julie power / lightspeed (acceleration) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-07-29 01:34:00 |
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After spending a week flying and fighting in Russia, and one very long night of the same in San Francisco, Julie had taken some time off from the superhero gig. It wasn’t as much of a choice as it was a necessity, after the injuries she’d sustained in Russia and not giving herself enough time to heal before leaving to face a human bomb in San Francisco. Even though she’d gotten herself looked at by Anders at the clinic, Julie didn’t want to push herself too hard so soon afterwards. She needed some time -- and besides, with Jenny and Ken’s wedding on the horizon, hurting herself again seemed like a quick way to get radiation poisoning. With the wedding behind them, Julie had time to return to the rest of her life. That meant going back to work (school, unfortunately, was on hold for a bit since she’d missed too much of one of the summer sessions) and throwing herself back into training again. That day, she’d taken to the sky again, enjoying the warm sun on her back, the wind in her hair and the sight of the city below her. She zipped around the corner of a building, leaving her trademark rainbow behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a lone figure sitting on top of a building, and she slowed, wondering who it was sitting up there. “Hey...” she called out, looking puzzled. “You okay?” The wind was comforting. Nilin had spent much of her adult life scaling buildings for one reason or another. Break ins, memory thefts, remixes, or simply to meet with other errorists somewhere that people would not suspect. None of that was in this world but there were still skyscrapers that brushed up against the clouds and had wind whip around them. The sting was comforting, a reminder of freedom and life. So Nilin had taken to exploring the climbs in her new world with no ulterior motive other than to feeling at ease with herself. So tonight she had done the same, climbing up and perching herself atop a building to look out upon the lights that glittered like their own little stars. The distant sounds of the city, of people living life by their own choice and all the memories that haunted these buildings and streets like a distant echo below her. The lights and colors were different from her own city but there were enough similarities from this perspective that she could almost feel comfort at the familiar. The rainbow caught the corner of her eye. There was no rain, no reason for one. And instead it seemed attached to a person, like a pot of gold at the end. Raising an eyebrow, Nilin looked back at the blonde woman who seemed to be stopping at seeing her. Ah yes, the super powered humans that inhabited the same tower that she was in. She should have immediately known. “I’m quite alright.” Nilin replied, leaning on her own propped up knee as her other leg dangled off the edge of the building into the glittering abyss. Hovering in mid-air in front of the other woman, Julie was able to get a better look at her. She looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen the face before. She looked relaxed, too, and not like she was up there because she wanted to jump -- although Julie guessed she wouldn't really know what someone was supposed to look like under those circumstances. If someone was a good enough actor, they'd be able to look calm when there was a storm raging inside. Well, Julie thought, either way it was a good thing to keep her talking. "Don't tell me you can fly too," Julie joked, daring to fly a little closer. She tilted her head to the side, a faint smile stuck on her face. "I know you, don't I? You look familiar." There was something familiar about the girl. Not that there were many familiar things in this place, but her face nagged at Nilin’s memory. Usually she was quite good at it but there had been so many faces in these past handful of weeks. It was enough to make even the sharpest doubt their recognition. She could filter her through her sensen but that would take time away from the moment and Nilin preferred to stay where she was for the time being. “I climbed.” Nilin offered, holding out her hands for a moment before letting them drop back down. She had never actually seen someone fly. The woman was simply hanging within the air, like some angel in a painting though with all the depth of reality behind her. “I don’t know many people here.” Nilin added as she tilted her head. “I wasn’t aware any of them could fly.” "You climbed --" Julie laughed. Of course she climbed. Julie came from a world full of superheroes and people with different abilities, so she'd jumped right to 'must have super power' and skipped right over something basic and… relatively normal. There was still something impressive about her ability to climb so high, though, without any safety equipment. "Well, I'm impressed," she stated, grinning widely. "So you're new here? I don't think there are a whole lot of us who can fly, but surprise." Julie spun in a circle, arms held out wide in demonstration. "Now