Run away leave it all behind

[whoami]

Who: Sam Flynn and Karen Page
When: Aug 14-ish
Where: Training Simulation Room
What: Sam tries to make up for how badly the last time went.
Warnings: None known? TBE if needed


Sam has always been rubbish at making "friends". He's been terrible at letting anyone get close, but he couldn't do that here. As recent events had shown him, being utterly closed and standoffish was a bad idea in general, but in his case it was a bad idea because it meant he was only communicating through a screen. If at all.

Two of the last three people he could remember communicating with face to face had already found him. He ended up having to catch up, because there was apparently a lot he'd missed. But making a detour to the Training Simulation Room, Sam spent a lot of time there. For a noncombatant that was definitely strange. Even stranger the settings he had the room on.

But when he did emerge, it seemed to be with more purpose. It had been hard to miss the fact that daily rituals seemed to become more important now, and Karen was at the cafe each morning as regular as clockwork. Sam plucked up his courage almost two weeks after he had emerged from cryo;

"...Everything I could say sounds like a pickup line. I figured I'd try to make up for last time, though."

Well at least it's honest?

Comments

[clericals]

Making friends, people that you trust, it's not always the easiest thing in the world to do. Karen is friendly, and she's always been talkative and interested in other people, but sometimes even she has a tough time of it. (Hiding things will do that._ But she's the type who always keep trying, and apparently Sam is too.

So much has changed over the past - God, weeks? - after what happened to the Moira and her own cryo. But she's been steadily getting back to where she was before, and when Sam appears before her, it's just one more thread she can pick back up.

"Sam." She smiles at him, and there's already a touch of relief in her voice and her expression. "I'm glad. It's really good to see you again."

[whoami]

Not really. But Karen was being kind, and even told a little bit about her home and "normalcy" while Sam had ended up being a jerk. He honestly felt guilty about that, and wanted to try to make it up to her.

"Well since things kind of went sideways for a while, it's nice that I managed to find you again."

Fidgeting, he throws in an awkward smile for good measure. He's bad at this whole social skills thing. Especially when it comes to women he's both trying to make amends with, and finds attractive.

"Um. I did want to show you something, though?"

[clericals]

"Yeah, I was out of it for a few weeks. When I woke up, I didn't know up from down."

Sideways, as he said. But Karen gets the impression that he's talking about what happened before that, something more concrete than just the weird little things that happen on the Moira with the passage of time.

She wants things to be better too, and so she's trying to tread carefully. Sam basically throws her a lifeline here, a chance to start fresh. It makes Karen's smile wider, her eyes more curious.

"You do? What is it?"

[whoami]

She missed the Caducans and the assorted weirdness that came from a fused Ingress, glass scars, and many captains becoming one captain then. Sam gave another awkward smirk and stepped closer.

"It's the 'Training Simulation Room'. I promise it's nothing bad, though. So…come on?"

Very carefully, he did reach out to take her hand in his so he could lead her after him. It wasn't far, but still a little thrilling as her hand was warm, soft, and much smaller than his. In a very odd way, it made her more 'real' to have the most simple, and light contact as holding a hand.

[clericals]

"Sure, okay."

She can come back to the cafe any time, she definitely doesn't mind going with him. Karen takes his hand, letting him lead her. She basically knows where the place is, but she's never been there much herself.

"Is this something you did yourself?" Karen stops herself before she can add 'for me'. That's getting a little bit self-centered.

[whoami]

Self-centered, yes, but also true. Sam did work on this particular project for Karen's sake.
He looked at her, smiling that same awkward smile, and shrugging one shoulder. Social skills, thy name is Flynn.

She gets left to make of that what she will. She doesn't have long, though since he leads her right into the training sim room. It's currently off, so it's a boring grey with projectors along the walls. Sam leads her to about the middle of the room then drops her hand.

"Okay. Stay right here, okay?"

He turns back to the panel that should be for the various settings. Most people come in here to 'train' in some form or fashion. Usually in combat But not today.

[clericals]

The action says enough, and it's endearing really. Karen just continues to smile at him, content right now to follow and wonder. She knows what this room is normally used for, and even if she doesn't see anything at all at first, she can imagine the potential.

"I won't move." Karen promises with a laugh, even more excited now the mystery is within reach. She clasps her hands together, looking around at the projectors once more as she waits. "Should I close my eyes?"

She does it anyway, just in case.

...wtf DW I wasn't even close to done O.o

[whoami]

"You can if you want."

Sam glances at her in confusion, but she's staying there, so the perplexed look goes away. He'd been saving each template as he felt they warranted enough to be called 'finished'. Now he loaded them, one by one in reverse.

The red brick rounding out to make room for a profusion of green and growing things. Things like trees of varying sizes, then shrubs further down. The greenery was surrounded in wrought-iron painted a dark green. Park benches were set up on each side of each tree. The sunlight dappled through the leaves of the trees onto the World War I doughboy statue that Karen now stood next to.

It was Dewitt Clinton Park. The one public park in Hell's Kitchen New York.

It wasn't perfect, since the Simulation Room was only so big, but Sam figured that trees covered the upper edges, and it wasn't like Karen was going exploring. There was also no wind...or much of any ar current at all, really. No cars on the road either. Still, it was the best Sam could do. Here's hoping it worked.

it was in a hurry!

[clericals]

Karen waits, hands linked together as she waits patiently. But eventually curiosity gets the best of her - it always does. She peeks one eye open, and then there's no going back. Karen's eyes open wide, and for a moment she covers her mouth with both hands.

"Sam..." The first word on her lips when she lowers them again. Karen turns around slowly, taking it all in. She looks at him when she stops. "This is...it's amazing." There's no other word for it, though for a moment it's obvious that she's struggling to come up with more. "I can't believe you thought of this!"

Hey as long as you put up with my slow it's all good c:

[whoami]

Coming to stand next to her Sam had his hands in the pockets of his uniform. He shrugged, smirking.

"Well, I've been to New York before. A lot of people are from there, or at least it's been used as a training sim a lot. You said you were from Hell's Kitchen, so..."

Sam trailed off. He looked at the simulated statue thoughtfully. Granted Karen had said she was from Hell's Kitchen in a post he didn't respond to, despite reading like a creeper but details.