Miss Psyis adjusted her position in the chair. Her silver scales clinked slightly as she thought back to the last thing she’d done this morning before leaving Kansas.
All Psyis had left was a note that said ‘Don’t worry I’ll handle him’ flying off before the sun had risen or Izime had awoken. Thinking she would be able to, and be back in time for lunch.
Now that she was in Centropolis and trying to do so, having laid eyes on the warning Steven had sent her through the media?
Psyis knew she had no idea how to handle it.
The alien glanced worriedly at Marcus her PR Manager before looking back down nervously. He was the main person she had to keep happy right now in order to see another deposit in her bank account next week.
The tanned man stood with his arms crossed over his plaid button-up shirt tapping one leather business shoe on the carpeted floor of his office. Clearly waiting Impatiently for a reasonable explanation over something that couldn’t be reasonably explained.
Clearly he had no idea how to handle it either.
Steven had taken everything he could about Izime and handed it to Jamestone’s lackeys. The tabloid professionals had conducted a truly thorough hit on her public persona.
Psyis rubbed at her temples looking at the papers in front of her.
One was a tabloid with a very bad shot of her straddling Izime on the ground.
His orange jumpsuit was almost glaringly highlighted in the cheap ink. Desk and chairs tipped near, Izime’s hands not visible while she was curled against him.
On the floor was the damning article of evidence that’d spawned their headline; her bra that he ripped off.
‘Prisoner Gets His Hands Full with Youngest League Member’
The details below it based on supposition and now public bits of information that’d been filed with the US government.
Whoever had written it used every bit to highlight the level of inappropriate behavior on both sides. The species issues, identity issues, even listing the adjusted age of Izime’s body.
As if that was relevant beyond making her sound even more horrid which was what they wanted, clearly painting her as an immoral monster.
The entire article was geared towards getting the public riled up enough to demand the League remove her from her position outright. Openly begging that readers not even consider a demotion.
The other was a printed post from a social media site that showed her out with Izime.
Yellow dress and white leather across from black flannel and brown cotton canvas. A nice shot of her out having a late brunch after she’d talked Izime into having something besides coffee.
A bittersweet smile crossed Psyis face as they’d caught the AI perfectly. Izime clearly being grossed out by her omelet Psyis was trying to show him on her fork.
Fondly recalling how Izime had explained the jigglyness of it just seemed un-foodlike to him. Detailing how his early human years had formed a foundation for his favorite textures, even changing how he identified stuff as food mentally.
She’d teased him for being raised on kibble and promised to show him to all kinds of other foods until they found something on earth he liked.
More glad to see him eat a full serving of biscuits and gravy, even finishing the strips of bacon she’d placed on his plate. hoping the rich food would fill his body out.
The caption read ‘New Hero-Ship?’ and framed them both, exactly as she’d intended to be caught; as if it had just happened.
Now only lying in print because it’d blown up after coincidentally proving that the man in the tabloid was real. The cellphone captured Izime’s identifiable features like ponytail and scruff in an even higher resolution, along with her still fading bite.
“Marcus, this is a setup. Someone fed these to Jamestone.” Psyis tried to keep her voice level already knowing who’d clipped the shots from Savior Orbital.
Swallowing as her blood ran cold, knowing full well Steven would push this as far as he could. The man was beyond possessive of her and would use every bit of that video against her.
Why didn’t Cradle stop it?
Her heart fell a bit as the thought crossed her mind, did the bird really hate her that much? Izime had said that Cradle still didn’t care for her, but letting Steven sabotage her relationship like this.
Why could it block every other camera that showed its bond but this one stupid security tape? Before she’d even had a chance to prove anything at all; it just felt cruel.
“Regardless of where Jamestone got these… Did you even read it?” Marcus said, not even considering a counterclaim about foul play.
There was no defending what they’d been selling across the blocks for the last two days, in every major city at that.
The PR manager snatching up the tabloid, finds the line and almost spitting the words at the heroine across from him as he read. “Let me read it for you, ‘Don’t let his size fool you. With an adjusted age of ten Its clear Miss Psyis was on top of things as she handled this prisoner's release’ They’re saying he’s ten Psyis, TEN!”
