“Sit back, hold on and enjoy” For some reason, Riley hadn't really pictured Hank as anything but a doctor.. a scientist, the guy with the brains that set him apart from all others. Afer all, Professor Walsh was very similar in academic status and yet, the more Hank spoke with Riley, the more Rilye was seeing vast differences in personalities. “Even going to the mall in this is a pleasure. So get ready to be impressed!” And Riley was, if nothing short of merely the fact that as Hank spoke to him, he spoke in a manner which suggested they were of equal levels, not student and teacher, not doctor and patient, not leader and disposable unit. But one person to another.. and oddly enough, it seemed quite refreshing. Usually people seemed distant with Riley, more readily able to ignore or overlook, or some, like Ang and Dawn..Catherine.. managed to catch him at his better moments and on those grounds build a more substantial relationship. Even if in the last year it seemed he lost much of the ground he had gained over time in the school.
It was hard to believe he'd been there so long.. Riley almost forgot the fact years had passed, friends had come and some had gone, but most still stuck by him, even if in Dawn's opinions he was harming himself stupidly she was still there, still worrying... It almost brought a smile to Riley's face, almost, just the thought of her comment, the realization that he missed how straight forward she could be, there was no beating around the bush, she said what she intended to say and that made talking with her so easy, even if at times it was hard to listen.
Hazel eyes drifted to the locks of the car, a vehical that seemed more focused on style and handling then compared to Riley's. More sleek, more 'expensive' looking, not that Riley's care didn't look expensive, but compared to this it looked a hell of a lot more affordable, though not including all the additional add-ons. Comparing the cars, Riley was willing to bet that while his could take more of a beating, this one could definitely out run his, likely it could also take corners better, at a more sharper angle, due to the lighter weight. Though all thoughts paused for the moment that was dedicated to the locks, raised in a manner that suggested the car wasn't locked, still, like the last time he looked and the time before that. Surely he'd hear if Hank did lock it, but at the same time... it wasn't like they were driving towards the Initiative, so why did Riley have anything to be paranoid about?
Because that's who he was? Or... was that just it? It was who he was, did it have to always be though? Being careful helped him survive all these years, being overly careful helped him stand apart from those who were his friends, who were his family.. Emily didn't care how distant Riley tried to be, she always seemed to hover nearby, she always seemed to be there, a fourteen year old with a vendetta! Someone took Riley from her, and nothing, not even Riley himself, was going to stand in her way of getting him back. If she called, and he said he was busy, she'd say she'd swing by later then.. and sure enough, she'd be there, even if he wasn't, she'd wait, and soon enough he'd be there. Riley may be desperate, but he wasn't cruel, and some how 'be cruel to be kind' didn't even register to him. Was it because part of him knew this was an extreme decision too big to decide by himself?
Just like Riley when he was young teen looking after Emily, Emily herself was bound to to one of her young cousins. And through Haley, she found a weakness in Riley that drew him from his shell. Babysitting! She'd seen how he willingly offered assistence when his cousin Ammie got sick and needed help looking after her young twins. Nina and Haley had very different personalities, and Riley didn't seem to click as well with Nina as with Haley, mainly because Nina was rather aggressive in her young little way. And one thing was certain, anyone who tries to smack Riley's pup or pull her ears would never sit well with Riley. And Nina was just at that age of two where boundries were being explored constantly.
That didn't mean Riley didn't care about Nina, just.. he found it harder to spend more time with her, Haley was far more relaxing, she didn't misbehave nearly as much and he didn't get anywhere near as stressed. And considering he was supposed to avoid stress....
"Oh, excuse me." Riley's voice sounded surprised for a moment, the sound of his mobile could still be heard despite it being on silent, the vibrations distint enough to hear. With a flip of the silver phone, Riley placed the mobile by his ear after giving a quick glance over the screen... "..Heeello?" He stretched the 'e' in hello and gave a quizzical tone of voice to show he wasn't entirely sure who it was, it said 'dad' but both his mother and Emily also used it, Emily more often to find out where he was. His own little stalker.
"Oh, hey Em," A slight smile curved Riley's lips as he had thought it was her, and sure enough, she was on the other end wondering where he was and asking if they could walk Katie together. "I'm not actually in the school at the moment. No I'm ok, just getting some things for cooking, don't forget tomorrows lunch. Katie's up in my room if you wanted though.. either asleep or chewing my shoes.. but if you wanted to wait I probably won't be too long... Ok than.. I'll send an SMS when I get back." A snapping sound followed his comment as he flipped shut the silver phone and slid it back into his jean pockets.
The shopping list found its way back into his hands, and Riley looked over it, trying to imagine how long it could take to grab all of these items, and that's not including the necklace he wanted to get his mum, the watch he wanted for his dad, and... whatever he could find for Emily... he wasn't even sure what to get her.
"I don't know how long it usually takes to go shopping.. I wanted to pick up a watch and necklace too, would it be better to do that before hand.. or after?" As Riley asked the question Hank was pulling to a stop at yet another intersection. If Riley had anything to say it would always wait till Hank was pulling to a stop, just because Riley himself hated when people talked to him while driving, he didn't want to be distracted, he didn't want to risk overlooking something, he had to always pay full attention, and so he tried to give others the same respect he'd want. Even if most others weren't as strict as Riley got when driving.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
Hank waited for the car to work its magic and he didn’t have to wait long. Even if Riley didn’t relax completely the doctor could still see him starting to glance round as people inevitably did when seated in a machine like this one, gauging its possibilities, wondering it could really deliver the speed and performance its appearance seemed to promise.
The ‘boys with toys’ effect Hank’s mother called it with an affectionate shake of her head , and perhaps she wasn’t far wrong. Though Hank had also seen more than a few woman fall under the same spell. The Lamborghini was sleek, sophisticated and more than a little dangerous. *Just like me* thought Hank with a mischievous grin, *though I tend to hide it better.* Nor was it a car built with comfort as a top priority. The steering was supposed to be nervous and the suspension hard enough to let you feel the ride rather than just be carried by it.
Of course if Hank could get in it at all without feeling like a sardine stuffed in a tin it was thanks to the modifications Scott had made to the vehicle. Strangely enough manufacturers didn’t tend to design sports cars with someone of Hanks physique in mind, but then again there were very few large blue furry felines out there so he supposed he couldn’t really blame them. Still Scott had done a great job, tweeking the car until it fitted Hank like a glove and accepted his weight with a graceful sigh instead of a grinding of springs.
The Lamborghini turned heads. In fact it had almost caused a few accidents in the past when the admiring glances of fellow drivers finally reached the face of its occupant and found it fanged and not at all human. Today though that wasn’t a factor. The holoimager took care of that aspect of things very nicely. No, on this particular afternoon he looked just like everybody else……*well..* his eyes sparkled again.. *maybe just a bit better looking than most?*
But if it was the holographic device that made him a ‘real person’ for the rest of the world, it was the car that had done so for Riley. It had helped to break down a divide that was just as difficult to cross as the one between human and mutant. The one between doctor and patient, between teacher and student. It didn’t strip him of the authority that those positions gave him, nor did it compromise the relationship they had built up in those respective roles. But at least it let Riley see that there was a man behind them, one who ate and slept and loved…… and had a weakness for sports cars and Twinkie bars.And that in Hank’s eyes was important. If it made him seem less ‘perfect’ then so much the better because god knows he was far from being so.
Trust was a two process after all. How could he expect Riley to open up to him if he didn’t give something of himself in return.? So, as he had realised before, this impromptu excursion was turning out to be a blessing in disguise, giving them an unexpected opportunity to get a glimpse into each others lives, to learn where their differences lay and what they had in common. In the end, to discover if they could like each other as people out with the boundaries that their relative positions imposed upon them! And if they could… well now….. wouldn’t that be progress.
So far what he had seen of Riley’s interaction at the school gave Hank cause for hope. Whether Riley admitted it to himself or not he had friends and that in itself was a revelation to the doctor. Of course he previously had seen Riley’s devotion to the fairy who was now his team mate and likewise witnessed his concern over Connors disappearance. And as for Catherine… well that relationship extended well beyond friendship and into something Hank wasn’t sure any of them fully understood. But casual friendship such as he had witnessed on the stairs, people who could invite him round for coffee or to watch a film. That was something Riley needed to thrive. And it seems that he had it, if he just remembered how to respond.
And to do that he needed to regain confidence, not just in himself but in those around him. Because at the moment he was so busy trying to keep everyone safe and clear of those who were chasing him that he was in danger of shutting them out altogether. Though it might just be that they weren’t going to let him get away with that!
The familiar sound of a mobile phone filled the car causing Riley to offer hurried apologies before flicking it open and answering his caller. "..Heeello?" Hank stifled a grin… that didn’t sound like the Riley he knew and worried about. It sounded like a perfectly normal young man confronted with a call he wasn’t sure about, and it was good to know that there was still one of those lurking inside the super efficient soldier just waiting to remerge if given the right stimulus. And Emily certainly seemed to know the right buttons to push. But then again, children often did.
In any case, someone who related as Riley did to persistent young cousins and puppy dogs couldn’t be a completely lost cause, now could they? Hank knew that he for one was definitely feeling more optimistic about the young mans chances of making a complete recovery. And not just on the purely physical level.
Riley had problems, that much was certain. He had set up doors around himself, doors to keep people out, doors to keep secrets in. Everybody had one or two. Life wasn’t possible without them. But in his case they had grown and multiplied until they were almost stifling him. And the heart that lay beyond them was fragile. Which was why those few he had lowered the drawbridge for had such an impact on him! Like Catherine for example! She could destroy him with a word. She could undermine his confidence with one toss of her head. And that wasn’t good, for either of them.
She was like … Hank struggled for an analogy and found one only a doctor would have stumbled across.. an allergy! Something that hit his system and sent it spinning into confusion! Why? In this case because he wasn’t used to it! But allergies could be treated. It wasn’t easy but it could be done. If you exposed people to the same thing in smaller doses! Like friendship for example, or the family ties that bound cousins together… or, when he was ready to recognise it again, the love of parents for their only child.
If he could learn to handle all of that then he might just be able to take the emotions that lay between him and Catherine and find the strength to build on them, instead of letting them tear him apart.And if he did.. “Well then” Hank thought “they might just have something that would stand the test of time. Though it wont be easy to attain. But then again “ he winced as his injured side disapproved of his choice of a manual gearbox “ no truly worthwhile relationship is without its ups and downs. “
Riley had hung up now, his hands going to his jeans pocket and emerging with something resembling a shopping list. Such forethought didn’t surprise the doctor in the least. Indeed given the degree of gravity that seemed to surround this entire expedition he would have been astonished if Riley had approached it as anything less than a military operation. Though from what came next there were perhaps certain important parameters missing from the equation.
"I don't know how long it usually takes to go shopping..” Riley admitted seeming a little flustered. I wanted to pick up a watch and necklace too, Ok ….. Jewellery shopping… add at least an hour! Unless Riley was content to pick up the first thing on offer or knew exactly what he was looking for.And since Hank wasn’t ready to let the first option get off the ground they had better factor in some serious browsing time. “would it be better to do that before hand.. or after?"
“Before” Hank replied automatically as he pulled up at the junction. “Always leave the perishables to last.. at least that’s what my mother always says. And who am I to contradict her.”
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way“Before” It came so fluidly that Riley wondered if he should feel embarrassed by having even asked the question. “Always leave the perishables to last.. at least that’s what my mother always says. And who am I to contradict her.” It was funny, not any sort of humorous way, but the fact that Riley always seemed surprised at times when certain people admitted to having parents. Some people he just couldn't see with parents, he never thought about it really, only when suddenly out of the blue it's mentioned, he always was taken by surprise. It's like when Commander Halliwell he was a rebellious lad and could never get into his father's good graces... first Riley never imagined as Halliwell as anything but a man in his late forties and secondly... as logical as it seemed for him to have parents, it just never occurred the guy possessed a family!
Perhaps because of Hank's close link to Professor Walsh in Riley's mind, the fact they're both scientists and doctors, both tended after Riley, the fact they both are so high in rank and well respected.. just like Walsh, Riley never really thought about Hank with parents, or Walsh with parents.. Parents were just never really a topic of conversation in the Initiative. They were like Santa Clause and the Tooth fairy, it just got to a point where it seemed silly to even mention them. Most of the soldiers didn't have family, or some didn't remember them, or just didn't want anything to do with them anyway.
It was utterly stupid and Riley knew that, but he got over the surprise quick enough, though he'd find himself struggling with the idea again if someone like Xavier stated he was a son too. It was hard to imagine, and while Riley knew it was impossible for someone not to have a family, he was also so used to not thinking about it, to hearing the hardened words of 'I have no family' resound around him. Even now Riley couldn't talk to Graham and Forrest about his own family, Graham would be only be reminded of his pain and loss and Forrest would somehow belittle the whole thing.. as he always did.
For a moment Riley tried to imagine a homely situation, like a dinner around the family table, though the image he summed up was that of his family's farmhouse. And instead of Riley seeing himself, he tried to picture Hank there, tried to imagine the elder passing the fresh stack of bacon and eggs, the roasted tomatoes slices and a cold glass of either juice or water, depending on how well they managed the weeks budget.
