Participants:
| Scene Title | Speaking in Clicks |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Huruma isn't there to visit with Magnes, she's there for Elaine. |
| Date | July 13, 2010 |
Gun Hill - Magnes' Apartment
Magnes is in a pair of jeans, not wearing shoes or a shirt. He's in his work room with the door wide open, digging through shirts and clothes. Most of his clothes are in that room, mostly due to the sheer amount of them. Dig dig dig… "I don't know what to wear, Elaine!" Apparently meeting Bella is important, and they've still got about three hours before they leave.
Elaine's settled in on the couch, leaning with her back against the armrest and her legs in front of her on the cushions. Idly, she's reading a book with a title in Chinese, wrinkling her nose every once in a while in an attempt to focus on the words she hasn't quite learned yet. Magnes' frustration is heard, and she looks up, shaking her head a little. "Just wear what you normally wear? Nothing too over-the-top if you're concerned. You've got some nice shirts…"
Knock-knock-knock. Rapping at your chamber door. It is half a wonder that Huruma got herself in here at all. Now, she stands on the other side of Magnes Varlane's apartment with something playing on her mind. Some last requests she seems to want to follow through, at the very least. Though it is his place, she is hoping to find Elaine Darrow. She was able to get a description too- so this should not be terribly hard, should it? The tall woman is as always, looking like she does not belong; she wears a red strapless, bandeau dress, wrapped around to her knees like a great crimson skin. A cropped black jacket is pulled over her shoulders, making already broad spectacle into slightly more of one. Gold is what sets her apart from the neighborhood- around her wrists, neck, in her ears.
Magnes quickly rushes to the door with a green shirt that has black question marks all over it… he's only considering it, then yanks the door open after a quick gravitational once over of the other side reveals something large… at least people-wise. He looks up at Huruma, then smiles brightly and moves to wrap his arms around her almost instinctively. He can't help it, it's been a while since he's seen her, and she did eat the guy who shot his ex. "Huruma!"
Elaine's thankful she doesn't have to get up off the couch, no jarring her or anything like that. She peers over the couch, sitting up a bit more as she peeks to see who's at the door. She's not quite sure who Huruma is, but she clearly seems to be Magnes' friend, so she offers a smile in the woman's direction.
With her heels, Magnes' face only comes to around her collarbone or thereabouts. Huruma tenses like a piece of taut wire on a delicate instrument, latching hands onto the boy's shoulder, vampiric, before jolting him with an unexpected fear- a jolt that hopefully gets him off so that she does not have to turn the claws in his shoulders into his shoulders through a window. Not quite a friend. Sort of.
"Hhgggsss-" She literally hisses something from her teeth. "I am no'ere f'you- get off."
Magnes suddenly jumps back, well, up actually, on to the ceiling like a scared cat, landing on all fours and looking down at her, or, up from his position. "Ah, man, I hate when you do that… Wait, you're not here for me?" he asks, then looks down at Elaine. "Um, her?"
Oh, that's interesting. Elaine perks up, mostly out of curiosity at the fact that Huruma was here for her. She moves to sit up fully, actually getting to her feet, though she shifts her weight to the good leg. "Hello?" She offers.
Huruma's nostrils flare up at Magnes, lips pursed. She gives him this venomous look before helping herself to enter the door. She doesn't need to be actually invited in- in that she is most clearly not a member of the bloodsucking undead. "Yes. Her." Her eyes draw away from Magnes, to Elaine, standing there, towering, to examine her with the utmost scrutiny. Her eyes are her own, today, and so the slender redhead is met with black on white. Sable's eyes are one thing entirely, Huruma's are another. She finally smiles, pleased, her scrutiny having moved down to the girl's worse leg.
"You must be Elaine."
Magnes jumps back down to the floor, locking the door after Huruma sees herself in. "She's not being recruited to anything." he states as a simple fact, then heads over to sit on the couch next to her. "But I'll listen to whatever it is, I do owe you."
