Morning beachcombing [OPEN POST]

[too_late4tom]

After a strange incident with his pet turtle in the wee hours of the morning, Tom tried to get back to sleep. After staring restlessly at the ceiling for a couple of hours, he decided to get an early start on his day instead

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[iamsthenyaer]

Well, apparently it's the day for people out to walk around early. A girl with brown hair and a pretty, but relaxed blue dress is sipping on coffee and absentmindedly walking along the surf. When Tom (or the girl) get closer to each other, they'll both recognize each other.

"Oh, hey, Tom," Mel says. She gives him a wave and a grin, trotting over to him. "Haven't seen you in a while. How're you doing?"

[iamsthenyaer]

Mel laughs. "Believe me, I know her too well."

She smiles a little. "If it wasn't for the Nexus, I'd have never met Gibbs. The place is... well, it is." That seems like a good way to put it. "And yeah, as in that. Plus a few other things."

[too_late4tom]

"How long have you known Sarah?" He asks curiously. Sarah told him once that Mel was the first off-world person she befriended, but he never asked for specifics.

"Sarah likes it," he says. "She keeps going back, anyway. Personally, I think enough has happened to me that I don't need to tempt fate."

[iamsthenyaer]

"Oh, gods. About..." Mel thinks for a minute "Maybe five years? And some change? She's family now. She's been there for me when I get into trouble or trouble comes after me." Mel gives him a sheepish smile.

"Well, I can respect you for not going to the Nexus and then bitching about it. It's always annoying when people go to the Nexus and are all 'blah blah blah, this place sucks, the people are idiots, blah blah' but keep coming." She makes a face.

[too_late4tom]

"Wow, that's a long time. You kinda grew up with her."

Tom can't help but laugh at that. "Really? People go to the Nexus and then complain about it?" He shakes his head. "Now I'm really glad I don't go."

[iamsthenyaer]

Mel thinks about that for a moment. "You know... you're right. I have." She smiles.

"Everybody complains about the Nexus at some point or another. I have. Triv - my teacher - has. Sarah has. But it's not a terrible place." She takes a swig of her coffee. "Nnn. I think I'm running low." She glowers at the cup, as if this will solve everything.

[too_late4tom]

"She's a good person to grow up with," he says, half to himself.

Tom looks a little incredulous at that, then sighs. "No, I suppose not. I mean, it saved our City, and it saved Sarah in a lot of ways." He's still not inclined to visit any time soon, however. He looks into own cup, which is also almost empty. "Yeah, me too. I got my coffee at a store near my apartment, but I think there's another place open if we keep walking."

[iamsthenyaer]

Mel nods.

She gives him a nod and a slight smile. "Coffee is good. I used to visit the Tastee Eets every so often." She gets a little, peaceful smile on her face, thinking of Gibbs. "Anyway, where is this place where we can get a warmup?"

[too_late4tom]

Tom remembers that as the diner where Gibbs worked. The smile is a clue, too. At least Melinda doesn't seem as soppy for Gibbs as Sarah does for Doc. "It's a couple of blocks away. It's not on the beach, it's a street over. Most of the beach stores are closed during the winter."

[iamsthenyaer]

Mel can be soppy at times, and she might have been a couple of years ago, but now she's not so much. She loves Gibbs deeply, and would be quick to correct anyone that thought otherwise, but she knows that not everyone sees a girl babbling about her boyfriend as sweet.

"Yeah, not many people want to visit a freezing cold beach. There was a couple of beaches where I grew up, but they weren't that great. I always got my feet hurt by washed up shells." She takes a quick, last gulp of her coffee, then looks around to make sure nobody else is there. Then the cup she had the coffee in turns to dust, floating away on the breeze. "... now that I'm done showing off, lead the way."

[too_late4tom]

Tom is happy for Sarah, but she and Schreber can be a little too cutesy sometimes. And forget about that time he saw Mary and Doc. Or rather, he'd like to forget about that, very much.

"We have some shells here, but not too many. I think Orwell has collected them all." He blinks a little at the disappearing coffee cup, but he's seen something like that before, and he knows about Mel's powers. "Time for one more?" He asks with a sudden grin, offering Melinda his empty cup. "Much better than littering."

[iamsthenyaer]

It's possible that he just feels like that because it's, well, his sister. Everybody feels that about family.

"Heee. I wouldn't put it past him. He's a good bird." Mel grins and takes the cup, and without any trouble, turns the cup to dust as well. "Yeah, totally. And it'll leave less trash for anybody that cleans it up, y'know?"

[too_late4tom]

"Pretty nifty." It occurs to him that he's never seen Irma use her powers, and feels oddly disappointed about that. Maybe she doesn't trust him enough. Or herself enough.

"Well, now that we've done our civic duty, let's go get that coffee." He shoves his hands in his pocket and starts to walk off the beach onto the adjacent street, but at an easy pace, so Melinda can walk beside him.

[iamsthenyaer]

She can't help but look a little proud at that. "Thanks."

Mel could probably keep up beside him even if he went into a jog. She walks alongside him and looks up at the clouds. "I wonder if Murdoch puts thought into the clouds, or if they just happen. I'm gonna have to poke him about it."