Sarah Keaton, better known to the city as the Grasshopper, watched her lunch partner in awe. Jane ate in defiance of her wraithlike build and emaciated face; pizza slathered in ranch, fries, burgers, and wings all disappeared into her gullet. This was a breakfast café, so this was all particularly impressive. The wait staff said nothing about the pile of crumpled fast food bags under Jane's chair, nor anything about the dog laying beside it.
"So you see my problem," Jane said, somehow. Her pace never slowed. "No other empowered eats like me. Not even the big ones." Sarah considered her. She shifted her own croissants and muffins onto Jane's side of the table; they disappeared like all the rest.
"Well, you don't have a tapeworm," Sarah said, "Or I'd hear it talking to me." A neighboring customer's cup clicked hard on his plate, but Jane kept chewing. "And you're not pregnant?" Jane shook her head. "Well, there's some good dietitians over at the Atlas building. But if you're going to work on your stamina, I'd suggest the fitness place over on Central; Atlas doesn't have... any. Normal..." Sarah's head tilted in time with her dog's quiet bark from beneath the table.
"Sarah?" The Grasshopper shook her head. She rose to her feet, and then pulled on her fluorescent jacket.
"Stay here," Sarah said. "Buster, stay with Jane." She pulled a radio from her pocket. She tossed it to the other woman; Jane caught it in her greasy fingers. "Call this in. It's Chymera."
"So you see my problem," Jane said, somehow. Her pace never slowed. "No other empowered eats like me. Not even the big ones." Sarah considered her. She shifted her own croissants and muffins onto Jane's side of the table; they disappeared like all the rest.
"Well, you don't have a tapeworm," Sarah said, "Or I'd hear it talking to me." A neighboring customer's cup clicked hard on his plate, but Jane kept chewing. "And you're not pregnant?" Jane shook her head. "Well, there's some good dietitians over at the Atlas building. But if you're going to work on your stamina, I'd suggest the fitness place over on Central; Atlas doesn't have... any. Normal..." Sarah's head tilted in time with her dog's quiet bark from beneath the table.
"Sarah?" The Grasshopper shook her head. She rose to her feet, and then pulled on her fluorescent jacket.
"Stay here," Sarah said. "Buster, stay with Jane." She pulled a radio from her pocket. She tossed it to the other woman; Jane caught it in her greasy fingers. "Call this in. It's Chymera."
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