“I would like to operate them as non-profit entities. Any and every penny the prisons in my care would make would be reinvested back into the prison itself. Higher walls, more guards, more rehabilitation programs, more opportunities to curb their behavior. We can’t save them all, but if I can save even a fraction of them, I’d consider it money well spent,” Felix said.
“Non-profit?” she asked. She seemed as if she were coming back to the world.
“That’s right. I don’t need to make money off the prisons. I’d rather spare the tax payers, and give them some security,” Felix confirmed.
Miu was standing on his right, in almost the same position she’d appeared in. Victoria on his left. Kit and Lily had both already left to take care of the matters he’d asked them to.
Andrea was lurking behind him. He couldn’t see her, but he could feel her there.
“I… we have a lot of contracts with the guild. They—”
“Failed,” Felix said, interrupting her. “And the citizens suffered for it. Paid for it. Are still paying for it. Legion and I can handle all the normal prisons. The guild and their super villains can go outside of the city. It’d be best for everyone,” Felix said.
He now had every intention of releasing this recording to the public later on. If the committee turned him down, it was likely that there’d be a harsh backlash from the public. Felix idly wondered if the chairwoman realized that she was effectively trapped. Taking a moment he looked into her eyes and saw anger there. Amongst her wariness and dislike of him was pure anger.
She knows.
Felix grinned at her from across the table.
Good.
Chapter 15 - Litter -
“No. You can’t force it. You have to draw the runes. Each finger must take part for it to construct itself accordingly,” Lily said.
Felix froze at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t seen her since the prison meeting the previous day.
“I can’t. It’s too hard,” came a young man’s voice.
“Of course you can. I did it for many years before Felix adjusted my powerset,” Lily said encouragingly.
Realizing that Lily didn’t know he was there, Felix crept around the corner. Peering into the training room, he found Lily and Evan standing with their backs to the entry. They were both facing the far wall. It was a steel-reinforced, magically-backed monstrosity. Built for the sheer purpose of absorbing attacks.
Evan looked the same as Felix remembered.
Cleaner though, and certainly looking far more healthy.
Felix didn’t spend much time with him though. Much in the same way he didn’t spend much time with Lily’s brother.
They had their own things going on.
So why do I spend so much time with Eva?
Felix frowned at the thought. It wasn’t something he wanted to explore right now. Especially since he owed a conversation to her about what he’d been doing to her.
On her behalf.
Without her knowledge.
“Can’t you just ask him to change my powers for me?” Evan complained. “Make mine just like yours? Everyone says he’s more likely to do things for you or Andrea since you’re his girlfriends.”
“I could ask him. And he’d probably do it for me if only because I asked. That doesn’t solve your problem though. You need the control and the practice. Changing your powers now wouldn’t help you in the long run,” Lily said. “Learning with your hands and fingers first is ideal. Master that, and I promise I’ll ask Felix.”
“This would be so much easier if—”
“No. Try again,” Lily said firmly.
Evan sighed dramatically and lifted his hands up.
Slowly, painfully, he began to draw in the air with his hands. Runes and symbols began to glow in the air. Faint and shimmering, they were translucent.
Even Felix could tell they were not at the level of power or clarity that Lily could put out. Nowhere near close.
“Good, good. That’s actually fairly accurate. Your will isn’t forming it completely though. See how it wavers? How it looks misty? You have to focus as you do it,” Lily said.
“Ok,” Evan said. “I’ll… I’ll just try again, then.”
“Good. Concentrate. Move through the spell sigils slowly, and build them correctly,” Lily said. She demonstrated with her hands, the spellwork flowing up immediately and trailing her fingers.
It was as solid as if it were real, strikingly so. It radiated power and certainty.
As ever, it was beautiful.
Elegant.
Just like her.
Felix smiled, and slipped out of the entryway.
Andrea gave him a curious look but said nothing. In her new role as the Andrea-net, the day to day hadn’t changed. At least around him, that is. He knew the floor she’d requested had already been built out, and that her Others were occupying it.
Turning down the hall, he left Lily and Evan in the training room alone and moved on down the hallway.
He didn’t want to intrude on her lesson, as he couldn’t imagine it helping at all. Though he thought about asking her about it later. In fact, he probably needed to get involved a bit more with the up and coming Legion members with powers. They’d need training and assistance.
Something to talk with Kit about.
Right now though, he was here to help Miu adjust her powerset, and to give her orders.
As was her fashion, she had chosen the last training room. She had also more than likely brought a lock so that she could secure the door.
And more than likely cut the feed to the cameras and audio sensors.
Taking a moment outside of the closed door into the training area, Felix gave himself a quick once over.
He had dressed in clothing he could move in. Clothes that he could add padding to if she brought it. Clothes he could rough-house in and go tumbling to the mat.
Miu was anything but gentle with him in their one on one sparring sessions. She figured he could hop in a healing tank as easily as a bath tub, and so she was essentially causing him no harm.
Even if she broke his arm.
“I’ll get the tank ready,” Andrea said happily. “Do you want to have lunch after this? You could come down to the Andrea-net!”
“And there’ll be pancakes?” Felix asked with a knowing smile.
“Of course! But other things, too. Doctor Andrea said we need to try and balance your diet,” Andrea said.
Doctor Andrea? They did requisition a medical skill book. I wonder what she’s up to.
“Thanks, dear. Yeah, let’s do lunch after this. I’ll see you after she’s done with me,” Felix said. Andrea gave him a wide grin then nodded her head once.
Opening the door, Felix stepped inside.
“Lock it,” Miu called from the center of the room. She was dressed in yoga pants, a sports bra, and was barefoot. She seemed to delight in wearing outfits like this in their training now. As if it was some type of victory in doing exactly what he’d teased her about.
And that was a lesson learned. Don’t make fun of the crazy person.
Felix locked the door, clicking the padlock into place as she’d instructed him. Then he stepped out into the center of the training area.
It was a simple square room, sized for lots of movement and empty.
She gave him a wide frantic smile, her eyes glued to him.
Clearly she’d already dropped her control over herself and seemed ready and eager.
“I want to adjust some of my powers after this, but first, I think we should do some hand to hand sparing,” Miu said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Alright. Let me warm up and we’ll—”
“No. You’ll go into this cold. As if it were a fight you weren’t expecting. Here I come,” Miu said, then promptly charged at him.
Her fist practically blurred with the speed of the punch she threw at him.