Participants:
| Scene Title | Hammering Nails |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Several people show up to work on renovating homes in Summer Meadows. There is some hostility. |
| Date | December 29 2008 |
Here and there in summer meadows, there's people still working on homes. This is not just a one day a week affair. Volunteer's set out to try and get some work done during the day. Hammering, cutting, everything that can be done in the just below freezing weather can be heard from any one place within the area. A table with hot beverages set out for volunteers when they take a break is in full swing along with a couple crock pots of chili and crackers.
Also heard is an SUV pulling up, pea green in color alongside the other vehicles in the parking meant for volunteer's. Abigail had spent the morning running errands, tying up loose ends. Sure, world is set to end in nuclear firey blast - But she's not allowed to tell anyone. Turns out too that you can drive with a broken ankle, so long as it's not the one that you need to drive with. Hokuto was absent from her store, the person manning it saying that she was absent and gave her the name of some reporter who was taking care of things. A stop in at her school to re-register and cut a cheque for the class fee's and now to stop by here.
Ferry network had been busy while she was in Russia. She could see that as she hopped out of the SUV, dug up her crutches and with a thud of a door closing, she heads into the community proper to get a look.
Kendall is the son of an architect and an interior designer, and so when projects started to be worked on, his parents shoved him out of the house to go get 'real world experience' in the design of buildings. Overall uninterested in such things, he sulked the entire way there, then took to standing apathetically to the side and watching people work on the building as he shivers in his coat. When another lady drives up, he eyes her, but she just seems to be another one, so he returns to watching some schmuck trying to pound nails into a piece of wood.
Adam talked his way onto the site hours ago. He was curious about what he heard of this place. Right now, he's on the second floor of one of the houses, looking out the window as he sips a bit of coffee, hot chocolate or tea, whatever it is it's causing a slight mist in the air. He's been studying the scene, the people, looking for players behind this whole…do gooding. His lips purse a moment as he leans against the frame of the building and watches people.
Peyton has nothing to do with the architectural part of the project. Instead, she is coming out of the front office where she's delivered a load of groceries for the most needy of the Summer Meadows families, with the help of her cab driver who got a big tip for carrying the most of them. Some of the residents came out to help as well, as Peyton is hobbling around on a pair of crutches with a very very pink cast on her foot.
The former socialite glances up when she sees Abby exiting the SUV, frowning a bit at the other woman who is also on crutches. "Abby! You're back!" It's been a while since she's used her power to check on Liz, Cat and Abby — Tamara's prediction that they would be home soon put her at ease — and was apparently right! "Oh my God! You're back! Cardinal isn't yet, or Gill or … does that mean we're okay?" Please, please, let it mean we're okay.
SLowly but surely and with great care taken not to slip, Abigail makes her way in. Adam's invisible, unseen from his little post overlooking the battlefield so to speak. But Kendall looks the Brunette's way and so she crutches her way over, left foot lifted backto keep the wool sock covering her foot from getting wet. "Hey" Southern. Definitely southern.
"Do you know if Grace is around or one of the others running this show?" There's a gesture with a hand, forefinger circling to indicate summer meadows as a whole. "I've been away and I was coming to see what she needed while I was in the area" Forefinger joins the rest of her fingers and her hand is offered out then pauses as she hears a voice she hasn't heard in, well ages.
"Peyton. Hey, uh" Sarisa's voice, telling them that it's confidential yadda yadda. "Last I knew yeah" The way it's spoken though, states that maybe the other woman better ask her at a later more private time.
"Who?" Kendall asks since this lady is talking to him. "Uh, hi? I don't know anyone named Grace. I'm just here because…" he trails off, unwilling to tell strangers that his mommy and daddy told him to come. How lame. He also doesn't know about Adam watching, and since he has no idea who Adam is, it wouldn't matter regardless. "Eh, just here to help, I guess." he mutters.
"Grace has been around. And Darla," Peyton says helpfully, though she frowns a bit at the vague answer. Obviously she doesn't expect details but the lack of enthusiasm tells her Abby either knows it's not true or doesn't know at all, neither of which are what she hoped to hear. "So Liz and Cat, are they back and okay, too?" the clairvoyant asks, holding up a hand to her cab driver to tell him to wait. Of course, with the meter running. No such thing as a free cab ride in New York — although she technically didn't pay for the one back in August in money.
"Helpings good. I Plan to get my hands dirty, now that I'm back. Cat and Liz opted to stay a little longer. Vacation was just so good you know. But I got into a car accident and so, I came home" Abigail glances toward the taxi driver then to Peyton. "Hey, I drove here, if you want, I could take you back to wherever you go. Save you the cramped taxi ride?"
