Tides

The waves always return to shore. It's time I did too. Sigma, Lu, Lumen. Twenties. Traveller.

[thefastermaximoff-archive]

“Speak for yourself.” Pietro mused with a wry chuckle–for once–things seemed to be moving quickly to him. It was a change of pace, but not a particularly welcome one.  “Well, after everything that’s gone down–everyone’s due for a break, right?” He pointed out, smile wavering somewhat at her question.

“Uh—a lot of stuff. I just—I can’t be home—right now. Not because of Cole or anything-” He was quick to add, hands rising and falling. “Just, it’s hard to explain.” A hand rose to rub at the back of his neck. “There’s just a lot going on and I don’t feel like I’m in control of it. I don’t feel like I’m ahead of things. Guess it’s just a weird time, you know?”

[wavesreturnhome]

“Pet, you know better than most that breaks don’t just happen in this city. But I’ll take what I can get.” It gave her time to think on a lot of things, at least, even if they weren’t necessarily pleasant.

Her brow arched as he skirted around the core of her question, concern lining her features lightly. “Well. The best you can do, then, is roll with it,” she pointed out, loosening her posture slightly. “You don’t have to always be ahead.”

[wavesreturnhome]

Text | Lumen/Nadia

[Lumen]: Steven? Not that who it is matters much as long as it's coming from you.

[Lumen]: I'll see what I can get when I leave work tonight. Where should I go?

[Nadia]: Sorry, Steven = Eva's brother.

[Nadia]: Manhattan General Hospital umm I don't remember the room number but I'll ask Steven sorry

[Lumen]: If you don't remembner, it's okay. I can ask the staff. There will probably be leftovers. You should eat too.

[wavesreturnhome]

Open | Familiarity 08/27/2016

[tandydaggerbowen-blog]

“Sorry,” Tandy held her hands up in a sign of surrender. “Didn’t mean to surprise you.” She returned the smile, snorting and nodding. “You’d think. I mean, when you don’t want Starbucks, they’re everywhere. But when you do, it’s like they all disappeared.” 

They were somewhat comforted by the break in their aloneness. It was also nice to see Lumen at the age she was at Cole and Pietro’s wedding, rather than ten years in the future. “I do,” they answered. “Is that your way of asking me out for some?” 

[wavesreturnhome]

“Right?” Even if a Starbucks existed on every corner, there was one in particular that held her attention. Something about it made her like that one out of all of them. 

“Er- not-” Lu stammered for a few moments as her brain short circuited. Tandy’s word choice came with certain.. implications, and that wasn’t her intention at all. Stopping for a single, pointed breath, she finally focused. “While I’m fine buying you a cup of coffee, it’s not like that, no offense.”

[wavesreturnhome]

Dinner Time | Closed | Sept. 6, 2016

@aussie-eva

Michael had pulled through just like she’d expected. Come closing time, she had been presented with a casserole fresh from one of the ovens in the kitchen. The hope was that Dee might eat too, when she found the time. It was added to a tote containing plastic forks and spoons and paper dishes, because in times like these, the less responsibility for chores, the better for those involved. Or so Alec suggested. It had never been the case for Lumen growing up.

A cab ride later, Lu was pacing down the hall to the room she was directed to by a rather tired nurse, her knuckles rapping on the door gently before she drifted in. Nadia wasn’t there, but Steven was. And Eva, of course. “Sorry to interrupt, if I am,” she muttered, padding in and dropping her tote carefully near a dresser-like furnishing. Grey eyes drifted over her comatose friend, and briefly, she softened. “I wondered what consequence this would have for her.. I’m Lu, by the way. Nadia said you might be here- er. If you’re Steven, that is.” 