Riley's knee-jerk reaction to his own mother and his parents in general must have seemed so disrespectful, and it was, and Riley knew the way he reacted was wrong... but he didn't want them to get hurt because of him. Surely not seeing him was a far better option then being killed because of it, wasn't it? The corner of Riley's lip lightly got gnawed between his teeth for a slight moment as he tried to ponder whether Hank's reference to not contradicting his mother was something a retaliation towards the manner in which the doctor had seen Riley treat his.. And Riley since apologized.. not that it made him feel any better, and by apology... well.. it wasn't exactly a vocal one.
God, Riley didn't even know what he wanted any more, if keeping them distant was the plan, inviting them over for a weekend lunch in his dorm room was definitely not helping him reach that goal. He couldn't spend MORE time with them and then try to keep them shut out at the same time. It was one or the other. Riley just wished having what he wanted didn't risk such dangerous consequences.
"Well..." Riley leaned back more comfortably in his seat, seeming to let himself sink into it and losing the edge of stiffness his initial awkwardness portrayed. "..Emily pointed out some things in a.. uh.." There was pause, not for any other reason but a distracted as Riley stared at a rather strangely dressed group of kids, mid teens and completely done up as if trying to impersonate ghouls of some description. Having seen the occasional Goth scattered here and there was one thing, seeing a little pack of them not much older the Emily however.. "...a catalogue." Riley's head had turned away from Hank and faced the window, letting him catch a final glimpse of the girls before they passed too far behind. There were lots of reasons people could dress like that.... for the life of him, Riley couldn't have guessed it was some sort of popular fashion sense.
"It shouldn't take too long." Came the final comment as Riley turned his attention back into the car and towards McCoy. Emily mentioned she went window-shopping a lot with his mum, but when the 14 year old attempted to describe Martha's style of jewellery Riley's expression drew a blank. Therefore, she had made sure to bring some catalogues to help point out what she was trying to explain.
What would Hank do? If he had to choose between being with his family and protecting them? If protecting them meant vanishing, would he? Or would he keep them in danger merely to keep them near? The question felt as if it was on the tip of Riley's tongue, not only with Hank, but with anyone, he just wanted to know.. what would someone else do? It seemed like such an obvious answer, but if it was, why did it hurt so much? And why was Riley trying so hard to make up for his earlier behaviour towards his parents if it's what he really wanted? It was so much easier when life seemed so black and white... even if he didn't like it all the time, it still seemed simple with defined questions and standard answers.
"The presents aren't urgent anyway," Three months late... it was quite pathetic really, but he'd been so busy... so consumed with distractions and self-pity.. He knew all they wanted from their son was his love and attention, but Riley's struggle made even that simple gift that had always come so readily at one stage in his life seem like such a chore to give. But Riley wanted to.. god did he want all the things most children took for granted. How can someone miss people who were right there in front of him?
To be honest, Riley had started talking as if he might as well just have been alone, as if the discussion was merely for the sake of talking. People always got upset when he sat there with nothing to say, but then half the time he didn't have a great deal to say, and why did it always feel as if it was up to him to talk? Other then Dawn, who could happily carry on a one sided conversation if she was permitted to, the small handful of others Riley knew always prodded him to say something and never accepted he just didn't have a whole lot to say, and what he did have to say was private and would just upset him thinking about it, so in the end, he was just doing everyone a favour by remaining quiet.
It was all just too complicated.
"The food however is, I don't want to use up the stuff in the fridge, otherwise others in Green's dorm might gut me when they realize there's no left overs." A slight smile came, but other then Scott, Riley still didn't really know any of the others he was moving in with. This in itself was giving him some worries. After all, he'd hardly want to make first impressions a negative one, it was already hard enough trying to get on with people, he didn't need the added obstacle of people instantly hating him for leaving them foodless. Definitely not the best start to the first weekend together, and if he could make sure to supply his own food and such for the meal, then he'd much rather prefer that!
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
His casual comment seemed to have caught Riley unawares but then in all honesty Hank should have realised that it would. Parents weren’t something that even normal people over forty were supposed to have, at least not in the minds of the young and the idea that teachers could still be told to sit up straight and wipe their feet by their mothers was a concept that took some getting used too. Hank wondered how Riley was handling the idea. ‘He’s probably imagining a scene out of Goldilocks with me cast in the somewhat embarrassing role of baby bear!’ Hank thought with a grin. ‘Though he must realise that no little girl, no matter how blond and cute they might be, could ever break a chair that could support me simply by sitting on it
There was a moment though when things seemed to hang in the balance between them, as if digesting all of this new information could prove too much and drive Riley back behind his ever ready defences. But then, to Hank’s relief and surprise, the usually overwrought student did something the doctor had not even been sure he was capable of doing at this stage in the game. He decided to ‘go with the flow’ Hank could almost see the built up tension leaking out of him leaving him if not exactly relaxed than at least less guarded than he had been in a long time. "Well..." he said "..Emily pointed out some things in a.. uh.."
The unexpected pause, coming as it did when Riley had seemed to be overcoming his awkwardness caused Hank to glance over at his passenger, noticing what had caught his young companion’s attention. Girls! Albeit unconventional ones. In their dress at least. Ah well Hank thought mischievously ‘another victory either for hormones…… or curiosity….and no bad thing in either case!’
"...a catalogue." Riley finally managed to finish his sentence thought Hank was convinced that his attention was still held more by the Goths than by his subject matter. Still he rallied valiantly and declared "It shouldn't take too long."
*‘He really doesn’t go shopping very often, does he!* Finding something in a catalogue was one thing. Actually managing to track it down in the real world was something else again. ‘Oh well at least he has some idea of what he’s looking for’ Hank reflected philosophically *which will at least give us a heads start.*
"The presents aren't urgent anyway," Riley announced suddenly, surprising the doctor yet again. Hank was far from being convinced that that was true. These gifts didn’t sound as if they were meant for Catherine. Otherwise why would Riley have turned to Emily for advice? Unless he genuinely thought that his 14 year old cousin and his tempestuous girlfriend actually shared the same taste. No , maybe Hank was grasping at straws, but it seemed much more logical to envisage that these gifts were meant for those people Emily knew best. Riley’s parents for example. And if that was in fact the case then that raised things to a whole other level!
Hank had been there when Riley had pushed his parents away, too frightened to let them back into his life in case he inadvertently dragged them into the danger zone that surrounded him. Even if that was where they both wanted and needed to be. Gifts though…. those weren’t exactly designed to exclude! They were at the very least a sign of appreciation. And that wasn’t so very far away from love. Not that Hank had ever believed that Riley felt anything less for his family. But there was an immense gap between feeling something and actually showing it. A gap that Riley needed to bridge if he was going to move forward! Which he might just be starting out to do! And if that was the case then Hank was going to do everything he could to help him get there.
Though perhaps family matters weren’t Riley’s only concern! "The food however is,” Riley told the doctor, referring back to his own personal set of priorities. “I don't want to use up the stuff in the fridge, otherwise others in Green's dorm might gut me when they realize there's no left overs."
Riley was privileged in a way. Given his fragile mental state it had been decided that he should be spared the shock of walking unprepared into the new teams set up as the other students would have to in the morning. And to be honest they had also chosen his team with care. The exercise on Training Island may have been a dangerous fiasco in many ways but it had at least achieved one thing. Green Strike Force, soon to be Green Rescue Squad, had come together in spectacular fashion and their coherence and caring for each other had continued long after the mission had ended.
Though nothing was ever certain, it had seemed to Hank and his peers that if Riley was to realise that being in a team could mean more than merely being efficient on the battle field than this was the place to start. With the pressure of leadership for once taken off of his shoulders, yet in an environment where his opinions, and he would undoubtedly have opinions given his experience, would be taken into account. For if the team members were conducive to providing him with the environment in which he could flourish then Lexis style of leadership was an absolute essential.
It was rare to find someone who could walk that delicate line between drawing from her team members strengths and losing control of her command, but even now, untried as she was in the ways of leadership Lexi was managing to do just that. Accepting Riley into her team couldn’t have been easy either for he already had a more than intimidating track record as a leader himself. Yet she had done so with a grace that belied her years and a quiet confidence in her team to stand by her that was more than impressive.Now all that they could hope for was that Riley could accept the placement in the spirit in which it had been intended. Not as a demotion but rather as a chance to reintegrate not only the school but life itself as the team continued to come together. Something which the new living arrangements were designed to promote.
Togetherness wasn’t always easy though, in fact it nearly always took some give and take on all parts if it was going to work smoothly and Riley had a point in wanting to respect his new flatmates feelings no matter how understanding they were. “Ah yes. The eleventh commandment!” Hank said with a grin “Thou shall not covet thy flatmates food. Its always wise to observe that one. Though of course the school will provide the basics for everyone. Otherwise young Master Grant may not feel free to snack and that would never do. But to get back to the subject at hand“ the doctor continued “Presents, are always important, Riley. And as such, they merit the time they need to be chosen. There’s no rush here at least not on my part. So feel free to browse until you’re sure you’ve found what you really want.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way“Ah yes. The eleventh commandment!” …There was an eleventh commandment? Puzzled eyes examined the doctor’s features for a moment, trying to understand the comment, and seeing Hank’s expression helped point Riley in the direction that the elder mutant might have been joking, his next words assuring Riley of that fact. “Thou shall not covet thy flatmates food. Its always wise to observe that one. Though of course the school will provide the basics for everyone. Otherwise young Master Grant may not feel free to snack and that would never do. But to get back to the subject at hand“ Though Hank seemed to try to steer things away from the topic just mentioned, Riley found himself wondering why ‘Master Grant’ wouldn’t eat if the food wasn’t readily available… was he spoiled? Riley never really heard anyone refer to someone as ‘Master’ save for lesser demons and the like. Then again, people did give others strange titles, both in jest, affection and any number or rather random reasons Riley couldn’t quite figure all the time.
“Presents, are always important, Riley. And as such, they merit the time they need to be chosen. There’s no rush here at least not on my part. So feel free to browse until you’re sure you’ve found what you really want.” Riley’s fingers laced themselves together on his lap, staring down at them for a moment, allowing his mind to chew over the words that came flowing forth from Hank’s lips. Presents… were they really that important? Catherine had said she couldn’t except the first gift he had gotten her, and the first give he had ever gotten someone… Sure Riley had his name on the presents for family members when he was younger, but his parents always paid for them, and usually brought them as well. Riley just got told what those gifts were and which wrapped covered which gift.
As if not wanting to accept it wasn’t bad enough, she got upset with him when he declined to take it back and tried to assure her it was ok for her to take it, she took the earrings, but made enough of a fuss about it that Riley wasn’t sure he wanted to upset anyone else like that… People were too complicated… demons were easy, they snarled, Riley chased them, they died. No socializing, no questions asked… well… most of the time, sometimes the Initiative needed to ask questions… but… Riley didn’t really want to think about any of that right now.
The youth found himself sitting back again, his fingers unravelling from their position on his thighs and momentarily loosening the seat belts tightened grip across his front. It seemed yet again Riley found himself noticing how Beast acted so unlike what he had expected. Riley didn’t have the best initial greetings with the guy… and Finn must have seemed so very judgemental as his fist lashed out at the mutant, though Riley had thought Hank to be a demon at the time, Riley was just thanking every god he could put a name to that he’d never said that out loud. And since then he had proved to be very accepting of mutants, though… he hadn’t realized he was one at the time… Palms seemed to turn to open for his hazel eyes to examine, inquisitive eyes studying the unique lines that marked the skin of his hands. What would happen if they weren’t the same any more? There were times with Catherine where she made him feel so ugly and so hopeless… though there were times she made him feel so special too… those moments were fewer however, and farther between.
Would this sort of stuff have been happening a year ago had Riley not listened to Catherine and in fact gone and talked to someone about his problems? Having no memories of the staff at first almost scared him into silence initially but that silence seemed to stagnate as it had always done so over his recent few years. Fingers curled and palms once again lowered to his thighs, hazel eyes turning to stare out the window as Riley thought. This didn’t seem so bad… then again, hadn’t he thought the same thing with the Initiative?
Thoughts were haltered as Riley’s attention turned to a light rail tram as it pulled up beside them, Riley could see Salem Shops coming up so most likely he figured the tram was on its way there. It wasn’t so much the tram itself, or anything to do with a tram in general, but it’s cousin, the train… it seemed ridiculous but Riley had forgotten all about the incident with the train. Well… no not ‘forgotten’… he remembered it… he just neglected to think about it, or something along those lines anyway, in any which case, the former agent realized that he’d totally neglected his course of medication for the thing he was diagnosed with… Though the photosensitivity syndrome was a side effect of the Initiative’s brainwashing techniques, not a natural condition… The entire ordeal up in Iowa seemed like some hazy nightmare and Riley wasn’t sure he wanted to even think about it again. For the briefest of moments Riley found himself highly curious regarding if the condition was curable or just something you need a constant treatment for… there was a doctor right there, though as Riley thought of asking, he found himself hesitating. He’d ask later… after they were done shopping, when things weren’t already so hectic.
