Participants:
| Scene Title | That 70s Fluff |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Gals gotta pal. |
| Date | March 1970 |
New York City, March 1970
"I hardly need this sweater…" An interjection filters over to Elaine from across a table of thrifted and reusable items; it's a familiar setting, quite mirroring Red Hook's market from home in many ways. Delilah takes a look at the sky, a little clouded over, a bit wet, but otherwise a mild spring afternoon. Her hair is pinned at the back, falling down onto the shoulders of a hand-knit sweater in a soft tousle of orange. On her arm is a half-laden, woven beach bag, co-opted for shopping purposes. The duo blend in like a gradient, mixed in with the easygoing crowd as if they had always belonged there.
"Thanks, global warming. Should we step on that butterfly?" She slinks back to Elaine's side, speaking sidelong, not at all comically suspicious. "I mean, wouldn't it save everyone a helluva hassle, yeah?"
"You hardly need the sweater but you look fantastic in it," Elaine compliments, a wide grin on her face. Her hair is in a loose half-braid that only just at her neckline, her own bright colors seeming to liven up her mood. "Ah, if only we could step on that butterfly. I know we're both charismatic and clever, but that doesn't mean we can talk our way into convincing the world about such a scientific topic. It could start the ball rolling, but I'm not sure rolling a boulder would be great. There might be some Indiana Jones nearly getting crushed by it."
She casually browses the tables, mostly keeping an eye out for anything of interest she might want to have. Even with the fact that she didn't want to give up hope, she wasn't intending on not enjoying herself in the moment. It reminded her of some of the memories that rested in her head from her other self. There were moments that things were peaceful for her and Odette in the midst of the chaos they had all gone through. Those were what kept them going.
"At least we're doing a good job of blending in as an ensemble role, the 70s suits us, I think."
The response to jokes on the matter of Butterflies simply gets a laugh and a playful sort of shrug in return. Delilah keeps relatively to her friend's side as they skim tables.
"Yea, suppose it does." Brown eyes roam a short distance to spy some fabrics of a more fanciful sort. "We were already kinda Bohemian, huh? As much as I love the housewife aesthetic." Delilah bumps against Elaine with a smirk, jerking her head to motion her to come along to the fabric booth. A section of needlepoint and brocade in certain styles seems to indicate west Asian influence, at least in part. "I feel like I'm in a competition to bring home the most interesting things I find. Swear on my life, Tom's going to build himself a time capsule or something."
"We really do rock the Bohemian look," Elaine grins over at Dee as she heads over to go look at the fabric. "You know, a time capsule might be nice. It's a symbol of hope, that you'll find it years from now. It can also be a nice thing to reminisce about the good things that happened while we were here." Both of those things still rely on the assumption that they will, in fact, find a way back. "It's kind of funny watching you two compete for being the most exciting find though. It's really wholesome watching him fanboy all over something."
“Presumably we’d find it.” A small snort escapes Delilah, but she still laughs. “You’re right about that though. It’s a nice notion. We haven’t exactly had… the worst go of it so far. I almost feel guilty, it’s so fuckin’ weird.”
“It does feel wholesome- -I’m not sure why that is.” She shrugs her shoulders and runs her fingers over and under a layer of soft blue fabric. “Maybe because I’ve already dealt with the wilder ones? Besides, I love music just as much, makes it less… uh, a lot.” As she inspects the bolt, a little look of exasperation passes behind Dee’s eyes, memory fumbling for the right word.
Elaine smiles, testing the feel of a fabric herself. The excuse to wear different styles is still an appealing one, one that hasn't quite worn off. "It's levity, certainly. You also have something in common, which is a very good thing to have in a husband," she says, her tone just slightly teasing. "It makes a good living situation and brings you both happiness. Having some sort of break in the stress is necessary at this point. Matthew and Walter also need people around them who can share that happiness. It's an infectious thing."
She laughs for a moment. "We have a breath of fresh air for the moment, who knows how long, but at least we can take at least a short time to shelter ourselves from the storm. It's… kind of fun, really. I don't like being stuck, but that's a no brainer. Being stuck like this is much more of a break than I could have expected."
