Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott smirked at Rinaa's comment about John and how he'd react and knew it was highly accurate, he'd probably do something stupid like attempt to knock out whoever this spook was. John liked clandestine meetings only when he was the one organising them, there was something about lurking in dark, dodgy alleys that appealed to the darker, twisted parts of John's soul. His sweeping trench coat and cigarette that cast all kinds of shadows over his face only cemented the idea that John was not somebody you wanted to fuck with. Rinaa nodded at Fia's words, appreciating the sentiment behind them and accepting them as genuine.

"I would say something like 'don't do I wouldn't out there', but that's hardly any kind of advice" John replied, following Fia's way of wishing the other girl good luck without actually explicitly saying those words. His version which elicited a smirk from the teenager. "That's pretty much giving me a carte blanche to do whatever I want. Though if you said 'don't do anything JAY wouldn't do' it would be a whole other ball game." "Yeah, maybe don't do that." Elliott agreed, knowing that if Rinaa's training was anything like Jay's, she would make quite the spy. "Or if you do, don't tell us, just stay safe." "Don't worry" Rinaa paused, catching herself a split second before she called Elliott 'dad'. She covered up her pose with a eye roll before turning serious. "If this spook is the kinda person I think he is, and if they match with the stories and information I uncovered from my timeline, then not only can they be trusted, but he'll do a damn good job. If not I walk and nobody can trace me back to here."

"You know them from your timeline?" Chas blurted out, surprise evident in his tone. Rinaa shook her head. "No, they died before I had the chance, pissed off the wrong people." She kept talking, preventing anybody from asking more questions. "If I don't come back immediately, I've more than likely just gone straight to my lectures" Rinaa slung her laptop bag over her shoulder"but if you don't hear anything from me by the evening then you'd better start checking the morgues for anybody matching my description." With her deadpan delivery it was difficult to tell whether she was morbidly joking or being serious, and while everybody was wondering whether or not to say something, she used the opportunity to leave the apartment.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia gave the other teenager a nod and smile back to shoe that yes, she did in fact mean every word she said, and she was being nothing but genuine toward her. She smirked when John told Rinaa what he did, knowing that could only bring a brilliant response from Rinaa, and she was right. The reply was perfect in her eyes, as there really wasn't much John wouldn't do so she knew what Rinaa said was highly accurate. She saw how Rinaa had to catch herself from saying something after Elliott told her to be safe, and she wondered if it was a moment of calling him dad or not, whilst listening to the rest of what Rinaa was saying.

Chas wasn't the only curious by what was said, Kay found her curiosity piqued as well and was glad that Chas asked the question he did. She listened to the explanation the teenager gave them all, shocked when Rinaa said what she did to end the topic going any further. She tried to figure out if the girl was joking or not and when she was decided to give up figuring it out, Rinaa was already out of the apartment. "I really hate when I can't tell if she's joking or not" she said with a sigh. She shoved her hands in her hoodie pockets as she remained sitting on the couch, whilst she saw Fia nod in agreement with her statement. "one can hope she was just joking" Fia replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott picked up on the unnatural pause Rinaa made before rolling her eyes. Of all the things that Elliott theorised Rinaa was about to day, but had stopped herself from saying in the nick of time, it didn't even cross his mind that it could be 'dad'. He never expected that this Rinaa would call him such a thing, the age gap for one made it particularly awkward, Rinaa was only about five years younger than him and Jay after all. (At least with John/Kay and Fia the age gap was more believable, if you did made both John and Kay older than they actually were and/or Fia younger than she actually was). Chas beat both Cliff, Elliott and John to the punch when it came to questioning the fact that Rinaa knew the spook from her timeline. It was so rare for Rinaa to so such fierce faith in somebody which was why Chas had spoken without thinking. To hear that this person had met an unfortunate end was a bit of a shock, and before any of them could notice the fact that both this spook and Elliott's birth father had been killed by people they'd angered, Rinaa gave her quip and vanished.

"You're not the only one there." Elliott sighed in response to Kay's words. Some Most days Rinaa's actions confused him, she flipped from happy to sad, light to dark, introverted and unwilling to talk to passionate about the matter at hand, normal teenager to professional, incredibly mature adult in the blink of an eye. "She's a hard one to get a read on alright." Cliff agreed, taking the armchair Rinaa had vacated and sitting herself comfortably in it. "We can hope indeed." Chas agreed with Fia's words, but he wasn't going to kid himself- there would be a day in the near future where some (or all) of them would be standing over Rinaa's body, in a morgue if she had a dignified death (but Chas somehow doubted that would be the case).

"She's pretty much doing the same thing Jay did when she was first on Earth, except Jay kept it up for years- the rapid switching from hot to cold, dark humour that was indistinguishable from her talking about how an assassin would do it better, deliberately pushing the buttons of everybody in the nearby vicinity, refusing to let anybody in, or even touch her." Aside from Elliott, Chas was the only one who had seen this timeline's Jay in her earlier days and how she reacted when people touched her without warning. Jay always had a thing about people invading her personal space, and unless she was the one to initiate the contact she really didn't tolerate it. It had got better and easier for her through the years, but both doubted it would ever truly go away. At some point in her timeline Elliott had explained to Fia that at some point between being incarcerated in prison and coming to Earth Jay had been tortured brutally (the cause of most, but not all, of the scars on her back) and this refusal to let people touch her was because the wounds on her back had been filled with salt and metallic filings to prevent them from healing properly. Rinaa had a similar reaction of jerking away from people, though it was for different reasons. When she'd been wearing the mask it had been out of fear that somebody would de-mask her and uncover her true identity, while more recently it had been out of fear of her completely breaking down if somebody showed her too much affection (like Kay had outside the forge that one time).

