Participants:
| Scene Title | The Equivalent of Shouting |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Someone peeks in on Emily's pep talk with herself. In their defense, she's being a little loud about it. |
| Date | March 1, 2019 |
A Safe Zone coffee shop
"So, Eileen, I've got good news and bad news."
Emily Epstein tilts her head at the menu hanging on the wall behind the baristas. Maybe she's considering if she'll try the advertised special.
The good news is… wait — which one's the—
Her brow furrows at the board, eyes burning a hole through the price outlined for a chai tea latte she's pretty sure won't actually be chai.
I mean, it's a toss-up, Emily. Really, the whole "she knows you're alive already" bit is good news and bad news on its own.
The intense stare relaxes some, and she shuffles a step forward in line for the register as the next customer is waved up. Her loud inner monologue continues uninterrupted the whole while, her external expression poker.
Another question — do you mention Geneva's role in that at all?
Emily looks off toward the window while she considers that, her thoughts locking up in indecision.
It was a moment, between business meetings and picking up her kids from school, that Kaylee found some time for herself. Looking at her phone, heels clicking on concrete, the telepath approaches the counter. Texts take forever in the Safe Zone, but doesn’t mean she doesn’t take advantage of it. Firing off a text to her husband that she would be picking up the kids today.
Stepping into line behind Emily, she doesn’t even look at the menu. Kaylee tends to order exactly one type of drink. Mocha. Hot or cold will depend on the time of year. Right now it’s cold enough she plans on a hot mocha and one for her bodyguard, Bob, sitting out in the SUV.
The mental voices around her batter at her telepathic walls, one in particular pounds loudly. Brows furrow, Kaylee tries hard to ignore it; but, good lord she is loud.
The worries are strong enough that they finally bleed into physical manifestation, Emily lifting a hand to rub at her face with visible stress before her look flattens again.
She had put it together on her own anyway when she saw Sibyl's entry in the journal. There's no need to mention what Geneva did. she loudly dismisses herself.
God, what are you trying to do, make things worse?
Emily adjusts the strap of the small shoulderbag slung across her chest, looking down as she slides her hand down to start fishing for her wallet.
If Kaylee had been a cat, an ear would have twitched like she heard something interesting. It pulls the telepath into the present and focuses her on the person in front of her. Her head twitches a bit and blue eyes lift from her phone looking to the back of the head of the woman in from of her. Brows furrow a little as she catches a couple of familiar names. What sticks out the most is the fact that…
Kaylee doesn’t know this woman.
There is a wary look around her, as if expecting something to happen. What that is, Kaylee doesn’t know; but when it comes to the subject of Sibyl and Eileen it makes her nervous. It is curiosity that finally drives her to quietly ask, “What do you know about Sibyl?” Oops.
Emily slowly lifts her head at the question, wallet in hand. She's hearing things. Clearly. But no — the woman standing behind her is looking at her expectantly. At her specifically, even. Her eyes steel, brow beginning to furrow. It could be brushed off as a typical New York 'fuck off' for anyone who didn't have the tools to know otherwise.
"Excuse you?"
The hair on the back of her neck is already raised as she takes in Kaylee's appearance, sizing her up and down and looking for anything immediately identifying with a flick of her eyes. There's nothing — no badge, certainly. Not SESA, at least. Who in the hell is this lady?
They've both got similar questions.
“Once upon a time, I had a young woman living with me and my family.” Kaylee falls into story mode, her tone soft and tone wary. She’s a bit like a hawk watching its prey, but really, she just wants to know where the girl disappeared, too. “Her name was Sibyl. She had come to me for help, but got kidnapped. Put my life and the life of others on the line to free her and get her back. Well, one day, she went out and… she never came back. No call… no word at all. We’ve been worried sick.” It’s been a sticking point with her… she never heard from Sibyl again.
A glance to her phone, the telepath frowns and puts it away, giving the other woman her full attention. “Imagine my surprise when I find out that something happened to her and she was going to be given to the very person I helped free her from. I had wanted to help… but things happened. But, somehow, I think you know what happened.” Getting ahold of Gabriel had not gone how she hoped and she had no idea how to even begin searching for her..