The car seemed to pull to a stop before Riley really managed to come to a complete decision on the matter, which wasn’t very helpful because he felt he needed more time to consider things… before realizing that that in itself was probably ridiculous, why did he need to think so hard bout whether he should ask a question or not, especially one medically inclined and towards a doctor. With a slight sigh Riley reached for the door and pushed it open, climbing out and discreetly giving his legs a stretch.
“Sir, have you ever heard of…” There was a pause, though his eyes seemed to slip away in distraction as Riley struggled to remember the name, it was right there on the tip of his tongue… “Photo…Photosensitivity?” There it was. Though he dropped the ‘Syndrome’ part of it… Riley really couldn’t bring himself to attach the word ‘Syndrome’ to some health issue he had… or didn’t have… it all depended really. On Hank’s answer. “You know.. people who have problems with blinking lights?” How did he explain it to Catherine? Something about Christmas trees being the ultimate evil for him… was never good getting his parents all proudly showing him their tree and meanwhile Riley’s standing there compelled not to look, though he remembered why he didn’t like the lights when he started feeling as if he was about to black out. There had been a course of treatments though, so maybe that was all he needed… But it never hurt to ask right? God knows Riley was going to have a lot more worse things happening in the next few days then taking pills to help suppress such peculiar reactions. It didn’t even occur to Riley back then that the chemicals supposed to help revert the problems wouldn’t have had a chance to do much considering his body’s extreme ability to break down foreign chemicals, amongst other things, with the drug being removed from his system however, as Hank waned him off it, there was possibly a chance to fix whatever was wrong.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
Riley had once again sunk back into silence but it was a silence of a different sort, neither awkward or defensive, but rather, contemplative, as if the doctors innocuous comments had given him unexpected food for though. Hank didn’t mind. If Riley needed time to think things out then time he would have. The doctor was only glad that he seemed to be doing it calmly with no sense of the stress he so easily displayed in even the most anodyne situations. It was more than a shame, whatever it was that had been done to Riley to make him like this. In Hank’s eyes it was nothing less than a crime.
Abuse was always abhorrent, and sad as it might seem, normally the worst cases were confined to a domestic environment. In this case however, Riley’s family was far from being implicated in the sad and sorry story that surrounded him. Unless of course you considered the mere fact that they had borne and raised a young man of exceptional abilities to be a guilty factor in what had proved to be his fate. Riley had within him the stuff that it took to be a leader, that rare ability to make life and death decisions quickly and efficiently, and then live with the consequences. That, as far as Hank could see, was why he had been taken in the first place.
But despite all their pitiless training and insidious drugs had this faceless government agency actually made Riley any stronger and better than he would have been if they had left him to grow up as he was supposed to, surrounded by a loving family? Hank didn’t think so for a moment. They might have turned him into a perfect soldier or at least tried to but he had always been going to be a good man. And a strong one. The very fact that he had broken away from their stranglehold and won back some sort of freedom more than proved that. No they hadn’t tried to make him all that he could be. That had never been their intention. All they had wanted was someone who could operate to perfection in the very limited field of action they dictated. And to achieve that they set about breaking any part of him that didn’t conform to their masterplan.
It was a cynical cruelty that left Hank filled with silent rage and Riley wounded in ways the physician couldn’t even imagine. Though at least now there was a chance that he would heal. Given time and patience. So now with the shopping mall rapidly approaching Hank simply let him be, knowing that Riley would talk again when he had worked his way through whatever tangled skein of thought he had obviously got caught up in. McCoy pulled the black sports car into the mall car park and settled it into a space. It looked as out of place amongst the other cars as its owner usually did amongst their drivers, like some dark predator who had somehow wandered in from the jungle and decided unexpectedly to stay.
Hank got out and patted it affectionately on its sleek roof before closing his door, waiting for Riley to do the same so that he could lock it up securely. Not that he was worried about anyone actually stealing the Lamborghini. Instead he pitied anyone who might try to violate its metal integrity in his absence. Being head of security at a place like Xavier’s did bring certain perks and this was one car that was more than capable of defending itself against anything this car park could throw its way.
When the door didn’t shut though Hank looked over in mild surprise, quickly realising that this was the moment Riley had chosen to ask the question that he had been mulling over in his mind. “Sir, have you ever heard of…” Another pause during which the young man either searched for his words or thought about whether he actually wanted to finish his phrase, Hank couldn’t be sure which. Though in the end it sounded as if it had been the former. “Photo…Photosensitivity?”
To say that the question was unexpected would have been an understatement but Hank had learned long ago to go with the flow. Even if the flow took off at a tangent. Although perhaps Riley wasn’t as far off subject as it seemed , Hank realised. After all they had touched upon the new team line up in their previous discussion . And Ben Reece did suffer from this exact condition. If he had discovered this then perhaps Riley was wondering how he could help? Or at least what to expect!
“You know.. people who have problems with blinking lights?” he went on. “Well that is one symptom certainly ” Hank answered readily“ and yes I do have a certain experience in the field. Why do you ask? “
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way"Well that is one symptom certainly" One? was there more? Riley couldn't help but wonder grudgingly if there was something else wrong with him that he hadn't yet noticed.. Or perhaps it was obvious and that's why it was so hard spending time with Catherine, because she could see it.. not that she needed any more reasons to be uncomfortable around him, she seemed to possess more then Riley could even put a finger on. Though once the Initiative kidnaps and terrorizes, was there any need for more then that one reason? "and yes I do have a certain experience in the field. Why do you ask?" For a moment Riley almost found himself about to explain about what had happened in Iowa, though the very mere thought towards his home town caused a pang in his heart. However, the very public area did nothing for his motivation and Riley’s lips stilled themselves, his eyes turning to scan around them for a moment, watching the moving cars and various couples weaving their way through the parked cars towards their own.
"I was… just…" Pulling out of the conversation now seemed rather rude, and yet it felt too awkward to continue on, especially with the surgery looming ahead, Riley really didn’t want to have to deal with any more medical problems… Besides, pointing out a weakness in public was never wise, never let the enemy know you’re weakness, especially since Riley was in recent years a leader, it meant that if he was taken out, then his team was left headless and stumbling blindly in his departure. "What do you mean one of the symptoms?" The question came out with almost a will of it’s own, the former Initiative agent tried to keep his tone casual despite his quizzical prodding. "Would it be possible to be the only one?" There was an almost offhand nervousness to the light chuckle that followed, trying to brush off any ramifications his questions might bring. "I’m only curious to know, it came up at some point and I’m not familiar with it really." It wasn’t like he was lying… ok, so he was being difficult, Riley accepted that, and he felt a little bad, but he was hardly going to get himself dragged earlier into the medbay. Hank was rather proficient, he liked looking over things with a fine comb and Riley wasn’t ready for any else, right now he was just trying to brace himself for the oncoming surgery, and Riley wasn’t sure how he was coping. Besides, the Iowa doctor had said the medication he gave Riley ought to stop it from happening again. That didn’t stop Riley from being curious about it, and perhaps once he felt a bit more comfortable and didn’t have surgery looming over his head, he’d talk more frankly with Hank… probably would be helpful if Riley managed to get hold of the report the doctor had made regarding his condition… it might be helpful to Hank and save him too much hassle.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
There had been a moment in which Hank thought he might actually get an answer to his question. Then Riley’s natural cautiousness once again came to the fore. Swiftly his eyes scanned their surroundings as if looking for hidden enemies, years of conditioning keeping him wary even in this seemingly innocuous car park. Which when you got right down to it was sadly no bad thing given his situation!
No matter how you tried to get round it, the fact was that the enemies he was watching out for really existed. And from what Hank had managed to piece together they had the morals of a snake. That was after all, at least in part, why the doctor had accompanied Riley to the mall in the first place. Not just to be there if Riley’s medical condition should suddenly take a turn for the worse but also to provide backup if this mysterious government agency should take it into their heads to try anything else against him. And make them sorely regret their decision if they did.
So Hank wasn’t really surprised when his student decided that this was perhaps not the most appropriate place to stand around in deep discussion. In fact what intrigued him was the fact that despite this Riley didn’t just drop the subject altogether. "I was… just…" he said hesitantly while Hank waited expectantly for him to bring the conversation politely to an end. But then instead, questions followed and not rhetorical ones either.
"What do you mean one of the symptoms?" Riley asked with just a hint of concern in his voice.[b] "Would it be possible to be the only one?"[/b] This was interesting to say the least. Although perhaps worrying would actually have been a more accurate description. It certainly didn’t sound now as if this was merely a fact finding exercise to make coexisting with a photosensitive team mate go more smoothly. This sounded personnel. Even if Riley did try to make it seem otherwise. "I’m only curious to know, it came up at some point and I’m not familiar with it really."
Either Hank was getting to be able to read Riley better or the young mans acting skills were at an all time low. In either case the excuse was less than convincing even if for the moment they both pretended that it was. After all it had taken a lot of hard work and patience just to get the ex agent to the point where he could lower his defences enough to slip questions like this into the conversation and Hank was damned if he was going to undo all of it by pushing to hard too fast.
So his own voice was as casual as Riley’s had tried to be as he replied, bending to lock the car as he did so. “Well in most cases photosensitivity presents with a rash of some sort, an extreme irritation of the skin to any form of sunlight. The eyes too are especially sensitive, any exposure to bright light leaving them dazzled and provoking headaches of a most unpleasant nature.”
It was a delicate balancing act for Hank, trying to give Riley the information he had asked for without making it sound as if he was putting too much importance on the entire thing. He made it less formal at least by heading for the mall as he spoke, transforming what could have been perceived as a lecture on the subject into a more easy going conversation. Just one person filling in gaps in another’s knowledge rather than a doctor patient situation! Even if Hank suspected that underneath it may have been just that.
“What you are describing….” he went on as they stepped into the false brightness of the mall’s interior “a reaction to flashing lights if I heard you correctly, without any of the other symptoms?” Hank kept both his voice and his face neutral as he told Riley “ That is a more specific form of photosensitivity… photosensitive epilepsy to be exact.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way“Well in most cases photosensitivity presents with a rash of some sort, an extreme irritation of the skin to any form of sunlight. The eyes too are especially sensitive, any exposure to bright light leaving them dazzled and provoking headaches of a most unpleasant nature.” While Riley found himelf staring at the doctor's movements for a moment as he thought of how unlike his symtoms that was, Riley remembered there was a time he did get a lot of headaches... and blood noses, though that was coz of something else, the implant.. As quick as the memory of his once faulty implant came, it seemed to almost instantly vanish, his thoughts so easily distracted by the simplest of movements as he stepped aside as a car drove by him a touch too close. Some memories were like liquid, he'd try to cup them into his hands and then suddenly if he wasnt careful it would all seep out too quickly for him to register.
“What you are describing….” Hank continued as Riley's eyes busied themselves now with looking around the area they stood, a group of four young boys all stood between the entrance way and the carpark and they talked and laughed and Riley found himself scanning their faces and any other face while he stood there. Though, he didnt see what was so great about standing outside the mall, what were they doing? Surely there had to be far more entertaining things to do.. sometimes people just seemed so into things that Riley could only imagine as being boring.. like Catherine's obsession with TV. “a reaction to flashing lights if I heard you correctly, without any of the other symptoms?” At this Riley turned his hazel gaze to meet Hanks yellow ones, Riley's curious expression dulled slightly with a touch of awkwardess. “That is a more specific form of photosensitivity… photosensitive epilepsy to be exact." Epilepsy? Great. There was almost a visible sigh in the way Riley's shoulders gave the most slightest hint of a slouch, Riley didnt like that idea, he didnt like anything being wrong with him, he was tired of things always being wrong..
"Oh." It seemed hardly the most intellectual thing to say, so with a slight mild tilt of his head Riley added in a tone that was more bland than intruiged. "Interesting.."Photosensitive Epilepsy.. will have to look it up. It was all he really could think off hand, turning his attention towards the entrance way again, he always got paranoid about the mall security. Than again, Riley tended to get paranoid about any form of security, he was tired of being chased around and for a brief moment Riley wondered if all this was really worth the risk... but it was. There was only so much disappointment one could take, and if he saw his mother's eyes turn away from him one more time in the sad fashion they had been , he wasnt sure he could cope with it any more.
"Hmm.." Interest was given towards a health store that specialized in fruit drinks, if Riley had been with anyone else other then Hank, he'd probably have gone there first to grab a drink... Choc Banana, or Choc Strawberry... or something he hadnt had a lot of before and yet completely yummy. First thing was to get the jewlery shopping out of the way, some sort of necklace for his mother, a watch for his father, something for Emily, maybe a little thing for Catherine? Then shopping... there was no time for random stops, and besides, he'd probably feel too awkward around Hank anyway... maybe..
"First would be the watch and necklace.." Not really a blunt statement but more something said so that, if it was wrong, Hank could correct Riley, however it was spoken with a more self assertive manner then some submissive question part of him almost fell in line to becoming. Or at least that's how it felt to Riley.. who moved on to find a store that offered what he was currently looking for.
