[Deleted]

Liz Evander

It was a rare thing for Liz to be going outside for reasons other than intrepid work, but then again, it wasn’t really on the spectrum of impossible.

Despite that, she was still genuinely surprised that she managed to put everything down for today just to meet an old friend, a friend who happened to have been living again in New York without Liz’s knowledge. Liz was definitely going to grill her friend down about it, but more in a sarcastically-teasing sort of way rather than being genuinely upset.

Besides, why would she be upset? Heck, Liz was too glad that Julia Barlow—who had also been somewhat of a mentor and a roommate to her—actually still existed. Liz was twenty-years old and jobless when they both last contacted each other, with Jules about to take a trip to Bolivia to do some volunteer work that Liz had already long forgotten. They still talked online, of course, but it wasn’t exactly a reliable medium of conversation.

Then, Liz got another job, and well, it was safe to say that her social life drowned afterwards.

And then two days ago, after almost five years, the bloody blue-haired lady sent a text message that soon escalated into demands of reunion.

”Good day, Ma’am!” the sound of a young woman’s voice almost startled Liz as she entered the cafe. Turning to the side, she was greeted by a rather too-cheerful waitress who wore the biggest smile on her face. ”Table for two?”

”I’ve already chosen a place by the window, actually,” Liz frankly responded, pointing to the said area. She’d been to this coffee shop more than a few times and had always found that certain spot comforting. ”And two lattes, please.”

Ah, The Brimming Brown, one of the best cafes in New York—at least in Liz’s opinion. Aside from the shop housing her favourite table spot, as well as the coffees being great, Liz chose this certain coffee shop because it had the right amount of noise and silence, like an in-between that was perfect for quaint conversations between old friends.

After a few more texts that mostly consisted of “Oh gosh you still exist! How are you?” and ”It’s been a long time!”, both of them had agreed to meet-up at about 10:00, but considering it was Jules, Liz expected it to be somewhat later than the discussed time.

Still, she knew that her old friend would show up. They had a lot of catching up to do and Liz wasn’t about to let any questions pass by unanswered.

Huh, looks like her journalist habits still shone through.

@jules ||

[Deleted]

Em had strong opinions about what she wanted to wear today. She seemed to be particularly offended by anything that wasn’t a shade of green which was… great, except for the fact that the individual items were all quite different shades of green that definitely didn’t go together. The second Jules tried to force her into accepting a more neutral item of clothing, however, she would wail and throw a miniature tantrum. Jules honestly did not care that much whether or not her darling daughter looked like a swamp monster or not but she’d wanted to make a good impression today. She checked her watch and realised that the battle had taken far longer than she’d anticipated… oops, there goes that good first impression.

Luckily the coffee shop Liz – her old roommate, still right here in New York and still killing it in the world of journalism – had chosen was neither far nor unfamiliar to Jules. Although motherhood and Heroism didn’t leave her much time to spare for enjoying coffee shops, she knew that the Brimming Brown was a Nice Place. She could only hope that they wouldn’t turn her away at the door once they noticed the little swamp monster she’d brought along with her.

She’d spotted some of Liz’s reports online and dived through to catch up on her old friend’s work before realising rather abruptly that she could just message her directly to see how she was doing. It had been a long time since the two of them had been in the same city – Liz had still been earning her place as a reporter back then, and Jules had had her sights set on exploring the world. She’d done so, of course, quite successfully. Until Miss Swamp Monster came along.

Emily was being devilishly cute as always so Jules couldn’t even be mad. As she approached the Brimming Brown, Jules realised suddenly that it had been so long since they’d been in contact that Liz wouldn’t even know about Em. Well, that could be a pleasant surprise for her.

Liz was sat at the window, two coffees already waiting for her friend’s arrival. Jules could feel an apologetic grimace already forming on her face. Inwardly, she was also concerned about whether or not the coffee was still hot. If it wasn’t, that was her own fault for being the most terrible person at time-keeping in the entire world. And also Em’s fault, for being a swamp monster.

“Hi, hi, hello!” Jules sang as she approached the table. Great spot, she noted. Her smile broke into a full beam of delight at being reunited with her old friend. Just as she drew close, she spotted a nearby employee and gestured to her mini Shrek. “Could we get a chair, please?” she asked, quickly turning her attention back to Liz and settling Em on her knee as she waited.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said – the standard greeting for most of her social situations. She grinned knowingly at Liz, who was sure to have also remembered that fact. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

Em babbled her own version of an apology, which was more of a random string of vowels and consonants than anything particularly meaningful. Still, she looked somewhat appropriately contrite. It was adorable, whatever it was.

