S1E1: Life On Mars When: Monday, August 12th, 2013 @ 11:32am. Characters: Grasp, Mars, Zap. Location: Westchester, New Salem, New York. Subject: Should've gave you all my hours... Rating: R.
"Keep the change..." Ronan told the SHIELD driver that was so kind as to drop him off in New Salem. Of course, he didn't pay the man, he didn't even like the man - but making the agent feel about as important as a taxi driver? Now that was Ronan's style. When Mars stood from the car, he couldn't help but notice that the little burg he'd spent so much of his teenage years in had grown... considerably in four years. Even while he adjusted his duffel bag over his back, his eyes had to be averted from the near-noon sunlight reflecting off the glass encased office building that he didn't remember. The black SHIELD car pulled away from the curb and Ronan smiled. "Good riddance." Mars had escaped on Thursday, and the fact that he was just getting back to Westchester on Monday was all SHIELD's doing. Granted, they did do him a solid by picking his sorry ass up, but the debriefings had been a little too much like his incarceration for his liking. But Nick had been happy enough to see him, and at least pretended to listen to his rantings about a crazed doctor coming to New York to cause havoc. And, God help him, Ronan even believed he was going to look into it - but surprise, surprise; the world had kind of gone to hell. Terrorists, aliens, demigods, registration and sentinels. In fact, Mars would have been down right panicky if Fury hadn't told him that Zap and his brothers were doing fine. Though, the super-spy was oddly curt about much else. But Fury holding information so tightly between his cheeks that might some day might form diamonds wasn't anything new. "He'd bedazzle his eye patch." Ronan thought out loud while he strolled down the New Salem business district, hands in his pockets and a spring in his step. He was back, free from Sinister and SHIELD... and if felt great. The only thing that was going to feel better was the moment he stepped out of the actual cab to see his beloved. Which reminded him, he wondered if that same flower shop was still around somewhere?
He smirked while he walked, and kept a healthy distant from all the other people out on this very fall-like summer day. Even though the Irishman looked the part, honestly, he was still having a hard time not flying off the handle. White-knuckling couldn't have begun to cover it. But just like a caffeine-pill-addicted-trucker Mars would hold it together until he reached his destination. Once he saw her again, once he held her... he could start to decompress, he could start to examine what was left of the Mars she'd known.
He didn't find the flower shop, but he did pass a restaurant he didn't recognize. And something about it triggered... "Deja Vu." Someone opened a fondue restaurant in New Salem, and the jackass called it Deja Vu. Wait. Kiernan always wanted to own a restaurant in New Salem. Grasp was a jackass. Ronan's eyes widened, it wasn't much to go on, but Ronan had a gut feeling. His telepathy was all but shut down - four years of constantly keeping your barriers up made it hurt to suddenly just keep the gates down all the time. So Ronan had to actively search with his mutation to find if any mutants were around. "Bingo." Extremely powerful telepath... Mars headed for the door with renewed purpose and pulled the swinging glass door open with vigor. It was dark, or at least mood-lit, but his eyes adjusted quickly to the girl standing at the hostess desk.
"I'm sorry, sir. We actually aren't open until four today, but you can make a reservation..."
Regardless of politeness, Ronan had ignored the woman and was already looking past her into the hallway beyond. If Ronan had in fact tapped Kiernan, his older brother should have been just as aware of it as he was. Ronan was a bit shocked at his own behavior, he was almost shaking with... fuck all, joy? He wasn't sure, but he was damn sure he needed a stiff drink before he saw Zap if this was going to be his reaction to Kiernan. But when Ronan started to pass the threshold beyond hostess desk, he noticed the brunette take a step out to block him.
"Excuse me, sir. I said-"
"By God, I heard ya woman!" Ronan blurted out, while he stopped his forward progression. Most of the color had left his face, not from the confrontation itself - but just how close the Irishman had come to throwing the hostess to the ground. Civilized society, Ronan... keep it together, he repeated the mantra in his head and took a long deep breath in. "I don't need a reservation, I need to see my brother." She just stared at him, of course she just stared at him, so Ronan clarified. "Kiernan Murphy. Is Kiernan Murphy here?" Ronan asked, a bit more politely. "He's my older brother..." For a moment, Mars felt like he was getting a wee bit emotional. For a moment he was, and if this hostess ever mentioned the slight bit of moisture she might have noticed in his eyes, for just a second, she'd be seating people at the local TGI Fridays; a fate worse than death.