Ember

Participants:

abby_icon.gif delilah_icon.gif lynette_icon.gif teo_icon.gif

Scene Title Ember
Synopsis It will take more than cigarette breaks to recover them from all the aftermath they've survived, but it's probably better together than apart.
Date August 16, 2010

The BronxGun Hill: Roof

An exposed landing of concrete and iron makes up a generous offering of space when one reaches the rooftop. Thick and artful concrete walls visitors off from a sharp drop at two sides of the square courtyard, and the slope of roofing crowding against the others. There are places to snub cigarettes (though people do litter, smears of ash on the ground and cigarette butts stuck in snow) and one can participate in such a vice while simultaneously escaping the inside and enjoying the sight that spreads out before them.

The view beyond afforded to the rooftop of the Corinthian displays the best and worst of New York City. By daylight, the Hudson River twinkles blue and grey, and by night, it's an inky snake of water, wetly textured and glinting with star shine and city light pollution beamed back at it from the clouds. The other side shows the sprawl of Central Park, an incredibly generous backyard, green until it slowly reaches the decay of a rotten city center. One can see the beginnings of ruin from this height, yellow cranes in a limbo of construction gathered with shattered, gutted buildings.


Many a person likes to watch from high heights, the sun going down. The way the sky turns it's various huges from red to blue and eventually a blue so dark once can almost think it's black. The sun rests a sliver left above the horizon, battling with the buildings that rise from the grounds to be seen, about to surrender to the moon or the evening. While the roof of Gun Hill might not be as tall as some of the abandoned and dessicating structures in midtown, it's a perch for many of the residents and some visitors.

unwilling to return to an actual safehouse for fear that someone might have followed from this morning escapades, Abigail had parked on the rooftop of the apartment building, phone in hand and monitor strapped tight beneath a men's jacket and bedsheet fashioned into a skirt of which both overflowed on the blonde. She had been SOL on the shoe front. But Delilah had promised to come with some clothes for the fire mimic, replace what Raith had lent while she waited.

Quiet seeming the order of the night for her after spending the rest of her morning de-flambe'ing and helping Eileen stitch up the holes in men folk who were shot at the medicinal retrieval this morning. Head tilted against the body of a exhaust vent, knee's up and arms around them, she watches near lazily as the sun fights to stay relevant for a few minutes more.

Sometimes, you just need a break. And after a day out shopping and getting her hair fixed and being social, Lynette needs a damn break. The door to the roof opens, the blonde looking somewhat together and her hair short, but styled now, a cigarette between her lips as she tries to light it and open the door at the same time. She's moderately successful. She doesn't notice anyone else up there at first, moving over to lean on the edge, perhaps a little too far over the edge for most people's comfort.

Delilah has an easy enough time getting around when the heat of summer has gone, and the air has cooled. It is because of this that she's been able to take her time in getting Abby a full change of clothes and a pair of shoes. Gun Hill is as common a hub as any these days; when she gets there, she also takes her jolly old time in getting to the upstairs floors, and to the roof. It may give Abby some extra time to chill, if something.

"Abby?" A familiar voice calls out on the roof when the door pops open, creaking wide. The redhead starts a little when she sees someone she doesn't immediately recognize, but in no time at all she smiles at the new blonde's back. "Hi!" So squirrely.

Not seen or heard, that's fine with the bedraggled blonde, watching Lynette as she goes to the edge and looks over. If she smoked, there might be some dramatic exhale of curlicue's ala Alice In Wonderland. But Abby doesn't smoke, so she remains silent from her not so hiding spot so she can observe one of the people who was rescued from the depths of the hospital. Until Delilah shows up, the pregnant womans voice heard. "over here" The indication coming that Lynette was not as alone as she thinks. "Over here Delilah"

There's a little cough that gives away that Lynette's not a big smoker, either. And yet, there she is. When there's a call and response, the woman straightens sharply, her chin lifting before she turns around to greet whoever's there. She clears her throat lightly to let the other two know they aren't alone, either. But, she doesn't interrupt the pair yet. The pregnant one of the two does get a look over, though.

