Participants:
| Scene Title | Why Do I Like You? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A sixteen-year-old-mind Brian meets his fiancee. |
| Date | March 18, 2011 |
Warehouse
In communication with the Ferry Network, it had become evident that there IS in fact another Brian body on Pollepel Island.
Further communication revealed that he was really sucking it up. Having tried to been by the side of the children and his sister that he didn't even know he had. Which was very hard to come to terms with, by the way. It was becoming evident that the sixteen year old in the twenty four year old body wasn't cut out to deal with the children on PLAGUE ISLAND. So rather than deprive the children of the closest thing most of them had to a father, a switch was arranged.
Fulk with all his compassion and Christian counseling knowledge, was perfect to sit by the side of the weak and feeble. While the little Brian in the big Brian's body came back to the mainland with Samara for some much needed relief. Pretending to be him from the future would be much easier when he wasn't around hacking and dying kids all the time. And so the boat finally arrives…
A few other non-descript Ferry operatives are making their way away from the boat. Shoes tapping into the light puddles that spot the docks. There was a big rain the night before, which the boat had sailed off into in the early morning. Making the whole trek very uncomfortable. But finally the dawn has broken into a new day and the stiff, cold passengers are allowed to break back out onto the mainland.
One such traveller is Brian. Reported to have only his memories until he was about sixteen years old. Before the bomb. He's been told much about his life. Mostly by Delia. And has attempted to accept it. But is still mostly under the impression that he is seeing a glimpse of the future from his Spirit Guide or something and will be returned back to his own time to correct mistakes.
Walking away from the boat onto the cold cement of the landing, Winters approaches the old warehouse and it's parking lot where loved ones or contacts of the Ferry Operatives usually give rides. It's all done fairly quickly before things are too obvious. Brian looks around somewhat in a daze. All he has are the clothes on his back. He weas told the place he is going would have everything he would need. But how does one find ones future girlfriend, if he's never even met her. Delia told him she was very pretty. Delia better not be wrong.
Nerves.
Lots and lots of nerves.
Sami had watched silently, rocking on the balls of her feet for the boat's arrival. With the slightest tremble, her hands tuck away into her pockets, retreating for some sense of stability. Her hazel eyes flick to the too-familiar stranger, and for a second, they flick away, quite purposely, nearly awkwardly. The raw feeling in the pit of her stomach and her failing courage keep her gaze away. There's a moment's consideration of something unknown while her hand trails over her heart, pressing lightly against her chest.
Finally, she allows her eyes to trail back, that silence winning again, her own chatty awkwardness easily eaten and relegated to silence by the circumstances themselves. Carefully she gnaws on her bottom lip and takes a deep breath.
Her blue dark wash blue jeans and black hoodie are relatively nondescript, casual means to blend into the world around, but that little light in her eyes persists. She shuffles towards him, cautiously closing the distance between them. Her hands shove further into her pockets when she's finally close enough to actually address him. "Hi?" she manages a slight smile.
Wandering away from the boat Brian watches the only friends he's had for the last few hours disappear on their own paths. A few waves are given, one elder man gives Brian a firm pat on the shoulder before making his way past and to his own ride. And pretty soon they are all headed away to their own rides and contacts. And Brian is left feeling like he just got off the airport and his ride forgot him. No one seems to really be looking at him. Chewing on his bottom lip, he looks around curiously. And then there's a girl approaching him.
"Hi?" He asks back with a nervous tone that raises his voice a few octaves. His hands are instinctively shoved into his pockets in a unintentional mimic of her. "Uh.. Sa-ma-ra?" The a's are flattened leaving his pronunciation of the name something to be desired. "I'm ah.. Brian." A nervous smile is offered up. Because she doesn't know who he is.
"Samara," she both corrects and confirms. "Sam, I guess. Or Sami, if you're wanting to be cutesy. Or something," her eyes cut down to the floor, altogether unsure of herself as she finds herself returning to the balls of her feet to rock again, only to catch herself in the action and take a more triangular stance. No rocking allowed.
"And we've met, actually. So.. I know you're Brian. It's okay if— that you don't remember me." Her lips twitch a little with the force she gives them as she turns her head from whence she came. With the smallest nod she signals him to follow her. "We should get you to the Bay House." Her cheeks flush slightly as she shuffles in the direction she'd indicated earlier.
