Sweet And Lowdown

Participants:

barbara_icon.gif eileen_icon.gif joseph_icon.gif lynette2_icon.gif quinn2_icon.gif

Scene Title Sweet And Lowdown
Synopsis Ferrymen council members meet to discuss the latest and greatest.
Date December 04, 2010

Pollepel Island


The sunlight is cold and pale, offering mostly just visibility over actual warmth, and the tunnel-like dining hall is practically empty at this time of day. Not far from where an empty hearth is set into the pale wall, Joseph is the first to arrive at what promises to be a rather casual and desolate council meeting; he'd been seated alone, with a deep mug of tea cooling at his elbow, frameless glasses perched low on his nose and reading the spotty pages of some aged text that had come with a few of the more luxury supplies to help wile away the hours on Pollepel Island. Flannel and denim, the only real difference to how he appears now and how he appeared during the Gun Hill raid would be the addition of crucifix pendants, reading glasses, and the absence of a shotgun.

Lynette's arrival had been clearly heard, her steps echoing off the grey-brick ceiling that comes up in arches and curving planes between brick work pillars. He'd flipped the book closed and offered the second arrival a hand shake across the extended, scratched oak table. Once settled; "Enjoyin' the party?" uttered over his still steaming tea, bringing it up to sip.

Lynette offers a sort of wry sound in reply, shaky fingers digging into her coat pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes she must have gotten on her trip to the mainland. "It needs a few more martinis," she says, as she twirls one of the cigarettes between her fingers, instead of lighting it. She'd like to light it, but she's trying to be considerate.

"It is good to see you again, though, Preacher," she even smiles for this one, tired and twitchy though she may be. "We were worried about you." By we she may just mean I, but it sounds less sentimental as a group activity.

Sometimes, things just kind of work out for RObyn Quinn. Today, it's looking like it might actually be one of those days. She's only just not getting back inside after wandering the castle a bit with friends, her aim to get back to teh room she'd claimed and retrieve the acoustic guitar she had brought with her to the island. So, it had been on a whim that she'd stopped to ask if anyone had seen any council type people - she'd been meaning to find Eileen or Lynette or Barbara or someone when she first got there that morning, but quickly had been distracted by other escapades. ANd it had been luck that that person had informed her that she'd just seen Lynette a few moments ago, headed in the direction of teh dining hall.

Great how those things work out sometimes, isn't it?

The musician's brown boots make her plenty easy to hear as she enters the dining hall just a moment behind Lynette, hands buried deep in her black button up jacket. "Lyneeeette~" she says excitedly as her pace slows, and only then does she Joseph - some she hasn't actually seen for some time, even if she knew he'd been brought back safely just not too long ago. She quiets her voice considerably as she offers a nod in his direction. "Joseph. I'm so glad t' see you're alright." A beat of silence, before she smiles. "DO either of you have a moment?"

"Me too," Joseph admits, setting book down on the bench beside him and centreing cup of tea in front of himself, hands circling warmed ceramic. Sends a glance down the length of the hall before refocusing on her, offering back that smile. "Sorry about your building." It won't be the only one among the Ferrymen network now blacklisted from use — in fact, the vast majority was.

And maybe he knows how that can hurt a little. It's not a conversation untouched between them, anyway, and so Quinn's arrival interrupts but doesn't disrupt, necessarily, as Joseph pauses and looks her way as the woman across from him's name is cheerily called out. There is some recognition for Quinn, in the way that it would be difficult not to recognise many of the remaining Ferry faces these days — not on this island, and not after Gun Hill. He nods back to her at that comment, a fleeting smile, obviously not exactly proud of himself for being alright, but—

His eyebrows go up at that request for a moment, and he angles his wrist to glance at his watch. "I think we're early," he tells Lynette, leaving it up to her more or less.

"Yes… me too," Lynette repeats, but for her poor safehouse's fate. "But ah… whatever will be will be, no?" And then there's a singsong call of her name and she turns, an eyebrow already lifted playfully as she regards Quinn. "Only if it's good news, darling. If it's bad, then I'm sorry, but we're terribly busy."

She's kidding. Mostly.

The blonde nods her head toward a seat, invitingly. "Come on, you look like you're about to burst."
Barbara has partially disconnected.

"Actually," Quinn begins with that lowered pitch. "It is good news. A few bits of it, in fact." THere's a shiver, and she can't really help it. She moves up to the table and takes a seat as invited, bringing hadns together and rubbing them furiously in an attempt to generate warmth. "I'm not interruptin' anythin', am I?" She inquires first, but doesn't really give the chance for anywone to answer before she continues.

"I meant t' come by a bit earlier, but I got sidetracked. But I wanted t' find someone on council, because - " She pauses, and for whatever reason, her voice lowers a bit more. "Well, I talked t' Cat the other. I dunno if she's actually gotten any word out here since… you know. So, I thought people might want t' know."

Joseph's hands splay fingers in a silent gesture of no, she wasn't interrupting anything— or anything that couldn't be, anyway. And listens, otherwise, running the ridge of thumbnail along the rim of his teacup. His brows draw together at this news, silently racking his brain about what he does know of Cat's situation and shamedly coming up a little empty handed.

"I hadn't," he says, and a glance passes that torch to Lynette even as he adds, "I haven't seen her since the shooting. What'd she say?"

"I haven't heard from Cat, either," Lynette says, her head tilting curiously. "It is sort of difficult to get word out this way." One of her hands runs through her hair for a moment and she looks between the two, "Would either of you mind if I smoke? I can hardly sleep out here, I think it's taking a toll on my nerves." And clearly… nicotine is the answer? At least she's not drinking!

"She's hiding out." Obviously. At Lynette's inquiry, Quinn grins, one of the hands in her pockets shifting for a moment before she draws out a lighter and offers if over. That's her approval, at least. "She's… understandably worried about bein' watched. I'm guessin' she hasn't the Verb since the Eigth, since I had t' play a game a' follow the clue t' get t' her. As far as I'm aware, the place hasn't been touched - at least, not that I've heard an' I live there." She rolls her shoulders in a shrug, leaning elbows on the table. "She's getting by. She hasn't come t' the island because she's worried someone might tail 'er, an' she worried about Ball's followers, as she put it."

Joseph shakes his head towards Lynette, but clarifies with a, "Go 'head," before he's back to listening to word of Cat, mouth twitching a frown at the idea of Susan Ball and her would-be disciples. "She can reach us over radio — we haven't had a problem with that so far, long as we assume we might have one if we ain't careful. Maybe we should send someone out— Jensen, maybe— to go collect her if she wants over here, but." A shrug. That's not entirely necessary. The council has its hands full— everyone does, really— but not to the point where they have to risk another leader.

"Thanks," Lynette says to both of them, although Quinn gets a crooked smile for the lighter. "So chivalrous." Once she's lit up and able to relax a little bit, she looks over at the musician, her head tilted. "Ball's followers, huh. Is that a founded fear or is she just being paranoid? Not that there isn't ample reason to be paranoid, but if she's gotten some clue about those following Susan's example…" That would be worrisome indeed.

"Maybe a little of both?" It's not a very good answer, but it's the ebst Quinn has. "She said Ball had been up t' somethin' way before the shootin, but she was still workin' on findin' out details. She was wondering if there'd been ecvidence of Ball's people on the island. She's worried something might be tried again once things have died down." Quinn's posture straightens as she takes out a cigarette of her own and lights it, turning so that she's angled away from Joseph and Lynette.

"She was asking about illusionists. Told me it was for a fact finding mission. I told her Kendall was here, but she said no t' that, because Melissa probably wouldn't approve." She blows a bit of smoke out into the air, before looking back at Joseph and Lynette. "I told her I'd heard talk of another one on the island, but I didn't know a name."

Another puff before she resumes speaking. "I offered t' bring her m'self. I- can turn people invisible now. Colette taught me that. Not m'self, though. She said somethin' about Nel- er, N sending her over too."

"I'd talk to our ex-spy security folks before makin' decisions," Joseph says, a little wryly, once he's taken another sip of tea and setting it down again. "See if they got ideas. Cat was among those that were pegged for execution. In this country. Not just like bringin' around a refugee, not exactly. Illusionist ain't a bad idea, of course — we got another one of those. Shannon? She might be good about that kinda thing, though I daren't say Kendall can't make his own decisions by now."

A glance to Lynette, a half-shrug. They did, after all, witness the young man in action. How that was nearly a full month ago now is beyond Joseph. He rocks teacup back and forth a little, making the saturated water whirl around. His other hand comes up, snags on crucifixes to fidget. "As for Ball followers— dunno about that, but we got a couple of security risks we're to be discussin' soon, so we'll, uh. Have a verdict on that one not so long after now."

