Participants:
| Scene Title | Hypothetical Family |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Lucille finds she has some— though they're less hypothetical and more time-displaced. |
| Date | April 27, 2011 |
Central Park: Northern Edge
When he'd set up the meeting, Kincaid hadn't counted on it raining. Light showers force him to open an umbrella while he waits on the northern edge of Central Park. Despite the downpour, there's always a few people on foot, hurrying along in raincoats with hats, or in umbrellas that protect against the rain. Still, he's dressed as he said he would be, in a dark blue suit with no tie, and a black shirt rather than a white underneath.
The umbrella too is black, like the shirt, adding to the image.
Under the street lights, which came on when the rain dimmed everything, there's a small glow on the rain that comes down. No sign of anyone watching him. No parked police cars— and plenty of routes of escape, both into the park, and down an alley across the street.
He'd chosen it for the publicness, and the escape routes.
Because he knows who he's meeting has no reason to believe him.
The woman he's suppose to meet here is a few minutes late, probably because she stopped to light a cigarette in the subway before making the walk because taking a cab would too expensive for her right now. So she made the trek, black boots splashing a bit of water as she walks with a steady pace. Covered by her own black umbrella. Lucille Ryans takes a long drag from her cigarette, blowing it out from under the umbrella.
When you're asked by a stranger to meet, you're always weary. Which is why in her messenger bag, Lucille carries a pistol. You can never be too careful, though her ability should allow her to get away if things get crazy. The former model, dressed in a pair of dark pants and a dark grey sweater as well as an old leather jacket looks around as she nears Central Park and then she notices the figure in the suit and with the umbrella.
Stormy grey eyes study him before she begins to walk forward towards him. She doesn't look dirty, but that's because she's only just got herself a very cheap and disgusting motel room for the past two nights.
The woman comes to stand in front of Kincaid, she tilts her head as she takes another drag of her cigarette. Eyebrows raised, she doesn't speak first. Knowing her, the first words out of Lu's mouth could potentially be offensive. Better to let the guy speak his piece first.
Even in the rain, Kincaid recognizes the woman— mostly due to her eyes. Even in the dark, those eyes stand out. "Lucille— hi," he says, sounding a little soft under the rain, but still there. "I didn't realize it would rain when I set up the meeting," he explains outloud, already taking a defensive, or at least explainatory stance.
"My name is Kincaid— I work with your brother Brad at Studio K," he explains, reaching into his pocket to pull out a business card, which he holds up rather than hand out, so that she can read it. Kincaid August, Assistant Producer.
"Your sister stopped by the office the other day and told me that you needed a place to stay— I helped your sister after your brother's… manifestation. Even contacted your dad to get her moved back into his care."
Reaching out, Luc goes to take the card, she looks down at it. Blowing smoke down at it before she throws the cigarette down and stomps on it. "Sorry about the smoke, been smoking a lot more these past few months. Fucking tragedy." Stress. That's her reasoning behind it. Lu's eyes flick back up to stare at Kincaid. "Nice to meet you Kincaid."
She says the name slowly, still trying to figure out how she feels about this guy. He's so adorable, there's no way he's a baddie. Right? Lu doesn't trust the whole 'nice face' thing. Actions are what speak to her. "You work with my brother?" she asks, then she's smirking. "I forget I have a brother sometimes to be honest. Only met him once."
Then she's looking over her shoulder, "Let's go to this burger joint that I know down the street, okay? As much as I'm told I look hot with wet hair plastered against my face, I never really seemed to believe that." She chuckles before she's moving away, expecting Kincaid to follow her.
He's helped her family before he says.. maybe she should give him a chance.
"I smoke too sometimes," Kincaid admits, though he doesn't ask to bum a cigarette as they walk down the street to a the McDonalds. They wouldn't be able to smoke there, anyway, so it would be a waste of a cigarette to only smoke what he can in the walk there.
"You should get to know him more sometime— he's a nice guy. And I know he's protective of his family."
More-so than in some places.
"This may be a bit of a personal question, but has your sister talked to you much about the future lately?" he asks while they walk, looking over at her.
Her eyes seem to glaze over as she thinks about all the fantasies she had years ago. About having a big brother that could protect her in a way that her father could never. Being able to call him to save her, like the time she woke up in a hotel room missing her virginity. Lu's mouth becomes a hard line as she stiffly nods her head. "I guess I've just wanted him to make the effort. This whole soap opera finding out that you have a long lost sibling has rocked all of us to the core." She comments as they walk.
