Jasmine Gentian Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Jasmine finally found Gabrielle, after the mess had been cleaned up and people had been cared for. She smelled faintly of sweat and decay, but mostly just of smoke. She, like the blond-haired angel before her, looked physically and emotionally drained. She waited until Gabrielle had a moment, and then ran a hand through her dark curls, trying hopelessly to calm her frazzled appearance at least a little."Gabrielle - is there anything else you need from me, anything else I can do?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Gabrielle gave her a once over and called for someone to see if they could find her some cleaner clothes and something to drink. "Nothing tonight, at least nothing urgent. If you're okay to stay up for a while, I'd like to hear what's been going with you and the others. And about Pumpkin. She seems like such a lost little girl."The Angel settled down on her stool in the 'sitting' area of the main room; the conclave had mostly settled down for the evening, but there were always people and about. Guards, at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Gentian Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Jasmine nodded, and sunk down into an oversized armchair, probably something taken from one of the study areas or the library in the college's functioning days. She smiled grateful at the request for the drink and clothes. These weren't damaged, since she hadn't been around for most of the actual fire, but they needed a good wash, and though she didn't feel thirst, her throat and mouth were still dry and dusty from the fire and the fighting."Sure, I don't see why not. I don't really need.. that is, I can stay up, no problem."She knew that Gabrielle's abilities were obvious to those around her, but she didn't know how much she wanted to talk about hers just yet. The people seemed to regard the other young woman with a certain reverence that Jasmine wasn't necessarily comfortable with the idea of having directed towards her. She began to talk, first about the state of the refuge, some of the tensions they were experiencing, and some of the training she had done with Bond and Jules. Then her story turned to the Dallas trip. She got as far as finding her father, before her voice faltered, and she swallowed back a wash of grief. Haltingly, she described what had happened between herself and Jon, her voice a painful mixture of sadness and fury at the monstrous actions. After she was done, her lips pressed together tightly, her eyes glittering with tears she refused to shed. She'd done her crying about it, and wasn't willing to go back there quite yet."I used to think I was some kind of monster, after realizing what I was capable of. What happened with your brother.. when I hurt him, it made me even more afraid. But I would never - I've never seen anything so.. oh, Gabrielle, it was disgusting. It was more than that.. it was evil. I can't.. I can't think of any other way to describe it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Gabrielle moved over to the other distraught teen, pulling her into a comforting hug. She didn't say anything - there was nothing to say over such an act that would make it any better - instead she let the other girl have the option of being comforted and protected long enough to be vulnerable in her emotions. After several moments she pulled away and asked another innocuous question to move the conversation forward and away from painful thoughts. "Is Dallas where you found Pumpkin?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Gentian Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Jasmine nodded, as relieved at the change of topic as she had been for the comfort. She took the drink from person Gabrielle had asked to retrieve it for her, and thanked them quietly before taking a sip and turning back to Gabrielle."Yeah. After.. all that, we got notification from the others that there was a bit of a mob at the Wal-Mart, and we went to help them clear it out. The bookstore was nearby that we wanted to hit, but it was burned down, so we checked out a nearby library instead. It's a good thing, too. I was checking out some stacks in the back, when I hear this noise - like a bang. I see this blue thing, about the size of a large dog with this long tail, before it runs off. I chased after it, and it disappeared into this hole that led into the men's room. It was all blocked off, windows sprayed black - she did a good job turning it into her little hiding area, for such a young kid. And somehow - she must've used one of her creatures, I don't know how she would've done it otherwise - she'd tunneled down into the basement, and there was a ladder down there. Either that, or her Dad had done all this beforehand. Now that I think about it, that makes a lot more sense."Jasmine relaxed back into the chair, pulling her other leg up so that she was tucked into it comfortably."Regardless.. that's where we found her, with two of those blue things guarding her. God only knows how long she was down there by herself. Long enough to have forgotten what her name was, or maybe that's just the trauma, I dunno. All she remembered was her Dad's nickname for her." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 "Wow....she's the first really young person I've heard of to...become like us. I hope she can handle it." There was a short pause for drinking and thinking, then, "She seems attached to you and Mr. Priest; do you think she would be able to adjust well to a different foster family if she were to stay here? Or would one of you be looking to stay here as well?"Her expression, as usual, was open and curious. Her desire to have someone else to talk to and that would understand this differentness was also nearly pathetically plain on her face. As with Gabrielle, however, something softened it into a warm interest and a hopeful question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Gentian Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 "I.. I dunno. I'm beginning to think she won't. Maybe not this soon anyway. When we first found her, it was Priest and I who took care of her. I was the one talking to her, interacting with her - I got her to come out of the hole, along with Fox. And she traveled back to the Refuge with Priest and his people. But her powers make them uncomfortable - his are more subtle, and he's an adult, you know? Not a little kid. He doesn't do stuff just for fun."Jasmine chewed on her lower lip nervously, looking deep in thought. The emotional turmoil the whole situation placed on her was written plainly on the young woman's face. "We gotta be careful not to traumatize her any more than she has been. I mean, think of what that could mean in the future, you know? Besides.. I - I promised. And Priest can't tie himself down like that, he's got all his other people to take care of. So.. I.. I dunno, it seemed like a good idea, coming here, but I talked to Violet, and.. I should really go back. She.. she needs me around, I think. I have to go back and stay there. I guess. I'll take responsibility for Pumpkin."She sounded conflicted, and unsure of herself - part of her seemed to want to stay here, and take the refuge Gabrielle offered, and part of her seemed to feel obligated otherwise. The only part that she sounded sure of was when she spoke about taking care of Pumpkin - there was no doubt in her voice about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Gabrielle gave her a quizzical look, "Why does Violet need you around? Is something going on at Fox's Refuge? And Jasmine, I know you like to take care of people, that's obvious, but Violet's a grown woman. She should be able to take care of herself." She frowned, her brow furrowing, "And if something'g going on at Fox's that makes it unsafe or unhappy for her, she could come here. The only other refuges I know of are either pretty much little kingdoms with petty kings or....or I don't have any idea where they are. That offer is open to you, too. Really to anyone, so long as they'll live peacefully here."Gabrielle lapsed into her own thoughtful silence for a while. She nodded to herself after a few minutes, looking like she had come to some decision. "We should try to set up some stable travel route between here an Fox's Refuge. That would help with resource trading and people not having to feel so....enclosed. Sometimes everyone needs a break from everyone else, and as a single enclave that's really not an option. Also, if there are people at Fox's that would prefer living differently than they can here, and vice versa, they would have the option of trying somewhere else. I know Fox thinks less than kindly of us and seemed rather dismissive of our faith, but do you think he would be open to that? It'd also give people like Priest and others that want to travel two safe destination points that could accomodate them." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Gentian Posted September 11, 2009 Author Share Posted September 11, 2009 "I think the trade route is a good idea - I'll talk to Fox about it when I go back. Maybe we could set up some kind of protection for the highway? I mean, it's already there, and it's the most direct route - maybe some way to protect it from zombies so that people could travel? Maybe you could set up some area here for visitors specifically, I dunno."She fidgeted quietly, not feeling comfortable about dodging Gabrielle's questions, but not quite sure how to answer them either."Violet, she's.. well, her powers, they seem to make it hard for her to be around people. She has a hard time reigning herself in, I think, and.. well, a lot of people are angry at her and James, and their.. situation. With the two other women. They're all living together, and it's caused a lot of problems because there's so many more men at the base than women, and they all think James is creating some kind of.. harem, or something. They think he's being greedy. And Violet's afraid to go out on base a lot of the time, she was almost assaulted once by a group of guys. It's like some kind of pressure tank waiting to blow."Now that she had started to let all this out, it was almost a relief, and the concerns and worries that she had been bottling up inside came spilling out like a wave. "I.. I told Violet I'd try and help her turn her club into something respectable, she wanted me to be manager or something, since she's not very well liked. You know, some place for people to get together and have a drink, or relax, some place for people to socialize. To have events, like singing or playing instruments where people could go watch. She was going to - well, it was going to be a - she thought maybe the guys would like somewhere.. oh, you know what I mean, don't you? But that was kind of a waste of resources, and I pointed that out. So I think I talked her into letting some other people live there, I was helping her finish up the top story so that there was room for people, and.. she just said she needed me there."It was kind of a lame finish, and she knew it - she could hear it. But that didn't erase the need to go back, the feeling that she couldn't just ignore it that Violet truly needed her to stay there. She tried to rephrase it, to