2013.09.01 - Boarding Call

As had been arranged previously, Justin was to pick up Fern at her apartment at 10AM on Sunday morning. So just a couple minutes before the scheduled time, a large, black Lincoln Towncar limo pulls up in front of the apartment building where the waitress lives. Jack, Justin's usual driver, exits the limo and opens the door for Justin himself, who steps from the vehicle with practiced movements. He has been to Fern's building once, so the neighborhood doesn't surprise him, though he does look up and down the street. He has forgone his suit, since it's a holiday weekend, and is dressed in a white polo shirt and a pair of grey slacks. He hasn't forgone his expensive watch and ring, however, which still gives him a feel of having money despite his 'casual' clothing.

Fern has been in a bit of a frenzy since getting home a scant half hour ago. She should have packed some things before work yesterday, but she didn't know she wouldn't make it home. Still, she's well rested and has had a walk and a coffee already, so she's been a whirlwind of activity but not especially stressed. It doesn't help that she keeps running to the window that overlooks the street, peering down to see if Justin is there yet. When her searching finally proves fruitful, Fern pushes the window open, leaning out to call down. "Morning, Justin!" She doesn't yell, just gets loud enough to carry down. "I'm just grabbing the last of it, I'll be right down!" She's probably packed about half of her apartment, but considering how little she has in her apartment it's still just one overnight bag. With her messenger bag strapped across her, the overnight bag's handles in hand, and a floppy straw hat perched on her head, Fern clatters her way down the stairs and out onto the street.

Justin was just about to reach for the front door of the building when he hears the voice from above. He looks up, a bit surprised, but that fades quickly into a smile. "Take your time," he calls back up in return, not needing to yell since his tone is normally pretty loud. He takes a couple steps back from the front entrance, and waits patiently for the redhead to appear. As soon as she does, his face breaks into a smile. "Hey, hey, Fern! Looking forward to the trip?" he asks as Jack steps forward to take Fern's bags from her and load them into the trunk of the limo. After the bags are loaded, he opens the rear door for both Justin and Fern to board the limo.

Fern surrenders her gear with a smile and a cheerful, "Thanks!" to Jack, before she moves to give Justin a hug. Her hair is still a little damp, but smells freshly of peaches from her shampoo. "I have been!" she responds, the fact of that answer clearly showing in her excitement. She's got on a purple and pink paisley tank top, matched with faded denim shorts and a purple webbing belt. Before work yesterday she splurged to celebrate, finding a pair of purple sneakers at a cheap shoe store. She pivots and moves to climb into the limo, looking around with wide eyes and scooting over on the seat to leave plenty of room for Justin. "Wow, this is such a nice car." She's been in limos before, but seldom enough that it's still a novelty. Or maybe it'll just always be a novelty to her.

And there's the expected hug. Justin returns it, finally starting to warm up a little in the gesture. He boards the limo after Fern does, chuckling as the young woman takes stock of the vehicle. "It's my little around Towncar," he says, using the bad pun without shame. Jack closes the rear door and boards the front of the limo, and it's less than a minute before they are en route to the 79th Street Boat Basin. Justin stretches out in the back of the limo, without crowding out Fern. There's plenty of space. "Looking forward to getting away from the office and the Expo both for a couple days. It's been busy as hell. You looking forward to getting away from work?"

Fern takes off the floppy hat, hair flying all over until it settles in a casual mess, the hat set aside on the seat. "Around Towncar," she giggles. "I don't know what Leo has against puns, I love them." Yes, they'd just been talking about that very topic this morning. "You're well due for a break and some fun, Justin. I'm just happy that I get to share your off time with you. Yeah, it's nice to not have to worry about work, but it's nicer having something like this to look forward to." She kept her messenger bag, too, which now also holds a phone-like device that she can use to get hold of Ben Reilly, the Fantastic Four and the Young Allies if she finds herself in deeper trouble than she can handle. It really is good to have friends. The bruise on her wrist is decidedly yellowed, and a bit greenish in spots as it heals, clashing wonderfully with the purples and pinks of her outfit.

Justin arches a brow when Leo's name is mentioned, but says nothing right now. He knows there's something not normal about the kid, and he wants to mention it to Fern, but now doesn't seem like a good time. He also notices the bruise again, the same one he never did get a chance to ask Fern about on Friday night. "Well, I'm glad to have some good company for it, that's for sure," he replies, forcing a smile back to his face. "Hey, how did you get that bruise?" he asks, trying to act casual about it, but it's obvious that he's concerned.

