(no subject)
11 March 2007:
The college student crowd is thinner than usual tonight; the usual Sunday bustle for caffeine in order to finish that procrastinated homework before it's due on Monday morning is lacking this week, as many of the local universities are on spring break. There is, however, no spring break for the orchestra in which Andre Harrison plays. But then again, there is no cramming for rehearsals, either. The percussionist is simply in the mood for a latte, and he patiently waits in the short line for one, leaning lightly on a cane clutched in his left hand.
Lucy does not have any exams to study for, either, but sleep is currently elsewhere, providing her the perfect excuse to slip into her usual coffee haunt. A few buttons on her long peacoat, quite obviously new, are loosened as she steps into the warm establishment, and assumes her place in line. Andre's cane catches her attention, and reaching forward around the person between them, she gives his sleeve a light tug. "Oy, Andre--that you, mate?"
The arm attached to the hand holding the cane stiffens as the sleeve encircling is tugged. After a couple of seconds of maneuvering of feet and cane, Andre tilts out sideways from the line, without losing his place, looking back toward the speaker. He only catches the side of Lucy's head from this angle, but that coupled with her voice is enough for recognition. "Lucy! Hey! It is!" His voice is not loud, but it is excited. "Good to see you out and about after...er." He cuts off in mid-sentence and looks up at the person standing between them.
"Yeah," Lucy says, semi-brightly, leaning out to meet Andre's gaze. Another person bustles in from inside, effectly locking her place in line until she reaches the counter. "If I stayed home and rested anymore, I'd lose my sodding mind," she laughs. "How are you?"
"So that /was/ you," Andre remarks, looking toward the side of Lucy's head again, speaking in quieter and more concerned tones. "Though I saw someone who looked like crawling out of there, and I thought maybe watching was making me go a little crazy, though I knew people I knew went in there and..." The line shifts forward and he steps along with it, nearly bumping the person up ahead of him as he's trying to converse. The near collision does, at least, serve to cut off that thread of speech. "I got major cabin fever after my leg was busted. I can understand the need to get out! I'm doing ok."
Lucy nods, stepping forward easily as the queue moves. She avoids the question, running fingers up the inside of her sling to scratch vaguely at bandages. "I've been wandering idly round the city like some homeless man," she sighs, rolling her eyes. "Taking extra shifts at work...just sitting about is more painful than the damn dislocated shoulder," she adds, eyeing the sling in distaste.
From this angle, Andre does not have a great view of the sling. He hadn't, in fact, even noticed it until Lucy mentioned the dislocation. The mention causes him to wince pronouncedly, air hissing audibly through his teeth as he emphatically shakes his head. "Agh, dislocated /shoulder/? Crap! That has to screw stuff up more than a leg thing would, in some ways. Though," he frowns a little, "shouldn't they be giving you paid leave for the injury instead of making you work more?"
"Oh, it's not so bad. A few weeks of a dreadfully unfashionable sling, some movement therapy--yours is much worse, mate, I think," she says. "And I sell /perfume/, it's not like I have any particularly thrilling job, mate. I need a distraction anyway." From what, she does not say, though her shoulder does not seem to be the case. "How's things otherwise?"
The line moves a little further forward. Andre wrinkles his nose at Lucy, then lifts his index finger off his cane in a teasing point. "/Perfume/?" he questions, voice lighter in mood than on the previous subject. "/You're/ that evil minion that sprays the hapless customers who have to walk through the department store in order to get to the part of the mall where the computer stuff is? Hmf!" He swings back into a proper forward-facing position for a few seconds, then leans out again with a grin. "You should come to my concert. I've been in rehearsals like usual. It's going to be good. I'm stuck on timpani for a while until I can move around well enough to do table percussion, but I'm not complaining, what with the Hindemith and all."
Lucy laughs loudly, disturbing the person between her and Andre and earning a disdainful sniff for the mishap. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," she says, sliding a hand in her pocket. "I'm quite good about only spraying snotty women, though. Don't want you blokes going home with a mysterious women's scent all over you, after all." Andre's explanation earns a few arched eyebrows, a general look of confusion, but another laugh over all. "Um, sure, I'll be there. I don't know what half those things are, but I'm always game for show. When is it?" The line slips forward, a tiny step.
Andre snickers at Lucy's defense of her job, noting, "My sinuses would have a cow about it way more than my girlfriend would, I think!" As she declares that she's up for a concert, though, Andre's smile changes from one of light teasing to one of genuine gratitude. "Awesome! It's this weekend. Friday and Saturday nights, then Sunday matinee. Really good program. I can probably swing you a comp, if you want. I've been able to get them before."
"Oh, either way is fine for me," she says with a half-shrug. "I can come on Saturday, I think. Maybe bring some poor bloke, make a date of it," she adds with a sly grin. The line shifts, she follows it progress as it edges forward and propels Andre nearly to the front of it. "Order your coffee, mate, we can talk details after."
"Nothing says romance like 20th century German music!" Andre grins. Nevermind that he and Beckah actually talk about such geeky things on their dates. "I've got your email address, right? I can let you know whether or not I can get comps that way." The person standing between Andre and Lucy appears both glad that he will not be stuck in the middle of a conversation for much longer, and mildly disappointed that /he/ is not the one getting the free concert tickets. "Yeah, I'll get a table. Though chances are I'll still be slow enough with my cane /and/ a cup of coffee that you'll get there first!" He snorts lightly, then approaches the counter to order.
Andre runs into Lucy post-Sanctuary. He continues to spaz about how close to home it was. Seems like all of his friends are getting broken, too!
12 March 2007:
Andre walks unevenly down the hallway of Autumn Lights, one hand gripping the handle of his cane and the other clutching a blue post it note. He glances between the note and the doors on either side of the hallway as he goes, squinting slightly until the number 600 shows up at last. He glances about for a doorbell, and when he sees none, he lifts the cane, standing solely on his own two feet for a moment, and raps the handle against Kathryn's door.
