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Summary: Fiona visits Tabitha, who is still recovering from a concussion.
Log Title: Paying a Visit
Rating: PG
Stark Towers (Personal Residences)
The guest apartments are quite modest — by the standards of Tony Stark, anyway. The layout is spacious, and luxuries like leather furniture, wide screen TVs, and so forth abound.
Scene
It's eary evening, and up in Stark Towers, the residence area is pretty quiet. The security guards have allowed Fiona to enter, after confirming with Tabitha that they know each other; and have advised her which apartment to go to. Seems like they advised Tabitha as well; the door is open, and Tabitha is watching, waiting for her friend to arrive. She's dressed in blue pajamas, and is standing about barefoot; her tail, usually active, is limp on the floor behind her, and she keeps one hand pressed against her forehead.
Fiona, for her part, doesn't seem to have suffered undue wear and tear from the fight in China town - no, maybe a couple scrapes on her face that are mostly easily hidden with a bit of makeup, but that's it. One thing Tabitha might notice are a series of new purple streaks in her hair - small ones, but obvious nonetheless. "Tabs! I went to the hospital but they said you already left. How ya feelin?"
"Like I got put through a building," mumbles the rat as she steps back from the entrance. She rubs her forehead, and waits until Fiona is inside before closing the door behind her. "I was about to take a shower," she admits. "Haven't… really had one in a while, so I probably stink like a dead rat by now. Feel better than yesterday though… can move around more." She shuffles slowly back into the living room of the apartment, and takes up position in a leather armchair — by the look of things she's spent a large portion of her day there, as there are several empty water bottles lieing around and a bowl with a tiny bit of milk in the bottom and a single renegade cheerio floating in it.
"Nah it's not that bad," Fiona waves a hand dismissively; not appearing to care all that much. She has of course smelled much worse. "I mean, you did get put through a building, though. If that happened to me, I'd probably have been crushed, not walking around a couple days later. You're really tough!" she admires that somewhat.
Tabitha mmmphs softly. "I can be," she replies. "It depends. I was tough then because I was copying powers… from that woman we talked to. The crazy lady… that wants to kill everyone." She rubs at her forehead, and mumbles something incoherent. "She has… really cool powers."
"Oh, really? I kinda figured - I mean, I never really asked what your powers were but when I saw that, I thought maybe that was it." Yeah, or they were just randomly related, or something. "You can copy them perfectly? And keep them for that long?" Fiona flops down on a nearby couch, chair… you know, whatever.
Tabitha shakes her head. "Don't usually manage to come off as strong as they are," she mumbles. "Might just be 'cause I'm a teenager… might be better later, right? But I can keep 'em for a week." She holds out her hand, and ruby the size of a robin's egg slowly forms in her palm, before she tosses it to Fiona. "Don't sell it," she cautions. "It'll… dissolve in a bit. You'll get arrested or something."
Fiona blinks, tossing the stone up and down in the air, "Wow, that's awesome. 'n don't worry, I wouldn't sell it. I've got better ways of making money anyway. But I'm not that kinda person," she smiles, rolling the stone playfully up and down her arm. Still, it's quite a sight to see such a perfect gem like that. Most of the time she's only seen them behind glass. "Yeah, maybe when you're older."
Tabitha nods her head slowly. "I admit it is pretty cool," she murmurs. "I dunno. I guess it might be worth it to be frickin ugly if I can do stuff like that." She shrugs her shoulders, and draws her legs up to press against her chest, and wrap her arms around her knees. Her tail hangs loosely down over the chair and on the floor, as she rests her chin on her knees. "You dyed your hair," she observes. "What made you do that? It's pretty."
Fiona reaches up to touch her hair, blushing slightly, "I erm, I didn't. It happened the other night. A friend of mine says it's because I over-used my powers. She knows about that sorta thing," explains the sorceress. "I felt sorta raw afterwards. Like I was really tired and every little thing made me angry. I'm okay now though," she smiles reassuringly. She has had a couple days to rest, after all. "I don't really mind it, but, I don't want the whole thing to turn purple."
Tabitha mmms softly. "Thought it might've been that," she murmurs. "Was it when we were fighting Dingo?" The rat girl lets her legs slip down until her feet touch the floor again. "Thank you for saving me, by the way. …If you hadn't… done whatever you did to him to make him stop, I think he would've killed me."
"It was… I um, blasted him with a giant laser. It took a little while to charge up enough, or else I think I could have stopped him before he whacked you. Still, it nailed him pretty good, but, I'm sure we'll see him again. I don't think it killed him," Fiona smirks, seeming fairly light hearted about it, anyway. "'n it's no big deal, at all. Honestly. I feel like… if I don't do something like that, when I have the power to, I'm just letting it go to waste."
Tabitha nods her head, albeit slowly. "I know what you mean," she replies. "I got involved in that fight… and in the one in the park… because I thought I had an obligation to… well, do something, right?" She sighs softly, and leans sideways to prop her elbow up on the armrest and plant her head in her hand. "But Mr. Stark tells me I don't have to do that… and that I shouldn't, anyway. I'm a teenager, I should be going to school and staring at boys and just.. be a chick."
