InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "PAUSE"

Rikki Chadwick is no ordinary girl (justaddh2o) wrote in wariscoming,
@ 2012-03-19 19:58:00

Entry tags:

percy jackson, rikki chadwick

WHO: Rikki Chadwick and OTA
WHAT: Trying (and failing) to beat the impending rain home from work
WHERE: Starting at Stark Industries and moving to the front of the complex building
WHEN: Around 5:45pm
STATUS: In progress
RATING: PG, for some not so nice language. TBD if there's a change, depending on who tags in

It was nearly quitting time when Rikki noticed the skies darkening outside, ominously threatening unforecast rain. Rikki still didn't have a functioning cell phone and the internet was blocked from her computer at work. Frowning, she considered her possibile options. There was asking to get out a few minutes early, except it was her first day and Rikki didn't really fancy the idea of putting out that particular first impression, especially since her actual interests in the company were higher on the corporate ladder than she currently found herself. Rikki was a leader; answering phones and acting much like a switchboard or live action map didn't really suit her, but it was a foot in the door. So, that option, she decided, was out.

Tapping one foot anxiously, Rikki looked at the clock. It was only ten minutes. She could totally wait this out and then run like a bat out of hell back to the complex. Given she had no way to contact Galen and it hadn't looked like rain, so she'd told him she'd walk alone, she didn't have much of a choice.

With the phone quiet and all of her end of day tasks completed half an hour prior, the last ten minutes ticked by at a sluggish pace, feeling as though they stretched out over an hour's time. When it finally read 5:30pm on the clock, Rikki logged into her timekeeping form and clocked out, grabbing her backpack and sprinting down the hall to the elevators. Music that would pump her up was what she'd need to get home with legs, she thought, because she could hear the low rumble of thunder in the distance as she exited the elevator.

"Sorry!" she shouted over her shoulder when she collided with a coworker as she hauled ass to the front door, bursting through it as she hit the play button on her mp3 player and shoved the earbuds into her ears.

Rikki made it the majority of her way home in record time. She could see the complex a block ahead and she still hadn't felt a rain drop. There was no way it was going to start raining before she got back there.

A huge grin spread over her lips as she sprinted across the street, in the home stretch, bouncing enthusiastically out of the way of a car whose horn blared angrily at her as it stopped a few inches short of striking her. "Sorry!" she called to the driver, giving the elderly woman a sheepish grin and thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't some teenage kid behind the wheel who'd have just as soon run her down.

She was a good ten yards away from the steps leading into the apartment building, her heart soaring with relief when she felt it. The sky seemed to open up all at once and suddenly the rain was coming down in buckets.

"No, no, no!" she shrieked, feeling a stitch in her side as she picked up her pace, pushing herself to the limit. Four...five...six... A car pulled out in front of her, cutting her off for a few precious seconds before completing a K-turn and speeding off. ...seven...eight...nine...

Rikki sprinted across the street and made her way up the first three stairs. Ten. "Shit," she muttered, feeling herself wobble as her legs morphed into a tail and she fell flat on her face, scraping the palms of her hands on the concrete steps as she caught herself. Taking a deep breath, Rikki clawed her way up a few more stairs, grimacing in pain as she dragged her tail behind her. "Effing...Kansas..." she grunted as she pulled herself up to the first foyer. Closing her eyes, defeated and exhausted, Rikki rolled onto her back and stared hatefully up at the rain that fell back into her eyes. The complex was set back; the average passerby wouldn't see her, so that was a plus. It wasn't like she wanted anyone but Galen to know, but at least if it was another "displaced" person, she'd feel a lot less worried about becoming a science experiment.

Only giving herself a moment to catch her breath, Rikki rolled onto her stomach again and dragged herself a few more inches forward. The door was a few inches too far away for her to reach when she outstretched her hands for it. Even if it wasn't...the handle was up too high. Still, she pushed herself onward, dragging herself a few more inches forward so that she could at least reach the door. Maybe if she could just use it as leverage, she could get herself upright enough to—

"...yeah, that's not happening..." she sighed, feeling a lump in her throat as she let herself go limp, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on one outstretched arm. For the first time in as long as Rikki could remember, discounting the time in the pool — because she fully maintained that if Galen hadn't been there, she'd have managed to get back out of the pool on her own eventually — Rikki was at the mercy of someone — anyone — else. ...this sucked.

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seaweed_brains
2012-03-20 05:58 am UTC (link)

"Well if you ask me, you look like a fish out of water." He said with a certain warmth to his expression that obviously suggested he meant no real harm with his comment and just smiled haplessly. "Yeah. That's me." Raising an eyebrow as she called herself heavy, he could only allow an amusement to show in his deep blue eyes. "I can do a little better then drag you." Riptide, his ball point pen was in his pocket incase someone or something attacked, but he seriously doubted it would be the mermaid infront of him. Even still he felt a little better knowing it was there as he bent down to pick her up.

To Percy it was like lifting a feather, his earbuds still in his ears he carried her back to the complex with little effort though at a slightly rushed pace. He didn't really want to be seen carrying a blond girl off somewhere. It was weird enough being in Kansas. He didn't need people thinking he was some kind of teenage kidnapper or something. Weirder things had happened.