Kathryn's on her couch, eyes vacantly staring at the TV screen but not really watching it. One hand holds a cardboard takeout carton with chopsticks sticking from the top, from two days ago. Or three days ago. She couldn't remember. Her laptop is open on the seat cushion next to her, her work there abandoned for the moment. At the rap at the door Raylai, asleep on the back of the couch leaps up into the air with an unexpected yowl. The cat's noise makes Kathryn jump too, and she hurries over to the door, swinging the door open with her hand /not/ full of Chinese. "Oh hey! Thanks for coming over!" She sounds less good natured then usual, instead more just genuinely happy to see him, maybe even a bit relieved. "C’mon in, sit down." She offers, standing aside to let him in. "Don't mind the cat, she doesn't bite. Usually." She glances over at where the kitten is peering up suspiciously at Andre from behind the couch.
Andre grins as Kathryn opens the door, waving the hand with the post-it note still clamped between two fingers. "No problem! You asked, I wasn't busy, and there's no good reason to sit around my apartment and play with YouTube when there's a chance for a /real/ social life!" He sounds cheerful, definitely more casual than Kathryn does. At the mention of a cat, his eyes turn down toward the floor, seeking the animal in question. When assured that the cat is not underfoot, he tromps in, aiming toward the couch. "So, what's up?"
Kathryn closes the door behind Andre, seeming to remember her now-cold take out for the first time. "Um. I dunno. Kinda the same stuff." She sounds hesitant as she sighs, jabbing at chow mien with the chopsticks before picking up a few noodles. She shakes her head as she swallows. "Well, actually kinda not. Unless you count getting caught in an anti-mutant terrorist attack the 'same stuff'." She looks again into her noodles as she says this.
A great deal of the cheer drains out of Andre's expression, along with a good amount of the color. "Oh crap," he articulates with eloquence as he flumps onto the couch. He does not allow his cane to slide onto the floor, though, but instead grips the handle more tightly as he continues, voice heavy with concern, "You too? I thought I saw Lucy in it, and I ran into her last night and she's ok, but I had no idea you were..." There is a hint of whine in his tone. "You're ok, right? I mean physically. I know it's not possible to be mentally ok after that kind of thing..."
Kathryn's expression turns more somber and concerned at Andre's concern. She comes closer to the couch, setting down the carton on top of the TV. "Yeah, I'm doing okay." Same rote answer, same rote tone. "Just this." She holds up her hands, showing bandages across both palms. "But listen, listen, it's gonna be alright." She moves to take a seat across from Andre on the couch as the kitten skitters past in front of them to the kitchen. Kathryn watches the Siamese for a moment before looking back to Andre. "That's kinda what I kinda wanted to talk to you about." Her hands fold and unfold in her lap before she spreads them. "Everyone else thinks I'm taking this weird, I'm just really...really hoping you're not gonna think I've lost it too." She looks to Andre, almost pleading.
As Kathryn shows off her palms, Andre winces. The cane slips out of his hands and he absently rubs at his own arms, eyes remaining squintily lidded. They open wider again as the kitten skitters across the floor, tracking its motion before turning back to Kathryn. "Hey, you need to vent, I am good for venting. I've had more than my own share of nearly getting killed crap. I still can't help thinking how I could've been IN Sanctuary and...no." He shakes his head. "I am not going there, and you need sympathy, not my own worrying." At a fuller consideration of Kathryn's expression, he smiles slightly but gently. "You're well entitled to feel a little crazy after something like that. What is it?"
"No, that's just it! I'm /not/ crazy, it's just everyone else seems to kinda think I am!" Kathryn insists, her eyes widening at this. "Okay, um." She takes a breath. "See, what happened last week? I can fix it. See, you know what I can do. How I can transport around? It isn't just like room to room, I can move back." She gestures with her hands to emphasize this point. "Like in time." The hands come up at this. "I know it sounds strange, but I just need /someone/ to /believe/ me on this!"
Andre's eyes widen right back at Kathryn, the tilt of the brows above them pointing far more at awe than at disbelief. "You can?" His vocal inflection indicates to the same impression of the matter. "Whoa!" He blinks, after which his eyes open back to just as wide as before. "I mean. Wow. Guess it makes sense with the teleporting thing, same principle, sort of." He stretches his arms out in front of him, then continues. "If people can do all sorts of stuff, why wouldn't they believe that one over anything else?"
Kathryn noticeably relaxes, prepared defensiveness melting away. "Exactly!" She actually smiles at this. "If mutants can tear apart buildings, then why can't I go into the past?" For the first time in days she seems almost at ease. Almost, but not quite. She sobers again after a moment, her mind drawn back to her plans. "See, that's what I'm gonna do though. I'm gonna go back to last Sunday, and...keep us all from getting caught in there. Because it's the only real way to fix this." She insists adamantly.
Andre nods emphatically, then brushes his hair back from his eyes, tucking a few wayward strands behind one ear. "I'm coming to expect pretty much anything from people," Andre admits. "And also coming to understand why they wouldn't want to talk about it all. I mean. Talking about it happens in places like...the one that's not there anymore." He shakes his head now. The hair dislodges again. "But...how're you going to stop it by yourself? How exact is your aim with it? And what if you...run into yourself?" Chances are he's seen the same bad sci fi movies that everyone else has. He's surely not the only one to ask this.
Kathryn sighs, her shoulders slumping forward slightly. "I've only figured out part of it. I know I'm gonna need to get a new phone. When I get back there, I'm gonna call the cops, tell them I know of a threat. Something like that. And somehow I'll keep people out or something." She shrugs slightly. "As for meeting myself, I'm gonna hope it's the Star Trek approach and I can warn myself, instead of making myself cease to exist or something." Her hands fold into her lap a bit nervously. "See, I'm not /totally/ sure how I do it." She admits. "All the other times, it's just happened. And I've just watched, I've never actually tried to get involved or something. I'm just figuring that if I go back to the site, focus where I wanna go...it should work. I've not really /focused/ it before."
"But how far back do you think you'll need to go? Far enough to get the police there in time? But what evidence will you be able to show them if the doors aren't already blocked, like it said in the news?" Andre's interrogation is inflected more as if he wants to be sure all bases are covered than out of skepticism. His own hands fiddle at the fabric of his sleeves. "It just happened? I think that's how it works with everyone I talked to who can do mutant stuff." He laughs quietly. "Though ending up some/time/ weird? That has to be awkward."
