Star Harbor Nights

"You know, there are more bedrooms in the other townhouse," Perfect said, coming downstairs to find D.J. stretched out on her sofa, with nothing more than a decorative throw and a few plush pillows.

"It's cool," D.J. said, giving an impressive stretch and swinging around to a sitting position. "The advantage of having a body that powers down instead of going to sleep is that you can make yourself comfortable anywhere."

"I wish it were that easy for me," Perfect said. "Though, I guess it's not my body that needs switching off... sometimes it feels like my brain can keep me awake forever."

"That's not a bad thing, babe."

"I wonder."

"I notice you're alone again," D.J. said. "That's good, right?"

"You know, before the thing with Ray, I went months without him," Perfect said. "Carrying him around, I mean. I thought I was better... I thought I was getting a handle on things... until I met Ray. I think I'm going to try it again, though. I'm going to have to, if I really want to do this team thing. I'm not crazy, but I know how it must look to others... would you follow somebody who carries around a stuffed bunny?"

"Anywhere," D.J. said with a smile.

"Thanks," Perfect said. "But you're not who I have to convince."

"You'll do fine," D.J. said.

"I'm going to make some coffee," Perfect said. "Uh... is it more polite to offer you some, or not?"

"Only in 'mixed company'," D.J. said with an easy shrug. "Just so you don't seem rude. Anyway, I can still taste things... it's not exactly the same as before, but damned if I could tell you how it's different... but it seems kind of frivolous to eat and drink all the time, and the flip side of being able to sleep anywhere is that I don't need any help waking up in the morning."

"That's different," Perfect said heading to the kitchen. She kept up the stream of conversation as she put a small pan of water on the stove, already at ease with the fact that D.J. would track the sound of her voice perfectly. While the water heated, she coarse-ground her coffee beans and scooped the resulting grounds into her French press. "You were never a morning person before."

"Tell me about it," D.J. called from the couch, laughing. "It's done wonders for my creative output. If I were anybody else, I'd have so much spare time I'd go crazy. I do still need to sleep... that's for the brain as much as the body... but it's more efficient now. I don't have to waste any time with the whole sluggish, still-half-asleep period."

"I wish I knew what that was like," Perfect said. "There's just never enough hours in the day for everything I want to do."

"That smells good," D.J said as she came back into the living room.

"I can make you a cup," Perfect said.

"No, thanks... it's less wasteful if I just enjoy it from here," D.J. said. "So... now that we're in the clear light of day, are you still certain you want to let that Ray guy on your team?"

"Believe me, I'm far from certain about any of this," Perfect said, taking a seat beside her on the sofa. "But the reasons I gave last night still make sense."

"I'd like a chance to meet him, sort of size him up," D.J. said. "I feel like I haven't been a great best friend lately... as the older, wiser one, I should be doing what I can to shield you from jerks."

"Older, maybe... anyway, you've had a lot of stuff going on," Perfect said.

"Yeah, but..." D.J. started to say, then stopped and looked at the door, moments before the bell chimed.

"There's only a few people who have this address," Perfect said, getting up and heading towards the door with evident trepidation. "You may just get your wish."

"I can tell him to fuck off for you," D.J. said, getting to her feet.

"I have to talk to him," Perfect said, standing on her toes to look through the peephole to confirm that it was, in fact, Ray Vallenzio on the other side of the door. She sighed.

"And I have to offer," D.J. said.

Perfect opened the door. She said nothing, but stood in the doorway glaring.

"Uh... can I come in?" Ray asked quietly.

Perfect stepped aside.

"I suppose you'll attract attention if I just make you stand there," she said.

"Thanks."

"Did you do the patrol last night?" Perfect asked him.

"Sort of. I've actually kind of been walking all night... walking and thinking, and I... do I know you?" Ray asked, openly staring at D.J.

"You haven't slept with me, if that's what you mean," D.J. said. "We haven't fucked."

"Uh... do you know me?"

"Only by reputation," D.J. said. "Which is also the name of the second track on my newest album. 'By Reputation.'"

Ray stared at her for another second... then he gaped. Turning towards Perfect, he said, "You don't own any CDs made this century, but you hang out with D.J. Harmony?"

"College roommates," Perfect said. "Other than some keyboard arrangements, I've never heard her music."

"I... wow," Ray said, scratching his head. "I... uh... this is just, like, one in a series of increasingly surreal events."

"Tell me about it," Perfect said, keeping her face blank and her tone flat. "I spent part of yesterday talking to a tree."

"Did it... it didn't talk back, did it?"

"As it happened, yes, it did," Perfect said. "We had a perfectly lovely conversation about reality shows and the end of the world, thank you ever so much for asking. Is there a reason you're here?"

"I came here to apologize," Ray said. He turned to D.J. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She's wonderful. She's incredible," D.J. said. "No thanks to you."

"Can I just back up to the part where I'm here to apologize?" Ray asked. "Perfect, I think I might have messed things up with you... big time... but there is some really bad shit coming down the pipeline, and it's going to come whether we're ready... whether we stand together or not."