"I have to second Joseph. Don't discount Kendall. Frankly, there's a group of us that wouldn't have made it to the boats to get here or even out of Gun Hill if he hadn't been there and willing to help. So. Cast the net wide, ask them both." Lynette lifts a shoulder. She is, apparently, not worried about Melissa's disapproval in this case.

"We'll get word around as soon as there's anything actually known. Speculation is only that," she adds, as far as security risks, backing up Joe's statement there.

There's a bit og a chuckle from Quinn as she stares off for a moment. "That was my thought too, but she said to see who else, so I thought I would. At either rate, I'll try an' talk t' both of them I had no idea about Shannon…" She trails off a bit, before spinning back tof ace them. "That was really it from Cat. It was a brief meetin', but she said she'd be gettin' back int' contact with me,w hich was why I was in such a hurry t' talk t' someone about it, you know?"

She grins, leaning back and away to blow smoke away again before she returns attention to them. "I also wanted t' throw out a name for consideration for joinin' the Ferry. I think… well, I know Lynette knows her. I dunno if you got the chance t' meet her while she was at GUn Hill, Joseph." Quinn leans back down on her elbow, cigarette dangling precariously between her lips as she speaks. "Elaine Darrow's expressed interest t' me, after the eighth, an' after bein' here for a bit afterwards, in joinin' the Ferry an' helpin' however she can. I think she'd be able t' do a fair amount. She's good with the kids, if nothin' else, but… she knows, like, every language ever, an' she's startin' t' worj with code apparently now too."

"Thanks for bringin' word," Joseph states, on the tail end of her summarising her meeting with Cat, and leaving it lie. If there's more to follow up later, there's plenty of time to do so. As for recommendations— it seems as though Pastor Sumter hasn't had the pleasure beyond, maybe, passing the redhead in the hallway or sharing an elevator. The idea casts a vaguely guilty look downwards into his tea, which he brings up again to drink from. Black-irised eyes cede this one to Lynette, silently prompting her opinion in a glance over ceramic.

"Actually, I didn't have much of a chance to meet her more than in passing. Magnes was just moving her in before I… went away for the summer and Eric had invited Magnes to leave before I got back." Unless her memory is spotty. Which is has been for those months. But all in all, Lynette seems supportive, even if the girl has… odd taste in boys. "But I have heard good things about her. We'll toss her name out… it is likely someone from the council will want to meet with her. Myself, if no one else. You know how to get in contact with her, I'm assuming?"

"SHe lives with me," Quinn replies with a nod. "At the Verb. But she's…" SHe takes a more nervous tone for a moment, scratching her cheek. "Don't be mad, but I brought her back, she's here on the island. I figured someone might want t' talk t' her, an' she came with me t' POllepel back after the eighth, because she was hurt." She rolls her shoulders a bit, giving a weak smile. "I… hope you don't mind too terribly much?"

Brows knit together again, developing lines that communicate some degree of exasperation at this news. Joseph tips his head a little in a shrugging kind of gesture. "Won't count for much now if we did mind," he points out, gentle tone firming up a little in some degree of paternal sternness. "This ain't exactly a do now, ask later sort of operation. But I'll let the council know you don't want us to be mad." Sternness edged with at least humour, now, apparently deciding the woman should be able to take it, fair and square, corner of his mouth quirking in a sort of rueful half-smile.

That Elaine comes with a good recommendation helps, anyway.

Apparently, Lynette really isn't the get mad type. Or rather, it takes more than this to get her riled, perhaps. "Quinn. Secret island hideout," she says, shaking her head, but there's this crooked smile. If this were someone without good judgment, she would maybe be more upset. But it seems Quinn has enough of Lynette's trust. "Alright. If she's here, then that'll make it easy to talk to her, won't it. Is there anything else, hun? Any other confessions while we have the preacher here?"

Quinn dips her head a bit at the chiding. THey're totally right to, after all, but she had been hoping. "Like I said, she's been here before. I'm pretty sure she would have been back ehre for thanksgiving if- things hadn't happened." SHe lets out a bit of a sigh and nods. "But yeah, I get it. I'm sorry. It's not something I'd do again, or with anyone else. But if it helps, she's someone I trust with my life, no questions asked." She grimaces, looking back up at the two with a weak smile. "But no that's- it. If you guys need t' get back t' somethin', I can take off."

