“I don’t know what to say, really. I have a few unfair advantages, myself. My captivation field is… well, you can see as well as I can,” Lilith said, glancing around the room, noting how almost every person was looking in her direction. “Yet even without that, how I was created certainly doesn’t help. I draw attention whether I want it or not, so I can’t really understand your frustration. I hope you do better, though.”
“Yeah, you can’t. On the other hand, I was thinking about it, and well…” Astra hesitated, frowning, then asked. “Do you promise you won’t get mad if I tell you something?”
“I rarely get mad about anything,” Lilith replied, looking at her a little more suspiciously. “That said… I’ll certainly try not to. I can’t promise I won’t, though.”
Astra fiddled with the magazine on the table next to her for a moment, then spoke, her voice quiet. “I… well, part of the reason I wanted to befriend you was simple. You’re in the news a lot, and there are plenty of pictures of you. If you’re in the news, that means that your friends will be in the news. It’d help me, and it doesn’t hurt you, so…”
A part of Lilith wilted. It wasn’t that she was particularly close to Astra yet, but the admission was like a weight had been dropped on her shoulders. She’d hoped that any friends she made would be interested in her for who she was, not because of what she could give them, but… her therapist had warned her that this might happen. That in her quest to find friends, she’d find plenty of people who were in it for what they could get out of the relationship, not just for her company. That being the case, Lilith had braced herself for the possibility, and she marshalled her thoughts, trying to decide on a response.
“Ah. Is that the only reason? Do you like me at all?” Lilith asked, glancing toward the clock again. It was getting close to the time of her appointment, whether that was good or bad.
“Of course I do! I mean, sure, I want to become famous, but I wouldn’t associate with people just for that. If I was willing to put up with anyone for fame, I would have taken—” Astra began, then her mouth snapped shut as she cut herself short. The heroine fumed for a moment, anger on her face as Lilith looked at her in surprise, then continued, her voice taut. “Never mind that. I won’t give… them the satisfaction. Let’s just say that some heroes are much less pleasant behind closed doors. Anyway, you’re nice enough, Lilith. I’d be happy to meet for movies or parties. Not anything more than that, but you said that you were looking for a regular friendship, not anything else, and I think that the idea of an independent hero party around Christmas is a great idea. It’d give us a chance to network and chat in ways that we can’t at, like, conventions.”
“I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I got it after chatting with Ivanova a bit,” Lilith admitted. She opened her mouth to continue, but at that moment a door next to the desk opened and a blonde woman poked her head out to call. “Lilith?”
“Ah, sorry. I’ll see you later, Astra?” Lilith asked apologetically, standing up again.
“Sure! Let me know how it was, alright?” Astra said hopefully.
“I will,” Lilith agreed, and started toward the woman, making certain to keep her pace natural. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Astra’s admission, but if she liked her… well, she hadn’t seemed to be lying, so Lilith decided to set the thought aside. She could worry about it later.
The woman waiting for her was pretty, standing almost a full head shorter than Lilith, to her surprise, and she looked up at Lilith with bright blue eyes, pursing her lips as she tapped a spot on her tablet.
“Huh, you’re taller than I thought you were, from the pictures! You’re Lilith Carpenter, correct?” the woman asked. “Not that I’m doubting, but I have to check. It’s part of the procedures.”
“Yes, I am,” Lilith replied, nodding politely as she smiled back at the woman. “So… if you don’t mind me asking, how does this usually go?”
“Let me take care of this…” the woman said, hitting another spot on the tablet, then swiping a finger across the surface. Then she gestured for the Lilith to follow. “If you’ll follow me?”
She led the way into the back, and as they walked, Lilith looked to either side, her eyebrows rising as they passed rooms with glass windows, through which she could see men and women in private rooms with a large variety of tools and other items Lilith couldn’t identify at a glance. Some of the rooms had curtains drawn, but even she could tell that the work being done was by beauticians and the like. Lilith had seen them before, even if only in passing.
