Just Tell Me If He's Here

Participants:

audrey_icon.gif felix4_icon.gif ziadie_icon.gif

Scene Title Just Tell Me If He's Here
Synopsis Ziadie brings all the most interesting people to Felix's doorstep.
Date February 2, 2011

Hamilton Heights: Felix's Apartment


He's not dozing, now. Fel's had dinner, and retired to his room. He's not a very social animal, really. Kind enough, in his way, but very quiet. He's lying on his bed, reading, slowly - some old piece of Twain's, by the look of it.

This leaves Ziadie alone in the living room to deal with being miserable from the effects of alcohol withdrawal, more or less, and he's just as happy that way. Yesterday's conversation about whether or not he was going to be fit to do any sort of work was more than enough for the older man, and he's sitting on the couch, with a book off to one side and some of the endless pile of pension paperwork that he hasn't gotten around to finishing yet, and a cup of tea in his hands.

A series of knocks, very official like, less that oh so casual rap of knuckles on the door announces that there's someone at the door. That someone is Audrey Hanson, jeans, boots, sweater, shirt, jacket and scarf. Two thin leashes wrapped around her hand and two french boxers dancing about her feet in the hall as she waits for Felix to answer.

He scuffs to the door in slippers. Leather ones, but still…slippers. A dart of his eye at the peephole, and then he opens the door. "Agent Hanson," he says, pleasantly enough. "Good evening."

Ziadie raises an eyebrow, watching Felix get the door. The older man hasn't gotten up, but he does set the tea down carefully, neaten the paperwork, using a piece of it as a bookmark as well. The tea is picked up again, a last sip so that Ziadie holds an empty cup. Much easier if he does have to get up.

Yip yip yip.

Felix and Cooper are now rushing for the speedster's feet, eager to sniff and smell the man. "Felix. I'm looking for a Ziadie Nocturne?" There's a federal agent at the door for the houseguest. At least she doesn't seem to be here officially. "Rumor down at the precincts was that I could find him here? I need to talk with him." No smile from the blonde, but then, Felix knows her and how rare that smile tends to be.

"I'm glad to see you, but what's this about?" Fel's tone is blunt, even if his expression is bemused, as he peers down at the dogs. He doesn't admit to Ziadie being here. Funny of him to be cagey.

The older man doesn't get up from the couch yet, listening to the exchange between the two. Ziadie'll defer to Felix's judgment on this, not that he has any particular objection one way or the other to federal agents, but. His fingers drum on his leg, silent but for the occasional rasp of breath.

"Apparently, Mr. Ziadie knows, even if I don't. Listen, Felix, I'm not here officially, If I was, I'd be losing my job. I'm so paranoid I'm walking my dogs just so I don't look like I'm dropping over here for a…. booty call." Audrey glances up to the gaunt man. "Just tell me if he's here or not."

That makes Fel chuckle, a dry, rasping sound. But he steps aside to let her in, ushering her past with an elaborate bow.

This last exchange gets Ziadie to speak up. "Ivanov, I'm over in th' living room," he says. Audrey might remember having met Ziadie before, from the voice and the inflection. There's a pause, and an audible sigh. "An' whatever it is, I doubt I know."

"You realize you have a living lie detector in your living room right?" Audrey comments in passing to Felix, recognition flaring at the sight of the man. That's right, him. She'd forgotten. Audrey lets the dogs go, off the leashes and they scatter to the winds to go smell. She's not afraid of them peeing on carpets or anything, they've been trained. They're Audrey's dogs. One would be surprised they could even pee without her permission.

"Mr. Ziadie, does the name Gaston mean anything to you?"

Fel doesn't seem to mind the dogs - he favors them only with a glance, mostly being occupied in observing Audrey and Ziadie with open curiosity.

"You'll forgive me for looking like hell, Ms. Hanson?" Ziadie calls out. He's cleaned up and looks better than the first time Audrey met him, either way. "And perhaps for not getting up?" The older man really doesn't want to get up at the moment, which Felix should be aware of if nothing else.

