InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Sailor Senshi, Make-up!"

stephen hart secretly listens to the spice girls. (bleedinghart) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-10-16 00:12:00

Who: Stephen and Connor.
What: Friends and teammates reunite.
Where: Vicinity of the library.
When: Day 26, early afternoon.
Rating: PG.
Status: Active.

Stephen was taking everything in stride. He had to. Panic wasn't really his thing, nor was it productive. You couldn't protect people if you were stressing out. You couldn't take on something that could easily kill you if you were busy thinking 'God, this thing could eat me in one bite.'

So, upon finding out the basics of the place he now found himself in, Stephen separated himself from the two men he woke up with and set about finding his own facts. Which so far had consisted of him exploring a bit of the forest near where he appeared and making notes in the notebook he found in the sorry excuse for a survival kit. He didn't want to wander too far from that location in case an anomaly was the cause of his arrival and it happened to reopen. The chance was slim but it was still a chance.

Once that familiar handwriting caught his eye, though, everything changed.

The forest was put to his back and his feet were hitting the pavement at a light jog, one goal in mind. Find Connor. If he was alive then perhaps Cutter was too, and Abby. God, could the others be here? Stephen spent a few moments flipping through pages looking for the map that was mentioned before deciding it was a waste of time. This place couldn't be that big. Libraries tended to have a certain look to them as well. And really? He'd probably recognize Connor a kilometer away. As he jogged Stephen couldn't help but wonder at the town; the streets were a contrast to the condition of the buildings, making one or the other look out of place. Was this place a mix of times? That man with the peculiar eyes had mentioned something about people being from different times. Perhaps that had something to do with it?

Hell, he could try to figure this place out later. He had to see that Connor was well and truly alive. Nothing else was remotely as important at the moment.

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leconnortemple
2009-10-26 02:18 pm UTC (link)

"Cajun, I think," Connor said with a simple shrug. Personally, he didn't like to give the guy much thought. The fact that Stephen had met him already and had only been there a short time definitely gave him pause, but he didn't dwell on it. There was far too much else going through Connor's head to really care.

Sighing, he pulled his knees up and dropped his elbows to them, trying to look more casual than he felt. Truth was, he felt terrified. This was the one person who might have a chance at understanding the theory coursing through his head. However, he was also, at times, Connor's biggest critic and the most skeptical man he knew. Left up to Stephen, the incident in the Forest of Dean might have been ignored completely and Connor simply brushed off as a crazy student who rarely bothered with 'serious' media. But he might also understand. If Connor could only word it properly.

"What if it were possible to stop time?" he pondered carefully. "What if they could freeze the times we were all living in and turn it to a different time all together? One...I don't know. Outside of the one we were living?" And this was the part where he got the giant brush-off, wasn't it? "These people, Stephen, the ones we're living with? They're all from different times. The girl I'm living with, a few years back. The bloke I met my very first day? Nearly a decade ago. There's some kid here from the seventies, and no, I'm not making it up."

Chewing his lip, he dared a glance over in Stephen's direction, expecting a disbelieving or even mocking expression. He could pose the theory all over this city, but this was the one person here he desperately wanted to believe him. Because, next to Cutter, Stephen was the one Connor typically seeked approval from.

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bleedinghart
2009-10-27 12:00 am UTC (link)

"If someone could stop time, we'd all be in trouble. Time's too dangerous to be controlled. Change one little thing, adding or removing or altering, and who knows what might happen." Cutter's intent words about Claudia Brown again rang in his head. "And if it were possible, to control time like that, the means would have to be man-made. As far as we know the anomalies are natural occurrences and time still runs the same on both sides, the only difference is the era." They had plenty of proof of that, at least. Which would mean it was certainly no fluke of nature that any of them had ended up here. Which still brought him back to the question of how this could even be possible.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Stephen closed his eyes a moment, trying to will himself to go where Connor's theory was trying to lead him. But he kept thinking that if Cutter were there he would be looking to him to see what kind of reaction he had to Connor's idea, and take some of his cues from that. They both looked to Cutter for approval, Stephen had simply been doing it a lot longer and could be far more subtle with it. But Cutter wasn't here, and Stephen was definitely feeling the absence.

And that made him think of something.

"If everyone here is from a different point in time, does that mean you and I are as well?" He looked over at Connor as he lowered his hand, asking the question though part of him wasn't sure he wanted the answer. The younger man's words from a few minutes earlier were still running around his head. The implication that someone had died, just not from what Stephen had thought was going on, wouldn't go away. And it did hint at truth to Connor's theory.

Which he was trying like hell to get on board with. He just... he needed to know. To get this one thing settled and then he would try to work out any theory Connor thought could apply to this place. The younger man had clearly been here long enough to come up with a theory or two. Stephen's brow furrowed as something else came to him. "How long have you been here, Connor?"

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leconnortemple
2009-10-27 02:24 am UTC (link)

Connor remained quiet longer than he'd intended. Stephen would have to know something was wrong. It wasn't like Connor was the type to remain quiet, after all. But the whole of Vas Captio tended to change a person. It didn't necessarily mean anything was specifically wrong, right? "I'm from a couple of months in the future from you. There's a new girl on the team, Sarah. Pretty, I guess, but...you know me." A wry laugh escaped, because it wasn't like Connor was getting off of his Abby kick anytime soon. Well...maybe. That was a story for another time entirely, though. "They've stepped up security, too." Because of Helen, but again, couldn't get into too much detail. As much as he enjoyed placing the blame on her for things.

Biting his lip, he glanced sideways at Stephen and gave a somewhat helpless shrug. "I've been here...about a week, I guess? It's easy to lose track of time here. Days of no sun, days of no moon..." Lifting an arm, he waved the wrist with the watch attached. "Pretty sure that's why they installed these. Don't try and take yours off, it's pretty much pointless."