"Okay." Brian murmurs. "Samara." Looking a little sheepish at his previous pronunciation. "Um.. What does Future Me call you?" He asks lightly, arching a brow. It's awkward but it's like a game. He's been given an older stronger, and ripped body and sent into a weird world with superpowers where cool people know him. And he has a hot girlfriend. When he gets returned to his time, he's going to blog about this.
"Yeah. I know we met I just. Sorry. Nervous I guess. You're my girlfriend. In the future." He smiles lightly. "Or wife or.. I'm sorry. I was a little confused." His hands are kept submerged into his pockets as he gives a little nod in response. "Oookay." He lets out a smile before going to follow her in the noted direction.
Sam's face pales slightly at the question, and she struggles to form words. "SamEye," she chokes in a croak-y voice. Clearing her throat she takes several slow paced steps away. "Because Sam-I-Am." She forces another smile— unduly weary as she takes some slow paced steps away from the warehouse. "And we're engaged. Not married. Not dating. Life is this constant feeling of in-between. That's all."
Her lips twist to the side as she considers something. Her throat clears again and she takes a quick breath, "Did you like the island?" There's that continued awkwardness with the question, but she's trying.
Bounding behind her to keep up, his feet shuffle, eyes going down to track his steps in puddles. Once they really start walking, his steps begin to mimic hers. Picking up the foot and landing in the same moment that Samara's feet fall and rise. Briskly moving beside her he gives a quiet, "Ah. Engaged." He gives a little smile over to her. "So we're in love." It's not so much of a question. He gives another tiny nod. "That's cool."
Glancing over at her he answers with a smile. "Um. Like I like being in a castle? But there.. I don't know. It was hard. Not knowing what was going on and all the sick people and stuff. So I'm glad to be like. Out in the world, you know." Brian smiles, looking over his shoulder. Then back over to Samara. "Sooo.. How are you?"
"You don't remember me," Sam counters quietly, "but I love you." And there it is, the honest truth. Her lips curl slightly into a smile, reserved and unsure. She swallows hard and allows her hands to drift from her pockets, trying to find some natural posture that evades her. Finally she opts to let them swing at her sides as she walks, but the thought involved in this, makes it seem unnatural and stilted.
"I'm.. " her head cants to look back at him. It's a curious movement, ambivalent and unsure. She manages a tight-lipped smile that never reaches her eyes as she reassures, "I'm okay." She swallows hard as she hmmms quietly. "I guess I should probably tell you something about where we're going. It's this house with all of these kids that we look after." She manages a half-smile, "Don't worry though, no one is sick, we just house 'em, feed 'em, educate 'em." She actually grins slightly, but there's still that uncharacteristic dullness behind the smile.
"I'm sorry." He admits. Smiling quietly as she mentions her love for him. It has color flooding into his cheeks, his heart rate quickening immediately. As he pushes along next to her, his hands leave his pockets as well. Glancing down at her hands. A light frown features on his face before he quickens to walk next to her. "Right the not sick kids. So.. do you want me to pretend to be future me?" Brian asks. The moral dilemma the other Brian had with this seems all but non existent. This one is actually kind of excited at the prospect.
"So. What kind of stuff do you want me to do? I kind of suck at sweeping, just so you know." He throws out as a disclaimer. He watches her carefully before turning his nervous gaze to the ground directly in front of them.
Try as she might, Sami can't fight the pink hue that creeps into her own cheeks. "You don't need to apologize. It wasn't on purpose and.. " she offers him a one-armed shrug, letting whatever she'd planned on saying fall to the wayside. "And you don't need to pretend-pretend. I mean.. " her eyes turn upwards towards the sky as she considers this thought, "They know vague things. Like.. they know that Brian was all ability-swapped and memory-changed. So. I don't think you have to wholly pretend." Her smile fades slightly, "But it might be smart if you try to act as adult as you can. I mean, they know you as their adult buddy. Parent. Something."
There's a quirk of a smile at the question, however. "Well, I think I can get one of the kids to sweep or something. But.. I could use some help watching the others. We have two babies in the house that need constant attention and unfortunately, recent events have put a lot on my plate. So… just pitching in, I guess?"
