Participants:
| Scene Title | Burn the Symbol |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Magnes receives advice from the newest member of the band. |
| Date | February 4, 2011 |
Outside the Village Renaissance
There's mostly silence until the two of them get down to the street level of the building, and get ready to suffer through the cold. Adel pulls a scarf around her neck, but doesn't bother to cover her head as she looks over at her companion. "You know, if you were going to burn something, it should have been something else— like…" She hesitates, looks around to see who all is present, and even at the sight that they are, more or less, alone, she lowers her voice.
"Like your costume. I mean that's like… a symbol of what scares her. Losing you cause you risk yourself trying to save the world, right?" The newcomer to the band sure thinks she knows a lot about what's going on. "More than an expensive comic book— which you totally shouldn't get rid of, unless you need the money."
"I… you're totally right, it's the costume that I need to get rid of…" Magnes hadn't quite thought of that, sighing lightly as he looks back in the direction they've come from. "I haven't known you long, but you're a good friend. I kind of wish we all spent more time together."
"Probably better not to burn it in their apartment either," Adel says, grabbing onto his arm rather than letting him get too far away and actually hugging herself against him for a moment, as if tryng to encourage him. "We should spend more time together. I— meant to, but… I dunno. I got caught up with Robyn's CD and Jay and… Sparky— those are my friends, pre-band friends," she tries to explain.
"I worry about them too. They're always… doing stuff. Getting in trouble. I'm afraid something's going to happen to them. And right now Jay's stuck inside the Dome, like all those other people."
"I'm sure they'll be fine in the dome. I should probably see if my ability can affect it or not, but I doubt it. I know at least enough about physics to realize that I can't apply nearly the force of that… wait a minute." Magnes looks down at her as they walk, something suddenly dawning on him. "The physics of the dome and the way your forcefield works, they're very similar."
"I already tried, thought I could cut a hole in it from the side— it threw me back a few feet into a snow drift just as I got the sphere up," Adel says with a wince, admiting it outloud for the first time. "I figured if I could bend into it I could just… sneak in. Find him. Sneak us out, you know? But it's not really like mine— mine isn't that… solid. And no one inside was…" she trails off. "Anyway, mine doesn't work on it."
"Well, someone will figure it out. I've helped save the world enough times to know that someone's always got a plan." Magnes reaches over as they walk, a hand going to her head to ruffle it slightly. "It'll all be fine, no matter how bad it gets, it's always fine again in the end. Trust me, alright?"
"Thanks," Adel says, leaning her head against his arm for a moment before she blinks away tears she wants to pretend weren't there. Tears are for the weak! Or for the sad, which is more accurate. "So what happened to make you try to burn a famous old comic to prove your love anyway? Something must have happened— it seems like a rash decision!"
"My father said that he and my mother split up for six months over something very big, and he had to work hard to win her back. He said that if I care about Elaine, I have to fight for her." Magnes stops walking when he feels something wet, and raises a finger just under her eye. "What's wrong, Adel?"
"Nothing. I'm just worried is all— you're right, they'll probably find a way to fix it and knock it down," Adel says reaching up to wipe at her eyes. No tears here, really. "Your dad doesn't give bad advice, though, but you might have to fight in a way that you don't expect to, but I've always been a firm believer in fighting for what you want."
"Hey…" Magnes stops, stepping in front of her to shake his head. "You don't have to do that, it's alright to cry, you don't have to be strong right now." He looks down at his coat and smiles. "No one's cried on this coat yet, if you need to let it out."
There's a moment where Adel is shaking her head, trying to deny that she needs to cry, likely, "No, it's— I'm always the happy one, I have to be the…" but she doesn't get any further than that, as she suddenly chokes on the words and stops trying to walk, stops trying to complain, and just buries her face in his coat. It's probably something that she hasn't done in front of many people. Cry.
"It'll be alright, Adel…" Magnes places a hand on the back of her head, just standing there so she can let it out. "You don't have to be anyone but yourself, I don't want you to forget that. You're not 'the happy one', you're Adel."
At first she just seems to be trying to laugh, but it comes out as sobs more than anything. Adel's fingers twist into the coat, as if trying to hold on tighter for a moment, before she finally pulls back and wipes at her eyes. It isn't as long as it seemed to her, nor as short as she may have wanted. "Adel is the happy one, though," she says after a moment, a tear darkened smile. "Adel's always been the happy one. The… laughs in the face of danger. That's… me."
As if to punctuate she laughs, though it still comes off as hoarse gasps. "Thanks, though. You— things aren't going to get better. Maybe not ever, so someone has to smile and find the good things in the dark. Right?"
"Things will get better, things always get better, history teaches that." Magnes gently wipes her eyes with his sleeve as he speaks, his tone reassuring. "There are so many moments in history that were far worse than we have it, and things got better. A giant dome in the middle of the city is not exactly the Spanish flu, or nazis… even though I did technically fight those once."
"I don't mean the…" Adel starts, then trails off and shakes her head, grabbing the edge of her scarf and wiping her eyes off again, even if the wool kind of itches. "The Dome's just another symptom of what's happening, I guess. And I don't see it getting any better."
The dark haired girl bites down on her lip, looking at him quietly before saying, "You have to be careful… Magnes. I know you want to protect people, and help and… you can't do that if you get yourself killed or arrested, or thrown in a box somewhere."
"I know, Adel. That's why I'm going to take your advice. I'm going to burn the costume." Magnes reaches down to take her hand, starting to walk again. "Come on, let's get you home. Maybe I can make you dinner so you can relax."
"All I have is microwaveable food," Adel admits with a laugh, moving so that she can walk beside him, and her smile beginning to come back again. Her eyes are stained with tears and her make up is smeared, but she's put that happy smile back in place.
"You probably make great microwave pizza though."