It was true Shay had become a lot more proficient in her telekinetic abilities, but it was also true that she hadn't tried it in practice with parameters. For now she had been concentrating mainly on getting something from point A to point B, without it dropping, or breaking. Sure she had been tempering movements with finesses, but it hadn't occurred to her to try and move something in between two other objects, or regulate how high something moved, or how low. Nor had she placed any speed on the movements. Yep, there were still many areas she had yet to explore.
"You're right, and its obvious I have a lot to learn yet." 'Fine brain control functions'? Shay had no idea what it would be called.
"Superior sub-cranial strategical sessions".
Shay half grinned at Alec before turning her attentions to the road again.
And another thing to think about...using her ability to just subtly move things...like the dial to a safe. She couldn't imagine it would take much concentration, but until she tried it, she wouldn't know.
"I've done well moving small objects small distances, like on shelves, or counters, and I can pretty much move really small things without notice. I did that in the mall earlier. One of the sales ladies was looking for her glasses, which were right behind her on a counter, yet every time she would look the other way, I'd move them to another place, so it wound up taking her almost fifteen minutes to locate them.
Yea...I'm bad...I know."
It had been hilarious, and there hadn't been any real damage done, but Shay still thought she had been slightly juvenile in her entertainment. Of course that hadn't stopped her either. Sometimes a person got their jollies however they could.
She listened to Alec while also taking in the sites. Trying to be more observant was paying off, and coupled with her slightly higher degree of perception, Shay was honing that ability as well. She knew she had a lot to learn about many things, but those she already had a leg up on were just easier to devote training time to. Seeing faster results helped stoke her enthusiasm, which in turn gave her the incentive for broadening her lessons.
The police car that came careening around the corner didn't surprise her. She had sensed, or heard it, a few miles off. She had also realized there was a car ahead of it that the police were chasing. Too bad the driver of the other car hadn't her skill, otherwise he probably would have missed hitting the empty bus bench before the car stalled out, and the police caught up with it. Alec seemed to either miss the entire episode, or was so completely caught up in his objective that he hadn't let it effect him even in the slightest.
"Retiring from retirement...that does sound like a good option. I can't say for certain, not really knowing yet if I truly could or not, but I don't think I'd be up for sitting on my laurels to watch life go by either. I feel like I have this battery inside me that rarely shuts off, and if I don't give movement to it, it will burn up inside me. That option doesn't appeal to me, so I move, the battery keeps generating energy, and all is right with the world!"
It was a silly analogy, but one Shay had already given thought to, and with it the end result she had arrived at.
"But you get that, right? I think Ginnie was like that too. Which is not to say we can't relax, but we do so in moderation...right?"
She smiled as she looked at Alec. Even though they shared no blood bond, it seemed natural that they would understand some things about each other. Proximatey must play a small part in it all. It was all Shay could relate it to.
Financially Shay seemed comfortable, if not wealthy. When she had been reborn, Ginnie had located a small bank account Shay seemed to have from her earlier life. On top of that Shay had earned a little through odd jobs, and even come by a small amount slightly less than legally. Then too Shay had recently found out Ginnie had left her a small inheritance. Though small by the attorney's definition was slightly more by Shay's. She knew she didn't NEED to work, for a while anyway. Yet it wasn't really a choice. Shay would no longer have a reason to go on if she didn't have some sort of avenue to follow to a more meaningful existence.
"Moral flexibility? I can assure you I'm not anyone's epitome of virtue."
Not that Shay was Satan incarnate either, but she wasn't above skirting the law, or moral issues if the end results were, in her mind, necessary.
No, Shay understood, and agreed that what Alec said was true. She found self satisfaction in doing a job well, and if it benefited, her, those she loved, or her kind, so much the better.
Making note of where they were parked, and the surrounding atmosphere, Shay climbed out of the car, ready to follow Alec further.
"You betcha!"
Trial Run (attn: Shay, invite only)
Continued from "Climbing the Walls"
As they pulled from the parking facility, Alec contemplated the many uses of telekinesis when combined with a mind willing to pilfer essential information. On paper it seemed to be very useful, but in practice the difficulty would be in disguising the use. He was certain that there had to be a way around the visibility issue. Perhaps there was another telekinetic thief out there to pin the practices on. It seemed unlikely.
"One of the more interesting applications would be the ability to navigate something small and light through a beam field. That may be a very useful practice for your mental motor control functions, or...hm. What would that be? Fine brain control functions?"
Driving down the Strip, Alec smiled. It had been awhile since he had time to leave the Tacharan holdings without assignment. They would have to have another outing, soon. Perhaps that party Shay was considering could be held someplace more public.
