[Megabyte] Skipped Time (Day 7) In the Midst of the Rain (tag Claire, open)

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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.

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[Megabyte] The Thing About Psychics (tag Claire, open)

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"It's good that you're willing to give him a chance at that," Megabyte said softly. He absently pushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear, then realizing the total impropriety of that, dropped his hand with a faint blush. He looked out across the beach, noticing that the rain was slowing a bit – not stopping certainly, but slowing.

"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)

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"What, so you share the same birthday?" Claire gaped. "Bloody hell, that must have been something. Accidental's one thing, actually making it happen is.. well.. mad." She flushed in embarrassment, suddenly realising that after sitting through her hysterics and being the nicest person possible, she was insulting his parents. Nice one, Littleton - like you can talk! "I mean.. I don't.. cripes, forget I said anything, please?"

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)

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Megabyte laughed, not in the least bit offended about her commentary about his parents, although he could see her turning red from embarrassment. "I'd say madness could be a very good part of it. Although I guess I should have said three years as opposed to thirty six months. Our birthdays are eight days apart, mostly because my sister came into this world with a penchant for being late that has followed her throughout her life. But yeah, my mother is definitely an anal, control freak. Frighteningly organized and plans everything to the minute. Dad has always just let her do it and done what he was told, just so he could get out of the house.

"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)

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"Uh.. I should check," Claire fumbled quietly.

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)

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Crimson. Or some previously yet undiscovered shade of red. Megabyte was positive that his face had turned that color at the mention of Claire's bra. The one he'd held.

(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)

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Overcoming her momentary outrage, Claire grinned broadly when she realised Damon's ploy. He might only be a friend - a good friend - but the temptation to mess with Shannon's head was far too great, especially considering the other girl's own gratuitous mind games.

"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)

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Megabyte, Hurley, Sayid and Michael Sullivan were working on starting a new fire with some of the pieces of dry wood when Claire arrived. The scowl on her face testified to the fact that she was not as happy and chipper as she had been when he left her.

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."