Participants:
| Scene Title | Most Definitely Not Claire's Mom, Really! |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Magnes meets Sandra, she teaches him about apple pies and relationships. He's currently holding Peter's season 1 idiot ball. |
| Date | November 5 2009 |
// In a time that seems long ago, Greenwich Village was known for its bohemian vibe and culture, the supposed origin of the Beat movement, filled with apartment buildings, corner stores, pathways and even trees. There was a mix of upper class and lower, commercialism meeting a rich culture, and practically speaking, it was largely residential.//
Now, it's a pale imitation of what it used to be. There is a sense of territory and foreboding, as if the streets aren't entirely safe to walk. It isn't taken care of, trash from past times and present littering the streets, cars that had been caught in the explosion lie like broken shells on the streets nearest the ground zero. Similarly, the buildings that took the brunt of the explosion are left in varying degrees of disarray. Some are entirely unusable, some have missing walls and partial roofs, and all of the abandoned complexes have been looted, home to squatters and poorer refugees.
// As one walks through the Village, the damage becomes less and less obvious. There are stores and bars in service, and apartment buildings legitimately owned and run by landlords. People walk the streets a little freer, but like many places in this scarred city… anything can happen. Some of the damage done to buildings aren't all caused by the explosion from the past - bullet holes and bomb debris can be seen in some surfaces, and there is the distinct impression that Greenwich Village runs itself… whether people like it that way or not.//
It's afternoon, and Magnes, otherwise known as that guy on the news who seems to be a magnet for catching falling choppers, is walking down a quiet Greenwich street in the midst of a modest row of small businesses. He's wearing his black denim jacket, faded blue Superman t-shirt with the symbol in the middle, blue jeans, and black sneakers. On his back is a rather stuffed backpack, mostly from comic shopping, and when he sees a tiny dog walking down the street, he can't help but hunch down and pet it. "Hey doggy! What's your name?" he asks, smiling and lightly rubbing his back.
Mr. Muggles, the mighty Pomeranian, starts barking at Magnes as he approaches, dragging a leash behind him. Not the bad kind of barking, mind you. The happy kind. He starts bounding and hopping happily. "Bark bark bark! Aroo! Bark!" The sounds of a happy dog, momentarily escaped from his loving owner. Though he seems quite intent to be hopping around Magnes. Not far behind Mr. Muggles is a blonde woman, calling his name. "Mr. Muggles!" Sandra calls, steadily approaching. "Mr. Muggles, come back right now!" Sandra makes her final approach on the dog and Magnes. "I'm sorry if he bothered you." She says to Magnes, scooping up the leash. "I just don't know how he escaped!"
"It's alright! I love animals, I never had any pets. He's really cute." Magnes smiles, leaning down to gently pet the dog again. "My girlfriend has a dog named Mr. Muggles, I never met him though. Oh, um." His cheeks are a bit red, standing up straight and offering his hand. "Officer Magnes J. Varlane! Well, officer for now, but I'll enjoy the title while I can. Sorry, I was rude and forgot to introduce myself, I really like dogs…"
Mr. Muggles sniffs and then starts licking Magnes' hand when he leans down to pet him. "Well," Sandra starts, "I guess he likes you…" She smiles. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Officer Varlane." Though she can't help but think that he seems little young to be a police officer. "I am Sandra Butler." She says, shaking the offered hand before scooping up Muggles to hold him under her arm. This way, he can't escape. "Your girlfriend has a dog named Mr. Muggles, you said? What type of dog is he?" She asks, curious. It's an unusual name. Well, that and she's bred dogs for a living, so she can't help but be curious. "I like dogs as well. Which, of course, helps when you start working as a dog breeder. Liking dogs should be a prerequisite for that, I've always said."
"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Butler." Magnes smiles, then tilts his head down at Muggles when she asks what kind of dog he is. "Well, I'm not sure, something like him, I'm pretty sure they're around the same size. My girlfriend's mom breeds dogs too, but I never met her." Sure, he's getting his degree in investigation, but sometimes he simply does not put 2 and 2 together! "What kind of dog is he anyway? I don't know a lot about breeds."
Coincidence, indeed! Sandra may or may not be putting 2 and 2 together. But her eyes do glimmer slighter, while Mr. Muggles starts barking at her, as if trying to tell her something. "There's no need for that, Mr. Muggles!" She says, obviously trying to quiet him down a bit. "Mr. Muggles is a Pomeranian. He's quite the show dog, too. He's one quite a few ribbons."
