Participants:
| Scene Title | Conspiracy Theory |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Vee is uncharacteristically nice and stops by to check on the beat cop that had to shoot an Evo in the LAPD precinct. |
| Date | June 20, 2009 |
Aude's Apartment
It's stark white walls, painted over exposed brick in places. This is not an overly expensive apartment, nor is it looking like one that more than one person lives in. It's Aude's place. There's a bike leaning against the hall when you first enter, helmet hanging on it's handles as well as some riding gloves. A pair of roller blades and sneakers a little further in. The main area is open, well lived in, comfy. Big sectional that's brown and velour one would almost think by the looks of it. The really expensive things in the whole apartment are the TV with it's speakers and entertainment center. That alone must send her home insurance through the roof. On an adjacent wall is stacked on their sides, row after row on makeshift shelving that is bricks and planks, of Vinyls. A music aficionado lives here.
A violin takes up a spot near the barr'd window, another expensive item that is perched on a stand, music beside it and ready for it's owner to take it up and play. THe kitchen has an opening to pass food through, but it's in need of work, and suffers from dis-use more than overuse. A small hallways with a closet, and two doors leads off to a bedroom down in browns and pale blues, and a bathroom that is cluttered with feminine items and threadbare towels.
It's a rare day off for Veronica, and after a run through Central Park and then some shopping, her thoughts, as usual, turn to work. She decides to run by the precinct to check on the little cop that had to shoot the pyrokinetic the day before. There, however, she found that Officer Aude Castalides was on suspension until it was determined if her shooting was justified or not. "Of course it was. That whole room was about to be flambeed," she grumbles to the round-faced and rounder-bodied desk clerk.
She heads back out and uses her Blackberry to call in to the Company and have a secretary get an address for the woman. She stops by a Dunkin' Donuts to get two cups of coffee near the apartment building that the address matches. Dressed in cut-off jeans, her "Cal" t-shirt and flip flops, Veronica knocks on Aude's door.
Going to need to knock a little harder there Agent Sawyer. Might be hard to hear the door thanks to the Violin music that can be heard through the door barely. One of the perks of having moved here when she did is the excellent sound proofing. That and the neighbours don't seem to care during the day if she plays.
But maybe providence shines down on Veronica, as the music cuts off with a trailing off of the last note gone wrong and after a minute, there's the clicking of locks as the door is undone. Cocoa skinned, brown eyes, curly cue'd, Aude peers out of the crack. "Can I help you Agent … Sawyer?"
"Hey, Officer Castalides," Vee says cheerfully enough. The short-sleeves of her t-shirt show a few bruises from the scuffle with Cole, one shaped like an L from the corner of the table against her bicep. She holds up one of the white cups with familiar lettering, with what many New Yorkers consider the best brew in the country. "Brought coffee in case you didn't have any here. I just came by to chat, see if you were doing okay."
Ir's coffee. She hadn't turned on her pot yet. There's a grunt from Aude before she unhooks the night latch and makea gesture for Veronica to come in with her bow. "Suspended. Shrinks. Internal Affairs up my ass. Wouldn't be so bad, but it's an Evo and after the last shooting, they're wanting to be careful" There's another grunt as she closes the door behind Veronica. "So far, what I gather it's looking like I'll be back and not a mark on my file in the negative. You?"
"Wow, the playing was you? I'm impressed. Multitalented, Castalides," Vee says with a nod as she hands the other woman one of the coffees. "It's got nothing but the drug right now, but if you need to cut it, I've got blue, pink, yellow and white packets plus creamers in here," Veronica adds, holding up a little paper bag. "And it shouldn't be a black mark on your file. You did a good job… Sorry you had to do the dirty work. I have no idea what set that Wright off, to be honest. He kept making threats, and suddenly just freaked out on me."
"Years of my mother making us take something. She thinks I coulda gone to Juilliard, but I chose to be a cop instead. I Got some milk to put in mine" The bow put down with it's partner in musical crime, Aude takes up the proffered peace offering from the other agent. "HOmesec sink him in a black hole? Fucking deserves it if you ask me" God damned Evo. Evo's even. Had to kill one on the job and now she waits to see if anyone noticed that she was going for a head shot the first time.
"Yeah, they'll be doing the testing and all, and I'm sure he'll be in front of a judge in the next couple of weeks," Veronica says, sipping her own sweetened, creamy coffee. "And you sound like you were good enough. I was going to be a bio-chem major, but… you know. Went to be a cop instead." Or something. She smirks a bit and glances around the apartment. "Anyway. I just wanted to say… sorry, that things went all FUBAR there. I really didn't expect him to pull a stunt like that."
"With luck, they'll shove his ass where he doesn't see the light of day, fucking evo. What the hell happened that he was attacking you in the first place?" There's a gesture for Veronica to partake of further hospitality that is her couch. There's papers on the coffee table and with a window open, there's the sound of the street outside and below.
Veronica moves to sit, perching on the edge of the couch. "I have no idea. He started talking about how if he was a temperature controller, that we were underestimating people who might come in to register, and I warned him again not to make threats… and suddenly he was over turning the table. There was no reason for it… Were the cameras on? I think he's a bit deranged if you ask me. Coming into a place to register, only to attack the people there? It's bizarre. If it was some sort of terrorist plan, it wasn't a very good one."
