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crossing_lostrp2006-04-11 02:53 pm
fikgirl.livejournal.com) wrote in crossing_lostrp2006-04-11 02:53 pm
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[Megabyte] Skipped Time (Day 7) In the Midst of the Rain (tag Claire, open)
Coffee was the talk of the day and the beach, although warnings had been given that this particular blend was a bit on the side of caffeine potency. After taking a few sips from his coconut mug, and feeling his face get warm and his body grow tingly, Megabyte thought there was probably some truth to those words. He nursed the coffee slowly, idly listening to random conversations. Eventually though, he realized that he needed to walk off the coffee buzz that was even strong as he nursed the beverage alone.
Excusing himself, Megabyte was halfway to the shoreline when the first fat droplets of rain began to fall. Different from the previous showers, people did not instantly scramble for cover. Rather they began to move with purpose and direction towards dryer and more well-protected lands. He turned as well, intending to head to the safety and relative dryness of his shelter when swearing off to the side caught his attention.
Turning curiously, he smiled with both fondness and amusement as Claire ran to where she left clothes hanging – as much as she could possibly run at this late stage of her pregnancy – toddling would actually have been a better description, though he would never have said that to her out loud, because he figured she’d likely try to kill him. (Never mind that it’s really cute.)
No one seemed to notice Claire’s plight, or else her independent streak was finally beginning to sink home, and as the rain began to beat down more steadily, she swore again, her words just caring above the wind that came with the rain.
(What the hell, I can take a tongue lashing. I’ve gotten plenty of them,) Megabyte decided and jogged over to his friend’s side. Before Claire could say a word, he too was gathering clothes.
“Two of us will get it done faster,” he explained. The next article of clothing was a bra, and though his face went quite red, he shoved it into his arms and tried his best to pretend that he hadn’t noticed that he’d grabbed Claire’s bra. (Oh come on, Damon, what are you, twelve? What will you do next? Tell all the boys about it?)
“I guess it’s Murphy’s Law with laundry as much as it is with cars. The minute you wash ‘em, it starts to rain,” he quipped.
Excusing himself, Megabyte was halfway to the shoreline when the first fat droplets of rain began to fall. Different from the previous showers, people did not instantly scramble for cover. Rather they began to move with purpose and direction towards dryer and more well-protected lands. He turned as well, intending to head to the safety and relative dryness of his shelter when swearing off to the side caught his attention.
Turning curiously, he smiled with both fondness and amusement as Claire ran to where she left clothes hanging – as much as she could possibly run at this late stage of her pregnancy – toddling would actually have been a better description, though he would never have said that to her out loud, because he figured she’d likely try to kill him. (Never mind that it’s really cute.)
No one seemed to notice Claire’s plight, or else her independent streak was finally beginning to sink home, and as the rain began to beat down more steadily, she swore again, her words just caring above the wind that came with the rain.
(What the hell, I can take a tongue lashing. I’ve gotten plenty of them,) Megabyte decided and jogged over to his friend’s side. Before Claire could say a word, he too was gathering clothes.
“Two of us will get it done faster,” he explained. The next article of clothing was a bra, and though his face went quite red, he shoved it into his arms and tried his best to pretend that he hadn’t noticed that he’d grabbed Claire’s bra. (Oh come on, Damon, what are you, twelve? What will you do next? Tell all the boys about it?)
“I guess it’s Murphy’s Law with laundry as much as it is with cars. The minute you wash ‘em, it starts to rain,” he quipped.
[Claire] In the Midst of the Rain (tag MB, open)
All that stubbornness was forgotten in a split-second then, transfixed as Claire was by Damon's embarrassed reaction to picking up her bra. She flushed almost as red, because not only was it her bra of all bloody things but it wasn't exactly a prime example either - although how red she'd go if it had been might be the bigger question. Thank goodness all her knickers were already safe in her bundle.
