2.1 If You Insist

Finley's sociable nature sees her promoted to reporter. While she has high aspirations for what she wants to eventually report on, for now she writes what drivel she's asked to write.

The worst being a piece about pregnancy, where she's sent to interview a pregnant Diana Abbot. Tommy Ornales is the father.

"Do they make you wear that?" Diana expresses her displeasure over having Finley as her interviewer.

"Tell me about your purple skin tone," Finley answers.

Diana glares. "Mood lamp accident. You'd better not put that in your article."

Finley's respectable steady job makes her brother feel like he might be a disappointment, by comparison, but his mother assures him she thinks no less of him for taking a different path. She has no plans to pressure him into traditional employment.

"I don't have A REAL JOB myself, you know," she laughs.

Junpei's shy nature and all around awkward personality wouldn't translate well into any of the entry-level positions around here, but he is, amazingly enough, making some money by collecting rock samples for the science center. 

Mab pats Junpei on the head affectionately, as if he's still a small child. "No, no. Don't you worry about rent. You just do your part around the house. You're a good boy. This will always be your home."

Junpei has assembled this complicated contraption to cut the gems he finds. 

It'll be a better system than sending them off in the mail to be cut; he's fed up with that, since the cutting company claimed one of the expensive batches he sent them arrived with nothing but a garden gnome inside the box.

Finley reads up on something for her job, while Junpei plays with magic lights to distract and annoy her. He's had more time to practice drawing out and manipulating the innate energy they have, and more time to study the notes and artifacts their father had collected.

"You were the one more passionate about being a mage," he reminds her.

She doesn't look up from her book. "I wanted more control over our psychic abilities." 

The twins' combined researching efforts have not turned up much on the subject, and Finley is getting frustrated. 

"Our father wasn't a telepath, so it makes sense we haven't found anything to help us with telepathy among his things."

"I can sense when people are nearby, I can feel them in proximity to me, I can tell if it's you or mom, I can find you, and when you're feeling something strong, I know it. But I think it'd be so useful to have more than that..."

"What card am I thinking of?"

"Ace of clubs. Now you're thinking of a policeman with a club. Now he's beating someone with it? Stop it! You're just trying to project now. Point is, I want to project my thoughts to someone who's not you. That'd be neat, right?" She frowns as her brother's thoughts become more troubled. "What? I'm not trying to be nosy or evil... it'd just... be nice... no one could ever lie to me."

Junpei smiles reassuringly. "If you wanted to be a detective, you should have gone into law enforcement," he teases. "Not journalism."

"Don't be so naive, Junpei. Cops exist to protect the investments of the wealthy, not to find the truth."

Picking up thoughts so easily from Junpei's mind proves she can do more than she dares to admit she can. Finley knows that. But can she read people and situations when it matters? Will it ever matter? Can she get good enough to submit herself to scientific inquiry, perhaps, and open a new era of study and understanding?

This is what Finley thinks about, while she attempts to research supernatural activity. She finds nothing about any incident in Sim City, djinn-related or otherwise. The hand of censorship is definitely in play here.

Of course Finley knows where else to look into: Bridgeport. That's where the vampires live.

Knowing his sister has the fool idea to go to Bridgeport, and likely won't let it go, Junpei makes more of an effort to use his spare time learning defensive magic. He takes a risk bringing some of his father's books back to his room to study more thoroughly. 

The risk being, Mab might see them.

Junpei also feels a little icky, having them around so close to where he sleeps at night. As if they're tainted in some way, by the cruelty and despair of their former owner.

Unfortunately, Victor the Vampire Teddy doesn't make a good test subject for anti-vampire spells.

Junpei teaches Finley what he's learned. She's more than happy to get the information second-hand; she doesn't have the time to comb through all the material they uncovered, like Junpei is doing. And though she hasn't pried too much, she knows he's found some disturbing and horrific magics they will not be attempting.

"What am I thinking?" they test each other.

And as time goes on, they do get better at it. Which can be good and bad; the mind isn't ever thinking of a single thing. It's a jumble of sensations and memories, connections, associations.

It's something they can't allow themselves to be judgmental about, either. When Finley inadvertently remembers Tommy Ornales making out with her, Junpei isn't allowed to comment.

"Don't look at her," Finley urges, when they take their experiments to the park.

