Participants:
| Scene Title | A Much Needed Talk |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Quinn grabs Magnes for lunch, and the pair have a much needed talk. |
| Date | July 29, 2010 |
The Bronx
Quinn is someone who is rather fond of surprises. Both giving them and receiving them, even if she acts contrary to that sometimes. By now, it had been days since she had last spoken to Elaine, and even longer since she had spoken to Magnes, someone who she was long overdue to at least chat with, other issues aside. Some friend she was!
So, today she has taken upon herself to make her way out to the address she had received via text, hoping to catch one or both of them before they head off to do whatever other respective plans for the day – and because it’s a little after noon and she’s hungry, and today Robyn Quinn doesn’t feel like eating alone.
The telltale sound of her sputtering, jerky scooter approaching likely does a decent job of ruining the surprise of her approach, but as she comes to a stop in front of Magnes and Elaine’s new apartment at Siann Hall there’s a smile on her face – not because of the new apartment, but hopefully because of the still impending surprise.
“Magnes! Elaine!” she shouts out from her bike, hoping to get one of them outside.
Magnes rushes out, fully dressed in a white t-shirt with a silvery White Lantern symbol on the front, a pair of black jeans with thin white pinstripes, and a pair of black sneakers. He locks the door behind him and heads to her scooter, offering a friendly smile and a wave. "Hey, Quinn. Elaine's out, but I made sure she's safe from you-know-who in the meantime. But, speaking of that, I don't think I've been a really good friend to you, and after talking to Sable, I think we need to go somewhere and have a private talk. It's time I started giving you the same trust I give Sable and Elaine… is that alright?"
“Uh, sure,” Quinn replies with a curious tilt of her head, pointing back to the back compartment of her scooter. She takes a moment to straighten her white, ankle length skirt and the neckline of her black Something Corporate t-shirt. “There’s a helmet in there and grab it. I was… kinda coming by for the same reason t’ be honest. I was more hopin’ t’ grab you for lunch. We don’t really get t’ hang out a lot, you know? And we really should.”
Magnes reaches into the scooter for the helmet, then slips it on to his head and wraps his arms around her waist. "First and foremost, and this has to be an absolute secret, that guy in the costume the other day was me. But I realize the mistake I made, and, I shouldn't be doing big public things like that without a damned good reason. I need to think more about that sort of thing. I don't plan to quit the costume, but I plan to do it a lot smarter." A pause, and he looks down to the ground as he pulls his legs up. He's barely any weight on the scooter, but that's on purpose. "I hope that's alright."
Quinn blinks for a moment, and then looks back over her shoulder at Magnes, a distinct flatness in her voice as she speaks. “I know. Or, well, I figured.” She sighs, even as she starts to accelerate forward. “Burgers fine? I know a pretty cool diner not too far from here.” She’s driving just slow enough that she can be heard without having to shout for everyone around to hear. “It wasn’t too hard t’ figure out, at least for me. I mean… James, Elaine’s name, and a guy in a costume leavin’ a calling card? That is so you, Magnes.” She actually laughs a bit at that.
“I… had thought about asking you. But I wasn’t going t’ today, I thought it be better if we just hung out before I aired my thoughts to you, you know?” Gradually accelerating, but she waits to hit busier streets, waiting to hear Magnes’ reply.
"I wasn't going to tell you, I didn't think I was ready to trust you with that, but Sable thought I should, and I started to realize I was treating you like so many people treat me. You deserve the benefit of a doubt, and my full friendship and trust. So I'm telling you." Magnes squirms on the back of the scooter slightly, seeming uncomfortable. He's not used to riding these things. "What I did was stupid and dangerous, even if it was planned. The plan itself was sound, I just didn't consider all of the consequences that could come of it, my vision was narrow and I was purely focused on my goal. It won't happen again."
“I’m really glad t’ hear that,” Quinn replies, and satisfied with what Magnes had to say, she kicks the scooter into what passed for high gear, likely seeming excruciatingly slow to someone used to driving a car. The distance is short, the diner Quinn has in mind is closer to Magnes’ new home than it is Gun Hill. Pulling up to the innocuous brick building, Quinn waits until she’s parked quite comfortable between two small cars before turning the vehicle off and dismounting.
“This place is awesome, I brought Elaine here for lunch when we did our thing for the auction at Tartarus,” Quinn begins, positively beaming. “It’s mostly a burger place, but they have other places. They’ll make one pretty much literally any way you want, it’s pretty nuts.”