make herself a little clearer. "She said that they had decided they would take Pumpkin, and what would work better is that since I was staying there, she could just stay with me and they'd watch her in my absence. I told her no, that I didn't really trust the situation at Fox's and that I thought it was more peaceful here, and that the people seemed grateful - not resentful. But she.. she begged me, she asked me to come back for her, if not for Fox, cause I helped her.. be respected, and.. well, that was it, I guess. That I helped her be respected, and that she didn't want me to go. So.. I guess.. I should stay."Nope. Still sounds lame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 There was a long pause, then, "Living together? Do you mean as lovers?"At Jasmine's nod the Angel let out a breath. "Well. Yes, I could see how that could cause problems, especially with the gender imbalance." The other tidbit Jasmine had told her finally clicked into place. Gabrielle fairly squawked, "She wanted to make a whor...a brothel? Someplace like that? She'd have men rioting at her door the first night, and probably just get the women hurt. I mean beyond more than what being a prostitute would do to them." She shook her head, "It doesn't sound like Violet really thinks things through from what you've told me. That doesn't make her your responsibility, though. She needs to learn how to make good decisions in her life. If you think you're helping her learn that instead of just being the person that does it for her and you want to, then stay. But you can't help much of anyone if you're sacrificing yourself to do so."The angel frowned with more disapproval than Jasmine had seen the teen give off before. "And if Violet is prone to making those kind of mistakes then I think leaving Pumpkin with her is an incredibly bad idea. The child has frightening powers and from what you said Violet attracts several different kinds of innapropriate attention. Add all those things together and you have far less than an ideal or even a positive living environment for a traumatized and powerful little girl. I don't know if Fox's Refuge or here would be a better home for her; I have my opinion, but I'm clearly biased. Either way, I wouldn't trust Violet at this point the long term care of child."She propped her chin on the heel of her hand, "And if Violet is searching for respect, she's going to need to get it without leaning on someone else. Otherwise it'll become obvious that the respect is due to you and not her; she'll loose any she has and probably be even less respected than before." She sighed, "I wish I'd had a chance to talk to her before she left; first hand information from her would help me understand her better.""I know you've only been at Fox's Refuge for a short time, but surely he has some sort of governance method or means to pursue issues with him? If Violet is having problems, she should use that. She shouldn't be afraid to go about her community alone just because she's got Barbie's measurements; and you shouldn't feel obligated to stay with her because of that or anything else."She blinked and finished off the cup of tea she'd been brought. "Sorry, I rambled a bit. You just seem really conflicted." She grinned, "And people don't stop near as much as they should any more. Mother always used to say I should be banned from Ireland just on the off chance that kissing the Blarney Stone would mean that I'd never shut up." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Gentian Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 Jasmine laughed a little then, and grinned playfully at Gabrielle."Well, I'll remember that for next time. Don't be afraid to tell Gabrielle to shut up. Thank you though.. a lot of what you say makes sense. I'll consider it all. Of course, I'm going back to Fox's anyway no matter what - not only is Pumpkin there with Priest, but they're going to New Mexico, and.. I have to go. I have to help them with this women's prison, and..."At Gabrielle's inquisitive look, Jasmine launched into an explanation of what Jules had encountered at the women's prison (that she knew of) in New Mexico, along with an explanation of the note her mother had written on the wall of their kitchen explaining that they were headed to her Aunt Ruby's, who lives in New Mexico."I'm.. concerned, it's too close to that prison for my comfort, and.. well, I need to see if they even got there, or what, you know? So that's definitely my next step." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z016 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Gabrielle nodded; her face had gone ghost-pale as Jasmine recounted what they knew of the prison from 'Jules'. "If you need help or somewhere closer to come to when you're done, our gates are open. To all of you and anyone else that will need a home after that." She stood, the conversations having made her restless. "There are some things I need to tend to; mostly checking on the wounded again. Could I show you to somewhere to sleep for the night?"Jasmine finished off her own drink and nodded; sleep might not be necessary anymore, but rest was. Gabrielle led her to one of the cleaned out apartments that hadn't been assigned to a family; the bed was nicely made up and candles had been placed around the rooms for lighting. "If you need anything, just find someone in the common room and ask. There's always someone awake."With that the Angel left and made her own way to the makeshift infirmary, spending the night with her recovering enemies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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