Participants:
Scene Title | Hello Again |
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Synopsis | Two old flames meet again in the most unexpected of places. |
Date | November 17, 2010 |
Pollepel Island - Bannerman Castle
Shirking her duties really wasn't what Robyn Quinn had been planning on today. But really, if she had to look at one more turnip, she was going to end up throwing them at someone like something out of an old video game, and frankly, that wasn't something that anyone wanted. So instead, she had taken to wandering the corridors of Bannerman Castle, at least the parts of it that are still intact enough to wander through as she desired.
Which probably would have been exciting if it hadn't been totally boring. The pale gray intact and not-so-populated castles back in Ireland had more flavour! Alas, not all things can turn out as one wants sometimes. But Quinn had a plan. She knew what would be fun, it was a matter of getting back to her room she was sharing the the quarters section of the castle. After all, what could possibly make things more fun than finding a secluded spot on the island and just playing her guitar for a bit?
Winding her way down corridors and back towards her quarters, she has just that single purpose of retrieval in mind. So single purpose, she's not even beginning to pay attention when someone crosses in front of her path and she collides dead into them, having been too busy staring down at her feet as she thought about what to play.
Aside from the whole bodily colliding into something, the initial indication that Quinn has connected with another person is the squeak just before that person tumbles backward onto the cold floor in a heap of long limbs and red curls.
"Owwww." The young woman on the floor gingerly rubs her hip, her mass of hair obscuring her face at first. For a moment, she reminds Quinn of someone. But it's likely just because that someone was inadvertently thrust into her thoughts just the other day. There's no way it could be—
Rue Lancaster's cherub like face turns upward, wide blue eyes fixed on the point of impact. "Quinnie?"
Quinn's reeling a little herself, rubbing her forehead as she looks down at the heap of person, then off to the side, hoping no one else saw her gaff. And then someone calls her "Quinnie". And it's definitely not the voice of Lucille Ryans, who had briefly commandeered the nickname days before. No, the voice she hears is one much more familiar, confirming the flash of recognition Quinn thought she had had.
Quinn's eyes widen to match Rue's, and she just sort of stares for a moment, blinking a few times as if in an effort clear her perfect vision. "Rue?!" Her voice rings of just as much surprise, and it's another moment before the musician suddenly jolts forward, holding out a hand. Shocked or not, can't leave a poor woman laying on the floor.
"Rue, what in the world are you doing here?" She asks in a somewhat disbelieving tone, eyes still wide. "Or did I hit my head really hard an' I'm actually havin' some kind of unconscious dream?"
The younger redhead takes the offered hand and gets to her feet. Rue's look is exceptionally helpless as she shrugs her shoulders. "It all happened so fast. Do you know Brian? He showed up at my apartment and said I'd be safer to come with him than I would be to hole up at my place. It's, uh, way more complicated than that, but that's the short version."
Rue shakes her head once more, this time to clear the cobwebs, and then she reaches out to throw her arms around Quinn. "I'm so glad to see you! I've been kind of hiding because I don't know anybody around here and it's really weird and… I don't know what's going on, really. Not all of it." Quinn is squeezed a bit tighter in Rue's arms. "I'm so glad you're here, too, Quinnie."
Well, feels too real to be a dream! Which is actually somewhat of a relief to Quinn. "B-Brian?" She'd heard about a Brian in reference to the Lighthouse, but that's about it. "Not… really, no." It's another beat before Quinn's own arms wrap around Rue, a smile forming on her face. "You'll have t' give me the long version at some point, but… I guess that means you're not with the Ferry?" Not that it matters. She's certainly not the only one.
One hand reaches up, a bit of stretch given that Rue is several inches taller than Quinn, and ruffles Rue's hair. "It's nice t' see a friendly face, always. Been a while since we last saw each other, eh? This is about the last place I would have expected t' find you you, though. I've been keepin' an' eye out on the billboards, though. You know, just in case."
Rue's smile is as bright as Quinn remembers it, accompanied with a quiet giggle. "I didn't expect to see anyone I know." Almost reluctantly, she steps back from the hug, giving space that decorum requires. "I like your hair like that. Is it new? I mean, it's new to me. But that doesn't mean much." There's a sigh. "The world is ending, and I'm asking you about your hair. Proving the shallow model stereotype again, right?"
