David & Sarah | Of stars and Star Wars
Jun. 15th, 2012 01:20 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsSarah can't sleep and David is restless. But it is a nice night to flop onto the grass and deliver an astronomy lecture.
Sarah walked through the outside of the mansion, taking in some fresh air for a change. Since her return from Genosha she'd spent the vast majority of her time inside, either cooped up in her or Layla's room with her girlfriend or trying to sleep. She figured getting outside might do her some good, so she'd thrown on a hoodie and went outside to do just that. It'd been awhile since she'd done much exercise and she was still sore from her recent capture so she wasn't doing anything more ambitious than slowly strolling around the grounds, hands tucked into the front pouch of her sweater.
Musings interrupted, David turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, brows climbing upwards when Sarah came into view. It seemed like the children in the mansion had taken to night time wanderings. Of course, the X-Force operative would not know whether or not it was a norm around here. “Good evening, Miss Vale,” he greeted her pre-emptively, not wanting to run the risk of startling her at close range. “A little late, isn’t it?”
Jumping a little bit at the sound of someone else's voice - she'd been jumpy ever since her return from Genosha, to be fair to North - Sarah relaxed when she saw who it was. Or, more accurately, she relaxed when she realized that it wasn't someone who was out to attack her or bring her back to Genosha, which had been the most popular of her recurring nightmares. She recognized North from the climactic battle against the monster that had been Moreau; he'd been exceptionally kind and made sure she hadn't gotten her fool ass killed in the fracas. She smiled and took one hand out of her hoodie to give him a brief wave.
"Hi there, sir. How are you this evening?" She shrugged at the statement. It was a little late but it was a nice night out so it hadn't occurred to her that maybe she shouldn't be out walking alone. "A bit, I guess, but not too, too late."
The German man had been in a middle of an internal debate over the pros and cons of escaping from the mansion and away from the restrictive confines of the medical lab. And craving a cigarette. Sarah, however, did not need to know either of that. “Late enough that you should probably be sleeping,” he shrugged, but did not seem to think it necessary to actually get her to go back in. She was not his charge either way and he never did develop a habit of bothering with younger people very much outside of combat and work. They were far too fragile for his comfort. So he jerked his head toward the night sky. “It’s a nice night out, if a little cool.”
Her smile faded a little before she replied. "Sleep doesn't come very easy these days, I'm afraid." Sarah was well rested for the most part, largely in part to spending so much time relaxing with Layla, but her sleep came in fits and starts for the most part. "'Sides, fresh air is good for you, and it's supposed to help you sleep I think. My nana used to say that anyway, probably when she wanted my sister and I out of her hair and forced us to run around outside to beat us out before bed, but it always worked and we slept like crazy afterwards." Taking a deep breath and reining in her Layla-esque ramblings - she had been hanging around with the blonde girl for most of the time lately, after all - she looked up at the sky. "It is nice, cool is good too. The stars are so pretty, too, don't you think?" It might not be the word North would choose but she looked up at them anyway, her smile coming back a little.
“It’s a vast universe out there,” was the inscrutable reply as he tilted his head skywards. David was lounging on the ground, one leg stretched out in front of him with the other bent at the knee with his foot on the ground. His elbows were supporting his weight as he talked to Sarah, ears listening for any of the medical staff coming out in search of him for slipping out of the lab again. “It will pass,” he added after a moment, offering his gruff brand comfort. “As unlikely as it seems right now.”
"Mmmhmm, so many stars. It makes you wonder if..." She was about to say if Star Wars is real or not, but then caught herself before she actually spoke those words aloud in the presence of another human being. "...you know, if there's life out there. If we're not alone in the universe, 'cause I don't think we can't be." The math didn't add up to her, at least. Sarah shrugged and looked back down at David. "It is what it is, I guess." She'd been dealing with getting over the self loathing and not thinking that everyone hated her, largely due to so many awesome people telling her that. "It's not like we can change anything that's been done anyway, yeah?"
“No,” he agreed, almost congenially. “No we can’t.” And then the man laid back down on the grass, crossing his arms and pillowing his head in them as he went back to his stargazing, seemingly unconcerned that Sarah was there. “All we can do is learn our lessons, keep breathing and move on.”
To an onlooker, it would seem like David North had made peace with himself and the universe at large. But there was a bellyful of emotions stewing and roiling inside of him that he did not know what to do with. The urge to get up and escape from the place grew exponentially and he nodded to himself, mind made up. The mansion with wandering students and traumatised people was not going to help him sort out his self-made mess.
“I would not discount the possibility of alien life,” he added. Especially given how impossibility has never been a constant factor in their lives. “Have you studied astronomy, Miss Vale?”
"As an amateur on my own, kinda, a little." Sarah grinned a little, feeling self-conscious for letting her geek flag fly, but then she went on anyway. "I'm kind of... really into Star Wars, so astronomy was always interesting to me. I'm hoping maybe if I can fit in an elective or two into university then maybe I can take a course on it, we'll see what happens." If she could do that it'd be very awesome, but it would be more of a luxury than a required course, if she still intended on getting a degree in Computer Science anyway, so time would tell. "How about yourself, sir, have you studied it?"
