Participants:
| Scene Title | To Sir, with Love |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Another crane is found… this one has a strange message. |
| Date | October 5, 2010 |
The Dollar Theatre
It seems like it’s been years since Delia’s gone out to a movie. When Jaiden suggested it, she jumped all over the idea and maybe him a little too. He let her have the choice of movies, because he’s a gentleman, and because she was trying to be considerate, she chose something the both of them might like. Action adventure.
The lines for tickets and popcorn are much longer than she remembers but by the time they settle into their seats, the lights have just dimmed to signal the audience to settle down. There’s not much settling to be had at two in the afternoon, most people are still at work or at home or milling around running errands. They’re not completely alone in the theater though, there’s a few couples scattered around, mostly leaving each other to their own devices. Jaiden and Delia both being fairly tall have opted for a couple of seats in the back away from everyone else.
“Thanks for taking me out,” the redhead leans over to whisper. “Believe it or not… I’ve never actually been to a movie theater on a date before.” Before the Australian popped into her life, the only dates she went out on were to school dances and social functions revolving around academics.
The nice thing about going to a movie is that it gives them a chance to be together without saying anything, in public, gives them something to talk about before and after the movie, and entertains them during. It’s a win-win situation all around, all things considered. Luckily he brought a few bills, so the trip to the ticket counter and the popcorn stand (one large, light butter, one coke, two straws) wasn’t too terribly expensive as far as things go, but when you buy six ounces of popcorn for more than you paid for your ticket, one might feel the sting of movie prices in today’s world.
Still, the movie theater, with it’s stadium seating, is opulent and comfortable, allowing the pair to settle into a set of seats that allow the middle armrest to fold up, turning the dual seats into a love seat of sorts. The screen shows little slides - advertisements for Dial soap and Slusho and other products - the captive audience forced to watch them if conversation isn’t interesting enough.
Turning his cell phone to vibrate and tucking it back into his breast pocket, Jaiden smiles and puts an arm around Delia’s shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. “You’re welcome, Delia. My dates were usually business only. Head out for a meeting over drinks and then back to the hotel to catch a flight the next day. This is a nice, relaxing thing, and I’m glad to share it with you.” He turns to the screen reading the blurb there (DID YOU KNOW????) No, he didn’t know, but now he does.
“So, what movie is this? I paid for the tickets but didn’t pay attention to where we were going…” He smiles sheepishly, the low lights hiding his blush effectively.
“Oh… romantic comedy…” The redhead quips lightly as she leans into him. Reaching over, she grabs a little handful of the popcorn and pops a few kernels into her mouth she chews for a few seconds before looking up at him with a bright smile. “Just kidding, it’s an action adventure… One of those movies where they race around and shoot things all the time. I figured you might like it.”
She let him pay for this one because for the past month, she hasn’t had much cash on hand. None at all, really. After leaning down to take a sip from their shared coke to wash away the salt, she snuggles into his side, her eyelids coming down to close halfway as she watches the screen.
The action starts before the credits, true to her word, there’s a lot of car chases, car races, and even some shooting. Since the hand closest to hers is currently occupied with holding her around the shoulder, hers slides down to his knee to rest with a comfortable grip around the inside. Every once in a while, she looks up at him with a smile and sometimes even leans up to press a light kiss to his lips. It’s nothing the ushers have much concern over, not with the couple all over each other on the other side of the theater.
It’s not a very good movie, all things considered. It’s probably why a few of these people chose it, to be honest. Third or fourth week out has a massive drop-off in attendance for the early matinee showing, and what better place to have a little fun in public than a mostly empty theater with bored ushers watching and taking bets on whether or not Johnny’s hand is over or under Suzie’s bra.
Honestly, guys like that need to get a life.
Jaiden, on the other hand, is enjoying the simple sensation of sitting next to Delia, his hand curled around hers, occasionally munching on popcorn or sipping the soda that’s nestled in between them, sharing a kiss now and again, and even feeding her a tidbit of popcorn every once in a while.