"The world's not ending," Quinn replies, raising a finger and waggling it back at forth at Rue, almost like a parent scolding a child. Jokingly, of course. "An' I won't hear any talk otherwise." Her wide smile does dip a bit at the end, the musician reaching back and scratching the back of her neck. "I mean, yeah, shit sounds bad out there, but I don't think it's that bad."
There's a beat of time before Quinn's eyes shift to the side, as if trying to look at her own hair. "Yeah, I've been playing around with dying my hair a lot the last few months. Nothin', like… outrageous. Just red and black at different times. Always figure that I should play t' the redhead Irish last stereotype sometimes," she remarks, flashing that grin back at Rue.
"Okay, maybe not ending, but it's… It's scary out there. There's military all over the place. That's pretty scary." Rue has to wonder in what universe does Quinn live in where martial law isn't somehow a herald for the end of days.
Rue's eyes slide away from Quinn's face, scanning the corridor around them as if to make sure they're as alone as she thinks they are. "You look good. Really good. I've… missed you." Her gaze darts up toward the ceiling some, lips pursing. "Like, a whole lot."
"Yeah, it's definitely scary," Quinn is willing to allow, hands moving to her hips. "But at the moment, I think we're going t' make it out fine. I'm just glad all my friends seem t' be okay." A hand reaches out and up to Rue's shoulder, Quinn grinning. "Which includes you. I tried t' call you on the ninth before I came here, see if you were okay. Guess now I know why I didn't get through. So, don't be surprised if there's a few messages from me when you get reception again."
Though, despite her best efforts, Quinn can't help but blush, the hand on Rue's shoulder sliding down to rub her arm, laughing a bit. "Thanks. You look good too. Thought of you the other day, actually. Someone else actually called me Quinnie, for a moment I thought you'd put on a mask. She was a model too." Eyes narrow, as it playfully accusing Rue of doing just that.
It's Rue's turn to blush, though her lips quirk upward in an impish smile. "Me? Pretend to be someone I'm not? I am insulted, Quinnie." The implied offence would be convincing, were she not mimicking the Irish woman's accent nigh flawlessly. "She wasn't as pretty as I am though, was she?" Accent dropped again, Rue can't help but tease her former girlfriend.
"She was close," Quinn responds almost immediately, winking at Rue. Giggling, Quinn leans back a bit, propping herself against the wall. "Jesus, I will never understand how you do that so well. You're sure you're not part Irish?" A question Quinn has asked hundreds of times before, most assuredly. Tugging idly at the sleeves of her hoodie, she lets that linger for a moment before looks back up at Rue, a half smile on her face. "We really should hang out more, you know. It shouldn't take freakin' martial law t' get us t'gether." This, ignoring the fact that Quinn doesn't contact Rue as often as she seems to think she does.
Rue tips back until her back connects with the wall next to Quinn, the angle of her lean leaving her eye level with the other redhead, even if the position looks slightly awkward. Being a model, it's not the queerest stance she's held. "I think that mostly has something to do with how you think I'm crazy," she reminds in a quiet voice, turning to peer at Quinn. "Not that I blame you, but… Let's call a spade a spade here."
That almost has Quinn choking on her own smile as it downturns, gulping audibly as she looks slowly over at Rue. Yep, someone looks like they just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Ah, I…" A hand reaches up, rubbing her cheek. "Am such a bitch sometimes, I guess," she responds quietly, quirking her lips side to side. "You must really hate me sometimes for that. Not that I blame you."
"Quinnie, if you told me you saw the ghost of your dead girlfriend, I'd probably have thought you were nuts, too." It's maybe a little unfair, bringing up someone Quinn lost in the bomb, but the topic of people they both lost in that explosion has been broached so many times that it doesn't perhaps feel as off limits as it should. "I don't blame you," Rue murmurs, turning to stare across the hall again. "It never… really occurred to me how hard it must have been to compete with someone you… couldn't really see. Or know was real. And that was unfair of me to drag you into that."
Rue clears her throat, scuffing one black Chuck Taylor'd foot at the floor. "I thought I was just being honest at the time. I never really thought about how it would affect you. And that was… stupid of me." She trails off for a moment, brows furrowing as she stares hard at the wall opposite them. "There never was any competition. There's never been anyone else."
