Participants:
| Scene Title | First Time At Headquarters… |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | … for Ygraine FitzRoy. Ben is still present to help Al. |
| Date | December 26, 2008 |
Once upon a time, the New York Public Library was one of the most important libraries in America. The system, of which this branch was the center, was among the foremost lending libraries /and/ research libraries in the world.
The bomb changed that, as it changed so much else.
By virtue of distance, the library building was not demolished entirely, like so many others north of it; however, the walls on its northern side have been badly damaged, and their stability is suspect. The interior is a shambles, tattered books strewn about the chambers and halls, many shelves pulled over. Some have even been pulled apart; piles of char in some corners suggest some of their pieces, as well as some of the books, have been used to fuel fires for people who sought shelter here in the past.
In the two years since the bomb, the library — despite being one of the icons of New York City — has been left to decay. The wind whistles through shattered windows, broken by either the blast-front or subsequent vandals, carrying dust and debris in with it. Rats, cats, and stray dogs often seek shelter within its walls, especially on cold nights. Between the fear of radiation and the lack of funds, recovery of the library is on indefinite hiatus; this place, too, has been forgotten.
Having warmed up all the way past freezing, the weather at present is somewhat balmy compared to much of what has been seen and felt of late. Beneath the cloudy skies, Jennifer has been left chatting to one of the Phoenix sentries, while her lover ventures rather nervously inside, peering around with a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and sadness as she examines the devastated former centre of learning.
There are people here and there around the interior, few if any of them familiar to the Britannic woman who just arrived. One such person, however, is Doctor Catherine Chesterfield. She's seated near a wall, on the floor, with her guitar case and backpack by her feet. Another bag is close by, this one appearing to have a few bottles inside it. Next to one hip are two books, and her hands hold a third. The cover, should one get close enough to see it, indicates she's reading up on the German language. About halfway through now, she looks at a page for a short time then moves on to the next. It's a pattern.
Biting her lip, Ygraine warily eyes the array of people present. Upon spotting Cat, she looks rather clearly relieved, and starts towards her, stride lengthening a touch. She still glances around, chin lifting and head tilting back to run her gaze over the dilapidated ceiling, but she refocuses upon Cat and musters a hopeful smile as she nears.
Her approach isn't noticed, the woman keeps going with the book. Look at a page, turn it, look at the next. The top book next to her can be seen as one on Italian, but the third is hidden by being on the bottom, subject therefore obscured. Her features seem focused and at peace, perhaps through having her mind focused on this endeavor. Turn page, look at it, move on.
Biker's boots clomp to a halt a short distance from Cat, where Ygraine stops to rather curiously observe Cat, waiting a few moments to see if the other woman looks up.
The sound does at this point catch her attention. Eyes lift after finishing the page at hand. "Debater," she greets calmly enough. "Interesting to see you here. I presume this means," she queries, "the details around that Federal investigation now?" A bit of melancholy enters her eyes, which she tries to keep down and cover by asking another question. "Sprechen sie Deutsch?"
Ygraine smiles as Cat meets her gaze, but the expression falters a touch when she mentions the investigation. Her question, however, prompts a somewhat nervous laugh. "Nein. Parlez-vous Francais?"
"Oui," she answers. "Je parle francais tres bien, et l'espagnol aussi." Cat chuckles and switches back to English, adding "Soon enough I'll also speak German and Italian. I've been reading up on Hebrew, the words aren't a problem, I'll be able to speak it well enough, but the reading and writing are a real challenge. My memory works against me with that one."
Ygraine quirks a wry smile. "If you want some practice with the French, at least, I can offer that. I'm pretty much bilingual, and can offer you experience of the sort of casual use and idiom of the tongue that you're unlikely to find in most books. The others… I've got a smattering of Latin, but that's about it."
"I studied French and Spanish through high school and some of Yale," Cat replies with a grin, "so I have those fairly well down, but practice is always good. The Hebrew, it's odd. It goes, in written form, from right to left, so to read it I have to fight the default western orientation. For a panmnesiac, that's even harder than for most people." She studies the woman's face to judge if what she says makes any sense. And there's an offering. "Welcome aboard, Debater."
"It's also a very different structure of language in other ways. Rather an interesting one - conscious, modern piece of linguistic archaeology and resurrection to… sorry. Dad's a Professor of linguistics. And… thanks. I'm hoping it works out, for all concerned."
