alderwitch
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She took a halting step forward, her hand lifting up only to let it fall to her side as Riley turned. She didn't know if the boy saw her small, tight nod in return but she offered it all the same. Robin's shoulders remained tense and tight, clearly outlined under the thin fabric of her school uniform. At Dauntless' gentle statements, she paused with angry words on the tip of her tongue. It was with visible effort that she took a slow, steadying breath. "You know, there have been a lot of folks in my life with the best of intentions," Robin replied, the words even and measured. She didn't look up at the assistant coach who was clearly trying to do his best in a rotten situation. No, her grey eyes remained on the door to the room, "A whole lot but in the end, good intentions don't really make the wrongs right in the world. That takes action." She gave a short, sharp nod once and added, "Yeah, sure, I'll mention it. For whatever good it might do." And with that, Robin was out the door, following after Riley.
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Robin remained very quiet although she didn't look away from Riley, her grey eyes were impossibly sad. It was horrifying, really, but Robin had seen horror before. She understood well the revulsion and recrimination in Raina's voice but at the same time, Robin understood that sometimes everything wasn't always easy. Or nice. Clearly she needed to know more about wherever the hell Riley came from. Her voice was tight, tense as she finally spoke up, "I think the test was designed exactly to see if you would do just what you did," Robin finally spoke, the words thick in her throat, "Just like mine was supposed to feel out how I'd react to my past. And Raina to hers. Super heroes aren't supposed to kill people." She folded her arms across her waist then, wrapping her hands over her midsection. Robin finally glanced up to Dauntless then, her grey eyes stormy, "These tests are bull sh-" Robin caught herself, choking off the words as she hugged herself tighter. "--garbage. And mean." Her gaze travelled back to Riley then, "C'mon, we can go talk somewhere."
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Robin had remained tight and tense as the simulation proceeded, not confident in her own instincts enough to argue with the professor but also not reassured by Riley's assurances. He sounded... wrong. It had all sounded off. Her gaze had remained glued to the unfolding scene, her hands tightened into fists at her sides but she'd not flinched at the first arrow. The second, though, Robin's inhalation had been sharp if lost under the bang of the detonation and Raina's scream. Her gaze landed on the chunk of the hero's skull floating in front of them, eyes a little too wide. It was the sound of Raina retching that pulled her into movement as she stepped forward into the room itself and out from behind Dauntless. "Jeezus, Riley," Robin said, her brow creased in concern and her expression still ashen, "Are you okay?"
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"I wasn't making time. That would have been a far more pleasant four years. So, are you going to show me these new tricks or do I have to ask very nicely," Talya shot back with a small smile playing about her lips. She set her mug down, having drank a good third of it before she laughed at his expression, "Darling, no one likes tea that comes out of an instant bag. It tastes like the color grey. Depression in cup form." "I don't know, some teenage boys never enjoy having a lady take them down. Though, really, that's one of the better lessons there is. I tell you, my job would have been much, much harder if people weren't willing to fall for a pretty face and a nice pair of legs in a short skirt." Talya added with a chuckle. She reached up to brush back her bangs with a flick of her fingertips, "I'm glad to hear it. I've always liked your mother. She's a class act. Maybe she'll spend her time here helping you with your brood though I think it might be a tight fit."
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"Well, that never stopped me talking to your father and I think that may be the only thing Claudia has ever called me. Dracula too. Honestly, most of your father's associates fire that one off at some point, come to think of it," Taylor paused, briefly distracted from her reassurance to frown. There were many, many good reasons that Taylor didn't show up to almost any of the vampiric functions of her spouse. She reached out to rest her fingertips on Jack's arm, the touch light, "Regardless, things will work out there one way or another." It was a bit vague on the reassurances but Taylor had gotten only the briefest of details of that particular venue, "There will be plenty of time to be a hero in your near immortal life span. Enjoy just being a teenager for a bit. Just... try. Please." Taylor's brown eyes remained troubled and she sighed then, "Your father and I will talk about appropriate punishment. We're running out of things to ground you from at this rate."
