"There seemed to be a lingering theme no matter what Reality we were in, and a constant question with those in our inner circle." Those dark brown eyes, now with green flecks, seemed to look right through her, deep bass tones almost deeper than usual. "Are we an item?" A small smile surfaced, as the question was finally posed and no longer danced around. She had his full attention, the book he'd been reading ear marked and closed. "Guess we both need to know where we stand while things are normal and stuff."

"Yeah ... yeah, I think we do." A smile had curved her lips, and Eve gave her head a small shake. She wasn't quite sure what to say now; for some reason, she hadn't expected this to come up so soon - maybe she'd expected it after he'd been released? Whatever the case, it didn't really matter now. She'd leaned forward a little, folding her arms lightly along the edge of the table as she looked at him. Did his eyes have those green flecks before, or was it a result of what had happened?

Mentally shrugging it off, Eve bit her lower lip lightly for a second. "To have Jara or Evan tell it before, we already were. But ... are we, or not?" Truthfully, she wasn't really sure what to make of the situation; it was kind of thrilling and scary all at once. Being a nerd like her had its advantages, and then it didn't, such as now.

He actually glanced around the room, as if expecting something to happen, then that grin returned as he continued. "By the numbers: You're already staying at my place. Every Reality Trip has made that constant. Our paths kept crossing no matter what, and there is *something* there. Now that we are back at point one again ..." Pausing, he looked around *one* more time, only because things seemed to happen, or someone walked in on them. "I like having you around, Elf ... Eve. Especially when you get all red in the face. Time to make it official. I'm game if you are." No interruption. No one came in. No Daemon attacks. And he was dead serious.

It was a bit shocking to get through a conversation without a phone ringing, or someone bursting in with news of this or that going wrong - she'd glanced around more than once herself, but she'd more or less done a good job of keeping her attention focused on him, stormcloud gaze studying him as he talked. And ... well ... he was right. There weren't many things that had been constant throughout all of it, but crossing paths with him *somewhere* had almost been a certainty. That one was still an oddity to her, but it seemed to be a good thing and Eve didn't question the good stuff so much anymore; too many other things to occupy her worries. The young woman laughed a little at the nickname - it felt like she hadn't heard that one in a while - and nodded. Even blushed a little as a bonus! Clearing her throat softly, she was nodding. "Yeah, I am too." The smile she flashed was bright, and lingered a little.

"Okay, positive sign. Nothing happened. When I get out of here, we'll go out on a ... real date. There's a new club downtown I heard was the place to be - The Crimson Tryst." Wait. Wasn't that the *same* club she and Jara went to during their last jaunt? Cowinkydink?

"Unusual. I'm not used to getting to actually have a conversation with you without *something* happening." Not that she was complaining! But what? A *real* date? "Mmm ... yeah, I've heard of the place. I think it's near the place I got my tattoo and piercings." Not to mention it was where she'd come across Devantious before.

"Tattoo *and* piercings?" That got an arch of his eyebrows, as well his elbows raising up to prop up on the table, that smile becoming a devious smirk. "Really, now. Of course, I'll need a full detailed report."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Her grin had brightened, but also become teasing. "The two most obvious piercings are here." Pushing some of the dark strands of her hair back, she tilted her head to show the glittering little rhinestone studs in her earlobes. "I know, big whoop because it's just my ears, but I'm a nerd." She had to laugh a little. "I have one other piercing, and a tattoo - Jara saw the opportunity and wouldn't let me off the hook. Wanna guess where they are?"

"Jara?" Steele almost coughed on that one, trying to keep a straight face. "No, because if I guess, you'll just get redder." *Grin.* "So you two are becoming quite the tandem, eh? I figured as much, with you two being the only frails on the squad. But I ramble. Details!" *Grin!*

"She's fun. Insane, but fun." Eve had to grin at that - especially thinking about when Jara was trying to be oh-so-smooth and fell right off the other side of the car hood! That one made her giggle every time she thought of it. "Oh, but come on, the guessing game is so much fun! Guess a spot, and I'll tell you if you're hot or cold. Or ... you can wait and let it be a surprise."

"Hmm ..." He gave her a thoughtful glance. "I'll wait. Speaking of Jara, and Evan for that matter, I was doing some research on their history. Interesting." His expression changed to that of a more bemused one.

That made her switch gears quickly. The mention of Evan sobered her up, and her brows drew together for a second, thoughtfully. "Their history? What'd you come up with?"

