Chell (thisisatriumph) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2015-10-07 20:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, chell, edwin jarvis |
Who: Chell and Edwin Jarvis
When: Backdated to a day after this
Where: a Spirit Halloween store
What: Shopping for Halloween
Rating: PG but mentions of captivity
Seeing she was counting this as her first 'free' Halloween, Chell was jumping into it with the same enthusiasm she'd been using for everything else new. Logically, she knew it wasn’t her first Halloween, surely she'd enjoyed others. The soft voice in her head that sounded a lot like GLaDOS was telling her that no she'd never had one because she'd been unloved was one she'd firmly ignored when she'd gotten up. She wasn't letting the facility or it's owner spoil anything else if she could help it. And while she'd been up long before noon, she'd figured it was a decent time to meet. She was conscious of the fact not everyone disliked sleeping like she did, so not everyone got up early. It had given her time to get ready, even with the fact that what she wore wasn't exactly matching and mostly worn because she'd liked the way the things had looked, combined with the fact she wore her long fall boots with it. A bit of what she was comfortable with, with new things. And she never knew when they might prove useful. So when she heard the knock she grinned and hopped to the door, waving at the man before holding up one finger in the universal sign of 'one moment'. She took the time to gather her things, money, keys, a notebook and pen, before returning. She gave a thumbs up before she closed the door again. She was pretty excited about this. Edwin smiled politely and waited by the door as Chell collected her things. He watched her curiously, with questions on his mind, the first of which seemed silly but was pertinent to any future communication they would have. When she locked her door and faced him, he told her, “Our automobile is in front of the Tower. Uhhhh… do you read lips?” He furrowed his brow with momentary concern, realizing, “I do hope my accent doesn't affect your ability to do so.” Without realizing it, he was beginning to exaggerate his pronunciation and speak slower, with the idea that it would help her better. Oddly, the way he spoke reminded her of the facility and Wheatley. It was an odd thing really. When he spoke slower she grinned and shook her head, opening the notebook to a blank page and scribbling in it. She knew enough ASL to introduce herself now, but that wouldn't help much in this situation. When she finished she offered him the page, which simply read 'I can hear fine so your accent isn't a bother. You remind me of someone actually. I just can't talk. Thanks for asking though'. It wasn't really anyone's fault, most people just associated sign language with those who couldn't hear. She paused for him to read before extending her hand to get her notebook back. It was a perfect way of getting things across from her perspective she thought. At least until she got better at sign language. Then she used her other hand to motion for him to lead the way. Before she handed him the notepad, Edwin removed his reading glasses from the inner breast pocket of his jacket and slipped them upon his face. A wave of relief washed over Edwin when he read what Chell wrote. “Ah! So you can hear, can you? Excellent. Well, then that makes conversation a bit less complicated. Please, right this way.” He gestured with his hand and then walked with her to where the car was parked, speaking as they did and removing his glasses in between the notes. “My accent reminds you of somebody, you say? I do hope it’s a pleasant memory.” Given the types of histories that some people had in their universes, Edwin didn’t want to assume. “I neglected to tell you, as part of my introduction, that I come from this universe, but several decades earlier. 1946, to be exact.” She was happy to follow along and listen. The question of good memories was a complicated one. Wheatley had helped her and talked to her, until he'd dropped her down into the lower levels and then did his very best to eliminate her. It was the same feeling she had whenever she thought of GLaDOS, and a big part of why she didn't sit down and consider if what had happened to her the second time hadn't been coincidence. Plus she wanted to embrace this new world, and she didn't think wondering about the old one would get her far. When he finished he opened her notebook again, writing as she went. It wasn't nearly as complicated as navigating through the facility. When she finished she handed him the paper back. 