Participants:
| Scene Title | Triple Threat |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Harmony and Nate take a trip to Redbird to deliver the results of her latest doctor's appointment. Cardinal doesn't do anything subtle. |
| Date | March 8 |
Redbird Security - Main Lobby
There's a sharp, professional feel to the main lobby of the building. The carpet is a deep maroon underfoot, the walls an off-white cream that doesn't glare too brightly beneath the recessed lighting in the ceiling. Half a dozen chairs upholstered in a sandy light brown sit against one wall beneath a painting, a print of a Thomas Brill that shows the ruins of Midtown covered in vines and greenery as seen from the rooftop of the Deveaux building. The receptionist's station takes up almost an entire wall on the right side of the lobby, guarding the hallway that leads back into the building's offices. Behind and above the desk, the logo for Redbird Security Solutions hangs on the wall in glossy black.
The central hall continues the same carpet and wall colors to a number of doors. There are four offices, a restroom done in shades of blue and pale sand tones, and a comfortable employee lounge with attached kitchenette. An open doorway in the main lobby reveals a flight of upward stairs, and there's a locked door at the end of the central hall that guards the basement steps.
As he walks with Harmony, he has a smirk on his face. The type of smirk like, "Ooooo someone is in for a treat". He holds Harmony's hand as he walks with her into the building and says, "Relax and breath. You will be fine." As he runs a hand through his blonde locks, Nate adjusts his leather jacket with his free hand. He feels like he should be tidy when he sees Richard. It could just be the manner in which he is yet as he walks with Harmony to the front desk he says to the girl sitting there, "Hey sweetness. Mind telling Richard that Harmony is here to see him?"
As the door opens, the security guard on duty swiftly hides the smartphone that he was playing Angry Birds on, getting in exchange a teasing smile from the receptionist. Jo looks over to the newcomers, leaning back a bit and offering a more polite smile. "Of course. Just one moment…" He reaches over to lift up the phone reciever, tapping one of the numbers, "Mister Cardinal? Miss Roberts and friend are here to see you." A pause, "Of course." She hangs up the phone, "Go right in."
Harmony is on a mission. Call it worry, call it panic or just plain hormonal changes, but she is marching her way down to Cardinal's office, with things on her mind, and her telepathy a little bit out of control. Pregnancy and Evolved abilities sometimes don't go too well together. Couple of times on the way, she almost left Nate behind. The trip over wasn't a pleasant one. Between her crying for almost no reason, to her stopping several times and trying to go back and not go through with it and then a switch to the gung ho power walking pace, it is a wonder he isn't frustrated. But she manages to get to Redbird, in her first pair of maternity clothes, as she is showing quite a bit for 3 months. Not overly, but yeah, it is a definite. Once Jo gives the go ahead, Harmony is filled with a new gumption and she pushes ahead, through the door. Rather than greet with words, she simply tosses a manilla folder down on Cardinal's, wherever he may be.
As he walks in behind Harmony, Nate smirks to himself as he steps to the side and closes the door behind him. He gives the man a wave and says," Hey ya Richard. How goes your day?" He looks around the office again since this is the second time he has been here and hmmms as he leans against the wall and crosses his arms over his chest. "I am here for moral support and ummm to make sure her hormones don't kill you." God the hormones are brutal as of late.
As usual, Cardinal's sitting at his desk; he's just finished tapping out an email on his laptop when the door opened, his head lifting to look to the pair entering. "Hey," he starts to greet, a smile tugging up at the corner of his lips and then fading as the folder's tossed onto the table. There's a silent moment as he looks down to the manila folder, then up again, then back before reaching over to the folder and opens it up. "…she can't kill me. I'm a cockroach— uh— what is it that I'm looking at here?"
Harmony takes a breath, inclining her head backwards a little which casts her eyes upwards. As she exhales her sigh, she looks back to Cardinal, "Alright, before I step into this territory, I have to say that you'll have to forgive anything uncharacteristic of me, and you'll also have to take it to heart. I know that is a contradiction, but that is just the way it works. Now.." she looks back to Nate for a second, her resolve almost faltering, which makes her search for that support of the go ahead. He has heard all of this more than once. The mornings, the crying for no reason at all, the gripes about what motherhood will be like and so forth.
