InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm a big ol' shining star."

Winifred "Fred" Burkle (i_figure) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2012-06-29 21:09:00

Entry tags:

annie wagner, megan gwynn, winifred burkle

Thoughts and errands, thoughtful errands (Annie, Megan)
Fred hadn't been in hiding since the strange meeting at the bookstore. She'd meant to check on Errol, but the check-up hadn't gone at all how she'd planned. Not that she'd had anything planned in particular, but she was certain that she would not have planned what happened had she been allowed to plan anything. Or admitted to planning anything.

She was glad to see that Errol was working with someone, rather than sitting all alone in the bookstore. He needed companionship, someone to remind him that he was human and it was okay to smile. Beauty seemed very much the right person for that, what little Fred had been able to gather from the odd brief meeting. She smiled - Beauty had - which was a good thing. And, she was soft in a giving way; Beauty'd only wanted the best outcome, hadn't she? She cared, again another plus in Fred's opinion. Of course, this was all going on a very short brief meeting and way too many assumptions. Then again, Beauty worked in a bookstore, not a strip joint, so surely she was that sort of bookish Beauty, not the other kind? Not that there was anything wrong with strippers; Fred just hadn't met many.

The brainy Texan continued this sort of inner dialogue, working out what had happened as well as throwing in a few items from her day job; she was starting to wonder if they didn't need an accountant or insurance. Angel Investigations wasn't a huge money maker, but sure, she could make the money that did come in work for her somehow.

The City allowed her time to think during her walk. She had a destination in mind, a purpose, and she hoped that she was going to get good answers. Annie could help; she just knew the technopath could. That's what mutants were for if they weren't trying to take over the world and subjugate the human race, right?

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i_figure
2012-07-03 02:36 am UTC (link)

"The mutant who got all sparkly when sound was happening?" Fred was only remembering bits and pieces. She looked from the winged pinked mutant to the one she'd come to see. It was definitely an odd and wonderful fun bit for the day. It made her happier.

"Can we go in? And, I'm not sure you should know about all of this, either of you, without my friend around, but you may have to look at things eventually that aren't really for just anyone to look at, though you can get it online." Fred shrugged slightly and started toward the shop, but not so quickly that the girls couldn't catch up with her.

"Also..." She offered up one of the cameras. "I need to know what you can do to this."

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i_gotsoul
2012-07-03 02:48 am UTC (link)

"Or I could do that," she said agreeably. "I have her last three albums queued up on here, if you're interested. Maybe after you're done with your business?"

She beamed at Fred. "That's the one! I was one of her backup dancers for a while before coming here. Kind of an all mutant special effects crew between her light show and my dust. It was so fun." She sounded wistful. There were parts of the past year that she could have done without--a lot of the past year, actually--but she wouldn't trade that for anything.

She trotted after Fred and Annie, knowing she was absolutely no use other than moral support when it came to repairs but glad for good company.

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cyberpath
2012-07-03 10:12 pm UTC (link)

Annie went inside the shop, holding onto the camera that Fred had offered up. To look at it, it didn't look very special on the outside, but if Fred was bringing it to her, likely there was something about it.

"I won't say anything about whatever I see." She promised.

"Megan, why don't you go ahead and put the music on now. I don't mind it while I'm working, it doesn't distract." She was eager to hear this Dazzler now that Fred had said she knew about her, too.

She moved to her typical spot behind the front counter. Mostly because that's where her stool was, and waited for Fred to explain or ask the questions that she had.

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i_figure
2012-07-04 02:07 am UTC (link)

"You don't need silence to talk to them? I guess you don't, seeing as you've let me talk during the last time I was here." Fred laughed softly and shrugged. "I'd like to hear her. I remember her being all flashy and stuff, but I never got to hear it. So, yes, that'd be great." She gave an emphatic nod to the pixie/fairy/mutant before turning her attention to the cyberpath.

"The camera. It's one of Jensen's, but I thought maybe if we established some sort of ad hoc protocol? We created sister/brother/whatnot systems. They always connect to certain ones. We'd have to boost their signals, sending/receiving, but they always find each other, always connect and report in relation to each other. If we can find how and when and all that, what if they give us more information. Data is good." Fred smiled. It was a step in some direction; she just didn't know what.

"I have a friend who got stuck with a problem phone. I thought if anyone could fix the phone, it would be you. If you couldn't fix it, you could at least figure out why it didn't want to cooperate. You're good like that, right?" She didn't exactly smile; this was definitely something serious Fred wanted to see done. It had to be. Dinah needed some peace.

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i_gotsoul
2012-07-05 08:11 pm UTC (link)

Megan flew in after Annie and Fred, heading up toward the ceiling and looking for a set of speakers she'd seen the other day while cleaning up there. She didn't plan to take them home and didn't figure that Annie would mind if she used them for a quick demonstration so long as she didn't break them or steal them.

"Aha," she said, finding the speakers she'd been looking for and flying them down to where Fred and Annie were at the counter. "I'm going to put them right back, promise," she told Annie. She plugged them in, made sure that the volume wasn't too loud, and set her playlist to shuffle by artist. Dazzler's cover of "Proud Mary" came blaring out.

"A recording really doesn't do her justice," Megan said. "The live show's the best, with Ali doing her thing." She sat back to let them listen and let Annie do her thing.

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cyberpath
2012-07-06 01:36 am UTC (link)

"Nope." Annie assured Fred. "It's not really like normal talking, and I don't want you guys to get bored or anything while I'm doing it, so why not."

She nodded as she listened about the camera and thought about what she could do. It would be easy, really. But she'd maybe need access to more than just one. This one would be a good start, but talking to them all in a group, all at once, that would be easier. She wondered if Fred would be okay if she found a way to link into the system, or if that would be a no-no.

