The Universe's Mixer

Interviewed?

Ted got the memo on his desk and sat staring at it for a really long time, trying to understand if this was really for him or if it had been meant for somebody else, but accidentally dropped at his desk. Because, who would want to interview the guy who was dealing with the City's finances? His job was really boring to most people. He knew because when he started to talk about what he did for a living, in previous jobs along these lines, their eyes had a tendency to glaze over after just a few words spilled out of his mouth, and once or twice, Ted even caught them drooling.

"Excuse me." He asked his secretary (HIS SECRETARY!) when she passed by. "Are you sure that you didn't take this message for somebody else?"

"Of course, Mr Earley, that's for you. She'll be here soon." His secretary was the kind of girl that he might have gotten into trouble with when he'd been a CEO, but now he just wanted to know why her parents let her out of the house in skirts that small.

"She?" He took off his glasses and sat back in his chair. "Who she?"

"Oh, Lois Lane, sir."

"What?"

"Lois Lane? She's a reporter at the City Voice."

"Lois Lane."

"Yes, sir."

"Lois Lane is coming here."

"Yes, sir. Is there a problem? Do you want to reschedule? Should I have not said yes to her?"

"No. No, it's okay." He closed his eyes, trying to think of his secretary's name. She'd only just started and with this Lois Lane business he was having trouble remembering. "Mandy. Mandy?"

"Mandy." She agreed.

"Thank you, Mandy. I'm just a little overwhelmed that Lois Lane would want to interview me. Me. Sure, Charlie, yeah, I can see that. But me? That's just..."

"Sir?"

"Never mind. You can go back to your desk now."

She smiled at him and he exhaled as she exited the room. What was he going to do? What was he supposed to say to Lois Lane? How was Lois Lane here without Superman? Wasn't that a breach of some Universal covenant or something?

Ted tried to work while he waited for her, feeling entirely too nervous.

Exploring was a lot easier with the streets in one place, but not nearly as much fun. Annie had to admit that without the movement, she was a little let down. Streets were still in every other universe ever, fictional and otherwise. Moving streets and buildings were unique here, and she missed it though she hadn't been around for very long.

It was so easy to get from point a to point b it was almost frustrating.

She wasn't expecting any kind of excitement for the day, really. She was just going to go to the store and pick up some essential things and then go home. There would be no random encounters because she wasn't going to take very long to do her errands now that everything was immobile.

So when she came across the guy with the tracking system in his hands, she was pleasantly surprised. She walked right up to him and stared at the device.

Being more used to, but not even remotely tired of, being in the sun, Eric had taken to exploring more of the shops that he didn't normally have access to. There were stores and restaurants that opened only at lunch. He did make a point to stay clear of Dinah and her shop, as he had promised her, but he felt that the rest of the City was fair game.

Not truly intending to buy any, Eric stepped inside a coffee shop and took in the smells. It was a strong, powerful aroma that covered pretty much everything within. It was almost overpowering to the point of causing him an inability to smell the underlying scents. Eric had no idea why humans would enjoy such a harsh thing, but the place was filled, so he must be missing something.

He was going to turn and leave when he saw the girl working the counter. Her pink hair wasn't really extraordinary to him. He'd seen wilder dos at his bar. But the wings. Now, those were something special. And it only took him a moment of watching to see that they were the real thing, not just some accessory worn by a pathetic wanna-be.

Eager, he stepped into the line. Part of him wished to push to the front, but he knew that it would only cause a ruckus in the shop. He waited as the line slowly inched forward until he was the one at the front.

He beamed.

He could smell her. Oh, it was covered with that odor of the coffee, and not as strong as others he had encountered. He was willing to stake a bet that she wasn't a full blooded fairy. But she didn't have to be, did she?

"Hello." He didn't wait for her to speak. "I'm entirely new to coffee. I'm hoping you can help."

Brennan had more or less settled into life in the City once more. It was different, without everything moving around and the unnerving refill of food and funds. It was like life at home. She bought groceries from the store, made her own meals, did her own laundry, worked at the lab and pretended that it was all very normal. It wasn't, of course. She had neither friend nor family in this place, but for once she was unconcerned with being alone.

The doctor was working on a skeleton that had been found at the bottom of a well long unused. Apparently the only reason the skeleton had been found at all was the offensive smell of decomposing flesh. The flesh, or what was left of it, had since been removed, and she was combing the boiled bones for hints as to the cause of death.

She was reminded of the bones of the young man that Dr. Lecter had brought to her for examination the first time she was brought to the City. She straightened, settling the gloved heels of her hands on the exam table. She wondered if Dr. Lecter was still in the City and recalled that he had been working at the Hospital at the time. She rolled her lips and imagined that he must still be there. And perhaps he had finally gotten through the volumes of text she had given him to study.

She stepped back from the table. The bones could wait. She snapped her gloves off and tossed them in the bin as she made her way to the exit. She could feel something like excitement building. She hadn't had a real intern, a regular intern, for some time. She enjoyed teaching, and that part of her life was something she would miss. But maybe she didn't have to.

She arrived at the hospital a short time later and asked reception until she was directed to his area, after which she was unsure of where to go and adopted a furrowed brow as she glanced around for someone to further direct her.

Veronica wasn't exactly the girliest of girls, but since finding herself stuck in the City, she was really missing her female friends. Especially Mac.

Her interaction with female people had been limited to work, and to one lunch with Lois Lane.

She needed people to hang out with that weren't in law enforcement, and weren't Logan. And hopefully she wouldn't ruin their lives.

Veronica left work and headed to a bar to grab a drink, thinking about all of this and looking around the bar for other women her age. There weren't many, but there were a few. It was a Tuesday, so this wasn't the big drinking weekend crowd, just people on their way home.

She took a seat next to a girl that looked a little older than her, maybe, with dark hair and big eyes. Once she'd ordered her drink and convinced the bartender she wasn't 12, Veronica said hi.

In her best, non-crazy, non-stalkery way.

Here was hoping she wasn't anything like Parker.

Dean sighed softly as he drove through the City's streets. Something didn't sound right in his baby, and he was having a hard time figuring out what it was. He'd recently changed the oil, the spark plugs, and a few belts. He could probably flush the system, but he didn't think that could be it. Most people would believe the car was just fine, yet something about the way the engine sounded was off. He knew the Impala from the ground up, and he'd rebuilt it a time or two. So, when he thought that there was a problem, there was more than likely a problem.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm listening. Just keep talking to me. I'll figure it out." He finally slowed down and let the car idle, as if it would actually give him some answers. He needed to go back to the garage that Dinah was so nicely letting him use. He let the car run a little longer before shutting off the engine. He'd pulled up outside an auto parts store to pick up a few items. He was going to head back definitely.

"I'll get you better, don't worry." Dean's hand brushed along the hood of the car as if he were trying to comfort the black beauty. As if the car could understand anything he said. He cared about the car. He headed into the store to get what he thought might help. He'd make sure his baby would fire on all cylinders, so to speak, soon enough. He wouldn't let her down.