Participants:
| Scene Title | Everything a Riddle |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Veronica confers with Brian to figure out one precognitive's riddle and clue, but to no avail. |
| Date | April 30, 2011 |
Motel Room in Brookline, Massachusetts
Motel living is definitely not an improvement on hiding in Veronica's posh apartment. There aren't the towers full of DVDs or the game consoles or a king sized bed. But the Motel Belmont has been this one Brian's residence for the past two weeks. At least there's cable and a pool — and a liquor store and McDonalds across the alley, if he can't stand any of the food Veronica's stocked the tiny kitchenette with.
At last it's her day off. This means new (and probably freshly cooked!) food, maybe new books or DVDs — and whatever information she's managed to glean in the past week while working in the Arcology to share with Brian.
At last that particular tap on the door comes before the key can be heard sliding into the door, giving Brian plenty of time to react. When Veronica opens the door, there's the joyous sight of to-go food bags in her arms.
"Lucy, I'm home," she sing songs lightly.
The sign comes at the door. Which has a man rocketing up from his laying position. Today was the day?? Panicked eyes flit around the room while not a complete disaster is not the most welcoming sight to a visitor. Clothing laying about haphazardly and not one but two pizza boxes have the small motel room looking very cluttered indeed. The television is on, the lights off, and Brian seems to have come to life only at the special knock at the door.
A wholly naked Brian careens off the left side of the bed, tumbling to the ground and trying quickly to try and salvage some bit of this scene before Veronica's inevitable arrival. His eyes quickly scan the room and the turmoil seems even more intimidating now that he stands. And finally the key slides in. Acting quick he has only a moment to lose.
The door opens, and there stands Brian amidst a cluttered room of chaos, with one pant leg hastily pulled up one knee. As she enters, he slowy straightens. The jig is up, he is caught, the mostly naked man tries to summon a rueful smile. "…Hey."
Veronica slips through the door, her dark eyes sliding across the little room, gaze alighting on the pizza boxes, the clothes, the naked Brian. It's a solemn moment before her lips quirk into an amused hint of a smile.
"You must have been a frat boy for at least one of your clones," she says, moving to put the food down somewhere — there's not really a clear place that she can find, but there's a pile of newspapers on one of the little tables, so she puts the food on top of that. "Thai food," she says, with a nod to the plastic bag.
Hands free, she moves toward him to greet him a bit more personally. "Don't get dressed on my account," she says, teasingly, standing on her toes to brush her lips against his. But then her hand touches his chest — only to push him slightly away.
"Except actually, there's a development, so maybe do. Or I'll be too distracted." She begins to empty her purse out near the food — cell phone, the battery that's already been taken out, keys, lipstick. Gum. Pen. She doesn't always carry a purse — if ever — so it's a bit strange.
Having been caught the only thing to do is embrace the moment and ride out into the consequences. Standing their in his full glory he puffs up his chest somewhat, hands at his side as she walks in. But she eventually breaks into a smile which is instantly mirrored on his own features. He watches her set down the food his brows arching. "Pad thai?" He asks quickly, a hint of excitement breaking into his tone.
As there seems to be no admonishment coming he somewhat relaxes and as she moves over to him, he presses into her, arms going to slide around her back. Though his features turn quizzical as she pushes him back some. As she tells him to maybe get clothed he bends to start pulling up the pant leg, but then she mentions she may be too distraced. And the pant leg drops back down.
Watching her with an amused smile, he goes to take a set back on the bed. "What development?"
"Of course," Veronica answers to the question of pad thai. Can you get thai food without getting pad thai? That's a rhetorical question.
When he stops getting dressed and sits back down, she gives him a look.
"You're incorrigible," Veronica says, but it doesn't sound like an admonishment. The curve of her mouth suggests otherwise.
Eventually the purse is empty and she reaches in, finding the hidden opening that allows her to lift up the bottom of the purse to reveal an envelope inside, which she pulls out. She holds it up in one hand and walks toward him. She doesn't hand it to him just yet.
"Who is Dong-Tian?" she asks instead, tipping her head and studying his face, watching for the tells of recognition or deception that might come with his answers.
"Pad-thai." Is repeated happily almost like a child when it is revealed she did in fact get the right thing. He seems as though he's about to bound up towards her to retrieve it. But then she's telling him he's incorrigible and giving him sideyes he smirks and relaxes back into the bed.
Leaning against the back of the bed, mustering as tempting a look as he can he grins only in response to her. The secret compartment yielding an envelope though has his facade breaking somewhat. Looking up at her quizzically he gives a light shrug. "It means winter." His eyes go wide at his own words. "Oh. Hey. I know Chinese." He smiles brightly at this surprise and reaches up to take the envelope.
Veronica pulls the envelope a little out of his reach with a head shake. Not yet. "It means winter," she repeats, her eyes narrowing. "A few weeks back, a guy named Dong-Tian arranged a meeting with me. Knew a bunch of shit about me. Things most people don't know." She pauses, looking at the envelope, then back to his face. She doesn't seem angry, but perplexed.
