Ok everyone, here is Pair Production 3. With an added bonus content by Sofa.
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Gamma Emission:
Pair Production (pt 3)
It's 2:43 am and I'm staring at the celling again. Not because I'm not tired, but because I can't sleep. Literally. My bed is now giving off enough rads that it feels like I've been sipping at a cup of coffee all night long. I've been staring at the celling since a little past midnight for two reasons. Firstly because Rhea has apparently decided I make an excellent pillow, and having her curled up against me is giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Secondly because I can think in here just as well as I can elsewhere. Unfortunately I have only reached one conclusion. I need to have a serious relationship discussion with Rhea and Terrence.
Part of me, the same part that is feeling warm fuzzies right now, thinks that everything is going to be fine. That they both care for me as much as I care for them. And as much as I want to believe that is true, I can't afford to walk into a serious discussion tomorrow with the both of them and hope for the best. I also need to plan for the worst. And the worst I can think of right now is that Rhea is just in this for the sex. And once she is hormonally sated she'll move on, and the breakup will cause all sorts of arguments between myself and Terrence. Because I know he wouldn't take it nearly as well as I tell my self I will. A dark fearful sliver of my mind says that Terrence will leave me for Rhea, because she is far more energetic and enthusiastic than I could ever let myself be. But I know that is just my irrational fears talking, and I try not to listen.
But as well as I know Terrence, Rhea is still a still largely a black box to me. I know there is more to her than just the cheerful happy exterior she shows to the world, but I have no clue what those depths hold. And I've had enough education thought my nursing certification to know that I don't know jack about psychiatry. So poking at those dark places is a bad idea. I know she's seeing a therapist of some sort, but doesn't tell me anything. Half of the hero's in capes are seeing a therapist, either over guilt because they couldn't save someone, or cause a few too many fights have ended in body bags.
The best I can come up is that Terrence and I are safe, that she never has to worry about maintaing strict control of her powers around us, that she can relax every once in a while. And while that is important in a friendship or a relationship, it doesn't infer one. I glance over at Mr. Whiskers, carefully propped up between a pillow and the headboard. "I don't suppose you have any insights you would like to share." Silence and blank button eyes are the only response I get. Not that I've ever gotten an answer to any of the late night questions I've asked. I guess getting the silent treatment from an animal companion isn't nearly as bad as it could be. I heard some horror stories from the mages about animal companions to new magical girls attempting to control every aspect of their life, leaving the girls incapable of making their own decisions. Mr. Whiskers seems content to only express himself to Rhea.
I'm getting nowhere fast, maybe if I get some actual sleep an idea will come to me. After tickling Rhea for a few seconds I get her to turn over and use Terrence as a pillow instead. I slip out of bed and grab the spare blanked from the hall closet. The couch isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it's not glowing. And right now that's all that matters.
*****
[[The following bit was written by Sofa from Rhea's point of view. It fits so well that I have included it, with his permission]
I woke up to an empty bed. No, wait, Mr. Whiskers was still there. I smiled and patted him on the head, then sat up and looked around.
I was starting to get used to the green glow -- and I've always liked the color -- but to even my eyes it was starting to be a bit much. I didn't want to say anything... I was a guest, and if Lisa wanted to turn up the glow until you could see it from Mars, hey, it's her place.
I climbed out of bed and found a t-shirt in the metal hamper at the foot of the bed. It was big on me -- probably one of Terrence's, then, since Lisa was smaller than I am. She's petite and athletic, unlike my Amazon build. Even though I'm taller than both of them, it just doesn't seem to matter much.
(Well, when you're laying down, you're all the same height anyway, right?)
I grinned at Mr. Whiskers and stuck my tongue out at him. He'd been more cheerful lately, and had taken to making comments to me at the most inopportune times. Lucky for me, both Lisa and Terrence seemed to enjoy his sense of humor -- the parts I shared, at any rate. I don't think they'd have appreciated the comparison to a tabby in heat, though.
I sniffed the air. Somebody was cooking. That meant food. "C'mon, furball," I said, scooping Mr. Whiskers up and settling him on my shoulder. "Let's get some grub."
As I made my way towards the kitchen I caught sight of Lisa, snoring gently on the couch under a thin blanket. I frowned. I couldn't think of any reason she'd have slept there. I knew she'd been in bed with us last night, after Terrence proved just how much he liked my new outfit. I didn't think she was mad about being left at the store, either -- she'd have said something, right?
Of course she would, I told myself firmly. One thing I knew, for all that I still barely knew her, was that Lisa was not afraid to speak up. Whether it was a quip in the middle of combat, or a teasing remark in more intimate moments, she was never afraid to say what was on her mind. I admired that about her.
I leaned back against the wall, watching Lisa sleep, and felt a silly grin spreading on my face. Laying between her and Terrence these past few nights had been a welcome change. I hoped that it would last, but since I knew that couldn't be the case, I was going to enjoy and treasure every minute of it I could. From years of having nobody --
(Except me.)
-- except Mr. Whiskers, to having not just one but two people who at least pretended to care about me, to believe me... I didn't know what I'd done to be so lucky, but I was going to savor it, dammit!
