Author's note: so, so sorry for the delay in updating. Life has been a difficult client. :-P It's a long chapter, so hopefully that makes up for the delay. I will try to continue as soon as I can.
It rained the day after Stephanie's party. It was neither a torrential downpour, nor a light misting, but rather a succession of heavy, huge drops that almost seemed neat and orderly in their descent. One could practically count the droplets as they fell, since their impressive size seemed to limit their number.
"It's like the sky is crying," Bessie observed with a sigh, as she and Stephanie tided up from the party. "I'm just glad it didn't rain last night. Awful stuff!"
"Oh, Aunt Bessie. We need rain, after all!" Stephanie argued as she put the porcelain serving dishes back in the hutch.
"Yes, yes, I know! It's just so depressing."
Stephanie smiled. She could understand her aunt's gloomy feelings, but the budding scientist in her also observed rain as the necessary ecological event it was. She also appreciated rain on another level completely. Sunshine and clear skies were a time for her to exercise her body and spirit—to be outside, playing sports or dancing or just being with her family. She allowed herself to focus solely on feeling good on the sunny days.
But the rainy days, with their gray-cloaked skies and tapping percussion of water droplets falling against the land, gave her permission to exercise another important muscle: her mind. For Stephanie, rain meant a time for contemplation, to really and truly sit down and take stock of her life. It was during a rainstorm, sitting in her mother's hotel room in Puerto Ayora and watching the palm leaves catch the water, that she had decided to pursue biology. The rain was doing tiny pirouettes on the skylight in her dorm room when she made the decision to come back to Lazytown.
Now, with the rain making its presence known in its own gentle but insistent way, Stephanie began to drift into her own thoughts. She'd been upset that she hadn't been able to spend more time with Sportacus, and she was frustrated that things—events and people alike—kept getting in her way. She was irritated that Bessie had pushed Sportacus into walking Mayor Marvelosa home. Stephanie wasn't sure she liked the woman. She was a big enough person to admit that a large part of her resentment were due to jealousy, but there was something else. It bothered her that Maven Marvelosa didn't seem to care about the town's ecosystem or its history. The woman clearly had her own ideas for what Lazytown should be, and had very little use for other opinions.
Ultimately Stephanie decided, as she wiped the last of the punch glasses and returned it to the cabinet in the dining room, she wasn't going to worry about Sportacus' relationship with the mayor. They'd known each other for a while; if something was going to happen between them, it would have already, she reasoned. Plus, Sportacus wouldn't have held her hand the way he did last night if he had any interest in the mayor. He was far too honorable for that.
She was going to have him to herself this afternoon. They were going to play tennis and pick up where they'd left off the night before. And nothing was going to stop her. He would see that she wasn't the little girl he remembered—that even though things had changed, they were changing for the better. Stephanie continued at her work cheerfully, lost in her own thoughts, when she heard her aunt say, "Well, there's a song I haven't heard for a while!"
Stephanie frowned. "Song?"
"The song you were just humming. 'Do Right Woman'? I haven't heard that one in years! Wherever did a young kid like you hear it?"
And then it came back to Stephanie. Last night, visiting Robbie Rotten in the midst of her loneliness. Talking to him. Dancing with him. He'd surprised her in a lot of ways. True, he was still bad-tempered, anti-social, and hostile, but for the first time in…well, always, Stephanie had seen a depth to him that she didn't realize was there. She'd spent most of those early years in Lazytown dreading his presence, worrying that he was going to ruin something special. Now, it suddenly dawned on her that there was more to him than he had cared to show, or that she had cared to see. He had a mother, he had a past, and had a life outside of the bad things he'd done. Was that hint of soulfulness always there, or had it grown with time? Maybe, if Robbie had matured in all the years Stephanie was away, maybe there was a chance that things could be different between them too. Perhaps they could even be…friends?
"Oh...just heard it on the bus on the way here," Stephanie told her aunt.
