What Resolution? (Open.)

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen was out on the town – in his pyjamas, and a big smile on his face. It was the new year and that meant one thing, and one thing only. Time to buy a new video game with his Christmas money, and then go back home and play it ‘til five o’clock in the morning. He probably would’ve walked into the small shop in just his boxers, but it was a bit chilly out, and the owners might throw him out. Although he seriously doubted they would stop their best customer from spending more of his parents’ money.

Taking the game he had in mind of the shelf, he went to pay for his purchase and shoved the case into his large coat pocket as he left the store. He led a fairly uninteresting life, but that didn’t make him uninteresting. He just didn’t like to stick out in a crowd, never mind his superhero pyjamas. His mother keeps telling him that that outfit stopped being cute in public about twenty years ago. He hadn't changed that much. Taking a sandwich out of the other pocket, he bit into the soft bread and started his trek back home. Nothing like a sandwich and a new video game to put someone in a good mood.

What ruined that very quickly for the young man, was the patch of ice he failed to notice until he was sitting in the middle of the street, salami and white bread scattered about him as though he was throwing some kind of party. It was moments like these he wanted to be invisible instead of another being to imitate. To any passerby he might’ve looked like a homeless person.

[Victoria Jefferson]

The air was delightfully crisp and the town picturesque in it's snow-draped and ice-glazed. But it was the ice glaze that was dangerous, as the bundled woman witnessed. The man's feet had slipped forward while his back and the center of gravity pulled him in the other direction. It was very cartoon like, the way he fell, and the sandwich raining meat, bread, and condiments around him. Cartoony as it was, it wasn't funny and Victoria, being herself, rushed forward as fast as she dared on the black-ice laden streets.

"Gracious! Here, let me help you." What was he doing out without proper clothes on. Had he been sleep walking? She'd read that certain sleep aids didn't actually put one to sleep but rather put them into an odd state. Ambien in particular seemed to be the largest of culprits. People would drive, cook, clean, and not remember any of it.

Reaching a warm mitted hand forward she gripped the fallen man around the wrist and braced herself to help him up, making absolute certain that her feet were on salted portions of the walk so that she did not tumble down upon him. Her weight would likely hurt him more, and as bubbly and vivacious as Victoria was, she was also aware of her size.

"Are you hurt? You must be cold!"

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen wasn’t one to be optimistic, and he certainly wasn’t someone who stopped to try and see the good in people and life. So when a woman, who just witnessed his clumsiness, rushed over the ice to his side, he simply gawked at her for a few seconds before realizing she was trying to help him, not point and laugh at him. Traffic was honking but that didn’t stop this lady from helping him, and he didn’t waste any time hoisting his weight into her pulling hand.

“Oh wow,” he said, partly at how easily she lifted him, but partly at the situation. “I’m such a klutz,” he admitted with a sheepish smile, before he tugged a little at the woman. “Thank you for helping me, but we better get off the street before we’re run over.” Jaythen went quickly, all while making sure neither of them slipped or tripped in the nippy weather.

Once they reached the curb, Jaythen looked down at himself and shrugged a bit. “Not that cold really, it’s not a far walk from home.” He said. That, and he hadn’t planned on falling on his ass in the middle of the cold street. There had been no cracks heard as he fell, so he assumed his game was still in brand new condition. The boy ran a hand through his extreme bed head before looking back to his saviour. “You think I could get your name? So I can tell everyone about who saved me from being front page news.” He smirked a little then, eager to get away from here, and go home.

[Victoria Jefferson]

Gingerly getting out of the street with the fallen fellow, Vikki was happy once the horns stopped beeping indignantly at them. "I'll give you my name, but really you weren't going to be front page news. People around here try not to run over each other as much as possible." Patting her curls back into place and making sure her muffs hadn't slipped from her ears, the woman offered another broad smile.

"Vikki. And you're sure you aren't cold? It seems a little... cold to be wearing pjs and little else." She still wasn't convinced that he hadn't been sleep walking. "Are you on any... Ambien or other sleep aid?" Meeting his eyes, she checked for dilation, though it was more difficult to do so when she didn't have a light to shine in them.

He looked awake. He sounded awake. But for all intents and purposes those folks who'd driven through fast food drive throughs while on the drug had sounded and apparently looked awake as well. Whatever his answer, she was already pretty determined to walk him back to his home and make sure he got in safely.

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen laughed a bit and gave a wave in response to someone giving him a rather rude gesture. “Pity, I have such a striking face, but people usually don’t think highly of lazy bums,” he said. He wasn’t trying to be literal, merely figurative. People driving usually had places to be, and it would only be a matter of time before someone lost their patience.

