Participants:
| Scene Title | About the Science Fairies |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | When looking for answers, sometimes you need to go to an unconventional source. |
| Date | May 7, 2019 |
Cat's Cradle - Eve's Apartment
"Sassy!" Squeaks' voice is almost sing-song when she calls out to the bartender right when she pushes through the front door. She's not a frequent visitor, reserving the right to come during the times there's not usually people drinking. Unless it's a concert or something, because those are pretty fun even if they're super loud. But the drinking people make angry eyes and some of them are not very nice. Which means it's about midday-ish when she enters the Cat's Cradle.
"Is Eve here?" The sing-song quality doesn't accompany those next three words. The teen's voice and expression are somewhat serious. It doesn't seem too terrible, whatever her reasons, because she detours from going straight to the stairs and leans elbows against the bar. "I have questions," she further explains while helping herself to a couple candied cherries. It's not a visit to Aunt Eve's place without pilfering a few of those.
Before Sassy can answer and to his credit he is about to unleash some sass on his favorite teen when the ruckus of Aunt Eve herself can be heard rushing from the upstairs apartment. "Did I hear somebody say questions?" Her own tone as sing song as Squeaks. Dressed in a sheer black silk robe with darkened stripes across, she's barefoot and her crimson eyes buzz with excitement. "My Young One!"
"She's a nuisance! Look at my clean floor!" Sassy plays the part of annoyed bar maid rather well and faux whips her towel at the two ladies. "Out of my space! Out! Out!"
Eve comes in to hug her adopted niece but rather quickly, still afraid to hurt the ones she loves. "Come Young One, we mustn't anger our bar maid." To which Sassy throws a shoe at Eve's cackles.
"Bar manager!!"
As usual, Squeaks' eyes go all wide and there's a shadow of caution when Sassy turns up the sass. But it's a game she's seen plenty of times by now. She watches, a little uncertain even still, until she's whisked away by Eve. "Bye, Sassy," she says as she slinks away from the bar and to the stairs that go up to the apartment.
"I have a lot of questions." As she climbs up the stairs, the girl explains this in that more serious sounding voice. And it's an accurate statement regardless, because when doesn't she have questions. "I asked Richard and Des but they never heard before. But you know lots of things." Her eyes angle up to look at her aunt to confirm that point.
"Well I might have some answers for an inquisitive young lady. Richard unsure of something, this must be something of the utmost weird."
The pair are up the stairs and sweeping into her apartment, smelling of flowers and fresh cooking. There's a bowl of freshly made pasta and salad. Eve is Italian and so there's always extra whether she's eating alone or not and with Sassy just down the stairs. "Have some food, munchies. You aren't smoking weed yet are you?" Curious and not judgey, she knows how it can be. How the youth are.
If Eve cares to sniff at the young girl she won't smell cannabis but it doesn't hurt to ask.
The question draws a curious look and a wondering sounding "No." It's joined by a puzzled look. There might even be questions simmering about that, but there's more important things to investigate first. Like the food. Squeaks isn't shy about eyeballing the food that's set out on the table, and even less shy about helping herself to a dish of pasta.
"Before Christmas," she explains to Eve, and the food, "we found out some things about me. Mom didn't know what it meant then. And neither did Richard or Des when I asked them after the traveling people got here." The girl looks up at Eve now that she's explained that part. "Did you ever hear about some Institute projects? There's the Umbra one and the Gemini one."
Eve has long since gotten over allowing herself to be shocked by anything Squeaks does or the questions she asks. Consistently though, they are always the most interesting questions. She never goes 'Why is the sky blue?' And that was perfectly okay with Eve. "Well, I happen to have just learned a bit about both. Lucky for you." Eve smiles as they arrange their respective plates and sit at the table. A glass pitcher of water is poured for both of them before the older woman digs in. Eating a bit before diving right in, "Science, and it's Fairies were meant to be forces of good but the more man learns, the more man yearns to twist that knowledge either into a weapon on purpose or one on accident." She feels the need to be clear on her opinion of scientist.
"Gemini is an abomination to our people Young One, The fairies rip an ability away from one of us and implants it in another. Clones are given gifts this way," Of that she can say she has gathered from news from Kaylee and the others. "That man that Aunt Eve has been chasing? Adam, The Plague? He started that." She frowns.
Food is shuffled around from one part of her plate to another, but Squeaks is attentive to the answers Eve's giving. She stabs both pasta and salad together, some usually absent habit of eating quickly, even though she isn't rushing. When the former seer gets into the meat of the answer, her eating slows to a stop, and she looks across the table with a mix of puzzlement and worry.
"Does that mean I'm a clone?" It makes sense. She read about in vitro fertilization, she knows it means being made in a dish and not the real way. The girl sets her fork down, folds her hands in her lap.
Eve senses the distress in the girl and she to places her fork down, blood red eyes looking her over as Squeaks asks a question that for most people they might skirt around but Eve has learned sometimes barreling right on through is the way to go. "Well, perhaps." Tilting her head, "Would that make you upset if you were?"
There's a smoothing down of her hair and she looks coyly to the side. "Because I know a secret or two. About clones."
"I don't know." Maybe a little. Squeaks looks at her plate and picks up her fork after a minute, but only goes back to pushing foods around. Secrets are interesting. She watches her food mash together, thinking about what kinds of secrets there could be. Anything, really, an infinite number of possibilities. But she sticks to why she's visiting. "Where should I look for things about Gemini? And… And you know about Umbra?"
