Teagan stared at the invitation to The First Annual Epic City Emergency Service ball. She quite honestly didn't understand why would she be invited. I mean, sure, since she and her family had arrived in Epic City, she volunteered as a first responder, but still...
"I think you should go, honey." Her mother's voice assured her from behind. The woman was busy tending to a big nasty fresh scrape on her daughter's back. Her eyes and face didn't betray the barely contained horror the injury had provoked. She'd learned to cope with her daughter's occupation, just like she'd learned to do before that with her husband's. She was proud of them both, of course. They were both so single-minded in their desire to help people. Often to their own detriment. But that's who they were, and she loved them for it. She finished applying a layer of ointment to her daughter's scraped skin and covered it with a crisp white bandage. Then planted a soft kiss in Teagan's short hair.
"But..." Her daughter tried to protest.
"No, buts!" Martha interrupted her. "I know you, honey. You're going to say you're not a hero. That you don't belong there. Well, posh, I tell you!" The old woman circled her daughter to kneel in front of her and take her face into her palms. "I know you don't think yourself a hero. But, darn it, you are to me and you sure as hell are to those people you pull out of burning or crumbling buildings." Martha kissed Teagans forehead. "Or do I need to bring out the letters."
The thirty-seven year old olive-skinned woman managed to blush furiously, the scars over her eyebrow and lip becoming more prominent in their paleness. "Dear God, no!" She squirmed pleadingly. Her mother had the most embarrassing habit of collecting all the "Thank you" letters she and her father had received during their years of service. The letters were never or rarely addressed to them by name, but were personal non the less. They were usually sent to her or her father's station. And her mum collected them almost religiously. Teagan groaned. Sure, she felt a surge of happiness when reading the words of a person she'd helped, but when her mother read them it was a whole different matter.
"Good then." Martha clapped her hands and rose. "It's decided. You're going." She busied herself with cleaning the old bandages, the ointment and whatnot. "Are you going to ware your dress uniform?" She asked over her shoulder.
"I'm retired." Teagan answered also raising and stretching tentatively her injured shoulder.
"Don't stretch it too much!" Martha chided.
"I'm just testing it." Teagan grinned, flashing her dimples.
"Don't you flash those dimples at me, young lady!" Martha threatened mockingly. "Never worked for your father and never worked for you either." She swatted her daughter on the back of the head. "Now tell me what are you going the wear? One of those lady coattails that you wear when I drag you and your father to the opera? You know... The ones that make you look so dashing and make all the ladies swoon at you."
"Maaaaa!" Teagan blushed for the second time and groan like a teenage girl who's mother was embarrassing her.
Martha laughed wholeheartedly. Her daughter was so much like her father. "Stop moaning and groaning and go dress. You're father's coming to pick me up soon for our play and I want to see you before we leave." She ordered and Teagan strode wordlessly to her room and opened the door of the wardrobe where she kept her formal wear. No more then ten minutes later she exited her room just as her mother was letting her father inside the apartment. When he saw her and whistled, Martha turned and gasped.
"Oh, honey, you look so dashing!" She exclaimed rushing to her daughter. She gave Teagan the once over. The rider's boots, the formfitting britches, the tailcoat, the crisp white cravat. It all went so well with Teagan's natural olive complexion.
"Yer mother's right, kiddo." Rory approached. "The lassies'll have no chance." He winked at her.
"Oh, God, Da, not you too!" Teagan complained with a smile.
Her father just shrugged, flashing his dimples. "So yer mum convince ye, huh?" He asked needlessly.
Teagan only nodded.
"Yer mum's right, Teagan." Her father put his hand on her shoulder. "I know ye don' believe it now. An' ye'll pro'bly never will. Yer too much like yer ol' man. But ye need to go." He assured her.
Teagan nodded again. "Thanks, da."
"Thanks, da?!?" Martha exclaimed in mock indignation. "I did all the convincing!" She demanded, hands on her hips.
"Ooooh, ye're in trouble now, kiddo." Rory whispered.
Teagan went to her mother and enfolded her smaller frame in a gentle embrace. "Thanks, Ma." She kissed Martha's cheek lovingly.
Her mother drew away and petted her daughter's cheek with a smile. "Well, then." She clapped her hands suddenly. "Let's be going. I'm sure your cab's arrived by now." And the three of them exited Teagan's condo.
Teagan was slowly swirling her rum-coke in her glass. She wasn't much of a drinker, even half-Irish as she was, but she loved rum and she loved coke and she supposed she would look strange swirling water in a glass, so she'd opted for the rum-coke. She was propped up against a wall, scanning the crowd. She wasn't a wall flower per se, but she preferred to spend her time during such events in quiet observation.
She'd already witnessed an exchange between Dragon Heart and a... female, Teagan wasn't quite sure, Epic. It was a rather adorable thing to observe. The female looking Epic was quite obviously smitten with Dragon Heart. And Teagan could empathize. The man was eye catching. But she much rather preferred the lassie to the laddies. Even if he was a fine specimen.
Chief Thomas' speech drew her attention for a while. She knew the man and respected him for the work he did.
Then there was the young man who was so obviously uncomfortable being here. She could empathize with that too. She didn't feel quite at place herself too. And than he'd stumbled across the shellfish and his face'd blanched. I feel you, man! Teagan thought. She hated crustaceans as well. She could stand to eat some fishes, but that was it for the seafood.
She noticed another young man approaching her fellow shellfish hater. He seemed kind of brash, or twitchy. Like he would rush off to somewhere in a blink off an eye. He had goggles on, that he used a rag to wipe clean.
Teagan continued her scrutiny of the crowd. There were some Epics she recognized from the news and being on TV, like Dragon Heart. Some she'd briefly seen in person, while helping people. There were normals there too. First responders like her, police, EMS. Some came by to say hello, chat for a bit and then left.
Teagan never abandoned her post. She felt like she was looking for or waiting for someone. She had no idea who, of course, and suspected she would leave the event never finding out.
