The Wrong Jedi

Participants:

lynette4_icon.gif megan2_icon.gif rue_icon.gif

Scene Title The Wrong Jedi
Synopsis Somebody just pissed them off.
Date December 14, 2011

Bannerman's Castle, Holding Cells


Noa had brought Quinn straight to the infirmary, right after telling Megan she was needed in the cells. Quinn's face takes a good bit of time, so Rue is having to wait a lot longer than Megan would have liked. But the older redhead is moving swiftly down the corridor carrying everything she needs.

Stopped at the door by the guard, she simply quirks one brow, shows him what's in her bag… and on some level, he already knows what he's going to face if he even opens his mouth to question anything in there by the look snapping in the blue eyes. Megan is…. wound a little tight right now. He has his orders — thankfully, they're to let the redhead in the room.

Stepping into the cell, Meg's eyes immediately fall on Rue, and she tilts her head. "How bad's the headache?" she asks the younger woman immediately. Because those black eyes are already looking like beauties. To the guard outside the door, she says, "And go get more ice, Gregory."

When he looks like he might object, the occupant of the cell can't see the look that the man is given, but he gets a little white. "I'll get some more, ma'am," he mumbles. It's entirely possible that in one single look, Megan made him consider who he'd rather have to explain to — her or Ryans.

It really shouldn't be a problem for a councilwoman to come to the cells, but this particular councilwoman is happy to find the door to the cells unguarded when she comes to see their prisoner. Word of the confrontation reached Lynette fairly quickly, given that it was fairly explosive. She slips in, closing the door behind her in the hopes for some semblance of privacy. Such as there is to be had on this island.

"Rue?" Of course, Rue isn't here alone and Lynette straightens up when she sees Megan there. "What the hell happened?" The question isn't aimed at anyone specifically, but more an expression of her surprise and frustration over this whole matter. "Are you okay?" That's to Rue. "Is she okay?" And that one, for Megan.

Rue is curled up in the corner of her cell, knees to chest, chin on top, and arms wrapped around. Crying, piteously. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, everything just hurts. Her face worst of all, but also her back from where she hit the ground and the stronger man had her pinned, her fingers where her nails are a ragged-edge broken mess. There's still blood under them, and it's not her own.

Megan's arrival doesn't put the young woman at ease. Her left eye is beginning to swell shut, and it manages to open only half way. Her right is wide and terrified. "Please," she whispers, "Nurse Young. I didn't hurt her. Please, you have to believe me."

When Lynette arrives to check on the situation, she shrinks further back against the wall. Miss Ruskin didn't believe her. Miss Zimmerman didn't believe her. Miss Rowan, she imagines, isn't likely to believe her either. But… she's expressing concern, and some glimmer of hope creeps into her. Not that it can be seen in Rue's face, which, between the broken nose and being pressed into the pool that had gathered in front of her by Edgar, is almost entirely covered in blood.

Her head tips forward slightly and she lets out a wet sob. At least her nose isn't pouring blood down into her mouth anymore, but the edge of the shovel caught her across the bridge, splitting the skin and smashing the bone. Much like Quinn, Rue's own hopes of continuing her modeling career (if they ever get out of this alive) are almost entirely dashed.

"Rue… stop," Megan tells the young woman gently. Her tone is entirely different than it was with the guard. And seeing the state of the slender girl, there's a flash through those blue eyes — but it's not at Rue. Her lips firm into a thin line, and she sets her bag down even as she herself sits in front of Rue. Completely non-threatening.

"Let me look at you, sweetheart," Megan tells her softly. Swiftly pulling on gloves, she reaches with ultra gentle hands to tip Rue's face so she can see how bad.

When Lynette arrives, the redhead looks over her shoulder and there is a very quiet, very dangerous edge to her tone that no one in this building has ever heard come from the nurse. "I don't know for sure, but we're about to find out. And then the head of security and I are going to have words."

Turning back to Rue, she meets the girl's gaze. There is sympathy in them, and she says quietly, "It'll get sorted out, Rue. I promise you that."

"Oh god," Lynette says when she sees Rue's face. Whatever the rumors said, she wasn't expecting so much blood. She doesn't come over, since Megan is there and she doesn't want to crowd the girl, but she paces. Her hands slide shakily through long, blonde hair and she lets out a long exhale. "I can't believe they would do this. What the hell is happening around here?" For a moment, she looks lost. Her hand moves to her pocket. Not in, just brushes it before she refocuses on Megan.