She always does, with strangers. Why is that? Delilah zeroes in quickly, on Abby; around one wrist is a plastic shopping bag with a stack of folded clothes inside. Jeans, a t-shirt, underthings, sandals. Basics. "Gee, that's an awful big pair of shorts. Are you wearing a belt?" Who even uses that interjection— "Who's running around in his whities now?" Well. It's fine to ask.

Clunking from behind, then a rust-raspy growl of metal on metal. Somebody else coming out to the rooftop, and mostly by virtue of being the — less fair sex, Teo is heavier, louder, his leggy stride tangling and untangling with the braggadocio of a football hooligan rather than a predator spun of ninja and darkness.

"Buona sera," he says, and despite that he gets the phrase out fully there's a sense of abbreviation to the end of that word, startling, when he recognizes all three women out in front of him. There's a cigarette in his mouth, no scar on his cheek, his head shaven as close to his scalp as a poor asylum escapee's. Which, given the state of the Akira doctor's final operation, is roughly correct.

"I got rope for a belt and they are far too big for me Delilah and it's Raith. And some others. There was some spare bedding, but nothing that would fit me, could I just have them please?" The bag taken from the pregnant woman, no explanation as to why or how she came to be devoid of her own clothing when clearly this morning, she was fully dressed.

Abby's not in a particularly delightful mood. She hasn't been for the last few days in truth. It's with apprehension though, that she looks on Teo when he arrives, the lack of half glascow smile and shorn skull that has her remaining parked on the roof where she is, unsure of what to do with regards to the man who's been captive for so long. "Buona Sera Teodoro" She'll offer that up at least.

Lifting an eyebrow as another body enters, Lynette steps away from the edge of the roof to come a little closer to the others. "Evening," she notes in Teo's direction, before looking over to the others. "Ah. I'm Lynette," she notes, mildly awkwardly, like she isn't sure she should speak up.

Delilah relinquishes the bag of clothes with a smile. She's ever useful at times like these, right? Could ask a lot of questions- but she can tell that Abby is not in the mood to field answers.

She turns her head when she hears the door open yet again, pausing the look when Teo stops outside of it. Dee was able to visit most she could, but it has seemed like she has missed Teo everywhere she went- which at one point included going to see how Francois was holding up, dropping by a few houses in stride. The first thing she notices, despite not having cared- Teo did- is the lack of wound on his face. Subconsciously, her hand lifts to her own, still smiling face to rub at her cheek where it would have been. Though she could have far better and more astute things to say right now-

"…Your hair is short again."

Teo is also shaven. Well, semi-shaven. Not as bearded as he used to be, which is big news! to anybody who pays attention to his cosmetic appearance. Lynette has no reason to, at least. It's the recognized stranger who gets his attention first, wiht a smile, because that's easier somehow. "Glad to see you're awake and in one piece," he says. "I woke up in the operating room a few feet from you, and I couldn't tell if you were just tranquilized out or some other crazy shit. Teo." Not that others hadn't already conducted those introductions already.

He comes forward to shake Lynette's hand, his own long-fingered and callused, warm as a metabolic supernova on an evening that's already well into 'balmy.' "Li, Abs. Shit, I heard about that. Well." His eyes are on the bag of clothing, skewing like temptation toward the curve of Delilah's belly, also, an oddly shy, flickery motion of his wintry pale stare. "That you used your ability, with the side-effects. I'm glad all of ours are okay."

Lynette, the head of Gun Hill. Well one could thank the lord that the woman was alive and well, as well as one can be after a spate of time in captivity. Two others here at least could commiserate with her on her ordeal. The bag of clothing is clung to, digging around for the flip flops within, so she can at least cover her feet.

