Here's Your Receipt

Participants:

colette_icon.gif kaylee2_icon.gif molly_icon.gif

Scene Title Here's Your Receipt
Synopsis Finally, there is hope for finding Joseph! Colette and Kaylee stumble into Molly and they get their first clue.
Date December 30, 2009

Ruins of Midtown


White on black, it's the simplest depiction of a full moon.

It is a great, gleaming white circle near to its fullest, set against a blue-black field. Pristine, flawless, it's light shines thorugh spaces in thick and cottony clouds that blot out large portions of the evening sky. Only the stomp of one black boot disturbs the moon, crushes it under its heel and distorts the reflection in a murky puddle of melted snow, leaving rippling waves in a once pristine image when the foot comes sloshing out.

"Awh," comes the eloquent half-breathed response as a darkly-dressed teenager hops on one dry foot away from the puddle, shaking water from the deep runoff-filled pothole from her boot, "this's why I fuckin' hate walking around out here." Stomping her boot down on cracked pavement, Colette Nichols shakes her head, looking up towards the cloudy sky and the bright moon partly obscured behind the clouds, then back to the puddle she just stepped in. Turning, she waves a hand towards the hole, outlining its edges with a faintly glowing green light. "Watch your step," she explains to the blonde coming out of the subway station below the street, "s'like knee fucking deep."

Midtown looks more oppressively barren in winter than it does at any other time. Snow and ice cling to the gutted, skeletal frames of skyscrapers, crust like ice atop the burned out husks of cars and rubble-strewn sidewalks. Icicles two feet long hang like monstrous teeth from the shattered awning of the subway entrance, making it look as though Kaylee Anne Thatcher was climbing up the stairs that led from some great arctic monster's jaws.

"Man, I forget how fuckin' cold it is topside…" Colette whines, wrapping her arms around herself, wool-gloved hands tucked as far as she can get them into the tight pockets of black denim pants. This outfit is far more suited to fall, not the bitter, freezing winds of winter. "C'mon, the sooner we get down to Dave's place the better, m'gonna freeze all my bits off."

"Dah-veed. Say it with me… Dah-veed. We don't want to insult the man." Kaylee chides with a chuckle, breath coming out in dense white puffs of breath. She's also not dressed all the great for the weather, in her leather jacket instead of her winter one. A crutched tucked against one side, and a brown bag, with a pillow peeking out of it, held to her side on the other, she follows the teenager.

Stepping carefully around the puddle, Kaylee glances down at it and the wavering reflection of the moon. "You know… the old man in the park was so wrong. We didn't burn in fire on the 12th.. Christmas came and went and we're still here…. but then a lot of seers seem to have been wrong." It's the first time the telepath has thought about that in a long time. And quit whining.. you wore the thin jacket." She did too and it's complaining!

A figure watches the two women on their trek through the ruins, her new place to stay for a while. Holing up in some of the buildings that still have working heat so that she wouldn't freeze to death. The young woman that is perched on a mound of ruined materials and junk, tilts her head as she studies the two and then her baby blue eyes narrow as she notices Kaylee, the telepath.

If someone that knew Molly were to take a look at her now, they would see a totally different girl. Her long blonde hair is put into a messy ponytail and her face has some smudge marks from living outside in the world and not in a place that 14 year olds normally live. Molly Walker, or Matilda Wonker as everyone except for Matt Parkman and Hokutu know her as is quite pissed that the telepath is here, not that she owns the ruins or anything. Instead of staying quite and hidden as she should, the blonde stands up straight and folds her arms.

Dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and a red turtleneck along with a heavy looking peacock, on the ground next to her lays her trusty backpack with all of her supplies and extra clothes in it. With a raise of an eyebrow, she opens her thoughts for a moment so that she can project this, and quite loudly.

What.. are you doing here?

Then Molly bends to heft her backpack up and slide down the mound of rubble to appear right in front of the two girls. When Colette is seen though, the young blonde's eyes widen slighty. "Letty.." she says softly.