Psyis flinched a bit as the tabloid went flying across the room. Her mind was numb as she tried to keep all the facts in order, trying to track everything Steven was using against her.
The heroine’s colors swirling, unable to reply to her manager as her stomach flipped.
“I mean sure there are some acceptable age gaps but those are between gods and adults, not a startling heroine and a fake human.” Marcus’ voice came out calm, most of his anger released on the tabloid anyway.
Looking over at the alien that he was supposed to keep looking good for humans as he pleaded for some good news. “Please swear to me on your cape that's not true.”
“He said it as a joke.” Psyis voice came out incredibly small knowing that Izime wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t technically true.
The stupid AI loved his math tricks, and they’d seemed so innocent in comparison to some of the dirty jokes and racist attempts at humor she’d heard other guys make.Twisting the numbers so he could be older than their sun and childlike at the same time had been a clever joke on the numbers.
Now it was a death sentence for her publicly; Psyis already nodding before Marcus could voice the thought.
“Do you realize how bad that joke sounds in print?” The PR manager asked rhetorically already shaking his head, unable to find any kind of humor in the situation.
Marcus slid the other picture forward as he took a steadying breath, calmly asking the psychic just what the hell she’d been doing. “… and then you showed him off?!”
Psyis started to refute, instead of denial however she tasted a bit of bile
Its not wrong.
The thought crossed her mind and caused her stomach to turn as technically everything they’d said was true. Steven had sent out a dire threat though the presses for her.
He knew she had assaulted Izime that day and had audio of everything that'd been said on the orbital platform. The sidekick already aware Izime body was only ten simply because the AI had been born fully grown. Steven laid out her attraction to Izime in the most perverted and disgusting way he could for the world to see.
The idea that she was grooming Izime started to feel the tiniest bit real as it aligned with the deal she’d made.
That was all it took to send Psyis to the trash can in the corner of the room.
Marcus’ eyes went wide, the PR manager's worst-case scenarios crossing his mind so loud Psyis couldn’t let it slide.
“You say it I swear to the gods I’ll fire you.” Spitting angrily into the trash can Psyis held up her hand stopping her PR agent as she warned him against voicing his thoughts, “We didn’t do a damned thing and its been days so I wouldn’t even have morning sickness yet.”
“OK, well what about this any truth to it?” Marcus asked as he looked down at the post that detailed the possibility of 'The Miss Psyis' starting a new public relationship.
Something the citizens of Earth would have flocked to in celebration if someone hadn’t fed Jamestone the perfect match to turn Psyis’ stunt into a complete publicity bomb dividing public opinions.
Half were convinced she was a sexual deviant and the others were holding their breath hoping the Centropolis Angel would deny it.
Marcus hung his head low as Psyis decided she’d do neither, instead the woman admitting to an actual relationship.
"We’re dating and it is complicated,” Psyis said almost proud of her admission, finding a comfortable spot in the room to look at where the corner didn’t blame her for liking Izime.
They just don’t understand him.
Psyis repeated it over and over again. Telling herself it wasn’t an excuse because it was true; hell even she didn’t really understand Izime. The man was deeper than a hot topic article and more complicated than she could easily explain to Marcus.
The alien shook her head even as her version of the truth came out, knowing how badly the human would take it, “He’s technically not even a real human inside, and mentally he's far older than ten.”
“Please listen to yourself, mental age's really? If you want me to save this I have to have something better than that.” Marcus shook his head, already knowing how the talk show circuits would eat her alive over such a copout.
Marcus hoped Psyis would pick up the hints he’d thought up and stitched into his statement. She needed to be resolute on this and loud, it was over between her and this nobody. Nothing had happened and if it had it was a heated mistake that would never occur again, and certainly not with someone who was in any way ten of any kind.
The PR manager didn’t want to say it openly, instead he tried to lead Psyis towards ending the new relationship, “We need something resolute on this and it needs to be loud. This could knock you out of the League, capes like yours have to stay spotless.”
