the pleasure part, the afterthought, the missing stone in the graveyard

[attitude]

They had been real eager to help out with Faye's ship in the beginning, but as soon as it was proven for the most part that Red Tail was reliable and running smoothly, the real inquiries began.

Mostly around whether or not Faye Valentine could help bring Darrow to this level of technology.

There were a couple of options where informing the rest of the population was concerned. Faye could have easily relinquished access to her ship, giving the city engineers a chance to dig through and figure out how all of the systems and design came together to make a vehicle as sturdy as her own. Minimal work, and she'd get them off of her back in a hurry, probably with plenty of money in return.

But it wasn't an option. Like hell she was going to give them full access to her one ticket out of the place. She'd turned down the offer right then and there in the room.

Which left having Faye pull her weight as one of their team, drawing up schematics and figuring out how much it would cost to build another such ship for the city, most likely to be used either in space exploration or for the military. (Faye couldn't help but wonder if someone like herself, from outside of Darrow, would have access to the space exploration program. She couldn't see it happening.)

God, in some ways, it felt like being blackmailed all over again.

Fortunately, she didn't mind spending time blueprinting and figuring out what made her girl tick. Wearing little more than a crop top and shorts, Faye's skin was smeared with grease as she tinkered around in her ship, taking notes now and again as she worked her way from front to back. At least, she thought, they weren't pushing her beyond her limits yet.

Comments

[sayshazam]

Billy was out on one of his rare trips as an adult. After the Mardi Gras incident he'd been a little leary to wander around looking 10-15 years older than he actually was. While he wasn't quite ready to admit those years were important or made him more mature, they sort of might contain experiences that people expected an adult to have.

But, a lot of people didn't want to give a 15 year old kid a job, so he had to look as an adult. That posed the problem though that a grown man with no work experience needed a job that worked around school hours. Basically, he was screwed either way.

Having given upt he job search as a loss, Billy decided to do something else. Ditching his suit for jeans and a t-shirt Billy decided to just... wander around. Fortunately aimless wandering could be kind of fun and he eventually found himself by a space ship.

"Whoa, this is amazing," he said, eyes lighting up at the sight of the ship.

[attitude]

The admiration for her ship always put Faye in a good mood. Better still was the fact that the man had immediately centered on the ship, rather than on her being lightly dressed for the day. It seemed to suggest that he was genuinely interested in the mechanics of Red Tail, as opposed to using some type of angle to get in her good graces.

Rolling out from underneath the ship, Faye grinned, sitting up and wiping at her brow.

"She is kind of remarkable, isn't she?" Faye asked, getting to her feet and spreading some more of the schematics on the ship's hull, marking down a few notes so that she could get right back to work where she'd left off. In truth, Red Tail wasn't the most marvelous zipcraft in existence. But around here, it was the best mechanical option anyone had for getting frequently up in the sky.

"Recently outfitted with a new engine, too, in case climate control ever wants to get on my back for flying her so often. You have any experience with space travel?"

[sayshazam]

Billy hadn't actually seen the woman until she slid out from under the ship, he was too distracted by the ship itself for that. The woman wasn't wearing much and she... looked pretty good not wearing much. Maybe she wore so little because she got so covered in grease? Easier to wash off of her skin than her clothes.

"Uh, yeah. I've never seen anything like her," he said, turning back to look at the ship. He'd only seen things like this on TV or in movies. He reached a hand out to touch it before drawing up short. This didn't seem like the sort of thing you touched without permission.

"And no, no space travel. Just experience flying. I bet in space it's even better with all the wide open... uh, space."

[attitude]

"You can touch the hull, but nothing more," Faye told him, a concession and a warning all in one go. Fortunately, his general interest put Faye in a good enough mood to share for the moment. Even more so once he mentioned being familiar with some type of flight of his own — he wouldn't have been the first pilot Faye met in the city, but every opportunity to learn was one she soaked up eagerly.

