Kansas City, MO, Saturday Early Afternoon
Kate had been on the phone and talking on webcam (completely as herself!) with Zach a lot, this past week. A lot. It was like the perfect remedy for everything Fandom, a little something that was completely removed from everything island related. Even last night, after she'd gotten home from the airport and done just the minimal amount of socializing with her family. There was some shit going on with them too, it seemed, but God, when wasn't there? She didn't care, she had enough of her own, and the only reason she'd even come back this weekend was a date with Zach.
Well, okay, it wasn't the only reason. It wasn't long until their meet-up time at that one restaurant, but there was something she needed to do first.
So Kate was in the Crossroads again. It had been a while, and though she'd missed it a little it was more or less tainted by her stupid family now, so it didn't hurt much to know this would probably be the last time she'd be here. In this particular part of it, anyway. She rounded the corner into Lynda's yard with her cardboard box in her arms, and was somewhat glad to find the woman standing outside, working on some of the trash sculpture things she kept just by the door to her studio. "Well, well," Lynda said, seeing Kate, eyebrows going up in light surprise, smiling. "The princess returns."
"Yeah, well," Kate drawled, in that same dry tone she'd been clinging to for most of her interactions for a while now, "that's how the story goes, right? In the comic book?"
Lynda was almost a little taken aback by this attitude. "Well, yeah," she said, watching Kate as she got closer. "She does go off and do a bunch of shit, and comes back in the end." She nodded at the box in the girl's hands. "What's all in there?"
Kate sighed. "The horns, the wig, the whole crazy nine yards of Princess Valhalla craziness," she said. "And a Magic Bullet. I'm cooked." She thought she might buy Marshall a Magic Bullet of his own with her movie theater money or something. She felt a little bad about taking it away from him when he'd been a little smitten with it, but she couldn't have it around her. All this shit had to go. All of it. This was her shooting Princess Valhalla Hawkwind and walking away.
And Lynda was surprised. "What's a Magic Bullet?" she asked. Kate brushed past her so she could just put the box away and get out of here. "The princess got into some video chat action and made some dough in cash and prizes," she said by way of explanation, as she set the box down on the table by one of the sculptures. Then she turned around again, intending to leave. "I bought you some of the prizes." Her voice sounded a little... sad, at that point, so obviously the next words came out bitter. "Don't worry, I kept my breastplate on."
But Lynda wasn't going to let her just walk away like that, apparently. "We never discussed you doing your own thing with her."
Kate whipped around. Lynda wanted to get into this? Fine. "Well, we never discussed you doing your own thing with my mom," she replied, and that only caused Lynda to smile at her in that annoying, condescending way of hers. "Honey, the way I see it, your mom did her own thing with me," the woman said. "I mean, she comes down here to get all her transformational shit done and get her real ass seen and accepted, and once she gets all she needs --"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kate interrupted, incredulous and annoyed. This was definitely no longer a friendly conversation on anyone's part. The look Lynda was giving her was cold. "Are you? Your mom used me."
And now this was hitting sore spots within Kate, enough for her to actually take a step closer to Lynda again, getting angrier. "And you used me."
"Bull-fucking-shit!" Lynda exclaimed. "I accessed you. Everybody accesses everybody. But when you do your soulwork with people, and then you hurry home and hide out once your battery's recharged, that's using. You did it too." Another one of those almost smiles, meant to show who was the smart one here, who was the adult. "Like mother like daughter."
At those words, Kate deflated. She didn't want to do this anymore. This was just another thing she needed to get away from. "Whatever." She felt like she'd never meant that word more. It came out broken, fed up, even a little sad. She turned around. And still Lynda wouldn't let go. "Hey, princess," she called out, when Kate hadn't even gotten more than three, four steps away.
Kate stopped. She wasn't sure why, maybe she was a masochist. "What?" she asked, turning her head to give the woman an impassive look over her shoulder. "Go ahead. Say some shit."
"Do you know who you're mad at?"
Kate almost wanted to laugh. What a stupid fucking question. "Yeah, Lynda, I do." Of course she did. Her voice wasn't even bitter. She was the mildly condescending one now, wrapped up safe in knowing she had the upper hand here. She'd get the last word by telling the truth. "I'm mad at myself. I wanted to be an adult, I settled for a costume and I screwed up my life with it. Done." She looked ahead again, started walking. Had to raise her voice to get her last comment in, sticking her hands in her pockets. "Good luck staying one step ahead."