Probably a year ago, a year and a half, Joseph may have been all about reassuring, maybe even extending a hand to squeeze her wrist. Regardless as to his duty to the Ferry, his role as someone to set examples and precedents, if it meant that maybe someone might like him a little better, feel a little better. Her weak smile is mirrored with a wan one of his own, which is the most reassurance he can summon, nodding to her point in a genuine sort of concession of something that makes it okay.

And also that she won't do it again. "Thank you, Quinn, f'coming to us with all that. We'll letcha know what the rest say 'bout your friend. We won't be sorry to have another set of hands, anyhow."

"What he said," Lynette says, blowing a plume of smoke away from the others. "Stick to the island for a little while, so we can grab you if something needs to be sent back to Cat." It's a friendly dismissal, but it is still one. "And warn your friend she's in for a visit," that one comes with a crooked smile.

"I wasn't plannin' on leavin' until Monday morning, but I can stick around a bit longer if I need t'." Quinn leans back, blowing smoke as she takes her cigarette back between fingers. "I should probably talk t' someone sometime about- well, people are startin' t' push me int' public view. I'm supposed t' be on a radio show, a TV producer wants me t' do somethin'… I dunno if anythin' like that's really frowned upon. But, we can talk about that another time, hmm?" Quinn offers a smile as she lifts herself up from her seat, giving a bit of a wave. "I'll see you two later. An' I'm really, really sorry." Her free hand slips into her pocket and she turns, making her way back out of the dining hall.

As Quinn is taking her leave of the dining hall, she passes Barbara and Eileen on her way out, and that the latter doesn't seem to acknowledge her presence isn't a slight against her, but rather to do with the white cane she carries. For whatever reason, there's no sparrow or robin at her collar this afternoon, though the tone she's using to converse in murmured voices with her companion is gentle and easy, suggesting that this may be a matter of personal preference and not a lapse in her ability.

Sometimes she likes to reassure herself that she'd be able to continue functioning without it.

Even inside, she wears a wool coat over her sweater and a long skirt paired with leather boots and thick stockings for additional warmth, and she gravitates toward the hearth without prompting.

Worry reflects briefly in dark eyes, but Joseph lets that issue rest where it is, casting another thin smile her way at this final apology before he watches her leave, but looking away again before Eileen and Barbara's presence registers for him. Rapping fingertips against the sides of his depleted tea, he casts a look back to Lynette. Bushy eyebrows go up briefly, how about that, before he shifts a little where he sits. "This whole secret hide out island's not gonna be easy," he notes, not yet noticing the approach of the two others, albeit seconds away from doing so. "Kind of like having another GCT all over."

"Well, the problem with keeping this place a secret is that we've had to tell so many people about it for it to be of any use. And then we get things like this. Quinn trusts her friend, her friend gets hurt, friend is brought here. Makes you wonder how many have done just that. Or mentioned it. Or whathaveyou. The sooner we find new safehouses to scatter to, the better chance we have of this actually staying off the radar." Lynette lets out a bit of a sigh there, it is a troubling matter. But when she notices the other two coming in, and that there's no bird in attendance, she greets them with a quick, "Hello ladies," instead of, you know… a wave.

A weary smile is offered to Joseph and Lyentte as Barbara steps in alongside Eileen. She's huddled up in her her sweatshirt and a thick pair of pants, her hat pulled over her head as per usual. She walks tomat Eileen's pace, in the vent the birdless woman really needs her her assitance - or a littel guitance, in case her cane misses something in her. A little back up assurance if nothing else. "Hello Joseph, Lynette. I hope you haven't been waiting long." Close enough to have heard Joseph's question, she can't help but tilt her head, glancing down to Eileen before looking back at the other two with a grimace. "Did something happen?"

Guided by the sound of Lynette's voice, Eileen's cane connects with the edge of their table. The tips of her fingers trace along it's edge, brush Joseph's shoulder, and she sits down beside him, close enough to take advantage of some of the heat his much larger body is emanating, but not so close as to suggest physical intimacy or even friendship.

Her cane shifts, coming to rest in the flat of her lap. Barbara saves her a little breath by asking the question she would have otherwise.

"Word from Catherine Chesterfield," Joseph says, as he tenses a little when Eileen's fingers creep butterfly-light against a shoulder, but certainly no protest. Girl is blind, and all. He watches her get settled, waiting to see if she needs help, but when it's evident she does not, he nods to Lynette. "Quinn came by to let Lynette and I know. Hasn't made moves to join us over here outta paranoia, so we should maybe figure out where we want her, an' how to get her there."

