A Freakout

Participants:

cassandra_icon.gif eve2_icon.gif

Scene Title A Freakout
Synopsis Cassandra wants booze and to check on Eve, Eve is not doing that well.
Date April 17, 2018

Elmhurst Hospital


Visiting hours are just about finished but nurses haven't started to peek into rooms yet, families are still sitting with loved ones. The sounds of footsteps and low voices are what Eve hears, Nurse Lookie Loo as she was named is telling some other nurse that Eve doesn't know yet about her upcoming date. “I mean he's totally the type to take you home to your mom ya know,” the oracle can practically see the gum she's not popping in her mouth, she still talks like she is, popping gum that is.

It's rather annoying and Eve who is usually in the highest of spirits is not feeling that high today. In fact she's feeling downright low.

“He never calls me until late because of work! I get it, I work the long hours. Bruises on his neck? I heard he fights at that Crucible joint,” she's not very careful about how loud she speaks, Eve thinks that the door must be open a crack, yes that's it. Her head turns towards the noise. She had taken to wrapping the gauze around her head, covering her eyes. Sunglasses would do but for now she was fine with this. She wasn't using her eyes. This was fine. Her hair was pulled back into a loose thick braid, Gillian had done it her hands were too shaky. Fingers bunches up and twisted at times, she tried to ignore the cold she felt through the bandage on the top of her head, where they had shaved a circular shape to do brain surgery.

The fog that she had woken up in since the surgery was still there. Occasionally shattered by the wild images of her last dream. Horsemen. A child with flaming red hair. Adam Monroe. War.

There's a light sigh from the seer as she idly drags a piece of charcoal over the surface of a piece of sketch paper, Gillian had brought her a multitude of things to keep her occupied. Audiobooks, music, Eve had insisted on her sketch paper. Currently she wasn't trying to draw anything, it was a comfort. She needed a lot of that at the moment.

While visiting hours are mostly over, there are a few things that take precedent. Close family, for one. Law enforcement is the other. One requires ID, records of credentials, and a firm grasp of what police like to call ‘command presence,’ while the other just requires being able to talk your way past a couple of nurses who are more interested in their boyfriends than keeping an eye on who’s visiting the woman in room E-5e. Or you can take the route Cassandra chose - simply sneaking in and, if she’s caught, feigning ignorance.

The nurses’ footsteps can be heard walking away from Eve’s room in the hallway and then, a few moments later, softer steps approach, walking toe-heel to keep from making squeaks on the polished laminate tile floors. They stop at the nurses station down the way for a second, the clicking of a clipboard being pulled out and read. Then, once the clipboard is replaced, the footsteps start down the hall, stopping in front of Eve’s door. This is followed by a soft knock from a set of knuckles tapping lightly against the wood. “Eve?” A soft voice, perhaps familiar, can be heard, the door pushed open, those footsteps padding quietly inside, the door closing with a quiet click behind. “Eve?” Another questioning sound as she peers around the room, settling on the form in the bed. “It’s Cassandra. How….” she shuffles closer, shifting her messenger bag from slung across her chest to over one arm, sliding it off to rest on the floor next to the bed. “How’re you doing?”

When someone calls her name out the woman tilts her head and her brow furrows until she announces herself and dark haired relaxes a bit, lips twisted into a smile. “..h..hi.”

Eve’s hand gestures with a jerk towards a chair that is placed next to the hospital bed. Her skin is paler than usual, many blankets placed over her. She had been complaining about the cold since last night, a chill she couldn't escape. “I..i..I'm alive.” Is the dry reply with a hint of a sad smile. She grimaces as she sees that huge metal robotic head, jaws open shooting out that red light. The vision making her grit teeth before she smooths the blanket out around her with trembling hands.

“S..sassy barbitch t..to..told you?”

David was a bitch yes but also a friend of Eve’s, she had known he would pass the word that she was away and not just leave it at that but also relay how serious her situation was. Or well.. just give vague alarming statements alluding to her being on the brink of death. Eve very much resented that because she was alive and not well but getting there.

Presently, she didn't think a light at the end of the tunnel was anywhere in her near future. Fitting because she couldn't use her ability to check the status on that anyway.

