Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff was relieved that everybody was content to eat the food they'd brought with them, though she tried not to let it show on her face. Any food more complex than the staples they'd carried with them from the flat would mean having to leave the park and ride the bus back to the city. The time they'd spent in the park already had visibly relaxed everybody, boosting their moods and pulling their heads away from the serious stuff. She could see it in their body language- everybody was far more open as they lounged across the grass, the exact opposite of the hunched shoulders and crossed arms drawn tight across torsos from the night before. But Cliff feared that this happy atmosphere wouldn't last, that, as soon as they left the park, reality would intrude and shattering the happy mood, bringing everybody back to square one.

Amongst the foods brought along was a large packet of noodles and Cal wasted no time in ripping them open. Cal had long ago figured out that she could cook noodles by placing them in a large flask of water and creating a flame strong enough to bring the water to boiling. It had been a lifesaver (literally) when she'd was sixteen, living out of a rented lock-up and turning to thievery to survive. For the first time that afternoon Lee's attention turned towards Cal and her unusual cooking method, watching with wide, curious eyes (though not as wide as they'd been when Fia was simultaneously singing and dancing).

"Yeah, it was a bloody good idea kiddo" John agreed as he pulled a bread roll apart into two halves. "Stayin' in that apartment.... all the group worryin' in an enclosed space... that couldn't have ended well." "Well they do say fresh air is good for the soul.... among other things" Chas mused. Jay gave a snort of disagreement, but didn't say anything further. "Well it worked out great in the end, getting to see this place again... well it means a lot." Elliott added with a wistful edge to his tone.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia and Kay both took to watching casually as Cal grabbed the pack of noodles and making them up with her pyro ability as well, but nowhere near as fascinated as Lee was. Neither really thought to ever their ability to cook food or boil water but they also had witnessed Cal do this before so it wasn't nearly as amazing or mind blowing as it was the first time. Though seeing the look on Lee's face, they both understood why someone so young would be enthralled by the action Cal was making. Cliff also wasn't the only one who didn't want this good mood to end, both Kay and Fia were of the same thought process. Both were so glad that everyone had managed to relax and actually let themselves smile and let go of all the anxieties and stress that had crept onto them back in the main city and the apartment. They just hoped those realities wouldn't smack their group ten times harder when they did eventually leave the arboretum.

When John replied to her, Fia looked across at him realising that she had thought her thought out loud and not to herself. She also felt glad that John agreed with her and the fact he called her 'kiddo' told her that he was most definitely feeling more like himself again. She nodded at John's extra little musing as well as Chas', then glanced at Jay when she scoffed in clear disagreement. Yet seeing as Jay wasn't prepared to go into depth about why she reacted that way, Fia wasn't going to question it. "I'm glad I saw it too, it's absolutely stunning here" Kay agreed, easily seeing how it could mean so much to someone like Elliott, as she took some food and opened the packet to eat it. Fia grabbed some more of the snack bar food she had tried earlier on in the day, wasting no time in eating it happily, deciding that it was now one of her favourite foods and she had to make a point to remember what it was so in her timeline, she could ask Cal and Cliff to bring them with them when they do their visits. "it's got an endless amount of inspiration for art here, which I for one fully appreciate" Kay then added after swallowing a mouthful of food. It even quelched that bit of homesickness she had been feeling bubble up in her the last couple of days.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The wistful edge in her brother's tone wasn't lost on Cal, she found herself smiling softly, glad to see that his memories of the arboretum had not been stained and spoiled by the darker, traumatising end to his childhood time on Attil. She saw his wistfulness and his willingness to openly accept the happier times of their childhood as a sign that Elliott was finally getting closure. When they'd made that first fateful journey into the main city to revisit the sights of their childhood- their schools, the shops they used to go to as kids, the restaurants they used to eat in as a family, the playgrounds they used to play in while their parents watched on and their old childhood home (now inhabited by another family)- she'd realised foe the first time the true depth of the hurt her brother felt. She knew him well enough (even after being separated for just under half her life) that for him, looking at those places again had been deeply painful for Elliott. He had been entirely overcome by his memories and repressed emotions- first by sadness and then by anger. So to see him now, so happily and openly remarking on the how much he loved (and still loved this arboretum) it told Cal everything would work out.

Elliott, utterly unaware of the thoughts running to his sister's head, gave a firm nod of agreement at Kay's appraisal of arboretum's scenery. "I completely agree, this place really is beautiful, a real artist's paradise. I can't help but wonder about the botanical gardens though. I mean... I wanted to draw the stuff there back when I was a kid and had no developed artistic skills. As and adult? My brain would probably go into overdrive and fall out of my head or something" "You'd end probably up lookin' like the kid did earlier." John smirked in reply, beating Tai to the punchline, gesturing with a bit of his bread roll to show that the kid in question was Lee and not Fia.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay listened to what Elliott was saying in agreement to her comments, not surprised that he of everyone else in the group was agreeing with her words, considering it was becoming very clear that it was he and herself that were the artistic ones out of the group when it came to traditional art. Hearing him talk about the botanical gardens, she could hear the sheer admiration for the place in his tone, even if it was a brief mention and mostly focused on saying how he reckons he would react now as an adult artist with skill. She smirked and chuckled at John's quip about how Elliott would look, knowing he was probably right as Lee's reaction to Fia's playing and dancing earlier was surely a sight she wouldn't forget any time soon. The fact that John came out with it so sharply and with the added gesturing toward Lee with a piece of bread roll just made it all the more perfectly amusing in her eyes.

