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meadowlarking2019-05-18 03:12 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME 005
Welcome to the Meadowlark test drive meme! After waking up in strange and rather worrisome conditions, characters will need to begin to live their lives in this new world. All TDM threads take place after the arrival process, so please assume that the initial adjustment period has passed – in which the characters were found dropped off and had to live in a safehouse for four days before hitting the streets. Now it's time to see the bright sights and sounds that New Amsterdam – and beyond – has to offer.
All Meadowlark test drive memes will not be game canon. Please feel free to carry on relationships that make sense, but please keep in mind that the TDM may not reflect current circumstances in game.
NOTE: The PCs have chosen to call themselves "the Displaced," and that's become the common parlance to refer to them. Additionally, the "What Dreams May Come" prompt does not reflect any situation in game, and will change on each TDM.
There is very little that can smooth over the experience of your arrival in this world. Coming to in a van, drugged and restrained, only to be carefully helped out by the unknown guards and nurses and then abandoned in an alleyway. What comes after is relatively straightforward: you're found by others and taken back to a safehouse, hidden under an old hover bike shop. This has happened before. There are others not from this world who have experienced the same, with no recollection of how they came here, bearing signs that they've lost months of their lives, but unfortunately, no more answers on how or why than you do. There are theories, crossed realities, a very real sense of immense violation to one's self. Maybe this knowledge brings you a growing sense of futility, or perhaps it inspires a deeper determination in you. But even as you begin to think on what next, life has to go on.
All of the new arrivals will be given a fake ID and a background that will lend them access to entry-level jobs. It may be overwhelming, their fellow Displaced have found their footing enough to be able to help newcomers. Two Morningstar agents will be around to take care of world integration and IDs – the rest will fall to the Displaced who came before. It would take at least a month's wages to put down a deposit on even the smallest apartment in the city, so everyone has a grace period before they have to leave the safehouse – and then some, depending on the kindness of who's running the show.
Morningstar's veteran agents will also make their purpose clear if asked: they are a group dedicated to fighting corruption and righting the wrongs of this world, though they're in the process of rebuilding things in New Amsterdam from scratch, and they know that the people in charge of those efforts wouldn't mind a little help. It will be made expressly clear that this entire arrangement to get the Displaced started in the world is meant to be kept a secret, and that especially includes Morningstar's assistance. Letting the world know about their involvement could cause massive problems.
> 001: EXPLORE THE CHANGES
You have been changed, and unfortunately your fellow Displaced don't have a whole lot of answers for you. They'll give you a rundown of your changes: no powers, empathy bonds and a new ability that'll pop up sooner or later. Still – what that means is specific to you, so it's down to you to figure that out.
Most of the troubling changes will be what's happened to each person's physiology. Every aspect of this situation is already enough to make someone feel scared, stressed, confused, or even angry at what's happened to them - having to navigate a new, crowded and noisy world could easily provide enough stimulation to make it worse . Unfortunately, strong emotion could be just the key to triggering your new power. To get things under wraps, you'll want to duck away to somewhere more private or hidden. Thankfully, there are numerous underpasses, dark corners, and currently-empty shops, but you'll need to be quick to avoid raising any eyebrows – or avoid hurting anyone.
Otherwise, you might prefer to play it safe and avoid striking out before you have more answers. As much as Morningstar has been helpful, you know that the others in your situation may have more information. But be careful that you don't end up sharing more than you intended. Every instance of skin-to-skin contact will trigger an immediate empathic bond, letting you feel the other person's emotions and vise versa. While there's nothing that can be done to completely prevent this, someone can either decide to hold on and continue sharing that level of emotional intimacy, or let go and end the shockingly vulnerable exchange.
> 002: THE NETWORK
Months before catastrophe hit, Morningstar set up a private network for all of the Displaced to use in order to communicate. This is due to their familiarity with the neural implant. Most of the veteran Displaced are old hands at using the implant now, and will be happy to provide any necessary information on how to utilize this new tool and understand its application in daily life.
Early on, every newcomer receives access to the encrypted network, only available to you and the others like you, making contact between you easy and safe. Familiarize yourself with this network and dig in. Perhaps you're hoping to find some bigger answers, ask about the latest weather or nail polish trends in New Amsterdam, or want to play the latest game of hot or not among the displaced.