"Sunday morning. Probably early morning, give me some give-time." Kathryn muses. "I'll tell 'em I have...news on a terrorist attack. Or plans that there's gonna be one. You know how everyone is when you say 'terrorist' these days, it should be enough to get their attention." Kathryn chews on the edge of one of her thumbnails as she thinks. "Yeah, seen some kinda strange stuff. Um...was like back in some ancient Greek battle or something one time. I think there was one during like Black Death or something...and San Francisco cable cars..." She trails off, rubbing her thumb up and down her cheek as she thinks back.
"You have a point," Andre points one index finger at Kathryn as he speaks, "about the terrorists. Big red button. Shouldn't be /too/ hard that way. But...what if /they/ see you in two places?" He squints at this. The squint becomes more analytical as Kathryn mentions that city across the Bay from him. "I...remember you saying you'd been to San Francisco. You zapped yourself there? Niice."
Kathryn nods. "Yeah. It was, it was pretty cool. All like old and stuff. And I remember this clock...5:10, 5:11." She trails off again, blinking before she shakes her head quickly, clearing her thoughts. "If they do see us both, I'll say she's my twin or something. I mean, not like there's 20 years difference between us or anything." She replies after a moment of thought. "You know what? All those other times? There was always some kinda chance I could get hurt...but you know, I never did. I disappeared before I could. If that's the case..." She frowns. "I'll have to be careful not to do anything to put me at risk so I don't get shot back before I'm done." Her frown deepens.
Andre continues to squint, though the intenseness of the lines in his face is offset by the sudden distant and searching focus of his eyes. "Always getting shot back before the real danger, that's good...but you can get yourself how close?" He sucks his lower lip into his mouth as he thinks for a moment, but it pops back out as his eyes open wide again, pulling back in to consider Kathryn. He first murmurs, "Five eleven...Um." And then, louder, practically startled, "San Francisco, HOW old really old?"
"I've never tried to get close before." Kathryn admits with a heavy sigh. "I should have, but I never thought about it like this. Just thought I'd always just be watching, instead of wanting to change stuff, ya know?" She pauses, blinking as Andre startles. "Umm, there were cable cars and such." She thinks for a moment. "I'm not like a real history buff or anything, I'd say like...100 years-ish?" She offers.
"One hundred years," Andre mouths, the words soft and not terribly resonant. "Morning or afternoon? And what season?" His forehead creases in considerable concern as he questions.
"Early morning. Like sunrise." Kathryn closes her eyes, bringing the vaguely fuzzy imagine into clearer image in her mind. "Kinda cool, but not cold. Like...spring. I was standing...leaning against a wall, watching the guys working. I don't think anyone noticed me, but I wasn't there for like a really long time." Her eyes crack open again to look again to Andre for his reaction.
"Holy crap." Now, Andre's words are barely audible, more a motion of his lips than a sound. "5:11 in the morning. Spring. San Francisco. 100 years ago," he lists, fingers twitching as he counts. "Holy crap." His eyes, open quite wide, lock into Kathryn's. "And that was it? Cable cars and quiet?"
"Yeah. Quiet. Real quiet." Kathryn nods in agreement. "5:11, then I was back. That was it." She tilts her head to one side as she answers.
Andre takes a long breath, the inhale slow and steady, the exhale making a soft hissing noise past his teeth. "Unless I'm reading you wrong here, or unless you're remembering it wrong," the way Andre says this indicates that he is fairly certain that either one is /not/ the case here, "you've really got the getting out before you get hurt thing down." He shakes his head, gently but stiffly. "Really well down. Holy crap."
Kathryn thinks, then shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I'm crappy at history. I can recite ya computer codes and the pieces you need to put an engine back together but I can't tell ya what happened when." She finally admits. "I know what I saw...but I think I'm kinda /missing/ just what I saw."
"You very narrowly missed the most destructive earthquake in American history," Andre explains, voice soft and earnest, eyes still directed at Kathryn's.
This floors Kathryn, she just sits still, her mouth opening and closing several times as this sinks in. It seems to all at once. "Yes! That major earthquake! Of course!" She all but jumps to her feet. "See? See?! I could be there /just/ before it happened, and still get out! See? I could get in, fix what happened, and get out again!" This seems to renew her certainty, even enthusiasm. She pauses, looking sharply over at Andre, holding his gaze. "You believe me then?" She hasn't doubted he does, but she just needs to hear it.
"You wouldn't have just been pulling details about 1906 out of thin air if you weren't, well, a total geek like me." Andre manages to look bewildered, impressed, and self-mocking all at once. "That's...just...holy crap. I believe you." He continues to look directly at her until he finishes this sentence, then stares up at the ceiling as if images are being projected upon it.
Kathryn spreads her hands again. "I told you, I'm totally /hopeless/ at history. I barely passed it with a passing grade in school!" Coming back to the couch she sits down, suddenly grabbing one of Andre's hands. "Thank you. Thank you just /so/ much! I mean...I told Beckah, and she said I needed to talk to someone because this wasn't healthy. Lucy, I'm not sure what she thought and...other then you three I can't think of anyone else I /can/ tell!"
The tug on his hand calls Andre's attention away from the ceiling again. "I think that's a good reason to learn more about history, if you can see it," he considers quietly. The mention of Beckah's skepticism causes him to tilt his head to the side. "She told you that? Huh...I guess it's related to her defense mechanism thing about other people's powers. Like she got with Lucy, you saw...I wouldn't be offended. She's not mean, and she puts up with /my/ crazy."
"No, no, I'm not offended. And she's still like my best friend but...it's just...it's been frustrating. They just think I'm not coping. Maybe I'm not. I'm living on nerves and Nyquil right now. /That's/ why it's so important I do this, I /fix/ this!" Kathryn realizes she's still holding Andre's hand, and lets it go quickly. "Can I ask you a favor?" She asks, hesitantly.
Andre nods slowly, flexing his fingers after Kathryn releases his hand. "What...kind of favor?" He answers the question with another one, just as hesitant.
"I need to go do this. Soon. And...I just want someone to come with me." She holds up a hand quickly before he can say anything. "I don't mean you gotta come back with me. Just with me back to the Sanctuary before I go." Her eyes lower, unable to make eye contact for a moment. "I don't know if I can go back and see it by myself."