Studying the other woman, Elaine gives a nod of confirmation. "I'm Elaine." The eyes are noted, as well as the towering height and overall appearance of Huruma. This is new, and she's not entirely sure what to expect. "What is it I can do for you?" She questions. The bandage around her arm, too, is more of the noticable of the injuries, given that the bandage on her forearm peeks out from rolled up sleeve.
"So you'ave jurisdiction on her ears?" Huruma drawls, her smooth voice as biting as she can make it without losing that silk. "I told you, MAgnes, I am not'ere t'see you. Now, Elaine-" Huruma takes a step closer, looking her up and down once more, eyes pausing here and there. "Your job transcribing Kensei artifacts will be unde'report t'me, now, if you were not told. I will handle reimbursement, an'should y'need something." It all begins very dully.
"…I'ave also heard you've some …trouble with a young man, of late?" And it ends very loaded. Huruma links her arms, folding them over her ribcage and tilting her head in question.
"Wait, what the hell, Kensei artifacts? Is she working for Hiro?" Magnes often forgets the fact that Hiro wasn't quite Kensei, but his brains already full of strange time travel facts, it's easy to get confused. "Alright, now I sort of have to listen."
Even with being looked over, Elaine seems rather calm as Huruma speaks. "Ah, he told me that he was sending someone… just not a whole lot of detail as to who, other than that it was someone he trusted. It's good to meet you, though, thanks." She does pause after a moment. "Ah… yes, I mentioned it when I talked to him last, I'm a little surprised he mentioned it." She rubs her neck a bit. "He's a bit of a stalker, won't take no for an answer. Magnes is making sure it gets taken care of, though." Her eyes flicker back to Magnes.
"Magnes canno'take care of a stick in a glass jar, much less such a sensitive matter as this." As Huruma speaks, her features grow increasingly irritated. "An'he did this t'you, I presume?" A jerk of her hand motions to the girl's arm and leg, and Huruma slinks a step closer. If anything, she seems to be getting angry at this fact more than the fact he was a stalker to begin with.
"But, Hiro, and…" Magnes flails his hands a bit, then just grunts and sits back against the arm of the couch, watching the two. "I'm gonna take care of this guy, I'm planning to call in a love of favors. I bet Raith will know what to do."
Elaine didn't mention the name of her employer, mostly because Adam had said to just leave it out. And with Elaine having no knowledge that the two of them even knew each other, she had no reason to even mention the name to Magnes. She notes Magnes' words, then looks to Huruma again. Well, if Magnes was calling in favors and here was Huruma wanting information… why not?
"He did. He managed to use a ruse to get me alone and then when I was he tried to teach me a lesson for running away from him three months ago." She glances at the two injuries. "One he just decided to do mid-conversation when he was angry, the other I got while running away."
"Raith? His solution will likely be th'same as mine…" Huruma only knew him for a miraculously short time, but that was enough to know that Jensen Raith was a soldier with purpose. Pragmatism. Her mouth flattens as Elaine proves further that men can just be terrible creatures. It seems too personal to her, now, but there are some things that she can backwardly hate. "So he thinks he owns you, does he?" Huruma's voice is just a tad more passionate all of a sudden. Strange, that she has things to dislike.
"No killing, or eating." Magnes states outright, waving his hands from side to side, dismissive of the idea. "If you could protect her while I'm dealing with this situation, that'd be great. If anyone can protect her, I know you can."
Killing or eating? Elaine didn't know what was going on with that. "He's quite under that impression, yes. It took me a great deal of time before I could run away from him and when I finally did it left him not-so-happy. He always used pain to keep me there. Now he's using it to try and get me back." Her eyes flicker between Magnes and Huruma now.
"You laud m'for Claire's abuser dead, yet now you d'no'want me t'prevent Elaine's bananas ex-boyfriend from killing her?" Huruma snorts once, fingers drumming on crossed arms. "Th'best way t'deal wit'threats is to eliminate them. Something like this-" She pauses, looking away from MAgnes to Elaine, the lines around her eyes softening. "Someone like this, is exactly th'same. Personal experience, pups."