First the phone. Annie held out her hand. "What's wrong with it?" There was another phone she'd just fixed, and she wondered if maybe it was the model having issues. If that was so, they were going to get a whole lot of business, seeing as most people she ran into had the same thing.

Annie glanced at Megan. "Well, yeah. With everything you're saying, I doubt that hearing the music is going to be the same as experiencing a whole concert. Which, by the way, sounds like it would have been a blast to go to. Maybe if she shows up here you guys can give us a little minishow."

She did like the music, though, and smiled to convey that to the pink haired girl.

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i_figure
2012-07-06 01:58 am UTC (link)

Fred listened to the music; she liked it well enough, but her mind was on other things. She leaned against the counter to watch Annie, peeking at the winged wonder now and then.

"Oh, uhm, someone might have done something to it. I don't want to get into too much detail because it's not really my phone. It's my friend Dinah's phone. She is having some issues with it." She shrugged. "Think it's better if she tells you, just wanted to make sure you were up for maybe fixing a phone. I have to get her in here to see you." She nodded.

"So, what do you think?" Fred reached out and nudged the camera. "Think we could work something out?" The brainy female looked at the pixie girl.

"It's really good. The music. The show must be amazing." She smiled. "And what do you mean dust?"

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i_gotsoul
2012-07-06 02:17 am UTC (link)

"That's the second one this week, isn't it?" she asked Annie. "Do you think I should make sure mine's okay?" She perked up at the name, though. "I know a Dinah! Or I met one once. It's not a common name, is it?"

Megan grinned at Annie. "It's not just a live show. Ali converts sound to light, so her concerts are something special. It's like... interpretive dance, only flashier. And you don't really need to dance. And a lot prettier, if you ask me. Also, she can blow people up with it, but it's not usually a worry at the concerts. She taps into the music, like, and gets the emotions across. It's awesome."

She turned back to Fred, looking pleased with herself. "So my mutant power--other than the wings and looks and all--is this dust. We call it pixie dust because of how I look, right? It makes people see things. Hallucinations. Only nice things, though," she rushed to add, even if she wasn't entirely sure of that after Limbo and having her dust fed back to her. But she'd heard people talk about fish and bees and unicorns, so it probably still did. "I used to go to some of Ali's concerts and fly over the crowd, do a little dusting, and, you know... bright lights, pretty things, everyone went home happy. Not even a headache after."

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cyberpath
2012-07-06 08:17 am UTC (link)

"Oh!" Annie laughed. "Yeah, just send her in, that's fine."

She didn't hesitate to check Megan's phone and then her own. Her eyes went fuzzy while she did it, but it only took a couple of seconds. "Our phones are fine, Megan. I don't know what's going on. I hope they stay fine. If this is some kind of mass problem, or some kind of ... happening, I don't know. That guy's was pretty easy to fix, though."

It had taken her only a moment or two to delve in and tweak what needed to be worked out. She'd also replaced his battery, because it needed to be. He'd been a little strange, a little spooky, and the memory of him made her shiver a little bit. Even though he'd done nothing wrong and hadn't even been rude or acted in a strange way. The big words, though, she hadn't ever heard anyone talk like that.

And, okay, maybe it was the eyes.

"I think I can work out what you're looking for. But I need to connect into just this one. I can do that by plugging this one into the system the others are on, but otherwise trying to give this one instructions to send out to it's fellows is going to tax what you're trying to do. There's a chance that without me to guide it and connect the ones you want to relay to each other, with the movement of the streets and everything, that it'll just all get confused. If I hit them all at once, I can link the pairs then, and just leave them with the instruction on where to send the information they gather."

She hoped that made sense. Since she was talking to Fred, she thought that the other would be able to see what she meant.

"I like the sound of that concert." She said to the fairy.

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i_figure
2012-07-07 01:43 am UTC (link)

"You might need into the system as a whole to create pairings or groups?" Fred smiled slightly. "I think if you wanted, you could get into it without asking or hinting. So, I'm going to say 'yes.' You haven't tried, and you are kind of hinting." She didn't seem to mind.

"I know I just met you, Megan, and this is going to sound all grown up and judgmental. But, I don't think the whole dust hallucination thing is very nice. It seems..well, kind of tricky and sneaky. It's like slipping a little E into someone's drink. Sure, they may feel uberspiff, but what are the aftereffects, what is really happening to them? How is that ethical? They didn't ask for the dust did they? I'm not saying you were being malicious, but that wasn't very responsible if Dazzler was an adult." Her head tilted slightly as she looked up at the winged girl.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't cool. Was it?" She liked being cool, but she also wanted to understand.

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i_gotsoul
2012-07-07 03:52 am UTC (link)

"It's an experience," she told Annie.

Megan frowned at Fred. "It's not really supposed to be nice, ordinarily," she said. "It's a defense mechanism. Like squid ink, only it's pink and dusty. And Dazzler advertises that she makes use of mutant powers in the show. It's kind of her thing." Except she couldn't remember if her dust was ever advertised. She was fairly sure it was. It had to be. Ali was a responsible adult who didn't want to get sued.

Except she and Jean-Paul did take her out drinking that one time...

"And it's not like anyone ever got a lot of dust, with me spreading it out so much," she said, pushing past that annoying little thought. "It doesn't actually hurt you after. I should know, someone once pulled it out of me and shoved it back and made me think I was somewhere else." Okay, that came out entirely more bitter than she meant it to. She smiled nervously, her fingers suddenly picking at the hem of her shirt. "I was fine after, though. Got rid of him and everything, just fine."

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