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[sub][@Mr Allen J], [@Zombiedude101], [@tsukune], [@FernStone], and [@Dioxide], with special guest [@DJAtomika][/sub]
[/center][b][code]Greencrest Heights, White Coast_[/code][/b][hr][hr]


So, today officially began Wendy's adventure to figure out what exactly in the hell happened to Sean Rosier!

Being somewhat backed by the Philosophers was not really much of a help as Wendy thought it'd be. Well, she also had to backtrack and ask herself "what was she expecting?" A fully equipped team of scientists? Bah, this was like some high school project. She shrugged as she raised a hand over the book that was rested on the table, and used her paper manipulation to shift through the pages of the research notes. She already went through them [i]thoroughly[/i] (a few hundred times now). But, she wondered what would've been the best way to present it to Reinald. Maybe it might have been a bad idea to rope him into this... but far as she could tell, he seemed trustworthy, and it wasn't like there was some government agency coming after them, right?

[i]Riiiiiiight?[/i]

Wendy took a sip of her blackberry tea that she got from this cafe that Kumiko had frequented. She invited her friends here to discuss the research notes... in a public place! How ingenious. Well, to be fair, Kumiko goaded her into doing it. Only because she wanted some free drinks... ugh. Wendy shook her head as she looked around, activity seemed fairly low, so there wasn't much to worry about to begin with. Maybe the barista might be listening in, but Wendy picked a table far away from everyone else. Now, she just had to wait for everyone to assemble.

Already seated beside her was Rowan, idly nursing a cup of hot chocolate that had been topped off with cream and the usual cocoa powder. He wasn't one for tea, or coffee, but there was something to be appreciated about downing a fresh hot chocolate after some time out in the sobering air of Baybridge. Much to Wendy's amusement, when he'd first raised the cup to take a gulp of the stuff down, he'd not realised at first that some of the cream (and the cocoa powder which had been sprinkled across it) had slung to the tufts of beard which had grown around his mouth during their three year long roadtrip. Though, a quick lip of the lips seemed to remedy that, at least.


Entering the cafe that Wendy had arranged to meet them in, Rori glanced around to see if anyone else had arrived. They weren't surprised that Wendy was already there but hadn't expected to be the first of the other three to arrive. They had been certain they were running late when they hurried out the door. Then again travel as a bird did always make things more efficient (unless they wanted to carry large loads around). No public transport or traffic.

"Hey Wendy," Rori waved a response, and grinned, as they went over to sit next at the table their friend was at. They had to sit sideways in the chair, a little bit uncomfortable, but there wasn't much more to do with the irritated wings attached to their back. They were pretty much used to this by now. "This cafe looks nice." They turned their head to look around with a sharp gaze as they spoke. "I've never been here before - do you come here often? I wonder what I should have to drink..."

[color=dodgerblue]"You should try the peppermint cooler! It's one of our most refreshing drinks, like a mojito without the alcohol."[/color]

The big-sized man waiting on tables nearby them threw out a suggestion. He brushed a lock of messy, curly hair away from his tanned face and smiled.

[color=dodgerblue]"My creation. The cafe puts it out from time to time. If you want I can get an order of that for you."[/color]

"Uh, sure," Rori just nodded, not sure what else to say.

The barista shouting from the countertop threw Wendy off guard just a little bit, but she nodded her head as she focused on Rori. "Kumiko hangs out here, and she suggested we use it as a meeting place because..." She looked over at Kumiko chatting to the barista, and getting a fancy drink that Wendy never heard of. "...She wanted me to pay for her drink." She rolled her eyes.

"So, uh, all we have to do is wait for Rein... but, in the meantime, would you like to talk for a moment?" Wendy said. "There's... so much to talk about, I don't even know where to begin."

"Yeah, we've been all over the states, I guess," Rowan interjected, reclining in his seat, "Seen a lot of stuff, y'know?"

"Talking sounds good," Rori grinned at them, raising an eyebrow at Rowan as he spoke. They weren't really sure how to take that. "I imagine you have a lot to talk about... it's been three years. That's a lot of time, so much can happen. I'm sure you'll be glad to find out I haven't become any less talkative, though!" Rori laughed slightly. "I haven't, uh, been all over the states like you two so anything I've done is probably boring in comparison. You'll both have so much more to talk about." They tugged on a strand of their shoulder length hair. "I did go back to school. Well, not really back I was hardly there in the first place. But I went and all. It was fun. But that's not as interesting as travelling."

Wendy knew that Rori was having a good life, she was fulfilling her dreams, and living a better life than Wendy... here she was still being hung up about things that were long over with. Things she couldn't help, but felt as if she could... she shook her head. Maybe she should just get that off her chest, instead of bottling it up inside of herself.

"That's great... our travels were also great, but I think I should tell you what prompted our trip..." She looked at Rowan briefly, as if she was looking for his approval, before she just went ahead anyway. "Three years ago... the Founding Family took my sister..." She sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Wendy." Rori wasn't really sure what else to say. They couldn't sympathise and respond with 'I know how you feel', though that wouldn't help anyway. Sure they had lost their cousin - and Rori had been close to Max. But that had been Max's line of duty so it was... different somehow. They couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for Wendy, or how hard it must [i]still[/i] be.

"It... gets worse than that... me, Rowan, and some friends, did everything we could to get her back, going up against some truly monstrous people," Images of the Hound (or Sovereign as he now called himself), Ezekiel, and Blake... the mere thought of Blake made Wendy clench the sides of the table in a silent rage. She exhaled, and then continued, "But, in the end..." She then rolled up her sleeve, and displayed the tattoo;

[quote][i][code]DIANA LUCKER - 1997 - 2022. I get stronger every day.[/code][/i][/quote]

"You... I... Well, I'm sure you did everything you could," Rori responded, somewhat weakly as they looked at the tattoo, still a bit at a loss for words - quite different from their normally over talkativeness. Though that was because they knew rambling on in some cheerful manner wasn't going to make Wendy, or [i]anyone[/i], feel better. They'd learned that in the last three years. "I don't think it's your fault."

"And with [i]what[/i] we did tryin' to get our friends back, we..." Rowan paused for a moment, dwelling on the past. Ezekiel's blood had been on his hands, even if he'd been an asshole. The same could be said for the mercenaries, and Secretaries, that Wendy had torn apart in a fit of rage after Diana's death. "We figured DOVE, or RAVEN, or whatever would come for us. They wouldn't get it."

Rori just nodded in understanding as the big waiter returned at that moment with a tray loaded with a few glasses of the drink he'd promised; a clear concoction topped with mint leaves and filled with ice.

"I've been trying to put it all behind me... on the plus side, I gained a lot from the endeavor," Wendy moved Sean Rosier's journal, and Ezekiel's notes. It wasn't just the books Wendy was referring to, but she was more than certain that Rori got the hint. "These two books contain so much knowledge that I... I don't know where to start. But, there was something bugging me about this book." She willed Ezekiel's notes over towards Rori. "Perhaps I can explain it to you, and I get another point of view?"

Just then, Rein had finally arrived to the scene. He had requested for a curfew extension just in case, which took much longer than he wanted to get it approved and over with, resulting in his lateness. Seemed like Kannix was running late, too - she was nowhere to be seen. Either way, he had already texted her the meeting place, and he would know the moment she reached here. Knowing her, she probably would try to make a dramatic entrance...

And he hoped that she didn't end up causing another fight in the process.

"Um, hey," he greeted them, breathless from the rush. Glancing down at the book between Wendy and Rori, he asked in a meek tone, "...Did I come in at a bad time?"

Before Rori had a chance to respond to what Wendy had said, about giving a point of view, Rein - the final one of the group - appeared. They looked down at the notes and then back up at Wendy. "How about you explain it to me another time, Wendy?" They suggested. If Wendy wanted to explain it in front of Rein that was fine and Rori could try and give their point of view. It just seemed like a better to do at another time. Turned their head too look at Rein, Rori offered him a bright smile. "Hey! Nah, it's fine."

"Yeeeeeeah... another time." As much as she wanted to talk to Rori about it... she knew that it was best that she didn't talk about it in front of Rein. No offense to him, but Wendy knew it was sensitive information. Rowan knew about it very well... but, this was an instance where the less people knew about it the better. So, Wendy just pulled Ezekiel's notes in a little bit, and folded her arms in front of it as she looked at the man of the hour; Reinald. "No, no, not at all!"

She nodded her head, and hoped that she could place enough trust in him to share her secrets. She had no choice, as she already roped him into it. "So, in anticipation of this event, I broke down all of Sean Rosier's research into neat little notes." She said as she opened the book, and pulled out a few pages of paper. "It's the basic stuff so you can understand it..."

Until they were rudely interrupted by the sound of something hard knocking on the glass window in rapid succession, bad enough that a cracking noise could be heard.

[hr]
Kannix had received the message mid-running errands. The ugly ass shopkeeper who'd known Kannix for the longest time asked why she was smiling. Normally the response would have been "none of your long-nose ass business you ugly witch," but the this time there was no comeback. She was jittery. Why was she so happy? Getting a text from a boy wasn't exactly new to her. No, sorry, that's a lie. No boy has ever texted her to meet him at a place at a time like in the movies. She could only look back up at the shopkeeper - eyebrows raised, eyes and nose crinkled, smile so wide her molars could be seen - and paid what's due.

She wanted to take this opportunity to be with someone so badly. The few times that she did hang out with him, it was so much fun (at least for her, she giggled) and she was getting a lot more comfortable with him. Truly, she wanted this to be a fun thing between the two, not like the others she's lost. It's... been so long... Was she being too aggressive with him? Perhaps she owed it to him, at least once, to be the simple, quiet girl she can be. Maybe Rein'd like that side more. So after Kannix dropped off her groceries and showed her mom the picture she'd taken (Must you always take ugly pictures of people? - Mom, please) she asked if she could go out. At that time of the day, mother would have probably said no. But, oh no, this was something else. Rein-[b][i]ald[/i][/b] didn't look like the bad types that no ruffian of a lady should be hanging with, so she wanted to give Kannix and the boy a chance. So, the mother agreed: Kannix could go, but be home as soon as possible. No specific time, but as soon as possible. She fluttered as she remembered her own romances when she was a young age. Kannix deserved the same. Kannix playfully saluted, went to her room to retrieve the hat she'd taken from that one pimp dude at the DOVE rally and ran out. (Where'd you get that hat?! - Later, mom!)

It could be nothing, but it could be something! Who knew?! Kannix just wanted to spend more time with someone who was willing to spend the time with her. Kannix wanted to make his time worthwhile. She readied herself. She was going to be funny, open, everything that a good girl could be. The cafe was right around the corner. She let him enter first, just to tease him when she'd be by the window, looking in on him. So she dashed forward and peered in... only to see Rein with four other people.

Kannix was internally screaming, and her face betrayed her shock. Her eyes struck wide open, lips pressed so tightly, nose flaring with quick breaths. [i]WHAT THE FUCK[/i], she thought to herself. She rapped on the glass window, head tilted to her right side, and waved at Rein and company. A crack appeared on the glass. Her smile and "gregarious" eyes could not be any more forced.

The ferocious rapping sound of someone's knuckle against the glass made Rein jerked his head up in surprise, and even more so when he recognized Kannix beyond the window. She had a ridiculous look on her face, distorted by a visible crack that ran down the center, the crooked smile seemed more unsightly than ever.

It would have been a hilarious sight if it wasn't for how her wide eyes were piercing into him when his eyes met hers. He could feel anger even through the transparent pane between them. [i]Is she furious at me? Why?[/i]

Rowan too, was stirred from his thoughts by the obnoxious raucous made by the banging on the glass, tilting his head towards the girl's direction, only to realise that she had a familiar face - though he couldn't quite figure from where. Wendy merely raised an eyebrow at the crazy-looking girl. And in some sort of automated defense mechanism; she pulled her books much closer to herself. Rori had to turn completely around in their seat to see what the commotion was about, and just turned back to the others with a very confused look on their face.

At this point, Kumiko came back to the table, and leaned in, whispering to the group, "I think she's an escaped mental patient," She started off, "Don't make eye contact, I got a pistol in my purse just in case shit starts to look ugly."

"S-Sorry, give me a moment," he excused himself from the group, and walked out of the cafe towards Kannix, bracing himself for whatever she might throw at him.

Walked out towards Kannix he did. She looked up to see Rein in the eye, still maintaining that wide smile and open eyes, though now there emitted a fiery intensity in her stare - so hot and steeled that she looked manic and distraught.

[b]"HI! HOW ARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"[/b] Could they hear her from the other side of the window? Fuck it. Her voice was rugged, stifling a scream she knew was irrational and uncalled for. Too late now, because she wanted to vent. She felt a hint of betrayal. Why the fuck shouldn't she be yelling?

Even if he was mentally prepared for Kannix's outburst, Rein couldn't help wince at the vocal assault. He shrank even further as he noticed the curious stares from around him out of the corner of his eye, making his ears go red at the embarrassment. Though, there might be a way to make sense of this situation.

"Uh... Hey Kannix," he greeted her back, still maintaining eye contact with her. "We're just getting started with the 'Dimensional Traveling' stuff I've mentioned to you before, so you haven't missed out much. But... are you okay?"

Kannix gasped, maintaining her forced happiness, though her anger started to show, saturating her face with eyelid-twitching, head jerking, and hands gripping the air. "Wah-Wah-We!? [b]WE?![/b] I thought 'we' were 'we'! Who's 'they'-'we'?! I thought this was a da--ha-ha-ha-hay...." her voice gave out, hands shot up, curled and covered her mouth, stopping herself from saying the word and thought to herself. [i]Was this even a date at all!? Wait. Didn't he say- Oh God no he didn't. Why did I think- Oh fuck.[/i] She fought with herself internally, all the while still looking at Rein. The embarrassment this is causing for him and her was unreal. She fucked up. [i]Please get me out, oh god...[/i]

That was one problem resolved. Rein relaxed, relieved that Kannix had finally stopped shouting, but that still didn't disperse the confusion he had towards her temperament. "Uh... 'Da-hay'?" he asked, tilting his head to the side a little, a frown on his face.

Kannix calmed down just enough that her face no longer had that 'stalker' crazy face that must have been freaking out the people watching them- her, whatever. Despite the fact that at this point impressions were made, she wanted to behave well enough for them to see more to her than just the manic girl that Rein brought. 

"I thought... this was a... date... - just the two of us, you know?" Kannix's eyes darted between the group, the ground, and Rein continuously, not fully sure of herself at the moment. Her big, wide eyes glistened with a wet sheen of embarrassment and sought for understanding and just that hint of sympathy that was wanted but not  outwardly spoken. [i]Don't hate me, don't hate me, please stay, please...[/i]

Rein couldn't help doing an internal facepalm. It was just a misunderstanding after all, one that originated from one of Kannix's own wild fantasies... No matter. Now that Kannix had calmed down, Rein gestured her to follow him. "Come on, let's not keep the others waiting. I'll introduce you to them, and we can get started with the discussion."

All the while ignoring the strange looks the other four in the shop were probably throwing at him. He just hoped they wouldn't ask weird questions and make the situation even more awkward than it already was...

Though deep down he was still amused that Kannix actually thought he was asking her out when they barely knew each other. Kannix on the other hand could not help but latch on to that fantasy of hers. Whether it was outrageous or not, it was the one thing that kept her relatively sane right now, to let her escape the relative awkwardness. Rein was bringing a person he barely knew to an outing with his friends.

[i]Way to go, Kannix.[/i]

[hr]
Okay, it was finally time to review the notes. She wanted to get the basic stuff out of the way to win Reinald over, before she moved over to the more advanced stuff at a later date. She hoped that he got his girl problems sorted out, because she had zero intention to stop once she started (and that girl freaked Wendy the hell out). She sighed, as she willed Sean Rosier's notes over to herself with her paper manipulation. She opened the books, and traced her fingers over it... though, she honestly knew it from heart.

"Okay, here we go..." She nodded her head, as she began to recite the notes... word by word. "Dimensional travel is a concept that not even I thought was possible... even in our strange, strange, world full of people who can bend the world at their fingertips. But, that changed just a few years ago."

The mention of people who can "bend the world at their finger" made Wendy shudder a bit, as she wasn't comfortable with sharing that just yet. Perhaps Sean Rosier knew the secret of Metahumans, too. However, she had to continue.

"I learned that there actually are different universes, connected to each other... but at the same time, separate in a way," She started off. "There are 'barriers' of some sort in place preventing all but the strongest Metahumans from breaking through them. Some of these universes are quite similar to each other. They're basically different versions of the same universe. They have the same people... but different in some ways. Maybe they made a different choice that changed everything, or have been born to different parents, but they're, at their core, [i]the same person[/i]."

That was what interested Wendy... she would love to see what her alternate universe clone or whatever, would be like. Might be fun.

"How do I know this... well, I don't like sharing my secrets, but a few years ago...?" Wendy paused for dramatic effect. "...Somebody came into our universe from another, and I had the pleasure of meeting this person myself. They told me everything I needed to know to form my thesis, and from there, I seek to use Metahuman potential to break the barriers from one universe to another and make history... I just need more time."

Then, Wendy closed the book, and nodded her head. Her friends probably had plenty of thoughts on the matter, and she wondered what Rein and Rori would think. Rowan had already been a party to one of Wendy's earlier study sessions and was, for the most part, aware of the book's contents, as much as he might have struggled to understand some of the more... technical notes.

"Okay... what do you guys think?" Wendy finally said, after a moment's pause. "There's a lot more in depth stuff later, but I'm just trying to sell this to you... heh."

She awkwardly pulled at her collar, before she said.

"First thing [i]I[/i] noticed when I read this is that it [i]sounds[/i] like he's made this for someone else to... you know, read and make usage out of. Like a college textbook. Or maybe that's just the way he writes..."

"I don't understand all of it, but it sounds interesting for sure," Rori responded before anything else did, shrugging. "If we can go to one of these different dimensions, imagine all the possibilities. We could meet ourselves... or see things differently. Wow. That's a lot to take in. I definitely want to try doing it."

Rein, however, was in deep thought. Science fiction about interconnected worlds between the realm they were now living in with external, unknown territories was one thing, but to think that such thing would actually exist in reality. What's more, parallel universes that mirrored their current world?

To the pessimistic realists, they were likely to snort and brush this off as a dumb fairy tale; to the adventurous dreamers like the excited Wendy before him, this was the kind of thrill that they had been looking for all their life. But to Rein, it was more of a possibility that could lead him to better understand his own power.

What if Scape had a clue, an answer, to what Wendy - and Sean Rosier - were seeking?

...Did he want to risk telling them the truth about his ability?

Wendy was probably gambling on her trust for a stranger like him on this 'secret' about parallel worlds, but was this good enough to reveal who he really was to her in exchange?

Exhaling slowly, he chose to hold back his tongue. [i]Trust takes time to build, and there's no need to rush.[/i] "I'm with Rori - did I pronounce your name right? - on this. It's definitely intriguing, but I wonder where you get this information from. I mean... I don't think it's not public knowledge yet?" He felt certain that this wasn't something that anyone could find on the internet, not even digging through old library archives.

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered who exactly Wendy was. Was this why she seemed so afraid to get caught by DOVE?

The big burly waiter placed a big jug of iced water down on the table and several glasses for the group of young adults that were talking rather excitedly by the counter. Intrigued by their words, but he was on the job so he paid them no mind.

How did Wendy know about this? That was a tough question... she just didn't feel comfortable telling Reinald such a crucial piece of the Lucker girl's past. And she definitely didn't want to start a pity party. But, he had to know. By being unnecessarily secretive, all that was going to happen was that a wedge was going to be. "...A few years ago, me and Rowan tangled with the Founding Family," But at the same time, it was best that she didn't tell him [i]everything[/i]. "And we stole these books from them..."

She looked at the group. Research by the Founding Family was in high demand these days, and it was one thing that DOVE/RAVEN would love to get their hands on to stop some other lunatic from abusing it. What they didn't (and wouldn't) understand was that Wendy had the best interests at heart (she always had, always will), and only wanted to follow his work because of that adventurous mind of hers. Besides... this whole endeavor was an extension of her road trip. Even if it turned out flat, she still would have spent plenty of time with Rowan.

Even if Wendy had taken a lighter tone to discussing it, Rowan couldn't help but shake the feeling that they were treading on unstable ground - what had happened those three years ago was still catching up to them, even now.

"Ha!" Kannix broke her silence at the mention of the Founding Family. She hadn't a clue what dimensional travelling was. She was even very hesitant to believe in [i]'dimensions'[/i] to begin with. Another you? Come on, now. But despite her steadfastness, she chose to behave - if not for herself, then for Rein, saving face for being the elephant in the room. But here! Founding Family! The passive look she donned for the past few lines in this conversation swiftly turned into an aggressive one.

"What the fuck? Founding Family? You lot fucked with them!? That shit is bad news, like, you know they're bad!" Kannix's face crinkled in confusion and the slightest hint of disgust. [i]Pfft. The fuck am I still doing here? Goddamnit, Rein. Use your head - you can't do this, we can't be here.[/i] She could only hope that her face said all that she wanted to say, and that Rein could read it.

Wendy immediately turned her nose at Kannix, with her eyes narrowed, she gave the girl a "what are you even doing here" look. Before she just responded with, "...It's a long story, and one I don't want to tell right now..." She answered.

Kannix picked up on the bitchface, and replied with her own - accompanied, of course, with Mr. Middle Finger. "Like me or hate me, whatever - but The Founding Family," Kannix looked to Rein for reassurance here, before looking back to confront Wendy, "should not be a matter you should bullshit with. So what the fuck, yo?"

"What the fuck?" Rowan echoed, seething with irritation. "You don't know us, and you don't have to be here if you've got a problem with that, but [i]don't[/i] talk shit down to us." He said, lightly slapping a palm down on the table.

The middle finger was what killed it for Wendy. She briefly glanced back at Reinald for a moment, and because of White Trash™ right here, she questioned whether or not it was such a really good idea to include him in her little circle. Your friends say a lot about you, after all.

However, Wendy wasn't going to tolerate it even for a second.

"One; if you're going to act like that, you might as well leave," Wendy made her point very clear when she stared Kannix dead on. She faced the likes of the Hound, Ezekiel, and Blake, three monsters... Metahuman or not, Kannix wasn't going to frighten her. She [i]couldn't[/i] frighten her. "And two... I don't [i]have[/i] to tell you anything, as I don't know you from a stranger on the street. So, please, drop it."

She looked at Rowan, who was probably pissed as she was.

"...For everyone's sake."

Rori glanced between the four others, unsure whether to say anything. They weren't exactly in the same boat as Wendy and Rowan, having not tangled with the Founding Family, but they didn't like the way this new person was talking at all. Not to mention arguing was not something they liked seeing (it brought back memories). "Hey, I don't really know much about this stuff, but I think it's better not to accuse about things you don't know everything about." Rori added their piece quietly and in a non-confrontational manner, but still solidly taking Wendy's side.

Well, things just had to get from bad to worse. Rein could take Kannix's rotor mouth with a [i]huge[/i] pinch of salt, but not everyone else here had as much zen as him. Even so, the Chinese girl seemed oddly rude today. Was she still salty about the misunderstanding? No, it was more than that - he was probably overthinking this, but the mention of 'Founding Family' was what made Kannix lose her head.

Maybe he would ask her about that... not now, but some other time when she could tell him calmly without flying off the handles like this.

"Kannix," he finally spoke up, feeling weary at the unnecessary hostility among the group. "Not that I'm taking their side or anything, but you have to admit that that's really inappropriate." He gave her a look, a non-verbal sign pleading her to apologize so that they could get back to the main topic.

"Inappropriate, but not without ground," Kannix spoke while facing Rein, but the message was directed to the group. Everything in her literal power wanted her to power-shove the table off its base and through the glass window. But, in the crazy way that she wanted to be in Rein, she had to give in. The fierce, metallic glare that she had held melted, and she leaned back into her chair, not defeated, but resigning to cooperation. Kannix crossed her arms and looked at everyone present. "My apologies." It was sincere and genuine, just like the doubt that could be read in Kannix's demeanour, and her concern for Rein.

Rein returned Kannix's hard look with a small smile, showing his quiet gratitude to her for not making the situation any worse. Though, he had more to add on, especially towards Wendy and co. "Please forgive her insolent behavior, but it's natural we'd feel cautious towards you all since you're involved with the Founding Family incident. I do understand we aren't exactly on 'friends' terms yet, and you don't want to tell us much about it at the moment..." He let the remaining unspoken words to hang in the air.

Shaking his head with another tired sigh, he turned his attention back to the books before Wendy.

[i]At least Rein can put her on a leash.[/i] Wendy thought to herself, as she sighed. "It's alright." Wendy answered. While she was still annoyed that Kannix started this in the first place, she ultimately decided not to be petty. Reinald was right. She was vague about her whole thing with the Founding Family. She had a right to be. After everything that happened, she didn't want to announce what had happened from the heavens. She once again, sighed.

Kumiko leaned into her ear, and whispered, "If she didn't like you two 'tangling' with the Family, wait til' she gets a load of [i]me[/i]." She chuckled as she leaned back in her chair.

With the whole deal with Kannix resolved, Wendy can finally get back to the matter at hand... Even though she didn't want to say it out loud, but she thought a little bit less of Reinald right now. No matter! He was already in this, and Wendy was going to see it through to the end. But, she knew that, even if she showed him everything in this book now, it'd be hollow as it was all incomplete.

"But, even though this is a treasure trove... it cuts off," Wendy said, as she willed the pages aside with her paper manipulation. All the way to the end of the book...

[quote][code]Continued in the next book...[/code][/quote]

"Which adds to the theory that he wrote this for someone else to read," Wendy started off, then said, "But, we don't know where the other books are... and..." She scratched the back of her neck. "We only had time to take two books."

"Hey, this dude's name is Sean Rosier, right?" Kumiko chimed in.

"Yeah?" Wendy replied, wondering where her devious mother was going with this.

"His wife works for the Hope Foundation, like she's a really big player there," Kumiko said, and grinned like a fool. "She doesn't do anything but sleep, eat, and work, but sometimes she forgets to do the first two!" She laughed.

"So, I [i]doubt[/i] she's going to be home right now," Kumiko answered. "So, how about we go take a peak?"

"Like... break in her house?" Wendy raised an eyebrow. "That's... not a good idea."

"I mean, your boyfriend can turn off-"

"He's [i]not[/i] my boyfriend."

"Whatever lovergirl," Kumiko scoffed,, "[i]Rowan[/i] can turn off the alarm system, and we can have a look around. I mean, long as we don't do anything stupid - well, stupider than breaking in someone's house - then we should be okay."

Kumiko could see it in Wendy's eyes, she still was on the fence.

'I mean, you probably did [i]soooo[/i] much illegal shit while on that roadtrip of yours that this is light in comparison," Kumiko said. "And how are you going to get to the bottom of this if you don't take a risk?"

