Fracture (Tag Kami)

[Girlzilla]

I sit on the school grounds, smiling up at the sun. Classes have ended for the day, The weekend is just beginning, and the weather couldn’t be more beautiful. Not a cloud anywhere in sight, with the slightest of breezes rolling in from the south. This is the kind of day that makes you feel alive. Someone’s got a radio going, music beats drift lazily in the air. I cant recognize the tune, but the melody is soft and pleasant. I find a warm spot in the sun where I can lay out on the grass, the thin blades tickling my skin, like a prickly wool blanket. Stretching my arms out as Wide as they can go, I let out a long, contented sigh.

Alice!

Chris’s voice calls out. I sit back up, seeing him waving to me accost the field. He’s got the big goofy smile on his face, waving like an idiot. It makes me giggle a little bit, as I wave back to him.

Afternoon Chris

I call back, but it wasn’t me who said it. As I watch, I see myself running over to embrace Chris. But it’s not the real me, It’s some doppelganger, a copy of me, just an imitation. I feel powerless as I watch Chris wrap his arms around the phony, The two lean close to eachother, and my heart drops into my stomach as I watch him kiss her.

No, Stop! She’s lying!

I scream, tears building in my eyes. Why cant he hear me? Why doesn’t anyone see that she’s a fake. My copy breaks of their embrace, leading Chris into the school, both of them laughing. I run towards the two, but everything is moving wrong. My movements are sluggish, like running through water. The world is falling away from me, and before I know it, Im standing there beside the school, towering over the structure. I drop down to my stomach, peering in through the door, trying to see where they went. I hear their laughing, echoing from somewhere inside. I crawl around the outside, peering through the windows, or trying to. Im breathing so hard, I cant stop my breath from fogging up the glass. The sounds of the laughter is getting further away, try as I might, I cant keep up.

Wait up! Please, you have to listen to me!

My cries fall unanswered, nobody’s around to hear me. I keep trying, peering through the fog covered glass. I was about ready to give up when I find them. Chris and my copy are dancing, it’s a party of some kind. Kami, Duncan, Robin, Jean, Kat, Dr. McCoy, Sidney, Professor Drake, Professor Summers…everyone’s there. They’re all celebrating something, but I don’t know what.

She’s a Fake! She’s lying to you!

I’m trembling with each word, hearing my voice crack. Nobody even looks at me. They don’t hear my warnings, they don’t realize the danger they are in. I have to save them from the fake me, before its to late. Before I even realize what I’m doing, My hand curls into a fist, muscles tense in my arm and even as I try to stop, its to late. I smash through the roof, sending the party into chaos. Laughter turns to screaming, people are running around like ants from an overturned anthill. The walls come crashing down, one after another, till everything’s been flattened. Fires erupt, spreading as fast as the eye can follow them, consuming the school, the land…everything goes up in flames. The heat against my face is blinding, the smoke chokes my lungs. I stumble away, coughing. When I open my eyes again, I can the ground below, hoping to find a survivor. Everywhere I look is destruction. Rotting bodies of my friends lay on the ground, trapped in the moment of their demise.

I hear the screech of tires, and turn to see Kami’s jeep speeding away down the street. I chase after it, tears falling down my face as I run, sobbing so hard I can hardly speak.

I’m so sorry! Please, it wasn’t my fault…I didn’t mean for this to happen. Stop running from me, I need your help! Someone help me, I don’t want to hurt anyone.

The chase leads us into the remains of a city. Buildings flank either side of the road, the lingering remains of the civilization that stood here. Rubble and bodies line the road. The jeep makes a turn, but loses control, skidding out of control and crashing against one of the hollowed out buildings. Nobody gets out. I stand there, panting, covered in tears and dirt, feeling like I had run a million miles.

Why are you so afraid of me? Its Me! Its Alice! Im your friend, you know that. I didn’t mean for any of this! I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…so sorry

No answer. I feel my sorrow turn, becoming anger. This wasn’t my fault, it was theirs. They refused to listen to me, they ran from me. Everything that happened was their fault. My hands dart out, grabbing the car, lifting it up, enclosing it in my hands. I feel a crunch, and then a warm wetness in my hands. Between my fingers, scarlet blood starts trickling.