"You /can/ take people with you?" Andre answers with a question yet again, though it is not a skeptical one. His brows prick upwards as if struck by a sudden thought outside of what has been spoken to him. "All the way back, I mean? Do you know? I could...go to the site, I think. I wasn't in it, but I saw it, but considering it's so close to where I live, I have to be able to walk past it eventually. I could go. But...can you take people /back/ with you?" The second iteration of that question is more insistent.
Kathryn looks up, blinking. "I...not that I know of. I've never taken anyone back with me before." Her head tilts down again. "Guess I fail at being a mutant, don't even know what all I totally can do or not." She glances up again. "When I do it normally, not back in time, I know I can take smaller stuff or smaller people, but I don't know about back in time." She watches him curiously at his insistence. "Why?"
"Your talk about stopping big things has me thinking, that's all." Andre's elaboration on this is quiet, and he swings his right leg a little, the left foot wiggling in a smaller version of that motion. "If you can take people back. If you can stop the Sanctuary. Could you...uh." His cheeks begin to flush pink. "Take me to 1906? Back to where you were?"
Kathryn tilts her head to the side, giving him a softer smile as she nods. "Just let me do this, and I would be more then happy to try it for you. I mean, if you do this for me, very least I could do would be try'n return the favor." Her smile spreads just a little further.
Andre's eyes flash with this agreement, and he murmurs, "If I could be in 1906 and be there when it starts instead of leaving right before...maybe it just /wouldn't/ have..." He presses his lips tightly together for a moment, then adds. "Of course I'm letting you do that. It's making a difference. A good difference. /Thank/ you."
Kathryn smiles again, looking almost on the verge of tears again, but this time happy and relieved. "Thank you. Thank you /so/ much, you have /no/ idea how much this means." Her voice wavers slightly and she breaks off to take a deep, shaky breath. She looks up towards the ceiling before she regains control of her voice. "I'll do what I can, if I'm careful I should be able to take you too." She nods. "Um, I do need to go buy another cell phone before I do this but...tomorrow night? Or even Wednesday, but I just wanna get this over with." She sighs tiredly.
Andre looks down at his wrist. This would be effective if he were wearing a wristwatch, but he is not. His hand falls back into his lap. "You tell me when. Just not Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Concert." He nods, then pauses, corners of his lips tugging downward. "If we get stuck there, the worst that happens is we relive the week?"
"If /I/ get stuck there." Kathryn corrects quietly. "Not gonna ask you to come back with me." She looks up, rubbing her hands together in her lap. "Tomorrow then? I wanna go in the middle of the night, so not people around to watch or try'n keep us away. If that's not a problem? I can call you before I'm planning on leaving?" She offers.
Andre's fingers tap a pattern against his knees. "I'm a night person. You can call." He gives a little smile, then laughs quietly. "Ma-an. Sounds like something that could be a movie. Not a /real/ tomorrow night thing. But you can call."
Kathryn nods, giving him another slight smile as she partially thinks back into her own thoughts. "I'll call you then. We'll take it from there." She agrees, looking back up. "Thank you." She repeats. "Really."
"No problem," Andre responds, the sentiment genuine in his voice. "So not expected, but not a problem."
"I'm just so glad you're not telling me I'm crazy or need to talk to a professional or something." Kathryn smiles again, sitting back fully into the couch cushions.
"I stop earthquakes," Andre reminds Kathryn with a smile, "and my girlfriend has four arms. Even if you were crazy, I wouldn't be so fazed."
Kathryn laughs a little. "Yeah, you're right. Normal and weird are all relative I guess." Despite everything, this is the most relaxed she's been all week. "Hey, you want anything? Got some stuff to eat and drink around, unless you needed to get going or anything?" She asks, sitting up again.
Andre leans a little further back into the couch, experimentally tapping his left foot on the ground. "Really reeeally relative!" he elaborates. "I'm not in a hurry. And you've got all the time in the world, apparently!" The grin following that statement is wide and toothy.
"Yeah, you're right on that. It's either stay awake, or gulp down some Nyquil and crash on the couch to the sounds of infomercials." Kathryn jokes darkly, getting up from the couch. She heads into the kitchen and comes back with two cans of Pepsi, one of which she hands to Andre before sitting back down again.
Andre accepts the Pepsi with a nod of thanks, then knocks one finger against the side of the can several times before popping open the tab. "You may want to try and get some good sleep before you try something big like this, though. More alert, less nerves, you know?"
Kathryn slumps back into the couch cushions as she cracks open her can. "Yeah. Been trying to sleep, it's just not that easy." She takes a drink before speaking again. "Been being careful to not wear myself out or anything so I can be certain I can make the jump." Even as she speaks she stifles a yawn with the back of her hand before shaking it off.
Andre takes a sip of his soda before tipping the can carefully, so as not to spill, toward Kathryn. "Caffeine's not going to help it," he points out gently. "Er. How long ago did you decide you needed to do this?"
"I /live/ on caffeine." Kathryn takes another drink, then sets the can on the ground near her feet. "Couple of days. I mean, it's only been a week." There was a pause as she thinks. "Only a week. Damn." She shakes her head. "I mean, first couple'a days I was so shocky and weird I couldn't think straight, but then it came to me. That I wanted to.../needed/ to do this. Ya know?"
Andre nods slowly, index finger tapping a cadence against the side of the can. "My sense of time got all screwed up after the riot and the blackout and the thing with my leg..." He frowns down at his crutch on the floor. "It takes a while to get bearings again after something big and cataclysmic like that. And it makes sense to want to get rid of that however you can. You just have a better way of getting rid of it!"
Kathryn smiles again, nodding. "Who knows. After I fix this, and if I can take you back like you want, maybe I'll be able to fix all kinds of things. Always wanted to be able to fix things, make 'em better. Actually really can like this." Her smile grows, pleased with the idea.
"There's only so much one or two people would be able to do in any one place," Andre considers, "but that's still something. Plenty of something!"
"It's a start!" Kathryn agrees with a nod. "A real good start."
Kathryn explains her Master Time Travel Plan. Andre is oh so gullible.
