Revelations of Fire

Participants:

cardinal_icon.gif thalia_icon.gif

Scene Title Revelations of Fire
Synopsis In which two people find out things about the late Isabelle Ashford.
Date September 8, 2010

Redbird Security

There's a sharp, professional feel to the main lobby of the building. The carpet is a deep maroon underfoot, the walls an off-white cream that doesn't glare too brightly beneath the recessed lighting in the ceiling. Half a dozen chairs upholstered in a sandy light brown sit against one wall beneath a painting, a print of a Thomas Brill that shows the ruins of Midtown covered in vines and greenery as seen from the rooftop of the Deveaux building. The receptionist's station takes up almost an entire wall on the right side of the lobby, guarding the hallway that leads back into the building's offices. Behind and above the desk, the logo for Redbird Security Solutions hangs on the wall in glossy black.

The central hall continues the same carpet and wall colors to a number of doors. There are four offices, a restroom done in shades of blue and pale sand tones, and a comfortable employee lounge with attached kitchenette. An open doorway in the main lobby reveals a flight of upward stairs, and there's a locked door at he end of the central hall that guards the basement steps.


It's been a long time coming but the day has come. She's come to talk to this Cardinal guy. Avoiding it for so long and also dealing with Messiah stuff and the vision of the future she had. Thalia hasn't really had time to come and speak to the man that supposedly has the knowledge she needs regarding her late sister. God bless, Isabelle.

Dressed in a pair of short denim shorts, a dark blue tank top and knee high black combat boots. She also wears a light brown jean jacket and carries a messenger bag on her shoulder. Fingerless gloved hands grip the strap and her light grey eyes scan the building as she walks in and looks around, dark hair loose and hanging almost mid back. She blinks and puts another hand on her hip. "I'm looking for Richard Cardinal." She says to the receptionist.

The receptionist looks up from the paperwork that she's looking over, thin eyebrows arching dubiously at the outfit the woman's just walked into the lobby in… but then, she's seen worse. It's a rather eclectic group that works with Redbird Security Solutions, after all, and some of their associates are even stranger. "Your name, miss?" One manicured hand reaches over, fingertips resting on the phone's receiver as she regards Thalia questioningly.

"Ashford. Tell him, miss Ashford is here to see him." she says as she crosses her arms and tilts her head to the side. Walking so that she can lean one hip against the desk while she waits. She looks down at her phone, just so that she can find something to stare at. She's already looked at potential exits if things get ugly, it's what she's been doing since before she came to America.

Thalia sighs and looks over to the receptionist but doesn't say anything else.

"Mister Cardinal? There's a Miss Ashford here to see you…" The receptionist winces visibly at whatever the response is, her free hand lifting to rub against one temple. "Yes, sir."

The phone's carefully hung up, and she looks up to Thalia with a wan smile, "Down the hall, third door on the left, miss."

"Thanks toots." She winks at the woman before she walks down the hall and enters the room, without much of a knock. He's expecting her, she looks around the room and then towards where the man she's been looking for is. Eyebrow cocked upwards she tilts her head. "You.. I met you in the bar." She says with a sigh chuckle. "Small fucking world."

She waits for him to acknowledge her. She stands there, looking so much like her sister. Minus the huge breasts, but facial features and attitude, the Ashford attitude is flying off this girl.

The office is rather spartan but well-appointed; a large desk of dark wood with a few chairs in front of it, a black leather couch pushed up against one wall, and above the desk is hanging an original Mendez painting showing a man and a woman standing back to back beneath a street light on a New York street.

Cardinal is seated there behind the desk in a grey suit, a pair of sunglasses perched upon his face. "Yes," he states flatly, "You did. And I still don't believe you've got right one to the name 'Ashford'."

Nostrils flare as she tilts her head and closes the door to Cardinal's office and then she's leaning against the door. "First, don't really give a fuck if you believe me or not. I read all about you. Cardinal. You and my sister had a thing, you cared about her. I can respect you for that. But if you think for a second I care that you or anybody else believes me or think I have the right to my name.. then you're wrong."

The air goes noticeably still in the room and she glares at Cardinal. "I've heard that you have information on who killed my sister.. so spill it." She runs a hand through her hair and looks out the window. Her grey eyes, glowing silver for a moment. Keep it together? keep it together.. so close.. so close.. Thalia's control is slipping.

"You read about me? I doubt you know a goddamn thing about me, woman…" Cardinal leans back slowly in the chair with a muffled creak, hands folding over his chest in a steepling lift as he considers her in return, "…we had the same foster mother. Isabelle was an orphan. I don't know who you are, or why you're doing this even after the bar's gone, but…"

He trails off, then exhales a snort of breath, "He's dead. I tried to kill him myself, but… he survived somehow. Someone else killed him later. Is that what you wanted to know?"

Sometime comes flying at Cardinal but it lands on his desk in front of him. "That's what I read you asshole." The book is clearly a diary.. and if Cardinal read a few pages of it.. he'd see his name a lot.. Thalia says and her gaze narrows as she looks at the man. "Our parents were Company agents.. they were? they died when I was a baby. I lived out of the country with our aunt and uncle.. it's complicated." She says with a soft sigh.

At the mention of somebody already taking out her revenge.. "Fuck." she says and looks down at the floor. "Couldn't even do that one thing for you Izzy.. I'm sorry." She mutters and then she looks up at Cardinal, no tears in her eyes. Not until she gets back to her place. Maybe even to her bike.

