Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

It didn't come as a surprise to Rinaa that both John and Kay would stitch up and mend their own clothes, while John's iconic coat had absorbed a whole load of residual magical energy, it didn't repair itself. And John really loved and cared for that coat (even if he did throw it around all the time), so it made sense that he'd stitch up where possible. He also knew how to stitch himself up, which was arguably harder, with fabric you could just unpick stitches with little consequence, but doing that with a person would result in incredible agony. Listening to how the concept of upcycling came about in her life, Rinaa could see similarities between Fia's story and her own one.

"It's kinda similar with me, upcycling has always just been there in my life. Firstly, I was an awkward shaped kid, long limbs and far too skinny, so clothes would either be too short or just the right length and ridiculously baggy, so Jay would always get clothes and then tailor them to fit me better, then make all kinds of things from the scraps. And secondly, living for months on an Isogrii ship meant you quickly saw the importance of using and reusing stuff. And when that failed you just went full on Angus MacGyver and used it for a completely different and unexpected purpose. As I became older and considered more responsible, my mechanical mind really began to thrive there, the constant problem solving and the underlying threat of death and injury if it went wrong just suited me perfectly."

Rinaa took her own phone back before accepting Fia's. She could see what Fia meant about the jeans, they were really pushing the boundaries of what could be considered trousers, totally impractical, but somehow paired with a set of wide mesh fishnets Fia could really pull them off. It was one thing Rinaa had noticed about Fia, she seemed to be able to pull of any clothing combination and make it look effortless, where as Rinaa's clothing choices either advertised that she was a massive nerd, made her look like some kind of badass biker girl or a member of an orchestra. At the blanket comment she couldn't help, but smirk slightly. "Heh, funny thing there, we were actually considering doing just that- making a blanket out of old sweaters I mean. It was for Flick, whose apartment heating never works- she's got a loft room and the radiators just refuse to work, no matter how many times me or any of the other engineers-slash-mechanics students try to fix it. We genuinely think it's haunted or cursed or something." She smirked, at that, knowing it was actually possible for certain types of ghosts or spirits to have an affect on heating pipes.

"But anyway, that's got nothing to do with anything. The point is it was then we realised the fatal flaw in this 'genius' " Rinaa airquoted harshly, her tone sarcastic, but fond"plan- that none of us ACTUALLY wore sweaters. We did consider trying to do it out of check lumberjack shirts, but it's blasphemy to destroy one of those, so we ended up giving up on that idea."

 

[MzHyde]

If both girls really thought about it, they did have a lot in common as well as the amount of differences they had. This conversation was making Fia starting to see that fact, and it made her all the more flabbergasted that Rinaa's Fia was so cruel to her because she truly believed if she could have seen the Rinaa she was here and now, they'd get along just fine. Growing up she had also seen plenty of times her family fixing each other up, not just clothing, and she was pretty certain at one point she had witnessed Kay sewing a rip in the couch because as a 5 year old, she was in that 'floor is lava and I must hyperactive run and jump over every bit of furniture to get around, whilst driving my parents utterly insane' phase. She listened to what Rinaa said, remembering her own upbringing, which was making Fia learn more and more about her as well as seeing how alike they were,smirking at the story.

She wasn't expecting to see Rinaa smirk so much at her blanket story so when she did, Fia couldn't help but glance at the teenager before hearing that she and her friends were planning the same thing until the realisation of none of them wearing sweaters came into their minds. She also smirked at the idea of their flat being haunted, knowing that was all too possible. She chuckled at the last bit nodding, agreeing that butchering lumberjack shirts was a crime and just plain blasphemy to do so. "good call, that would have been blasphemy to do such a thing. Luckily with those sweaters, moat were when I was a kid so none of them fitted anymore but I still liked them. It was then that Sam got the idea of turning into a blanket for my bed. I think growing up I've used it more sitting on the couch in the winter than anything else. It also became THE blanket to use if I got a cold. It was impossible to get me out of it at one stage" she chuckled.

"they once joked that I'd be melded to it if I didn't get out from under it and I'd become this walking blanket girl" she smirked, now realising why Elliott's words from earlier when she was covered anything and everything felt so familiar.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa's smile grew wider when Fia firmly agreed with the idea that it was a heinous crime to deliberately damage a lumberjack shirt. It was a running joke among her group of friends, who all wore those shirts. "Anybody with that view on lumberjack shirts can't be all bad, it seems." She remarked, a vague comment that could be interpreted as either, a compliment towards Fia or an observation about both Kay and Fia's fashion sense. "Though you have to admit that the aesthetic idea of such a blanket is so incredibly pleasing, ESPECIALLY if it's made from soft, worn shirts."

Rinaa could count the number of sweaters she owned on one hand, or more precisely- one finger. The jumper in question was a Christmas one and had been bought for her as a gag gift one year. It was an obnoxiously bright shade of green and had bits of tinsel, baubles and artificial tree branches on it, along with a string of lights that actually worked. It had been described by the friend who bought it as 'the nightmarish by-product of a night of drunken sex between a Christmas tree and a knitwear store'. And just to make matters even worse, the friend had deliberately bought a coupe of sizes too big for Rinaa. "I really only own one actual sweater and it's probably the ugliest festive jumper EVER to exist. It's a fashion crime in it's own right, though all of you lot would LOVE the photo of me in it and never EVER let me hear the end of it." The photo in question of Rinaa showed her in that sweater, with a Santa hat, a tinsel skirt, massively high heels (not her own), brandishing her iconic sword that had been used as the main image for the lab Christmas cards. Jay had somehow found out and managed to get hands on two boxes of the cards to send to the family and friends she believed deserved a card (i.e. John and co never saw the photo).