“You’re damn right it was your fault,” she said fondly, prodding Em in the stomach. She looked up at Liz with a grin, forgetting entirely to introduce her swamp child.

Good thing Liz had excellent investigation skills – she was sure to figure it out on her own.

@lizevander | 599 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

Liz saw Jules outside the window before she even entered the Brimming Brown, causing an amused smile to light up the reporter's usually-poker face. Jules' blue hair wasn't exactly sneaky-ninja material--one could easily spot her in a crowd if her head wasn't covered. And today it wasn't covered, nor was there a crowd outside the coffee shop. Adding the fact that Liz was expecting her old friend, spotting Jules was a pretty quick thing to do.

What Liz didn't see, however, was the small thing clad in different shades of green clutched tightly to Jules' arms. Liz definitely wouldn't blame it on bad eyesight, especially considering it was only bad when she was reading, but for some reason she didn't realize what Jules had in her arms until her old friend approached closer.

Hence, instead of what would pass as a normal greeting, something else escaped Liz's mouth."Now, what did you pick up from the streets this time?".

She had tried to mask her surprise, but the words recently said were obviously an epic fail for a cover. A few seconds of silence ensued, Liz looking back and forth from Jules to the kid before she let out a surprisingly genuine laugh. Darn, it's been a long time for a lot of things, she realized, still lowkey comparing the kid's looks to that of her friend's. Eventually realizing that Jules wasn't simply taking a babysitting job, Liz briefly wondered who the father was, but soon decided to save the question for later times.

To Jules' standard greeting, Liz responded with her own knowing smile. "Twenty minutes--I think that's a record, Jules," With the kid adding in her own words of wisdom, Liz's smile evolved into a grin. "And now you've got a Jules Junior, huh? Let me guess: she's the reason it's twenty minutes?"

Eventually the employee returned with a high-chair in tow, to which Liz took the opportunity to order some scones, "Didn't exactly expect a special guest, but I'm taking it that kids don't mix good with coffee." Crossing her hands on the table, Liz let out a soft chuckle, "We've already said this, like, a million times in the text messages but...My God, Jules, it's been five years and you still look like -you- the last time we saw each other. How've you been?"

Now, her gazillionth 'how have you been?' was referring to the toddler on Jules' knee, who quite possibly just added a million more questions to her already-full arsenal. Of all the scenarios Liz had pictured out in her head of their coffee shop reunion, this was surprisingly not one of them. Not that it was a bad thing--Liz now saw a newfound opportunity to be a cool aunt to Jules Junior, starting with the scones.

@jules ||

[Deleted]

Jules let out a happy, not entirely surprised laugh, as Liz’s mildly shocked question tumbled from her mouth. She smirked with amusement as Liz stared in silence for a moment, her gaze flitting between Jules and the baby Shrekling, before she finally laughed as well.

“Hey! You say that like I make a habit of finding babies in alleyways,” Jules said in mock-protest. She kissed the top of Em’s head. “Mmmm, fresh from the streets.”

Liz was undoubtedly used to Jules’ ridiculousness by now. Sure, it had been years since the two of them were roommates, but you didn’t forget somebody like Jules easily. She was just relieved that Liz seemed to be the same Liz that she remembered – maybe a little more tired-looking, more coffee-reliant, if that were possible, but the brightness in her eyes and the playful teasing of her tone was as familiar as a comfy old armchair.

“Oh boy, only twenty minutes? You must be impressed,” Jules chuckled. After Em proceeded to offer her wordless apology-attempt, Liz once again brought up the topic of Jules’ obvious motherhood. She smiled broadly. “This is Emily, or Em. I don’t think she minds either way.” Jules tickled her daughter absent-mindedly as she spoke. “And yeah, she’s not normally such a passionate fashion diva, but this morning she did delay us by insisting that she looked like she’d just crawled out of a swamp.”

Jules rolled her eyes. Em looked smug.

The high-chair was finally placed at the head of their table and Jules managed to strap Em into the seat with only minor protests which were placated pretty quickly with the promises of snacks. Liz ordered some scones quickly, which Jules greatly approved of.

