Hands and Feet (IC)

[Electra]

"Oh, they love him out there, and they're not about to not give him anything he wants that's within reason. I think it's just a matter of time," Stesha told Carson with a half-smile. "And I've actually got someone who can help me out with a very extended agricultural extension. I sort of come from that kind of family. I know they've had animals, there are a few chickens and some kind of big lizards that they've got penned in the back, and they brought a few cats with them. I just don't think there's been anything much larger than that around for a long time now." She shrugged, looking sorrowful. "It was probably hard enough to save any of the people. I'm still not sure how they managed."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson smiles a bit as Stesha assures him of Derrick's ability to get a power generator.

"Fair enough. So, clothes, hygiene items, vitamins, and farm animals. I think I know contacts for all of those needs."

His gaze wandered to the crowd, pensive.

"I wonder...At some point, they'll need teachers, or something like that. But I suppose that's for another day. What about you?"

He turned to look at Stesha with concern.

"Is there anything you and Derrick need?"

[Electra]

Stesha laughed, a little ruefully. "Maybe a day off, but I'm doing all right. This whole thing got dumped into my lap a bit suddenly, and it's not as though I could leave them here to fend for themselves when I have the ability to help them. It's the middle of winter, and they have almost nothing! Once they're settled in a bit, and when the bees have all their romantic entanglements straightened out, and I get the nursery started, I'll have some time to catch my breath. Unless a hero work situation comes up," she acknowledged wryly.

"But I haven't even asked how you've been!" she continued. "I've been hoping that not hearing from you too much has meant that you haven't been hurt lately and that things are going well. What have you been up to?"

[KnightDisciple]

Carson gave a wry grin.

"Can't do too much on the day off business. Unless you want to start bringing other heroes, or just talented individuals, in on this little operation. It might be worth it at some point."

His expression shifted to more serious tone.

"And I was serious when I told them I'd get shoes for the kids before sleeping. As soon as I'm back on Earth, I'll make some calls and pick them up, as well as getting balls rolling on some other things. I think I know how to answer questions without either blatant lies, or just blurting the totality of the truth. It's all in presentation, after all. That's what I teach my drama students."

At her question about how he was doing, it was like a mask suddenly popped up around his face. He seemed "fine", but there was a hint that things weren't quite so nice. He also shifted uncomfortably, taking a step back, giving Stesha a bit more space unconsciously.

"Well, you know. The usual. Teaching. Mentoring. No preaching, I suppose. Plenty of hero work. A thug here, a demon-summoning warlock there. Just keeping people alive and happy, generally. Nothing terribly exciting."

[Electra]

Stesha cocked her head at the sudden change of demeanor. Something was obviously off, but he wasn't quite ready to talk about it. "Would you like to stop by my cottage for a cup of coffee before you go?" she asked. "I think the folks here are doing all right for now, and we're about to interrupt suppertime anyway. I've been drinking mostly decaf lately, but I could probably find a little bit of the good stuff if you'd like a jolt," she told him with an easy smile.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson gave a nod and started walking out of the enclosure, smiling and waving to people as he went.

"A quick cup of coffee would be good. Then, I can head out to get these kids some shoes."

There was steely determination in his voice as he spoke. When they got outside, he stopped, waiting for Stesha to catch up. He gave her a slightly nervous glance.

"Listen. Do you mind if I fly myself back? Shouldn't take more than a second longer, if that. You know how fast I can fly; just plant-port yourself over, and I'll be knocking at your door."

He gave her a slightly weak smile, as if to reassure her.

[Electra]

"Go right ahead," Stesha told him, taking his coat out of a nearby tree and handing it to him. "Just have a care if you swing too close to Beedom Meadow, some of the drones are practicing their courtship moves, and the airspace gets a little dangerous at times." She chuckled tolerantly. "I'll see you at the cottage." Trusting him to remember the way, she vanished back there to start brewing the coffee while he traveled.