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded at Elliott's agreement, knowing that for him it must feel so much worse in some ways, knowing that Rinaa was his kid and in her timeline he never got to see her grow up to understand which tics of hers gave away if she was joking or telling the truth. She could only imagine how frustrating it must be for him, a thought she put down to her current state and her mind naturally thinking along the lines of a parent, even if it was utterly alien to her to do so at the same time. Fia also nodded at Chas, know g just like he did, that there was a very high chance they would have to find Rinaa's body lifeless somewhere. It was a thought she didn't want to think about, just as she knew it wasn't a thought anyone wanted to think about. Fia then turned her head to look at Elliott when he explained how Rinaa was doing exactly what Jay did for many years.

The story she knew all too well, remembering when Elliott gave her the story for it in her timeline so she could learn to understand Jay more and know when to leave the woman alone and when to approach her. When she was very young she never understood why Jay would be (in her eyes) standoff-ish with her, questioning why she wouldn't let a mere innocent child be near her, so when she was older and able to understand, she was thankful for Elliott telling her why Jay was like it years ago. "I remember you telling me in my timeline that background story. So I can agree that it echos Jay's behaviour. The self defence actions, I guess you could call it, really is a case of like mother like daughter" Fia replied, which out of nowhere made her wonder if anyone thought the same about her without her knowing, as she never really took much notice. She knew she was like Kay in the essence of looks but then she also saw a lot of her John in her features, and she personally always saw more of John in her than Kay, due to the way future Kay was over protective. She also knew she had the odd tic like Kay, mostly in the way she smiled or gave her mock two finger wave/salute but for general personality tics, she had no idea. It was never something she thought about until now when the topic came up with Rinaa.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott took it from Fia's words that, in her timeline, Jay was still suffering the after-effects of the barbaric torture and just managed to hold back a melancholy sigh. He hated the thought that Jay would still be jumpy all those years later, but he also knew it was something he'd just have to make his peace with. Even if the physical scars were to be removed, the mental ones would stay. He let out a "mmm" noise of agreement with Fia's words, tucking one leg under the other. John meanwhile was impressed in a morbid sort of way that Jay could stay so detached for so long. He'd had his periods of not letting people near him (or anywhere vaguely near his heart), but there were always those who managed to sneak in or wear him down or get under his skin by some other means.

"Now that you mention it, I can see exactly what you mean" Chas agreed nodding at both Elliott's original statement and Fia's addition. "Rinaa's acting extraordinarily like Jay used, I wonder if she even knows it?" His tone took on a musing tone near the end, he knew that being a chimera meant that Rinaa had inherited certain physical tics and mindsets from her parents, so it wasn't completely beyond the realms of possibility that she had inherited this way of being so closed off and resistant to letting people near her from Jay. Or alternatively it could be a form of PTSD, she had been trapped in a burning building, that would certainly be enough to put Chas himself off having people near him. At his words, the others' faces took on expressions of surprise. Noting the looks he was being given the cabbie rolled his eyes. "You're all forgetting that I first met Jay years ago, back when she was completely closed off and very much at odds with AJ's crew, not to mention pretty pissed at being stuck on Earth." "You never did explain that story to us." Elliott had meant to ask him at the time, but as was the way around John, shit had happened in the MIndWalk and he forgot to ask either Jay or Chas about it. "No I didn't. The short version of that story is that she fell out of a fifth story window onto my cab."

 

[MzHyde]

In Fia's eyes when Jay was distant in her time, she just put it down to she wasn't expecting a kid of their group being so welcoming and happy to hug just about anyone she knew was safe to be around. When she was a mere child, she couldn't always understand that not everyone was tactile like she was, and not everyone appreciated having a young person throw themselves at them. She never even thought that it could have been because she was still battling those inner demons from her past, until Elliott told her the story. It was only then that the possibility of Jay battling those inner demons became an option or assumption inside Fia's mind. As she grew up however, Jay was much much better at dealing with how Fia was and seemingly just put up with it. If she didn't like it, then she had Fia fooled and humoured her well. She looked back at Chas when he agreed with both of them, forgetting that Chas said he knew Jay before the majority of her family did aka her parents.

Kay listened to Elliott ask Chas how he did know Jay before they did, finding she was curious to the answer herself. She couldn't help but smirk at the short answer "that seems to be a regular thing with you and your cab? What's the long story?" she find herself commenting and asking. Like with John, she was previously impressed that Jay could remain detached for as long as it seemed she does, knowing she couldn't remain detached for that long. The way she let John and the group in was proof of her walls could be brought down if she let them or someone did or said the right thing. She didn't even let Ethan in pre-possession as much as she let in John's motley crew and himself, something she now regretted as she let him believe for so long that he was closer to her than she considered him. Now all she had to remember him by was a demon controlling him and him now in Hell for torturing her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John couldn't help but smirk in amusement when he heard that Jay had also managed so seriously damage Chas' cab, though given how relatively recent it was, the cab was already enchanted to be self repairing, so the damage done by the falling assassin wouldn't have been permanent. "Don't know whether to be glad I'm not the only one who's smashed up your cab or annoyed that somebody else is stealing my jam." He remarked. Cliff was wincing ever so slightly, already imagining the kinds of injuries Jay would have sustained from such a fall onto such an unyielding surface. Elliott meanwhile was caught between sighing with an expression of 'of course she did' on her face and asking more questions. the latter one out in the end and he leaned forwards to give the cabbie his full attention. "Knowing Jay she either jumped or was pushed. Which was it? And what happened next?"

