alderwitch

I have ESP 12 with Rapid 6 attached to it. Notice: 34 Search: 26 Let me know how long my search would take and I'll let you know if she's spending the time to do it.

"Of course! High school's about more than just classes, anyway." Alex said simply. After all, she could have been done with all the coursework requirement years ago and everyone knew it. She gave Erin her brightest grin, "I'm not gonna miss prom and senior year and all that! We're gonna walk at graduation, you and I, and we've got prom to plan and all the fun parts of senior year. I'm finishing up my university course work instead of standard classes and I'm going to start helping Dr. Marquez with some of the group sessions so I can start on the hours I need for my post graduate work. There's loads of stuff to keep me busy. That's why I've spent the last few months putting together a bunch of highly educated people that can run the day to day of AEON. You're not getting rid of me yet."

Alex returned Zoe's hug cheerfully and announced, "Now, we go get lunch. Don't worry so much, guys. Things will be okay in the end. You'll see. Now, who wants lunch? I'm buying." Her serenity was back in place, although she kept a comforting arm around Zoe soothingly as if she could sense some distress from her. And she probably could. She kept her tone deliberately light. "And of course I went through with it. There's been a lot of planning that went into this. I'm no chicken!"

Alex and Jack of Blades and a small angry mob.

There was a little bit of a ruckus going on in a small corner of the West End. AEON, the company that Alex had founded, made a living off of buying failing companies and turning them back around. When you looked at the big picture, it kept the economy in the city and re-infused small business with the sudden influx of cash they needed to stay afloat. Sometimes, however, people took exception to the idea of a big cooperation buying out the 'little guy'. They were even less predisposed to like it when the whispers of 'freak Terminus baby' started up. Alex had gone out to take a look at one of the small business that the company was considering making an offering for. A few angry words and suddenly Alex found herself surrounded with the start of a small mob. It would have been child's play for her to take over their thoughts and direct them safely elsewhere but it wouldn't have done a great deal to convince them that she wasn't a threat once they realized they'd been emotionally manipulated. So instead she was sitting patiently inside the slightly sparkly construct of a force bubble, watching it be pelted with produce. Calling for help was out of the question as her friends would just be angry. Alex wasn't angry. Just sad as she watched a head of lettuce spatter harmlessly against the outside of the force bubble and wondered how long it would take for them to wind down.

Taylor opened the door herself, dressed simply in a uni sweatshirt and a pair of ripped jeans. She always looked so out of place among the sleek perfection of Jack's interior decoration. Where Jack fit right in with the black tight pants and the white dress shirts, Taylor lived there but still dressed... just like Taylor. Ripped jeans, boots, battered jackets. She gave James a sympathetic smile at his haggard look and beckoned him inside. "Hey, can I get you anything? Rough day?"

James and Alex meeting.

The AEON building was so new that even the carpets still had that 'freshly' put down. It was very modern, lots of steel and glass but you could see the subtle touches of Alex throughout the building, in the splashes of bright color here and there that made the entire place almost playful. Having a psychic super-genius did make for a rather empathic boss so the overall atmosphere of the employees was by and large a contented one. The benefits were great and the employees were well compensated for the hours they worked. When James arrived, he was shown quickly to Alex's office. Unlike many of these corporate affairs, it wasn't at the top of the building. That floor was taken up with the restaurant and the large room rented out for parties and convention meetings. Instead the floor was somewhere in the top third of the building. Alex had chosen a corner office but there were several on the floor of equivalent size. Her nameplate was simple and unembellished, with a single personal secretary with her own desk out in front. "She's expecting you," the young woman said with a rueful smile like it was a line she found herself saying often. Inside, the office, it was simply a more adult and larger version of the desk in the corner of her dorm room. Very neat, very cheerful. Very Alex. She was standing over by the window that looked out over the city, looking like a miniature adult. Her hands were clasped behind her back and her gaze was a little unfocused, a faint frown on her face. For a moment, James saw the outside reflect the very old soul that usually was hidden in the back of her brown eyes before she noticed the door opening and turned with that bright smile lighting up her face, "Hiya, James. Come on in." She beckoned him over to the couch and chair in one corner rather than the more formal seating by the desk.