Francisca Vanderburg plays with her young grandson, unaware the town's spirit catcher's children are trying to infiltrate her mind. 

"She's dying soon," Junpei says distantly. "She won't see him grown up."

"Her parents were trying to marry her off to someone rich, so she cut ties until her own father died..." Finley murmurs.

"But she stayed close to her brother Sebastian."

"You're thinking about their younger brother, Kelley."

"Focus on her, not me." Junpei tries harder not to think about how Kelley has been flirting with his sister.

"Right. The toddler's name is Shad."

"She has tulips outside her house."

"She's got a tattoo."

"A butterfly. She got it to piss off her mother."

"She met Bruce on a hiking trip."

"She really misses her husband."

"She took the name Chesterfield, again to piss off her mother."

"He had those two nearly-grown boys..."

"Dennis and Scott."

"And they were weirded out when their father and Francisca had a daughter."

"This prying feels wrong," Junpei groans.

Finley frowns. She stops focusing. Francisca's presence becomes a blur in her mind's eye. "I also have a headache," she complains.

It's girls' night out. Finley and Reisa go for drinks.

"I can't believe we've already got you writing the big articles," Reisa grouses. "It took me forever to get to where I am."

"You're stopping now?" Finley laughs.

"Well, no, I just mean. You're showing me up."

 

"You wanted us to work together, remember?"

"Hey," Reisa changes the subject, "I think Tim over there is giving us the mating signal or something."

Finley glances behind them. Timmothy O'Dourke flexes his muscles. "...Right..."

It's Reisa's turn to laugh. "Sure you don't want a drink? It makes things like this a LOT less awkward..."

"No. I'm not here to get drunk."

"Disappointing. I'm going to have to down all of these myself." 

Reisa ordered an entire round of drinks, only to find Finley giving her a strange look.

"You could always share with Mr. Joined the Military," Finley suggests.

Timmothy has recently become gainfully employed at the base.

Timmothy approaches. "Did some foxy lady call my name?"

"You got a tattoo," Reisa notices suddenly. "Niiice..."

"You broke my big brother's heart you know," he informs her. "But I'm more of a lover than a grudge holderer."

"I don't want to talk about my breakup," Reisa says firmly. Timmothy may be her ex's little brother, but he's always had a more laid back personality, and boot camp has firmed up his muscles a lot since he was that annoying kid with his feet on the desk in chemistry class. Reisa finds herself sizing Tim up and liking what she sees. 

 "Whoaaaa now." Finley gives Reisa another strange look. "You're going steady with Rusty Menon since yesterday. Remember?" 

Tim turns to Finley. "Thanks for the warning, Pink. Seeing as the heartbreaker is spoken for, I'll have to focus my attention solely on you." He winks.

"Pink?" Finley sneers. "And aren't you still dating Paulette Lho?"

Tim laughs his airheaded stoner laugh, but at the same time, seems uncomfortable. "I would be, but she's kind of a peacenik, and she won't have me since I got work at the base. But it's not like I'm out practicing to kill, you know? They only have me cleaning toilets."

Cleaning toilets for the murder machine, Paulette had said. 

But nowhere else would hire him, and he needed money after his parents kicked him out of the house.

Finley frowns. "I'm sorry, Tim."

"Call me Timmmmmmmothy!"

"...What?"

He grins. "My name's got two M's. Two M's are more sexy than one. My parents, you see, knew I'd be the sexy one."

"If you say so."

"It's true! Now if you don't mind me saying, you're looking unbelievably beautiful tonight. Want to dance?"

Finley blushes in spite of herself. Her pale skin makes it look painful. "I... uh..."

"Just a dance! Pleeeease?"

Reisa watches them go. "Okay. Fine. Abandon me."

The dance floor downstairs has plenty of room to boogie.

Timmothy chats about a skippingly wide variety of subjects. He makes fun of his superior officers and admires Finley's dancing. And while he's showering her with compliments, it doesn't feel too pushy or serious. More like careless rambling with a lack of filter. Finley finds out he has a scorpion tattooed on his chest because he's a Scorpio, and they both have the computer whiz trait. This common ground turns into a surprisingly lengthy discussion.

"Need me to rescue you yet?" Reisa offers.

"He's actually a pretty good dancer," Finley says.

They're having fun, so the announcement that it's five minutes to closing time takes them by surprise.

