Electra

Stesha pulled her hat off and unwound her scarf, letting the daisies worked into her green braids subtly rearrange themselves into a less squashed configuration. "Just the two of us," she told Maybelle with a smile, "and a booster seat if you have one. And if the beef stroganoff is what I can smell right now, I think it's going to be hard to resist." She leaned down and took Ammy's coat off her, folding it over her arm with the rest of their winter wear. "I've been told the food here is fantastic and I shouldn't miss it, so here we are!"

"I understand," Paige told him gently. "It seems so much easier to try and forget the past, especially when it's so painful. But just because you don't think about it doesn't mean it's stopped hurting you. Sometimes it feels like if you look back too long, it'll swallow you whole. But looking at the past and coming to terms with it, that's the way you take your power back from it. And eventually it won't be a wound anymore, just a scar." She straightened up a little, looked him in the eye. "If you're not ready, Alek, we don't have to do this today. We can reschedule for another day, or I can write a recommendation to your counselor that you do more talk therapy or something else besides psychic intervention. Your mind is your territory, you're in charge of it," she told him very seriously.

"Now you remember how we act in a restaurant, right?" Stesha asked her companion soberly as they walked down 76th Street, all bundled up against the cold. "Inside voices and good table manners, and always say please and thank you." "I know, Mommy!" came Amaryllis' impatient voice, nearly lost under her layers of scarf and hood and hat. "I'm always good! And remember your promise? If I am good?" "Now what promise was that?" Stesha asked teasingly. "Ice cream!" Ammy crowed. "Ice cream?" Stesha repeated, pretending to be scandalized. "But it's so cold! Wouldn't you like a nice big cup of tomato soup instead?" "Nooooo, ice cream!" Ammy repeated, dancing from foot to foot as she walked. "I'm not even cold!" To prove it, she yanked off her hat and scarf, revealing her frizzy green curls. "Not cold!" Indeed, the little girl's cheeks weren't even pink from the wind. Stesha wondered if that was one more legacy from her void-traveling father. She wondered what would happen if and when Ammy learned to fly and manipulate gravity. Who would teach her? She shook the questions off, pushing them to another day. The past months had been so hard, they were due a happy girls' night out on Earth Prime. "All right then, Miss Not-Cold, if you're very good," Stesha acquiesced as they walked into the restaurant. It smelled fantastic, enough to make her mouth start watering pretty much instantly. "Wow, this place is packed. Guess it must be as good as they say."

"That's good," Paige told him with a smile. "I know it can be hard when you're more mature and better-trained than most of your peers. I didn't grow up like you, not even close, but it was a very restrictive environment, with a lot of discipline, rules to follow, not much time for fun. After I left, it took awhile to get used to the idea that it was all right to relax, and that if my friends didn't think the way I did, that didn't mean they or I were wrong." She leaned forward a little, wrists resting on her knees, palms open. "Are you nervous?"

Erin stared in consternation at the hours sign posted in the store window, then looked down at the note clutched in her glove. Picking up a book for Headmaster Summers hadn't seemed like it would be a big deal, since she was coming and going from campus for this mentoring deal anyway, but he'd told her she could drop by first thing in the morning when apparently the place didn't even open till noon. Sure, maybe even the freezing weather didn't require more than sweatshirt, gloves and headband from her, but it was still cold and dark and very dreary out. She'd have to come back tomorrow, or maybe try to squeeze something in on her lunch break. At least her particular skillset meant rarely having to deal with lunchtime traffic, and maybe she could pick a book up for herself. She was just turning away when the noise of footsteps on the sidewalk caught her attention. She looked up at the vaguely familiar but very well-covered figure loping down the sidewalk. Under all the cold weather gear, even a uniform would've been impossible to make out. "Blue Jay?" she asked tentatively. "Is that you?"

Sure Heritage, we can do that. Stesha doesn't spend as much time in Freedom City's parks as she used to, but she tries to keep her hand in. She'd appreciate meeting another civic-pride-minded superhero! It sounds like Casey might have a more interesting time of getting out to go park-hopping, so maybe you can set up the thread and Stesha will see her at the park?

"It's a game, a racing game, for the Wii," Erin explained as they walked back down the hall. She paused for a moment in front of the door to her old room, but it was closed and there was no indication of who might be living there now. Trying the handle would be very rude, and Alex and Oliver wouldn't be waiting behind it anyway. "You drive around a course and pull dirty tricks on other drivers to try and get your cart to the finish line first. I think I broke half-a-dozen wiimotes while I was getting the hang of it, but luckily James is really rich so he just replaced them for me. That fine muscle control is a pain, isn't it?" As they stepped out of the dorm, Erin shoved her hands into the pockets of her oversize sweater. "So are you on a team here?"