Robbie stalked across the plush velvet carpeting of his sitting room, almost wishing he had left the hardwood floors bare so he could enjoy the loud, dull thud of his heels, stomping out his anger. He'd missed his deadline to deliver the invention to Wayne Industries, and it was all the girl's fault. She'd thrown him for a loop—the way she'd just shown up at his door. Naturally he couldn't concentrate after that. All that work, for nothing.
It enraged him – so much so that he almost wanted to go to Milford Meanswell's house and chew her out for ruining everything for him. But he knew he couldn't. To do so would mean admitting to the girl that she'd affected him, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think she had that power over him.
Robbie was finally willing to admit it, if only to himself: Stephanie Meanswell affected him.
He couldn't allow this to go on any longer. He'd had to endure her overbearing presence when she lived here as a child, but no longer. He couldn't let her do this to him.
He had to get rid of her.
"Thanks so much for your help, Sportacus. We couldn't have done it without you!"
Sportacus smiled gently at Mr. Shrewdberry, the owner of Shock-tail, and clapped him on the back. "Don't mention it, my friend. I'm just glad I was here to help!"
It was hardly an action-packed demonstration of heroism. No one's life in danger or in need of rescuing. The industrial cooler in the shop malfunctioned overnight, leaving the back room and some of the front end flooded with water. The owners were distraught as they tried to begin the lengthy and exhausting process of cleaning up. To make matters worse, the failure of the cooler had spoiled all of the fruit the owners used in the smoothies. Pounds of berries, oranges, lemons, bananas, apples, and grapes all had to be thrown out. The owner's mother, a little old lady with a cloud of dyed-black hair, stood in a puddle, her hands full of the soggy, wet flesh of the fruit. "Such beautiful fruit," she lamented. "Makes me want to cry."
Sportacus had been on his way to the Shock-Tail for a smoothie when he sensed the owners' distress. He'd helped to mop up the water, throw out the spoilage, then got into his airship and flew to Breezy Britches and collected enough fruit from the market there to replenish the shop's supply. Thanks to the above average hero's efforts, the Shocktail was able to open only an hour later than usual.
Once everything was up and running, Mr. Shrewdberry made sure that the very first smoothie he made for the day was an extra-large cup of Sportacus' favorite: the "Everything Fruit" special.
"Thank you, Mr. Shrewdberry. It really wasn't necessary!" Sportacus said. And even though he meant it, he very happily tucked into the sweet concoction.
"It was the least I could do, Sportacus. I only hope we didn't keep you from anything important this morning."
Sportacus' lips turned up into a smile as he sipped from the straw. "I have something planned, but not until later this morning."
"Oh?" Mrs. Shrewdberry interjected, walking over to them. "Anything fun, if I may ask?"
"Just a tennis game with Stephanie," Sportacus replied lightly. He was trying very hard to sound casual about it, and his efforts came as a bit of a surprise to him. He didn't want to let on to anyone he was nervous about their game that day, and now that the time was drawing closer, those nerves were getting stronger. They'd held hands on the porch, and he could feel her skin get warm and flushed. He knew that their time together was affecting her too.
"That's the last dish, Aunt Bessie," Stephanie announced, closing the glass door to the heavy oak hutch in the dining room. "We're officially all cleaned up from the party." She glanced out the window. "Oh, and the rain stopped too!"
"Ah, lovely," the older lady said, sinking into one of the upholstered dining chairs. "Thank you for all your help, dear."
"Well, thank you for the party," Stephanie answered with a smile. "It was the least I could do."
"It was quite the event, wasn't it? So much work, but worth it. Always worth it!"
Just then, they heard the back door open and shut, and Milford passed through the dining room a few seconds later with FiFi in his arms. "Just finished walking FiFi, dear! She pee-peed, but no poo poo."
"Oh dear, it looks like someone needs some fiber, yes she does!" Bessie cooed to her pet, taking her out of her husband's arms and rocking her like a baby.
"Do you need my help with anything else, Aunt Bessie?" Stephanie asked, willing herself not to roll her eyes.
