Time and Time: (Kayne, Rick, James, and Lin)

[Lin Heiwa]

(THIS HAPPENS BEFORE EITHER OF THE SITE THREADS. :3 Just thought I'd mention it-- 'cause I have no idea how that'd affect the thread)

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

It was early in the morning. There had been an incident last night that had prevented last night's meeting, so it had been pushed to this morning. Early too, maybe seven. Most of the fighters merely stared blankly up at her, Rick, and the lieutenants as they spoke, half-asleep-- and Lin almost joined them.

But she was nervous, and adrenaline kept her awake.

You see, Lin had thought about it yesterday-- after her conversation with Kayne. How they were supposed to have an epic training battle today. How she had said, 'to unconsciousness' in excitement, instead of 'to-surrender'. How she had to find a partner, and it couldn't be Rick (because her friend would no doubt rip Kayne's head off if he even got a whiff of their real conversation yesterday). How she couldn't put anyone but Rick's life at risk without feeling too guilty (spars could be dangerous!).

This was a problem.

There were all sorts of things that could go wrong. Kayne could end up being evil (she'd gotten subtle vibes from before), and it could be a whole recurrence of two weeks ago. She didn't think that their first-lieutenant could handle another episode like this, they had looked queasy afterwords.

But she couldn't break her oath to return. Lin needed an outside ally, and breaking a promise was not a way to so so.

So, after the meeting ended-- Lin slipped down from the platform and scuttled up beside Rick-- keeping a calm and nonchalant face with her hands deep in her sweat-shirt's pockets. "Nice speech," she complimented truthfully. Oh, well. No use bouncing around the subject. Maybe if she said it quickly enough and walked away really fast, he wouldn't yell at her. "So, I've heard from somewhere that you'll be my partner for this battle I've accidentally set up with a kid from the city," Lin said casually, but way too quick for a normal conversation. "That's great, thanks so much! I'll see you later then, bye!"

And she made a move to leave, turning around and squeezing her eyes shut as she quickly power-walked in the opposite direction, waiting, waiting, waiting--

Oh, what times these were.

[Rick Freedom]

RICK FREEDOM
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

He waves at the crowd, all the attention, as per usual, going straight to his already over-inflated ego. Hey, when you're almost solely responsible for keeping a rag-tag band of fifty-some-odd mutants alive, you're earned the right to be a little conceited!

Lin's here now. He grins at her. But then the grin wavers. An 'accidental battle'? What?? How can you accidentally set up a battle? If you're Rick, almost none of them are planned-- most are either sparring matches (with Lin or one of the lieutenants), training sessions with the younger Freedom Fighters, or fighting for his life.

And then she starts to (basically) run away. Oh, hell, no. He's getting some answers! Before she can get too far away, he clamps a hand down on her shoulder.

"Hold on, girlie. Explain yourself."

Of course, Lin's not normally the one to do stupid things-- that's his job!-- but this definitely sends up a few red flags. Meeting a city kid, and then setting up a fight? That sounds more like something he would do, honestly. Except for the accidental business.

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Rick's hand shoots out and grabs her by the shoulder firmly.

Crap.

For comfort, Lin told herself that she could really just walk away if she wanted to right now-- (though Rick could probably keep her there if he really wanted to also) and stiffly turned around with a calm and rather bored expression on her face. It as impossible to miss the cringe though, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie-jar, that flashed through her eyes once, twice-- then a smile.

"It's almost funny," Lin said quietly, turning around to face him fully, leaning on one foot more than the other, away from the torches that were nearly always lit. "The one time I have some free time, the one time I have some time to recover from the fight of our lives-- and I meet a kid from the city." Her voice lifted a few pitches, more at ease and relaxed again-- but slightly unnerved, "I talked to him for a while, and he--I--we, organized a fight. A spar. A double battle. Something spontaneous that will test our skills and make sure they're still sharp."

She shrugged, looking uncomfortably around the now nearly empty room, "It was a spur of the moment thing. We need allies beyond these cave walls, and making a friend or two wouldn't hurt. I need a partner, and I thought-- don't you dare get a swollen head-- you would be the best choice. I could've always asked Elisabeth, she's a good defensive player with the force-field and healing and all, but-- repeat, no ego stroking-- this was up your ally."

Sighing, Lin released a big breath of air and leaning backwards against the cool stone walls, slightly at ease when feeling the cold seep into her skin. She tugged at her scarf nervously, wondering how she could go from nervous, to serious, to light, to serious, to nervous again. "I think we really need to do this. And unless you threaten to stuff me over the head and lock me up, I'm going to. Or if you tell me that none of this is real and this is all some fantasy my mind has created. I might actually believe you-- life doesn't feel like it should be this way."