'Complicated answer, but somewhat good." It said, 'and I don't know what time where I'm from is, or much of my world. I was locked into a facility for a long time and I don't know what she told me was true. But that's alright, I like this place just fine.' That part never really bothered her. She'd have liked to know her world, but she was here now and could learn of this world. By the time they’d taken the elevator down and were heading outside, Edwin had finished reading Chell’s message. “I… oh,” was his response when he saw how she’d been locked in a facility; he didn’t know how to respond in a way that wouldn’t be awkward or triggering. He scowled with thought and finally said, “May I assume that your incarceration is something that you’d much rather not talk about?” Giving her the choice relieved him of the worry. “It’s not exactly the type of topic one relishes, however…” He left his sentence dangling to suggest that if she felt like discussing it, she was welcome. “How long has it been since the Tesseract brought you here?” The Rolls Royce parked at the curb was one that Edwin purchased with his own salary. It had been a classic car in his day, and it remained so, even in modern times. “The weather is still nice enough to warrant having the top down. I’m afraid there won’t be many more days like this before winter begins creeping upon us.” Manners dictated that Edwin open the door for Chell to let her inside before going around to his side, behind the wheel. “Do you mind if I play some music?” The question was a kind one, but she didn't mind. Her dislike of robots would stick with her, but beyond that it wasn't something that bothered her. She didn't know if it should, beyond keeping her door open and making sure she never slept too long. She was writing as she went but paused at the car. She'd never seen anything like it so she grinned and hopped closer to observe it closely. She only stopped when he opened the door and so she got in, curiously touching the panels before her and the cushion she sat on with the same sort of glee and wonder that she discovered anything else new with. She knew she wasn't going to run out of new things any time soon, and if she did there were other places to go to, and new things to learn. Only his last question made her look up before finishing her scribbles before they would set off. 'I don't mind to talk about it, there's not much to say. I woke up in a place called Aperture where I was made to solve tests. There was no one else beside the voice of a computer, something that guided me. I later learned she wasn't a computer, but a robot. She'd killed everyone else, then tried killing me. I managed to deactivate her,' although it looked like she'd almost written 'killed' instead, 'and the resulting explosion knocked me outside and unconscious. The next thing I know I'm in a stasis chamber with loads of time just missing, and I have to try and get out of the facility all over again, this time with another robot trying to kill me. It wasn't fun and I never want to go back but it's okay to ask. And I've been here almost three months now. How about you, how long have you been here and what did you do in the past?' At his question of music she grinned and held up her thumb. New music was another thing she was really enjoying, and so far the only thing that made her uncomfortable was Jazz music but she figured she'd get over that in time. After she remembered to buckle up, she was learning, happy to just enjoy the scenery. The thumbs up signal was what Edwin waited for. He turned on the stereo to play a compulation of music from his era from his MP3 player, and buckled his seatbelt. She finished writing, but he waited until they’d paused at a red stop light to take the notepad and safely read what she’d wrote. His expression fell and he took off his glasses with a frown, gazing at her sympathetically. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry. That sounds perfectly horrible.” The light turned green and Edwin continued driving. “That had to be a nightmare.” He took his eyes off the road to give Chell a quick look over. “For what you’ve been through, you look very well adjusted. I think I’d be an utter wreck. I don’t blame you for never wanting to return.” Edwin had to think for a moment to answer Chell’s next question. “I arrived here in… June.” He nodded his head once. “ Yes, it was the beginning of June. Though, in my time, it was at the beginning of May, which rather added to my general state of confusion. Funny, how it feels much longer.” He paused for a thoughtful frown, but when he began speaking again, Edwin was lively and animated. “I was, and still am the personal butler for Mr Howard Stark, father of the celebrated Tony Stark. I’m rather fortunate that Mr Stark had arrived here before me, along with a few others who I knew from my era. My duties have changed a tad since my arrival, along with Mr Stark’s lifestyle, so I find myself not as engaged as I once was. You see, Mr Stark once had quite a playboy lifestyle, but he’s seemed to have settled down quite nicely with Miss Laurie. He was a world traveler in demand from the government for his inventions, and I had the opportunity to accompany him on those travels. It’s not the same here, but I’m still very pleased to render him my service.” The first few notes made her pull a face, and she settled one hand on her cushion. This wasn't where she'd come from and it was good music. She focused on the new part and figured that she'd learn more eventually. It was different than what she heard when she went out exploring and found herself in stores with odd music she couldn't place. But she smiled at his sorry and waved her hand. He hadn't been the one to do it. Technically, not even GLaDOS or Wheatley were actually at fault for putting her there, just for making her go through all that. She just grinned, and she would laugh if she could before going back to writing. 'I don't like my door closed, I don't sleep too well, and I don't like robots. Everything is new so I'm pretty much always learning things. My vocal cords are gone according to the doctors and I don't have much schooling so I don't know if I'm well adjusted. But I like looking to the new things and learning what I've been missing.' When he told her of what he did she paused then grinned again. 