Day 56: Tasty Burger (Noon)

[human_sponge]

Peter didn't know if he and Firo had left on the best terms, if only because the younger man was still so confused about what was going on in this place. The change in time period had a lot to do with it, but it had also sounded like he'd had a lot going on in his life before ending up here. Then again, who hadn't? Peter had just exploded before

Comments

[human_sponge]

Even though Peter did notice the sad tone to her laugh, he didn't see it as particularly strange. He realized that there was a lot for her to deal with considering the type of power she had, and he knew how much she longed to be normal. Even in this place, it probably wasn't always a blessing. Maybe it had been wrong of him to point it out in the first place, but Claire seemed to brush it off quickly enough, so he figured it was best to let it drop.

With the way that she described the town, Peter could only raise an eyebrow. Well, she wasn't saying anything that was untrue, but the fact that she was in such a mood seemed to stand out. Maybe Claire just really hated cold weather. Seeing how she'd spent most of her life in Texas, that would make sense.

The comment she made after that about him took him by surprise, mainly because he hadn't put that much thought to it since waking up, though he should have. The only thing that had really put his fast healing into perspective was when he'd spoken to Firo earlier, and that was because just twenty-four hours before he'd talked to him while in a wheelchair. It was pretty remarkable.

"Thanks to you, yeah. Thanks again for all that. You got through the rest of the night without a problem, then?" It seemed that way, but then again, it was impossible to know when she healed up every time. Claire would be able to lie to him about all sorts of things if she wanted to, but he couldn't control that. He just hoped she wouldn't keep the really important stuff to herself.

"And have you been to any of the stores so far?" he asked as they neared the front of the line. He knew this town wasn't the most exciting place ever, but he was still curious to hear what Claire's experience had been beyond hating the cold.

[autophoenix]

The question into the rest of her night caught her off guard and it was tough for her to swallow down before she could even begin formulating a response. There was a genuine, vulnerable shakiness in her expression at first, visibly upset and wanting to tell him everything that had happened and just cry and hope it would make it better somehow, but …

But she couldn't. Not here and now, and not when he seemed to be doing so much better. She couldn't bring him down like that or put it on him. He'd undoubtedly feel responsible somehow, and it would just make everything worse. So instead, she screwed up a smile that wasn't necessarily shaky, but definitely sad, and just nodded quickly, shutting her eyes briefly as he looked down to blink back the wateriness.

"I made it here, didn't I?" She realized it was too obvious to just say that much. She always defaulted to that when she was trying to excuse her follies and the danger of her life. So, she continued. "I just went upstairs to check some places out. Pretty uneventful, I mean, there was a library and some meeting room. I don't know. Nothing stair-shaped."

She took a few steps forward as the line moved, forcing herself not to feel bad for the flagrant lie. Most of it may have been true, but pretty uneventful wasn't a word for it. She hated herself. Peter would want to know if she ran into that same thing that had made them hallucinate before, but -- She just couldn't. And not just because she wanted him to think she was strong.

"Anyway, uh, not here, no. I mean, Damon and I walked around a little, but what's the point in actually buying anything if there's a good chance we'll just lose whatever's useful?" There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that they'd get searched on their way back. Security was way too tight these days.

[human_sponge]

Claire's initial response was worrying. She looked so much like she wanted to tell him something, but then she averted her gaze and it seemed like the moment was gone. Peter couldn't help getting anxious when he saw that, and yet he didn't know how to bring it up when she was trying so hard to cover things up. "Claire..." He made an attempt, but then she cut in with an explanation of what she'd done -- one that hardly fit that look that had just been on her face.

"I told you it wouldn't be that easy to find a way up," he said with a small frown. He was still trying to figure out how to ask her if she was really, truly all right, but then he heard a harsh tone coming from ahead of him and he realized he'd been holding up the line.

As he moved forward to turn in his coupon, he let the rest of Claire's words sink in, waiting for her to come join him at the other register before he responded. "Damon? Who's that?" Another boy she'd made friends with? She was allowed, of course, and he could see why a girl like her would be popular. Hell, she'd even been a cheerleader at one point. She was the sort of girl that Peter wouldn't have had a chance with when he was in high school. He didn't know if it made him proud or if he was just retroactively intimidated.

