Participants:
| Scene Title | Not a Kid Anymore |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Melissa returns home after the Institute raid, and discovers that Kendall is, in fact, growing up. |
| Date | August 13, 2010 |
Flop. Kendall is splayed out on the couch, remote held limply in one hand as he watches TV. The reason he's here instead of in his room is because Melissa hadn't come home yet, and he'll know when she is sooner now than if he were locked in his room. He flips channels aimlessly as he waits.
It's afternoon before Melissa manages to make her way home. She would've been home sooner, but it's hard to go anywhere when you're unconscious. But finally she does walk through the door, her face and shirt bloody, though the black cloth hides it better than her pale skin does. It looks like she's dealt with one hell of a nosebleed, along with bleeding from her ears.
She pauses when she sees Kendall, and she smiles faintly, though it looks like she's in pain, despite the lack of injuries. "Hey. I got home as soon as I could," she says quietly. "You okay?"
Kendall leaps to his feet when Melissa comes in…. finally. "You're BLEEDING!" overreaction! "I'm fine, but you're definitely not okay!" freak out!
"I'm fine, really. Just a headache," Melissa is quick to assure him, moving over towards him. "I'm not hurt, promise. I just overextended myself with my ability, that's all. I didn't get shot, stabbed, clawed or otherwise," she assures him.
"Then why were you bleeding? There's blood all over your face you know! What happened? All I know on the news is that a lot of people died." Kendall's been anxious ever since he found that out on the news!
Stepping close, Melissa tries to give him a hug. "Like I said, my ability. I pushed myself too hard. When I do that, I can get nosebleeds and stuff. But I swear, I'm fine. And everyone we went in to rescue is fine. And the monster is dead." Others on their side are dead too, but no point in mentioning that right now.
"Monster? What monster?" Kendall asks Melissa, eying her. "You're not being literal, right? You mean a figurative monster?"
"I wish," Melissa says, sighing and stepping away to sit down on the couch. "It was a literal monster though. He was Institute. They'd been…experimenting."
Kendall blinks at Melissa. "What did it look like?" despite himself, Kendall is curious. "Like four heads, or something? Or a fishguy? Or what?"
"Bunch of brains," Melissa mutters. "I really don't wanna talk about it though. I'm already going to have nightmares about it. Besides, it's dead. The building is destroyed, so any other experiments of theirs are dead. That's the important thing. They're dead, and we rescued people."
"…" bunch of brains? Kendall can't help but think of that one scene in the Harry Potter series with all the brains in the Department of Mysteries. …heh. Accio Brain. But anyway! "Can you at least tell me next time you go out and do something dangerous?" he asks her wistfully.
Melissa smiles faintly and nods. "Yeah, I can promise to do that. I did make plans though, in case something had happened to me. I won't leave you on your own again, Kendall, I swear it."
Kendall regards Melissa suspiciously at that. "What do you mean, 'plans'? Did you think something bad was going to happen to you?" he asks, all ready to freak out again.
"I don't know. But I didn't want to not make arrangements and something to happen to me, leaving you alone," Melissa admits. "If, by some chance, something does happen to me, you'll be taken care of."
Kendall sighs at that. "I wish I didn't need 'taking care of'." he grumbles. "I'm not a kid!" actually he is. "I can handle things myself, you know." can he? Really?
Melissa sighs as well. "Kendall, the plans I made involve stuff like you having this house and money to support yourself." And someone else to take on her role, but there's no need to mention that little tidbit.
"Oh…" Kendall frowns. "You mean like a Will?" he crosses his arms. "So what you're doing is that dangerous that you need a Will for 'just in case'?"
The band is pulled from her hair, freeing the ponytail, and Melissa shakes it loose. "Kendall, you knew it was dangerous. Why else did you follow me because I kept getting hurt? It's not something I like, and I don't want to leave you, but this is stuff that needs done. Would you have had me leave people to the mercy of the Institute? The people who create literal monsters?"
"Well I want to come next time. It's better than waiting here and wondering if you're not going to come back at all." Kendall frowns at Melissa. "I'll even promise to stay out of the way and be invisible the entire time."
"Invisible doesn't mean invulnerable though, Kendall," Melissa points out gently. "If you had been there last night, and not gotten out in time, you would've been killed when we destroyed the building. I couldn't live with that. Sometimes though, if our group's leader agrees, maybe you can, though. I just don't wanna see you hurt."
"And you think I'm ok with seeing you hurt? That seems very uneven to me." Kendall frowns. "You keep asking me if I like it here and stuff, but it's not the house itself that makes a home, you know."
That has Melissa looking extremely uncomfortable, like she wants to squirm, but won't allow herself. "No, I don't think you're okay with it. But…" What's a good argument for this sort of situation? "Kendall, have you ever actually seen violence? Up close and personal, I mean? Not on movies or the news or anything?"
Kendall drops his gaze at that. "Well, no, but… it's not like I'd take part in it. And with all the stuff going on these days, might as well confront it on my terms, you know? Just being who and what I am would instigate violence towards me."
"I know you wouldn't want to take part in it, Kendall. But seeing it that close can be very…traumatic, even if you don't participate," Melissa explains. "And intentions, however nice, don't always work out. You could get caught in the middle of a fight and have to take part." Her expression softens and she pats the couch next to her, inviting him to sit.
"You're right though. Being evolved does mean that some will attack you. And I guess you do have as much right to fight as anyone else. But there are options, not just working with me and the others I work with," she points out. "There's the Ferrymen, for example. Or more open, legal ways, like helping at the Suresh Center, or lobbying for Evolved rights. Don't think that my game is the only one in town."
Kendall sits down on the couch next to Melissa. "But I've got this stupid thing, and it's been more of a pain than a benefit. I want to make it be useful for a change, not just used for my own amusement. And you guys seem to need all the help you can get."
Kendall is studied for a long moment, Melissa's face serious, brow furrowed lightly. "You really aren't a kid anymore," she murmurs, as though just now seeing it. "Like I said, I'll talk to our leader, see what they think. I can't invite you in without permission."
"Well I'm not trying to be." the slight sulk when Kendall says that kinda argues against it. "All right then. I'll feel better knowing there's something I can do, that's not sitting down and waiting to find out that you and everyone else died."
A hand is extended, to rest on his shoulder and give a little squeeze. "I can understand that," Melissa says softly, nodding. "But be happy. We won last night. And I'm not hurt. I'll just have a headache for a bit, but Megan gave me a shot to help. Just…no loud noises until it goes away, hmm?"
"All right." Kendall sighs. Guess that means Guitar Hero is out of the question, then. "I guess so long as you guys won, huh? I won't ask what this Institute was, either."
"I told you," Melissa says with a faint smile. "They experimented on the Evolved. They were the ones who held Liette, and captured a few people, like Francois's boyfriend. But more about that later. For now…I'm going to go take a hot, hot shower and get some rest. Being unconscious is not the same as sleeping," she says, rising to her feet.
"Okay. Want me to order Chinese or something?" since it's doubtful Melissa's going to want to make anything, and who knows what everyone else is up to. Kendall sighs a little.
Melissa smiles. "Sure. Thanks, Kendall. If I'm asleep, just put it in the fridge and I'll eat it later." A quick ruffle of his hair, then off she goes.