Disco Fever [1972]

[Heridfel]

"No," says Sean. "I'd say it's about freezing out. It needs to be around that cold to see your breath in the air. The bookstore's right up that way. I think I'll come in and see what he's got in there. I'm not going to walk all the way out here and then come back to pick you up if you're just going in and out."

He holds open the door for Lynn and Ren to head in before him. If they dally, he says, "Come on; you don't want to let all the cold air in."

---

Meanwhile, Icarus is making good progress on his battlesuit. All of the obvious dings have been hammered out, and he's taken some time to re-inscribe the runes on the gears and the inside of the armor. In fact, he's even had time to add the extra set of runes over the existing ones. If everything works, well... he'll find out.

He reaches out, placing his hand on the suit. It is still glowing red in some places, but his own aura provides enough protection against the place where he touches. He pictures the armor on him and closes his eyes. It begins to flow around him like it is alive, spreading out and taking the form that it had been before it was damaged. With another thought, the wings slowly retract into the main body. He smiles, and he's about to flip up the welding mask when he gets the feeling that he's not alone. Whirling around, he sees two men with guns pointed at him.

"Look, a freak," one of them says. The other nods and says in reply, "Lousy heroes, always stickin' their noses where they don't belong."

Icarus rolls his eyes behind the mask. He's not even a hero, but these two are stupid enough that he'll make an exception. The gray energy flows out from him, and the two men fall the ground, pinned by a weight of over one ton.

"You are idiots," Icarus says to them. "A guy puts on a suit made of glowing hot metal, and you pull a piece on him? What did you think was going to happen? You're lucky I'm in a good mood tonight." He walks over and goes to pick them up. One of them screams like a little girl, and Icarus realizes that while he's fine inside the suit, the outside is still hot enough to burn people. With a frown, he grabs a busted tire to insulate them, and the smell of smoldering tires fills the air.

He reaches down again and lifts them up, flying out the door and into the night sky. When he sees a building without a fire escape, he lands and drops them roughly onto it.

"Have fun getting down from there, chumps," he says and flies off again. It's time to find Nanowire and that girl who he was hitting on.

[Heridfel]

"No," says Sean. "I'd say it's about freezing out. It needs to be around that cold to see your breath in the air. The bookstore's right up that way. I think I'll come in and see what he's got in there. I'm not going to walk all the way out here and then come back to pick you up if you're just going in and out."

He holds open the door for Lynn and Ren to head in before him. If they dally, he says, "Come on; you don't want to let all the cold air in."

---

Meanwhile, Icarus is making good progress on his battlesuit. All of the obvious dings have been hammered out, and he's taken some time to re-inscribe the runes on the gears and the inside of the armor. In fact, he's even had time to add the extra set of runes over the existing ones. If everything works, well... he'll find out.

He reaches out, placing his hand on the suit. It is still glowing red in some places, but his own aura provides enough protection against the place where he touches. He pictures the armor on him and closes his eyes. It begins to flow around him like it is alive, spreading out and taking the form that it had been before it was damaged. With another thought, the wings slowly retract into the main body. He smiles, and he's about to flip up the welding mask when he gets the feeling that he's not alone. Whirling around, he sees two men with guns pointed at him.

"Look, a freak," one of them says. The other nods and says in reply, "Lousy heroes, always stickin' their noses where they don't belong."

Icarus rolls his eyes behind the mask. He's not even a hero, but these two are stupid enough that he'll make an exception. The gray energy flows out from him, and the two men fall the ground, pinned by a weight of over one ton.

"You are idiots," Icarus says to them. "A guy puts on a suit made of glowing hot metal, and you pull a piece on him? What did you think was going to happen? You're lucky I'm in a good mood tonight." He walks over and goes to pick them up. One of them screams like a little girl, and Icarus realizes that while he's fine inside the suit, the outside is still hot enough to burn people. With a frown, he grabs a busted tire to insulate them, and the smell of smoldering tires fills the air.

He reaches down again and lifts them up, flying out the door and into the night sky. When he sees a building without a fire escape, he lands and drops them roughly onto it.

"Have fun getting down from there, chumps," he says and flies off again. It's time to find Nanowire and that girl who he was hitting on.

[Heritage]

He holds open the door for Lynn and Ren to head in before him. If they dally, he says, "Come on; you don't want to let all the cold air in."

