[see, Lina had taken a lot of time trying to get used to her newfound strength. she'd gotten okay at handling it, but it was far from perfect—still, she doubted she'd actually hurt somebody unintentionally with it. least of all Jen, whom she'd never even hurt intentionally. well, in most scenarios.]
[she wrapped her arms around Jen's waist and brought herself close. and her serious demeanor melted away for a moment; she kept their goal in mind, of course, but she couldn't deny that this felt nice. it was a good way to bring her spirits up before what was damn sure not going to be a good experience.]
About the same time you were gonna tell me you could fly. It's new.
[ Jen held on tight and rolled her eyes. ] Okay, well, I wasn't going to say anything unless I needed to. So, that's fair.
[ once Lina's secure, she started to lift off again. swifter this time, even with the added weight, since the ring didn't seem to care. it's only going to take a few long seconds to reach a height where they can see over most of the buildings in the city and beyond it. slowly, she begins to rotate them in the air and look around. ] Now. Which way would this be coming from?
[okay, no, she was gonna need a second to get used to this before she answered, because holy shit. she's actually flying? like, she was clinging to Jen, sure, but she was flying and this was the kind of thing that people literally only dreamed of. and it was happening. okay, no, she'd be able to appreciate it later.]
Amelia's post was garbled to hell and back, but I'm pretty sure she said it was coming in near Apprassage. [she tried looking off in that direction to see if she could see this giant building, but it felt a little, uh, dangerous to be doing anything like that when she was relying on Jen to not drop her.] We'll probably be able to tell.
[ obviously she could take her time. Jen was a little too into the moment to relieve any tension, like. admitting this was a heck of a lot better than falling into an unknown abyss, which is about their closest shared experience to-date.
she slowly turned off in that direction, using landmarks as a guide, and then flew off in that direction. Jen's careful not to go like, full tilt, but faster than jogging that's for sure. and with a lot less effort. ]
That was... that woman? Huh. [ that whole. meeting scenario was still super weird for her, but she doesn't want to think about that except for one thing. ] Did she say she was... going that way, herself?
[ because forget that building, she isn't sure she wants to drop Lina off new a dragon. ]
[the tone of Jen's voice was easy to pick up on, and Lina couldn't lie: The idea of running into Amelia again, maybe in full dragon form, was utterly terrifying. nights and nights of dying by dragonfire couldn't be overcome with one sort of okay conversation with the dragon woman borrowing Jen's body. Lina inhaled, tried to control herself. tried to be calm; then, tried to be confident.]
I don't care if she's there. I can deal with a dragon if it means saving my sister's life.
[ Lina's either really good at putting up a front, or she really has come around to being a stronger (mentally) and more confident person as per their last intense, uh, moment. either was as likely. Jen slowed down some so the rushing of wind didn't make it as hard to talk. ]
You won't be dealing with this alone. Just remember that.
[ out of her eyes, a flashing of something green on the horizon. Jen picked up speed. ]
[she wouldn't punctuate that the way she normally would have if they were on the ground; it didn't seem safe. instead, she would just wait for Jen to bring them to where... Clover was. the flash of green, as they drew closer, only grew clearer. the shape of the building, massive and floating and supported by something that she couldn't immediately make out from this distance, became downright obvious, and the first thing Lina did notice was the absolute size of this thing. this was going to be more than the two of them could reasonably take care of, fight and flight or not. they were going to need help, and Lina had no idea where that help would come from, but jesus did she hope other people had gotten Amelia's message.]
[this was... Clover was in this massive, magical building somewhere. controlling it? piloting it? how the entire hell were they going to extract her from it? because she wasn't about to let her sister die. blowing the thing up wasn't an option. she sighed inside her head and narrowed her eyes wearily. this wasn't going to be easy, that was for damn sure. suddenly one big dragon didn't exactly seem like the worst of her problems.]
