”Mc’ll’n ye’ say...? Soun’ like fooooooonnnn...!” Shaun tries to prop himself up on an arm, but rapidly discovers he is quite incapable of doing so. ”G’dam...t’fuc’ya’hit m’wi...?”
Face still firmly against the floor, he wheezes out a laugh at Alexandra’s terms. ”Lil’har’ta’gree ta’ an’thin’...when’m downcount...” He yawns, unintentionally inhaling a few motes of dust off the floorboards. ”Who wassa dr’nk...? I wassa dr’nk...”
Shayera winces involuntarily at Shaun's state. "That's good enough for me. He'll be good or he won't get any."
She cracks the seal showing that the bottle had never been opened. While Alexandra helps Shaun recover, Shayera pours a shot in each glass, then puts the cap back on.
"Team building exercise. After each shot, I hide the bottle or put it in some inaccessible spot. You have to work together to get it. When you do, you each get another shot. And I hide it again. Okay?"
Kaoru gnawed on her lip. What was she doing? Had she led Alexis on? She had been trying so hard not to. But perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to hold Alexandra's hand. Except Alexandra had wanted to, and she had been hurting, and Kaoru had wanted to help. And it had felt nice. Her skin was soft and warm, and it was comforting to have her close by. But...are you leading *Alexandra* on? For whatever reason, she seems to like you. And she *did* kiss you. That's not exactly something you can ignore. Do you like her back like that? Her insides squirmed. She still hadn't really had a chance to think about that kiss. And even now, she could already feel her face starting to heat up.
It...hadn't felt bad at least (other than the overwhelming panic and confusion that had come along with it). She hadn't felt the need to pull away like with Jack. It hadn't been aggressive or forceful. It had been gentle. And Alexandra had pulled away when she noticed she was freaking out and told her to breathe. That was a good sign, right? But...it also hadn't felt like stories typically described kissing someone you liked. There had been no fireworks or tingling or marveling at how soft her lips were. So what did that mean? Would she want to do that again? She had definitely enjoyed the feeling of being in Alexandra's arms, with her hand either in her hair or stroking her cheek. She wouldn't mind doing that again. But she wasn't sure about the kiss.
Alexandra might not actually want to kiss again, now that she thought about it. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that she was a terrible kisser. How could she not be if all she had ever done was pull away or just stand there with her jaw clenched every single other time she had been kissed? But Alexandra probably knew how to kiss. She probably had guys throwing themselves at her on a weekly basis. And as much as her stomach twisted at that thought, it probably meant she knew what she was doing. So why hadn't she felt anything? Did that mean that she didn't like Alexandra like that? Or were the stories just wrong and that's not really what kissing felt like? But if kissing didn't feel good, why do it? Had Jack enjoyed kissing her? He had certainly kept insisting they do it, and why would he do that if he hadn't?
Her line of thought was cut off by her phone buzzing. She smiled. The message made her feel warm. She probably didn't need to figure out this whole kissing thing tonight anyway. For now, she could just spend time with Alexandra and get to know her better. Feeling a bit better, she slowly trudged back into the main room just in time to hear Wingblade explaining her game. Except why would she care if she got another shot? Though Alexandra had run out of whatever was in her flask, and Alexis had guilted her into ignoring Shaun's drink, so maybe she still wanted some? And Kaoru did rather enjoy games. Though this seemed like an odd one for their 'team leader' to be suggesting. Didn't adults typically look down on this sort of thing?
Touching you? Wait she wanted bunk with *Shayera!* Damn right she wouldn't want you to!
"Umm. Okay. Shayera and I are waiting to... bunk. There are things that umm, some people do, that I don't want to before marriage, and-" she overheard the beginning of Shayera's Drinking Challenge. Don't just run away because you don't know how to talk about your relationship, but maybe she'd want to anyways...
"Do you want to go back and spend time with the others? It sounds like Shayera's putting together a, uh, team building exercise."
She checked the time on her phone. I'm still okay. Even if they're home they won't be wondering where I am for another couple hours.
Alexis heard the beginning of the challenge too. She didn't like the idea of them all drinking, but Shayera was sponsoring it so she didn't think that it was as bad an idea if she wanted it.
"Okay. So when are you going to marry Shayera so you can bunk together?" She asks before they go back to the meeting.
At that meeting, Alexis looks warily at the bottle, sitting down next to Cassie, since she didn't have anything against her. "Can I hide the bottle?" She asked.
Bronwyn tensed up at the question, but as she continues she can't help but smile. "Well... that's kind of complicated, and umm, we might not, but umm... Definitely not while we're still in highschool though."