Chas answered Kay's question first "yeah, it happens surprisingly often. My poor cab undergoes a lot of abuse, mostly because of John himself, or somebody John has pissed off, though are been other incidents, completely unrelated to John, this being one of the more bizarre ones" before launching into the details of the story, thus answering Elliott and Kay's other questions. "The building in question was one of those mid-rise office blocks, she was surrounded and the window was the only viable exit so she threw herself out of it, aiming for a garbage dumpster, but missed and hit the cab instead, hit it with such force that she rolled off the roof and slammed on the ground with a pretty sickening crunch. She'd succeeded in falling in such a way that her head was protected, that's the only reason she wasn't knocked out by the fall." Cliff's grimacing only got worse as Chas told the story, she was by no means squeamish, but after working for so many years with emergency trauma patients she'd seen all kinds of injuries and knew how much pain they must have caused Jay.

"What happened next was a sort of blur, I think I dragged her into the cab and she told me something along the lines of 'drive the fuck away from here before the goons with guns start shooting'. A few seconds later said goons did appear, so I did as I was told and got the Hells out of there. We ended up in some kind of safehouse she knew of. By that point she'd lost a hell of a lot of blood and was on the verge of passing out, yet refused to let me anywhere near her." Elliott couldn't help but shake his head, remembering a similar incident where Jay had been stabbed in the side and refused to let on that anything was wrong until they were back at AJ's base, and even then they only found out because she passed out passed out on the floor in front of them. "That's the Jay I know alright." "What could I do? She needed some form of medical attention, but wouldn't let me near her. So I just watched as she started stitching herself up and stabbing p the broken ribs, readying myself for when she passed out. Which she refused to do, not trusting me at all. In the end talking to me was, ironically, the thing that kept her from passing out. So that's how we spent the next few hours, until it became apparent that in the fall she'd majorly fucked up her ankle, hence the crunch earlier and was only feeling it now as the adrenaline was wearing off. Which left her with no choice butt to trust me for another few days, with a foot that fucked she couldn't get anywhere fast. In the end it took her about a week to heal up and by the end of the week she'd warmed to me, enough to give up some information about herself as well as deciding that I was, I quote 'one of those rare people whose kind without it being a weakness, loyal to a fault, sticks by their choices and really doesn't give up on people'"

 

[MzHyde]

Fia noticed how Cliff grimaced slightly at the news of Jay going flying out of a window and straight onto a cab. She also smirked at John's comment about not sure whether to be glad or not he wasn't the only one who did such a thing to Chas' cab, finding it amusing that that's what John took out of the initial bit of information. She also noticed how Elliott reacted to the news, finding it not the slightest bit surprising that Elliott would rresct in such a manner. She however wasn't surprised by the news nearly as much as she had heard the story before in her timeline, having been told the story by both Chas and Jay after she asked how Jay came into their lives, with them all giving their own stories.

Kay smirked at Chas first replying to her with her little smart ass comment baout it being a habit for him and his cab, before she continued to listen to the whole story with interest and intrigue. She found herself grimacing at the part of hearing Jay going flying off the cab and onto the floor with a loud crunch, knowing just how much that'd had to have hurt. Adrenaline induced or not, she had had her fair share of injuries from running away from demons, so she could easily imagine how badly Jay was banged up after a tremendous fall. When the story was over, there was only one thing that came to her mind, "I don't know who to feel more sorry for... You or your cab" she chuckling before continuing, "but in all seriousness, she has a point about how she described you. It's damn spot on and I'm glad she was okay in the end. Not to mention it really does show just how much like Jay Rinaa truly is" she finished saying.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott was completely drawn in the story, trying to figure out when exactly this meeting had taken place. Jay pissing off a bunch of gun wielding mobsters was hardly surprising. When AJ's crew had finally stopped keeping her as a prisoner Jay had made her business to find out everything possible about the underworld of Earth (Elliott suspected she was looking for a way off-planet). What had happened instead was that, Jay had taken matters into her own hands, not exactly becoming a vigilante, but not going back to her old assassin ways either, she had some sense of morals. He along with pretty much everybody else flinched at the idea of falling five stories onto a cab and then slamming into the hard ground. Eve though jay had broken ribs, Elliott knew that in a way she'd gotten off lightly, a splinter of rib in the wrong place and she could have bled to death internally. "She was lucky with those injuries, that could have easily been so much worse, and given that her healing abilities are tempermental, it's a damn good thing you were there." Cliff, being Cliff found herself focused on the injuries, seeing the same stubborness in Jay as was in Rinaa when it came to patching themselves up.

"No wonder you both looked so bloody surprised when you saw each other." John remarked, finding the story highly interesting. It didn't escape his attention that Fia had heard this story before judging by the lack of reaction on her face. "Yeah, I was pretty convinced she'd probably got herself killed in some other way and she by the sounds of it hadn't twigged that the cabbie Elliott was getting the crew to keep an eye on was the same cabbie who saved her life those years earlier." "Knowing Jay she was kicking herself over missing it." Elliott told Chas with a fond smile. "So much of that story is typical of the Jay of that time, except for how quickly she let you in, she barely spoke to us for the first half year or so. It was all angry looks and angrier gestures." Elliott's eyebrows very nearly disappeared into his hairline when he heard what Jay had said about Chas. Any kind of heartfelt praise was rare from jay (it was a tough call as to who was harder to get genuine praise from - her or John), and in that volumes, had it not been Chas saying it, he wouldn't have believed it. "Wow, her words are spot on, we're all thinking it, but Jay doesn't just say stuff like that, you must have seriously impressed her." "If anyone could, it's Chas."

