All W'rk and No Play (OPEN)

[gettahwun]

She had gotten better, she had to admit. Lulu could now cross her apartment as a flash of light without leaving her clothes behind or, worse, setting them on fire. She could feel a tingle, like a fine comb dragged across every inch of her skin as the light within her responded to a new form of muscle memory within her. She tried something new, something she had considered but hadn't felt confident enough to try. The streetlight outside flickered, illuminating a patch of pavement where the sidewalk met the path to her front door. It would be easy enough, wouldn't it? It'd be the farthest she had travelled, the first time she would travel through a solid obstacle as well.

Lulu felt her body unwinding like a spool of thread, each cell replaced with a cluster of loose photons with their destination in mind. She hit the window, passing through the glass so easily, so effortlessly. There was some scattering, the glass reflecting her off in every direction for the fraction of a moment she had touched it. Nevertheless, she felt herself growing substantial again, the light tucking itself away as her body's mass settled into its familiar shape. She felt like she was shaking, experiencing the moment of confused lethargy that always follows the shift to her human senses from that higher awareness. It was cold outside, the night air raising goosebumps on her arms as Lulu brought her hand up, bracing herself on the lamppost.

That was it, she'd done it. Her mind got back on track, becoming aware of the cold night air, the hard pavement underfoot, a breeze through her hair. Lulu didn't know if anyone had seen her, but she wasn't too worried about being observed. She had taken herself through glass, and had jumped from her second story apartment down to the sidewalk outside the lobby. It seemed as though the moment of lightheadedness she experiences during these jumps grow worse the farther she travels, the more she has to adjust to the strange senses she possesses in that form. Nevertheless, Lulu laughed as she straightened up, adjusted her black dress, and adjusted how her purse hung from her shoulder. She was ready for a night on the town.

[Drake White]

It was rare for Alexander Kross to venture far from Kross Pharmacy. But he needed supplies to help him not only with his experiments, but to continue to create the illusion that he was just a drug pharmacy so he had some things he needed to get for storage. He couldn’t capture every customer that came into the store. Some came with family and too many witnesses. If it was just a lone wolf then it worked out fine, but if there were more than a couple of people it made things more difficult. Therefore keeping up the illusion was his ultimate goal.

Alexander didn’t have a lot of funds. Not even enough to buy a car, rent a car, or even call for a taxi. So he opted to walk the streets of Ovega City instead. Ovega City reminded him a lot of his home Isafaro. It was nowhere near as advanced as the city-state, but it was just as large and jam packed with problems. It could’ve used a sterner hand in controlling some of the city, but America was weak when it came to discipline. They allowed almost any kind of crime to continue on. It was sickening.

As Alexander continued to walk down the pavement he saw a sudden flash of light and then a beautiful woman appeared. He was confused where the woman had came from, but she intrigued Alex. Could this woman have some amazing gifts? Gifts that could benefit him? Alexander would go to investigate under the guise of a caring man, as otherwise he wouldn’t have given the women the time of day. He walked up to her and spoke:

“Excuse me, Miss, but are you alright? You seem a little shaken up?”

[gettahwun]

Shit.

Had she been seen? Her abilities were practically instantaneous, her journey out of her apartment too an immeasurably short amount of time, but it was still a flash of light, she still radiated brilliantly as she did. Best to play it cool.

"Hmm?" Lulu straightened up, pushing an errant lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear as she looked to the man in an unconcerned way.

"I'm fine, just tripped..." As she spoke, she looked down, kicking the edge of the pavement slightly to signify where she supposedly 'tripped'. It was a simple enough excuse, surely.

"Thanks, though." Lulu offered a wide, warm smile, possibly a bit too wide, but she tried to play it off as some embarrassment. She had planned on doing some more experimentation, but she certainly wasn't going to try anything with some stranger around to watch her. Still, she wasn't going to be rude to someone asking if she was okay.

[Drake White]

Alexander was still unsure if what he saw was really what he saw. It wasn’t uncommon for the eye to play tricks on the brain and conjure up something that wasn’t real. The woman seemed embarrassed enough to where the tripping story sounded legit. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on here. Further investigation was required, but to do that he needed to somehow stay within sight of the woman without giving away his true motives.