"Burgers are cool, you ever have a pizza burger?" Magnes asks as he steps from the scooter and walks next to her, taking a deep breath. Even a car seems slow to him at times, but that's because he's used to flying. He doesn't mind slowing down every once in a while though, to let life catch up with him. "I'm sorry for how crazy things have been lately, for how crazy I might come off to you. If there's anything you want to ask me, you can."
“A pizza burger?” Quinn isn’t sure if she should be disgusted or intrigued – she certainly enjoys both things separate. “How does that even work? They’re both tomato sauce, cheese, bread… and I guess meat.” Pushing her way into the restaurant, smiling as air conditioning hits her, she spots an isolated booth in the back corner, and makes a beeline for it.
Slipping in, she waits for Magnes to join her before she speaks again. “I won’t lie. I’ve been… really worried lately. Ask Elaine or Sable.” A regretful look crosses her face, looking off to the side. “I should’ve said somethin’ to you instead of just talkin’ to everyone else, an’ I feel bad about that. But I really wasn’t sure how t’ approach you about it.”
"You take a bun, put the beef on it, then the tomato sauce and whatever toppings you want, I prefer mushrooms, but you can get typical pizza stuff too if you want. Then you put the type of cheese you would on a pizza instead of the kind you'd put on a burger, and bake it. It's very good." Magnes explains, sliding over next to her. "You don't have to feel bad, I've been a pretty poor friend to you too. From now on, let's just talk to eachother, alright?"
“Well, it’s not really like me, you know?” Quinn says, looking over at Magnes with a quirked eyebrow. “But I think just talkin’ to each other from now on’s a good idea.” She gives an emphatic nod, a smile plastered across her face. “Also, that burger sounds really cool. Maybe I’ll get that today…” As if on cue, a waitress arrives, bringing a menu (which contains a part about burgers and a veritable page of toppings, along with a selection of sandwiches, breakfast foods, and even cheap “steak”). Quinn places an order for water, at least to start with.
Magnes orders unsweetened grape juice, and turns his attention back to Quinn. "It's not like me to be so unfriendly either. Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot, which is kind of bad for band members. "So tell me, is there anything about me that really bothers you?"
“Unfriendly?” Quinn questions, tilting her head at Magnes. “I don’t think you’ve been unfriendly. I mean, the one thing I’ve made clear t’ Elaine is that I very much consider you a friend, Magnes. You’re a good guy.” She pauses to take a sip of her drink and sets it back down. “I just think we need t’ get to know each other better, is all. I don’t know you nearly as well as I fo Elaine an’ Sable. An’ I don’t mean, like… biblically either.”
She lets out a nervous laugh, shrugging. “I’m… I’ll be honest, Magnes, you kinda scared me twice recently. With the gun, an’ when I saw that video.” She exhales sharply, closing her eyes. “Sable told me you’re an honest t’ god hero and what not, an’ I think taht’s great. I was just a little scared with how readily you jumped t’ violence…”
"I do things for a reason. It's not jumping to violence, really. With the guns, I wasn't going out to go shoot the guy in the head, they were an honest precaution, I didn't know what to expect. I've gone through terrorist bases and jungles full of ex nazis, I'm not exactly the type to go into a situation unprepared. The video thing was also an elaborate plan, but I can't say that here…" Magnes hunches over his glass of juice, sipping every now and then. "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry, I really am. And uh, I'm still open to getting to know you biblically, fyi."
“To someone who’s not used t’ those things, you kinda are, though,” Quinn notes, speaking very matter of factly. Quinn looks rather nervous as she leans forward, quirking her lips. “I’m not tryin’ to be hard or you or come down on you or anythin’, Magnes. So I’m sorry if it seems like that. But, like…” She closes her eyes briefly. “I get that you’ve been int’ some crazy shit. An’ I get that you’re tryin’ to be a better person. I’ve heard that endless from Elaine an’ Sable. But even t’ other evolved who aren’t used t’ it, it’s scary shit when people break out int’ fights are start packing guns.” She looks back up a bit of a frown on her face. “They make it sound like you use the past as an excuse.”
And then she laughs, shaking her head as she tries to bring some sense of mirth back to the conversation, putting a hand up on Magnes’ shoulder. “Still flattered by that, you know.”
