3691/Drake is recovering

Drake is recovering
Date of Scene:	19 January 2018
Location:	Legion Cruiser
Synopsis:	Laurel and Drake finally have /the talk/.
Cast of Characters:	Slipstream, Andromeda

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Slipstream has posed:
After his Green Lantern visitor flew back to Earth, Drake had a few tests to run in the lab with Lyle. Now back in the medical bay, he is currently tapping away on the laptop that Kara generously brought to him to keep himself entertained. Space Internet is amazing. It's a good thing Lyle was able to get it hooked up to some time of network for him to explore. He has stayed off stream since his panic attack slash mental break down happened on camera, not wanting to cause anymore controversy in the eSport world. For now, he's just surfing random news sites with a bored expression on his face. He's also wearing futuristic looking clothes. Stuff that Lar found on the cruiser that would fit him. He is the height of 31st century fashion.

Andromeda has posed:
"You look very sharp, Drake." It's a soft, familiar voice with a lilting almost British accent to the wordS. There's Laurel, in a turtleneck sweater and blue jeans, her green eyes filled with mirth as she studies the man in question. She takes a deep breath and then approaches slowly with long, slow strides. "Haven't seen anyone wear that since I was... Home." A thousand years in the future.

Slipstream has posed:
The sound of Laurel's voice causes Drake's heart to race as he turns his head a bit too quickly towards her. He finds his breath catching, eyes widening. "Laurel.." His voice trails off as he remembers what Lar has told him and he swallows firmly in his throat. "You look great yourself. Is this considered cool from your home?" He asks as he slides out of bed to smooth down his clothes. "I'll admit, I like the way it feels. I'd fill my closet with this stuff."

Andromeda has posed:
"Yes," Laurel responds with a soft laugh. "It's very cool," she affirms then, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as she smiles. She approaches with careful strides, then leans forward and places her hand on the console in front of Drake. "You look like you have something to say. Is everything alright?" Laurel, of course, can hear Drake's heartbeat. Among other things. She studies him carefully, her blonde tresses framing her movements as she tilts her head.

Slipstream has posed:
Taking in a deep breath, Drake glances up into her eyes, then away from them just as quick as his cheeks flush a bit. ".. I'm sure Lar told you... everything ..." He says in a soft voice as he nervously jabs his foot against the ground, followed by a wince as he forgot he's barefoot and the cruiser does not have carpet.

Andromeda has posed:
"Did he?" Laurel asks, tilting her head slightly as she does so. "I'm afraid I didn't get all of the... Details. Can you help me?" That question is asked very gently, with Laurel continuing to studyDrake's eyes from where she has placed herself in front of him. "You can meet my eyes, you know... It won't hurt you. Why don't you tell me about it... from the beginning?"

Slipstream has posed:
"Didn't he tell you what Glorith did to me?" Drake asks as he turns his eyes back to her after a few long seconds. He starts to wring his hands together. "She trapped me in this .. I guess they're calling it a time prison. And .. it was meant for Lar. Glorith wanted to show him memories of what it would be like to be married to her, show him a happy life with her, all of that stuff." He says with a sigh. "Instead, it showed me ... ah ... it showed me all of these different .. lives ... that I could have had.. that I thought I had." His hands wring harder together. "And now those memories are all inside of me and it's been hard trying to figure out what's real and what's not.."

Andromeda has posed:
"I - heard a bit of it," Laurel murmurs, shaking her head once as she does. "The opposite problem to what Lar's been experiencing. "Drake, I..." She pauses for a second and then takes a deep breath ."Is there anything I can do to help?" Perhaps reflexively she reacheso ut and gently takes one of Drake's hands into her own. A slow exhalation follows, a measured breath that takes several long seconds."We can start by going through what you do remember. If you like..."

