[semi-locked] It's in your eyes, a colour fade out//Looks like a new transition

[trappedbyhate]

[[OOC: Locked to Phoebe Donovan, forward-dated to Monday]]
Mio and Phoebe have been sent on a mission for Torchwood to check out the ruins of the Neverending Hallway in what was formerly the Conrad's basement. They've been down there for about an hour or so, taking readings with various sensors and seeing what little in the way of personal

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[thehighestwing]

Phoebe is a little apprehensive about this mission.

It doesn't have much to do with what it entails, but the fact it's just her and Mio. She hasn't interacted with the other girl in a one-on-one setting and something about it is off. She can't put her finger on it.

"Islintik?" Phoebe asks with a nose wrinkle. She's surprisingly calm and collected, for all her usual bubbly ways. She's in mission mode now. "What's the situation?"

[thehighestwing]

"Oh really?" Phoebe asks with a mischievous look of her own. She can picture it easily, and doesn't doubt Mio has something of a reputation amongst them, as well. "That does not surprise me at all. And sometimes it's necessary. People like to box others in a certain way. If you're cute and a girl, god forbid you also be capable of defending yourself and kicking ass. That means you can't just tell people not to mess with you, you've got to show them."

She hadn't meant to rant, but surprisingly felt pretty strongly about it. Phoebe couldn't blame people for cataloging her into the blonde Barbie box. She didn't help matters any, but still.

"Sure! I brought a bottle of apple schnapps. It's only one but we can share a little of everything," she says, sending a small grin Mio's way as she places everything in between them carefully. And the chocolate bar cut in tiny squares. It can be their dessert!

"You know, I think this is the first time we do something just you and me."

[trappedbyhate]

Well, Mio'd certainly fallen victim to that fallacy. She'd thought that she was usually pretty good about avoiding pigeonholing people, but Phoebe's sunny gregariousness and optimistic attitude reminded her too much of Mizuki sometimes. And memories of her birthplace and childhood always tended to be painful ones. She'd never really given Phoebe a chance to show who she was for herself

[thehighestwing]

It isn't as if Phoebe didn't help the pigeonholing along. Being sunny and cheerful and ditzy means you're never the sad, broken thing. No one attempts to peel the layers off of a person if they don't believe the layers are there. And now the narration has turned Phoebe into an onion.

"How do you do it?" Phoebe asks honestly, placing the apple schnapps back on her side of the floor. She isn't about to insist Mio drink if she doesn't want it. "I mean, CFO and Vice President of a company, and now Torchwood, and you always seem so... put together. You always look like you've got everything under control no matter what."

She comments on the black box, because it is pretty, and then takes the half of the sandwich with a bright grin. "Thank ye!"

Phoebe hands Mio the bag of chips, setting down the chocolate on top of one of the napkins, breaking it down into small squares.

Phoebe furrows her brow, looking earnestly confused. "Why are you sorry? It's not our fault Torchwood keeps us busy as hell."

[trappedbyhate]

"I was raised in a family where anything less was unnacceptable," Mio says. "And I've had to support myself since I was sixteen. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have starved if I hadn't been able to find a job, but living on handouts is pretty demeaning. Plus, you never know what could be in the food people give you. Could be something unpleasant." Mio shrugs. "As for being the VP and CFO, the company I'd been working at was pretty small, so when the person who had been the vice president when I started working there quit to form her own company, I was the logical replacement. I'd been working there for close to six years at the time, and I'd recently graduated college so I had the ability to go full-time." Mio makes it sound like it wasn't all that big of a deal. It's only partially an act. While she sometimes affects a modest tone because she doesn't like to be seen to be openly bragging about her accomplishments, a lot of times she doesn't realize the true scope and magnitude of what she's achieved for herself

[thehighestwing]

"... We have more in common than I thought," Phoebe says quietly and not without a certain degree of surprise. She looks down at her sandwich, or the half of it anyway, before looking up and giving Mio a lopsided smile. It's not as bright as Phoebe's usual grins. "My dad was also a Guardian but he was more like an Archangel in his way of thinking. The house was a boot camp instead of a home, especially after my mom died. My mom was his ward, so when I turned sixteen and got my wings, he kicked me out. I kept getting the odd jobs here and there to not...starve or anything

[trappedbyhate]

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mio says. "It's always difficult to be on your own that young."

Mio smiles at Phoebe's suggestion that they find a Japantown somewhere, but there's an element of pain behind it. That's almost exactly what Mizuki would have said. "That's not necessary," Mio says. "I've lived away from Japan for a long time now, although I did visit on a regular basis. I've grown used to it. And there are a number of stores here that sell Japanese products, they're just not clustered together like some other ethnic enclaves now. Besides, nowadays you can order almost anything off the internet."

Mio nods. "I've never had a good relationship with any of my family members," she explains. "And my relationship with Mizuki was more complicated than most. It was easy enough to justify cutting abusers like my mother and sister out of my life. It's a lot less easy when the abuse runs the other way."