The college student crowd is thinner than usual tonight; the usual Sunday bustle for caffeine in order to finish that procrastinated homework before it's due on Monday morning is lacking this week, as many of the local universities are on spring break. There is, however, no spring break for the orchestra in which Andre Harrison plays. But then again, there is no cramming for rehearsals, either. The percussionist is simply in the mood for a latte, and he patiently waits in the short line for one, leaning lightly on a cane clutched in his left hand.
Lucy does not have any exams to study for, either, but sleep is currently elsewhere, providing her the perfect excuse to slip into her usual coffee haunt. A few buttons on her long peacoat, quite obviously new, are loosened as she steps into the warm establishment, and assumes her place in line. Andre's cane catches her attention, and reaching forward around the person between them, she gives his sleeve a light tug. "Oy, Andre--that you, mate?"
The arm attached to the hand holding the cane stiffens as the sleeve encircling is tugged. After a couple of seconds of maneuvering of feet and cane, Andre tilts out sideways from the line, without losing his place, looking back toward the speaker. He only catches the side of Lucy's head from this angle, but that coupled with her voice is enough for recognition. "Lucy! Hey! It is!" His voice is not loud, but it is excited. "Good to see you out and about after...er." He cuts off in mid-sentence and looks up at the person standing between them.
"Yeah," Lucy says, semi-brightly, leaning out to meet Andre's gaze. Another person bustles in from inside, effectly locking her place in line until she reaches the counter. "If I stayed home and rested anymore, I'd lose my sodding mind," she laughs. "How are you?"
"So that /was/ you," Andre remarks, looking toward the side of Lucy's head again, speaking in quieter and more concerned tones. "Though I saw someone who looked like crawling out of there, and I thought maybe watching was making me go a little crazy, though I knew people I knew went in there and..." The line shifts forward and he steps along with it, nearly bumping the person up ahead of him as he's trying to converse. The near collision does, at least, serve to cut off that thread of speech. "I got major cabin fever after my leg was busted. I can understand the need to get out! I'm doing ok."
Lucy nods, stepping forward easily as the queue moves. She avoids the question, running fingers up the inside of her sling to scratch vaguely at bandages. "I've been wandering idly round the city like some homeless man," she sighs, rolling her eyes. "Taking extra shifts at work...just sitting about is more painful than the damn dislocated shoulder," she adds, eyeing the sling in distaste.
From this angle, Andre does not have a great view of the sling. He hadn't, in fact, even noticed it until Lucy mentioned the dislocation. The mention causes him to wince pronouncedly, air hissing audibly through his teeth as he emphatically shakes his head. "Agh, dislocated /shoulder/? Crap! That has to screw stuff up more than a leg thing would, in some ways. Though," he frowns a little, "shouldn't they be giving you paid leave for the injury instead of making you work more?"
"Oh, it's not so bad. A few weeks of a dreadfully unfashionable sling, some movement therapy--yours is much worse, mate, I think," she says. "And I sell /perfume/, it's not like I have any particularly thrilling job, mate. I need a distraction anyway." From what, she does not say, though her shoulder does not seem to be the case. "How's things otherwise?"
The line moves a little further forward. Andre wrinkles his nose at Lucy, then lifts his index finger off his cane in a teasing point. "/Perfume/?" he questions, voice lighter in mood than on the previous subject. "/You're/ that evil minion that sprays the hapless customers who have to walk through the department store in order to get to the part of the mall where the computer stuff is? Hmf!" He swings back into a proper forward-facing position for a few seconds, then leans out again with a grin. "You should come to my concert. I've been in rehearsals like usual. It's going to be good. I'm stuck on timpani for a while until I can move around well enough to do table percussion, but I'm not complaining, what with the Hindemith and all."
Lucy laughs loudly, disturbing the person between her and Andre and earning a disdainful sniff for the mishap. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," she says, sliding a hand in her pocket. "I'm quite good about only spraying snotty women, though. Don't want you blokes going home with a mysterious women's scent all over you, after all." Andre's explanation earns a few arched eyebrows, a general look of confusion, but another laugh over all. "Um, sure, I'll be there. I don't know what half those things are, but I'm always game for show. When is it?" The line slips forward, a tiny step.
Andre snickers at Lucy's defense of her job, noting, "My sinuses would have a cow about it way more than my girlfriend would, I think!" As she declares that she's up for a concert, though, Andre's smile changes from one of light teasing to one of genuine gratitude. "Awesome! It's this weekend. Friday and Saturday nights, then Sunday matinee. Really good program. I can probably swing you a comp, if you want. I've been able to get them before."
"Oh, either way is fine for me," she says with a half-shrug. "I can come on Saturday, I think. Maybe bring some poor bloke, make a date of it," she adds with a sly grin. The line shifts, she follows it progress as it edges forward and propels Andre nearly to the front of it. "Order your coffee, mate, we can talk details after."
"Nothing says romance like 20th century German music!" Andre grins. Nevermind that he and Beckah actually talk about such geeky things on their dates. "I've got your email address, right? I can let you know whether or not I can get comps that way." The person standing between Andre and Lucy appears both glad that he will not be stuck in the middle of a conversation for much longer, and mildly disappointed that /he/ is not the one getting the free concert tickets. "Yeah, I'll get a table. Though chances are I'll still be slow enough with my cane /and/ a cup of coffee that you'll get there first!" He snorts lightly, then approaches the counter to order.
Andre runs into Lucy post-Sanctuary. He continues to spaz about how close to home it was. Seems like all of his friends are getting broken, too!
12 March 2007:
Andre walks unevenly down the hallway of Autumn Lights, one hand gripping the handle of his cane and the other clutching a blue post it note. He glances between the note and the doors on either side of the hallway as he goes, squinting slightly until the number 600 shows up at last. He glances about for a doorbell, and when he sees none, he lifts the cane, standing solely on his own two feet for a moment, and raps the handle against Kathryn's door.
