Day 8
Burg

"Ah, I see." Irene had doubted that Xandria would have told him, especially since she emphasized that she didn't know this guy at all. Still, Irene wanted to be sure. "Well, I don't know why anyone would want to cause us trouble right now, anyways. Unless he's with the government or something." Irene had a hard time imagining the government being that subtle--but, then again, what exactly was she basing that on?

"So... tomorrow night. Do you need to get anything done before then? Like... something to wear, or something?" Irene realized how that sounded, so she quickly added, "I mean, it seems like you just have the one--" Wait, that was much worse. "Never mind."

Burg: Day 8

Xandria looked down.

"Yeah...you're right. That was...a slight problem with coming here. Couldn't really take a suitcase, and pretty much only my shirt survived transforming. These are, well, borrowed."

She laughed.

"Oh goodness, I sound like such a wreck when I say it like that. But the worst part is, it's true."

Day 8
Burg

"It's to be expected." Irene said, hopefully encouragingly. "I mean, society did just kind of collapse." But what Xandria said got her thinking. "And... well, I know where you might be able to get some more. Before I came here, I was living out of an abandoned toy store. It's in a whole block of stores that no one's really bothered with since the Supernova--most of what they carry are pretty much luxuries now." She paused, and admitted, "I don't know if there'd be anything useful left after all the looters, and it's a couple miles away--about an hour's walk, for me. But... if you're interested, it's a place to look."

Meanwhile, Irene glanced at her own clothes. A jacket over a pink T-shirt, and jeans. And all of them were pretty boring. "Given my powers, I'm going to have to come up with something more creative than this...." She mumbled, only half-realizing she even said it out loud.

Burg: Day 8

"You can create clothes, too???" Xandria shook her head. "I should have realized that already. It's only logical. Anyway, that might not be a bad idea, but...."

She paused and bit her lip. She had been living in the library for three or four days already, and was starting to get nervous that people were going to realize that their TVs weren't coming back on and remember those handy things called books.

"I...it might be a good idea to move soon," she finally said. "I've been living here for about half a week, and this is a library. Someone's going to come here sooner or later, and it might be best if we leave before then."

Day 8
Burg

"I guess so. I haven't really tried it out much." Irene admitted. "I know I can maintain illusions for a while, but I've never really tested how far away I can get before they fall apart. Usually, the closer they are to me, the better they work."

At the mention of people coming there, Irene nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Do you have any suggestions?"

Burg: Day 8

"Well...maybe you should come to the aquarium with me tonight," Xandria hedged. "It's big, and it isn't exactly comfy like this, but if there's stuff at those shops you mentioned, I bet we could set up a couple fairly nice living spaces in there. And I doubt we'll be as likely to be disturbed. Anyone showing up there wouldn't be doing honest business anyway, so they wouldn't report anything."

Day 8
Burg

Irene thought it over. The idea of an aquarium didn't really sound all that cozy--it just seemed like it would be dank, and with all those fish eyes staring at you.... Still, Xandria had a point. Between here and the aquarium, it seemed more likely that people would start poking around the library.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to check it out, anyways."

Burg: Day 8

The two women set off from the library at dusk, winding their way through the hazy blue streets of the city. Xandria had Malcolm's device safely tucked into her jacket pocket, one hand curled around it. She managed to make it back to the aquarium without having to check anything on it.

"Sorry that the entrance is so weird," Xandria said, moving a manhole cover. "I just didn't want to break anything again. This leads into the basement--just turn right and follow the pipes. Apparently they tried to recycle as much water from the tanks as they could; you turn the other way and it takes you into the processing plant. All underground, all very handy, if not a little creepy."

Day 8
Burg

'Creepy, right....' Irene kept that thought to herself. Instead, she offered, "Is there any light down there? Because, if not...." Irene opened up her hand, and there was a small orb of light. She thought about it, closed her hand, and when she opened it again, the light was coming out of a flashlight. "Just in case anyone else is around...."

She paused, then realized aloud, "I guess the light isn't as important to you, but... still...."

