A Talk Of Plans (JP)

There was no answer from inside the room. Even after multiple attempts or increased volume, no reply came. Finlay was sprawled out on the bed on top of the covers, where he belly flopped, past out asleep.

Lydia groaned - patience wasn't her strong suite. "Finlay?" She called out while cracking open his door.

Kyra let out a heavy sigh and waited with Lydia.

Through the sliver of the door she would see him sound asleep. He looked angelic, so peaceful and innocent. It was a stark contrast to all the chaos the two ladies were constantly immersed in. Finlay hadn’t a clue how bad things really were around him and that he was involved in it now whether he liked it or not.

"Well, this was pointless..." Kyra muttered.

Lydia drew in a deep breath, clearly aggitated but trying to relax herself. "Finlay, I know you're tired but I need you to be awake." She said while walking towards his bed, expecting a startled response when he woke up

Finlay’s eyes slowly began to open, reluctantly like someone trying to cling to a blanket being pulled off of them. His vision was slightly blurry as it was adjusting. He didn’t yet move, just a slight energy seemed to return to his prone form. He was exhausted from all the shenanigans from that day.

He suddenly recognized the pretty girl from earlier in his room. He started to shift more and try and get himself up to a seated position. “Oh … hello again.” He brushed his bed head hair aside and gave Lydia a sweet half awake welcoming smile.

Kyra stepped into the room and leaned back against the wall next to the door. Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched the pair in silence, already a bit unimpressed.

Finlay glanced over at Kyra and gave a hesitant raised hand signaling hello. The woman had a presence about her that indicated she was confident and tough, not to be trifled with. It made his voice get stuck in his throat as he mouthed the word, hi, to Kyra but no sound came out of his mouth embarrassingly.

Finlay returned his attention to Lydia, feeling less judgement in that direction. His expression had grown curious as to why they were here. If he was reading the room correctly, it didn’t feel like this was just a friendly social call anymore.

Lydia Sar at the door of Finlays bed and smiled softly, but there was a seriousness to her expression. "I have to go on the run, and we may need your help to get EASTS attention. They're closing in on us, but what they really want is me. We have a few ideas as to how we can distract them from our safe haven, but it'll be dangerous, and we need you." She said confidently, but her tone remained warm.

Kyra kept silent, shifting in place and adjusting the strap to her box. She could hear the warmth in Lydia's voice and wondered if this boy really was that special to her. She hoped this interest in Finlay wouldn't cloud Lydia's judgement. She trusted the teen, but she was still a teenager and that always made the older woman worry.

She wouldn't question it for now, though.

Finlay’s expression changed to surprised with a hint of disappointment that she would be leaving again so soon. He wasn’t expecting her request. He thought EAST was something you were supposed to avoid like the plague if you were a mutant. The words we need you felt good, but it didn’t make any sense to him; his name combined in the same sentence as danger seemed alien.

“Me?” Finlay replied in confusion. “How could I help? I mean, I tried getting around this place on my own today and couldn’t even make it back to my room. They had to carry me back and it took a while just to get presentable again.” His hands moved when he talked a little, trying to explain that perhaps they didn’t realize he was probably more of a liability than a solution.

Lydia nodded in understanding. "I was hoping to train your ability along the way. You've shifted into my form before, I need you to do it again. We're going to leave town, cuz some problems somewhere else for the attention, and when east comes, you'll take my form and lead them in the wrong direction. You'll be able to jump into a crowd somewhere and blend in by taking a new form. Then we can come home, undetected. Kyra.." She motioned to her friend. "Is here to make sure we have extra hands if anything goes wrong. Trust me, she's a hard one to catch." Lydia said, not able to fight the smirk that played on her lips.

"And if anyone tries to snatch you up, they'll have a very hard time succeeding with me around." Kyra commented as she offered a strained smile toward the teenage boy. She wasn't going to go near him at the moment, knowing he was obviously not quite at ease with her yet. Plus, she didn't want to be touched by a shapeshifter. It wasn't anything against him personally, but she had boundaries she wanted to keep in place. "It's all up to you, though." This was said to remind him that he had a choice.

Finlay’s apprehension was as clear as day. Two people, albeit they sounded confident, up against the resources, both capital and human, of an organization like EAST sounded outlandish. “So, what you are saying …” he paused to gauge the body language and expressions of those present. “Is that all I have to do is just look like you and that’s all there is to it? I can’t dodge bullets if they start shooting.” It was clear he was not yet convinced, but he hadn’t said no yet either.