Open Doors, Closing Doors

Participants:

alistair_icon.gif colette_icon.gif grace_icon.gif megan_icon.gif scott_icon.gif ygraine_icon.gif

Scene Title Open Doors, Closing Doors
Synopsis Colette visits Ygraine on the first day of the New Year to inform her that her life is about to get much more complicated and brings her to meet the nerve center of the Ferrymen.
Date January 1, 2009

Le Rivage


Seven thirty in the morning on New Year's Day is a relatively obscene hour of day for anyone to be knocking on a door. The quick four-knock rapping rhythm slamming with a drum-beat on Ygraine Fitzroy's door can belong only to the young woman who persists in that same rhythmic knocking no matter who's door she's slamming on, for whatever reason at any hour of morning on any day — holiday or not.

Colette.

Outside the windows of Ygraine's apartment, snow falls in thick and heavy flakes down to the street outside, visible beyond half-drawn blinds dimming the interior with pale, colorless light from the heavy cloudcover. Notably, a yellow-cab taxi rumbles silently on the street below, smoke issuing from its tailpipe as it idles just outside the front stoop of the apartment building.

She really need to learn to call ahead.

Perhaps fortunately, Ygraine has only recently arrived in the city, let alone her apartment, and is wide awake and alert - her body informing her that the real time is rather after noon, whatever the local clocks might say. As a result, she moves to the door quite quickly, peering through the security peephole…

…to see nothing but green Christmas wrapping paper.

Colette.

There's a distinct pause before the security measures within the door are - mostly - removed, letting the portal be opened on a couple of sturdy chains, while Ygraine peeps warily out through the gap. She's smiling quizzically, a laugh in the back of her throat as she quirks a lop-sided smile.

"I… wow. Colette? Hi!" The door closes, rattling announcing the removal of those chains before it's opened again, this time to be swung wide.

"Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, get dressed!" Colette blurts out all in one breath as she barges in thorugh the door, tracking snow on her boots as she makes her way in. The wrapped gift in Colette's arms in a boxish thing wrapped in green and red, but the thing is featherlight when it's shoved into Ygraine's arms. "Open!" The teen commands with a wag of one finger from side to side as she steps just to the side of the door and closes it with the heel of her boot.

"I've got a cab waiting outside, we have somewhere to go! But I've got a million things to do today so hurry hurry hurry!" There's a snap-snap-snap of Colette's gloved fingers — which really doesn't snap at all — with each 'hurry' that is spoken. It's only then that Colette's brows raise, look around the apartment, then settle on Ygraine and let green eyes drift up and down the Brit.

She wrinkles her nose, takes a step in and leans forward, wrapping her arms around Ygraine with the awkward gift-box between them and presses her nose — and a kiss — to the Brit's cheek.

Clad in tight breeches and a woollen sweater that leaves one shoulder entirely bare, Ygraine is currently sporting neither the kevlar-woven armour nor the lycra uniform of an athlete with which she normally approaches the outside world. Indeed, she rather hugs the present as Colette bombards her with commands - but she does nudge the door shut behind the younger girl, following her into the living room.

There, it's clear that Ygraine has only recently returned, the apartment having a rather unoccupied feel, a couple of small packing containers sitting unopened beside the coffee table. Ygraine moves to perch on the end of the sofa not blocked by them, fingers delicately picking at the wrapping.

"From the smell of your breath, your habits are improving", she says gently, flashing a swift smile at her friend. "And happy new year to you, too."

"Yeah well…" Colette rubs a gloved hand at her cheek, "you know." There's a wrinkle of her nose and a smile. "Tamara gave me a pretty surly look about smoking too, so— you know how that goes." Whatever Tamara says goes, pretty much always. Sidling up to the same arm of the sofs Ygraine's perched on, Colette leans against her while standing at her side, resting a chin on her shoulder. "There's a lot going on right now, I could really use your help…"

There's a much more serious tone of voice on Colette, a little more becoming of her age. "Actually, everyone could use your help so— " she nods down to the package as the wrapping paper comes off, revealing what is clearly a cake box from a bakery, but the weight is indicative that there is, indeed, no cake inside. With a deft pull of the folded flaps to open the top, Colette watches Ygraine undo the box and reveal a mess of styrofoam packing peanuts, carefully protecting an unwrapped and battered looking… old… cellphone?

Matte black and scrrfed ont he corners from repeated drops, the cell phone's screen is a monochromatic green and black and looks like it was made in the early to mid nineties. A corner of the screen is even cracked from damage, and the numbers on most of the buttons are half rubbed off. Colette's lips come up into a smile at the sight of the phone, leaning in to press her lips to Ygraine's cheek before moving to stand in front of her.

"A decoder ring would've been totally cooler, but Scott kind of looked at me all squirrley when I asked." Dark brows furrow, and Colette motions to the phone inside the box. "Names, contact numbers and safe-house aliases for Ferrymen members. The phone's low-tech without a GPS tracking chip in it, modified by one of our resident technopaths. It's not foolproof but it's the next best thing."

Nodding her head to the phone, she motions down to the keypad. "Star, Star, Nine, One, One wipes the SIM card and clears all the info on it in case you're nabbed by anyone." Green eyes alight back up to Ygraine, lips crooked into a smile. "Welcome, officially, to the Ferrymen Ygraine. Now come on, get dressed, Scott wants to see you."