Elaine's enunciation earns her a well-deserved eyeroll, matching the teasing ratio quite nicely. There's even a snort. That's how people used to talk about spouses, right? Boomer humor?
"Infectious sounds about right." Delilah agrees quietly, smile crooked. "Hard to resist."
"I guess that makes it the longest family roadtrip? Can you imagine an RV with this gang?" Please, no, don't. Don't tempt fate. Moving onto the next bolt of blue, Dee once again feels its weight between her fingers, taking an extra moment more to mull over the feel of the light and velvety surface. "I think I do much prefer the house with the vinyls and the nice little street. And the weird neighbors a couple doors down are okay, I guess. He's got those puppy eyes and she's all hot and professional. Even less in common than us." Her turn to tease.
Elaine breaks into a smile at the thought of the lot of them in an RV, stifling half of a giggle. She continues with her own browsing of the fabrics, but this is much more of the sensory experience than it is her looking to purchase. “He’s got more than just those eyes,” she laughs. “He’s incredibly smooth and charming when you get him talking in Polish. Were I the type of woman to swoon, I just might.”
She looks over at Delilah. “You always sort of rock the mom thing; domestic life is a good look for you.” Elaine winks before looking down at the fabric and continuing. “I always pictured myself being a career woman. ‘Playing house’ like this is an experience I didn’t think I would enjoy quite as much as I do.”
"Sometimes a good swoon is all you really need." Delilah raises a look to Elaine across the table of fabrics, having moved on searching for something in particular. A moment following, she stifles her own laugh through her teeth when she smiles. It's a little strained, but all the same nostalgic. Sentiment shows at her cheeks. "Teo always liked protecting me, so… mileage varies."
"I think it's harder back… home." Dee's eyes narrow as she questions her wording. Best to not sound terribly weird to outside ears, so. Home. "Even I had to move on from the tailoring, you know? Not that I've ever had a …dream career. So maybe my career is 'mom'. 'Wife'."
"When Teo asked me to marry him a few years ago… when things were settling down… He was worried for us so I said yes, in a way? I didn't want to move to Sicily- - didn't want to be alone either. Complicated, but he gave me the ring anyway, more of a Yes like a promise. It's not more weird than Walter having three dads, I suppose." Some of these events Elaine knows of, but the specific feelings behind the story less so.
"Figures that it took temporal displacement to make things happen." She scoffs.
“A good swoon is something I haven’t had for a long time, so it’s nice to have something, even if it’s just… for here, you know?” Elaine admits, her gaze turning back to the cloth for something to focus on. “Honestly? You make an amazing mother. Wife too, probably, but I’ve never had a wife so take that with a grain of salt.” She makes a soft ‘hmm’ noise before she looks back to Delilah.
“I’m sorry things haven’t quite gone in any simple route for you. Feelings are complicated, and I certainly know the desire not to be alone. It’s hard.” She does offer a small smile. “Finding your dream career might be mom is a huge step. If anyone could get a promotion in that career track, it would be you. As for me, I do miss my job. Mostly, I think, because I felt I was needed there. Important. My skills and passion were being used. I taught during the war, not language, but the experience teaching was fulfilling.”
Elaine shrugs her shoulders. “Teaching language is amazing in comparison, but beyond that I have a family. I don’t feel like I’ve had that for a really long time. Kind of weird to find that here, but I guess our little road trip is teaching us things.”
"I don't think I'm ready for promotions yet. Whatever that even means." A briefly concerned look passes over her face. "I know how much you like that job." Present tense, mind you. "I've never even been there. From what you've always told me it sounds pretty damn cool." Maybe someday. "I've been liking Raytech enough, and classes are okay- - it's just sort of something that I fell into, you know? Needed better money, I always did alright with projects… paid internships are rare enough."
Delilah crouches down to run a hand through one of the bins of remnants, an idle hum on her lips. "For what it's worth, I wish I had any teachers that gave a shit." She looks up with a reassuring tilt of her head. "Technically you're one of the Lighthouse gang, so family is already abstract, yeah? Nothing wrong with a little more? Even if it's just… not being entirely alone."
