Despite Foray's words, Caio isn't sure they have made much progress as a team. Horizon and Conflux were constantly fighting over strategy... Femtite was easily distracted... Steel Guardian was too disconnected from the others.
Percy and Max were doing their part, and he felt he was also doing his, even if he had his limitations. All in all, Caio wasn't feeling very secure about their ability, as a team, to work together. Caio smiles to Max as she congratulates everyone, but doesn't share her enthusiasm, even if he does like she stretching. "Anyone hungry?" He asks to clear his mind of thoughts certainly not useful at this moment.
This had been the most frustrating experience for Horizon. Limiting himself from giving verbal cues was taxing and often he was flying around trying to correct the others through gestures and rudimentary ASL. By the end, he wasn't sure if he could do this, lead and keep them on task. He was , ans looking for an outlet for his frustrations. Lucky for him, one person in particular had made this assignment more frustrating than the rest.
"Femtite," Horizon spoke to her with tension in his voice. "Do you have any sense of restrain at all? I watched you basically melt bots into slag metal today, bots that in a real mission would be civilian casualties you inflicted," He emphasizes to her. "You need to curb your heat powers to match that of regular humans. I need you to practice that for me."
|
Despite the initial hiccups Indarius seems to hold to his part of the training very well, throwing up barriers to cover the civi-bots. As well as a few to cover Caio in his weaker state. Coordinating with Conflux to help minimize 'casualties'. There are a few moments when things between the team get a bit shaky but Indarius is able to pull double time and really pump up the magical juice on the defensive. At a certain point he ignores Horizon's orders as they seem to blatantly go against themselves or get lost in the lightshow and leave him wondering why he swapped to handsignals.
When Caio calls for a food break Indarius laughs lightly, "Yeah, but I bet you and the wolf's still eat us under the table. Maybe we can get whatever food the Alliance uses for their high caloric intake heroes?" He himself moved over to his pack and grabbed a soup thermos filled with a hearty soup, still warm despite the lengthy training.
Indarius approaches while the robots are picking up, "Excuse me Foray. I know you'd have a better method to get into contact with Yeoman, but I need to talk to him? Them? I have questions about Doctor Infinity and I was lead to believe Yeoman was likely to have an actual report with him. Given there aren't really any Magic users of the same... ermm... caliber as others have put it I felt it'd be a good place to start."
Femtite is feeling a little guilty about the robots… but it doesn’t help when the guilt is shoved down her throat!
“Wha…? But I…”
She doesn’t really have a retort. There is no counterpoint for a fact.
And what if Connie sees his point, and realizes I could literally vaporize her brain with a kiss? All this effort to meet the human standards of beauty is for naught, because nobody dates the girl who vaporizes your brain no matter how cute she is!
“Right… right…” She tries to muster as much dignity as she can. She doesn’t even look at Connie… she might lash out at Horizon as her idea of back-up, or worse, take his side. He’s right! Why shouldn’t she.?
”…so I should probably do some self-reflection.” She magical-girls a watch on her wrist, and glances at it. “Oh, gosh, would you look at the time.” It’s Tinklebrie o’clock. “I’m gonna—“
Femtite shrinks to nothing, at least not a form visible to the naked eye.
At her current size, she can see her friends as a human sees mountains. She can’t hear them as she rises. When she gets to the ceiling she’ll shrink some more and rise through the atomic structure, then she can grow back and soar through the air as fire. Any bird who mistakes her for a snack will end up like one of those robots…
Max is surprised at Horizon’s outburst of anger. She scowls as Femtite shrinks and flies off in shame.
”Hey! Why’d you have to go and single her out?” the demoness asks. She stalks up to Shin and points an accusing finger at him. ”You’re the team leader. You’re supposed to bring everybody together, not push them away. You need to find Femtite and apologize to her, jefe. That is not cool!”
Indarius approaches while the robots are picking up, "Excuse me Foray. I know you'd have a better method to get into contact with Yeoman, but I need to talk to him? Them? I have questions about Doctor Infinity and I was lead to believe Yeoman was likely to have an actual report with him. Given there aren't really any Magic users of the same... ermm... caliber as others have put it I felt it'd be a good place to start."
Foray pauses and listens intently. "When he's not with the Alliance on patrols, Yeoman stays at Alliance Headquarters. I'm headed there now. Would you like to come with me?"
Connie was tired. She'd only really trained herself to hold up a single ward for any length of time, so switching between covering Caio, covering bots, covering herself, covering bots again... it was a lot. She had a stitch in her side, her head was pounding, and worst of all: She wasn't sure how much longer she could have gone.
F&+!, no one else looks this beat. I wasn't even in there taking the hits except when Shin tackled me. I'm gonna get myself really hurt if I'm not careful...