I shake my head, closing my eyes. This can’t be happening…this can’t be. I killed them, everyone who I cared about…I killed them. I killed them. I open my eyes, and fin I’m standing on the street, next to the crushed jeep. Im back to my small size again. I try not to look, but I cant stop it. Inside the jeep, I see their faces. My friends, dead…broken. My fault, mine.

I’m a monster.

A shadow falls accrost me. I turn, and look up. Standing above mentoring so high into the heavens that the sun and sky are blocked out, is me. The real me. Covered in green scales, claws gripping the rooftops of the shattered buildings. Her face is curled in a feral snarl, revealing row after row of fangs. Brow hair does little to hide the glowing golden slits of her eyes. Her tail flicks once, and then she pounces. I scream, and everything goes dark.

I don’t know where I am…Its crampt, the air is heavy. I can hardly move, the walls are so close, forcing me into the fetal position. Theres the crunching of wood, the sound of glass breaking and walls cracking. I can’t see, it’s too dark. Someone’s screaming

I don’t realize that its me.

[Kami]

Can't sleep. The clowns may just eat me. And not in the fun way either.
I chuckle a bit at the thought as I chug the last of my current bottle in one pull, finishing it off.
I feel the burn, So I'm not as drunk as I want to be.
But then again, I started drinking pretty late.
I was waiting... for Duncan to go to sleep.
People seem a bit put off when I'm drunk, so I've reserved it for times I know I'll be alone.
And that's usually when everyone else is trying to sleep.
Of course, empty bottle means I need to head back to my room to get another.
Pulling myself off the rec-room couch, I drag the empty with me, to dispose of it in my room as well.
The less I leave laying around... the less people will ask me about things.
I sway a bit as I walk down the metal halls, humming some old Ramones tune as I make my way slowly to my room.
I enter really quietly, because Alice is sleeping, and make my way to my own bed, tossing the empty under it, and going to the night stand, to get a fresh one from my bottom drawer.
Pulling it out, I sit cross legged on my bed, my tail slowly trailing back and forth across my pillows as I open the bottle, and take another drink.
I can hear Alice moaning in her sleep. She doesn't seem to be having good dreams right now.
I take another drink, my eyes open to the darkness of our room, but my senses picking up on the noises Alice makes as she thrashes a bit in her sleep.
Should I wake her up?
I can see it now: 'Hey Alice, wake up. You're having a bad dream. Want a drink? Helps me forget my nightmares...'
Yeah that would work so well.
If I were the one having the nightmare, I wouldn't want anyone to be here in the room when I wake up.
Hm. Then I suppose I should leave, slam the door to get her attention, and come back in when she's adjusted to see if she needs comfort...
Hm. Why do I feel so awkward on this suddenly?
Everyone has nightmares. That doesn't mean they are all as violent and horrible as mine.
I take a long pull from the bottle, before tossing it on my pillow, standing up to go over to Alice's bed.
I was going to wake her out of her nightmare, gently, but I never get that chance.
She grows so fast, I don't even pick it up on my speed sense, and her leg pins me to the wall above my bed, as she screams.
The hit came so unexpectedly, that it knocks the air out of me, and I can't even get my voice up to calm her.
I pant, to get air back in my lungs, even as she's squishing me, and have to resort to using my powers to try and calm her.
I try to slow her pulse, without sending her into a panic more, as I move the air around her, to let her know she's not alone here.
If she doesn't get a grip soon, she's going to crush me to death.
I finally manage to get enough air in to pant,

"A...Alice!
Calm down.... nightmare.... it's not real..."

How Ironic. I've always been concerned on what would happen if Alice were to come in during one of my own nightmares.
It never occurred to me, that one of her's could kill me.

