In all honesty, the warehouse looked super sketchy. Although, tucked away in the midst of SoMa, Persephone was actually pleasantly surprised at how remote it felt. There probably weren’t many people who looked at such a sketchy-looking building and simultaneously felt a sense of comfort, but Persephone was definitely one of them. She was always drawn to places that she could hide away in. It was why she liked her apartment, and why she’d applied to the specific places that she now currently worked at. The diner was pretty devoid of character and could blend into the background quite easily, while the restaurant was down a small side street that would have given it “hidden gem” status had the food been of a snobbier standard.

Her smile was genuine as she thanked their invisible doorman, waiting for Alice to go ahead before she too entered the warehouse.

She hadn’t really been expecting anyone else to be here – it had seemed like a bit of an impromptu invite – but there Claire sat, pencil in hand. Made sense, it wasn’t like she actually had a job. Girl had all the free time in the world to just hang out in dodgy old industrial buildings with a sketchpad.

“Yeah, I guess they did,” she said, still not entirely sure what she was being roped in for yet. The details didn’t exactly bother her too much but she wasn’t completely apathetic. She set her bag down carefully beside the entrance and stepped further into the space to take a look at it.

“So this is where you guys have been testing out powers?”

Persephone could see a little dishevelment here and there that could be attributed to that kind of activity. She knew Dom’s power could be destructive but didn’t really know about the other two girls. Alice had definitely mentioned developing one and she vaguely remembered Claire having an ability of some sort. She hadn’t really described it – seemed reluctant to even admit that it existed. Clearly she’d accepted a little more now if she was also here in the warehouse testing stuff out.

She turned to face Alice, who seemed to be the main voice for all this. “I’m happy to be involved with testing out our powers, using them as a group and stuff… Sounds fun!” That was a lie. “But what powers do we even have? He’s invisible, Dom shoots electricity… What about you guys?”

If Dom and Alice truly thought there was a potential here to utilise their powers, surely at least one of them had something impressive that really sparked this idea to help people. Sure, Persephone could grow some really nice tomatoes for people but she wasn’t sure how much she could do as a superhero. Was this really a suggestion for full-on, action-packed superhero battles against crime?

Well, it was flashy. It would certainly grab people’s attention, both the wrong and the right sorts. An opportunity to expose the doctor’s work, perhaps? Time would only tell.

Wow, Alice really could muster enthusiasm for just about anything.

“Yeah… no, I’m with Mason. There’s not much to get excited over with plant pots,” Persephone said with a grin. “But hopefully you might find the stuff I grow in them pretty cool.”

It wasn’t like Alice’s opinion of her plants actually mattered in the slightest, but Persephone was genuinely quite proud of her collection. It had been nice to watch Cory admire the sprawling indoor garden. Kind of validated the success of it all, weirdly. Now, with her power, Persephone’s collection could only continue to grow in its impressiveness.

“No, that was the doctor’s work, remember?”

Her refusal of Mason’s theory of extra-terrestrial descent came out a little quickly. She couldn’t help but feel a little anxious when thinking of the debt they owed to this doctor. Adding the suggestion that the whole situation was part of some weird, intergalactic plan just blew the anxiety out of proportion. Best to just dismiss the idea entirely.

“Yeah, let’s go to the warehouse now.” Persephone spun round and immediately caught Miranda’s eye, gesturing to the bills in Alice’s hand. It was lucky that she was in the way of the exit – Miranda had a habit of staring at it – and they quickly paid up and left. The chefs waved goodbye to her but she pretended not to have noticed. She was off duty now and her patience for co-workers had officially run out.

She talked as they walked. “It’s mostly just some stuff that I need to mix into the soil, I’ve got all the cuttings at home already, but you guys can just wait outside while- fuck!”

The metallic clattering caught her off-guard and she jumped back a step, eyes wide. Then a quiet apology appeared out of thin air.

“Woah, dude.” Persephone exhaled deeply. “Please try not to put any of us back in hospital.”

It was a weak attempt at humour, but it was something. Clearly she was still a bit on edge, and she was now quite annoyed that it was there for the others to see. Persephone didn’t like being perceived as vulnerable. Ever.

“…Anyway, the store’s just on this corner…”

Not really sure what exactly to expect, Persephone waited patiently for Alice to gather her thoughts. The girl pulled out her earphones – a little disguise for talking to her invisible dining partner – and began with a confident “Umm…”

Persephone remembered the somewhat shady invitation to a random SoMa warehouse. She’d been at work the whole day but hadn’t been too upset about missing the occasion in all honesty. Tests of her powers were done best in her apartment where she was surrounded by the very tools of her ability. Warehouses were not generally known for their lush and varied vegetation.