"You've done enough, sweetheart, thank you. Do you need to go somewhere?"
"Oh I'm supposed to meet up with Sportacus for a game of tennis soon," Stephanie replied casually.
"With Sportacus," Milford repeated. Stephanie turned around to look at her uncle, and felt something she'd never felt before in his presence: apprehension. When it came to Uncle Milford, he was always the distressed one for one reason or another, and she was the one who had to soothe him. But now, looking at him standing there with a look a quiet disapproval falling over his face, Stephanie felt her heart tighten slightly as if to prepare for a defense.
Uncle Milford had seen Stephanie and Sportacus holding hands last night, as well as the two of them pull away. The pulling away was, in some ways, more telling than the actual hand-holding. But he was upset over losing FiFi, and didn't have the time to question it. Now here they were, the next day, and Stephanie was going to spend more time with Sportacus.
She hadn't really thought of what she would tell her Uncle and Aunt about her feelings for the town hero. She'd mostly bought into Trixie's encouraging argument that she was an adult and could do what she wanted now, and had largely forgotten about everything else. Stephanie might have been an adult, but she still worried what her family thought about her actions. And now, another layer of dilemma had been added: would having a relationship with Sportacus affect Sportacus' relationship with her uncle? Was it possible that Uncle Milford—or perhaps by extension Aunt Bessie—would be so incensed by Sportacus and Stephanie becoming a couple that Sportacus might lose his appointment to Lazytown?
She didn't want to think about that possibility. There was no reason to anyway; she'd told the truth; she was going to play a simple game of tennis with Sportacus. So she smiled in the sincerest way possible and replied, "Yes, he invited me for a game. I love playing tennis and haven't had a chance to since I left school. So I jumped at the chance."
Uncle Milford looked down at his shoes and squinted, as though he were trying to make out something very small and obscure. "I see," he replied simply. "Enjoy your game, dear." He turned on his heel and left the room.
"Where are you two playing today?" Aunt Bessie asked as she set FiFi down, oblivious to the uncomfortable exchange between her husband and niece.
"Oh, I…I'm not sure. Sportacus is supposed to pick me up. I guess we'll decide then." Stephanie didn't want to tell her that they were going to play in Sportacus' airship. She wasn't sure how Bessie would feel about that, and she didn't want to endure any more tense moments like she just had with her uncle.
Stephanie walked outside and stood on the porch. The air felt thick and warm, perfumed with that special scent that only rain can bring. Less than a minute later, she felt a soft woosh of wind, and she looked up to see the silvery airship hovering above her. And then she saw him, climbing down from the rope ladder, smiling and waving to her. She smiled back.
"Hello, Stephanie!" Sportacus greeted her in his usual warm way. Oh, he was gorgeous. A powerful physique, a classically handsome face. Eyes that as deep and blue as the ocean, and full of kindness. And he was here just for her.
And then she was running to him, not caring that the handrail was still drenched in the rain and her hand was now soaked, not caring that the rain had turned the lawn into a swamp and her shoes and legs were sprinkled with mud. She took his outstretched hand, failing to contain the enormous smile that overtook her face. "Hi!" she said simply, unable to say much more.
Stephanie quickly pushed a lock of damp, strawberry hair out of her face and readied herself for the volley. It came at her fast, but not so fast that she couldn't return the ball with a swift backhand. It flew at a sharp angle towards Sportacus, who leapt backward so that he would have ample space to launch an underhand return. The ball arched high, just sailing cleanly over the net and giving Stephanie just enough time to lunge at it and smash the ball into Sportacus' quadrant. The above average hero made a fleet-footed attempt to reach it, but his racquet missed the ball by mere inches.
"Game over. Score is 1 to 3. Winner is Stephanie," the airship computer announced. The tennis net descended back into the floor, and the boundary lines of the court disappeared.
"Excellent game, Stephanie. Congratulations!" Sportacus told her with a smile.
