Participants:
| Scene Title | Statistically Significant Other |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Hanging out at Liz's place, Abby drops doozies! |
| Date | Sep 2, 2009 |
Elisabeth's Apartment
The security in the apartment is mostly easy to miss, though some of the newer additions would be obvious to Abby because she's stayed here before. Instead of three hinges, for example, on the front door, there's a single hinge full-length of the door. And there's a new cross-bar in addition to the locks Alec put in place weeks ago. And all of them are locked and the door barred once Abby is inside, too — no hesitation on that. Once that's done, Elisabeth seems to relax a little, safe here in her own little fortress. Tonight when she lets Abby in, her hair is still damp from a hot shower, and there are a number of lights on along with instrumental music from the stereo. She looks… almost normal, aside from the shadows under her eyes. Tough nights. "Hey, lady…. guess this is the quid pro quo, neh?" she asks mildly as she heads toward the kitchen. "Wanna drink?"
"Yeah, only you know, you don't look like a skeleton." She'd done a couple nights on ferryman soil, but tonight it was babysit Liz time. A huge brown bag ala takeout in her arms from Chinese, another bag that seemed to have baskin robins paper bags in them and some soda, brownies and the ever present chocolate filled croissants. She was expecting to have a midnight tea party, if it got too bad.
"Though, I'm pretty sure you can outdo me on the whole screaming thing what with your ability." The bags are dropped off in the kitchen so that they can be unpacked, frozen stuff put in the freezer. "There's a detective Yamaguchi, he's got something at the precinct for whomever is in charge of finding Felix. I met someone who can see through people's eyes and she met him. She couldn't get much, but she got something at least"
"Well, my ability doesn't eat me alive when I use it either," she replies tartly as she starts to help unpack the groceries. She hesitates and looks toward Abby, fighting back a rush of tears. "Coren told me." She can't wish Felix dead — she can't. But she can wish that… he weren't enduring and holding on even longer than Liz herself did. Because she knows exactly how sick those fuckers are. She puts things away and pulls out the bottle of chardonnay in the fridge. She has been limiting herself to two glasses at night, absolutely no more. "Would you like a glass of wine, or sticking to the soda?" she asks quietly.
"Soda. I drink, and next think you know, I'm… getting blue hair and I'm weeping over men, and I'm.. getting tattoos on my back. Dancing on bars…." The younger blonde reaches for the soda, but takes a wine glass. "But, i'll drink it in the same kind of glass so you don't feel left out. I brought some of my pills too, in case.. you know, middle of the night it's pretty bad and you need to sleep. It'll help"
Elisabeth actually smiles at that, pouring herself a glass from the bottle and recorking it. "I don't think the drinking was the dancing part, but…." She glances at Abby as she puts the wine away. "And I went and got my tats without any alcohol, so…." It doesn't banish the shadows, but at least here, in her apartment, Elisabeth feels something approaching normal. Except when she sleeps — she's been sleeping with a nightlight and a fan when Richard is here, in deference to his eyes. She has a feeling tonight's more likely to be the overhead light on in the bedroom, since she doesn't HAVE to turn it off. "Who're you weeping over now?" she asks. It's as good a topic as any… and it avoids the little white pill conversation.
"I broke up with Victor" First break up, first boyfriend. "I met up with him and asked to be friend. That I admire and love him dearly, but that.. he's not.. he's just not.. He's not for me" Abigail looks over from the pouring to Liz and gives a shrug. "I felt like the worst person in the world, but Teo was right. I'm made for brekaing hearts. Only hopes it's just ever that one that I have to break the heart of"
Elisabeth winces. "Oh…. dear…." She bites her lip. "Didn't you just take him home to meet your folks?" she asks. Cuz boy, that is the wrong signal to give a guy when you're not that into him. She waits for Abby to pour her own drink and grabs the Chinese takeout to bring to the low coffee table where they can eat out of containers with chopsticks or forks.
"I took him to visit with me, so that he'd be out of the city like Richard wanted me out of the city. I think my Momma was already imagining white, but, my Dah will understand. About the breaking apart thing. Maybe not the why it came to be but.. But it's unfair to Victor if I'm holding someone else, there, and not giving him the due attention that he deserves."
