Participants:
| Scene Title | Somewhere Between Right And Wrong |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Deep Thoughts: With Richard and Monica |
| Date | July 21, 2010 |
There is still a lot of work to do to get set up, and Monica seems to have her mind on cleaning today. The doors are locked and windows covered and music blasts from a little radio sitting on the floor. Specifically, it's AC/DC's If You Want Blood at the moment. And the girl in question is half sweeping, half dancing, half… using the handle of the broom as a microphone. Yes, that's three halves, but only because it's just that awesome. She's clearly not expecting the others to be around. Which is probably silly of her.
It's not until the song ends that there's a clearing of a throat to let her know she's being observed; Cardinal's leaning in the doorway, brows raising a bit, an amused grin curving to his lips as he brings his hands up to clap three times.
The door, however, is still locked. Richard Cardinal doesn't believe in using doorknobs, you see.
And that little noise makes Monica jump and whirl around… and then look embarrassed. There's even a groan. "Oh hush you," she says with a wave of her hand in his direction and a sheepish chuckle. "I was just cleaning up… is all." Eyeshift.
"Hey, if that mop was a pole…" A rogue's grin, and Cardinal continues with, "…and I'm not going to finish that statement, since you could probably beat me to death with it before I could blink."
A push away from the door, and he admits, "It's looking good. Got some good news, too…"
"Death is a little strong," Monica says with a crooked smile, "It's only wood." Which she sets aside, leaning it against the wall to come over and turn the music down some. "Oh yeah? Actually… I do, too. Well, good in a way." Standing up, she brushes some imaginary dust off her clothes and comes over to lean against the table.
"Oh?" Cardinal's brows lift a bit over the edge of his shades, and he grins then, "And hey… you can do a lot with wood. What's your news?"
"True, but it would probably shatter before it killed you. Then I'd just have to splinter you to death and who has that kinda time?" Monica smiles in response to his grin, and she folds her arms loosely over her torso. "I got us a job. A security one. Ah, at Gun Hill. A friend of mine co-runs it and they've been having problems with some crazy stalker ex. When I mentioned I was going into security… he proposed the idea. Has to talk to his partner first, but he seemed pretty sure it was going to be something they'd need a guard around for. and no cops. I hope that was… okay?"
"That's what stabbing is for," Cardinal points out with a gesture to the mop leaning against the wall, "Once it's all sharp and pointy… hm. Gun Hill? That's where Varlane's living these das." A thoughtful grunt of breath, "No cops? Any idea why?"
Monica shrugs at that question, "Didn't ask yet. But provided they're all good with the idea, we'll go meet with them and get everything straight. Toby's a good guy, though."
Cardinal's chin bobs in a slight nod, agreeing easily, "I'm willing to talk to them and strike up some sort've an arrangement, sure. If nothing else, I like to keep an eye on Magnes and his friends…" A rub of his fingers back against the side of his neck, "…he tends to get into trouble."
"Does he? Boys," Monica says with a light laugh. "But I'll make sure Toby knows we're good for a chat. Whenever he's ready. He said… the ex already broken another tenant's arm, so." With a bit of a huff, her hand settles on her hip with the other one drops to the table. "What's your news, though?"
"Really." A crook of Cardinal's brow upwards… and then he dips his chin in a nod back to her, before sliding himself up to sit on the table's edge. Both hands slide to the small of his back, and he stretches a little, head falling back, "Mm. Have you been briefed on the Institute yet?"
"Well, Cat's told me a bit about them. Working with The Company, evil scientists rounding up Evolved? Something like that." There's a pause there before Monica frowns and shifts to sit on the table, too. "She said they took Gillian Childs."
"Yeah. They've taken a few of our people…" Cardinal's expression darkens as he looks at the ceiling, a frown creasing his lips, "…a lot of them are some sick, sick fucks. Gregor was in charge of a fucking baby farm in Madagascar, they were incinerating any Evolved babies born. That's just one of them too. Anyway…"
A look over, and he smirks, "We just got one of their scientists to turn, though."
Monica frowns at all that, and despite her exposure to several of the world's crazier incidents and mad villains… she doesn't seem to know what to do with that. But her hand twitches into a fist, absent-mindedly.
"Right, Cat mentioned… that was the plan. It went okay?" Her brow furrows in what may just be concern for the man next to her.