There are private, one-on-one modes of communication available as well, though without the security of Morningstar's encryptions, they're much less safe. You can make calls, send texts, make videos, and even interact with others in a VR simulation – however, there it's made very clear that the government has a means of tracking these. This definitely isn't a place to be careless about your communication
One day a year, everyone the whole system over participates in the annual celebration of Resolution Day. It's not explicitly stated what Resolution Day actually is; there's no reason to declare what everyone already knows, and characters may find themselves experiencing some intense culture shock as they stumble into the festivities. The celebration starts early and finishes late – very late – so whether you choose to join in the fun, learn more about the history of the festival, or take advantage of the revelry for other, more nefarious goals, you'll have plenty of time.
As the festival sprawls wildly throughout the streets of New Amsterdam, it gives even the most desolate parts of the city new life with bright lights, noise, and plenty of food. Recent circumstances have left New Amsterdam in a constant state of rebuilding, but the festival adds gloss to a lot of the damage – though most of the festival strays away from the most ruined architecture so that it doesn't serve as a constant reminder. Most businesses are shut for the day, giving their workers the time to enjoy the celebration, but some might consider this one of their most profitable days of the year – if you've gotten yourself a restaurant, rickshawing or corporate PR job, you might find yourself stuck on a double shift. Better snatch what small moments of enjoyment you can!
> 003: ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES
Anything you'd think it would be at a festival in the year 2511 is definitely at this festival.
Care to play a game? All attendees can play for free. Some games – like the hoverblade racing, the augmented reality fightboxes and the street-wide bouts of laser tag – involve a partner or a competitor, so you better hope someone's willing to do you a solid or bring out your competitive side.
If having fun involves less competition and more opportunities to feel emboldened, there are karaoke setups all over the city. Most of the songs will be unfamiliar to anyone who's new to this world, but like any music in any era, they're catchy enough. There are some jingles that have managed to survive several hundred years, and you might stumble across a gaggle of teenagers declaring that "All You Need is Love." To encourage letting loose, most of these karaoke booths have bartenders available to help someone find the courage they need to reach the stage.
Or maybe it's time to try the delicacies of New Amsterdam. Hundreds of food trucks have turned out today in droves with high hopes that they'll come away turning a profit. Down for some Mexi-German fusion? Or perhaps you're hoping that pad Thai still tastes the same with grasshoppers? Share your food – or give away whatever you don't like. Food trucks are the hub of activity, and the busiest ones might be worth the time, but you'll be standing in line for a while.
> 004: HISTORY LESSONS
Aside from your typical booths of free samples, charitable causes, volunteer applications, and white chocolate-covered beetles, you'll find an opportunity to learn about Resolution Day’s history. There are various stands available where – thanks to the augmented reality application of your neural implant – you can view video about the origins of the festival and what, exactly, everyone's celebrating. These videos will play for you and you alone, and you'll soon learn that this is the day, 410 years ago, that humans successfully ended the AI war.
If you'd like to feel like a hero, the UNA are running several virtual reality simulations where you can be taken to the battlefield to fight alongside fellow soldiers, working to bring the outwardly robotic AI to submission. The virtual reality simulation interacts with your neural implant to give you the most realistic experience possible. If you don't ground yourself enough, you'll be certain that the sights, sounds, and smells around you are real as you march in formation toward the brutality waiting up ahead. Feel free to team up with a partner on a side mission, or maybe try to keep someone from plugging in for what could be a traumatic experience. Eerie, heart-wrenching music plays when you die, but is promptly followed by the image of several corporate logos reminding you that they sponsored this day and this event.
If you're uncomfortable with this information, no one will understand why. AI sympathizers are not present among the native population. Will you risk trying to change their minds?
> 005: USING DISTRACTIONS
There are other opportunities in the city being flooded with festival-goers. For Morningstar, this is a prime opportunity to test new recruits when it comes to charming corporate execs and getting in good with them.
Whatever your cover story is, make it good. Whether you claim you're hoping to pitch an idea for some new tech or are more interested in seducing – or squeezing – some information out of them, following them into the next bar or karaoke booth may give you the perfect chance. But you might want a lookout to watch your back, a co-conspirator to keep them plied with drinks, or maybe you'll need a voice of reason to stop you from squeezing too hard. Morningstar values discretion – and so does everyone else, for that matter.
Traveling down from the hectic main city streets reveals a different side from the gloss and promise of New Amsterdam. Economic disparity runs rampant throughout the city, and many people are pushed to desperation, looking to find other ways to make ends meet. In the darker shadows, many illegal activities thrive, out of view of the authorities - or perhaps known and supported by corrupt individuals. Maybe you're here exploring, completing a task for Morningstar, or working a job in the place you excel. Whatever's brought you here, you may want to watch your step, or else find the city eating you as it has so many others.
