It Happened at Westbrook

[Frozen Princess]

Enroute to Golden Spoon

Ginger smiled and nodded, and they headed out, once clear from Nefertiti, Ginger cleared her throat. "I don't know if she told you this yet, or not, but you don't want to try to remove the whiskers if you two have swapped some DNA. Cats balance using them, so it's extremely likely you could screw up your balance by messing with them. Nefertiti might be having difficulty with realizing it's not all her whiskers, but it's in her inner ear as well. You both may have to deal with needing both for proper balance. Just a little friendly advice." A sigh, "I know only because balance is part of the fitness training, thus part of my major. Anatomy Class is already one of my hardest to take, and it's only my second year."

Ginger already explained how she'd know how a cat balanced when she let Su-Ji know about her aunt with cats. Plural. Ginger's aunt would have told her about how a cat balances.

(Ties loose ends on way to dinner)

Golden Spoon @CasualVelociraptor @MsBloom

Windy felt the paper wad hit her head, stopped, did the bunny bend (back straight, bend at knees to pick something off the floor) and looked at it. She frowned, not another one of THOSE people attempting to get a free meal. "Dad!" She called as she smoothed out the paper and then waved it.

With a nod, he crossed his arms and stepped into the path of the entrance, just after Ginger would have stepped in. "Windy. Kitchen. You know what to do." Inform her mom, keep her in the kitchen, and watch, hitting the silent alarm ONLY if things get violent. "Young lady..." he was going by how Blair was dressed, "I hope you intend to pay for the meal. It's not worth trying to skip."

Windy sighed, nodded, and started for the kitchen, unfortunately, she'd have to try to get by Blair to get in the "Employees Only" door. She really didn't want to be in the middle of this, or be forced to use her powers, yet. Would she have the choice, though?

Mary MacEnroe watched the tense situation from the grill area in the kitchen, and hoped her adopted daughter could get in the door. "John. Be careful. Windy, quietly, that's it..."

Hughes hadn't left yet, nor the couple who was now sharing a large banana split actually made for two, and some others had since come in.

Ricci and Associates @Inkybus

Rebecca nodded along with the others, pen flying across the paper.

Lucy has been the only one with her laptop, and was in the middle of her notebook file on it.

Reggie was actually looking at Amaya as she explained her non-negotiable contract bullet points.

Leave it to Beau, though. "Couldn't this be sent to both parties, with the explicit point that both have it, and the first one to accept the terms gets the contract?"
It was an honest enough question and the way Rebecca stared at him, she had to have been thinking similarly, but didn't want to jinx it.

"I'm sorry, but what fantasy world are you living in, Beau?" Lucy asked, with a hint of indignation. "Granted that both the current Governor and his nearest competitor are of the same political party, but think how this might just bring them together. Dr. Quincy has been preaching medical reform and he hasn't done anything really substantial, but they're BOTH Democrats."

Beau shrugged. "You're kind of making my point for me, Lucy. Quincy would sign up because it's part of her agenda. You said it yourself, our current governor is just sitting on his hands. This is going to the State party, not the individual. That's even over the Governor. Let both parties get it, and see who jumps quicker."

Rebecca slapped a hand against her face and dragged it down. "I can't believe this... I can't argue that logic, despite the obvious fallacy in the execution. How do we know giving them both the chance and forcing that race won't cause more dissention between both parties or inward? There's not as many inept governors as you may think. Even the incumbent here, isn't, his priorities just aren't on the medical field. Let's not nitpick right now, Beau." She looked over to Amaya. "Your best bet would be state run. Still government, and still Democratic, but the state Democratic Party would guarantee you can stay in Westbrook. Feds may force you to move to DC. I've seen it happen before. On the plus side, I can't see them arguing about not having set hours."

Reggie nodded. "That would definitely be your trump card. If you know anything about spades, no set hours and no more than 40 in a week, combined with a specific hospital, like Community, would be likened to the small joker in the game. Very little could beat that. In fact, only one card can. It would even trump the you gotta move here move they might make, as Rebecca indicated they could, and if they really read the print as stated, especially Westbrook Community Hospital, they'll realize that." A grin. "Well played."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

Hughes laid a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder. Speaking gently she said, "Calm down, how do you think you're able to see the counselor? I've only divulged what I already know, that is part of your public school record. I'm not the big baddie you and some others think I am, especially if you get to know me away from school." A sigh, and grabbing the other half of her BLT, she pushed the plate with the pickle slices and rest of the fries over to Alex."Besides, technically, you're not an adult yet, we'll talk about that on your birthday. It's coming up, isn't it? How would you like that celebrated for once?" Hughes asked, watching Alex turn to Windy as her dad came over to ask if she wanted something to drink. "Whatever she wants, put it on my tab, John."

@Frozen Princess

"I don't want your fake sympathy, Principal Hughes," Alex snarled as she felt her chest tighten up with anxiety and rolled her shoulder to break free of the older woman's grip. Then she tightened her grip on her stomach and started to bend over as the lights continued to flicker ominously in the Golden Spoon and some of them began to dance as if by an invisible wind. The soon-to-be adult had a torrential downpour of sadness in her heart, as the thing that had attached to her last night and this morning continued to manipulate and heighten Alex's emotions.

She didn't want to feel like this, but neither did she care to order anything at the bar once asked by Wendy, or about their talk of soda orders. The confident Alex that had just flirted with one of the cutest girls in the whole school when only last week she would've fainted at the thought of it, was now gone. She only got a water for free and used a napkin to dab her eyes with as the rest because she didn't know if she would have money for food without her father's money, meager as whatever was left was.

"How the hell are my psychiatry records public anyway?!" she demanded when she came back to, munching on wings and drinking a virgin Pina Colada that an older biker dude had tried to give her, after which she'd rebuffed an invitation to get in his van by kicking the chair out from under him. "I'm not...I've made mistakes before, gotten into fights at times, but I would never, EVER. And anyway, these shouldn't be public because if he finds out, he'll hurt Chloe and Edward and then he'll hurt me. So shut the fuck up!"

Alex was at the breaking point now, and yet had completely missed that Blair was there, not absorbing at all what he was doing as she dissociated hard.

Blair had eaten more in one sitting than they had in days and still didn't feel stuffed but rather just filled with energy and when the high school waitress came around one last time putting the bill down they finished the last piece of pie and emptied the last cup of coffee, picked up the bill and without even looking at it crumpled it up in their fist and with a mischievous grin on their face threw it back at the waitress, hitting her in the back of the head and then stood up getting ready to leave.
"See you again tomorrow then," they said quite honestly expecting to be allowed back for another free meal the next day.

@MsBloom

And then Joe Guthrie arrived at his (according to him, which was inaccurate) "daughter's" favorite restaurant in town (other than the Piggy Palace; that was really good pork-centered Chinese, and cleverly named).

As soon as he saw Blair, who was turning to leave that very moment, he began to question the young enby who he knew was friends with his Alexandra and had put all these ideas about being "just Alex, Dad" in "her" head. He then seized the young person by the scruff of their clothing and pushed them up against the bar, not noticing that they didn't feel anything.