“And if it does?” Psyis asked, latching onto the anger she felt instead of the fear the idea caused.
How dare Steven twist what Izime was into this, making it seem like what they were was so disgusting. Fuming at Marcus for siding with the rest of humanity so quickly without even wanting to talk to Izime.
Instead, her manager had just decided her cape was worth more than the relationship she could have.
“The hell are you on about if it does? Just drop that sack of problems Psyis.” Marcus breathed out the words, unable to believe what Psyis was saying even as she turned to glare at him. The PR manager made another point, one he thought would correct her, “You have literally almost died for that spot, and yo-you’re serious?”
Marcus finally backed off as the anger faded to cold resolve. The same face she’d made back then, when he’d had to spin her cutting ties with Steven Blane as something good.
He knew she wasn’t going to back down on this, her next question confirming it.
“If it does knock me out of the League what happens?” Psyis asked for the worst-case scenario from Marcus. The heroine hoped that James could help her keep at least one foot in the League, but it was something she was willing to sacrifice.
She’d make it work, as a heroine or… or whatever she became if her cape was ripped away from her.
“Financially you’ll be, well more screwed because you’ll be fired.” Marcus laid out the first wave of fallout he could see happening.
If the public face of the League felt like it was tarnished she could very well lose her place and paycheck. As for being an independent heroine there was still plenty of hope seeing as she’d only just been promoted.
Marcus doing his best to try and highlight any silver linings in being demoted as he said, “Socially, I mean... Centropolis still loves you? They’re not just going to abandon their Angel.”
“It's like being a signed agent remember? Centropolis is going back to small-time stuff.” The PR manager said as he tried to simply how things would go if Psyis really did take a step back in her hero career.
Marcus reminded Psyis of why she'd struggled for years to get to today, warning her as she considered throwing it all away for some guy, “The League is a big sponsorship you’re talking about losing, real big Psyis. Like I might not be your PR advisor if this goes badly, I still want someone to pay me to talk to you. Consulting isn’t free, even for friends girl.
Rehashing the same benefits that the woman had literally fought and bled for, the spot that’d been her motivation for the last few years of her life. ”
“What if he was bigger?” Psyis asked aloud, not intending for Marcus to really consider it so much as to make herself do so. It was something she’d come to hate because of Steven, but Izime had saved ‘Pi’ so maybe he could also be comfortable to lean on instead of overbearing in his support.
The AI had enough galactic goodwill to shut down the loudest mouth of the US government, maybe they could also give a small cheer for his new relationship with her.
Just one, a tiny one, only loud enough to squash his bad press on earth?
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Than The League of Saviors?” Marcus asked without a drop of sarcasm as he watched Psyis think. Sitting down to look at the man in the screenshot that sat across from his client in a new light.
Looking up at the alien, the PR manager tried to make things a bit clearer for Psyis not sure if she was serious. “He’d have his own PR group managing stuff like this and we need to get in contact like yesterday, celebrity couples have teams for this reason.”
“I’ll contact a few people, Izime’s got enough pull Karen Wallin decided to play ball with him so surely someone can help us out of this.” Psyis pulled out her phone, sending a text to James and Leona. The two people who'd originally found the right strings to pull, the ones that'd had more than thirty species ready to take a trip to earth on Izime's behalf had to have those connections laying around still right?
“You’re not going to get a hold of him directly?” Marcus asked as he looked at Psyis, feeling a bit odd; almost like he was having an out-of-body experience.
The thessian now looked like she was the manager as she started sending texts and contacting people to clean up the mess she’d caused. Seeming oddly independent compared to the hand-holding he’d had to do for her before.
The woman no longer such a stiff cape that it'd felt like he was managing a bad actor.
“That's exactly what they want, to chase him away from me,” Psyis said looking up at Marcus as if he was an idiot. Glancing back down to make sure she had the full username to forward to Leona before she continued talking. “I have to make this as small as possible for him Marcus.”
Psyis thought back to the note she’d left before flying back to Centropolis to see what her PR manager had been screaming about.
Whatever it was she would handle it.
