Author Topic: I Think I Need Advice (Abby) (Read 524 times)
Rebecca Jefferson
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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 11:33:39 GMT -6 »
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A few days after the raid, there's an awkward knock on Abby's door!

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Absinthe Makaila
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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 13:47:28 GMT -6 »
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Absinthe opens it up, actually looking like she was in the middle of something for once.

"Rebecca, nice to see you again." she smiles, letting the girl in!


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 13:50:02 GMT -6 »
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"Hi, Doctor Mikaila." Rebecca offers a small smile, still toting herself around on her crutches.

"Do you have a moment, or should I come back later?" Since she seems to have been interrupted. Best timing ever.

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Absinthe Makaila
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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 13:59:54 GMT -6 »
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"Oh no, it's fine. I've had more write-ups to do with my recent influx of visits, but it's nothing that can't wait."

It just means now she has to do stuff in between instead of sit around sipping tea, watching netflix.

"Would you like some tea?"


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 14:06:38 GMT -6 »
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"I would love some." She nods and makes her way over to the sofra, watching Abby while she moves around her office.

This would be the point where actual socialization takes place, if she wasn't an awkward turtle.

"I can never tell if your job is supposed to keep you super busy or if it's just roulette."

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Absinthe Makaila
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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 16:51:38 GMT -6 »
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Absinthe would pour each of them a cup before taking a seat and handing one over to Rebecca.

"It depends on the day. Some days are very quiet. Any day where agents return from missions I usually see more people,"


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 13, 2016 18:19:20 GMT -6 via Tapatalk »
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"Thank you." Rebecca would not as she takes the cup, frowning at the explanation.

"I'd believe it. And that's one of the reasons I'm here." She shakes her head, but the memories stay.

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 7:14:47 GMT -6 »
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"Did you need a moment?" Absinthe asks, noting her expression.

"Otherwise feel free to start whenever you're ready."


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 8:34:56 GMT -6 via Tapatalk »
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"Sorry, I just..." Why was she apologizing? She shakes her hair, looking down as she fidgets with the arm of the sofa. After a moment, she takes a deep breath and looks up again, frowning and looking more like herself.

"I was part of the team that went on the wayward raid. I wasn't there for the whole fight downstairs," she looks agitated at that part, "but I asked Eric to go with me when we went scouting there the first time. We saw what it was like when what's left of those kids isn't even half a body." She stares at the tea; even the thought of drinking it makes her feel worse, so she looks back at Abby and moves on.

"I guess I just don't know what to do with them. The memories. I mean, I know we don't have to go overseas to see terrible things, and this is the sort of thing I want to prevent if I can, but we met some of those kids. Talked to them. They have - had - names and faces." Her fingers tighten at the slip up.

"When I spoke to Mr. Gloria, the guy who used to own the building before CLAW took it over, he told me they'd been doing this a while. That adoptions and paperwork were work they didn't want to deal with anymore. He -knew- what they were doing to those kids! And no one cares because, hey, who's going to notice or care if orphans and homeless kids go missing? It's for technology!" She's not shouting, but her voice is definitely raised and strained with emotion.

Realizing she's rambling, Rebecca forces herself to stop and lean back into the chair.

She understood why the biker was so enraged now.

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 13:53:21 GMT -6 »
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"What part of it do you feel like you're struggling with most Rebecca?" Absinthe asks curiously.

There was a lot there, but focusing on one thing at a time was necessary.


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 18:35:21 GMT -6 »
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She takes a deep breath, her own head spinning from speaking so much.

"I guess I'm having a hard time understanding how to rationalize this as acceptable. For many reasons." She reaches out for the mug and takes a sip of tea, biding her time as she sorts through the chaos of her thoughts.

"I spoke to a senior agent after scouting the place with Eric, but we'd managed to bring back two of the kids with us." Just two. "It was easier to rationalize it then, that at least we'd saved two, no matter how many more might be lost. After the raid, I'm not sure how to take that idea. It doesn't feel right.

"We barely got everyone out alive. Even with capturing one of the creatures and the guy upstairs, it feels like failure."

« Last Edit: Jan 14, 2016 18:38:38 GMT -6 by Rebecca Jefferson » Back to Top  

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 23:32:02 GMT -6 »
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"What would success have been for you in this case? Still knowing there was no way you could go back before you did. Pretend you could redo it." Absinthe asks her.

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 14, 2016 23:41:34 GMT -6 »
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Several minutes pass in silence as she stares down at her tea.

"That's the problem," she admits as she looks up again. Mega frown! "I can't."

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 1:09:32 GMT -6 »
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"Indeed you can't. But humour me. Is there anything you think would have worked better?"

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 1:18:43 GMT -6 »
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"That's just it, I can't think of anything." A faint squeak comes from her thumbs as she rubs them along the rim of the mug.

"I keep thinking of all kinds of 'what if,' but that doesn't change the situation. What if Aaron followed the order he was given? What if we had stopped the security feeds when scouting? What if CLAW had less time to prepare for us? What if I had focused on the...kid...in front of me longer and hadn't shattered my knee, instead of worrying about Eric and the others?" She shakes her head.