Finally reaching the present, Ygraine picks up the phone and checks it can power up, before slipping an arm around Colette and giving her a warm squeeze. "I now feel somewhat less guilty about not having your Christmas present ready to hand", she teases gently, before releasing her grip and rising to her feet.

"You've a cab outside? Gah. Ummm. Is this a "throw a coat on" sort of trip, or one for which I should be gearing up a bit more?"

"It's a meet and greet." Colette notes with a nod of her head, waving a gloved hand dismissively to Ygraine at the mention of the gift. "Scott wants to talk to you, give you a low-down on everything. The cab's waiting to take you to the Hangar, the first of the safehouses and as close to the Ferrymen's nerve center as I guess there is." Wrinkling her nose, Colette notices she's tracking melting snow all thorugh the apartment. A grimace flashes across her lips, and the teen hops a step back, trodding back over to the door.

"It's funny, when I went to run your name through the Ferrymen to background check and all that formality, Scott just kinda' looked at me like I had three heads, cuffed me upside the back of my head and told me to go get you." There's a giggling snort from Colette as she awkwardly rubs at the back of her head in memory. "I think he was kinda' surprised you hadn't been brought in to the fold yet."

Ygraine laughs softly, then shrugs rather awkwardly as she rises and starts to pad through to the bedroom. "We… he was at ConEd with me", she says sheepishly. "Or I was with him, perhaps, to be more accurate…."

Leaving the door open to let her talk to Colette uninterrupted, she frowns at her wardrobe, then hastily sets about providing herself with a layer of clothing to go beneath the sweater for the trip outside. "I suppose I've probably been checked out a fair amount in the past year, to see if I was doing anything to screw them over. And if I'm considered clean of surveillance, then… that's a real reassurance."

Rolling her tongue over the inside of her cheek, Colette's eyes follow Ygraine on her pathway to the bedroom, one brow raised in thought. There's a cab waiting, though, and that really dashes whatever was crossing her mind. "So, ah— " she clears her throat, "yeah, Scott mentioned you two'd fought together. We got to talking about Conrad for a while… so…" there's a mild smile offered, "it was all pretty good. He's eager to see you, we've got a lot going on right now, and with everything that's happened since the summer, we're actually a little short-handed."

Tucking her gloved hands into the pocket of her brown suede jacket, Colette rocks back and forth on her heels at the door, raising her voice a little to be heard across the apartment. "There's something I want to talk toy ou about on the car ride too. I mean, we're not too far from the village but," her nose wrinkles, "it's more personal than it is official business."

"A— Actually." Colette looks down to the floor, a little red-faced from her voyeurism of the bedroon. "Ah, there's some problems going on, missing people and…" she waves a hand in the air. "It's ridiculous and you're going to think I'm crazy but…" She opens the apartment door and steps out into the hall, "apparently there this guy who's like…" she wiggles fingers at the sides of her head, "all up in people's dreams and shit. He's like, you ever seen the movie Nightmare on Elm Street?"

Colette's dark brows go up as she moves out into the hall, watching Ygraine through the doorway in the dim lighting. Her expression is admittedly a bit incredulous looking, as if she doesn't believe it all herself.

Ygraine pauses slightly, cocking her head as she studies Colette - then busying herself for a few moments with the task of putting thsoe portions of the apartment's extra security that can be activated from outside into place. That done, she turns back to Colette, stuffing her hat and gloves into pockets and slinging her scarf around her neck before rather tentatively reaching for the younger girl's hand.

"Hey… it doesn't sound any more insane than much of what I've heard about in the past few years", she says quietly, starting along the corridor towards the stairs. "Though I hope it's not _literally_ a remake of the films."

Gloved fingers winding around Ygraine's hand, Colette makes the walk towards the elevator, passing by the flimsy OUT OF ORDER sign hanging across the doors with a roll of her eyes. She makes no break in her stride towards the stairwell — one of these days she's going to get someone to fix that thing permanently. "It's ah… actually not too far off from what I've heard?" Passing by apartment doors, Colette doesn't seem very shy about discussing the events in a relatively public setting. "A friend of mine, Kaylee— I dunno if you ever met her, tall, blonde, little mole here?" Colette points to the side of her nose. "She got attacked by him in her dreams, said she woke up halfway sunk into the Hudson river…" Dark brows screw up into a worried furrow as she shoulders her way into the stairwell.

"She nearly froze to death." Colette murmurs, voice echoing in the brick stairwell hall. On her way down the concrete steps, Colette's free hand uses the black painted metal rail as a guide. "I guess other people have gotten hurt too. This little girl who stays at Brian's orphanage, Matilda, she was absolutely terrified of him finding her. I— I dunno why it's happening."

Ygraine looks genuinely surprised. "Yeah, I've met Kaylee. She seems very nice indeed. We did some painting together", the Briton says softly, frowning worriedly. She keeps tight hold of Colette's hand even as they start down the stairs.

"I was thinking rather more of fountains of blood whenever someone fell asleep. It sounds like it's not… quite so literally predatory, or as certain a dire end. But… what do you think I could do to help? My experience of bad dreams is rather more focused upon having them than causing them, or tracking down anyone who might be doing so…"

"I dunno, to be honest." Colette admits with a heavy sigh on her way to the ground floor, nudging the door to the lobby open with her hip, holding it open for Ygraine to walk through before following her out. "I'm just… I guess I feel kinda' helpless. I mean, how do you even stop something like that? It creeps me out, it just— it really, really freaks me out to think that there's someone out there who can even see into our dreams, nevermind be a jerk in them."

