InsaneJournal

I know what it's like to feel drawn to a friend.
Who: Faramir, Kitty and Eowyn
What: Kitty talks to Faramir about her multiple-universe theory, and the Eowym gets jealous.
When: Recently
Where: A place with yummy pancakes
Rating: Pg-13
Status: complete



Faramir had rushed right over to the address that Kitty had given him on the valar net. It was hard not to be intrigued and actually excited to speak so openly with someone about the dreams, and about this multiverse theory that she mentioned. He walked into the place hoping that he might spy someone else there that looked as equally eager as he did, and so he would be able to find her more swiftly.

If that failed, then he would simply ask anyone sitting by themselves, until he found the right person. It seemed simple enough a matter, and a good enough next step, after his eyes were finished skimming over faces in the area and hoping eyes might meet.

It was a cute little breakfast cafe, and like Kitty promised the coffee was good and the pancakes even better. It had been a frequent stop back when she'd gone into the office to do work, and she had pleasant memories of the place. It was good for dates and good for meetings both!

"Faramir?" Her voice sounded behind him. Kitty stood there, hands behind her back and brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Her dress was casual, jeans and a blue and gold blouse, with the buttons undone enough to reveal her Star of Davis. She was spunky, eager and cute, but her eyes had that sharpness to them of a person who'd seen more than her fair share in her young life. She'd fit right in among the people of Gondor.

Upon first sight of Kitty, once he turned around, Faramir thought roughly the same thing. They were known to have grave faces or stern expressions among the Rangers of Ithilien. A lot of that was conveyed by their eyes and Kitty had the sort of look to hers that Faramir remembered all too well, that they had each seen and done too much, but still carried on despite their trials and tribulations. Being a Ranger was sometimes a thankless and yet profoundly dangerous task that they undertook, and did so, gladly.

Immediately, he liked her. He smiled and nodded to her, and responded in a pleasantly intoned, "I am. And you must be Kitty. It is a pleasure to meet you, face to face. The internet is a wonderful tool for communication, but it can be impersonal. Please, after you. Ladies first."

He bowed his head to her as a show of respect, sensing this was a meeting of one warrior with another. Even though many might not call Faramir a warrior, in the classic sense. He would much rather be curled up with a book, than slaying foes.

Thankless and dangerous task? Welcome to the X-Men, your spandex is in your locker, you don't get a lunch break and every Tuesday is 'surprise we're under attack' day.

She nodded her head back at him, then held out her hand. "It's both impersonal and too personal sometimes. And hard to gauge tone."

After a proper handshake, she led him to her favorite booth. It didn't used to be her favorite booth, but experience (and dreams) had taught her the value of keeping an eye on the entrance.

Experience had also taught her to not freak people out with displays of powers or strange things within the first five minutes of meeting them, so there was no phasing involved.

That was probably a good idea. Faramir had no idea that Kitty was from comic books. He was a literature and library nerd, but not the comic book or fandom type of geek. Most of what he knew was from passing memes on his tumblr dash. So there was no clue that she had spandex in a locker, there were no lunch breaks, and there was an attack day every week. What he was familiar with was those thankless and dangerous tasks, and so that? They might have in common. And to tell the truth of it, he might be momentarily fascinated by her ghosting around, but he wasn't one to freak out and be all OMG EVIL GHOSTING LADY with flaily arms or the likes. He, at least, would assess things and accept them reasonably well.

His brother on the other hand? Maybe not. But that was probably another story, to be told another time.

He sat down in the booth, across from her, and told her, "You probably have more experience with conversing over the internet, than I do. It's mainly e-mails to family, and course outlines or messages from students. Most of whom are trying to get out of writing their papers on time. I'm still trying to come to terms with the matter of dreaming, and so it may do some good to talk to someone who seems knowledgeable, and who can explain that multi-universe theory to me."

Boro was going to have an epic geek out when he found out. Kitty Fucking Pryde? That would blow his mind. He’d collected those things. He still had a huge chunk of the first few few hundred Uncannys.