"Where's my daughter? Where are you, ALEXANDRA GUTHRIE?! If you've been seducing her with these foolish notions, if you've gotten her pregnant, I will absolutely make your regret it," the old war veteran growled while squaring up his fists for a fight. "Tell me the truth!"

Let me eat his ssssssoooooouuuuulllll... the savage creature whispered in her mind.

"I HATE YOU!" Alex cried in an impotent fury directed at Hughes, the creature, their father, everyone except for Blair.

To Blair, she said with her eyes silently, I'm sorry, Blair. Please, you have to run. He's too dangerous. And then the parasite would convey this psychically to Blair.

The Age of the Hungering Ones would come again. She was the perfect vessel for the Reclamation of the galaxy.

 

[MsBloom]

En route to Golden Spoon @Frozen Princess Ginger

"In fact it's more of a sensory tool allowing them to detect vibrations in the air rather than a tool to help their balance, the tail is more important for that," Su-Ji remarked in response to Ginger's comment about not shaving her whiskers.
She was of course right though that in the end shaving the whiskers might be harmful. And since there was no way she'd be able to hide her new self forever without locking herself in her room and never ever meeting another person she might as well get used to them, and of course to the tail which did feel a bit odd having captured under the coat. It almost felt as if it wanted to move on its own accord, almost separated from he conscious will.

This suddenly made her curious about just how much of a cat's agility she had and so she stopped about a block and a half from the Golden Spoon, removed her coat and handed it to Ginger.
"I want to try something," she said and extended her tail taking aim at a fire escape.
"Meet you there," she added and was gone up the ladder, more or less using both hands and feet to ascend it, the tail moving subtly to keep her balance centred and then as she reached the roof she balanced on just her feet along the edge of the building, one foot in front of the other, arms swaying at her sides, but in the same length of strides as if she had been walking on the side walk below. She even tried skipping and running and just before reaching the end of the block did a somersault forward landing with perfect balance.

The gap between the blocks going forward towards the diner wasn't as wide as it was to the other side of the street she was following but it was still enough to challenge even a long-jumper and for a short while she hesitated before starting to run and then, right at the very edge, bent her knee to achieve a spring like effect and took off in an arch. For a few seconds she was airborne, her legs moving as if she was running through the air and then without even breaking her stride she had the concrete of the next building's roof beneath her feet and she couldn't help but to laugh. It had been absolutely exhilarating, a rush of adrenaline.

As she calmed herself Su-Ji noticed her friend entering the diner and made her way back down to street level by the next available fire escape, skipping from platform to platform as if they were mere steps but when she was almost all the way down she stopped, perked her ears, even took off the beanie and focused on the sounds from inside the diner without noticing Ginger coming back out.

A quite clearly angry man rushed into the diner, pushing the young woman outside away and then a commotion began inside, a commotion she couldn't see but quite clearly heard.
"Where's my daughter? Where are you, ALEXANDRA GUTHRIE?! If you've been seducing her with these foolish notions, if you've gotten her pregnant, I will absolutely make your regret it. Tell me the truth!"
"You want the truth old man?"
Followed by a mean laughter
"Alright then"
And then the sound of glass cracking and inarticulate screaming.

Moments later after some more ruckus that sounded like a table being thrown and some person whose gender she could not immediately identify demanding breakfast the next morning that person, she assumed, exited just as she dropped down from the last platform onto the sidewalk behind Ginger who was now about a 100 feet away from the entrance to the diner.

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon (Blair) @Frozen Princess Windy @CasualVelociraptor Alexa

Seeing first Windy's father block their path and then their sort of friend Alex's dad come crashing into the Golden Spoon like a storm cloud, as was his usual demeanour, especially if he had been drinking, Blair sighed and rolled their eyes.
"Please," they whispered sarcastically and were just about to push Mr MacEnroe aside with a sharp remark about misgendering when Mr Guthrie grabbed their blouse shouting in their face with saliva flying all around.
His accusations were absolutely ridiculous in so many ways.
"Don't worry Alex," they said as their sort of friend warned them to run rather than to pick a fight.
"I've got this."
Just briefly turning their head to smile at Alex they did notice something off about them, their now rather obvious breasts of course but also something else they couldn't put their finger on.
"You want the truth old man?" Blair said, turning back to Joe and laughed.
"Alright then," they added and grabbed the man's shirt lifting him off the floor and tossing him against John with enough force to cause both men to tumble backwards against the glass door leading to the street and to crack the glass.
They then turned to face the room with a sinister smile on their face.
"Anyone else fancy a go?"
To drive their point home they lifted a table and hurled it towards the counter just as Mary MacEnroe ducked down behind it.
"No? Very well then. I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow morning. And I will expect to pay exactly what I just paid for dinner."

He then turned back and stepping over the two men still scrambling to untangle themselves from one another left the diner. Casting a glance at the butch looking woman outside with her phone in front of her, clearly filming him.

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon (Edith) @Frozen Princess Windy (mentioning Sapphire) @CasualVelociraptor Alexa

Just as Edith was about to open the door, first a very angry man who clearly had violence on his mind rushed past her and then as she took out her phone to capture the event in case it would later prove news worthy she saw through the glass door how some kid of indeterminate gender first attacked by that same man and then after a few moments during which it seemed the kid was conversing with someone inside, lifted the man off the floor as if he was lifting a broomstick and threw him across the room. Seconds later two men came crashing against the door, cracking the glass but not splitting it.
"What the fuck," she said but of course remembered the video she and Sapphire had seen before of the person running faster than the wind.

As any good cameraperson would Edith stayed on task, capturing everything that happened inside, and was in fact about to step inside when the androgynous kid the the door open and stepped outside. Seeing her filming them they stopped and stared into the phone.
"Yea. That's right bitch. Spread the fucking word all over whatever social media you waste your time on. I'm here and I fucking want respect. Now piss off."
The kid then turned their back at Edith and walked away quite casually with their hands in their back pockets and a rather alluring swagger.

Switching off the camera in her phone Edith called Sapphire.
"You've got to come down to the Golden Spoon. There is at least one other. I just caught some kid on film throwing a grown man half way across the diner with enough force to crack the door."

 

[CasualVelociraptor]

Alexa was happy Blair (@MsBloom) had defeated the old man for them, though didn’t know how Blair had thrown him and another man at the same time quite so far. And yet whoever was filming outside would see Alexa acting strangely, doubled over with unresolved anxiety since they’d not been able to get much time to talk with Blair or anyone else who would understand…

Then throwing her hands in the air and snuffing out every light in the place as she screamed “Get! OUT!!!” Joe ran out of there, convinced his daughter was possessed by the Father of Lies himself.

 

[Inkybus]

Ricci and Associates offices - Amaya "Melia" Sosa
"As long as I don't have to work with the republican party or people who advocate for privatised healthcare and shitting all over the homeless and CPS, I'm fine. Find me people who lean towards selflessness rather than selfishness."

I told my team of lawyers clearly, without an iota of hesitation. It was not like I was not going to go and meet with as well as get a measure of my… Sponsor. Employer did not feel like the kind of thing I was going to have: I certainly would tell them to shove their speeches where the sun don't shine and dip for the UK if they did not accommodate my fair terms.

