Be My Sensei

Participants:

huruma3_icon.gif lucille2_icon.gif

Scene Title Be My Sensei
Synopsis Lucille beckons Huruma for some grounding time, and they talk family and personal capability.
Date January 24, 2011

Prospect Park

Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park sitting square in the heart of Brooklyn. While the borough around this verdant region of lush foliage, tall trees and rolling hills is prospering, Prospect Park has become something of a ghetto within the city's bowels. Brooklyn has grown steadily following the destruction of Midtown, but not everyone in New York City can afford to live in Brooklyn, and those that cant have resorted to vagrancy across the city. Some brave the southern edge of Central Park on Manhattan, but the lion's share of mainland New York's homeless are here in Prospect Park.

Where once was a blossoming park pulling itself up from a nadir of abandonment and disuse in the seventies, Prospect Park has sunken back down into a state of disrepair and squalor. Tracts of forested land are laden with blue tarp tents, fire pits and makeshift shanty towns. The park is no longer officially maintained by the state of New York due to budget constraints, so the park's once pristine boat house and other facilities have been made into a makeshift homeless community, such as they are.

The Prospect Park Zoo, which once featured over seven hundred animals, was closed shortly after the bomb and the facility rests in decay in the park behind rusting iron gates and sturdy fence.


The early afternoon chill has set in and around the city of New York. Not as many parents out with their kids to enjoy the sun.. because it's pretty freaking cold. That's all good for Lucille Ryans as she leans against a snow covered tree in the park.

Dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans that are tucked tightly into her calf high wool boots. A dark grey thick grey wool coat covers her body and she wears a dark red scarf around her neck. Warm, wool gloves cover her hands as she takes a drag off of her cigarette.

Yes.. she's that stressed that she's smoking. She doesn't do it that often. At all.

The former model looks up towards the sky and she tilts her head as she waits for the person she contacted the other day to meet here. There's a lot to talk about and it's better that there isn't that many people here right now. The less eyes, the better.

This is the second time in a few days that Huruma has been out to Prospect Park. The difference is that the first time, she had come to the bedside of one of the waterways, and Benjamin had been skipping rocks on the cracked ice. Lucille has asked to see her deeper in the overgrown parkland, though likely close enough to civilization. Then again, civilization in Prospect is either those passing through, or those that live in the clusters of the homeless' shacks and shanties. There weren't many as she heads out this way.

Huruma looks much the same as she did the first time, too. Layers of clothing- flannel, hooded sweatshirt, jacket, a cap under the hood pulled up and over. Her jeans are heavy, the hems damp with snow from the spray off of her boots. This is as inconspicuous as she tends to get now. It used to be harder, before she was drug into slumming it again.

Incidentally, Huruma can smell the faint scent of tobacco about the same time that she pinpoints where Lucille is, within the grove of unkempt trees. "It would be unfortunate of you t'survive only t'get cancer, later." Her voice as she ambles through the trees to Lucille is not so much berating- just a thought being voiced, is all.

"I shouldn't be smoking these fucking things. I quit ages ago.. but now.. I'm so stressed though." Lu says softly before she throws the cancer stick down on the snow and watches it slowly sizzle and be put out. Taking a second, she looks up to Huruma and smiles softly. "You're a sight for sore eyes." Lucille says towards the darker skinned woman with a nod.

Her hair is growing back faster than she thought it would and now reaches her shoulder right on the dot. She let's her hair hang loose today and she sweeps a loose strand behind her ear. "Did you watch The Advocate?" she asks with a raise of her eyebrow as she steps away from the tree and shakes the snow off, stepping on the cigarette as she nears Huruma. "Because.. fucking.. shit Huruma.."

She's wearing the gloves for more than just warmth right now.

Huruma's lip curls up just a little, the expression barely visible. It comes out more in her voice anyway. "Fortunately." She doesn't sound terribly astonished. "All three of you are what you are." So she does know about Russo, too. The brother thing. "It must b'something from your father. I wonder if he didn'catch something." The dark woman laughs, the sound dry against the cold. She knows that something like that can't happen, it was a joke, if a poor one.

"From what your father implied, they were going t'move your sister anyway. This only sped the process. I don'know where they might take her though." And that ends the extent of what Huruma does know about the situation, her thoughts trailing back to Bradley. Poor guy. Not the way he wanted to find out, huh?

"I was originally thought maybe our mother had the gene.. but now." She shrugs her shoulders slightly and she shakes her head. "I really hope he doesn't have another kid.. running around.. but who knows!" Lu throws her hands up and chuckles at herself and at Huruma's joke.

