Participants:
Scene Title | Ruminations On Revenge |
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Synopsis | Some people want revenge, some don't. |
Date | November 9, 2017 |
Resistance HQ
Lynette has not let go of Evie since they were reunited. The Ruiz family has been given a space for the three of them to bed down in, and Lynette is using it to hide in for the moment. Her fingers brush through Evie's brown curls, as much for her own comfort as it is for Evie's. Their packs sit in a corner, acting as a backrest for the pair. It's obvious that they've both been crying, but it's eased and faded now.
Lynette lingers nearby. Close enough to be able to see the door to the Ruizes' space, but not close enough to actually run into them. There's something curious about the little family. Morbidly curious, maybe. She's accepted the pair only enough to keep a disturbed look off of her face. She hasn't promised more than that— mostly because Eve knows better than to request a promise for acceptance. Tolerance, though, she can manage that much.
While he has stayed at their side for the most part, Ruiz hasn’t touched either of them for some time, probably because of the electric charge still building up in him that he has no idea how to control yet. He doesn’t want to risk shocking either of them, so he just watched anxiously as the little girl clings to her mom and occasionally looks over him with big teary eyes, probably wondering why papá isn’t sitting beside them.
Because normally he would be.
The other Lynette, though, she can definitely sense the charge that he’s building up, because it feels very similar to her own. Similar, yet not, almost like a bolt of lightning ready to fall from the clouds. His anxiety isn’t helping.
The weight of the situation they’re in is finally starting to settle on Odessa’s shoulders. She’s been withdrawn, quiet, but remains nearby nonetheless to support her brother and his family. Forcing herself to be strong for them might eventually give her enough actual courage to venture out and make some peace with her own demons.
She wants to reach out for Mateo. Wrap an arm around his shoulders and tell him that they’ll get through this, the way that he’s done for her. Unfortunately, they both know the danger in that kind of proximity at the moment. Occasionally, Odessa feels a flare of anger toward the situation and wants to demand that someone do something for him, but she knows that won’t serve anyone. Least of all Ruiz.
She paces the hall outside their room like a guardian beast, bristling whenever someone approaches, but quickly reminding herself to soften. It’s nobody’s fault that they’re in this place. Except maybe Varlane’s.
There’s a whistle from around the way and a dark shape can be seen skipping down the way, passing her Lynette with a grin, Eve Mas pats her second on the shoulder, “Different. Remember.” The oracle pulls out of her trench coat pocket two pairs of elbow long rubber gloves, as she comes to the door of the Ruiz’s place she leans against the entrance and knocks her head against the door with an audible thud, “Knock knock turtle doves.” Eve’s rasps cuts the silence save for the young girl who earns a look from the seer that can only be perceived as pure delight but there is a hint of something else there in her eyes, the wasteland was not a good place for the young ones. Eve had regrets of children caught in the crossfires of the fight before.
“Are you like us dear? Your parents are quite the pair.” A look given to the other Lynette and Ruiz who arrived by portal before finally Odessa is looked upon and Eve smiles with white teeth, stained with tobacco. “Glad to see you aren’t dead lovely and what a prize,” Eve’s eyes land on the Kensei sword with glee and she squints her eyes at the blade before going to meet Odessa’s blue eyes, “I’ve got some history with the original owner of that blade, carries the souls of that dead. You look voracious with it,” In approval, she doesn’t judge what must of happened to Hiro for him to part with it.
Finally, Eve pulls on a pair of the gloves and goes right over to clutch both hands on his face, “Otter Eyes, you found your light!” Staring deep into his eyes, she doesn’t see what she saw in the other. “Look Lady!” Looking over her shoulder at her second/best friend. “He’s found his light! And it looks like you aren’t so different from each other after all.” Eve’s enthusiasm is normal for those who know her.
"Not different enough," Lynette mutters, mostly to herself, before she looks over at Eve and actually notices the rubber gloves. "You have got to be kidding me," she says, more clearly, as if she's insulted by the attempt to manage the ability Ruiz has— but shouldn't have. She ends up following Eve to the door. "Those aren't going to help," she says. The words may be helpful, but her tone is harsh. "He needs to discharge. And then keep himself fucking calm."
Which does not seem to be how Lynette handles it, not this Lynette anyway. But then, she's not on her first day with it, either.
What she does not do is actually enter the room. When Eve approaches the family, she turns to look in any other direction. Which leaves her watching Odessa.
