text / action - northern section of Xanadu Gardens

[sleepingstar]

[ action ]
[Pai is bowled over by a sudden, aching sense of loss. The Gate is gone. How can the Gate be gone? She's the only one with the power to destroy it. And yet --

A moment passes and she finally registers surroundings (a testament to her disorientation; she's never once been shocked enough to lose sight of her surroundings until now). Wherever this place is, it isn't South America. Which means the odds are good that it isn't the Gate that's gone; it's her.

Who what when where and why are all questions she wants answered, but first and foremost, she needs to establish whether her team is here. She reaches into her pocket for her radio, but finds a network device instead.

Curiouser and curiouser.]

[ text ]
Twice I've gone to the garden, but not once have I found a spring starflower.

[If anyone from her unit is here, they'll recognize the code for her call sign BK-201.]

I think I'll give up and look for moss. I've got two hours to kill.

[After typing out that message, she heads towards the northern part of Xanadu to secure a location and wait for two hours.]

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei leads Pai out from the park, his sneakers squishing on grass and then pavement as they drift toward his flat. It doesn't take him long at all to grow accustomed to hosting her hand in his, to hearing her footsteps tick-tocking in tandem with his own. (He'd know that little hand, know those light footsteps, anywhere.) ]

Sure. If you can be patient. [ Teasingly, like his fridge isn't well-stocked on snacks to tide her over with. Hei doesn't believe in starving himself; he's always eaten actual food and then worked his body into shape. Carbs and sugar are not the enemy, sitting on your ass all day is. Anyway, cooking is one activity that stirs nothing but good associations for him. Contractor or human, Pai had to eat, and he'd long ago learnt that he always liked feeding her. ]

How does some Zhejiang cuisine sound?

[sleepingstar]

[When isn't she patient? Patience is a Contractor's greatest virtue.]

Dongpo pork? [The hopefulness may be feigned but nonetheless sincere.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He knows she's patient. More patient than he'd ever been, in the war. That quality was something he was compelled to hone in her absence. Playing mindgames, exploiting marks, learning to coax out secrets and push hot buttons with uncanny precision. It's what allows him to read Pai's hopefulness now, as both the performance and the real-deal that it is. (In the past, he always worried about whether it was one or the other. His definitions of Contractors and humans were so static. He couldn't accept that it might be both.) ]

[ Squeezing her hand, he teases, ]

Those who help assemble ingredients get to lick the bowl later.

[sleepingstar]

Nn! [She swings his hand back and forth, playfully, the way he used to do to her as a child.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei gives her one of his quiet, sidelong smiles, letting her swing their hands in a goofy arc as he leads her out from under the shadows of the trees, into the middle of the quiet street. When they were children, back before the Gates appeared, he remembers them being sent to school in the dark chilly mornings this way, holding hands through their mittens. They'd stand apart from the other children at the sidewalk, wrapped up in their own little games of imagination and childish subterfuge. Such a distant memory, yet the nostalgia of it stirs a sharp cramp in his gut, where the tension is already playing hell so he's not sure he can eat anything. Yet in this moment he feels unaccountably giddy, as if he's back in his rightful place. ]

[ In many ways, he is. With Pai, it's easy to be at home anywhere. ]

[ He plans to make the most of it. ]

[candothat]

[Pavel almost doesn't recognize Hei. Not only is he with someone--and they're holding hands!--but also smiling. He considers continuing on his way and not being a bother. Curiosity won't have any of that. The Russian changes course to intercept them.]

Hello!

[sleepingstar]

[Pai notices a young man approaching them, and she quickly calls up a crackle of electricity to deal with whatever threat he may represent. She glances sideways at Hei, checking to see if this young boy is friend or foe.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hearing the cheery Hello, Hei tenses -- a strong delocalized spasm like a retch. It's not anger so much as annoyance. Here comes the rest of the world. Already encroaching on this private little reunion of theirs, trying to make it impossible. Except he knows he's not being fair. Pavel isn't prying. He's just being his usual open, curious self. On a tired breath, Hei opens his mouth to speak -- but senses Pai's energy shift into something dark-bright and cold a split-second before she summons an electric charge. ]

[ The adrenaline -- crepitating high since Pai's arrival -- angles up to a roar of blood in his ears. ] Pai. Don't. [ He doesn't snap it. His tone is measured, his body-language non-threatening as he interposes himself between his sister and Pavel. (Her attitude doesn't surprise him at all. She's fresh off the battlefield, her mind still adhering to its unspoken rules and risks. It reminds Hei of how he felt, in the days post-Heaven's War. Always tense, always hypervigilant, feeling as if some enraged monster was chasing him, reaching clawed hands for his throat and the vulnerable back of his head.) ]

It's fine. He's not a threat. [ Soothing, but edged with a firm weight. After a beat, he glances at Pavel. ] ... Hello.