"I don't know where they've taken her either. It's just that.. what the hell.. now are we gonna have to bust him out? Fat chance.. or can he use his money and all that other stuff to get himself out of here. It's not like.. he's a tier 3.." Lucille muses and sighs.

"Maybe? Hopefully they'll just register him and let him go.. but.." Lucille doesn't have all that much faith in the government.

"I doubt it. Th'punk girl is your cousin, an'your father has only been committed like that t'two women in his life, so far. Bradley's mother, an'yours." Huruma probably isn't aware that she tacked on that 'so far'. Or maybe she is. It's hard to tell, because her expression only goes from what it was before- to a look slightly less concerned. "He is a big boy, he can take care of himself." She does sound confident of that fact. "I suspect if he was tested before, and he didn'falsify- it was a false negative. If he did, he can still claim it. He can afford lawyers."

"I think th'Ferry will let him be. They are willing to a degree, an'Bradley Russo is so very past it."

"Yeah, no use worrying about him. I'm sure he can get himself out of it." Though Lucille says that.. she's not so sure. Something that Huruma would feel radiating off of the young woman. Doubt. Lucille digs her foot into the snow slowly as she cracks her knuckles, obviously on edge. She has been for a while now. She didn't think she needed to take her meds anymore. Not to mention she's almost out of her prescription.

"Have you seen my dad? Because he's being a really great parent about this whole Delia thing. He hasn't even been to see her." Lucille hisses out to Huruma, she's not mad at the other woman. She's just angry and not feeling well. Out of sorts, yes that's the word for it.

Huruma looks more irritated than anything all of a sudden, brows knitting down at Lucille. "That is because I have only just found him, t'tell him." She practically growls it out. "In December, Noah had him go off t'work something. He'd been t'see Delia while she was out, I know that- but since she has been awake, he didn't know she was. I saw him on Thursday. I told him everything I knew, he was going to go. But obviously, he cannot now, thanks to th'Advocate. So don'patronize him, when he does not deserve it."

Huruma apparently has Words, about all of this. And it is no surprise that she defends Benjamin, though this degree of it is kind of new. "He is doing his best, Lucille, with what he has. Same as anyone. I expect that once he finds out about Bradley, someone else will b'there t'intercept him."

"It's not that I'm that upset with him." Lucille shakes her head and scratches the back of it. "This is old news Huruma. There's always.. some type of job that's keeping him away. I don't need him right now as much as Delia does." The older sister sighs again and runs a gloved hand over her face. "And if you had to deal with what we have our whole lives.. then you wouldn't say he didn't deserve it." Eyes narrow at the older woman before she's waving her hand.

"I've already forgiven him for not being around as much as he should have been. It's over and done with. I just wish he'd make a little more effort."

"You didn't get to see Delia either did you?" Steering the conversation away from dangerous topics, Lucille doesn't think that either of them really want to get too deeply into the subject that is Benjamin Ryans.

"You are not seeing it from his shoes, darling. Look at it this way, Lucille- at least you have him at all." Huruma doesn't want to recall her father, but for this particular bit she has to, and it makes her discontented. Not to mention the Ryans girls also have a father because Huruma couldn't kill him when they were wee bits; but she decides to not remember all of that for the sake of starting over.

"No." Huruma dips her chin enough to make it into a gesture of disappointment, her smooth voice dipping with it. "I was nearly able. But then, things got in my way, too."

"You're right about that." Lucille agrees softly and she places a hand in one of her coat pockets. "It's almost like a mirage though or an illusion," she looks up through the branches into the trees and she smiles softly as she closes her eyes. "Like he's right there in front of me.. but I can't reach him. I've been feeling that way for years actually. Too long, huh?" The smile turning into a frown as Lucille walks closer to Huruma.

"I hope.. if I have kids, that I'm always right there when they need me. Because this stuff with my dad. I wouldn't wish on any kid." The Ryans/Lucille relationship has been up and down and around and all sorts of things. At least now the two are at a level of peace. Something Lucille is grateful for.

"When I was little," placing the other hand in the other pocket. "I use to think my dad could do no wrong. He was the perfect hero. He's still my hero. But in the last year.. my perception of him has been so warped and just changed. Not to mention, my sister hates me. Well most days. Not recently I don't think." The oldest sister venting to Huruma in a way she hasn't to anyone in a long while.

"I tried to do something that I loved and was good at," Looking pretty. "And nobody really supported that. I'm blamed for not being here when mom died by one family member and the other one.. I can barely ever tell what he's thinking or feeling." Coming towards a nearby bench, Lucille sits softly on it's surface and looks pass the park. Maybe back into old memories of her family happy and together. "Family, huh?" she chuckles softly and dips her head. "You have family right?"

