Field Trip-The Prelude

[Solace]

The soft breeze coming off the ocean and the bright sunny sky was something Chandi didn’t experience in New York very often so she was in fact inclined to agree with Cameron’s suggestion that they take refugee underneath the palm trees while they discuss the events of the past few years. “Bonzer sounds like you’ve been leading one hell of a life Sparky.” Chandi smiled down at him and made a vow to herself to her the entirety of Cameron’s stories on how he got the scars, but that would be another day for today she just wanted to get a feel for how much he’d changed. “Old? I’ve never seen a body like yours belonging to an old person.” She informed Cameron as she lowered herself down onto the sand next to him. “Especially that butt of yours, still looking the same after two years…if not better.” With and evil smirk and a wink Chandi flipped her hair out of her eyes and tried to figure out how to sum up the past few years of her life into a short story, after all she didn’t want to be sitting on the beach for the next week or so, although the company was good and the weather great.

“You want the drum on what’s been going on in my life?” Chandi was a bit tentative about relinquishing any information of her life after leaving Valiant why she didn’t know; maybe it was because she was afraid it might have all been a dream or that it’d be taken away from her somehow. But the young woman had finally gotten her life in order and felt like she’d left the adolescent broody drama queen persona behind her once she’d left the previous superhero team she’d been apart of. Releasing a deep sigh Chandi laid her head down on Cameron’s shoulder and allowing herself to just sit like that for a few moments, taking in the comfort of having an honest to goodness true friend by her side again.

“Well the new ‘look’ came about after I left Valiant, I’ve gained the ability to drop illusions on things…I’m not really changing what’s there by altering it a bit.” Chandi demonstrated by dropping an illusion over a seashell that sat near her right foot. “See, it’s not real…nor is my appearance. Underneath this all I’m still all tail.” She lifted her head and gave the Scotsman a broad smile and drops the illusion on the shell reverting it back to its original appearance. “I like using my human appearance more, call me vein if you like but I really like being ‘normal’ for once in my life.” This was the first time Chandi had ever admitted to this little vanity, sure she’d spoken to her old teammate Zahra about this change and how she felt about it, but she’d never told the Egyptian woman that she preferred it for vanity reasons, shifting her weight again Chandi placed her head back down on Cam’s shoulder and left the brilliant sunshine hit her skin closing her eyes to fend off the brightness of it.

“Here I am earbashing you with my story….” She murmured as she allowed silences to slip over the two of them as they sat underneath the trees. So many times in the past two years Chandi had longed to be able to speak to AJ or Cameron or even both of them at once, they had accepted her and allowed her to be just exactly who she was without wanting to change her for their own benefits. “Been spending most of my time with Seppos in New York City, spent a bit of time with the New York branch of the Hellfire Club that isn’t something I’m proud of…but I had something to take care of with one of their members.” Chandi began to wrap a strand of hair around her finger, not sure she wanted to divulge her relationship ups and downs with the Shinobi Shaw. “Spent some time in Tibet as well…. for the most part I’ve been a real Bludger about things. Keeping a part time Job as a Jockey and bartender.” Finishing up her clip notes version of her life in the past two years Chandi let the silences seep in again wishing she could almost hear what it might be that Cameron was thinking at the moment and what his opinion might have been of a far more grown up version of the girl he used to know.