I'd have to watch for the signs. If nothing else I wanted -- needed -- to save the friendship that had developed. So when they started to hint about not wanting me around, I needed to respond the right way. You hear me, Mr. Whiskers? You watch for it too. Let me know if you spot them acting... well, y'know. Uncomfortable. That'll be our cue to bow out. Last thing I need on my conscience is breaking them up. You and me, we'll be okay, we'll get by. We always do. But we can't bust up what they have. It wouldn't be right.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. So help me, I'd fallen for the two of them, but whatever I did I couldn't let on. That would only cause them more pain when it came time for them to leave me.
Cheerful. Upbeat. I could relax and let down my guard, but when it's time for them to move on, you suck it up and deal like a big girl, get me, Rhea?
You'll help, right, furball?
(Of course.)
I took a deep breath and felt the smile settle back on my face. Well. For now, at least, I didn't have to worry. I wasn't going to borrow trouble. Lisa would say something when it was time. That, at least, I could count on.
I blew a kiss at Lisa, then turned and caught sight of Terrence, standing in the doorway at the end of the hall.
"Mornin'" he rumbled quietly. I loved his voice. Deep and resonant, without being ponderous or dramatic. I could listen to him talk all day.
"Hi, Terr," I replied just as quietly.
"Want some breakfast?"
"Sounds great," I admitted. "I'm starving."
He smiled and stepped back, indicating the kitchen beyond. "After you."
I settled myself at the table, hiding my grin as I caught Terrence sneaking a peek at my legs where they poked out of his t-shirt, and settled Mr. Whiskers next to my plate. I picked up knife and fork, fixed a serious look on my face, and intoned in as deep a voice as I could muster, "Feed me, Seymour. Feed me now!"
Terrence laughed and gave a half-mocking bow. "As my lady wishes." He busied himself at the stove and quickly dished up scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions and steak and I don't know what else, but it was good, and toast and orange juice and jam. More food was sizzling on the range as well. One thing I had to give the two of them, they knew how to eat well. I'd always been blessed with the sort of metabolism that doesn't need much maintenance, but if I was going to keep fitting my tights I needed to make sure I kept up on the exercise.
(What, you're not getting enough at night?)
I choked on the food and tried not to spew it across the table as a laugh welled up inside me. Terr gave me a worried look, which I shook my head to and pointed at Mr. Whiskers. He nodded understanding and turned back to the stove.
A zombie appeared in the doorway. Terrence glanced back over his shoulder.
"Hey Lisa, just in time. Steak and eggs?"
*****
The smell of cooking meat greeted my nose as I woke up, and I contemplated going back to sleep before my stomach vociferously protests it's empty state. I spent a few minutes sleepily struggling out of the cocoon that the blanket had become and stumbled to my feet. And my back reminded me why I don't normally sleep on the couch. A night of strenuous activity plus sleeping on the uneven cushions has not left my lower back much happier than my stomach. But right now my stomach was louder, so food before a shower. I wraped the blanket around me like a cloak and make my way into the kitchen.
The lights are actually turned on in the kitchen and I stand in the doorway blinking slowly while my eyes adjust. Rhea is sitting at the table and happily eating scrambled eggs with something, and Terrence is standing over the stove cooking the steaks I smelled earlier. My stomach grumbled again and Terrence looked over his shoulder at the sound.
"Hey Lisa. Just in time." He greeted "Steak and eggs?"
"Please" I said, easing my way into the seat next to Rhea and stealing a piece of toast off her plate.
"Morning Lisa." Rhea chirped in between bites of her scrambled eggs.
I hummed a response before swallowing the toast and reaching for the OJ. I would have preferred coffee, but that would require waiting. And right now the acidic drink would do just as well to cut through the film that sleep had left in my mouth. The sugar didn't hurt either. Rhea waited until I had poured myself a glass and consumed half of it before asking "Any reason you slept on the couch? I know your not in the dog house with me, and I can't imagine Terr being mad enough at you to kick you out of bed."
"I couldn't sleep. I was too wound up."
"Awww, you should have woken one of us up." Rhea said with a smile "I'm sure we could have gotten rid of that tension. We did kinda get started without you." Rhea flicked a glance at Mr. Whiskers, who was on the table at her other side. "Your not mad about that are you?"
"No, not at all" I reassured her. "I would have slept in the bed if I could. It's just with our recent activities, the bed is giving off a few too many rads for me to fall asleep."
Terrence turned around with a worried look on his face "Oh geeze, sorry Lisa. I'll -" he began to apologize. I cut him off before he got too far along.
"Hey! No saying sorry." I smiled at him to show I wasn't mad and continued "I don't remember to telling you to stop at any point last night."
Rhea giggled and added "no, you were limited to 'harder', 'faster', and 'oh god yes'."
That got both of us blushing and Rhea giggled some more at our reactions. I chose to ignore her for the time being and instead focused on Terrence as he brought the steaks over. "We'll have to pick up a new bed sometime this weekend. A few nights on the couch isn't going to kill me." I took one of the stakes and ladled some of the scrambled eggs onto my plate as well.
"Well ok, but I still don't feel right about you not being able to sleep in your own bed." Terrence said we dug into breakfast. "When are you going to get the special sheets?"
