Participants:
| Scene Title | Midmorning Meeting Of The Minds |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Sitting outside the library, four women chance to meet and talk. |
| Date | Oct 6, 2009 |
New York Public Library
It's funny…. there are blocks and blocks of space in Midtown that are no longer used, barricaded off. But there are plenty of ways around the barricades and the people manning them are no longer nearly as vigilant as they used to be. People keep slipping in and out constantly to use the area as a meeting place or a shortcut. One lone blonde cop shouldn't cause too much stir out here, especially as she's become a familiar sight to those living inside the public library. At the moment, Elisabeth is perched up behind the famous lions on the steps leading into the main entrance of the library, out of sight of those who might casually pass by but perfectly visible to those to anyone coming from inside. She's slouched down with her feet propped up about shoulder-width apart, arms resting on her knees with her head tipped back. Just…. thinking. Or something.
That isn't the only blonde in the area, course this one isn't a cop.. no the opposite… this blonde is a terrorist. One haircolor, two sides of the spectrum. Plastic bag swinging in one hand, Claire is making her way up the stairs after having dodged the barricades herself. Her expression is thoughtful and a touch irritated. She stops at the top of the stairs, her boots crunching slightly on little bits of debris still laying about. There is a soft sigh as she considers if she wants to go in or not.. Mack might be in there and she's rather not deal with that one right now.
Finally, the ex-cheerleader decides to maybe come back later and starts to turn only to find Elisabeth there. Freezing, she considers continuing on… but then greets the woman softly, "Hey."
Abigail's coming out of one of the doorways, messenger bag over shoulder and a fairly neutral expression on her face. Too much to do, at least no class this evening. Just needing pick up something she left and get back to St. Johns and Deckard. Blondes populate the stairs though and the former one stops behind them. "Hey. You guys going in?"
She watched Claire head toward the doors, making no effort to expose her presence. It's only as the young woman turns that Elisabeth simply nods to Claire. She looks…. not as exhausted as she feels, honestly. The one thing Hokuto's intervention did was give her way to sleep. But the stress of the past days is taking a toll anyway — she looks weary. "Hey," she greets both women as Abigail joins. She hadn't expected to see Abby. "What're you two up to?"
A glance at Abigail and Claire gives a small nod, "Yeah, I was just getting home…" She lifts the bag a bit, before slinging it across her shoulder, letting it hang there from her fingers. ".. from shopping." She glances between both and gives them a small smile. "Thought I'd get cleaned up before going out to see if I could catch Magnes at home."
"Gettign some books, picking up something I left in the infirmary. I have to get back to St. Johns. Deckards healed himself into a four days and counting sleep-a-thon" Abby answers. "Had to pick up mail and some fresh clothes for him, myself. Check on the bar"Abigail glances towards liz. "How are you doing Liz?" Though there's a grin offered to the regenerator. She comes down the steps enough to sit level with Liz.
The response from Elisabeth is … muted. "Not as well as I'd like," she admits mildly. "Sleeping is…. okay. Not great." Not since watching Cat blow Doug's head off. That's an image she wishes she could forget. "I came down to tell Cardinal in person…. there's a warrant out for Danko." She looks between the other two women. "We got him. He fucked up royally." She doesn't move from her slouched position, her voice doesn't get excited. If anything, she seems just tired. Perhaps discouraged. "I'm sorry Deckard's in bad shape. Would you…." She hesitates. "Would tell him when he wakes…. thank you?" She looks at Abby. "He helped Felix."
"Decakrds in bad shape because he doesn't take care of himself or let anyone help him take care of himself. I've been taking the opportunity since he's unconscious to keep feeding him soup with protein powder in it. He'll be fattened up a bit by the time he wakes, when he does. But I'll pass it along. Was a surprise to hear Felix on the phone telling me Teo said to get down to the cathedr-" Abby cuts off with a frown. "I'll be right back, I forgot something else inside" She drops a kiss to Liz's temple, a squeeze of the woman's shoulder. "You need rest cop lady. Before i'm spoon feeding you too"
Moving quietly, while the other two are talking, Claire leans against the lion with a small frown. "Well, that's something. I mean the warrant. Show those bastards they can't just waltz around like that." There is a bit of an uneasy smile at the mention of Deckard, though she doesn't have much to say about the subject, since she doesn't know much going on.
She won't be intimidated into abandoning her favorite method of travel. Demonstrating the absence of fear is very much Maria's thing.
But that doesn't mean she hasn't started taking precautions. The diminutive Persian-Hispanic woman flies higher these days when she moves about the city and stays alert for guns on the ground which might be aimed at her so she can quickly go supersonic and escape. She also carries binoculars for this purpose.
