Aislinn shrugged and smirked. "Aislinn's fine. Save the madam or ma'am for when I might be amongst the Fae, but when you're around my home, a first name basis is fine, Gubbin. Oh yeah, you're also getting a paycheck for as long as you're working with me. I sure as hell don't want some rabid social activist pointing fingers and claiming I'm mistreating you. That might be a technicality of the geas, but I'm treating you fairly."
Cole looked to the butler and his daughter. "We can take my truck to Quigley Road," he offered.
***
Aspasia frowned thoughtfully, puzzled at Aidan's behavior. His expression hadn't necessarily been haunted, but perhaps a sense of deja vu? "Coach and I will be heading out once the refugees will have been taken care of. You look after yourself, Drake."
Meanwhile, Neasa and Ciaran had done all that they could do in regard to comforting survivors. These people would likely need therapy from the trauma of having their lives turned upside down within the length of a single day.
Chapter I - Sword and Shield
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TennyoCeres84
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
One way or another, Gubbin wasn't in any position to complain. Privately, his Malk frugality and his more recognizable gratitude at earning a living clashed in the back of his mind. He'd never been one to have a great many personal purchases in mind and had been like most of his kin in that consumerism seemed like an almost alien concept to him. Odds were he'd simply pocket his paychecks in an account, somewhere, and almost never reach into it for personal expenses. If anything, he might use it to lessen the hit that continuing to pay basic amenities would create on Aislinn's finances, if she insisted on paying him. Paying his half of the groceries and of the power and phone bills would be the least he'd offer.
Outwardly, however, it felt as though the concept of being paid annoyed him. Aislinn might misinterpret this or be a bit confused by that sudden narrowing of the eyes and that lip twitch, but Gubbin would need to offer some clarifications.
"As you wish, Aislinn," was all he replied, smoothly sliding away from the honorifics of earlier. With a short bow, he asked of Cole that he lead the way to his truck.
* * *
"You too, Aspasia," added the soldier, who removed his apron. He made as if to leave, but then caught himself and headed back towards the Chimera, holding out a hand. "I just wanted to say it's been an honor. Seeing one of the Battle's heroes in action was pretty humbling, I'd say. I'll have to pass that along to the other old-timers, too. I'm sure the McConmaras, Jenkins and Starr would agree with me in saying that you're all pretty awesome.
We'll, uh, have to do this again someday. Hopefully with less victims."
Outwardly, however, it felt as though the concept of being paid annoyed him. Aislinn might misinterpret this or be a bit confused by that sudden narrowing of the eyes and that lip twitch, but Gubbin would need to offer some clarifications.
"As you wish, Aislinn," was all he replied, smoothly sliding away from the honorifics of earlier. With a short bow, he asked of Cole that he lead the way to his truck.
* * *
"You too, Aspasia," added the soldier, who removed his apron. He made as if to leave, but then caught himself and headed back towards the Chimera, holding out a hand. "I just wanted to say it's been an honor. Seeing one of the Battle's heroes in action was pretty humbling, I'd say. I'll have to pass that along to the other old-timers, too. I'm sure the McConmaras, Jenkins and Starr would agree with me in saying that you're all pretty awesome.
We'll, uh, have to do this again someday. Hopefully with less victims."
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
Cole and Sedna walked out of Nessie's and ventured down a block to where the used vehicle had been parked. There were a few smudges on the front of it, likely from plowing through Abominations. Otherwise, the four-door pickup was a faded blue relic that was dependable, albeit a bit dated. The male roane opened the side door to allow the Malk and his daughter to get in. Due to Sedna's short stature, she pulled herself into the front passenger's seat.
Placing her pelt and medicine into a compartment, Aislinn slid in and relaxed against the seat. "Never thought it'd feel this good to sit down," she scoffed quietly, then glancing at the batman. She had picked up the narrowed eyes and eye twitch. "Think of it this way, Gubbin: it never hurts to put some money away for a rainy day," she offered, shrugging.
***
Aspasia shook his hand and pulled him in for a loose hug, patting him on the back. "Thanks, Drake. You're free to drop by for a chat at the Grill; it doesn't always have to be due to a gargantuan order of food for Bucky," she joked with a wry grin.
Placing her pelt and medicine into a compartment, Aislinn slid in and relaxed against the seat. "Never thought it'd feel this good to sit down," she scoffed quietly, then glancing at the batman. She had picked up the narrowed eyes and eye twitch. "Think of it this way, Gubbin: it never hurts to put some money away for a rainy day," she offered, shrugging.