Cassandra shuffles over to the indicated chair, the buckles of her bag clinking on the floor as she sits down, the legs of the chair squeaking as she scoots a little closer to the blinded seer - something that has a very Greek tragedy feel to it.

There’s a little weight as Cassandra reaches over to touch Eve’s hand. “Yes, he did. The place seems to not be on fire. He’s doing a good job keeping the taps going and the party going in your absence, and speaking of..” Her hand goes away and the zippers of her bag are opened. “I brought a present.” There’s a clinking of glass and a sloshing sound as a pair of something larger is put down on the table with a clunk, the pitcher of water by the bed poured out, the ice retained, and repurposed for something more fun.

Hospital Margaritas.

“No salt…it gets in my stuff and finding room for the bottles was tricky enough but there are cut limes and lime juice, so….” She gets to mixing. Sassy Bitch was helpful. Pour A, and B into container, preferably with ice, stir, and pour into glasses, done. The margarita, cold, is pressed against Eve’s hand, Cassandra taking one for herself. “So you blew a circuit?” she asks, taking a sip, the ice rattling against the glass a little. “Have they told you anything?”

“Bl..bless you and may the ho..hor..horses say Amen.” As she takes the margarita in her hands and takes a sip. Now this.. she could get used to this. Eve’s pale hand shakes as she sips from the liquid and exhales a sigh of satisfaction. Leaning forward to place the drink in front of her, she smiles up at the ceiling. “C..circuits. Removed, sh..shaken. S..stirred.” There's a harsh bit of laughter and she's gripping the railing of her bed with a grimace.

“T..things.. on the hill.. r..raci.. racing towards us.” Her pale hand waves absently with a loll of her head and she bends down to sip more of the marg. “Seizure.” Is her reply to what they told her.

“Th..the eyes though. They ar..are.. strange.” Pressing her finger tips to her bandages eyes. “Be careful, whe..where you look. Ho..how deep. Adam Monroe..”

Her visit wasn’t intended to be a social one - it was mainly a ‘go ask Eve if she knew where Danko might be’ sort of visit, but when the visit to the hospital was explained, the investigation kind of took a back seat. It was also the reason she asked for the bottles when she learned Eve’s final location. For the sheer amount of drinking she witnessed from the other woman in the two times they met, being at the hospital would be agonizing and boring, thus the addition of margaritas. Something to take the edge off, as it were.

There’s a rustling sound as Cassandra scoots the chair to the side of the bed leaning back in the chair with her blindfold around her eyes, the rattling of something in her left hand as she reaches over to take Eve’s other hand with her right, her power going to work. Despite the lack of sight, Cassandra’s power beams directly into the consciousness of those in close proximity, overlaying what is there with what is being shown. The sounds and smells of the hospital fade, the blanket and bed the only tangible things felt for a moment before the darkness starts to lessen, the brightness of a sunny spring day peeking in around clouds, diffused by live oak and maple foliage. The scene slowly focuses, revealing a green field of short grass at the edge of a forest where children play, chasing a big red dog as it keeps a frisbee away from them.

“I thought this might be a little more relaxing than staring at the backs of your own eyelids.” Cassandra says softly, giving Eve’s hand a light squeeze, charcoal from the aimless sketching dusting her skin. “One of the memories I carry around in my bag.”

She sits for a moment, pondering what Eve has said, taking another sip of her drink, the pitcher close at hand where she can easily find it while being blindfolded. “I’m always careful when I look or, at least, try to be.” The children cheer as the frisbee is caught and flung, the big red dog loping off after it at an impressive speed. “I can get a taste, sometimes, of what I might get from objects since it’s already happened, but you and your future sight, gazing into the abyss like that…” She takes another drink. “I can see bad things that have happened. You get to see all the stuff that /could/. And what, you saw something so bad it gave you a seizure?” She lets out a low whistle. “I want to know, but don’t.”

The name Adam Monroe is noted, a chill going down her spine. “I’ve seen a memory with him in it….” she murmurs softly, more to herself than anyone. “How interesting.” Then, a blink. “Your eyes hopefully will come back. The brain’s a fairly complicated computer that doesn’t take getting dug around in very well. It’ll rewire itself and you’ll be fine.” She hopes.