"I've come to the same conclusion," Perfect said.

"So, in spite of... everything... you still want to be my partner?"

"No, I don't," Perfect said.

"Oh, okay..."

"I want you to be my teammate," Perfect said.

"What?"

"I'm forming a team," Perfect said. "You and me aren't going to crack anything just hitting the pavement every night. We need more people, with different areas of expertise... that, and maybe it's best if we're not depending on only each other for a while. Initially, the team would focus on this church thing, the Bone Lords, and the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it... but we'd cover other threats as they arise, too."

"And is Harmony here part of the team?" Ray asked, jerking his head in the direction of D.J. "I'm guessing she's got something 'extra' going on, or else she'd have a lot more body heat."

"You can sense heat? That's the kind of thing I should know," Perfect said.

"I can see it. It doesn't come up very often," Ray said.

"No, I'm not on the team," D.J. said. "But only because I can't stick around. If Perfect needed me, I'd tell my peeps I'm taking a break and pick things up again later, but I think she's getting a handle on things."

"Thanks. I actually don't have any members yet," Perfect said. "But I'll find them. I'm not sure how, but I've got a few leads. Vine, probably... uh, you don't know her... and Adonis. I'm fairly sure he'd join if I asked. Actually, I'm fairly sure he'd stick his synthetic, um, dick in a blender if I asked. I hope you won't have a problem working with him."

"Who the hell's Adonis?" Ray asked.

Perfect gave him a puzzled look.

"He seems to think he's your archrival," she said. "Muscular, weirdly beautiful guy... not big on shirts."

"I can see how a guy like that would feel insecure around me," Ray said.

"I think it's more like he finds you a disgrace to his gender," Perfect said. "Which if you did know him would tell you something."

"Okay... yeah maybe I deserve that," Ray said. "I guess I didn't actually finish my apology. The thing is, I... well, magic is complicated. Like love, actually... and while I've been given these powers, in some ways it's like a curse. My body is stronger and faster, but so are my feelings, and sometimes they're stronger and faster than my brain. So, I might know that what I'm doing isn't a good idea, or that it's wrong... except I can't slow down enough to think that through."

"That's a pretty lame excuse," D.J. said. "And still miles short of an apology."

"Maybe this would be easier for me if you gave us a minute alone," Ray replied.

"She stays," Perfect said. "It's easier for me with her here."

"Alright, fine," Ray said. "The thing is... because of some circumstances having to do with my origin, I can't f... I don't feel like I can fall in love with anybody again. Usually, I tell girls this up front, so they know I can only offer them a purely physical, no-strings-type arrangement."

"Yeah, well, you didn't tell me that," Perfect said.

"Because I wasn't looking for that," Ray said. "You're just not the type of girl I'd do that with."

"So people keep telling me," Perfect said, turning away.

"No! I don't mean it like that," Ray said. "The girls I try to go for all the ones who are just out for fun, who aren't interested in anything but a wild ride. You're not like that... you're, I don't know... better? More innocent? I'm not sure how to put it without sounding patronizing, but the bottom line is you didn't seem like the kind of girl who would settle for a purely physical relationship... or who should. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wildly attracted to you from the moment I saw you, but I was only looking for a crimefighting partner, and that's the God's honest truth."

"And yet... somehow... against all odds, you just ended up in bed with me, anyway," Perfect said. "You didn't at any point see where things were heading and think to give me the speech?"

"I thought I had a handle on things," Ray said. "I thought I had control of my emotions. I thought I was doing better... until I met you. Can you understand what that's like?"

"Believe it or not, I can," Perfect said quietly. "But I thought you loved me, Ray... you might not have said so, but you let me think it, anyway. Can you understand what that's like?"

"Perfect, I know what I did... and maybe you weren't even wr..."

The chime of the doorbell cut him off mid sentence.

"Are you expecting anybody?" he asked.

"Are you?" D.J. asked, suspicious.

"It's been a very surreal last few days," Ray repeated. "Maybe I should get that..."

"It's my house," Perfect said, sniffling. She strode towards the door. "I'll get it."

At the door were two women, one curvy and only slightly taller than Perfect. The other, who stood behind her, was lean and tall and angular. The shorter one had blue-highlighted black hair with blue butterfly barrettes. She wore a blue broom skirt and peasant blouse with plastic jewels around the neckline.  The other was goth-pale, with large dark eyes and short, feathery black hair, and wore black jeans and a t-shirt. Neither of them were exactly costumed, but something about them whispered of more than the mundane.

"Can I help you?" Perfect asked them.
 
"Are you... are you Perfect Jones?" the foremost of the pair asked her.

"Uh, yeah..." Perfect said, trying to discreetly step back from the doorway so she was less exposed and so that those inside would have a better view of anything that happened.

"My name is, uh, Dani Harris," the woman said. "I'm sorry to... I don't really have anywhere else to go. I was there at the church fire... not, um, the one you were at. One of the others."

"One of the ones the night before last?" Perfect asked.

 "No," Dani said. "The one last night."