***
Aspasia shook his hand and pulled him in for a loose hug, patting him on the back. "Thanks, Drake. You're free to drop by for a chat at the Grill; it doesn't always have to be due to a gargantuan order of food for Bucky," she joked with a wry grin.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
"I suppose it does not," replied the butler, who at least looked like he'd already set the matter aside. Being a Malk, it stood to reason that he wouldn't attach importance to the same issues as mortals or common Fae, or at least not for as long as they would. It didn't help his mingling with the McConmaras, however, as he clearly preferred to remain silent for most of the way. What brought him out of his cat-like affectations of sheer lack of care was the sight of the maglev train's collapsed rail, once they approached Quigley road. Regret washed over his features and his shoulders slumped.
"I should have had the strength to combat Gawain's geas over me," he quietly observed. "I did nothing for far too long, and acted only once it was too late. Perhaps I could've saved him from whatever influence had begun to taint his mind, had I known earlier."
A few additional seconds of pained silence followed. "I raised the boy myself," he stated, as if this could summarize his personal angle on the tragedy. It didn't take a fool to figure out he was trying to suss out in which measure what had happened was his fault. Was he to blame simply because of his status as a former accomplice, or was he to blame because he'd set Gawain on his path? How much blood was on his hands? Had Gawain always been rotten or had his educator stuck something in there, in-between the homeschooling and the lessons on court dressing and etiquette?
Deep inside, Gubbin resented his racial inability to be as forthright about his feelings as mortals could. Having instincts that had always instilled secrecy and discretion in him, maybe he'd unconsciously schooled Gawain in the art of lying or of shifting the blame onto someone or something else...
He honestly didn't know how to ask for help to reconcile himself with any of this. His face turning into an inscrutable mask, one of his hands searched and found one of Aislinn's and squeezed it tightly. He kept his head turned away and his eyes on the road, but his wiry neck didn't leave much to the imagination. The roane would see his Adam's apple bob up and down in nervous swallowing motions.
* * *
"I know," he replied, grinning. "I'm not looking forward to turning into his personal delivery service. If I ever do, I'll have to start charging you and Coach," he joked. "Thanks again; we'll probably see each other in court or once we break ground on the Hall's renovations. I know there's still a lot left for us to do, but try and take some time off every now and then, huh?"
Past a few shoulders and heads, a short-haired gentleman of some fifty years raised a hand and called out his name. Next to him waited a fairly lithe woman in the same age range, with fairer skin and darker hair. Slightly behind the two was someone you could've almost considered as Aidan's twin sister. With a more delicate face, however, she looked a bit more expressive than her brother.
"That's the fam," summarized the young man. "I better get over there before they make a scene. See you, Aspasia - and tell Sophia I said hi!"
He walked off into the throng, calling out "Sarah!" on an excited tone.
"I should have had the strength to combat Gawain's geas over me," he quietly observed. "I did nothing for far too long, and acted only once it was too late. Perhaps I could've saved him from whatever influence had begun to taint his mind, had I known earlier."
A few additional seconds of pained silence followed. "I raised the boy myself," he stated, as if this could summarize his personal angle on the tragedy. It didn't take a fool to figure out he was trying to suss out in which measure what had happened was his fault. Was he to blame simply because of his status as a former accomplice, or was he to blame because he'd set Gawain on his path? How much blood was on his hands? Had Gawain always been rotten or had his educator stuck something in there, in-between the homeschooling and the lessons on court dressing and etiquette?
Deep inside, Gubbin resented his racial inability to be as forthright about his feelings as mortals could. Having instincts that had always instilled secrecy and discretion in him, maybe he'd unconsciously schooled Gawain in the art of lying or of shifting the blame onto someone or something else...
He honestly didn't know how to ask for help to reconcile himself with any of this. His face turning into an inscrutable mask, one of his hands searched and found one of Aislinn's and squeezed it tightly. He kept his head turned away and his eyes on the road, but his wiry neck didn't leave much to the imagination. The roane would see his Adam's apple bob up and down in nervous swallowing motions.
* * *
"I know," he replied, grinning. "I'm not looking forward to turning into his personal delivery service. If I ever do, I'll have to start charging you and Coach," he joked. "Thanks again; we'll probably see each other in court or once we break ground on the Hall's renovations. I know there's still a lot left for us to do, but try and take some time off every now and then, huh?"