“If we keep standing here talking, I’m sure I’ll freeze eventually,” he added with a grin. Then she was asking about any drugs she might be taking and she scoffed. “Are you a cop Vikki, because I promise this is me in all my true colors.” She then seemed to be giving him a once over and Jaythen blinked a few times, confused. “I’m JT, thanks again for saving me.” He said, his eyebrows furrowing.

“You interrogate people often?” He asked, trying to get to the bottom of his own thoughts. If she was an officer, she seemed pretty off duty. And since when did officers care about helping people? Didn’t they just lay about and do nothing. Hell, he could be an officer. It wasn’t a bad idea really. He smiled at the thought and decided now would be a fun time to pull a prank.

Slowly but surely, his body started to morph into Vikki’s body. Luckily his pants were stretchy, and his jacket was baggy or this might not have been as funny as he initially thought. “Yeah, I think I can pull off this look,” he said in a voice that wasn’t his, but Vikki’s. He, or rather, she, smirked at the true Victoria. He would definitely give her a run for her money.

[Victoria Jefferson]

Cop? Victoria had to laugh, and laugh she did, it didn't start slow and soft, but rather erupted from her in a burst of mirth. "Oh, God no. I just know Ambien can do some funny things to the folks taking it. Or read that anywa-" her words dropped off as his features began to shift, his skin to darken, his hair to length and curl. The clothes were still his, but the face, and body... hers.

A hand flew up to her apparently out-of-place curls and she patted them down quickly. "Lord, do I really look like that today? I knew my pants were a little tight. Too many Christmas treats." She wasn't phased. Not really. When one's career is to draw the Meta eye and interest, then one should not flinch or judge when ability was displayed.

"You did that very well," she praised instead. All he was doing was mimicking. In a way he was like her late sister. It was a completely different form of mimicry, while Patricia made others mimic her movements, this man -- JT -- mimicked appearance and voice.

With a concerned expression at her mirrored self, Vikki pursed her lips. She'd either lose the few extra pounds climbing the stairs at work or she'd be buying new jeans later. "C'mon then, me. Let's get you to your house."

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen glanced down at the frosted cement as he looked at the woman patting down his hair, perceiving herself in the picture. He laughed, "Your hair is a bit messy, probably just the wind though." He was blunt at best. "As for the pants, well, I'm not exactly shopping in the right department am I?" He chuckled again, not sure how she would take the comment. Judging by the reaction of his transformation, she would take it in stride.

Bowing, he rose his his, her, full height and smiled brightly. "Thank you! I'm an actor when there's a local play going on, seems my talent is most useful there, or at parties." Jaythen never saw his powers as that spectacular. Truly they were most useful for the thing he loved most, and that was acting. When he wasn't doing that, then he enjoyed using it to pull pranks on his younger siblings and tease those who didn't understand meta powers. That was hard to do in Pilot Ridge though, so he couldn't expect a great reaction from Vikki.

Twirling around to make a show of things, a look of mock concern and shock crossed the Doppelganger's face. "I usually don't go to stranger's houses after they save me, seems like a bit of a set up." He smirked then, which probably seemed misplaced on the woman he was trying to play. JT was a bit rustier than he wanted to admit, but that could be remedied.

[Victoria Jefferson]

"No, I imagine you aren't shopping in the right places." Vikki grinned again, though she was a trifle concerned about the state of disarray in her hair. But he was right, the wind was just enough to toussel it.

"I'll have to pay more attention to the plays going on in the area," she vowed, "I have no doubt you're brilliant in them!" Though she did wonder how far his ability reached. Did he transform into exactly what was written for the description of the part, or did he choose an image of someone he'd seen online or around the town to take for himself? There wasn't, however, a question of the honesty. She thought it was very good of him to use his ability to his benefit. Did actors not do the same thing with vocal coaches, cosmetics, and prosthetic attachments to achieve a particular look?

But when he'd misheard her and stated that it felt like a setup, Vikki looked slightly shocked. "Not my house, YOUR house. Get you there safely with no more spills in the middle of the road or head bumps." It was a little strange, she would admit, to be talking to herself. To see expressions that she wasn't sure she ever made. had she ever smirked quite like that? Or at all? Honestly, the woman couldn't be sure if she had. Not to recent, or even past, memory at least.