“I know, I know. I think I was a slightly different shade of blue, maybe? I went pink at some point while I was in Bolivia. But yeah, I’m still me.” Jules smiled happily. “I’ve been pretty good, actually. Picked up some good work since I’ve moved back here and, obviously, I’ve been busy getting busy.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Before you ask, no there isn’t a hidden husband behind the curtain. Just the two of us!”

It had been so long since she’d seen Liz. She was obviously still deep into the world of journalism, but she appeared so much older now. Not in a bad way at all. In a way that suggested she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it – the kind of confidence that only came with heavy doses of age and experience.

“How about you? Give me all the exciting updates. Secret husbands, babies, career moves – the lot. You look fantastic, by the way. Since when were you such a legit grown-up?”

@lizevander | 455 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

Jules' mock protests only elicited a mischievous smile from Liz. "Who knows? You could be some, I dunno, local vigilante wearing spandex and snatching babies from their trashcans," she remarked with a shrug, her expression suddenly becoming furtive as she added: "I've been hearing whispers in the alleys about a blue-haired lady, scouring the dark recesses of New York for little babes. Some say they could hear her in the night, whispering her catchphrase--my precioussss".

Considering the rising trend of superheroes, it seemed like a fitting story. However, Liz found the transition to horror a tad bit amusing.

She already felt good, frankly better than she did these years. Her colleagues at the Daily Star would probably wonder who took over her body the moment she imitated Gollum, but five years ago, in the company of people like Jules, it would have been the norm in her daily conversations. It was a welcoming change, as out-of-character it might be.

Thankfully, she wasn't the only one who was out-of-character.

"Seeing you with a kid is, to be honest, akin to seeing a polar bear stuck in the hot temperatures of Hawaii." she admitted, taking a sip from her untouched latte, which was already cold. Not that she minded, it wasn't the first time she'd drank cold coffee, especially considering her workplace was air conditioned. "AKA, it's totally possible, but totally unexpected."

Of course, there were more reasons why she chose a polar bear in Hawaii that she wanted to explain, but Liz locked the motormouth before it could start. Instead, she transferred her attention to Jules Junior, or Emily, at least according to the mum. "Heyyyy, Em!" Grinning, Liz gave a small wave to the little girl, her version being to raise three fingers up instead of the whole five. "You know, I was already calling you JJ in my head, or maybe Fiona suits you more, considering your fashion sense."

Leaning slightly to whisper, albeit she made sure Jules' still heard, Liz gave another mischievous grin, "I'm betting your mum called you Shrek instead?"

Of course, the right to rename Emily still fell rightly on the shoulders of Emily.

"You and pink hair? Hrm..." Liz squinted slightly, picturing the color on Jules' hair while she strapped Emily down the high chair. It didn't take long for her to give an approving nod. "You know, I'm betting that one day you'll have a rainbow for hair. Every damn color just seems to fit you," she remarked with a sure nod, crossing her arms for more effect. "Also, what good work are you talking about? I'm guessing you're done with journalism, or are you really?"

She was about to ask another question, one regarding Emily's father, when Jules' shot it down by answering before Liz even managed to ask. "No hidden husbands, noted," she affirmed, instead revising the question in her head and smiling mischievously, "Buuut, is there a boyfriend? Maybe a special someone? Heck, have you got the hots for a guy right now, Jules?"

Way to keep the investigative spirit, Liz.

It wasn't long before the scones arrived, much to Liz's quiet delight. There were three plates, each with two scones, but since Liz was getting quite into the role of a cool aunt she decided to hand one of hers to Emily's. "Hey! When was I never a legit grown-up?" she playfully protested to Jules' last remark, although eventually giving in. Remembering her nerdier, twenty-year old appearance wasn't going to give her protest any justice. "Okay, okay, is it because I don't wear my glasses anymore? I think it definitely covered the eyebags, yeah."

It was definitely not because of the glasses.

She chuckled at Jules' list of expected items. "Okay, one: I've got zero secret husbands," She raised one finger as if to count, "That includes boyfriends, or any form of love life that one might expect from a legit grown-up like me." Chuckling softly, she added one last quiet mutter, "I don't think I've ever dated anyone in like, years."

Raising another finger, Liz continued, "Having no love life also means zero babies, unless you count my dog Piper. She's pretty far from a baby though, considering she's four years old."

Liz wasn't sure if Jules remembered Piper--she had picked up the dachshund in the streets some years ago and Liz recalled having Piper on her lap during some of her and Jules' video calls. Frankly, it was on the tail end of their video calling days, and Piper rarely appeared on screen. "As for career moves, well, I've been recently promoted to head reporter for the Daily Star's Metahuman News column...so, yay for me, I guess!"