"Jara's origins are right on target - She's from an alternate Realm. Same with Evan and Doc Hanson. Those two were the sole survivors of their world. Alien attack." Slowly nodding at her, while he let his news sink in.

"But nothing mentioned about Daemons. As for Jara, you knew her Realm was populated entirely by frails - women, right?"

"Alien attack. New, I guess." Better than Daemon siege? She wasn't sure. "Yeah, Jara mentioned something about it before. Why, what's so interesting about all that?" She was figuring on either something new, or something new to *her,* some detail(s) she hadn't heard up until now.

"Mmm, maybe nothing. But in all that other jaunting we did before, it was never revealed, nor established. There's even a Dr. Cromwell at Stonebridge. He's an under study for Dr. Maxwell."

"That's true. Why am I not surprised that Cromwell's at Stonebridge, Daemon or not?" Eve smiled thinly, giving her head a soft shake. "Speaking of which, Maxwell left a message asking me to make an appointment for another session. Can't say that thrills me very much." Especially if Cromwell was supposed to be lurking about the institution now.

He grinned "Pft. Have Doc Hanson talk to 'im. You're under her care now, since you're part of the PSD. Speaking of which, I've been researching that as well, and it's coming off more like a Men In Black type deal. The general populace is aware of life on other worlds, but the whole paranormal thing is still ... You know. Even looked up your records."

"Kind of sucks in a way though, you know? Before all of this last happened, Maxwell had actually been brought *in* and was my psych again, and we'd, sorta, made amends. Ah, well." She didn't expect *that* to hold over, that was for sure. "I like Hanson a lot better, anyway. So, the general population is aware of aliens, but not the paranormal? Hmm. Kinda weird, but I can fly with that." Naturally, curiosity got the better of her. "Oh yeah? Any changes there?"

"Actually? Yeah. Mmm, have you tried any of your abilities since coming *back*?" His tone told her all she needed to know, and it didn't sound good.

Not good. Eve had a sinking feeling, and she was giving Tohmas a very careful look. "No ... I haven't needed to, and nothing has ... hit." Clearing her throat softly, she took a chance and asked the question. "Why?"

He'd looked her straight in the eyes. "You're back at point on, like when we first met. You may remember how to use 'em, but your body doesn't. Right now, Second Sight and Precognition are at the head of the class. Guess you'll find out more when you have your session with Doc Hanson."

Without warning, Steele began laughing. "Ain't this a hoot? We go from talkin' about us to *bam!* Right into the usual chaotic banter. Yeah, when we go on this date?
No talk about any PSD related stuff. Deal?"

"Wonderful. Now I have to try and figure out how to remind my body to do all that." Not the best situation, but it could have been worse. Much worse. She could have been entirely deprived of those abilities. But would that have been such a bad thing? On one side, she could be ... normal. On the other, those abilities were part of her, and she'd started to get used to them, for better or worse.

It surprised her a little when he started to laugh, but she soon smiled in agreement. "Yeah, funny, isn't it? Hopefully we'll last with not talking about it. I mean, it's a big part of both our lives. But it *would* be nice to get away from it, for just a short time."

"Get away? From wha' '? Ye two are *up* t' somethin'?" A chair was grabbed ands pun around and Jara sat in it, draping her arms over the back and eyeing her two associates with a secretive smile. Knowing she wasn't going to get a straight answer from either, she'd just get to the topic at hand. "The book shop was clean. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Steele would nod slowly. "Been tellin' Elf here about some of the differences I've come across. This reality has a more ... modern sci-fi feel to it, with paranormal elements. I guess we can go with the flow for now."

"Easier said than done, man O' Steele. Don' kno' about y' two, but I keep lookin' over me shoulder sometimes, waiting to be attacked. Guess after all we been through, me body is primed tha' way." Jara would look over at her partner in crime, just reading her eyes for a second, before looking over at Steele, then shook her head. "Ye two bleedin' hearts really need to make it official. Second thought, don' do tha'... I need somethin' to be teasing her about out on tha' field. Has Evan decided t' play nice yet?" Looking at both.

Eve looked up at Jara with a mostly blank expression, though she'd mostly been wondering what took the other woman so long. "I think we're all used to that, Jara. Something usually goes terribly wrong in a relatively short span of time, or at least one of us will see the signs of it."

Eve went quiet, watching the two, her gaze moving back and forth. She did pretty well when Jara brought up making it official, instead giving the other woman wide
eyes, as if she hadn't the slightest idea what she was talking about. "... I don't know. They wouldn't even let me in to see him."