"It's probably safer for me to drive you at any rate... unless that feels like a set up too?" Heaven forbid someone think she, or any member of Operation Patriot was trying to set someone up. Nothing nefarious about her, or OP. They were just trying to help the Meta community find employment where their particularly unique skill sets would do the most good.

[Jaythen McKay]

"Can’t say I was prepared for this little number,” he said, putting his hands on his hips and smiling softly. There, that seemed a little more like Vikki from what he could gather. Not that she was keeping notes, but he always liked retelling his siblings about an exceptional performance. What would they say when he got home with this little number?

Jaythen couldn’t help but get excited when she said she would come to the next play... more or less. “There’s a good one coming out for spring break, Beauty and the Beast,” he said in her voice, which was now high pitched with adrenaline. He chuckled to himself, “I could get you free tickets, but if you want to bring some cash it’s going towards charity.” It wasn’t a very good career if he wasn’t getting paid, but it’s what he loved doing and he didn’t think there was anything worth quitting for.

Sending a wink to the woman, JT tried not to laugh. “I think I could handle the roads from here,” he said, “but I wouldn’t mind the company home if you have the time for it.” He really wouldn’t mind, he didn’t really get out much. The weight in his jacket pocket was a testament to that. He switched back to his own form in the blink of an eye, about the amount of time it took for another pedestrian to walk in between them.

“It’s not very safe to give rides to strangers,” he pointed out, a little concerned for the woman now. He may have been a good actor but he wasn’t totally clueless. “Unless that’s your job or something. What is your job?” He asked. It was only fair, she knew what he did for a living. Well, it wasn’t really a living, but it definitely gave him something to live for.

[Victoria Jefferson]

He was getting a better hang of her body movements and expressions. The man learned quick! Victoria believed in giving absolute credit where it was due, and this man, certainly had it.

In fact, he'd probably be brilliant at recon missions. She'd tell the BossMan about that and see what he wanted to do with the information and if he wanted to send someone out who was better at the recruitment thing or not. She did communications and she saw something, she'd report it and the information would get to the right people.

"I'll bring a gaggle of friends and we'll definitely help with the charity. I've always been fond of the Beauty and the Beast story. Though between us, I like the endings where he doesn't turn back into a prince best."

Startled by how quickly he changed back, and not even sure she SAW him change back, Vikki's hand moved up to rub at the space on her nose between her eyes. "You're very good at that, you know." But of course he did know. "As for rides, don't you worry about me, I'm a big... big girl and can throw my weight around when it needs it." She offered him a wink, much like the one he'd given her seconds previous. "As it is, I'm the communications officer for Operation Patriot. But my jeep's as yellow as a cab, so maybe I should pick that up for something on the side. C'mon then." It wasn't difficult to figure out which car was hers, it was the only bright yellow jeep parallel parked next to a meeter reader.

"Let's get you home. And you can tell me more about the production of Beauty and the Beast so I can add it to my calendar and gather some folks up."

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen hadn't really been planning on changing his life any time soon, and he certainly wasn't hoping to run into someone who could place him into a job when he was pretending to be said person, and also dressed in pajamas.

He smiled exuberantly. "I think the rest of the cast would love to hear that!" He said, a chin to his face as he thought about their particular ending. "The end doesn't bother me so much to be honest, he's the same guy on the outside." He said, thinking about just how relateable the best was in comparison to himself. “I don’t see how the two of them would have kids if he wasn’t of the same species though, that wouldn’t be a very happy ever after.”

“HA!” His laugh could be quite singular. “I don’t think it’s me you should worry about. And as much as you can handle yourself, I doubt you could stop a speeding bullet.” He said with a raised eyebrow. Or could she? Either way, personal safety didn’t seem high on her priority list, not that they were in the murder capital of the state or anything. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful, he knew some shady characters, had been a few himself.

He grinned at the next comment. “I think that job would suit you, you’re very friendly.” He said. JT could be nice, as long as what he was talking about was truthful. It was also nice that she was giving the supposed bum a lift home.

“McKay Manor if you don’t mind!” He said with enthusiasm, buckling in. It wasn’t every day he got a ride from someone who wasn’t his mom, and today she was at work. “It’s up on a hill just outside of town,” he said with a sheepish smile, “I hope that’s not too out of your way.” JT looked out the window. “So the play’s at the end of the month, March, and it’s based off of the Disney cartoon version.” It was, unadmittedly, one if his favourite movies of all time.