Ziadie's cleared the parts of the couch that his paperwork was scattered over, by now, and is rubbing his eyes with a hand. The older man is in dark flannel pants and a white t-shirt that leaves the bandage on his left arm too visible for his comfort. There's a glance to Felix, raised eyebrows in question. "Unfortunately, not." A pause. Ziadie speaks slowly, as if slowing down his words will make them slur less, make him appear more in command of himself. "And yes, he knows what my ability is. Which means the both of you should know that I cannot lie comfortably." Felix probably picked up on that already, what with Ziadie's habit of ducking questions truthfully.

Guy doesn't know someone named Gaston. Audrey glances balefully to Felix, crossing her arms as she then proceed to quite literally look around the livingroom and move to a window, close any curtains.

"I got a call, twice now, only this time, the guy called himself Gaston. He told me that I needed to come and talk with you. That you would have what I needed."

Didn't say what Ziadie would have. "A man by the name of Aric Gibbs disappeared. He was being interviewed by a friend of mine in the DoEA with regards to an incident involving a switching or granting of abilities. DHS supposedly picked him up on a warrant that doesn't exist and he was shoved into a coffin like object that was in the back of a van and summarily disappeared with."

Audrey stays near the window, leaning against it, this way she can keep both in her view. A position that both are familiar with.

The Russian's nostrils flare, as if he were literally the wolfhound he so often resembles. But he doesn't comment, other than to ask Audrey and Ziadie if either of them want something to drink.

Ziadie's glance goes to Felix once again, and he nods, letting the younger man take the teacup, with a specification for tea with caffeine in it, despite the late hour. The former cop leans back on the couch, some, trying to make himself comfortable again. "You coming here is the first I ever heard of this Gaston," Ziadie says, frowning more and more as Audrey speaks.

"And the first I ever heard of Aric Gibbs, either. You have to understand, Ms. Hanson, I don' know that many people." There's a pause. "I could prolly count the people I know on my hands twice over, if that many." Still, it's quite obvious that Ziadie doesn't like what he hears. Any of it. There's a long sigh, tension evident in the older man's posture despite efforts to be comfortable, and Ziadie seems to choose his words very carefully. "You pissed someone off, hm? Looking into things as don't exist 'll do that."

"For a friend. It leads down a very big rabbit hole. The individual told me that I would need you, that I needed to talk to you and it would be apparent when I did. I asked him what I was supposed to look for and he told me to put the pieces together and figure it out for myself. Not in so many words, you'd have to add a few more not so indirect innuendo's and jokes about deepthroat. Have you come across anything strange of late Mr. Ziadie? If you haven't seen a Mr. Gibbs or heard of him, have you .. seen… maybe a white van with a coffin? Know of anyone who was taken in a very strange manner by individuals who may or may not have flashed DHS badges but no warrants?"

She looks to Felix. "You?"

They may not want tea. Felix does. Because tea makes everything better. "Haven't heard," he says. "But I've had my head under a rock this while."

Ziadie still frowns, reaching with his good arm to rub his temples. "Audrey, was it?" The former cop looks up at the woman. "Take a few breaths while you talk, would you?" Ziadie's at least managing to keep a level face, despite the frown. "There are a few other things as lead down a big rabbit hole at the moment."

Before Felix is out of sight, Ziadie gives him a look that clear as day is asking whether or not Audrey is to be trusted. "I am going to assume that what is needed is my … ability." This makes the frown bigger, if anything. The older man doesn't sound exactly comfortable with his ability, really.

Truth replaced by lies.

That makes sense. Audrey ponders, frown lines deepening across her pale freckled forehead even as the darker colored dog makes it's way back to her, whining at her feet causing her to pick him up, a murmur of 'Be good Felix" to the small beast. "That makes sense. How does it work?" You're about to get drafted Mr. Ziadie.

It takes him a moment to parse it. "Did…did you just call the dog Felix?" he wonders, sticking his head out from the kitchen to peer at the little beast. Ziadie gets a fractional nod. Audrey counts as good people.

