Participants:
| Scene Title | No More Avoiding |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | It's what Gillian's been doing, and it's what her brother is trying to make her stop doing when he finally runs into her. |
| Date | January 13, 2011 |
Redbird Security Apartment Area
Since Christmas, Gillian hasn't followed the advice of a young woman who gave her a mild talking to a few days after. She's kept mostly to herself, retreating to her apartment and keeping herself occupied with things that have nothing to do with what she would have found important a few months ago. This is one of the few days she's left the apartment, returning through one of the back stairs with warm clothes keeping her skin from rebelling with gooseflesh, and newly dyed hair is closer to the natural tones of brown, though there's some coppery highlights remaining.
Pulled back in a ponytail, her hair is mostly out of the way, except for two long locks on either side of her forehead, what could count for bangs, but they act as wavy frames for her face. It's a big change from the grown out red dye that she'd sported back on the island, and many weeks thereafter. Held in her arms as she moves up the stairs is a sturdy plastic bag, that looks weighed down. Because it is.
With books.
A wad of rice is stuffed into his mouth.
While Gillian is heading up, Brian is heading on down. Holding a black tray of cheap storebought sushi, Winters (the male version) seems rather involved with his food for now. Black loafers tap down against the stairs as more rice, fish, and black soy sauce are pushed into his cavernous mouth hole. And then…
"Nimmium?" It sounds a lot like Gillian except there's a lot of rice and seaweeed blocking the tongue. Eyes are semi wide as the brother stares down at his (little) sister. Swallowing, Brian works through the mouthful before finally able to talk again. "Gilli!" He says adoringly, smiling brightly. Closing the distance, he stretches his arms out to wrap around her.
Wearing a black peacoat, faded jeans and a black cap. Looking as if he was about to go, his plans are obviously thrown off by the sudden appearance of his sister.
There's a soft grunt at the sudden use of her name— and not a version of it she ever really liked. Gillian would not let many people get away with shortening her name to that specifically, but her brother is about the only one she won't at least want to kick in the shins. Even if she never grew up with this one.
"Hey, don't make me drop my books or you're going to help me pick them up," she says, with her ability carefully held in so the stairwell isn't suddenly occupied with multiple versions of her brother. She's gotten much better at that, even the surprise of seeing him didn't do it.
"What are you doing here?" she asks, not returning the hug, but allowing it, still. There's something akin to suspicion in her voice. But she's never quite been the same since she came out of the Institute last summer.
"Sorry." He mumbles, looking over her back. "Sorry if I got any soy sauce on you." The tray is brought back, taking the last piece of sushi he goes to set on the stairwell. Holding the piece for a minute, he tilts his head. "Oh.. I thought I told you. I.. I was helping here. So I was staying in one of the apartments. Jobs done but I'm still hanging around." Brian gives a little shrug.
"What are you doing here?" Tilting his head he smiles a bit. "You wanna come up, I got some stuff to tell you.."
"This is where my apartment is," Gillian says, with a grouchy sound to her voice, as if she's much likely considering moving now that she's made this confession. But it was one of the few places she didn't have to worry about any kind of extensive background check to geta lease. After all, Cardinal knows her.
She lets out a soft sigh and doesn't even bother to look down at her clothes as she motions her brother along. "Come on…" she says softly. "You can show me your apartment." Maybe if he doesn't know which one is hers she can still avoid him when she wants to.
Brian's lips pull down immediately. "What's wrong?" He asks, backpedalling a ffew steps. Eyes furrowing some. "You can't be pissed at me already, I haven't even told you anything yet." Tucking his hands into his pockets, he heads up giving her a doubletake. "You've been staying here? I.. I wonder why Dickie didn't tell me. And why didn't…" Well that question he can pretty much answer for himself.
"Are you trying to avoid me Gilli?" He asks softly without looking over at her. "I don't want to start a fight, but since the Lighthouse meeting and pulling Sami out you've been.." A light shrug. "You've been gone." He breathes, as he leads the way up the stairs.
"I haven't even told Cardinal I'm back here," Gillian mutters under her breath, though he may know depending on how often he looks at the surveillance. It's not like she's trying to get in the way of anything or anyone. "I'm just tired, okay— It's not like you need me around. You've been doing just fine without me," she tacks on.