"I see the pages in the book and memorize them like everything else, and that's the problem," Cat replies with a light chuckle. "So when I call them up, it's always backward. I have to train myself to remember Hebrew text the other way around. Tricky." Cat goes quieter, and nods once. "I believe it will. Just… it isn't without its costs. When we were captured, and had time to talk alone, I didn't expect to ever get out. I made my peace with dying. I wouldn't expect there to be a trade, I didn't. But…" her eyes close, she speaks quietly after a pause, "I was sent back, and we couldn't get Dani. She forgave me, but I'm having trouble forgiving myself. It being the holidays doesn't help."
But from there, as if pressing a button, she's working to be stoic again. She feels weak to speak of it, and realizes others may not want to, not to mention the request on the wrapper. Got to show more spine, be strong and stoic. "Is there anything you'd like to see, Debater?"
Ygraine looks shocked as the conversation turns from linguistic oddities to capture and death. "I… God. Cat." She gulps, gaze flickering to and fro across Cat's features as she tries to read whatever her expression might reveal. "I… see? Ummmm." Another swallow. "I don't really know what there is to be seen…."
"We've got information compiled on various people and their goals," Cat replies quietly. "I've got a sense of whimsy sometimes, I named it the Catabase and it stuck, for the most part." Or, at least, she did have a sense of whimsy. "Operations like the Kazimir Volken Group." The gear and books are left where they lay, she turns to head toward a computer terminal.
Ygraine offers a slightly wobbly smile. "I… sure." She nods weakly at Cat's back, sparing a glance for the abandoned gear, before falling into step with her companion. "Just in case it affects security measures, or anything - I'll be heading out of the country in the next couple of days. Back to Britain. Until just after the New Year…."
She nods once, pausing in place to offer a smile. "That's good to hear. I saw London once, I remember it very well." A grin forms, and the pause gives Debater an out if she wants to not read the information.
Ygraine chuckles faintly. "I'm not a huge fan of London, myself. Too flat, too polluted, too expensive…. But it does have areas of real beauty within that. I… if you think it's okay for me to see, go ahead. I gather that… things are afoot. And I'd hope that my brain'll be more use to the cause than my body."
"The stature of the place, I think, is London's appeal. It took so much thrown at it, and held firm. The Nazi flag never flew there. I remember listening to audiofiles from some of Churchill's oratory. Blood, sweat, toil and tears… Finest hour, the end of the beginning…" Cat's eyes go distant, and it very may well be she's watching those in her head as if they were playing out on a screen.
Ygraine offers another low chuckle. "I studied in Canterbury, for a year", she says, voice pitched low. "A beautiful, ancient city. The capital of Kent when Saint Augustine arrived, supposedly sent by the Bishop of Rome to make the Angles into Angels. The heart of it around the cathedral looks as if it can barely have changed in the past seven or eight hundred years…."
She offers Cat a wistful, lop-sided little smile. "I've seen pictures of it in 1945. They looked pretty much like any of the images of bombed-out city centres hit by the Blitz or by Allied strategic bombing. Walls, rubble, and cleared roads, with the cathedral rising amidst the mess. There were proposals to demolish what was left and start anew, but there, thank goodness, the local authorities had more sense. Virtually nothing got through untouched, and much of what now looks as if it did is a careful reconstruction of what went before…"
"Father Britain is a tough old lion," Cat replies with sincerity. "It wears the age of time like badges of honor, scars and all. And Canterbury. Chaucer's tales. I read through them once in high school, but after the second year at Yale started, I went back and read them again. I found," she grins, "they stayed with me better the second time around." One may well wonder, hearing that, if she re-read everything again after that year started. "I've still a lot of places to go and see in Europe," she admits. "There's the history, which fascinates, but… the musician in me will make me go to a certain place and walk a zebra crossing barefoot with a fag first of all."
Ygraine chuckles softly, after a moment cautiously reaching up to give Cat's shoulder a squeeze if allowed to do so. "There's a lot to be proud of and to learn, I'd say. But the truth behind the facade is almost always more interesting and enlightening - and often more uplifting - than the public image. Some of the Celtic tribal kingdoms in Southern Britain began minting coins around 100BC. Rulers and people in the isles have been creating public faces in the form of tangible "facts", to sway the thoughts of others since at least that time."