I took a moment to swallow and glanced at the clock, only 10am, I hadn't slept in too badly. "If everything goes according to plan, Friday. But we will need to made a raid on the Bloody Bay tomorrow morning to pick up the Shivan skulls. Everything else I have in storage, in the base, or I can pickup at Went's. I have the full list in my jacket."
Terrence nodded and asked "What time tomorrow?"
"The earlier the better. I'm thinking seven-ish?" I said turning to Rhea. "what time works for you?"
"Seven is a great time for action and adventure! Right Mr. Whiskers?" Rhea answered, and after a second nodded in agreement with something Mr. Whiskers had said.
"Great, so seven o'clock at the Skyway Helicopter." Terrence said with a nod. "Lisa, if you tell me what your missing off of your list, I can see what I have in storage."
I hummed assent at that around a fork full of scrambled eggs. Conversation quieted down in favor of food and I felt like this could work, the three of us living together. That thought brought a warm feeling of hope that left me smiling slightly. At least until I tried to get up to clear the dishes. Getting out of my chair was aborted half way through with a pained grunt. As happy as my stomach was right now my back wasn't, and had decided to go on strike.
Rhea and Terrence gave me worried looks. "Ok, so maybe sleeping on the couch was a bad idea." I explained. "My back is a little stiff, that's all"
Terrence frowned in thought while Rhea eased the blanket off my shoulders. Her "Let me have a look." was half question and half order. I pushed my plate to the center of the table and pillowed my head on my arms, scooting as far forward on the chair as I could. The cooler air against my bare chest was quickly forgotten as Rhea began to run her hands up and down my back. Her touch left trails of warmth and relaxation in muscles that were previously threatening to seize up. I just hummed happily into my arms and let her work. The sound of clinking plates as Terrence cleaned the table made me feel a little guilty, but that was forgotten as Rhea's hands made another pass over a particularly stubborn muscle group. Once she was satisfied that my back was relaxed the touches migrated to my side and front.
I turned my head to look at Rhea, from this angle I couldn't tell if she had anything on besides the large t-shirt she was wearing. I restrained the impulse to pull her into my lap and find out, instead saying "Keep that up and your joining me in the shower." The grin I got in response told me what she thought of that idea.
"It is partially my fault you're not feeling great, so I should fix that if I can." Rhea apologized.
"I'm sure you will." I said with a smile as I got up. This time I didn't have any problems as I grabbed one of Rhea's hands and pulled her towards the bathroom. The sound of Terrence chuckling followed us down the hall. I ignored the voice in the back of my head that said I was avoiding the more important topics. I told myself that I wasn't avoiding the situation, I was just giving her incentive to stay.
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In the end the shower took longer than I originally planned and it was noon before I left the apartment with an empty duffel bag. That left me with 36 hours to find all the ingredients and convince people to do a collection of large and small enchantments. Not an easy task given that a big chunk of tomorrow was going to be taken up with hunting down shivan skulls in Bloody Bay. I figured I'd tackle the quick stuff first. First stop: The Legendary base for salvage.
The base was quiet when I arrived, the only sound aside from my footsteps is the hum of various machinery. I hit my personal storage first and managed to check off a third of the items on the list. The communal salvage store was hit next, and another third was taken care of. I felt a little bad raiding the communal storage like that, when I never got much of a chance to put anything in. I promised myself I'd deposit my next mission check into the supergroup account, and run a mission or two wearing the abbreviated legendary outfit I came up with. While I was at the base I took the opportunity to email Terrence the list of things I was missing. He always seemed to have a large collection of arcane salvage, so chances were he would have it all. A quick stop by the base teleporters and I was on my way to the hospital.
It felt a little strange walking down the street like a pedestrian with a duffle bag full of salvage. But some of the pieces were rather fragile and I didn't want to risk the abrupt landing that my jumps can sometimes have. A few of the street toughs noticed the duffel bag, but didn't do anything more than that. After sending enough of them to the hospital the locals had apparently learned that I wasn't to be trifled with. Sure, cracking down on them didn't do anything for my security ranking, but it bought me peace. Whether that peace came from fear or respect I really didn't care; they stopped bothering me and I didn't go after them unless they were actively doing something illegal.
I eventually reached the hospital and made my way to the third floor without incident. It was quicker this time to find Marcus, even if he was in a different lab. The meeting was brief and too the point. I put the bag on the end of the table he was working on and waited until he looked in my direction. "Here is most of the stuff, you'll have the rest by friday."
His response of "Yeah, sure." was a little distracted, but at least he was looking at me when he said it. I really couldn't expect much more out of someone in the middle of an experiment.
I wasn't able to track down Larry Jackobson, but I did run into a few magical pre-docs who where happy to take care of the minor enchantment refreshes and medium ward refresh. Apparently my actions on monday had earned me a fair amount of good will from those at the low end of the magical totem pole. They would never be called on to recraft the wards to the OR, that would be left to the department heads. But if the department heads were busy recrafting the OR wards, they couldn't do their normal jobs. The work just tended to cascade down in an ugly version of the trickle down theory. And those at the bottom ended up the worse off. I had lived through a similar day or two when I still worked here. Apparently the Longbow and the Skyraiders got into some big fight, all that I remember was that the bodies didn't stop coming in.