Camera's were on I think. I haven't been back yet. Probably poke in later to get something from my desk" Aude disappears into the kitchen for a few, the soudn and sight of the fridge opening, a small container of milk tipping over into the cup and then it's closed, back in the fridge and Veronica is not left alone. "He said he was having troubles, I shoved him in the back, so I could toss him outside if he got much. Worst came to worst? lock him in the room and call the rest of homesec to come fetch and do your jobs." Aude shrugs, indifferent. "We'll see. Not the first time I drew my weapon, just the first time I shot someone" Shot and killed someone. "The paperwork alone, for doing that, just buries you"
"Yeah, paperwork sucks…" Veronica agrees, and knocks her cup against Aude's in a mock toast. "Sorry that it was your first kill. Shouldn't have to be like that. Should be … you know, some crazy guy shooting at little kids, so you know you had no choice. But you know what? You still had no choice. If he had just let me tranq her…" Veronica shakes her head. "If people didn't turn into flaming torches, it'd make your job easier, I'm sure. Me, I'd be out of work."
'I get the feeling maybe, they were working together? I mean, what are the odds right? One guy comes in talking about how anyone can come in and just destroy us by saying they want to register, and while we're dealing with him, and our attention on him, in walks this other, and she's not making threats. She's just…" Burning cops, and screaming about making it stop. Aude taps her cup against the other womans. "Fucking evo"
Vee nods. "Could be. He certainly didn't look too distraught about the fact she got shot in the head, though, so they couldn't have been too close. If they were working together, they sure didn't do a very good job of it. I'll pass on that kind of teamwork, you know?" she says with a low chuckle. "What detail are you usually on? Certain beat, certain department?" she asks, curiously. "Just the luck of the draw you had to register that day?"
"Usually street, but now and then I cover for someone who's behind the desk, or I trade shifts. I tend to get the registers when there's no one else up front who's not busy. There's no one cop who is tasked with doing it" She's convinced, somewhere, that they were working together. She can't prove it of course. "I don't believe in coincidences. She started hurting cops. Who do nothing but protect people like her. Couldnt' stay back and just wait like we told her, was getting ready to scream about bad treatment. Couldn't mind her own damn business and wait her turn"
"Yeah, it is pretty odd timing," the agent says, then sips from her coffee. "I don't get that guy. Unless he was really pissed I wouldn't let him take my photo… that was the only other thing before he got all mad. He asked if he could because he needed it for his memory, but you know, with my job, I don't need to end up on a website somewhere or some shit like that. Gotta try to blend in, or we'd all wear uniforms, right?" Not that she looks like an agent right now, for sure. "So now that we're sipping coffee and chatting, you can call me Veronica. Or Vee," she says amiably.
"Aude" Pronounced Ode. She switches the coffee to her left hand and offers her right to be shooken. "How'd you get my address?"
Vee swaps coffee hands as well, and shakes. "Oh, well. You know. HomeSec," she says with a shrug. "No one at the precinct gave it, if you're looking for someone's neck to twist." Veronica grins. "I just had some time on my hands today and wanted to come say that you did a good job, and to check that you weren't beating yourself up over it. It's hard… I've been there."
'Nope, not beating myself up over it. He killed her, not me. IF he'd just sat like a good little evo and filled out his paperwork through to the end, he woulda been free as a bird after. If she had not jumped to conclusions and not been trying to push through cops, then" It's always the evo's fault, don't you know. Aude shrugs again.
"Good." Veronica smiles. "I would have felt bad if you were tearing yourself up over it, because it wasn't your fault. There were how many cops in there? Not a single one of them said no when you drew your gun," she points out. "Hopefully your suspension's short, but you know, enjoy the time off and all while you got it. Paid, right?"
"Paid." Not that she was hurting if it wasn't. "We'll see" Aude replies, taking a swig of her coffee. "Homesec. Yer not real popular in our precinct. Too many of you keep walking through and walk back out and our desks are a little lighter"
Veronica chuckles a little at that, having played a bit of that game herself, of course. "I'd think a lighter case load would be appreciated!" she says with a grin. "I mean, you get paid a salary, not a per-case rate, I assume. Union and all that."
"Yeah, I think it more has to do with the hours put in to crack the case and WOOSH, in comes homesec to take the glory" Aude points out
"That's probably true, yes. Worse is when everyone's fighting over the same case. Feebs, cops, HomeSec… I haven't made a lot of friends with other agencies for that reason. Sorry about that," Veronica says wryly. "The point is the bad guys get put away, right? It's not like I get glory for my job. No medals or keys to the city for me. Just trying to do my job and protect people, right?"
"Only lousy FBI agents get them" Aude points out once more with another shrug of her shoulders. "We didn't go into this job for the accolades though. Not expecting them."
"Accolades are overrated, I suppose," Veronica says and stands, cup in hand. "I'll let you get back to your playing, Aude. It was nice meeting you a bit more … you know. In a less stressful situation, you might say? I hope you enjoy your time off and that they get you back on your beat quickly."
'here's to hoping. Sure the girls parents are gonna be calling for my head. I saw what happened to Officer Rodriguez." Villified by everyone. Gone for a month. "Thanks for stopping by, looking in on me. I'll be fine. Maybe i'll head out to the country for a bit, or the coast. Work on my tan, i'm too pale" Joke there.
Veronica chuckles. She pulls a card out of her back pocket and tosses it on the coffee table. "My cell's on there, if you need anything." She heads to the door, letting herself out.