Who: Michael and Marguerite What: Michael gets a little too angry and lunch and things go flying When: Thursday, May 13 Where: Random restaurant Ratings/Warnings: Low Status: Complete!
Michael enjoyed his regular coffee and lunch dates with Marguerite. He tended to keep people at a distance, especially those from his past. It was easier that way. But he had always had a soft spot for Marguerite. Now that she had popped back up in his life he wanted to keep it that way.
He wasn’t in the best mood. A year’s worth of his work was gone. Stolen by David Xanatos and marketed as his own. To say Michael was pissed was an understatement. He did his best to ignore his anger though, or at least set it aside so he could enjoy his meal.
Michael arrived at the restaurant a few minutes late. He spotted Marguerite already at a table and made his way over. “Sorry,” Michael said, sliding in across from her. “It’s been a week.”
Marguerite hadn’t anticipated how much she would come to enjoy the coffee and lunch dates with Michael. Especially recently. Between Cinderella and then still dancing at Diamond on a currently reduced schedule, it was nice to get away from it all.
Having already arrived at the agreed upon restaurant, Marguerite had been going through her phone to see if there was anything of interest going on. Not that there was, at least nothing that was catching her attention, no messages or anything like that of importance. So instead she just looked up with a slight smile and shook her head some.
“It’s fine.” Though noticing the way he was holding himself and always being a good reader of people, it was clear ‘it's been a week’ carried a lot more weight and was hanging around Michael’s shoulders still, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Michael said as the waiter came over. He ordered himself a beer, though that wasn’t exactly off from his usual order. When the waiter left he turned his attention back to Marguerite.
“Just work stuff,” he frowned, still pissed about what Xanatos had done. Had stolen from him. Well from Tony, but it was his work. “You hear about that Xancrete?”
Ordering herself some tea, Marguerite just nodded at the comment about work stuff. She was all too aware of how work things could cross over and make someone stressed or upset even when they weren’t at work. Though as she heard the question about Xancrete?
“I think I saw something about it, but honestly if I see the name Xanatos, I just move on.”
Shaking her head, Marguerite sighed.
“So what about Xancrete has you so upset?”
The second Michael brought up Xancrete the utensils on the table started to subtly vibrate, it only increased as he thought more about it.
“That was mine,” Michael said bitterly, the utensils vibrating even more. “I’ve been working on a new concrete for Stark for the past year.” He kept his voice low, even though he felt like yelling in frustration. Something that was obvious when the butter knife went flying off the table, without even being touched.
The vibrating utensils definitely did not go unnoticed, even before the butter knife went flying. Marguerite might not be too familiar with abilities crossing over - she was dreadfully normal after all - but she’d seen it was Caroline. She knew it happened. So instead, the actress just reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Michael’s arm. Not like it would do any good, not with what had happened.
“Of course he did.” The disgust for the man was clear in her voice, “Is there anything that can be done?” She didn’t think there was. Not with who Xanatos was. How he operated and manipulated, no, he’d get away with it and somehow come out even more on top. God, he was everything she despised, that made her sick, that had made her life hell.
MIchael knew the flying knife was because of him. He didn’t know how or why it was happening. And he had no idea how to control it. But he knew he was the reason it had gone flying. He took a breath, trying to calm himself down. The last thing he needed was to make a table fly across the room. Marguerite’s reassuring touch also helped to calm him down a bit.
“I don’t know,” Michael said bitterly. “Tony is looking into it I guess,” he frowned. “But it’s not like it will get my work back.”
At least she was able to help calm him down, even somewhat. This was way outside of her area of expertise so Marguerite was really just doing what she could at the moment. Even if it was just one more reason for her to despise Xanatos.
“No, I suppose it won’t.”
Sighing softly, the actress leaned back and folded her hair behind her ear.
“Dieu, I hate men like him.”
“Me too,” MIchael agreed, his anger rising again. Who the hell did Xanatos think he was? Taking credit for Michael’s work. And it wasn’t even that Michael wanted the credit. He could care less about shit like that, he just enjoyed doing the work. But that didn’t mean he was okay with it being stolen from him, and Tony.
The remaining utensils began to vibrate again. Michael took a breath to calm himself. Was this going to be his life now? That thought didn’t exactly calm him down and before he knew it all the utensils went flying off the table, causing the people in the restaurant to look their way. Michael put his head in his hands, not sure what else to do.