Wrinkling her nose, Quinn remains silent for another moment, before she lets out a long sign. "I dunno. It- I mean…" This is a matter Quinn has always had trouble properly vocalising herself on. "There's somethin' t' be said for honesty, you know? I think that's more important than anything else, right?" Tentatively, Quinn reaches over, a hand placed back on Rue's shoulder. "I really did care you, though. Still do." It's clear she's a bit tongue tied, and it culminates in her hand finding it's way to her forehead. "I must sound like an ass. I mean, do you still… see Samara?" It doesn't sound probing, more genuinely curious.
For all that Quinn feels terrible about the way she left Rue, the other woman has come to terms with it. Or that's the image she projects, at least. "Yeah," Rue admits easily, when asked if she can still see her dead friend. "And apparently, so does Brian. He says he doesn't see dead people, though. He says Samara isn't dead." She turns to look at Quinn again, making a bit of a face. "I told you it was complicated, why I came here."
"Wait, what?" Quinn haze snaps over to Rue with a look on her face that one might wear if someone had just said "The sky is purple today". In fact her face is frozen in that state for a moment before she pushes off from the wall, moving in front of Rue. "You're serious? So, like, wait! S-Someone else saw her? But, wait, I…" She leans back a bit, like she's heavily considering this new bit of information. "The only way she could be not dead and be invisible is if she's evol-" click "Is that why you're here?"
Rue shrinks back a little bit under Quinn's questioning, which looks mildly ridiculous with their height differences. "I'm here because she's here. Or, at least, she was at one point. Brian said she was here. She… wandered off somewhere." Which brings a touch of pink to the girl's cheeks. It doesn't help lend any credence to her story when she can't produce the supposed ghost, or whatever it actually is that Samara apparently is.
"Brian said that this would be the safe place for Evolved people like Sami and I. But… I don't understand how it works. Sami can't be… I mean, Sami died. She and I…" Rue scratches at the back of her head, looking frustrated. "I don't know. I really have no clue what's going on. He said he can see her, and that she isn't dead. I don't have a clue what's going on there."
Quinn rocks back on her heels, looking thoughtful for a minute. "I… hmm." And then she blinks, tilting her head. "Sami. Damnit, that's who Brian was talking about at the meeting! I can't believe I didn't think a' it. He said he was usin' a mirror t' talk t' her. Or, well, see her. Said something about bein' able t' see her in glass an' mirrors and… shit. He insisted she wasn't a ghost…" Quinn rocks back forward, tapping on her own cheek. "Well, you came t' the right place, I guess. There's a lot of people here who know a lot about things like that. I mean… it's a chick in the Ferry that's been teachin' me how do stuff lately."
"Really?" Rue blinks several times a little surprised that her best friend was a topic of discussion at a meeting of this group that she feels is so big and important - mostly because she's so outside of it. "She… She does show up better in mirrors. I mean, that's always been where people have been most able to see her, when they even can. And that's usually just been, like… One of those 'what the fuck was that' moments, you know?" Rue scrubs a hand over her face. "If she's not dead, how come I'm the only one who can see and hear her consistently? I've never had trouble with it. This doesn't make any damn sense."
"Yeah, I dunno…" Quinn says, scratching her arm, looking a bit more doubtful. But it only takes a moment, before she perks back up, both hands on Rue's shoulders. "But someone'll figure uot what's goin' on! The people here… don't believe what you might here. They're good people, Some of 'em, maybe kinda dangerous, but they're good. No one would be lyin' t' you. Though no one may have everythin' figured out yet, give it time. I mean, you're registered. Whatever's goin' on could be anything!" She actually seems kind of excited, shaking the other woman a bit. "An' it means you're totally not crazy. I'm just a tool who totally owes you a huge apology."
Rue's head is swimming by the time Quinn finishes talking. Her brows quirk upward. "I am not sure how to take any of what you just said," she admits. "But… I trust you." And she trusts Samara.
Dispelling some of the serious, Rue reaches out to drag a finger over Quinn's shoulder and down her arm. "I can think of a couple ways you could make it up to me," she purrs.
There's a wide, genuine smile on Quinn's face. "Good, trust me. Everything will work out, I promise it'll make sense." And no sooner has she spoken those words then do her cheeks take on a deep red hue as she blushes. What occurs next, even though it only seems to take a handful of seconds and is entirely inaudible, is an intense internal debate, one that Quinn finds herself having at times when she least expects it. But once those handful of seconds pass, Quinn steps towards Rue, leaning forward - an manoeuvring to kiss her on the cheek. "I… would love t', Rue. I kinda feel like I owe somethin' t' you. But I… have a girlfriend." She winces as she says that, not exactly sure what the reaction is going to be.
