Eden Station

Participants:

s_joseph_icon.gif s_kaylee_icon.gif

Scene Title Eden Station
Synopsis Kaylee has to fight with temptation when she walks the Garden of Eden… or is it Grand Central Terminal?
Date December 06, 2009

Dreamscape


The subway tunnel has changed since last Kaylee was here. It's not bad, what they've done with the place. Cracks in concrete flourish with flora, vines of imaginary names and species winding out through the craggy crevices and blossoming with perfectly symmetrical leaves and wee flowers. They climb up concrete pillars, clinging as they vein up the arching ceilings of the Grand Central Terminal's basement. Moss crawls along splitted tile, and pushing up through twisted train track, branches bending to accommodate the electric lights and tall ceiling, a tree has grown and gives off the scent of the heavy fruit that dangles off it's slender limbs.

The Terminal's been turned in an Eden. With a man of God down here, it was bound to happen eventually.

It's all a blur how she got there… There is no memory of when she decided to come down. Yet… here she is… And really, who cares? She's there, nothing else really matters. This is a place she feels welcome… where she has friends who welcome her. Bare feet are virtually silent as they step cautiously over the plant life that has come to suddenly reside there, stopping only long enough for her to crouch down and pluck a fiery red Hibiscus from a branch. Kaylee touches the soft petals, with amusement, before turning her attention to the rest of the place. Blue eyes, touch upon the mural that the residents have been painting.. even with all the foliage it still stands out.

Walking down the length of it, fingers lightly trail along the brightly colored wall, teeming with fish and other sea life. Where her fingers skim, a rainbow of cartoon like fish flee from the ripples that trail behind her digits. Watching them, Kaylee can't help but smile… She always liked this mural.

Where electric lights used to burn impressions into retinas and draw the life out of everything, it's a hazy midday kind of stream of illumination that warms the basement, a sense of outdoors brought down beneath the earth, or from somewhere even higher up. Fish dart from Kaylee's fingertips, brightly green seaweed attached at the bottom flow with the rhythm of the school. Then, there's the sound of paws pounding earth, abruptly energetic in the serenity.

In this world, claws don't bite and tear, and the ground is soft under grass. Kaylee falls harmlessly under the soft-toy weight of Alicia, bright pink tongue hanging from her maw and blunt white teeth, pressing a cold nose down on the telepath's cheek in an effort to gain some ear skritches, paws planted on either side of the woman's shoulders.

"Alicia!"

Quick as you please, the bear-like dog leaps nimbly away with a wag of her glossy black tail. Joseph is quite abruptly there, standing over Kaylee and clad in familiar denims and plaids. The smile, too, is familiar — all apology and amusement and happy to see her. "Sorry about that. She likes you." A hand is offered out.

The young woman only has time to turn before she's bowled over by the enthusiastic canine. Kaylee's laughter can be heard, as her fingers dig into the soft fur behind the dogs ear, giving it a good scratch, face turned away and one eye closed from the cold nose. The dog gone suddenly, she's left laying on the ground, looking rather amused up at the Pastor. "She's fine really…." Kaylee offers with a soft chuckle, reaching up to clasp his hand with her smaller one and let him help her to her feet. "A bit of dog drool doesn't hurt anyone. Lucky her, I'm a dog person."

Bending down a little, Kaylee brushes grass from the seat of her jeans, and says sounding a touch shy, "I hope it is alright I'm here."

It's a bit more dog friendly down here, with the new decor. Alicia is briskly fleeing the humans at an almost puppy-like lumber that looks heavy on her huge canine frame, tail making brisk punctuation of her departure as she goes to stick her head into some brambly flora in pursuit of gosh-knows-what. Joseph, meanwhile, clasps his hand around Kaylee's and deftly helps her up, other hand goes to her elbow to steady her once momentum tugs her back onto her feet.

He doesn't detach from her right away, instead settling a hand on the small of her back once she's dusted herself off. "You know it's perfectly fine," Joseph dismisses. "I was hopin' you'd stop by, actually."

The dogs departure is barely noticed as Kaylee finds herself probably closer to Pastor Sumter then she has yet to be. The one hand not clasped warm in his, moves to rest softly on his chest, fingers play with the soft fabric of his shirt. "Really now?" Kaylee sounds surprised and pleased with this, eyes lidding slightly as she considers him, lips curling into that mischievous smile. "What could the good Pastor need with me?" She asks teasing him, even if something is tickling at the back of her mind. "Well, you have me here now, Joseph." The words are soft spoken, as if whispering a secret in the dark of night. A promise maybe?

In some ways it feels right, like it's suppose to be… something that she's secretly wondering what it would be like and yet……

This is almost a dance. That it would remind Joseph more of Claira than anything else doesn't factor in — Kaylee probably doesn't know the woman's name, let alone her occupation. For now, there is no such ripple in the idyllic surroundings as Joseph keeps a hold of that hand as if reluctant to release it, arm bracketed close around her waist. No motion, either, a still-waltz, and his smile turns as shy as her prior statement. "I think it's less about me gettin' you," he says, as coy as Pastor Sumter could ever get close to being.

