alderwitch

Master Plan: 1d20+7=13 That sucks. HP! 1d20+7=20 Much better plan. That's with her super-int active. She'll switch back to Wisdom for jungle slogging. Notice is pretty good at 20, (Untrained) Survival not so hot at 8

She stepped forward, glad she'd decided to dress it up at the last minute with a pair of heels and smiled up at him. Having stood next to him before, she was vaguely aware that he was tall but it still surprised her. He always managed to seem much shorter in costume somehow. She chuckled, telling herself to ignore the appreciative look except for the compliment it was. "Of course, I made it. Wouldn't have missed it. I'm just glad I wasn't late." Taylor turned her head to look out over the city line, partially because it was beautiful and partially to give herself time to let her racing heart settle, "Actually... True story, first thing I did after I came back - after my training - was teleport up to the very top. A little higher than we are now, just for the sheer joy of being able to do so. It wasn't all that long ago but sometimes it seems like..." A life time ago. "...Much longer." Turning her face back to him, she lifted a shoulder in shrug that caused the Eye at her throat to shift against her collarbone and changed the subject, "It's been a while since I was in the building itself though. You look handsome tonight."

'Happy. She told him with utter honesty, sharing her joy down their bond. Alex never lied to Mike. She wasn't even sure if she could sometimes with the depth of the bond between them, I'm in my element here with school. I'm pushed, honestly pushed for the first time in my life. Its exhilerating. I haven't felt this free... She trailed off as sadness colored her tone for a moment before her sunny mood returned slowly, Not since I shut my telepathy down years ago. Its like spending your whole life hobbled and now I can fly, Mike. No more pointless games to see what makes me tick. No more calculated subjects to push me towards ethical choices. Just being able to work at my own pace and not have to hold back. Its wonderful. It's amazing.

"Plenty," she assured him with confidence. Teleporting would only take a half a second at most. Which gave her exactly one hour, twenty-nine minutes and fifty nine seconds to find something appropriate to wear. Probably more than enough time to go through her wardrobe twice over, and still find nothing. Pushing the voice in her mind that pointed out she would be better off with a costume as at least then there wouldn't be a choice involved, she said with good humor, "Barring sudden act of imp infestation, I'll be there on the nose. See you then." Once she hung up, she tossed the phone aside and reminded herself that this was a teammate. A teammate asking for a favor, not a date. It became a quiet mantra as she stood up and stretched once before heading for the shower. Once out she knotted her hair up in a loose clip against her crown - as it was frankly too hot to let it hang down her back, and she lacked the skill to pull off anything fancy. Her wardrobe left her few options, as she had jeans and t-shirts in spades and then a small handfull of dresses that she usually saved for family dinners. Has it really been so long since I bought clothes...? I can't remember the last time I went shopping. Team-mate. Favor. It took some searching that a random observer might have termed frantic until she managed to turn up something that split the difference between dressy and casual. It was pre-Phantom, back when she'd intended to go on interviews for real jobs and do the college shmoozing bit. A lifetime ago. Frankly, she simply hoped it fit. She glanced out of the clock out of the corner of her eye and hurridly pulled on the soft black linen slacks. A little tighter, perhaps, but not too tight thankfully. They'd been cut to fit through the waist and hips before straight-legging down. She had enough time to pull a silk sleeveless blouse in a deep blue on and give herself a once over in the mirror. It would simply have to do. Telling herself to not be such a ninny, she closed her eyes and flashed to the place she was supposed to meet Jack.

With the experience born with years of living in Mike's head, Alex knew when to let something go, Maybe you can just try the opposite of whatever he says to do... Her mental presence sparkled with mirth and another upswelling of unusually cheerful emotions even for Alex. She was at least attempting to tamp them back out of politeness sake but as she'd been for the last few days, her thoughts were tinged with this giddy, happy air to them. She hadn't brought up the date with Mark other than to inform him she was going on it, nor had she volunteered details of the event as Alex felt it might be rude. Try asking James. James almost never sets people off.

For once, Taylor was neither doing homework nor acting as her mystical alter-ego, instead she was lounging on the couch with her legs crossed and watching the television. After the conversation with Stesha, she was giving the whole introduction of normalcy a shot. So far she'd discovered two facts. The first was that while she could stand the cool void of space in a leotard, an August heat wave was still an uncomfortable August heat wave. The second was after spending so much time learning magic in another dimension and then spending the last year or so as Phantom, she had no idea what was going on in any of her shows. Television was amazingly boring when you had no idea what to watch on it. In short, she was discovering that this experiement was boring and hot. So it was with relief that she glanced at the cell phone and discarded the remote in favor for answering the phone call. She glanced at the number and frowned but flipped it open with her usual, "I'm here." Once she connected the voice to face, she ignored the slight skip of her heart firmly. The Phantom voice fell away to Taylor's usual husky tones and warmed noticeably, "Won't take me any time at all. Is this a costumed sort of thing?"