"The stare he gets when he comments, blithely, about Abigail and using her ability, it prompts a tightening of her jaw. He's not supposed to talk about it, not in front of others who don't know, might not know. For all they know, her clothing got ruined in the ensuing gun fight. For the most part, a pretty well kept secret.

Lynette takes Teo's hand for a brisk shake, and she nods, "Ah… yeah, I was pretty much kept… sedated by the end. It's good to be awake and… in one piece." And since it was their fate to no longer be so, those last words get a little grimace from the woman. "And nice to meet you, Teo." When she looks over at Abby, the look she gives Teo seems to get some confusion from Lynette. "Ah. I'm sorry, did she say your name was Abby?"

Delilah lets Teo go about his greetings and concerns, Abby her glaring at him, and Lynette's inquiry to Abby on her own; but she has already realized the silliness of her words paired with staying still, and once he is finished, the redhead steps over to offer her arms up to him. Does she really need to ask for a hug? Not technically, no, she could always just yank him in like a fish in a net- this way there's a choice- because with what she has heard of what happened, he may not want to be smothered that much. Marshmallow Hell is called that for a reason.

But, provided Teo doesn't shy away from her, Delilah is set on gathering him up into an obnoxiously large hug, whether or not he is puffing idly at that stick in his mouth. Though of course she might be holding her breath a little- just a little-

"You too, Lynette." It doesn't seem to occur to Teo that Abigail is upset for reasons that are especially emotional. There's a squint at her, the shadow of concern immediate as the one that follows an object once it's lit up from one side. His hand goes into his pocket, then comes out again with a square ziploc half the width of his palm, capsules inside. The front of it has Motrin scrawled across, a full adult dosage per capsule. Apparently he's been living so skeezy, these past few days, that he can't even get storebrand Ibuprofen.

Of course, Delilah has to go and ruin the offer by crushing him by the neck. Hrghk. He doesn't think to escape, of course. In a matter of seconds, he's gathered up, pressed in, his longer spine (if not longer than Delilah's by as much as he likes to pretend) hooked down, bent to fit, his eyes big in his head. Never completely used to this. Less used to it than Delilah remembers him being, most recently. "Hhhh," he says. "Fuckmuff— I mean, hello! But— be caref— Li, be careful! What if— you know, you have to be squishy for two, these days, I really htink—"

"You can't squish the baby Teo, it's protected by her body. You'd be hard pressed to hurt her or Walter with just a really tight hug" Abigail points out, with her own accredited medical opinion. The query from Lynette though, seems to banish the glare for the most part, softened for the other woman. "Abby. Abigail Beauchamp. That's me. I used to be his roommate and Delilah's neighbour. You're Lynette, run Gun Hill"

"Ah, yes, that's me. Do you… know someone named Elisabeth? She mentioned you were— well. She mentioned you, anyway." Lynette rolls a shoulder, sort of a nervous gesture before she glances back over to the other two. She blows out a puff of smoke away from the pregnant woman, which seems to accompany a sigh. Just a hint of one. "I believe 'pregnant, not infirm' is the rallying cry," she adds to Abby's words with a smirk.

Rather than worry her, it makes Delilah laugh. The noise is bright, and her smile widens when she leans back to clap her hands onto his cheeks. Clap, clap. Abby is so onto his shit, isn't she? So is Lynette, and she hardly knows Teodoro at all. Dee's fingers pinch teasingly at both cheeks, abrupt and affectionate. Her brown eyes have a slight narrow, and her lips close somewhat into a more knowing smile.

"He's been fighting dragons in there, and doing much worse to my bladder- don't worry about it." The relief is now clear when she speaks, and perhaps she does not need to actually say that she's glad he is back in one piece.

This Teo takes his scolding and Lynette's jokes at his expense very well: having a mournful face, visibly over Delilah's shoulder and around the scarlet fluff of her hair. "Yes ma'am," he says, drolly, even as the medicine packet in his hand gets hiccuped at Abby's direction, finally. "You look like you're in pain," he says, gesturing vaguely at her torso. Firefights don't generally mean just fire, where their people are concerned, and there was enough detail rolling around the rumor mill about that one can guess. "Liz?

