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[003 | Text]

How many people celebrate Christmas here? Or Hanukkah? and on that note, is anyone doing anything on the 25th?

[Private to Peter, much later]
hey. can I ask you some questions about something? a medical something.

[Action for Jesse]

[She shows up at his apartment without sending notice. Partly because she wasn't sure she was going to go there at all. Claire feels a little awkward after the masquerade but they do have something they need to do. Although she remembers how freaked out he got when she asked if he wanted to see her ability, she thinks she's doing him a favor in helping him figure out how and if the anti-powers setting on his gun will work or not. It's also selfish, too. The idea of being able to feel normal for a little bit is massively appealing to her. Plus, there are certain people ~~Syla~~r she's considering using it on if worse comes to worse.

Knocking a little timidly at the door, she hopes he's home. She also hopes this isn't going to be too weird.]

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[That is not what he expected. He's not sure whether to feel relieved or - well, horrible. Because he has to shoot her. He knows it isn't supposed to hurt, but...]

Um... If you really want. I mean, are you sure though?

[Big nod.] Very sure.

[Hesitation again.] But I really don't want to-

[Erm.] I promise it's okay. As long as we know where it's embedded and I can take it out when I need to.

Okay...

[He's not exactly in a position to lecture her on safety or anything. Besides, he has to test it eventually. A willing subject's better than unwilling. Thinking about it like that doesn't make it any less weird, though. What is he, some kind of mad scientist here?]

You want me to go get it now?

Yeah. Please.

[She's tense and nervous. Not so much because of what they're about to do, but moreso because she's terrified of freaking him out or scaring him off or making him do something he really doesn't want to do. Claire knows it's for the best, but she hopes she isn't being a bad friend.

Especially when she's never really been a good friend, and she's trying so hard to fix that.]

[Meanwhile, he's just worried she'll change her mind the second he pulls the trigger. He isn't terrified or anything, but he's been enough of a creep around Claire and he's not too happy to keep the impression going.

Jesse disappears into his bedroom for a second, then walks back out with the gun and the chip dart. He loads the gun where she can see it, even though it looks the same as all the other darts. It just seems like a necessary courtesy.]

Where do you, um, want me to aim?

Um.

[Claire looks down at herself, as if suddenly aware of her own body. Thinking. Then, after a second, she looks up and just walks closer and closer to him. The closer she is to him, she thinks, the more accurate the shot will be. Claire holds out her left forearm.]

Here's good. [She tries a hint of a reassuring smile, looking up with eyes examining his face. Checking to make sure he's okay.] Go ahead.

[She gives him permission again, calm and sure.]

[Jesse nods. It's funny, though. He doesn't look nervous as he steadies the gun. He's just serious. Focused. He's 100% confident in his aim and he could've hit the target even if she hadn't moved closer. If she flinches, he'll have to adjust for it. That's all. This is Jesse at work, though. Shooting people is one of the only things he's good at.]

One... Two...

[He fires.]

[She takes a breath when he starts the countdown. When it hits she blinks, barely reacting at all, eyes wandering down to her forearm, hoping that her ability doesn't work so fast that it won't be able to stay in on its own.

But it does, and the corners of her lips twitch upward in response. Claire doesn't speak, running a finger over where the chip is inside of her skin, memorizing the exact position. Eventually she looks up.]

So far so good. If it wasn't working my skin would have already pushed it back out. [Claire watches the spot again, as if saying that could have jinxed it, but she nods, satisfied.] Okay. Wow, okay.

[She's normal again. And she looks.. happy.]

[His own reaction is a little harder to read. He's glad it works and that she's happy about it. What he's not so glad about is taking away the one thing that's guaranteed to keep her safe in this place. Even if it's only a temporary thing.

His expression is somewhere between concentration, curiosity, and concern.]

How do you feel? Sick or anything?

[She shakes her head.] No. I feel fine. Normal.

[In fact.. Claire pinches herself on her upper arm. Hard. As if someone would in a dream, to test that it's real. There's a surprised jump of a wince on her face and then she's grinning, letting out something between a laugh and a sigh.] Yep. I'm one hundred percent normal now.

It works great.

[Jesse watches her in mild puzzlement, but... hey, she's laughing, so it's all good. He tucks the gun into the waistband of his pants and relaxes a bit.]

Lemme know if you start feeling weird. I mean, I don't think there're supposed to be side effects, but...

[Half-shrug. She admits something serious and personal but it doesn't dampen her mood.] I'll feel more than weird in a matter of hours if I don't take it out. I don't exactly.. Have an immune system without my powers.

[Claire looks up a little self-consciously.] Do you mind if I hang around here until then..?

[There's something that totally never occurred to him. Wow. Awesome. He just gave her AIDS.]

Jesus... Yeah - I mean, please stay here.

[He waves her toward the couch, then jerks a thumb back toward the kitchen.]

You want a drink?

[It's a visible relief when he says yes.] Okay.

[At the mention of a drink her mind wanders. Claire makes her way over to the couch and sits down on her hands.] Sure. Yeah. Uh. You don't have anything uh-

I have no idea what it's like to have alcohol affect me. [PAUSE.] God okay, apparently me losing my healing factor makes me say stupid things. Anything's fine.

[He lets out a surprised laugh.]

You wanna get drunk?

No! [omg embarrassed smile] That is not what I said.

[It kinda is Claire.]

Edited 2012-12-23 18:00 (UTC)

Hold on. I got beer somewhere.

[He ducks into the kitchen and returns with four bottles. Yeah, four. It's a start. He sets three down on the coffee table and pops the cap off the fourth with his elbow (it's a parlor trick!) before offering it to Claire.]

[She laughs when he returns with the beer, shaking her head, calming her own nerves. Claire takes the beer with a nod.]

It's stupid, I know. But I might never get another chance.

[He pops the cap off another bottle for himself, then settles back.]

Well... I could shoot you anytime.

[She's still sitting up pretty straight. Sometimes she does have good posture, and this is one of those times.]

I guess so, yeah. But you never know what could happen tomorrow.

[HALF-SHRUG. She moves to clink her bottle against his.] Here I go. [She hesitates only a moment before going ahead and attempting to carefully chug the beer in her hand. Resisting the urge to laugh.]

Edited 2012-12-24 07:24 (UTC)

[Jesse laughs as they toast, but he opts to sip his beer rather than chug it. Someone has to stay sober enough to remove the chip if it becomes necessary. Besides, it's enough fun just to watch her down it all.]

[She downs it all. She has to pause about halfway through cause wow, bubbles, and oh my god he's laughing and she wants to laugh but then she'd be spitting out beer all over his couch and-

She finishes it like a champ, eyes wide and hand moving to her chest when she's done.] Euugh.

[But then she smiles.] Normal college experience number five checked off the list. Ugh, how do people do this. [She giggles, before reaching for another one. She gets a little excited every time she feels even the teeniest sensation of pain. Like the congestion in her throat from all of the bubbles in her chest. Minor, easy pain, but it reminds her she's alive.]

You've barely even started!

[...says the guy who's hardly touching his beer.]

It's the bubbles! Liquor tastes awful but at least it doesn't do this weird.. chest thing. [She crinkles her nose and opens the second beer bottle.]

Oh, well, next time I'll make sure I'm stocked up on whiskey.

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