Participants:
| Scene Title | Basement Conversations |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | After the riots, Jaiden has made it to the safety of his underground apartment. Abby comes to visit and to discuss the fate of Delia. Oh, and to eat curry. Yum. |
| Date | November 18, 2010 |
Description of location, if any.
Jaiden's garage, amazingly, looks exactly as it did before the riots happened. Discounting the closed doors, barred windows, and the quite intimidating chain link fence surrounding the property, it was deemed as too much trouble to break into by anyone who wanted to loot anything, and besides, if the man spent that much time protecting the outside, god knows what awaits inside for the unwary. Still, in a city where power is intermittent at best and crowds are everywhere, the Garage, for those in the know, is a veritable oasis.
Downstairs in the basement apartment, the safehouse is open for business, and Jaiden is in the process of fixing him something to eat after their late night exodus with Delia's unconscious body, which lies sleeping in the bedroom, hooked up to an IV drip. The smells of curry and cooked chicken waft up from below, beckoning those who know how to get in down to grab a plate.
Or those who know how to get in to see that finally, there's someone there. There were signs that someone had come through, Jaiden would have easily seen that. Things disturbed, trails that humanity had been here but a solitary one. One minute there's just curry and chicken, him and Delia and the next there's a woman in a drab brown hoodie, layers, jeans, boots, messenger bag. Brown eyes and brown hair, she's got hands sunk into her pockets, shoulders hunched inwards enough and watching Delia in her supine slumber. Abigail Beauchamp/Caliban lives.
From outside, the place still looks deserted, but down here, there is light, heat, fresh water…even music tinkling from a CD player. Near the door a shortwave radio crackles every once in a while, tuned to the police and fire channels, giving what little news there is. The TV is off, as is every other non-essential light. The batteries on the solar panel will handle the load, sure, but Jaiden's not about to squeeze them until absolutely necessary.
When the door opens, Jaiden turns to see who it is, putting his curry aside to cool, the water for the rice starting to heat to boiling. "Abby…hey there." He sounds relieved to see a familiar face.
"Jaiden" She looks relieved. Relieved that the place didn't get hit up or that Jaiden is very much alive. Delia is a different story though, the former blonde coming in proper and closing the door behind her to hamper any and all sound that might escape. "You made it. What happened to Delia. Did y'all get caught on the day?" Just because Abby can't see any gauze, doesn't mean the young woman isn't hurt. She's not running in and throwing her arm around the other man, but does go towards the other woman in a habit that has been borne of her job for the last year. "How are you?"
Thank god for small miracles. Jaiden's apartment, once it gets around, will be a hub of activity. Not exactly what he was planning for, but hey, he's there to help people, evo or no. Still, he runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "We were okay during things….the riots happened and we were down here, then we went to the hospital and saved a few people that were caught in the fire…made it to the island with the rest of the ferry, too. And then…"
Jaiden glances back at his bedroom, the door ajar, a lamp illuminating Delia's sleeping face. "She got into bed and just never woke up. She's like a house with no occupants….vacant." A cup of rice is poured into the boiling water, a lid put over the top of it. "Other than that, we don't have any scratches on us, and a decent stock of medications from the hospital pharmacy. Hopefully something useful."
"She didn't hit her head? Doesn't have a fever or…" She's running through the medical reasons in her mind, seeing that it seems, the woman really is just asleep. A check to the IV, purse of lips and Abigail's coming back out, tucking her short dark hair behind her ears and dropping her bag to the floor near the door.
"You came from the island then. How many Ferry made it? Robert took my phone so I couldn't be found, I have a toss away phone but it's not connected to the ferry" And she hasn't tried using it to contact Hana, paranoid about all the technology that the government has. If Hana can recognize Abby's voice, who knows who else or what machines could.
"No head trauma, no illness, no nothing. Other than being unconscious and unresponsive, she's in tip top shape. Felt her crawl into the sleeping bag sometime after midnight, and then when I woke up, she was like that." Jaiden waits for Abby to re-emerge, stirring his curry thoughtfully.
