2007-04-30: All In The Family

Starring:

Lachlan_icon.gif Megan_icon.gif

Summary:

Megan talks to Lachlan about what's been happening to her lately. Stubborn Deatley-ness abounds! (Doubles, you might say)

April 30th, 2007:

All in the Family


Lachlan's New Apartment

The new apartment is a bit smaller than the other one, but not by much, really. The setup is basically the same as well, since Lachlan rather liked how he'd arranged his furniture last time and was loathe to consider a new floorplan. Boxes are still hanging about half-full, but the bare essentials have been unpacked and arranged. Max was returned to his owner a couple days ago, so outside of the Scotsman — who is sprawled on the loveseat watching something violent, explosion-oriented, and likely Steven Seagal — the apartment is quite empty. He looks very bored, but he obviously had something planned today, because he bothered to get dressed, though he's since whittled it down to a form of /half/-dress: black tanktop and blue jeans. Ho-hum, slow Wednesdays.

Showing up to shake up this little moment of explosions and laziness, is the youngest Deatley, Megan. Checking to make sure she's written the address correctly and then double checking to make sure she has the right apartment, she shoves the datebook she's written this down on back into her bag and raps her knuckles on the door. It's not very loud, but it should carry.

Oh. Visitor. Lachlan squints at the door inquisitively, then rises from the sofa and tosses the remote onto the end table, which also contains a half-emptied bottle of scotch and the leavings of lunch (though the bottle was half-emptied last night and has not been touched (much) since). After glimpsing out the peephole, he perks up some and opens the door for his sister. "Hey Meg. C'mon in." He even steps aside to give her room to do so.

Into Lachlan's new abode. Megan enters cautiously, though she does smile at her brother when she's let in. "Hey Lach." Once inside, she looks around quickly, eyes noting the half empty bottle of scotch and the remains of lunch. She frowns and lets her purse drop to the floor by the corner. "Since 've got all this time, thought 'd stop by. Still drinking all day?" It's easy to see that she's not exactly pleased at the notion.

Oh no. /Nagging/. Lachlan can almost sense it brewing somewhere — but unlike when /Mum/ does it, he does take it a little to heart and frowns a bit as he closes the door behind Megan. "Dinna have much," he defends himself truthfully. Then he attempts to twist the conversation away from his drinking: "How've ye been? Still faintin'?"

"Dinna look like not that much to me." Megan's frown is still present. She didn't mean to come here and start nagging, really she didn't. But it also keeps him off the topic she knows he'll want to talk about. Though, that tactic didn't really seem to last very long. Turning away from the bottle and from Lachlan, she shrugs, using this time to pretend like she's looking around the apartment more. "Jus' once in awhile." Moving over to the kitchen and then to push open the door to the bedroom, she tries to change the subject again. "'S a nice apartment. Quite like the layout."

"Wasna much," Lachlan insists. "Had most o' it last nigh'." Yeah, that makes it totally better. He doesn't have a drinking problem, really. At the compliment to his apartment, he shrugs. "S'a'righ', I guess." Lonely without dogs, but he hasn't had the heart to reclaim Bonnie from Cass, and he'd really prefer Dobermans anyway. But the subject isn't about /him/ and his /apartment/. "Shouldna be faintin' even once in a while, yanno. Ye ever think tha' mebbe there's more to it than just sickness?" She'd said that she had visions like those dreams.

"Yeah, 'cause tha's /really/ better, Lachy." Megan groans, but will let the subject drop. "Yer keepin' it lookin' nicer than those other places." Slowly, she makes her way back to the living room and to the conversation she doesn't really want to have. "'S no' a sickness. Don't /feel/ sick. I just…faint once in awhile. Stop makin' a big deal about it. Everyone's makin' it into a big deal when 's /no'/." Slipping into the stronger part of her accent around her brother, she's able to put on a Scottish Brood properly.

"Yeah, well, just moved in few days ago." He hasn't had time to trash the place much yet. And as for her problem, pffff. It /is/ a big deal, but he obligingly backs off just a little bit. "A'righ', a'righ'. 'M no' sayin' it's a sickness. 'M just sayin' mebbe …" Lachlan trails off with a frown, scratching the back of his neck. "Dunno. Ye ever mebbe think tha' it's … somethin' else? With the dreams ye have an' all tha'." And /he's/ got abilities, so why not her?

With another shrug, Megan drops onto the couch, stubborn and not really wanting to go into this more. "Don't /think/ about it, Lachy. I try no' to. 'S just so /weird/. One moment 'm fine an' the next 's like 'm…watchin' meself. An' everyone else. Just want it to go away." The whole idea is worrying her. "The dreams are differen', though. Tha's jus' when 'm sleepin'. Same feelin', but…differen'." She shivers and just shakes her head forcefully. "Jus' dunno."

