alderwitch

Ground and Center : Phantom and Nightscale

Phantom had debated strongly about whether or not to go in costume or civvies. While she was less recognizable in her civvies, and would be able to avoid a great deal more of the inevitable small talk, it really was the Master Mage that Callie wanted to see and unlike some of the other famous heroes, Phantom actually did hold onto her secret identity. So, she was there, floating over the fountain in front of the school in her full costume. The ghostly folds of her cloak floated out, blowing in astral winds. It was a very dramatic pose, one that most people would certainly chalk up to being a spooky spell caster. Only some of them would recognize that it was dread of such a large social gathering that had her hovering over the fountain to provide some sort of buffer. Hell, she hadn't talked to some of these people since JJ was little... Shying away from those memories, Phantom finally bit the bullet and drifted down to the pathway, buried deep in the shadows of her cloak. With a small nod towards the schools headmistress, she floated through the walls of the school proper and towards the classroom that she'd occasionally taught a lecture or two in for the more magically inclined to await the first student appointment. Inside the classroom, she relaxed at the familiar surroundings. Crowds had never been comfortable but classrooms... Really, what was a Master Mage but a very, very gifted nerd. With a slight smile, Phantom gestured, lighting up the room with a soft purple glow that filled the runes and ward lines etched in the walls with the fire of her magic.

"Hunh, I wonder if he knows the druids that I met," Tori mused at Neko's commentary, her curiosity piqued. She smiled slightly at Neko, "The ears and tail are cool. I can't grow any but it's so neat when I take on keener senses. I bet your night vision is crazy good, right?" Tori folded her arms on the table, leaning a little closer in as she grew more interested in the conversation. "That does sound interesting. Everyone around where I grew up is, y'know, 'normal'. I've never been to Japan, before, but I want to go sometime. I have a whole list of places I want to see someday... What about you, Danica? I know a little bit about your abilities but only a little. What sort of things do you do?"

Tori knelt down next to Stesha, setting the hare next to the proffered lettuce. There were a couple of hesitant sniffs before it started to much away quite happily between the two nature-aspected heroes. Tori dropped down gracelessly before crossing her legs loosely under herself. She laced her fingers together, watching the plants grow with clear interest. The markings on her skin flickered with light as she watched both the visible effect as well as the ebb and flow of Stesha's abilities with her other senses. "Hmm.. sometimes? Cities are great for people but not so much for animals that haven't adapted entirely. My range isn't so huge yet, so I have to be pretty close by but there's this... uhm... aura, I guess? It sort of goes, 'I'm here. It's safe. You're okay!' so if an animal can sense that, they'll come close and then I hear them when they're in, you know, normal talking range. Or shouting range. I can't borrow anyone, or anything's, senses. That sounds neat, though kind of intense. When I take on the wolf aspect, for example, I get really keen senses of my own and that's pretty fantastic. It took a bit to get used to at first. But that's just day to day. I think if there was a disaster, I could get overwhelmed. Like, I worry about that - what happens when there's a fire and I can hear everything crying out for help? I could lock up and then I'd be useless, right?" Tori's fingertips played with the edges of the lettuce absently. "Which isn't even, like, the day to day stuff that I worry about. Like, how do I ethically eat when I can understand everything? I was vegetarian for a while - and vegan - but I have friends who are obligate carnivores so, like, I don't think that meat is necessarily bad and I have plants that are friends, too. To say nothing of the ethics involved. Soy farming alone..." Tori trailed off and sighed, the sound full of frustration. "My mum says I'm just being difficult because I'm a teenager but I care. I really do care!"

