(no subject)

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

Valerie Bell is lounging around in front of the Cooper house, waiting for someone who looks vaguely in charge to wander by.

Until then, she's shamelessly showing off her mutant powers by juggling innumerable chunks of dirt with twelve glowing white tentacles.

Hey, it's an excercise in coordination! Right. Yep. Uh-huh.

Comments

[just-marley.livejournal.com]

Marley catches a chunk of dirt as she juggles it, grinning at her.
"Bored?" He's managed to get a hold of another jacket. It may be best not to ask how.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"You betcha. Hey, where'd you get the jacket?"

Like Val ever pays attention to what's best.

[just-marley.livejournal.com]

"Made a trip to the city. Got some stuff for you, too." 'Got' is such an ambiguous word, really.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Ooh, stuff. What kind of stuff?"

Val is intrigued! And totally unaware that there might be thievery in the recent past of this alleged stuff.

[just-marley.livejournal.com]

"A jacket," Marley rushes away, superfast, and returns with a plastic bag, drawing it out and handing it to Val. "Among other things."

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Hey, sweet! Thanks man!"

The contents of the bag are Thoroughly Investigated. Stuff! Awesome!

[just-marley.livejournal.com]

"And this." Marley pulls out a small box, holding it out. "Just found it. Didn't really cost anything, I think it's made of plastic or something. Had spare change left over."

There's a necklace inside the box. While not especially pretty or flashy, it's definitely not made of plastic.

Subtle Marley is subtle, clearly.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

...zuh.

Val is flabbergasted!

In a delighted way.

A very confused delighted way.

"...thanks, Mar," she says.

What the hell's your game, not that I'm not delighted?, says her tone.

[just-marley.livejournal.com]

Confusion! Quick, be grumpy!

Marley manages to return to his regular expression of being generally quietly angry at and disapproving of the world in general.
"You don't need to thank me. Like I said, I had spare change. Wouldn't be enough to buy anything else that we could really use."

[notanarc.livejournal.com]

Byers could pass for the in-charge type!

Even after the apocalypse, he manages to stay as clean cut as humanly possible, and he may or may not have "found" some utilities for his apartment, like an electric razor and an iron and a toaster and oh, maybe a car--

Well, anyway, he's out exploring today, with a notebook and pen in hand.

Yes, he's taking notes on EVERYTHING HE SEES.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

The first thing Val does when she sees him is let the tentacles dissipate and the clods of dirt fall to the ground with a series of thuds.

Dude with notebook looking official + flagrant use of mutant powers? Polina would kick her ass.

[notanarc.livejournal.com]

The thuds catch his attention and he turns, blue eyes wide and curious.

He clears his throat a little. "Hello," he says, taking a few steps toward her. He's spoken with people back in Metropolis, but no one here, yet.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Hey," she says.

Okay, so he looks in-charge-ish.

...Val still doesn't like him.

(Val's first reaction to people who are not Marley or her twin is often dislike.)

[notanarc.livejournal.com]

"Where am I?" he asks, trying to sound as polite and harmless as possible. "I followed a road here from Metropolis, but all the signs were gone."

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Like I fucking know. I just got here myself. Metropolis-- is that the big city kinda that way?"

She waves a hand in the appropriate direction.

[notanarc.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Byers says, looking apologetic.

"Mind if I ask your name?"

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Val. You?"

[hero_farmboy]

Does Clark look like he's in charge? He hopes not. He will stop and watch her for a few minutes, though.

"If you really want to do that, out back is probably the better place to do it." Because keeping all the blatantly weird stuff near the boat is the best idea he's got at his point.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

...Okay, she's slightly guilty about the flagrant use of powers, but she's not going to let him know that. Whoever he is.

"Who the hell're you to tell me where to juggle?" Val demands insolently.

[hero_farmboy]

"The guy who actually knows what's going on and where you are," Clark answers with a rather unamused look at the attitude.

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"I concede," says Val, raising her hands and dissipating the tentacles with a thought. Thudthudthudthud, go the dirt clods.

"But only," and she raises a finger in warning, "if you tell me what's going on and where I am." Grin. "And optionally what your name is."

[hero_farmboy]

Clark is reminded of someone. It makes him sigh.

"Near apocalypse. Same portals that brought you here brought in other creatures and they didn't take it so well." If it sounds practiced, and possibly a little bored by now, it's because it is.

"You're in Kansas. Smallville specifically." He points southwards. "Metropolis is that way and it's in good shape."

Then he adds, because he remembers some people don't have a Metropolis, "It's the nearest big city."

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Damn." Val whistles. "That fucking sucks, man. Explains the dead squid in Lake Ontario, though. Yeah, I been to Metropolis already. Me 'n Will 'n Marley-- you seen either of them yet?"

[hero_farmboy]

"Those names don't sound familiar, but there are a lot of people around here now and I'm not around all the time."

He remembers she asked his name, then. "I'm Clark, by the way."

[selflesslight.livejournal.com]

"Val. Nice to meet you. You can't miss Mar-- he's taller than you are. Not exactly the most unobtrusive guy in the world."