Bruce Banner (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hyperkinesia) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
entrancelogs2014-10-26 03:17 pm
hyperkinesia) wrote in entrancelogs2014-10-26 03:17 pm
Entry tags:
((OPEN)) The teacher is in.
Who: Bruce Banner Robert Greene and YOU!
Where: all around Storybrooke
When: throughout the whole event
Rating: PG for now, possibly will change... most likely.
Summary: your favorite teacher being out and about and living a quiet boring life.
The Story:
OCT 24TH TO 26TH
[ Life in Storybrooke is... quiet. It's the same one day as it was the last, or the same as the one weeks past. Not that Robert complains, somehow he feels as if he'd yearned for something this peaceful for so long - and yet it feels so wrong.
He knows why, but he doesn't think too much about it. That whole period of his life he likes to keep buried deep or it might just poke its head back out to haunt him.
And in the meantime, avoiding was always his thing. He's good at it, incredibly so, and even with both he and Virginia living in the same small town he does manage to go days or weeks on end without so much as seeing her. Of course that might also be because he spends most of his time either at school or at home, that makes it a lot easier to not run into her at any and all times.
(He could always leave Storybrooke. But the few times that thought crossed his mind it was gone as soon as it was there. He'd never not been in Storybrooke, where else would he go?)
But on Sunday, he feels differently. That one day he feels a strange yearning though he doesn't know for what, so despite not having figured out what that is, he still goes outside, spends his whole day going from one place to the other, even so far as stepping closer to the town limits at one point. The playground, the grocery store, the pie place - he goes through every single place in search of something that's yet to reveal itself to him. ]
OCT 28TH
[ Suddenly the weight of it all is maddening, and he's split between being two completely different people - Bruce and Robert - and he doesn't know where one ends, where the other begins. Actually, there's also a third, or should be at least. The Hulk, the massive green monster fueled by rage, and yet even now as he remembers this other life of his, the beast is still not in him, it's still not here.
Whether it's because Bruce is the actual lie, or because this is the product of a Wonderland event, he doesn't know. He tries not to think about that one detail too much, when so many other worries already plague his mind.
He remembers-- remembers names, people, or he remembers people from this place but with different names altogether. Looking at Virginia now is nearly impossible because all he can see is Pepper and he's remembered Tony too, and he can't think of either without being reminded of what they'd done just the day prior.
Then there's Natasha, and he's sure that's her name, it rings clear in his head and it had been one of the first that came to mind the night before. Yet here he is the day after and he doesn't know what to do. Does he talk to her, when he doesn't even know what's the truth and what's the lie? Should he wait, and avoid her like he's avoiding Virginia - Pepper - now?
How many other people had he forgotten for that while, how many of these lives are a lie?
Can a man who has two lives be in fact no one at all? ]
Where: all around Storybrooke
When: throughout the whole event
Rating: PG for now, possibly will change... most likely.
Summary: your favorite teacher being out and about and living a quiet boring life.
The Story:
OCT 24TH TO 26TH
[ Life in Storybrooke is... quiet. It's the same one day as it was the last, or the same as the one weeks past. Not that Robert complains, somehow he feels as if he'd yearned for something this peaceful for so long - and yet it feels so wrong.
He knows why, but he doesn't think too much about it. That whole period of his life he likes to keep buried deep or it might just poke its head back out to haunt him.
And in the meantime, avoiding was always his thing. He's good at it, incredibly so, and even with both he and Virginia living in the same small town he does manage to go days or weeks on end without so much as seeing her. Of course that might also be because he spends most of his time either at school or at home, that makes it a lot easier to not run into her at any and all times.
(He could always leave Storybrooke. But the few times that thought crossed his mind it was gone as soon as it was there. He'd never not been in Storybrooke, where else would he go?)
But on Sunday, he feels differently. That one day he feels a strange yearning though he doesn't know for what, so despite not having figured out what that is, he still goes outside, spends his whole day going from one place to the other, even so far as stepping closer to the town limits at one point. The playground, the grocery store, the pie place - he goes through every single place in search of something that's yet to reveal itself to him. ]
OCT 28TH
[ Suddenly the weight of it all is maddening, and he's split between being two completely different people - Bruce and Robert - and he doesn't know where one ends, where the other begins. Actually, there's also a third, or should be at least. The Hulk, the massive green monster fueled by rage, and yet even now as he remembers this other life of his, the beast is still not in him, it's still not here.
Whether it's because Bruce is the actual lie, or because this is the product of a Wonderland event, he doesn't know. He tries not to think about that one detail too much, when so many other worries already plague his mind.