"Now that would be a sight no one would forget if it happened" Kay quipped with a smirk. Glancing at Tai when she looked at John saying what he did, she could tell that Tai wanted to say something exactly the same or very very similar. Fia just found herself smirking as she was feeling glad that for once she wasn't being used an example or reminded of something she did, and it was in fact Lee being the focus of the quip. "I'm sure if our Earth Botanical gardens are amazing, which they are, then the ones here must be even more phenomenal to see" Kay then added. Fia just nodded, being able to once agree with something about a location that Kay was talking about, as she did recall Sam once taking her to somewhere similar back home for the sake of school work, or at least, that's what Sam told her Kay so Fia could get out of the house. Sure, it meant she had to lug some of her school books and some stationary with her to make it believable as she left the apartment, but it was so worth it. She got to bond with her aunt not under an education situation and get fresh air at the same time.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Lee's reaction to being compared to Fia was to giggle loudly. She was too young to be offended and besides, in her eyes, Fia was one of the most amazing people she'd ever met. She was in awe of the teenager's talents in a way she was too young to begin to vocalise. Tai on the other hand merely smirked, he didn't mind being beaten to the punchline by John, he was happy that the joke had been well received, joining in with the laughter of the others. "Well I have no idea what the botanic gardens of your planet are like... but the ones here are stunning" Tai replied in response to Kay's comment. "I know Lee would love them, but I haven't been able to bring her to see them yet- she's not old enough. They've got an age restriction because of the more toxic plants on show."

----------------------------

After another hour or so of chat, Tai and Lee had to leave, deciding to swing by the forge and visit Simeon. Seeing the look on Dan's face Cal sat up. "Dan, you can go with them, I know you want to, I'll be fine here." The blacksmith raised an eyebrow somewhat skeptically. "Are you sure? Because...." Cal cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Yes, I am. I'm much better than I was earlier. I'm not on the verge of any kind of breakdown. Go see Sim." Dan then looked towards Cliff who gave a nod, wrapping and arm around Cliff. "Callie will be okay. Go see Sim, it'll make you feel a hell of a lot better. If anything does happen- which I doubt it will" she put particular emphasis on the word doubt, even going as far as to sign that section of the sentence as she spoke. "I can handle it." Dan nodded and let out a slight sigh of relief. Out of the two younger workers in the forge, Cal was the one he was most worried about and he would feel incredibly guilt if he left in time of crisis when all Cal wanted was to have her adoptive father by her side. But Cal and Cliff had convinced him to go, he knew they meant it and he could clearly see that Cal wasn't lying when she said she was doing better- the colour had returned to hr skin and the light to her eyes. "Okay, okay, that's me told. But call immediately if anything happens- good or bad." Cal gave a slight eyeroll in response before hugging him- the typical eyeroll of a child who thought their parent had just said something ridiculously obvious, but was incredibly touched by the sentiment behind it.

 

[MzHyde]

Lee's happy giggling at being compared to her made Fia smile as she clearly took it as a compliment rather thna anything else. It warmed her heart that Lee really did seem to take to her and enjoy being near her as she never thought she'd be considered as any sort of person to be admired or looked up to. She never saw her as being a possible inspiration to someone, so having Lee just having this phase of practically idiolising her made her feel rather happy and chuffed. She just hoped for the young girl that would last for whoever she came into contact with as she grew up. She also really enjoyed the girl's company as it made her see things she was so used to in a new fresh light. Kay looked at Tai when he said about the botanical gardens here, even though he couldn't compare them to the ones of Earth, she gave a small smile and couldn't help but glance at Lee when he said about wanting to take her but can't until she's older. "Well I'm sure it'll be worth the wait until she's older to go. She'll appreciate them older as well" she replied.

--------------

With the time just seeming to fly by as they went from one conversation to another, Kay and Fia were surprised that another hour had gone by. It felt like no time at all had gone by because of how easy it was for them all to chat with each other. With it now being time for Tai to go home with Lee, Fia took the opportunity to give Lee a hug goodbye as the adults all convinced Dan to go with Tai and Lee to see Simeon. "See you around buddy" she said to Lee with a smile, before letting her go to her dad. She really had grown to adore that little kid, even if technically in this timeline Lee was four years older than herself. A fact she tried to not think about as it just felt far too bizarre. The eyeroll that Cal eventually gave Dan didn't go amiss on her or Kay, making the two of them smirk as it all too familiar of a smirk that they both knew too well, all too sure that pretty much every single kid biological or adopted gave their parents at some point or another.

With Dan, Tai and Lee leaving they looked at the group, "So what are our plans?" Kay ended up asking, not sure how much longer they all wanted to stay out. "I don't mind" FIa replied back with a shrug.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cal waved goodbye as Dan, Simeon and Lee headed away from the lake before flopping onto the grass again next to Cliff. She gave a shrug in response to Kay's question. "I honestly hadn't thought any further than getting here." She admitted "though I wouldn't mind staying here for a while longer, I'm in no hurry to get back to the flat and this arboretum only closes when it gets dark, so we're not under and time pressure to get back." "Well in that case I'm all for staying here longer." John declared. he had no desire to return to Cal and Cliff's flat any time soon, fearing (like the others) that as soon as he left the arboretum the darker, oppressive mood would return. Being outside had had done him, and more importantly Elliott, the world of good. He could see in his adoptive son's eyes that Elliott was more relaxed, more open and much happier after spending so much of the day sketching and he didn't want to do anything that would jeopardise Elliott's happiness.

