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Town Square in the Park, Saturday Afternoon

Most of the information they had found was circumstantial, at best: rumors about what might have happened, strange reports that could mean anything about what caused this. But from it had arisen one potential path, the destruction of whatever anchored this place here - though whether it was an anchor that held their island tied to this, or an anchor that held this island tied to its doom, Obi-Wan couldn't say.

Regardless, it was time. He made his way to town square after spending some time urging people to come there. Just to make sure, he raised his voice. "May I have your attention?" he called.

And waited. A bit.

"I'm sorry if I am being presumptuous. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am... newly here. I, and several of our people, have spent some time researching the current state of the island." Yes. That. "We have identified two creatures that may be involved in powering our current circumstances. Therefore, we find it credible that removing these creatures may at the very least improve our circumstances some."

He couldn't make any promises, here.

"If you are willing to volunteer to take on a flying man vulnerable to electricity, and an easily-distractable... thing... out in town, please do report to me." Beat. "And Principal Zoe? I would like to speak with you as well."

He stepped away from the rock he'd stood on, straightened his robe, and waited.

[[ ~~wait for the~~ ocd up! ]]

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"You have Hardison and Eliot," Kathy said, her sudden stiff posture at odds with how eagerly she snatched at the bounty Parker was offering. It was, in fact, not far off from the way that a younger girl escaping in and out of foster care might have behaved, say. "You don't need anyone else."

And she didn't need to be reminded how having a family felt when they were only going to go off and abandon her.

You know. Again.

Ow. Ow. Oh, ow. "I'm sorry," Parker blurted. "I'm sorry they went crazy and evil and left you. And I'm sorry..." For what? She wasn't even sure. Except Kathy might have been screaming at her, as easily as Kathy's resentment and disappointment was read from her posture. "Don't go home! It went bad, for our Kathy, and we don't know where she is, or if she's alive. Her L.A. is all evil and crazy and maybe even worse than here."

Do you want some water, Kathy? Look, water bottle! "We didn't mean to let you down." Parker's voice cracked in there, because she wasn't sure if she was talking about this Kathy or their Kathy and either way it didn't matter.

"That didn't happen to me," Kathy said, because that was the easiest thing to respond to. Facts, not feelings, easily recited and requiring no opening of her heart, no bearing of her soul. "For two years. Went to college. Started pre-med. Then I heard something was wrong on the island and I came back."

Came back, intending to stay. She'd realized she'd let her parents dictate her major and her future career as they'd dictated so much of her life and had decided to return to the island permanently. She'd applied to a college, to a new program, she'd been prepared for a new life.

And she'd gotten this instead.

"Don't worry about it," she added gruffly. "It's not like you were the only ones."

Anders and Dante had left her, too. Dante to his grief and his mask, Anders to that creature inside his head. Ringo. Alluka. Banzai.

That was fine, though. She was better off alone.

"Oh. That's good." Wasn't it? That at least she hadn't had to watch her Los Angeles get taken over by zombies?

"I have to worry about it." Parker was watching her closely. "You're not drinking your water. Do you want some coffee? I can get coffee."

This just hurt, how hurt Kathy was. How Parker felt like she couldn't even ask about other stuff, because who knew how much she remembered? And why remind her of it, if all Kathy remembered was loss?

Obediently, Kathy took a sip of her water. "Coffee? You can get coffee?"

She was just going to ignore the idea of Parker worrying. Because that might hurt and she hated feeling...well, most everything these days.

"Pretty sure, yeah." Parker paused and said, "We killed the Kenzi-thing on the roof of the diner, Thursday. There was a lot of stuff piled up there. I thought I smelled some coffee in with everything else."

And if there wasn't coffee there, Parker would find a way to make coffee out of paper or nuts or something, if that was what Kathy wanted.

Maybe if they stuck around long enough... She wouldn't believe herself if she were Kathy, either. Parker kind of hated her other self right now. For not fixing this already. But. Words didn't meant anything. Doing things. That would help. It had to. And Kathy would glow again, and not be so sad.

