<strong>Carlos</strong>and<strong>Sophie</strong>, the woman gets a resigned look on her face.<br/><br/>"Yeah, reckon so...it's a long story.  We c'n just follow the boy and his little waitress."  She limps after Alex.  "You may have heard of Harry Truman.  Y'know, used to be President?  He had a right hand man turned out to be a major big deal shit-you-not geomancer.  Fucker decided to use the freeway system to channel some ley lines and form a trap...protect the country from arcane threats and the like.  Whole thing was centered on Cameron, Missouri."  Her tone and face both turn bitter.  "Place is an open air prison for anyone with certain talents.  No trial.  No defense.  You just get...stuck there.  Never mind if you're the sort who needs a time out.  Fucking assholes..."<br/><br/>She turns a gimlet eye on you, Carlos.<br/><br/>"And the inmates don't have a lot of manners.  Which explains Alex.  And why Alex...why I gave him up to those narrow-minded fucktards in the foster system."  Is that a tear welling up in her eye?  "No kid deserves to grow up like that.  Not that I would have been all that great a mom to begin with." She swallows, angrily wipes the back of one hand across her eyes.  "So my boy got out.  I'd hoped he wouldn't get caught up in all this mystic shit, but now that something broke the walls I guess it don't matter much anymore."<br/><br/>===<br/><br/><strong>Jenny</strong>, Alex blushes as well.<br/><br/>"Yeah, well, story of my life.  You aren't<em>assertive</em>enough, Alex.  You need some<em>backbone</em>, Alex.  Girls don't like guys who aren't totally dominant and<em>decisive</em>, Alex.  Alex must be gay 'cause he's not pushy enough to be a real man.  So I..."  He gives you a wan smile.  "Sorry.  I shouldn't lay this on you.  We have problems enough.  But thanks for listening."<br/><br/>He reaches out, as if wanting to stroke your cheek but unsure if you'll accept the gesture.<br/><br/>"And wolves, last I checked, don't share, so..."<br/>