Julia provides some useful info... and a distraction

You awoke about 10 hours later in the early afternoon to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee (Julia was practically a zen-master at brewing the stuff - one of the biggest perks of hiring her), a gently hug around your shoulders and a kiss on the cheek. "This is Maiden America speaking," Julia whispered to you in a silly theatrical voice. "You have just been awarded the key to the city, made head of the League for life, and I want you to become my live-in lover... all you have to do is wake up, sleepyhead..."

Giving a little chuckle, you roll over and gently toss your pillow at her. "Hey... I'm the heroine, I'm supposed to be the one cracking jokes... You find anything, or did you spend all morning checking out new organic coffee stores again?"

Julia, dressed in a red minidress this time, adjusted her glasses and proudly thumped a manilla folder full of papers on her chest. "Of course I did! And not just about how good you are at giving sloppy blow-jobs." she snorted playfully and tossed the folder to you. "The League of Propriety already has a file on them! Apparently these Full House guys like to target gambling dens, brothels, dirty banks and other businesses associated with the underworld, so they've been low priority, but according to what I read, they've got some pretty cutting edge tech, and their leader has powers too. That invisibility gimmick suit was the least of it. Magnetism control... tech-hacking nanobots... holograms... powered armor... could be tough! I hope you're planning on approaching this carefully, Rikki!"

You smirk and give her a funny look. "Er... what?" Julia says, blushing. "Is there something in my teeth...?"

"No," you say slyly, "just thinking about how to approach this carefully, like you say. I need to buy time with you-know-who if I'm going to dedicate a day or two to reading up, training, and maybe trying to get help from other capes. I know you were always kind of shy around crowds and didn't have that many friends back in school, but you're really pretty, Julia! You rock the whole 'sexy smart girl' look."

She giggles and puts her hands up to her mouth. "Oh! Um, well thanks! You're... you're really beautiful too, Rikki." she smiles, a little flustered.

"I know." you respond with a flutter of your eyes. "But I'm also going to be busy, so I was going to ask you to do me a favor. You live in a different building from this one and always come in through the secret elevator in the alley, right?"

Not seeing where you're going with this, Julia raises an eyebrow quizzically. "Ummm... yeah? That's what you always told me to do, Rick. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Weaponized awkwardness." you say cryptically, standing up and going over to change into a snug-fitting pair of lycra gym shorts and a black tank top. "Here's what I want you to do Julia. Once I start training, close off all the hidden entrances leading to the command center from the 'civilian' part of the penthouse. Start cruising the hallways and the elevators on the lower floors, and pick up some random guy, introducing yourself using my name."

Julia looked surprised at that. "Oh! When you say 'pick up', you mean..."

"Yeah." you confirm her suspicious with a mischievous grin. "Don't go anywhere with him though, make sure you bring him right up here, and make sure it's somebody who's able to spend the day here. Give them a little 'tango lesson', and then encourage him to stay in the bed near where the phone is, while you catch up on a little bit of civvie work on the computer. If the phone rings, let the guy pick it up. If it's my mom trying to call, she'll find the situation too awkward to take and probably just hang up or leave a hasty message and not call back for a day or two."

She blushes again and giggles noncommittally at you. Starting to do your pre-gym stretches, you shrug. "Sorry Jules, I hate to put you in this situation. I'd do the bluff myself, but I'm going to need all the time I can get if I'm going to train in counter-tactics versus this larcenous fivesome so that I'm ready and waiting the next time they show themselves."

Nodding understandingly, Julia goes to get her purse. "Well, it's for a good cause, right? And I suppose this has nothing at all to do with me listening in to the juicy details of what you got up to last night? I think I can take care of business though, even if I'm introducing myself under the weird boyish name your mom decided to give you."

You felt a tiny, momentary pang of melancholy. "Actually it was my dad's idea. Anyway, have fun - I've got some training and detective work to do."