[KnightDisciple]

"Lord preserve me from amorous giant bees," he replied with a smirk.

He took the coat with a thankful nod and smile, taking a moment to get it securely fastened over himself. After all, he was about to start going really fast.

"See you there."

As soon as she'd disappeared, Carson shot straight up into the air, managing to keep himself subsonic until about a mile up. Then he started to cut loose, until he was hitting the upper edges of where he could easily breath. Barely resisting the urge to fly to Ireland on this earth (he didn't think he'd like what he saw), he settled for rocketing up and down the Coast a few times, bleeding off energy. Finally, he slowed down after about 15 minutes, and angled in to soon land on Stesha's porch with only a slight rumble in the sky signifying his landing.

"Coffee should be ready now..."

With that, he knocked on the door.

[Electra]

The door seemed to swing open of its own accord, a rich smell wafting out that told Carson he was right on time. Even though it was made from living plants, the little cottage was winter-cozy, comfortably warm and with golden light spilling from the lamps that dotted the single main room. She'd made improvements since the last time he was here, added a few pieces of artwork, a small television with a DVD player in the corner, and, oddly enough, a rather sophisticated looking communications array that sat incongruously on a maple side table.

"How do you take your coffee?" Stesha asked from the kitchenette, where she was just pouring coffee into a tall brown mug. A plate of muffins already sat on the coffee table between the couch and the recliners that made up her sitting area.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson took in the improvements with an appreciative eye.

"I like how you and Derrick have spruced the place up. Real home away from home at this point. Or is that your apartment?"

Some of his nervous energy from earlier seems gone, but it's clear that something's still "off" with the Irish hero.

"I'll take it black. Nothing else added in. Like I said, once we're done here I'll need to go get balls rolling, especially for those shoes. Do you have a way to receive my call once I've got them arranged? I meant what I said about not sleeping, but I do hope to sleep before the week's out."

He smirked at his own remark, settling into the couch not far from the muffins. He reached for one, taking a small bite before contemplating the rest of the muffin as he chewed.

[Electra]

"Six of one, half dozen of the other at this point," Stesha told him in reply to the comment about home away from home. "I do a lot at my apartment still, it's where I can take my long hot showers and use the internet freely, bake and put things in the freezer. All sorts of things that are much harder to do here. But we sleep here most nights, and I like to come here to relax." She gave him his coffee, then settled down in her recliner with a bottle of orange juice. "And I can make calls from here, and check my messages. If you leave me a voicemail, I'll get it within a few hours, at most. Derrick insists I keep an interdimensional commlink here in case there's a medical emergency, but I don't like to use it."

She unwrapped a muffin thoughtfully, studying her companion. "You seem to have something on your mind, Carson," she said gently, inviting him to open up in his own time and way.

[KnightDisciple]

"A bunch of things. Not even counting what I just saw this afternoon."

He takes a large sip out of his mug before continuing.

"It's all kind of tangled up. For one thing, it feels like almost all I've been doing lately is...firefighting, I guess you could say? I mean, sure, I'm teaching still, and mentoring, though that's slacked off of late...But I'm getting through to fewer and fewer criminals. Mostly because I'm dealing with more and more "super-crime". Robots, thugs with laser guns, crazy uptight guys in power armor..."

He gulps the rest of the coffee down before setting the mug on the coffee table with slightly shaking hands.

"Demons. Men who call demons using the blood of murdered teenagers. All that and plenty more. And yet, people are still getting hurt. I mean, on one level, I know I'm doing good work, worthwhile work. I already had that talk with Heyzel. But it feels like there's more "big stuff" happening. And I feel like I'm at the edges of something bigger. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

But if that were all, it wouldn't be as big of a deal.

No, as stupid as it is, I'm lonely. Oh, I have friends, for sure, both in and out of costume. But...you bloody Yanks and your great bloody holiday last week. Calculated to make singles feel awkward and misplaced. The worst part is, it's not that I couldn't get a date. But I'm not sure it would be right. I lead a double life, Stesha. You and Derrick are lucky, because not only do the two of you know your secrets, you can pretty much take care of yourselves. The market's a lot slimmer if I limit myself to superheroic ladies. Especially since my requirements are already a bit specific."

