micah bates

“i knew it! you’re really dating sylvie dewitt?” she thinks of the clinical rows of offices that the hr therapists send the unsuspecting to. at least she didn’t didn’t have to worry about any cross-contamination. she saw vinter, not dewitt. she could count on that much at least. “what’d you do to her huh? convince her you were some billionaire?” there were only so many reasons that a relationship like that could really work out, and none of them had to do with a sparkling personality. 

she can think of nothing she’d like to shut down quicker than the idea of going back to old school family style dinners. they sound like the exact thing that she’s been spending all her time getting away from, the sort of nightmare that you’d have to go to a therapist for. there’s only one detail that saves the conversation from its dead end, “you’ve got the stingray?”

"Pft! A billionaire! Quit it! Ha! You'll have me rolling in the emergency room before you know it! Jeezalou, where do you get the material for all this? You should take this on the road! Ha!" He's got tears in his eyes! Just look at it from the way the back of his hand wipes at one from behind his glasses. She's really got him going, now! "Phew..." he breathes out, having to clean his lenses off of the bottom of his shift before he slides them away in a pocket.

"Sure do! In mint-condition, too! Haven't touched a thing besides a few tweaks under the hood! You should see it on the highway. Boy, does it fly!" Sometimes a little on the literal side, but that's all about aerodynamics, babey! "You can call shotgun, Lindy! Haven't laid a finger on the passenger door. Can’t mess with a classic like that!"

his humor is met only with a silent pinched mouth. she’s not amused by the thought that her brother is dating a doctor, and the memory of all the little shop of horror rewatches is not helping the situation. is the best she’s ever going to land audrey from their high school musical— absolutely not, and he’ll sure regret reminding her. but there’s more to think about than the memories she’d rather not share with the invasion of personal space in front of her. not when there’s more to figure out about the mystery girl. “her name’s sylvie?”

there can only be so many doctor sylvies in the city of los angeles, although there’s no accounting for taste in these parts. only one comes to mind, but that lady seemed too well adjusted to fall for a total goon. “are you bringing me to meet that hack social worker?” she remembers sitting in the prometheus offices being questioned about her comfort levels, how she felt given her relative age in the industry. whether she felt she needed to share anything to help her adjust in los angeles. as if! “never mind— offer’s totally off! i’m not going to therapy with you.” 

"Hack?" The word rolls around his ears, reverberates off of the ole eardrums for a moment longer until another noise meets them and overtakes them: his laughter. "Ha! You're killing me, Lindy! Ha! Sylvie! A hack! Ha! Had the big idea your big brother would bamboozle you, huh? What a hoot!" He takes in a deep breath in, a way to calm his lungs down from spilling out more good humor, enough for him to lift up his glasses and prop them up before they fog up. "Phew! Sure is a good thing the doc didn't hear that one. Bet you'd keep her in stitches for days!" And the attempt to stifle the chuckles breaks for just one, big grin corking it up as soon as it's released.

"We'll have a ball! Just the three of us catching supper together and chatting the night away! A guy can't get much luckier than that!" Always so optimistically determined, a quick nudge to her shoulder, barely a brush, gone too fast for her to whack him off from embarrassment! "I'll even pick ya up in the stingray! It'll be like old times with Uncle Teddy! Can’t say no to an offer like that!"

“you got a doctor.” she discounts just about everything about her brother, he’s too much of a dope to understand that some people are tricky business. she doesn’t think that there’s anyone in the world quite as bright as she is, but that doesn’t mean that no one will take advantage. she is the real test, and she’s not just gonna let someone in on all the family secrets because they seems smart. her expression must come close to what he expects to see if he ever finds himself back in arizona. 

the moment his hand comes near her hair, she slapped it away with no thought for how hard her own action was. if it hurt, then he would know not to do it again. even though it didn’t seem to stick for staying away from girls who were going to leave him for second rate bullies that didn’t even share his points. “i have parties i have to go to.” and part of it was the waiting game. who was to say that if she just ignored the problem it would break up with him and go away. but he had a big mouth and she had some things she wanted to keep in order, so it was better to keep the circle small. “but i guess if it was small.”

