Missing the days of anthropomorphic dogs and talking dummies...

[kingofbrain]

Brainwave had the monitor shift preceding the team meeting - Chimp had actually left the complex (sucker's odds that it involved a fifth of something).   Tefe was off being one with nature or something to that effect, although they had talked about dinner after the meeting.

Everyone else...well, it's been an interesting few days.  Since she moved in

Comments

[sand_hawkins]

On the screen was none other than Sand

[damage_girl]

"All hands on deck," Corrine jokes but she's really just tired. She finds a seat. Only a few days now, and the moving sound about the base is starting to fray on her nerves. Little Sister takes parts with her everywhere, so there's a roaming sound of click, clinks and metal grinding wherever she goes.

At least it's a warning that she's in the area. "We get something?" Corrine asks, pointing to the screen.

[caleb_z]

She is followed soon thereafter by Caleb, who’s absolutely entranced by a game of cell phone Tetris just now.

He settles into a chair. “So we the first one’s here, eh?”

[damage_girl]

Oh, look, the creepy hasn't worn off yet. She squints at what's on his screen. "Is that..."

For the look she gives him, he could be eating kittens right now. "Tetris?"

[hotshot1280]

Trevor follows behind his two friends, his ever-present cup of coffee aromatically heralding his arrival.

"At least he stopped playing Pac Man," Trevor notes, taking his seat. "Of course, that probably means he either beat it or got too frustrated.

[damage_girl]

She's under too much pressure the last week to be patronized. "As I recall correctly, we went to Hell for you."

[caleb_z]

“And I’d love to be able to go after him, but if you go to the ley lines to find him, you won’t. The leylines are saturated with magic. Your thoughts, feeling, fears, hopes, desires, memories - everything and anything of you will determine your environment. If you go in heavy, the magic will manipulate you that way, because there isn’t, uh … there’s no real rhyme or reason. It is a completely chaotic, unbridled force, lacking any autonomous will whatsoever.”

He pauses, and hopes that he’s getting through to her. He’s not patronizing her, he’s trying to reason with her.

“It’s not just the darkness that you can get lost in; sometimes the things you’ve always wanted can distract you. At any rate, time will pass differently. You could starve to death in an hour, and never know you were hungry. You could age forty years, and find out that barely a second passed. That’s assuming you’re let alone when you’re lost. Some of the, uh … natives aren’t too friendly.”

[damage_girl]

No, she just doesn't want to hear it right now. "I know that."

[onthecase]

Chimp pipes up and places a hand on Corrine's shoulder. "Look, Corrine..." he says, not using a nickname for once, "I know you want to go help, but let's face it... the JSA handles stuff like this regularly. Sand's a big boy, and while your want to help him is admirable... the best way to help him is to make sure this team is functioning just fine in his absence, right?"

[damage_girl]

"Because she's a hammer in a world of styrofoam and I think it pisses her off when she has to pull her punches-- that includes using tact. And--"

The power to say this should come with a shot as a reward. No, she's not going to ask Trevor if he really meant it. "Everything that meant anything to her doesn't exist anymore. She's sixteen. She's rich, and as far as she can see there's no one around to tell her 'no'; not that there was in the first place. She defied death for no reason she can understand, and it looks like she thinks she can do it again. Then we introduce all this other crazy stuff, like a demon wrecking her house?" Corrine shrugs. "She's a nasty little brat, but she's known she was a danger for a while. How long ago did she buy the house in Alaska?"

[kingofbrain]

"Regardless, I agree with the detective. Additionally, the team has full access to her 'workshop'. Not that we'll have someone in there with her 24-7, but her thinking she has any privacy while she's here outside of her restroom time is probably safer all around. If she's that much of a danger to herself and others, giving her access to things that can hurt us is a bad idea, IMHO."

[damage_girl]

Corrine frowns a little. "Just so we're clear, this isn't an endorsement or defense. After getting called a 'disgusting human being', I don't have any particular affinity for her, but--"

She puts her hands up. "In the basic sense, I don't think she's dangerous. Corner her-- yes. She doesn't want treatment in the first place and it definitely comes across that she doesn't want to be here." She looks at Caleb. "And if it's a legal issue, it'll come down to her not having much choice about her access or any other security issues. She has as much say as her care goes and that's it. My only concern is how much controlling is going to be done out of this place. Dying, feeling cornered and without control is not something I want to be on the other end of her deciding."

[caleb_z]

A smile cracks the edge of his lips when Corrine says that. He knows she’s calling it like she sees it, and would argue against him just as easily, but still. He wasn’t expecting anyone on the team to speak up on Amelia’s behalf, let alone Corrine

[damage_girl]

After everything's wrapped, Corrine's anxious to get away. She needs to climb into bed and hide for a couple of hours. When she comes out, she'll have cried, punched her pillows, and eventually fallen asleep and the past few days will feel like a bad dream. All the negative will simply float away, if she just gives herself time to swallow it.

Oh, sleep in a cried-out, exhausted state actually sounds heavenly. Not waking even once, cured of all ills and dead to the world...

[caleb_z]

“Corrine,” Caleb calls as he comes up behind her. “Could I have a word?”

[damage_girl]

DENIED!

Screw. Fine, fine. She'll shelve the tired a few more minutes. He's probably going to gripe at her for being so nasty at the meeting, and honestly, she'll apologize once she gets some sleep but all this stuff keeps needing her attention-- "Yeah?"

[caleb_z]

It’s not hard to see that he’s an unwelcome sight. Straight to the point, old boy. There’s no sense in prolonging this.

“Please don’t be angry with me, but it, uh … The D’Aubigne dark mages go missing at the same time unknown mages make off with your team mate’s little sister. So, uh, I … I know I said that I wouldn’t, ‘n all, but … In an effort to locate Crystal, I looked into your family.”

“Don’t worry, everything appears kosher. Angela and her daughters have been staying with a man named Peter. He’s the one who threw the alchemical fire, but I think it was just over the child dispute. I placed an, uh.. *cough* ... anonymous tip with an old friend in the DEO, and he’s been indicted and is awaiting arraignment.”

“Louis looks like he’s on legitimate business. I couldn’t find Eugene, but according to Angela - she says, uh … well, she sends her regards. Take that as you will - he dropped out of college back in October, and no one has seen him since.”