Mid-October, 2009
Sue's Apartment

Sue sat on the fire escape outside her bedroom window, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the iron grillwork while she looked down into the alley below. She had promised herself a month 'off-duty', hoping to get at least a week... and she hadn't even been able to manage that. She'd even gone so far to venture out as a man, but still other people's problems found her. Carrie found her, and she was sure there was something there that the girl wasn't talking about yet, but she was talking to Stephen in ways she wouldn't talk to Sue.

She sighed softly and leaned forward against the black-painted railing. The incident at the monolith had shown her something needed doing there... Fursa couldn't watch the area during the day, and if Jacob was watching, he missed all the tass laying at his feet. She needed to do something about it before someone tried to use it. Tass itself was neither good nor evil, but she still got the funny feeling she didn't want to see what happened if someone tried to use the product of -that- particular node to fuel their Art. It was, perhaps, a good sign that there was so much of it about... it meant that there was no one regularly collecting it. Okay, well, maybe she couldn't call the Monolith 'someone else's problem'. She sighed again, shaking her head.

And then there was Stacee. Her 'land-lady' wasn't in the best of health to begin with, and pregnancy wasn't helping her cause any. Her body's natural defenses against disease were turning on healthy tissue, and pregnancy had it's own effect on the immune system. Not that Sue was particularly trained in the -science- of medicine. She was a more holistic healer then a technician. Still, every time she did battle with the progressive disease to bring Stacee what relief she could, it left her sapped and exhausted, and it was up to twice a week, now, that she did this. It would only get worse as the pregnancy continued, and there was at least five months more to go. She was also inhibited in the manner in which she could combat the condition, for fear of harming the growing child. Bludgeoning the disease could backfire, badly, and she had to take great care, which took even more of her strength. She still didn't understand why she couldn't cure it completely.

Plus, in addition to her magickal skill, Stacee needed help running the store. Sue had caught her brother's wife downstairs the other day, trying to work figures and run things when she should have been resting instead. Counter help, stocking help, new inventory and tax software... the woman would worry herself to death if something wasn't done, and she had three other children still, that needed her, and a husband who was who-knows-where. Sue loved Rael to peices, but he picked just the worst time to disappear again. She groaned inwardly as searching for him found itself added to her long list of Things To Do.

Sue could combat the rest of Stacee's worries rather easily, -if- she could convince Carrie and Ben to aid a fellow shape-shifter's wife and come work part-time in the store. -If- she could corner Rad long enough to ask him to program a new suite of business software. -If- she could make Jace smile and remember how to be a little boy again and maybe forget a little about the terrible things that happened this summer.

Yes, so she was being downright broody. Something else was just bound to explode in her face any time now, and she'd never get that rest she needed. She didn't know what Blair was up to, and felt he was the sort that needed checking in on, from time to time. He was a brilliant, capable young man, but a little too sure of himself. She hoped he wouldn't find out the hard way that things talked about in books and things standing before you were very different.

Chak's chittering at the window sill only served to remind her of another unsolved enigma, and it was an act of pure will not to bang her head against the metal railing. She knew she shouldn't let herself wallow like this. She knew it, and at the moment, she didn't give a damn. Korshan was off on a journey, and Paul had recently gone on a trip as well, and... oops... there was -another- problem to be worked out. This one was at least all hers, even if she didn't have the faintest idea how she was going to choose, let alone tell the both of them know that there was a choice to be made. Maybe it was premature, in any case.

Oh, who was she kidding? Neither one probably would want anything to do with her after she told them, and she had to tell them, as soon as possible, before things got any more involved. She didn't want to give up dating either one, but it wasn't fair to lead them on, no matter how high in her affections she held them. If she was lucky, there wouldn't be any bloodshed, not like before. Yes, maybe Dominic did drug and seduce her, but she took the drug willingly, even if it was under the now-implausible auspice of teaching her Manas. Ebon had killed him for it, a bit of history that needed no repetition.

She took another deep breath, still staring down into the alley. What would she do with time to herself, anyway? She didn't even have any hobbies any longer. Except sitting here being bitter and...

~~ And utterly ridiculous. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and feed me before I bite you. ~~ The huge black cat bumped up against her right arm, interrupting her pensive brooding. ~~ This body can't work the can opener and that chattering weasel is looking good. ~~

A smile tugged a bit at the corner of lips as she rubbed the sable feline's head before getting up "What have I said about spying on my thoughts, Gwalchafad? Do you want to be a dog?" The twenty-pound housecat sniffed distainfully, gracefully leaping back through the window ~~ I am supposed to protect you, even from yourself. That is our agreement. Being a dog isn't.~~

Sue just shook her head as she stepped back through into her apartment, to open a can of cat food for the once-pantherine Epiphling.