"How's she doing?" Despite that his conversation has steered away from tiny-Walter, his arms are around the Englishwoman, the crook of his elbow making careful measure of the swell of her belly, as if in hopes of bearing witness to such dragon-fights. That would be kind of awesome. Not for Delilah's bladder, but you know. He at least appears to do as asked: doesn't worry about it, grinning sidelong at the redhead.

She looks in pain? Liz has been… talking about her too? "Liz is a friend. Mother hen at times. I'd sure like to know what she mentioned. Folks are doing a vast amount of talking about me that I don't rightly know what about" The ibuprofen is taken regardless, dropping the bag to catch the painkillers, but they're tucked away. If he wants them later, she can pass them off to him. "I'm not hurting Teo" Not in that way at least. "I'm glad to see you're up and about and surprised Francois's not glued to your side"

"Oh, it was nothing really… she just mentioned that you might know a good therapist in town. Someone who would understand things about mad scientists with four arms," Lynette notes with a crooked smile sent Teo's way. There's a swallow, though, before she looks back to Abby. "I promised her I'd find you to ask you about it." That cigarette is brought back to her lips between shaky fingers, but otherwise, she seems to be holding her composure.

There are no dragon-fights going on at current; every night before bedtime, however, he always sees fit to do deadly battle with the Great Wing-ed Bladder Dragon and its nerve ending minions. There will be a cameo by the Sore-feet Centaurs. Also flagons of mead. Totally hardcore.

Delilah drops one hand, lifting the other to pat it over Teo's bristly head a couple times, and it joins in lowering again. "Is everyone off of Staten that has to be? I'd hate for something to happen again if it doesn't have to. They're patrolling everything in sight, it seemed like. I only got out to the Greenbelt the one time."

When Liz is forwarding people to therapists, she's doing well enough, Teo figures. Working, helping, being good cop. He remembers what she gets like when things are very bad, anyway. It's never fun. "Depends on your definition of 'has to be,'" he tells the redhead, with a faint scowl. "I know the weather shaman and his people are still there. The Lighthouse, of course. I don't know whether or not those dicks are that wise to the extent of the Ferry's network yet."

He's an odd mix of careful dictionary verbiage and curses, for those who know him. No accent, despite the smattering of Italian, like, "Bene," to Abigail there, half-smile, not entirely at odds with the faint sharpening of focus in his stare. It fades, after a moment, retracted. Retreating, maybe, and his arm loosens around Delilah. He opens his mouth to speak, but therapists are important. Gestures for Abigail to go ahead, answer that first.

"I know a few. I can dig up their names when I get my purse back. Or if you have a telephone i can text it to you" Abigail of the perpetual phone numbers in her head. When you go through as many phones as she has in the past, you learn to remember numbers. "Doctor Yee though, yes. She can be talked to about things like that, or other things. She's helped me through the worst of my post traumatic" There is touchings of belly's and Abby looks to Delilah's belly with her own small sense of yearning before she snaps out of it.

"I have to head out of town soon" Out of country really. "But I'll be trying to head back in one more time. I just say that I'm going to the light house to help teach the kids"

Lynette takes a moment to step over and tap her cigarette into an ash tray before she nods to Abby. "I'd appreciate it." She rattles off a number, stepping back over to the group to look back to the others, "I came from there last night. I know they're making sure everyone's looked after, that needs it. But I can't imagine anyone plans on lingering for too long."

"Definition being anyone involved with the hospital." Delilah says, very gently, very aware that it is still a very raw and open wound on their memories. She could not stand to hear about Pinehearst in the days following. "I hope there are therapists to go around." She is very serious about this. If there aren't- or they won't take such a crew- there's always the option of a support group in the Ferry, right? Perhaps. "Yours has always sounded like a very nice doctor, Abby."