Sitting down in front of a glass, Bronwyn gave a quick look around, searching for signs of anxiety, or that someone was feeling pressured. "Okay, this should be fun. Anyone who just wants to find the bottle without drinking is fine too."
Shayera looks a bit more uncertain when Bronwyn and Alexis rejoin the group and look like they want to play. She only had the one bottle and wasn't sure if it'd be enough to go around back when there were only three or four participants.
"Umm, sure, but let me do it first a couple times. Actually, I never had a plan for this, so I really don't know if it'll work the way I want it to. Just know that this is a $300 bottle of scotch and the goal is to not bust it. Oh, and I'm not drinking any since it'll be a waste since I can't get drunk anyway. Alexis, you might be the same way. Have you ever been tested against poisons?"
"..." Alexis gets a look on her face at Shayera's question that makes her look particularly traumatized. "...It takes a lot of poison to hurt me. They used a lot of snakes and scorpions and bees and jellyfish to find out."
She reaches out and squeezes Cassie's hand gently. She knew that the mage girl didn't mind it before, and it felt good, like a mini-hug.
"I just don't like the smell. But if you think this is a good idea, I'll believe you," She tells Shayera.
Shayera sits stunned for a while, looking straight at Alexis. Her words about being stung deliberately to test out her resistance to poisons suddenly reminding her of her own experiments at the lab. They weren't the same, but close enough.
Looking like she's about to cry, Shayera murmurs, "Dammit, Alexis." She stands and walks out to the balcony, her wings spread out so they blocked her from those inside.
After a few minutes, she walks back inside, her eyes red-rimmed and her hands balled into fists. "All right, everyone, listen up. This. This is the kind of shit we're dealing with. There are f+&@ers out there performing experiments on children, turning them into weapons.
"And they want to find Alexis and bring her back to them."
She throws up her hands. "I dunno, but maybe there's an upside to being a team? Maybe we could set aside whatever petty shit that's pissing each other off and actually get pissed at the bad guys? You know: be some damn heroes??"
Kaoru frowned at Alexis' statement as she continued to stare studiously at the floor. What kind of idiots would use live animals in that kind of experiment? The venom from most, if not all, of those creatures could be extracted to be delivered in precise dosages instead of some kind of hand-wavy number of creatures unit. Were they trying to see how her body handled things when exposed to a fear response? Because you could get that with an injection of adrenaline. Their methods were so...unscientific.
...that probably shouldn't be your first reaction to that kind of a statement.
She felt a slight pang of guilt. What else was she supposed to think? It was too much. Too many feelings. Too many ups and downs. She couldn't take it anymore. She was just so tired of feeling good one moment and terrible the next. This was exactly why she didn't, couldn't, care about every single person that crossed her path.
< Look Cal, everybody in the world has their own little sob story. If you stop to listen to them all, you'll never be happy. And you're too good of a person for that. So you've got to learn to pick and choose your battles. To only care about the really important stuff. To look after yourself. Because no one else will do that for you.
She pulled out her phone and flipped to a message stream she hadn't opened in a while. The last half-dozen or so messages all had a little error icon indicating they had failed to send. She felt a surge of loneliness. In a room full of heroes and wannabe heroes, who was she supposed to talk to about her decidedly un-heroic thoughts and feelings? She was so tired of being constantly judged and found wanting. Sighing, she placed her phone back in her pocket and folded her arms across her chest.
Should I go out there with her? Would that make her feel loved or weak or both? She took the time she needed for herself. Trust her to ask. You can talk to her about it later anyways. I know that Alexis wants the hug.
She stood behind Alexis, arms loosely around her shoulders while she waited for Shayera to recollect herself.
"Hey guys, maybe we should hold off on the drinking game for now. We can get enough bottles to actually split 7-ways that way too."
As feeling returned to Shaun's face, he shoots a nasty look at Alexandra. "...fine. I'll turn ta' volume down. But ye'n' Kaoru need ta' apologize to Lex." He stretches and pops his jaw. "God, I feel hungover all over again...what did ye' hit me with, seriously? A horse tranq?"
He hauls himself onto a near-by sofa, massaging his legs as the feeling slowly returns to them. It also gave him a good excuse not to meet Shayera's eyeline. God damnit, I am not making this any easier for her. She's doing her damnest and I'm just being a massive pain in the ass. He clears his throat. "If we need more scotch, I got a couple bottles w'my stuff upstairs. Nothin' as fancy as that..." He looks dejectedly at the now-open bottle. She shouldn't have opened that. She said it was a gift, and now we...I ruined it. He sighs, running his teeth across his lower lip. Add that to the long-ass list of things I owe her now. First she gives me a place to crash, then saves me in the fight, then I get to meet Whippoorwill because of her, and I'm supposed to ask her for new gear. Oh, and I ate her food. And not only can I not pay her back, I make things worse for her...