[wavesreturnhome]

Fashion, Bruises, and Bad Guys | An AXPrompt Response

[itsajubilation-deactivated20170]

“Yeah, of course.” She went back to nurse her drink, her eyes drifting to study the decor in Lumen’s home. It was so beautiful, so homey. It was what Lu deserved and this Michael guy sounded like he was the right match for her friend. When Lumen finally spoke, Jubilee placed her drink on the coffee table with a smirk of her own. “I can’t say no to what sounds like a mini adventure.” It seemed strangely familiar as if she had been doing wine on the weekends with Lumen for years. As if this house was a place she had visited often. She snapped out of her thoughts and then let out a small laugh. “I think the most comical part of all this is that while we’re in shock over what seems to be going on, we’re not entirely surprised either. Just another day in our lives huh, Lu?” Jubilee stood up and took a deep breath. 

“To the closet!” Her brows rose and she chuckled. “Okay maybe that does sound weird.” 

[wavesreturnhome]

“Where we’re from, there’s always something going on,” she said with a chuckle. Jubilee wasn’t wrong, though. Sometimes it felt like a lot to keep up with or deal with, but in the end, it would just be another day. There would always be tomorrow. 

Her fingers dragged idly across the lightly textured wall as she trotted down the hallway, glancing briefly at a portrait of her and her husband’s portrait on the wall before rounding the corner into the mentioned room. At the moment, coats and other winter clothing hung from the bar, boxes of various types sitting on the shelf above that. There was an umbrella sitting in the corner that Lu then grabbed, tapping the end outside of the closet on the floor, and then inside. Only one returned any sound of note. “Either it’s another crawlspace, or it’s something else. Gotta be..” Shoving her hair out of her face, she knelt down, sweeping shoes out of her way and feeling along the baseboards for something. Anything at all. “This house is too old for a technological.. thing. Switches are obvious. Jujubee, can you look for.. I don’t know.. a string or a chain or-” 

Her nail had managed to catch on a gap between the floor at the wall, lifting a section of floor slightly. Intentional tugging revealed that a 2 and a half foot wide section responded similarly, though it wouldn’t come up all the way. She scooted backward, thinking her weight was hindering her progress, but that didn’t work either. “I guess we’re back to looking for strings or chains or some other thing. I didn’t feel a latch,” she mumbled with mild defeat. 

[thefastermaximoff-archive]

“Are there? I never really noticed.” He shuffled on his feet, tossing the backpack over his shoulder as he looked Lumen over. Pietro couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the blonde—months, maybe more. The trip to the future had been a blur to him–several memories–or future memories, were still missing. Did he even see her during that time?

“How’s it going, Elsa?” He asked, slight smirk at the nickname, but it never seemed to really reach his eye–they still seemed distant. “You-uh–take any trips to the future lately?”

[wavesreturnhome]

Where was the bouncy jokester? The one who ran circles around everything and everyone with a laugh? Grey eyes narrowed briefly as she wondered, studying him. Something had happened in the winding length of time since they’d last seen each other. 

“It’s.. it’s going. And yeah, I guess I did.” Lu’s weight shifted and her hands found their way into her pockets, though they were fairly still. “Time doesn’t move fast enough anymore. But.. maybe that’s just me eager for a chance at shit that’s actually good for once.” She worried her lip for just a moment.

“What’s eating you?”

[wavesreturnhome]

Open | Familiarity 08/27/2016

[onewiththegreenhair]

“I could look it up for you,” Lorna suggested reaching for her own phone. “If you want.” She gave a polite smile before continuing. “And yeah, yeah, everything’s been good. What about you?”

“I can fly whenever I want,” Lorna teased, but understood what Lumen was saying. “It would be cool to do it and not have people look at you strangely though, I understand that. It’d definitely save a lot of time.”

[wavesreturnhome]

Lu gave a short chuckle, and nodded. “The help would be good, even just pointing in a general direction would be fine.” 

Lorna’s question made her think for a seemingly long while, her gaze drifting briefly as she did so. “Adjusting, mostly.. I always seem to be adjusting. Shit’s always going on, though, so I guess that’s to be expected..” She shrugged, and raised a brow. 