Lynn tentatively steps through the door into the shop, and the feeling is hard to describe; deja vu doesn't cover it, and technically it's sort of the direct opposite. She has seen this place many times before, but never like this.

Silberman's Books is not a large shop, or at least you wouldn't think so from the outside; several years ago Louis Silberman quietly bought the storefront next to his, knocked down the connecting wall in a few places, and expanded his shop almost double. There are books everywhere, in shelves made in a wide variety of woods and sizes that line the walls and stand in tidy clusters; the few bare patches of wall are covered in signed black-and-white photos in elegant frames, vintage movie one-sheets and large posters for magic shows from the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Carter, Blackstone, Thurston and Houdini are all well-represented, as well as more obscure illusionists like Kellar and Long Tack Sam, and advertisements from exotic-sounding firms like 'Martinka & Co." and 'Wo and Shade' offer tricks like 'The Vanishing Lamp' and 'The Levitation of Princess Karnack' for sale. The long wooden counter with the antique cash register (He used to let me play with that) is nearly obscured under an array of plastic tubs and cardboard boxes filled with trick card decks, interlocking rings and plastic wands.

The smell is the same (maybe a little less dusty), but the patina of age she remembers from her childhood isn't there, or at least it hasn't truly settled in yet. The posters are brighter and less sun-faded, the shelves better organized, and the boxes full of old comics and Harris magazines aren't piled quite as high or haphazardly as she recalls. However, the almost primordial sense of 'Grandpa' is almost overwhelming; she can smell his hair tonic, hear the crackle of his old transistor radio playing swing music and the ticking of the mantel clock in the back room. Lynn gets a little light-headed, and clings tightly to Ren's arm as spontaneous tears pour down her cheeks; her voice is just above a whisper when she speaks.

"My god...it's really him."

[Heritage]

He holds open the door for Lynn and Ren to head in before him. If they dally, he says, "Come on; you don't want to let all the cold air in."

Lynn tentatively steps through the door into the shop, and the feeling is hard to describe; deja vu doesn't cover it, and technically it's sort of the direct opposite. She has seen this place many times before, but never like this.

Silberman's Books is not a large shop, or at least you wouldn't think so from the outside; several years ago Louis Silberman quietly bought the storefront next to his, knocked down the connecting wall in a few places, and expanded his shop almost double. There are books everywhere, in shelves made in a wide variety of woods and sizes that line the walls and stand in tidy clusters; the few bare patches of wall are covered in signed black-and-white photos in elegant frames, vintage movie one-sheets and large posters for magic shows from the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Carter, Blackstone, Thurston and Houdini are all well-represented, as well as more obscure illusionists like Kellar and Long Tack Sam, and advertisements from exotic-sounding firms like 'Martinka & Co." and 'Wo and Shade' offer tricks like 'The Vanishing Lamp' and 'The Levitation of Princess Karnack' for sale. The long wooden counter with the antique cash register (He used to let me play with that) is nearly obscured under an array of plastic tubs and cardboard boxes filled with trick card decks, interlocking rings and plastic wands.

The smell is the same (maybe a little less dusty), but the patina of age she remembers from her childhood isn't there, or at least it hasn't truly settled in yet. The posters are brighter and less sun-faded, the shelves better organized, and the boxes full of old comics and Harris magazines aren't piled quite as high or haphazardly as she recalls. However, the almost primordial sense of 'Grandpa' is almost overwhelming; she can smell his hair tonic, hear the crackle of his old transistor radio playing swing music and the ticking of the mantel clock in the back room. Lynn gets a little light-headed, and clings tightly to Ren's arm as spontaneous tears pour down her cheeks; her voice is just above a whisper when she speaks.

"My god...it's really him."

[Veiled Malice]

Ren walked into the shop, and while he had some trepidation concerning meeting her family, logically, he knew nothing like that was going to happen while they were in the past. Lynn knew the concerns he had interacting with people from a regressed timeline. In fact, if he wasn't so sure that she'd pitch a fit, he would have suggested they bypass this stop on memory lane.

Bookshops were still a big deal in Japan despite the prevalence of the Internet. Street corners still had those shops crammed from top to bottom with paper media. Inefficient, space-wasting, and cumbersome, they were somehow still quaint in these times. Of course, compared to those disorganized and cramped stores, Silberman's Books was positively spacious.

Ren was having so much fun just looking around and noting the cultural differences between here and where he grew up, he completely missed Lynn's gathering emotional state.

My god...it's really him."