"What was his name?" she asks simply.

"Edward Ray."

Cardinal doesn't touch the book at first, though his gaze flickers down to it, then lifts back up to rest on her face - hard to read with the sunglasses guarding his vision. "He was a man from the future. He came back to change things, and he didn't care how," he says in quiet tones, "He sent me to go see her. To ask her for something. She refused - I don't know what was up with her, but she didn't trust me anymore - and demanded to talk to him. And he killed her for it."

He reaches out with a gloved hand to pick up the book, opening it and flipping through slowly, "I tried to kill him as soon as I found out. Thought I had, but I was wrong. He died on the roof of Pinehearst, a month or so later."

"That's where Katherine is from." She says softly, her friend who use to go by the name June. Thalia nods her head slowly and she looks out the window again. "Thanks for telling me. Sorry for being so grouchy.. things been a little crazy lately. I.. I haven't really been okay." Then she realizes that this Cardinal guy isn't her friend, why is she talking to him.

"I'll need that back, have a few things to go tell people. Well.. just one more person. Do you know that guy Magnes?" she tilts her head and looks at Cardinal. She has a feeling everyone knows him.

"Unfortunately." Cardinal's voice is soft as he turns a page, fingertips brushing over the writing… and then he grimaces, tossing the diary back to slap heavily down on the desk's wood. "What'd he do now?"

THere's a pause, and he points out, "You haven't asked why she was killed yet."

"I figured it was because.. I heard a lot that Izzy got into trouble. I figured someone bigger and badder just got to her first.. but why was she killed..?" she asks with a raise of an eyebrow. He must have read one of the entries Izzy wrote about him. She walks forward to put the diary back into her bag.

Thalia leans against the chair facing his desk. She'll get to Magnes later.

"She was killed for something she had. I gave it to your boss in Antarctica. If you want to know what it is, you'll have to ask him," Cardinal says as he leans back, his fingers raking back through his hair as he sinks back in the chair, saying bitterly, "I'll let you decide if it was worth it. I don't think it was."

"My boss.. Antonio.. who use to be my boss. Has never left the United States. Confusing me with someone else." She grins in Cardinal's direction and then she's nodding her. "About Magnes.. well Isabelle went to the future. Met a future Magnes there.. and.. she had a bun in the oven." The worst part about her death.. she had new life in her. She was going to be a fucking mother. And Thalia was going to be a fucking aunt. Damn you, Edward Ray.

"That's not who I…" At that, Cardinal just stares at her for a long moment. "Isabelle… was going to have Magnes's kid?" A beat passes, "You are— you're fucking kidding me. What kind of a sick joke is that?"

"It's in the diary. Trust me, I've met Magnes before.. not really my sister's type I don't think. Not after the men she described in there." She gestures to the diary in her bag. "I didn't believe.. she said she took a fucking test."

"We could have been a real family.. but this Edward fuck had to ruin it." Thalia shakes her head. "I'm going to find Magnes soon and tell him.. even though it was his future self.. he deserves to know." At least that's what she thinks. He was going to be a father.

"Get the fuck out've my office," Cardinal replies sharply and roughly, lifting one hand in a dismissive gesture towards the door as he straightens up, lips curling in an unpleasant line, "I don't know what sort of bullshit you're trying to pass off, but I don't want any of it. I told you what you want, now get out."

He sits up in the chair, adding flatly, "And tell Peter he's a blind idiot."

"Why the fuck are you such an dick? Besides the name!?" Thalia says fiercely and she's leaning over the desk and the air grows thick, tension growing in the room. "Stop taking out your frustration and anger that you have for Isabelle out on me, just because I'm the one alive. At least you got to fucking know her. At least you got to talk to her, to touch her. To like or maybe even love her."

The aerokinetic shakes her head and begins to make her way towards the door. "There can't be plausible reason that you would think someone would make shit up like this." She says as she opens the door and turns her head. "The day you're that paranoid and crazy.. means you're living in a real dark world."

There he goes talking about Peter again, "And I don't know any fucking Peter!" she yells to which the wind whips through the hallway and ruffles a lot of things in Cardinal's office. He doesn't have.. that many things in there but still. Yeah ruffled.

Hey, Cardinal has hair. It can get ruffled! It doesn't seem to impress him very much.

"I do live in a rather dark world," he replies flatly, "And if you knew the truth about that scarf you wear then you'd be living in one too. Now get the fuck out of my office before I have you removed."

"Scarves are for losers bud." She says as she trails out the office, giving Cardinal the finger. And then she narrows her eyes at him, now that's a bit of a concentrated bit of air. Meant to push him and his chair back, probably into the wall. "I'd like to see you try playboy." It's what the Ashfords do when they're hurt.. look for a fight. Now though, Thalia exits the office and soon the building. Her bike being heard as it prepares to tear through the streets. Thalia shakes her head.

That went great.

The chair's on wheels, of course, and it tumbles a foot or two back to crash into the wall lightly. Cardinal gives his head a bit of a shake as he pulls the chair back forward, his fingers raking back through his hair to smooth it back. He sinks forward with both forearms against the desk, lips pursing in a frown as he stares down at the desk's surface.

After a long silence, he reaches over to his phone and hits the button to connect him to another line. "I want a deep background check," he says into the line, "Thalia Ashford."


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