Participants:
| Scene Title | Charon's Angels |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Two official Ferrymen members, one potential recruit, and one beneficiary of their good deeds meet at the site of Summer Meadows revitalization to catch up and reacquaint themselves. |
| Date | December 4, 2009 |
There are worse neighborhoods in New York City.
Not by the looks of things, but there are. Any number of the run down industrial nightmares of Queens or the isolated abandoned properties of Staten Island are largely more dangerous, but the outward appearance of the Summer Meadows subdivision on Roosevelt Island has clearly seen better days. Months ago, this place was just one of many middle of the road "bad spots" in a largely collapsing city, but once charitable organizations began sinking their claws into this territory, people started to take notice.
It's no strange sight to see trucks marked with the Maxwell Development Company logo on the side parked at the entrance to the subdivision, meals-on-wheels food trucks, and even the occasional squad-car rolling by. All of this is largely thanks in part to Roosevelt Island hitting the news with both the illustrious opening of the Suresh Center, and the infamous debacle with Humanis First that took place here in the fall.
Everyone has an opinion about New York City's "forgotten neighborhood" now, and many people are reaching out to grab a slice of it.
Amid the surveyors, contractors and volunteers peppered around the tenement buildings on this block, a majority of them happen to be a part of an organization that does not hand out fliers, or pamphlets, or even take credit for their good deeds. Known collectively as the Ferrymen they're hardly a collective of any kind. Members from this loosely organized network have come to try and turn this place right-side-up again, and the word to those who know how to listen for it is that it will be a sign of solidarity between Evolved and Non-Evolved, a sign that those with powers can do good and work side-by-side with their genetically different cousins without coming to blows. It's a novel idea, at the very least.
"Alright, I'll see ya tomorrow…" The quiet farewell comes from a thin young woman seated on the stoop of one of the streetside tenement buildings, dressed solely in black denim. Green eyes are lifted up to view a stern looking man old enough to be her father, though the hesitant smile he offers to her isn't quite familial in nature. "Tell Alistair I said hi," the teen offers, leaning back on the stoop and crossing her legs at her ankles, black boots waggling from side to side as she watches the sky.
"If you see Alia, let her know we're green for that shipment." You can take Scott Harkness out of the military, but you can't ever really take the military out of Scott Harkness; everything he says sounds like a drill sargent's orders. Looking back to the older man, Colette furrows her brows and offers him a lopsided smile and a lazy salute, to which he tries not to crack a smile as he salutes back sarcastically and turns for the street.
Colette Nichols is a regular around here now, one among many volunteers helping out the people of Roosevelt Island, and at the same time doing her best to focus on everyone's problems but her own.
Today is going to be a fine test of that.
Accompanied by the low rumble of an extremely powerful engine, a black-and-chrome bike bearing a black-clad figure rumbles down the middle of one of the district's streets, sticking close to the centre-line so that the surroundings on both sides of the road can be more easily watched. Behind her darkened visor, the cyclist frowns pensively, eyeing the dilapidated surroundings with a mixture of distaste and worry.
"Were there even meadows here in the first place?" the rider asks herself in a sotto voce murmur. "Christ…. Anselm, I'll throttle you if this is a wild goose chase."
Then she swings into the right road, and spots some familiar figures up ahead, both brows raising as she focuses on Scott and Colette… then returns her gaze to the road before risking driving into anything. She does, however, move to bring the bike to a halt by the kerb in front of that tenement's door, flipping up her visor to look up at the two people in question.
Having gotten over her fear of cabs, as long as she's the one who calls them herself from her trusted company, Peyton arrives in one of the yellow sedans. She pays the driver generously, then pops out and she and the driver carry out boxes full of books and groceries. The books are for the children who are unfortunate enough to live here; the groceries for anyone who needs them.
The former socialite is dressed to work, as well, in jeans, tennis shoes and a hoodie sweatshirt beneath a warmer coat, her hair pulled in a ponytail beneath a ball cap as it usually is when she's trying not to be recognized. "Just set them over on the steps — I'll get people to help me sort them," she tells the cab driver, adding another tip on top of the one she already gave him. Her eyes flicker over to Colette, who she recognizes, and gives a slight smile. "Thanks!" she tells the driver as he makes his way back to his car.