She wasn’t going to let anything destroy this chance just because it went against the world's script.
Psyis also couldn’t stand the thought that Steven paid someone to trivialize everything Izime had gone through, calling him a child. He’d seen an entire universe come to a close, in a reality so desolate it had birthed humans brave enough to leave their rock. Not just throw their little fits on it like hers were right now.
Psyis stormed off to clean Steven's mess, unaware of just how childishly her adult AI was acting at that moment.
A Barn in Kansas
Izime looked at tech-raven as they stood in the barn, both oddly silent.
Neither made a noise through their bond or aloud as their relationship had gotten more than a bit tense over the last few days. The AI struggling to manage both ends of his relationships as Psyis was affecting him deeply. Something he was distancing himself from, which was in turn affecting Cradle.
Their bond had become flooded with all the emotions Izime had dumped outside of things he’d wanted to handle.
Holding hands and happy feelings were fine. The thoughts that started coming in after he’d accidentally felt her thigh, bumping around on a too-fast truck ride were not things he'd wanted to handle
The lighter airy feelings of the budding relationship he could deal with but not the heavy heated feelings Psyis was striking up inside of him.
So he’d dumped them into his bond.
Cradle wasn’t happy about that, and after only a matter of days, it had enough of it and disappeared.
The raven hadn't even wanted to look at the two who couldn’t handle mating without dragging it into the mess. Though it was really only Izime who’d wronged it Cradle still blamed Psyis a bit. Only appearing when its bond had considered doing something else wrong, like spending too much money.
Now that the crowess was gone, Cradle was glad that Izime was taking the time to acknowledge he’d been bad.
Izime looked over at the raven shaking his head knowing he’d need to admit his faults first, “I’m sorry I’ve been dumping all of this on you.”
The AI smiled a bit as the emotional tenseness between the two faded away to a small tremor. Izime held his arms wide as he handed to floor to Cradle. “If you got something to say just say it, this needs to work for all three of us eventually.”
“Purple Problem. Yours” Cradle kept its reply simple, she was Izime’s partner, and when it came to mating she was his problem from now on.
If they needed eggs tended later it would chip in as part of the unkindness, if they got hurt it would find food for the flock; there were all kinds of other problems Cradle could help with.
Handling Izime’s need to nest down with the thessian wasn’t one it wouldn't do anymore.
“I suppose that's fair,” Izime agreed, giving Cradle a bit of a look hoping the Raven would be gentle as he opened the bond up completely, “Let's have it then.”
The AI managed a few steps before collapsing into a pile of straw moaning pitifully. He could feel the sweat as it started to bead on his forehead, his breathing quickened as that sweat spread to the rest of his body.
“It's too hot,” Izime complained as he untucked the black flannel button-up he’d bought yesterday, the action sending a full whiff of his body’s smells into his face.
A single ‘bleh’ echoed around the barn, the digital construct grossed out as its biological shell screamed for a mate. Just the idea dragging thoughts of the thessian from his memory.
Izime recalled how he’d seen her abs, even knew how delicate it felt when she breathed having already slipped into the alien's body in another fashion, different than his body wanted to now.
Ss the desire Psyis had been triggering for the last few days slamming into him all at once, Izime found moving to become detrimental as his entire body had become hypersensitive.
Skin flaring as it sent a thousand more reactions caused by the bits of hay that poked him. The AI knew the cycle of pleasure would fog his common sense like a drug. The need for touch because it just felt so good looping inside him like a brainless monkey.
Not something the AI planned on allowing to happen to its logic oriented brain.
Sitting up Izime grabbed the bucket of water intended for the horses and dumped it over his head, a stomp from one of the stalls getting his attention.
“Sorry.” Izime apologized as he turned to the mare that was looking at him confused until the smell reached her. The horse snorted at him in offense as if he’d sent her the pheromones intentionally.
The AI crinkled its nose as he looked down, steam rising off his skin feeling a similar disgust the horse was; getting a full dose of another species' baser habits. Watching as his body literally went through a heat in both senses of the word.