She holds up a conciliatory hand. "It wasn't an accusation, it was just a question," Elisabeth comments softly. "Far be it for me to tell you how to run your love life. My own's complex enough these days, thanks," she comments with a roll of her eyes as she sets the food and the wine glass down and plops on the floor next to the coffee table. It brings back good memories to do this…. the night Cassidy came for margaritas is a high point of the last month, and having Abby here is … sorta kinda the same. Not really, but… you know, it's sorta. "I'm sorry it didn't work out. I know that you liked him."
"he was.. fun. But you know how it goes, every girl is drawn to the bad boy" The bad… older… boy who while he's done bad stuff… there's good in him. Oh but there were so many of them who could commiserate over that. "But. But enough over that. Guess what!" Abby flops down on the seat too, the brownies brought with her.
Elisabeth snickers softly. "You're telling me about the bad boys?" Cuz … you know… her love life?! "Guess what?" she draws out in a teasing manner. "Hrm…. guess what?" She considers the most far out thing she can think of. "You…. got a ta… never mind. You… married Deckard when I wasn't looking," she guesses, pulling spicy beef something or another out of the bag and inhaling appreciatively over the box while she watches Abby over the top of it.
There's a held breath at Deckard, but that's not it. "Leo's gonna go, with me next week. They uhh.. they're gonna do their own tests and the like but, they got my request for un-registering" No, she didn't marry deckard. "Should I bring Leo with me? Or should I find someone else who wasn't, you know…"
Opening the food, taking her time about opening chopsticks, taking a long swallow of wine while she thinks… Elisabeth does all of this before speaking. "If you take him with you, they may try to put him on the spot about whether he's registered or not," she finally says. "I don't know that they will. I don't know they won't. I'm just mentioning it as a possibility," she cautions. "But if he's willing to risk it, I think you should take him. If it will make you feel at all better."
"I never thought of that" Abby murmurs. She really hadn't. "Just thought to have someone with me, in case I get all Het up or the like. They'll want to know how it happened, it's not like one just looses their ability no?" She's eyeing her set of chop sticks and opts for a fork. She learned her lesson with Xiu and Hiro. The mortal embarassment was once enough. "When are you supposed to head back to work?"
Elisabeth glances at Abby and says quietly, "I've been back at work for three days." She drops her eyes to the food, pushing it around in its container with chopsticks. "I, uhm… didn't report it."
Didn't report it. Well, abby's not in any shape ro form, able to cast stones. "How's it going? It's not too bad?"
The soft huff of laughter is… not laughter at all. "Oh, it's bad… it's worse than I could have ever imagined. I can't sit at my desk — it puts my back to the door. So I swapped over to one of the other desks. I'm jumpy. I have a moderate case of agoraphobia going on, which is making it … difficult. I can't concentrate. I've had to have people repeat themselves multiple times. My partner's missing — so a lot of my anxiety and inappropriate behavior is being chalked up to that. Luckily. So far."
"You want Dr. Yee's number? She's.. back from her vacation and so, i'm back, to seeing her. She'll help you, if you want it. And I think Liz, you need it worse than I do. At least she can give you medication that can help with stuff, and i'm getting someone else to help you with your dreams" That, is something new. "They helped, with mine. They're better. Much better. Not so much waking in the middle of the night, and when I do, easier to get back to calm"
There is hesitation there, and Elisabeth looks at Abby again. Baldly, she asks, "Do you tell her … everything? About what .. you know? Who you know? Because…. Talking to someone means having to tell them… everything. Even what I was doing. And the only name I have right now is someone Denton recommended." She bites her lip. "Usually, I'd have gone to Ariel Martinez," she admits softly. "It's been…. years since I needed her in that capacity. But…"
"I tell Dr. Yee everything. Sonny tells her everything. She deals with post traumatic stress in the evolved individual. She knows about my time on the island, about, the bridge and the people I healed. She can't tell anyone Liz, she's bound by all these legal conventions regarding psychatrists. But, really, if it wasn't for her and Ariel, and daily medication.. I don't really know what state I would be in right now. And.. Dr. martinex isn't her anymore" She has no clue who Denton is.
Elisabeth nods a little bit and smiles faintly. "Yeah… I know. I'm the one who told you, remember?" She nibbles her lip, still toying with the box. "Yeah… leave me her number, okay? I, uhm… sort of had a freakout on a squad mate this morning. It was… bad." There's a glance at the younger blonde. "I don't know if I've even slept in two days," she admits. "Richard said yes."
Elisabeth doesn't sound like she believes that.
"Yes to what?" She's be stabbing in the dark if she was going to guess. Some chow mein noodles are dragged up with her fork, spun around it like spaghetti as she looks over at the detective.