Boots clomping across the lobby hall, Colette leads Ygraine to the front door, nodding to the doorman as he opens the way to the outside, stepping out onto the snow-powdered concrete stoop, then carefully down the steps to the curb. "Everything personal in your mind, in your heart just— " her brows furrow, "open and vulnerable. It— " she looks to the cab, then up to Ygraine. "It's scary."

Ygraine gives Colette's hand a gentle squeeze, offering the doorman a quiet "Good morning, and happy new year!" on her way out.

"That's the usual fear about telepaths of any kind", she says quietly, hunching her shoulders against the cold. "Or, for those with deeper-rooted fears, it's part of what's scary about interacting with anyone at all. Anyone could use what they find out against you, use revelations to hurt you. What matters is what they do with their knowledge, and with any abilities they have that would let them gain it."

"Yeah…" Colette murmurs quietly, looking down at her feet and the way the side of her boot ploughs the snow into a crest as she sweeps it aside. Silent for a moment, Colette just bows her head once and reaches out to open the back too, holding it there for Ygraine to let her get in, and then slides in afterwards, bringing the door shut soundly. She doesn't really say anything to the driver, just offers him a conspiratorial nod of her head, which he returns back after making eye contact in the rear-view mirror. He also fails to turn on the meter.

"The other thing's about Joseph," Colette says with a shake of her head, eyes averted to her lap where she sits, seemingly fine with continuing the conversation even with the cab driver right there. "He is kidnapped, or— I dunno. We found out he's being held at a warehouse, my friend Matilda's got this ability to find people. She helped me track down Joseph, and now we're going to take some of his possessions to an acquaintance of the Ferrymen named Da— " Colette hesitates, then restarts with the proper pronunciation, "Daveed," it sounds like, "he's got this ability to figure things out by touching stuff. S'pretty cool, Kaylee talked to him before, so we're going to bring some of Joseph's stuff and see if he can figure out why things are the way they are. We gotta' scope out the warehouse too, figurue out what's going on there."

Ygraine takes note of the friendly driver, but after offering him a nod of greeting she focuses upon Colette - reclaiming the girl's hand if she's allowed to do so.

"And you think that someone who can scale walls and hang off ceilings might be helpful in scouting the place out?", she asks with a quirked smile. "And… crap. Did… I… did you manage to talk to Joseph? It's a silly concern, I know, when he's missing, but… I hope that you managed to speak to him, after we last met. You… you seem… more cheerful in yourself."

Squeezing Ygraine's hand as the car pulls out from the curb Colette grimaces when the cab's tires lose traction for a moment because of the snow-storm, but quickly catch friction again and heading out onto the street. Glancing out the window at her side, she watches the apartment building pull away from sight, then turns back to Ygraine. "Yeah we… we talked. I told him everything, like… about everything. I found out the Ferry captured Danko and turned him over to the authorities," there's a mild smile at that, "it made it a little easier to deal with." Chewing on her lower lip, she looks down at her lap idly.

"I… kissed him too…" Colette admits with a very confused tone. "He's like— old enough to be my dad." She says with a crease of her brows, green eyes alight to Ygraine again. "I… think we were both pretty confused by it. It seemed like the right thing to do, you know? I wanted him to know I was glad he was safe and just— he smiled so, it worked." There's a wink of one of the teen's eyes as she leans her shoulder against Ygraine.

"Never thought I'd ever turn out to be an affectionate person. Things just worked out that way I guess." Casting her eyes down to her lap again, Colette breathes in deeply then exhales a tired sigh. "Kaylee told me not to go anywhere near the warehouse until we talk to David. But me'n you could do some pretty crazy stuff together," she admits with a crooked smile, looking back up to the Brit. "Invisible Spidergirl."

Ygraine laughs softly, shifting position and grip to let herself slip an arm around Colette's shoulders, the other hand taking one of Colette's. "Affection can be rather… tempting when you've been starved of it", she says with a gentle smile - before teasingly adding, "but perhaps we should have a talk about kissing people, some time."

"As for the investigation… mmmm. I'd like to know as much as we can before we go near the place, but… how easy would it be to get hold of David?"

Colette wrinkles her nose and rolls one shoulder, "I think I know enough," she admits in that self-assured teenager fashion. "Though I— I guess… you may have a point about the whole starved of it thing. Up until I met Tamara I wouldn't even let anyone touch my hand. I remember the first time I met Judah, he touched my shoulder and I just— I freaked out. Same thing with Detecitve Damaris too, she tried to hold my hand to reassure me about something, and I just— " Colette's eyes fall shut, her head shaking as she clears her throat.

"I dunno about David," Colette admits, "he's not fully Ferrymen, just like, an associate. Kaylee knows how to find him, I don't have any of his info. You'd have to give her a call, but…" there's a furrow of her brows, "last I knew she was down on Staten Island at McRae's safehouse recovering from her dip in the river, under house arrest until she's better." There's a teasing crook of her lips at the house arrest part.

"I might be able to find David's number with Alistair's help, but Kaylee's got all of Joseph's things. She just… she told me not to go anywhere near the place until we know what we're dealing with." Her teeth toy at her lower lip. "After what happened at Pinehearst m'kinda' thinking that might be a good idea."