Granted, Claire was hardly the typical popular girl. She was complex and kind and strong, and he needed to take care of her. That much Peter knew. "And about buying the stuff, well... they gave us this money for a reason, right? I'm going to see if I can get a bag to hold all my supplies. I'm sure you could find something around here that you like..." He had to admit, he couldn't even make a guess at what Claire would want to buy. Peter was good at putting himself into other people's shoes, but a teenage girl's was kind of a stretch.

Then again, he realized only after he said that that Claire probably had a measly five dollars to spend. He almost wished he could give her some of his twenty, but on the other hand, if he found a bag it was likely to be expensive.

[autophoenix]

Claire placed her coupon on the counter beside Peter's for the cashier, considering his explanation. He made a good point. Sure, she had a low chance of grabbing something like a monkey wrench big enough to bash Sylar's head in or anything vague resembling a lock pick or bolt cutter. That didn't eliminate all useful options. As long as she couldn't go at a fellow patient or a soldier with it, she could probably get it back on the bus.

But, what was gonna be useful that wasn't a weapon or something to deal with those newer, sturdier locks that she could actually get on the bus? It was something to think about.

"He's just this guy," she responded promptly. "I'm friends with his brother. They got here after me -- on the same day as each other, too. It was really weird." She paused to consider them, trying not to think about the image of Stefan dead from her nightmare. The flashbacks were a little hard to avoid, but she battled around them in her brain long enough to realize she could ask Peter about something.

"They both got to keep, like, jewelry. Old heirlooms or something. Have you ever seen something like that before? I mean, I know Bella has her engagement ring, but …" She shrugged to indicate her uncertainty about it. It was still something worth asking -- seeing if there was a reason for it, at least, or some better common denominator than 'it's something they have emotional investment in.' After all, she had a lot of emotional investment in her freedom and she didn't get to keep that.

Moving on as the cashier pushed their food across the counter on two separate trays, she grabbed hers and turned to hunt for a table as she spoke.

"A bag would be nice. Definitely a big step up from the pillowcase, anyway." She shot him a weakly amused look over her shoulder.

[human_sponge]

"Just this guy" already made it sound like bad news, though Peter had to wonder if maybe he was just being overprotective. Still, there was no one else to keep an eye (or two) on Claire here, so he was happy to take the position of the somewhat stifling adult figure in the girl's life. If he didn't put that effort in, he'd just feel horrible if something happened to her.

However, his thoughts were pulled in a completely different direction when she mentioned that Damon was part of a pair of brothers who had arrived here together. There was no way he couldn't think of Nathan in that moment -- and while part of him was jealous, the other part hoped that Damon and his brother would be able to stick together for as long as possible in this place.

He took his tray and followed after her, considering her question with a frown. "Not really," he admitted after a pause, "but I haven't really been paying attention. I don't have any important jewelry like that, so..." Though his thoughts went back to Nathan once more, since as far as he could remember his brother hadn't had his class ring when he'd been here -- and that thing never left his finger.

(The wedding ring, on the other hand, might have a couple of times.)

As Claire found a table, Peter took a seat across from her and sent her a look in response to her teasing comment about the pillowcase. "Look, at least I know that that's not gonna work for long. Now I just need to figure out where I can find a good duffel. And I'm guessing you're still figuring out what to do with your allowance?" he questioned with a crooked smile.

[autophoenix]

She nodded as she sat down at his jewelry explanation. It made sense -- she'd probably be better off talking to other girls about it. They tended to notice that thing more. After all, they had more of it. Still, she couldn't help but reach one hand up to brush at her collarbone where the heart necklace from her father usually hung. It dropped pretty promptly to her soda, though, which she picked up to take a sip before replying verbally.

