~- Final Call? -~
"Thank you for calling the First National Library of--wait shit. Uh. I mean. This is Kyle Circe speaking. May I ask who's calling?"
Adam closed his eyes, contemplating how to answer. Reluctance, fear from a memory, curiosity, exhaustion... Some of the emotions that reached Adam through the phone. It wrapped him like a blanket, intensifying his own reluctance for this conversation. "My name's not imp-- It's Adam Jiang, I'm with the military. This is not a recruitment call, it's something more."
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. How did he go about this one? He flipped through the files again. Looking at Kyle's in particular. The ones he had done was set to the side, the ones that he hadn't called were set to the other side. "I know a couple of weeks ago you had a, uh, situation that you're probably trying to work through. I'm sorry for bringing that up, and I'd understand if you don't want to trust me. But, if you remember, there was the unveiling of the Particle Accelerator that night. It didn't go well, and Dr. Wells, the man in charge of the unveiling would like to talk to you and others that were caught in the explosion." Adam continued, trying to be as gentle as possible.
He paused, giving Kyle a chance to process and reply. Then carefully, Adam answered, "If you'd like to go it'd be at Star Labs airport. Again, it's not a recruitment call, it's just a gesture of good faith." He gave the exact address to the location, he then added, "I do hope you the best in your road to recover Circe. If you'd like to go, I'll be there tonight." Adam hung up the phone, but it wasn't as abrupt as with the others. He did give Kyle a chance to reply unlike the others.
The room buzzed in the silence, and it wasn't from the computer this time. Rubbing his forehead, Adam tried to figure out what to do. The pressure was building there and shaping up to give him a dozy of a migraine. Glancing to Livvy, he commented offhandedly, "How'd we get ourselves involved in this mess?"
Livvy gave a sharp bark in answer, earning a frown from Adam. He was really acting crazy, and he was exhausted. Scrolling through his texts to the girl earlier, he typed, If you want more information about what happened, Dr. Wells is holding a meeting at Star Labs Airport. I'm sure you'd love to participate Stalker Girl.
It took just a moment before her reply reached him. First, it's Val, not "stalker girl" jerk. Second, I already know. If I were you, I'd be careful because of your gifts. Wouldn't want to get overstimulated now, right Heyoka? Adam bristled at the reply, sure he was a jerk but he hated the word Heyoka. It didn't matter that he knew his duties, it agitated him. He hated feeling trapped, and his duties made him feel that way.
~- Her Heart Underneath -~
Ellis strode across the base, he was trying to figure out what happened. Will seemed to be blaming Adam, Adam was blaming Will. Neither of the boys wanted to talk about it, he remembered how close the two had been. He dismissed those that had tried to approach him, the headache building slowly as he moved. He caught a glimpse of something moving towards him, it took him a moment to realize that it was the younger Paragon child. He tried to remember what was said about this one, a young girl he hadn't know for long.
Her eyes were guarded as she approached. He watched her snap a quick salute, waiting for him to give her permission to relax. "At ease," he ordered.
She obeyed, even then there was an air of closed off-ness. He analyzed her, searching for a break in the girl's guard. "Sir, is something the matter?" The girl spoke, her voice cool yet exhausted.
He had a feeling he had to approach with caution if he wanted any information. Checking the time, he glanced back at the girl. He thought something was off about her, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "I'd like you to accompany me for lunch, if you don't mind Miss Paragon." He commented.
"Kelly sir. As for the lunch offer, I'd be honored sir." Kelly answered respectfully, a much different change to Adam's own manner of speaking.
He nodded, before he escorted her back to his own private quarters. It was only once they'd reached there and he'd finished preparing their food that he spoke again, "How has your family been in these recent years, Kelly?"
Kelly gave a smile, even so he noticed it didn't reach her eyes. "We've been well sir. Father's kept us on track, and Mom passed a little while after you last saw us." She answered, her eyes darted to the water in her cup. Reaching a hand out, she let her finger dangle just above the surface of the drink. "Will went through a lot after the accident." She whispered.
Ellis raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to her he stared at her as he prompted, "Accident?"
Kelly tossed him a nervous look, clearly judging how much she could say. She pursed her lips, clearly unsure of how to proceed. "It was the last time they saw each other, didn't Adam tell you anything sir?"
Ellis shook his head, reaching out a hand, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I need you to tell me, neither of the boys are saying anything. If you don't, I'm worried about what'll happen." Ellis prompted again, his voice gentle, taking on the tone of a father trying to convince a child to share a secret.
