After they returned from the city in Dr. Quinn's car, there was still
time for Amory to make it to a couple of his afternoon classes.
Actually, Marcus probably had classes he could've attended too, but
he asked to be dropped off at the apartment complex instead, and not
even the professor in the car raised any objections. He'd been
through...a lot today.
Blake was probably skipping classes too; a two-monster day with a
bonus and fusion piled on top was at least enough to noticeably tax
him, and when they had no idea what was coming tomorrow, ensuring
that he wasn't totally exhausted by then seemed like a wise choice.
Anyway, Amory trusted his roommate to know how much he could skip and
still do the necessary work to pass..under the assumption that things
would eventually be normal enough for grades to be assigned in the
first place, anyway.
What was Emma doing? All of their classes were in separate enough
buildings that he couldn't be sure whether she'd come to her classes
or not. It probably wasn't really his business anyway, although maybe
after they were both done, he could ask her out to supper again or
something? As far as he understood, their schedules at least had
similar end-times...
As the students in Amory's last lab for the day sifted out into the
hallway, many of them encountered a tall, wiry, older man in
semi-casual clothes and paid him fairly little mind. He had a kind of
well-kept, refined, yet hard-working look to him that suggested he
could be a professor in another department, or even someone important
visiting from a different university or something. He must've been
waiting on their professor to come out and chat with him about a
seminar the next day, or maybe the teacher in one of the neighboring
classrooms. However—none of these guesses would actually be
correct.
The man's face lit up when one particular student walked out. "Hey
there, champ!" he said in a kind, softspoken sort of voice.
"Working hard?"
"Dad!?" Amory hurried up to him, and was willingly picked up into a tight hug. "What're you doing here?"
"Dad!?" Amory hurried up to him, and was willingly picked up into a tight hug. "What're you doing here?"
"Well—" he set his son down. "—I was ordered to
take a day off after pulling an all-nighter Saturday, so I thought
I'd surprise you. You have any plans for dinner?"
"Nah, not really," he answered right away, fully expecting this exact question before it was even asked. This was far from the first time his father had shown up out of the blue to talk over a meal. Whatever half-formed thoughts there had been to make his own plans for supper hadn't been communicated with anyone yet, at least. But—thinking of that...
"Well, hey, it's a great opportunity for us to catch up in person, then! If you don't mind?"
"Do I ever?"
"Nah, not really," he answered right away, fully expecting this exact question before it was even asked. This was far from the first time his father had shown up out of the blue to talk over a meal. Whatever half-formed thoughts there had been to make his own plans for supper hadn't been communicated with anyone yet, at least. But—thinking of that...
"Well, hey, it's a great opportunity for us to catch up in person, then! If you don't mind?"
"Do I ever?"
"Hahah," his father ruffled his hair. "C'mon, they
opened a new place downtown I'm dying to try!"
Once his back was turned, Amory shuffled along behind him, quickly
sneaking his phone out into his hand and sending two short texts, to
his roommate:
dads
here
tell
emma
"Nah, I haven't seen him since this morning. He wasn't at
practice today, or anywhere in the cafeteria at lunch. I looked all
over! And, dude, he is not the kinda guy who just skips
meals for no reason. Or, uh, classes either, yeah."
Thad crossed his arms. "...Huh. Well, I'll let'cha know if I hear from him. Hope he's not sick or somethin'."
"Yeah, me too! I was sitting right next to him!" Marcus's classmate ran off.
Thad crossed his arms. "...Huh. Well, I'll let'cha know if I hear from him. Hope he's not sick or somethin'."
"Yeah, me too! I was sitting right next to him!" Marcus's classmate ran off.
Thaddeus thought: If he was sick, he would've called or
texted. If he was injured or something and in the hospital,
then...his family would surely know. But it was too soon to get them
involved. He'd tried his number and checked their apartment a couple
of times already, but...he couldn't help the feeling that it'd be
best to check just one more time. First, however, he had his own
obligations to get to. So he started briskly off in the direction of
the soccer field, listening in on the conversations around him.
"Uh-huh, Magus had it super rough today. Like, won the
garbage lottery in the tristate area! I mean..if you don't count
Void."
"Wait wait—who's Void?"
"The uh, deaf chick? That giant bird nightmare Light and Gemma had to fuse to take down?"
