ic Nanofibers (IC)

[Gizmo]

"If you feel up to it," Trevor agreed, nodding toward the stairs and back up to the main level of the Manor. "Will see if Eve's free." The young man felt more than a little odd as he marshaled his thoughts. While something in his metahuman physiology made him singularly difficult for telepaths to read, that same mental density, for lack of a better term, had made the well worn path his petite friend used to access his mind a smooth, robust groove. Or so they speculated. The two-way nature of their link may well have been more a result of the sibling like closeness that had developed during the course of their many trials. --Eve. A moment?--

[April]

Eve was sitting by the pool at the Martel Estate, lounging under an umbrella and paying more attention to the readout on the tablet in her hands than the enjoyable weather. On the display was the itinerary that Headmaster Summers emailed her and Corbin; Eve made a note to give the other senior a call later, chances are he was busy with Quo-Dis at the moment.

--Eve. A moment?--

The telepath sat up at the unbidden--though not unwelcome--thought. She killed the tablet display and set it aside and focused her thoughts on Trevor, concentrating along the mental link they shared. --Of course.--

[Gizmo]

--Erin was hired by ArcheTech shortly before Archeville's madness,-- Trevor began without preamble, his thoughts less stilted than his terse manner of speech but still habitually direct. --Wasn't there long, but given what happened to the Interceptors... we're concerned.-- There was a faint echo of the named emotion along with the word, the young man's meaning felt as much as conveyed with the facsimile of spoken language. --Didn't find any physical signs of tampering, but a mental examination seems prudent all the same.--

[April]

Eve was up now out of her lounge chair, pacing by the side of the pool in her two piece. --Trevor,-- the telepath started, trying to keep her mental tone as neutral as possible. --There are others infinitely more qualified for this sort of thing; Alex or The Scarab for instance.-- The stoic sleuth could detect a trace of bitterness from the young Martel, not directed at the two she named but more from a sense of damaging pride, that knowing and admitting that she wasn't adequate to the task wounded her.

There came a wordless pause through the mental link before Eve spoke again. --Your place or mine?--

[Gizmo]

--From what I've gathered, the Scarab was an associate of Acheville's long before... recent events,-- Trevor explained, his thoughts tinted with the impression that he was humouring Eve's insistence on self-deprecation as much as illuminating his reasoning. --Any mental suggestions or tampering would have to be designed specifically to evade her notice. As for Alex...-- It said something about the structure of the young man's mind that he was able to pause and choose the wording of his thoughts carefully. --She is very capable, yes. Her word holds considerable weight. You, I trust implicitly.-- There was nothing to be gained in qualifying the statement over their telepathic link. --We're at the Manor now, if you can make it.--

[April]

A sense of embarrassment flooded through the link along with a small measure of pride and a great deal of gratitude. --Give me a moment to get dressed,-- Eve asked picking up her tablet and heading into the Martel mansion. --Caught me going over reports and travel literary out by the pool so unless you and Erin don't mind me prancing about the Manor in a two-piece, fifteen minutes tops.--

She breezed through the lower levels of the mansion and dashed up the stairs into her room. The telepath took a quick jump into the shower, washing away the chlorine from the pool and quickly changed into some sensible clothing. She briefly considered flying over to the Hunter Estate but opted instead for the more pedestrian means of transport.

[Electra]

Erin still wasn't sure when Eve and Trevor had started communicating psychically outside of missions, but she figured it probably came in handy for two mostly-silent people. Sometimes it occurred to her to wonder what exactly they talked about in their heads, but at least she was sure that Eve wasn't a competitor for Trevor's affections. Not that Erin was the sort to get jealous, exactly... In any case, she listened as Trevor relayed the message, then nodded. "Sounds good. I'm going to stretch out in my room til she gets here."

For propriety's sake, if nothing else, Erin had her own bedroom in the sprawling mansion, one that was at least twice the size of her dorm room at school and with its own attached bathroom. It was very nice, even if she really only used it for storing her clothes and getting dressed most of the time. Right now,though, she was in the mood for a little privacy, so she closed her door and stretched out on the bed, closing her eyes as she started one of the meditation exercises Dr. Marquez had taught her. She didn't like being prodded and examined, and the idea that she needed her brain scanned brought up uncomfortable echoes of the poor wretch underground in Blackstone. That was hardly productive. Taking deep, rounded breaths, she did her best to clear her mind and relax.

[Gizmo]

Trevor gave Erin her space while she got herself in the right frame of mind and moved to the foyer of the mansion in anticipation of Eve's arrival. He knew his girlfriend was no fan of being poked and prodded, be it physically or telepathically, but there was little avoiding it. Before long, he watched as an obviously expressive vehicle pulled into the roundabout and stepped outside to greet its white haired driver with a subdued wave. "Thanks for coming so quickly. Erin's waiting inside."