[Girlzilla]

I realize after several very long moments pass that the screams that I hear are coming from my own mouth, and quickly clam it shut, panting heavily. Theres no room here, I cant get enough air, my elgs are jamed up against my chest. Ive felt this sensation before. Memories burst through to my mind, the cold steel cell, the waves of pain, injections. The change. I'm back there. Somehow I must have gone back there. This is all wrong, Whats happening here!? My labored breathing quickens, eyes darting about the darkness.

At last, I begin to see shapes forming out of the gloom, the trace bits of light filtering in through the windows and under the door providing a faint glow. Im In my room, at the mansion. Somehow I lost control, changed to my normal size. I hear kami's voice, and my heart skips a beat. She's in here to! I feel something soft and warm shift against my foot. I can see the outline of her features, pressed against the wall. She tells me to calm down, that it was just a nightmare. But Seeing her pinned just the exact opposite.

Im killing her! She's being crushed. No! No No No No No! This Is wrong. This shouldn't be happening. Not Again, Not again. It was just like the horrible dream I'd awoken from, seeing my friend being smashed to bits, only this was the real world, I was really hurting her. Whatever control I had left snapped, and I paniced.

Trying anything I could to get off of Kami, I jerked away. The strained walls couldnt take it, my forarm went right through the outer wall, followed shortly by my head and torso, taking almost the entire wall out with me. At the same time, My feet lifted off of Kami, legs flailing as I tried to push myself back. One foot struck the door, propelling it out of its frame, leaving my leg stuck in the hallway. The whole school must have shook with the sudden explosion of force that I unwitingly unleashed.

Everything went very still for a moment. I lay, sprawled between the outside, the remains of the bedroom, and the hallway, face pressing against the ground, nearly hyperventilating as I gasped for air. The cool night time breeze slowly brought me out of it, back to reality. Everything that had just happened slowly resolved into focus, the line between what had been real and what had been a dream was clear again. I let out a exasperated sigh, feeling like a horribly clumsy idiot.

Still shaking with the aftereffects of the adrenilin in my system, I roll over onto my side, being extreamly careful not to do any more damage to the structure for fear of bringing the whole thing down. I'd seen enough destruction already...I dont think I could endure causing any more. I look through the gaping hole I'd created, into our room. My bed was gone, just a pile of splinters. The ceiling was drooping noticably, cracks covered much of it, little bits of plaster sprinkling down here and there. There was little left that was recognizable, a crumbpled dresser, piles of clothing, some fortunate trinkets and baubles which had been spared. There we're shards of broken glass sparkling in the darkness. Whatever else survived, was buried under rubble.

Without meaning to, I'd obliterated nearly everything...

I look towards Kami, glad enough to see she was still alive and in one piece. I reach for the words, but nothing comes. What do you say? I was inches away from putting her in the hospital, if not worse. I'd reduced her possessions to piles of junk, turned our room into something that looked like a war zone. It was all my fault...my fault.

Kami...Im..I...are you...?

I stammer, barely even whispering, still in shock. I felt shame rushing through me, deadening my senses and crushing me like I'd crushed everything I'd touched. I couldn't even form an apology.

[Kami]

Lack of oxygen, coupled with all the alcohol I've consumed tonight, results with the spins.
I start to feel as though I'm blacking out, at the same moment her foot lifts off me, and I land on my bed, gasping for air, my head spinning so much that when she tears the rest of the room to rubble, I can't even move, too busy trying to breath, coughing, and gasping through it all, trying desperately to hold onto my consciousness, to keep from passing out from it.
After all of that action, the silence that falls is almost deafening, as she tries to talk to me.
I open my eyes, which doesn't help a thing, the spins getting worse, making me nauseated as I rush to shut them again.
I clear my throat, trying to keep my gag reflex in check as I utter out,

"I'll live... Just gotta stop all the spinning..."

