Girl Talk

Participants:

abby_icon.gif cat_icon.gif helena_icon.gif

Scene Title Girl Talk
Synopsis The ladies of PARIAH chat about future plans.
Date October 25, 2008

New York Public Library


Much of everyone's time is spent fixing up PARIAH's new home. The main branch of the New York Public Library with its lion statues was at the edge of the blast zone, and long since abandoned. Work's concentrated on getting the plumbing working, getting in beds and food, et cetera. A few people are nosing around for smelting equipment too. The gold's been put in a secure location, and the armaments have been locked away in one of the sublevels and watched very carefully. At the moment, Helena's finishing up a bit of texting on a phone she soon expects to throw away. Whatever information she's receiving, it's making her frown.

Abby's frowning too as she comes in, dressed for the cool weather, wriggling her fingers, looking at them. "Helena, I brought more food last night. You should be good on perishibles for a few days. There's a book too, on basic baking, and staples, so that people can make stuff if they want" She's half hearted paying attention.

As is normal for her, she's got a guitar case and backpack across opposite shoulders as she makes her way into the library. A second guitar case is carried in one hand, the other hand tucked into a pocket of her jacket. Cat isn't dressed for the stage this time, though, she's sporting a pale blue t-shirt with a logo supporting the election of someone other than Nathan Petrelli over black jeans and athletic shoes. She spends a few moments looking around for people and spots the two of them. They get a nod in their direction, then she's moving along in search of places for a makeshift archery range. Or seeking an opportunity to converse privately with Helena. Maybe both.

Helena finishes off her texting and smiles wearily up at Abby. "Thanks, Abs. I'm sure folks can figure out how to make peanut butter sandwiches, though. But I wouldn't mind that book - I like cooking, actually." And then there's the oncoming brunette. "Hey, Cat." she calls out in greeting.

"Lots of that. It was on sale" Abby is pulling up a chair to sit on, most of her day spent at the library. 'Cat" Recognized from before. "How are you today?" The southern blonde offers a heartfelt smile to the buitar bearing woman. "I met Sergei today Helena"

"Stormy," the one who abbreviates her name and at times emulates a large feline replies, as her course adjusts to approach the other two. "Abby." She sets down her gear and pulls up a segment of bare floor to sit upon, drawing her legs up under her, while adding "Not badly. You?" Cat is otherwise quiet, to not interrupt the conversation at hand more than she already has.
Helena nods to Abby. "Did you? The scarf's sort of retro, isn't it? But he likes to keep himself anonymous. As if that big fat fake accent's going to help." Helena grins a little, and she blinks in amusement at Cat. "There's chairs." she informs the woman with a smile. "We could even find one for you."

"I figured as much. He's very interesting none the less and as was the conversation. I'm good Cat. No work tonight, so at least I won't have to deal with people trying to look up my skirt when placing an order. I can stick around and help clean a bit more, get some other rooms cleaned out?"

"It's all good, Stormy," Cat replies with a slight grin as she remains on her bare patch of floor. Back to silence she goes, choosing not to comment on the man they've spoken about. One of her guitar cases is opened and seen to not hold a guitar. It's instead being used to conceal a bow and quiver of arrows.

Helena cocks her head to look at Cat. "I hear you're pretty good with that." she says in a carefully neutral tone. Abby earns a smile. "At least you're keeping your job. I have to quit mine."

"That's becuase no one can tell what I do, usually" Abby's craning to look at the bow and arrow. "Beautiful" She murmurs.
Her eyes alight on Helena in response to the comment, and Cat's own head cants to one side. Her expression is equally neutral. "I have to wonder if you were already briefed, Stormy," she states in a subdued voice. "You're not always easy to catch for such things, one can on occasion get beaten to the punch."

"I was already briefed." Helena admits. "But I want to hear what you have to say about it before I decide what I think one way or the other." She looks over at Abby with sisterly fondness. "You must miss going off into the woods and shooting aligators, huh Abby?" Helena can't help teasing a little.

'Daddy did. I sometimes went with him. But yeah. Alligator stew. Always a bbig crock full at the church after service. Someone or another was always making it, with biscuits" She looks to Cat, a little curious now. "Should I be leaving the both of you alone and seeing myself out the door or to another room?" Abby asks.

"No rush," Cat replies to Abby. Whatever she and Helena were mentioning seems to have been placed aside for the time being. The bow and quiver are left in the guitar case as she trains her eyes on a wall for a moment. "Alligators. That's interesting. One of the guys mentioned his enjoyment of hunting deer and turkey recently. Not something I did growing up in Hartford, the archery is something I picked up in high school. It was a requirement."

Archery was a requirement in your highschool?" Helena asks in surprise. "Where did you go, Sherwood Academy?"
There's a little snort slash giggle from abby at Helena's exclamation.

The joke draws a quiet laugh from her, followed by words. "It was a private academy," Cat explains, "which required each student to take part in a sport of their choice. I picked archery." Her eyes travel from one to the other, as she adds "It wasn't what most would call a normal high school experience."

"My highschool would have been plenty normal, except for the not-graduating and oh hey, by the way you're Evolved part." says Helena wryly. "I'm a little sad about not getting my diploma, but it doesn't keep me up at night."

'I highly doubt any of us had a normal high school experience. I only had two years of such. You still could. GED Helena. Was how I did it when my parents wouldn't let me go to school. Fearful someone woudl discover, that and, they were god fearing far more than I am and didn't much care for the school. Archery though" She nods. "Sounds like school was not that bad for you Cat."

"Those years had a quantity of angst, much as most teens have," Cat relates. "Different reasons, but the same emotions, largely. I was a blueblood girl who had dreams of being a rocker chick, while the 'rents wanted me to do the Ivy League thing. Dad had designs on me being an attorney, while Mother's plan for my future was being breeding stock and accessory to a politician's career." She goes quiet for a short time, with a grin forming. "So I persevered, and during my second year at Yale it got much easier to follow two degree paths."