"You should come by sometime. That is, if it's still… you know. I think you'd like a lot of the art and culture and history there. You're right about teachers, though. There are a lot of shitty ones, so if I can actually be a decent one that's making a difference in the world. I kind of like having an impact on people, at least. Bettering lives," Elaine seems to muse on the concept for a moment before stepping to the side to glance around at the other tables while Delilah continues.
"The lot of us here really are kind of a family now. I'm used to sort of shuffling people into a 'family' for me of sorts, but it's always felt temporary. The place I got with my job was the closest I've really felt to having a real home of some sort. The problem is there's no one there." She smiles at Delilah, a bit of a sad but understanding one. "So I understand you there. Having this right now does feel like more of a family, even if it's under interesting circumstances. Glad it's you, though. It would be hard to hold things together without you."
There are a few folded up pieces of cloth that Delilah sets aside for herself, brain idly buzzing over what she plans to do with them. Elaine receives a small smile in response; home is not insignificant. An empty one, though- -
And of course, there's that last part. Delilah's sentiment rolls back, albeit this time with a sense of keeping the reminder at arm's length. "…Yeah, you're not the only one to say that." Distance is an attempt at mitigating the weight, but as Dee stands back up with an elbow's worth of fabric, she meets Elaine's eyes with a strained discomfort. "I guess it comes with the territory of being me, hm?"
"That's the thing about being glue. Nobody notices you're drying out til you start flaking. Course, I've talked about this before- -" Not at length with Elaine, however- - for some murky reason.
Delilah shakes her head and laughs drily, shoulders tensing. "I'm the most reliable person I know but when I least expect it I hear that little voice, 'you shouldn't do it yourself'." Like while shopping for something to patch holes with.
Elaine moves around the table to stand next to Delilah. She would put an arm around her, but she doesn’t want to draw that much attention to the pair. So instead, she bumps Dee’s shoulder with her own gently. “You don’t always have to be the glue,” she says softly. “It was meant as a compliment as to our ability to work together and the fact that we can hold each other up when no one’s looking.”
She looks down at the fabric. “I like working with you,” she notes before continuing. “You also can ask for help for all kinds of things. I know there’s not a lot of people you can talk about everything, but you’ve always got me. I’ll hold you up however I can.”
When no one is looking, be damned; Delilah can't help but bring Elaine close in a one-armed hug. It's not a cling by any means, and it lasts only long enough to be casual.
"Sorry, I've just been thinking a lot lately. A lot a lot." That racing feeling, scattered and somehow hyperfocused at the same time. Delilah smiles more for her own sake then, lifting her eyes from fabric to Elaine, brows in an upward knit. "I know what you mean. I'm so used to doing things on my own anymore. Things used to be different. We all were just kinda. Together all the time. I miss that, just not the circumstances." One shoulder rolls in a halfhearted shrug, sheepish. So it goes.
“I liked it too,” Elaine agrees, flashing a warm smile. “Some of my best memories were those times.” She feels a piece of fabric absently as she lets her thoughts wander. “Maybe when we get back, we’ll find a way to make that happen again. I know that I’ve already changed enough from this to know things will be different. Right now, though?”
Her smile returns as she looks back over at Delilah. “Right now, the lot of us are a team. A whole family. We handle things together. To be honest, all this makes me less worried about ‘getting back’ and more concerned with staying together. At least while we’re here, we have something good. It’s something I’ve missed.”
"Don't let the boys hear you say that." Delilah understands, but they don't really see that big picture. She flags down one of the stallkeepers and waits for them to finish a current exchange. "Odette is way better at this than they are, thank god." Although she isn't sure what that does say about the little girl's life so far. 'Wild' fits.