"Oh—yeah, yeah..."
"The uh, deaf chick? That giant bird nightmare Light and Gemma had to fuse to take down?"
"Oh—yeah, yeah..."
"..and that thing just straight up punched through the shield and she went flying. Then that lady with the Stand caught her, and...that's the last time you can see her in any of the footage!"
"I mean, yeah, but there'd be a special report if she really died or somethin', right? Vixens kinda usually vanish into the aether as soon as the battle's done—I mean, look at Light!"
"—just like a magical girl, I saw it myself. She was
all 'Binding thoooorns!' and this huge mess of vines went up
and grabbed the monster and then like, Light and Gemma started
wailing on it."
"So it really stung her in the chest after that?"
"I mean—maybe? I couldn't see it well from where I was, but she totally took a hit before teleporting—"
"I mean—maybe? I couldn't see it well from where I was, but she totally took a hit before teleporting—"
"Whoa, whoa—teleporting!?"
"Oh yeah, did I not mention that? She's got a teleport spell too! I think it's called 'instant transmission' or something."
"Oh yeah, did I not mention that? She's got a teleport spell too! I think it's called 'instant transmission' or something."
"No way—you've been watching too much DBZ..."
Thad stopped in front of the field, mentally calculating the drive
time between their town and the city. Placing the end time of the
last class Marcus was seen in against the time of the day's first
attack. Putting three and four together and not particularly liking
how odd the result was...
He had practice to get through first, but he was going to check the
apartment again the instant he was done. If Marcus was still
not there, it was time to call his family.
Light bolted upright in the bed at the sound of her phone buzzing,
looked back and forth around the bedroom briefly in a half-awake
semi-panicked expectation of some sort of sneak attack, and then
slowly slumped into a more relaxed posture before turning around to
pick up the phone and glance at the messages that had caused the
noise. Their contents caused her to sigh, turning around to sitting
up on the side of the bed while rubbing the side of her head briefly.
After this, she spoke the phrase to change back to human form, stood
up and went to the living room to get a good amount of pacing space.
Blake then called Emma—using her regular number, rather than
through the VI's app. She...was probably skipping classes this
afternoon, right? Or, if not, she'd see the call and call back.
Actually—was she still supposed to even be in classes at
this point? How long had he been asleep, exactly? Whatever the case,
she picked up after a few rings.
"Hello?"
"Uh..hey. We have—okay, no. I really hate to put it this way actually, but it's true: You might have a problem."
"Uh..hey. We have—okay, no. I really hate to put it this way actually, but it's true: You might have a problem."
"Um.." She stammered uncertainly. "A p, a problem?
What's wrong?"
"Sorry, it's..." he exhaled a sigh. "Not something wrong necessarily, but uh. Amory just told me his dad's here, and to let you know."
"Uh...okaaaay...?" Her tone of voice made it very obvious that she didn't comprehend how that could possibly be a problem.
So he hadn't told her about his father yet. That was..annoying, from Blake's current position, but understandable; they'd been on maybe two or three dates tops, even if one counted "meeting as fox-girls in dream space" as a date.
"Sorry, it's..." he exhaled a sigh. "Not something wrong necessarily, but uh. Amory just told me his dad's here, and to let you know."
"Uh...okaaaay...?" Her tone of voice made it very obvious that she didn't comprehend how that could possibly be a problem.
So he hadn't told her about his father yet. That was..annoying, from Blake's current position, but understandable; they'd been on maybe two or three dates tops, even if one counted "meeting as fox-girls in dream space" as a date.
"No, look, there's a reason he wanted me to tell you that.
Amory's dad is uh..hyper protective of his son. I mean
extremely. When I got randomly picked to be his roommate
freshman year he sat me down for like two hours and wanted to know
every single thing about me: My family, my hobbies, what I was
going to college for. He..talks in a really gentle, friendly way, but
he can get this..paralyzing look sometimes, when he's asking
things. It felt kinda like an interrogation."
"Uhhh..."
"And—he's probably here to surprise his son with dinner, and wants to have a chat with him. And he's gonna ask him something like whether he's dating anyone yet, and Amory can't lie to his dad. I mean—not about something like that, at least. He knows that, so he told me to tell you, probably knowing I'd know to also warn you. I mean—he's mellowed out since then, I think.."