But Stephanie did not return it. Sportacus had let her win, and she hated it. She'd told him at the beginning of the game that she didn't want him to take it easy on her, and he had promised to give it his best.
"It wasn't an excellent game," she told him, picking up the ball and walking away.
Sportacus frowned at her back. "What do you mean?"
"You let me win. Don't try to tell you didn't. I know you did."
He began to argue, but then he stopped. He sighed and shrugged. "You're right, Stephanie. I'm sorry."
She crossed her arms. "Why?"
Why did he do it? Because that was how Sportacus treated most of the residents of Lazytown. He cared about them, he protected them, but he almost always humored them. He was faster, stronger, and more skilled than they were—not only capable of greater physical feats, but of thinking several steps ahead of them. He tried not to show this off too much or too often, because he wanted them to trust him. He wanted them to have faith that his affection for them was real.
And so he was very careful about how he used his powers. He moved his fast enough, exerted just enough strength—just enough so that they admired him, not resented him. And for the most part, he'd been successful with this approach. Robbie Rotten had been the only exception. In Robbie's case, however, Sportacus always suspected there was more to Robbie's dislike than what showed on the surface.
Stephanie was waiting for answer. Finally he shook his head and told her, "I just wanted you to enjoy the game."
She scoffed at this. "What I would enjoy is a game played fairly. I'm not a frail flower. If you're going to hold back, then there's no reason to go on." Are you just talking about the game, or something else? The taunting thought raced through Stephanie's mind as she said these words.
Sadness shimmered in Sportacus' azure eyes. "If I played against you at my full strength, you'd have no chance. You wouldn't be able to keep up with me at all, much less win a game."
Stephanie laughed. "Why don't we just try then? You don't know what I'm capable of. Maybe I can beat you."
"I don't know…"
"I do. Another round. No holding back."
Sportacus allowed his arms to drop to his sides. "Very well," he assented. "Tennis net!" he cried to his airship's computer.
They were less than a minute into the new game when Stephanie realized that Sportacus hadn't been exaggerating. He was mind-bogglingly fast, monstrously powerful. She could barely keep up with his returns; she would volley the ball back to him, and less than a second later, the ball would be returned. His body was nothing but a cobalt blue blur as he flipped and twirled in the air. Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest as she struggled to keep up; sweat dampened her hair and coated her back and arms and legs. Her lungs sucked in the air with an almost frantic need. But she wouldn't give in. This was what she'd wanted, and she was going to finish the game no matter what.
Sportacus saw strain the game was putting on his opponent, and he couldn't bear to let it continue. He knew he could keep going like this for hours, but Stephanie couldn't. But he also knew that if he tried to stop the game, Stephanie would fight it and insist they continue. He couldn't be obvious about it. So when Stephanie sent a slow, fatigued ball flying over the net, Sportacus put enough of the curve on the return that it flew swiftly to the opposite end of Stephanie's side of the net—too far to the side for her to be able to reach it in time.
But Sportacus had underestimated his friend. Stephanie didn't lunge for it, didn't leap for it, as he thought she might. Instead, she did a somersault in the air, flipping as fast as her body would allow her so that she could reach the ball before it made contact with the ground. She had just come to a 180 degree angle with her body parallel to the ground, when with all of her might, she swung her racquet at the ball. The two objects made glorious contact with one another, the ball coasting toward the net as Stephanie succumbed to gravity. Her shoulder and arm bore the brunt of the hit, and she felt the sharp sting of the impact while watching the ball reach the net but fall just short of clearing the top of it.
"Stephanie!" Sportacus cried out as he ran over to her. Gently he raised her from the ground and held her against him. "Are you all right?"
Stephanie twisted in his arms to check her arm. "I think so," she murmured. "No broken bones or dislocation. Possible strain in the bicep. Definitely bruising." When he looked at her in surprise, she grinned shyly. "Biology major, you know."
"I'll take you home now." Sportacus helped her to her feet.
"Why? I said I was all right."
He looked down at her sternly. "No more. I should have never agreed to play a full on game with you."