Kathryn's on her couch, eyes vacantly staring at the TV screen but not really watching it. One hand holds a cardboard takeout carton with chopsticks sticking from the top, from two days ago. Or three days ago. She couldn't remember. Her laptop is open on the seat cushion next to her, her work there abandoned for the moment. At the rap at the door Raylai, asleep on the back of the couch leaps up into the air with an unexpected yowl. The cat's noise makes Kathryn jump too, and she hurries over to the door, swinging the door open with her hand /not/ full of Chinese. "Oh hey! Thanks for coming over!" She sounds less good natured then usual, instead more just genuinely happy to see him, maybe even a bit relieved. "C’mon in, sit down." She offers, standing aside to let him in. "Don't mind the cat, she doesn't bite. Usually." She glances over at where the kitten is peering up suspiciously at Andre from behind the couch.
Andre grins as Kathryn opens the door, waving the hand with the post-it note still clamped between two fingers. "No problem! You asked, I wasn't busy, and there's no good reason to sit around my apartment and play with YouTube when there's a chance for a /real/ social life!" He sounds cheerful, definitely more casual than Kathryn does. At the mention of a cat, his eyes turn down toward the floor, seeking the animal in question. When assured that the cat is not underfoot, he tromps in, aiming toward the couch. "So, what's up?"
Kathryn closes the door behind Andre, seeming to remember her now-cold take out for the first time. "Um. I dunno. Kinda the same stuff." She sounds hesitant as she sighs, jabbing at chow mien with the chopsticks before picking up a few noodles. She shakes her head as she swallows. "Well, actually kinda not. Unless you count getting caught in an anti-mutant terrorist attack the 'same stuff'." She looks again into her noodles as she says this.
A great deal of the cheer drains out of Andre's expression, along with a good amount of the color. "Oh crap," he articulates with eloquence as he flumps onto the couch. He does not allow his cane to slide onto the floor, though, but instead grips the handle more tightly as he continues, voice heavy with concern, "You too? I thought I saw Lucy in it, and I ran into her last night and she's ok, but I had no idea you were..." There is a hint of whine in his tone. "You're ok, right? I mean physically. I know it's not possible to be mentally ok after that kind of thing..."
Kathryn's expression turns more somber and concerned at Andre's concern. She comes closer to the couch, setting down the carton on top of the TV. "Yeah, I'm doing okay." Same rote answer, same rote tone. "Just this." She holds up her hands, showing bandages across both palms. "But listen, listen, it's gonna be alright." She moves to take a seat across from Andre on the couch as the kitten skitters past in front of them to the kitchen. Kathryn watches the Siamese for a moment before looking back to Andre. "That's kinda what I kinda wanted to talk to you about." Her hands fold and unfold in her lap before she spreads them. "Everyone else thinks I'm taking this weird, I'm just really...really hoping you're not gonna think I've lost it too." She looks to Andre, almost pleading.
As Kathryn shows off her palms, Andre winces. The cane slips out of his hands and he absently rubs at his own arms, eyes remaining squintily lidded. They open wider again as the kitten skitters across the floor, tracking its motion before turning back to Kathryn. "Hey, you need to vent, I am good for venting. I've had more than my own share of nearly getting killed crap. I still can't help thinking how I could've been IN Sanctuary and...no." He shakes his head. "I am not going there, and you need sympathy, not my own worrying." At a fuller consideration of Kathryn's expression, he smiles slightly but gently. "You're well entitled to feel a little crazy after something like that. What is it?"
"No, that's just it! I'm /not/ crazy, it's just everyone else seems to kinda think I am!" Kathryn insists, her eyes widening at this. "Okay, um." She takes a breath. "See, what happened last week? I can fix it. See, you know what I can do. How I can transport around? It isn't just like room to room, I can move back." She gestures with her hands to emphasize this point. "Like in time." The hands come up at this. "I know it sounds strange, but I just need /someone/ to /believe/ me on this!"
Andre's eyes widen right back at Kathryn, the tilt of the brows above them pointing far more at awe than at disbelief. "You can?" His vocal inflection indicates to the same impression of the matter. "Whoa!" He blinks, after which his eyes open back to just as wide as before. "I mean. Wow. Guess it makes sense with the teleporting thing, same principle, sort of." He stretches his arms out in front of him, then continues. "If people can do all sorts of stuff, why wouldn't they believe that one over anything else?"
Kathryn noticeably relaxes, prepared defensiveness melting away. "Exactly!" She actually smiles at this. "If mutants can tear apart buildings, then why can't I go into the past?" For the first time in days she seems almost at ease. Almost, but not quite. She sobers again after a moment, her mind drawn back to her plans. "See, that's what I'm gonna do though. I'm gonna go back to last Sunday, and...keep us all from getting caught in there. Because it's the only real way to fix this." She insists adamantly.
Andre nods emphatically, then brushes his hair back from his eyes, tucking a few wayward strands behind one ear. "I'm coming to expect pretty much anything from people," Andre admits. "And also coming to understand why they wouldn't want to talk about it all. I mean. Talking about it happens in places like...the one that's not there anymore." He shakes his head now. The hair dislodges again. "But...how're you going to stop it by yourself? How exact is your aim with it? And what if you...run into yourself?" Chances are he's seen the same bad sci fi movies that everyone else has. He's surely not the only one to ask this.
Kathryn sighs, her shoulders slumping forward slightly. "I've only figured out part of it. I know I'm gonna need to get a new phone. When I get back there, I'm gonna call the cops, tell them I know of a threat. Something like that. And somehow I'll keep people out or something." She shrugs slightly. "As for meeting myself, I'm gonna hope it's the Star Trek approach and I can warn myself, instead of making myself cease to exist or something." Her hands fold into her lap a bit nervously. "See, I'm not /totally/ sure how I do it." She admits. "All the other times, it's just happened. And I've just watched, I've never actually tried to get involved or something. I'm just figuring that if I go back to the site, focus where I wanna go...it should work. I've not really /focused/ it before."
"But how far back do you think you'll need to go? Far enough to get the police there in time? But what evidence will you be able to show them if the doors aren't already blocked, like it said in the news?" Andre's interrogation is inflected more as if he wants to be sure all bases are covered than out of skepticism. His own hands fiddle at the fabric of his sleeves. "It just happened? I think that's how it works with everyone I talked to who can do mutant stuff." He laughs quietly. "Though ending up some/time/ weird? That has to be awkward."
