Roxy paused when she heard her phone go off. She picked up a rag and wiped the sweat off her face. It looked like lunch was almost ready. She read the text from one of her regular customers. He was a bit different but she liked that about him. He always respected her space. She took a moment to respond to his text. 'At lunch. Should be done by the time you get here.' She assured him.

She wondered if Devika would get along with man. Roxy thought they might. They had a few things in common. It would be a good thing for the empath to have a friend. It would be interesting to see. He made her way towards the kitchen to wash up. "Thanks for making lunch. I'll have another customer after lunch. Let me know if you need a break. My customer will understand and will back off to give you a break."

Devika grinned as Roxy appeared. "You're very welcome. And another new person. I'm ready as I'll ever be." She tried to assure Roxy that she was prepared.

Not long after, the noise of a motorcycle engine came closer and closer to the shop. The person on it beeped the horn, and slowly drove their bike into Roxy's garage. Then they climbed off, the bike's tailpipe smoking slightly. This person was about 5 foot nothing, in a rich purple leather jacket and riding boots. With a grin, they pulled off their helmet and called out.

"Rox, I'm here!" It appears this was the infamous "J". "Come work your magic!"

"Be right there." Roxy called as she put her dish in the sink. "Come down if you can." She thought Devika would be fine with J. She thought the two would get along but she would leave that up to Devika. Roxy didn't think the empath would get much from the man. He was too Zhen but she didn't know enough about him or emotions to know what the man hide from himself or others.

She frowned when she saw the smoke. "What the hell did you do to that poor bike?" She demanded as she moved to the bike. "Make yourself useful and turn on fan before the fire alarm goes off." She yelled at the man. She never figured out what the man did the bike. But every once in awhile the man brought the bike in with a problem he swore he didn't cause. There was a cause. She just didn't know what it was yet. Maybe someone was pranking J.

"See Rox, I come to you because you don't ask questions. Like, why's your bike smoking, and are those bullet holes, and why do you always pay in cash. Nope, you just do your thing and I love that."

With an admonished look at Roxy's yelling, J went to turn the fan on. Only then did he notice Devika, who was just stepping into the room.

"Hey there. It's a surprise to see a new face around here." J sidled smoothly up to Devika. "The names Jin, but you can call me J if you like. Everyone else does." There was an easy grin on their face.

Devika smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you, J. I'm Devika. Please forgive me for not shaking hands. I-" She briefly considered lying. Making up some other reason why she wouldn't shake hands. Like, she had a cold. Or a deadly skin rash. But it occurred to her that if she was going to be around, she might as well be as honest as possible. "I'm an empath. Skin contact kind of messes with me. Sorry."

"Oh. No worries!" J looked curiously at Roxy, then back to Devika. "She's your anchor, then?"

"Yep. She's my anchor."

"Huh." J rubbed their chin, and smiled a bit wider. "It's like having a permanent roommate, right?"

"Maybe at the start, but once we get settled, I'll be able to be farther away."

"Cool, cool." J looked Roxy up and down. "Hey Rox, at least you got stuck with someone cute. World isn't all bad."

Devika blushed a little bit.

"I don't have to ask if those are bullet holes." Roxy growled. She was all too familiar with bullet holes. Not just because this wasn't the first time J had come in with them in the bike. "And I don't want to know how you got them or why you pay cash." She made her way over to her soldering iron. "Devika go to the recycling bin and grab me a hand full of metal. Be careful not to cut your. A lot of the stuff in there is sharp."

Even though she snapped at J she respected him and most of the things he did. "Don't mind J Devika. He's mostly harmless. He can't resist teasing. He's one of the few who knows I'm into women. Unfortunately that knowledge means he feels the need to try to set me up even though I've told him several things times that I'm perfectly happy alone." Which is only partially true.

Devika chuckled softly. "He seems nice enough. Very calm spirited. I like that." She went to get the metal as Roxy had requested, carefully plucking several pieces to avoid getting her fingertips or hands cut.

J grinned at Roxy as Devika moved away. "Come on, now, Rox. You need a little sunshine in your life, and that empath girl seems pretty sunny. Lookit those adorable dimples. I think this could be good for you."

Devika returned, somewhat lost in thought. So, Roxy was a lesbian? That made her feel a little less awkward being bisexual. It wasn't exactly breakfast conversation, but Roxy didn't seem ashamed or embarrassed at all. Then again, Devika couldn't imagine Roxy embarrassed about anything, ever.

"Here you go, Roxy. I hope this is enough." She handed over the pieces of metal, wondering what they were for.

J nodded at Devika when she came back. "Having an assistant looks useful. Do you do computers?"