"Oh, yeah. He's just high strung but once everything goes back to normal, he'll forget about all the stress. Until then, all he really needs is a quiet place to go hide out. My magic tells animals that I'm a safe-place for them and coz' I live at Claremont, the animals that make their home on the grounds have all felt me enough to call for me when they get really freaked out. It, uh, sometimes makes me late to class though. Most of my teachers are understanding but some of them get annoyed because they don't think that animal fears are the same as a person crying out for help." There was frustration in Tori's voice for a moment before she shook it off and forced her expression towards calm again before she upset the hare in her arms. Absently, she smoothed fingers over the soft fur, seeming to settle them both with the gesture. "I can hear plants, too, but they're more phlegmatic. Animals have a lot more flight/fight and angst going on while plants seem to be chill and take a lot more things in stride, by and large. There are exceptions, though. I'm really glad to work with you too. I haven't been able to find anyone who really understands here. I mean, they're nice and all, but they don't seem to get it, if you know what I mean?" Ah, the teen angst of no one understanding, compounded by magical senses that many of the adults really didn't understand.

"What about the new news network that Rachel keeps talking about. The one with all the papers that needed signing?" Andromeda pointed out cheerfully, blissfully unaware that the papers signed were NDA that she was absolutely breaking. "I remember that you and Rachel were talking about it just last week. It was very boring, with lots of talk of funding and papers and talent but I do remember that it was to 'combat disinformation' and 'it's going to be big, Ace. We need to do it. It's our responsibility'." Andromeda's pitch perfect imitation of Rachel was spot on before she smiled up at Ace and offered sunnily in nowhere near a whisper. "Naked body photos go on marked data cards so there are not any more mix-ups and only when everyone agrees pictures are okay. That has a non-marked data card. It is 'safe for work' pictures only." She nodded once, firmly. This was exactly the reason that Rachel didn't enjoy Andromeda's presence at those meetings, although she had been overruled by Ace. Fortunately, the dropping of the impending launch of Danger News Network wasn't in front of any problematic ears. This time.

"Journalism is good. I like the news though it is often sad or exploitive. I do not like the ones where they lie. Lying is sometimes necessary but it seems very wrong to tell people that you are telling them the truth specifically and then lie," Andromeda offered, although she had picked up on the tone of 'business' talk and was already edging her way back from the conversation a bit. She was used to Rachel coming by to occasional have 'business discussions' with Ace and Andromeda had already learned that she had little to contribute to such matters, and less interest in them. "Just do not become a paparazzi. They are very bad with accepting 'no' even when you say it firmly AND sternly. I have had to make many of them float. Sometimes I have had to make them float repeatedly. They are very stubborn." With that last bit of advice, she turned her attention back to the lemonade in her hand.

"Oh, just Tori is fine, if you prefer," Tori replied politely. "Kid Celtic is my code name." She smiled, the expression lopsided as she tucked her hands into her jean shorts. Despite the cool weather, Tori was still wearing shorts and sandals although she'd tossed a colorful hoodie from the Ocean Blue Cleanup efforts with 'Save the Whales' written bold across the front. It was oversized and hung down past her hips. She was of a height with Stesha almost exactly although her red curls were pulled up high on the crown of her head giving her a few more inches. Wherever there was exposed skin, it was decorated in dark blue markings that stopped glowing as soon as she pulled her magic back in. "I don't have to ask who you are. You're Fleur de Joie; Freedom League member. I've seen you on the telly enough times." As soon as Stesha woke and reached out with her magic, Tori cut her connection to the plants as that seemed only polite. "I'm sorry I'm late. I... Oh, hello. It's alright," she paused then as the hare emerged from its snacking to bump into her calves for additional reassurance. Tori bent at the waist, scooping the wild hare up in her arms once more. "He was calling for help. I think the noise of everyone scared him. I am sorry to be late, though. I even left early. And prepared notes!" Juggling the hare in the crook of one arm, Tori fished about in her pockets for the crumpled notes in question.