“Well, I pretty much live on the internet. I do White Hat work. Cracking into networks and getting paid to do it to help them become more secure.” In other words, she made the internet her bitch. She paused to order, then leaned forward. “Okay. Ever see Star Trek? Mirror universes, and so on? Universes where the Nazis won World War II, others where the Greeks took their steam discoveries and had an industrial revolution. Every possibility you can think of, has probably happened. A universe where you or me was born in a different place or time. Or one where we have gifts we don’t normally have.”

There was a good likelihood of Boromir finding out about this meeting, after the fact. Minds will be blown.

In the meantime, Faramir ordered pancakes and coffee, and politely shook his head. He knew of Star Trek, but he hadn't ever gone out of his way to watch much Sci-Fi. However, he understood what she was trying to explain.

"At least such undertakings seem legal. My knowledge of the internet is basic, at best. E-mail and anti-virus checks. But I do not do much on it, and prefer to hold a book to a tablet or kindle." He thought over the concept of mirror universes. "I fear that I have been too concerned with this universe, and perhaps not enough with any others. You believe this is the reasoning behind the dreams happening?"

Viruses. Kitty loved and hated them. Loved them because they helped her job, hated them because she hated the idea of some dickwad getting off on ruining thousands and millions of peoples' lives.

She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "I think so. At least in my dreams there's evidence for it. Visitors from other realities, alternate timelines. My best friend came from my future, only her terrible future won't come to pass in my reality because she and the future me made sure of that. But it still happened, because there was a version of the timeline where we didn't interfere, and that's the version that we came from. Say you go back in time, and kill your grand father so you're never born. But if you're not born, how could you go back in time? Because the act of killing your grandfather splits time. In one reality, you're never born. In the other reality, you're born, so that you're able to go back in time. It neatly solves that paradox, but also makes all those fictions about time travel kind of pointless."

Kitty took a sip of her coffee when it arrived. "I've got a friend you should meet sometime if you're still curious. Her dreams are literally about teleporting from alternate universe to alternate universe, fixing mistakes in the timelines. There's an old show kind of like that. Sliders." It was cheesy, and a few years before her time, really, but she'd netflixed it once.

"Anyway. So you have us all here. SOMETHING in this area is making us dream. And these dreams are terribly realistic. More realistic than normal dreams, sometimes more realistic than being awake." She rolled up her sleeve to show a thin scar on her shoulder. "I woke up with this one day. I used to have others, but I got killed and resurrected and the process removed all my older scars." She sounded like the idea still kind of pissed her off. "But things come through the dreams. Items. Powers." She stuck her hand through the table. "The dreams change us. Make us more like the person in them. Some people turn tail and run, others embrace it. People keep telling me I'm not that person, and maybe I'm not, but I sure act and think a lot like her. It's like a bleedover. A thing connection between worlds that's letting all this through. Or maybe something happened to collapse all those other timelines, and now we're here, remembering a time that no longer exists. To make matters worse, I've dreamed a half a dozen life times, a half dozen Kitty Prydes doing things differently or living in terrible places or apocalyptic scenarios. Like there's the me here."

She pulled her hand out of the table, finally. "And then there's the first me I dreamed about, and that feels like the strongest connection. The other mes I dream about still feel real, but with the exception of one or two they feel a lot less intense." Her theory was that the first dreams were of a her that was closest to who she was when she was awake, and each subsequent dream her was farther and further different.

That was a lot to think about, and more so when he watched her put her hand through the table. Faramir's eyes widened at that, but he didn't shrink away or utter a sound. Instead he watched, and studied, and looked profoundly thoughtful.

"That would explain why you have the sort of gaze that one gets, when they have endured far too much. I mean no offense in saying so," he explained, "only that I noticed as much, when I first looked upon you. And it is all due to these dreams, and this area, or these other universes you speak of, which are coinciding somehow and causing this to happen. It is much to ponder, especially in the terms of bleed over, which I have been giving much thought to as of late.

