Winter's Sickness

Participants:

elisabeth2_icon.gif eve3_icon.gif

Scene Title Winter's Sickness
Synopsis The Queen's Oracle has some seriously bad news.
Date March 4, 2010

Streets of Brooklyn, near the Police Station


Even if you're sick you still need food right? Which is why Eve Mas is just exiting the market in this neighborhood. A bag of groceries in her hand, the singer is wearing dark pants and boots along with a long black trench coat that's buttoned up to keep out the cold. Wrapped around her face is a dark red scarf, when she looked at herself in the mirror she reminded herself of Trask so much.

Her hair falls free over the scarf and whips around whenever a strong gust of wind blows. Though her face is half covered, anyone that knows Eve would know it's her because of her light grey eyes, which are now have dark circles under them and they are red, like she's not sleeping. The dark haired woman coughs a few times into the scarf before she continues walking.

Elisabeth Harrison has been touching base with cops that she knows — beat cops who will keep their eyes peeled for certain people and their ears open for any hint that will help her locate Sasha Kozlow or Carlisle Dreyfus. She, too, looks weary. In truth, just running into a person on the street that she knows is not something she expects to do, but she's hypervigilant these days. So the sight of the coat-and-scarf-clad woman doesn't make her pause until those somewhat distinctive eyes catch hers. And then Elisabeth looks downright startled, stopping her forward motion to allow Eve to close the distance between them. "… Eve?"

The woman jerks in surprise.. Eve is never surprised. She shrugs it off, it's not like every night she has dreams of the future. It's just that.. she feels as if she would have had a dream of meeting Elisabeth. The oracle blinks and then coughs again, behind the scarf. "My Queen.." she says and tilts her head, the wind catching her hair and blowing a few pieces into her face, brushing them aside Eve gets a better handle on her groceries.

"I didn't think I'd run into you here.. where is the royal guard?" The Queen must not go anywhere without her royal guard! The woman backs up a bit though, she's being cautious for some reason.. she's suspected that she has this virus.. but she can't be sure. Not yet at least.

Out of an alley, a man peeks out and sees the two women. Easy targets right? He rushes out of the alley and before Eve or Liz can say another word he's aiming a gun at Liz and glaring at Eve. "Give me your money! Before I shoot the blonde!" he says, his eyes are nervous.. he's not a professional. Maybe his first time ever doing something like this.

There's a soft snicker. Queen indeed. "Don't need one too much these da…" Elisabeth is cut off in that assertion by…

There's a moment of shock as the blond stares down the barrel of this gun. It is not the first time Liz has come face to face with a man holding a gun. It's not even the second or third. But it is in fact the first time it's been as the target of a mugging not in an adrenaline-surged situation.

Well… there's adrenaline now. In point of fact, there is the sudden rip-roaring sense of a full-blown panic attack that turns Liz into a shaking mess. Her hands come up, and she says in a shaky voice, "D-d-d-don't d-d-d-do anyth-th-thing you'll reg-g-g-ret. Here… " She reaches slowly for the pocket that has her wallet. "Take it. All of it." Because first rule of being mugged: Don't be a hero.

The seer blinks and she looks at Liz and then she looks back at the mugger. "You.. think you can hurt a Queen." Eve holds steady though, as she watches Elisabeth prepare to give the wallet up. Shaking her head, when the mugger looks away, luckily Eve is closer to the mugger then Liz, she swings her grocery bag at the muggers head, it hits his head to which the man yells in pain and Eve drops the bag to wrestle the gun from the man. "If you plan to hold a gun to someone.." Eve bends the man's wrist back and tilts her head. "You should plan on pulling the trigger and not keep the safety on." She says before kicking the man in the mid section, "Oof!" escapes the man as Eve watches him roll over on the ground.

"For you." She holds the gun, butt out towards Elisabeth. Then she's leaning against the wall, coughing heavily. Her mouth unseen due to the scarf but her eyes are narrowed as she looks down at the man. "I just want to feed my family, you don't know what it's like.. we're freezing out here!" he yells loudly as she holds his stomach.

