InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "NERF THIS!"

Noah (sweven) wrote in genome_project,
@ 2012-05-07 18:55:00

Entry tags:

cait baines, may 2012, noah riley, prompt table 1

Who: Cate Abernathy & Noah Riley
What: Running into each other
Where: corner grocer, East New York, Brooklyn
When: May 7th, 2047
Rating: TBD

It was Monday evening and the sun was still shining. The sidewalks were flooded with people, coming home from work, going to work, basking in the rare vitamin D, and asking for change. Noah held Evie on his left hip and had Ruby tagging along to his right, a tiny hand wrapped around her father's belt loop, so she wouldn't be swept away in the current of bodies. They wove expertly through the crowds and slipped into the dark, unnamed grocery store they frequented. The shelves were only about shoulder height, but the shop was big enough to have a relatively wide selection of goods - and the cashiers knew the girls, and would let them help bag. And it was usually empty of other people - a blessed thing in this city.

Ruby, her hair cut sharp at the chin, skipped ahead in the tutu and Batman shirt she'd dressed herself in this morning before school. Noah set Evie down, so she could follow her sister toward the milk aisle. He adjusted his tinted glasses and checked his pockets quickly to make sure he'd brought along his cigarettes and wallet. The hard squares he felt through his work pants told him he had. - He'd just gotten off work and had relieved Laney of the girls, so she could get ready to head in for her nightshift. He didn't mind. He liked taking them shopping. They did most of the work.

"Don't forget the macaroni, Rube," he reminded his daughter, raising his voice over the short shelves, where he saw her little head bouncing by.

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sweven
2012-05-13 06:41 pm UTC (link)

As Cait's eyes landed on his wedding band, Noah followed her gaze. He grinned all the more. He ran his fingers through Evie's unruly, dirty blond hair. She looked much more like Laney than she did him. She was much sweeter than the pair of them combined, however. At least for now. Ruby, on the other hand, was much more his daughter in looks and demeanor - aside from the whole tutu obsession thing. "Eve," Noah turned to his daughter, nudging his shoulder so she lifted her head. She looked up at him. "Tell her my name."

Putting a finger in her mouth, she turned her eyes to Cait. She thought about it. She did. But, in the end, she hid her face again, unable to do it. Noah sighed at her disapprovingly and plucked the cigarette from her grasp. He was slightly surprised that the woman's memory hadn't yet been jogged. But, then again, not everyone was quite as sharp as he was. (He laughed at himself when he thought this.) "I'll give you a hint, then."

Ruby flew around the corner before her father could continue. She gazed up at the redheaded woman in the fancy clothes. "Um," she began as if this lady was slow. "His name is Noah."

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dysphagia
2012-05-14 06:54 pm UTC (link)

A smile snaked it's way across Cate's features. Noah. What a turn of events this was. Here the man she'd been terrified at the prospect of being her child's father, was standing with his own children, clearly being a parent. And not sucking at it. How odd.

"Noah, huh? Well, it looks like I do know you, then." She looked down at the little girl who, now that she thought about it, looked uncannily like Noah, and nodded. "Thank you. And what's your name?" She wanted to ask who their mother was, but decided it wasn't her business. Of course, the girl she used to be would ask anyways, but it showed how much she'd changed to keep her mouth shut.

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sweven
2012-05-14 07:14 pm UTC (link)

There was a smile Noah knew. He put a hand on Ruby's head and nodded, to confirm that he was, in fact, who the six year old said he was. She beamed up at him, proud of herself for knowing his name. She looked back at the lady and put her hands on her skinny hips. Still proud, Ruby pointed at herself with her thumb and smiled smugly. "I'm Ruby Roberta Riley."

"I don't think she meant your whole name, Rube," Noah informed his daughter, who stuck her tongue out at him as a response. He just gave her a shrug. Next time, if he wasn't holding Evie, he'd grab that little pink tongue. Then she'd learn to keep it in her mouth. As it was, the girl giggled and scampered off to, Noah assumed, fetch up the aforementioned macaroni. In his usual deadpan manner, he spoke to Cait: "Ah, so I've not been completely forgotten. Well, that's comforting. It was keeping me up at night."

He laughed. (And so did Evie.)

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dysphagia
2012-05-15 05:07 am UTC (link)

"Nice to meet you, Ruby Roberta Riley. I'm Catherine Teresa Abernathy." And then the girl was scampering off again. Of course, it didn't bother Cate much. She might have worked at a school but she did not care for children. Especially not children that weren't hers. Hell, she didn't even care for children that were hers.

She straightened up. "Am I supposed to apologize for that?" She asked innocently. "I had no idea, obviously, how much I affected your sleep." Cate blinked a few times. "I always thought you slept better than the rest of us." She was, of course, referencing his power.

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sweven
2012-05-15 05:29 am UTC (link)

Abernathy? Noah pretended not to notice the change in name. He assumed she was married now, although no ring shined (shone?) from her finger. He just smiled. "Fucking with other people's heads is much more taxing than some think," he said in response. Of course, in reality, Noah slept fine. He hadn't thought about Cait in.. who knows how long. He just liked to act like a dick - and see how people reacted.

She didn't seem to have changed much, though. (Noah couldn't actually judge, given the length of their interaction had been about five minutes at this point.) Not only had her appearance remained constant, so, it appeared, had her personality. Very interesting.

