Novice 1.9

Sitting down after ordering his meal, Thomas leaned back in his seat wondering about what he would do in the following few days. Trying to let canon events occur seemed a tad naive to him, the canon was likely already derailed by his arrival, and while Taylor triggering could lead to her becoming strong enough to stand on her own, it would also be the worst day in her life.

There was not much time if he did want to interfere, but if he did, he had no idea how to prevent it from backfiring. The bitchy trio would surely come up with something even worse if left by themselves, but they were protected by both Winslow's administration and the PRT, though he had a feeling with PRT it was more a matter of Shadow Stalker's handler being too damn comfy at their position and not wanting to rock the boat even if they did get notified of what she was up to.

Either way, whether she triggered or not it would be some time before the canon events of the story might start occurring. Depending on whether or not the events prior to that would butterfly some of the things away, it could be useful foresight into things or absolutely useless garbage of what may have happened if things had gone differently. Relying on the stations of canon to hold true was reckless optimism if the derailment of the plot reached a point of no return even before the beginning after all.

"Here's your order, sir." The waitress passing him a tray holding his meal looked more than a little tired, but he nodded in gratitude before she headed off again. The place may have held the name of a diner but it was more of a fast food joint with some crumbling remnants of an attempt to be more evident.

Nevertheless, he snatched up a few fries and began eating while glancing around, noticing for most part a rather normal crowd. He did note a young teenage couple at one of the tables, whispering a bit frantically. Black guy and white girl. Thomas thought they were a little bold since this place was in a neighborhood that the Empire was often seen frequenting, but then again the chances of being targeted were probably less than he imagined them to be.

Thing was, he was pretty sure he saw the guy look his way before the girl said something and he averted his gaze quickly, making him wonder. Choosing to ignore them for now, he focused on his meal instead, intent on eating up and then doing a bit of shopping. Having a few more outfits would not be a bad idea, his current one would begin to stink pretty bad after a few days if he didn't.

A message on his phone caught his attention, and he glanced at its contents. Another client, reservation in two hours. The note stated the client was someone who had severe chemical burns on their person, and a criminal record. It was an attempt to see whether he could erase that kind of damage as well.

If it wasn't a disease or poison he was relatively confident he could do something about it, but if it counted as ability score damage, it might be more difficult. He was still trying to figure it out, but texted back a brief acknowledgement and stated he'd be back in time after finishing a short shopping run to have more than 1 outfit to walk around.

Finishing his meal, he took the tray back briefly and dumped his trash into a can before heading out. Heading down the street, he headed to the stores, intent on looking around for a bit and getting some basic clothes to start with, possibly a few things that amused him. No big spending sprees, even if he was amused to have money at his disposal again. Getting some new clothes was fine, but he did not want to overdo it.

He walked along at a steady pace, occasionally glancing at his reflections in mirrors for any signs of people trying to follow after him, but did not notice anyone seemingly pay him particular attention. The slight feeling of being watched did not go away though.

Thomas stepped in to a store soon after, and got started in looking through what they had to offer. Shirts, pants, unmentionables and socks, he wanted some basics, but also picked up a new warmer coat. Shoes would have to wait, the ones he had would have to do for now. Gathering up what he'd chosen, he walked over to the counter and waited as the assistant quickly totaled up his purchases.

He paid for his purchases and headed out with his shopping bag, intent on returning to the club. While walking away he noted he could see a couple of guys in the crowd that seemed too focused on him rather than the shopping for him to ignore them. He also noted a van parked a bit further off, with the markings of a delivery service on the side. Yet he saw the driver looking his way as well.

The tension mounted for a moment, as he prepared for any trouble they might be starting. Too many civilians around right now, but that might not last for long. Moving on he opened up his phone and watched as one of the men paused to stare at a window, seeming to mutter to himself.

Moving away, he kept his phone in hand but did not make a call yet. Instead, he simply texted a message to Faultline. 'Heading back. Saw a few guys staring at me along the way, and a van parked nearby with a guy staring at me. Might be nothing but going to stick indoors for a while after this.'