Horizon's outburst somewhat confirms his suspicions. He does agree that Femtite needs to focus some more, but that was not the way to deal with the subject. Seeing Max approaching Horizon and fearing that her still out of control pheromones could get out of control, he grabs her arm to stop her from getting to close to him.
"Max is right. Do you really expect that saying that to her will help at all?" He asks, trying to remain calm. "We all need practice... some with concentration, others with restrain... others with manners and communication."
"Do you both have any idea of what kind of blowback Femtite would receive if she were to give someone we were trying to protect third degree burns?" Horizon counters both of them. He's afraid, but not of them. "It's better for her to hear this criticism now before someone gets really hurt. I don't want her to have to carry that sort of guilt with her, or get crucified by the press as a dangerous liability to the team," He finishes.
He's hanging by a thread. Rattled, angry, and keeping himself together by sheer force of will. "I think she's got her heart in the right place. I think all of us want to do some good here in this team. But we absolutely have to hold ourselves to higher standards if we're going to make this work. That means acknowledging our flaws and working to fix them," He says, glancing at Caio.
He looks down at his comm and the time, sighing. "It's late. We should all turn in for the night. Or finish the homework that you might have to get done for tomorrow," He reminds the team.
Connie nodded along, oddly supportive of Shin's pronouncement despite its similarity to 'bedtime.'
But as folk began to disperse, she hung back, heading a little deeper into Unity Station.
"Hey Fearless Leader, can I borrow you a sec?"
***
A respectful and clearly marked distance from any of the other relics, Connie sat on an oversized trashcan. It was an old metal one, dinged and dented both out of, and back into shape. Duct tape secured an equally battered lid to the top. She'd set up a little privacy booth around it out of curtains, but the curtain was pulled back for now.
No part of it was glowing. Not the metal, not the sigils etched into it, not the other markings that currently didn't exist, not the ones that never had existed.
So right now it was just a big stool.
Connie'd detached some reagents, and repurposed their binder clips to keep her top out of the way while she started disinfecting the scrapes along her side.
"Great, you're here. My leg's all f*!~ed up too, and my back's too stiff from your doohickey to take care of it myself. So, help a girl out? Whaddya say?"
Femtite soars across the sky, appearing as a falling star if anyone outdoors happens to look up. She flies straight back to the dorm. There is homework to do.
But first I should…
She picks up her comm.
I am back at the dorm, doing homework.
If the others are going out to eat, please enjoy.
I don’t need food.
I caught that virus that’s going around on the way home.
It was delicious!
She isn’t sure if a human would find that funny, but it’s better than that outer space joke, she thinks bitterly.
"That wasn't criticism, and you know it!" He barks back, but then looks up to calm himself before sighing and continuing. "Horizon, we are not saying she did great. We are saying you f$@!ed up in how you talked to her."
"You need to follow your own advice of higher standards, and acknowledging flaws if you want to actually be the leader." His piece said and not wanting to escalate things further, Caio gestures for Max for them to leave, while giving Conflux a puzzled look, not understanding why she did not joined them to defend Femtite.
After picking his jacket, he waves his goodbye to Percy and Guardian, knowing that the former was leaving with Foray and the later would certainly decline his invitation of eating something. To Max, he adds. "So, what do you want to eat?"
Max gives Horizon one last dubious look before leaving with Caio.
"Pizza again tonight? Or is it burger time?" she asks her friend as they depart. She happens to ask her question at the same time as Caio, causing her to laugh out loud. "What, are we reading each other's minds now? Alright, let's get burgers and shakes and head back home."
Horizon was silent as Caio and Max gave him their disapproval, before taking the opportunity provided by Conflux to extract himself from that situation. "I'll see you all later," He says, nodding at Steel Guardian to acknowledge them before heading deeper into Unity Station.
Seeing Conflux attempting her clumsy first aid on herself made him realize how he'd managed to knock her down, and he couldn't leave that alone. Horizon took off his faceplate and visor and knelt down next to her, getting out his own bandages and disinfectant. "This is going to hurt," He said before spraying the iodine solution from a bottle across the scrape, then placing the sterile gauze over it.
"...Sorry. For knocking you down." He apologizes to her. "How's your back? Any numbness?" He asks. "I can try to see if there's anything wrong, if you're all right with me touching you there."
Caio also laughs. "Perhaps?" He jokes as he starts to walk closer to her, resting his hand on the small of her back.
Caio sits tired on a chair as they make their orders. As he looks through the window, he appears even more tired and of something. "What a night, uh? I think we did great."
”Oh yeah! It was a bit of a rough start, but we turned it around in the end. You were able to keep the Wolf in control, and I was able to maintain my own focus. Did you see me sweep the big robot’s leg? Everybody played off of each other well, despite what Horizon said. The next bad guys we face aren’t going to know what hit them!”