On a Friday evening, Katherine Marks has actually gotten used to the workers and noise that accompanies the restoration project that revolves around her building. She has class, then a closing shift at Lucy's so it's going to be a busy afternoon. The cyclist is not familiar to her, though she takes note of the woman. The other female sitting nearby has been here several days now and Katherine has exchanged polite nods. "Good evening," she says as she wanders nearby, heading towards the bus stop.
Her backpack is slung across her back as she stops for a moment and watches the traffic move by slowly. One thing about this area is that with construction, traffic moves slow past the building now. She takes a second glance at Peyton who she's seen before. On Staten Island. A few months ago. When she was still being called "June".
Furrowing her brows and pushing up from the stoop of the tenement building, Colette is quick to tuck something into her jacket when she spots Peyton. There's an awkward smile offered and a greeting that is swallowed up by the rumbling noise of the motorcycle rolling up to the development. Looking like she's about to spit a litany of curses at the driver, Colette turns on her heels and rolls her eyes, running her hands through her hair as she storms over towards the cyclist. "Christ could you park that goddamned thing somewhere else I can't hear the sound of construction equipment over your goddamned— " The visor on the helmet goes up, green eyes grow a bit wider, and Colette looks a little dumbstruck by the rider in question.
"Y— You— " Dark brows furrow, and the teenager looking down at the cyclist looks only passingly similar to the one Ygraine left behind in October for London. Colette seems older, tired, worn down by something that a girl her age shouldn't be. Dark circles hang beneath her eyes, partly covered by thick mascara. Her clothing is notably darker in shade, with the black denim jacket and skinny pants with rolled up cuffs, the charcoal grey turtleneck sweater beneath looks older though, freyed at the lower hem.
"Ygraine?" They always seem to meet in the strangest of places. It's only by merit of his truck being parked in the opposite direction that Scott Harkness doesn't recognize Ygraine for the rider, his backt o the pair, walking down the sidewalk with a cell phone held to one ear.
Ygraine permits herself a dry chuckle, then reaches up to unfasten the chin-strap, before removing her helmet and shaking out the short portion of her braid not coiled safely away inside her jacket. "What the heck are you doing here, short-stuff?", she asks the younger woman with her grin, her own voice distinctly marked with the precise tones of an educated Briton. In spite of her words, however, she offers a hand to the teenager, as if to draw her close rather than suggesting that it be shaken.
Raising her brows as the formidable but petite teen heads off to the curb to yell at the other new arrival, Peyton chuckles a bit and kneels to begin sorting the groceries and books. There are several bags of groceries with identical items — bread, milk, cereal, fruit — and then others with more special needs: diapers, Ensure, etc. The books are sorted by age and reading level. She glances up as if feeling June's eyes on her and gives an uncertain smile. The woman looks familiar, but Peyton can't place her — perhaps because now June is Kat, with clean clothes and brushed hair, looking like she has a purpose that June didn't.
Kat is dressed a little for the cool weather. Jacket and sneakers, along with her jeans and sweatshirt of many colors. She nods to Peyton as she makes her way next to the bus stop to wait for the incoming bus. She still has a good wait, but she doesn't like to be tardy, so just in case that bus arrives earlier which it has done on one occasion. And Kat is most definitely cleaned up. The bench on the bus which has been newly placed thanks to the construction has already been vandalized in the middle of the night. It bugs Katherine, so she walks over and swipes her hand over it, covering up the markings with the green paint, eliminating the ugly marring. She sees the gathering of females across the street, so when traffic complies, she moves back to join those there.
Colette stares vacantly at Ygraine for a short time, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary rather than someone reunited with an old friend. Swallowing awkwardly, she tenses up and looks down to the offered hand, then wipes hers on the seat of her pants and does exactly the inverse of what the hand held out was intended for — a handshake. "I— I didn't think you— I— " Colette looks a little rattled now, the handshake accompanied by an awkward smile, like she just doesn't know what to do now.
"I… Did— Scott tell you I was— " Green eyes divert to the retreating man's back, accusingly, as if he somehow had something to do with this, then focus back on Ygraine. "I— I'm sorry I— " Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, Colette takes a step closer to the woman on the motorcycle and wraps her arms around her in a hesitant hug, as if she's not sure it's welcomed or not. This close, Colette noticably smells like tobacco.