"What?" Stephanie asked, distress darkening her eyes. "Sportacus I'm fine. This was what I wanted. Look, we don't have to play another game of tennis, but we could play something else."
He shook his head. "I can't. I won't risk hurting you again."
"You didn't hurt me! It was just a fall! I decided to make that move for the ball. Sportacus, please," Stephanie said, taking his hand. "I just want to spend time with you."
"I…" he trailed off. "I don't know." He looked away.
"Are you ever going to see me?" Puzzled, he looked back at Stephanie, surprised to see that her eyes were glossy with tears. "All I've done since I came back is try to make you see that I've grown up, that—that I'm worthy of being more to you. But all you see is the little girl you first knew. I-I try, but you don't see me—the person I am now." She shuddered, holding back a sob.
Without a second thought, Sportacus took Stephanie's face in his hands. "You're wrong," he told her simply. "I see so many things. I see brilliance, intelligence. I see a selfless, caring, giving heart. I see immense ambition and drive to accomplish great things. I see grace, I see…beauty," they both blushed at this. "Stephanie, I see you. I do."
Hearing this, she wrapped her arms around him and firmly pressed her lips to his. When she pulled away, she smiled nervously at the shocked look on his face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just…I've wanted to do that for a really long time."
"Oh Stephanie," Sportacus sighed, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "You're so young," he told her.
"Not as young as I used to be," she murmured into his shoulder.
"True, but still. There are many years between us."
She pulled away to look at him. "How many exactly?"
He chuckled. "Let's just say I'm old enough to have gone to school with your uncle." Seeing the shock on her face, he added, "I will get older, but much much slower than normal people."
"How?"
"It's part of being a guardian. There are…alterations that are made to us, to our bodies. One of them allows us to heal quickly from injuries. As a result, we don't appear to age."
Stephanie closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you know how I feel about you, and…that I know how you feel." She drew closer to him for another kiss.
Just then, a tiny beeping noise came from the watch on Sportacus' wrist. "I'm sorry," he told her. He stepped out of her embrace to look at the lit screen.
"What is it?" Stephanie asked.
"It's the mayor. She needs me. I have to go." He started to walk to the helm, but Stephanie grabbed his arm and held him back.
"No," she told him simply.
Sportacus frowned. "Stephanie, I'm sorry, but I can't stay."
"You don't have to run to her just because she's called you! If it was a true emergency, your crystal would have beeped. But it didn't. It's just some stupid political issue that she can solve on her own! Sportacus, please," Stephanie pleaded as he began to walk away again. "I've been waiting for this time with you for a long time. Please don't leave."
Sportacus' heart ached as he looked into his friend's pleading eyes. He so desperately wanted to ignore the mayor's call, to stay and see what happened next. But he couldn't. He had a duty he'd pledged to uphold. "I…I need to answer her call. Stay here on the ship. I will go talk to her and then come right back. Can you do that?"
Stephanie sighed and looked down. "Yes, all right. I'll stay."
"Thank you." He kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, Sportacus climbed into the jet section of the airship and deployed, flying swiftly across town to the mayor's office.
Stephanie waited. She passed the time by reading through the airship's archives of biological science articles. She played a couple rounds of racquetball by herself, using the ship's wall to volley the ball back to her, until the arm she'd fallen on started to ache. She helped herself to the abundance of fruit in the pantry, having an apple and a pear and a few grapes. Finally she'd realized that well over an hour had passed since Sportacus left. Stephanie looked down at the town below her and laid her head on the cool glass of the window. He wasn't coming back—at least not any time soon, she realized. "Ladder!" she commanded to the airship.
Sadly she climbed down the long length of the rope and jumped down to the ground, finding herself right outside of the park. She began to walk back to her aunt and uncle's house when she heard a voice call, "Hey Pinky!"
She turned around to see Trixie running up to her and waving. Stephanie smiled and waved back. "Hey Trix. What's up?"