“This is pretty simple. I take you to Leisure, she chats with you, seeing what you need, and most likely you partially undress for the massage. I’m not certain if you’ll be having a makeover or not, but that’s also a possibility,” the woman explained briskly as they walked. “All told, most visits take between one and two hours. You’re scheduled for the longer period today.”
“Thank you,” Lilith said, mulling the explanation over. She felt herself relaxing slightly, which was a good sign, she thought. Knowing what to expect allowed Lilith to make plans, which helped her nerves.
They reached an elevator a few seconds later, and the woman pressed the button, causing the doors to open, and pressed the button for the second floor once Lilith was inside. The elevator wasn’t as good as some of the others Lilith had been inside, as there was a sensation like her stomach moved downward when it started moving, but the trip was short, and the door opened to reveal a hallway with a door directly across from them. A sign on the door declared it the CEO’s office.
“Here we are. Go right in, she’s expecting you,” Lilith’s guide said, and Lilith nodded politely to her, a hint of butterflies flaring up in her stomach.
“Thank you,” Lilith said, taking a breath, then stepped forward, opening the door and entering the office.
Leisure’s office was brightly lit, with the entire rear half of the room taken up by a glass window, and on the walls were a few framed certifications and pictures. The desk in the middle of the room was a thin sheet of black glass held up by a metal frame, and a computer screen was in one corner, wires trailing from it down into the floor. Behind it was a woman, and Lilith studied Leisure as the woman looked her over in turn.
Leisure was sitting in a chair, and she looked somewhat different than Lilith had expected, with her black hair cut in a bob rather than the long, flowing hair that she’d had in the pictures Lilith had seen, and her eyes were a bright blue. She was slim, almost six feet tall, and attractive, though there was a slightly sharp edge to Leisure’s features. The woman wore black slacks and a light blue shirt, and was toying with a pen as she looked Lilith in the eyes.
“Hello. If you’d take a seat?” Leisure offered, gesturing to the chair across from her. “How would you like to be addressed?
“Thank you, and Lilith would be fine,” Lilith replied, taking the chair. “How should I address you?”
“I simply go by Leisure, these days. Even if, ironically, I don’t have much time for it myself,” Leisure replied, her lips quirking upward, and Lilith couldn’t help a smile of amusement. She hadn’t expected the woman to make a joke at her own expense.
“From everything I’ve heard, that sounds right. You’ve been expanding your business, which is more than I can say for myself,” Lilith told her, just a hint of nervousness fluttering through her, now.
“Mm, I don’t think so. Your partnership with Whispering Darkness has made the news… but it isn’t something you’re directly involved in, as far as I can tell,” Leisure replied, shaking her head slightly as she studied Lilith. “Now, that aside, I’m curious, why did you come here? Usually, guests are eager to meet me, but you appear nervous.”
“I mostly came because… well, there are two reasons,” Lilith corrected herself, taking a slow breath as she re-shuffled her answers due to Leisure’s question, and decided to start with the simpler of the two. “Osmar offered to make an introduction, and I mulled it over for a tim
e before taking it. I’ve heard that it’s hard to get an appointment, as your waiting list is usually a couple of months long.”
“That’s true. I’m one of the few people who can properly tend to supers who have… perhaps we should call it excessive durability. Most people can’t give them proper massages, at least not without risking everything in the area. It means that when they need to relax, they contact me… and there are more of them every year.” Leisure confirmed, tilting her head speculatively. “And the other reason?”
“I’ve been stressed a lot the last couple of weeks, as my entire life was turned upside down,” Lilith said softly, looking downward now. “I want to try new things, and this… well, it seemed like a good idea. Though if I’m taking the time from someone who needs it more… I don’t want to do that.”