The AI knew even now the little shivers he felt weren’t caused by the cold, it was the rivulets of water tickling him.
“You to Cradle.” Izime said as he nodded to the bird who had put up with the feelings and finally had enough. The computational-being relaxed a bit more as it finally wrestled back control from its shamefully mammalian body.
Breathing unsteadily his nervous system throwing a fit because of the pleasure cruise he’d just canceled the AI tried to take a full breath as he apologized to the raven once more. “Sorry for putting you through that.”
“Panting, cold water… I’ve been turned into a dog.” Izime whined openly now as an unfamiliar twinge came from his groin. The complaints grew into a soft groan as his body punished him for using an ice bath to tame it.
The rolling ache brought the AI low, almost making him reconsider his solution. The other option was messy but at least it didn’t hurt like this had, that consideration only sent another sharp ache upwards.
“Fuuuck” Groaning out the curse word Izime rolled over wishing the throbbing would subside, a single sob escaped as a very unwelcome voice made its way into the barn.
“You a’right?” Barb asked, peeking around the entrance to the barn. Her wirey untamed locks pulled back into a bundled mess, the old cowgirl too aged to care about managing it properly.
Pulling her coat a bit closer she walked into the barn, taking a fair assessment of her daughter's new man.
A good enough one for most parts, but he was clearly missing a few kernels of corn up there somewhere. The lad was currently lying in a pile of straw soaking wet and moaning while he held his crotch.
Certainly different than Steven, who was normally only like this when her daughter was around and normally still yelling at him for touching her.
“Just having a biological freak out Mrs Cent.” Izime gave a dodging answer, hoping if he rolled a bit further he’d find the last of his dignity before he lost that too.
Psyis’ mother not giving him a chance as she decided to stick around and poke fun at the situation he'd put himself in.
“Called those blue balls back in my day,” Barb said, having surmised the problem this time was the opposite of Steven’s usual issues on the farm. Though it still didn’t explain how he’d wound up like this now.
Psyis had been gone since this morning, not even here to gnaw on him again let alone cause this. Barb walked over to get a better look as she asked how Izime had wound up on the floor, “You uh, is this a… what kind of issue we got going on here?”
“No situations, just dying of embarrassment,” Izime said, quickly deciding it was better if he didn’t explain how he’d conveniently minimized how Psyis made him feel physically to focus on other things to her mother.
Death by embarrassment was just fine with him, there was no reason to add a county ass beating onto that obituary.
“I’d expected to catch something like this before she left, considering that love bite she gave you.” Barb poked at Izime with her boot while she bullied him.
It had taken a few days and she had more than a few things to get off her chest now that she’d seen how he acted around Psyis. The woman who’d raised Radiation Man intended to set this human-computer straight about how he’d act with her little girl.
“We didn’t do anything it was just, stuff just got out of hand between us that day.” Izime tried to defend himself, rolling away as slowly as he could not wanting to suffer the pain of escaping to quickly.
Both the old woman and his body apparently punished him, all because he’d not jumped into the sack with stupid purple with zero hesitiation.
“Well, if you’d had that thing in hand today you’d feel a bit better.” Barb motioned toward Izime’s crotch with her boot, as she taunted him. The old saddle hand sipped at the schadenfreude, laughing a bit as Izime flinched reflexively at her movement, causing him a bit more pain.
“What is it with old women and taunting me with masturbation?” Izime almost cried at the unfairness of it all. Things had spun completely out of control in the most absurd ways as Psyis own mother was telling him he’d have been better off jerking it.
Her words reminded him of another old woman who’d also caught him, though that was after he’d taken the other less painful route.
“Stop getting caught,” Barb said as she stood, finally bored with kicking Izime. Looking at the exit to the barn, she hinted at the man to go where he could be useful; if he’d just chose to be.
Barb gave the boy permission of sorts to bed her daughter as she told him to go find her instead of crawling in the hay here, “Or go to Centropolis, then it won’t be an old lady catching you; it’d be my daughter.”
“I wasn’t even doing that.” Izime said, daring to give Barb just the slightest side eye as he found his way to his knees. Izime’s waist flinched reflexively as various nerves untensed themselves, finally releasing the AI from the torture rack of pain he’d been in.
