alderwitch

The instructions were simple once Erin located the screen. "Succinct," Alex commented before she shut her eyes to block out the street and begin searching the simulation. "It's pretty neat how complete the simulation is. There are even random people walking around and in their houses doing stuff. I wonder how they run all that without slowing the sim down. I mean, clearly they're not instanced. Unless, they're instanced to my senses but that would be tricky to... Got it!" The stream of happy tech chatter cut off as Alex zeroed in on the obvious problem. "Incoming." Alex warned her verbally before Erin felt the light psychic touch of Alex's thoughts before a route was provided along with a visual of their current super-villain. A large beefy fellow in armor who currently was waving a telephone pole around several blocks over.

Alex declined the offer with a smile and a shake of her head, "Thanks, but I'm probably going to head off campus for a bit. Clear my head. Go ahead and find Zoe. I'm sure she could use a friendly ear. She's still irked that I tested her DNA." She stood up and brushed her clothes off and hefted up her backpack.

"Yeah, I get it. What I'm trying to tell you is that other than the consensual thing. I've only seen villains get bitten. I know about the rest but I really don't think that its a better conversation to have with Jack." Taylor said, trying to juggle the conversations, "And, yes, Jack, we'll be fine until you get here. No one has blasted anyone." She smiled faintly at that before adding, "Grim wants to talk to you." And handing the phone over.

"Hold on a sec, Jack," Taylor said into the phone before she responded to Grim, her tone cool and clipped, "First off, whatever bodily fluids I chose to exchange with anyone is my concern alone. I get that you're freaked out but why don't you dial that judgement back a bit before I blip out of here and leave you to work this through by yourself on the bluff." Angling the phone back so that her mouth was next to the mouthpiece again she spoke to Jack her tone a little warmer but still somewhat strained, "Grim has questions about Freedom City's vampires and you."

Taylor took a quick step back at that warning. She had no real desire to test her reflexes at dodging a sick Grim. "I don't really think I'm qualified to answer those questions. I mean, I don't really ask a lot about the feeding thing. I mean, other than when I'm there for it. Well, I mean not in a back alley with hobos or anything. Nevermind that. Here, let me call him." Flushed, she fished her cell phone out of her pockets and punched in Jack's number with a bit of extra verve. Anything to derail where this had conversation was going.

Alex sighed as she rested a gentle hand on his back. She projected a soothing serenity as she easily stepped into the role she took so often with her friends, "Wierd doesn't make it wrong. You're not related to her, nor is there a genuine chronological difference in your ages. There's nothing ethically problematic, its simply a bit bizzare." She rubbed his back lightly, soothingly, "Of course she lied, Eddie, she didn't want to turn away from the offer to help. She's very emotionally invested in your relationship. But she couldn't tell you the truth. So she lied as little as she could. She's not very good at lieing." The last was said with a bit of pride.

Alex took pity on Eddie to sit down. Despite her own reservations about the wisdom of his relationship with Zoe she had genuine fondness for her friend. "I ran Zoe's dna through some tests last night. We share enough genetic markers to be first degree relatives. She also shares the same genetic similarity with Mike. That makes her only possible relation to us as our daughter. The presence of terminus energy only confirms that. Mike and I both carry that energy from our in utero exposure. Energy we passed on to a daughter." She patted Eddie's leg comfortingly, "I had suspicions so I ran the tests. Keeping it a secret has been a heavy burden on her shoulders as she didn't want Mike or I to find out. I imagine she could use someone to talk to about all of this now that her secrets out," The last was a less than subtle hint but Alex wasn't going for subtlety today.

"Well, unless that makes me a bigger targer. Don't worry. We're going to be great!" Alex said encouragingly as they stepped into the Doom Room itself. The simulation today was set up as some of the more gritty environs of Freedom City, somewhere in the Fens no doubt. It had that oddly empty feel that the room tended to have before the simulation was activated. This time, the room took a few extra minutes to be calibrated to affect Alex's mental senses. Alex flashed a thumbs up when she could sense the dummy thought waves of the simulators and paused to pull her mask on over her features.

"No, she isn't. That's what I've been trying to tell you. Zoe is my daughter. She's not from another dimension. She's from the future. I just found out." Alex said firmly, twisting to look at him. "She couldn't tell you because she's been trying to protect us. Zoe watched us die, thirty years from now. That's why I said she's fragile."

"Yeah, but its a little doubtful they want me to practice that. Might be kinda hide and seek-ish. I'm generally recon when we're doing actual super hero work. That wouldn't be so bad." Alex said with undimmed enthusiasm as they headed towards the doom room.

"Yup, just about!" Alex fastened the belt around her slim waist, securing it with the shiny gold buckle prototype. She'd pulled her costume out, looking a little cheerleaderish in the fitted leather bodice and short pleated white skirt. With her mask still dangling in her fingertips, she caught up to Erin, and said cheerfully, "Don't worry, its way safer than when we went to the baseball stadium."

Phantom sighed silently. Even intangible, the sewers weren't her favorite place to spend time. Still, she didn't hesitate as she gathered the folds of her cloak in her hands and sank through the concrete to catch up with Avenger. "Hmmm..." Phantom murmered as she fished about her cloak for a flashlight, hoping she'd replaced the batteries. It would be handy to be able to see in the dark but it was sadly not one of her preternatural gifts.