"I must confess, that I have an unexplainable sensation around some persons. I somehow know them, and yet I do not. I have not met them before, nor do I have any real knowledge of them, not even from dreams. It is disconcerting to me, and even if they were close to me, in some other time or place, that may not make it necessarily true, in this time and in this place. I often wonder if it is better to divorce the one side from the other. I was born in this lifetime, as this me. Not as this other me, that I dream of. Should I not live this life as my own? There is no shadow to be found here, like that which we endured in my dreams. There is no war on our doorstep. And I should not feel the strange heaviness in my heart, when I think of my family. There is no reason for it, not that I can foresee. But I suppose, when the time is ripe, then all will be revealed. I must show patience, whereas others may not."

He sighed, and shook his head. "It is a fine stroke of irony that you are able to become a ghost. And yet you are enduring these dreams of other ghosts of yourself, while you sleep Something inexplicable tells me that it is not merely dreams which you have endured. And something tells me even more so, that it is what we endure in this waking life that may matter most. That perhaps I should use such dreams as cautionary tales, and not expect every person within to fall into the same place, as they once occupied in some other universe. As you have explained to me."

It wasn’t an idea that was rejected, and instead was embraced. This made some measure of sense to him, even with what she was capable of doing.

There was a pause, before Faramir apologetically smiled and held out one hand to her, across the table. He was careful not to spill his coffee.

"Can you ghost through more than a table?" he asked. "If it does not offend you to do so, I should like to know what it feels like."

"You can fix mistakes," kitty said, quietly. "I know what it's like to feel drawn to a friend. These people you don't realize you know. My mentor, my late wife, my best friends..." She shook her head. "But you can fix mistakes. People you've wronged you can try to make right with, or people you had feelings for and never...let yourself tell them. Or bad relationships you can now avoid."

The pancakes arrived and she drowned them in blueberry syrup. "Think of them as a cautionary tale. That war on your doorstep could come here. You know that terrorist attack on Las Vegas last year? That was someone else's nightmare dream come true. So yeah...I've endured a lot even here. Nightmares from my own dreams and others, loss....but many good things too. I've changed. Not who I was before, but I'm not these people i dream I am. Yet, I still am these people, at my core."

She knew it already had, twice. But she wasn't sure he was ready to hear that. "After we eat, I'll show you what I can do."

Faramir didn't seem at all offended that she hadn't ghosted through his hand, since she offered to give a demonstration later on. It was time for pancakes and he had opted for regular maple syrup and a light smear of butter. While she was speaking, he ate a little and listened a lot.

He also refrained from standing and facing the west before the meal, which was something they did in his dreams. Numenor, and beyond, did not exist in this world, at all. It seemed without reason, to do so. It was much like the cautionary tale mention, Kitty was just speaking of. It was known but it didn't need to be repeated.

"I should hope that such a war does not come here. There is enough strife in this world, without more being piled atop it, and so many innocent bystanders suffering for it," he patiently pointed out, between bites of food. "It is hard to think that what we are before isn't still what we are at the core of things, for this world. And perhaps what we were in another, is merely meant to accentuate that. I also have the feeling that I would not want to give up what I have here and now, to adopt what I was from another place and time. It is too antiquated. There is little use for bow and sword, in an age of guns and drone strikes. In that, my brother, Boromir, is right. Even if he has his sword, and I have my bow, they would serve little purpose. Especially not in a war."

Oh, she really wanted to show him, not just going through a wall, which was a big trip, but also to take him up into the air. It was an oft overlooked part of her abilities, the way she could walk on air.

"There is a strong wall between that sea and the rest of the world," Kitty assured him, but she didn't elaborate on what that wall was. Faramir's world was a land of heroes and myth. If bad things could come through, then heroes could come through as well. In other words, she trusted his intelligence to make the leap.

Okay, maybe a little elaboration. "Don't discount a good shot with a bow. Or up close and personal combat. I'm a ninja."

