savetheearth | healthy choices start with going to gas stations, clearly

[John's here for the gas, actually, but that doesn't stop him from slipping inside to grab a few (or, you know, a lot) of snacks before heading back out. See, unlike Kallie, health isn't all that high on his list priorities, and while he's not exactly looking out for his "figure" on purpose, he's one of those lucky fellows who can eat as much as he wants and not gain a pound. This, of course, means that he's rifling around the chips, staring hungrily at the items under the heating lamps, and all but pawing at the doughnuts. In the end, he ends up with about six of the carb-filled and sugar-dusted things and has one stuffed in his mouth as he sidles over to the cashier.

--which is where John finally spots Kallie.

He's smart enough to finish chewing and swallowing before approaching her, and John greets her with a bright smile. Without Christina around, he hasn't exactly had much of a reason to seek out her company, but there's nothing wrong with saying hi now, right?]

I almost didn't recognize you. I like it. [It should be pretty obvious that he's referring to her hair, what with it being pink now.] How've you been? Been a while since I saw you last.

[John almost asks about his girlfriend (except not!girlfriend?) but decides that it's probably best not to mention Christina in the first five seconds of being reunited with someone.]

[ She tends to keep track of any people in the vicinity already (especially lately), but it's not until John is right beside her that she notices she knows him. Recognizing people in gas stations isn't a familiar experience for her; for a second or two she just blinks at him in wide-eyed surprise. ]

Oh. Hey.

[ She makes like she's going to touch the aforementioned hair, before remembering she's already got her hands full... and missing the chance to throw out a thanks before he's already moved on to other pleasantries.

She gives a wry, polite smile, at least- once the oddity of meeting her friend's usual guy by himself in an unusual place passes, of course. ]

Alright. You...?

[He gives her an easy shrug and shifts his bag of doughnuts from one hand to the other. Their sugary goodness is calling to him, but he'll refrain for now; he'd feel a bit weird if he ate the whole bag before even paying for a single one.]

The same as always. Working at the shelter and keeping busy. [--by spending perhaps a little too much time browsing a certain network when he shouldn't be. His phone battery has been suffering for it, but it's still his preferred method of connecting if he's not at home.

That's... another avenue of discussion that he'll avoid for now though. It's just a shame that there isn't an easy way to bring it up; after all, he's already met quite a few people he knows in real life who are also on the network.

He gestures instead at the items in her hands.] Interesting combination you've got there.

[John wouldn't have pinned her as a Slurpee type of girl, but hey! The world is filled with surprises.]

[ This time it's her turn to shrug, lifting her shoulders only briefly before letting them drop just as quick. Maybe in some other situation she might have made some quip about Slurpees' secret hidden benefits, but the previous comments have her thinking... and she finds herself having to turn and pay for her goods a second later, anyway.

Once that's done (and she's already got one bar partially unwrapped), she turns back, tilting her head slightly with eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. Thankfully, she's better at sounding conversational than she used to be, at least. ]

I heard something about... things really being stirred up lately. 'Thunder Corp' or whatever.

[He pays for his doughnuts, pocketing his change just as she's mentioning Thunder Corp. At that, his brow creases for a moment before he smooths it out into another easy smile. Even if his expression doesn't totally betray his curiosity, hearing that does make him wonder...

Is she in on the loop?]

Yeah, I've been browsing the net recently, and it does feel like things have been... a bit off.

[He tilts his head a little, like the word "off" doesn't really cover it--and it doesn't. Still, it's not like he can just ask, "Hey, Kallie, have you gotten some numbers stuck in your head recently?"]

Sometimes, I wonder if there's more going on than the news lets on.

You're the one who works at a homeless shelter... you tell me.

[ The last few months have made her a lot better at acting casual when talking about something requiring... dubious truth- especially since the hair thing happened. She half-lifts her shoulders again and takes a sip of delicious Slurpee, as if to indicate it's just a random thing she thought of rather than a matter she's actually heavily interested in. ]

What's that supposed to mean?

[He gives her a quick look, his tone tinged not so subtly with offense. John's quick to shake his head and disregard her choice in wording though, and he offers her a half-hearted smile.]

This isn't something most of them would be interested in.

[It doesn't hit him until the words are already out of his mouth that using the word "this" might seem a bit strange, seeing as that hints at a very specific topic--something he hasn't exactly been suggesting thus far in this conversation. Either way, he cants his head toward the door, silently suggesting they head out of the gas station itself.]

Okay.

[ It's meant to be placating, but her brow creases in annoyed confusion - as far as she knows, it was a perfectly legitimate line of thought. Thunder Corp bought the so-called 'Dead District,' right? Or some of it? Something like that, anyway.