"Do you know him?" Even as she asks the question, she sighs, realizing how pointless that is, when the Brian in front of her doesn't have the memories of the past two years. "Shit." She closes her eyes, reaching up to rub them wearily. "Everything is a fucking riddle."
A helpless look comes over Brian's features. His eyes searching for something that isn't there. "I don't know." Is all he has to offer. Since he came back Veronica has literally been his entire world. A man without memory of two years, all his projects and relationships gone except her. And their cases together. Which he has been told no longer exist. His hands splay upwards as if trying to signify his helplessness in all this.
"I'm sorry." The still naked man offers weakly, though in this moment of helplessness he's feeling a tad less sexy than he was a few moments ago.
"One of you does," Veronica says quietly. "I wonder if I can get ahold of another." She hasn't tried — Brian's ability has always been one she's struggled with understanding, and that there's possibly another Brian out there who hates her after she'd broken his heart… She sighs and sits down next to this one, this one who's following her into the hell she's chosen, and wraps her arms around him.
"It's not your fault," she murmurs, bumping her head against the side of his. She finally puts the envelope into his hands. "Do you recognize him?" she asks, her voice soft, apologetic.
Inside the envelope is a staff badge for The Commonwealth Institute, with a picture of Dong-Tian and the words Technical Maintenance beneath.
His body relaxes somewhat as she stops standing over him and goes to his side. A light exhalation coming from him as he shakes his head at the picture. "No." Looking at the badge his lips quirk back up into a smirk that lasts only a moment. "But speaking of dongs, I really thought this was going to go a different way when you walked in and said you were distracted." His grin is short lived as he looks back over at her.
"I'm sorry I don't remember anything… I don't know how to find any of them. If they're even still out there. I don't know why I would be the only one to try and find you. I imagine some of them are still trying to, I would guess. If they're out there."
She snorts at the word 'dong' and stares down at the badge in her hands. "One of you knows him. You must've sent him to check in on me. The name is too coincidental. And he knew things only you know."
The memory — and what led up to it — is still much too fresh for her, if non existent for him. Tears slide out of her dark eyes and down her cheeks, and she shakes her head. "Only the ones who have amnesia," she murmurs quietly, looking back up at him. "I'm worried you'll hate me, too, once you do find them," she says, putting a hand up to touch his face, fingers curling to slide into the hair at his temple. "You know I love you, right?"
A light smile is elicited at the laughter of dong. His hands go up to mirror her gesture, pressing his forehead into hers. "I love you too." He says softly. "You were trying to protect me. You've already told me." He smiles softly. "I love you. There's no way I could hate you." Running his fingers to the back of her head, he sets his free hand on her leg. "We're going to be alright. We'll figure it out." He repeats, looking up at her offering her a warm smile.
For a long, quiet moment, Veronica just lets him hold her like that. Eventually she nods, her head's movement forcing his to echo a little, thanks to their touch. "I hope so," she whispers. "If it's not… at least we had each other for a little bit longer." That brings a fresh flurry of tears and she pulls back, lifting her eyes to the ceiling as if she could force the tears back that way, her hands swiping under each eye. "Enough of that. So the weird part." Back to business. "Do you know a Tamara Brooks at all? She's in the Institute. Detainee. Precog. She gave me this. It wasn't an accident. It was definitely meant for me and the message was that it would be useful. I have to hope she's not trying to burn me somehow. I feel like I can trust her, but the people I trust I could count on one hands and still have fingers left over."
Frowning some at her biting back the tears his hand runs through the back of her hair. He gives a light nod as she murmurs that it''s enough, tipping his chin down he presses a kiss into her shoulder. At the question, Winters glances up, giving a shake of his head. "I don't remember." He lets out weakly, sounding apologetic once again.
"I wish I could remember something." He gives a heavy sigh, now knee deep in emotion wishing he would have at least put some pants on. "Precogs can be.. loopy. I think."
"She seems to be. A little. But I can't help but think some of its an act. She talks in the past tense. It's kind of creepy but I like her," Veronica says, picking up the badge to return it to her hidden compartment in her purse. "We'll work on it old school I guess. Or maybe you'll get connected again. I hope the others are okay."
She moves to the food, though, because she saw that look in his eyes at the mention of pad thai. "Let's eat, then maybe we can make a little incognito trip to New York. And Chinatown. You want to dye your hair again?" That's said with a grin. He remembers 2009 at least.
As the mood gets a bit lighter, he stands up behind her. Now feeling more confident in his decision regarding the pants. Stepping up behind her he sets his hands on her hips, moving his lips to her neck. "Food." He agrees, pulling her into him he smiles into her neck. "We have more than enough to keep ourselves busy for now." As for his hair.
"God I miss my ability."