"This is completely different. Claire was shot and tortured, Elaine's boyfriend is just crazy. We can keep him from killing her, or even hurting her again, without killing him." Magnes crosses his arms, nodding his head adamantly. "We'll just find out here he is, and have him arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. I was a cop, I sort of know the law."
There's an odd look on Elaine's face, turning to face Magnes for a moment. "You don't know what he did to me for six months." She looks back to Huruma, mentally calculating how long that'd put James away for. She knows James. She also knows James can be charming and manipulative. He'd get out. And he'd be back. Elaine looks to Huruma. "I'd shed no tears if he died." Well, who saw that one coming?
"Witnesses? Testimonies? Wit'out concrete, non-circumstantial evidence, he would walk faste'than a middle aged woman in th'suburbs." Huruma is very clear about her opinion on people like this. Oddly enough. Her chin lifts when Elaine finally puts her own word in. It's a proud look that she gives the redhead, eyebrow lifting to Magnes.
It does not surprise Huruma that Elaine has hidden away most of it from everyone else. They all do the same thing. And they all know jail won't work for people like that. Men like James who will never stop. Ever.
"Alright, if you two are insisting on making sure he can never come back, then we need to find out if he has an Evolved ability. If he doesn't, then, well, we'll get him one. I know it's possible to give people abilities." Magnes looks very serious now, staring down into his lap. "I can make him disappear forever."
Elaine's quiet for a moment, gaze flickering to Huruma. There's a slight nod, then she looks back towards Magnes. "I don't want him coming back. If he doesn't hurt me, he'll hurt someone else and I don't want to see someone die by his hand. Or even be hurt a fraction of the way he hurt me. As far as an ability… I didn't see him exhibit one when I was with him, but he seems stronger than before, at least, stronger than I remember. But that could be my memory deciding it's nicer not to remember much from back then."
"Unless you plan on resurrecting Arthur Petrelli, put that idea back int'your vault of bad ideas." Huruma keeps her volume at a low notch, nodding once along with Elaine when she explains her position to the young man. "If it is not her, it is another woman. I know'ow predators function- you should know that already."
"I know, I know, just… what about Hiro?" Magnes asks, trying to throw an idea out there. You never know. "He could probably put him somewhere he'll never be able to hurt anyone, but where he wouldn't have to die either. I don't know, I just… don't want this to be the first option, there is a way to do this. Murder is not a first resort."
Elaine remembers Magnes talking about Hiro before, about what he was like. She purses her lips, frowning a little. "Where could he be put where he wouldn't have access to people to manipulate? I understand you don't want to kill, the idea isn't something I like either, but you haven't really seen him at work, Magnes. If you saw him on the street, you'd have no idea it was him. He's… he's good at hiding it. You put him anywhere with people, he'll use them. He used some poor homeless guy to trick me out of the building, he'll use anyone."
"I don'work wit'Hiro. Use your brain. It is a first resort when it is the only resort." Huruma's done milling about it. It is Elaine's problem that she was sent to patch, not wholly his.
"I'll call him." Magnes decides, and stands up to head into the kitchen. "I'm still gonna be listening." he calls back, and walks into the little kitchen area of the apartment, starting to dig through the fridge.
Gaze turning back to Huruma, Elaine smiles weakly. "Thank you. You… seem like you understand." In some ways, there's more she wants to say, but she'd rather not with Magnes around. She does lower her tone slightly. "I'll accept whatever help you're willing to give."
"I was hoping that you would feel that way." Huruma answers only as loudly as she needs to, lowering her twined arms and shifting her weight to one leg. "On a lighter note, I hear you are good wit'languages." Her change of topic is neither radical nor important; it seems to be used as a petering off of the previous matter.
The mention of languages causes Elaine a bit of a grin. "Yeah, I'm good with them. That's an accurate statement. I know about a dozen, at least, mostly European though I'm slowly broadening my range. I was working on Chinese today, actually."
"I'ave taught Adam some things-" And if Magnes is listening, this is a point of note to what end she came. "I could teach you, as well, if you've an interest. I know tha'some find it easier t'learn by conversing." Huruma does not say what she may be able to teach specifically, only that she could. "How easy for you is it?"
