The Quiet Scientist

@lulu-matthews

Lulu Matthews. 26. Scientist. Resistance.

328 posts

Karen had walked out of Ana's office into what felt like a sea of faces. The room was loud, the sound of overlapping voices almost unbearable. She squeezed her eyes shut, taking another steadying breath before she opened them again. Where was she supposed to start? Everyone was so busy demanding answers, that they hadn't even spotted her yet. That was sure to change any minute now. No matter what happened now, Karen couldn't turn back and she couldn't run away. She was back, she was alive. It was time to step back into her life.

"I guess this is a bad time to jump out and yell 'surprise', right?" @havensdalestarters

The meeting was already descending into chaos, and it had barely started, and, frankly, Lulu was part of it. She had a lot of questions, so many that she couldn't keep them organized in a neat mental list. Where to even begin? Karen McReid was alive? And had been for how long? And people, the leadership, had known about it? Lulu knew that she was not exactly top brass or anything, had long accepted that, but it still stung to know that such big things could happen, and she would be ignorant to it. And then Karen appeared in the flesh, and Lulu couldn't help herself.

"What the fuck."

"i'm classing them as structured rocks. see? i knew you'd be on board!" he clapped his hands with a triumphant grin "we'll rebuild this town in no time. at the end of it they'll be like henderson no that's too many buildings"

"honestly, i'm in support of it being too many buildings. as long as you also have there be a few parks and things. like, one park for every five buildings. is that a fair compromise? oooh or those gardens on the roofs of buildings!"

"No, I don't bloody know what this 'big meeting' is about. Could be anything from the end of the world to updating the lunch menu. Sincerely, though, and please look at my lips when I say this... I do not care." @havensdalestarters

"If it was the end of the world, there would be more sirens, don't you think? And when was the last time that the lunch menu got updated, realistically? I do think we should go. It could be important." She hoped she sounded convincing, but with Arjun, it was...well, difficult.

When Carmen realised it was Lulu, she hesitated. It's not like she'd ever said it out loud before, but she did care about her. They were in this together, no matter what. They were all in it with the Resistance, but those who were left from the original Institute had a bond no one else did. Carmen had always been a pain in Lulu's ass, there was no denying that. She lived to push her buttons. And if she really thought about it, all she'd truly craved was her attention. Things had changed, sure, but Carmen still wasn't sure if she was capable of saying any of that out loud.

"Wait...," she said instead, throat dry. "You can stay, but we're drinking."

Lulu was relieved that Carmen had said that she could stay, in large part because this was an ideal quiet space. I appreciate it, that's what she was going to say to Carmen, but that she actually looked at the other woman, took in how, well, wretched Carmen looked, Lulu decided that was not the right thing to say. If it was anyone else, she would have asked if she were okay, but Lulu had a feeling that Carmen would not react well to that particular line of question. Instead, she decided to go with a, "but we can't drink. It's not five o'clock yet."

"no, i wasn't lying, it's called project planning. i might get myself a little hat to make it official. houses are made out of rocks all the time, bricks count as rocks, right?"

"are bricks rocks?" she thought about it for a second. "i mean, i guess if we're using a very loose definition...okay, yeah, i could be convinced. and cement is probably rock-like too, and houses are made out of that as well, right?"

"heavy emphasis on the wishful thinking part but i really think i can rock this shit. how hard would it be? some rocks, some cement and hey presto a house! henderson the house builder, it's got a ring to it"

"oh, so you were lying to me? i feel completely betrayed. but i do like the sound of 'henderson the house builder' not going to lie. something about the alliteration is nice. although i'm not fully convinced about a house made out of rocks?"

Here's the thing: Carmen never really wanted to be a leader. And she definitely didn't want to be the good guy. She was one of the best recruits the Institute had seen in a long time. Carmen was a weapon, a sharpened tool, a loaded gun that they could point wherever they needed to. She always got the job done and she didn't give a crap about anything else. Carmen punched first, asked questions never. She didn't give a shit about hierarchy, bureaucracy, picking up the pieces after everything went sideways.

Everything was different now.

Ever since last November, Carmen had been sinking. No one knew, why would they?, but it was true. When it was Ana and Karen, backed up by Viper and Carmen, it was okay. She focused on training recruits, on missions, and doing a good job. She was a leader, but she wasn't the one holding this place up. After Karen... And Ruby leaving... The high school, the earthquakes. Scott. The never-ending bullshit. She just needed it to stop, just for a little while. She thought she'd locked the door, safe and alone with her bottle of booze and her bloodied knuckles. Somewhere no one could hear the rattling of her chest or the crack of her voice. That's why she'd been totally unprepared when she heard a noise behind her. Shit.

"Room's occupied." @lulu-matthews

Lulu was never going to be the peppiest member of the whole underground crew, but she was pretty good at keeping a neutral face on. At the very least, she certainly was far from the crankiest person on the team (it'd be hard to say who that was; it really was a race for first place most days). Still, it had been one of those days where nothing seemed to go right, starting from when she'd woken up and realized her favorite shirt had an unexpected stain on it. And then, once she'd gotten to the lab, she'd realized she'd forgotten her headphones and couldn't listen to music and then at lunch time, someone had eaten her leftovers and then...

Well, long story short, Lulu needed a small break. Just a minute or two or ten to clear her head. Except that the room she'd chosen was not empty. She could recognize Carmen's anywhere, and from the tone of voice, she was clearly not happy. Lulu took a quick step back. "Sorry. My b. I'll...The supply closet is free, I think."