"Definitely the cab, it didn't sign up for this shit, I on the other hand know exactly what I'm getting into, or more precisely, I get involved of my own free will. The cab doesn't have that luxury." Chas smirked in reply to Kay's words, the love for his current cab very evident in his tone. There was a running joke about his cab between him and John that had started when Chas first started driving at seventeen and a half (he looked older than his age and the cab company was willing to turn a blind eye as he was far from the stereotype teenage tearaway driver) about whether the cab was male or female and what it was named John wanted one name, Chas another. To this day Chas could still name every cab he'd owned (and had wrecked) just by looking at a partial photo of it. The current cab was female and Trish had the honours of naming it (she'd picked Emma as the name).

 

[MzHyde]

Both Kay and Fia agreed with Cliff about it only would have taken one slight change in position and Jay wouldn't have the luxury of being around still. Neither needed to be a doctor to know that, but hearing Cliff say it herself did mean that they were thinking along the right lines when they assumed such a thing. Both girls listened as John remarked about how Jay and Chas looked so surprised when they saw each other, Kay remembering the day well and knowing how right John was in that statement. The two were surprised but back then, no one seemed to question it, but now it all made a lot more sense. They then continued to listen as Chas continued talking and Elliott said his bit before Chas replied to Kay's words, making Kay chuckle.

"touché. Then the cab will have my sympathies" she joked, with a smile upon her face. It was nice to end the topic on a lighter note in her mind, as interested as she was in knowing how Chas and Jay first met, it was quite a intense subject, so to end it on a jokey comment about his cab was a nice diversion, whilst still sort of remaining on topic. "now that's been spoken about, what to talk about or do now" Fia commented, pulling her legs up onto the couch and under her. All this time she had been trying to think up ideas whilst listening to the very story she had heard before, knowing that John had picked up on her lack of reaction from it, and came up blank. She did think about heading to the forge to see what Cal was up to but she knew she couldn't go alone so she figured that was out of the question. "dunno kiddo, wouldn't mind stretching my legs myself and getting some air" she replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"You can give them in person when we get back." Chas replied, also glad that they were ending on a lighter note. The conversation could so easily have gone in a different direction. At the question Elliott gave a sort of shrug. "I told Cal I'd drop by the forge for a couple of hours later and see her in her 'natural habit'." DElliott's Elliott's air quotes weren't meant maliciously. Despite being on Attil longer than the rest of them, Elliott hadn't had the chance to properly see his sister at work. It was too risky for him to hang around the main crafting area, given how notorious he was, it would only take one person to recognise him and the game would be up. But now that Cal had made a scene of waltzing out with him, he saw no reason to hide out in the apartment all day.

"She'll appreciate that." Cliff smiled at Elliott. She'd expected things between her and Elliott to be far more awkward than they actually were. she was expecting them to be clashing over who knew Cal better and which of the two knew her better. They'd discussed it a little bit, but it quickly became clear that they were already on the same wavelength- Elliott knowing young Cal the best and accepting that his sister had changed while Cliff knew and loved the version of the Cal that existed now, but knew less about what Cal had been like before Elliott left. There had been only two or three years where both of them had been in Cal's life at the same time and they'd both been involved very different parts of Cal's life. "A walk sounds like a good idea to me." Chas agreed, stretching his legs sounded very appealing and when it came to walking he preferred to have some form of company (even if said company wasn't very talkative). John on the other hand wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with himself, none of the options were really jumping out at him.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia listened to Elliott say he was going to visit Cal at the forge later for a couple of hours, nodding in response deciding that if that was the case she wouldn't encroach on him spending time with his biological sister. If she did ask to come along to just spend quality time with her half siblings, she would have felt guilty about it so she decided to not say anything in reply to that. She also found herself thinking it was a good idea that Kay got out to get some air at some point, and she felt even better about it hearing Chas agree that a walk would be a welcomed idea. "then I guess that's us two decided on something" Kay replied to Chas, knowing it would be good for her to just spend time with Chas as they hadn't actually hung out together alone apart from when they watched John and Fia bond at the sports arena.

"guess that just leaves you and me to do something" Fia then said to John, thinking there must be something that they could do together that they could continue bonding over, to help with the whole realisation that he was becoming a dad. She also figured it might be an excuse to figure out at what stage he was at when it came to figuring out how he felt about Kay. She didn't hold out much hope for getting any answers but she was a teenager and being a typical teenager, she wanted to know things. "maybe we could jam together or something?" she suggested, saying the first thing that came to mind. She figured even if that didn't spark his interest, then maybe it could create more ideas.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John was of a similar opinion to Fia when it came to joining Cal and Elliott. His situation with his own sister wasn't as extreme, they hadn't ever gone more than a year without seeing each other, but as soon as they did, they dumped all commitments with anybody ese and spent a day solid either catching up on each other's lives, bitching about their lives or giving advice, while getting steadily and steadily more drunk. John wasn't a chatty drunk normal, alcohol didn't make him spill his guts to the nearest willing (if it did, he probably wouldn't be still alive, somebody would have used this weakness against him). The only time alcohol caused John to spill his guts was when Cheryl and Cheryl only was around. So he could respect their need to spend time with each other, especially as the time Elliott had spent in prison had been spent by both of them just trying to wrap their heads around the fact that a) their sibling was alive and b) just how much they'd changed physically over the years and just how much they'd stayed the same.