"How do you like that!" He laughs. His baby sis is a trip! And all she's said to him so far is that he's the new proud owner of the title of boyfriend. At least, that's all that has filtered through, trickled into the synapses before distilling as the final product of conscious thought. She means well! He knows that better than anyone!

Not even a whack of the hand can tell him otherwise, only serves to make him laugh again, harder this time, to the point of even wheezing once. "Gee! You sure you don't wanna have a go again at my specs? Took my hand for a fly, I bet! Ha! A real Venus Fly Trap, huh! Could've turned into a real Little Shop of Horrors scene! Ha!" Micah finally tames his breath from the humor that's been inflicted on him, along with the sting to his knuckles that goes without serious notice. Can't complain when she's just given the a-okay! "Sure! Can be as small as you like, Lindy! It'll be a blast! Just you, me, and long john Sylvie! What's not to love?"

“st. louis.” she murmured, as though she was going to be able to conjure the image of a place she’d never seen, nor ever had any desire to truly go. until this moment, where it seemed as though it was a destinations that she’d overlooked on her quest to see america. as though she’d perceived the country to be made up of new york and los angeles, and forgotten how much of the in between might hold interests yet unknown. all of which wrapped around her hand, the way that he’d folded his own fingers over hers. “i don’t mind the drive.” or at least hypothetically, there was no worry. 

she let him guide her, changing the position to how he might see holding hands. and still, they hadn’t let go, as though once the boundaries of personal space had been crossed, there was no purpose to try and quickly reestablish them. rather, it was simply about finding the new way in which it might be acknowledged. “quite the finding.” elation might have been the word for it, the thrill in having not the scientific acknowledgement of a match, but rather that micah’s calibrations were what had caused it. “of course your arch would be the perfect test.”

There was no minimizing the way Micah's face was glowing. Even in the dark, where the source of light was limited to the stars his telescope was pointed up towards, he might have been seen through the clouds, satellites looking down at the illuminated boy. "You betcha," he beamed, pleased as can be to the swirling idea of a get-away together. "Name the time! Can pack a bag whenever you give the word. Promise I'll get us there in one piece!"

It was already inching close to midnight, the start of a new year upon them, the refresher lesson on tradition coming with it. Did it make it theirs if it had only happened once before? What a puzzler! But there they were again, by themselves, no one else to smooch when the clock would eventually strike around the pacific coast. "Mind if I ask you something, doc?" His hand was still holding up hers as if there was no reason out there to abandon it. "Are we sticking with tradition this year again or how's it all looking? Didn't want to take it for granted! What a flub that’d be, ammiright?"

“what’s she got, like a real degree or something?” there were plenty of ways to be smart without all that schooling, but gee if it wasn’t what their parents always seemed to think the big deal was! wow a real smart girl— the kind who goes to college. she was glad she hadn’t sent them a christmas card. 

the response to her other question garners an eyeroll, the overdramatic kind that only a little sister can offer when faced with the next line being i told you so. she knew that claudia marshall was never going to work out but she still had to play along didn’t she? and look at that, she was right! more than one type of smart. “she’s a drunk. total lameo.” emanated self-pity even if she pretended like she didn’t, and goll-ee some rich sap fell for it. if she could figure out the way to get points from julian santiago she sure would too. “lovebug nothing!” the sudden flash to her own relationship was met with pursed lip anger. there was nothing to talk about there. “you’re just an easy read! i still haven’t met this one, she could be a real pain too.” 

"A real degree! Ha! Boy, oh, boy! What a funny! Has a bonafide doctorate! How about that! No funny papers for her!" After the double major master's degree, Micah sure had a time. Almost had a doctorate himself! Wouldn't that have been something? Two docs in the family! "Gee, can't wait to see the look on mom and dad's face. What a hoot! Just gotta run her by you first, Lindy! You're the real test here! Bet she'll pass with flying colors! You'll be bugging me about tying the knot before you know it!"