"Who?" he whispered back, then saw who "he" was. "Oh." Ren tried to provide whatever support he could by hugging her arm closely, then letting her slip away. "It's alright. Go on. He's waiting."

[Veiled Malice]

Ren walked into the shop, and while he had some trepidation concerning meeting her family, logically, he knew nothing like that was going to happen while they were in the past. Lynn knew the concerns he had interacting with people from a regressed timeline. In fact, if he wasn't so sure that she'd pitch a fit, he would have suggested they bypass this stop on memory lane.

Bookshops were still a big deal in Japan despite the prevalence of the Internet. Street corners still had those shops crammed from top to bottom with paper media. Inefficient, space-wasting, and cumbersome, they were somehow still quaint in these times. Of course, compared to those disorganized and cramped stores, Silberman's Books was positively spacious.

Ren was having so much fun just looking around and noting the cultural differences between here and where he grew up, he completely missed Lynn's gathering emotional state.

My god...it's really him."

"Who?" he whispered back, then saw who "he" was. "Oh." Ren tried to provide whatever support he could by hugging her arm closely, then letting her slip away. "It's alright. Go on. He's waiting."

[Heridfel]

When Sean walks in after the other two have started to make their way through the store, the man behind the counter looks up. He appears pleased to see Sean, albeit a little surprised.

"Hello there Sean. I didn't expect to see you again today. You mail that letter you wrote?" Mr. Silberman asks. Sean looks up and smiles confusedly.

"Letter? I, ah..." he wrinkles his forehead. It's been at least six years since he was last down to the bookstore, not a matter of hours. Rather than try to figure out what's going on, he nods. "Yeah, I did. Thanks for asking."

Mr. Silberman nods in reply. "It's still worth sending letters. Someday, they say you'll be able to call around the world as cheap and as easy as down the street. But there's something about a letter - it's something you can hold onto."

Sean says, "Yeah, you can." Then the light bulb goes off. If Mr. Silberman saw him here earlier today, then that means that he probably was here earlier, only the him from the future. He suddenly feels a little nervous. What if Mr. Silberman starts talking about other stuff he did that he doesn't remember? To cover up, he changes the subject.

"I brought your niece out here. From Atlantic City?" he says, leaning back to look down one of the stacks for her. "I think she went back there to look around first."

A girl who looks to be in her mid-teens comes out from a different set of stacks and cuts off Mr. Silberman as he's about to speak.

"Alright, I've put away a ton of books. Maybe literally. Am I done yet?" she asks Mr. Silberman before she sees that he's talking with someone else. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she says. Sean looks back to her and squints.

"Do I know you?" he asks her. Mr. Silberman laughs.

"It has been a while since you last saw Lainey, hasn't it? She's old enough now that she can help out here, rather than just play in the aisles," he says. Lainey blushes a little, and makes a sound that only teenagers being embarrassed by their parents can make. Mr. Silberman rolls his eyes. "You remember Sean Parker, don't you Lainey? Joined the Army a couple years back."

"It was the Marines," Sean says, feeling the need to correct that. He doesn't mention that he joined them rather than get drafted into something worse - no need to bring up that bit of self-preservation instinct. "I've been back since Christmas. I just haven't had much time since to visit around. I got a job out at an auto body shop and..." he stops and grins. "But you guys probably don't care about what all I've been up to."

Lainey Silberman has been paying a fair amount of attention to him as he talks, eying him up and down a little when her father and Sean are both looking away, and she smiles when he stops. "I do remember him, and I'd love to hear more," she says, then in a quick whisper directed at Sean, "especially if it gets me out of shelving books." She returns to her normal voice and looks to her father.

"Do you mind if Sean and I catch up? After all, it has been a long time."

Mr. Silberman's expression suggests that he's aware of her hidden reasons, but finds them more amusing than sinister. He nods to her. "Go ahead. The books can wait," he says with a slight grin, as if to say that they will wait for her. Lainey takes that assent and half-drags Sean off somewhere else in the store, Sean allowing himself to be pulled.

[Heridfel]

When Sean walks in after the other two have started to make their way through the store, the man behind the counter looks up. He appears pleased to see Sean, albeit a little surprised.

"Hello there Sean. I didn't expect to see you again today. You mail that letter you wrote?" Mr. Silberman asks. Sean looks up and smiles confusedly.

