Trip Ryker (silvertongued) wrote in the_dome, @ 2014-01-16 23:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | 04-20-2017, kenzie, kenzie and mannix, mannix |
The Perks of Being Fireproof
Who: Kenzie and Mannix
Where: Kenzie & Lance’s Place
When: Evening
Kenzie slept for most of the day after dozing off on Lance’s lap. She couldn’t remember her dreams, which was a blessing because she was sure they wouldn’t have been pleasant. After Lance made her some dinner, Kenzie wandered out onto her front porch to have a cigarette. She sat down on the front steps and lit up, her eyes watching the fire before releasing her thumb from her lighter and watching it disappear. She wasn’t feeling as groggy or weak as she had that morning, just… tired. Empty, maybe. In a way.
She took a hit off her cigarette, the nicotine tasting like heaven after going without for so long. Her eyes caught movement on the sidewalk, and for a split second, she wondered if it was Skylar, coming to see her. And it was a very small and unwelcome feeling of disappointment when she realized it was Mannix. Kenzie said nothing, but scooted over on the steps just in case he wanted to sit.
While Mannix had found the last week to be exciting, it had also been the most stressful week he’d had in years. Outside the dome, no one he cared about had been in danger. Except Jack, but Jack was always in danger. With Lily missing and people dying left and right, people he’d gotten to know in his free time, it wasn’t quite as fun as it usually was. There was an element of apprehension that hadn’t been there before. He was glad that things had settled down a bit. It gave him a chance to get his bearings straight.
He’d heard about Kenzie at the hospital and decided he should drop by, just to see how she was doing. For some reason, he thought she’d be in bed, recovering. It was good to see her sitting outside, smoking. “Hey,” he said, taking a seat down next to her and searching for a cigarette of his own.
"Hey," she said, leaning forward a bit against her bent knees. Kenzie knew she probably ought to be in bed resting, but it drove her crazy to stay cooped up. Right now, she just wanted to be outside in the fresh air, completely free to go anywhere she wanted, whenever she wanted. "I heard your sister had gone missing," Kenzie said after a moment. "Is she okay now?"
“A bit traumatized, but she’ll be okay,” Mannix said, lighting up his cigarette. He didn’t really know how Lily was doing. They hadn’t talked a lot about it, but he assumed she’d make it through. She was strong, just like the rest of her family. She was a survivor. “How’re you holding up?” He didn’t know the whole story, but he could see the bruises on her neck, which made him sure there were more elsewhere.
Kenzie didn't answer him right away. Instead, she took another drag off her cigarette, wrapping her free arm around her knees and gazing over the darkened street before lifting her chin to exhale the smoke away. Then she looked at him and shrugged one shoulder. "I'm fine." Kenzie wasn't entirely sure what else she was supposed to say. Her lips twitched into a small smile, though the humor didn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe I'm traumatized. I don't really know yet..."
“That would be normal,” he pointed out. “If what you went through didn’t affect you at all, I’d be worried.” Almost getting killed did things to a person, even to someone like him. Maybe it’d give her nightmares, or make her cut everyone off. Or maybe she’d just bottle it up. It was hard to tell, though he could see Kenzie wanting to keep it to herself. They had that in common, a desire not to show weakness. “Did they catch the fucker who took you? Or did you kill ‘em?”
It was more likely that Kenzie was going to try and bottle it up, swallow it down and try to forget it like all the other horrible shit in her past. Facing death not once, but four times in such a short time period was... altering in a way she couldn't really explain. Kenzie looked down at her toes, wiggling them. "I didn't get to kill them, no. But I told the police who they were... sort of. I only knew Bobby's name. He was a vampire," she explained, lifting her cigarettes to her lips again. "The blonde girl they gave me to... I don't know what happened to her." Kenzie's gaze ticked to Mannix. "I'd like them to be dead. But I don't think I'm gonna get to be the one to kill them."
“If I can arrange that, would you want to?” Mannix asked. Some people didn’t want that kind of blood on their hands, but if it were him he’d want to extract his own revenge. He’d want to watch the life drain from their eyes, then spit on their grave. It would take some looking into, but he had the feeling he could find them for her if someone else didn’t get to them first.