"Y-you think?"
"Ever since that first, really long conversation, he's been cool with me. Look—it's.
"And—he's probably here to surprise his son with dinner, and wants to have a chat with him. And he's gonna ask him something like whether he's dating anyone yet, and Amory can't lie to his dad. I mean—not about something like that, at least. He knows that, so he told me to tell you, probably knowing I'd know to also warn you. I mean—he's mellowed out since then, I think.."
"Y-you think?"
"Ever since that first, really long conversation, he's been cool with me. Look—it's.
"The number one thing Amory's dad wants to know is whether or
not you're gonna hurt his son. Just be honest with him about
yourself, make it clear that you don't want that, and he'll probably
ease off. Maybe."
"Maybe? Probably maybe???"
Emma's voice had been getting higher with each response, and she
barely squeaked that last couple of words out.
"Uh—look. You'd..definitely have to meet him at some point if you were gonna keep dating Amory, right? I'm sure he would've warned you about this himself before then, if he had the chance. But—so—think of it as just, uh, getting it over with early."
"Y-yeah uhm..yeah..." she mumbled. "Aaah, I wish you hadn't told me, though! Now I'll worry about it until he shows up, and overthink everything!"
"Would you really rather have it be a complete surprise?"
"N-no..I just...! Mnnmnnngh..."
"Uh—look. You'd..definitely have to meet him at some point if you were gonna keep dating Amory, right? I'm sure he would've warned you about this himself before then, if he had the chance. But—so—think of it as just, uh, getting it over with early."
"Y-yeah uhm..yeah..." she mumbled. "Aaah, I wish you hadn't told me, though! Now I'll worry about it until he shows up, and overthink everything!"
"Would you really rather have it be a complete surprise?"
"N-no..I just...! Mnnmnnngh..."
After a substantial pause, she asked: "W-what's he like,
anyway?"
"Amory's dad? He's—really nice, kind, generous, softspoken. He
pretty much only gets intense like that when it's about Amory.
He works as a surgeon in a big hospital back at their hometown."
"That's uh..reassuriiinnng..." Blake guessed that she was
imagining a very tall man in bloodstained scrubs brandishing a
comically oversized surgical knife at her with a threatening glint in
his eye.
"Look, you'll do fine. We've faced down giant shadow monsters
together, right? What's one guy gonna do?"
"Y-yeah..heheh..." Her chuckle was more nervous than reassured. "Well um..th-thanks for telling me, anyway. Even if..I'm nottotallysure I wanted to hear it!"
"Y-yeah..heheh..." Her chuckle was more nervous than reassured. "Well um..th-thanks for telling me, anyway. Even if..I'm nottotallysure I wanted to hear it!"
"Yeah. You're welcome, sorry. Amory asked me to, so I'm sure he
thinks this is best."
"M-mhm..."
"Well, I just woke up and I have a bunch of homework to catch up
on still," Blake said. "So I'll see you later."
"O-okay. Bye!"
Rory stood up as soon as her husband's car came into the driveway,
hurrying to pull the front door open for him and then tackle-hug-kiss
him once he was inside. After that, still clinging on to him, she
said, "Hey! You have a good trip?"
"Eehh..let's leave it at 'successful'. Nobody died, anyway," he said, gently ruffling her hair before setting her down. "I understand things went about as well on your end?"
"Yeah! We beat up a giant bird and rescued the girl inside!" She excitedly led the way into the living room. "But I couldn't think of a good quip for it when it really mattered! I had the perfect setup with Sesame Street and..pwffh, nothing!" She was grinning throughout this, being very obviously mock-upset.
"Eehh..let's leave it at 'successful'. Nobody died, anyway," he said, gently ruffling her hair before setting her down. "I understand things went about as well on your end?"
"Yeah! We beat up a giant bird and rescued the girl inside!" She excitedly led the way into the living room. "But I couldn't think of a good quip for it when it really mattered! I had the perfect setup with Sesame Street and..pwffh, nothing!" She was grinning throughout this, being very obviously mock-upset.
"I think you must be doing pretty well if wordplay is the worst
of your worries," Clark said.
