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Harry Potter:"Do you really think there's going to be a war, Sirius?"
Sirius Black: "It… feels like it did before."
TURN ON THE LIGHT is a Post- Potter roleplay that takes place twenty-five years after the Second Wizarding War.
We welcome canon and original characters in this (currently) sandbox style roleplay.
When the door to her lab slid open and Allen entered he would find Krys tinkering with one of her inventions. Bronze goggles with emerald green lenses resembled a kaleidoscope that popped in and out with a simple tap strapped around her head. She was so caught up in her work (like always) that she didn't even hear him enter the room. This was why she would never be good in the field, one of many reasons to be honest, she had a mind that was always racing with a thousand different ideas, facts, and adults at any given moment that the only way to quiet them was when she was working and focusing on one task. She got tunnel vision and was essentially dead to the entire world.
"No. No. No. Not at all. No." She murmured to herself quietly, seemingly having a conversation even though there was no one else in the room (to her knowledge). Lifting her goggles up from her eyes she rested them just above her forehead like a headband. Walking around to the other side of her contraption, she pulled part of it up like a long nozzle neck eyes scanning it up and down briefly before turning and walking right past Allen (not even saying hello or even clocking that he was standing there). She was on a mission and anything that didn't have to do with finding the necessary parts couldn't fit her itinerary for the next few moments.
"Where is it? Where is it?" She repeated over and over, fingers at her sides clenching and unclenching subconsciously into little fists over and over again. Her lab coat was far too big for her and dwarfed her smaller form. Didn't matter though. She liked that lab coat even if it didn't fit quite right (or at all). Krys had a habit for getting attached to odd things. Then again, she kind of was an odd thing. "Ah." Overeager hands reached out and grabbed the small mechanical part and she turned walking right past Allen and back toward what she was working on. "Found it. Found it. Found it."
After a few twists the part was in and that task was checked off. It was only then that she poked her head over it and looked at Allen, goggle lenses extended outward then sucked themselves back in. "You're not Lincoln. You're the other one." She stated the obvious. She had been assigned to work with Lincoln Watts for quite some time but had only just because the Head of Tech earlier in the month. As much as she liked routines a lot was about to change and that included which Watts she would see when. "It is also not 4 PM on the first Friday of the month so you should not be here." Apparently he didn't get the memo. "It is also not Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, or my birthday..." All of which were days where Allen would check in on her or send her a letter. Niceties she didn't quite understand but again she could appreciate a good schedule.
"Is the Lorenzo case done then?" If he was back it had to be. She pulled her goggles up on the top of her head, cocking her head at him in question. "Or did something break?" She barely gave him a second to respond as her arms crossed over the chest of her overalls. "If something broke it wasn't one of mine. Most likely Ryan's or Edmonton's. Mine don't break." She had never been more sure of anything than that.
It was a good day for Allen. The Lorenzo case was finished, with a surprisingly suitable outcome - an arrest. Hopefully, a conviction would come next. But that was out of his hands. He had done everything he could with the power he had. He and Pennington shared a beer to celebrate. It was 11 AM when they did so, but such moments called for their respective celebratory moments. Coming back to work saw his tie loosened, and his demeanor softened. His attire was nothing out of the ordinary for Allen. Stock suit, matching tie, dress pants, and jet-black loafers. Allen paid a little more attention to decorum than his younger brother. No shade to Lincoln, but Allen was just different.
He didn’t have much more to do on the day. His new itinerary consisted of collating a few files, and hopefully unwinding before what he hoped would be a relatively relaxing weekend. But that’s when Burke came into his office. Change of plans. Burke was short. Both in stature, and demeanor. He didn’t pull punches.
“Go see Krys in tech.” “What for?” “Well, she’s the new Head of Tech.” “..” “You two will be working much more intimately together. No more Ryan, no more Edmonton. I want you working exclusively with Krys now. She’s good. Damn good. She'll keep you alive, Allen." “I know. Understood.” “Be gentle. She’s an odd bird.” “She’s different. But not odd. It’s fine. I’m already acquainted with her.” “Glad to hear it. Get stepping. I want you two chummy by EOD.”
Allen nodded, rising from his seat. Not many people knew of the level of familiarity Allen had with Krys. He tried to keep it low key. It wasn’t worth bringing up. And the memories it spurred weren’t always happy ones. It had been a little bit since he had spoken with Krys face to face. Allen thought she had benefitted from her increased solitude, and he wasn’t about to intrude. It wasn’t his place.
He walked the halls, peering into each room briefly as he went along. Sigh. I’m stalling. Why was he stalling? He wasn’t even sure he knew. Krys had always made him nervous. If of course, nervous was the right word. He felt like he never knew what Krys was thinking. Was her mind an active hornet's nest, reverberating whatever thought she clung to off the walls of her skull? Or was it more like a cave, gently echoing until it dissipated into nothing until she replaced it with another? He couldn’t say. And likely never would. But that was alright. He enjoyed her company as is. Always did.
The door to the lab slid open, and there she was. Tinkering away. He stood in the doorway for a moment, analyzing the scene. She was in her own world. That was typical. She darted to and fro, working on whatever project was most relevant to her at the moment. He was surprised she had even acknowledged him in the first place, to be honest. “The other one. Is that what I am to you now? The other one?” He folded his arms, glancing at whatever gadget she was tweaking before he had come in, then back to her. He smiled softly at her. It probably wouldn’t mean much to her. But he wasn’t doing it for her. “I don’t know if you know this, but I have clearance to go pretty much anywhere I want. Including your lab. I do however understand that this is your space, and I’ll keep my intrusions to a minimum.” Surprises probably weren’t really Krys’s thing. Understandably so. They weren’t really his thing either.