"I don't so much use it as an excuse, as I just try to explain why I do the things I do, I try to explain that I don't do it without reason. I don't say that excuses what I do, I just think some things, like having guns, are more necessary than most people might. It doesn't mean I plan to go out and kill someone." Magnes grins, nudging her lightly. "Hey, I can't help it, if I can bring Ireland and Scotland together somehow…"
“Lord, boy, you’re asking t’ hear more than I imagine you want with comments like that,” Quinn remarks with a wink and a blush, and then a pause. “I take that back. You want to hear them,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Anyway… I don’t think you plan t’ go out an’ hurt anyone. I know you’re not like that, Magnes. But I genuinely worry that sometime you’re going t’ cross someone the wrong way.” Her voice grows very quiet afterwards.
“I watch the news, an’ I hear of groups like Messiah, an’ I got told about the Ferry the other day. I know there’s people out there like us who want t’ do various things. An’ then there’s people like HUmanis First… I just worry you’re going t’ go out one day lookin’ to help someone and end up in deep shit.” Her eyes close again. “Again, not trying t’ sound disdainful or anythin’. You’re a friend, an’ I get concerned.”
"I've already crossed the wrong people, my concern now is not doing it again. I really am going to buckle down and try to make Elaine my primary concern from now on. I'll think things through and ask myself 'How could this hurt her'? I know Messiah's leader, I just have to hope he knows what he's doing, but I can't be a part of that. And as far as Humanis First goes, I punched their leader in the face, so I don't think I could get any higher on their list. But in my defense, he was trying to kill a girl. Just… trust me, I don't want to make my life harder than it needs to be, not anymore." Magnes smiles, taking a long sip of his juice. "I wanna watch more than hear, but I can settle for hear."
Quinn rolls her eyes again, laughing. She doesn’t respond this time, though, instead continuing on the other topic with a half smile on her face… though it dips when she processes some of what he says. “Jesus, you know their leader?!” she says quietly, eyes wide. “An’… well, I guess the police couldn’t do much… Christ, that’s scary Magnes. I have no idea how you handle this shit.”
"I have an arrangement with their leader. He's not supposed to bother me or Elaine, and I'll stay neutral as long as he doesn't harm any innocent civilians. I saved his life once, and he trained me a bit, sort of, so we've been through a lot." Magnes looks over at the waitress, then back to Quinn. "It's probably scarier when you don't know the people behind the masks. There's things I want to show you, and tell you. I promise, I won't let you be in the dark, or afraid."
Quinn quirks her lips, looking as a waitress arrives to take their order – her is placed, for a very boring and normal bacon burger with ketchup. She’s not feeling adventurous enough to try Magnes’ pizza burger, but she has it in mind and will be trying it in the near future.
Once the waitress has left, Quinn looks over at Magnes for a moment before her eyes wander off to the side. “You don’t have t’ tell me everything, Magnes. I just want t’ know that you’re safe. That Elaine’s safe. And that you’re really thinking things over more carefully, like you told me you would after the date auction.”
Quinn frowns, shaking her head. “I work hard t’ help people. I don’t like seeing anyone get hurt, much less my friends. So, I don’t really take well t’ people running headlong into things.” She faces ahead, slinking down a bit in her seat. “It’s like I told Sable after she stayed behind t’ fight James. I don’t believe jumping in t; danger really helps anything. It just gives people more things t’ worry about.”
"That won't be me anymore, Quinn, I promise. From now on, I consider everything." Magnes places a hand on her shoulder, then nods. "Come on, lunch will be on me, then you can come back and I'll watch you and Elaine."
Quinn gives Magnes a long, appraising look before she finally nods. “I’m trustin’ you to live up t’ that, Magnes. But I do trust you. Please, Magnes, for all our sakes, please live up t’ that promise.” She lets that sit for a minute before she forms a smile, shaking her head. “Well, that’s an improvement, at least.”
"I promise you, Quinn, I won't let you down. I don't want to lose you, Elaine, or Sable. I like this life…" Magnes motions for the waitress, and sips at his glass more. "I promise, you can hold me to that."
Quinn smiles wide at that, nodding enthusiastically. “Glad t’ hear it, Magnes. An’… I’m glad we were able t’ have this talk without anyone gettin’ too excited.” She looks a bit more downcast. “Elaine always gets so worried that I feel just dreadful, an’ Sable and I actually got into a shouting match.” She sighs again. “I really should have just come t’ you.”