> 006: GETTING IN
Organized crime still has a strong foothold in the world, with gangs and more established families working drugs, weapons, property and black market cybernetics, to name a few. These organizations are sprawling units that regularly recruit new members into their ranks, so long as they can prove themselves by passing the intensive hazing.
Maybe you'd like to have a role in such a powerful organization. Or maybe you'd like to use your relative anonymity to burn it all down. One way to get an in is through their numerous clubs and illegal gambling dens, where to get past the door you have to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Don't know a guy? Feel free to try to use brute force or some chicanery to make them believe that you belong among their numbers.
Just don't get caught doing anything they don't like – which could be breathing the wrong way, if you're unlucky enough. Best to have an escape plan in place, like perhaps stealing one of the many hover cars or hover bikes parked outside the establishment. If you've got the skills, you'll be able to weave through the chaos of the city and make a clean getaway – just don't let the chase run for too long, or you'll have law enforcement on your ass as well.
> 007: FIGHT CLUB
No matter the occasion outside, New Amsterdam's fight club events are held every evening. The bouncers at the door don't have too many scruples on who they let inside. All they care about is whether someone has the money to pay the cover charge.
The interior of the fight club reveals the sophistication of a business that's used to uprooting itself regularly. All the fights take place in a large cage in the center, and you remain on your feet while you enjoy the show. There is a special VIP section if you've been lucky enough to receive an invite or bribe your way in – just keep in mind that these invites are scarce, and you will have to have done something spectacular to earn the attention from someone high up the food chain. Regardless of where you end up, there is one rule: what happens in the fight club stays in the fight club. This tenant is law, and everyone's heard stories of the different (and sometimes extreme) lengths which have been taken to maintain it.
Maybe you're here to sign up and test your chops against other fighters. Many of the fighters boast illegal cybernetic enhancements, so it would be a really good idea to have someone on hand who knows some first aid.
Maybe you'd prefer to just enjoy the show, or take the opportunity to grill the bartenders for information. Just be careful not to make a fool of yourself. Asking too many questions might catch the wrong kind of attention – the kind that might find you being thrown into the ring, whether you wanted to be there or not. For all the blood spilled, these fight clubs thrive on discretion, so whatever you do, try to keep it quiet.
Not everything in New Amsterdam is a festival or invading the local fight club to dig up some details. Sometimes the unexpected hits out of nowhere, unsettling circumstances and causing everyone to react. Depending on what it might be, these situations can be catastrophic on a larger, unnatural scale, or a smaller, more localized event. Many of the previously displaced have already undergone them, but there is always the chance that something like that can happen again.
> 008: A MONSTROUS ATTACK
Late in the night, while many are heading home or safe in their beds, ground-trembling quakes begin to wrack the city. Loud sirens begin to cry, alerting citizens to follow quake protocol and head to the nearest shelter or safe area, of which there are many around the city. Everyone seems to know what to do in response. Earthquakes are nothing new to these people.
However, it quickly becomes apparent that this rhythmic shaking has little to do with an earthquake. News feeds begin to report on a huge creature, standing roughly 400m high, approaching – and then breaking through – New Amsterdam's outer city wall. The reptilian creature has a tough, scaled hide, four legs, and a rather large tail. In contrast to its dark coloring, the creature's eyes, mouth, and many vein-like cracks along its body glow a bright gold.
In response to the attack, the UNA and NAPD attempt to unleash an assault on the creature. Unfortunately all this seems to do is cause it to erupt with yellow colored pustules all over its body. As this happens, three different types of creatures pour from its body, taking on new life as they hit the ground. Some are dog-like, while others are like crabs, filled with a dangerous venom that acts as a numbing agent on anybody that makes contact with them.
There are a lot of options: stand and protect, moving throughout the streets to protect New Amsterdam from yet another monstrous attack. Or take advantage of the opportunity, using the broken storefronts to loot and help pad your pockets in a world where you're most likely without a lot of what you'd like to have on hand.
> 009: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE
Around midday, vents open up throughout New Amsterdam to let smoke rapidly filter up into the foreground of the city. The reason why? A fire sparks in the underground portion of New Amsterdam, spreading quickly between two apartment buildings. The cause is unknown, and while firefighters are on the scene, they could use an extra hand. Numerous people suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation, and there are likely more inside the buildings themselves waiting for an assist.