His hand clasps back around crucifixes. Not a meaningful gesture, or even a conscious one. "Has a few things to say about our Susan. Also, a recommendation." Which is probably where the something happened lies, but he passes that buck to Lynette instead.

And Lynette does pick up right there. "She thinks Elaine Darrow would make a good addition to the Ferry. Elaine did stay at Gun Hill for a time, but was never part of the network. And she informs us that she brought Elaine here already because she was wounded on the Eighth." She takes a moment there to smoke a little more, because she's apparently edgy today, shaky hands and the whole bit. But after a moment she adds, "In similar news, I have someone that… while she might not be able to join, would be at least a good ally. Savannah Burton. She's an author. I pointed her toward Ygraine's Liberty project." She looks to Barbara there, with a nod.

Barbara's expression lightens a bit at the mention of Cat. "That's… good timing," she remarks with a hint of amusement. "I was speaking with Hana not too long ago. She had said she'd try and get a message off to Catherine." The name Elaine Darrow is lost on her, but she tilts her head a bit at the mention of Savannah Burton.

"Mm, really? We had a few copies of some of her books at Thompson, I figured Evolved Friendly literature would be good to have for everyone. I'm a bit surprised, but I iamgine she would be a good fit for Liberty. Have you told Ygraine yet?" Shuffling her feet a bit, Barbara takes the seat previously occupied by Quinn, turning to face the other council members present. She hadn't had the chance to speak to ayone else about Liberty; perhaps this would serve as a good segue. But first… "I'm afraid I don't know this Elaine. What capacity was it she stayed at Gun Hill in?" More a question of curiosity, but she's also wondering how much of the network the woman knows.

"I can vouch for Elaine." This, from Eileen. "She's got a level head. I wouldn't tell her more than she already knows or what she absolutely needs to in order to carry out her responsibilities, but she's fair. Trustworthy." Two qualities that the Ferry can never have enough of when it comes to its membership. Or least that's the theory. "As for Burton, Ygraine should be aware that the Ferry isn't the only resistance group that can benefit from having friends in high places. Lynette and I spoke with what's left of Messiah's leadership.

"They're starting fresh. I don't know the new man in charge well enough to say whether or not he can be trusted, or if we're going to end up with another Rupert Carmichael on our hands, but Lynette," and she lifts her chin, blind eyes seeking out the blonde's face regardless of her disability, "seems to think that we won't. All we've been committed to so far is keeping an open line of communication. I'd like Raith and Ryans to meet with him as soon as they're able to make the time and assess whether or not his plans are going to pose a threat."

There's a soft click as Joseph sets mostly emptied tea cup down. "Not to start the voting early or nothin', but I vote we keep those lines of communication to figuring out where this new Messiah goes so we can avoid 'em rather than promise anythin' more. Maybe the same with anyone high profile, Ygraine's project aside. Leave the freedom fight, legal and not, to the freedom fighters.

"He came to you?" Rather than the other way around is the implication, a glance from Eileen's profile, to Lynette.

"I haven't seen Ygraine yet, but when I track her down, I'll let her know. I did leave her name out of it, since her partner is the face of the group, but still. I'll let her know." Lynette smirks a little at Barbara's question, though, "I understand she was dating Magnes Varlane for a time. When he was asked to leave, she went, too."

Her gaze travels to Joseph, and she just sort of looks for a moment, a finger tapping against the table. Thinking, perhaps. But she shifts to be able to take them all in as she replies, "He's not going to be like Carmichael. The entire structure of the organization is shifting to something a little more like and open forum and less like a monarchy. No one was more pissed off about Carmichael than those that too his orders."

Barbara purses her lips a bit when Lynette relays that Elaine is or was dating Magnes, mixing it with the various things she's heard over the last week of so. The resulting sound is a bit of a sigh, tempered only by Eileen's voiching for the woman. BUt the topic of Messiah, that's something else entirely. She looks between the other two woman with a grimace. "I'm not sure how I feel about having any sort of communication with Messiah.I don't know this new man in charge, but the name alone being attached to anything, starting fresh or not… even the loosest affiliation feels like a gamble."

The postcognitive pulls her hat off her head, setting it down on the table in front of her. "Ygraine's campaign, from what I could gather reading the webpage I was shown, sounds like a rather ambitious legal campaign. She's not even openly associating her name with it, but the goal's to take things like registration and the new card swipe laws here in the city to the Supreme Court, among other things." She taps her fingers on the table, looking between the others catiously.