"Oh, did she?" A wry note to Cardinal's tone as he looks to her for a moment, and then he shakes his head slowly, "Chesterfield's a little too crazy for me to deal with on a regular basis. The woman has no sense of… well, anyway." It's waved off, "Yeah, it went without a hitch. She was looking for an out, and we gave her one."
Monica gives him a crooked smile and reaches over to pat him on the arm. Whatever this is in response to, she doesn't elaborate.
"Good. I don't want to hear about anybody else being captured. So she's going to pass along information? And then we get to go kick some ass, right?" She lifts her eyebrows some and that same hand gives him a little, friendly punch, "I want in on this stuff next time, by the way. I'm good for it, I promise!"
"You're damn right, there." Cardinal's voice turns serious, though the punch to his shoulder brings his lips up in a crook'd smile, "We're going to rip that whole fucking place apart, Monica. It's not going to be pretty."
"I can handle it." Monica's hands drop to her lap and she cants her head a bit as she looks up at him, "I did do a stint with PARIAH, you know. Cameron… did a lot for teaching me about things that have to be done. I can handle it."
"Good." Cardinal dips his chin in a firm nod, "Because some of those bastards… like Gregor… I don't plan on letting them get away so they can stir up again to make more people suffer. After what he did in Madagascar, after what he did to Claire…" A snort, "And the others, too. This shit ends here."
Looking at him for a moment or two, Monica seems to be studying. Or thinking. But it breaks into a more relaxed expression and she even smiles a little. "Well, you've got the give 'em hell speeches down pretty good. I always take that as a good sign."
"The Company at least had delusions that they were doing the right thing," Cardinal says with a tight little shake of his head, looking back across the room, a frown creasing his lips, "These people… they're just monsters. The storm that killed, shit, how many thousands of people? That was them too. They've got more blood on their hands than the Company ever did…"
"Alright then. Somebody's got to stop it then. I guess that's you," Monica says, her expression serious again. "I'm not too good with the planning stage, but once you've got one, I'll get you through it. My power… it sort of- …well, anyway. I'll get you there."
"I know you will." A smile's flashed over, then, tight, and Cardinal's brows raise a bit, "We'll remind them that this sort of shit isn't acceptable… whether or not the government's funding it." A fist lifts, as if asking for a bump.
Monica smiles brighter at that, but it turns crooked as she gives him a little fistbump. "Sounds like a good plan to me. I wouldn't mind putting a little fear of god into them myself."
Cardinal exhales a bit of a chuckle. "Oh, it's not the fear of God I plan on putting into them…" After the fist-bump, he hops down from the table, "…it's the fear of us."
"And you plan on being the justice untempered by mercy," Monica observes. Although, in the case of people like this baby farming guy, she doesn't seem to disapprove.
"The Sacred Heart is pitiless," Cardinal quotes in response to that, "For in all that multitude it finds not one object of pity, or compassion, or mercy." A glance over, and he adds in wry tones, "Nuns raised me."
"Well, look at you. Southern Baptists, here," Monica notes, with a point to herself. "As a note, that was sort of freaky, in context of what we're talking about," she adds with a chuckle.
"You get used to it," says Cardinal with a slow shake of his head, his tone serious and tired, "Sometimes, what needs to be done, needs to be done. I suppose we'll find out if it was right when the day comes."
At that tiredness, Monica hooks her arm around his back in a sort of half-hug, companionable and supportive. "I think for the situations we see to find ourselves in? We're doing as close to right as we can manage. Maybe killing isn't the answer, in an ideal world. But this… this ain't even close. And they always say, indifference is the true evil? Something like that. Once you know something like this is going on… you can't sit by. That is what wouldn't be right."
At the press of her arm around his back, Richard looks down to her, managing a faint smile, his hand coming up to rest on her shoulder. "I try not to kill when I can help it," he admits quietly, "It's too easy sometimes. But sometimes… sometimes you just can't let this sort of shit go."
"Yeah, I agree there. The more you do it, the easier it turns out to be, and it should never… really be an easy choice, I don't think. Taking someone's life. But someone's got to stand up and fight back." Monica lets her arm drop after a moment, and nods to him. "Especially considering… there's people who can't do it for themselves in there right now."
The hand on her shoulder skims down her arm as it drops, and then away, and Cardinal lets out a sigh of breath. "Yeah. So that's us. We can rest when we're done, I suppose… anyway." A clap of his hands, "…let's get to cleaning for the day, eh? Time for business later."
"Yep. So it is." Monica hops down off the table, but turns to point at him, "Alright you can help. But only if you sing along. I would hate to perform alone."