Ygraine gives Colette another warm squeeze, this one meant to be reassuring, but she stays quiet throughout the younger girl's meandering response. "So… we'd need to talk to Kaylee about finding David, then find a way to get him in contact with Joseph's belongings… and all without revealing the location of any Ferry houses? And before all that, I'm to talk to Scott? Am I missing anything?"

"Pretty much how it is," Colette notes with a nod, looking out the window of the car at her side, eyeing the passing buildings. "Actually…" she admits with a nod of her head as the cab pulls up to the curb in front of a brownstone apartment building with a rod iron fence out front dappled with snow. "We're here." This looks nothing like any sort of safe-house, it looks like an ordinary apartment building in Greenwich Village. Of course, that's probably the intention.

"Thanks Ian," Colette offers out to the cab driver, "Scott'll pay you the usual on Monday." Colette's door opens out to the curb, and she slides out of the cab onto the sidewalk, offering out a hand to Ygraine to help her out of the back seat.

Ygraine accepts the offered hand once again, nodding her thanks to Ian before joining Colette on the sidewalk, closing the door behind her. There, she shivers as she glances around. "Lovely weather…. So… any procedures to follow on the way in?"

"In and out's pretty straightforward. Just head on in like you belong there." Colette admits as she nods to Ian in the cab, offering a wave of one gloved hand as the snow falls down and collects on the shoulders of her suede jacket and the fur-lined collar of her hood. As the cab pulls away, Colette turns towards the steps leading up to the front of the apartment building. "There's a traffic ordinance Scott's firm about. No going in and out all the time all willy-nilly, and never large groups of people going in at any one time. The point is to keep traffic looking natural, and not draw attention to the place."

Up the concrete steps to the front door, Colette looks over her shoulder, offering a smile down to Ygraine as she turns to keep her back to the door. "It is pretty nice weather," she admits in all honesty, looking up to the slate gray skies and the thick, slowly falling snowflakes. "It's actually kinda' peaceful…" Her brow raises, looking from the sky to Ygraine.

"Before we go in, four rules." The teen holds up four gloved fingers. "Rule One, the crew's rule is law. That means Alistair, Grace and Scott are Judge Jury and Executioner here. If they say jump you— " she cracks a smile, "try not to hit the moon I guess in your case." One finger folds back against her palm. "Two, be discrete about stuff. Don't be noisy, don't be crazy. And no pets." She awkwardly smiles at that. "I broke that one the first day I tried to bring Jupiter in. Scott had my ass for that one."

Another finger folds back, and Colette looks up and down the empty, snow-filled street, then settles back on Ygraine. "Three; Go in an' out, but you gotta' to check with whoever's on duty first. All doors and openable windows are wired into the security system, so don't go screwin' with them or— Scott'll have your ass." Colette admits with a lopsided smile of experience.

"Four;" her last finger folds down and she offers out a hand to Ygraine, "No one comes to the front door if they're staying long. Which means, this isn't going to be a long stay."

Ygraine nods pensively, once again grabbing Colette's hand. "I prefer snow in the countryside to snow in the city - though it does look good while it's turning everything white", she agrees. "So… I stick close to you, and do whatever you do whenever I return in future, eh? I think I can manage that."

Winking once, Colette takes the hand and turns back towards the door, knocking four times in drum-beat rhythm and waiting for the sound of the locks to come undone before stepping inside. She's been expected, for a few hours now, and thorugh the doorway and out of the cold, Colette offers a warm smile up to the tired looking man standing behind the door when it opens. There is only a minute play of a smile on Scott Harkness' lips as he looks down to Colette with a squint, then offers something more cordial of a greeting to Ygraine as she follows in behind. No real greeting, not yet, not until he's able to get the door closed and locked again.

"Good to see you again miss Fitzroy," Scott admits in a rough tone of voice, no handshake offered, just a curt nod as he turns from the door and makes his way into the kitchen. Colette raises her brows and offers a wry smile at Scott's grumpy old dog demeanor as she sheds her fur-trimmed coat and unshoulders her jacket, hanging it up on the metal coat rack on the wall near the door. Her scarf is unwound from her throat, powder blue draped over the brown of her coat as she scuffs her boots on the rough mat in front of the door, kicking off snow but not taking her shoes off as she follows Scott into the kitchen.

Ygraine offers Scott a warm smile. "And you", she says, voice quietly sincere as she attempts to convey the respect she feels for the man, having seen him in action.

Following Colette's lead, she divests herself of her biker's jacket, hanging her scarf up with it - her hat and gloves already crammed into its pockets. Beneath, she wears tight breeches, sturdy boots, and a voluminous off-the-shoulder woollen sweater worn over a turtle-necked top. Knocking the snow off her own footwear, she then moves after Colette and Scott.

"You kids want coffee, or are you just passing through?" asks a familiarly broken voice, its owner somewhere just out of sight in the stairwell. Kids, for all that Ygraine and she are essentially of an age. A moment later, Grace steps down to the first landing, folding her arms on the old wood railing. Her smile isn't any more pronounced than Scott's, although there's something about her eyes that conveys it more clearly.