Tori had been eager to get to her mentor appointment - she even had a small pad of notes - but then she'd all but stumbled across a hare frightened half out of its wits by all the chaos. By the time she'd coaxed the creature into her arms, she was running more than a few minutes late. At first, she thought the Freedom Leaguer had gotten impatient and left, but only because Stesha was halfway hidden from view by the over abundance of new-growth that had sprung up happily around her sleeping form. Tori tilted her head, her senses reading the tang of plant magic other than her own for the first time. It was a little odd to her magic senses, echoes of a second weaker but almost more... jubilant... or perhaps whimsical energy under the first. She slowed to a stop, letting the hare down to go find some of the new formed leafy greens to munch on before she extended her fingertips to the rapidly growing plant-life. "Hey... Hey, now. You're going to block out your own light if you keep that up, you silly things," Tori murmured to the plants themselves as she reached out with both hands and her own magic to begin to make some order of the chaos, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb Stesha. The dark blue tattoos across her visible skin lit up with the soft blue light of her magic as she sent her power into the plants to gently coax the uncontrolled growth into something that wouldn't utterly overwhelm the greenhouse in short order.

"I was here last year but I ended up bouncing back and forth a lot. I dunno if you guys have heard of her; Lady Celtic? She was a hero during World War II. That's my great-grandma," Tori said, her expression scrunching up a little as she mentioned the legacy. The fact that she had some complicated emotions over inheriting a mantle played out across her expressive features. "She had kids with another hero, the Human Tank but their kids didn't get any powers, and neither did my dad's generation, but I inherited Gran's powers when I hit my teens though they manifest a little different." She stretched out one hand towards the vase of slightly wilted flowers on the table to pull one carefully. With a flicker of magic, she curled her hand around the blossom; restoring it to full bloom and spawning a handful of other similar blossoms until she had a small bouquet to offer to Neko with a smile. "It manifests as a connection to the earth and the creatures of it. I can grow and talk to plants, or I can take on an aspect of one of the animals that shared a bit of themselves with me; taking on their strengths as my own as the situation requires it. From what I gather, great-grandmother was a bit more of a traditional spell caster and its gone a bit more neo-druidic in my hands. Still, it's tied to the soil of the British Islands pretty strongly but I do just fine when not home for long stretches of time. What about you two?"

Date: 11/3/2021 Location: Claremont Academy There had been posters hanging about the school as well as announcements in home-rooms. Even if one had missed all the discussion over the last week or two about the upcoming day, there was no way to miss the way that Claremont had been transformed for the first Meet-A-Mentor day held on the campus. Regular classes were canceled, and every student had been assigned at least one appointment with one of the many super heroes milling about and making presentations at various locations all over campus. Beyond that, students were encouraged to go out and and talk to any hero that caught their interest. Headmistress Summers had really gone all out in terms of calling in contacts and favors and students and staff had worked some serious (and in some cases, perhaps literal) magic to provide spaces for each hero to talk to the teenagers looking to join their august ranks. From the bright colors announcing the Freedom League, to the dark cowl of Prime's Master Mage, and no shortage of famous heroes and Claremont alumni in between, the campus was full of heroes. While some manned their provided stations, others mingled about, saying hello to friends and colleagues. It was a superhero fan's dream, although some of the more quiet and introverted students might find the entire affair more over an overwhelming nightmare. Either way, Meet-A-Mentor Day was in full swing and would last well into the evening hours and, in honor of the event, there were no classes to be held for the following days so at least introverts could look forward to a long weekend to recover. ((Links to Meet-A-Mentor threads should be posted below))