John was half tempted to take a leaf out of Jay and Rinaa's books and go to either the shooting range or the gym to vent some excess energy. He wasn't a major gun user (they were technically illegal) and his style of hand-to-hand fighting could only be described as 'using every dirty trick he knew when magic failed him' (given the debauchery of his youth, he'd learned all kind of fighting tricks from all kinds of people, stuff that allowed him, as a teenager, to beat up people older than him, stronger than him and in some cases people with superhuman powers). Keeping these skills honed was something he did on and off, and John always found a strange irony that one of these two activities (going to a gym/boxing rings) was actually one of the most normal things he did with his life.

Fia's idea was far more appealing, even after spending most of the night doing just that with Rinaa and Elliott on the roof, he was perfectly happy to spend the next while doing more of the same thing. He'd been put in a sort of creative mood by the other two and their very contrasting styles. Surprisingly out of the two, Elliott was the one still uncertain about his style, willing to experiment, uncertain as to what genre(s) exactly he wanted to play. Rinaa on the others had a very definite style, both in terms of what she sang, what she played and what she wrote- heavily influenced by the punk and punk-rock music of John's youth (she admitted to listening to some of his old tracks to help her with song writing), combined with Rinaa's outrage and anger at the discrimination and injustices of her timeline, her own experiences and all the other pent up emotions she had inside her. But she also enjoyed some classical guitar pieces, fast paced Spanish-style stuff. "I'd be up for that." He replied.

 

[MzHyde]

Hearing Fia speak up to John about wanting to spend time with him alone that wasn't her crying or being an emotional wreck, made Kay smile discreetly. She had learned to accept the fact tha their daughter was well and truly a daddy's girl and if there was a choice like now, to hang out with her or John then Fia would always pick the latter. She knew for both Fia's (unborn Fia/baby Fia and this alternate Fia) that she would be safe with John so what little jealousy of her favouring John over herself there was, was minute in comparison to know how safe she would be. It also made her happy inside to see John agree to the first idea that Fia said, knowing that with John's guitar and Fia's violin, it'd be quite the jamming session.

Fia smiled and gave a single firm nod at John agreeing to do something with her. For a split second after she suggested it, she wondered if he would even want to after having done a long session with Rinaa and Elliott, and she always worried that as she never stuck with the guitar like the rest of the family, if he would even want to jam with her. She knew deep done it was an irrational concern as they did play together in her timeline, but she also knew this John was still different in some ways to her John. She didn't know fully if he would like playing with his kid who drifted to a different instrument to everyone else.
She also knew there was no way of playing with Kay as there was no form of piano or keyboard around for her to play with her so it was John or on her own. "cool!" she replied.

Kay knew that the two of them playing together would be good for the both of them, she also figured if one or the other got tired of playing they'd find something else to do together as they were so alike. All she was now wondering was when to go for that walk, before deciding that if she could get her boots on, now was better than ever. "well, I'm gonna attempt to get my boots on and go for that walk. Hoping it'll wake me up more, Chas you coming?" she asked.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The fact that Fia hadn't gravitated towards guitar like all the others wasn't something that would John put John off her like Fia thought it would. What John was actually surprised about was that so many people around him had all gravitated towards the same instrument- the guitar (Chas actually knew the very basic chords on the bass guitar, as he'd been forced to fill in for the bass player once). A bit of musical diversity would do their group good was John's current viewpoint on the matter (and the one he maintained in Fia's timeline). In the future they often joked that between them they had everything they needed to make a full band, but there had never been an occasion in either timeline where Chas, John, Elliott, Jay, Kay, Fia and Leah/Rinaa had played together, partly due to the fact that they'd probably annoy the hell out of everybody else in the block, but mainly due to Leah's staunch and unyielding refusal to play when she knew family was watching and the fact that Jay rarely ever picked up an instrument, preferring to relax in other ways.

"Yep" Chas nodded at Kay as he got out of the armchair "give me a minute or two to locate my own boots." Elliott, who was already up and off the couch, chucked the cabbie's boots over to him, which he caught easily. Cliff, now finished eating, saw no reason to hang around the flat. "I'll head out with you lot and swing by the forge for a few minutes before heading to work." Cliff didn't want to encroach on the time between her wife and brother-in-law (having four siblings she could very much appreciate the importance of getting to spend some quality one-on-one time with each of them). She wasn't actually due in for another couple of hours, and planned to do a little window shopping, Nat's birthday was next month and she wasn't sure what to get him. "How long is your shift?" Elliott asked, knowing that they varied vastly in length. "Only ten thankfully, after the twenty four hour one I pulled the other day, my union says that's the maximum I can do, I'll be back today, just very, very late."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded at Chas' reply about giving him a minute to locate his own boots as she very awkwardly attempted to pull on her own boots. She was really starting to find it a struggle and it was making her frustrated but she continued anyway until they got on, finding now that the fit of them was changing due to her body changing, including the swelling of her feet. She smiled seeing Elliott chuck Chas his boots whilst nodding at Cliff's comment of heading out with them so she could do what she wanted before going to work. "sure thing" she replied to her before Elliott asked Cliff about the length of her shift. Hearing Cliff talk about how it was lucky it was that her shift was only ten hours, Kay felt like it was only Cliff who could imagine that length of shift a lucky and short one. She eventually pushed herself up and off the couch, unintentionally using John's knee and the armrest as a aid to get up.