He watches as Bronwyn and Alexis re-emerge to join the game, a small smile tugging at his lips when he sees the former homeless girl. He wants to ask her if she's okay, but he hold back. She's still dangerous. Even if...she doesn't mean to be...God, she really is just a kid, isn't she? Not physically, but in mind. As best he can (given the fact that half his face is still a touch unresponsive), he gives the girl a supportive half-smile.
"..." Alexis gets a look on her face at Shayera's question that makes her look particularly traumatized. "...It takes a lot of poison to hurt me. They used a lot of snakes and scorpions and bees and jellyfish to find out."
She reaches out and squeezes Cassie's hand gently. She knew that the mage girl didn't mind it before, and it felt good, like a mini-hug.
Shaun blanches as Shayera reacts and takes a brief walk. "They...what?" Holy shit. Where the f##! did she escape from!?
After a few minutes, she walks back inside, her eyes red-rimmed and her hands balled into fists. "All right, everyone, listen up. This. This is the kind of s**+ we're dealing with. There are f&!~ers out there performing experiments on children, turning them into weapons.
"And they want to find Alexis and bring her back to them."
She throws up her hands. "I dunno, but maybe there's an upside to being a team? Maybe we could set aside whatever petty s$&~ that's pissing each other off and actually get pissed at the bad guys? You know: be some damn heroes??"
Oh so NOW it's okay to break bad guy face?! He bit back the retort, still staring at his own feet. "...Jesus..." As he tries to process through what Shayera just said, he begins nervously rubbing the base of his neck, unconsciously tracing the space of the old bruises. "...who n' where are they? Does Whip know?"
"They're cowards, Shaun. When you strip away their wealth and the shadows that hey hide in, that's all they are. There are a lot of names and organizations they hide behind, but in the end they're all the same. Whippoorwill has fought them, so have we. We will again."
Shayera's righteous anger dissipates almost immediately. She stares at Shaun, weighing the answer in her mind like it was a massive burden.
Finally, she begins speaking, but slowly at first. "I think so. But she told me to stay out of it. They, um, are the ones who killed me.
"The old team, we were investigating one of their old labs. I don't remember much about that mission, but, well, they sent a missile to destroy the place and kill everyone in the building. I stopped it." She gives Bronwyn a troubled look.
”...f&&+in’ Christ...but, I was more askin’ so I could go give’em grief t’night. Still hopin’ta’ get some patrolin’ in later. Shit, wait, I still need ta’ work out...” He shakes his head. ”No, not important right now.” He finally meets Shayera’s gaze. ”What can I do? Do we have names? Locations? Somethin’ I could scout-out?” He turns to Alexis. ”Do ye’ remember anythin’ that might lead us ta’ t’other kids?”
Wingblade steps in between Kilt and Alexis. "NO! Dammit, no! We're not ready! Do you even realize what these people are capable of? Are you bullet proof? Can you survive a sniper bullet to the head or chest? A friend of mine was stabbed when we fought them before. No, we are going to keep Alexis safe by becoming a TEAM, not charging half-cocked after whatever bait they may be tossing out there and giving Alexis back to them!"
Bronwyn's voice is a good deal calmer, but her eyes are iron. "We will stop them, Shaun, you're right to want to. But only once we're ready."
Kaoru's head snapped up to stare at Wingblade as she revealed she had died, eyes wide. She could feel the icy claws of terror starting to tear into her heart. She was going to die. All because she had been stupid enough to help out some randos. This was her punishment: a death sentence. As Wingblade put the kibosh on Shaun's plan, she could feel the coldness retreat just enough for her to take a big gasping breath of air. But it was still too much. Farrrr too much. She grabbed her backpack, frantically pulled out her headphones, and jammed then on over her ears. She then retreated to a corner chair and sat down heavily, closing her eyes and trying to immerse herself in the soothingly loud music now blaring into her ears.
Breathe, K. In. And out. You're ok. In. And out. You're not going after missile wielding psychopaths. In. And out. You're going to run away before they ever have a chance to kill you. In. And out.
Cassie was surprised when Alexis' hand sort out her own and she glanced at the other girl. She seemed upset so Cassie gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand supportively and leant over. "I know what its like when people who should look after you,... don't." she said to the other girl. "But Whippoorwill was right back at the theatre. As a team, we can protect each other, and we can do it much better than we could alone... Shayera's right though. If we're going to look after each other we have to be a real team, not just a group of kids who," she looks pointedly at Shaun, "fight among themselves more than they fight the bad-guys."
