Girls In A Locker Room

Participants:

cassidy_icon.gif elisabeth_icon.gif

Scene Title Girls In A Locker Room
Synopsis It ain't so different than boys in a locker room… all kinds of talk!
Date May 29, 2009

NYPD Women's Locker Room


Ever seen a woman at the end of her proverbial rope? That'd be Elisabeth this week. She's been, like every other cop, busybusybusy, but some personal things have cropped up to make things somewhat bizarre as well. Sitting now in the locker room, the only place in the precinct the few women officers can go to have any privacy at all, Elisabeth is actually laying on the bench in front of the lockers, her feet sprawled to either side of her on the floor and one arm thrown over her eyes as if she's got a headache. When the door opens, she tenses just slightly, glancing to make sure it's another of the women entering, and then relaxes once more.

Bizarre would be a pretty good word for Cassidy's past two weeks, beyond weird in some ways. So in her own need to escape her partner, she slips into the women's locker room to hide herself in a stall for a few moments to try and clear her mind. Probebly one of the only places he probebly wouldn't dare to go. She starts to head for her locker, passing one row, only to stop and take a few steps back. "Harrison?" She asks in a way that says. 'Everything okay?'

There's a faint snort from the supine blonde. "Nope. Changing my name. Changing my face. Quitting the cop shop and … I don't know. Waiting tables."

"Uh oh.. that sounds bad." Cassidy says with a lift of her brows. She moves to sit on the bench across from Liz, resting elbows on her knees. "What could possibly be so bad that you want to do all that?" Course she doesn't say there is some appeal of that for her as well.

Elisabeth laughs and looks toward Cassidy. "Woman….. look at what's happened to the two of us in the past couple of weeks or so. Are you telling me that the idea of chucking it all and running off to be anonymous somewhere doens't appeal?" And that's just the stuff that Cassidy KNOWS about in Liz's life. The whole other life that she's got hidden? The other cop would just boggle.

Cassidy drops her head a bit to look at the floor between her feet, thinking on that quest. "Hmmm.. You've got a really good point." Twists her head a bit to look at the woman sideways. "It would be really nice… but I dunno.. To not be in law enforcement. I think my dad… his dad… and his dad's dad would roll over in their graves. It's kinda ll I know." She gives a lop sided smile. "But yeah… I'd go right at your side if I could."

There's a heavy sigh, and Elisabeth looks at the ceiling. "Cassidy… what do you do when you're in over your head?" Cuz right now? Liz feels like she's treading water just barely keeping her head above. And she's pretty sure a number of her friends are feeling the same way, both cop and other. "What do you do when you know things you can't prove, know you need to *do* something to keep bad things from happening, and have no friggin' CLUE what that 'something' actually is?"

Cassidy pressed her lips together in a thin line and loots thoughtful. She scours her brain from some idea of what to say, but then can only give her own sigh. "I… dunno. I'm treading water myself. Or… it feels like it." She gives a shrug of her shoulders. "So I have no advice. When I figure it out I'll make sure to let you know." She gives a small smile, though it doesn't reach her eyes.

Studying the woman, Elisabeth shoves herself upright and asks, "Wanna share?"

There is a sort of pained look on Cassidy's face. "I…..don't think so." That 'I' is drawn out some. "It's… bizarre and… I am still trying to wrap my brain around it all." And it's a lot, or it feels like it to her. She smiles a bit. "And it's so very much unlike me… and I can't seem to help it." She conciders and says finally. "Okay.. fine.. " She takes a deep breath and let's it out. "I have not dated… show any interest in relationships.. or even found guys I like. Now I.. feel over my head. Since that whole Mortimer breaking into my place.. things in my life have just gotten weird.. REALLY REALLY weird."

Elisabeth actually laughs, the tone of it not so much amused as…. sympathetic, maybe? "You know…. I can believe at least twelve impossible things before lunch these days." She tilts her head. "How weird is weird, lady?" She looks genuinely interested and concerned.

"Really weird." Cassidy is obviously very hesitant to say. "Weird enough that I'm worried about my career…. " She lifts a hand to pinch the rubb at her eyes and pitch the bridge of her nose. She starts to say something and the door opens. Her mouth snaps shut, and she nods to a young officer that passes by. Once the woman passes, Cassidy drops her voice to a whisper. "Bad enough I don't want the rumors to get out. I already hear them about me and Detective Shelby. And that whole thing is it's own twisted bag of worms."