"Oh, wow, you do shows too? I think my girlfriend mentioned something about her mother doing that too." Magnes is curious about Muggles now! A real show dog, who wins ribbons! "So, he can do tricks?" He lightly snickers as a mental image pops into his head. "He ever jump through a hoop of fire?"
Sandra nods her head a little bit, while Mr. Muggles barks triumphantly. You'd better believe he knows when people are talking about him! "He's never jumped through hoops of fire. No. That's not exactly…the kind of show dog he is. That's more like…hmm." She thinks for a moment. "That would be more like a circus show dog. But…he's a good dog, Mr. Muggles is. Isn't that right Mr. Muggles." She pets him on the head a few times. "Yes you are. You're the best!" She speaks to him as if he's a baby. "It would seem your girlfriend's mother and myself have much in common."
"One day when I'm not living above a pizza shop, I'm totally gonna get a dog." Magnes cheerfully says as he reaches over to give Mr. Muggles a light chin scratch. "And yeah, Claire's totally gonna get a kick out of this."
As soon as Magnes says 'Claire', Mr. Muggles looks up at Sandra with a little 'Hmm?' Type of sound. Sandra nearly chokes, swallowing some saliva that goes the wrong way. She coughs, patting her chest. He said Claire! Surely it's just a coincidence, right? There can be more than one Claire whose mother is a dog breeder that does dog show who owns a dog named Mr. Muggles, can't there? When she finally finishes coughing, she attempts a smile. "Claire…that's your girlfriend?" She says, trying to sound as neutral as possible…and perhaps failing just a little bit.
"Ah, yeah, Claire's the most amazing girl I ever met. She doesn't judge me or try to change me, she encourages the stuff I like. She doesn't even make me stop wearing superhero shirts, she picks out ones she thinks are stylish." Magnes points at the current artificially faded Superman shirt he's wearing. "She used to be a cheerleader, but she's totally not what you'd expect a cheerleader to be like, y'know? And sorry, I guess I rambled a bit…" His cheeks are a tad flushed, as usual, rubbing the back of his neck.
Oh! The alarm bells are ringing in her head now! While Mr. Muggles barks a couple more times, Sandra attempts at a smile. What are the chances that he's actually talking about her daughter! Her own dear Claire! "She sounds sweet." She manages. "It's okay. When there's someone special in our lives, sometimes we ramble." Her brain starts working in overdrive. "Sometimes cheerleaders can be different than what you expect. I was a cheerleader once upon a time." And now she makes dogs look pretty for a living!
"Really? You know, I never went to real high school, y'know, with other kids, so when I think of cheerleaders, it's hard to imagine them outside of the skirts and stuff." Magnes looks past Sandra and to the small grocery store a few feet away. "I'm gonna try and make her a pie tonight, I got her a gift when I got my hair cut. I usually make cakes or pizza, but I figure she's sick of it, and she'll be so surprised by something new she won't worry about it making her fat. I think I'm getting pretty good at predicting that stuff…"
Sandra smiles softly. "Well, believe you me, there's much more to…well, to some cheerleaders than just the uniforms and the cheering." She says softly. "I'm sure Claire'll love pie." She'd better be sure, if it really is her daughter! "I'd suggest apple pie. Everyone loves apple pie. But…I'm sure you know your girlfriend well and what she likes." She smiles. "I used to love making pies. But, I just haven't had much time for that lately, I'm afraid." She says in a nostalgic tone. "What with the dog shows and all." She adds as a quick addendum.
"There's definitely more to Claire. She's a good girl, not like most girls you meet in the city. And I don't think I've ever made an apple pie." Magnes points to the small grocery store, smiling. "You wanna come in with me and help me get all the ingredients? Maybe you can give me pointers while we're at it."
"Well, I'd hope she's a good girls." Sandra replies, and Mr. Muggles barks his agreement. "Oh, apple pie is the easiest thing in the world! All ya need is some cinnamon, some apples, a pie crust, and one or two other small things." She says, smiling. "Well, sure. If ya need some help pickin' out the ingredients." Anything to help create a delicious pie for her possible daughter!
