Participants:
| Scene Title | Woe Is Me, The Monster I am… |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Aaron still coming to grips with the fact that he's a freak/monster/evolved/evil and whatever other thought that flickers through his mind. Abigail's offering him a chance to find out what exactly he does and get some help and guidance. That offer goes on deaf ears. Of course. |
| Date | May 5, 2009 |
The Nite Owl is a survivor from ages past - one of those ancient diners with huge plate glass windows, checkerboard linoleum floor, and a neon owl over the entrance that blinks at those entering. Inside, there's an L-shaped main counter, complete with vintage soda fountain and worn steel stools. All of the cooking is done on the ranges ranked against the rear wall. The outer wall is lined with booths upholstered in cracked scarlet vinyl, tables trimmed with polished chrome. Despite its age, it's been lovingly maintained. The air is redolent with the scent of fresh coffee, vanilla, and frying food.
Leftover pizza didn't seem appealing so when she was off her short shift, Abigail hightailed it up to the Nite Owl, her old place of work because comfort food was in order. At the counter seats the redhead sits, a milkshake in front of her, the glass filled and the metal container with the rest of it waiting to be consumed. Her order just placed with the much older redhead waltzing off to take care of the order. School books out in front of her Abigails writing down some words and flipping pages, taking notes.
It might seem to some that Aaron is dating his guitar. He's seated at a booth with it in the seat in front of him. Given it's one of the last relics he has from his previous, far more cheerful life, he does not leave it out of his sight, even if carrying it along with him makes him (possibly) a greater target to the seedier types. He hasn't been mugged yet, so he doesn't quite worry about having it happen. He remains silent and works at eating his clubhouse sandwich as he notices Abby come in. He's half tempted to say something to her, but holds his tongue. It's still weird.
Abby's frankly been too occupied with her homework, frustrating as it may be, Seems she's always gray these days. She's got Sonny on her mind and having to jump through hoops just to heal him, enough that she just might swear at a bunch of people if they don't let her at him soon. Really. She's at the hospital once a week healing. She's been in the guys office a few times and if they just asked the doctor himself he'd vouch for her. But then, she doesn't even know if he's awake.
Abby flips a page of her textbook before reaching for her milkshake to suck down the ice cream concoction before her gaze lands on Aaron.
Aaron's eyes lock with Abigail's for a moment before he hesitantly looks back down at his food, nibbling away at his sandwich. Yes, it's awkward. She may have called him on something that will permanently change his view of himself and the world around him. It's confusing. He doesn't want to believe it, but he's been presented with too much recently to ignore. His attempts to ignore it have only made him sightly paranoid, which is completely unhelpful. He looks back up to her, fighting with himself. Should he invite her over or not?
Abby will save him the pride of having to ask. There's a cant of her head in his direction, a raise of eyebrows and a raise slightly of her shoulders towards him. She's the kind of girl to let bygone be bygones, for the most part.
Bygones or no, it's still awkward. Aaron nods, nevertheless, assuming her gestures indicate her willingness to sit with him. If his nod isn't clear enough, he slides his guitar from the opposite side of the booth and settles it next to him.
Textbook and notebook is closed, tucked under her arm. Her glass and the milk shake container are grabbed and soon enough the redhead is sliding across the floor and slipping into the now cleared seat. "How are you?"
There's a lot of fidgeting with his hands and his sandwich, and many attempts to say something before he just shakes his head and looks down. "I don't … I …" He sighs, "Confused. Scared." The last comment makes him blush slightly. "I don't know what's happening anymore."
"I can imagine" Abigail answered. She chose to come to him because it was more private and she's pretty sure he hadn't registered. "It'll take some time, to come to.. grips with it. It'll always take time, but if you need help, I know some folks who can help you and won't make you register or anything"
Aaron eats his sandwich in silence. He can't bring himself to acknowledge being evolved. It's just … inconceivable. It's wrong, how did this happen?
Luck of the genetic lottery really. Maybe? Or maybe everyone got hit with radioactive meteorite dust and.. the theories could and do go on, and on, and on. Or god just reached down and started to do a lot of blessed touches when they were all growing in their mothers wombs.
"I scare you?"
Or a lot of cursed touches. It really depends on a person's point of view. Aaron looks up and then back down quickly. "I don't scare you?" he asks.
"You're a pretty… harmless empath. If that's what it is that you do. I know two others. One who's.. she can be a bit scary but she only ever used it to calm me down. The other, I dunno if he was an empath per se but.. well lets just say, the happy dagger in Staten Island isn't just happy because they got hookers everywhere and everyones getting naked in bed" there's a silent plea for Aaron to not think that she knows this because she's a hooker, but then, look where she works. "I know a woman who can toss fire around that she makes with her bare hands. I know another guy, my roommate, he's registered. He can move things on their own. Telekinetic. This other, he can change faces, or he can move really bad injuries to not bad places, so that people go from life threatening to non life threatening, till I can get to them and help."