He sent the message while heading along, and noted to his relief the group did not seem to follow him. He thought about the different possibilities, and came up with one particular idea rather quickly. Coil. He did feel somewhat doubtful of that possibility though, he had only been in the city for a short while and should not have drawn Coil's attention to him just yet.

Could it be they were just there for another reason, possibly early observation on Dinah? He doubted that as well. Dinah's situation had been a lot later in canon, and he wasn't sure if she'd really triggered yet. Besides, he had a strong feeling they had been watching him. Whether or not that was true, he would be more careful for now.

Remembering the possibility of Coil using his power against him, he frowned quietly while wondering if he had just avoided another timeline. If so, he would have to assume Coil might be aware he wasn't quite as docile and harmless as he seemed. Though again, the idea of Coil taking an interest in low level brute seemed ridiculous to him, after all, the man already had his own little games going on, and the troops had shown up too fast in his opinion to have really been after him. Then again, underestimating the man might be foolish to the extreme. Coil often got a lot of hate from the fandom, but the man had been quite capable, and he really did not want to spend time drugged up somewhere made to use his abilities for Coil's sake. Then again, he wasn't sure if the Gamer's abilities would overcome any such effects over time.

Reaching the Palanquin, he called the second number on the phone, and a moment later the door was opened. Stepping in and closing it behind him, he made his way to his room letting out a relieved sigh after feeling a bit more secure. Ironic, he was trusting his life in the hand of mercenaries and that made him feel safe. Coil was working through mercenaries as well, but he had a feeling that Faultline would still honor her deal even if Coil did make an approach towards her. He wasn't a hundred percent certain of that, so he would keep on his guard though.

Regardless, as he sat down and closed his eyes, he felt a small rush of something course through him. A feeling of light empowerment catching him momentarily off guard. His senses were a little sharper, his body a bit tougher and he felt his reflexes and speed had risen lightly as well. He also felt like his magic had just loosened up some of the shackles restraining it, easing up on him.

That provoked a lot of questions, but a theory did occur to him that made him wonder. Perhaps even if Coil did end up trying something, he kept the experience from one timeline in the other? That didn't make any real sense though, as Coil's power appeared more of a reality simulation where he picked the best path, and then his body moved on auto-pilot to that point. The 'discarded path' was not supposed to even exist.

Which made him wonder if he was misremembering the word of god on that matter or not. Too much fan made stories to be sure, but he was pretty sure it could not be that. Perhaps it was simply the fact he'd been healing people up earlier and this was the first time since then that he had relaxed and focused somewhat inwards again.

It wasn't a big increase, not enough to reach the second level of spells yet, but it was an improvement regardless. Which gave him hope that leveling would not be behind a lot of hard work and effort at least in the beginning. A smile crossing his lips, he let out a short chuckle while considering what would become available in some levels. He might be feeling vulnerable now, but an increased level would bring with it more power and more options in case a fight did break out.

"Best to forget about it for now, get ready to see the client, and make a bit more money." He opened up his shopping bag beginning to lay down the clothes onto the bed to set them aside for now. Glancing at the nearby robe and mask left for him in the room. Faultline was right, he should keep his face concealed, and quite possibly not just when performing his healing trick. If he had caught the attention of the players in Brockton Bay, he had to be a bit more careful about stepping out.

"It looks better, but I don't feel like my legs are back to normal. They're a bit stiff still, same with my hands." The client's words certainly answered a few questions on his mind from before.

"It is possible the damage from the burns has left damage that my power is not able to clear out right away. You no longer display any evidence of the chemical burns themselves, but their side effects seem to have rooted themselves a bit deeper." Medic shook his head slightly.

"I may be able to come up with a way to fix that but it will take some time. It is an improvement but not a total cure right now though." He looked at the man in question, and received a somewhat disappointed look and a nod in turn.

"I hope you don't expect me to pay extra for finishing the job later." The man's tone sounded somewhat annoyed but Medic merely shook his head at that.

"Faultline handles that part. I will abide her decision on that matter."

The man looked somewhat annoyed not getting his way, but seemed to understand that the healer cape was serious about what he said, before turning around in a swift manner and storming out, even as Gregor let out a sigh.

"Unfortunately you'll see a lot of people like that. If they don't get everything right then and there they'll complain and raise an issue about it. You'd think they'd be a little bit grateful no longer looking as eye-catching as they were upon arrival."