“Just the navigational ones,” he replied, gaze tracing the familiar constellations. Sitting through navigation class in the police academy with a room full of bored teenaged boys was an age ago to him. “But nothing else besides.” He turned his had to look at Sarah, a faint smile on his lips. “I’ve never watched the show.”
"You what?" Sarah's jaw had dropped slightly at that revelation. Wasn't North old enough to have been her age when those movies were just coming out in theatres? If she had been around back then she would've been all over those films, so she had a tendency to assume that anyone who actually could've done so would have, and should have. So hearing that he hadn't, well. "Ok, that's something that I'll have to fix because, man. You haven't seen any of them?" Seriously? Wow.
To be honest, she was not the first Star Wars fan he had admitted the blasphemous phrase to. American Star Wars fans. They all reacted the same way. “Didn’t have the time to,” he said instead, amused as he watched the emotions cross her face. “They weren’t that popular back then where I was from.”
"But you've had like a gazillion years to watch them since then!" Sarah wasn't about to take any further excuses from him on this point, sorry. "Alright, well, we'll just have to watch them while you're here then I guess." She'd set up the tv and Blu-Ray player - of course she had them all on Blu-Ray - and maybe Layla could fix them some food, perhaps all three of them could watch them together.
“You can do the planning,” David agreed easily, although he could already tell he was not going to be around the mansion for much longer. He marvelled inwardly at her enthusiasm, warmed by the fact that she was getting excited over something she liked. “Then you can tell me what Star Wars has to do with astronomy.”
"I will, I promise!" This new project was giving her something on which to focus, which already was doing the trick of keeping her mind off of other things, and hopefully it'd have the same effect on Layla as well. "Oh, dude, I will. I can start now, even, if you'd like?" Sarah raised her fingers and started counting off planets and stars in the Star Wars galaxy before he could even respond. "Perhaps the most interesting off the top would be Tatooine - not to be confused with Dantooine, of course - and its twin sons, Tatoo I and II, which is interesting because, hello, binary star system, yeah? Ooh, and then there's the Death Star, which isn't really a star at all, which is kinda spoiler-y but not really, it's just so huge..." If he didn't stop her she'd probably continue on for quite some time.
It was amusing, and it made him smile to watch Sarah’s undisguised enjoyment light up the face that had, just moments ago, seemed so solemn. So North said nothing as she chattered on about the stars, and did not move when she flopped to the ground beside him and started pointing out specific ones that they were supposed to be able to see.
Sarah walked through the outside of the mansion, taking in some fresh air for a change. Since her return from Genosha she'd spent the vast majority of her time inside, either cooped up in her or Layla's room with her girlfriend or trying to sleep. She figured getting outside might do her some good, so she'd thrown on a hoodie and went outside to do just that. It'd been awhile since she'd done much exercise and she was still sore from her recent capture so she wasn't doing anything more ambitious than slowly strolling around the grounds, hands tucked into the front pouch of her sweater.
Musings interrupted, David turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, brows climbing upwards when Sarah came into view. It seemed like the children in the mansion had taken to night time wanderings. Of course, the X-Force operative would not know whether or not it was a norm around here. “Good evening, Miss Vale,” he greeted her pre-emptively, not wanting to run the risk of startling her at close range. “A little late, isn’t it?”
Jumping a little bit at the sound of someone else's voice - she'd been jumpy ever since her return from Genosha, to be fair to North - Sarah relaxed when she saw who it was. Or, more accurately, she relaxed when she realized that it wasn't someone who was out to attack her or bring her back to Genosha, which had been the most popular of her recurring nightmares. She recognized North from the climactic battle against the monster that had been Moreau; he'd been exceptionally kind and made sure she hadn't gotten her fool ass killed in the fracas. She smiled and took one hand out of her hoodie to give him a brief wave.
"Hi there, sir. How are you this evening?" She shrugged at the statement. It was a little late but it was a nice night out so it hadn't occurred to her that maybe she shouldn't be out walking alone. "A bit, I guess, but not too, too late."
The German man had been in a middle of an internal debate over the pros and cons of escaping from the mansion and away from the restrictive confines of the medical lab. And craving a cigarette. Sarah, however, did not need to know either of that. “Late enough that you should probably be sleeping,” he shrugged, but did not seem to think it necessary to actually get her to go back in. She was not his charge either way and he never did develop a habit of bothering with younger people very much outside of combat and work. They were far too fragile for his comfort. So he jerked his head toward the night sky. “It’s a nice night out, if a little cool.”