Truth be told, though, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in her line of work. "Investigative reporting is so much easier if I wasn't covering metahumans, to be honest, but I like the challenge." she remarked, taking another sip from her latte, the scone still untouched. "Their world is just so...different and secretive from ours, and I find it quite fasinating and intriguing."

She wasn't talking about the heroes that frequently roamed the public, not really. Liz was more interested in the organizations that seemed to hide more than they seem.

@jules ||

[Deleted]

Jules rolled her eyes, secretly rather amused that Liz was joking about her being a spandex-clad baby-snatcher. Her local vigilante comment was off the mark, but probably not so far as Liz thought. She snickered as Liz continued to delve into the ridiculousness of her blue-haired, Gollum-esque dustbin-babynapper character, getting a little carried away with the catchphrase.

“C’mon man, I knew I looked a little rough this morning but do you really have to compare a sleep-deprived single mom to Sméagol?” She looked across at her green child relaxing happily in the high chair. Boy, they must make quite the pair.

Liz was brutally honest in her surprise at finding Jules in the clutches of motherhood, as expected. “Yeah… It wasn’t exactly my goal when I set out to explore the world but gosh, if she isn’t the happiest little accident anyway.” She grinned. “I hope you’re not hiding one behind the chair. Now that would be unexpected.” Surely Liz was too married to her career to find time for a baby.

Em giggled delightedly at Liz’s attention. Jules tilted her head in amusement. “JJ – lil Julia Junior? Snappy, I like it. And duh, of course I called her Shrek – she’s a total swamp creature.” She blew kisses to soften the blow of her teasing, as if Emily even understood it in the first place.

“Rainbow would be awesome! I dig it – you’ll have to help me dye it. There’s no way I could manage that solo, especially not with Em climbing all over me determined to get dye on her face in the process.” Jules was a responsible mother but sometimes she was tempted to indulge Em in her desire for hair dye. She’d leave it a good few years yet, but the idea of blue-haired mini-Jules was adorable to think about.

“No, no, I still do quite a lot of writing. Freelance still, but I love the freedom of it. Not journalism as such, not the way that you do it, but I’ve managed to build enough of a reputation back up that I don’t have to write cringy Buzzfeed articles or something for a living. I definitely bow to you as the journalism queen these days.” She made a little bowing gesture to illustrate her point.

“No… no, too busy for boys! Why, have you got a secret millionaire blind date set up for me? Or are you keeping them for yourself?” she teased. Again, Liz was likely entirely married to her job, but it didn’t hurt to prod her gently about her love life anyway.

@lizevander | 429 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

”You really want me to get a boyfriend, don’t you? Is this required so I could truly be a Legit Grown-Up?” Liz crossed her arms in faux-exasperation before biting in on a scone. The reporter firmly believed that she didn’t have a chance with relationships, considering she was a workaholic and she sucked at personal ties. ”Well, then, wish granted. My laptop’s my sweetheart and my articles are my babies.”

Clapping her hands for more effect, Liz added with a grin, ”It just so happens that they’re hiding behind my back, too, tucked comfortingly inside my satchel. So yeah, hooray for accuracy, Jules!”

She was kidding, of course, and trusted Jules enough to know that. It was very easy for people to run away the moment Liz displayed her bluntness, even just for a little bit, and usually the ones who knew her better stayed. Jules, in particular—Liz could still clearly recall—would even retort with her own witty, frank statement. It was a part of why they became friends in the first place, and part of why they continued to be so.

Ah, the good ol’ days.

”Now, now, hey! If I ever get the chance to interview some young, single millionaire I’ll be sure to drop your name.” She raised a palm as if the declaration were a sacred oath. Maybe it was. If there was one notable thing about Liz, it was that she never lied. ”Like, hey! I’ve got this friend, blue-haired, looks like Sméagol when tired, but on most days she’s gorgeous so ignore what I just said. Bonus points, she’s got an adorable swamp creature for a clone. So, what do you say I give you her number and play matchmaker ‘till you guys get married? Just make sure I’m invited to the wedding, yeah?”

It was official now: Liz deserved a Pulitzer for trying.

