Participants:
| Scene Title | Angel of the Morning |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Delia goes to ask some advice before both of them take a trip. |
| Date | October 7, 2010 |
Gun Hill — Ryans' Apartment
It's an hour or so after sunrise when Delia makes it up to her father's apartment with a plate of hot food in one hand, her other hand closed around a tiny origami crane. She stands there for a little while as she gathers the courage to knock. It's not something she wants to do, she wanted to just go and tell him after she got back, simply because it's what he would have done.
But Jaiden, the voice of reason, convinced her otherwise.
It's childish to keep something so important from Benjamin, especially in light of how he actually opened up to her before going on his big trip. Of course she's not allowed to go but apparently fate has something else in mind for her. And so…
There'll be no strings to bind your hands
not if my love can't bind your heart.
Knock Knock
Hair still damp from a shower, Ryans is bent over a small duffel bag sitting on the ratty couch, frown creasing his brow and making the lines at the corners of his eyes deepen. There is a glance over his shoulder at the sound of the knock, there are only a small number of people that would come by there.
So it's only a short minute or two before, Benjamin is opening the door. "Lia." A smile tugs up at the corner of his mouth, an affectionate thing, saved only for his girls. He steps aside to allow her to step inside so that he can close the door again.
"Surprised to see you." He didn't expect to her to talk to him for sometime still, not that he was going to leave without a goodbye. "Glad you came by, I was just packing."
And there's no need to take a stand
for it was I who chose to start.
Crossing over his threshold, Delia gives her father a sheepish smile and steps into his entryway. She holds up the plate of food like a peace offering and raises her eyebrows a little at the old man. "I brought some breakfast, not exactly leftovers… Jaiden made it, so it's good, I promise." One thing about her boyfriend, he's a good cook.
"I'm sorry," she begins in earnest. It's like their entire adult lives have been spent with Ben's youngest apologizing for something or other in regards to her behavior. "I shouldn't have been so selfish. I know you're going because you're trying to protect people, and me…" She falls silent for a moment before lifting the crane in her other hand.
"I need some advice."
I see no need to take me home,
I'm old enough to face the dawn.
The plate is taken with a gentle smile, the fact he's a little bit uncomfortable about how Jaiden happened to be there that morning doesn't show. Benjamin knows she's an adult, he has to respect that, but still when he looks at her, he sees the tight red curls and bright smile of his tiny girl. There is a soft sigh, "Thank you." He lifts the plate, "For the food."
Blue eyes shift to the crane then, brows furrowing a little. "What is that?" He's only seen another one of those in the last few months and that was an address for them to hide. "And — where did you get it?" It's asked, as he reaches around her to push the door shut.
Just call me angel of the morning angel
just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
"It's… a crane." Delia emits haltingly, it's obviously a paper crane and it's obviously not the real question Ben is asking. She already knows this, she just doesn't have the right answer for him. A light chew on her lip as the redhead looks down at her shoes before she shrugs sheepishly. "Remember when Jaiden came back? When he was shot?"
Okay, perhaps that wasn't the best way to start it. The blush on Delia's cheeks as she backtracks with a wince figures into this. "What I mean is… Remember he told you about that guy? Hiro? How he got a crane and had to go into the past?" Slowly, Delia unfolds her crane and shows the images to her father, her blue eyes flitting between him and the paper.
Just call me angel of the morning angel
then slowly turn away from me.
The plate is handed back to her as he plucks the paper from her fingers, this Ben takes further into the apartment with him, neutral mask falling into place. "Hiro Nakamura left this?" The question is asked blandly, he glances back at her, turning his body enough to be able to see her out of the corner of his eye.
His head turns back away, so that Delia can't see the haunted look in her father's eyes. "What is he thinking?" He speaks softly, mostly to himself it seems, eyes on the images printed on the paper, his thumb rubbing across the printed ink. "What could he possibly want by sending you into a war zone?" There is a touch of anger in his voice when he says that, the paper starts to crinkle in his hands, but he forces himself to stop.
"That is not the sort of place for someone like you." So many horrors still haunt his nightmares.
Maybe the sun's light will be dim
and it won't matter anyhow.
"I found it on my nightstand, I'm going…" Looking around, Delia takes a few steps into the kitchen to place the food on the counter before turning back to look up at her father. She has that same stubborn determination that he has. "I know that I'm not exactly… good for that place. I've never picked up a gun, I couldn't punch my way out of a paper bag, and I probably would trip over a landmine before I knew it was there…" There's just so so so many things wrong with her going to such a place. "But I have to go."
Reaching over, she grips the paper between her thumb and finger and looks up at her father. "Dad, they wouldn't send me if I wasn't supposed to go, right? They wouldn't do it if it would break something. What if me not going changes everything? I'm a nurse, I'm a good nurse… Maybe I'm supposed to save someone's life."
If morning's echo says we've sinned,
well, it was what I wanted now.
Her father doesn't even pretend to hide the worry he feels for his youngest daughter, there is actual and real fear in his eyes as he pulls his gaze from the photos to her. If she pulls it to take it, the paper slides easily out of his fingers. "You shouldn't have to go. Not there, not then." His words are rumble, but are still softly spoken.
"The — the movies make it seem so tame." Ryans can't even imagine his gentle girl in the middle of that nightmare. A rough callused hand moves to press against her red curls at her temple, brows tilting up. "Being a good nurse won't save you from any of that."
And if we're the victims of the night,
I won't be blinded by light.
