Rose Tyler is Bad Wolf (_badwolf_) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-02-17 13:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, h g wells, rose tyler |
Who: Helena & Rose
What: Random Meetings!
When: Mid January
Where: Department store
Rating: Low
Status: Complete!
At least Helena didn’t have to be out in the field uncovering remains today. So as it was, she was out doing some shopping before she needed to pick Christina up from school. She still needed to go to the grocery store, but that was to be done with Christina. After all, she knew her daughter would have some input on things she wanted. Plus it was one of the things they did together.
Currently she was in a store looking for some things. She was still in need of a few furniture pieces to round out some of the rooms in her house, but those could wait. She had the essentials she needed. So clothing and anything else that caught her eye to work for Christina was what she was going for.
Rounding a corner, she nearly ran into someone. Thankfully she had good reflexes and stopped just short of running into her.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She apologized. “I should learn to not take corners so tightly.”
Rose had been hiding out at home, not wanting to go out with all the crime that had been happening all around Orange County. She found herself going a little bit crazy though, just lounging around at home with Wolf. As much as she loved her little kitten, she could only play with him so much before she needed to find a new activity. John had recently suggested that they go out, maybe just the restaurant down the street, but something to cure their cabin fever. Rose was excited with the idea and decided it would be a good excuse to go out and get something new to wear. She figured it was safer to shop during the day and made sure to go out early in the day.
She had been heading into the store, wondering what kind of clothes she should let herself splurge on when she rounded the corner to find someone there already.
“Oops! I’m sorry!” Rose took a step back and smiled, showing no harm meant. When she heard the accent on the other gal, her smile grew. “I think us Brits are just use to running into each other over here! You’re alright?”
It was certainly something to hear a familiar accent. Though there seemed to be quite a few Brits gathering here in Orange County. Briefly, Helena wondered just how odd this place was. Dreams of another life, gifts from said dreams, and a seemingly large British population. However, the thought slid out of her mind and she smiled warmly.
“I would have to agree! Is this some secret subconscious plot of ours to take back the colonies?” Helena said jokingly with a laugh. “I’m fine, no harm done! Are you alright?”
It was, after all, polite to ask after a near collision. Helena at least hadn’t been carrying anything that was breakable. She had a couple items of clothing hooked over one arm, clothing that was obviously for a child.
Rose couldn’t help but laughed, but nodded her head in agreement. “I think you may be on to something! I joined this social network recently and feel like I always saw a welcoming post of someone who had just moved from overseas!” Rose studied the face a little more, tilting her head just slightly. “Actually...are you on there? Sorry, but your face looks so familiar!” It was the one thing she appreciated about the site; it almost made a sort of solidarity to meet someone you recognized from online!
“Oh, I’m fine! Just a little startled I think. No worse for wear though!”
When she mentioned the social network, that piqued Helena’s interest. She tilted her head slightly, also taking in the other woman’s appearance. Her face seemed relatively familiar, like she’d seen it on that network. Though she wouldn’t be surprised if she was off on that estimation, she was still trying to get her bearings on that thing after all.
“I am! I’m Helena Wells, just moved here from Germany, actually.” She held her free hand out in greeting. “Now that you mention it, you do look familiar as well.” Might as well assume they were talking about the same thing!
“Pleasure to meet you Helena! I’m Rose!” She grinned, taking Helena’s offered hand and shaking it. “Wait...I know you! I mean, not that we’ve met before and I actually haven’t commented on anything you’ve posted, but you’re a friend of John! John Smith. He’s my flatmate!” John actually held Helena in very high regard. She hadn’t heard too much, other than when he came home and proudly said that one of his best mates was in town. As much as Rose had a jealous streak, she was eager to meet other important people in John’s life.
“I think we need to get you a basket,” she said with a grin, glancing at the clothes Helena had already picked up. “Would you like some help?”
Shaking Rose’s hand, her brows lifted curiously at the statement until she explained she was John’s flatmate. “Ah! John, yes, he’s a good friend of mine. Met him back at university, seems like ages ago now.” She chuckled. “Though it’s been a few years since I last saw him.” Life seemed to enjoy throwing her and John together at unexpected times, but sometimes that’s how life worked.
“Oh! Yes, that might be a good idea. I hadn’t known what I would be getting, if anything, while here.” She laughed. “Thank you, I appreciate it. Sometimes I can be a bit overboard with purchasing things for my daughter.”
“Well it’s very nice to meet you! Any friend of John’s is a friend of mine!” She glanced around, trying to see if there was a cart or something they could use as a basket. She spied on a little ways off and nodded her head towards it, walking to grab it.