“I can fall whenever I want, and catch myself. S’about as close as I get to flyin’ though. Feel like people’d shit themselves if that happened on the regular though.”

[wavesreturnhome]

Open | Familiarity 08/27/2016

[tandydaggerbowen-blog]

They were leaning against a brick wall, texting a friend they met in a study group last year about upcoming classes. Their responses given half the effort they usually would, despite wanting to get back into a routine. Their mind wouldn’t let that happen. The brick was familiar, at least, since this was where they had bloodied up their knuckles a few months ago. 

She hadn’t liked to think about it, but it appeared pretty tame compared to what happened in her future. Her eyes were pulled from her phone at the voice to the side of her. She didn’t double take at the sight of Lumen, which was progress. “Hey, Lu,” she greeted. “And I still get lost, too. Where were you trying to go to? I could help, and by help, I mean get you more lost by mistake.” 

[wavesreturnhome]

“Huh?” She jerked slightly to face the voice, raising an eyebrow briefly before offering a small smile. “You’d think it’d be easy to find a Starbucks or something, y’know?” 

It was starting to feel familiar, just bumping into Tandy at seemingly random points on her life. Tandy-not-Sandy. The thought still amused her. “Do you drink coffee?”

[wavesreturnhome]

Text | Lumen/Nadia

[Nadia]: Thank you. I'm good on food. Steven probably wouldn't object though.

[Nadia]: I feel bad for not cooking/baking more but even relying on healing as sleep substitute time is limited.

[Lumen]: Steven? Not that who it is matters much as long as it's coming from you.

[Lumen]: I'll see what I can get when I leave work tonight. Where should I go?

[wavesreturnhome]

Open | Familiarity 08/27/2016

[onewiththegreenhair]

Lorna found humor in Lumen’s words, breaking out into a smile before turning to look over at her, taking in her expression before deciding to help. “Happens to the best of us. Where exactly are you heading?” Lorna still needed help getting around the city at times and she had to admit it was strange getting used to one environment only to go back to another. It wasn’t new and yet it felt a bit like it.

[wavesreturnhome]

“Mee Noodle Shop.. Phone keeled over after I left the house and I forgot what intersection it’s at. You been all right?” She felt a little silly for not recognizing her friend’s green hair, but appreciated the offer of help. 

Traffic lights always seemed to take too long in this city, something she mulled over briefly while folding her arms over her middle, shrugging slightly to re-position the small backpack dangling from one shoulder. “You ever wish you could fly? Publicly.”

[bruisedwing]

Rain Respite | Open

[wavesreturnhome]

“She’s a total nerd, isn’t she?” It was cute, how Nadia and Eva ‘got’ each other on that kind of level, though it prompted a certain wondering of the workings of things with her spouse. “I.. got to use it.. a couple of times, ‘cause I wasn’t there very long, but yeah. What’re they calling it now, if not the DR?”

Did that mean Dee had registered? A google search or three told Lu more than she’d wanted to know about the registration laws, and it angered a certain part of her that the world had come to that conclusion. It was another line of thinking she sought to put away for the sake of pleasant conversation. “It’s really good to see how well you’re doin’, Dee. I’m proud.”

[bruisedwing]

“My nerd,” Nadia agreed affectionately. “I’m not positive what it’s officially called, but I keep hearing it referred to by less dangerous-sounding names like ‘the training facility’, and ‘VR room’. Even when all the students were mutants, ‘Danger Room’ was pretty dramatic, I suppose, but now with baseline students attending, too, and the school being more publicized, it makes sense. I’m pretty sure some of the otherwise non-physical classes utilize it as well now. Imagine learning anatomy by being inside a simulation of the human body, or doing a scavenger hunt in a virtual reality Paris for French homework.”

Although the educational potential of the Danger Room already gave her a smile, it grew bigger at Lumen’s compliment. “Thank you, but it’s my future self that’s doing this well, so I really can’t take credit. Still, it’s nice to see the good things I’m capable of. People have told me I’m capable, but it was hard to believe. Now there’s all this proof, and that’s exciting.”