It all just sounds strange to Lachlan. Strange and pretty cool (except the part where she could be spying on him, because nobody wants that). "See, s'wha' I'm talkin' 'bout, though. Mebbe yer no' dreamin'. Mebbe yer actually watchin' yerself outside yer body." Or … something. It's spooky.

Megan's head snaps around to stare at Lachlan. At first she's trying to decide if he's trying to tease her. But he doesn't look like it and he doesn't sound like it. "Wha'. Like wha' you do with dogs?" She sounds incredulous. "'S not /dogs/, though, Lach."

"Doesna hafta be dogs, though. 'M no' the only one tha' can do things, Meg. There's lots o' others out there tha' do all sorts o' things." Gah, this would be so much easier to explain if he had Cass or Elena or /someone/ with a higher functioning vocabulary nearby. Lachlan sighs, rubbing his face. Grah. "There's a book. M'girl used ta sell it in 'er shop … 'cept the shop's closed b'cause some crazy bitch came in an' blew shit up." Drat. "Mebbe I can find ye a copy. Somewhere."

While Lachlan speaks, Meg has a puzzled and worried expression on her face. "I don' understand, Lach. Wha' d'ye mean all sorts o' things?" Clasping her hands together in front of her, this doesn't seem to be something she wants to hear. What she wants him to tell her is that it's a passing sickness and things will go back to normal soon. "A book? 'Bout wha' ye can /do/? Dinna think anyone else knew 'bout it."

Yes. /So much easier/ with someone competent to explain these things. God. Lachlan shakes his head with a sigh. "Nah, nah, s'no' 'bout wha' /I/ can do, s'bout wha' /ever'one/ can do. 'R somethin'. Dunno, I've no' read it." Yes, what a stunning review /that/ is. "Like … I know someone can fart out X an' get people high. An' there's someone else can make things just pop out o' the air. There's a girl can hear an' whistle like a dog whistle." Things like that.

"Then how d'ye know it can help?" Megan is trying to understand this all, but it's alien. She's known about Lachlan's ability for years, but she thought it was an isolated case. Something that only he could do, which is why she's kept it secret for all these years. "Bu', none of tha' is faintin' an' seein' thing's." She shakes her head. "I dinna think tha's it. I canna /do/ anythin'. Jus'…happens."

"Just happened ta me too, yanno. At first." Lachlan sighs and takes a seat in the recliner, slumping into it without much of a care as to whether or not he'll break the furniture. "Dunno. Mebbe yer just sick inna head." He'll concede on that point, at least. /Something/ is definitely up, though. And since it's Megan, he's not real gungho about talking to anyone about it.

GAME: Megan has rolled CEILING MEGAN and got a result of POOR.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER and got a result of AVERAGE.

"Wow. Thanks, Lach." Megan gives a roll of her eyes and slouches against the back of the couch. "Way ta make a girl feel better. 'Mebbe yer just sick inna head'. And mebbe yer a meanie." Yes, she just used the word meanie. "I dunno. It mostly just happens…" Frowning, she stands up and walks over to her brother. It's a theory she's going to try. Without much warning, she just goes by and puts a hand on his forehead. Much like she's trying to see if he has a fever. She leaves the hand there for awhile, but nothing happens. "Only seems to happen if someone touches me," she explains. "Or when 'm asleep." She leaves her hand there for a little while, if Lachlan doesn't try to remove it, just to make sure. "But, see, no faintin'. Only happens every now and then."

Lachlan blinks when his forehead is felt … but when Megan mentions her reasons, he jerks his head away. "Jesus," he grunts. "'F it happens when yer touchin' someone, ye shouldna do it when yer standin' up. Ye'll fall an' crack yer bloody face on somethin'." /Duh/. He stands up and points to the chair he's just vacated. "Here. Sit."

"Dinna think it'd actually happen." Megan lets her hand fall back down to her side when Lachlan jerks away. "Doesna happen all the time. Nah, don't need to sit. 'M okay standin'." She shakes her head and moves a step backward from the chair. "'S no' gonna happen again. Told ya. Jus' when someone touches me. An' no' even all the time then."

"Well I dinna touch ye; ye touched me." Clearly that makes a difference, right? Right. It does in Lachlan's head. "Sit down." He clearly wants to try this again.
Megan frowns and looks at the chair. Suddenly it's starting to look like a dentist's chair or a psychiatrist's chair some other undesirable chair she certainly doesn't want to sit in. "Nah. Don't wanna." She shakes her head a couple times to show just how much this must be a bad idea. She doesn't want to know if this is something she wants to know she can do.

Lachlan frowns too, but he's frowning at Megan. He is /trying/ to be /helpful/ here. "Fine. Guess yer just sick inna head, then." /So there/.

Glaring at Lachlan, Megan's lower lip sticks out just a little. It's not really a pout, it's more like a glowering. "Look. 'F I sit in the chair and nothin' happens, tha's it, right? Ye'll stop worryin'?"

"Yeah, I'll stop worryin'." Well … not /really/. Maybe Lachlan will just worry /more/. But still. He crosses his arms over his chest, watching Megan expectantly.