"Sunday morning. Probably early morning, give me some give-time." Kathryn muses. "I'll tell 'em I have...news on a terrorist attack. Or plans that there's gonna be one. You know how everyone is when you say 'terrorist' these days, it should be enough to get their attention." Kathryn chews on the edge of one of her thumbnails as she thinks. "Yeah, seen some kinda strange stuff. Um...was like back in some ancient Greek battle or something one time. I think there was one during like Black Death or something...and San Francisco cable cars..." She trails off, rubbing her thumb up and down her cheek as she thinks back.
"You have a point," Andre points one index finger at Kathryn as he speaks, "about the terrorists. Big red button. Shouldn't be /too/ hard that way. But...what if /they/ see you in two places?" He squints at this. The squint becomes more analytical as Kathryn mentions that city across the Bay from him. "I...remember you saying you'd been to San Francisco. You zapped yourself there? Niice."
Kathryn nods. "Yeah. It was, it was pretty cool. All like old and stuff. And I remember this clock...5:10, 5:11." She trails off again, blinking before she shakes her head quickly, clearing her thoughts. "If they do see us both, I'll say she's my twin or something. I mean, not like there's 20 years difference between us or anything." She replies after a moment of thought. "You know what? All those other times? There was always some kinda chance I could get hurt...but you know, I never did. I disappeared before I could. If that's the case..." She frowns. "I'll have to be careful not to do anything to put me at risk so I don't get shot back before I'm done." Her frown deepens.
Andre continues to squint, though the intenseness of the lines in his face is offset by the sudden distant and searching focus of his eyes. "Always getting shot back before the real danger, that's good...but you can get yourself how close?" He sucks his lower lip into his mouth as he thinks for a moment, but it pops back out as his eyes open wide again, pulling back in to consider Kathryn. He first murmurs, "Five eleven...Um." And then, louder, practically startled, "San Francisco, HOW old really old?"
"I've never tried to get close before." Kathryn admits with a heavy sigh. "I should have, but I never thought about it like this. Just thought I'd always just be watching, instead of wanting to change stuff, ya know?" She pauses, blinking as Andre startles. "Umm, there were cable cars and such." She thinks for a moment. "I'm not like a real history buff or anything, I'd say like...100 years-ish?" She offers.
"One hundred years," Andre mouths, the words soft and not terribly resonant. "Morning or afternoon? And what season?" His forehead creases in considerable concern as he questions.
"Early morning. Like sunrise." Kathryn closes her eyes, bringing the vaguely fuzzy imagine into clearer image in her mind. "Kinda cool, but not cold. Like...spring. I was standing...leaning against a wall, watching the guys working. I don't think anyone noticed me, but I wasn't there for like a really long time." Her eyes crack open again to look again to Andre for his reaction.
"Holy crap." Now, Andre's words are barely audible, more a motion of his lips than a sound. "5:11 in the morning. Spring. San Francisco. 100 years ago," he lists, fingers twitching as he counts. "Holy crap." His eyes, open quite wide, lock into Kathryn's. "And that was it? Cable cars and quiet?"
"Yeah. Quiet. Real quiet." Kathryn nods in agreement. "5:11, then I was back. That was it." She tilts her head to one side as she answers.
Andre takes a long breath, the inhale slow and steady, the exhale making a soft hissing noise past his teeth. "Unless I'm reading you wrong here, or unless you're remembering it wrong," the way Andre says this indicates that he is fairly certain that either one is /not/ the case here, "you've really got the getting out before you get hurt thing down." He shakes his head, gently but stiffly. "Really well down. Holy crap."
Kathryn thinks, then shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I'm crappy at history. I can recite ya computer codes and the pieces you need to put an engine back together but I can't tell ya what happened when." She finally admits. "I know what I saw...but I think I'm kinda /missing/ just what I saw."
"You very narrowly missed the most destructive earthquake in American history," Andre explains, voice soft and earnest, eyes still directed at Kathryn's.
This floors Kathryn, she just sits still, her mouth opening and closing several times as this sinks in. It seems to all at once. "Yes! That major earthquake! Of course!" She all but jumps to her feet. "See? See?! I could be there /just/ before it happened, and still get out! See? I could get in, fix what happened, and get out again!" This seems to renew her certainty, even enthusiasm. She pauses, looking sharply over at Andre, holding his gaze. "You believe me then?" She hasn't doubted he does, but she just needs to hear it.
"You wouldn't have just been pulling details about 1906 out of thin air if you weren't, well, a total geek like me." Andre manages to look bewildered, impressed, and self-mocking all at once. "That's...just...holy crap. I believe you." He continues to look directly at her until he finishes this sentence, then stares up at the ceiling as if images are being projected upon it.
Kathryn spreads her hands again. "I told you, I'm totally /hopeless/ at history. I barely passed it with a passing grade in school!" Coming back to the couch she sits down, suddenly grabbing one of Andre's hands. "Thank you. Thank you just /so/ much! I mean...I told Beckah, and she said I needed to talk to someone because this wasn't healthy. Lucy, I'm not sure what she thought and...other then you three I can't think of anyone else I /can/ tell!"
The tug on his hand calls Andre's attention away from the ceiling again. "I think that's a good reason to learn more about history, if you can see it," he considers quietly. The mention of Beckah's skepticism causes him to tilt his head to the side. "She told you that? Huh...I guess it's related to her defense mechanism thing about other people's powers. Like she got with Lucy, you saw...I wouldn't be offended. She's not mean, and she puts up with /my/ crazy."
"No, no, I'm not offended. And she's still like my best friend but...it's just...it's been frustrating. They just think I'm not coping. Maybe I'm not. I'm living on nerves and Nyquil right now. /That's/ why it's so important I do this, I /fix/ this!" Kathryn realizes she's still holding Andre's hand, and lets it go quickly. "Can I ask you a favor?" She asks, hesitantly.
Andre nods slowly, flexing his fingers after Kathryn releases his hand. "What...kind of favor?" He answers the question with another one, just as hesitant.
"I need to go do this. Soon. And...I just want someone to come with me." She holds up a hand quickly before he can say anything. "I don't mean you gotta come back with me. Just with me back to the Sanctuary before I go." Her eyes lower, unable to make eye contact for a moment. "I don't know if I can go back and see it by myself."
