Log: This Place Was A Shelter

[spectre_de_la_mort]

Who: Agent Louisiana, Agent Texas, and Agent Florida
What: Making good on a promise after returning.
Where: Safe house given to L by Florida
When: 6/21 Sunday Evening
Warnings: Cursing, Florida being on drugs and weirder than usual


Louisiana hasn't been in this safe house in a couple of days. She comes in to make sure it's stocked with the proper supplies. At least now there were towels. One of the kitchen cabinets was filled with different varieties of teas. A lower one packed with medical supplies after everything that transpired here.

Those were some fun memories. Not really. Rather bloody though it had placed them on this weird path of theirs. Her hand going down to rub where the new scar lay. Setting up a kettle of water, she tries to figure out what to do next.

She rests her helmet on the counter and pulls up a chair. A toothpick in her mouth to prevent her from biting her nails. The psych exams had left behind a deep impression. Passing them was great but not what they had dredged up. All of those fears forced to the surface and confronted. It didn't help that people were there to record and watch. Made her feel less of an employee and more test subject.

Pulling over her holopad, she flicks through the apps. There was still some time before company would arrive. So Louisiana selects the keyboard to play whatever she can manage to remember. Anything to keep her mind off of what followed her from Armonia.

Comments

[soldierinblack]

She presses her nails lightly into his lower back in a sign of reassurance before pulling her hand away. She's not aiming to make Louisiana uncomfortable.

"Hey. Got here as soon as we could."

[the_informant]

"Hola," Florida greats. Too easy to slip into Spanish in this mood. His mind still tingles. "I'm fine. See?"

Stepping forward is... unnerving.

[spectre_de_la_mort]

"Physically yea." Louisiana takes a sip from her mug. It wasn't hard to tell that he was off. "Good to see you though."

[soldierinblack]

She doesn't need it for the little they've said, but Tex is grateful that she has a simple translation program installed on her helmet now should they slip into another language.

"He's eating and taking his medication on time. No falling off the couch or bed. Yet."

[the_informant]

"I told you, my balance is fine," Florida sighs to his girlfriend as he finally advances further. "I am fine. How are you, Lou?"

[spectre_de_la_mort]

She gives a small shrug, tapping out a couple of notes. "That's good to know. I'll trust your word on it."

"I'm relatively fine. I flew back in over an hour or so ago," she answers. Don't mention the tests. Don't remember the questions and the scenarios forced to counter. "Armonia went well."

[soldierinblack]

"On a job?" she asks. She doesn't expect a full answer for that given their field, but it's the polite thing to ask. She's keeping an eye on Florida out of the corner of her eyes. He keeps saying his balance is fine, but she doesn't trust him not to collapse at a moment's notice.

[the_informant]

"Armonia?" he asks. Right. She was going there. Why? He doesn't remember. "Are you okay?"

[spectre_de_la_mort]

"I wish it was a job. Assessments. I had to show my capabilities in various skills amongst other things," she informs. A job would've been easier and less taxing. It wouldn't have been filled with 'what ifs'. "Ok is not in my vocabulary anymore, Florida. I'm good for now."

[soldierinblack]

That's more than she expected out of Louisiana and she shrugs. Nothing about that sets off any alarms, it sounds about standard for any agency that would want to take into account mercenary skills.

"Hope you did well," she replies mildly.

[the_informant]

"I'm sorry," Florida answers. The assumption is already there. Okay is gone because of him. God what has he done? He just wanted to help?

"I shouldn't be here," he whispers to Tex. What was he doing?

[spectre_de_la_mort]

"You should actually be here," she corrects. God she wasn't that daft to not be able to hear some muttering behind her. Louisiana pushes her mug along the counter. "You're apologizing for something that you didn't do."

She sighs heavily before looking at him. "And the word ok isn't used because of my mother. Not you. So relax please."

[soldierinblack]

Her hand goes to rest on his lower back, more to keep him there and in place than anything else. She can feel the tension and she doesn't think him leaving would help anything.

