Participants:
| Scene Title | School Dance Awkward |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A few ladies on Pollepel Island run into each other. Awkwardness ensues. |
| Date | April 7, 2011 |
Lynette stands out on the grounds, letting the dark do its job of covering her presence as she takes a moment to enjoy a quick cigarette. For those paying attention, she's been a little frazzled since the weekend, when she's come out of seclusion at all.
But, she hates leaving the smell inside, see? So for a little relief for her nerves, she'll venture out. It's quiet, apart from the odd shuffle of her feet and the sound of her breathing. Through the cigarette, of course.
Rue isn't out for a smoke, but something healthier. Though the relative safety of the activity is suspect given the hour. All the same, the young woman didn't stray far from the castle during her jog, and she feels better for it. Her face is flushed from the activity as she slows her pace and eventually stops a respectable distance from Lynette.
"Ms Rowan." In the dark, it may not be so easy to recognise her. Gone are the bouncy curls and the ginger hue of hair. In its place are sleek, black locks that sway easily in a high ponytail as she moves, two fingers pressed to her neck to count BPM. The smile and the sparkle in her eyes, however, are all unmistakeably Rue.
Pausing a moment, Lynette peers for a moment before she recognizes the girl. "Oh, Rue. I like the new look, it's very sleek." This time, when she blows out a puff of smoke, she does it in the opposite direction from Rue. "I heard you were coming back. Glad to see you're alright."
"Thanks. I decided I should… look a bit less obvious." Rue's shoulders come up in a shrug, "You know, instead of the flame-red beacon. Goin' for a little less Mary Jane Watson-Parker and a bit more Selina Kyle." She bends one leg at the knee, reaching behind her to grab her ankle and stretch. "I wanted to come back sooner, but… Playing it safe. Wish I'd been here, though." Her foot drops back to the ground and she stares down at her shoes.
When Rue continues, her voice is quiet, remorseful. "I heard things were really rough… Still are. I wish I could have been here to help." She feels like she's failed the people of the Ferry somehow.
Lynette eyes her a little, but she ends up reaching over with her non-cigaretted hand to rest on the girl's shoulder. "You did the right thing. Being safe is the best thing all of us can do for the network. Plus here? Here it's just been quiet and depressing. Not the right setting for such a pretty girl," she says with a gentle smile.
"I always liked Selina Kyle better anyway."
Speaking of rough, Quinn looks it a bit as she comes walking down the grounds. Not for any particular reason, she's just a bit tired, and she's been busy out back shooting for the last little bit. SOmeone's allowed ot be frazzed after that, alright? Which is probably why she has a cigarette of her own lit and in hand. It's become quite the vice lately.
It's Lynette she spots first, angling a look at the woman as she starts forward, giving a bit fo a wave.
"Heeey," is the typical greeting from the photokinetic as she meanders over. The woman with Lynette - unrecognisable at this distance - gets a bit of a glance. "Not interruptin' anythin' am I?" She smiles, looking between the pair - and double takes when she fianlly recognises- "Rue?" Now she sounds nervous. Oooops."
While Quinn doesn't immediately recognise Rue, the momentary confusion doesn't go both ways. At first, a smile spreads across her face, but by the time she lifts her head to look over at the other dark-haired woman, Rue's remembered their last meeting.
It wasn't a good one. "Quinnie." The greeting falls a little flat. "Not interrupting anything," Rue offers, just in case Lynette might have picked up on the tension and may have been tempted to offer an out.
"Quinn," Lynette greets with a smile, "Good to see you again. Back out here to rough it again, hmm?" She does glance between the two, one eyebrow lifted. Oh, she notices the tension.
"I was just telling Rue how flattering her new look is," she says to Quinn, "Unfortunate that so many of us are having to make these changes, but I think she pulls it off nicely." And she sort of wants to poke at that tension a little. Prod.
A hesitant smile is offered over to Rue, and then to Lynette. "I had to get around t' bringing those books you told me tog et sometime. I think I'm a little alte, though. Didn't you want them for the sick folks?" Which, thankfully, the illness hanging voer the island seems finally to be breaking. Makes Quinn feel a lot better about bein' there. She offers a bit of a smile to Rue, though her eyes don't quite meet the other woman's. "I barely recognised you," she remarks softly. "I does look good, though. You should see about getting some jobs for Rue2.0. I doubt they'd turn you down now." Okay, yes, it's a bit much, but Quinn's nervous and still feels awful about how their last meeting went down.