Max raises her milkshake glass and clinks it against Caio’s glass in celebration.
Noticing her friend’s glum expression, Max reaches across the table and laces her fingers with his. ”Hey, what’s up? I can see something’s on your mind. After...uh, everything we’ve been through together... You know you can always talk to me, Caio.”
Caio's and Max's entrance is immediately noticed by the staff and guests of the restaurant. A hush descends on the usual noise of a busy burger place as some people openly stare and others actively avoids looking in the devil girl's direction.
The young man at the register taking orders grows pale as the two approach. His voice cracks as he asks to take their order.
On the restaurant's televisions is a Infini-News program. On the screen behind the talking head is an image of Devil Diva evidently captured from a social media post.
What do you do??
As he was thinking about which burgers to order, Caio notices an unpleasant smell in the air. Fear. Looking around discreetly, he notices the attention Max was getting. For a second he thought about leaving the place, but then, instead, he unzips his jacket, revealing the glowing tattoos in his torso, before shifting his eyes so that they become wolf-like.
Despite this show, he continues to order as if nothing had happened, grabbing Max's hand and returning the look to anyone staring at them. He was not trying to scare them, but instead show that yes, they were different (and perhaps scary), but they were people as well.
When sitting on their table, Caio takes care to guide Max in order for the television to be behind her.
"Yeah, I saw it, and it looks like our practice paid off... I don't think anyone was affect by your perfume. Soon enough we can get rid of this thing." He says touching the magic ring in her hand.
As Max asks what is going on with him, he points outside. Between the clouds, the moon was visible and it was almost full. "I think it is just my PMS... Premoon syndrome." He can't resist the joke. "I always feel a bit sad and freaking tired and as if everything will go wrong."
He shrugs. "I'll just have to be extra careful for the next couple days and it will pass, but meanwhile I kind of second guess everything."
”Alright. Maybe we ought to just have a quiet night in, then,” Max says to Caio.
Belatedly, she notices the fearful looks the pair is getting. She glances at the TV and sees her picture on the screen. ”Oh,” she says, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She reaches back to pull her hood up, only to realize that she didn’t put her sweats on after practice!
”I think we should take the rest to go,” she says, ready to leave before trouble finds them...
Connie nodded along vaguely to Shin's warning, giving a slight hiss when the iodine hits. "Yeah, the back is just some stiffness;I'll get some tiger balm up in there later. Very glad you know what you're doing."
She exhaled out her nose and stared her eyes briefly at the ceiling while she psyched herself up "Okay, that was helpful, but I don't think I can do this next part alone at all. Now this might be your greatest challenge as a hero yet. You will be seeing: part of a real, girl's, butt." She undid the drawstrings of her cargo pants and pulled them down at her left hip, watching over her shoulder to make sure she was showing as little as possible, but still far enough to show a ripe crop of angry red, sullen purple and powder blue. "If this causes feelings of reverence or muse-like inspiration, or god-forbid, religious ecstasy, then those are feelings you will keep to yourself, capiche?"
Connie let Shin work for a moment until he was trapped by her vulnerability, then she struck. "So you know I wouldn't bother with the whole 'undermining your leadership with helpful advice' thing if I thought you were incompetent or actually bad at this stuff, right? That's a lie, I totally would, but let's roll with it for now. I don't know the dynamic of your old team, but I know this new one works differently - if nothing else, the Big Capes are a lot more over your shoulder.
"It's new, and of course you're looking for ticking time bombs when you just escaped a big blow up. But you can't treat people like that. You know it; I know it. Femms f@&+ed up, but the reason you were yelling at her is because your ass was feeling embarrassed in front of the teacher, not because what you were actually gonna help by making her feel like s$%! in front of everyone. Forced apologies are b~!$+!~!, so do it if you feel it, but the days of yelling the loudest to be the leader are long gone. She'd just gotten basically that same note from Foray, so all a display like that's gonna do is make people want to unite against you. I would've joined in to, but I don't like dogpiles. Heh, unlike Caio. Also, this is recursive, but you should listen to my advice more."
***
NSP: I am back at the dorm, doing homework.
NSP: If the others are going out to eat, please enjoy.
NSP: I don’t need food.
NSP: I caught that virus that’s going around on the way home.
NSP: It was delicious!
Connie: :Skull:
Connie: (:grin:)
Connie: I'm coming home anyways
Connie: I'll see you soon.
"Please, I have a little sister, your bruised behind isn't anything special," Shin tells her as he prods the affected area briefly before starting on the treatment. He's quiet as Conflux confronts him, focused as he is on making sure she's doing all right.