"Uh, yeh.." Claire screwed her face up, caught between giggles and running for the hills. "We should remember that once the garden's planted, in case it gets dry later in the summer. Though I hope we'll be gone by then.."
Hurriedly grabbing the last top on the tree, she jiggled everything round so it'd be easier to carry and turned towards her tent. "Y'coming?"
Claire waddled as fast as she could, huffing melodramatically while Damon walked alongside. Even when he dropped down to pick up dropped socks, it was only moments before he caught her up. She really envied his easy strides right now, she really did. The sooner this baby was born the better - kind of - preferably in a hospital, but soon. At least the tent wasn't far, and Sue was still off with Rose someplace. As for Shannon.. not my problem.
"Ta muchly, Damon mate. Really," she grinned, flopping back on her 'bed' and rotating aching ankles in blissful relief. "I probably should have left it all out there, but Mum was always so anal about laundry and rain that -"
Claire stopped, grin frozen on her face while she took a couple of deep breaths and counted to ten. I am not going to get bogged down in this again.
"I guess she just passed it on to me," she finished with a small shrug, smiling genuinely now.
Claire wriggled around to get into a more comfortable hole and her head lolled to one side against the pillow, right into one of the newly washed t-shirts. The armpit section, to be precise.
"Gah!" she yelped, shifting away faster than she thought possible at this stage.. then finally dissolving into those giggles she thought she'd escaped earlier. "Sod's other frigging law: natural detergents are all well and good, but we're all trained to think of chemicals as making clothes smell clean."
[Megabyte] In the Midst of the Rain (tag Claire, open)
Megabyte looked up as something hit him on the head, accompanied by Claire's giggles. It was the shirt, and luckily for him the only thing within reach of easy flinging. He tossed it back at her with a grin, "It's one of the joys of living naturally. Just imagine what our ancestors went through. And they didn't have all this beautiful tropical sunshine."
"Yeh, right," Claire rolled her eyes, but she kept smiling. She wriggled around a bit, evidently trying to get comfortable again in her lodging area. "Three days without, y'think it could have waited a bit longer?"
"No, because then the island wouldn't be giving us a big middle finger," Megabyte settled down comfortably. "So, what's this about a garden? Are you one of those green thumb types?"
"Molly and Sun have been talking about it -" Claire broke off and sat up straight, with a shout of "Oh!" as her hand went to her rounded abdomen. She glared down, "You would have to wake up now, right when I'm finally comfortable? You don't see me waking you up when you're all quiet and settled, d'you?"
Megabyte watched her interaction with her unborn child with a slightly amused smile on his face. He doubted even she knew how maternally she behaved toward a child she planned to give up for adoption. (Of course if we're here for too long, that may be a moot point anyway.) He could actually see her hand moving where it rested and he leaned forward, curious and a bit awed, "Can I? Feel the baby kick, I mean?"
[Claire] In the Midst of the Rain (tag MB, open)
"Go for it! Though I can't guarantee that the sprog will behave himself," she mock-growled at the offending child.
Claire laid back down and stuffed the smelly t-shirt under her head as a pillow, then reached over to take Damon's hand, gently guiding it to where the little bugger was using her abdomen as a punching bag. She'd be fine so long as he left her bladder alone until after the storm, but still: I know how you feel, pumpkin. Though you're not missing much right now.
"Can you feel him?" Claire asked as she let go of Damon's hand, allowing to follow the movements by himself. It was kind of nice actually - much nicer than an ultrasound, and better than the loud gossiping that always accompanied baby discussions at the Fish n Fry.
"Yeh.."
She could practically hear his grin and lifted her head for a better look. Damon shuffled closer and seemed to tease the kid by softly tapping her skin with his fingers. "Ack! That tickles!"
Her sudden giggles made Damon snatch his hand back, looking a little red once more. "Sorry! I mean - crap!"