I stopped by the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee and wrack my brain on who to ask about the magical blood filter. The hospital coffee wasn't anything I would normally call 'good', but it had grown on me while I worked here. It's particular kind of bad was permanently associated with relaxing in my mind. If I had time to grab a cup of coffee, no one was dying. My moment of mutilated caffeine zen was interrupted by a cry of "Lisa!" and a thump into the seat next to me.
It was Julie, and I didn't have time to do much more than register her presence before the accusations started. "Where have you been? You pull that stunt on monday and then you disappear for two days! You don't answer your phone. You don't answer your door. Dr. Shaw won't tell me anything. And half of the people in radiology have been coming to me for answers!"
I held up my hands in surrender and waited for the verbal torrent to stop. After a few seconds she wound down and just glared at me. "First of all, I haven't gotten any calls since monday -" I trailed off as the obvious hit me. Terrence had even mentioned it, I has just forgotten about it. Pulling out my cell confirmed it, dead. The electronics themselves were hardened against radiation, but the batteries could never take it. "- sorry?" I finished lamely.
Seeing the look on her face, 'sorry' wasn't going to cut it. And this wasn't a conversation I wanted to have in the cafeteria. "The thing on monday wasn't a stunt. And we are not discussing it here."
Julie glanced around and had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. Her original outburst had attracted a few discrete observers. But the embarrassment was quickly shed in favor of a more determined look. "Fine." She stood up and quickly made her way out of the cafeteria. I followed in her wake, only making a quick detour to trash the coffee on my way out. Any sense of zen it may have imbued was gone.
The trip to one of the examination rooms on floor five was quick. Once we were both inside Julie hit the privacy button next to the door, ensuring that someone wouldn't just barge in. "Now are you going to tell me why you walked into a room putting out enough rads to kill the wards in under ten minutes? You could have been hurt."
"I've taken worse and been fine. You were there at Terra Volta. My fears about cancer notwithstanding, I'm not going to die from exposure."
"I saw you stumble out of Terra Volta, barley able to stay on your feet. And you were still out of it the next day. For all I knew you were out of your mind, people are saying you had to be carried out of the hospital. I have no idea why they let you leave." Julie's accusations about the past two days hit rather close to the truth, just not in the way she was thinking. I'd like to see anyone stop try and stop Terrence when he was that motivated. I had to fight to keep from laughing or blushing, neither would be appreciated.
"The amount Terra Volta puts out would have blown through those wards in less than a minute." I countered. "Heck, it would blow through the wards in 5C in less than an hour. I am fine. I was the only person there who could have done it. So I weighed the risks and took my chances. I couldn't just stand around and wait for a rad suit that would have been two minutes too late. Besides, she was one of The Legendary, I had to help her."
"You know her?" Julie grasped onto this new bit of information, and I was happy to let it sidetrack the conversation.
"She goes by Emerald Blast. She's a magical girl, her animal companion was still down in the sewers. She freaked out a bit." I said, trying to summarize. Julie's expression said she clearly didn't agree with the 'a bit' part. "She's not some air headed spell slinger that calls out her attacks and can't take a piss without detailed instructions from a shoulder monkey." I sighed when I realized how that had come out. "Sorry, I know you didn't say that. It's just that we have a lot in common. She's been afraid to let people get close to her for years. We have a lot to talk about." Not that we had done a whole lot of talking the past two days, but if I could get out of this conversation without bringing up what we had been doing I'd be happy.
"Ok, I get it, you feel protective." Julie dropped the topic in favor of something far more juicy in her eyes. "You do realize that Dr. Shaw has been lording your little stunt over Dr. Rauf." Dr. Rauf was the head of the warding and enchantments department, and he had as big an ego as Dr. Shaw. The two of them were engaged in a constant battle over who's ideas were better. It had been going on long before I had joined the hospital, and was expected to continue until one of them dropped dead from being workaholics.
"Great, and just when I could use his help." He normally was too busy to spare more than a few words to anyone not in his department, and now he probably wouldn't even give me the time of day.
"And why would you need Dr. Rauf's help?" Julie asked, obviously intrigued by my departure from into the magical. Normally I would stay as far away as possible, as the whole field made no sense to me.
"Because I owe a favor, and I'm trying to find someone to craft a replacement blood filter for 3A by friday." I said, mentally wincing at how tall an order that was.
"Well I'm sure if you asked nicely and stroked his ego a bit he'd do it himself, if only for the chance to lord it over Dr. Shaw." Julie's idea did make a certain amount of sense, but I was hesitant to fan the flames of their conflict. "Come on, who else is going to be able to do on such short notice?"
"Ok, Ok. I'll ask, just don't be surprised if their little competition kicks into high gear for a few days."
"Oh like that hasn't happened before." Julie said dismissively. She was about to continue her impromptu interrogation when her watch beeped at her. "Crap, I've got to get back to my rounds. But hey, next time change your battery." She said with smile as she lightly punched my arm before darting out the room.
I turned off the privacy signal and made my way at a more sedate pace to Dr. Rauf's office. Hopefully I would be able to convince him to craft the blood filter with a minimal amount of pleading.