"...Last person I treated like this was my ex. Despite her power, she did not take good care of herself. Between her and Scorch, feels like I was dating two people I cared for that were not too good at caring for themselves," He told her. "Though technically she was Psyche's girlfriend, not mine, so I guess it was more of a platonic partnership? Sorry, I digress..."
Shin finishes applying the soothing salve to Conflux so she can pull her pants back up. "I hear you, and I'll be talking to her. Apologize for my tone and severity. You're right, I could have been better about that. I tried to be a good advisor when I wasn't running the team, and now that I am, I need someone capable of being able to give a good second opinion on things. I would just appreciate it if you could do so with a little less glibness."
"...reached out for comment, but no word yet from the super hero team. For more on the story, let's go to Jasmine Jacobson who is on scene. Jasmine?"
"Thanks, Thom. I'm here on the Halcyon Preparatory Academy campus where I've been talking to students about the incident this morning. All of the ones I've talked to reported as they described it, a psychic attack, and at the center of it? The demon girl some outlets have been calling 'Devil Diva.'"
"Yeah, it was like... I was obsessed about her. Gave her my lunch, I just wanted to, like, be around her."
"Did you know her from before today?"
"Naw, I like, saw her from time to time, and she was all like, covered up in hoodies and sweats, you know? Like she didn't want to be noticed. Then today was like, damn."
"You should have seen it! All the boys were just... falling over themselves. At first I was just, like, embarrassed for them. Typical boys, right? And she's like some succubus, I guess? But then it stopped and all the guys were like, what? Like, what if she turns it on again? And starts asking for their souls or something?"
"Were you affected?"
"...no..."
"Numerous faculty members who asked not to be named also reported being affected by the strange obsession. School officials have insisted that classes were not disrupted and that they intend for school to resume tomorrow as scheduled. No word yet on whether Devil Diva will be in attendance. Back to you, Thom."
"Thank you, Jasmine, for that report. I'm joined now via Infini-zoom with Dr. Rico Alameda, dean of Halcyon Preparatory Academy. Thank you for joining us on such a short notice, Doctor."
"Thank you for allowing me on your program. Halcyon Prep has a proud tradition of being accepting of all students. We were the first private school to integrate in the state, the diversity of our student body is second to none--"
"That's all well and good, Dr. Alameda. But should demons be allowed in a school?"
"The young person you're referring to is a human being, suffering from an unfortunate affliction. We are in Halcyon, after all. And many of our greatest heroes have had frightening appearances. Why, this young student even saved my life. I'm proud to have her in my school."
"So what about the reports from this morning? Can you have a student making half the student body worshipping her? Have you spoken with her about this?"
"I have not, not yet. But rest assured--"
"What about reports of parents pulling their children out of Halcyon Prep?"
"We're in the process of assuaging those concerns. I assure you, and everyone watching, we take the safety of our students extremely seriously. But we must be inclusive. This young woman is going through a lot, and doesn't need to be judged by her appearance. She's struggling enough as it is without a witch hunt and undue media attention."
"Is she struggling, though? Here's some social media posts from only yesterday that show her getting a lot of attention and seeming to like it. She's trending."
"I... haven't seen those."
"Well, while you're looking at those, we're joined here in studio by Reverend Runyan Reibold. Thank you for being here."
"Thank you Thom. I must say, this is deeply troubling. Troubling that even in our hallowed halls of education the Devil has gotten his clutches so deep that one of his foul demon spawn can flaunt her sinful body amongst our vulnerable students, and the administrators take the side of the demons! I tell you, Thom, my congregation won't stand for it! We're going to have a prayer vigil all day tomorrow outside the Academy. We'll use the power of God to block the Devil Diva's foul temptations of our young men before they're corrupted even further. But that's a temporary measure -- I call upon you, Mr. Alameda, to cast out Satan and all his agents from your schools!"
"It's doctor, and I'm not going to be ambushed like this. Have your prayer vigil if you like, so long as it doesn't interrupt classes. Thom, I don't appreciate this. Goodbye."
"Well, that's all the time we have for this story anyway. Stay tuned for more as the story develops. I'm Thom Dantzler, and this is Infini-News. Traffic and weather, after this break."
"Reject the demon!"
As Caio finally pays attention to what is being broadcast, he unconsciously crushes the glass bottle of coke he was about to empty on his cup as the Reverend was called on the program. He doesn't cut his hand, but he made a mess on the table. "Yeah, lets get out of here."
Once outside, Caio removes his old jacket and offers it to Max, his silvery tattoos now completely exposed. "We don't have to hide ourselves. We have done nothing wrong, but I do understand if you don't want the attention."
Holding her hands and looking into her eyes, he adds. "I'll do whatever I can to help you and be there for you. You are not alone."
Femtite lights up at reading Connie’s text.