"I always wondered what that creamy stuff in an apple pie is…" Magnes makes kind of a stirring motion in the air with his finger, heading for the store. "Hey, you're an experienced woman, maybe I can ask you this. I have another female friend, and once me and Claire had a fight, but my friend said having a fight means we're getting closer, 'cause we're being open about our feelings. You think that's true? We've been going out for a few months."
Sandra nods ever so slightly. "That is…I believe…an effect of the sugar and the heat on the apples, causing the juices to become a sort of…jelly." She says in a matter of fact tone. Aha, and now questions about relationships and arguments, something she does in fact know about. "Well," she says, thinking as they walk. "That's quite a difficult question." She responds to him. "It depends partly on the context, I think. Not that arguments are good one way or another, really, but it always depends on the context."
"I don't think we really have arguments about us, really, except maybe a little yesterday, but that was about me worrying about her getting hurt and not trusting her abilities. She definitely put me through a crash course in faith yesterday, so I think we're gonna be fine." Magnes possibly never imagined that shooting his girlfriend would solve everything! When they approach the store, he holds the door open for her. "Most of our disagreements are usually on topics or things that don't quite involve us. I used to associate with this dangerous guy, but the second she said not to talk to him anymore, that was that. She may be a little younger than me, but I know she has more life experience than me. I was pretty sheltered and home schooled, I suppose. She's my first real girlfriend."
Associating with dangerous people, a little older than she is, a police officer…if this is really Sandra's daughter, she can't help but wonder what boyfriend Claire has gotten for herself. Not that she'd express her worries out loud. Not right away anyway. Especially with her marriage to Noah. At mention of 'trusting her abilities', Sandra can only imagine with Claire's regenerative abilities. "Oh, if that's all…well, if you push through it, and make it to the other side of the disagreement, then you'll be fine." She assures the young man, entering into the store with an appreciative nod.
"I guess I can have a bit of a hero complex, if you've watched the news at all, but when it comes to my own girlfriend getting hurt, even if I know she has the skills to handle it, I'm just not happy about it. It's something I'm having to get used to." Magnes starts heading for the baking asle, smiling back at the woman before focusing on the various flour brands. "Oh. About the gift I got her. I got these two gift certificates for a spa, I saw on TV that girls like them. I told her she can just pick whoever she wants to take, so I think she's gonna love it."
Sandra shakes her head. "I've only just moved to New York, I'm afraid, so I can't say that I've seen you on the news." She says, looking at the various baking items. "She has…skills to handle getting hurt? What kind of skills? Like, first aid?" She absentmindedly pets Mr. Muggles as she holds him, looking at the various flours. "I'd say white flour is probably the best for baking pies." She tells the young man.
"Don't worry, you're not missing anything. I'll be glad when everyone forgets all that stuff anyway." Magnes takes a bag of the white flour as he listens, continuing down the shelves. "And, well, something like first aid, yeah. She's very good at what she does, helps lots of people."
Mr. Muggles barks some more, as if to say, 'Hey! Listen to me! I know the answer to this!' Sandra shushes him, lightly tapping him on the nose. "Being in the news can be quite cumbersome I hear. It's nothing to be ashamed of if your doing good, however." She stops in front of some spices. "You'll want to get some cinnamon." She says, pointing to it.
Magnes grabs the cinnamon, looking it over. "I'll try not to use too much, I'm not sure if she's a huge cinnamon person or not." he admits, grabbing an abandoned basket from the floor to sit things into. "And that's the thing, I'm doing good stuff, but It's backfiring. The department expects me to be some sort of PR genius when all I'm thinking about is using my ability to help people. I heard they're gonna fire me."
"Well, you're not supposed to use too much cinnamon anyway." Sandra responds. "So, you've got a special skill that's catching the attention of the news?" She asks, sounding somewhat distracted as she looks about the spices to see if she thinks that Magnes needs anything else. "Do you have brown sugar?" She asks, turning to face him.
"I'm pretty sure I do, lots of baking recipes call for it." Magnes stands up straight with the basket, curiously looking over things he might not recognize. "And yeah, I've been in the news, well, a lot. At first I made a few mistakes, 'cause I didn't really know what I was doing, but these days I usually get on TV for things like catching falling choppers and, you know, saving people. I just wish I could do it all anonymously, I don't want this to mess with Claire's privacy, or anyone else I know for that matter. I can deal with it myself, but I'm afraid one day it might get out of hand…"
Sandra nods lightly. "And butter? I assume you've got butter." Mr. Muggle makes a little confused noise as he looks up at Sandra. "Catching hellicopters? How did you manage that?" She wonders absently. "Hmm…do you need a pie crust? Or were you wanting to hand make the crust?" This is obviously an integral question."
