The Wise Napoleon

Participants:

jaiden_icon.gif kaylee2_icon.gif

Scene Title The Wise Napoleon
Synopsis Jaiden and Kaylee find out that they have been summoned by little paper cranes.
Date September 09, 2010

Gun Hill


The silence of Gun Hills halls is broken by the sound of claws scrabbling on linoleum. It's followed shortly by the shout of, "Missy! You get back here with that! Right now!!" A ball of gold fur runs down the length of the hall, a dark red sweater in her mouth, drug along the floor. Ears perked forward, the puppy is having a grand ole time, thinking of this as some grand game to be played.

Where the puppy finds some issues is when she hits the stairs. The sweater is cumbersome, so it slows her down. Paws have to take wide steps, making her wobble back and forth, the sweater ending up between her paws.

"Dammit dog! That's my favorite sweater!" The blonde telepath isn't too far behind.

It's late night - later than one would legitimately think of trying to make the trip back home. 9:30 you can argue that you lost track of time…11:30…not so much. So, he's found him a spot on one of the couches in one of the spare apartments where he can sit and think.

Normally he'd be playing his iPhone, reading, cooking, or doing something else, but the shout down the hall gets his attention. Getting to his feet he pads to the door and opens it, just in time to bend down and snag a puppy with one arm as it scampers by, lifting it into his arms where she wiggles and barks. Let me go seems to be the declaration of the day which, Jaiden will not do.

"Evenin' Kaylee." Jaiden says with a smile, hoisting the puppy into his arms, making sure the sweater is not dragged on the floor any more than it is.

There is a yelp of surprise and the sweater drops, so that the dog can concentrate on squirming. There is pure relief on Kaylee's face as she sees the thief apprehended. Slowing to a stop, she flashes Jaiden a smile. "Thank god you were there."

Reaching down she snatches up the sweater to inspect it. "I was coming down to check my mail, she slipped past me with this…" She gives the sweater a shake, the puppy's head hangs with guilt. Blue eyes roam the knitted fabric unhappily. "Great… she snagged the yarn in several places." Sighing, the sweater is lowered.

The telepath finally focuses on the man holding her pup. "What are you doing here?" Nothing accusatory or cautious in that question. In fact, Kaylee is smiling a bit.

Jaiden holds the puppy, letting the dog struggle without holding her too terribly tightly, scratching her belly to get her to calm down, even blowing in her mouth, making her snap her jaws playfully. "I tend to come running when I hear a shriek and scrabbling claws in the hall." He smiles, then lowers the dog to the ground, leaning in the entrance of the apartment he's borrowing.

"Too late to go home and beat curfew, basically. Just dropped Delia and Abby off after a nice dinner and got stuck here." He looks up and around, shrugging. "I've been in a lot worse places b'fore, though. Good thing, too. You got a minute? I want to ask you about something that's happened and I'm kind of….confused."

"I — " Kalyee glances back the way she came, teeth catching her lip as if uncertain. However, it's only a moment or so before she's nodding. "Sure," she offers with a smile. "I think I can spare some time, especially since you intercepted the thief."

"Here. Let me take her." Stepping forward, Kaylee reaches out to gather the growing puppy to her. "She is quite the handful most of the time." Eyes roll and there is a flash of white teeth. "Anyhow, so what's up?" Brow tick up with curiosity.

The puppy is passed over easily, Jaiden giving her a few more scratches before reaching into his breast pocket for something, into his hip pocket for another. "Seems someone is sending things through the mail and leaving them on my pillow, and it happened just after I got involved with the Ferry."

He opens his right hand. In it rests a puzzle piece with the word 'you' written on the back, flipping it over, letting her look without explanation. It's tucked back into his breast pocket where the second thing - a paper crane, dirty from being unfolded and refolded several times, sitting on his open palm. "This was the one that worried me…." he taps it lightly. "I live in a fairly secure place, so when things like this appear on my bedside table on top of the book I was reading before going to bed, next to my bed….that's cause for worry. And when it mentions a friend of mine needing my help? I worry then."

There is recognition at the site of both of them, brows ticking up with the revelation of each one, the smile slowly fading from Kaylee's face. "I have… ah… those too." The words drawn out and spoken slowly, considering what she wants to say about it. For the moment, she focuses on the puzzle piece. "My piece says 'rule', whatever that means. It's sitting on my bookshelf, I was meaning to ask some of the other Ferry about it. See what they make of it."