I breath deeply, opening my eyes again, this time managing to keep control of my vision, seeing Alice and the total destruction of everything around us.
I can't believe she managed to do what I've been so afraid of doing myself!
And, my buzz increased through all the excitement making my blood rush, I can't help letting out a laugh.
Of course, I'm not completely trashed, I realize this is not the time to be laughing...
I cover my mouth with my hand, trying to swallow the laughter as I look at her.
She's shaken up really badly. And I know just how that can be right after a nightmare. Worse when you do damages on this level in it.
I pull myself off the bed, moving through the damage to where I can be in front of her face, reaching out to pat her large cheek gently.

"That.... That was one Hell of a nightmare Alice.
Are you O.K.?"

It feels so weird... watching her go through the things I fight against so hard.
What a pair we make.
Here I am drunk, avoiding sleep, so that I don't do the things she just did in hers.

[Girlzilla]

I lay there, mind practically empty, to shaken to think streight beyond the terrible guilt that I felt. That and the adrenilin combined made me feel sick, like I was about to throw up. I fought that thought back, knowing that if I dwelt on it, it'd really happen. Insted I keep my attention on Kami, waiting for my roomate to get back on her feet, practically holding my breath with worried anticipation. When she say's she's ok, aside from some lingering dizzyness, I couldn't have been happier. Well...no, thats not true. Im anything but happy right now. But at least there is some smidge of a silver lining in this whole mess.

Im stuck, unable to move for fear of bringing down even more of the dormitory. Every little shift in position, even just breathing, makes the walls creek threateningly. Its got me on pins and needles, straining to keep as still as possible, until Kami manages to extract herself from the remains of the bedroom, out of immeadiate danger of anything collapsing. She laughed a little as she was doing so, but stopped herself by slapping her hand accrost her mouth. I dont know what's funny about any of this, because Im certainly not laughing.

She makes it out ok, walking over towards me. I close my eyes, to ashamed to look at her. I destroyed everything she had, in a single sweep. I know in my heart that she won't be mad at me, indeed, when she speaks, she asks if Im alright. But that just makes it worse. Am I alright? No, Im nausious, Numb all over, pinned halfway in and out of a building. I annihilated our room, and the one person who has every right to hate me, the person who's trusted me as I lie to her over and over again, is extending kindness to me. I feel like garbage. But all I mutter is a very soft

Im ok

What else was there to say? It was like all the words I'd tried locking up forever had jammed my ability to speak, cloging up my throat and almost rendering me mute.

Im so Sorry Sheena...Its my fault...all of this. I wanted to be normal...to not have to sleep outside all by myself anymore. I should have...I don't know. I wasn't ready and you paid for my stupid mistake.

I still cant bring myself to open my eyes. Not that it helps. Just because I cant see Kami dosnt mean she's not there.

I'll pay for everything...Don't you worry. I'll find the money and fix this. I Swear I will. Just Please forgive me.

I don't know how, but I have to put this right. I'll find work somewhere, save up the money. Oh god, what about the school? I dont know how I'll pay for that. What if they dont give me a chance? By every right, they could expell me for this. It'd be only fair, Ive just been one big strain on the entire campus since I arrived. Thats one thing I always tried to avoid, being a burden on others. I worked so hard at changing, so that I could take care of myself without making the lives of everyone I care about.

It only takes one look at the results of my attempts to see what a horrible failure I am.

[Kami]

Alice says she's O.K.... though I know she really can't be.
It's just one of those things... icebreaker sort of... and it works... Once those customary words are exchanged, she seems to break down a bit, showing the emotions I know are there without having to really ask.
And she reacts, as I always figure I would, if my powers lashed out from my nightmares.
It breaks my heart to see her going through it too.
I shake my head as she mentioned paying for it all.
To me, she already is paying for it.
I hear people coming around to see what's going on, and I know things are about to be much worse for her.
All the questions... all the concern.
The humiliation when they see her stuck like this.
I give her a look, though I know she's not looking to see it.

"I'm not worried about our stuff.
You didn't mean to do this, it was an accident.
Just... stay here. I'll get Dr. Grey to help."

Trying to be swifter, so the gathering crowd doesn't complicate things, I rush to get Dr. Grey, pulling her in.
She takes a look at the situation, and I can see a bit of stress cross her features.
She's not been the same, since she took part in altering reality on planetary levels, and then changing it back again.
She says she can fix the building, but our individual belongings will be too much for her, and I nod.

