burningblossoms | Recolle Inbox

Somewhere out of the way. Okay.

[Yukiko starts driving, quiet for a moment before reaching into the center console and pulling out some wet wipes, dropping them in Eleanor's lap.]

Your face is smudged. It'll be okay, just...relax okay?

Oh. [Eleanor stared at the wipes for several seconds before she picked one up and sighed.] Right...heh. Thanks Yukiko.

[She took a few seconds to wipe her face off, then her hands, then curled the nap into a little ball and set it down.]

I know this is a little weird. I can explain...maybe...

Sure.

[She keeps driving, quietly bobbing her head so Eleanor can explain.]

Try me? I mean, you're really starting to worry me. So...tell me something.

[It took a lot for Eleanor to lose her cool really, which was what was freaking her out too, right now. Because she knew she tended to be pretty calm and this was all so...overwhelming.]

[But she sucked in a breath, trying to settle herself, and leaned back in the chair for a few seconds before she finally answered.]

You know how people have been getting stuff? From retrospec. Like...like weird coats or books or someone got a gun I think, just...stuff. From those hallucinomemory things.

[A beat, her eyes distant.]

I got something. Kind of. It's...I don't know. It's completely insane.

Yes. I do.

[Yukiko has a feeling that she's going to hear something rather outlandish, but there's a set to her jaw as they pull into the little league baseball field. It's not quite the season, and the grass is still long from winter. Slowing, she rolls to a stop.]

Try me, Eleanor. Or...if it helps, show me. The fields are definitely empty today.

[Eleanor was quiet as they stopped, frowning at the field. Empty. Okay. Did that even matter? Dave hadn't exactly been secretive about his...weird thing. Did Eleanor need to be? Would anyone care? Probably...]

[She opened her mouth to say something, stopped, made a frustrated face, adn went to tug her belt off and push the door open.]

Okay come here.

[And out she went, walking a few feet out into the grass ahead of the van.]

[Hopping out, Yukiko follows along with a bob of her head, standing there a few feet to Eleanor's left. She has a feeling that this is going to be weird. Really weird. But also that Eleanor really needs the support.]

Sure, sure.

[Waiting on you now...]

[Eleanor had no idea how to explain this. Or even how to start explaining it. She'd spent two hours freaking out about it, about what it meant, if it meant anything, and then she'd basically fled her house in search of...well. Sometimes you needed your best friend, right?]

[Even if she was pretty sure she was freaking Yukiko out now too. Okay.]

So like I said. People are getting things, right?

[Rather than explain, she held up her hand...and Yukiko would feel a sudden tug as her hairband popped off her head. It would float there for a few seconds, then shoot across the space between them to land in Eleanor's palm.]

Well I woke up with something.

[Sometimes you do. But Yukiko doesn't mind. She steps closer in a show of solidarity. And immediately goggles at the display going on, her hair tumbling down further without the hairband keeping some of it bound up.]

Whoa?! What?!

[First thing's first, she reaches out and snatches back the headband, putting it back on.]

You can move things with your mind?!

[Headbands are important okay?]

[Eleanor let her take the headband back without issue, the point had been made. And then she let her hand drop to her side, and shrugged.]

Apparently.

[She half-turned away.]

I think it's been a couple days? Stuff kept moving around my room while I was asleep, and I thought my sisters were just messing with me, but..

But it was you.

[Yukiko sounds pretty amazed, all things considered. She steps closer and puts both hands on Eleanor's shoulders, hugging her from behind.]

That's amazing. You're amazing. And I know it's scary, but that doesn't make it less awesome.

[Eleanor sucked in a breath when Yukiko hugged her, closing her eyes.]

Right? I move things with my mind. I mean, putting aside that it's completely impossible, I'm...doing it.

[But she clearly did not sound as excited as Yukiko.]

...But remember the, memory, the dream, whatever, that I had? When I was doing this in it?

[If this was real. Did that make the memory real? Did that mean she'd killed someone?]

[Yukiko doesn't let go, either. She figures that Eleanor probably needs that reminder. And that there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. If she's dreamed about killing people...and these other memories were true, and powers were...appearing? Then she may very well have.]

Not impossible. Just unexplainable. You can do it, and that's all there is to it.