And she looked 100% serious about that ninja thing. "And my mentor has metal claws in his hands. But I'm not saying to become that you you dream about. Just that, for all the weapons and destruction we can unleash as a country, sometimes the quiet and stealthy is the best way to go. Especially if you don't want half the country looking into these things and starting to lock people up for being...different. I got enough of that in my dreams. Sometimes, looking in, it feels like my people - the ones with strange powers - are an allegory for the struggle of minorities, be it racial, or gender or sexuality."

And he would look forward to it, since he could then see for himself, firsthand, what it was like to be a ghost. The thought was intriguing, but he could also see how that might be used for ill if it were someone else capable of doing so. Kitty was too open in the way she spoke of such strange things and too honest in the way she conducted herself, for him to suspect she would use such abilities for evil purposes.

That included her omission that she was a ninja, which had him raising his eyebrows. He didn't question it, because he would believe she could be and that it would be incredibly difficult to catch a ghost with ninja skills.

"I do not think it possible, in my case, to become what I have dreamed of. That is beside what skill I have with the bow I found, in my room, after a dream. The fact remains that I have grown up another person in this world, with cellphones, computers, cars, and other such modern conveniences. That is what I know," Faramir very thoughtfully replied, considering all that was said. "The way that this other self lived, is a distant memory. Pleasant, not unwanted, and despite any hardships of war or darkness. I would have to be hard pressed to intervene, should a crisis arise. I would, only if time and need were dire. I think Boromir, with his training and background in this life, would be of more use."

As for the rest of it, there was a palpable sadness in his eyes and voice.

"It is my hope that someday people will be able to look past such things, and realize that even one's enemy, or someone seemingly different, has their own valid beliefs, thoughts, and feelings. We are all simply people, living for the time allotted to us, and are all capable of learning acceptance. In some ways, I think things have progressed already. But there are still those moments in which hopes are dashed. Where someone makes a hateful remark, or acts violently against another viewed as somehow different than a supposed norm. At times such as that, I am reminded of just how much further humanity has to go."

She'd have to show him a back flip or two. And her powers could be used for evil. It would be far too easy to eliminate someone, or break into a vault. And these were things she'd actually done, but to be fair, the people she'd used them on tended to deserve it and she'd never actually pulled someone's heart out. No matter how tempting it might be.

"Yeah, I could see how hard that would be to adjust. In my dreams I've worked with all sorts of technology, including alien tech, so it's not much of a difference if you really look at it. Feels like dream me was using touchscreens years before they were on the market." Kitty's smile faltered, then brightened. "There are a lot of people like you in my dreams. It's just really hard to hear their voices over the vocal minority." And then there were the radical elements among the mutants that only made the backlash worse, but there was a part of her that wondered if Magneto was right. (And that part scared the hell out of her. And then you had Scott going revolutionary and if Scott Summers was going down that path then.... She shut that thought down before it went anywhere she wouldn't like.)

"We've got a long way, but I'm optimistic we'll make it. And this is coming from a Jewish bisexual mutant woman. That's like four strikes against me right there in society!"

It had to be very different for those who dreamed of using any technology, compared to those who came from backgrounds where there was nothing electronic, at all. There was little to reconcile that dream world, with the current reality.

"Then I hope, one day, your dreams might take a turn for the better, and the vocal minority gains some much needed wisdom." He smiled in agreement, and then laughed at her last statement. "I am optimistic as well! And those who count such things as strikes against society, should naturally have no bearing on how you choose to live your life. As much as you have no bearing on how they live theirs, mired in their own ignorance."


Kitty was less optimistic about that than she sounded, but she didn't want to depress the conversation. She was beginning to think the X-Men needed to go, and that it was their presence that was making everything go bad. In at least one universe disbanding them had been the right thing to do, but that wasn't the case for every universe.

"Took me a bit to come to terms with that." She smiled at the man.