Honestly, she decides to just drop it; the last thing she has interest in is pursuing a line of conversation that could be considered unusual enough for him to file away in memory. In her own carefulness, she does think something is off but fails at putting any sort of pieces together.

She heads for the door, NBD, trades in the urge to sulk for a tone she hopes is natural enough to pass as topic-changey. ]

So.

[He doesn't say anything else, feeling just a little disappointed that she doesn't seem to react to what he's just hinted at, but John moves on with little more than a slight tilt of the head. If he read too much into her words, fine; there are others he knows in the real world who are privy to that sort of information.

If she wants to change the topic of conversation, he'll go along for the ride.]

You're on holiday now?

[He lengthens his stride for the sake of reaching the door before her, and he props it open with his foot. The bag of doughnuts tempts him again as the warm air outside hits them; would it be wrong to nibble on one while they chat?]

Not really.

[ There's a pause as annoyance briefly flickers across her face- after all, it's not like she can't open a door herself, even with her hands full. She lets it be aside from her expression, however, looking down through thick lashes as she fiddles open the wrapper of one of her newly-bought energy bars. ]

I'm taking a couple of summer classes... working part-time at the center.

[This always seemed easier with Christina around--talking with Kallie, that is.

John nods his head and trails after her, and after one last moment of consideration, he fishes into his bag and takes out a doughnut. He nibbles on it thoughtfully before finally answering her.]

No travel plans? [Yeah, okay, he's eating and talking (but chewing and swallowing before speaking!), and he's about to bring up the not!girlfriend. So much for keeping to those plans of conversation.] Christina was looking for a travel buddy sometime this summer the last time we spoke.

[He did try to hint at himself, but... that didn't really work out.]

[ Kallie glances around, but then realizes she's not completely sure which of the cars parked outside might be his- if it's even here in the first place. She's not in a hurry or anything, though, and so just slows on the sidewalk and half-leans on the wall. Hurray for loitering! ]

Yeah, she asked me, but...

[ ... But even if all this mess with the network and supernatural stuff freaks her out, the thought of running away from it is weirder still. The thought of losing her memories? Denying something she might be ~meant~ to participate in...?

She shrugs, with a light sigh. ]

Chris is richer than I am. And, my degree's not going to get done any faster if I'm running around Europe or whatever.

[His is the old Jeep Cherokee parked at pump number three, but instead of heading straight there, he lingers alongside Kallie, munching happily at his doughnut. John nods his head in agreement when she touches on her degree; she's got a point there.

He'd say that she could go for a study abroad program or some sort of international internship, but hey, he's no school counselor.]

True. I think she added another year to her degree plan by going to Barcelona. [He smiles briefly, a touch wistful.] Still, you can't stop her from doing what she wants to do.

Edited 2013-07-29 00:02 (UTC)

[ There's probably something, but obviously she's not spending her energy looking for it. She's fine with the athletic training program at LCU. In English.

She shrugs slightly. As distant as she can be at times, she still misses her friend- if only because in her absence the things Kallie does for 'fun' aren't all that ... frequent. She has no reason to do things like going to the movies by herself, after all, and her other friends aren't as good as talking her into things... ]

... What is even going on with you two?

[ Asks the girl who has zero interest in inserting herself in a relationship of her own, and already has part of the story from one side at least. Even she gets vaguely curious enough to ask if given the opportunity to actually question him alone, though. ]

[He kind of stares at her for a moment, a little shocked that she's actually asking him that sort of question, but after a moment, the surprise wears off. His smile turns a little lopsided like he's not entirely sure how to answer.

Because, really, he isn't. If he were the type to use Facebook, John would be sitting comfortably in the "It's complicated," section.]

We're... [He scrubs a hand through his hair, eyes darting away to ground for a moment.] ...on a break.

It's an arrangement we came up with before she went to Spain. Long distance problems.

[The look in his eyes suggests that he's... probably not the one who came up with this idea, but John's not about to bring that up.]

[ There's certainly a legit reason for that surprise, of course, which slowly starts to show itself as John's reply unfolds... and Kallie's expression gradually but assuredly shifts with the realization she's already in way over her head. ]

Hmm.

[ Insightful, right? She stares at him over the half-lid and straw of her frozen drink, regarding his discomfort with detachment only made worse by the fact that she has no idea what she should or shouldn't divulge of what little information on the matter Christina happened to saddle her with.

