bakerstreet | rain, rain, go away

rain, rain, go away

the rain meme

Ah, rain—the precipitation that the whole world has a love/hate affair with. It waters the garden for free and ruins baseball games. It cools you off in the summer and it causes more ice and sleet to appear in the winter. Sometimes it is lovely and falls at a decent pace for a few hours, other times, it blasts the whole eastern seaboard away.

Poems and songs have been written about it, people have danced in it, others have cursed its entire existence, and still more refuse to go out and drive in it.

Now it’s time to roll some dice and see what the weather will have in store for you today.

directions

1. Comment with your character, series, preferences, etc in the subject.
2. Roll a number between 1-5 with the RGN for an intensity.
3. Roll 1-15 with the RGN for a situation.
4. Reply to other comments and play the scenario out!
5. Don’t catch a cold!

intensity

1. DRIZZLE ☂ It’s not too heavy or too light of a downpour, just enough to wash away stuff in the air, water the ground, and clean up the streets.

2. MONSOON ☂ It’s horrible and awful! Rain is coming down in buckets, no one can get anywhere, the wind is whipping everything about, and now the cable is out.

3. SHOWER ☂ Reminds you of early spring, doesn’t it? A nice shower to make everything all green and smell fresh again. Lovely.

4. FLOOD ☂ While rain is good, it can sometimes be bad. Grab a boat!

5. CATS & DOGS ☂ You’re lucky with this one. It’s not the worst storm in the world, but it’s still pretty heavy. Be careful when driving!

prompts

1. A DARK, STORMY NIGHT ☂ You know all those stories that start off with a stormy night before something goes wrong: a murder, an attack by ninjas, a crime. It is one of the best known clichés in the world, and you’re stuck in the middle of it.

2. HUMIDITY ☂ It’s that time of the year again when the humidity rises and the rain has two options: make it worse or make it go away. Good luck getting the latter.

3. GRAY RAIN OF DEPRESSION ☂ We all know this one. Stuck in the middle of no where, or right after an argument, or something that leads to angst, the rain decides to express someone’s feelings in a physical form, serious or over the top.

4. QUIET MORNING ☂ Nothing to do, nowhere to be… sometimes the rain is a welcomed addition to a quiet day. Gives you an excuse to stay in, curl up in a warm blanket and a book, maybe a loved one or a cup of hot chocolate. With sprinkles.

5. PUDDLES ☂ After it rains, what is the number one thing you have to do? Go put on some rubber boots and splash around of course!

6. SUDDEN STORM ☂ It might have been predicted, but sometimes storms just sweep in and do their thing with little to no warning. Hope you’re not outside.

7. THUNDER & LIGHTNING ☂ Loud, surprising, scary, ominous, comforting, fantastic to watch or listen to… some like thunder and lightning, others not so much. Of course, if this happens before a big confrontation, the universe is telling you something.

8. CAN’T GET WORSE ☂ You did not say that. You did not just say that. How many times does this need to be seen in movies and books before anyone learns?

9. STUCK ☂ No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. What happened to the ten percent chance of rain? You forgot your umbrella and now you’re stuck in it!

10. RUINED PLANS ☂ You had all these wonderful plans to go outside, have some fun in the sunshine, do some errands, maybe a date… and the weather goes against them.

11. DANCING ☂ Sometimes rain is a cause for celebration, or you just feel like doing something spontaneous. Grab someone to join you and get wet!

12. RAIN BATTLE ☂ The most intense, important battles happen in the rain. Verbal spars, punching someone in the guts; it’s all dramatic and climatic. And no one slips.

13. DATE ☂ Aww, don’t let the weather ruin your date! It can be really romantic, being out in the rain, and it’s always fun to go with the flow.

14. A DAY INSIDE ☂ Sometimes, it’s just better to stay inside and enjoy something simple and easy like board games or catching up on TV shows, or maybe the bills.

15. WILD CARD ☂ Was there something I missed? Did you want to roll again or choose your own adventure? Go for it!

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Clark's always been a loner, so the shy act is easy enough. There's a tight lipped smile, guarded and tired, and a nod in greeting before he gets in the line. Given how perceptive the sisters are, he figures that he might have to come here a couple of days to really figure out what's going on without disturbing the operation.

He'll have to figure out some quick columns he can fill in with in between, a think piece or two on Superman, maybe, though he hates using his alter ego as a crutch for his new job.

The soup was thick and hearty and he carried it over to an unoccupied end of a table. People were filtering around, finding places to sit as others stood. He was watching, planning. Not many went back to the bathrooms, but some did from time to time. Easy enough to time a trip. And the priest was moving around, touching a shoulder here or there, giving a kind word or having a short, friendly conversation.

