Medusa and Nathan: Surprise Arrival
Feb. 17th, 2007 08:12 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsNathan gets some unexpected help as he tries to handle the aftermath of the bombing on Elpis's work. (Translation: Medusa arrives, bearing clerks!)
There were all kinds of arrangements to make that he hadn't anticipated. Several of the new projects couldn't go ahead, of course, since there was no staff to run them. There were phone calls to be made, plans to be cancelled. And they needed to be done.
A mild commotion outside the study drew his attention. Nathan frowned as the ripple of surprised thoughts - David? - reached him, and he reached out, trying to figure out what...
Oh, no way. Bewildered, he got up and headed towards the door. That was not who he thought it was, in the foyer. Was it?
Medusa took one look at Nathan's bewildered look and arched her brow. "What? You cannot truly be surprised that I am here. I knew you would need assistance - even more than I could provide. Attilan is offering their aid in this matter." Her hair gestured at the handful of men and women behind her. "They are all prepared to do whatever you may need."
David made a noise that approached a strangled laugh. "... well, okay then. Shall I show you all to workspace? God knows we can use the help." He directed a significant look at Nathan, who just shook his head at him and turned his attention to Medusa as David led the others away.
"I didn't know if your family would let you," he said simply, his voice subdued. "Whether they'd see it as you making yourself a target, all things considered." He paused. "But I am glad to see you."
Medusa smiled sweetly at David, nodding to the Attilani clerks to follow him. Returning her attention to Nathan, her smile became grim. "I do not know that they are pleased that I am here, but I made a rather convincing case. What is it that you would need most from me? Or from others? We do not have endless resources, but Attilan wants to stand strong and send a message of how we respond to terrorism, directed at us or our friends." The targeted attacks had been designed to send a message and the proper response in Medusa's mind was to send a message back.
Nathan took a deep breath and then let it out again, gesturing at the open study door in invitation. "Some projects have to be stopped outright," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "We don't have the staff to run them anymore. There's more work than I expected. Joel's... away, looking after the... personal end of things. And everyone else is... shocky, still, after what happened."
Medusa tentatively extended a tendril of hair to squeeze the older man's shoulder. "This must be a difficult time for everyone involved in the office here. Projects will be stopped - but one day, they will be started again."
"Oh, I know." Nathan's voice sounded a little faint, though, as he led the way into the study. "What's important is looking after the injured. But this has to be done, too."
"How are you holding up?" Medusa asked, green eyes growing concerned. "When was the last time you slept or ate? Or even just sat down?"
"I was actually sitting before you knocked on the door," Nathan said. "And I'm not... I'm not going to let myself get too run down," he said, more firmly, closing the door behind them. His expression was more focused again already. More help. That was what he'd needed. "They need to not have to worry about this end of things. That's why I'm here."
"Good," Medusa said briskly. "Because if you overwork yourself, you are not helping anyone and could actually hurt not only yourself but the ability of this office to function." A red lock of hair snaked out to pull a file off the desk, retracting until Medusa could hold it in her hands. Flipping it open, she scanned the papers inside. "Perhaps first I could help aid in sorting what is here into priorities. What must be dealt with immediately, what needs to be dealt with soon and then those matters that can be tabled indefinitely for the moment."
"You read my mind," Nathan said, not even thinking about what an unfortunate image that was. "That was what I was just starting to do... I have contact information open on the laptop," he said, sitting back down in the chair he'd left a few minutes before.
Medusa's hair immediately sprung into action, sweeping the files off his desk and opening them, then one by one bringing them to her eye level. She quickly began stacking them into piles, though some files took longer to decide as she tried to keep the "immediate" pile to a reasonable level while not missing anything incredibly important.
Her efficiency was contagious. Nathan started to relax a little and get into the flow of things as he started taking files off what was apparently the 'to do now' file. This wasn't quite as complex as he'd worried, he realized.
***
Medusa set the file she was holding down. She and Nathan had made it through the urgent pile and halfway through the soon stack as well, which was more progress than she had expected them to make in the hours they'd been working. Of course, there would still be follow up and more to do with each of the files, but they were at least getting somewhere. "Perhaps we should take a break now," Medusa suggested, more for Nathan than for her.
Nathan just nodded, setting down the last file he'd been reading - and leaning forward, resting his head in his hands. "Thank you," he said, his voice very subdued. "You and your fiendishly efficient clerks..."
"You are most welcome," Medusa said. "I am just glad we were able to provide some support. There are more improtant things to currently be considering than how the office work will get finished."