"Letter? I, ah..." he wrinkles his forehead. It's been at least six years since he was last down to the bookstore, not a matter of hours. Rather than try to figure out what's going on, he nods. "Yeah, I did. Thanks for asking."

Mr. Silberman nods in reply. "It's still worth sending letters. Someday, they say you'll be able to call around the world as cheap and as easy as down the street. But there's something about a letter - it's something you can hold onto."

Sean says, "Yeah, you can." Then the light bulb goes off. If Mr. Silberman saw him here earlier today, then that means that he probably was here earlier, only the him from the future. He suddenly feels a little nervous. What if Mr. Silberman starts talking about other stuff he did that he doesn't remember? To cover up, he changes the subject.

"I brought your niece out here. From Atlantic City?" he says, leaning back to look down one of the stacks for her. "I think she went back there to look around first."

A girl who looks to be in her mid-teens comes out from a different set of stacks and cuts off Mr. Silberman as he's about to speak.

"Alright, I've put away a ton of books. Maybe literally. Am I done yet?" she asks Mr. Silberman before she sees that he's talking with someone else. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she says. Sean looks back to her and squints.

"Do I know you?" he asks her. Mr. Silberman laughs.

"It has been a while since you last saw Lainey, hasn't it? She's old enough now that she can help out here, rather than just play in the aisles," he says. Lainey blushes a little, and makes a sound that only teenagers being embarrassed by their parents can make. Mr. Silberman rolls his eyes. "You remember Sean Parker, don't you Lainey? Joined the Army a couple years back."

"It was the Marines," Sean says, feeling the need to correct that. He doesn't mention that he joined them rather than get drafted into something worse - no need to bring up that bit of self-preservation instinct. "I've been back since Christmas. I just haven't had much time since to visit around. I got a job out at an auto body shop and..." he stops and grins. "But you guys probably don't care about what all I've been up to."

Lainey Silberman has been paying a fair amount of attention to him as he talks, eying him up and down a little when her father and Sean are both looking away, and she smiles when he stops. "I do remember him, and I'd love to hear more," she says, then in a quick whisper directed at Sean, "especially if it gets me out of shelving books." She returns to her normal voice and looks to her father.

"Do you mind if Sean and I catch up? After all, it has been a long time."

Mr. Silberman's expression suggests that he's aware of her hidden reasons, but finds them more amusing than sinister. He nods to her. "Go ahead. The books can wait," he says with a slight grin, as if to say that they will wait for her. Lainey takes that assent and half-drags Sean off somewhere else in the store, Sean allowing himself to be pulled.

[Heridfel]

Meanwhile, Icarus flies over the city. It still feels strange to be flying around in public without fear of some superhero deciding to pick a fight. Until a couple months ago (or several years from now, depending on your perspective), they wouldn't really have bothered. He hadn't even been dealing with anything beyond petty theft, and most superheroes (even the less powered ones) don't feel like going after a super-villain with his kind of power who isn't doing something really evil.

There has to be some way of getting back to the present. He hadn't intended to come back, and now that his suit has been fixed, it might not work the way it did when it was broken. Icarus frowns as he hovers in the air. He really, really doesn't want to owe any villains any favors. That's something that he can avoid now that he has no reason to deal with Talos. On the other hand, he doesn't really know any heroes who could help either. There's supposed to be a mage guy around somewhere, but "somewhere" covers a lot of territory in Freedom City. It could even be that the suit just bent something that he could do on his own. In that case, he'd need help from some science people. He wrinkles his forehead.

Grant Conglomerates hadn't yet started, he thinks, but ASTRO Labs has been around for a while. Maybe they might know something he doesn't. Setting his sights north, he flies off again, keeping under the speed of sound to avoid the sonic boom that would otherwise follow.

[Heridfel]

Meanwhile, Icarus flies over the city. It still feels strange to be flying around in public without fear of some superhero deciding to pick a fight. Until a couple months ago (or several years from now, depending on your perspective), they wouldn't really have bothered. He hadn't even been dealing with anything beyond petty theft, and most superheroes (even the less powered ones) don't feel like going after a super-villain with his kind of power who isn't doing something really evil.

There has to be some way of getting back to the present. He hadn't intended to come back, and now that his suit has been fixed, it might not work the way it did when it was broken. Icarus frowns as he hovers in the air. He really, really doesn't want to owe any villains any favors. That's something that he can avoid now that he has no reason to deal with Talos. On the other hand, he doesn't really know any heroes who could help either. There's supposed to be a mage guy around somewhere, but "somewhere" covers a lot of territory in Freedom City. It could even be that the suit just bent something that he could do on his own. In that case, he'd need help from some science people. He wrinkles his forehead.