Stepping over toward the desk, she points to the black and grey medical picture, "This is an ultrasound." she starts with the basics, and then she circles her finger around the three black spots in all of the grey. "This one? Baby. This one? Baby. And this one? Baby. That's right.. three. The upside is that they are healthy, but now I'm more paranoid than normal. I looked up on the internet the survival rate of triplets, and it is lower than normal babies. LOWER. Than. Normal! Do you have any idea what that means? No, probably not. Of course you don't, because you're a guy. You just drop em in there and lounge around. You don't have to do any of the hard work of carrying them, worrying if you're doing the right thing, and— Oh.. I'm doing it again, aren't I?" she looks to Nate and sighs.
"It's ok. You have like 3 rocks soon to be boulders pressing against your bladder right now." He looks over at Cardinal and says, "Gentle dude. She is a bit….senstive." He looks back at his sister and says in his mind, Your fine sis. Just remember the man might go into shock too. You have to be gentle too if this is gonna work how you want it. As he looks back at Cardinal and grins like a Cheshire Cat, "Looks at the bright side. Your boys swim really well!"
Cardinal is silent throughout the rant that's directed to him, and then she's pointing at the photographs on the ultrasound, and he stares at it for a few moments. then he brings one hand up to sweep the shades from his face, setting them to one side and bringing his hand up to rub against his eyes with thumb and forefinger. "…three?" It's his only response. Give him a moment to digest this.
She has to choke back words for a moment. Her mouth never really had a filter to begin with, so now it is magnified. It is difficult for her to hold back and be gentle as Nate suggests to her. The thing is, Cardinal didn't respond to it how she wanted him to respond. So that means, he is wrong, and insensitive. Which she is trying to deal with right now. Of course. Of COURSE he did. 'Three?' What the heck kind of response is— I knew it. I just knew it, it's even worse than I thought. I should just fly to Kairo and live there. Run away and give up on any kind of hope of finding— Oh my god… I can't handle this. I just. Can't. Take it. I think I'm gonna be sick. She inhales through her nostrils and pulls her lips into a forced and exaggerated grin while she holds up three fingers to answer his question. She want to say something, it is written all over her face. So many things want to fly out of her mouth right now. But she keeps them zipped to give him time to adjust.
"Wow. Just…" Cardinal's hand drops down to the desk, and he sits up a little, still clearly a little shellshocked from that hit as he looks back up to her with a grimace, "I'm sorry, Harm." It is, after all, his fault. And while one child can be handled by a single mother…
And that does it for her. She wanted a much better answer than that. And she even gave him a second chance to change his answer to something more acceptable. Which she only had one answer in her mind that would be acceptable. But he didn't do it, and somewhere inside of her she knew he wouldn't, or couldn't or whatever. But that doesn't matter, as she is teetering towards irrationality at the present time. That is when he can see the decline in her facial expression. She goes from shocked to disappointed to empowered woman in a matter of seconds. Her eyes narrowing and readying the daggers that show their tips from behind them.
"I'm sorry?" she echoes with 'are you serious?' tone. "I'm sorry. It really is that simple for you, isn't it?" she tosses her hands into the air as she starts to pace through the room, "Oops! I'm so sorry Harm. I've gone and ruined your chances at finding any kind of stability, romance, a happy home and those girlish dreams of having a husband that you've had since you were 5. Oh, lets not forget how you'll be pushing out three possibly large newborns from your body in one day. Then there will be the nights of unrest, the breastfeeding of three children, having to pay attention to one, then the other. And you know they'll be on different sleeping schedules, so one wakes up crying, it'll wake up the other ones. Don't worry Harm, you'll learn to rock three children to sleep in no time. You're a strong girl, you don't need to find love, so it's okay that no guy is going to want to be with a girl that has three kids. Not one! Three!" she brings both of her fists down hard upon the desk, "God. Dammnit!" she says, staring Cardinal right in the face, and then she just slumps and flops back, sitting on the floor. Next comes the crying. The sobbing into her hands.
As he shakes his head, Nate pulls out a water bottle from his pocket. He walks over to Harmony and crouches down next to her and says, "Breath. You need to keep yourself relaxed. The stress of this telepath could be adding more to the babies." He opens the bottle and lets the woman cry until she is ready to take it.