Of course she was right about that. Huruma watches Lucille like a bird on a perch, following the girl's movements with her face before she decides to follow. Huruma can tell what he's feeling- maybe she should start cuing his daughters on it? Well. Maybe not a good idea. Ryans is set in his ways, their own fault for not recognizing things. Maybe she should be expecting the question that she eventually gets from Lu, as she hovers there beside the bench, but it still comes as a mild surprise. Thinking about something else, suddenly inquired upon.

Before Huruma says anything, she sits herself down after making sure that the empty part of the bench is not wet with snow. "Yes. Sort of." Not sure if she's ever tried to tell Lucille about it- probably not. Huruma clears her throat from the cold air inside of it. "My parents got rid of me when I was eight. I didn'have a family until last year. Found out my children were alive, my grandmother- found out I had a grandson. They are one reason I was not able t'see Delia- there was an incident in Madagascar, an'I had t'contact someone there."

"I screwed up far worse than your father. Somehow it does not sit with me that I be forgiven for what I've done, and yet, he still gets cold shoulders. Still gives them too, I suppose."

A 'O' expression is what crosses over Lucille's face as Huruma explains her family issues. Head tilting, she regards Huruma in a new light. "I'm sorry about that." For her family loss and hardship. The young woman frowns and scoots just a smidge closer to the Amazon.

"Well.. everyone deserves seconds chances." She gave her father one. "Even when you don't think you deserve it? Family always forgives in the end. It's like written in our genetic code or something, we can't not forgive." A light smile crosses her lips as, "Maybe we can all meet. Our families that is." Whoa, um..

Stretching her legs out, "Is everything okay in Madagascar?"

"As okay as it will be, for now." Huruma doesn't get as specific as she did with Ben. "They are busy there, but- m'daughter is over here. She lives upstate with an old friend of mine. In this case, he is as much a father as I will ever have. If any of you were t'meet any of my family, Juwariya would probably be th'most likely. Unless m'grandmother decided t'visit somebody's dreams."

Hah. Did you hear that?

"Dajan, my son, he and your father would get along. They are both very …lion-hearted." Or something like that. Huruma huddles her arms a bit closer to her, sighing out through her nose. "Juwariya acts …ten." They would probably like her.

"A dreamwalker.. like Del." Lucille smiles gently, "Hopefully they meet someday and I'd love to meet your daughter.. regardless of her maturity?" she tilts her head wondering what Huruma means by that. "Daddy, the lion protector."

Lu closes her eyes and tilts her head up towards the sky, she's been doing that a lot lately. "In a perfect world. You and my father's family would all get along. We would have Sunday dinners and all be connected. Too bad the world isn't perfect."

Then a thought strikes the younger woman. "Where is the man you made babies with?"

"It's not her maturity. She is ten, mentally." Acts was not a great word- but Lucille's trepidation when mentioning Juwariya led Huruma to elaborate on it. "Something would explode…" Huruma mutters while Lu muses on Sunday dinners. She clenches her jaw- it is a greatly visible twinge of muscle and tendon in her face and neck, when Lucille pokes her needle just a little bit too firmly. The narrowed eyes that the girl gets from Huruma is startling and abrupt. Her nostrils flare just so, literal murder in her eyes and something boiling up her throat and coming out in a seething hiss of words.

"I gutted him like a pig."

"Ah, well lucky her. She doesn't have to face and admit to the horrors of this world." A sad truth. Lucille blinks at Huruma as she responds and she's quiet for a while. Listening to the world around them and thinking to herself. She lifts her legs a bit, swinging them back and forth, head canted to the side as she looks back to Huruma.

With a cold, deadly stare. Lucille speaks, "Then I'm sure he deserves it. If he hurt you, I'd like to spit on his grave." Says the young Ryans and the feeling that Huruma might get from Lucille would be a new perplexing one at most.

The feeling of something dark there.. hidden.

"I will advise you, do not go poking around where you are not supposed to." Huruma didn't want to have things come flooding back, but they did anyway. She is immensely displeased about it, even if Lucille does express- out loud and inwardly- that she probably would have done the very same. "He forced himself on me, so I killed him." Then she ate his heart. "This is also why m'children are older than both of you girls. I didn't mean for it, but when it is either a back-alley Nigerian doctor, or coming t'term, there is only one safer choice."

Her arms are still clutched around her ribcage, and right now it seems as if she might squeeze the air right out of herself. The degree of lividity is incalculable. "I tried t'kill them, not long after. I thought that I did.." And now they both have the scars for it. "That is my parenting experience, in a nutshell. I am trying t'make a difference now, with them, and my grandson."