The stunning sight of sunshine and a forest makes Eve smile faintly as it comes into view. She tilts her head and nods, “V..very comforting dear.” That squeeze returned with a humming sound. She sways as she does so, “Y.. you don’t want t..to know.” Eve squeezes her hand harder. “No..not what this is.” A warning lest Cassandra wants to end up like Eve now.

He,” she leans forward towards the wall opposite of her. “H..he is.. b..bringing war. Sta..stay away.” Eve is worried for the younger woman, who is just as curious as she was. The veins in Eve’s neck bulge but she eventually relaxes after a few moments.

To whether her eyesight will come back or not, the older woman waves a free hand sluggishly. “They will.. d..do.. as they do.” Hopefully they decide to come back.

Eve’s eyes are there. They’re connected on one end, but the other end is a little scrambled. It’s probably like getting a TV set back into tune after the antenna got blown around in a windstorm. You’ve got to aim it just right to get the shows back, or add a little tinfoil to the ends to make the signal stronger. “The one disadvantage of me doing this is that I can’t see anything beyond the image itself, so the world outside might as well not even be here. Still…” She looks around. “It is a nice memory.”

What she saw of Adam Monroe, though? Not nice. “He was kept in a prison cell for a long time.” Cassie says softly. “I can’t go into what I learned, of course, but….it wasn’t good. He was the cause of a lot of pain for those who were keeping him. Many, many deaths. And this man is bringing war? You saw a vision of him returning…” She sighs. “Sometimes I’m glad I can only see back.”

“H..he is not near.” The yet is implied but Eve stares at the illusion of the forest in her mind’s eye. She misses her own forest, the eternal forest in her head. “..t..this ..wo..world,” she licks her lips and there’s a tremble that rolls through her body. “I..is not meant ..f..fo.. for.. f..for..for..for..for..”

The Oracle can't seem to get the rest of the words out. Her hand flails out and slaps at the air around her, smacking the railing of her hospital bed. Her margarita goes flying the alcohol spilling all over her and the bed covers. She gasps for breath as the memory that Cassie has relived is smashed by Eve’s own memory of the bodies and the Horsemen. “F..FO..FOR..FORRRRR!!!!!” She roars as she arches her back and flings her head from side to side.

Adam's bloodied face with the golden irises flashes and she flinches with a cry. Her body shaking, “FOR THE..” There’s another scream as Eve fails to continue, assaulted by the dream and the flashbacks to the encounter that placed her in Elmhurst in the first place.

The sound of footsteps hurrying towards the room can be heard. This wouldn't be the first time the nurses have had to rush to her room to sedate her.

The image of the forest freezes, dog in mid-romp, wind stilling, leaves stopping. Like someone paused the world which, honestly, Cassandra did or, at least the image. The sounds of the approaching nurses are ignored - she literally can’t hear them, and neither can Eve, thanks to the projection. She turns and stands in the image, taking Eve’s hands in hers, squeezing them firmly before sitting on the bed. “Eve…” her voice is calm and comes from a place of concern.

“Eve, calm down. It’s not going to hurt you. The future changes - you know that. A butterfly flaps its wings and the hurricane goes somewhere else. If he’s coming, we’ll stop him. We’ll keep it from happening. Somehow.”

It’s probably a sight to see when the nurses get in there. A brunette with a blindfold around her eyes, holding Eve’s hands, trying to calm her down, sitting on the edge of the bed, calm despite the screaming going on.

Lynette and Cesar had tried this, Gillian too. It had never really worked.

Eve bucks even more, beeps from machines ringing out as the seer cries along with it. “T..the….HORS..HORSEMENNNNNNN. The dark haired blind woman has tears soaking the bandages around her eyes, mouth twisted in horror.

The onslaught continues, her skin being ripped from the bone. Those golden eyes.

Eve pants as the door bangs open and in sweeps a pair of nurses. One of them being the one so loudly talking about her date. “Miss Mas!” The dark haired nurse rushes in with an alarmed look, she hadn't been there for any of Eve’s previous episodes. “What happen-” she stops as she takes in the memory she's walked into. “What..”

