♫ | lorna.
Lorna understood what he was saying. God, did she understand. There were days at the waystation when she didn’t know what she was going to feed people, or how the hell she was going to get enough blankets for everyone that kept pouring through the doors. Everything of value that she owned was precious, and the guy who’d lost those headphones probably felt the same way. Losing equipment and work because of that loss was not easy, and it would likely create some bad blood. It would be a lie to say she wouldn’t understand if he decided to press charges anyway. “Whatever you can do without getting yourself into trouble. I would appreciate it. Not that it’s much to offer, but I’d owe you one.”
It was reassuring to learn that he wasn’t TMZ famous, at least not to the point that he’d have paparazzi waiting outside to snap a few dozen shots. That was added stress that Lorna didn’t need. “Sorry that I don’t recognize you. I’m not sure if you caught on to this from what I said earlier or not, but…this isn’t really my scene.” Lorna didn’t get out much, and when she did…it wasn’t to places like this. “But I’m going to be honest and say I’m glad you’re not on the highlight reel of Entertainment Tonight. I’d rather not have all of Twitter asking if I’m your new girlfriend.”
A joke meant to ease some of the heavy topics. Lorna was good at that, attempting to use sarcasm or humor to put someone at ease. It made her feel better, made other people smile, and focused attention on things that weren’t so grim.
When he took her hand, a fleeting look of surprise crossed her face. She’d been near humans that would have sooner cut off their own hands than touch her, and the fact that he’d not had a clear answer earlier on mutants made her wonder if he were one of them. “Rattle. That must be your D…” The next look of surprise came when her fingers buzzed, sending the reverberation throughout her entire body. She could sense the magnetic field around him, the pulse of energy, and when she pulled her hand back it was with a startled sound. His static build up excuse was a valid one, but it seemed stronger than just a mild shock from excess static. “Your DJ name,” Lorna finished, still rubbing her fingers with her other hand. “Does that happen often? Remind me to brace myself the next time I shake your hand.”
Which would hopefully be when she was returning those headphones and getting that kid off the grid and somewhere safe.
She was so wary of him now. Well not of him, of what his hand to her abilities. It had left her on edge, jittery because she hadn’t been prepared for that rush of energy. Odd. The first time in her life that something like that had happened. It almost reminded her of when she first met Marcos, the way their powers had melded together into the aurora borealis. Almost, but not quite. This had been different, but just as strong.
“I should, um, I should go. Get back out there and try to find that kid.” Her napkin under the soda became a makeshift piece of paper as she scrawled her number with the pen she’d pulled from her pocket. “This is my number. Call me if you see him? If you hear anything? Look, I know you don’t owe me anything, but I’d appreciate it.”
It would be a lie if Rattle said that he wasn’t relieved every time someone didn’t recognise him. He’s not in the business for the fame, though the money that comes with it is an added bonus. But he kept his picture out of the promotional material for a reason; the less people that knew what he looked like, the less risk there was to his family should he get accidentally found out. He’s not going to go to the lengths that some go to become faceless, he couldn’t stand having his head stuck in a helmet all set when he gets annoyed when he has to wear it while on his bike, but he’s not going to deliberately get in front of cameras if he can help it. “Believe me I think I’d be as mortified as you if that happened.” The last thing he wants is to be the target of gossip rags and social media sites. The former wasn’t good for anything and the latter he only used as a promotion tool, becoming the focus of either one was never a good thing unless your surname was Paul or Kardashian. “Despite what some may think, gossip really ain’t good for business.” He’s lost more than one friend from the pressures of playing up to the title of ‘celebrity’ that he’s glad he’s not one.
He doesn’t get chance to question the curious expression on her face, not when the sensation that pulsed up his arm seemed to take them both by surprise. He’s used to static shocks from both people and inanimate objects, it’s just one of those things that he’s come to accept just happens with his mutation. But that wasn’t just a static shock. That was a jolt of something more and it short-circuits his brain for a moment as he looks at his hand, shaking the life back into his fingers that had almost gone numb from the sensation. He almost misses the question that would so often get a weak attempt at humour. And obviously, she’d felt it too - an uncomfortable feeling that causes them both to pull away and put a little bit more distance between them to avoid repeating whatever it was. “Uh…never - never that strong. That was weird.” Understatement.
Forcing himself to focus back on the present instead of what had just happened - and stifling the urge to flee back to the safety of his home for now - he shakes the last of the fuzzy feeling out of his hand and finishes off his soda while Lorna scribbles her number onto a napkin. The can now empty, he places it back on the bar and turns his attention to shoving his hand in a back pocket until he finds the small stack of cards he’s stashed there. Not all of them are his and, after he extracts them from his pocket with an annoyed expression that came with them getting stuck on the button, he flips through them until he finds what he’s looking for. It’s a simple holographic purple card with his name and number in white on both sides which he holds out for her before she makes a break for it. “So you know who’s callin’. An’ no, I don’t have a manager so callin’ that number comes straight through to me so uh, try not to put that in the public domain?.” The last thing he needs is to have to change his phone number because his personal number got into the hands of random people.