Bustling, but there seemed to be no ill tempers. All the better.

Clark eats the soup, because there's nothing wrong with it and there's no greater sin in a farm family than to waste food, and settles close to Jim. He looks around and takes his cues from some of the others, focusing on his food with the occasional conversational look passed to Jim.

He also looks up to see who goes down the hallway and if anything's moving in the rooms. Nothing seems to be--

Wait. Something's moving down the hall, no, in the next-- are they coming in through a hole in the floor?

That change in attention was enough to have him sitting up a bit straighter. "Something happening?" he asked under his breath, spoon midway to his mouth. Just a casual question.

As he spoke, a kid walked past with his tray carefully held in two hands. 'Jim' reached out and dropped a triangle of sandwich onto the tray with the other sandwiches that were already there. He got a wide smile in return, but only barely seemed to see it. His mind was elsewhere.

Clark nodded and huddled in close as if he was nervous about something to whisper.

"The room in the back. There's either a sewer grate or a basement down there and people are coming in through there."

There were too many layers and this particular skill was one he hadn't quite learned his way around completely yet, but he'd seen enough.

"Watch my tray."

That was all he needed before he stood and walked back toward that hallway, where the bathroom was, as if the urge had suddenly struck. What he didn't do, though, was go to the actual restroom. Instead, he listened carefully, flexing his left arm. It had been a while since he'd put it through its paces. It seemed like now was going to be the time.

He could hear the movement from where he stood, but he needed them to get a little farther away from their entrance point. Now was not the time to allow a retreat.

His mind tried to run through the reasons. Missions were pointless theft targets. There were rarely enough funds in place to make it profitable. So why steal anything large from a mission?

What, he wondered then, was nearby? That, he hadn't paid attention to just yet. He was going to soon.

There was a soft whirr of servos from his arm as he flexed his fingers. It was time to act.

One of them moved towards the door, muttering to his friends.

"Don't just take the whole thing again. They're starting to notice that!"

"Man, those are some tiny ass bags. I'm not breakin' my balls to find that shit."

"The fuck you aren't. I heard one of the sisters is thinkin' of calling the cops."

It was his right hand he used to slowly, silently turn the door knob, but then his silhouette in the doorway gave him away. He stood there, letting them see him, before he moved in and acted.

This was easy. This was what he knew. The first one, he caught by surprise. All it took was one hit and he was down. The second got in a single punch and then he was down, too.

The third got creative, pulling the board they'd used to lift and prop the door to the underground and striking at his head. He lifted his arm and the board struck it and shattered, flecking his hair with splinters that he didn't even notice before he had the guy in his grasp, dangling by the neck as his hand tightened.

And somehow, without a fuss being raised in the rest of the church, Clark was there beside him, voice soft when he spoke.

"Jim, let him go, please." Not so much pleading as requesting politely, firm in his belief that his new friend would do as he'd asked "We should find out what all this is about and it'll be easier if he can tell us."

The voice wasn't one of the usual voices that called him off. The words were in the wrong language. He was called a name instead of just being bluntly ordered.

For one moment, his arm quivered as he fought between instincts - to follow orders or to continue the mission. But the thought came through. This wasn't a mission. This was like a mission, but it wasn't a mission.

He had taken this upon himself.

Slowly, he let go, the robber dropping first to his feet, then to his knees. Unconscious, but alive. "Need to find tape," he muttered. "Tape their wrists and ankles so they can't get away."

Clark nodded.

"I've got a small roll of duck tape in my briefcase, in case the corner comes off," he tells Jim as he leans down to get it out of the ratty old leather bag. He holds it out to Jim a moment later with a half-smile, absolutely nothing changed between before and after Jim had singlehandedly taken out three men.

"The other one, I'll just use my tie. Ma hated that one anyway."

He pulls it out of the briefcase as well and pads over to the first man Jim had knocked out, taking care to tie the knots tightly enough to hold him but not too tightly so as to inhibit circulation.

"Now we just have to figure out what, exactly, they were smuggling in the food crates. It sounds like they hadn't pulled them out yet."

'Jim' was an old hand at that. Within just a few moments, he had them securely taped and laid out alongside one another, military-precise. "I heard one say something about bags, not wanting to look for all of them."

"I heard-- Saints preserve us," whispered a nun from the door. "What is all this?"

"I heard someone sneaking around while I was on my way to the bathroom." Easy explanation. "Came in, they were climbing out of the floor."