And finding it wasnt too hard, however finding his way around the store however was another matter entirely. Rings upon rings of all kinds and sizes, heaps of watches, all sorts of chains, for necks, wrists, ankles! Men, woman, kids! Different religions, different styles, strange, simple, complicated and out right weird almost. Riley would have preferred if the shop assistant stopped hovering around them whenever he stopped to look at something... but other then that.. he couldn't say it was entirely evil. That didnt stop his anxiety about picking the wrong one.. what if he did? They could bring it back apparently, but that didnt make it any better, his parents would keep it even if they thought whatever he had given them was horrible.. but Riley didnt want them keeping it and not liking it!
It was a little awkward, because Riley was refusing to go in certain areas of the shop, where he noted the cameras specifically focused, so his choice was limited to what was around the areas he would remain in, and that wasnt entirely bad, he had a good collection of watches and gold chains... some rings and earrings too. Which ones were better to buy though? Which were nice then the ones next to them, what was simple and what was boring? Riley found himself chewing his lower lip, so many options.. Riley almost sighed as the sales woman returned, his eyes staring at the young woman who once again came to see if they had decided on anything.
"Found anything yet?" The polite smile that was well practiced followed her question, leaving Riley to quietly reply with, "I was.. just looking for something simple." His parents wouldnt want anything flash and fancy, that just wasnt them at all. Riley tensed a little as she started filling with things on her side of the counter, pulling out a selection of what must have been classified as 'simple'. though after a moment of staring as she pointed out the various chains, it ended up being one of the pendents that caught Riley's attention, a thin golden heart, simple but effective. I'm sure mum already has chains.. chains she brought at some point.. For most people it would be so simple a task to decided, but not for Riley, thats how it always felt to him in any regards, that everything he did was dragged out more then needed.
"Could I just get that on its own?" The question was not directed to the womn, as it should have been, but seemed to be pointed towards Hank, as Riley had instead looked back at him. It wasnt that Riley was ignoring the woman, but.. Hank had been around for a while, surely, he had friends and family.. if getting the charm without a necklace was really wrong, Hank would definitely say so.. the person behind the counter however might not be so honest if it meant theyd get more money by lying.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
It obviously wasn’t what Riley wanted to hear but then again diagnosis of any kind rarely were. After all you only really needed a doctors opinion when something was wrong and Riley had enough problems to be going on with without adding any more. Still…… better that he be aware of what the symptoms he described could be caused by rather than struggling on in ignorance. And if and when he wanted to pursue the matter further then Hank would be there to make things as easy as possible.
For the moment though the young man walking beside him seemed to be taking in what had been said, leaving its more serious implications to be deal with another time "Oh." Interesting.." Hank was sure that wasn’t really what Riley wanted to say, the crestfallen air that had settled over him as Hank had spoken had showed that this was far more than just ‘interesting’ as far as he was concerned but still the doctor held his peace, letting him come to terms with things in his own way and at his own pace.
And if he got a little distracted along the way then where was the harm. It was almost reassuring to see his all too normal reaction to the rather tempting drinks on offer and the interlude certainly seemed to pull Riley’s mind away from sombre topics and back to the reason they were there in the first place. Shopping! "First would be the watch and necklace.." he said, his voice indicating an underlying uncertainty that Hank was beginning to see stemmed from the fact that trips like this were more of a mystery to Riley than forays in the battlefield. Hank gave him a reassuring smile and followed casually as Riley finally made his decision and entered one of the jewellery stores that abounded in the mall.
Well he certainly would be spoiled for choice. And from the rather bemused look that came over his face Riley seemed to realise that too. Hank hovered in the background leaving Riley to find his own way round the all too tempting stands, noting the seemingly erratic but actually entirely logical progression as he dodged the video cameras with paranoid efficiency. It was actually sad to watch from the doctors point of view. It showed yet again how this fanatical training he had undergone coloured every aspect of his life until even something that should have been easy and fun became a military campaign. And from the way he was eying the all too helpful shop assistant it was clear who the enemy was.
Still when she did eventually come forward to offer her assistance Riley took it well giving her a polite reply and smile that was as much a mask as the image that covered Hanks own form. "I was.. just looking for something simple." Ah well.. Hank smiled wryly as the woman seized upon the opportunity , expertly producing an array of merchandise that seemed to confuse Riley all the more, at least to begin with. Then something seemed to catch his eye and suddenly Hank was being asked for his opinion the assistant noticing him for the first time or rather making the connection between him and her potential customer.
"Could I just get that on its own?" Riley asked him as the shop assistant gave him an appraising glance that took in rather more than just the expensive suit and brought a quite different kind of smile to her face. “Of course you can Riley” Hank told him the cultured voice adding to the favourable picture he was no doubt painting in the woman’s eyes. “It is very pretty. Oh and Miss”he favoured the assistant with a smile of his own, watching her blush, wondering how she would look at him if the illusion broke and exposed him for what he was. Perhaps you could show us some gents watches too. If that’s not too much trouble.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
For a moment Riley found himself almost holding his breath, he wasn't used to all this and he would have also preferred having shown Hank a side of himself that was far more then almost totally lost and confused. The teachers had to have notived how capable Riley was over the last three years but that didn't matter to the former agent, because in the end performance was judged as an overall thing, and if Riley had such a bad long run the last six or seven months at least, then he wouldn't be surprised if people started seriously doubting his abiltilites.
“Of course you can Riley” The confirmation was welcomed with a casual intake of breath, his eyes dropping down once again to the golden heart. It was delicate, thin, simple yet charming neverless. Just like his mother in so many ways, he really wanted to know if she'd like it though, he wish he knew for sure, or at least had something to base a good assumption on. Riley closed his eyes for a moment to try and picture the pages and images Emily had tried to show him in attempts to offer suggestions of things Martha had looked at in the past. It wasn't completely different, not exactly the same either... it was ok.. but was it ok to her?
“It is very pretty. Oh and Miss” Very pretty? Riley smiled at the comment, his eyes refocusing on the charm with a more positive curve in the edges of his lips. Was Hank just saying that? Dr McCoy was a very cultured individual, he knew how to talk to people, how to handle situations... but for now Riley really wanted to just not be paranoid about the opinion given and take it for the positive comment it was intended to be. It was, however, interesting to witness as the refined doctor shared words with the helper attending to them. McCoy spoke, and she listened. It wasn't really at all uncommon, there was always something about the good doctor that had people pay him the attention he deserved.
It was almost hard to watch... Riley used to get that sort of attention too, he used to hold a rank of importance amongst others, being a government agent and a team leader brought that. It felt a little... empty not having all that responsibility, part of him enjoyed the freedom, but sometimes he found himself really missing how things used to be. Then again, there were many things he'd never miss and wouldn't want back whatever the promises were that came with them.
"Perhaps you could show us some gents watches too. If that’s not too much trouble." Gents watches? Oh, right, for dad. Riley had gotten a wave of relief that the hard choices were over and yet that wasn't the case, he got his mum's gift, now for his dad. What kind of watch would his dad like? Riley wondered for a moment, trying to picture them in his head, all the different kinds he'd seen before. When the woman placed down a collection of them for him to see, Riley had to admit that for all the differences he was sure they had... most looked entirely the same.
So many. Which one? Riley's eyes peered over them, seeming to stare almost blankly for a moment and then struggle to focus on the differences. Their server noticed and she tried to explain the differences for him, but in the end that didnt help much either. Why would his father need a calculator, a currency converter, or a mini radio, why would he need to know the various altitudes of where he was standing at any particular point? And what would he care for all these silly little distractions, he was too busy to deal with all these unimportant capapilities.
A slight frown crept onto Riley's features as his eyes lifted to stare at the woman, her lips were still moving, her words still explaining one watch after the other. Would it be rude to say he didn't really want any of these for his dad? Riley could already hear his father prattle on about how amusing and useless half of these really were, and in the end his parents would just get upset or possibly uncomfortable having things that were too fancy. And Riley liked that... he didnt want to see them as anything other then the vague memories he had of them as a child. As simple as they seemed they were also complicated and strong and full of life, and Riley wanted to keep it that way, he didn't like how they were already hurt so much by the things he himself had been put through. but as a family, what happens to one of them effects all the others in the end.. and that's what hurt the most about all that's gone on.
A nice, decent, simple watch that was strong enough to handle getting smacked about a bit and simple enough that people wouldn't eye it and see it as being so out of place on the hands of a farmer.
"Just a watch.." Riley started to say, but could see it sounding ruder then he ever intended, so he quickly flashed what he hoped to be a sweet enough smile as he continued. "..that.. one that is durable enough, doesn't mind getting knocked about a bit, but looks simple enough, nothing flashy or too complicated. Just a simple and strong watch would be perfect." There was a moment, one Riley found awkward though it wasn't intended to be, the lady spent a moment trying to think and moved for another tray of watches stored elsewhere. She returned with two, both silver, one had a black face and the other a silver face, relatively identical otherwise.
The functions of the watches differed though, and she explained a little about each one, the black face had a silver number set, Riley found it easier to read but he wasnt really sure about either at the same time. The silver one had white numbers, it was explained that there was a light that lit up the face of the clock and the hands and numbers would glow for a short while after. Riley pointed to the silver faced one and with a curt smile the woman nodded and left to put away the other. Riley looked uncertainly towards Hank but then glanced around the shop with a quick scan before focusing awkwardly on the woman as she returned.
"Will that be all?" The sweet voice asked, eyeing both men before tapping the purches into the register as she got the affirmative for her question. "A hundred and thirty dollars for the watch, and twenty-nine for the heart charm." Although Riley hesitated for a moment it wasn't really over the worries of the money, but the fact there was such a difference... should he spend the same amount for both parents? Maybe he should get something else for his mum... but then she'd get two things and his dad would only get one.. Gift giving was far too complicated.
Instead Riley pulled out his wallet, he wouldn't worry about it now.. surely if it was really wrong then Hank would mention something, otherwise Riley would just.. make up for the difference some how in another way. It wasn't often that cash was handed over to her, so the attendant looked a little surprised when he carefully pulled the needed notes from his wallet and handed it to her. Another smile flashed on her lips as she put it into the draw and handed him a dollar in change.
"Thank you." Even Riley could hear how awkward he sounded, and just hoped that it wouldn't be taken negatively as he gave a crooked smile to the lady and backed away, bag in hand, to the entrance. It was nice getting out of there, though it was hardly over, Riley could almost groan outload in frustration as he reminded himself that he had to go shopping still. It wasn't that he forgot... just... nothing seemed easy or simple. "Ok... that went well." From here Riley could see Catherine's work place, the coffee shop was a buzz of activity, and that guy was in there.. the one who looked at Catherine more then Riley liked. It was easy to spot him... he'd just knocked over a large mug of coffee over the bench and it caused a few disgruntled mumbles to make it across the court. The guy was always so clumsy, and if Riley wasn't so upset that he was eyeing Catherine, then the former agent would have held more sympathy towards the guy.
"Oh, I like cheese." There was a pause, as the words he intended to say hadn't quite made it out in the manner he wanted, and this was obvious he he fiddled with the bag rather embarrassed. "I mean.. as well as that, I would also like some cheese.. would we be able to get some in there too, or do we go somewhere else?" Riley motioned to 'there' as being the supermarket, and tried to not look flushed by his seemingly random statement that came from his fumble of words.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
The shop assistant still flirted discretely with her eyes as Riley went through the apparently thorny business of choosing an appropriate timepiece for his father. Hank found it mildly amusing though in one way it wasn’t such a bad thing. At least it kept her attention on him rather than on Riley's awkward attempts to come to a decision.
Not that Hank could really blame him for taking his time. Watches these days seemed to do everything except make you breakfast when all you really wanted them to do was tell the time. Hank’s own preferences in the matter tended towards discrete pocket watches, a hailing back to a simpler more sophisticated age when gold and precision engineering counted the passage of the seconds and a satisfactory ticking sound told you that the world was in order.
It seemed that Riley too was not exactly a fan of the blinking bleeping gadgets favoured by the modern world. "Just a watch.." he said with a trace of desperation in his voice that was quickly hidden behind a smile. "..that..” he tried again to explain what it was that he wanted” one that is durable enough, doesn't mind getting knocked about a bit, but looks simple enough, nothing flashy or too complicated. Just a simple and strong watch would be perfect."
Strange that simplicity should be so hard to obtain and yet it was clear that the woman had to give some serious thought to Riley’s request. If it had been Hank who had asked the same thing she might have gone directly to the Cartier of even Rolex stands but this was a young man who, while accompanied by someone who’s dress and bearing indicated a certain financial ease was apparently unused to frequenting establishment such as this one.
Therefore she took a moment to reflect on the matter and then came back with what to Hank’s eyes seemed an astute selection for Riley to peruse. Not cheap but not too expensive either and certainly not as flashy as her previous offerings. They looked, functional, practical but yet they still possessed a certain more austere style that would, from what he had seen, be more likely to please Riley’s father than some gizmo that looked for all the world as if it dropped off some passing spaceship.. and not a Sh’iar one at that.