"It could be a matter of days, if I were working on it most of the time during them. Conversation is the easiest to pick up, I can mostly learn simply from hearing but to perfect it there's got to be some practice… writing's the same way, it just depends on how much contact with a language I can get." Elaine shrugs. "I usually don't rush, though Japanese I did in particular to make sure I'd be able to get right on top of translating the artifacts."
"Nini kuhusu hili?" Huruma starts into something else, something new. It's a fresh language to what Elaine usually knows. Lingua Franca of East Africa- Swahili, first. "Je, unaweza kuelewa mimi kwa kusikia mimi?" There is a question, but not long before she moves to a second one. Zulu, second. Huruma is a grab-bag, and it barely scratches the surface. "Nalo? Kunzima kangakanani?"
Elaine is instantly interested, focusing her gaze on Huruma. "You said… something about hearing. And difficult." She scratches her head. "Sorry, I can't say I've heard either of those two before, so it may take me a little to pick up." She apologizes for being able to recognize a few words from two languages she's never heard—clearly, she takes her languages very seriously.
"Learn some major Bantu languages an'you should b'able t'go most places in sub-saharan Africa." Huruma smiles, obviously pleased. "Have you much interest in click languages?" When the dark woman asks this of Elaine, it is with a subtle lean towards her, and a lowered volume, as if she has been disappointed by this question somewhere before.
Elaine looks curiously at Huruma. "I've never really had the opportunity, particularly because I haven't met many who speak them. I've been picking up ones the major ones I find in New York, ones I have access to, so they're mostly the European which is why I've got so many. I'd love to learn some of the click languages, though. They've always struck me as a challenge and I love the way they sound. They can be particularly expressive from what I've heard."
"Terribly expressive. There are very little non-literal concepts- it makes for honest languages." Huruma smiles again, more subdued this time. "And an honest people."
"I would be very happy to learn from you if you'd teach me." Elaine does seem eager. "I'm a bit fond of the idea of a language that's straight forward. It, in some ways, makes things less complicated. It will take some time to make it sound right… I'm afraid I won't ever quite sound like a native." She grins.
"It would be an honor t'pass something else on." Huruma offers a nod of her head and a lift of her browline. "As long as you find some use in learning it."
Elaine nods in response, almost respectfully. "I'm sure I will. I don't like to let my languages go to waste. Perhaps I'll visit Africa, then. Not a long trip, though, I doubt I would be too fond of the weather. I wilt in the heat."
"To tell you th'truth, it is a terrible misconception. Even summer in sub-saharan Africa is barely above what it is here, Madagascar as well. In fact I believe it is much th'same. Remember where the equator is." Huruma is just full of fun facts. Like a pinata of learning.
"I hadn't thought of that. I just always get this image of it being terribly hot. Considering the heatwave here, though, Africa may be having better weather than us." Elaine notes. "Perhaps I'll have to do some research on it sometime. One of these days I do want to take a bit of a trip around the world and it would be a shame not to visit Africa."
"Indeed. A terrible shame it would be. If you should need a guide-" Well, here's one. "All of you'ave friends in Madagascar." Huruma motions offhandedly towards the kitchen where Magnes can be heard cooking. "If you do not know th'story I am sure he can tell you more …readily."
A glance to the kitchen. "I don't believe he's told me that one," Elaine admits. "I'll be sure to ask. That sounds like it could be interesting." She peers back at Huruma. "In any case, I'd love to learn… and I appreciate the offer. On both matters."
Before Huruma slinks back towards the door, she takes a folded piece of paper from just inside the bustier of her dress. What better place to keep things? She passes it over to Elaine. Now, she nods once and moves off towards the door. "That is m'contact information. Keep me posted, let m'know how you want t'handle your problem- specifics- an'per'aps we may commiserate on tongues." Indeed, all the paper has is her name and her number- both in a haunting, flowing script. Before Elaine really has a chance for input, she is left with just that when Huruma slips out of the apartment.