"Just so you guys know: I am not going to let anyone coerce me into doing something. If they tell me to move, I will stand my ground and tell them 'no, you move'."

 

[Frozen Princess]

Golden Spoon @CasualVelociraptor @MsBloom

Standing right in the entrance, and watching everything unfold, from the Pop owner blocking the door, to the drunk pushing past her, and Pop telling the waitress to take cover in the kitchen, Ginger would slowly back back out, and almost into Edith and take Su-Ji's hand, as they would get out of the way. About 32 meters. "Okay, new plan, it's not that crowded, but trouble's brewing. We're gonna wait it out, over here until things settle..."

Only when the two men hit the glass door, would it bring her attention back to the commotion inside. "Shit. That creep's fuckin' Luke Cage!" She gasped to Su-Ji, who she now got in front of, moreso to shield. "But, like, as a bad guy. Let's hope they have some metal on them, somewhere, and attached to the body..." she held her hand out and concentrated, focusing on the villain trying to get a free meal, after they passed the cameraperson and got closer to them, planning to lift them off the ground, and just hold them in place. So much for even admitting her friend was right in correcting her. This was why she wasn't a veterinary major. She was thinking the tail, but thought her aunt had said something about the whiskers being balance as well.

Inside, as soon as the lights went out, it was pandemonium. Windy and Mr MacEnroe scrambled to their feet, Mrs MacEnroe hit the silent alarm from her hiding place, and the half full diner emptied in mass panic. Even Ms. Hughes fled from Alex, scared out of her wits by the student. Although the drunk and Blair hadn't helped any.

Windy finally found her mom's old helmet in her arms, followed by the racing firesuit. Her dad's voice in a harsh whisper. "Okay Speedy, you're a superhero now, go hero. Quickly."

"It's Velocity, dad, Speedy is like a comic book sidekick." She tutted, disappearing into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, a burst of wind raced by, and screeched to a stop in front of Alex, "it's okay, no one is going to hurt you." After a quick hug, and a cheek kiss she didn't know why she felt she needed to do that, she left Alex and raced out the door at definitely over highway speed, to stop the juggernaut that threw a drunk, her dad and a table around, and thought they'd get away with not paying, and thinking they could come back for breakfast.

There had been too many witnesses of the blatant disregard of the eating establishment etiquette and the law. Blair would be banned from the Golden Spoon effective immediately, and not allowed back.

Seeing Edith, and since she knew she had a helmet on, and visor down, and it being a full face racing helmet, Windy decided to stop and check on her. Without realizing it, she flirted with the cameraperson. "Hi, cutie, nice night, huh? You aren't hurt are ya? Those bad guys didn't try anything, did they?"

News 3 Studios @MsBloom

Sapphire picked up her phone, looked to her boss and said one phrase to him before running out the door. This was the code word they had for an unexpected story popping up, and details would be forthcoming. "Breaking News!"

It would take her about ten minutes to get there with a news van to help cover the events, but what would she see except a racecar driver? In a pink suit and helmet? She guessed? Talking to her cameraperson?

 

[Frozen Princess]

Ricci and Associates @Inkybus

Now, they were getting somewhere. Rebecca held her tongue, however as Amaya seemed bent on just Democrats. Not all Democrats were exactly forthcoming, so good; just like not all Republicans were bad. This party agenda nonsense was exactly why she was an independent. She got it, however, she really did. As Beau opened his mouth to say something, she shot him a dirty look, and he quickly shut it and said nothing.

It was nearly an hour, and after conferring quietly with Lucy, with each pointing at the other's notes, whether on legal pad, or laptop notebook, they both had a working draft. Reggie came around and read over what Lucy had typed, after putting on a pair of reading glasses and finally nodded.

Rebecca nodded to Lucy, as she addressed Amaya. "Now, keep in mind, this has to be filled out with a few more details regarding each point, and why it's imperative it be taken as non-negotiable before it's sent to the state capitol, but is this the gist of what you want?"

Lucy would turn the laptop around so Amaya could see and read it. The contract would read exactly as Amaya had indicated, with Lucy having in capital letters after each point, NON-NEGOTIABLE. Unset hours. no more than 40 hours a week. Westbrook Community Hospital ONLY. No interference from the State (or Federal). Everything.

After giving Beau a pointed look himself, Reggie would turn to Amaya, taking off his reading glasses. "As I said. You have one hellova good hand playing the only one hospital card, which is your trump more than anything else. We're going to leave it up to you to disclose HOW you came about your gift. In my opinion? They don't need to know how you got it, just that it's there. If you want it included they can't ask at all, although I recommend you don't push that too hard, Lucy can include it. Currently, it's reading as don't look a gift horse in the mouth, which should be good enough, even from a legal standpoint, especially since it's medically based requirements to work with you. Looks like a winner to me, but you're the final say, here."

 

[Inkybus]

Ricci and Associates offices - Amaya "Melia" Sosa @Frozen Princess
"Add a clause that if I feel like it, I might work more than 40 hours in a week, for the minimum amount of overtime pay increase because I won't gauge them for everything they have to give, unlike the decision-making people at the top of the massive corporations."

I couldn't resist taking more digs at the various tight-fisted corporation moguls. Jeff Bezos and his ilk sickened me, still.

"I want you to write in the contract that making people pay hospitals or corporations for my services is absolutely a no-go. If anyone else tries to make money off of my work healing citizens, I want to be able to sue them into bankruptcy deep enough for three lifetimes."

The whole thing about where the power came from, I shrugged: "I bet you all my savings that by tomorrow the local papers will have news of people with superpowers all around the city. Because I can tell you right now: not using these powers is incredibly difficult. It feels incredibly fulfilling and badass: there is no doubt in my mind that there's other people with unexplainable abilities, who will already show off that something strange is going down in Westbrook. If not even more places. As stupid as people can be, there will be those intelligent enough to put the meteor burst and sudden power appearance together."

I stood up, then, with a pat on Lim's head. "The contract to send to the authorities looks great already: finish it up and show it to me when I return to sign off tomorrow. Then, we will shoot our shot and see what comes of it."

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon(Outside) Su-Ji @Frozen Princess Ginger/Windy

"Trouble inside," Su-Ji whispered to her friend as Ginger stepped in front of her.
"Not sure what the reason is though," she added and gave Ginger a brief summary of what she had heard.
Just then as she was about to ask Ginger if they should perhaps put their new abilities to the test instead of waiting it out, they did after all have untested abilities beyond what normal humans had, a youngish person exited the diner wearing feminine looking clothes even though their gender was not immediately obvious in any other way.