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"Sixteen," Taylor answered, "And don't ask me whether he's just been stuck at sixteen for a few years or if he was younger when you met him. I don't actually know. It is a real pain trying to get anything like a straight answer from him. So frustrating." She relaxed back, glancing over to her five year old once more before her gaze flicked back to Erik, "Hmmm. Classes you say?" Taylor asked, "I'm trying to keep that kid's schedule as full as I possibly can. I swear, he's trying to see if he can give me grey hairs. Which, if it was physically possible, he'd totally have managed. I can't even successfully keep him out of my library with any regularity. I did ground him from ritual magic. That took some doing. I swear, it's like he has some strange death wish. So how is parenthood treating you thus far?"
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"Someone did the research to know my mom's engagement ring was stolen. It had the inscription that my dad wrote on it for her. I've never told anyone about that," Robin's voice was very soft as she stood next to Raina, her gaze fixed on Riley. As he rolled over on his back, Robin's eyes narrowed with concern, she answered Robin quickly. "We don't talk much about that, but I know his world has been screwed up for a while and its serious dangerous. They might be trying to, I dunno, give him terrain he's more used to but I think something's wrong too. He's had some sort of training, I think, to repress his automatic responses. You have to or you panic when people are trying to kill you. Or throw up." That sounded like personal experience. She nodded once to Raina, the gesture sharp, "I don't like it either."
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"I'd like to see your designs, Mark, they always had a real homage to the classics, you know? And, no. No private army, I'm afraid. Well. Not afraid. An army would be super bad. She can come by sometime to see AEON, if she likes. I'd be happy to show you around. Maybe if the designs work, we can take that to Frank for inspiration?" Her voice lilted up, turning the statements into questions and the topics beginning to merge together as caffeine and natural exuberance combined. Normally, Alex held herself back but anyone who'd had her telepathically chattering at them was well aware how fast she could get going once started. She smiled then, and offered, "Oh! Chinese! I haven't had good Chinese in ages and then we can get a bunch of stuff. I can give you my credit card if you want to put it all on there." Alex made the offer to pay for things before turning to grin up at Mike and his comment about the skirt, "I still HAVE it, but I'll save it for special occasions," she teased him before turning a brilliant smile on the newest arrival, undaunted by Mike's disconcerted reaction at Mark as she offered her hand, "Hi, Joe. It's really nice to meet you. Chinese food okay with you?"
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"Always love a good rooftop. This one is nicer than most. Do you think your lady wife wants to come and see if she can help undo the damage of four years of neglect on my gardens? The roses, surprisingly, have weathered winters without pruning but everything else is rubbish now." Talya said as she turned slightly away to touch one of the blossoms with delicate fingertips. She took a sip of the tea and did so without pulling faces at the instant tea. Talya finally laughed then, somewhere between Erik referring to himself as humble and the waggled eyebrows. She turned towards him with a grin, "Tell the truth, you just want to show off all the tricks you've learned in my absence." Her grin turned briefly wicked, "Or perhaps you just want an excuse to go a round or two?" She let the question hang in the air for a second before she smiled, cupping her mug once more in her hands, "Regardless, yes, thank you. I think that would be a lovely way to spend the time. You know what they say about idle hands and it would be nice to have something to do and a reason to come visit with friends. How's your mother?"
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Robin turned to watch, her appreciation for Riley's grace and ease fading in the face of unease at the change in his features and expressions. It could have been the lingering tension that had her stomach tight and her palms damp. Everyone else's exercise had gone fine. There was no reason to think that Riley's would be problematic or painful, like hers had been. Still, despite telling herself that, she couldn't help the small step she took forward to get a better view as Riley sought a higher vantage point. Tucking her necklace back behind her uniform once more, Robin squeezed her hands into tight fists at her side until the wrappings creaked softly. It didn't help that Riley's poncho obscured a lot of his expression once he moved away. She shifted slightly to Dauntless side to get a better look and spared a brief glance to check on the others. Anibal seemed relaxed. Maybe it was just her lingering upset, then.