A single brow tips upward and her head tilts to the side to look past her to the counter. “Believe you are up.”
Had Emily been talking out loud to herself? She didn't think so. But the specific use of Sibyl's name was no coincidence. She turns a little more toward Kaylee now, brow knitting as she works through being perplexed about where this all is coming from. Emily tenses visibly when she hears the imagine my surprise, at the connotations sentences like that usually imply. She slides a step back uncomfortably while she listens to the rest, feeling like the woman across from her can see right through her — like she knows what she almost did.
She shoves that down in favor of focusing on figuring out who this mystery person is. Who could she be? There's a very clear moment where Emily goes down the list of people in her head — pixelated names on a cracked handheld screen, numbers attached to each. Her thoughts hover over one in particular, and it keeps her from running right then.
When she's told it's her turn, instead of stepping to the register, she steps to the side. Cautious, skittish, wondering what triggered this, and on the verge of taking off. But she doesn't, that name held in her mind. Her eyes narrow inquisitively and she takes in a breath that hitches when she hesitates on saying anything out loud. But what if it's not her? And this is just a… Her thoughts trail off warily.
Her phone comes from her pocket in a flash, screens swiftly danced through before she hits the call button. Emily looks back up squarely at the other woman once that's done, not bothering to lift it to her ear as it dials one of the numbers she'd acquired from Sibyl's phone. The only one attached to a female name.
Are you her? Are you Kaylee? she wonders, waiting for any telltale indicators.
When Emily steps aside, Kaylee watches with a touch of curiosity; but, then gives a shrug and steps forward to place her order for a Mocha with an extra shot of espresso.
She was going to need it.
While Emily messes with her phone, there is no attention paid to what the young woman is doing. A tip is tucked into the jar and a pleasant “Thank you” is give to the barista. She acts like she hadn’t just freaked the other woman out. Then even before her phone rings, Kaylee speaks up and turns to look at the other woman. “That’s me and I’m going to take a chance and assume you’re Emily?”
As the first digital chimes of her phone start up, Kaylee calmly pulls out the phone again and silences it, noting the number. “Kaylee Sumter,” she offers in a way of introduction, while tucking away the phone again.
Responding out loud to what Emily knew for sure she'd only been thinking does wonders for her calm. On the other hand, at least she doesn't have to wonder what triggered this anymore.
Nah, now she just gets to freak out about it.
Her shoulders slowly slope, her bag sliding toward the edge of her frame until she holds onto it, killing the call and screen on her own phone halfway through the voicemail prompt. She looks past Kaylee rather than at her, trying to put this all together. "I'd say you talked to Etienne, but you don't know where she is, so you didn't. So how you know me is still beyond me. Though, you're a fucking telepath, so—" At that, she looks back at Kaylee again, gaze flitting over her as she reconsiders her, recognition fading in. "You were Ferry," Emily says slowly, her name and face feeling familiar from one piece of news coverage or another. "So you knew her from before, didn't you."
Her head shakes slowly, brow furrowing now. Her discomfort surfaces again as she asks, "How do you both know and not know what happened? How do you know who I am, but don't?"
“I don’t make a habit of eavesdropping; but, you were doing the equivalent of shouting and I can only block so much out,” Kaylee offers calmly, watching the woman freak out. A smile tugs at the corner her lips, though doesn’t quite reach her eyes yet, “And the funny thing about Etienne… he has to actually get back to me when I try to contact him and leave messages.” He probably has his reasons so it’s clear she isn’t upset or irritated; just concerned. “Though, I find it interesting that you know him.” She really does.
Stepping aside for the next customer, Kaylee moves past Emily with a click of heels, for the section of counter her drink will arrive. “And yes, I am Ferry… was Ferry,” She corrects herself.
“As for how I knew anything at all…” The telepath’s shoulders lift slowly, “Geneva came to see me after she was stuck in a hummingbird. We had an interesting conversation. Beyond that, I’m out of the loop,” Kaylee sighs that last out softly. “I’m going to guess that the transfer of Sibyl back into that woman’s hands didn’t happen?” There a huge amount of relief in that if true. “I almost got killed getting her away from Eileen in the first place, would have been… distressing if she ended up there again.”