The person stopped and seemed to threaten the young woman filming what had been going on inside and the person exiting, no not threatening but rather making a point, demanding respect, though Su-Ji couldn't figure out for what, for robbing a small diner of a meal, or for trashing it?
"Luke Cage indeed," Su-Ji replied and while she did momentarily allow Ginger to shield her she wasn't going to just stand idly by and watch. Having already tested her agility she was curious as to what else she could do and so with her hands on Ginger's shoulders she leapt over her friend with quite some ease, her tail moving almost automatically to again help with the balance as she landed in front of the person who on closer inspection was definitely born male, whatever they might identify as.
"Found any metal yet Cardio?" she asked, using the alias Ginger had chosen for her superhuman self, and precipitating her claws swatted at the person who did look a bit surprised, if not actually afraid. It was more as if they were surprised to learn that there were others in Westbrook that had gained superhuman powers from the meteorite.
"And just what the fuck are you supposed to be," the person said as Su-Ji felt the claws rip the blouse but then simply slide across the skin rather than tearing into it, as if it was porcelain or something.
"Oh me ... I'm Cheshire, the cat," she said trying to mask the disappointment of not having injured anything but the persons clothing with bravado.
"Meow," she added and somersaulted backwards away from the person and of course had she had more practice in fighting bad people she might have used the opportunity to also kick them but she didn't. Instead she leaned in closer to Ginger an whispered: "I couldn't scratch them. Maybe the skin ... I mean try focusing on the skin it might have metal in it."

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon(Outside) Edith @Frozen Princess Windy/Ginger/Sapphire @CasualVelociraptor (mentioning Alex/a)

Just before calling Sapphire Edith had briefly turned the phone back into the diner and caught the moment the lights all went out on film as well, a coincidence, or another super powered person?

She made the call quick and turned the camera back on just in time to catch a person coming out of the diner at high enough speed to barely be seen moving. She had missed the drunk running away as if he had the hordes of hell on his heels though.
"Yea ... ummm ... I'm fine ... what do I call you?" Edith answer and asked the female looking person with the racing helmet covering their face but before she got a response the person was on the move again to catch up with the one who had caused the trouble inside, or at least parts of it.
"Sweet Hairy Mary," she muttered to herself as she now saw the other two, the redhead that had entered and then exited again and a ... cat person?
"Yea, we'll soon have those men in black crawling all over town to cover this shit up," she said sarcastically to herself but with what she had seen in the last few minutes and what she and Sapphire had talked about over dinner she wasn't entirely sure she was actually joking anymore.
She could however see herself and Sapphire accepting the Pulitzer, assuming they were allowed to publish the story unfolding before them. Surely an incident like this the government would want to keep secret. like they had with Roswell ... Weather balloon my ass, Edith thought to herself not even bothering to reprimand herself for sounding like a conspiracy theorist.

Next thing she knew everyone who had been inside the diner came rushing out in a panic. All of them running in the opposite direction from the person in the purple blouse who was now laughing almost uncontrollably at the redhead and the cat person, and the fight that she was sure would soon go down. She tried calling to some of them to stop for an interview about what had happened inside. Sure she had it all on film but an eye witness account would certainly be a huge bonus.

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon(Outside) Blair @Frozen Princess Windy/Ginger/Sapphire

Whether or not Blair had assumed to be the only person having gained superhuman powers from the meteorite or not they were still quite surprised to see what was clearly some kind of interspecies hybrid leap over the redhead that had so quickly exited just after just entering as if she had been able to smell trouble.
"Cheshire huh? they said with a chuckle and looked up at the redhead the cat person had called Cardio.
"Wouldn't that rather make you Alice?" they added and the chuckle became a full blown laughter.
"Maybe the two of you should just step aside before you get hurt. I'm sure kitty cat is over due for a bowl of milk and a nap anyway."

 

[Frozen Princess]

Outside the Golden Spoon @MsBloom Edith/Blair/Cheshire @CasualVelociraptor Alex

Ginger nodded to Su-Ji. She turned her focus on the skin of the thief, if there was a metal like alloy to their skin, they'd find themselves off the ground. "And let you steal from these good folks? You gotta be dreaming. It couldn't have been more than $20 including tip. That makes you the worst kind of thief. A petty one."

Windy arrived a millisecond later, "You won't be allowed back in for breakfast, anyway." She commented, her voice muffled and slightly altered by the full-faced helmet she wore, "You threw the owner around, a table at the owner's wife, and left without paying. You just got yourself banned from the restaurant. Permanently." She had kept moving to keep Blair even more off balance than they were, already.

Scoops would arrive just in time for this new crop of.... Who were these people? Real life X-Men?! She jumped out, after blocking the driveway with the news van, and headed to Edith. "Talk to me. What's happening here? Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

To make matters even more complicated, Detective Holmes and Officer Jenny showed up, answering the silent alarm. Erin could only gape, before calling it in. "Dispatch... You're not going to believe this.... But we have supers. Honest to God supers! We need backup!" She had no idea she was one herself. She looked over to Jenny. "Try taser first, don't fire until someone charges this way first." They would take cover behind the car, tasers aiming at all of them. She grabbed her bullhorn. "This is the police. Cease hostilities at once. Let's try communication!"

Ricci and Associates @Inkybus Amaya

Lucy nodded as she began adding the addendums. "Believe it or not, overtime pay would be part of the limited amount of hours you want to work.

Rebecca rubbed her face. "Keeping the hospitals from charging is a whole other can of worms, yes, it can be done, especially with you as a state government paid worker, but that's a different bullet point, altogether."

"It's also tricky to enforce, unless we put in this contract that you have the right to check the records of the hospital you'll be stationed at. If we do that, being sued by you would be the least of their worries. They could be brought up on fraud charges by the state." Reggie said hand to chin. "It'll in effect, shut them down. The state frowns on double charging for services."

Beau smirked. "Amaya. It's doubtful any corporations will want to try to charge anyway, if no medicines are being prescribed, there's nothing for the pharmaceuticals to latch onto."

Rebecca shook her head. "Definitely not out of the realm of possibilities that the hospital wouldn't try to charge office visit, room, or follow-ups. Put it in, Lucy, as a new bullet point. Right after no interference from the government."

Another nod from Lucy as Reggie and Rebecca arose to see Amaya out. "It's almost seven." Rebecca commented. "Let's set up the appointment tomorrow morning at 9:30. I don't doubt you that we'll see more people with powers, or more frivolous lawsuits attempted, blaming people with powers. Lucy's right. This is a whole new world, and we may have to write all new amendments to protect a new class of humanity, which you are a member." She smiled softly. "You're definitely doing the right thing in getting a headstart on protecting yourself and your rights." She stuck out her hand. "Until tomorrow morning."

 

[Inkybus]

Ricci and Associates offices - Amaya "Melia" Sosa
"Alright, that is all I wanted out of the way. If I think of other things or change my mind or something of that sort, we will talk about it in our meeting tomorrow at half past nine."

I made sure to confirm the time, so that the team could be sure that I had understood and would follow up on this in a timely manner. I shrugged at Reggie's words: "Some government supervision and accountability is exactly what I think would put some fear into the hearts of those pillocks working in United Healthcare. If they can't handle that much, fuck 'em."

Shrugging, I told them: "Aliens are real now and yeah… things are not going to be the same. Could you imagine if these powers were genetic and could be passed down to one's offspring?"

With a chuckle, I waved and took my leave. "See you tomorrow!"

And out I went. Time for a quick stop at the greek takeout place I saw before and then straight back home!