Kenzie stared at Mannix for a moment, her expression unreadable before she leaned over to put the rest of her cigarette out on the step beside her foot. "Would you do that for me, if I said yes?" She was aware of the potential consequences that could bring her, but she didn't care. Kenzie had never really viewed the world the way most people did, and if given the opportunity to show Ainsley and Bobby they had fucked with the wrong girl... Kenzie would be stupid not to take it. Hurt them the way they had hurt her and then wash her hands clean of it. Then there was Anne Marie, but she had no idea if Mannix would be able to find her.
“Of course,” Mannix said with a little smile. Odd as their relationship was, Mannix considered Kenzie a friend. He didn’t have many and he wanted to take care of them. Maybe bringing Kenzie her captors to kill was an odd way of showing it, but he knew what it was like to need revenge. He knew she’d feel safer knowing they were dead. It wouldn’t be enough to lock them up. People that were locked up eventually got out. They eventually came for revenge themselves. The dead stayed dead… most of the time. “Just let me know. I’ll probably look for ‘em anyways, since they really shouldn’t be out there, going along like nothing happened.”
She didn't think about it for very long before she nodded. "Okay. If you find them... then yeah. Just don't tell Lance." Honestly, she had no idea if Lance would try to talk her out of it, or offer to help. Her cousin wasn't always that predictable, but she really didn't want him trying to convince her to let Bobby and Ainsley live. Kenzie rested her cheek on her knee, still eying Mannix with mild interest. "I like that you came to see me." And that he was offering to help her enact revenge on the people who had hurt her, but it made her feel less lonely that he had actually come by in the first place to check on her.
“Of course not,” Mannix said, though he wondered if Lance would really have a problem with it. Maybe it wasn’t healthy, seeking out the people who tortured you and enacting your revenge, but it was how he’d always done things. It seemed the right step to take. “Yeah?” he smiled. “I was worried about you. Wanted to see how you’re doing and maybe try to cheer you up. Or even heal you if you need healing.” He wasn’t sure what she’d been through, but if a little blood would make her feel better, then he was offering.
Her smile was dry. "Not many people worry about me." Kenzie wasn't used to anyone other than Lance showing concern for her. She didn't really have any friends, and Skylar was... well, he wasn't there, was he? But Mannix was, and it wasn't such a bad feeling, knowing he had come by to try and cheer her up. She considered his offer, but thought about the blood that Bobby had made her drink when he had bitten her. It had left a bad taste in her mouth for a variety of reasons, and Kenzie didn't really want to be reminded of it by drinking from Mannix. So she shook her head and dropped her gaze to his cigarette briefly. "I'll heal okay on my own. No offense, but I don't think I want anything to do with blood for awhile."
“You seem like the kind of girl who can take care of herself, but anyone would be shaken up after what you’ve been through. I’m here if you need me.” Which was a weird thing for him to offer. Mannix knew he wasn’t the most reliable person, but that was usually because he didn’t try to be. For a handful of people, though, he’d make the effort. “Did he bite you? The vampire?” Mannix asked with a frown. Kenzie wasn’t his, but that didn’t mean he liked the idea of another vampire using her as a chew toy, especially against her will. It just solidified his resolve to find the bastard and let Kenzie kill him.
It was definitely a weird offer to Kenzie as well, but she appreciated it nonetheless, even if she didn't exactly know what to do with it. All Kenzie really knew was that she couldn't dwell on what had happened for too long. It would drive her crazy and it was far too easy for her to get carried away by her frustrations. The best thing to do would be to ignore it completely. At least until she could kill the assholes herself, anyway. "Yeah. Once on the thigh, but I let him do that. Then in his basement, he bit my throat. Pretty sure he was just going to drain me, but then I started moaning," Kenzie explained. Without thinking, she reached for Mannix's cigarette since she had finished her own. Her lips curved into a sardonic smile. "You know, the way I do when you bite me. It confused him, and it made him stop, which had been the whole point. Then his mom came home and he gave me blood to heal me."