Teo nods at the Gun Hill operator, his wide mouth flat with sympathy. He probably could have used a shrink, back in the early years of his involvement with crazy Evolved hyperviolence. Of course, by the time he actually got to one, he was a little beyond even the finest of conventional psychotherapy, and wound up talking to a Company sociopath. Them's the breaks. "Francois," he says, determining that the requisite information has been transferred, "and I have been having a slight problem where I'm not his Teo.

"Back at—" he doesn't want to invoke the phrase, merely nods at Delilah. The hospital, "they figured out how to run a psychic strainer through me and get all of that other guy out. It's weird. I think there's probably a complex metaphysical equation for it, but I have no fucking idea what it is." After a point, Evolved hijinks in all their technicolor sophistication runs together in a blur of pixels and what the fuck?, and he really has no idea. He hikes his shoulders. "I'm glad to be back, despite the cost, which is what… I think is upsetting Francois so much.

"I've been trying to remember as much as I can about what happened, in case there are others, but a lot of things are really foggy about the past few weeks. Other things are too clear," he adds, blankly.

"I don't see Dr. yee anymore. I didn't quite need her level of help anymore, she specializes in evolved patients with post traumatic. I see a Doctor Richards. Allison. I can give you her name as well. But there's lots of therapists. But I liked Doctor Yee. She was what I needed at the time to work through all the stuff that happened"

Teo knows full well what she had to work through, and it seems that he himself has worked through some other things. Abigail's fingers tighten on her things, looking him over head to toe. Francois's brownstone with it's occupancy known but the refusal to answer the door seem to on some level, make a bit of sense. That and she had been forewarned that he was going to do something, the dinner at the brownstone between the two of them and the strained familiarity. Francois's Teo was… lost? Gone? Where was her Teo. Before them stood a fraction of the one they're come to know and love?

"Thanks, Abby. I appreciate it. I, ah, told Elisabeth I wouldn't try to do it on my own." Even so, Lynette seems… doubtful about how helpful it all will be. But, her word is her word. Delilah gets a nod, "I hope so, too. The way I hear it, this city might just need mandatory therapy for everything that goes on." It's Teo's words, though, that really capture her attention. She's the odd man out here, as doesn't know anything of what's gone on, but she shakes her head, taking another puff of that cigarette. "Jesus."

As far as Delilah is concerned, this is a perfectly normal, full grown Teodoro. Sometimes they only come out at night, and sometimes they are apt to contract Bloat from eating too many delicious things at once. Something like that. Too much semantics about such things makes for trouble. She does recall that the thing in his head- Ghost- was bothering him to a great extent. To the point that apparently he has been totally separated from him. Though it does make her also wonder what could have happened to it after the fact. Best to not dwell. Maybe not to dwell on what happened at the hospital, either.

It probably isn't a good sign, that the ones who know Teo have fallen to a razor-edged silence. At least, not Abigail. His eyes slide over at Delilah, and the brain attached to his eyes theorizes that the Englishwoman's reserve is of a slightly more positive shade. Abigail, though. She looks—

Gaunt. He hadn't expected that, and nor had the hybrid. She'd been the biggest fan of the unified-soul theory, after all. Maybe she's guant because of something else. He can be optimistic. He was the best at that, out of the three versions of himself he's ever met. "Yeah," he nods at Lynette, smiles a little, lopsided, fragmentary. "I know." He needs a cigarette, but his— his pregnant lady-friend is right here, so he stems the urge with an unhappy curl of his fingers.

His throat moves slightly, once. Swallowing. He wanted this seems like an empty and cold thing to say. Instead, "Any of you hungry? I was going to head down and fix something up. I saw some tortellini in a cabinet."