”So, freelance writing, huh?” Liz had found freelancing appealing some years and years ago, when her heart still wasn’t fully set on journalism like it was now. Crossing her arms on the table and resting her chin on her wrists, Liz inched in a little closer out of interest. ”Do tell of Jules Barlow’s literary adventures, I need to catch up on them!”

@jules ||

[Deleted]

Jules raised her hands. “Woah woah woah! Don’t ask me about the qualifications to be a legit grown-up – I seem to have bypassed that entirely and now I’m in some weird limbo between teenage rebellion and motherly responsibility.” She wrinkled her nose, amused. “I would never encourage you to become old and boring, Mizz Liz.”

She laughed openly as Liz introduced her to the makeshift family she kept concealed with her satchel. It was so typical of Liz, and she had no doubt that she was indeed entirely devoted to her work. “Now that’s a good idea… I wonder if I can cram Emily into a satchel…”

Em glanced up at the mention of her name and gave them both a broad, scone-filled grin.

“You definitely should have brought Piper along in yours,” she added. “I’d have loved to see her and Em trying to interact – let us join you on a dog walk sometime and I’ll do my best to stop her from pulling Piper’s tail.” Jules grinned. “But no promises.”

She listened to Liz’s hype-talk – not looking entirely convinced that it would charm any potential millionaires. On the other hand, it was pretty honest, and Jules would probably feel quite happily matched with anybody who had the sense of humour to even give a blue-haired Sméagol with a swamp creature clone a chance.

“I think you should stick to your metahuman stuff, I’m not sure match-making is for you,” she said finally, sticking her tongue out. “Congratulations on the promotion by the way! Hey maybe you just need to point me in the direction of a meta-millionaire.” Jules was carefully dodging the subject of her own metahuman status. “Met anyone interesting lately?”

She shrugged dismissively at Liz’s interest in her own writing – she hadn’t been focusing on it so much since the Hero work had started, but she couldn’t exactly say that. “Oh, it’s a bit of everything, usually for the same people but I never really get to stretch my legs when it’s like, sponsored articles or something. I guess the most recent thing I put out there was… oh! It was actually a satirical article on the Onion, believe it or not. Just a joke story about a kid who developed powers and suddenly all his problems were solved. I think it made a few rounds on social media so I guess someone other than me found it funny.”

Jules laughed. “But nothing ground-breaking from me, unfortunately. That’s up to you, right?”

@lizevander | 416 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

"A walk with our respective creatures sounds fun!" Liz was, of course, referring to the swamp monster by Jules' side, but it obviously came out a bit wrong--to that Liz couldn't help but cringe. Even her banter was getting rusty...that had to be fixed. "Piper's not as energetic as she used to be. But just like the ability to ride a bike or, well, severe childhood trauma, hyperactivity doesn't really leave you, doesn't it? I'm sure she'll be able to keep up with Shrek's antics."

Liz wasn't the least bit worried about Em pulling at Piper's tail--it actually created a pretty amusing image in her head and it would definitely stop Piper from lazing around the house. It had been pretty long since Piper had gone out for a walk...she was more of an indoors kind of dog these days, and it didn't help that her human was a workaholic who came home late at night or on rare cases, sometimes never at all. However, it didn't mean Piper was a statue--it just meant all the stored energy stayed there, only waiting to explode.

"Hey, I know I'm a role model for single crones everywhere, but that's not a measurement of my matchmaking skills!" the reporter protested, albeit it came out weak and completely unconvincing to the point that Liz immediately changed her mind. "Well, okay, maybe it is a factor, but still!"

The next few seconds were spent opening and closing her mouth to formulate the points she had in her mind, but to no avail. Instead, Liz quietly munched on another scone and shot Jules a look that said "Okay, you win this round."

The topic, however, quickly transitioned to meta-millionaires, to which Liz was quite grateful considering the conversation would have dropped down to silence. Jules' suggestion elicited a grin from Liz--a few people popped into mind but the reporter wasn't quite sure if they'd fit into Jules' bill. "Say, I did meet a few that fit into 'meta' and 'millionaire'. I don't think I've the right to say who they are, not right now at least, but I do know I've the permission to mention you should the opportunity arise."

The reporter cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Dude, I know you've always had a thing for the non-mundane. I mean, your blue-hair says it all," she remarked, taking a big gulp from her coffee before continuing. "But I didn't know you had a thing for supers. Now it's my turn to ask--have you met someone interesting lately?"

