“Like I told Emily, I’m trying new things,” Lilith replied, glancing between them as she asked. “How are the two of you? Based on the news, you’ve had an eventful week.”
“Sure, it was a busy one, but I got through it fine,” Spark replied promptly, suppressing a smile as Lilith used her name again. “It sounds like you had an eventful week yourself! Dracula’s Bride visiting you personally had all sorts of reporters in a tizzy, especially with how you don’t give interviews.”
“Indeed. While she did speak to me, the media seemed to expect that. I believe it has something to do with my strength, that it’s to be expected as far as they’re concerned. Conversely, no one is entirely sure what to make of you yet,” Archon said, looking Lilith over, then gesturing to the other chairs. “If you’d like to take a seat? Ah, and I’m doing well. My week was largely boring, as I was out intimidating most villains into thinking better of their plans.”
“And you’re quite good at it,” Spark shot back, moving to take a chair. It didn’t escape her notice that Lilith started moving after that, and headed for the chair that was equidistant between them. It was interesting.
“Mm, you might say that it was a surprise for me as well. I didn’t know she was going to visit, and I believe I don’t care for prunes,” Lilith replied, smiling at them nervously, then took a seat. “I suppose that her visit is related to why I’m here, but only in a vague sense.”
“Oh?” Archon asked, settling back in her chair.
“We were wondering why you wanted to visit with the two of us, and not the entire team.” Spark agreed, resisting the urge to lean forward in her chair.
“It’s…” Lilith began, then paused, straightening slightly, and Spark saw her mouth something she couldn’t figure out, then raised her gaze to look Spark in the eye, then Archon. “The reason I wanted to speak with you is due to the both of you expressing your interest in me last week.”
That was certainly a bomb shell, Spark thought, her head whipping around to stare at Archon, whose cheeks were now tinged with a hint of red.
Chapter 27
Saturday, August 30th, 2031
Guardian Compound, Paragon City
“You what?” Emily demanded, staring at Archon, and Lilith suddenly wondered if she’d made a mistake.
“Ah… perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything?” Lilith ventured, frowning as she resisted the urge to look away. “I didn’t mean to breach any privacy, and—”
“It isn’t that, Lilith. Spark’s shock is more due to the fact that I haven’t expressed interest in anyone for as long as we’ve known each other,” Archon interrupted, clearing her throat, then admitted. “It surprised me, for that matter.”
“But… but you said that if I was interested in Archon, you’d talk to her,” Lilith said in confusion, looking at Emily now. She wasn’t sure what to think, as her entire plan for the conversation suddenly was thrown out the window.
“I know, but… but I was mostly joking, since I knew she hadn’t paid anyone that sort of attention that I knew of,” Emily said, taking a deep breath, then let it out, looking at Archon intensely. “Really? Why now?”
“I feel a kinship with her. She’s been isolated for much of her life, much like I’ve had to be, and I like her. Perhaps enough for a relationship, perhaps not,” Archon replied, glancing at Emily and giving her a slight smile. “I’ll also add that I asked if the two of you were dating before saying anything.”
“That’s… no, this isn’t about you,” Emily shook herself visibly, and her head snapped around to look at Lilith as she corrected. “Well, not directly about you.”
“No, it isn’t,” Lilith said, setting her purse on the table as she considered, then spoke again, carefully this time. “I also met with Daemonia. Not entirely by choice the first time, but then she invited me to visit on Wednesday, which was… confusing. To make a long story short, she was concerned about me, which was strange because we’d never met before. She advised me that if I leapt into a relationship without thinking, it would likely end up with me or the other person getting hurt, possibly both.”
“Daemonia.” Archon growled, her eyes narrowing at the name, and she asked in a dangerous tone. “Are you sure she wasn’t just after you for herself?”
“Ah… she said that originally she was going to come after me, but in my current state that if she did, I’d become… attached. And that I wasn’t ready for that,” Lilith replied delicately, her cheeks heating. “She also said she’d be back after I recovered, whatever that means.”
