Day 22: Brunch

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

Cid usually liked sleeping in, especially in a place as messed up and uninviting as this, but this happened to be one situation where he really wished he hadn't.

Right there, on the bulletin board. The Head Doctor and he'd fucking missed it? Some part of him wished he'd been there to take his eye out and another part of him knew he wouldn't have been able to. No man that powerful who hid for so long went to dangerous places without some kind of entourage.

Brunch sounded like it'd be filling, at least, though he nearly stopped in his tracks when the bastard announced TEA. TEA. It'd been a damn long while since he'd had some fucking tea, though with all the stress this place had found fit to rain down on his fucking head, it hadn't really been the first priority on his mind. Kinda nice, even if Cid was sure this was just some game the mother fucker was playing to get them all stuck neck-deep in Stockholm Syndrome.

He scanned the mostly-empty room for any sign of a familiar face once he'd piled waffles and sausages and syrup on his plate, though the person he really wanted to talk to was that Reynolds guy. "Spaceship" was the last word he remembered clearly before waking up in his bed, and dammit if he wasn't going to keep it stuck like glue in his mind.

He found a table where he could watch people come into the cafeteria and grabbed for his mug. The steam rising from his drink and the bag of herbs in it was nearly enough to make him grin despite it all, and it was with marked leisure and a little relief that he drank his goddamn tea.

Comments

[ifandmaybe.livejournal.com]

"A mutant... I confess I haven't dealt with anything that might be considered such, but I suppose, given what I've seen here, the idea is hardly ridiculous," Inara admitted. Reavers were the closest thing to mutants that she herself had seen, and they were little more than the result of a crazy, drug experiment gone wrong. No, the only person she'd ever known with powers of any sort was...

Inara trained her eyes not to fall on River, focusing them instead on Brock as they continued their conversation. She was sure Simon wouldn't appreciate her even involuntarily grouping River in the same category as the Head Doctor or any of his monsters. To be sure, they were in entirely different leagues.

Earth, however, she knew a little something about and smiled in recognition.

"Perhaps our 'worlds' aren't so completely different, then," she replied. "Where I come from, man used up all the resources on Earth and had to migrate to another system, one with numerous, inhabitable planets." Another charming smile was flashed. "I have heard stories about New York, though. It certainly has made its place in the history books."

[blacksustenance.livejournal.com]

Not a mutant, huh? Brock had to wonder what she was doing here, but decided she probably knew just as much as he did the reason why.

He was a bit startled to hear that Inara believed Earth to be dead, drained of its resources and forcing a migration to another system. Was she from the future? He wasn't sure what he believed about traveling through time, but he had to admit that from what he had seen, Earth had been going through its resources faster and faster over the years. It probably wouldn't have run out in his lifetime, but it had certainly looked like a dead Earth was definitely a possibility.

Okay, so she's from the future. You've seen a lot of weird shit, Brock thought. What's just a bit more?

"It did look like Earth is heading in that direction," Brock said and surprised to realize that he didn't care. The symbiote had been on numerous worlds and the death of one of out of thousands, millions, was really just a blip on the radar for it. After all, it had always been able to jump ship and travel throughout the void of space whenever it felt like it. "Not surprised New York made it into the history books though. Pretty colorful city."

He had to admit he was curious about where humans went after Earth. It wouldn't have anything to do with him, but he couldn't help but be curious about the future.

Brock's interest wasn't feigned as he half-grinned at Inara. "So tell me about this new system? I can't imagine man on another planet besides Earth - we hadn't even reached Mars last I heard."

[ifandmaybe.livejournal.com]

It was curious that news of Earth falling didn't concern him too much, but Inara knew dozens of people who could speak about such matters without batting an eyelash. She was among them. Besides, it was possible that Brock was simply being polite and hiding any disbelief on his part so that he didn't openly mark her as a fool to her face. In the end, it didn't factor into anything decisive when it came to the Companion's knowledge of Eddie Brock.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mal make his way into the cafeteria and take a seat next to a young, blond woman and start up a pleasant conversation with. He seemed to be full of obnoxious, petty smiles geared toward ruffling her feathers, which clearly meant that he must be feeling better. Remarkable that, even as she was able to pinpoint his childish jabs, they still managed to be effective. Inwardly, Inara frowned. Outwardly, she was still all smiles, intent on not letting her dear Captain get the better of her.

