ic A New Member Of The Family (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

Ashley made a surprised noise that might have been "nya" before her training and experience quickly reasserted themselves. "I-am a graduate of Claremont Academy who studied under Mr Lumins," she agreed. "As for my career as a teenage vigilante," she went on, her tone curling with belated embarrassment, "I'm sure if we all sat here and traded stories about the people we were in high school, we could all find some embarrassing things." She left it there, not wanting to show her ass anymore than she already had. "Anyway, I think that covers everything I was planning to discuss." Despite the urge to get up and bolt, she kept her seat and asked, "Does anyone else have any questions for me?" 

[Fox]

"Embarrassing or not, it's a little encouraging to hear," said Gaian Knight, folding his hands on the table. "It's one thing to say you have experience training under the best - it's another to know where that happened, and to know that you have practical experience in the community. We're not going to spread that around against your will, of course, but if you do get push-back from other heroes your history might help to win them over. It's something to think about."

 

"One assumes she doesn't need us to tell the government how to play politics," drawled Tiamat, who had been looking ever less interested as the conversation went on; Gaian Knight only shrugged, conceding the point without contest. "If there aren't any other questions for the Patriot, perhaps we can move on to a great deal of congratulations and thinly-disguised attempts to get gossip and secrets out of Fleur."

[Avenger Assembled]

"The first is mine to offer, but you don't have to talk about anything personal in front of the newbie," said the Patriot good-humoredly. Ashley took that as her cue to start packing, though she didn't rush on the way out. If the team was willing to talk openly in front of her, that was all to the good; if not, maybe there'd be another couple of questions for her. Things had gone pretty well, even if she was still coloring a little in her cheeks at the thought of Fleur remembering her first time in high schools. At least she didn't ask me about the second! she thought wryly, lingering in the room as the conversation started. 

[Electra]

"I'll take the congratulations," Fleur said good-naturedly, "but I haven't got much to give you in terms of gossip and secrets, unless you want all the dirt on the romantic travails of the giant bees. I didn't even think that was a thing bees did, but somebody explained that you can have romance without any reproduction at all and they have taken that and just run with it. Schedule-wise, I'm due in the first or second week of December, so I'm going to be moving to the reserve list starting now, and expect to be entirely off-duty except for apocalypses from October to February or so. But if you need somebody to visit schools or make a goodwill visit, now you have somebody to pawn that off on. And of course I mean the new Patriot," she quipped. "But really, I can still do some work, just nothing in the field unless nobody else can handle it." 

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had relaxed as Patriot pushed back again, and had even given her a nod. He clearly respected her resolve in the face of their questioning, and seemed at least generally satisfied with her response and that of the governments. Even if it was obvious the fugitive Revere bothered him a great deal. 

 

"We know how to contact you if needed. We really do appreciate your time, Patriot. Have a good rest of your day, and do not hesitate to request assistance with the...situation...if you feel it is needed. All of us would be more than happy to help capture this individual."

 

He smiled but was not over-gregarious as Fleur began to share just a bit about things. Patriot was headed out the door, so he was less concerned about being "too open". He'd been on and off of Sanctuary but this was a busy season for him. Perhaps busier than it ought to be, considering what he'd missed. He laughed a bit at the mention of school visits. 

 

"We all know I was doing more than half of the school visits anyways. I'm a walking, talking shiny object to keep the kids distracted. But yes, we'll let you take whatever sort of relaxation you need. Though hopefully you aren't finding our showers of congratulations and questions to be too much? This isn't some reaction from the incident with that strange fear-monster, is it?"

[RocketLord]

"Eh, don't even need to go back to high school for that..." Casper mumbled to no one in particular, having leaned back in the chair to just listen, without really having had much to add until now. 

 

He waved at Patriot as she left, smiling slightly under the mask. Seemed like a good enough kid, even if she was being a bit stiff. Could hardly blame her for that, though.

 

"Wait, you're saying that a fear monster did..." Casper looked to Gabriel, paused and gestured somewhat awkwardly to Fleur. "That? Really?"

 

Casper shook his head. "Alright, alright, I'll bite then. Just in case you didn't get pregnant from some fear monster, I gotta ask: Who's the dad? Completely fine if it's a secret and all that, but I'm sure we're all dying to know."

[Electra]

Stesha's face, which started as  wryly amused by Gabriel's question, quickly shifted to startlement at Ghost's assumption before settling back at calm and composed. "Okay, to gather up all those questions, no, the baby is not half fear monster, and no, I didn't come back from the dead pregnant. I won't say it's entirely unrelated, since coming back from the dead can really do a lot to make you reevaluate what you want to be doing with your life."