Shaun’s face was crimson as his gaze returned to his boots. ”...I...I just...” He wanted to tell all of them to f@#% off, but...it was Shayera. And Bronwyn. And...Cassie... ”...fine. I’ll...I’ll leave...” He stood and clomped his way up to the gym, planting himself on the corner of his bed/pile of mats and clamping a hand over his eyes, trying desperately not to cry out of frustration and embarrassment.
As Shaun announces he's leaving, Cassie shakes her head. "No, don't go.. Like I said, we need to be a team, and leaving won't help that! But teams don't go around attacking each other!"
Alexis felt like she shouldn't have said anything. Because she'd upset Shayera, and then that upset Bronwyn and Shaun, and now Kaoru was looking not well, and people were shouting and asking her questions that she didn't want to answer at all. She didn't know if she was supposed to tell them how dangerous it would be to go after the people who owned her, or to emphasize that they needed to become a team, or if wanted them to just try and enjoy their time and have fun and not feel bad.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It's all right," She tells Shayera, putting on her best smile. It didn't quite meet her eyes. "It was a long time ago. I'm alive. They can't hurt me now." That was what mattered the most to her.
"...I think you upset Kaoru," She points out as well. "And Shaun. And I upset you. And we're all upsetting each other and I don't want that," She said, swallowing dry. "Can we stop being heroes until we're no longer upset? And be high school students? Who, um, are having a weekend party. I've never been to a party, so this should be my first one. We can celebrate being a team," She encourages, trying to get everyone to feel better.
He wheezes a frustrated sigh. ”Look, I wasn’t-! That jackass-! I TRIED ta’ be nice ta’ him ta’ other day, a’ight!? An’ he bit my f!!+in’ head off!” He briefly clamps a hand over his eyes. ”I WANT ta’ work together, a’ight?! I just don’t think he does, an’ that will be a problem at ta’ worst possible time.”
”I’m not gonna act like I got answers ta’ everythin’. What I know is that ye’ don’t let ta’ bad guys do whatever they want. Ye’ find’em, beat their asses, keep people safe, that is how I’ve worked for ta’ past six-plus months. I am just tryin’ta’ keep my...” He paused as he glances towards Alexis. ”I just want my friend ta’ be safe.”
Shayera shakes her head, snatches the bottle of scotch, twists open the cap and takes a pull. Then she passes it to Shaun while wiping her mouth and trying not to make a face at the taste. "Kilt. You want to be on a team. Kaoru... I don't know. But here's the thing: you've worked and trained and no one can question your dedication. Kaoru's still trying to figure it out. He's not physically tough. And that's fine. We don't need another front-liner. Staying protected, hacking robot dinosaurs and automated trucks, that's h-- his gift."
Alexandra slowly is in the process of breaking down. More fights she wasn't any good in, more threats she could only point the others at. but she bore it well. the walkers were always good at that.
But, The others were... Piling onto Kaoru, just after we had agreed not to... Yeah, this whole "evil conspiracy who commit crimes against humanity and killed our most durable teammate is totally what the baseline who was just pressganged into this needs to hear. She says
Look, we're all in various mental states right now. some of us are enthused, some of us are pissed, I think we need to cool it. Bronwyn, would you kindly make sure Kaoru gets home okay? Shayera, same thing with Alexis. Shaun and I can probably get home okay on our own.
Looking defeated as Alexandra calls an end to their meeting, Shayera sighs. "Alexis is staying here. Shaun can crash here or not, I don't care. I'm going to go get some air."
She goes out to the balcony and leans against the railing, staring at the city skyline.
Shaun considers the scotch, then takes a small swig. ”Damn that’s good.” He passes the alcohol along to Cassie before continuing. ”I don’t gotta problem with techies. I do have a problem with cowards. Ye’ can’t count on a coward.” Then he catches Alexandra’s eye. ”...I’ll...ease up. Let him try ta’ prove me wrong. But if he gets any of us in trouble, I will not only be f!*!in’ chantin’ “I told ya’ so,” but ye’re gonna have ta’ choose between me n’ him, an’ta’ other’ll be off ta’ team.”
Shaun shakily stands up, still slightly numb bellow the knees. ”Well, I’m crashin’ here till my old man stops houndin’ me, so if there’s not anythin’ else I’ve still gotta get my workout done.”
He starts towards the stairs, but swings wide to get in whispering range of Bronwyn. ”I need ta’ talk ta’ ye’...” He glances out towards Wingblade on the balcony. ”...when ye’ got a minute.”
I still have time for that, right? She nodded. "Sure thing Alexandra, I'll get him home. You need to hitch or Lyft pool with anyone Cassie?"
