poly_chromatic

Entry tags:

firestarter - charlie mcgee

video;

[First off, that's not the carpet in Charlie's apartment. She's elsewhere today. Probably at Ed's. Second, there is a round hedgehog crawling on the floor, sniffing everything. Petrichor is nearby, keeping well away from the hedgehog.

Finally, something Petrichor doesn't want anything to do with. The hedgehog seems to know this, too, because it keeps heading over to the cat, hissing and popping until Petrichor has run away to hide under something.

Charlie's recording this and finding it kind of amusing. When Petrichor decides to sniff at the hedgehog and the hedgehog turns too fast for his liking, startling the cat out of the room, Charlie starts laughing. The amera is shifted and Charlie very carefully picks the spiky creature up.]

Sonic, you're being a bully.

[Meanwhile, Sonic seems perfectly happy to be in Charlie's hand, sniffing her skin and looking up at her. End feed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Are you sure? I can listen.

[also hesitant] I believe I am homesick.

I'm....recovering from the daleks? It was a rough day.

Yeah? [A pause.] We can do something now, if you'd like. Or talk about home for you. I'm fine with either.

Are you recovering from anything else? I saw videos, on the network--only after they were gone.

I do not want to bother you.

There was...well, I guess you saw Ed die. I hear that got on the network. And my friend Bucky died. [And then she met Jerry but she's not talking about that. Though, probably should considering who Pavel is said to look like. Oh, dear.] It was a lot.

You're never a bother, Pavel. Not for a second.

I did, yes. [Chekov and Jerry haven't been introduced, which may not be a good thing. He doesn't walk around in his Starfleet uniform; it'd be easy enough for him to be mistaken for someone else.] It is difficult, watching people die. Have they both recovered?

If you are certain.

[She might have to tell him about Jerry, then.]

They're both fine and recovered. And yes, Pavel. I'm certain. I can meet you at the garden in a bit.

If you like. Thank you.

You're welcome. I have to talk to you about something, anyway, and don't want to talk about it over the network.

[And she's up, Sonic in her hand as she heads towards the garden.]

[Chekov will beat her there. He might look a bit tired, but he smiles brightly at Charlie and Sonic when they arrive.]

Charlie, hello. This is your hedgehog?

This is him. I named him after a video game character from when I was younger. [She holds Sonic out and Sonic watches Pavel for a moment before walking in a circle in Charlie's hands.] He really likes being held but I think it has to do with my personal temperature.

[Sonic is amazing. Chekov watches him intently.] He likes you because you are hot? [Temperature-wise, of course. Don't think he hasn't noticed that you're radiating heat, Charlie.]

What did you need to tell me?

Probably. Either that or it's because I keep feeding him. [She hesitates a moment, feeling sort of uncomfortable but Pavel is a friend and therefor important.]

You know how Ed mistook you for a guy named Charley? There's a guy here from Ed's world, the...okay not a guy. A vampire. The one that turned Ed. His name is Jerry. I think he knows the guy Charley, too? So just be very careful, okay?

Feeding animals is a good way to earn their loyalty. [seriously] I believe this works with people, also.

Jerry is more dangerous than Ed?

[That gets a slight 'hah' of amusement. Charlie feeds everyone she cares about. And then she also becomes a bit serious and nods emphatically.]I believe he is, Pavel.

Then I will be careful. [Says the kid who spent Sunday blowing Daleks to pieces. He sits in one of the lawn chairs and watches Sonic.] I am sorry that your friends died.

Please do. This guy...he's very different from Ed, somehow. Ed's more human, sort of.

[Jerry, though? Things are off. Smiles take too long to surface, there's an undercurrent of boredom when he speaks, like he's tired of something.]

As great as them coming back is, they still died. Them returning doesn't really change things [She settles on the other chair, setting Sonic on her lap. Sonic proceeds to scurry around her legs for a bit, making whistling and purring sounds on occasion. Charlie smiles at them.]

Had him for just a few days and he's happy.

That does not bode well if Ed still wants to kill me and he is more human. [This is not said with the seriousness that it might deserve. The following, however, is.]

They died well, at least. "Die yourself, but save your friend"--that is a Russian saying.

[And back to not being the least bit serious.] Are you referring to your hedgehog or to your vampire?

Ed doesn't want to kill you. [Charlie's actually about 80 percent certain, here, but she says it with complete certainty.]

That's a good saying. I like it. ['Your vampire' gets probably the biggest grin ever and she holds the hedgehog up. Sonic is still purring loudly.] This guy. I was told it would take him longer to trust Howard and I this much, but there you have it, I guess.

That is a comfort. [Not that he has been overly concerned about Ed.]

All Russian sayings are good sayings. Howard... is he the hedgehog's other owner?

That he is. [A small nod and Charlie sets Sonic on her shoulder to see what he does. He tries to climb off, decides against it and just settles for a moment.] He works a lot so I take care of Sonic while he's working and he does the same for me. It's a pleasant arrangement.

It is also convenient. [He just doesn't get why a hedgehog is being kept as a pet. They don't look soft or cuddly or like they have any of the qualities he hears one should look for in a pet.

Chekov hugs his legs to his chest.] I am sorry for having you come up here, but thank you for showing me your hedgehog.

[Charlie watches Pavel, genuinely concerned.] Don't be sorry. I don't mind. The roof is an open space. Anyone is allowed up here. Plus you sounded like you needed a distraction.

I was being childish. [Anyway.] What do you do, when you come up here? Does your garden require much maintenance?

Not really. Not at the moment. Just watering. Making sure bugs don't eat the leaves. Mostly, I start a fire in the fire pit there and just read. It's relaxing.

[She doesn't think there's such thing as 'childish behavior'.]

I would help with that--watering, removing bugs. [Relaxing, while not a foreign word, is something of a foreign concept.] What do you read? Not tech manuals, I am sure.

[There certainly is when you're a seventeen year-old trying to be an adult.]

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video to action(?);

action(!);

action(!);

action;

action;

action;

Re: action;

action;

Re: action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

Re: action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action;

action; plurk, you ate my paragraph break