And she's still angry after having to jump out her bedroom window at 23:15 yesterday when whatever the hell caused that fire happened. There's some smoke issues in her apartment (502). A backpack and messenger bag are on her back, holding a few belongings and some smoky clothes as she goes seeking a hotel which won't cost her an arm and a leg to stay in for a few days.
So it is she crosses the ruins of Midtown, taking the most direct route, and scans the ground a few hundred feet below. Something near the lions outside the Library makes her stop and study them. Is that Elisabeth down there?
Shoving a hand through her hair, Elisabeth allows the affection that Abby offers. Actually, in point of fact, she seems to soak it up with a faint smile of gratitude. Watching the ex-healer slip back into the library, Liz then turns her eyes to Claire. "It's something," she replies. "Not sure it's going to amount to much, but you can bet on the fact that I'm going after that bastard with everything I've got now. Both legal and illegal." Her blue eyes are shuttered, not quite empty but carefully blank.
"I don't blame you there and hope you get him." Claire smiles a bit more, glancing off to the side. "Just don't tell Cardinal I said that." The smile slides away some as she studies the other blonde. "I — ah — can I ask something?" Her eyes narrow a bit and she looks off with a sigh. "And I know it's going to get eyes rolled at me. But Magnes…" She pauses long enough to watch the womans reaction. "… I saw him the other day and he was ready to give everything up. I know he's not the most…. competent person in the world, but I know he's trying." She licks her lips and bites her lip. "Is… there anyone.. someone could give him some sort of advice.. or something." Her head hangs some. "It's hard feeling at times like I'm the only one trying to keep his hope up.. and constantly being looked at like I'm an idiot for even liking him."
It's her. And she's apparently talking to someone. There's no evidence of a hostile presence in the area, she doesn't see the detective with her weapon out and she's not trying to handcuff the shorter woman with her. Those facts being established, or at least believed, Maria makes a decision.
She descends from above, slowing to a walking pace in her landing when she gets to within twenty feet above. Feet will touch ground some distance from them sufficient to draw attention without causing alarm. They'll see her land.
"Elisabeth," she begins, "I'm glad you're okay. I had to jump out my window." Her expression? Far from happy.
There's a soft laugh from Elisabeth. "He ….. tries really hard, Claire. He came to see me once before and I offered him my help. He has my number if he wants to talk to me." She hesitates and says quietly, "I'd prefer you keep my involvement with this particular crowd on the down-low, as you can imagine. Richard's not the most tactful sort, either — so if you're talking to him, you should steel yourself for honesty with not much finesse." Her tone is laced with clear affection for the thief. "Magnes's problem is very like mine has been…. he knows too much about what's going on out here and not enough to really do anything to help. And unlike me…. he also doesn't know when to keep his damn mouth shut or when to listen to people who've been doing it longer." She sighs and looks over the facade of the library — no one ever freakin' looks UP for eavesdroppers. "Tell him…. " She bites her lip. "Tell him the first decision he has to make is which side of the line to stand on. Maybe it hypocritical of me… straddling the line as I do… but Magnes isn't as adept at walking that fine a line. He doesn't have enough tact or common sense yet to know when to trust and when not to." Not that Liz is perfect. "If he wants to talk pros and cons… if he wants to talk at all… tell him to come talk to me," she finally says.
Only then are her eyes drawn upward by a shadow, instinct making her reach beneath her arm for the pistol holstered there. But the weapon never clears the sheathe before she's releasing it. A frown pulls her brows together, and Liz shoves herself to a standing position to walk out there — away from the doorway of the library and any stray sounds that might make themselves apparent from inside. "I'm glad to see you're in one piece," she tells Maria. Though there's wariness and caution in her eyes now. This is not a place she expected to see the woman.
"Only thing he knows about me is that I help Cardinal. I haven't mentioned anyone else in all this.. He doesn't even know where I live. I just know I've been where he is." Claire looks down at her feet thoughtful, letting the bag slide off her shoulder and drop to the ground next to her, before she starts to move to sit as well.. Though the arrival of another makes the cheerleader freeze and she looks up as well, she moves away from the Library as well, a curious look on her face.
Zoom zoom, out of the library Abby emerges again, flipping her keys in her hands back and forth around and around as if it was a gun and doing some tricks with it. She's getting used to have actual car keys now instead of the scooter keys. Po' Lazarus. Hauled to a scrapyard and given last rites that Abby could give her beloved scooter. Vehicular manslaughter of a different kind.
She's tromping down the stairs when she stops at the sight of Maria there, plain as day and Liz making the move for her weapon but not actually drawing it. "Heeeeeeeey" The ey part dying off as she waits for some indication of whether this is good or bad.