"Ambitious legal campaigns aren't exactly within our scope," Eileen says, "when the whole of the network's leadership is wanted by the American government, either on charges of terrorism, or by the Institute for what they can do. What Ygraine does on her own time is her business, but I'd rather not see our resources dragged into it when we already have so few." She folds her hands at the edge of the table, and might take more offense in the subtle shift that Joseph's eyes make between her and Lynette if she was able to see it.

"We can make a decision about what to do in respect to Liberty and Messiah when we know more. What I'd like to talk about is a slightly more sensitive issue and concerns Pollepel itself."

Okay. Tabled. Done so a little grudgingly, judging by the way Joseph pauses over the mention of Messiah and denying, for now, discussion involving it. But he lets it go, arms settling folded on the wooden surface that divides him from Lynette and Barbara, hand fidgeting with the frameless glasses he'd set down. "I'm a little outta touch with said issues. Y'all got the floor on that one," he offers.

"I don't think she's looking for resources from the Ferry. Just wanted to keep everyone in the know." Lynette holds her cigarette off to the side, away from the others as it dangles between her fingers. "Oh boy, I love sensitive issues. Is this about… security? Quinn said Cat had some worries about that herself, thus her not being here."

Barbara grimaces a bit, nodding at Eileen, then Lynette. "She wasn't really looking for Ferry support. If anything, it seems like she's trying as much as possible to distance it from Ferry, hence why she's not the one- seemigly at the head of the whole thing. Some other woman who's name I forget, unfortuantely." She shakes her head, before looking to the others at the table. "I think she just wanted us aware, in case there were objections."

With that, she lets the issue rest for the time being, fidgeting a bit of the matter one last time before she leans back forward, chinr ested on teh top of clasped hands as her elbows sit on the table. "Cat had security concerns? Would make sense I guess…" She looks over at Eileen, quirking an eyebrow. "I've been meanin' t' talk t' you about somethin' that Raith thought we should consider for security."

For the most part, Eileen's feelings about security line up with Raith's feelings about security; if there's any hesitation in the nod she gives Barbara, it's to do with the fact Raith went to her first. "Abigail found a compass similar to the ones used by the Institute in a jacket belonging to one of the new refugees. Howard Phillips. He associates with some other new faces that no one I've spoken with remembers seeing around the network before, but one of them — Benjamin Foster — is a registered telepath with low-level DoEA clearance. Raith and Ryans confronted him about it, and I've spoken to him as well — he claims that he was forced into it, and that he only worked with them as an informant.

"For what it's worth, I believe him, but the nature of his ability makes it difficult for me to trust, especially when he refuses to tell us what he's capable of. We need to make a decision about what to do with him, whether that means letting him leave the island and risk exposure, or convince Foster and his friends to remain here with the network while we determine whether or not they can be trusted with Pollepel's location."

An exhale funnels through both mouth and nose in a sigh at this report, Joseph sitting back a little, elbows braced against table edge. "Kaylee gets the same sorta stigma," he puts in. "Not wrongly." Don't tell her I said that, is what a minor shrug of his shoulders communicates. "I think if we're gonna turn any of 'em away, it won't be right away. No matter what side of the line they stand on, they'll be prone to tellin' if they ain't got nothin' to lose, y'know?"

He scratches his jaw, uneasiness set into the tip of brows, the line of his shoulders. "How're we keepin' him here anyways? Someone watchin' the docks twenty-four seven?"

Lynette chuckles a bit at Joseph's words, "Oh, everyone's lied now and then, telepath's just do it better." But she looks over to the others, frowning a bit. "Those two do seem close. Brotherly, you know. And that girl with them… Hannah?" The idea that they might be Institute makes her frown deepen rather severely. "It's sort of a catch 22, isn't it? We let him go, he can run and point to where we're sitting, but if we keep him, he can learn more and more to spill later. If he is playing informant still." She liked them all, too.

"Also, Ygraine expressed worry about Magnes — " For some reason, there's a look to Eileen there and a discomforted roll of her shoulder at the boy's mention, "Magnes being a security risk because he can't seem to stop himself from being ostentatious. I told her we'd pass it along." It's hard to say if she agrees that he's really that big a risk, but then, she doesn't disagree either.

