Jump to content

Songs in Silence (IC)


Cyroa

Recommended Posts

James needed a break. Seriously. This schedule he’d been keeping lately was getting a bit much. Besides being ‘on-call’ 24/7 for the Guardian bit which was always busy since Phantom was still enjoying motherhood (and he couldn’t blame her for taking the time; she deserved it), he was on call for Young Freedom (which had been pretty quiet lately), the same for the Midnighters (which was never really a quiet thing). His ‘downtime’ was practically non-existent. He needed a break. Several really. He settled for short intermissions/breaks.

Which is how it came to be that he was back on Claremont campus. Erin was off at YF’s base as far as he knew; he'd already checked to see if she was around. He really wanted to just go hang out with her as well; he’d get there. But he was back here for someone else. Given the insanity of the whole altered time thing and the crazy cleanup, he had never checked in on Eve. That was the first time he’d ever seen or met her and she’d had a rough time. So after a bit, he was here to see how she was holding up.

It wasn’t hard to find her. After all, he had a few abilities of his own to call on and he knew the school rather well. He wandered the halls, heading ever closer until he came to the Zen gardens. He saw her as soon as he walked. But rather than disturb her himself, he walked over to a spot opposite her and sat to wait. He certainly wasn’t any good at meditation, but it was close enough to concentrating that he could fake it for a little while.

Link to comment

Eve was sitting cross-legged on the grass near the zen garden's koi pond, her eyes closed and a distant expression on her face. A light breeze blew through the garden, rustling her niveous hued hair and briefly intensifying the scent of the nearby flowers.

After a few heartbeats the petite telepath slowly opened her eyes and looked at James, her head tilting to one side as she regarded him.

Link to comment

He was, sometimes, a patient fellow. And right now, the calming area wasn't bad at all. James looked over and quirked a tired smile as she came out of her meditation. He nodded at her. He raised his hands, calling on his powers to use sign language to mimic his thoughts to hear, in case she was listening. 'Would you prefer this or using browsing my mind? I just ask that you do not attempt to go beyond simple conversation. It is not a pleasant place in here and you don't need that.'

Link to comment

--I promise I won't rummage,-- assured Eve, the edges of her lips turning up into a faint smile. Eve closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled the fragrance diffused throughout the garden before she gracefully rose from her sitting position and brushed off a few errant blades of grass from her pants.

--It was James, wasn't it?-- the telepath inquired, quirking an eyebrow. --Something I can help you with?--

Link to comment

He nodded at her. -- We've never met except for that crazy couple of hours. But given what happen, you had a darn crappy time and . I wanted to make sure you were ok. Yes, I'm James. James Prophet. It's Eve right? How are you doing? And not just with what happened. You're relatively new to this school I understand.--

Link to comment

Eve nodded, smiling. -- Right, I'm Eve. Eve Martel.-- She took a moment to glance around the area before nodding at James, her right hand coming up to cover her mouth as she silently laughed, a sense of amusement emanating from her.

--You could say that,-- she cheerfully admitted. -- You could also say I'm relatively new to this city and this country. I barely had time to get my bearings before that whole mess with the Grue and then.. well let's just say I'm still a bit lost and bewildered and just a smidge overwhelmed.--

Link to comment

James nodded with a smile. -- Pleasure to meet you Eve. I wanted to say thanks. For helping us reset everything. For giving up what you had there. -- He didn't bother trying to shake hands. Mind to mind was far more personal a greeting anyway. He was aware of what she had and what she lost. What she did was nothing sneeze at. -- You seem to be in good spirits for someone so overwhelmed. That a good sign in my book. Anything I can do to help? -- He smiled ruefully. -- Mind I ask what's so funny? --

Link to comment

Eve paused for a second, and then flashed another wide grin. --Oh, I just thought your ability to so greatly understate things was amusing.-- She tilted her head to the side for a moment, her eyes unfocused slightly, a pensive look on her face. --Oh, help. Yes, you can help. What do normal people do for fun around here? I've kind of had my fill of charity functions, private parties and all that for the moment.--

Link to comment

James chuckled. --I do try.-- He raised an eyebrow. --I'd expect they do what anyone does. I certainly have fun in all manner of ways. There's amusement parks and the like. Beaches. Though honestly, if you want to go for a swim I'd suggest something closer to the equator. There's also dancing and clubs and the like. Or raves if you prefer.-- He paused. --Let me narrow this down. What would you consider fun?--

Link to comment

Eve looked thoughtful for a moment then shrugged. --Dancing and clubs are nice and all, but I'm an athlete.-- She grinned, --And you know how those can be. If we're not pushing ourselves it's just not fun.--

She turned to pace a little but before she could take more than half a step her eyes lit up and she swung back around to look at James. --You said beaches, swimming. That sounds fun.--

