The White Pelican

[kyngarthur]

The White Pelican was just as chattery as usual. There were the typical regulars at the bar, older men hitting on the bartender. The guys hanging out by the pool table, taking far too long to play a single game. Then the rambunctious bunch sitting over in the corner, that were probably going to have to be kicked out at the end of the night. They all quieted for a moment when the door swung open and a hulking brute of a man stooped so he could get through the door. Cairn's massive figure was huge, standing well over six feet tall, and weighing in at close to 400 pounds. The most formidable part of him being that none of his weight was fat. He sat down at the bar and the bartender poured him his favorite drink. The noise quickly resumed in the bar, although everyone kept a wary eye out for him. He was known to jump in to fights that were already started, just to laugh at people.

[Dusk]

Daurian followed her stomach to her recent favourite spot to eat. The White Pelican was a fairly busy bar that Daurian had taken to after her first visit. She slipped in the door and waved at the people near the door that looked up when she entered. It wasn't like they'd remember her in a few minutes anyway. She weaved easily through the people and slipped into the kitchen. Today it looked like burgers were on the menu. She showed herself to the prep area and snagged a plate and put together a bun. When the cook asked what she was doing there she muttered something about being friends with the owner and continued what she was doing. By the time she'd gotten situated at a corner table the cook had already put her out of his mind and was instead wondering how exactly he had miscounted how many burgers he had put down.

She was mildly surprised when a waitress sat a water in front of her and asked if she's like anything else. Daurian shook her head and took a sip of her water before ripping into her burger. She made short work of her plate and water before settling in to watch the people around her for awhile.

[kyngarthur]

A drunkard managed to stumble his way across the room and in to Daurian's table. He looked down at her and gave her a drunken grin and attempted to sit down in the chair across from her. Missing putting his chin in his hand, he leaned on his forearms instead, "Ya know, I don't reckon I've seen you in here before darling. How about you let me get you a drink and we talk for-"

Quite abruptly, the man was removed from the situation and Cairn stood over Daurian, "Ya know, I don't recall you paying for that meal. Or the one that you stole the last time that you were here."

He spun the chair around, sitting in it backwards, "The funny thing is, no one else seems to realize that. So, why don't you tell me who you are."

[Dusk]

Daurian snorted with laughter as the drunk tried to support himself only to fix the new arrival with the best deer in the headlights look he had probably ever seen.

"St-stole? No no, I'm friends with the owner...you are quite possibly the biggest person I have ever laid eyes on," she word-vomited blinking rapidly.

She'd seen this guy last time she was in here, but that had been close to a week ago. There was no way that he should be able to remember her. "Play it cool, she told herself.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, and I know better than to talk to strangers," she sassed crossing her arms.

[kyngarthur]

"Oh, but you do know what I'm talking about. You see, I happen to know the owner, and I asked him if he'd been giving food out to anyone. That stingy penny pincher wouldn't even give a bread crust to a homeless guy. So that story is out the window."

He tapped the side of his head, then waved to the room, "The funny part is, no one else in this room remembers you at all. So tell me, why is that?"

His massive hands rested on the table as he stared down at Daurian, a dangerous gleam floating across his eyes.

[Dusk]

She could feel a guilty smile spreading on her face.

"Couldn't tell ya. Maybe I'm just that average," she said. Her eyes flicked from the giant in front of her to the door and back again. She knew she was fast, but she hadn't chosen the best seat to make a get-away. She swallowed and tried to look unruffled. Just who the hell was this guy exactly?

[kyngarthur]

"Mmmm, no. I don't believe that's quite right."

Cairn reached out and snagged a beer off a tray as a bartender walked past. She looked like she might say something until she saw it was the massive man, and scurried along.

"So here's what I think. I think you and I are going to sit here for awhile, sort of... figure things out. Get to know each other, if you will. And if I still don't feel right about you by the end of our conversation, we're going to be having a nice chat with the police. Have I made myself clear?"

As he finished, he gave her a grin and downed the beer in what seemed to be one huge gulp.

[Dusk]

"Oh, so now I'm supposed to be telling you my life story? Just who exactly are you?" She could feel her temper rising.