“I know, I was feeding the chickens n’heard you talking to yours.” The old cowgirl laughed as Izime finally showed a bit of gumption. Though his little look was nothing, she’d seen Voidside in person after all and knew both her kids had whipped the piss out of him.
Smirking down at the snarky little man who seemed to have a bit of fire for everyone but the one holding a torch for him Barb sassed further, “So I know you weren’t choking it, the talking ones over there and you’ve still got’cher pants on.”
“Did you just come in here to taunt me?” Izime asked Barb honestly a bit shocked at the spite she’d come in with. He knew that there were some issues between her daughter and him but still, this was starting to feel more than just targeted.
“No, but it is making me feel a bit lot better.” Barb shook her head even as she admitted to get a bit of catharsis out of it. Finally uncrossing her arms and placing a hand on her hip she brought up her real problem with Izime, “You know Steven’s a lot of things, not many of’em good.”
“Yeah, met him.” The AI said, rolling his eyes as he reached out. Leaning on the stall as he stood, wondering if Barb was bringing up Steven for any real reason other than to flog him some more.
“I know he’s a city-shit, what I don’t know is you. As an alien or whatever I won’t judge, from what James told me you got a heart.” Barb said, watching as the man finally recovered from whatever had set of his case of testicular self-torture.
Waiting until he finally looked steady on his feet before she hit him verbally hard enough that he’d want to sit back down. Barb knew the words coming out of her mouth would rile any man who felt anything for the woman they called theirs, “As the first man I’ve ever seen my little blueberry lay out a set of dresses for…. Well, at least Steven’s honest about what he wants, and it's her.”
“Steven hardly wants anything good for Pi,” Izime said, narrowing his eyes and feeling a bit insulted as Barb insinuated that Psyis was better off with Steven than him.
The AI not saying what he wanted was better, but at least he wanted the same things she wanted for herself; her freedom.
“Shit, who does boy. We all want things for ourselves, now who the hell are you considering?” “Because I’m not convinced its my daughter, and now I don’t think its you either. I’m starting to think you’re scared.”
Cradle flapped its wings, getting anxious as the old woman didn’t know quite who she was riling.
The raven could feel the AI's more logical processes were swamped under a tidal wave of testosterone he'd been trying to manage. The old farm lady was trying to drag the fight out of a creature that had never been designed to handle to possessive primal habits she was expecting Izime to portray. Those instincts still being re-coded by the crowess.
Barb was unknowingly running the risk of elevating its nest program from his more background-task nature, returning him to the apex reality controlling program he'd been designed for.
“Of what?” The Basilisk walked over and laughed in the face of Radiation Man’s mother as he asked, “I’m nigh immortal what is there that could sc-”
Izime bit his tongue as Psyis mother struck the truth behind his bravado, the basilisk shutting its mouth as the human got in a low blow it hadn't expected.
Barb looked up a bit, finally getting a real feel for Psyis new man. Understanding why she’d not liked him to begin with: he reeked of being a drifter.
They all talked about how they could do these amazing things, rope and ride with the best of them. In the end they always ended up washing out to the next town. At least until some girl with enough spur on her boots finally legged him down and made them settle.
Something her daughter had clearly already tried and had yet to give up on. While he was simply to scared or stupid to accept a steady life, so Barb called him out on it.
“What would happen if you did love her. Show me one super anything that ain’t scared of that kind of hurt and I’ll show you a villain.” Barb kept her voice calm as she spoke the honest truth to the fuming brat. Psyis could handle him and James could handle her, and Barb had raised both of them; Izime didn’t scare her a lick.
The old cowgirl now calling out the man who would inevitably hurt her daughter if he didn’t straighten up, slapping him verbally so hard he'd actually flinched back.
“That difference is why I’m bothered talking to you; Steven is a bastard, but he’ll fight for what he wants.” Nodding heavily as she took her own steps forward now, knowing her words had knocked some real sense into the lad.