On the screen, the hero’s pecs are bulging and guns are blazing as he tries to make ‘one last score’ to retire ‘on top of the game’ or whatever passes for high drama in action sequences. But in the audience? Jaiden’s attention is mostly on the girl next to him.
Her attention is divided between the man beside her and the screen in front of her. Not wanting to waste the money he spent on the flick, she at least wants to be able to talk about what little plot it has afterward. The first piece of popcorn that’s fed into her mouth is met with a little wrinkle of Delia’s nose and a lean in for yet another one of those little kisses. In return, she feeds him a few at a time.
Using the time wasted in the romantic sequences to play a little, she teases him by waving a kernel just out of reach of his mouth before popping it into her own. Her giggle is a little bit loud which causes one of the people actually watching the movie to turn around and shush her with a glare. Of course, she sinks into her seat with a blush hidden by the darkness. “Oops,” she whispers to the man beside her. “I didn’t realize anyone was watching…”
The giant pecs on screen? They’re ignored in favor of briefly caressing the ones right beside her. Snuggled up comfortably against him, she lifts the cup from its holder and sucks a bit of the soda inside before offering some to Jaiden. Of course, she doesn’t let him hold the cup, preferring to hold it up for him while he takes a drink.
Giant pecs on screen are more than likely enhanced by CGI, steroids, human growth hormone, or some other thing that is not ‘real’, but the imitation of real. Jaiden’s pecs, on the other hand, are there from having to lift and press transmissions, drive shafts, and other heavy bits of car. They’re real and they’re wonderful, to steal a line from Sienfeld.
“Ah, let ‘em watch.” Jaiden says a bit louder than necessary, his voice carrying, the shushing people looking around and then scooting back down in their seats to try and enjoy the movie. Pay no attention to the couple three rows back being cute in the middle of a gunfight. Jaiden’s arm around Delia’s shoulder pulls her slightly, sliding the woman against his side, allowing him to lean back on the padded arm rest and support her against his chest, both arms around her, squeezing her tightly now and again.
On screen, the ‘love scene’ starts, with the heroine, a waif-thin woman with breasts the size of small melons, ‘seduces’ the hero by pushing him down on the bed, straddling him, and jiggling her silicone-filled chest in his face. Jaiden shakes his head, leaning down to whisper. “That passes for romance nowadays?”
Delia’s face is visibly red. Even in the darkness, the tone of her face is much darker than that of any other part of her skin. When Jaiden whispers into her ear, she gives him a rather wide eyed stare and presses her lips together to keep from giving him a rather shameful grin. “You mean you don’t like that? So I should put the implants on hold and stop practicing?” She squeezes his hand once and leans in to rub the tip of her nose against his.
Still, she curls up against him, getting even closer by placing the drink on her other side. The bare armrest gives her the room to swing it up between them, making two seats into one. “This movie isn’t as good as I thought it would be…” she murmurs, there’s no telling what she might have thought from the advertisements or poster, but it really goes along with the sorts of movies that they’ve been watching.
“It’s not really something to think too hard about.” Jaiden nods in agreement, bending his head to press a kiss on the crown of her head. “And no….that…” He nods toward the screen where the woman is busy grinding away with a blanket covering her hips while ‘sexy saxophone’ music plays before the next scene. “Is not what I want. I much prefer you in my arms to any implanted harlot who thinks the measure of her character is in the cup size of her bra. You, Delia, are better than her, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you for the world.”
And yes, the movie is horrible. A movie about a Vietnam vet who lives on the street and decides to take up a shotgun in order to defend the innocent. yes, Hobo with a Shotgun was made, and god is it horrible. “That means we get to make fun of it.” He grins and starts watching, and you can almost see the wheels turning in his head. When the woman arches her back and starts to shiver, Jaiden laughs. “Someone call an ambulance! She’s having a seizure!”