[ Jen, too, was struck by the sheer scale of this thing. there didn't have to be much around it save for maybe some roads and trees at that distance to know it was HUGE and MOVING. she picked a nearby tall building's flat roof to set down at first because she didn't want to lose sight of it but also needed to. steady her nerves. formulate a plan. something. anything. ]
Holy shit... [ or maybe just. stand in awed silence for a bit. at least until she comes right around toward exasperation. ] Why does everything have to keep getting bigger? What's next: the moon?
[yeah... awed silence sounded like a good idea. at least Jen was in the mood to be exasperated, because Lina couldn't find the words even after touching down. she stayed close, her hand on the small of Jen's back and her mouth hanging open.]
Jesus... how are we even going to get her out of there?
[that shouldn't have been her first priority, really. this thing could destroy the city in a single attack if it wanted to, she figured.]
If my memory is to be believed, I'm really good at breaking walls. [ it's meant to be. funny? reassuring? some combination thereof that doesn't involve feeling so small and insignificant and generally screaming internally??
she held on to Lina. ] Hopefully someone else has some more, uh, subtle ideas.
[god, she hated this. she couldn't even focus on Jen's jokes or the reassurance her touch brought. all she could do was force herself to remember to breathe and try to concentrate on their next steps from here.]
Okay. Okay, we can handle this. Right? It won't just be the two of us, and we can... we can stop this and we can save my sister.
[ Jen took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. ] Right. We'll just need to get down there and see where we can help.
[ she leaned her head forward and down, relaxing her neck and rolling her shoulders again. a team of people might be able to do this. people with broader reaching powers than hers, or special tools, or who knows what. maybe Retrospec would have some way to intervene? they DO have a vested interest in keeping the city and its inhabitants in one piece, "sleepers" or not, and if those on the app can't do it alone they should pull through with some support.
hopefully.
but, first things first. ] ...we need to get you some shoes.
[she starts off sounding bewildered that Jen would even suggest that right now before her head tilts down to look at her—socks. god damn it. she knows her roommate has a point, and she really wants any excuse she can take to go home and take a breather and regroup before this thing happens, but she can't even admit that to herself right now.]
Jen, we don't have time. Hurting my feet isn't exactly the biggest problem here.
[ she righted herself and maneuvered so she could give Lina a Look. ] Ohh, we've got time. You're not getting off this rooftop without me, and the absolute last thing that's going to happen today is you getting knocked out of commission because of stepping on a rock or stubbing your toe on a log or something else equally as stupid!
[ Jen crossed her arms over her chest. ] We do this with 100% of what we've got, or we don't do it at all.
[as much as Lina wanted to protest—and she was good at protesting lately—she knew Jen was right, and the more time she spent here arguing, the more time she was wasting.]
Fine. Take me home, I'll get shoes, we'll come back here and do this. [she exhaled and let her hand move from the small of Jen's back and around her body to her side, where she pulled her just a little closer, totally undeterred by the huff she was giving her.] Wish you had the chance to fly me around the city before people's lives were on the line.
Sorry, I- [ Jen's interrupted by her ringtone. she ought to ignore it, but, what if it was Kara or Vera, or someone else reporting on the situation? she pulled back to pick it out of her pocket and ... frowned. ]
It's my mom. [ Jen gave Lina a look, then the giant green glowing death castle in the distance. ] I'll make it quick.
That bi—[no. no, she would keep that one under her breath and cut herself off and the only evidence would be a slightly nastier frown.]
Okay. But if she gets on your ass about something, I'm going to start yelling at her too. [and then, back to silence, but Lina's lips drew thin as she stared off into the distance. everything Jen's mom said was losing them time, bringing Clover closer to d... danger.]
Hey, m- [ Jen knows absolutely why Lina's mad, and she gets it, but even so things are. complicated. delicate. something. she's working on things, but everything is again happening all at once and she has to prioritize.
she gives Lina a nod even as she has the microphone covered with her hand until she's a couple of steps away. but she's not keeping her voice down. anything she has to say to her mother Lina can hear. the whole world can hear at this point, far as she cares. ]
Mom. Sorry. I didn't expect you to call. I'm kind of-
What? You're... at the apartment?
