[Thread] The Agenda Characters: Betsy Braddock & Doug Ramsey. Where: Columbia University. What: Doug and Betsy are staying busy. When: Day 17. {BACKDATED!} Rating: Low.
Staying busy was how Doug was keeping himself sane, so to speak. He couldn’t dwell on the disappearance of possibly the two most important people to him in this place. If he didn’t spend every second doing something - anything, he would find himself eaten by the guilt over what happened to Kitty and Rahne. It wasn’t his fault; he knew that, of course. But it wasn’t enough to make him stop feeling useless. He couldn’t even help with the search; he was just a dead weight.
A dead weight that was currently carrying an armful of books and maps and skittering across the campus like one of the bugs. His current project (one of his many current projects) was to continue what Kitty had started. She was marking where everyone was staying so newcomers could easily locate a place to stay, as well as escape routes and evacuation plan. Important matters to visit, without a doubt, and he thought the group would agree.
He was planning to lay out his proposal over the network so everyone could get their input, but spying Betsy ahead of him changed his course of action. If there was anyone’s input who would be valued, it would be Betsy’s. She’d been helping to shape the camp more than most people. If she approved of what he had in mind, he was sure many others would follow.
Picking up his pace a little, he tried to catch her attention without being rude about it. “Hi - hi, Betsy? I’m sorry to bother you. Do you have a moment? I’ve a couple of things I wanted to bring up to you. It’s not urgent, I mean, it can absolutely wait. I know how busy you are with… everything. I can come back? When you aren’t occupied?”
Much like Doug, Betsy was hardly ever not moving. If she was still, it was only physically and typically in the morning when she meditated. Now that she planned on searching for people's’ psyches that were available to be found each and every morning, she had a feeling her mediation runs would go a wee bit longer. Especially with the amount of people who had disappearing recently.
She had just recently finished a training session with Talia Wagner. The girl was clearly previously trained with swords - dual wielding, in fact - and Betsy had thoroughly enjoyed their session. Soon the real training would begin, where those in the camp who needed it would receive instruction in offensive and defensive battle training of various sorts, and she was just adding a few more names to the trainer list on her device when she sensed Doug’s presence coming closer.
Though she didn’t turn when he first spoke up, Betsy had been very aware that he was coming and she couldn’t fight the small smile that curved up the corners of her lips at how he spoke. It was adorable, really. Endearing. Just like he seemed over the journals.
Saving her file on the communicator for later, the purple haired woman turned to look at Doug, first over her shoulder and then gracefully turning completely to face him. The smile he had started only grew and she grinned sweetly, no less charming than one of her less innocent smiles would have been still.
“I’m not busy right now, darling.” Her response was sure and heavily accented, and if that wasn’t enough it was practically a purr. Psylocke clipped her communicator to her belt rather than placing it in the pack she wore on her back with the two katana blades strapped securely to it. “What is it, love?” Her now free hands rose to rest on her hips, one pressing out to the side further as she put more of her weight on one leg.
Doug averted his gaze when he realized (all too late) that he’d been staring. He’d made the same mistake when he encountered Karolina Dean, but it was a different circumstance now that he was staring. It was Karolina’s transformation that awed him, but it was Betsy’s everything that stunned him at this moment. He’d never spoken to her one-on-one and certainly had not stood near her in such close proximity. It was useless to describe; it was one of those nostalgic feelings he experienced like he was around Kitty or Rahne. Like he’d known Betsy his whole life though there was no proof of that.
So it was best not to dwell on those silly thoughts. Not when there were more urgent matters on hand. He fluttered his eyes between the ground and her, trying to shake off the flustering from the grin she granted him.
“Before Kitty - disappeared, she was working on a couple of plans for the camp.I thought we should finish what she had in mind.” He took a few steps forward, the excitement of what Kitty and him had in mind overcoming the nervousness he felt around Betsy. He pulled out one copy of the map from the pile he had in his arm. As he struggled to get it to unfurl to reveal what Kitty had sketched, he explained, “She was making notes of where everyone was staying. So new people - hold on, I got it - okay, see, we can see where everything and everyone are. Really helpful to keep track of everyone. These lines here - I think she was figuring out where the evac route would be if she needed to take the supplies and run. I don’t know how keen people will be on with a practice run for evacuation but maybe it’s something we can fit into our schedule.”
Pausing a bit now and noting how much closer he’d gotten to her, his exposition started to falter under her presence. “Uh... I thought - if - maybe you think it’s a good idea too then everyone else would be - uh - more… willing? to go with it too. I mean, it’ll just take a little time out of our day and who knows, it might save our lives down the line…? But only if you think is a good idea. If you think it sucks, you can tell me.”