Okay, she’s coming soon. Just grab a box of tissues and get this out of your system. Connie will NOT come home to a depressing roommate, or that is all you’ll ever be…
Femtite greets Connie with a pleasant smile. She is clad in a pinkish-purplish sweater-dress and knee socks. In her hand is a teacup of water on a saucer. It clatters a little from Femtite’s shaky grip.
“Welcome back, Connie. I heated the water to the ideal temperature for tea. I don’t know which kind you prefer. You have so many flavors to choose from, I left a box out by the sofa.”
There is a box of tea bags by the sofa. There is also a box of tissues, and a small trash bucket with the blackened remains of a burnt tissue.
“Perhaps we can sit together while you drink tea.”
Femtite is obviously shaken, but is doing everything she can to make Connie’s entry into the dorm room comforting and supportive. If Connie is limping, she’ll lend an arm. If Connie appears hungry, she’ll ask what food to serve. If Connie hugs her, Femtite will try not to melt into an emotional mess.
Max’s face falls as she watches the news broadcast. She quickly moves to follow Caio out of the restaurant, wrapping his jacket around her body to conceal herself as best as she can.
”I know we’ve done nothing wrong. We are the good guys! But people are always going to look at me and see a monster and nothing else,” she says, trying to fight back tears. ”This is going to be a disaster. Maybe I should just skip school tomorrow. I don’t want to bring this kind of attention down on anybody else. It’s not fair to them.”
Max is grateful for Caio’s support. She squeezes his hands. ”Thank you, Caio. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Let’s go home, yeah?”
"Those who care about you, do not see you as a monster, and that is what really matters." He says as they walk towards home.
"That filho da puta is nothing but a bully, and has only the power we give him... if you skip school tomorrow, he'll be there the next day." He says, thinking about how to better deal with the hatemongering priest. "You are not forcing this on anyone, so you don't need to choose for them. They will there with you if they chose to. You are the victim here, Max."
As they reach the dorms and walk the hall and corridors, Caio tries to support Max as best as he can, his eyes serious and threatening at anyone foolish enough to try to harm her with poisonous words.
Once in her room, Caio places the food on a table and then looks at the still destroyed bed. "We got to get it fixed." He tries to lighten the mood.
Horizon gets a buzz from his comm. "We need to talk. And, if Max is anywhere nearby, tell them not to watch the news."
Lol. 'Platonic Partnership' might be my new favorite euphemism for 'my ex's new girlfriend' that I've ever heard. I guess good for him for not being bitter?
"Aww Shin. You mean you just want me to be less mean to you?"
She leaned in, rising up onto her tiptoes to get closer to his face. "No!" she chirped in her sweetest voice.
Spinning on her unhurt leg she started walking away, looking almost too improved. "And I may be a surfboard, but you wish your sister had an ass like this. Probably you don't..."
***
Okay it's still hurting. More painkillers needed.
"Heya Femms," she said with a tired smile
She didn't have to limp-limp, but she still gratefully took Femtite's arm as she headed to the couch.
"Tea sounds fantastic, but first, are you doing okay? Shin was a real a@@$&*+ idiom at the end there. Though he is happily competent at first aid."
Max nods at Caio's words, taking them to heart. She surveys her damaged room with a wry expression. "Do you think the school's insurance will cover it?"
Femtite helps Connie to the sofa, sits beside her and shrugs at the question. “Shin had a point, even if… oh, never mind that. Connie, I really shouldn’t have left like that.” Femtite feels more guilty about leaving Connie behind than killing stupid robots. “How did you get home? What happ…”
Femtite stops to catch her breath.
She looks at Connie.
“I’m… not okay.” She doesn’t melt down. She simply thinks before she speaks. “Emotionally.
“You’re hurt, physically.” She pushes the tea cup and tea bags closer to Connie. “If you want to cheer me up, let me take care of you. I will do anything except cauterize any wounds. A certain anal orifice pointed out I’m not very good at that.”
Steel Guardian returns the nod to Horizon, even though everyone else is quite upset with him. As the others disperse, SG also fires up their thrusters and heads off.
|
|
Managing to keep to himself when the whole situation with Femtite and Horizon goes off, Indarius sips at his soup and tries to center himself again. He could feel the slight burn that comes with storing, using, and manipulating aether building up in him, much like lactic acids in muscles. Certain foods helped with this as he'd learned over the years and comfort foods most of all. Part of him wondered if he could infuse some with aetheric energies to act as boosters for one's own aetheric pool when ingested, but shoved that to the 'research later portion of his mind while avoiding the after training drama.
Foray pauses and listens intently. "When he's not with the Alliance on patrols, Yeoman stays at Alliance Headquarters. I'm headed there now. Would you like to come with me?"