"You're thinking ahead, it's a good thing. I'm kind of surprised you never got one before now. I mean, you were her last week, right?" She raised an eyebrow as she set her cup back down, beginning to tear open ketchup packets for her fries as she continued. "I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, I guess I was just distracted. Mostly by the way this whole thing just seems like a way to take the fight out of us. You know, so we think it's 'not so bad' or something."

She wasn't going to get into how she wasn't even sure that it was real for most of the bus ride. That definitely seemed safer as a road not touched on as to avoid any thoughts of crazy. And the standard overprotection. That wasn't something she really wanted to open the door to either.

[human_sponge]

At first Claire's question confused him. How could he have bought something last time? But then Peter remembered that this was her first time here, and he gave a shake of his head as he grabbed for a fry. "This is the first time they're giving us actual money." Well, it wasn't cold hard cash that they could try to date or analyze, but it was still some form of currency that they could use to buy things. "I don't know if they're trying to gain our favor or if they're just curious to see what everyone buys."

And there was no way of knowing, so Peter was going to do what he could to not dwell on it and just focus on getting himself something useful. At Claire's next comment, he took a moment to think it over and then shook his head. "The way I figure? You may as well make the best of things. As long as you have that thought in your head, you won't get complacent, and then you can at least enjoy the small things that we get."

Besides, it wasn't like this was all fun and games. Some of the townspeople weren't exactly friendly, and the realization that they all turned into something monstrous at night gave the town an eerie quality. It was probably best that Claire didn't know about that, since he didn't want to ruin her trip. Instead he grabbed for his burger and took a bite.

[autophoenix]

So, basically, keep calm and carry on. It was good advice, honestly, but that didn't make Claire's sigh any less disappointed by their unhappy fate. After all, it was hard not to let it put a serious damper on enjoying the little things, even if she knew she was going to need to learn how to if it meant keeping her wits about her when the bad inevitably came crashing down every night.

And it certainly didn't help that there was something suspicious to the fact that they'd been given money now that she knew it was a first, which made it a totally willing choice of the soldiers and their sketchy General. She tried not to think about it. Better to just use their money to spite them and worry about the why of it later. That was something she could take small enjoyment out of, at least. Maybe this little things mentality wouldn't be so hard.

"Usually making the best out of things requires something that has an even remotely good quality, you know." She said it with a little bit of a petulant tone, like she was just arguing for the sake of being the devil's advocate and getting it out there. It was pretty clear that she was going to listen to his suggestion regardless.

"Maybe this is how they get those market research statistics. I mean, I always figured they were evil." It was hard to tell exactly, but the wryness in her tone and the barely visible smile in the corners of her mouth were telltale signs that she was joking -- well, mostly joking. It was worth thinking about, still, why they would want to cough the money up now of all times, but conspiracy theories weren't really her thing, as a general rule. The smile finally reaching her eyes, she shut up and just took a bite of her burger.

[human_sponge]

Peter didn't know if his advice really amounted to much, and Claire was pretty clear about the fact that she didn't buy it. Still, if they didn't try to look on the bright side of things at least sometimes, then where would they end up? Well, feeling pretty horrible all the time, that's where. Peter didn't know about Claire, but he personally wasn't a fan of feeling miserable, so he did what he could not to.

"Hey, the people here have some good qualities," he pointed out. "Look at Peter," by which he clearly meant the younger one -- it was just too weird to call him "Pete," -- "and that Damon guy who you said you were talking to." He could have mentioned Bella as well, but he honestly didn't know where Claire and her roommate stood at this point. It was probably better not to go there. "I know it doesn't really make up for the rest of it, but..." It was something.

It wasn't just the people, either. Being able to sit in a fast food place and sip on a soda and eat a burger while talking with his niece was a novelty all on its own. Yeah, they got served burgers back at the institute (or they used to, anyway), but it wasn't quite the same without the cardboard holders and bright colors.

Claire's last comment earned a laugh from him. "I'm just shocked you know what market research statistics even are. Did you take economics recently?" It was times like these that he realized that Claire was a pretty special girl just on her own, nothing to do with her ability. He felt pretty lucky to have her as a niece.