There's a long pause where Megan looks at the chair and then looks at Lachlan. Moment of truth. Well, she knows Lachlan enough to know that he doesn't really mean he won't stop worrying. But if she goes through this and everything works, she'll be able to old this against him in the next argument they're bound to get in about it. "Fine." She gives a long suffering sigh and collapses into the chair, leaning back and crossing her arms. Maybe she'll do this, but she's going to show just how much she doesn't like it.

/Ha/. Lachlan actually won an argument with Megan! He's quite pleased with himself — or he would be if this weren't such Serious Business. He does straighten a bit, though, standing a little taller. Yeah. He's awesome. Then he steps forward and, with a little hesitation, he reaches out to tentatively touch Megan's forehead. "S'this gonna hurt?"

GAME: Megan has rolled CEILING MEGAN and got a result of GOOD.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER and got a result of AVERAGE.

"Shouldn't." Watching Lachlan start to reach forward, Megan tenses slightly. It's like watching the nurse get ready to give you a shot. You know it's happening, but you can't do anything to stop it. When he puts a hand on her forehead, nothing happens initially and she lets out a sigh of relief. Then, just like in Central Park, she faints. Luckily, due to Lachlan's foresight, she doesn't fall anywhere, because she's sitting down, but she does go limp. Once again, she's confronted with a view of herself in a chair as if she's looking through Lachlan's eyes.

That … it … suddenly there's an unconscious Megan. Lachlan blinks, then prods her inquisitively with one finger. "Meg?" Just to be sure she's out. "'Re ye a'righ'?" Then he pauses, considers, and turns around to grab for something on the end table. He comes up with a piece of paper and pen, scribbles down the word 'dog' (making /sure/ that his back is turned to his unconscious sister), then tucks the paper into his pocket.

It takes a little while, but after a few minutes, Megan's eyes flutter open and she starts to move. "Lach?" It's disorienting for her to suddenly have a different view point, but she doesn't try and get up quite yet. She'll be content to just lounge in the chair and be really annoyed that this happened and Lachlan will be able to use it against her. This was supposed to end this argument, not give it more credence.

Too bad for Megan. "Yeah, I'm here," Lachlan responds, having seated himself on the sofa to await Megan's awakening. He's got his arms crossed over his chest. "So. Wha'd I write onna paper?" She must know this, surely.

Though she already kind of knew where Lachlan was, Megan sits up slowly and looks over at him. That's exactly where it looked like she was a moment while she was passed out. Now that's scary. "Wha'?" She remembers seeing someone write something down as if it was herself doing it, but that's just a dream. Something that happens when you faint. "Dunno," she mutters and looks down at the floor.

Megan is /lying/, and Lachlan knows this. He narrows his eyes at her. "Yer lyin'. Wha' di'ye see?"

Frowning and stubborn, Megan glares down at the floor boards. "'M /not/." Seriously weirded out by the fact that she knows what it is that Lachlan supposedly wrote down, she stands up quickly and starts searching around for her purse. She's looking everywhere but at Lachlan. "Look, I should go."

/Whatever/. Lachlan's expression contorts into a very displeased scowl, and he tightens his arms across his chest, slumping down into the sofa a little more. "Fine." He knows where her purse is because he's sitting right next to it, but he's not going to offer up that tidbit of information. Nope. Megan can find it /herself/.

Just as stubborn and annoyed that Lachlan is trying to bully an answer out of her, Megan takes a bit longer than normal to find her purse. So there's the brooding silence that reins in the apartment while she does so. Seeing it right by her brother, she frowns and goes over to pick it up. "Coulda told me," she grumbles, mostly under her breath, though. "Good te see yer new place, Lach. 'll call ye later."

He could've told her, sure, but that would make Lachlan a nice big brother, and he's not a nice big brother right now. When she finds the purse and snatches it up, he frowns even more. "Yeah." But as she starts for the door, he pauses. "Meg." He's up on his feet and heading toward her. Once he reaches her, he stops, glances at the door, then back at her with a very solemn expression. "Look, dunna tell no one 'bout wha' I tol' ye, a'righ'? There's people out there tha're no' 'zactly nice ta people like us — 'r people like me. They find out ye even /migh'/ be special — even if yer no' — " he'll humor her ideas of /not/ being Evolved "— they'll … do things. They're no' good people, a'righ'? So just be careful."

Pausing at the doorway when Lachlan calls her name, Megan shoulders her purse and listens to what he has to say. While he may have a solemn expression on his face, she has more of a scared and confused one. It melts into mostly fear, though, when he talks about people who might harm her and/or her brother just for being different. The very thought clearly terrifies her. "O-oh," is all she can manage to get out immediately. "Okay." She grips her purse tighter and continues toward the door. She keeps her hand on the doorknob, staring at it and standing there for a second as if she's contemplating before she finally says, "Said 'dog'." Then, she flees without looking back.

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