Yeah, Quinnie. Tell me how good I look.
Just… maybe not like that? "What was wrong with the way I looked before?" Rue asks quietly, defensively, plucking at a strand of dark hair with her fingers and peering at it as though it would have the answer. "You think that's why no one was hiring me?" It's perhaps unsurprising that a model (part-time or otherwise) would be self-conscious about her looks.
Rue moves to slide her hands into her jacket pockets, except that she left her jacket inside since the weather's finally warming up again. Instead, she extends the motion so she can wrap her arms around her midsection. She looks away from Quinn and Lynette without turning her head, favouring letting her blue gaze slide to peer out of the corner of her eye.
Lynette turns her head, too, masking a chuckle by bringing the cigarette up to her lips for a quick inhale. But she does give Quinn a sort of amused look before exhaling. "Alright, you two are more awkward than a fifteen year old at a school dance. What in the world is wrong with you? You'd think someone confident enough to model and someone confident enough to chase rock stardom wouldn't have this toe-in-the-sand thing."
"Aaah haha." Quinn eyes Lynette for a moment, trying to mentally beam I hate you so much right now irectly into her brain. WHy couldn't she be a telepath? Looking back to Rue, Quinn shakes her head. "Noooo! I didn't mean that at all. There's was nothin' wrong, I- just mean that it's a good look for you!" Which she really means, a frown forming on her face. "An'… maybe some place who turned you down before might like the new look…" She huffs out a bit of air, looking off to the side. Like she's thinking of escaping. "Have you seen Kaylee? I have dream t' talk t' her about again…"
Unlike Quinn, Rue doesn't really seem to blame Lynette for her calling the two girls on their awkward situation. "Quinnie's my ex," she supplies helpfully. "Where's Yggy Pop anyway? I thought you two were joined at the hip or something?" A snide comment, especially considering that Rue's honestly seen them apart more than together.
Lynette can only give Quinn a crooked smile in reply, because it's sort of cute, these girls. And as someone more relaxed about her romantic entanglements, she's got to live vicariously somehow.
"Oooh, I see," she says to Rue's explanation, "Yggy Pop, I like that." But she's not helping this time, or volunteering information about whose hips Quinn is attached to most these days. "Well, I have to say, girls. A bad break up or whathaveyou is no reason to be grumpy. We're all in pretty close quarters while we're here and all this tension isn't sending out good vibes."
"Ygraine an' I broke up," is offered quickly, as if Quinn doesn't really want to go into detail for Rue. "She's- I have no idea where she is now anyway. She's on the run. Apparently the same bust that got Elisabeth Harrison got her too." Her lips quirk side to side, looking over at Lynette, offering a smile. Because, really, she doesn't even know the half of it. And really, she's still waiting on an answer to her question about Kaylee.
"Oh…" Rue has the good grace to look sheepish at that, dipping her head down at the news. "I'm sorry to hear that." A little. Honest. And Lynette's admonishment has the glamazon shrinking in on herself a little bit, wincing. "We just haven't seen each other since… We had a big fight. It'll work itself out."
She lifts her head again, an impish little smile on her lips in stark contrast with the cherubic dimensions of her face, fixed on Quinn. "Since you're single again," if she only knew, "we could always go kiss and make up." Oh, Rue.
"I don't care how you make up, just make sure you don't draw an audience," Lynette says in wry humor. But she does turn back to Quinn to note, "I haven't seen Kaylee lately, but she should be around. I've got to talk to her, too. See if she's come up with any brilliant explanations for this whole… thing." She is less than thrilled about it.
Oh God, that just makes Quinn feel a little worse, the woman reaching back and scratching the back of her head. And again, she shoots a look over towards Lynette. "You remember what you said, Rue? About how it wasn't right for me t' be seein' Ygraine and Elaine?" Her voice just drips with uncertainty. "I'm not… single," is apoken a bit quietly, Quinn taking a deep breath. "So, I mean, I'm not even going t' joke, because it- wouldn't really be fair."