There's a soft laugh. "Yes that I'd slept," Liz elaborates. "He sure as hell hasn't said yes to sex this week. He told me 'maybe tomorrow!'" she says, mock outraged.
"Sleeping is overrated at times anyways. I mean, you just lay there and do nothing. Except toss and turn, be the heat lamp for the cat" She pokes at the chinese, another forkful shoveled into her mouth and then there's muffled. Talking with her mouth full, a piece of chow mein poking out of the corner of her mouth. "ufh slef wif sumhun" Blue eyes lifting from takeout container, to blonde, then back to the takeout container to shovel more chow mein in her mouth.
Elisabeth is picking up a bite of spicy beef to finally take a bite when Abby volunteers her little tidbit. And it goes into her mouth while Liz eyes her with the 'what???' face. Right up til her brain parses through the mumble and she nearly chokes on the beef. "You what?" she demands, putting up a hand in barely enough time to keep from spitting food at Abby. "Who!!?"
"Deckard," Cardinal provides from the bedroom as he strolls out of it, lips curving in a rogue's grin, "Hey. Am I late for dinner?"
no.. no.. no… Richard just did.. not.. say that. "No. you're just in time. I figured you might be around so I got some stuff you like too" There's a gesture to the brown bag. 'What he said" A furtive glance to Liz and if Cardinal makes a move for the bag, she waits till the last second to shove her foot out and hopefully trip him.
If Elisabeth could manage bug eyes, she would — Great Big Anime Eyes will have to do, though. She chokes down the bite of food, and for the first time since she came home Monday, she doesn't jump at the sound of Richard's voice coming out of nowhere. Maybe she's just too stunned. Leaving her chopsticks standing upright, she says, "Holy Mother of God….." And then she grins a bit. "I still don't know… exactly why that just works for you, but…. more power to ya, Abs."
"Ooh, chinese?" A step, and then Cardinal's tripped. Or at least it seems like he's tripped— it's entirely possible he just let her trip him. Down he goes, catching himself on a knee and one hand with a slap. "Nnf. Hey! I think Abigail broke him, anyway." He pushes himself up a bit, "He's being weird. I think he shaved."
"I did not break him" Abigail sighs, no success on the tripping front. "He's not broken, not anymore so than I am" She pulls her foot back, curling it back under herself and with deft fingers, plucks up a pair of chopsticks and hands it over to Richard. "He did shave. Makes him look a little more presentable." She smiles at that, stabbing her food a few times.
"Teo walked in on us in Milwaukee. Had the audacity to ask if we were smart enough to use protection. I have never so badly wanted to cave his head in as right then"
If someone had asked her two weeks ago if she'd be sitting in her living room with Abby and Richard, talking about sex in the same breath as the names Deckard and Teo were mentioned…. Liz would have thought they were nuts. She looks between the two of them and bursts out laughing. She can't help it. Maybe it's hysteria. But maybe it's just the mental image of Teo lecturing Abby and Deckard on safe sex practices. For God's sake…
"I don't think that Laudani has the right to lecture anybody about sex or romance," Cardinal replies with a rough snort of breath, shifting to push himself up and reaching over for the chinese bag this time, accepting the chopsticks he's handed, "Oh, you're domesticating him. Cool."
"I am not domesticating him! As if anyone could domesticate him. I don't know what I'm doing with him. Something. I told him I wouldn't again, till I broke up with Victor. But I have. He's moved out from above the bar, when we came back. I don't know where he went but, he's.. he's " He's flint. "He knows where I live." She rolls her eyes at Liz and her laughter, but it's so very good to hear it coming from the woman. "Okay, so, how to keep you in this mood"
Taking up her chopsticks again, Elisabeth replies on a giggle, "Let's talk about how to make Teo give a safe sex lecture to … Claire!" That'll keep her chuckling a while longer. She shovels food into her mouth, though she has to cover that same mouth to laugh once more at the image in her head. She probably should have waited to take the bite. Whatever. Once she has control of it, Liz looks between the two and has a flashback to another dinner…. another thief and Abby bickering. And it brings a bittersweet smile to her face. Somehow in almost a year, she's come almost full circle. Sort of.
At that, Cardinal winces; pulling out a little basket of sweet and sour chicken before settling down beside Elisabeth, popping it open and reaching in to take hold of one of the glistening hunks of meat with the chopsticks deftly. "God, no," he rolls his eyes, "Claire is dating Varlane, I don't want to encourage that."
