Participants:
| Scene Title | We Could Certainly Ask |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A discussion of control and achieving it. |
| Date | September 10, 2009 |
Maya's safehouse unit
She'd said she would bring the leader to meet with Maya, and true to her word, Cat is here with the woman in question. It's morning, just under twenty-four hours since Maya's last dose of the suppressant was brought to her. One hand holds a small bottle with two pills in it, the other raises and strikes the door three times.
"She's usually up at this hour," Cat comments to the woman with her, "I doubt we're waking her. Her name is Maya Herrera, but the false ID she was given says Maria Hernandez, so I've taken to calling her that. Saves confusion, builds familiarity." Not that she needed to explain this to Evelyn Wozniak and Sophie Crane.
Helena yawns hugely, clearly in need of a caffeine fix. She eyes the pills a little balefully, but understands their necessity, as well. "I'll talk to her." Helena says as she completes her yawn, "But with an uncontroled ability - Cat, you know what I'm going to have to say."
The door is opened, and Maya's on the other side. She's used to the delivery, though it bothers her a bit; there's a short window for error there. But she nods to Cat as she sees her. "Morning, Cat." The blonde she doesn't know, but she steps back to let the other two step inside the apartment.
"I get it," Cat replies with a nod, "it's just all the more incentive. I need to speak with Claire soon about that." Then hey, there's the door opening. "Buenos dias, Maria," Cat greets as she steps inside and offers the pill bottle to her. She doesn't comment on what they are, it's an established thing.
Helena is given time to also enter and close the door behind her before she speaks again. "Maria, this is Helena. Helena, Maria Hernandez."
"You're lucky," Helena can't help but note, nodding to the pills. "In Moab, they force injected us double doses every morning." She lifts her chin, indicating a small scar just under her jaw. "See?" she shows them both before proceeding in. "It's nice to meet you, Maya. I'd speak to you in Spanish, but two years in highschool that I mostly slept through really isn't sufficient, so I won't make you wince by butchering it." Helena offers her a wry grin. "Are you getting along with Claire? Here's a tip: don't steal her clothes, she gets so cranky about it." Cue eyeroll.
That's hardly a risk…for whatever they might have in common, neither height nor build are something that Claire Bennet and Maya Herrera share. "The pills are better than the injections. We started with those. And it's all right; I can speak English well enough to get by. Can I get either of you some coffee?" A nod is given in the direction of the kitchenette; there's usually a pot there. Cat didn't really give her any details about Helena.
"Yes, please," Cat replies. She moves behind Maya, silent to let the two others converse, except to chuckle at the bit about clothing and remark "She's a few inches taller than Claire, those probably won't fit her." No comment is made about the inequities of chest and backside between those two. That Claire took off to bunk with Cardinal's crew some time before she also doesn't say, believing both would already know she departed. The pill bottle is placed on the counter.
"Yes, please!" Helena supplies in stereo with Cat, but with much more emphasis. She sidelong eyeballs the brunette a moment, because really, it's not about the height. Who in their right mind wants to tell a Latina Typhoid Mary that she can't fit in her roommate's jeans because her ass is too big? Yeah…no, not Helena. She moves to sit down at Maya's kitchenette. "I understand that you've mentioned wanting to join Phoenix to Cat." she begins.
The Latina pours mugs. By now she knows how Cat takes hers, but Helena's a new quantity, and so the question must be posed. "How do you like it? And she told me a little about it. It sounded…" She tries to find the right words. "It sounded like it would be something worth doing."
"Black, very very very sweet, like drop a rhino in its tracks from sugar overdose sweet." Helena replies descriptively. Man, she hopes what she's about to say doesn't mean she loses coffee priveleges. "The thing is, Maya…right now, the drugs you're on? They're a stop-gap for an ability you haven't been able to control. So my concern is that given Phoenix has and will undoubtedly continue to end up in some…highly stressful, dangerous situations, what assurance do I have that your presence wouldn't be a risk to people's lives?" Helena actually hates to potentially turn Maya away, but this is not an issue she can dismiss.
"I bought some hazmat suits," Cat relates at this point, "and this is what I'm wanting to speak with Claire about. One of them is in her size. If she agrees to help with this and goes out of town with you, I can be nearby. If the suit protects her, I can come along and help as well." She makes no comment about what happens if the gear doesn't protect Claire. It doesn't seem needed.
"Like I said before, I believe you can get the handle on it, and I'll tell you that until you believe it too."
Maya frowns a little. "If I'm taking the pills, it's not really a danger to anyone. That's the whole point of the pills, no?" She sugars up a mug and passes it over to Helena, and then takes her own mug. "God has put this demon inside me. If it can be turned against evil rather than doing evil, maybe there is a purpose."
"The pills are a limited quantity." Helena points out. "The supply isn't never-ending, and even though we have considerable resources, they can only stretch so far." She accepts the mug with a murmured thank you, and takes a sip with some evident relief as caffeine courses through her veins. "God gave you a will too, and you need to use it overcome what's inside you. I don't want to turn you away, but I can't bring you on board until you can control it. And obviously, Cat is prepared to help you do that. So am I." She turns to regard her friend and Second. "This might seem crazy," she says, "But what about Gabriel?"
An eyebrow raises when Gabriel is mentioned, Cat is quiet for some moments of contemplation before she speaks to answer. "That's an interesting option too. No one knows more than getting and keeping abilities under control than he does." And again there are Unspoken Things. Like how they've now allied with him twice and he's not shown his skull-opening ways since before that first occasion.
"We could certainly ask."
Maya frowns a little, tensing up as mention is made of controlling, and helping. "We tried that once. And Brian ended up dead. There's…not a lot of room for mistakes. I don't know if my power works against suits or not. I don't know how it works. And there's no safe way to find any of it out."
Helena's fingers curl around the mug, appreciating the warmth now that summer is giving way to fall. Not that Helena's ever really cold unless she wants to be. "The abilities in this world are various." Helena tells Maya earnestly. "And we know someone who knows a great deal about understanding and controlling abilities, who's also…very difficult to kill. It may be that he could help you, if he's willing."
She shakes her head, takes a sip of coffee. "That's my requirement. That before you join Phoenix, you learn to control your ability. You know deep down that you can't keep taking suppressants forever." Helena's tone is as gentle as possible, but it's also firm.
"I'm not worried about sending Claire with you to learn if the clothing protects her or not," Cat remarks without elaborating on that point. "Once we know, we can potentially bring others out to work with you." She takes her mug and sips from it, lapsing into silence to let the others carry conversation for a time.
Maya is silent for a long moment, as she sips her coffee, rather than giving any answer. "Thank you for your time, then." It's meant as an end to the topic. While she desperately would love control over her power, she can't promise what she doesn't know is possible.
Helena cocks her head. "We're not just tossing you out on your butt, you know. We're offering to help you do this. You're not even willing to try?"
Maya shakes her head emphatically. "I didn't say that. But we don't know how it will go. We don't even know when we can try; it's all dependent on these other people. There's no point going over it more till we know more." Because that might upset her, and she hasn't taken this morning's pills yet.
It takes a moment for that to occur to Helena, but eventually it does. Just because she's blonde doesn't mean she's a dumb blonde. "I'll get in touch with the person I think can help you, and let you know what he says as soon as I can." She rises, sensing this might be a good time to give Maya a little space.
Maya nods. Her voice is a little tight…not with anger, but with control. She's keeping a rein on her emotional state, lest it gets out of hand. "Thank you, Helena. For the pills, and the help. I'll be waiting, and hopefully we'll know something soon."