Kathy hadn't glowed in a very long time. The grins that had been bright enough to illuminate whole stadiums were lost with time and memories. Even the small smiles she'd worn occasionally over the past two days had been rare enough to count as an endangered species.

"She left food behind?" Kathy asked, unmoved by the death of someone she'd once known. "I hadn't thought she'd had a hoard. You'll be lucky if anything's left. Scavengers know to hit places after the monsters have been killed."

"She had... stuff." Skulls. And other, disturbing things. "And I guess it's not like she could make coffee with those paws."

Knowing that the 'real' Kenzi was probably either hiding in her house, or off the island, kept Parker from being too bothered by her death either.

"Anyway. If you want it, I'll get it," Parker said with determination.

Well, for Kathy is was the 'real' Kenzi.

"It's stupid to wander off, especially alone," Kathy, queen of wandering off alone, said. Her tone had tried for belligerent, but had landed mostly on uncertain. "You should be scavenging for real rations, hiding them, keeping your stash safe. It's the only way to survive: scavenge when food is plentiful and keep it secure for when it's not."

Yup, Parker. This was Kathy's version of 'plentiful.'

"Yeah, when I was living on the street, I did that. I mostly hid my stuff up high. Or in small places." Parker paused, remembering those days, before Leverage, before Archie. She gave Kathy a tentative smile. "Things got better though. Well, years later, after juvie. But still." She shrugged, not wanting to push that message too hard. Not when she'd just met this Kathy. Even if she sounded and looked like theirs. They maybe weren't going to get to keep her.

But maybe they could leave her better off? Maybe?

"Besides. You need it more than us right now. We're all fed up. So it's okay to give away some."

"You know this isn't going to make me think we're crew again, right?" Kathy asked, deliberately harsh.

Parker flinched. Then took a breath.

"Doesn't matter." She shrugged, her face going blank for a second. "As long as you're safe. And fed. And you know we care." This was about Kathy, not Parker and the guys. "You do what you have to. Feel what you need to."

"Why are you being so nice?" Kathy snapped. "You know it's just going to hurt more when you stop!"

"Yes," Parker agreed, fierce. "If we leave. Or you do. But." She gulped. She hadn't known this either, as a kid in foster care. Alone, or abandoned by the crew who didn't care, and even after Archie turned her loose on the world.

"But after. It matters. 'Cause you'll know." Kathy, she just didn't have the words. "You mattered. You matter. You're important." She thought of Kathy's parents and said just as harshly as Kathy had, "We love you, okay? And that doesn't stop if we're dead or you are. Say whatever, leave, do anything. I don't care. I... we love..." She grit her teeth. "You."

And somewhere down the road, knowing that would make a difference. She hoped.

Kathy drew in a shuddering breath, the tears she'd shed earlier resurfacing. God damn these new people and their insistence on hugs and feelings and making her cry.

"How can I matter when everybody always leaves?" she asked, no longer demanding, but lost like a little girl. "When everybody chooses to leave me? Maybe not you or Hardison, but Eliot did and Dante did and Anders did and I'm just alone and bitter and angry."

Parker had to reach out then, awkward and clumsy, patting Kathy's shoulder, wanting to wipe at the girl's face, not sure if that would get her hit, or make it worse, or what, her own tears not stopping.

She felt like defending Eliot, but she was still mad at Eliot for dying and having that same fight again even though that wasn't as important as their Eliot being alive. But Kathy, she got it. Really. She did.

"I don't know," she said helplessly. "But you do matter. And, and, I don't believe that they chose. I don't. It sucks and it isn't because of you, it isn't. This is terrible and you don't have to believe me. If it makes it better, don't. But." Now she was stroking Kathy's hair, and saying, "I'm so glad you're alive, so glad. So glad."

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Town Square in the Park, Saturday Afternoon

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