Emily was visibly biting back whatever she’d been about to say, and exhaled slowly, then inhaled again and spoke, an angry note to her voice. “Her. I don’t like Daemonia, at all. She’s… ugh.”
Archon nodded, but she didn’t say anything more about Daemonia, instead focusing on Lilith for a few seconds, then asked, “What have you decided, Lilith? From what you said, it sounds like she advised you to reject both of us.”
“That’s what I thought, but she corrected me. She told me that I needed to think carefully before getting into a relationship so soon after the others left, and that rather than… diving in, I should get to know others before making a decision,” Lilith said, shrugging slightly as she smiled nervously at them, though their irritation seemed to be fading. “Of course, then she decided to teach me basic self-defense against people who’re stronger and faster than me, so… it was an interesting evening, and I could barely get up Thursday morning.”
For a minute the two were silent, and Lilith sat back, trying to ignore how tense she was. Even telling them that much had been difficult for her, since there was so much she’d had to take in. If she was being honest, the majority of her just wanted to… go with the flow of things, and maybe let them do what they wanted. She ignored that impulse, though. Lilith didn’t want to lose sight of the goal which others had pointed out, and she wanted to have a life of her own. To be her own person, not what someone else wanted her to be.
“That… is startlingly considerate of her,” Archon said at last, a finger tapping the table once. “I don’t know much about dating, relationships, or anything like that, so I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’m afraid that reading novels doesn’t give me a good idea of what to do in this sort of situation.”
“Maybe? I just… I don’t like the idea of her being right. About anything,” Emily said mulishly. “It’s like she came here just to sleep with as many heroes as she could get her claws into, and I hate that. It’s not how a heroine should act.”
“Spark…” Archon began, letting her voice trail off, and Emily slumped slightly.
“I know, I know. It isn’t nice of me,” Emily muttered sullenly. Then she brightened abruptly, staring at Lilith. “But you didn’t say no, right?”
“That’s right. I want to get to know the two of you if that’s alright. Talking, meals, doing… whatever people do in situations like this. Making certain that we can deal with one another before we decide on anything more,” Lilith said, smiling a little at their positive reactions as hope bloomed inside her. “I’m also trying to… reinvent myself, if that makes any sense? Visiting a therapist, and trying to decide what I actually want to do with my life from here. I mostly went along with what other people suggested before.”
Emily studied Lilith suspiciously for a few seconds, then asked, “Are you sure you’re the Lilith I know? You’re being weird.”
“I’ve had a long couple of weeks, and without even Circe… well, I’ve had a lot of time to think about things,” Lilith replied, then grimaced. “Between swearing at the sewing machine, anyway. All of the guides made sewing look so simple. Now I’m wondering if I’m going to manage a Halloween costume after all.”
“Wait, you’re making your own Halloween costume?” Archon asked, her eyebrows rising. “Why?”
“It’s something to do, and I’m trying to pay attention to things beyond my home that aren’t disasters,” Lilith explained, smiling as she admitted. “Besi
des, creating things is fascinating. I’m alright at sculpting, I’ve found, and good at cooking, so now I’m trying other things. Besides, maybe I’ll even have a party to go to by that point. Osmar agreed to introduce me to other people in the area.”
Spark looked at Archon and quirked her eyebrows, at which the other heroine let out a faint sigh.
“You know how difficult my wings make costumes. I’ve only been able to come up with a handful of decent outfits, for that matter,” Archon said in aggravation. “I’d rather not go to an event as an angel, fallen angel, or anything of the sort.”
“Yes, but we have invitations to some awesome parties each year. And Shade usually goes as a grim reaper. All he needs is a scythe, some different gloves, and to adjust his voice modulator,” Emily said, turning her attention to Lilith as she grinned.
“That… doesn’t take much effort,” Lilith said, blinking several times. “Is it normal to use the same costume every year? That wasn’t what my research indicated, but I didn’t look into it that extensively.”