you know someone who can." She flew closer and held out a hand. "I'm Julie, by the way." Julie? Well that clicked it all into placed. Nilin’s mind rolled over the chipper little welcome wagon and really the picture fit. And it was a charming picture, she could not help her bit of a smile as the girl spun in a circle. A bit of honest show off but then again she had just pointed out that she had climbed an entire building so it was not without merit. But the temptation to play with the information that she had just been given was overwhelming. “Julie?” the named rolled over her tongue easily as she smirked slightly, taking the girl’s hand. “Then I do know who you are.” “A handshake does seem rather formal.” she added cheekily, shaking Julie’s hand firmly. “I do feel properly welcomed. “ "Formal, but polite," Julie pointed out. "I can't really open with a hug, can I?" There was still something familiar about her and about how she said she felt welcomed, but she didn't want to dwell on it too much. She flew to the ledge next to the woman and sat down beside her. "So what brings you all the way up here to climb?" She pulled her gaze away and looked out over the city and all its twinkling lights. "The view's pretty nice." “And a kiss would be far too forward.” Nilin mused, leaning back on her hands as she let go of Julie’s. Honestly it seemed like it had been far too long since she had a conversation that was not about missions of the decay of her world. Part of that was her own fault but winding down was not something Nilin had ever been exceptionally good at. So this was nice, even personable. Nilin relaxed as Julie took her place next to her. It had been a long time since she had been able to just simply relax and watch a city with someone. It had been before her imprisonment. And even then there was not much time for the pleasures of simply watching. “The lights.” Nilin tilted her head towards the other woman with a small, coy smile. “People think the city doesn't have stars. But all you have to do is look down.” Julie ducked her head a little, using her hair as a shield to hide the blush that warmed her cheeks. A kiss would have been too forward, but now that was at the forefront of her mind. She hoped she'd be able to shake the mental image soon, or she'd have trouble paying attention to anything Nilin had to say. After another second, she glanced at Nilin through her hair, flashing a matching smile her way. "That's what I've always thought too," she agreed. "Sometimes late at night I go up high so I can see the stars better, and then I look down and the whole world's glittering beneath me and it just takes my breath away." She still felt the same way she had before about how seeing all of the lights made her feel: it made her feel small, but it reminded her of how much there was to fight for. "But most people don't get to have our perspectives." “They remind you that the city is alive.” Nilin looked out on the city lights, her expression serene as she simply watched. “Every light is a person, more than one. All of them living their lives.” The stars were beautiful, cosmic and infinite. But they were also cold, so far away that there was no life beyond dreaming. But a city was finite, a finite living thing that grew and fell by its own people. Lights meant life, for all the good and ill that brought. “I can’t say that I’ve seen them from quite as high up as you have.” The gift of flight must be an amazing one. to be able to soar up above everything, to move when all other paths might be blocked. It would certainly make her own pastimes go quicker. “So were you off looking at the city tonight? Or something more daring?” As Julie watched the other woman speak, she was struck by a strange sense of belonging, like she'd found someone who saw her heart without her needing to explain a thing. Like this woman really knew her. It was comforting to sit next to someone who saw the world like she did. That was something Julie had felt was missing from her life recently, and maybe that was why Nilin's words were that much more touching. She inhaled deeply and nodded. "That's what I think too, but you said it better than I ever could." That was what she'd meant by the lights reminding her of what she had to fight for: the lights stood for humanity. "Depends on what you consider daring," she answered, her smile turning cheeky for a moment. She thought about playing along and making up a story about the exciting things she had been up to -- maybe stopping some crime, or practicing putting on her brakes at the last minute -- but the truth was just as interesting to her. She shrugged. "Just looking at the city. Stretching my wings, so to speak. I was grounded for a little bit, so I've been restless." “I spent a lot of time with a poet.” Nilin smiled into the sky for a moment. Edge was far more poetic than she was. Which was amusing in itself. A machine that gained consciousness, a program that had been more human than many humans. And one born from her own sad and desperate memories. Shrugging slightly and leaving Edge for another time, she turned her attention back to Julie. “I