"Don't worry about it. I can ask Duncan to do that in the morning for us."

Putting this mess back together, takes longer than the time she rebuilt the bathroom for us, but she manages to get it done, getting Alice out of the tight spot.
She also tells everyone to get to bed, going back to bed herself.
The room is a disaster now.
But I figure no one was planning on sleeping there tonight after all this, anyhow.
Once everything is as handled as it's going to be, I head outside, to check on Alice.
She's still in her normal size, and not in the best of moods.
Not that I blame her.
I really can imagine the things she's feeling over all this.
I have spent a good deal of time imagining it, while keeping myself awake for nights on end to avoid it.
I use my powers to raise high enough to reach her hearing range without having to shout, hovering a bit slowly to stay in place.

"So... what happened?
You've been doing really good being able to control your powers in your sleep."

[Girlzilla]

Kami insists that this wasn't my fault, just like I knew she would, and that there is no need to repay her for my mistake. She tells me to stay put, running off to get help. From there, its all one big circus. Students Start filtering out of their rooms, coming to see what was going on. I want to die. Screwing up big time is bad, but having everyone see it, see what I had done, that was so much worse. Mortified didnt even begin to describe how I felt. I couldnt even leave, I just had to lay there, burring my head in my arms, and take it.

Professor Grey arrives, and uses her power to repair the building one section at a time, while I slowly crawl out of the gaping hole. Its ardious, and slow, but the end result is that the danger of further collapse is negated, even if the contets of our dorm is still in shambles. Once the scene has played itself out and everyone heads back towards bed, I walk off, heading towards the edge of the school grounds, wanting to be as far away as I could.

My walk takes me by My tree. The same one I blindsided on my first day. The damage is almost completly repaird now, only a few odly shaped branchesand a slight lopsided appearence showing what had happened. Seems like such a long time ago now. A lifetime had passed. But here I was, right back where I started. A Big, Clumsy walking desaster zone.

I take a seat beside the pine, folding my arms accrost my knee's and burrying my head in my lap. Im tired, but I cant even contemplate the idea of sleep. Not now. Even mom's special hot chocloate milk couldnt relax me. She'd make me a batch whenever I had bad dreams and it'd help calm me down.

I hits me out of the blue that I havnt even thought about my parents, much less contacted them, since the reality shift happened. They probably are sick with worry by now, trying to get in touch with me, finding the school was destroyed. I want to call them, tell them Im ok. Tell them everything. But just like Kami, and Chris and everyone...I know I cant. I can never tell them what happened, never let them know what I've become. They we're willing to sacrafice everything to take care of me. So now, I realize I've treuly isolated myself. From my friends, from my family. Everyone.

Kami arrives, crossing the field before raising herself up to my level, floating like a ballon drifting in the winds. She asks what happened, and I know that she deserves an explination. I just need to find the words that never seem to want to come.

"I don't know...I was having a nightmare, I guess...I got scared, and lost control"

I lift my head up a little so I can at least try and look at her when Im speaking. Its hard...but I manage, somehow. Probably because I don't think I could feel any worse than I do now. If nothing else, I can try and put things right, one way or another.

"I want to make this up to you...You deserve it. How about we go somewhere torrow...or today I guess, considering the time. We could head into town, get some ice cream. Just hang out."

Between everything thats happened, Kami and I havnt really spent much time together, aside from meals, sleeping and working on the band. I'd be lying if I said I didnt have my own motives. The Campus is the very last place I want to be tomorrow, not after tonight anyway.

"what do you say?"