[autophoenix]

She nodded her agreement at his assertions about Damon and Peter. Yeah, they were nice, and she could suppose that it was a plus -- being able to meet them, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances were. But, that didn't really balance it out, did it? Besides, it was kind of hard to really trust someone enough to say you were glad to meet them when you'd only seen one side; the action, coping side.

Still. He made a good point, and she acknowledged as much with a forfeiting shrug of her shoulders and tilt of her eyebrows. An admission that she was wrong, however silent as she took another bite of her hamburger. The casualness of it all was nice.

Sitting here -- she'd never really gotten to do this with Peter before now, and it was a sad thing to realize. Her family was too caught up in its own self-generated dramatics for her to even get time to spend with her uncle. To really get to know him. In a moment like this, she could almost forget that she wasn't really feeling like his biggest fan back home these days. In her time. But, everyone had fights, right? And he seemed considerably more willing to let her do her own thing and learn how to fight back here.

Laughing at his last remark, she took a quick sip of her drink before answering.

"Last semester," she explained, looking much like she'd been caught out. "Apparently it's a requirement these days. But, I totally could have known it without econ. I'm a cheerleader, not an idiot." Still, she said it in an amused way that indicated she was far from offended by his surprise. Flattered, maybe. After all, most people heard cheerleader and thought Jackie. Peter had, once.

[human_sponge]

Economics as a requirement was probably a good idea, all things considered. People always complained about how young people these days didn't understand the value of the dollar, so Peter figured that was their solution. Still, the easiest way to learn something like that was to make your own money, but he'd struggled with that enough on his own, mainly because his parents had tried to fund too many of his endeavors. What was so bad about trying to make his own way?

"I know you're not an idiot," he said, his tone surprisingly serious even if she clearly hadn't taken that much offense in the first place. He still wanted to make it clear, because he'd never figured that being a cheerleader meant that and he didn't want Claire to think he'd implied as much. Prejudging is what caused so many people to not connect with each other when they had every ability to.

"Anyway," he continued, grabbing for some more fries and then washing it down with the soda, "what did you have in mind for tonight? I should be able to head out with you this time, if you'll have me." And now it was his turn to joke. It seemed like Claire had been making a lot of friends, though, so it was a genuine question in that way. She could have arranged to meet up with that Damon guy or the other Peter for all he knew.

And he was trying not to feel like an overprotective relative, but it was surprisingly difficult. He'd never really gotten this way around Simon or Monty, but that was probably because they'd always been cared for in one way or another.

[autophoenix]

The smile she gave him in response to that was quieter, more genuine. Because if there was anybody who's opinion meant the world to her, it was Peter, and while she knew full and well that he didn't think she was an idiot, it was still nice hearing it. She spent his next question hiding the smile behind a few fries, which was all in all a good decision, because the question would have given her an inexcusable pause otherwise -- this way, it gave her time to chew it over without drawing attention.

Going out at night. It sounded good in theory, but then it had sounded good in theory the night before too, when she'd been so damn eager and gotten herself humiliated a second time by the monster from before. So, instead, it just sounded a little scary, honestly. As bad as she wanted to get back at it, the fear of going up against it again was winning out. She swallowed down a drink of soda before answering, mind made up.

"Actually, I was thinking of staying in." She briefly opened her mouth to prepare a full excuse, but shut it and just offered him a smile instead, accompanied by a shrug. She wasn't going to lie to Peter more than she had to, he deserved better than that, and wanting to stay in was at least the truth. Reevaluating, she canted her head a little, offering, "Raincheck?"

We can wrap this up if you'd like!

[human_sponge]

Peter hadn't been expecting that.

Up until now, Claire had always been the one who was pushing to go out and explore, to rebel against their captors, to do something. The two of them shared that determination, although Peter's had been curbed by his own concern for the girl. But for her to now want to stay in even though she was clearly in good physical condition could only mean...

Well, that something had gone on last night that she wasn't telling him. Peter didn't distrust the girl to the point that he thought she was lying about wanting to remain in her room so that she could go out without him bothering her, but that almost made it worse because it meant that something was really wrong and she wasn't willing to talk about it.