Straightening, Grace shakes her hair back and finishes descending the stairs. She's dressed in typical jeans and a purple shirt, stocking feet comparatively quiet on the wooden floors. Ducking into the kitchen in front of their guests, she glances over the counters. "Assuming Harkness hasn't already fed it all to his pet black hole, of course."

"It stays warm," Scott admits with arms crossing his chest and head dipping down into a nod as he reclines up against the side of the refrigerator, "never have to worry about having a hot cup." At that, he lifts a hand into the air and curls his fingers as a matrix of blue lights swirl around in his palm, revealing a steaming hot mug of coffee perfectly cradled by his fingers. One of his brows raise, as if to drive home the point. "Fresh pot's over there," he admits with a nod towards the Mr.Coffee perched on the edge of the ocunter space.

Shaking her head and offering a warm smile, Colette makes her way over to Grace, walking past her only after making a very obvious hip-check bump to the taller woman, and then winds her way over to the island in the middle of the kitchen, hopping up onto one of the stools. "Fitzroy and her kitten aren't here for too long," Scott remarks after a quiet sip of his coffee. "Colette finally bothered to mention that Ygraine hadn't been fully brought into the fold, and I figure any woman you can fight a tank side-by-side with is a good foundation for trust, right?" He's in a rare mood today, stepping away from the refrigerator and pacing across the floor. "Gave Colette a phone with some contact info in it, figured we could give her the run down of a few safehouses, since she's good courier material. I already got the okay from the Brickhouse, McRae and Grand Central. Haven't heard back from the Foxhole yet, so that one'll have to stay a little quiet for now. There anything you wanted to fill her in on?" Scott offers a look to Grace, one brow raised.

"There's something else too, ah— Sir?" Colette's saluting where she sits at the counter, and that is just preposterous looking. "I got an address on Joseph's location, there's really no doubt that he's been kidnapped. But we don't know why or by who." A piece of paper — a receipt — is laid down on the island's marble top.

Never having seen Scott's power in action, Ygraine is clearly rather impressed - but she does remember to look back to Grace, offering her a warm smile and a one-handed wave before Harkness's words distract her… and induce her to blush, then shrug sheepishly.

"As I recall, I rather got out of the way of the tank", she mumbles, moving towards the pot in order to give herself something to pretend to focus upon, and to at least use to keep her hands busy. "Colette's got the idea of us making a decent pair-up for scouting: invisible and off-the-ground. As you might remember", she nods to Scott, "my… donations of altered gravity only last a few minutes, so we'd need to stick close together if we're not to have, ahh, "my kitten" take a tumble. But the basic idea seems viable."

"Hey, don't knock getting out of the way," Grace points out, as she crosses the kitchen to pour herself a cup from the coffeemaker — and to get a mug down for Ygraine. "Wouldn't be here to drink coffee if you hadn't." As the woman sips from her drink, she glances to Scott, and nods. "Let's keep the Foxhole out for now; not a lot of point, but there's something to be said for not everyone knowing everything — and you shouldn't need that one," she adds, nodding to Ygraine. Her smirk at Colette's salute isn't stifled in the least, as the woman reaches over to take and study the note. "Things like this make you miss Wireless, hmm?" Not directed at either of the other females. Another distracted sip of coffee. "What're you looking to do next, kid?" Definitely directed at Colette.

Ambling over to the other side of the island, Scott leans over Grace's shoulder to eye the receipt. "He's being held at a Jewelry store in Brooklyn?" There's a sarcastic look at the piece of paper, "and who's the sterling promise ring for?" Then, when Grace flips the receipt over and actually starts reading the information, Scott raises both brows as he looks to Colette, who is grimacing awkwardly and staring down at her folded hands.

"Ah— ah— that's not— " Colette raises a hand and turns her fingers over, looking a little bit sheepish. "O— Other side I— " Grace knows perfectly that the other side's where the information is, and so does Scott, there's just something hard to resist about giving her a hard time. "We ah— I dunno what the next step is, that's kinda' why I wanted to bring it up here." Colette mentions with a furrow of her brows. "I got the address from a contact from the Lighthouse who can locate people. But it didn't give any context— if he's like, guarded or in danger. Just an address."

Swallowing noisily, Colette shifts her weight on the stool, glancing up at Ygraine for a moment, then back to Grace. "I think Ygraine and I could do a scouting thing. She can send me all spidermanning up places, and I can stay out of sight. But Kaylee thinks we should hold off until she gets Joseph's possessions down to that David guy you told us about."

Chewing on her lower lip, she watches Scott pace around the island somewhat like a stalking tiger, except tigers don't usually slurp at a cup of coffee when they're stalking. "Ah, s— so," green eyes divert back to Grace. "Once David gets what he can from Joseph's stuff we got from Grand Central, we're hoping we might have a better idea. I don't know anyone who can help though, there's so many people who aren't in the city right now. All the people I'd lean on for help are just— gone." There's a timbre of worry in her tone. "It's… weird."

The Briton nods and smiles gratefully to Grace, mutely thanking her for both the cup and her words, but soon focuses upon the main subject of conversation.

"If you can make me invisible, too, then we can certainly scout the place out", Ygraine quietly assures Colette, resisting the urge to add to the teasing - though she does offer the girl a rather amused smile. "And even if you can't, a decent pair of binoculars would be all I'd need to have a good look at the exterior. Very few buildings have external security so good that I can't find a vantage point from which to study them. Close up, I'd prefer more stealth options… but even then, I can get around most security systems. The major concern would be if anyone with relevant abilities was in the area."