There really wasn’t much more that could be said about David Xanatos. It wasn’t like Marguerite had a way to help. She was nothing more than a burlesque dancer trying to make it as an actress. She certainly couldn’t fix something like this. She couldn’t change the fact that Michael’s work had been stolen and credited to a smarmy, manipulative bastard and how it seemed no one seemed to notice or care because he was ‘charming’.
Jumping some as all the utensils went flying, the actress just reached over and once more placed a reassuring hand on Michael’s arm. True, they had no more utensils to worry about but it was about all she could do at the moment.
“Sorry,” Michael said with a sigh trying to calm himself once again. “Shit like that has been happening too,” he slowly removed his hands from his head. “Told you it’s been a week,” he offered with a sheepish smile, though the anger was still bubbling under the surface.
The waiter came over with their drinks and frowned at the missing utensils. “I’ll be right back with fresh utensils,” she said before walking off again.
“It’s fine. From what I’ve seen, it’s apparently been going around.” Between Caroline’s sudden speed and now this, plus the random things that sometimes were said on the network, well….abilities that made no sense suddenly happening? It seemed more normal than it probably should.
As the waitress came over, Marguerite smiled at the comment, “Thank you.” Once the woman left, the actress let out a breath and rubbed the back of her neck absently where the suddenly appearing tattoo was. That too was unusual, just like items showing up. She just wished she knew what it meant.
“Yeah?” Michael asked with a raised brow once the waiter walked away. “Is it happening to you too?” Michael hadn’t personally heard of abilities happening to any one else. But he has seen the occasional post on the network. He just hadn’t really believed it or even thought too much about it until it happened to him.
“Oh no, not me. Beyond memories of growing up in France during the lead up to the French Revolution and living during the Reign of Terror, I fear that I remain dreadfully boring.”
Taking a sip of water, she debated mentioning Caroline as it wasn’t her story to tell. Though she supposed being vague would be okay.
“A friend though has had something more similar happen outside of random memories and tattoos and items showing up.”
Michael frowned at her comment. “That sounds… miserable,” he concluded. “And not at all boring.” All he got were memories about Roswell, New Mexico. Oh and some asshole breaking his hand with a hammer, which was not at all how he actually broke it.
“Your friend suddenly started moving shit with their mind too?”
“It’s… I don’t know. Different I guess.” No need to go into how she also felt like she was married to her co-star in the current show she was in. That was too much for her to unpack and it would do no good and she had it locked away for a reason.
“Not moving things with their mind, no. But speed. Two miles in a blink of an eye, then trying to come back and ending up two miles in the other direction in yet another blink of an eye.”
“Not miserable?” Different could be used to describe a lot of what was going on lately. But still, remembering that point in history seemed like a special kind of hell to Michael.
“That actually sounds useful. I bet she’s never late,” Michael joked with a smirk. The waiter came back with their fresh utensils, ready for their orders. Michael ordered a roast beef sandwich for himself, turning his attention back to Marguerite once her order was in as well.
“I can’t really control it,” he admitted once the waiter was gone. As if that wasn’t obvious with how everything had gone flying off the table moments ago.
“Complicated I guess would be the best I could describe it. Watching revolution turn to revenge. Some things are universal though, throughout time even.” Shrugging, Marguerite leaned back and nodded some at the comment.
“I imagine once she gets used to it, more control over it.”
Once the waiter came over with new utensils and Michael gave his order, Marguerite then gave her own order of a grilled chicken salad. Then Michael was admitting he didn’t have control yet, and the actress could only nod. She’d received that demonstration earlier after all. But it also made sense.
“Yet. I imagine it will end up like most things. Practice. Familiarity. Just getting more used to it. If it’s only just shown up, it’s still new.”
“I guess,” Michael agreed. Still he wouldn’t want to witness an actual revolution and all the blood shed.
“Hopefully,” he replied once the waiter was gone. “I just don’t even know how it happens, other than when I get angry enough. I’m not exactly trying to move things.”
It wasn’t pretty. And she had moved to England but all of that was still vague. Feelings of not fitting in. Of being alone even despite being married. It was a lot but that was life. Or to Marguerite it was. She was used to those feelings.
“That I have no idea about unfortunately.”
“Ah, well,” Michael said a grin slowly forming on his face. “I guess you can’t solve all my problems,” he teased as their food was brought over. Besides that wasn’t why he spent time with her anyway. It was just nice to reconnect with someone from his past.