Past a few shoulders and heads, a short-haired gentleman of some fifty years raised a hand and called out his name. Next to him waited a fairly lithe woman in the same age range, with fairer skin and darker hair. Slightly behind the two was someone you could've almost considered as Aidan's twin sister. With a more delicate face, however, she looked a bit more expressive than her brother.
"That's the fam," summarized the young man. "I better get over there before they make a scene. See you, Aspasia - and tell Sophia I said hi!"
He walked off into the throng, calling out "Sarah!" on an excited tone.
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
The fauness gave the young human a final smile before returning to help Coach with the remainder of the survivors.
***
Knowing he would prefer not to have his emotions being the center of attention, Aislinn reassuringly squeezed his hand in return. The gesture seemed to say, "It'll be alright. We can recover from this."
***
Knowing he would prefer not to have his emotions being the center of attention, Aislinn reassuringly squeezed his hand in return. The gesture seemed to say, "It'll be alright. We can recover from this."
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
Two months later.
These were the last golden weeks of summer. The last pool parties and the last barbecues. School buses were frequent, parks were partially deserted during weekdays, and the summertime routine had shifted to the cycle of workdays and weekends. On a late Friday afternoon, however, what looked like another barbecue supper at the Drake household had almost... diplomatic undertones.
Aidan was used to having his maternal uncles over every now and then, and Nigel Griffin's closeness to his father had been established for years. His parents had told him they'd organized a get-together with the "new local heroes" for the purposes of getting to meet them all, but he hadn't expected Archie to show up with the governor in tow, along with two dragons!
The end result had been a bit embarrassing. He wouldn't have thought much of letting the selkies, Aspasia, Sophia or Jenkins see him in his bathing suit, but seeing Cody Tanner, Archie, Deputy Chief Lowell, Caliban Smith and his wife and Aldergard Kuhn walk up his driveway? That made him feel rather self-conscious about choosing this particular moment to go for a dip... For a moment, he stood alone in the back yard, hoping that nobody would think to check up on him, and was rather happy to hear his parents and his sister chin-wag with their guests. As long as nobody paid attention to him - at least until he managed to sneak in the tool shed long enough to get dressed - he'd be good. He did manage a bit of a chuckle at the sound of his sister assailing Archibald with questions. The Clank didn't seem to know where he fit between sounding cordial or slightly embarrassed by all the attention.
Three's attempts to stealthily cook steaks and weiners failed, however, as the kitchen's patio door slid open. "Ah," came a lightly accented voice, "I knew I'd smelled meat cooked with a slight zest of desperation... How do you do, mister Drake?"
Three nearly jumped out of his skin, but he managed to not-so-smoothly go for a casual grin. "I'm good, just, uh, slightly embarrassed I didn't go for something more, um, pants-like."
Tanner laughed, the sound appearing genuinely casual and entirely forgiving. An aged and scaled-covered hand was extended. "As long as you do not choose to appear before the court in these frankly... modern swimming trunks, I should think all can be forgiven. If anything, I envy you. Some sartorial expectations weigh on us aged dragons, I'm afraid. I could certainly go for a swim in this weather," he confessed, lightly tugging at his tie's knot.
Three looked past the dragon's shoulders for an instant. "So, why the Bigwig Reunion? I thought my parents wanted to meet the folks who took Gawain Machae out.
- It's all part of Archibald's plan, honestly. Or, should I say, your conjoined plan. One does not simply turn a museum back into a private residence with a few signatures - especially when said residence has to double as a training and administrative facility. There are business plans to consolidate, property rights to exchange and a few papers to sign. Hopefully over a good plate of food and a decent glass of wine, that goes without saying.
- And we need two CEOs from Big Business because...?"
The dragon smirked wryly. "Because both are in the business of the law. We've all invested much in this city - money being the least of our concerns. Aldergard likes to play the part of the imposing and unreachable reptile sitting on his gold pile, but you've met the woman who gained the key to his heart, I believe. I've known Aldergard for centuries and know fairly well how truthfully he cares. As for Nigel - he would take no refusal. The question of materials and hardware is still in need of being addressed, but Katherine has already been set on the task of parlaying with Goliath's board of directors."
Three nodded and seemed about to ask another question, when Tanner pointed at the grill. "These need to be turned over, I believe. As for you, you really need to stop considering us supernaturals as being impressive. It'll do wonders for your nerves."
The dragon laughed and clasped a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Here - these little tidbits should help in this matter. For all of my years and all of my power, arthritis cripples me regularly. I drop like a stone as soon as ten o' clock strikes and cannot synchronize my inner geek with your latest technological innovations. Oh - and I an absolutely rabid fan of board games and role-playing sourcebooks. For your own sake, never challenge me to a game of Settlers of Catan."