He leaned against the adjacent counter, careful not to knock any gizmos over, or move any parts out of place. “It’s alright. Nothing broke. I have no doubt that your tech is top-tier.” Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember ever having to replace any tech with her work put into it. “The Lorenzo case is done. Arrests made. Fun time.” He ran a hand through his kempt hair before continuing. “You and I are going to be working much more closely moving forward. The cases may be a little more intensive. I trust that won’t be an issue for you?” If there was one thing Allen was not above, it was bending rules for comfort. If Krys wasn’t ready to work with Allen, he would honor that, Burke be damned.
“How have you been Krys? It’s been a little bit since we’ve really talked. I mean you have a fancy new job title, so that must be something right?”
"There are quite literally two of you so for all intents and purposes you are, quite factually, the other one." How was he not getting this? It was pretty simple. There were two brothers and he was the other one that wasn't Lincoln. Boom. Done. Yes, she had completely missed his little joke. She often did. She missed all jokes. If there was a bus solely for understanding jokes she would be late to it every time. Hell, she would just stay home and not even try to get on board.
"Yes." She sighed. "I am well aware of your clearance level and I am sure that you are well aware that I dislike it." Her lab was her space and she hated to be interrupted even though she had decided at a very young age that she liked Allen. He was one of the few people she almost trusted. Maybe even the only one. But he had earned that hadn't he? The next question was did he trust her? And why did she have the question if he did in the first place?
Her brown eyes scanned him up and down clocking the suit, the slack tie before making a deduction in her head that she was all too quick to announce aloud, her eyes snapping back up at him. "Why dress in attire so constraining only to un-constrain it?" She stated the would be musing as if it was fact - because to her it was. Shaking her head she stepped away from him returning back to her work table and the current invention that she was working on. "At least what your brother wears is functional." That was probably the nice way of addressing Lincoln's choice in clothes but Krys wasn't really trying to be nice here. She was just being, well, Krys.
"The only argument that one could make for it, I suppose, is that one is trying to make a good impression but eighty-seven percent of your interactions are spent with criminals so, that really doesn't make much logical sense. So, that leaves you just enjoying dressing that way which to me, again, doesn't make much sense. To be buttoned up, tucked in, restrained and uncomfortable all day really isn't all that appealing to me." Reaching out with her right leg she hooked the leg of her rolling stool and swung it under her with an ease that showed just how much practice the magical mechanic and scientist had with the movement. Turning to look at him she came to her conclusion. "I have decided that you do not make much sense Mister Watts." He had told her more than a thousand times to call him Allen, ever since she was little, but she just couldn't do it. Old habits were tough to break and Krys was a creature built on habit. Speaking of...
"Do not lean on things that are not yours to lean on." She chided him, not even looking at him as she pointed her finger in the air. It was as if she had eyes in the back of her head when in reality it was more so that just like she had a routine so did Allen. Whenever he visited her whether it be her lab or her kitchen, the man leaned. He must always be tired to do all that leaning. Maybe a coffee or tea would help. Krys had never had a coffee herself, she preferred muggle sodas but she was certain if she ever had a coffee she might explode. Allen would probably be fine though. She would have to run an experiment to figure out the final answer.
At his mention of their new working situation she lifted up her goggles and stood up facing him. "But I am paired with the other one. With L-L-Lincoln. I work with Lincoln and R-R-Rora and-" Once she got going it was hard to stop. Her stutter, which was usually absent with Allen nowadays, was kicking in. "I work with th-th-them. I do not work with A-Allen Watts." Even with the job title and as bright as she was the thought hadn't crossed her mind that things would change. She was sure getting a crash course of it now. Feeling her hands clench into fists nervously she furrowed her brow willing her brain to slow down. "D-D-Did you know that there are two hundred and ninety-three ways to make change for the American dollar?" Facts. Yes. Facts helped. "And the muggle new car smell is the result of-of-of dozens of chemicals that most au-automobiles use?" Crisis semi-averted. She took a slow breath that was a bit shaky... but she was breathing so that was a start.
"Burke ordered it?" Who else? She frowned a bit, shifting unsurely in her black boots with rainbow polka dots. "Did he say that I am an odd bird?" She waited for his answer though she already thought she knew the answer. She knew most answers. "He always says that about me..." It hurt a little, even if it was true. "And it is not even accurate. I am a mammal not an aviary creature." Yanking off her goggles she stepped away from him, dropping them on her work bench and moving to the side of the room to take off her lab coat.
She had a point. In theory, in a series of two, if you were not one, you were the ‘other’. She was always honest. She always kept it real. Her rhetoric was annoying to some. Actually, it was annoying to many. But it was refreshing to Allen. He appreciated her literal nature. Other people were likely just jealous anyway. Ryan and Edmonton probably kicked themselves nightly wondering how they could catch her in ability. Allen didn’t have the heart-to-heart to tell them that they never would. “Good point Krys.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her disdain for his clearance. She would learn to appreciate his presence somewhat, he hoped. Other people likely wouldn’t show her the same level of respect for her personal belongings, or her social preferences. Allen was acutely aware of both. “I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules.”
He opened his arms looking down at his suit, with his loosened tie. He wiped his nose, looking back up at her, listening to her apparel tirade. He wrinkled his nose hearing her call him Mister Watts. He never understood why she called him that. He never told her to. At first, he tried to curtail the behavior. But when Krys was set, Krys was set. “I couldn’t really tell you Krys. I suppose it is baffling. But when I put it on I feel good. I wish I could relay the hows and why’s of it better for you. I guess you’re right I don’t make much sense.” He pulled the loose tie further before untying it the rest of the way and putting it in his pocket. For a split second, he had the urge to sit it on the counter but thought better of it lest Krys give him a roundhouse directly to the chest.