"Uh, weelll.." She sort of wrung her hands a bit. "I
went looking around, you know, between when I got here and now. I
didn't really know where to look, I found some really old papers and
magazines and stuff but nothing really useful. But then I thought,
'wait, why don't I check the contact list in my phone'? And—"
"Hold on," he put up a hand. "What were you looking
for, exactly?"
"Oh! Right. Uh...my uh, to see if I could figure out some way to contact my parents."
"Right," he nodded. "And..you found something?"
"Mmhm." She got her phone off the coffee table in front of the couch. "It's—it says 'dad'. I think I, had that number put in like six phones ago, when I was um, before we met? I guess it's just migrated from one phone to another, and so I haven't called it in...years."
He gave her a concerned look for a moment. "I've never seen you so nervous before. This is what you were looking for, right? Some sort of lead, at least?"
"Y-yeah, but...what if it's not even his number anymore? What if he already died? Or, I said something awful last time we spoke, and now I don't remember it but he still hates me?"
"Well, at least you'll know more if you do call." He crossed his arms. "Isn't not knowing the worst thing? And science all about gathering evidence towards the right answers?"
"H-heheh, yeah. I just....I wasn't sure I could deal with it on my own, is all. So I was waiting for you to come back."
"I understand," her husband said, pulling himself around her in a brief hug before sitting on the couch and patting the seat next to him. "I'll be here for you whenever you need me."
"Oh! Right. Uh...my uh, to see if I could figure out some way to contact my parents."
"Right," he nodded. "And..you found something?"
"Mmhm." She got her phone off the coffee table in front of the couch. "It's—it says 'dad'. I think I, had that number put in like six phones ago, when I was um, before we met? I guess it's just migrated from one phone to another, and so I haven't called it in...years."
He gave her a concerned look for a moment. "I've never seen you so nervous before. This is what you were looking for, right? Some sort of lead, at least?"
"Y-yeah, but...what if it's not even his number anymore? What if he already died? Or, I said something awful last time we spoke, and now I don't remember it but he still hates me?"
"Well, at least you'll know more if you do call." He crossed his arms. "Isn't not knowing the worst thing? And science all about gathering evidence towards the right answers?"
"H-heheh, yeah. I just....I wasn't sure I could deal with it on my own, is all. So I was waiting for you to come back."
"I understand," her husband said, pulling himself around her in a brief hug before sitting on the couch and patting the seat next to him. "I'll be here for you whenever you need me."
She sat down. "Sorry. I-I guess I..was...I mean, I never felt,
weak like this. Before I...died, right?"
"I can't speak to how you felt, but you never told me so,"
he said, shrugging. "I can't imagine that you really never
were afraid or nervous or unhappy, now that I think of it. But, at
the time, I never questioned it. You seemed invincible to me, and
maybe I...acted in way that encouraged you to reinforce that image.
If so...I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? What for?"
"It just seems to me like it'd be terribly lonely.." He
shook his head. "Maybe I'm reading too much into this.
But—either way, I don't care if you're not invincible. It's
more important to me that you're honest. And that I get to be here to
help you if you need it. Goodness knows you've been around to help me
for a long time."
"Ah..h-heheh." Rory nodded, smiling slightly. "Well I uh..guess I'll give this a try, then," she said, gesturing upward with the phone in her hand before going to use it.
"Ah..h-heheh." Rory nodded, smiling slightly. "Well I uh..guess I'll give this a try, then," she said, gesturing upward with the phone in her hand before going to use it.
"I wanted to let you know—I'm sorry about last Thursday. You
were right, of course—after I took some time to rest and cool my
head, I realized that."
Amory was sitting across from his father at the restaurant, awaiting one specific question. Not that he wasn't paying attention to the rest of the conversation. He nodded. "It's okay. I think pretty much everyone has something very real to be afraid of these days."
"Yes...I panicked then because I got a look at some of the damage firsthand. Even though it isn't my main area of expertise, they needed help at the ER. One of those, things, had taken down a building...and one of those girls in our town had been badly injured while distracting it so the others could get people out. She pulled through, but...barely." He shook his head. "The first thing she wanted to know once she was conscious was..how soon she could rejoin her teammates. Continue the fight. I had to be very delicate in explaining to her that the kind of injuries she'd just survived took weeks to recover from, if you were lucky. I had to tell her what broken pieces of her I'd had to personally put back together for her to even begin to understand..."
