[for Kenzi] faces, familiar and otherwise

[babochka_x899]

If Alex were paying better attention she would say she woke up feeling off this morning, but as she's been feeling off in a variety of ways since before she showed up in Darrow, she blames it on a lack of caffeine and sleep. She grabs her first cup of coffee at home to drink on Seymour's walk, but once the puppy has run out all the energy he'd built up over the night, and she's taken him home, she's too antsy to stay in the apartment.

So she dresses for a run, but decides to get another coffee beforehand. Preston isn't at the Coffee Bean when she goes in, but most of the staff know her by now anyway and a large almond milk latte with an extra shot is ready for her about the same time she gets to the counter to pay... and in theory to order, but they've already handled that with little more than significant looks while the guy in front of her waffled on what to get.

Coffee in hand, Alex heads out the door, pausing to hold it for the person coming toward it without really looking at them. It's a nice enough day, maybe the sunshine will do something about whatever it is that's bugging her today. And once she's properly caffeinated, she can get in that run. Ten miles or so sounds good this morning.

Comments

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi needs the caffeine. Right now her head is pounding and she pretty much feels like she is walking underwater. Through mud. Maybe there was mud in her head too.

Either way, it really wasn't a pleasant headache, or hangover, that she was dealing with at the moment and she was hoping that caffeine would help with it. That or she would have to resort to vodka and Bruce usually got a little frowny-face when she did that.

Reaching the Coffee Bean, she was about to move inside when the door swung open and she had to step back rather quickly to avoid getting run over. Of course, there was still a bit of stumbling before she offered a weak smile. "Sorry." She wasn't going to snap. She was trying to be better about that too.

[babochka_x899]

Yeah, it has to be the lack of caffeine. Because when Alex looks up at the girl walking into the coffee shop, she freezes just for a second - and she's been trained better than to react like that, or to have not been paying attention in the first place. Her heart rate jumps up, her head pounds, and her mind goes back to memories of the first time she saw that face, and the last, and all the reasons she can't let recognition show. And she doesn't, yet, but Alex doesn't see the way her blue eyes suddenly flicker and glow a brilliant green.

Some part of her realizes the accent's all wrong, but it's not enough, not with Irina standing right there. "Yeah. Sorry," Alex answers. The do-si-do at the coffee shop door is at least a familiar one, and normally takes apologies all around.

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Seriously needing coffee, Kenzi would have brushed by right then but she stops herself almost as soon as she starts to take a step. Or, well, it is actually the sight of the girl's eyes changing from blue to bright green that stops her because she recognizes that change. She has seen it before.

It doesn't make sense though.

"Hey.." She reaches out to grab her, not really thinking about her actions. "Who are you?"

[babochka_x899]

Alex pulls back, putting more space between them before Irina can grab her, and shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. Just a girl in need of morning coffee." She needs to get out of here before Irina puts enough braincells together to recognize her. Again.

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

"Um, no." Kenzi steps in front of her again while cursing the fact that Bruce wasn't with her. She didn't want to freak the girl out but she figures telling her that she has The Other Guy in her would probably do just that.

"Do you feel weird at all?" She asks suddenly. "Because I've heard that this place has weird coffee and maybe you shouldn't drink that." She points at the cup in her hand. "Maybe some calming tea would be better instead."

[babochka_x899]

Feeling weird isn't something Alex is going to admit to, especially not to Irina. Or - the wrong accent filtering through more - a stranger. Even more to a stranger who's acting like she knows more than she's letting on. Alex can't risk confirming a vulnerability like that.

"The coffee here isn't weird," Alex rushes to defend the coffee shop and Preston in absentia and her voice sounds rougher and deeper even to her ears. Like after spending all night at a smoky club, only not. "My friend's a barista here. And you might wanna get outta my way now."

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi takes a quick step back but she isn't going to give up either. "Okay okay, look. What I am going to tell you will sound mega weird but you need to trust me, okay?" She knows that it asking a lot but she has to make the attempt.