That seemed to help Aidan to a degree, tension leaving him as he laughed. "I can't get further than one Development Card and a few villages. My sister keeps thrashing me every time we play."
Cody's eyes twinkled at this. "Aha, then we must schedule a game! I've always kept a weather-eye out for new pupils and opponents!
- Is it true what Katherine says?" asked the young man. "You're a D&D fan, too?"
By way of responding, Tanner gestured dismissively and rolled his eyes. "You have no idea, my boy. Consider it as a form of nepenthe for my inner frustrated orator and storyteller."
Three was fairly relaxed, by now, and was honestly amused. "A geeky dragon. Wow."
These were the last golden weeks of summer. The last pool parties and the last barbecues. School buses were frequent, parks were partially deserted during weekdays, and the summertime routine had shifted to the cycle of workdays and weekends. On a late Friday afternoon, however, what looked like another barbecue supper at the Drake household had almost... diplomatic undertones.
Aidan was used to having his maternal uncles over every now and then, and Nigel Griffin's closeness to his father had been established for years. His parents had told him they'd organized a get-together with the "new local heroes" for the purposes of getting to meet them all, but he hadn't expected Archie to show up with the governor in tow, along with two dragons!
The end result had been a bit embarrassing. He wouldn't have thought much of letting the selkies, Aspasia, Sophia or Jenkins see him in his bathing suit, but seeing Cody Tanner, Archie, Deputy Chief Lowell, Caliban Smith and his wife and Aldergard Kuhn walk up his driveway? That made him feel rather self-conscious about choosing this particular moment to go for a dip... For a moment, he stood alone in the back yard, hoping that nobody would think to check up on him, and was rather happy to hear his parents and his sister chin-wag with their guests. As long as nobody paid attention to him - at least until he managed to sneak in the tool shed long enough to get dressed - he'd be good. He did manage a bit of a chuckle at the sound of his sister assailing Archibald with questions. The Clank didn't seem to know where he fit between sounding cordial or slightly embarrassed by all the attention.
Three's attempts to stealthily cook steaks and weiners failed, however, as the kitchen's patio door slid open. "Ah," came a lightly accented voice, "I knew I'd smelled meat cooked with a slight zest of desperation... How do you do, mister Drake?"
Three nearly jumped out of his skin, but he managed to not-so-smoothly go for a casual grin. "I'm good, just, uh, slightly embarrassed I didn't go for something more, um, pants-like."
Tanner laughed, the sound appearing genuinely casual and entirely forgiving. An aged and scaled-covered hand was extended. "As long as you do not choose to appear before the court in these frankly... modern swimming trunks, I should think all can be forgiven. If anything, I envy you. Some sartorial expectations weigh on us aged dragons, I'm afraid. I could certainly go for a swim in this weather," he confessed, lightly tugging at his tie's knot.
Three looked past the dragon's shoulders for an instant. "So, why the Bigwig Reunion? I thought my parents wanted to meet the folks who took Gawain Machae out.
- It's all part of Archibald's plan, honestly. Or, should I say, your conjoined plan. One does not simply turn a museum back into a private residence with a few signatures - especially when said residence has to double as a training and administrative facility. There are business plans to consolidate, property rights to exchange and a few papers to sign. Hopefully over a good plate of food and a decent glass of wine, that goes without saying.
- And we need two CEOs from Big Business because...?"
The dragon smirked wryly. "Because both are in the business of the law. We've all invested much in this city - money being the least of our concerns. Aldergard likes to play the part of the imposing and unreachable reptile sitting on his gold pile, but you've met the woman who gained the key to his heart, I believe. I've known Aldergard for centuries and know fairly well how truthfully he cares. As for Nigel - he would take no refusal. The question of materials and hardware is still in need of being addressed, but Katherine has already been set on the task of parlaying with Goliath's board of directors."
Three nodded and seemed about to ask another question, when Tanner pointed at the grill. "These need to be turned over, I believe. As for you, you really need to stop considering us supernaturals as being impressive. It'll do wonders for your nerves."
The dragon laughed and clasped a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Here - these little tidbits should help in this matter. For all of my years and all of my power, arthritis cripples me regularly. I drop like a stone as soon as ten o' clock strikes and cannot synchronize my inner geek with your latest technological innovations. Oh - and I an absolutely rabid fan of board games and role-playing sourcebooks. For your own sake, never challenge me to a game of Settlers of Catan."