Fia watched on at everyone doing their thing to either head out or do something else as she remained sat back and out the way of everyone. She would have helped Kay get her boots on but she had a feeling Kay would just flat out refuse or feel incompetent for accepting the help. It wasn't the full truth, but it was how Fia saw her mother. A strong willed independant person who was always so reluctant to accept help, even if it was something she wanted. She then got an idea, knowing that if she was to jam with her father, she'd need to grab her violin from the room she was crashing in and make sure it was tuned still. Something she wasn't expecting it to be after the long flight from the other day. "I'm gonna grab my violin" she said, jumping over the back of the couch to head to the room with her belongings in. She was excited to play with her dad, as for her it had been a little while since she last did so. She was convinced that she had jammed with future Elliott more than John so for her, it was quite a big deal for her. It only took her a few seconds to grab her violin and come back, perching back on the couch, pulling her new favourite violin up to her chin and checking it, finding that low and behold it needed a tiny bit of retuning.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas gave a sympathetic nod at Cliff's remark on how long her shift was, he knew all too well what it was like to work crazy hours, that was simultaneously one of the great advantages and disadvantages of being a cabbie- he was able to pick his own work hours. "Is the union any good?" he asked curiously as Cliff got her stuff together and Kay tugged on her boots. "Cos on Earth it seems like if it isn't the government being bitched about for not listening to unions, it's unions being bitched about for not fighting harder." "For the most part they're brilliant here, but there's always the exception to the rule." "Of course." Chas nodded in understanding as the doctor continued. "I really couldn't ask for more from the doctor's union, they also look after the medical students too, which is pretty awesome as a student to have somebody with clout who has your back trying to drive down the costs of medical school. All the medical unions I know of here on Attil into account your race too. Devra may only need four hours of sleep a night, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can survive on that much." She explained, the explanation continuing in more detail as the group began to head downstairs. Both Cliff and Chas were interested in the similarities and differences between each other's planet and did their very best to answer the other's questions.

John didn't mind his knee being used as a sort of launch pad, although the fact that Kay had to do such a thing did drive home the point that this pregnancy was progressing at a ridiculous pace and if things didn't start moving on the Attili end of things Fia would be born off-world (which would be an interesting story to tell and far more convenient for Cliff, but it really wouldn't be fair on Cliff and Cal to ask them to put up with a newborn, especially with Cliff being a doctor and needing her sleep probably more than anyone else, and kicking her out of her own flat would hardly be fair). "Keep an eye out for any tails, yeah mate?" John called after the cabbie, trusting that Chas would do such a thing anyway, but feeling that it would be a good idea to emphasise the point. While Fia was getting her violin, John was debating over which guitar to use. He loved his guitar, it worked perfectly and the wear and tear only gave it more character. But Jack's guitar was a real piece of craftsmanship and the sound was superb. Jay hadn't explicitly said he couldn't use Jack's guitar and neither had Elliott, but the dead twin was a touchy subject with the assassin, she was still coming to terms with the fact that his death had been due to his ship being sabotaged and not some fault on jay's part. "Chances of Jay killing me if I use her brother's guitar?" John asked Fia, a musing edge to his tone, wondering if she'd ever heard it played back in her own timeline where it had been passed to Leah.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay didn't mind the fact that Chas and Cliff got into a in depth conversation about the unions on earth and Attil, even though it was something she couldn't remotely give her input into. She was glad that John didn't mind being used as a launch pad, but even if he did mind she would have done it anyway. She hated that pregnancy was progressing ridiculously fast, but she was also glad as it meant she could be over the pregnancy thing soon enough, even if she wasn't so sure about the idea of Fia being born off world. She also, like John, wasn't so keen or comfortable with the idea of making Cal and Cliff open their place up to a newborn who would keep them up at all hours like the rest of them when they have such erratic work hours. It wasn't fair in the slightest to put it onto them after they had done so much for their group already. "I'll see you both later" she said to Fia and John, patting John's hand as her way of showing discreet affection that wasn't a kiss on the cheek.

She then walked slightly quickened to catch up with Chas and Cliff, heading down the stairs and leaving her kid and her....whatever John was to her to have their time together. She did however decide she would have to ask Chas what the ant tails comment was all about when Cliff went her own way. Back in the apartment, Fia was touching up the sound of her violin as John looked at the selection of guitars, clearly deciding on which one he should play. With the musing question aimed her way, she looked up as she got the violin tuned and shrugged. "honestly? Not one hundred percent sure. In my timeline it's hit or miss if she's okay with others playing it. One day she can be fine with it, another she can get pissed. So I guess it's up to you if you want to risk your life for the chance? Or reckon she'll ever know you played it when she got back" she replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Once reaching the ground floor, the group said their goodbyes and broke in two, Elliott and Cliff heading one way (towards the forge), while Chas and Kay headed the other way. It was reasonably and there was a buzz of activity in the city as the various pilots, engineers, doctors, military personnel and civilian consultants headed out to work. Shortly after leaving the apartment block the two would also hear the sound of the cadets boots, the column of squaddies easily overtaking the two at their ambling pace. Chas recognised the gesture the other, more senior military people were giving them and made a 'heh' of amusement, having got the meaning of the gesture out of Cliff one day when the two were out for a walk.