... After a moment she just decides on keeping her mouth shut and regretting she asked, hoping it doesn't get any worse. Even if she knows it's ~complicated~, that doesn't stop her from also wondering why, if they actually like each other, there's a need for such shenanigans. ]

Edited 2013-07-30 02:24 (UTC)

[He's... not really sure what sort of response he was expecting, but that? That isn't it. John just kind of looks at her for a moment, waiting for there to be more, but when she gives him nothing else but an awkward stare, he sighs, gaze dropping down and away.

John actually considers asking her if she knows anything about, well, anything, but he just barely restrains himself in the end. What sort of girl is going to spill the secrets of her friend to the guy in the equation?]

It made sense at the time. Sort of.

[The confession is made quietly, and then he lapses into silence, fishing out another doughnut for himself.]

Right...

[ Contrary to what else might be expected, however, her tone is absolutely not sarcastic- she tilts her head with the slightest hint of a wry smile, brows drawn and lifted slightly. All things told, it's probably as close to sympathy as he's going to get; doesn't seem she's so inclined to outright apologize, at least. ]

Well, I should start heading back.

[ NICE SEEING YOU, SORT OF.

... Although instead of going though the entire excusing herself routine, an odd look suddenly flickers over her face then, gaze narrowing as it tracks away and to the side. ]

[His gaze flicks toward her, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips at her... sort-of-but-not-really attempt at sympathy, and John's dipping his head, getting ready to bid her farewell when he notes the change in her demeanor.]

Yeah, see you around...

[Like her, his attention shifts, and he doesn't quite finish his sentence. It just dies on his lips as John turns; his eyes narrow as well.]

Is that a--

[The question, while quietly spoken, slips out before he can catch himself, and John mentally berates himself. He just hopes that she didn't pick up on that; this whole thing is supposed to be a secret after all.]

[ A Vermini-infected cat? Sure enough. Kallie's frozen, the weird chill in her extremities having nothing to do with the drink still clutched too-tight in one hand. Again... it's happening again. ]

Stray cat.

[ Yet even if her mind seems blank, at least something in there is working to get her out of this. She turns half away, praying that there isn't more than one, that the thing doesn't feel like attacking... and that she has a chance of distracting John enough that he just leaves. The very last thing she needs is to pull more people into this whole mess.

Still, it's obvious something has her agitated, her body language tense despite her best efforts. Practice may have made her better at lying about her hair color, but she's still not that good at hiding her opinions on things if unexpected. ]

Of course, a stray cat.

[John gives her a quick smile over his shoulder, but it falters when he feels that pulse again. As the sensation washes over him, John hopes that she doesn't notice how he's all but frozen up over here, but to his relief, she's turning away--just in time to miss his eyes sliding into black and then back to normal again.

When he moves again, it's a little stiffly, and he takes a cautious step away from her. Having never really encountered one before, John's not sure what the protocol is here. Is he supposed to go after the Vermini-infected cat? Get rid of it? Leave it alone? He licks his lips.]

So, ah...

I'll see you later. Alright?

[ JUST LEAVE, JOHN!!! She tilts her chin downward- she's trying her best to remain casual, really, but as the moments go by the mixture of anger and fear that stupid cat is causing is only getting stronger. A decision is already solidifying in her head: if she can get rid of him, she's pretty much going to do her best to do something about the animal.

Enough of this bullshit, seriously. ]

Yeah. Yeah, of course. Take care.

[He sounds distracted as he says it, eyes still drawn toward the spot where the "cat" had disappeared; if there's any hostility in Kallie's tone, he misses it entirely. John gives her a half-hearted smile and then makes as if to head to his car. Instead of immediately slipping inside, though, he makes a show of fussing with his keys.

He is, of course, trying to kill some time--waiting for her to leave the scene--so that he can investigate that stray cat a bit more. Sure, he doesn't have any skills useful to the apprehension of aliens, but the curiosity is still there...]

[ ... Except she's not going anywhere, just standing there in place, gaze following John silently, agitation building. It's like time is moving in slow motion just to spite her, and despite the fact that he hasn't done anything, she finds herself nursing some pretty heatedly frustrated thoughts at her buddy's poor maybe-boyfriend.

And then finally she's had enough, and instead of heading back to LCU's campus like she'd implied she was needing to, she turns instead, setting her Slurpee on the sill of one of the building's huge windows.

Yeah, she's following after that cat, yo. ]

[There's only so much fussing with keys that he can get away with, and by the time Kallie's finally slipped away--not in a direction heading toward LCU either--he's been forced to shove his key into the lock. When she vanishes from view, though, he sighs with relief and starts heading back toward the building, only to loop around it.

He has no idea where Kallie has gone, but he doesn't want anyone to suspect that he's gone after the stray cat. Besides, it's been long enough that trying to follow it purely by chasing after it isn't going to work; it's had plenty of time to slip into the brush now.