The transaction for the pieces Delilah's picked out is short, the practiced counting out of a professional marketeer. As she tucks the purchase away in her bag, Dee comes back to what she'd been onto before, in a manner of speaking, giving the other redhead a smirk. "Walter said she was making a contraption? I wasn't sure what the hell he was on about…"
Elaine patiently waits for the translation to be completed, and then hooks and arm with Delilah. "Odette's been through a lot. I'm glad I have some memories of raising her, but she's seen way more than I ever had. Kind of hard to parent in a situation like that, so I'm glad I have someone to relate to in that. You know about raising 'unconventional' kids too." She pauses for a moment. "I think, when I'm back, I'm going to get full custody of Odette. I'm going to see if I can have it. She needs me more than I realized. I know that's a problem for the future, but it's what I want."
She presses her lips into a thin line for a moment. "A contraption? She's smart enough to make something, but I don't know that it'll be something we have to worry about. Not sure what she's doing. I'll have to see if she needs any help." She chuckles.
"Nothing I'd worry about, no. From the sound of it, just some science fair kid stuff? She must be picking things up from Thomas." Having two Toms is easier if you fullname one. "He's literally a rocket scientist, and he adores the hell out of her."
"If I've learned anything from unconventional kids, it's that they know a lot more than they ever let on. Must be fucking weird to remember things you never did, " Delilah mutters, wandering along the market pathway with Elaine. While not the most brilliant of early spring days, there is still someone somewhere picking away at busking. "Walter does too. Last time he told me anything about it, is that it's muddy."
"He's… You can spot it now and again if you look. He doesn't talk to me as much. Guess I shouldn't be surprised." Nose wrinkling and eyes ahead, Delilah silently laments the milestone.
“Honestly I couldn’t ask for a better person for her to learn from,” Elaine laughs. “The kid is a hell of a lot smarter than me and I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with her at some point. I’m incredibly thankful to have him there.” She takes a moment to smile at Delilah, though it settles into something more passive as she listens.
“It’s like a dream you have that’s plausible and feels real and when you wake up you can’t remember if it happened or if you’d dreamed it.” She pats Delilah’s hand. “He’s getting older. I can only imagine it gets harder as they grow. You just make sure he knows just how much you love him and hope he doesn’t think you’re helicopter parenting.”
The analogy for dreams is at least something that Delilah can understand without trouble; she has those, everyone has those. It's just that Elaine's are, as it turns out, as weird as they seem.
"If I judge by the parenting I had in another place, I coulda done better." Despite the reassurances, Dee is still taking the time to criticize herself. "But I guess that wasn't all me anyway, yeah?" Or maybe just criticize her alternate selves. "Matthew is already enough of a teenager for me. I'm not looking forward to my very own." She breathes out through her nose. "I try. I know that he knows, 'least for now. I've been getting a lot more 'nothing' and 'nunya'."
“Pfft. We do the best with what we have and you’re doing amazing.” Elaine watches her fellow redhead with the slightest touch of concern in her gaze. “Kids get weird with privacy, I think, at a certain point. I know you know it’s normal but it doesn’t make it easier to deal with as a parent.” She shades her eyes from where the sun as it peeks from between the clouds, her gaze sweeping once over the sky before looking back to Delilah.
“He loves you too, even if he probably won’t always say it. It gets hard when you don’t hear someone saying it at all though.” She bumps her shoulder to Dee’s. “You are very much not alone in all of this, not now nor ever.”
"Is now a bad time to realize that I don't like kids?" Delilah shifts her expression into a laugh, and as weary as it is, it's a response made in jest. "Nah, course I don't." Only sometimes endlessly frustrated by them. It's easy to remember being one once, though.
"It does get hard not to hear it. I'm never shy about saying it- - by the way, I love you very much- -" A bump comes in return, Dee's head tilting. "Don't you forget that too." Ahead of them lies what constitutes a small square, makeshift in its setup in the approximate middle of the flea market. "I did want to find an album if I can… something older, duno, 30s or 40s? But in the meantime I am starving. What about you? Anything still on your list?"
“I’m in it more for the surprise of what I might find,” Elaine grins, gaze sweeping nearby. “So I don’t have much of a list. I can tell you for certain that I’m absolutely ready to eat if we want to do that before finding you some choice old albums.”
“What I wouldn’t give for internet radio.” Delilah exhales, voice low. Instead they just have radio-radio, at the mercy of DJs and request lines. It’s not all bad, but at times you want something anytime.