Burg: Day 8

"Right, sorry," Xandria blushed slightly. "There shouldn't be anyone else around. Place hadn't been touched since the 'nova when I came yesterday. And there aren't really any lights anywhere. I should have brought some candles from the library. Once we get out of the basement and above ground, the place is pretty well lit by moonlight. They have a lot of skylights and things. If you head down and holler when you get to the bottom of the ladder so you have hands for your light, I'll replace the cover and join you. Though...not sure you need to hold a flashlight, given you can create stuff with your brain...."

Xandria trailed of, then smiled.

"Sorry. So, yeah."

Day 8
Burg

"I like to pretend they're as real as possible." Irene admitted. "If I can get myself to believe it, even subconsciously, it just... works better. If that makes any sense. So... yeah, trying to have a flashlight float beside me on the way down would probably just confuse my brain too much."

"So, instead...." Irene pantomimed throwing the "flashlight"; it disappeared from her hand, ending up at the bottom of the ladder, impossibly standing straight up and illuminating the path down. Irene climbed down, then retrieved the "flashlight" at the bottom, keeping it pointed up. "Okay, I'm at the bottom."

Burg: Day 8

"That works," Xandria said, stepping in and leaning against the wall of the passageway. Bolstered between the wall and the ladder, she reached up and grabbed the manhole cover, pulling it back over them and sliding into place.

"Tally ho!" she said, sliding down the ladder and landing next to Irene. "Let's get upstairs. It's nicer there."

They quietly moved through the basement, Xandria not saying a word until they finally climbed the stairs onto the main floor. It was a radical difference, with fine wood floors and beautiful archways and stairs leading to the different levels.

"Part of what I like about this place is it is so big," Xandria said, holding her arms out and twirling around. "But it also has lots of small, cozy spaces. And, also, in time, I think I could set up a self-sustaining compound in here. Some of the fish are going to need to be let go; I don't know how I would manage to get enough food for them long term. But it would be possible to keep a good portion of the tanks operational and also get some gardens going. The skylights provide plenty of light, night and day, and many of them are located directly above smaller tanks that could be repurposed for growing things. There are a variety of smaller rooms that could be redesigned as small living spaces and...I guess I didn't realize how much I was thinking about this place today. I could live here without really having to think about it."

Xandria paused, then turned back to Irene.

"What do you think of it? So far, I mean. I guess you haven't seen much more than the basement and this."

Day 8
Burg

"It's... really nice." Irene wasn't just saying that to be polite; it was actually a lot nicer than what she was expecting. Honestly, she was imagining concrete walls winding around a couple of really large fish tanks. Judging from what she saw and what Xandria described, she had to imagine she was really wrong.

"It sounds like we'll have the bare necessities here, at least." Irene admitted. "But do you know what else is nearby? Either places where we can find useful things, or... places to be aware of?"

Burg: Day 8

"I'm not totally sure," she admitted. "The area is pretty deserted, mainly shops and like that. My understanding of it is that it used to be cannery. Some touristy shops, a few restaurants, and not much else. Oh, yeah, and then there's the state park thing winding in and out. Close to stuff, but secluded. The biggest problem will be setting up housekeeping, because there is nothing that would really have stuff that we need, so we'd have to make nighttime trips. It'd be a bit of a pain, but nobody will come around to bother us."

((( Flirty banter! Who knew!)))

Burg: Day 8
Lawrence Manor

Clearing a path to the industrial complex had taken slightly longer than either Malcom or Selena had counted on. A minor cave-in near the end of the tunnel had stopped progress for a few hours as Lawrence cleared the debris and re-enforced the walls before proceeding. In the end, the tunnel was completed by the next morning with final touch-ups taking another few days to install.

-----

"I'll install a water fall near the tunnel exit to conceal everything. After that, it's all just reenforcement work for the most part." Lawrence explained as he nursed his drink.

Selena collapsed back on the sofa with a heavy sigh at the thought of further work on the tunnel. "I've never used my powers for that long or to do that much work at one time. Not sure if I can handle keeping a waterfall constantly going PLUS do anything else..."

"No, no, the waterfall will be completely hydraulic. Like a fountain in a park. It will recycle the water it uses naturally, you want have to do anything." Malcom explained amused at his colleague assuming she would have to keep it working.

"Good! I was thinking of joining Xandria if you were going to put me to work like that..." Selena answered with coy smile before taking a sip of the drink Jennings had brought her.