[ Because, really. What else can you say? ]

[candothat]

[The abrupt shift in mood doesn't escape Pavel's moment and, for a moment, he's pretty sure that he has just made a very unfortunate mistake. As Hei calls the girl off, he makes a mental note to (try to remember to) approach people with more caution.

Especially people Hei seems to know.

With hands folded behind his back (he would like to keep all of his digits, thank you), Pavel shoots Hei a nervous smile that's more a question than an expression of emotion.] Ah. Perhaps I am interrupting.

[sleepingstar]

[Hei speaks, and Pai lets the charge die, implicitly trusting his judgement. (And knowing that it would take less than a split second for her to call it up again. This young man could be dead the second he laid a finger on her.]

Who are you?

[Her tone is abrupt, but not cold -- social awkwardness, not anger.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ There's an unmistakable quirk of one eyebrow when Pavel folds his hands behind his back. Really, Pavel? Really? (Didn't Starfleet train him in these situations? When facing a volatile situation, neutralize your body language. Hiding your hands is as good as advertizing you're a threat.) He remains between Pavel and Pai, just as a precaution. Pavel's nervous smile is met with a flat look. ]

You are. [ Matter-of-fact, not cold. ] It's irrelevant now.

[ He places a hand on Pai's shoulder. It's a brief contact -- half detaining, half assuring. Not easy to forget, how much war alters you. How it bleeds away all irrelevancies like politeness and sociability. Even now, Hei has trouble wrenching his attitude back into that groove. ]

[ To her question, ] His name is Pavel Andreievich Chekov. I've known him for a year now.

[candothat]

[Diplomacy and communication were not focuses in his studies; the proper way to stand when addressing superiors--straighten up, feet together, shoulders back, hands clasped behind--was. Maybe Starfleet figured he'd pick up a few things during away missions (or maybe they're banking on his captains never letting him off of the ship, which has worked so far).

He opens his mouth to respond to the girl, but Hei beats him to it. Curiosity is rapidly fading into an uncomfortable sheepishness.]

Sorry, sorry. I can talk to you later.

[sleepingstar]

[She glances at Hei as he touches her shoulder. It's not just a sign to stand down & take cover -- he's trying to protect Pavel. Which means Pavel is his friend.

Just like that, her expression changes. She smiles brightly, radiating sweetness. (She can't fake much, socially speaking, but she's become an expert at faking that.)]

No, please. It's nice to meet you. My name's Pai.

[She doesn't offer her hand. Where she's from and, more importantly, who she is, would make that gesture a threat.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Pai's demeanor, transitioning from sanguinary to sweetly sanguine, doesn't unnerve Hei. He's used to it. (It's not too different from how Hei reverts to 'Li' -- a chameleon changing color.) By degrees, he relaxes. But there's still an undercurrent of tension in his spine and shoulders. Subtle, almost imperceptible. It has less to do with Pai or Pavel, and more to do with this meeting being out in the street. Hei isn't particularly attached to his cover. But it's still an old habit, not to advertise callsigns or abilities in unknown territory. ]

[ His gaze cuts from Pai's beaming smile to Pavel's sheepy expression. A few beats pass, before Hei volunteers, ]

My sister. She just arrived here.

[candothat]

[This abrupt shift is going to leave Pavel with whiplash, but... well. Hei's sister. If she's at all like her brother, then he can probably expect to meet at least two versions of her and spend a good deal of time trying to determine how dangerous she really is. This all sounds like hospitalization waiting to happen.

But he's willing to hope that Hei's sister--Pai--has reacted to severe trauma in a more pleasant way than he has. Pavel won't have high hopes, granted, and he won't trust any of his friends to Pai (just as he wouldn't trust them to Hei, except in cases where he has no choice).]

