Participants:
| Scene Title | Red and White |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Happenstance finds two lost girls seated next to each other at the bar. |
| Date | October 6, 2010 |
Ambient lighting blankets the establishment in a soft luminescence, glowing in tones of appealing orange from the front face of the bar and low hanging light fixtures overhead. Old style brick walls given the pub an appealing depth, reflecting the tone of lights in a more amber hue down upon the lengths of the polished, wooden floors. The bar counter of lacquered dark wood stretches along the northern wall, the forefront for shelves of numerous liquors and the substantially sized LCD televisions spaced liberally behind it. The screens flicker with the latest games and news as the labeled spirit bottles wink from lighted shelves with a beckon of their own. Barstools and high tables welcome tipsy patrons to their support, scattered with throughout the barroom with a few wedge into the darker, quieter, and more secretive recesses. Over the bar are a few banners of sports teams, most notably one of English football club Manchester United.
The thick wooden door to the west is fitted with a single neon sign sponsored by one of the brews on tap, glowing in the door's center window to shed its light onto the sidewalk outside and summoning in new customers when the bar is open for business.
It's been a long day today for one Elle Bishop. It's been quite difficult, getting used to not working for the Company. While she doesn't have any memories of her time with the Institute, she did manage to write it all out, and has scoured through everything. It's been rough, learning all of the things she learned over the past few months in the span of a day or two. There's been quite a bit to wrap her mind around. She's at least been enjoying the complete anonymity that Julius' kidnapping and sculpting job has offered her.
She's taking a break from it all, right now, however. The willowy redhead is seated at the bar, thoughtfully watching a Rugby game that displays on the television. Her hands are wrapped around a golden beer in a frosty mug, and she occasionally takes a sip as she thoughtfully examines the violent game being displayed.
She wears simple clothes. Jeans that are a bit too big on her, and a yellow t-shirt that has a very angry looking stack of pancakes on it, which are flashing the 'rock on' sign at the viewer. On her feet, a pair of tennis shoes. She'll take what she can get.
Luck and fate are funny things. Perhaps fate guided her here, or perhaps it's Elle's luck that the woman who takes the seat next to her and orders a tall beer with a pickle spear is Odessa Price. Her white hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail, with her bangs pinned to the left side in what's really beginning to look like an emo fringe, obscuring the white eye patch decorated with a pink heart that may be a sticker.
A vintage-inspired white dress speckled in bubble gum pink polka dots is standard fare for Odessa these days. Silver sequinned heels match the purse she hangs from a hook beneath the bar. Her attention turns to the television while she waits for her beer.
It takes a moment for Elle to even notice that Odessa has just seated herself next to her, so absorbed by the television is she. She raises her beer to her lips, taking a sip, before setting it down and turning to cast a glance across the bar.
She quite visibly jumps when she sees Odessa sitting next to her, her mouth opening for a moment, before closing, those dark green eyes peering quietly at the woman with a mixture of shock and awe twinkling behind them. She almost says the woman's name, but she stops herself. "Ah— I like your eye patch…"
Odessa winces at the way the redhead next to her starts. She's been getting that a lot lately. "Uh, thanks," she says quietly, obviously uncomfortable. She turns her face away as much as she can without it being a blatant turning away from the other woman.
Frosty golden courage is slid in front of her and Odessa's cheeks puff out in an exhale of breath before she brings the beer to her lips for a drink. She's going to need a few of these to get through the night after that first reaction.
Elle is flustered, now, nervously running her hand through her hair. "I— I'm sorry about that. I'm a bit on edge lately, and wasn't expecting to have someone sitting right next to me." She offers a faint smile. It's fucking Odessa Price. They were friends, or something resembling it. But she's not Elle Bishop right now. She doesn't know this woman.
Elle's innocent face peers over Odessa's outfit, smiling faintly. "Your outfit is cute, too. Where did you get those shoes?" She offers an appraising look to the heels, then offers a small sigh. "I miss my heels. I had to leave home in a rush, and I don't think I'll ever get my heels back." She leans back in her seat, fidgeting. She sucks at making small talk.
That's a very odd way of putting things. One leaves home in a rush and forgets their lip gloss. But this is phrased like she left home, and she won't be going back. Odessa shoots the woman next to a curious look. "Thank you," she says cautiously to the compliment about her outfit. "The shoes… I don't remember anymore. Some department store. You on the run from the law or something?"
A warmer smile is offered from the red head, who sips at her beer in thoughtful silence for a moment. "Nope. Not on the run from anyone, actually. I was, but a few great friends cleared up my troubles, and now I get to sit around and be nice and safe. It's just…difficult to transition into that mindset. You know?" Elle offers a warm smile. In truth, she doesn't remember anything about being jumpy about leaving the Institute. She just freaked out because it is Odessa. But the white-haired woman doesn't need to know that.