That seemed to help Aidan to a degree, tension leaving him as he laughed. "I can't get further than one Development Card and a few villages. My sister keeps thrashing me every time we play."
Cody's eyes twinkled at this. "Aha, then we must schedule a game! I've always kept a weather-eye out for new pupils and opponents!
- Is it true what Katherine says?" asked the young man. "You're a D&D fan, too?"
By way of responding, Tanner gestured dismissively and rolled his eyes. "You have no idea, my boy. Consider it as a form of nepenthe for my inner frustrated orator and storyteller."
Three was fairly relaxed, by now, and was honestly amused. "A geeky dragon. Wow."
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
"It's probably just as well that your family thought to have a casual barbecue, Three," Aislinn responded as she walked toward him. "Otherwise, Gubbin would've likely tried to use the idea of appearing before VIPs as an excuse to get me to dress all fancy," she added jokingly. The selkie was indeed dressed casually; she wore a black tank top and black and white striped shorts with black flip-flops.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
"I wasn't too worried about you, honestly," replied the young man with a shrug, and more about us ordinary folk in general, you know? You, your siblings, me... How can we compete against a dragon in a suit?" he asked in jest, gesturing at Tanner as he spoke.
In the meantime, the dragon made a show of inspecting his claws. "You cannot, I'm afraid," he replied, a playful wink piercing his momentary airs of snobbery. "My suit-and-bowler-hat game remains unmatched throughout the county. Of course, you could go change and try for one of your plebeian jeans..."
Three couldn't hold back an amused snort at this. "Yeah, I should go and find my rattiest pair, the one with all the grass stains and the motor oil from when I used to do maintenance on the big lawnmower City Services keeps around to mow Sophia's lawn!"
The aging lawyer managed to beam reservedly at the joke, all the while giving the Drakes' yard a quick appraisal. "Well," he said, "you've certainly chosen a wonderful neighbourhood for yourselves, if I may say so. It's all so oddly quiet, out here in Renton, and yet within spitting distance of all the amenities a family could desire.
- We do okay," humbly conceded the young man. "I just wish the whole Quigley Road debacle hadn't happened. I don't mean to sound selfish, but I didn't need the extra attention.
- Hm," mused the attorney. "So few of us do, my boy..."
That seemed to steer the dragon onto other matters, and he turned to Aislinn. "That reminds me, miss McConmara - Gubbin tells me your little entreprise has benefited greatly from your involvement in the recent events. People are itching to be branded by one who stood up to the first superhuman terrorist to attack Hope in decades, and I suspect that your pre-established skill has only facilitiated sales in this matter... I do hope it hasn't proved too much for your waiting room's capacity."
* * *
From Caliban's point of view, the event was fairly unexpected but also blessedly welcome. He'd spent the better part of four weeks reviewing interviews with the city's new vigilantes, trying to find out everyone's intrinsic motivations and desires, going forward. Most were understandably torn about it all, realizing they could trade the safety of their established trade for something more rewarding, but also aware that doing so would place their lives in danger. The old guard had also passed through court hearings, but Archie and Bucky's opinions on vigilantism were pleasantly predictable. After Elysium, he'd spent a lot of time addressing the plights and causes of the State's metahumans and supernaturals, but he'd only addressed the mundanes through guiding principles he kept in mind. The gifted and the cursed tended to gravitate in and around his office, and he was lucky to have a mundane secretary...
Now, however, he was being forced into a gear shift he wasn't aware he'd been hoping for. They'd obviously talk superheroes and threats from beyond the scope of mundane existence over contracts to sign and plates of food - but for now, he was being asked about his last stay in Japan. Not by an Otaku, not by a young adult with poorly-hidden fantasies about Akihabara, but by a young adult with an honest anthropological interest in the country's social tissue. It was a welcomed change, to say the least.
"...It wasn't so bad at first, I still had a few thousand yen to my name and I was up in the north, well away from urban centers. I'd find little ski inns out in the forest - essentially slightly more traditional Bed-and-Breakfast arrangements, just with the occasional hot spring or standard Jacuzzi. Eiko and I would sleep in little rickety beds like a pair of students. We'd wake up, have breakfast with rice and fish, and then debate on whether or not we were too full to keep trekking or skiing. Sleep would win on some occasions, but we generally took off. Then it was off to the next relay where things would repeat themselves. I'd leave Eiko with the Ofuro - I could never fit in that thing, anyway - and just sat on the front porch until she was finished. Then I'd take a regular shower and call it a day."