She shakes her head. "Sorry. I'm disappearing off into geekland again. I so rarely get the chance to talk to anyone here who understands even a tenth of what I witter on about when I do this…"
The hand to her shoulder is accepted, and under it she relaxes some. "Debater isn't a term of derision," Cat replies with a laugh. "I enjoy the conversation, really. It's hard to find anyone who can keep up with me in terms of retaining facts, knowledge. Even some of those who do are insufferable people who abhor conversation." Like Doctor Edward Ray. "So I take advantage when the opportunity happens." Not to mention how at the moment it's very useful in keeping her mind occupied.
Ygraine musters a rather sheepishly grateful smile. "Thank you", she says bashfully. "I've always found books to make… easier company than most people. And I'm aware that people think that I often talk like one being read aloud. But… I'm hoping that'll be of some use. Helena doesn't seem to think so - she said she'd got analysis of… things fully covered. But… maybe a fifth opinion, or whatever it'll be, won't be wholly useless…"
"Don't sell yourself short," Cat replies quietly. "We've got a guest, along with the President-elect, a physicist from the Harvard Institute Of Technology, who can see probabilities. He's designing an action plan based on all our people and their abilities, to counter an urgent threat. I quite imagine he can cook up something for you. In any case, an extra brain to bounce things off of is always good, to me. And right now… I'm having trouble staying busy enough to keep my mind off of… other things."
Ygraine runs a hand over her hair, shooting Cat a rather worried sidelong glance. "I'd… I'm not sure that being around myself and Jen would exactly help much, would it…? Ummm. If you can give me whatever info you have, I can run it through whatever synapses I happen to have firing at the time. International relations and conflict theory over here is rather divorced from much of what's discussed elsewhere in the world. We're operating in a US situation, of course, but I can at least offer a different perspective on developments, past and potential. Or so I'd hope…"
There's a nod, and she walks over to the terminal as originally intended, where she pulls up the files and steps back so she can sit and start to read. Cat watches over Debater's shoulder if she can, assuming the Britannic one sits. "Stormy wants everyone to read through it all in any case," she remarks.
Ygraine does lower herself into the chair, darting a glance up at Cat after doing so. "And… if I happen to have anything to add? Or if I assemble some sort of commentary…? Should I run it by you first?"
"Add it in," Cat recommends, "it helps to have a date, time, and source notation on it as well so we know where it came from for reference."
Ygraine nods quickly. "And… a lengthier commentary, or set of musings?", she enquires. "If I've got more than a few words on something, who should I give that to? Or should I just post it up as an essay open to all?"
"I'd certainly read and remember it," Cat answers. "You're one of us, and this is our repository, adding to it is part of the purpose. I read from time to time to have it all in my head so it can be recreated when we need it to be, if the machine failed or something, likewise we keep it on computer so it can be accessed and updated, added to, and if I'm unavailable it isn't all lost."
Ygraine nods once more. "But… I wouldn't be treading on anyone's toes, if I posted an essay or two of speculation and analysis? I… I'm very much aware that I'm new and untried."
"I don't think so," Cat replies. "You'll see the only analysis on there is from me, and I'm certainly not going to be troubled." A quiet chuckle follows.
Ygraine looks somewhat relieved. "Well, I hope it proves of some use - whatever I can offer. I… so. What'd _you_ say I ought to be getting my head around first? Or should I just get stuck in, and read as much as I can immediately?"
"I'd recommend," Cat replies, "starting with the Kazimir Volken Group." Nothing further is said, her jaw sets and she lets the Debater read it in silence.
Ygraine's body stiffens, her frown deepening as she gradually leans forward, propping her forearms on the desk as she reads the lines on the screen. Occasionally, she scrolls back to double-check something, but save for a single darted glance up at Cat early on, she seems to be quite determinedly focusing upon the task in hand. After a few minutes, she reaches the end and slumps back in her chair, chewing pensively at her lower lip.
"Not the sort of thing I expected to encounter when I came aboard with this operation," Cat states quietly, "but it's Job One, you know. I expect to succeed, and we have help. Federal forces know, we have the President-elect here for the time being, and we have Doctor Ray crunching the variables. We still need more. No photos of the people involved, no idea exactly how many they have, but… it's not something we can just sit back and let the authorities handle, especially when we don't trust the authorities to be friendly. For all Mr. Rickham says about HomeSec not acting against us while he has authority to command them, that's just the problem."
Ben has arrived.Ygraine runs both hands over her hair. "And even then… he's not got authority to issue orders yet. And even when he does…." She closes her eyes.