Glancing up as the younger uniformed woman comes in, Liz offers her a friendly enough smile and nod, and then moves to sit on the bench next to Cassidy. The sounds of the precinct and the locker room mute instantly. "So talk to me. The rumors about you and Shelby… " She waves that off. "You know this place, it's like fuckin' high school. They still natter about me and Harvard, and he and I haven't EVER had a thing either." The SCOUT captain is a good man, but … no. "If that's the only thing bugging you, your career's safe enough. But it sounds like you've got more going on. What's up? Can I help at all?"

"I dunno.. Stay with him didn't help. And that was wierd and surreal in it's own right." Cassidy shakes her head. "No it's not the only thing. But it is one of the things.. The thing about Coren.." She turns to face the woman and looks deadly serious. "Liz… it was… People who have been married a long time act like he and I did.. And before you as.. No.. nothing happened between us." SHe clears her throat at that thought. "I never had to ask him where anything was… He didn't have to tell me. Everytime he cooked.. It was like we knew what needed to be done.." She looks like she's struggling to explain what she's thinking. "It felt like home.. Since I've moved out.. anytime I've needed to feel comfortable I have this overwhelming desire to run there." She sounds like a woman who doesn't know what to think. She sounds fruzzles, freaked out.. and confused.. "And that's just the Coren thing.. " There is more? Oooh yes.

Both her eyebrows rise slightly, but Elisabeth says quietly, "There are two men in my life right now that I could tell you similar stories about. One of them…. he's been my best friend for years. Since just after the Bomb. And only in the past couple of months has he actually become more than a friend. Before that, though…. it was the most comfortable relationship I'd ever had. We could just sit and watch TV, go to the park and catch a concert, make dinner. Just like you've already described, just…. easy. Good. Since he's become a lover, it's a little more complicated, I guess. Mainly because some of the things that I can blow off in a friend — his constant denigrating of himself, for example — are a lot harder and more annoying to deal with in a lover." She shrugs a bit. "The other one's gay, and I seriously doubt anything'll ever turn to sex there," she smiles. "But it's similar. And I count myself lucky that I have people like that… people who don't even have to know everything about me, they just… resonate with me. Sort of like a symphony, we each have a part to play and it comes out sounding like a harmony."

"I dunno. It's scary. I've been really carefuly to shut feelings away when it comes to my partners." There is a slow shake of her head and a sigh. "I feel blind sided. And this other guy… " She stops herself and grimaces. She hadn't ment to mention that there was another guy. "Let's just say I went from no guy problems to feeling like I got one too many problems." She looks skyward. "I would love to go back to none. Damn I wish I hadn't been outside the precinct that day Mortimer's guy dropped the body off."

With a shrug, Elisabeth says quietly, "That's a good thing. Partners are your partners, they watch your back. And if they're too busy watching your ass, they ain't watching your back. Or their own." She tilts her head. "And this other guy's a problem somehow?"

"God yes.." Cassidy says sounds exasperated, as if the whole situation is almost too much. "It is so very much the type of guy I would go for.. But.." And she shakes her head. "He surprised me with a candle lit dinner. He was so awkward.. and trying hard not to screw up." There is a small quirk of her lip. "He's a nice guy.. attractive…" A lunatic and psycho.. Broke into her house.. has killed people.. Of course, she doesn't mention those. "And just.. I dunno. He wants a relationship and I'm kinda… " She glances at Elisabeth. "Uncertain. Like I said.. I've shut that part of myself away for so so so many years." Not to mention she's suppose to arrest him not date him!

Without the additional facts, all Elisabeth can do is smile faintly. "Take a chance," she advises. "Might get your heart broken again…. but I'll tell you a secret. I took a chance last year. You'll think I'm insane. It was on a petty criminal — thief, grifter-type — that I'd busted … I don't know, a half a dozen times in my career. And in spite of it all, he turned out to be one of the best men I've ever known in my life." She laughs softly. "And one of the best lovers. It wasn't true love, but… I think if he hadn't died, we might have had a long-term thing." She shrugs a little. "And I still woulda arrested him for stealing shit if I'd come across it. And he knew it too. Amused the hell out of him."

Cassidy gives her a funny look as if looking at the woman for the first time. "Is that kinda thing common?" She asks cautiously, her expression neutral. "You didn't worry about what would happen with your career or anything?" She seems extremely interested in that.

Elisabeth scratches her head, pretty much ignoring the comings and goings in the locker room and nodding to the young uniform as she leaves again. The silence bubble keeps her and Cassidy's conversation private. "Can't tell you whether it's common or not, honestly…. but my guess would be that it's not all that UNcommon. Think about it. You spend how many hours a day on the job, and you're either in the company of your partner — and how many times does THAT turn to something more? I mean, even when it's NOT sex, half the partners I know have a more emotionally intimate relationship than they've had with any significant other in a decade. Or you're with criminals. And I guess it depends on what kind of criminal you're talking about too? This guy…. not really a hardcore type, just… sort of fell into that life and had no real ways out, I guess. I dunno. There are all kinds of arguments to be had on that kind of level. I can tell you I never thought I'd be there… and then there I was. And yeah…. I worried about my career." Hell, for more reasons than Conrad — her extracurricular sex was the LEAST of the reasons she'd have wound up in jail. "But I wouldn't trade the time I had with that guy for ANYTHING. Even if I'd wound up busting him."