And so she rounded the corner again, and walked away. This chapter of her life was over and done with, and there was a handsome young business owner waiting for her at a restaurant. It was time for Dorothy to get back into being in Kansas.
[ooc: NFB, NFI, OOC-okay! Taken with slight tweakage from USoT S02E09.]
Well, okay, it wasn't the only reason. It wasn't long until their meet-up time at that one restaurant, but there was something she needed to do first.
So Kate was in the Crossroads again. It had been a while, and though she'd missed it a little it was more or less tainted by her stupid family now, so it didn't hurt much to know this would probably be the last time she'd be here. In this particular part of it, anyway. She rounded the corner into Lynda's yard with her cardboard box in her arms, and was somewhat glad to find the woman standing outside, working on some of the trash sculpture things she kept just by the door to her studio. "Well, well," Lynda said, seeing Kate, eyebrows going up in light surprise, smiling. "The princess returns."
"Yeah, well," Kate drawled, in that same dry tone she'd been clinging to for most of her interactions for a while now, "that's how the story goes, right? In the comic book?"
Lynda was almost a little taken aback by this attitude. "Well, yeah," she said, watching Kate as she got closer. "She does go off and do a bunch of shit, and comes back in the end." She nodded at the box in the girl's hands. "What's all in there?"
Kate sighed. "The horns, the wig, the whole crazy nine yards of Princess Valhalla craziness," she said. "And a Magic Bullet. I'm cooked." She thought she might buy Marshall a Magic Bullet of his own with her movie theater money or something. She felt a little bad about taking it away from him when he'd been a little smitten with it, but she couldn't have it around her. All this shit had to go. All of it. This was her shooting Princess Valhalla Hawkwind and walking away.
And Lynda was surprised. "What's a Magic Bullet?" she asked. Kate brushed past her so she could just put the box away and get out of here. "The princess got into some video chat action and made some dough in cash and prizes," she said by way of explanation, as she set the box down on the table by one of the sculptures. Then she turned around again, intending to leave. "I bought you some of the prizes." Her voice sounded a little... sad, at that point, so obviously the next words came out bitter. "Don't worry, I kept my breastplate on."
But Lynda wasn't going to let her just walk away like that, apparently. "We never discussed you doing your own thing with her."
Kate whipped around. Lynda wanted to get into this? Fine. "Well, we never discussed you doing your own thing with my mom," she replied, and that only caused Lynda to smile at her in that annoying, condescending way of hers. "Honey, the way I see it, your mom did her own thing with me," the woman said. "I mean, she comes down here to get all her transformational shit done and get her real ass seen and accepted, and once she gets all she needs --"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Kate interrupted, incredulous and annoyed. This was definitely no longer a friendly conversation on anyone's part. The look Lynda was giving her was cold. "Are you? Your mom used me."
And now this was hitting sore spots within Kate, enough for her to actually take a step closer to Lynda again, getting angrier. "And you used me."
"Bull-fucking-shit!" Lynda exclaimed. "I accessed you. Everybody accesses everybody. But when you do your soulwork with people, and then you hurry home and hide out once your battery's recharged, that's using. You did it too." Another one of those almost smiles, meant to show who was the smart one here, who was the adult. "Like mother like daughter."
At those words, Kate deflated. She didn't want to do this anymore. This was just another thing she needed to get away from. "Whatever." She felt like she'd never meant that word more. It came out broken, fed up, even a little sad. She turned around. And still Lynda wouldn't let go. "Hey, princess," she called out, when Kate hadn't even gotten more than three, four steps away.
Kate stopped. She wasn't sure why, maybe she was a masochist. "What?" she asked, turning her head to give the woman an impassive look over her shoulder. "Go ahead. Say some shit."
"Do you know who you're mad at?"
Kate almost wanted to laugh. What a stupid fucking question. "Yeah, Lynda, I do." Of course she did. Her voice wasn't even bitter. She was the mildly condescending one now, wrapped up safe in knowing she had the upper hand here. She'd get the last word by telling the truth. "I'm mad at myself. I wanted to be an adult, I settled for a costume and I screwed up my life with it. Done." She looked ahead again, started walking. Had to raise her voice to get her last comment in, sticking her hands in her pockets. "Good luck staying one step ahead."
And so she rounded the corner again, and walked away. This chapter of her life was over and done with, and there was a handsome young business owner waiting for her at a restaurant. It was time for Dorothy to get back into being in Kansas.
[ooc: NFB, NFI, OOC-okay! Taken with slight tweakage from USoT S02E09.]