"Hannah was also involved in starting an unsanctioned fighting ring last week," Barbara chimes in at the mention of the woman. "Along with wthat ginger haired fellow - Reynard, isn't it? - and the blind girl, I believe." A pause. "The- other one," is added with a bit of a laugh as if there was confusion. "Nora, I think her name is. Raith broke it up, but not before Reynard decided to put Hannah up to a fight with him, after which he relayed to me his belief that she, supposedly a professional fighter, threw the match, as well as his desire that we keep them all on a short leash, or he thinks they're going to get people killed."

Fingers raise up and pinch the bridge of Barbara's nose, the redhead shutting her eyes for a moment. "Worry about Magnes was expressed by her and by Eric Doyle. Shannon didn't sound terribly fond either." Her hand falls back to the table with a bit of a thud. "We have to keep them here at least a little longer, but they need to start playing by our rules. Letting them leave, for the moment, sounds like a risk. Particularly if they have Institute or DoEA affiliation."

"They could do worse than an unsanctioned fighting ring," Eileen says. "Try a coup. Hannah volunteered for Ryans' team when we hit the convoy and Reynard carried a message to Teodoro Laudani for me. Didn't put up much of a fuss when he got stabbed for his efforts, either. Let's not start measuring out ropes for nooses or leashes just yet. I understand that Jensen is concerned, and so am I, but what this situation needs is a gentle hand."

Which is what Eileen likes to think she's shown them, whether or not it's true. At the very least, Joseph's question has her experiencing a visceral stab of guilt between her ribs where someone once stuck a knife. "I had Foster locked in a private room, for his own safety as much as ours. Someone took the handle, mind, but he's still here, which is evidence of something. Your call as to what. Adynomine every twenty-four hours to neutralize his ability. He's allowed out with supervision."

The subject of Magnes has a tired sigh leaking through his nostrils. Not a subject she wants to broach.

Joseph rolls dark eyes, if not unkindly, on the topic of Mister Varlane. No one in their right minds doesn't think he's something of a security risk, at least a little, but he follows Eileen's cue in focusing on immediate problems. And admittedly, the woman next to him gets a stare when she mentions the actual tangible measures taken to keeping Foster in one place and out of the way.

His hands press together, like a prayer, except he isn't. Praying. And fingertips don't point for heaven, either. "I don't think we got that much choice in this," he says, gently. "We need to convince 'em that the Ferry is worth sticking around for, make it worth it for 'em — if we assume they're still just refugees. If they're spies, then— "

His palms peel apart from one another, looking from Lynette to Barbara. "Memory wiping? Kaylee can block ideas and thoughts, at least for a little while."

Oh look everyone's aware. And Lynette seems… amused slightly, but willing to skip over Magnes and move back to the others. "Can she do that to another — Oh, I suppose it isn't so much a problem if he's neutralized." The blonde tilts her head some, fingers tapping on the table's surface. "So we charm them, hmm?" 'We' meaning the Ferry as a whole, with it's tired, it's poor, it's huddled masses… "And meanwhile try to learn if they are, in fact, spies or if this is all just an amazing coincidence." By her tone, she doesn't believe in coincidence that much."

Fingers drum again briefly, Barbara quirking her lips side to side. "Personally, Eileen, I'm mostly inclined to agree with you, on needing a gentle hand. But the fighting ring… there could be worse, but leaving people hurt and weakened, all in the name of a little extra fun? That needs to not happen unless we get smoe proper equipment for things like that." A hand is waved dismissively, saying that's all, and Barbara leans back in her seat. "I would hate to resort to memory wiping, but if it has to be done, so be it. From my brief interactions with some of them, they seem fine to be around, though I haven't had the chance to speak to anyone one on one, not like you," she says, motioning to Eileen.

"Charming them with solitary confinement probably isn't the best way to go. I think… we keep a good idea on them, but we let them be, for now. Keep an eye on the docks, make sure they aren't leaving without permission… compassion is probably the order of the day for this. If we can make that work without giving too much freedom, it seems like the best option."

"Telling them they aren't allowed to leave the island isn't much better than confining them to their rooms, and Phillips has already made it clear that he intends to take Foster, Kirby and the girl and be gone the moment Foster's been exonerated." Now is not the time, Eileen thinks, to bring up that letting them be had been their original plan — up until Benji slipped under her radar and stole— borrowed one of their boats. "I can work on convincing Foster, maybe ask him if he's willing to continue out present arrangement for another week or two while we bring his friends around, but that means exposing them to what it is we do.

"Who do we have here who might be able to mentor them based on their skill sets?"