"Oh, I don't know much about computers, besides the basics of using one." Devika admitted.

"I need no such thing." Roxy argued back. She placed the metal on the ground. She started to take the body of the bike apart. Not completely just enough that she could see if there were bullet trapped in any of the interior. "I don't need an assistant anymore than I need a girlfriend J." She assured him as she poked around inside the bike. She had no interest in relationships beyond friendship. She had enough to deal with.

"J could teach you a few things. He's good with the things. Whenever I break mine I call J. But I should warn you that he doesn't always use his skills for good." She said as she started to put the body back on. She occasionally picked up one of the pieces of metal and melted it over a hole. The she did the inside and than the outside. All the welds were seamless.

Meanwhile, while Roxy worked, J and Devika talked on the side.

J grinned, stepping just a little closer to Devika. Now there was definite flirtation in their voice. "Oh, I could teach you plenty. Lots and lots."

Devika stared at them for a long moment, then started laughing. "No, thank you. Just the computers!"

Jin grinned and patted Devika's shoulder. "I like you. You're a good sport. I tried to hit on Roxy exactly once, and -" They shuddered with an extra dramatic motion. "Let's just say it will never happen again."

Devika shook her head. "I can only imagine."

"You deserved it too." Roxy growled as she continued to solder the metal over the holes. She was clearly not the least pit sorry for her actions. No one touched her without her permission. It was a lesson more than one person had learned the hard away. People respected her because she was brutally honest with them. If they didn't they were welcome to go elsewhere. Everyone would know Devika was under her protection. That would keep most of the vultures away.

"Go pick out a paint color so we can make this bike look respectable." She ordered as she put the soldering iron back in its place. Then she began putting the pieces back together. The bike was almost perfect. The only thing was off was that the new welded spots were a different color. She would fix that before she allowed J to leave. She would take him helping Devika as payment. It was a fair enough exchange.

J smiled, seeming wistful. "Yes, I did. Life is nothing without lessons." With a cheerful whistle, they went over to the paint cans and looked them over. Hauling up a rich plum purple, they carried it to Roxy. "This one, if you please." And then they returned to Devika to talk computers.

The conversation started simple enough, with basic parts. Monitor, tower, speakers, so on and so forth. Then it started to get more complex, as they talked operating systems and programs. At one point, Devika left and came back with a notebook, starting to write things down. J was a good and patient teacher, going over things and answering any questions Devika had.

The next two weeks were about the same. They woke up in the morning had breakfast before going down to the shop. She slowly allow her business to return to normal. She watched Devika carefully to make sure that didn't get overwhelmed. Any time the empath looked like she was getting overwhelmed Roxy kicked everyone out of the shop. They didn't talk much. Roxy wasn't the social person. Most of her customers were decent people.

After a couple of weeks of quiet, Stewart showed up. The second Roxy spotted him. Anger and fear shot through her. "Bathroom now." She growled. She refused to talk to him in front of Devika. The empath was settling in well. She didn't want to mess that up.

She knew eventually she would introduce Devika to her father. Dealing with each others family and friends was part of their relationship. Even when their connection got stronger Devika would need to be part of her life. They would have to get together once a week or more to recharge the bubble that protected her.

Devika was getting better and better at being sociable without getting overwhelmed. Sure there had been an incident last week where Roxy had to clear the shop, but no one seemed to be angry at her for it. She was sleeping better, and slowly trying to coax Roxy into being more friendly.That last bit was quite a trick.

J had come by 2 weeks in a row, to tutor Devika on the computer. She could tell they sort of had a crush, but Devika wasn't interested back. This didn't stop J from teasing and flirting, something Devika was having to get herself used to again.

One day, while she was reading, Devika felt an unusual surge of rage from somewhere in the apartment. "Roxy?" Who else would it be? She started to go looking.

Stewart followed her into the bathroom. She crossed her arms over her chest as he closed the door. Roxy tried to slow her heart. She didn't want to alarm Devika anymore than necessary. She was determined to keep the empath as safe as possible. Which meant keeping her in the dark until the bubble between them was stronger. Devika had to be protect from emotions before she got pulled deeper into her world.

"What the hell do you want?" Roxy growled as Stewart closed the distance between them.

"Your father wants a report." He answered.

"Which I sent. Devika is adjusting but she still gets overwhelmed. She can't control when she accesses emotions." Roxy had typed out a report a couple of days ago. She included as detailed as she felt was safe. She couldn't completely lie. Her father would know so she stuck as close to the truth as possible.

It was a small apartment. Between her empathy and her ears, it didn't take too long for Devika to notice the voices coming from the bathroom. Unfortunately (or luckily, depending on your point of view), she couldn't make out what was said.