 

[MsBloom]

Outside the Golden Spoon - Su-Ji @Frozen Princess Ginger/Windy

"A bowl of milk and a nap?" Su-Ji responded with just as much sarcasm as she watched the presumably non-binary person she had been unable to scratch as Ginger searched their skin for any traces of metal.
"This cat only drinks cream," she added and flashed her fangs at them.
There was of course the chance that it was not metal as such that had hardened their skin but it had not felt like ceramic or mineral. It had felt like ... steel ... not that she knew how she knew that but then her train of thought was interrupted when another, clearly super powered person in a pink racing suit and full helmet, arrived out of nowhere and began to reprimand the rude person, telling them without any doubt that they were no longer welcome at the Golden Spoon.

Outside the Golden Spoon - Blair

"I've got some cream for you alright kitty cat," Blair said and grabbed their crotch in an obscene gesture and suggestion and a lewd smile that soon vanished as another powered girl, apparently possessing super speed, showed up an started to list what they had done inside, as if they cared whether or not they were banned or not.
"Is that so Pinky," they said and laughed to hide the fact that the speed with which the girl was circling around them was making them slightly dizzy.
"And who is going to stop me from doing it all over again for breakfast tomorrow?"
Blair had momentarily closed their eyes and focused and as they opened them again they threw their arm out to the side and felt the force of the girl running right into it effectively sending her flat on her ass.
That was also all they felt. No pain, nothing.
"You?" they continued in a mocking tone as they grabbed the front of the pink racing suit and lifted her off the ground.
"Please ..."
They threw her towards the cat girl and her sidekick, if that was what the other one was.
"Now before anyone else gets hurt, would everyone just please stand aside."

Outside the Golden Spoon - Edith

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Edith said as her boss demanded to know if what they were clearly both seeing was actually happening.
"I barely believe it myself," she added.
"I do however have it all on film. True just my phone but you know I think that will work all the better since it will look like a chance eyewitness account, which I suppose is exactly what it is."
Edith didn't take her focus off of the fight unfolding before her eyes and phone but did jerk her head sideways towards the busted door to the Golden Spoon.
"It's a bloody mess inside. Maybe you could do your thing and talk to anyone that hasn't run off in a panic, or are still hiding inside to avoid getting caught up in that," she suggested and finished with a nod at the four super powered people some 30 yards away just as Blair threw their arm out to stop Velocity.

Moments later, just as Blair threw Velocity at Cheshire and Cardio another car pulled up and two women stepped out. One of them Edith knew by sight as Westbrook's star detective Erin Holmes.
"And here comes the cops too. Maybe you best start rehearsing your acceptance speech for next years Pulitzer. This looks like it could be the story of the century."

 

[Frozen Princess]

Golden Spoon @MsBloom Blair/Edith/Su-Ji/ Alex?

Windy really didn't know what hit her when she hit the arm , and suddenly finding herself airborne and flying towards Su-Ji and a focussed Ginger. "But I can't fly?! Move KittyCat Girl!!" She cried out flailing before crashing into, well, Ginger, at least.

After untangling from Windy and helping her to her feet. She shook her head at Su-Ji. "I know I can move steel. The villain isn't metal that I can tell. Nothing to get a hold of. I'll prove it." She focussed on the stationary news van moving it with relative ease and placing it right in the path of Blair, without breaking a sweat and on such an angle Blair would have to maneuver towards the two cops. Especially since she would use the van to steer Blair that way.

Officer Jenny had watched all this happen, along with Erin, who exchanged glances before drawing their guns. "Lady Magneto is trying to steer the criminal to us!"

Erin made a face. "The X-Men were still criminals themselves. Vigilantism is still unlawful." She grabbed the bullhorn. "Blair. Don't make this harder than it already is. Give yourself up."

Sapphire would go inside, after encouraging Edith to keep doing what she was. "Keep out of the way, but keep filming. I'll look inside."

Upon entering, Sapphire would first check on Mr. MacEnroe, nod politely to Alex and check on Mrs. MacEnroe. She would notice the mess in general, but one key missing person. "Are you all alright? What happened in here? Who did this? How is a heavy table way over here?" She continued to observe her surroundings in the darkened and damaged restaurant. "Stop the presses. Where's Windy?" She asked.

Both parents looked at each other. Windy was the girl in the racing suit and helmet, trying to stop the juggernaut like person! They didn't dare tell Scoops Davenport THAT!


Greek restaurant @Inkybus Amaya

The proprietor grinned as Amaya entered. "Your usual, Ms Amaya?" He asked, starting to prepare it.

A woman seemingly dressed in more nobility like dress raised an eyebrow as she glanced over to the newcomer, and actually nodded, pointing with her head to the seat across from her at a booth by the window, offering Amaya a place to sit, while smiling softly and noticing the dog. "Fine specimen of canine you have with you." She said with an obvious European dialect not quite the same as the restaurant owner.

 

[Inkybus]

Greek Restaurant - Amaya "Melia" Sosa

"Hello Mattheos. Not this time: I want to try your Souvlaki, with a side order of medium fries and mayo, to go; thanks!"

I had wanted to try it since I'd seen someone order it last time, after I got mine: this time, I would have my own sliced meat on sticks! Only after my takeout order had been registered, I noticed the highbrow-seeming woman who was seated by the window: it had the best view of the goings-on outside. It could get pretty noisy, whenever the window was opened even just a crack.

Then, I registered her words and nodded: I was a bit confused, what with being talked to in public like this. Usually, people just kept to themselves. "I appreciate it." Was my response: I didn't mind being told that my good boy was a good boy. He was, thankfully, very docile and passive, like a service dog was supposed to be.

I waited patiently for Matt to finish my meal, so I could skedaddle back home, to eat and maybe take a nap.

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon @Frozen Princess Ginger/Windy

Heightened reactions and agility certainly came in handy as Su-Ji suddenly saw the fast runner come flying towards her and Ginger and to avoid the pink helmeted person crash into her she ducked and rolled under her. As she stood back up noticing the heap of arms and legs that was Ginger and the pink helmeted person, clearly of the female variety, at least physically, tangled up together behind her she realised that perhaps she should have moved sideways and pulled her friend with her instead.
"Lead, Aluminium, Titanium," Su-Ji said as Ginger commented about being able to move steel (which was only partially metal) but not finding anything in the androgynous villain in front of them to grab on to and then began to move the newly arrived van from News 3.
"All metal, none of them magnetic. So ... It is most likely magnetism that's your thing rather than being able to manipulate metals in general.

"Fuck you cop-bitch," Blair said to Erin as she asked them to just give themselves up rather than to make things worse.
Even if they had to admit that it was rather impressive to move the van without touching it they were so owning these wannabe heroes. Why would they give themself up for that, a bunch of powered amateurs and to female cops. Especially since one of them was Erin. Especially since they had just proved themself invincible. That kitty cat hadn't been able to do shit to them, except rip their new blouse, and while the whirl-windy one had managed to make them a bit dizzy she had in the end not even caused a challenge, and from the way the other one had held her arms out towards them they assumed she had tried to grab hold of him the way she was now moving the van. From this they concluded that their hardened skin was either non-metallic or contained a non-magnetic metal, probably some kind of Titanium/Lead alloy, from the looks of it.
"You really think I would turn myself over to you, of all the pigs in this town?" they continued their verbal abuse of Erin.
"Really. After the way you fucking betrayed me when I was a kid? If anything you should fucking kneel before me bitch and beg me not to fucking hurt you."