For anyone who's been here already, this may feel like a familiar sequence of events, but going into the fire puts anyone at risk for being infected by the smoke itself. The infection is far from contagious and doesn't spread from one person to another - but it's highly unpleasant, leaving someone feeling mild nausea and headaches, irritability, vertigo, feverish … and vengeful. As the sickness takes hold and worsens, anyone impacted by this infection will feel the need to take revenge on people around them. This retaliation can take any number of forms from violent to non-violent: pick countless fights, or manipulate your friends into fighting one another for your own satisfaction, just to prove that they will turn on one another.
Thankfully, there is a cure for this righteous anger – unless you're inclined to feel this normally, of course. Any of the player characters who didn't stage a rescue in the burning building will be able to cure others by making skin-to-skin contact and holding on to it for a prolonged period of time. This contact will lead to their chest glowing blue for the entire duration, an increasingly burning sensation for both parties involved which eventually culminates in a sense of peace before giving way to a deep, pervading sense of sadness.
Throughout New Amsterdam, there will be countless people impacted by this infection thanks to their close proximity to the fire itself. It's up to you to help them – or leave them hanging, if that's what you prefer. But the only existing cure appears to be anyone with the strange blue stuff in their chests.
> 010: A VISIT FROM THE UNA
In an effort to get New Amsterdam's chaos under control, the officials in charge of the United Nation's Army send out their soldiers to try and smoke out any individuals who appear to be dissidents within the city. Whether they're Morningstar – or a similar uprising – they want to try to get things under control. They don't know why a monster attacked the city, or why a seeming bout of biological warfare hit many of the citizens and turned them against one another. What they do know is that they want to make a statement: if they can't control these events from happening, they'll ensure that the city is safe from people who want to undermine the government that maintains the world order.
It's futile, but the soldiers in question have no way of knowing this. They're ordered to do what's expected of them, and they act with fierce brutality and certainty as they enter homes and change the lives inside of them. When word gets out – and it does get out – there are only a scant few with the resources and powers to truly undermine these soldiers. They act as if they think in unison, clad in thick black body armor as they move through the halls, their heavy footsteps announcing their arrival. But that announcement may not matter, not for anyone unknowingly awaiting them – or anyone who may hope to stop them.
The best anyone can hope for is to mitigate the efforts of these seemingly unstoppable soldiers. Attempt to fight them or slow them down, and try to help the people who never asked for their lives to be changed.
Intervene to save lives – or use the situation to your advantage. These soldiers are heavily armed and armored. In order to help, everyone will have armor and guns of their own, but nothing on the same level or grade as what the UNA soldiers utilize. Try to get what they have on hand, and see if they're carrying around anything new.
It might help in whatever mysterious fight lies ahead.
> 011: WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
Fatigue hits when everyone least expects it, making it so that they can't keep their eyes open. No amount of caffeine is going to keep anyone awake. They'll soon find themselves drifting through a blue haze, as if they're drifting deeper and deeper into an ocean that swallows them. Once they find themselves upright, they'll see they're somewhere familiar – New Amsterdam, to be exact.
This version of New Amsterdam is like a nightmare. UNA soldiers march the streets to maintain martial law. There are paper posters on the walls everywhere dictating a specific set of reminders. Don't stay out too past 9PM. Don't participate in vigilantism. And despite the UNA soldiers seeming to act the same as they march in formation, much of the tech that propels them in reality doesn't exist here. Even so – they act in unison, thoroughly trained and as if they're in each other's heads, calculating what should be their next step. They are wordless as they move, one step in front of another.
This version of New Amsterdam isn't real, but instead reflects some fear that likely lies in the heart of all of the Displaced. Morningstar acts as a rebel organization here, with more traction – but there's little they can do, especially since the United Nations appears to have the monsters on their sides. They deploy them with the aid of the UNA, beckoning them forward from the shadows to hunt down any insurrectionists.
Previous experience will tell the Displaced that they can change this reality – or it might be someone's nightmare. Either way, there's no real reason to risk this dream coming true. This version of New Amsterdam doesn't hide its corporate influence, as the governing body is made up of the three CEOs from the city's main corporations: Pulsar, Vyonation and Giles Bell. Corrupt and self-serving, they do little to help people, and numerous individuals are forced out of their homes in order to advance the CEOs' agendas.
The upside? Everyone gets a power up in these dreams. Anyone who had powers before will get them back – except they're likely to glitch. It may be better if you don't rely on them. Their blue-toned power can branch in any direction someone might hope for, granting them the control they lack when they're awake.
If someone wants to enact change, this is the place to do it. And if they just want to see what might happen and stir up a little chaos? Everyone will know they're asleep and experiencing a lucid dream, though people's level of familiarity with what came before will be up to them. What actions they take here may not be reflected directly in the real world – but perhaps that should be motivation enough to keep this dream from becoming reality.