He deposited Rikki carefully onto a couch in the lobby. "Need anything?" He asked with a tilt of his head and pulled the earbuds away, tucking them into his pocket with his ipod. At least he still had a few important things with him. He hated being without his ipod, it was like only half functioning.

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justaddh2o
2012-03-20 06:14 am UTC (link)

Rikki's smirk dropped into a wearied expression. "Oh, ha ha," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes before letting the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth take over. "You're hilarious, new guy." When Percy said he could do better than drag her in, Rikki arched one eyebrow at him. "If that's some kind of bravado, now is not the time; don't get my hopes up," she told him, wrinkling her nose slightly.

But then he bent down and lifted her up like she weighed nothing. Rikki stared at him, duly impressed, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and shifted herself so that her abs didn't strain from the disproportionate weight of the tail. She appreciated his haste, but the fact that he could move that quickly when even Rikki knew that stupid tail weighed a ton all on its own caught her off guard.

Percy set her down on one of the couches in the lobby and for a moment, even as he asked if she needed anything, Rikki just stared back at him. "What, do you have, like, super powers or something? What the hell was that?" she asked, awestruck. He wasn't exactly a huge guy, after all. "Sorry, uh...no, I got it," she said, looking around making sure that no one else was within sight line. Rikki looked back at Percy pointedly then, as she raised her hand over her tail. "You saw nothing," she said very seriously before closing her fist and beginning to steam dry herself.

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seaweed_brains
2012-03-20 06:31 am UTC (link)

"You're going to call me New Guy forever aren't you? You know technically the more you keep calling me that the less factual it really is." He shrugged his shoulders as they made it inside and then he looked around the lobby as if he was waiting for her friends to show up or something. Unsure of what happened when one picked up strange mermaids on the street, he looked back at her curiously.

"Pretty sure your secrets blown, unless you're trying to mind trick me? In which case, I still remember and you need more practice." Folding his arms, he sat down on the couch near by. "Well..kinda, but I don't wear spandex." Percy offered a smirk at the statement and leaned back. "Hey, you don't share yours, why should I share mine?" He questioned with a side long glance.

"If you're worried I'll tell someone, don't. I'm pretty good about keeping secrets."

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justaddh2o
2012-03-20 07:04 am UTC (link)

"Nah, just til it gets old," Rikkie replied. "Or until there's a new new guy around to steal all the cookies and ice cream," she teased good-naturedly. In fact, she really had no intention of continuing to call him that, now, actually. Once called out on it, the fun was sucked out of the process, after all.

Rikke frowned slightly at his statement about mind tricking him and thought to herself that if she hadn't been an idiot, Galen could've done that for her. Though, she smiled slightly at his joke as she went on drying herself. "Yours is cool. Mine is ridiculous," she replied without looking up. "That's exactly what I was worried about," she added and then, looked up briefly. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't, thanks," she finished.

A moment later, she finished drying off and, in an ostenatious show of sparkling lights that lasted only a few seconds, Rikki's tail disappeared and she sat up straight on the couch in her work clothes. "You're not so bad, Percy, I guess I'll keep ya," she teased. "Thanks for your help," she added in a more serious and genuine tone.

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seaweed_brains
2012-03-20 07:22 am UTC (link)

He rolled his eyes and nodded some. "Rikki, right?" He was bad at remembering names sometimes. Now of course it was going to be hard to forget considering she was a mermaid. He was pretty sure he would never have that problem again. "They were a little burnt anyway. Reminded me of my moms cookies though." He missed his home and his mom. It'd been a good six months since he'd seen her last.

"My best friend is a Satyr. Yours isn't that ridiculous." He said with a small smile and got comfortable. It wasn't like he had to worry about school or anything so what better way to pass the time then bother Rikki? Some things about Kansas weren't all bad, the girls were pretty. She had blond hair similar to Annabeth's and it was comforting. "It's not that cool. It's kind of a hassle sometimes." He admitted and grinned. "My math teacher tried to kill me over it once. That's the uncool part. Someone's always trying to kill you. I could live without that."

Raising an eyebrow as he looked over at her with a small frown. "Does the name Poseidon mean anything to you?" She was a Mermaid. It wouldn't surprise him at all if she knew about his father.

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justaddh2o
2012-03-21 02:00 am UTC (link)

Giving Percy a small smile, Rikki nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Burned or not, cookies are cookies, mate," she pointed out with a smirk. Her grin faltered when he mentioned that it reminded him of his mother. Rikki wasn't very good at the touchy-feely sentimental stuff. She paused and frowned. "...you don't, like...need a hug or anything, right...?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't do hugs."

Arching an eyebrow curiously, Rikki tilted her head just slightly. "Satyr? ...that's Greek mythology. I mean, right...?" she asked. As he went on, Rikki nodded and wrinkled her nose. "Yeah that's gotta suck," she agreed nonchalantly. After Charlotte, something like a teacher wanting to kill Percy for his super-strength didn't actually surprise Rikki that much. She very nearly added a been there, done that, but held her tongue.

"Poseidon? Yeah, that's like the God of the Sea or something, right?" she asked, taken a little off-guard by the question. "I mean I haven't studied Greek and Roman mythology in a while but...I think that's right...?"

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