She smiled at the story of the blanket, being able to relate to it. "Of course they said something like that, it's so typical of them, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest." There was a hoodie that Elliott had worn since he was about sixteen, a light grey one, with a rip in one arm and a patch on the other. In Fia's timeline he still wore it around the house, or sometimes Jay slung it on herself because one, it was comfortable and two, it smelled of the man she loved. In Rinaa's timeline, it was different, it had been one of the few things of Elliott's that John had given to Jay (the guitar being one of the others). The hoodie had gone everywhere with Jay and Rinaa, at first it was something jay wore while relaxing, but after being caught in the burning building, it passed to Rinaa. It swamped her frame, but that was why it was so comforting, wearing it was like being hugged by both her parents. When Rinaa moved into her student accommodation, the hoodie came with her and she wore it all the time in the winter months when she felt cold. "That's kinda awesome though, to have something like that though. I kinda have the same thing going on in my timeline, but with a hoodie." She flicked through her gallery, looking for any photos of her in the hoodie, frowning slightly at how blurry most of them were."I don't have any good ones of it though...... apart from the posed ones somebody took of it for an exhibition, they're a photographer y'see. They're kinda dark though.... so I don't know if you'd want to see them."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia had to snigger at Rinaa's comment about the lumberjack shirts. She knew both herself and Kay had at one of the shirts, though Kay was seen to be wearing hers wrapped round her waist more than actually wearing it properly. Fia had been shown the photo by Sam of Kay going through that stage in her fashion, where she actually wore converse and not some kind of chunky boot. She took it as a sort of compliment and a note to both her and Kay's fashion sense, as when Kay wasn't pregnant (which Rinaa would have noticed) was very much alternative and borderline grunge. She wore what she liked and she was so stuck in her ways that no one could change her style if they dared try. "I agree, it would be very pleasing to the eye to see such a thing." she smiled.

Hearing the story about the one sweater Rinaa owned, she had to laugh, as without saying much about the said festive jumper, it was like Rinaa said it all. She personally could never ever bring herself to wear a festive jumper. She was made to once, and she protested it to the level of getting a marker and scribbling 'bah humbug!' right across the front design. It wasn't that she hated Christmas, far from it, she loved the holiday just as much as she loved her birthday, but she hated being made ugly clothing. "oh for real we would. And no way would anyone let you live it down. Let's face it, that lot don't let us live anything down. Pretty sure they'll forever tease me for 'shit on a stick'" she laughed.

Seeing the borderline fond smile on Rinaa's face when she spoke of the blanket, she wondered if it was because she could relate to it with something else, yet she decided to let Rinaa talk I stead of questioning her having found that if Rinaa openly spoke about something, then she knew it would be okay to ask about what is spoken. "it doesn't me either, Ell practically wanted to start calling me a damn swamp plant monster earlier because of Meyer's "artwork" on my legs" she laughed before listening to more of what Rinaa said. "I'd love to see them, dark or blurry or not" she smiled.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa nodded in agreement, even if she hadn't really been a part of the main family in her timeline, she knew all too well that if you said something particularly stupid or hilarious around the family you would never hear the end of it. For her it had been the slip up of calling Fia 'the stuck up Celtic deer' to her face, letting slip the private nickname many of the Isogrii kids knew Fia by. These kids hadn't met Fia, but Rinaa was one of the tribe and a slander against one of their own was a slander against all of them, so they'd been only too happy to come up with a variety of nicknames (some openly insulting, others sly inside jokes). Coming back in time, made her see that this idea of never forgetting and never letting go had always been there and had probably started with John and Chas bribing up old dirt on each other. "Oh I know, Jay never let me hear the end of it, doesn't help it's on the Christmas cards. And no, I'm not gonna show you." She said determinedly before continuing. "I doubt they will, but it could be a lot worse and at the end of the day, it shows they care."

Rinaa couldn't help but chuckled softly at the idea of comparing Fia to a swamp thing. She couldn't claim to know Elliott was well as the others, but she knew enough to say that that comment was typical of the kind of teasing job he'd give. "Well at least he didn't start calling you Alec Holland, that would have no doubt set John off on either a rant or some story or another about the things they got up to when they worked together before." Like Fia, Rinaa also loved the weird and wonderful stories John could dredge up from his past, they often seemed too ridiculous to be true, yet somehow they were. As a result there was a note of fondness in her voice as she said that.

When Fia confirmed she did indeed want to see them, Rinaa once again dug out her phone. "I didn't mean literally dark by the way. Although they are all black and white or monochrome shots. I meant metaphorically and mentally dark. The idea was that the photos would be a sort of visual representation of depression in teenagers and young adults. I'm not an artsy person really, and modelled as a favour. But it quickly became personal. The hoodie just happened to be a useful prop, a sort of thread to tie us all together." She passed over the phone, which was open in a gallery of about thirty of so photos. All the photos were striking and eye-catching, in a beautiful, yet heartbreaking way. The people were the focal points of the photos, but the other items added extra layers to the story, these were more than just figures, they were real people with real quirks. Rinaa featured in about six of the pictures, the rest were a mix of other teenagers and adults. One showed a girl, just about recognisable as Rinaa wearing a hoodie (clearly recognisable as Elliott's), slumped at a desk covered in textbooks, head in her hands, the track of tears glinting in the low light. Another showed a long haired teenage boy, slumped on the ground, looking at his phone which was a few paces away from him, waiting for a call that would never come. The next showed a different girl standing in the middle of a crowd, her frame swamped by the hoodie. A long exposure time had been used, so that the crowd became a blur around the girl who was standing stock still the whole time- life passing her by while she couldn't move. Another showed a room, bare apart from a couch on which a figure was huddled up, arms drawn around themselves, a small ball of a person alone in an empty room. The photographer was clearly a pro, their use of lighting, contrast, focus and framing helping to enhance the feelings of hopelessness, darkness, worthlessness and the endless futility of it all that came with depression.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia smirked when Rinaa said Jay never let her hear the end of it and made it be all over the Christmas cards. She chuckled more when Rinaa told her she wasn't ever going to be seeing that photo no matter what, making Fia nod and hold her hands up in defence to say 'fair enough! I won't ask to see!'. She did agree that it showed that they cared for the two of them if they kept teasing them over the stupid shit that the two of them got up to. That was one thing that both of them could never bicker on, they both knew the gang cared about them both, even if at times in their respective timeline's they seriously questioned it at times.

