New Year's Escapade (Part 2) by MaLAguA

Friday, December 30th - 7:51am
Kythe Residence

Vic finally gets to use the gym, the kind of home gym you dream of. Caroline has it mostly to herself, a very good investment. Vic, you've earned enjoying the good things in life at Caroline's home after what you've been through. Oh, good, recovered enough to do sit-ups.

Good, get a fitter body while you are still young. Oh boy, odd pressure or twitch being felt in the section between his fingers, he is going to have webbed hands, isn't he? Vic, don't give up on something you care about because the goalposts have been changed. I'm sure more than a few students with strong or severe GSD have gone on to college and graduated.

Oh boy, Sophie peeking in to check on Vic. Sophie needs to learn not to believe everything her father or brother says. Therapy on rainy days, I wonder what health issues Sophie has. No, don't go back to building squatting, you need the help of Caroline and the medical staff at Whateley now more than ever with the changes you are going through.

“Hm… Once a bad guy, always a bad guy. It’s what my dad says,” Sophie muttered with suspicion in her voice, which just made Vic roll his eyes.

Ugh, that kind of attitude is what drives criminals who have gotten out of prison and trying to go straight right back into crime. Little innocent poisoned by the words of her father and brother, please let something happen to change her mind.

Friday, December 30th - 8:11am
Kythe Residence

Sophie, blaming Vic like this for your own actions and for your mother being busy, I know you are young, but you need to talk and open up about this and not let it fester.

“But, is it so? I mean, Mom told me Vic was from the streets, right? What she did was nice and mom isn’t dumb, she wouldn’t get herself tricked. It’s been half a week and he hasn’t done anything too weird…” she thought to herself as she moved back to the living room.

Could Dereck be wrong?

Yes, keep with this train of thought, Sophie.

Dereck, when Caroline finds out exactly what you said to Sophie about Vic she is going to be very upset. All those things had extenuating circumstances and weren't Vic's fault, and the arm breaking happened before Dereck even met him. Dereck turned Sophie paranoid about Vic, we need someone to help sort this out.

Sophie, you acted like the meanest girls in your school and thought it was a good thing, oh honey. Blaming Vic and your mom for your own rude behavior, good grief. Searching his bags, bad idea, Sophie. Tap and doorbell rings, good thing Sophie has been taught what to do. It is her Dad, uh oh.

“Ow! Ow! Have you gotten any stronger?” he joked as he reached to pick her up. “It’s too early for you to manifest mutant powers. Have you found you can fire beams from your eyes? Maybe do magic like your mother?”

“Mom says I’m too young to worry about that.”

“What are you? Like, nine or ten?”

Sophie giggled. “I’m eight, Dad.”

I hope he was just joking with her and hadn't actually forgotten her real age. At least Sophie wants to prevent a fight between her Mom and Dad.

It must be great to have a mother who can heal you like that.

“Hm, hopefully someday you will,” Dad mused.

I hope I'm just misreading this, but would he love her any less if she didn't manifest as a mutant? Take Sophie home for the break, have fun with Dereck, oh boy.

“Rather than going around my back and having Sophie ask me, you can try asking me yourself,” Mom’s words came in so sudden, they had Sophie flinch.

Caroline is back and I'm pretty sure she is upset or at least annoyed at her ex.

Oof, Caroline shot that plan down fast with logic and facts. I wish Sophie was this cute and excited with Vic and treated him like a new brother instead of how she has been. Sophie still hasn't finished her homework, I guess she has been too busy spying on Vic. So glad they can still be friends, especially for the sake of Sophie.

Oh, a smart move for a house when you can do magic. Sound spell, nothing said in the kitchen will reach anyone outside it. Talk of Dereck bringing his girlfriend home for the break, and what powers their kids might have, he does only seem to care if they have powers or still have the potential to manifest as a mutant.

“Yeah… but they are important. For the force, for the image and for the respect.”

Ugh, he is the kind of 'hero' I can't stand, cares more for his image and respect than doing what is right, or so it seems.

