Starring:
Date: March 8th, 2010
Summary:
Every now and then, people surprise you.
"Capacity for Change"
New Jersey
The sound of water flowing overtakes all other sound, doubled by the echo in the hollow space, reverberating against cold, slick stone walls. The source of the noise: the narrow river that rushes beneath the small bridge. Melting icicles drip from the rails of the bridge above and snow recedes from the natural banks of the river down the way. Here, beneath the bridge itself, the river is banked only by concrete and decades-old graffiti.
It's dark outside, well into the evening, and it's even darker here under the small bridge in a sparsely populated part of New Jersey, so devoid of population that it could almost be considered rural. Almost. The night is not warm by any means, but it could be much colder. A pervasive, disgusting, misting drizzle fills the air.
Under the bridge is an out-of-place figure. Tracy's natural habitat used to be the wilds of Capitol Hill; lately, it's the waterways of New Jersey and the burroughs of New York City. Despite the weather she's relatively dry, her long blonde hair — part of it clipped back — is only slightly damp, and she's protected by the black pea coat she wears, but as she lingers, a shadow, against the wall, she starts to unbutton the outerwear.
"Taking a swim?"
A soft voice calls out and a figure can be seen standing near the wall. Dressed warmly and in a dark grey pea coat. The woman would look familiar to Tracy because it's Kitty. Brunette and all again. The young woman looks at Tracy and the water. "I'm happy to see you alive."
Kitty moves a bit closer but not any closer then she thinks Tracy would be comfortable with. Her hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail.
The brunette is wise to keep her distance — Tracy is automatically placed on guard by the unexpected presence. Her thumb hooks in the buttonhole of her half-unbuttoned coat as she looks sharply toward Kitty, her expression one that is ready for a fight. It softens when we she recognizes the woman, but only just. "Kitty," she states, plain and unstartled. "What— " She gives a pointed glance around her. Shady bridge, cold water, late night. There's nothing welcoming about this particular spot, and so Tracy's brows cinch upward in question. " —What're you doing here?" Key word: here. That would be suspicion in her voice.
"Saw you." In a vision of course.
"Figured, there had to be a reason that I was shown you here at this bridge." She shrugs lightly and places one hand in her pocket. "Are you safe?" Then she looks closely at Tracy, she just seems.. different. That put together, kind of snobby woman that Kitty had met before isn't standing in front of her. "What did they do to you, Tracy?"
Some things haven't changed. Tracy still regards the other woman with that same cool, guarded stare she always has, never quite trusting of Kitty. Or maybe it's just Kitty's ability she isn't settled with. "You don't see everything," she points out. Clearly, if Kitty doesn't know. Tracy's hands slink into the pockets of her coat; between the unbuttoned edges is a flash of blue, bright in the otherwise dull surroundings. She braces her shoulders back.
"Safe," Tracy repeats belatedly with a small scoff of a laugh, small smirk and roll of her eyes. Safe. "That's a joke." More seriously: "I'm 's safe as I can be under the considerable circumstances."
"Never said that, I see enough. Often too much." Kit says in reply to Tracy and then she's tilting her head. "The Queen of Water and Ice is always so distrusting of the Oracle's ability. Not fair, not at all." She shakes her head as she shakes her finger at Tracy and then she's whistling as she comes to leaning against the wall.
"In the same boat as everyone, don't you know? The kiddies aren't safe either." She looks at Tracy with a blank stare and then she's blinking and staring at the water. "Stay with the Oracle?" she says with a light smile. "I'll protect you, though I'm sure.. you can do that yourself. At least there is a bed for you.. and anyone else you are with." That Kitty can promise.
Tracy's jaw tenses; she looks Kitty up and down in slow consideration, ever skeptical of the so-called oracle. "I thought about it." The confession is reluctant. "You were gone. I — to be honest, Kitty, I'm not sure I trust you." Whether it's true or not, the other woman comes off as something of a loose cannon to Tracy. "I'm trying to keep someone safe. A— kid, she's… a friend of mine was looking after her. A friend who's been captured. Truth be told, she's probably dead. Easy as it'd be to drop her off with your band of vigilantes…" She can't. For some frustrating reason.
"I think I know why you don't trust me." Kitty says softly and then she's looking out and away from Tracy as she thinks. "I helped shatter the thing that was once your normal life, I made you confront what you didn't want too." Thee young brunette looks down as she finishes saying that and puts the other hand in her pocket.
