numenviscera (numenviscera) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-10-18 21:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | #january 2018, miriam, miriam x vex, vex |
Who: Miriam and Vex
Where: The Boathouse
When: Tuesday, January 2nd
Status: Complete
With his wound healing well and the new year celebrations behind him, Vex felt the need to go out and about. He was nowhere near as restless and crazy as he'd felt that last Saturday but he was still bouncing with energy that he contributed to his god, not really considering that it was very much in character for him to occasionally get manic. He headed out alone, which he didn't do often but Lem honestly needed some time away from him after being cooped up in the house with him and a werewolf. Especially since the werewolf was the easy one out of the two. Even love like theirs could be tested every now and then and now was the time for that apparently but that stood to reason given that their god had touched them and imbued them with some insane energy.
Going shopping wasn't really helpful, even if it was necessary, so he started by going to the marina where he still hadn't really investigated everything. It felt right, going exploring. He wanted to know all the ins and out of Point Pleasant now, find out all the little things that had changed -remind himself of the spots he'd known intimately as a teenager.
It was fucking cold - that was the only way he could put it. Fucking cold but still and quiet. There weren't many people out and about, most of them probably still recovering from the festivities if they didn't strictly have to be out for work. Most of the businesses were open again and he studied the menus that were posted outside of the restaurants, peering inside and making plans to maybe come eat there later with Lem. They deserved a nice night out with fancy food, they'd earned it and they were special.
It was freezing out, but that didn’t mean that Miriam was at home twiddling her thumbs. She’d had errands to run in town, had gone to work out, as much as she could with her injury, then had gone for a quick lunch at The Boathouse. With Anthony as an investor, she could basically drop in whenever she wanted, though on a day like today there were plenty of tables available. Despite the cold, she took a table by the window, which allowed her to look out on the pier and the harbor. It was beautiful, peaceful even, the exact opposite of her mind at the moment.
She kept expecting Anthony to bring up her abilities, but so far he’d said nothing. Yes, they’d spoken, but it was more like it hadn’t happened, which was almost worse. She knew he wouldn’t really let it go, so instead she was living in anticipation, working through her answers as best she could, what she wanted to say and what she hoped to avoid. It was hard to explain why she’d done what she’d done, but was worried that he would see it as a lack of trust in him. Which… it was, in a way. She trusted him in almost everything, but this bit of knowledge was different. It made her different and she didn’t know how he would take that. She supposed she’d find out eventually. Until then, she had to enjoy her lunch and wait.
Vex had no intention of going into the Boathouse. It was a snobby little place and he wasn't hungry but one look through the window made him change his mind on the spot. There, sitting inside, was the woman he'd seen in his visions, the one most recently also marked by his god if he wasn't mistaken. Vex watched her for a few seconds, then stalked right on inside and pulled out the chair across the table from her to sit down. "I was hoping to run into you," he told her, not caring for a second how weird this was or how odd they looked sitting at the same table. Miriam D'Onofrio was a classy lady who looked like she belonged in there whereas Vex was a lot shabbier and a little crazy looking. He wasn't filthy, courtesy of Lem who reminded him to bathe more often than he otherwise would, but Lem had recently dyed his hair again, white patches in his graying black hair and beard.
Miriam looked up at Vex with a look of shock on her face, shock and horror. She didn’t know this man, looking like some kind of a hobo who’d gotten his hands on a bottle of bleach to shower in, and she felt sure that every single person in the restaurant was looking at them. “I’m sorry, I think you have me mistaken for someone else,” she said, already starting to look for a waiter to flag down to drag the man away. If he stayed there at the table, she’d be the talk of town within a few hours, all her friends calling or texting to tease her about the man who stopped in to join her for lunch.
"No I don't," Vex said matter of factly as he rested his arms on the table. "I don't know your name but I know who you are - what you are. You're like me. God-touched." He wasn't entirely oblivious to her discomfort, but he didn't care about it much. He was excited since he hadn't expected to actually find her, but there she was. He'd somewhat expected it to get harder to find people. Jane had been a fluke, as had Mal. Now that he knew he was looking for his vision-people, his task should be getting harder. He was obviously wrong about that because this lady had practically fallen into his lap.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Miriam said and it was true. She had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. God-touched? It sounded like something someone from a cult might say. And she was absolutely nothing like him. She didn’t need to hear anything more to know that much and was now snapping her fingers, urgently trying to get someone’s attention. This man, whomever he was, was disturbing her.
She wouldn't know, Vex realized, because not everyone was as in tune with what was happening as he was. He'd been touched before the fog, tuned like a radio to pick up these things by a shady institute. "In the fog, a creature reached out and gave you a gift," he told her, ignoring her snapping fingers and the concerned waiter heading their way. "Before that, I don't know why I kept seeing you. But I've seen you for a long time, since the visions started. Your mark is right there," he added with a crooked smile, drawing a line in the air between them with his fingers, aligning it with the scar he knew would be on her chest.
