The Universe's Mixer

( ''After my haircut, can we go out and play, Father?'' Jake's smile was sharp, eyes sharper than a 'Riza. ''I want to play.'' )

Jake had discovered a newfound affinity for noodles. (Especially noodles combined with some kind of fish in a milky sauce.) Hence why he was trying out the Chinese restaurant that had mysteriously appeared at the corner of the park as he was walking home. The waitresses were very pleasant and didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that a cat was treating himself to shrimp low mein (with a side of Half&Half creamer for a beverage.)

Spread out across the table were blueprint plans of his ship. Yes, he was still trying to determine if he could make his ship fly again. Of course, he wasn't so naive as to think that it was broken. Certainly there was something that The City was doing itself to prevent his ship from breaking atmosphere and flying off into space. But he was curious about the particle physics and quantum theories surrounding space travel. Perhaps he could find some sort of gap in The City's hold on his ship? Maybe he could find some kind of loophole that would allow him to escape?

Not that he wanted to escape entirely. He did enjoy The City. But he wanted to know that he could leave. He wanted to know that one day he would be reunited with his people or with his old friends. And, of course, he would take Lucy-Belle with him. Provided that she wanted to go. But he couldn't imagine her not wanting to go. She had friends and family back on Earth, after all. And even though the two of them had each other now, she might still be lonely for her companions.

On a scratch piece of paper, a hovering pencil drew out some formulas. Jake's collar glowed as the pencil wrote across the length of the paper. He had considerably nice handwriting for a telekinetic cat. Some of the algorithms were in his own language, but anyone with knowledge and experience in mathematics would be able to see what he was trying to do.

It was a science thing.

Mmm, creamer. Slurp, slurp.

Backdated to just after this log

After a day in which she didn't take the time to eat, Dinah was starving. Not trusting her own cooking skills after the disaster with that morning’s breakfast, she picked up Chinese for Harry, Murphy, and herself. She was only ready to stop by after she'd confirmed that Murphy was currently not there, though Harry’s promise to explain the situation further when she arrived did not exactly grant her confidence. That was as much a case of her not wanting to interfere as it was her discomfort with the whole situation, including Murphy's borderline frigid reaction to her.

Dinah didn't let herself in, since Harry was expecting her. Instead, she knocked and stood outside the door, shifting her grip on the carry-out bag and feeling more than a little out of sorts. Then again, it had been that sort of day. Between Oliver, Poison Ivy, Murphy and the frustratingly fruitless search for Jake, the day had not been a good one.

( Insecurities Abound )