> 012: SPACE
Whether you're desperate for a reprieve from Earth after getting a taste of some unwanted righteous fury or curious about this century's space exploration, there are a number of opportunities available to let someone blast off. Most people will find that the process of getting into space is tedious, but also one that occurs regularly from day to day. The opportunities are there for anyone seeking a job out in the colonies, but first you'll have to get hired, or have approval for subsidy granted by the government. Journeys to the colonies are long and arduous, and what people find when they show up isn't any better. Most of the facilities are in poor condition, with food and water far more strictly rationed than back on Earth.
If you'd rather just take a trip out to space without having to worry about a job, you have a number of options. Anyone can book a trip to go off planet, if they have the capital, or perhaps you'd prefer to work towards some proper credentials and join a crew. Of course, someone wishing to skip to the front of the line can always just stowaway on the back of a ship – or steal one for themselves. Just be wary of the fact that the hangars these ships are in come with increased security to match their price tags. They're hard to steal, but not impossible. As long as you know to skip the hacking and go with brute force, it should work out fine.
> 013: GO NUTS
This isn't all there is to explore, so feel free to branch out! Visit a doctor about some advanced cybernetics. Sneak through the city checkpoints and set out into the wilderness. Experiment with some insect based versions of your favorite recipes. Perhaps you'd prefer to engage in some illegal street racing, spend some time getting used to the technology, or make a bold declaration to become a llama farmer. Use the SETTING for inspiration and choose your own adventure.
no subject
except that the link works in both ways, meaning that the hesitation fitz gives at her question, the barely-there pause, is felt. it's noticed. it's seen. ]
Fitz- [ because he can't lie, and he's not lying, but she can tell there is something else to what he's not saying. and whether it's the link, or it's just knowing him, she can't stop herself from the spike of worry. ] What-
[ but then he is speaking again, directing the conversation, brushing calloused fingers over her cheek and she is nearly taken off her feet by the sheer force of how much she missed him. how long she's been looking for him. how much she knew, because she did, that he would find her.
( and will. will, who she left behind. will, who she doesn't even know where to begin to get back to. )
it's enough to bring tears back to her eyes, and as he glances over his shoulder she takes the moment to wipe them, trying to breathe and get a handle on the current of what is going around in her chest. fitz can probably feel it - the panic, the fear, the relief, the feeling of safety, the exhaustion of realizing how long it's been since she's really felt safe, the loss, the regaining, the uncertainty. it's a lot. it's too much. but jemma just tries to breathe.
one of her hands is fisted in the fabric at his chest, holding on more to keep herself upright than anything else. another sound rings out - maybe it's a car horn, maybe it's bags being dropped, maybe it's just the bark of a laugh of someone with the sort of voice that carries, but she tenses again, holding her eyes closed. ]
Quiet is- quiet would be preferred. [ there is so much noise. but there's something else that pulls her eyes open again, her attention up, just enough to see the way his mouth twitches, to feel how he says the words, a date to catch, and her stomach drops.
dinner. they were supposed to go to dinner, before everything. ]
How long has it been? [ since she's been gone is what she doesn't add. what she can't bring herself to say. she was keeping track of time, sure. she has an idea of just how much time she spent in that sand, with will. but she's also more than just a bit aware of einstein's theory, about the very real possibility it has been a wholly different period of time for fitz, or for anyone else. her eyes, shakily, run over his cheeks, his mouth, up his nose and back to his eyes again.
something else is wrong. ]
no subject
(see, he has to be control of his emotions, if he's to let them loose, lest something dangerous slip through his firewall).
he looks over his shoulder, too, to see if anyone noticed their strange reunion or the faint glow from their chests. easy enough to case the area and confirm that humans remain too self-focused to notice a strange couple. onward, after that, 'cause he knows the backstreets: a way slightly quieter in the city, built like the close of british town, taking them up toward a skypark.
their walk affords him the luxury of proximity without having to look her in the eye. ]
Sorry, just — can't have people overhearing us. [ he gets sloppy with the people he loves. weak. no, no, that's not true, don't say that — he clears his throat, jaw set. ] Almost four months here. [ a beat. ] Six months at a HYDRA black site. [ quickly, ] Hunter got me out. [ that's fond, at least. ]
[ he exhales. ]
Jemma, I haven't seen you since the diner.
