Clarice, Jean, & Darcy | Secondary Powers
Feb. 24th, 2022 02:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logs(Backdated) Darcy visits Jean and Clarice in medical after Amanda's revelation that she might have manifested a secondary power.
"Hey ladies," Darcy called out as she entered the waiting area of the infirmary, giving Jean and Clarice a small smile as she spotted them. "It's not an emergency, but Amanda thinks I had a new power manifestation, so I need that checked out. One or both of you available for that?"
"We are at your service malady," Clarice declared, swiveling around in her chair a few times before finally coming to a halt and changing computer screens. "What's this new power then?"
"Something with electricity?" Darcy shrugged. "We were talking during lunch and the topic got me a bit wound up. The lights started reacting, and one of the bulbs ended up popping. Amanda says it wasn't her or the city, and Emma wouldn't skimped on good electricians. I suppose there's a chance it could've been someone nearby, but it seemed pretty tied to my emotions, once I actually thought about it and a few similar incidents. And I've been having those issues with static too, worse than normal for me in winter."
Jean nodded thoughtfully. "Secondary power mutation is not unusual. Even past puberty. We can start by running a few tests. Do you remember how you felt when this happened? Was it always negative or did it happen during any extra positive moments too?" she said.
"And other than the obvious, have you been in any super stressful or emotional situations in the past few months?" Clearly there was the whole Laurie thing, which was a shit show. She meant in addition to that. Or since then.
"Not overly so. Sometimes therapy sessions are both and occasionally I have some pretty rough nightmares, but nothing I'd consider outside the norm for processing trauma." Darcy thought about Jean's questions for a minute. "I've mostly noticed it during negative moments, but... ah, yeah, um. Doug's nanites have been reacting? I assumed it was just the extra static, they kinda play follow the leader with my fingers if I'm touching them. And I usually feel tired, a little drained after when the lights are acting up. Like some tension's been released, but there's still so much energy just right there under my skin."
"I still think we should run some tests to see how exactly the electricity is impacting you and your surroundings," Jean said. "Based on what you describe it sounds like you're creating it and the build up appears to be interacting with electronics, but I wouldn't rule anything out. The tired feeling after using your powers is definitely something to keep track of." She glanced at Clarice. "I'm thinking we could borrow some equipment from the science crew. Hopefully they won't miss it for a few hours."
"Oh yeah, and see if they have a plasma ball, I'm thinking her powers will interact with it pretty interestingly," Clarice mused, "Are you more hungry too? Or just tired after these events?" Her own powers took up a lot of energy, so while Clarice wasn't usually tired after using them anymore, she always ate more than what would be considered normal for her size and age.
"I haven't noticed, but we were in the middle of lunch today. We finished before driving back, and I could definitely still eat at least one normal size sandwich or a bakery muffin, easy. The tired is.. sometimes a small wave of exhaustion, other times more like a really good workout? Not falling over, but nap or relax territory." Darcy shrugged. "Now that I know there's something to pay attention to, I'll try to keep track of it. Testing sounds good, too."
"Since these episodes are unconscious, there may be more exhaustion the more power you use once you start to use them consciously," Jean said. She made notes on her ipad. "We'll also have to make allowances for some of the more sensitive equipment to make sure it doesn't get overloaded. Either that or find a way to regulate your electricity build up. Do you notice any difference when you meditate? Or do you meditate?"
"I don't really meditate, no. It's not as bad after a good workout? Basically anything that gives that same level of exhaustion. My sleep schedule right now is..." Darcy twisted her hand so-so in the air before shrugging. "Weird, and sleep itself is mediocre, so I'm not sure I'd be able to tell anything concrete about my exhaustion levels. But I can start recording that too."
"Yeah....not to be insensitive Darcy, but you've had a lot of trauma the past few months. I think I'd be more concerned if your sleep was fine and everything was peachy keen," Clarice pointed out, trying to be delicate, but there wasn't a great way to do that sometimes. "Tiring yourself through exercise is a good way to calm the brain when you're stressed or worked up, that's actually the entire point of yoga. Tire out the body so the brain can calm. Makes sense that your powers respond to it, it's all interconnected," she turned to Jean, "Maybe start with a basic physical? So we can get a new baseline, compare it to her last one pre-Laurie-shit, then go from there with all the more in depth stuff?"
Silent for a moment, Jean nodded a little. "I agree, but I wouldn't say this is the new baseline, just a snapshot. Darcy, I'd like to have you wear a monitor that keeps track of your electrical levels for about a week to see what happens during your regular activity, power shorts and all. Would that be okay?"
"You can be blunt about the Laurie shit, it's fine... and a bit of a relief that you're not alarmed that my sleep is messy. It's not every night. But it's definitely some nights, and I'm not sleeping as well as I did in law school, despite similar napping patterns." Darcy replied to Clarice, before addressing Jean. "I'm fine with whatever you want to do. Physical, brain scans, monitors, tracking and recording myself, whatever will help get the best picture of what's going on or might have changed."