Liz had a feeling that Jules did. She also had a feeling that Jules was an interesting person herself, but then again Liz felt like that about everybody. Inquisitiveness was something she couldn't shake off her person, and the best way to pluck it off piece by piece was to ask questions. She just hoped Jules wasn't minding her ex-roommate's habit of doing so.

@jules ||

[Deleted]

Our respective creatures. Jules giggled, smacking a hand vaguely in Liz’s direction as though she had any right to tell her off for referring to Em as a creature when she herself had been doing exactly that just moments ago. “They would be fantastic together – hopefully they could keep each other occupied while we sit on a bench with coffee. Babysitting and puppysitting all in one!”

It definitely seemed like a great way to spend an afternoon. Of course, in Jules’ head, the sun was shining and Emily and Piper were happily entertaining each other without either one taking a bite out of the other. Em hadn’t met many dogs. With Piper being a dachshund, she was probably a good, small place to start.

Liz seemed determined to prove herself a competent match-maker, but Jules wasn’t even sure if she believed her own words. “You aren’t a single crone – don’t let your sweetheart laptop hear you say such things,” she teased.

Liz’s mouth opened and closed comically as she tried to argue her case, eventually giving up and comforting herself with a mouthful of scone while glaring a little in Jules’ direction. Jules stuck her tongue out childishly in response.

The next look on Liz’s face suggested she had in fact schmoozed with a few metamillionaires in her time, which greatly intrigued Jules. She’d probably met some of them herself through Hero work. Though she herself was from a wealthy Hero, she was also doing fairly well at it and had definitely crossed paths with a few rather successful metas. Millionaires though? She wasn’t sure.

“Oh Liz, you go right ahead and drop my name to whoever fits the bill,” she insisted with a grin. “What an exciting life you lead, man! I’ll have to keep an eye out for your future stories to see if any of the subjects catch my eye.”

Liz was entirely accurate in describing Jules as having “a thing for the non-mundane”. She seemed rather insistent that Jules was keeping something interesting a secret – or, rather, someone. Whether she’d given something away or Liz was just being hit by one of her famously accurate hunches, she couldn’t tell. “Woah, am I being interviewed here?” she laughed, clearly not actually bothered by Liz’s questioning. “Well, Em and I saw a really cool street performer recently – I think she would count as interesting in this context? Magical stuff.”

The way she said ‘stuff’ implied that she would have said a completely different word if little ears hadn’t been present, but she hoped Liz caught the enthusiasm nonetheless.

@lizevander | 430 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

Liz fiddled with the rim of her coffee cup as she listened, a mental image of Em and Piper getting more solidified in her head. She liked the sound of it, especially much more now that coffee was in the picture. This has to happen. Albeit when, Liz was unsure. Her job didn't exactly leave much room for predictability, but then again, Jules was one of her closest friends and Liz wouldn't want to drop the opportunity to talk to her again.

"My 'sweetheart laptop' reminds me that I'm a single crone," Liz pointed out, chuckling. "My wallpaper's this really big block of words that essentially summarizes to 'Single and loving it', so...there you go."

It definitely wasn't going to be changed anytime soon.

"Well, if you count dodging debris about thrice a week 'exciting', then yes, I guess that's my life." An exciting life indeed, but the cost of such excitement was the neverending danger that Liz felt lingering at every corner. It had already tried to take her life once--through a sniper's bullet aimed right at her head--and had she been not as lucky as she was that day she probably wouldn't be having a cup of coffee with Jules and Emily right now. Liz didn't know if Jules had heard of it, but with or without knowledge Liz didn't want to bring it up so as to not worry her friend.

Instead, she diverted towards Jules' next topic. "Well, sometimes my journalist side just shines through," she shrugged mischievously, before her expression shifted to the one she frequently used when interviewing: hands crossed on the table with an inquisitive gaze. "A street performer, you say? Tell me, Miss Barlow, does she shoot lasers out of her eyes? Or can she fly? What's this magical stuff you speak of? Is it integral to the future of our planet?"

Okay, that was probably a bit too much, but it was probably normal in Jules' standards.

A small laugh escaped Liz's lips, quickly interrupted by another sip of her coffee. "Forgive the silliness, it's been a long time since I've had this much fun," she remarked, a few remnants of her laugh following out as she bit on the last pieces of her scone. She knew Jules was familiar with her weird tendencies, but then again it also had been a long time ago and as much as she knew that Jules was still...Jules, certainly there were always a few changes, right? Especially the ones that came in the form of a cute creature named Em, who most definitely made Jules seem a lot more mature than she once was. There was no denying that time had made them grow, even if they claimed that it was only just a little bit.