[wavesreturnhome]

“VR room, huh?” Accurate name, though in a different sense. “I mean, it was designed to simulate danger for us to prepare ourselves. But I guess if we’re dealing with the standard run-of-the-mill human family..” Everyday people could be heroes too. 

“Honestly, I could pass on anatomy that way, but building stuff and not worrying about actual explosions would be cool as shit.” 

Past, present, future.. The lines always seemed so blurred to Lu after certain other events. “I mean, it’s still a version of you, and that’s what counts as far as I’m concerned. But hey, having evidence that you can really do great things is always nice. Something to strive for.”

“But hey, maybe we should go.. mingle is such a weird word but it’s the thing I’m looking for. Maybe we should go do that social thing with others. We can always catch up at some other point too, yeah?”

[bruisedwing]

[Text] Is Eva okay? I can't seem to reach her phone. Are you Okay?

[Text] I must have forgotten to charge her phone again; sorry. She’s in hospital. Steven’s staying with her. I’m okay (speaking physically—can’t be truly okay while Eva’s comatose). Trying to get second job or two, odd jobs in the meantime—been difficult to remember to update everyone; sorry.

[wavesreturnhome]

[Text] Oh jesus. If you need anything, let me know. Michael and I can bring food if you need it [Text] Er. I can ask Michael to cook probably and /I/ can bring you food. Idk about finding a job. I’m here if you need anything.

[wavesreturnhome]

Open | Familiarity 08/27/2016

It had been over a month since Lumen’s consciousness had left her body for her future self. It had been several days, about a week even, since she had returned to her 23 year old body.. and everything felt foreign. Her apartment. Her friends. Her job. Even the city felt strange, though compared to the ‘burbs, it ought to. 

She needed to reconnect with what was supposed to be her world, at least for a while, so she set out to walk through the city streets, re-discovering landmarks and eateries she had familiarized herself with once already, at least until she ended up lost.

“Leave it to me to get lost in the place I’ve lived in for the better part of a year.”

[wavesreturnhome]

Debriefing, Part 1 : A Journal Entry

I found a very hungover Alec in my apartment this morning.

It seemed like part of him snapped while this self was gone and... I don’t know what was in my place. He was pretty pissed, and I don’t think I’ve been grilled nearly that hard .. well.. ever. 

Took him a long time to calm his tits and settle down and actually believe that I was myself, and I’m still not sure if I should tell him what exactly happened and why everything was so weird. I don’t think I want to. I don’t think I should. 

Time is fickle. Doing things out of order could have some pretty dire consequences. This is something I’ve been aware of pretty heavily since the power swap accident.. But.. this is different. I mean, it’s just one of a multitude of futures. Maybe Alec lives in the one I get now. Maybe he doesn’t. Should I tell him?

I don’t know. 

I’m stressed out. I feel like I’m being pulled this way and that, caught in a riptide I can’t swim out of. I want to go full steam ahead with.. everything that was good. I want to start working with Jubilee now rather than all of those months from now. What could we accomplish now, what could we avoid, if we started now? 

But what kind of path could that set us on if we did that? I need to talk to her about it. We could put ourselves at a different sort of risk to do this out of order. Or those we love.

And Michael.. From what I could gather, I agreed to three more dates before Christmas. I guess I decided I was comfortable enough after that, because I went and saw him of my own accord sometime between there and New Years. He remembered it so clearly. That moment was so important to him that he didn’t forget much, except the superfluous details that didn’t really matter in the long run. But I got so comfortable with him as he was--is--ten years from now, being around him all the time like that.. that I kind of want to push things ahead there too.

But do I want to cost him that moment?

What about me? With what I know now.. would it be the same discovery? Would it hold the same weight it did the first time..?

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him about any of those things..

This isn’t helping me at all.