"In the past generation or so, one of the major fields of study in… any form of societal or communications analysis has been in the nature of rationality. By default - as in the definition standardly used by economists - it's presumed that people operate rationally to maximise utility: they weigh up the full array of options of which they are aware, and assess which one they think is best…. In practice, that never seems to apply. And people often don't _act_ as individuals. Major organisations in particular - especially those with a culture of secrecy - have a tendency to operate in specific pre-defined ways. One could consider them cultural, rules-based, or whatever, but one term used for the phenomenon is "bureaucratic rationality." Homeland Security'll continue to operate in the ways it's operating now, as a matter of default, because that's _how_ it does things."
Ygraine part-turns her head, to peep up at Cat. "A famous example is the Cuban Missile crisis. To observers, it looked like some grand Soviet conspiracy, carefully calculated to acheive maximum tension in the West. But so many of the things that "could only make sense if they were done to scare" were actually just matters of bureaucratic habit. The KGB smuggled operatives in to surveil things by known KGB routes because that was how the KGB did things. Strategic Missile Command moved everything at night and tried to be secretive, because that was how _it_ did things. The Soviet diplomats issued rote responses and denials because that was _their_ standard operating procedure. The Soviet navy moved everything openly because that was _its_ SOP. And so on through the whole mess. Just about the only thing _actually_ decided at the centre was to move the missiles in the first place: all the escalation and confusion was because people in separate departments acted as they habitually did…. And we're going to get that here. CIA, NSA, Home-Sec, the many tiers and styles of police, Customs and Immigration, Federal Marshals, Department of Justice, and everyone else involved - they'll all have their rules and procedures and habits. We need to find some way to cut through that, as much as possible. Yet Rickham doesn't have the power to do that openly, not yet. And it'd be a pretty big fight even for a President."
"Like I said," Cat replies in her distillatory way of simplifying it all, " the problem with Mr. Rickham's guarantee is he has no authority to command anything for another twenty-six days. Our biggest advantage is knowing, through Doctor Ray's probability viewing, the most likely way it'll be attempted. He's working on a plan to maximize resources and bring it all to bear for greatest effect. Things could go foul, of course, but we've nothing to lose by trying. We can act against all this, maybe fail and die, or we can wait for it to happen. I'm in favor of putting up whatever fight I can."
She studies the seated and reading Britannic woman quietly, seeming to expect that same fire in her.
Ben emerges from somewhere in the bowels of the library, wherever Alexander's being kept. He hasn't shaved since Christmas Eve day and he looks kind of tired. He's also being kept away from Rickham. There's only so far Ben is trusted, after all. "Oh. Hey, hi." Ygraine's given a bit of a startled look; Cat, he doesn't know. "I was just looking for a book."
Ygraine does a minor double-take, then laughs softly, distracted by the sight of Ben. "Is Alley Cat a front company, or something? Heh. Hi there….."
Looking back to Cat, she frowns pensively, apparently still in ruminatory mode, her passions pushed to one side for the moment. "There… there should be more. A lot more. International arms-trading rings alarm bells. Gets noticed. It won't be under their real names, of course, but… NSA and CIA should be paying attention. Should have noticed at least some of the transactions even if they've not tied them to anything. That and other info should be out there, if they can somehow be persuaded to share it with the "home turf" boys in Homeland Security. Home-Sec might be the best bet for pooling more of the information that'll be out there among the intelligence community, though it'll be hard - it's far more important to protect one's funding and special interests, goes the bureaucratic reasoning, than it is to give freebies to people who'll be your rivals in the next finance review hearing…. Does Rickham have ties to anyone in Home-Sec who might be able to start twisting arms and ripping up information _now_, rather than starting to put out feelers some time after he's inaugurated?"
The five foot eight inch brunette, standing near Ygraine, looks over at Ben when he passes by quietly. There's a 'hold that thought' gesture toward the Briton, followed by pointing at the tab marked The President-elect. Cat hasn't seen him before, but it doesn't seem a hard guess to make that he might be the medic looking after Al who was called for when he was recovered and brought here. She nods once to the man and extends her right hand for shaking. "Cat," she offers simply. "You must be Ben?"
Ben smiles a little at Ygraine. "I stopped working there," he explains. "I'm an EMT now." Crossing over toward them, he clasps Cat's hand and shakes. "I'm Ben, yes. Nice to meet you. I hope I'm not interrupting anything - I ran out of reading material and remembered, hey, this was a library." He tilts his head up, looking around. "Damn shame."