Grace peers over the rim of her mug at both Colette and Ygraine. "I'd side with Kaylee, there. Get as much as you can before even going near the grounds. Odds are you've only got one shot at that." Blue eyes focus on the youngest of the group. "No second chances."

"I could make you invisible," Colette notes with a wary tone of voice, but the look on her face says she shouldn't." But when I make things invisible, it's like… I'm bending all the visible light around you, and it sort've makes things— uh, dark." There's a squint of Colette's eyes at that. "I can see pretty much okay, because the whole being blind thing helped me figure out how to feel colors like, without using my eyes. So I can get a rough idea of what's outside the field of invisibility, but it looks all blurry, kinda' like vaseline on glasses." Her nose wrinkles.

"When we snuck into Pinehearst," Colette adds with a creak of the stool she's seated on, leaning back on it with her hands gripping one edge. "We tried out using thermal goggles, since Phoenix had a bunch of military stuff, and that seemed to work pretty well, since my power doesn't seem to change heat stuff all that much. It's kinda' complicated, I had to go through like, physics class with Conrad to help figure out how to use everything. He was a hell of a teacher."

"Wozniak was a lot of things, none of them really small." Scott opines from where he's taken rest on the opposite side of the island. "I'm with Grace here on that too, you don't want to let anyone know they're found out. The second they know somebody's watching them, they might move the Pastor, or worse kill him." Blunt as always, Harkness is. "You're lucky though, once you get something we can work with, you've got Alistair, Grace and I to run things by. If we can't come up with a strategy to get the Pastor back, nobody can." There's a side-long glance at Grace, "Even if she's Air-Force," he teases with a grin, "she does as good as she can."

Having settled onto a stool of her own, coffee cup cradled in her hands, Ygraine finds herself flashing an unexpected, surprised grin at Scott in response to his comment on Conrad. Grace then earns a mildly quizzical look as her own military background is revealed.

"Find me the building on a map, and I can check it out from a mile away with binoculars for you", she says quietly. "And probably do so from most angles, too. But I agree - since there's a fair chance that whoever's involved is or has access to Evolved… let's not find out what their abilities are by having them used on us. Though that thermographic goggles idea sounds like it could be a viable option in future. If you liked, we could practice with it - well away from the warehouse in question."

Lowering her cup, Grace coughs into her hand. "Wow, Harkness — we should have company more often if it's going to make you polite." She grins at Ygraine. "Ninety-seven percent of the time, that's Air Force REMF," the harsh-voiced woman explains. "I'd say I didn't have any option but — hell, I never wanted to be on the front lines anyway. Leave that to the Army blockheads who don't know no better." Levity is replaced by her more usual solemn expression as she takes another drink, refocusing on the real subject of the day. "You figure out what equipment you need," Grace says to Ygraine. "We stay clear of the weapons business, but just about anything else Alistair can rustle up somewhere, if it isn't too big."

Alistair runs a hand through his tousled hair as he makes his way into the kitchen and heads straight for the coffee maker, pulling out his jumbo mug from a nearby cabinet. He glances around, a borw raised at the full house. he's currently in a t-shirt and fleece pajama bottoms, obviously just rousing himself out of bed.. "Um.. morning.." He says.. "Did i faintly hear my name mentioned?" He pours himself a cup.

"I'm not a blockhead…" Scott murmurs into his coffee, brows furrowed and feigning injury from Grace's words, trying to restrain a smirk. But it's Alistair's arrival that causes the old man to arch a brow and turn a scrutinizing eye towards the young comrade. "Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence," Scott ribs from where he stands at the island in the middle of the kitchen. "Ygraine, Alistair," Scott motions with his cup of coffee, "Alistair, Ygraine. I know you two've spoken over the radio back at Consolidated Edison, but you know, been a while." Scott tips his head down into a nod, sipping at his coffee again. "Yeah, Grace just happened to speak your Devil name and — go figure you show up. Colette here," there's a motion of his hand towards the black-haired girl sitting at the island, one Alistair had been working with at Summer Meadows back on Thanksgiving, "was just telling us about a kidnapping of one of our own. Pastor Joseph Sumpter, she's got an address, some intel about him being held at a warehouse against his will. We're discussing intelligence-gathering options."

"We're gonna' try a psychometrist," Colette notes with an arch of one dark brow towards Alistair, her hand up and fingers wiggling in a wave. "This guy David, who reads things with a touch. Since we already know where Joe is, we gotta' figure out the why." Eyeing Ygraine, Colette offers a fond smile at the idea the Briton had offered up. "If we're gonna try the goggles thing, I'll have to go see if Dee can pick up the headsets they used from Cat's place. I dunno where she is, I think she's out of town or…" Brows furrow, anxiously, "She better just be out of town."

Exhaling a sharp breath, Colette looks down to the countertop. "We can test out the goggles in the tunnels when I show you down to Grand Central. That's run by a guy named Robin, Joseph works there too. It's pretty huge, and underground. S'awesome." Her brows waggle at that.

"It's dark, and damp, and there's rats and wild dogs in the tunnels, it's not awesome it's apocalyptic." Scott corrects Colette with a firm arch of his brows. "Be careful what the kitten gets distracted by," Scott mentions to Ygraine with an amused shake of his head, "I think she's still got stars in her eyes and can't really see past them."