"In the end, I can't know. Anything I come up with could have just made it worse."

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:07:20 GMT -6 »
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"So you did everything you could." She says gently, nodding to herself.

"And I'm sure it's doesn't make anything better right now, but eventually you'll see that doing everything you could was not a failure. Had you not taken the steps you had, you're right, just about anything else could have gone wrong. One of you could have died. Or been captured. Or if neither of you had found the place, then there would be fewer children still alive. Or it would still be happening to more of them. And those Genos...who knows."

Absinthe takes a sip of her tea, in thought.

"I suppose all I can say is you can't rationalize it as acceptable. But you can eventually see it as more than a failure. I'm sure those children who are still alive don't feel failed."


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:14:13 GMT -6 via Tapatalk »
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Rebecca nods once or twice while Abby speaks, but the last comment is the one that gets to her. She gives the woman a small, tired smile at the mention of those saved.

"Yeah, Jamal and Emily stopped by while I was still in the infirmary. They were happy to be alive." She nods and hesitates for a moment.

"This is probably going to sound weird, but what did we do with the...remains?" Another frown as she remembers Sarah asking during the fight if the kids they had fought were dead or not before defending herself.

She hopes they were. She doesn't want to think of what it would mean, otherwise.

"I mean, there were kids taken because they were orphans and homeless. Most probably don't have families or anything to inform."

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:21:55 GMT -6 »
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Absinthe smiles at the mention of the visitors Rebecca had. See? It's those sort of reminders that make it real.

"They will be handled by specialists. Extracted and handled accordingly."

Absinthe purposely keeps it vague, mostly because she herself doesn't know ALL the details of it. She's never really been there for it.

"They won't be piled up and thrown away, I assure you. The proper respect will be given to them."

And she had a little work to do in terms of the homeless meta children population.


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:30:34 GMT -6 via Tapatalk »
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That's too many vague technical terms for Rebecca to feel comfortable with, but the assurance at the end is enough for her visibly relax.

"Good." She takes another sip of tea.

"Did you ever go on missions with Director Mikaila when you two were together?"

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:46:44 GMT -6 »
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"I did." she nods.

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 11:57:41 GMT -6 »
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"Did you ever argue over it? If someone else was having a hard time with it or if one of you was in danger?"

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 12:03:23 GMT -6 »
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Absinthe tries to think back.

"Oh. There certainly was one time." Absinthe suddenly nods, which is probably telling of how rare it was.

"Or two rather, but they're both...special cases. Are you trying to compare it to your own experience?" she asks curiously.


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 12:27:17 GMT -6 »
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"I'm not sure." She starts to rub her thumbs along the porcelain again, stopping with a wince high-pitched squeak catches her attention.

"I don't know. I don't exactly know people who are married or dating other agents and have experience with it." More silence before she hesitantly starts to elaborate.

"Eric and I were in the same group during the raid, but I got injured pretty badly. He sent me back alone, even with his own injury or knowing if he could keep it up because I couldn't regroup with the others." Froooooown.

"I was worried sick! I had no contact with the rest of the team, no idea what happened until those who weren't injured were talking to me about it, and even then it was pretty vague until I pinned them down for details. And Eric..."

"I'm not ungrateful, but it feels like he made the wrong call. I'm just one person. We've talked about it a little, and maybe he's right. Maybe we shouldn't be on missions together. But that may not always be an option and it won't solve the problem.

"So I guess I just don't know how we stay impartial when something comes up."

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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 13:15:35 GMT -6 »
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"Ahh. I see." She says, tapping her cup then nodding.

"It's something you have to learn to do. Jack and I only became a couple after we were experienced agents and in the thick of things your attention is on the goal, not each other. You help whoever is closest and trust that the others will do the same. But that trust is built up through missions with each other."

She takes a second to consider what happened.

"If I put Jack and myself in your shoes, then when he would have rescued me, my first priority would have been taking advantage of the fact I was returned to 'base' to send additional help. They were in trouble and my anger and worry wouldn't change that. Whether or not the choice was due to his feelings, you have to take a good thing for what it is and make something of it."


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 I Think I Need Advice (Abby)
« Jan 15, 2016 13:54:05 GMT -6 »
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She nods at the explanation. In the end, that's all any of them could do, but trust wasn't always easy to come by, and theory is never quite the same in practice.

"I think that's what I would have done, if I hadn't...well." Fallen apart and go into shock from her injury? It was embarrassing to think about, especially when taking in Evie's help as well as the guy she said carried her to the infirmary. The very idea makes her squirm, and she grits her teeth against the stabbing pain that accompanies the movement.

She had to do better.

"I'm trying to, I am. Maybe it's just hindsight.

"Is it alright if I ask you about the time you two had?" Maybe it's comparison, maybe not. Either way, distractions are good.

Okay, it may be comparison

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