"Sounds like the young lady— Miss Kirby— needs somethin' to do, certainly," Joseph says, with a shrug. "We switch her to doing some security stuff, maybe, 'stead of using security to keep 'em penned in. Hawkwatching the docks and the river, and the like. Far as I can recall, she's got some sorta ability that makes her the world's best bullet shield. If Special Activities feels like takin' on a protege, anyhow. And it ain't like we need to show 'em stuff like the Terminal to make 'em feel like we're giving some trust over."

He goes to pick up tea, and take a finishing gulp. Doesn't seem prepared to offer much more than that for now, having not much knowledge of what Foster and Phillips have on offer.

"It's true, the size of the cage doesn't matter much if you're bothered by the fact there's a cage in the first place." Lynette looks from Eileen to Barbara and then back again. "Mento— Well, I have the lightning thing, if that counts. I'm certainly no professional fighter. Although, you know, if Raith worked with them to arrange some sort of fighting ring, with some rule set to follow, that might help them relieve the tension. And… bond, I suppose, if that's what they're into."

Joseph's suggestion, too, gets a nod. "That could work. They'd get their own buddy-cop show, sort of thing," she notes with a smirk before she brings that cigarette back to her lips. It's sort of a long pause there before she pipes up again. "As far as Benji… I have no idea. Unless Kaylee wants a telepathy buddy."

"Mm, I guess so. Mentoring them is a good diea. Getting them involved, making them feel like they belong instead of locking them up…" Barbara nods, hand to chin as she thinks. "I'm a bit more in teh dark when it comes to… what they can do. It sounds like you guys have it down pretty well. I do think Special Activities is the ebst fit for Hannah. Reynard claimed she was a prosessional fighter, and she went on teh rescue mission…" She taps her foor a few more times. "He and NOra seem to be part of teat group as well, though it sounds like Reynard has found his part to play. Do we know is… Nora is Evolved? What she can do?" She leans forward again, looking abit more intently. "DO we have anyone who can help her wiht her eyes, out of curiosity?"

"We can find out by asking," is Eileen's suggestion on the Nora front. "The girl, directly, rather than one of her friends. It's more respectful to her, and if we treat her like an adult then she's more likely to act like one." She wishes she and Barbara had stopped at the kitchen before coming; if she did, she would have something like Joseph's teacup to occupy her hands, and would not be tempted to slip one into her coat and retrieve the package of cigarettes she keeps there, picked up from the mainland when she followed Benji to Roosevelt Island no further.

It's only half-smoked, and under different circumstances this could be taken as a sign that she's attempting to quit again. In reality, she's probably just rationing what little she has. "If they're desperate to go back to New York, I don't think it would be a mistake to take them on a supply run, or to visit any friends they might have there the next time we need to send someone that way. Just be sure that they steer clear of the Terminal."

"I can maybe help on any convincin' front. Can't cite any particular triumphs in that department," Joseph is saying, as he bends the arms of his glasses and tucks one down the collar of his shirt to hang against his chest, "but I can g't people to pretty please promise to not sell us out at the best of times, if they're amenable to listenin'. Harve Brennan, for one." That's about what he can offer, to this particular problem.

Guilting. And possibly hugs. The Southern Baptist version of diplomacy.

"Oh, I suppose we can take the direct approach," Lynette says, her tone wry and amused. Really, she's just not used to laying the cards on the table. "Alright. If we've covered everything… I could really use a nap," she says, pushing herself up to standing. ANyone really paying attention might notice it's a little unsteady. And her brow is creased like she might be fighting off a sudden headache. But she does wait for confirmation before actually going anywhere.

Barbara can't help but laugh at Eileen's suggestion. "I guess that would be the best way to find out. I guess with all talk, I never thought to jsut ask." She knocks on the table twice, looking up at Lynette, then over to to Eileen and Joseph. "I can try and find her a bit later, unless one of you would rather." Barbara shrugs, picking her hat up off the table. "But as far as all that goes, I don't have anything else to offer, I'm afraid."

Whether or not he would, Eileen does not give Joseph — or Lynette or Barbara, for that matter — the chance to practice the Southern Baptist version of diplomacy while she's still sitting at the table. As a general rule, with a select few individuals excepted, she doesn't like hugs. Guilt either, and the more they talk about it, the more sensitive she is to the teeth already gnawing at her.

"Then," she says, rising, "ladies and gentleman, I think we have ourselves a plan."


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License