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe thinks about waving it off, giving another bright grin, making some lame, ditzy joke that serves to take away attention from the issue. Instead, surprisingly, she nods quietly in acceptance. "I'm sorry to hear about you, too. It is hard. But it also makes you tough."

Everyone in Torchwood has a similar story that forced them to prove their resilience, in one way or another. Phoebe wonders if it's all but a pre-requisite to carry a broken story somewhere inside you. It's why she tries having patience and tries to befriend everyone in Torchwood, even those that wouldn't want it. Even Owen. Even Matoi.

She grows quieter at Mio's answer. It's honest, and Phoebe appreciates that more than ever these days. "I'm... I had no idea. Wow." She gives a small laugh that holds no amusement in the sound. "I didn't know I was that oblivious. I--I hope it's something we can work past? I'd be sad if that's what keeps us from getting to know each other

[trappedbyhate]

Mio nods. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," she says quietly, repeating the oft-said saying

[thehighestwing]

"I didn't think you were," Phoebe says with a gentle smile. They don't know each other well, that much is true, but Phoebe trusts her with that. Mio is way too professional, in her point of view, to invade her mind or any other member of Torchwood's mind. "It makes sense. Why I'd have made you uncomfortable. I'm just sorry I did. If I'd known, I would have... well, I don't know what I'd have done, but I'd have tried to help you fix it."

She falls into silence once more, listening. There are pieces that start falling into place, painting a picture of what Mio's life back home must have been like. "I'm glad you did. Admit it. It's not that I'd force myself to change so we could have an easier working relationship, but talking through things sometimes... helps."

Not that she can get Jack to understand that sometimes.

Phoebe shifts in place, scoots a little closer, and gives a small nod. "Of course I want to. I'm listening. I know it's hard to take it at face value but... you can trust me."

Part 1/?

[trappedbyhate]

Mio nods. "Yeah...it can. I've spent the last ten years trying not to talk about any of this, and I'm only now beginning to realize that maybe that wasn't the healthiest course of action. I really should know better, considering I'm even trained as a crisis counselor, but it's always difficult to view your own traumas clearly

Part 2/2....for now. MUAHAHAHA.

[trappedbyhate]

Mio takes another sip of water and continues on. "And behind closed doors, Misao was more of a devil than the angel she pretended to be in public. She was a manipulative bully who always got what she wanted. She and I were both very competitive and hated to lose, but she played dirty. When we were growing up, my mother had us take all sorts of lessons in the hopes of teaching us the skills and talents proper young ladies should know. Things like musical instruments, singing lessons, dance lessons, etiquette lessons, and more. Anything that it looked like I would end up being better at Misao at, Misao used her influence with our mother to convince my mother to switch us to another type of lessons instead

... FFFFFFFF YOU ARE AWESOME/EPIC.

[thehighestwing]

Phoebe smiles genuinely. "That means a lot to me, Mio. Thank you," she says quietly, placing another small square of the sandwich onto her lap. She doesn't eat from it, not yet. Her brows are knitted into a frown, far more interested in listening to what Mio has to say than what it is they're eating. For the time being, the food will fall to the background. She braces her elbows on either knee and doesn't interrupt, not once

Commentbreak, *again!* Part 1/?

[trappedbyhate]

Mio smiles sadly at Phoebe's shock and disbelief at Mio's story. Phoebe never said it fully, but it doesn't take psychic powers to know what she was thinking

Part 2

[trappedbyhate]

"As her closest living adult relatives, my parents were obligated to take in Mizuki. I suppose they could have said no, but it would have looked suspicious--they had more than enough resources to care for her, after all. But they did so only grudgingly. Both of them neglected her as much as they possibly could without arousing suspicion. Oh, all of her physical needs were cared for, but no more than that. All of her clothing was my sister's cast-offs. Both Misao and I received large monthly allowances, but Mizuki only received a pittance. She was given one of the smallest rooms in the house, in what had been the servants' wing in earlier times. A few of the household staff lived there, but not many. All of her furniture was either things considered too shabby for public use, or strictly utilitarian in nature, such as what was used in the staff areas. She wasn't required to do household chores--we had more than enough staff--but Misao enjoyed bossing her around anyway, especially in the evenings when most of the staff had gone home. My

Part 3/3. I think the epic is over now.

[trappedbyhate]

"For the rest of that visit, she acted like nothing had ever happened. I've--I was never able to bring myself to see her again, after that. It was too much for me to bear, for her to act like that. It only reminded me more of the things I had done to her as a child. I used to send her New Years' cards, though, and she would write me long letters about what was happening in her life."

Mio goes quiet. Talking about her childhood has always been emotionally exhausting, and this time is no exception. Honestly, the entire last few weeks have been emotionally exhausting. She feels like she's been run over with an emotional steamroller. Repeatedly. She doesn't think she can bring herself to talk any more, not without direct questioning. Her mind just can't find the words any more, not without something to prompt them. She picks up one of the squares of chocolate and stares at it vaguely before beginning to nibble on it.