He remembers-- remembers names, people, or he remembers people from this place but with different names altogether. Looking at Virginia now is nearly impossible because all he can see is Pepper and he's remembered Tony too, and he can't think of either without being reminded of what they'd done just the day prior.
Then there's Natasha, and he's sure that's her name, it rings clear in his head and it had been one of the first that came to mind the night before. Yet here he is the day after and he doesn't know what to do. Does he talk to her, when he doesn't even know what's the truth and what's the lie? Should he wait, and avoid her like he's avoiding Virginia - Pepper - now?
How many other people had he forgotten for that while, how many of these lives are a lie?
Can a man who has two lives be in fact no one at all? ]
Oct 26 LET'S DO THIS
But she still wears her wedding ring, though not on a necklace as most widows would. No, it rests on her hand, in the same place Edward had put it years ago. For so long she's lingered in that sorrowful place, slept on the same side of the bed, kept her things arranged so there's empty space where his would have been.
Yet something's changed over the past few days. The hands on the clock tower have moved, and though she still goes through her same routine Virginia has felt better somehow. Certainly there's some sorrow that lingers, but it doesn't feel so heavy as it once did. Her work is easier, or simply seems so because she feels more confident in doing it. On Saturday she uses money she's kept carefully saved to buy a new dress and much higher heels than she would normally wear for no other reason than she wants to give herself something nice.
Then Sunday morning comes, and at first, she sits on the side of her bed, quietly mulling things over. She still loves her husband, and she always will. But that morning, she slides her ring off her finger, tucks it carefully away in the nightstand drawer. She loves him, but he's gone, and she can't keep repeating the same day over and over without ever moving on.
Of course, some parts of her routine are fixed for a reason. Sunday is grocery day, and the afternoon finds her at the market where she goes every week. She's paused to look at the flowers, thinking something bright might be a nice addition, when a familiar figure turns the corner.]
Robert! Hi. [She smiles politely at him, as she does each time they run into each other. It's happened often enough that she should be used to the awkwardness that comes with it by now. But like so many things that's also lingered, and she glances away for a moment, just to get her bearings straight.] How are you?
AYEEE
His feet take him to the market at one point anyway, but it's almost strange how he doesn't even seem to be shopping - but what else would he be doing here, really? So he tries to mask the fact that he's a little lost by looking at the shelves as he walks down the aisles, in hopes of not getting a lot of attention turned his way.
Finding her there shouldn't surprise him so much. It's been months or years even but Virginia always had a schedule before, a routine she kept to, and groceries were always a part of her Sunday plans, even back then. But he looks taken aback for a single moment anyway, his footing faltering for a moment as he slows into a stop only a short distance from her. ]
Hi. [ Smooth as sandpaper. But he manages a smile, at least, not yet paying every single detail due attention to notice she's not wearing her wedding ring today. ] I'm fine, yeah, I'm... How are you?
Is that the sound he's making in his head now?
I'm okay. Good, actually. [Words she genuinely means, and Virginia reaches up, brushing her hair back behind her ear just to get it out of the way. He looks good, if a little lost, but even this early on things feel different from when they normally run into each other. She has a sense of ease that's normally lacking, has been for a long time. She's glad for it, because Robert had been a dear friend once. He might have been more, if their paths had crossed at different times.
But it's not something she's going to bring up; the subject is delicate to say the least, and whatever's making today different isn't something she's so keen to change. She nods towards the box in his hands, keeping her smile restrained as she asks only through great effort.] So, I never knew you were such a fan of pasteurized cheese product.
maybe
That's good. [ She sounds genuine, and he's glad for that - really. God knows after all she went through, she deserved a good time in her life. And Robert never wanted anything else but happiness for her, which was why he never held a grudge for her choice, or for Ed's for that matter. What happened had been undeserved and cruel to them all, but he's relieved to at least see her now working her way through it all.
His own feelings set aside. He can live with those just fine, as he always has.
At the remark he looks down to the box in his hands, smiling and letting out a quiet chuckle as he shrugs. ] Honestly, I'm not really buying anything. I'm... kind of still trying to figure out what I'm doing here.
she can put different thoughts in his head if you'd like ;)
Yet by the same token, there are other sparks of emotion that flare in her. Strangely she finds it isn't unlike looking at the dress she'd splurged on, turning over the cost and the practicality versus the simple want of something luxurious for herself. While their prior run-ins usually ended with some form of regret, part of Virginia thinks that today could lead to a different end.]