[ when she and the rest of the team were taken by another monolith, leaving him well and truly alone. ]
no subject
( except that part of her misses it. not that it's a familiar feeling, necessarily, but the second the link is severed she almost feels a wall slide into place between them and she can't, she can't. not with fitz, not now. )
but then he has an arm around her shoulder, guiding her away from the masses, and while she can still feel the tension in him (a familiar tension, a taught tension, one they both picked up in the academy and that she knows she should have, if she had the capacity for anything more), the less noise she hears the easier it begins to be to breathe, and he lets her guide them, rolling every moment over again in her mind. ]
No. No that's right. [ jemma scolds herself for her own lack of foresight, for the fact she was prepared to have a scene in the middle of...wherever they are. as his arm came around her shoulder, she felt her body respond, slipping an arm around his lower back and fisting in the fabric again, using his side and the grip to steady her. it is easier, this way - with her eyes on the ground and the other distractions of city life falling away. it lets her focus just on him. on the little tilts her his voice she recognizes, and those she doesn't.
again, the question echoes - how long? - four months here, which doesn't quite line up with her six - but then he continues. six months at a hydra black site. she stops walking, then, pulling fitz to a stop next to her. a hydra black site? she looks back up to him, terrified (a silly reaction, considering it is over, that he's no longer there anymore - but the feeling is familiar, a place her body knows well) which is followed by more confusion.
the diner?
she turns her head to face him again, the confusion clear across her face, before she turns her attention back to the street. the alley. she starts to walk and hopes that fitz will keep moving with her. he's right, they can't be overheard here, and she needs time to process what this means. it creates a bit of a silence between them for a few moments, as jemma just tries to...understand, her eyes darting around the space under her feet as they walk. ]
no subject
doesn't mean it's easy to walk in silence, however. his thoughts scatter and shoot off on a hundred tangents. he hadn't known what was scaring her when he fell out of the framework, jumbled and unsure. and this, too, marks a rare moment where he doesn't know what she's thinking. is she scared for him? upset by the answer? has she noticed the change? hidden in the way he coils with a soldier's tension, not with the nerves of lab tech. parts of him are uncanny now. he knows as much, from the foreign feeling of his skin or the looks on bobbi and daisy's faces.
could use the bond to cheat and read her, but he won't. ]
I never stopped looking. [ said because he wonders if she thinks he gave up or moved on, the same way she'd asked if he even wanted to rid himself of ophelia. ] Thinking. Every day. Every morning, every evening, it's — [ you, their family, the team, this world. another couple squeezes past them, hand-in-hand, and he chokes.
the pause drags on before it's his turn to ask a question without a kind answer. his hand slips from her shoulder to the crook of elbow. ]
[ voice hollow. ] Jemma, where did you go?
[ he was lost to when, but she — ]
no subject
and she knows it's not the link that helps, but fitz. fitz, just being here, even if the space between them feels like it is growing with each second. each moment.
( she has noticed, in that subconscious kind of way that she knows him. how he carries himself a bit different, how his face is shaped, the crook of his smile. she knows she's been gone, she knows things would change, but what is scaring her the most of it all is how far they are from each other. how different. )
it's not fair. it's not fair that all he has to say are those four words and some of that terror eases away. because it wasn't that she thought he would stop, though with every belief has to come a negligible amount of doubt - rather, she didn't know if it would work. if they would be back. she remembers the nights of desperation, the nights of devastation, the nights of loss - but she hadn't stopped hoping. hadn't stopped trying to find a way. it's why she'd moved, jumped on the possibility, even in their hour of sunlight. it's why she ran for him, why will-
fitz chokes. a couple walks by. jemma is ripped just short of violent from her thoughts. his hand moves to the crook of her elbow and she feels the urge, the need to pull her arm just far enough away that his hand will find her's. but is that fair, now? with the link? with the ability to know? so she holds it back, hesitates mid movement.
( why is this so hard ) ]
I. [ her voice is rough, not pained, necessarily, but close. ] I don't- [ her gaze moves again, meeting his eyes then averting, trying to find something to keep her thoughts together. she doesn't know, but that isn't an answer for a scientist. it's not an answer for fitz. and after a moment of searching, her free hand lifts to press fingers into her forehead, her eyes held tightly shut. ]
We were supposed to get dinner. [ despite the near-whisper of her voice, it cracks over the last word. ] And then- I went through some kind of portal. And the planet I ended up on was off. Different. Gravity, the rotation around its sun, made of sand and little water and there was something hunting me, and- [ i thought you were with me. i thought you would follow me.
she can't say it, so she doesn't, closing her mouth and breathing, swallowing back anything else she almost says. at least for a moment. before she either forgets or doesn't care about why she shouldn't and she does pull back her arm, sliding her hand into his to squeeze, feeling it rush back again. and whether it's the link, or it's just fitz, jemma needs the reminder that he's there.
because he is. because he didn't stop looking for her. ]
And then you found me.
no subject
God, I'm so bloody thick.