Bronwyn stepped quietly out to the balcony and for a moment just stood next to Shayera, working one hand down to intertwine their fingers. "This is going better than you think it is. You can try to do everything perfectly without only accepting perfection."
She headed down the stairs, listening for the clang of metal on metal, or the sound of grunts and exertion until she found Shaun. "So, what did you have to tell me? And points for discretion, by the way." Definitely grading on a curve, but still.
She walked up behind Kaoru where she was vanishing into her music and put a hand on her chair, I hope he doesn't mind, but I need to get going at some point. She was hoping that would be enough to let Kaoru know someone was there, but she put a hand on his shoulder if he didn't respond. Alexis could probably do without seeing someone else have easy physical contact with the guy though.
"I sleep here with Shayera," Alexis tells Alexandra, looking at her and trying to sort out her feelings. She decides that it's not Alexandra's fault for Kaoru liking her. So she gives the girl a big hug that pops all the air out of her spine. "Be careful going home. I still like you. As much as I like Kaoru," She said, glancing at Cassie and going to her next.
"...Thank you for being my friend. I'm sorry the team is a mess," She apologizes, before giving the mage girl a big hug as well. "I want to see you do some cool magic things soon."
She looked at Kaoru, wanting to do something, but feeling like she'd only make things worse right now. She needed to figure out how to properly deal with other people without causing such emotional chaos in everyone. It felt like everybody, even herself, was unstable. And Shaun wanted to go after the people who wanted her back, and she couldn't tell him.
There was one thing though that Alexis had to ask Shayera, once she was done with Bronwyn. She walked out to the balcony, feeling uneasy being this high up. She got as close to the railing as she dared, looking at the winged heroine. The wind drowned out the loud and prevented anyone from overhearing them at least.
Alexis felt like she was being long winded, and stopped talking for a moment. "...The Triakosia who are probably responsible for killing you are Sifa and Geunmin. They specialize in long ranged attacks. Geunmin was probably in control of the missile, while Sifa protected him. Their call signs are Industria and Acedia. Um. I'm sorry again. That you were killed. Do you want a hug?"
Cassie took the bottle from Shaun and took a sip, grimacing a little at the taste, but letting the warm sensation flow through her. At Bron's question, she shakes her head. "No, I can find my own way back home." and I'm not sure I want you to know where I live as well as who I am..
Cassie smiled at Alexis' words. "That's OK" thanks for being my friend too!"[/b] she answered, letting the other girl envelop her in her arms, cracking her spine. "I'll see what tricks I can come up with. Any requests? I might need to do some research."
When Alexis headed outside, Cassie stayed where she is on the couch, debating with herself as the others gradually left and taking a few small sips of the scotch. Finally, after it seemed like Alexis had finished talking with Shayera, she stood and headed out to join them on the balcony, taking the bottle with her.
"Hi," she said, "Am I interrupting? I just wanted to talk with you, both of you I guess, about something." she took a sip from the bottle. "I know both of you have faced some pretty tough stuff, and,... I thought you might understand. You remember Odysseus, back at the museum? How he called me Cassiphone and called me the daughter of Circe? Well,... he wasn't lying. Circe is my mom. You might,... you might have read a few months back that she was captured,.. that she was a,.. a crime boss or something and 'The Coterie' took her down? Well, that was because of me. And now I'm hiding from her 'employees' with this charm thing that makes everyone sort of not,.. notice me, its weird. You watch. Tomorrow at school the others, apart from Bron, they won't know who I am. You guys will if,... I can trust you, can't I?"
"44...45...46...47..."
"So, what did you have to tell me? And points for discretion, by the way."
Shaun pauses his crunches as the athlete approaches, his face thoughtful and a touch worried. "Thanks..." He stands and briefly stretches before continuing. "Well, I actually have a few thin's." He thinks for a moment. 'Y'should probably, uh, sit down f'ta' first one. I dunno if this is gonna be a shock f'ye'." He himself takes a seat on a rowing machine. "Listen...I dunno how ta' put this any better but...oh f&&+ it. I think Shayera n' Bran might be gettin' together behind your back." F!~!! Why did I just SAY IT like that?! "Ye'n' her seem close, an' Bran sure as hell trusts ya', but I don't want ye'gettin' hurt by them later-on."
Shayera tries to shrug, but finds herself leaning against Bronwyn instead. She tries to find something to say. Her mouth opens, but she doesn't make a sound. Eventually, she gives up and just squeezes her girlfriend's hand.
After a couple minutes she gives Bronwyn a nudge. "You should get Kaoru home. I'll be outside your house tonight, in case you decide to, you know."
