Coincidence Of Circumstance

Participants:

emily_icon.gif ryans3_icon.gif

Also featuring: Poor, unfortunate Cooper

cooper2_icon.gif

Scene Title Coincidence of Circumstance
Synopsis Emily and Ryans have in common between them a healer, and now, a workplace.
Date March 19, 2019

Fort Jay


It's with more frequency that Emily Epstein takes the stairs when running files to and from Records. The single flight up and down isn't tough to manage for her now, even sometimes a faster arrangement than walking all the way to the elevator and waiting for it to arrive. Her footfalls echo off the walls depending on her footwear, and today they put out light clicks with each step.

A light blue blouse nearly matches the periwinkle flats that announce her ascent, worn with black slacks. Her badge bounces on her lanyard with each step, thin stack of files held delicately in her arms.

It's the third time Emily's hit the stairwell this morning, and she already can't wait for lunch.

With a steaming mug of freshly poured coffee and a few files tucked tight against his side, Benjamin Ryans is on his way down the stairs. Wearing, a blue grey suit with a darker blue tie. His own lanyard with badge hanging down the front of it. Unlike when Emily last saw him, he is clean shaven and hair combed into place.

His thoughts are turned inside as he thinks through what his day is going to be. What angle he is going to look at in his hunt for Adam. Today he had been looking for cases that had the markings of his old boss’ work, but maybe the other Agents hadn’t seen because they didn’t know. There were several. While the records folks had promised to have the rest sent down, he had taken possession a few promising ones with him.

Little did Ben know the encounter he’d be having very shortly.

The sound of someone else coming down shifts Emily's footsteps to one side, hand coming to touch the rail as she tries to politely leave enough passing room. She sees the coffee first and decides she'd rather not have it on her. She glances up only after that, lips firming in that not-quite-a-smile sign of acknowledgement of the stranger they're passing.

"Excuse me," she says as she edges past.

She goes a whole step, and then a second before her cadence falters and she looks over her shoulder, studying the man's profile. Hadn't she seen him before? She could have sworn it. She can't get a good look at his ID from this angle to be sure.

“Morning,” rumbles out from the older gentleman as he passes her, blue eyes ahead. Well, except the brief moment that he glances her way to ensure he doesn’t lose a perfectly good cup of coffee by bumping into her.

A few more steps are taken down before he pauses, last step slow to finish. Brows furrow slightly as a sense of familiarity hits him. Shifting to turn and look back up at her, Benjamin studies the girl like a detective would a board of clues. In fact, it felt like an important one was missing. The moment stretches a bit longer as his mulls this over, before he simply asks:

“Weren’t you on crutches?”

She sees it — the name — when he turns, eyes shooting up to his after recognition dawns.

"Weren't you…" is as far as she makes with her counter, at least at first. She's so perplexed the rest of it comes out anyway. "—dying, or something?" Her expression is deadpan, even though her thoughts are cycling back. There was no misunderstanding what she'd seen in the dreamscape Delia had produced. Lucille had been perceived as not ready to take up whatever mantle was going to be left behind.

And dying men didn't start jobs at SESA.

Sure, he could have been working here for a while, but that badge of his looked nearly as new as hers did.

Yup. That was her. Benjamin clicks that final piece into place and a small huff of mild amusement escapes him before he can stop it. He looked far from dying that was for certain and not only was his credentials just as new as hers, the suit he was wearing was fairly recent, too. The creases still fairly sharp.

“Healer,” Ben finally responds with an answer to her query, a smile tugs a little at the corner of his mouth.

His eyes drop to the badge hanging around her neck, “I’d say I was surprised you’re working here, if I hadn’t seen someone younger and smaller darting around.” He must mean Squeaks. “Intern?” He asks through he already knows, but asks anyhow.

"Healer," Emily echoes back with a faint laugh, no smile to accompany it. What a curious coincidence of circumstances. She wonders, but doesn't say anything, webs of overlapping relationships mapping themselves out in the back of her mind.

"Must be some healer." she muses aloud.

Her offhand goes to adjust her lanyard subconsciously when he eyes her badge. She nods at his question-statement, affirming it further with a spoken, "For now." A quiet confidence presents with the reply, accompanied by a glance up the stair. They could wait a moment longer, she determines.

"Must be something interesting going on, to have left retirement," Emily observes casually.

“Good,” Ryans states firmly, with a short nod of his head. Not that she needs his approval, but she gets it anyhow. “Put those investigative skills to good use.” Clearly, her persistence in finding him made an impression on the old man.

The query about retirement gets a bit more of a smile, laced with amusement. “You should ask my girls about my track record with retirement.” Ben glances down at the pair of files clutched close to his side with his handless arm. “I’m not great at staying away. Especially, when an old friend starts creating trouble.”

There is a thoughtful moment and Ryans looks up again, “Now that I know you’re here. I might have use for your skills soon.”

What kind of old friend might that be? Emily wonders to herself. Someone formerly tied to the Ferry? Against them? Maybe she'd find out before long.

"Sure," she agrees with interest. "Let me know if you need a hand with anything."

Cue internal screaming.

"I've not got a lot going on, and I'm sure they'd be happy to group agents and interns together." Emily recovers with the same earnest air as before. "The others I know personally, they're sharp. Lance Gerken, Jac Childs." A small smile accompanies the recommendations.

“Lance? Really?” It was a name Benjamin was familiar with. It brought back memories of a drafty castle on an island. “Well, things continue to get interesting.” He studies her again, while he considers his offer again. Then he gives another firm nod, more certain this time. “I’ll be in touch, Epstein.” They might only be interns and limited in what they can do, but sometimes fresh eyes see more than old.

Below them, a sound drifts up.. A sound of a man in pain. “What?!?” A man whose world has been shaken. “My desk!!!” Ryans looks back down the stairs where he is heading with an arched brow.

EPSTEIN!!!

"Great," Emily intones, setting her hand back on the railing again. She's beginning to turn and head off when she hears the yowl from the poor being whose 'sorting system' has been dismantled.

She looks back at the sound with a deadpan expression, and the knowledge that he started this.

"Nice to see you again, Benjamin." Emily remarks over her shoulder airily before continuing up the stairs. She'll take the long way back to avoid seeing a certain someone, but it in no way diminishes the amount of satisfaction she gets from hearing that distant cry.

Maybe once Ryans hits the floor, he'll find it as amusing as she does that someone could be so horrified about having a clean workspace.


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License