Her name tag read Bloom. Nurse Bloom formerly known as Lookie Loo blinks and rushes forward to Eve’s side going to restrain her. Giving a dark eyed stare at Cassandra and the blindfold. “Hey! Whatever you're doing, stop it now.”

“Linda!” She calls over her shoulder as she holds Eve down, the seer screaming out in pain. “I need a sedative now!” Bloom tries to shush Eve gently, sweeping hair out of her face. “It's okay Miss Mas, just try to hear my voice.” Eve only screams in reply, “R..Ripped to Shreds.. a..all!! A..re..are dead!” There’s a wild laugh that comes from the pit of her belly. “Listen Linda hurry!

“What the fuck happened?” She shouts over Eve to Cassandra, her hands register the liquid spilled over Eve and her blankets, maybe it's sweat? Bloom shakes her head and rubs a tequila drenched arm of Eve’s with a raised eyebrow.

The banging of the door does jolt the memory that Cassandra is replaying off, the forest fading away to the hospital room like fog blowing away, the postcog pushing her blindfold up on top of her head, the dark tears thankfully not spilling down her cheeks for once.

“We were just talking. I…she’s my sister…I was just showing a scene from our childhood and she started talking about her vision and now…” Lies mixed with truth, and she’s not mentioning the margaritas at all. Cassandra slips off the bed and takes a step back toward the foot of the bed, covering her mouth as she watches Eve thrash against the bed, the power of the vision she experienced causing so much trouble.

Ready to grab her bag and book if necessary.

Nurse Bloom’s eyes narrow at the mention of a ‘sister’ just as the other nurse rushes into the room with the sedative. There's a sniff in the air and tequila isn't a discrete smell, her eyes flash as she does her best to keep Eve laying on the bed. “You don't look like Gillian Childs,” the woman who had power of attorney in case of emergencies for Eve. All relatives being listened as dead or missing, perhaps a long lost sister. Stranger things had happened in the days since the war.

“Sister or not, alcohol for your Sister who just had brain surgery and is on painkillers? Are you trying to kill her?” Her tone is sharp and it would seem she is use to going to bat with people in this hospital, a thick shell. “She needs our help right now,” Eve screams again to interrupt them as the other nurse starts the IV drip. “Sh..she's co..coming. She's ..c..coming!”

Bloom flinches at her tone, “Security will see you out, your name.” It's not a request. Bloom juts her head out towards the hallway and a waiting MP, they are usually nearby due to Eve’s previous activities at the place of healing. Eve’s face is drenched in sweat, the mix of sweat and tequila mixing in the air. “Shesheshesheshesheshesheseesmesheseesmeeeeeee.”

Her body grows more and more relaxed as the sedative takes hold. Her voice trailing off, a ragged rasp, “If you.. look.. h..hard enou..enough..” Eve’s head drifts to the side as she is finally claimed by the drugs. “Y..you ca..n s..see..he..”

Eve seems that she’s being taken care of as best she can. Cassandra bends down to pick up her mostly empty bag, putting her blindfold away and zipping it all up, flinging it over her shoulder. The room is mostly dark, which works to her advantage. It’s not like a blind woman needs much light. “Alexandra Mas.” she says to the nurse. Another lie - she saw the name on a spanish magazine somewhere as someone who’s starred in El Fantasma de Elena several years back. She looks to the MP outside the door, looks to Eve, and sighs. “I’ll be sure to tell Sassy Bitch you’re doing okay…” she says to the catatonic eve, rummaging around in her bag for something in an envelope that she places on the table by Eve’s head before heading for the door, sparing a glance to the MP for a second before stepping into the hall and letting the door close behind her.

The thing is, once the door closes? There are twenty people standing there, like a massive amount of people suddenly appeared, moving through the hall with gurneys, shouting about triage and incoming ambulances, and yes, one Cassandra walking into Eve's room. She’s not getting caught for questioning.

As the crowd appears, the MP looks shocked and tries to run after one of them. “Jesus Christ!!” He screams as he loses one of them and turns to look out at the other. Eyes wide and as the nurses work to get Eve the help she needs. The MP pulls his radio close, “We’ve got a situation with Mas, something about a sister. Potential sister, illusionist of some kind. She's..” the man looks frustrated as he walks briskly back towards Eve’s room. “She's gone. She escaped.”


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