 

She picked up her glass of water, looked down into it, then set it aside without drinking to focus mostly on Carson. "I know you know the kind of rut I let myself get into after everything with Derrick. It didn't feel great, but it was easy to get busy and just coast along until something popped up and made me take a look at my life. I've always wanted a big family, and that doesn't always require a partner." Now the smile was back, if a bit rueful, as she glanced at the ring of flowers and small mushrooms that had sprung out of the carpeting around her chair during the meeting. "You just have to want it badly enough." 

[Avenger Assembled]

Ashley had decided to stick it out with her new coworkers after all, which meant she was hanging around just in time to hear the big news. Briefly and irrationally she thought about her implant and made a mental note to check that it was okay, just in case. Better just be careful about copying her powers if that's something she can do to herself, she added mentally, focusing on the tactics of the situation. "Congratulations," she said, because it seemed to be the right thing to say. She poured herself a glass of water too, wondering if the Raven already knew about this. Of course, Callie had focused on her work too, even if she had found a family while doing that. "So I guess that makes it another girl?" she hazarded. "Who's your doctor? I don't really know anyone in the medical community who knows anything about meta stuff." 

[Electra]

"I'm mostly working with a midwife on Sanctuary, but I also see Miss Americana for my ultrasounds and such," Stesha confided easily. "She did the same for me when I was pregnant with Amaryllis. It was a little awkward to realize she'd never actually been to medical school or done an obstetric exam before my first appointment, but it all turned out all right." She laughed. "I guess being one of the smartest people in the world probably makes up for a few years of med school, though in retrospect I understand why she seemed a little bit nervous."

 

More relaxed again, Stesha fished a second doughnut out of the box, then brushed aside a tendril of ivy trying to snake its way out of her flower crown. "We don't have too many actual doctors," she told Ashley, "but there are several places you can go if you have questions about how your powers might affect your health. If ArcheTech can't do what you need, the Albright Institute has some really smart researchers, and there's the Atoms and their new thing as well." 

[Fox]

"It often ends up being less about the doctoring and more about whatever specialty would apply best to a given metahuman," agreed Gaian Knight; with more formal business done he'd settle back into his chair a bit, casual without slouching. It was an office hours trick. "If you have magic concerns, you probably need a magician more than a medical doctor; if you've sprung a coolant leak, you probably need an engineer, and we have a few of those we've worked with regularly. If your problem really is biological, or intersects heavily with your biology, then it isn't going to hurt to grab a couple near-experts and watch them put their heads together. If you can't find a meta-human specialist, then a regular doctor and a brilliant biologist may be able to sort you out, and they'll probably be excited to do it."

 

"And for dire problems," observed Tiamat, "we know a few proper healers." Her stress on 'proper' probably underscored her opinion on modern, mundane medicine.

 

"That too, present company absolutely included," agreed Gaian Knight. "And, ah, speaking of company - I assume Amaryllis knows already. Is she excited?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Miss Americana, okay. I'll have to look her up." She knew Miss Americana had already done work for AEGIS and the first Patriot, even if the relevant skillset between a robot and a human seemed pretty divergent. She kept her distance as Fleur talked medicine with her friends, glad that the news was keeping everyone from probing too much into her introduction. Hm. she thought. She didn't answer my question about gender, but maybe she didn't need to. She briefly pondered what a gender reveal party would look like if everyone was superpowered, then decided that was both a tactical scenario worth addressing and not something she wanted to think about in much detail. Jeez, she thought, she hasn't aged since she started out, it looks like. Guess she could just have as many kids as she wants, as long as she wants? That also went into the "worth evaluating but not thinking about" box. 

[KnightDisciple]

Carson sat there quietly for the next couple of minutes after Stesha clarified that her pregnancy was, essentially, self-induced. He was happy for his friend to be happy, there was no question; her daughter was a delightful child, and he was confident Stesha would ensure her second child was raised just as well. But he couldn't help but be at least slightly uncomfortable with the potential ripple effect that the self-resurrecting plant-controlling metahuman woman bearing a child conceived without the aid of a father might have on the communities on Sanctuary. Particularly among those who already regarded her with near-worshipful attention. 

 

'Probably need to sit down with some of the monks and gently speak about it. She's going to be showing so much soon that there's not going to be a way to hide it. Just to try and think about how to deal with some of the questions from those who attend our services.'

 

Outwardly, he smiled at Stesha.

 

"I'm happy, Stesha. It seems like you've found a bit more....I don't know if 'balance' is the right word. But I'm glad you're finding your own way again instead of staying in something of a holding pattern. Let me know if you need help with things around the house as the time gets closer."

[RocketLord]

"See? No fear monster." Ghost winked at Gabriel, his eyes just visible behind his mask.

