The Sun Shines Night And Day (IC)

[Electra]

"You can call me Fleur," she reminded him, not unkindly. "Or even Stesha, if you want, but we're sort of on the job now, it seems." She did slow down a bit at his warning, looking around the corner with him before making their approach. The man at the fire had now been joined by a similarly dressed woman, the two of them holding a low-voiced conversation. "They've gotten into my supplies," Stesha murmured, noting the MRE packages strewn about, but she didn't seem upset about that. From somewhere inside the enclosure, a baby cried, and another voice rose to soothe it.

"There must be more inside." Stesha looked over at Trevor. "Honestly, you're more experienced with this sort of thing that I am. What do you suggest we do?"

[Gizmo]

Trevor was pretty sure this was a new one on him, too, and similarly suspected that suggesting that Fleur stay put while he knocked the motley band out one by one and restrained them would go over poorly. With a sigh, he replaced his sunglasses and pulled his scarf a little high over his nose. He still cut a fairly imposing figure, but was less likely to incite a panic. "Suppose it's time to meet the neighbours," the young man told her. "Diplomatic route is worth a shot."

[Electra]

Stesha nodded; that, at least, was a tactic she understood and could wield effectively. Stepping around the corner, she kept her hands down and turned out nonthreateningly, even as she tried to get the measure of the situation. "Hello!" she called. "I see you've found my enclosure. My name is Fleur de Joie, what's yours?"

The instant Stesha began to speak, the two adults by the fire jerked to attention. The woman immediately ran for the enclosure, while the man, who appeared to be unarmed, nonetheless took up a fighting stance. "This is our place!" he announced boldly. "We found it, you can't have it! Go away!"

[Gizmo]

Midnight stood to one side of Fleur, a half step back with his arms folded across his chest. "Please," he intoned derisively in a rumbling baritone. The bearded man didn't look to be in any shape to fight anyone, let alone a healthy, rested and well trained martial artist. "Lady's being friendly," he continued. "In your best interests to follow suit." The good cop, bad cop routine might have been a touch hackneyed, but it was effective.

[Electra]

Obviously intimidated, the man backed down, looking like he would like to run into the enclosure with the others, but he stood his ground. "This is our place," he said again. "You're strong, you go find your own. This place, there's lots of trees, good water, clean air. But we found this first."

Stesha sighed. "All right," she said, "first off, we don't want to hurt you. Second off, you may have found this place, but who do you think built it to start with? This is my place." With that, she waved a hand and swept an entire section of the wall back like a curtain, just as a small demonstration of power. It was hard to decide who was more startled at the view, Stesha herself, or the more than two dozen people in the enclosure. The man won that contest, yelling as though he'd seen a demon and running straight through the open wall and into the dubious safety of the crowd.

[Gizmo]

"...uh," Trevor started uncertainly as he looked over the surprisingly large group. "Guess we know what was draining the generator," he murmured to Fleur before turning to the frightened group, his arms spread. "Please remain calm." It wasn't so much that he raised his voice, but that he gave it a quality that encouraged others to listen more closely. "Where did you all come from?"

[Electra]

There was a brief stirring within the crowd, but no one seemed to want to step forward. Finally, a young man, probably younger than Trevor, stepped forward. He was dressed the same as most of the crowd, but seemed to have sturdier footwear. Shoes in the group ranged from worn but serviceable shoes and old boots to makeshift wooden soles with rags around them. The ten or so children didn't seem to have shoes at all.

"We, uh, we come from south of here, down in the caves by the aquifer, three days trip. I found this place when I was scouting, and, uh, I never saw anything like it before. Not like any of this place." The waved an arm to indicate the whole area. "We didn't know it was already yours, so the whole group came up. We... we can get out of here, you just gotta give us a little time, please? We got old and young, and some hurt."

Stesha stared at the group, still seeming dumbfounded by the magnitude of this discovery. "No,"she murmured distractedly, "you don't have to leave. Just... would you excuse me a minute?" Without saying any more, she turned and hurried away, back towards the trees.

[Gizmo]

Trevor backed away from the enclosure, keeping an eye on the group inside while he followed Stesha. It didn't seem terribly surprising at first blush that some small portion of the population had survived, but the plant controller's reaction and earlier description of her search gave the young man a little more context to work with. "So. What are you going to do?" he asked once they were well away, the question one of curiosity and offered aid rather than challenge.