"I vote for staying here too." Elliott declared. "But maybe we could move somewhere else?" he suggested. "See another part of the arboretum perhaps? I kind of want to draw the football kids if they're still around." All heads turned towards the upper part of the arboretum where the ground levelled out into a flat grassy plain. There was indeed a group of people kicking a ball around (though not the same group of students that had been there when they initially arrived in the arboretum). "Sounds like a plan to me.... I might even join in if they need or want another player" Jay mused as she looked at the game. "I haven't played a proper game since my stint as an army cadet."

 

[MzHyde]

Hearing that no one really had given it a thought of what to do or how long to stay here at the aboretum didn't really surprise Kay. She certainly wasn't complaining at the idea of staying here for just that bit longer as she did enjoy seeing and hearing everyone in a good mood, especially Elliott. It also seemed like John and the others were of the same mindset as well, making her nod her agreement. If it meant everyone remianed in the good mood they were, then she was willing to stay here in this outdoor location for as long as they possibly could. "Fine by me" she replied, just before Elliott also expressed his desire to stay here for that bit longer, but maybe move to a different part of the arboretum. "I'm down for moving to a different area here if everyone else is" Fia chimed in. At Jay's comment about possibly seeing if she could join in in the football match that they could just about see going on, both Fia and Kay smiled, thinking it sounded so typical of Jay, if the previous game at the military barracks was anything to go by. Fia personally could never get into football, whether it was watching it on tv or having the insentive to play it on an amateur level.

"I guess it's settled then, moving across to where the game is going on" Kay commented, mentally gearing herself for trying to get up off the ground which she knew would be a slight challenge and quite possibly not the most dignified thing in the world. She really couldn't wait until the time would come when she could be back to her normal self again and not worry or think about how to do such simple tasks such as standing up from sitting on the floor. Fia stood up and grabbed her bag, slinging it onto her back before holding her arms out for Kay to use an aid so she could get up, to which Kay accepted gladly and took ahold of her daughter's arms and pulled herself up carefully and slowly for worry of falling back down again in front of everyone. Once stood up, and satisfied that Kay was firmly on her feet, Fia bent down and and grabbed her mother's belongings before handing them to her. "thanks kiddo" Kay said, "you're welcome" Fia replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"It's been that long?" Cliff asked, as she got up, surprise written all over her face. The game they'd played with the army cadets on the rooftop a few days prior hadn't technically been football, but Jay had made skilful use of football-style tactics and tackles. The assassin certainly didn't play like she hadn't played for years. Jay's response was a nondescript shrug. "I didn't bother looking for any kind of group on earth. I didn't have the time and I wanted to stay under the radar." "Yet you did freelance heists." Elliott pointed out with a teasing edge to his voice. "That's different, crime is always different. Those heists didn't run the risk of people discovering I was alien- it's bloody hard to get contact lenses that disguise a fully silver eye, most only deal with irises." "And before Earth?" John asked as he got up. With his head facing towards Jay he was unable to see how uneasy on her feet Kay was as she got up, even with Fia's assistance.

Jay gave a smile that wasn't a smile, her lips may have curved upwards but her entire face was dark as she replied "the people who run maximum security prisons aren't into inmates playing football. They much prefer manual labour and highly toxic, power-dampening drugs." "Ah..." John replied, at a loss for what else to say. What could you say in response to that? They'd seen the scars on Jay's back, carved in by metal tipped whips, old wounds opened and re-opened until her body gave up trying to heal them and when that happened the whippers rubbed salt in the wounds to slow the healing process and induce yet more agony.

With Kan and Fia ready to move there was thankfully no need to continue that particular conversation as they began to climb up the hill, Elliott taking the proper path this time as a opposed to the dirt gorge. Jay passed her bag to Elliott before heading to the group of students calling out "is there room for one more player?" while the rest of the group headed over to a set of park benches along the edge of the field where they could sit, watch and sketch in comfort.

 

[MzHyde]

Even though Fia was helping Kay get up off the ground, she was listening to everyone talk and what Jay had to say about why it had been so long since she played any football match. Her reason made some kind of sense until Elliott teasingly made a jab about what she did instead, making her smirk. As per usual and what she knew so well, Jay came back with a reasonable comeback to Elliott, which made her think it would be very difficult to make Jay struggle with some kind of retort to any quip or jab made toward her. She also wasn't surprised that John just had to ask about her reasons before Earth out of curiosity, not even minding that he couldn't see she was helping her mother solo in getting up off the ground.

It was at John's question that made both Fia and Kay turn to Jay to really listen to the reply, realising in that very second that they too were kind of curious what the answer would be. Yet seeing the smile that wasn't a smile made them almost feel bad for wanting to know as it clearly wasn't a positive reason that Jay had for them. They gave a somber nod at her answer and both could tell in the way John became lost for words as a reaction, that he must have felt a bit awkward at least for even asking and maybe have wished he didn't ask. Or at least, that's what they half wished was the case and that they were reading him remotely correctly. It may have been in different timelines, but both women had also seen the scars on Jay's back and knew it was a sore subject for her to explain or talk about, both also knowing that after what Jay just said there really wasn't any other reply you give the woman.

