#v8w1

Thereze was fine with people. She could even be charming....When she was lying and had a false cover and was about to kill them in a short while. She watched Jacob wander off to talk to Robert after kissing her goodbye on the cheek. She pressed her lips together. Although he’d pestered her about it, at least he was giving her an opening to be polite devoid of Robert also being present. She was on the fence still with whether to like or dislike him, and she didn’t think she would be picking a definitive side anytime soon. Thereze snagged a new glass of champagne and approached Shay.

“Congratulations,” she offered, “on the wedding and the family. I don’t think we have formally met; I’m Thereze.” She held out a hand. Shay was likely to know her name, too, but she decided against being presumptuous.

The last time Thereze had been at a wedding, the situation was remarkably different. And without a date - or Jacob. He was just a bit sappy with these things and she couldn't help it rubbing off on her. The whole thing was kind of beautiful, she'd admit. Thereze excused herself a while into the reception to fix her makeup, take a breather. Mainly the breather part. Normal people activities still left her on edge - that and she kept waiting for the catch of Albert to rear his ugly head with all these people he disliked basically sitting in one place. How had he been able to resist so far?

She was washing her hands over and over when a woman came up to the sinks. Thereze smiled, making herself more pleasant than usual. She busied herself with her lipstick. "Gorgeous wedding, isn't it?" She threw out conversationally.

Caitlin hadn’t been back to a Fortis facility, really, since being tested. But hearing in passing about there always being a therapist at the facility had stuck in her mind for a while now. All it was going to be was like talking to a wall that occasionally prompted her to talk more. A muppet thing to do, Ricky would’ve said. 

But the more it stuck in her head, the more it bothered her, until she found herself at the campus. And utterly lost. Caitlin had assumed this location of the two would be the better of the two, but now wasn’t so sure. She gave up and approached the nearest man that looked to be with security.

“Excuse me. I’m lost; first time really visiting, you see,” she said, bit nervous. Flashed a smile she hoped looked more friendly than awkward. “Can you point me to the Fortis building?

Once every two weeks was her habit. She shouldn’t be coming by here at all. But Thereze was discreet; and couldn’t help herself. The former Continuance building was a pile of rubble and ash. The walls left scorched beyond repair. It was a comforting sight.

What -- or rather who -- she expected to see at this abandoned site never showed. And why should he? She knew she was unreasonable. And yet...it was her only remnant of a lead left on Albert. He wasn’t necessarily in the wind, if she had to guess, but his whereabouts certainly were not in her realm of access anymore. It made her frustrated.

Thereze left the shop feeling a bit better, though still conflicted. She wasn’t particularly good at this apology thing and did even worse with someone that could read her so easily. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. Was she really that obvious with her emotions back under her own control? She looked up at the corner, waiting to cross, and noticed a man on the other side. He was loitering on his phone. 

Her eyes narrowed. Was he there when she first walked in? Thereze was nearly positive. Her paranoia sprung up. Someone from Continuance then? He did not look all that familiar but she could not be too certain. The organization was collapsing last she looked, but it had not died out completely. Albert could use his ability to recruit new people if he wanted.

Caught up as she was in already believing this to be the reality of the situation, she crossed the street. Thereze approached the man with a cool gaze. “Window shopping?” She asked, aloof, with a gesture to the shop window next to them. Nevermind that her comment still made her look like a crazy stranger; she was not much for subtlety right now.

Richard could not believe. Of all places and of all instances, he found Henry now...and in such an innocent way. After his encounter with Kat, he left to go to one of his favorite secluded restaurants for lunch. A quiet time to re-evaluate his plan of further approach in regards to Claire Bennet, as well.

Thank his long ingrained paranoia for keeping him looking around. With an innocent glance in the windows of the shops as he walked and suddenly he was turning around to stare more closely. Henry....In an antiques shop? With a blonde as well. How dearly he wanted to break up the conversation and see the other man startled out of his wits. But patience with this was key. He had waited this long.

Richard waited until the woman left and decided to follow. He knew where Henry’s shop was; he was careful to keep himself from being noticed. This woman, however, was a stranger. He followed her, this fascinating new lead, for the rest of day across the city. Waiting for a proper time to approach. When she stopped at the bar, he paused a minute before entering and taking up a seat near her. “Ah-- what are you drinking?” He asked casually, as if just now taking notice of her.

Thereze walked down the block to the familiar shop with a casual ease, though her feelings weren’t quite as calm. She kept constantly alert in case any of her old Continuance companions were about. Returning to Henry Escott’s shop was returning to the spot of a mission. She couldn’t be too careful.

The sign was flipped ‘open’ but the inside looked strangely empty, as it had before. She walked in and busied herself with looking around idly. The Jian sword from before was still here, she noted. Thereze heard shuffling from the back, then, and slid her hands in her pockets. Surely he wouldn’t react well to her since her appearance of before had ended in her spouting threats from Continuance and making him heal her hand.

But, well, as Jacob reminded her, there was such a thing as making amends. Or at the very least typing up loose ends. She didn’t want the reputation of her time working with Albert to hang over her forever. “What’s the price on this sword?” She asked Henry when he finally appeared, in lieu of an actual greeting.

Richard had been fascinated by Miss Bennet from the moment he saw her leap off that Ferris wheel some time ago. It was in that year that he decided to re-establish himself once more in NYC, return to his name, and bide his time. Waiting until the chaos settled. Waiting to make his approach.

Here, finally, was another person with the ability to live forever. It was not the Henry that he had been desperately chasing last century, but they did appear to share the same ability. Another like him...and yet not. He was almost disappointed -- but then, it further proved how unique he was.

Walking the pathways through Petrelli School, Richard kept his demeanor casual and aloof, but his eyes were alert as he scanned for the woman in question. The end of the term for her, she was bound to be moving about here somewhere, and she didn’t disappoint when he spied her walking towards a building.

“Excuse me!” Richard called out pleasantly, wrinkling his brow in evident confusion. He caught up with her near the steps of the building. A dorm, he saw now on the sign. He smiled at Claire, almost as if in embarrassment. “My apologies, you must be busy. You see, I got lost looking for--” He paused a moment, widened his eyes. “I recognize you -- the famous jumper and spokeswoman?”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” he held out a hand to shake. His excitement and respect for her wasn’t near as much of an act as the rest of his behavior, though no one would be able to tell. Living long taught him how to fake appearances well. “My name is Richard; I’m certain now that you will be able to help me.”