No, no, nothing happened. We just. Left a hurry. The... door? [ oh shit. they didn't shut and/or lock it. it's a good neighborhood and all but Jen didn't consider that at all in the rush. ] The landlady was sending someone up to do some work on the, uh, pipes. Maybe they are still coming in-?
No. I haven't packed. No, I'm... I'm not packing.
I can't. Talk about it right now. I just - there's no time... There's no time and I can't explain why, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
Mom- Listen to me. Please. I... there's a lot I still need to do here. You always told me never to give up, right? So trust me this time, please. I can talk to you more about it tom- later. Sometime soon. Just. Not tonight, okay?
Look. I have to go. People need me! Please, just. Go back to the hotel and rest. I know how much you hate jet lag, and your flight is super early.
Be safe, mom. I love you. Bye.
[ that was a rollercoaster of emotion. from panic, to dejection, to calm determination, and back. Jen's never going to hear the end of this, in all likelihood, but in the grand scheme of things? it didn't matter. she hung up the phone and ignored the fact her mother tried to call her back literally two seconds after she hung up on her.
Jen sighed and turned back to Lina, wearing a world-weary look on her face. ]
[she—she came to the apartment? oh, god, Lina's fingernails started digging into her palms harder and harder the longer this call goes on. god did she hate Jen's mother. yeah, it's complicated, sure, everything is. but nobody was going to take Jen from her after they'd both worked so hard to become decent people towards each other. nobody was going to tear away all that progress.]
[the anger built as the call continued, but... all of it disappeared as soon as Lina saw Jen's face. she took a few confident steps closer and pulled her roommate into a hug, putting just a little bit of extra strength behind it so she would know how much Lina meant this. they didn't have time to waste. but this wasn't wasting time; this was prep work for the fight ahead. one of many fights ahead.]
[ hugs are good. strong hugs like this are what she expected from Kara, but it also suits her just fine being on the receiving end of it from Lina. it gets her to snap out of her train of thought long enough to embrace her in return. ]
I. Don't know. I really don't know how she'll react to all this.
[ a beat. ]
I should go back. Alone. I'll just... zip in, zip out, and lock her out so she can't, like, surprise us. [ with what? nothing good, probably. ]
[shit. good point. if Jen's mother saw the two of them literally flying home embracing each other, it was going to be a lot of questions that they didn't have time for. Lina pulled away, her fingertips staying at Jen's sides like she ran the risk of not coming back.]
[and what if she didn't? what if her mother kept her there, what if her mother took her away, what if what if what if god damn it Lina stop catastrophizing this isn't the right time there are so many other bigger things to focus on your sister is—]
[before her brain caught up to what her body was doing, her fingers closed around Jen's clothing and she pulled herself in for a deep, firm kiss. they really didn't have time for that, but she kept herself there for several seconds anyway, letting all the emotions she could possibly think of flood her mind and flow into the press of her lips and just like that, it was over. and Lina was standing with her back straight, and her face looked as serious as it ever had.]
[ yeah, okay that. isn't something they had time for, but it was also something that gave Jen some much-needed strength. it reminded her that she was doing this not just for her own mother's safety, her own, the city's, or anyone she knew. but directly for Lina - because of what it would mean if they didn't even try to do anything for her sister.
Jen has some vague notion of what it would feel like to be in Lina's position; in this moment or ever.
she isn't about the squander the chance to take in that gesture of affection, whatever its true intent was. Jen saw it as something else to come back to. to fight for. she felt calmer afterward. the calm before a very, very big storm. ]
I... Thanks. [ Jen can't promise that she'll do well. but she can try. ] I'll be back before you know it.
[ with no set plan in mind for this, but a goal and the will to make it happen, Jen vaulted off the nearby edge and made a beeline back for their apartment. today's a good day to feel unstoppable. ]
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no subject
[she wrapped her arms around Jen's waist and brought herself close. and her serious demeanor melted away for a moment; she kept their goal in mind, of course, but she couldn't deny that this felt nice. it was a good way to bring her spirits up before what was damn sure not going to be a good experience.]
