The Lives We Lead | tmr/tw • tw/tmr |

(25) Girl-Genius, Meet Also-Girl-Genius

"What are you getting?"

"How should I know? You're the one who's been here before," Abbie glared over at Isaac who continued to stare at the menu above the diner counter. Why they waited in line at yet another American diner, Abbie couldn't say. Both Isaac and Scott insisted that the diner they stood inside and the diner she and Isaac had eaten at with Argent had entirely different appeals. Abbie obviously didn't see what they did. The diners smelled the same, the menus looked the same--hell, the diners had the same color schemes and decor, right down to the painstakingly specific font on the sign out front! But maybe she was just crazy--though she was pretty sure the two werewolves beside her proved a little more off their rockers with how they kept staring at the menu like they found the Holy Grail.

After getting as much information out of Peter as they could, the three made their way to get an early dinner (though Abbie doubted this would be Isaac's last meal of the day since he seemed always ready to eat more). Despite his insistence on his knowledge about Huli Jing, Peter really couldn't tell her anything about her great grandmother, or how Huli Jing powers might manifest in a descendant of one. Peter said Huli Jing were masters of human languages but Abbie didn't find that very helpful since she already knew plenty of languages from her tutoring on earth 816.

The one thing that really stood out to her was a Huli Jing's ability to heal. While they couldn't just heal someone's wound with a wave of their hand, they had supernatural intuition on how to help fix wounds. It reminded her of the feeling she got in her gut when she was stitching up Isaac's wounds; she knew there were better ways to stop the bleeding from his bullet wound, but she still used a torch, only to learn later that he would have died if she hadn't have burned out the wolf's bane.

She also noted when Peter said that Huli Jing could ease pain for others, calming them or helping them ignore their pain. While she couldn't really recall ever manipulating someone's emotions in such a way, she remembered how surprised she felt when Isaac passed out while she cleaned his wounds. From what she heard, he had been through worse without losing consciousness, but she remembered wishing that the pain would ease, and then he was out like a light. She couldn't have been sure, but she suspected that might have been her own doing.

Beyond that, there wasn't much Peter could tell her. Luckily, Scott said Mrs. Yukimura agreed to make a special trip from San Francisco to meet with Abbie. Though the timing seemed odd, Mrs. Yukimura would meet her around 5 am the next day since she still had to get back to San Francisco before noon. Honestly, Abbie didn't care what time they had to meet--as long as she got answers.

Until then, they'd meet with Lydia and Malia at the diner. Abbie felt nerves bubbling up at the thought of meeting Malia, but she knew she didn't have to worry too much. If Peter, the former psycho-werewolf, greeted her so easily and without causing her to feel like her life was in mortal danger, she was sure Malia would be fine--hopefully.

"I'm getting the Roarin' Rack of Ribs with a side of Bellyachin' Steak Fries," Scott stated, more obviously talking to Isaac--who nodded his head vigorously at the idea--than Abbie. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking the K.O. Everything Burger," Isaac's eyes danced with barely contained excitement. "Man, I've been craving one since leaving Beacon Hills."

Scott grunted in agreement and Abbie rolled her eyes from behind them. Honestly, they really were a bunch of animals. She decided not to address it since she clearly didn't understand the obsession they had with the food there. Perhaps it had something to do with their enhanced senses, or just plain nostalgia driving them to look like men who hadn't eaten in a month. Looking back at all the horrendously gruesome lunches she used to sit through, watching  Isaac tear through sandwich after sandwich, she wasn't actually that surprised. Werewolves obviously had big appetites.