He sat up with gusto when she lambasted him for leaning. He opened his mouth to inform her that despite her being lent this lab as a required work environment, it was technically in fact just as much his, as it was hers. Instead, he breathed out his nose, and folded his arms again, walking over to it. If she wanted to believe it was hers, so be it.
When she lifted her goggles and expressed concern and confusion, Allen stopped in his tracks and unfolded his arms. He knew how to disarm situations from his type in his profession. Doubly so for his time with Krys. Crossed arms and forward movement were scary and confrontational. So he stood straight up, arms at his side. “I know.” He let her continue with her facts. They were always good. Always interesting. Always necessary.“I did not know that. Thanks for sharing. Did you know that the American dime has 118 ridges along its edge?” He had Googled that one before he came over, in case he had needed it. He had one more good one in the bag as a contingency. Allen Watts usually always had a contingency.
She recuperated well. Better than he had remembered. Faster. Maybe.. maybe she didn’t need him anymore. The thought stung Allen more than he thought it would. He wanted her to thrive. But he remembered a time when it seemed like he was needed. No longer. “Yes, Burke ordered it. And yes, he called you an odd bird.” He sighed, shaking his head, before continuing. When she didn’t understand something lighthearted, that was one thing. But when someone was being rude or mean, that was another. It irritated Allen to learn that she was subjected to that comment with some regularity. “It’s a euphemism. He doesn’t understand you. That’s okay though. It’s not his job to understand you. It’s his job to get the best performance he can out of you.” He put his hands in his pockets and tucked his lips inwards, taking in a sharp breath of air. “I’ll get him to stop calling you that. I don’t like it. In the meantime..” He strode over to her contraption, eyeing it curiously. “I’d like for you to explain this to me. What does it do, and when can we test it in the field? Can we go test it today, you and I?”
"I only make good points." Words that should have been light were not. She was as serious as a heart attack with that response. She believed it with every fiber of her being. Why? Because she was one of the smartest witches in the whole joint. So how could someone so smart make bad points? It was horribly unlikely.
"Clothes make you feel good?" She frowned a bit, actually stumped by this declaration. "That is impossible. Clothes are inanimate. They don't do anything. You out them on, take them off, same with any cut, color, or fabric." Maybe she wasn't the only odd one in this office. Allen could certainly be confounding to her pretty regularly with his suits, his family, and his feelings. Krys didn't really have any of those things. Not to her knowledge anyways and, again, she knew everything. "And apparently it makes you feel so good that you are already removing it." She nodded toward his tie that now hung loose around his neck after being undone.
Standing before Allen as she dealt with the unraveling of her current routine her face seemed to lose it's color as if she saw a ghost. Her brow furrowed with the ultimate level of confusion and concern and her fingers scrunched and unscrunched into fists at her side. If it was anyone but Allen here, who was already resuming his 'calm Krys down stance', things would have been far, far worse. "Dimes were first authorized by The Coinage Act of 1792. It-It's the smallest and thinnest of all U.S. coins..." She hopped onto his fact with more of her own. Luckily Allen knew how to google... it helped. "Y-yes. I did. D-Do you have one?" Came the odd little request which he luckily humored, fishing into his pocket and holding one out for her which she took like a chipmunk snatching a peanut. Holding it between both of her hands she began to turn it, quietly counting the ridges to herself even though she already knew his fact was true.
"Thirty one... thirty two... thirty three..." Krys' quiet counting faded as Allen was again able to distract her. He really should put the skill on his resume. Not many could. "Oh. That?" Hurrying behind him, following in his footsteps she stood at his side looking at her machine. "It is not really anything... It's not supposed to be anything." Did she lose him? Sheepishly she looked up at him. "Burke didn't ask me to build it. I was just bored." She relented. Leave it to Krys. She gets bored and invents something never seen before by muggle or wizard. "When you press this button wand use is not possible within a twenty five foot radius." Dangerous for sure if it ever fell into the wrong hands. But this was the lab. No one besides the two of them knew she had made it... so what could happen? "I swear I was just going to build it to see if I could and then take it apart." Because that made sense *eye roll*. But it was true. Such was the inner workings of her mind.
"A hundred and eighteen." She held out the dime for him to take back. "It's a real dime."
Clothing. How did they get on clothing again? Allen couldn’t even really remember. “I guess that depends on your definition of good, Krys. For some people good is abstract. For others, it’s a much more concrete idea. Maybe the color blue makes someone happy, so they wear a blue t-shirt. For others, cashmere feels good on their skin. So they wear it. You don’t have to necessarily be moved by clothing though. I’m just being illogical.” He wiped his brow, smiling at her. She would never understand it. That’s okay. She didn’t have to understand the concept of pleasure derived from something for which pleasure was not directly designed. Now that he was thinking about it, it was a puzzling concept.
As she took the dime, he watched her count the first couple dozen ridges. Despite the task being fairly mundane, and about as exciting as watching paint dry, he would be remiss if he didn’t admit that it was impressive watching her not miss or double-count a single ridge. She was so precise. Everything she did was so scientific. Even counting the ridges on a dime. “1792, Coinage Act huh.. I did not know that. I’ll have to read up on it, it sounds interesting.” It absolutely did not sound interesting. But he would read up on it. Because she knew about it. So would he.