"Listen Richard…dude. No offense man but might be time to step up. Not sure what to say with the two of you yet she is kind of freaked. I can only imagine what is going on in your head but…well your not the one with 3 pounds of water and 3 lives inside of them. Suck it up man and do whatever it is she wants. It's safer that way."
Oh, Jesus Christ. Cardinal's jaw tenses at the accusations hurled at him, fingers curling against the edge of his desk a touch. "Yes. Because clearly this is only my fault, and my fault alone," he points out flatly, straightening in his chair, "And if you don't want them, Harmony, I'll take care of them. You can go about your own life without any worry for the kids. You can have your life, and— everything you want." The idea of doing anything else about the situation isn't brought up. He's Catholic.
Then Nate speaks up, and there's someone he can direct his anger towards, dark eyes flashing in his direction, "Step up? What more do you fucking want me to do? I've already said that anything she god-damn needs is hers, no questions asked. Maybe you think I'm not doing enough but I can't goddamn think of anything more I could do."
Next comes the nausea of getting so worked up and upset. Half of the time she doesn't even understands where most of these things come from. The erratic, spontaneous and emotional breakdowns that she has been having is not normally within her demeanor. Luckily she is right by his trash can when she feels the bile work it's way up her throat. She crawls quickly to the can and a few heaving noises, followed by the telltale splatter sounds of her losing her lunch. She brings up the food she had a bit ago, and coughs a few good times in the end there. "It tastes like banana.." she groans, and then up comes some more. The taste of her first vomit makes her nauseated enough to throw up again. It isn't one of her more glamorous moments.
It lasts just a few minutes, and then she slumps back on the floor, leaning back into the chair behind her. "I got it, it's okay." she waves a hand back and forth in the air, signaling her recovery. "I'm okay now. "I'm sorry. Stuff like that normally wouldn't bother me much but—" she urps for a second, but keeps from losing it again. "I can't explain it, it comes rushing at me like a broken dam and then it all just comes spilling out at once. Every. Single. Little thing that I even remotely worry about is like.. magnified and then it explodes. Without notice!"
She sighs and climbs backwards into the chair behind her. "It's not that I don't want them, Richard. It isn't that it all. I'm just worried that I won't be good enough, or something. I mean, what kind of mother am I that I can't bring these children up in a stable home? What kind of psychological impact is that going to have on them? What will they grow up like, knowing that their family structure is dysfunctional?" her brows knit together, and she looks up at Cardinal, "And.. what about others? What— what if someone tries to kill my babies? Richard, I— I don't want my babies to die. They didn't do anything, they shouldn't have to suffer because of anything you or I did. Richard, please—" her eyes begin watering up again, "Please don't let them kill my babies."
As his occasional lover evacuates her stomach into that trash can, Cardinal grimaces in sympathy (and, well, a bit of disgust) as he pushes himself up to his feet, half-reaching out as if uncertain whether or not he should try and help her. She seems pretty pissed off at him, after all. Finally he does reach over, fingers brushing the hair out of her way carefully, resting his other hand on her shoulder. "S'alright," he murmurs, "Just… hold on…"
Then she's slumping back to the chair, and Cardinal leans himself against the desk's edge, one hand raising to rub against his face. "Harm…" His hand falls, and he looks at her sadly, "…it's impossible to raise them in a stable environment. The future we're heading towards — hell, if we don't avert the current timeline, they're going to ban us from procreating. The Evolved. The precogs are… it's not going to be good. Stable isn't going to be possible, unless you run somewhere and go to ground, probably in another country. If you— wanted to do that, I could find a place for you. And I'll try. I'll try my damndest, Harm, but I don't even know if I can keep them from killing me."
"What?" The waterworks are put on hold as she hears this. It isn't that she was faking, but her emotions can change so quickly. "They're going to what?" she looks over to Nate for a moment, the shock written all over her face. Before looking back to Cardinal. "Ban use from— They— they can't do that! This is— This is America. You can't take away someone's human rights like that. They can't do that! I won't let them do that." Harmony stands, shaking her head and making her eyes squint down t narrow, "I swear to god, I'll— I think— No. I need my ability back. I'm— I'm going to learn how to go nuclear. I'm going to learn how to go up like the Midtown Man. And— And if they don't back off, I'll— I'll destroy them. I'll blow them up until they don't mess with us anymore. I don't care who I have to eradicate, no one is taking away my babies or my right to have them." her fists squeeze tightly, and she musters up so much intense emotion.