"I guess.. " Cassidy looks like she's got a debate going on in her head. She still feels right where she was, Liz's words didn't seemed to help her on that front. "Either way… enough about my love life.." She gives a small smile. "What do you have going? I mean wanting to runaway and wait tables.. that's pretty serious."

Liz's expression shifts from thoughtful contemplation, because Cassidy's choice of question did spark her curiosity though she lets attention shift for now, to a grimace. "Sometimes I think I'm not a very good cop," she tells Cassidy quietly. "I mean… got my shield and everything, but… there are a lot of things going on in the system right now that I… don't really agree with and refuse to uphold. Like I won't run in an Evo kid for being an Evo. And I hate running in an Evo for a crime knowing that they might just be one of the ones who vanish into Homeland custody for their power set, regardless of their actual crime." She sounds strained. THat's really the tip of the iceberg with her, but … it's what she can talk about.

Listening to the woman, Cassidy is quiet and thoughtful, nodding now and then. "I've heard Coren talk about Homeland Security like it's this horrible thing. But I haven't asked. I've only been here a month or so.. I'm not all up on some of this stuff. I haven't had Homeland come and take away anyone yet. So I'm a bit curious."

There's a shrug. "Not all of the ones they take go missing — for example, I had a young woman walk in the other day who'd been swept up by Homeland who came by to drop off her Registration papers," Liz admits. "And people whose powers are deemed 'not dangerous' — you know, like us — we don't all go vanishing. But…. I know of at least three cases where someone was picked up and it didn't matter what we picked them up for, if Homeland determined they wanted the perp, they just took them. No explanation, no nothing." She shrugs slightly. "I don't believe in that 'national security' excuse they're always throwing around. Not everything is a matter of national security."

Cassidy frowns slightly as Liz goes on. "Huh… I never knew." And she didn't know. She glances at the floor and hmms softly. "I mean.. I kinda agree with the registration, but that.. THAT is a bit much to me. I mean.. to judge someone before they even know. But… I guess they are doing the whole 'before it happens' thing… but no.. That's bad."

Elisabeth nods a bit. "On some levels, Registration is not a bad thing… if it leads to opportunity. The trouble is Big Brother really is watching. And who gets designated 'able to live in society' and who doens't? I'm concerned that their policies and practices aren't remotely transparent." She looks down. "Thirty-six kids killed themselves on my watch, Cassidy…. they didn't see any other way out. And that is wrong."

"Very good point." There is a sort of blandness to Cassidy's tone. "Seems like everything good, has some sort of horrible catch." She goes silent about the kids, her expression grim. "That is very wrong. Kids should have to feel trapped cause they are kids." She reaches over to resta hand on the otherr woman's arm. "And I'm sorry it had to be on your watch.. or anyones really. I know I had heard about it while in New Orleans." Stuff like that tends to stay on the channels for days on end.

Elisabeth smiles a little. "There's suspicion that someone else was behind it… possibly even manipulating them. But… so far, we've got nothing but suspicion." She sighs. "Anyway… some days just suck more than others, right?" She looks at the other woman. "If you want to tell me about your guy, lady… my ears are yours. I won't judge. Whatever it is."

"I can agree there. Some days suck more then others." Cassidy agrees with a deep sigh, straightening stretching her back a bit. She looks uncertain at the offer. "I just can't. It's weird enough." She shakes her head and gives Elisabeth a lop sided smile. "I'm not ready to share that much.. But I might give it a shot after talking to him. I need a life outside of here." Okay, not the best sort… with the worse person possibly.

Elisabeth laughs at her. "Yeah… boy do I know THAT damn feeling," she agrees. "I used to have friends. I used to have a life. I used to get LAID with relative frequency!" She rolls her eyes. "Don't know what happened to that life I used to have, but it's definitely nonexistant these days."

Cassidy can't help chuckle. "Oh do I ever know what you mean.. Don't even get me started on the last time I even let a guy touch me that way." She gives casual wave of her hand and a shake of her head. "It been way too long. I had six older men watching over my shoulder until I moved here. When you've got that many surrogate dad's watching your every move.. Not to mention after my first partner got killed.. May me not want to be emotionally involved with anyone. "

Elisabeth grimaces. "I'm sorry, Cassidy," she tells the other woman. "I'm half-tempted to tell my Captain I need the next two days off and go tie one on. Totally get shit-faced, pick up whatever guy happens to catch my eye, and spend both days in a hotel." She rolls her eyes.