Grant Conglomerates hadn't yet started, he thinks, but ASTRO Labs has been around for a while. Maybe they might know something he doesn't. Setting his sights north, he flies off again, keeping under the speed of sound to avoid the sonic boom that would otherwise follow.

[Heritage]

Lynn has backed herself into a corner, and is fighting the urge to disappear into the background; her beloved 'Grampaloo' is standing not fifteen feet away from her, and now she has just seen her mother as a teenager, hitting on teen Icarus. Grandpa looks fantastic, young (well, young-er) and active, with so much life in his eyes. And Lainey...is a slut, just like her daughter Eddi will turn out more than twenty years later.

I don't know if I can handle this, but maybe...Grandpa always talked about his dad, Great-Grandpa Ira, and the amazing things he used to do. Maybe he could somehow help us?

She finally finds the courage to step forward, and nervously waves.

"Hi, Mr. Silberman? You don't really know me, but me and my friend here are, well, 'lost' is the best word for it, I guess. I've heard you have books here, certain books that might..." She takes a deep breath, and drops her voice down to a near whisper.

"What do you know about...time travel?"

[Heritage]

Lynn has backed herself into a corner, and is fighting the urge to disappear into the background; her beloved 'Grampaloo' is standing not fifteen feet away from her, and now she has just seen her mother as a teenager, hitting on teen Icarus. Grandpa looks fantastic, young (well, young-er) and active, with so much life in his eyes. And Lainey...is a slut, just like her daughter Eddi will turn out more than twenty years later.

I don't know if I can handle this, but maybe...Grandpa always talked about his dad, Great-Grandpa Ira, and the amazing things he used to do. Maybe he could somehow help us?

She finally finds the courage to step forward, and nervously waves.

"Hi, Mr. Silberman? You don't really know me, but me and my friend here are, well, 'lost' is the best word for it, I guess. I've heard you have books here, certain books that might..." She takes a deep breath, and drops her voice down to a near whisper.

"What do you know about...time travel?"

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman watches as his daughter pulls Sean away. He wrinkles his forehead as he thinks about what Sean just said. "Niece? I don't have a..." he mutters to himself just as Lynn waves hesitantly. He puts that matter aside as he sees her, smiling warmly towards her. He takes a breath to speak when Lynn pauses, but lets her finish her question.

Once that has been asked, he wrinkles his forehead. "Erm, Miss, I don't know what to say. I've read stories about time travel, but they're just stories. Some people say that it's possible, but I don't think that any of them have proved it. There's a big difference between saying and doing." He looks closely at her, trying to figure out if she's trying to have fun at his expense, or if she seems unsettled.

---

Lainey brushes her hair out of her face as she leans back against one of the walls. She speaks more softly, like they're in a library rather than a bookstore. Sean drops his voice as well when he starts talking.

"Thanks. I must have been putting books away for hours or something. I mean, I do still have school tomorrow, and I'd like a little time to myself," she says. Sean slows up, not sure where to go with that.

"Well, I can go, but if Mr. Silberman sees me heading out..." he starts to say, but Lainey cuts him off.

"Oh, no, not like that. I mean, well, not putting away books," she says with a laugh. "It's not like most of the people here care exactly where the books are as long as they're close, but if I do that, it's "You have to do the right thing, even if no one else cares." "

Sean nods knowingly, "Believe me, I understand. My dad's the same way." Lainey wrinkles her forehead, much like her father does when confused or thinking hard.

"I don't remember him too well. I mean, he came with you, right? But I guess he didn't stick," she says.

Sean picks up on something, "But I did? I was sort of surprised you remembered me." He cuts himself off before he says anything more, like "you were pretty young then." She has definitely... filled out, since he last saw her, and it's sort of weird to think about the ten-year-old she was when faced with the sixteen-year-old she is.

Lainey nods. "Yes, you were an older kid, but you were a lot nicer to me than the other ones your age. You didn't ignore me if I started talking to you." She laughs a little. "I guess it doesn't sound like much, but I do remember you, Sean."

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman watches as his daughter pulls Sean away. He wrinkles his forehead as he thinks about what Sean just said. "Niece? I don't have a..." he mutters to himself just as Lynn waves hesitantly. He puts that matter aside as he sees her, smiling warmly towards her. He takes a breath to speak when Lynn pauses, but lets her finish her question.