But bad manners are happening and abigail looks very guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Abigail Beauchamp, this is Peyton Whitney, you are?" This spoken to Kendall, extending her hand proper again.
"Kendall. Cunningham." he admits, although he doesn't shake her hand. Actually, he eyes the hand warily as if it's something dangerous. A bad experience, perhaps? "I'm not sure if there's anything I can help with, I'm not good with building stuff after all."
"Oh." Peyton looks disappointed to hear the others aren't back yet, either. "Gillian and Cardinal and Darth Vader are still gone too." Darth Vader meaning Magnes. Just to make the whole conversation that much more confusing for Kendall. "Nice to meet you, Kendall. And a ride back would be good, I guess, sure. Let me go pay him and I'll be right back." With that, she hobbles on her crutches toward the cab to pay him for the one way fare and the help he gave in carrying in boxes of food.
After watching Peyton, Abby and this new gentleman begin to interact, Adam finishes his drink. His lips purse a moment and then he drops the cup on the floor which will have to be cleaned up by whoever works on this place next. He makes his way out of the building and down onto the ground floor. He picks up someone's tools and takes out a hammer, though he's certainly not dressed to help. He taps on a doorframe on the way out and then over to the group. "Hallo there." he says to the various people gathered, "Here to help build homes for the destitute?"
"Darth Vader?" Kendall shakes his head. Great, he seems to have encountered a couple crazy people. Unless they're spies, spies talk in code all the time! He scrutinizes one lady and then another, but they certainly don't look like spies. This guy walking up, on the other hand… well, maybe not. "Kinda, not really." he replies.
"Sure, We'll eb here" Darth Vader? She'll have to ask in private. "Well, if you can pound a nail, i'm pretty sure they'll put you to slave labor, you can always.." Abigail looks around, letting her blue eye's wander to this person, that person and see what's happening. "Clearing snow it seems, uhhh, hey, passing out drink, uhhh, moving supplies, oh look" Her eye's light on Adam. "Hello Mr. Monroe" Formality since they're not in private. THere's a raised blonde brow at the hammer in his hand. "Somehow, you don't strike me as the type to get your suit dirty hammering nails. Happy Holidays, I hope this one was a good one"
The cab driver pulls away before Peyton has turned around fully on her crutches, moving forward until she hears and sees Adam. She stops and scowls, then turns back to find the cab too far away to yell to. "Shit." She pulls out her cell phone to dial the cab company, hoping they can get him to turn around. Busy signal. Damn it.
Adam lays the belt over his shoulder. The hammer isn't really his weapon of choice, but that doesn't make his ability to spin it in his hand any less of a thing to watch. The weight is a bit different from his usual movement, but it's enough to slip around, almost as if he's juggling it. He smiles enough at Abby, greets the boy with a bit of the same smile. But he holds the grin for injured and hobbled Peyton. He even addresses her in a familiar way, "Hallo, PeyPey." he offers in his british accent.
Kendall eyes Peyton askance when she reacts negatively towards this new guy walking up. Uh /huh/. And now he's playing with a hammer. He clears his throat and tries to casually take a few steps away from the man without trying to seem like he's trying to get some distance. "I've never tried it. Nailing something, that is."
Maybe some other person would jump onto the nailing comment. someone other than Abby. Oblivious Abby, who's along with Kendall regarding the behavior between Adam and Peyton with more raised brows. "Peypey? You know Peyton?" Okay, so everyone knows Peyton. She's the tabloid wonder girl. But the speed with which she seems to be dialing a number and the look towards the taxi, Abigail sighs softly. "I should go. I got some other things to do. It was nice to meet you Kendall. Adam"
He knows her name. That has Peyton look up with another scowl, and then a glance toward Abby, brows furrowed. "I'll call the cops," she says in a low voice, though loud enough to cover the area between them. "Get away from me with that hammer. Did you lose your fucking tranquilizer gun?" So Peyton's grown some courage, though she's not very likely to be able to run away.
Adam seems surprised by Peyton's reaction, or he feigns it well, "Now PeyPey, that's no way to talk to people." he shakes his head. As for the hammer, he says, "Well, I couldn't help build a house without a hammer, now could I. Can't hit nails well with a screwdriver, eh Kendall?" he asks the boy. As Abby starts sighing, "Well, there's no need for everyone to run away. Aren't we all here for the greater good?" he questions, "For the children, as it were?"