She accepts the hug wordlessly, squeezing Alexis tightly. After a cathartic embrace, she steps back and lets her retreat further from the ledge of the balcony.
Shayera waves away the sympathy for dying. "It didn't hurt. I didn't even realize it, except for when I Googled my own funeral. It's still a weird feeling. I can't imagine what it's like to die in a way that you remember."
She looks serious as Alexis offers some information about the Triakosia. "Okay. Thank you. Could you, as soon as you're able, give us a whole briefing about your old team? We're not ready to seek them out, but that's no reason to start preparing now in case they find us first."
When Cassie approaches and tells her about her mother, Shayera nods intently. "Absolutely. Secret identities are sacred. We don't share, we don't blab, and we do everything to protect them."
Kaoru's hands were twitching slightly as she focused on the music blaring a little painfully from her old, battered headphones. She felt marginally better. She at least wasn't about to try to throw up the non-existent food in her stomach.
She almost violently jerked away when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder, inhaling sharply. She twisted around to give Bronwyn a wary look before pausing the music and slowly pulling her headphones down to see what she wanted.
"Ha! Shayera and Bran?! I'm completely sure that's they wouldn't..." Bran talked without you knowing it. And if you kissed her as Bran, she wouldn't, like, refuse. If something like that is happening, you've gotta know.
"Why? Umm what makes you think that? Did you see something?"
***
"Yeah. I'll comm you either way.
"I'm so proud of you Shayera."
***
"Hey, Kaoru. You ready to go home? I should get going soon, and I figured we could split a Lyft. Sorry if I startled you."
"Ta' night I..."met" Shayera n' Lex, Shayera...gave Bran a look. An' I-I know that sounds stupid, but...look I worked in my gran'da's bar f'years, an' I saw a lot of couples come through. Ta' way she looked at him really reminded me of those couples, especially ta' ones who would tip me a bit extra ta' keep my mouth shut if anybody asked about them. Like, affection, but measured f'appearances' sake, y'know what I mean?" He gnaws on his lip nervously. "Look, I like ya' Bron. Ye're just about ta' only person in this whole city willin'ta' put up with me at my shittiest, an' I...I think ye' n' Shayera make a good couple. I just wanna make sure ye' don't get hurt." He glances at the entrance briefly, then leans in close. "An'...y'know, if it's one of those "swinger" set-ups ta' three of ye' have goin' on, I don't much care. Ye' can be honest w'me if it is though."
Kaoru looks immensely relieved to hear that this "debrief" is finally over and glances around. To Bronwyn, she distractedly responds, "Uhh, yeah. Maybe. But if you need to go, you should. I can make it back fine. I, uh, need to check something with Alexandra."
She grabbed her bag and oh-so-stealthily sidled her way up to Alexandra. "Hey, uh, sorry for freaking out. Again. And leaving you alone to deal with...people." She gestured vaguely at the room. "Did you still want to read stuff? Or did you want to call a rain check?" She gave the other girl a sidelong glance to try to ascertain her reaction.
"...I don't like talking about them. But I'll try," Alexis agrees before Cassie shows up. Then she tells them about the reason that she was in hiding, and Alexis felt kinship there.
"We're both hiding from bad people. I'm your friend, you can trust me," Alexis tells her, giving Cassie another hug. She lets her go, concerned. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask if you wanted a hug. I need to remember to ask."
She looks at Shayera. "If she's hiding, can she sleep here tonight? There's no school tomorrow."
Bronwyn was clearly relieved to hear that all Shaun had was his impression to go off of. Oh thank God. Man! We were so *not* all over each other in the dance studio.
Still, it left her stomach squirmy that even in an interaction that quick, he'd been able to see what they meant to each other.
"Okay. Well thank you for how you told me. I'm sure nothing untoward is going on there, but you're right, all three of us are very close. Not like, gross threesome close, but still. You'll see, connections get forged fast and strong within a team, and we've all been through a lot together. I mean hey, you ever see them making out or something, please do drop me a line, but I trust both of them with my life, and I've been proven right to do so."
Shaun visibly brightens up when Bronwyn seems unconcerned. "Good ta' hear. An'yea', I'll keep 'em both honest f'ya'." He scratches his chin, the corners of his lips slowly curling upwards. "My grand's' used ta' talk about that connection thin'. He called it "becomin' fox hole brothers." With any luck, maybe I can get Lex and Cass ta' warm up ta' me. An'...maybe I can get Alex ta' not shoot me when I piss her off?" He chuckles slightly. "Eh, maybe not that last one."
"But, ah, speakin' of forgin', ye' had said y'knew of a spot I could do some? All cards on ta' table here, I was askin' so I could make some more knives. Can't buy anymore, an' I'm runnin' out. Maybe even fix my dirks, if ye' got ta' right metal f'em."