They both stop, and frown a little bit. Finley remembers she has to go to work in three hours, and three hours isn't a good night's sleep. Timmothy remembers he's here because he's lonely; his family kicked him out right after graduation because of his recreational drug use, his girlfriend dumped him when he finally managed to get a job, and he's going to return to his apartment alone and, well, work starts for him in two hours, but he doesn't care about that. He'll be there. With a giant cup of coffee. Rent won't pay itself.

"Well," he says, "looks like this is where we part ways! Let me just say, watching you move tonight was fantastic. Can I get a kiss to remember you by?"

"If you insist." Finley twirls a strand of her hair around her index finger.

He kisses her softly. Their lips touch for only long enough to feel the warmth.

Compared to what Finley has experienced before, it's a respectful kiss. 

He leaves her, strangely, wanting more.

"Look me up if you wanna do this again sometime, Archer."

Reisa is waiting outside. "I saw that," she accuses, though she's wearing a wide grin.

"I'm so sorry, Reisa! I lost track of time..."

"Aw, it's okay. But you HAVE to tell me if he's as great a kisser as his brother."

"Well he didn't try to taste my tonsils, if that's what you mean."

"Don't knock it until you TRY it."

"Reisa!"

"I think you should pursue Kelley Vanderburg," Reisa says, more seriously. "He's so rich."

"Reisa."

"What?"

"I didn't ask for advice."

Junpei's been busy with his own adventure tonight.

An adventure involving a leaking shower.

Why mop up puddles when you have fire magic?

Oh. That's why.

%@#$! Ice spell! Ice spell NOW!

Okay. That worked. Nobody saw that.

"Did you just almost burn the house down?!"

Finley jumps back when her brother screams. "Sh*t! What?! How did I sneak up on you?!"

Junpei stands up straight again and brushes himself off, now with the tranquil moodlet, as if nothing happened. "I guess I was too panicked to register where you were."

"Yeah, well, I was halfway home and you were panicking and..." and she thought she could smell the smoke. And feel the heat. It was upsetting. She was worried. "You know what? Forget it and get out of my way. I need to shower and be ready for work soon."

They haven't called each other or attempted to meet again after the night at the disco tech, but Finley begins bumping into Timmothy around town.

When she goes to the library to check some town archives, Timmothy is there using the free computers.

 He happens to run past her when she's leaving work.

 That's right, she remembers, the base is out that way.

Timmothy is at the grocery store when she ventures there to pick up some meat, eggs, and cheese; three items Junpei can't grow in his garden.

As usual, Timmothy smiles wide, tells her hi. He'll wink at her or call her foxy, and then he'll be on his way. Tonight Finley gives him a hard stare, trying to read his mind. Is he stalking her?

He's not. At least, if she can trust herself, he's not. She senses she's creeped him out a bit, with her intense staring. He asks her if everything's okay.

"Everything's fine," Finley says. She shows him the smile she's practiced in the mirror. A charismatic, sincere smile, calculated to brighten anyone's day. It does the job. Timmothy relaxes and tells her something forgettable about what he was at the grocery store to purchase.

He's always been around, she supposes. One of the background extras in her life. She sees her neighbors on the street every day, and she knows who they are, but she never takes note of where and when she saw them last.

So why is her brain playing the seek-a-pattern game over this man? Why the preoccupation? Finley takes a taxi back to her home on Bristlecone Way, considering that wondering why she's thinking about him still technically counts as thinking about him.

Friday night.

Finley decides she'll call Timmothy, and ask if he's still single enough for a night on the town.

She's not at all shocked to find Timmothy still single.


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Etc.: Poor Diana. She was pregnant, but the purple mood lamp glitched her up, and when I intervened to fix her, she somehow lost the baby. Feeling bad, I used MC to impregnate her again.

Timmothy is the offspring of Jessica Willow and Liam O'Dourke, one of my town's only happily married couples. I wasn't sure where I was going to go with Finley's love life, and then I found her and Tim autonomously flirting.

The gem cutting machine removes the cost and wait time of having your gems cut through the mailbox system. I am not personally finding it to be too cheaty, but is does eliminate the cost-effective calculations you must do when cutting gems to determine whether or not each cut will produce a gem worth the cost of cutting it. Now there is no cost of cutting it, other than the cost of purchasing the machine. You still have to collect lots and lots of gems before unlocking the best cuts.