Missy is shifted around so that she hangs with one arm around her middle and resting against a hip. "Good to know. I'm not the only one."

"Well, no need to ask…at least one other person has it. I haven't mentioned it to Delia or Abby yet….mainly 'cause I hadn't thought about them until this afternoon." Jaiden shrugs slightly, his expression serious, the man rubbing a hand over his face briefly, a bit perturbed. "Any idea who might have the ability to get into locked rooms and leave paper cranes? Or puzzle pieces?"

The hesitation the question gets, there is a pretty good chance Kaylee knows something. "The puzzle piece, no." Her attention slowly shifts to the crane in his hand. "The crane." He looks at the cranes owner finally. "I — might.

"If it's who I think it is, then… you have an important mission ahead of you." Swallowing, Kaylee's glances at the puppy in her arms, brows furrowing as she carefully considers her words. "It's a summons. I'm… not sure how much I should say. I — I only know cause I worked with the guy and his ability would allow him to leave that." Her head nods to the crane.

Well, she knows something, obviously, but Jaiden's not one to press the issue or give more information then absolutely required right about now. "I…" he pauses for a moment, weighing his words. " I suspect, then, it'll be in my best interest to go to that meeting?"

"And does the name Hiro Nakamura mean anything to you? Someone mentioned that he worked in insurance and might leave something like that."

"Yes." Confidence rings clearly in that single word. "To both questions," added hastily. "It's important." A finger points at the crane as she gives Jaiden her full attention. "Whatever… whoever is on that paper is important. So at least go there and see what he has to say. Jittetsu Arms? Am I right?

"I'll be there too." So he won't be alone, is what that means. A small smile accompanies what she says. "And… it may be dangerous, so… whatever you are to do… be prepared for it."

"Fuck." Jaiden doesn't like the sound of this and it shows, the man frowning slightly. The fact that he's been given a task doesn't bother him - it's the fact that the task is unknown and amorphous and may take some amount of time he doesn't know that bugs him. "Yeah, Jittetsu Arms. I've got an invite and it looks like I'll know one face and the name of whoever left the crane…and that's it."

He'll need to pack a rucksack, he thinks. Jaiden gnaws on his lower lip for a moment or two, rubbing the heel of his hand against his left eye, like a headache just arrived and decided to set up shop in his left orbit. "I'll go. And I'll be prepared."

"If… all goes well…" Kaylee starts, finally pulling the puppy on the ground. "You won't be gone for long to anyone else." A smile ticks up on one side of her mouth in a rueful smile and her tone is colored with some amusement. "Unless he misjudges time and drops you a week later, when you've only really been gone a handful of hours."

A single shoulder rises and falls in a shrug. "So all you can be is prepared to go missing for so much time." Kaylee grins as she says, "He's not a bad person. Stressed out, over worked, but he… seems to be good people. I've been assured by some Ferrymen that he's got good intentions."

Isn't there something about the road to hell being paved with such?

Jaiden nods slightly, giving Kaylee a little smile, weighing his words. "Have you ever met a kid named Rhys? He and I had a talk this afternoon and…" Jaiden lets out a breath. "He explained a whole hell of a lot. What I'm going to do when I'm back there, for instance…" He watches her for any sign of recognition.

"Hiro mentioned working with someone. Said this person saw me helping him." Kaylee's head shifts back and forth in a thoughtful way. "Might be that Rhys person, I… am not sure." Tip of her tongue touches her lips, wetting them. "I mean… it makes sense."

Brows furrow with curiosity, but she doesn't ask, since he didn't press her… well… fair is fair. "Admittedly, playing — okay not play — messing with the past seems like walking a tight rope without a net in a sand storm." Kaylee huffs out a laugh and givens him a resigned look. "Well, at least you have an idea of what your getting into.

"Though… at the same time, I might have hesitated when I went back the first time." Kaylee admits with a thoughtful expression. "So hopefully the news you got was good."