certainly can’t judge. I climb buildings to stretch mine.” she offered as she kicked her leg hanging free in the air lightly. “It’s a lovely city to look out on though. It’s starting to win me over.” “How long have you been here?” Julie had already assumed that she was new in town, since she’d admitted to not knowing very many people. Most people, in her experience, didn’t say that if they were locals. The accent threw Julie off, too; it definitely wasn’t a native New Yorker’s. The city was winning Julie over too, and every little bit made her feel like she was betraying the West Coast a hundred times over. But New York had a lot to offer, and now that Julie was able to experience it without having to worry about bad guys all of the time, she was able to see it in a different light. “Not long.” Though at times it felt like an eternity. To be fair she had a while where she could not remember anything, where time was a concept she could not fully grasp because she did not remember any of it. So a few weeks, that was the most she had lived through in a while even if she did have her memories back now. She still was not entirely sure just how long she had been in La Bastille. “Certainly not long enough to climb all the buildings I want to. I’ve a few marked in my head.” “You’ve been here a while though, haven’t you?” she added. “Long enough to get the welcome routine down.” “I am not at all surprised by that,” Julie commented, “just be careful about trying to climb Stark Tower. Which’ll probably make it more of a challenge for you, but... well. Be careful.” Knowing Tony, he’d probably get a kick out of having someone around who could challenge him and his security that way, and it might even get someone a job out of the whole thing. Or it could get someone into a whole lot of trouble, but she supposed trouble was part of the fun. Swinging her legs a bit, she nodded. “Yeah, a while. Since December.” Julie didn’t think about how long it had been often, but every now and then she was reminded -- when someone new showed up and she had to explain things, or when someone left and she thought about how many people she’d seen come and go in eight months. “But I’ve been to New York before. I spent some time here -- well not here, but my New York -- before heading to the West Coast, so it’s familiar. Different enough that it’s weird, but not so much that I’m totally lost.” “That almost sounds like a dare.” Nilin couldn’t say she knew all that much about Stark. From the level of a company, Stark Industries reminded her of her family’s company. Only instead of memories and sensation it seemed to deal more with energy and weapons. The tower was one of the biggest ones in the city, after all. It stuck out like a thumb, beckoning people to it. “I’ll have to put it under consideration.” Nearly a year. That was an incredibly long time. Almost more than Nilin could fathom at times, still adjusting to having her memories back in her head in proper order. “I’ve never been outside Europe. At least not that I can remember. I’ve seen pictures though. But it must be useful to be able to at least sense your way around.” "It's useful. Convenient." Julie paused for a moment. "Lucky." She knew she was blessed -- a lot more than she felt comfortable thinking about, honestly, because it wasn't fair that she understood the city so well when so many people didn't. It wasn't fair that she knew this time period when others didn't. She didn't want to rub that in. What she was saying reminded Julie a lot of what someone had said to her over the network a few weeks ago, and it made Julie even more curious. "Where are you from? I thought I heard something European, but… you never really know these days. I haven't spent much time over there. I went to Estonia last month, and Russia a few weeks ago, but that's about it recently. I'd love to see Paris, or London. Or Rome." Julie laughed. "I'm not picky." “Luck has a great deal to do with life.” Nilin replied gently. Fate and luck seemed to be strange fortunes that favored people without seeming consequence. And when it ran out, terrible things could happen. A person could be jealous but it served little point and rarely changed circumstances. And it was a rare person who recognized that luck was simply just that. “But no one can be blamed for being lucky. Not in a situation like this, I would think.” A special, warm smile of remembrance overtook Nilin’s face as she leaned forward, resting her elbow against her knee and chin on her hand as she stared out on the city. For a moment she could could almost place Neo-Paris over the skyline of New York, all the lights and noises. “Paris is a beautiful city. Corrupt, full of decay, but also full of life and hope. As if it could overcome anything, which it nearly has.” It was true what she'd said about luck and life. Julie didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, but now that she was, it was fairly clear that even when things didn't seem lucky at the time, there had always been a reason behind it. Whether it was luck, fate or a combination of the two, Julie couldn't say, but she knew she'd