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"I hope you like potatoes," Talya said, the words dry but at least sounding a bit more herself as she accepted the mug and only gave the tea bag he popped into it with a brief side-long look. "I could teach you how to make a proper cup of tea sometime. It really isn't all that difficult. It makes a world of difference, I assure you. No wonder you are all so fond of coffee." As complaints went, it was a relatively mild one and she didn't turn that aristocratic nose up at the tea bag even if she did dunk it up and down a few time as if that might coax more flavor out of the sad little packet as she turned to follow. "I will have to go either forwards or backwards in time to wow anyone with culinary skills. In the thirties, it was about doing something with very little. An awful lot of boiling was involved, you know. Dreary time, really, though not if you were rich. The upper class did alright during the thirties. Terrible time for anyone else, though. Not, actually, all that unlike today's current wealth distribution, oddly enough." She cupped her hands around the mug's warmth and then glanced up, amusement in her eyes, "What? Gainful employment? I'm a felon, Erik. There aren't that many places that have use of my skill set, are willing to overlook that I spent twenty five years in prison - give or take. Most of the people willing to make use of me, are generally looking to commit a crime and I am trying so very hard to be good at the moment. Which, I will have you know, is most taxing and also less fun."
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The science was well beyond Talya's paygrade but she leaned forward with interest nonetheless, her eyes widening to look suitably impressed. Any time a scientist wanted to confess their secret plans, Talya was always happy to lean forward and listen. Oh, she'd likely never ever do anything with it, or mention it. But secrets, after all, were easy to keep and often extraordinarily handy. Her gaze dropped from his face to the metallic arm, "I assume you want to keep such things... close at hand." She gave a slow, sidelong smile and reached for her wine. Taking a small sip, she glanced down and then back up to him. "There's a few power players in the tech industry. I assume you know that ArcheTech remains running under new management. You could see if they might fund your projects. There's a few others out there, although tech really remains solidly in ArcheTech's hands from what little I know of the market. I wouldn't though, if you want to found your own company. Wealthy solitary investors, however, mean moving in high society and courting the idle rich. Philanthropy is your best inroad to that sort. Well, that or old family connections. There's always a fundraiser for something or other being held and that sounds like what you want to work in eventually anyhow."
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"And they're very nice abs. We could talk about those instead, you know," Talya deflected. It was a very good deflection, her tone remained light and flirtatious and the look she sent him was genuinely appreciative. When it failed to draw his attention, though, Talya made a face like he was suggesting eating cold brussel sprouts. "Orrr... anything else. What about the little ones? Parents can usually go on and on for hours about their little ones. Go ahead, tell me about the first time your offspring whacked someone with a cardboard tube and how proud you were. I will be most enthralled, I promise you." Her blond brows arched towards her hairline and she clasped her hands in front of her, in rapt attention, eyes wide. With the pleated skirt and tights, it was really a very good impression of an enraptured college student. Talya held the pose for a moment before sighing, "It's nothing. I am bored. I am lonely. Do you know who shows up to visit me? Dimitri. Everyone else is dead or busy. And it is tiresome." Talya paused for a moment before adding, "Or I am still cross at them. There is a small number of people that I am too cross to spend time with. Regardless, I am upset that I am starting to lose track of time like that ninnyhammer, Ace, and I am cross that I genuinely look forward to the Russian showing up on my doorstep with vodka. It is a sad state of affairs but nothing world ending, for mercy's sake. I also had to attend a veteran's thing which never puts me in the best of moods. It's all very banal, dearest. Have you found the tea?"
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"I have not yet had the pleasure," Talya confirmed, leaning over to eye the bubble wrap with some bemusement. She pushed her ponytail back from her shoulder as she straightened up, flicking the hair back with elegant fingertips, "You DO know they make foam padding for just such an issue? Although it takes forever to get the sticky residue off afterwords so I wouldn't go tacking it to anything you're not willing to scrub paint off of eventually." She turned back then to eye one of the plants with genuine interest, although even without her usual makeup and stylings the nuances of her expressions remained subdued. "I look forward to meeting her. I always enjoy ageless immortals. They look at me like I'm an utter child. It's most refreshing," Talya's smile turned briefly flirtatious then as she glanced over her shoulder, "I've always had a weakness for being the younger one in a relationship and it grows ever more difficult as I soldier on." She was teasing and she turned full towards Erik once more to rest her hip against the bubble wrapped corner of the table, her smile faded without ever turning to laughter, "Don't be absurd. It's hardly your fault and I'm not worth worrying about. Given enough time, I always turn up alright. Like a bad penny, really. If there was something that could actually kill me, I'd have stumbled into ages ago with my habits. It wasn't anything worth talking about save for the unfortunate fact that when one is with someone who has lost sense of time's passing it becomes very easy to pick up that bad habit."