It does seem like the wrong place to be if you're not out for groceries. [For his sake she reaches out to gently take the box from him, putting it in the top part of her cart with the intention of later replacing it on the proper shelf.] Why don't you walk with me and we'll see if we can't figure it out?
oh bb... hehe
He lets her take the box from his hands, dropping his head slightly with a small grin as she places it in her cart. And with a nod he walks up to her side, waiting for her to start leading the way along the hallways. ]
Sure. It's not like I'm that busy-- obviously. [ Seen as he's wasting his afternoon away strolling around the market rather pointlessly. Except now at least he has company, and it doesn't feel so pointless anymore. It makes him wonder if maybe... maybe she was that one thing he was looking for. ]
Re: oh bb... hehe
Before they move past that aisle, Virginia picks out a bouquet of a half dozen lilies, three deep red and three rich yellow. She gives them a small sniff, then adds them to her cart before at last starting to move on. Only a few steps go by before she glances over at Robert, curious about something.] This may sound weird, but have you felt differently the past couple of days? [She has yet to find an explanation for it, but she can't help but wonder if it's just her. Something about the town itself seems to have shifted, although she'd be hard pressed to put her finger on what.]
no subject
[ But not now, no. Right now this moment, this little chatter and this impromptu meeting of theirs seems far more important - maybe the most important thing in years for him. Which is strange, but then again the whole weekend has been exactly that. Strange. Something that Virginia quickly brings up by asking that question. ]
Actually... yes. [ He knits his eyebrows together for a moment, looking sideways at her with an expression that shows just how odd it's felt to him too. ] So it's not just me?
no subject
[Because awkward gestures aside, she thinks he might be relaxing some. She's happy to see that, and if teasing helps, well. It's hardly a burden to have a little fun with him.
Strangely, however, it seems she truly isn't alone with her experience. She's expecting Robert to just brush off the question, maybe ask why she would think such a thing. Instead he agrees almost immediately, leaving Virginia a little surprised at the shared experience.] No, it's not. I'm not sure what's causing it, but...
[Her voice trails off, and she looks around for a moment, trying to put words to the notion in her head.] It's almost like waking up when I didn't know I was sleeping in the first place--which probably sounds a little crazy. [She laughs a bit, looking down in a brief moment of self-consciousness.] That's the only way I can think of it, though.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
the 28th!
She'd slipped home early, locked herself away in her home, and tried to cope with all this extra knowledge that was trickling back. Granted, she'd given up halfway through the night and tried to drown it all out with a bottle of wine instead, but she'd made the attempt.
And this morning she's just feeling confused and a little frightened and far too confined to stay in the quaint little house with its tasteful decorations and white picket fence. Like it feels wrong now, despite all the pleasant memories she can still pull up from here.
So instead of staying in and wallowing any longer, she gets dressed and heads out, planning to maybe head to the diner for some breakfast and coffee instead. Anything to get out for a little while. And maybe get out of her own head in the process.
If she's surprised to see him lingering down the street from her little house when she starts down the sidewalk, she manages not to show it, although there's something in her that recognizes him instantly, even if the rush of affection feels new and strange all over again. Bruce, her mind supplies, a hint faster than Robert and there really is no escaping how much her memories are altering everything and everyone she encounters, is there?
Not sure what to call him right off, she instead just gives him a rueful smile as she approaches, dressed simply in jeans and a large baggy sweater to deal with the fall morning chill. ]
Good morning.
no subject
Not only that, but Bruce didn't want to, he never had. But in his mind two different people now sit together, impossible to tell which one is the truth and which one is the lie, and while Bruce has nothing but feelings of friendship for Pepper, Robert is still lingering there with his long harbored love for Virginia.
In the end she had to leave, and keeping their distance was all they could do for now. And Bruce, or Robert - or both -, spent the whole night lying awake, searching through all these new memories he'd just gotten, finding new names in old faces, seemingly old memories suddenly playing so fresh in his mind. And in the morning he gets dressed, wraps himself up in a warm coat, and goes outside, to do... something. Anything.
The time he takes to debate whether or not to go to Natasha - that's her name, and her life is an entirely different one from the school counselor's - his feet are already taking him there, working on their own until he's standing only a little ways down the street. But just as he's about to turn around and leave, he sees her stepping out of the house and he's rooted to the spot. ]
Hi. [ His smile is tired, guilty despite himself, and probably tells about a thousand different things he can't put into words right now. If she had any doubts he'd remembered, it shouldn't last long as he speaks up again. ] Natasha?
no subject
God that sounds weird. [ She rakes agitated fingers through her hair as she comes to a stop in front of him, meeting his gaze. ] You too, huh? I've been up almost all night with this. Here I was hoping someone had tried to slip me something at the bar. It would be so much less complicated.
