Players:
Summary: Rashmi asks Jessica for a big favour.
Date: October 15, 2012
Log Title: A Large Favour
Rating: PG
Barnes Academy - HoloQuad
/Stepping into the HoloQuad one would almost forget that they were in an underwater school. The sky changes to reflect the time of day, sunny with clouds during the day to night time reflecting what the Northern Hemisphere would look like without light pollution. Sunsets and Sunrises are even reflected in the room. It's impossible to tell there is a ceiling up there. Plant life, benches, fountains and pathways make the room look like a luxurious park and unlike the sky, the rest of the room is real. Sometimes a breeze passes buy and the room is always a comfortable temperature giving the students a way to feel like they're outside enjoying the fresh air.//
Monday evening, and the message has just been sent off to Agent Drew. [Need help, and a favor. Please don't be too irritated, ma'am. —R] That finished, Rashmi sits back in her chair, resting her PDA on her lap and taking a deep breath, turning the scrap of paper over in her hands as she mulls over the likeliest chain of events to follow.
It's the 'don't be too irritated' part that unnerves Jessica. She knows that nothing good will come out of this and she just prays it doesn't involve her covering up anything or worse. Walking into the HoloQuad dressed in her work out clothes of tight black pants, a black SHIELD halter top and her hair tied back she quickly spots the red head. "Hello Rashmi, so what is this that I'm not supposed to be annoyed about?"
Rashmi ducks her head, clearing her throat. "Well… all of it, really. Um… sit down, ma'am?" she says, gesturing to the bench next to her. "It's just… I've been trying to find the address for this requisition number… and, well… I don't have the clearance. So… That's the help, if you could give me that? The favor I'll ask about after, because it's kind of linked." Once Jessica closes, Rashmi passes the scrap of paper along. The requisition number, after a moment's searching, brings up an odd, if not somewhat worrying, return: The Mk 2 Crimson Dynamo armor.
Jessica sits down and crosses her legs still maintaining a bit of her feminine ways while in work out clothes. She takes the piece of paper and looks at it, the pursing of her lips the only expression on her otherwise emotionless face. "This seems something more in the Black Widow's field than my own." She looks down at the slip of paper for a bit before speaking again. "Why do you need this, are you planning on having some extra fire power to rescue your friend?"
Rashmi says, "….So-o-ort of," Rashmi begins slowly, already wincing away from the elder agent. "Um… actually it's not for me, it's… for Connor's Uncle Yuri. Y'know… the guy who used to wear it? He's in town, and he asked me for the address so he could… y'know… go get Connor and the other kids. …Which… brings me to the favor, please don't arrest and deport him because if Connor wasn't in trouble he'd never have broken his agreement and things are already bad enough over there with Connor's dad being outed and just… Please?""
Jessica's face breaks and it's one of deep concern and concentration. She sharply inhales and shakes her head. "I don't know Rashmi, I don't know much about Connor's uncle Yuri or the Crimson Dynamo…can you excuse me for a bit?" And Jessica gets up and walks off to an isolated area of of the HoloQuad. It's over a twenty minute wait before she comes back and smiles down a the girl. "You are lucky. I was just talking to The Black Widow, she was friends with Yuri's father. I didn't tell her much but I will just say our intel had him working in some Siberian work camp. Lucky I was able to talk to her, I want to meet with Yuri first, if possible. We can let him use the armour but only if he agrees to return it instantly afterwards."
The wait is interminable, and by the time Jessica returns Rashmi is practically wringing her braid, head snapping up at the sound of Jessica's boots on the floor. "I…. hm. I don't know if I can. I'll *try,* but, I can only really text him and tell him to come in, y'know?"
"We don't have to meet here, it can be a place of his choosing, and the sooner the better. Just, I'm pulling as many strings here as I can." Jessica says as this is a very touchy situation. "We're trying to leave Nick out of this, he's already bent enough rules for me I don't want to try pressing it."
"…That makes sense to me," Rashmi says after a moment's thought, and a deep sigh. "I'm *really* sorry to be this much trouble, ma'am… But I'd rather be irritating than just … sort of slap the whole school across the face, y'know…? I'll send him the message now, actually… can I see that paper again?" Once she gets the scrap back, she starts tapping out a text message. "And seriously, Agent Drew… thanks so much."