Indarius nodded, "Of course that'd be wonderful. I mean, to see the actual Alliance Headquarters and not just from the outside even." He reminded himself to not fancy too much, chiding himself internally. "While we walk, do you know anything about Dr. Infinity yourself?"
"I don't think it will... It is not that bad, though. It can still be used." Caio turns to Max, making the most innocent face he can muster, before asking. "So, how much tired are you?"
Indarius nodded, "Of course that'd be wonderful. I mean, to see the actual Alliance Headquarters and not just from the outside even." He reminded himself to not fancy too much, chiding himself internally. "While we walk, do you know anything about Dr. Infinity yourself?"
Foray glances out of the corner of his eye at Indarius. "While we walk?" he asks with wry amusement. He then taps a communicator and suddenly a crack in space opens up directly in front of the giant robot which keeps walking. It steps into the crack and vanishes. He gestures for Indarius to follow as he strides towards it. "Oblique Dimension refraction. We'll be there as soon as we step through."
Stepping into the headquarters of the Alliance of Heroes is a dizzying experience. The place is spacious and open, though the angles of the structure are hard to look at because they shift every time they're viewed from a different direction. Large trophy cases display relics of dozens of villains and threats, and a place of honor where former Alliance members are enshrined.
Foray taps a button on the remote and then sticks it on the large robot. It clomps away down a corridor and promptly vanishes from sight as a different angle reveals an entirely new configuration of the headquarters' layout. "The place is hard to get used to. Just stay close to me. Wander off and you might find yourself in an angle that no one's discovered and have no way of getting back here."
He starts walking, taking odd turns including a few U-turns, but always making progress. "I know little. From what I know, he was prone to disappearing for months at a time. He would sometimes show up with a sudden emergency, or would return and say everything was fine. His Alliance logs were sparse and contained little in the way of detail. The Alliance stresses that we record our observations and encounters with powerful phenomena. For study and for the benefit of future generations. It's such a shame that they are so unreliable because of all the time travel."
Finally, Indarius finds himself in a comfortable waiting area that's less mind-bending than the journey there. "Please, sit and wait. Yeoman will be along shortly." He bows and leaves.
After a few minutes, the familiar clomping of Yeoman's clunky footfalls can be heard. The ancient android appears from an odd angle, holding a tray of beverages and sweets. "Ah. Sir Indarius. I was told you wished to see me about Doctor Infinity?"
Shin shakes his head at Conflux as she leaves, but he can't help but feel a little better from their talk. He has someone to confide in the team troubles at least. But it seemed the night wasn't yet over, considering that Whippoorwill was calling him - and about the news.
Wondering what could have happened, he pulled up the main page, and the headline that grabbed his attention really made him wince. If Max hadn't already seen this it was only a matter of time until she did - he hoped she would be okay.
He called back Whippoorwill, the comm linking to her quickly. "I'd heard some murmurs in school about some religious people being upset about DD's enrollment, but I really didn't expect things to go this south so quickly. Then again, I only became aware of her new power this morning," He tells his mentor, pacing around the odd trashcan.
"I see two options - have Max play sick until she can be sure to get her powers under full control, or face these people head on and show that we won't be intimidated," He says, considering what could be done.
"Femms, I'm fiiine," Connie protests through a crooked smile. "I'm like, a little sore still, but mostly I'm just tired. And tea's already plenty for that. And before you fuss, yes, I checked my 'wounds' such as they are, and Shin helped me disinfect and bandage any areas I couldn't reach." She grunted as she pushed herself back to a standing position. "These pants aren't exactly formfitting, but I should still probably swap to something a bit looser so I don't aggravate anything."
She headed over to her dresser, planning on just grabbing her sleep shorts, but switching to a bright red skater skirt at the last second. Connie turns her back to Femms during her quick change, but the bandaids and gauze that covered the worst of it were quite plain to see.
Seeing the concern on Femms's face, she does her best to flounce back over to the couch. "It looks a lot worse than it feels, basically just roadrash, so the name of the game is ibuprofen and making sure nothing gets infected. I wouldn't have even needed Shin's help if I wasn't too stiff to reach everything."
Her eyes crinkled as she added. "After all, Wardens are supposed to chomp on microbes instead of vice-versa."
Horizon's mentor sounds impatient. "No, the first thing you're going to tell me is everything you've observed about this new power. Damage control can wait. Then I would like for you to see if she will talk to you if she knows how and why this power manifested. She evidently got it under control since the story is that it stopped around lunchtime. Find out if it's going to happen again."
She pauses, then her voice comes out softer. "We're playing this off as if she has been cosmetically altered. But that's not the case. If her power's evolving, there's got to be a reason. And given the source of her power, I want to know why. Do what you can to find out."