Abby takes a sip of her milkshake. "I know a cop who can fly, another who can manipulate sound, which, she's really good when your having an aweful nightmare. I know a lot of them. And Aaron, let me tell you, those are the good ones. I know some bad ones too"
Is that a slight shade of green? Clearly the idea of all the different evolveds Abby knows, and possibly associates with (God forbid) is a bit much for Aaron to take in. He puts the rest of his sandwich down, thinking things over, apparently.
For once, Abby's gonna shut her mouth and wait. She's not really had to do this before. It's about then that Natasha the waitress heads over with Abby's chili and salad, but disperses soon enough to take care of other clients.
"This sucks," Aaron says, playing a bit with his food, not entirely sure if his appetite is there anymore. And then of course, there's that piece of evidence he pretends doesn't exist, that made him actually consider that Abby may have been right. The black hole man. Goosebumps run up his arms, which are showing, as he's wearing a button-up t-shirt.
"Maybe" Abby murmurs. "At least your not running around and you know.. shooting lasers out of your fingertips. I mean, can you imagine that? Or, you know, get stressed out over an exam and all of a sudden your.. making people act as if they licked a one of those hallucinogenic producing toads when they touch you?"
The sandwich is dropped again. "That's gross." He touches his guitar case. It's a bit of normalcy. Heck, it's the only thing he has of his own that is normal anymore. At least it hasn't changed. "So it could be worse. But … there's something else." He can't believe he's even considering discussing that.
"There's always something else" Which is a gentle prompt for him to go ahead and speak it if he wants.
"It's hard to explain," Aaron says. Harder still because he doesn't even want to share this detail. He takes a bite of his sandwich and goes back into that passive 'I'm going to pretend the world around me is no longer there' mode. Unresolved issue that it is, and hard to resolve to boot.
"Then don't. It's simple as that. no ones holding a gun to your head Aaron" Abigail answers, dipping a spoon into her Chili and breaking the cheese layer on top. "But I can still get you help, coming to grips and undersanding, if you want. They won't judge, they won't care if you're.." Racist against evolved? "If you don't rightly care for those with gifts."
Aaron taps his hand on the table. Fidgeting is probably a more accurate word. "I'm a bigot. You can go ahead and say it, I know it," he says, despite sounding slightly offended, though it could be he's offended by himself. Self-bigotry? A self-bigoting bigot? "Things used to be so simple and now they're just … not."
"Life was better when you were ignorant huh?" She offers the leftover milkshake to him. "What's changed about me Aaron? Do I look any different?"
"I never said it was better, I said life was simpler," Aaron says defensively. "You look just the same as you always do. More or less."
"Life is always simpler if your normal. More or less though?" Abigail looks over at Aaron. She's not fishing for compliments. Just maybe trying to get him to smile instead of the upside down smile he has. "How do I more or less look, beside a little sweaty and looking like i've been working in a bar"
"It's nothing," Aaron says with a shake of his head. "I have enough … I have enough to deal with already without being a … different." He stops himself from saying the word 'freak'. "This is just not good timing."
"Never good timing" Abigail murmurs. "I think that the world thrives on bad timing" But she'll dismiss it for now. She's not gonna prod him, not when he's at least talking to her without the snarl and accusations attached. "Do you have any questions?"
"Something thrives on it," Aaron mutters as he goes back to munching on his sandwich. He does not have much of an appetite, but he still needs food. "I wouldn't even know where to start with questions. I don't know how any of this works."
"So you muddle your way through it. Pay attention to it. I can try and find you another empath who might be able to help" the red head offers, still slowly eating her Chili.
"Another one?" Aaron says with a snort. "If that's even what I am." He takes a drink of the mostly untouched glass of iced tea that's been has his table since the start of his meal, before Abby came in. He rubs his eyes, "You know what? I'm just tired. I haven't slept well since, well, whenever it was I was last into Old Lucy's." And especially poorly since he saw the black hole man. "I have a throbbing headache, and I really don't need this right now. And I don't mean this conversation, I just … Things are sad enough without all of this. I play a song for you, and you glow, and me, I'm still just as miserable as when I started." He finishes his sandwich and pulls out his wallet, and — from that — a few bills that cover the meal and provide a fair tip.
"Then, maybe you gotta find something to do that doesn't make you miserable Aaron" Abby offers up to him, but doesn't try to restrain him from leaving. SHe's got her chili to finish. "Try and have a good evening Aaron. If you want, I can get rid of your headache for you"
"Music's all I know, Abigail. It makes me as happy as I can be," Aaron says, pulling his guitar over his shoulder. "It got me through the bomb, in some shape or another." He starts to walk away from the table, not particularly interested in the offer. He turns though, for a moment. "It's all I have."
Abigail doesn't stop him, just looks at her chili with a shake of her head and though he's too far away to really hear it, she says it regardless. "Time to wake up Aaron, it's not like you'd have to stop playing music"