He heard small footfalls behind him as he peered at her project. He expected it to be something not so intensive. Maybe an attachment that makes spellcasting 10% more accurate, or something that enhanced magical emanation detection. “Y- what?” The nullification of wand functionality in a 25-foot radius? Is that a joke? No. It couldn’t have been. Krys didn’t joke. She never joked in the entire time that Allen knew her. “Krys that’s incredible. And extremely dangerous.”Don’t. Encourage her, don’t chastise her. Encourage her, and her mind. “You were going to just deconstruct this? I think we should study this functionality further. I mean this could go a long way in the field. The danger can be mitigated by instituting a double biometric functionality. One to activate, and one to prime. I think.. I think you’ve created something impeccable. This could save lives. Good work. Oh, and I’d still like to give it a go.” He knew comments would do little. He felt like they used to do so much. That’s life though. “And don’t worry about Burke. We’re going to build stuff now. Let the creativity flow.” He looked around the room, eyeing other gadgets and gizmos that could potentially create a calamity of unknown proportions.
He palmed the dime, placing it back into his dress pants pocket, along with both of his hands. “I’m surprised at you Krys.” He resisted the urge to smile, not wanting to antagonize. “How do you know that it’s a real dime? Sure it has the right amount of edges but.. can a fake dime not have 118 edges? Sounds like a hasty generalization.”
"It is interesting." She responded her head still lowered as she slowly moved the dime in her hand continuing to count all of the ridges. When she had a task to accomplish it was difficult to break her concentration on it. After so many years Allen had managed to at least occasionally get her to participate in a semi-conversation while doing it which was admittedly quite a feat. "You will have to focus on one. There are multiple Coinage Acts... 1793, 1834, 1837, 1873... seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy-three..." Her listing turned into counting as her brain couldn't shut it off to complete her little lecture. She had to count all a hundred and eighteen before she could properly move on.
When he called her little invention incredible she responded with a mere shrug. "It wasn't really that difficult." Not for her maybe. She wasn't meaning to brag but to her it was simply just stating a fact. "Double biometric..." At his suggestion, she blinked. Wait. That actually might make sense. "Perhaps." She studied the machine before them eyeing it up and down. "But I wasn't supposed to." As far as inventing went she had put together a series of things that the higher ups hadn't requested mainly because she had a bit more downtime than the other techs with finishing her projects early. There was no telling how many neat gadgets she had assembled only to take apart immediately after.
When he offered to give it a try she looked up at him, arms crossed over the chest of her overalls where one strap was looser than the other over her t-shirt. She was about to give into his request when the comment of the dime had her brain halting and the only thing she could focus on was being right. "It is not only because of the number of ridges. Besides fake dime making most likely not being a very lucrative enterprise, it is clear that the coin in your pocket is not made of mercury which is what many use to construct replicas for fun. I do not see what is fun about it per say, but I am also not a coin collector. I don't see much of a point in having a lot of one thing just to do it." Except, you know, that her lab's walls and shelves were littered with various parts. If it had been a muggle garage she would have been considered a hoarder. If any one wheel or spoke won't missing upon walking in she would instantly know. Not just because of her eidetic memory but also an underlying need to control something in her life when, as a child, so much had been in flux.
"I will be working with you then?" Her mind finally managed to wrap around the earlier-mentioned notion. "Not the other one." Her hands clasped together in front of her where she wrung them a bit if only to keep something in motion while she was standing still. "Will this affect my owls then?" She asked in earnest, inquiring about the letters he sent throughout the year since she was a little girl. Another routine she felt the need to protect. "Will you also still visit?" She was doing her best to piece it together. In her mind, if one thing changed everything else collapsed around that edit. She couldn't picture a world where they could work together and the other two items still existed. The good news was Allen could. He could do most anything.
The way woman’s mind worked actually astounded Allen. It was beautifully constructed and compartmentalized, very similar to how a library operated. Though there were times when Allen truly believed she contained more information within the walls of her mind than in the walls of the oft-neglected public service building. What did not astound him though, was the way in which that mind came to be. He never really knew whether her behavior had been primarily nature vs. nurture. Both likely played a role. And Allen thought he might’ve known the answer. But it pained him to think about it. “That’s fascinating Krys, thank you. Who knew there were so many coinage acts? I guess you did.” He smiled at her - she was less frenetic now. Her energy calmed. Still perceived as jagged by Allen, but less a lightning bolt, and more of a housefly in its nature.
He examined her work of art further. “Well, it wasn’t difficult for you, perhaps. But I doubt Ryan or Edmonton could punch something like this out in short order. Or in long order for that matter.” He didn’t mind Ryan and Edmonton. They were swell. Hard workers. But they didn’t have a gift for this. Not like she did. He did a double-take when she didn’t immediately shoot down his suggestion of a double biometric. A ‘Perhaps’ from Krys, was often interpreted by Allen as a ‘Yes that’s good’. Because if it wasn’t she would tell him. He eased into his appeasing stance again, careful not to potentially trigger her with new information. “Rules are surprisingly flexible Krys. Sometimes we break them for the betterment of the bigger picture.”It’s how I found you, silly goose.“This counts as one of those things. So from now on, if you finished assigned engineering projects, I want you to make whatever you want.” He took a step back from the device, facing her then fully.
“I guess so. That all makes sense.” He could press her on it further. LIke the fact that not all fake dimes are constructed of mercury. And even if they were, who’s to say it wasn’t an alloy of some kind? Or a sample dime, handmade in a press somewhere? Or.. well there were a million different things that could apply. But they didn’t. Because she was right. As she often was. “Collecting a lot of one thing is relaxing for some people. It brings a certain amount of marked consistency. You know you like that thing. So more of it is predictable and safe.” Maybe she would get it. Allen would respectfully not hold his breath.
