. Maybe he just doesn't want to have another self to show the world.

Why can't Billy Kaplan be the hero?]

I met her once... the Scarlet Witch, I mean. Before I knew who she was. Before I knew who I was. I used to hang out around the mansion after I got into fights at school.