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It's not long after Bill last ran into Lynette in the bowels of the NYC subway system. A crazy night, and not one the scientist will soon forget. In fact, it's the most prevalent thought on his mind as he walks up to the Cigar Factory, coming off a family dinner nearby. He strides up to the entrance, pulls open the door, and walks inside.
It takes a moment for Bill's eyes to adjust to the lighting, and once they do he's heading for a free seat at the bar. He glances around to spot any familiar faces, but none are in tonight. That's mostly good. He's only here for one in particular.
*
Lynette pushes out of a backroom, her arms full of a shallow, wooden rack that houses about twenty glasses. Glancing up at the bar, she offers Foster a soft nod of silent greeting, and the moves into the kitchen area via a swinging door. "Jus' a sec." She calls out to the new arrival, and once her work is done, she slips back out and reclaims her position behind the bar. "Evenin'. Stayin' warm I hope?" The girl smiles sweetly. "What c'n I get y'?"
*
Foster waits patiently for the young woman to come back out to the bar, and when she does he offers her a smile as well. "A beer, I guess," he says with a slight shrug. "Anything cold." He realizes then that he's still holding onto his bag, as if he might just bolt out of here, and sets it on the empty stool next to him. "How you holding up?" he asks, giving her a knowing look that makes the question appear less casual than it maybe should be.
*
The girl shrugs and pops the top off a chilled bottle of brew. Reaching for the cap and tossing it into a bin, she eyes up toward Foster pointedly before turning and heading for a sink. Towel in hand, she begins drying off some freshly cleaned glasses. "M'here. N'you? What in de world were y'doin' down dere f'r?"
*
Bill pulls the frosty bottle closer to him, but he just holds it there for now, looking thoughtful. He supposes the truth is best in this situation, or at least some version of it. Especially if he doesn't want to come off as ambushing the young lady. "That's a good question," he tells her. "You know about that crazy drug all those kids were on that night? They're calling it Vigor."
*
"Yeah? And?" Lyn inquires, setting the glasses aside and leaning against the rear counter. Her arms cross, resting up and under her petite chest as she keeps her dark eyes forward. "Dat don' answer m'question."
*
Bill blinks a few times. "No, I guess it doesn't," he says. Now is when he decides to visit the drink in front of him, taking a small, tentative sip from the bottle. "I'm a scientist, Lynette. I've researched other drugs before, even partnered with the CDC on projects in the past. Never seen anything like this one, though, and the information out there is," here he pauses to search for the right word, "not available, I guess. I want to know more." His curiosity isn't dead, it seems.
*
"So…y'risk y'ass jus' t'get a pill?" The girl murmurs, her brows furrowing at first before one quirks up higher than the other. "F'smart guy, dat's pretty stupid." She explains, almost chiding him, before pressing off the back of the counter and returning to her duties.
*
Bill shrugs at first, then lets out a low chuckle. He glances down to speak into his beer bottle: "I would say it's in the name of science, but I know how stupid that sounds." He stops laughing, takes another short pull of his drink, and then looks up to Lynette. "Now you. What went on that night?"
*
"What'd y'mean? Y'were dere, n' I know 'bout as much as y'do. Well, less, actu'ly." One glass down, a million to go, the girl keeps at her work. She glances up, from time to time, allowing their conversation to flow. "I was dere tryin' t'make sure dey weren't pe'ple in need. Didn' know 'bout dat party, or de crazyness afta de fact. So, I c'n' tell y'."
*
Bill nods and sets his bottle down. It instantly starts to form a wet ring around itself, and he appears to forget all about it. "That's not what I meant exactly," he says, glancing around the place before lowering his voice a few decibels. "What was happening with /you/ that night? If I hadn't met you before, I might have thought you were on the stuff as well."
*
"Y'serious? Y'seen de city y'live in, chere? De pe'ple wit powas all ova de place." Glancing around them, she gives a shake of her head, sending a few of her curls swaying. "I don' need t'take drugs t'do what I do." Frowning, she keeps her eyes away from him now and busies herself behind the bar. "T'anks f'tinkin' I did, dough…" She mutters sarcastically.
*
Bill taps the bar a couple times, lost in thought again. He didn't expect this conversation to be an easy one, but for some reason felt it was necessary to have. Lynette must have made quite the impression on him. "I don't think you heard exactly what I said. Or maybe I didn't communicate it well enough," he tells her, a smile returning to his face. "I know you weren't using. You were in control. It was fascinating, and honestly unexpected."
*
"I don' go screamin' t'de roof tops 'bout it, non. S'dangerous out dere f'a girl like me. M'a girl, f'one, black, n'a freak?" Giving a low whistle, she concludes a set of dishes and finally returns her attentions on Bill. "Y' was in trouble so…y'gotta act if y'can, right?"
*
Bill nods knowingly to the girl and says, "Thank you. You did more in there that night than I did." He continues to tap the bar, brow furrowed. "Do you have a moment? Step out back with me if you can." He nods to the rear of the bar, where he knows there's an exit to the alley behind it. "You can trust me," he adds.
*
Lynette glances around the room and finally nods. She pauses, claiming her jacket and scarf before a call back to the boys in the kitchen, letting them know she was stepping out. It doesn't take her long before she's standing in the back shadows with him, her body shrinking into her coat for its warmth. "S'wrong?" She now questions with their new found privacy.
*
In the back, Bill sets his briefcase down to lean against the wall near the door. He glances down both ends of the alley to make sure they're alone, then shucks off his coat and hangs it on a nearby closed dumpster, carefully. . "Cold out here," he says, grinning. "OK, so nothing's wrong. I just wanted to show you something." He claps his hands together and rubs his palms, then closes his eyes. What happens next may be considered a trick of the light and shadows around them, but only at first, because after Bill appears to start growing, he continues to obviously do so. Mass and height both build on the man, until his clothes look about ready to snap and tear. At that point, he shrinks down again and breathes hard. "You're not the only freak around here."
*
Lynette blinks and watches the display, her head tilting to the side as she watches the man swell up and then return to normal. "Non', I ain't." She agrees, at least now offering him a soft smile. "Dey's lots 'f us." A pause, "I won' tell no body." Comes her soft, genuine promise. "Go on, put y'coat on. S'freezin' out here." She agrees then, giving a shudder from within her own covering, and dipping her face down into the folds of her scarf. "Y'gonna study dat drug? Find a cure f'it, m'guessin'? Dat why y'was down dere?"
*
Bill grabs his coat, brushes it off, and places it back on himself. "I won't tell anyone about you, either," he tells Lynette as he reaches down for his briefcase. "I think there are a lot of useful things that can come from studying this substance. A cure for its effects is just one of them. If it actually affects someone's genetic structure, then it could be a breakthrough of sorts." He really seems to get excited about the idea. "But please, don't tell anyone about this, either. I hate to keep so many secrets, but some are just necessary."
*
"Don' worry." Lynette keeps her smile, nodding in agreement to the now 'normal' sized man, even if he continues to dwarf her naturally. "S'mtimes, secrets c'n save y'life. If dis saves lots, well, all de more reason t'keep it." There was a drooping to her features, as if she were becoming tired just by lingering out in the cold. "Com'on back inside n'finish y'drink." She suggests, her hand already on the handle of the building's back door. "Oh, n'…t'anks f'not hatin' me now dat y'know 'bout me."
*
Bill nods and walks over to follow Lynette back inside, but he looks genuinely surprised by what she says next. "Hate you? Not a chance. In fact, I can't wait to get to know you more." He smiles and adds, "Another time, though. I think there have been one too many big reveals for tonight."