Amory was sitting across from his father at the restaurant, awaiting one specific question. Not that he wasn't paying attention to the rest of the conversation. He nodded. "It's okay. I think pretty much everyone has something very real to be afraid of these days."
"Yes...I panicked then because I got a look at some of the damage firsthand. Even though it isn't my main area of expertise, they needed help at the ER. One of those, things, had taken down a building...and one of those girls in our town had been badly injured while distracting it so the others could get people out. She pulled through, but...barely." He shook his head. "The first thing she wanted to know once she was conscious was..how soon she could rejoin her teammates. Continue the fight. I had to be very delicate in explaining to her that the kind of injuries she'd just survived took weeks to recover from, if you were lucky. I had to tell her what broken pieces of her I'd had to personally put back together for her to even begin to understand..."
He trailed off, leaning back again, a hard expression on his face
softening. "Sorry. I shouldn't talk about that at dinner."
"It's okay," Amory said. Sometimes he just needed to let these things out, and there was perhaps no one better than his son to patiently listen when he did. Growing up in their house had steeled Amory pretty well against talk of injuries, internal organs, bleeding, and so on.
"It's okay," Amory said. Sometimes he just needed to let these things out, and there was perhaps no one better than his son to patiently listen when he did. Growing up in their house had steeled Amory pretty well against talk of injuries, internal organs, bleeding, and so on.
He shook his head lightly. "Anyway..I couldn't help but worry
that you'd be just like that—if you were in a similar situation.
That was what made me worry so much."
They were briefly interrupted by the waiter bringing drinks and
asking for their food orders. His dad ordered three big appetizers
for them both plus his own meal, and would've insisted Amory still
order himself something if he didn't anticipate this and just order
anyway. There were always to-go boxes to handle the inevitable
leftovers, after all.
"..I really should get off of such heavy topics. No good for my
blood pressure," he joked—Amory's father had one of the
healthiest hearts known to humanity. "So...anything new with
you? Finally, dating anyone?"
There it was.
There it was.
"...Hello?"
"Hey uh..is this..." Rory mentally grasped for the name for
a second; she only knew the first name from some recent research,
rather than having actually remembered it yet. "Thatcher
Quinn?"
"It is. Who..wait...Rory?"
"It is. Who..wait...Rory?"
"Um. Yes."
There was some noise on the other end like the phone being dropped or
roughly set down, and then, distantly, his voice yelling, "Dear!
Come quick, it's Rory!" A minute or so later, there was some
more noise on the other end, and when he spoke again it was obviously
on speakerphone. "It's been.." He was briefly interrupted
by a cough. "Some years, hasn't it?"
"We've missed you," a woman's (her mother's) voice interjected.
"Errh...to what do we owe the pleasure?" he continued. It sounded perhaps a little sarcastic, but at the same time, Rory had the sense that he just wasn't sure what to say to move the conversation forward.
"We've missed you," a woman's (her mother's) voice interjected.
"Errh...to what do we owe the pleasure?" he continued. It sounded perhaps a little sarcastic, but at the same time, Rory had the sense that he just wasn't sure what to say to move the conversation forward.
"Well uh. I dunno how much of the news you guys have been
following, but—you, know about all the people who got superpowers
to fight the monsters attacking the Earth...right?"
"Sure. We've been following your exploits closely ever since
this whole mess started," he said.
"Then I guess um..you know about it already, sort of. It's just—
"I had a near-death experience. Well...actually, I did
die, then came back. Or..arguably, I only cheated death? But,
whatever, anyway—I lost my memory in the process, and a lot of it
still hasn't come back. So I guess you could say I, really
don't remember what I was angry about anymore."
"Hmmh. Can't say as I remember, either. I suppose that man's
been a better husband to you than I expected, by all accounts."
Him exclusively referring to Clark 'that man' did prick
something in her memory a tiny bit, particularly a note of annoyance.
"He did, yeah. Saved my life, for one thing—basically
chose bringing me back over unimaginable power. But uh." Arguing
about this wasn't the point of the conversation, she reminded
herself. "I just—wanted to talk to you..both of you again,
before it was too late."