She was well aware that some people in the city were far brighter than she was with aviation.

"Space is... its own beast. There's a lot of it that isn't so glamorous after you get used to seeing stars everywhere. But looking down on the planets never seems to lose its awe," she said, leaning against the side of the ship and unhooking the towel from around her shoulders, wiping at the side of her neck. "So what kind of flying do you do? Commercial? Military? Hobbyist?"

[sayshazam]

Billy really wanted to touch the hull so he was glad when she gave him permission. He just ran his hand along it, just feeling it, feeling a space ship. This was so awesome. Part of him wished he could have squished it a bit, just to see if it crushed as easily as regular vehicles. But that would have been bad.

"Oh, hobbyist, I guess," Billy said, glancing over at her before looking back at the ship. "You? Wait, are those lasers on the ship?"

[attitude]

The guy was proving to be something of... a manchild, almost, Faye would have said. Spike had his moments, too, so it wasn't the first time she'd encountered this kind of personality. Something about the keenness of his curiosity and his immediate turn to lasers as a guess practically labeled him as a sci-fi fan.

"Let's just say that I flew for work," Faye said, drawing her words out slightly before she snorted and shook her head. "Not lasers. More things that immediately go 'boom.' Keep quiet about that, won't you? I'm pretty sure the folks here are turning their heads the other way anyway, but I don't need to give them any reason to start looking."

[sayshazam]

'Let's just say' was one of the ways that adults tended to lie. Of course, right after that she told Billy that they weren't lasers but rockets so it wasn't like she was trying to hide a lot. Maybe it was just hard to describe what she did.

"Uh, as long as you don't blow up anything in the city I'm pretty sure no one needs to know what they do," he said. "So do you have the problem of when you get to the edge of city territory, you're suddenly flying the opposite direction?"

[attitude]

"Hey, with a place that has a decently functioning police force and military, I don't blame them for wanting to take stock of everything. This is a whole lot more than needing to obtain a license to own and use a gun," Faye reasoned. If it weren't for the fact that there was so much else obscured in the space of Darrow, she might have played by the rules.

Before her memories slipped away, she'd never had an issue being law-abiding.

"I flew her once by the edge, and yes, found myself turned around. Kept her speed slow, since I didn't want to damage the ship. I haven't gone up yet, though." She arched a brow, meeting his gaze. "Have you?"

[sayshazam]

Billy hadn't really even been aware of the military before, not that he really had any reason to be. Maybe the military was interested in her ship though since it was probably more advanced than anything they had. It was kind of scary to think about, that maybe the military was way more powerful than anyone else.

"Yeah, I went straight up," he said, turning back to her with a nod. "Came back pointing straight down. I've tried to go straight up, under the ocean, over the ocean, under the ground... same thing happens everywhere."

[attitude]

Faye blinked in surprise. To think that there was someone willing to take the risk to himself by heading straight up was shocking. It'd be one thing to wreck a vehicle close to the ground, but another to risk wrecking one in the sky. Nonetheless, it was valuable information.

And Faye wondered what she would see if she went higher. Her memories from coming in were all a blur, with none of the terrain having been immediately familiar and her need for fuel being the greatest concern.

"Under the ocean and ground, huh? What are you using to get down there?" she asked curiously, still wiping absentmindedly at her neck even as her gaze was sharp with interest.

[sayshazam]

Billy didn't know if he'd ever had someone look at him the way this woman did. Her questions seemed casual but she also seemed really interested in his answers, like they were worth hearing about. Normally people didn't care what he had to say so it was... weird. But cool.

"I don't have a ship or anything," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. His identity wasn't really a secret, at least not as an adult. If anyone figured out that the guy who looked like this was also Shazam... that wasn't a big deal since he was really just a kid. Plus, without the costume, it wasn't obvious. He was just another big, buff guy.

"I just... fly."

To prove his point, Billy floated up off the ground about a foot and stayed here.