“It depends on the person. Plenty of people don’t dress up at all,” Emily said, her eyes glittering as she added, shooting a glance at Archon. “I’ll have to put together a costume, though. If Archon isn’t going to join us, I can invite you and have you to myself for the party! Assuming you come with.”
“Which is to say, she’s willing to accept your conditions, Lilith,” Archon interjected. The angelic woman paused for a few seconds, then let out a soft sigh as she added. “As am I, for that matter. My one warning is that I don’t leave the compound often, due to how much attention I receive, as well as the lack of furniture that accommodates me in most places.”
“I don’t blame you at all,” Lilith said, relief washing over her as she added. “The one thing I should say… I don’t intend to invite anyone over to my house any time soon. Not after what happened with Gina and Rachel. I don’t know if them being in the house made it easier for Amber to target them, but I don’t want that to happen again.”
“Totally makes sense to me,” Emily agreed, shuddering visibly, though Lilith thought it was slightly exaggerated. “I don’t want her in my head, that’s for sure!”
Archon gave a measured nod of her own, and Lilith smiled at them.
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, but… thank you,” Lilith said simply, fiddling with her purse, then added. “Though I’ll admit that I have no idea what to do for dates.”
At that, Emily’s eyes lit up brightly and she grinned predatorily at Lilith.
“Uh-oh,” Archon murmured. “Now you’re in for it.”
Lilith couldn’t help a laugh, shaking her head in amusement. But at least she had people to keep her company again… and this time, she wasn’t going to get complacent about having a couple of friends. The only question was, could she deal with Emily’s enthusiasm?
Chapter 28
Wednesday, September 10th, 2031
Leisure Super-Spa, Paragon City
Examining the building from the outside, Lilith wondered just how much Leisure made. The building was gleaming chrome, curving lines, and windows, at least on the exterior. She found it slightly ironic that with all of that, she couldn’t actually see anyone through most of the windows, only through the front doors. It made her wonder what the purpose of them was.
Of course, some of those people were looking at Lilith, but she ignored the gazes, as she shrugged and started forward again at a sedate pace. She was early and had been informed that Leisure kept to appointments precisely, so it wasn’t as though hurrying would do her much good.
The spa was located outside of the heart of Paragon City, somewhat south of Paragon City Tower, the enormous structure that dominated the skyline. Lilith was rather fuzzy about what the city did with the tower, but she knew that most of the city offices were inside it. Regardless, her appointment was in the spa, not the tower, and at least parking had been relatively easy, with a nearby parking garage that waived fees for the spa’s customers.
Stepping inside, Lilith pulled off the sunglasses she was wearing, her gaze flicking around as she tried to figure out what felt wrong to her, then placed it. With this much glass, the foyer of the building should be sweltering, even as early as it was, yet it was comfortable. That indicated either an excellent heating system, or some form of super-tech kept most of the heat outside. Lilith suspected probably the former, but the other possibility couldn’t be ignored.
“Lilith?” a familiar voice asked, and Lilith blinked, following the voice to its speaker.
The woman standing up was a bit shorter than Lilith, but she knew better than to underestimate her because of that. Astral Core, who Osmar had introduced Lilith to the previous week along with several other heroes, was a nice enough woman, with bright pink hair, glowing white eyes, and had an athletic physique. She also could throw Lilith through a wall if she wanted to. Astra, as she liked to be called, was wearing a jacket and skirt over her usual pink and white suit, and she stood up as she saw Lilith, smiling warmly. Of the various heroes she’d been introduced to, Astra was one that Lilith liked a bit more, which was part of why she was surprised to see her here, of all places.
“Hello, Astra. This is a bit of a surprise,” Lilith said, putting her sunglasses into her purse carefully.
“You’re telling me! What’re you doing here? Are you signed up for the pilot, too?” Astra asked, stepping around a large man who was looking between them with… well, Lilith decided to tune him out. There were disadvantages to being attractive.
“Pilot?” Lilith asked, frowning slightly as she offered a hand, which Astra took, then used to pull Lilith into a hug, which startled her somewhat. Lilith lost her train of thought for a moment, but then Astra pulled away, smiling.