“Jaiden!” Delia’s mortified whisper only carries as far as the few seats around them, the immature giggle that follows it sounds out throughout the whole theater. Still, he gets the laugh, one that doesn’t stop for a few minutes, that has the usher shining a light in their direction. It’s hard to say what part makes her the most embarrassed; the love scene itself, her laugh, or the usher’s attention.
The redhead quiets down quickly and straightens up against him, operative being that she’s against him. “We should get out of here, unless you really want to watch the rest?” The tone of her voice is a little bit suggestive as is the trail of her fingers along his chest. She’s teasing now, implying that he might like the horrible thing a little more than any sane person should. “You know what? I should totally see if I get get a bootleg off the street and I’ll wrap it for you for Christmas. We could watch it with Dad and Mister Deckard.” Who just might be her father’s only friend, aside from Huruma.
Jaiden would call what’s on the screen a love scene if you could call pee-wee football professional, or a crayola drawing of a cow art. Sure, it fits the definition, but just barely. The action on the screen resumes with the man waking up, smoking a cigarette, and leaving a handful of wadded-up dollar bills scattered on the bedside table before he goes out to kill again in the name of Justice. Jaiden sighs at that and looks into the light shined at him by the Usher, lifting his hands in mock-surrender. “Alright, chief, all right. We’ll be quiet. We’ll get out of your hair.” The fact that the usher is shaved as bald as a cue ball may be a bit of a dig to the man, but Jaiden’s not one to point that out.
“Why miss Delia, what ever do you have in mind?” Jaiden gives her a playful squeeze. “My place or yours?”
“As much as I love your place, I need to stay at mine…” They’ve been doing a pretty even split between apartments, though his is more favorable for reason of privacy, hers is better for lack of privacy — which is better for practice. His place is just a little too isolated. Whispering in the darkness of the theater, Delia walks her fingers up his chest until she comes to his shoulder and smooths her palm against it. It’s been very good lately.
“After you, I don’t want to be the first one to walk out,” the young woman grins. Ironically, they aren’t the first ones out, one of the other couples is scampering out in order to find a better place to resume their own activities. Watching them, her blue eyes shine a little in the dim light as her crooked smile gets even wider. “We should run out like they did, people will get the right idea.”
Privacy is good when you want to let your hair down, and sometimes it’s nice to hear Delia let loose with gusto at what Jaiden’s skilled hands can do, but he does have a little modesty. He keeps it in a box in the closet next to his winter jacket, only brought out for special occasions.
Jaiden stands and offers Delia a hand, picking up the popcorn in the other. “Shall we, miss? Your chariot awaits, after all.”
Gun Hill — Delia's Apartment
The car ride back to Gun Hill isn't as eventful as it is short. Having picked a theater quite close by, they could have walked but hearing the blue car's engine purr always makes Delia smile. She's never had a car of her own and she doesn't even have a driver's license. Her mother died just after she got her learner's permit and her father was either a little over protective or had a good sense of self preservation. It's probably the latter.
As the pair make their way inside the apartment, Delia does her usual check to make sure everything is alright and hasn't been touched. It's a fairly quick thing since there's not much to rob in her apartment, the sparse furniture and lack of gadgets makes it one of the least desirable targets as far as thievery goes. Still, old habits are hard to break.
"Can I get you anything? I made some koolaid.. or I can make iced tea?"
Jaiden closes and locks the apartment door behind them, slipping out of his boots, wiggling his toes still clad in white socks before padding toward the kitchen. "Just water for me, thanks. I don't feel like tea, and kool-aid was always too sweet. And don't get me started on the chemicals." Jaiden's grin is impish as he puts his arms around Delia's waist, giving her a squeeze from behind and a kiss on the top of her head.
Leaning back against him, one of Delia's hands raises and curls into his hair. "Water then… Living room or bedroom?" The question is posed with a relatively sly tone of voice and she turns in his arms to face him. She bends back just a little at the waist to look up at him with a wicked little grin that is reserved for the times that she knows they're alone or not being watched. Hopefully her dad didn't leave a nanny cam in every bedroom or tell his friend to monitor them through the walls.