From amongst these more sedate watches Riley finally made his choice, his relief obvious as he turned towards Hank for a tacit approval that the doctor was more than happy to accord. Then the shop assistant was back with the purchases safely wrapped and an implicit offer of her own in her voice as she asked coyly “Will that be all?”
This was the moment when Hank could see she was hoping he would smoothly say no and ask for her phone number but that was of course not going to happen. Instead she had to make do with his charming manners and Riley’s readily offered cash,, her eyes widening slightly as she saw him pull the wad of bills from his pocket, perhaps regretting after all not having shown him the more expensive watches but covering it well, with a professional polish that no doubt earned her a fortune in commission as well as more than her fair share of pone numbers. Even if Hank’s was not amongst them.
Then the last of the formalities was over, the thank yous said and received and they were once more moving out into the hubbub of the mall. "Ok... that went well." Riley declared , looking distractedly across at a nearby coffee house as if debating whether to go in or not . Which made his next remark all the more unexpected. "Oh, I like cheese."
Capriciously Hank’s mind flashed back to an series of animated films he loved, the classic Wallace and Grommit masterpieces where the little plastecine figures of the wise dog and his cheese obsessed master floundered their way through one hair brained adventure after another. This could have been Wallace speaking…..ok a young attractive Wallace.. with hair and minus the braces…ok nothing like Wallace..... but with the same overwhelming passion for dairy products. Hank had to stifle a grin at the random thought as Riley went on. I mean.. as well as that, I would also like some cheese.. would we be able to get some in there too, or do we go somewhere else?"
“A supermarket, Riley” Hank replied with all the same a hint of humour in his voice. “Is a repository of diverse and varied delights designed to cater for the needs and desires of its customers from the most basic to the most sophisticated….....or well at least the much less basic” he chuckled. “In other words.. I think we may safely assume they have cheese. And more importantly… Twnkie bars!”
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
Something seemed to bring a sense of humor to McCoy's expression, an airpf contained chuckles lightly bubbling away under the light mood he carried. It was strange to be there, standing with the famed Dr Hank McCoy, one of the X-men as well as the holder of a few honoured titles. Who would have thought years earlier as Riley sat listening to the latest discussions and debates flying through the Mass.Academy and the media about the X-men's latest exploits, that he'd be standing here, with one of the very rebels he was told be to be cautious about. A student of a school the X-men taught,, a former team leader and member being trained by them.. They weren't like the military but they had similarities, and because of this it made the change from the Initiative lifestyle Riley was drilled to to this one slightly easier to bare. The social side of the school however was something that Riley had grown hot and cold towards over the years, fitting in and falling out as his grasp on things wavered and his strength faltered. All Riley wanted right now however was to improve, to be better and healthier and stronger without all these problems he was faced with lately.
“A supermarket, Riley” Began the Doctor with an air of pleasant amusement about him, “Is a repository of diverse and varied delights designed to cater for the needs and desires of its customers from the most basic to the most sophisticated….....or well at least the much less basic” A deep chuckle came, the light laugh that Riley wasn't used to hearing from other teachers... at least not when they were talking to the former agent. “In other words.. I think we may safely assume they have cheese. And more importantly… Twnkie bars!” Growing up Riley wasn't a child showered with sweets, on top of his parents not being the richest of folks, they also were relatively health concious. Besides', Riley had more then enough energy to deal with, he didn't need the additional sugar boosts. That didn't stop Riley from getting treats, it just meant he looked foward to seeing his grandparents who gave him either sweets or chocolate bars whwnever he went to help at their store with his parents.
An eyebrow raised at the mentioning of a twinkie bar, the name sounded so oddm especially coming from such a refined looking man. The comical thought faded as Riley eyed Hank over again, the false image may look more human, but it was hard to connect to. On top of that the unfamiliar face, there was the fact that in the past most suited men and women tended to be either harbingers of bad news or false promises. Occasionally they also had a habit of asking the impossible as well, but Riley placed that under 'bad news' as usually they'd be lucky getting threw the challenge with non-fatal injuries.
However it wasn't the suit that made the person, and Riley couldn't imagine Cole Turner her Sharon Barkely and any of the other random suits that walked the Initiative's halls being eager to find something called a 'Twinkie Bar'. The thought caused a poorly subdued chuckle to turn into a humoured scoff. The well worked body of the athletic youth turned to move towards the otherside of the centre, a slight shake of his head to rid himself of the distracting visuals of his mind. The sooner they were in there, the sooner they could leave, and Riley didn't really want to be hanging around the shops forever, he had too many things that needed doing... And possibly burying his head under a pillow in shame could be one of them if this trip is anything like the last couple.
Passing into the store through the entrance gate, Riley paused to examine the part of the store visible to them from there. The rest was obscured by tall rows of shelves and the bustle of those making their own shopping trip. Some holding one or two items, others walking around or stood in line with loaded trollies. By the entrance was the ten items or less line, which is where he and Catherine once lined on the previous occasion he had gotten help to restock the fridge of his old room. A young girl made her way from one of the isles to another girl who lined up already, the elder one appeared to be closer to Riley's age, shorter, espcially compared to the taller forteen year old who made her way towards the elder girl. The younger was holding a bottle of BBQ sauce for the other to see, which is what had caught Riley's eye in the first place. She also commented on the sauce being cheaper compared to the others, which had a teasing reply of surprise that attention had been made to the price. They were both cute for their ages, though little attention was paid to the younger one as far as attractiveness went, though Riley was still rather hopeful on Catherine and still found little interest in any other girls. These two seemed close but looked nothing alike, even as they passed comments referring to each other as sisters. He assumed they were step sisters or something...
For a moment Riley wondered if what they were saying meant that buying the cheapest was better, if that's what everyone did.. but then no one would buy the other ones, so why would they be sold here still? As Riley moved to pull out his shopping list, he over heard the brief assurence that although it was cheap it still was nice and she had gotten it before. Which didn't help Rye as he figured that meant some cheap things mustn't be so good.. but how do people know what's good and not?
Trial and error seemed obvious but Riley didn't have time for errors right now, this wasn't for himself only, but Catherine and his family. And they meant too much to him to mess it all up with poor decisions.
"Ok... so..." Riley held the paper semi folded in front of his stomach, his fingers flicking it open when he glanced down and then folding it closed again as his eyes gazed from the fruit and veg section in front of them to the rest of the isles spanning the store. The deli was in front of them, but right at the back of the store on the other side of the fruit and veg area. "...I'm making Chicken Kiave.... with salad.. and a cream dessert with caramel sauce." Thinking out loud more then just passing around information, Riley tried to assess what would be best to get first. "Refridgerated things make sense to be left for last... so... chicken? No.. salad." The correction came with a tone that almost made it seem as if Riley was giving answers for a test.
It was slightly frustrating, he was sure things like this should be familiar, he did help restoke his grand parents store, sure it was much smaller, but still... Just reverse what ever he had to take out of the delivery truck first. Lord, he even remembered his grandmother insisting he be careful not to hurt his back carrying all the heavy boxes. After that was done he got to choose any of the sweets or chocolates in the store, so it always seemed worth it in the end. A happily family and a satisfied sweet tooth, perfect ending to any day!
For a second Riley's expression seemed distracted as he struggled to fill in the gaps between getting ready to unpack the truck and throwing himself down onto the front porch steo to munch into his reward. It didn't really matter though.. did it? Salad, chicken, caramel sauce, he didn't care how he got them, only that he gets them to the dorm before tonight so he can prepare!
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
Even if the doctor’s remark about the Twinkie bar had brought a momentary smile to Riley’s face it was clear he wasn’t at ease in the supermarket. Then again Hank thought sadly there were few places Riley seemed to be at ease. Only in combat did he seem to find himself, as if he had been bred for the battlefield. Which of course wasn’t the case. Riley had been born to work the farm, to tend and grow not to destroy or, if he didn’t find that to his liking, to choose any path he decided to follow with his parents blessing and continued support. He had had choices to make, potential to achieve, a life to live and all of that had apparently been stripped from him by this government agency he was so reluctant to talk about but whose marks were so clear to see once you knew what you were looking for.
Shopping after all wasn’t exactly rocket science, yet to Riley it seemed to be just as complicated and, knowing his intellectual capacities as Hank did, perhaps way more obscure. The physician waited for him to pick up a trolley at the entrance and then, when his student seemed lost in almost frantic contemplation of the list he had no doubt meticulously prepared, extracted one himself from the waiting lines then, with years of experience as a bachelor behind him, surreptitiously tested its capacity to actually run in a straight line.
Ouch! Hank jarred his injured side as stubborn wheels locked, refusing to advance in anything other than what he had dubbed the supermarket circle. Some day, he promised himself yet again, he would set his intellect against this particular problem, thereby saving the entire world from hours of endless shopping frustration, but not today. Today there were more important matters to deal with. Like teaching Riley that this and every other seemingly trivial but in the end essential task in everyday life didn’t have to be an ordeal.
"Ok... so..." Riley’s eyes flickered round the store. "...I'm making Chicken Kiev.... with salad.. and a cream dessert with caramel sauce." Hank was suitably impressed and pleasantly surprised. This wasn’t ‘cooking for dummies’ Riley was talking about and was certainly far removed from the steak and hamburgers that made up Hanks culinary skills, everything else being reduced to the fruit , veg and “can I microwave it.. then its all good” category!
Not that Zia even found the need to microwave anything. She had an even simpler approach to food than his own. More of an “is it dead.. and oh well what does it matter anyway” philosophy that his stomach was taking to with disconcerting ease. Though that of course was something that had been, if not adapted, then at least added to with the arrival of Jade! Riley on the other hand was planning a meal with a capital M. Even if he didn’t seem to have the first idea of how to actually buy what he needed to make it. "Refridgerated things make sense to be left for last... so... chicken? No.. salad."he said as if the fate of the world hung on his ability to chose the correct aisle.
“If you know your way around a kitchen, as you seem to, then accept that I know my way around a supermarket” Hank told him kindly. “The secret is………. to relax. There is no time limit here. No one is looking over your shoulder to see it you have perfected the art of shopping. Nor is there any rule that forbids backtracking if need or greed should suddenly come to mind.”
For all your linguistic skills there are a few words you don’t seem to have grasped the meaning of. he told his pupil mischievously. “To wander for example! To browse. Or perhaps even, he added with a smile serendipity: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.All are possible here.And all are desirable so… how should I put it… chill and go with the flow?
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
Trust him? Riley’s head had turned to examine the false features that made up the doctors illusionary shield that covered his face. It had never really occurred to Riley as to whether or not he had yet honestly felt himself capable of doing that, people didn’t usually say ‘trust me’ in a sincere plea, more of an offhand remark when trying to convince others of some remark or another that was previously made by them. As in this case, Hank wanted Riley to ‘trust’ the doctors knowledge of the market they were in, and while Riley had no stand in either direction as to believing or not Beast’s capacity in knowing what he was doing here, there was a brief wonder creeping around now that it was brought up. Was McCoy often in this sort of place? Considering his schedule at the school Riley would be impressed if the guy had any sort of social life outside of scurrying off to his room when able to taking precious moments to sleep and eat and briefly let people know he was still able to function like any other outside of his medical and scientific responsibilities.
There was a curious stare that followed as Riley tried to imagine Hank shrugging off his responsibilities in the med lab and placing him in another situation elsewhere… oddly enough it was rather difficult, even though at this very point Riley was standing with him there in the heart of Salem Centre. It was like when the former agent tried to imagine Professor Walsh outside of her duties, if it wasn’t somehow tied in with what he was familiar with her doing, then it was almost unnatural to try and picture her doing anything else. For example, he was used to her wearing her lab coat… or perhaps a suit, as she had done in classes, neatly pressed shirts, most just a plain white, never in any sort of skirt or dress… there was no possible ability for Riley to think of her dressed in a summer dress and find it normal.
In fact… come to think of it, Riley just realized he was finding a lot of similarities between Walsh and McCoy, it was almost unnerving, and yet… comforting as well. Both were medically inclined with a built up knowledge of science and all things weird and unusual, Beast’s time with the X-men had made sure of that, just as Professor Walsh’s time with the Initiative and any similar incarnations in the past she may have been involved with had nudged her knowledge along dramatically.
I didn’t say I didn’t trust him. Was Riley really that bad? That Hank had to point out for him to sit back, relax and trust that someone else knew what they were doing? It was enough to cause an awkward tug in the corner of Riley’s lips, one side seeming to pull back slightly more then the other, lasting only a moment before Riley spoke. And I so can chill. I can chill enough to hang with Frostbite. …Ok, so it wasn’t something he’d be well known for, but anyway… he could… if he tried…. Or was that the problem? That he had to try.