"Besides, opening a safe is much easier than moving it once you pass the 250 pound mark, 100 if you need to move quietly."
Turning off the Strip, Alec wound briefly away from the busy section of downtown, and headed toward the address of Schoenthal Investigation. Driving slowly past the building, Alec scanned the area. It shared a single entry with several other professional offices, which could be both good and bad. There was mild foot traffic and road traffic, which made things much more entertaining, initially, but would make little difference later on.
"Retirement age can come at a variety of times based on your age and how much overhead you are able to stockpile. We also have the unique ability to retire from retirement, which has merit as well. Though I do not know if I have the disposition to sit and while away eternity in placid luxury, I have planned for that possibility. I have been very lucky in that my professional skills have allowed me to put away in these few years as some immortals will put away in their first century. My side projects are quite lucrative, and the Clan takes good care of me, beside. I am not certain that you will have the moral flexibility required for some of the projects that I have offered my services for. At the same time, jobs like this one can pay well as well as giving you a sense of satisfaction that you are protecting our species. Sometimes taking on a project of this type, even on a volunteer basis, is worth the satisfaction. At least I find it so."
Smiling, he found them a parking place about a block from their target.
"Shall we?"
Shay
16 years ago
Alec Devereaux
16 years ago
The sub-cranial strategies had him smiling. It did sound like he would have to design some sort of training regimen for her, however.
"Laying out a light sensor grid for you to switch on in your apartment would only take a few minutes. We can set that up when we get back home. Maybe toning it into the voice system so that it can give you feedback and set up an assessment program through it to let you know what motions are causing the most difficulty for you."
Grinning at her antics, he nodded. Subconsciously, his mind began to reduce frequencies from his ears to counter the oncoming wailing of the siren. He had never been fond of them, so he had trained to get the sound out. One of the benefits of perception was fine control over the processing of incoming material. With difficulty, he found that he could tone down as well as ramp up.
"I can see how that may be entertaining, and I would be lying if I said I had never done something similar with my blending. As much as I enjoy it, I do find perception to be the more practical of my skills, and tend to utilize it constantly. I need to remember to practice my blending more frequently, lest I become rusty."
He very much felt he understood her inner fire. His seemed less extreme, but the thought of doing nothing productive for years at a time made him shudder. Perhaps he would feel differently in a century, but somehow he thought it unlikely.
"She certainly did. She simply enjoyed all parts of life. Work, play, whatever was in front of her. She always put all in."
Smiling wistfully, he did not realize that the aching sadness that had always accompanied the thought of Ginnie was not there this time. It would hit him hard later, but for the moment he was left with only pleasant memories.
Pausing a moment to get a better feel for the neighborhood around their now-parked car, he waited for a car to pass before opening his door. Closing it, he scanned the area, the people in particular. There were capable combatants in the area, but none were providing undue attention. It was always an inconvenience to be selected for a mugging when engaging in your own questionable behaviors. Killing an assailant could bring too much attention to an otherwise clean scene. Everyone was about their own business though...which meant that they were not reliable witnesses. Subvocalizing, he muttered
"Excellent, a street of people who would say that they did not see anything. Could not have planned it better. We will walk right up to the front door, which will likely be unlocked. If not, I lifted a key to the front door from a tax analyst, made a copy and returned the key before he noticed it missing. There are cameras in the building. Typically I do not worry about them, but since we are slightly high profile this evening, and the individual we are visiting is in charge of security for the building, we will. Best to be thorough. There is no audio feed, so we will be able to say what we wish."
"Laying out a light sensor grid for you to switch on in your apartment would only take a few minutes. We can set that up when we get back home. Maybe toning it into the voice system so that it can give you feedback and set up an assessment program through it to let you know what motions are causing the most difficulty for you."
Grinning at her antics, he nodded. Subconsciously, his mind began to reduce frequencies from his ears to counter the oncoming wailing of the siren. He had never been fond of them, so he had trained to get the sound out. One of the benefits of perception was fine control over the processing of incoming material. With difficulty, he found that he could tone down as well as ramp up.
"I can see how that may be entertaining, and I would be lying if I said I had never done something similar with my blending. As much as I enjoy it, I do find perception to be the more practical of my skills, and tend to utilize it constantly. I need to remember to practice my blending more frequently, lest I become rusty."
He very much felt he understood her inner fire. His seemed less extreme, but the thought of doing nothing productive for years at a time made him shudder. Perhaps he would feel differently in a century, but somehow he thought it unlikely.
"She certainly did. She simply enjoyed all parts of life. Work, play, whatever was in front of her. She always put all in."