"What're you doing here?" Colette whispers once in Ygraine's embrace, but the hold is brief — fleeting — and the darkly-dressed teen leans back and away not long after, swallowing awkwardly as she offers an uncertain smile again. "I… missed you." The comment sounds almost sorry. "God, you— missed so much." From what Ygraine saw on television, she missed New York City collectively losing its mind under the perilous assault of terrorism on a scale unknown in the States. It's no surprise that some portions of the city look like recovering war zones now.
Ygraine warmly returns the hug, though she's intently studying Colette throughout the multi-stage process of the girl deciding to offer it and then pulling back from it. She frowns worriedly, nose having wrinkled at the scent of tobacco, even as she tries to offer an encouraging smile.
"I missed you, too", she says gently. "Though it doesn't look like you too my advice to eat more and get some exercise", she gently chides. "But… heh. Are you involved with the Club now? I was told that this might be somewhere to find some of its supporters, by some people back home…."
Peyton glances down at the box of food and books, and then to the apartments. She can't carry it all, but she doesn't want to just leave it where someone could take everything rather than sharing, or where someone who is passing by and not even the intended recipient might steal it. She notices Kat coming back and gives a wave. Closer, she is able to place the woman. "You were on Staten. Do you live here now?" she asks, looking pleased if that's the case. She might have friends on Staten, but it's certainly nowhere she'd want to live. Spending the night there once in a while is enough to convince her that while it might be tolerable to visit, she wouldn't want to live there. Not that she'd want to live here, either, but at least it is accessible to the rest of the city.
Katherine hears the voice of Peyton and turns around and nods. "I was there. But then I was found and was staying with a friend. But now I live here." Of course, it's not nearly as nice as Veronica's place, but it's her place and that's important. Time for her to begin to live her life on her own and not be dependant on others. She has a job, is going to school and has her own place. It's a good start. She notices Peyton with the food. "Do you need help with that?"
Smiling faintly Colette nods her head to Ygraine. "Yeah I— We're doing some charity work here to clean up this place. Soctt's been working me like a sled-dog most of the week… Grace thinks it's really funny." There's a slide of green eyes from Ygraine to Katherine, head quirked to the side in the way someone might regard something with passing familiarity, and then finally she spies Peyton. There's a smile on her face, recognition more clear there. "Oh, hey, hold on a sec— Peyton!" Colette calls out with a wave of one hand, two fingers up in the air, "C'mon over here!" Sure, Colette may be interrupting the conversation Peyton is having with one of the residents, but she is nothing if not a little impossible to deal with at times.
A look is offered side-long to Ygraine after that, followed by a smile. "Here— " the teen takes Ygraine's hand and moves it to her stomach, One dark brow raises, "I'm working out enough; Feel? That's tone. Grace is giving me some self-defense lessons for the last couple of months, I've been practicing out on the rage with Scott too." She's not quite as soft-in-the-middle teenage couch-potato as she used to be.
"I'm— I'm glad you came back. I just— I'm not sure if it was the best idea for you." There's a look offered from Colette out towards Peyton and Katherine, then back to Ygraine. "It's not really safe here… anywhere."
Ygraine flexes her fingers to give Colette's stomach a gentle tickle as she quirks a smile. "I'll gladly help out with that. And… I've survived being nuked, among other things. D'you really think that New York's got much left to stop me with?"
Looking over to Peyton, she curiously studies the stranger, who looks about as out-of-place here as she herself feels.
Despite her energetic and cheerful enough appearance, closer up Peyton looks worse for wear — dark circles under her eyes suggest a lack of sleep, though she's tried to cover them up with makeup. She smiles up at Kat. "Glad to hear that you got out of there. Sure… I don't know anyone here, so … if there's any particular families you know —" she begins, but then Colette is calling her over. She smiles to Kat, and gives a shrug, as if to say 'May as well join them.'
Standing from her crouched position, she heads over to Colette and Ygraine. "Hi," she says, a little uncertainly, as she barely knows Colette and has never seen Ygraine. "Just dropping off some food and books," she adds, as if it weren't obvious.