"People who were created? Clones and the like? Well they're extra special. You know why? Because they have what people sometimes leave this world without ever finding, purpose." Eve smiles and idly plays with her fork.
"With Gemini they were creating to make mosaics, people like Chicken's father."
On where the young girl should look she chuckles, "Well that's the question everyone wants the answer too. A lot of these projects are hidden, the knowledge surrounding these procedures sealed away." Eve was waiting on some paperwork from Cesar. "When I get the information I'll make sure you receive it all my dear." Gillian would like to know too of course. "Umbra is still more of a mystery I'm afraid. But something… was used to inject into people. Something to guard against the First of us." Who Eve had mentioned before.
"Tell me," leaning forward while spinning her fork to collect pasta, "How is your gift?" A wide grin.
Maybe being a clone isn't such a bad thing. It's something she'll have to decide later. But where to look for information when the information his hidden? "Cesar works for SESA." It's said almost like a question. She remembers the agent and that he worked for SESA one time. Squeaks twists in her seat to look at the door, but she doesn't get up. She's thinking for a minute.
"It's a vaccine," the teen supplies absently, in case that's where the uncertainty is. "Pinehearst was making a vaccine for…" She's not sure. She turns around to look up at Eve again. The First of us? Maybe, maybe not. "Umbra means shadow, or darkness. That's what Mom said, but… but why would… who's the First of us?" Questions — and reading — have always been how she learns things.
The question prompts a look of surprise. It overtakes the questions she's working on building, and she's slow to answer. "My sounds? Liz helps me sometimes practice. She thinks I might maybe do more than just maps and finding. Like I could attack with it." Squeaks doesn't sound very sure, and follows her words with a shrug.
"He does! That's who will be getting the information and so kindly sharing but we really must keep that a secret, it's a slight bending of the rules and we don't wanna poop on Sir Knight's good graces do we!" Eve digs into her food more, red lighting crackles over her shoulder and neck.
"The Umbra is also the term used for the spirits who live in the Underworld." Eve was such a fan of mythology, all these project names really were only cool because of the names.
"Yes, Aunt Eve has met the First, a few times. A complicated parent." To say the least, it's possible Pinehearst was creating a vaccine for it, "I wouldn't rule anything out Young One, that is a good observation. A vaccine."
Hearing that Squeaks is learning how to defend herself using her gift makes Eve swell with pride, "Gilly isn't so into violence anymore. We use to boom and shoot a lot but things have changed. But it is so good to learn your gift, bathe in it. Respect it, further it. That's all our destiny. Mastery of the gifts can lead to godhood. Have you ever wondered, if the stories of the gods and goddesses are just people like us?"
"Thats what I was told it was. A vaccine, that's what Project Umbra was." The young teen makes a face, wondering but still worried. Unsure. The lack of answers makes things difficult. "The First thing. Is it a who? Like… like the Greeks and their gods visited them in all the stories." That's where a lot of the heroes came from, like Hercules and Achilles.
She stops picking at her food and starts actually eating again. "I don't like violence. But… but it's good if I can defend myself. Like with…" Squeaks pauses and considers. Is it breaking the rules talking about the thing she's not supposed to,
with someone who was there? "With that… the thing that…" After a moment she just sort of points her fork at Aunt Eve.
"It's more a they. More than one, maybe just two." Eve looks over Squeaks closely registering her emotions so plainly on her face, "While it has been stern with your Aunt Eve… it also saved my life." Shoveling more pasta into her mouth she's thoughtful as she tries to think how to explain, "Long ago, It was banished and I think it's angry. It's been locked away."
On the topics of violence and being able to defend herself against well the thing that took over Eve in front of Squeaks.
"Yes, precisely. We would all rather you never have to defend yourself but that is just not the state of our world anymore." Eve wishes Squeaks was born earlier, the children of this generation were inheriting the biggest mess. "The trick is here is, don't give into liking the violence. It only serves a purpose, if it doesn't? You don't strike Young One."
The First is a they. Yes, that makes sense. "The voices, there's two of them." Squeaks knew that, from the video. They were just different enough to be able to tell. Her fork scrapes against her plate and she fills another bite.
"If I could defend myself," she says around a mouthful of noodles. "Then maybe I don't have to be afraid that someone might take me again. But I don't want to hurt anyone. Just keep from them hurting me."
"Two voices, then two it is." Hearing of the video, remembering. Yes… Eve smiles over at the young girl, her plate is almost done but luckily there is more. "You know the signs, I've taught you already. If you see golden eyes, you go straight to your mother and tell her." Gillian could sound the alarm of sorts from there, the eventuality of someone running into it was clear.
"Yes, you never want to hurt. It's unkind. We want a better world for you, for all the ones you're age. It's why we fought as hard as we did. You shouldn't have to even think of such things but our work is not done." Maybe it would never be done but Eve would be damned if she didn't try until her last breath to bring the vision of that world to full fruition. America was just a piece, the world.
"We are so connected. All of us on this planet. We are emotional creatures and people… can get caught up in their beliefs. So much so that harm others because they believe their belief gives them that right." Eve says this softly as she lays her fork down, the conversation taking a turn as ones with her usually did. "Don't believe too hard in something that you end up hurting someone else."