Daurian had never been the calm one. That had always been her sister. Too bad Eliza wasn't here now. She returned her focus to the brute in front of her. She could handle him.

[kyngarthur]

"God no, I don't want to hear your life story. That would take far too long, and to be frank, I'd probably get bored."

He snagged another beer and downed half of it before continuing, "My name is Cairn. My last name is of little concern to you. I work on the military base here in town as a civilian contractor. I'm a combat specialist and trainer."

The last of the beer disappeared down his throat, "Now, I shared my name. Let's hear yours then."

[Dusk]

"I'm Daurian. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but to be frank we shouldn't be having this conversation in the first place."

Military then? She'd dealt with them in the past. There was something about this guy though. "I still don't get how he remembers me," she wondered.

Outside of her immediate family she wasn't certain that there was anyone that remembered her. Sure if they saw her often enough for long periods of time they would remember her for awhile, but a week was unheard of if she didn't show up to refresh their memory.

[kyngarthur]

Cairn leaned forward on the back of the chair, crossing his arms across his chest. "Oh, we shouldn't be having this conversation? You mean the one about you stealing? Why do you seem so surprised that I'm confronting you about this? Did you expect to get away with it forever?"

He shook his head, "Maybe I'll call the police anyways. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you're being very rude.'

[Dusk]

"No, I mean in general. What's up with you? I've gone twenty-three years with no one remembering who the fuck I am and then you just...you just sit down across from me like it's no big deal," she heard her voice crack.

She blinked rapidly to clear the burning she felt in her eyes. "Seriously? It takes this to make you crack up? I thought you were tougher than that," she could hear her dad's teasing tone just like he'd had when she had grown frustrated trying to go to school with her siblings. The school system was all but convinced at the start of every year that she was a new transfer student. She made "new" friends every year with the same group of girls until it got too frustrating to explain.

"Do what you think you need to do. You're the one that'll come out of this looking like an idiot. What sort of mutant are you anyway?" she said with as much venom as she could muster. Who did he think he was?

[kyngarthur]

"Aha, so that's how you got away with it. Interesting."

He stroked the stubble on his face as she went off on him, a smug grin slowly creeping across his face. At the last question, he leaned forward and gestured with his hands. A small chain that had hung from his wrist flopped to the table and moved across to Daurian in the blink of an eye, locking her wrist to the chair she was sitting in.

"I guess I'm good with the I'll show you mine if you show me yours routine. You're easily forgotten, and I can manipulate metals to my will."

The chain released her wrist and returned to Cairn's own, "Now that we've got that out of the way, I'm not calling the cops. They'll take you to the military labs, and no on will ever see you again. and not for lack of remembering either."

[Dusk]

As soon as the chain clamped onto her arm she was instantly angry. This was soon replaced with confusion as the metal piece let go.

She forced herself to stare Cairn down as he explained that he wasn't calling the police. So he'd heard the rumors about this town too.

"Yeah, makes it hard to hold a job when your boss doesn't remember you," she said glossing over his comment about the labs in the area.

[kyngarthur]

"I imagine it would. I'm guessing that's why you were so confused that I recognized you. If it's any consolation, I don't remember people by their looks or anything like that. I can see the metals in their bodies, and each person's is unique. you, for instance, need a little more iron in your diet."

He chuckled and leaned back against the wall, much more relaxed now that he knew what was going on in the world immediately around him, "So, Daurian. Is this all you do, is go out and eat for free?"

[Dusk]

"I've been hearing that for years. Not sure what else I should do to try to get those levels up though," she joked while she processed the fact that Cairn was in fact a mutant as well. A mutant that could remember her.

"Well, I've been in town for about a month. I've been living in an apartment, but the landlord hasn't bothered to charge me rent," she said quite certain that the meaning wouldn't be lost on Cairn.

"As for my business," she said straightening up, "if I told you I'd have to kill you."

The truth was her family had heard about the labs and sent her to scout out the area. For all she knew they were the ones that killed Eliza. If they were, well, her father would have to hope that he made it to her in time to get a few good licks in.