Her heart was racing and her mind was trying to put together everything that she’d seen during the course of the day. She really didn’t think she could take any more of the creepy clown she’d been seeing during the day.
She was walking past Stone when she saw it again, this time she darted around the corner of the restaurant and kept her eyes peeled if it really was following she was going to see it again if she stayed where she was right? Right.
Body tense and eyes darting around she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her at first until they were a lot closer, spinning around she let out a shocked scream.
In no time at all Shamara would be going on a mission back in time. It shouldn't be that strange considering the nature of Atlantis and yet she found herself even more worried about botching the timelines than she was ever since she had found herself sent back to a time where she didn't even exist yet. Things seemed to be going alright so far, but now not only was she going to go further back and assure something vital happened for the good of the war effort, she was also going to have to brave her own sister's kidnapping without moving a finger to help free her.
It drove her to preemptive stress-eating, which was why she had dropped off her mission go-bag at the base and gone to the restaurant area of town in search of something sweet and comforting. Her mind wholly elsewhere, Shamara did not pay much attention to the distinctly terrified feeling coming from the woman in front of her until she screamed. It lead Shamara to hold out both arms and hop back a few steps.
"Whoa whoa! What's wrong?"
Putting a hand over her heart, Charlie’s breathing was fast as she worked hard to try and slow it down. Shamara wasn’t a clown and she didn’t really like she was the sort to try and attack her with a clown either.
Pointing in a few different places she opened her mouth to speak but had to get a little more air in before she could get words out.
“There is a clown, really creepy, and it,” she looked around. “I swear it’s following me.”
Narrowing her eyes, Shamara looked to where Charlie pointed and saw nothing like what she had described, which wasn't surprising. A grimace of sympathy came over Shamara's features.
"Hmm I think this might be one of those Atlantis things, you know? A really creepy one, this time around. Do you want me to confirm if anyone else is seeing a clown too?"
Charlie probably should have thought about it being an Atlantis thing but she really wasn’t so sure about it. “I guess it could be,” she looked around nervously. “But if this is an Atlantis thing, this one is really messed up.” Charlie frowned.
“Yeah, I guess that’d probably be the best thing to do to start,” she admitted. “Probably should have thought about that, yeah?”
"Hey, clowns can be pretty scary, I won't fault you for not thinking completely straight if you keep seeing one everywhere you look." Shamara replied with a smile, though it was short lived as she too started looking around waringly. She took out her phone and checked the network. "I'll keep an eye on the network. Come on, let's get you some tea maybe, you can have a seat and settle down a little bit, okay?"
“I’d hold the pretty in that!” Charlie said shaking her head out of being uncomfortable.
“And it’s watching me, not just happens to be there sort of thing, it’s like it’s stalking me,” she shivered slightly at the thought of it. She nodded. “Yeah, alright, a little tea couldn’t hurt,” she wasn’t sure it would really help but she figured it was better to be around someone rather than not.
An involuntary shiver travelled down Shamara’s spine at Charlie’s description and she reflexively looked around as if expecting to find the clown herself. “I love my home, but sometimes I really wish it would step back a little on the wacky hijinks.” She grumbled, putting a comforting arm loosely around Charlie’s shoulders. She rubbed her arm and walked them to the nearest place they could get tea from.
“Was going up here like this? All the strange odd things happening?” Charlie asked smiling at the warm gesture of calming her down. She let Shamara lead the way, her eyes travelling behind her a few times waiting to see if she’d see the clown again, she felt the chill run through her as she could have sworn she saw it gain.
Shamara smiled warmly, nodding. “Yeah it was. Even after the war things never really stopped being weird here. I think we’d have missed it if they had.”
Ordering a chamomile tea for them both, and a cookie to go with it, Shamara waved at the waiter before turning back to Charlie. “Where are you from, originally?”
“If they get rid of the clowns, the rest is good!” She agreed. She didn’t add the thought of anything creepy, but she figured that was just a given.
“London, or well, I guess you mean world. Harry Potter, which I still think is weird naming a person for a whole world.” She still found that weird but it was mostly a feeling of there was so much outside of Harry’s part of the world.
“Well, I can’t promise there will never be clowns here again, but not all the time.” Shamara promised, smiling. She nodded when Charlie explained where she was from. “Oh, yeah! Well I guess he was the main character in the books, but I can see why that’d be weird for everyone else. I like your world; the magic, the creatures… do you miss it?”
Charlie laughed. “This is the first one I’ve seen since being here, really hoping it is the last,” she really did. It was weird that it was all based on Harry, but she guess she got it too, but she wasn’t going to fully admit that. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “I suppose it’s easier for me here with one of my sisters and my best mate.” Charlie also tended to be fine wherever she landed. “It’s going to sound weird, but I miss the crisp feeling of the morning right before the rain starts and the streets have this vibrant energy to them ready for the day.”
Shamara’s smile turned a slight shade of sad when Charlie mentioned her best friend. Shamara missed hers every day. “Yeah my sister’s here too, that makes it easier. I miss my friends though. The ones I grew up with.”
She looked around. “So, it smells differently here? I guess I can’t tell, I’ve always smelled the electricity in the air before a rainstorm here.”
The waiter came with their tea, extras and cookies, at last, and Shamara thanked them with a smile and proceeded to pour the water for them both. “Okay this will put you to rights. If nothing else, the cookie will.”
“You can smell the electricity in the air?” Charlie asked blinking a little bit, she’d never really thought about smelling it in the air as a regular thing, sure when something blew up or there was a lot and her hair started to stand up.
“I hope so,” she smiled picking up a cookie and taking a bite.
“Not really, more like I can smell when it’s going to rain, it all kind of changes, doesn’t it? I assumed it had to do with electricity or electromagnetism or something. But I can sort of feel the electricity when a storm’s brewing. Probably a Jedi thing.” Shamara shrugged. “You feel the changes.”
She took a sip of her tea, smiling over at what she hoped was a new friend.
“Huh, well, that makes it good to know when to grab an umbrella or a raincoat!” Charlie offered with a smile. She did find all the different kinds of things that people could feel here very interesting.
It was just really good to know that people were helpful.