Another sigh, but Ziadie nods in acknowledgement to Felix. The former cop is still dubious, though. It's written all over his face. "It just does," Ziadie says. "I hear the difference." He pauses. "You'll understand if I'm not too quick to say more, yes?" The same ability that poses an advantage is also a weakness. "I'm not terrible quick to put myself in situations I have to use it for too long." Yet another long pause as Ziadie chooses his next words. "I been looking at a few things as don't exist, myself. Robots that hunt the evolved, in Midtown. And it makes all cloak and dagger suspicion seem warranted."

That is a very innocent look on Audrey's face as she's holding the black and white french bulldog to her chest. "Yes…" Looking to Felix as he's peeping round the corner. "Cooper should be around here somewhere, probably off to find a towel to hump" Because that's what she' discovered that Cooper the canine likes to do. Samantha Joneses Terrier look out.

But wait a minute, Ziadie's tossing up something that she's not heard before. And the whip of her face back to him shows that he has her full attention. "Pardon me? Expound… if you would"

"…..why did you name your dog Felix?" And it's not even a sighthound. It's a little bug-eyed thing. Not that Fel is insulted. He's silent again, though, beyond that question.

There's a half of a chuckle on Ziadie's face. Obviously the fact that the woman named her dog after Ivanov amuses him on some level. But the older man is also playing at answering as little as he possibly can, and so he expounds on the first thing he said, rather than the second, despite that he knows exactly what she asked. "Ms. Hanson," he says, "I can't turn my ability on, or off, and there are some consequences of using it now that are far worse than they were when I was a younger man."

Ziadie's watching Felix, in this, still obviously not sure how much he should or shouldn't say, and looking to the younger man for guidance.

"I'm not talking about your ability, I'm talking about Robots in midtown… hunting evolveds. Expound please." Felix is shot a look. "Because we're goddamned dogs Felix. The lot of us Cops and law enforcement. Canines. Because he seems so sad all the time and eager for a pat on the head. Cooper could care less but Felix here just likes to curl up beside me and watch football. I named him that in a good way."

Felix just snorts. But he's clearly amused. His face isn't giving anything away, though, to Ziadie's look.

Ziadie's thoughtful, for a moment, and simply raises an eyebrow. "What I know is that I saw one," he says. "It spewed yellow slime I later found out was negation gas, and had machine guns, and I'm lucky enough I got away alive." Ziadie stretches both arms, the good one and the bad one. "And that's all I know." Another pause. "And dislocated my shoulder while I was at encountering it." There's a bit of a wince, but he did just stretch his injured shoulder. Omitted some details at the same time. Ziadie gives Felix another look, a disgruntled and grumpy one, meant to hide the small but potentially telltale wince before. It's the same slight wince that Felix has seen when Ziadie ducked other questions, in the past.

"Hey Speedy, feel like going on a walk with me tomorrow night?" Audrey turns towards the kitchen once Ziadie's laid it all out for the DHS agent. "After curfew of course."

"Sure," Fel says, utterly without hesitation.

Ziadie glares. At both of them. Apparently he thinks the idea is utterly stupid. "Take a large caliber weapon, a rifle. Or two," Ziadie says. "If you two are going to insist on going." He pauses. "Better yet, actually. Don't go." He's being gruff, but it's his way of hiding the fact that he cares.

"Pretty sure speedy there can keep out of range of whatever it is. Never seen anyone with more lives than him. I'm not evolved, but I need to see this for myself," Audrey lets the canine Felix down. "We both have badges that will allow us to be out after curfew and I have a very valid reason to be." Which Felix might guess at but she won't say in front of Ziadie due to security clearances.

"I don't know. I've used up quite a few of my own," opines Felix, wandering back in, cup of tea in hand.

Ziadie gives Felix a hard stare, and turns it to Audrey, getting to his feet. "Don't go," Ziadie says. He turns to Felix. "At least wait until I've talked to Richard about these things some more. Don't go tomorrow night. Wait a bit longer." The older cop isn't taking no for an answer at this point. "I'm not convinced that these things won't follow something out of Midtown, if they happen to track it." His words are slow and deliberate. "Whether or not Ivanov can stay out of harm's way, just don't fucking go. Not yet."

"We'll just talk," Fel reassures Ziadie, with that 'it's totally okay dad other kids are doing it' tone in his voice.


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