Did he sound frustrated? Yeah, probably. That was okay, though. Stephen had heard Connor with multiple emotions. Guilt, anger, fear, and completely helpless. Frustration was on the list, nothing new. After all, Connor didn't really know what else to do about this place. He couldn't get out, he couldn't save them all...now what?

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bleedinghart
2009-10-28 06:05 am UTC (link)

His brow furrowed deeper and he cocked his head slightly to the side, trying to wrap his mind around that, combined with what Connor had already said. "A couple months, huh? And there's five of us now? Or..." The smile that had crept onto Stephen's face at Connor's laugh, understanding immediately what it was for, faded as he pieced things together. It had been the four of them since the start, each of them bringing something different to the table for the team. What need would there be for someone else to join them unless in the form of a replacement perhaps?

"Or did something happen to one of us that merited the need for someone new? You said 'they lived through that' but you didn't say everyone's alive now. What happens? Who dies, Connor?" Given that Stephen had already begun to deal with grief, it wasn't near as hard a question to demand an answer to as it should have been. Clearly Connor was fine, so that meant something happened to Abby or Cutter. That something might have happened to himself was a thought that had yet to occur to Stephen. And why should it? He spent most of his time worrying about the others, not himself. It was practically his job, no matter that they occasionally had the special forces team to back them up.

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leconnortemple
2009-11-05 08:14 pm UTC (link)

Connor closed his eyes, trying to think and mourn at the same time. He should be handling this better. Cutter would. Hell, Stephen himself would. Reaching up, he rubbed his temples with his thumb and ring finger, shaking his head as he did. Stephen couldn't be making this more difficult if he tried to on purpose. How could he explain that they'd picked up Sarah because of a vacancy left by the man sitting next to him?

He couldn't. It would ruin everything. As much as he wanted to be able to change time, to rescue the people he cared about, the events that had led him to sitting on the library's steps were proof enough for Connor. You couldn't change what had already been. "Please don't ask me that again," he said quietly. "I can't tell you much else than I already have--knowing too much might make you change things when you get back. It'll throw off the course of time itself, can you see that? Paradox, I think it'd be. Not entirely sure, to be honest." Connor was still working on that bit. "We have Sarah because she's brilliant when it comes to mythology and their beliefs, and Cutter thinks it may relate to cryptozoology and some of the creatures we've already found. He's trying to make the link between the two. That's all."

Or, at least, that was all Connor was willing to give up. That was all he could give up without stopping the world turning as they knew it. Or something.

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bleedinghart
2009-11-10 09:32 pm UTC (link)

Stephen watched his friend closely, almost warily, looking for clues. Whatever Connor wasn't telling him was pretty major. It had to be. He didn't think he had ever seen the younger man look quite so stressed. And... tired, maybe. Made Stephen almost feel bad for asking.

He thought about continuing to push but he simply wanted answers, not to break Connor down, and he worried that might happen if he kept up. It wasn't as if he couldn't bring up the subject again later. Especially if they were truly trapped in this place until whoever brought them there decided to let them go. By that logic, it almost sounded to Stephen like there wouldn't be much to do but talk. Sighing quietly, he gave in with a nod, raising his hands briefly in a sign of surrender. "Alright. Alright, Connor, I'll let it go." For now. And it certainly wouldn't stop his mind from turning on the issue, trying to figure it out for himself.

"What else can you tell me about this place, then?" Stephen was hoping a shift in topic might settle Connor down a bit. Or at least do away with that tone and expression. Reminded him a bit of when that friend of Connor's died. A stressful day for all of them. "No anomalies popping up around here at least?" He could hope, even if one might offer a way out.

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leconnortemple
2009-11-11 03:18 pm UTC (link)

Connor's sigh of relief was likely audible when Stephen agreed to let the subject drop. Oh, he knew better. It wasn't the end of their talking and it wouldn't be the last time Connor would have to side-step the issue at hand. But at least he could have a few moments to breathe and pretend he wasn't looking the impossible right in the eye.

"Sometimes I think this entire place is an anomaly," Connor said in reply, fiddling with the edges of his shirt sleeves. "Completely outside of time. I really don't know a lot here. I don't think anyone does, to be honest. It's...not normal, I can promise you that." The slightest hint of a smile crossed his face and he shrugged. The science geek in him came out in full force when heading into talks like these. "I'd probably find it fascinating if I weren't the one in the middle of it all. Remember when you told Cutter we should let people know about the anomalies? I kind of wonder if this is the same sort of thing. You know, technology that got into the wrong hands because proper measures weren't taken in the very beginning."

Stretching his legs out in front of him, he gave an almost bashful little shrug. "I don't know. Some people think it's technology stolen from an alien race. Some think we've all been given hallucinogenics to make us think it's all as crazy as it seems."

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bleedinghart
2009-11-16 01:30 am UTC (link)

"Well, 'not normal' is right up our alley, wouldn't you say?" Stephen gave a wry smile, resting his arms on his knees once more as he attempted to relax a bit. It was more for Connor's sake than his own. "I have no problem with you finding it fascinating on some level if it helps you figure a way out of here. Regardless of what precisely the 'how' and the 'what' are, I've no doubt you'd be able to wrap your mind around whatever technology's at work if given half a chance."

And Stephen wasn't just saying it either. It might have taken him a little while to see what Cutter had seen in the younger man, but it hadn't taken long for Stephen to realize how invaluable Connor was to the team. Even if he was a bit... quirky.

So they were seemingly trapped in some place that didn't obey the accepted laws of space and time. That was no reason for there to not be hope. Surely between the two of them they could find a way to get home.

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