"It's a bullshit word," she agrees, though her attention is more on Florida than Lou.

[the_informant]

How could she say that? Nothing? He did nothing? He killed her father, ruined her life, brought her into the For Hires, almost got her killed, drove her to...

He's practically shaking with barely restrained anger and pain. Mostly because of himself. He's just so... upset.

"I'm not stupid, Lou. No matter what my recent behaviors may have implied, I'm capable of realizing my affect on your life."

[spectre_de_la_mort]

Louisiana frowns at the way he's shaking. That was not exactly relaxing. More so it was the opposite of it to be honest. She eases out of her chair and closes the distance between them.

"I never said that you were," she remarks with concern. "I made my own choices. Several of them you cannot take the blame for. Do you understand that?"

Reaching out, she rests a gentle hand on his good arm. "Á raconter ses maux, souvent on les soulage. A problem shared is a problem halved. I've told you that before. During that night."

[soldierinblack]

So that's how this conversation is going to go. She keeps her hand firmly on Florida's back though it seems to be doing little to keep him calm.

"Do you two need a moment alone?"

[the_informant]

It's not that simple. God it just isn't.

"Please don't," he whispers to Tex. After all he's said and done he doesn't know that he trusts himself with her at the moment.

[spectre_de_la_mort]

That's why Texas was here. To prevent something worse from happening other than talk. Not the thoughts of 'he doesn't trust you' and 'he never cared to begin with'. The attendants during the examination had said those over and over again. They were shoved to the recesses of her mind.

"It's fine." No it wasn't. He doesn't want to be around her. However she simply retreats back to her seat from before. Lying was fair easier right now.

[soldierinblack]

Fine, she won't go and absently she rubs his lower back as she glances between the pair. They both looked like spooked animals.

"I'll stay, but are you two going to talk or keep dancing around each other?"

[the_informant]

Dancing. Definitely dancing. Oh god dancing because he's scared and unable to muster his normal poise. Stupid medications making his head messed up. He can't be the man he normally is.

"T-talk," he stammers. Oh god. Did... he just do that?

"God, I haven't... I haven't stammered since I was nine and that asshole put me out on the roofs for a night in the middle of winter with only my lockpicks and a challenge to get back in or die."

[spectre_de_la_mort]

"Hopefully talk."

She frowns at the recounting that he spills. However it was not her place to comment on what had happened. That master of his was dead anyway. "Do you want to keep standing around or would you like to move to the couch?"

[soldierinblack]

More memories. She sighs. She's gotten used to the retelling of things that happened decades ago. At Louisiana's offer, she nods. He continually assures her his balance is fine, but that doesn't mean he should be up and about more than necessary right now.

"Let's sit down," she says and tries to steer Florida towards the couch.

[the_informant]

There is so much tension in the air, and he's certain it's himself. But he continues forward and sits on the couch when Tex pushes him. That... well, he can do that.

"I'm sorry. The... the pain killers mess me up. My master, he taught me... He taught me that under interrogation it's better to give up things about myself than about anything I know. When I'm drunk, when I'm drugged, I can't stop talking about myself. I think I told Tex some pretty embarrassing things about my mother and my fifth birthday. Did you know I had a pinata? It was colorful and beautiful and shaped like a whale!"

And there he goes again.

[spectre_de_la_mort]

"I'm not exactly complaining over this. You did say I was allowed to learn about you. Just never imagined that it would be like this," she jokes lightly. Keep the mood light and there wouldn't be anything to worry about. Hopefully.

"Sounds like an awesome piñata though. Never really had birthday parties myself."

[soldierinblack]

She takes a seat on the arm of the couch by him, not wanting to sit directly between the two of them. She's here for support, but whatever tensions they need to work out are their own.

"I've been taking notes in case I need to blackmail him later," she explains. She could share something about herself with Lou's comment there, but she's not sure how much of that she really wants to do with the other woman. Personal details never were easy for her to share.