“It’s strange how people are just popping up! He had two of his cousins come here as well, no notice at all! What are the chances?” She grabbed the cart and turned it around so Helena could put her clothes in it. “Aw, you have a daughter? How old?”
“It’s nice to meet you as well!” Helena did always like meeting new people. She just seemed to be meeting a lot more new people since she’d moved to Orange County. Seeing the nod, Helena saw the cart and headed over to it with Rose.
“Really? That is rather strange, I have to say. Though I suppose he’s happy to have some family here as well. Moving so far away from family can be hard sometimes.” Helena set the clothes down in the cart with a thankful smile. “She’s eight, and growing up far too quickly if you ask me.”
“All I can say is I hope my mum isn’t the next person to come over. My friends dad recently came and it made me wonder if my mum was gonna be the next to show up. Don’t get me wrong, I love her to death, but I moved here for a reason. It’s better on our relationship that I don’t live in the same flat as she does.” Rose never noticed the funny coincidence whenever she talked about her mum; she always said the same thing, how she moved away from her for a reason, yet she always talked about her. Deep down, she really did miss her.
Rose was impressed as Helena didn’t look like she would have a daughter of that age. “Eight years old? Almost to those double digits! I remember I was excited when I hit that.” She smiled, looking down at the clothes she had chosen for her. “How is she doing with the move? That’s a pretty big one for a youngster!”
“I understand that sentiment completely. There comes a point when we don’t need to have our parents looking over our shoulders each day.” Of course, Helena did miss her parents, mostly her father. But she also had her own life. She’d needed their support when she’d suddenly found herself pregnant and single, but now that she was back on track with her life, she needed to be on her own.
Helena’s looks were a bit deceiving given she wasn’t that far off of being 40. “Oh believe me, she’s counting the days until she turns ten. Anytime I say she’s eight and she hears it, she corrects me. Such as now she would say she’s eight and three-quarters.” Helena chuckled. “She’s doing alright. It is rough, but she’s moved with me before. We moved from London to Hamburg, Germany two years ago. That and I may have promised I’d take her to Disneyland. She misses London and being around my family, but she’s already making some friends at school, so I think she’s doing alright.” Helena did keep a close eye on that.
Rose’s eyes grew a little wide in agreement, nodding her head. “My mum was definitely like that. I know she was just trying to be protective, but it almost got too much.” She gave a small shrug, pushing their cart towards the women’s shopping area, almost absent mindedly. She hadn’t meant to take charge and move their conversation, it just felt natural that they would now go shopping together!
She grinned as they entered the ladies department, looking over at Helena. “It’s so funny how we try to be older when we’re younger and it completely flips as we grow up!” Well, maybe in some aspect. When she mentioned Disneyland, Rose couldn’t help but laugh. “We should plan a trip! John and I have annual passes there now, we would love to go with you guys if you were down!” It was easy to speak for John since he seemed to always be down for a new adventure, especially with friends. “And I hope she’s doing fine. I only moved when I came out here, I don’t know any troubles of moving so much. I’m guessing at that age, this move was rather big for her?”
“So was my mother, at least until I was pregnant with Christina and suddenly single. Then we managed to have a better relationship.” It wasn’t entirely surprising that her mother had stopped pressing certain issues once she’d gotten pregnant. It was partly because of the grandchild that was on its way and partly because Helena had been devastated by her longterm boyfriend leaving her so suddenly. She also didn’t mind heading towards the women’s department and just walked along with Rose.
Helena laughed a bit. “It certainly is. I’d be happy if I could just remain the age I currently am.” Though with the mention of taking a trip to Disneyland with Rose and John, Helena couldn’t help but to grin. “I would love that, and I think Christina would love it as well. Just prepare yourself for being dragged around by an eight year old. She isn’t shy about doing such a thing.” Such was how some children tended to be when they got excited. “It certain was a big move. Going from England to Germany when she was six wasn’t so difficult, family could still easily visit us and vice versa as my job allowed. But moving to America is a bit harder. I know she misses our family, so I’m trying my best to make things as easy for her as possible. Luckily she is an out-going girl, so she certainly has been able to make some friends at school.”
Rose smiled, shaking her head to show she didn’t mind. “Oh, I’m sure John and I will love it! Plus with the three of us, we can take turns being dragged around!” She grinned, thinking about how going to Disneyland with a kid would be a completely different experience. She could only imagine what the park was like in a child’s eyes and she was determined to make it happen. “I’m guessing weekends are best for you to go?”
