InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "WRY!!!!!!"

cordonbleu (cordonbleu) wrote in x_aftermath_x,
@ 2008-08-15 07:46:00

Entry tags:

gert, recon

Who: Gert; tag Recon
When: Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Where: Xavier's; garden (10 am)
What: relationship advice
Status: complete
Rating: PG

Gertrude hated the apocalypse. It was more than just ripping apart families, the zombie-like infected running around and attacking everything, and even the lack of her mail-ordered ingredients; there were too many people. Cabin fever. Wasn't that a movie? Besides that, she missed wandering around fish mongers and ethnic marketplaces and just buying food that looked and smelled fresh. Of course, she was eternally grateful for the combined efforts of Storm and Thorn, but they couldn't grow cheese and wine and bread. Staples!

At least the crops here were truly fresh. There was nothing better than plucking a tomato right off the vine and slicing it up for a sandwich within the hour. Most tomatoes were plucked green and stored in some ethylene gas - not good eats. She never tried watering or picking weeds out here, in the very rare case she saw them, but usually the Green Thumbs didn't mind her gathering what fruit and vegetables would appear in their meals.

With a wide-brimmed hat shielding her from the morning sun, Gert knelt next to a few tomato plants, her knees pressed into the dirt, gloved hands squeezing a vegetable, considering it, before plucking it and placing it in a basket lined with plaid cloth. Leaning back, she wiped a hand across her forehead, admiring the batch she was gathering. Tonight would be delicious. She wouldn't ruin the flavor of these with sauces or side-dishes; vegetarian would be the way to go.

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reconstruct_you
2008-08-19 02:34 pm UTC (link)

If there was one thing everyone, mutant and human alike, could hate - it would be forgetting to turn off your alarm the night before you want to sleep in. Joe knocked a few items off his night stand in an attempt to silence the blaring clock. It wasn’t until he yanked the chord from the wall that he finally could try and go back to sleep. Unfortunately he wasn’t too successful with that endeavor. The morning sun light snuck around the corners of his curtain and the air in his room was warm and muggy, perfect ingredients for sleeplessness. Still sporting the undershirt and dress pants from the night before, Joe sat up and wiped his eyes.

Aside from dying of morning thirst, the first thing on his mind was the night before. The Prom was fun, no doubt; but the doctor’s date seemed to loom over his head like a bad dream. Joe was hoping he could get closer to Gus, but instead they seemed to grow more distant. Being an avid photographer, Gus seemed to have a picture of what he wanted out of life and Joe didn’t see himself in it. It was a harsh realization that left the scientist searching for answers.

Peaking out of his bedroom window, he noticed Gert in the garden. If there was one person in this mansion that understood the search and sanctity of love, it was her. Not giving his appearance a second though, it wasn’t long until Recon’s bare feet were on the sharp blades of grass approaching the cook. His arm was above his face as his eyes weren’t quite adjusted to the sun. It felt hotter than it really was, especially when you’ve been in air conditioning for the past few hours.

“Hey Gert…” he muttered, while trying to look like he was just out for a stroll.

The older woman was probably the easiest person to talk to, but for some reason the usually blunt physician felt apprehension. He stopped a few feet from her.

“Picking some vegetables huh?” Obviously.

-Recon

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cordonbleu
2008-08-20 06:10 pm UTC (link)

Glancing up at the sound of approaching footsteps, the older woman raised the back of her hand to her brow, rubbing at sweat that started to prickle her skin. At the sight of Joe practically mirroring her, she smiled gently. He looked like he just rolled out of someone else's bed. As if she could forget the prom last night; she had to cook for hours to make enough finger food for everyone, let alone the prep time. There was a reason she preferred to work in a restaurant than with a catering company. Gert remembered her first prom, and she bet she looked something like he did then the next morning: hungover; wearing the same clothes... She doesn't remember asking stupid questions though.

"Good morning, Josiah," Gert greeted, returning to select a tomato from the vine. At least he didn't say she was picking fruit - if she had a nickel. Pausing to squeeze one, she inspected it briefly for imperfections before relocating it to her basket. Raising his gaze, she wondered for a moment why he would still be strolling around, until she recognized the uneasy look on his face. Settling back onto the ground, she pulled off her gloves and rested them at the foot of the tomato plants. "Have a nice night with Gus?" She probed, subtly emphasizing the name.

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reconstruct_you
2008-08-21 02:22 pm UTC (link)

“I had fun, it just wasn’t what I expected,” he replied while running his hand over the back of his neck.

If he was going to have a discussion about his love life, or lack there of, he would need to get more comfortable. Sitting Indian-style facing the cook, he plucked blades of grass in front of him and looked down in disappointment.

“I just don’t understand. You know I can diagnoses almost any disease and condition, patch wounds and heal injuries, but when it comes to my life outside of work I can‘t seem to fix anything. First I think I like a guy but then I don’t, then I like a guy that doesn’t end up liking me. I’m beginning to think there is some higher power keeping me from being happy.”

Josiah knew that wasn’t true, in fact he didn’t believe in a higher power at all, but he was grasping for answers anywhere he could.

“Did it take you a long time to find Heather?”

-Recon

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cordonbleu
2008-08-21 06:11 pm UTC (link)

While the doctor settled onto the grass, Gertrude watched silently. She recognized his demeanor from a lot of the other students - adults, rather - who came to her seeking something. Usually they sought confirmation, 'Is this really how it is;' rarely did they actually want her opinion on the subject. When they couldn't talk to anyone else or, as the case commonly was, didn't realize they had the ability within themselves to solve their problems, they came to Gert. It gave her something to do.

As the man spoke, she watched, read his expressions, noticed his eyes diverted, his awkward fingers busying themselves. Words are trivial. People often don't mean what they say or say what they mean. They dance around a subject, using 'politically correct' terms and slang (that Gert usually didn't pick up on). But actions are usually accurate; especially when people solely focus on their words, actions are forgotten.

At his question, her head tilted slightly. "What makes you think I found her?" Taylor asked gently, a smile tugging at the side of her lips. She was never the one to actively search for love; she was under the mindset that if she prepared herself, love would come. The only thing one had to worry about was whether or not they are ready for that love. From her experience, most people aren't ready when love is.

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reconstruct_you
2008-08-22 02:47 am UTC (link)

“Well when she came in to your life I mean,” he replied while batting a gnat away from his ear.

Call it a missing puzzle piece, a glass half full, or whatever phrase people use to describe that empty feeling from being alone. Josiah didn’t require dependence or security, he just longed for companionship - not the kind you get from your mother or a puppy, the kind that made you feel whole. The kind of deep complacency that only a lover could bring you.

“I guess I’m asking because I wonder if people aren’t meant to come into our lives until we’re ready. Like there’s some force that drives individuals to each other at certain times.”

It was a habit for Joe to assess life’s mysteries with the scientific method. Being an atheist, he often would look to science to answer the big cosmic questions. After he presented his theory, he looked up to the older woman in hopes she wouldn’t make fun of him for his unordinary outlook.

-Recon

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cordonbleu
2008-08-24 02:06 am UTC (link)

And there it was. All she really had to do was ask a question; she hoped that all Joe had to do was answer it aloud. Sometimes, she can't understand how Xavier expects these children to grow up fighting and training and killing and be able to lead completely normal adult lives later. Yet, here was Joe, trying to figure out love just like most other people do, and Gert could only try to help him - any of them, all of them. They needed it, even if most of them didn't like to admit it. God, all these kids were so strong.

Leaning forward, Gert placed her hand gently on Joe's. "When you're ready, he'll come," she predicted, nodding. There were mutants around here who could tell the future, but this woman was not among them. Her predictions were based solely in experience, observation, and mostly hope. "And you'll know."

Leaning back, she smiled and continued, "Until then, get a hobby," with a laugh. "Maybe one that involves the outdoors. You look pale." Tired and thin, too. Her gaze drifting back to the tomato plants, she took a particularly juicy looking one, plucked it, and raised it to him. "Have you eaten this morning? A BLT might hit the spot."

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reconstruct_you
2008-08-25 03:26 pm UTC (link)

Gertrude seemed to give the best advice without actually ever giving it. The bubble of wisdom that surrounded her seemed to help people leap over their life's hurdles no matter what the situation. She was like family and seeing as how many students came from broken homes, she was the closest thing to a mother for some.

Joe snickered at the skin remark and lifted his arms into the sunlight.

"A few months in the lab will do that to ya, I look like a vampire."

He stood up from the lawn and brushed off his pants.

"I'm sure I'll find him sometime, I guess I'm just impatient. But, I'm glad I have people like you around to pick me up along the way," he said with a grateful smile.

"A BLT sounds great, make it two though. Will is probably still passed out in my room and I'm sure he'll be hungry when he wakes up."

-Recon

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cordonbleu
2008-08-30 04:30 pm UTC (link)

Raising an eyebrow, she listened to Joe’s offer of gratitude and smiled. Few of the students ever thanked her, but as they grew and needed her less and less, it seemed as if they appreciated her more and more. “It’s what I’m here for, dear,” she replied, moving her head slightly to cast a shadow over her eyes. The quickest way to a person’s heart was through their stomachs, and Gertrude captured their stomachs a long time ago.

Nodding, she placed the tomato into her basket, saying, “I planned for most of the prom-goers to wake up late.” Later, rather, than when they normally drag themselves out of bed. Inspecting her basket, she concluded she had gathered enough vegetables for the variety of brunches hungry hormonal adults would need. “I’ll probably have a dozen sandwiches in a half an hour,” she said, mostly to herself, before taking the basket and rising. Her knees had left an indentation in the dirt. “I’ll set aside yours and Will’s so they don’t get snatched up,” she promised with a wink, adding, “You know where I’ll be,” if he still needs help, before touching his arm gently and beginning to walk back to the mansion.

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