It effects her ability, as her thoughts start out like whispers, and then echoes getting louder and louder. There are so many thoughts pouring from her head all at once that it is difficult to make out all she is saying. Though words like 'I'll kill them to protect' and 'I'll defend with my life' and 'they're just jealous' can be made out in the mass. Her telepathic voice volume doesn't show any signs of ceasing it's increase. And it is probably a good thing she doesn't have her initial ability right now, as she probably would be reaching critical mass right now.
As the words unfold he blinks himself in shock at Cardinal's words. "They could do that? I mean it would be like the Jews in Russia again…that would be…" Yet the choas begins and he brings a hand to his head and he begins to crouch down, Nate's face is clearly showing pain, "WOAH! INSIDE VOICE HARM!" He looks at Cardinal as if he wanted him to do something and his hand moves to the chair as it slides across the floor and behind Harmony, "SIT DOWN AND BREATH DAMN IT HARM!"
"If we don't stop them, they can and…" Then that telepathic barrage begins to get louder and louder, and Cardinal steps over, reaching out to grab hold of Harmony's hand— squeezing it fiercely as he crouches in front of her in the chair, trying to meet her eyes, "Harm. Harmony, calm down, focus, get control, babe. Okay?"
She is losing control. For the first time in quite a few weeks, her telepathy starts to become a device that uses her rather than the other way around. Her idle thoughts, her surface thoughts, her conscious thoughts, her unconscious thoughts and her deepest and darkest thoughts; all of them come pouring out at once like a broken floodgate. She is freaking out over that little piece of information, causing hyper ventilation of the mind. It is as if she believes she can't breath, so she is breathing harder, and harder and harder but no matter how hard she breathes, she still feels she can't. Only with telepathy, not lungs. Louder and louder she gets, even when Cardinal takes her hand. Though a few of the various types of thoughts start to match up as the volume starts to taper. She is pulling it back together, and then all of her thoughts start to become linear, converging to one single thought. They have to be stopped. How do 'I' stop them?
Cardinal squeezes her hand between his both, "Just focus… c'mon… relax, get your mind together…" As the volume starts to ease down, he exhales a sigh of relief, eyes closing as a headache pounds in the back of his head. "You can't. We can. We just need to keep our heads and work together, Harm."
She is still angry. She is still very angry about so many things. But quite like a nuclear explosion, her anger is not directed in any one direction, however it does seem to center around certain points. Harmony's personality rather fits her ability, which would probably explain her behavior since the switch. Like the story of Peter Pan, when he lost his shadow, something was just.. off about him until he got it back.
But she does manage to settle herself down, going out of her anger, into need. She squeezes Cardinal's hand and she reaches over to take Nate's. Explosive anger turning into wanting comfort. At least she isn't going to start crying again. "We'll do whatever we can. Whatever is necessary. Enough is really enough, Richard. These Non-Evolved extremists are just all jealous. How can we be considered freak because we can do things outside of scope of.. well, not being able to do things? They're just upset because they don't have abilities." she shakes her head and sighs a little. "I don't wanna get myself upset about it all over again." she rolls her eyes.
"So… Triplets." she nods, "What are you hoping for? Three girls? Three boys? A mixture of?"
"I'm just hoping to be able to give them a world to grow up in," says Cardinal quietly, watching her face for a moment before reaching out to brush the hair from her brow, his voice gentle, "You know I'll do everything I can for you, and them, right? Hell, even Liz said the same thing, after she stopped yelling at me. If you need anything… just let either of us know. We're here for you."
Nate looks at Harmony and cocks his head to the side, "You ok Harmony? You want me to stay or you ok to talk to him now alone? I kind of feel like a third wheel? Yet could I ask ya Richard…you said about me getting some work helping people with some group. YOu ever look into that for me?"
The crisis is averted for now. She'll likely break down about it while watching Steel Magnolias with Nate later, but she is stable for the time being. Cardinal's caress helps with that. "I know." she nods, "It's just been hell. I can't even tell you what went through my head when the doctor showed me that ultrasound. Which-" she makes a face, "I might have to find a new doctor. I went all telepathic on him and I might have terrified him. Wait.." she blinks, "You told Liz." a second later she sighs, "Of course, why wouldn't you? It's only fair. do you think she's told anyone else?" Harmony looks worried and hopeful, "I mean.. we're trying to avoid word getting around, right? And what's she gonna say when you tell her about the Big Three? I'm— really okay with them getting to know Liz. Godmother, perhaps? Something? I think that is how that works."