Inside the room, both Lynette and Evie look up when Eve enters. "Eve," Lynette says, her smile warm, but slight. "Evie, my little darling, do you remember Eve?" Somehow, they will have to explain all this to the little girl, considering there's another version of her mother just outside the door. And another of her father somewhere, too. Evie looks over at Eve with big, teary eyes. And lifts her hand to wave.
"Our powers were swapped," Lynette explains when Eve takes Ruiz's face in her hands, "I'm afraid it might take us both a bit to adjust." Was it just earlier today? Yesterday? She isn't sure, exactly.
When she's addressed, Lynette Rowan lets out an annoyed sigh and looks just a little over her shoulder. "I don't need to look, I can sense it from across the damn camp." Which might be an exaggeration.
Lynette Ruiz glances toward the door, then back over at Eve. She may have some insights into how to manage a Lynette's temper, but part of that is to let it run its course so she can approach things when she's ready to.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” Ruiz mutters in response to the dark eyed woman who— no matter the world— seems to have the same exact nickname for him. “Did you dream me as an otter too?” Cause he’s honestly not sure where the otter eyes thing originally came from, or why all three of the Eves he’s known called him that. The previous one had been the only one who hinted to the explanation. An otter in a shirt on a beach. Staring into the darkness.
Still, he offered a smile, even if he couldn’t offer more than that. As he moves there’s a crackle, the tiniest pop of static that dances from him to the closest piece of metal. Thankfully no one happened to be sitting on it. He looks helplessly toward his wife for a moment, before nodding. Maybe distracting himself will make it go away—
Or maybe someone will have to show him how to use this ability. At least his wife had taught two of him how to use theirs. She seemed to have a better handle on how not to use it.
“A few years ago you saved my life,” he explains to Eve, without even waiting for her to ask the question. “You led me to find my light again.” And by that, he obviously meant the two sitting not to far away. And they’d named the curly haired, dark eyed girl after her. “And hopefully you can help us find the piece of light we’re missing.”
Cause their family was missing a piece.
Odessa is a little taken aback by the compliments on her weapon of choice. Most people simply give her a strange look and move on. She doesn’t carry the Kensei sword so much as a trophy anymore, but as a reminder to herself. Her own fragility, and Hiro’s mission. She nods her head, gracious in the face of admiration.
When Eve moves inside the room, Odessa follows. Not out of distrust, but a desire to remain close to her family. She smiles faintly as Mateo explains how he knows Eve, how his daughter came to bear her name, but it’s chased away at the mention of the missing piece of their family. She casts a wary look in Rowan’s direction, but it’s nothing more than that. No threat, no challenge.
“Do you mean—” Eve stops and looks between the married couple and then down to the young girl sitting with them. “Oh my dear.. my dear.” Eve sinks to her knees and scoots closer to the trio with a gentle smile and misty eyes at the child, “There is power in a name and we,”she rubs Evie’s cheek with a single gloved finger, “Are named for the first of us. Remember that my child.” Overcome with emotion Eve barrels into Lynette Ruiz’s arms and sobs, “Oh she's beautiful, you've done good. I'm happy I could help.” Before she can blabber more there is mention of another lost light.
“I've got to get you out of here Otter Eyes, this is just a pit stop. You've gotta journey still, round the merry go round you go. Don't be afraid, I know your feet will touch solid ground. Eventually.” She looks at the group in turn as she speaks, “The way outta this joint isn't clear yet but I'll be peeking. I'll be seeking, all those dirty little secrets.”
In the coming weeks Eve would be sure to induce more visions, wearing herself out but allowing herself more pieces of the puzzle. “Is there another light? Something, someone you need found?” A tilt of her head at Mateo. She doesn't answer how the symbolism of him came to be, oh well maybe the next Eve.
When Ruiz looks at her, Lynette gives him a sad smile. "Eve, do you have generators? Batteries? Javi needs somewhere to put his electricity; it'd be nice if it could be somewhere helpful for your people. If not, then somewhere… where it wouldn't draw a lot of attention." Because obviously, she also knows what he's dealing with, like her counterpart outside the room.
But she finds herself with an armful of Eve, and she pulls her into a hug easily. She can feel Evie's little arms trying to hug her, too, little fingers petting her hair— which is what her mom does to her. Evie might be confused by a lot of what's going on around her, but she knows an emotional adult when she sees one.
