ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ɴᴏ ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴏɴs ʜᴇʀᴇ ( ᴏᴘᴇɴ )

[perfecting]

Who: Nancy Wheeler + you!
Broadcast: no
Action: heron, iskaulit
When: all through march.



( A; Heron - Arrival )

[ The new arrival can't be more than seventeen-years old. Carrying a school bag, pins in her hair, wearing a pale pair of jeans and red jacket above her sweater. Nancy looks like a high-school girl on the way to her locker.

She had given those who had seen her arrival a little tight smile before slinking off. She never really had the new-school jitters. In Hawkins, everyone knew everyone since they were children. Nancy knew the kids in her high school since pre-school. She never really had to deal with so many strangers before.

She finds a room and places her bag, takes out her books an pencil-box. It's far from her room but it's still better than the Marsiva.

If you pass by her room, you might notice the door is open. If she sees you, she'll get up and call out, a hesitant and yet certain, 'hey'. ]

( B; Heron - nights )

[ the new security officer doesn't really sleep. She tries, however. Nancy lies in the dark and closes her eyes and manages a little sleep but in the end, it's always the same. She hears a terrible growl, sees a dark, cold world and a faceless monster and wakes up gasping.

You might find her wandering at odd hours, making herself tea in the kitchen, going to sit in the shuttle bay or in the armory, reading one of her study books, writing names of people and worlds and terms in a notebook she names FLEET. ]

( C; iskaulit )

[ when she learns the truth of her destined job, she accepts it without a fuss.

It gives her easy access to what she wanted since her arrival, weapons. She places the broken piece of glass she armed herself with on the Marsiva beneath her pillow and goes to the armory.

Instinct leads her to a handgun and she takes it with her, hidden in her jacket pocket. She knows better than to try and use it inside the ship. She goes through the network, reading files and messages until she finds what she's looking for.

She knows nothing about this world but she had seen enough to let herself think she might not need to use one again. It's harder on her own, harder without Jonathan and their conversations but she pushes nerves aside. This isn't any different than shooting cans and it is certainly easier than shooting -

the thing. the monster.

It's the monster she thinks about when she enters the firing range. No beast that she has ever heard of is one of its kind. If there is one, there is another. if there is another than this time, Nancy Wheeler is going to be prepared for it when it comes.

She looks up at the lights, draws a breath when they remain steady, not a single flicker.

It's just me, she thinks, it doesn't like the light.

She thinks about the monster, she thinks about what it had done to Barb ( there is a scream in her head, dead, dead! ) and pulls the trigger once and then again and again and once more.

The noise doesn't startle her, her hand remains steady. Some people are fine dancers or singers. Nancy Wheeler is a good shot. Sixteen years old in jeans and a sweater, she loads more bullets and tries again. ]

Comments

[axiomed]

[ He smiles. ]

No. I merely suggested they rethink their position on stealing.

[ And Charles' suggestions tend to take. ]

[perfecting]

[ she narrows her eyes, half amused, half suspicious. ]

That's the whole story?

[axiomed]

[ His smile is wry. ]

That's part of the story. At least it's part of my story. I'm very convincing when I want to be.

[perfecting]

-- You're kind of weird, aren't you?

[ but she's smiling, as if she's quite used to weird. ]

[axiomed]

[ Charles notes that she's loosening up with a hint of relief. ]

Oh, certainly. I run a school of weirdness.

[perfecting]

For people who can -- convince other people not to steal from them?

[ she can't imagine the how, she accepts it anyway. ]

[axiomed]

For people like myself. With extraordinary, unusual gifts.

[ He finally says with careful consideration. ]

I'm telepathic, you see.

[perfecting]

You - can read minds?

[ he would have liked eleven, the thought makes her heart clench for a moment. ]

That really is extraordinary.

[axiomed]

To some.

[ To many others, it's a cause of fear and alarm. ]

[perfecting]

Makes lying to you kind of useless.

[ which means her previous dishonesty might have been of no use at all. ]

[axiomed]

[ He shakes his head. ]

I wouldn't recommend lying to me, no. That being said, I won't read your mind without your permission. I'm afraid I might pick up feelings, though.

[ With a hint of apology. ] I can't exactly turn it off.

[perfecting]

It's okay.

[ an odd conversation to have. nancy has protected so many secrets for so long from so many adults in her life. still. this one isn't really a regular adult. ]

It's not your fault. It's not the weirdest thing I've ever heard of.

[axiomed]

I had a feeling it wasn't.

[ His voice gentles. ]

Do you want to talk about it? I'm an excellent listener.

[perfecting]

My brother knew someone who was special. She was special to him too, I think. She could do things. I didn't really understand it.

[ she's so painfully regular by comparison. would she have been able to help barb if she had eleven's powers? ]

She was younger than me. She was - really weird, too. Weirder than you.

[axiomed]

Trust me, I had to work hard at it.

[ He did spend years thinking he was mad. Charles didn't have much to go on. ]

Weird can be a difficult burden to bear on your own. She was lucky to have your brother nearby.

[perfecting]

He liked her.

[ though he would protested very passionately when she remarked as much. ]

He's twelve. I think she was around that age, too. Her name was Eleven. My brother called her El.

[axiomed]

They do love their nicknames at that age.

I take it things were not easy for them, though.

[perfecting]

No.

[ she closes her book, bites her lip ]

Things were never...weird where we lived. But it all seemed to happen at once. One day, we were the most boring town on the face of the earth and the next -

[ terrors and horrors. ]

It all changed. But it wasn't Eleven's fault.

[axiomed]

I didn't think it was.

[ After a pause. ]

Sometimes the change comes so fast, you don't have time to process it.

[perfecting]

This is actually easier.

[ she looks around them, at the ship for all its odd noises and odd look. ]

I don't think there any way to process it? I mean not really. It was all so -

[ how can she even explain this? she was never asked to put any of this into words. There was Jonathan, there was Steve, they saw, they understood.

But there was something Nancy saw and smelled and felt that they haven't. ]

It was terrible.

[axiomed]

[ He nods slowly. ]

Sometimes, it's easier to share it in a different way.

[ Tapping the side of his head. ]

Words fail us easily, but memories - our feelings rarely do. If you want to talk about it or just feel it with someone else, I'm here for you.

[perfecting]

But if you see it, you can't unsee it.

[ and a part of her wants to spare him, it would seem, for all that she is younger. ]

[axiomed]

[ His smile is kind. ]

I prefer to see than to leave people on their own. No one should feel alone with that.

[perfecting]

Are you sure?

[ she falters for a moment, looks at her hands, takes care to unclench them. ]

You don't know what that is.

[ what she's been keeping and protecting so fiercely. ]

[axiomed]

I don't need to.

[ He reaches out to touch her hand lightly. ]

I just need to know who you are. That's more important.