Ygraine opens up the tab as directed, but can't help but glance around as she eavesdrops upon the other two's conversation. "We can hope that this counts as putting it to good use", she says with a smile to Ben, before turning back to the screen.
Her skin is warm and smooth, save for calluses near the fingertips like a person who spends a lot of time playing something such as a guitar might have, and a grip neither weak nor crushing. After the one shake she releases. "Good to meet you also." Cat chuckles quietly, adding "I read some books on quick medicine here and there, took a few courses. But it wasn't for me long-term, just enough knowledge to be useful in a pinch."
"It does," Ben confirms. "It's the sort of thing I came here to do." Withdrawing his hand from Cat's - nothing unusual there - he tucks it back into the pocket of his jeans, squinting one eye. "I was in medical school 'til earlier this year. A lot of my courses carry over, but I'm still catching up on labwork and field hours and all that." He glances between the two and smiles faintly. "I'm not really here to ask questions or anything, so no worries."
Ygraine darts a glance over her shoulder, quirking a grin at Ben. "Oh, this is my very first time here, and I'm already presuming to lecture people." She winks at him, smiles at Cat, then looks back to the screen once more.
She remains facing Ben, as Ygraine goes back to reading. "It surprises people sometimes," she remarks, "what I can do after having simply read a book. Broad strokes only, of course. I wouldn't presume to try brain surgery that way, but I can suture people well enough. Use the right material, and get the pressure just enough to go through skin with the stitches. Good fingers, mine, I play guitar a lot." Her features show calm, and being kept focused prevents being haunted by loss from showing.
"Really? Hope they don't kick you out," Ben tells Ygraine; his gaze flicks back to Cat, and after a moment, he nods. "I'll keep that in mind if I need a hand. Best way to learn is to practice. Guitar, huh? As a hobby?"
"Go to the Wench and hear her some time", suggests Ygraine over her shoulder, albeit without taking her eyes off the text before her.
"Professionally," Cat replies with a grin. "I've got a degree in music too." The panmnesiac rests her eyes on Ben to observe his reactions, perhaps wondering what he'll think if he hears the full litany of her educational achievements. Sometimes perfect memory is a curse, but the looks of surprise when she reveals the extent of her knowledges, that's always fun.
"Oh, cool," Ben says, head bobbing again. "Maybe I will. The Wench is a punk place, right? What kind of stuff do you play?" He shifts his weight from one side to the other, awkwardly.
Ygraine pulls a rather odd face, leaving the other pair to their conversation while she delves into the Catabase, reading through more of the tabs.
"I've not played there in a while," Cat answers, her features showing sadness. "I'll get back soon, I hope. Taking something of a break, really. But I play mostly rock, by my own tastes. At the Wench, it's all punk, what the audience wants." She glances over to Debater, perhaps puzzled by the face she just pulled, before looking back at Ben. "Kinda have to lay low a while, being out in public with any sort of routine isn't the best idea right now."
Ben rocks gently back on his heels. "Oh," he says after a moment. "Makes sense, I guess." A glance around, and he notes, "A lot of sense. This just isn't a good time to be… known. For supporting the Evolved. It can get bad."
Ygraine gently raps one knuckle against chin, then glances around to shoot Ben a somewhat quizzical look. Cat receives a sympathetic one, but the Briton remains silent.
She focuses on a wall, her voice becoming hollow. The words Cat replies with are laced with grief, solemnity. "It's easy to get lost out there, to never be seen again. But we pull ourselves together the best we can and go on, never forgetting." She doesn't elaborate further, keeping it to herself that the gigs are left in hiatus because she won't put herself in public in such a regular way and be exposed to capture again, not until a good deal is resolved. The melancholy is rising, memories have been triggered once more, and her eyes close. She works to stem the tide, to not view what's coming to the fore, and focus instead on the good bits. She flashes back to a time years before, at Yale, and soon is showing a quiet smile. Some seconds later, her eyes reopen and she offers Ben a few quiet words. "I won't be offstage forever. Count on that."
Ben glances from Ygraine to Cat, one eyebrow sneaking upward; he nods again. "Yeah. As long as we don't forget, it's… well, we all go on and that's how it's supposed to be," he says, quietly.
It's now Ben's turn to receive a rather sympathetically awkward look when Ygraine peeps around, before hastily returning her attention to what she's supposed to be studying, rather than the social awkwardness occurring behind her.