"Our son," Lynette replies, her frown returning. "He was taken. You— told us we had to keep going through the garden if we were going to find him." Her arm tightens around Evie, because she is juggling desperation for her son and guilt over what she's dragged her daughter into.
Outside the room, Rowan meets Odessa's wary look with a lift of her eyebrow. It helps her keep her expression steady. Because she's not truly as heartless as she wants to appear, and the missing kid is enough to tug at her. But. That's unseemly, so she's more than content to size up Odessa for a few moments longer. Until the emotions on display in the room behind her go on long enough to make her uncomfortable.
"There's plenty," she says, addressing an earlier part of the conversation, "for him to power up. Generators, car batteries, we've got a lot. It'll be nice not to be the only one keeping the fucking lights on."
The electric build up keeps him from reaching out, though Ruiz very much wants to. He’s starting to wonder if he’ll be unable to do a lot of things. From the stories he’d heard of his wife when she first manifested, he knew it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. Power outages, sheets fried in the night. He had shared his own story of manifestation, even if part of him had known for years now that it had been partially fabricated. The incident he remembers still happened, but he knew that it might not have been the first. It was just when that sound came rushing into his head. When he first recalled hearing the sounds of something else.
Something he didn’t seem to hear anymore. Had it always been part of his ability? Could she hear it now? He shook his head, unable to ask, not with the way he felt he could not sit still or stop moving. It almost felt like the anxiety he’d felt during the worst moments of his life, when he felt if he stopped moving he would never get going again.
But it also felt like everything kind of hurt. Like his skin tingled, like his teeth ached.
Maybe the whispers and roar of sound had just changed into something different.
When the other voice can be heard, he startles slightly and nods. Because of course there were. His Lynette had done something similar, in another world. Kept the Hub running, kept their lights on. She had had Steve to help. He had gone looking for Steve once, in the world before— But he wondered if maybe she only knew Lynette in his world. Maybe the circumstances had never brought them together again.
“It— yeah. I can do that,” he whispers. Some part of him wanted to ask if this would be permanent, if it would change back— if he even wanted it to. He’d spent most of the last few years negated for many reasons. But he immediately felt guilty for thinking it. He wouldn’t wish his ability on anyone. But he’s glad if anyone had it it was her. They needed it to find their son. “Do you mind if we…” he gestures toward other electrokinetic. Who happened to look like his wife. In some ways the first one more than the second one. And they were all three the same person.
Some of the surliness that comes from Odessa’s need to protect her family drains away. They aren’t pointing weapons at each other anymore. Everyone here is on the same side. She turns her gaze away from Rowan. It’s a little bit like losing a staring contest, or a game of chicken, but she’s not feeling petty enough to care at the moment.
She’s sullen as they speak of her nephew. She can’t comprehend the agony his parents must be going through, but she has enough empathy to imagine. It’s why she’s here. She could have stayed behind, let it be someone else’s problem. But if she can do right by them and save their boy, maybe she’ll atone for some of the wrong she’s done.
A feral growl rumbles from the pit of Eve’s belly as she draws back at Lynette’s words, slowly going to cover Evie’s ears gently the seer leans in to stare at the couple, “The bones of that kidnapper will be stripped of flesh, strip by strip.” The venom that drips from those words telling to just What kind of person this Eve is. Removing her hands from Evie’s ears with a wink from a tear filled eye the Oracle scoots back as she remains on the floor looking between the people assembled before her. “So many blondes, you're in season girls.” But there is serious business afoot. “Tell me, tell us,” looking over her shoulder at her second. “Young Cassandra told us as much as she knew, there are holes of course. Who stole your child? My nephew.”
Eve’s hands curl around her knees and she rocks back and forth, twitching. “I can call forth a vision, with you as my anchors. We could try to see.” Her method of seeing wasn't an exact science but she found that when inducing a vision if she focused on something she could drag her awareness to orbit it, perhaps. It's all she has to offer for a solution at this time.
Plus not knowing exactly what happened, her mind is abuzz with activity and their plight before she remembers that Otter Eyes wants a job, “Oh we’ll work ya Otter Eyes. It’ll be good for..” another glance at her Lynette. “It’ll be good for the people in our group to see you helping us.” A slight smile.
"No, Eve," Lynette says, her tone firm, but tired, "that's not what we want. We just want him back. I don't care about revenge; that's a spiral that never ends. I care about my son." She looks over to her husband, wishing she could reach out for him— for his comfort and for hers. Evie pulls herself up on her mother's shoulder, leaning in to whisper. However, the young girl hasn't mastered the art of the whisper just yet, so it isn't hard to hear her when she speaks.
