Pie, please!

[nerdherderchuck]

Who: Chuck and Clarice
When: Thursday, February 5, afternoonish
Where: The bakery
What: dessert!
Rating: with these two?  PG for sure :D

Comments

[never_blink]

Clarice was in the back, adding the last little embellishments to a tray of confections, when she heard the bell on the door tinkle. Dusting off her hands on her little apron, she hurried out to the counter. "I'm sorry. Hello. May I help you?"

The man standing there wasn't familiar, which stirred up the old nervous feeling. But he was here to buy something, and she was here to help with that, so she gave her best (still small) smile and waited. Internally bracing herself in case he freaked out.

[nerdherderchuck]

Chuck blinked for a moment as a- well, rather purple girl stepped out from behind the counter.

He'd heard about this from people, though. Apparently, there was a green man wandering somewhere around town, too.

No reason not to be polite, though!

"Hi, yeah- I am in the market for some pie," Chuck said, hoping the joking would cover his slightly awkward initial staring. "What would you have in that area?"

[never_blink]

Staring. All right. Uncomfortable, but it was the mildest sort of reaction she got. Her small smile faded, but she kept her head up and waited for him to finish. Which didn't take very long at all. She shifted her shoulders and put the smile back on.

"We do have pie. Lots of kinds. Do you... do you like fruit pie, or chocolate pie..?" She led the way along the display case, pointing down at the section where a dozen pies were beautifully displayed.

[nerdherderchuck]

The girl had a cute little voice- after months of being around rather loud, brash people, it was kind of a nice change.

"Well, luckily, I like lots of kinds of pie," he said, following her pointing finger to look over the pie selection, his eye falling on one that made him smile.

"Lemon meringue," he grinned, pointing at the pie. "And, ah-" he glanced around, taking in the layout of the bakery. "A glass of water? If you have it?" He didn't want to put the girl to any trouble, of course.

[nerdherderchuck]

It was rather awesome, being able to talk with someone who could actually understand what he was going through. Casey and Sarah had known, of course, but they couldn't feel what Chuck was feeling, no matter how much time they'd spent with him.

Answering her question, though, was a bit more difficult.

"There was this guy, Bryce- he was my best friend, back in college," Chuck began. "One day, I get this random email from him. I open it, and next thing I know it's 12 hours later, and I'm waking up on the floor of my room, with this thing in my brain," Chuck grimaced, pointing to his head.

He sighed, thinking a moment.

"The worst part is I have no control over it. The second I see anything that has any connection up here, these words and images just start flashing in front of my eyes. I can't do a thing about it," he frowned, shaking his head. "It sucks."

[never_blink]

The next thing you know, it's hours later, and you're waking up, and everything has changed.

Clarice realized she was staring at Chuck, the lavender of her skin paling a shade toward grey. But there was no reason to overreact. He wasn't talking about people dying because of his ability, or whatever the thing in his head ought to be called. But she knew what it felt like to have something inside you over which you had no control.

"Why - why would your friend want to put something like that inside you?" Take someone who was normal, and curse them with a mutant ability? Why would anyone do that to someone they cared about? "He must have had some reason for it... right?"

She worried her lower lip between her teeth, trying to think if there was anything she could say which would help.

"Is it... would it be... possible, do you think? to learn how to control it? Even a little bit? I mean - I don't know anything at all about computers," she added quickly, looking down. "But, if it could be... reprogrammed?"

[nerdherderchuck]

"He was my best friend," Chuck clarified quickly. "Not so much after he got me kicked out of Stanford." Even though Chuck now knew why Bryce had done it, it still didn't take the sting out of the betrayal.

"He says he did it because he had to- the original computer had to be destroyed before it could fall into the wrong hands. So, into my brain it went," Chuck said, before he started thinking.

Somehow, the idea of reprogramming the computer had never occurred to him. Which was absolutely bizarre, considering his job, but... he'd always been so focused on being the source of intelligence, he'd never even dreamed of trying to control the thing.

"I- I don't know about reprogramming it," he finally said, after staring off into space for several long moments. "I mean, I do know a lot about computers, and I wouldn't even know where to start!"

[never_blink]

His best friend had gotten him kicked out of school? Of course Clarice knew from having your friends turn on you, too, but it didn't sound as if this friend had found something out about Chuck that had made him decide he didn't like him. Quite the opposite, if he'd been the one to put the computer in Chuck's head after getting him kicked out of school. Who would do that to somebody they called a friend?

"That's awful," she said in a small voice. "I mean, if he had to put the computer - and I'm sure he had reasons for all of it - but... getting you kicked out of school and then doing something like that to you without even asking?" Clarice flushed; she wasn't one to pass judgment on people, but... "He doesn't sound like a very good friend, really at all."

She was surprised when he seemed to give her suggestion serious thought, and she was quick to shake her head when he'd finished, holding up her hands in quick protest. "Oh, of course - I mean - I don't know anything at all, like I said. I'm sure it wouldn't work, I just thought... I