[ stupid, not smart enough, not quick enough to notice the changes in her (the jumpiness she only displayed after returning from maveth). why should she remember their dinner date, kissing him in the lab, holding hands in the snow and saying some things are inevitable. they've been separated by the leagues of water and lightyears of outer space, why not memory itself?
to his credit, he hides the way his heart stutters and stops, keeping it out of his features but for how he scrunches his eyes shut and breathes.
'course she'll still feel the slash of each word, wearing down his contro, so he pulls his hand free, mumbling a rushed apology. jemma, struggling to survive on maveth for six months, with will daniels, handsome and good and there — and it's not that she fell for him that re-opens his wounds; it's that fitz couldn't save him for her (that he'll have to tell her all over again). even so, he drags both hands over his face and back through his short curls before he can grasp her by the shoulder again (protected against the bond). it's not fair. this always happens. to her, to him, to them. the damned cosmos doesn't want them to be together, despite how hard he's fighting to be the man she deserves. ]
I did. [ hoarse, ] I always do. Because you and I, we're — [ constantly torn apart and worn down, dragged to hell and back with miles still to go. ] — unstoppable, when we're together. We even have that dinner. [ a laugh, caught between darkly humorous and downright nervous. ] It's really, um, sort of bad 'cause you're not ready, and I try to do this grand romantic gesture, booking out the whole place, so it's quiet, but since when do we do posh dinners, anyway? But we figure that out, too.
[ his shoulders lift, helpless, as he pulls them to the side on this beautiful day, surrounded by green. ]
And we go back 'cause we have to get Will. [ she has to know that, or she'll torture herself every night, wondering how he's doing. ] But that's almost two years ago for me.
[ he ducks his head. can't get worked up, when he's the local on this side of the multiverse. ]
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I- [ she feels herself almost say she's sorry, can taste the base of the word on her tongue, but fitz runs his hands over his face and turns back to her and grabs her shoulder. he tenses under the pressure of it, wincing without meaning to, but then it fades.
jemma hates the sound of that laugh from him, but the rest of it, the way he's acting, speaking, it's fitz. ]
What? [ what is he talking about? going to dinner, figuring it out, she opens her mouth because it doesn't make sense to her but then fitz says will's name and she sobs, her hands coming up to cover her mouth to try and hold back the next sob. will. they go and get will. she doesn't try to hold back the tears that fall over then, watching fitz, trying to place the new information.
and then it settles. settles enough that she can take a breath without crying, that she can drop her hands. ]
Two years? [ she guesses it could be possible. that movement through time, the different ways it moves through space. there are theories now, too, about possible travel. about ways to move a physical being through another realm and showing back up at a different place along the timeline.
jemma takes another breath and then nods. okay. okay she can...that explains more than she thought it would. the way fitz shifts, the way he moves. it's nearly impossible but not completely impossible and that is a possibility she can....
she can what. handle? hope for? she swallows, and then nods again, because she can't let the weight of all of this settle. ] Okay. That- that explains some things. Not everything, but. Some. [ another nod, before she reaches up to tuck her hair back behind her ears.
because she can handle this. because of course fitz would go back with her. of course they would get will. ]
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can't stay away just now, of course, when he worries she'll ask that of him soon enough. (and he'll give her space; he'll give her anything.) ]
Enough, maybe. [ for now, when two years of missions would overwhelm anyone, even without the nature of their journey together. he'll have to give her more, when all he does is talk about her. girlfriend, partner, better half. most of the displaced will recognise her by name alone and know everything from her specialities in the field to the bravery in heart.
maybe that can wait until the morning. ]
We're okay. There. [ separated by seventy-four years and an oncoming apocalypse? a snap that'll knock half the planet out of existence? with a shadow stuck to his feet, ready to rise up. ] Here. [ an unstable world, where they flicker in and out, with no promise of tomorrow? ]
[ voice firm — ] Promise.