Alexandra is surprised when Kaoru goes to her... she had figured he was upset, and she was the most obvious target... or, the third most obvious, anyway. Yeah. I can... get you home. we can talk along the way. she says, deciding not to take Kaoru's hand. no need to antagonize Alexis, or her white knight.
Bronwyn nods, glad that Shaun understood the kind of bonding that she was talking about.
"I think the trick is just to tick Alexandra off less," she smiled. "As for forging, yeah, I've got a few places. Aside from the MakeSpace, which does cost money, so it might not be the best place if you're worried about that, I made a couple forges for work best done in private. Knives and dirks are small enough that they could fit in the portable forge I've got at home, so if you wanted to toss them my way, I could do some upkeep or make some new ones, 'cause you're definitely not coming over until things cool down at home. I built another forge in the back of a junkyard over in Rustside though, if you'd rather put hammer to steel yourself though."
***
"Sure thing Kaoru..." Bronwyn trailed off, trying to think of any kind of reasonable segue if this was going to be good night.
Argh! I need to find a way to tell him I'm gay but I'm not out! I mean, at this point he's probably seen me do something couple-y with Shayera, so really I just need to tell him not to tell anyone at school and... wait, no.
I'm going to tell them tonight. I don't have to ask him not to tell anyone. As far as he knows, I've just got an adorable girlfriend who happens to be an amazing superhero, no secrets to keep or weirdness to hide.
I mean, okay, still secret identities...
A somewhat wondering smile across her face she simply said, "Good night then. See you at school tomorrow?"
"Yep, not headed back there anytime soon."
When she offers to forge for him, he shakes his head. "I can't ask ya'ta do that. I already owe ya' for ta' stitches n' the argument...plus now this too I guess. 'Sides, junkyards are good f'scavengin' stuff f'gadgets. Nobody much minds if ye' take somethin' that's already thrown away."
He goes quiet for a moment. "...I was ta' biggest problem in ta' team meetin', wasn't I? F'all my talk about Kaoru bein' a dick, I was ta' one who made everybody mad." He shoots Bronwyn a sad, crooked smile. "Ye' can be honest. I've been called worse than a pain in ta' ass."
"That's OK." Cassie replied to Alexis, "you don't have to ask me if you want a hug. We're friends." she paused, thinking for a moment. "So, I'm going to, if its OK with you... I'm going to do a small ritual that'll mean you can see through the charm. Like most things magical, its a bit weird but - well, its the only way you'll be able to recognise me as me when I put the charm back on. I don't know why it works like it does - the magic is waaay too advanced for me at the moment, but I've been shown how to exempt people - people who I trust, from its effects. I can't take it back though - once you can see through it I can't make it affect you ever again, so.... I'm really trusting you here. OK? You both promise to help keep my secret?"
When the others agreed, Cassie went over to her bag and pulled out a small bone knife hidden in its lining as well as her notebook. Half talking to herself, and partly explaining what she was doing, she started talking.
"OK, so, the charm is all about social interactions and that means Sanguine - blood, and its about subtlety, which is Fire and Air, which relate to bile and blood again, and aether of course. Its always in the mix. But how they all interact depends on personality - yours and mine, so I'll have to ask you a few questions. Is that OK?"
"OK, Shayera first? You can write it in the book if you don't want Alexis to know your answer, not answering's better than lying. Lying might screw things up. Ready?"
First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time if you know it? And where were you born?
Second; What is your favourite bookr?
Third; What farmyard animal best represents your personality?
Fourth; What are your height and weight?
Fifth; Quick as you can. What's one third of 333?
Sixth; Are you left handed or right-handed?
Seventh, What,.. physically,.. do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to,.. and what hair colour do you like or don't you care?
Eighth; Picture a famous painting. What painting is it? Do you know who the artist is or was?
Last one; Do you prefer coffee, tea or hot chocolate?"
Cassie writes down the answers and then turns to Alexis...
First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time? Where were you born?
Second; What is your favourite piece of clothing?
Third; Do you like spicy food?
Fourth; What are your height and weight?
Fifth; Quick as you can. What's one tenth of 110?
Sixth; Hypothetical: If you can only save one person and two people are in danger, which do you choose, your best friend or a small, innocent baby?
Seventh, What, physically, do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to,.. and what hair colour do you like or don't you care?
Eighth; What kind of animal are you most scared of?
Last one; Do you put the left or right leg of your pants on first?"