Another bout of silence from Lucille. Her eyebrows raised as she regards Huruma and then she's nodding her head. "You'll just trying to make up for it. Understandable." That Huruma tried to kill her own kids.. doesn't really surprise Lucille for some reason. Neither is her killing the man that raped her.

"Well.. I'd still like to meet them one day.. any of your family. I want to tell them how great of a woman you are now. How you're just like family to us here and often keep us out of trouble." Luci ruffles her hair a bit as she says this, "Though that might make them resent us. So we'll just stick to Sunday dinner, yeah?" she grins lightly towards the other woman. Huruma doesn't scare her, half as much as she scares other people. Though Huruma could easily change that at any moment.

"Would you like.. to teach me things? How to hurt.. how to protect my family better? Because right now I have a few nifty tricks with my genes and that's about it.." Not to mention her love of her shotgun, Lysandra. "Be my sensei." If only for an excuse to throw Lucille around sometimes.

Huruma is totally like family now. She doesn't really get it until Lucille says it out loud, though. Maybe she needed to hear it from one of them. When Lucille grins up at her, Huruma sighs and unwinds her arms, slinging the one near Lucille over the back of the bench; her hand roams even closer to smooth back the self-ruffled hair. There won't be a fuss if Lu shies away, as the gesture is there.

"Sometimes genes are the best tricks of all." Huruma considers her for a few long moments, and then breathily laughs, the sound low in her chest. "Be your sensei? You make me sound like some sort of guru, Lucille." But. "If you want me to. I don'care if you tell your father, but I won't. I don'want t'give him a new reason t'be… leery of me again, when I've just gotten out of that." She makes sure to stress this. It sounds important to her, and coming from her.

Instead of moving away, Lucille leans into Huruma and closes her eyes. Feeling a bit of comfort for the woman. "Well, I could use some training with that. We'll see how that goes. I'm not even sure of what all I can do." Lu looks down to her hands with a frown. The full extent of her capabilities not known to her, makes her uneasy about herself.

Chuckling she looks up at Huruma, "Well I mean.. You are badass." She grins and winks up at her 'sensei'. "We can keep it our little secret for now." She promises and nods her head, mock zipping her lips.

"Does.. does it ever get easier, killing someone?" she asks in a bit of a whisper. As if someone will hear them and take her away. "Because.. during the riots," Lucille looks towards the path leading back towards civilization, "I killed two men.." And they haunt her.

"I am not th'one t'ask, Lucille. I don'think like everyone else." Huruma has to be frank about this, and she can't mince words or dance around the question because really- she can't answer it they way that Lucille wants it to be answered. "That is not something t'ask me, it is something t'ask your father." She knows too well that it would be better off that way. "It was always easy for me." Because she is mostly cray-zee. It happens.

"As for your ability, some things simply come with practice. I had mine for a couple of years b'fore I found my sensei."

The men haunt her.. but she's gotten to the point where she regards them with cold indifference.. something she doesn't like about herself. Nodding her head at Huruma she agrees, "I'll mention it to dad." As if murder is just a light topic?

"I can make people vomit.. put them into shock. Take away different sensations. It was a little scary at first, but I've gotten the hang of it." At least enough to where Lucille can't just up and hurt everyone all the time by touching them, unless she's in the state that she's in right now.

"Yours is physical, mine is cerebral. You do need t'find someone more in line." Huruma isn't sure that Lucille knows exactly what she does- but maybe that explanation will be enough. She dips her head, peering at the bill of the cap under her hood. "Mention it t'him, and tell him that I told you to talk to him instead. I have found that th'more context he has, th'more likely he can formulate a response. Otherwise, he is too cautious and will wait anyway, for something else."

With a nod of her head, Lucille leans over and gives Huruma a tight hug. A quick one, fleeting as she stands and dusts any snow that's left on her clothes. The former bartender grabs a hair tie from her pocket and quickly winds it around her hair, making a loose bun.

"I should head out.. but I'll call you. Or you me, kay?" she asks her 'aunt'? She smiles softly as she begins to back away. "Thanks by the way." Dipping her head in gratitude.

Regardless of who, it is still a weird experience for Huruma when she gets hugged. She's mainly never sure of what she should be doing, so most of the time settles for a quick pat on the back if it is a woman. With men(so few that she can count those which have hugged her on one hand) she just doesn't really do anything. Lucille, in due order, gets a short patting in return. "You're welcome, Lucille."

"Just don'abuse my number. I don'want t'hear about how cold your latte was." As in, don't use it for silly things. That's all. Now that they are on a nearer level of speaking, it is more likely to cross her mind that Huruma may want to hear about the gross guy that hit on her while riding a bus.


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