“His mom came home,” Mannix said, thinking how crazy that sounded as she took his cigarette from him. Generally when someone’s mom came home and found their son holding a woman hostage in the basement, the response was not to hand the woman off to another crazy. “It’ll be a while before I can do that again,” he said with a little smirk. “Your body needs a chance to replenish the blood. And even then, I’m not sure you’d enjoy it as much.” Not with the memories that Bobby had given her, though maybe Mannix could work to replace those with his own.
Kenzie took a drag off the cigarette while shrugging. "His mom was as crazy as he was," she explained. "They had... what felt like a really fucked up relationship. But whatever." She exhaled and smiled a little at Mannix. "We'll see, though. I enjoy it with you. Usually because you're fucking me when you do it, so it doesn't really hurt." But yeah, it might take some time before Kenzie would want to try again. If Mannix was in desperate need of blood, she might. But she was sure he had other people to feed from for awhile. Kenzie glanced down at the cigarette before lifting a brow. "Want to see a trick?"
“Fucked up people do fucked up things.” He didn’t have to understand why they’d he’d Kenzie captive. That’s they’d done it was reason enough to go after them. “Well, yeah, but I can still do that without biting you,” he smirked. It would be hard, but he was sure he could manage. Mannix had had plenty of blood in the last week and had even been smart enough to draw some extra from his victims, just in case he needed it. “Sure,” he answered, wondering what she had to show him.
Kenzie simply figured that their arrangement worked only if they both got something out of it. Kenzie got sex that wasn't boring or paid for, and Mannix got blood. But if he still wanted to sleep with her for fun, she wouldn't say no to it. Being with Mannix reminded her how much easier it was to keep things casual and without strings or expectations. Kenzie shifted on the step until she was facing him, her knees bent a bit as not to knock into him while she moved. She held his cigarette and lifted her palm so he could see. Then she moved to put the cigarette out in her palm. It didn't burn her, which was still something she was getting used to. She hadn't planned on showing Mannix, but she trusted him and wanted to know what he thought. "I'm, like... fireproof."
Mannix wasn’t sure how he felt about Kenzie, but he knew it was far easier to navigate than how he felt about December. He enjoyed her company, her body, and her blood. Cutting one out of the equation didn’t make the others any less enjoyable. He liked the simplicity of it and that he knew what to expect when it came to her. This stunt, however, was unexpected. “Hey--” Mannix reached out to stop her from burning herself, but quickly realized that wasn’t necessary. The cigarette was touching her skin, but it wasn’t burning her. Confusion and concern flickered in his eyes as he looked from her palm up to her. “Since when?”
It was still surreal to Kenzie, on a multitude of levels, but the more she played with her lighter, brushing her fingers over the flame, or holding it up under her arm or hand, the more intrigued she became. "Since the psycho bitch who took all of us set me on fire. She had been trying to unlock whatever magic I had, and apparently near death triggered... whatever it was. It burned my clothes, but it doesn't hurt me at all. Didn't even singe my hair." Kenzie pulled the cigarette away from her palm and offered it back to Mannix. "I think maybe Clementine and that other girl had the same thing happen to them, but I don't know for sure."
“She set you on fire?” A spark of rage flashed in his eyes at the thought of Kenzie burning. If the bitch had been wrong, that would have surely killed her, or at least put her in the hospital. Mannix knew that he could survive a lot in his state, but he had doubts about surviving that. Taking his cigarette back from her, he took a long drag, hoping to calm himself down. “So it worked. It did something, otherwise you’d have burned to death.” That didn’t mean it was worth it to set her on fire, though. Mannix doubted that he’d have done it to himself, just to get some kind of special power. “Are they fireproof, too?”
Shifting her body back, Kenzie wrapped her arms around her knees again, her brows drawn together, as if the memory itself were painful. She remembered what Lance had told her whatever it was that had kept her from burning was worth it. Then her expression calmed and she looked at Mannix. Kenzie wasn't really capable of explaining how fucking terrifying it was, in those split seconds, to think she could burn alive. "I don't know. I didn't really talk to them. I think maybe I had been in shock or something. I thought about going to talk to them, to see if something strange happened to them too. Their clothes hadn't seemed burned the way mine were when we got rescued, so I don't know what she did to them."