"No, no worries - none at all. He liked it!" Claire reassured her friend quickly, then turned her attention back to the baby. "Hey, I felt that. Give me a second, would you?" She rolled her eyes melodramatically. "You know what, I get the feeling this kid'll be a troublemaker from day 1."
Again.. not my problem.
For some reason that thought wasn't as comforting as it had been in the past.
[Megabyte] In the Midst of the Rain (tag Claire, open)
“As for the little linebacker being a troublemaker, it’s what they do. Drive you crazy. From what I understand.” He stopped suddenly, realizing that this was not a good direction to lead the conversation in considering Claire’s revelation that she was going to give the baby up for adoption. Then deciding that he’d well and truly already put his foot in it, he forged ahead, turning a bit more serious. “This is the part where I preface what I’m about to say with the standard ‘Tell me to go to hell and none of my business if you want’ disclaimer. But, why Los Angeles?” Megabyte peered up at Claire from his position on the floor of the shelter, thoughtfully. “There had to be plenty of waiting and willing parents in Australia. Why a family – and a flight – all the way to Los Angeles?
“And again, feel free to tell me to go procreate with myself.”
[Claire] In the Midst of the Rain (tag MB, open)
"Forget I asked," Damon suggested quietly. "How -"
She shook her head. "No, I'll answer. It's just.. a long story. Or short. I have no idea - haven't exactly told anyone the whole thing before."
Claire sat up again and propped herself up against the suitcases, smiling a little at Sue's battered old thing that she'd apparently inherited from a grandmother. Blinking rapidly to get rid of some badly timed tears, she drew her legs up as close as she could manage and began.
"I -" Claire frowned, not sure how to start. "Thomas -"
She looked over Damon was watching her intently, though his expression was sympathetic. "You're going to think I'm crazy."
"On the island of weirdness? I think not."
Rolling her eyes, Claire smirked back at him. "Ha ha. This started before the crash, remember? Close to nine months ago, if I'm not mistaken."
"You're right, this is a long story. I should have brought popcorn." Damon frowned consideringly, though she could tell he was just trying to help her relax.
"Ok ok," she resisted the urge to stick her tongue out, silencing him with a wave instead. "Short version: a psychic made me do it. Satisfied?"
[Megabyte] In the Midst of the Rain (tag Claire, open)
(Least expected? I'd say that's one that I *never* expected. Not in a million years.)
Megabyte shifted position, raising up on his knees so that he could reach her hand. He gave it a gentle, comforting squeeze, "I don't think that you're crazy, Claire. Although, now I am more curious than I was before. How did a psychic make you do it?"
(The real deal, the real thing,) Megabyte could tell that from the rough emotions that rolled from her at his question. Confusion, fear, frustration, awe, surprise, whatever had happened to Claire, whomever she had encountered they had left an impression on her so strongly that it still rattled her. (Rattled her enough to put her on a plane to LA.)
"He gave me a plane ticket. This plane ticket," Claire wasn't looking at him, and she went back to biting her lip after she said those words.
(What the -) Megabyte thought and a million other questions flew through his head as well. Did the psychic know the plane was going to crash? And if so, why would a psychic put a very pregnant unwed mother on an overseas flight that was doomed to crash? Did he know she would survive? Why leave her effectively stranded on a desert island? What sort of vision or premonition could make anyone do that? Had he been sane or driven a bit crazy by his own abilities?
He didn't ask any of the questions. He merely squeezed her hand again, reminding her gently that he really didn't think she was crazy and that he wasn't going to laugh at her.
"Tell me." The words were an entreaty, not a command. If she wanted to talk about it, he'd listen. But he wouldn't push.
[Claire] In the Midst of the Rain (tag MB, open)
Claire squeezed his hand back and dragged her eyes from the ground to where Damon was still kneeling on the sand.
"Come on, get your bum up here," she semi-ordered, patting the bedding next to her. "I may need a hug after this, and you're it."
