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xp_logsAfter she's been medically cleared, Haller goes to deliver a phone and some basic rules to Beatrice.
When Haller entered the room after being given the verbal okay, Beatrice was sitting on the small sofa the guest room had been furnished with, slim form covered in in an oversized peach sweater that partially obscured the black leggings she’d also been given. Though this changed when she realized who he was an she stood quickly to greet him, before she grimaced at the sudden movement and sat back down almost immediately. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
When it became obvious he would be the only person coming in, an unease set, unsure what he had come for. “I… are we going to do another interview? I’m happy to help any way I can.” It was hard to tell if she had stuttered or simply paused in the middle of words in a lack of confidence, looking for words that meant what she wanted to convey.
"No, I . . ." Haller's tongue stopped functioning mid-sentence as his eyes fell on her top. Her very familiar top.
Is that . . . is that the sweater Warren gave Jessica?
She didn’t cringe, but her eyes closed and when she opened them she was no longer looking at him, instead focusing on a spot on the wall beside his left ear. Her shoulders slumped. “Is Arthur coming? Or, uh, Mr. Kane?”
It took Haller a moment to realize that what was, to him, shocked recognition of an inescapable piece of Warren's personal taste was, to Beatrice, a total stranger staring at her chest. He blushed.
"Oh, um -- I'm sorry, I thought I just recognized your--" Stop. Don't try to make it better. Just move on. The psi cleared his throat and started again. "Never mind. No, no more interrogations. I'm just going out of town tomorrow, so I wanted to check in on you to see how you were settling in."
She picked absentmindedly at the sofa’s fabric, nodding as she heard his words. “Okay. Is… is everything okay? Did you end up finding the Brotherhood or- or Mr. Creed?” The question began slowly before fear leaked into her words.
"No, it's okay. This is something else. But I thought you should know Arthur's going, too." It wasn't surprising that she seemed so attached to Arthur -- that was a normal reaction towards a person who had literally taken you in off the street. Besides, Arthur had a certain presence. It was hard to believe anything could go too wrong when he was around. After all, statistically the odds were in your favor.
Haller reached into his pocket and withdrew a phone. It was new, no-frills. Standard mansion issue. He held it out to Beatrice.
"That's why I wanted to give you this," he said.
The schooling of her neutral expression shifted, a slow confusion to an unrestrained panic as he reached into his pocket. When a phone was offered, the confusion returned. “Oh, in case anyone needs to contact me, I understand.”
Bea relaxed slowly, still expecting another shoe to drop or for the man to explain the terms of her being allowed to stay, but when none came she carefully held out her hand to accept it. “Thank you.”
Haller nodded. "Or if you need to contact anyone. Contact information for the medical team is in there, and a few others -- Arthur, me, Garrison. I added a few people you can contact with technology and security questions as well."
“Okay” she acknowledged after a beat, turning the phone over, pausing to look at the contacts he’d added before finally she looked back up into his eyes. “I’ll be moving then? Once District X is cleared and a safe house can be found?”
"Maybe. Some people come through here for a short time, others make this their permanent residence. It depends on what you want to do and what you can work out with the other residents. If you're serious about working against the Brotherhood, that may be something to consider. But for now it's not something you have to worry about." Haller tried to make his smile as reassuring as possible while keeping his eyes away from any part of her anatomy that might provoke a repeat of the Sweater Incident. "There are some things we'll ask of you while you're staying here, though. Mostly for safety."
Her own smile was slower to appear, still wary but hopeful that this was a good sign. “Of course, Arthur said- well, I didn’t really understand it at the time but he said there would be questions and that it would be a lot.” Her fingers had returned to running across fabric. “And he said I’ll be safe.” This was softer, as she still wasn’t entirely sure but the blonde man had seemed so.
The psi spread his hands. "No, not like that. Just some ground rules. A lot of them you can probably assume -- for example, we recommend you not disclose your location to anyone right now. No photos on socials, either. Especially not if Creed or the Brotherhood might be looking for you. If an area seems like it might not exactly be a common-area, please ask before you try to enter. One of the tech and security people can give you a better idea about that. They can set you up with access to the local journal system, too, so you can keep up to date on what's going on, too."
"I don't really... have social media or close friends or... anything really. I got rid of my phone when I ran and I didn't even think about anything like that until you said it, if I'm being honest." Bea spoke slowly, as the thoughts occurred to her, before nodding again. "I don't really want to leave anytime soon if it's all the same. I've slept so much since I got here, I didn't even realize I was so exhausted."
"You're injured, and you're probably coming down off an adrenaline rush. Just rest as much as you need now." Haller reached up to rub the back of his head. He hadn't done an orientation talk since the mansion had been a school, and he had to admit his imminent departure was making it difficult to pull up more than the basics. "If there's nothing you like in the kitchenette you can try the main kitchen. Food that's not for general consumption will be marked. You can also talk to Terry Cassidy. She and her roommate Darcy are usually more than happy to help you out with any dietary needs."
"Oh, right, that makes sense." It was said as if she hadn't thought of this very valid point that had become her life, and was somewhat surprised by the news of it. Upon realizing she was still holding the phone he'd given her, she carefully set it down on the coffee table. "It's okay, I'm not picky, and I don't need much. If I... if I do, I'll ask. But I'm happy with shelf-stable and water." A beat before she forced a smile. "Honest."
Looking at Beatrice, Haller wondered what standards her relationship with Creed had given her. Comments like this indicated the bar was on the floor.
"It's okay. I don't think you'll even have to ask, honestly." He looked again at the sweater. "And when you're feeling better someone can help you get some clothes of your own, too, so you're not just wearing mansion cast-offs."