"not as many as I'd like. Eileen is there. Rowan, Simms, Even Ben Ryans. Maybe 70 people, give or take." He pauses for a moment. "Sad thing, though…three of the council never made it out of the city, two are arrested, and one…I don't know who…gave us up to the government. S'why all the safehouses went down. Thank god this one wasn't well known."
"Susan Ball. The GPS around my ankle and Delilah in labor kept me from going to the meeting where they were ambushed" Abby shakes her head, her hands pushing either sleeves of her sweater and shirts up to her elbows, coming to stand near Jaiden, as if inquiring if there's anything that she can do to help. "Do you know if anyone's going to the Island again?"
Jaiden nods. "Yeah, I'm planning to make a trip up in a day or so with a load of supplies once Smedley's boat comes back around.. Food and medicine mostly, a few blankets and toys for the kids to keep them from going too insane with boredom." He steps aside from in front of the stove, the spoon with the curry chicken ready to stir as he stirs the rice, re-capping the pot with a clank of the lid. "Delilah popped, huh? Boy or girl?"
"I'd like to join you guys, if there's room on the boat. I can try and get some things, I have my stuff with me" A glance to the curry, never actually seeing it made before. 'She had a boy. We knew it would be a boy. We just thought she'd have it in the hospital instead of my back seat. But Walter started coming just before the Jersey Turnpike so we pulled over. They went ahead to the hospital with him and I headed off to see about helping folks. If it wasn't for her, who knows, quite likely I would have been like the other council members" WHich would explain the drastic haircut and the brown eyes that should be blue.
The curry looks good - a rich mustard yellowish sauce with chunks of chicken and cooked carrots in it. All from cans, sadly, since fresh stuff hasn't come into the city in a while for prices anyone could afford, and smells spicy-sweet, peppers and coconut milk to give it a nice burn and a twinge of sweetness. "Just keep stirring that and don't let it stick. Rice'll be ready in a second, and then we can eat."
Jaiden pauses for a moment after moving the rice off of the burner, the blue flames dancing in the stove as he thinks. "I'm glad you're okay, Abby. Really glad. It's damn good to see you in one piece, even if your hair and eyes have changed to hide yourself. You need me for anything, you call me, okay?"
She can do that. Stir food. The utensil taken from Jaiden, she bobs her head. "Thanks. I'm sad that only so little have made it. Where's the island? If you guys can get more supplies on the boat if I'm not on it, I know a teleporter who can get me there. Someone that Eileen knows and a few of the others. I can probably get him to bring some other supplies." A glance over her shoulder to Delia, Abby frowns. "She just crawled into bed and… never woke up?"
"We can rebuild. I mean…if we don't, who will?" Jaiden reaches over and turns of the gas underneath the rice with a twist, the flames going out with a soft *pop* as the fuel burns itself away. "The island is about 50 miles north…Polly…something. Polypiel, I think…it's got a castle on it that we've kind of taken up residence in. I've heard rumors of a candlelight memorial that's going to go on there, and I think it'd be good to see you there, if you can make it."
"Polypiel.." She can work with that. She can access the internet at redbird. "If folks will have me. My husband wants me to run but I should see what I can do to help first" Before she follows his orders that is. She keeps stirring the curry, still looking over her shoulder at Delia. "I know someone else who had that happen. Best that I know. Her name was Hokuto, she was an onieromancer too"
"I've met her….briefly. She told me what was wrong with Delia, and maybe how to help find her. I've just got to try and get in contact with her to tell her I'm ready." Two bowls are gotten and a decent amount of rice is scooped into each, along with a nice ladle of the chicken curry. "You want some?" he offers the rice-laden bowl. "If not it'll keep in the fridge."
"You know Delia's ability, right? To move from her dream to another's dream, and to control that dream. Well…Hokuto appeared to Nick, Smedley and I and basically told us she got…disconnected. Lost. She's alive but her spirit is seeking her body."