She tilted her head ever so slightly with intrigue at Alice’s mention of her power. There wasn’t much to go on – what had happened when she fell down the stairs? Could she fly now or something? She didn’t look any different but then, none of them did. It was surely only a matter of time before Alice elaborated upon exactly what kind of “other stuff” she could do.

Then her eyes narrowed slightly with guarded interest. Dom said they should be heroes? If the idea had come directly from Alice or Mason she would have dismissed the idea as childish fantasising. There must be something more to it if Dom was on board though. Persephone didn’t remotely care about avengers or justice leagues but Dom was a shrewd businessman who must have thought this through on a different level to re-enacting comic books.

She nodded at Mason’s addition. Sticking together was good. Especially if they were doing something as risky as hero work – it could attract attention. Maybe even the attention of other powered individuals who would be able to help them track down the doctor.

“I’ll admit,” she said slowly. “I’m interested. I’ll need to know a whole lot more than just… that,” she gestured at Alice, referring to her speech. It had been energetic but rather lacking in any detail… Persephone just had to know more before she could make an informed decision. “But yeah, I think that seems like a great idea.” She smiled warmly at each of them (or at least in the vague direction of Mason).

“We could probably walk to the warehouse from here,” she suggested with a shrug. “I’d like to take a look at it. I do need to swing by the garden store though… I’ve got a little inspiration that needs supplies.” The cryptic nature of her power shone through once more. Persephone was just going to have to get used to the mysticism of it all. Some hard facts and logic would be nice but she kind of enjoyed the weirdness of her ability. It felt like a part of her that had been there all along, just waiting to be unlocked, and now she needed to get to know it before she could begin to decode it.

We’ve been testing things out? So Alice had clearly developed powers. Either that or she’d attached herself so firmly to the group that she was now a limpet speaking on their behalf. Persephone shrugged internally. She was sure that Alice would reveal such information in due course. Right now, she still had a shift to finish.

“Sure,” she said succinctly, trying her best to keep the tone warm and friendly despite the dismissive nature of her reply. She hadn’t wanted Alice to start her conversation here and now, simply confirm Persephone’s suspicions that their patronage wasn’t a "pleasant" coincidence. Her talk of tests and joining in could wait.

Persephone nodded appreciatively at the empty space that Mason seemed to occupy. At least he seemed to have remembered that Persephone was still at work. “Coming right up!”

Sometimes it was really hard to remember to fake a dazzling, Broadway smile. Other times, she was barely aware of doing it until she caught sight of her reflection. When moments like this occurred, blurring the line between personal and professional lives, the smile was definitely an effort. However, if anything could be said for Persephone, it was that she wasn’t afraid of making an effort when she needed to. Her mind practically stockpiled motivation, just waiting for it to be given an aim.

When she came in to pass on the order, she found Miranda hovering by Eric’s station chattering away in the voice which she usually only brought out for customers she found attractive. It was a rare occurrence. Persephone watched as Miranda suddenly grew serious. “I think it’s really important that a guy knows how to cook,” she confessed.

Eric cast a look at Persephone. “Uh, yeah. You got another order, Persephone?”

Hopeless. Miranda was never going to keep showing up on time at this rate.

Fries didn’t take long at all. She popped out briefly to sort out a final table and check in on the German egg fan once more before running the fries over to Alice and Mason. She checked her watch. Just a few more minutes now.

“Here’s your large fries, miss,” she said, placing them carefully in the centre of the table. “Do you need anything else?” Condiments were already on the table, but it never hurt to ask. “By the way, my colleague will be taking over in a few minutes, so we can talk about all this,” she gestured vaguely, “in just a moment. Enjoy your meal!”

It was a relief when Alice didn’t make any obvious objections to being treated like a stranger who’d just walked into a diner for the first time. She just smiled. Obviously she was feeling uncertain, but that was fine. Lots of first-time customers weren’t really sure when they walked in – it was hardly the nicest of food places. Persephone was going to just keep on playing her part until her shift was done and Alice could be patient for now.

“You sure can,” she said breezily in response to Alice’s coffee requests. “Great choice!”

She blinked when Alice asked if she was okay. She was fine, obviously, she was at work. Besides getting slowly driven mad by her co-workers, everything had gone pretty well today. The owner wasn’t in which always made for a more relaxing shift, and the flow of customers had been more of a gentle trickle which was just how she liked it. Persephone eventually decided to just nod curtly and move on.

“I should be done in fifteen,” she said, checking the time as though she hadn’t just been watching the clock. “Are you planning on having food – oh.”

It had just registered that Alice had very carefully stressed that “we”. She narrowed her eyes in confusion for a moment before finally realising what Alice was going on about. Unfortunately, she realised too late, and had to endure Alice’s theatrical indications of the invisible man’s presence.