They walked with the rest of the group up the hill to where the kids playing football were playing and Kay interally sighed with relief that this time there was a bench to sit on as it meant she wouldn't need so much of an aif to get up this time when the time came to leaving when they wanted to. She sat down gladly as Jay had run on ahead and asked if there room for an extra player, deciding that after spending so much time with her head in her sketchbook, she would actually watch the game instead, as well as looking around at the views around her once more. Fia didn't know what else to do after spending so much entertaining Lee and playing for the kid, so instead she pulled out her book that she had in her bag to try and focus and read.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The football group were more than willing to let Jay join in their game, one of the teams was slightly smaller than the other and were delighted to get another player. As she was introduced to her teammates Jay tied back her hair into a tight ponytail, twisting it round to ensure the loose strands wouldn't escape. Most of the students were playing barefoot so Jay decided to join them, unlacing her shoes and chucking them in the direction of the benches the others were sitting on. The shoes landed with a thump in front of Elliott who picked them up and put them neatly beside Jay's backpack.

With that the game began. It initially took Jay a little while to get into the swing of things and to figure out what kind of group she was playing with. She quickly realised that being a bit rough wasn't just allowed, it was welcomed (so long as you didn't directly tackle somebody to the ground). When she didn't have the ball Jay took great pleasure in tackling those who did. When she had the ball Jay was a whirlwind of motion on the pitch, dodging, weaving and spinning around the other players. She made it look both easy and graceful to out-manoeuvre her opponents, all the while continuing to dribble the ball back and forth between her bare feet. John hadn't been intending to watch the match (football, and sports in general weren't really his thing) but he found himself drawn into watching it anyway. "I know nothin' about football, but she's good" he remarked. Elliott looked up from his sketchpad. The pages were already covered with drawings of the players in action, the pencil lines blurred to convey their movement and the rapid pace of the game.

 

[MzHyde]

Neither Fia or Kay had noticed that the other players were playing barefooted until they saw Jay unlacing her boots and chucking them toward Elliott. Both of them found it a curious choice to make as it wasn't a chosen thing to do on Earth from what they've ever noticed, not that either really paid attention to the game back on Earth. Yet both knew choosing to play such a sport barefooted was far from the preferred choice on Earth. With the game beginning, Fia only watched for a brief moment before she went back to her book and got well and truly focused on the pages in her hands, rather than the match but she was aware of the noises of the players and the frantic style of play that going on ahead of her.

Kay watched the match gladly, smiling every now and then and finding that compared to football matches back home, this one was actually entertaining to watch and Jay was definitely entertaining to watch in particular. It may have taken her a short moment to get into the swing into things by sussing out what the other players on her team were doing, but it was clear she was a quick study and fell into the rhythm of the game easily enough. She nodded at John's words, "Likewise, football bores me senseless back home, but Jay has skill in this match. They all do actually. I never thought i'd find myself willingly watch a match being played- in any level" she replied smirking. "And playing bare foot is more impressive, wouldn't catch the so called professionals back home doing that" she added. In fact the very idea of the professional footballers even entertaining the idea of playing bare foot was hard to imagine. iN her eyes, it was all about the money for those players back home and not the game, and those that did play for the game were in minority.

"They wouldn't entertain the idea because they've probably got their feet insured for obscene amounts of money and don't want to risk their damn limbs" Fia chimed in without even lifting her head or eyes from the words on her page. Fia's comment that was said so casually but matter of factly made Kay lightly scoff in amusement as she was probably right. "probably not far wrong with that assumption" she pointed out, before taking a glance at the sketches Elliott was doing and being impressed with them.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John snorted loudly, and disapprovingly at the idea of footballer's insuring their legs for ludicrous amounts of money. The whole concept didn't just enrage him, it disgusted him. A clear cut case of either fame going to their heads, having more money than sense, or the most likely option- both. The footballers in question didn't even need the money, they had piles of it if the baying hordes of tabloids (and more reputable news sources) were to be believed. Indulging the rich and stupid like that disgusted John- they didn't need encouragement they needed a reality check- he'd grown up dirt poor and those memories shaped his adult attitude towards money. "Don't even get me bloody started on the 'abits of rich, famous and stupid footballers. Though I bet those aresholes would play barefoot if it was for some highly publicised charity event- in the hopes it would make 'em look good and like 'one of the people'." John replied, the airquotes are around 'one of the people' blatantly audible in his voice.

"Playing barefoot is a more common thing here." Elliott remarked. "Most schools have a grass pitch so it's not like you'd be tearing up your feet on tarmac like you would on Earth... at least that's the way I've always remembered it." Cal gave a nod "you remember right, barefoot playing us banned in army bases for safety reasons, understandable since it's a squaddie tradition to play on rooftops." "Back home we'd play football on the beach, or even in the water." Cliff remarked with a slight wistful edge, before sobering up as she added "but back to people insuring parts of their body for very large amounts of money. There's always stories amongst medical people- ward talk rumours- about what happens when somebody with limbs insured for massive amounts of money comes in for surgery on said limbs. All the junior and mid-level doctors are suddenly extremely busy and the job ALWAYS ends up with the most experienced surgeon in the building. That way if something does- gods forbid- go wrong, they can't blame it on inexperienced medical staff. There's all kinds of horror stories about surgeons losing their jobs over operations, but I've never heard one straight from the source."

 

[MzHyde]

John's snort of amusement and disgust at the very concept she spoke of, made Kay smirk. It got the exact reaction she was expecting from John or any of the group as it was utterly ludricous but she knew it was something that the rich and famous did. It was something she disapproved of greatly, just like John did and when he gave his small opinion Kay nodded in agreement. "oh no doubt they would." she replied to him, clearly hearing the air quotes in his tone. She looked at Elliott as he said about playing barefoot was pretty common here on Attil, something she was beginning to easily believe even if the idea to her seemed utterly crazy as all she could think of was one wrong kick or tackle and someone would have broken toes. She didn't know if she would have thought of that before she was pregnant or if it was her pregnant maternal brain kicking into play, but either way it was her only thought on the discovery. She continued to listen as Cal confirmed Elliott's memory, still yet, her mind not straying away from the many ways of playing barefoot could go wrong.