Vaguely, Noah wondered what had happened in Cait's life for her to have not changed - and for her to be in the City. He felt that he was quite different from the Noah that lived on Frye Island. Yes, there were parts of him (like the part that liked bullshitting other people) that were still there, same as ever, but - he felt different. Perhaps Cait felt different too. Maybe he was more like her than he thought. Shifting his daughter on his hip, Noah bit his lip (he had trouble when he couldn't have a cigarette to quell his oral fixation).

"Are you married too, then?"

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dysphagia
2012-05-16 04:46 am UTC (link)

Cate nodded as if she understood. She did, sure, but not in the same way. With her new power, she still got to mess with people's free will and in turn, their heads. But it wasn't sleep or dreams or anything like that. "Whatever you say, Noah. I'll have to take your word for it." Her power change was still a secret.

At his question, she raised her eyebrows. It was a common question for those she knew in her past. They weren't used to people changing their last name for any other reason. "Nope. Not married. Not even seeing anyone. I don't have time for it."

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sweven
2012-05-16 05:03 am UTC (link)

Even more interesting. Noah looked at Evie in mock surprise, then back at Cait. "I can't imagine they'd keep you chained to your desk at this school you work at, but, then again, maybe it's a private school." He shrugged, still smiling.

Noah was endlessly amused by everything around him - that much hadn't changed in the nine or so years it had been since he'd left the island. "Or do you mean you've no time, because you're busy prolonging your youth?"

He didn't mean it as a jab. More like a joke. But his humor, as dry as it was, tended to confuse those around him.

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dysphagia
2012-05-30 03:51 am UTC (link)

Cate glared at him. Boy, she was slowly remembering how much she didn't miss his jokes. "I have no time because I'm still moving into my new apartment, actually. I didn't feel like paying someone to move everything and unpack it, so I'm doing it myself. Not that it's necessarily any of your business. Nor is my personal life, but I understand I volunteered the information and probably instigated your little...whatever it was." She glanced at the child in his arms.

"Your daddy is very outspoken, isn't he?"

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sweven
2012-05-30 04:10 am UTC (link)

Noah nodded, as if to say, 'of course, of course. My bad.' He hitched Evie up, getting a firmer grasp on her as she wriggled in his arms. He smiled at Cait's utterly unimpressed expression. More sincere this time, he offered a shrug. "If you need help, it is part of what I do for a living."

Evie looked levelly at Cait, before deciding to be bashful again. She hid her face, but still responded, her words muffled against Noah's shirt. "We have to be ind...-"

Ruby, as she meandered by with a box of macaroni, spoke knowingly and sagely: "Independent."

Looking from one girl to the other, Noah gave them a look. "Those aren't necessarily the same thing. But, it's true. Independence is important. And, if I recall correctly, you're just as outspoken. Certainly it's not a bad thing." He raised his eyebrows at Cait.

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dysphagia
2012-06-02 06:01 pm UTC (link)

Cate stifled a small laugh. For as asshole-ish as Noah was, his children seemed to be extremely well educated. Or, at the very least, very knowing and worldly. She'd been to her fair share of elementary schools for work and none of the children were like this. She was quite impressed, really. But she'd never say that. Not to Noah, and not in front of the girls. "You're right," she said instead, addressing Ruby. "It's very important to be independent." She smiled warmly and then turned her attention back up.

"You're right. I am. And it's not." Most people commended her for her honesty, though there were a select few who thought she was just genuinely a bitch. And she was, sort of. But oh well. "Who's your wife, then? She from the island?" She moved her fingers back and forth between the children. "Do they...?"

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sweven
2012-06-03 05:39 pm UTC (link)

Although Ruby and Evie were destined to be public school attendees, - or perhaps because - Noah felt it was important to firmly impart ideas on them, and spent a good deal of time home from work doing just that. Just like with anything else, he had very strong opinions on the subject. His children, he'd decided long ago, were not going to become the shallow, airheaded adults like so many others. This took a light hand, however. They kids needed to be free to pursue the things they wanted to, while being kept in check. It was something that came surprisingly easy to Noah, who, before his own children, had thought of most kids as obnoxious, bratty monsters.

But, things change. And people.

Ruby smiled happily at Cait in response to the praise. "Yes." She nodded again, adjusting her tutu from where it'd begun to tilt. She then handed her father the macaroni and moved down the cereal aisle to the right. Noah looked at the macaroni - it was shaped like aliens and UFOs - and passed it off to his youngest daughter. She held it to her chest. "I don't know if you'd know her," he replied after a brief pause, turning his gaze from Evie to Cait. "She's from Frye, though. Laney Evans. Natalie's sister, actually." Ruby walked back with some oatmeal. She knew it was Robin's favorite and was proud of herself for being thoughtful. She smiled, then watched the adults interacting with curiosity. Her eyes followed the woman's fingers. Noah gave a half-nod, half-shrug. "We think so. It'd be a miracle if they didn't. But nothing's manifested. So long as neither are telepathic, it'll be fine."

Noah didn't mention that he and Laney had their doubts when it came to Robin, who seemed the most ordinary of children. He was a smart kid, introverted and more interested in science than any nine-year-old should be, but, that was where it ended.

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