"Great news! Stingy's boyfriend said that his folks aren't using the beachhouse for the rest of the month, so we can go there any time this week—"
"How about tomorrow?" Stephanie asked quickly—so quickly that she surprised even herself. She realized that she was desperate to get away, if only for a few days. She wasn't sure when she'd want to see Sportacus again.
"Tomorrow? Well, uh, yeah. I guess that would work. But isn't that kinda quick? What about you and Sportacus?"
"There is no 'me and Sportacus'," Stephanie answered coolly.
"What do you mean?"
"I was just on his airship—"
"Really?" Trixie interjected in a suggestive tone.
"Waiting over an hour for him," Stephanie finished without emotion. "We were playing tennis, and then the mayor called for him. He left me there."
"Aw, Steph. That really sucks, but there's nothing going on there. Lousy timing, sure, but it was just a town business thing."
Stephanie nodded. "I know that. But it doesn't matter. Sportacus is always going to put the town and the mayor's demands first. I can't compete, and I'm not going to try."
"Pinky come on. All you need to do is—"
"I said no, Trixie! Just stop it, okay?" Stephanie burst out, and Trixie was stunned into silence. Her friend had never spoken so sharply in all the time Trixie had known her.
"I'm done, do you understand? I'm going to enjoy my time in Lazytown. I'm going to have fun with my friends and spend time with my uncle and aunt for the rest of the summer. And then I'm going back to school and get back to my work. I'm not going to get upset about it. It's just the way it is. Got it?"
"Yeah. I understand," Trixie answered quietly. "Well, I'll go talk to the boys and see if they want to head out tomorrow. I'll let you know, okay?"
"Okay, thanks, Trix." Stephanie was starting to feel bad about how she'd spoken to her friend. "I'll talk to you later, and…sorry if I sounded like a bitch."
Trixie shook her head. "Not you, Pinky. Never you. I'll see ya around." She turned and walked back in the direction of the park, cutting through the lawn to get to the houses on the other side.
Stephanie made her way back to her uncle and aunt's house, took a long shower, changed into new clothes, and settled down to check her phone for new messages. Checking her email, she found a message from Cyril Memento, providing her with information about the two buildings the historical society was trying to save. It was quite a lot, but Stephanie had made a promise and she took her time reading through everything. Just as she was finishing up, she got a text from Trixie telling her that the boys were all cool with leaving the next day for the beach around noon. She quickly texted back saying she'd be ready.
She then turned her attention back to Cyril's email. She replied that she would be out of town for a couple of days, but would be glad to meet with his group next week to discuss the buildings. Once it was sent, she lay on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to let her mind go blank and possibly fall asleep. Only a few minutes in she heard the sound of something flying through the air. She opened her eyes to find a blue piece of paper rolled up and lying on the floor.
Sportacus.
Stephanie got out of bed and picked up the piece of paper. She unrolled it and began to read the note.
Stephanie,
So very sorry that I had to leave. There was a meeting in Technopolis that Mayor Marvelosa needed help with. I just returned and found you'd left. I understand that you couldn't keep waiting. I hope we can get together some other time and you can forgive me.
I very much enjoyed our game today! You are an excellent tennis player!
Yours,
Sportacus
Stephanie laughed bitterly at the note. He was so blithe, so matter of fact about it, and it enraged her. She crumpled the note in her hands and threw it into the trash can. He really didn't get it. Stephanie didn't know how she could have made it any plainer to him that day.
I've been in love with you for a long time. I've never said it, because I know you'd say it was just a little girl's crush. But it's not. It's always been you. You're the reason why I've never been able to let anyone else get close to me. No one else has ever measured up.
She couldn't understand how someone could be so warm and caring, and so cold and distant at the same time. He hoped they could get together again some other time and she's a good tennis player? Did her kiss mean nothing to him? If it didn't, she wished he'd just tell her so she could just start hurting and hopefully move on.