She had to burst out laughing at Rinaa's remark about looking at the upside of Elliott not calling her Alec Holland. "I thought the same thing! I was half expecting a rant from dad either way over it just from the wording that was used, but he didn't. So I think all in all I got off light!" she chuckled, having heard the fondness in Rinaa's voice over the particular topic, before it was changed to the one about the photos.

"like I said, dark or not, I'd still like to see them" she smiled, reassuring her that she didn't mind in what context she meant the word dark, she still would like to see them. So when Rinaa handed her the phone with the gallery on them, she clicked on the first photo and looked at every single one, one at a time, and really taking in the whole picture. She could see instantly what the subject matter was and each photo did move her, which was clear on her face. Yet it was also clear that she was really respecting the pure art that each photo was. When it came to the ones that Rinaa was in, she found herself zooming in on the hoodie, recognising it instantly. "that's Elliott's hoodie right?" she queried, even though she knew the answer would be yes. "no wonder you have a special attachment to the garment." she remarked softly. What she didn't say was that she wore it once, and only once. She tried it on when she was 4years old and it swamped her entirely, the sleeves dragging on the ground beside her and her feet just about poked out from the bottom of it. It was on her for a grand total of five minutes when Elliott caught her in it, took photos because it was hysterical to see, then made her take it off, telling her that 'I asked you to grab it for me, not wear it'. Even Kay and John had to take photos because she really did look quite a sight, especially as she put the hood up and her face could barely be seen, her stupid grin and orange hair just about visible.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa had been hesitant at first to take part in the photo project when it was first proposed, the photographer in question was a friend of Scott's who she'd met on a few occasions. She'd seen their work before and knew they had incredible talent and a way of capturing emotions in photos that she hadn't seen in anyone else. It was that photographer who'd taken the pictures of mohawked Rinaa that John and Kay had seen when the former went sneaking around Rinaa's phone. She had modelled a little for them before, as a favour to Scott, but the idea of being used to represent depression was something she was uncomfortable with at the start, it was so close to home after all and the idea of other random member of the public seeing this side of her had been quite terrifying. But she did it anyway, and found it strangely cathartic and freeing. The picture of her at the desk, crying had been Rinaa's own idea, wanting to represent how crushing coursework could be when somebody was in a bad place. The tears weren't real, just water applied carefully with a cotton bud. It had been at least half an hour of prepping and posing in order to get the shot, but Rinaa believed it was worth it. The exhibition itself had been a roaring success and the all the models and helpers had been invited to the opening.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, they're heavy... and accurate." Rinaa told her, before falling quiet to watch her cousin as she flicked through the photographs, taking her time to absorb them and understand what they were really conveying. They were more than just photos, that much she hoped was obvious to even the most casual of observers. They told a story, a story of a downwards spiral, of always feeling alone even when surrounded by people, of being unable to reach out, unable to talk, unable to do anything really. In a way the photos conveyed exactly how Rinaa felt when on the edge of a breakdown better than words ever could. She could see that Fia did understand the photos, a kaleidoscope of emotions playing out across her face as she took in both the technique and the subject matter.

At Fia's question about the hoodie she nodded. "Yeah, it is. You can see the patch on one sleeve and the rip still on the other." She leaned over to point them out to Fia, even though she knew her cousin had already spotted them. The fact that Fia's tone had become quieter and softer didn't go amiss on her either. "Jay didn't get a lot of Elliott's stuff after.... and the fact she vanished for four years didn't help either. I believe he left a note specifying certain things for certain people. The hoodie went to Jay, probably because she was the only one who'd actually fit in it comfortably. Along the way it sorta became mine. So yeah, it was special, to both of us, it helped us through some tough times in a way." Once Fia had finished looking at the professional photos Rinaa flicked and found a different one of her in the hoodie, it was slightly blurry and out of focus at the edges. Rinaa was about sixteen years old and sitting with her legs draped over the side of an armchair, reaching out to grab a mug of hot chocolate from somebody off camera. "That's a more normal use for it."

 

[MzHyde]

The accuracy of the subject matter was something that Fia didn't doubt for an instant. She had waves of feeling like she could never match up to what was expected of her, for what she was born for, so she honestly got it. She just never spoke of her own insecurities to anyone, preferring people to see her as the always bubbly person that she also was. The closest to the other her that anyone saw was when Sykes really got under her skin and John had the heart to heart with her on the roof. So looking through all these photos wasn't completely alien to Fia. As she looked through them all, she wasn't paying much attention to Rinaa watching her reactions to the photos, so she didn't see how Rinaa could see all the reactions and emotions flashing across her face as she looked through them all.

She nodded at Rinaa confirming what she knew, that it was indeed Elliott's sweater, smiling softly as Rinaa pointed out the identifying features of said hoodie that she already spotted. She listened to Rinaa explain how Jay didn't actually get much of Elliott's belongings at the time, but the hoodie was to always to go to her. The idea of Elliott making a list of who should get what made her smile in a somber manner, thinking it was so typical of Elliott to do something like that, even though she wished that she'd never have to read such a thing because he was killed or died. "I can imagine. Well.. It went to the right people" she told her honestly and modestly.

As she let Rinaa go through the other photos, she looked at the less professional one she was being shown, smiling, finding it was still clear that it was indeed his hoodie and it was Rinaa in the shot. "best use if you ask me. Not much is better than curling up on a couch or armchair in a hoodie and a mug of whatever." she smirked. "I've worn it once in my life... When I was four years old. Was told to get it for him so I'd be out of the way, came out wearing it, hood up and all. It looked like the hoodie had a life of its own because it swamped me so much" she chuckled.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The Jay in Rinaa's timeline had her suspicions that if they'd actually been together before he left for Attil, she would have been left more of his stuff. But she couldn't ever say for sure and ended up being grateful for what little she did get. In Rinaa's timeline Elliott's room became the one that nobody entered and nobody talked about, for Chas, Trish and most especially John, the memories associated with entering were too painful. What none of them knew was that Rinaa had, on a few occasions, snuck into the room and slept there overnight- the one place she knew for certain that nobody would look for her in. The next morning she'd sneak out again, completely unnoticed.