He observed her fidget and fumble her hands. She had questions. Quite a few. Only natural. Allen nodded softly, giving general affirmation to appease her. “You’ll be working with me, yes. I hope that’s okay. Let me know if it’s not, and we’ll figure out a more suitable working situation for you.” The owls and visits.. did she want them to continue? He assumed so. Their new situation and the old relationship habits weren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. “Yes. Those will both continue as scheduled. I think they benefit us both quite a bit.” He shrugged, turning his attention back to the door. “Have you had lunch today Krys? Will you eat lunch with me, if you haven’t? I brought a pea soup I think you may like.” They used to eat lunch together all the time years ago. It was Allen’s favorite activity they shared. Secretly, he hoped to recapture some of that feeling. “We’ll be sure to lock the lab.”
"Ryan and Edmonton can barely hot wire a muggle automobile." While this came across as an insult the (very) few closest to the Head of Tech would understand that, in her complicated mind, she was just stating facts. In reality, Ryan and Edmonton were decent enough at what they did. Certainly better than most. Both just paled in comparison to what Krys Robin could pull off without even batting an eye or losing an entire Thursday.
"Who decides what the betterment of the larger picture is?" She asked him honestly. Her dark-eyed gaze peered up at him like a student with a teacher or child with a parent whose entire outlook on the world depended greatly on what he told her. As detached and compartmentalized as Krys could be there were a few people and things that she was insanely attached to without even really knowing why. Allen Watts was at the top of this list. He had certainly been on it the longest. "So... You decide then?" It was an interesting logic, but one that somehow resonated with her. Allen was quite good at his job and while he didn't know nearly as many facts as she did he was smart and knew plenty of things (social things) that she did not. This was definitely one of those items. "Alright then." She responded to his 'official' declaration. Rules were rules and apparently Allen had made an addendum to them.
"Safe." She repeated his choice of words, mulling on it for a moment or two before nodding her head. "I like that. Safe." Safe was something she hadn't been as a child. Not until Allen came into the picture and never once left it. Sure he would disappear once in a while but he always came back - never to be edited out. She continued to wring her hands, her eyes now actively watching her do it as her mind attempted to piece together the new bits of information that Allen was offering to her. "Y-Y-Yes." Came the stuttered response that surprised even herself as she looked back at him. "Th-That's ok." They would see. "It is suitable." Again, they would see.
Allen confirming that the owls and visits would continue had her exhaling a bit and she stopped pinching and clasping at her hands which now fell at her sides. "I do not normally eat lunch unless you're here." Often at work she forgot to eat, again getting so focused on something that other baser needs went forgotten. Lincoln and Rora would sometimes bring her snacks when they were in town, Burke would even sneak her a bagel if she forgot to eat at the all hands breakfast meeting at the beginning of the week (but to be honest she ended up giving it away more often than not to a squirrel who liked to swing by her lab's window sill which was street level). The offer of soup was enticing but did the man live solely on soups? He was so tall... at least to her. Wouldn't he need more?
"I suppose that there are still four hours left in my regular work day to finish up..." She looked over her shoulder at her work then to the clock then back at Allen arriving at her decision. "I will have soup with you Allen Watts." And so the proclamation had been made even managing to semi-utilize his first name. Sure it was quickly followed by his last - but a step was a step! Walking past him to the door she grabbed her keycard and her wand pocketing them in the pocket of her overalls before turning to look at him. "We will have soup and chat and people will see that I am not an odd aviary creature." Yeah... Great start.
Allen laughed silently at her one, two combo at Ryan and Edmonton. Undeniably better, she was. Have tact she did not. “While that may or may not be true.. we definitely don’t need to bring that up to anyone. Least of all Ryan and Edmonton.” He would stick up for her whenever it would be required. He just hope it wouldn’t be required often. Ryan was sensitive, and Edmonton stubborn and loud. Neither was really worth rocking the boat.
He returned her gaze at her question in earnest. Her inquisitive mind potentially stumped him as it often did. “We all do, I think. We all have a bigger picture in our heads, and we all know what needs to be done to achieve it. And then we also know when we can subvert those established rules. So we can potentially improve them but ultimately push us closer to that bigger picture. When the time comes, I have no doubt you’ll see exactly what I mean.” He just hoped the stakes weren’t serious when she did. They were in a dangerous line of work. Rule bending got people hurt, or worse. But it could also save lives.
In his pockets, Allen subconsciously pushed his thumb and pointer finger together moving them against each other in a small circle. It was his way of fidgeting alongside her. Oftentimes, he didn’t even realize he did it. Them fidgeting together. Though he must’ve done it for a reason. “I like safe too.”I can’t protect her forever. Can I?“I’m glad you think so. I think it is suitable too. If you ever need to change our routine, you just let me know. We’ll adapt together.” That typically was the way they did it if they ever needed to. He doubted she would need to. But he always gave her the option.