John considered Fia's words on the matter,understanding why she was touchy on the matter, it was like how John was with his mother and dead twin. Had Jay actually been around, he wouldn't have even considered touching the other guitar. But as the assassin was hundreds of thousands of thousands of miles away (it was still pretty mind blowing just how fast these spaceships, it was hundreds of thousands of lightyears from Earth to Attil, yet the trip had only taken them a few days), John figured he might as well take advantage of the situation. A sort of 'while the cat's away, the mice will play' situation, except John wasn't a mouse and Jay was most definitely some kind of terrifying wildcat as opposed to a domestic cat (most domestic cats John had ever come across could eventually be won across with food). 'Ah what the Hells' John thought to himself, reaching for the other guitar case. "Well I've played it earlier, with both Rinaa and Elliott saying it was okay" John replied, already working out what he would say to the assassin if she did find out. "So if she does find out I played it, hopefully she'll put it down to that and not me getting it out again. And besides it could do with some use, Jay herself even said it shouldn't have been left untouched in that lock-up for years." John lifted the guitar of the case, running a hand over the dark red-black wood. According to Rinaa it was from a species of trees that grew in volcanically volatile planets, and particles of the lava and volcanic rocks became infused with the tree throughout it's lifetime. This didn't just make it look beautiful, it also gave it added strength.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay said her goodbye to Cliff and Elliott before they broke into two and headed into the opposite direction with Chas. As they walked she noticed how busy it was, noting how it felt slightly busier than the last time she went for a walk with John. She made sure to keep out of the way of the squadrons and cadets as they came passed them, seeing the taunting from the senior members of staff. She may not have fully understood what the gesture meant, she could recognise when something was done to taunt those below others. Witnessing it she smirked, deciding that taunting was indeed universal to everywhere and not just to Earth's military. She also was really enjoying the chance to just walk and stretch her legs, whilst not being cooped up on a couch all the time. "feels good to get some fresh air" she said as an out loud thought.

Fia watched him consider what she was saying before deciding on which route to take when it came to playing Jack's guitar. It was a nice moment to witness for her, knowing that even in this time he did consider what she said and not just dismiss her because of her age. It made her think how things never changed in that aspect, as he considered her opinions a lot in her timeline. She listened to what he replied with, thinking that Rinaa's permission was just as valid as Jay's. "well then, you have your answer" she smirked slightly, finally happy with the tone of her instrument as she watched John take out Jack's guitar. It was a stunning piece, she had to admit, thinking that if it played as well as it looked then it was truly a great instrument to play. She made sure her fingers were nowhere the crossbow trigger part of the violin, placing it under her chin, to get it into a comfortable position. She lifted the bow after placing her fingertips on the neck, deciding to just let her hands pick what to play rather than think up a particular piece.

It wasnt long before she was playing something upbeat, something that John would easily play happily.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Agreed." Chas nodded, savouring the cleanness of the Attilian air. It was going to be one hell of a shock when they all got back to Earth and had to deal with the ridiculous amounts of pollution humans insisted upon pumping into the air. He'd never understood until coming to Attil why Elliott had complained so much about the air quality when he was younger. He was also enjoying the opportunity of properly stretching his legs (even if he was walking at a slower pace than he usually would on account of Kay). "I have nothing against Cal and Cliff's stance, it makes perfect sense that at the very least there's somebody who speaks the language in the group, but the lack of freedom is kinda frustrating, and sometimes I can't help but be kind of jealous of the way that Rinaa can just come and go as she pleases without having to consult anybody. Which is pretty weird to be honest." Chas gave a soft laugh at the end of the sentence, he really shouldn't be enying Rinaa (given her spectacularly shit hand in life), but somehow he'd managed to find something in her life to be envious about. It certainly said something about his personality and more optimistic nature.

For John there was no need to tune the guitar, Rinaa had done so earlier (and at points throughout the night she made minute adjustments to it), so unless there was something seriously wrong with the guitar, it shouldn't need tuning again only a few hours later. John didn't bother to sling the guitar strap around his neck, he wasn't prancing around on a stage and therefore didn't need to go hands free. But he did adjust his position on the couch, choosing to sit on the arm as opposed to the seat, one leg braced against the edge of the coffee table. John didn't recognise what Fia was playing, but after listening for a couple of seconds or so, he joined in with matching chords. John had learned to play guitar by ear, never really being formally taught (he'd learned chord sequences and certain strumming patterns from people, but for those most part it had been trial and error, and with th kind of punk he played in the kind of venues he played at tuning an instrument was optional at best), so he had the enviable skills of a traditional musician of being able to play along with something for this first time without the need for any sheet music. John had no problems playing along with a violin and had soon slipped into a comfortable rhythm.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay just knew that Chas would be agreeing with her about her fresh air comment even if when she said it, she didn't even think about him replying to her. She then found herself listening to the rest of what he was saying, nodding in agreement that like him, she agreed with the stance of having seone around that could have a basic knowledge of the language and layout of the area. Whereas Fia only obliged the rule because she knew nothing she would say would change anyone's minds and she really wouldn't want the rest of them having a go at her if she got into some kind trouble which would lead to the 'I told you so' spiel. "mm, I agree, it's highly frustrating having a lack of freedom but it makes total sense. I think Fia is the only one who obliges the rule so she don't get lectured" she chuckled. "but yeah, seeing Rinaa being able to go in and out as she pleases is rather envious" she smiled, shoving her hands in her hoodie pockets, using that action as an excuse to cradle her unborn child subtly. "it's also nice to just give Fia and John time alone together when Fia isn't an emotional wreck over something" she added.