"You'd think right, that the whole town would need it." Lynette's taking of the lord's son's name in vain doesn't go unnoticed but it does go uncommented. 'I need to get home. Feed the animals, feed Pila" A test to see if he cares for his bird, like he doens't seem to have much for Francois. "I was just waiting for Delilah to bring me some clothes. But thank you for the offer"

The blonde medic is levering herself up from the floor of the roof and clutching the clothes about her. "««Lets not go around Teodoro, telling people that I have an ability. It was left out of report on what happened on purpose. No one needs to know I turn into fire more than those who already seen it know»" It's relayed in Italian to the Sicilian before she nods to the other two. "I'll leave the numbers downstairs for you Lynette, if you need to talk, Teodoro and I have both been.. in situations like this before"

"Thanks again, Abby. I'll keep that in mind," Lynette says, with a glance between her and Teo. "There are plenty of kitchens to use," she notes to his offer of cooking with a crooked smile. "I think I'll hang out up here a bit longer, though. Thanks, though."

Delilah knows enough about when people speak other languages to be able to recognize when they're being clandestine. As per, she looks slightly away when Abby speaks to Teo, and back up when she is ready to go. "I can fix something with you, if you don't mind terribly. I'm never full anymore…" What she doesn't say, that is clear in her tone, is that she also supposes that he could use some company. Just someone around. Not so much for any reason than just being around. He'll have to take smoke breaks, but the point remains.

If Teo had any idea that Abigail ascribed his refusal to force his company on Francois as a lack of care, he'd probably be worried about her psychological state, and rightly so. As it is, he's gradually becoming aware that there is more than one thing amiss with his friend as he had known her, or even as the hybrid had known her, but what he'd interpret as the depth of her cynicism, the skewing of her perspective, the parasitic quality of her bitterness, remains largely invisible to him still. For now. "Mi dispiace.

"«I wasn't aware you'd improved your control or managed to get your hands on negation meds; I'd assumed Delilah knew, and that you'dve told ranking safehouse operators you stayed with. We should catch up soon, only— only if you don't mind. I'd like to see Pila.»" There's a smile for her, crooked, familiar, and then a glance at Lynette with a nod. He can understand the need to see things from bird's-eye-view, in open space for awhile. Li gets a hand, palm-up, eager for the company despite that there must be a little hypocrisy there, too.

Thinking of Walter like the child has anything to do with him, when he's disavowed so much about the other analogues that used to be a part of him. "We can do something with spinach, too. I saw there was some frozen. Is that shit okay for you to eat? I thought it'd be healthy, but—"

"«I'm on negation drugs»" But now is not the place to get into it. "Pila will be happy to see you" There's a wave, a flick of her hand back and forth a handful of times for the other two before the blonde fire mimic heads for the door, the flipping sound of flip flops shuffling across the roof and she takes her borrowed clothes self off the roof so she can head on home.

"If you two need anything, I'll be up here," Lynette says to Teo and Delilah. She glances over to Abby, giving her a wave as well before she moves back over to her spot at the edge of the roof.

"See you, Abby. And it was nice to finally meet you, Lynette. Watch out for the lesbians around here, they're multiplying." It's a good thing that Delilah is used to not dwelling on idiosyncrasies. She'd have gone crazy by now. Good thing she hasn't! "Spinach is good." She smiles softly and perches her fingers into Teo's. "I haven't made puffs in a while." Mundane things make her day go'round. Always.

Teo waves his thanks at Lynette. Looks at Abigail a moment, surprised, and supposing that the fire must have been—

—something else, then. Or augmentation had been involved. Really, abilities are far too complicated in their interactions for him to get his head around; all he can do is speculate until he actually talks to somebody who was there. Talking to Delilah seems infinitely easier, now. He flusters an odd moment, maybe partially because she mentioned about lesbians, then offers the Englishwoman his arm, awkwardly. Guides her toward the staircase. "That could've gone worse," he remarks.

"But it didn't." Dee remarks right back, arm linked with his. She seems resonant with something or other- acceptance, maybe. There is no energy in her to make a ruckus about small things, not today. A small tug on him when they get inside, just to make it lighter. "Let's have at it. Stirring is the best stress relief I've ever known. …High time for some of that, I think."


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