He removed his hands from his pockets, placing them on his hips, giving her a stern look of disapproval. “Krys. There is empirical evidence that not providing your body with nutrients has a deleterious effect on mental function. You need to eat lunch more consistently. Whether I’m here or not.” She wouldn’t. But he couldn’t not say it. He would just have to make an active effort to always be there then. So she could eat his pea soup, or his chicken noodle soup, or his tomato soup, or…
He watched her move across the room, eyes fixed on her overalls. She was cute. And she had the nerve to talk about his choice of attire. Only Krys. “I am glad. I think you’ll like this soup. It’s a family recipe. Well, it’s my recipe anyway. And for the record, I don’t think anyone actually thinks you’re a bird Krys.” He patted his pockets making sure he had everything and followed her out the door towards the nearest lunch room, where his soup sat in the fridge. Entering the lunch room, they were presented with Ryan, Edmonton, Burke, and other various coworkers who elected to take their lunch during that time. Great. He walked over to an empty table, pulling a seat out for Krys, and motioning for her to sit, before walking over to the fridge to retrieve his soup, and heating it up for her. He only had one serving in truth. That’s alright. He wasn’t hungry anyway. Despite his earlier rant. He came back to the table, but not before grabbing a plastic spoon for her to use. He sat the bowl down in front of her, along with her spoon. “Here you go. I already had something earlier.” He did not.
"I think they ought to know if they do not already." Was her comeback, except she wasn't trying to be witty. To her it was obvious that the two men weren't as skilled as she was in the lab. It was most likely clear to everyone else given that she was now technically their boss... Not that she really wanted to be. She didn't much like to speak to the two men whose intelligence was beneath hers and they were never really kind to her either. Not that she cared much about kindness and she definitely didn't pick up on the fact that they were constantly insulting her and making fun of her (such social things completely lost on her) all she knew was she would rather spend time with gadgets and gizmos than the two men. Allen Watts, well, he could spend time with her *and* machines but he was also infinitely better than those two men.
"And how will I know when that time is?" She glanced toward the clock and then pointed at it so Allen could see it on the wall. "Could you give me more specific parameters? Like, will it be 3:37 PM or 10:30 AM in the morning? There's a difference." No such answer would come though and she sighed, mildly annoyed. This must have been one of those 'figures of speech' that he had tried to explain to her a few times before. Ironic considering that figures were actual numerical values with weight and these light castaway statements were nothing but hyperbole and what ifs.
"I do eat." At his lecture about food, one she had heard more than a few times, she stood before him seemingly unaffected. Unless one was yelling it was hard to waiver her. If one yelled... then she would shut down and it would be game over. Something about yelling or screaming her way took her to a place decades previous with a much smaller her clutching a broken dish as her hands bled, unable to make words and shaking in her socked feet, crying that she hadn't meant to do whatever it was that she had done. "I just sometimes forget to." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I could argue that I do eat lunch just when I'm home and at eleven PM." Dinner would then be in the early morning hours when she couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. Those had been incredibly hard to get rid of and she didn't like taking medicine or any sort of drug as she was worried it would dull her mind.
Entering the lunchroom she clocked where Edmonton and Ryan were immediately, mainly because both of their eyes darted her way and they promptly nodded toward Allen then whispered something. Then she saw Burke and everyone else. Oh. *This* is why she skipped lunch. The stares, the whispers, and she always was left sitting by herself with Rora and Lincoln were out of town and couldn't take pity on her. Nervously, and not even realizing she was doing it, she stepped closer to Allen's side walking just behind him, peering out at everyone before darting her eyes to the floor of the cafeteria. "F-f-four... five... six... seven... eight..." She counted the cracks in the tile with every step before they reached their spot and hurriedly plopped down staring at the wood of the table until a soup bowl was slid in front of her.
Picking up the spoon she didn't need to be told twice and helped herself even as Allen ate nothing. She had no reason not to believe what he said. People lied sure, but it wasn't something that Krys knew and beyond that, she would think it was impossible for Allen to lie anyways. Not Allen Watts. He was a hero. "Next time can you bring tomato soup?" She asked him bluntly, she would have appeared rude and ungrateful to most anyone else but Allen understood her (as much as a human being could anyhow). For once she caught herself, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she cleared her throat, a bit uncomfortable as she tried to figure out what the normal human interaction would be her brain weighing a series of possible options. "I-I mean... thank you." That sounded right. Was it right? "You're welcome?" She tried again, her voice going higher in its unsureness and she looked back down at her lap where her hands were fidgeting again. No. That definitely wasn't right.
After a few moments of quiet she shifted in her seat, glancing over her shoulder at their coworkers she then quickly directed her gaze back down on her hands in her lap running them over her jean-clad thighs in her overall. "P-people are s-staring..." She informed Allen not even looking up. "It's c-c-cause of the duck thing." Odd bird, Krys. Odd bird.
“You..you can’t-” He sighed. It was a losing effort. That was alright. He preferred she ate at regular hours. But she wasn’t a regular person. She was 29. She had come this far her own way. Can’t. Protect. Her. Forever. Let it go.“I just wish that there was a better schedule for you and your food intake is all. You can obviously do whatever works best for you. But I’m just saying, there is kind of a right and wrong way to do it.” Can never just let it go. To be fair, at least this one matters.
The looks they got in the room were unmistakable. The kind of looks one would get if someone had genuine disdain for someone else. The cliquey look of uncomfortability. Allen hated it. He hated that people wouldn’t take the time to talk to Krys. People were scared of what they couldn’t understand. He knew that. But he also knew he wanted a relatively normal life for her. With friends, and colleagues that didn’t treat her like she was one of their suspects. He knew she’d probably never laugh at dumb jokes. Nor would she like small talk or gossip. But she had a beautiful soul. And he was sick of her receiving the inverse of the expected response to it. He stymied his torrents of thoughts, realizing his jaw had been tensed, both rows of teeth biting into each other. He walked closer to her without thinking, bumping her arm. It was defensive posturing. There wasn’t anything aggressive threatening them. Just transfixed eyes. But Allen would shield her from those too if he could help it. “Oh, I’m sorry Krys. I didn’t realize you were already so close.”Just go get her soup.. for now.