Thinking about everything that had happened in the last few months while Damon settled in, Claire wondered for the umpteenth time how one simple visit to a two-bit psychic had turned her world upside-down. He'd been so stand-offish in the beginning, hadn't wanted to anything to do with her - and then everything.
"It was a couple of days after I found out I was pregnant. My friend Rachel was the one who suggested seeing him, for a laugh, but when we got there this guy just turned round and said he wasn't going to give me a reading. Just like that - dropped my hand like it burned or something." Claire shook her head in frustration, still not sure why Richard Malkin had done that. "A few months later I went back. I.. uh.. Thomas, he changed his mind about wanting the baby -"
Claire hiccuped a little and looked down again, reaching out for a bottle of water. Damon got there first, unscrewing the lid before he passed it over. She murmured her thanks and took a few sips, trying to ignore that particular pain before continuing the story.
"Anyway, this time he was ok with talking," Claire went on, explaining about the 'something blurry' that had been bad but somehow wasn't any more, along with Malkin's categorical demands that she and she alone should raise this child. "I went there to find out how to give my baby a happy life, and he tells me to keep him despite my shitty job and nowhere to live. $200 down the gurgler, just like that!"
"But I thought you said he bought you the plane ticket?" Damon asked, clearly confused. "How does that work?"
Claire muttered darkly. "Good question. First he wanted me out of his sight, then he wouldn't leave me alone. Phone calls in the middle of the night, turning up at work, the lot. I had myself a right little stalker, and all the while he was adamant that I should keep the baby, right up until the day he claimed to have found a great couple in LA who would love to adopt him."
She flushed dark red then, the memory making her angry.
"That was last week, Damon. Last week. I didn't want to fly, not that far - I only left the country once before! - but the last couple who'd been interested.. they didn't feel right." Claire stopped short and clenched her teeth. "God, I sound just as bad as him. Either way I was getting a bit desperate, and they.. um.. he.. They paid $6000 up front. Does that make me a bad person?"
Her face took on a stricken expression then, panic setting in. What goes around comes around - this is my fault! Even if he knew, it's my fault!
She pulled away from Damon's side abruptly and curled up into a tearful ball. "Oh my god, I got on that plane to sell my baby!"
OOC mutterings: I know canon says Claire's wage was $5ph, but that's unrealistic even if it was a translation of AU$ to US$ (approx. AU$6.80).. though context suggests not. The minimum wage was $11.80ph in 2004 and even illegals can get AU$10ph cash-in-hand *cough* My job over there was casual recruitment and I know far too many visa overstayers for my own good.. :)
[Megabyte] Offering Comfort (tag Claire, open)
(Sheesh! I don't even want to think of what could be worse than a plane crash.)
For not the first time, Megabyte wished that he had an inkling of the precognitive ability that some of the others, like Ami and Kevin, did. At least then, he might be able to figure out why a weird psychic decided Claire would be better off surviving a plane crash than giving her baby up for adoption.
(Then again, maybe that sign's all gone now. Ami's interacted with Claire and she hasn't gotten any weird vibes.)
Megabyte only had a split second warning of Claire's impending emotional outburst before the dam broke. She was horribly upset and panicked, her emotions hitting him hard although he'd sensed the beginning tendrils leaking out. He spared a moment to center himself, during which time she flung herself to the side and curled up into a fetal ball – as much as she could – crying, "Oh my god, I got on that plane to sell my baby!"
In that one moment, Megabyte received the distinct impression of time hanging suspended as he was thrown blind and naked into unfamiliar territory. He didn't do tears; he didn't know how to do tears. . . yet, here he was with a crying, emotionally torn young woman and he *had* to do something.
He *wanted* to do something.