Sophie is back in perfect shape, what besides a broken arm happened to her? Ugh, Sophie would be happier with his brother around, but George cares more about superhero training for Dereck than about him being a teen. *gags* I know what is best, trust me, said every egomaniac who pushes their own ideals on their kids ever.

“Keep that in mind. At some point, I’ll talk to you about Sophie if she starts developing powers.”

I want to clobber him so hard he goes flying miles away, this attitude about his own kids and powers being important sickens me.

Drop by to say hello, this seems more calculated and with a plan for what you visited, George.

On a day she might be busy with a job, she suspected he might pounce on the opportunity to use her absence against her or keep on trying to sway Sophie to his side.

Turning your child against a loving parent for your own schemes, is low.

”Of course, these groups would be subsidiaries of mine, meaning resources and guidelines are run by us.”

Okay, I really don't like him. 'Heroes United' sounds like a plot for his group to franchise his own superhero group and control the branch teams with rules that could hamper their ability to save lives and protect people.

Normies, he calls baselines normies, somehow that is condescending coming from him.

“Heroes are nothing without the recognition of others,” George noted.

A true hero needs the recognition of no one as long as they do what is right. I hope too many don't fall for this obvious scam to trap them in contracts that control them. Ugh! He is hitting on Caroline, you divorced for a reason.

“Yeah… same here. Mechanist thinks people are just gears that can be fitted into the schedule and it’ll all work out. I mean, it does work out, but it doesn’t mean we have to be okay with it.”

Mechanist needs a clue anvil dropped on him to not treat people like this. Ugh, trying to lure her back into the life of a superhero and know her new codename, Lifeward. Ouch, a lie to Dereck to cover the truth and now George thinks this means she wants to be a full-time hero again. A little prodding to get him to spill it, I can't stand this egomaniac.

Ask to see Caroline's updated suit, he has no shame at all.

“It wouldn’t be a ‘yes for dating you’,” Caroline said. She did hope that George wouldn’t take it as a refusal to spend some time together.

I know there is something you like about George, but don't do it, Caroline!

“Asking me if I would be willing to quit heroing just to spend time with my kids. That’s some sadistic game you’re playing.”

“Or, how about this? Would you be willing to ease up in your projects? How about easing in the rhetoric with things like no longer calling criminals monsters or pulling back your punches?”

“What? And let the criminals think they can get away? Think that I’ve gotten soft? Forget about it.”

No empathy at all, no finding out why someone has turned to crime and might just need some help to get out of that life and rebuild.

George, you are stubborn, pigheaded, and refuse to see things any other way but your own.

“I’m not on a high horse. I just want you to be a better role model and to unfocus. To be able to put the welfare of others before the want for ‘punishing the wicked’. I saw it two years ago in display and knew the cost that I would have.”

George’s lips thinned as he strained, his features hardened. “What happened to Sophie-”

“You’re going to say it was an accident, that you gave the men that did it what they deserved, but the way you went about it… it made me wonder what was worth more? The following your crusade earned you? Or your family?”

Sophie still loves her Dad despite this, this man seriously needs to reevaluate his life and what is important to him.

George won't change, he expects Caroline to change to fit his ideals.

“Fine,” George scoffed. “I’ve been getting around anyway. Meeting new people that would hopefully share my ideas better.”

I don't like the sound of that at all.

The way he talks to Caroline like this, he seems to be infantilizing her and treating her like she can't possibly know better than him. Staying by your side, George, will lead to nothing but trouble imo. Calls Caroline stubborn, hello pot, meet kettle.

“I wouldn’t know, considering how you walked away… I’ll call you next time I’m around. See if we can go for lunch or a coffee.”

Ugh, accuses Caroline without saying it outright, I've met concrete bricks less dense than him.

Caroline, that man will never change, if getting his own daughter hurt and calling it an accident didn't do it nothing will. Sophie blames her mom for the separation, George always puts on a good face for her, and she never sees his bad side, I wish he would slip up and she could see what her father is really like and why Caroline separated from him.

Aww, she had a gift for her dad and he left without it, George needs to learn to rein in his temper. Sophie got her stubbornness from both her parents, she needs to learn to ask for help when she gets stuck for a long time. Vic avoids the big argument, and Caroline still thinks Sophie will come around and warm up to Vic, she is too nice for her own good.

