Participants:
| Scene Title | Not Doing Nothing, Doing Something |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Abigail seeks out Gabriel to find out more about Elle if possible, see if he can wipe memories and to Magnes features briefly in the conversation. |
| Date | April 14, 2019 |
A lot of rituals these days have become familiar. Liiike. Coffee at the store just a block away from the cop shop on the way to work. The nighttime walks through Unity National Park. This one, too, standing in line at the cafeteria at St. Luke's, brightly lit and filled with doctors, nurses, and friends and family of patients. Or spouses or any category, which includes Gabriel, picking up a cling-wrapped muffin, vanilla and blueberry, and peeling out some notes for that along with a paper cup filled with coffee. He'd managed to meet Eileen at the end of her break, the bird whisperer already out of the cafeteria and off to attend to her shift, but goddamn if he's not going to eat something prior to work.
"One of these days, you'll actually try my sludge and find out how much better than coffee it is" Heresy. Utter heresy. Abigail's on vacation but somehow, she's actually at the hospital. That's because she knows the whole schedule when it comes to meeting Eileen for a break. "Got a minute Gabriel" The familiar blonde nurse isn't far away, granola bar in hand and her own cup of coffee though from outside the hospital as opposed to from the cafeteria.
He'd certainly want to have a minute, after she came all this way. Vaguely surprised to see her, Gabriel moves away from the till, everything bought and paid for, and glances over her head to see if Eileen is somehow still lurking around, then back to her. He gestures a little with his cup of coffee, as if to show that yes, he has a minute. "I was gonna eat outside," he says, taking a few steps. It's a nice day, the months finally slogging over into warmer, dryer seasons, although he's dressed for windchill. It gets cold, when you fly. "You can join me."
"I was about to suggest that. The topic somewhat requires some privacy. Roof or somewhere else?" She's dressed for running errands and toting a child around and dealing with time travelers. which means warm. Children mean parks, and parks mean out doors. Right this moment she's planning on being a woman of little words till they're in private. Mostly. "Eileen mention if there's anyone that I need to stop and and help, while i'm here"
They're walking through the cafeteria, out into a corridor, and Gabriel's slight chuckle isn't loud enough to travel and echo at all, quiet amusement made just audible. "No, she didn't. You know there's a word for people who can't stop using their power? Whether for the good of others or not."
"And what word would that be Gabriel? Relentless? Obsessed? Fanatical?" Just as easily tossed back as they stride through the antiseptic smelling halls. "I see your out of your hang over many days later" A chunk of Granola bar is bitten off, chewing at it as they keep on keeping on.
Touche. Perfect memory is so often a bitch, and Gabriel clears his throat as they head off around a corner, up the stairwell. It's likely a familiar route for them both, for differing purposes. "I was going to say 'addict'," he says, almost completely seriously. But this is neither the time nor the place to debate the neurological, addictive side effects of ability having and use, so it remains a taunt. "And beside you ask, no. I'm never drinking again."
"You could call me an addict, yes." Because addictions motivate you for better or worse. "It's an addiction and a calling and drinking is fine, in moderation. Though I think everyone wanted to be drunk that night. Thank you, for helping Flint. He was fine, once we got his leg set and healed" Abby sighs, inhaling deeply then releasing it. "You can keep a secret, I know that. I need you to keep this one. It's really important" Only spoken once they're nearing a door that will lead to the out of doors.
Sun light beams on through when Gabriel levers the door open, Abby getting a curious glance over one broad shoulder. "Alright," he says, simply. Like she said, she knows he can keep a secret. He has many to die with, after all.
On top of the roof, Gabriel goes directly towards the ledge. With his plethora of powers, heights don't give him too much trouble. Perching precarious on the rising of cement, he balances his coffee carefully, and goes about unwrapping plastic from the muffin he bought. "Least I could do, by the way," he adds, despite the fact she likely has more important things to say. "For Flint. That whole thing could have been avoided."
"By keeping his mouth shut" That's how it could have been avoided. 'Anyone here?" Because one thing Gabriel has is his hearing and he can tell her if there's anyone on the roof. Provided it's in the negative range of answers, Abby comes to join him on the edge. Blonde hair shifting in the wind that's always blowing when your up this high. "What do you know about Elle Bishop?"
He nods, simply, in confirmation of the place being empty, bringing up coffee sip from once a bite has been taken from the baked good in his hand, and the swallow of burning liquid is hesitantly swallowed when that name, of all names, is brought up. "She's a prisoner in a max security facility last I checked," he says, after a moment. "Ex-Company. We've had a few run ins." Obviously there's more to it than that, but amber-brown eyes fix on Abby's blue, as if in silent bargain for more information.