"Give Doc Hanson some time with him. She knows Evan better than all of us. "He pointed over at Eve. "You get your business squared away so we can have you back out on the field." He pointed over to Jara. "You'll be getting the info on our next assignment. The PSD is looking to expand, so they're sending us one of their operatives from the Nevada region. I've been looking over his file, and he's a good one. You'll be picking him up at the airport."

"Mmkay. You gotta name, at least?" Jara asked while brushing the hair away from her face.

"Yup: Damion Chase. It'll be down loaded into your Blackberry by the time you reach your car. As for moi, I'm back to hitting the books."

Jara looked at Steele like she was going to say something, but shook it off. "Okie-doke. Catch you two later, an' if ye wan' to be makin' wit' th' kissy face now, I won' stop ye."

Eve watched the interaction quietly, filing the name away for later. Damian Chase? Sounded like something from a comic book; seemed to be common, here. She'd nodded gently at the comment about getting back into fieldwork, nibbling at her lower lip. Yeah, she'd made the appointment with Hanson, but that didn't mean she was looking forward to it!

"Can't play kissy face with an audience, you know." Eve grinned at Jara, but couldn't resist it. To her credit, she didn't even blush this time.

Steele leaned over and planted one right then, and it wasn't one of those pecks on the cheek, either. It was more like an 'it's official' type of kiss. Jara was, well, stunned and speechless for all of 3.5 seconds.

That smile could not *would* not be wiped off her face. (m) "About fookin' time!" She bowed as she let Eve by. "After ye, milady."

Oh. Well. It looked like they *could* play kissy-face with an audience. Funny, she didn't notice Jara so much, then. She'd leaned into it, and it wasn't exactly unsure. Flashing him a little grin, she then got up."I'll catch you later." The grin she flashed Jara was positively wicked, and she slid by without much trouble, heading back for the hallway.

Jara was whistling the little tune from Kill Bill as she followed her partner. "Wow, she goes from wearin' his shirts to bed, to wearin' a 'Girls Gone Wild' naughty grin! Keep dis up, an' ye be turnin' in yer nerd card!"

The beeping from her Blackberry informed her that the info had been sent. Pausing from teasing Eve, Jara arched an eyebrow of her own. "Whoa. Dey grow 'em big in Vegas!"

"Me? Nah. I'll be a nerd forever." She just didn't see that changing anytime soon. Hooking her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans, she wasn't blushing, but she'd taken to humming softly, innocently, as if she hadn't just grinned like that.

"Hmm?" Pausing for a second and slinking up beside Jara, Eve arched a brow. "What, see something you like?" Getting a look at the image, Eve let out a low whistle. "Wow. Big dude."

Steele chuckled at the departed duo, before returning his focus back to the task at hand, dark brown eyes flashing feral green for just an instant.

"Now see, these are the jobs I like! Too bad yer not back in the field, kiddo. I'll sneak you some pictures. Hey, hey, Ms. Hanson, lookie at the beefcake I get to fetch!"

Glancing away from her clip board, Stacy stopped to look at what Jara was talking about, with a less than subtle grin of her own appearing . "Damion Chase. Six-three, 310 pounds of yummy muscle." And just like that, she pushed her glasses back up to her face, and continued her rounds, leaving the two ladies to ponder.

Eve had to laugh. The expression on both Stacy's face and Jara's was almost identical. "Okay, tongues back in your mouths. You'll have the real thing in your car soon enough, Jara, so try not to freak him out by drooling on him, okay?" Little overblown. Sure, the guy in the picture was cute, but she tended to be on the odd side; took more than nice look to get her attention, though that didn't hurt either.

"Gawd, ye are a nerd!" Serious shoulder nudge given. "She knew who is he was, without battin' an eye! There was nuthin' about his size or weight on tha' picture. Anyhoo, wha' ye be doin' now?"

"Mmm. She probably studied up on him, like you wish you could do." A shoulder nudge of her own given in return. "Don't worry, you can study him in the car. Just make sure the car is *stopped* first. Anyway ... I don't know. They won't let me see Evan, my appointment with Stacy isn't until tomorrow ... so I'm kinda at a loss. I'm not used to 'free' time anymore." Maybe she'd lay around - yeah, right. More likely, she'd go for a run or hit the gym, or see if she could get back in touch with her abilities.