Rinaa nodded in agreement, it did go to the right people, John couldn't wear it (and most likely wouldn't), but Jay would. She had a similar hoodie in dark, dark blue (very nearly black) that she wore when doing long shifts in AJ's basement, it was oversized and from the men's section and when she asked about it she just shrugged and said it was more comfortable and the baggy fabric allowed her to conceal more weapons. "Yeah, I think that too. Jay certainly wore it A LOT, it was her hoodie long before I wore it. The note was a sort of expect for the best, prepare for the worst sort of thing." What Rinaa didn't say is that she was 98% sure that Elliott had left such a note with his stuff before going back to Attil, and that hearing about Elliott's own note and final message had inspired her, not only to write a proper, legally binding will (making sure there were no loopholes in it for the wrong kind of people to exploit) but to do her own 'if you're listening to this, then I'm dead' message.

"Add in a stupid TV show and some good company to the mix and you CANNOT beat it." Rinaa agreed, knowing that while Fia may not have had such an experience with a friend group, she would most certainly have had it with her extended family. She chuckled quietly at the story of Fia wearing the hoodie, the mental image popping into her head was completely hilarious and she had no doubt that the family had stood there taking as many photos as possible until Elliott became territorial and grabbed his beloved hoodie back. "I imagine there's photos of this somewhere. As far as I remember I didn't wear it til I was twelve-nearly thirteen. It didn't really fit me well, but it was comforting to just let it drape, I could pull my whole body right inside in when on the couch, looked like some kind of strange Ewok creature.... according to Jay at least." Rinaa did have photos of her like that, but chose not to show them, instead finding one of Jay in the hoodie. She was passed out on a couch asleep, too tired to even remove her boots. Her hair was cut short in quiff style similar to the one Rinaa herself was sporting. "That's a more normal use of the hoodie." The room in the background would be unfamiliar to Fia, the walls were wooden and it had a sort of hunting cabin vibe to it.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia could imagine easily that Jay would have worn the hoodie a lot, imagining it be like a second skin to her of sorts for the comfort value of it before it got handed down to Rinaa and was no doubt used in the same way. She nodded at her words, having not doubted either that Elliott would have made some kind of note before this whole adventure of sorts was put into place. She didn't need to say it, just like Rinaa didn't, she was convinced they both knew it was the case and that Elliott wouldn't have done all this without thinking and planning for every single eventuality.

She chuckled at the comment about adding a TV show and some company and it made for the perfect moment in time. That much she did have to agree with wholeheartedly, she did it enough times with Trish and other extended family that she felt she could have enough knowledge and experience to be able to agree. "agreed, spent many a time doing that sort of thing with either Trish or dad." she smiled fondly, remembering the days when she would feel sorry for herself and just curl up into a ball in John's side under her blanket watching awful TV shows in an attempt to make her laugh. If it wasn't John, then she'd do it with Trish, mostly on days when John would go out on a job she wasn't allowed on so to make her feel a bit better, Chas would bring Trish over to hang out with her whilst Kay was busy 'keeping house'.

Rinaa was right in saying there were photos about of her four year old self in Elliott's hoodie. The whole family enjoyed having a good old laugh at her for. It, but at four years old, she was just loving the attention. She smirked at Rinaa saying how she looked in the hoodie from the moment she got to wear it. She scrolled through her phone on the off chance she had photos of herself in the hoodie which luckily she did. She glanced over at the one Rinaa was showing her of Jay in it and smiled, seeing how different that Jay looked compared to one murderous one she encountered. She noted the environment they were in in the photo also, "cool" she smiled. "here's four year old me in it, well.. From the tiny amount of me that you can even see" she chuckled, showing Rinaa, the picture being of a hard copy photo. The apartment would be familiar to Rinaa, as child Fia was stood near the couch behind it, with the hallway behind her, the only difference was that there was one hanging canvas on the hallway wall that was clearly Kay's work. Child Fia almost looked like one of those inflatable waving arm things because the sleeves were far too long on her. Her little grin could just be seen from under the hood, her bare feet just poking out from underneath the hoodie. It was ridiculously funny and cute all at the same time.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The side of future Jay that Fia had seen was the stone cold assassin side. This was the Jay who killed for money in order to be able to pay for anything Rinaa wanted or needed, the Jay who'd seen the mental and physical damage done to her daughter by Kay and Fia, the Jay who'd lost the man she truly loved and had only just gotten over it. This Jay had a serious chip on her shoulder and the family knew all too well that she would kill Fia and Kay permanently if it wasn't for the seriousness with which she took her promises. Jay saw no point in playing nice, she knew full well what the two women were and carried iron weapons all the time as well as making every effort to keep the location of Rinaa's hidey-holes (including the container a secret). So to see any version of Fia there, snooping around with who knows what kind of intent it made her see red. There was a reason Jay had an interplanetary reputation as an assassin, she wasn't just good, she was one of the best. And she wasn't going to waste an opportunity to make Fia fear for her life the way Rinaa had feared for hers in that burning building. Jay was a woman of many personas, assassin was her oldest and strongest one, of that there was no doubt, but she was also a caring mother with a softer side that few saw, the photo giving a glimpse into that side of her.

Rinaa smirked when Fia confirmed her suspicions that there were indeed photos, and found herself surprised that Fia was willing to show her one. She looked at the photo of what appeared at first to be nothing but hoodie. Fia was right, it looked ridiculous on her and there was something so stupid about the sight of feet poking out of the bottom that Rinaa had to hold back a serious fit of giggles. She recognised that piece of art on the wall, it existed in her timeline, though it had been hung in a different place in the apartment. "That looks like a hoodie that's been possessed by some kind of tiny ghost y'know." she remarked handing the phone back with a smile.