Alrighty folks! Here's the match ups for threads. I'm leaving it to the hero to start a thread and I'll get a RP thread up in short order that gives the over-all feel of the day and you can tag it with a link to any related threads in the comments below. The mentor is 'running' the thread so up to them what the hero is doing for mentor day and whether its more structured or walk ups, or what-have-you. You are more than welcome to add in a character to your thread if everyone is on board with it though I'd recommend at keeping it to four or five characters max so it doesn't get crazy. You are ENTIRELY welcome to start another thread on mentor day in addition to the ones listed below, either open thread or structured. It can even be between a couple of mentors and no students, if that appeals. Just link the thread to the master thread for anyone looking to read up on what all is going on at Claremont that day. Any questions, feel free to poke me and have fun! (Also, if I missed someone that you desperately wanted to have a thread for, please just feel free to poke me and I will make sure they get a partner to RP with for a thread) Mentor(s): Ouroboros (Angrydurf) Mentee(s): Kid Gawain (AvengerAssembled) Mentor(s): Ghost (RocketLord) Mentee(s): Neko (AvengerAssembled) Mentor(s): Sea Devil (AvengerAssembled) and Singularity (Electra) Mentee(s): Chitin (Gizmo) and Kensei (Angrydurf) Mentor(s): Grimalkin (Heritage) Mentee(s): Cait-Sith (ThunderKing) Mentor(s): Phalanx (Angrydurf) and Geckoman (Ecalsneerg) Mentee(s): FreedomEagle (RocketLord) and Artificer (Dr. Archevil) Mentor(s): Terrifica (EternalPhoenix) Mentee(s): Nevermore II (RocketLord) Mentor(s): Phantom (Alderwitch) Mentee(s): Nightscale (Nerdzul) Mentor(s): Velocity (Thevshi) and Gabriel (KnightDisciple) Mentee(s): Effigy and InvisiGirl (EternalPhoenix) Mentor(s): Patriot (AvengerAssembled) Mentee(s): Patrioteen (KnightDisciple) Mentor(s): Crimson Tiger (ThunderKing) Mentee(s): Multi-Girl (Thevshi) Mentor(s): Raven (KnightDisciple) Mentee(s): Madame Raven (Tiffany) Mentor(s): Jill O'Cure (Gizmo) Mentee(s): Starshine (Tiffany) Mentor(s): Fleur de Joie (Electra) Mentee(s): Kid Celtic (Alderwitch)

Okay, working on dance cards for threads. Feel free to message me here or on discord if there's any additions or other info I should know!

"Oh, I love the movies!" Andromeda said enthusiastically. "When the Freedom League asked me so very nicely to stay put until they called Ace, they let me watch all the films that I wanted to see. The human imagination is so large, so wonderous. You create entire could-be's and never-were's all behind your eyes and then you share them!" Andromeda spun on her toes, her lemonade never even sloshing in her cup as the gravitational forces at play seemed to bend to the young woman's movements. "For such a long time, I could only watch and even now there are people who can only watch but watching is an escape for when you cannot do. You live an extrodinary life by human standards, you could share that. Who else gets to race cars and then explore ruins. Think of all the places you could go and see and do, and then you could bring the entire wide world with you..." Andromeda's enthusiasm was boundless as she danced through the plants, her voice trailing off as she left the small knot of people, still chattering away a mile a minute and talking all the while as she was clearly looking for something. For Ace and even Veronica, it wasn't new behavior. Andromeda had a habit of getting distracted by her thoughts and taking action without really taking into account entirely the human social norms of not just leaving the conversation. Still, she was back in short order with a small black rectangle in her hands that she gave to Davyd with a sunny smile. "Here. It's a camera. You can have it. I was saving memories but sharing memories is so much more important than saving them. Really, I was hoarding them, I guess. Like a lizard. Better to share." Andromeda nodded sagely. "And it is okay to give the camera because it is not something that will 'crash the global economy, Andi'. Humans like sparkling things but if I give everyone sparkling things, then there are problems because there are too many sparkling things. I didn't make the camera though, so it's fine. It came from the Target." It was, in fact, a Go Pro that likely was near-to-full with the random slices of humanity that Andromeda felt the need to document. She likely had filled up many a storage disk already with things like 'people at the park' and 'videos of sunsets and lizards'.