"Wait.. Magnes s dating claire?" Abigail glances between the two with a quizzical expression. "Honest to god, swear upon the bible that this is true?" She's done, having gorged on the food and puts her container down so she can sip at her soda.
Elisabeth nodnodnods and rolls her eyes theatrically, swallowing the bite of beef and following it up with a swallow of wine from the glass on the coffee table. "No, serious. My hand to God, Abby. When the Company laid him off and mindwiped him, I took him home and Claire…. she's totally dating him. I don't know why cuz he's a complete idiot, from what I can tell — I think he'll outgrow it someday, assuming he lives that long, but…." She shakes her head. "He's like an overgrown puppy, blundering along in shit he does not understand."
Cardinal gives his head a rueful shake. "He's a starfucker in the making," he replies entirely inappropriately, taking a bite of the chicken, talking as he chews with a vague wave of the chopsticks, "See, he knows she's all important and shit because she was featured in Mendez's prophetic comic books. Same reason he hero worships Nakamura. So, she's his dream girl. Claire, I think, just needs some affection and attention and he's providing it in spades."
"Wow Liz, you're just full of information that.. I didn't.. know. I know he's trying to hunt down Gabriel.." Abigail shifts, smoothing her ponytail over her shoulder and leaning back against the couch so she can draw her knee's up. "He wanted to know what abilities I knew that Gabriel had, so he could.. make some sort of.. task book? Something?" But cardinal is giving his two cents and Abigail drifts along mentally, listening. "I'm gad he's found someone. Sounds like they're good for each other. Somehow" again, she couldn't complain, she had Flint, to some degree. Some Degree.
Elisabeth kicks Richard's ankle. "That's just rude," she tells him mildly. "I don't know what he thinks he's doing. Building his own personal network of informants or something? He told me he's trying to put his investigation degree to use or whatever." Liz shakes her head. "Mostly I'm expecting to hear some anti-Evo someone or hell, even some skell on Staten, has put a bullet in his head. I hope it doesn't happen, but he doesn't seem easily dissuaded from his rather lunatic course of action." She starts eating again, the sheer normalcy of the evening becoming a balm to the ups and downs of the emotional rollercoaster.
At the kick, Cardinal winces a little. "Ow." A shake of his head, "He said something like that, but— fuck, he's not gonna live long enough to do it. Babe, he once showed up at a criminal poker game on Staten and told everyone present— including Doctor fucking Bao-Wei— that he was there to clean up the town and eliminate crime."
"Lord on high I hope not" For all that she sometimes finds him annoying, the guy does have a good heart. And a sometimes misguided sense of chivalry. "Well i'm glad he doesn't work for the company anymore. He's too.. good for them" Not bad, not corrupted or the like. She gives a soft smile, the younger of the blondes. "So, when are you two going to make it official? You know, going steady?"
Oh. Dear. God. "He did not," Elisabeth says around a mouthful of spicy beef, once more wide-eyed. "Christ." As she chews, she merely shakes her head. "Abby… you might be innocent and sometimes too trusting? But Magnes Varlane has just won a place in the Retards Hall of Fame." And then she chokes. "What??"
"He did! Swear to God, I was there. The old man, too, if you want to ask him…" Cardinal shakes his head ruefully, then blinks up at Abigail. Blink. "What? Who?"
"I dunno Liz, I did make a deal with Gabriel at the height of everything, to be given two more weeks to live, and stated how I wanted to die, in exchange for healing him" She points out. But they're both blinking at her. "If i'm domesticating Deckard, then you both had better soon either decide on being friends with benefits, or being something a bit more. Because let me tell you, I couldn't calm Liz down like you could Richard and you loathed leaving her side. Something that even when I was recovering, you did"
Elisabeth gets the 'someone stepped on a kitten and it roared like a lion' face. Deer in the headlights anyone? "We've been friends with benefits for … quite some time now," she mumbles, her face flushing a bit pink as she takes her glass of wine and downs the rest.
Cardinal, on the other hand, pulls back a little with a slightly cagey look between the pair. "What she said," he observes defensively, popping another chunk of sweet-and-sour chicken into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before gesturing with the chopsticks, "We aren't all… monogamous relationship sorts, y'know. She's got at least two other guys that I know of."
Wait, two other guys. Abby fixed blue eyes on Liz with raised brows.