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-Terry
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"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
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Gamma Emission:
Pair Production (pt 3)
It's 2:43 am and I'm staring at the celling again. Not because I'm not tired, but because I can't sleep. Literally. My bed is now giving off enough rads that it feels like I've been sipping at a cup of coffee all night long. I've been staring at the celling since a little past midnight for two reasons. Firstly because Rhea has apparently decided I make an excellent pillow, and having her curled up against me is giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Secondly because I can think in here just as well as I can elsewhere. Unfortunately I have only reached one conclusion. I need to have a serious relationship discussion with Rhea and Terrence.
Part of me, the same part that is feeling warm fuzzies right now, thinks that everything is going to be fine. That they both care for me as much as I care for them. And as much as I want to believe that is true, I can't afford to walk into a serious discussion tomorrow with the both of them and hope for the best. I also need to plan for the worst. And the worst I can think of right now is that Rhea is just in this for the sex. And once she is hormonally sated she'll move on, and the breakup will cause all sorts of arguments between myself and Terrence. Because I know he wouldn't take it nearly as well as I tell my self I will. A dark fearful sliver of my mind says that Terrence will leave me for Rhea, because she is far more energetic and enthusiastic than I could ever let myself be. But I know that is just my irrational fears talking, and I try not to listen.
But as well as I know Terrence, Rhea is still a still largely a black box to me. I know there is more to her than just the cheerful happy exterior she shows to the world, but I have no clue what those depths hold. And I've had enough education thought my nursing certification to know that I don't know jack about psychiatry. So poking at those dark places is a bad idea. I know she's seeing a therapist of some sort, but doesn't tell me anything. Half of the hero's in capes are seeing a therapist, either over guilt because they couldn't save someone, or cause a few too many fights have ended in body bags.
The best I can come up is that Terrence and I are safe, that she never has to worry about maintaing strict control of her powers around us, that she can relax every once in a while. And while that is important in a friendship or a relationship, it doesn't infer one. I glance over at Mr. Whiskers, carefully propped up between a pillow and the headboard. "I don't suppose you have any insights you would like to share." Silence and blank button eyes are the only response I get. Not that I've ever gotten an answer to any of the late night questions I've asked. I guess getting the silent treatment from an animal companion isn't nearly as bad as it could be. I heard some horror stories from the mages about animal companions to new magical girls attempting to control every aspect of their life, leaving the girls incapable of making their own decisions. Mr. Whiskers seems content to only express himself to Rhea.
I'm getting nowhere fast, maybe if I get some actual sleep an idea will come to me. After tickling Rhea for a few seconds I get her to turn over and use Terrence as a pillow instead. I slip out of bed and grab the spare blanked from the hall closet. The couch isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it's not glowing. And right now that's all that matters.
*****
[[The following bit was written by Sofa from Rhea's point of view. It fits so well that I have included it, with his permission]
I woke up to an empty bed. No, wait, Mr. Whiskers was still there. I smiled and patted him on the head, then sat up and looked around.
I was starting to get used to the green glow -- and I've always liked the color -- but to even my eyes it was starting to be a bit much. I didn't want to say anything... I was a guest, and if Lisa wanted to turn up the glow until you could see it from Mars, hey, it's her place.
I climbed out of bed and found a t-shirt in the metal hamper at the foot of the bed. It was big on me -- probably one of Terrence's, then, since Lisa was smaller than I am. She's petite and athletic, unlike my Amazon build. Even though I'm taller than both of them, it just doesn't seem to matter much.
(Well, when you're laying down, you're all the same height anyway, right?)
I grinned at Mr. Whiskers and stuck my tongue out at him. He'd been more cheerful lately, and had taken to making comments to me at the most inopportune times. Lucky for me, both Lisa and Terrence seemed to enjoy his sense of humor -- the parts I shared, at any rate. I don't think they'd have appreciated the comparison to a tabby in heat, though.
I sniffed the air. Somebody was cooking. That meant food. "C'mon, furball," I said, scooping Mr. Whiskers up and settling him on my shoulder. "Let's get some grub."
As I made my way towards the kitchen I caught sight of Lisa, snoring gently on the couch under a thin blanket. I frowned. I couldn't think of any reason she'd have slept there. I knew she'd been in bed with us last night, after Terrence proved just how much he liked my new outfit. I didn't think she was mad about being left at the store, either -- she'd have said something, right?
Of course she would, I told myself firmly. One thing I knew, for all that I still barely knew her, was that Lisa was not afraid to speak up. Whether it was a quip in the middle of combat, or a teasing remark in more intimate moments, she was never afraid to say what was on her mind. I admired that about her.
I leaned back against the wall, watching Lisa sleep, and felt a silly grin spreading on my face. Laying between her and Terrence these past few nights had been a welcome change. I hoped that it would last, but since I knew that couldn't be the case, I was going to enjoy and treasure every minute of it I could. From years of having nobody --
(Except me.)
-- except Mr. Whiskers, to having not just one but two people who at least pretended to care about me, to believe me... I didn't know what I'd done to be so lucky, but I was going to savor it, dammit!
