Katrina "Kat" Cole (katastrophe) wrote in btvsal, @ 2009-09-16 21:23:00 |
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Current location: | Kat's house |
Current mood: | frustrated |
Entry tags: | place: la, ~harrison barnes, ~katrina cole |
Blind Leading The Blind
Who: Kat and Harrison
Where: Kat's house
When: Wednesday afternoon
Kat still wasn't so sure about this whole Slayer thing. Even more importantly, she wasn't sure about the whole Watcher thing. If you asked her, she still thought it sounded pretty creepy, although meeting that girl Nica had put things into a little better perspective. Hey, if these dudes all played with crossbows, maybe they weren't so bad. Despite that, when Mr. Giles had called to let her know he was setting up a meeting for her and the Watcher she'd been assigned to, she'd thought about backing out. She'd wanted to - she'd really, really wanted to, but then she'd remembered the look on his face as he'd laid that guilt trip on her and she imagined she could hear her mother's voice telling her that she was a strong girl meant for great things, and she'd clenched her teeth and agreed. Her one request was that they could meet at her house. At least that way she knew her brother would be around somewhere. Going over to Mr. Giles' house on her own - although he'd been perfectly nice in retrospect - had still set off her Stranger-Danger radar and God only knew what kind of person they'd stuck her with for this training thing. It was after school and she was in the back yard behind the house. Their neighborhood was like a study in conformity. It was nice enough and clean, but every house looked the same, had the same green lawns, the same neat wooden fences that offered just a touch of privacy, the same two-car garages. It was all mind-numbingly perfect. She took a little bit of pleasure in cranking up the volume on her CD player and letting the heavy hip-hop beats (and somewhat mild obscenities) of Ice Cube's "You Can Do It" echo from yard to yard around the house. Dressed in a faded blue and white sleeveless gym t-shirt from her school back in Texas and a pair of too-short matching gym shorts, she'd pulled her dark hair up in a ponytail and was running through what she remembered of one of her old cheer dance routines. She didn't admit it usually, but she really missed being on the team. Well...she missed a lot about being in Texas.
He could already sense some resentment coming from the house as he walked up to it. Harrison Barnes paused on the porch, smoothing down a slightly rumbled suit jacket. Last night had been rough and he hardly gotten enough sleep that he ended up falling asleep at the office today. It didn't matter too much, business was kind of slow when it came to tarot readings. He'd woken up, oh. . .about an hour ago? The new Watcher rang the bell.
Kat had just finished a double back handspring back tuck when she looked up to see her brother standing in the open frame of the back sliding doors with another man. Well, from this distance, he didn't look QUITE as old as Mr. Giles. "Yeah, I got this," she nodded to her brother as she grabbed the remote and turned the volume on the stereo down a couple of decibels. "You the Watcher?" she asked as she strode forward. "No tweed," she said, motioning to his suit. "Couldn't tell for sure."
"Uh. . ." He glanced down to his attire, picking at it slightly, "Pardon me?" It then dawned on him that she was referring to Rupert's typical fashion style. Harrison chuckled, "Oh, right. . .no tweed." He cleared his throat and held out his hand, "Harrison Barnes."
She looked at him, her expression somewhat...dubious. "Oooookay." She shook his hand, though the action was straight-armed and stilted. Purposefully. "Kat. But I guess you probably already know that." Pulling her hand away, she crossed her arms beneath her chest and cocked her hip as she continued to look him over. "So what happens now?"
Harrison glanced around the teenager's yard after shaking her hand. He mentally sighed; She was definitely going to be a tough nut to crack and this was the moment he'd been dreading because. . .he had honestly no idea how to proceed. The psychic mentally debated with himself whether or not to actually admit this to Kat or not. Eventually, truth won out and rightfully so. He wanted an honest, trustworthy relationship between the two of them. He indicated that she should have a seat, taking one himself. Harrison had brought a briefcase with him and he smiled ruefully at the girl, "Honestly? I have no idea."
Kat remained standing, stubborn even at the best of times, but when he took a seat at the small table on the patio, she finally joined him. Her gaze moved to the briefcase and then back to him. "Great. You're not going to try to sell me life insurance now, are you? 'Cause, really? Fifteen, dude. I don't even have a job."
He glanced to the briefcase and chuckled, shaking his head, "Oh, no. I don't have that kind of job." Harrison shifted in his seat, "I'm sorry, I came here straight after work." He gestured to it, picking it up, "I have some notes in here as well as a book I think you should read." The psychic pulled them out, it was a single sheet of lined notebook paper and a book on hand-to-hand techniques. He held them out to her, a small smile on his face.