For as much as Colette was going to try and flusteredly explain that Dave is some sort of affectionate nick-name, it's the sound of someone else in the ghost-town of ruins that causes her to turn around, a puff of steam coming up from behind her brick red scarf in surprise. "Matilda!" The green light around the puddle dissipates in sparkling motes of light as Colette loses all of her focus on it entirely, rushing with clomping bootfalls across the ice-dappled pavement towards where Molly has come down from the heap of debris. "You— I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Skidding to a stop by merit of slippery boots and icy pavement, Colette windmills her arms to stay standing, then slaps her hands down on Molly's shoulders to steady herself. "Wwhh— Where have you been!?" The sound of worry is strong in Colette's voice, fingers gripping at the shoulders of the young girl. "I was worried you got kidnapped too! I— Brian's got to be out of his mind worried about you!"

The shout in her head is familiar, stopping Kaylee in her tracks. Her mind reaches out, but doesn't connect as the girl comes into view. Brows lift high on her head. "Matilda." She echoes Colette softly, but doesn't move from where she is, as if afraid to spook the young girl away. The bag she is holding crinkles softly as the grip on her tightens.

A touch of distance between them, Kaylee just stands and watches, letting the girls catch up and trying not to send the girl running again.

"Sorry.. I can't go back.. not yet. The Nightmare Man.. he's out there and he's looking for me. I can't sleep. I've been drinking coffee." Molly smirks softly and hangs her head briefly, the young teen does indeed look tired, very tired. "I'm sorry, Kaylee. You were just trying to help.. I freaked.. I'm not suppose to trust strangers." Matt taught her that.

"The Nightmare Man.. he's been driving me nuts. Every time I sleep.. Sylar is there.. he doesn't want him to be dead." Because Sylar is still dead.. right? He's not alive, couldn't be.

Molly sighs softly and places her arms around Colette. "I'm sorry, I worried you." She says softly, before she backs up a little. She still has her dignity and she'll be damned if she lets Kaylee and Colette see her this vulnerable for too long.

"The Nightmare Man?" Kaylee asks softly. "You mentioned him last time. He's driving me crazy too. Mostly the same nightmare over and over." The circles under her eyes a testament to that, though she's done well to hide the fact from her friends. "And… it's alright Matilda."

Finally reassured enough, Kaylee starts to step carefully, moving towards the other two. Items being held keep her from touching the girls shoulder. "I understand the stranger danger stuff….. And…. in a way I can still help." A small smile touches her lips when she studies the girl. "You look well considering where your staying."

"Nightmare what?" Colette asks as she angles her head to look over one shoulder to Kaylee, letting her hands slide down off of Molly's shoulders, one brow raised. Green eyes dart back and forth between the two, brows furrowed. "You— you didn't mention any Nightmare whatever to me, what's…" Puzzled by this, Colette takes a step back, lips pursed and hands tucked into the pockets of her black, denim jacket. "Does this have anything to do with Joseph? Why didn't you tell m— "

She sharply shakes her head, looking over to Molly intently. "Nevermind," Colette hisses out, waving one gloved hand in the air frantically. "Matilda, we need your help." There's a plaintive look on Colette's face, a worried expression that creases at the teen's features. "A— a friend've ours is missing, kidnapped." She assumes. "Nobody knows where he is, I— you're the only person who can help. I— I know you've got that astral projecty-thingie you do, I— " Green eyes divert to Kaylee, then flick back to Molly again.

"We need you to help find our friend, Joseph."

"It's more than that.. it's more than what everyone thinks.. I have to find her." Molly says softly and then she smiles softly at Kaylee. "I survive." Its said simply and not elaborated on. "He's more powerful then anybody will give him credit for.. and he's spreading.. like a disease.. last time it was just me, so he must have gained more power, or he's just simply not happy with just torturing me anymore. He wants to do it to everyone."

The young clairvoyant runs a hand through her blonde hair, releasing it from the ponytail that it is in. The wind blows her hair into her face but she moves it aside. "Have you met him yet?" the question for Colette.

It's as if Molly knew that's what they wanted because as soon as Molly hears that she closes her eyes and her head dips forward. "Picture?" she asks, though she could do it without. It'd make things easy. She controls her breathing, preparing herself to use her ability.

"Nothing to do with Joseph." Kaylee offers in reassurance at least, unless you count the fact her nightmares involve him, which is probably why she hasn't said anything. She doesn't comment yet on Matilda's need to to find someone as finding Joseph for the moment is important. She holds that information to herself for the moment.