[Kami]

The answers she gives me, are really everything I already see, and expect.
But I still want to hear it from her, give her the chance to talk to someone, and get it out.
Spilling my guys to Duncan may not have made my troubles go away, but being able to talk to him, has taken the edge off of dealing with it in my own head.
It may sound really Quaint, but it helps.
I may understand completely what happened tonight. But I don't understand why... what triggered a nightmare bad enough to destroy our room over.
I have been avoiding her... as much as possible without it showing... because of my own nightmare triggers, and fear of bursting her bubble that CoA never happened.
Something's happened, that has her upset, and I haven't even been around enough to see what.
Some friend I'm turning out to be.
She says she wants to make it up to me, that I deserve it, and it makes me glad that my image inducer is on, so she can't see my ears fall back on my head, in my own shame.
Yeah... sure... I deserve so much.
I land on her arm, so I'm literally eye level with her, moving to use my powers on my blood stream, trying to sober myself up a bit more.
While she's going through... something... I'm avoiding her to get drunk. I hide from her... To keep from having to lie to her.
I deserve so much right now.
It's not easy, looking her in the eye at her own level, and I stand back to get it as right as I can, before replying to her question with my own stipulations,

"I will go, if you promise me one thing.
Promise me that you're still my room-mate.
That you'll come back inside.
Now, I know, that's not going to happen right now.
But soon.
Promise me that, and we'll go out to ice-cream."

[Girlzilla]

Kami levitates herself onto my arm, standing there, eye to eye with me. Seeing her like this, with the image inducer, I hate to admit it, I cant help but view this illusion as the real Kami, and her newer form as the hologram. Im such a hypocrit. Ive been there, I know the feelings and how alienating it can be to find yourself in a body thats no longer the one you've always known. But I cant lie to myself, and it pains me to have to remind my senses that the Kami Im looking at is just an illusion thrown over her real body.

Kami Accepts my offer, with the single condition that I promis not to leave, that I'll come back in stide. I almost cut her off by saying that I couldn't possibly go back in now, and risk having to go through this whole mess again, but she clerifis that she udnerstands that right now, me being inside isnt in the picture. So long as I agree that I'll be back in our room just as soon as I can, she'll go out for some ice cream with me.

I smile a little, not the fake smiles Ive been forced to put on. A real one, the porcilin facade slidding away for a moment so that the real me can shine through.

"Nothing would make me happier. I promise that I'll be back before you know it. We stick together, right?"

And the moment passes. We stick together, one way or another. No matter what happenes, even when one of us is murderer who dosnt deserve that kind of friendship.

[Kami]

Her smile, brings a real one from me. Only she probably can't see that with my image inducer.
Doesn't matter, she agrees, saying we stick together, and that's all I wanted to hear right now.

"Always. That's what best friends are for."

I'm glad, that I have the rest of the twilight time to sober up. I am actually looking forward to some girl's time out.
Goddess knows we can both really use it.

((Gratuitous time slip))

My Jeep isn't equipped to transport Alice in any size she has, so I have to drive something that can take it.
A school vehicle, it looks like a mini van... but it's a Forge custom.
As in, the 'Maker' himself did mutant alterations to this thing. I couldn't even list all the crazy things he did to get this baby capable of transporting the more 'special' needs of the mutant students.
It gets us to the ice cream shop in decent time, even if the metal groans every time Alice moves.
I park and get out, opening the back door for Alice, before looking around.
I haven't done much exploring around San Fran, since we've been here.
The weather's pretty good, and all around there seems to be a bit of 'superhero fever'... People with shirts showing the monikers of several big headliners like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
This is what I was talking about to Scott, back on the day he gave me my image inducer.
The atmosphere here celebrates people with 'gifts' unlike the area around the X-Mansion... bible-belt Conservatives that have a high value of prejudice against it all.
I've seen the difference around Graymalkin, the students have been benefiting from this element here.
Of course, Alice and I are going for anonymous every day girls going out for a snack, so we're not doing anything to draw undue attention to ourselves.
Once inside, I look at the menu, with a grin.

"Hmmm... So many choices."

After skimming rows of different ice-creams, I point to one,

"Mocha delight... that sounds pretty heavenly. I'll have a scoop of that, in a waffle cone."

I turn to Alice,

"What are you going to have?"

