technohippie | 17th Fix

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17th Fix

[Thanks to being at stage three, Quinn really messed stuff up with his best friend in town. He's wrestling with a lot of feelings that a chill and in-control guy like him never deals with normally, and still being under the secret-blurting effect, really wants to get this off his chest to someone. The problem is that he doesn't know who to go to, and he doesn't really want to start blurting out more secrets and ruining more friendships today. Oh, but he really does want to talk, doesn't he? Thanks, Mayfield.

What Quinn will be up to:

A) In the garage at home, doors open, playing with all his electronics as usual. There's music playing, but it's not blaring this time. The ashtray on his table is overflowing with cigarette butts. Quinn's just making himself look busy, tinkering around with no real goal in mind. He'll be using his technomancy, talking to his electronics about his problems, but they don't really get it.

B) He'll be stopping in to check on his buddy Scott Pilgrim, who, from the last call he made, sounded pretty bad off. Knock knock at 2242 Stevens Road.

C) Out at the grocery store, restocking on cigarettes. And maybe some beer. And keeping his head town to hopefully avoid people! Quinn looking nervous and worried is pretty unusual to anyone who knows him.

D) At night, Quinn's at the park, laying at the grass and looking up at the stars. His laptop is next to him, and he has his headphones phones on and a cigarette in his mouth. This is his best idea on how to shut off both the world and his mind for awhile, but that doesn't prevent anyone from approaching him.

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Yeeeeaaah my closest friend in town pretty much hates me now. [He frowns a little over his beer bottle as he takes a long drink.]

mmm...

[ She knows better, but can't help it... ]

You told him a truth you'd been hiding.

[ She sighs, and takes a drink. ]

As a psychiatrist, truth is what I try to help my patients find. But it has to be their choice.

In the worst way possible, too.

I dunno if a psychatrist'd be able to help when all I did was tell that I really, really wanna sleep with him.

Oh, hon. I hope he's okay with it.

[ She takes a drink, considering. ]

If he says no, do you think you two can still be friends?

That's the thing! He didn't say "no" so much as "Well I've thought about but I'm a virgin and now that I've told you this I am going to knock over a damn fence in anger."

Pretty much I don't think he's gonna talk to me ever again.

[He looks pretty sad at that thought.]

Well, he probably realizes what is going on... and it is flattering.

[ She drains the last of the beer, and considers. ]

It might not have been anger. It could have been frustration. Or panic.

[He lights up a new cigarette, takes a drag, and then stamps it out. Guest does not like cigarettes. Right.]

Mighta been all three. I told him the reason I never said anythin' was because I thought he'd punch me or somethin'. That only made him madder.

I really thought he would, ya know. Otherwise I woulda said somethin' sooner. Ain't like me to be afraid of askin' anyone that. I dunno why I was with him.

[A sigh.]

Man, I really screwed up.

[ She raises her eyebrows at the bit with the cigarette. ]

Don't... ah, thanks.

Maybe your subconscious was trying like hell to make sure you didn't screw it up before you proposed?

Maybe. So either Mayfield cockbocked me or... I dunno, I turned spineless or somethin'.

Not spineless, hon. When you meet your mate, the part of your brain that is trying to make sure you don't mess this up can make you cautious or reckless.

[ Ilsa smiles, and gets up to get another beer. ]

I don't know if it's worse if you're raised monogamous or not.

"Mate" might be too strong a word. I like 'im, though. A lot. He's a lot cooler than he thinks he is.

[He pauses.] ...Did I seriously just say that?

Yes, you did.

[ She gets a beer for both of them. ]

What, the first above the harem isn't a mate? Pfft. It's what I'd call...tng...

[ She visibly restrains herself. ]

Dangit. I haven't asked him yet, even. I ought to. After I tell him about the family.

Harem? [He chuckles and shakes his head.] Ya give me too much credit.

The family?

[ She laughs at his disbelief, though it calms when he asks about her family. ]

Daddy's not a local boy. My paternal grandparents live a couple of dimensions over, actually.

[ She winces at the last statement. ]

Dangit.

Hey, don't worry 'bout it. My family's fulla crazy redneck fire mages, if it makes ya feel any better.

[ This gets a surprised laugh from her. ]

So how far away do you have to be when somebody says, "Here, hold my beer"?

Oh man, you joke but don't act like that stuff don't happen all the time! [He grins.]

[ It feels good to laugh with all of the tension she had this morning. ]

Pfft, I've had to do some haint-chasing all over. About every three summers or so we get the solstice warnings. You go in, thinking you're going to have to wade into a centuries-long feud with the ancestors wading in, and find out it's a wedding, with the families showing off for each other. Now, that's a party.

Wow, and I thought my family was pretty crazy. Though my family will take any opportunity to show off. It wouldn't be a family barbeque without something getting blasted sky high.

Oh, man - I grew up in the calmer section of town, with Grandmere, that's my maternal great-grandmother, trying to get my parents to groom me for the Junior League or some nonsense. But when I started showing talent for magework, and trying stuff outside Mama's field, my sister and I got to visit the cousins over the summers.

[ She's not sure if it's Mayfield or just being able to talk shop with somebody here that's bringing up the stories. ]

My first summer in Austin, I was 10 and Nadine was 8. We accidentally were in on a chupacabra hunt. Luis was a great teacher for tracking. Not so great on knowing when to send the kids back to the house. Aunt Sally raked him over the coals for that one. Didn't learn he dipped tobacco until years later when he kissed me at the fireworks.

[ Yep. Mayfield strikes again. ]

Edited 2011-07-18 02:34 (UTC)

[He lets out a low whistle.] And I thought my family was all over the place.

Yeah, Mama's side of the family tend to be guardians one way or another. I've got lots of family near military bases because most of them join up, then settle down near their last assignment. Have a few diplomats in the mix, social workers and police. I'm one of the first full-time doctors in a couple of centuries, even though there's been a few brujas, houngan and shamans that have some healing talents on the side.

[ she takes a long pull form the beer. ]

I'm curious, but I'm really trying to not ask any more questions.

Nothin' so exotic in the Hatch bloodline, far as I know. Grandpa's been around a long time though, so who even knows. He's always tryin' to go and marry us off though, so he's been harpin' on me. Settle down with some nice mage girl. Mages are ageless where I'm from, so I'm not exactly in a hurry, myself.

Well, there's taking your time, and then there's just playing the field. But if you live a century or so, there's plenty of time. Of course, I'm from a family of long-lived mages on one side and really long-lived poly adherents on the other, so I'm not the most normal person to ask.

[ ...and she forgets about Mayfield being horrible today. Sorry, Quinn. /small>]

Settling down with a nice mage boy isn't an option in your family yet? or a couple of mages to settle in with?

Boy, girl, mage, not a mage, don't matter much to me. My parents and Grandpa, though? Yeah, they got some things to say on it. My family don't usually seem like the traditional times, but they can fool ya.

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