Participants:
| Scene Title | Reasons to Worry |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Both Berlin and Robyn have them. |
| Date | May 23, 2018 |
Lately, around the Bunker, Berlin has been doubling down on training. She's rarely been seen at all without being in the middle of a workout or on the firing range or the like. And she's clearly been up to something similar today, given that she's sitting in the lounge in workout clothes and her hair up in a ponytail. Gym shoes sit next to the couch, so perhaps she hasn't gone that way yet.
Instead, she's sipping from a coffee mug and flipping idly through a book. Definitely not looking at any one page long enough to read anything.
Robyn Quinn has - somewhat contrary to her intended role - been a bit a bit of a ghost around the Bunker as of late. The last month has been slow - on her end - so more of May has been spent in the Safe Zone than she typically alotts. And when she has been around the Bunker, she seems to have reverted back to how she appeared to be when she first arrived amongst the Hounds: Distant and observational, rather than directly trying insinuate herself into their activities.
But she's here today. Berlin can hear the door of the SESA Liaison's office click shut, cutting through the relative quiet. She emerges a few moments afterwards, dressed far more casually than Berlin has ever seen her outside of when she's been working out, in just a loose black t-shirt and jeans to match. Tiredness is evident on in her eyes, and it's only when she smells the coffee that Berlin has that she stops and notices the other woman. Her head cants to the side, and she offers a smile. "Hello Berlin. You don't happen to have more of that coffee, do you?"
Glancing up at the noise, Berlin seems to come into focus. She may have been drifting off. But the appearance of Robyn— and Robyn's appearance— gets a blink from the young hound. And when Robyn takes her turn at coming into focus, Berlin lifts a hand to wave, her smile impish.
"There's tons left," she says, pointing back to where a carafe sits next to a few other mugs. "I didn't know you owned jeans," she adds in a far too innocent tone. "How've you been? The bunker's been observer-less lately."
"How do I-" always forget that. Robyn sighs, offering a an apologetic smile as she makes her way over to carafe. She can't help but laugh at Berlin's remark, shaking her head as she moves to prepare herself some coffee of her own. "I am not all dresses and suits," is offered back with a grin. Taking her mug black, she makes her way back over to where Berlin sits.
"Though I suppose that's fair. I'll have you know I own several jeans." She's just very good at being casual anymore, as her word choice might indicate. "Not observer-less," she also notes. "Observing from a distance." She yawns, lowering into one of the chairs and immediately into a slouch. Rather than give a response to the final question, she simply raises a hand a seesaws it up and down.
"You look as though you've been busy yourself," she remarks with a motion of her hand towards Berlin.
"I'll make a note of that. Several jeans." Berlin shifts, settling cross-legged on the couch. "I take it we're doing okay, since SESA hasn't stormed the place yet," she says, only half worried that it might be the opposite of that. They're a strange group, she knows.
The remark in her direction gets a bit of a face, though. "Keeping busy," she says, quick to point out the difference. "Things have been like, so weird lately." Between missions, even. Although the missions have been pretty weird, too. She looks over at Robyn, her head tilting some as she regards her for a long moment. "Can I ask you something? Maybe a little… you know… weird." She watches for the reply over the rim of her glass, almost as if this were some kind of test or at least, testing the waters.
"I haven't given them any reason to," is the reassurance offered by Robyn. It may not be information she should be sharing, but at the same time she believes it to be encouraging when people know they're generally doing things right. "Weird." Robyn offers a shallow laugh, trying to sit up a bit straighter - it doesn't really work though, as she quickly reclines back again. "I can sympathise with that."
The surprisingly frank question earns a pursing of Robyn's lips, and this time she actuall does sit up a bit straighter. "On the record, I am here to field any concerns or questions you may have that… for some reason you don't feel should be run by Hana, to address concerns that might warrent another look." There's a long moment, before she closes her eyes - yes, eyes, Robyn having both eyes visible in an uncommon moment - "Off the record," she offers in a much lowered voice, "I suppose that depends. I still don't wish to push the boundries of professionalism, but…" Slowly, she begins to smile. "It's impossible to lower one's guard after a bit." If she catches her meaning.