"No pictures on me, but if you let me touch your temple.." The telepath trails off, offering the bag in her hand to Colette, so that it's free to reach out. "I can show you what he looks like." She doesn't touch the girl, until permission is given, she isn't the invading type if she can help it. Her voice is gentle as she adds, "I promise, I won't look. I'll only put the image in your head."

Swallowing awkwardly, Colette furrows her brows and looks at Molly the way someone might look at a crazyperson. "M— Matilda, I uh…" Teeth toyinf at her lower lip, Colette makes at face at Kaylee that demands wordlessly an explanation later, once they've figured out what happened to Joseph. But right now, here, she cares more about this fleeting contact with Molly helping figure out where Joseph is.

"You can trust Kaylee, she's like, my best friend n'stuff." The reassuring smile from Colette comes with a hand gently rested on the younger girl's shoulder. "I— I dunno about, like, w— whatever that is you're talkin' about, but— but this Joseph thing's something I can actually help with. But I expect you two to explain what the hell you're talking about once you found him." There's a furrow of Colette's brows, firm on that point.

"Let Kaylee help, I— I don't have a picture of Joe."

"It's fine." Molly says softly as she lets her mental shields down so that Kaylee can imprint the image in her mind. And when the image is passed into her mind, she gasps slightly, nobody's been in her mind since she's left Matt's care. And with a look of concentration. Molly's mind leaves her body and off she goes, narrowing in on where the friend, Joseph.

The finger touches, Molly's temple long enough to set the image of Pastor Sumter in her mind, with that smile of his the telepath likes and wearing that plaid flannel shirt he's always wearing in her nightmares. But then Kaylee moves her finger away with a small jerk, like she's pulling out a connection, before she gets anythign frm the young girl or something else slips through from the telepath.

"I hope you can find him.. It's been weeks." The worry thick in Kaylee's voice, a glance going to Colette.

Watching Molly work is always like watching an artist putting together a painting of something from their imagination. Colette has no idea what the young girl is seeing, feeling or experiencing, but what she knows is that there's a reaction which is more than what Colette could hope for before. Remembering how it worked when she had her help finding Danko, Colette quickly fishes around in her pockets for a scrap of paper and a pen, quickly reaching out to hand it to Molly, helping wind the girl's fingers around the pen and hold the wrinkled receipt she's wirting on the back of in her other palm.

"Here— here, 'Tilda." Colette's brows furrow, and she squeezes the girl's hands gently. "Is he alright? Is he— is he okay? An address, a— anything!" She;s practically pleading with the young girl, praying and holding out against hope that Joseph truly isn't in danger, and that he's just sipping a drink with an umbrella on a beach.

Frantic but neat looking writing appears on the paper as Molly writes and a address is written out. "It's a warehouse.. it was converted.. some sort of facility.. looks shiny." She says with a soft sigh before her eyes flutter open. Her eyes wide but she's fine, that wasn't even the hardest thing she's had to do with her ability before, "That good enough?"

Watching the youngest of them, Kaylee's hand moves to grip Colette's shoulder, her breath catching as the girl starts to write. "Oh god… does that mean we were right?" The words sound strained, catching in her throat. She had hoped they were wrong, that maybe Abby was right as Teo mentioned, that he was down in Mexico with Deckard."He's… okay?" She asks Molly softly as her eyes lift up to the girl. "That is so much more then we had…."

Colette's heart rises up into her throat when she hears Molly's description, watching the address being written out with wide eyes. She exhales a panicked gasp of air, frantically taking the receipt back and looking at what the young girl wrote, and dawning confusion comes over the brunette's expression. "I— I think…" she looks up to Kaylee, lips parted despite her silence. "I think I know this area." She looks back down to the paper, crinkling it in her palm, before hastily pocketing it inside of her jacket. "I— I dunno what tod o I— now that I know where to look, I— "

The hand stays on the teen's shoulder, she leans close, head dropping down to view the addressed before it's tucked away as Kaylee murmurs. "Now… we see if David gets any idea what may have led up to him disappearing cause we need to know why he's there. And then…." Her voice lowers taking on a fierce tone, "… we gather the troops and go get him."

Finally they have some hope, weeks of worrying they were overreacting. Tamara was right… "Just gotta keep going. Gotta move forward see where the path takes us until we have Joseph."


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