"I don't like tellin' folks stuff about how they may or may not be in other universes. Makes me feel all slimey." She's holding the sunglasses up to him. "I know, it sucks, but... humor an old lady?"
Old lady, his ass. He's pretty sure he's a little older than her. But he'll humor her anyway, and slides the sunglasses on, trying to ignore uncomfortable memories of blackness and burning. "I really don't think glasses make that big of a difference, but sure. Now what?"
She's twenty-two, but she feels a lot younger when she's not in her costume. She looks young to start with, with that open, honest face, if you ignore that she's a little twitchy, a little pale and thin. "Uh... um. Extra precaution." She gets out a little metal doodad, about the size of a thimble but warm to the touch. "Put that in your pocket, and people shouldn't notice, unless you make a spectacle of yourself. I'mma need it back later, though." You might get the impression that Victor has more backup plans than she has hours of sleep. Victor, in her sweater in that August Texas heat, and the flash of a big pink scar on her right palm. "Now... we can walk around."
The sounds of traffic are loud. Hot stones, hot bricks, the humidity that presses right down on you like a big warm palm.
He's starting to wonder if maybe he's tripped his way into a spy novel, because this is getting very cloak-and-dagger and he'd laugh if she wasn't acting so serious.
She doesn't seem to want to talk about it though, so he drops the subject and refocuses on his surroundings. "It smells different here." He doesn't know why he's surprised. "Same sun, though." Though it can't negate the kryptonite entirely, especially being as deep inside his body as it is, he can feel the energy bolstering his strength. He doesn't feel up to lifting cars yet or anything, but the bruises are well on their way to turning green and yellow.
It's Victor's particular brand of paranoia. Sometimes it's justified, and sometimes it isn't, though right now it just might be. She ducks under the police tape and steps onto the sidewalk proper. "I love this city. It's gorgeous. Tons of art. All sorts of people." She fixes her smushed up bowler cap against the heat, though it doesn't do much. She might do better if she could bear to part with her sweater.
It still hurts to move, so he ducks under the tape a bit more carefully. "So do I get to know where we are?" he asks, a little amused. He's never been to Texas or he might recognize it, but his world traveling experience is pretty much limited to Kansas, with the notable exception of the accidental and uncontrollable high-speed tour to Lake Tahoe and back he went on during the solar flare two years ago.
He pauses a moment. "So... what's special about this Houston as opposed to others? Besides the sun being great." Being this much closer to the equator makes a much bigger difference than he'd imagined. The sunlight feels stronger, closer. From what he's seen, a normal human could sunburn easily here.
"Nothing in particular," she says, straightening up her sleeves the way she does sometimes to make sure they cover all of her arms, even though they don't need to be straightened. "It's just a random Houston on a random, average world."
He thinks there's more to it than that, given the fact that she has an area cordoned off specifically for PINpointing. But once again, he'll stop pushing.
"I've never been to Texas," he offers instead. He's never been very good at just standing around doing nothing, and she seems to know the city pretty intimately. Seems a shame to waste the opportunity. "Show me the sights?"
There really isn't, other than she doesn't like going to her homeworld. If given a choice, Victor either tends to be honest, or evade answering entirely. She smiles up at him. "Should I be looking for outdoor activities? What sorts of places do you like?"
"Definitely outside." He's been here for all of a few minutes, although it isn't a cure, he's feeling much better already. He still doesn't know if it's the UV radiation or something else that he needs, but he could spend hours drinking in the sun. "I don't know. I don't really get out much. Where do you like to go?"
"I'm a museum gal, and Houston has a museum and theater district to beat all. But they're indoors, and I'm obnoxious in museums. I have to stop to sketch, and take notes." Art is one of the many subjects that she could probably teach a class on. "I'm happy anywhere, though. We could go to a park for a while, let some of that sun shine through?"
The longer he spends in the sun, the stronger he feels. When he got to the Nexus he could barely walk, but now he feels up to a bit of a stroll. "I've actually never been to a zoo before."
"Hermann Park isn't too far, and the zoo is right there. It's great. It's got gardens, and lakes." She leads the way like she knows where she's going, but not too fast, a leisurely walk down Cambridge street, and she can feel the warmth of the sidewalk through her shoes. Signs for the hospital. "So, how'd you find the Nexus?"
Reply
The sounds of traffic are loud. Hot stones, hot bricks, the humidity that presses right down on you like a big warm palm.
Reply
She doesn't seem to want to talk about it though, so he drops the subject and refocuses on his surroundings. "It smells different here." He doesn't know why he's surprised. "Same sun, though." Though it can't negate the kryptonite entirely, especially being as deep inside his body as it is, he can feel the energy bolstering his strength. He doesn't feel up to lifting cars yet or anything, but the bruises are well on their way to turning green and yellow.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
"I've never been to Texas," he offers instead. He's never been very good at just standing around doing nothing, and she seems to know the city pretty intimately. Seems a shame to waste the opportunity. "Show me the sights?"
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment