Addison Rorkov (frozen_faith) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-03-06 21:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | addie, starbuck |
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Who: Addie and Starbuck
What: Mistaken Identity
When: Morning
Where: Hallway to her room
So, this was what it was like to be in an insane asylum? Addie sniggered to herself as she walked down the somewhat deserted hallways. And it was filled with people who believed in magic, werewolves, vampires, demons, witches... The run of the mill delusional psychotic stuff. You know, the kind where the psychopath says Satan made him do it. Life's sense of irony never ceased to amaze.
The blond woman continued down the hallway with a large box occupying her arms. She had no super-strength, but she was probably stronger than the average human man. Or at least equal. Working in construction required strength, and the spunky welder was in no way going to be outdone by any of her male coworkers. In fact, she made it a point to frighten most of them. Not the shake in your boots when she enters the work site, but the if I comment on her boobs she will hit me, but if I don't, she will hit me for not flattering her. Shit. Being unpredictable seemed the best way to keep the upper hand in any situation.
With her MP3 player turned up, she wasn't really much paying attention to the people occasionally walking by. The cryokinetic was even humming along to the tune.
***
The day had started as normal as ever. It was a perfectly average morning thus far for Starbuck. Wake up, feed and dress Kamea, grab a bite for himself, watch some toons, read a little.. nothing out of the ordinary at all. Things changed after Starbuck dropped his little girl off with one of her sitters and headed toward the library. He was on his way back, when he abruptly dropped the books in his hands. He stood in the hallway, frozen, eyes locked on a small framed woman walking toward him.
She wasn't all that close just yet, not close enough to get a great look at her, but her general outline, clothing, even her wild hair... it all screamed familiarity. What. The. Fuck.
---
Addie had no idea that she was causing mental scarification on a nearby peer. If she had known, she would have told him to get a grip and get over it already. Instead, because she was unawares, she nearly walked by the guy. Nearly. His recently dropped books made excellent speed bumps and the oblivious blond (har, har) managed to stumble over them and drop her box full of work gear. The contents made the box heavy, but luckily they weren't fragile. If they had been, she would have been pissed. Now she was just mildly annoyed.
"Fuck a duck!" she shouted after catching herself. Turning on the culprit, her blue eyes blazed icily. "Do people seriously go around dropping their books to trip up new arrivals? Or is that just your idea of a fun Sunday morning?"
***
Now that she was closer and talking, Starbuck was fairly sure she wasn't Kat. <i>Maybe</i>. Fuck. It was hard to tell for sure! He hadn't seen the bitch in... how long had it been? Besides, even if it wasn't Kat (and he REALLY hoped it wasn't), the similarities were striking. Even her shitty attitude toward him was familiar. He wasn't able to reply. Starbuck was too freaked out to handle this. He hadn't thought about Kat in months. He was <i>happy</i> without her. He even thought maybe, <i>maybe</i>.. he'd never been in love with her to begin with. Starbuck couldn't help but stare at the woman, especially her eyes.
---
Normally the ice queen would have insulted and moved on. It was her style. But normally her victims responded in some way. No response was like having a crazed monster chasing after you only to have total silence once you shut the door to the bathroom. It was totally bizarre. And it incited curiosity. Which usually got one of the heroes of a horror movie killed. And it was curiosity that made Addie break out of her usual routine. See, the whole unpredictable thing.
After a few more intriguing combinations of curses, and an inspection of the contents of her box, the blond looked up at the target of her most recent verbal volley. He was staring. At first she was gonna tell him exactly what he could do with his eyes, or what she might do to them for him if he didn't remove them from her body, but her ability to read people told her that this wasn't normal. Shit. Was he trancing out? Maybe he was... about to transform or something. Or maybe she was food to his species. After a moment's pause, and an articulate, "Umm..." she tentatively tested the waters of normal human concern. "Are you ok?" And then she found those waters cold and uninviting and continued on. "Cuz if you're gonna do something like bite me, I'd really like to get it over with so I can beat the crap out of you. I have to finish moving in today and my schedule doesn't include time for a good ass-kicking." There. Human kindness undetected.
***
Having the woman stare back at Starbuck wasn't helping matters. The icy blue eyes were like daggers. They shot through him, causing his heart to clench in his chest and his stomach to sink. The flicker of concern was new though. Kat wouldn't have asked if he was okay. It caused Starbuck to blink, finally. He swallowed hard, trying to get his bearings. His knees felt weak, but rather than buckling, they locked to ensure he didn't fall.
He caught a hint of something in the air. Definitely didn't smell like Kat, and that was a scent Starbuck knew far too well. He thought about it for a moment but was snapped back to reality when the woman turned sarcastic. "What's your name?" he asked in a soft, nervous voice.
---
Ok, so that wasn't expected. First of all, he didn't look like the kind of guy to have a soft, nervous voice. He was clearly built underneath his clothing. And something about him seemed vibrant. Well, Addie suspected that underneath this freakish behavior that he was at times vibrant. Probably mostly so. Secondly, what fucked up kind of a question was that at this point.
Standing and crossing her arms across her chest, she demanded to know, "What's yours?" Like she was giving him any information more than what she had on him. Maybe she'd fucked him before and he was some crazy stalker dude. Or maybe he was someone she'd gotten into a fight with, or owed money to. Or drugs. She was <i>not</i> going into this without having at least equal information as him. Her entire demeanor clearly stated all this as her eyes more deliberately peered into his with piercing intensity.
***
Starbuck was growing increasingly uncomfortable in her presence. It was horribly unnerving to be near someone who could have been Kat's identical twin. Starbuck's mother had often told him that everyone had a doppelganger, but he didn't believe it until this very moment. It was fucking <i>creepy</i>. Even the chick's attitude and style were the same. He was dumbfounded by it all.
"It's Starbuck," he replied cautiously, unable to stop staring at her. It was a slightly painful experience. There was some lingering, wicked part of him that wanted to hug her. Another part of him wanted to call her a bitch and tell her to get the fuck away from him.
---
This was getting increasingly uncomfortable for Addie, as well. She would have been more comfortable with the shouting and the cursing. And if she'd known there was a twin of her, she'd have demanded to know where. She'd cut that bitch! Really, there was only enough room for one of her in the world.
Huh? Did he stay Starbuck? A decent amount of intelligence is the only thing that kept her from jabbing at him about being named after the caffeine production capital of the world. There had to be another source. After a moment, the blond admitted a grudging, "Addie," in keeping her end of the unspoken bargain. Maintaining her icy gaze, she shot, "You know, this whole staring game thing is getting dull. And creepy. Really. Fucking. Creepy. Please stop. Or I will have to remove the problem." As in, your eyes, dickhead. She hoped he got the drift. She didn't like fighting this early in the morning. It ruined her entire day.
***
Starbuck had heard <i>every</i> possible joke about his name. He was more bored than annoyed when it happened these days, but right now he probably wouldn't have even noticed had she poked fun at him. Now, if she had called him Bucky immediately, he just might have shit himself. Rather than insulting him, she offered up her name. Even though he was now quite sure she wasn't Kat, it was still a relief to hear her utter a different name. "Addie," he whispered, repeating it.
Her request/threat was translated instantly. Starbuck looked down at his feet, mumbling, "Sorry." He probably should have explained <i>why</i> he was staring, but he didn't think to at the moment.
---
The way he whispered her name was creepy. Like speaking to a ghost of a love. It made her shiver, and that was typically a pretty difficult thing to do. Something was seriously wrong with this guy. And Addie didn't really think it was the cut up and eat the hearts of your girlfriends kind of wrong, but the something tragic kind of wrong.
"I'd say it's ok, but it's really not. Now, are you going to be able to go about your day at normal functionability?" In other words, are you ok? Of course, the tone was slightly condescending. Some people might actually start to think she's starting to care.
***
He only said her name out loud that one time, but he was repeating it in his head over and over and over again. Starbuck needed to remind himself that she was <i>not</i> Kat. She was Addie. And even though they looked liked clones of one another, they weren't the same person. Then again.. Kat's dad was a total man slut... Shit. What if Wes had two bitchy daughters with addictions to Hot Topic clothing and hair dye?
Starbuck had to think a moment after Addie asked if he was going to be okay. He paused before shaking his head 'no'. He was most definitely not okay. This was beyond fucked, because now he was thinking about Kat, and he didn't <i>want</i> to think about his bitchy ex! He wanted to think about his super bad ass <i>current</i> girlfriend, Kim.
---
Damn. Since she had asked, she couldn't just go on with her day and pretend like this whole thing had been just some sort of weird blip on the radar. Nope. And that is why no good deed goes unpunished.
Without skipping a beat, she said, "Fine then. Tell you what. Bring that box to my room and I'll make you a nice, soothing cup of tea." Pause. "Actually, I won't. But I can give you a Jack and Coke. Physical activity and alcohol seem to set most things right in the world." The blond flashed him a bright smile. The kind of smile that said, nope, I don't actually know what I'm doing, but I'm having a hell of a time doing it - wanna come along for the ride? And just to set the record straight, she didn't need his help to carry the box. But if she was gonna deal with his broken ass weirdo hang ups, then she'd better get something out of him.
***
Starbuck shook his head again, not moving to pick up the box because he wasn't so sure about his footing right now. If he tried to move, he might fall over. "I don't drink," he offered flatly. He glanced at the box for a moment then back to Addie. "And... I can't... I don't..." fuck, his mouth wasn't working because his brain was such a wreck.
Putting his hand to his forehead, then scratching his fingers back over his short hair, Starbuck sighed. "You look like someone," he finally confessed.