Eyes shifting over to Lynette, Quinn nos. "I… need t' show her another dream I had. An' tell her about a few others, I guess. And send her to see Elaine. This shit is gettin' outta hand. I'm hopin' Delia can help me figure it all out." A beat. "Oh. that reminds me, Lynette, Delia works at an apothacary in Greenwich Village. She wants you t' come see her sometime soon, but I forget about what. She also said- you know the place in Staten they moved her, Dee, an' Sable too? Apparently Koshka an' Brian are there too. "Cept they don't get t' leave."
The smile is wiped right off the girl's face, and the sparkle chased away from her eyes. Rue's brows shoot upward and disappear beneath her dark bangs. "Oh." Oh. There's a quick nod, to show she understands, as if it hadn't already been readily apparent. "Uhm… I should… probably go find Mister Raith." All too eager to run now, and hide her embarrassment, and how mortified she is, where before she was so keen to show that she didn't care.
She does. — Care.
"She wants me to come see her?" Lynette is… genuinely puzzled by that. Like it were the last thing she was expecting to hear. She blinks a couple times before she nods. "Of course. I'll go see her. Is she alright?" Because asking to see Lynette, she doesn't sound alright.
There's a glance over to Rue as she starts to make her exit, and Lynette just lifts an eyebrow at the part-time model. "Stay safe out there, Rue. Keep close to the castle." Lynette cares, too! Just, you know, differently.
"Rue…" Quinn looks over at the other woman, a sad look on her face as she says she should go and turns around. A hand reaches up, rubbing her face. "If… you're going t' go, he's probably still puttin' stuff away from the lesson he just gave me." Her lips purse as she looks back at Lynette, and then eyes move down to the ground. "God, how do I tell…" She starts to say, but trails off as she shakes her head. "Delia seemed fine, Lynette. She- I don't really know how t' explain it. I think she sees you as some kinda becon for her dreams or somethin'? I'm hoenstly not sure. She'd be able to tell you better than I could, I can barely understand all of this dreamwalking shit."
"Out back," Rue repeats. "'Kay." Her chin tips down in a sharp, abbreviated move, and she breaks away from their cluster. "I'll be around if you need anything from me, Ms Rowan." It's an assurance of compliance, even in not displaying bad vibes. After a deep breath, she resumes her jog. She can't get away fast enough.
Lynette watches Rue go for a moment or two, after giving her a wave in goodbye. But she looks back to Quinn soon enough. "Well, I'm not sure I can be a beacon these days," you know, since she gave up the refrain, "but I'll go talk to her soon. I've never understood the dreamwalking much either."
She glances back the way Rue went before she asks, "How do you tell who what?"
Quinn watches Rue as well, before looking back to Lynette. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean- t' make her leave, I hope you guys weren't talkin' about anythin' important." Her vioce is low, and Quinn grimaces when asked what she's going to have a hard time telling. But she sucks it up, exhaling sharply as she shakes her head. "How… do I tell her that Elaine an' I are engaged?" Which has her giving a guilty look up to Lynette. "Long… story. We're not really tellin' anyone until we get back from Ireland, though." Aaand with that out there, Quinn is quick to change the subject. "I told her about you, erm… ability, if that had anythin' t' do with you bein' a beacon. So, she's prepared for that."
"Engaged!" Lynette gets a smile there, a genuine one, too, "Well, Quinn, damnit, you should be happy about that. Rue'll survive, I promise." But she lifts her right hand, cigarette and all, "I'll keep my lips sealed about it until you two are ready to make announcements. But let me be the first one to say congratulations."
Quinn may change the subject, but Lynette doesn't seem to be able to get rid of this little smile. "Oh, alright. Probably best she knows of the changes before I go strolling in."
"I am happy about it," Quinn replies, a smile returning to her face. "I just feel… bad. Because I know I hurt Rue, an' I keep findin' ways t' do it. I mean, Jesus, the fact taht she hasn't just punched me by now is absolutely feckin' amazin' to me. I wouldn't blame her at all if she did." She laugh a bit, shaking her head at Lynette. "You're… the second. Melissa got it out of me earlier. I kind of suck at keeping it a secret, but… it's more we're holdin' it from the people we're closest to. Because we know they're going t' think we're bein' stupid an' rash." Quinn rolls her shoulders a bit. "We… are, a little, I guess. But it's what we both want. Not the first time we've talked about it anything."
SHe pivots on her heel, looking off in teh direction Rue went off in. "I just hope she doesn't flip out on me like she did before. The argument she mentioned is a big reason why I'm just seein' Elaine now."