"I kinda HAVE to retaliate with this now." Rinaa smirked, but not in a competitive way like it might have once been, but more of an 'I have to show you my stupid photo now that you've showed me yours' way. "This is the horrible Christmas jumper I mentioned earlier. The person who bought it for me called 'the nightmarish by-product of a night of drunken sex between a Christmas tree and a knitwear store'. And I don't think they're wrong on that." The photo Rinaa showed was the one of her in the full Christmas outfit- tinsel skirt, Santa hat, ugly jumper and a sword, which she was holding aloft in the air. She appeared to be standing on a dining table long table, visible in the background were tinsel garlands and a Christmas trees which was decorated with models of molecules, flasks of glowing liquids, squares from the periodic table and mini models of scientific equipment. Just about legible was a handwritten sign saying 'Chemis-TREE', somebody or some people had gone to a lot of effort to decorate that way.

 

[MzHyde]

To say that Jay made Fia fear for her life was a complete understatement. She did fear for her life and deep down she was convinced that if Rinaa hadn't come back and vouched for her, that Jay would have killed her because she wasn't 'their' Fia, thus finding the loophole in her promise to John and company. It took a while for the grey ashy mark from the iron blade that was pressed against her throat to vanish, but luckily when she came back to everyone, no one mentioned it or questioned what the hell it was and how she got it. She really didn't want to have to try and explain what happened, apart from the time she explained it to Chas, whom kept his promise in not telling anyone.

Fia initially wasn't going to show Rinaa the childhood photo as she didn't think she still had it on her phone. At the time she took a snapshot of it so she could show no shame in it to reduce the whole 'I'm going to use it as blackmail or as an excuse to show whoever wants to date you when you're older' situation. Figuring that if she had it on her phone, she could have control on it and not get embarrassed by it. She knew she was a cheeky sod when she was a kid and she never once apologised for it. Seeing that Rinaa was desperately trying not to have a fit of the giggles at the photo made her smile, as she then took back the phone listening to her cousin's reaction. "it really does. Think mum called me one of those wacky inflatable waving arm tube men things that businesses use at the time." she chuckled, knowing what kind of mental image that creates.

What surprised her in this moment was that Rinaa decided she could see the festive photo that Rinaa swore she wouldn't ever show a living soul. With the permission granted to see it, Fia took the chance with open arms so to speak, and took the phone to look at the photo. Seeing the outfit and the pose going on she had to laugh, her amusement really showing in her eyes. "they're definitely not wrong. That's err.. That's quite a look!" she laughed, then noticing the background and smirking before handing Rinaa back her phone.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The photo was so completely unlike the serious and restrained Rinaa Fia and the others has seen up until now, which was what made it so funny and shocking, so it didn't surprise her that her cousin erupted into laughter. Jay and her girlfriend had the same reaction when they first saw the photo and demanded a copy of the original file so they could blow it up and mount it on the wall (Rinaa refused to give it to them). But that sort of crazy behaviour was actually quite typical of the person Rinaa's work colleagues and friends knew. That Rinaa was a vibrant person who thrived when working in a scientific environment and had an air about her that could only be described as 'mad scientist'. She quoted movies, TV shows, got super overexcited about scientific data and was always up for trying something. There had been one time where she ended up triumphantly yelling the Klingon phrase 'Ta’ vonlu!' after figuring out a mechanical problem that had been holding back a project for week.

Seeing Fia's amusement at the photo, Rinaa couldn't but smile slightly. She was coming to realise that had it been this Fia she'd grown up with in her timeline, things would have been very, very different. They seemed to get on surprisingly well and were more similar then she though. Rinaa knew that if Fia was ever to meet her friends the other girl would not hesitate to extract every single funny story and stupid anecdote about Rinaa from them. "When I first heard that description, I thought they were exaggerating..... but as you can see, they really weren't. I'm surprised it's not considered illegal."

Rinaa could see Fia smirking and raising an eyebrow at the background. "That was the lab Christmas do, it's kinda traditional that we got nuts with the science related festive decorations. Hence the amazing tree" she said by way of explanation, a smile in her voice which made it clear she really did think the tree was amazing. "And my 'amazing' look." The second 'amazing' was clearly sarcastic, she was all too aware of how ridiculous she looked. "With a piece of clothing like that you either bitch about it and be grumpy or you OWN IT by adding even wackier stuff and strutting around like you're some kind of mythological being only to find out that people took photos and made it into the lab Christmas card. Good times" she finished with a chuckle.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia also saw just how alike they were, and wished that Rinaa had this more light hearted positive relationship with her Fia. She truly did think once again that if only they could put their grievances toward Rinaa aside, they'd see what an incredible person she was. She felt like the other Fia was so far from herself that she truly didn't think she could another version of her, but a complete strange that just so happened to have the same rare name as herself. She also hoped this was the start of bringing out the old Rinaa and reminding her of who she is deep down, despite her thinking that part of her was dead a long time ago.

She chuckled once more, but was composing herself rather easily after her bout of laughter from the seeing the photo. "same, it should be considered illegal. Its an eye sore but does quite the conversation! " she smirked. With Rinaa spotting her reaction to the Christmas tree in the background, she listened to the story behind it, nodding and finding it so perfectly Rinaa and her friends from the little she had told her about them. "it's better than our family one. We have this tiny desk thing, and only because as a stubborn arse child I demanded it. If I hadn't, I'm damn sure dad wouldn't even have that around. But as the child of the family I demanded we have a tree because I wanted to experience Christmas, and he came back with this desk mini tree thinking he was sooooo funny" she explained, rolling her eyes on the word 'so' that she elongated for dramatic effect. She then nodded, feeling like Rinaa had a very good point baout the clothing comment, "too true!" she simply said, as she found they were nearing the harbour finally. She wondered how long it'd take for someone to notice her jeans more messed up than before and the grazed knee.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa tucked the phone away when Fia passed it back. "They only bought it because it was SO awful and SUCH an eyesore. I got it because somehow in the lab I'm known as the one who gets a massive kick out of that kind of thing and could take that joke well." She shrugged slightly at the description, knowing it clashed completely with the persona she showed her extended family. Rinaa was the persona she showed the family, Leah was the engineer and Isogrii ward, while Artemis was her chosen fake identity. She knew to an outsider it could look like split personality disorder and in a way it felt like that. But being able to make these clear divisions helped her to deal with stuff. "They probably have a point with that, I'm a complex person with many sides after all. But anyway, I got a massive thing of chocolate as well from the same person, the good stuff too, so it wasn't all just making a joke."