Once that has been asked, he wrinkles his forehead. "Erm, Miss, I don't know what to say. I've read stories about time travel, but they're just stories. Some people say that it's possible, but I don't think that any of them have proved it. There's a big difference between saying and doing." He looks closely at her, trying to figure out if she's trying to have fun at his expense, or if she seems unsettled.

---

Lainey brushes her hair out of her face as she leans back against one of the walls. She speaks more softly, like they're in a library rather than a bookstore. Sean drops his voice as well when he starts talking.

"Thanks. I must have been putting books away for hours or something. I mean, I do still have school tomorrow, and I'd like a little time to myself," she says. Sean slows up, not sure where to go with that.

"Well, I can go, but if Mr. Silberman sees me heading out..." he starts to say, but Lainey cuts him off.

"Oh, no, not like that. I mean, well, not putting away books," she says with a laugh. "It's not like most of the people here care exactly where the books are as long as they're close, but if I do that, it's "You have to do the right thing, even if no one else cares." "

Sean nods knowingly, "Believe me, I understand. My dad's the same way." Lainey wrinkles her forehead, much like her father does when confused or thinking hard.

"I don't remember him too well. I mean, he came with you, right? But I guess he didn't stick," she says.

Sean picks up on something, "But I did? I was sort of surprised you remembered me." He cuts himself off before he says anything more, like "you were pretty young then." She has definitely... filled out, since he last saw her, and it's sort of weird to think about the ten-year-old she was when faced with the sixteen-year-old she is.

Lainey nods. "Yes, you were an older kid, but you were a lot nicer to me than the other ones your age. You didn't ignore me if I started talking to you." She laughs a little. "I guess it doesn't sound like much, but I do remember you, Sean."

[Veiled Malice]

Ren frowned as Sean got taken out of the room by Lainey. He had been intending to "talk" to him a little bit more about his involvement with his future self, which Ren was sure by now had actually transpired. Whatever Sean was hiding grated on his more villainous impulses, and he had to remind himself that smacking him around was not an option. At least not in front of Lynn.

But for right now, he settled for following after him and hanging out near the back room. Hopefully Lynn would keep her future grandfather busy while he did some snooping. For the few moments he listened, however, it just seemed like they were talking about the good old days. Lainey had obviously been holding a torch for Sean for a while. Ren would have rolled his eyes as he envisioned the goo-goo faces Lainey was likely making at Sean, but he realized that he and Lynn had been doing much the same thing for the entire night.

He'd wait about ten more minutes. After that, he would either have to harm Sean or deafen himself.

[Veiled Malice]

Ren frowned as Sean got taken out of the room by Lainey. He had been intending to "talk" to him a little bit more about his involvement with his future self, which Ren was sure by now had actually transpired. Whatever Sean was hiding grated on his more villainous impulses, and he had to remind himself that smacking him around was not an option. At least not in front of Lynn.

But for right now, he settled for following after him and hanging out near the back room. Hopefully Lynn would keep her future grandfather busy while he did some snooping. For the few moments he listened, however, it just seemed like they were talking about the good old days. Lainey had obviously been holding a torch for Sean for a while. Ren would have rolled his eyes as he envisioned the goo-goo faces Lainey was likely making at Sean, but he realized that he and Lynn had been doing much the same thing for the entire night.

He'd wait about ten more minutes. After that, he would either have to harm Sean or deafen himself.

[Heritage]

Lynn sighs and shakes her head.

There's just not going to be any easy way to do this.

She holds up a finger as she bows her head in deep thought; finally, she nods to herself and looks deeply into her disbelieving grandfather's eyes.

"At the battle of Monte Cassino, there was a Polish unit fighting with the British; they had a pet bear who carried ammunition and ate cigarettes, and after the last of the four battles was over, you met him and fed him the last of your Lucky Strikes."

She smiles and looks at him with a mixture of bemusement and unconditional love.

"Louis Silberman, I am your shapeshifting grand-daughter from the future, and I think we need your help."

[Heritage]

Lynn sighs and shakes her head.

There's just not going to be any easy way to do this.

She holds up a finger as she bows her head in deep thought; finally, she nods to herself and looks deeply into her disbelieving grandfather's eyes.