Mannix wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been one of the first to experience something bizarre and hadn’t thought anything would shock him after that. This, though, had him off balance. It wasn’t a bat biting someone or a wolf, but one human setting another on fire to bring about a non-existent power. And how did the girl even know it would work? He couldn’t imagine what would possess someone to go down that road. “So you don’t burn at all?” he asked, pulling out his lighter and lighting it. The flame danced on the end, red and hot and ready to burn.
Kenzie didn’t understand the mindset of a lot of people. But the crazy fucks who played with people’s lives in the way Anne Marie had… they were the worst. And Kenzie hoped she was found. She had always believed in the ‘eye for an eye’ kind of punishment and Anne Marie deserved in three fold. Watching Mannix draw out his lighter, Kenzie couldn’t help the small grin that formed on her lips. Then she slowly shook her head. “Nope. You want to try and burn me?” Now that she knew it wouldn’t hurt her, she wasn’t as terrified of it as she had been with Anne Marie. Maybe embracing it as some kind of weird, but cool power would help her move past what had happened in the past couple of days.
“I just want to see it over an open flame,” he said with a wicked little grin. “You know burning is one of the few things I think will kill me? And you’re invincible to it.” He found it a bit fascinating and wanted to play around with it, see how far she could push it, but he didn’t want to recreate the incident that had triggered it all. Putting her palm over the flame of his lighter was nothing by comparison.
Kenzie couldn't help but laugh a little. She hadn't known fire could kill a vampire. But, it wasn't like Kenzie could conjure up a flame on her own - that she knew of anyway - so she doubted he had anything to worry about. Wanting to humor him, Kenzie reached out to place her hand over the lighter, close enough that the flame spread out against her palm. Then she arched a brow and smiled slyly. "See?"
Mannix didn’t know for sure if fire could kill a vampire, but the sun could, so it was a smart conclusion to draw. He didn’t think he should be setting himself on fire just to find out. Watching her attempt to made him grin, though. “That’s fuckin’ awesome,” he snickered. “Not super useful, unless you want to become a fire danger or something, but cool.”
Kenzie shrugged and drew her hand back. "I don't know. Could be useful someday. It was useful enough to keep me alive. Maybe there's more to it." That was why she wanted to talk to at least Clementine. See if anything weird happened to her too. But she felt mildly pleased that Mannix found it to be awesome, because it kind of was, even if the way she had found out about it hadn't been. "I could be a firefighter," Kenzie said with a laugh. "They can send me in burning houses to save people. I'd be like, a fucking hero."
“That’s useful in my book,” Mannix agreed. If the ability had saved her, then it was good she had it. Burning to death sounded like one of the very worst ways to die. “You should let someone on the squad know, just in case. If there’s anyone you trust.” Mannix didn’t like to go around flaunting his abilities, just in case someone decided that him having them made him a danger. He thought Kenzie should be careful with who she told for the same reason. “You think you can do something else with it?” he asked, picking up on her earlier comment.
Kenzie wasn't sure about telling anyone else. She trusted Lance. And to an extent, Mannix. But anyone else? "I don't know anyone well enough to trust them," she admitted. Brushing her hair back from her cheek, Kenzie shrugged and glanced away. "I don't know if I can or not. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm fireproof in general. If I can do something else with it, I haven't figured it out yet. But maybe there's more to it than this. If there isn't, no big. Not being able to burn myself is still pretty cool."
Mannix nodded and decided that he’d just keep an ear out for fires, just in case. If Kenzie might be needed, he could find her, but if not, then there was no reason to go tell anyone. “Anything that lets you cheat death is a good thing,” he said, stubbing out the remains of his cigarette. “I do wonder if the other girls are, too, but I’ll let you check into that,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’m gonna make the round, make sure everything stays quiet tonight. See you later?”
Kenzie watched Mannix stand up. For a brief moment she nearly asked him to just sit with her for awhile longer, but thought better of it before the question slipped past her lips. Instead she nodded and wrapped her arms around her legs again. "Okay. Thanks for coming over."
“Anytime,” Mannix smiled. “And if you get bored tomorrow, come by and we’ll play cards or something.” He had all day to be trapped inside and would enjoy her company. It would also be a reason for her to get out of the house, which might be good for her. “Stay safe,” he said, giving her a wave before heading off.