This said Blair took a few threatening steps towards Erin and Jenny as if intending to make good on their threat but the turned away from them and ran off into a side alley.
"Believe me I will be back," they shouted back at the crowd gathered outside the Golden Spoon.
"And when I do come back it won't be for a shitty fucking meal and bad service either."

Su-Ji helped the pink-clad feminine person up and then followed the androgynous one as they were being driven towards the police by the news van. When they ducked around it and ran off down a side alley. She was thinking of following but seeing the scepticism and mistrust on the senior detective's face and having heard, not only the conversation between the androgynous one and the detective but more importantly her comment about how the X-men too were criminals she decided instead to approach her.
"Hey," she said and scratched her ear.
"I am Cheshire, but you can also call me Kim Su-Ji. This all happened sometime during the night."
She indicated the physical transformation she had undergone.
"And to be perfectly honest I am as confused as you are."
"You mean that's all you, not a costume?" Officer Jenny asked and looked like she almost wanted to tug on Su-Ji's whiskers to make sure they weren't glued on, the way a lot of children want to pull Santa's beard to prove it is fake.
"Yup all me," Su-Ji said and looked from the younger of the two detectives to the older, much more stern looking, who was presumably in charge.
"I think it has to do with that thing that crashed into the canyon yesterday, and as you can quite clearly see I am not the only one who changed."
She indicated Ginger and the fast-runner whose names she still didn't know.
"And before you arrest us for vigilantism let me just point out that me and my friend over there were simply on out way to have brinner and got caught up in all of this. And of course like any good citizen would we decided to help catch a freeloader running away from their bill. That's all you saw really. Well that and ... that we all are no longer what we were yesterday before the meteorite crashed."
She smiled at the to police officers and extended her hand.
"And on that note I must admit that I am really fucking hungry now. So if you ladies don't mind I would like to go inside and order myself the biggest burger they have with a double stack of pancakes."

"You kind of just missed her," Alexa said as the reporter asked about Windy.
"She ran out of her like just before you came in, all pink. Then again, maybe you didn't see her."
Of course Alexa didn't actually know it had been Windy but it was the only thing that made any sense. There had been no one else in the back and Windy had after all gone back into the kitchen and pulled a Superman with the same level of subtlety. She might as well have gone into a phone booth to change.
"And also," Alexa added.
"I think it is time for me to be going too. I was hoping I might get a discount on a burger and shake from Windy but with all this ... it doesn't seem like there is much chance of that happening. Especially not with how that person cleaned you all out."
Alexa attempted a smile, ignoring the voice inside her head to just grab what she had come for, and rip the head off of anyone who tried to stop her, and started to leave.

Outside Edith had kept filming and progressively wished for a more professional camera as it was a bitch to zoom on the phone's camera. When it all seemed to be over though she became unsure of whether to attempt an interview with either of these people with powers and the police or if that was better left to Sapphire. She was after all the reporter and Edith was just there to point the camera at things of interest happening.

 

[Frozen Princess]

Golden Spoon @MsBloom Alex/Edith/ Su-Ji

Sapphire stared at Alex. She then looked at the figure in pink and the horrified parents, before back to Alex. "You don't say... Interesting." She instructed Mrs MacEnroe to make the order and paid Mr MacEnroe. "Consider it payment for the information. Thank you." She wasn't quite sure what to make of the revelation just yet, and wanted to confer with Edith back at the station before asking the pink speedster for an interview.

As Blair took off, Erin grabbed Jenny's shoulder. "Let Blair go for now." She nodded to the approaching feline like person. "We have company. City Ordinance 365.2 paragraph four. Serve the public first. It's even in our motto. To serve and protect."

After Jenny's conversation, Erin nodded. "You seem to know the law pretty well, erm, Cheshire? Actual ordinance you're thinking of, but misquoted slightly is 747 paragraph ten. All of 747 is about how a citizen can protect others property. Paragraph ten focuses on goods stolen. Any civilian that sees shoplifting in progress can make any non lethal attempt to apprehend for a citizen's arrest. That's the only reason I'm not running your team in, right now. Go eat, but stay close by. I still have to make a report on this, and have to interview the victims. Jenny, we need ALL witnesses and their prospectives. Round the other two up and bring them in to the diner. Make sure that blasted human racecar removes her helmet. I really am not in the mood to guess what she's saying."

Windy would still be apologizing to Ginger for crashing into her, no matter how many times Ginger pointed out why Windy had been out of control in the first place, as Jenny would approach. Finally, frustration won and Ginger, using her powers, bonked the fellow hero on the head with a tin beer can she picked up with her mind; it bouncing harmlessly off the pink helmet. "There! We're even! I hit you! Now give it a rest!"

Windy appeared to be satisfied and nodded. Apparently, she had wanted some form of payback and couldn't just accept her apology being accepted at face value.


Greek Restaurant @Inkybus Amaya

Mattheos just smiled, nodded, and got to work as the daughter ran the cash register, before offering some water in a 20 oz go cup while she waited.

The woman with blood red hair nodded. "You're welcome. Prefer wolves myself, even have a pack near my duchy of Cordonia called Lythikos in Europe." She gave a seated bow as she looked Amaya over, seemingly appraising her. Finally she stated, "Damned airport still hasn't opened for international travel. I can't even board my private jet back home due to that exploding meteor yesterday late afternoon." She held out a hand. "Olivia Nevrakis, Duchess, at your service." She was soon served her meal, in a go container, which she insisted on double checking. "Greek Sausage Antepasto. Smells divine." Within a few minutes Mattheos sent the girl back to the table, this time with Amaya's order.

Olivia smirked. "Didn't think I'd find someone in America that ate their fries with mayonnaise. That's all the rage in Cordonia, that and malt vinegar. The king even mixes the two." She arose. "I'm heading for my hotel room since Westbrook doesn't have an embassy. King Liam wants it mid country instead of DC or New York. Can't say as I blame him. Nice meeting you, perhaps we'll run into one another again. I can't leave until they open the airport to international travel again, anyway. I don't know what the hell they're waiting on. Everyone knows it was just a damned space rock, not an attack."

 

[Inkybus]

Greek Restaurant - Amaya "Melia" Sosa
@Frozen Princess

I took the glass of water and nodded in thanks to Matt's daughter, before my attention returned to the european woman. I took a sip, listening to her while I waited.

"It's nice to meet you, {ms./mrs.} Nevrakis. Amaya Sosa is my name." {depending on if the duchess had a wedding ring or not on her finger}

I shook her hand, polite as usual: I remained polite as with any other person. Olivia did not seem the kind of noblewoman to make a huge deal out of not being called duchess or what have you and I certainly did not care to address her or anyone else with titles. Names would do; nicknames, if I did not know them, though I wouldn't address someone with one to their face.