"I'm on the fifth floor," Maria relates, "above the fire. Got some smoke issues, though, so I'm looking for hotels to cover the next day or two." Her features twist into a semblance of anger as she asks "What the hell was that, anyway? Shots fired and an incendiary device, some of the neighbors grousing about Tracy Strauss?"
The woman who arrived from above, in her late twenties and of olive complexion with her height comparable to Claire's, acknowledges the two who aren't Elisabeth with nods.
Claire nods to the woman in return, before letting her eyes slide to Liz and then back at the arrival of Abby. Oops. Glancing back at the mention of bombs and such, her eyes move to Elisabeth. "Your place okay?" She asks curiously.
Elisabeth doesn't reach out to shake Maria's hand this time, keeping her hands visible and away from the holster she knows the ex-navy officer must have seen. "Humanis First took a potshot at her, essentially," she replies. "Considering the situation, I highly recommend you keep a lower profile for a while, Maria." She also doesn't introduce her companions. It's bad enough Maria's seen what appears to be a clandestine meeting and Abby coming out of the library. "Those bastards are out to make examples of anyone they can reasonably get their hands on and a bunch of people they shouldn't be able to get hold of. They've tried to burn people in effigy, they've fired on crowds of people, and now they've attempted to firebomb a high-profile Evo. Smart money's on laying low. I was actually warning these guys… they do relief work with some of the homeless in the city, especially the Evos." It's not technically a lie, even. "Things out here are nuts. If you're going to ignore my advice on laying low, then at least wear a damn vest, all right? Or they could make like the Lost Boys shooting down the goddamn Wendy bird next."
Elisabeth glances toward Claire offers a brief nod to that last. "Smoke damage to everything, but it's salvagable."
Abigail doens't say anythign really, save for a nod when Liz mentions that she's just giving her and Claire warning. That's right, juuuust checking on the homeless, that's all. "I'll talk to you later liz. Ma'am, it was nice to meet you" Even though she hadn't really. "Claire" She gives a wave to the younger blonde. "drop by whenver you like" Offered to the regenerator before, with another drop of a kiss to Liz's temple again the red head is taking off at a jog towards the outer limits of the ruins and to her SUV.
There's a brisk nod, and a calm enough reply. "I'm not afraid. I still fly, and I won't stop. Difference is now I stay armed and carry these," Maria lifts the binoculars, "to keep watch under me. If I see guns, I'm faster than they are." Unafraid, as stated, doesn't mean reckless.
"Glad to see you're okay. Thought about calling, but you were probably busy with all that, and I just happened to see you, so…"
"Anyway, you're working, so I'll just take off. See you at the Nite Owl soon, maybe." The redhead who jogged off toward the edge of these ruins and the blonde she called Claire don't seem to occupy much of her attention, and Maria doesn't seem one to linger. She just rises into the air at a running pace and when she's about fifty feet above them she goes into rapid acceleration. Subsonic, but definitely fast enough to make it very hard for anyone trying to aim a weapon at her.
It seems when Maria Delgado says she's taking off, she means it literally.
Elisabeth smiles at Maria. "I'd like that," she tells the brunette. "You have my cell, gimme a call. I'll meet you later in the week," she replies. And once Maria's off the ground, Liz looks at Claire and grimaces. "And here I tell you that freakin' Magnes doesn't have the sense God gave a goat sometimes, and we get spotted from the air outside the damn library." She sighs. "Richard's gonna shit a brick," she groans, her lips twisting into an annoyed moue.
"Wow." Claire murmurs as the woman takes off, she glances sideways are Elisabeth. There is a grimace at the mention of Cardinal and the Library. "Yeeeah.. Great. Watch he gives him extra time with Mack." She sounds less then trilled about it as she moves to take up her bag again. Giving Liz a flat look she sighs. "I'm not telling him.. Cause I'm not risking more Mack time." She flips the bag to rest over the shoulder again. "Now I…." she glances at the sky, "Am going to go get ready to go see Magnes. Thanks… by the way." Claire glances down and smiles a bit. " This is tough… trying to keep him motivated. He's in the rookie stage.. not just as a cop. "
Elisabeth shrugs a little bit and then grins. "Mack is tough…. and he doesn't pull his punches, either physically or verbally. But he's goddamn good at staying alive, Claire. And you'll be better for knowing what he can teach you. I sure as hell am." She turns and walks out of the ruins with Claire. "C'mon. I got shit to do, I'll call Richard later about the warrant. Not like it'll affect him one way or the other. Tell your rookie to come talk to me," she says, shaking her head. "I'll…. Christ, I dunno why, but I'll give it one more shot to help him out." She shoves her hands into her pockets as they go, warily watching EVERYTHING now, even up.