"Yeah." There was something very tight in Nathan's soft voice, all of a sudden. He took a deep breath and straightened, not looking at Medusa. "I'll need to go back to the hospital shortly. I haven't been yet today."
"Would you like company?" she asked gently, still concerned as to Nathan's ability to handle both the practical and emotional stresses of the bombings.
His smile was a little wan. "This wasn't how I was hoping you'd meet the members of the Tel Aviv office, you know." Rubbing at the back of his neck, he seemed to think about it for a moment. "Dom would probably be happy to see you. You two got along rather well, as I remember... she's not awake much, though."
Medusa nodded, rising to her feet. "We never want to meet people under negative circumstances. I had hoped my first visit to our sister branch would have been for something more uplifting as well - but this is the way it is and I am just glad I am able to assist in some fashion." Her hair wrapped itself into a bun at the nape of her neck. "I would like to see Domino, even if it only for a bit. Is there anything that can be done for those at the hospital? Anything that they need?"
"Their doctors are pretty much the best in Israel," Nathan said, "and all too used to seeing these sorts of injuries." He got up as well, leaning over the desk for a moment to shut down the laptop. "There's really not much to be done except keep them company." He swallowed past the tightness in his throat. "I... Vasily's brother should be arriving today, from Vladivostok. I don't..." His throat was trying to close up. "I don't know how to tell him I'm sorry that they had to amputate his brother's leg. I promised him six years ago I'd look after his little brother, that's the thing..."
"And you are looking after him," Medusa said. "You are taking care of him now that something out of your control happened."
Nathan took a deep, shaky breath and then let it out again. Thinking about Vasily, and about Ani sitting beside Ian's bed while the father of her child regenerated from... he didn't need to think about that, he told himself suddenly. "These people... my friends..." He didn't even know what he wanted to say. Nathan rubbed his hands over his face, breathing out. "I nearly lost all of them." His voice was steadier, at least. "In one explosion. I've been trying not to think of it that way."
"But you did not," Medusa pointed out. "And with matters such as these, that is what truly matters."
She was right. She was, and he'd have known that if he'd let himself say it out loud, even to himself, before now. "Well," Nathan said, his voice wobbling only a little as pulled the pieces of his composure together. "You're not supposed to be able to kill hope, right? So I guess we just have to live up to our name, now."
There were all kinds of arrangements to make that he hadn't anticipated. Several of the new projects couldn't go ahead, of course, since there was no staff to run them. There were phone calls to be made, plans to be cancelled. And they needed to be done.
A mild commotion outside the study drew his attention. Nathan frowned as the ripple of surprised thoughts - David? - reached him, and he reached out, trying to figure out what...
Oh, no way. Bewildered, he got up and headed towards the door. That was not who he thought it was, in the foyer. Was it?
Medusa took one look at Nathan's bewildered look and arched her brow. "What? You cannot truly be surprised that I am here. I knew you would need assistance - even more than I could provide. Attilan is offering their aid in this matter." Her hair gestured at the handful of men and women behind her. "They are all prepared to do whatever you may need."
David made a noise that approached a strangled laugh. "... well, okay then. Shall I show you all to workspace? God knows we can use the help." He directed a significant look at Nathan, who just shook his head at him and turned his attention to Medusa as David led the others away.
"I didn't know if your family would let you," he said simply, his voice subdued. "Whether they'd see it as you making yourself a target, all things considered." He paused. "But I am glad to see you."
Medusa smiled sweetly at David, nodding to the Attilani clerks to follow him. Returning her attention to Nathan, her smile became grim. "I do not know that they are pleased that I am here, but I made a rather convincing case. What is it that you would need most from me? Or from others? We do not have endless resources, but Attilan wants to stand strong and send a message of how we respond to terrorism, directed at us or our friends." The targeted attacks had been designed to send a message and the proper response in Medusa's mind was to send a message back.
Nathan took a deep breath and then let it out again, gesturing at the open study door in invitation. "Some projects have to be stopped outright," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "We don't have the staff to run them anymore. There's more work than I expected. Joel's... away, looking after the... personal end of things. And everyone else is... shocky, still, after what happened."
Medusa tentatively extended a tendril of hair to squeeze the older man's shoulder. "This must be a difficult time for everyone involved in the office here. Projects will be stopped - but one day, they will be started again."
"Oh, I know." Nathan's voice sounded a little faint, though, as he led the way into the study. "What's important is looking after the injured. But this has to be done, too."