Fia found that she wasn't playing anything in particular as such, she was just going with the flow of the rhythm, making sure to stay seated whilst playing which she found was always a challenge as she naturally just wanted to move to what she was playing. The moment John joined in she smiled to herself, loving how the sound of Jack's guitar blended so nicely with the sound of her violin. Playing with John was always a highlight for Fia, she loved playing with most people, jamming with Elliott in her time for example was always joyous for her but there was always something more special for her jamming with John. After a few moments, she soon found herself smirking as she seamlessly blended what she was playing into something else, something she had taught herself and favoured. She was curious if John could keep up and would play along, considering the piece a fun bit of challenging and a 'stand off' musically speaking.

Spoiler: The music piece

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas was relieved to hear he wasn't the only one jealous of the other teenager. He didn't know when exactly he'd started referring to Rinaa as 'the other teenager', but the realisation that he was doing so made him feel guilty. Guilty that he'd unknowingly slipped into the mindset of everybody in Rinaa's timeline, seeing her as a sort of outsider instead of proper member of their group. He couldn't help but smirk at the comment about Fia, knowing it was right on the money. "We all know that if Fia spoke the language anywhere even vaguely approaching fluently she'd be off like a shot to do whatever the Hells she wanted and seeing everything possible there is of this place." He replied. He also theorised that if Rinaa had a better relationship with Fia, the two would be thick as thieves, vanishing for hours on end to hang out together and have normal teenage fun. He nodded again in agreement with how it was a good thing that Fia and John got to spend time together. "Yeah it is." He paused before adding. "John's surprisingly good with kids, considering how shit his own childhood was. He'll deny it of course." Chas rolled his eyes with an expression of 'typical John' on his face before finishing "but the evidence is against him."

As seamless as Fia was switching into an actual piece, John knew she'd done it. He'd spent plenty time messing around with improvised chords, only for somebody to segway into a real song. John let instinct guide him, listening to what Fia was playing and letting his fingers do what felt best. John had learned years ago that if he began to actually think about what he was playing, and try to consciously figure out what he should play it would turn out shit. Better to just follow his instincts. what he came up with wasn't a perfect replica of the original guitar parts, but it was pretty damn similar, and at one point he switched to minor chords to give the piece a more ominous darker feel, not so much a stand-off, more of a fight to the death scenario.

 

[MzHyde]

When Chas said his opinion and theory of Fia, Kay had to laugh and nod in agreement. She definitely could see Fia running off at the first opportunity she could to explore whatever she wanted, which in a sad way she couldn't blame Fia for after knowing how cooped up the teenager was in her timeline. Instead of instantly replying to the first remark about Fia, she listened to what else Chas had to say about Fia and John spending time together. "I know I've not seen it as much as you have but from what I've seen, he really is good with kids. He's been amazing with Fia and Rinaa from what I've seen, and I know he'll be great with Fia when she technically arrives into the world. Even if he'll deny it or be terrified about it" she replied. "he thinks I'm doing better than he is over this whole thing but I'd beg to differ a lot. I'm dealing with it just as well as he is. I'm just putting on a front to help cope with it all" she explained.

Fia smiled and continued playing, liking the original take he was taking on the piece. Yet that was one thing she liked baout the piece, it meant it could be taken and twisted into various ways and fun could just be had with it. She let him play his bit, knowing instantly he was laying down the challenge for her which she always grabbed willingly and played again, putting in little surprises here and there, taking what he was playing and going with it. She liked how well they could just work together, could pick up on what the other was doing and make it their own whilst making it fun for the other.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"You should see what he's like with Gemma, you think Fia worships John? That niece of his takes it to a whole new level." Chas shook his head fondly at the memories he had of John and Gemma. They were quite the double act, even though they so rarely get the chance to see each other."John'll deny it to the end alright." Chas gave a shrug knowing that the chances of John ever changing his mind on the idea that he was good with kids was nanometre slim to non-existent. No matter how many times the evidence was pointed out, John refused to be swayed. And there was a considerable amount of evidence to the contrary of John's opinion, namely Trish, Gemma, Aisha's two kids, Astra, Elliott, Noah, and, more recently, Rinaa and Fia. "No point in trying to change his mind on that, we've all had a crack at it, to no avail. It won't happen." He added before falling silent as Kay explained how she was doing just as well, or as badly as John when it came to coping with the whole 'the universe wants us to have a kid together' thing that had been dumped on them. He couldn't help but let out a slight noise of amusement at the fact that both of them were using the exact same method of coping- putting on a mask of being more okay with it than they actually were for the sake of their partner. "Unfortunately the whole putting on a face of pretending you're more okay and in control with it than you actually are is something that doesn't go away at all, it's one of those parts of parenthood people don't tell you about. Speaking from experience, if you don't doubt yourself then you're not a good parent. All the best aptenst spend most of their time doubting and wondering if they should be doing things differently."

John had always enjoyed messing around with other musicians before gigs, no matter what their particular style of music or type of instrument was, it was his firm belief that you could always add in a few background chords to spice things up a bit without taking from whatever the original piece was. Playing with Fia was just proof of that theory. There was no denying that Fia was a talented musician, probably more talented than him when it came to the level at which she could play the instrument, but John knew he'd have the edge when it came to singing, playing and holding a rowdy crowd captive at the same time. WIth Fia's piece over John decided to take the lead and launched into the backing chords of an old song. He didn't know the name, nor could he fully remember the lyrics, but it was fast-paced and angry with some interesting chord structures.