The moment of time suspended, that felt like hours but he knew rationally was only a few fragmented seconds, shattered like glass around him. Instinctively Megabyte extended his hand to rest on her shoulder. He brushed his thumb softly against the nape of her neck and slid his hand down, rubbing small comforting circles between her shoulder blades. No words were spoken, he didn't think it was time for them just yet. He simply massaged her back and let Claire release the frustration and hurt that she needed to so badly, sending small empathic waves of comfort through his touch.
"Claire," he said her name softly, but it was evident that she didn't quite hear him over her cries.
(To hell with it,) Megabyte thought. Before he could talk himself out of it – or get too embarrassed thinking about it – he stretched out behind her and pulled her gently against him. His arms wrapped around her and he tucked her head under his chin, one hand resting lightly on her stomach. It lacked impropriety on so many levels, yet it also seemed like the most natural thing to do at the moment.
"Claire, you are not a bad person," Megabyte whispered to her, his free hand smoothing her hair. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were doing what you thought was best for you baby, to give him a good life, by giving him up. There's nothing, nothing wrong with that. You didn't get on that plane to sell your baby, you got on that plane to give him to a good family. Cash upfront or not, that's what you did."
Megabyte paused for a minute, distracted by the sudden awareness of the baby. He, and somehow Megabyte knew it most definitely was a he, was a bundle of pure emotion, not a single thought, just very basic raw emotion, reacting to his mother's distress. Megabyte directed another wave of comfort at the awareness of the unborn child, wondering if it would actually reach the boy or just Claire. Either way, it wasn't a bad thing.
"You were confused and scared," Megabyte continued, turning his attention back to Claire. "That psychic had pushed you and stalked you and bothered you until you couldn't even think straight anymore. You made a split second decision under emotional duress. I think that in your position most people would have done the same thing."
[Claire] Offering Comfort (tag MB, open)
She sniffled a little, furtively wiping her cheeks and nose with the back of her hand. "Yeah, but I'd like to think that I wouldn't jump off a bridge if everyone else did too, y'know? It's like.. I got so fed up of running away from him that it suddenly seemed ok when he actually agreed with me, even if it did mean leaving Oz."
Claire tucked some stray hair behind one ear but made no attempt to escape the hug just yet. However strange it might be, she felt safer now than at any time since.. well, since Thomas left - maybe even before. Always too busy putting on a smiling face to the world, being nice to even the most infuriating customers and dealing with her mum's perfectionism in the name of keeping the peace. Getting annoyed with day to day crap never seemed worth the hassle, not in public - not with strangers - but then it felt like she'd been short on friendly faces for months. The people on this island, people like Damon, the way they were all pulling together was like a breath of fresh air. Now though, here in this tent, even the baby felt calm - how she knew that was a mystery, but she knew it nonetheless.
"What am I like, eh?" Claire smiled weakly, finally lifting her head out from under Damon's chin. "Bawling my eyes out without a by-your-leave. Thanks though, I guess I really needed it."
She began to feel uncomfortable in a personal sense, not physically, pulling away slightly despite the feeling of loss it generated. For all that she needed the comfort he'd given, Claire began to worry that she was taking liberties by extending the hug - and she didn't want to force him to keep hold, not when he'd been kind enough to act the part of a good friend in the first place. Blokes just didn't tend to like that kind of thing, girls crying and all that. Even other girls weren't that keen on it, generally speaking.
Looking back at Damon through damp lashes, Claire took another sip of water to cover her self-consciousness and tried to turn the conversation to something less emotional. Her earlier suspicions did the job nicely.
"Mr Malkin - the psychic - d'you reckon he knew what was going to happen to the plane? He was dead-set on Oceanic 815 out of all the airlines flying Sydney to LA, said it had to be this one and nothing else would do. Was this his way of making sure I'd keep the baby, by stranding me on a tropical island?"
[Megabyte] Offering Comfort (tag Claire, open)
"Not a problem," Megabyte assured her as she drank from her water bottle. "You said that you would need a hug and you were right. That's what friends are for right?" He offered her a smile with the last, letting her know that he hadn't felt that it was an imposition.