If he did, they're about to get a show. Jaiden smirks and bends down to lift her into his arms, giving her a tight hug. Yay shoulder being healed! "I think bedroom will be best. We'll explore the other rooms of the apartment later. Hardwood floors are so rough on your knees and shoulders, after all!" He laughs and carries her, gallantly, off to the bedroom.
Hours Later
Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone,
But in my mind,
I know they will still live on and on,
She clings to him, trembling as her lips drag across his bare skin, attempting to catch her breath. "I love this, I love you…" Slowly, she lifts her head to look up at him, her eyes glazed just a little bit from his stunning performance. There's a goofy little grin on her face as she stares into his eyes and wrinkles her nose teasingly.
"My Giant…" she whispers as she slowly untangling herself from his body. It forces her to pull away from him just enough to realize how cold the air in the apartment really is. With a groan, she leans back up against him, unwilling to give in to the cool temperature. Reaching up, she catches his lips with her own for another heated kiss.
He bends slightly to hold her tight, to kiss her with a passion not seen since Romeo and Juliet. "My princess." he murmurs in reply, a hand stroking through those curly locks, holding her head against his, his eyes locked on her.
They stand there, in the cool of the apartment, for a good few minutes, only breathing, barely blinking, remaining close as if they can read each other’s thoughts and emotions. It is only after a moment that Jaiden steps away, trailing his fingers along her arm as he walks backward, toward the shower, taking hold of her hand and tugging her along with him.
On the nightstand, still un-noticed, is a small paper crane….
But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try,
It’s hours later when he returns, using his key because her apartment is completely dark. In the bedroom, Delia lies completely still, dressed only in the jersey he gave her and a pair of underwear. She’s asleep, with something crumpled in her hand. A casual observation would lead one to rightly believe that she’s cried herself to sleep. The telltale signs of tear stains down her cheeks and the slight redness around her eyes and at the tip of her nose lends itself to proper conclusion.
The paper she holds has creases familiar to Jaiden as the same ones that made up his crane, the summons to his trip to the past. Only hers isn’t a picture of one person… It’s an image of war… several images of war.
“Delia?” Jaiden moves to shake her shoulder, but takes the crane from her hand and unfolds it, looking at it soberly, resting a hand on her shoulder, comforting. “Delia, can you tell me about this?”
She wakes up with a start, a shuddering gasp that indicates that she was crying even in her sleep. Tears begin streaking down her face again as she practically jumps at him, gripping him up in a tight hug as though her life depends on it. Maybe it does, she doesn’t know.
“I found it after you left,” her voice sounds so small and cracks with sorrow, like a child who’s been caught and punished. “Jaiden, I’m scared… does that mean I have to make sure that a war happens? Or… I don’t… I don’t know.”
The time has come,
For closing books and long last looks must end,
And as I leave,
He holds her tight against himself, one hand holding the pictures, the other holding her. Every now and again he looks down at the pictures, to try and figure out where this is, when this is. Vietnam, obviously, that much is certain thanks to the names and the dates….1968 shows on one of the pictures. “Well…” Jaiden says softly. “It means you’re going back to a combat zone, if you decide to go.”
Pulling back just enough to look up at him, Delia’s eyebrows upturn at their inner edges in worry. “I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag, how can this be a good idea?” She sniffles once, her chin quivering a bit as she gazes up into his eyes with her glistening watery ones. Not arguing that she couldn’t be useful in a more supportive role, the redhead looks down at the pictures and tries to blink away more tears. “I’ve never even held a gun before… I can’t do this…”
If the young nurse sticks to her own advice, it’s not something that she has a choice in. If she doesn’t go back, it could change their present, a time loop that’s supposed to be there doesn’t happen which could cause a chain reaction.
If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters,
That would soar a thousand feet high,
To Sir, with Love
“If I can come back with you, I will.” He volunteers immediately. “I know you don’t have any experience with things like this. I’m going to keep you safe, and I’m going to teach you a few things that’ll help. Things to look out for.” Like how to hold a gun. How to hide. How to say ‘i’m australian’ in Vietnamese.