Oh well. If they were going to have a guest, she might as well make something. Leaving Roxy and whoever it was in the bathroom, she went to the kitchen and started putting together snacks. Sliced apples with a little bowl of peanut butter to dip them in. It didn't take very long, so she went back to her room to update her blog.

Much to her surprise, her writing was gaining some traction on the internet. It seemed people were actually interested in the lives of empaths, considered rather mysterious. Devika did her best to explain how her power functioned, and her day to day struggles and triumphs. It was also a good way to keep record of her progress. A few other empaths from around the country even chimed in within the comment section, offering tips and support. All in all, it was going well.

"He isn't going to wait forever." Stewart commented as he touched Roxy's arm. She shivered. It took everything in her not to pull away. She knew if she did it would only make things worse. She refused to do that. Even th0ough she found the touch of a man disgusting, especially Stewart's, but she would deal with it for now. Hopefully she would make figure out a way to deal with the situation.

"He'll wait as long as it takes." Roxy snapped. If her father didn't want to damage Devika he had to wait. He knew how fragile empaths were. He couldn't put Devika to work for him until the woman could control her ability. Roxy hoped that wouldn't happen any time soon. She needed time to figure out how to protect the other woman.

"I'll tell him you said so." Stewart opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. He knew just how far he could push things. Roxy relaxed a little as she followed him out.

"You do that." She followed him to the door and flipped the sign indicating that she was closed. She stormed upstairs needing to vent. She hated to disturb Devika but the empath probably already knew she was coming.

Indeed, Devika could feel Storm Roxy heading up the shop steps. She rubbed at her temples a bit, and did her best to block it out. It was difficult, but she'd been getting daily practice. Roxy's foreign emotions washed into a sort of backdrop in her mind. She could still feel them, but it wouldn't take root in her own body.

As Roxy appeared, Devika joined her side, with the plate of apple slices and peanut butter. "...I suppose our guest isn't staying?"

No sense in hiding what little she knew. "...apple?" She held up the plate with an encouraging little smile.

"We did have a guest." Roxy snapped as she grabbed an apple off the plate. She had never been much of a fruit eater. Not that she didn't like it. It had just tended to go bad before she finished it. She didn't like to waste things so she rarely bought it. "A guest is someone you want to see." She didn't want to see Stewart ever. The further away he was the happier she was.

"Why the hell do people have peanut butter with apples? I've never understand that." She wasn't fond of peanut butter. There was something about the texture that turned her off. "You know you don't have to make me snacks. I'm a big girl. I've been taking care of myself a long time." She told Devika. She didn't want the empath thinking she needed someone to take care of her. She didn't. She had been independent most of her life.

"The snacks were technically for your guest." She frowned a bit. "But since you didn't want them here, I guess they're for us." Devika scooped up some of the peanut butter with an apple slice and popped it into her mouth.

"I know I don't have to make you snacks. I do it because I feel like it. Just accept that these things will happen, and move on." There was the faintest bite to her voice. Roxy wasn't the only one who could be stubborn. "Just because someone is doing something for you, doesn't mean you can't do it yourself. It's called kindness, Roxy."

It seemed that Devika had taken in some of Roxy's anger. She could feel it, like something foreign in her body. "Hang on, I think I'm reflecting your emotions. I'll go now." She snagged the plate and started to walk.

"But I meant what I said about kindness. I'm going to be nice to you, whether you want it or not."

"Sorry. I'll get control of my emotions." Roxy assured the other woman. She wasn't used to being aware of her emotions. She usually just shoved them aside until they disappear. Now she had to deal with them so that Devika wouldn't have to. She had no idea how she would do that but she would figure it. It wasn't fair to Devika that she couldn't keep them to herself.

"Kindness isn't something that I'm very familiar with." Roxy commented. She didn't understand Devika. It wasn't that she was opposed to the woman doing things for her. She just didn't understand why the empath would do something for her. Every time Devika did something she felt like she was expected to do something in return. Unfortunately she had no idea what she could offer the empath. She also didn't want to get used to it. It wouldn't last forever.

Devika looked over her shoulder, back at Roxy. "Well, you'll get used to it as you'll get used to me." She smiled, her dimples clearly showing. "Kindness is free in my book. No strings attached."

And with that, Devika retreated into her own room for a while. The first thing she did was meditate, sitting down on the floor and crossing her legs. She had to rid herself of Roxy's anger. What was causing it? She wanted to know so desperately who that unwanted guest had been, but she had a feeling asking Roxy directly would just lead to the woman stonewalling her.

After about half an hour, and one empty plate later, she came back down. She washed her plate, then went to find Roxy.