Then she turned the conversation to the psychic, Mr. Malkin – he had a name assigned to him now, and her question voiced Megabyte's earlier thoughts and suspicions. It didn't make sense in his mind, he couldn't see any logical reason to put someone on a flight that was destined to crash, but then again he hadn't seen whatever it was that Malkin had seen. A doomed flight and a desert island, with no planes and no boats and so far no radio signal out was certainly a great way to make sure that Claire didn't give her baby up for adoption.
"I don't know, maybe," Megabyte said quietly. He sighed then and looked away for a moment, before looking back at Claire. She looked both vulnerable and stoic at the moment, her eyes red with tears and streaks left on her cheeks. He somehow managed to resist the urge to wipe the last of her tear tracks away, mostly by lacing his hands together. Meeting her eyes, he decided to be frank with her. "Yeah, probably. If he was the real deal – and it sounds like he was – then this," Megabyte meant the beach, and he figured that Claire likely knew that, "was probably the best way of accomplishing exactly what he wanted."
(Of course, the implications of that are creepy. It means that rescue is probably a long way off, and that Claire is going to have her baby here, and after a few weeks of bonding with him, she's not going to want to give him up. And she's smart enough to follow the logic too.)
He tilted his head and studied her thoughtfully, "You said that one couple didn't feel right, so … how can I ask this . . . how do you feel about it now? Giving him up?" There was a momentary pause before he added, "And that whole telling me none of my business thing still applies."
[Claire] Life decisions (tag MB, open)
"Yeah, well if he was so bleeding clairvoyant the little prick could have spotted the fact that we could die out here!" Claire muttered quietly. "I mean what's the point of sending us someplace full of psychos and never-ending rain? Did he never consider the fact that he might be wrong? A sea change is one thing, but this is loony. Probably sat in the sun too long.."
She fiddled with her hair nervously, thinking about Damon's question. When she'd found out she was pregnant she'd been nervous but happy, and thanks to Thomas suggesting they make a go of it - of his own free will - Claire never really thought about anything other than carrying the baby to term. Once he changed his mind, the idea of doing otherwise hadn't crossed her mind and she'd gone straight into the adoption route. Keeping him hadn't seemed fair, not considering her own situation, and you always heard about loving couples who had trouble conceiving.
"I don't know," she sighed, and she meant every word. "The whole idea was to give him a chance at two doting parents and it's not like my living arrangements are any better than they were last week, y'know? The view's better, but everything else has gone seriously downhill."
Claire smiled weakly: money had only been part of the issue. This little fella might have been an accident, but between Thomas' art and her fish frying she really had believed that they could make it work. Before he got cold feet that was, bloody fool. And he'd had the nerve to throw her "daddy abandonment issues" in her face.. two for two as far as men went then. The future wasn't looking bright.
"It's not like I don't want kids, more that I don't think it's right for me to have one now," Claire admitted, then snorted comically. "When I am ready, the whole thing's going to be planned with military precision - none of this mayhem, not if I can help it."
Staring downwards at her feet, she wondered for a moment whether the baby would inherit her wonky toes, or better still Thomas' talent - for all that he was a "starving artist" (TM) - then chased away the thought as being too whimsical. Dreaming would only make things harder when the time came, she told herself firmly.
"He deserves better."
[Megabyte] The Thing About Psychics (tag Claire, open)
"Military precision, huh?" He looked to her with a teasing grin. "My parents planned me and my sister to the month. I lie to you not. My mother wanted her kids exactly thirty-six months apart, and amazingly enough, it actually worked out. I think it helps that all the women in my mother's line apparently have a fertility gene."
He paused and brought the conversation back around to Malkin, the psychic. He didn't want to upset her or dwell on it, but it was an opportunity to test the waters. "I think that maybe Malkin knew that you would survive, not just the crash, but being on the island too. I have a friend whose the real deal - psychic, clairvoyant, precognitive. He doesn't always understand what he's seeing, or what he just kind of knows, but he always knows whether it will work out for good or bad in the long run.