 

Casper sounded more confident about this than he was. He was happy that he wore the mask. He was happy for Fleur. Really. But it wasn't really... well, it wasn't what he had thought he would be dealing with here today.

 

"So, uh... any ideas for names yet?"

[Electra]

Ammy's very excited," Stesha confirmed with a laugh. "She's right at the perfect age to be a big sister, old enough to help out, young enough that she's not too cool for family stuff. I've managed to convince her that the crib should not go in her room, but it took a little bit, and I've caught her telekinetically floating a few of her dolls lately." 

 

She turned her attention to Carson. "Thanks for the offer," she began, "I may take you up on that once I stop being able to see my feet, especially if the whole, hm, flower situation continues." She gestured vaguely at the faerie ring around her. "I'll need volunteers to mow my carpets. And honestly," she added, "I feel better now than I have in a long time. It's nice to feel like something new is starting." She smiled over at Ghost. "Nope, not yet! And if i did I couldn't tell, it would disrupt the baby pool. That would be cheating." 

 

"Anyway," she wert on, looking at the whole group, "any other important news we need to cover?" 

 

[Avenger Assembled]

"This...this happens because you're pregnant?" asked Ashley, bending down to study the ring of flowers and mushrooms that were still growing around Stesha's feet. Jesus, that seems really inconvenient. It occurred to her that she didn't actually know very much about metahuman pregnancies, and decided to change the subject as she stood up, absently slipping a small flower in her pocket.  "I think I'm done," she offered. "I'll go upstairs and see that space you mentioned, Gabriel," she offered to Carson, "and then after that I think I'll head back to base. Thank you all again for having me, and for being understanding. And congratulations to you, Stesha," she added with a smile. "If you get any tabloid crap, you tell them the Patriot says there's nothing more American than a powerful woman taking care of her kids." 

[Fox]

"A souvenir?" asked Gaian Knight, though his tone was nothing but friendly, head propped up on one fist as he enjoyed the discussion. He'd always enjoyed when everyone could just...chat. There was so little time for it some days. "Not that I'd imagine Fleur's creating a bunch of poisonous poppies, given the circumstances, but you never know and magic can do some interesting things. It's probably worth treating the flower with respect, either way."

 

It was fairly subtle. Tiamat was less so. "If we find out later that a plant monster has shown up in a government facility," she said, "I won't think highly of it." She was also smiling. Her smile was not especially nice. "Flowers, I think, are for admiring and not experimentation."

 

"Benefit of the doubt, Tiamat." She didn't look convinced, but the knight shook his head rather than push it further. "Sorry. And, again, welcome - don't hesitate to reach out if you need us. For my part, though, no - I didn't have anything else to cover. Anyone?"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel tapped a couple of commands on the tablet that had been to one side. A soft tone sounded in the hall outside as he turned to Ashley with a smile. 

"Up three floors, turn right from the elevator, fourth door on the left. There's guide-lights in the halls outside to make sure you don't get lost. Thank you again for your time, Patriot."

 

At the mention of tabloids, Gabriel gives a smile that's somehow completely devoid of warmth.

"I know how to handle people who would besmirch the profession of journalism, and attempt to slander our own membership."

[RocketLord]

"Huh. Pregnancy flowers," Ghost mused out loud, peeking around to look at the flowers near Fleur's feet. "That's... Wait. How are they even growing on the floor? Are they like, growing through the floor? On top of it?"

 

 He was brought out of his musings by Patriot's announcement, and quickly raised his name in a salute. "Good to meet you, Pat. Stay safe out there."

[Electra]

"It's magic," Fleur replied with an easy smile and a shrug. "They don't stick around long once I'm gone unless I want them to, the roots are just curled around the carpet fibers for stability. If I want to actually put plants in that will last, like the crops on Sanctuary, I have to at least try." For plants that weren't rooted in anything in particular, the crowd surrounding Stesha currently seemed very healthy. "When I was pregnant with Ammy, I just assumed it was the baby flexing her powers, but then she didn't really start controlling plants until she was a toddler. It might just be my own hormones, but I really have no idea. It's a little annoying sometimes, but harmless. Feel free to take doughnuts with you," she offered, "I bought plenty for everybody." She didn't react to the pocketed flower, but with her allies already having spoken up, she didn't really need to. 

[Avenger Assembled]

Diplomacy with dragons actually was something that had been covered in the training of Callie Summers, though under rather different circumstances than this. The Patriot smirked at Teagan, showing teeth, and said, "You can feel free to complain to my boss if you don't like my work, Tiamat, but I've got 300 million of those so it may take you a while." She smiled. "Thanks again, everyone." then headed upstairs, following Gabriel's directions. This wasn't going to be easy, but it wasn't going to be hard in the ways she had worried about either. She could live with that.