"Yeah.." she smiles to Nate, "I'm okay. You don't have to leave, I'm fine now. I just had a moment, that's all."
"There's a person I'm going to be meeting with soon," Cardinal offers with a glance to Nate, "I'll pass her your name - ah - I don't remember if he asked, do you have any sort of ability yourself?" Back to Harmony, he pauses, "I don't know. But I had to tell her… and… yeah, probably. I think she's most freaked out that she doesn't know you very well. Maybe you could— meet her, sometime? Get to know her better… it might make it easier for all of us."
Nate blinks and cocks his head to the side, "Do I have an ability? I thought you knew I did. I showed you…ummm oh nevermind." Nate moves to the wall and leans against it as he falls silent again and lets the two lover talk.
"Nate is a telekinetic. Emotionally based, so he doesn't really have control over precision right now." Harmony explains for Cardinal. "He could use a bit of work. But he has potential." She is only have joking about it. She can still do that, and be normal sometimes. "Well, if you recall, I've met Liz once. It was a little brief, and before all of this started, but yeah, I mean I wouldn't mind meeting her again. Just.. explain that I'm not quite myself for obvious reasons." she wrinkles her nose a little, "I just wonder if the world is ready for 4 Richard— No wait.. that'd be 5 counting—" she hesitates and frowns, "Hey, do you think that this is why he involved me in the switch?"
"Right, right, the whole… stuff… flying thing," Cardinal says with a vague motion of his hand, and then it falls down to rest against his knee. There's a pause, and he grimaces, leaning back a bit against the desk, "…maybe. I don't know. I don't even— try and figure out his fucking motives, anymore."
"Hm. Yeah, well.. You can't seem to do anything subtle it seems." she leans back in her chair and gazes at the corner of the ceiling above his head. "Twins and triplets doesn't run much in our family, yet somehow, you manages to plunge them right in.. For lack of a better term." Something about the notion makes her grin-smirk, "Ooh. I can drop them off at their daddy's house when I want some time alone. That will be some You Tube worthy material."
"I'm gonna have to do some research," Cardinal's lips twitch in a faint smile, "Kindergarden cop, and that… Vin Diesel movie, I can't remember the name of it…"
Nate blinks and says from his spot against the wall, "Don't look at me." As he runs a hand through his hair as he walks over to the water bottle Harmony has barely touched and takes a swig himself he sets it back down and walks over to his spot again.
"Hey. No firearms before the age of five, okay?" Harmony frowns, the mother gene kicking in. "It's already bad enough that they're going to be gun junkies because of you. I'd like at least 5 good years of non-packing children." Since she knows what'll happen already. "And then there is Nate. Who, might I add should simply just move in so he isn't paying for an apartment that he doesn't use. Jason isn't coming back. He might be dead so.. you can have some of his stuff."
"Hey." Cardinal spreads his hands to either side, looking innocent, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Just because the last teenager I was exposed to was trained in heavy machine guns and lockpicking within a matter of weeks…"
Nate shrugs and says, "From what I understand…he was a pecker face anyways. No love lost there. I should move in…I can keep an eye on you and make sure your ok."
"No. Criminal. Activity." she points accusingly at Cardinal. "I do not want any of my children doing hard time. I know you used to be one, but come on. That isn't something you should pass on to your sons or daughters, Richard— God, I sound like my mother already." Harmony rolls her eyes a bit. Her mother did instill the nagging bit. "And yeah. Move in. It'll be easier on everyone. And if he comes back, then you are free to do whatever you want. I won't stop you. But be careful, his ability turns damage done to him into more power for him."
"If we aren't careful, Harm… we'll all be criminals just because of what we are." Cardinal nods slightly, glancing to Nate, "It isn't a bad idea for you to move in, definately. More protection for her, at the very least."
Nate shrugs as he says, "I could just throw him out the window and keep doing it until he gets the clue." He smirks as he sits down on the floor in an Indian style, "You almost sounded like Mom there for a second sis."