'I only know Stark because of the people who told me things when I came here. I don't know who they are but it's good you're doing something important and that you like.' She only gave him her notebook when they stopped. It didn't seem too good of an idea otherwise. One day she'd figure out what she wanted, although she had faint ideas. Edwin only gave the notebook his full attention until the next red light. Despite her arguments to the contrary, he still thought Chell seemed pretty good shape, all things considering. The loss of her vocal cords gave Edwin an idea. “Just before the Tesseract brought me here, I had a bit of an adventure involving some unsavory fellows. One of them… actually there were two… Soviet spies, they had sustained damage to their larynxs,” he made a vague gesture to his own throat as emphasis, “and subsequently had their vocal cords removed.” He glanced momentarily at Chell to gage her expression. “They possessed a clever little device… a voice synthesizer… which they pressed to his throat and enabled them to speak, albeit in a mechanical sounding manner. Now, this was 1946, I’m certain technology has advanced since then. I wonder, would you be interested in finding out more about procuring such a device, or perhaps one of its derivatives? As I said before, my employer, Howard Stark, and his son, Tony, are both brilliant inventors. If something isn’t invented yet, I’m absolutely positive that they could come up with something to restore your power of speech. If you wish.” By the time Edwin finished speaking, the light had turned green, but before accelerating, he glanced over at Chell again, unwilling to keep his eyes off the road for too long, lest they get into an accident. The idea on its own wasn't a bad one. She could still learn ASL and yet have the ability to speak. When she'd forgotten, the doctors had just told her they could do very little and now she knew how bad it was. If something could be done, it might not be bad. It was the fact that it'd be scientists, essentially, tampering with herself and doing something she could not understand and possibly with technologies she wasn't sure she'd be comfortable with. She'd seen the bad side of people with no limits to their inventions and it had resulted in terrible things, and not just for her. Even if someone told her they could make the portal gun for her, she'd still be wary. The opportunities were a heavy counterweight to her worries so she bit her lip as she thought before figuring out that she couldn't figure this out just today. 'I'll have to think more about it. The place where I was at was full of people who could invent anything, and caused problems.' She eventually wrote. 'Not that your people are like that but I'll have to know more about them. It's a good idea though, and you're very kind for offering. One day maybe.’ She smiled in gratitude and she would keep it in mind if she ever wanted it. Knowing the option was there was actually kind of nice. The explanation she wrote caused Edwin to nod his head. “Understandable. I’ll tell you what, Miss… with your permission, I could relay your predicament to Howard and Tony to see what they say. Then, if you like, I could introduce you to them. Again, when you feel comfortable. However, I won’t press the issue. But at least you know your options.” “Ah, here we are.” They’d arrived at their destination: the old electronics superstore had previously laid vacant, but now a long banner was stretched across the building, announcing that this was now a Spirit Halloween Store. Edwin found parking in a secure lot across the street. Before turning off the ignition, he pressed the button to bring the top up for the convertible. As the hydraulics started, Edwin glanced at one of the pictures hanging in the windows. “Is that a female Captain America?” A rather rhetorical question, since it obviously was. Once they arrived she unbuckled and got out, for a moment far too distracted by the display of costumes and their advertisements. Plus all the decorations too. For once, she wouldn't mind getting out the money she had on her card. She wanted to make up for time lost. Then did she remember Edwin but she smiled and waited, grinning at his comment about the Captain America thing. She still wasn't too sure who they were but she gathered they were heroes and popular. 'It's just Chell not miss, and yeah sure I don't mind if you talk to them and I can meet them. I have to come to terms with it and if I avoid it that's not going to happen,' she wrote. 'and it is but I think that's more cold than practical. Plus dressing up as people is going to be weird. You might run into them in the Tower and then it'll be confusing and weird.' She studied the display as he read. She wanted something awesome and cool, not something that'd get her a cold if she went out in it. She straightened and took up her pen, writing more as he held the notebook. 