Downworld

Chapter 45

We're at a garden party for press and freak sympathizers, except according to Elspeth I'm supposed to call us "metahumans" and them "supporters" or even "allies". Excuse me while I throw up.

For the most part I was being the perfect little poster boy for the cause. I had to be, it was still my cause, thank you Elspeth. Also, the human element of Malik's police project were all hanging around, so making a scene was a particularly bad idea if we want them to believe we were more sane and unthreatening than not.

I was drinking a little, which was probably a bad plan. But can you blame me? Allies, for fucks sake.

While Fiona and Isamu both had bowed out of the limelight -- and therefore weren't around to suffer through garden parties -- Stevie was in attendance. He'd been acting shifty and evasive the whole time, only inadvertently admitting why when he'd snuck off behind a tree to make out with a brunette in a press badge, only to find out he wasn't that great at sneaking. That was when he finally introduced his mysterious human girlfriend, Melody.

I've got to say, I understood why he'd kept her hidden. The first thing that happen what she received a grilling from Elspeth, who eventually pronounced her adequate. Then she was brushed off by Kean, who might have been more accepting of this whole living above business but wasn't ready to have a human in the family. He left soon after that, probably to tell Tinder what their son was doing, and share in their mutual horror.

Which lead to a situation where I was the only one left to be nice to the girl, a role I felt not at all qualified for. So there we were, Melody babbling nervously -- whether because she was meeting her boyfriend's family, or because she was meeting a semi-famous-slash-infamous person was not important -- Stevie alternating between discomfort and something like relief, and me nodding along to whatever Melody was saying. I'll admit, I was only half listening most of the time.

'Actually, in the interests of full disclosure, I am doing a story about you,' she said, getting my full attention. 'Well, not you specifically, your rape crisis centers. I don't think you've gotten enough credit from the media for the millions of free therapy and medical care you've given to rape survivors. It's kind of amazing.' She smiled and shrugged.

'It's not,' I said.

Stephen tried unsuccessfully to get her attention, but she just barreled on.

'It is. I know someone who was able to get the help they needed because of you. You have no idea how much of a difference you're making.'

'Actually I do.'

She smiled indulgently, like she was willing to agree with me, even though she thought I didn't understand.

'I was sexually abused as a child.'

She blinked her mouth opening, then snapping shut. 'Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean....'

'It's fine. Stephen, I'm going to borrow her a while.'

'Don't scare her, Uncle Jay.'

I winked at him, and gestured for her to walk with me. 'First I should say that if you're dating Stevie just to use him for a story, you and I are going to have a problem.'

'I'm not. I would never. I've been dating him for far longer than metahumans have been out anyway, I think that clears me.'

'Probably. So, you're doing a story on the centers?'

'Yes.'

'And do you think it would make me more or less sympathetic if people knew I had also been raped?'

'I... don't know. Maybe more? I've got to say, you're the last person I expected to have had... that kind of experience. I mean you're handsome and confident and wealthy and powerful.'

'So it would be more humanizing to share?'

'Yes.'

'Let's do that then.'

'Wait, what?'

'Since you're already writing an article, you can also write one on my history. Rape, homelessness, mental illness, recovery. It's a long story.'

'I thought you didn't want me to write articles on you.'

'I don't want you to use Stevie to write articles on me. Stevie is a good kid and he deserves to be happy, not used. But I'm less than impressed with the majority of the coverage of mainstream media on me, and I'm more than happy for you and I to use each other, provided he is left out of it.'

'Are you asking me to break up with him?'

'Would you? If I told you to?'

'No.'

'Good. I think we can work together.'

I held out a hand for her to shake, and she looked at it like it was going to bite her. 'I'm going to regret this, aren't I?'

I smiled. 'Probably. Now smile at Stevie before he thinks I'm scaring you.'

That is how I found my official biographer.