"Definitely have butter. And my ability lets me, it's very versatile. It's definitely not easy, I can really hurt myself moving something that huge. I hope you're alright with Evolved, I just don't like to keep it a secret, it's a part of me." Magnes explains, shaking his head at the few pre-baked pie crusts. "I'll make my own, I'm pretty good at making stuff from scratch, Mister Panucci taught me. I was making pizzas out of nothing for a few years."
Sandra glances to Magnes for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I've got no problems with people who are evolved. It's not a crime…despite the fact that some people may want it to be. We are all loved by God." She says with a firm nod. "And we shouldn't be afraid to be who we are. It's our genetic codings, our DNA sequences that determine whether we are 'evolved' or 'non-evolved'. In the end, we are what we are, and there's nothing we can do to change that." She nods firmly. "Well, let's get what you need to make pie crust, then."
"You're very open minded. Sometimes people throw soda and half eaten burgers at me, and I feel like that weather guy from that one movie." Magnes follows her lead, since she's the pie queen and all! Probably would have helped if he came with a shopping list, or read a recipe… "Even if I couldn't make a pie crust, I'd try anyway, I mean, girls appreciate the effort, right? I'm still not sure on a lot of things, but I figured this one might be obvious."
Sandra smiles a little at Magnes. "Not everyone thinks people with abilities are ghouls, you know. But some prefer to focus on the Evolved people who do bad, rather than those who do good…or those who don't do anything at all." She replies. "They're just taking focus off of the non-Evolved people who do bad things and start putting blame on Evolved." She points to a few things as they pass them. "You'll want those to make pie crust." She smiles softly. "Yes, it often is the effort that counts. Though we tend to like it more when something fruitful comes from the effort. Like pie that tastes delicious."
Magnes starts plucking things from the shelves, carefully dropping them into the basket as they walk. "I don't know, as useful as my ability is, I just feels like it turns the world against me sometimes, or at least Glenn Beck does." He starts to look at various pans, tilting his head. "I think she worries that I care about her being too busy to cook. I always tell her I don't mind, as long as we're spending time together, but I feel like she really feels bad about it, I don't know why though."
Sandra smiles a little. "Well, it will take time for the world to get used to it. That's all." Sandra replies. "As for your girlfriend…well, girls will be girls. No way to change that. We all worry. Sometimes we worry too much for our own good, you know." She says softly. "If she were my daughter, I'd tell her to just be thankful to have someone who is willing to cook for her."
"I like to think I'm at least a half-decent boyfriend. I mean, I learned how to make clothes from going to lots of conventions, I can cook 'cause I worked in a pizza shop for almost three years, and considering I've been shot four times, I like to think I can take a bullet for someone, though I think she'd punch me in the face if I did." Magnes grabs a small stack of pie pans, holding them up for approval. "I think my huge weaknesses are not knowing what the heck I'm doing, putting my foot in my mouth, and sometimes I know she wants something, but I have no idea what it is until I finally get the courage to just look like an idiot and ask."
Sandra nods a little bit. "Does…uh…does your girlfriend have an ability too? Or is she non-evolved?" Sandra can't help but ask! She has to know if this is her daughter or not! "You know, you'll pick it up with time, I am sure, but often we don't tell you what we want. We figure you should know already. I can only imagine how difficult it must be."
"I've only been doing this for a few months, so, I hope it gets easier too. Anything else we need?" Magnes asks as he looks around, waiting to see if she'll point out anything else. "And, well, you're a very nice and understanding woman, but I can't really answer that, privacy and all, y'know?"
"We need apples." Sandra replies. "While canned apples can work, fresh apples that you peel and cut up yourself are the best. Granny Smith apples are the best." She says, leading to where the produce is located. "Of course. Privacy. That is something I can certainly respect." She says simply. Arriving at the apples, she says, "These are Granny Smith apples. You'll want at least eight to ten of them for a proper apple pie."