“I’m thinking Harlem jazz or something. I need more beats.” She laughs, watching as a gaggle of older kids skate past, making up just one more piece of a decade’s tableau. A gesture is made towards a food stall. At least those haven’t changed much. “But before beats, the eats.” Double duty on dad jokes is hard, okay?
Elaine is only momentarily distracted by the skating kids which put a smile on her face before she goes back to looking at Delilah. The dad joke gets a grin. “Yes, food first or I can’t be certain what the quality of the tunes will be. You won’t be able to hear over my growling stomach.”
She looks towards the food stall. “I do have to say I like at least having a little bit of perspective on history now. A personal perspective, that is. Seems a whole lot easier to understand when you’re in the midst of it.”
"Hah, you'd definitely have more interest in the specifics than me, I think. Least, the big stuff. I just like to peoplewatch." Delilah adjusts the bag on her arm and looks briefly out over the market. "And learn things that aren't terribly important except to me." She lets herself settle that with a snicker before steering the both of them along. "It's gotten me around so far, soooo."
"Mmm, not even the big stuff. Just being there," Elaine glances to Dee. "It's me wondering what life would be under these circumstances and just living in it." The smile widens to a grin. "You really do a damn fine job of taking the things that are important to you and making them go far." She makes her way towards the offerings of food, thinking on that. "Like I said, Dee, glad you're the one here with me."
—-
Several hours later,
Trafford-Porter Basement
The time breezes past once the two get home, and it's not long until they've retreated to Delilah's basement; it could be called a lair, if you want to be lazy. In truth it's more of a retreat- - it's where the majority of the house's music collection is, and whatever related ephemera there is in the house. The den upstairs is of course a family area, as every other house is. There's just something about the acoustics of a cozy basement.
"I can't believe we found this thing." Delilah has spent the last half hour restringing part of and tweaking the tuning of an aged wooden guitar. Shoes off and sitting legs folded on the floor, dress rumpled.
"I had dough on my to-do but that was this morning." There's only minor guilt.
Seated with her back against the wall, Elaine seems more than happy to be ignoring the to-do list. "At least you've got music on demand now," she laughs. "This all makes me think that Gun Hill felt like the 1970s. A little time travel of a different sort." Her own shoes are now discarded, neatly set beside her. "Just be careful not to play anything too good anywhere that people can hear, it'd be a shame to change the whole of music history by accident. I would, however, be grateful for you to play something we haven't heard in a while."
"Gun Hill was absolutely a bohemian moment." Delilah laughs, plucking strings as she calmly tunes away. She doesn't have a measure, so she's trying to do it by ear. It's been a minute, but she's sure it will come back. Like a bicycle.
"I am not nearly that good. I'll be fine here at home." The request earns a hum of thought, fingers drumming against the wood of the guitar's body. "Now I'm on the spot, huh? There's always Wonderwall." That particular suggestion gets a more hearty laugh, though no ill will to Oasis- - it's a good song.
"Wonderwall is certainly an option," Elaine replies with a laugh. "If anything, it's a place to start. I can't imagine it's easy recalling songs and then somehow managing to play them. I don't envy the task before you." She rests her head on the wall, grinning. "This really does feel like old times, doesn't it? I felt like I was just as likely to come out in the hallway and find someone playing guitar."
"It's definitely been a minute." Maybe it won't be so bad. At least Oasis is a go to for a reason. Delilah figures this as she begins to recall through the sounds of strings. It's not much, but someone playing always hits differently than a recording. No singing, just chords and a spell of laughter.. "It really was. Kids, terrorists, musicians, quite a crowd sometimes, huh?"
Elaine echoes the laugh. "We were all a mess, but I loved it. It was the first place in a long while that felt like home. I loved having everyone close by. I think this time period really does remind me of it in more than one way. We have the same vibe as Gun Hill, but we're also staying cautious and quiet not to blow a hole in our cover story. It is a good cover story, though."
Strumming is easy, and Dee aims to keep it at that casual pace, plodding along as she puts her finger placements through the paces.