She nodded along with Fia's story of how they got the tree in the apartment. It made sense, John didn't have a proper Christmas growing up due to his father's alcoholism and either spent the day with his sister or at Chas' family's place and neither Elliott nor Jay had a tradition in their respective cultures that could be described as Christmas. Their closest thing they had was in the case of Elliott the gift giving celebrations that celebrated the demise of an old year and the start of a new one and in the case of Jay, the day exactly half a universal solar year after her birthday (the Isogrii were always travelling so the USY was a very important unit of measurement for them). Christmas had been something they both discovered on Earth, and found the idea of a worldwide holiday that seemed to consist mainly of eating copious quantities of food, festive TV specials, buying all kinds of things and spending time with those that matttered alien, yet familiar. Elliott and John never bothered with decorations, they usually ended up over at Chas' anyway, the Chandlers did Christmas properly and Renee and John had negotiated years ago that Christmas was to be a time of truce with only minimal sniping (though things would go right back to normal after New Years').

"I can easily imagine that being the case, both you acting like that and him finding a ridiculous loophole. Christmas wasn't something I really had, growing up off-world, though I did see a whole variety of festivals and traditions, including this amazing choreographed firework dancing they do near New Years on a planet in this very system. I passively celebrated Christmas up until I was fifteenish, it wasn't important or necessary in our lives really. At sixteen I'd moved back to Earth and was actually living and working there. The lab always made a big deal out of it, a way to end the year with a bang y'know. And it was nice to be part of something like that." She stopped talking as they neared the harbour, the expression of concentration on her face indicating that she was listening hard and carefully at something in the distance. "I think I can hear the boat engine, but it could be just wistful thinking." She told Fia as the dogs raced ahead towards the harbour where the others could be seen arriving. Chas spotted the teenagers first and gave them a wave.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia deep down could never really complain about her childhood Christmases, even if John did find a ridiculous loop hole just to keep her quiet. She knew they'd end up at Chas' over the holidays and she would see a proper full blown Christmas, so when he did give her the desk tree, she didn't complain, instead insisted it was the cutest thing ever she declared she loved it. She remembered Kay thinking it would upset her that it wasn't a proper sized tree, but she was determined to not to let the loophole upset her and saw the upside to it instead. She even made her own mini decorations for it with Kay to decorate it and much to John's dismay showered the thing in glitter, just to get her own back. As she grew up, the desk tree soon made its way into her room so it was her own personal tree.

She listened to Rinaa reply and say how she could easily see that's how it went down that one Christmas. She also listened to her as she said what her Christmas was like, nodding. "the fireworks sounds amazing and it's good that you had some group that made a big deal out of it, meant you had some good times I guess" she replied smiling. She saw the harbour come into view, as Rinaa made a point to concentrate. She nodded at what Rinaa said about the boat before she spotted the rest of their group and Chas waving at them. She waved back to Chas as the dogs sprinted on ahead, as she walked on, eventually getting close to them all, "hey" she greeted them all.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"We didn't need a global holiday to have some good times" Rinaa replied, her tone and expression deadpan serious.She then smirked and added wryly"but it does help." And it was true, like any group of university age students her friends loved an excuse to kick back relax and get away from the stress in their lives- massive course workloads, upcoming exams, family problems, relationship problems and, in the case of those who worked in Facility 53 the various problems and stresses that came with running and maintaining a secret vigilante network whilst ensuring that none of the mainstream heroes found out. It was a slice of normality within their lives, but Rinaa loved it because she could be herself with the people she liked the most in the world.

The turned at the arrival of the teenagers and gave their various greetings, while the dogs made their way over to the other group of Benji, Nat, Dan and the newlyweds Cal and Cliff. Upon his sister and sister-in-law's arrival Elliott made a quip along the lines of 'glad to see you two took time out of your busy schedule of fucking each other to be here in time for the others arriving back'. That earned him various middle fingers and set Benji off laughing as he'd been thnking something similar and anybody who could think such a thing and say it to their faces was a good person in his books. Jay took one glance at the two teenagers as the approached, taking in the wet hair, shorts and trousers, the dry t-shirts, the state of the dogs, the happy expression on Fia's face and the more subtle aura of contentment radiating from the teenager. She'd seen the video and how happy Rinaa was, and she didn't doubt that it was real, but the caring parent inside her wanted to see it with her own eyes. "Been swimming I take it?" She asked, a teasing edge in her tone. "Or did the dogs get sick of you two and shove you in the river?"

"Bit of both actually." Rinaa smirked in response. "Oh? Do tell?""The swimming was planned, a good idea on her part. Getting shoved in the river wasn't planned. I had some balls on me, and no... NOT the sexual kind. Ended up playing a chasing game, those two" she gestured at Meyer and Rhys "used the same herding tactics they'd use in a hunt and thus I ended up in the river."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia smiled and nodded, seeing how it could help even if it wasn't needed. She could also imagine how students wouldn't need many excuses to have a good time, something that she always envied Rinaa for but that was something she could just swallow down for the time being as it wasn't anything she could possibly do about anyway.

Arriving to the group, Fia naturally gravitated toward John and Kay. She saw how Jay was looking at them both to see for herself how they both were, and could tell she was noticing the state of them both. She was about to answer Jay's question when Rinaa answered first, which she didn't mind too much. With Rinaa giving her credit for the swim she couldn't help but smile proudly then nodded in clarification at the second part of Rinaa's explanation. "and Koso decided to pounce on me on land, making me face plant the ground for a second time in the walk" she added. Kay rose an eyebrow at the last bit of Fia's words. "second time?" she asked, "I tripped and went face first the first time" Fia casually explained in the hopes that showing she wasn't as bothered by it as some people would have been, she wouldn't get ripped into as badly.