"Well, she's living in my living room, along with two other people, of a group of like six, who are currently displaced from whence they came" Blue eyes meet his amber-brown ones. 'Don't happen to have time travel in your armory do you?" Long shot really.
Gabriel doesn't fall off the rooftop in total surprise, just nodding once. Takes a bite of blueberry muffin, runs the back of his hand over his mouth to rid himself of crumbs. "I avoided that one," he admits, with a slight, rueful smile. "It's too much responsibility, even for me." He nods once. "Liz told me, not so long ago. Had me keep an eye on police scanners. Keep watch from a distance. If you're smart, you'd keep Elle away from your children like any other dangerous electrical appliance."
"Figures. That you don't have it" But she could understand why. Heck, he'd never taken hers till she'd offered. Figures too that Liz had gone and asked him. She was behind the times. "I have the Negator staying with me as well. He's sticking close to her. So that's not really an issue. Flint agrees with you too. Joseph and Natalie are staying with my father in Brooklyn. While she's under my roof. More out of desire to not have Joseph repeat something in innocence" Her granola bar is finished off, packaging crumpled and slipped into her purse. "Do you know her though? What do we have to worry about with her?"
The muffin is wrapped up as Abby speaks, suddenly not so hungry, and slipped into his pocket. Large hands curl around his coffee, and he remains seated on the ledge, back turned to the sudden plummet just behind him. "No," Gabriel says, a little hesitantly, after some internal debate. "I don't know her. But I know what her power is like, and she won't hesitate to use it. She won't hesitate to lie, either. She's a good actress." It's not said so bitterly. That was a long time ago, and is out of scope of his perfect memory, a blurry event, as significant and forgettable as anything else, and he swallows his words with a sip of coffee.
"So don't trust her past my nose" Abigail sighs. "I hope she doesn't take my hospitality and turn it against me" She sucks her upper lip inwards, running her teeth over it before shaking her head. "I'll let Norton know, warn him. Thank you Gabriel. Liz say anything else about what they're planning to do about them?"
"Mentioned bringing Peter into the mix," Gabriel says, a little reserved in mentioning that name. And unspoken plans, too, and these he keeps silent. "Otherwise I think— she's keeping me at arms length. I don't know if its for their protection, or mine. But if there's anything I can do, you know how to get a hold of me. The worst they can do to me is go back and ruin things." A wry smile, as if he doesn't completely doubt this possibility.
"I"m not exactly in the loop either Gabriel. They seem to be keeping it to strictly those who were in Phoenix, and it doesn't surprise me. But I'll keep you in the loop in as much as I can. SO far it's been healing and room and board" But she boarding three of them. "You have anything in your arsenal that would have to do with suppressing memories or getting rid of them?"
Phoenix reunion. It's almost cute. Gabriel's eyebrows raise a little at her question, and he slowly shakes his head. "No. Probably not the kind of thing you can find in the phone book, either, but I can probably dig up a few contacts if you need it," he offers. A chin up in a nod, agreeing with her even as he asks, "Thinking of wiping their memories of all this before sending them back? Not a bad idea. Time travelers— they're like flies in a web. Even if they try to get away from it, try to fix it, they'll ruin things. I don't have a temporal ability but I've experienced that much."
"Norton's thought about putting two bullets in Elle's head, and they're all I surmise, since they're looking for peter, to send them back. Them knowing what's here. It changes things, period. They know a potential future and by them going back and trying to make this happen, may alter it. IF someone comes to me, that's going to be my suggestion. Take it away, what they know about the future and then send them back. I'd like to avoid shooting people in the head just because the persons not well liked from where she comes" Of all people who might understand this, Gabriel would, given who he was.
Selfishly, it's not a bad idea. Take the travelers out the back and shank them before they can do anything wrong. But Gabriel's features go still at the news of Norton's brand of problem solving, and it does hit home. Makes him uncomfortable, visibly. "Elle's no more of a monster than I used to be," he says what's unspoken, gently. "I don't know if— she'll learn, ever, or be anything else. But if you want my opinion, out of all of them, she wouldn't be high on my list of people to be worried about if we're talking about the spacetime continuum. Just don't tell her she's rotting in jail."