[She lowers her head a little, bumping her forehead against the back of Eleanor's]

And no, you weren't in that memory. Whoever that person was was doing it, but you're not them. You...are Eleanor Lamb. There's no rational reason to believe that you were fighting anyone. Maybe it's a past life? There are more than a few spiritual traditions that believe in them. And before you get all 'that's a load of hooey and can't be real,' I'll tell you my counterpoint is that you're a telekinetic.

[After a moment, Eleanor leaned back against her best friend, just listening to her talk. Trying to calm herself down again. Heh. Would that ever be possible? She could move things with her mind? Whatever else was going on in the world, that was now at the top of every weird list for her.]

I've never really believed in stuff like that.

[It was hardly a secret. Eleanor was just too grounded in the rational to really spend time thinking about it all. That was Yukiko was for, apparently.]

But I don't really believe in false memories either, so who knows, right? [She managed a little smile.]

And you're right. I can do it. I know that's real, at least. Unless you're just sharing my delusion anyway.

[And Yukiko just holds on. what do best friends do, if not be the support for friends? She rocks side to side a little, just showing that she's there.]

I'm not delusional. You aren't either.

[Yukiko breathes in, breathes out, just doing her best to stay calm and not worry too much. IT's weird, yes. But it's not the end of days.]

It's like my guardian angel. I know, I know that there's more going on with that. and with you. It's a little weird, but we're still us. And having strange things happen is just...it's part of us now. But if you're worried about something bad going on, just think...you can help people with that power now. Like one of the Z-Men. And that's a blessing, right?

[Eleanor drew in a long, slow breath, because part of her wanted to be like 'but this isn't a comic book, it's real' but that...well, she knew it wouldn't help. Her or Yukiko or any of this. And she was right, in a way, this strangeness was their world now...as much as she tried not admit it.]

I'm not sure how much help moving pencils and hairbands will be. [She said with a sound that was almost a laugh. Maybe focusing on the details of it would help, really, so she did. Thinking about the power itself, what it could do, instead of worrying about what it meant...]

Picking up people, like in that...memory? Just pickign up your hairband took so much concentration.

[Nope. It wouldn't help. It's just silly to argue.]

I think that's how some superheroes get started.

[She vaguely remembers comic books from growing up, but really that's not important.]

You'll learn with time, I'm sure. Just like me. I'll figure out this...angel stuff. I know there's something more to it, but I don't understand it all yet. And I know too, that you'll use it responsibly. For good. I have faith.

[When Yukiko had talked about her Angel, Eleanor hadn't precisely...dismissed it...but she hadn't really been terribly fair either, had she. And here was Yukiko being so understanding, so fast. Admittedly Eleanor's worries were a bit more intense, but still.]

...What does that feel like, anyway? Your uh...guardian angel.

[Yukiko finally lets go, laughing slightly and pulling free.]

Warm? Like it's a part of me I never knew about. I guess, it's weird and hard to describe. But it's definitely just like...a missing piece. Strength I never knew I had.

That's...I don't know. [Stupid preconceptions.] I suppose it sounds nice, at least. And if you trust it, then I do.

[When Yukiko stepped away, Eleanor moved a bit further into the empty space around them, scanning the ground. And then she stretched out her hand, and a rock about the size of an apple floated off up into the air and then darted over to land in her palm. She held it up, examining it, and then smiled to herself.]

I am in no position to call anything strange at this point, anyway.

No, you aren't.

[Yukiko laughs, really unable to keep herself from doing that much. Eleanor is weird, yes, and this is weird, but it's okay. Because they're together and all that.]

But it's fine. Just another day. The world keeps on turning, and that's what matters. There'll be more answers tomorrow. And if not then, the next day, or the next. Right now we just need to focus on keeping it together to find those answers.

[Eleanor turned back to her, tossing the rock from hand to hand.]

You know, are you handling this far better than I am. [She shifted.]

I actually threw up after I realized what was going on.

Well, I'm not so easy to rattle I guess.

[That's about all she can say.]

You okay now, though?

[Eleanor didn't seem to know how to answer, and after a few seconds gave a half-shrug.]

Not really. But I can't imagine I'm going to be for a while.

[This was just going to take some adjustment. But they couldn't just keep standing here in an empty parking lot while she tried not to let herself start panicking again.]

...But I'll manage. [She smiled finally.] Want to go get an ice cream or something? I don't want to go home yet.

[Yukiko nods, taking a quick breath and patting Eleanor on the shoulder.]

Yeah, that's fine. I don't really feel like heading home either. Mom and dad are working late, and all that. So, ice cream it is.

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