Post by Aurora on Jul 7, 2006 13:06:01 GMT -5
When Aurora got off the phone with Pyro, she sighed and ate her lunch as she sat by the stone fountain. When she was finished, she picked up her phone once again and dialed the number she'd written on her hand. Another international call, of course--another bill she'd never be able to pay. She wondered when Madame DuPont's would cut off her phone service. Hopefully by then she'd be supported by another group.
Riiiing. Riiiing. Aurora scratched her neck as she waited for the recruit to pick up. 'Angie, was it not?' she thought to herself.
It had been several days since she'd made the phone call, moving from place to place, always with her phone on in her pocket, but not sure what she was expecting. Maybe it was all an elaborate ruse, maybe she'd made a fool of herself by calling the number. She'd managed to find a night's work washing dishes in Washington, and had been able to charge her phone while she was there, because if she was going to get a call back, she didn't want to miss it. But, Angie was entirely surprised when her pocket started to vibrate as she walked through a park looking for a place to sit.
Blinking for a moment at the phone number, which wasn't the same one she'd called, and wasn't one she recognised, Angie pressed receive.
"Uh, hello?"
A French voice answered smoothly, the voice of a young woman. "'Ello. My name is Aurora, and I was directed to return your call to Brother Hood." Despite her doubt that her line was tapped, Aurora used the same laughable cover-up story that had been used on her when she'd been called back. Hopefully it would be understood. "I myself am 'oping to meet with 'im soon as well."
Angie paused when a woman's voice answered, in an accent completely different to what she'd been hearing for so many months. Suddenly conscious of her own, she spoke, apparently without the normal connection between her brain and her mouth functioning properly.
"Brother Hoo...? Uh, yes, Brother Hood. I... You haven't met him?" That was a surprise. She'd thought that the call might come from the same male voice on the voicemail recording, or at least from someone involved in the group.
"No. 'e 'opes to meet with us in Baltimore within the next couple of days. Can you make it there?"
"If I can get a ride, yeah, I think so. I'm in Washington at the moment... Shouldn't take that long. Where, uh, do you know where he wants to meet us? I, um, don't have money for a hotel or anything." She was slightly embarrassed to admit that to a complete stranger, especially one who sounded so... glamorous.
"Ah, then we are much in the same boat, non?" Aurora replied, sounding much more comfortable than she really was about her lack of a place to sleep that night. "'e 'as told me that 'e will call me again within a couple of days, with more information as to where to meet 'im. I plan to travel to Baltimore and wait there until 'e calls."
"So you're not in Baltimore." And you don't have money to put a roof over your head either. Who was this woman? Angie was becoming more and more confused about the whole situation. "Uhm, I'll start on my way there as soon as I can, but I'm not sure how long it will take. Should I... If he's going to call you, I guess we should meet up once we're there, so I'll call you or text you or something when I get there, and we'll see about finding each other. I've never been to Baltimore before, though, so... Um, it might not be easy for me. I'll look for big landmarks or something." Her cheeks reddened. Even to her own ears Angie sounded like a complete idiot.
"We have much in common: I 'ave never been to Baltimore either. In fact, I do not remember ever going to America." She doubted she had, though she couldn't be sure what she'd done in the first twenty years of her life. She doubted she'd ever once escaped the Catholic school, except for the few times she ran away. "We should both pick up maps. And I assume that 'e--excuse me, I do not know 'is name--will call you as well, or at least 'ave me call you to tell you the plans."
She paused, not wanting to end the conversation so quickly. After all, she was not looking forward to the long and no doubt tiring travel ahead of her. "What is it that you know about The Brotherhood? I know very little." She knew that it would be difficult to try and speak in code about it, so she dropped the facade. She didn't want to meet with who could be quite possibly the head of the organization without knowing a thing about it.
The woman's words changed suddenly, dropping the facade that they were talking about a person and asking about the Brotherhood. "Oh, um, probably not much more than you. I know that they fought... Against the cure. For our rights." It was only natural to assume that the woman was a fellow mutant, because no Homo sapiens in their right mind would be looking to meet with the Brotherhood after Alcatraz. "And I know they opposed the registration act, but... well, I'm not from around here, so I only know what I have been told at community meetings and that sort of thing." She could talk about how she opposed the cure, how her mother had tried to force it on her, how it could be dangerous being a mutant... But she'd never even met this woman before, and those were the sort of things that could get them into trouble if someone overheard the conversation. She'd heard before about Americans tapping into phone lines and monitoring them all the time, and it made her paranoid. Not to mention the other people around her. Oh god, had she spoken too loudly? The cure and 'our rights'... What am I thinking?