"Haven't met any wolves here, sadly: though I doubt any captive wolves in a zoo will compare to their wilder counterparts." I thought about why I was entertaining this small-talk, but couldn't really come up with a reason not to. The duchess seemed like a cool person, so far. I didn't know any affluent person who would've come into this restaurant themselves instead of sending employees or modern slaves interns to pick up their order…

"I hope that whoever's in charge gets to the bottom of the situation with the meteorite soon, and there are no further obstacles with the airport. Be safe, ms. Nevrakis."

I wished her, as I picked out a few dollar bills to cover my food expenses, handing them to the young woman behind the counter.

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon @Frozen Princess Sapphire/Windy/Ginger

Having stepped out of the diner Alexa looked around at the chaos outside, and the people that had presumably caused it. They shrugged and began to walk back to the flophouse where they had taken residence after running away from home. There was much they wanted to explore about the new body they had been given and about the shadowy, sentient darkness it had apparently come with. They didn't get very far though before they were stopped by the younger detective who broke away from the older one.
"Excuse me miss, I would like to ask you a few questions about what happened inside."
Alexa sighed and turned to face Officer Jenny, taking a deep breath and momentarily closing their eyes.
"Calm," they muttered half to themself, half to the other, darker, side of themself, if it was indeed themself and not something else entirely.
"I really don't have time to answer any questions right now but ... I saw that person throw my fucked up excuse of a father at Mr MacEnroe and then turn around and throw a table at Mrs MacEnroe, whether they intended to cause harm or just scare everyone inside I don't know. My guess is the latter though. Blair isn't really the kind of person to hurt people unless they deserve it and my dad sure as fuck deserved what he got. If I had the time and thought you did too I could tell you all the fucked up stuff he's done to me and my siblings. But ... as I said ... I don't really have the time."

This was in part because they wanted to try to catch up with Blair to thank them for what they had done to their dad but also because it was getting harder and harder to control the darkness inside. It was as if it had sucked up all of their anger, fed off of it, in return for altering their body to something they felt a lot more comfortable with.
"Please," they added as they noticed Jenny taking a breath to ask a follow up question to their statement.
"I really have to go now."
They then turned and began to walk away again, in the same direction Blair had disappeared. As they walked passed Su-Ji who was, if possible, even hotter than before in her new feline form.

---

"That it is indeed," Su-Ji agreed with Erin and smiled as Jenny walked off to catch a witness coming out of the diner whom Su-Ji vaguely recognised as Alex Guthrie, a high school kid she had noticed hanging around her most of her senior year.
It had been obvious that the poor kid had a crush on her but didn't know how to approach her. What did strike her about Alex now though was that, while they had always presented quite androgynous, they now seemed to actually have breasts. Weird perhaps on any other day but considering her own transformation the night before perhaps not so much.
"Not that I would call us a team really. As I said we were just heading to the Golden Spoon for brinner."
She smiled and when Erin ordered her fellow detective to round up Ginger and that pink race car runner inside the diner her smile widened and began to round herself up inside the Golden Spoon.

It was a mess indeed inside and both Mr and Mrs MacEnroe looked quite distraught, which was of course only natural all things considered. She walked up to the counter and making sure to show Mrs MacEnroe that she had money and intended to pay by turning her debet card between her fingers she ordered two burgers, a supersized curly fries with cheese and jalapeños.
"And if you've got any cream. I'd like a glass of that to wash it all down with. And maybe a soda too."
She then slipped the card into the machine and punched in her code, flashing her claws as she did, with a smile on her whiskered face to show Mrs MacEnroe that she had nothing to worry about, at least not from her.

 

[Frozen Princess]

Golden Spoon MsBloom: Alex, Edith, Su-Ji

As Jenny brought the other two in, Erin set up the other two tables. She got help from Mr MacEnroe to get them together. Meanwhile , Sapphire waved her hand to Edith to get her in and had her videotape the proceedings with Sapphire's handheld camera.

Erin pointed at the two. "Make sure you get everything, and turn it over to me. That's evidence first, and your story second. Do you read me, you two?" After Sapphire nodded and looked at Edith to do the same, Erin pointed both to a two person table close to the group. "Good. Sit. Folks, I'd like everyone to sit down and take care of the, ahh," she looked around the diner at the destruction. "Elephant droppings in the room."

Windy, who had popped her visor up, made a scrunched face and said, "Ewwww, detective, that's gross..." This caused Mr MacEnroe to chuckle, as he got water for everyone, the reporters turned witnesses first, then everyone else, and pulled out a chair for his wife.

Erin glanced at the girl. "Keep the visor up, Windy. At least I can understand you. I'd rather you take the helmet off for now, little miss race car. Everyone here will keep your secret." A quick staredown to Edith and Sapphire. "Two obviously have secrets of their own." A quick staredown to Su-Ji and Ginger. "As a favorite YouTuber of mine is wont to say: Let's get into this." She took a deep breath. "Mr and Mrs MacEnroe, you first as you're the victims of the crime. Put your hand down Race Car, you lost that privilege when you tried to make a citizen's arrest in your... Ahh... Get-up. You can't play victim waitress now." Windy sighed, and did as ordered by the detective.

As Windy's parents explained the things that happened with Blair, including how rude they were to Windy especially, when all she was doing was her job, Erin was grimacing as the knot developed, and then grew tighter in her gut. Maybe she should have done something instead of just threatening to the next time she was sent to the farm.

Blair must have misunderstood. That was recorded, and by Erin's vest cam, and was a tape she actually got to keep as she moved up the ranks, in case she WAS ever sent back to the farm. Too bad that didn't happen.

Erin held up her hand to stop Mr. MacEnroe. "Give me a minute, sir." It took her a few, and a long gulp of her water, before she allowed MacEnroe to continue.

When he was finished, Erin sighed and looked at the other three. The heroes of the story. "Okay, X-Team. Which of the three of you will be talking for your group, and give us YOUR version?" She then gave a glare at Sapphire, that said she was being saved for last, before returning her gaze to the other three.

Ginger looked pleading to Su-Ji. After all, she could actually hear what was going on, and easily confirm Mr MacEnroe's witness, and anything he might have missed regarding the verbal abuse of Windy by Blair, and the verbal abuse Alex suffered, confirming and detailing what Alex had already told Jenny.

(Hopefully, @MsBloom can wrap up the day, and we can go to the next day so Inkybus can come back in?)

 

[MsBloom]

Golden Spoon @Frozen Princess

Edith finished filming outside, her last shot being of Alexa walking away in the same direction as the androgynous culprit had gone off in, and then followed Sapphire inside and as Erin requested, or rather demanded, that the material was turned over to her Edith nodded and simply asked where she should send the files on her phone. She then took the handheld from Sapphire and began documenting the destruction inside the diner before coming to a stop with Sapphire's face in focus. She gave the reporter a nod to let her know she could start reporting.

"Not sure I would call this a secret," Su-Ji replied in a sarcastic tone as Erin stared her and Ginger down and twirled her whiskers with a sly smile.
She did manage to stop herself from rolling her eyes though.

"I wouldn't call us a group actually. At least we weren't when we tried to stop that ... person outside. In fact I don't recall having actually met Windy as much else than as a waitress here, and of course seen her around school before I moved on to college. Ginger sure, I've known her for a while and she's as close to a BFF I have around here. X-Team does have a certain ring to it even if I sense you used it sarcastically, and of course it also sounds a bit too much like X-men, which I admit is a relevant reference I suppose, all things considered, but I think we can come up with a better one for ourselves. Should we decide that we are a group after all."
Su-Ji used her most polite voice as she spoke to the rather peculiar detective and her assistant who was taking notes of everything being said.