[ Because this? This redefined complicated. ]
Does that mean I should call you... Bruce? Is that what we're even doing right now? Do you believe any of this?
no subject
Though that's where the good feelings start and end, honestly. Everything else just settles unpleasantly at the back of his throat even now, but he smiles and keeps it to himself, for now at least. ]
I don't know, really. I don't know what to believe right now. [ He lets out a loud and shaky sigh, lowering his head before he looks away and down the street. ] It could just be part of an event, this. Or not, it could be... a trick, I don't know. But what's the point of giving us a new set of memories?
[ What if they're both lies? Anything could be happening right now. They could just be trapped in an illusion, all of them together. Real life merging with a fabricated past, or two fabricated pasts poorly mushed together. Just thinking about the possibilities makes his head hurt. ]
Bruce is fine, though. [ May as well keep at least one thing simple right now. ]
no subject
[ The question slips out without her entirely intending to ask it, and there's part of her consciousness in the back of her mind cursing at the clumsiness of that slip, but she shakes her head, hoping that he'll brush it off.
Although that right there tells her that maybe all the memories she's trying to sort through isn;t quite the same as what he's trying to sort.
She huffs out an aggravated sigh and tucks her hair behind her ear. ]
I haven't had enough coffee for this conversation. Actually, I'm not sure there is such a thing, but I'm going to at least attempt to find it. Have you had breakfast?
no subject
[ It's a strange feeling, honestly, especially so with people he remembers from this sudden new life he seems to have been living, alongside the one in Storybrooke. Maybe that's why he prefers to be called Bruce by her, because what he remembers of her as Natasha is... well, better. Even though he knows that if that's indeed the reality, then this all might make it more complicated.
But one thing at a time. ]
Not yet, no. [ He's not even sure he wants to stomach anything right now, but he probably should anyway. So he nods down the road, his hands tucked warmly in his jacket pockets. ] I'll join you.
no subject
It's enough to give her a killer headache, on top of the lingering effects of the bottle of wine she'd downed the night before. So instead she just nods and tucks her hands in her jacket pocket as she falls into step beside him, the main street conveniently only about a block or two away. ]
I suppose it's comforting to know there's someone as confused by this whole mess as I am.
no subject
In that grander scheme of things, he really can't complain all that much. At least his memories aren't a tangled weave of lives layering over one another. ]
No... I think a lot of us are. [ If not all, even. But for now he can't be entirely sure of that. He falls quiet, visibly hesitant for a while as they walk down the street, then finally he just decides to let it out in one go, and deal with it from there. ]
I slept with Pepper. [ A fraction of a second and he continues, before she gets the chance to say anything to that. ] Or... Robert slept with Virginia. So I guess... I slept with Virginia.
[ He sighs, not even sure if that makes any difference at all right now. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(The grocery store; 25th) /sorry for the late
She pushes the shopping trolley around the aisles aimlessly, stopping to lift whatever she needed on the way. Her daughter was with the babysitter meaning that Abigail didn't have to deal with two year old temper tantrums. As much as she loved Emily, she could be quite a handful on occasion.
After this, she wasn't sure how she was going to spend the rest of her day. Maybe a visit to the park or a cafe, something that would make her life a lot less mundane.]
no subject
He roams the corridors distractedly, a basket in his hand where he adds things every once in a while, his eyes on the shelves rather than the people around him. It makes it all the easier for him to walk right into other people's paths, and when he turns a corner, half turned to the side, he walks straight into her shopping cart.
It has him stumbling slightly, the edge of his basket hitting the cart and tipping, a few of his things falling on top of hers. With a quiet surprised noise he rights himself, looking up to her briefly as he starts picking up his things and putting them back into his basket. ] Oh, didn't... I'm sorry. Wasn't looking.
no subject
Oh! [She's startled for a moment, wondering what the heck happened until he spoke up.]
It's okay. Kind of a tight corner anyway. [She moves to help him retrieve his items, lifting them carefully out of her cart.] You all right? I hope you didn't hurt yourself.
[Abigail offers Robert a soft smile, looking apologetic.]
no subject
Oh... no, don't worry. I'm fine. [ Then he adds, with just a hint of dry amusement, as he grabs the last of his groceries and takes half a step to the side. ] No hit and run here.
no subject
[ Okay, so maybe she could tease him a little. ]
I'm glad that you're all right and so are your groceries. We haven't met before, have we? My name is Abigail.
A pleasure to make your acquaintance.
no subject
[ He shakes his head a little as she introduces herself. ] No, we haven't. [ Which is strange in and of itself, considering no one leaves this place and no one new ever comes here either. ] I'm Robert. Nice to meet you too.
no subject
Likewise, Robert. I find it odd that we have never run into each other until now. Guess we must run in different circles.
[ Which wasn't a bad thing, but it could account for the fact that this was their first meeting in a relatively small town. ]
no subject
Must be. I confess I'm not the most sociable person in this town, it wouldn't be difficult to pass me by.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)