The place they would soon near would happen to be another restaurant, not that fast food restaurant after all. Burger Heaven, that's the name. Lu smiles as they near the place, "Love their milkshakes." She says with a bit of a sheepish look before Kincaid's question draws a shocked look from the woman.
Her hand quickly rises to caress the finger that wore a engagement band in her dream that seemed so much to be like from the future or something like that.. "I.. was it.. real?" she asks with a look of total shock on her face. She looks down at her hand, "She hasn't, but I had a dream a little bit ago. And.. it just seemed so real, but things were different in it. I was engaged."
That's when she's cracking up, slapping her knee as they walk. "That's how I just knew it was a dream. Me, married? That's like saying I'm gonna have kids or something." She wants kids, but the actual thought of her having kids. She can't seem to ever believe.
"I've never been there," Kincaid admits as they walk in that direction, the umbrella protecting him mostly, but not stopping the dampness from forming, darkening his hair and sticking to his clothes. He nods at her mention of the dream, quietly.
"Would have been easier if she had talked to you cause now you're just going to think I'm crazy," he says sheepishly. "But— that dream wasn't just a dream. It was a memory— a memory that you had in a future that will no longer happen."
It sounds like lines from a soap opera, or a video game. Or something not real life. But the fugitive that she is has been through a lot.
"I don't have any proof other than my word, Though you should try to see your sister so she can vouch for me. But I'm from that future— and I'm your nephew."
They come to the door right as Kincaid drops this bombshell, Lucille's eyes blink and then she's staring up at Kincaid and looking over his shoulders for the cameras from the show Punk'd. "Uh.." Lucille's eyes widen and she makes a fist at her side and then she's tapping her foot. "I.."
"To be honest.. I think anything is possible and that dream just felt too damn real." She admits but then she's pulling the door open, hoping that Kincaid follows her in. She quickly claims a booth and places her wet umbrella on the floor. When Kincaid takes his seat, she stares across at him. Mouth slightly ajar.
Taking a moment to run a hand through her darkly dyed hair, she gives Kincaid a look. "Okay, until I get some sort of confirmation from my sister. We're gonna take this future thing.. in a hypothetical sense." Hands placed on the table before her, she closes her eyes. The waitress has brought them menus, she doesn't open them again until she's gone.
"Who did Delia have you with? Jaiden.. or some other guy?" she tries to sound serious and unaffected by the news he just gave her. But if what he says is true…
As they get inside, Kincaid shakes off his umbrella and sits down across from her, resting the umbrella beside his feet, as his arms rest on the table. In sight. It may be he doesn't realize he's doing that at all, but he is.
Making sure she sees his hands.
"I'm… Russo's, actually," he says with a surprised blink, as he opens the menu, keeping his voice down as he looks at her over the menu, rather than chooses his food.
"I never really got to know you— but I know you did get married," he explains as he looks across the table. "I can't answer a lot of questions that you might have, but… you're sister's worried about you— and I wanted to offer you a place to stay. Like I offered her. Before she even knew we were family."
"Oh.. sorry. My mistake, Russo's.. wow." Lucille blinks, her tone equally low she eyes him over her menu. She has enough money to order a milkshake, that's for sure. "I.. you didn't get to know me?" she asks with a curious look in her eyes. She assumes that must mean she and her brother aren't close in the future then.
"Well, I would hope you wouldn't answer all my questions, it could ruin the fu-." She stops as something hits her, "Wait a minute, you said a future that won't happen, what are you going to do then? Stay here.. or just vanish?" she has the urge to look under the table to see if he's slowly disappearing from his feet up. Just hear to say his last goodbyes to his aunt, who he doesn't know very well.
There are too many questions zooming through her head and she rubs her temple. "Well.. I'd appreciate somewhere to stay. As long as you're not some wacko, that is." Lucille decides to correct herself, "Actually, if you're in my family then I don't expect you to be anything but a fucking wacko."
"I think if I were going to vanish I would have," Kincaid admits with a lopsided grin that looks like the face on the billboards for a moment. Until he says so, the part of Russo in him isn't very visible. But once he has, it seems to come out more. People know to look for it.
"I don't really know what's going to happen anymore, though, so the fun isn't entirely ruined."
Or at all. Her brother likely won't even have him, at the rate things are going.
"I try not to be a wacko, though. It slips out every so often, but— I'll try to keep my 'wacko' to myself as much as possible."
"Okay, that can be agreed upon then. No vanishing." Lucille counters as she stares at the menu before closing it and placing it on the table. "Well, as long as you being wacko doesn't kill me then we're good." She says with a bit of a small smile. Then she's staring into his eyes, "I guess you do look like him a bit, hm?"
