Participants:
| Scene Title | Re-Connect |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Helena has business with Abigail at Old Lucy's and they spend the rest of the night after that, before curfew, re-connecting with each other. Helena prefers this Abby to the Future Abby. |
| Date | May 21, 2009 |
Old Lucy's has a vibrant and lively feel to it, from the dark wooden floors to the shady crimson walls lit up by neon lights and many times, the flashing of cameras from the oft-crowded floor. The mirror behind the bar reflects prices of various drinks, bottles lined up, as well as the entire saloon as seen from the bartenders; bolted-down stools line the other side, and there are loose tables and chairs placed all around, though many times they find themselves pushed back for more space within the center of the saloon. A few speakers are placed at strategic places and around a raised stage to the far corner from the bar. Above the counter, an obviously well-used bar is hung; it is this that the girls working will use should there be dancing, which is one reason many patrons choose to come aside from the drinks. Across the bar and near the back, there is a door that leads to the owner's office and just inside a stairwell that leads a apartment on the floor above the bar.
Slipping out in public requires certain precautions for Helena, though not near as many as she had to take while in the future - the cost of fame. Today it's just an issue of keeping things toned down. Tonight, she's just a girl in jeans and a tanktop, a trucker's cap declaring Keep On The Grass pushed down on her head. She walks into Old Lucy's and doesn't make a show of pulling up a stool at the bar, though that is what she does.
ar closes early. Darned curfew. And thanks to Felix and Leland and Cardinal, there's a distracted Abigail at the bar, fucking up drink after drink. Well not every drink, but she's screwing up a good chunk of them. So when Helena pulls up a seat, Abigail doens't notice right away. Just a polite and southern "Can I see your ID please" Leaning down to peer under the cap. But when her own blue eyes meet Helena and her blonde hair and blue eyes.. well. "In the back! quick!"
Helena seems surprised at the urgency, but she slides off the stool easy enough and heads to the back with nary a word to say. Once they're back there, she lifts the brim of her hat a bit, and offers the blo - no, the redhead - a smile. "Hey." she says softly. "You look good, Abby."
No touch rule, out the window. Moment the door is closed, Abigails crushing her arms around the woman in a hug. "Oh sweet blessed holy Jesus. Dear lord in heaven I am so grateful!" Helena just might get squeezed to death.
"Hi Abby!" Helena wheezes, laughing, and hugs right back, though after a moment, "Abby? Breathing…becoming…an issue…!"
"I can fix your ribs if it does!" But the Healer relents. "Oh sweet sweet lord you're here, do you need healing? Does anyone else need healing? no ones told me much of anything and I have the apartment ready for Al to come home" She takes a few steps back, looking her over.
Helena admits a little ruefully, "I did come for business, but I want to talk to you about it, first. And to be honest, I'm happy to play catch-up first and tell you what I can, the visit is as much for the pleasure of seeing you, okay?" She studies Abby thoughtfully for a moment - and is much happier with the woman as she is now, though she can't say anything. "It's really good to see you, Abby."
"Business only. There's nothing to play catch up on my end of things. You want anything to drink. I might be able to sneak you a red stripe. ice cold still the fridge" Abigail pulls over a couple seats, one for her and one for Helena with a big goofy grin on her face. The sight of the atmokinetic wiping away the anxiety from earlier, if only temporarily.
"That would be awesome." Helena says, and then considers. "Alexander…" she trails a moment. "He may be a lot different the next time you see him, Abby. I think he's decided to have a change of identity, and I know you understand why I can't go into the particulars of that."
Abigail nods. "I'm surprised you didn't. I'm sure Sonny would have offered to fix everyone. He offered to do it for me to let me hide from the public for a bit but I turned him down. just a sec" Abigail darts out to the front, door closing softly behind her before she returns with an ice cold beer in hand for the other blonde. "Breaking the law, just for you" She's got her own drink, something green and chunky. Fairly unappetizing looking.
Helena accepts the beer and takes a grateful swig. "I have my reasons, for now." Helena explains. "It may be that I'll change my mind, but I don't think I will. I'm glad to see you got away from Kazimir - you were in my thoughts, when I was at Moab. Everyone was."
"I took a dunk in the river. I found my way back to Jessica's safe house and she came and got me warm. After that.. " Well, she's here. "I wouldn't expect anyone to not be in your thoughts Helena. Your the leader of Phoenix. You were in all of ours" She takes a gulp of her drink, looking over the blonde. "How bad was it?"
Helena smiles faintly, in that way that one does when trying to keep one's face from cracking. "Bad enough." she says, trying to fight her unease. Everyone wants to know, and she hates having to revisit. "The day-to-day probably could have been worse, but I uh, was given special attention." She leaves it at that. "What's really kind of crazy is what happened after the raid." She doesn't know of what Abigail suffered during that time.
"Time screw up's" Abigial won't ask further about Moab. She realizes that it wasn't a picnic. She didn't expect it to be a picnic. "Cat showed up for some healing. Teo came around some time after. Something to do with Mr. Nakamura likely. Because he doesn't have his ability anymore. Or well, Magnes said as much over the phone" Knees together, the red head watches Helena.