"I think it is much the same with anyone, who comes to realize such terms exist," Faramir replied. "Perhaps I should have stated that it is best to remain cautiously optimistic. There will always be those who are, quite simply put, going to insist on acting like an ass and think what applies to them, should apply to all those around them."

“The lesson I had to teach myself is that I’m Kitty Pryde and that’s the only label that matters!” For some reason, talking about this, and talking to him, seemed to make her feel a little better. Or maybe it was saying that for the first time out loud in the waking world that did it. “And you know, occasionally getting to punch the bad guys in the nose helped a little.”

"I will not claim that violence is the answer, but neither will I object that it has it's time and place. At least it is against those would run afoul of others," he agreeably pointed out. He was enjoying her company and the pancakes in equal measure. "I think it is good for one to be honest and at peace with themselves, first and foremost. All other things will fall into line, thereafter."

“Good advice,” she agreed. If only she could find that peace. She kept getting there, then falling short. “I’m glad I decided to meet you.”

It was something to strive toward. With his own family situation being what it was, and having the support of his brother (despite their disagreements on key issues), Faramir had managed to find some little center of calm to cling onto. It helped, when everything else went terribly, horribly wrong.

"Any advice may be carried with those who choose to take it, or left discarded on the wayside. If it helps you in some way, then I am happy for giving it. If not, then...I suppose you will find bad guys with noses you can bloody." He laughed and shook his head, although it wasn't a condemnation. It was amusing and reminded him of Boromir. "I am glad too, that you agreed to such a meeting. I chanced across your post and debated with myself, if I should ask. Some chances are worth taking, when they work out for the better."

Kitty balled up her fist and grinned at him. “There’s enough crazy going on in this state to drive people to distraction. It’s sometimes good to figure out just how much is real and how much isn’t, and what’s real is enough to change your viewpoint on reality. Now I promised to show you my powers...I know a place, if you don’t mind hopping on my motorcycle with me.”

"I wouldn't mind at all," he replied, with a grin in return. "After seeing you put your hand through the table, to say I'm not curious would be a lie. Lead on!"

Kitty hopped up, and headed for the door.

"You little slut."

There was a wooshing through the air, and then fist passed through Kitty's head like she wasn't even standing there. She turned to see a very angry blonde woman winding up for another swing, and danced back, through the (still closed) doors.

Eowyn gave chase, cursing under her breath, and this time Kitty let the blow connect as she parried with her forearms and then smoothly grasped Eowyn's wrist and flipped her onto her back. "You've got moves, but you need practice, and you're kind of blinded by rage right now."

Eowyn swept Kitty's feet out from under her and the brunette rolled back and flipped up into a ready position.

"You're lucky I don't have a sword." Eowyn spat on the ground and got to her feet.

"I'd still beat you," Kitty boasted. She glanced back towards Faramir. “Ex?”

Faramir had been following behind Kitty, and watched the entire thing unfold, following both women outside. He had quickly gone from shocked astonishment to grave faced and so silent it was like the calm before a tropical storm was about to make landfall. It was very much his WTF IS THIS NEW DEVILRY moment, and he didn't appear to be amused at all. Confused and angry? Yes. Amused? Not so much.

"...not even that," a grave faced Faramir replied, and his tone and bearing turned stern and commanding. "Eowyn! This is a new friend and nothing more. A new friend that you are attacking without provocation. Furthermore, you saw with your own eyes that she went through the doors without opening them, did you not? There is no means in which you can best her, either with fists or with swords. Stop, and explain yourself!"

Eowyn folded her arms. Caught. Being jealous. It was really undignified, and she didn’t really have any words to defend herself with. So she just shrugged a shoulder. “You can do better than a stick like her.” She nodded her head towards Kitty.

“Stick? Maybe ten years ago.” Kitty rolled her eyes and looked like she was considering going at it again. She glanced at Faramir, then took a step to the side so that Eowyn could take the full brunt of the incoming storm.