Phantom cheated by teleporting to the area in question, not so much to win the coffee bet, but more in the eagerness to follow up on the trail before it grew even colder. She waited patiently for Grim to catch up, as she gave the scene a once-over glance from beneath her hood. 'Where are you hiding? And why? Is it just the money? What are you after... Phantom wasn't stalking back and forth but she did manage to bristle with an ambient sort of energy that had replaced her formerly flagging strength. Friendly 'lets go die' Phantom was still Phantom after all and she was lurking in the shadows in a not-so-subtle way, having scared off any random passer-bys. It was a poorly lit alley - worse than most - and she was holed up in one back corner of it. She turned curious eyes to Grim as the other woman appeared, hoping that she might have a lead when Phantom's usual skills had failed thus far.

No, they think you don't know what to do and are trying to help you by telling you what they know, Alex corrected with what always seemed like an infinate store of patience, It's just like you trying to tell Erin about what could happen from your point of view. She rolled over, leaving one arm draped across her eyes. Alex sometimes got so tired of being the perpetual voice of calm and reason. It was only human. Still her tone was soothing as she pointed out, If you just decide what you want. I mean, really, decide. Not running, not afraid. If you were like 'guys I'm going to go be a normal cop', no one would say a word. But you don't know and people can tell because they want to help. You have more friends than just me, and all they're doing is trying to help. Not push you around. They're trying to ease your pain, not inflame it, but in the end you're the only one that can decide what you're going to do. And every last one of us will stand by you when you do. 'Till then, tho', you're going to get advice.

Alex's sigh filtered through his thoughts, and she decided just to push the issue a little bit, We don't even know what exactly happened, Mike, we were five. I've replayed the memory a few times and... she hesitated, reluctant to get his hopes up but Erin was right about her need to protect Mike, I'm not so sure he died. Usually perfect recall was a blessing but some memories - especially bad ones - it would have been nice to have the protective fog of forgetfullness over. I'm not saying you should ignore what happened, but don't you think it would mean more - if you want to attone - to learn from it?

Alex blushed furiously at the mention of swim-suits on the boys, averting her eyes. It wasn't her fault the boys were being distracting after all. As far as Alex could tell, teenage boys - at least ones like her teammates that spent a lot of time doing athletic activity - seemed to take off their shirts whenever opportunity arose. Not that she was complaining per say... "Ah. Yeah. I can go get boardgames. Anyone have any preferences?" She floated out of the pool and grabbed a towel to dry off while she watched Eddie dance. She really hoped that wasn't the kind of dancing he wanted to teach her. Alex would probably kill herself, "Or I can grab a bunch if someone wants to give me a hand with them.They're all up in the attic."

Psyche nodded and stood up to scuff out the map with one foot before she focused on blanking them out to any ambient minds. Hopefully this would go at least somewhat smoothly. She sent one last thought to Phalanx as the small team headed deeper into the jungle. Mike! We've got a bead on what looks like a teleporter. We're going to break into the base and see if we can come to you. Be careful! She focused a stream of supportive affection at him and turned her attention towards navigating the terrain. At least she could float and keep them concealed at the same time.

I've heard of Dark Star. So have you. He was evacing people in Riverside during the explosion Alex's memories of Dark Star's heroing filtered through their link faster than words. Rescues in Riverside, conflicts with aliens. All the newscoverage and sound bites were effortlessly transferred from one teen to another. He's a real hero. She sighed at the self loathing as it flickered up the bond and flipped over on her stomach. Resting her cheek on her arm, she closed her eyes, I know the only thing you're afraid of is yourself but you need to get outside of your own head on it Mike. What if we hadn't been there? What if those demons had shaken off the chains of their controllers and hurt someone. Even killed them. You can paralyze yourself with what ifs. Eventually you have to stop running from the memories of things from years ago.

No one springs into 'readiness' fully formed. I mean the only way to get from one point to another is to travel there. However fast or slow, everyone's got to go from no experience to experienced the same way. Alex said with a mix of amusement at the idea of fully fleged super heroes flinging forth and a gentle empathy. Tell me about this hero you met, Alex prodded, knowing that Mike'd express what was bothering him better if he was allowed to approach the issue some way other than head on.

Well, Mark might be able to sleep through it, A sleepy but somewhat amused mental voice filtered through his thoughts, I'm awake, however. So what has you thinking so hard? In her room, Alex rolled over on her side to face the wall and stifled a yawn. She'd gone to bed early but Mike's agitation had not left her able to sleep easily. Even Alex didn't know how many late night conversations they'd had at this point. Thousands at least, sometimes after his nightmares, sometimes after hers. Wanna talk?

"Shhhh!" Phantom hissed at the shrieking and flailing. "What about trying for a modicum of stealth, here? Seriously, are you looking to get shot?" She sighed and glanced at Ace, "Why don't I just go through the wall and see if I can open it from the other side?"

"I'll see what she says. A brief word of warning, however, you might end up with her talking in your head. Its certainly more efficient but occasionally startling." Phantom warned her as she replaced the mask. She had to dig around for half a second in her cloak for the cell phone she'd stored earlier. After checking that there were no messages, she flipped it open and placed a call to Scarab. "It's Phantom. I need your help."