'We can split up or look together. Unless all the weird limbs are going to turn you off.' That she wrote with more of a teasing grin, still finding it hard to believe he'd been so upset over obviously fake things. “Either way, it doesn’t matter to me,” Edwin replied to Chell’s written comment while handing her notepad back to her. “I say we pay it by ear.” He flashed a friendly smile and pressed the anti-theft device on his keychain, which beeped. “I’ll be browsing, since I haven’t much use for a costume, myself. There hasn’t been any announcements for masquerades, has there? ” Edwin paid the parking lot attendant and they started to cross the street. She shrugged, to her it didn’t matter so much that there hadn’t been any announcements for masquerades or parties. She just wanted to dress up and enjoy it. She even had some trick or treating scheduled, although she figured she might be a little old for that. Not that she particularly cared. This was all about catching up. She fairly skipped across the street, the boots making it easier to do so, and into the store. She practically beamed when inside, moving to the first display that caught her eye. It was a single head, looking like it had been cut off and every so often it lit up and growled. It was great and awesome so she picked it up to check the tag. Edwin froze at the doorway as he slowly took in the sights. “Oh dear”, he muttered. He took a step forward, activating a motion sensor that caused a ghoulish creature to pop up and shriek. It startled Edwin, who made a little jump and cringed while audibly gasping. Once he realized it what it was, he regained his composure, albeit apprehensively. “I say, is this how people celebrate Hallowe’en nowadays? It’s rather macabe, to say the least.” He looked at a plastic crib where a demonized baby doll snarled, holding a bloody carving knife in its hand. His startled gasp made her look back, still holding the head, and if she could laugh she would be. Her amusement showed in her face and grin though and she held up the head, mostly to just prove his point. In her opinion this was great. But she wasn't as self centered as to keep someone else in distress so she set the head down and walked a bit closer. She motioned to the rows of costumes, figuring that might be a little better before extending her hand. She wanted to help and in her own way she was trying. She could come back to the decorations later, and the costumes might not be such a shock to her new friend. Watching Chell’s reaction made Edwin feel a bit foolish, so he collected himself to better conceal his agitation, straightened his posture and squared his jaw to put on a sober expression. “Yes, perhaps we should browse through the costumes.” He didn’t sound all that excited, however. Because it was Chell who was more interested in finding a costume than Edwin, he suggested they first go down the women asiles. His expectations had been lowered the moment they’d stepped into the shop, so Edwin didn’t react to the photographs on the packages of skimpy and sexulized costumes. Finally, he couldn’t help but comment, “Many of these would be well suited for Mr Stark’s lady friends during his dalliances, back in my era,” referring to how Howard enjoyed to add a theatrical aspect to his sexual encounters. “Not all of them, however,” he conceded, but others were outright scandalous. Despite his critique, he found his gaze lingering upon a few of the images, letting his imagination linger a little longer than propriety should allow. After all, he was a man. “Do you see anything you like?” he asked. She had to wonder what kind of boss he had, and what the heck he actually did that he knew all that. The look she passed to him showed her confusion before she looked through the rows, looking for something that would suit her. She was going out, walking with another friend and half of these things looked like she’d catch a cold in. She kneeled down at times to examine something that looked like it would do but was disappointed at nearly every turn. Most of the things she didn’t get either. She let out a breath and shook her head, taking her notepad and scribbling, a touch upset, ‘Everything looks like I’ll get sick in. I want to go trick or treating, not end up in the Tower clinic.’ She let him read before looking to the men’s section. From afar it at least looked like she’d have more luck so she nodded to it. Then she wrote, ‘I think you might have a point that some things are a bit much.’ “What sort of costume would you like?” he asked on their way to the men’s section. “That would be helpful to focus on your options. Are you interested in a historical figure? Or something more fanciful?” In the men’s section, there were some interesting costumes, many of which Edwin didn’t understand their references, such a Breaking Bad hazmat suit, a Mutant Ninja Turtle shell, or an Assassin’s Creed outfit. Some of them were gorey, coming with evil masks with sharp, bloody teeth, and there were a others that played on men’s genitalia, such as a genie with a magic lamp worn around the waist and the spout in front with the instructions, rub me written upon them. It was those costumes that Edwin frowned upon. He picked up a costume that was entitled Good Time Charlie, which came with a turn of the century striped jacket and a boater hat. “I remember when people wore this sort of thing as a matter of fashion.” The problem was she didn’t know so many things, she didn’t want to wear something she didn’t understood. So half the costumes she passed up, unwilling to potentially run into someone in the hall who she was dressed up as. It would be awkward, and she’d hardly know how to feel if someone dressed up as her so she wasn’t going to do it to anyone. So she listened and looked at the costume he held up. She spotted something called ‘Emperor of Evil’ which was a robe, mask, and some gloves. But it would work and she hardly thought she’d run into that in the Tower. Then again. She studied it and found something closer to her size before rising and grabbing her notebook. ‘This’ll work. I don’t know who anyone is. I wouldn’t want to run into myself so I don’t want people to run into me as them.’ She wrote before looking at what he’d picked up. ‘Tell me of your time? I’m sure you miss things so what was it like?’ “Yes,” Edwin responded, thoughtfully. “That could be awkward, dressing up as somebody who was brought by the Tesseract. Although, I imagine some people might do that, just to be cheeky.” He picked a Musketeer costume from its hook for a closer inspection, then put it back to look at a pirate one, stylized after a Johnny Depp character from a film he actually enjoyed. “Oh, I don’t know,” he began answering her question as he browsed. “There seemed to be a prevailing optimism after winning the War, which isn’t as great, now. I’d like to say that we had more decorum, but then again that depended on which social circles you hung around with. There was an awful lot of closed mindedness about women and races, which I’m pleased to see is now being addressed. Technology was simpler, no so many gadgets, but we believed everything could be solved by science.” Her own choice made, she was happy to help him look, which was mostly just to look at whatever he was picking up. She tapped on the pirate costume and gave a thumbs up that she hoped showed approval rather than any sort of pressure. The last comment made her make a face. She’d heard that. The facility’s owner had said such things so she wondered if he’d lived during similar times, especially considering she assumed he’d had a lot of money. She tapped on the package she held for a moment before scribbling down, ‘do you miss your family? You don’t have to answer.’ She missed them in the sense she wished she knew who they had been and she wondered if she’d had any siblings. “Do you really think so?” Edwin looked over the pirate costume again. “I admit, it’s amusing, but I don’t know if I could pull off the whole drunk-but-likeable-reprobate act that goes with it. I wonder if this gentleman was ever here before? I don’t think he is now.” “I miss my wife,” was Edwin’s immediate reply to Chell’s written question, but he didn’t want to dwell upon this fact too long, so he quickly added, “However, I rest in the knowledge that when the time comes and the Tesseract returns me to my era, it will be as I never was away and she’ll be there where I left her. I also hold on to the hope that perhaps she will be brought here.” He glanced at her, sympathetically. “You probably don’t remember whether or not you have family, do you?” The answer made her feel bad, and she felt like she shouldn’t have asked. Instead she went to set her hand on his arm in sympathy before shaking her own head at the question. She took back her hand to scribble, ‘not really. Faint things. My dad was someone at the facility because they took me there for their fair and the take your daughter to work day thing. I know that because I found my potato battery and on the display I said I’d used some of his work’s materials for it.’ She paused a minute before adding, ‘the computer in charge, she said I was adopted. She kept saying it was bad.’ She didn’t want to leave it there so she just added, ‘and yes. All about being different right? And if you don’t want to do that you can be the respectable pirate. It’d still look nice.’ Chell’s show of sympathy made brought a melancholy smile to his face. “Thank you,” he told her, “I appreciate the gesture, but it’s quite alright. You, on the other hand. Seeing that you were taken from your family, I wouldn’t give any credence to what that computer in charge tells you. I sounds to me as though it was trying to lower your morale. Here’s a thought… it would seem that individuals brought from other universes are represented here in culture as a book or a television show or a film. Have you identified your source in his universe, yet? Because if you could, then perhaps you could learn about your history.” Weighing the pirate costume in his hand, he said thoughtfully. “Is there such a thing as a respectable pirate?” then decided, “I’ll buy it. Halloween is still some days away. There’s time for me to change my mind. I’ll need to pick up a sword and pistol to complete the look. I believe I saw an aisle full of assorted accessories over there.” His comments about finding out made her run her hand over her ponytail. Explaining why she felt it odd to do so was tricky, mainly because she didn’t know why she was reluctant. She’d gone through actual fire but the possibility of facing it all again, in a way that was meant to be for fun, sat wrong with her. Eventually she dropped her hand and picked up the notebook again. ‘I can’t be sure, but I think you’re right. I think she was. And I don’t know. Knowing everything was for entertainment doesn’t sit well. Someone from the facility came, said there might not be any answers. I don’t know my past, but I can figure out my future. It’s enough.’ And it was. For her anyway. Then she nodded to his suggestion of accessories and walked over there. |