Katherine doesn't know any families. She mostly just keeps to herself. Except for the occasional passerby when she's sitting outside waiting for the bus. She glances at her phone to see what time it is. As long as she doesn't miss the bus to class, she'll be okay. She picks up some of the groceries and helps carry them over to the others. "I'm sure someone could use some of this food." If they move it at least it won't be sitting out there unattended.
There's a faint smile from Colette at that. "Guess we're both indestructible…" Furrowing her brows, though, the teen seems still disquieted by something. It's a strange change from the girl Ygraine left behind, she was only gone two months but Colette looks as though she's two years older and by no trick of time-travel either, just someone who's been ground under the city's heel and left to peel herself up off the sidewalk. Trying to show a stronger face in front of Peyton, as if she's someone to impress, Colette gives off the impression of someone who's trying to keep it all together and not being very adept at it.
"Pey," Colette says fondly, "I dunno if you two know each other or not…" There's a nod to Ygraine, still seated on her motorcycle. "This is a good friend of mine, Ygraine Fitzroy; She knows Brian." There's a fond smile at that, and a look over to Ygraine as the dark-haired teen nods her head to Peyton.
"That's Peyton Whitney, we— work together?" It's the most discrete way of putting that. "She's a close friend of Brian's, we kinda' met in passing at the Lighthouse." Green eyes alight to Peyton, then Kat beyond her where she's carrying the groceries. Once more there's that do I know you from somewhere look on Colette's face. "I ah— " the notion makes her thoughts skip a beat. "I just thought, you know, introductions were in order? I figure you two might be working together sometime soon."
Though Ygraine shoots a rather surprised look at Colette upon hearing Brian mentioned, she offers Peyton a warm smile, then hastily strips off her glove to offer a hand to be shaken. "A pleasure to meet you", she says politely. "If you're commended by Colette, I count that as a fairly good recommendation."
"Thanks," Peyton says, and glances at Kat carrying groceries and then back. "Nice to meet you," she adds, offering her hand to Ygraine for a handshake. "I take it you are in the super cool kids club too then?" she asks with a bit of a smirk, in regards to Colette's words of "working together." Which super cool kids club that is, Ferry, Phoenix, or something else is unclear. But then, often the lines between those affiliations are unclear.
"Well, since you're here you can give us a hand with some things." Colette says rather plainly, slapping a hand on Ygraine's shoulder before stepping away from her to give her room to get off her motorcycle. "We've got some people painting the building exteiors out back," she motions to with a jerk of her thumb, "and I know Carl and Andy down in building three's basement are trying to get the boiler working again so that building's got hot water." Teeth toying at her lower lip, the young woman shifts her weight to one booted foot and rests a hand on her hip. "I think Alistair might be showing up with the food truck in a couple hours…" Her green eyes divert up to the skies, then back down and over to Ygraine again before flicking questioningly to Peyton.
"Oh hey— what're you doing here anyway? I don't think I'd seen you volunteering down here. In fact— I— I'm kinda' surprised to see you. Brian didn't seem to say much about you, I figured you were just…" Colette makes a see-saw hand motion, "a Lighthouse employee?"
Not quite.
Setting her bags of groceries down as they get closer, Kat nods to each of the other two. She's no clue what this super cool kids club is, but then again, she's not a kid, so… "Kat Marks," she says by way of introduction, though she doesn't offer her hand as the others do. "I live in this building. It's nice they're fixing it up." Kat's done her best to do a few repairs around the place, but barely made a dent in the work on her own. She finds herself eyeing Colette for a moment as if there something about her.
"Ygraine", the Briton says by way of introduction to Kat, smiling at the woman. "And I hope that you're not being put out too much by all the chaos."
Looking to Peyton, then Colette, then back again, she chuckles. "It seems that we're getting drafted. But from the look of it you brought some stuff of your own. Should that be taken anywhere in particular, Colette? We can load up my panniers and deliver it somewhere specific, if you like."
The former socialite shrugs. "I'm just trying to help out. I bring supplies to Staten every few days, if I can, and someone mentioned this place could use some too. Books and groceries, nothing fancy. But I don't know which apartments need it most — I mean, everyone needs it, but some less than others, right? And there's some bags of diapers and other baby stuff, for anyone with little ones," Peyton points out. Perhaps she's trying to prove to herself she's not shallow, giving more and more away, spending her own — or her parent's — money on charity rather than herself.