"guysguysguys...i think i can rebuild some of the buildings around here. it's like some bricks, cement and wishful thinking, right? i'm telling you, i could really rock this"

@havensdalestarters

"I didn't know you had an architecture degree, Henderson. The more you know!"

notprofessorx-avier

"No way, I'm top 10 at least. Above Henderson maybe... Definitely above Russo, c'mon. Not above Callie, though. Everybody loves Callie, even Carmen Caffrey. Oh, then there's Scott, her new favourite. Well, new-ish. Anyway...," Xavier shook his head, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Nerding out with Lulu was always one of his all time favourite things to do and a sure fire way to distract him from gossiping. "Yup, rock solid. The herbs-- Yes, you get it. Right? I was like... Woah-," he mimed his brain exploding with his hands- "When it worked, right? I mean, it's volatile in theory but then you can ground it with just the right combination. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. Plus, it'll work in a pinch to keep us safe."

"Top ten? Okay, noted. I will update the official spreadsheet accordingly," Lulu said. "Wait, if you're above Henderson but below Callie, that ruins the whole system I have going, but of course we can't move Callie's place at the top of the list..." Not that Lulu actually had a spreadsheet to rate who was Carmen's favorite. That would be truly absurd. "No, I totally get it. I mean, technically the physio-chemistry doesn't totally make sense, but the fact that it all comes together despite the volatility? Not to sound like what's his face, that actor guy, but wow. Really wow. No, you should say it yourself. This is beyond pretty awesome."

#Xavier #/what a little nerd

Danny: Good vibes or bad vibes??? Danny: ........... perhaps, Romantic vibes???

Lulu: ...I don't know how to answer that. Lulu: wow. That is an image I never expected to have in my head. Thank you.

"Tell me I'm not the only one that really wants to stick their tongue on these ice sculptures..."

@havensdalestarters

"No offense, but that is a singularly stupid idea. Unless you want to be stuck to one of those tacky sculptures for the next few hours?"

#Iris Cooper #Julia Matthews #flashback: winter ball 1999

Name: Julia Matthews Age: 29 Species: Hunter (non-bloodline) Hometown: Los Angeles, by way of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan FC: Jessica Matten

being the middle child is never easy. It's even more complicated when you are adopted into a family of bloodline hunters. Julia worked hard, trained harder, and her family never treated her differently than her two sisters, but still...

above all, Julia is determined to show that she belongs. She's the one who will put in extra hours at the gym, will throw herself after the biggest wolf, go up against three vampires, armed only with a single vial of holy water. Hunting may not be in her blood, but it is who she is now.

the main frustration in Julia's life is Lulu. Her daughter is incredible: smart, funny, loving, but it's clear that she is only going through the motions of learning to hunt. Julia can't help but feel like she's let the rest of her family down in that respect. She blames Lulu's dad; this is why you don't date Dodgers' fans.

and then there is the question of Hallie. Julia is devastated by the loss of her sister (even if Hallie is still alive). When Sarah got a lead on her location, Julia agreed to go to Havensdale with her. A not-so small piece of her is hoping that they won't find anything there, though.

Notable Connections

Lulu Matthews: her daughter, aged 9 (born 1990)

Hallie Matthews: her younger sister, hasn't seen her in six years, is on strict orders to kill her on sight @charlotte-the-confused

Sarah Matthews: her older sister @evolution-of-emily

TBD: other hunters

Danny ✉ text all underground:

Danny: Did you hear Ana's calling an emergency meeting? Danny: and CHARLIE'S speaking at it??? Danny: I'm just saying............

Lulu: I think we all got the message, Danny. Lulu: Yeah, it's...Well, I'm sure there's a reason for it.

doctorrebelprincess

Andy smiled at her, nodding in agreement. She knew it was easier to want to run, especially when everything was so batshit here. Andy had spent a lot of her life running from Havensdale - from home - but all that was over now. "Smooth moves," she laughed. "We need to get you in the next Secret Santa pool so I can rig you getting me - I want that on a t-shirt. I won't tell a soul," she added with a grin, crossing her heart. They were almost at the pit now, where there was always someone to patch up. "I just... I think about them, a lot. Hailie and Bill. You shouldn't make promises, especially to patients, but I'd just really like a win for them. You know?"

"You can't rig a Secret Santa," Lulu told Andy, faux-outrage tinging her voice. "That goes against the very nature of the event. It's the definition of unethical. Just for that, if I do get you, I will not be making you anything with 'science is magic' on it. You have my word." Yes, Lulu could relate to that sentiment. She felt the same way about her cousin, Emily. "If anyone deserves a win, it's those two, and if anyone can give them a win, it's you. I believe that."

"Wait, hold on... you're telling me Faith kicked Danny's arse in training and I missed it?" @havensdalestarters

"Okay, once again, I need to make it crystal clear that all this information is second hand at best, since I wasn't actually there when it happened...but yeah."

SkyMed Morgan Holmstrom as Crystal Highway

Amara gasped dramatically when Lulu responded, positively perplexed that she could say such a thing! "Oh, sweetie. Brag. Loudly and proudly, please. What's the point of having all of this going on-," she gestured towards her- "Without some showing off. The people need to know who they're dealing with. Besides, if I was a betting gal, I'd wager it wasn't just your 'good grades' that got you here. Say not more, though, if it's 'classified'."

"I..." Truly, Lulu did not want to brag. The idea made her feel deeply uncomfortable, even if an Original Vampire wasn't involved. "It really was mostly just good grades. And because I had some...prior experience in the supernatural." Lulu would be shocked if Amara didn't already know that Lulu was raised by bloodline hunters, and there was no point in denying it.

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