As he listened and noticed the way Eowyn was shrugging it all off, Faramir's lips were pressed together into a very.thin.line. He started to walk, pausing only by Kitty's side and saying under his breath in the most insanely calm sort of way, "Please, I beg your forgiveness. I will need a moment alone with her. I am sorry she called you a stick...and a slut. It was uncalled for."

And then he walked right over to Eowyn, took hold of her wrist, and began to guide her off for a talking to, whether she likes it, or not. She is going. Right the hell right now. In case she took offense to that and wanted to swing a punch? Faramir stopped that in it's tracks by saying in one of those ultra calm 'Do not fucketh with me' voices, "You will not strike me. And we are going to talk about this, so that cooler heads prevail over heated words and thrown fists."

"It's all right," Kitty said under her breath. Neither of those were true, but even a year ago it might have hurt a lot more than it did now.

Eowyn just rolled her eyes, though she checked Faramir out as though his quiet strength was eyeopening. And hot. Really hot. Distressingly hot. "Fine."

Faramir had merely mumbled that it was not all right in response to Kitty, before he was out of earshot. And oh it had better be fine, because he guided her over to a quiet spot and turned to face her. If he was invading her personal space, so be it.

"Explain why in Eru's name you would even feel remotely compelled to attack anyone that I choose to speak to. That was without provocation. I wish to know why."

That was more of a demand than a question, and his eyes were searching her face as though he was trying to read into the reasons by any change in expression or a shifting of her eyes.

“I don’t have an answer.” Eowyn squared her shoulders and stared him down, eyes like fiery sapphires, and nearly as hard. “Except that you could do better than that.” She gestured towards where Kitty was standing. Bema, she felt like a fool, and slapped a palm over her face. “I don’t know.”

If she tried to stare him down, he didn't budge. In fact, his own eyes were as hard as stone and she might as well be trying to move mountains. The saving grace here was that he sensed her frustration and embarrassment, enough to rest one hand on her shoulder. It was an act meant to comfort her, despite the situation.

"She is a good person and I can tell she is strong in her own right. She also has more familiarity with the dreams, which is why I sought her out," he explained. "I sensed as well that your feelings had cooled during our last text messages. I also have much to ponder over, so I have not pursued speaking further to you, and kept to myself. If that has caused this to happen, then I apologize to you. It was not intended. But you can not go about, trying to punch every other woman that I speak to. You would have to do so, to a large percentage of my students. I would like to avoid that happening."

She started to shrug his hand off, then stopped, and let out a sigh. Then she gave him a perturbed look. "Faramir, I felt I needed to talk to my brother first. You understand that, right? Surely there are things about these dreams you'd want to discuss with Boromir before you brought them up with someone you just met? They've left me a little...conflicted and twisting in the wind and they're much harder to deal with than I usually let on. And I don't like her, she makes googly eyes at you."

She glanced at Kitty. "...and I think she's making googly eyes at me too."

"No, I understood that part. I am sorry. I read into your wording too much that evening, and it seemed to me as though you wished to pull away. And so I was doing much the same. I meant to give you the space you seemed to require, and then I was thinking things through, myself. So you know? I have only very lightly touched on such things with Boromir, since I feel there are furthering rifts in my own family, and he seems consumed in his thoughts. When Boromir feels the need to speak, we all know he will do so. And I was waiting for you to do the same."

He looked genuinely sorry even as he unflinchingly met her gaze, and it was as though all of his anger had melted away when she admitted how she felt. He very briefly raised that hand from her shoulder, to touch his fingertips against her cheek, and then stopped himself, unsure of why even that act felt familiar. It was that uncertainty that he started to loathe, although he also reminded himself that he must have patience. Something told him that all would be revealed, in it's own time.

"I'm thinking that...." Faramir glanced over and saw exactly the same thing that Eowyn had. He raised his eyebrows a smidge. "...that she is making googly eyes at both of us, like a very close tennis match is taking place. It is likely because she is bisexual, but I do not think that matters. She did not strike me as interested in me, in that way."

