romdeau | will the circle be unbroken? (spoilers imminent!)

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will the circle be unbroken? (spoilers imminent!)

[Elizabeth wakes up in a field of grass.

It's a cushion, soft, the smell of crushed greenery waking her. The sky is grey and dark, the sounds of the city proper filtering through her senses in distorted pieces. She opens her eyes and blinks, and then sits up with a gasp.]

Booker.

[Her whole body aches from being flung around the cabin. It makes her wince belatedly, hands rubbing at her wrists. The memories come back in scraps, of Songbird and Booker yelling for her, the flip of the ship, and the bright light that followed. Did she open a Tear accidentally? She doesn't know and doesn't remember, but as she starts to get her bearings, she realizes she's not in Columbia any longer.

There are cars just beyond the field of her vision, outside of the park she's found herself in. People are walking around with dogs on leashes, their clothes strange. None of the women are wearing dresses like her. They're wearing blue pants, short skirts, fussing with odd devices in their hands and laughing. A couple on a bench nearby are pointing at her and whispering, the man excitedly pressing buttons on a small box in his hands. Elizabeth blinks in confusion and slowly stands up.

A man in shorts runs up to her.]

Miss? Miss, are you okay?

[She startles like a doe in headlights, uncertain.]

Yes, I'm... I'm fine.

[A few people are gathering, staring at her, pointing. Did you see that light? What was that? and Someone call the cops. Or an ambulance or something. Elizabeth steps away and starts to put distance between herself and them. The first man, at least, seems concerned.]

Wait, hold on!

[But she's already going, running, trying to get away.]

Don't follow me!

[Like she told Booker. And she keeps running, same as before. She hasn't a clue as to where - or when - she is, but she can't stay here. Not if they'll lock her up just like before.]

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[ In the last year, Bradbury's life has been turned upside down by one man, but it's only taken all of one afternoon for his world to be pulled out from under his feet again.

He still doesn't entirely understand Mitch's reasons for deciding to stop being a superhero -- or he does, but what he doesn't understand is how running for Mayor follows from that. Still, Mitch is his friend, or as close enough to one as he has these days. He's not about to leave him in the lurch.

Without his life constantly being interrupted by calls to drag his truck over to some rendezvous point in some obscure part of the city, Bradbury actually has time to himself -- and he's not sure he likes it.

Even when he's not on duty, he keeps the ham radio he rigged to tune into the police scanners. Mitch doesn't need him to be picking up on small-time criminal activity anymore, but old habits die hard.

He blinks when he hears the chatter. Something about a park, and a disturbance. He doesn't know what compels him, but instead of turning the truck home, he starts steering it towards the address, keeping an ear out for any more news as he goes along. ]

[There's only one cop car that pulls up, the emergency hardly warranting more than a look. When people start raving about a possible bomb or a flash grenade - because what else could it be - a few more officers come out to search the park, a few looking for her. The ham radio gives the impression that they think it's a simple prank but it still needs some investigation.

Elizabeth, for her part, barely gets to the parking lot of the park before she realizes she's going to be cornered. She doesn't know where she's going in the slightest. Out of breath, she turns back and does her best to concentrate on opening a Tear, to give a distraction, and she finds her powers suddenly stronger and more open to her control. She can see, and she can see more than she ever could in Columbia. Possibilities flicker through her head and make her dizzy, but she settles on one quick enough.

As the police round the corner, she pulls countless balloons through a Tear and they fall through the sky, all of them cycling through color and black and white, unable to settle properly. The two officers stop and stare, startled, and it's enough for her to make her way out of the parking lot and to the exit road out of the park, hoping it buys her time.]

[ He might not have been a cop for long, but he'd been a Marine for much longer, and what he's learned was that it usually pays off to trust your gut. He's got a funny feeling about this one, but he doesn't know if it's good or bad yet; he just knows it compels him to follow.