As they walked around the department, Rose would breakaway whenever she thought she would see a cute dress or outfit. “Yeah, I could even see the move from England to Germany being a bigger jump, but coming across the pond.” She gave Helena a knowing look. “Good to hear that she’s an outgoing type though! Definitely helps make the move a little less intense. Plus, when family does come to visit, it makes it all the more special!” Rose had talked to her mum a couple of times, but hadn’t had the heart to ask her out yet. Part of her was afraid she would actually stay and part of her was afraid she would ask her to stay.
She held out a cute summer dress. “What do you think of this? Although I guess a little too cold for now?”
“Then how could I say no? I admit having a couple other adults to go with would be of help. Sometimes being a single mother is exhausting. I love my daughter more than anything in the world, but some days I just want some time to myself.” And also time where she wasn’t working. Her job was morbid, and sometimes she just needed to go somewhere and do something fun for herself to remind herself she had a life outside of motherhood and work. “Yes, weekends would be best. Even if I am not called to a site during the week, I would rather not take Christina out of school. And when you do meet her, don’t tell her you have an annual pass, or I’ll never hear the end of it.” Helena laughed. “I’ll get one for myself and Christina to head that off, but not until we’re properly settled here.”
Helena also looked through the clothes. Nothing was really leaping out at her just yet, however. Not out of the ordinary, she did buy for Christina before she even thought about buying for herself. “Oh it does. I plan to invite my parents and siblings once I have everything unpacked and my house is presentable.” Though Helena would only suffer one of her siblings for any great length of time. The other two would outstay their welcome within a couple days.
At Rose’s question, Helena looked up and eyed the dress. “I like it. I believe you would look wonderful in it once the weather warms up a bit.” Seeing some blouses, Helena moved over to them and started looking through them. “I keep forgetting I need to practically buy a whole new wardrobe for the summer weather here. And stock up on sunscreen as I have a propensity to burn in the sun.”
“Oh, if you ever need a baby-sitter, please let John and I know! I’m guessing that Christina is rather close with him, so we would be happy to give you a night out when you need it!” Rose had very little dealings with children but she couldn’t imagine that it would be very hard. Besides, if John was there with her, it had to make it a little easier, right?
She nodded her head, smiling at Helena and pretended to pull her lips shut and throw away the key. “The secret is safe with me! I can imagine an eight year old wanting to go over and over there, especially with us being so close to the park! But it’ll be a great time, I’m sure!” She looked at the dress again, draping it over the side of the cart. It would be nice enough if she wore leggings and she was sure he had a sweater at home that would go well with it.
“Oh, tell me about it! It’s hard to think since it recently snowed, but I’m hoping this summer is hot! I intend to spend as much time as I can at the beach or a pool!”
“Oh, that’s a nice color!” She nodded her head towards the blouse Helena had picked up. “I like it!”
Helena smiled warmly. “Oh thank you, I will keep that in mind. Christina is indeed quite fond of John. Until I found out he was here upon my initial use of the network, Christina and I hadn’t seen him in a couple years, so I think she’d rather enjoy spending some time with the two of you now and again. I will not abuse the invitation, however, do not fear that!” And she wouldn’t. This was why she’d made some friends in her neighborhood to start with, she had a couple baby-sitters there that Christina liked.
“Thank you, I most appreciate that.” Helena chuckled. Christina tended to be over-enthusiastic at times. Especially when it involved things like Disneyland. “I’m wondering if I should have her birthday party at Disneyland or do something else.” She knew what Christina would say to that, of course.
“I shall have to make use of visiting a beach myself. It’s been ages since I last made use of a beach.” And now that she was in California, she had no excuse to not visit a beach sometime.
“Oh, thank you,” she looked the blouse over. “I could use another blouse or two.” She checked the size on a couple blouses in a couple different colors. Finally finding two in her size, she added them to the cart.
“Thank goodness for the network, yeah?” Rose was beginning to like it more and more, other than hearing her friends relay sad stories about the dreams they were having. “It seems to bring people together in a shared purpose, whether venting or reuniting with people!” She couldn’t help but laugh at Helena’s promise. “I wouldn’t worry, I don’t think we would ever be put out! More than happy to help.” Honestly, Rose didn’t have much experience with children, but she figured it would work if John was there as well.
“OOh, when’s her birthday? That would be so much fun to have it at Disneyland!” Rose beamed, knowing that first hand. “That would be a brilliant idea! If it was a small party too.” She grinned, knowing how expensive it could be for just one person!
“Oh, it’s wonderful! The sun and sand are so warm! You just have to find a spot because it can fill up fast!” Rose smiled just thinking of the summer to come. “Ice cream and surfing! It’s really cool to watch the surfers.” She felt like a little kid again, thinking of all the fun things to come.