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"Yeah Walk. why do you... Oh" Indarius gawks under his cowl at the rip in space-time and hurriedly follows behind Foray as if his life depended on it, even though he could 'probably' just get himself out if necessary. "There are places here even you don't know about... that seems like it makes it possible for someone to infiltrate the HQ, if they could map it out." As they pace through the various twists and turns of the headquarters he bobs his head, heeding more where to go than any of the particular surroundings, he really didn't want to get lost here. "Hmmm I wonder why he'd just disappear for such lengthy periods of time."
Having pulled his hood back to mostly reassume his identity as Percy, he sipped at the last remains of his soup until Yeoman arrived. He thought about waving and caught himself, finding that he gave a quick unrefined arm motion that wasn't quite a wave towards the elder automaton. "Erm.. Indarius or Percy is fine while we're here, thank you Yeoman. Yes I wanted to know more about Dr. Infinity, given that he was a powerful mage like myself. I've been doing some research and testing my sources and they all say that... there hasn't been anyone like me, since Infinity."
He eyed the sweets and beverage tray, but made no move to grab anything, content for the time being. "I'm not sure why this is considering Halcyon seems to be a bed of all things strange. But that's on my already burgeoning list of things to look into beyond schoolwork and figuring out this whole hero business. Also despite my tome being a great source of information for my spells it's far from exhaustive about the other, finer details of arcane nature. I figure given his number of years beyond my own, Dr. Infinity had time to perhaps pen important information that might come in handy for a young magician such as myself, or anyone else."
Shin nods, and explains how he was affected by it in the cafeteria and how he observed other people being affected as well.
"I'll do my best to talk to her and ask about how she got access to new abilities, but I'm still worried about this protest happening tomorrow," Shin admits to Whippoorwill. "They have the right to protest but my gut says that if DD shows up, they're going to try and antagonize her to do something on camera to prove she's dangerous. I'll talk to her tonight to try and make a game plan."
Devil Diva gets a text over her comm from Horizon.
Dorm rooftop. Door's open. Wait for you there. We need to talk.
On the rooftop, Shin's looking out over the dormitory quad and has his robe on over his pajamas. He's also got an ashtray, and a pack of Lucky Strikes in a plastic bag on the edge as he puffs away at a cigarette, mulling over the events of the day.
Max rolls her eyes at Caio's suggestion. "Not tonight. Let's just hang out." The two play video games for a while before she says good night to Caio.
***
The message on the comments wakes Max up from her slumber. She groggily pulls on an oversized Star Wars T-shirt and plaid boxers before making her way up to the roof to meet with Shin.
"Hey. What's up?" she asks when she arrives.
“Shin helped…”
Femtite freezes up for a moment. She does not trust Shin. She does trust Connie.
“Okay, well… he didn’t set you on fire, but I don’t think he did enough. Perhaps I should flaunt his flaws in the middle of the school hall as constructive criticism.” Femtite sounds bitter and she knows it. “Oh, my joke is even worse than… ugh, I can’t believe I gave that boy a pity laugh over a space joke.
“A space joke, Connie! The girl from space pretends to find a space joke funny!” Now she’s not so bitter, and what she says next is a little more sincere, “Do you think he was mad at me for laughing at his joke? I had to think of something else funny just to get the laugh out. It was you… this term you said. Privacy shiny!”
She looks very amused by this phrase.
”It sounds funnier when you say it.”
Shin nods, and explains how he was affected by it in the cafeteria and how he observed other people being affected as well.
"I'll do my best to talk to her and ask about how she got access to new abilities, but I'm still worried about this protest happening tomorrow," Shin admits to Whippoorwill. "They have the right to protest but my gut says that if DD shows up, they're going to try and antagonize her to do something on camera to prove she's dangerous. I'll talk to her tonight to try and make a game plan."
Whippoorwill's voice is calm. "I agree. Don't hesitate to reach out to Dr. Alameda. He's on your side."
====================
Yeoman tilts his head as he listens to Percy. "Ah, yes. Doctor Infinity. He often complained of the special runes he needed to create so that his magic could affect me. What specifically did you wish to know about him? I'm afraid he did not leave many -- well, any -- tomes or books here at the Refractalry."
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Yeoman tilts his head as he listens to Percy. "Ah, yes. Doctor Infinity. He often complained of the special runes he needed to create so that his magic could affect me. What specifically did you wish to know about him? I'm afraid he did not leave many -- well, any -- tomes or books here at the Refractalry."
Percy thinks on exactly what he wants to question, deciding a direct approach might be the best idea. "Magic can get a bit erm weird around advanced technology, i'm sure despite his complaints he enjoyed the work it gave him. I wanted to know if you knew anything about his base, see I thought maybe he might have some notes or something on magical creatures to help prepare others in the future. My teammate DD, er.. Max she's got new powers suddenly and we're trying to find a way to help her manage it, but also like she wants to go back to how she was so I thought maybe. Maybe Dr. Infinity had some kind of book on transmutation or some other kind of magic that might help us undo the whole thing." He curses himself again ah yes very direct.