Sarah seemed impressed. "So that's it? I figured you would've wanted to take the country's economic pulse first; check out Tokyo and the Aug industry's factories.
- Eh, I'd receive figures and graphs and charts through email, anyway," shrugged the saurian. "I was three months before the report I'd asked for on US-American corporate relationships would be due, and I needed to see more than growth potential. I needed to see more than that fabled corporate culture where everyone has to come in to work ridiculously cheery and stop at eleven for floor-wide jumping-jacks... I'd figured I'd get the Company Man feeling on paper, so I might as well check out the rest - the important stuff - in person."
Eiko, in the meantime, didn't sound or act much like a self-conscious immigrant. She'd seemingly learned to dial down on the signature Japanese discretion, trading the seventies' demure smiles and nods for plenty of expressive crow's feet and delicate wrinkles around her lips. Her synthetic eyes were of a perfect shade of dark brown, difficult to spot as such under less-than-ideal conditions. Her accent had similarly faded over time. Of course, being an apostle for responsible Transhumanism, she looked more like a fiftysomething young retiree than someone who was pushing eighty years old.
"We were flat broke in less than a month. You, a US governor and me, a biomechanical engineer! We still had our papers, sure, and we still had Caliban's visa, but no Yen means no room and board...
- So we ended up teaching English for a semester in Shinhidaka," reminisced Caliban. "The kids ended up calling me Gojira-san, and they were sure Ultraman or the Kamen Rider would just waltz on down to their classroom and defeat me. They used to pack themselves against me and they'd go 'Don't worry, Gojira-san! We won't let Kamen Rider hurt you!'."
- Wait, isn't Kamen Rider the good guy?"
That made Caliban laugh. "Search me, I never watched that show! I was their good bad guy, and they wouldn't let their bad good guys get to me."
In the meantime, the dragon made a show of inspecting his claws. "You cannot, I'm afraid," he replied, a playful wink piercing his momentary airs of snobbery. "My suit-and-bowler-hat game remains unmatched throughout the county. Of course, you could go change and try for one of your plebeian jeans..."
Three couldn't hold back an amused snort at this. "Yeah, I should go and find my rattiest pair, the one with all the grass stains and the motor oil from when I used to do maintenance on the big lawnmower City Services keeps around to mow Sophia's lawn!"
The aging lawyer managed to beam reservedly at the joke, all the while giving the Drakes' yard a quick appraisal. "Well," he said, "you've certainly chosen a wonderful neighbourhood for yourselves, if I may say so. It's all so oddly quiet, out here in Renton, and yet within spitting distance of all the amenities a family could desire.
- We do okay," humbly conceded the young man. "I just wish the whole Quigley Road debacle hadn't happened. I don't mean to sound selfish, but I didn't need the extra attention.
- Hm," mused the attorney. "So few of us do, my boy..."
That seemed to steer the dragon onto other matters, and he turned to Aislinn. "That reminds me, miss McConmara - Gubbin tells me your little entreprise has benefited greatly from your involvement in the recent events. People are itching to be branded by one who stood up to the first superhuman terrorist to attack Hope in decades, and I suspect that your pre-established skill has only facilitiated sales in this matter... I do hope it hasn't proved too much for your waiting room's capacity."
* * *
From Caliban's point of view, the event was fairly unexpected but also blessedly welcome. He'd spent the better part of four weeks reviewing interviews with the city's new vigilantes, trying to find out everyone's intrinsic motivations and desires, going forward. Most were understandably torn about it all, realizing they could trade the safety of their established trade for something more rewarding, but also aware that doing so would place their lives in danger. The old guard had also passed through court hearings, but Archie and Bucky's opinions on vigilantism were pleasantly predictable. After Elysium, he'd spent a lot of time addressing the plights and causes of the State's metahumans and supernaturals, but he'd only addressed the mundanes through guiding principles he kept in mind. The gifted and the cursed tended to gravitate in and around his office, and he was lucky to have a mundane secretary...
Now, however, he was being forced into a gear shift he wasn't aware he'd been hoping for. They'd obviously talk superheroes and threats from beyond the scope of mundane existence over contracts to sign and plates of food - but for now, he was being asked about his last stay in Japan. Not by an Otaku, not by a young adult with poorly-hidden fantasies about Akihabara, but by a young adult with an honest anthropological interest in the country's social tissue. It was a welcomed change, to say the least.
