Pollyanna

Participants:

gillian_icon.gif veronica3_icon.gif

Scene Title Pollyanna
Synopsis Two near-sisters discuss life over lunch.
Date January 29, 2010

Random Chinese Restraunt


Nothing beats Chinese Food for lunch! Or so it would seem based on the people sitting at small tables, chowing down on rice, noodles, various cuts of meat and vegetables dipped in sauces… For Gillian, her food of choice is beef and broccoli, and unlike many seated at the tables, she fetched the simple bamboo chopsticks that are offered. Whether they're actual bamboo is up for debate, though. They look wooden!

"So I was thinking…" she says, putting the chopsticks down and looking across the table to smile at the woman who's meeting her for lunch. "If I had changed my name, the whole 'me dead' thing probably wouldn't have been so bad. I mean, yeah, sad cause of — you know— the half of me being fucking dead thing…" In many ways it's a LOT like Brian Fulk dying and leaving Brian Winters behind… One thing the twins have in common. And one of the few things that Veronica's the only one that knows about!

"But then I could've started over, and stuff."

The agent is using chopsticks as well, and rather ably, bringing a bit of sticky rice to her mouths as she listens to Gillian. Starting over is something she understands. The desire to do so herself is almost choking at times, but for the fact she's worried she knows too much and the Company wouldn't let her go without mindwiping her. It may not be a logical thought, but phobias are not logical. She stayed far away from Rene on the Carrier, though the two had worked together often enough.

She nods. "Well, you can still start over, if you really want it, Gill. I mean, if you moved to another city, your name wouldn't mean much to anyone, or you can always legally change your name now, too, you know? You can be Polyanna MacGyver if you wanted, just sign a few papers and there you have it. Not that I want you to go away and start over, but if you did… well, I'd understand. I'd just miss you and demand you let me know where you are so I could visit you." She picks up a bit of sweet and sour pork with her chopsticks, eating it neatly.

"That's the worst name I've ever heard!" Gillian says with a laugh, sticking the chopsticks into a bowl of rice and managing to pick up a good chunk of the little kernels. It doesn't take long before she swallows them. "I know what you mean. Changing names isn't that difficult. I was just thinking it'd be easier on me if everyone I knew really had thought I was dead. Kinda callous, but I got a lot of ex-boyfriends and ex-friends who I haven't seen in a year and a half. I might as well be dead to them."

But… "I'd feel bad if my parents— the ones who adopted me— if they thought I was dead." And her other brother… "I like my first name. But my last name sucks. Especially when people ask if I can cook." Cause…

Veronica chuckles a bit at that. "Yeah. I get ya. I used to get called Tom Sawyer as a kid, like that was oh-so-original and funny! But I understand. Still, I'm glad you aren't disappearing and dropping off the radar, Gill. And you will probably be, at some point, too." She picks up the little cup of tea and takes a sip. "I'm sure those people — even if they're not in your life anymore — were happy to hear the identity was 'mistaken.' You may never know they were happy about it, but I'm sure they were."

The topic may be part of the reason she's frowning seriously. At least Gillian seems to be able to actually shrug with both shoulders again as she answers that way to start off. "I guess so. It doesn't take much to change your last name if you want anyway. People do it all the time." When they get married. Which she's never going to do in this lifetime. She pokes at the meat in sauce on her plate, and then looks back up. "I'm still trying to decide what I want to do. The scholarship money… I'm not sure I'm going to end up using it at this rate, but I don't know how to explain that to them…" Them meaning the government people. "I want to end up moving back to the Lighthouse. Brian's probably pissed I'm not keeping my promises."

"Is there a time limit on the scholarship money? You can always take a few classes, see what you're into. No hurry, Gillian. You don't have to figure it all out right now," Veronica says, taking another bite of pork and rice, washing it down with tea. "Maybe if the Lighthouse thing is what you're most interested in you can take social work as a major or something. It might come in handy. What promises do you mean you're not keeping?"

"I don't know if that's what I want to do," Gillian says, but there's a far off thoughtful expression all of a sudden, as if she'd never even really thought about it. As if, maybe, it could be… "I don't know what the limits are. They sent all kinds of paper work to fill out, and I really wish it was just money. Then I could just… put it in a bank somewhere and use it when I want." Cause right now she doesn't really want. "I already have a degree. I don't really need another." She stops to start eating with a frown.

After a few moments, she looks back up, "I promised him that I would help him out with the Lighthouse and I haven't been back for months." Arrested and Argentina and Antarctica had a lot to do with it. Not to mention getting shot and needing to recover.

"He's just glad you're alive, Gillian. Don't worry about not keeping up with your work at the Lighthouse," Veronica says with an incredulous shake of her head. "God. You were kind of busy, you know, saving us from the Apocalypse and all. Brian knows. He's proud of you." Proud of them both. "He'll understand if you need more time, too. Seriously. If you want, I'll tell him you need a bit more time to recover. He'll listen to me." She smiles, so that it doesn't sound as bossy, then frowns a bit at the rest of it. "Maybe you can renegotiate. A degree would be great for someone like Varlane but if you already have one…"

"It's a little late to get into the school year now anyway," Gillian says, well aware that the semester is well underway, and she knows she wouldn't feel up to doing the long campus walks from class to class right now. "I'll leave it as it is— I don't really want to try to talk to that lady if I don't have to. I have at least until the summer semester to decide. I mean my old degree isn't that great, so if I do decide to get another it wouldn't be a complete waste. Though I used to think the only place I'd ever work is a library."

"Well, don't let it go to waste. Even if it's just to take fun classes that don't add up to a degree — if you get something out of it, it's worthwhile," Veronica says with a smile. "I … just got paid my normal salary. No bonuses for me." Of course, her normal salary is a decent chunk of change. "Plus, you know, two weeks workers' comp." She makes a face at that and laughs. "Not literally workers comp. Can you imagine them filing the claim?" It's an amusing idea. "Anyway, you are smart and you can do anything you set your mind to, Gillian. I'll help you any way I can. And my couch is always free, too."

"I have so many places to stay it's a little overwelming," Gillian admits with a laugh, though she seems to be touched by the offer, there's something else there. "I'd kind of like to live alone for a while. But I think I'll settle for moving back into my room at the Lighthouse… My current roommates will be a little upset, but…" She shrugs, returning to her food for the moment. "I kinda wish I could help myself, you know? That I didn't need to rely on everyone else so much."

"At least you know you're loved, Gillian," Veronica says gently. "It's nice to know that when you're down, someone's there, isn't it? I mean, I get wanting to be independent, but when it's all said and done, it's better to know there's someone there to catch you if you fall. And you do. That means you can try some things out and know that if they don't work — well, you have a safety net, you know? Sky's the limit, Polyanna."


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