Wrapping her uninjured arm around herself, Bea shook her head. "No, it's okay, I'm used to it."
When Haller entered the room after being given the verbal okay, Beatrice was sitting on the small sofa the guest room had been furnished with, slim form covered in in an oversized peach sweater that partially obscured the black leggings she’d also been given. Though this changed when she realized who he was an she stood quickly to greet him, before she grimaced at the sudden movement and sat back down almost immediately. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
When it became obvious he would be the only person coming in, an unease set, unsure what he had come for. “I… are we going to do another interview? I’m happy to help any way I can.” It was hard to tell if she had stuttered or simply paused in the middle of words in a lack of confidence, looking for words that meant what she wanted to convey.
"No, I . . ." Haller's tongue stopped functioning mid-sentence as his eyes fell on her top. Her very familiar top.
Is that . . . is that the sweater Warren gave Jessica?
She didn’t cringe, but her eyes closed and when she opened them she was no longer looking at him, instead focusing on a spot on the wall beside his left ear. Her shoulders slumped. “Is Arthur coming? Or, uh, Mr. Kane?”
It took Haller a moment to realize that what was, to him, shocked recognition of an inescapable piece of Warren's personal taste was, to Beatrice, a total stranger staring at her chest. He blushed.
"Oh, um -- I'm sorry, I thought I just recognized your--" Stop. Don't try to make it better. Just move on. The psi cleared his throat and started again. "Never mind. No, no more interrogations. I'm just going out of town tomorrow, so I wanted to check in on you to see how you were settling in."
She picked absentmindedly at the sofa’s fabric, nodding as she heard his words. “Okay. Is… is everything okay? Did you end up finding the Brotherhood or- or Mr. Creed?” The question began slowly before fear leaked into her words.
"No, it's okay. This is something else. But I thought you should know Arthur's going, too." It wasn't surprising that she seemed so attached to Arthur -- that was a normal reaction towards a person who had literally taken you in off the street. Besides, Arthur had a certain presence. It was hard to believe anything could go too wrong when he was around. After all, statistically the odds were in your favor.
Haller reached into his pocket and withdrew a phone. It was new, no-frills. Standard mansion issue. He held it out to Beatrice.
"That's why I wanted to give you this," he said.
The schooling of her neutral expression shifted, a slow confusion to an unrestrained panic as he reached into his pocket. When a phone was offered, the confusion returned. “Oh, in case anyone needs to contact me, I understand.”
Bea relaxed slowly, still expecting another shoe to drop or for the man to explain the terms of her being allowed to stay, but when none came she carefully held out her hand to accept it. “Thank you.”
Haller nodded. "Or if you need to contact anyone. Contact information for the medical team is in there, and a few others -- Arthur, me, Garrison. I added a few people you can contact with technology and security questions as well."
“Okay” she acknowledged after a beat, turning the phone over, pausing to look at the contacts he’d added before finally she looked back up into his eyes. “I’ll be moving then? Once District X is cleared and a safe house can be found?”
"Maybe. Some people come through here for a short time, others make this their permanent residence. It depends on what you want to do and what you can work out with the other residents. If you're serious about working against the Brotherhood, that may be something to consider. But for now it's not something you have to worry about." Haller tried to make his smile as reassuring as possible while keeping his eyes away from any part of her anatomy that might provoke a repeat of the Sweater Incident. "There are some things we'll ask of you while you're staying here, though. Mostly for safety."
Her own smile was slower to appear, still wary but hopeful that this was a good sign. “Of course, Arthur said- well, I didn’t really understand it at the time but he said there would be questions and that it would be a lot.” Her fingers had returned to running across fabric. “And he said I’ll be safe.” This was softer, as she still wasn’t entirely sure but the blonde man had seemed so.
The psi spread his hands. "No, not like that. Just some ground rules. A lot of them you can probably assume -- for example, we recommend you not disclose your location to anyone right now. No photos on socials, either. Especially not if Creed or the Brotherhood might be looking for you. If an area seems like it might not exactly be a common-area, please ask before you try to enter. One of the tech and security people can give you a better idea about that. They can set you up with access to the local journal system, too, so you can keep up to date on what's going on, too."
"I don't really... have social media or close friends or... anything really. I got rid of my phone when I ran and I didn't even think about anything like that until you said it, if I'm being honest." Bea spoke slowly, as the thoughts occurred to her, before nodding again. "I don't really want to leave anytime soon if it's all the same. I've slept so much since I got here, I didn't even realize I was so exhausted."
"You're injured, and you're probably coming down off an adrenaline rush. Just rest as much as you need now." Haller reached up to rub the back of his head. He hadn't done an orientation talk since the mansion had been a school, and he had to admit his imminent departure was making it difficult to pull up more than the basics. "If there's nothing you like in the kitchenette you can try the main kitchen. Food that's not for general consumption will be marked. You can also talk to Terry Cassidy. She and her roommate Darcy are usually more than happy to help you out with any dietary needs."
"Oh, right, that makes sense." It was said as if she hadn't thought of this very valid point that had become her life, and was somewhat surprised by the news of it. Upon realizing she was still holding the phone he'd given her, she carefully set it down on the coffee table. "It's okay, I'm not picky, and I don't need much. If I... if I do, I'll ask. But I'm happy with shelf-stable and water." A beat before she forced a smile. "Honest."
Looking at Beatrice, Haller wondered what standards her relationship with Creed had given her. Comments like this indicated the bar was on the floor.
"It's okay. I don't think you'll even have to ask, honestly." He looked again at the sweater. "And when you're feeling better someone can help you get some clothes of your own, too, so you're not just wearing mansion cast-offs."
Wrapping her uninjured arm around herself, Bea shook her head. "No, it's okay, I'm used to it."
