Takes A Thief [IC]

[alderwitch]

Talya Browning, the sensational Bombshell, was really up to no good today. She was bored to start with, which as Elena would have been quick to avow, was never a good thing. So, when something happened across her path, it was with downright glee that she switched her way over to head to the Brownstone and the local of the Interceptors. Did she have other people she could have gone to for this information? Probably. Would it have been nearly so entertaining? Oh, definitely not.

Rather than stopping by the front door, Talya landed into the back yard. She wasn't in costume and wasn't even - for once - in her 40's spy wear. No, she was wearing contemporary clothing, a short pleated skirt, and a ribbed turtleneck that was rather tight through front of the shirt and tasteful heeled mary janes. It was actually because of where she'd directly come from that she was dressed like some sort of college school girl from the sixties - but she had a moment's concern that they might just blast her on the spot and while she'd get better - eventually - unlike Ace, Bombshell did not enjoy demonstrating that little trick. It was painful, and best used only in emergencies.

She pulled a white handkerchief from her sleeve and waved at the cameras. "I come in peace?" She provided to the security system before looking around for a place to sit while she waited. Bombshell wasn't in a big enough hurry to risk the AI's patience on jimmying the lock. Best to get on the security system's good side before pulling that little stunt.

[Gizmo]

As Talya took a seat, there was a faint whir of machinery to her left as a panel slid away on the unassuming barbecue sitting there to reveal a screen upon which the neon clad avatar of the building's resident artificial intelligence, Vince, appeared. The simulated talk show host adjusted a bolo tie with one hand uncertainly. "Ms. Browning! This is... a little awkward, honestly," he admitted. "On one diode, I struggle to imagine a locale that wouldn't be immediately improved by your sheer vivaciousness! On the other... well, the phrase 'rob you all blind' is featured rather prominently in your file."

[alderwitch]

Talya turned her head although she made no move to get up since seated always came off as just a little more harmless. She crossed her legs, letting the skirt ride up a little. Who knew, the AI might just be that well developed! She smiled and leaned forward slightly, "Well, I thought that Lynn might not remember her open door offer and I really didn't want to put you in the always awkward position of trying to contain me were we to have that little... misunderstanding."

Smoothing the edge of her skirt with a practiced gesture, she added, "It isn't pleasure - well it isn't just pleasure that brings me to your lovely patio. It is lovely, by the way. Do you do the landscaping yourself?"

[Gizmo]

"Ah heh. Hoo..." Vince chuckled with simulated nervousness, mopping his brow lightly with a handkerchief which appeared conveniently in his hand. "Well, ah, no, not me. No hands!" the AI explained, waving his avatar's extremities to illustrate the point. "I've got turrets, though, and lots of security cameras. Oodles, really. All over. And sensors, too. Very comprehensive. I'm just saying." There was an awkward pause before he continued. "I'm just... going to see who's home, then."

[alderwitch]

Talya laughed and sat back, resting her hands on the chair behind her, her posture indolent. "Go right ahead, I'll just be sitting here... admiring the scenery and trying to see if I can find all of your sensors. Does my file say just how much I enjoy the challenge of a good security system? Just how complete, I wonder, is that little file of yours."

It probably did say quite a bit about Talya's love of a challenge, in between the 'rob you blind' statements. She smiled at the screen before glancing at her watch and started her own mental timer. "One in the planter over there, right?"

[Geez3r]

Dynamo was up in his room doing some more homework. Well actually, that was a lie. He was playing video games. He should be doing his homework. It seemed as if the professors wanted to get all the work done before Thanksgiving break so they had really upped the work load in the past couple of weeks. He could do it all in a couple of minutes, but then he wouldn't really gain all that much from it. His memory retention was getting better at higher speeds, but it still wasn't as good as it was doing things the boring, slow way. '

Pausing the game for a moment, Eli got up to stretch a bit, having been sitting on his keester for the better part of a half hour. During his stretch, he caught a glimpse of the backyard and had to do a double take. "Vince...." said Eli slowly. "Is that who I think it is?"