"But I don't really no much behind that, and it might be best to speak on this another day." She stood up, walking away from the people in the park, some of whom were giving her odd looks. "A map sounds like a good idea, though. So I'll pick one up and be on my way..." She thought for a moment about how much money was in her wallet. Maybe enough for a bus ride, but she'd try hitchhiking first. No point in spending money if she didn't need to. Suddenly she realised how rude she'd been.
"Oh! I'm Angie, by the way. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, things have been a little... odd, lately."
Aurora listened to everything the other woman said with increasing interest. So far, they seemed like a good group. So they fought...But it was natural that if you had a purpose you vehemently believed in, that you want to fight for it. She would just have to make sure that theirs was a cause she'd be willing to fight for. And until she found somewhere else to go, she'd fight for a bed to sleep in, a roof over her head, and food that she didn't have to steal.
'Oh! I'm Angie, by the way. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, things have been a little... odd, lately.'
"I know," Aurora responded warmly. "I will call you when I arrive--or you call me--but I think that I will get there quickly." If she had the stamina to run long enough to make it there any faster than hitchhiking or walking...She'd never tried to run at her unnaturally fast speed for very long. "I am glad to 'ave gotten to speak with you. If our meeting in Baltimore goes well, perhaps we will be seeing a lot of each other."
Angie nodded, although the woman obviously couldn't see it. "It was lovely to speak to you, Aurora. I'll call you when I arrive in Baltimore." She wasn't entirely sure how to finish their conversation.
"Hopefully things do go well. I'll see you later." Maybe... She didn't want to ask how Aurora would be arriving quickly, or even where she was, but if the other woman was going to be arriving quickly then maybe she should spring for a bus ticket. It couldn't be that far of a trip, could it?
“Au revoir,” Aurora said, before closing her phone. She stood and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt. She lifted the strap her small bag onto her shoulder and sighed. Where could she find a map? She’d try the mall. After all, every journey has to start somewhere.
Riiiing. Riiiing. Aurora scratched her neck as she waited for the recruit to pick up. 'Angie, was it not?' she thought to herself.
It had been several days since she'd made the phone call, moving from place to place, always with her phone on in her pocket, but not sure what she was expecting. Maybe it was all an elaborate ruse, maybe she'd made a fool of herself by calling the number. She'd managed to find a night's work washing dishes in Washington, and had been able to charge her phone while she was there, because if she was going to get a call back, she didn't want to miss it. But, Angie was entirely surprised when her pocket started to vibrate as she walked through a park looking for a place to sit.
Blinking for a moment at the phone number, which wasn't the same one she'd called, and wasn't one she recognised, Angie pressed receive.
"Uh, hello?"
A French voice answered smoothly, the voice of a young woman. "'Ello. My name is Aurora, and I was directed to return your call to Brother Hood." Despite her doubt that her line was tapped, Aurora used the same laughable cover-up story that had been used on her when she'd been called back. Hopefully it would be understood. "I myself am 'oping to meet with 'im soon as well."
Angie paused when a woman's voice answered, in an accent completely different to what she'd been hearing for so many months. Suddenly conscious of her own, she spoke, apparently without the normal connection between her brain and her mouth functioning properly.
"Brother Hoo...? Uh, yes, Brother Hood. I... You haven't met him?" That was a surprise. She'd thought that the call might come from the same male voice on the voicemail recording, or at least from someone involved in the group.
"No. 'e 'opes to meet with us in Baltimore within the next couple of days. Can you make it there?"
"If I can get a ride, yeah, I think so. I'm in Washington at the moment... Shouldn't take that long. Where, uh, do you know where he wants to meet us? I, um, don't have money for a hotel or anything." She was slightly embarrassed to admit that to a complete stranger, especially one who sounded so... glamorous.