He gives her a wan smile, fiddling with his rosary unconsciously.

"Sorry. Shouldn't dump that on you. And I guess that's the other thing that's been bugging me. It feels awkward, coming around here when Derrick's gone. I mean, I'm here alone with another man's wife, a wife pregnant with his child. It's not so bad since we're isolated, but it's still a bit...weird? Sorry. It's not your fault. It's just that I took a metaphorical step back and realized how it could appear. I'll still be around, but I'd like to make sure I spend at least some of my time here when Derrick's around, too. Maybe dinner sometime? I could even treat you guys at my place, though I don't promise miracles."

Carson's clearly nervous and distracted, his brow furrowed as he tries to sort out his thoughts.

"I guess today just kind of made a whole bunch of random thoughts surface. And here I am, fretting about how "hard" my life is, and how I don't get dates, when there are children without shoes. I should go."

He stands suddenly, walking in the direction of the door before stopping suddenly. He sighs, shaking his head.

"Right. Different dimension. Can't just fly home..."

[Electra]

Stesha sighed as well, setting aside her bottle of juice and folding her hands. "Sit down, Carson," she commanded with gentle implacability. For someone who was still working on her first child, Stesha had quite a good mom voice. "It sounds like you've got a lot rattling around in your head right now, but you're not going to get anywhere unless you unpack some of it first. Running away isn't going to solve anything, no matter how fast you can go."

She picked up a muffin and began peeling the wrapper off delicately. "We can start with the easy part. "Derrick and I trust each other implicitly, period. No riders, no reservations. I have sent him to stars that are so far away, their light won't reach earth until my children's children are dust in the ground, and I know that he will never be unfaithful. He knows that I spend time with some of the handsomest and most charismatic men in the world, oftentimes alone, many times right here in the cottage." Her lips curved slightly. "I kept you here an entire long weekend and sent you home wearing his clothes, if you recall. But he knows that I will never be unfaithful. If you feel uncomfortable about being here, then that is a problem you have, and I will do my best to work around that and give you calls only when Derrick's around, but you have to understand that it's not a problem for us."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson stopped his slight pacing that he'd taken up and looked over to Stesha. He seemed to be seeing her in a slightly different light, and was almost...intimidated...by what he saw.

"Bloody hell, have you been taking lessons from my mother?"

With a smirk and a shake of his head, he returned to his seat. He ran one hand over his face with a sigh.

"You're right to correct me about that. I'm honestly not entirely sure where it came from, beyond "nerves". Well. That, and the priest has been doing a series on relationships, marriage, and the like recently. Mentioned that generally speaking, it's better to not be alone with another man's wife or whatnot. Less of "because the two of you will do naughty things" and more "avoid even the tiniest possibility of regretting your actions" or whatnot. I guess the enemy threw that one in my face at the worst time. So. Yes. We're fine, that little bit was out of place. Though I would like to swing by when he is around; Derrick's a good bloke. But busy enough I won't try to restrict us like that. Might end up being weird, honestly."

[Electra]

"Probably so," Stesha agreed with a smile. "He's gone often enough that when I do have him here for a few days at a time, I tend to guard that time carefully. Only being able to talk to you then would make things difficult, at best! Help yourself to more coffee if you like," she added, "I made a short pot, but there's still at least another cup left." She took a bite of her muffin, giving them both a bit of settling and thinking time.