Kelly opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something only for her to quiet down. Shaking her head, her eyes skipped to his phone. Ellis glanced at it, confused about what had her on edge where the phone was concerned. Looking at her, Kelly's eyes were neutral despite the nervous glance. She focused on the water instead of meeting his gaze, and he was about to prompt her again when Kelly whispered, "I can't risk it sir." Kelly shook her head, leaving it vague.
Ellis breathed a sigh of frustration. He didn't dare push anymore and risk a total collapse, he could tell that what was shared took a lot of bravery. He motioned to her food as he ordered, "Have something to eat, you need your strength."
She gave him a tight smile as she retorted politely, "With all due respect sir, I'm not a warrior. Even so, I'll eat because it'd be rude."
He raised an eyebrow at the quip, wondering what that was about but decided to start on his own food. The two finished their meal in silence. He even made up a little extra and packaged it. Bringing it over to her, he put it on the table. "Bring this to Will and make sure he gets some rest." He commanded softly, and the tight smile he got in answer made his heart ache. She stood, grabbed the meal and bowed to him in respect before she saw herself out. Sighing, he pinched the spot between his eyes and wondered what he'd just gotten himself into.
~- Subtle Change of Plans -~
Snow paced the floor, his thoughts churning as he tried to figure out what to do. Yes, Jack thought they should go out on a limb and trust this troll. He glanced at Tyler, who was sitting cross legged on his bed. Snow could see that the quieter boy was pondering the situation, weighing the pros and cons. The movie they'd been getting ready to watch was paused, and Snow again wondered how it had been put on. The phone call had distracted him, and thus he couldn't remember who's idea it was to put it on.
Tyler was picking at the hem of his jeans, Cerberus was curled up on the bed. Crossing back across the floor, he sat on the bed, on the side of Tyler that Cerberus wasn't on. "Do you think Mia's aware of what's going on?" Snow asked gently, trying to switch the conversation to something both boys could handle.
Tyler shook his head, a muttered, "She's got too much on her plate right now with other things."
Snow knew that was true, Mia had always been a little...odd, but it was something he'd never paid much attention to. He grabbed a hold of his friend's phone, flicking through it until he found a song that'd work as a distraction. "Soldatino?" He asked.
"Don't judge me, you know Nico's my favorite character from Percy Jackson." Tyler shot back, a slight smile on his face at the change in topic.
He laughed, casually dropping the phone onto his lap as he raised his hands. "I know, I know. I meant no offense Ty, you know that." Ty shot him a look, a smirk across his face as Snow continued, "You're just a Nic---." A pillow smacked him, and Snow bit his tongue.
Snow glanced at the door, trying to figure out how likely they were to get teased for their antics. "Don't worry, Mia won't be back for a while. Grandma and grandpa are out for the next hour and a half at least." Tyler explained, looking at his ceiling, an odd look on his face that Snow couldn't, or didn't want to decipher. He shook his head, frustration flickering in his eyes as he opened his mouth to say something. Tyler leaned forward, placing a finger on Snow's lips as he added, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. We should get ready for that meeting."
Snow shook his head, concern shining in his eyes. "You're stayin' here, you're not well enough. Jack, Claire and me will go." Snow whispered. Tyler raised an eyebrow, a silent dare for Snow to continue with it. "You're whipped Tyler, you shouldn't head out tonight. I'll let Jack know that fact, or Claire, and I'll head out when Mia gets home. Come on, we've got a movie to watch." Snow pressed play, and despite the frown on Tyler's face, the shorter boy leaned against Snow's shoulder, his eyes focused on the movie as it played.
It took a moment, but the soft sound of Tyler's breathing reached his ears. Looking down, he saw the younger man was sleeping and more pale than he should be. Snow leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes Snow tried to figure out what to do. "You really are a Nico fanboy." Snow whispered.
~- Distractions? -~
James scrolled through the games, trying to figure out which one to play. His hand twitched toward Assassin's Creed Unity, wanting to play it. Shaking his head, his eyes found Kingdom Hearts. Figuring that would be safe without agitating Cyrus further, he put it in and started playing it. James wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation but figured that'd just irritate Cyrus further. Juliet had made James promise he'd behave and they'd get ice cream in exchange, something that he was trying his hardest to do.
The window was open, letting James feel the breeze outside. It slid past him, it invaded the hallway and for some reason James caught snippets of the conversation out in the hallway. A frown came to his face, scrambling off the bed James walked out to the hallway. Looking at Juliet and Cyrus, he asked, "What was the call over? Is a case of bubbles needed?" His eyes were worried, the controller was still in his hand even though the system was off.
Glancing over his shoulder, James looked back at the two teens and added, "How's the story going, Cy?" He knew that normally he shouldn't pry, they'd had the discussion previously, but something about the energy around the two had James wanting to redirect the conversation.