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Scene Title | Missing Purpose. If Found Please Call… |
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Synopsis | Niki stumbles onto Eve. Eve offers Niki a bit of advice. |
Date | June 15, 2009 |
It's the early afternoon. No sound escapes the area of the ruins, wind blows softly and ruffles a few loose pieces of paper in the damaged streets. The sun bears down on the city and there are few clouds in sight. Though that doesn't make the Ruins of Midtown look any less.. desolate and deserted.
Among the rubble and wreckage sits a woman, whose long midnight black hair falls to the small of her back. Her light grey eyes scan the sky as she hums softly to herself. The woman is wearing a long, flowing black skirt along with a black tank top and a pair of black boots.
Eve's leaning back, her hands back to support her as she looks at the sky. The singer hums a light tune that matches the weather.
It's been merely days since Niki has returned to 'civilization', from the mess that is Staten Island to the city. Well, to Abby's place at least. She has only contacted a couple of others, to let them know she's back but that doesn't mean she's back. Her conversation with Liz yesterday flashes back in her mind when she woke up this morning. I don't want to get involved. I've done my share. It has cost me everything. I just want to find my way, my path and live for myself for a change. There's nothing wrong with that.
She determined that she was going to go to the 'site'. A place that forever changed her life. She hasn't, however, decided if that visit was going to be place to memorialize, or a place to curse.
She slowly walks towards the nearly deserted area, stopping only when she heards the voice humming, stopping as her feet scrape along the ground as she lifts her hand over her eyes, pulling back the hair that blows across her forehead, perhaps trying to see who might be there.
Eve's voice is soon heard. Singing of a sunny day but the fact that the dark days are not over. She sways slightly in time with her song and when she finishes she senses eyes upon her. "Whose there?" her soft voice calls out.
Stepping closer to get a better look at the other woman, it takes a moment before things start to click within Niki's brain. She's wearing jeans with a white t-shirt, and a button up shirt over the top. That button up shirt is not buttoned at all, and the wind blows it freely around her until she hugs her arms across her chest. "Eve?"
Another familiar face.
"Haven't seen you in awhile Niki." Eve's voice echoes to the blonde woman. Her skirt flies in the wind as well. "Everything going well?" Eve tilts her head towards Niki, she's been worried about the woman. One of her friends, but it's complicated because she was first friends with Jesscia.
Moving closer, Niki sits down next to her and offers a wry smirk. "Things are coming along." she says simply. There's no mention of the future, or her time on Staten or her near brush with splitting away from her other personalities. "How have you been?"
"Same old, same old. Singing and dreaming. Dreaming and singing." Eve says with a soft chuckle and she smiles softly towards Niki. "Everything going well with the other you?" She tilts her head up towards the sky. "It's such a nice day.." she comments softly as she looks around. "Too bad, it's all gonna come crashing down." She shakes her head.
If Niki was one bit interested in that last comment, she doesn't acknowledge it. In fact, she has already been given a good deal of information by a few others. She doesn't ask, or even encourage the discussion on that to continue. She's almost tempted to ask 'Which one?' in reference to her otherself, but few know about Gina, so she figures Jessica is the one in question. "Antsy, but otherwise doing okay. She wants to come out and play, but we've come to an agreement of sorts. And she agrees with you, it /is/ a nice day."
"That's good news." Eve grins at Niki and /Jessica/. "No more killing I would expect? At least not often?" the woman's eyes twinkle in the sunlight, the idea that Niki could be the person to help her strikes her and her gaze focused. "It's good to see you in control." She offers and then looks down at the ruins around them. "I think I may need your help Niki."
"My help? Or Jessica's help?" is the simple response.
"To start with, yours and if things go the way I think they will. Jessica will be needed later." The seer looks at the woman with super strength. "Have you ever heard of the Vanguard?"
Niki gives a small confused look. "Abby or Liz mentioned something about them. I don't recall who. Other than that, I don't know anything. Why?"
"The Vanguard was a faction of people some Evolved and some not who wanted all the Evolved erased from the surface of the planet." Eve begins and runs a hand through her long and thick hair. "Think of Humanis First, but /way/ worst. They almost completed their goal. But Phoenix and a few others stepped in to stop them."
"Now? they may be back."
This is sorta starting to sound like she's being asked to get involved. Yes, she has a mantra. I'm not getting involved. I'm not getting involved. She chants it before bed and each morning before she wakes up. Of course, none of this is spoken aloud when the situation is presented to her.
"What is it you think I.. we can do?" Niki asks finally.
"I trust you. /Both/ of you." Eve says with a small smile. "I've had a dream that's pointed towards the Vanguard causing more damage in the city and perhaps the world later. I would need you to help me to convince people that the threat isn't over." Her hands curl into fist and she focuses her hardened stare at a old car across the way.
"Round people up and decide what to do about this. Because if nothing is done.. then we might all regret it." The woman sighs and shakes her head. "They've done so much wrong.. and I can't .. I can't let it happen again. The deaths.. the pain." Eve looks to Niki. "I have a few people I plan on contacting, you would be an obvious choice to help out. Once for your ability, but two. You're smart and I need someone like you with me on this." Light grey eyes lock onto Niki's face, trying to read her expression. "Is this all too much?"
If it were Jessica she were talking to, perhaps that face would be harder to read, but with Niki the conflict is evident on her face as she looks straight ahead. Blue eyes to not meet grey eyes in this instance. "I lost so much already." There's a quiet pause as she pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around her legs, hugging her legs to her chest. "I don't think I have anything left to give, Eve." Her husband. Her son. Her life. She may have her life, but it's no longer the life she wanted.
The dark haired woman scoots over closer to Niki but not to close as to make the other woman uncomfortable. "I understand.." she looks down. "We've all lost something, you more than others." The woman says and looks towards Niki. "I'm not going to pressure you, you're my friend and I don't want to drag you into something that you don't want to be apart of but this issue concerns all the Evolved."
"Maybe you need to find a purpose Niki.. something that can help you move along, ya know?"
Niki doesn't move, nor does she feel uncomfortable. In fact, her mind is rather far from this place at the moment. She can hear the words that Eve speaks playing over the images that are going through her mind. She would not be the first person to suggest that Niki needs a purpose. She probably does. But what purpose would that be?
When she finally speaks, "If I only knew what that could possibly be." Perhaps purpose will have to find her instead.
"You don't just find your purpose, it just.. comes to you. You might have to try a few different things but the worst thing to do is to mope around and not do anything at all." Eve says gently. "It sucks not knowing where your life is going but sometimes you have just a little gleam of hope.. then /maybe/ everything will turn out alright. Maybe you'll find your purpose tomorrow.. maybe next week. But don't give up on it. Not at all."
Finally her head turns and looks at Eve, eye to eye, as she offers a half smile. "I'm sure you're right." She pushes herself up to her feet, dusting off the rump of her jeans with her hands. "I thought maybe since this was the place that I lost the most.. if I come here, I could find something. You know?" She glances down to her friend. "Sorry, I'm not much help. I should be getting back before Abby worries. Take care, Eve." With that, Niki turns and begins to walk off, back from where she came.
"It's fine Niki. Truly believe me." Eve smiles at the other woman and she gets up herself. "Be safe out there Niki and I'll see you soon." She calls to the woman and then begins to walk away as well. Her boots clicking on the ground. "Come see me at the Orchid Lounge sometimes." She offers and with that the seer has disappeared into the ruins, deeper, away from people. Away from everything.