"You're right about the time of year, though. I see a lot in my line of work, and you're certainly not the only person to feel especially lonely at the end of winter and around Valentines Day. This is a lonely life we lead," she admitted, gesturing around to encompass far more than the little cottage. "Hardly anyone knows your real name, you can't tell your friends about half of what you do... or if you do, you live with the consequences of them knowing. I couldn't do it myself," she admitted. "It was too hard for me to balance the different parts of my life without letting my hero work creep in to everything else. I had to tell my family and my friends at work, so they all know. That puts all of us in a little more danger than we might have been otherwise, but I think the tradeoff was worth it, in my case. A secret identity is a very personal choice for every hero."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson poured himself another mug of coffee, sipping it more slowly this time.

"Well. My parents know, but they're across the ocean. My siblings don't know, yet, but I face the same problem there. I...There was a time, I might have shared it with one or two more "average" people, but that chance passed. Now, with me half the world away, I try to keep things tight to the chest because I worry about my family. Thing is, I'll have to trust someone one day. But I'm not even sure how to figure out who to trust. How horrible does that sound, coming from a guy like me?"

He gave a slightly hollow laugh.

"A "good Catholic", and I feel like I can barely trust anyone."

He sips again, his gaze far away.

"I'm thinking of scaling back some of my activities. I feel stretched thin right now. Obviously, I can't stop teaching. That kind of pays my bills. And I can't, won't, stop hero work entirely, though that might get dialed down a notch or so. No, I think I need to dial back on my mentoring work. Perhaps tell them I'm on the "reserve" list, only there for the really bad cases, where my talent for talking would be most needed...

Maybe if I open some time up in my life, I'll discover time for other things? Is it bad that I want that?"

[Electra]

"Of course not," Stesha told him reassuringly. "You can't let yourself get burnt out just because it's always possible to find something else to do. That won't help you or anything else. Do you remember from the Bible when Jesus' followers were asking him about why they didn't donate every penny to the poor and spend every moment healing the sick? Jesus reminded them that his time on Earth was short, but that the poor would always be with us. The disciples needed to concentrate on their own spiritual development and well-being at the same time as they were trying to do good in the world, right?"

She let that sink in for a moment, sipping her juice. "It's the same with pastors, and social workers, and superheroes. There are always going to be people who need your help. There are going to be more people who need help than you can possibly save. But luckily, you aren't alone. You have all sorts of people you can call on when the job gets to be too much for you. And we all understand that sometimes it gets too hard, and sometimes you need a break. It sounds like you're overdue for a little R&R, Carson."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson lifted his mug in a salute, acknowledging Stesha's points.

"Touche. You bring up an excellent point, all told. We're poor helpers if we're mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional wrecks, aren't we? Hm."

Another contemplative sip, followed by a thoughtful munch on his muffin.

"Not sure how I'd go about it, though travel's not a huge problem. Thing is, while an afternoon of "alone time" would be good, I'm not one for constant solitude. February's a bit of an odd month for that...Hm. Then again, spring break is in just a couple of weeks at the College. I could go somewhere quiet for an afternoon, go spend a day or two at home, talk with my folks. After that...hard to say, just yet. Don't suppose you know of any good places I could look for available women, do you?"

He gives Stesha a cheeky grin and an over-exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows. It seems that his nerves are calming during the course of the talk with the rather motherly plant controller. Some of his classic good humor is returning.

[Electra]

"Why not at church?" Stesha asked with an amused half-shrug. "That's obviously something important to you, and a place where you already go. You want to meet someone who shares your beliefs and values, and it'll be easier to meet someone someplace where you're both comfortable. You could try to join a Bible study or small group, maybe do some entirely mundane volunteering, and see who's there with you. Once you get to know someone, then you can decide how much of your other life you're comfortable revealing, and how quickly. Remember, it's not only men who feel lonely at this time of year. Perhaps someone else will be looking at you while you're looking."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson blinked; for several moments, he sat there, processing Stesha's rather insightful suggestion.

"That...is...Actually. That's a better idea the more I think about it. You're right on all counts for why it's a good idea. I'm shocked why I haven't thought of it before. It certainly takes care of one of my two main criteria for a serious relationship. The second criteria being "the other person is a woman"."