"How are you holding up?" Medusa asked, green eyes growing concerned. "When was the last time you slept or ate? Or even just sat down?"
"I was actually sitting before you knocked on the door," Nathan said. "And I'm not... I'm not going to let myself get too run down," he said, more firmly, closing the door behind them. His expression was more focused again already. More help. That was what he'd needed. "They need to not have to worry about this end of things. That's why I'm here."
"Good," Medusa said briskly. "Because if you overwork yourself, you are not helping anyone and could actually hurt not only yourself but the ability of this office to function." A red lock of hair snaked out to pull a file off the desk, retracting until Medusa could hold it in her hands. Flipping it open, she scanned the papers inside. "Perhaps first I could help aid in sorting what is here into priorities. What must be dealt with immediately, what needs to be dealt with soon and then those matters that can be tabled indefinitely for the moment."
"You read my mind," Nathan said, not even thinking about what an unfortunate image that was. "That was what I was just starting to do... I have contact information open on the laptop," he said, sitting back down in the chair he'd left a few minutes before.
Medusa's hair immediately sprung into action, sweeping the files off his desk and opening them, then one by one bringing them to her eye level. She quickly began stacking them into piles, though some files took longer to decide as she tried to keep the "immediate" pile to a reasonable level while not missing anything incredibly important.
Her efficiency was contagious. Nathan started to relax a little and get into the flow of things as he started taking files off what was apparently the 'to do now' file. This wasn't quite as complex as he'd worried, he realized.
***
Medusa set the file she was holding down. She and Nathan had made it through the urgent pile and halfway through the soon stack as well, which was more progress than she had expected them to make in the hours they'd been working. Of course, there would still be follow up and more to do with each of the files, but they were at least getting somewhere. "Perhaps we should take a break now," Medusa suggested, more for Nathan than for her.
Nathan just nodded, setting down the last file he'd been reading - and leaning forward, resting his head in his hands. "Thank you," he said, his voice very subdued. "You and your fiendishly efficient clerks..."
"You are most welcome," Medusa said. "I am just glad we were able to provide some support. There are more improtant things to currently be considering than how the office work will get finished."
"Yeah." There was something very tight in Nathan's soft voice, all of a sudden. He took a deep breath and straightened, not looking at Medusa. "I'll need to go back to the hospital shortly. I haven't been yet today."
"Would you like company?" she asked gently, still concerned as to Nathan's ability to handle both the practical and emotional stresses of the bombings.
His smile was a little wan. "This wasn't how I was hoping you'd meet the members of the Tel Aviv office, you know." Rubbing at the back of his neck, he seemed to think about it for a moment. "Dom would probably be happy to see you. You two got along rather well, as I remember... she's not awake much, though."
Medusa nodded, rising to her feet. "We never want to meet people under negative circumstances. I had hoped my first visit to our sister branch would have been for something more uplifting as well - but this is the way it is and I am just glad I am able to assist in some fashion." Her hair wrapped itself into a bun at the nape of her neck. "I would like to see Domino, even if it only for a bit. Is there anything that can be done for those at the hospital? Anything that they need?"
"Their doctors are pretty much the best in Israel," Nathan said, "and all too used to seeing these sorts of injuries." He got up as well, leaning over the desk for a moment to shut down the laptop. "There's really not much to be done except keep them company." He swallowed past the tightness in his throat. "I... Vasily's brother should be arriving today, from Vladivostok. I don't..." His throat was trying to close up. "I don't know how to tell him I'm sorry that they had to amputate his brother's leg. I promised him six years ago I'd look after his little brother, that's the thing..."
"And you are looking after him," Medusa said. "You are taking care of him now that something out of your control happened."
Nathan took a deep, shaky breath and then let it out again. Thinking about Vasily, and about Ani sitting beside Ian's bed while the father of her child regenerated from... he didn't need to think about that, he told himself suddenly. "These people... my friends..." He didn't even know what he wanted to say. Nathan rubbed his hands over his face, breathing out. "I nearly lost all of them." His voice was steadier, at least. "In one explosion. I've been trying not to think of it that way."
"But you did not," Medusa pointed out. "And with matters such as these, that is what truly matters."
She was right. She was, and he'd have known that if he'd let himself say it out loud, even to himself, before now. "Well," Nathan said, his voice wobbling only a little as pulled the pieces of his composure together. "You're not supposed to be able to kill hope, right? So I guess we just have to live up to our name, now."
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