[thefastermaximoff-archive]

Pietro was lost in his own thoughts, head down, backpack still slung over his shoulder. It was all SHIELD let him have when he left. So far, undercover work just felt like a lot of slinking around. Then again, Pietro wasn’t sure what else to expect. But seeing the familiar city around him put him at ease-even if only slightly. His thoughts proved to be a distraction, Pietro feeling his shoulder collide with another pedestrian on the sidewalk–knocking the backpack to the ground. 

“Shit–sorry.” Bending down to pick it up, he looked up at the other–freezing slightly as the face was a familiar one. “Well—you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

[wavesreturnhome]

It was still weird, seeing people in the “right” decade, without the aged features, voices, and mannerisms. She remembered not having even met with Pietro during the bizarre month in the future of sorts, but there had been pictures. Everyone had become obsessed with pictures for some reason. “Uh-”

Lu’s lack of attention had put her on collision course with this particular friend, so the surprise seemed warranted. And hadn’t he disappeared? She’d heard about it through the grapevine at least.. “S-Something like that, I guess?” Stepping back, she folded her arms over her middle, looking over the man to assure herself that he was, in fact, fine. “A lot of ghosts around here, y’know?”

[wavesreturnhome]

Fashion, Bruises, and Bad Guys | An AXPrompt Response

[itsajubilation-deactivated20170]

Despite not know Matt at all...yet, Jubilee felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt for hiding whatever this was to him. Was she ready to tell him that she was involved in this world? This was someone who seemed more than ready to spend the rest of his life with her. It wasn’t like she had the best of luck with relationships nor did she really keep steady ones in her present. There was work and taking care of everything else going on. There was the revelation she had made to Alana, the line she had taken on at J. Crew, the decision to not confront Michaud, her own independent line. There were people that came in and out of her life. There was rarely stability in her romantic relationships and while that wasn’t ideal, she knew that perhaps waiting it out and letting things “fall into place” would probably be best. Being on her own romantically for a while was something she was ready to embark on and yet here she was. Granted, this current timeline was years away from her past. Still, she was having trouble separating the two. Especially when she was in love with her son. She hated hiding anything from anyone in the past. she couldn’t imagine how difficult this was for her present self. 

“I mean….I’m sure. I wouldn’t what present me knows or doesn’t. But I trust you and as soon as I saw your name…I knew that we were more linked than I thought.” Jubilee looked down at her hands and sighed. “Yeah, that’s why I ended up in the hospital. I was trying to figure it all out; weapons, scheduling, mode of transportation, costume.” She then looked up at Lumen. “Costumes.” She whispered and took the phone from Lumen’s hands to quickly thumb over to the gallery that was password protected. She tapped her fingers behind the phone, biting her lip and finally coming up with something she had seen in her new apartment. She keyed in the phrase and sure enough, the pictures opened up. Of course. “Lu…I designed these. Look.” She gave her the phone once more, an eyebrow shooting up at the mention of her bike. “I’ll help you find out about the bike. We’ll figure this all out together but it looks like I’ve designed your outfit…for Ceto…” 

[wavesreturnhome]

“We tend to end up that way, Jubs, closer than we think, I mean.” It drew up a vague memory of Xavier’s and how their spats seemed to draw them more together than apart. They could take each other’s shit, and it always felt like there was some sort of respect in that. 

Lumen had never put much thought into the logistics of hero work. Her first meager stints had always been plainclothes and out of sight, or secrets were kept. It just worked out that way. “Costumes...?” Her head lilted to the left as the the word rolled through her mind, and both friends came to a similar conclusion. A flurry of thumbs on the phone’s screen and she was being handed the phone again, scrolling through design after design, note after note. Her eyes didn’t linger on any in particular except her own, and further mention of her bike missed her ears entirely as she marveled. “Ceto was the name I gave the captain of a ship.. Guess I stuck with it. This is pretty rad, though.” Except for the part where she hadn’t seen any particular part of the long, hooded coat getup. Her gaze tore away from the phone and settled on her friend. 

