Alycia Director Costigan's office, with Parker. Called on the carpet. Alycia smirking. He looks ... annoyed. "Contemplating a conditional stipend for your service to the agency. And conditional upon continuing good behavior regarding agency interests." "Does that come with medical, because this nation's health care system ..." Parker clucks her tongue. Cuts off. "You are a contract agent. Working on paperwork for certain comically availalble insurance for minors ... On the question of lodging, you have been given a small number of options, appropriate to your stipend. First. As with most agents of your junior stipend: dorms, semi-private rooms, shared with other agents. there is a curfew. monitored entrances here on campus." "That might be a challenge to operate as flexibly as the Agency has wanted." "Option two, the agency will provide you a limited amount of additional stipend for room and board with certain approved individuals. Currently the list is one, includes our good Agent Parker, who it turns out has a spare room in her duplex." Agent Parker has additional creases in her cheeks. "If your team had anything along the lines of room and board at their base ... but they don't, so that's off the option list. ... Take the weekend. A lot on your mind right now. Understanding there's a dance tomorrow night. Should be fun. Off you go, skitter-scat." Outside: "Agent Parker ... Don't want to put you in a difficult situation." "Don't worry about it. Request was made. There's no reason not to ... I am your handler, after all. Not a ground-breaking arrangement. I'm sure we can reach a modus vivendi. ' "Well, it seems better than dorm life" "There are a few other options." "Do you have a suggestion that might be acceptable that the Director didn't mention?" "Actually, you might consider ..." Summer Blintzkrieg. Summer is working the counter. Nono is at a table with Charlotte. Nono has been asking about superheroing stuff. "You and the rest of the team kind of vanished for a few weeks, and everyone wa really wondering where you were ..." And Charlotte is realizing that she's feeling kind of PTSDy about the whole thing. ... but Nono is halfway through the sentence [door opening ding], and then her eyes get big looking over Charlotte's shoulder ... Charlotte has been practicing at being solid. It's not been entirely reliable. Nono is now NOT looking over shoulder focusing on her notes SO HARD. Charlotte sees someone walking up to the counter to order something, in a "I know people are looking at me." Pietro the Plasma Prince, wandering in for a half double decaffeinated half-caf, with a twist of lemon . And an almond scone. Charlotte tries to fake getting Nono out of there. [Defend -> 4!] "Nono! Miss Rodriguez! Just a moment!" (Summer sees all this.) Charlotte gives her a push, and Nono power walks away from the shop. Charlotte interposes herself. They talk. Charlotte nods several times, grand gestures, genteel laughter (mostly from him), finally reaches out and takes her hand and bows over it, then strides off, king of the world. Charlotte comes in looking pale(r). To Summer: "Apparently I'm going to the Valentine's Dance tomorrow ..." Summer offers to help find a dress. "Nothing too encouraging" Summer texts Alycia. "We are gathering for team business." Alycia Studying together with Daph at the library. She's kind of out of it. Pensive? No, cranky. "You are a forward thinking 90s woman." For the purpose of argument. "Forward-thinking, assertive. You have a boy you want tot ake to a dance. And they are clueless to the point of world ending catastrophe. What do you do?" "... force a clue upon him." "What if any number of romantic comedy cliches were to come true and thus ruin everything? ... Ignorance is bliss." "No, it's clearly anxiety-laden" What if Daph asked Alycia to slip him a note? "Cliche ending would be my being spotted. I will not be spotted." Text comes in. "Bat Signal?" Where? Blintzkrieg, after work. Not an emergency, then. But will need to take the bus. "If he says no, you have to go with me. Also I'm going to cry." "I ... already ... have a ... date ... "OF COURSE. Tell Mr Bat Signal he's lucky." "Let me evaluate some tactical options." "I love the way you talk." Marion is at other end of library. clustered around a microfiche viewer with friends. And laughing. Looking at 1920s Kansas newspapers for memes. Goes over and says that Daph has a question for him. Now. Adam Sitting somewhere next to Keri. 4th Pd Geometry. "My boyfriend is out of town. Really out. You're little. Can we go to this thing, not together. And you get to see what hese dance things are like and i don't have to go by myself and have Kid Kelvin hit on me all night?" "Sure." "Suit and tie? I'll be wearing red. Cool?" "Cool." "Is it true your folks are chaperoning?" "Yeah, it's how I get to go." "Is that terrible? Or awesome? Wait, we're going