"Could be good, could be bad. The future…hell, the past…it's all such a funny thing. I like reading about time travel, paradoxes, and the like. Back to the future was a great movie and illustrated a lot of things that were fun to think about. But this…" Jaiden waves a hand. "This is real. This is scary real. But if it doesn't work out in the way that it was supposed to?" Jaiden looks at his hands, then at Kaylee, then down the hall to where the Ryans' room is. "If I don't do this…if I don't pull a Quantum Leap thing and help fix what's been made wrong in the past? All this…." he waves his hand around his head. "Nothing. My safehouse? Gone. The people I saved? Not saved. The stories I told? Secret. I go back to save someone….and that makes me a target because I saved them."

Jaiden leans heavily against the doorframe, the weight of what's happening hanging on his shoulders like an oxen's yoke, his eyes closing tight. "Someone asked me, recently, what I was afraid of. I said loss of control….and this? This is losing it pretty fucking bad."

"I have to try. If I don't….it'll be just hoping for the best."

Scooting back, Kaylee moves to rest against the wall opposite of the door he's standing in, Missy content to snuffle around their feet and down the hall after an interesting smell. The telepath watches the growing pup, but her eyes are unfocused as she listens to what Jaiden says, finally glancing up at him. "It's very real."

There is a glance down each side of the hall, before she gently says, "And there is a real danger out there. Did… did this Rhys tell you about the one-eyed woman?" There is a touch of fear in the telepath's eyes, a hand moving to touch her neck, fingers brushing against her throat. "You may very well end up her target."

Jaiden shakes his head in the negative. "No, he didn't. I just know that I like the way things are and massive changes aren't anything I actively search for." He finally straightens after a moment, running a hand through his hair, letting out a breath in a soft sigh before sinking down to join Kaylee on the floor.

"In case a one-eyed lady does show up in my sights….any advice on how to deal with her?"

"Run?" Is all Kaylee can think to tell him, a small smile on her lips, but there is no humor to it. "She's… " She glances at the man, lips pressing into a fine line. "She's… aided by a time manipulator according to Hiro… and she's a killer."

Kaylee sighs softly, "She almost succeeded with me. I — I got lucky. You might not be so lucky." She offers it honestly.

"However…" The telepath adds after a moment, "I think I will be there, cause… I'm more afraid of what will happen if I ignore it."

It's the second time that he's talked with someone about time today. Manipulation, paradox. The fear of the unknown. With a chuckle, Jaiden looks up. "Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in." This is our time for action, I think."

Brows lift slowly and she looks to the side as she considers what Jaiden says. Slowly her head nods and a smile returns to her lips, it isn't the normal bright smile, but it is a true one. "That… sounds like good advice. I was thinking more like… there is too much important to me that I could lose."

Blue eyes roll towards the ceiling, the smile gentling. "Too much that any of us could loose… I mean… the whole butterflies and all. What we do or do not do yesterday could affect today." Kaylee turns her attention to Jaiden again, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Kinda glad that… the burden will be shared."

There's the real Kaylee, behind that smile. That relaxation of barriers causes Jaiden to relax too, the man's head resting against the wall in a position that should be uncomfortable but most certainly isn't since it's how he's chosen to sit. "Everything is at stake, from what I understand. I save someone and now I'm at risk of being deleted. We're kind of in a loop now….I've been told I did something, and now I"m going to go and do it because it's what needs to happen to keep the loop going properly. Want to make your brain really hurt? We've already done whatever it is we're going to do, since it's the past, but it won't trigger until we leave."

"I was told that to change the past is like moving a mountain in the path of a river. It's possible, but requires strenght that not many have. Funny how the person they're coming to can command the rivers themselves." Jaiden chuckles and runs a hand through his hair. "I got to get some sleep. Gotta pack and find some things before the meeting."

"Yeah…" Kaylee murmurs softly, moving to get to her feet. "I should get back up there. I… need to write a note to the person watching my dog. So he knows I could be gone." Speaking of the dog, the telepath manages to scoop up the blonde pooch to take with her.

"I… guess I'll be seeing you at the meeting then." Kaylee offers, giving a little grins and a bow of her head. "I'm trying to think of it as an adventure. Hell, Jaiden…" She starts backing away, ready to leave. "…I can say I've been in Nazi German in 1945." Her brows lift as if to ask, 'what do you think of that?'

"Sleep tight, Jaiden… I think we'll need it." The telepath gives him a wink, before turning to leave.


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