"I can be… serendipity-like." Perhaps not the most convincing of tones, but Riley had to admit he wasn’t entirely sure how Hank managed to twist clueless into something almost good and relaxing. It wasn’t easy to take comfort in something you found complicated and embarrassing. Even if with time Riley was hoping that he could adjust and learn all about the reasons behind why the same thing came in a hundred different packages, why the same item of food had a multitude of different veriaties. Then again, Riley distracted his own ponderings with realizing that Hank had complimented him on his knowledge of languages, which considering McCoy’s vast pool of various tongues, gave Riley a slight glimmer of pride. It wasn’t like others, who just stared in awe as Riley went from one language to another effortlessly, though his knowledge of present-time languages was more limited then his deeper grasp of the ancient tongues. Hank was someone who understood the devotion needed to pick up a book and read all about the complexities and uniqueness of each and every form of languages, the differences in how people wrote, the change in characters, the way they spoke, how they pronounced each and every syllable. The same letter could mean a different thing, create a different sound, the same word, with a different meaning, all depending on language at hand. Though, it was more an offhand comment then any direct compliment so the appreciation faded rather swiftly to the background of his thoughts as Riley tried to keep up with the current order of business.
"…Every now and then." He decidedly added shortly after, since the former agent had a hard time trying to figure out something he had done lately, or at any point, that might be classed as such. Surely he’d done something that relied solely on faith… he just couldn’t really pin anything at this point, nothing that seemed wow worthy that was… at least when he tried to see it from someone else’s point of view. Wait. Riley squinted his eyes slightly as he thought, struck by a realization that lifted his spirits a little. There was his escape from the hospital in New York… ok, that in itself wasn’t so unique, but he did turn around and make a rush for Xavier’s school… and he went to Hank. Now that was unexpected… or… well… ok, it’s not like I have the greatest of selections on my contact list, but I could have just locked myself in my room and refuse to see him…like last year. A hand rose to allow two fingers to pinch the ridge of Riley’s nose as he recalled the events… oh so many events… where he could have used help and instead shied away from seeking aid from McCoy. Even if I told him why I was constantly covered in bruises my first year here, I doubt that’d make him feel any better, or have changed the fact he felt the need to tell me off the other year. There was a slight sigh as Riley lowered his hand and looked over the people around them again. Three years at the school and Riley had always felt an air of detachment between himself and everyone around him, last year especially, though his encounter with the Initiative had been at fault for that. It was hard reassimilating oneself into a school where Catherine warns him people wouldn’t like or understand what he was going through, what he was part of. Even if she hadn’t made him promise to keep things secret, with her vanishing off and him unable to pick things up where he had left them due to the fog of confused memories, he just found it easier to slink off and hide in his room. Belting any demon he found was a release of his frustrations but it only led to Beast discovering Riley’s over use of the medical facilities, which pretty much ceased Riley’s late night wanderings as the former agents life took yet another spiral of twists and turns.
It was almost strange, all his last half of his life it seemed that everyone was telling him one thing, and now suddenly here McCoy is casually telling him to do something entirely different. With the Initiative it was always more more more, you give all you have and then once there’s nothing left to give, you bleed out every ounce of anything you can muster and keep on going, you fight till there’s no more breath left, till your body shuts down from pushing it so far beyond it’s limits. And even then, for some it would seem you’d still not have given them enough. The end wasn’t ever the end, your failures would never be forgiven, your short comings never accepted. There was no individual for a majority of their time, only the collective of each team, that’s all that made up their social structure, that’s all that mattered. If one member of the team failed, then the entire team was scorned for the failure, if the weak link was not strengthened efficiently enough, then it would be cut loose, usually in a more discreet fashion then being made examples of. How did people go so easily from one extreme to the other? Perhaps they didn’t… perhaps that’s why all the other run away’s from the Initiative were also having problems, those that managed to remain free long enough to actually interact with the outside world effectively enough to encounter such ‘problems’ in any case.
"You tell me to be lax, and lax I am. If I get any more laidback my bones are going to rust over from lack of real use." The whole ‘no overworking yourself’ thing Hank had installed upon the young man made Riley feel as if there was an almost visible surge of frustrated unreleased energy that bubbled and brewed under the restless surface of a forced calm. There was a slight shrug of Riley’s broad shoulders as he referred to the comment Hank had made due to Riley’s severe reactions to the problems of virtually the entire last twelve months…at least…anything beyond a year and a half ago tended to grew exceedingly blurred and contorted anyway. Expeditiously, Riley’s eyes seemed to glance around with interest towards the ceiling and corner walls of the supermarket they stood in, taking cautious steps that hesitated as yet again he was faced with the stores impeccable need to cover every isle with cameras in order to safe guard them as much as possible from shoplifters. He really hated this place, it was just far to much bother.
Who cared. It’s not like they don’t know I come here anyway… He thought awkwardly, and who else was there to hide from but the Initiative, that seemed to tail him regardless of how hard he tried to hide. Either he was exceptionally sloppy, or they were impressively phenomenally good at spotting him… Riley wasn’t sure which he’d have preferred, to think his skills were that poor, or to think that the Initiatives were really that good. Just let them try and take me, no one comes between Riley Finn and his dinner preparations. There was a brief freeze however as he seemed to stand there… Hank had mentioned that Riley was to trust he knew what he was doing… and so Finn found himself feeling exceedingly worried about walking ahead, and wondered if he was supposed to stand in line… or fall behind… or what did Dr McCoy expect of him?
"I trust that you know what you’re doing here," An awkward smile was slowly given to Hank as the clueless student-teacher waited for the doctor to move ahead… or at least signal as to how he preferred Riley to follow. "I just…don’t know what I’m doing here.. It’s unsettling." It was discomfiting to admit such, but Riley brushed off the admittance with a lightly humour coloured comment. "Honestly, ten million different things that are, all seemingly tiny differences aside, exactly the same. The dairy section is basically four times the size of my grandparents shop in total." It didn’t occur to Riley that aside from Catherine, no one really knew anything about his family, no one really knew anything about him in general when one came down to it. There was the small handful that knew more then what others knew… but that small handful still knew nothing compared to what there was to know. Just for now… just for a little while… it felt nice to know he had his family around, it didn’t matter that his cousin Ben was twisting a knife in Riley’s back regarding the whole ‘mutant’ thing. Just to see him, to know the boy who had shared so many experiences with Riley in their childhood had grown up and was a family man after all these years of promiscuous tendencies.
Once the family left though… Riley kept telling himself that he’d lose contact with them, for their sake, he’d keep as far and as distant and as possible. After the attack in Iowa, Riley wouldn’t want to risk exposing them to anything further. However even if part of him wished they hadn’t made the trip down for his game and to celebrate his birthday, a larger part was relishing selfishly the prospect of having them around while the surgery loomed in the not so distant future… even the surgery aside… the family weekend, his first birthday outside of the Initiative in so many years, even if he hardly cared to be part of it, too disturbed and bothered by too many other things to want to stay out at the beach and be part of it. This was the perfect time to have family around… Riley wasn’t sure he’d have managed the family weekend if they weren’t there to be part of it with him.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way "I can be… serendipity-like." Riley said unconvincingly, every still tense movement of his body indicating he certainly wasn’t at the moment. "…Every now and then." Hank gave a discrete sigh . Now and then wasn’t nearly enough. And besides if relaxing was something you had to force yourself to do could it really be classed as relaxing at all? The blue mutant didn’t think so. But then again perhaps if Riley could get it out of his head that every moment he spent actually having fun wasn’t something to feel guilty about then they might just make some progress.
Still in many ways his reaction was understandable. He had relaxed once before at least. He had even contemplated living a happy life with Catherine and their baby and, in what he now considered to be one moment of inattention, all of that had been taken from him. Oh yes it was easy to see why this young man had trouble letting go of his training and the attending tension it inevitably produced. It was much less easy working out how to help him find a way to do so.
"You tell me to be lax, and lax I am. If I get any more laidback my bones are going to rust over from lack of real use." It was the most Freudian of Freudian slips and one that Hank had to school himself not to react to. Lax! Negligent! It didn’t take a genius to interpret that sign. It was instant confirmation of what Riley’s sub conscience was telling him every minute of the day. That to let his guard down even for a moment was tantamount to desertion of duty. And that was something no soldier could be comfortable with.
But then again this constant alertness, this never ending pressure was ruining his life as surely as the drugs that they were now trying to wean out of his system.And from Hank’s point of view it looked as if it was going to be harder to get rid of.
Even the most casual remark seemed to be filled with some higher significance when Riley was factored into the equation. His next comment showed that all to clearly "I trust that you know what you’re doing here," he said with a lost smile that seemed to say that this admission was a breakthrough of some kind,as if having confidence in Hanks ability to safely navigate his way from milk to toothpaste was a major leap of faith. "I just…don’t know what I’m doing here.. It’s unsettling." Well at least he had acknowledged the problem. That had to be progress. Even if it still saddened Hank that such a bright and capable young man should be thrown by the basic workings of everyday life. .
"Honestly, ten million different things that are, all seemingly tiny differences aside, exactly the same.”Riley went on slightly less eanestly The dairy section is basically four times the size of my grandparents shop in total." It was another tiny piece of the puzzle, this reference to grandparents Hank had heard nothing about up until now.He hoped it hinted at happier times in Riley’s past. Times long gone certainly but which had left memories that could be built on, a framework around which to construct a new life of his own choosing.
“Ah so your grandparents ran a business did they” Hank said lightly “Well then that should make things easier. I’m sure you didn’t feel out of your depth in their store so you have no reason to do so here either. A shop Riley is just a shop, no matter what its size.And choice is just that. Choice. Don’t let all this impress you. As you so rightly pointed out there are many things but not necessarily many differences between them. You have a list and they have what you need. All you have to do now is go and get it.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way"Ah so your grandparents ran a business did they" Had Riley said too much? The surprise, no matter how well contained, warned Riley to the fact he was revealing things perhaps not in the wisest of environments… too busy and guarded with cameras and full of unseen eyes and ears that would record everything and anything and somehow it’d all be used against him. "Well then that should make things easier. I’m sure you didn’t feel out of your depth in their store so you have no reason to do so here either. A shop Riley is just a shop, no matter what its size. And choice is just that. Choice. Don’t let all this impress you. As you so rightly pointed out there are many things but not necessarily many differences between them. You have a list and they have what you need. All you have to do now is go and get it." Choice was just choice? Was that all, just as simple as a choice being a choice, yes, well that was all nice and dandy, but choices weren’t just choices, they were fork roads, and the split paths led to any number of outcomes. Good, bad, unthinkable! At least with training and experience one was able to start making better judgement calls on the choices they made.
The list in Riley’s hands gained a slightly tempered frown as the youth stared down at it, why wasn’t Hank just helping him get the stuff, everyone else would help him if they came down, he just tagged along and they’d do it all for him virtually. It didn’t matter if deep down a part of Riley knew he needed to be pushed to do these things on his own, right now all that mattered was that Hank obviously knew what to do and yet regardless of that experience was still shoving Riley onwards despite Riley having no idea what were the right products to buy.
"Choices." The word was muttered as Riley moved, heading towards the meat section at the back, his tone having been bitter and almost as if he wanted to sound sickened by the idea. He didn’t mean to sound so negative, but he couldn’t stop himself letting it slip, he hated it, he hated the risks involved with choices that he didn’t know all the facts about, or at least even something about. Choices had helped ruin his life, other people’s choices, his own choices, no matter how misguided, it was one thing about freedom now that Riley held little love for. Without the restrictions and confines of having your every move watched and your every actions decided, it meant that the bliss of not having to deal with decisions was removed. Sure, he could choose things now that were good… like who he wanted to date, what he wanted to eat, where he wanted to go… But there were moments where it was so nice to remember when he didn’t have to worry about all the small silly things that, while small were still a vital part of the day that he hadn’t had to decide anything about. He liked not having to decide what was cooked, even if having the same meals rotated weekly meant meal times were nothing to get excited over. He liked the freedom of not having to be responsible for things he just wasn’t sure about, at least on the field and in combat he knew what he was doing, if not entirely then to a damn good enough degree.
'I choose you Riley." The words echoed in his mind as another reason just to hate the thought of choices and the pain a wrong choice could bring or the bliss the right one could give. She chose to be with him, and she said that no one could force her hand, even he couldn’t force her to be with him if she didn’t want to be… at least that’s what she said. Between declaring her love to screaming that she hated him, but he chose to stay and take it, he chose to go after her, he chose to keep reaching for her… She was a more potent drug then the cocktails provided by the Initiative. Just like he choose to go out with his family and he chose not to tell anyone that he was being head hunted by the Initiative… choices were stupid and nothing he seemed to choose ever appeared to turn out right, perhaps he was just incapable of making good decisions outside of what was expected of him as a soldier and team leader.
"Just go and get it… now why hadn’t I thought of that?" The low mumble revealed the anger and frustration that laid beneath the surface, and while frustration was often noticed at times, anger was rarely seen.. at least outside of his dealings with the Initiative. Then again he had been close to losing his temper with Max once or twice a year, but even then, Riley always managed to coat his emotions with a calm or restrained exterior. But this was different, he was so far out of his comfort zone right now, he didn’t like being here, he didn’t like being so exposed but even more he hated so much that he felt like this in a place that every day people took for granted! What was the point of making choices, even if he knew what he wanted and he had a list telling him what he needed that didn’t mean it wouldn’t risk blowing up in his face! God knows he’s gone into things before with vague ideas of what was to happen only to have it totally and unexpectedly blow up in his face.