Slipstream has posed:
When she takes his hand, Drake tenses up for a moment, followed by a heavy breath that spills out of his lips. His eyes are nervous, his heart pounding even harder now. She can practically feel the temperature rise within him. "We were married!" He blurts out to her in a strained voice, one that is pained and emotional. He clutches at her hand for a moment. "And we had a beautiful daughter named Lorelei. And.. and I loved... you so much ... " He finally looks away from her, eyes blinking as he feels the sting of tears. "And I was a good father... and my mom... my mom was alive.. and .. " Using his free hand, he wipes at his face. "And those are the strongest memories that I had. There was others. Random white noise, but it was those that have buried themselves so deep inside of me."

Andromeda has posed:
Laurel's eyes widen slightoly as Drake speaks. She squeezes his hand gently and holds it in her own, shifting forward slightly as his pulse quickens. A faint nod fllows and then Laurel breathes a quiet sigh. "I..." A beat. "I always thought I'd name my daughter Lorelei if I had one. But..." She pauses for a moment then slowly shakes her head from left to right. "I wish I knew what to say." She leans in a bit further, aiming to place her free hand on Drake's shoulder. "We- really just met recently here. Lar told you, I guess...? The way things are here." She bites down on her bottom lip.

Slipstream has posed:
"He didn't tell me anything .. he spent most of the time having a superhero pity party about how having friends with normal humans is only going to cause him misery and pain because they get hurt around him. Kara had to slap some sense into him afterwards. We're good now though." Drake says as he finds himself inching closer to her when she reaches out to put her free hand on his shoulder. Tentatively, his own free hand reaches out to settle against her hip, then curl around to the small of her back. The movement is natural to him. One that he's done with her a thousand times. At least, it's what it feels like. "You should have seen her. She had your eyes. Blonde hair. Big smiling cheeks." He murmurs as he speaks about their daughter. "When she'd laugh, she'd get the hiccups."

Andromeda has posed:
Laurel sucks in a sharp breath and holds it for a second. Her green eyes close as she nods again and then a second time, harder, listening to what Drake has to say. there aren't any further words for now, just the gentle closeness of holding his hand and shoulder while an arm curls around behind her. Finally Laurel whispers in a slightly choked voice, "Tell me about her? If you want to. I don't... Mind listening, at least."

Slipstream has posed:
As he holds her, Drake lets out another soft sigh as he closes his eyes. He spends a few seconds reveling in this moment, soaking it in. As if he just got home from a long work trip and is seeing her again. "She was six years old. Quite the talker. She loved to run. She was very, /very/ fast. I guess she got a lot of you in her. Strong. Quick. But she had my wit. Always quick with an excuse if it was bedtime on why she couldn't sleep." There's another chuckle from him as he shakes his head. "She'd run around the house with a red cape on, arms outstretched, going vrooooooom. She was good at math too. Definitely got that from me."

Andromeda has posed:
"Did she have my powers then? I know she was young, so perhaps it was hard to tell, but..." Laurel trails off then and slowly shakes her head. "Keep going," she murmurs. "Just- keep talking until you want to stop." Laurel doesn't resist being held, though she keeps the way she touches Drake rather chaste. She also keeps her eyes squeezed firmly shut. "A cape, hm?"

Slipstream has posed:
"Yes, she had your powers. Sorta .. I mean .. she couldn't fly. She was strong and she was fast. I don't remember much else.. it's just foggy. The memories were precise.." Drake says as he sucks in a deep breath. He looks back up at her, chewing his lip. ".. I'm sorry if this is ... not comfortable for you.." He says as his hand drops away from her waist. "I just.. I'm trying .." He swallows. ".. I just want to tell you how much I love you. And .. I'm scared.."

Andromeda has posed:
"Scared that I won't answer the way you're hoping for?" Laurel asks. She opens her eyes finally, and her gaze glistens with unshed tears. "I'm sorry I'm not- who you need me to be, Drake. I don't know any of this, but... I'm sure I would have loved her."