A slow nod. "Well, I'm glad you have some great friends, then." Odessa offers a feigned smile and looks back down into her beer, taking another drink. "I had a friend once who would have been upset about leaving her collection of heels behind," she offers conversationally.
Elle smiles faintly. "I'm always looking for more, you know." She murmurs this quietly, sipping at her beer. She then glances up to Odessa, tilting her head to one side. "You talk like your friend is gone. What happened, if I may ask?" She looks concerned, leaning back in her seat. God, failing so bad at not being weird. She must be coming off as horribly eccentric, at best.
"She left," Odessa says simply. "She's the kind of girl that has to have her own way. And sometimes, it gets her into trouble. And… She got herself into so much trouble, that she had to leave." She eyes the woman seated next to her suspiciously. "She's got herself a great group of friends, too." It's like she knows.
Elle slurps at her beer, clearing her throat once or twice. God damn, that woman can be creepy sometimes. That, and she's saying things about situations she knows nothing about! Outwardly, Elle offers a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like your friend had it kinda rough." She swallows a bit more of her beer. No, there's no way.
"She makes a lot of her own problems," Odessa murmurs. She takes a long drink of her beer, watching the redhead out of the corner of her eye. "She had it real bad for a guy who… was completely using her. It was really sad."
Well, there's something Elle can agree with, even when it's said about herself. She finds herself nodding sagely. "Yeah…it usually is sad to see stuff like that." It made her sad to read in between the lines in ways she couldn't when feelings were involved, with what she wrote about Harper.
"I miss her a lot, though." Shoulder slump and tone turns sorrowful. Odessa Price is actually pouting. "I've known her my whole life. We grew up together. Sometimes, I think she's the only one who really understands what it's like, you know?" The look she sends the other woman's way is hopeful that she understands.
Elle turns her eyes lazily up toward the televisions once more, a thoughtful look on her face as she watches the rugby match, one spindly finger tapping at her chin as an expression of deep thought crosses her features.
Then, while the voice isn't familiar…the tone is. "…'Dessy…do your thingie. I want to talk to you." She turns an angelic look toward Odessa.
The world comes to a screeching halt around the two women as the girl with white hair turns in her seat and throws an arm out to her side as if to signal the rest of the world to shut up.
"Ellie?!"
A faint smile crosses Elle's rather angelic features as everything screeches to a halt. So she is a time manipulator. "That would be me, though I tend to go by another name, these days." The name isn't offered.
Instead, Elle leans back, taking a long, hard look over Odessa, her brows raised. "Damn, woman…you look like you've been through a blender. You're going to have to re-tell me how that happened. I can't seem to recall." She knows, but…Odessa doesn't need to know that she knows.
"I've…kinda missed you, too, y'know." The redhead smiles faintly, slurping down some of her beer.
Odessa's brows furrow at Elle's oh-so-plain assessment of her appearance. Her lips twist into a small, rueful frown. "What name are you using now? And how…?" She makes a circular gesture to her own face to indicate the change in Elle's. "I don't understand. I mean, I get wanting to change and hide, but…"
Long, scarred fingers reach out to cup the other woman's face, Odessa tracing the pad of her thumb over one of Elle's cheekbones, as if committing the new contours to memory.
Elle tilts her head toward Odessa, allowing the other woman to touch her face. "You'll forgive me for being a bit paranoid and wanting to keep my secret identity safe, Odessa." She peers up at Odessa with that angelic, pale face. "But as for the face…I can tell you that it's an Evolved who can change everything. Face, hair, eyes, body…everything."
Elle reaches a hand up, gently clasping her fingers around Odessa's. "Can I trust you, Odessa?" Pale fingers trail over the scars on Odessa's fingers. "Because I certainly can't trust your employers."
"Of course you can, Ellie." Odessa's smile is reassuring, even in the way that it's also slightly broken with the deep ravine cut across her lips. "There's… There's someone who can do all that? Do you think they could help me?" Her pale brows lift, looking hopeful.
Elle leans back after a moment, peering over Odessa with that entirely unfamiliar face. She lifts her beer, taking another sip of it. "There is someone who can do all of this, yes." She gestures toward her face. "And I can tell you about him, as I'm sure you're going to ask." She leans forward. "But he can't go anywhere near your employers, Odessa."
Elle frowns. "The last thing I need to see is the Institute taking him in and using his ability to their advantage. I'm— I'm trying to be a good person, for once in my life." She reaches for Odessa's hand. "I don't remember much of anything about the past few months, but…I thought highly enough about you to make myself notes about you. I remember our conversation in the park. I read that we lived together."