"Okay, so it's not like what happened to Hokuto" Or wait, maybe it is. "I know about it, yeah. We were going to help each other practice. You were there in the midtown, remember the flaming barrel" So Delia's lost. "So she needs help getting back to her body, can Hokuto help her at all? Find her and then… " And then what? Wave some mental dream semaphores. "I know Hokuto's stuck in minds and all, would… if Hokuto can find Delia, bring her to someones mind who's familiar to Hokuto and then, you know jump from that one to Delia's, if htey're close by… would that work? Do you think?"
"I personally think Hokuto can help but…won't. She's probably going to use this as the mother of all teaching experiences for Delia since she is her Mentor. But if Hokuto can't help at all, she did offer to help me find Delia in whatever dream world she's in. To find whatever she's lost, and to help her back to her body." Jaiden sighs and takes a bite of his curry, hissing a little at the heat as it burns the top of his mouth. "Hot." Jaiden chews and swallows.
"Well" Well. "I'll pray then, that you find what Delia's lost and you bring her back. Are you going to keep her here or.. should.. there's a doctor who's visiting redbird for someone there, and you can move her there, if you're planning on heading back to the island. An abundance of minds too, means a greater chance for her to maybe stumble across one and get back to her body." The curry is hot, and not in the way that she's used to, but seems to enjoy it.
"I don't know…" Jaiden softly says. "With her here, I know she's safe, I know there's power, no-one breaking in, and a constant supply of IV drips that I can keep refreshed. She's asleep, but just looks so tired…" Jaiden takes another bite, blowing on it to cool it before chewing and swallowing this one, the peppers giving him a nice burn, waking up his senses. "I don't want to move her back to the island, but Redbird, a place with constant care, might be good. I just….I just want her to be okay, you know?"
"You don't have to move her, but it's an idea. It is safe there, they have access to a constant supply and a doctor, there's power, Robert sent me there, hide me under the governments nose, so to speak." Abigail swishes around her curry, a nod of understanding with his words. "I know Jaiden, and I"m sure when she wakes up that she will thank you profusely for what you're doing for her, taking care of her"
"That's not why I'm doing it." Jaiden's voice is quiet - almost hard to hear over the piano playing on the CD player. "I do it because I love her." Another mouthful of curry follows, then a second, before he speaks again. "We'll…we'll get her to Redbird, I guess. Opens up a bed here for someone who might need it…and in case the government shows up here, she'll be elsewhere."
"She'll be comfortable in a real bed, not a cot. Really Jaiden, just… give it a day or two, you don't gotta decide right now but I can let Liz know, check with her to make sure it's okay, if they have the room. They have me in a room but I'll be going soon. I haven't decided where I'm going to run to but." He loves Delia, no surprise, she saw it that one day, saw something and it makes her reach over, settle a hand on his knee and squeeze. "Then you gotta fight for her and you Jaiden, need to be the one that goes after her"
"Thanks, Abby." Jaiden rests his hand atop hers, patting it lightly. "That means a lot, and I will. This may sound stupid, but if you dream…keep an eye out for Delia, would you?"
"If I can find her in the chaos" Abigail agree's though, turning her palm to squeeze Jaidens hand. "Now, lets eat this really hot, but really nice curry, you tell me what you need down here and I'll see about getting it before I have to go back to Redbird"
Jaiden grins and nods, patting Abby's hand again before standing and, with his bowl of food, heading back to the safehouse, the bookshelf door already open. "Well…since I don't have any residents just yet, I'm kind of good on anything. Whatever you need to store in a safe place, bring here. I don't have, say, locked-down computer systems, but I've got some spots that can't be reached by anything except a cutting torch or explosives."
"No, I'm good. I couldn't run with anything but clothes and money and my wedding ring" Abby shakes her head. "But the offer is appreciated. Lemme finish eating and then I should go" She follows behind the australian, shoveling the last bits of the food into her mouth before passing off the bowl so she can go check on Delia again. She'll leave, in half an hour. She's got an island to find, transportation to arrange with a teleporter and stop wallowing.