For once, Stesha had no argument to make with Comrade Frost's plan, and headed out with the doctor and his friends to find the needed chemicals. The herbs, at least, were easy enough for her to come up with herself, a timesaver that she especially appreciated once she noticed all the looks she was getting on the streets of 1927 Freedom City. She was used to getting second glances, her intricate green braids made certain of that, but now it was for her clothes too, for all it was just a somewhat dirty sweater and blue jeans. People were actively glaring at her wherever she went, and it was rather unnerving. Dr. Albert's quiet companion, a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense set to her chin, was an unexpected help, glaring right back at the passers-by and finally giving Stesha her own cloche and beaver coat so she wouldn't stand out as much. Even with the local expert guidance, it took hours to acquire all the ingredients on Frost's list, and even Stesha was tired by the time they returned to the site of the abortive ritual. "All right, we've got everything," she informed her colleague. "What do we do now?"

"And remember, text us if you have any questions, even little ones. Be good Holly, we love you!" Paige put her hand on her husband's shoulder and grinned at him. "Watch out for my hair." With that, they stepped out the front door and were gone, with nothing more than a blur of color and a quick rush of wind as the door shut behind them. The remaining trio stood for a moment, quiet, waiting. Then Holly asked, "If you're a princess, don't you have to wear crowns and dresses and stuff like that? Nobody will know who you are if you dress like that." She gestured to Thaelia's outfit. She looked at Errant, blushed a little, and folded her arms across her middle. "I mean, when we meet royalty, they're usually all dressed up."

"Sounds good." Erin smiled a little as they walked out of the main building, across the quad and into the dormitory. There was a definite sense of nostalgia at being back in her old stomping grounds, the first real home she'd had on Earth Prime. "They haven't changed things up much," she observed aloud. "Looks like they finally replaced the couch in the common room. James and I, he was Hellion, we would stay up all night playing Mario Kart because neither of us had to that often." Because neither of us wanted to sleep and face the nightmares, she thought but did not say. "How do you like living here? It's got to be different than where you come from."

"Fish is good," Erin agreed as they walked out of the office and into the much less intimidating corridor, pretending not to notice the younger girl's nerves. "There's a place down almost under the Pramas Bridge, I can't even remember the name of it, but they do a really good fish sandwich. My friends and I used to go there sometimes after patrol. You, ah, you can change into your civvies first if you want to, might attract a little less attention?" She herself was wearing blue jeans and a Freedom City University sweatshirt that made her look like any of a thousand local college students. "You don't have to, though."

Erin looked taken aback for a moment at Thaelia's squeak of excitement, but recovered quickly and smiled at her new student. "It's nice to meet you. When we're out of uniform like this, just call me Erin." She extended a hand to the Atlantean princess. "Headmaster Summers says we've got a lot in common." At the last words from the headmaster, Erin looked in his direction and swallowed visibly. "Ah, yessir. We'll do our best." Looking back to Thaelia, she jerked her head towards the door suggestively. "You wanna go grab lunch someplace besides the cafeteria? My treat."

Erin ran a hand through her hair, at a loss for words for a moment. The Liberty League had fans, same as Young Freedom had, she was used to that by now. But the admirers had always gravitated towards her more attractive colleagues and their flashier powers, which was fine with her. She did not mind being at the back of the group photos. The idea of someone being a fan specifically of hers was a little odd. But she did, sort of, a little bit, see the similarities Summers was talking about. "I'm afraid I'll only disillusion her in person, then," she admitted wryly, "but I guess I can't hurt to give it a shot. No commitment, right? If it doesn't work out, nobody's in trouble."