What could go wrong? He had his protective sis on his side, after all! He couldn't help but grin, reach over and ruffle her hair. "Oof! I get it! Have to go to bat for your big bro, huh? Sure am lucky to have ya!" He knew she didn't mean all that. How could she? Claudia Marshall was the best in the biz! "No hard feelings for this guy! She's a swell gal! Big fan still! Can't argue with cupid's arrow! Pulled a big ol’ loop-de-loop on us! Ha! That's life!" All part of that giant sim called life! Full of glitches and cheat codes, no different than any of the arcade games that beeped around them. "Now, that's what I call a grand plan! You could catch some grub with us! How's supper looking? Bet you're all booked up through new years, huh!"

another long sip of coke is taken, picture perfect americana as she tilts her head to see the screen better, ringlets cascading to one side. she already knows that the girl in question works for the human resources department, it’s only a matter of whether that will be important or not. she knows micah has a big mouth, and she doesn’t want to go back to being lindy bates off the word of some stranger. “she’s smart? there’s no way.” blinking wide eyes, as if the only way he could manage a relationship was to resort to finding a particularly nice looking brick. “what ever happened to claudia marshall,” she hadn’t heard much since the car incident, but she hadn’t asked much either. priorities. “are we done with all that?”

Being ribbed by his baby sis only serves to make him laugh. It's the combination of lil Lindy's face and the jabbing words he can never take with more than a grain of salt. His breath leaves his lungs in the chuckles, wide grin in its wake. "Hooboy! No way! Ha! You sure are killing me tonight!" Micah inhales, a big gulp of that fresh arcade air, where it smells a bit like nachos and pop. "Smart! Boy, you better believe it!" Really speaks volumes how his face doesn't lose an ounce of its glimmering happiness even as she goes on her fishing expedition, makes him laugh again, really. Now, it's all just a funny memory. Ha! What a trip that was! "Bet I sure did look silly there for awhile! You don't have to worry about that anymore, Lindy! Me and Claudia Marshall! Ha! Never was in the cards! Got ourselves two happy pairs instead of just one, how about that! You sure have a sixth sense for these things. You're turning into a real matchmaker! It's all thanks to that bite from the lovebug!"

@micahbates​

“i heard a funny little rumor!” she does not spend time with her brother very often. but there is an all night arcade with vinyl booths and quarter pinball games, the windows are blacked out so that a distracted player might waste away hours without ever having to see outside. and no one gets a chance to glance in and see america’s sweetheart bathed in neon lights. “that you’ve been hanging around with a girl.” she does not spend time with her brother very often, and she’s not going to make a habit of it. but she sips coke out of a straw so that her lipstick doesn’t smudge and she’s not going anywhere any time soon. “how’d you trick her into that! 

Ms. Pac-Man. What a time! A game for the ages! A classic! He hasn't played it in awhile, mostly because he conquered the whole game when he was just a little tyke. See, the trick is a piece of cake! The ghosts all run on simple algorithms, and aren't they just something! It's only Blinky out here that's actually chasing, while Inky, Pinky, and Sue hover. The player has the method down to such an extent that he's watching his baby sis as she talks. The sound of techno-munching is heard in the background while he grins. "A rumor! About ole Micah Rockwell Bates, huh?" Oh, boy, he sure is tickled! "Ha! Where'd you come up with that zinger?" The ghosts are now bright cobalt, reflects off the edges of his glasses as they're captured one-by-one, the sound of their demise is playful and ultimately meaningless. Ha! A lot like life sometimes! How about that! "Gotta check up on your big brother! I get it! Beats me how it all started! Ha! Trick! I bet! That's a good one! Couldn’t do it if I wanted to! She’s too smart for that!" Level 32 ends. His hand remains on the joystick as the screen goes black before Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man join together, the happy couple in their 8-bit splendor. "Can't wait to be introduced, huh!"

“it’s a little further than a day trip.” the map of america stretched out in her mind, trying to calculate the distance from los angeles to the grand canyon national park. it was more than four hours, which meant that was the day at least. but it didn’t mean that she was disinterested in making such a journey. “if you have a break in production, the skywalk would be interesting.” a strange combination of human engineering and the natural world, the physical manifestation of impact changing terrain. “is there anywhere you haven’t been— i wouldn’t be opposed to something more like a vacation.”

she looked down at his hand before slipping her own into his grasp, her own lotion soft and manicured from days spent in an office trying to radiate comfort and stability. when matched with his own rough and less kept, focused on the pleasures in life, striving towards the goals that entertained him and he personally wanted to achieve. 