I'd have to watch for the signs. If nothing else I wanted -- needed -- to save the friendship that had developed. So when they started to hint about not wanting me around, I needed to respond the right way. You hear me, Mr. Whiskers? You watch for it too. Let me know if you spot them acting... well, y'know. Uncomfortable. That'll be our cue to bow out. Last thing I need on my conscience is breaking them up. You and me, we'll be okay, we'll get by. We always do. But we can't bust up what they have. It wouldn't be right.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. So help me, I'd fallen for the two of them, but whatever I did I couldn't let on. That would only cause them more pain when it came time for them to leave me.
Cheerful. Upbeat. I could relax and let down my guard, but when it's time for them to move on, you suck it up and deal like a big girl, get me, Rhea?
You'll help, right, furball?
(Of course.)
I took a deep breath and felt the smile settle back on my face. Well. For now, at least, I didn't have to worry. I wasn't going to borrow trouble. Lisa would say something when it was time. That, at least, I could count on.
I blew a kiss at Lisa, then turned and caught sight of Terrence, standing in the doorway at the end of the hall.
"Mornin'" he rumbled quietly. I loved his voice. Deep and resonant, without being ponderous or dramatic. I could listen to him talk all day.
"Hi, Terr," I replied just as quietly.
"Want some breakfast?"
"Sounds great," I admitted. "I'm starving."
He smiled and stepped back, indicating the kitchen beyond. "After you."
I settled myself at the table, hiding my grin as I caught Terrence sneaking a peek at my legs where they poked out of his t-shirt, and settled Mr. Whiskers next to my plate. I picked up knife and fork, fixed a serious look on my face, and intoned in as deep a voice as I could muster, "Feed me, Seymour. Feed me now!"
Terrence laughed and gave a half-mocking bow. "As my lady wishes." He busied himself at the stove and quickly dished up scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions and steak and I don't know what else, but it was good, and toast and orange juice and jam. More food was sizzling on the range as well. One thing I had to give the two of them, they knew how to eat well. I'd always been blessed with the sort of metabolism that doesn't need much maintenance, but if I was going to keep fitting my tights I needed to make sure I kept up on the exercise.
(What, you're not getting enough at night?)
I choked on the food and tried not to spew it across the table as a laugh welled up inside me. Terr gave me a worried look, which I shook my head to and pointed at Mr. Whiskers. He nodded understanding and turned back to the stove.
A zombie appeared in the doorway. Terrence glanced back over his shoulder.
"Hey Lisa, just in time. Steak and eggs?"
*****
The smell of cooking meat greeted my nose as I woke up, and I contemplated going back to sleep before my stomach vociferously protests it's empty state. I spent a few minutes sleepily struggling out of the cocoon that the blanket had become and stumbled to my feet. And my back reminded me why I don't normally sleep on the couch. A night of strenuous activity plus sleeping on the uneven cushions has not left my lower back much happier than my stomach. But right now my stomach was louder, so food before a shower. I wraped the blanket around me like a cloak and make my way into the kitchen.
The lights are actually turned on in the kitchen and I stand in the doorway blinking slowly while my eyes adjust. Rhea is sitting at the table and happily eating scrambled eggs with something, and Terrence is standing over the stove cooking the steaks I smelled earlier. My stomach grumbled again and Terrence looked over his shoulder at the sound.
"Hey Lisa. Just in time." He greeted "Steak and eggs?"
"Please" I said, easing my way into the seat next to Rhea and stealing a piece of toast off her plate.
"Morning Lisa." Rhea chirped in between bites of her scrambled eggs.
I hummed a response before swallowing the toast and reaching for the OJ. I would have preferred coffee, but that would require waiting. And right now the acidic drink would do just as well to cut through the film that sleep had left in my mouth. The sugar didn't hurt either. Rhea waited until I had poured myself a glass and consumed half of it before asking "Any reason you slept on the couch? I know your not in the dog house with me, and I can't imagine Terr being mad enough at you to kick you out of bed."
"I couldn't sleep. I was too wound up."
"Awww, you should have woken one of us up." Rhea said with a smile "I'm sure we could have gotten rid of that tension. We did kinda get started without you." Rhea flicked a glance at Mr. Whiskers, who was on the table at her other side. "Your not mad about that are you?"
"No, not at all" I reassured her. "I would have slept in the bed if I could. It's just with our recent activities, the bed is giving off a few too many rads for me to fall asleep."
Terrence turned around with a worried look on his face "Oh geeze, sorry Lisa. I'll -" he began to apologize. I cut him off before he got too far along.
"Hey! No saying sorry." I smiled at him to show I wasn't mad and continued "I don't remember to telling you to stop at any point last night."
Rhea giggled and added "no, you were limited to 'harder', 'faster', and 'oh god yes'."
That got both of us blushing and Rhea giggled some more at our reactions. I chose to ignore her for the time being and instead focused on Terrence as he brought the steaks over. "We'll have to pick up a new bed sometime this weekend. A few nights on the couch isn't going to kill me." I took one of the stakes and ladled some of the scrambled eggs onto my plate as well.
"Well ok, but I still don't feel right about you not being able to sleep in your own bed." Terrence said we dug into breakfast. "When are you going to get the special sheets?"