It was weird going back onto the Claremont campus, Erin decided, sort of like taking a brief trip back to her high school years. Which wasn't something she was exactly keen to do, for all she'd had some good times to go along with the hardships. Claremont had seen her lowest and highest points, her greatest victory and her most crushing defeats, but she'd found that she really preferred life in the quieter middle of the road. Coming into Duncan Summers office was definitely a reminder of some of those low points, and she found herself bracing for detention without even realizing it. She blinked in surprise when she heard Summers' request. Her time with Fulcrum had been interesting, and she'd picked up a few tips on living as an adult superhero, but they hadn't exactly been smooth sailing. After Thunderstanding had dumped her as a student, Erin hadn't been interested in another mentor relationship, and had made that clear in ways she was kind of embarrassed to remember. She hadn't been a very good, what, mentee? and she wasn't at all sure she'd do any better on the other side of the equation. "Um, I've been to Atlantis, she offered uncertainly, "a few years ago. And my double's roommate at Project Freedom is a Deep One, but they don't really get along." She shifted from one foot to the other, not quite willing to sit. "I don't know if I'm the sort of mentor you need," she admitted. "I'm sure there are better heroes in the city."

HGM: Sounds good! I'll see if I can get AA to set something up, since I like his Duncan Summers best. EternalPhoenix: Fun! I think Fleur and Queenie should definitely meet, they will probably get along really well. Maybe an evening park adventure one night when Queenie is not working, or maybe Stesha and Amaryllis could stop by her restaurant one night. Queenie would recognize her as Fleur de Joie if she has any knowledge of Freedom City heroes, and might like to chat? We should do another thread with Miss A and Terrifica too, eventually. Rav: That would definitely be an interesting thread, do you think it would be something set up through the school? Officially there is no recognition of what Young Freedom did on Graduation Day (and thus no accounting for what Erin did), but Duncan Summers and Dr. Marquez at Claremont are both aware.

I think all of those are strong ideas, HG, especially Glamazon with Wander (they have a lot of the same powers, could even be some kind of mentorship thing, alumni to student?) and Miss Americana checking out Argonaut to see what Harrier has been so worried about all this time. Which one would you like to do first?

Miss A laughed. "Now there's a protective pet! And a lot fewer messes to clean up, I imagine." She crouched down, still very graceful despite her clothes, and took a closer look at the cybernetic canine without reaching out to touch. "And installed in the shell of something harmless to throw off any potential thief or attacker. Clever." She rose to her feet. "You remind me of myself when I was starting out in my home lab, building a little bit of everything. It's good experience. You could go far here," she decided, almost musingly. "Let's show you your office." Down at the end of the hall, Miss A had Alex lay her hand on a palm scanner, then typed in a long code of numbers to authorize her to open that lab. Beyond the door was a short hallway with four offices off it, two of which were obviously tenanted already, two of which were not. They were fairly standard small offices, no windows, but plenty of desk space and some very high end computer equipment just waiting to be put to use. "You can pick either office you like, and the lab's down here." The end of the hall opened onto a large laboratory area, not as big as what Miss A had been working in, but nothing to sneeze at, either. More computers in here, along with banks of diagnostic equipment, fabricating tools, a 3-D printer larger than anything Alex had seen in person before, and plenty of work space. "Looks like your colleagues aren't in right now, but you'll meet them later. Did you have any more questions before I send you down to Human Resources?"

Paige chuckled. "I'm afraid that's a symptom of growing older. But there's always something new and exciting to replace what fades away. And eventually you'll stop growing. Hopefully, anyway! You and my son are about the same height, and I can't believe how quickly he shot up. You and he are at the same school now, do you know Will Cline?" She took a seat in one of the comfy chairs, her legs crossed at the ankle, her posture open. Classic interviewer pose, but it did generally work. "How do you like Claremont so far? I hear it's quite a change from Nicholson."

Paige turned hastily from the window at the sound of the door, her startlement fading quickly into slight exasperation and amusement. She wondered how often that sad puppy expression got him out of trouble. It had been almost five years since she'd last seen him, and he'd definitely started to grow into those deep eyes and angular features. Another five years, and maybe a few classes in public speaking, and he'd probably be fronting a superteam somewhere. Her voice was warm when she spoke, as friendly as she could make it without risking coming off as condescending. "Aleksander Garen Nakani, it's nice to see you again. It's been a long time."

Miss A reached into... well, Alex couldn't really tell where she reached, because there didn't seem to be a lot of room for pockets in the tailored suit, but she pulled out a small device that looked a lot like a flip-open tricorder from Star Trek. "This is one of my useful little tools, but it's focused mostly on engineering, not on medicine." She passed it over so Alex could take a look at it. "Being able to do in-depth diagnosis would make it a lot more valuable. You're welcome to take it apart and have a look at it." She looked down at Alex's briefcase and raised an amused eyebrow. "Something in there not happy about traveling steerage?" she guessed.