“oh no, i certainly can’t either.” why, her election to spend yet another holiday with him must have been more an exposure of bias than anything that an astrological sign would have had. there was little doubt to her mind what she felt, but she would never force such feelings. and she would not impose her own thoughts on such a topic, but it was nice to hear a similar thought already being echoed. “i’m sure some part of the programming recognizes you.” five seconds passed, but she kept holding. she was never the first to break contact, whether it be a hug or a handshake, she had been accustomed from a young age to waiting until the other person was satisfied. “i suppose a systematic reaction is not a fingerprint, but if you calibrated it yourself anything is possible.”

"Not much for a drive! I get it! Plenty of stuff around here to do! Can't forget what's in your own backyard, that's for sure!" All she had to do was say the word. Even the vaguest hint of it being a burden had sent Micah into making a list of all the places around Los Angeles Sylvie might want to see. Garden of Oz! That'd be a hoot! But it was just a matter of getting their wires crossed. Jumped the gun! Ha! "A vacation, huh! Haven't gone on one without the family tagging along! That'd be something! Just the two of us!" Could feel the electrical impulses of the heart buzz, like a short circuit in need of a tweak before busting. New territory! Like having a partner in crime, but with soda fountain stops and Route 66. What could be better? "Sure would get a kick out of seeing the Gateway Arch! What a modern marvel! How about it, doc? Wanna meet me in St. Louis? Ha!"

Hand in hand. Imagine that! All for the sake of science! Nothing else to gain from noticing how soft her hand felt against his, with all his little papercut-sized lines and occasional burn-marks that healed up over the years, palms a memory book of continued experimentation. Smaller fingers in comparison, how his tried to mold around hers and shrink to their size to preserve them, as if the night air would oxidize them.

Five seconds seemed short, gone in the blink of an eye, yet their hands were still holding onto each other, sidetracked by conversation, a beaming face returned to her before the eyes dropped down. "Take a look at that!" His hand slowly lessened its presence, winding around just enough to be a platform for hers, showing off the glowing ring that was on it. "No change means it's a match! Looks like we're the dream team, doc! How do you like that!"

“certainly worth the risk, seeing how it’s held up.” set up in a completely new location, the appearance now simply a part of its charm. “you saw the grand canyon with your family?” the information clung to like so sweet precious thing, that he’d indeed had such a wholesome experience and in such an american place. not because she believed he particularly needed the memory, but because she might have liked it. wanted to hear about it, wanted to go. an interesting proposition of give and take. her next set of questions postponed with the introduction of the snacks that he’d brought with. sweetheart eyes turned to not only the non-alcholic beverage they could share, but the snacks that came paired along with it. 

she’d advised a client once, that she need only say something one time and if it was important to her partner, it would be remembered. it had seemed logical at the time, in relation to a birthday or an anniversary. big shared moments that every relationship had. she had never thought to apply such logic to herself until she took the candy from him, ring glowing.

“oh i don’t believe in all of that.” there were far more dependable things that made up a person. the reliance on a particular time of birth was wholly irresponsible to her mind. it was a set of traits that could align however one saw fit, akin to having your fortune told. but she held her free hand out regardless of any scientific reservations on the topic. “a cognitive trigger is elusive in some people.” the only physical signs of attraction she could think of were instantaneous, there was no proven longevity to them, but she was eager to hear the suggestion put forward. “though i’m sure it’s used to my autonomic reactions by now. i’m sure i won’t disappoint.”

"You betcha! A real rite of passage! You'd sure get a kick out of it, doc. Missed out on the Skywalk by only a few months. Gee, I hope fire manager Dave is still working. What a pal!" Taught him a thing or two that you just couldn't get anywhere else! But a trip down memory lane couldn't take away from the headline that he saw. Didn't let it slip by him that it seemed like she hadn't ever been before. "Wouldn't make a bad trip one of these days, huh? Got yourself a tour guide right here if ya ever wanna have a go at it!"

The candy was handed over, slipped from his grasp to hers with a smile extended out all the same. Gentle light of her ring smoldering in the night, equal power to the electrical charge of his heart. Sharing is caring and all that. Real responsive, natural reaction!

