Universal Studios (rp for Kara)
After decades of fights about the subject, Los Angeles now has a subway. What's more, one that has a station at the Universal Studios. Considering Kara's aversion to cars, Connor decides to use it, though he is aware this could also get him accused of being tight
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"I always wondered whether OJ is a client of Wolfram and Hart's. Would explain a lot. But I don't know what he could give them."
Then she talks about the funeral, and Lionel Luthor, which brings back memories of the man's visit in New York, complete with smarmy talk about his parental concern for Harry, and then Harry telling him what happened with Lionel after Norman Osborne's death, and he wonders, again, why it was so wrong to kill humans, before doing what he always does when his mind goes there; thinking of his own victims. Kara goes on about Lionel hating her, and Lex, and talk about victims. Neither of the Luthors would ever been able to harm her or be anything to her if it hadn't been for...
Impulsively, and without thinking about it, he leans forward and kisses her. It's not a kiss intended as an overture, it's something driven by guilt and affection and some vague anger directed at himself, the Luthors, and a little bit at Kara. It's also very short, a brief contact with closed lips, because anything else wouldn't occur to him; she's his sister. This is like hugging her; he never seems to find the right words with Kara, so he increasingly falls back on gestures.
"I'm sorry," he says, and means the entire mess.
The guide points out they might see some second unit shooting for the new Spielberg movie today, plus some tv show crews, and to their left was the street where the Roman soldiers marched down the Via Appia, some extras having forgotten to remove their watches.
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"What does anyone give them?"
She replies, but then Connor interupts, or his lips do, anyway, and brief as it is and as chaste, it also doesn't feel quite right - so she pulls back, away.
"You don't need to be sorry - everything worked out the way, well, it worked out, didn't it? I heard he has a new girlfriend, or a few, probably - he and I, well, obviously, that's ancient history and even if I had my time over, I wouldn't want to be with him anyway. I was never going to be what he wanted, I just don't know why he dragged me along - what's the phrase? - no, strung me along, I don't know why he strung me along as long as he did. I don't know what he got out of that --- "
Hugs are a very different thing, to Kara, than kisses. Hugs say I love you, but kissing says I want you - and it's not the same thing at all. The ideal is both, of course, loving and wanting, one without the other doesn't have much of a shelf life at all.
"I hate history." She says. Looking at the Roman soldiers. "And don't give me cliches about those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. We repeat it anyway. There's only so many stories to tell and most of them involve war from what I can see."
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"Just three basic stories," he says automatically. "Love, death, birth. That's what they teach you in school. Three basic stories, and all developes from there."
Connor Riley memories are useful for useless trivia like that.
"I - I don't know. I think I like history because it says something will survive. That's why I wanted to be an archaelogist for a while. When we were in Egypt, and I could touch those stones that made it through millennia, it felt, well, transcendant. Eternal."
Which is seductive when you've grown up seeing everything around you die. It also reminded him of Jasmine, and why it's always great when he happens to meet Illyria, but before he can make the mistake of bringing either lady up, both Connor and Kara get somewhat drenched in water. Yes, they've arrived at the artificial lake, complete with old white shark model from the 70s, the pre-CGI-days, attacking.
There are squees and screams all around them, mostly by delighted children, though one of them is heard complaining that the shark isn't white but more grey-ish by now.
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Kara likes might be stuck in her history, in some stupid loop she can't quite escape, but she's more addicted to the future. She loves the future, the idea of it, imagining it, fantasising about it. In her head she lives an entire life that exists five, ten years ahead, a different life in which everything is so much shinier and you can barely see the tarnish at all.
Except sometimes, more often lately, she can't feel the future so clearly. It feels blank and empty and suddenly as intangible as the past does. She loves it but sometimes it seems to have left her.
"You didn't go to school."
She means to also say that history isn't the way you force your survival - children are - but she doesn't get the chance. The water hits their side and her own squeal matches, if not exceeds the sound of the children around her. She has to be wearing white, of course, a white top made of thin and flimsy material that becomes even less substantial as soon as it's wet. Just terrific.
Of course with the shock of the water her hands flie up and the bottle of diet coke she's holding flies up with them, resulting in Connor being more covered in the sticky contents than in any water from the somewhat kitch reconstruction of Jaws.
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"Argh!"
Which the kid behind them takes as a sign of fear, and tells his friend the stupid guy in front of them was afraid of the shark, while HE made it without fear through the Jurassic Park ride, so who was chicken? Meanwhile, the friend, a bit older, is eyeing drenched Kara with her white top appreciatively and pulls out his cell phone to make a snap shot.
"I'll buy you a new coke later," Connor says in a belated attempt to play it cool to Kara. The automated guide tells them they're now about to cross a shooting set for "Desperate Housewives", and yes, there is an episode in production.
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Desperate Housewives happens to be Bruce Wayne's favourite show, but it holds little, if any, interest for Kara. A bunch of old ladies who should know better carrying on like a bunch of, well, old ladies who should know better! She did have a dream once where Darla was one of the housewives in question, busy burying slayers in her backyard and screwing the gardener (who had an awful resembelance to Harry Osborn but who spoke with a thick southern accent).
"You know," She starts to tell Connor. "I had this dream about Dah --- "
But then she stops halfway because he seemed awfully keen not to discuss anything to do with his mother and sex - which is fair enough, really.
"Oh - " Kara interupts deflecting, leaning across Connor and pointing. "Is that Eva Longoria?"
It is not and Kara knows it but she figures Eva would be Connor's type - whos type isn't she? Well, Bruce Wayne prefers Teri Hatcher, but there's no accounting for taste.
Of course, most of the boys on the ride are eager to see Eva in the flesh and Kara's announcement causes some commotion. The boy with the camera is distracted from his quest, keen instead to snap some shots of a better endowed vision.
--- THAT'S NOT Eva Longoria, Stupid. ----
He says to Kara.
"Made you look." She replies with such maturity.
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Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge also means no gratitude for same, and then Kara mentions Eva Longoria. Eva is hot, but Connor actually has a somewhat guilty preference for Marcia Cross. (Somewhat guilty because he's pretty sure Justine would not appreciate being associated with an actress who plays a control-obsessed Republican housewife.) Still, he looks into the direction Kara points to, and thus is witness to some punk with a camera insulting Kara. Well. Calling her stupid. Which clearly calls for a reaction. Maybe he finally gets the "supposed to defend" thing right!
"Don't insult my sister," he snaps at the boy, who really wanted just some nice and well endowed photos and now missed his chance, as the train travels on, straight into the avalanche simulation.
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