She then listened as Cliff spoke up to join in in the conversation finding what she was saying both interesting and a scenario that made perfect sense. She knew if she was a junior doctor she wouldn't touch someone who had insured limbs for obscene amounts of money. "don't blame them to be honest, I know I wouldn't want that responsibility and risk of being sued beyond belief" she said back. "if what our media says is to be believed, its a very common thing amongst the rich and famous too. It just baffles me that that's one of the first things someone decides to do when they get fame. I just don't get it at all. They could do so much good with their money and they be incredibly selfish with it. I'm pretty sure there's a celebrity back home who has a limb insured for millions" she added. "to me it's a show of rubbing it in normal people's faces they're minted and we're not. It makes them totally void of what living a real life is like" Fia commented as she still read, but then paused to look up as she spoke more, "in my timeline there's an actor whose insured her face for something stupid like 12mil because she's the most sought after actor in my time. Stupid thing is, she's a shit actor and she's done more films that have flopped than succeeded, but because she has a 'Hollywood pretty' face she's highly sought after" she added.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John shook his head as Cliff brought the topic of conversation back to rich idiots with limbs insured for millions, then began smirking as he saw where she was going with the story. He wasn't at all surprised that a normal doctor wouldn't want to even be in the same room as one of these mega insured people. John was far from a doctor, but he'd met a few rich bastards in his time and any time they went anywhere they demanded the best and acted like complete divas. And he'd only seen them in bars and restaurants he couldn't (and didn't want to) imagine the kind of arsehole dictator they'd turn into when it was something that actually mattered. "Hells, I'd make meself bloody scarce if I was a doctor and one of those wankers came in- wouldn't want to breathe in the wrong place and be accused of cockin' everything up. I'd bloody pretend to be a patient if it meant I could stay well away from them." "No regular doctor can afford to be sued and even the good ones who work as private consultants don't have the kind of money to be worth suing. And such a PUBLIC case, which you can guarantee it would be? Regardless of which way the trial went, it's a massive black mark on your reputation and you could easily end up without a job." Cliff finished her little rant with a disapproving tut. She hadn't personally dealt with any of the rich-types she was describing, but she knew the reputations and had heard the stories. Getting a career in medicine took so many years of hard graft, study and working yourself to the bone and to have one person with more money than sense destroy said career in one bumbling blow? She couldn't imagine how soul-crushing that would be.

Chas had been listening along to the conversation and let out an incredulous scoff at Fia's comment. "Twelve million?" he let out a low whistle through his teeth. "Bloody..... that's just taking the piss! The things you could do with twelve million.... and it's all wasted on the face of somebody who isn't even a good actor?" Chas shook his head in firm disapproval, like John he'd grown up in a poor family and he'd worked hard his teenaged and adult life to make a better life, first for himself and later for his life and daughter, he didn't want Trish to have the childhood he had, he wanted hers to better and with more opportunities than he'd been given. (Not that he didn't enjoy cabbying, but there were times where he wondered how different his life had been if he'd been born into a more middle class family and where he'd have ended up if he didn't meet John). Elliott, Cal and Cliff nodded in agreement with Chas' words, his thoughts and the disgusted edge in his tone echoing their own mindsets.

John's expression at Fia's story was one of complete disgust. It was an utter waste of money and the fact "Now that's utter bollocks and a clear example of how rich people know jack shit. How the fuck could anybody possibly justify that? I mightn't necessarily make the best life choices if I was given twelve million quid, but you wouldn't see me goin' off insuring some bit o' me body. Though...." he trailed off as a though occurred to him and he turned to Chas with a smirk. "Mate, you remember Gary yeah?" "Which one- Lester, Greene or..?" "The weedy shit who used way too much hairgel and though he was the most good-lookin' man to grace the Earth, but he was actually just another straight, white guy with delusions?" "Em's brother?" "That's the bugger! Didn't he once when roaring drunk declare that he was gonna get his balls insured for massive money or some shit like that?" Chas shook his head and laughed at the memory. "Ohhhh yeah! You're right! Gods I'd forgotten all about that. But he did yell that- loud enough for the whole bar to hear." He shook his head again

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and FIa both agreed that in Cliff's line of work, unless a surgeon or doctor was almost over qualified for the job, it wasn't worth risking one's job over. Healthcare workers had a hard enough time in their jobs, at least they did on Earth, they didn't need to risk losing their job entirely because of some rich bastard's near damn impossible requirements to keep them happy and healthy. Kay was also full of disgust at Fia's story about some actor in her timeline, never having heard such a high price tag on someone's self insurance before. Sure, she had heard of ludricous costs, but nothing quite as high as what Fia commented. So hearing even Chas express his disgust of the story told her that it really was beyond ludricous. "oh yeah, when it came out in the media the actor got bombarded with trolls on social media over it, which just meant the media latched onto the story all the more" Fia replied. Despite her reply, she wasn't surprised by Chas' choice of words as she remembered reading it on her phone at the time in her time and making such a loud scoff of disgust at it that it caused everyone in the room with her to ask what made her so disgusted.