"There are hundreds of worlds, many of them were terraformed to make them inhabitable. A good many of the central planets flourished and became centers of technology and all sorts of medical and scientific advancements." How it pained her to speak of the Alliance in such a favorable light, but it was true. They'd done some remarkable things; of course, remarkable did not always equal noble. "A good many of the Outer Rim planets aren't so civilized, but the people get by." Oh, how she wished Mal could hear her. "There are, of course, a good number of thieves and bandits to worry about in the Rim. It's a very cut-throat lifestyle, from what I hear." Inara set her fork down next to her plate, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she propped an elbow up on the table.

"And how about you? What kind of life do you lead on Earth?"

[blacksustenance.livejournal.com]

Humanity on hundreds of worlds. It sounded like something out of some kind of sci-fi movie, but he had to admit that the geeky part of him - it was hard to tell if it was him or Peter Parker's memories form the symbiote - thought that was a damn cool idea. Like Star Wars or something. He still couldn't see it happening anytime in the future, so he supposed it was way up there. Maybe hundreds of years.

Although all this mention of "thieves and bandits" made Brock think of all the westerns he'd seen, except with space, aliens and less of the whole John Wayne deal. Cowboys in space, Brock snorted mentally. Well, it could be weirder.

"I don't think when I came from had even the ability to terraform, much less be organized enough to even to putting that into practice," Brock said, taking a quick bite of cereal. "I used to be a reporter for the Daily Bugle. New York based rag, had a whole thing trying to bring down certain superheroes. My...former boss Jameson," Brock couldn't help an angry twitch at the corner of his mouth at the thought of fucking Jonah, probably gloating he'd fired Brock. "had this whole agenda against one of them called Spider-man."

The idea that freaks in their panties and tights were roaming around New York probably sounded a bit...odd, but he'd gotten desensitized to being surprised by it anymore. He'd been just told to report on the damage to property and human life, and after awhile he'd just gotten over the fact that someone thought it was a good idea to go webslinging hundreds of feet off the ground in nothing but spandex.

[ifandmaybe.livejournal.com]

Spiderman? Inara had to quirk an eyebrow at such a ridiculous name. Of course legends about superheroes were well-known across the universe even in her day, but the notion of such fantastic beings actually existing in any day and age was hard to believe. Then again, as she could recall Zoe informing her husband in response to his disbelief about River's unique talents, she did live in a spaceship. To those of old, such a claim probably seemed a bit ridiculous as well.

But to take such a name for oneself. Surely there had to be something a bit more creative and less silly than Spiderman.

"That must've been exciting work, tracking down a superhero," Inara commented, choosing not to expand on her reaction to the name of the character in question. The matter admittedly intrigued her, but, alas, the intercom seemed to chose that moment to pipe up as nurses came to usher their patients out of the cafeteria. Inara stood without much of a fuss as her own approached her.

"You'll have to tell me more some time." She smiled a most demure, charming smile, hoping somewhere in the more petty depths of her heart that Mal was watching her exchange as well. "It's so nice to find pleasant company here."

[blacksustenance.livejournal.com]

Brock wasn't used to being on the end of a dazzling, movie-star quality smile that was actually sincere, and for a moment found himself speechless as Inara fixed one on him. He was sorry to see her go.

"Maybe we can catch up another time," Brock said. He was far too old to be having adolescent crushes, but he couldn't ignore the fact that Inara was attractive and a mature woman - and that she had both maturity and attractiveness in spades made her that much more enjoyable than some of the people he'd run across in Landels. He'd have to watch how he acted around her, though, especially with Kasady skulking around.

He didn't like competition and he most certainly didn't want the younger Host scaring her off. Brock had a feeling it'd take a lot more than just rude manners from a redneck hill-billy to faze her, but he couldn't quite trust Kasady, not with potential prey or attractive women he might happen to like.

Brock dipped his head in farewell to Inara and watched her and her nurse leave the cafeteria, which was fast emptying.