"Your— " Colette misheard that, "oh. Oh— " Her nose wrinkles, eyes divert down to the motorcycle and she shakes her head, laughing awkwardly. "No I— someone inside the main office should know. I think that's where the delivered food is going. They set up a big collection area and people come down to take what they need, s'sort've like the food pantry at St.John's."
When Kat introduces herself, Colette's green eyes level on the woman and her head quirks to the side. "I— Uh, sorry I— " Offering out a hand to Katherine, Colette manages a lopsided smile. "Colette Nichols." There's a faint narrowing of her eyes. "Have we… met before? You look really familiar I— " There's a snort, a shake of her head. "I've probably just seen you around here before is all."
Ygraine shoots a distinctly puzzled look at Colette, then chuckles. "I like Saint John's", she says, as if floundering slightly for where the conversation's gone. "But I can certainly run anything you want taken there… if you can tell me where the main office is to be found, that is."
Peyton, whose vocabulary is not her forte (she still says Homeland Services, since everyone is too nice to correct her), doesn't know what a pannier is either, so she giggles a bit when Colette does. She's not so much older than the teen that she's not prone to gutter brain syndrome, herself. "Ah, okay. We can bring it there, then. I didn't know the drill." She glances at Colette. "So they didn't manage to bring you globe trotting — that's good to see. Seems about half of everyone I know is somewhere else in the world." This is said in a more solemn tone — she's rather worried about Gillian, Abby, Liz, Cardinal, Claire, and even the crazy pizza boy slash Darth Vader wanna be.
"Bring… me… globe-what?" Green eyes stare blankly at Peyton and then just offers an awkward smile and a nod of her head with that vacant stare. There's a wrinkle of her nose, followed by an awkward smile and a scratch at the back of her neck. "A— Actually, as much as I'd like to stay with the two of you, I was just getting off from my shift here when Scott ambushed me. I'm supposed to head down to Staten, Devi's gotta make some repairs on my bike, I think I screwed up the shocks riding it through Midtown." There's a nod of Colette's head over to a battered old red and white dirtbike parked a few spaces down the street.
"That big building," Colette directs attention to a four-story red brick building covered partly with graffiti and partly with crawling ivy, "is the central tenement building. The main office is on the ground floor, food pantry is in the basement where they're keeping the donations. Manager's name is Sam— " she waves her hand above her head, "kinda' tall, lanky, dark hair, bit of an accent. He'll show you around."
Green eyes flit to Ygraine for a moment, followed by a hesitant smile. "My phone number's still the same. If… you wanted to— you know— " Colette looks down to the ground, then up to Peyton. "I'll tell Bri that I saw you if I run into one of him 'round the island."
"Bike?", Ygraine asks as Colette nods to the machine in question. "When did you start riding? And I could have a look, if you like. Riding in Midtown, I can +certainly+ offer tips on, unless it's changed a great deal since I was doing it daily…."
Realising that her mouth's starting to run away with her, she offers an apologetic look to the pair of them. "Sorry. Would you like to meet Sam, Peyton? And… I'll give you a ring as soon as I finish up here, if you like, 'Lette."
"Sure," Peyton says to Ygraine, bending to gather the bulk of the supplies she's brought, though Kat took some of the others already. "It was nice seeing you again, Colette. Good luck with the bike. Let me know if you need anything." She stands again and begins to carry the load of groceries and books toward the building Colette pointed out.
"Devi's expecting me," Colette notes with a wrinkle of her nose, "and— I started riding about a week after you left, actually." There's a faint smile there. "Brian found me an old dirtbike, and a friend of a friend helped me fix it up." That must be Devi. "She's amazing with machines, like, unbelievable. She taught me how to ride too, lives down on Staten, owns a garage there." Colette's green eyes divert to Peyton and offers a faint smile. "Hey, Ygraine's got my number. If— you feel like helping out again and you're going out to Staten, lemme' know, I spent a lot of time out there, and the bike's fine for two."
Somewhat shamelessly grinning at that comment, Colette turns her focus over to Ygraine and nods her head, a silent if not somewhat impersonal farewell. "Call me, sometime…" she adds, quietly, to the Brit before offering an awkward look to Katherine, still trying to recall where she'd seen her before, and starts backpedaling down the sidewalk before waving her hand over her head and turning around to head for the dirtbike.