This time, at least, Alex was expecting the quick kiss and she smiled sweetly at him, "Goodnight, Mark!" She watched him head back down the hallway, just to make sure he didn't get jumped by the RA. When he vanished down the end of the hall she leaned back against the door with a happy sigh. After a moment to catch her breath, she let herself into the dorm room. IT really had been a perfect night.

Taylor hesitated and she reached up to push her hood off and pull her mask down, looking much more like the woman that Stesha had met - minus the glowing eyes of course. It allowed Stesha to see the thoughts flickering accross Taylor's face as she spoke slowly, "I'm happy to have you along, Stesha, but I'll have to check if its alright with the Scarab. We'll probably have to use one of her holding cells, but I'll ask. If she's not willing to allow it - which I doubt she'll care over much - I'll tell you everything we learn."

Alex's expression flickered briefly to indecision for a moment. She was positive there were rules for that sort of thing... Reminding herself to enjoy the moment she smiled up at him and readily agreed, "As long as you're not worried about getting in trouble, sure." She threaded her hand through his arm for the walk back to the dorm, all but humming with a happy energy that continued to surround her. "I should be the one thanking you. This really was special, just as you promised."

Alex was still having a bit of trouble keeping her emotions from all leaking out but she was just happy. Happy wasn't a bad emotion to share. She glanced up at Mark as he spoke, her blush finally starting to fade at least and lifted her shoulders in a shrug, "Maybe it's not luck t'all. It was a well thought out evening for two compatible people that Erin agreed to make sure none of the guys showed up at." she said almost primly before ruining it with a grin, "Or maybe it was luck. Or a little bit of both."

Relieved that Stesha wasn't freaking out, Phantom glanced left and right and then lowered her voice, "Don't tell anyone, but, its one of the things that came with the whole 'great power' bit. I've tried and tried to get it to include pants but all I get is leotard, gloves, thighboots. I don't know why that's the uniform. It just is. It's fortunate cold weather doesn't affect me anymore because this is all I have to work with. Thankfully, the cloak conceals pretty much everything." She gestured down and opened the cloak to demonstrate before she let it fall down once more in concealing robes as she tried to figure out the next answer to Stesha's questions, "Well, I'm out of synch with every dimension, the cloak's just a manifestation of my power. I put him in a fold. A little pocket between dimensions. It's handy. I've fit a car in there before, once."

He managed to catch Alex entirely by surprise, although she would later put together what exactly 'other things' could be done that watch a movie (and possibly blush herself silly), she had turned her face up towards his automatically as he leaned in. As he pulled away, she blushed and half raised a hand to her lips as if to hold the warmth of her first kiss in. Rarely did Alex ever find herself speechless, but as she slipped her hand in his for the rest of the walk to the car, she didn't really have to express herself in words. In fact, the entire parking garage was treated to the happy-bubbly emotional response of one of Claremont's most promising psychics.

Phantom's expression was carved from stone and lit from her whitely glowing eyes, as she tightened her fist around the imp's neck and shook the creature again. It scrabbled for freedom, snapping and growling at the hands that held it. Scowling, Phantom gave it another shot but she was starting to doubt the mental capacity of its ability to even give answers. She hissed in a voice almost as inhuman as the creature, her voice echoing hollowly in the graveyard, "What where you doing? Why are you here?" It struggled for a few mome moments before sagging in her grip, "Ssssspying. Masster sssaid follow. Sssaid watch. Watch you. Where went. What did. Ssssaid watch." This was directed almost defiantly at Phantom who released the imp with a disgusted twist of her lips. Without another word, she glided close enough that the edges of her cloak were close enough to brush the imp before it vanished with a last crackle of power into the inky blackness within. She remained looking down at the vine for another long moment before she turned to face Stesha, almost reluctantly. Phantom left the hood and mask up when she turned her attention back to Stesha, counting on the coverage to sheild her expression at any look of shock or horror on the other woman's face. "There's a telepath among the Knights. I'll take the imp to her. She might get more from it than I was able to."

Alex laughed, a bright cheerful sound as she bumped against him again. She paid little attention to the other musuem patrons making their way back to their cars, her attention focused more on her date. She rested a casual hand on his arm, still chuckling, "I bring out the best, hunh? I don't know about that. 'Sides, what else is there to do while watching a movie?"

Taylor had to shake herself completely into the mind-set of her alter-ego. It was harder than she thought, having parts of her life that crossed the divide and she squared her shoulders under the cape hoping that after seeing her in action, she could still count Stesha among her very small group of friends. Summoning her protection she cast a spell that would allow them both to understand the creatures...speech such as it was, she glided forward and grabbed it by its scrawny neck. "Tell me who you work for!" It was a demand, not a question, and her voice boomed over the stillness of the graveyard. Underneath the cloak that seemed to move in direct violation of the wind patterns, lighting cracked across a field of night as if to punctuate her insistant words. The creature in her gloved hand tried to bury black fangs in her hand but her grip on its throat was firm and Stesha's vine kept it lashed in place. It was warty and black. The skin looked almost slick to the touch and it had thick leathery wings that struggled against the vine around its body. All in all it was a hideous little beastie. "Tell me!" Phantom demanded again, her teeth gritted and she gave it a little shake before it croaked, "Maaa...ster. Master!"