"It all sounds very 'gossip girl'." Helena says with a grin. "I'm afraid the up do's in middle class Sleepy Hollow were more into garden parties…" she trails off, her smile growing stiff. "Anyway. Abby, I was wondering if you could work up a plan for yourself for the miracle project. Because I think maybe, if you could handle it without exhausting yourself, you should visit a few pediatric wards. But you'd need to be quick, and not recognized."

"No such updo's where I'm from. Best dresses were for sunday and wednesday service" She is decidedly not a high society girl. Garden parties or politican's plaything. "Would depend upon what kid is suffering from what. It's not fast what I do. How big a miracle are you looking for and how fast?"

"Sleepy Hollow. I know that book." Cat doesn't define what she means by know, but Helena can likely wrap her mind around it. "The movie too." There's no comment about Abby's part in the miracle project, she simply does mental math. Pediatrics, suffering, caution not to become exhausted…

"I don't know, Abby - but you know what you're capable of and how much you can tax yourself. Would it be easiest just to task someone to be your driver and guard, and let you go around the city hospitals doing your thing? The point is not getting caught." Helena says. "We want the actions to be anonymous until we claim responsibility for them. She grins at Cat. "Trust me, Sleepy Hollow isn't that exciting. Except for the occaisional lynch mob."

"Whats the time span that I have. That first of all decides what I can do" Abby looks thoughtful. "Someone to drive me, guard me, that's good. I can do much more if I'm not having to worry too much about making sure I can get home safetly. And if someone is with me.. " there's a thought. "Know anyone who would dress like a clown? My momma used to have my daddy dress up like one and we'd do just that down in lousianna. I can go in as their helper, or we can both go in costume. Volunteers to the local hospitals" There's a plan forumlating.

Helena's comment about the boringness of Sleepy Hollow and lynch mobs draws a raised eyebrow and a quiet study of the leader, Cat's mind at work mulling the words over. "Sounds like it was almost perfectly named," she remarks softly. And silent thinking returns while Abby speaks. "Maybe not a clown. Maybe a guitarist who decides to simply show up and spend some time playing for the kids."

"Candy striper might be easier." Helena says thoughtfully. "I imagine you could go from hospital to hospital and use your best judgement about who you can heal and how much time you have…with a driver there who can watch your back and help you if you overestimate. You'll have the day, but I want everything to happen only on that day." She looks over at Cat. "I think she'll need someone a little more physical for the back up, to be honest. Like Teo…or maybe Romero, or Alex."

"One day" Abby frowns. "Five people, or one person? Five people who will get better faster from minor things, or.. If someone is able to carry me out, say on a guerney or wheelchair to a car.. Someone cured completely, of cancer? Your pick Helena. I can do either. I'll need to sleep for half a day after. I can take a night off work, but I can do it. Or if you luck out, if it can be called lucky, I can search for someone who lost a limb, or is burned. Can do that"

"True enough, the Ivy Leaguer replies to the younger pair. "My thing is mostly mental acuity, and dexterous fingers." Cat's words end there, she inwardly wishes she'd met Abby some weeks earlier; Dani's problem could've bee healed without Linderman's talents.

Helena looks thoughtful. "This is going to sound really mercenary, but…what do you think would give us the best press?"

'Cure one. Completely" She cringes even at saying. Abby nods. "Five, and minor, they could write it off as medicine. but.. If I can find am amputee, and I push myself… I /can/ grow back a limb. I'll just need someone to get me out of their. I'll likely not be concious, or at best, really incoherent and wanting to sleep" SHe looks to Cat, a soft smile surfacing amidst all that she spoke.

"So you need a patient who has the worst prognosis of any in whatever hospital you go to," Cat opines. "And time to find that person, which could be an issue, the doctors and nurses aren't so likely to share in depth patient information with anyone not related to their charges. Can you read medical charts, understand what they say, Abby?"

Helena considers. "Can you cure cancer?" she asks her friend. "I think a regenerated limb would spawn a lot more medical curiosity then some poor kid might deserve. But save a kid in the burn ward, or cure some little girl or boy of cancer, and that'd be it right there."

'Long as it's not blood born, I can. Or the burn unit, it's good, but highly unlikely that they'd let us in. Germs and the like. Whever a candstriper would get, I could so" She looks to Cat again. 'Sorry, this is likely boring. It got very boring around our house when mom and daddy were trying to figure out who we'd visit next and deserved my gift"

Helena nods. "Find a kid with cancer that isn't leukemia. Marrow cancer or brain cancer or something. Do your mojo, it's a miracle and whoever you're with will get you home. Do you have anyone you feel comfy with, or should I pull a name out of a hat?"

"I recently had reason to spend a good deal of time at St. Luke's hospital," Cat remarks, "and during that period I took it upon myself to read up on anatomy and medical terms. I could read and translate a medical chart if needed. In fact, I'd only need to see the chart once. If assistance in that regard is needed, we could find a way for me to scout people to use your gift with."

"Not Sergei" Abby confirms. "Everyone else, is near stranger to me. Whomever you trust. If you have someone who can hack into the computers at the hospital? To find someone who is utterly terminal, who … They're going to die and very soon. I want to make it worth it.." THen Cat's offering and she lights up. "That, would be perfect"

Helena nods to Cat. "Do it. Find a candidate for Abby - make it a kid if you can." She looks at Abby. "I think Teo might do the trick, or maybe his brother. We'll get it worked out." She seems pleased by this.


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October 25th: Reach Out and Touch Someone

Previously in this storyline…


Next in this storyline…

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October 25th: One Person at a Time
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