Emily's arms slowly fold before her, self-conscious when her thoughts are described as shouts. "Just… I've got a lot on my mind." she offers almost like an apology. Her feet shuffle along so she follows behind Kaylee, even though she's abandoned an order of her own. "Know is a strong word," she says in regard to Etienne St. James. "His was one of the numbers in Sibyl's phone, just like yours was. I just got lucky that he picked up when I called. He came and got her before…"
Eyes flit up at the mention of Geneva, surprise and remorse both in that look before she shakes her head to rid herself of it. "No, Sibyl was safe. Last I saw her — unconscious, but safe." But now? she wonders herself, having no idea what came of her shortly after.
She goes through another slow shake of her head before opting to speak, rather than dealing with the realization being possibly gleaned from her thoughts. It's said quietly, regardless. "You won't have to worry about Eileen Gray again. She's …"
Emily. Don't say too much.
"Gone." is how she hesitantly summarizes it.
There is a squint at that last bit and then a bit of a smile, “Well… I hope that means Sibyl found a way out of one body and into another.” It is vague, but possibly done so on purpose. “We were working out how to get her out of that body before…” Kaylee trails off, teeth snapping together, before she sends a look at the young woman. The telepath isn’t sure how much the other knows either.
“Kaylee!” Her name is called out by the barista, interrupting the conversation.
“Look…” Kaylee starts turning a bit more serious, shifting gears a bit. “I’m not asking where to find her or you to take me to her. Eileen… Sibyl has her reasons for disappearing and I will respect that. I…” The woman sighs and retrieves her coffee. A moment is taken to push a lid on it, before turning back to Emily. “I just wanted to know she was okay. That… everything I did. Everything I risked wasn’t for nothing.” Blue eyes are focused on the top of the cup, “Just let her know I was asking after her and that I hope she found what she was looking for.”
It is all that Kaylee could really ask for.
The intrigue brings a bit of calm to Emily, her phone starting to spin between pinched fingers. Her brow twitches in a momentary furrow, remembering Eileen Gray's sure insistence about what would happen to her, and what did end up coming to pass. It hadn't been paranoia out of nowhere, then. She can only assume the 'other' body referenced was the one she now inhabited.
She turns for a moment when Kaylee's name is called out, then quickly returns her attention to the woman directly. Kaylee's sentiments are ones that she can relate to, and she begins to shake her head. "It wasn't all for nothing," she assures, still sounding hesitant before her tone takes on a more comforting note. "What you did, what I did, what Geneva did — not all for nothing. She's safe. She's… whole. I think." Her gaze unfocuses for a moment. It's still a hard juxtaposition to reconcile, given the horror show of memory fragments Sibyl had shown them, one that haunts her momentarily. Emily looks back up with a quick smile, focusing harder on the moment instead of that.
"She's okay." is added quickly, in light of her visibly wandering thoughts. "Something something Gabriel fixed it." Etienne? Whatever, I'm sure she gets it. Emily shrugs one shoulder. It had all been specifically vague when described to her, but the more important part was: "She's herself. She's good for now. And from the sounds of it, it's probably just as much thanks to you she made it that far." She gestures to Kaylee with her phone-holding hand to emphasise that.
"Whenever I see her, I'll make sure she knows you're thinking of her."
After a brief pause she adds, "Sorry, for…" and gestures vaguely before grasping the strap of her bag. She exhales shortly. "I didn't know anything then. Who I should've talked to and shouldn't." Emily's head cants as she adds more quietly, more lightly, "Still not sure, really." before looking back to Kaylee. Before she gets off track entirely, she says more firmly, "It was nice to meet you."
That is, honestly, all Kaylee needed. There is no pressing for facts and she doesn’t skim the woman’s thoughts. There is no reason too, she simply nods at what the young woman says. “Good. Thank you for taking care of her when I clearly couldn’t.” It had been a weird time for everyone.
As the other woman starts to leave, Kaylee watches her in curious silence, even taking a sip from her coffee. Only then does she call after, “And it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Epstein. You have my number if you ever need help.” The telepath doesn’t wait for any confirmation, just simply turns and leave in the opposite direction, feeling far lighter and more at peace then she had minutes ago.