There's No Equation for This (IC)

[Dr Archeville]

Afareen's approval filled the Doktor with joy. "Oh, indeed, madame -- I am a firm believer in both rehabilitative and preventative treatments. Not to say I would shy away from a fight if need be, but, well, I try to minimize such encounters when can."

Archeville rose when Mahmoud entered, smiled and met his hand with a firm yet enthusiastic handshake.

Now, now, careful not to overdo it -- he may enjoy and take pride in his work, but he has clearly had a long and trying day, so would want to relax while home and put work-thoughts aside for a bit. Besides, it would be difficult to 'talk shop' when the aromas coming from the kitchen are so enticing!

"Oh, the pleasure is mine, sir! I, ah, trust all is well at the office?"

[Dariusprime]

Afareen just smiled at Dr. Archeville and her husband before kicking into high gear. Now was the time for dinner!

Mahmoud waved a hand dismissively at the mention of the office. "Oh, yes, yes. Very well, thank you. Normally, I do not work on Sundays, but the Westman Tower renovation has serious engineering issues." He shook his head and rolled his eyes dramatically, "Never trust architectural engineers I'm afraid. The new skylight design won't hold the weight of rain water!" With a hearty laugh, he patted Viktor on the back.

"Anyway, that is all old business and can be discussed at any time. My apologies for my tardiness. Something certainly smells good." He rubbed his belly and loosened his tie.

Fulcrum gave her stepdad a peck on the cheek and sat down, watching the two intently.

"I am delighted you could make it this evening. Have my girls been talking your ear off?" To whit in reply Fatima blew a raspberry at him, which prompted another laugh.

"The interrogation lamp has been reserved for after dinner, dear," quipped Afareen from somewhere in the kitchen. "Should only be a minute or two."

"Oh, and to answer the question is that is written all over your face, we met at the Green Energy Convention Talks. You spoke over the possibility of semi-transparent solar cells for skyscraper windows."

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville chuckled, "no, no, they have been fine hostesses. Informative, too," he nodded towards the photo Afareen had pointed out moments earlier, "I never knew Mona was a boxer!"

Boxing... 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'... has Mona ever been to Stesha's world?I keep meaning to stop by there some time, see what my fellow Leaguer is up to. Ooh, we could have a picnic there!

"Ah!," the Doktor exclaimed, the pieces finally falling together. "Of course, those are quite a bit more than mere theory: all ArcheTech facilities have those as part of their power generation, and- ah," he held his hands out, "but you already know that!"

So good for the environment! And for the city!

[Dariusprime]

"And a fine boxer she still is," replied Mahmoud, sliding out a photo album from under the coffee table. Mona just shook her head and covered her face with a hand.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. I am not showing off baby pictures," chuckled her stepdad as he flipped open the book. His tone darkening a bit, he continued, "If Mona didn't have superpowers, I would have supported her in a 2012 Olympic bid. Unfortunately, the short-sighted Committee reduced the women's weight classes from 10 to 3. The highest class is now 75 kg! Mona could fight in the men's super heavyweight division."

To illustrate, the first picture he produced was one of Mona with her trainer and fellow boxers, male and female. She towered over all but one of the men. "Only those two boys there," he said, tapping the images of the two tallest men, "could legally fight with her. Which certainly took some time to remove the hesitation, as Mona certainly didn't. But they were gentlemen."

"Bobby there on the right had a nasty cross," quipped Fulcrum.

Glancing warily into the kitchen, Mahmoud lowered his voice in mock conspiracy, "Afareen thought something was very wrong with Mona. She watched a program on sex chromosome disorders and became convinced Mona needed to see a doctor. Of course, she is the largest woman I've ever met."

Mona chuckled but shook her head in embarrassment. "Dad..."

Fatima, who had scooted in next to her father, just giggled madly.

[Dr Archeville]

Sex chromosome disorder? How silly! But, let us not dwell on that, and focus on something less personal.

"She may yet get her shot at the Olympics, if the petitions ever get through." He looked up from the album to Mona, then back to her parents, "for as long as there have been people decrying the presence of metahumans in sports, there have been just as many pushing to have special categories for them. Of course there are all the usual concerns -- making sure there are no performance-enhancing drugs amping up their abilities, for example -- but the bigger concern is how to divide up the categories. Would you split them up by origin, meta-humans with biologically-derived powers in one group, extraterrestials in another, and robots in yet a third? The assorted 'weight categories' would need to be refined, too: Caradoc, Cannonade, and Fulcrum all have super-human strength, but Cannonade's is greater than Caradoc's, and Fulcrum's is greater than both of them combined!"

He leaned back a bit, relaxing slightly as he slid into 'Professor mode,' "of course, there is also the question of 'what is Metahuman?'. Arrowhawk and Bowman are both crack shots, perhaps better than anyone else currently alive, but they do not have metahuman powers -- their aptitude and skill is wholly the result of natural talent and extensive training and practice. But then you have Jack of all Blades, famed and fabled protector of the West End, or Wander, the powerhouse of Young Freedom." Archeville fought the urge to flash Mona a wink, as he suspected her family was carefully scrutinizing him. "Jack is one of the best swordsmen around, perhaps better than any who have ever lived, but his skill is from a combination of extensive training, like Arrowhawk, and a metahuman ability to sense energy patterns. Wander is in a similar situation, her speed and reflexes -- as well as her strength and resilience -- are greatly enhanced, allowing her to land blows more accurately. Should they all be lumped together under the same category?"