"I'm glad that we decided to stick together. Or, well, I guess I should say that I'm glad the guys have been the type to stick. Before all this, all I knew about Tom was that I'd see him in passing at the diner." Delilah's amusement is clear, even if the reason for it is odd. Her expression does falter a bit, just for a moment. "And we thought Thomas was dead. The Dawn did a Hindenburg. Either of them could have just… not trusted us at all."
Fortune is the name for that.
"You're right," Elaine agrees, her expression thoughtful. "Neither of them really had to trust us. They're really good people for sticking with us though, all things considered. I know the argument can be made that they didn't have a choice… but they didn't have to stick close like they did. They trust us and allowed us to help try and figure this out. It's good having them around, regardless of what happens. We made a family altogether, all things considered. It could have gone awfully…"
She looks back over at Delilah. "I hope Walter's not stressing out too much about everything. Every once in a while it just hits me and I wonder if it'd feel like too much pressure on him. I try to make everything seem good with what we have here because it honestly is, but I just hope he doesn't blame himself. He deserves to just be a kid and enjoy his friends and family. As weird as we are. Make our own new Gun Hill, y'know?"
Dumb luck can really sometimes be the name of the game. Delilah just nods quietly along with Elaine's words.
"The boys both know that there's pressure, even if we don't say it much. I can't bring myself to bring it up most of the time." There is a pause in her playing, thoughtful as much as it is hesitant. "Matthew's taking it harder, I think. Maybe just… he's older, yeah?" Dee remembers what that age was like, so if you pile all of this on top plus Matty's already troubled past- - "Walter kind of remembers what it's like. From his own experience and whatever he's ..absorbed." Instead of dwelling too hard, she lets it linger and finds some other humor in it.. "I think a new Gun Hill would give Tom a minor coronary, not gonna mince that."
“It’s hard. I know that the pressure is there, but I don’t want them to feel too pushed. They’re kids, and even if they’re amazing and smart and talented, they deserve some small piece of childhood. I’m really trying to make this life we have here feel like home. They all deserve it.” Elaine smiles. “We’ll make do with what we’ve got.”
She laughs at the thought of Tom and Gun Hill. “A bit too wild for him, I’m sure. I think we’d have to dial it down a notch. I do think everyone benefits from feeling like a part of things.” She lets out a slow breath, gazing off at one of the walls in the basement. “It’s hard keeping everything going, though. A lot of this is exhausting.”
"Somewhere in there is a right party animal, I can almost touch it," Delilah mutters not-at-all conspiratorially. "Exhausting is one way to put it," Shifting in her seated position, the instrument in Delilah's hands takes on a more certain tune, edging away from her picking idly at it. It may take a moment, but Elaine has heard Else's music before. Dee is still having moments of brain fog, but for the most part she seems to remember how the notes go.
"No such thing as Red Bull yet. Just coffee and cocaine." is the addition to the thought she hadn't quite finished. "And Buckfast, I guess." A small sigh leaves her, though it doesn't linger for long, replaced by a sheepish sort of laugh. "I guess I'm just exhausted enough to never really realize I am."
“We’ve got kids, Dee. Really amazing, complicated, special kids. We’re the anchor for them. It’s mostly times when I’m with you that I realize how long we’ve been holding things together.” Elaine is familiar with Else’s music, and she smiles when she recognizes it. “I thought I drank a lot of coffee before, but now I’ve learned just how much of a necessity it is.”
She grins after a moment. “Tom just needs to go dancing a little more and you’ll awaken the party animal within. He’s a bit high-strung, so once you get him to loosen up… who knows. If you ever need a night off, I’ll watch the kids. Heaven knows you two could use a fun night out.”
All of this makes Delilah glad that the most heavy drinking she has ever done was when she wasn't legally allowed; recreation is great, but only when you aren't technically supposed to be the responsible one. Pick your battles, but she can't say that it hasn't been tempting to let go. Her strumming is a touch hesitant, not for long.