"I know. I just feel bad. You seem like.. Sad. And it makes. I don't know, I feel like it's my fault." He gives a little nod at her explanation. He gives a slow nod. Brian follows her closely, head dipping down to his chest. "I'll try to act as adult as I can." He murmurs quietly. He gives a little nod as he moves alongside Samara. "So.." He murmurs quietly, looking toward the car they are heading to.
"So. what.. Uh. What are you like? You're my fiancee from the future? So. Why do I like you?" His teeth bare as he winces at his own question. "I mean. You're really pretty. So.." A little shrug comes up from his shoulders.
"I don't want you to feel bad," Sam actually manages to soothe as she reaches over to give Brian's hand a squeeze, causing her cheeks to redden. Holding a teenager's hand is awkward. "And thanks. For being willing to help. I really don't know how we'd get everything done. It's hard enough on a normal day that's full of promise and excitement and delight. But I guess— " her head tilts upwards to try meeting his gaze, "— maybe odd is the new normal." He earns a soft smile.
"I'm sorry," it's her turn to apologize. "I'm kind of.. emotional. I know I don't seem it, but I am. I'm not stoic. I wish I were. It just would make everything easier, you know? I mean, maybe it wouldn't h— " she shakes her head a little. No reason to go there. "Sorry. I talk too much. That's something you figured out the moment I could actually talk to you for real. I'm me I guess?" she shrugs at him again while her nose wrinkles lightly. "It's a hard question, you know? I mean, a person can spend months with someone and still know next to nothing about them." Her lips twist to the side, "I'm a dancer. Or I was. I still dance, just not for anyone except me. I can't cook to save my life, and I'm a little clumsy which, I realize, is strange considering I'm a dancer. I like singing and make up my own songs about nothing when no one else is around. I love blue and green and purple…" She hmmms quietly. "What do you want to know anyways?"
"Yeah. This is pretty weird." He admits with a bright smile. He looks over to her with n easy look, "I don't think you talk too much." Brian reports quietly. "Oh? I said that?" In the future. "Oh well. I'm sorry." He smiles a little sheepishly. Jesus future him was making mistakes already. He glances over at her dully. "Why'd you say that.. Is that us? Do we not know anything about each other?" Brian asks, teeth baring some.
"I do that too! With the songs, I mean. And I like blue. I used to like red, but that's because red was the color of my favorite ninja turtle. But then I kind of grew out of it and realized just because Raphael was red didn't mean my favorite color had to be red. And sometimes I think I'm maybe more of a Leonardo. But I don't know." He takes a breath. "I don't know. What I want to know. What should I know?"
Sam's paces slow somewhat as she thinks, "We know a lot about each other, but we haven't known each other super long. I mean, we met in November. And we're engaged. But there's a lot to know about a person and it all depends on what someone wants to say, you know?" she quirks an eyebrow at him. "I'm an open book. And I think I always will be, even when I shouldn't be." Her cheeks flush lightly again.
"Well… I used to be a ghost. Or I thought I was. I guess that's something most people know. There was this big explosion and I disappeared after it so I thought I died. I had a friend there who could see me after… I convinced her I was dead." Her face eases into a near-smile, "But you saw me in a reflection, and you never believed I was dead. In fact, you saved me. From myself." She shrugs lightly as she looks at him, only to have her gaze turn to the ground in front of her. "I loved you early; the way you were with the kids, the way you tried to dance with me in a hall of mirrors even though I couldn't be touched, the way you didn't just look me but saw me… I loved you so quickly."
Nearing the car, Brian slows as Samara does. Strides growing shorter. A hand comes up to count the amount of months that's been. Five fingers come up. His hand being held up. Five fingers. "Five months." He reports quietly. His eyes go a little wide. "That's fast. But.. I mean that works for some people. My friends parents, they got like engaged after their first date. And they've been married for over twenty years." He gives a little shrug. When she talks about the big explosion he gives a nod.