It's a bit easier now, to chain it all back and honor the expressed wishes, with Christmas having come and gone. Maybe it'll hit her harder again closer to the 1st, but for now Cat feels she can get a quicker and better handle on things. The subject is changed, she asks calmly "How's Al coming along, Ben?"
"Huh?" Ben looks vaguely startled, like his mind was wandering. Probably not somewhere pleasant, by the looks of it. He looks almost relieved to be asked about Alexander. "He's weak, but he's out of the woods now. He'll recover. Uh. Do you know Alexander, Ygraine?"
Ygraine glance around, frowning a touch. "Another Alley Cat?", she asks dubiously. "The name rings a bell, but… I'm not sure…." She shrugs awkwardly.
"I don't think you've met, Debater," Cat supplies. "You probably can when he's up and about again. There do seem to be a fair few of us from there, though." Her voice trails off and she chuckles lightly. "This one is good at bringing sandwiches and books to me, for really generous tips."
Ben shakes his head. "Nah, I don't think he worked there. Or if he did, I never saw him," Ben says. His hands shift out of his pockets, thumbs hooking through his belt loops instead. "Books, huh? Who do I have to talk to to get on that list?"
Ygraine chuckles and shrugs once more. "There still seem to be a good few here, if you're willing to go hunting", she suggests. "And you do seem to like having books and sandiwches delivered, Cat…"
"I love to read," Cat confesses. "And I'm really good at retention of what I read." Understatement, very much so. It's a thing with her sometimes, to hint at the depth of her ability. Her eyes drift briefly to the screen to see where the Briton is now.
"Same," Ben says, brightening a little. "I was always a bookworm. Even as a little kid. I can't really remember a time when I didn't have a book on me somewhere. Anything I could get my hands on."
Ygraine rises from the chair, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets as she joins the other pair. "I love books", she says rather wistfully, before nodding solemnly to Cat. "I think I've skimmed over it all now. I'll re-read it to see what springs out a second time, but… I've got some general thoughts. And might be able to offer some… advice, or insights, to whoever does the planning. At root, the core of pretty much everything I offer can be boiled down to the simple idea of "identify the rules those involved think they're operating under, so that you know how to bend them and cheat", but it can be kind of hard to do…"
Ben is given a slow nod, and a smile forms. "I do it more and more lately. It's good for keeping the mind busy." Cat then turns toward Ygraine, giving a slow nod, and asks a question. "It's surreal, isn't it all?"
Ben glances at the computer screen but quickly averts his eyes. No looky at secrets. "Pretty surreal. Comic books, only really serious ones like Neil Gaiman would write. But without talking animals."
Ygraine blinks, then chuckles. "I'm not sure I have the guts to wear the outfits from either superhero or Gaiman comics, though I suppose that either'd be a good way of establishing an identity in the field…"
"Oh," Cat replies with a chuckle, "you'd be unforgettable in such an outfit, Debater."
"You already have a superhero name, sounds like," Ben says with faint amusement. "'Debater'?"
Ygraine laughs, blushes a little, then sticks her tongue out. "Cat has a propensity for distributing nicknames", the Briton says with a grin. "And I suppose I _am_ used to wandering around in spandex…"
"She debates well, and enjoys it so immensely," Cat shares for Ben's benefit. A grin is showing as she speaks, the banter good natured. Not a trace of melancholy to be seen here. "So I dubbed her to fit."
"It's just not a terribly /good/ superhero name," Ben says, shaking his head with a rueful look. "Anything good to read lying in easy reach, Cat?"
Ygraine pokes her tongue out at Ben. "I'm not sure that "the Courier" would be much better. I fear I'll never be much of a superheroine…"
"I saw a copy of Moby Dick out there once," Cat relates, "and a few copies of Canterbury Tales. There are some Hawthornes too. It's a lot of books, I've not managed to see how extensive the range is yet."
Ben inclines his head. "Read 'em. But I'll keep looking - nice to see you again, Ygraine. And nice to meet you, Cat."
Ygraine raise a hand to Ben. "And you. "Now, Cat… fancy a spot of lunch while I let my brain try to sort its thoughts into order…?"
"Yes," Cat answers quickly. "I need to eat soon, very much." She turns to Ben and offers parting words. "Good to meet you also. See you around here and there, hopefully not so much when people are hurt." And with that she wanders off to collect her gear and leave the Headquarters.
 December 26th: Skate for Charity |
 December 26th: Healthy Skepticism |