"Mommy," she says, her little voice high and light like ringing bells "Big Eve is scary."
Lynette chuckles a little there and gives Eve an apologetic, but amused look. "She can be," is her answer for the girl, followed by a kiss on the forehead.
When Eve looks at the other Lynette, the electrokinetic gives her a sidelong glare for a brief moment. Then, she looks over at Ruiz. That is also brief, a glance and then she looks away again. "We still need to work on your subtlety, Eve." Her hand slides back through her hair, but she eventually gives Ruiz a nod. "We can. No use letting you flail around and fry everything we've got." She folds her arms, looking back over to Odessa, "Especially since you're all under the protection of the resistance, yeah? Wouldn't look good if we left you hanging."
It's meant to be a bit of reassurance to her, specifically. No more guns pointed at her brother. Not this one, anyway.
“Big Eves can be a little scary, hija,” Ruiz responds with a small smile, trying to reassure when he can’t actually do more than look at the little girl. But they could be. Scary dreams, scary words. “But she’s going to help us.” Just like the one that the little Eve had been named after had helped him. Just as she had shown up on their doorstep one morning and said they would find their missing son in the last place that he ever wanted to go again.
Another world. And unknown one. But he believed her. Just as her dream had brought him to his wife, it would eventually bring him to their son. And when it does, he will listen to his wife on the matter. Killing was something he no longer wished to do, and he’d had a long few years of never having to do it— unless one counted what happened with Eileen and Gabriel. And he knew they were all paying for that.
“Thank you,” he responds to the other Lynette, even if he’s looking at her awkwardly. He’s known and loved two Lynettes. But he never had to be in the vicinity with both of them at the same time. It’s mildly disconcerting, not to mention that… strange silence going on inside his head. And the tingling. It’s a strange situation. All around.
He offers Odessa a sad look, because there are things he wants to talk to her about, but can’t really do that right now. “Eve— have you met Odessa?” he asks, motioning toward her. “She’s… family.” Doesn’t look like family, but appearances don’t always matter in some cases. “I know you’ll take care of us, but her too, okay?”
Hopefully she won’t mind his specific concern about her, but Ruiz knows she lost something and she might need a friend. And right now he can’t exactly do much with himself other than hope he doesn’t zap someone by accident. And he’s anxious to get to a battery or something soon, too.
Odessa might be on the same page as Eve with regards to revenge, but her life is rather defined by acts of violence. Some her own, some against her. What she will do is abide by the wishes of her brother and his wife. It isn’t her revenge to take.
She smiles faintly when Mateo introduces her to Eve and asks for her to be taken care of. As much as she hates her fragility, she is fragile right now, and she needs the support. Her husband taught her she could rely on others and didn’t have to do everything herself. That she shouldn’t do everything herself. She needs a little taking care of.
“I’ll do what I can to earn my keep around here,” she promises. “Thank you for everything so far.”
“Your son it is then,” smiling softly at her friend from another dimension, this was not Eve’s fight but she wished them well on that endeavor, her heart aching for the time displaced boy. Grinning down at Evie, “And you shall be scary if you ever want Little Eve, you choose honey bun. Big and strong.” A look between the two of the parents before over at Odessa, her Lynette gets a snort, “I'm not stoned enough.” Fair.
Clutching her hands in front of her she looks over to Odessa and raises an eyebrow, “I know little of her. A flame snuffed out though.” A cheery smile towards the blonde, “You're in good hands now. No dying here.” Nope no dying allowed, ever.
Lynette watches her husband as he addresses the other her. His awkwardness brings out a smile— just a small one, but they're rare enough for it to be significant— because she knows it must be strange for him. She knows she would be awkward, too, in a room with two of him. As it is, this is fairly awkward for her as it is.
She looks down to her daughter, brushing some of her hair out of her face before she glances back over to the others. "I'm going to have to ask for the room. It's been a long… day." Or however long it's been. "Evie needs some sleep. And so do I. But thank you, Eve. All of you. You saved all our lives."
Almost all, anyway.
Rowan looks to Eve, then to her double, then to Ruiz. She skips the kid. "Come on, Ruiz. Might as well teach how not to zap your family in the middle of the night." No rest for him, apparently. Not until he's a little safer.
Or else Eve might really make him sleep in those rubber gloves.