Andromeda listened to Davyd with enraptured curiosity. "It seems like you should just be able to say 'no thank you' and have that be the end of it. It is very rude to push someone into things after they've declined. Unless they are doing bad things, then you can politely stop them from hurting other people. We sometimes stop people when they try to hurt others. They do not always listen to 'no', even when said firmly and sternly. I always say 'no' first. And then I make them float. It is hard to do bad things when you are floating. Humans are very used to gravity working in the direction they are expecting. It doesn't always work but it often does." Andromeda offered her opinion on the subject, but with the air of one who knew she was probably missing some nuance. After all, that was why she'd stayed with Ace in the beginning. She knew that she didn't understand humanity, as much as it fascinated her. Turning her attention, she gave Ace's niece a sunny smile. "Hello, Veronica. We are having lemonade and Ace is dispensing wisdom. Would you like lemonade? Since, I imagine you have already had plenty of Ace's wisdom. Unless, you too have concerns about making people listen to 'no'? Perhaps I could tell them 'no'. I am becoming very good at saying it firmly and sternly." From most people, that would have been a sarcastic statement - especially the comments about Ace's wisdom - but Andromeda said it all so earnestly that there was no doubt she meant every word quite literally.

"We have drinks! But he is too young for the nasty drinks, I think. The ones that taste of poison and sting the eyes and nose. It is good, I think, not to be fully grown while still being mostly grown. It seems like a good age as far as ages go. I like the new-new age, though. Where they are full of drool and laughter and joy. I'm still not sure what the best human age is. Maybe the setting sun, where a life is complete but not-yet complete. Except then, there's the bad knees isn't it? Oh, it's hard to choose." The voice was airy and cheerful as one of the overhead lights dimmed from a bright glow to something a little less hard on the eyes and Andromeda floated down from where she had been a tiny indoor sun for the plants to soak up. Even once the celestial creature landed on her bare toes of the tile floor, her white hair continued to float around skin that contained the cool glow of starlight. "Lemonade is better anyway. Would you like lemonade? The sour-sweet is very good. Hello! The humans named me Andromeda but then they named me Star Child. Ace calls me Andi. Hello, Master Palahniuk!"

"It's probably more that Utsawa assumes you won't want to associate with him. His powers are... eh, it unsettles a lot of people and he definitely falls into the habit of shunning other people before they can shun him. Danica's not wrong about the thing about boys being full of fuss and bother. Some girls are too. Teenagers are terrible, at least that's what my mum says. She thinks lots of things are terrible though so, grain of salt and all that." Tori slipped into her chair and reached for the menu. "My treat, okay? Least I can do for tagging along at the last minute." She glanced over the menu, brow furrowing as she contemplated her options, flipping back and forth and half distracted. There was the occasional flicker of light under her markings as her magic translated her words to things Neko understood but nothing overt or showy. "Ryder's a total cutie. Sweet and smart. He's a good friend to have. First one I made at Claremont too. And he makes a mean smoothie. Lots of people think with my stuff, I won't like tech but his ro-bugs are super neat. Shame my magic doesn't let me talk to them. Maybe some day I'll figure it out... Oh, and you can always cloak my tattoos if you don't want attention, Neko. You don't have to ask in the future. For a lot of reasons, I'm not gonna ever have a secret identity but doesn't mean I want to out everyone from the cape closet along with me. I leave it at your discretion." Tori grinned and went to set her menu aside finally. "I like Utsawa alot. He's just, you know, big hedghog energy."

Under Phantom's gloved fingers, the hotel peeled away to unfold an opening that made no geometric sense; it was some fold between the spaces of the Parkhurst that the Master Mage led her small party confidently through. As Aquaria made her grand proclamations of impending violence against the latest threat, Phantom turned back to fold the space back into a smooth wall. She gave the sealed passage a fond pat before turning towards the gathering mystics. "She knows we're coming but a frontal attack isn't out of the realm of possibility. Her magic, however, is tied to decay and mortification. Anyone striking needs must be protected or immune against such things," Phantom said as she reached to pull her hood back up and cloak her features once more in shadow. Was such protection within her powers? Certainly. But Phantom saw her presence as more of a failsafe than an initial barrage. Someday, after all, she would fall as Eldritch did before her. Part of the mangle of Master Mage meant preparing the next generations. Such were the cheery thoughts that kept Phantom company these days. Certainly, Ouroboros would be familiar with the gentle prompting tone that meant his mother was in a Teaching Moment as she added. "Sea Devil is neither immune to aging nor the deleterious effects of rot but perhaps could be warded from it. Or are there other suggestions to a course of attack. We have at least a moment to plan. The Parkhurst has provided that and we ought to take advantage."