Helena takes another drink, nods. "I know. There's some crazy shi - stuff going on, Abby." she shakes her head. "Pinehearst, FRONTLINE, the fugitives from the future…but that's not why I'm here."
"What are you here for then?" if she wasn't here to lecture her on the evils of frontline, or the current president… "What do you need?"
Helena takes a breath. "One of the people who got swept up with us and then back here in the future was a woman who works for the Company. Thing is? She spent her life being conditioned that way. I've seen some of the video of the way she was tortured and brainwashed as a little kid. It's not an excuse for what she's done, but it certainly explains a lot about who she is. We think that she may have brain damage - memory wipes have been performed on her extensively."
"I'd like to offer her the chance to see if the damage can be repaired. It's been so long it may not be fixable, or she may have found acceptance about who she is, as she is - but I'd like to make the offer, and if you're willing, ask you to try. You'd be paid, of course, and if Red Bull isn't enough in this case, I'm open to negotiation."
"Done" Abigail answers, without hesitation. "I don't take red bull anymore. Dunno what I'd charge, nothing I guess, or tally's for small favors, I dunno. But I can see, if there's anything to fix" Abigail answers, without reservation. "There's a company agent who's come in here a few time, to get healed, They know who I am. I don't care"
Helena lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Abby. If she takes up the offer, we'll make sure it's a neutral location and everything." then in surprise, "A Company agent? They haven't taken you? Well…not that you'd remember. Are you marked?"
"Not marked. She's…" Abby frowns. "She's just tried to pass herself off as not a company agent, but she's partnered up with Brian, the missing Brian. So. it's a no brainer. She hurt her shoulder and came in to see if I could fix it. She was in once before, without brian, so I didn't realize what she was till after. She repaid me with a basket of fruit and like two hundred dollars worth of Jamba juice cards. Heavens Helena it was crazy. But, I've only seen her a few times. but I'm not marked"
Helena blinks a little bit, and says, "Well, that's good then." One of Brian's replicates is working for the Company? Well, if the Dispensary hasn't been raided by now, it likely won't be. "Be careful, Abby. But I guess I'm always telling you to be careful, huh?"
"Everyone tells me to be careful. being careful still doesn't protect you" She points out to the same aged woman across from her. "Nothing really protects you." The red head frowns at that. "It's really good to see you here Hel. Really. You can't fathom how good it is to see you here, I'm about two seconds away from honest to god tears, just this day has been a roller coaster and then poof! Here you are! Like some long lost angel and I'm sure that Teodoro must be thrilled to high heaven that your alive and well and back where he can squeeze you to bits too!'
"Being careful raises your odds." Helena says with a faint smile and then oh's, "Don't cry, Abby…I'm okay, really. We're rebuilding and - and Peter's with us, so I'm really, truly okay."
"No Hel, doesn't really. So glad you came now, that you see me now, instead of like, two months ago" Lord, she's trying really hard not to. "It's good though, rebuilding is good. everyone needs to rebuild now and then. It makes you stronger. I'm sure Phoenix will be stronger bow that they have the support structure back!" Nope, there's the tears and she wipes at them with a paper napkin plucked from the holder. "Whoo whoo all about the crying train. Ignore me, I'm like, all over the place. I'm on all these drugs and stuff, and then what sonny's got me eating"
Helena cocks her head. "Are you okay? Did something - did something go wrong, Abby?" She seems to want to hug the redhead again, but she's hesitant to initiate.
"Like big. You got incarcerated in Utah, I got incarcerated in Staten Island. Not as long as you guys, but, long enough. Know that fear I had about registering, being used like a battery?" Yeah, that. "Bottom of a brothel Helena. At least I got music?" Trying to find some nice upside to it. "Teo and Eileen sniffed around and Deckard found me, and then John Logan got scared and there was… Oh heavens I hit him in the face with a bible, The bible Conrad gave me and he cut.. hecutmytongueout and then threw me in with Magnes, who got taken too, out in the warehouses. Some underground fight ring. Agent Parkman was out there, the others don't know, but he was there, trying to help how he could, making sure I wasn't going crazy. Teo and a bunch of others that I knew all.. got together and got us out. Trask was there. I still have nightmares. Horrid horrid nightmares. You must have them of a surety."
"He cut your tongue?" Helena is appalled, and now well, Abby's getting hugged whether she likes it or not, though Helena will keep it brief. "Is the sonuvabitch dead? Where is that place? If it's Staten, I can find it, I'll bring a fucking hailstorm down on the whole dam place if you want me to!"