Leisure didn’t reply, and for a few seconds Lilith kept her gaze downcast, at least until she realized what she was doing, and slowly dragged it upward. Fighting her tendency to back off and let other people have their way was… difficult. Leisure was watching Lilith thoughtfully when she finally saw her face again, the woman sitting back in her chair.
“Now I understand what Osmar said in his email,” Leisure said at last, studying Lilith carefully. “No, you don’t necessarily need my personal touch, at least not if you decide that you want to do something like this in the future, but finding someone appropriate for you… that’s important. I think assessing you myself is well worth my time.”
“Osmar talked about me?” Lilith asked, her eyebrows rising, and a hint of… exasperation ran through her. She was getting tired of people talking about her to others.
“Not in the way that you’re thinking. He simply told me that your situation required more care than I might think. Which is true. Normally, with someone of your notoriety, I would hand you off to one of my assistants to choose a proper attendant… but I’m not sure they would’ve made the right decision,” Leisure said, and smiled, standing up. “Regardless of whether it would have worked out or not, you’re here, and I accepted the appointment. Would you like a massage, or would you prefer not to, Lilith? Either way, the next hour and fifty minutes is reserved for you.”
Unusually, Lilith didn’t feel any pressure from Leisure regarding her decision. How she managed it, standing up like that and looking down at Lilith, was beyond her, but it impressed her. Lilith considered for a few seconds, then nodded.
“I’m here, and I’d feel terrible if I wasted your time, so… why not? If I enjoy it, perhaps I’ll take you up on the offer of someone else doing so,” Lilith agreed, standing up again and feeling her nerves settle.
“Excellent,” Leisure murmured, and gestured for Lilith to follow her out of the room.
An hour later, Lilith was startled she was even upright, as her muscles felt like someone had replaced them with gelatin. She’d never felt so relaxed, and she finally understood why so many heroes came to Leisure for massages.
The woman had briefly shown her what a normal massage was like, then she’d switched to using her powers, and that had been eye-opening, as Lilith’s muscles simply melted under the attention. Leisure was able to simply touch Lilith and relax the muscles effortlessly, though she added effort that made the experience more pleasant, even if it didn’t help Lilith stay upright.
“Are you alright?” Leisure asked, her eyebrows rising slightly. “I’ve seen people who are unsteady after a massage, but no one quite like you.”
“I… think so? It’s just… I’ve never been this relaxed before, not when I was conscious,” Lilith said, swaying slightly, but forcibly steadied herself a moment later. Convincing her muscles to work took rather more effort than normal, but work they did. “It feels wonderful, like I could just melt into a puddle on the floor.”
Leisure looked at her skeptically for a few seconds, then shrugged, murmuring. “If you say so. Perhaps it’s how your muscles are put together? There’s something unique about your musculature that I haven’t encountered before. Considering your past, perhaps Shadowmind deliberately adjusted things…? I couldn’t say.”
“That’s certainly possible,” Lilith said, inhaling again, then reached up to slowly button her shirt. It was harder than normal to fit the buttons through the holes. “It could also be my nervous system. Amber tried to improve on things, like using a nervous system that reacts at light speed rather than through chemical transmission, and most of my senses are heightened in most ways. Perhaps it just struck me harder because of that?”
“That’s a good theory. It might be something you should look into,” Leisure replied, her eyes brightening slightly as she looked Lilith over again. “Have you ever had someone do a proper scan of your body, to figure everything out?”
“Does the evaluation at SuperNet count?” Lilith asked, finishing the last of the buttons with a wry smile. Leisure laughed in response, grinning at her.
“No, of course not. SuperNet figures out what you can do, not how it works. Most of our abilities defy explanation, anyway,” Leisure replied, raising a hand as she proffered it, palm-up. “Like me, for instance. How does my power work? No one has the slightest idea. I touch someone, and if I want to, I relax the muscles. There’s no energy that anyone can detect, no magic, nothing. I simply do it. That’s part of why SuperNet doesn’t focus on the how of things.”