“I see… Well, it could’ve happened to anyone. Oh forgive me, I’ve failed to introduce myself in all this excitement. My name is Alexander Kross of Kross Pharmacy. I happen to know that the city can be somewhat dangerous during the evening. Would you like some company? Or perhaps I can catch you a cab?”

He was hoping she’d go for the former, as it would be more complicated for him to track her down with the latter choice, but not impossible. He had to play some bluffs he hoped she wouldn’t call to avoid suspicion. What he saw was an incredible sight and if this woman was as capable of performing the task he saw earlier then she would be a true asset to his experiments back in Kross Pharmacy. If he could contain her that is.

[gettahwun]

"You got a company named after you and you're trying to call a cab?" There was some sass in Lulu's voice, but she was a bit more wary than she was before. She raised an eyebrow at the introduction he was offering her, a bit surprised that someone with a pharmacy named after them would be be walking around the city like this. Still, he'd caught her in a bind, she wasn't going to try anything with him here, and he's making an offer to call her a cab. Things still weren't adding up for her, though.

Well, at least he'd cover the fare.

"I was just going to call for a taxi, but if you're offering..." Lulu let her sentence hang in the air, letting Alexander finish it himself as she leaned back, resting one of her hands on her hip.

[Drake White]

A vein nearly popped on Alex’s head when she made that statement. How dare she speak so casually to him. Just because a person owned a business didn’t mean they were stinking rich. Kross wanted to show her what respect meant, but he kept his true colors a secret. In truth he didn’t have money for even a cab, that was why he was walking through the streets in the first place. The woman had called his bluff and now he risked looking foolish.

“Well, you see… I got a loan from the bank to make my business and am in the current process of paying it back. Business hasn’t exactly been splendid either, but I’m sure I can get you a cab at least.”

It was time to think outside the box. He had a viral injection he could give the cab driver to make him obey his every command. He didn’t think he’d need to use it, and part of him was wondering why he just didn’t use it on the woman, but if she had powers it might’ve not been as simple as that. Alexander went forward and waited for a taxi to pass by. When a bright yellow cab came this way he chased it down and when Lulu wasn’t looking stabbed a needle into the cab’s driver neck and whispered:

“Give this nice lady a ride no questions asked.”

The driver nodded his agreement as Alexander slipped the needle back inside his coat pocket and opened the back cab door for Lulu to enter with a smile on his face. It would be harder to track her now, but not impossible. He would wait to see if a repeat of what he saw a few minutes ago was real, or just a figment of his imagination.

“Here you go, midear.”

[gettahwun]

She couldn't see what he did, but nobody needs to get that close to a cab driver unless something was going on. He was quick with his story and didn't seem too bothered by her flippant response, but he'd flagged her a cab nonetheless.

"And they say chivalry's dead. Thank you, Alex." Lulu had the temerity, the gall, to shorten his name. She did it with a smile, too, slipping into the backseat of the cab. From what she could tell, it'd be best if she simply took this ride and didn't push any further, she wasn't sure just what she was dealing with in Alexander Kross.

"See you around!" She pulled the door closed and turned to the cab driver, buckling herself in.

"Penguin Cafe, off Government Street. ¡Arriba!"

[Drake White]

It worked like a charm. As far as he could tell the woman wasn’t the least bit suspicious, and he didn’t object to being called Alex. That was his nickname after all. What they didn’t realize however was that he put a tracer on the back of the cab so he could track them down. Since he knew he wasn’t going to outrun a cab. That stuff only happened in the action movies. He also took a picture of the license plate with his cell phone as added security.

Alexander waved them off and then slipped over to the pavement once again. Going into back alleys and side streets. He took out the radar that was tracking the cab and followed it. He doubted the woman would try any of her abnormal activity with the cab driver so he was safe from missing anything during the cab drive over. But he had to get there as fast as he could in case she found someplace to be alone to demonstrate her powers, or if she lost control of them entirely.

Alexander really wished his twin sister was with him now. Together they’d be a far more formidable match than either of them being by themselves. Alexandra was far more cunning and manipulative than he ever could be. In a way he loved it, in another way it made him somewhat suspicious of his own twin sister at times. Wondering if he could trust her. But she proved trustworthy every time he doubted her and he loved her dearly.