"Tried to take god from me. After I took his eye. He tried to take Deckard's eye, so I was gonna take his, he was trying to get information outta me but I had a plastic spoon and I carved that blankety blank bugger down and I got him in the eye" Her arms wrap around the other woman, holding tight again. Not as tight. "You can't. It's on Staten. Lizzy took me to the cops when I got back cause they had a case open on me. They took the bullet piece outta my leg and I gave theme everything, but Staten Island's no mans land now. District attorney won't touch it with a ten foot pole and the one guy they found? He skipped town. The poor detective had drug his heart over embers, apologizing for everything. Event Agent Ivanov has been trying to find a reason to go on there. They'll get their due Helena. I know a guy, Richard. He's been visiting John Logan. He can turn into shadow. Just pure shadow. He's been trying to drive him crazy, think he's talking to himself." Abigail lets go slowly. "Was why I didn't go with everyone to Moab. Wasn't healthy enough and Teo wanted me to stay here, make sure I was safe and could heal everyone, instead of chancing me getting shot on the desert"
"You'd be surprised at what I can do on Staten, Abby." Helena tells the other girl seriously. "But if you have it handled, I believe you." She shakes her head. "No worry. I wouldn't have wanted you to risk it, either." Then, ever so casually, "Deckard, huh?"
"I don't doubt that you could Raze that Island to hell and back, but if you really want, you can bring a big ol bolt of lightening down on the Happy dagger brothel in the Rookery. That would make my heart mighty glad." It really would. Kinda be poetic really. "Deckard" Abigail answers. "Teo says he has a thing for me. I think he's just.. I think he thinks he has a thing for me. But he's my dah's age. He's just.. a man in need of some positive attention" Abigail's wiping at her eyes. "See. Roller coaster. Wheee, everywhere. At least I don't need Brian at night anymore, and Al will hopefully be here soon so I can have someone else in the apartment. Oh! Going to school" She throws up her hands. "Taking just a couple classes, but, getting what I need to go through and be an EMT. Ben's been helping, and Cat's paying for it, and then, Sonny's been taking care of all my medications since I showed up at his office needing help. So you see, you'll have a whole host of people who can help you Hel, now that your back"
Helena grins. "It all sounds really good, Abby." she says, smiling. Maybe, just maybe, she will raze the Rookery. If she's in a mood. "Going to school and everything! I envy you. You make it through, because I'm totally going to vicariously enjoy it through you, okay?" Then she beams. "Ben's awesome like that, so's Cat. And Sonny's a good guy…he and Teo seem pretty happy."
"I don't know what your talking about" Straight faced at the topic of Teo and sonny, like Abigail can't fathom at all what Helena must be talking about.
Helena blinks. "Teo. And Sonny. A couple. Together. You know." She makes a vague hand gesture that sort of suggests something explicit only not quite. "A couple."
"I don't know anything about that" blink. blink. innocence.
Helena peers at her sidelong. "O-kaaaay." she says slowly. "Well. Um. Surprise?"
Abigail sighs. "They've been together since before … January Helena. Sonny was all in tears over Teo's .. plate in his head and such. I've been over for dinner to their place. I think, that the make a very beautiful couple and I only hope that hearts don't break too badly if they find out that they're not what each other want or need further down the road"
Helena blinks a bit. "Okay, so why were you all 'whaaa?' a moment ago?" If Abby was just pulling her leg, Helena didn't get it. Her humor is set to low these days, but she's trying.
"Because I was the only one that knew. I didn't know that you knew. They needed me to keep it secret. Like so secret that, heavens, Sonny's dad thinks that I'm the reason why Sonny was in Chinatown when he got the ever living holy ghost kicked outta him. Which was better that he father think it was me instead of Teo cause I don't think his father could comprehend and accept that his son is funny between the sheets. That's why. But it seems that you know, but not a lot of people are supposed to know"
Helena ah's. "Well, I think it's pretty open as a topic over in the Phoenix crowd." Helena admits, "But I'll check in with Sonny and Teo about public mention, thank you for the heads up."
'Well, I don't rightly much hang out with the Phoenix folks. I barely see Teo anymore as it is. School, work, head doctors appointments and then the one day a week at the hospital helping, and then, I think i'll be on TV again pretty soon. Cat can fill you in on that. Gosh, heavens, Helena, there's been so much happened since you went missing but your back" Another hug. She's using up that quota but she just needs to. "Lordy I'll be taking extra pills tonight, I swear it. I should send you home with some beer for everyone. Celebrate wherever it is that you're holing up"
"Head doctor?" Helena asks. "You mentioned seeing Sonny - can you talk about it?" and then, "If you want to ply me with beer, I won't say no."
"Just, stuff, about Staten island and getting my head back on straight. Sonny see's her. I got twice a week. She's really good. Deals with Post Traumatic Stress in those who are evolved. Sonny helped me get back on my feet. Makes sure I have my drugs, he made me this diet, that helps with my healing, so that i'm not using caffeine anymore. Some good, if you can call it good, came outta me being in Staten Island. No more caffeine. I have my swamp sludge and this diet. Sonny's been…. He's been a friend Hel. Not so much oil and water anymore. He's even slipped me in with his publicist, so that I can handle the publicity from stuff that's happened, stuff that will happen. I think, he'll be a very good addition to Phoenix"
"I'm sure he will be." Helena says with a smile. She's content to stay a bit, talk for a while, and re-connect with Abby. This is definitely the woman she wants to know, the woman she hopes will turn out different in the days to come.