[Gizmo]

"Well, it's got some measurements that I'm not convinced are entirely professional, if that's what you mean," Vince told Talya blithely while in Eli's bedroom another image of him winked into existence on the screen that had moments before been host to the speedster's game. Easily able to maintain two conversations at once, he told the young man, "It is, and no offense my youthful chum, but I'm really hoping someone other than the Speed-Walking Hormone is around to deal with her."

Down by the patio, the rear door to the brownstone apartment building opened as the swashbuckler known as Jack of all Blades sauntered out. The athletic swordsman had long since given up on concealing his face among those heroes who knew where the Interceptors had set up shop, and wore a simple black t-shirt and faded jeans, a wry smirk playing amidst a day's worth of stubble. "Hey, Shelly. This is kinda getting to be a thing, huh?"

Above, the iteration of Vince on Eli's screen pulled his hands down his face in a look of beleaguered despair. "That is the opposite of better."

[alderwitch]

"I don't know. You tell me." Talya smiled slowly and uncrossed her legs, moving to stand up with easy grace. She brushed the skirt, straightening the pleats so that they hung neatly in place. One would never guess that she'd taken her usual method of travel across the city. She'd stolen anti-wrinkle secrets from Ace ages ago. Talya took a step towards him and tilted her face up, "Maybe I just got lonely. I do, you know. Get lonely."

Never one to forget the presence of security footage, she glanced back towards the screen and flashed a wicked grin at the AI, "Forty-two. That's the number of sensors I found so far. How did I do?"

[Geez3r]

"None taken." replied Eli as he watched the scene below develop. "Sorry Vince, but I ain't gonna let Jack hog all the fun." continued Eli as he dashes out of the room getting dressed, brushing his teeth, etc. at high speed. He goes back down to normal speed as he goes down the stairs, and heads towards the back patio. Standing in the doorway, he takes just a little bit of pleasure in spoiling the moment for Jack, calling out "Hey Jack. Who's your friend?" Well it was that and he could practically see the aneurysm for in Vince's head. This was a good day to be an Interceptor. Name kind of takes on a whole new meaning now... mused Eli.

[Gizmo]

As Eli jogged over, Jack dryly shoved the side of the younger man's head. "You've already met her, at Lynn's party. Or are you just having trouble placing her face?" He gave Talya a brief gesture of resigned commiseration with one hand before folding his arms. "And I'm pretty sure there's only thirty five back here."

On the barbecue screen, Vince planted his head solidly on his desk, his sound system replicating the resonant thunk. "Why would you tell her that?!"

Before the fencer could answer, an annoyed young woman stepped out of the building, busily trying to brush her dyed black hair back into a semblance of order with her hands, looking as though she'd just been in a wind tunnel. "Dammit, Zip, what are you is such rush--" Seeing the woman in the turtleneck, the teen the immortal spy knew as Jill rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Of course. That'd do it." Hopping up to sit on the patio's metal railing, she let her overlapping bangle bracelets clatter down from under the sleeves of her loose dress shirt.

[alderwitch]

Talya laughed at Vince's rather comical dismay, flashing a quick conspiritorial smile at Jack, "Likely because he's hoping to nip my curiosity in the bud. Which is all well and good as I really did come for a point and purpose. You know, not just a social call. It doesn't do to seem over eager."

"Hello," Talya greeted the speedster and then turned an amused smile to Jill's aggravated tone, "And hello to you as well. Full house inside today? Talya, by the way, is fine. How do you do?"

She offered her hand to Eli as he was closer, her old fashioned manners at odds with the contemporary clothing but she was equally comfortable with either.

[Geez3r]

"Hello... again apparently." said Eli a little sheepishly to Talya, but he was at least able to shake her hand like a gentlemen. He honestly didn't remember meeting her. Turning his attention to Jack he retorted "Yeah, I met her once four months ago, along with like half the hero population of the city. That's a lot of names and faces. And it was four months ago. Do you have any idea how long 4 months is to me?" Truth be told, his memory got a little spotty if he spent a nice chunk of the day at high speed, as he had done that day preparing everything for Grim's party. Turning to Talya, he hastily added "Not that I'm saying you're forgettable or anything. I was just a little... distracted that day."

[Gizmo]

"Hurr hurr, I bet you were," Jill called from the patio, holding onto the railing and leaning back slightly with a thin smirk.