Saturday, December 31st - 4:57 pm
Kythe Residence

A call to Tanya and wishes for a happy new year with friends and family, Vic is taking a break after finishing his assignments. So many people to contact on his new tablet, or play games or watch TV, be a normal teen, do it, Vic! Sophie on the coach and the way she opened that book, that is some frustration. Math exercise book, oh, I remember those.

Sophie, you need help and Vic can help you, ignore what Dereck said and let Vic help you! Caroline comes down the steps in a hurry and has to tell Sophie her Dad is too busy for them to go visit him, aww. I don't like George, but Sophie loves her dad. See her dad in a few months, ouch, no wonder Sophie is in a foul mood. A rush to pick up a package or wait until next year to get it, don't speed, Caroline.

Ouch, the awkward silence, I can feel it from here.

Vic mulled over as the door closed. Being someone in the way of a family was the reason why he ran away in the first place. If the same thing was going to happen here, he would need to start considering some alternatives.

Crud, if Vic just had the chance to tell his history to Sophie, his life with his mom, losing her, coming to live with his dad and his new family, and what happened, she might stop thinking of him a criminal who can't reform.

Green scales, thicker nails, tingle between his fingers, right now he needs Caroline or one of his friends here with him. I knew it, I knew he would have webbed fingers. Yeah, don't test if those membranes have nerve endings just yet. Oh, thank you, Vic experiments with them and finds the membranes are retractable. Vic, I'm afraid the membrane might be the only chance you can turn on and off. At least Vic finds this out now.

Crud, Vic goes to make hot cocoa and Sophie has up and disappeared. Not at the table, not in the bathroom, where is Sophie? No answer to "I'm going to call your mother." Please say Sophie is just in the basement. A flyer for 'Heroes United', Sophie has gone to see her dad, crap! Vic runs out trying to find Sophie, hoping he is on the right track and wishing to try first before calling Caroline.

Sophie waiting for the bus, and Vic has to grab the door to keep it from closing to follow her. Sophie, leaving the house on your own no matter what you planned is a bad idea at your age, Vic was worried. Sophie tries to raise a fuss, but Vic stops her and the threat of calling her mom gets Sophie to open up about where she is going.

“Mom only lets me see dad a handful of times a year. I just wanted to see him and… spend some time with him,” Sophie whimpered.

Vic held his silence for a moment, letting Sophie continue.

“He came by yesterday and mentioned that he would only be in the city for just a couple of days. I wanted him to stay longer… I couldn’t even give him his Christmas present.” Shuffling under her coat, she produced a thin gift-wrapped package. “It’s a gift card and a tie. I picked them both, thinking he might like them. That’s what dads like, right?”

Aww, she is still an innocent kid who has just been mixed up by Dereck's words. Help Sophie to do this and don't tell Caroline if possible, then Sophie might start to warm up to you, Vic.

George has never worn a tie, but would for Sophie, they need a picture of this if it happens.

“She says that. She always does, but then she comes back home late.”

Oof, Sophie has a lot of reasons to be upset and the Syndicate needs to give Caroline more time off to be with Sophie.

“I’ll help you see your dad, hand over the present and then we will try to make it back home before your mother returns, alright?” Vic explained as he sat down, taking the time to adjust the scarf around the lower part of his face. He really didn’t have the time to search for a bandage or tape to cover the altered cut.

“I… Would you do that for me?” Sophie asked.

“I’m not okay-okay with this. But, I do know what it’s like to want to see a parent.” Vic said.

Awww, Sophie, you need to hear Vic tell his history already.

Blackbell Hotel and Sophie thinks she can find it, oh boy. Caroline ran into traffic and will be an hour or two late, if it really is traffic then Caroline has some of the worst luck.

“You have to know that she loves you and she’s trying to do better.”

“I know she does. I know,” Sophie said. “But… things were better before.”

“Yeah…” Vic grumbled in agreement. “Things always felt better before.”

Two kids who know what it is like having a mom who is away so much for work if only they would open up to each other. Buy Caroline a present and say it took you a while to find, her mom sense might see through that. Good, Sophie will do what Vic says if it means she can see her dad.