"At the battle of Monte Cassino, there was a Polish unit fighting with the British; they had a pet bear who carried ammunition and ate cigarettes, and after the last of the four battles was over, you met him and fed him the last of your Lucky Strikes."

She smiles and looks at him with a mixture of bemusement and unconditional love.

"Louis Silberman, I am your shapeshifting grand-daughter from the future, and I think we need your help."

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman's mouth opens and shuts. He seems speechless in the face of the nearly-incontrovertible proof that his granddaughter has provided him with. He puts a hand down on the front counter and collects himself.

"If you are who you say you are - whose daughter are you? You can't tell me who you are and not let me know more," he says. "Then, you need to tell me why you came to me. I'm not my father." The last statement is tinged with a quiet despair. Even though Lynn knows he has come to terms with his father's disappearance (or at least, he had always been at terms while she was alive), the difference between a parlor magician and a true magician is a great one. Mr. Silberman is being asked to do more than he thinks he can handle.

---

Ren hears nothing following that admission, giving his imagination reign to run rampant. On the other side of the doorway, it's much more innocuous. Sean is doing his best to try to figure out how to respond to that admission. He knows that she probably hadn't thought about him for a long while, but the fact that she recognized him (from a 14-year-old to a 20-year-old, and all the changes that entails) says a lot to him.

He settles for being honest. Well, mostly honest.

"Thanks. I mean, it seemed like nobody remembered me. A lot of the folks I know have moved away, or went to war. Some of them aren't coming back. I guess I'm lucky, though I don't really feel like it." he says, then half-smiles. "I guess that's a pretty harsh vibe. So tell me, what have you been doing?"

Lainey's smile disappeared as Sean talked about his experiences since returning to the city, replaced with an expression of sympathy. When he asks her what she's been doing, she tries to answer his half-smile with one of her own.

"Since I last saw you? Well... a lot. I mean, I'm in high school now, and my mother finally let me get a learner's permit. All the other kids had one forever, and some of them even have licenses. Most of them don't have cars, though. There's nowhere to park them at school, so they mostly just walk or take the bus..."

Lainey will continue talking about herself, her friends, and her classes for a while. Sean's happy to listen to her. It might be unimportant to him whether Jackie broke up with River (he can't even tell which one's the boy and which one's the girl), but it's clearly important to her, and it means that he doesn't have to answer any more questions about himself.

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman's mouth opens and shuts. He seems speechless in the face of the nearly-incontrovertible proof that his granddaughter has provided him with. He puts a hand down on the front counter and collects himself.

"If you are who you say you are - whose daughter are you? You can't tell me who you are and not let me know more," he says. "Then, you need to tell me why you came to me. I'm not my father." The last statement is tinged with a quiet despair. Even though Lynn knows he has come to terms with his father's disappearance (or at least, he had always been at terms while she was alive), the difference between a parlor magician and a true magician is a great one. Mr. Silberman is being asked to do more than he thinks he can handle.

---

Ren hears nothing following that admission, giving his imagination reign to run rampant. On the other side of the doorway, it's much more innocuous. Sean is doing his best to try to figure out how to respond to that admission. He knows that she probably hadn't thought about him for a long while, but the fact that she recognized him (from a 14-year-old to a 20-year-old, and all the changes that entails) says a lot to him.

He settles for being honest. Well, mostly honest.

"Thanks. I mean, it seemed like nobody remembered me. A lot of the folks I know have moved away, or went to war. Some of them aren't coming back. I guess I'm lucky, though I don't really feel like it." he says, then half-smiles. "I guess that's a pretty harsh vibe. So tell me, what have you been doing?"

Lainey's smile disappeared as Sean talked about his experiences since returning to the city, replaced with an expression of sympathy. When he asks her what she's been doing, she tries to answer his half-smile with one of her own.

"Since I last saw you? Well... a lot. I mean, I'm in high school now, and my mother finally let me get a learner's permit. All the other kids had one forever, and some of them even have licenses. Most of them don't have cars, though. There's nowhere to park them at school, so they mostly just walk or take the bus..."

Lainey will continue talking about herself, her friends, and her classes for a while. Sean's happy to listen to her. It might be unimportant to him whether Jackie broke up with River (he can't even tell which one's the boy and which one's the girl), but it's clearly important to her, and it means that he doesn't have to answer any more questions about himself.

[Heritage]

"If you are who you say you are - whose daughter are you? You can't tell me who you are and not let me know more," he says. "Then, you need to tell me why you came to me. I'm not my father."