I took a moment to swallow and glanced at the clock, only 10am, I hadn't slept in too badly. "If everything goes according to plan, Friday. But we will need to made a raid on the Bloody Bay tomorrow morning to pick up the Shivan skulls. Everything else I have in storage, in the base, or I can pickup at Went's. I have the full list in my jacket."
Terrence nodded and asked "What time tomorrow?"
"The earlier the better. I'm thinking seven-ish?" I said turning to Rhea. "what time works for you?"
"Seven is a great time for action and adventure! Right Mr. Whiskers?" Rhea answered, and after a second nodded in agreement with something Mr. Whiskers had said.
"Great, so seven o'clock at the Skyway Helicopter." Terrence said with a nod. "Lisa, if you tell me what your missing off of your list, I can see what I have in storage."
I hummed assent at that around a fork full of scrambled eggs. Conversation quieted down in favor of food and I felt like this could work, the three of us living together. That thought brought a warm feeling of hope that left me smiling slightly. At least until I tried to get up to clear the dishes. Getting out of my chair was aborted half way through with a pained grunt. As happy as my stomach was right now my back wasn't, and had decided to go on strike.
Rhea and Terrence gave me worried looks. "Ok, so maybe sleeping on the couch was a bad idea." I explained. "My back is a little stiff, that's all"
Terrence frowned in thought while Rhea eased the blanket off my shoulders. Her "Let me have a look." was half question and half order. I pushed my plate to the center of the table and pillowed my head on my arms, scooting as far forward on the chair as I could. The cooler air against my bare chest was quickly forgotten as Rhea began to run her hands up and down my back. Her touch left trails of warmth and relaxation in muscles that were previously threatening to seize up. I just hummed happily into my arms and let her work. The sound of clinking plates as Terrence cleaned the table made me feel a little guilty, but that was forgotten as Rhea's hands made another pass over a particularly stubborn muscle group. Once she was satisfied that my back was relaxed the touches migrated to my side and front.
I turned my head to look at Rhea, from this angle I couldn't tell if she had anything on besides the large t-shirt she was wearing. I restrained the impulse to pull her into my lap and find out, instead saying "Keep that up and your joining me in the shower." The grin I got in response told me what she thought of that idea.
"It is partially my fault you're not feeling great, so I should fix that if I can." Rhea apologized.
"I'm sure you will." I said with a smile as I got up. This time I didn't have any problems as I grabbed one of Rhea's hands and pulled her towards the bathroom. The sound of Terrence chuckling followed us down the hall. I ignored the voice in the back of my head that said I was avoiding the more important topics. I told myself that I wasn't avoiding the situation, I was just giving her incentive to stay.
-----
In the end the shower took longer than I originally planned and it was noon before I left the apartment with an empty duffel bag. That left me with 36 hours to find all the ingredients and convince people to do a collection of large and small enchantments. Not an easy task given that a big chunk of tomorrow was going to be taken up with hunting down shivan skulls in Bloody Bay. I figured I'd tackle the quick stuff first. First stop: The Legendary base for salvage.
The base was quiet when I arrived, the only sound aside from my footsteps is the hum of various machinery. I hit my personal storage first and managed to check off a third of the items on the list. The communal salvage store was hit next, and another third was taken care of. I felt a little bad raiding the communal storage like that, when I never got much of a chance to put anything in. I promised myself I'd deposit my next mission check into the supergroup account, and run a mission or two wearing the abbreviated legendary outfit I came up with. While I was at the base I took the opportunity to email Terrence the list of things I was missing. He always seemed to have a large collection of arcane salvage, so chances were he would have it all. A quick stop by the base teleporters and I was on my way to the hospital.
It felt a little strange walking down the street like a pedestrian with a duffle bag full of salvage. But some of the pieces were rather fragile and I didn't want to risk the abrupt landing that my jumps can sometimes have. A few of the street toughs noticed the duffel bag, but didn't do anything more than that. After sending enough of them to the hospital the locals had apparently learned that I wasn't to be trifled with. Sure, cracking down on them didn't do anything for my security ranking, but it bought me peace. Whether that peace came from fear or respect I really didn't care; they stopped bothering me and I didn't go after them unless they were actively doing something illegal.
I eventually reached the hospital and made my way to the third floor without incident. It was quicker this time to find Marcus, even if he was in a different lab. The meeting was brief and too the point. I put the bag on the end of the table he was working on and waited until he looked in my direction. "Here is most of the stuff, you'll have the rest by friday."
His response of "Yeah, sure." was a little distracted, but at least he was looking at me when he said it. I really couldn't expect much more out of someone in the middle of an experiment.
I wasn't able to track down Larry Jackobson, but I did run into a few magical pre-docs who where happy to take care of the minor enchantment refreshes and medium ward refresh. Apparently my actions on monday had earned me a fair amount of good will from those at the low end of the magical totem pole. They would never be called on to recraft the wards to the OR, that would be left to the department heads. But if the department heads were busy recrafting the OR wards, they couldn't do their normal jobs. The work just tended to cascade down in an ugly version of the trickle down theory. And those at the bottom ended up the worse off. I had lived through a similar day or two when I still worked here. Apparently the Longbow and the Skyraiders got into some big fight, all that I remember was that the bodies didn't stop coming in.