There's a vaguely shifty-eyed look as Elisabeth murmurs, "Actually… no. Not for… a bit now." Not since Felix and Lee finally hooked up. "Doesn't mean it might not happen again," she shrugs easily. "But … not lately." She doesn't look at Richard.
"…really?" A hint of surprise, there, as Cardinal slants a look sideways over the edge of his shades towards Elisabeth. Oh, but, you know, it might happen again! His head bobs in an easy nod, and he reaches the chopsticks into the container, "What we've got works for us, Abs."
"Long as it does" And there's unfolding knees, stretching out her legs and nods. "Box of rainbow condoms it is, for the both of you then for christmas. I'm sure FLint can find them at some novelty store for me" There's a wicked little grin on the young womans face. "Spending the night richard? I think Liz and I are gonna have a tea party when her nightmares get the better of her"
Elisabeth frowns slightly over her shoulder at the man and comments, "And there's pretty much only been you and one other person since I dumped Alec like a hot rock, you know. And that was sort of short-term, since he hooked up with the love of his life." She's feeling a little defensive as she looks at Abby. "And thank you very much, miss nosy, but I'm on the pill. The only time it's ever been a problem was when Hadley healed me after Pinehearst!"
Cardinal doesn't respond, because he is busy. Busy choking on a bite of sweet-and-sour chicken. Cough cough cough.
And thus, it's time for a topic change. Abby can see that. "So. Isabelle had a sister" She reaches over, thumping Richard on the back. "She's been to the bar three times now the second time she brought, I don't know how much cash, but, it was all mine, if I'd sell her half the bar"
Elisabeth grouses to the room at large, "You give me far too much credit for juggling abilities, I think. Christ…. when do I have time to have three freakin' lovers at once?" Especially since Richard sort of has a key and he's found her here alone anytime he happens to come looking. She shoves food into her mouth and glares at Abby, because this crazy conversation is all her fault. "Don't you sell her anything until you let me check her out," Elisabeth says. "She could be a scam artist."
Cough cough. Ahem. Cardinal manages to swallow, muttering an aside to Abby, "Never make me picture you buying a box of condoms again, woman." The grousing causes him to shake his head, but he doesn't continue with the matter, instead grasping desperate hold of the change of subject and blinking over again to Abigail, back straightening, "Izzy had a sister?"
"She's already been checked out. Hana and Cat did DNA. Liz.." Abby peers at the woman's face. "Tell you what, you go take a shower, like, a really long shower, and get in bed, it's late, and Richard and I can take care of cleaning up okay? I'll just talk shop with Richard a little and I know where the bedding is to take care of myself and the couch"
Elisabeth eyes Abby, and then she rolls her eyes slightly. "Sheesh… being banished in my own apartment." But she is tired. Far more so than she'd admit aloud to either of them. Most likely if Richard hadn't popped in, she'd have pretty much been eating and going to bed anyway. She sets her box of food on the coffee table and moves to stand, dropping a brief hand on Cardinal's shoulder as she goes. "You can use the spare bedroom, Abby, you don't have to sleep on the couch." She smiles faintly. "Besides… if Richard's staying, he'll keep you awake wandering around." Cuz he's keeping more nocturnal hours lately. She heads back toward her bedroom, taking a glass of water with her.
Cardinal's hand lifts, briefly, to cover hers on his shoulder; head turning a bit to look back after her, offering more softly, "G'night, babe." Then he turns back to Abigail, brow furrowed, "Huh. She never mentioned family."
Richard and Liz are given their moment, Abigail looking elsewhere. But when he's talking with her again, attention is brought back to the fore. "Yeah, see, she never told me either. I haven't been able to get down to see her old foster mom but, she gave me hair, and I have Izzy's stuff still, so I had you know, a DNA test run, or well, cat had it run. And Hana, she looked into it. Richard, I dunno what to do. Hana says she got nothing on her. Like, not even a single file or anything and you know Hana. Hana finds //anything"
"That's weird…" Cardinal furrows his brow, his lips pursing in a tight line, "If she had a foster mother— shouldn't she be in the system? I mean, they record all that shit. Trust me, I know, I went through all've that bullshit as a kid, there's piles of fuckin' paperwork."
"There's no Thalia ashford anywhere. The birth certificate looked real, but then again, so does my ID that I carry around that says 'Stephanie Tarkin'. But, the DNA, it matches. Genetically, she IS Izzy's sister, just.. I dunno" Abby leans forward a bit. "hana's suggestion is to not have anything to do with the woman. She doesn't like it, it smells funny to her. She's always able to find something on someone yes?"