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Talya, too, ordered without opening the menu. She offered the waiter a sidelong, flirtatious smile, "I'll have the same as my date. Thank you." She handed the menu over then, the urbane mask firmly in place, only to let it fall away forgotten as the waiter walked away. Without missing a beat, she shifted gears and let the coquettish smile fall away like the mask it was. The pleasant expression she fixed on Erik was likely just as much of one, in its own way, as she asked lightly, "And what objectives might those be?" Talya relaxed back into her chair, shifting to cross her legs once more. She continued on, "It'll pass, you know, in a few years at most. Everyone loves a redemption story - at least on the surface - and sustained anger is exhausting. A few obvious charitable works, saving some children or the elderly and the tide will turn. The angry words and altercations will fall away to grumblings and mutterings. Acceptance. That takes a bit longer but isn't impossible if you're actively courting it." Which made it sound an awful lot like that wasn't Talya's own personal goals with her interactions in the world.
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"Yes, well, shocking as it might be. I was, at one very distant point, much like any other middle-class girl expected to don an apron and make some fat merchant very happy with the requisite cigar and Sunday dinner on tap," Talya's tone was bemused, "Thankfully, fate took a different turn." "Busy? Hardly," Talya said as she turned to follow, her boots still falling softly on the floor in a way her heels never did. She may have procured them from whatever manufacturer supplied her 'working boots' so to speak. "Well, if by 'busy' you mean 'agreed to help Ace Danger with a 'small' favor' and ended up entangled in nonsense and antics for a few years. Then, certainly, I've been busy. I swear. That man." The aggravation that laced Talya's tone was genuine, although some of it was self directed. She knew well enough by now that things quickly spiraled out of control when Ace was involved. She dismissed her frustrations with a negligent wave of her hand, "But, no, apparently its twenty-fifteen now. Elena is full on in the midst of one of her internally focused bursts of contemplation. Ace is off still getting fed grapes by Amazons. And time, it seems, has marched steadily on. You, apparently, got married. And procreated! Mazel tov."
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"A girl's got to eat and there's not always a handy explosion at hand to sit blithely in front of," Talya said with her usual dry humor before she tipped her head to the side, the gesture familiar even if her current look was less so. She wasn't bothering to mute her habits and mannerisms as she would have if she were keeping up a true disguise, "Honestly, I grew up in the 1930s. Of course I know how to cook." Her amusement shifted then and she turned slightly, watching Erik's reflection in the mirrors before her gaze shifted back to the actual man, "Can't I stop in to say hello to a friend? I didn't really get to say a proper hello. Nor a thank you, once again, for coaxing those nice officers to assume that I might still be on the side of the angels."
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Talya was hardly immune to sweaty, muscular men and her gaze travelled down for a moment in a appreciation before she sighed and agreed, her tone rueful as the false American accent fell away to something more like her natural voice, "Well, I suppose we can look at me instead." The words were light, teasing and she relaxed her posture as the last of the students began to break up. A smile turned up the corner of her mouth, "Do you really think that I stroll the supermarket in pencil skirts and stilettos? I suppose I could but it would take much, much longer. Besides, I thought subtle might be more appreciated since it appears to be both mundane home and work. Take whatever time you need. Lord knows I have enough to spare." The words were light, easy. But they usually were when it came to Talya and she turned away to examine the dojo as Erik finished up.
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The blond slipped in as the most recent class was just starting to wrap up, rather like she'd timed it that way. Talya had paused outside to admire the facade and the rather bold sign choice. Of course, she really hadn't expected anything less. Letting the door shut behind her, she glanced at the front desk before slipping between the students currently filtering out towards the entrance. Crowds were really always the best cover one could ask for and old habits died hard. Although, Talya really wasn't up to any nefarious purpose today. The students didn't spare her a second glance, really, not beyond the occasional appreciative glance an attractive twenty-something blond might usually garner. Perhaps her boots fell a little too softly on the ground as she skirted the training area, working her way around to the professor. "Uh, Mr. Espadas?" She pitched her voice higher, the accent soft and vaguely mid-western. Hesitant, apologetic. "I was wondering if you might have an opening in one of these classes?" The woman asking the question was blond, pretty - certainly, but Talya was well aware that with softer, subtler makeup and her hair pulled back up into a loose ponytail, she presented a very different picture than her normal attire. That, really, was the point. Gone was the tailored 40's clothing in exchange for a soft turtleneck and a pleated skirt and tights that would have looked entirely normal on a woman her apparent age. The only real give away was Talya's laughing blue eyes, which crinkled around the corners as she added, still in the softer American drawl as there were still students about, "Hullo, Erik."
