Super what now?

[bestdadinamestris]

There's nothing Hughes loves more than his family.

There's nothing Hughes loves more than anything other than his family than information.

The Nexus was a strange cross-section of a universe that the Intelligence officer simply didn't understand. He was doing his best to accommodate all of the strange goings on in his mind by learning about and understanding them a little at a time.

The fact that there was a portal to and from the Nexus in his world was growing on him. The grand scale of technology beyond what was available in his world was daunting, but didn't come up as much since he avoided most of the shops in the Forum. And some of the characters that had appeared in the Nexus? Well, if they were human, it was understandable. Weird, but understandable. Everything else? Well... he was just going to have to take some more time for everything else.

He liked being in the Forum, picking up bits and pieces as he simply listened. That's how he got onto this whole thing about some people being "better" than others, in some rather unscientific sounding ways. He'd spent a while trying to glean more information about it and failed quite spectacularly. People simply accepted that's the way things were. Not Maes Hughes. He needs to know, and if listening isn't enough, then, well... Sometimes, it's just easier to reach out and gather information the old fashioned way - by asking.

"There's been a lot of talk in the forum lately about super heroes and people doing super human things. It's all a little too vague for my taste. If I don't know how to define something, I can't know it when I see it. So, my question to you is this: How do you define the term 'super hero?' Or, rather, what makes a person a 'super hero?'"

Comments

[bestdadinamestris]

"You can tell when someone is lying on paper as well?" He hadn't thought of that possibility.

"It's less the discovery and more the current state of the world that I worry about." True, scarily enough. "It's my job to weed out security risks, to know when something is or isn't important for my country's government to know. But if I won't tell my best friend about this place, I sure as hell won't tell my CO."

Let's not discount the fact that he's actively working with said best friend to change the world order and put him in charge. That's a big enough job that keeping up with it, the Nexus, and his family would be damn near impossible. And letting more people in on the "secret" of the Nexus isn't going to change any of that.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Of course. It works for all my senses." She might be a little pleased to have surprised him with something. If she has to live with this damned curse she should at least have the pleasure of bragging about her mad skills.

"What you tell people is entirely up to you. I'm sure you know that no secret can be kept forever." That's about as much warning as she's inclined to give him at the moment. He's an adult and can decide for himself.

[bestdadinamestris]

"All of them?" Color Hughes very impressed. It's not often he's surprised, but he's willing to admit to it when it's something as intriguing like this. Oh the possibilities of having someone like Verity on his side would open back home...

He gives her a rye smile. "Different kinds of secrets have different expiration dates. If I were the one looking for the secrets, which I usually am, I'd have already personally questioned the man or woman who discovered it. With it being the other way around..." He shrugs, his gaze shifting down the the broad street of the Forum. "If I keep up appearances, I can keep them out of the Nexus until they're ready for it." He sounds confident enough to make that a true statement.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh yes. I'm great at shopping, I always know when something's fake." She'd be great at a lot of things if anyone gave her a chance, but SHIELD sent her home after she registered. They're not very bright.

Oh, Hughes, she can see through beliefs. Personal confidence doesn't make something true to her. But she gives him a nod. "I hope you can pull that off, it's a good plan and a kind one."

[bestdadinamestris]

"Seems like a gift and a curse, then." Well, if she's ever looking for work, Hughes has more than a few things she could do. Sure, she won't get paid in American money, but it's the thought that counts, right?

He can tell by her comment that she's patronizing him, but he'll let it go and add a mental note about the beliefs thing. Damn, he was hoping to sneak that one through. "There's nothing I wouldn't give to keep the ones I care about safe. If that means I have to lie from time to time," Beat, shrug. "so be it. At least where I come from, lying isn't a crime you can be tried for." Well, sort of - he could be staring down a court martial if things don't go the way he and his friends are hoping. His current CO would definitely be pissed about a secret like the Nexus.

[brave_heart_verity]

"It is." She's going to be looking for a job soon, so she'd be wise to be nice to him. Pity she's not a precog.

Being best friend with a god of lies taught her a lot about the limits of her power, and she's been working on ways to shore those up. She's going to be hard to trick. "Lying isn't usually a crime where I'm from either. But my father lied to me for a long time about what he did." Sigh. No, that's not quite true. "What happened to me, and I don't thank him for it."

[bestdadinamestris]

It's okay - she probably wouldn't want to work in his world right now anyway. Lots of danger with the whole "trying to overturn the government" thing that he and his friends have going on. After all that, though? Well, there's plenty of time for her to work back into his good graces, if necessary.