Saturday, December 31th - 6:02 pm (almost half an hour earlier)
Cosgrove House curio shop

Sounds like an interesting shop to me, I would love to visit a shop like this. Roger is about Dereck's age or a bit younger, yet he is working at the store.

Nothing strange about that, except for the ornate horizontal line traced at the height of the doorknob that could be considered a style choice.

I knew the door was magic the moment I read this.

Now that is some lounge, this story must do good business. Close shop till next Sunday, no wonder Caroline rushed to get here in time.

How she would do that without forcing them, she had no idea where to start–and this came from the woman that frequently mediated supervillain disputes and grudges.

Those supervillains have nothing on an 8-year-old when it comes to holding grudges. Hhm, I wonder what she got for Vic to help his situation.

Ack, so that time was accounting for Caroline's luck.

“Lifeward!” greeted a teenage girl of inhuman aspect, of dark ebon skin with faint markings all along, of long pointed ears and a tail swinging with a claw sickle at the tip. “Happy holidays,” the girl greeted with an attempted mature tone.

I hope Raffina is getting something that will help her to have shadows on demand. A trip to Europe for a couple of days, now that is a nice gift.

It was the master enchanter of ‘House’ Cosgrove, Barrick Cosgrove, the current head and master enchanter.

Now I'm left to wonder how many other shops run by enchanters are there in the Whateley Universe. Barry has his apprentices do some of the work, nice to see a true master-apprentice situation for a craft.

“I just got a note from the Syndicate’s contact in the treasury. They’ve declined to pay for this, citing that it’s not approved. Something about it being the end of term and it not being intended for a working operative.”

Right now I want to curse Laureate so that every time he pulls something like this his body hair grows 2 inches. At least Caroline has a backup plan for the purchase.

Raffina did notice the scales on Vic's skin.

“Sorry to hear that.” Raffina noted. “I would’ve said something, but Leslie warned me it might be a difficult thing for him. I have no idea what I would do if I couldn’t look normal.”

Aww, so even with the teasing she was avoiding that rough subject for Vic thanks to Leslie's warning. Rats, no permission for an enchanted item for Raffina yet.

“I wish. I’m still hoping for an invisibility cloak, flying heels or simple enchanted glasses that let me see through walls,” Raffina said with a casual laugh.

All good in multiple situations and for pranking, that is so Raffina.

Checking her regulators, don't tell me what her father did to her requires regulators.

She pulled back her sleeve, channeling just enough mana that the markings could manifest themselves on her skin. Tracing all the way around her wrist were ornate golden lines made out of light. One of the workshops’ better designs: an intricate array of glowing markings that wrapped themselves around her wrists, with runes etched on around and over the lines, softly glowing at the tune of her breath for those with magical acuity to recognize it. They could’ve been mistaken as a set of bracelets from afar, and a fashionable tattoo up close.

Ooo, now that is some impressive enchanter's work. Trainer for Raffina, I wonder if she could have her meet Sophie.

Raffina is curious about Whateley, I hope this means she will be going there soon.

“No… I’m not,” Raffina shook her head, adding a bit of strength to her words. “I’m just curious as to how things are there. Leslie told me that the place is hectic and dangerous, but also fun. I just wondered what it could be like. Since the Syndicate has an agreement with the institution, I wondered if it could be arranged so I could visit it.”

Rats, Raffina would make a great addition to Vic's friends at Whateley. Raffina, you will find causing trouble at Whateley is harder than at a normal school.

A small box, I can't wait to see what is inside. This shop is the kind of place I love to see in worlds where magic exists. A learning experience, Raffina would have too much to want to ever leave, especially if she got in on bully-busting.

Friday, December 31th - 6:28 pm
Parking lot, near the enchanter’s store

So busy on New Year's Eve, Caroline needs a break after all this. Uh oh, Cole is greeting Caroline from the Blackbell Hotel, will he see Vic and Sophie there and tell Caroline? Volunteered to spy on the event, he finds them fun, I only hope Cole doesn't have to help break up a fight. Heh, Cole is one of those who joined the Syndicate to make sure they started to use their power to help and keep them from going too far, I bet.