She tilts her head toward Odessa. "I read that I wanted you to be like my sister. I also know that I was in a very bad place in my life."
Odessa's expression turns sympathetic, and she takes her friend's hand, squeezing gently in a show of assurance. "You know me, Ellie. I'm selfish. I don't want to share my things with the Institute." Her tone is light, like it's some kind of joke. But her expression betrays the seriousness with which she approaches the situation.
"If you read all that," Odessa says in a quiet voice, "then you know how unhappy I am with…" She gestures toward her own face again. "I want to look like myself again. Please, Ellie. Tell me how to find him."
"How are you going to explain being pretty and pristine and perfect? They'll ask questions, it's only a matter of time." The redhead raises her brows, thoughtfully regarding Odessa. "You could get in some pretty big trouble, knowingly going to an unregistered evolved for cosmetic procedures." Her gaze is not unsympathetic, though.
"I want you as my inside source on the Institute, Odessa. I want to know everything that you know about it, with updates." The redheaded woman sips at her beer again. "I'll try to arrange a meeting between you and my…cosmetic surgeon…if you'll agree to that."
More Silence. "If you won't…I'm sure he won't object to making a few changes to my face again, and I can easily disappear again. It's surprisingly painless." She really is trying to trust Odessa, here…but that mind wipe really set her back, in terms of ability to trust.
"Sure they will," Odessa acknowledges with a shrug of her shoulders. "And I'll tell them to fuck right the hell off. Or I'll say I don't know what happened and that I woke up this way. There's… something that's happened to me that nobody knows how to explain. I can pass it off as a side effect, maybe." Or we go back to Plan A of telling people to fuck right the hell off.
She nods slowly to Elle's agreeing to arrange a meeting, white ponytail bobbing with the motion. "Sure, that would be fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll be there. Do you still have my number?"
This response seems to please Elle, and she offers a slow bob of her head in a nod, brushing a strand of the red hair behind her head. "I don't have your number. They took my phone, I think." After they copied all of the entries. "I'll speak to my cosmetic surgeon, then. Give me your phone number. Before I arrange a meeting…I want that information about the Institute." She arches her brows, peering quietly at Odessa.
Her face softens, after a moment, and she reaches out to take Odessa's hand. "I'm sorry if I seem…cold. I know what happened between you and I…but I'm still trying to wrap my mind around so many things."
"There's nothing to report," Odessa murmurs, taking a pen out of her purse and scribbling a phone number on a napkin, passing it over to Elle. "They don't keep me in the loop. There's some case that Agent Sawyer's working on, involving an empath…" It used to be Elle's case, but that much can be left alone for now. "I haven't even had a body examine in ages. They've got me working with… just people. Coming in for check-ups. Newly discovered SLC-expressive. It's like I'm benched."
To the apology for being cold, Odessa smiles and shakes her head. "Don't worry. I'd be skittish if our roles were reversed. But make sure you call me. Help me set this up. Okay?"
Elle nods slowly. "Well…if they let you in the loop, I want information. I'll also try to make sure that, if push comes to shove, you'll be safe." She shrugs quietly, slurping down the last of her beer. She frowns at the empty glass, then looks up at the frozen bartender. "…Think he'd notice if I filled up my glass again?"
She glances back to Odessa. "I will call you, definitely. Just…don't tell that Harper dude that we've met, okay? I don't think he'll be happy to know that I'm causing trouble, even after they've wiped my brains of any trace of them." She shrugs.
"Our secret," Odessa promises with a bright smile. She sends a look around them at the frozen bar. "The world wants in," she murmurs quietly. "May I…?" She gestures, requesting permission to allow time to resume. "We should probably… part."
Elle tilts her head to one side, and nods slowly. "Our secret. I'll call you." She tilts her head to one side, pushing the beer glass away from herself. "Go ahead. Probably a good idea to part ways for now." She glances around the bar thoughtfully. "I'm going by 'Maddie' now."
A smile, and Odessa tests the name out on her tongue. "Maddie…" A nod and the young doctor holds up her hand, letting out a deep breath. The world around them resumes again as though nothing had ever impeded it. "It was nice to meet you, Maddie." Leaving some cash on the bar, next to her nearly full beer, Odessa slides off her seat and heads out the door of the pub to disappear into the evening crowd.
'Maddie' watches quietly as Odessa leaves, rubbing at her lip thoughtfully. She taps the bar once, requesting another beer, ignoring the bartender's scolding that she drank that last one way too fast.
She really hopes that she didn't just make a mistake.