He smiled, before his gaze went unfocused for a minute...and he busted up laughing. He shook his head, the laughter subsiding a little.

"Sorry, sorry. That wasn't at you. I was just imagining some of my college friends talking about the idea. I can just hear Bill saying "Oh, come on Carson, I'll stand by the door to the sanctuary, and you lean casually against the fountain of holy water! We'll be a one-two punch for the lovely single ladies!". Yeah, me and Bill and Brian and James and Sa-"

He stopped, his smile faltering.

"-everyone else would have had a jolly time cracking up about it...right before we tried the bloody idea out. It really is a good one, truly is. I think I could use the study group even if it doesn't land me a date. I've been feeling drained; it might be just the thing to make me feel more "in-balance". So, yeah. I think I'll try that out, and let you know the results."

He sipped his coffee and chuckled again.

"I'll probably wait a while before revealing my "night job". Maybe not all the way to proposal; might not end well. Don't want anything getting in the way of a girl saying "yes"; already enough trouble with that."

[Electra]

"I imagine that if she's the right one for you, you'll be able to disclose your second identity to her before you head for the altar," Stesha assured Carson with a smile. "Women like men with a little bit of mystery to them, too. And you're hardly difficult to look at or talk to." She chuckled and finished her juice. "In any case, I think you're absolutely right about needing a little more time for yourself. And with any luck ,with the bad weather waning and the major holidays over, we'll hopefully get a bit of a lull in villain activity anyway. People like you and I are often at our best when we're not fighting bad guys at all."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I've never been called ugly, or had someone say my voice sounded bad."

A thoughtful expression crossed his face.

"So...the holidays actually bring in more villain activity? I mean, I can understand the bit with the weather, and especially the longer nights. But...hm. I'd have thought at least some of them would want the vacation..."

He shrugs.

"Still a bit new to hero work, I suppose."

He gave her a sad smile as he shifted subjects.

"Well. I suppose in retrospect, there were other signs she wasn't "the right one". Just, well, harder to see in the moment, you know? But you're right. I'll feel obligated to bring it up before popping the question, really. Wouldn't be right. But maybe a bit of mystery is good at first."

He finished off his cup of coffee, and realized all his previous nerves were gone.

"Wow. I...I actually feel a lot better. Thank you. You ever considered going into counseling? Just bring them here, and they can't even run out on your sessions!"

[Electra]

Stesha laughed at that. "I'm not sure being a captive audience puts everyone in the right frame of mind for therapy," she pointed out, the corners of her eyes crinkling happily. "And anyway, I don't have enough hours in the day for all the things on my plate already. I think that's just a way of life for superheroes sometimes. But I always have enough time for a talk with a friend. And it's really not so much villains around the holidays as it's often a spike in supernatural and just plain strange activity. It's the most magical time of the year, after all. We're clear for a little while now... knock on wood."

She held up the plate of muffins. "Here, you should take some of these home with you. They're fruit and nut, they'll keep your energy up while you're not sleeping. But get some sleep anyway."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson stood, grabbing a couple more of the muffins.

"Thanks. I'm still a bit hungry. And I will get some sleep. I doubt anything else we need will be ready right away. There's enough people that it's going to take time, though thankfully, not much."

He took a few steps away from the furniture, then patiently waited. A smirk crossed his face.

"You know, if and when I do get a girl, and I eventually tell her about my "night work", I ought to bring her here, if it's spring or summer."

He suddenly grimaced and gave an exaggerated shudder.

"Just not near the giant bees."

[Electra]

Stesha laughed. "Well, you're always welcome, though Derrick and I are liable to be a little bit busy in the early summer," she pointed out. "The bees do love company. " Stesha rose from her chair and walked over to him, setting her hand on his arm in preparation for the trip. "Thank you again for coming out here with me today," she told him sincerely. "It means a lot to me to have friends who can help out when I can't do something that needs done, and I know that whatever you can do will mean a lot to the survivors as well."