It was hard to know what step to take next, and suddenly Peter's food didn't look as appetizing. Despite that, he ate a few more fries, not wanting to let on how worried he was. He could either ask her directly what was happening with her, which might not get the best response, or he could just give her some space. It was hard to accept the second option, but if she was staying in her room then he could at least rest assured that she wasn't putting herself into any more upsetting situations.

So, after a pause that had probably stretched out for far too long, Peter nodded to the girl. "Sounds good. It's probably a good idea for you to get some rest."

sure!

[autophoenix]

The awkward pause didn't go missed. It was hard to pretend that she didn't realize just how weird Peter must have found her admission. She was so gung-ho for getting out and fighting, and now she was letting some big freaky hallucinatory bad acid trip -- okay, two big hallucinatory bad acid trips -- scare her into staying inside. But, it was one night, and it was better that she didn't get into Peter's way, right?

Still. She didn't like knowing that he realized something was off, mostly because that meant he realized she was hiding something. Not that she'd ever been the world's best actress, but … Peter knowing she was being dishonest was worse than someone else knowing, because she hated being dishonest with him.

It just happened to be the best option for this. He didn't need to hear that her first time out by herself ended in tears, because he'd never let her do it again. And she didn't need to tell him, because she needed to just … get over it. The monsters weren't real. Everyone she'd seen hurt in that hallucination was fine. Perfectly fine.

So, she just took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I haven't exactly been feeling rested from the sudden curtain drop at the end of the night. Might as well get some real rest." A beat. She frowns a little. "But, tomorrow," she offered with a hopeful edge to her expression.

[human_sponge]

It was obvious that there was something going on, that there was a lot going unsaid between them, and yet the fact that Claire wasn't acknowledging it or saying much of anything made it clear that it was going to stay that way. Peter still felt like maybe it would be better if he pushed a bit harder and tried to get her to spill, but...

Like she'd said, tomorrow. Claire would be safe tonight. She could take that time to gather her thoughts and maybe recover from whatever was bothering her. Tomorrow, Peter would have another chance to try and get her to open up.

Not much of his food was left, but he couldn't bring himself to eat it. Still, it was such a small amount that it wouldn't seem strange that he was leaving it on the tray. This was a lot of food, after all.

"Well, I guess we can't hang around in here all day," he said with a small smile. It didn't have quite as much feeling to it as normal, but hopefully the girl wouldn't notice. At this point, Peter's thoughts were just all over the place since he was still trying to somehow work out what was bothering his niece. He wasn't coming up with much.

He was sure that Claire wanted to make the best of this trip and search the town some more, though, and so Peter grabbed his tray and dumped the rest of it in the trash, setting it down to be picked up by one the workers. "Take care today and rest well tonight, okay?" he said as he turned back toward the girl.

[autophoenix]

When Peter grabbed his tray, it worked as a good distractor for Claire. She didn't have to focus on that less than full edge to his smile -- the one that suspected her of the lie that she wished she didn't have to be selling. There was nothing like that half-hearted, tiny smile from Peter to guilt her. So, instead of fixating on that, she grabbed her tray and stood up with him, slurping down the rest of her drink and dumping the emptied paper cup into the trash can with the rest of her garbage before setting the tray atop Peter's on the stack.

She turned to shoot him a smile, nodding. A part of her was bummed that she couldn't just spend the day wandering with him, but he probably had other people he wanted to see, and it'd be less painful to have generally less contact, anyway. It meant lying less. So, she could pretty easily accept not getting to make up for the general lack of niece-uncle bonding time. After all, she'd seen more of him in the institute so far than she had her entire last year of school at Costa Verde.

That was kind of sad to think about.

"You too. Stay safe out there, Peter, I don't want to spot you tomorrow morning trying to work the wheelchair look again. No matter how indestructo I can make you afterwards." She fixed him with a serious almost mothering look, but it dropped away into a small smile. With that said, she moved to head out the front door of the burger joint, disappearing down the street.