Where: Caldecott House
When: November 5, 2012; Late Afternoon
What: A day after learning about Zan's sudden flightlessness, Nobara tracks him down for a little Q and A.
The younger Caldecott son may have officially moved back into his parents' place after a stint with his older brother, but his comings and goings remain a rare thing. Usually seen in the afternoon hours or during a requested Sunday brunch, most of his time continues to be spent at Rylie's or school. But this afternoon is like most, which find Zan in the converted basement.
Hard at work, it would appear, he's seated at a desk and facing a laptop screen. Fingers occasionally tack away at the keys, adding or subtracting lines from the display. Around him are the various tricks of his trade, extra screens and cables strung around, coming and going from different points and systems. Movie posters and unframed pictures hang haphazard from the walls by thumb tacks. The only other decor seems to be the bed, taking up a spot along one wall.
The basement level has an outside door, though it's use is much different due to it going straight to where the junior Caldecott has been living. Deliveries come in at the back door of the house, so hearing things in the middle of the afternoon is not uncommon. The difference today is that the sound of steps outside, perhaps audible over Zan's work, echo down the stairs to the door of his basement lair. There is a series of light knocks a moment later.
Nobara stands outside the door, having blithely passed through the rear yard due to the rustling jacket emblazoned with 'Primatech Paper' on one chest pocket, the other home to a badge naming him 'Yun'. Her. It's purposefully hard to tell. He's got a ponytail that isn't his, and light makeup that makes such matters terribly ambiguous. No telling what's under the jacket, but there's slim pants and boots otherwise. Looks enough like a delivery…person. Making it hard.
A frown etches across Zan's brows when the knock interrupts his train of thought. He turns slightly to look toward the outside door, the sound definitely not coming from the interior door that blocks off the rest of the house. Recent events make him a little wary, hesitant, and he's not expecting anyone to come calling at the exterior door at this hour.
For the Agent outside, it might seem like too long has passed, that perhaps no one is planning to come to the door at all. But the Caldecott boy pulls himself up out of the chair and eventually cracks the door open with one foot poised to keep it from going too far. The face on the other side is given an expectant look.
To his guilty credit, Nobara's lashy eyes are downcast towards Zan's pantlegs when the younger man cracks the door open. His hands are also clasped palm to wrist in front of him- pointedly- no funny business with anything that goes pew-pew. When he looks up again, his eyes find Zan's through the open portion of the frame.
"I'd like to talk with you." If it's okay. He's quiet, almost. Not so saucy, anyway. Despite his ambiguous and abrupt presence at the manor. "If I stand here too long, though, someone will notice." So there are two options.
There's not any immediate recognition in Zan's expression. Only waiting. Until Nobara's gaze rises enough to meet his own. "Last time any of you wanted to talk to me, I got pushed off a roof," he points out, cooly. His eyes tick past the older man to survey the yard behind. "Make it quick."
While it isn't much of an invitation, there's little trust offered to the Agent. Zan steps away from the door to allow Nobara inside. Arms fold over his chest when he turns back to face the other man.
"To be fair, I didn't know she was going to go that far." Nobara offers, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip, brows kneading upwards. He steps inside readily, eager to get off of the basement stoop as soon as he can. Whether or not Zan is as eager to see him. He takes a look around, first, vaguely admiring the nerd-decor before turning back around, crossing his own arms in front of his stomach.
"I just want to know what happened to you. It happened to me, too. I even know where mine went. Someone else has it. I have hers." Complicated. He toes at the floor with one boot, glancing down.
The Agent is regarded with silence, and Zan's brows tick upward at the apologies. "You didn't do much to stop it, either," he points out. "Haven't given you or your friends trouble since Moulin Rouge and suddenly you can't just accept that it wasn't me?" It must be a moot point now, because the mayor's son turns away following his own statements and returns to his computer.
"What happened was I got a weird feeling," he continues while saving files and closing out computer programs. "I couldn't place it at first. Then I figured out that I couldn't fly anymore. It just isn't there."
From several steps away. Sure. Maybe if he could fly, right? Nobara's mouth tightens, but he doesn't say anything to the initial jab.
"I didn't have much of a chance to ask any questions." Tilly didn't accept, and actually did the pushing, you know. But Nobara takes his licks. He stays back, feet fidgeting for a moment. "Anyone you know been acting strangely?" He changes topics as well, weight finally settling on the right.
Zan thinks about the question for a minute or two, all while he finishes closing down his work. "My dad has," he says finally. The lid to his laptop is eased closed. "But as far as flying, I haven't seen him doing anything like that." Not that it means the mayor hasn't been flying. He turns in his chair and looks up at Nobara. "I don't know who that was that got caught flying though."
"Your dad?" Nobara sounds suddenly unsure of this. But he presses anyway. "How has be been acting strangely? Can you describe it?" Knowing more adults with such abilities gives the agent some more perspective, though his inquiry remains purely educational. For now.