Stephanie made a decision that night. After dinner that night with her uncle and aunt and packing her stuff for her trip, she got into bed and made up her mind: this summer would be her last extended visit to Lazytown. She'd keep in touch with Trixie and the guys, and she'd invite her family and friends to visit her wherever she ended up. And she'd come back if something major happened, like a wedding or a funeral, but she would never spend more than a day or two. And she was never, ever going to settle down and live here. She'd move away, far away, and put down roots someplace completely different. As far as she was concerned, Lazytown and its protector would soon be a closed chapter in the book of her life.
Several hours earlier…
Mayor Marvelosa sat at her desk, reviewing the accounts for the past month. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that when her phone began to ring, she was startled.
"Mayor Marvelosa," she answered.
"Well, a very good afternoon to you, Madam Mayor," a gruff voice responded.
It was Robbie Rotten. Her face automatically turned into a grimace. "What do you want?" she demanded.
"Never one to mince words, are you Mayor? I like that," Robbie said. "I trust all is well? Enjoyed yourself at the party last night?"
Maven Marvelosa leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Everything is wonderful, Robbie. And it will be even better once I hang up on you."
"Oh Maven, you've never been very fond of me, have you?" Robbie asked theatrically. "Where did things go wrong?"
"Hmm. Probably when you filled the confetti canons with red dye and corn syrup at my inauguration. I can't think of too many politicians who want to look like the victim in a slasher movie on the most important day of their career."
Robbie chuckled at the memory. "Just a little harmless fun, dear. My own way of welcoming you to Lazytown. Besides, the stains came out, didn't it?"
Maven scowled. "Out of white silk? No, not quite."
"Eeeek," he grunted sheepishly. "Well, allow me to extend my sincere apologies for the inconvenience."
"Apology accepted. Goodbye."
"Wait, wait, wait—I called for a very important purpose. I wanted to offer a little bit of advice."
Maven gave a mirthless, barking laugh. "Advice? From you? I think I'll pass." She started to put the handset back on the receiver.
"Stephanie Meanswell wants Sportacus too, you know." At these words, the mayor quickly brought the phone back to her ear. Robbie laughed. "Ah yes, I thought that would get your attention. She's a real threat. Young, beautiful, intelligent. And, of course, with their past history and the influence she has in town…" he trailed.
"You're out of line, Robbie."
"Hey, just letting you know. I'm sure the fact that he invited her to his airship all alone this morning is nothing to be concerned about."
Maven felt her heart begin to race. Sportacus had never invited her to his home as long as they'd known each other. "And how do you know this? Invading privacy like you used to?" she asked as impassively as she could.
"I have a telescope for my scientific endeavors. If I just so happen to aim it at the right place and the right time, well…it is what it is."
Robbie had been actively scoping the town that day, trying to find something, anything that would help him to rid himself of the thorn in his side that was Stephanie Meanswell. When he saw her hurrying to Sportacus and boarding his airship, he knew that he'd pay dirt. He'd also convinced himself that the rage he felt at seeing the way she smiled at the goofy blue jackrabbit and held his hand was merely residual anger at having missed his deadline to deliver the invention to Wayne Enterprises.
"So what do you want from me?" the mayor asked.
"Oh, nothing at all. I just wanted to pass on a little bit of valuable info. What you do with it is your decision. Good day, Madam Mayor." With that, he hung up, certain that the mayor would take care of his little problem for him.
After she hung up the phone, Maven thought for a second, trying to decide what to do. Then something occurred to her. She opened her tablet and went to her email, and checked her "Deleted" folder. Sure enough, there was an invitation to a meeting happening that day at Technopolis that she'd blown off. It was an open meeting, so anyone could come and didn't necessarily have to RSVP.
She opened a side drawer in her desk, and took out the paging device that that orange haired kid they called Pixel had designed for her. She pressed the blue button on the top, sending a signal to Sportacus that she needed help. She put the pager back in her drawer and waited for him to arrive. She knew it wouldn't take long, but she was good at thinking on her feet. She'd have a story ready to tell him by the time he arrived.