"Why can’t you just help me?" It wasn’t that Riley meant to be like this towards Hank, there was so much weighing down on him and so much on the former agents mind, he was tired of having to deal with it all and at least if someone else had come they’d have more actively helped find the items. Even if Hank was helping in his own way, and in a rather crucial way, all Riley saw was the Doctor standing back watching as if this was all some sort of amusing entertainment for Hank to be engrossed with. The youth turned on his heels face Hank, the list held out almost desperately towards McCoy as Riley tried to point it out as something vital. "I’ve got this at least, can’t you just tell me which of the different things is right for what I’m doing? You have to know, you’ve had to have done this hundreds of times!" It wasn’t anger, if anything it was almost extreme anxiety, "Please, I can’t do this, I can’t just guess and hope for the best, if it’s wrong they’ll think I didn’t try, they’ll think I didn’t want to do my best.. if I don’t do my best, if what I do’s not perfect in every single way she just screams and says how much she hates me!" Now he’d said too much… all Riley had wanted to do was try and express how important this was, how impossible it felt to just take the risks that McCoy made sound so simple and now what? Riley’s just freaked out and for what? Oh god, he’d just lost it in front of one of the key figures who would decide if Riley was fit to ever lead a team again, fit to even be a teacher, be part of the school even! Hazel eyes had seemed to widen slightly in realization of what he had said, pushed on by the sudden feel of lose of control that was always so important for Riley… not that he had a lot of control in his life, but at least he always felt he could control himself for the better part of any situation… outside of Catherine..
"I’m sorry, I… that won’t happen again sir," Why did he sound so… not exactly fearful, but definitely apprehensive about his slip…Maybe Hank would allow this one slip, maybe if Riley just pulled himself together and stopped being such an idiot about the whole thing he could carry on with whatever air of dignity he could manage to muster up despite all he felt. It wasn’t like he’d even see his family a lot once they left, if he ever did decide to allow them to be put in danger again by his very presence because he wanted to be selfish. And no matter how perfect he could be, no matter how happy Catherine was because of something Riley’s done, she’d just turn around at the next opportunity and decide to hate him again… so really, what was there to fuss about?
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way"Just go and get it… now why hadn’t I thought of that?" Sarcasm! Of all the things that Hank had expected that wasn’t one of them. Not where Riley was concerned. Especially not towards a figure of authority! But then again Hank had gone out of his way to become something else at least for a little while and it seemed that on some level he had succeeded.
"Why can’t you just help me?" A flood of anxiety and frustration seemed to burst out with the words, revealing a Riley that the doctor had only glimpsed before and even then only rarely, when illness had forced cracks in the carefully polished façade he always presented to the world. Well the doctor had wanted a breakthrough and it certainly looked like he had got one. Now though it was question of where to go from here.
How could they not have seen this well of insecurity that lay within this seemingly capable young man? How could they have failed him so badly for so long? Three years! He had been at the Institute for three years. They had put him in charge of a team. They had given him the responsibility of teaching those with special needs. And never once had he let them down. But what had it cost him to do so? Had he been so busy looking after others that he had taken no time to see to his own problems? Or had he used his responsibilities as a shield to keep from doing just that? Either way, the damage was now out in the open and Hank knew that it wouldn’t be as easy to repair as Riley’s damaged heart. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to try.
"I’ve got this at least,” the distraught young man went on holding his list up like a lifeline between them “can’t you just tell me which of the different things is right for what I’m doing? You have to know, you’ve had to have done this hundreds of times!"Hank sighed People Riley’s age seemed to think that those older than them had all the answers when in fact that was far from being true.
Oh ask the blue furred mutant a question on genetics or interpreted hieroglyphics and he could reply with authority and intelligence. Ask him what Zia was thinking and he was as lost as the next man, maybe even more so. And it was clear that Riley’s panic stemmed more from a problem concerning the subtle ambiguities of personal relationships rather than some query about applied biology. Which made them more fundamentally important as well as harder to deal with.
"Please, I can’t do this,” Riley said suddenly, his admission touching in its simplicity. “I can’t just guess and hope for the best, if it’s wrong they’ll think I didn’t try, they’ll think I didn’t want to do my best.. if I don’t do my best, if what I do’s not perfect in every single way she just screams and says how much she hates me!"
Dear Lord did he actually live every day under such pressure, constantly driven by the need to be perfect? No wonder he was coming apart at the seams! And no wonder Catherine too found the relationship almost unbearably intense at times. If a so called ‘normal’ young man committed some faux pas during a date he was likely to feel bad for a night then turn up with chocolates and an apology the next day. Somehow Hank suspected that Riley’s angst would take a more dramatic form and that was in itself a recipe for disaster, ultimately creating and fuelling a cycle of mutual misery and guilt that would be hard to break.
Or then again he could do what he was trying to do right now. Choke back his emotions as if they were somehow unclean. Undesirable! As if the mere fact of having them made him somehow inferior instead of merely like everyone else. Fallible. "I’m sorry, I… that won’t happen again sir," he told Hank trying to pull the mask of stoicism back over a face that had moments before been wracked with self doubt.
“Let what happen Riley? Let your emotions show? Tell someone you need help? Admit that maybe you’re human like the rest of us? ” Hank asked him earnestly. “Why would you need to hide that? And if you don’t ask for help how will we know to give it?” He smiled now though there was still sympathy in his yellow eyes. “So this is too much for you to do all at once. ok… that’s fine. Maybe I was pushing too hard. Or maybe you set the bar a little high to start with.”
Hank sighed a little and leaned carefully over the trolley drawing nearer to Riley though still not intruding on his personal space. “I’ll let you into a secret Riley” he said … Catherine.. your parents.. they aren’t coming to this dinner you’ve set up for the food…. though I have no doubt that it will be great… They are coming to spend time with you… Yes they will appreciate the effort and forethought that you’ve put into it, but in the end all this evening needs to be a success is for you to be happy. Because in the end that’s all they really want ”
“And as for understanding women…….welcome to the club.” Hank’s eyes were warm now and full of wry acceptance. “Women are the eternal mystery put on earth to keep us men humble. Or so I have come to believe. Take myself for example. A week ago I was resigned to living my life alone… and now… well let us just say that I was less than prepared for Zia. But then who could have been.” Now it was Hank who let Riley in, showing him a side that was very far from being either doctor or teacher. This was where he was vulnerable. These were the emotions that lay behind the fur and fangs, behind even the mask of doctor that he donned each day.
“She is….unpredictable. I do one thing, she understands another. She challenges me each and every step of the way. Just being with her is exciting and foolish and dangerous and ultimately more wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined ………… And if it ends badly then I will probably never recover. So……. does that sound familiar…. Hank asked with a rueful smile “ Or have I just made you think that maybe I should be the one seeing a physician? ”
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way"Let what happen Riley? Let your emotions show? Tell someone you need help? Admit that maybe you’re human like the rest of us?" There wasn’t any annoyance or indignation, there wasn’t sarcasm or mockery of any kind and considering the subject, Riley wasn’t sure how he took the comment. "Why would you need to hide that? And if you don’t ask for help how will we know to give it?" Why did he need to hide it? Riley wasn’t.. hiding it… he was just controlling it, that’s what you had to do to survive in this world, just control everything you could, keep yourself appearing strong and certain. Who would listen to a confused and hurt leader that made it clear his problems were mounted and almost all consuming? If you wanted to be taken seriously, then you had to act serious, you had to think serious, you had to be in every aspect serious, controlled, focused.
"So this is too much for you to do all at once. ok… that’s fine. Maybe I was pushing too hard. Or maybe you set the bar a little high to start with." Too high? Nothing was too high for him if he just tried hard enough… if only he were to be the one that suffered then Riley didn’t care how many mistakes he made. It was when the mistakes hindered others that set him on edge, when his mistakes caused problems with those he loved. When people turned away from him or thought him unworthy or got angry at him just because what he did wasn’t right. Catherine had yelled at him when he hadn’t done things right, she’d screamed and walked off and just seemed to… hate him… and then she’d turn again and want to be near him, only to randomly brush the young man off once more as if solely by whim alone.
"I’ll let you into a secret Riley" Secrets, the bane of freedom and free will itself! Though Riley took a steadying breath, soft and as focused as he could manage as Beast stood there, leaned forward over the trolley and attention tuned upon Finn. "Catherine.. your parents.. they aren’t coming to this dinner you’ve set up for the food…. though I have no doubt that it will be great… They are coming to spend time with you… Yes they will appreciate the effort and forethought that you’ve put into it, but in the end all this evening needs to be a success is for you to be happy. Because in the end that’s all they really want" And all he would be happy with regarding Catherine is if he could stand a foot away without her acting as if he here merely preparing to lung forward and send a barrage of punches, kicks and vice like grabbing’s. If he said he’d stay away she called him stupid and told him not to be silly, if he made an effort to get close she pulled away, if he did nothing she would just stare at him as if he was somehow abandoning her… there was nothing he could or couldn’t do that seemed to have a chance of pleasing her! And as for his family… he didn’t even know how to deal with them.
"And as for understanding women…….welcome to the club." No one had ever discussed girls with Riley, save for the offhand comments by Ben and later Forrest who were more inclined towards ‘get out there and explore them all’. Jonathon had sat briefly on the subject but being 13 when Riley set out to Mass. Academy, it all Jonathon could really tell Riley was to be careful with the city girls. They were different, few like the country girls Riley went to school with. If Riley ever had any questions Jon had told his son to call them, either parent and don’t be afraid to ask, of course by the time Riley met Clare Montague at 17 he had been at a period of life where to him, his parents were thought dead. Oh those were horrible years, where memories were blurred, warped, hazy and muddled, where moments of knowing were mixed with moments of clueless belief. Losing a family when you were raised to be so heavily family orientated had been extremely difficult, they were his life and his only best friends and his only connection to a social life.
They never wanted Riley focused so heavily on the farm but to their only son it was both a duty and a privilege to help, he was their child and they needed the assistance so who else would better fit the position? No hired hand could love the farm or be as passionate about it as Riley could, and their cow, Cammy, had hated strangers, and the money they’d save was worth sacrificing his weekends. Riley knew if he wanted to go out with school friends he could, if he needed money to go with them he’d get whatever his parents could afford to part with, but the bottom line was every penny counted. It would have been nice if Riley could have talked to his parents about Clare, she was always upset that he wouldn’t take things all the way with her and yet she shamelessly spent long nights out with her friends, most of which were male and most of which she spent far too much time with alone.
"Women are the eternal mystery put on earth to keep us men humble. Or so I have come to believe. Take myself for example. A week ago I was resigned to living my life alone… and now… well let us just say that I was less than prepared for Zia. But then who could have been." ..Zia, Riley would have been more impressed with her if the first few words Riley remember from her didn’t have to do with putting him out of his misery in the literal sense. Then again, Catherine said stupid things at the wrong times as well, that didn’t mean she couldn’t say the right thing at the right time, even if she later couldn’t fulfil her assuring words. How did she know an ancient language? Why hadn’t Riley gotten any files on her? Was this mysterious woman who sank her claws into Hank a new arrival to the Institute? She had to be, otherwise her files would have passed his eyes. Though that would mean Zia wasn’t even placed on a team, all team leaders have access to people assigned or up for assignment, that way the leaders had an idea on who was available or already positioned.
"She is….unpredictable. I do one thing, she understands another. She challenges me each and every step of the way. Just being with her is exciting and foolish and dangerous and ultimately more wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined ………… And if it ends badly then I will probably never recover. So……. does that sound familiar…." Riley tried not to stare dumbly and if he succeeded or not there was no telling, but stare he did as Hank explained his own relationship… was that really how things went? A weekend of bliss with a week of pain to follow? "Or have I just made you think that maybe I should be the one seeing a physician?" How to reply? In the Initiative serious dating was frowned upon, flings were unavoidable for some like Forrest, but it had taken a lot of work for Riley to be permitted to rent a place outside of the Initiative with a female housemate. And Riley, when thinking back, has decided that was only even allowed because Professor Walsh knew Clare and knew she wouldn’t have a serious relationship with anyone.
If there was a show of admittance that he indeed cared enough about Catherine, would that cause problems? Would it somehow disappoint them… to show he had someone he’d put more thought and more attention towards then his own team-mates? Was it somehow a trick to test his resolve as a team leader perhaps? Some cunning plan to divulge what was more important in Riley’s heart, the love for his team or the love for his on and off girlfriend. If Hank was most certainly a member of the Initiative ranks, then the answer would be undeniably obvious, team comes first and there was room for nothing else. But this wasn’t the Initiative, heck, Scott Summers who was the team leader of all teams was himself a married man!