"If you really needed to find me, a few people knew where I was," back on the island, in case of emergencies. "But I wanted some time alone. That's it."
"Don't be like that. I like hanging out with you. I miss you." He says, softness edging in on his voice. Glancing over at her, his arm extends to her. "I can carry some of your books." Brian offers. "So.. I've been gathering money and stuff. I have quite a bit for like a down payment. On our Lighthouse Arcade.. or whatever we're going to call it. I got a couple big donations and stuff." He smiles lightly, letting his hands stretch out to receive the books.
"I have something else to tell you. And.. I don't think you're going to be excited. So if you could start getting ready to prepare you don't hate me. That would be great." He says sweetly, giving her a bright smile.
"If we go with old-style vintage arcade, we should call it 1984," Gillian says softly, keeping her books her herself. They are after all in a bag. He can't really help with them without carrying all of them, or making her open the bag and pull them out. She's strong enough to do it. "If we go with something closer to modern— then probably something bright, but nothing about the Lighthouse. The point is to hide."
She sighs as she moves upstairs, lowering her voice quite a bit, "I should just leave everything to you. I shouldn't be involved. I'd just put them in danger if you want them to be out in public— you shouldn't have had to move from the Lighthouse in the first place."
It seems she thinks that is her fault— the only reason she wants it secret and hidden is because… that's the only way she can still be involved. "I want the government— hell I want everyone— to think Gillian Childs doesn't exist anymore."
"Brian Winters is on a wanted list somewhere. Or Brian Fulk. One of them. Both of them. Fuck." He shakes his head. "I can't be in the open either Gilli. That's why we need." A light sigh is given. "Kaylee if you really think.. She's the one. It's kind of awkward being around her but.." He shrugs lightly. "But the kids want you in their lives, Gillian. I want you in their lives. I couldn't have done this without you. I won't be able to keep doing it without you." He murmurs a little pathetically.
"1984 would be cool." He tilts his head, smirking a little. "We could have like a big screen.. and inevitable big brother jokes all the time. And we would have to watch out for the thought police." He grins a little bit. "That would be cool. You got anything on a location?"
"What'd you do, sleep with her?" Gillian asks rather bluntly, glancing over at him for a moment, before she shakes her head. Really, she doesn't want to know the answer to that. "Part of me hates her, but I know she'd do anything to help the kids." That's as much as matters in the end. "And the kids like having her around too. She was one of Santa Doyle's elves." In case Brian missed that during her attempts to bring Christmas spirit to the Lighthouse Kids.
"They didn't hold you prisoner for months while scientists experimented on you every way they could think of," she mutters as an add on. She's avoided breaking down by having other things to do— but once she got time to herself, there was very little else to think about.
"No, I don't have a location. I haven't done anything, because I don't— You can be in a billion places at once and you probably already are." It's one of those 'you can handle it' sentances, but she doesn't add that on. "But if 1984 is too obvious, we can go 1985. One year later."
"I don't think it's too obvious." Brian mutters, he doesn't answer the thing about them sleeping together because. Nygha. "Well.. If you want me to do most of the groundwork. I will. I just want to know you're still going to be there with me, Gilli." Winters brings up one hand to his chin. Pausing.
"I asked that chick to marry me!" It comes out in a burst as if he can't keep it contained anymore. "Samara. I asked Sami to marry me. And she said yes." He cringes somewhat, expecting a not-good reaction. "She's a really good girl, I really think you're going to like her. She's super sweet and trustworthy and.. She loves me."
"Oh," Gillian says, stopping where she stands for a moment. It's perhaps not the best reaction in the world, but it's quiet if nothing else. "I— all right. You certainly don't wait on those things, do you?" she comments softly, perhaps recalling a similar conversation over a year ago, when they were first realizing they were siblings, when they first started connecting—
When he was engaged to someone else.
"I don't know what to say— good for you, one of us should be happy and it obviously isn't going to be me…" None of that is the best reaction either. "Sorry. Congratulations, I guess." It's not sincere. It's tired and sad, and…
Jealous.
But it's a better reaction than he was expecting! He stops when she stops, tilting his head at her. "I.. It may have been a rash decision." Winters admits. "But.. She loves me." He repeats as if that makes it better. "I'm like her hero. She like super admires me and thinks I'm the king.." His smile softens as he looks over at her.