"No, you're not being too much trouble. You're trying to help someone who can help your friend." Jessica says handing the paper back to her. "And I hope you're doing alright, I know everything has been tough with what's going on and I know the Avengers are don't what they can but it's hard when there are so many crisis in the world."
"Oh I know," Rashmi says, wrinkling her nose. "And really… I'm sort of glad Captain America *isn't* around for this… I don't know that I want to see what this kind of political crap would do to him." Lifting a shoulder, she takes a breath. "I'm doing… okay, I guess. Now I know how Robyn feels when I get taken prisoner. I've been doing everything I can, but these people have weight *everywhere.* I can't even get *through* to the Chief of Police or the Assistant DA anymore."
Jessica nods and it's obvious she's trying to to spill to much since there is intelligence that she's aware of but she can't share. "Trust me we know Rashmi. SHIELD does have their eye on things and are trying to figure out what is going on. I will say we're not happy about certain things that have been handed down to us and Nick is very concerned and thinking about taking action to remove himself from those orders."
"I know you do," Rashmi says, shaking her head, "and I'd be shocked if there *wasn't* some agency horribleness you're keeping under wraps until you have to. But… Thanks, for doing this much. Seriously, Ms. Drew. I mean that."
"I'm not an Avenger because I want to be a hero and have my name plastered over newspapers and billboards and everything, I do it because I want to make sure the right thing is done." Jessica says before breaking into a soft smile. "Don't worry about it Rashmi, you're welcome. I don't want any of these boys who have been taken to be killed, even if I don't know any of them."
"And I do appreciate that, Ms. Drew. I just hope they can get past whatever's happening to them, eventually," Rashmi says, shaking her head. "Connor's got a lot of issues, and I worry that even when he gets his medicine again, it's going to be hell on him just trying to cope, y'know? I mean, these are the same people who got involved in the Game, I can't *imagine* what kind of things they're doing to those boys."
"We do have psychiatrists here if he needs them, but it's always hard to tell how someone is going to cope. What I can advise you is that you've been through hardships before and because of that you know what to expect. Also your his friend so maybe you'll be the best thing to help him cope." Jessica says before shrugging. "Honestly, I've never been good at helping people deal or having people help me deal, I'm usually on my own."
Rashmi tilts her head, eyebrows rising. "We-e-ell… maybe, but um… If you're in charge of the school, that's kind of a huge thing for helping kids deal? I mean, how many students here d'you think might've had their lives saved by the training they get, y'know? That's kind of a big deal, I think anyway."
Jessica shakes her head. "I'm not in charge of the school, that's Sam Wilson whose in charge. I just help out and do what's needed." She doesn't want to tell Rashmi that she really doesn't like children either. "Training, to me that's different, I'm educating them on defending themselves and how to use their powers, it's the emotional side that I'm not good at. As long as we don't talk about feelings, I'm fine."
Rashmi snorts, shaking her head. "Well I can't argue that… But still, whether you're good at feelings or not, you're still a pretty big part of making sure a lot of these kids turn out all right. Though… Iunno, *is* there a course on dealing with captivity for the students? I mean I'm pretty sure the Agents have one, if the training's anything like most military branches."
There's a look on Jessica's face as if she's trying to hide the fact she just drank sour milk but luckily she can hang onto the second subject. "I'm not sure if there is a course for students dealing with captivity, it's something I gather we hoped would never come up but we shouldn't have been that naive, especially with Xaiver's. It's just something you don't always think of with you all being so young. I'll bring it up to Sam."
Rashmi bobs her head. "Oh I don't doubt it… I mean even at Xavier's, it was pretty rare… Just like maybe an elective or something, Iunno. Anyway," she says, rising from the bench, "I should get going, I've still got a lot of work to get done… But seriously, Ms. Drew," she says, sticking out a hand, "thanks. And if *I* can help somehow, let me know?"
Jessica stands up and takes Rashmi's hand. "You're welcome. Let me know if Yuri would like to meet up and when." She has to meet him as Spider-Woman and not Jessica Drew. "Have a good night and if you need anything you can ask. I know it's not easy managing while you know a friend is under distress. Take care of yourself."
"Yeah, it's really not," Rashmi says with a shrug, "but it helps having something I can at least *try* to get done. You take care too, Ms. Drew, and I'll call the moment I talk to Yuri with the details." Lifting a hand in farewell, she turns to make her way out of the Quad.