"I'm gonna fit ten apples into one pie?" This, Magnes simply cannot grasp, starting to load the basket with apples. Sure, he can't understand such witchcraft, but who is he to question it? "Alright, here's a question. From my position as a boyfriend, if a girl had issues with her father, how would I go about talking her into seeing the guy? Keep in mind that bringing this up to her runs the risk of her punching me in the face. And sorry for asking so many relationship questions, it's not every day I get to talk to a well-adjusted woman who's actually lived life and knows what she's talking about." She does dog shows, you don't get much more well-adjusted!
Sandra nods. "Oh yes, it's quite doable in fact. I've done it once or twice." She frowns at the question about the father issues. "Well…that's not exactly something that would be easy for the boyfriend to do. I, myself, would more consider that a mother's job. A girl, if she's set on not seeing her father, cannot be as easily swayed by her boyfriend as her mother. It's…well, I'm sure she's angry at him for some reason." If it's her Claire, she can understand why. "You just need to let her know that you're there to support her, whatever her decision, and that care about her."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I try to be supportive, I just worry, I mean, she doesn't have either parent. I try to be there for her, but sometimes I feel like she's lost in ways I can't help her with, y'know? Especially when it comes to her birth father. This is a different father from the one she doesn't wanna see. See, she's adopted, and her birth father is, well, a prick, and even though she acts tough, I know it bugs her, the way he treats her." Magnes is not a Nathan fan, never has been, definitely is not now. "Anything we need after the apples?" he asks, holding the loaded basket up.
'Have to keep calm. Don't let him in on the fact that this must be my Claire, not yet. But I so want to see her…' Sandra thinks to herself. She misses her daughter, immensely. "It…must be tough for her." She says in a distant voice. "Being adopted can't be easy. I know if she were my daughter, adopted or not, I'd want to see her right away…and be there for her." Mr. Muggles looks at Sandra, barking at her, before turning to Magnes and barking at him as well. She breaks out of her thoughts, smiling. "Ah, yes. Apples complete the set. That is everything."
"I've used all the police resources I have access to, been trying harder lately since I heard I was getting fired soon, but I can't find her parents at all. Well, I certainly know where her birth father is, but the last thing Claire needs is to talk to that guy." Magnes shakes his head with clear distaste, heading for the counter so the woman can ring everything up. "But her adoptive parents are way under the radar."
It seems like they had done a good job, then, at keeping changed identities. For Sandra, Noah, and Lyle had all been attempting to stay under the radar as much as possible. "And the poor dear hasn't told you anything that could be useful in trying to find them?" Sandra asks of him. "Certainly their 'under the radar', as you put it, for a reason. I don't blame them, these days, mind you. But there must be something she can tell you about them."
"Well, she doesn't know I'm looking for them. I don't wanna come off as like, some creepy boyfriend who does, like, parental searches for his girlfriend. I think she knows where her father is, but that's just not a safe subject with her." Magnes waits patiently as the woman starts to bag things, and he pulls his Superman Visa from his wallet. "From what I know of her father, he kind of scares the crap out of me, so I figure I'll at least find her mother."
Sandra shakes her head. Well, knowing Noah, that doesn't exactly surprise her that someone would be a little scared of the man. "Well, I wish you all the best of luck in attempting to find them. I wish I could be of help, I really do. But…well, what can I say? I'm a dog breeder who owns a show dog." She says kindly. "I don't imagine I'd be of much use."
"Don't worry about it, at least she has me, and her friends, and I'm not letting anything happen to her." Magnes takes his bags, then smiles brightly at the dog breeder. "Thanks for helping me out. I have a therapist, but sometimes a guy just needs to talk to a woman who's lived life, y'know? Anything I can get you before I get going?"
Sandra smiles a little, shaking her head. "Well…it was certainly pleasant talking to you…Officer….Varlane?" She nods. "I should be heading home, myself. I've got to feed Mr. Muggles!" She says happily. "Have a pleasant day, and I do hope that your pie turns out well."
"I'm sure it will. Thanks a lot, Miss Butler!" Magnes walks to the door, moving his other bag so both are in one hand, then holds the door open for her. "Maybe I'll see you around, I'd love to learn more about dogs too."
Sandra smiles a little, heading outside before nodding to Magnes. "Well, if there's one thing I certainly know, it's dogs. Dogs of all kinds. Tall, short, scraggly, and scruffy. Mutt, mongrel. Anything you'd like to know, I could probably tell you."