"Not much for astrology, huh! Me neither! All about confirmation bias, ammiright?" Not that Micah was vehemently against it as though it was a scourge on the earth. It was a hoot, all things considered! Lucky numbers and love matches, who couldn't get a laugh out of that! "Put it there, doc!" he went on ahead, hand out for her to shake. "Gotta make the ring get a good feel of me to have it figure out the rest. Sure wonder if it missed me! Ha! Only needs a five second window to see what it thinks of the pair of us. But I'll tell ya what! Can't think of a single thing disappointing about ya. Not a worry!"

“i know.” she met his words with affirmation instead of encouragement. he wouldn’t let her down, chief of all because he couldn’t. the effort that went into setting up the telescope on this rooftop hadn’t gone unnoticed. his work tended to have a cluttered look when in an unfinished state. the wires that remained exposed betrayed the work that he was capable of. but it didn’t mean that the foundation was any less perfect. “is this a prototype?” the question was asked with genuine curiosity, though she didn’t hover in the space while he corrected. the details were his to explain if he chose. 

“it’s always safer to bring two.” she smiled and nodded at the bottle in hand. there was little to disagree with when it came to sparkling juice. there was only a nice thought of a childhood she hadn’t celebrated. it seemed perfectly american though, like everything he did. unfailing in the choices he made. “but cranberry is just fine to start.” she had little hand in the night other than her attentive focus, but she couldn’t deny a certain hope that it might extend into a second bottle of sparkling juice. a few minutes past midnight, if she were to lean on the holiday. 

“i—” she looked down at the ring, softly continuing on its course. the engraving therein bursting for a moment in her memory. “it never ceases to entertain.” there were plenty of different modes in which to analyze the ring on her finger. many of them were spent turning it over in her hands at night in the pursuit of scientific inquiry. but not all of them. “it could be a placebo of my own doing, but its calibrations seem to have become more attuned to my system.” she was not so certain that she would call the operation a.i. it might have been a particular hyperfixation on the gift than came from the personalization of it.“we work well together.”

"This old pal?" Micah asked with a light pat to the telescope. "Nah! No rough edges around here! It's the real deal! A genuine Celestron! Got it after tinkering with a pair of dad's binoculars. Boy, oh, boy was he not a happy camper that day! Ha!" As often as there was, the genuinely humored smile spread across his face at the memory, the road trip of pure Americana hitting a speed bump from a growing mind. "Had double vision of the Grand Canyon! Sure wasn't in the mood to hear about things being twice as nice! What can ya do!"

The robotic din of the telescope faded in the background, controller still in his hands, while the drinks seemed to be well-received, cranberry especially. Something to file away! "But wait, there's more! Ha! Not much of a chef, but couldn't forget about what you said to bring last time!" His hand was freed up, slipping back into the wicker picnic basket, pulling out a bag of Sour Patch Kids, a little token of memory of the first and only New Year's Eve shared passed over to her. "Just what the doctor ordered! Told me to bring them for next time," he reminded, another pull of a smile, softer this round.

"Getting a real kick out of it, huh!" he flipped back, proud of the ring on her finger bringing a splash of joy. He had done plenty of tests on it, trial and error, equations up the wazoo! All of it worth it in the end! "That's the power of adaptive cognitive computing! Should be able to calculate compatibilities, by now! Can always put it to the test and shake my hand to give it a go! Better than your every day horoscope, guaranteed! Gotta make sure we're a real dream team and all that!"]

she was softly alit from the inside. a glow that started with the ring that she remembered to wear, had remembered to keep the entire year. although she didn’t often wear it— a distraction for patients who were already suspicious of their conversations, and ones who needed a conversation topic outside of their own reasons for visiting. but now was such an occasion to wear it. “i’m sure it won’t disappoint.” she nodded at the telescope, letting him set up whatever he would like. 

the invite hadn’t been a surprise per-say, they had spent that last new year together and most people were creatures of habit. traditionalists to the end, but it was still nice to be associated with the holiday. she was interested to see what he would come up with this year, for reasons that she had not asked but could guess— he had moved away from some of inception style talk. “i don’t mind.” the parties were fine, but she still had not seemed to broach becoming the center of any conversation. something small suited her just fine. “i had a better time last year with you. champagne doesn’t suit me all too well.” 