There's a hand, now, at her jaw, as much as she never felt it release her's. It has, however, work-roughened fingers tilting her face up a little, guiding the pad of his thumb down the slope of her cheek. He looks serious, for a moment, because that's how it goes. A kiss takes some emasure of concentration, if it's to hold meaning.

"Isssn't it more the other way around, Kaylee?"

A new voice, not from either of them, but Joseph doesn't kiss her, as if puzzled by something happening in an entirely different reality. He doesn't let her go, either, even when he eyes with obvious distrust something that has begun to wind over Kaylee's shoulder.

Her breath catches as she feels the touch of his hand on cheek and Kaylee feels a bit light headed, it's like a dream. She has to swallow suddenly out of nervousness, as a moment that she's toyed with, comes to reality. Both hands now curls into his shirt, bracing herself for that kiss.

Then like ice water thrown on a fire, Kaylee suddenly feel a chill as the new voice fills her ears, distracting her from what should be a triumphant moment. The sound of it, is temptation itself… like the feel of soft silk sheets when you sink into them.

"What..?!" Kaylee asks as she starts to pull back, the weight of something presses down on her shoulders like a comfortable weight. "Me… get him?" The confusion thick in her voice. "That's not possible…" The words stated with a nervous chuckle, then her brows drop as she considers. "Is it?" Finger unwind from is shirt to find his left hand and pull it to where she can see it, looking for that ring. It's important.

Joseph is preternaturally compliant when Kaylee goes to inspect his hand, unresistant to movement and even not letting his hand drop immediately when she releases it. His palm opens at the urging of fingers and grasps, baring his own in a splay. Vacant, would be a description. There's no glitter of gold, polished or otherwise, not even an indentation where the faithful are marked by the ever present piece of jewelry. Jet black eyes regard her patiently, mutely.

"Anything is possssible."

Rock-rough black scales, and glittering eyes like two beads of clotted blood make up the reptile's form, cold to skin and snagging against her clothing. Snakes are generally smooth creatures. They also don't talk. It's mouth doesn't have to move to form words, but its darting tongue that tastes the air seems to move in rhythm. "You know of what I ssspeak. You can have anything you want. Why wait? Why be patttient?"

Blue eyes study his face, but then lower to inspect Joseph's hand, Kaylee's eyes widen slightly in surprise to see the that gold band - that circle tying him to a woman not even there - is gone. Unable to really believe it, her thumb brushes softly over the spot it should be while her head turns slightly to the sound of that voice.

Not looking at the snake her eyes lift slowly, to look at the man. "Yesss." The snake was right. "It would be so easy." The words hiss softly from her own lips, her hand no longer holding his, instead it rests on the pastor's cheek, her thumb brushing slowly along his jaw. The smile that touches her lips, twists one corner up, her eyes narrowing into something rather predatory. "Just two words…" She murmurs, leaning in a little, bringing herself closer to him, her other hand resting on the other side of her his face, forcing him to look at her, "… he'd be all mine." That last is sighed out, like a woman might sigh for her lover.

As if waking from his own reverie, Joseph lowers his gaze to meet her's, expression gentle. A hand rests arm around the wrist of her hand touching his face, and there's no hesitation on his part, none at all, when he leans in and kisses her. Nagging guilt should have some kind of hesitation behind it, some physical manifestation of uncertainty, but it's simply not there as he draws her close, embrace intimate, loving and welcoming.

She can feel the reptilian creature shift from her own shoulders to Joseph's, its length enough to bind both of them as it eases from telepath to pastor, around again, fine strands of her blonde hair snagging along its diamond-shaped scales.

The voice murmurs close to her ear, possibly even more intimate than the kiss when its tongue flickers against that shell of skin and flimsy bone. "And thennn… when he findsss out, you can fixsss it."

It takes a few moments for Kaylee to breath again, when she is pulled into that kiss. Completely lost in the moment, she almost doesn't feel the snake as it moves. What pulls her out of her bliss, is it's words. The kiss is broken suddenly and she pulls back confused. "Fix it… I could…. Wait…" Her eyes close for a moment as she tries to draw her thoughts together from where they've scattered, reason avoiding her. "This… this isn't right." Or is it? Isn't this what she's done to others before when she needed a little company.

Her eyes focus on Joseph suddenly, worried a little panic "This isn't the same…" She voices the counter argument to her own thoughts.

"'Right'?"

It's not the snake that speaks with that cynicism, but Joseph, quite suddenly. "What's the point o' right and wrong if you can't tell the difference?" He leans in, letting his forehead rest against hers, and there's a firm sway to their bodies, Kaylee pulled into a gentle to and fro momentum, as if he were rocking her, a slow dance. "If you take that away from me too, Kaylee, who's gonna know any better? God's gift was free will, didn't you know?"

His hand snags in her hair, what would be a gentle clasp isn't rough either, but neither is it loving as he pulls away enough to regard her, inspect her. "I'll find out eventually, see what y'are. But by then, you're past the point of no return. Heck, honey, you could make me believe anythin'. You could have the world at your fingertips. That what you want?"