Once they were sitting, he nodded slowly at her as she the pea soup. “I can do that. Is tomato soup your favorite soup?” He genuinely didn’t know. He knew a lot about Krys. While she collected facts about the world, he collected facts about her. Smiling, he held his hands up defensively. He was just impressed that she had remembered manners exist at all. He would never make her use them. But he did remember impressing their usage on her, as a means to help her get along better with people in social situations. “The one you want to use is ‘Thank you’, so you’re right. Then I would say, ‘You’re welcome, Krys.’ Which, you’re welcome Krys.” He admittedly looked pleased with her. Sitting there in her little overalls, eating his pea soup.
But they were still staring. Eyes searing holes into the backs of their skulls and sides of their faces. It was nauseating for Allen. He couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Krys. He didn’t have to think too hard about it. She was stuttering again. Perturbed by the lack of emotional control of their colleagues. Disheartened. The feeling that all eyes were on her. Allen had two paths. He could rise from his seat, and glare back, explaining that they weren’t zoo animals, nor the latest and greatest update of their favorite soap opera, so they could turn their attention elsewhere. Or.. “You know I was watching a documentary the other day. About spaceships, space, and astronauts. And for the life of me, I can’t remember a single thing. Something.. Apollo missions? Does that sound right? What were they even doing up on the moon anyway? You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?” He put his chin on his hand, propped up on his elbow, looking inquisitively at the soup-eating woman. “I mean - I know they went to the moon and whatnot. But I just wish I could remember the astronauts’ names.. or the names of the shuttles. Man, it’s like I wasn’t even watching it. Can you just.. tell me what you know? About any of it?” The benefit to social cues going over her head was that she often couldn’t tell when Allen was hard pivoting out of uncomfortable topics. Come on. Bite. Fuck those guys. Focus on me..
Even if it had been accidental, and a great deal her fault for tailing him too closely, Allen bumping into her had her holding her breath. She briefly stopped walking and wrapped her arms around herself in a recoil as if she had burned where he had touched on a stove. Krys wasn't used to physical contact let alone the kind that didn't result in a bruise or blood. Touch just scared her and it had never gotten any easier even though many years had passed. One time Allen had held her hand when she was a little girl but after she went back to that house of horrors... well... she didn't really trust anyone enough to do that again.
Was tomato soup her favorite soup? She tilted her head to one side actually giving it as much thought as she would a math equation before responding. "Tomato cream soup, yes or butternut squash or mushroom is okay but only without the wine in it..." Even though it only added to the flavor Krys had an aversion to alcohol and with everything that she had been through - who could blame her? She didn't even like using rubbing alcohol on scrapes when she fell because she wasn't looking where she was going.
He didn't make her feel too silly about her slip up and confusion with thank you versus you're welcome. In fact, with Allen Watts on somedays she felt almost... normal. Like everyone else was the weird ones and they were the two lone sane people on the planet. "I got it correct the first time." She murmured aloud with a little smile, quite pleased that it was actually the case. It was like a kid not so humble bragging the way she twiddled her fingers smiling tickled pink at the simple prospect that was quite easy for so many.
"You're welcome, Krys."
"Thank you." She repeated with a smile now pretty much hooked on the nicety even if the second utterance was totally incorrect. In her mind, she was crushing it. Helping herself to some more pea soup before the stares and whispers made her lose her appetite. The spoon sat on top of the bowl's rim doing the same precarious balancing act that she did every day in regular society. Oh gosh, she felt like her entire back from her neck to her feet were on fire with peoples' stares. She felt her heart rate do that unmistakable increase. Her breath become more heavy and labored. More of a struggle to get right. The telltale signs of an upcoming panic attack. This was why she did not like lunch. Maybe she always forgot on purpose. It was Allen's questions, expertly aimed as they were, that brought her out of her head and her gaze up to him shyly.
"T-T-The Apollo Program." Her voice left very quiet at first. A little shaky. But at least it was coming out. "They launched twelve crewed missions with six landing on the moon but that wasn't originally the p-p-plan..." She had been doing so well too but then there was that damn stammer mainly because she couldn't resist the urge to look over her shoulder and saw Edmonton and Ryan whispering. Nervously shifting in her seat she looked back at Allen, kind eyes and chin in his hand watching her, waiting for her. He wasn't scary. He was Allen. Allen liked safe probably because he was safe. Maybe if she looked at him long enough she would feel safe too. Keep talking. If you don't pause you won't have room to be nervous. "T-t-the US government was sued after Apollo 8 but the crew of Apollo 7 won an award for muggle television and Apollo 13 never made it... they made a movie about it..." She quieted down, a bit calmer than before but still coming down from the adrenalin surge.
"You do not really care about the Apollo..." She deduced quietly, thinking that she caught on to what he was doing (nice as it was it also made her feel like she was not a regular person). Sighing she looked wistfully toward the door from which they had entered. "Can I go back to my lab now?"
Noted. Tomato cream soup, or mushroom NO WINE, butternut squash. I think I have recipes for tomato cream and butternut squash somewhere. But I don’t have a mushroom recipe offhand that doesn’t include wine. Maybe Bea can help me out with that, she’s a wiz with that stuff. “I appreciate the candor. I’ll be sure to bring some of those in. Every day. So you can eat. Every day. And not go without food for extended periods of time.” He was nagging again. That was his mother if ever she made an appearance from within him.
Allen loved when Krys felt proud of herself. It was a rare commodity. It gave him a butterflies-like feeling. But surely, it couldn’t be butterflies. “Yes you did. Nice work Krys.” She likely wouldn’t forget now. Her subtle smile was matched by his own, though he did his best to make it short-lived. He didn’t want to confuse her. He struggled in accomplishing his goal when she thanked him for his ‘You’re Welcome’, the minimality of his smile belying how happy he was in the moment.