About the same time you were gonna tell me you could fly. It's new.
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[ once Lina's secure, she started to lift off again. swifter this time, even with the added weight, since the ring didn't seem to care. it's only going to take a few long seconds to reach a height where they can see over most of the buildings in the city and beyond it. slowly, she begins to rotate them in the air and look around. ] Now. Which way would this be coming from?
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Amelia's post was garbled to hell and back, but I'm pretty sure she said it was coming in near Apprassage. [she tried looking off in that direction to see if she could see this giant building, but it felt a little, uh, dangerous to be doing anything like that when she was relying on Jen to not drop her.] We'll probably be able to tell.
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she slowly turned off in that direction, using landmarks as a guide, and then flew off in that direction. Jen's careful not to go like, full tilt, but faster than jogging that's for sure. and with a lot less effort. ]
That was... that woman? Huh. [ that whole. meeting scenario was still super weird for her, but she doesn't want to think about that except for one thing. ] Did she say she was... going that way, herself?
[ because forget that building, she isn't sure she wants to drop Lina off new a dragon. ]
no subject
[the tone of Jen's voice was easy to pick up on, and Lina couldn't lie: The idea of running into Amelia again, maybe in full dragon form, was utterly terrifying. nights and nights of dying by dragonfire couldn't be overcome with one sort of okay conversation with the dragon woman borrowing Jen's body. Lina inhaled, tried to control herself. tried to be calm; then, tried to be confident.]
I don't care if she's there. I can deal with a dragon if it means saving my sister's life.
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You won't be dealing with this alone. Just remember that.
[ out of her eyes, a flashing of something green on the horizon. Jen picked up speed. ]
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[she wouldn't punctuate that the way she normally would have if they were on the ground; it didn't seem safe. instead, she would just wait for Jen to bring them to where... Clover was. the flash of green, as they drew closer, only grew clearer. the shape of the building, massive and floating and supported by something that she couldn't immediately make out from this distance, became downright obvious, and the first thing Lina did notice was the absolute size of this thing. this was going to be more than the two of them could reasonably take care of, fight and flight or not. they were going to need help, and Lina had no idea where that help would come from, but jesus did she hope other people had gotten Amelia's message.]
[this was... Clover was in this massive, magical building somewhere. controlling it? piloting it? how the entire hell were they going to extract her from it? because she wasn't about to let her sister die. blowing the thing up wasn't an option. she sighed inside her head and narrowed her eyes wearily. this wasn't going to be easy, that was for damn sure. suddenly one big dragon didn't exactly seem like the worst of her problems.]
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Holy shit... [ or maybe just. stand in awed silence for a bit. at least until she comes right around toward exasperation. ] Why does everything have to keep getting bigger? What's next: the moon?
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Jesus... how are we even going to get her out of there?
[that shouldn't have been her first priority, really. this thing could destroy the city in a single attack if it wanted to, she figured.]
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she held on to Lina. ] Hopefully someone else has some more, uh, subtle ideas.
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[god, she hated this. she couldn't even focus on Jen's jokes or the reassurance her touch brought. all she could do was force herself to remember to breathe and try to concentrate on their next steps from here.]
Okay. Okay, we can handle this. Right? It won't just be the two of us, and we can... we can stop this and we can save my sister.
no subject
[ she leaned her head forward and down, relaxing her neck and rolling her shoulders again. a team of people might be able to do this. people with broader reaching powers than hers, or special tools, or who knows what. maybe Retrospec would have some way to intervene? they DO have a vested interest in keeping the city and its inhabitants in one piece, "sleepers" or not, and if those on the app can't do it alone they should pull through with some support.
hopefully.
but, first things first. ] ...we need to get you some shoes.
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[she starts off sounding bewildered that Jen would even suggest that right now before her head tilts down to look at her—socks. god damn it. she knows her roommate has a point, and she really wants any excuse she can take to go home and take a breather and regroup before this thing happens, but she can't even admit that to herself right now.]