I'm pleased to meet you also, Pai. [Uncertainty aside, he does mean it, as always.]

[sleepingstar]

[For Chekov, Pai will be much safer than Hei. She's more cold-hearted, even more ruthless, but also more predictable. She doesn't have the mental minefields and the bursts of brutal temper.]

You've known Hei a year?

[candothat]

[Predictability is a thing that Chekov can handle.]

Yes. [He glances at Hei, not too sure about the protocol in this situation. They're still out in public, for one; Hei likely won't want too much to be said.] He is the only person in the City who will look at stars with me.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei isn't sure what the protocol for the situation is, either. Pai's arrival -- so immense and bindsiding -- still has him reeling. He exhales, and half-wants to rub his temples except that's not something he does. This feels like a dream. As illogical as a dream. Because whenever he'd ever allowed himself to imagine somehow seeing Pai again ... well, those woozy nostalgia-drenched fantasies never involved the City or chatty Russians. At Pavel's words, he frowns, his old paranoia resurfacing for a moment before his face relaxes, becomes smooth. Part of him is all hackles up, ready to bite. But it's only because he's relapsed back to his old state in Heaven's War -- on red-alert 24/7. ]

[ It's how Hei has learnt to approach any uncertainty in his life. ]

[ To Pavel, he says, almost wryly, ] That's because you're the only person who knows an asterism isn't a fungal rash. [ His hand closes around Pai's, gently tugging. Glancing from her to Pavel, he inclines his head in a Why-is-everyone-standing-in-the-middle-of-the-street? motion. ]

[sleepingstar]

[Pai catches the message and smiles again at Chekov.]

Would you like to come with us?

[candothat]

[A fungal rash. Why would anyone think--]

Oh, no, thank you. I should-- [gesture in an attempt to come up with a reason to politely excuse himself so Hei can spend time with his sister?] --go, I think. I will talk to you again, Pai.

[mortemscintilla]

[ His point, exactly. ]

[ Fingers linked with Pai's, Hei watches Pavel flail with raised brows and a coolly expectant look, as if to say, Get on with it. When Pavel declines though, a faint smile, full of -- could it be? -- gratitude, twitches on his face. It isn't just that he wants to spend time with Pai. He's also leery of leaving her around civilians too long. After years on the battlefield, it'll be days -- (weeks? months?) -- not hours, until Pai is properly decompressed. (Even if, logically it should take her less time than it took Hei. She's a Contractor, and nothing if not adaptive.) ]

[ Coaxing Pai to fall into step with him, he glances briefly at Pavel over his shoulder. ]

Oчень благодарен.

[ Wryly-accented Russian, but genuine, in its own way. (It's still too much of an effort for him to say Thank You, Please, and Sorry.) ]

[sleepingstar]

[As they walk away from the young Russian, Pai shoots her brother a look. She doesn't even have to say anything -- her eyes speak clearly for her.

What was that?]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei's answering smile to Pai -- considerably wider -- is tired and indulgent in the same breath. When they drift out of earshot, he murmurs, ]

The Syndicate made a linguist out of me after you were gone.

[ Which is a facetious shorthand for: There were a lot of unpleasant assignments to a lot of unfamiliar countries. ]

[sleepingstar]

Do you do a lot of star watching with him? [teasing little glint in her eye. There's no point saying she's sorry about the unpleasant assignments; she hadn't been involved in them, and her being sorry would change nothing. But teasing Hei... what else are little sisters for?]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei averts his gaze away from her pert face, tucking his free hand into his pocket, the motion self-conscious and at odds with his projected nonchalance. He isn't sure how to tell her -- how different his life is in the City, the hooks of sentiment that have sunk into his skin as the months have passed. In a way, it's still so fucking precarious and novel. The idea of being around people because he chooses to -- because he likes them -- not out of self-benefit and calculation. It's nothing like the transient Contractor lifestyle at home, living opportunistically, with no fixed address. ]

[ In many ways, he's undeniably softened. But he can't bring himself to regret that entirely. ]

A fair share. [ He glances at her from the corner of his eye. ] He's from a futuristic world. Space travel. Real stars. And he's a genius with technology. [ A useful asset, all in all. (But that's not the whole story, is it?) ]