Unless he was wrong. He glanced at Eowyn like he was uncertain and wondering what she thought.

"You mean Boromir actually has thoughts to be consumed in instead of just blurting out whatever comes to mind first?" Eowyn asked, raising her eyebrows. But her breath suddenly went out of her at that brief contact with her cheeks.

"She wouldn't be the first woman..."

Meanwhile, Kitty was mentally urging them to kiss. Because that was Eowyn, it had to be, and okay it was one of her OTPs from when she was a kid reading those books. SHUT UP SHE WAS A ROMANTIC BACK THEN.

"Is that so? And ahhhh. Your feud continues," he replied, giving her a too-fond smile. It was like no one else existed when he looked at her. "Contrary to popular belief, Boromir does keep some things to himself until it explodes forth with loudly spoken words, spectacularly. One need only wait for the explosion."

It was almost like he was picking up on that mental urging, because Faramir found that he very much wanted to. It was taking a lot of willpower not to. Being around her was like a magnetic attraction that was hard to resist. It was easier to endure, when she wasn't within sight and he was left with only his thoughts.

"Did you speak to your brother?" he suddenly asked her, to keep his lips busy with speaking instead of other things.

"I think it will always continue," She replied, smirking. "And I've seen this explosian several times first hand." She was actually surprised Boromir hasn't told his brother yet about her, uh, friendship with Thor. Or maybe he was blind to it. It had only been once or twice.

And right now she couldn't even remember Thor's name. Faramir was clouding her thoughts, and she didn't regret trying to hit Kitty because she wanted him.

When she spoke again, her breath was hot against Faramir's lips. "In texts, mostly..."

Nooooooope. Faramir did not know about Eowyn's 'friendship' with Thor, if that 'friendship' implied other things. However, he would probably weather that as he did most other things. Even if things like close quarters with Eowyn right at that moment, were clouding him just as much as she was experiencing. It seemed equal on both fronts. He had even forgotten, for the time being, that Kitty was there or oogling.

"Far be it for me to stop either of you. I do not think it possible," he said with a sigh, and that did not help that their lips were dangerously close to doing more than merely speaking. "I hope the talk went well?"

And that last question was asked as he directed his gaze down at her lips.

"Talk?" Eowyn asked. Her head was foggy, and before she could control herself she was leaning in. She'd successfully fought off the brunette bitch and now the prize was hers. Except he wasn't a prize and she barely knew him, but she wanted to know him better. And she was attracted, and not as accustomed to giving into her attractions as she liked to pretend she was.

"Mmmhmm, talk," Faramir managed to say, before his lips bridged what little gap there was, and he very resolutely kissed her. And, throwing caution to the wind, he did not pull away or falter in any way. It felt right, deep down in his heart and soul, despite not knowing how or why Eowyn fit in with the dreams. And so the kiss dragged on...in full view of a parking lot full of anyone who might be going in or out of the establishment, and Kitty Pryde, who was probably having a fangasm of some sort.

No, it's not up on some high wall of a white city or the likes, but beggars can't be choosers.


It felt like they'd kissed before, and like they hadn't. Like sparks, if not fireworks. Eowyn wasn't a romantic person. She was brash and a little pragmatic, but kissing him felt so good that all that went fluttering away on the breeze.

Faramir was a damn good kisser, and Eowyn wanted to prove she was too.

Kitty? Bounced from foot to foot covering her mouth with both hands.

He was more of a hopeful optimist at heart, even if it was with a heavy dose of good sense. Good sense ceased to matter so much, since there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that - somewhere, somehow - this had happened before and that kissing Eowyn was above and beyond anything he had ever experienced with anyone else. There were sparks, and fireworks, and when he did anything, he did it with all of his heart and soul. He didn't want to stop. Even if there might be some high pitched fangirl squee very faintly muffled as it wafted through the air.

All good things must come to an end, which was why he let it trail off in it’s own good time and ended with a longing sigh.