"Of course, he has plenty more people skills than Malkin."
(A friend. More like several, one on the beach and neither of them saw it coming this time.)
Megabyte looked back out across the camp, waiting for her response.
[Claire] The Thing About Psychics (tag MB, open)
Claire heard Damon mention his friend the psychic through something of a haze. She'd already had a go at his folks, so malevolent mutterings against the guy's friends probably wasn't the best way to go right now. Not that she was feeling particularly kind towards any form of psychic activity, but still.. bitchiness was never a good thing.
"Yeah, maybe he should be the one with his name in the Yellow Pages then.." she began, hoping that sounded halfway pleasant. "Not that I'm ever going to ask anyone for a reading of cards or palms or whatever ever again, but some other poor bugger might."
Ok, bad attempt to make up for the lack of parental compliments! Claire bit her lip and resolved to shut up till she stopped feeling quite so raw inside and out. She reached down to her bag and rummaged around until she found a couple of apples, pulling them out and handing one to Damon as a peace offering as she shuffled closer to the tent flap.
"Guess this island must be a bit of a dead zone as far as all these psychic types are concerned, eh." Claire shrugged half-heartedly. "I can't imagine your friend would have wanted you stranded here either."
[Megabyte] The Thing About Psychics (tag Claire, open)
"She drove me and Millie nuts." He looked down at his hand, surprised to see that he'd pulled out the pocket watch and was idly rubbing his thumb over it. He didn't risk leaving it in his shelter; having it close made him feel closer to home, more connected. "Dad was a workaholic so he thought we were crazy when we would complain."
Looking at the watch, he forced it and his hand into his pocket. He didn't really want to reflect on those days when his father had been a distant figure in his life, more wrapped up in work than in his own family.
Megabyte accepted the apple and took a bite from it, sitting beside Claire and watching the rain finally slow to a trickle. "I don't know about psychic dead zone. Maybe it is. I mean, Kevin, that's my friend, I think that he knew *something* was going to happen on the flight, but he didn't know what. He just kept saying that it was supposed to happen and that it would work out all right in the end."
He caught Claire's hard look and hastened to continue. "Kevin isn't like Malkin. I've known him since I was twelve. He's always just known stuff. It's sometimes vague for him, or he can't really make sense of all the input he's getting, but he's not ever purposefully obtuse. If he'd know the plane was going to go down, he would have told us. I really don't think he knew – which maybe means it is a psychic dead zone.
"Or he didn't want to know." Chewing thoughtfully on the apple, Megabyte mulled that over in his head. He could feel Claire's curious gaze on him and he turned to her. (I've gone this far, might as well go a bit further.) However, he couldn't look at her, and he focused his attention on their fellow survivors slowly spilling back out onto the beach. "About ten years ago, we had – something really bad happened to a close friend of ours. Kevin couldn't see it, he couldn't pick up anything about it or … her." He'd almost said Ami, and that revelation was going a bit further than was necessary at the moment. It still made him uncomfortable and angry to think about what had been done to her, to think about those people still being out there.
"It was more than he could handle, so he blocked it. He didn't even realize that he had blocked it, but he did. He felt really guilty afterwards. I think he still does, and he doesn't hold back anything anymore. He tries to hold onto everything – and he shares it." He loosened his grip on the apple, glad that he hadn't begun to crush the thing. Megabyte forced himself to bite, chew and swallow. "Maybe this time it was all still a bit too much for him and he subconsciously blocked it again."
"Ok. Way to get with the morbid, huh?" Shaking his head, Megabyte gave an embarrassed laugh, "Looks like the rain stopped, did you want to hang that stuff again, or is it pretty much dry enough?"