As foreheads touch, Kaylee's eyes shut tight, it's so hard for her to think. "I'd know." She whispers those words, surprising herself. Lick her lips, teeth lightly scraping on her lower lip, she repeats it with more confidences, "I would know what I did to you." Eyes open, working to focus on his, but he makes it easier, when he pulls away.

She is stiff in his arms, tension spreading through her as those strong fingers curl into her hair. Kaylee's head moves side to side slowly, stopped by the tug of hair trapped, there is almost a sorrow.. a helplessness to her as she admits, "I…. I know I could take it away…. I could take away your God given freedom.. " There is a slight quavering her voice, fear that he will find her out. "Your free will. I could make you mine, let you continue to think I'm good…and make you think I'm perfect."

The next words out of her mouth, could break some ones heart with the feeling behind them.. The pure belief in what she says and the pain of knowing it, the emotions written on her face as plain as day, "I'm not a good person, Joseph." Fingers splay against his cheek again, nails pressed to his skin, as she tries to make him understand "I can't be a good person… the temptation is too much."

"God knows," Joseph agrees, cold understanding in response. Be careful what you wish for. His grip on her doesn't let up before his 6' frame is forcing her back, steps slow but definite in the way heavy machinery can be, crushing and pushing. This is not kind of dance as he walks her back, back, back. "Told you once I weren't a good person. We're all bound for Hell eventually, but there's a way around it. A loophole. First, you gotta get on the road to Heaven. It's awful narrow."

Water, suddenly, cold and rippling, is welling up around their ankles as he directs her backwards into it. The mushy foreshore of a lake, dipping down where the main concourse would have been, the water murky beneath them and rising all the more. Joseph doesn't pay it much mind as it rises as high as their knees, and climbing. "Then you gotta stay on it." Mud and slickness underfoot make it even more difficult to gain friction and traction, should she decide to fight him, hair still trapped in a fist, hips still held by his arm and pushed against his.

The cold tone of his voice, settles into Kaylee's stomach like a brick.. a heavy lump of fear, it's reflected in the eyes that stare at him. Forced to take steps backwards, the heels of her bare feet try to press into the soft earth to stop, but the weight of him, pushes her to keep moving. The feel of cold mud as it oozes between her toes, brings on a gasp and she tugs at her hair painfully to try free it enough to see… but she's force to continue to look at him. Hands press against his chest and try to push away from him, she struggles.

It's useless to fight, so she can only give up and gaze at him with a forlorn look. "I know I'm going to Hell." She whispers, hands slide up his chest, to cradle his face again, her eyes searching it. She tries hard not to think of the water rising around them, though the quickness of her breath betrays her fear. She has to say it… "Not you.. You are a good man, Joseph. I don't think I even have a shot at reaching Heaven, but I don't want you to get dragged to Hell with me if I even try to get you to want me as more then just another sheep for your flock." It's a painful admission of her thoughts.. it sums up everything.

That severity seems to fade for a moment, tenseness dimming from his expression - the set of his brow, jaw, angular and hard. The touch seems to inspire this, gaze dipping away from her's as if chastened, drifting to the side before meeting her's again. Coming to a stop, the water is cold around their waists, and Eden has flattened into grass and plains and eternal horizons around the vast, ice-cold lake. It's plucked from her imagination, indefinite, a mesh of places she's seen in movies, photographs, her own experiences.

"There are other means've tryin'," he states, his voice gentled. His hands come up to place light on her shoulders. "But if you can't help yourself, if you can't help risk it, to do it the normal way and stand the possibility of failing, then you're gonna deserve every bruise those guys've given you. Every shred of loneliness that comes after."

The sound of rushing water is already filling her ears before she gets there. A hand at her throat, and by now it could be any hand, any hand at all, and the strength that rests coiled behind it doesn't have to be Joseph's either. It's a harsh shove down, cold water coming up to envelope her like an embrace, and strong, male hands hold her beneath the surface that distorts what lies above it.

In the quiet of McRae's safehouse, Kaylee's gasp cuts through the silence like a knife. Eyes wide in the darkness, it takes her a long moment to realize she's awake. The pounding of her heart in her chest, is loud in her ears, but then she hears the soft snort of one of the others that share her room.

Throwing off the covers, Kaylee rolls out of bed, unable to handle the inky darkness. The soft slap of her bare feet on hardwood follows her into the bathroom. Making sure the door shuts with only a small snick, the telepath turns on the light, squinting against the harshness of the artificial rays.

She moves slowly to look at the blonde reflected at her within the mirrored surface above the sink. Kaylee studies the woman looking back at her, with blue eyes that have seen way too much in her time on Earth. The long fingers of one hand, lift to curl around her neck the nightmare still fresh in her mind, words still ring in her ears. There are other ways to be more then just some object for men… to be seen by one that sees good in her.

But even standing there, she can almost swear, that out of the corner of her eyes, she can see that black snake draped lazily around her shoulder, feel the silken promise in it's words and the brush of it's flickering tongue on her cheek.

"It could be so eassssy….."

All she had to do, to have what she wanted, was to give into to the temptation and take a bite of the forbidden.


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