"Cops?!" Kendall exclaims, looking at Adam with more alarm now. "Is he a criminal or something?" he doesn't reply to Adam's comment about nails and screwdrivers. Maybe now's a good time to decide to go home.
"Adam, you might want to leave" So Adam's done stuff to Peyton? She'd have to get the story out of the other woman. "He's something" Abigail informs Kendall. "Adam is something, that's for sure. Come on Pey" It's hard to do a turn in crutches and one good foot and it takes a bit of maneuvering. "Just get in the SUV, give him a head start will you, at least? I trust Adam, you're not going to do anything stupid right about now yes?" She doesn't bother looking back at him, needing her concentration to keep from slipping or falling.
"Don't call me Pey Pey," Peyton hisses at the man, then glances over at Kendall's alarm. "Don't talk to him, kid. Just get away from him. He's a …" she doesn't know what he is, to be honest, "bad person." That sounds juvenile and she frowns at her lack of vocabulary, even as she moves to the SUV. Her phone is dialed to 9-1-1 but she doesn't push it yet. "Someone should tell them he's snooping around," she says, lingering at the door and glancing at the front office. She doesn't like Adam being here, not when there are people here she cares about.
Adam arches a brow, "Me do something? You're all the ones being unreasonable." he shakes his head, "It makes me sad for the future of today's youth." he arches a brow at Peyton, "I think, PeyPey." he says in a calm and quiet voice, one that's losing its good humor, "That you're getting yourself involved in matters you'd do best to keep yourself out of." his head tilts to the side, "There's no reason for people to stop being civil." but he stops flipping the hammer, holding it there. "I'll go. My appetite for charity seems to have diminished." he drops the hammer and then the belt. He glances over his shoulder at Kendall, "See you later, hammer." and then begins to walk away.
Kendall watches the guy leave, and sidles over towards the ladies. "Is he really a criminal?" now that the man is leaving, it's feeling more exciting than dangerous. Actually, it's kinda cool, almost. Surviving a meeting with a dangerous criminal. Maybe he's a murderer, or a con artist!
She sure that Peyton has more to tell than Abby. "I'd.." What? Run the other direction. "Just be careful around him. he a lot older than he looks" Abigail cautions the teenager. "Probably better that you avoid him, if you can. if you can't, just.. Just be careful what deals you make with him. Like the devil at the crossroads hmm?" Abigail watches Adam leave, a soft sigh again.
How is her being at Summer Meadows a danger to anyone except, apparently herself when Adam is around? Peyton is most unhappy as she climbs awkwardly into the SUV. "He was at the hospital when I was being released after I manifested. He shot tranqs at me and Brian. Brian helped me get away — I couldn't see, because of my power being on," she tells Abby under her breath, though her eyes are still on Adam as he walks away, as if not trusting him to leave and not follow her. "I don't know why, still. We didn't do anything to him. I've seen him a couple times since then, but never so close." She glances over at Kendall, giving an apologetic wave for the drama.
Kendall jerks back a step when Peyton mentions powers. "You have /powers/?" he asks her sharply. And now it's Peyton that's getting the fisheye. Sheesh, what a way to end his day!
"Kendall, there's more people with abilities in this city than you think. All you need to do is just grab a stick and point, and odds are you've found someone." Crutches are maneuvered, angled into the back seat instead of the passenger side of the front. Easy enough to not get them mixed up with Peyton's. "It was still apleasure to meet you. Keep your mind open eh? You'd be surprised what's in this city. Looks can be deceiving"
Peyton's bad mood deepens when this kid treats her more or less like a leper or someone with an STD. "You might have one, too, for all you know. I didn't manifest until August and I've got a couple years on you, I'd guess," she says dryly, slamming her door once her pink cast is pulled in. "You knew that guy - Monroe? Adam? What's he about? You said you trust him?" Peyton's tone is incredulous. The guy tried to tranq her for no reason. "He's not like, one of those agents or anything, right? There's no reason he should have tried to knock me unconscious, not like a cop or a DHS or whatever."
Kendall jerks again at Peyton's words, and is that a flash of guilt and embarassment sweeping across his face for a split second? Regardless, an intense expression of denial takes hold, and he shakes his head.
As Abigail closes her door, a glance to the look on Kendall's face. She knows that emotion well enough, god knows she wears it enough. "Pey, I think he might have an ability himself…" Maybe. Even as she's putting the key into the ignition and making sure Kendall's not close enough she might run over him.
"As for Adam" She looks over to her before turning to look behind her and back up. "Well…"