"I think you and I have slightly different priorities when it comes to the babysitters." Taylor said dryly, letting her hand fall to her side. "Although, her utter lack of reaction to the how are you with monster questions did make me happy. We'll have to make sure she doesn't run into Dead Head in the living room when she's watching the baby sometime. I don't want to replace any more furniture." Taylor settled back in her chair, completely ignoring that it was generally her doing the bulk of the furniture breaking in their apartments. She stretched out and crossed her ankles to check the list, angling it so Jack could see over her shoulder if he wanted to, "I agree. Although, more so that we're not scrambling if something comes up at odd hours. I still think we're going to have to add some sort of bonus when its really odd hours."

"Wait, what now?" Bombshell, settling her hands on her hips. Oh, heroes. How they always managed to settle their differences too quickly and turn their attentions back to the task at hand. Bombshell could even admire it when it wasn't getting with the plans of the rest of her day. Not that she really had any, but still, "Just help you... track down a bunch of fellow thieves... for nothing? What's in it for me?" Although it would be at least interesting, right? Not that she was about to let the capes and cowls set know she was contemplating agreeing just on a lark, "Honor among thieves and all that. Word gets around and all of a sudden I've got to squash rumors of going soft. Keeps a girl busy, you know."

After the door shut, Taylor turned and her expression turned to one of concern. She reached out towards his cheek hesitantly, not wanting to make it hurt worse, "How is your jaw doing? That was quite a right hook she nailed you with." After giving him a quick examination and indulging in some marital fussing that she'd be less likely to do in front of any sort audience, Taylor asked, "So what do you really think?"

Alex's frown deepened and she gave a dismissive little wave, "He's wrong." She said simply, "You have friends who'd go through hell for you. I'm glad you told me, though. If its bothering you, its not silly. Its just exploiting a big fear you have about being alone. You're not and as long as we can help it, you'll never be truly alone again. I think I ought meet this Dynamo." She leaned against the side of Erin's bed and smiled, "And, kind of. When you say they're scared because you're 'crazy', its probably how they'd put it. They're scared because they don't understand what's caused you to react the way you do. They can't comprehend that sort of thing and so your reactions are surprising and unsettling to them. For a lot of people that translates to fear but its rarely actually about you. Instead, its really about themselves and their own personal failings. I know its hard, but its really not worth bothering yourself over. You're doing so very well. People with PTSD take years to get where you've managed in just a year. I'm proud of you for what its worth."

"Perfect!" Taylor said and tucked the paperwork away with a smile. She stood up to offer a surprisingly firm handshake, especially for magicker. "We'll be in touch, I promise. Jack and I are hoping to get a few different names today but I promise yours will be on the list. It was very nice to see you again." She tucked the dayplanner back in whatever secret pocket she kept in hidden in while Jack and Erin said their farewells as well before resuming her place in the seat.

Alex reached out to touch Erin's hand gently. Her brown eyes got that sad and far away look for a moment as she answered in a soft voice, "Yes, some. But just as many of them are scared of me. And in the end a lot more of them will be scared of me than you. It isn't anything to fret over, I promise. It will pass and it really means nothing." Alex squeezed Erin's hand and then let it drop back to her lap. "You know why already, don't you?"

"Thirty-five an hour with a minimum hundred gaurenteed. In case we come home early or something comes up," Taylor responded without blanching once at the numbers she rattled off. While talking, she pulled a rather epically thick little day planner from the ether and carefully added the sheet to it. The woman was seriously organized, although reciepts and folded notes stuck every which way out of the book, Taylor seemed to know where it all went. "If that works for you?"

Bombshell had been about two seconds away from leaping off the roof but sh could do nothing but blink and stare at Freedom Angel for a moment. Sure, it was the truth but not even the paragon of paragons himself would have believed her. She turned an amused smile filed with pure devilish mirth on Divine and linked her hands behind her back, "No pockets, see. One of you want to frisk me to check? I'll even hold still for you..." The Scarab would not have approved as now she was just causing trouble. She sighed woefully, "I thought I'd just take a stroll... Tragically, wrong place and wrong time."