Miriam stopped snapping, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the man, her finger held up to tell the waiter to wait one second before she lowered it. “Anyone at the hospital would know that,” she said, her gaze steely. He’d had her attention with the word ‘visions’, but nothing else he was saying was making sense. It wasn’t a gift; it had almost killed her. He had to be out of his mind to think that getting attacked was a good thing, but that was totally believable. He looked like a nutcase and was speaking like one too. “What kind of visions?”
"Just you, like the others, you doing random things and I don't know why they're significant," Vex said with a little frown as he tried to remember anything specific to tell her. Most of his visions weren't specific, he just saw people mulling around, their surroundings muddled and faded and often they just looked like they were standing in the same room as Vex was. The more he looked at her, the more familiar she looked, now that he could actually look at her up close. "We went to school together," he said with a little grin. "But I don't think that's why I keep seeing you."
“School here?” Miriam asked. She stared at him for a moment, then took a moment to gather her things. She’d finished her lunch and they could put it on Anthony’s tab. She wasn’t going to continue this conversation here, if at all. “I’ve lived here most of my life. If you grew up here, I’m sure you’ve seen me. There’s nothing significant about these--these visions,” she told him, rising from her seat. That word stood out to her, the thought that he might be psychic, but he hadn’t said what she needed to connect him to her past. So far he just sounded crazy, a nutcase that wanted her money or just her attention. She’d get out of the restaurant, then she’d swat him like the fly he was.
Vex got up too and while he wasn't surprised she wasn't willing to talk to him it was a little annoying. Jane and Mal had both been far more approachable, even if Mal had never followed up. Maybe that had been his version of getting rid of him, but this lady was more up front about it so Vex wasn't going to let her slip away that easily. "Do you work for AIR?" he asked as he pushed the chair back under the table. "Is that why I keep seeing you? Or did you go missing like everyone else. I will find out, one way or another. It'll be easy in a town this small."
Miriam had been cool but polite up until Vex asked if she’d gone missing. At that point she was downright cold, taking hold of his arm and urgently pulling him towards the door. “We are not talking about this in here,” she said briskly, eager to get away from people who would want to know what in the world they were talking about. Now she understood, at least partially. He was psychic, like she was, with different abilities, and he’d been seeing her in these visions of hers. She wanted to know more, but at the same time she didn’t. He sounded like a nutcase and she dreaded being associated with him in any way.
Vex didn't mind leaving the restaurant one bit, it wasn't his scene and he wasn't hungry. He let the ritzy little lady drag him outside, oblivious to the odd looks they got from the restaurant workers and passersby alike. "So which is it?" he asked, his curiosity getting overwhelming. Had she not been god-touched too he would have followed her around and tried to figure out her name - let Jane do some sleuthing, but it was different. They were the same now - even if she worked for AIR at some point or gotten involved with them in some way different from his.
Once they were outside, Miriam released him, expecting him to follow if he still wanted to ask questions. She was curious herself, but she wasn’t going to make any more of a scene than they already had. She looked over at him as she hurried towards her car, and weighed her options. “I went missing.” she told him, since that was public record, even if not common knowledge. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find out her name if he really tried. He could even march back into the boathouse and someone would probably be stupid enough to tell him. “What’s AIR?”
"Oh you don't know, huh?" Vex murmured and that made him feel more important, opening her eyes to the truth of their situation. "It's the research institute that kidnaps little kids and experiments on them, hoping to unlock something or another. They let me go, guess they didn't realize what I can do since it didn't really manifest until years later. Did they unlock something in you, miss-" he trailed off, quirking a brow curiously. "What is your name anyway? You never had a name tag on in any on my visions, or ever."
“Why would I know that?” Miriam said, her voice rising in exasperation. She couldn’t remember anything about where she was, least of all the people who took her. But she had a name to look into now--AIR. “It’s Missus. D’Onofrio. And no, I don’t have visions.” And there was no way she was going to tell him what she could do. No fucking way. “What do you see in your visions? The future?” It was a jump, but it was what she was looking for, a piece to the puzzle. What if all the people who’d come back returned with psychic powers? There was something exciting about having her thoughts confirmed, but also frightening. And why should she believe this man? He could just be some nutjob. He certainly looked like one.
Vex was guessing that was her married name so it didn't tell him much about who she was and how he knew her. He didn't pry though - not yet. "Doesn't have to be missions," he muttered. "There's more of us out there, not everyone has visions. I'm trying to find everyone, get us all together. Figure out what happened." He studied her for a moment, ignoring the cold biting into his skin. He could stay out there a while if he wanted to. "I see you and them, I've seen so many of you over the years, sometimes it has meaning, sometimes it doesn't." Sometimes it probably looked like it didn't have a meaning even if it did because he just didn't understand. He might be chosen, but he was still only human.