[April]

"I live in the area," Eve pointed out. "Besides, you asked."

As the petite telepath passed by Trevor she touched him lightly on the forearm. "Fortunately," she said, keeping her voice low, "Detecting the presence of telepathic influence is relatively easy. If it's there, removing it might be a bit trickier."

Eve stopped in her tracks and cast a look over her shoulder at her best friend, "I appreciate the confidence you have in my ability, but Alex really is a much better choice." She waved her hand in a vague, manipulating gesture, "More control."

[Gizmo]

Trevor made a noise in the back of his throat at that as he followed Eve down the hallway, his longer stride quickly bringing him in step with the acrobat. "Alex... hnn." The dark haired young man made a bit of a face as he tried to form his disquiet into words. "Tends to think she is much cleverer and wiser than anyone in the room. Usually true, granted, but not conductive to detective work." The analogy to the examination for telepathic tampering wasn't perfect, he knew, but those were the terms he thought of it in. He had more confidence in Eve's wary approach.

[April]

"So what have you two been up to?" Eve asked, following Trevor through the expansive Hunter Mansion. They came to a stop outside the door of what Eve assumed was Erin's room (though the telepath felt safe in assuming the brawler really didn't spend much time sleeping there).

"Haven't heard a thing from either of you since the unpleasantness at graduation, then this mess with Archeville..." Eve trailed off, and for a brief moment looked a little uncomfortable. "Sorry. God I must sound like Faith."

[Gizmo]

Trevor paused, giving Eve a searching look made more intense by the unusual pigmentation of his eyes. "Hey. Not going anywhere," he assured the pensive telepath, placing one hand on her petite shoulder. "Hectic time, but haven't forgotten you." After another pause, the young man stooped somewhat awkwardly and used his other arm to give his friend a hug. It was clear from his body language that he wasn't sure if that was the correct display for the situation, but he committed himself to it before straightening and giving her another look that silently inquired if the issue had been sufficiently dealt with.

[April]

The white haired acrobat chuckled and shook her head, a bemused smile on her face and a feeling of thanks trickled through the mental link.

"Oh, I understand hectic," she said after a moment, eyeing the door to Erin's room. She could sense the mind of the other girl behind the door, and though she couldn't discern Erin's mental state, Eve knew she had to be uncomfortable. Nobody really liked a telepath poking around in their head no matter how ethical they are.

"The Headmaster has me and Corbin busy, was just going over a travel itinerary before you 'called'. Supposed to be picking up a handful of new students but the details are frustratingly vague in spots." Her expression turned momentarily wistful and she added, "Then there's this girl..."

Clearing her throat, Eve shook her head, "You wouldn't have asked me over unless there wasn't some urgency, I've kept you both waiting long enough." Turning from Trevor the young Martel raised her hand and knocked on the door.

[Electra]

"Come in," Erin called from inside. The door was unlocked and opened soundlessly to let them into Erin's bedroom. The room was large and nicely apportioned, dominated by a old-fashioned queen sized four-poster bed. It looked like a guest room, without any real personalizing features, but it was a very nice guest room. Erin had rolled up to a sitting position on the bed, but didn't bother getting all the way up. She was in a new uniform, the same body-hugging cut of her Claremont suit, but this one in deep purple and black. She gave Eve a faint smile. "Hey, thanks for coming over."

[Gizmo]

Replaying Eve's offhand remarks to make sure he had understood correctly, Trevor's mouth curved around the corners slightly as he followed her into the sparsely furnished room, the equivalent to a look of prodigious concern on the visage of the stoic youth. "A girl? Do we know her?" Although he lacked any frame of reference to realize it himself, he had abruptly taken on a tone akin to that of a wary older brother. At least for a moment, he had been successfully distracted from the task at hand.

[April]

"Hey you," Eve greeted Erin with a casual wave, pausing for a brief second to give her friend a onceover before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Nice uniform, fits you very well," Eve said with a faint smile, green eyes twinkling, "Claremont colors always looked too temporary on you."

The young telepath glanced up at Trevor and nodded. "Well, you might. She's my age and not, you know, old like you two." Eve flashed a wide grin before continuing, "Her name is Etain, and, well it's still pretty early--just feeling things out right now--but she's cute, gorgeous really, and quirky and knows how to fight with a sword." Eve's green eyes flickered over to Erin for a moment before turning back to Trevor, "But I bet I could take her in wrestling."