Talya watched Neko go with a ghost of concern briefly disturbing the smooth mask of her features. "Vince, be a dear and let my husband know that one of our time-displaced children is in their feelings, would you?" She didn't speak the language but there was no mistaking the play of emotions that ended in distress before Neko left. She tipped her head back to Davyd, offering unasked for reassurance, "It's good that she's starting to feel safe to open up to others. She's in good hands, I assure you. No one is allowed to ignore their feelings very long in this household." The smile that flickered across her features was fond and gentle, nothing like the sharp edged smile that Talya seemed to wield like a weapon when it suited her. She gave a little shake of her head, turning her attention back to the teenager still standing directly in front of her. "I do have advice - provided you wish to shut that door entirely. Just because something has consequences doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. If you asked me, I wouldn't go back and change my life. For good, and for ill, it's led me to where I am today and I like my 'today' very much. I just want to make sure that whatever choice you make, it's the one that you choose. Making a mistake is always better than having a mistake forced upon you." Talya slipped off the counter then, all liquid grace, to land on silent feet before moving behind the desk. After a moment of flicking through the paperwork, she produced an old fashioned business card on expensive card stock. "I understand that there are some Dangers in your age range. Hanging out with Dangers is an excellent start to putting yourself out of the spy game entirely. They're too flashy, too flamboyant and too damn hard to control." Talya extended a card that simply read Ace Danger and a phone number below it. "But, call Ace. He'll be able to put you in just the right public light alongside him to give you a bit of breathing room without closing too many doors in the process."

Mentors Willing to Play: Anyone! Happy to have any of my adult heroes take part Would Like to Play: Bombshell, Volcanic Any Meet-Ups in Mind? None yet! Students Student: Kid Celtic Would Like to Meet: Stesha! Up for meeting anyone though. She's a friendly sort!

Concept: Claremont is trying something new this year. Headmistress Summers has reached out to her extensive contact network to fill the quad with several of the most notable heroes of Freedom City (And Beyond!). Think of it something like superhero career day; a chance for the up and coming teenagers to meet and make contacts for their future. There is rumor that if it goes well, there might be a work study in the works. How it will work: A thread will be created by an established hero (or heroes) posting for where they are at and how they're running their time at career day. Some might be doing appointments, some might be open to walk-ins. (Threads might be closed or open depending on how the player running the hero plans to set it up). In this thread, I'll need players to let me know if they are interested in having any of their adult heroes participate. If you have a hero that you really want to be participating, please include that too! Optionally, you can also tag students that you're interested in having that hero have a thread with. (For example, I'm open to playing any of my heroes, I'd really like to play 'X' and I'm interested in having them meet student 'Y'). Players of Claremont students, if you have a character you'd like to meet a specific mentor, I want to hear from you too! It is possible players might not be up for threads but I'll try to do my best to match up everyone who wants to take part. Adults might end up with multiple students over the course of their day, or just one.

"Relax, stars-and-stripes," Tori rolled her eyes at Sharif. "I'm not taking a shot, I'm just pointing out that what you've experienced has contributed to those choices. They're not made in a vacuum. That's all. I don't pretend to understand the fondness over here to cover everything in the flag. I mean, you get tourist stuff with the union jack, sure, but its just not the same sort of fondness. My grandad was an American hero, but with my upbringing the focus has always been on the British side, you know? That's not a choice I've made but something I've been raised with. I just think it's good to be eyes wide over what's driving those choices." Tori glanced over to the silent Kensei and then added simply, "Not everyone is sure they're a hundred percent on board with the legacy they ended up with, after all." She turned towards Ashley and nodded once, "Quite right you are. But I'm still part of the elite which makes it all a little... I don't know. I have a lot of feelings about it - thoughts I'm still trying to work out. Guess its a good thing that it was decided I needed a bit more seasoning before I was allowed to act on UK soil." Tori's smile was bemused rather than upset. It certainly helped that she was finding Claremont helpful in finding her sense of self.