“C-can you?” Delia sniffles, wiping her eyes with one hand as she looks up at him. Their redness from crying just makes her blue irises more intense. “I— I don’t know if I should tell dad. What if he doesn’t let me go?” He’s been to Vietnam, it’s possible that he’d try to take her place just to protect her. Leaning heavily against the large man, she slackens her hold a little and relaxes from the quivering mess that she was a few moments ago.
“I love you,” she makes a brave attempt, her hands going to either side of his face again to try to get him to look at her. “I’m going to come back or die trying.” Her grin is crooked and the bittersweet joke? Not that funny.
I know that I am leaving my best friend,
A friend who taught me right from wrong,
No, it’s not that funny, but any kind of humor to break the ice is generally a good thing when life and death is involved; it gives those included a brief respite from the sheer terror that’s sure to be taking hold. He looks up and away from the picture, into her eyes, one hand going to rest on her cheek, stroking it with the back of his fingers like one would idly stroke a kitten’s head.
“Telling your father might be a good thing. He could give you information on where he was during this. Hiro, and by default his friend…Ulrich, I think his name is, something like that, can give you more information about what you’re supposed to do. Me, I just had to keep someone alive. You may just have to have a conversation and change a course of action - prevent a bomb from going off or something.” The problem is, Jaiden’s leaving out what else she could have to do - go into the jungle and keep a patrol from being ambushed or something like that. For a non-combat person, it’s suicide. With Jaiden and his powers, there’s a chance.
“I love you too, Delia. And you’re coming back, come hell or high water. If it takes me going back a million times to save you, I’ll do it. You’re not meant to die in Vietnam. Hell, I wish you didn’t have to see it, but it looks like you will.” He glances at the paper again, thinking. “Don’t leave for a couple of days if you can help it. Hiro can give you all the time you need, basically. That’ll give me enough time to get a few things together that we can use, assuming I come with, and some things that you can definitely use assuming I don’t, or can’t.” Small arms, ammunition, a camera, camouflage clothing, bulletproof vest….you can almost see the list in Jaiden’s head.
“I— I should bring a medical kit, just in case. Maybe… maybe I should take Dad and Huruma up on that offer to teach me how to use a gun. I just— I don’t like guns, Jaiden.” She never told him about the first time she faced death, not hers, but a colleague of her father’s. If it weren’t for a little charity and luck, it could have been hers too. Delia looks down between them and sniffles once, trying to stop the new tears that are threatening from falling. “They wouldn’t send me if they didn’t think I could do it, would they? I mean… why not send someone who knows how to fight?”
Both of them are assuming, just because it’s a war, she’s going to have to fight. There could be a number of tasks she’s sent back to fulfill, one could even be simply to find a place to hide and dream. A dangerous proposition in the middle of war, but it’s quite possible. “What if you can’t come?”
And weak from strong,
That's a lot to learn,
What, what can I give you in return?
“I’ll come, if I have to hang on to Hiro’s throat while he takes us.” Jaiden’s voice is quiet and calm, even though his emotions are going a million miles a minute. If they don’t teach her how to use a gun, Jaiden will. Probably a shotgun since it requires little aiming and is imposing in it’s own right when the slide is racked. “And no….they wouldn’t have chosen you if it’s something you couldn’t take care of. I just think of the worst possibility and plan for that, because if you get less, you’ll be over prepared, and there’s never anything wrong with being too ready for what comes.”
He nods to her suggestion of a medical kit. That’ll be thrown in with some modern things, too, that would help no matter where or when she’s been deposited. “I would suggest some hardcore immunizations, just because you’re going to a war zone in a third world country. Don’t want you surviving just to get laid out by some nasty infection.”
He leans in and gives Delia a tight hug, squeezing her. “You’ll make it back. I know you will.”
If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start,
But I, would rather you let me give my heart,
To Sir, with Love