"But any friends you have likely don't share that immunity." Taylor said, not unkindly. "These imps have been all over the city, watching and spying. If they can't get at you, they might go for someone you care about. You're half mortal which means you can choose, James. The forces of hell can use deceit and coercion on you but in the end, you control your own soul."

"It's fine. The situation was inevitable even if the chain of events was improbable. Mark and I will always be friends even if the romantic aspect has ended," Alex said calmly. "I haven't had a chance to talk to Mark but I know he held no deep emotions for me so I imagine any hurt he has won't linger." She stood up and smoothed her hands over her skirt, stepping away from Eddie. "Parental affection for Zoe moves me to add a warning about hurting her feelings, Eddie. I may not be the strongest or fastest on the team but I would like to point out the leading causes of erectile dysfunction are generally psychological in nature." She turned a sunny smile on him, "I trust you'll treat Zoe with respect. But, In short, if you hurt my daughter, I will likely lose my temper and do something we will all regret. "

Alex watched the stars flash in Eddie's eyes with an impatient sigh. Being Alex, hoewever, she answered his questions despite the frustration of trying to get Eddie to focus, "Mike heard the absurd rumors about me and decided to discuss them with Mark about twenty feet over the quad. Everyone is fine and unbruised."

"She's been keeping her parents secret because of their identity. She hasn't been able to talk about it. Now, she can." Alex said patiently, "You've just met her but Zoe's known all of us her whole life and you have to realize the people she knew were very different. Older, to start. She already has preconcieved notions of who you are. What you're going to do or say. I'd even say its likely she's trying to make sure that you have a very different impression of her than the other, adult version did." At that, Alex's face screwed up a little to make a 'yick' face as she knew full well the Eddie that Zoe knew was in his mid forties. Her daughter's fixation with a probable uncle figure had all sorts of infinately distressing ramifications for Alex.

"Dating? Since early in the summer, yes." Taylor answered with a quiet lift of her chin, "He really is a vampire. Scarab had been aware but she shared it with the group. Ace, as you can imagine, was horrified. Arrowhawk was to distracted by the blood on his hands and the pissing contest in the corner with Ace. Really, it was an unpleasant scene all around."

Taylor opened her mouth a few times to respond but when Lynn dropped and started rocking, she might have just stared for a few moments before she shook herself. Reserved by nature, the emotional explosion caught her more than a bit by surprise. "Ah, well, hmm." Taylor started uncomfortablly, "It all started because Dark Star wanted to resign because of something Arrowhawk did but everyone just started arguing. Eventually Scarab volunteered that Avenger was a vampire and then it pretty much exploded. Not literally. I did throw Jack against a wall at one point but even he admits he deserved it. I really don't think that anyone could have stopped it. Actually, Dark Star and I tried to stop but but no one wanted to listen." Taylor blinked and then added, "No, Wesley wasn't there."

Taylor nodded her assent at the 'ride home' request before blowing out a sigh as Lynn brought up the meeting Taylor was still trying to forget. Pulling her hat from her head, Taylor ran her hand through the thick mass of her hair as she let the hat vanish into the Void with a soft 'pop'. "Yes, the Knights are over. Although I'm still in contact with many of them socially, the group has disbanded. I left that meeting with Jack. What do you want to know?"

"Nope, don't get cold. I could nap in deep space. But I like this jacket. It has character," Taylor volunteered with a decent amount of cheer. She smiled easier out of costume and without the face mask, a dimple flashed in her cheek when she did. Even in boots, she was only about five feet tall. "It's no big deal. I ported in just down the way and I have a couple of hours between classes."

Alex narrowed her eyes at the last statement although she wrestled her temper under control. She had not been having a fabulous day already, after all. After a moment to enhale slowly, she pointed out, "Try talking. Provide her with the oportunity to talk about things. Repeatedly. Ask her questions about herself and try not to get distracted when she turns everything physical to avoid the conversation. Zoe would much rather do than think and if both of you just keep doing the follow your instincts thing, eventually its going to crumple." She sighed and relented enough to add, "I believe you are serious about this, Eddie, or we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I just don't want to see Zoe get hurt. We've already peeled Mike off of someone once today already."

"Reading. That's a lot of the basis of magic, actually. Do you know latin or can fake it?" Slipping her hand, Taylor pulled out an old and rather battered looking volume, "Defense against demonic possession and the like is a common starter point for mystical arts."

Taylor scuffed up, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her bomber jacket and her battered hat pulled low over her eyes. She had to tilt her head to keep the wind from knocking it off as she caught up to Lynn on the cliff side. Appearing in front of her her all floaty and ephemeral had not been the message she'd gotten, so she'd obligingly shown up in her civvies between classes. "I got your message." Taylor spoke up once the wind wouldn't toss her words away. She glanced out at the sea, "I haven't been out this way in a while."

"So, do you want to learn magic?" Taylor asked, jostling him out of his thoughts with a bump of her shoulder against his, "It's not an offer I make lightly, you know, but it might give you a bit of insight into your particular parentage problems."

"You had better be, Eddie," Alex said seriously. "Zoe is more vulnerable than you can imagine right now. She's impulsive and impatient. If you want things to work out, you're going to have to be the one slowing things down. She won't. She'll burn through things with you as fast as she started them because if she slows down, she'll have to feel everything she's been shoving to the side." Alex tucked her curls back behind one ear as she continued relentlessly, "I don't want to see either of you hurt, but if you care about Zoe, you'll have to read between the lines. Zoe deals with things by running, and no one can run forever."