Nodding, Clarice appreciated that they could speak openly, "You're not self medicating, right?" she was pretty sure someone would have noticed, but better to cover all the bases, "Even with something over the counter? Alcohol? Whatever?" If it was chocolate, she'd let it slide. For now.
'No." It came out sharper than Darcy had intended, and she grimaced before continuing. "Dr. Stearne suggested I try anti-anxiety medication, but I just. I don't want my brain messed with like that, it's.. I worry. That it would be too easy to make bad decisions. And I don't want to go through withdrawals again, it--what happened after Laurie was wretched. I don't want to go through any of that again, the sweats and the sick and shakes... So other than the occasional tylenol or whatever, no. The only alcohol I'm keeping in my suite right now is what Gabe mixed me for Christmas, and I don't drink it unless another person is around. So I just.. I sleep when I can, I've got timers set to eat even if I'm not hungry, I fill in the gaps with work or people and don't let myself get reliant on anything."
"Things are still fresh, so it's understandable to feel hypervigilant against anything that might cause flashbacks or triggers," Jean said. "But I wouldn't rule out anti-anxiety medication either. At least once you feel more comfortable. I've heard good things from some of my other patients when I worked at Claremont. But everyone is different. Just something to think about. Let's plan to meet tomorrow morning and we can set you up with the monitoring equipment. Anything I'm forgetting?"
Clarice shook her head. "Wait. Blood sample," she snapped her fingers and went to go get the supplies required, "Because you don't get to come here without leaving us something," she quickly took the sample, then covered the skin prick with a Snoopy band-aid and handed Darcy a lollipop. Because that's what you got when you came to the medlab and Clarice was working.
"Ooh, lollipop." Darcy pulled it free from the wrapper and popped it into her mouth with a distracted smile, thinking on Jean's words before replying. "You're right about the meds, and I've been on them before. Just not ready for that step yet. Like letting you go through my mind, after. Kevin suggested it the night I left medical, and my reaction was not great. The idea of anyone else in my mind just then... I couldn't do it. Not even people I trust to respect my boundaries." She hated that Laurie had dealt such a blow to her trust and made her so uncertain of her own judgement. But those thoughts were for later. She stood up, taking the time to move slowly even though Clarice hadn't drawn much blood. "If that's all, I'll leave the two of you be until tomorrow morning."
"I understand. It was just a suggestion," Jean said. She nodded. "Take care and we'll see you then."
"Hey ladies," Darcy called out as she entered the waiting area of the infirmary, giving Jean and Clarice a small smile as she spotted them. "It's not an emergency, but Amanda thinks I had a new power manifestation, so I need that checked out. One or both of you available for that?"
"We are at your service malady," Clarice declared, swiveling around in her chair a few times before finally coming to a halt and changing computer screens. "What's this new power then?"
"Something with electricity?" Darcy shrugged. "We were talking during lunch and the topic got me a bit wound up. The lights started reacting, and one of the bulbs ended up popping. Amanda says it wasn't her or the city, and Emma wouldn't skimped on good electricians. I suppose there's a chance it could've been someone nearby, but it seemed pretty tied to my emotions, once I actually thought about it and a few similar incidents. And I've been having those issues with static too, worse than normal for me in winter."
Jean nodded thoughtfully. "Secondary power mutation is not unusual. Even past puberty. We can start by running a few tests. Do you remember how you felt when this happened? Was it always negative or did it happen during any extra positive moments too?" she said.
"And other than the obvious, have you been in any super stressful or emotional situations in the past few months?" Clearly there was the whole Laurie thing, which was a shit show. She meant in addition to that. Or since then.
"Not overly so. Sometimes therapy sessions are both and occasionally I have some pretty rough nightmares, but nothing I'd consider outside the norm for processing trauma." Darcy thought about Jean's questions for a minute. "I've mostly noticed it during negative moments, but... ah, yeah, um. Doug's nanites have been reacting? I assumed it was just the extra static, they kinda play follow the leader with my fingers if I'm touching them. And I usually feel tired, a little drained after when the lights are acting up. Like some tension's been released, but there's still so much energy just right there under my skin."
"I still think we should run some tests to see how exactly the electricity is impacting you and your surroundings," Jean said. "Based on what you describe it sounds like you're creating it and the build up appears to be interacting with electronics, but I wouldn't rule anything out. The tired feeling after using your powers is definitely something to keep track of." She glanced at Clarice. "I'm thinking we could borrow some equipment from the science crew. Hopefully they won't miss it for a few hours."
"Oh yeah, and see if they have a plasma ball, I'm thinking her powers will interact with it pretty interestingly," Clarice mused, "Are you more hungry too? Or just tired after these events?" Her own powers took up a lot of energy, so while Clarice wasn't usually tired after using them anymore, she always ate more than what would be considered normal for her size and age.