“Mm, fair,” Lilith admitted, considering, then shook her head. “I’ll have to think about getting that done, but not right now. I have far too many problems as it is and finding someone who can do the analysis and who I’d trust would be non-trivial.”
“That I can readily believe,” Leisure agreed, smiling at Lilith. “Now, would you like me to call someone to help you, or can you manage on your own? If you’d like, we have a break room where you can recover for a little while before leaving as well.”
Lilith paused, analyzing her state carefully for a few moments, then shook her head. “No, I think I’ll be fine. Thank you for the offer, though, and I very well may make another appointment. I’ll try not to bother you if I do, since… well, like you said, I don’t need your help, unlike some other supers.”
Leisure smiled and nodded, murmuring, “I hope to see the request come through, then. I’ve flagged your profile for my personal attention, so I can choose someone appropriate if you do. Have a wonderful rest of the day, Lilith.”
“Thank you,” Lilith told her, giving Leisure a warm smile, then grabbed her purse and headed for the door unsteadily.
Her body was warm and relaxed, and she felt better than she had in weeks. Life was looking better, like the sun had come out from behind the clouds.
Chapter 29
Thursday, September 11th, 2031
Iver, England
A heavy sigh disrupted the room’s quiet, and as it did, Rachel felt her fingers clench around her pen, and she paused, inhaling slowly, then let her breath out before she spoke.
“If you sigh again in here, I’m going to break your easel and your favorite brush in half,” Rachel said, her voice taut, despite her attempts to keep the frustration out of her voice.
“Don’t give me that. Who was it who was going all, ‘I need to call Lilith’ yesterday, and argued when we told you no?” Gina retorted, and Rachel slapped her pen down on the table, growling under her breath.
“This, and that, have nothing to do with one another!” Rachel snapped, glowering at Gina angrily. “Yes, you had to stop me yesterday. Yes, I still want to call Lilith, despite how utterly stupid of an idea it is. God, I hate how this feels like… like I’m going through puberty again! But whether I wanted to call her or not, just like you did when the same round of changes were undone, doesn’t have anything to do with you sighing loudly when I’m trying to figure out how to fix your damned body!”
Gina was laying on Rachel’s bed, and opened her mouth to retort. Before she could speak, Madison raised her voice so she could be heard through the floor.
“Girls, if you’re going to have a go at one another
, I’d rather not hear it,” the former heroine warned, her voice with a hint of iron in it. “Don’t make me come up there.”
For a moment they were both quiet, and Rachel glanced at the floor, then at Gina, who’d sat up, scowling slightly. Neither of them was happy, and for good reason. It’d taken a bit to get there, but Madison had managed to undo the changes which had made Gina and Rachel lose their feelings for Lilith, and the sudden change caused rather extreme emotions in both of them. Rachel wondered how in the hell Shadowmind had been able to do it without causing similar problems, but there was no way of knowing. Mostly, she was frustrated beyond belief.
“Sorry, Maddy! We’ll keep it down,” Gina called back after a moment, then adjusted her position so she was sitting cross-legged, looking back at Rachel for a few seconds.
“Well?” Rachel asked, keeping her tone more civil as she crossed her arms.
“Well, what? We’re both upset, and wound up like springs. We’re stuck halfway around the world, with few of our things for distractions. Heck, I can’t even call my dad easily for a chat, with how the time zones line up,” Gina said, glowering at Rachel. “I’m just glad we haven’t gotten any gloating emails from Sky Defender about all of this.”
Rachel inhaled again to reply, then paused, counting to ten to make sure she could speak more reasonably, then let it out. Only then did she reply. “Yes, we’re upset. I’m not surprised about Sky, though. Last I heard from Spirit, he was looking into finding a therapist or something. He snapped with Lilith, and it nearly got people killed, so… yeah. He needs, or needed, it. Hell, after all of this, we’ll probably need it.”
Queen's Journey (Lilith's Shadow Book 5) Page 19