Eowyn made a quiet, gasping sound, her lips brushing against Faramir's cheek and then pressing against his jaw, as though she didn't want to break the contact. That had been unexpected, and in some ways unwanted, but in other ways she'd known she'd wanted it, even if she couldn't explain why.

It all served to scare the crap out of her, and she pulled away.

"Sorry..about that. I don't know. I should..." She gestured in a vague 'go' direction.

He took hold of the hand she was gesturing with.

"Do not apologize. I do not feel there is any need to do so," he said softly, under his breath. "Perhaps you did not feel the same as I did, but I have no regret in doing so. I would do so again, a thousand times or more, if I thought you would welcome it. But I know you need time, as I do, to find some reason or insight from the dreams. And I would not want to rush you, as much as I know that I can not be rushed, either."

He gave her hand a reassuring but light squeeze, before reluctantly letting go and stepping away so he didn’t hinder her retreat.

"That is why I sought out my friend, there, to help explain. And I think I understand such things a bit more, as to the possibilities. It does not mean you need to lose yourself, entirely, to what we might be in our dreams. So have hope! And when you are ready to speak to me of such things, then I will gladly do so."

The way he talked just made knots form in her chest. She folded her arms defensively and nodded her head. "Uhm. I'll text you. But I liked it. Don't think that I didn't. But I liked it and..." She lifted her hands to her hair. "I don't like feeling like I'm losing myself."

"I am glad to hear that," he said with a kind smile, even though he noted her defensive stance and made no further move to approach or touch her in any way. "And I shall await your text. Perhaps we can talk then, or meet face to face, and sort things out to our mutual satisfaction. There is time to do so, and I do not wish to rush you."

What was being left unsaid on his part, was that he was afraid that if something in future dreams linked them together, they might already be losing themselves to some degree, and it might be causing feelings between them that were confusing them, so it was harder to differentiate between the then and the now.

She was pretty sure if they were alone right now she'd be having him against a tree. Eowyn just nodded her head. "Sorry. About trying to hit your friend." Only not really.

Eowyn backed away, then turned around and practically ran-walked away.

Faramir had given her an almost knowing look, like he doubted that she was 100% sorry. Eowyn's temper ran hot, not like her sometimes cold demeanor suggested. He didn't point out any of that, preferring instead to watch her take her leave, until she was out of view.

It wasn't like that cloud of being around her had lifted, since he very slowly made his way over to Kitty, with an apologetic smile.

"Again, I offer my apologies," he told Kitty. He felt he owed her some explanation. "We are feeling our way through things, and that is not always easy when we do not know where things are going, or why they are going the way they are."

"She's hot," Kitty said, grinning at Faramir. "And I completely get what you're talking about. That whole...feeling around in the dark, trying to figure out where you are, and where you are with each other...."

"She's beautiful and strong, especially strong of will." He grinned and didn't want to admit that it was alluring to him. He did like those who had strong wills, either when they were loud or were deceptively quiet about it. "You do have more experience in such things. I shall take your word for it, but try to weigh things out with my mind as much as I do with my heart."

He was quiet for a second or two, before he asked, "Did you still wish to show me your powers, away from prying eyes?"

He may not want to admit it but it was pretty obvious to Kitty. Faramir was smitten, and smitten was totally the right word for it.

"Definitely weigh things with your head as much as your heart. Heart will show you the path, but your mind will help you find the way on it."

She held out her hand. "We're going to go through some walls and I'll take you dancing on air."

He is a smitten man, even if he doesn’t know why he’s so heavily smitten, just yet.

"That is what I think is best, as well." His grin brightened and he nodded, taking hold of her hand. "I do not need to do anything particular while we go through or dance on air?"

"Just hold on tight," She told him. He didn't even need that, but sometimes it made people feel better if they felt that they had some kind of control over it. "I promise I won't drop you anywhere dangerous."

"I would respectfully and most humbly ask that I'm not dropped, even in a place that isn't deemed dangerous," he said with a laugh and nodded at her to proceed. "And I will promise to hold on tight."