"There's people who stay out've the system, or ones who can keep out've the records, but…" A frown purses Cardinal's lips, brow furrowing as he considers this, the chopsticks drummed to one knee a bit, "Definitely worth looking into a li'l more."
"And the cash, Lord on high again Richard, the bag was full of hundreds all in little bundles. She wanted to buy out half the bar in cash. She wanted a piece of her sister" Abigail's brows furrow. "If I give you her number, do you.. want to look into it in your spare time. I mean, if you have spare time at all"
"I don't have much," admits Cardinal, leaning over to spear the chopsticks into the box, "If I get some, though, I can try. So who's this supposed foster mother? Maybe I can break into the hard copy records."
"Mrs. Hadley. She owns this bakery on the way to school, I'd stop in in the morning, if I hadn't eaten. She stopped by the bar after Izzy died, to see about some things, and to see what kinda place Izzy ran. If anyone would know about a sister, it would be her. I mean, Genetics don't lie right?" Please, genetics don't lie. "And I mean, if Izzy was still here, she'd be selling her hand the bar in a heartbeat and I always said that I would honor Izzzy's memory with the bar. But… this Thalia…"
At that, Cardinal's head jerks up to stare at Abigail over the edge of his shades. "…Mrs. Hadley? Seriously?" His brow furrows into tight lines, lips pursing in a bemused line, "She fostered me for awhile, when I was a kid… not for too long, but…"
Small world. "Solid older lady, loves her crosswords. Loves to tell people they are far too skinny and stuff them full of really good desserts that frankly, are baked better than mine. My stuff has nothing on that womans"
"Yeah," Cardinal rubs a hand against the side of his neck, "Yeah, that's her… Brian works at her shop, actually. Well. A Brian does. I'll stop in and see if she knows this Thalia chica…"
"Yeah, I knew. About Brian working there. Well, company Brian working there" Abby can't remember if she'd told Richard that or not. Her coke is finished off, the glass slid up on the coffee table. "Spending the night? If you are, I can ride off home and leave you to take care of her. I'm gonna try and hit up roosevelt Island. There's someone I know there who can help with her dreams. It's her gift. She's been, or did help me with mine. I figured, that maybe, if liz had help right off the bat, that it'd be easier to help her than trying to move my butt off my deeply ingrained nightmares"
"They're all the same Brian," Cardinal murmurs absently… and then he offers a slight, crooked smile to Abigail, head bobbing in a nod. "Yeah, I'm gonna stay here… a dreamweaver? That might be— hell, that could be better than a telepath." He shakes his head, "If you think she'd help."
"She'll help. She had no reason to help me and yet… she helped me find home in my head and not some dirty shipping container and waiting for Logan or Kazimir or.." Or a great many things. "If she can find peace in dreams, if they can get her on some drugs at the psychiatrist to help, she can get back on her feet proper and not be looking at the shadows. I don't know what they did to her, she didn't much talk about it. I don't want to know. But i'll pull every stop I can, to get her to be the Liz that we know. She won't be the same, but we can give her peace of mind"
"I'm just glad that Deckard got there before I did, because if I'd seen her in the state they…" A tight shake of Cardinal's head as he pushes himself up, tossing the chopsticks into the bag a bit fiercely; one piercing the side of it, sticking out like a tree's limb rising from papery life. "Anyway. If she can help, then… yeah, please."
"I'll try and call ahead and see if Hokuto can see me" Abby reaches out, carefully, gingerly with one hand on his shoulder. Soon followed by the rest of her as she tries to hug the other man. "She'll be okay. She'll get back, she'll be Liz and she'll laugh again more than just once" It's a tight hold before she releases him.
Once she steps over, Cardinal reaches over to wrap his arms about her in return; pulling her in fiercely against his chest, eyes closing as he murmurs, "She's still Liz. She's just hurt, is all. All wounds heal in time, Abs."
"That they do. Well, if i'm gonna beat the curfew, I had better get down on the scooter and get going. last I need is to be arrested for breaking curfew when I'm not really trying to. You good to clean up here?"
"Curfew." Cardinal exhales a snort, then offers her a wry smile, chin bobbing in a nod, "Yeah, I'm good. Watch yourself out there, ABigail."
"Always Richard. Always"
Parting words to the shadow as the younger blonde sets about to getting her stuff gathered so she can head home. "Give her a big hug for me"