"Well, I think we'll definately put you on the list. If you could write down your availability and contact informantion?" Taylor asked, pushing a form over to Erin to fill out with a few minor personal details that were all pretty standard. She looked pleased with the idea of invulnerability and regeneration in a baby sitter which would probably have worried most people. She added in appologetic tone "Oh, also, if you have any crosses or other religous jewelry, we have to ask you to leave that at home, just in case."

"Plus, if he works for their family, he prolly gets all kinds of deals you wouldn't from him." Alex pointed out with irrefuteable logic, "But he's not the only one with connections. We've got the grand opening of the restaurant in AEON opening later this month. You're a company employee and can get in for free a few times a month." Alex had been very pro employee on her benefits package. Meals ordered while at work were free along with a few extra vouchers for family meals. There was a whole packet she'd handed off to Erin a week or so ago. "Rich people are weird. They have all this money and then they let their friends who are all also rich have free stuff but get all huffy when you suggest sharing it with people who need it more would be better." Alex added tangentially. "It's strange."

Two heroes? And here we came to the down side of living in Freedom City. Too many darn heroes. At the demand to hand 'it' over, she looked down at the bodysuit that looked poured on and asked innocently, "Is it bigger than a breadbox? See, no matter how I ask, my tailor keeps leaving off pockets..." She pivoted slowly to provide them both a good look and point herself towards the edge of the roof in one movement, "I'm afraid you've got the wrong girl. I would never be so ham handed with a heist."

"Well, he can pretty easily break the skin on a normal person but he rarely manages to get Jack. Mostly he just gnaws on him pretty ineffectually," Taylor smiled a bit at that, like she thought it was cute. "I'm the favored target but I regenerate. But, you can see how that might prove a problem with a normal babysitter." Especially when he got mobile and really started on the play stalking.

Taylor did wiggle the sting out of her hands as she took her seat again. Blood magic worked better on vampires but stung without fail. She shot Jack another look, trying to guage how he was doing before smiling at Erin. "There's a reason we're quite so... hm, concerned. In addition to all the threats out there, there's the baby himself who can be just a bit of a challenge." Taylor hesitated before saying delicately, "You see, he bites."

Bombshell had just slipped her mask on when there was the sudden and awe inspiring presence of a real angel. She blinked at him and then glanced to either side as if looking for who she was talking to. After a moment she pointed to herself and said, "Seriously? But I... Oh, hell." The blasphemy probably didn't impress the angel. They generally took those things seriously, after all. Bombshell was more concerned about spending some time back in jail so she fixed the angel with her most charming smile and started working her way back to the edge of the roof, "Now, big, tall and feathered. Let's not get hasty with the smiting..."

Taylor will stunt off of her magic array: Healing 9 (Extra: affects object, total)

"That's enough," Taylor said quietly but in a voice that carried. She stood slowly and came around between the two of them with a marked lack of caution. She reached up to place a tender hand on either side of Jack's jaw. Most mages had to speak or gesture but Taylor simply frowned in concentration. Eldritch light licked along the back of her hands, turning marked crimson before being absorbed into Jack's skin. Bones moved and mended seamlessly back into place and after a few seconds the light show ceased although Taylor kept her hands on his cheeks for a moment longer, "All good now?" It was a new spell, and a complicated one. Healing was one thing but Jack wasn't technically living any longer.

"You have some money but, really, its no different than getting an invitation to play sports and letting a friend provide the equipment. Its silly to go out and buy it all if someone already has it. You'll be a lot more able to enjoy yourself if you go in feeling dressed to impress. Honest. I don't like wearing suits but it makes the social environment easier to navigate," Alex pointed out pragmatically. She gave a little shrug of her shoulders, "If you go on a second date, you can invite him out someplace that's more your thing and foot the bill, if you want. Its not the dollar for dollar that matters but the intent, you know? Mike buys lunch for me all the time and its sweet. I'll always have 'more' but that doesn't mean getting bought a soda means less. Does that make sense?"