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"It's not fair but then, life has never been known for its fairness," Talya replied, easily switching to Russian as she took the cup in hand. She lifted it at the toast and then turned away to watch the city below, one elegant hand on the balcony railing. "But it does seem a special sort of cruelty that Amanda and Hank's children grew up without their parents and here you and I stand seventy years later. What's that old song... only the good die young? I don't know, Dimitri." Talya turned then to hold out the empty flask cap to Comrade Frost once more, her urbanely serene mask never slipping from her features despite the weariness in her words. "I hate these sorts of things. It grows more depressing every year."
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Robin had been very, very quiet although she hadn't jerked away from the comforting arm that Riley offered. Her expression remained almost mutinous as she watched the unfolding scenario. By the time Aníbal had returned from his own version of a test, Robin had shaken off enough of her black mood to offer a look of commiseration, "These tests are the worst," she offered to the boy and gave Riley's hand a gentle pat. "Knock 'em dead, Riley. You got this," Robin offered, settling into a loose stance with her arms crossed.
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Phantom remained quiet as the students volunteered answers although she offered both Huang and Raina approving looks at their responses. "This is true. Each dimension has its own issues and dangers. Traversing the cosmic coil isn't something even trained mystics do lightly - or easily. Whenever possible, it's best to know what you're leaping into. But more than that..." Phantom gestured with one gloved hand towards the portal she held open. "Every time travel happens, the barrier between words weakens just a little more. This dimension sees more travel than many - it also has the attention of the Terminus more often than others. These are not unrelated. Weakening the barriers can have disastrous consequences. World ending. Universe ending." Maaaybe, Phantom might have toned down her dire lecture on the consequence of travel but she was used to dealing with adult super heroes. STUBBORN adult super heroes. "As to creating tethers, we shall see about working on spells to discern your dimensional signature from your own body and trace it through the coil after the field trip. This, obviously, will be a more difficult task for the non-natives to Prime, like Riley and like my son. Now, who would like to go first." Through the very dangerous and possibly world ending portal! As the children crossed over, there was a distinct chill not unlike breaking through a lake's surface but they would step out into a grassy scrub land with a clear view of the sea. The birds overhead were unlike anything in this particular universe as their evolutionary path had been a very different one.
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"I didn't say that you can't make the net-worth of your life a positive rather than a negative - just that nothing makes it ever go away," Talya clarified with a shake of her head, "Redemption, certainly, can be found. Without a doubt. You can always choose to turn away and walk a better path. A brighter path. But you can't ever actually change where your journey started. It is very easy to become Lady MacBeth, ever scrubbing at the bloodstains only you can see." She gave a flick of her fingertips to dismiss the subject, "Ah, but those are words of wisdom for a later point in your journey. Let us return to the point at hand, the immediate, which concerns how to interact with the public without running mad - and also without my personal preference of delicate compartmentalization. Hm." Talya paused to tap one elegant fingertip against her lips. "Well, do you want advice on how to be accepted more quickly or how to soldier on through the worst of it?"
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"Now there's a man who deserves to burn in a very special part of hell," Talya commented as she turned the silver flask over in her hand, her thumb brushing over the smooth silver surface and the old lettering. The smile she turned to Henry was welcoming, "Tell our new friend how you ended up with this flask, Dimitri. It's a good story." Of course, it was Talya so 'good' could have any number of a wide variety of meanings. While Henry joined them, Talya took a drink from the flask like she was used to sharing vodka with Russians. Just like riding a bike, really, that was. She handed it back to Dimitiri as her throat burned. "Tastes like fire and death, my dear," it sounded not unlike a compliment. "And like it is very likely not legal in this country."