His strides lengthen as he, too, disappears from the lot.]

[ At first she thinks she's lost it, that the distraction of John lingering too long had allowed the thing to get away... and yet a moment or two after she's scuffed to a halt behind the building, glancing all around--

Less than three seconds later, there's a shriek and an odd sound like a muted crash of thunder, a flash of bright purple light- as the corrupted cat is struck by a bolt of lightning from literally nowhere.

There is a woman with unwanted but still fully-functional superpowers here who is not playing games, skipping straight to deadly the instant she knows it won't be witnessed. ]

[All right, so that little event might not have been seen by anyone else, but John's definitely close enough that he hears it. Admittedly, he's not really used to the idea of hearing thunder on what is otherwise a perfectly sunny day, so that only adds to his confusion as he hurries to turn the corner.

His first thought is that something has happened to some innocent bystander, and yet, it's Kallie that he finds standing there. Still, that's not the strangest bit. No, the weird thing is seeing her and the now electrified cat a short distance away.

Oh. So she is one of the people connected to the network. She has to be. Right?

[ Things are about to get even weirder.

She was careful to make sure nobody saw her actual attack, but the aftermath is plain as day as she advances cautiously on the downed cat, fully prepared to try again if the first attack wasn't enough. The sound of John's footsteps, however, is enough to make her look over, immediately gathering up the mental means to feign ignorance over what just happened...

But then she freezes when she sees who it is, her pale eyes wide.

And then, with the warped and crispy-fried cat at her feet, expelling panicked, fluffy black Vermini, as she raises up her hands from her sides, something changes. Starting with her fingers, a pair of dark blue gloves unravel themselves into being, traveling up her arms until a sleeveless white jacket replaces the tanktop she already had on; suddenly she finds herself with armbands and a spaulder, a brown, zippered skirt and red pack strapped to one leg, and finally, a long red cape that materializes down her back from one shoulder-blade, fluttering down to mid-calf against a set of very tall, strangely-buckled brown boots.

It only takes a handful of seconds, but to say Kallie now seems thoroughly shocked herself is an understatement. The poor woman can really only stare in total bafflement at her hands before her gaze has any chance of tracking down to the rest of her body instead, her confusion only increasing as she takes in the full outfit. This is definitely an entirely new effect, that's for sure. ]

[If John were the type to watch anime, he might comment on the fact that watching Kallie change is like watching a magical girl transformation. As he's not familiar with that genre of media, though, he just sort of stares oddly at her, lips slightly parted in confusion.

He sincerely hopes that this isn't how everyone receives items as pulses because, boy, that would suck.

When her new outfit is in place, John gives the surrounding area a quick look-over--just to make sure no one else has just seen this--before returning his attention back to Kallie. He makes a vague gesture toward her, hoping she gets the idea that he's talking about her new clothes here.]

A pulse?

[There... don't really seem to be any words to fill in the awkwardness he now feels. John turns his gaze away and runs a hand through his hair. If things were awkward between them before...]

[ A thousand panicked thoughts are quick to rise to the front of Kallie's mind- potential explanations for what just happened, even though there just... isn't a good way to play off an abrupt magical wardrobe change. This has the potential to put her in deep shit. ]

I...

[ ... Thankfully, then the question sinks in, and even if she continues to boggle at the man, finally, things start to click into place. She straightens, lifting her chin... but then spins in place, looking back and forth towards the ground. ]

Don't let them get away.

[No explanation, no attempt at an explanation--nothing.

His eyebrows lift, but he doesn't comment on it. If she wants him to go looking for more vermini-infected cats, then that's what he'll do. With a slight nod, he moves past her to search the bushes; John's just going to hope that he doesn't actually run into one though.

Only one of them here has anything that can actually deal with that sort of threat after all.]

[ It's the escaping Vermini themselves Kallie is after, no prisoners taken. Fortunately, even if the boots she's in now are unfamiliar, they're fairly well-suited for stomping tiny alien critters into oblivion- she gets at least one with a well-placed stomp, steam issuing up from the smear on the ground even as she looks about for more.

Unfortunately, she can't spot any... a fact that could almost make her scream in frustration, at the thought that some sort of 'reporting back' could be involved here. She sort of stalks about a bit, but the blasted things are bound to be long gone by now, so... ]

[As he's moving through the bushes, a small thing comes skittering out, and it's actually more on instinct that he ends up just stepping on it. John sort of stares at it (or rather, what's left of it) for a while before turning his attention back to Kallie.]

You seem familiar with getting rid of the things.

[It's a compliment. Sort of?]