And then a flash of blue darts right across his path and he has to bring his truck to a screeching halt to avoid hitting her. ]

Holy shit-- [ Bradbury's heart has kicked up to overdrive, and his hands grip the wheel hard before he sticks his head out of the open window to yell.

And stops, when he takes the sight of her, the flash of blue and the way she looks like she doesn't belong here, and the panic. So instead, he finds himself asking: ]

Hey! You need a ride out of here or something?

[He's not the only one who feels like his heart is going to burst. She turns just before the car screeches to a halt and holds up her hands, so entirely sure that he's going to hit here.

Elizabeth looks up with wide eyes as he leans out the window, trying her hardest not to shake. It's too much, the adrenaline pumping through her, and with nothing else to lose...she nods.]

Yes! Yes, I-- I need a ride. Could you help?

[ He looks at her, then back at the direction she came from -- frowns at the sight of black and white balloons drifting over the treetops -- and makes his decision. ]

Yeah, hop in. [ He leans over the seat to open the passenger's side door for her, letting it swing open. Once she's in and the door's shut, he has a moment to wonder if he's done the right thing, before he shakes it off and reaches up to adjust the rear-view mirror as he starts driving them away. ]

You got someplace in mind?

[She bolts to the door without hesitation, hopping into the passenger seat. It's very odd and she's never been in something like this before...but she closes the door behind her and lets him drive.]

Not here.

[That's probably not good enough, she realizes, and looks around.]

I... Anywhere you'd like. You can drop me off wherever's best.

[She can try to act unassuming, right? If he's taken her in, then maybe he's not interested in the commotion she's just caused.]

[ He's seen better liars -- hell, his best friend is one of them -- but he hesitates, trying to decide whether or not calling her out on it is actually something he wants to do. She got into a car with a stranger, she's obviously not from around here, and if he leaves her alone, who knows what might happen?

He chews his lip, trying to think of a way to say it that isn't patronizing or skeevy, and finally gives up. ]

Look, it's none of my business, but you look like you've had a rough time. And you don't have to trust me, but I ain't exactly okay with leaving someone alone when they look like they need help.

[ He's gripping the steering wheel a little too hard, he realizes, and he forces himself to relax. ]

--so let's try this again. My name's Rick Bradbury. I work with Harbor Patrol.

[For a few minutes, she really begins to hope he won't say anything. But then the silence becomes uncomfortable, the doubt settling in like acid in her stomach. It was probably a bad idea to go jumping into a stranger's vehicle without a word, to trust someone she doesn't know. Booker had come looking for her but this man had not.

She glances over once when he speaks, folding her arms across her chest. It's a bit like a bird puffing itself up to look intimidating, though the effect is lost rather quickly with her distressed frown.]

...I'm Elizabeth.

[At length, she finally looks at him.]

I know this is going to be a strange question, but could you tell me where I am?

This is New York City. You're in America. [ He answers readily, but he frowns. If she'd entered the city and had the chance to look around, she wouldn't have been able to miss the signs?

He's slowly steering the car towards more crowded streets now, a little aimlessly, since he still doesn't know where they should be headed. The ham radio at his side crackles, and he jumps a little -- he'd forgotten it was even on -- before reaching to turn it off. ]

[Her eyes immediately go wide, posture rigid. New York. Booker got his wish after all. She quickly looks away, aware she probably seems strange, staring at him like that. Her gaze goes to the dashboard of the car as she searches for something to look at, something to help her calm down.

Booker's not here and there's someone here in New York that wants her. A debt he was to pay back. He never mentioned a name, of course...but hadn't he said these people weren't nice? What could they possibly want with her?

After a few minutes, she speaks.]

Oh.

[Swallowing, she manages to look up, a little startled as the ham radio goes off. She looks at him.]

...What's that?