"You /can/ take people with you?" Andre answers with a question yet again, though it is not a skeptical one. His brows prick upwards as if struck by a sudden thought outside of what has been spoken to him. "All the way back, I mean? Do you know? I could...go to the site, I think. I wasn't in it, but I saw it, but considering it's so close to where I live, I have to be able to walk past it eventually. I could go. But...can you take people /back/ with you?" The second iteration of that question is more insistent.
Kathryn looks up, blinking. "I...not that I know of. I've never taken anyone back with me before." Her head tilts down again. "Guess I fail at being a mutant, don't even know what all I totally can do or not." She glances up again. "When I do it normally, not back in time, I know I can take smaller stuff or smaller people, but I don't know about back in time." She watches him curiously at his insistence. "Why?"
"Your talk about stopping big things has me thinking, that's all." Andre's elaboration on this is quiet, and he swings his right leg a little, the left foot wiggling in a smaller version of that motion. "If you can take people back. If you can stop the Sanctuary. Could you...uh." His cheeks begin to flush pink. "Take me to 1906? Back to where you were?"
Kathryn tilts her head to the side, giving him a softer smile as she nods. "Just let me do this, and I would be more then happy to try it for you. I mean, if you do this for me, very least I could do would be try'n return the favor." Her smile spreads just a little further.
Andre's eyes flash with this agreement, and he murmurs, "If I could be in 1906 and be there when it starts instead of leaving right before...maybe it just /wouldn't/ have..." He presses his lips tightly together for a moment, then adds. "Of course I'm letting you do that. It's making a difference. A good difference. /Thank/ you."
Kathryn smiles again, looking almost on the verge of tears again, but this time happy and relieved. "Thank you. Thank you /so/ much, you have /no/ idea how much this means." Her voice wavers slightly and she breaks off to take a deep, shaky breath. She looks up towards the ceiling before she regains control of her voice. "I'll do what I can, if I'm careful I should be able to take you too." She nods. "Um, I do need to go buy another cell phone before I do this but...tomorrow night? Or even Wednesday, but I just wanna get this over with." She sighs tiredly.
Andre looks down at his wrist. This would be effective if he were wearing a wristwatch, but he is not. His hand falls back into his lap. "You tell me when. Just not Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Concert." He nods, then pauses, corners of his lips tugging downward. "If we get stuck there, the worst that happens is we relive the week?"
"If /I/ get stuck there." Kathryn corrects quietly. "Not gonna ask you to come back with me." She looks up, rubbing her hands together in her lap. "Tomorrow then? I wanna go in the middle of the night, so not people around to watch or try'n keep us away. If that's not a problem? I can call you before I'm planning on leaving?" She offers.
Andre's fingers tap a pattern against his knees. "I'm a night person. You can call." He gives a little smile, then laughs quietly. "Ma-an. Sounds like something that could be a movie. Not a /real/ tomorrow night thing. But you can call."
Kathryn nods, giving him another slight smile as she partially thinks back into her own thoughts. "I'll call you then. We'll take it from there." She agrees, looking back up. "Thank you." She repeats. "Really."
"No problem," Andre responds, the sentiment genuine in his voice. "So not expected, but not a problem."
"I'm just so glad you're not telling me I'm crazy or need to talk to a professional or something." Kathryn smiles again, sitting back fully into the couch cushions.
"I stop earthquakes," Andre reminds Kathryn with a smile, "and my girlfriend has four arms. Even if you were crazy, I wouldn't be so fazed."
Kathryn laughs a little. "Yeah, you're right. Normal and weird are all relative I guess." Despite everything, this is the most relaxed she's been all week. "Hey, you want anything? Got some stuff to eat and drink around, unless you needed to get going or anything?" She asks, sitting up again.
Andre leans a little further back into the couch, experimentally tapping his left foot on the ground. "Really reeeally relative!" he elaborates. "I'm not in a hurry. And you've got all the time in the world, apparently!" The grin following that statement is wide and toothy.
"Yeah, you're right on that. It's either stay awake, or gulp down some Nyquil and crash on the couch to the sounds of infomercials." Kathryn jokes darkly, getting up from the couch. She heads into the kitchen and comes back with two cans of Pepsi, one of which she hands to Andre before sitting back down again.
Andre accepts the Pepsi with a nod of thanks, then knocks one finger against the side of the can several times before popping open the tab. "You may want to try and get some good sleep before you try something big like this, though. More alert, less nerves, you know?"
Kathryn slumps back into the couch cushions as she cracks open her can. "Yeah. Been trying to sleep, it's just not that easy." She takes a drink before speaking again. "Been being careful to not wear myself out or anything so I can be certain I can make the jump." Even as she speaks she stifles a yawn with the back of her hand before shaking it off.
Andre takes a sip of his soda before tipping the can carefully, so as not to spill, toward Kathryn. "Caffeine's not going to help it," he points out gently. "Er. How long ago did you decide you needed to do this?"
"I /live/ on caffeine." Kathryn takes another drink, then sets the can on the ground near her feet. "Couple of days. I mean, it's only been a week." There was a pause as she thinks. "Only a week. Damn." She shakes her head. "I mean, first couple'a days I was so shocky and weird I couldn't think straight, but then it came to me. That I wanted to.../needed/ to do this. Ya know?"
Andre nods slowly, index finger tapping a cadence against the side of the can. "My sense of time got all screwed up after the riot and the blackout and the thing with my leg..." He frowns down at his crutch on the floor. "It takes a while to get bearings again after something big and cataclysmic like that. And it makes sense to want to get rid of that however you can. You just have a better way of getting rid of it!"
Kathryn smiles again, nodding. "Who knows. After I fix this, and if I can take you back like you want, maybe I'll be able to fix all kinds of things. Always wanted to be able to fix things, make 'em better. Actually really can like this." Her smile grows, pleased with the idea.
"There's only so much one or two people would be able to do in any one place," Andre considers, "but that's still something. Plenty of something!"
"It's a start!" Kathryn agrees with a nod. "A real good start."
Kathryn explains her Master Time Travel Plan. Andre is oh so gullible.