The priest who came up behind her at her gasp of shock took in the scene and then shifted his weight, looking as if he was going to say something scathing;Clark moved faster than any normal human to catch his hand, squeezing just a little to make him drop the knife that he'd been about to use on the poor, unsuspecting nun before looking the man straight in the eyes. The priest almost looked like he might start yelling when Clark covered his mouth and turned to the nun, who seemed absolutely horrified that the father had been about to murder her.

"Sister, if you could perhaps call the police. I... I think it may be a necessity at this point."

"I-- I think you're right, young man," she managed, stammering from the shock of it all. "I'll... go take care of that call."

'Jim' moved to the priest Clark was holding, taking his arms and taping them just like he had the others. It was, unfortunately, the end of the tape, but that was good enough. It had done what they needed it to do.

But with all of that done, he shook his head. "I have to go," he said. Before the police arrived, he had to be gone. They'd recognise him from DC. The world had to know about that now. And Clark...

He pushed past Clark, ignoring the nuns as he went. He'd not really eaten, but he'd survived on less before. He couldn't be where the police were.

But Clark was turning around with him, following him, no, running with him side by side.

Given what he'd done, given what the nun had seen, given the fact that his face wasn't exactly something he wanted in the papers (words yes, pictures no)...

This was one news story he'd need to leave to someone else. It wasn't like he couldn't claim he'd gotten lost getting there, after all. New city, new bus routes... he'd milk Smallville all he could.

"What are you doing?" The anger in his tone was natural. He was being followed and that was the last thing he needed. His instinct was to turn around and fight, but he'd seen what Clark could do, too. His speed, his glasses, his way of knowing when something was going on...

"Friend of Rogers'?" he demanded even as he rounded a corner, more than sure that Clark would follow along. "Sent to track me down?"

"Getting out of there, same as you," he said honestly, not even huffing as he matched 'Jim's speed.

"And I don't know who you're talking about."

He really REALLY doesn't.

"We'll see."

Trust was not something easily won as it came to the man who had been originally been known as James Buchanan Barnes. Not after what memories that were clear echoed through his mind.

He didn't stop moving until he was four blocks away. Not breathless, with the faintest sheen of perspiration on his face. His clothes weren't made for this, but he'd had to hide his tac suit. That meant he had to make do with what he had. So dressed in tattered clothes, he'd ran an easy four blocks, and turned to face Clark with sparks in his eyes. "Start explaining."

He pauses beside Jim and looks deeply conflicted for a moment before breathing out with a sigh. This whole 'pretend to be a normal guy while helping people secretly' thing had already gotten mucked up, but it looked like there was a very good chance that he'd made an ally as much as he'd made a mistake.

"Can we go back to my place? It's..." he glances out at the city.

"It's a long story. And not one I want to have in public."

He looked at Clark, more glaring than just looking, and weighing his options. It was possible now, he thought, that Clark could hurt him. It was possible he'd have another fight on his hands the same way he'd fought Captain America. But Clark didn't seem to have an interest in fighting him.

He'd risk it, he decided. It wasn't as if he was defenseless. "I'll give you a chance."

Clark breathed out in relief.

"I really appreciate that. More than I think I can convey."

He tipped his head towards a side street.

"I'll show you the second fastest way to my apartment. It's not too far away."

'Jim' nodded once and walked toward that sidestreet. If Clark was showing him to his apartment, that certainly showed some trust. It was up to him to decide if Clark was being foolhardy with that trust. His mind was half and half. He could see how to use that against him, and yet, fueled by whomever he was past the haze of amnesia, he didn't want to use anything against him.

The two halves would have to reconcile eventually. He just wished that would be sooner than later. The conflict was enough to drive him to distraction.

Clark kept walking until they reached a semi-crumbling building. Then he pulled out his keys, unlocked the front, and held the door after him for Jim to follow.

"I'm on the fourth floor. No elevator, unfortunately."

"I can handle four floors." And he did, taking two steps at a time. He wasn't particularly long-legged, but he was fit. Four floors, to him, was nothing. Though after the fight, the run, the walk, and then the climbing, he was breathing just a little heavier than he had been before. It took a lot to get him that way. He'd had a lot to go through today.

Clark trotted up the stairs like he hadn't just run anywhere and makes his way down the hall to a ramshackle little apartment that's obviously seen better days. He pulls out his other key, unlocks it, and heads right in, leaving the door open again.

He's picked up that Jim isn't too fond of showing people his back.

The apartment's pretty spartan, and it's obvious he wasn't lying about having just arrived. Clark's been living out of a suitcase for the most part and it shows. But the place is clean, and it's been made up as well as it possibly can be, and it's obviously habit how he puts down the briefcase.

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