Sunday, 1 May 1988, Montreal

[noteful]

Spring in Montreal is short, mild, less than terribly predictable, and welcomed with open arms. 1 May 1988 dawns slightly overcast, but the clouds burn off, and it hits a quite comfortable (by Montreal standards) 12°C.

No one really takes any notice of the three girls who cut across the McGill campus and spend a couple hours rambling around the park on Mont Royal. There's nothing all that remarkable about them . . . except, of course, that one of them is, on some version of Earth or another, being born 1800 miles away today, and one has metal claws in her hands and recovers from injuries almost before she receives them.

They stop for a quick lunch and then ride the Metro down to Old Montreal. They wander down cobblestoned streets and in and out of little shops, past churches and museums and the city hall.

When shadows start getting long and the temperature starts to drop, they turn down a side street.

"I know the best place for dinner," Meg says. "It was in one of those off-the-beaten-path guide books last year, so of course the path beats right to the door now, but I don't think we'll have any trouble getting a table."

There's a small crowd in and around the doorway, but Meg goes past them and waves to a tall man in a white chef's jacket. "Bon soir, Sylvain," she calls.

The man comes over, smiling. "Meg. Bon soir. Trois?"

"Oui, si tu--," Meg starts, but he cuts her off with a wave of his hand.

"Pour toi, bien sûr," he says, and lead them over to a comfortable table in the corner of the restaurant.

"Sylvain, these are my friends, Parker and Laura. They're visiting from the States and I couldn't let them leave without bringing them for the best food in Montréal. Parker, Laura, this Sylvain Gagné."

Sylvain bows slightly. "Bienvenue à Montréal, mesdemoiselles. I hope you will enjoy your visit, and your meal. Alice will be right with you."

"Merci, Sylvain," Meg says, and turns back to Parker and Laura. "Sometimes, it helps to be dating the owner's favorite nephew."

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

X looks faintly startled, studying Parker for a minute.

Carefully.

"You do not eat at restaurants. At home?"

X frequents a diner. For breakfast.

And sometimes dinner.

[noteful]

"I think she might be a friend of the family, but, no, she's not a relative. I don't think," Meg says.

"Maybe it's just because you're with people you usually see there?" Meg offers.

Because, yeah, she's a little surprised, too.

[parkerlee]

"Oh, I do," Parker says. "But not as much as I eat in the dining hall at school."

When she does eat out, just given her student budget, it's usually not at a sit-down-and-be-served place. Even with Seth, they're more inclined to pick up food and go somewhere quiet and quasi-secluded. The park or the quad or the beach.

"Truth is, I probably 'eat out' more at Milliways than I do at home."

"But I'm sure the company is probably part of it," she adds with a grin.

"I just need to remember to look up when someone asks for my order."

[cutting_edgex23]

"People do not always make eye contact," X offers.

She may be trying to be reassuring.

Stranger things have happened.

[parkerlee]

"True. But I'd probably look weird staring at peoples' knees."

"But I guess any strangeness here can be chalked up to me being from south of the border, huh?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Logan is Canadian," X says, after a moment.

"Wolverine."

You know. Just so they know.

(He is strange, too. But in different ways.)

[noteful]

Meg's grateful for the clarification. The other Logan they all know is a lot of things, but Canadian isn't one of them.

Meg grins. "He's lucky, then."

And, to Parker, "That's my plan, if I need to explain your being strange to anyone."

[parkerlee]

It's true. Logan Echolls probably wouldn't know an 'eh' if it crawled up his pants leg and bit him.

Parker smiles, and primly straightens in her seat.

"I don't know what you could be worried about. Strange? Moi?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X considers this.

"You could say I was raised very far north."

Beat.

"That would be true."

She does not want to make Meg lie if she doesn't have to.

And there is only so much of X's strangeness that can be hidden, anyway. Unless it is a mission.

But if she were someone else, she would so be giving Parker a Look.

[noteful]

Meg nods. "I'll keep that in mind," she tells Laura.

Just in case.

"I'm really glad you were both able to come today."

[parkerlee]

"I'm really glad you invited me," Parker replies.

"This is, by far, the most unique birthday present I've ever been given."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Meg is good at birthday presents."

X sounds fairly sure about this.

"And I like Montreal."

Well, she likes it when she's in Meg and Parker's company, anyway.

[noteful]

"Thank you," she says.

Being good at presents requires either a certain flair for the creative, or a great deal of thought. Meg simply doesn't have the former, but she's very good at the latter.

"I like Montreal, too."

More than she expected to, when she decided to come here, really.

Meg is sitting with her back to the room, so she doesn't see the dark-haired young man who comes in, laughing, from the kitchen. The leather jacket he's wearing doesn't exactly make him look like he works here.

He looks around, grins, and heads over to the girls' table.

[cutting_edgex23]

There's a moment where X stiffens, imperceptible save with close observation. She keeps her gaze deliberately focused on the room at large, but she is paying very close attention to the man in the leather jacket.

Even after she catches his scent -- and gets a good look at his face.

It is better to be careful. And maybe Meg does not like surprises.

[noteful]

As a general rule, no, Meg does not like surprises.

(Though this barely falls into that category. It is his uncle's retaurant, after all.)

But she notices Laura's reaction, and turns in her chair to see what's going on.

And then smiles. "I thought you might turn up, Alain," she says. In English, as Parker does not speak French, and Alain speaks both. "Come meet my friends. This is Laura, and this is Parker. And this is Alain."

He rests a hand on one of Meg's shoulders for a second, and then takes the empty chair at their table. "I am hardly likely to turn down an invitation to sit with three beautiful woman," he says.

[parkerlee]

Smooth. Charming. Cute.

Parker approves.

"It's nice to meet you, Alain."

[cutting_edgex23]

X tilts her head, studying Alain a little more closely.

And then --

"Hello. You do not have to flirt. With us."

Beat.

"You like Meg."

It's sort of like getting a 'get out of jail free' card.

Only even better.

[noteful]

For a moment, Alain looks a little taken aback by this particular get out of jail free card.

And then he smiles and nods.

"You are right, I like her a lot."

He looks over at Meg and then back at Laura.

"You and I will be friends, then, yes?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Yes," X responds, almost immediately.

And a half second later --

"I am not very picky."

The question, now, is this -- did X just tell a joke?

[noteful]

"Fortunately, I am," Meg says, "which means everyone at this table is worth knowing."

Meg has standards.

[parkerlee]

Laura may very well just have joked. What is certain is that Parker found herself having to take a very hasty drink of her water to cover her reaction to the entire exchange.

"Our hostess, especially," she says, once she can trust herself to keep a straight face.

"Meg's been showing us around the city today."

[cutting_edgex23]

"I have been here before," X adds.

"When I was small."

Beat.

"It is better now."

Not least because she is not working.

[noteful]

Alain, who has lived in Montreal all his life, again looks slightly surprised by Laura's comment. But only for a second.

"I am glad, then Montréal has an opportunity to make a new impression."

"We went up to Mont Royal, and then wandered around down here," Meg tells him.

"And you liked them?" Alain asks.

[parkerlee]

"Very much. It's a beautiful place. And the view is fantastic."

And it's all so very 1980s. Though Parker can't voice that particular observation aloud.

"I've never been here before. Meg is helping me expand my horizons."

[cutting_edgex23]

"I am -- "

X pauses for a moment, flicking a quick look at Parker.

" -- expanding my horizons, too. It is useful."

And interesting. X is not sure if that goes without saying.

(And it is not coincidental that her delivery of that phrase is just a little too precise.)