Busy for a moment looking around, resisting the temptation to dig her hand into the seat cracks and see if there's any loose change, the question, oh so casually thrown out there, seems as if it might go unanswered for a moment as Fern weighs what to say. But she doesn't want to lie to Justin, and should have just told him already, she just doesn't want him to worry, and he's got plenty of security around him. "Well, you know that guy?" That alone probably isn't enough to clue Justin in, seeing how many guys there are in the city. "The one that was arrested at the Expo? Did you read in the paper how he got out?"

Justin stays in his relaxed posture, though his face shows traces of the concern he's trying to cover. He nods. "David LeGraize, the ecoterrorist," he says, his voice a bit darker than he had intended. "He escaped? Did you run into him again?" As busy as he's been, he hadn't had a chance to catch up on the news, and had no idea the lunatic werewolf was loose again. The limo slows and turns, heading toward the waterfront.

"Well... yeah..." Fern sort of hedges, then sighs. "I was going home from work the other night and I was waiting for the subway train, and he was just kinda... there." She's quick to reassure, "He didn't hurt me! I mean, except he grabbed my arm. He seems to want to talk to you very badly. I tried to explain to him that you can't go around killing people, even if they kill animals, but he wasn't really interested in that part of things."

Justin leans forward now, no longer attempting to hide how he feels about the situation. "Yeah, he did," he retorts quickly motioning toward Fern's wrist. "He left a bruise on you. That ain't bein' gentle, lemme tell ya. And if he wants to talk to me? Fine, let him, but I guarantee he won't be walking away from it. Crawling, maybe." Hammer lets off a sigh and leans back again. He hadn't intended to sound that harsh, his temper had flared. "I'm glad you're alright, but it does bother me you've become a target of these sorts of people. If you want, I can get a security detail for you."

Rather than being put off by the flash of temper, Fern brings up a crooked smile for Justin. "Thank you." She counts him among those who would help her if she needed it, and his reaction only cements that further. But she shakes her head at the offer of security. "I'm not really a target." She's just the weak spot that can be taken advantage of. "I think I'll be ok without security. Besides, I'm more worried about you, Justin. He's dangerous. If he'd wanted to seriously hurt me, he would have then." Probably.

Justin chuckles darkly. "No need to worry about me. Besides my security staff, I could drop him at a thousand yards. His type doesn't scare me." It's big talk, mostly to reassure Fern, especially since Justin went off on one hell of a paranoid streak where he was dragging security everywhere after being mugged. Glancing out the window as they near the water, Hammer changes the subject. "There she is, the Millennium Watchman," Justin says, changing the subject back to a lighter one as he points out the window. "End of the pier, on the far left." The yacht parked in the indicated spot is a sleek, low profile ship done in shining white with high gloss black tinted windows above the centerline.

The boat: http://www.yachtworld.com/boat-content/2013/08/sanlorenzo-sl104-swift-sleek-semi-custom/

Fern is happy to let the conversation sail into calmer waters, but she does reach over and rest her hand on Justin's arm a second. "He scares me, and I just want you to be safe." She turns, leaning to look out the window, drawing in a surprised breath. "Justin, that's your boat?! It's.... huge!"

Justin is far past the point of flinching or pulling back from Fern, but he does look toward her when she lays her hand on his arm. He grins slightly. "Don't worry about me," he offers one more time. The young woman's reaction to the yacht brings back a full smile. While he would never admit it, the first couple comments that came to his mind were pushed aside for the sake of being a gentleman. Fern is about the only person who can actually get him to bite back his often questionable choice in words. He finally settles on, "Thanks. It's not bad, probably paid too much for it, but it was worth it."

Fern only spends a minute looking out the window, they'll be on the boat soon enough, and she sits back, her smile settling on Justin. "I've really been missing my family. We have a big end of the summer picnic, and this is the first time I've missed it. Thanks for everything you do for me, Justin." The words are soft and sincere, and as the car brakes to a stop, she's reaching for her bag and hat. "If you're really nice, I'll letcha wear my hat," she promises with a smirk.

It's the sincerity that gets him. In his world, Justin faces people who just want something. They want a business deal, a raise, more profits, cheaper products. Faster deadlines. Free money. Fame. Something. Nothing that ever gets said or done in his world is sincere, himself included. But Fern's completely honest and always sincere. It's that trait that is the likely reason that Justin has grown so fond of her. The only way he can think to respond to her comment is with a slight incline of his head and "Anytime." The joke gets a head shake and a chuckle. "Sure, sure you will." Just seconds after the car stops next to the yacht, Jack is opening the door for the limo's passengers.