"Hey now, we're not that old," he said with a slight chuckle. Then, after a pause: "Ah—listen. It'd be great to catch up with you...with both of you over dinner, if you haven't eaten yet? We're only a half hour out from where you live now."
"Hey now, we're not that old," he said with a slight chuckle. Then, after a pause: "Ah—listen. It'd be great to catch up with you...with both of you over dinner, if you haven't eaten yet? We're only a half hour out from where you live now."
Rory paused, looking at Clark. He would have to drive them; she still
wasn't sure she entirely remembered that particular skill set. He
gave a quick affirmative shrug. "Um..sure. We'd love to, to come
see you, then."
"Well, she asked me out, actually. And—we'd met
before, during the study group thing last year. Her major's in
English, and she needed some help getting through her science
courses."
His dad looked happy, but...Amory still somehow suspected he was
making an effort to. "How many dates have you been on so far?"
"Just a few. Emma's great, though. I can introduce you,
if you want?"
"Sure," he nodded. "I'd like that. But what's she
like?"
"Oh, uh—Emma's really smart and funny. Very cute! Though, she can be a little scatterbrained sometiems, and gets really nervous in unfamiliar social situatios. Like, she was terrified to even ask me out at first—never dated anyone before. Blake kinda noticed her around and 're-introduced' us."
"Blake?" He tilted his head a little. "He doesn't seem like the matchmaking type to me."
"Oh, uh—Emma's really smart and funny. Very cute! Though, she can be a little scatterbrained sometiems, and gets really nervous in unfamiliar social situatios. Like, she was terrified to even ask me out at first—never dated anyone before. Blake kinda noticed her around and 're-introduced' us."
"Blake?" He tilted his head a little. "He doesn't seem like the matchmaking type to me."
"Oh, he's totally not, and he wasn't. As far as I know,
it was her idea—she wanted to ask me out in the first
place. He just helped her be brave, a little bit."
"Ah. That makes more sense.
"Ah. That makes more sense.
"Well, we shouldn't presume on Emma's time, should we? Perhaps
you should call and ask if she's willing to talk for a few minutes,"
he said.
"Yeah, that's—probably a good idea. Hang on a minute..."
Amory got out his phone and called, hoping Blake woke up from those
texts and had had time to warn her by now. After a couple of rings,
she picked up.
"Um—hello?"
"Hey, Emma, it's me. My uh, dad's in town and wanted to know if I could introduce you?"
"Well I uh..um." Going by how nervous her responses were...she probably had been told about him by now. Good. "S-sure?"
"Hey, Emma, it's me. My uh, dad's in town and wanted to know if I could introduce you?"
"Well I uh..um." Going by how nervous her responses were...she probably had been told about him by now. Good. "S-sure?"
"Where do you want to meet up? The lounge area, or maybe just
your place?"
"Uh—my apartment's fine," she said. "I uh—I n-need clean up a little, but there's not that much of a mess. D-did you both eat already, 'cause I have a um, there's a few things I could make if, if not?"
"We're, actually at a restaurant now," Amory said. She might've been hoping to impress his dad with something from Beryl's 'cooking spellbooks'..oh well.
"O-oh, okay. Well—I'll uh, I'll just get something for myself then. And then I'll bee....heeere."
"Uh—my apartment's fine," she said. "I uh—I n-need clean up a little, but there's not that much of a mess. D-did you both eat already, 'cause I have a um, there's a few things I could make if, if not?"
"We're, actually at a restaurant now," Amory said. She might've been hoping to impress his dad with something from Beryl's 'cooking spellbooks'..oh well.
"O-oh, okay. Well—I'll uh, I'll just get something for myself then. And then I'll bee....heeere."
"Okay. See you soon.
"She said we could meet in her apartment. I guess her roommate's
out again," Amory said. "She's pretty close to graduating,
and out pretty often—I think she's got family living nearby or
something."
His father nodded, smiling gently. "I'll look forward to seeing
her, then."
It is entirely by coincidence that a lot of characters in this story have...complicated relationships with their fathers, but once I noticed that was the case, I couldn't pass up on an opportunity to use it as a theme for this part of the story and kind explore them all at once. Anyway, this episode was largely held up by some severe writer's block when it came to Rory's father and how he would act/respond, which feels ridiculous to me in hindsight since he's supposed to be a quite minor character overall.
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