[attitude]

That... was unexpected. While Faye had grown accustomed to seeing the unbelievable in Darrow, she still hadn't reached the point where she learned to look for that as a rule. It still took her off guard, particularly when she hadn't been trying very hard to probe for information to begin with.

She blinked.

"Holy shit," she said under her breath, watching before stepping closer to the man, carefully edging her boot underneath his feet to check for any optical illusions. Not that she was really expecting to find any. He seemed like someone she could take at his word. "So... was that something you were just born with, I guess? You couldn't teach that to other people."

[sayshazam]

Billy grinned a bit at her reaction. Maybe he'd have to start randomly flying in regular clothes more often if people reacted like that. When you had a cape and a bright costume no one really gave you a second glance over the fact that you were flying.

"I'm still sort of new at it, only doing it for a few months. There's not much to it though."

[attitude]

"Okay, kiddo, let's tone down the bragging a little," Faye told him, arching a brow. She didn't say it with any real heat, but definitely with her own brand of skepticism. Either the skill was something he was born with — in which case, the lucky motherfucker — or it was something that he had to work up to over time. His explanation suggested the former.

In which case, he really needed to bring that tone down. Her curiosity weighed out everything else, however, and Faye set her hands on her hips and continued staring at the man.

"You're human, right?"

[sayshazam]

Billy hadn't actually been bragging but now that she mentioned it, it was pretty awesome that he could fly so easily. Even if it was just the magic it was pretty impressive that he could do something like that. He hadn't been bragging, but may next time he would. Just a little.

"Yup, still human," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he floated down to the ground.

[attitude]

"You never know what to expect from a place like this," murmured Faye. She could have signed, although she refrained. Honestly, it didn't mean much of a personal difference to her that there was someone out there who could fly — but from the greater perspective of potentially leading them out of the place, it was helpful. Probably a net good.

She tried to view it that way.

"So you've really tested every single direction, huh? I'd been afraid of driving this girl up into the sky, just because... heck, even losing consciousness as I head up there could mean she plummets towards the ground. Maybe less so if I put her on some of her autopilot functions, but still."

[sayshazam]

Billy knew what she meant. Even though he'd lived a perfectly normal life before the wizard, his world still had weird stuff happen. Here it seemed like a bunch of weird stuff happened in just a tiny place. They easily had several world's worth of weird stuff happening here.

"If you ever want to try, let me know?" he suggested, although he wasn't sure how she would contact him. "If you do go up and pass out, I could catch your ship for you before it crashes to the ground."

[attitude]

Faye stared at him for a few moments, crossing her arms lightly over her chest. It was an interesting offer. Not one that she immediately wanted to toss to the side — although not one that she wanted to take up at once, either. She needed to think some more and find consistency in what she allowed herself to explore in Darrow. So far, it was all by ear.

The longer she spent in the city, the more she had to find some vein of reason, both for the city and who she trusted to know more about herself.

"Why would you make an offer like that for someone you've barely met?" Faye asked, shaking her head faintly and looking genuinely confused. "You don't know what kind of person I am, really. You know I've got a kickass ship, but that doesn't say anything about me other than my presumed piloting skills."

[sayshazam]

"Because it's not a big deal," he said.

Normally Billy was the first person to be suspicious of offers to help, but it wasn't like he was giving anything up really. He would just fly up there next to her and if the ship suddenly flipped around he would grab hold to make sure it didn't crash into a building or something.

"It's not like I'm offering to help you rob a bank or something, jeez, just not crash to your death, potentially into a place where a bunch of people are."

[attitude]

Faye narrowed her eyes slightly, but this time, it was less from suspicion — more from incredulity. Was it possible that someone with this sort of power hadn't been taken advantage of yet? Or maybe he was from a world where flight was common enough. Just like how sharpshooters were common in the brand new world Faye had woken up to after her long sleep.