---
"You should start," she quipped immediately. Didn't drink? Lame. Ok, so maybe not. She'd known some pretty awesome dudes who were straight edge or whatever. However, with this guy's behavior to this point, his lack of drinking now added lame to his character traits. On top of creepy, damaged, and generally fucked up.
Ok. Progress. Or something like progress. "Dead girlfriend?" she guessed. Damn. Don't let me be right. <i>That</i> would have been cold and heartless. Addie may have been cold. But she wasn't really heartless. Her heart was just Grinch-sized. "Shit. Ok, so I'm not good with the cuddly, comforting type crap. So, I suggest you do it like ripping off a Band-aid. It'll hurt us both less." Why did this have to happen on her first day? Couldn't it wait a while before she made any sort of meaningful human connection with another person here? It would really hurt her reputation if she just started befriending people left and right.
***
"No, it's a diuretic." People really didn't understand that it was <i>dangerous</i> for someone so connected to water to imbibe alcohol. Dehydration equaled death for aquatic races. Humans could recover from it a lot easier than a water nymph like Starbuck. Besides, he didn't care for substance abuse in general. It made people act stupid.
Starbuck shook his head again. "Ex," he replied simply. No elaboration was offered, and really, was it necessary? Anyone could understand how uncomfortable it would be to run into a clone of an ex, regardless how the relationship ended, and for Starbuck, it had ended <i>badly</i>.
Looking to the box again, Starbuck finally managed to drop to his knees and slowly put his books inside the box with her belongings. He didn't say anything, just set to work. When had he ever been able to deny Kat anything? Never. Seemed that weakness extended to Addie.
---
"Ok..." So that explanation made no sense to someone who didn't know what he was.
So maybe it was a bit of a jolt to see someone who looked like an ex, but it wasn't necessarily a life-altering, turn me into a brainless zombie kind of experience. This bitch had fucked this dude in so many ways, most of them bad it seemed. Addie had an image of some slut doing something similar to Danny, and she felt an inherent protective rage against this evil whore. "Well, fuck her. And fucking kick her out of your mind already."
And then the jackass had to go and do something <i>nice</i>. She would have carried his books. Actually, when he wordlessly started picking up her box, she felt an uncanny impulse to grab her shit and run. What she did was take the lead. "This way." Silently, she led him to her room. Already, it was half full of boxes. Being in construction ensured that she was comfortable starting her day as an early riser. If he wouldn't take the alcohol, he could at least take the water. Grabbing a water from her mini-fridge, she offered it to him. "Thanks," she offered.
***
Maybe he should have realized that his explanation just confused matters more, but Starbuck wasn't thinking all too clearly right now. His brain kept shorting out in the effort to separate Addie and Kat. Kat knew that Starbuck didn't drink alcohol, and she knew <i>why</i>. He didn't think about explaining it to Addie, because he mistakingly felt she should know already.
For all the anger Starbuck still felt toward Kat, he didn't care for <i>others</i> talking shit about her. "Shut up," he snapped suddenly, though his words lacked vehemence. "Don't talk about her," he added in a softer tone. Not only did he not want Addie badmouthing Kat, he also didn't want the woman commenting on his crappy attempts at coping right now.
Of course he was doing something nice. Starbuck was like that. He was the puppy you kicked that licked your hand a second later. Kat took advantage of this character flaw <i>many</i> times. She had perfected the art of abusing his adoration for her. Starbuck bent over backward on a regular basis to prove his love for her and give her all the things he thought she deserved, only to have his hand slapped away when he tried to hold hers. Holding a box was easier. He carried it without complaint, thinking in silence as he followed Addie.
Starbuck set it down gently near the foot of her bed when Addie ushered him into her room. This all felt like a strange dream, even stranger when she said <i>thanks</i> (seriously, gratitude?) and went so far as to offer him a bottle of water. Starbuck nodded his appreciation and took it, despite having reservations about bottled water. He was an eco friendly guy, and bottled water was soooo terrible for the environment. How many times had he seen discarded bottles floating in the surf or cluttering the reefs?
---
Pussy. Addie rolled her eyes at this poor sap's misguided chivalry. "Fine. But, clearly, she fucked you up the ass. Sideways." It was the only reason she could imagine for him becoming a sudden blithering idiot upon seeing her apparent double. It was creepy imagining someone out there who looked so much like her that her appearance could do this to someone. So much for eye witness testimony holding up in court. She'd already decided that if she met this bitch in person, she'd beat the crap out of her on principal. She didn't have relationships. She fucked guys she didn't care about, and who didn't care about her. She knew the kind of games she played, and despite her laissez-faire attitude, she didn't actually <i>enjoy</i> hurting other people. Hence why she'd leave a guy like Starbuck the hell alone. She might flirt, might even try to make his girlfriend jealous, but she wouldn't take advantage. It was just too messy.