Paige smiled at the receptionist as she signed in at the Nicholson front office, a familiar procedure by now. Making the transition from West Coast to East Coast had been odd in many ways, but living near her daughter's new school had at least made it easier to volunteer for all the normal mom-things. Today, though, she was not here to chaperone a field trip or bring in treats. She felt Holly's surprised brush of recognition across her mind, sent back a wave of affection and an assurance she would pick her up after school. "We're in Counseling Room Two today?" "That's right, it's all set up," the receptionist told her. "They should be here any minute." Paige nodded and thanked her, then headed down the brightly-colored hallways that always smelled faintly of crayons and school lunches. She'd never attended a school like this, but still managed to feel a quick burst of nostalgia. Counseling Room Two was on the southwest corner of the building, a cozily-sized room with windows on two walls and a long-strip of one-way mirror that could be blocked with a partition for privacy. There were a couple of comfortable chairs, a giant beanbag in one corner, some books and toys on a shelf, and some framed pastoral art prints on the remaining wall. It was a comfortable room, that generally had to be used in uncomfortable moments. Paige wondered exactly how uncomfortable this was going to be.

Sure KD, both of those sound like fun. Which one would you like to do first?

I've recently noticed that most of my threads lately have been combat-oriented, and mostly with characters my characters already know. That's fun and all, but I'd like to change it up some. Anybody interested in doing some social or mostly-social threads with my characters, just to get acquainted and build inter-character networks? My general formula is "X and Y meet up while they're both out patroling" or "X meets Y in a park in the evening," or "X meets Y at some social function for costumed heroes," but I'm pretty flexible. There could be some light supervillainy as well. All of my characters are open for interaction. For those who do not know them, they are: Wander: 22 years old, Claremont alum, chief of security for HAX technology company but still goes out patrolling many nights. Likes: beating things with sticks, vintage cars, cats. Dislikes: zombies (a lot) A bit standoffish, but always willing to help out a fellow hero Fleur de Joie: 29 years old, mother of one, plant controller, Freedom League member. Runs her own planet, which takes up quite a bit of time, but she'll be spending some nights in March in the parks of Freedom City, helping the spring to come a little early. Very friendly and gregarious, loves making new friends. Miss Americana: Late twenties, well-known patriotic paragon and CEO of ArcheTech Industries. Spends a lot of time doing charity work and public relations for her company, or working on robots in her extensive lab facilities. Also does some recruiting work at local colleges, but is almost never seen "off-duty." Hologram: Late 40s but looks 35, mother of two, co-star of popular Discovery Channel show SuperCrime!, focused on famous heists committed by supervillains and the superheroes who fight them. Works in LA but can be found in Port Regal and Bayview, volunteering at the super schools her children attend. Rarely patrols, but makes her contact information widely available for those in need of psychic assistance. Anybody who's interested in doing a meet-up thread, just reply here or drop me a PM and we'll work something out, or tag me in chat. I'm especially interested in characters I haven't gotten a chance to play with before.

The fight was not going well, Hologram realized as she looked around. It was time for a new tactic. She reached out to another of the strange monsters with her mind, but this time did not try to tear into it. Instead, black tendrils of thought energy curled around it, clouding its eyes, covering its ears as she whispered suggestions to it from a distance. With a sudden burst of movement, it lashed out against its nearest fellow, dealing a vicious blow! Paige had time for only a moment of satisfaction before the last monster took a swipe at her in turn, making her entire body shudder with the force of resisting its attack. ~We may need a new strategy,~ she projected to the others.

"They've only been with the company a few weeks, so they won't have much of a seniority advantage on you," Miss A assured Alex as she walked to a hidden closet on one wall and pulled out a smart red blazer. She shrugged into it, then grabbed the briefcase Emerson brought over to her. "Rachel is a specialist in biomechanics and prosthetics," Miss A began as she beckoned Alex into the hallway and back towards the elevator. "She hails from Wisconsin and this is her first time living in a big city and not in college, so that's exciting. Ben's from Scotland originally, he did his doctoral project on the integration of AI with adaptive robotics, so you'll probably have fun talking with him about your dad's monkey. They're nice, you'll like them," she assured the new hire breezily. "I like talented people, but I try not to hire too many jackasses. Bad for morale. Nine, please." The elevator chimed recognition of its mistress' voice and began moving downward, depositing them on a floor that was quite similar to the one they'd just left. "You'll have a few days to get settled in here before you're assigned to any teams. Any big plans for your first project?"