[ She clenches her hands a bit more, once again looking down at them, before finally, forcefully making herself get a grip and calm down. As she steps up closer to John, however, she still feels weird in the strange clothing - not uncomfortable, but the various weird ways all of it is strapped on, the asymmetry, is distracting to her. ]

Mm. [ She blinks a few times, brows drawing together, but it's more awkward and a little troubled rather than annoyed. ] How long have you...?

[He makes a soft, thoughtful sound, brow furrowing. It had seemed like a long time ago, but it really wasn't, was it?]

I think I had my first memory at the end of June, but... [John rubbed at his jaw.] I didn't actually find out about the network until this past Sunday.

You?

[ What a newbie... and how coincidental that they should just happen to run into each other in such a way so soon afterward. She crosses her arms and frowns at the thought, looking towards the apparently dead cat and subtly keeping an eye out for anyone else coming to investigate. ]

Since it first went up. April 1st.

[ So, uh, yeah, that explains her 'experience' at least... though only from stuff like this rather than any sort of choice towards doing something. She frowns at that thought, too. ]

There's been... a lot more people on there, lately.

[His eyebrows lift. April first? Since the network first went up? He is suddenly feeling a bit... inadequate.]

Yeah? [John's not really sure if that's a good thing or not. On the one hand, it sucks that more people will have their lives ruined by having another life forced upon them, but then again, maybe having more people to deal with the situation isn't a bad trade-off.] I wonder why that is. Maybe this... thing--[Whatever it is.]--is snowballing?

Who knows... maybe before you know it, the whole city's gonna be in on the joke.

[ Except, like, the bad guys, she guesses. In any case, she's heard and developed enough of her own speculation by now to write a couple hundred books on the matter. Fielding more right now isn't really in her interests.

All she wanted was a Slurpee.

8( ]

You don't think whoever is orchestrating this is hoping to create an army for themselves, do you?

[It's supposed to be a funny comment, but it falls flat. John's honestly not sure who's the good guy and who's the bad guy anymore because while there is an apparent enemy they're trying to face off against--aliens, no less--he's not going to be buddy buddy with whoever has done this to him either.

Ignorance is bliss, thank you very much, and he's quite convinced that he has enough problems on his own without more weird thoughts to cloud his head.

Anyway, sorry about the Slurpee, Kallie. 8(]

[ It falls flat, yeah; the sentiment shows itself easily on Kallie's face as she tilts her head, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. All things considered, it doesn't seem that far-fetched a theory. Which is ... just sad. ]

... If they want an army, their organization skills blow.

Maybe the mind control comes later.

[After all, what's to stop them from doing that when whatever power this is has started stuffing their heads with memories from another life? Or maybe everything is just made up--maybe nothing that anyone has earned is from a past not their own. It could all be new and specifically designed just for them.

Hell, what does he know? John's just joined this freak show!]

It'd be easier than trying to organize things.

[ Dude, that... that hadn't even crossed her mind. Kallie looks a little stunned as she stares at him, hands suddenly seeming to lose their funding towards staying lifted half towards her chest, slowly drifting down back towards her sides instead. She doesn't answer, otherwise.

From what she knows, the possibility doesn't seem to have a very high chance, but what if...? ]

[When he gets no verbal response from her, he licks his lips, a bit unsure of what to do or say now. John doesn't take her silence as a good sign though.]

I... [--Probably just jinxed the lot of them. John runs a hand through his hair in agitation and then clears his throat.] I should probably... go. Work, you know.

[He gestures sort of... lamely in the general direction of his car.]

[ Awkwardness all around. Kallie blinks to snap out of it, but still can't entirely erase evidence of that troubled feeling she's suddenly found herself with. As absurd as it is, everything about this whole thing is absolutely batshit. She'd believe a whooole lot more now than she used to, that's for sure. ]

Yeah. [ Reason to escape this situation? She'll definitely take it! ] I guess I'll just...

[ ... Uhhhh. Something. She can't really go back to class like this, can she? She frowns as she considers, wondering how she'll even get started in getting her new ensemble off-- once she's figured out how to get home first, in the least attention-grabbing way possible, of course. ]

[There's a part of him that wants to powerwalk as quickly as possible back to his car and pretend that none of this ever happened, but as he stands here giving Kallie the most awkward smile ever, John can't help but feel a bit bad for her.

After all, she's stuck wearing... Well. Something not from this world, probably? It looks kind of cool in a costume-y sort of way, but walking in the street in it? No thanks.]

Do you... [Oh, Christ, why is he offering? Offering means more awkward times!] Do you... need a ride home?

healthy choices start with going to gas stations, clearly

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