It's like a mirror the way Rue winces at the exact same time as Quinn. "Of course you do," she responds easily, returning the kiss to her cheek in kind. "You're too good to be single for very long. Any girl with half a brain would want to try to snatch you up for her own." Rue dismisses her own disappointment with a laugh, playing it off. "Good for you. I'm glad."
Quinn can't help but look down a bit - which, given how tall Rue is doesn't really help, so she turns her gaze almost straight down to the floor. "I'm sorry," is said quietly, ruefully (pun not intended). She doesn't really back away, hands moving to Rue's side. "It's- actually kinda a recent thing. First, like… real thing I have since we dated, actually. I did- do still care about you, you know. I mean, I never wanted us t' drift apart or anything." She lets out a long sigh and a heartbeat's moment of time passes before she tips up, this time finding Rue's lips instead of her cheek.
"Yeah, me either…" Rue has this habit of looking up, rather than down, when she's in one of those moods. Being as tall as she is, looking up is an easier way to avoid eye contact. As such, she almost misses the cues, is almost taken by surprise when Quinn leans in. Almost. Her eyes shut, and she reaches out to curl her fingers around the back of Quinn's neck, lightly scratching manicured nails over her nape.
Quinn lets her arms slide around Rue, but she knows that what she's engaged in could be dangerous if it lingers on for too long. In retrospect, it may not have been a good idea at all.
It certainly wouldn't have been the first, and it most certainly won't be the last.
The hand at her neck does have her pressing a bit harder into the kiss, but only a few moments longer before she slowly pulls back, a bit of a mixed expression on her face, before she leans her head against Rue. "I'm- sorry if that was the wrong idea. But I felt like I owed you at least that." A pause, and she does form a bit more of a smile. "Well, that, and I remember you being a good kisser."
Colour touches Rue's cheeks from the compliment, and from the rush of the moment. "You're actually better than I remember. And I remembered you being pretty damn good." She toys with Quinn's dyed hair for a moment, reluctant to break away entirely. "It's fine. Really. That was the best I don't think you're crazy anymore kiss that I've ever had," she teases.
"Oh, so you've had more than the one? Should I be jealous?" Quinn teases right back, that grin on her face widening. Standing back up a bit - but hands still on Rue's side - she tones down the grin back to normal proportion, tilting her head as she regards Rue. "So, what do y' think? Wanna try being at least friends again? For real this time?"
"Well… No," Rue admits, doing her best to look sheepish about being caught in a fib. "But that still means it was the best." Her whole face lights up when she smiles, her eyes practically sparkling with mirth. "I think I'd like that. A lot. Just don't be all weird and not introduce me to your new bird or something, okay?"
One hand moves up from Rue's side, patting her repeatedly on the arm. "Fantastic! I have my guitar with me, you know. We could go chill, I can play some music an' we can talk about what we've been up to until either someone shows up t' drag me back t' work, or some of my friends show up." Quinn moves the hand to Rue's cheek, letting it rest just a moment before she flicks it, giggling. "She's here on the island, actually. My girlfriend. I mean, if you really don't think it'd be too weird…"
"It'd be weirder not to, I think," Rue reasons with a shrug of her skinny shoulders. "I'd feel like some dirty little secret you want buried in your past. That'd just suck." She removes her arm from the back of Quinn's neck only to snake around her midsection instead. "Besides, I have to make sure she's good enought for ya somehow, right?" She squeezes the other woman close briefly and winks. "C'mon. I've missed listening to you play your guitar. Let's go get some air."
"I think that sounds like a plan," Quinn replies with an enthusiastic nod. "Better than just kinda' sittin' around like a lotta people are doin', right?" She grins as she steps back, taking Rue's hand and tugging her along. "I guess I should tell you a little a bit about her. So you're not, like… surprised later," She says sheepishly, letting out a bit of a nervous laugh. "Ygraine an' I kinda have, like… a kinda unique arrangement."
"Ygraine?" Rue's laughter rings off the halls and she playfully bumps against her companion, squeezing her hand briefly. "Is she Welsh? That so figures." She laughs again and shakes her head. "All right, Quinnie. Tell me all about her."