[ He blinks, looking down. ]

--this? It's a ham radio. Lets me tap into the police scanner, see if anything's up. [ He realizes that probably not might be making a lot of sense to her, and he purses his lips as he tries to figure out a simpler way to explain it. ]

... it lets me eavesdrop. Basically. [ And with a touch of real sheepishness, taking his eyes off the road so he can grin at her crookedly, he confesses: ]

S'how I found you.

[That's...actually very clever. She looks at it with curiosity now, admiring how small and compact it is. If Columbia had any of those, they were much larger, and usually connected to a phone line. And they claimed to be further along in technological advances.

She looks up at him, a bit of the trepidation easing out of her features.]

Eavesdropping. [Which means...] The Harbor Patrol isn't part of the police, then.

It is -- I'm just technically off-duty, and the job comes with a boat, not a car. [ He offers her a grin, patting the dashboard affectionately. ]

This piece of sh-- junk was the first thing I bought after I retired from the corps. Hasn't let me down yet, even if she doesn't come with all the bells and whistles as a squad car.

[ He's rambling, he realizes, but it's the curiosity on her face that spurs him to it. It's an expression better than the guarded looks and the fear, so he keeps going, not really knowing if it will accomplish anything, but hoping that, at the very least, it can help her relax. ]

[Her smile is faint and barely there at first, though she can see he's doing his best to keep the conversation light. He's with the police, though, and that's a new obstacle she hadn't quite considered. Not with how he's treating her.]

Better than the bells and whistles the police usually carry.

[That's probably a good thing too. She suddenly gets quiet as she softly admits, almost bashfully:] I've never seen a car before. Not without something attached to the front of it.

[ There's something about the way she says that first bit that gives him pause, but he doesn't get a chance to ask after it before she changes the subject. Still, it's a troubling bit he'll tuck away and remember for later.

Right now, he has more pressing concerns on his mind. ]

Never--? [ He's startled, letting his gaze swing back to her. He looks like he's about to ask her more questions, then he shuts it again, working over it in his head. This entire thing is starting to have the surreality of something he can't quite believe is happening. He still hasn't entirely lighted on the possibilities that could explain why she's dressed up like she just came from -- somewhere.

Out of place, out of time. His head's starting to hurt, and he can't help but think Mitch would know what to do about it if he was here. He isn't, though. Bradbury has to deal with it on his own. ]

--hell, if you think this is impressive, you should see New York during rush hour. [ He grins crookedly. ] If you plan on sticking around, anyway.

No. Never.

[There's a hint of resignation in her voice, or perhaps it's disappointment, as she says it. There's so much she hasn't seen, even in Columbia, that she can't even hope to begin to fathom what she'll see in New York. She tries to imagine Booker and everything he was, everything he said, and to turn it into some expectation for a city.

But there's nothing she can imagine, nothing concrete, but she turns her eyes to Bradbury and looks him over. He doesn't look much like Booker, and perhaps he's a better representation of what she'll see.]

What's it like?

[ How does someone who's lived in New York his whole life describe it to someone who's never seen a car without a horse? ]

What, rush hour? It's a mess. [ He says, finally. ] You've got hundreds of cars trying to come into the city meetin' hundreds of cars tryin' to get out, and you keep expecting everyone to hit each other and just... blow up or something. But it never happens. Somehow, people work it out, and they get to go to work and come home just like that. Every day.

[ Somewhere in the middle of that, he lost track of what his point was, and he clears his throat. ]

Anyway, the point is, you don't wanna get stuck in the middle of that.

[Elizabeth's smile grows a little stronger.]

I was actually asking about New York itself but...that's good to know.

[The rambling is genuine, not forced, and that's what begins to crack through the armor she's put up. Her gaze is more relaxed now, less wary.]

I've read things about New York and I've seen pictures, but they're all of historic sites and monuments. I've tried to imagine it in my head, too, but that's not good enough. [She almost laughs now.] But you make it sound like a disaster waiting to happen.