[Electra]

"I don't know!" Stesha told him, sounding a little shocked. "I had no idea anyone was still alive on this planet. When I got here, it seemed so plain that no one could've survived here. There just... there wasn't anything here," she tried to explain. "Even the Freedom League classified this as an extinct world. If there are people here, then I'm intruding, and perhaps I should leave the world to them. But that seems so unkind. They obviously need help! I don't know if I can give them the help they need, though." She shook her head, then rubbed her hands over her face. "The giant bees were one thing. Actual human beings... I don't know if I'm ready for a colony of them," she admitted.

[Gizmo]

Ignoring the odd 'giant bees' reference for the time being, Trevor offered Stesha a small shrug. "It not... that much different," he suggested, pulling his scarf down from his face and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You need at least another generator, but I can help you put that in. Family is associated with a couple of charity shelters in the city; could find out what they do for bulk clothes." He offered her a slight expression that hinted at a reassuring smile. "Survived this long, they're at least capable. Should help."

[Electra]

"You're right." Stesha took a meditative breath and let it out slowly, appreciating Trevor's rationality. "Just because they've moved in doesn't mean that I suddenly need to provide everything for them. Obviously heated, lighted shelter is a very good start. Just having a place with clean air and water is probably going to do a lot for them." She started to smile, looking a little bit less worried. "It's better than having them living in caves and eating lichen, or whatever they survived on."

[Gizmo]

"Nobody likes lichen," Trevor agreed with a vague air amusement. "One of those ironic names." His expression settled back into stoic sobriety as he looked back at the enclosure. "More immediately, though. Can get the generator back up an running. Put in better breaker so it'll cut out rather than burn out." He rubbed his gloved hands in the cold air. "Have to tell them something."

[Electra]

"You're right," Stesha agreed, "but I'm not sure what to say. That man we saw out by the fire, when I swept aside the wall, he reacted oddly don't you think? I expected he'd probably be impressed by the show, but he acted like he'd never seen a superhero before." She thought for a moment. "That squares with something Victory said when he found that crashed Grue ship, that things would've been different in a world with no heroes. But if they aren't used to metahumans, we're going to throw them for a loop."

[Gizmo]

"Well, bridge is already crossed," Trevor pointed out. It wasn't as if they were going to able to explain away Fleur's earlier display, so there wasn't much point in fretting over it. The young man considered for a moment, letting out a puff of breath that floated in the air, a mixture of water vapor and stygian mist. "If they decide you're a nature and fertility goddess, I call lord of the underworld," he decided aloud in a fairly transparent effort to bolster the pregnant heroine's spirits.

[Electra]

That drew a laugh from Stesha, making her relax a little more. "I don't think we need to go writing a new religion for them either," she told Trevor, "but if I change my mind, you're the first one I'll call. Do you think you'll be able to get the generator going again today?" she asked him. "If I wall off some of the interior spaces in the enclosure, it should preserve heat better. We might not get another overload."

[Gizmo]

Trevor considered for a moment, placing a hand on the back of his neck. He hadn't gotten a complete look at how extensive the damage was, but there wasn't a lot of choice at this point. "I'll get it up today," he agreed decisively, cracking his neck audibly. It was going to be a lot of work but he was reasonably sure he had brought everything he'd need with him with him. "Heating a smaller area would help in the short term. That generator just doesn't have the output long term."

[Electra]

"I know," Stesha said with a grimace. "Originally I was heating this building with a gas-powered generator, but I hated having to haul the fuel in, and it didn't smell good at all. Since I typically only use the enclosure for a few hours at a time, I thought running it off the main would work just fine. I'm going to have to rethink that. And I doubt these folks will be amenable to living under three feet of earth the way the bees are, so keeping warm that way would also not be an option. I just wish it were April already instead of January. But we'll make do." Resolutely, she led the way back to the enclosure.

[Gizmo]

"They were living in caves," Trevor pointed out as he followed her back. "Adding a basement to the enclosure might be an actual option. Gaian Knight could handle that." At least for the winter months, heating only an exit to the wilderness on the surface rather than the entire building would make a huge difference. It began to dawn on the youth why having an entire listing of super powered individuals she was on excellent terms with potentially made Stesha one of the most powerful or even dangerous people in Freedom City.