"You're damn right it's going to get sorted out," she adds, her own tone rough. "They didn't even let her clean up." Her feet stop, she turns to Rue and puts her hands on her hips. "When you're ready — if you want to — I'd like to hear your side of this whole mess."

Slowly, Rue lets limbs uncoil, sitting crosslegged on the floor now when Megan reaches for her face, giving her the space to work. Despite gentle touches, the girl winces when her injuries are inspected, but she doesn't make a sound, save for the hiss of breath between her pink-tinged teeth.

While Megan figures out exactly how badly Rue's face is broken - her jaw is mercifully intact, but she's going to be purple and green for a long time - the girl begins to recount her tale. "Richards," the patrolman's name is spoken like she's afraid the man will appear again if she says it too loudly. "We were digging graves. He told me to take a break, and then called back to me. He just attacked me."

Blue eyes flit from Lynette back to Megan, apology evident. "I didn't want to stab him. But I was sure he was going to kill me. I- Is he okay?" Even after all that he did to her, she's still concerned for the man. Lynette gets Rue's attention again, now she's begging her with her gaze. "If he had just told me what he wanted, I would have gone with him. I wouldn't have fought. I swear, I was just trying to protect myself. I didn't know what was going on." Mixed with the mess on her face, it almost looks as though Rue is crying blood instead of tears.

Megan's hands are busy. "I know. It's inexcusable. It took me more than an hour to sew up Quinn's face, and she's been in here all this time with no ice and nothing to clean up the blood." She's pulling out wipes and with one hand gently holding Rue's chin while she carefully cleans the blood off the younger woman's face, trying to see how extensive the damage is under all the bruising. The only indicator of the rage growing inside her body is the very slight tremble of her fingers as she moves, almost imperceptible.

The sound of the guard at the door has Megan pausing. "Lynette, get the ice from Gregory, please."

This is what Megan does best — she keeps everyone else calm in the crisis and cleans people up. Soothes them as best she can. And she listens closely to Rue's explanation. Her brows pull together over her nose, and she looks positively fierce though her hands and her tone remain gentle. "He never said anything to you about Ryans wanting to speak with you or anything else?" she asks.

There will be WORDS between the head of security and the head of medical.

"We'll check on him," Lynette says in a tone that might imply that if Richards is okay, he won't be for long. She listens to Rue's story, her expression mostly neutral until the girl gets through it. It's then that she comes over to crouch next to the bars. "It's okay, Rue. I believe you." She even reaches through the bars to squeeze her hand before she withdraws to follow Megan's request.

Gregory just isn't having the best day as Lynette jerks the door open and all but rips the ice out of his hands before slamming the door on him. But she takes a breath to calm herself before bringing it over to Rue. "This will help with the pain. And if it doesn't, I still have some vodka left over." Which maybe isn't the most medically sound solution, but she says it anyway.

Fortunately, Rue's face looks worse than it actually is. As with Quinn, face wounds just have a habit of bleeding so much more and looking more gruesome. The bruises on the left side of her face are mostly from the fists that caught her. The black eye and the broken nose come from the shovel, though, and it's something of a miracle that she didn't just pass out.

The grip on Lynette's hand is held tightly, belying how much she hurts, and is relinquished reluctantly, her arm snaking out between the bars to follow the councilwoman's until the angle is too difficult and she has to let her fingers slip away.

The ice is taken gratefully and Rue holds it to her mouth where the inside of her lip split against her teeth, making sure she isn't inhibiting Megan's work. She wants to be fixed, after all.

"I didn't hurt Kaylee, Miss Rowan. I swear."

Once she has the younger woman cleaned up a bit better…. Megan is appalled at the damage. She tries not to show it as she inspects Rue's face, palpating ever-so-gently around the eye sockets to see if anything is fractured there. And then she has to touch the edges of the area that she knows is broken. Thank God there are not loose, shattered bone shards. That would be a significantly worse problem.

Before she does what she intends to, she looks directly into Rue's eyes. "I'm going to try to set this for you. It's not going to be pleasant, sweetheart. But if I don't do it now, you could be in a position later where you can't breathe properly." Pulling in a slow breath, Megan tells her, "It'll be quick. And then we'll tape it and I'll give you a painkiller." She offers a faint smile. "I'll even let Lynette share the vodka with you, okay? Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and then let it out slowly."

