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Post by skybright on Feb 24, 2009 0:14:41 GMT -5
"It is one of our better acts." Daws admitted with a crooked grin.
Beaudry grinned thinly and glanced at Steph. "See? Told you these guys know what they're doing."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 24, 2009 23:55:58 GMT -5
Vance grinned crookedly. "I'll take that as a compliment, Mister Beaudry. We can be pretty professional when we know which direction to jump..." He frowned. "And that's kinda the problem right now. Too many variables, and no sign of where the break's gonna come. But we'll go with it when it happens."
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Post by skybright on Feb 25, 2009 0:04:42 GMT -5
"Meanwhile," Langston said pleasantly, "The two of you don't need to worry too much about it. You'll be safe here for as long as you need to stay."
Steph worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "That is nice of you." She said quietly, "But I really hate to be any kind of bother . . ."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 26, 2009 0:18:01 GMT -5
Vance stared at Steph with a sort of admiring astonishment, then gave Daws a slight grin. "Well, Proteus knows how to pick 'em, at least."
He turned back to the human girl. "Look, you didn't ask to get wrapped up in all this. It's our fault you were, and we don't take that lightly. Trying to put things right for you two is our responsibility."
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Post by skybright on Feb 26, 2009 12:17:09 GMT -5
Steph smiled shyly and ducked her head. "Well . . . thank you, then." She said. "I really appreciate it."
"We both do." Beaudry added.
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 26, 2009 23:34:01 GMT -5
"And believe me, we appreciate your taking all this so well," Vance replied. "There's not many people who would."
He folded his arms and shrugged. "Anyway, all we can do right now is wait for more intel from the folks we've just called on. In the meantime, is there anything either of you need?"
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Post by skybright on Feb 27, 2009 22:42:04 GMT -5
"Oh. Um," Steph glanced down at her clothes, which were streaked with dust from the explosion at the clinic. "Well . . . I guess I wouldn't mind a change of clothes." She said sheepishly.
"Neither would I." Beaudry grinned crookedly.
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 27, 2009 23:34:50 GMT -5
"Not a problem." Vance turned to his henchman. "Handy, go on down to Miranda's place and see what you can pick up for our guests. I'll be here, for a little while--nothing else we can do right now."
"Sure, Jerod," Handy replied, and toddled off to carry out the errand.
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Post by skybright on Feb 27, 2009 23:54:04 GMT -5
Langston smiled at the two humans. "I'm afraid it won't do for the two of you to do much wandering around -- but if you think of anything else you need, it's no trouble for me to pick a few things up."
Daws nodded. "Hopefully we won't have to keep you under wraps for too long. It'll just depend on how long it takes us to sort this whole mess out."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 28, 2009 0:03:26 GMT -5
Vance slouched lower in his chair and rubbed his jaw. "Knock wood. We're having to rely on too many other people right now for my liking."
His cellphone trilled at that moment. He answered it and had a brief conversation, then put the phone away with a shrug. "That was Proteus. I guess he got enough sleep to feel better--he's coming over to see how everybody is."
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Post by skybright on Feb 28, 2009 0:10:14 GMT -5
Steph brightened considerably at that news, and she smiled. "Oh, I'm glad. I kind of wondered . . . well," She shrugged, "They say it's not a good idea to sleep too much with a head injury."
"Conventional medical wisdom doesn't always hold with people like us." Daws pointed out with a wry grin.
"No . . . I guess that makes sense." Steph ducked her head sheepishly. "I'm just . . . glad he's feeling better."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 28, 2009 0:25:58 GMT -5
Vance grinned crookedly at Steph. "I'll admit, I'm pretty curious about just what happened to him today--but I'm not asking," he added quickly. "Proteus has always been a very private guy, and he's more than earned that respect from us."
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Post by skybright on Feb 28, 2009 0:36:09 GMT -5
Steph nodded. "I can understand how." She said quietly.
Beaudry raised an eyebrow at Vance and grinned somewhat nervously. "This friend of yours -- Proteus -- he's, uh . . . he isn't gonna show up looking like me, is he? Because," He chuckled nervously, "I don't mean any offense, but that idea kind of weirds me out."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 28, 2009 0:42:26 GMT -5
Vance chuckled. "No. None of us really knows what Proteus looks like, but he's got a form he usually sticks to when he's around us. Modest guy--he could look like Cary Grant if he wanted to, but he prefers to be the sort of person you'd never notice in a crowd."
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Post by skybright on Feb 28, 2009 0:52:30 GMT -5
"I'd imagine it probably makes things easier for him to be a mutant who doesn't attract attention." Steph murmured thoughtfully. Then she glanced up at Daws with a faintly mortified expression. "I -- I mean, um . . ."
Daws grinned crookedly and shook her head. "Don't worry -- I know what you mean. The truth is, it's got its challenges either way. . . but in Proteus' case, I'd say you're probably right. Easier for him to lay low if he doesn't look like anybody out of the ordinary."
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Post by Jordanna on Feb 28, 2009 23:33:34 GMT -5
"You might've noticed laying low is pretty important to us," Vance rumbled. "Precisely because of people like the ones running that clinic."
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Post by skybright on Feb 28, 2009 23:44:26 GMT -5
Beaudry shuddered. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to worry about something like that." He said. "Until yesterday, I never thought anybody seriously did."
"I think both of us were more blind than we realized." Steph murmured, glancing at her clasped hands.
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Post by Jordanna on Mar 1, 2009 23:22:57 GMT -5
Nate smiled wanly. "Don't feel too bad. I'm a mutant myself, and I didn't even know things like this went on until pretty recently."
"There's plenty of well-meaning innocent bystanders like you two," Vance remarked. "But there are also plenty who'd just as soon see us rounded us up and branded like cattle. We don't exactly like to find out the hard way which attitude people have. So far, it's a safer call to let the general populace stay ignorant."
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Post by skybright on Mar 1, 2009 23:43:29 GMT -5
"I guess that makes sense." Beaudry murmured.
Steph's expression twisted. "It might make sense," she said vehemently, "But that doesn't make it right that it should be that way."
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Post by Jordanna on Mar 2, 2009 23:31:02 GMT -5
Vance smiled crookedly. "Welcome to the real world." He said it without harshness, and rather wearily.
Nate shrugged philosophically. "The way I see it, everybody takes it on the chin in this life, one way or another. If we weren't what we are, we'd just have other problems. And the people who spend their lives being scared of us--in a way, I'm sorriest of all for them. It's an ugly way to feel that just hurts them as much as anybody else."
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