"Sure," she said, her words still drawn out and skeptical. "I guess if you're looking to be the heroic type, then that makes sense. Well, if it isn't any big burden to you. I do want to see how high that barrier is, exactly. Not that knowing that is much of any answer."

[sayshazam]

"Heroic type?" he said, giving her a puzzled look. What kind of person thought something as minor as this was heroic? Sure, he was a superhero, but it wasn't for doing stuff like this. This was just getting to play with a real spaceship.

"This is pretty much the same as helping you pick up groceries if you spilled them but whatever. Yeah, I can fly up with you and make sure you don't crash into the ground and hurt anyone or wreck your ship."

[attitude]

Great. A hero type who didn't really understand the generosity he was offering. From Faye's perspective, it was a boon — but objectively, she wondered how long it would be until someone took advantage of that kindness. That willingness to take time and effort out of his own day for a veritable stranger.

She threaded her fingers through her hair, eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to parse him out. His expression was just... so damned guileless.

Not the kind of look she herself had worn in years.

"So what do you do by day, when not oogling a lady's ship and offering to save her from potential peril?" she asked, lifting her chin slightly, lidded eyes narrowed in interest.

[sayshazam]

"I wasn't oogling," he said, although he supposed he was. At least he wasn't oogling her though? At least not much. She had a kind of rough and almost aggressive attitude about her that he was a bit intimidated by. Not worth oogling, no matter how tempting it might be. Plus, she was kind of covered in grease and stuff.

"But not much. Trying to find a way out of here. Looking for jobs."

Which was sort of true. He couldn't exactly tell her that he went to school. Well he could, she'd just probably assume it was college.

[attitude]

As far as Faye had observed, Darrow wasn't a difficult place to secure a job in for those who were from other worlds. The city seemed forever determined to make sure that its inhabitants at least had enough to support themselves.

Although Faye also supposed that having a job was a long cry from having a job one liked. Maybe he was holding out for the latter.

"You would think that with a power like that, finding a job wouldn't be too hard. Provided your employer isn't a nervous sort," mused Faye, crossing her arms with a small smile as she tilted her head. "What industry are you looking in? For some reason, I could picture you as a firefighter."

[sayshazam]

Billy had to admit, he'd make a pretty awesome firefighter as Shazam. But that would almost be too much like being a superhero full time, especially once people found out what he could do. That seemed more than he really wanted to take on at the moment.

Plus, really, he'd just been trying to find something part time that worked around a school schedule, which a lot of places weren't understanding of when you looked like a grown ass man.

"Mostly just something part time in the evenings," he admitted. "I'd like to go to college here since I never was able to back home."

[attitude]

"That doesn't tell me much," Faye pointed out with a small grin, tilting her head. By the sound of it, this man wasn't really searching after a passion point so much as probably something easy, that paid decently, with hours that most suited him.

Which was fine. Not everyone could pursue the loftiest of their dreams. Still, Faye had no idea what sort of background he had, or what he wanted to head back into school for.

"You're still exploring, I guess? I've thought about heading back to college, myself. Astroengineering, if I get my way."

[sayshazam]

Well, even if she was kind of calling him out on being vague, at least he hadn't revealed too much or been caught in a lie. If he was going to wander around as an adult he really needed to come up with some sort of consistent story.

"I'm just not in any rush to be stuck doing something that I don't like," he said, which sounded pretty mature to him. Maybe he was getting the hang of being an adult. "What's astroengineering?"

[attitude]

Astroengineering had become one of the most popular fields of study by the time Faye was from. When most of humanity was stretched out across three different planets, it was necessary to be more and more creative with what machines and vehicles were put in use in outer space. Faye had to remember that this wasn't the case around Darrow.

Darrow was about as tiny as it got.

"Engineering for outer space, basically. Building structures, machines, devices, systems... everything that makes it possible for you to make your way through that big black void," she said, waving a hand up vaguely towards the sky. "Since I did a lot of space travel back home, it feels natural to try and bring some of that here."