And when Rue does, Megan's thumbs move and a juicy, wet *snap* can be heard…. probably right before Rue screeches.

Lynette didn't miss the girl's hold on her, so when she comes back, she takes Rue's free hand and gives her a nod. "Well, I have to say, Rue, I'm inclined to believe you." About Kaylee, that is. "I have a hard time believing that someone trying to cover up an attempted murder would wrap the weapon in their own clothes. Or stab the person coming to bring her in when we're stuck under a forcefield."

She looks over at Megan, also trying to keep her face under control so as not to scare Rue anymore than she already is. "You can squeeze my hand," she adds, since she knows this isn't going to be pleasant. She doesn't even chuckle at the comment about the alcohol. Normally she definitely would.

Rue reminds herself that she's been shot at now more times than she can count on her fingers, and that should not be less terrifying than what Megan is about to do. If she can face people being gunned down around her without (somehow) completely losing her mind and just shutting down, she can handle this.

The scream that tears from Rue's throat when Megan sets her nose is enough to leave her ears ringing afterward. Or maybe that's the heartbeat she can hear pounding in her ears? Lynette's hand isn't crushed in Rue's grip - she's just not that strong - but it's not comfortable. When it's over, she's trembling, head resting against the wall behind her heavily, sobs silent but enough to shake her slight frame. For now, it's all she can do to remember to breathe through the pain - something she learned when she was recovering from the effects of the explosion in Midtown, when she was recovering from the non-evolved strain of the deadly flu. The only indication that she's grateful for Lynette's faith is the loosening of her fingers, followed by another brief squeeze.

Even Megan winces. How can you not when you have to reset someone's nose??? Once she gets past the ringing in her own ears, though, the nurse has to smile for Rue. "Okay…. well, we know your lungs aren't damaged," she quips. Her hands more gentle still, she moves to put a small piece of plastic over the nose's bridge and tapes it in place. "Just be careful of it."

When that part is done, she brings out the pain pills. Gloves come off and she holds two out to Rue, also fishing a bottle of water from her kit, grateful that she thought to shove several in there.

To Lynette, she says quietly, "Until it's cleared up, she's going to have to stay, I'm sure. But I think we can manage to make her a little more comfortable while she's recovering?" That will take a member of the council, to get blankets and things put in here. "IF you'll handle that, I'll handle the use of excess force problem." There's a glint in those blue eyes that says maybe Lynette wants to let the woman who helped found the Ferry with Harkness, Grace, and Alistair handle this one.

The discomfort in her hand is taken in stride, although Lynette also winces at the scream. Her other hand comes over to pat the back of Rue's hand. It's a bit of an awkward gesture, from someone unused to comforting another person, but the intent is sincere.

"I can commandeer a few creature comforts. It might be all I'm good for, in this council," she says, dryly. The bitterness is hard to cover, though. "And I'm going to do some investigating. See if we can't clear you using the old fashioned way. You let me know when you're ready to talk, we'll work out the bones of a timeline."

As for handling the security issue, she seems all too willing to let Megan take that particular task. All too willing.

Rue takes the painkillers from Megan in her free hand and swallows them dry, then takes the water to wash them down. Her chest rises and falls heavily still, but she's starting to come down from it all. Soon, the tears stop as well. "Thank you," she says to them both. The plastic of the bottle crunches in her too-tight grip.

"I don't know how my sweatshirt got there." But the way Rue's eyes screw shut, she's trying to think about it. "And I didn't mean to shut Kaylee out of my head. I was just scared she'd see Miss Mas' premonition." She knows now that it was about the attack in the graveyard. Eve had warned Rue, told her to tell people about what she'd seen, but Rue was too afraid to trust, and it's why she's here now.

The whole thing is a betrayal of a kind. The people she thought were her family have turned on her. She saw the crowd as she was hauled away. There wasn't a lot of sympathy there. They'd have been happy to see her hang then and there. "All I've ever wanted was to help people here…"

Putting her hand back out to cradle Rue's face, Megan tells her quietly, "This will get sorted out. It may take some time, Rue, but the truth will come out." There is an intensity to her that says the redhead isn't going to stop until it does, but she makes no promises that she can't keep either. "Have a little faith in us."

Standing up fully, she turns to look at Lynette, blue eyes meeting the other woman's. "Don't underestimate your own pull around here. If you don't agree with what's happening, speak out. Not just because she's your friend, but because if you let mob mentality break down and do nothing about this egregious action, we become the monsters. This is not what we created the Ferry for. And it is not how we ran it, until this change in leadership. Step up, Lynette. You will have backers." She puts a hand on Lynette's shoulder and steps away. "Gregory, open the doors," she instructs the boy in a cold tone.