I stopped by the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee and wrack my brain on who to ask about the magical blood filter. The hospital coffee wasn't anything I would normally call 'good', but it had grown on me while I worked here. It's particular kind of bad was permanently associated with relaxing in my mind. If I had time to grab a cup of coffee, no one was dying. My moment of mutilated caffeine zen was interrupted by a cry of "Lisa!" and a thump into the seat next to me.
It was Julie, and I didn't have time to do much more than register her presence before the accusations started. "Where have you been? You pull that stunt on monday and then you disappear for two days! You don't answer your phone. You don't answer your door. Dr. Shaw won't tell me anything. And half of the people in radiology have been coming to me for answers!"
I held up my hands in surrender and waited for the verbal torrent to stop. After a few seconds she wound down and just glared at me. "First of all, I haven't gotten any calls since monday -" I trailed off as the obvious hit me. Terrence had even mentioned it, I has just forgotten about it. Pulling out my cell confirmed it, dead. The electronics themselves were hardened against radiation, but the batteries could never take it. "- sorry?" I finished lamely.
Seeing the look on her face, 'sorry' wasn't going to cut it. And this wasn't a conversation I wanted to have in the cafeteria. "The thing on monday wasn't a stunt. And we are not discussing it here."
Julie glanced around and had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. Her original outburst had attracted a few discrete observers. But the embarrassment was quickly shed in favor of a more determined look. "Fine." She stood up and quickly made her way out of the cafeteria. I followed in her wake, only making a quick detour to trash the coffee on my way out. Any sense of zen it may have imbued was gone.
The trip to one of the examination rooms on floor five was quick. Once we were both inside Julie hit the privacy button next to the door, ensuring that someone wouldn't just barge in. "Now are you going to tell me why you walked into a room putting out enough rads to kill the wards in under ten minutes? You could have been hurt."
"I've taken worse and been fine. You were there at Terra Volta. My fears about cancer notwithstanding, I'm not going to die from exposure."
"I saw you stumble out of Terra Volta, barley able to stay on your feet. And you were still out of it the next day. For all I knew you were out of your mind, people are saying you had to be carried out of the hospital. I have no idea why they let you leave." Julie's accusations about the past two days hit rather close to the truth, just not in the way she was thinking. I'd like to see anyone stop try and stop Terrence when he was that motivated. I had to fight to keep from laughing or blushing, neither would be appreciated.
"The amount Terra Volta puts out would have blown through those wards in less than a minute." I countered. "Heck, it would blow through the wards in 5C in less than an hour. I am fine. I was the only person there who could have done it. So I weighed the risks and took my chances. I couldn't just stand around and wait for a rad suit that would have been two minutes too late. Besides, she was one of The Legendary, I had to help her."
"You know her?" Julie grasped onto this new bit of information, and I was happy to let it sidetrack the conversation.
"She goes by Emerald Blast. She's a magical girl, her animal companion was still down in the sewers. She freaked out a bit." I said, trying to summarize. Julie's expression said she clearly didn't agree with the 'a bit' part. "She's not some air headed spell slinger that calls out her attacks and can't take a piss without detailed instructions from a shoulder monkey." I sighed when I realized how that had come out. "Sorry, I know you didn't say that. It's just that we have a lot in common. She's been afraid to let people get close to her for years. We have a lot to talk about." Not that we had done a whole lot of talking the past two days, but if I could get out of this conversation without bringing up what we had been doing I'd be happy.
"Ok, I get it, you feel protective." Julie dropped the topic in favor of something far more juicy in her eyes. "You do realize that Dr. Shaw has been lording your little stunt over Dr. Rauf." Dr. Rauf was the head of the warding and enchantments department, and he had as big an ego as Dr. Shaw. The two of them were engaged in a constant battle over who's ideas were better. It had been going on long before I had joined the hospital, and was expected to continue until one of them dropped dead from being workaholics.
"Great, and just when I could use his help." He normally was too busy to spare more than a few words to anyone not in his department, and now he probably wouldn't even give me the time of day.
"And why would you need Dr. Rauf's help?" Julie asked, obviously intrigued by my departure from into the magical. Normally I would stay as far away as possible, as the whole field made no sense to me.
"Because I owe a favor, and I'm trying to find someone to craft a replacement blood filter for 3A by friday." I said, mentally wincing at how tall an order that was.
"Well I'm sure if you asked nicely and stroked his ego a bit he'd do it himself, if only for the chance to lord it over Dr. Shaw." Julie's idea did make a certain amount of sense, but I was hesitant to fan the flames of their conflict. "Come on, who else is going to be able to do on such short notice?"
"Ok, Ok. I'll ask, just don't be surprised if their little competition kicks into high gear for a few days."
"Oh like that hasn't happened before." Julie said dismissively. She was about to continue her impromptu interrogation when her watch beeped at her. "Crap, I've got to get back to my rounds. But hey, next time change your battery." She said with smile as she lightly punched my arm before darting out the room.
I turned off the privacy signal and made my way at a more sedate pace to Dr. Rauf's office. Hopefully I would be able to convince him to craft the blood filter with a minimal amount of pleading.
----------
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy