ihinka

Epic City: Starburst

Teagan was in the process of observing a very harrowed man in a tux and a wine stained dress shirt. He was visibly panting and it was as if he was struggling with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Teagan felt bad for the guy. She was about to brake her rule for quiet observation and go see if she could help him when an irate looking man with Asian features stomped past her in the same direction of wine stained dress shirt guy. Teagan stood still, hesitating for a second when a ray of sunshine obscured her field of vision in the form a young woman sailing past her. She stopped and the ex smokejumper couldn't help but stare. I mean, hell, she was no saint! And a beautiful woman was a beautiful woman. Even if she looked to be in her early twenties.
Teagan shook her head free of the cobwebs, stared somewhat accusingly at her rum-coke and deposited it disdainfully on the tray of a passing waiter and redirected her attention back towards wine stained dress shirt guy. Only it wasn't him at the window. It was angry Asian guy. Oh, man, if there are any mind readers attending tonight I'm sure I sound like a complete asshole and completely not PC! Teagan thought to herself while trying to decide if she was having the mother of all delayed reactions to too much smoke inhalation, or if her aging eyes were playing tricks on her. She was positive the Asian man was standing near a different window. She looked in that direction and lo and behold, there stood the harrowed looking man with the wine stained dress shirt. What the fudge!?!
She was so confused for a second she hardly noticed the beautiful young woman departing after a brief exchange with Dragon Heart.
Oh, man, I so do not belong here! Teagan thought and started for the bar. She would drink a cold water, clear her mind, have a few words with Chief Thomas and go home. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't recognize him earlier, because of all the clothes. She knew the guy with the wine stained shirt. Well, she didn't know him know him, but she knew who he was.
He was the guy who'd held god knows how many ton building until the rescue services, her included, could get the trapped civilians out. He hadn't had a stitch of clothing on him then. Stark Crusader. That's why she couldn't recognize him with all the clothing.
She turned determined. The guy had held a building above her head to allow her the time to rescue all those civilians. She was gonna help him now! Even if she felt so out of her element with all the Epics in the building.
She quietly sidled up to him near his new position. I'm positive they didn't trade places with the irritated guy by walking. Teagan thought.
She offered Stark Crusader a glass of water she'd picked up from a waiter's tray. "Um, hey." She started gently. "I know ye don't know me. I'm not a fan or a reporter. I just wanted to thank ye... Y'know... Ye held portions of the Fitch buildin' so the rescue crews could get the people out." Teagan fell silent for a moment unsure of how to proceed. "For what is worth... A lot of people are alive today, because of ye." She finished, untied her cravat and offered it to him. "To hide the wine stain." She clarified and walked away to find Chief Thomas. If it wasn't for him. Teagan thought, looking back at the young man staring her cravat in confusion. I wouldn't have gotten out of that building with only a scrape. She stretched her injured shoulder and grimaced.

Epic City: Starburst

Hm... Kind of an errand thought... @Old AmsterdamDoes Alex know sign language, or can she only read lips?

Also... I'll apologize in advance for any lengthy posts... They always run away from me

Edit:

Poor James! Instead of stripping him, I'm pilling more clothing articles on him

Epic City: Starburst

Teagan stared at the invitation to The First Annual Epic City Emergency Service ball. She quite honestly didn't understand why would she be invited. I mean, sure, since she and her family had arrived in Epic City, she volunteered as a first responder, but still...
"I think you should go, honey." Her mother's voice assured her from behind. The woman was busy tending to a big nasty fresh scrape on her daughter's back. Her eyes and face didn't betray the barely contained horror the injury had provoked. She'd learned to cope with her daughter's occupation, just like she'd learned to do before that with her husband's. She was proud of them both, of course. They were both so single-minded in their desire to help people. Often to their own detriment. But that's who they were, and she loved them for it. She finished applying a layer of ointment to her daughter's scraped skin and covered it with a crisp white bandage. Then planted a soft kiss in Teagan's short hair.
"But..." Her daughter tried to protest.
"No, buts!" Martha interrupted her. "I know you, honey. You're going to say you're not a hero. That you don't belong there. Well, posh, I tell you!" The old woman circled her daughter to kneel in front of her and take her face into her palms. "I know you don't think yourself a hero. But, darn it, you are to me and you sure as hell are to those people you pull out of burning or crumbling buildings." Martha kissed Teagans forehead. "Or do I need to bring out the letters."
The thirty-seven year old olive-skinned woman managed to blush furiously, the scars over her eyebrow and lip becoming more prominent in their paleness. "Dear God, no!" She squirmed pleadingly. Her mother had the most embarrassing habit of collecting all the "Thank you" letters she and her father had received during their years of service. The letters were never or rarely addressed to them by name, but were personal non the less. They were usually sent to her or her father's station. And her mum collected them almost religiously. Teagan groaned. Sure, she felt a surge of happiness when reading the words of a person she'd helped, but when her mother read them it was a whole different matter.
"Good then." Martha clapped her hands and rose. "It's decided. You're going." She busied herself with cleaning the old bandages, the ointment and whatnot. "Are you going to ware your dress uniform?" She asked over her shoulder.
"I'm retired." Teagan answered also raising and stretching tentatively her injured shoulder.
"Don't stretch it too much!" Martha chided.
"I'm just testing it." Teagan grinned, flashing her dimples.
"Don't you flash those dimples at me, young lady!" Martha threatened mockingly. "Never worked for your father and never worked for you either." She swatted her daughter on the back of the head. "Now tell me what are you going the wear? One of those lady coattails that you wear when I drag you and your father to the opera? You know... The ones that make you look so dashing and make all the ladies swoon at you."
"Maaaaa!" Teagan blushed for the second time and groan like a teenage girl who's mother was embarrassing her.
Martha laughed wholeheartedly. Her daughter was so much like her father. "Stop moaning and groaning and go dress. You're father's coming to pick me up soon for our play and I want to see you before we leave." She ordered and Teagan strode wordlessly to her room and opened the door of the wardrobe where she kept her formal wear. No more then ten minutes later she exited her room just as her mother was letting her father inside the apartment. When he saw her and whistled, Martha turned and gasped.
"Oh, honey, you look so dashing!" She exclaimed rushing to her daughter. She gave Teagan the once over. The rider's boots, the formfitting britches, the tailcoat, the crisp white cravat. It all went so well with Teagan's natural olive complexion.
"Yer mother's right, kiddo." Rory approached. "The lassies'll have no chance." He winked at her.
"Oh, God, Da, not you too!" Teagan complained with a smile.
Her father just shrugged, flashing his dimples. "So yer mum convince ye, huh?" He asked needlessly.
Teagan only nodded.
"Yer mum's right, Teagan." Her father put his hand on her shoulder. "I know ye don' believe it now. An' ye'll pro'bly never will. Yer too much like yer ol' man. But ye need to go." He assured her.
Teagan nodded again. "Thanks, da."
"Thanks, da?!?" Martha exclaimed in mock indignation. "I did all the convincing!" She demanded, hands on her hips.
"Ooooh, ye're in trouble now, kiddo." Rory whispered.
Teagan went to her mother and enfolded her smaller frame in a gentle embrace. "Thanks, Ma." She kissed Martha's cheek lovingly.
Her mother drew away and petted her daughter's cheek with a smile. "Well, then." She clapped her hands suddenly. "Let's be going. I'm sure your cab's arrived by now." And the three of them exited Teagan's condo.

---

Teagan was slowly swirling her rum-coke in her glass. She wasn't much of a drinker, even half-Irish as she was, but she loved rum and she loved coke and she supposed she would look strange swirling water in a glass, so she'd opted for the rum-coke. She was propped up against a wall, scanning the crowd. She wasn't a wall flower per se, but she preferred to spend her time during such events in quiet observation.
She'd already witnessed an exchange between Dragon Heart and a... female, Teagan wasn't quite sure, Epic. It was a rather adorable thing to observe. The female looking Epic was quite obviously smitten with Dragon Heart. And Teagan could empathize. The man was eye catching. But she much rather preferred the lassie to the laddies. Even if he was a fine specimen.
Chief Thomas' speech drew her attention for a while. She knew the man and respected him for the work he did.
Then there was the young man who was so obviously uncomfortable being here. She could empathize with that too. She didn't feel quite at place herself too. And than he'd stumbled across the shellfish and his face'd blanched. I feel you, man! Teagan thought. She hated crustaceans as well. She could stand to eat some fishes, but that was it for the seafood.
She noticed another young man approaching her fellow shellfish hater. He seemed kind of brash, or twitchy. Like he would rush off to somewhere in a blink off an eye. He had goggles on, that he used a rag to wipe clean.
Teagan continued her scrutiny of the crowd. There were some Epics she recognized from the news and being on TV, like Dragon Heart. Some she'd briefly seen in person, while helping people. There were normals there too. First responders like her, police, EMS. Some came by to say hello, chat for a bit and then left.
Teagan never abandoned her post. She felt like she was looking for or waiting for someone. She had no idea who, of course, and suspected she would leave the event never finding out.

Hellion Exiles

Well, we had fair warning... So we'll have to wait it out.

Epic City: Starburst

@Old AmsterdamWhenever you're ready, no rush ;) *yawn* I should be in bed as well :D

Epic City: Starburst

@Old Amsterdam Maybe so :) It just feels, to me at least, like reading about the story instead of reading the story. So I think I'll wait for us to begin to have my answers... Anticipation is half the pleasure

Epic City: Starburst

Not that I mind the asking of questions and the receiving of answers... But wouldn't it be more interesting to find out things in-game... I know I have questions and such too... and believe me... I'm holding back mightily

Epic City: Starburst

Just because :)

Epic City: Starburst

@Regitnui I'm sure he'll gladly suffer through putting a ton of clothes just so a pack of lassies and who knows... mayhap some laddies gang up on him with stripping intent

In the deep

Epic City: Starburst

@Regitnui What did you expect of us... Try and strip James