The boy hops to very fast. He's seen what Megan can do riled… and he's pretty sure he's never seen her this riled. Bad juju.

"Perhaps someone saw it and took it by chance. Or maybe they thought you an easy scape goat. I don't know. But I want you to know that there are people here who know you didn't hurt Kaylee. I've seen you with Jensen and Avi. I know how much this organization means to you." Lynette lets go of her hand to touch her cheek gently, but warmly. "I'll do everything I can."

Of course, a moment later, Megan is upping the bar on what she can do. Lynette looks over at her, something between disbelief and fear in her expression. But she blinks it away. "You might say I have some criticisms of the current administration," she says, also dryly. But her tone grows more serious as she goes on. "This isn't the Ferry I joined. And this isn't how I want to see it turn. I suppose the rest of the council doesn't agree, but if I have to be the lone voice, well. I guess I'll have to do that. Backers or not." She may doubt her own sway, but she knows when she has to do the right thing. Even if she'd rather curl up in bed until it's over.

"I believe you," Rue murmurs, leaning first into Megan's hand, then Lynette's when it's offered later. She does have faith. It's why she joined the Ferry in the first place, when she had every opportunity and every reason to walk away. She may have a few more reasons to walk away now.

The ice is brought up finally to press against her face as the two women begin to retreat. "I- Is Quinnie okay?" She didn't see what happened, not really, too busy with her face in the cobblestones when it happened, and Quinn didn't scream.

That question makes Megan pause and look back. "She's going to be okay. I cleaned out the cut and stitched it," she tells Rue quietly. "But I wish there were someone more skilled at tinier stitches than I am." Quinn is not coming out of this unscathed. "She's on massive doses of antibiotics, so as long as the laceration doesn't fester, she'll be fine."

"A whole other mess." Lynette sighs a little, but her attention turns to Rue. "I can stay, if you want some company." She could run out and grab pillows and blankets and such, but looking at her, Lynette has a difficult time with the idea of leaving her alone again so soon. "Unless you want to have some time to yourself. Up to you."

"I—" Rue knows she should probably let the councilwoman go, because she has work to do. And that work involves saving her life, but… "I would like it if you stayed. Just for a little while." Because she's still terrified and she doesn't want to be left alone in here. It's only a matter of time, she believes, before Miss Ruskin comes to visit.

Megan is quiet for a long moment and she says, "I'll have someone I trust on guard duty over here within the hour, Rue." There's a subtle emphasis on 'someone I trust' without making it too obvious. Grace and Alistair do their fair share around here, but she knows both well enough to know that they're all going to be on the same page as far as DUE PROCESS in this matter needs to be concerned. "Ben Ryans can place his own people as he likes, of course," the redhead comments mildly. "You're an injured person, which places you under my purview until I see fit, though. So if anyone has any questions, please feel free to send them to me." Then she moves to step out of the cell and slants the hapless Gregory a Look. The guy's eyes widen rather alarmingly and he swallows hard. "You'll be thrilled to see Grace, won't you, Gregory?" she asks in a silky tone.

"O— of course, Ms. Young. Always! She's great!"

Megan nods slightly. "Rue, get some rest and I'll make sure you get a good round of painkillers every 6 hours."

"Absolutely," Lynette says, and she settles down on the floor near the bars. "I'll bring the vodka next time," she adds with a crooked smile. Her attention moves to Megan and her smirk grows just a little bit. "I'll second that," she says, as far as whose supervision Rue falls under. "I'll be here for a while, at the very least until Grace gets here." Lynette isn't terrible protection, after all. And she doesn't mind having first watch.

Ginger curls rustle between shoulders and wall when Rue nods her head shakily to Megan. "Thank you, Nurse Young." Before she can depart, she makes a request. "If you see Noa… I'd like to see her." There had been a moment where her bestie thought she was capable of doing something this awful, and Rue can't bear the thought of letting that notion stay.

Scooting closer to the bars with the ice pressed to her face, Rue slides her free hand between to reach for Lynette's. "Thank you, Miss Rowan." The promise of vodka later is something to look forward to. After this, Rue would like to drink until she forgets. Maybe she'll pass out and wake up to find this was only a nightmare.

If only.


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