"Hey, he's not as wound tight as he seems," Delilah laughs, her admonishment purely humorous. "But going out sounds nice, whoever or wherever- -I haven't even been on a proper date in… ages, which I'm just kinda realizing now." Welp.
“God, me either now that I think about it,” Elaine agrees with a wince. “My love life has been a total mess ever since Robyn. I can’t even count the dates I’ve been on since I remember so few. Just… having someone to keep me company is a nice feeling. Someone to rely on.” She grins slightly.
“I do have to say Thomas is quite charming when you speak with him in Polish. I never would have known. It’s nice having someone, even if it’s still ‘playing house’ for safety purposes. I never realized just how much I wanted that until we made our little makeshift families.”
Delilah's initial response is a small laugh, though a moment passes and she gives a shrug instead. "Somehow I shouldn't be surprised, second language and all,"
"He always did have a sort of- - I don't know a good word. Like he definitely had things to say, a little too smart to test his luck with English, maybe?" Case in point. "That was while we were both at Raytech. Feels like ages ago, before we all thought the ship was lost." Instead, somehow, he ended up there at Roswell. Perhaps meant to be found. Meant to be a househusband.
"You mean he hasn't taken you on a date yet either? What kind of men did we fucking even marry?"
“The ones that were available and willing, as is sadly a historical custom,” Elaine laughs. “I can understand feeling foolish not knowing another language. I can’t say I’ve had that problem, but I can understand the thought behind it. He’s really smart, I imagine trying to rattle out technical terms and explanations in another language would be tricky. Explaining something complex would be nearly impossible.”
She thinks back to the ages ago that hadn’t happened yet. “I didn’t watch the launch,” Elaine says, thoughtfully. “I can’t even remember what I was doing at the time. I usually don’t expect anything exciting to happen with those sorts of launches. I only tuned in after all the chaos. I saw a video of the whole thing later, but I will say I’m absolutely shocked he made it. Impressed, to say the least, but shocked.”
There’s a longer pause. “Thomas was the one who got him and Kara Prince out, correct? So does that mean he can time travel? If we can figure that out, he might be an amazing plan B in case things go tits up. At the very least, I imagine he could get us away somewhere. Key word being somewhere.”
Historical custom painted them some sort of Austen-Shelley collab, didn't it. Delilah's fingers finish strumming along to the slow cadence of the music, and she flexes her hand after. Rubbing the tips of her fingers against her thumb and palm, it's very clear that the strings are now an unfamiliar pressure.
"I think part of it was the Dawn? It had some kind of engine built around spatial origami and quantum shit." Dee's words, not Raytech's. "From what was in his personnel file… well, jargon was way over my head, but hell if I didn't try." She sets the guitar down in front of her with a strum of reverence, leaning away to rifle around the end table for some paper and a pen. She doesn't draw anything, instead folds it once and punctures the pen through one side.
"Something like… the pen doesn't move, but- - " Secondly, Delilah takes the other end of the paper and jams it down over the pen. "Like that, maybe? Bringing something closer instead of pushing ahead? I think he's talked about things with the boys- - they've got squidgy kid brains though."
“One day they'll be smart enough to absolutely understand that stuff. Odette too. We're in for a heap of trouble because of that," Elaine laughs, watching the paper and the pen. "I think I understand that, but give me anything beyond that and it'd be over my head. Sticking to languages and cryptography is the best move for me. Or history, I'm kind of amused at how much of a history nerd I am and yet here I am experiencing these events firsthand now."
She relaxes against the wall, honestly looking at ease for the moment. "So long as we aren't being chased at this point, this really is a bit of a boon. Scary, sure. Do I like how shitty they treat women? Nope. It's given me a home and a family for once, though, something I've always wanted and then never really got the chance to have. I originally hoped to have one with Robyn but we all know how that went south pretty quickly." She doesn't seem upset about mentioning her ex, even though there's a note of sadness at the fact that plans didn't work out as they were planned to.
"Say that Walter never finds out how to send us forward, and Thomas can't actually fold us back where we came from… would you be happy with this? Would this be a life you'd want rather than the chaos of everything back home?"