"Delia told me about that, the explosion of super powers." Though his features screw up at her explanation of her thinking she was a ghost. "So you disappeared disappeared? Like your power is being invisible?" He smiles a little dumbly. Before she starts talking about how much she loves him and how she did. The hand that accepted hers is clammy and sweaty and has Brian's heart racing too fast. But he awkwardly clings back at her hand gently. He blushes hot as his eyes track the ground in front of them. "I danced with you in mirrors?"
"I'm not really invisible… like I was, but now I'm not? I walk through things. Like Kitty Pryde. I walk through all kinds of things. In fact, I haven't found something I can't walk through yet." Sam's cheeks flush a little brighter as she adds, "I even take my clothes with me now."
"But yeah, I disappeared. Like… my power went into overdrive during the explosion and I was in all of these tiny pieces so dispersed that no one could see me." She shoots him a broader grin at the dancing memory, however, "Yeah. You asked me to dance. Cooney Island. We met there and you played music and we danced. It was.. the most alive I'd felt in years." She gives his hand a squeeze. It's supportive. Her teeth toy at her bottom lip, "And maybe it is fast? But how I feel is how I feel. And it never felt fast. We lived together right away out of necessity. Like.. it wasn't even a step, it was just the way it was. And then we were engaged. And then— " her face is hot with blush now. Clearing her throat, she returns to the topic at hand: her. "What do you want in a girl anyways? I bet you've given it some thought.."
Brian's features flush brightly as well. "You used to walk through walls naked." He lets out a nervous laugh as he glances to the side. Down to the ground. Anywhere but at her, because then it would be obvious he is picturing it. Right? He feels a little feverish from the amount of heat in his cheeks and forehead.
His hand clings desperately onto hers. Wet with the clammy sweat, his fingers locking up against hers. He smiles broadly, the whole situation is.. strange. But it's a strange he can deal with. Or at least he thinks he can." Holding onto her hand he gives a nod as he tries to track her words. But then the question is turned on him. A little laugh is forced out. "Ahm. You. Right?" That answer probably won't fly. "I just like a girl who's funny. And will joke around with me and stuff. And.. Someone.. fun. I guess."
"Yeah. It was mortifying! I was nervous that it'd always be like that and I'd be constantly naked if I needed to get through something!" Sam's free hand presses to her cheek. "Sooooo embarrassing. Even more so because I'm not shy, but I'm not.. I mean I've only.. you're the only guy I've ever kissed. Ever. I thought I died when I was sixteen so there wasn't much time before that and my brother, Tahir, used to scare away all of the teen guys that hung around. But I was always awkward. I mean… like i talk a lot and I fill space if I think something is too quiet and I just keep talking and talking and talking…" her face flushes even brighter now. "Like now. Because. I. Ha." Ahem.
"And there was a woman before me you were engaged too. I don't… actually know what happened. And I don't press for information on that front. Although maybe I should. I don't know. The past shapes who we are, but it doesn't define us, I don't think…"
"That's kind of scary." He lets out a quiet laugh. Still abundant in nervousness. Glancing over at her, his hand grips against hers. Flexing against her hand. "I've never kissed anyone." He admits with a nervous smile. "Yet. I guess." He gives a heavy shrug of his shoulders too large for his age. "So you were.. gone for four years. That's a long time. Wait so.. So really. You only lived for sixteen years." He muses, tilting his head at her some. The other woman goes dismissed.
"So really. You're like kind of my age. Right?" He asks with a hopeful smile over to her. Brian's not really sure what his hand is supposed to do with hers so every now and then there's a random squeeze.
An eyebrow is quirked at the question, “I…” Sam’s teeth toy at her lip as her head tilts slightly. “…guess? Kind of, maybe?” She shrugs slightly as she shoots him an easier smile now. “That’s.. wow. I’ve never actually thought about that. But I guess, in a way, I’m kind of like sixteen. Sort of. I mean, I have sixteen years of lived experience.” Her free hand raises to brush her fingers against his cheek, a light touch against her fingertips. Until she lets it drop. “Sorry.. it’s hard to..” Her gaze casts downward again. “Sorry.”
His skin is hot against her touch, cheeks reddened almost permanently it seems. When her hand drops, so does his gaze. A long awkward silence following the gesture. Before he brings his hand away from her hand up to his own lips. Scratching at his chin some. Brian swallows hard. "So we should probably leave, right?"