"But, all that aside, what happened is basically exactly what I told you outside. Though I should perhaps add that I heard most of what was happening inside as we approached and from what I heard I would say that Mr and Mrs MacEnroe's account is perfectly accurate. That person, Blair was it, was quite rude and seemed to expect everyone to just bow to them as if they were some kind of god, or something like that. And if you would allow me to speculate a little based on what I've heard and seen so far I would say that they are very bitter and resentful, perhaps especially towards you Ms Holmes. But what do I know. I am a simple psych major at a small Midwestern college."
Su-Ji smiled to indicate that she had heard the conversation between Erin and Blair before Erin allowed Blair to walk away but even though she was curious as to just how Erin had betrayed Blair when they were a child she felt that it was not the time to ask about it.

"One thing though I can add is that I suspect that the person who caused this mayhem might have hardened skin on top of their heightened strength. My guess is some kind of non-magnetic metal, Lead maybe, Aluminium or perhaps even Titanium. And from the way they knocked out our little race car here I would also assume they don't really feel pain like a normal person because that impact should have had them in as much pain as Windy here but they didn't even seem to flinch."
She then turned to Mrs MacEnroe with a smile.
"Is there any chance of my order being ready soon," she asked as politely as possible.
"I really am famished."
"Coming right up," Mrs MacEnroe said with a nod but before getting up to go back into the kitchen to prepare the order gave Erin a glance as if to ask permission to leave the table, after all she and her husband had already given their statements.
When getting a confirming nod from the detective she disappeared into the kitchen and soon returned with a double quarter pounder, with bacon, two kinds of cheese (pepper jack and red cheddar), a large serving of curly fries and a double stack of pancakes which Su-Ji dug into the moment the plate hit the table.

By the time Erin focused her attention of the New 3 duo Edith was still filming but had sent the files from her phone to Erin's official WPD email account.
"You will have to wait for the film from this of course," she explained and began to give her account of how it came to be that she had been on the scene as quickly as she had been but left out all of what she and Sapphire had talked about earlier with relations to all manner of conspiracy theories.
She might just be a camera person but she was enough of a journalist to know that one did not simply give up a potential scoop just because a police officer asked you a question not actually relating to it.

---

The Flophouse @no one in particular (except maybe myself)

By the time Alexa got back to the flophouse where they had taken residence after running away from home they realised that Blair had done the same but fot the time being they left them alone. Despite their shadow self and the help Blair had provided against their father they didn't really want to approach them at that moment. It was better to wait and allow them to calm down and to try to figure out just what that shadow inside them was and what it could do.

 

[Frozen Princess]

Tuesday morning, and the sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon, casting an orange-red glow on the second sunrise after the event of Sunday afternoon.

Windy, in a white camisole top night shirt and blue "boy brief" panties, sighed and gave a full frontal view of herself to anyone looking up to her second floor bedroom window, as she pulled open the drapes. It was a show for only one person in particular, that she still wouldn't admit it was for. Cheerleader Loni Gretsch.

Half-hour later, she'd pretty much flash her again (if she was looking) as she hurried in her room from her shower, without a towel. That was purely by accident, but the cheerleader would still get a show, short as that was.

She hurried off to school early, as Molly and Zapper (neither of which had powers, but were determined to nerd-build Windy a superpower suit that could stand up to Windy's immense speed) had ideas to help Windy not be in the buff in a burst of speed. Her current suit, a racing firesuit, would only be good for up to maybe 400-500 miles per hour. Right now, even the tornadoes she created yesterday wouldn't be more than F3 in windspeed.

Meanwhile, Ginger yawned, stretched, tossed the sheet off herself, and promptly rolled right off Su-Ji's bedroom couch at her home. She shook her head and made her way to the bathroom, getting a look from Nefertiti. "What? I needed a place to crash. Su-Ji and I talked last night until wee hours. One, I think. No WAY was I walking home that hour of the night." It was actually almost two. The point was more that it was too late for Ginger to head home, than whether or not she could defend herself.

After taking care of morning business, Ginger would pad into the kitchen, still wearing her now rumpled clothes from the day before.

Sapphire had been to work when her boss was, at five o'clock. Edith wouldn't be due until eight or a little after, and it was just now seven-thirty. Pinching her eyes closed, she checked her morning emails which seemed to be mostly junk and spam. The only thing worth reading was from her mom in Black Forest, Colorado.

"Your mom got any news from Colorado Springs?"

"Black Forest, boss. About twenty, twenty-five miles north of there." Sapphire sighed. "Passing time until Detective Holmes returns our video shot on Edith's phone. She's only had it about thirteen hours. Just because they know who, doesn't mean they have the other answers. Besides, Detective Holmes has already informed me, she'd rather talk to Edith, than me."

"Ouch. What about these heroines?" The head of the newsdesk asked.

"I'm not to pursue interviewing any of them until Holmes talks to her superior this morning. She WILL talk to me about that, but I can't talk to Velocity, or Race Car, or whatever she's known as without her parents present."

"Yet Windy is legally old enough to have a job without her parents okay because she's 16. Including this hero gig. Just because alcohol isn't involved." A sip of coffee. "Looks like the law can't make up ITS mind whether she's an adult or not. Good luck, Scoops. Welcome to the new reality." He patted her shoulder as he headed for his office.

For Detective Holmes, not only did she have to bring up what Blair has done, but relive that exchange a decade or so ago, and a promise she had made.

"YOU were never sent back there, though, and I know you tried to involve social services anyway, after we went the next time.... However, YOU were the only one to promise that if you PERSONALLY was sent. No other officer said that, and a few said they were very cordial. You were the only one they tried to fight, and thus your ultimatum. You need to bring Blair in and explain that to them. If they can't understand that, it's no longer on you. Now what's this I heard from Officer Jenny that you quoted ordinances, word for word, to not just her but the one witness? The hero called Cheshire?"

Erin rubbed her face and explained the situation, even explaining with direct quotes from the City Ordinance Law book, the importance of knowing the correct ordinance.

After a long uneasy pause of five minutes, all the while her Captain drummed her fingers on her right hand upon her desk. "Detective Holmes. You apparently have been affected by the meteorite, yourself. You've always been good with the law, but word for word quotes? What happened at the meeting at the Golden Spoon, and what did everyone have to eat and or drink?"

Erin shrugged, and went minute by minute throughout the nearly two hour meeting, including not only what Cheshire had, but Ginger, Sapphire, Edith and Windy too, and when. She and Jenny had only the water, she personally had three to Jenny's two, or more appropriate, one and a half.

The captain made a face as she rubbed her temples. "You have an eidetic memory, now, which means you are more than qualified to be the liaison between us and these heroes. Figure out a name for your team, and that's an order, Detective. Dismissed, take the rest of the day off. I don't care where you go, just..." She then shooed Erin with both hands as if Erin Holmes was some pesky teenager all over again.