She took what he handed over. "Awesome. More homework." Setting the paper aside, she started flipping through the book. "So...what's the deal? This some kind of Matrix thing? I read about the technique and I'll somehow just be able to do it?"
Harrison's lips twitched into a small grin, "I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that. I mean. . ." He leaned a bit to the side, "I don't see a plug at the base of your skull." Was that a joke? Perhaps Hell just froze over. . .
Was he making jokes? At least he wasn't completely lame. "All right. So I guess I read this...." The way she set the book down implied she wasn't likely to read anything. Geez, she could barely make it through her real homework. "And then, what, you teach me how to fight? Kill...things?"
"So I'm told." A quick smile at this as he was still iffy on that. Harrison was not a violent man by nature and the only thing that spurred him into action at all, was his little surprise visit from Frost many months ago. But that had been, in his eyes, understandable. He didn't think he would've been human if he hadn't had the reaction he did upon seeing her.
"Crap." With a heavy sigh, Kat rocked back on the legs of her chair. "You weren't joking when you said you had no idea what happens now, were you?" She was hoping maybe he'd meant because she was so new. Not because he was so new. Mr. Giles had said he might assign her to one of the reject Watchers who hadn't gone off to fight in a blaze of glory. Okay, maybe those hadn't been his exact words. Still. The blind leading the blind wasn't exactly what she needed to instill any kind of faith in this whole...noble cause thing. Wasn't this guy's fault, though.
Harrison sighed, "Look, Katrina, I can tell that you're not pleased with this. Considering the situation, I'm not surprised." Another small smile appeared on his lips, "But, I'm learning about all this just like you are. We'll see what works and what doesn't and. . .I think if we're honest with each other, things will work out."
Her dark eyes still held that hint of skepticism. "You're not going to make us hold hands and sing Kumbaya, right?"
The psychic actually laughed at her joke, shaking his head, "Um. . .that would be a emphatic no." Harrison smiled and chuckled again.
His laughter almost made her smile - but she caught herself. No falling for the let's-be-pals routine, nuh uh. "So...honesty time then? You know why I'm doing this. Can't really say I had a choice in the matter. What about you? Why are you involved with these...Watchers? Whatever they are. Part karate instructor, part guidance counselor."
"It's. . ." He thought back on what Megan had said, "It's something I need to do and someone said I'd make a good Watcher." Harrison shrugged, "So. . .here I am."
Kat blinked. She was a teenager. Deflecting intrusive questions was kind of what she did. "You realize that didn't answer the question at all, right? I mean, I'm just saying. Pointing it out. You're the one on the whole honesty kick." She mumbled the last part and let her chair drop back down to all four legs.
Harrison stared back at her and yes, did a short reading of the new Slayer. He got the feeling she didn't like he was being evasive and that was on him. Ever since Heather and Emily had died, he'd turned into an evasive introvert. It was hard admitting that he lost the two most important people in his life. He looked at her and suddenly flashed another small, sad smile. "Katrina," Harrison started, not using her nickname until invited or he'd earned it, "We both have our baggage. I. . .I don't want to burden you with mine."
She wrinkled her nose when he called her Katrina, but she didn't correct him. "All right. So basically the honesty thing was a crock then. You'll keep your baggage, I'll keep mine, and we'll just focus on you teaching me how to stab monsters in the chest with pointy wooden sticks, yes?" It was cool. She wasn't looking for open-up-and-share time anyway. That wasn't what this was about. Not that she really knew what this was about...other than turning her into some kind of killing machine. God. This really was what her life had become. Having him here...it all just made it real. Standing up, she crossed her arms over her chest again, her ponytail bouncing as she moved. "So is that all for today?"
Harrison sighed, standing as well. He closed his briefcase, mentally scolding himself for making a "great" first impression on the girl. The psychic nodded, fiddling with the lock on the case, "Yes, um. . .if you have questions, there are a couple numbers you can reach me at as well addresses." Tapping the briefcase and nodding, he said, "I'll. . .see you day after tomorrow. Would you like to meet here or the Sugar Shack?"
"Doesn't matter." She was already walking back toward the stereo to crank it up again. "I'll meet you at the Sugar Shack," Kat said over the music, changing her mind. She wasn't sure what else they could accomplish here. Sit around and read books about fighting, maybe. Stare at each other. She'd got the weirdest sensation when he was looking at her earlier. Not the creepy kind like he was some dirty old man trying to imagine her without any clothes on, but...different. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still there.
He was already at the doorwall, talking with Kat's brother, shaking his hand. They stood there, chatting for a moment longer until Harrison glanced over at Kat and waved, taking his leave of the house.