Jack snapped his mouth closed and tossed his sibling an annoyed look. "Stop stealing my lines, hermanita," he called back to her.

Rolling her eyes again, the teenager blew a lock of unruly hair off of her forehead and countered, "Stop being so slow on the uptake, hemano."

[alderwitch]

Talya smiled slightly at that and waved her hand, "Oh no, I know. I was standing between Scarab and Ace Danger. I'm well aware of how noteworthy I am between those two. I've had to make an entrance on their arms many times before. Well, technically it was the first Scarab. That's really neither here nor there."

She turned her head back to the bickering siblings and added with studious innocence. "I :ahem: found something, that I was hoping I could get a professional opinion on. Do you think it would be alright if we went inside. I promise to not touch any of the sensors or turrets or cameras." She paused and then grinned, "Unless asked to, of course. I am nothing if not accommodating."

[Heritage]

"I :ahem: found something, that I was hoping I could get a professional opinion on. Do you think it would be alright if we went inside. I promise to not touch any of the sensors or turrets or cameras." She paused and then grinned, "Unless asked to, of course. I am nothing if not accommodating."

"Well I was the one who was dumb enough to give her an open invite to our house, so if she steals anything, it's coming out of my paycheck."

Grim's disembodied voice was followed shortly by her actual body, which materialized on the patio next to Jill, leaning over the railing. She looked to be wearing an oversized Freedom Collge sweatshirt, baggy khaki shorts and a pair of white socks. The changeling grinned and shook her head at the supposedly reformed cat burglar.

"Hi Talya. You want some tea while you're casually casing the joint? We've got Earl Grey and a bunch of Celestial Seasonings."

[Gizmo]

"Ah, but Mr. Danger's reputation was built on always having the most stunning date in the room," Jack observed with a courtly gesture. "You might say he's a personal hero of mine."

Behind him, Jill made a oft sound that indicated some mixture of disdain and nausea. "Make him stop, Lynn," she pleaded dryly as the shapeshifter appeared next to her. Her brother, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow briefly, momentarily surprised that he hadn't felt the familiar tingle of Grimalkin's glamour until she revealed herself.

[alderwitch]

Tayla looked as amused at Jack's comment as she was at Grim's, "Oh, I would never be so crass as to 'case a joint'. That's for amateurs. If I was going to rob you - which would be so terribly rude - it would have to be today. You don't linger if you're going to commit grand larceny. You do it all in one fell swoop. It's like reaching into fire. Best done quickly and cleanly."

She smoothed out her skirt and beamed at them both, "Some tea would be lovely, thank you. How civilized. Earl Grey will be fine."

Her gaze twinkled with amusement at Jack as she added with a wink, "And it was built on so much more than that, but I thank you for the compliment. I could tell you such stories... Ah, but another time, perhaps."

Talya dutifully kept her hands in plain sight when she went to step inside. Which really could have been its own diversion but she was actually on good behavior for the moment... not only because she'd already 'borrowed' something once today.

[Heritage]

"Some tea would be lovely, thank you. How civilized. Earl Grey will be fine."

Lynn nodded as she spun on her heel and headed inside to the kitchen.

"Gotcha, Earl Grey comin' right up."

With Tayla being a bit of an old-fashioned girl, the shapeshifter filled up the teapot and put it on the stove (she usually used the microwave to heat water), then snagged two cups and the butter cookie tin they kept all the teabags in. She dropped the teabags into the cups (she was having Mint Medley) and then hopped up on the counter, danging her feet into space as she called out to the team's AI.

"Vince, can you see if Colt and Fulcrum are available? Might as well get everyone in on this."

[Geez3r]

Eli grumbled worldessly at Jill's retort. He wanted to say something back, but she had her brother's snark in spades and continuing the snark fest with either of them would be rubbing salt in the wounds. He had always had trouble not making a fool of himself in front of pretty girls, and even though all three were "taken" and even though he had gotten better at it in the past couple of months (being a super hero is a nice confidence booster), he didn't want to screw it up and wind up back peddling.