Though now, it would be short-lived. At first, recanting her knowledge seemed to appease her greatly. She could’ve talked for hours. Allen would’ve listened. He wouldn’t have been able to store much in his head to recall. But if he ever needed to, he could always just ask her again. Then she saw Ryan and Edmonton. Assholes. They actually couldn’t control themselves. Like children, unable to mind their own business. Her confidence appeared shaken. Though her stuttering ceased, her demeanor flatlined. She was deflated. Worse still, she was able to decipher that Allen did not in fact care about the Apollo program, its astronauts, or its shuttles. He was caught. He took a deep breath, chest feeling tight from irritation. “Yes. We can go back to your lab. Give me a moment, though. Cover your ears, and count up from 1, by 2s.” He stood up from the bench, letting her comply before trudging over to where Ryan and Edmonton sat smirking.
“Something funny gentlemen? Cue me in. I’d love to know what’s so entertaining.” “Ah- uh..” Ryan scratched his head. He wasn’t used to being confronted. “Well I mean come on you know. It’s..” He performed a horrid rendition of the robot, followed by pointing at the back of Krys’s head. “Yea Allen I mean come on. You have to admit she’s pretty entertaining.” “She’s not some goddamn circus attraction. She’s a human being. A woman with thoughts and feelings. Keyword: feelings. What the hell is wrong with you two?” “Woah take it easy Watts. We’re just playing around..” “Yea, don’t bust out the wand on us, geez.” “Shut the fuck up. Both of you. You know, I’ve had it up to here-” He raised his hand well above his above before continuing. “-with you, and everybody else's cutting glances, hushed snickers and stupid little rumors.” “Allen.” “You treat her with some goddamn respect, or I will ‘bust out the wand on you’, and as Merlin as my witness, I’ll shove it so far up your asses, YOU’LL be moving like robots.” “Allen!” “You don’t have to like her. But from now on, you treat her with the utmost respect at all times, or you do not interact with her. Do you understand me!?” “ALLEN WATTS.”
Allen’s attention broke, head whipping over to the origin of the voice. He was breathing hard. Chest rising and falling, brows furrowed in condemnation. His fingertips had pressed so hard into the table that they were white down to the top knuckle.
“Unacceptable. And you know that. We’ll be talking about this later. Not now. Get out of here. You too Ryan. Edmonton.” The two techies scurried off hurriedly, similar to dogs when they are certain they had done something wrong and their owners have caught them in the act. Allen took a moment to collect himself, before nodding at Burke, and rising from the table. He sauntered over to Krys, where she sat counting still. He almost touched her shoulder to alert her of his presence, and retracted his hand quickly, instead deciding to loop around the table to catch her attention. He smiled, processing her for a moment. Sigh. Oh Krys. He motioned for the door. “Come on. Let’s head back. Oh, and you’re wrong by the way, I did want to know more about Apollo 13 in particular. Why was that scrapped again?” The door to the lunch room slid open, and they were off, back to the lab.
Soup every day? Krys didn't practice any holidays as she didn't much understand the significance but the promise of soup every day had to be akin to what people felt like on Christmas morning. A hint of a smile even pulled at the corners of her mouth partially hidden behind spoon and green soup before she took another bigger bite enthused and invigorated by the possibility of more yummy soup lunches. Plus it would be more time with Allen which she found she enjoyed quite a bit. She liked being alone a lot, or maybe it was a necessity, but being alone *with* Allen was somehow better.
"Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you then you're welcome." She repeated to herself quietly so to cement the idea for all future uses. She would get it right from here on out. That is, if she had things to be thankful for. Those were probably few and far between.
When Allen agreed they could leave her personal house of horrors that was the cafeteria she let out a little sigh of relief but then there was further instruction. Krys thrived on directions and rules. She followed them closely and never strayed, some might argue that she was unable to. And so, at Allen's request her fingers went to her ears plugging them and she began to count up by twos but since she started at one they were all odd numbers. Leave it to Allen to put a little spin on it to keep her mind engaged.
"Three... five... seven... nine... eleven..." She continued on, looking down at the table, at her soup, then up, her back to the scene behind her with Allen and her coworkers unaware of what was transpiring... and escalating. By the time he returned in front of her she was making a dent into the hundreds. "A hundred and sixty three... a hundred and sixty five... a hundred and sixty..." Her brown eyes lifted to him in front of her. He looked calm. What had he gone off to do? "...seven..." Slowly her fingers lowered from her ears so to hear his next instruction.
"Alright." She all too eagerly got back up to her feet sizing him up. "Do you really?" He must... if he said it. He wouldn't lie to her, right? He was the only one who she believed that of. "The Saturn V launch vehicle was taller than the Statue of Liberty The final version, Saturn 5 was 316 and weighed 6.5 million pounds and it could lift 310,000 pounds into low Earth orbit and it-" Her eyes caught glimpse of Burke looking their way a bit miffed, Ryan and Edmonton before him currently being lectured. "Burke is glaring at you. Does he not like soup?" Looking up at Allen as they stepped through the sliding doors leaving the cafeteria.
"Thank you... for sharing with me..." She fumbled her way through the saying of gratitude as it was new for her. "Can we do that every Monday?" She inquired innocently actually hoping it was another thing to add to her routine. Heck, she wouldn't mind if it was every day when he wasn't out on a mission (and if he snuck back for it she wouldn't mind either). "Maybe not in the cafeteria though..."