Jen, we don't have time. Hurting my feet isn't exactly the biggest problem here.
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[ Jen crossed her arms over her chest. ] We do this with 100% of what we've got, or we don't do it at all.
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Fine. Take me home, I'll get shoes, we'll come back here and do this. [she exhaled and let her hand move from the small of Jen's back and around her body to her side, where she pulled her just a little closer, totally undeterred by the huff she was giving her.] Wish you had the chance to fly me around the city before people's lives were on the line.
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It's my mom. [ Jen gave Lina a look, then the giant green glowing death castle in the distance. ] I'll make it quick.
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Okay. But if she gets on your ass about something, I'm going to start yelling at her too. [and then, back to silence, but Lina's lips drew thin as she stared off into the distance. everything Jen's mom said was losing them time, bringing Clover closer to d... danger.]
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she gives Lina a nod even as she has the microphone covered with her hand until she's a couple of steps away. but she's not keeping her voice down. anything she has to say to her mother Lina can hear. the whole world can hear at this point, far as she cares. ]
Mom. Sorry. I didn't expect you to call. I'm kind of-
What? You're... at the apartment?
No, no, nothing happened. We just. Left a hurry. The... door? [ oh shit. they didn't shut and/or lock it. it's a good neighborhood and all but Jen didn't consider that at all in the rush. ] The landlady was sending someone up to do some work on the, uh, pipes. Maybe they are still coming in-?
No. I haven't packed. No, I'm... I'm not packing.
I can't. Talk about it right now. I just - there's no time... There's no time and I can't explain why, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!
Mom- Listen to me. Please. I... there's a lot I still need to do here. You always told me never to give up, right? So trust me this time, please. I can talk to you more about it tom- later. Sometime soon. Just. Not tonight, okay?
Look. I have to go. People need me! Please, just. Go back to the hotel and rest. I know how much you hate jet lag, and your flight is super early.
Be safe, mom. I love you. Bye.
[ that was a rollercoaster of emotion. from panic, to dejection, to calm determination, and back. Jen's never going to hear the end of this, in all likelihood, but in the grand scheme of things? it didn't matter. she hung up the phone and ignored the fact her mother tried to call her back literally two seconds after she hung up on her.
Jen sighed and turned back to Lina, wearing a world-weary look on her face. ]
no subject
[the anger built as the call continued, but... all of it disappeared as soon as Lina saw Jen's face. she took a few confident steps closer and pulled her roommate into a hug, putting just a little bit of extra strength behind it so she would know how much Lina meant this. they didn't have time to waste. but this wasn't wasting time; this was prep work for the fight ahead. one of many fights ahead.]
Will she still be there if we go home right now?
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I. Don't know. I really don't know how she'll react to all this.
[ a beat. ]
I should go back. Alone. I'll just... zip in, zip out, and lock her out so she can't, like, surprise us. [ with what? nothing good, probably. ]
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[and what if she didn't? what if her mother kept her there, what if her mother took her away, what if what if what if god damn it Lina stop catastrophizing this isn't the right time there are so many other bigger things to focus on your sister is—]
[before her brain caught up to what her body was doing, her fingers closed around Jen's clothing and she pulled herself in for a deep, firm kiss. they really didn't have time for that, but she kept herself there for several seconds anyway, letting all the emotions she could possibly think of flood her mind and flow into the press of her lips and just like that, it was over. and Lina was standing with her back straight, and her face looked as serious as it ever had.]
Good luck.
no subject
Jen has some vague notion of what it would feel like to be in Lina's position; in this moment or ever.
she isn't about the squander the chance to take in that gesture of affection, whatever its true intent was. Jen saw it as something else to come back to. to fight for. she felt calmer afterward. the calm before a very, very big storm. ]
I... Thanks. [ Jen can't promise that she'll do well. but she can try. ] I'll be back before you know it.
[ with no set plan in mind for this, but a goal and the will to make it happen, Jen vaulted off the nearby edge and made a beeline back for their apartment. today's a good day to feel unstoppable. ]