Fear was written across his face, as a mother honestly asked a man to respect her daughter's intentions.
Barb poked him in the chest, demanding Izime get his act together for his own sake, “That’s more than you're doing.”
The AI felt a few scenarios lock up as something very important almost clicked into place at Barb's words.
Izime blinked a few times as he tried to find the right words to describe the fears he'd been avioding, finally going for broke as he asked .“And if I fuck that up?”
Barb knew he only need a little bit more of a push to go running to her daughter's side to ruin whatever Steven had laid out for her so she said them quickly, “She’ll be in the shit without you anyway, sitting here you’re just abandoning her.”
Izime stood looking at Psyis mother weighing her words against the mechanically slow computing of his heart.
Each slow beat felt like it was tensing something tighter between Psyis and himself that he just couldn’t answer yet. The entire thing was a mess of uneasy braided cords, a combination of all sorts of emotions coiling into one.
The thought of Steven interfering with Psyis only stretched it tighter, several of those emotions popping in complaint while others snapped outright.
“Cradle, were leaving.” Izime looked over at his bond informing it that he was about to do something stupid like flying the coop they’d been put in. “I’ll be back with Psyis to get my stuff Mrs. Cent, thank you for the ass-chewing.”
The raven flapped over, perfectly fine with staying with the thessian now that Izime’d decided to handle his own mate. The raven tilted its head as Izime’s hand didn’t work as usual, turning its head down as it's sensors detected the interference.
The cowgirl smiled for a moment before she joined Izime in frowning, she’d been looking forward to a bit of the magic her daughter talked about; that snapping thing she’d bragged about.
Barb and Izime both watched as his fingers sparked and his form only fizzled for a moment. The AI pulled up his pants leg to look at a small box that had the letters B’E’ etched into the side.
Barb only nodded as she recognized another of the Blanes’ tricks, pointing towards a pair of metal sheers on the wall as she said “Snips are hanging on the wall, I’ll go call the lawyer.”
Afternoon Crying Session in Centropolis
Psyis let the water run over her shoulders, no energy for singing in the shower left as it had all been wasted on crying and getting sick.
I’m such an idiot.
Wondering why she’d ever thought it could be so easy to cut herself free from Steven. He’d never let her go before and now that the billionaire had to face a real threat of course he would step up accordingly.
With Trevor, it’d just been accusations of her playing around and being loose with the small-time heroes using them for the attention they’d give her.
Steven had been vocal about it then, playing the sad ex who just could compare to the web-slinging superhero.
Taunting her through interviews as she’d been making light work of Trevor’s sinister villains. Saying she’d just abandoned him for someone who lived in her world. Teasing her for stepping back down to the ranks of common folk.
Every word was another backhanded statement as Steven was clearly a hero as well and Trevor wasn’t nearly as financially well off.
With Izime, someone she couldn’t seem to control herself with?
Steven hadn’t said a word publicly, just sent a cold threat anonymously through his connections. Probably paying a good sum and leaking more than a bit of Dark Night's own backed-up recordings of the Station feeds.
The thessian sobbed all over again as that thought came to mind; Steven would have that recording of her trying to assault Izime forever and he’d use it again and again.
Psyis didn’t even know if she could face Izime if she returned to Kansas.
She’d been so foolish to think she could handle any of this or Steven at all, she never could; not alone because the entire universe was set against her.
Psyis felt the hot water turn cold on her skin, her mind flashing with the face of the one she needed. Her eyes, redder and puffier than normal, turned and looked through the shower curtain in a mixture of disbelief, relief, and anguish. Those worries faded as she’d found that familiar void before he’d even called out to her.
Izime voice serving as an audible reminder of how badly today had gone, sobs beginning anew as Psyis could feel the care laden in his voice.
“Hey Pi, are you OK?” Izime called out, his voice as soft as a lullaby through the bathroom door. He could already feel how tense Psyis was, the air in the apartment felt heavy with doubts. The AI not waiting for an answer as he reached for the doorknob.
Excusing his actions under the guise of worry, he opened the bathroom door to check on the thessian who'd started sobbing all over again.