Kay found herself shaking her head at Fia's explanation, smiling in the process. "of course you did" she chuckled, somehow not in the slightest bit surprised to hear that Fia could have picked up some of her clumsy traits.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Benji couldn't help but smirk when Rinaa explained how the dogs had used their hunting strategies to force her into the river. He bent down to stroke the dogs, who were winding their way around his legs expectantly. "Good on you, you three. Using your hunting skills to demolish some teenagers during a game of fetch and chase." He sounded very proud of the dogs. "You showed them how it's done, didn't you?" Koso seemed to nod in response, which made Rinaa snigger slightly. "That they did, they're really amazing dogs. You guys should be proud of them, kinda wish my dogs and your dogs could have met, I think they'd have really got on. They're also hunting dogs y'see." Benji raised an eyebrow in interest, having not known Rinaa was a dog owner. "Why didn't you? Bring them I mean, we'd have loved having more dogs around." "Long distance travel rules are a pain in the ASS. I couldn't get them vaccinated to go to this star system on such short notice, so it was safer to leave them behind. I would have loved to bring them." It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

Elliott was surprised to hear Rinaa actually giving Fia credit something, even if it was done in such an off-hand way. But he, like all the others, took it as a sign that Rinaa was finally warming up to Fia and relaxing around her. The two had definitely bonded in some shape or form over walking and playing with the dogs, that much obvious, but the question at the back of the others mind was how long it would last for. Rinaa and Fia had gotten somewhat close before when working on the violin-crossbow and visiting the shooting range to test it out, but that hadn't lasted long. They were all hoping it was a permanent bond, that could maybe, just maybe lead to a proper friendship between the two girls before Rinaa died, but with the wildcard element that was Sykes, nothing was certain.

"Classy" was all John said in response to Fia explaining how she tripped up the first time, Kay had mentioned her clumsiness before, mainly during the parkour training, but this was the first sign that this trait had also been passed on to Fia. What John didn't know was that responding with 'classy' was something future him did a lot when Fia tried to justify how she could trip over seemingly nothing. "The dogs look tired out. Think Matteo will be happy with how you've looked after them? Or will we have to all flee the island to escape the wrath of Cliff's family?" Chas finished with a smirk, leaning casually against one of the docking posts.

 

[MzHyde]

Seeing the pride that Benji expressed for the dogs made Fia smile. She never doubted that the family loved the three of them greatly, but it still made her smile to see that love and pride be expressed so openly. She knew why Rinaa didn't bring her dogs, but she did think it was a good excuse to get out of that question expressed by Benji to why she didn't bring them along. She saw the surprise on Elliott's face as Rinaa gave her credit for something, and she could also tell that they were all wondering how long this bonding and getting along phase was to last. She wondered the same thing herself, hoping this was indeed it from now on, but Sykes still had her edge.

Kay felt she didn't need at the time necessarily need to mention her clumsiness, but she did anyway, despite the fact John had seen her clumsiness in action when she got tied up in the blanket on his couch and she fell off the couch in spectacular fashion right in front of him. She still wouldn't let herself live that one down mentally, but she also looked back on it fondly because she remembered how he nearly bust his gut from laughing so much at her. She was also pretty sure that was the moment she realise she was falling for him when he helped her back up.

Fia just rolled her eyes at John's reply to her own clumsiness, "yeah yeah.. You say that every time, fix the broken record" she smirked, replying in a teasing manner, but also in a way that would have come across as perfectly normal to anyone who wasn't in the know of her time travelling. She then turned to Chas and nodded, "they're definitely worn out and I'd like to hope Matteo will be happy" she smiled back, confident in what she was saying.

 

[_gallifrog_]

It didn't surprise John very much to hear that future him would say the same stupid remark every time. He did that kind of thing all the time. If the League were ever asked what John's most used phrase was it would be a tie between "Bollocks!" and "You lot just do yer hero bullshit and leave me alone." Had Cliff's family not been around John would have said something along the lines of 'technically if we go chronologically this is the first time I've ever said that, so the record isn't broken yet'. But they were around so he couldn't, instead settling for "That ain't gonna happen, I'm too set in me ways by now." A statement which could be applied to various areas of his life and not just his refusal to say anything different.

"It I've learned anything from my time living with John it's that that's true. You're just gonna have to live with it Fia." Elliott smirked, before casting an eye over to see how the other teenager was doing. It seemed that Benji, Nat and Rinaa were making up for lost time by talking about the highs and lows of owning a pack of dogs. Chas looked in that direction to, but to look at the dogs as opposed to the people. "They certainly look happy to me, though I'm not exactly the authority on dogs here. I'd say he'll be more than happy at how you looked after them, which means we don't have to steal a boat and escape."

"Although stealing a boat and speeding away is far too much fun." Jay added, in typical Jay style she talked about crime in a completely blase manner. "Why am I not surprised you've stolen a boat?" "Because you were ACTUALLY THERE one of the times." Jay retorted back before adding in a tone with a slight mischievous air. "And besides, boats are easy to steal, military tanks on the other hand... not so easy."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia just rolled her eyes at John's comeback, getting the feeling he'd rather have said something else but didn't or couldn't. She glanced at Elliott when he said she would just have to deal with it knowing they were both right, it wouldn't stop her from retorting bsck when she could. "I know" she replied, a smile on her face that said 'I'll still retort back every now and then though'. She really did as well, in her timeline every now and then if she didn't just roll her eyes at the repeated use of the word, she would either lift her hand up and do the motion for someone who doesn't stop talking with it or just flat out 'yeah yeah.. You say it every time'. Though there was one time she sarcastically came back with 'wow dad! Never heard you say that before, nice to see you're broadening your vocabulary' with a grin that almost always got her out of trouble.