Rose was happy with the dress she had found, but continued looking for everyday wear. When she wasn’t working, she wanted to make sure she had all the comfortable clothes she could wear! “You’re a professor as well? Like John?”
“The network is certainly a useful tool indeed.” Helena grinned a bit. “I do like the ability of like people gathering together like that with shared interests. Or, I suppose, shared experiences in this case is more apropos.” She chuckled a bit, obviously meaning the dreams. “I am happy you would be open to watching Christina sometimes. She’s very well-behaved, more likely to want to read or watch a movie with you than running around causing chaos like some children can.” Perhaps it was due to the fact Helena stressed the necessity of good behavior. While she wasn’t a disciplinarian, Helena had instilled good values into Christina. And there was also the fact Christina was mature somewhat beyond her years due to being around adults quite a lot.
“May 16th, so it’s still a slight ways off, but one must always plan parties well ahead of time. I also want to make this one special for her since we’re living in a new place.” She smiled fondly. “A small party would be ideal, really. Perhaps one or two of her closest friends. John would be put out if I didn’t invite him or you. Though perhaps at some point in the future we should have dinner together and you could meet Christina?” Because it was, of course, important that Rose meet Christina. Especially if she’d help babysit her from time to time.
“I must admit, surfing looks rather cool, I do enjoy watching surfers. Though I don’t think I could ever do it. I have the coordination, and I don’t think I would take overly well to it.” She chuckled, giving a slight shake of her head. “Lying on the beach with a good book is, however, an excellent way to spend time. So clearly I shall need to get a new bathing suit in order to properly make use of the proximity to the beach from here!”
At the question, Helena gave a warm laugh. “Oh no, I’m not a teacher. While I would probably have made a good one, my interests went elsewhere. I’m a forensic archaeologist, actually.” Which was far more morbid than it sounded.
Rose laughed along as well, shaking her head. “It really is good to share what we’ve gone through and have other people understand. I haven’t had too many dreams myself, but it’s nice to have support from people that may have had the same kind of emotional experience. I’m sad that majority of the dreams I’ve read about aren’t very good, especially from my friends.” She frowned as she thought about a few of them, thinking of her latest as well. “I guess there’s always the good with the bad, but it seems the worst is always the one that sticks out.” Rose smiled as she heard the adoration in Helena’s voice whenever she talked about her daughter. “Either way, I’m sure she’s a lovely girl! I can understand if a kid would cause a little craziness every now and then, but good to hear she’s more on John’s level.” She grinned, thinking of John chasing after a small child.
“Especially a bigger place like Disneyland. At least get an idea going so it’s not all last minute!” Rose nodded her head again. “I would love to meet Christina whenever you guys aren’t busy! Just let John or I know, I’m sure we could plan a dinner or something like that! Maybe once all the craziness calms down around the town. I know we try not to travel out unless we have to.” It was sadly true, but Rose was beginning to develop cabin fever; she felt like she had cleaned the house twice over which was very unusual for her.
“Oh, you should give it a go once! Just to try it and say you did! Then you could go and dry off with a good book and the sun.” Rose had tried surfing once, but she wasn’t quite a natural. She would happily go out into the water with friends however.
She raised an eyebrow when Helena gave her profession. “That sounds cool! Like someone that works with mummies?”
“I have heard about some unpleasant dreams as well,” Helena admitted. “I count myself fortunate mine have not turned unpleasant yet.” She was somewhat expecting them to, especially given the nature of some aspects of her dreams. “Exactly, never hurts to get an early start on planning!” She’d also have a better idea of how logistics would work if John, Rose, Christina and her went to Disneyland together before Christina’s birthday came around. “Excellent! And I understand. I try not to leave Christina out of my sight for longer than necessary currently. One never knows what will happen.” She was very much starting to get into the so-called mama bear state.
“We shall see. I have the coordination to at least try it and end up making a fool of myself. Though perhaps I shall rise to challenge one day.” She chuckled.
At the question, Helena smiled softly. “Sometimes, though not really the mummies of Egypt. Most of the remains I excavate are murder victims. Though I have had the chance to help excavate in Egypt once, and that was an actual mummy I helped to unearth.” Helena thoroughly enjoyed her job, even if it tended to make for depressing and morbid discussions more often than not.
“I hope they stay that way!” Rose was completely genuine in her sentiment, having seen the best and worst in the dream world. She had been perfectly content with her first dream, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling the second dream had left on her. “If you ever get to one that doesn’t seem quite as good, I try to keep telling myself at least they’re dreams, nothing that is happening here.” That was easier said than done, especially with all the trouble that had been showing up in the area lately.