Link to comment

James nodded. --Beaches it is. I certainly hope you're interested in more than tanning. That seems rather...stationary to me. Let's see, we can do swimming, surfing, scuba diving, snorkling, jet skiis, and powerboating to name a few. What are you interested in? Not going to do any of this near hear though. I've got a better place in mind. -- He grinned. He was still run down but the prospect of fun livened him up a bit. --You can either go grab your suit or we can get one down there. Up to you.--

Link to comment

Eve waved her hand dismissively, --I can pick up something from wherever we're going.-- She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. --I've surfed a bit back home, mostly off the coast of Britanny, so I'd be up for that.-- Eve shrugged, --Maybe some scuba afterword? Whatever, I just want to get out and do something.--

Link to comment

James nodded. He could understand that notion pretty well though it been a few years since he'd had to rely on anyone for that. -- Works for me. I know some good places to pick up whatever we need. -- He stood up and approached. He extended his hand toward her. -- Come with me if you want to live, -- he intoned somberly for a moment before grinning. -- Well, if you want to go have fun anyway. --

Link to comment

James laughed lightly as he took her hand. --It wasn't _that_ bad. Besides, sometimes humor is a great way to relax or blow off some stress.-- Flashing a smile at her, he held her hand a moment before they both vanished from the garden. There were several flashes of seeing other sights when they blinked in and then blinked out just as fast as James did multiple teleporting jaunts. But soon, in less than a minute, they were in a nice apartment overlooking a gorgeous and warm beach in sunny Florida. --There's a shop three or four down from here over there,-- he thought to her nodding in the correct direction, --that I have an open account with if you didn't bring any funds. They've got whatever we need for a day of watery fun.--

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Eve laughed and shook her head at James. --No no, I'm quite covered. I never leave home without my plastic, but I appreciate the thought, it's rather sweet.-- Flashing a smile at James, Eve practically bounded over to the door an aura of excitement and joy intermixed with a thread of pleasure radiating from the petite telepath. --Coming?--

Link to comment

He grinned. --Of course. Try and keep me away!-- The pair of them quickly headed out of the nice apartment and down the street to the shop. It was a gorgeous day and the boardwalk was quite full. They walked into the store after working through the crowds. The store was pretty big and had clothing and equipment for almost anything they could need. James nodded to the guy at the register, receiving a wide grin and a wave in return.

--So, what are we going for or what are you interested in? Scuba diving, jet skis? Beach? I'm sure we could do get a decent volleyball match going too.--

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
--Oh, all of that is fun,-- Eve murmured in James' mind while her attention was focused on the swimwear in front of her. Picking up a charcoal and sapphire two-piece she held it up to her body while standing in front of a mirror, imagining the way it would look on her. She considered, for a moment, wearing something a bit more modest but decided that she was far enough away from home that she could relax a bit. Eve glanced over her shoulder at James after that thought, and spun on her heel. --What do you think?-- she asked, holding up the swimsuit.
Link to comment

James looked over at her, having little trouble imagining her in the suit, though since she was in his head anyway, he tried to stop his thoughts there. -- I think you'd look great in it. You've got the body to pull it off, no question. -- He grinned at her, making sure to keep any of his more usual trains of thought quite buried. For now anyway. -- So, I'm guessing beach then? To show off the suit and the everything else,-- he thought; his grin matching his tone.

Link to comment

The telepath blushed at James' compliment and the trace thoughts surrounding it, and fought down a sudden surge of appreciation that flowed out of her. Eve risked a glance at the clerk, hoping he didn't notice the foreign emotions, but realized that was wishful thinking. Cheeks still slightly flush, she picked out a couple of accessories to go with the swimwear and quickly paid for them, mindful of the strange spectacle her behavior must be making.

Handing the shopping bag to James, Eve nodded. --Yes, the beach. I'm thinking some volleyball to start.--

Link to comment

James chuckled at her. -- Relax. I come here a lot remember? And I've got enough of a reputation by myself combined with my family to cover the unusual. You're fine. -- And truthfully, while there were the occasional looks, they were brief and nothing was said about it. It helped when they catered to someone like James on a regular basis. Money helped that too after all.

He nodded at her with a smile. A short while later, after getting changed into something more appropriate for the beach, the two headed down the boardwalk. Midday in the warm sun on the strip was crowded and flush with people. The beaches, now that summer was here, also had quite a few people on them as well. It wasn't hard before they had blended into the crowd, just another set of people heading towards fun in the sun on the beach.

Link to comment
  • 4 months later...
--So tell me about yourself James,-- Eve said after a period of silence as the pair threaded their way through the crowd of beachgoers. --From my perspective it seemed that whole reality warping situation was old-hat to you. Do things always get so marvelously screwed up around you?-- That last sentence was delivered without bite. In fact, there was a note of amusement in Eve's thoughts and a small smile played off the young woman's lips as she regarded James.
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...