@jules ||

[Deleted]

On the one hand, Jules couldn’t believe that Liz would ever have such an on-the-nose wallpaper but, on the other hand, it seemed like it could slot in neatly with her friend’s slightly out there sense of humour. Unsure whether to take Liz’s statement about her wallpaper at face value or not, Jules would just have to demand proof.

“I honestly don’t know if you’re kidding me right now or not. That is the height of single crone,” she added delightedly. “Are you for real?”

It was funny to hear that Liz’s work required her to dodge debris several times a week. If Jules hadn’t been trying to conceal her superhero identity, she would have met Liz’s words with an enthusiastic, “Same”. She was getting very good at dodging. As it was, Jules simply widened her eyes in alarm and expressed concern, tempered by the rather impressed look on her face.

“I hope you’re taking some defence classes,” she said, mildly amused by the idea that Liz Evander would ever be faced with a situation she couldn’t handle through sheer force of will. “I know it’s interesting source material but I’d hate to see you face some debris you can’t dodge. Is it really that dangerous all the time?” she asked, intrigued.

Jules recognised Liz’s interviewing stance immediately, snorting a bit of coffee through her nose as Liz settled her hands into position on the table. “Integral to the future of our planet,” Jules scoffed. “She brought a lot of joy to some people passing by on the streets of New York, so I guess she’s integral to a bit of future happiness? But no, no lasers or flight that I’m aware of. Just putting on a show with these cute visual illusions. It’s hard to describe how cool they are until you witness them.”

She grinned at the laughter tumbling out of Liz between sips of coffee and bites of scone. For a second it felt like the other woman was… no… relaxing? Surely not!

“It’s been too long – we absolutely have to be better at keeping in touch from now on. It’s nice to get out the house and talk to another adult for a change too, even if I do have Shrek in tow.” Jules indicated Em with a nod of her head, who was relaxing lazily in her high chair with crumbs all over her face, staring with gentle interest through the window at the pedestrians going by.

@lizevander | 412 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

Liz Evander

With a laugh, Liz reached out behind her seat and took out her laptop, opening it with a quick press of the button. "Unfortunately, I am for real," she confirmed by turning her laptop around so Jules could see the full proof of her croneship. Frankly, the whites of the screen were half-riddled with Microsoft word articles and various other software, but the big block of words was right there, visible in the middle. "Feel free to call me an absolute dork now."

It definitely wasn't going to be the first time.

Liz shook her head to Jules' next question--sure, there were times that it had almost cost her life, but what's investigative journalism without a little danger? "Exaggeration is key," she joked, raising up one finger to emphasize the faux-wisdom. "It isn't exactly life-threatening--not always, at least. And yes, I do take some defence classes. Just in case some criminal decides I'm good hostage material or something."

The last sentence came out in a quiet, chuckling mutter. It wasn't exactly the full reason, but Jules wasn't probably going to be interested in the fact that she'd faced one too many CEO-paid assholes and barely escaped their fists.

"Is she still in New York, then? I'd probably try to pass by this illusionist's street shows and be the judge myself. Who knows? She'd be good article material!" she asked after Jules described said performer, slightly intrigued. It wasn't just heroes and villains that Liz covered--there were certainly metahumans who didn't need to save people to be interesting. "Just kidding, I don't think of every meta as a resource for my job--that's just heartless. I'd like to think I'd be more like...James Gordon Bennett in the Greatest Showman. That movie was amazing."

To those who knew her enough, her last statement heralded the fact that she was about to geek out--a certain habit that the reporter only ever manifested when around people she was comfortable with. "I'd sing all the songs but I don't think that'd be appropriate when we're in such a quiet and quaint place," Liz looked around the Brimming Brown, smiling fondly. "Cups would, like, break. So would eardrums."

Nodding in agreement, Liz took another sip from her coffee cup. "Well, we already have an afternoon walk on the list--what more should we add? House visits? The arcade--I feel that Jules Junior here will enjoy all the games! Or we could simply binge-watch Spirited Away and all the other Ghibli films--Disney's amazing and all, but Ghibli's honestly underrated." she replied to Jules' latest question, the smile growing wider and wider. "By the way! We should totally begin video calling again, like the good ol' days. Or calling, for that matter--I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be everyday that we can talk to each other."

@jules ||