Rose’s eyebrows rose when Helena described her job. “Kind of like CSI?” Both sounded incredibly interesting and Rose leaned on a sales rack, wanting to know more. “So you’ve actually done both! Blimey, that’s amazing! What’s Egypt like?” If she couldn’t do the traveling herself, she would love to hear what it was like from someone else.
“So do I,” she concurred, not even remotely interested in having nightmares. It was entirely one thing to have these dreams, it was quite another to realize that the woman in them was her. Helena smiled softly. “That is what I tell my daughter when she has a nightmares. So perhaps I should keep that in mind for myself if I have a bad dream.” Of course, it was far easier said than done.
“Egypt was breath-taking. I sadly did not spend as much time there as I wished, but it was an experience I shall never forget. The Pyramids at Giza are utterly amazing, and the Sphinx is forever a riddle that has always held my fascination.” Helena had loved her time in Egypt, even if she’d been working most of the time. “Though yes, I suppose what I do is quite similar to CSI. The authorities call people like me in if buried human remains are found.”
When Helena brought up her daughter, Rose had never thought of a child dreaming in the way the network had been experiencing dreams. She was sure it was possible and a lot of younger children wouldn’t have access to the internet to share their dreams, let alone want to. She wanted to ask Helena if her daughter had dreams like them, but decided against it. It seemed like that was crossing a line, one Rose didn’t want to do with Helena. She was a close friend of John’s and she wanted to remain respectful, despite her curiosity.
“I think that’s a good plan,” she said, giving her a soft smile. “Even if these may feel different, they’re still just dreams. Something we can wake up from and go about living our lives.” She didn’t add all the strange coincidences that seemed to come with these dreams, but better to just let it lie.
“You know, I never thought to go to Egypt before, but those would be amazing to see! And the Nile!” Rose thought about the history behind Egypt and equated that to why she had never thought to go there. Still, it would be such an exotic place to visit, something completely different from anything she had ever experienced before.
“Have you been able to go to many places around the Earth for your work?”
Helena appreciated the respect, not that the question would’ve upset her really. Especially as Christina didn’t have the dreams she herself did. Which was probably for the best, she wasn’t certain she wanted her eight year old daughter dreaming about dangerous objects that could potentially kill people, even destroy the world. It was all a bit difficult for Helena to wrap her mind around, let alone an eight year old.
“Precisely so,” she responded. Even if Helena already had her doubts about being able to brush them off. Her dreams hadn’t been bad yet, but she could feel they weren’t just dreams.
“Ah, the Nile is truly majestic to behold. I was rather taken by Alexandria, even if part of what belonged to the ancient capital is now underwater.” There was still plenty of history there to behold, and plenty of structures that weren’t submerged in the ocean.
“I have been to some, yes. Mostly in Europe. Before I moved here, I lived in Germany for two years. I have had the rather bleak opportunity to help unearth a mass grave.” It was sometimes a wonder how Helena wasn’t simply overcome by the obviously depressing parts of her job. Though it rather spoke to her fortitude on the matter.
Rose had started filtering through the clothes once more, but stopped when Helena mentioned the mass grave. “Yikes,” she said, shuddering a little. “I can only imagine that opportunity of history, but sadness.” Rose always liked staying on the positive side of things, but could see the dilemma between doing something so momentous but depressing at the same time.
“It’s funny since you talk to anyone over here and they all wanna go to Europe! It seems we’ve already been to the top spot in the world.” She gave Helena a wink. “But yeah, there are so many places to think about going! Gotta save up and get the time though, that’s the hard part!”
Helena gave a bit of a sad smile. “Yes, it’s always difficult. My job has a lot of depressing aspects to it, but I have to say I do lend to catching serial killers and putting them in jail. So good does come from my efforts at times.” It made her job worth it. Able to help catch the bad guy and put them where they belonged and potentially save lives in the process.
“That is unsurprising, Europe is rather the place to be,” she responded with a grin and a laugh. “That is, however, the trick. One must both save and get the time off to take such trips. That is why one who has a job they love that allows them to travel at the same time is the idyllic lifestyle for those who enjoy traveling.” Helena would, admittedly, like to travel more than she did, but only if she was able to take her daughter with her. Helena wasn’t in the market for taking extended business trips and being unable to bring her daughter with her.
Speaking of her daughter, Helena glanced at her watch. “How time flies when you’re enjoying yourself!” She commented with a laugh. “I’m afraid I should take my items to the checkout. I must pick my daughter up from school soon.” She wasn’t the type of parent to leave her daughter standing there wondering where she was. No, Helena was always punctual.