With Chas and Elliott looking over at where the others and the dogs were she couldn't help but smile hearing Chas say he reckons Matteo will be more than happy with what she's done to keep the dogs safe, happy and content. Though the last line did make her chuckle a bit as it felt so typical of him. Hearing Jay say that stealing a boat was fun, she smiled fondly but shook her head not in the least bit surprised she would come out with that kind of remark. She partly listened to Jay and Elliott talk about that remark, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly feeling that was a story that rung a bell with her but she couldn't be sure. However it was Kay that spoke up once more this time, "she's got you there Elliott and what were you both doing that warranted stealing a boat?"

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay acting so completely unruffled when talking about crime was something that had taken Elliott and co a bit of getting used to, especially when it came to comments about how somebody could be murdered with whatever was nearby. John found it strangely refreshing for somebody to talk about crime the way he did about magic- with complete and utter conviction, a dash (or more) of cockiness and an air of 'I dare you to challenge me on this'. The few times they had challenged Jay on what she said, the assassin always had a good story or anecdote to back herself up with. And in this case he even had his own experience at driving a speedboat acquired in dodgy circumstances. "I with Jay on this, driving a boat at high speeds is fun normally .Add the cocktail of who knows what chemicals and endorphins you get high on right in the thick of a life threatening situation, and yeah, I can see why it's fun."

Nobody bothered commenting on the tank bit, Jay had all kinds of military contacts, that much was well known. When Kay asked for further details Elliott and Jay looked at each other, Elliott's face quite clearly saying "You start, it's your story" and Jay's saying "damn right I'll tell it". "First off, Elliott wasn't actually supposed to be there. I wasn't part of AJ's crew and I'd finally been let go to my own devices so I freelanced, mainly catburglary type stuff with some contract killings here and there. For that particular job the target was a rich asshole who lives in one of those converted warehouses down by the docks. The douchy ones where everything is made to look older and more beaten up then it actually is." John and Chas nodded, knowing exactly the kind of premises she was talking about and the scum who tended to live in them. "I got in through a combination of parkour, freeclimbing and a tiny upstairs window that was kept open for some reason. I damn near got away unnoticed and would have had Elliott not been in the same building snooping around."

Elliott took over telling the story from there."The guy who lived there was one of Kane's father's associates and I was there to get dirt on him that Kane could use to expose him. I show up at the building just in time to see somebody breaking into the place with moves that wouldn't look out of place in a Mission Impossible heist. Didn't know it was Jay until I got in the building the same way and came face to face with her cracking open the same wall safe I needed to get into. She started bitching at me." Jay cut him off. "Oh no, that's not what happened, I may have made the first comment, but YOU were the one that got pissy about it." There was a narrowing of eyes as the two glared at each other slightly, before Jay continued. "The argument got loud enough to catch some guard's attention so we scanned the stuff,grabbed some valuables and scarpered." "And instead of just going to where the bikes were, Jay decided it was necessary to steal the guy's speedboat." "If my job is gonna be ballsed up, then I'm going out in style."

 

[MzHyde]

Like with the others, Kay found it took a bit of getting used to hear Jay talking crime antics so casually like it was totally normal (which it was for Jay). She knew she wasn't exactly perfect herself but all her crimes were petty in the name of surviving the streets so nowhere near the level that Jay was involved in. She glanced at John when he agreed with Jay about how fun it could be to take a speedboat when high on adrenaline before looking back at Jay to hear the story of how it came about. She listened as Jay started talking, smirking as the woman told them that Elliott wasn't even meant to be there but he was anyway. Though she had never seen the type of place herself, she did know of what Jay was on about when it came to true converted warehouses.

Hearing how she got in didn't surprise Kay at all, thinking it sounded quite normal for Jay all things considered, so she continued to listen when Elliott took over, explaining why exactly he was there. Kay always liked Kane and found he was really easy to hang out with and talk with after they watched a film together when she told him to just come down the roof. She also remembered hearing before about what questionable contacts his father was involved in so to hear that Elliott was there to gain some dirt on someone for Kane, she just nodded as she followed the story and smirking when he said that Jay started bitching about it.

Once the glaring at each other was done with, she listened to the end of the story that Jay concluded with Elliott's little addition. "as ya do I guess!" she just smirked when the story was over.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Kane's father was notoriously dodgy according to both Jay and Elliott, he was basically a modern mafia boss/Godfather sort of person and almost all his wealth had come from crime. Kane had grown up despising where the wealth had come from and as a teenager he started planning how he could take down his fathers operation from the inside and use the Kane name to do good. He was involved with all kinds of hacking and monitored the dark web web traffic for anything useful, which was how he'd ended up finding AJ an later joining their crew. For now he was biding his time, playing the role of the obedient son away at university while secretly plotting his father's downfall. In both Rinaa and Fia's timeline he'd succeeded and founded his own scientific labs that were known worldwide. Kane was one of the good guys, solid, reliable and determined. He stuck to his principles and was a man of his word, which was the main thing Jay liked about him- pilots being big on honour.

John couldn't help but smirk when Jay and Elliott started bickering about who was more annoyed at the sight of the other, he suspected it was Jay who got angry first, this had been her job and her client, going freelance was all about making and keeping a reputation (Which John knew all too well from his own experiences). If anything he suspected Elliott had been a combination of impressed (at Jay's skills getting in), surprised and bemused (that it was Jay doing the breaking in) and potentially even more in awe of her than he was already (depending on how developed his crush on her was). It was an entertaining story and Jay's finishing quip made him smirk. "In the wise words of Doc Brown from Back To The Future- if you're going to build a time machine, do it with styyyyyle!." He even added the extra emphasis on the word style, copying the way it was said in the movie.

"Exactly" Jay smirked in agreement with Fia, while Elliott rolled his eyes fondly. Nobody could stop Jay from putting a certain dramatic flair into things. "So what happened with the stuff after that?" "The speedboat was beached upriver and we cut a deal. Jay took the valuables and Jay only took the specific ones she'd been requested to get by her client. I took copies of all of the documents for Kane, we got back to the bikes and Jay vanished back into the night like she always did when freelancing." Elliott explained just as the sound of the boat engine became audible to them all and the speedboat rounded the headlands and came into the harbour.