"If it wasn't for the fact I am a horrible drunk." said around an attmept not to laugh. "I would so say take me with you. But I get too damn happy.. and can't shut up.. I literally say what I'm thinking." It's her turn to give a roll of her eyes. She rests her arms on he legs and rubs her hand together slowly. "It would get me out from under Coren for awhile. He's like… So protective. Like.. Daddy brings a shotgun to meet to boyfriend protective." She quiet for a moment and then shrugs. Glancing at Liz she gives her a smile. "I feel a bit better after talking, thanks."

Tilting her head, Elisabeth asks quietly and in all seriousness, "Do you need a place to go, Cassidy? I let you go with him because he was your partner and you seemed to feel safe, but if it's becoming a problem…. "

Cassidy shakes her head quick and waves it away just as fast. "No.. seriously I feel safest with him.. And I'm back in my apartment now.. but it doesn't have the comfort level as being in his place. It's weird.. but true. just sometimes I feels like I need to get away.. I dunno.. Like Vegas trip." She grins and sighs. "i shouldn't complain so much about him. He's a really great partner, better then I've had in a long time. He's just…. protective."

Shaking her head, Elisabeth smiles at her. "There's a difference between being a protective partner and being an OVERprotective partner. If he's starting to make you feel smothered, either say something to him, or tell me — I'll have a small, discreet little conversation with him, if you want." She smiles a bit. "The girls around here gotta stick together, you know."

"Trust me.. We butt heads about it often." There is another roll of Cassidy's eyes and she chuckles. "I still do what I want too.. It just.. I dunno. Like I said. I can't complain too much. And he's gone through a lot of crap when it comes to women in his life." She pauses and frowns a bit. "Not sure how I know that…" she murmurs a bit and then shakes her head. "I'm hoping once I prove I am very capible of caring for myself he'll settle down."

Elisabeth tilts her head and asks mildly, "Let me ask you something…. you've tested positive on the Evo test, right?"

Cassidy nods a bit and shrugs. "Not that I know anything.. But yeah, I did." She gives her a look. "Why?"

There's a faint grin. "Because I think maybe you're finally starting to figure out what your ability is…. and I'd venture to guess that it's…. some kind of empathy or something. Three times since you sat down to talk to me, you've said things about how you and Coren are just…. totally in synch. And now you're telling me you know some things without knowing how you know." Elisabeth shrugs. "It would make sense — it's not exactly something that's a showy ability either. Do you tend toward a lot of intuitive leaps? Knowoing when people are lying and such?"

Cassidy has this odd little look on her face, her eyes drift from Liz's face slowly to stare out at nothing. "Huh." Is all she says for a moment as she thinks back. "I'll be damned. Didn't think about that. I mean.. I just figured I was good at reading people. I dunno.." She frowns a bit, she suddenly looks uncertain. "Maybe."

Elisabeth shrugs slightly. "I'm no expert at it, but I've had maybe more exposure than most lately to all kinds of abilities. Stick it in the back of your head and see what feels right or wrong. No harm no foul, right?"

Cassidy nods slowly, her expression still thoughtfull. "Right. I keep it in the back of my mind." She suddenly gives a soft chuckle. "You know. My surrogate dads.. they were a tight knit group that my dad use to hang out with. I heard them called Lucky Larry, once. When I asked why they called him that.. They said that he always seemed to know stuff. Saved his life often, except on that traffic stop he got shot on."

Considering that information, Elisabeth says softly, "Well… maybe he had the same kind of thing. Mild empathy or just some kind of danger instinct or …. you know?"

Nodding, Cassidy gives a mild, non-commital. "Maybe. Definitely something for me to think about." she suddenly slaps her hands on her knees. "I better gat back, I'm sure he's gonna start wondering if I snuck off to Staten Island or something. Call up the SWAT to hunt me down." She teases lightly. She leans over to bump her shoulder against Liz's "Thanks for the talk and the cone of silence." with a grin.

Elisabeth snickers. "Christ… get to it, woman." And she grins, bumping back. "Anytime. I'm actually about to hit the streets for a while. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

Climbing to her feet and straightening her coat, Cassidy nod. "Yup, I'll see you around the place." She starts to walk away and turns back with one of those looks like a girl with a mischievious plan. "Should hit a club or bar some time.. Get drunk and rate guys asses, sometime." She gives a wink and a wave. "See you arond Harrison."

Elisabeth gives Cassidy the thumbs-up. "Name a night, I'll tell Harvard I won't be here the next day..


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