Berlin can't help a smile at the reassurance. Speaking of guards being down. Having her around longer, having her on missions, far from being the annoyance she expected, it's made Robyn feel like another member of the team. And while, in her more cynical moments, she might assume that was part of the plan, in practice, she finds it difficult to keep Robyn at arm's length.
"Well, it's not a Wolfhound problem, it's more of a personal thing," she notes, at the clarification between on and off record. She turns toward Robyn at the smile, fingers drumming against her coffee cup. "Lucille had this crazy scar. And some nerve damage that was messing with her ability. But over the last couple months, it's been healing. Um. It's kinda been freaking her out, though. Like, she wants to run all these tests and everything. But I don't get it. It's a good thing, right? Her ability's recovering and so is she. But she seems almost more freaked out about that than she was about not having the control she used to." She pauses there, letting out a heavy sigh before she realizes she didn't actually put a question in there.
"What's up with that?"
Robyn is quiet for a few moments after Berlin finishes telling her what Lucille has been going through. She looks down, then off to the side, the entire time a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm no scholar on Evolved abilities," she prefaces anything else she has to say with. "Until recently, I had stopped even considering myself Evolved. But…" She takes a deep breath, looking back at Berlin.
"If I had to guess… from what I remember of Lucille's ability, she's never been able to do that. Heal." A contemplative look for just a moment, eyes shifting back upwards as Robyn gives a slight, repeated nod. "Maybe her ability is evolving. It happens. It's… unpredictable, and that's what evidence lends me to think. And maybe that scares her?" There's definitely a questioning inflection at the end of that. She's not sure - she's no psychiatrist. But, there's no denying that's what it sounds like.
Berlin tilts her head a little, sympathy in her expression for Robyn's own situation. But there's something else there, too, something more considering. In the end, she shakes off whatever is in her mind and she nods to Robyn's thoughts on the subject. "I guess… I don't know, I thought maybe she'd be happy. Excited. Not… scared." She looks down to her coffee, considering it for a moment before she drinks it.
She leaves a long silence before she looks back to Robyn again. "You were a photokinetic." Her brow furrows as she tilts her head. "You found out you're still evolved? Expressive. Either. Both. Whichever."
Robyn purses her lips. "I mean, I guess-" Lips quirk side to side. "I remember when I learned there was more than I could do. More than just… make light. Change colours. Silly stuff. It was terrifying. Then it was exciting." Well, that might be a bit of revisionist history - the first time she saw Colette fire a laser it took everything she had not to squeal with delight. Still, it illustrates the point well enough. "If something has changed it might be like manifesting again. That is rarely fun." And definitely is terrifying. "Maybe give it time. Lucille is an… interesting woman. I wager she'll get it figured out."
A small shrug. "Could also be way simpler, like- what the hell I've had this scar forever kind of thing."
The veer in the conversation to herself puts her a bit more on guard, though she's too tired to really show it. "I…" A heavy sigh escapes her lips. "Yes. Photokinetic. Like Colette. She trained me in a lot of what I could do." Which may explain some of the reactions and hesitations when she first arrived. "I burned out my ability several years ago. November 8th, 2011." Which is probably all she needs to say. "Suffered permanent vision damage and an inability to use my ability anymore." She raises a finger. "BUt… I'm beginning to see that it's not as gone as I thought lately."
Listening to Robyn explain brings a troubled expression out in Berlin. But she is listening and perhaps adjusting her thinking some on this particular topic. Although worldview shifts are put aside when the alternative is offered. Berlin chuckles at that. "Maybe it is that simple. That would be lucky."
But lightheartedness doesn't last. What happened to Robyn, the day it happened, the place it happened, that all gets Berlin into a more serious demeanor. "That must have been hard. To lose all that. One day." These days, everyone understands loss, but there's something about Robyn's that hits particularly close to home. "What's changed?"
Robyn gives a small laugh. "I mean, I don't know. I had a passing familiarity with her at best before I came here." And even that was years out of date. "But… time heals all wounds, in one way or another. Maybe that's happening to her in a few ways. But… I'm- not a psychologist. Mental health professional. Any of that. I can't be sure, just… that I know how I'd feel." And she isn't Lucille, so…
"Hopefully, whatever it is?" Robyn quirks an eyebrow, a small smile given to Berlin. "She'll be fine soon. She's one of the toughest people here."