"Well.. what can you tell me?" she asks with raised eyebrows, "Do I have kids?" Not that they'll be born now, probably. Lu waves her hand in the air, "I'm just shocked at this.. a nephew.. from the future.. who wants to take his aunt in. That's very sweet of you." Then she's blinking, "Aunt." She shudders, "That gives me the creeps. Hehe, just call me.. Tante. I always loved that word for aunt in French, it's fun, yeah?" She's rambling a little bit, but that's because she's not sure what else to say. She wants to hug the man and slap him all at the same time. Hug him because if he's telling the truth, that's awesome. But if he's lying then she'll feel like a idiot.
"Check, Tante it is," Kincaid says with a laugh, resting his stubble covered chin on his hand for a long moment as he watches her. There's no sign of lying, other than the genuine embarassment of the situation he's found himself in— but at least he's not as afraid of her thinking he's joking as he was of Russo.
"My dad thought I was pulling a prank— when I tried to tell him. But I'm not— I swear to you. Your sister knows, your half brother knows— and I hope your dad knows soon. And that's about all I really think I should tell you— your sister can tell you what she knows, when you talk to her again."
Though even then, he's sure it's not too much…
There's a lot of cryptic that comes with time travel.
"Besides, much more might spoil your fun, right?" he jokes with that smile, before he looks over at the waitress to order, something simple.
And a cup of coffee.
Nodding her head, Lucille looks over to order as well. A chocolate milkshake, her absolute favorite. When she's done she chuckles, "Oh yeah, because this is really fun." A tease as she looks down at his hands and tilts her head. "Well, I'm glad I've met you. I hope I've lived up to any expectations you had prior to this meeting." She ruffles the back of her hair, "Unless one expectation was that I'm completely and utterly psycho. Because that's not true, pinky swear." She holds her pinky out for Kincaid.
"So you work with my brother, what else do you do? Hobbies or.. girlfriend?" she wants to get to know her nephew as much as she can. Scratch that 'hypothetical nephew.'
Sometimes family just clicks— and sometimes they don't.
Kincaid doesn't look at all disappointed, from the way he smiles and shakes his head. "I try not to get expectations," he explains, as he holds his hand out to wrap his pinkie around hers. "And I pinkie promise that I'm not lying about this." To pay her back for her non-psycho promise.
Once their pinkies are removed, he sits back a bit, allowing himself to relax finally. "I have a few hobbies— right now I'm a assistant producer, but I do a lot of things— I like hockey, watching it, at least— paintball games, and ice skating. I cook, and keep a clean apartment, and collect news articles and maps." Which she'll soon see, when he takes her to his place.
"And I do… do have a girlfriend. But we're not…" he trails off, looking out into the rain. There's regret in his too dark to be natural eyes— "You could say we're not together right now…"
"How the fuck did you live with Delia, she's a pig." Luc chuckles at the memory of when they use to share apartment.. her apartment.
"Uh oh."
Now relationship problems, she can relate too. "Well, lay it on me. Why aren't you guys.. together right now?" she asks with a brief look of concern. Lu's eyes study the man before her. She always seem to be able to bond with people over relationship woes. She can be a good listener, when she wants to be.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want." She adds, no pressure that's all.
"Because she's there and I'm here," Kincaid says quietly, almost simply. As if he's not sure how else to explain the situation. "And it doesn't look like I'm going to get to go back, and even if I did…" he trails off. How does he explain he's not entirely sure she'll even know him if he went back?
Time travel can change everything— and he's not entirely sure how it works enough to know what will change and what won't.
Or if it's even possible to go back, now.
"But that's why."
And here comes the order. And for him? He ordered pie of the chocolate variety.
As the orders are taken, Lu waits for the waitress to walk away and she looks at Kincaid with a look of sympathetic, must really suck.. to leave someone behind that you really like.. maybe even love and then not be able to ever see them again.
With a tilt of her head, she extends her hand and lays it over his. Her stormy grey eyes bore into his darker eyes and she offers a gentle smile. "Don't give up hope, if there's anything I've learned in the last year, anything is possible." She squeezes his hand in comfort and dips her head. Suddenly taken with emotion, she still doesn't like to cry in front of people. So she quickly looks away and holds the tears back before flashing another dazzling smile over towards Kincaid.
"We might not have been close in your future, but I'm hoping to change that." She says in a hushed tone and from the look in her eye, she totally means this.
Because in the end.. you only have family.