[Electra]

"I'm not sure this enclosure is suitable for a permanent dwelling anyway," Stesha pointed out. "If nothing else, the clear roof is going to make things less comfortable for everyone who sleeps under it. It's not meant to be a habitation, just a stopping off point. I thought the clear roof made it seem less like a prison. But it's good enough for right now. In the spring, I imagine I can get Gaian Knight and Lady Winter and Supercape to help build a settlement that's a bit more permanent... but I'm putting the cart before the horse now!" she laughed. "First, we'd better talk to them.

Her sudden departure had obviously caused some consternation amongst the crowd of refugees. When they returned, Stesha and Trevor found that the children and elderly were now tucked away at the back of the group, with the able-bodied adults out in front. None of them looked very happy to be there, or very ready for a fight, but it at least bespoke some organization. "My name is Fleur de Joie," Stesha told the group, holding out her hands harmlessly. "I built this place, and I grew the plants all around here. My friends have helped me clean up the soil and the water. I was surprised when I saw you because I thought no one lived here anymore, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. I would like to help you, if you'll let me."

There was complete silence for a moment. Stesha was confused, till she noticed that everyone was staring at her quiet and ominous companion, apparently wondering if he shared her good feelings.

[Gizmo]

His scarf up around his nose, Trevor raised his hands palms outward. "I'm just the mechanic. Mrs. de Joie is the one you're dealing with." Despite his nonthreatening posture, the set of his brows above his sunglasses suggested that if they attempted anything untoward, they absolutely would be dealing with him. "Will say this: you'd do well to trust her." That statement held no underlying warning or cool reserve. It was simply genuine advice.

[Electra]

"Can you make it warm again?" one of the women asked after a minute. "There were buttons when we got here, they turned on light and heat. But they stopped working last night."

"Do you have any more food?" someone else asked. The corner where Stesha had been stashing food and medical supplies for evacuees had been thoroughly cleaned out. "Or do you know where the caves here are? We ran out of mushrooms."

"Would you mind closing the wall back up?" the first man asked, looking rather embarrassed for having run earlier. "It lets in the wind like this. We, um, we made a door." He looked over towards the far wall, where a crude hole had been hacked into the leafy wall.

Stesha seemed a little discommoded by the fact that someone had been hacking at her leaf house, but she accepted it with good grace and closed the wall with a wave of her hand. "I don't have much food on hand right now," she admitted. "But I can get some started for you, just fruits and vegetables." A flower grew on the wall, right where it was convenient for her to reach into it and pull out a handful of seeds. She tossed them across the grass, away from where the people were standing, and immediately they began to explode with growth despite the cold. "And Midnight is going to fix the heat, but you'll have to be careful about how you use it. It takes a lot of power, and can break the machine."

[Gizmo]

"They're survivors," Trevor spoke up at Stesha's caution. "They know how to ration." The comment was as much to remind the group that they need not be too dependent of their newfound patroness for everything as it was to gently rebuke their over taxation of the generator in the first place. "Should probably get working on that," he added, turning back to Stesha once she was finished sowing the substantial vegetable garden.

[Electra]

"That's a good idea," Stesha nodded. "I'm going to stay for a little while and see what I can do for the sick people here. There's a walkie-talkie on the kitchen counter that should still have some battery power, it'll let you get in touch with me here if you need anything." She was obviously rapidly warming up to the idea of helping these battered survivors however she could. Given her powers, she could actually do quite a lot.

[Gizmo]

Trevor grunted quietly, looking between Stesha and the motley group for a moment. He didn't love the idea of leaving the pregnant woman alone, but he had to admit that in the middle of a forest she's grown herself, having him around wasn't going to make her much safer than she already was. "Right." With a curt nod, the young man exited through the rough hole in the wall and started back the way they'd come moving much more quickly this time.

[Electra]

Trevor ran faster without Stesha slowing him down, but that was balanced out by the substantially increased difficulty in passing through the woods. Evidently the trees which had moved aside so politely for their mistress were far less interested in facilitating his travel. Still, he was used to training on rough terrain, and this was far from the worst he'd seen. No sooner had he gotten back to the generator shed, though, than a low buzzing began to impinge upon his hearing. Soft at first, it grew louder and more ominous by the moment.