Celestron logo was still hanging on by the sticker slapped on by the manufacturing team that put it all together. Same faithful telescope he had used back in the day, same controller that was in Micah's hands, twisting it around by the power of motherboards and hardwired science. It made the same hum as it did then, pausing it as Sylvie spoke, best way to listen! "That's the big idea! Ha! Won't let you down, doc. You can count on me." The coordinates were almost put in place, knowing exactly what was on the agenda, timing down pat. He'd be sure to make it special for her. Least he could do to repay her for accepting the invitation to come join him, as if he would be doing this without her to share it with.

Little more to the left, few degrees south, and it was stationary. "Got yourself a front row seat to the best light show out there!" he beamed, smile thrown over to her before being able to nod along to what she was saying, focusing on champagne as the main factor. Good thing he didn't bring any! "Not much of a lush! I get ya! Me neither! How about that? Can't go without something to go down the gullet! Have a look here." A basket beside the telescope was opened up, little click of a simple metal clasp releasing the wicker flap to get a bottle out, just enough light around to have Sparkling Juice spelled out to the eye. "Not allergic to cranberry, are ya? Brought apple just in case! Can't be too careful!" Holding it out for her to see, the glow of the ring was finally noticed, sticking out like a sore thumb, smile widening with pride. "Got some use out of it, huh! No complaints?"

"Bet this old timer sure is glad to shake off the cobwebs!" He patted at the optical tube like it was an old pal. In many ways it was. "Haven't had it out for a spin since coming out here to tinsel town! Guess it made the long journey over to sit and wait for you to come along! Ha!" Couldn't deny that he had gone through an astronomy phase when he was a little boy, lifting baby Lindy to look through the eye-piece he was now making sure was spotless with the edge of his plaid sleeve. "Gotta make it all worth missing the big Prometheus shindig for the second year in a row, huh, doc!"

@sylviedewitt​

“Oh? Eloise joined before you? I thought.. you guys would’ve come by together,” Tomas still found their dynamic a mystery, little to no explanation, would she really be one to send postcards? “sometimes they do though, it gets.. really really busy.” He still wasn’t too sure who Uncle Teddy was but now it feels like its too late to ask. “Were you not allowed to watch? We just.. never really had the time, not with the bakery.” ..what was a unabomber? Too many questions, Tomas asked the most sane one.

He could feel the guilt eating up hearing what that sounds like, he sighed, “I mean.. I do love her though, more than uh– 20% it’s just.. sometimes..” he tried to explain but Micah seemed to self explain instead. Siblings I guess, as simple as that. “She truly is, always entertaining,” definitely always looking to anyways, but he paused and glanced to Micah, a face falling serious, “but– um, please.. don’t rope her into the whole Prometheus thing..” He felt bad, constantly dissuading her from this whole thing but he just wanted to keep her safe. “I’m not sure how well we’d do in each others family,” Tomas would probably get eaten alive while Micah will have a fun jolly time here.

"Sure woulda been swell! A package deal! A real dynamic duo, huh! The Lindbergh baby sure is her own person! Didn't tell a soul! How do you like that! What a trailblazer!" Who could have guessed what would have happened had he not caught wind she had just been cast in her first production? He'd find out sooner or later! Late was better than never. "Oof! Not even Iron Chef in the house? Couldn't bring work back home, I bet! Mom didn't have the stomach for the cancellations! Too squeamish for her blood!” Well, you know what they say. What you don’t know won’t kill you, except carbon monoxide! “We'd sneak on down the stairs and catch one or two of the midnight showings! Got her first taste of the Prometheus treatment! Rest is history! Who woulda thought we'd be standing here now? That's the American dream for ya!"

Tomas didn't have to explain a thing, not when it came to little sisters. There was always love for them! Distance makes the heart grow fonder and all that jazz. Guess Tomas got the big idea with it all, or Micah had just become too invested in his quality assurance, glancing over at the open laptop to map out the real-time analytics that peaked and dropped as the chef talked, small spike as his attention was caught again. "Got herself a contract to sign? Gee! Gotta congratulate her!" Swing and a miss, even with a joyous smile on his face. "Got stiff competition up against Lindy! Better watch out! She's a killer! Ha! Can't wait to tell her she's got a new pal!"