“Is it okay if I think for a sec?” Logically, she wouldn’t have invested in a second property away from her home if Alec wasn’t around to cover her tracks. This left either a stash in her workplace or a stash in her house for her paraphernalia. But where? Her searches had rendered nothing of interest or use, which had always felt off, but as her eyes drifted shut, her mind began walking back through the house, lingering on everything she could reasonably remember. Anything out of place but not out of place. What would only she notice that the average person wouldn’t? Grey orbs snapped open and Lu smirked. “The closet in the second bedroom is smaller than it should be, and I remember the floor sounding pretty hollow.. Wanna check it out? Er.. That probably sounds weird, but.. y’know.” 

[wavesreturnhome]

Fashion, Bruises, and Bad Guys | An AXPrompt Response

[itsajubilation-deactivated20170]

“Yeah, we can.” She wondered why she hadn’t thought about googling herself. Perhaps she was just too caught up in everything she was discovering. But thank God for the clarity Lumen was helping her acquire. 

“Yeah…” She chuckled softly. “It’s good to know that we are all close after all this time. And I think, even in our present, I had thought about naming my first son ‘Cole’. Strange how certain things like that stick out.” She looked up at Lumen and smiled. “Yeah. That’s true. Michael seems very laid back. As does Matt but then again, I can’t say for sure. Well…” She took a deep breath and then stared at both phones. They were very advanced–probably the type she wouldn’t go and purposely purchase. Not on her own at least. Alana was the techie in her life and she’d probably be the one trying to convince her to get the latest gadget. Alana. Of course. She’s have to call her next. “These phones are a little much. Even for ‘present time’ me. I know because Matt–the boyfriend told me as much. It also seems vague to him. Like…he doesn’t even know what he’s telling me. Possibly because I’ve hidden whatever this is.” Could be why present Jubilee hadn’t given him an answer to marrying him. She knew she sounded a little crazy and so Jubilee realized that coming clean to Lumen was the only way. “Back in our present, I was trying out the whole super hero thing. That’s why when you’d see me, I was always sporting a new bruise or injury and I’d blame it on Raquetball…” She sighed. “So it’s very possible, I still engage in those activities now. And perhaps, these are my…bat signals?” She handed one phone to Lumen. “I have tons of very important contacts in there. All ties to the super hero community. Look for yourself.” 

[wavesreturnhome]

Secrets, questions.. Lu was missing some important piece of information, and it seemed she wasn’t the only one. Whoever this Matt person was, the one who knew Jubilee intimately, didn’t even seem to know what the extra phones were for. 

In time, all questions are answered.. An old quote, certainly, but no less applicable. “..Is that what happened with your whole hospital stint?” It was the first thing that came to mind, save the occasional small wince Ju had carried whenever they met up for coffee or drinks or diner. Lumen worried her lip as she took the offered phone, eyes roving over the outside before determining which button did what, and proceeded to swipe through a number of screens--as well as the contact list. Heroes, old and possibly new, blatantly sat in the open. “Did no one ever tell you about the security of stuff like this?” she asked with perhaps more judgement than necessary, a brow arching slowly as she searched. Somewhere she found a list of fabrics with various properties, and the information for what looked to be a textiles research group. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d consider some serious measures on getting access to this stuff, if this is your.. second job phone, but yeah. I kind of agree with your assessment.” Grey eyes landed, eventually, on her own information, under the name of ‘Ceto,’ and she smirked. “Guess you’re not the only one getting into trouble on purpose, though. Even I’m in here.”

But if she was in this phone.. where was all the related paraphernalia? “..Y’know, when I asked about my bike, Michael said he hadn’t seen me on it in ages, like it was super weird of me to ask or some shit. Haven’t been able to figure out what I did with it, if anything. I mean.. would I really get rid of that gorgeous piece of machinery?” No. Of course not. “So.. what’d I do with it, then?”