She also remembered the long rant John had gone on that day over it, which just made her rant along with him and Kay had to leave the room for a bit because they just wouldn't shut up about it. John's comments again in this time made FIa smirk as it almost echoed his future self's rants and wording perfectly, but she couldn't risk saying that's how he reacted in her time for fear of ruining everything. The only difference in this time was John's mention of one of the few Gary's that he knew and conversing with Chas about what he got reminded of, and what their mate Gary once drukenly said he would do. The mini story made Fia and Kay laugh even though they didn't know the person in question, but the fact they knew Chas and John, they could easily imagine their friends having that kind of mentality when drunk or even sober. "I have to admit, I have said many things when drunk, but never anything like that" Kay chuckled. Fia smirked and looked down toward the pages in her book again when Kay said what she did, knowing she had many stories in her head from her timeline at what Aunt Sam had told her about her mother's younger days, and what she had witnessed herself at when her parents had come home late at night drunk off their asses, or during the holidays. Stories that she couldn't tell at all.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"John's said some craaazy shit when pissed out of his tree" Chas remarked only to be interrupted by John who smirked broadly as he added "or high." Chas rolled his eyes at the interruption then continued "that too, but I don't think even he has said something as batshit as that." John adopted a look of mock outrage at the notion of him being the upper limit of crazy drunk talk, while Elliott just shook his head fondly. The way John and Chas bantered back and forth had always been enjoyable for him to watch, even when he didn't understand what they were saying or what they were referring to. Seeing John back to being snarky and jokey as well as all-too-willing to bitch about the (underserved) privileges of the rich, it told him that John was well and truly out of his dark, brooding funk from earlier. Elliott wasn't naive, he knew that if he died, even with the knowledge of the horror of Rinaa's timeline, John wouldn't do one thing different. When he was angry, grieving and hurting right down to the soul all logic was flung right out of the window. It was who John was and how he operated.

"And that" Elliott declared with a smirk "is why I don't drink. No chance of those comments slipping out of my mouth because alcohol has gotten rid of my filters." John smirked back, knowing full well that wasn't Elliott's real reason. It was a running joke for Elliott to declare all kinds of arbitrary things as the reason he abstained from alcohol (the real reason was that he simply didn't like the taste of alcohol). "No anything stupid you say is fully thought through by that brain o' yours." "Oi!" Elliott yelled in mock indignation, reaching over to give John's shoulder a shove. "You walked right into it Ell." John smirked back.

 

[MzHyde]

Chas and John bantering back and forth made Fia smile as she too was used to this kind of banter between the two men. Even John mock horror actions was of no surprise or anything new for her to experience. Like Elliott, she was over the moon that John was proving to be back to his normal snarky self. Seeing him be distant, 'down in the dumps' and just generally quiet was never something she liked seeing from him. It always got her worried about him and it brought back those memories of how he was when they couldn't save Kay and because of that she knew how he would be if Elliott didn't survive this whole plan that they knew nothing about, and she only knew certain things of. On the other side of that however, she felt even more determined to let Rinaa's secret plan work out and become successful so everyone around John and John himself didn't fall into a pit of dispair and not see a way out other than letting Rinaa's timeline win out, which none of them wanted at all.

Kay found herself just listening to everyone talking, bantering and Elliott declaring that was why he didn't drink but even she could tell that wasn't the truth. To her it was something that most people said when they were joking around for whatever reason, and Elliott didn't seem like the type of person to not drink for fear of saying something utterly ridiculous. John's snarky comeback made her smirk and snigger at how it made Elliott react. "He's got a point Ell, you did kinda walk right into that one" Fia smirked, glad that it wasn't her being the target for the remarks this time like it was more than often in her timeline. Kay found herself refraining from retorting back with 'well at least he's got a brain', deciding she wasn't going to say it and be that cliche comment person in this moment of time. Instead she came back with something else to say, "And I thought you favoured Elliott over everyone else, thought you'd be backing him up, not John" she pointed out to Fia, to which Fia just smirked and shrugged. "Ell is still my favourite, but that don't mean I ain't gonna agree with the truth either".

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott rolled his eyes slightly at John and Fia's comments on how he'd walked right into it, taking them in the good humoured way they were meant in. He'd known as soon as the words left his mouth that he'd left himself right open for such a remark and had half-hoped nobody would notice and the conversation would bound on without further comment. He let out a slight smirk when he was declared to be Fia's favourite, this fact had been made abundantly clear many times before, but it was still a nice and uplifting thing for him to hear. John staunchly refused to play the favourite game with the three (soon to be four) main kids in his life, a mindset which he still maintained in Fia's timeline. he'd grown up his entire childhood with the knowledge that he wasn't the favourite and that made him something lower than human in his father's eyes. John's one guiding parenting mantra had been to do the exact opposite of what his father had done- hence never even thinking about who his favourite child would be. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" Elliott replied, waving his hand around as if to wave away Fia and John's previous comments "at least I use my brain" he shot back to which John simply smirked "touché Ell, touché."

---------------------------------------------------------------

As the banter continued on the benches, the footballers continued on with their game. It lasted about an hour and ended- despite all her skillful blocking, tackling and dribbling of the ball- with the defeat of Jay's team. The two teams shook hands and bumped fists, parting with no hard feelings. Jay headed back towards the benches, her feet were smeared with mud as were parts of her lower shins (she'd followed the example of the other players and rolled up her trouser legs) and in places there were even bits of grass sticking out of the mud. She sat down beside Elliott perching on the arm of the bench as she untied her hair from it's ponytail. "Where'd you learn to play like that? You're really bloody good." Elliott asked, trying and failing to keep the impressed edge out of his tone. "I grew up with it really. A lot of civilisations and cultures have their own equivalent of football- the Isogrii were no exception. Their version is more violent than the standard game though, tackling is MUCH more brutal- more along the lines of Earth rugby maybe. It was a way of toughening us kids up, keeping us active and in later years making us more competitive and eager. Some people would literally fight out their rivalries or disputes in the ring, others would get a gang of friends and allies and have a brutal, bloody match of football instead. It also gave an advantage when settling in on a new planet, the Isogrii are nomads by nature so we'd always be in new places needing to fit in fast. Sport is generally a good way to get in with the locals."