As long as Elaine doesn't participate in the history she's interested in, enjoy it girl. Delilah sets her little demonstration aside, a small sigh on her lips despite the silliness of it. She smiles across to Elaine, linking hands over her knees as she shifts. Robyn's shadow aside, there's a silent sort of agreement. While Dee has had somewhat of a domestic stretch it was never really in a time of calm until after the Safe Zone really settled down.
"I don't know. I guess I just don't have an answer ready." Although there is a distinct note of sentiment, it lacks a true bitterness. Delilah wets her lips and seems to mull over the surface of the question. "There's a lot back there. But there's a lot of potential here, too. We could make more of an impact if we really wanted to. God knows we know how things shake out, yeah? It's not investing in IBM, exactly, but- -" This makes her laugh quietly, amusement in her features. "But I think I might be homesick even more than I am now, if we had to stay."
“I’m homesick too,” Elaine admits with a weak smile. “I miss my job and how it made me feel effective and valued. I miss the people I knew, our friends… even little modern conveniences. What I don’t miss is the sense of loneliness following me around there. I worked twice as hard at my job, not just because I enjoyed it, but because I didn’t have something quite as fulfilling. Here, I feel like I have more of a ‘complete’ life, oddly. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed being domestic. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed being a mother, too.”
Elaine laughs for a moment, her smile brightening. “I think when we get back, I’m going to see if I can have Odette full-time. She deserves that, and I’ve been missing out on so much of her life without her living with me. I also feel like I owe it to… Odette’s first mother. The other me tried so hard to make sure Odette could be with me. She knew me being a mother was right.” She rests her head against the wall, looking at the ceiling.
“Maybe we can’t step on major butterflies, but maybe we could save a few lives here and there as we go. I’d have to struggle to recall all the tragedies that struck New York City and American history isn’t my specialty, but maybe we can impact some lives positively.”
"Oh you." Delilah can't help herself when she scoots over to drape her arms around Elaine in an embrace, lovingly laughing in her ear. "You already impact lives positively."
But Delilah certainly knows what she meant.
"If you have the chance, I can help you with custody stuff. Legal co-parenting is weird but navigable- - luckily it wasn't as much of a problem for me- -" Both brows lift up, her voice wavered by the huff of a laugh. "I'm sure stability would be important all around."
"I'm glad I get to impact the people I care about," Elaine replies, leaning against Delilah. "It's very hard not to be tempted by stepping on butterflies, though. All the things you aren't supposed to do in another time period become so tempting when you're actually there." She nods her agreement with Delilah's offer of help. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind help navigating the whole system. I think stability for Odette would be good and she's really had none of that her entire life. I'd like for her to have the childhood she deserves to have."
"And it's not like you'd keep her all to yourself. I feel like you have a good case." With the wall at their back, it's easier to feel the tiny vibration of the upstairs as someone arrives over the porch and through the front door, a faint rattle of keys punctuating it.
"Oh yeah, other people live here." Looks like for the moment the lonesome afternoon comes to an end, though it's clear that Delilah doesn't feel it too much of a loss- - they got a day to themselves, for the most part, and that's more than she could have hoped for on a quiet spring day. "I should put supper in- - we can have you three over if you want?"
“Ah yes, the world still exists outside of our little moment in time,” Elaine muses, glancing upward as if somehow the gesture would give her visuals as well. “This was nice, Dee. It feels a little more of a slice of home hanging out like this… even if it does leave me feeling a little homesick.” Her smile broadens. “Dinner would be lovely. I’m sure it would do everyone a little good to spend time together.”
"Never not a good time, I figure?" Angling to push herself upright, Delilah sighs out a small laugh. Maybe one or two bad times, but, ah, that's for later. "I guess it's just some Tums for that homesickness, huh?" Rustling upstairs seems to indicate smaller feet at first, followed by a wheedling, "Mom?"
"Duty calls."
"Always nice to know there's something to calm the feeling a bit," Elaine replies before looking back to the stairs leading upwards. "Time to go back to the real world. Well, as much as we have of one." She stretches her arms a bit. "Thanks, Dee. This was really nice."