Smiling wistfully, he did not realize that the aching sadness that had always accompanied the thought of Ginnie was not there this time. It would hit him hard later, but for the moment he was left with only pleasant memories.
Pausing a moment to get a better feel for the neighborhood around their now-parked car, he waited for a car to pass before opening his door. Closing it, he scanned the area, the people in particular. There were capable combatants in the area, but none were providing undue attention. It was always an inconvenience to be selected for a mugging when engaging in your own questionable behaviors. Killing an assailant could bring too much attention to an otherwise clean scene. Everyone was about their own business though...which meant that they were not reliable witnesses. Subvocalizing, he muttered
"Excellent, a street of people who would say that they did not see anything. Could not have planned it better. We will walk right up to the front door, which will likely be unlocked. If not, I lifted a key to the front door from a tax analyst, made a copy and returned the key before he noticed it missing. There are cameras in the building. Typically I do not worry about them, but since we are slightly high profile this evening, and the individual we are visiting is in charge of security for the building, we will. Best to be thorough. There is no audio feed, so we will be able to say what we wish."
Shay
16 years ago
A 'light sensor'? Shay wondered if that was like what she had seen in movies...Mission Impossible? Didn't Tom Whatshisname have to maneuver in and around beams of light to get something. Or was that someone else in some other movie? Whatever, Shay thought the idea sounded quite intriguing.
"That sounds very high tech, and exciting, as well as fun as hell." Any time Shay could combine training with fun she was all for it. If Alec could set up something like that, she knew it would be beneficial to her. She knew too that she would practice more often if she didn't have to go far. Not that she was lazy, but if she could test herself in the privacy of her own home, she would be less apt to balk, or find excuses against it.
"See...I knew you had to have a crazy side hidden down there somewhere."
She teased, and was even more thrilled to see another side to her father...one that gave her more hope. And for tonight anyway, hope seemed to abound. Shay realized it was the first time she'd heard Alec talk about Ginnie and not grow quiet, or sad. It wasn't that she believed for one minute he had already gotten over the loss, but it was an indication that he was dealing with it better. Time had to heal those kinds of wounds, or how would they go on?
"Alec? What if we don't need a key? Maybe I can open the door without it, that is if it is locked?"
The idea came to her as she had tried to think of other ways to use her talent, similarly to turning a safe dial.
If she could mentally move the tumblers in a lock...the idea really juiced her up.
"I have no idea if I can, but can I try? That way we can just walk up and go through the door, without any indication we needed a key. If there are cameras that catch that, and someone checks them later, might we not still be suspect if we're shown going into the building with a key, when we're not tenants?"
Before he could answer, Shay was already gearing up to try and open the door lock. First she pushed at the door with her mind, to see if it was locked.
"Oh well." She sat disappointed. The door budged slightly, showing it was not locked.
"I'll add that to my list of things to start trying."
Not wanting to appear at all negative tonight, Shay rebounded from her dismay, and stood beside Alec, ready to enter the building.
"That sounds very high tech, and exciting, as well as fun as hell." Any time Shay could combine training with fun she was all for it. If Alec could set up something like that, she knew it would be beneficial to her. She knew too that she would practice more often if she didn't have to go far. Not that she was lazy, but if she could test herself in the privacy of her own home, she would be less apt to balk, or find excuses against it.
"See...I knew you had to have a crazy side hidden down there somewhere."
She teased, and was even more thrilled to see another side to her father...one that gave her more hope. And for tonight anyway, hope seemed to abound. Shay realized it was the first time she'd heard Alec talk about Ginnie and not grow quiet, or sad. It wasn't that she believed for one minute he had already gotten over the loss, but it was an indication that he was dealing with it better. Time had to heal those kinds of wounds, or how would they go on?
"Alec? What if we don't need a key? Maybe I can open the door without it, that is if it is locked?"
The idea came to her as she had tried to think of other ways to use her talent, similarly to turning a safe dial.
If she could mentally move the tumblers in a lock...the idea really juiced her up.
"I have no idea if I can, but can I try? That way we can just walk up and go through the door, without any indication we needed a key. If there are cameras that catch that, and someone checks them later, might we not still be suspect if we're shown going into the building with a key, when we're not tenants?"
Before he could answer, Shay was already gearing up to try and open the door lock. First she pushed at the door with her mind, to see if it was locked.
"Oh well." She sat disappointed. The door budged slightly, showing it was not locked.
"I'll add that to my list of things to start trying."
Not wanting to appear at all negative tonight, Shay rebounded from her dismay, and stood beside Alec, ready to enter the building.