[Electra]

Despite the discomforts and annoyances of her day thus far, Erin smiled a little at Eve's description. "That never hurts," she told Eve. "Just remember to feint with an arm, then go for the leg sweep. They never see it coming." She took a deep breath, looked from Eve to Trevor and back again. "So I guess you already explained to Eve what we're trying to find out? I just want to make sure that there's nothing nasty lurking in my brain that could be dangerous down the line. I mean, I don't think there is, but I don't want to have to worry, you know?" She laced her fingers together in her lap before she started fidgeting.

[Gizmo]

Trevor stopped his hand as it strayed from resting with its thumb tucked in his belt, realizing belatedly that he was beginning to reach for his pocket-sized tablet computer to do a few quick searches on the name Eve had mentioned. Hardly common, shouldn't need a surname. He quashed that line of thought with some difficulty, knowing full well the lengths the diminutive telepath had to go to to respect his own privacy; he could at least attempt to return the favour. "...wrestling?" he asked absently before finally managing to refocus in the proper direction. "Hn, right. Priorities. Suspect Archeville would have been more likely to use technological means, but post-hypnotic suggestion, maybe? Better safe."

[April]

"Just so we're clear," Eve said any trace of mirth vanishing as her expression became serious as she regarded Erin. "You want me to determine if Archeville left some ticking psychic bomb in your head? Fair enough, I'll need you to close your eyes and try to clear your mind, the less background noise I have to filter through the better." Eve frowned, "Also... this might cause some momentary discomfort."

The telepath waited for Erin to comply with her instructions, and then placed her hands on either side of Erin's face, fingertips on the auburn haired woman's temples. She acquired a look of intense concentration and then suddenly sucked in a breath.

"Merde," Eve murmured, a hint of worry lacing her soft soprano. "It's worse than I thought."

Eve glanced up at Trevor and her worried look suddenly vanished, replaced with an impish smile. "She is going to need a new dress. Can't have her dining at Pharos in last year's fashion." The telepath quickly leaned forward and kissed Erin on the forehead, "Knew you were clean the moment I saw you, sorry to keep you worried."

[Electra]

Erin pursed her lips as Eve began the scan, holding still and trying to open up her mind to being invaded. She sucked in a quick breath at Eve's words, her eyes going wide as alarm blossomed through her consciousness. What could Archeville have done to her, hidden in her head, even made her forget? Confusion seeped in along with the alarm when the telepath suddenly smiled and started talking about dresses. It took her a moment to catch up.

"You were joking?" she demanded, color rising in her pale face.

[April]

Eve flinched away from Erin and she nodded once, faintly, though her eyes remained downcast. "Yes," she meekly answered. Eve took a deep, shuddering breath before she continued in the same quiet voice. "Thought it would brighten things not... not this. If there was cause for concern do you honestly think I would have been so casual?"

The telepath stood up from the bed and made to leave. She turned to look at Erin but her gaze didn't quite make it, "Sorry."

[Gizmo]

Trevor made a very soft, pained noise as he realized what Eve was going for a moment too late to do anything about it, closing his onyx and ruby eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Opening them, he gave Erin an apologetic look that said that yes, she had every right to be upset and this was another thing he'd have to make up to her, once he dealt with Eve. Stepping briskly into the retreating telepath's way, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Okay. That was... ill advised, yes. The important thing is that we know you're alright," he continued, looking back over the Erin over Eve's head. "Can work on verbal humour later."

[Electra]

Erin unconsciously mimicked Trevor's gesture, massaging the bridge of her nose with finger and thumb while she throttled back on the adrenaline-fueled anger. "I pretty much figured that if you knew things were okay you'd tell me and not string me along like it's some kind of game," she replied, her voice tight. Still not quite calm enough, she realized, and gave it another moment and a couple deep breaths. "I appreciate you doing the scan for me, Eve. It's good to know he didn't get into my head." There, that was polite and not mean, and Trevor could deal with it if he wanted Eve to stick around longer. For her own part, she wanted a meal, a shower, and some quality downtime, not necessarily in that order.

[April]

"Normally yes, you'd be right Erin," Eve replied, finally turning to look at the other girl. "Ordinarily I would have told you right away but I had something to give you both as a graduation present; it was poor judgment on my part when I thought I'd surprise you after I knew you were clear of any undue psychic influence."

"Believe me when I say this. Something like this will never happen again." The telepath glanced down at the hand on her shoulder before looking up at its owner, arching a niveous eyebrow.

[Gizmo]

Trevor indicated the door to Eve through a combination of the tilt of his head, a slight pressure from the hand on her shoulder and a pointed thought over their telepathic rapport. "Know Erin wanted to grab a shower," he said aloud tactfully as he led the way out of the room. The bathroom adjoining to Erin's bedroom at the manor would more than suffice and give the others a chance to make a seamless exit. Once they were out in the hall, the young man let out a long breath and glanced over to his friend. "Already clear why that was a bad idea," he asked rhetorically.