"Ah, then we are much in the same boat, non?" Aurora replied, sounding much more comfortable than she really was about her lack of a place to sleep that night. "'e 'as told me that 'e will call me again within a couple of days, with more information as to where to meet 'im. I plan to travel to Baltimore and wait there until 'e calls."
"So you're not in Baltimore." And you don't have money to put a roof over your head either. Who was this woman? Angie was becoming more and more confused about the whole situation. "Uhm, I'll start on my way there as soon as I can, but I'm not sure how long it will take. Should I... If he's going to call you, I guess we should meet up once we're there, so I'll call you or text you or something when I get there, and we'll see about finding each other. I've never been to Baltimore before, though, so... Um, it might not be easy for me. I'll look for big landmarks or something." Her cheeks reddened. Even to her own ears Angie sounded like a complete idiot.
"We have much in common: I 'ave never been to Baltimore either. In fact, I do not remember ever going to America." She doubted she had, though she couldn't be sure what she'd done in the first twenty years of her life. She doubted she'd ever once escaped the Catholic school, except for the few times she ran away. "We should both pick up maps. And I assume that 'e--excuse me, I do not know 'is name--will call you as well, or at least 'ave me call you to tell you the plans."
She paused, not wanting to end the conversation so quickly. After all, she was not looking forward to the long and no doubt tiring travel ahead of her. "What is it that you know about The Brotherhood? I know very little." She knew that it would be difficult to try and speak in code about it, so she dropped the facade. She didn't want to meet with who could be quite possibly the head of the organization without knowing a thing about it.
The woman's words changed suddenly, dropping the facade that they were talking about a person and asking about the Brotherhood. "Oh, um, probably not much more than you. I know that they fought... Against the cure. For our rights." It was only natural to assume that the woman was a fellow mutant, because no Homo sapiens in their right mind would be looking to meet with the Brotherhood after Alcatraz. "And I know they opposed the registration act, but... well, I'm not from around here, so I only know what I have been told at community meetings and that sort of thing." She could talk about how she opposed the cure, how her mother had tried to force it on her, how it could be dangerous being a mutant... But she'd never even met this woman before, and those were the sort of things that could get them into trouble if someone overheard the conversation. She'd heard before about Americans tapping into phone lines and monitoring them all the time, and it made her paranoid. Not to mention the other people around her. Oh god, had she spoken too loudly? The cure and 'our rights'... What am I thinking?
"But I don't really no much behind that, and it might be best to speak on this another day." She stood up, walking away from the people in the park, some of whom were giving her odd looks. "A map sounds like a good idea, though. So I'll pick one up and be on my way..." She thought for a moment about how much money was in her wallet. Maybe enough for a bus ride, but she'd try hitchhiking first. No point in spending money if she didn't need to. Suddenly she realised how rude she'd been.
"Oh! I'm Angie, by the way. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, things have been a little... odd, lately."
Aurora listened to everything the other woman said with increasing interest. So far, they seemed like a good group. So they fought...But it was natural that if you had a purpose you vehemently believed in, that you want to fight for it. She would just have to make sure that theirs was a cause she'd be willing to fight for. And until she found somewhere else to go, she'd fight for a bed to sleep in, a roof over her head, and food that she didn't have to steal.
'Oh! I'm Angie, by the way. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, things have been a little... odd, lately.'
"I know," Aurora responded warmly. "I will call you when I arrive--or you call me--but I think that I will get there quickly." If she had the stamina to run long enough to make it there any faster than hitchhiking or walking...She'd never tried to run at her unnaturally fast speed for very long. "I am glad to 'ave gotten to speak with you. If our meeting in Baltimore goes well, perhaps we will be seeing a lot of each other."
Angie nodded, although the woman obviously couldn't see it. "It was lovely to speak to you, Aurora. I'll call you when I arrive in Baltimore." She wasn't entirely sure how to finish their conversation.
"Hopefully things do go well. I'll see you later." Maybe... She didn't want to ask how Aurora would be arriving quickly, or even where she was, but if the other woman was going to be arriving quickly then maybe she should spring for a bus ticket. It couldn't be that far of a trip, could it?
“Au revoir,” Aurora said, before closing her phone. She stood and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt. She lifted the strap her small bag onto her shoulder and sighed. Where could she find a map? She’d try the mall. After all, every journey has to start somewhere.