 

[MzHyde]

The only reason Fia never minded calling Elliott her favourite person was because he was her only real sibling that she grew up with. Sure Cal and CLiff were in her life, but due to them being from Attil, they weren't always there, so in her eyes Elliott could only be her favourite because he was the only one beside in their direct family. She of course didn't mean it negatively as she adored her father just as much, it just so happened that becuase of the reason she stuck around here in this time, she was more latched onto Elliott than John. If she was in her timeline then it would be different and her versions of John and Kay were around, then Fia would have been called out on her declaration straight away because she knew well enough that John never favoured his kids over one or another and she actually admired him for that. She knew no one would ever be considered his favourite and she wouldn't have it any other way with him. She smirked at Elliott just waving off their comments and yet when Elliott came back with his own retort, she scoffed and sniggered, always enjoying when the two of them bantered.

------------------------------

With the football match soon being over and Jay's team losing, Kay was still impressed by Jay's playing and everyone else who was being involved in the match. She also thought Earth professional players could take a lot from these people who were proving better sports than some of them, or so she thought. With Jay now back with the group, she smiled and nodded in agreement at Elliott's praise of Jay's playing ability. She too had to admit she was curious to where she learned to play like that, so when Jay began giving her answer, Kay listened wholeheartedly finding her answer highly interesting as well as making some sort of sense. Her playing did remind her of Rugby now that Kay was thinking back onto the match, even if she didn't think it during the match. "Sport does seen to do that, at least on Earth. Can't speak for other planets and solar systems and whatnot, but if there's one thing humans enjoy talking about whether it's positively or negatively, it's sport" she commented. She also knew sport was the easiest way to see how competitive someone was in their overall personality. It was one reason she wasn't big on most sports that were contact sports or meant wearing herself out running around. She preferred the tranquil sports, that required full concentration, though that wasn't to say she hadn't had experience in other more energetic sports.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott nodded along in understanding as Jay spoke, fully able to see where she was coming from. And he wasn't the only one either- Chas was also leaning forwards with interest, as were Cliff and Cal, and even John. They could all see how sport was universal, even the Earth based-group who'd never been off a planet before now only had to look at their own human culture to see how similar ballsports had emerged in different cultures separated by thousands of miles of ocean and hundreds of years. It didn't surprise Elliott that the tribe of assassins Jay was raised by would have their own, more violent version of football. That fit with what he knew of the Isogrii so far, with one hand they trained people to be incredibly capable and violent killers, with the other they fostered a deep bond of tribal loyalty. Sport was a good bonding exercise, that he couldn't deny, he hadn't been a sports nut as a kid, but he'd made a few friends by kicking a ball around after school and during lunchbreaks.

What did surprise him was that this ball game was used as a way to resolve arguments. Sport to him always seemed like something that would cause more disputes than it solved. "What really? Football to resolve disputes and rivalries? Surely it would only create more rivalries and disputes." Jay's response was a smile and a slight chuckle. "You'd think that, but it worked. How, I'm not exactly sure, but it did, I didn't really question it to be honest, it was just the way shit got done. Though I preferred to settle arguments in the ring." "Well that somehow doesn't surprise me at all." Elliott replied with a slight teasing smirk. He'd made the mistake once of sparring with Jay when she was pissed off at him and he'd been even more thoroughly pummelled than usual. But with the urge to kill him out of her system Jay had gone back to acting more normally (or at least what counted as normal for an assassin working against her will with a group of people she didn't like).

John meanwhile gave a smirk at Kay's comment. He couldn't care less about organised sport and the people who played it, but he couldn't deny either that it was a massive talking point in pubs. Chas had more of a knowledge of sport, it was a useful thing to have as a cabby, and with a little bit of bullshitting, it would allow him to keep up with any passenger that decided their cab driver was the person to rant about the latest match to. "Or talkin' about the fucking weather. It's basically the national hobby of British people to bitch about the weather- regardless of whether it's good, bad or ugly, we always want something else."

 

[MzHyde]

The fact that sport worked when it came to resolving differences and arguments was surprising to Kay but she was so focused on the whole story that she didn't get too surprised by that little bit of information. What wasn't surprising was the fact that Jay always preferred to settle her arguments and let off steam by stepping into a fight ring, rather than kicking a ball about on a pitch of one style or another. She looked at John and smirked and nodded as he gave his quip back to what she commented, he really had hit the nail on the head with the addition he spoke of. "Oh for sure, and having lived in two different parts of the world, I can tell you Brits are notoriously bad for it in particular. I swear humans are never happy, no matter the situation or weather" she smirked. "If it's cold, they want it warm, if it's warm it's too warm and they want it cold. If it's wet out, they want it dry, if it's dry they want some damn rain. I'm telling you, never happy" she chuckled as she added to what she was saying. "Though, I have been guilty of it myself, but I think the fact I had no roof over my head when I would moan made me more than justified to moan".