"Vee and I were together for a long time before I asked her." He spits out to support that he waited longer than this time. He frowns back at her. "I want you to meet her." He says softly, taking a few steps back. His hand goes to try and snag hers. "Come on…" He murmurs, urging her to gently keep walking with him.
"I already met her," Gillian says with a protesting sound, realizing what the new gestures are about. "I was there when you could touch her for the first time." That may not count as having met her, but for the moment, that might be enough for her.
"Brian, please don't— " she says, already trying to keep her raspy voice steady. It's not an easy task. It'll be even harder to smile and greet and make nice with a fiancee of her brother.
"I don't want to meet her right now. We can— we can plan to have dinner or something, but not now. Not right now. I'll just— I can give you my new cellphone number, and— I should go to my room."
Dropping his hand, Brian gives her a hurt look. And confused.
"I… alright." Brian lets out. Closing his eyes for a minute. Tucking his hands into his pockets. "I didn't mean right now." He bites down on his lip. "Okay. I'm sorry." He takes a single step back. "Well.. Love you." It almost sounds like a question, his head tilting lightly.
The hurt look causes pause, but Gillian hesitates where she stands for a moment. "So she's not back in your apartment?" she quietly asks, as if expecting it to be some sort of trap. That's how she was taking the 'Come on' after the wanting her to meet her, after all. It seemed so— now. And where else should fiancees, especially previously dead fiancees, be staying?
"If— if she's not there right now… you could tell me how the kids are doing?" she offers, kind of a peace offering of sorts.
"No I meant.. I just want you to meet her.. Like soon." His lips twist to the side. He smirks a little bit, taking a few steps back. "I wouldn't spring it on you like that. She's staying at my apartment. My other apartment. His smile at the last bit it sofft. "They're fine. Itching to get out of there.. As can be expected. We got a new one. Her name's Koshka. Fifteen." He smiles proudly a little. "Dust manipulation."
"Dust. Like— dust dust? The stuff on the furnature dust? Or like… Great Dust Bowl Dust?" Gillian has to ask, pondering the ability as she's told about it, and moving away from the conversation of meeting the fiancee. "Do they know you're engaged yet?" Last time, with Vee, only her and Joe knew, as far as she's aware— this time there shouldn't be any reason to hide it…
Should there?
"You'd think they'd enjoy staying in a castle— I bet Lance and Paul are causing all kinds of trouble, especially if they learned how to combine their powers." Phasing that no one can hear? All they need is a best friend with invisibility.
"I haven't told them. But I guess I should." He gives a little shrug. "I haven't told many really. Maybe I should make like a grand announcement." He gives a light smile as ideas suddenly strike. "I could take back a bunch of shit, and hold like a party across the river. Give people a little boost." And he is now planning the party that he just thought of. "Would you come?" He tilts his head lightly at her.
"Umm.. Like.. Great.. I don't know. She can make like sand and shit move. She can throw it in people's eyes. Stuff like that. Paul and Lance are mostly under control." Mostly. "They miss you." He adds in just for funsies.
"Yes, yes, I'll go back and visit and help with your celebration," Gillian says, sounding vaguely annoyed by the continued mention, but it's one of those ex-goth things. When she thinks he's looking away, he may catch a hint of a smile she's trying to hide. "And you should bring stuff. Not too much— don't want to get caught, but enough to go around. The castle was pretty lonely sometimes." And it can always use some cheering up, a little piece of the home they had to run away from.
They can't have a lot, but they can have that.
"And I'll do my best to smile for you, even if I want to kick you." Out of jealousy, really.
"Okay." He smiles brightly. Deciding to stop caring about her gloomy exterior, his arms fling around her in a temporary hug. "I don't care if you drop your books.~" He sings. Releasing he tries to snag her hand again. "I'll bring a huge fucking cake. And.. It'll be great. Liven up the old place. You're the smartest sister I've ever had Gilli." It's actually a compliment. He had like six adoptive sisters.
"Thanks, Gillian." He says a little softer at the last part. "So.." Turning to walk down the hall, hopefully with her in tow he starts to turn the topic towards lighter things.
And as if on cue, the bag of books drops. A few spill out. Gillian doesn't bother to pull away, though, or stop the spinning, but she does pull away from the final dragging to gather them up back into the bag and shove them at him as she follows.
"You get to carry them now, little brother."