[Victoria Jefferson]

Victoria nodded thoughtfully as they approached her vehicle. "That's true, but maybe she doesn't want kids? We never get the rest of that story, just the words happily ever after. Which, when you think on it, is abstract and kind of a cheat." But it was a kids tale, derived from an old fairytale that had been decidedly more violent and bloody. A warning to the children who heard it rather than entertainment.

Turning her head to look at him, Vikki frowned slightly, "I don't think anyone around here is going to start a random shooting spree. And you shouldn't talk like that, it's too much like ill wishing, putting it out in the universe like that." But some people didn't seem to have that same regard. Some people had different ideas of how things worked and 'putting it out in the universe' was something that Vikki wasn't even sure she believed in herself, but why risk it.

Unlocking the jeep with her key fob, Victoria pulled herself behind the wheel and buckled herself in. Personal safety might appear go out the window when she was being helpful, but some things never would. She always bucked her seat belt, she always used ovenmits, and she never peeled an apple cutting towards herself.

"You are not too far out of my way, JT." He was further away than her own home, or the office, but when helping someone nothing was too far away when one had the means to get them there. She had nothing else planned for herself for the day, and it was cold outside. He shouldn't have been out in his pajamas if he lived so far away. Some people just didn't have sense.

"I'll tell the others at the office, I'm sure Tarak will be interested." If no one else at least Tarak and his family would go with her. Of that she was certain.

Pulling away from the curb, Victoria followed the directions to McKay Manor as they were given to her by Jaythen. She found she rather enjoyed his company and his wit, even if there was little sense between his ears. "Were you into acting before your abilities made themselves apparent, or after?" Curiosity compelled the question.

[Jaythen McKay]

Jaythen appreciated Vikki's out of the box insight. "You know, you just might be right. Belle had her hands full with all those crazy teacups anyways." He grinned at the thought of Belle being the crazy cat lady with a Beast instead of cats. It was a lovely image, maybe lovely enough to be a play on it's own. 'Beauty and the Beast - The Golden Years.

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to be a realist. You have to think of all the possibilities in a day so that you can be prepared." Jaythen smirked at her. "Take us for instance. I knew there was a two percent possibility that I would fall on the ice today and a kind stranger would offer me a ride home, it's pure facts." He said, nodding his head along in agreement.

"Well I thank you very much," he said as they edged onto the road. He laughed and teased all the way home. "I don't know really, I think they happened at the same time. I've always liked pulling pranks though, that's all I can remember for sure." He said, leaning back in the chair and enjoying the comfort. "What about you? Power of friendliness? Unethical kindness?"

[Victoria Jefferson]

"The power of Humanity and the will to do something good," she answered. "In short, I wasn't blessed with the power gene, so I do what I can to help ease the path for those with it. There's too much damn discrimination out there." The image of her sister in the hospital bed floated in her memory. "Too much that isn't completely understood. I don't know biology the way some folks do, but I work with a group of people who are trying to make things better. Equality for ALL." Her tone had lost some of the light hartedness as the topic became more serious. She was dead set on helping those like her sister. Completely sold on Operation Patriot and what it would mean.

Acceptance had to start somewhere.

Offering a grin to ease the tightened tension, Vikki gave her curls a little toss with a jerk of her head. "A girl does what she can." She hoped he understood how blessed he was, having the ability to change into anyone he saw fit to be. To alter his form, and all of the good he could do with it. He was already doing goo with it, bringing laughter, entertainment, and joy to the people who watched his performances.

And he had a sharp mind to calculate (presuming he wasn't just bullshitting and pulling the number off the top of his head) the percentage chance of his falling and a kind stranger helping him home.

But it had happened. 2% chance or not, it had happened.

Serendipity.

[Jaythen McKay]

"Equality for all," he repeated, a thoughtful hand to his chin. Jaythen was a big thinker, even though being a bit of a philosopher didn't pay handsomely. It was easy for him to put himself into someone else's shoes, literally. He couldn't remember a time he had been discriminated against for his powers, but he never really thought about how some people may have come across some bully. Maybe it didn't happen to him because he hid himself well amongst the crowd when he felt unsafe.

"Well I can't really say you're doing a good job, I don't know that. But you seem kind," he grinned at the woman beside him. He could honestly think that he had found a gem amongst the coal, a diamond perfected. She probably won citizen of the year all the time.

A few more directions later, and they were at his house, his home. Jaythen unbuckled himself and looked over at her. "Thanks again for the ride Vikki, you know where to find me if you need me," he said with a pleasant head nod, before exiting the vehicle and walking up to his doorstep. It would be easy to find him - here or the playhouse. For now, he had video games to play.

The end.