"How do you feel right now? Do you feel...like you're going to flip out?" And maybe turn green?

[babochka_x899]

Not-Irina takes a step back - smart - and Alex advances into the space without even thinking about it. Her pulse is pounding in her ears and and she can feel the restraint she holds to so tightly - because she's more dangerous than most people would expect and people are likely to die if she really lets loose - slipping a bit at a time from her control.

"I feel like you need to start talking. Now."

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi swallows nervously as the woman pushes forward to follow her. She doesn't really like confrontations like this which is why she tries to avoid them most of the time.

"Your eyes went green." She licks her lips. "I've only ever seen my friend do that and that's because he's got this...thing inside of him. We call it The Other Guy and it's kind of vaguely like a...Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde sort of thing."

"If he loses his shit? He apparently turns into a big, green rampaging monster."

[babochka_x899]

Alex can smell the fear on the other woman. She'd always thought that was just a saying, but now it's real and in Alex's face, and all Amanda's lessons on empathetic responses aren't helping when that fear is feeding the roil of emotions already building in Alex.

Alex knows she's dangerous, a monster in most people's eyes for the things she's done and the things she's capable of. But this is... She steps forward again, into not-Irina's space, and Alex shouldn't be able to loom over her when she'd noticed as they first met in the doorway they were within an inch in height, but it feels like she's looming.

"A monster? You think I'm a monster?" she asks, the rush of blood loud in her head, her heart beating faster and stronger, tension running through her and her hands clenching and releasing against the energy she doesn't know how to contain.

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

"What? No!" Her mind is scrambling for some course of action that she can take now. "I'm just saying that this...thing might somehow..."

"Wait, do you know Bruce?" She asks with a confused frown, wondering if maybe this woman was from the same world.

[babochka_x899]

The girl keeps talking, but Alex doesn't hear. Not with memories of the last time she saw that face bombarding her. Trapped. Locked in dog cage. Angry and scared and needing a fix. Not with those memories feeding the same emotions now as the thing inside her tried to roar and break its way free.

Falling to her knees on the sidewalk, Alex can feel her body begin to change. Too tight. Too small. Have to burst loose. Someone nearby screams, and she looks up, green eyes bright in the twisting, shifting features as she forces out one more word while she can. "Run."

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Shit, shit, shit

"No, no you can't do this." She pleads, taking half a step forward. She has no idea what it is about her that triggers this for the other woman but she can't help panicking a bit herself.

"Please, try to stay calm. Breathe...just don't freak out!" She freezes when she hears the instruction to run, hesitating between staying and doing exactly that. If it were Bruce? She would stay. She doesn't know this woman though and so she starts to back away.

"Please..."

[babochka_x899]

The roar that bursts out of Alex rattles windows, and her fingers, now green and huge compared to what they should be dig divots in the sidewalk as she tries to hold on. Dressed for a run, her clothes have a lot of stretch, but not enough and seams begin to pop under the strain.

Irina Friend... Traitor... Friend... Danger. If I see you again, I'll kill you myself. backs away, but it's not enough. Alex launches forward, only the small part of her that wanted, and still wants, to keep Irina safe adjusting her trajectory, and she lands on the hood of a car before pounding a hole right through the roof.

[rhymes_with_frenzy]

Kenzi falls back with a startled yelp, stumbling back into the nearest wall as the Alex launches forward to land on a nearby hood.

"You need to get out of the city, please." She pleads then, hoping that some of her words were making sense to her. At least enough sense to get her out to somewhere where she couldn't hurt innocent people.

Then she figures that she needs to run. She doesn't want to but she doesn't know this girl and she isn't so sure she wouldn't kill her right now.

[babochka_x899]

... get out of the city... get out of the city

Alex shouts at the girl, wordless and primal, and the car she's on crumples under the strain of not attacking. Then she leaps, crushing yet another car before taking off down the street, not caring what damage she did along the way.