"Well…" Riley stated, the caution meek in his tone as the former agent tried to brave the situation as best as he could, hoping there were no landmines strategically placed just for him to tread upon. "…I did in major in Psychology, so that does give me the qualification to go ‘hmm.’ in complete confidence with whatever you say." Though the comment made no real contact with the subject at hand really, would it be discourteous to just let it drop without even brushing against it with a vague reference if nothing else? Ok, if there are land mines around this conversation he was just going to have to risk crossing it, at least a step or two just to test the ground… then he can run back screaming if things go wrong. But what would he say? That he didn’t know how to act around his own family? That Catherine not only mystified him but left Riley thinking little of his own abilities since all she ever seems to do on a continuous basis is scream him down and smack him around.. that Riley spent six months in the dark and locked away because Catherine had convinced him that if he spoke out the school would throw him out to the awaiting vaulters just to save their own hide? All he had to do was take that one step, look as if he was trying to respond positively… as easy as the smallest gesture more… maybe he could fall back on the earlier cheese comment, yes… say he not only liked cheese, but really really liked cheese…
They need to have classes designed to help people with small talk… with an advance class of ‘personal discussions’ once chit-chat is mastered. However the thought swept through Riley’s mind with little hold as he struggled further with any sort of rely beyond what was already given. "…But… I suppose you have a point." a singular phrase that covered the entire conversation, yes, why was it so wrong to ask for help? Why was it wrong to show emotions? Damn right woman appeared to be an enigma better left unsolved for the sack of your sanity and health. Even if the sentence itself seemed rather lacking, Riley tried to assure himself that it was passable enough at least for a decent enough reply… if not incredibly vague in many ways.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way"Well……I did in major in Psychology, so that does give me the qualification to go ‘hmm.’ in complete confidence with whatever you say.…But… I suppose you have a point."
At Riley’s response Hank’s laugh rank out deep and infectious, drawing surprised but warm smiles from the other shoppers. “As far as non committal answers are concerned Riley, Scott himself couldn’t have done better.” he told the young man. Well at least you didn’t freak out at the mere idea of someone my age having a relationship, which is all in your honour. But I do understand that we have more pressing, if not necessarily more important things to do than discuss our respective love lives.
So” Hank drew himself up once more and assumed a serious air that wasn’t designed to fool anyone. But then again, while he didn’t want Riley to believe for a moment he was taking this all too lightly, he equally didn’t want it to develop into the stress filled experience that the ex agent so obviously expected it to be. “Here is the shoppers manual according according to Hank McCoy. he said with a smile Look and learn young Skywalker And benefit from my long but not particularly fruitful years of experience.
He had taken the list from Riley’s eager hand and now set off down the familiar aisles of the supermarket in search of some all too unfamiliar products. When was the last time he had made a meal from scratch, apart from the most basic that was? He could have said last night but somehow he didn’t think that raw rabbit counted And besides, he had cooked some of it at least for Jade’s sake. But something like this sophisticated menu! This was way out of his culinary league and so he had only his well honed bachelor skills to call upon. Hank only hoped they would be enough. Though somehow he thought they might just be exactly what Riley needed.
“ Firstly…. “ Oh he knew it would have been quicker and easier just to throw the things in the trolley and get home to a rest he so badly needed. And he had to admit his wounded body was inclining him towards that solution. But that wasn’t his way and it never had been. Riley needed to be healed even if it was on a social leve rather than a physical one l And Hank was above and beyond all else a doctor.
Respect your budget ” He had done his research and seen what Riley was capable of dispensing so it wasn’t difficult for him to move on. “Now if that’s not a problem then the second rule is. Only buy what you have already bought and found to be good. In other words if you’ve eaten it and liked it then go for it. . So.. where I’ve already tasted and approved I’m putting it in the basket and as for the rest.. ”
Hank turned to Riley with a smile. “ Third rule… when you have no idea whatsoever what your doing and there’s more than just ypu tasting what you purchase , buy the most expensive thing on the shelves…. After all they must have some reason to charge this price and if it turns out not to be the case then you can always produce the box as proof of your good intentions ! “
The basket was filling up now as they moved on through the supermarket towards the oh so necessary chickens… Fourth…. Free range is best… for the chickens as well as for us.. And that applies to eggs as well.. The cheese… Hank glanced back at Riley with a grin “I leave in your capable hands….. In fact I may even take some pointers if you would be so kind.
Re: March 16: A Little Retail Therapy can go a long way
If anything was learned from this trip, it was that indeed Hank was capable of laughing! Riley hadn’t heard a teacher laugh so hard before in his life… if Hank was laughing at Riley in a negative fashion it didn’t really seem so. But the idea that Hank was laughing at something Riley said was just so… difficult to grasp as well. People didn’t laugh around Riley like that, in fact people didn’t really laugh much at all around Riley as of late, even with his last few days of really trying hard to improve his mood and outlook. "As far as non committal answers are concerned Riley, Scott himself couldn’t have done better." The doctor seemed very light humoured about it so Riley just offered a small smile in return, ignoring the confusion and surrendering to the fact that at least it wasn’t negatively inclined. "Well at least you didn’t freak out at the mere idea of someone my age having a relationship, which is all in your honour. But I do understand that we have more pressing, if not necessarily more important things to do than discuss our respective love lives." Well, Hank couldn’t be too much older then Riley’s parents… and though Riley never really considered it before in the same light, his parents technically were dating, and so… well… it wasn’t so hard to imagine other people dating. Although for his parents it seemed natural, for all others it seemed… as if somehow it wasn’t as natural, even if logically Riley knew that made no sense.
"So" The mutant in disguise said, the humour having faded and Riley began to wonder if the moment of light heartedness was going to lead way for the oncoming pressure of carrying on with shopping. However as Hank continued, Riley’s attention honed in and focused, a sense of relief and hunger for the information as the doctor freely offered it. "Here is the shoppers manual according to Hank McCoy." Nervous hands eased slightly, pulling towards Riley’s stomach and gently letting fingers toy with the neatly written shopping list. "Look and learn young Skywalker And benefit from my long but not particularly fruitful years of experience." The term Skywalker went over Riley’s head only slightly, he was sure there was something vaguely familiar about the word, but it had been years and years since the young Riley and Ben Finn and scampered their way up their grandparents stairs and into their offered room to squat down and watch some of the old Star Wars movies. Students could still be seen occasionally with a Star Wars pencil case or folder, so Riley knew of it, just not so well that the name registered. Before too much thought was able to be placed into it, Hank’s hand reached for the list and Riley willingly surrendered it over to the doctor.
"Firstly…." Began the doctor thoughtfully as he lead the way through the aisles, "Respect your budget" Visions of Bobby Drake’s accounting class haunted the former agent for a moment, how he hated the endless drivel of numbers and budgets and income management courses. "Now if that’s not a problem then the second rule is. Only buy what you have already bought and found to be good. In other words if you’ve eaten it and liked it then go for it. . So.. where I’ve already tasted and approved I’m putting it in the basket and as for the rest.." But how do you buy things then if you’ve not tasted them at all? As Hank mentioned him putting things in the basket that he had tried, Riley spent a moment studying each and every item Hank chose. "Third rule… when you have no idea whatsoever what your doing and there’s more than just you tasting what you purchase , buy the most expensive thing on the shelves…. After all they must have some reason to charge this price and if it turns out not to be the case then you can always produce the box as proof of your good intentions!" That sort of made sense… with the groundwork laid out and the rules being addressed, Riley was able to look at the shelves with a greater understanding of how to interact with them, at least that’s how it had felt.
"Fourth…. Free range is best… for the chickens as well as for us.. And that applies to eggs as well.. The cheese…" Free range… Riley was interested in studying the difference, why was it best exactly? The curiosity was enticing his interest, though the mentioning of cheese caught Finn’s attention and drew enough of a smile that the corner of his lips curved slightly upwards. "I leave in your capable hands….. In fact I may even take some pointers if you would be so kind." Pointers for cheese? Who needed pointers… then again, Riley was a little iffy for the multi-coloured cheese, he wasn’t fond of putting something smothered in blue or brown spots into his mouth. He also didn’t like bitter or extremely sour tasting cheese… usually Rye was the kind of guy who would try anything once, especially in the social scene, unless it was against his morals or seriously damaging to his health… sweets and junk food aside of course. Giving opinions on things wasn’t really the most awkward of things for Riley, usually he liked to state his thoughts if he thought they’d be of use, but that was with situations like school work, combat training or plans, heck even weekend arrangements had been discussed more the Riley’s opinions on food.
With Scott it had been a new experience really, sure Riley had some foods he liked more then others but really he never fussed, especially if it was served to him or laid out for him to choose from. Food was just food in the end, he wasn’t going to start anything up over it, even if it was just him stating what was better then something else. How would he talk to Scott, if it were the fairy Prince instead who had asked such a question? What if what he chose was somehow wrong; what if what he liked wasn’t what Hank liked? A moment hesitation followed as Riley looked between the cheese of his choice and the image posing as Dr McCoy’s face. In the end there was only one way to discover the answer to his timid thoughts, and that was to make a choice and see what became of it. While losing credibility with Hank was one thing, losing a position in the school was something entirely different and Riley was rather certain that the latter most definitely wouldn’t come about with the wrong choice of cheese, surely not.
"It would depend on your taste really…" Riley began, his hand reaching almost awkwardly for the targeted cheese he preferred, "I…guess I like the soft cheeses." Of course he liked them, he knew he liked them, but what if Hank didn’t and this was all just a test? It wasn’t just random paranoia; Commander Halliwell and Professor Walsh had both done discreet tests on agents that included questions on foods and personal taste in general, the consequence for giving a ‘wrong’ answer could vary from minor to extreme. "More versatile, easier to handle.. you can spread it on toast and… it’s all good." It was a little hard to explain really, it wasn’t like you couldn’t cut harder cheeses much thinner and slip them in toasts or sandwiches, but still, he just preferred to have that kinda cheese… Of course he liked lots of different cheeses, but he usually got similar kinds individually and then got variety packs to try out the different kinds and see what other tastes were out there. "I usually just grab the packs… someone is bound to find something they like." Was that really helpful in any way? If it was or wasn’t, one thing was true and that was the packets of variety would please everyone, surely there would be one in there that Hank would like, and you progress from there, which ones in the packet did you prefer and buy them separately in larger quantities.
Another hand reached for one of the few gathered packs of cheese, there were a few mouths to feed and while cheese wasn’t one of the main courses it would still be good to have them as appetizers, his mother liked eating cheese and rice crackers… Though Riley was pretty sure he had a small collection of crackers and biscuits back home. Protective hands secured the cheeses towards Riley’s stomach, his hands doing the best they could to engulf as much of the packaging to almost hide it away. Turning around, Riley moved off, keeping the cheeses in his hands instead of the trolley for the moment, his eyes skimming the shelves to see if there was anything on them that could grab his attention. He was a sucker for impulse buying, and while there were times he resisted quite well, there were other times he was doomed to fail, and while the former young agent wasn’t sure what it was that he was tempted to buy yet, be it for himself (chocolates perhaps), or maybe something for Katie (a new toy? Maybe some yummy treats for her?), he was in the mood to find a pleasant enough distraction, whatever it ended up being.
"I… might just grab something for Katie." Pet items, children items and sweets and treats in general not only had their own places on shelves, but also were scattered around the store in general to tempt people into impulse buying. At this point, Riley caught sight of the pet food, with pet food usually came the range of pet products, so Riley carefully turned to place the cheese into the trolley and excused himself with a ‘I’ll be quick,’ before long strides carried him effortlessly down the aisle to the doggie toys. As fate and temptation often had it, a collection of chocolates hang right beside where he stood to examine all the toys they had on offer on that shelf. Professor Walsh would have a heart attack if she knew just how much I’ve had this month though… The thought didn’t stop Riley from continuing to eye to bars of chocolate, though with the image of him rolling down the halls completely bloated and useless with mountains of flab jiggling with every movement he made, it was enough to cause a slight shudder and increase his efforts of ignoring the chocolate entirely. While he reached for one of the toys, Riley’s fingers ended up hovering momentarily, hazel eyes turning to one of the other toys in hesitant thought. Which was better?
Well, first rule doesn’t count… I have enough money for whatever they have here…second rule… haven’t really tried chewing these things so… third rule? Buy the most expensive… like she’d notice, but hey. The more expensive of the lot was only $10.99, so it didn’t seem too much of a fuss for Riley, but then again his grasp of pricing wasn’t the best, and that’s been proven in the past. Fingers curled about the middle of the toy, pulling out a blue and white cross between tug and chew toy. The centre was a blue and white ball, making the ‘stomach’ of the item, with a toughly stitched head that consisted of two long ears and a sown on face, two arms and legs made of tightly twisted blue and white rope all in the design of a bunny. Riley turned it over to eye the back, then the front again and amused in the craft put into an object designed to be ripped apart by the intended pet anyway. Another glance was given to the chocolate bars, there was a slight chance there could still be some back in the dorms, especially now that Scott wasn’t around to go through them so quickly… a price worth paying to have the young fairy around the dorms once again. The sense of lose was enough to distract Riley from the chocolate and he wandered back towards Hank, once again keeping hold of the toy in his hands. "So… Twinkies?"
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