"You learned. You still learn. Everyone can learn. Just a matter of whether they want to" Abigail stares out over the city, not surprised by his opinions about the woman. "She's not been told where she is, best of my knowledge. Considering most of those who came through, are somehow already dead through various means" Abigail's foot scuffs at the cement beneath her feet and cranes her neck to look over the edge and down. "I should let you get back to work shouldn't I. Check out some names, of people who might have be able to do that. Wipe their memories. Norton doesn't like the idea, thinks it's an improper thing to do. But … Sometimes, you have to do things like that. Much more humane that a double tap to the back of the head"
"I don't think Norton has a good sense of what's improper to do," Gabriel says. Bristling just a little. "Perhaps he's just scared we'll do the same to him. Take his memories." The soles of his boots scrape against the concrete of the rooftop floor, and he drains a few mouthfuls of coffee. That'll do. "Look, before you go…" His fingertips tap against the side of the cup of coffee. "Flint probably could have stood to keep his mouth shut around Magnes, I know. But I probably should have warned him. Warned you both. I know you gave me the first heads up about Magnes but he said a few things that I should've done something about. But it's— that thing about learning. I thought he might."
'Probably. He probably is afraid, but it's what's right. To preserve what we can of the time line. Though by them just being here, them.. having been broken out, when to us, they haven't, maybe that means they're not from this time line" But that's something that she'll be perpetually musing over. He's stopping her though, as she's turning with the intention to fully give in to her addiction. Blue eyes maybe a fraction colder than the cheery warmth they are. "Magnes is suicidal, depressed, angry and a bundle of everything else. He's in need of help and that he wasn't arrested, is upsetting enough. What if he'd actually managed to kill Flint Gabriel. What if he kills a criminal in the line of duty, when he decides to get himself killed so that he can end his life on some glorious note?"
"We're not going to do nothing," Gabriel says. Still gently. Subdued, almost, and certainly not putting up a fight. He opens his mouth, maybe to explain more, then decides to leave it there, despite having brought it up. "I just wanted to apologize. Tell Flint that— " Oh, whatever. He's not sure if an apology from Gabriel would mean anything to Flint. He gives a vague hand wave. "I'll buy him a round next I see him."
That seems to placate the blonde. That they'll do something about Magnes. "Someone needs to spike his drinks with anti depressants. And he needs to not think that sex with prostitutes is a viable substitute to a relationship. Or, you know, take Sonny's wife and myself of those fucking pedestal's and put an attainable woman on them and worship instead" Abby digs her hands into her jacket pockets. "I'll tell Flint that. He'll be only happy to go do it I'm sure. Domesticity is wearing on him" She won't do anything. She'll tell flint what Gabriel wants her too, but she'll defer to the gravokinetic's partner what he wants to do. "what did Magnes tell you Gabriel" She wants to know, on some level she needs to know.
There's a slight hook of a smile to Gabriel's mouth at the news of domesticity and it's more harmful effects. Surprise, surprise. "I guess we could both use a drink," he mutters, although whether he's talking about himself or Eileen might be up for debate, but not today. He evaluates Abby in a look for a moment, before bracing himself, saying, "The last time he flung someone into the sky, he— he said Flint's name." He doesn't make the mistake he made with Eileen, of saying that he called the man Flint, as much as it can be inferred.
"Oh Magnes" More pity than anything and another sigh. "If there's anything I can do. let me know. I'm terribly upset with him but…" She can't stay upset for too long. "I'll tell Flint to stay away, keep his mouth polite near Magnes if he can't do the former" She turns fully then, hopping down off the ledge. "Get back to work Gabriel. I'll send Flint your way. I promised Joseph I'd come pick him up from school and take them out for dinner with my father. Needless to say, now you know why dinner's been canceled. I doubt Elle would appreciate you plopping down in my kitchen and having a meal with her. Nor do I think you'd enjoy it either"
"Oh but we'd have so much to talk about," Gabriel says, prissily sarcastic, half-smile lighting back up before he nods to her. "Appreciated. Maybe we can make up for lost time with camping." A little more sarcasm, but less biting, more teasing. Eileen had mentioned that idea. "Would you like a lift down?"
"Oh I scrapped camping. in the traditional sense. I was thinking of renting a cottage up in Quebec instead. Might make Flint more agreeable to it. Maybe you all as well" Which means Eileen and Bai-chan. Lift down. No stairs, just step right over the edge. Abigail nods to the other evolved. She's no stranger to Baxter's ability and him picking her up a few times to entertain the children. "Sure. Car's not far from here" Stepping closer to him instead of away.
"It probably would," Gabriel agrees, before stepping closer in turn. Likely she knows to hold on, so he doesn't say it, just hooks an arm securely around her waist and lets them drift up several feet, before moving. No short burst of speed, they move with a flying fox's speed and grace over the ledge of the rooftop. Only a few people glance their way, and no one is surprised. It's a brave new world.
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