“I see. Well I’ll be right over with your coffee to take your order if you’d like anything else.” She addressed this in the vague direction of where she assumed Mason was sitting, glad that none of her customers could see her talking to an empty seat. Distantly, she heard a loud announcement of the eggs having finally been cooked, and Persephone took her temporary leave from the super-powered table of two to serve the old German and fetch Alice’s coffee.

The coffee here was terrible – bitter and weak simultaneously – but Alice could find that out for herself. If she put enough half and half in, it could even be tolerable…

Once again Persephone found herself having no idea what had happened to the conversation. Cory was muttering to herself, not even bothering to answer any of her questions. This “side job” remained as enigmatic as before as she mumbled softly, Persephone unable to catch a single word until she finally finished with a very enlightening, “Yeah…”

“Yeah what?”

Cory pulled herself out of her trance with an expletive, moving away from her as though she’d said something wrong. That would’ve been okay if Persephone had actually heard a damn word to be mad or confused about but no, nothing.

She was beginning to be quietly pleased about her decision to decline the offer of stepping things up from cannabis. Sure, she’d been behaving foolishly herself, and she was still failing to suppress the occasional random giggle, but at least she didn’t look like this. Cory was probably handling herself a whole lot better than Persephone would have been in the same situation, but that didn’t mean it was exemplary.

Storming past her, Cory had plunged her head into the kitchen sink and turned the cold tap up high. Persephone stood up and followed hesitantly, unsure of what was going to happen next. She hoped she wouldn’t be about to throw up… that would be messy and inconvenient at best.

“Look if you need to lie down or something, I can get you a glass of water…” Persephone glanced at her garden for answers. “Or I could mix something together that’ll counter-act the fuzziness?” How did she know that? Her power was so weird.

She leaned against the counter beside Cory, watching nervously for signs of puke or passing out. It was less out of concern and more because she didn’t want to play doctors and nurses. Sure, she’d do it if she had to, but Persephone’s nurturing instincts seemed to end at plants, missing human beings entirely. Maybe Cory just needed a quick refresh, something to kick-start her sobriety. Persephone knew she could make a potion for that… somehow. She just needed Cory to say the word.

Persephone nodded lazily in agreement with the sentiment – dealing with people was certainly not one of her favourite activities. Fortunately she was getting pretty good at it professionally. It played well with her ability to hide herself behind walls of fake smiles and agreeable pleasantries and there was something exciting about trying to manipulate her customers. The regulars were her favourites. It was a longer game with them, but a far more fruitful one. She now had to do little more than remember their name and she could guarantee a comparatively generous tip.

Still, it definitely fatigued her. Dealing with people for that long everyday was tempered only by the fact that she’d made the conscious decision not to have a social life.

She snorted at the idea of Cory playing with animals. The girl had carefully maintained quite the tough image at school and it was hard to picture her going gooey-eyed over rodents. “If you’ve already named it then you’re already in too deep,” she laughed. “Seriously… Nugget…?” She shook her head. Typical stoner.

There was something tempting about Cory’s bike offer. “Maybe some time when you’re not so, um…” Persephone giggled as she looked for the word, “Relaxed?”

Whether Persephone herself would be interested in the offer when she was also of a sober mind was another matter. Having someone who could jet you quickly across the city could be handy though. Maybe Cory was useful to her as more than just a smoking buddy.

“Noooo.” Persephone shook her head excessively, hair whipping back and forth. “There’s no money in that. I’ve just recently become really good at gardening and getting all these weird ideas out of nowhere…”

She eyed the asparagus plant nearby. Most people didn’t realise that the berries of a mature asparagus plant were poisonous, but she knew that ingesting a handful of them would be enough to induce symptoms similar to food poisoning. For some reason, ever since she had found out that a representative from a larger chain of Italian restaurants had been looking to check out the restaurant she worked in with a mind to take it over, Persephone had been greatly fascinated by this plant. The abdominal pains and nausea could easily be attributed to food poisoning and that would be sure to scare off the guy, which was ideal for her even if not for her boss. Persephone just couldn’t stand the idea of the place changing hands, especially because it could come with a change of staff and leave her stranded. Sabotage seemed like her only option.

Every time she looked at the plant, her power whirred into action. She knew it was the power – she’d never had such clarity and conviction when thinking of a use for her plants. The recipe for a perfect little potion – tasteless, odourless, poisonous – was lodged firmly in her head just waiting to be used.

She laughed, hoping her expression hadn’t turned too serious. “Side effect of alternative medicine, I guess,” she joked with a grin.

Oops, she’d been trying not to mention the doctor. Hopefully Cory wouldn’t have the energy to get really mad and just let the comment pass. Or she’d think it was a reference to marijuana which – considering that she’d named her ferret fucking Nugget – was not too far-fetched a hope.