"For that.. I am sorry." She says what she's been meaning to say to Tracy ever since she first told her about her ability. The psychometer looks sad as she looks out towards the water. "I didn't mean to be so pushy.. I just think.. I wanted to help you so bad. I wanted to let you know that you weren't alone out here, that there were people out there that could understand you if you trusted them. I guess.. I thought I was repaying Niki back.." the seer blinks back tears. "For letting her die."
"I have nothing to do with Niki," Tracy lashes out. She shakes her head. "The sooner you learn that the better off you'll be." It's something of a sore spot, being attacked by everyone else's baggage about a woman, a sister, she didn't really know. Especially in light of her encounters with Micah. "I never needed your help. Look, it doesn't matter. What you saw— " That day at Hanner Enterprises that began so normally. "Back then, I couldn't have believed it." She didn't face it until the vision came true.
"Stop attacking me." Kitty says lightly and then she's smiling softly towards the woman. "You'd think after you melted.. that heart of ice would have melted as well." The young woman shakes her head as she regards Tracy with a raised eyebrow. "You think that you're the only one suffering, that there isn't anybody else that has it harder then you? So what if people put you in the same category as Niki.. not that it even matters! You are lucky that you can even claim any type of biological connection that a woman like her."
Kitty's eyes narrow and she tilts her head at the blonde woman. "I never meant to cause you pain, but I did. Now accept my apology so that we can be done with this." This must be why Kitty had a vision to confront Tracy, to face her guilt over how she couldn't save either woman's life.
"Stop running.. watching over that one kid's life isn't enough.. stand up. Because there are others that need you.. others that could use your ability." She says and then she's beginning to walk away. She turns her head, "I'm worried about Micah.. he's going down a dark path. Help him. He's still your nephew, nothing you do can change that."
As Kitty walks away, Tracy rolls her eyes — but it's not the flippant gesture it could be. Frustrated, she lets out a tense sigh and strides a few, echoing steps after the woman. "Stop." Maybe I'd stop attacking you if you stopped attacking me, she wants to say, as it seems everyone has been attacking her moral fiber as of late, but it goes unsaid. She's a more superior woman than that.
"Just because you can see the future 'n' the past, doesn't mean you get to think you know me. You don't know what I've been doing. Kitty, this … refuge of yours. What's it like? Does it have enough space?" Her steps halt. "…Because I do."
The other woman blinks and she turns to look at Tracy. A brief smile crosses her lips as she nods her head. She did get through to her. "It's pretty big, but we're running out of space fast. So many people hiding from the government. Do you.. will you take some of them?"
Kitty looks at Tracy carefully, maybe she's judged this woman to harshly, though they judge each other pretty harshly. Perhaps that is how it will always be.
Then again, it seems like people have the capacity for change after all. "Money talks," Tracy says, swinging an arm in the restrictive black wool of her coat as she regards Kitty with a gradually softening expression, a hint of a smile, a shrug and frank lift of dark blonde brows. "When I took Beth… I guess I realized there were a lot've other people in the same position as me. As… us," she says through clenched teeth. "Hiding and… waiting, for this to all be over, with … not enough people who have the first clue what to do about it. Who, you— Peter?" It's not enough. "I'm not sitting on the sidelines and I'm not running, alright. It's sure as hell not home, but it's better than nothing. There's room."
"I'm sorry I judged you." Kitty says softly and she offers a soft smile in return. Nodding her head, "You're right and I'd be happy to trust some of my people with you." She nods her head again and puts a hand on her hip. "Have you heard from Peter yet, I know he's busy.. but I worry about him. He always stretches himself out to past his limits."
Tracy gives a simple nod of her head to Kitty. She doesn't offer the same apology, but hey. Don't ask too much of the woman. To the question, her answer is just as simple: "No, I haven't." She now takes the time to resume the undoing the double rows of buttons on her coat, finally sliding out of it to reveal bare arms in the slightly chilly, damp air. "Seven Hemmingway Lane — that's the address. I wouldn't stop by unless I'm there, if I were you. Beth's … a livewire."
"I'll be sure to be careful when I bring them over." Kit says and then she nods her head at Tracy and she's moving away. Wanting to give Tracy privacy, to intrude on the woman using her ability. It's not like she's a circus animal, right? "Take care Tracy." She says softly before she moves off.
(FADE)