Participants:
| Scene Title | Then We Ran |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Remi collapses with Jaiden after her traumatizing experience. |
| Date | June 5, 2011 |
Endgame Safehouse — Jaiden's Room
The ladies that make up Jaiden's Angels were off on a mission - Jaiden knew that much, but for safety's sake he didn't know much more than that. He did have his phone at the ready, just in case someone called and needed hydrokinetic backup, but it does make one feel kind of helpless knowing the women you love are out doing dangerous things and you're left home taking care of the maintenance. Yes, it's late. Yes, he should be in bed. But he can't sleep. He's sitting in his room, the phone on, next to his right knee, with a small revolver disassembled on the table in front of him. With deft motions he removes the serial number with a small tool, stamping over it with a different set of numbers, then grinding them down and off. Just in case they're lost they won't be traced to anyone.
Other than the sound of metal grinding occasionally - a quiet, tinny scraping sound - and the music from his laptop, the room is silent.
They came home, with Remi curled in a corner of the van. That was terrifying. Scary as hell. Negation gas, shooting at people, being shot at, threats of explosives…This was definitely a crash course in terrorism, and one that has definitely left its mark on the woman. Her Kevlar has long since been removed, stripped off on the way in and left somewhere convenient for someone else to put away.
Dressed in those baggy clothes she snatched from Magnes, Remi isn't going to her own room above the entrance. She's not going to the roof to smoke a cigarette. No, Remi's headed straight for Jaiden Mortlock's bedroom, pushing the door open. Jaiden's bed is her target, and she promptly flops down, wordlessly, curling up in the middle of it.
Normally there's a heralding *poke* in the back of Jaiden's head when Remi gets within range. For the past few days he's gotten used to the occasional snippet of french cursing when Remi finds something annoying or gets frustrated with something, so when the sound of the van pulling up outside rouses him from his work, he immediately closes the laptop and presses against the wall next to the door, listening for footsteps and voices. He does relax slightly at the sound of Elisabeth - it's good people - but when the door opens and Remi flops in the middle of Jaiden's bed, the man is…well…concerned.
"Remi?" No psychic tingle. He closes the door behind her and walks, in his boots still, since he was ready to leave at a moment's notice, and sits on the pallet next to her. "Remi? Girl?" he brushes his fingers over her hair. "You okay?"
The willowy redhead reaches up, taking Jaiden's hand quietly and hugging it to her chest. Remi's eyes remain closed for a while longer, before finally open, turning to peer up at the man. "I guess zat was a crash course on terrorism. It was…frightening." She closes her eyes again, before rolling onto her back, fingers still interlinked with Jaiden's.
"It didn't go as planned. 'E brought someone…we should 'ave planned for zat. Ze voice from Liz's nightmares…I saw 'is face." She takes a breath. "Zey used gas…it didn't last long, but…" She frowns quietly, shaking her head. "I shot at ze man with ze nightmare voice, and zen I shot at Valentin. I didn't 'it 'im, and 'e shot back at me. Zen, we ran. Zey 'ad explosives…"
Jaiden links his fingers with Remi's, the pallet sagging a bit beneath his weight as he sits next to her, squeezing her hand tightly, petting her hair with his other hand, soothing her as best he can. "I knew you were going to do something, but I didn't know what…only that if you guys needed me, you could call me. Why I'm still awake at this early hour." He gives a small smile at that, then lets out a breath. "It's never easy the first time you're in a fight."
Didn't go as planned. That's never something anyone wants to hear about a plan. The shooting gets a nod, but the explosives…. Jaiden shakes his head. "They're getting sloppy….or just wanting to scare us with overwhelming force. They're a blunt instrument…we've got to be precise. Like a rapier, or a ballet dancer." He pauses holding her hand, looking quite concerned. "Are you okay?"
The attempts at comfort and soothing are definitely appreciated. It's good to come back to Jaiden. It's impossible to not love the Australian, really. "Oui. I — I think I'm okay. It was just…the sounds of the guns, firing, and Devon was bleeding from ze ear, and I think Devon manifested, and…it was a lot, you know?" She closes her eyes again, taking a few deep breaths.
"I didn't get to 'ear much." She frowns. "It went bad very quickly." A soft sigh, and she rolls over, wrapping her body around Jaiden, Much better. "I think I will be okay. I didn't get 'urt. Just…startled."
Jaiden's shirt is soft against Remi's skin - the advantage of being a hydrokinetic is that you can wash clothes without a machine and let them dry in the sun, giving a nice smell that mixes with the scent of him. He wraps his arms around her, giving her a squeeze and a light kiss on the top of the head. "We'll need to take you for some more practice downstairs. Get you used to the sound of gunfire and make it to where you can hit what you're aiming at…." All the better to keep Remi in one piece and alive.
"You're home now, back with us and safe. All powers going back into play, too….the negation gas, from what I've heard, doesn't last very long once you're out of the area of effect. Good to know it's true." He sighs, his eyes going closed. "So Devon manifested, huh? What can he do?"
"I think zat is a good idea…zat was scary." She squeezes Jaiden's hand, closing her eyes. "'Ow do you become brave? 'Alf of ze time, it was all zat I could do not to scream and run away. I was 'alfway on autopilot…" Remi offers a soft sigh, raising his hand to her lips and planting a kiss on them. Maybe that all came a little bit too soon for her.
"It didn't last too long, thankfully." She sighs softly. "I think 'e is a telekinetic? Or something. 'E threw Valentin. Across ze room."
Whatever the case, Remi is back in Jaiden's arms, and he sits there, maintaining a vigil over her as she sleeps, brushing his fingers through her hair. A reassuring presence, and if in the night she touches his skin, the only things she will see are pleasant thoughts.