“Oh, hadn’t you heard? They’re starting up a new program here. Leisure hired several PR specialists, as well as some fashion designers, and they’re starting things up this week with a few test runs,” Astra said, gesturing toward the desk, where a woman was watching them through half-moon glasses. “I got onto the list, since I’m trying to revamp my image so that I get more publicity. Hopefully they can help.”
“Ah, I think I heard about that. If I’m right, Osmar mentioned it in passing… no, I’m here because he set up a meeting with Leisure for me,” Lilith said, glancing at the clock behind the desk and nodded. “I have about… ten minutes before the meeting, I think.”
“Oh?” Astra murmured, her eyes widening, and a hint of envy crept into her voice as she continued. “That’s impressive, and a bit too rich for my blood. I’ve heard that her personal attention isn’t cheap.”
“No, it isn’t,” Lilith replied, shuddering internally as she remembered the price tag she’d seen when she asked about the cost. Sure, SuperNet was picking up the bill this time, but if she decided that she wanted to do anything like this again, she’d have to make sure she didn’t do it too often. Lilith hadn’t gained the money she had by spending frivolously. “We’ll see how it works out, though. Like I said when we met last week, I’m trying new things.”
“Sure, and I’ll bet that’ll be one heck of an experience,” Astra said, grinning as she took a step back. “You should check in, though. You don’t want her to think you’re not coming or something.”
“True, I’ll be back in a minute,” Lilith said, smiling at the heroine again, then approached the secretary. When she was close enough, Lilith spoke softly. “I’m Lilith Carpenter, and I believe I have an appointment with Leisure for ten o’clock.”
“One moment, let me check,” the secretary replied, smiling at Lilith, though she thought there was something artificial about the smile. Lilith nodded anyway, waiting patiently for the woman to work. There was the soft sound of a shutter behind her, which indicated someone had taken a picture of her, but Lilith didn’t react. That was incredibly common, these days.
“Yes, you have an appointment, Lilith. Your name will be called when it’s your turn,” the secretary s
aid at last, looking up at her. “Be aware that should you request any services beyond what was agreed on beforehand, you will have to cover the charges yourself.”
“Of course, thank you,” Lilith replied politely, then stepped away as she noticed a couple more women had entered the building. Considering she could see a dozen other people waiting, that indicated a lot of business, which might explain the building. Apparently, Leisure did well for herself.
Lilith walked over to the chairs where Astra had been waiting when she entered, settling into a chair as she let out a soft breath, then asked. “So, how’re you? You were doing board games on Friday, right?”
“Yup, and it went… alright? I mean, I lost terribly, but what can you do?” Astra said, shrugging helplessly. “It was definitely a thing, though I don’t blame you for skipping. Dinner with the Sentinels sounds like fun.”
“Not all of the Sentinels,” Lilith corrected, giving a slight smile as she shook her head. “Shade was on patrol, and Decarin was in and out, since he had to keep an eye on the boards. I have no idea how he does it, some days. When do they sleep?”
“Don’t ask me. I mean…” Astra paused, then shook her head, her tone slightly exasperated. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be so snappy when it comes to them, but they’re the big players in the city. Everyone pays attention to them, which makes my life harder. How’s a girl supposed to make a name for herself when they’re always taking the big jobs? I didn’t make it to Toole until after they’d taken care of it, along with Morgan and Warden, and it sucks.”
Lilith didn’t reply for a couple of seconds, studying Astra. She wasn’t sure what she should say but staying quiet felt wrong somehow. She could tell Astra was ambitious, hoping to become famous, but she had a hard time in Paragon City. Only now was Lilith really realizing that even without the influx of heroes for Ivanova’s visit, there were at least fifty Class A heroes in the surrounding region, and close to ten times that many Class B, if not more. The Sentinels were simply the most powerful, visible team, and a lot of the other teams tried to take neighborhoods that the Sentinels couldn’t get to as fast in the hopes that they’d get more attention. It just took time and luck.
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