Ygraine nods immediate agreement to Grace's comment about weaponry. "Scott was there when I first held a gun", she says quietly, hands tightening around her coffee cup. "And I found myself shooting someone with it a few minutes later. Never again, if I can help it." Suppressing a shudder, she glances down at her drink, then looks back up at the senior Ferrymen, nodding a cautious greeting to Alistair.

"If you can get me night-vision and thermo gear, I can have a look at the place after dark. In this weather, I'm not going to offer to stake it out for long, but I can at least confirm levels of activity, human and powered."

To Colette, she flashes a warm grin. "Seems like you're acquiring a new nickname. And if the rats and wild dogs are a problem, I can definitely help to avoid them. They can't scale walls, on the whole."

Grace chuckles quietly at Colette's romantic enthusiasm for Grand Central. "Oh, the rats get into the boxes sometimes; the dogs mostly slink away. I'd prefer if you keep the kid grounded over anything else," she concludes, flashing a brief grin at Colette. "Don't want to have to explain to Demsky again when I find her wandering around in the middle of a mess." She waves her mug in Alistair's direction. "You catch that list? Your cue, quartermaster."

Alistair shrugs to Scott. "That's usually my MO." he says, explaining how he arrives after being mentioned. He waves in greeting to both Colette and Ygraine with a wry smile. "Sorry. Spent most of last night personally making sure the other houses had everything they needed. Things have been a bit… rough… with communications down." he says, taking a sip and leaning against the counter where the coffee is stashed. "I think I've met the Pastor a couple times. We know *where* he is, but not why?" Alis isn't quite getting it, but he'll leave the strategizing to Scott and Grace. "Well, make a list of what you're gonan need, even down to rations, and.." He blushes a bit but motions to the weather outside.. "long underwear.." He's wearing a t-shirt and pajama bottoms, hair tousled.

The redhead who slips into the kitchen looks like she's been up all night — but not on the bender that most of the city was apparently on. She's wearing a pair of blue surgical scrubs and white sneakers beneath the heavy down jacket that she's unbuttoning as she enters, her long red braid tucked into the back collar of the jacket. Megan stops short at the sight of so many people in the kitchen, surprised to find the place full at this hour of the morning on New Year's Day. "Seriously, don't you people sleep?" she asks mildly.

"No idea yet. Looks like the curious cat's working on figuring that out." Scott admits, finally finishing his coffee and walking away from the island in the middle of the kitchen, settling his coffee cup down into the sink. "If you want to do some long-range recon on it, take a partner. Always good to have a spotter, doesn't matter who. More eyes on target the better." Then, furrowing his brows, he looks at Grace with a wordless stare, then turns to settle his attention on Megan a she comes in, offering a nod to her with a wry smile. "No ma'am," he admits with a little more formality than is becoming of him.

"Alright," Scott states flatly, slapping a hand on Ygraine's shoulder. "Come on upstairs newbie, I've got some city maps to show you. We'll go over the warehouse location, then I'll point out a couple of the safehouses and go over entrance procedures." His hand slips away, and Harkness makes his way around Megan and Alistair towards the doorway of the kitchen. "Happy New Years, by the way, for what it's worth." Scott taps two fingers at his brow to Colette and Grace, and only Colette salutes back. Eye contact is made to Ygraine, and Scott's making his way back out into the foyer.

"Hey there, ah…" Colette squints her eyes at the redhead, "Mmmm— Mary?" No that's not right, Colette. "S'good t'see you again. Been like, couple months or something hasn't it?" Thanksgiving, that's about the right estimate. "We're just talkin' shop, it's Ygraine's first day on the Ferry," the teen notes with a wagle of her fingers towards the Brit nearby. "I guess that's kinda' like a happy welcome aboard too, in'nit?" She just adopted a British accent for a moment, perhaps teasingly, perhaps unintentionally.

Colette salutes to Ygraine as well, lopsided smile spread across her lips. "Welcome aboard!" She notes with a wink. Keeping Colette grounded, Grace had said. Good luck with that.

"Thermal underwear, I acquired last Winter. Rather vital for a courier", Ygraine says with a smile to Alistair, before finding herself blinking in surprise at the medically-clad stranger, offering her a mute nod of greeting. Then Scott's clapping her on the shoulder and inviting her upstairs.

After a moment's hesitation, she slips off her stool, finger-waving at Megan, then leaning over to peck Colette on the cheek. "Make sure to grab me before you run off anywhere", she instructs the girl, her own British accent both more convincing and a good deal more educated than Colette's. A nervous smile is offered to those remaining behind then, coffee cup in hand, she hurries after the departing Mr Harkness….

"We'll sleep when we're dead, I expect," Grace replies, the twist of her lips only mostly facetious. "Until then, we've got coffee. Want some?" Blue eyes flick over Megan's appearance. "Or should we just loan you a crash-pad instead?" Ygraine's departure is acknowledged with a nod; Scott's not so much, but then, he's always around a corner when least or most wanted, anyway. "What is our comm situation looking like now?" she asks of Alistair. "All the hubs up and running?"