Whether it's a good thing or a bad one that Eve acts will be a conversation for later. Maybe. If Elisabeth can get her shaking under control. She's been in combat situations since she was shot; those don't seem in any way to bother her much. This one, though, has thrown her. Eve's movements snap her out of it and she reaches woodenly with a hand that trembles to take the pistol from the seer. She doesn't have the presence of mind to be alarmed at Eve's coughing, but she does have the ability to shove the gun in the back of her jeans and move to squat near the man on the ground. Her hands pull all the money she's carrying out of the wallet, which she jams back into her jacket pocket.

Elisabeth doesn't even look at how much she hands him, though there is probably $100 or so in there. "I do know what it's like out here," she says softly. "But this is not the right way." She pulls a card out of her pocket and holds it out to him. It's one of her business cards, though admittedly an old NYPD one. They're still in all her jackets. "Take this. Go to St. John the Divine's — they've got a shelter they're running, and if they can't help you, they will point you to someone who can." She waits until she has his eyes. "Don't try this again. Or I'll press charges of my own."

"Th-thanks." The man says and then he looks at Eve in fear and then he's taking off down the street and around the corner. The dark haired woman looks after the man and shakes her head. "I'm sorry.. my Queen.. I didn't want him to get away with your money." She says and dips her head. She sniffles and then looks down at her right arm, it twitches a few times like Eve can't control it.

"I- I just reacted." She says softly to the blonde woman. Then she's pushing herself off the wall and picking up the grocery bag and three things that fell out of the bag, peanut butter. "Love it, it's the best with crackers." She says with a hint of a smile, a corner of her mouth seen over the scarf.

"I don't care about the money," Elisabeth dismisses softly as she moves to stand up. "There are too many people on the street. And Eve… for God's sake, never ever ever stand up to a mugger. Just give them the money and let them go. Your life is never worth whatever money they get." She moves start helping Eve pick up the groceries. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"It was dumb." Eve chuckles, "But that was fun, haven't been able to really use any force on anyone in a long time." She sighs as she puts a hand to get temple and winces in pain. Her right arm tingling in a funny way. "I don't know.. Liz.." Eve shakes a little, maybe from the weather. "I fear that.. I've come down with that virus the news is talking about."

The oracle looks scared as she looks at Elisabeth and says aloud what she's been fearing for the past few days. "It's not getting better and.. I don't know if I've lost my ability.. I think I have." The singer breaks out into sobs and falls against the wall. Head bowed and tears falling to the ground.

"You must get away from me." She says with a sob and then she's beginning to back away. "I can't risk infecting you and the rest of the FRONTLINE squad. I can't risk infecting-." Michael. She thinks, she'll be damned if she'll be the cause of the other Spalding.

Moving to stand up with one of the bags in her hands, Elisabeth looks alarmed. "Eve….?" Oh God…. no. Please no. She doesn't pursue the precog, but she does say quietly, "Eve…. let me get you some help. If you're sick, the Ferry's got people. Hell…. Abby's not SLC-positive, she can help you and make sure that you're quarantined in an apartment. Let me call her… or get a message to the Ferrymen that I need a non-Evo medical person. Please? If you're wandering the streets, you could be infecting everyone you come in contact with."

The seer looks at Liz and nods her head. "I have a place.. but I don't tell people where it is. I'll be there, but if you could call them.. and give them my number? I'll tell them where I am, or meet them at a safehouse." The seer looks at Elisabeth and wipes the tears away. "I don't want to infect anyone.."

The dark haired woman looks defeated.. she looks.. weak.

Immediately, Elisabeth pulls out her cell phone and texts an urgent message through the Ferry's comm specialist that Eve has the Evo superflu. The message includes how to get in touch with her, and the information that she needs a non-Evo medical specialist. Then she says quietly, "Let me get Abby here to help you get home, Eve." She grimaces. "You're right that I can't afford to get too close here."

"Don't worry my Queen.." Eve points across the street. "My car is there. I'll make it.." she says and then she walks across the street and opens the car door. Before she slides in.. "I'm sorry, Liz." She says before she dips her head and then turns to start the engine. In moments, the car is pulling off onto the road and Eve is driving away, towards home in the Ruins. Away from everyone, away from people.. nowhere in sight.. all alone.. always alone.

Dear God…. Elisabeth watches her go, worry and the remnants of the panic attack still setting her to shaking. Christ almighty. She scrubs the back of her neck and alters her course, heading into the Ruins herself, toward the place that houses her touchstones.


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