"Do you know where his base of operations was or where he might have kept notes? Or I dunno if he's secretly still alive and just astrally projecting around?"
"I'm hazarding you already know that the media's spinning out a story of a dangerous demoness preying upon students here," Shin tells her as he taps ash into the tray, before taking another puff, holding it to enjoy the taste before letting it out. "Whippoorwill working on things but we need to know some things. Such as where these new powers came from, why they suddenly appeared, and if you've got a handle on them.
Then, we have to figure out what to do about the protest tomorrow. I personally think you should take a sick day and keep out of the public eye for a bit. Maybe lay low at Unity Station until these jerks get bored and move on to their next easy target. But I can't make that decision for you," He tells her. "But believe me, bigots will do what they think they can get away with to prove their point. Show up to school tomorrow and I can guarantee they'll try to tick you off enough to get a good menacing photo they can parade around to make their case."
"He knows what he has to."
Yeoman manages to cant his head to show a sign of sympathy. "I am sorry to hear about your teammate. I do not know where Doctor Infinity's base of operations was. Or if he is astrally projecting.
"He did provide us a home address in 1968. But I'm afraid there was no home or even a building at that location. Strangely, though, his mail never returned as undeliverable. Whether that was due to the mysteries of magic or the post office, I do not know. The address was 1717 Knighthall Avenue."
He picks up the tray of refreshments and offers it one more time to Percy. "I'm sorry I lack the answers to your questions, Sir Indarius. Refreshment before you go?"
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Percy's attitude deflates a little at all the new information he reaches for a drink taking it from the platter. "That is, odd, I don't think that's a dead end though so i'll have to speak with Horizon to see about investigating it. Could you lead me out of this place as well Yeoman, Foray sort of told me not to get lost or I might Really get lost."
"Certainly," Yeoman replies with his face becoming more unreadable than before. Percy cannot be sure if the robot is being straight with him or lying for some reason.
The robot guides Percy through a zig-zagging path until finally he points to a pillar. "Walk past that and take a sharp right."
Following the instructions, Percy finds himself in the tunnels near Unity Station about fifty feet from where he entered the Headquarters.
"You can't blame me for trying." He jokes, as he grabs his unfinished burgers.
He enjoys the rest of the night with Max, but when it is time for his to leave, he gives her a gentle kiss. "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, ok? You'll not face this on your own."
***
Caio takes a long shower, something that helps him a lot to put his thoughts in order. Before sleep, however, he sends a message to both Percy and Connie.
Caio: Night
Caio: Sorry to bother you
Caio: Do any of you have magic books on matters of the mind?
Caio: Not mind-control... more like 'meditative magic'. If this stuff exists at all
Max sighs before launching into the story of the mirror dimension and the strange man, the stage, and the apparent awakening of her new powers. She carefully edits out the more embarrassing details of her performance and the immediate aftermath with Caio.
”Now that I have somewhat of a better understanding of these so-called pheromones, I think I can control them better. Especially with the dampening ring Connie gave me,” Max says. ”But there are these ‘sisters’ out there somewhere we need to be on the lookout for, plus whoever or whatever their boss might be. I’m worried, Shin. They want to make me into a full-fledged demon under their control. If they come for me... I don’t know if I’m going to be strong enough to fend them off.” She lowers her eyes, looking quite scared. ”Do you think I have what it takes to avoid becoming the monster they want me to be?”
”At any rate, I don’t know what to do tomorrow. You say to hide, but Caio says to confront these bullies head on. I think he has the right of it. If I hide, they can continue to spread lies about me with impunity. I need to show the world that I am nothing to be feared. I am a hero, not a villain.”
"Sisters, huh." He'd have to let Whippoorwill know about them, and the mirror dimension that she'd been in. There had to be a clue to sever her connection to that place and whatever this stranger had over her. "All right - I need you to work with Conflux and Indarius and let them try to ward you against your sisters and this stranger. I'm not well versed in magic and I need to be sure that you're safe from further corruption," He tells her. "Right now, you're playing into their hands letting your powers go wild. You need to be milder if you want a chance to fit in."
"One more thing - it's not just the protesters you're contending with here. There's a lot of students who will be upset about you using your power over them," He emphasizes as he stubs out his cigarette. "And I need you to promise me that you'll apologize to everyone who confronts you about it. You're going to get sick of it, but you have to show them that you're human, prone to error and repentant of your actions. We can't give them more ammo to use against you. Dr. Alameda will do everything he can to protect us. But we make his job harder every time we cause an incident like this one."