"...It wasn't so bad at first, I still had a few thousand yen to my name and I was up in the north, well away from urban centers. I'd find little ski inns out in the forest - essentially slightly more traditional Bed-and-Breakfast arrangements, just with the occasional hot spring or standard Jacuzzi. Eiko and I would sleep in little rickety beds like a pair of students. We'd wake up, have breakfast with rice and fish, and then debate on whether or not we were too full to keep trekking or skiing. Sleep would win on some occasions, but we generally took off. Then it was off to the next relay where things would repeat themselves. I'd leave Eiko with the Ofuro - I could never fit in that thing, anyway - and just sat on the front porch until she was finished. Then I'd take a regular shower and call it a day."
Sarah seemed impressed. "So that's it? I figured you would've wanted to take the country's economic pulse first; check out Tokyo and the Aug industry's factories.
- Eh, I'd receive figures and graphs and charts through email, anyway," shrugged the saurian. "I was three months before the report I'd asked for on US-American corporate relationships would be due, and I needed to see more than growth potential. I needed to see more than that fabled corporate culture where everyone has to come in to work ridiculously cheery and stop at eleven for floor-wide jumping-jacks... I'd figured I'd get the Company Man feeling on paper, so I might as well check out the rest - the important stuff - in person."
Eiko, in the meantime, didn't sound or act much like a self-conscious immigrant. She'd seemingly learned to dial down on the signature Japanese discretion, trading the seventies' demure smiles and nods for plenty of expressive crow's feet and delicate wrinkles around her lips. Her synthetic eyes were of a perfect shade of dark brown, difficult to spot as such under less-than-ideal conditions. Her accent had similarly faded over time. Of course, being an apostle for responsible Transhumanism, she looked more like a fiftysomething young retiree than someone who was pushing eighty years old.
"We were flat broke in less than a month. You, a US governor and me, a biomechanical engineer! We still had our papers, sure, and we still had Caliban's visa, but no Yen means no room and board...
- So we ended up teaching English for a semester in Shinhidaka," reminisced Caliban. "The kids ended up calling me Gojira-san, and they were sure Ultraman or the Kamen Rider would just waltz on down to their classroom and defeat me. They used to pack themselves against me and they'd go 'Don't worry, Gojira-san! We won't let Kamen Rider hurt you!'."
- Wait, isn't Kamen Rider the good guy?"
That made Caliban laugh. "Search me, I never watched that show! I was their good bad guy, and they wouldn't let their bad good guys get to me."
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
Aislinn chuckled. "Well, that is true. I don't mind the additional clients, but I've had to ante up on the scheduling bit. I can't just have people stroll in because they wanted a tattoo done by a local artist who was involved in the battle. It's still just a bit weird for me. I mean, yeah, I was involved, but I spent a good majority of it resting from a single blow to my ribcage from British-accented walking calamari."
***
Sophia ventured over to the T-rex and young human. The dryad still radiated with Summer's power, but tinges of Autumn were finding their way into her appearance and overall bearing. Still, she smiled at the two. "Appearances don't make a hero, after all; a good heart does. Hello, Sarah, Caliban."
***
Sophia ventured over to the T-rex and young human. The dryad still radiated with Summer's power, but tinges of Autumn were finding their way into her appearance and overall bearing. Still, she smiled at the two. "Appearances don't make a hero, after all; a good heart does. Hello, Sarah, Caliban."
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Chapter I - Sword and Shield
"Baby steps," replied Tanner, and Three didn't have it in him to contradict the dragon. The way he'd spoken, he seemed to have complete confidence in the fact that Aislinn would eventually look back on that fateful encounter and be amazed at the road she'd have traveled since then. "You have to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run," he added.
Three alternated between looking at his friends and supervising the barbecue. "Are you sure? Amazo's been rifling through his books ever since we met Aislinn's walking seafood, and none of what he's brought up is encouraging. To be honest, he's brought practically nothing to the table as far as this is concerned, and he's as baffled as we are. How can an entire species and civilization hide itself so well for so long?
- Well," posited the dragon, "it seems to me as though the survivors of potential Squid encounters are rarely left sane enough to carry a coherent testimony. It probably fed into some drunken dock hand stories which a local syphilitic peddling merchant heard at the turn of the last century, and then his son gave us those delightfully quaint stories about alien geometries, impossible dreams and sunken cities..."
Drake couldn't hold back a scoff. "What, really? Winfield Scott Lovecraft was right, he fed his nightmare stories to his son and that's it; Rhode Island's representative in genre fiction is right about squid people from space wanting to kill us all?