"Your father?" Hughes immediately gets the sense that this is a sensitive subject. Somewhere between Dad Mode and Intelligence officer, he's got enough insight to know he has to tread lightly. "I take it he played some part in how you became a human lie detector?" He's trying hard to ask a serious question without sounding like a prick. Hopefully the small joke and its corresponding smile won't be too terribly received.

Have a chill baby icon to level out the sads.

[brave_heart_verity]

What are the chances they speak English where he's from aside from the dub? No, it'd probably be easier and safer for them both if he brought her things in the Nexus, which provides free translating services. Plus she'd be awful conspicuous back in Amestris with her hair and her tattoos. Not a great person for him to be seen with. And what would Gracia think?

"Yeah. He... the spell used to be on a ring, you see. His special magic ring that he dropped next to me when I was a baby. That he didn't notice was missing until I'd swallowed it." She's not good at this. She can't quite look at him while she tells this story. "The doctors said the ring dissolved while they were watching, right before they were going to fish it out. But the spell stayed."

Awww, tiny Verity?

[bestdadinamestris]

Getting files into the Nexus would be a hell of a lot easier than explaining Verity to all of Amestris. Gracia not withstanding, of course. She's her own case and one that Hughes does not want to piss off. If all he had to do was get files to Verity, that would definitely work. Now to figure out how to pay her without causing any discrepancies on the books. And, of course, deal with the exchange of currency.

Magic rings and spells. It sounds as implausible as the way people in his world use alchemy. Implausible, but obviously true. What really gets Hughes, though, is the negligence. His voice is low and full of anger - not at her, but at her father. "How could he not think about something like that around a baby? People like that... they don't deserve the gifts they're given." It's obvious Hughes isn't talking about the spells. Dad Mode isn't fully activated, but it's waiting for its chance to come out.

The fateful moment itself. Wasn't she cute?

[brave_heart_verity]

Surely he has a discretionary fund to pay his informants? And she'll worry about the exchange rate. The Nexus has merchants that take all kinds of currency.

"There was a hole in his pocket. And accidents happen. I know that. I just..." She shakes her head. "That doesn't fix anything does it?" Then she shrugs. There's nothing good to come of dwelling on it. "At least I always know what I'm getting myself into?" She really doesn't.

Very cute!

[bestdadinamestris]

If she's willing to take care of the exchange rate, he'll figure out a way to pay her. When she decides she's ready for a job, she has one with Hughes in the bag.

"It doesn't fix it, no." He'll take a step back from Dad Mode, but he's obviously still sore about it. It takes a moment, but his composure is back before he looks back to Verity. "I'm pretty good at telling the difference between truth and lies - a skill I've picked up in my trade - but I find I'm never fully sure what I'm getting myself into. I suspect being able to know for certain doesn't change that fact."

And then the screaming started.

[brave_heart_verity]

He's not the only one who finds it hard to let go. "I'm not really, but I keep hoping it'll be true one of these days." And now he knows something else: she's perfectly capable of telling lies. "At least you came by your talent honestly."

That's usually how it works when babies eat something they shouldn't.

[bestdadinamestris]

"That doesn't make your talent any less impressive," he notes. "My job would be a hell of a lot easier if I simply knew someone was lying rather than having to dig through what they did - and what they didn't - tell me and figure it out for myself." Because, in the end, does it matter how you got the talent if you're willing to use it properly?

A small smile plays at his lips as he looks down at her. "It seems almost unfair that I'd meet someone I'd hire to my team in a heartbeat in a place no one in my world knows exists." Is that an offer? Possibly.

True dat.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Thanks." Compliments are always nice. She's not immune to them. "You have the pleasure of accomplishment. That's no small thing."

Is that an offer? She lifts an eyebrow. "You could bring your paperwork here."

[bestdadinamestris]

He nods, smiling a bit. "I doubt it feels any less satisfying when you bring someone's lies to light and get them taken down for it. A natural ability to take some smug bastard down a peg is always satisfying, at least as far as I'm concerned."

Perhaps. "I could, but what would be my motivation? Are you looking for things to do and willing to look through classified documents? To help me pick out what is and isn't important enough to bring to my superiors' attention?" That smile looks oddly like a sly grin now.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Well... yeah, that can be fun." For her. Less for them.

The grin gets an answering smirk. "I wouldn't know what is and isn't worth your superiors' attention since I don't know much about where you're from. But I can probably help figure out what's worth your attention. You'll want to know when a source is lying or mistaken so you know who to focus more attention on. Liars love attention after all."