Thomas winced and nod his head. The man had received a splash of chemicals all over, and while clothes had protected him somewhat, the man had suffered severe chemical burns on his legs, arms, and his face. Hell, the man had shown up wrapped up in bandages escorted by two others into the room, and had left the room with clean skin and no longer wincing in pain at every step.

Yet they had been already trying to argue about price for continuing the job. He was pretty sure that it would take some time to get his hands on any Restoration spells, so the man would have to wait anyhow.

Faultline entered the room shortly after and looked at Medic seriously.

"What happened?" She had a no-nonsense tone that made him feel like he was a mouse staring at the eyes of a big predatory cat all of a sudden.

"The wounds themselves could be healed, but if there was something wrong with the nerves afterwards it seems that my power is not strong enough to fix them right away. I am still learning about it though, so I expect to be able to fix it, eventually, but for now I would rather not try something that might not work or possibly even aggravate the situation worse." He spoke a half-lie covered in parts of truth.

"We are still trying to find your limits so I can accept that, but you don't agree on any pro-bono work for clients. He claimed you have already promised to finish the job for no additional pay, but I made sure he knows that isn't going to happen, nor did he get a partial refund. He came here knowing it might not fix all of his problems, and your efforts so far already returned him a normal skin and looks that won't make children scream and cry." She sounded somewhat amused towards the end of the statement, but still watched him seriously.

"I did not agree to any free jobs, I told him that you handle all of those matters." Thomas defended himself, and Faultline saw Gregor nod as well before she nodded in turn.

"Good. We'll face more people like him at times, so you have to stand your ground. Truthfully you seem a little bit too timid for this life, but you have done well so far. Also, the payment for that was $15,000 so your share is $6,000 more." She stated this seriously.

"Given the extent of damage he'd suffered I think he doesn't value his life very high to have refused to pay any higher." Thomas shook his head while Faultline glanced away.

"There are people curious about this, but still doubtful of your ability. Give it a week or two and we may draw in people from further away who are willing to pay more. The more known you become however, the more trouble you will attract as well. I will make some inquiries about what you saw today, but I am going to have to ask you to not wander off alone for now."

"I can agree with that." He nodded his head and quietly thought about Taylor's situation. It seemed like he would not be intruding, not right away at least. Too little time, and he had no proper plan to help her. Perhaps Thomas might have a better chance to help out later on, once he had gained some additional power for himself as well.

"On that note, I was wondering if you could acquire some things for me. I was hoping you could acquire some good quality paper, couple of artist's pens and some premium ink." He looked at her and saw her stare back at him.

"Is this for personal reasons or is it something I should know about?" She looked at him intently at the time, the mask not giving him any idea of what she was thinking behind it, but those eyes he saw making him feel a bit wary of angering her.

"That remains to be seen. It could turn out useful, or it could be a failure. I do not know before I try, it is just a hunch I experienced while thinking about my powers earlier."

She nodded and left the room, while Thomas let out a sigh and headed back upstairs as well. Staying indoors for a few days would mean potentially dealing with clients but otherwise a dull bit of time. It also meant not being out there to help Taylor.

Part of him felt like he was betraying her to a horrible fate, another told him that he had no duty towards her beyond common decency, and he also knew that rushing in could potentially make things worse. Being careless might lead Sophia taking more violent action towards Hebert at some point and not cause her to trigger but to potentially cause her to die. Besides, Taylor would likely react poorly to any stranger suddenly stepping in to stand by her side. The girl had been through enough that she was a mess emotionally already.

Better to build up his power and aid her later. He might not owe her anything, but he felt some sympathy towards her for all the crap she had been forced to go through in the canon after all. Maybe volunteer to help out at the hospital, maybe walk in there under disguise and heal her and possibly some others under disguise to mask the fact he'd been there for her specifically.

Either way, he wasn't going to be able to stop what was going to happen in a few days' time, especially if he was already drawing attention from parties he'd rather not deal with at this point.

Author's Note: We'll be jumping ahead a bit of time with the next post, and the arrival of the other Hunters is near. One or two more chapters before we'll have a look from their side.