[Claire] The Thing About Psychics (tag MB, open)
She'd not thought about it quite like that - that one vision might be traumatic enough to stop halfway, or not be recognised at all. A bit like a blind spot when driving, she supposed, or close enough. You got an idea that something was there, but not much detail unless you looked over your shoulder.. thereby losing sight of the road ahead for a short while. Or something like that. Rationalising something she was having trouble believing in the first place was probably a little cuckoo, although Damon's death-grip on the apple suggested he was pretty bloody convinced that it was all real. Too real to joke about sending out mental pleas to the cosmos, for sure.
At least we're all still standing, no matter what else is going on.
Claire reached down into the pile of clothes they'd gathered when the rain started and assessed them for dampness, unable to hold back a grin when she spotted one particular item.
"Well my bra seems ok," she teased, gladly taking advantage of the new topic. "I might hang these dresses out again though - no chance to chop and change with anyone else around here, not with my figure."
Looking outside again, Claire waved to Hurley as he clambered out of one of the other tents before nudging Damon. "C'mon then, give me a hand up. That rain's probably doused the cookfire too, so we're going to have to work hard for our supper if that roast turtle's still on the menu."
[Megabyte] A Moment's Fun (tag Claire, open)
(Because I'm a grown man and I can't handle touching a woman's undergarments. One sister and more female friends than I can count, talking about things that I'd rather not hear and I don't have a problem. But Claire's bra reduces me to a blushing teenager again.)
At her prompting, Megabyte slipped an arm around her waist and helped leverage her to her feet. "One thing I'm willing to do is work for my supper."
As Claire balanced on her feet, Megabyte gave her a mischievous grin, "Although I think we should really get to know each better before I fondle your underwear again."
"What?!" Shannon, just arriving and looking a bit drenched, squawked. Her eyes darted from Claire to Megabyte, a cross between confusion and envy on her face.
Shannon's reaction provided a bit too much fodder for amusement and Megabyte could not resist. With a wink at Claire, he leaned over and kissed her playfully on the cheek. "I'll see you later, honey."
[Claire] A Moment's Fun (tag MB, open)
"Not too much later, I hope," she called after him, lightly tapping Damon on the bum as he headed out the tent.
Damon's mini-yelp was hilarious, but Shannon's indignation was pretty clear from the look on the face. A little voice in Claire's head reminded her that she hadn't lost her brother all that long ago, bringing out a twinge of guilt, but the accusation in the American blonde's voice came as a complete surprise when she ducked back inside the tent.
"What was that?"
Claire's amazement wasn't faked in the slightest. They'd been teasing that's all, and while Shannon's words were innocent enough the tone was enough to get her back up. "What's it to you?"
"Hmph," Shannon snorted disdainfully as she plomped down onto her 'bed' and began to towel-dry her hair. "You of all people should know better."
Screwing her mouth up, Claire resolved not to turn this into a full-blown argument. "Strewth, Shannon - the guy's a mate and he's got a good sense of humour. There's nothing wrong with having a laugh, surely."
"Bet that's what you thought about the last guy too.." the other girl commented sarcastically, and wasn't that just typical that she pulled out a make-up case at the same time? Who the hell was she primping for, especially while lecturing?
Claire just threw her hands up in the air and sighed, pulling on a cardy on her way out. "If you can't be friends with a bloke, that's your loss Shan. Don't take it out on the rest of us, or the only person left to chat with'll be Vincent."
She set off towards the cookfire, pissed off that Shannon couldn't take the joke but glad of having played along. Life was too bloody short to be that prickly.
[Megabyte] A Moment's Fun (tag Claire, open)
He gave her a half-smile, "Shannon can't take a joke, huh?"
Claire almost flung herself onto the driftwood bench, but appeared to remember at the last moment that it was wet. "She's bloody prickly is what she is."
Megabyte reached out and squeezed her shoulder, "Forget about her. I'm just glad that you could take a joke and I didn't end up with a slap to the face."