Why, yes, I did just have to brush up on my lore to find the currency used.

[bestdadinamestris]

His grin widen. "Yes they do, often to a fault."

He slowly removes his glasses with one hand and a handkerchief from one of his many pockets with the other. As he cleans them off, he continues. "I could certainly stand to know more about who is lying to me and what they're lying about. And because you seem up to the task, I believe there's only one question remaining." With a grin more mischievous than the last, he replaces his glasses and meets her gaze. "What's your fee? And what's the going rate for that in Amestrian cenz?"

Ooh baby I love someone who checks the details :D

[brave_heart_verity]

She laughs, shrugging helplessly. "I have no idea what the exchange rate is, sorry. I'm sure there's a bank around here somewhere, I can find out later. Usually, I get five American dollars per page. Or we could do hourly, but that would be harder for you to keep track of. Plus there's the fact my world has had some problems with inflation. So. What's the going rate for this kind of thing where you're from?"

Sadly, there is no info on this on the internet. Making assumptions, here we go!

[bestdadinamestris]

He frowns. "Well, standard rate for translation services, which is the closest thing I can think of to what you would be doing, for military contractors is 50 cenz per page, but I don't know what that translates to in American dollars. And, really, the last thing I want is to be paying my new contractor so little she can't afford to simply live."

This whole currency issue really bothers him. He has no idea what American dollars are compared to cenz, but he'll be damned if he doesn't make it work. He doesn't care how many cenz a page her fee will be - with her abilities, she can guarantee her work, and in his line of business? That's priceless.

And, let's be honest, he wants her to be able to buy nice things for herself, too.

Hurrah for needing to figure out economies that are about 100 years apart too.

[brave_heart_verity]

"I wouldn't be bringing the money home with me anyway. The government would want to know where it came from. We pay income taxes, you see. So let's figure out a decent wage for someone who lives here." That neatly sidesteps having to talk about what's happening back home, she hopes.

"I do have a job back home, you don't need to worry about my starving in the streets or anything." And if she needs more work later, she's apparently very marketable.

((Hopefully this also helps us not make ourselves crazy trying to figure out inflation rates vs what would bankrupt Amestris.))

My assumption is that translators would be *very* highly paid, given the importance of their work.

[bestdadinamestris]

He nods slowly, conceding to her suggestions. It's not his preference, but if she's happy with the arrangement, he'll make it work.

"That sounds fair. Though if circumstances change in the future, you need only tell me. I can always figure something out." He offers a smile, albeit a bit colored by not being able to do things the way he wanted originally.

((Probably a good idea. He would probably go really far to get her whatever wage she wanted. Someone's gotta keep him in check.))

Translators and the people who know the codes.

[brave_heart_verity]

She smiles too. He's a big boy, he can learn to live with compromise. "I will. And thank you. So... what sorts of things will I be working on? Are there any books I should try and get from the library to catch up on what's going on?"

((Isn't it good for him she isn't greedy then?))

Which I'm sure she'll pick up on quickly enough. She's one smart cookie.

[bestdadinamestris]

"Ahh, well, that's where it gets complicated." He frowns a bit, his brow furrowing as he thinks how best to explain things. "I suppose I could find a few history books for you in the State Library. That should give you a good start on where things are in the world except for the most recent of events. Past that..."

He sighs and drops his gaze from hers, his arms crossing in front of his chest. "Things are... complicated back home right now. It'd be best if I just gave you a full debriefing before I get you started on any real work." That's not quite the understatement of the year for him, but it's getting damn close.

((I think it's better for Amestris. Hughes is all about results, everything else be damned in the process. Except his family and close friends, of course.))

And she comes from a long line of people used to dealing with weird shit. (She doesn't know this.)

[brave_heart_verity]

"If it weren't complicated, you wouldn't need my help," she points out quietly. "We can start whenever you like. Unless there's a bunch of forms you need me to fill out that you'll never file with anyone."

((It's good to have priorities, although I suspect his CO would like if keeping to the budget was one of his.))

Get ready for weird shit of a different kind, Verity!

[bestdadinamestris]

He can't help but chuckle at that last bit. Yes, she's going to great at balancing out his quirks with her own. His eyes light up a bit and his voice takes on a slightly dramatic tone. "Please, no more paperwork. My head hurts just thinking about doing any more than is necessary."

((Yeah, probably, but Hughes can be a smooth talker, when he wants to be. He might figure out a way to get a higher budget out of spite. lol))