“It means nothing,” Miriam said because that was how she wanted it. She didn’t like the idea of this crazy man having visions about her, especially if he couldn’t tell her why. It was weird and unhelpful, even if it did tell her that the other people who’d gone missing and returned might have abilities of their own. If they were all like this man, she had no interest in seeking them out, but it sounded like he might be doing the work that she’d been about to start. That certainly worked in her favor. “I don’t remember the time I was gone. I can’t tell you anything. If you can get the others together, I might consider it, because I’m curious, but I have nothing to contribute.”
"You think you have nothing to contribute," Vex corrected her. "But you don't know that yet. I thought I was schizophrenic for a long time, took my pills and tried to ignore what I was seeing but look at me now. I know things and I've been chosen. Just like you." He wasn't quite oblivious enough to think she was like him though, she looked vaguely horrified by his presence and that didn't improve as he talked. "You'll see," he muttered. "I live on thirty-five Ludlow Lane with my conduit, people come by when they need to talk. Maybe you will too." He straightened up and grinned at her. "And my name's Vex. Vex Knowles."
The more he talked, the more convinced Miriam became that he was crazy and hearing that he’d thought he was schizophrenic definitely didn’t help the situation. She was horrified to think that this could’ve been her, that she could’ve come back with her brain all scrambled rather than the ability to move things with her mind. Maybe it wasn’t worth reaching out to the others if this was the result. What if she was the outlier? “I’ve heard enough,” she finally said, stepping away from him, her lips pulled in tight as she looked at him with a mix of alarm and disgust. “If I need to find you, I’ll… stop by,” she said, though she had never set foot on Ludlow Lane and doubted she ever would. “Otherwise, please, leave me alone.”
"Hold up," Vex muttered, not unused to that reaction so it didn't faze him much. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped for the camera, then quickly took Miriam's picture. Maybe Jane or Neil would recognize her and he didn't want to risk her having given him a fake name because then he'd have to go track her down again for more information. He was pretty sure she had no intention of stopping by, whether that was because she worked for AIR or because she was paranoid that he might have nefarious plans, there was no telling. "Well Mrs. D'Onofrio, I'm glad I ran into you," he muttered as he pocketed his phone again. "It's good to see you in person."
Miriam had been calm enough thus far, but the moment he took her picture she freaked out. This strange man could do anything with it, could post it online, and she’d been stupid enough to give him her name. “Give it to me! Delete that right now!” she snapped, reaching for his phone, but then it was out of reach, in his pocket, and she put all the pressure he could on the little device, squeezing it with her mind until she thought she heard a crack. “Stay away from me,” she said pointedly. “You come near me again and I’m reporting you to the police.” It didn’t matter if she didn’t have a good reason to report him. She would come up with one and they’d listen to her. Her name was good enough to pull strings when she needed to.
Vex heard the crack too and furrowed his brows in confusion before reaching into his pocket to pull the phone again. "Did you just do that... with your mind?" he muttered and while he was pissed off about the phone he couldn't help but feel a bit elated that Mrs. D'Onofrio had just revealed what it was that was so special about her - the thing that connected them beyond being god-touched. He grinned, but it came off wolf-ish. "You're telekinetic, I knew there was something. You're like me - like us. You can't deny that now." Calling the police had never been a deterrent for him, especially considering he used to one.
“What are you talking about?” Miriam said in all seriousness, though mentally she considered breaking his neck. It would be fast and oh so easy. Easier than breaking the phone actually because she wouldn’t have to focus on such a small area while ignoring the rest. Unless, of course, she tore his head right off. That would be a problem. This man was a problem and for the first time she considered telling her husband everything. Anthony would take care of him, that she knew for sure. If he could do what Caius said he could, maybe he could even fix this without killing the man. But she hated going to her husband to fix things. And it was possible no one would believe a man that appeared to be clinically insane. “Stay away from me,” she said coldly, then turned to head to her car.
Vex watched her go and thought she really was a prissy bitch so maybe he might not want anything to do with her - but he hadn't chosen her, the god had, so that was a problem. "Thirty-five Ludlow Lane," he called after her. "If you change your mind. I know you know." He looked down at his broken phone and while it hadn't been horribly expensive - it wasn't the latest tech or anything - it was still a pain in the ass to have to replace it so he added a slightly snarky, "You owe me a new phone."
He can prove nothing, Miriam told herself. He’s a nutcase. Still, it left her rattled. What kind of person jumped to the conclusions he had? What was all that nonsense about a god? She wanted him gone, but doing anything right this second would draw attention to herself. As he called after her one last time, she thought it was a good thing she didn’t know where his car was, otherwise he’d have a flat tire to go with his broken phone.