[Girlzilla]

The rest of the night is rough. I'd gotten so used to sleeping indoors, on a softbed, that I no longer seemed to possess the nack I'd developed for resting outside. The ground is uncomfortable. I doubt it matters, it could be a silken pile of feathers and I'd be wide awake. My mind is tumbling over itself in a malstorm of thoughts, keeping me from relaxing even a little. Somehow, exaustion took over, but I still didn't really sleep. I drifted in and out of conciousness, memories and reality blending together forming a mosaic of half seen mirages.

I eventually stirr awake as the light increases out to the east with the raising sun. I busy myself going about my early morning routine, washing myself awake with a hot shower, craming down enough food to feed twenty people before feeling satisfied. I was still partially asleep, just going through the motions, not really awake till shortly before heading out with Kami.

The jeep we took was a piece of work. Not Kami's, but one I've seen sitting in the garage. Its a marvel. Like you squeezed a stealth bomber until it was car shaped, and then added in enough equiptment to arm a battleship. And It still somehow has enough room left over to be built like a tank. I can sit inside it, and though the vehical protests about as bad as my old nemisis,the school elevator, at least it manages to carry me without trouble.

The drive is relitivly quick, though I get to see a bit of the city. No suprise, I havnt been outside the schook grounds, not with everything thats been going on. This place is very different from what Im used to on the other side of the pacific. So relaxed and casual, like a beach party that kept growing till a whole metropolis had sprung up around it.

The ice cream shop is a nice enough place, and the lines go by faster than expected. Kami was certainly right, there we're more than enough choices. But as Im scanning through the list, I cant believe what Im seeing. they have Sea Salt! I lick my lips, flashing back to hot summer days of my childhood.

"I'll take that please...a large cone, rainbow sprinkles"

I pull out my Hello-kitty purse, once again reminding myself that I really need to get a new one. But first that would require some kind of steady income beyond the money that my family sends over every few months. Still, you make do with what you have I suppose. I hand over the money, paying for our treats, before eagerly accepting my sweet delicious ice cream cone, nibbling a bit off the top and almost squeeling with delight.

"Lets find somewhere to sit and enjoy these"

I scan the area, passing over the available tables due to structural issues they'd present. Theres a little vacent lot a little ways down the street, and it looks like some of the residents have a small garden planted. I point at the spot, turning to Kami

"How about over there?"

[Kami]

She doesn't actually answer me, but I watch as she orders and pays, and I hold my comments a moment, shaking my head to myself as she looks around for a spot to sit and enjoy our icecream.
She points out a cute little spot too, and I nod my head,

"Sure, looks good to me."

As I follow, taking a spot on a stone bench, before questioning her taste in icecream,

"Sea Salt? What kind of flavor is that for icecream anyhow?
Does it just taste like Salt?"

I perk an eyebrow at her response.
Sounds more like a process, than a flavor...

"Interesting. Never really heard of it before."

I shrug a bit.
Either we're enjoying the icecream, or we don't know what to say... or perhaps a bit of both, because things are silent for a bit.
But, it's not really bad.
I wrack my brain for things to talk on anyhow.
All I've really done with her since the move, is work on our band stuff... doesn't seem fair to just focus on that.

"So... Uh... been up to anything fun lately?
I notice you and Chris seem to be having some fun..."

I flash her a smile that's got an edge of teasing to it.
They really do make an adorable couple.

[Girlzilla]

Kami aggress with my choice of location for our mini ice cream picnic. She also inquires a bit about my choice in dessert. Im momentrily shocked, wondering how you can go through life without knowing about sea salt ice cream. But it occures to me that this is probably a cultural thing.

"Well, No, first off. It dosnt taste like salt. Its kind of like a frozen custard, with a little bit of ocean salt added in. The Salt helps lower the melting point a bit, so you have to keep it extra cool otherwise it melts, but it really keeps the Flavor in."

As we take a seat at the stone bench, or Kami does at least. I sit on the ground, not wanting to test the load capacity of the stone, insted resting my back against it, feeling it shift only a little at my weight. But anyways, as we sit, I extend the ice cream

"Here, try some...its blueberry."