She folds her hands into her lap, staring at Berlin for a moment. "To tell you the truth?" She closes her eyes, shaking her head. "There wasn't time to for it to be hard. Got used to a new reality quickly. Didn't have a choice." She offers a small shrug, and opens her eyes again. "The Gala," she admits. "Back last month. They… put light sensitive gas in the air. I know Colette was affected." She purses her lips. "For me, I could see again.So… I know it's still there. I had see- literally - signs before that, but that…" She trails off at that. Berlin gets the point, she hopes.
"No, I get you. But it's good to hear your thoughts on it. Thank you." Berlin chuckles there, almost nervously. Her hand rubs against her pant leg and she looks off toward a wall. A frown comes to her face, her forehead creases, then she looks back to Robyn like she might have something to say.
But she doesn't. Instead, she nods. "Luce really is super tough. I know she'll be okay, I guess I just want to understand."
She quiets to listen, her eyes widening some. "I guess that makes sense. It was all escaping and warring and trials after that." They've only just slowed down, feels like. For various levels of slow. "There's a nurse at Elmhurst. Julie. She told us there's a lab that's doing some research into how abilities work. Legit research, apparently. I've been wanting to look into it, make sure it's good people, but— maybe they could help you, too. Fix your power."
Robyn studies Berlin for a moment a moment, canting her head to the side. "You don't think so? About Lucille." She drums her fingers on her leg. "It's a strange occurance. I don't- I don't think I've heard anything like it before," she offers. "She's right to be scared. You're right to be worried. It'll be fine."
Eyes slide off to the side as the ruminates on what Berlin has to say. "I don't know. Life moves from one crisis to another. No time to slow down." She offers a shrug - to her it's true. Even before the Ferry, her life was always moving. "The real problem is what gets left behind in the rush." With that, she looks back to Berlin and offers a smile. "They aren't the only ones. Working on… that kind of research. Still… Maybe I'll go talk to them." A small nod follows. "Thank you for letting me know."
"What? No, no. Luce's great. She'll be good in no time." Berlin responds maybe a little too quickly. "And you're right. It's totally weird. Even if it's some kind of fluke. Maybe especially then."
There's a small, mirthless laugh at Robyn's observation. Berlin waves her hand around the room, as if offering the Bunker up as evidence in there being little time to slow down. "I grew up in the Ferry. Learned early that there's always a crisis." She looks over at Robyn, returning the smile, if dimly. "I'm sure they're not. These days, it's not so unseemly to study abilities. Or to have them. But, you know. Eyes open for unethical experimentation. I worry we might find ex-Institute people hiding out in these kinds of places. Or people like them."
The odds of that are decent, unfortunately," Robyn remarks with a shake of her head. "Where do you think the basis for much of that research comes from?" An unfortunate truth of the modern world in her opinion. "Many got pardons so that they could more ethically continue their research after all."
She studies Berlin for a moment longer. "I think you're more worried than you let on." She raises up a hand, as if to cut off any protests. "I'm not an observer for nothing. I won't press. It's good to be worried. Things will turn out well, but… sometimes it's good to be wary." She smirks, spreading both her hands. "Like with genetic research into abilities formerly led by madmen and egomaniacs." See? Bringing it back around.
"I'm kinda glad you're with me on that and it's not just me being paranoid." Berlin frowns, even though she nods as Robyn continues. "I understand not wanted to waste the research, but that's ethically weird, right? Building off the research that was tortured out of people? That pardon doesn't mean I can't hit them if I meet them, does it?" Because she might want to.
Robyn's instincts are pretty good, because Berlin opens her mouth to cut in, but stops when her hand comes up. But since the observer doesn't press, Berlin doesn't offer up anymore. Just a grateful look in Robyn's direction. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm pretty good at being wary. In that case, it's even my job. I should ask Hana if I can get some overtime."
"Of course it is." Robyn expression sours a bit as she thinks to herself. "But… unfortunately, some things start somewhere. I don't advocate it. But-" She offers a weak smile. "What can you do?" With that, she rises up with her seat. "I think I am going to do… something. Rest." She smirks, pointing at Berlin. "I wouldn't talk to Hana about overtime. If you're hourly, you're in the wrong line of work, Berlin."