[ He looks sheepish at misunderstanding her question, but she doesn't seem to mind, so he lets himself laugh at her assessment. ]

It kind of is. But I'd say it's the most beautiful disaster in the world -- I wouldn't live anywhere else.

[ Not the least because he's finally found someone he can tentatively call a friend here. ]

It's a good place to be for someone who wants a fresh start.

That's...really poetic.

[And beautiful, actually. It shows he has a lot of love for his city and for his surroundings. It's an admirable trait, quite the opposite from Booker's gruff exterior. Elizabeth smiles.]

I think that's something I'm going to need. A fresh start.

[For all of her trepidation and anxiety over what - and who - may await her in New York, it's not Columbia and it's not her father, and that's good enough for her.]

Oh. Do you know someone named Booker DeWitt? He's a detective now, I think.

[ He's not usually this soft -- at least he'd like to think not -- but around girls and kids, he can't help letting his sentimental side show. Still, he flushes at the compliment, or what sounds like one, and considers blustering some more before he decides surrender is the better part of valor. ]

DeWitt...? Never heard of the guy. But New York's a big place. Is he a friend of yours?

[Elizabeth just smiles and doesn't badger him about it. It's nice to hear someone who's willing to be honest, someone who can let go of the hardened exterior to talk about things in such a poetic fashion. It might be embarrassing for him, but she appreciates it.]

Yeah. I met him a short while ago but he's...important to me. He was trying to bring me here. I want to be sure he's okay.

[She fusses with her pinkie as she says it, fingers twirling the small thimble.]

Yeah? Well a name like that's hard to miss. If he's around here somewhere, we'll find him.

[ Hopefully, anyway. But if he was trying to bring her here... How did they get separated? He bites his tongue on the question. ]

You got any idea where he might be? I can try bringing you there.

Or we could get you a bite to eat and something different to wear. [ It's a tactful way of saying she looks like she's been through a rough time. ]

[She brightens at the idea, visibly so.]

I don't know where he lives, exactly, but I know he's a native of New York. Someone has to know him. He said he used to work for the Pinkertons.

[Elizabeth's eyes drop to her skirt and her smile turns just a little self-deprecating. She smooths out the folds in the blue fabric.]

That...might be better. I have some coins, so I can pay you. [Sheepishly, she adds:] I can't remember the last time I ate. We've been in such a rush.

[ The Pinkertons, huh? The name doesn't immediately ring any alarm bells, because the Pinkerton Agency still exists here, though he doesn't think they've been actually called the Pinkertons for a long time. That said, he has other concerns for not, and looking up the guy can wait. ]

Food first. [ He says, decisively. No sense in rushing around in a rush. ] And you don't need to worry about payin' me for that, it ain't gonna cost that much.

[ Despite whatever protest she may give, he opts for the most convenient option and takes them to the nearest burger joint. He's not sure what she'd like, so he orders a little of everything -- a burger, the chicken tenders, fries and a sundae -- shuffling it over to her on a tray before taking a seat across her. ]

[Even if Elizabeth can stand on her own, she's grateful for someone to give direction and take charge, especially when she really needs it. She nods at the order and lets him drive. Even the silence is amenable, not strained, mostly because Elizabeth is looking out the window every few minutes and ask questions, which he indulges her with answers. The sights, even so few, are amazing. New York has an aura unlike Columbia; though it does not sparkle pristine golden, it has a charm in its concrete and in the skyscrapers, the busy people and the sounds.

She gets more than a few looks when they come into the burger shop, though most people are content to mind their own business when she goes to sit and wait for Bradbury.

He brings more food than she knows what to do with, and it shows in her wide eyes, though her smile is wide.]

Wow. Thank you. [Way too much for her to eat. But she recognizes the hamburger and it all smells delicious, so she first goes to try the chicken fingers.] Do you live around here?

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will the circle be unbroken? (spoilers imminent!)

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god her goddamn disney princess icons get out

NEVER