While waiting for Vince to see if Colt or Fulcrum were around, Dynamo busied himself by doing the dishes from this morning's breakfast. He usually didn't let them sit out this long, but he had gone out on patrol almost immediately after, responding to what turned out to be a false alarm. When he got back, he didn't feel like doing them and had been putting it off. But now he had to make it look nice for company.

[alderwitch]

It seemed the most politic to follow Grim into the kitchen since if she had been there to steal something, splitting their attention would have been on of her first tactics. That, was no doubt also in Vince's memory banks. She watched with interest as Grim made up the tea and then turned her gaze back to the rest of the Interceptors that were present.

"Ah, lovely," she commented to Grim and then lightly lacing her fingers together, Talya smiled: the very picture of innocence as she turned back to Jack, "As I said, sweetie, while I'm always glad for a reason to visit. I do have one."

Her slender hands shifted, and like a magician pulling a scarf from her sleeve produced a slim leather book that looked quite old, "I found something rather interesting. I think it might be right up your alley. Well, the team-you to be specific."

[Dariusprime]

Cups and cabinets rumbled momentarily. A minute or so later Fulcrum came upstairs in her work-out clothes. She was nursing one arm gently and grumbling to herself.

"...great boss, Vince, but damnit, please don't interrupt when I going for 1,000 tons! You know how hard...," she stopped, looking over the crew.

"Oh, that's what you wanted. Sorry, Boss."

Leaning against the door frame, she asked, "What did I miss?"

[Heritage]

"What did I miss?"

Grim ticked off the key points on her fingers.

"Tayla's all hot and mysterious, Jackie B loves double entendres and his sister is the Queen of Snarkovia." She looked from face to face. "Did I miss anything major?"

All silliness aside, the changeling indicated the slim volume in Bombshell's hands with a nod as she hopped off the counter to tend to the kettle.

"So what's in the bookie-book?"

[Gizmo]

Jill took a seat at the kitchen counter and nodded benevolently to Lynn, giving the shapeshifter a florid wave. "We are pleased to visit your quaint, backward nation, hem hem." The coltish teen gave the leather bound book an appraising look before turning her attention to Talya. "So, when you say 'found'..."

"Quiet, hermanita," Jack instructed with a light, glancing cuff that ruffled the younger sibling's hair. "The grown ups are talking."

Glaring at him as she fixed her hair once again, Jill countered, "I'm just saying there's a double standard here."

"Yeah, but it's not polite to make a thing about it. So, what the deal with the book, 'Shelly?" the fencer asked.

Rolling her eyes again, the young woman crossed her arms in annoyance before noticing Eli's unusually reserved behaviour at the sink. Catching the speedster's eye, she gave him a silent, questioning look.

[Geez3r]

The dishes done and put away Eli turned back to the group now that Fulcrum had joined them, drying his hands with a small pop of electricity, a little trick he had figured out while duking it out in a thunderstorm. Catching Ellie's eye, he just looked back at her wondering what she was on about. Well he certainly didn't want to be the only confused one, so he did the only logical thing: quickly made a doofy face, tongue sticking out an all, at her before resuming a normal posture as if nothing had happened. He had a lot of practice at this. For the first week he had his powers, he'd just make goofy faces at people he was talking to any time they blinked. But doing it long enough to be seen and registered by Ellie meant that everyone else at least had a chance to catch it out of the corner of their eye.

Acting like he hadn't done anything, Eli took a seat at the table. "Anything fancy with the book itself or is this about what's inside?" asked Eli curiously, holding his hand out as if he'd like to see the book, but withdrawn enough to not seem as if demanding it.

[alderwitch]

"It's a book of fairy tales. Old and valuable for being a rare old book but that's really all I know about it. It was most recently in the bowels of the University's restricted section but I didn't take the time to check out the placard." Talya provided helpfully and held the book out to them for whichever Interceptor wanted to take it, "So, I'm afraid my usual exposition will be a bit lacking for once as usually I at least have the time to read the brochures. A slight miscalculation on my part left me absolutely strapped for time."

Once her hands were empty, she slipped them behind her back and flashed a quick smile at Jack, "As to the 'deal' with the book. It's mostly blank. It wasn't the last time I saw it. Which is all backwards. So, I thought I'd see if the resident fairy might have an idea or two as 'book that unwrites itself' seemed worth looking into."