"I haven't noticed, but we were in the middle of lunch today. We finished before driving back, and I could definitely still eat at least one normal size sandwich or a bakery muffin, easy. The tired is.. sometimes a small wave of exhaustion, other times more like a really good workout? Not falling over, but nap or relax territory." Darcy shrugged. "Now that I know there's something to pay attention to, I'll try to keep track of it. Testing sounds good, too."
"Since these episodes are unconscious, there may be more exhaustion the more power you use once you start to use them consciously," Jean said. She made notes on her ipad. "We'll also have to make allowances for some of the more sensitive equipment to make sure it doesn't get overloaded. Either that or find a way to regulate your electricity build up. Do you notice any difference when you meditate? Or do you meditate?"
"I don't really meditate, no. It's not as bad after a good workout? Basically anything that gives that same level of exhaustion. My sleep schedule right now is..." Darcy twisted her hand so-so in the air before shrugging. "Weird, and sleep itself is mediocre, so I'm not sure I'd be able to tell anything concrete about my exhaustion levels. But I can start recording that too."
"Yeah....not to be insensitive Darcy, but you've had a lot of trauma the past few months. I think I'd be more concerned if your sleep was fine and everything was peachy keen," Clarice pointed out, trying to be delicate, but there wasn't a great way to do that sometimes. "Tiring yourself through exercise is a good way to calm the brain when you're stressed or worked up, that's actually the entire point of yoga. Tire out the body so the brain can calm. Makes sense that your powers respond to it, it's all interconnected," she turned to Jean, "Maybe start with a basic physical? So we can get a new baseline, compare it to her last one pre-Laurie-shit, then go from there with all the more in depth stuff?"
Silent for a moment, Jean nodded a little. "I agree, but I wouldn't say this is the new baseline, just a snapshot. Darcy, I'd like to have you wear a monitor that keeps track of your electrical levels for about a week to see what happens during your regular activity, power shorts and all. Would that be okay?"
"You can be blunt about the Laurie shit, it's fine... and a bit of a relief that you're not alarmed that my sleep is messy. It's not every night. But it's definitely some nights, and I'm not sleeping as well as I did in law school, despite similar napping patterns." Darcy replied to Clarice, before addressing Jean. "I'm fine with whatever you want to do. Physical, brain scans, monitors, tracking and recording myself, whatever will help get the best picture of what's going on or might have changed."
Nodding, Clarice appreciated that they could speak openly, "You're not self medicating, right?" she was pretty sure someone would have noticed, but better to cover all the bases, "Even with something over the counter? Alcohol? Whatever?" If it was chocolate, she'd let it slide. For now.
'No." It came out sharper than Darcy had intended, and she grimaced before continuing. "Dr. Stearne suggested I try anti-anxiety medication, but I just. I don't want my brain messed with like that, it's.. I worry. That it would be too easy to make bad decisions. And I don't want to go through withdrawals again, it--what happened after Laurie was wretched. I don't want to go through any of that again, the sweats and the sick and shakes... So other than the occasional tylenol or whatever, no. The only alcohol I'm keeping in my suite right now is what Gabe mixed me for Christmas, and I don't drink it unless another person is around. So I just.. I sleep when I can, I've got timers set to eat even if I'm not hungry, I fill in the gaps with work or people and don't let myself get reliant on anything."
"Things are still fresh, so it's understandable to feel hypervigilant against anything that might cause flashbacks or triggers," Jean said. "But I wouldn't rule out anti-anxiety medication either. At least once you feel more comfortable. I've heard good things from some of my other patients when I worked at Claremont. But everyone is different. Just something to think about. Let's plan to meet tomorrow morning and we can set you up with the monitoring equipment. Anything I'm forgetting?"
Clarice shook her head. "Wait. Blood sample," she snapped her fingers and went to go get the supplies required, "Because you don't get to come here without leaving us something," she quickly took the sample, then covered the skin prick with a Snoopy band-aid and handed Darcy a lollipop. Because that's what you got when you came to the medlab and Clarice was working.
"Ooh, lollipop." Darcy pulled it free from the wrapper and popped it into her mouth with a distracted smile, thinking on Jean's words before replying. "You're right about the meds, and I've been on them before. Just not ready for that step yet. Like letting you go through my mind, after. Kevin suggested it the night I left medical, and my reaction was not great. The idea of anyone else in my mind just then... I couldn't do it. Not even people I trust to respect my boundaries." She hated that Laurie had dealt such a blow to her trust and made her so uncertain of her own judgement. But those thoughts were for later. She stood up, taking the time to move slowly even though Clarice hadn't drawn much blood. "If that's all, I'll leave the two of you be until tomorrow morning."
"I understand. It was just a suggestion," Jean said. She nodded. "Take care and we'll see you then."