She had a point, Rowan conceded. Taking risks was the only reason that they had managed to get here in the first place and they had still been burned because of it. And Kumiko [i]was[/i] right in guessing that they hadn't exactly kept on the lawful side of things whilst out on the road, their three year trip itself technically the first of their crimes, given they had gone off the grid and out of sight of DOVE. "I can get us inside, probably." He finally said.

"It may not be that useful, but I can be really [i]really[/i] small," Rori put in with a shrug. Not that they had experience with doing anything illegal, but if Wendy decided to they'd go along with it. "Well, as small as a small bird. That's beside the point. I can also fly." They waved their hand. "That's all a bit obvious, what I'm trying to say is that I can get in ways that other people couldn't. Oh, and nobody would suspect a bird, right?"

"You'd be surprised!" Kumiko noted. "Lossa' people are paranoid about 'them damn Metahumans' and will shoot at their own shadow if it moved funny." She laughed.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Rowan added, "Ask Wen', we saw some crazy assholes out there."

"...Too many to count," Wendy agreed, but she was surprised Rori was so willing to go along with it. Maybe the little birdie wasn't all that different from Wendy! "How about you just peek through the windows and make sure nobody is there?"

"That's definitely something I can do," Rori responded with an enthusiastic grin. "You're in charge here, and have way more experience than me, so I'm quite happy to do whatever bird things you think are best." They paused momentarily. "Though I'll definitely be less conspicuous as an actual bird than like this." They indicated to their body as they spoke. It wasn't exactly easy to hide that they were a metahuman. "It's probably a miracle nobody has tried to shoot me yet... but that's getting off topic, I can definitely look in windows!"

Rather than jumping straight into the excitement the other four were raving about, Rein considered the haphazard plan they babbled in between their teasing conversations. "I don't know how much my power would be of use to what you guys are planning to do... Well, I'm a clairvoyant in a way, but it only works on people. I guess I can help to keep a lookout then?"

"Yeah, that'd be a great help," Kumiko said, as she leaned back in her chair.

"Wait, you're [b]actually going to-[/b] My go- f- ah!" Kannix thought Rein was maintaining some kind of neutral stance about the whole thing. Why was he now all about doing this? This! A bunch of strangers associated with the Founding Fucking Family. Imaginary hands leaped up and aimed to strangle that pretty neck of his. [i]Stop being so thick![/i] She would have said with every slap to his head. Of course, the actual reaction she had, the others had taken notice, which prompted a response from her, but first:

"Founding Family, and a bunch of criminals. You [b][i]really[/i][/b] sure about this, Rein?" Kannix whispered ever so lightly, craning up to his ear.

Rein raised an eyebrow at Kannix's whispered accusations. "They might be involved in the Family incident, but I think it's too soon to jump to conclusions that they were members of the Family," he muttered back to her. "I'm really curious about the whole 'dimension traveling' theory, and whoever this Sean Rosier is." Kannix only grunted, a crinkle of her nose so adorable like a pissed-off kitten.

The brief conversation between the two didn't go unnoticed by Wendy, who merely narrowed her eyes at them. She couldn't hear a thing, but she choose not to raise a fuss. She had to pick her battles here.

Seeing that Kannix didn't rebuke further, Rein pulled himself away from her, then spoke in a louder tone, "I'm hoping you'd join us. Uh... you know, doing the lookout together... yeah." He had something else in mind, but he didn't feel like explaining it before the other four.

She cocked her head - a gesture towards interest and/or confusion. Was she really just going to agree like that? [i]I mean... if not for him, then... for him... wait what?[/i] What she was trying to say to herself was: do it for his sake, not just for him.

"Heh. Someone's got to protect your scrawny ass - might as well be me," Kannix announced aloud like her companion. [i]From others, and them.[/i] "When do we go?"

"We should go now," Kumiko noted. "We can all fit in my minivan, c'mon, let's go."