Slipstream has posed:
Drake reaches up with his free hand to brush at her cheek with his thumb near the corner of her eye. "Scared that because of this, I'll never have a chance .. before .. ah .. all of this.. I had a crush on you. I even told Lar. We were talking about a double date with you and Kara." He gives a soft smile. "But now .. now that.. I know .. everything about you ... or at least the you that was in my head.." He brushes some of her hair to the side, then behind her ear. ".. I just .. I don't know how to even ask you out or start over .. or if you'd even .. give it a chance." He mulls for a moment, then says, "She was a mommy's girl if you wanted to know. I wish you could see what I can see.."

Andromeda has posed:
"Drake, I just... I don't know if I can be who you need me to be." Laurel shakes her head slowly but doesn't resist as Drake brushes his fingers against her cheek. Now the tears start in earnest, streaming down her cheeks as she slowly bows her head. Laurel's har is long and soft, much as he remembers it, somehow kept utterly perfect despite everything she does. "I'm not that girl. I don't know if I could ever be- her. But..." She pauses for a second and clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "There's no reason we couldn't go out. At least the once..."

Slipstream has posed:
"I just need you to be you. It's you I fell in love with." Drake says as his fingers brush the tears away from. "You still love strawberries, right?" He asks curiously with a smile. "And cookie dough ice cream? If that much is still true, at least I got something to work with when you need your comfort food." His free hand brushes her hair again once he clears the tears from her cheek, his other hand squeezing over hers.

Andromeda has posed:
"I... Well- yes. I do love strawberries." Laurel laughs softly, a faint flush climbing into her cheeks while she does. "I just- I hadn't even told anyone that yet," she admits after a second, biting her bottom lip as she does. Laurel is staring off across the room past Drake's shoulder for a moment. "If we're, ah... If we're meant to be I suppose we will find out soon enough..." She returns the squeeze gently. "It's a lot... But I can try."

Slipstream has posed:
"I don't want you to feel weird though, or force anything to spare my feelings." Drake says as he slides his hand down to re-wrap it about her waist as he leans in to give her a hug. He draws the hand he squeezes up to his chest so that she can feel the ticking of his heart. "But I feel like I have a bit of an advantage here." He chuckles softly. "And I'm going to get you so many strawberries." He leans in to rest his forehead against hers, his breath soft against her cheek.

Andromeda has posed:
Laurel returns the hug tightly - by human standards, of course. She leans in close and nods just once. drake would feel the movement against hsi shoulder rather than see it. "Okay. I'd like that," she murmurs then, closing her eyes as she does. "We can start there and see."

Slipstream has posed:
Giving her a squeeze back in return, Drake takes in a deep breath as he revels in the close contact. He nuzzles his cheek against hers gently before resting his chin against her shoulder. Instead of speaking, he lightly rocks back and forth with her. Just a slow sway as his fingers lightly draw a familiar pattern against her back.

Andromeda has posed:
"Ah..." Laurel pulls back slightly and flashes Drake a pained smile. "I- um." A beat." Ineed to go check on a few things. I'll poke my head in in a little bit...?" She's already slipping away from him now, taking a deep breath as she stands. "It'll be okay. It will just take- time."

Slipstream has posed:
Leaning back as well, Drake slides his arms from her as she lets go. "Sure, sure. No problem. I'm.... glad that you came though and talked to me. It's helped. You have no clue .. and .. thank you for giving me a chance." He says as his lips tug back a bit into a warm smile.

Andromeda has posed:
"Of course," Laurel responds wrily. "Why wouldn't I? I don't know how it would turn out, but..." She shrugs slowly. "That's no reason not to do anything."

Slipstream has posed:
"Who knows, we may actually have fun." Drake says as he gives her a grin, then slips back on to his bed and pulls his computer across his lap. In perfect Daxamite tongue, he says, << Goodnight my snowflake. Dream of bright stars. >> He pauses for a moment after the words come out, as if they've been spoken so easily a thousand times, then lifts the lid to his computer to go back to his research.