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I can apparently never wear heels again.

Luz heard the familiar sizzling from her seat in the kitchen. She got up and went out to the living room. Ronni and Meirhe were back and they had a young man with them.

“Luz, this is Bryce Wescott. Bryce, my cousin, Luz Montes.”

“Nice to meet you.” He reached out to shake her hand.

“Good, you’re just in time for dinner. I’ve got pork chops on. Ronni, come help me with the rice. You two have a seat. The remote is on the coffee table there.” Luz dragged her cousin into the kitchen. “Is that him?”

“Yes.”

“He’s so cute but I see what you mean.”

“I can apparently never wear heels again.”

“They’re bad for your back anyway. Small price to pay for a cutie like that.” Luz said, peeking into the oven.

“Maybe you should date him. He’s about your size.”

“Well, he didn’t save me from instant death.”

“Twice.”

“Waiting for third time to be the charm? What more could you ask? You said he’s independently wealthy. He’s obviously a caring person or he’d have let you get squished. What should we have for sides?”

“I don’t know. Saffron rice and French cut green beans? Yeah, he’s cute and he’s nice and he’s got money.”

“Alright, you start the rice and tell me about your audition.” Luz sat down.

“What are you doing?”

“Baking the pork chops. Tell me about your audition.”

“It went alright, I think. Of course, I thought all the other ones went alright and we see how that’s going.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist. They’re busy. This is the city. They’ll get back to you.”

“Luz, do you actually expect Meirhe to teach you how to do all that stuff she does?”

“She said she could. If it’s something that can be taught, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t give it a try.”

“Nuclear physics can be taught, Luz. Can you learn that?”

“If I put my mind to it, maybe I could. I’m thinking Mary’s brujeria is something I’d be willing to put my mind to.”

“Jeez.” Veronica stirred the green beans into the pot of rice. “Anything to save on cab fare.”

Luz laughed heartily.

“So, Meirhe, what do you think my chances are?” Bryce said as he scanned the menu system on the cable service.

“Even money.” She said blandly. “She likes ye very much but she may no get out o’ her own way long enough te give ye a fair chance.”

“That’s encouraging.” He frowned.

“Tis human nature. Yer a fickle lot. Ye complicate things so much ye wind up trippin’ o’er yer own excuses.”

“How is it in your world?”

“We share a subtle telepathic link. Tis virtually impossible te lie so we avoid doin’ it.”

“No surprise parties, I guess.”

Meirhe laughed. “No, certainly not. Tis a uniquely human activity.”

“What do you suppose they’re doing in there?”

“Talkin’ about ye.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Tis human nature, te be sure, but I can hear them.”

“You can hear them?”

She touched her pointed ear and smiled. “They’re attractive en highly sensitive, too.”

“Wow. You said there was some telepathy involved. Can you hear our thoughts?”

“Only with direct contact. If another o’ m’people were here, I might hear them up te a certain distance.”

“Wow, that’s interesting. I never really took notice of you guys.”

“Who?”

“The Sentinels. You’re such a fixture in Empire City that I kind of forget you’re even around.”

“Ye must be quite wrapped up in yer work.”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I usually just stay in my apartment and work on my sales. I’ve been thinking about doing another book but it’s kind of cold to go wandering around looking for stuff that catches my eye.”

“Yer an author?”

“No, I made some books of the photographs I took around the city. The first one was about bridges and the other one was a bunch of architectural details.”

“I believe I’ve seen these.”

“They do get around.”

“So, knowing how she feels about ye, what are yer intentions?”

“Intentions? I don’t know. I like her. I think she’s attractive. She’s fun. I think we could be good together if she got over the height thing.”

“That is a concern she has.”

“Really?”

“She mentioned it more than a few times.”

“We’re just a couple of misfits when it comes right down to it.”

“I think she’s concerned about yer height because she’s embarrassed by hers. She thinks that if she were with a taller man, she’d seem normal by comparison. That she towers over ye makes her more zelf-conscious than she already is.”

“I’m not getting any taller and she’s not going to shrink unless that’s one of your magical powers.”

“Tis no magic.” Meirhe humpfed. “We learned…shortcuts.”

“Shortcuts?”

“Goin’ from here te there. Tis tedious. If ye want te enjoy the journey then the goin’ is a goal unte itzelf. If ye just need te get there, ye just want te get there. So, we learned how. Tis all.”

“And creating things from nothing by sheer force of will?”

“If ye take a slice o’ paper en a pen, what do ye have?”

“Um…?”

“Potential.”

“What?”

“With paper en pen, ye might have a letter te family, a poem, the first page o’ the Great American Novel, anythin’. Ye have the potential te write er draw er anythin’ but what actually is it? Just resources. What does a sculptor use? Rock en chisel? Stump en chainsaw? Clay en pigments? Tis just stuff that becomes somethin’ out o’ sheer force o’ will. Call it magic if ye will but how less magical is it that two such unlikely people should make a spark? Tis magical te me, the two o’ you. If only ye can stop bein’ dumb long enough te let the spark grow inte a blazin’ fire.”

“That would be making something from less than nothing. She wanted nothing to do with me at Dilyn’s Christmas party.”

“Well, puttin’ yer nose in her cleavage is no way te make a first impression whether there’s mistletoe hangin’ or no.” Meirhe slapped him on the shoulder. “Make yerzelf presentable, they’re bringin’ out the food.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I was just returning to the party and boom!”

“Fer a man who saved a young lady from certain death twice, yer surprisingly unobservant. Pay attention en everything will work out fer the best.”

“I’m not a superhero.” He stood up and tugged at the hem of his sweater.

“No, but yer her hero. Try no to blow it.”