I give a smile, my eye's convaying the 'you know you want to' mojo, waiting for Kami to accept the offerd ice cream. After she takes a small taste, I nod

"Good, isnt it?"

I take a lick for myself, perhaps a bit to big, greedily taking in the flavors, feeling the icy cool radiating down through me. Fortunatly, I manage to avoid any brain freeze this time. Guess this is a tad smaller portion than a person sized block of ice cream, like the one I enjoyed on my first day. Come to think of it, I never did thank Professor Drake for the treat, even if he didnt know I was the one who took it.

Its weird, Ice cream seems to have some strange power to strengthen friendships. The stress and awakwordness seems to have melted away, and with it, I'm momentarily able to forget the troubles which have molested my thoughts for the past weeks.

All I need do is keep moving foward, keep living...and the past, the messy grimy bloodstained darkness...that can just fade away and be forgotten.

In my musing, my ice cream had been slipping, and I only manage to snap away from daydreaming when a sliver of blue liquid dripped onto my hand, the cool splash serving as a bit of a wake up call. I lick at my hand, removing the spill, before renewing my efforts at the cone proper, returning my attention to kami, and her question.

"Ya, its been good I think. He's still awefully shy, but he is getting better"

I smile, shrugging a little.

"We have only been on one date...it was a rough night. I keep meaning to ask him out again, but...you know, stuff gets in the way"

And by 'stuff' I really mean reality shifting around me. Between Apocolypse's world domination and the childish antics of an omnipotent simpleton with a dangeriosuly unstable thirst for the eccentric, its been a hectic time.

"What about you? Is there any lucky guy who's cought your eye?"

I laugh a little, giving Kami a small shove, nice and gentle, playfully prodding her for answers.

[Kami]

She offers to give me a taste of her odd choice in icecream, and at first I just look at it as she holds it up, but then she taunts me with the flavor, so I lean forward and give it a lick.

"Mm. That is pretty good."

She starts opening to my not-too-subtle poke on the subject of her blossoming relationship with Chris, and I pay attention, nodding with agreement on so much getting in the way.
She turns the same question on me, shoving me gently (as she can) playfully to get my response.
I really wasn't expecting that... the turn around back to me on it.

"Uh... Kinda"

Heh. What kind of answer is that? Oy, I'm glad Duncan's not here to overhear this conversation, that comment might hurt his feelings some.
So, let's try that again, shall I?

"It's... complicated."

Boy am I glad for my image-inducer right now. I can feel my tail moving back and forth along the ground near the stone bench I sit on, my nervous tension making it so hard to stop as I try to explain in a way that's not going to freak her out.

"Duncan's growth spurts have gone backwards... so he's stuck in time... Our uh.. thing... is temporary really."

The look in her eyes on his name, causes me to look away more than guilty.
Yeah... there really is no way to explain without freaking her out.
I should have kept my mouth shut...

[Girlzilla]

"Oh really?"

I was suprised to hear Kami's answer, that there was a guy she was interested in. It cought me off guard, and immeadiatly I was curious as to who it was. I lean in, ready for the juicy details. She's a bit hesitant about revealing who she was interested in, which of course only made it more interesting. Who knows, we could end up on a double date

And she says its duncan.

I...I didnt even consider it possible. It blindsided me so fast that I almost chocked on the ice cream cone. I couldnt help it...this just seemed so completly wrong. He was still just a kid. Maybe not on the outside, but even so, It wasnt right. I just felt like...Kami should know better. I dont even here the rest of her explanation, I doubt anything she could say would matter at this point.

Worse yet, is the look she has. She knows, on some level, this isnt right. And she's doing it anyway. What am I supposed to say now? I can't give any kind of approval, in good concious. But Kami is my friend, and Im supposed to be supportive.

"Wow...um...thats...uh..."

My voice trails off, unable to finish my sentence, as I stare into the ice cream cone, knowing full well there arnt any answers to be found there.

"When did all this happen?"

The words are rough, my foat feeling dry and corse. Feels Like Im choking on each syllable.