Talya nodded slightly, her expression smoothing out from the faint furrow between her brows. She waited patiently for Neko to finish speaking, even if she couldn't understand the language. It was rare for the girl to come out of her shell, and any time she began to feel comfortable was something to be encouraged, even if it couldn't be immediately understood by Talya. She was nothing if not patient. "Then let me explain what the process is for the level of espionage that you are talking about; by the time you are approached, you will have been felt out by operatives who are very good at not revealing who they are. There will be casual conversations with vague acquaintances that are utterly unmemorable and those will be used to build a profile; your profile. This will be done by someone sitting at a desk, who has been trained to sift through all of the data available and compile a very accurate picture of a person. They won't have access to your Claremont records but anything else you can assume will be sifted through. Profiles will be done on your family, on your friends, on your lovers. When you are finally approached, it will be by someone like me. The approach will be carefully crafted to appeal to your sense of duty, your beliefs and your interests. It will be only just a little out of your comfort zone; something like getting close to someone very bad to get information about the very bad things they are going to do. It will be a relatively clear cut situation that won't keep you up at night. It'll be a one time request, or so it will be presented." Talya tipped her head to the side, her lips curling in a smile that held no humor. "And then your handler will have another 'one time' problem that only you can help with. Only your skills will be able to stop another very bad man with their very bad plans. This time, however, you'll need to take another step farther, and then another. That's the handbook approach for turning a hero to secret government service. I would know; I helped write it." There was no pride in that statement, or guilt, merely statement of fact. Talya's expression was studiously neutral. It was difficult to read what she might have actually felt about the topic. "The only real counter is to say 'no' early and often when anything smacks of spycraft. Or, you craft your public persona with just enough flair and panache to make someone think you lack a gift for the subtler arts. If you do decide to embrace that lifestyle, it will change you. You might not like who you become."

Talya inhaled once and then exhaled slowly. With her fingers laced in her lap loosely, she gave Davyd her full attention. "Now is a fine time. Tell me, what do you find appealing about it? I am assuming you're well aware that it isn't anything really like the movies make it out to be." Talya said with a tip of her head. From her intonation, it sounded like she assumed he already had some idea of what actual spywork was like. "And are you thinking for proverbial queen and country or free agent? They're vastly different experiences; both with their own dangers." Talya steepled her fingers together, choosing her words carefully before she continued, "It's not a choice you can walk back. Once you step into that world, it's going to change you. There are going to be costs, some of which you might not realize for years down the road."

"That's brilliant. Will save me having to spend the time to set up a terrarium," Tori commented cheerfully. It was a slightly longer trip to Tori's room as she had to feed the opossums before tucking them in to a cage in the closet. Tori's room was one of the singles, with the side that would have been occupied with a bed holding shelving that held a few cages and a lot of supplies. At the moment, there were just the opossums and Achilles sleeping on his roost in the corner. "I was a little worried I was going to be lonely, honestly. I raised two foxes last year and although I would love to have them with me, it's time for them to be grown foxes doing fox-y things with others of their kind. Saying goodbye is always tough, you know? But someone shot poor Achilles with a BB gun and cracked his keelbone, and then I found the babies. Otherwise its just too quiet." Tori's smile was undiminished and she quickly shut up her room before she tucked her hands in her pockets and joined the pair heading towards the Thai place. "Uh, I can't hide the tattoos or anything, just to let you know?" Tori offered, her tone apologetic. "But most people just think they're regular tattoos even if they give me dirty looks for having face tattoos as a teenager. Not like I could have sat through all that. My pain tolerance is not at all high enough for extensive work." She tipped her head towards Neko and then offered, "I'm happy I can understand you, too. Always happy to translate though... if you speak Japanese, there's a couple of other kids who are fluent. I'm learning, actually. I want to know what Utsawa mutters under his breath when he's annoyed." Tori grinned, gesturing for them to pick the table.