To her it was more than a valid reason to moan about UK weather, with no real solid roof over her head 99% of the time, bad weather or too hot weather always made living on the streets absolute hell and she was certain that if she didn't have Fee to keep her relatively warm during those cold nights she would have died of hyperthermia. "I wish I could say that mindset changes in the future but it really doesn't, people won't ever change on that regard I reckon." Fia spoke up, with a smirk on her lips. What she left out was her family were of no exception when it came to complaining when they felt it was necessary, though she did always notice on rainy days there always something about seeing her mother curled up in loungewear with either a sketchbook, a small canvas or book in her hands with a hot drink on the table beside her that usually consisted of hot tea or one of her amazing hot chocolates that Fia always adored.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas, Elliott and Jay all nodded in agreement, first with John's quip and then with Kay's further expansion. Cal began nodding only at the end when Kay referenced her time living homeless, out of everything said that was the part Cal could relate to. The first week or so after she left home she had been living rough on the streets -too proud to go to any of her friends' families for help for fear they or their parents would just call Zan and she'd be back where she started and too wary of hotels in case they wanted ID or worse, recognised her situation and called the police (which would no doubt end her back up with Zan again)). Her pyrokinetic powers, strong as they had been at that age, had not been enough to fully dispel the unrelenting cold that seemed to have soaked into the core of her bones. The lock-up she later lived in may not have been heated, but it was dry and a roof over her head. She didn't make any comment, not wanting to drag the still light-hearted mood down with stories of one of the most miserable parts of her teenage years.

Chas openly chuckled in amusement at Kay's words. "Never has a truer word be seen said. I hear a lot of chat from all kinds of people and Kay's just perfectly described the attitude of anybody in Britain towards the weather. the fact it doesn't change... somehow, it doesn't surprise me at all." "You think the British are moaners?" Elliott interjected, making Jay smirk, she knew exactly where this was going. "The Irish are even worse. When the twins get started on bitching about the weather? Oh gods, they just don't stop." He shook his head in a mix of fond exasperation and genuine annoyance. "Pretty sure they exaggerate it just to annoy you..." Jay interjected, her smirk growing "and Kane. Neither of you seem to be able to cope with the twins when they go full-on Irish stereotype for all it's worth. Kane in particular, though he just doesn't have time for some people's shit in general."

 

[MzHyde]

Cal's nodding to her words told Kay that she resonated and agreed with her last sentiment as she remembered Cal previously mentioning how she too lived on the streets and was homeless for a while. It wasn't something she particularly wanted to bring up into both their memories, but for Kay it was present history for her and she had only found sanctuary and a roof over her head when John and Chas found her. Yet at the same time, although neither went into more discussion over it, she knew they'd always have that same history to almost connect over. Both could fully understand where each other were coming from, just from simple comments like the one she made about having a right to moan about the weather whereas in her eyes, no one else did. She could have gone on a rant about it wound her up to no end overhearing people in flashy clothing, an umbrella over their heads as they rushed home complain about the wet weather, all whilst they ignored her seeking shelter from a shop's canopy as she kept herself bundled up in the very jacket she was wearing even to this day, desperately attempting to stop shivering because Fee couldn't and wouldn't let herwings wrap round her or heat her up whilst on the public street. A decision she agreed with, whilst she also found herself scoffing in disgust at how damn lucky these people were and they all took it for granted.

She couldn't help but smile triumphly slightly as Chas confirmed that she hit the nail on the head with her summary of Brits and their love for moaning. She didn't doubt that others in other parts of the world were the same, she knew of a fair few cases of Americans being incredibly talented in the ability to moan about the most mundane insignificant things, but there was definitely something about the people of the United Kingdom that took moaning into olympic sport terrority in her mind. It also didn't surprise her that Fia said the human kind and just people in general were exactly the same in her timeline. at Elliott's and Jay's additions to the conversation, she smirked and chuckled, easily imagining from what little she knew of the twins how their rants could be quite something to witness. "I can easily imagine that and I barely know the twins" she chuckled. "Americans can be just as bad as well, they love to moan about anything and everything too. Makes for great people watching though!" she added with a mischievous smirk, showing that yes, she had done that plenty of times when studying in coffee shops in Seattle and letting herself take a break to eavesdrop on the various topics of moaning going on around her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The meaning behind Kay's smirk was lost on nobody. People watching was something they'd all engaged in to a greater or lesser extent and for various reasons. Cal like Kay, watched out of enjoyment and curiosity. Elliott people watched first as somebody trying to learn the culture of an alien planet and later as an adult through the lens of an artist looking for people and forms to sketch. Jay watched people for business and because she'd been trained to never fully let her guard down. Cliff as a proficient lipreader liked to read lips from a distance, enjoying the little insights she could glean into people's worlds that way. Chas watched the street for potential customers. John watched any Downworlder unfortunate enough to be on the street at the same time as him, as well as the comings and goings around various Downworlder haunts (as well as eying up potential sexual partners at bars).

John leaned forwards, clearly about to make some quip about Yanks, his face saying he was fully aware of the fact Kay had spent a significant chunk of her life there and considered herself (at least in some part) American. Although he opened his mouth with every intention of saying something crassly phrased and slightly offensive, he was cut off by Jay let out a loud hiss of pain, grabbing at her left forearm where the markings under her skin were fast turning red. The assassin's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell off the arm of the bench, landing on the ground with a thump. Her body lay still for a few seconds, then began to convulse. As she convulsed her body began to flicker, turning transparent and intangible, before flicking back to a a more solid-looking state.