Montreal, Canada, Friday Afternoon

[whenshewasnice]

Montreal was quiet and normal. It had been, anyway, after the squirrels had left yesterday. Natalie liked that. Things were all as usual, and she was enjoying that. She was intending to stay for a while yet, too. Her father had insisted on a book shop tour tomorrow, and her mother a proper family dinner.

Both parents were at work now, though, so Natalie had the house to herself. Not that you could tell from the way that she was acting, since she was curled up in the arm chair in her room, as usual. Music was playing on the stereo, and her computer was open on the desk, as it tended to be. And she had a book in her lap, one for her French Lit class. It was like she'd never moved away.

Except she had a phone in her hand, and was picking Sam's number. That was definitely a change. And not a bad one.

[ooc: NFB, but open for emails and texts and calls (even other than the one she's making, omg.]

Comments

[necroslacker]

When Sam's phone went off, he was laying on the bed, half dozing. The phone gave him a reason not to sleep though so he picked it up quickly.

"Hello?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Hello, this is Montreal calling," Natalie replied, some hints of the little smile on her face making it into her voice. "Busy?"

She didn't think he would be, no.

[necroslacker]

"Incredibly. My other girlfriend is here."

His tone was playful because that wasn't true at all.

"Her name's Imelda. Wanna talk to her?"

[whenshewasnice]

"I don't know, is she prettier than me?" Natalie drawled. "If she is, I don't."

[necroslacker]

"Eh, she's pretty but I'd say you were prettier," Sam decided. "So, you've got her beat there. Hope your ego enjoys that little compliment."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm not sure I really have one." Liar. "But it's still nice to hear, though it begs the question why you have inferior girlfriends."

[necroslacker]

"Because I'm totally a womanizer."

Yeah, not at all.

"And when you're not here, I gotta have someone else to cuddle."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie sighed, oh so dramatically. "Well, you should have said so before. I could have gotten myself a Montreal boyfriend."

[lockestheway]

From: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
Subj: Be more forward thinking

Do me a favor. Mail all the foreign politicians you know and tell them to invest in biomass, stat. It's been two centuries and yet we're STILL arguing about environmentally-sound basic energy supplies.

Hello to you too, Peter.

[necroslacker]

"Yeah, but you wouldn't like him as much as me so what's the point when you'd just be missing me?" Sam asked, snickering.

[whenshewasnice]

"You do just fine without me," Natalie retorted. "You don't think I'd be okay with a replacement? No one's exåecting perfection."

[necroslacker]

"Who said I'm doing fine?" Sam wondered. "Despite my inferior girlfriend, I miss you and wish you were here."

[whenshewasnice]

To: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
From: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
Subj: Hello Peter.

Well, humans are stupid. It's a thing. One we are all pretty adamant to hold on to.

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, you were incredibly busy," Natalie reminded him, teasing. "I assumed. I miss you too, but I'll be here until... tomorrow night, at least. Probably Sunday morning."

[necroslacker]

"Are you feeling better?" Sam asked quietly. "Little less out of your skin?"

[lockestheway]

To: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
From: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

It's just ridiculous. The nation's economy is taking a nose-dive, and we're just counting the days until the next world war breaks down. With 80+ years under a regime that tried very hard to keep Earth from running out of resources for its burgeoning populace, why haven't they stopped squabbling about this yet?

Apparently they thought setting up population caps would fix the planet. Another lovely chunk of our heritage from you.

That being said, at least they're listening to my economic advice. This country might just be going somewhere, if we can keep building on this.

He was probably going to ask how you were at some point, Natalie. Hold the faith.

[whenshewasnice]

"It's quiet here," Natalie replied, answering without answering the question directly. "Calm. I have Pepsi with plus two to will."

She was at home.

[necroslacker]

"Sounds like I was right," Sam said, still quiet. "You needed to go home and recharge."

[whenshewasnice]

"Maybe, yeah." No, he'd been completely right, she just didn't like admitting things like that. Vulnerability and such. "Mom and Dad have been thankfully respectful about not nagging at me for my reasons for being home again."

[whenshewasnice]

Yeah, she wasn't exactly holding her breath. She knew how things worked with Peter. At best, she was expecting more quips about sheets or acting domestic.

To: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
From: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

Well, I'm sure you're doing your best, at least. Or the best you can without travelling back in time to fix the inherited mess – and while you'd probably do that if you could, I've seen enough scifi to know how it'd turn out.

Also, I'm not actually from the world that winds up developing into yours. Though it'll probably be similar.

[lockestheway]

To: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
From: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

>Also, I'm not actually from the world that winds up developing into yours.

Not important. It's the attitude that's the problem. We might be from differing universes, but your generation is in many ways still the same as the generation that reigned around your time period in my world.

It's not really important, anyway.

I've got stacks of paperwork - metaphorically speaking, we're not that backwards any longer - coming up to my ears right now. Which I suspect is a good thing, because at least they're not locking me out of the decision-making process. Which is more than I can say for some individuals who insist on sending me frustrated emails every other day, though sadly I can't disclose the actual details of that.

She was probably crying her eyes out about it, Peter.

Also, the local food is quite good.

He'd hesitated before writing that - it didn't seem that relevant, but on the other hand, Natalie wasn't another dignitary.

A lot better than the Fandom high school cafeteria - I'm still not sure what they put in our meatloaf. Or why they still make meatloaf.

[whenshewasnice]

To: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
From: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

I would expect most countries – on the verge of economic collapse or not – to serve slightly better food to their important consultants than what a high school cafeteria has to offer. Especially since I'm not convinced the kitchen staff isn't 50% gremlins (and possibly 25% teal deer).

Natalie would also have liked to note that talking about food even though it was barely relevant was just a human thing to do.

And it sounds like they trust you. A brain doesn't function without nutrition, which I'm sure they know. And Haiti sounds like a place that should have nice food, anyway.

[lockestheway]

To: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
From: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

No, the teal deer might have actually been able to render some food worth eating. You people need to start replacing your cooks with synthesizers already - it works fine for us.

It does have nice food. It's also starting to cost me a fortune in sunscreen already. I'd take back my refusal of a salary if taking it wouldn't essentially be stabbing myself in the back politically.

Has anything blown up lately?

See? He was sort of asking after her now.

[whenshewasnice]

To: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
From: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

Currently in Montreal, so I'm not up to date to the very second, but everything was Fandom-normal when I left, and Sam hasn't reported anything being particularly amiss. Same old, same old. Half expecting things to be delightfully wacky when I go back, though.

Some weekends just screamed 'Random Event', you know?

And Montreal is as normal as ever.

[lockestheway]

To: Natalie Adams <n.adams@fandomhigh.edu>
From: P. Wiggin <p.wiggin#consultant@haiti.gov>
Subj: Re: Hello Peter.

So full of people ignoring this 'fourth wall' of yours, running amock wielding superpowers, Peter concluded. Same old, same old.