Her smile faded a little before she replied. "Sleep doesn't come very easy these days, I'm afraid." Sarah was well rested for the most part, largely in part to spending so much time relaxing with Layla, but her sleep came in fits and starts for the most part. "'Sides, fresh air is good for you, and it's supposed to help you sleep I think. My nana used to say that anyway, probably when she wanted my sister and I out of her hair and forced us to run around outside to beat us out before bed, but it always worked and we slept like crazy afterwards." Taking a deep breath and reining in her Layla-esque ramblings - she had been hanging around with the blonde girl for most of the time lately, after all - she looked up at the sky. "It is nice, cool is good too. The stars are so pretty, too, don't you think?" It might not be the word North would choose but she looked up at them anyway, her smile coming back a little.
“It’s a vast universe out there,” was the inscrutable reply as he tilted his head skywards. David was lounging on the ground, one leg stretched out in front of him with the other bent at the knee with his foot on the ground. His elbows were supporting his weight as he talked to Sarah, ears listening for any of the medical staff coming out in search of him for slipping out of the lab again. “It will pass,” he added after a moment, offering his gruff brand comfort. “As unlikely as it seems right now.”
"Mmmhmm, so many stars. It makes you wonder if..." She was about to say if Star Wars is real or not, but then caught herself before she actually spoke those words aloud in the presence of another human being. "...you know, if there's life out there. If we're not alone in the universe, 'cause I don't think we can't be." The math didn't add up to her, at least. Sarah shrugged and looked back down at David. "It is what it is, I guess." She'd been dealing with getting over the self loathing and not thinking that everyone hated her, largely due to so many awesome people telling her that. "It's not like we can change anything that's been done anyway, yeah?"
“No,” he agreed, almost congenially. “No we can’t.” And then the man laid back down on the grass, crossing his arms and pillowing his head in them as he went back to his stargazing, seemingly unconcerned that Sarah was there. “All we can do is learn our lessons, keep breathing and move on.”
To an onlooker, it would seem like David North had made peace with himself and the universe at large. But there was a bellyful of emotions stewing and roiling inside of him that he did not know what to do with. The urge to get up and escape from the place grew exponentially and he nodded to himself, mind made up. The mansion with wandering students and traumatised people was not going to help him sort out his self-made mess.
“I would not discount the possibility of alien life,” he added. Especially given how impossibility has never been a constant factor in their lives. “Have you studied astronomy, Miss Vale?”
"As an amateur on my own, kinda, a little." Sarah grinned a little, feeling self-conscious for letting her geek flag fly, but then she went on anyway. "I'm kind of... really into Star Wars, so astronomy was always interesting to me. I'm hoping maybe if I can fit in an elective or two into university then maybe I can take a course on it, we'll see what happens." If she could do that it'd be very awesome, but it would be more of a luxury than a required course, if she still intended on getting a degree in Computer Science anyway, so time would tell. "How about yourself, sir, have you studied it?"
“Just the navigational ones,” he replied, gaze tracing the familiar constellations. Sitting through navigation class in the police academy with a room full of bored teenaged boys was an age ago to him. “But nothing else besides.” He turned his had to look at Sarah, a faint smile on his lips. “I’ve never watched the show.”
"You what?" Sarah's jaw had dropped slightly at that revelation. Wasn't North old enough to have been her age when those movies were just coming out in theatres? If she had been around back then she would've been all over those films, so she had a tendency to assume that anyone who actually could've done so would have, and should have. So hearing that he hadn't, well. "Ok, that's something that I'll have to fix because, man. You haven't seen any of them?" Seriously? Wow.
To be honest, she was not the first Star Wars fan he had admitted the blasphemous phrase to. American Star Wars fans. They all reacted the same way. “Didn’t have the time to,” he said instead, amused as he watched the emotions cross her face. “They weren’t that popular back then where I was from.”
"But you've had like a gazillion years to watch them since then!" Sarah wasn't about to take any further excuses from him on this point, sorry. "Alright, well, we'll just have to watch them while you're here then I guess." She'd set up the tv and Blu-Ray player - of course she had them all on Blu-Ray - and maybe Layla could fix them some food, perhaps all three of them could watch them together.
“You can do the planning,” David agreed easily, although he could already tell he was not going to be around the mansion for much longer. He marvelled inwardly at her enthusiasm, warmed by the fact that she was getting excited over something she liked. “Then you can tell me what Star Wars has to do with astronomy.”
"I will, I promise!" This new project was giving her something on which to focus, which already was doing the trick of keeping her mind off of other things, and hopefully it'd have the same effect on Layla as well. "Oh, dude, I will. I can start now, even, if you'd like?" Sarah raised her fingers and started counting off planets and stars in the Star Wars galaxy before he could even respond. "Perhaps the most interesting off the top would be Tatooine - not to be confused with Dantooine, of course - and its twin sons, Tatoo I and II, which is interesting because, hello, binary star system, yeah? Ooh, and then there's the Death Star, which isn't really a star at all, which is kinda spoiler-y but not really, it's just so huge..." If he didn't stop her she'd probably continue on for quite some time.
It was amusing, and it made him smile to watch Sarah’s undisguised enjoyment light up the face that had, just moments ago, seemed so solemn. So North said nothing as she chattered on about the stars, and did not move when she flopped to the ground beside him and started pointing out specific ones that they were supposed to be able to see.
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