[ oh, fitz. ]
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they go back for him. they make it back. they save him.
that, in and of itself, is enough for jemma to get her footing. to find her place in this weird world and settle. fitz is different, in more ways than she can even begin to wrap her head around, but it's. it's okay. it will be okay. they will be okay. ]
Enough. [ his fingers brush her jaw and she feels the resolve, feels the confidence, feels fitz and she turns into it, into his hand. and maybe this isn't enough, but it's enough for now. it's all that jemma can handle, for now. so she nods, lets her eyes fall closed.
and it's a bit ridiculous, the way her eyes fly open and how fitz can probably feel the thought occur. if he's in the future, how are they- but he answers, before she even asks, and the breath that follows feels a lot like a sigh, relief, happiness, comfort. and so jemma reaches up to wrap her palm around his hand, holding it to her face as she nods. ]
Okay. [ another nod, and she squeezes his hand, letting herself smile. fitz is alright, will is alright, they are alright. ] Thank you.
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he tries not to think about it ('cause it's stupid to be jealous, when jemma's her own woman, and will's a good man).
whatever guilt twists at the omission (a kindness for now, he thinks) is drowned out by the fondness that blooms with her smile. his mouth curves, mirroring her expression. he can handle the burden of any future, if it means a present where she's with him and content. that she keeps him close instead of pushing him away is too much — a crackle of something more sparks through the bond.
he wants to kiss her. and he would, if they were in perfect alignment. ]
Any time.
[ 'cause... time travel... he lifts his hand from her face, turning it to lace their fingers together. how strange to think that for her, they haven't moved like this. ]
Your hair looks nice like that, y'know.
[ shorter, tucked back. it's been a while since she styled it that way. ]
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and then there is something more. an urge is lean in, to kiss him, but is that what she's getting from fitz or is that her own urge? it surprises her, almost, but when she opens her eyes and looks back to him he is smiling and lord, the feeling doesn't necessarily feel out of place. ]
My what? Oh. [ their fingers slide together and fitz can feel the way jemma feels comfort in the routine of it. the momentary sensation that this movement, at the very least, is familiar. her other hand reaches up to to card through the bottom inches of her hair, carding the strands through it, thinking.
if he decides to start walking, she'll fall in step next to him. she'll take comfort in the fact she is here, and even if two years or whatever kind of time separates them, they can still be. them. he is still. him. her best friend, the person she can't see herself without. ]
Do I change my hair that much? [ its said lightly, in a soft sort of tone. like she's trying to make a joke of it. ]
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two years, ten months, or five minutes; fitzsimmons is still fitzsimmons. and maybe they can feel normal for five minutes, under the sun that jemma was so far from, in the quiet of the park. there are others about. a few teenagers having a picnic, lads cruising past on hoverboards, a couple sat close on a bench. not too strange, no, even with the little things that make it off. they walk a stony path deeper into the green (after half a year on maveth and a week in the safehouse, he imagines this marks a pleasant change of scene for jemma). ]
Oh, yeah, [ without missing a beat. his mouth twitches, and his voice lilts. ] but the blonde's actually not that bad on you.
[ he squeezes her hand. definitely bullshit 'cause it wouldn't matter what she did her hair, anyway. she always looks beautiful. ]
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will is alright. they're all alright. she takes another breath as they walk, noticing the distant others moving about the part. she's reminded of their uni days, of the academy, of what she had completely given up on seeing again. the reality of that sits heavily on her chest, before shaking it off - almost literally, by the way her head shakes back and forth. ]
I don't even know what I would do to change it, to be honest. I haven't thought about that in... [ months, she almost says, but the reality of where she's been for those months is too heavy to simply toss out, so jemma swallows. glances back to him. ]
You also look different. This is different. [ she's teasing, her voice a bit lighter, as she reaches up with where their hands are joined to rub the back of her hand against his cheek, along the scruff. when he looks back to her, there's a grin on her face, the link passing through a fond, playful kind of feeling. ] It's not bad.
[ except there is the link, again, betraying just how handsome she might think it is. ] Though I don't know if I took you as a scruff kind of guy.
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no need to be self-conscious with her, not anymore. can't help but take the chance to kiss the back of her hand, quick and sure. ]
Should've seen me a week ago.
[ a huff of air, not quite a laugh. ]
Peggy wasn't having it.
[ on the train, when he'd woken up beside her after another lifetime's worth of unreality. once the worst had passed, she'd taken the time to remind him to clean up his deadbeat professor Look. ]
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and then he kisses the back of her hand, and jemma is the flustered one, feeling the sudden warmth push out across her cheeks to her ears.
( not because she doesn't know he loves her. not because she's not aware he's had these feelings. they were going to dinner, after all. it's just the suddenness of the movement, the ease that he does it at all, and jemma is feeling out of place all over again. )
she swallows it back, though. smiles as she nods, her eyes fall back to the ground as she expects to start walking again, but before she even takes that first step she is pulled to a stop. ] Peggy?