Kaoru turns around to give Bronwyn an odd look as she walks backwards in Alexandra's general direction. "No...you won't. Because tomorrow's Saturday. But have a safe journey." Does...she need to get her head examined? Maybe that fall gave her a concussion. But Wingblade already did that, didn't she? And with a lab that fancy, surely she would have noticed that, right? Unless she doesn't really know how to use it... "And maybe...go see a real doctor. Just to make sure that fall didn't do more damage than you realize." She turned back around.
Kaoru seems to perk up slightly when Alexandra agrees. "Ok. Should I call a lyft then? Though I'm not sure if you get carsick reading in a moving vehicle. I don't, but I think there's a pressure point in your wrist that would help. I also don't actually know where you live, so where should I tell the ride to take us?"
Shayera nods noncommittally when Alexis invites Cassie to spend the night. She made a good point; it wasn't a school night, though she really didn't expect the sorceress's daughter to want to crash where Shaun and Alexis were also staying. There were lots of couches and comfy chairs in her apartment, but if more people were going to be squatting she'd need to look into some air mattresses.
Having only a passing familiarity with magic, Shayera takes Cassie's questionnaire at face value. She doesn't bother with hiding the answers from Alexis.
First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time if you know it? And where were you born?
"Um, I don't know. I celebrate August 18th, which is when Whip got me away from the lab. And I was probably born somewhere in South America, since I'm half-Chinese, half-white-Hispanic. But that's a guess. Is that wrong?"
Second; What is your favourite book?
"Wild Swans by Jung Chang."
Third; What farmyard animal best represents your personality?
"Wow, um... I've never been on a farm. What flies on a farm? I don't want to be a chicken. Oh! Barn owl! Does that count?"
Fourth; What are your height and weight?
"One hundred fifty-nine centimeters. It sounds better than five foot, two and five-eighths inches. And sixty five kilograms -- but a lot of that is wing!"
Fifth; Quick as you can. What's one third of 333?
No hesitation. "One hundred eleven."
Sixth; Are you left handed or right-handed?
"Left-handed, but I favor my right wing."
Seventh, What,.. physically,.. do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to,.. and what hair colour do you like or don't you care?
Shayera rubs the back of her neck. "Physically? Um, their stance, poise, balance, how to engage them in case we had to fight. No real preference in hair color."
Eighth; Picture a famous painting. What painting is it? Do you know who the artist is or was?
"Okay. Um, that painting of the guys eating lunch on the skyscraper being built? Or that was a photo, wasn't it? Shoot. Let's say the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci."
Last one; Do you prefer coffee, tea or hot chocolate?"
"I was going to say tea, but you had to include hot chocolate, didn't you?" she says with a grin.
First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time? Where were you born?
Second; What is your favourite piece of clothing?
Third; Do you like spicy food?
Fourth; What are your height and weight?
Fifth; Quick as you can. What's one tenth of 110?
Sixth; Hypothetical: If you can only save one person and two people are in danger, which do you choose, your best friend or a small, innocent baby?
Seventh, What, physically, do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to,.. and what hair colour do you like or don't you care?
Eighth; What kind of animal are you most scared of?
Last one; Do you put the left or right leg of your pants on first?"
"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I like the dress Shayera got me. I hate spicy food. I last measured at one hundred sixty five centimeters, weighing in at eighty-five kilograms. Eleven. The baby. I notice their legs, and I don't care about hair color. I'm scared of bees. I...don't know. I think the left leg first," Alexis answers all of the questions in a blitz, replying to the strange ritual that Cassie is giving them. It was sort of fun, like a test, except you didn't get graded on it afterwards.
"Your magic is different from what I expected. I thought you'd be waving a wand around, or using the dew of flowers."
Not bringing me home to meet your parent yet? Alexandra says, smiling We can go to mine. but... fair warning, Lilly and I are the nicest in the family.
She leads him out into the night. Okay... that could have gone better. Sorry I got you dragged into this. just gotta get through the month.
Kaoru looks taken aback by the suggestion. I...guess she already knows, so it's not like it would *hurt* anything. "Oh...I, uhh, guess you can meet my mother? I guess I just thought you wouldn't want to? Not that she's bad or anything. If she's home, she's going to insist on sitting down for tea or something with you, so we couldn't just run off and hide immediately. Whatever you'd prefer." She shrugs before adding, "Oh, but also, I have a cat. I don't know if you're allergic or not. We have antihistamines though if you'd want them."
She shakes her head at Alexandra's apology, taking a deep breath of the night air. "You...didn't get me into this." She glances around to make sure nobody they knew was anywhere near them. "It was...there's this other hacker who dragged me into this. So even before the whole thing with today, I was stuck. They said they had contacted some 'local heroes' to basically pimp me out as tech support. That's...what that whole thing with Wingblade was about before the movie. I was already conscripted."