Alistair shrugs. "I haven't heard word yet that everything was kosher with our.. 'central' hub…" Meaning Wireless, but he refrains from mentioning her outright. "So I've kept to running around to each House personally, unless I can send a trusted courier… and nothing against our system, I just can't do things right unless I'm handling it myself." He says to grace, and then moves over, revealing the coffee maker. he reaches into the cabinet and grabs a mug for Megan. "We figured that you shouldn't be the only one enjoying the evening." he says teasingly to Megan.

"Happy New Year," Megan replies to Scott, forcing a smile for him. Her eyes slide back to the group and she nods to Grace and Alistair with a tired expression that speaks of a long night. "I'm sorry," she tells Colette regretfully. "I can't remember your name at this moment either. Megan." She seems to have taken no offense at all to the fact that her name got muddled; it's not a big deal. The look Grace gets, though, at the offer of coffee is unparalleled relief. "Both," she tells the gravel-voiced woman.

"Coffee, then crash space — I wasn't sure I was going to make it home, figured you'd have a corner of floor where I could cop a squat. Took Sammy Braxton to the ER last night with convulsions. We lost her, Grace," she says apologetically. The woman in question was a 52-year-old diabetic who was supposed to ship out on the last Ferry run but had come down with H1N1. "I couldn't leave the ER in the shape it was in last night — you know how New Year's gets." She grimaces and moves over to hover next to Alistair while he pours life-giving brew into a mug for her. She looks like a woman who's been in the desert for a week and just spotted water. "It was a stellar night." Sarcasm anyone? She's listening to the update on the comm system, though, worry darkening her gaze for the person who usually handles the Ferry's communications.

"I've been off the phones since I heard the hub went quiet." Colette admits, slouching back on her stool again, fingers curled around the front, rocking it onto its two back legs before settling back down on all four. "I've been too afraid of someone listening in. Like, I dunno how all that shit works but, after what happened over the fall with Humanis First, I— " she shakes her head, "there's no way I'm even going to risk it. I've been hand-delivering messages from the Staten Island safehouses and the mainland when I go back and forth. It's like, super-slow, but it's sort've safer I figure."

Reaching out to take that recepit from Grace, Colette folds it up against her palm and then tucks it inside of the back pocket of her jeans, having to scoot up a touch off the stool to do so. Her eyes lift up to Megam, brows raising and a look of confusion crossing her face. She doesn't know how to react. not to news like that, something so final described over a cup of coffee. The teen swallows, noisily, and then looks down to the top of the island and looks at the backs of her hands. "I… I'm sorry," she murmurs to Megan, teeth toying with her lower lip. She doesn't introduce herself, not right now.

Grace nods to Alistair, then more briefly to Megan. "Thanks." You win some, you lose some — but she doesn't say it. "Do you one better than floor, Megan — there's space and to spare in this house, might as well make use of it." Setting her mug on the counter, the dark-haired woman nods to Colette and Alistair. "I'll go see what's up for grabs." She glances sidelong at the teenager as she passes by Colette and hands over the receipt, smirking faintly at her mention of safer. "Just don't mistake that for safe and you'll do fine," Grace remarks as she heads back towards the stairs.

Alistair nods to Colette. "Exactly.. I've had to go back and forth myself, and to be honest I'm not comfortable with everyone seeing my face. it makes it far easier for someone to pick me out from a mug book." he looks as Grace moves on, then hands the mug over to Megan. "I'm sure we've got a spare cot at the very least." He runs a hand through unruly hair once again. "And if you ladies will excuse me, I need to take a shower and make myself a bit more presentable." he waves before heading for the stairs.

Megan nods to Grace with a grimace. She's not being cold-hearted — there is regret in her blue eyes as she meets Grace's gaze, but she's also been a nurse for the last nearly two decades. It happens. It sucks. And you move on. "Thanks," she tells Grace and Alistair both. And then she smiles a little at Colette. "I'm sorry too. She was a damn nice lady. But sometimes it just is what it is, kiddo."

Seated on the stool at the island, Colette watches Grace's departure, her green eyes saying a goodbye that body posture and lack of smile fail to. She tracks Alistair's movements, watching him amble around the kitchen before heading off back to the foyer and upstairs. Then, it's just the young teen and Megan, sitting in the kitchen as the snow falling outside is visible behind them thorugh the windows, clinging to everything, blanketing the city in a field of white that makes all of its imperfections seem just a little less harsh. Reaching into that pocket, Colette pulls out the receipt that Grace had been holding again, looking at the single item purchased on it, dark brows furrowed, then turns her attention to the sterling band on her finger, notched, crooked, and missing an integral half. The receipt is turned over, an address scrawled on the back in sloppy, half-dazed handwriting. Her eyes close, and she offers a faint smile to Megan, before sliding off of the stool and tucking the receipt back in her pocket again.

"Sometimes it is what it is…" Colette parrots back with a nod, swallowing noisily as she makes her way for the foyer, grabbing her coat off of the rack by the door and swinging it over her shoulders, that blue scarf next, considered carefully in her hands before it too is donned, wrapped tight around her throat. "Megan," she offers back to the kitchen with a raise of her voice. "My name's Colette…" there's a dip of her head down into a nod, "and Happy New Years."

The door opens, letting in a gust of cold air from the outside, and as the door is coming shut, the edges of the teenage girl stepping outside are fading away to washed out shades of black and white, and then paint-peeling off into nothingness, as if she wasn't there at all. Only the disturbance of the snow is any indication.

That and the shutting of the door.


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