"Um," said Much, and immediately wished that he hadn't. Athena had such poise to her that every slightly clumsy or slightly awkward thing Much did felt highlighted when held up against her composed, controlled demeanor. At least there was nothing clumsy about the way he poured her drink into the icy cocktail glass, steady hands garnishing it with an olive.
"So," he said, sliding the glass toward her by its base. "A while ago you talked to my mate Stoo- Will Stutely, and mentioned your interest in heroes and, uh, your resources? We were wondering what those resources were, and if they could help us. We've lost both Marian and Rob, Athena, and we-" he had to pause, his eyes up on the ceiling, deep steadying breath to stop his voice from shaking. And his voice didn't shake, even under the weight of the urgency it suddenly carried: "-We need to find them, as quickly as possible."