- I would subtract the from space part, to be entirely honest - but yes, that would seem to be a potentially correct assumption."
Three shook his head. "I can buy that Gawain was trying to get Mab to notice him, I can even buy that Mab had ulterior motives for funding the attack. I can't buy that Zoot Suit Rent-a-Zoidberg wasn't some kind of weird Fae offshoot, though.
- You may be correct," mused Tanner. "Of course, you were all utterly convinced that the Earth was flat a few centuries ago... That one, I could never buy."
Another amused scoff left Aidan's mouth as he smirked. "Well, yeah - you could fly while the rest of us thought that horse-drawn chariots were still high-tech. I bet you laughed all the way across from Rome to the Orkneys!
- And laugh I did," replied Tanner with a grin, "my human compatriots were convinced I'd simply fly out of the sky if I attempted to go past the horizon!"
That seemed to change the soldier's mind - albeit grudgingly. "Yeah, okay. I guess we can shelve the Squids in the To Be Determined folder...
- How charitable of you," replied Tanner, maybe with just a smidgen of teasing sarcasm.
* * *
"Sophia, hello!" replied Caliban, who'd seemingly not seen her after arriving. He gave her a quick and friendly embrace and placed a peck on each of her cheeks. "If only all my social functions started with such kind words, Eiko could never drag me back home, I swear. How are you?"
Her being here was a testament to the fact that the Tree hadn't endured too much damage since the attack. If anything had happened to what you could've technically considered as her other body, it hadn't been serious enough to reflect on this one. A serious change in personal outlook or a traumatic experience would have been needed for her bark to lose its skin-like sheen and the fairness of her features. As ever, it seemed as though Sophia was set to either never age at all, or in a suitably noble fashion.
Still, civilities had to be accounted for.
Three alternated between looking at his friends and supervising the barbecue. "Are you sure? Amazo's been rifling through his books ever since we met Aislinn's walking seafood, and none of what he's brought up is encouraging. To be honest, he's brought practically nothing to the table as far as this is concerned, and he's as baffled as we are. How can an entire species and civilization hide itself so well for so long?
- Well," posited the dragon, "it seems to me as though the survivors of potential Squid encounters are rarely left sane enough to carry a coherent testimony. It probably fed into some drunken dock hand stories which a local syphilitic peddling merchant heard at the turn of the last century, and then his son gave us those delightfully quaint stories about alien geometries, impossible dreams and sunken cities..."
Drake couldn't hold back a scoff. "What, really? Winfield Scott Lovecraft was right, he fed his nightmare stories to his son and that's it; Rhode Island's representative in genre fiction is right about squid people from space wanting to kill us all?
- I would subtract the from space part, to be entirely honest - but yes, that would seem to be a potentially correct assumption."
Three shook his head. "I can buy that Gawain was trying to get Mab to notice him, I can even buy that Mab had ulterior motives for funding the attack. I can't buy that Zoot Suit Rent-a-Zoidberg wasn't some kind of weird Fae offshoot, though.
- You may be correct," mused Tanner. "Of course, you were all utterly convinced that the Earth was flat a few centuries ago... That one, I could never buy."
Another amused scoff left Aidan's mouth as he smirked. "Well, yeah - you could fly while the rest of us thought that horse-drawn chariots were still high-tech. I bet you laughed all the way across from Rome to the Orkneys!
- And laugh I did," replied Tanner with a grin, "my human compatriots were convinced I'd simply fly out of the sky if I attempted to go past the horizon!"
That seemed to change the soldier's mind - albeit grudgingly. "Yeah, okay. I guess we can shelve the Squids in the To Be Determined folder...
- How charitable of you," replied Tanner, maybe with just a smidgen of teasing sarcasm.
* * *
"Sophia, hello!" replied Caliban, who'd seemingly not seen her after arriving. He gave her a quick and friendly embrace and placed a peck on each of her cheeks. "If only all my social functions started with such kind words, Eiko could never drag me back home, I swear. How are you?"
Her being here was a testament to the fact that the Tree hadn't endured too much damage since the attack. If anything had happened to what you could've technically considered as her other body, it hadn't been serious enough to reflect on this one. A serious change in personal outlook or a traumatic experience would have been needed for her bark to lose its skin-like sheen and the fairness of her features. As ever, it seemed as though Sophia was set to either never age at all, or in a suitably noble fashion.
Still, civilities had to be accounted for.