to have a cop to chaperone?" Now Adam needs to get a suit. He reaches out to Leo. Leo Asked Aria to the dance. Because he's a traditionalist. Aria - coordinate with red and white. Waters fixes him up with a suit store full of old men who wear a lot of cologne and probably smoke a lot and are happy to set up a kid right if he asks them. Shaving with a hot towel treatment, a proper shave. Adam calls. Leo tells him to come over. Doesn't specify where he is. Adam teleports over anyway. "Hi, Mr. Waters." He's dragged into the tailor setting. Leo advises him to call his dad. Dad: long pause "... ask him if they rent. You're growing too fast to buy a whole suit." The suit guys offer a coat at the same price as a full suit rental. "And we'll give it a few extra inches so it can be used when you're a senior." Leo mentors Adam on how to treat a girl right. Harry He has a suit. At a gentrified area of town with Andi (who has vetted the suit), and he has to be there to help pick out the dress. Along with two cousins, three aunts, and his mother. She keeps coming out in nice dresses. The aunts are arguing. The cousins are joking about Harry. Mother looks at Harry with pity, but doesn't let him go. Has to walk fine line of appreciation without creepiness. Is trying to support Andi more than her mom. [Pierce the Mask -> 11!] What do you want me to do? -- wants him to be on her side with dress selections. What do you intend to do? -- wants to be seen as a girl, not as a brick powerhouse. How can I gain influence over you? -- recognize / verbalize that about her intention [Defend Andi vs Mother --> 10!] She likes one dress, Mom is uncertain ... Harry superspeeds away and back with the very matching suit he's picked out. Dad texts: "Don't worry about the prom afterparty. Your mom and I are handling it. Eggplant eggplant eggplant sideways-crying-laughing-face eggplant ..." ... texted to everyone on the team. The Girls At the coffee shop. Charlotte is texting Nono about his. "No no no not the grenade dont throw yourself on the grenade i knew you were a superhero but wait do you like him?" And "We need to practice your no." Alycia comes in. Summer is still working. Charlotte is looking shaky. Texting Daph. "Sitrep?" Sends back Murloc sound text characters. Sits with Charlotte. "Oh, Alycia, hello." clenched "... What do you need help with, Charlotte?" "Well ... um ... well ... um ... somehow I'm going to a dance with a boy. I couldn't really get him to understand. ... Plasma Prince." "Do you need me to make sure he can't go to the dance?" Summer's cue. "We're here to talk about a continuum of responses." A: continuum: unconscious, locked up, crippled ... S: "We'll wrap that up under things Alycia wants to do and go past them. Charlotte, if you don't want to go, you don't have to go." C: "But that would be rude." S: "Was he here to ask Nono?" ... taking one for the team (Alycia and Summer agree) ... A - (Is friendship some weird karmic penance i need to pay?) ... But Charlotte kinda wants to go. "And there's nothing really wrong with him. Nobody's really told him not to be that way. So maybe I can help." [Summer is C&Sing] A: "If you want to go that's ... good .. to assimilate into the local ... social ... circles." (thinking of herself) S: "How many dresses are we buying?" A: "Yeah, I need to ... buy ... a ... dress." C: to Summer. "But you need to come with us, too. PLEASE." C&Ss [Alycia: C&S (Angry) --> 5] ... but clears Angry (so 7) Summer clears a condition [Charlotte: In Good Spirits --> 11] clears two conditions. ... clears Angry (clears Mundane) and Insecure. (and she clears Guilty by taking on the date for Nono) Dance Prep Saturday What are you doing Saturday, prepping for the dance? Adam: who is teaching you how to slow dance? --> Summer, like a big sister, though GG is also there giving tips to Summer and Adam. Leo: what are you doing with Otto? --> Otto is texting Leo, Leo is in the drivers seat, Otto is looking concerned, Leo is looking at a text message from someone named Mary giving her flight information. Alycia / Charlotte / Summer: (panel with at the mani-pedi place, and Alycia getting the mani-pedi-hair thing . Along with Nono, Duskshine ... Duskshine is actually doing it. Goes on a bit about using makeup for foiling facial recognition (she and Alycia bond over that). Harry: in a small park in the city, meeting with two shadowy individuals, standing around a statue; Harry closes his eyes, and the lights change around him, and he gets a "Huh!" cockeyed grin as he looks at ... something. Team Stuff Alycia: Closer (Charlotte, for showing a vulnerability) --> +Superior - Freak Summer: Closer (Charlotte, ditto) --> Charlotte takes influence Harry: Image of Self --> Adam: Closer (Charlotte, for teaching how to dance) --> +Superior - Freak Charlotte: Closer (Summer, first time doing girl stuff) -> Summer takes influence #Recap