"Well, damn. I suppose I can settle for second." Lynette chuckles a bit, though and nods. "Stupid and rash is pretty much love in a nutshell, from what I've heard. Now a days, with things looming ahead of us… well, it's fairly common before wars and such, for people to make rash decisions. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the wrong decision. So, if they two of you are doing what makes you happy, then you're doing the right thing. And if you care for someone enough to marry them, perhaps it is best to just be seeing that one person," she adds with a smirk.
"Thanks, Lynette," Quinn replies happily, smiling at her. "That means a lot. But… I don;t think you really know why I'm worried people'll think it's so rash. I mean… Elaine an' I've beens eein' each other in some form for a couple months short of a year now, so…" Offering an arm out, she offers a weak smile. "I think I have some dreams to tell you about." A beat. "And yeah, it probably is."
"Oh, I see, letting the dreams toss you around some, are you?" There's almost a tsktsktsk in that voice, but only teasingly so. "Look, Quinn, the way I see it is… you're fucking lucky if you can eke some happiness out of this life. Seems to be a pretty rare thing. Even if it doesn't last forever, you've got to grab it when it's in front of you. Even if you're scared half to death about it. Even if you sometimes think it's a huge mistake. Or your friends do. The question I'm going to ask you is does it make you happy and I'm just selfish enough to say that's the bottom line."
Quinn exhales, seeming exasperated - but she does smile. "Well… she an' I had dreams of her marryin' the only woman t' break her hear, an'… I saw Ygraine an' I takin' in an orphan. It's less… that it's tossing us around, an' more that it helped us realise what we want." At least, that's how Quinn's seeing it. "But it makes me happy. An' she wants t' live in the moment. That's why I asked her t' begin with. It just- happened. So… I guess that is the bottom line, isn't it?" Her smile widens a bit, and she places a hand up on Lynette's shoulder. "Th-thanks. It really helps to hear all of that, you know. It makes me feel less scared. But anyway… enough about me. I didn't ocme here t' draw you int' drama."
"Seems like that would be quite the effective catalyst, yes. But I'm happy for the both of you. And I don't mind hearing about all the drama. it's wonderful to live it vicariously. Less so to actually live it, I imagine." Lynette smirks there, amused. It is a bit of a blessing, to have other people's drama to hear about.
'Lynette," Quinn starts with a bit of genuine laughter, "You are opening a whole can of worms that you don't want t', trust me. I could drama your ear off all night if I wanted t'." Which isn't to say she doesn't. Fair warning is fair warning! "I asked Delia if she thought she might be able to track who's sending out this dreams. She thnks it might be possible, but she didn't elaborate on how possible. I'm kinda hopin' she does, though. I'd rather get some direct answers instead of all of this crap." But again, Quinn waves a hand dismissively, another look offered off in teh direction Rue went off in.
"You know, lesbians are supposed to be less drama with the lack of men and all," Lynette teases, chuckling as she brings that cigarette back to her lips for a moment. "Well, if I can help her figure this thing out, that'll be fantastic. She and I just… had a bumpy start." To say the least. But that drama is glazed over as well. "So I was surprised that she'd asked for me, is all."
"Less drama?" Quinn scoffs, if jokingly. "Have you ever seen The L Word?" Probably not. Mostly guys and, well, lesbians watch it in her experiance. "Sometimes I feel like I've been livin' in that show for the last year. But… that's kind've an insult t' everyone I know, so I try not t' be too serious about it." Quinn's own cigarette has been almost forgotten amongst all the talk with Rue earlier. It's almsot burned out, in fact, Quinn barely able to save it by taking a long drag. "Sorry t' hear about that rocky start. But.. I'm sure things'll be fine."
"I'm afraid I haven't. Haven't had a TV in some time, actually." Lynette shakes her head a bit, but she seems to be understanding. "Perhaps if we found a less dramatic TV show to compare them all to. And believe me, I was sorry about the rocky start, too. But perhaps things can even out now." She glances over at Quinn, then smirks a little. "I suppose I get myself back over to the mainland tonight, then. I was just getting myselves resettled here, too," she says with a smirk. If it's a real complaint, she does well at hiding it. "I'll see you around, no doubt." She says goodbye with a wink toward the other woman, putting out her cigarette between two damp fingers as she heads back toward the castle. Waste not, want not!