Lynn nodded firmly. “Okay, fair enough; I’m Lainey’s daughter, and not by that guy, either, so you might want to put the kibosh on what I think is going on back there.†She indicates the back of the store with a nod of her head, then slowly approaches her grand-father, like a hunter trying to avoid spooking a deer. Her eyes are filled with love and sadness.

“Back when we used to visit your house in the summer? That was one of the only things that made life…not suck as a kid.†She smiles as she runs her hand along the counter. “Coming here was like visiting a wizard’s castle; I used to pretend I was a princess locked away in this giant magical library, waiting for her prince to come. I had all the books in the world, and one day if I read every single one, I would find the one that showed me how to escape.â€Â

She waves vaguely towards the bookshelves. “I know the secret isn’t out here, with all the cups and balls and card tricks.“ Then she points firmly towards the back office. “But it might be back there, hiding in Great-Grandpa Ira’s stuff. You told me he knew magic, the real kind; maybe we can find something in all those trunks and boxes, maybe just a clue, like a name on a slip of paper or a piece of a map or something.â€Â

She steps right up to him, her beautiful brown eyes glowing with desperate hope, takes both his hands in hers and holds them tight. “You can help me do this, Grandpa; I know you can.â€Â

[Heritage]

"If you are who you say you are - whose daughter are you? You can't tell me who you are and not let me know more," he says. "Then, you need to tell me why you came to me. I'm not my father."

Lynn nodded firmly. “Okay, fair enough; I’m Lainey’s daughter, and not by that guy, either, so you might want to put the kibosh on what I think is going on back there.†She indicates the back of the store with a nod of her head, then slowly approaches her grand-father, like a hunter trying to avoid spooking a deer. Her eyes are filled with love and sadness.

“Back when we used to visit your house in the summer? That was one of the only things that made life…not suck as a kid.†She smiles as she runs her hand along the counter. “Coming here was like visiting a wizard’s castle; I used to pretend I was a princess locked away in this giant magical library, waiting for her prince to come. I had all the books in the world, and one day if I read every single one, I would find the one that showed me how to escape.â€Â

She waves vaguely towards the bookshelves. “I know the secret isn’t out here, with all the cups and balls and card tricks.“ Then she points firmly towards the back office. “But it might be back there, hiding in Great-Grandpa Ira’s stuff. You told me he knew magic, the real kind; maybe we can find something in all those trunks and boxes, maybe just a clue, like a name on a slip of paper or a piece of a map or something.â€Â

She steps right up to him, her beautiful brown eyes glowing with desperate hope, takes both his hands in hers and holds them tight. “You can help me do this, Grandpa; I know you can.â€Â

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman's eyes are a little misty as Lynn takes his hands in hers.

"You speak to me of memories that lie in my future. What are you doing back here? What do you need to do?" he asks. It seems like the comment about Lainey has escaped his memory in the face of what followed it. He blinks to clear any tears that threaten to fall and looks over Lynn's face, trying to see his granddaughter in it.

[Heridfel]

Mr. Silberman's eyes are a little misty as Lynn takes his hands in hers.

"You speak to me of memories that lie in my future. What are you doing back here? What do you need to do?" he asks. It seems like the comment about Lainey has escaped his memory in the face of what followed it. He blinks to clear any tears that threaten to fall and looks over Lynn's face, trying to see his granddaughter in it.

[Heritage]

Mr. Silberman's eyes are a little misty as Lynn takes his hands in hers.

"You speak to me of memories that lie in my future. What are you doing back here? What do you need to do?" he asks. It seems like the comment about Lainey has escaped his memory in the face of what followed it. He blinks to clear any tears that threaten to fall and looks over Lynn's face, trying to see his granddaughter in it.

Despite herself, Lynn laughs but quickly covers her mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at me; here I am going all drama queen, and I haven't told you the most important part!" She smiles and rolls her eyes at her own histrionics before she contiunes.

"Me and Ren, the Japanese kid I came in with? We got sucked back in time due to some kind of, I dunno, super-technology mix-up, and as happy I am to see you, we need to get back to our time, to your future; maybe the Amazing Al-Kazar knew something or somebody that can help us get back." She shrugs emphatically. "It's a long shot, I know, but you're the only person I know back here."

She smiles and rests a hand against his face. "It's so good to see you again." Then she stops and looks nervous.

Well, that's one way of letting him know he's dead in the future - idiot!