gotten lucky when she meet Whitey, when she got her powers, when she ended up in New York instead of in some Hunger Games arena. At least Nilin didn't blame her for being lucky that way. Julie didn't want to face any more resentment over it, not when she knew there were people who did resent her. "Decay?" Julie frowned, not sure where that was coming from. She assumed it had to be that way in her world, because last she heard, Paris wasn't like that here. Not any more than any other city was, at least. "What happened?" “Many things happened. And many more things will happen.” Still there was a smile on Nilin’s face because no matter how dire things had begun to look she knew in her heart that the world would be able to reclaim itself. Just like the city had grown out of its own ashes after the European Civil War. Paris would never truly die, it would simply grow stronger. “A city must die a little for it to grow anew. They live such long lives, it must happen.” Looking back at Julie, she laughed slightly. “I do not think I’d be able to show you about Paris as you could show me about New York though. Mine was very different. Though who knows, I might be able to remember some things.” Many more things will happen. That was unsettling -- but in Julie's experience, it was accurate. Not just for her Paris, but for the world they were in now, for Julie back home, for everyone she knew. She knew it was difficult to look forward when you knew something bad was just around the corner, but there was good too. Julie believed that, with all of her heart. "That's true. We'd never learn anything if it didn't." Nilin's relaxed demeanor and easy laugh put a smile back on Julie's face. "Maybe you would. You'll never know if you don't go and see for yourself, right?" She leaned towards the other woman and bumped shoulders with her gently. "You never told me your name, you know." “The big landmarks, many are still there in some form. I could show you those.” Nilin offered. Though most of them had been completely razed in the war, they had been rebuilt in much the same places. The novelty of seeing Paris first hand instead of just history books where the old stone still remained though was one that pulled dearly at Nilin. It would have been the Paris her grandfather had remembered. “And that is where you are wrong, my welcome wagon.” Nilin pointed out as she pushed herself up, standing on the edge and embracing the night air that pulled at her clothing lightly just from the sheer height they were standing. She looked down at Julie with her smile far more coy. “I have already told you my name.” Confusion flickered across Julie's face again, but then it clicked. A woman from France, a woman calling her a welcome wagon. "You -- oh my god." Embarrassed, Julie covered her face with her hands as she laughed, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. With all of the city lights ablaze, the blush would have still been easy to catch. She shook her head at how stupid she'd been to not pick up on it, even though the chances of them running into each other like this were miniscule. "I knew you looked familiar! I knew it. And you knew… you're sneaky, you know that?" The blush was pretty on her and the game had been fun. It was lighthearted, something Nilin had far too little of in her life she felt. There were too few reasons to smile and Nilin desperately wanted reasons to. It was freeing, like standing atop a building but in a different way. She liked it, a feeling she wanted to hang on to for a few moments longer. “Oh I’m very sneaky. It was part of my job.” she mused, stretching up and reaching towards the stars for a long moment. Shaking out her wrists, she felt it was time to move to another building. It seemed sitting too long still made her antsy. Turning to look back at Julie, she tilted her head towards a building not too far. “Would you like to meet me over there?” Julie looked up at Nilin, eyes narrowing slightly even as her smile widened. "I'll get you back," she stated, trying to look serious as she wagged her finger. "Mark my words." She didn't really mind the trick, and she hoped Nilin could tell. Her eyes darted towards the other building and then back to Nilin. "Yeah, I'd like that." She pushed away from the ledge and hovered in the air, facing Nilin. "As long as you don't mind me beating you there." Crossing her arms for a moment, she gave Julie a fake appraisal, looking over her before shrugging slightly, her face amused the whole time. “I eagerly await to see what you come up with. It will be exciting, since I can’t peek into your mind to see.” It had not been a cruel trick and Nilin did not expect cruel revenge. Instead she expected something far more... fun. Chuckling, Nilin dropped down, grabbing the ledge suddenly as she did to keep herself from falling. It was a practiced ease, a building was simply an extension of herself. “You’ll find you won’t be waiting as long as you think you will.” she teased as she leaned back, one hand holding her up. All it took was to push off, grabbing onto a pipe from the building next to it. Yes, this would definitely be fun. |