Aww, no Cole visiting for New Year. Cole, don't you dare get a poster of Caroline's old superhero self made. Lackluster convention, something is up about this event that George didn't tell Caroline.

It was when George’s popularity began to rise and their life slowly became more like a reality show that his priorities shifted and things began to fall apart.

Ego and celebrity over family, George has his head up his ass.

“The team did some spying on the ones waiting in the hallway, as requested by the organization. Found that most of them are young, fresh out of high school or in college.”

Manipulating them before they know any better, some superheroes to do this. *facepalms* And none of the candidates are Whateley graduates from what Cole is describing. Beating up vagrants, some of them already drinking, good grief, what was Gigaton and his team thinking with this form of recruitment?

“Ah… So they’re really fans of my husband’s rhetoric,” Caroline sighed. “Things like ‘evildoers become monsters in my eyes’, ‘Monsters get exterminated’, ‘any lawbreaker deserves punishment’, and ‘righteous power will always prevail’ must be ingrained in their minds. No nuance allowed.”

Just reading that nearly made me vomit, Gigaton is a serious piece of work. Cole, I'm a big fan, but Caroline is right, don't try to handle Gigaton on your own. Eep, those last words by Caroline seem like foreshadowing that Sophie is going to see a side of her father that her mother never wanted her to see.

The gym certainly seems to have most of everything that anyone in the business might need to stay in shape. Vic certainly seems to have come a long way from where he was when he started his workout routine. Taking a moment to put things in prospective is always good.

Unfortunately, the floodgates to change seem to have been opened. Having a spirit-hallow mismatch is like having a BIT - you don't know where you'll end up until it's complete. Hopefully, he'll find that 'yet', as it's better than the worst case alternative.

Sophie requiring therapy - I'm wondering if she suffered some sort of injury that required physical therapy. It's unfortunate she was too blinded by her bother's words to see the chance to build a common ground with her mom's guest.

Sophie second guessing herself. Perhaps there is hope. Megaton at the door. Should have expected that (even though it came as a surprise). Given how he's been portrayed, it'll probably set Sophie's change back to the beginning of vacation.

Caroline and George arguing - Certainly starts to paint a picture of why they split. I wonder what happened which lead to Sophie becoming collateral damage. I kinda suspect it was the final straw for their union, and possibly what took Caroline down the path she went.

Yep, certainly seems like it was. I wonder if Caroline has some scars that haven't quite healed from whatever it was. Certainly seems like he hasn't gotten over the failure of the relationship, but he also doesn't seem to be aware of where his contributions to the failure were. Perhaps he's diving into his work as an avoidance strategy?

So, Vic can now form (and retract) fins. Sounds like a useful skill when underwater (under da sea?). Something else to talk with Caroline about.

Sophie making a break for the event. Feels like there's a good chance she'll be grounded for it in the coming days, but she probably just doesn't care at the moment. Seems like the whole group is going to it.

Bonding over shared trauma. Perhaps Vic can get Sophie to come around. I think the flaw in Sophie's plan is that if her dad's in costume, her giving him the present will give away his identity to a careful watcher. Not that it's unknown to the upper level Syndicate staff, but it could be a problem if found out by lower level types with an ax to grind. I'm also wondering if that might not have happened before.

Caroline and Raffina know each other. Another of those things that probably shouldn't be a surprise, but was. Laureate likely meddling in things. He isn't going to be happy until he's 6 feet under. Seems Raffina is a bit more like Vic than he might have thought. If Thulita is any guide, Raffina'll probably have a blast at Whateley and seriously consider the transfer. Even if she has to bust her way into the Bad Seeds and the Master Minds (or perhaps the Cape Squad - I don't see /that/ going over well with the current head). I get the impression that the gift for Vic is his own version of the Imp's amulet. That's some serious juju there. I can see him being hesitant about accepting it (just like the flask - just on a whole different level).

Cole is at the exhibition, and he knows both Vic and Sophie. They have approximately zero chance of going unnoticed by him. I appreciate Caroline's sentiments about with whom her daughter spends her time, but circumstances don't seem to be aligning with her wishes.