"It was someone either smart enough or bold enough to figure it out so quickly, if that's where yours has gone. To this person we don't know. Any new interns, maids, people like that?"
Hands scrub at his face as Zan lets out a breath. "No, I don't think so," he says as he leans back again. His arms fold over his chest again, gaze settling somewhere distant. "Rylie's still his assistant, office staff hasn't changed." He scrapes his lower lip with his teeth, taking a moment to think.
"When I started feeling odd, my brother and I were at a club," he begins again. "A couple got into a disagreement and he pushed her into the table Tim and I were at. I started feeling strange after helping her up and Tim said he wasn't feeling good after that, either. Then…" He trails off and focuses on Nobara, both hesitating and searching instead of continuing.
Zan is answered with a small frown coming over Nobara's lips. He doesn't look confident.
"Then what? And your brother, is he one of us? Have you spoken to him much lately? Same for your dad. I don't know how prevalent family dinners are." He puts his hands down on his hips, shoulders shrugging. "Do you remember what they looked like? The couple? The woman in particular."
"Neither of them are one of us," Zan states, taking the opportunity to put off answering for his trailing thought. "Neither of my parents are, Tim is or was completely in the dark about anyone like us. I don't see him as often as I dad either." He pauses briefly, a frown creasing his brow just before he offers a brief, basic description of the woman and man from the club.
"It was hard to see, dark, club-like," he explains with some small apology. His gaze settles on some distant point again. "She works at a restaurant. I don't know about him, but… I'm pretty sure it's the same woman that Tim and I ran into."
Nobara hones right in. He steps closer, hovering there, appearing ready to jump on something nonexistent. Not Zan. hopefully.
"You saw one of them again? And you know where she works?" While jumping around yelling 'where?!' does not happen, Zan can tell it is just under the surface of the other, more mercurial man. "Then we need to start with what we know about this. About her. Even if it's nothing."
"And then what," Zan nearly throws back at the Agent. It's intense enough. Perhaps the stress and fear of his ability being gone making itself known. He looks up at the older man, jaw tightening, likely biting back some further animosity. Not that he continues entirely mellow, but his words are more controlled. "What if she can't undo what she's done? At least you didn't lose something completely. And even if she can undo it? What about whoever has my ability?"
"We can't let conjecture put us off. If nobody goes to her, we can't know anything for sure. So What Ifs aren't helping. And then we see what she knows or doesn't know. And then we find out if someone that was around you, now has your power. And Then-" Pointedly, but not angry. "-we can see about getting it back. I'd rather you flying around than who the hell knows." For what it is worth. Nobara steps back again, pacing a few steps. "But if you don't say where you saw her, we'll all keep on not knowing anything, rather than something, good or bad." First things first, Zan.
"I'd rather me flying around, too." Equally pointed. Zan shoulders push upward slightly, as if the act of shrugging can brush off the What Ifs for a moment or so. "Rylie and my dad had a lunch meeting. That's how I found out where this woman works." The general location is given, an establishment name and cross streets. "And I'm going with you."
Nobara's nose wrinkles just-so when Zan insists that he is coming along. Still, he did what Nobara wanted and gave up details.
"Fine. You can come with me." And perhaps for once, he'll see what the job really entails. "But if something starts up, you shouldn't get involved. At worst, just run. I'll have to get backup though. So that you're not actually …acting as my partner."
"Yeah, right." No, Zan isn't agreeing to keeping out of trouble or running, his tone comes out too sarcastic for that. "I'm not your partner, but I'm going to get my ability back." And Rylie's. "I've been in worse situations, so whatever your party is all about? Don't worry about me if things go from bad to pear shaped."
"I thought you weren't so sure what was going to happen?" Nobara is now smirking, aware that the younger man seems to have flipped on that stance in particular. "Hopefully nothing will go from bad to anything. All we're going to do is talk and go from there. But while we are there, and you get into something, you'll need to listen to me whether you like it or not. I pull rank, and I'm older. My hair is also higher than yours." With that, Minawa is shifting on his feet, stepping idly backwards toward the door.
"Pull rank," Zan scoffs. He doesn't verbally argue but his expression says it all. And he has the file to prove just how well he listens, which Nobara should be somewhat familiar with. When the older man starts for the door, he turns to start packing up his things for the night. After all, the door hasn't moved, he's confident the Agent can find his own way out.
"Snort all you want. But I'm calling the shots." He's the one with the gun. And the training. The sooner Zan realizes that Minawa is what he says he is, all the better for everyone. "I'll call you soon." Yes, he can show himself out. But on the way up the stairwell outside and back to the paper can, he does make a show of undoing the long ponytail and zipping up his jacket. What an incorrigible prankster. See you later, Caldecott.