[Dariusprime]

Fatima seemed a bit memorized by Viktor's demeanor. Afareen stuck her head around the breakfast bar. Mahmoud simply leaned back and listened attentively, a small smile playing over his face.

"All very good points, Dr. Archeville! With 'standard' humanity, doping is the main issue of course. The categories would simply be too numerous, and for that matter, simply too invasive for many metahumans. I am reminded of the furor over Caster Semenya in 2009. Even defining biological sex, as you well know, is proving more difficult than we initially suspected. And that after she was cleared and quite possibly, had her rights violated. I can only imagine the level of scrutiny necessary for meta...," continued Mahmoud, slipping into his similarly academic mindset.

But he quickly found himself cut off, "Oh no you don't. Wash up. Dinner is ready," said Afareen with a note of finality. She disappeared into the kitchen followed by Fatima.

Mahmoud smiled, shrugged and stood up, "Best listen to the boss."

As everyone washed up, Afareen served plates heaped with fragrant rice pilaf, flatbread and long, sausage-like kababs. Scents of saffron, onion and turmeric intermingled with the smell of lamb and beef. Someone's belly growled. Can you blame it?

Shooing Fatima away from the bread basket, she pulled out a chair for Dr. Archeville, "After you."

[Dr Archeville]

"Difficult largely because the views on sexual identity have been so narrow," he half-whispered to Mahmoud as they washed up, "and it is only recently come to public attention that there is more to gender than the simple male/female dichotomy." He chuckled, "humanity really is a wonder, even without factoring in metahuman abilities!"

Ahh, delicious! And yet, I wonder how it can be improved upon. Normally I would shy away from spherification for sausages, since the skin of a sausage is part of the experience, but for skinless sausages like these -- more like a skinny meatloaf, really -- the technique might work.

"Oh, my, that is delectable!," he exclaimed as he returned to the dining room. "And is that turmeric? My favorite spice!" He turned to Fatima, taking the offered chair as he spoke (and only partially aware he was doing so.) "Good for the brain, you know! Helps lower cholesterol, too, and boosts the immune system! I try to include some in many of the sausages I make; it goes well with many flavors, and it gives them a nice golden color!"

[Dariusprime]

Mahmoud smiled and nodded as they headed into the dining area.

"What would you like to drink, Dr. Archeville? I have hot tea, cranberry juice and...some soda somewhere," Afareen trailed off as she looked through the fridge.

Mona and the others settled into their seats, apparently happy with the tea and iced water. The kitchen wasn't huge by any account, and with Fulcrum joining the family, she sort of slipped in between Viktor and the wall. Well enough. Looked like she was accustomed to the spot.

"I'm a fan of garlic myself," replied Afareen as she poured tea. "Many similar properties: anti-oxidant, natural antibiotic as well as direct immune system benefits."

"Also keeps people away. They'll stress you out and give you all sorts of diseases," quipped Fulcrum.

Afareen just gave her the stink eye.

[Dr Archeville]

"Well, it mostly keeps vampires away," he responded to Mona's quip, "though they can bring quite a bit of stress and disease!," he laughed. "Not sure how it does against ghūls, though."

I could ask Avenger! Maybe I will, the next time I go to give Jack Junior a check-up.

"Ah, tea and water are fine," he replied back to Afareen. "Never have liked sodas that much; if I want caffeine, I would have tea or coffee! Many long nights in the laboratory have lead me to become quite the connoisseur of those two beverages -- I have even tried to invent a few new brews myself!"

Of course, many of my brewing experiments have been beer-related, but out of respect for my host's culture I will leave that bit out.

[Dariusprime]

Mahmoud chuckled at Viktor's reply and waited patiently for Afareen to be seated.

Afareen poured Viktor a cup of tea and replied, "This is a simple, local blend, Dr. Archeville. Nothing special by your standards I'm sure." Everyone settled, Afareen took her seat and dinner began in earnest.

"Mona mentioned that vampires are very real. What other creatures go bump in the night?" asked Afareen while offering the bread basket to Viktor.

"You'd be surprised, Mom," Fulcrum replied. If not for conscious discipline, she would have eaten her flatbread in one bite. Instead she nibbled, enjoying the homemade goodness.

Was the cuisine good? Quite, in a very different, cultural way. The spices were especially nice.

[Dr Archeville]

"Weeellllll...," he began, which Mona knew was one of his cues for lapsing into a lengthy expository. To his credit, when he saw the look she shot him, he gave her a slight nod, indicating his agreement to keep it brief and not too technical.

Must not be a poor guest and monopolize the evening's conversation!

"... there are a number of things out there, more than most realize. Much of it is perfectly explainable by science, even without getting too advanced. Some stories about vampires, for example, stem from misunderstanding how diseases are transmitted, and some stories about werewolves stem from people with hypertrichosis, a genetic condition that causes abnormal amount of hair growth on the body. Some stories are from individuals with truly metahuman abilities, but they were mutant humans, or aliens from some other planet, or another dimension. And some... some defy rational, scientific explanation, despite our best efforts."