[gettahwun]

The cab driver had been concerningly silent. He didn't even seem to be tracking the cost of the trip but Lulu wasn't going to turn down a free ride. He was getting her to Government street, and that's what mattered to her. Penguin Café was a good spot, close enough to her home that she could've walked rather than taking the cab but far enough to let her feel like she wouldn't be followed home. Eventually, the cab driver pulled up to the curb at the corner Government and 5th, practically outside the Penguin Café.

"Gracias, jefe." Lulu slipped out of the cab, not able to shake the taxi driver's unfocused state. She walked to the club, flashing her ID to the bouncer. He was a big man with no neck and a powerful scowl, but he nodded to Lulu and stood aside. Lulu strode through the door into the club. There were people dancing, sitting at the bar, mingling, an inoffensive dance track pulsed through the speakers. Lulu moved onto the dance floor, hoping to get her mind off of that close call from earlier.

[Drake White]

So, she had gone to Penguin Café. It would be too suspicious for him to show his face there so soon after their previous encounter, but if she was surrounded by people then chances were she wasn’t going to showcase any of her powers. Had this been a fruitless endeavor for Alex? Was it proving to be a waste of time when he could be restocking on his supplies for Kross Pharmacy? Alex was determined to make this attempt fully worth his time and gather a new pet subject as well.

Alexander finally made it to the location of Penguin Café, but he kept his distance from the entrance of the cafe. Staying hidden behind the buildings across from the cafe. It was easy to hide in the city’s large buildings and the dark alleyways. He would wait for now to see what would become of the woman. If another display of power would be realized.

He couldn’t help but think about what his twin sister would do in this situation. She would likely try a more hands on approach. Forcing the woman to display her power and then capturing her. Alex was a little more subtle. He didn’t know what the woman was capable of, and therefore an attempt to capture her in a public place could prove troublesome. Better to wait and see then get caught red handed.

[gettahwun]

Lulu was able to unwind while she was there, able to shake off those nagging thoughts of her interaction with Alexander. Between a fancy drink or two at the bar or some fun on the dancefloor, she wiled away the hours. All good things, however, must come to a close, and she excused herself from the man who was talking to her. He had a certain charm to him, but looked out of place in the club, an older sort with an English accent, maybe Scottish, and an antiquated mustache. He didn't seem the sort to cause one unnecessary trouble, but he also didn't seem like the sort to go to the Penguin Café during club hours.

The bouncer was still on the job, moving back slightly as Lulu left the club. As she did, he guided two more people in, Lulu held the door for them. There was an efficiency to this that made the bouncer smile a little, the courteous gesture and the way everyone moved had a natural flow to it. Before she departed, Lulu turned to the bouncer, who leaned down to better hear her over the distant pulse of the music from inside.

"Any idea who the old guy with the mustache in there is?" She asked, watching as the bouncer pulled out his phone and flicked through a list of names.

"Said his name was 'Jools' or something when he showed up. He seemed a bit funny but I didn't see anything wrong with his ID. Why, he give you some trouble?" The bouncer's voice was like a cello, deep, creaking, something you can feel in your bones, but far from unpleasant. Lulu smiled that broad, warm smile, bringing a hand up in a small gesture.

"No, no! Not at all, he's just at the bar. We talked a bit, he's very polite but I think he's from out of town... Looks like he should be here during the day, si?" Lulu pushed some of her hair back behind an ear before letting her hand fall. The bouncer nodded a few times, giving her a knowing look before straightening up again.

"I gotcha, have a nice night, ma'am." He nodded his head to her, and Lulu said her goodbyes as she walked away, waving to the bouncer before turning. When she was sure she wasn't being watched, at least, not watched by the bouncer or the few people waiting to go in, Lulu ducked into the alley between the club and the next building over. There was a flash of light, enough for it to illuminate the alley for a second, and Lulu was on the fire escape. Another flash from the alley, too bright and an instant too long to be the flash of a camera, and Lulu was on top of Penguin Café. She looked around, not seeing anyone looking at her... Another flash, and she was at the other end of the block.