When the blue eyes that are matched perfectly to his look up into the old man's eyes, there's definite fear in them too. "I'm scared, Dad, but I have to go… I'm just, I'm just trying to see the good parts of it." Slowly, Delia attempts to refold the crane. It's something that takes quite a bit of time considering she's not even a novice at the practice of paper folding.
There's a soft sigh from the young woman as she looks down at her feet. "Dad, I really need your help here. I know that it's going to be — It's going to be the worst thing I ever do in my entire life, I know that. Can you just give me some sort of clues or something? I mean, I want to come back. I need your help."
Just call me angel of the morning angel
just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
He swallows and moves to sit, suddenly feeling like his legs won't support him. Perched at the edge, he rests his elbows on his knees and folds his hand in front of his mouth. "I want you to get some gun training before you go. Either Huruma or — or Jaiden. Even at that, Huruma and I are leaving in the next day or two for China."
His gaze lifts to whatever far off corner he's staring at, to look at his little girl. A part of Benjamin wants to throttle Hiro for putting his baby in this sort of situation. "I — I'm not sure how to help you here. Watch your step, there are traps everywhere. Bring dry socks, because your feet will get wet." He goes silent then, his eyes shifting back to some unknown point.
"Please tell me there is someone going with you trained for this sort of thing?" Ryans' voice is rough with emotions. He feels sort of helpless here. "I should… I should cancel my part in this mission — go with you."
Just call me angel of the morning angel
then slowly turn away from me.
Chewing on her lips, Delia looks down at the floor and shakes her head before shrugging her shoulders in a jerky fashion. "I— No, I don't think so. Jaiden wants to, he said he was going to hold onto Hiro as I got brought back if he had to. I don't know if that's what's supposed to happen though." With the way she's talking, it's as though she believes there is some sort of predestiny. Perhaps there is, the time loops caused by a traveler could, potentially, create such a thing as fate and destiny.
"Dad. Stop. You told me before that your mission is something you have to do. This one is mine." Reversing his words on him is cruel, more than cruel, but there's no malice in it. The cracking of her voice as she tries not to let her tears spill out over her cheeks is enough to spell that out clearly. "We'll both be back, right? I mean… " And she breaks as she runs forward to hugs her father tightly, the dam of her eyelashes breaking to unleash the rivulets of tears. "We're it… we can't die. Mom… mom wouldn't want this."
Just call me angel of the morning angel
Just call me angel of the morning angel
When was the last time he hugged his daughter? Ryans can't rightly remember if it was recently, even as he wraps those arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. While Delia cries, the older man doesn't, but he can feel the burning pressure behind his eyes. "I can't guarantee anything, honey." He murmurs against the red curls at the crown of her head. If ever there is a time that Ryans is torn, it's this moment.
"Jaiden better do his damnedest to make sure you come home again." Gently he brushes a hand down the back of her hair, petting as she cries. It's not something he's done much of over the years, as comforting has never been his strong point. That was Mary's job. "Your sister will need you around if…"
If hangs heavily in the air. What he's not saying?
then slowly turn away,
I won't beg you to stay with me
If he never comes back.
There's a hiccup and a choked sob as Delia finishes the rest of his thought, "If she ever comes back…" Wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand and then her nose and lip with her sleeve (she'll change her shirt later), the young woman berathes in a long sniffle in attempt to stop the emotions that might just be embarrassing her father. "Sorry, I know you hate it when I cry." She does it too often.
Blinking away a few more of her waterworks, she heaves a few ragged breaths and pulls away from him. Comforting has never been his strong suit, luckily for him, taking whatever affection he had to offer is one of hers. Twisting, she takes a seat beside him and folds her hands in front of her. "We're both coming back, Daddy. Because we have to. You need me and I need you."
through the tears of the day,
of the years, baby baby baby.
"I only hate it, cause I feel so damn helpless when you do." It's admitted with a hit of a smile pulling up a corner of his mouth, deepening creases and making him look more his true age again. Reaching over, Ryans brushes at a droplet of moisture. "Your mother was a master at using tears to get what she wanted."
He wishes he had the confidence she had about them coming back. Ben was going into space with no real pilots to get them back and he's relying on some one else to protect his daughter. The odds are stacked against them in his mind. "You don't need me, especially now that you have your own life." He pats her knee before he stands up again. "You'll do fine, you're even living on your own now. Looks like my job is done to me."
Just call me angel of the morning angel
just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby.
"You moved out… I didn't have a choice," Delia mutters dejectedly, somewhat incensed at the the way her father is speaking. A frown creases between her eyebrows and she lets loose a long sigh. "I'm not, not really. Living on my own. I've stayed at Jaiden's or he's stayed with me every night. The one time I almost had to stay alone, I called him and he broke curfew to get to me." It's a sheepish confession, something that she should probably have told her father about in a better way.
The young woman's ribcage expands by half as she takes in a deep breath that's let loose in a long sigh. "Sorry, I — I still need you. I'm too broken not to need you."
Just call me angel of the morning angel
then slowly turn away from me.
Looking down as her, Ryans is thoughtful, but then he leans down towards her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "You're my daughter," he starts, when he straightens again, hand brushing at those red curls that are so much her mother's. "A Ryans and God knows your mother was as very strong woman." He chuckles softly, but it fades off soon enough, so that he can add, "you'll do fine."
Quickly, a hand lifts with fingers spread apart in a stopping gesture, forestalling protests. "I will do my best to come back, but be prepared."