"He's just worried about you. Adults are always worried, or think teenagers can't do stuff, or we're dumb." All of which are perhaps somewhat true; Fiona might acknowledge some of that but she sure wouldn't come out and say so! "But it's the way the world works, if we listened to our elders about every little thing, the new generation would never end up taking over for the old! And… erm… yeah…" she rubs the back of her neck, "School's good. I do both! But I really hate my school."
Tabitha chuckles softly. "Yes, I know, my Mom was the same way," she murmurs. "She got really angry whenever my Dad bought me stuff… like… my glocks. She probably would've gotten upset about the Ninja… probably would've wanted Dad to let me drive the family car… or… something." The rat girl shrugs her shoulders, and leans her head back on the chair. "Want anything to drink? Lots… of water in the fridge." She points a languid hand in the direction of the kitchen. "I'd get it for you… but I don't feel like standing up."
Fiona laughs, slipping to her feet before sliding over to the fridge. She pulls out a pitcher of water, "That's okay, you should probably just rest some more, 'n stuff. You want one?" she asks, before rooting around for a couple of glasses and filling them, regardless of the answer. Returning to the couch, she offers Tabitha the second glass and settles down a little.
Tabitha takes the water, and nods her ascent and her thanks. She drinks about half the glass in one gulp, and sighs heavily. "If you see any mutants… who can heal up real quick? Let me know… I'd… like to talk to them." She Shakes her head slowly, and her hair falls about her face to either side, hiding her expression. "Concussions really suck," she mutters.
"Can't say I know that many!" Fiona shakes her head, "But if I run into someone, I'll definitely shoot them your way. My dad's a doctor, too, if that helps. I guess Tony probably has that all on lockdown though, huh?" A rich guy like that - who probably gets hurt all the time - probably has his own medical staff or whoever to take care of him.
Tabitha shrugs her shoulders lightly. "He might," she mumbles. "I got taken to the hospital before he could do anything, even if he did. It's not like… I'm gonna die or anything, just need some time for my head to… settle down." She perks an eyebrow, and looks up at the sorceress sitting across from her. "You don't seem all that bothered about the fact that I just admitted to owning a couple of guns, hunh?"
"Well," Fiona ponders, tilting her head back and forth a little in thought, "I don't really think it's that big a deal. I mean… Well, my parents don't own any guns, but I have an uncle that lives in the midwest that just loves them. I don't like guns," she admits, "But I don't see as how they're all that much worse than some of the other stuff that I've seen lately. Handling them makes me a bit nervous though."
Tabitha shrugs her shoulders lightly. "Guns are nothing to be afraid of," she murmurs. "They kick, they make a loud noise… if you're plinking then just… observe the range rules… nothing to worry about. Guns only point down range… don't ever point one at someone else, even if it's not loaded… stuff like that." She chuckles quietly. "Only thing to be afraid of really are the bullets."
"Well, I know all that stuff. I've shot a rifle a few times when we visited during the summer," Fiona nods, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "But I still feel like I have to be very careful with them. My powers won't go off on accident, so, I prefer them more. But I'm not afraid of police just 'cause they have guns, or anything like that. I mean, only if I've done something to make them come after me…"
Tabitha mmms softly. "Yeah," she murmurs. "But… Fiona, if this is really personal, you don't have to answer." She sits up, and for the first time this evening her gaze rises to meet Fiona's properly; her eyes are bleary and tired, but still alert, at this moment. "You said… you drank a demon's blood. That… must have conesequences, right?"
"Y-yeah. It does," Fiona looks down at her boots, knocking the toes of them together and fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "I want you to understand that I had no choice first. It was either that or die, and the whole situation was an accident on my part, 'cause I was being stupid… but…" she breathes a deep breath, "First, if he wants to, he can take direct control of my body and there's nothing I can really do about it. That almost never happens, though," she holds up one finger, then a second, "Second… sometimes my brain it… fights itself," she bites her lip. "You know how you have a conscience? A little voice that stops you, maybe when you're really angry, from doing something really bad? Mine's slipping. I mean, it's not like - it's not like I'm just going to go out and murder a bunch of people, or that I would just start stealing. But…"
"You know, maybe when someone's being a huge jerk, and you know in your heart - they deserve to be punched in the face, or worse; but you'd regret it later?" the girl shrugs, "That's a war zone. I don't even know. Sometimes, I just get so angry these days… That's the consequence. It's like, the dark side, in Star Wars," she laughs, lightening the mood somewhat. "'n I'm like a Jedi, I have to constantly be vigilante against it, moreso than others. 'cause if a normal person gets angry, they just get angry, but if a Jedi gets angry, they could go off the deep end."
Tabitha is quiet, and listens carefully throughout the entire explanation; she nods a couple of times, and her tail twitches, but her attention never wavers. "I'd… hug you," she mumbles, "Except I'm in PJ's and it hurts to move. But… Fiona, I'll do… anything I can to help you through this. I.. don't know what to do, to help you. I don't know anything about demons." She coughs softly, and shifts her feet once more to sit cross-legged in the armchair. "But you've been strong so far… and you can do it, right? It's your mind… nobody can take that from you."
Fiona smiles, nodding, "It's weak. The demon, I mean - or he wouldn't be trapped in an alternate dimension and relying on little girls to do his dirty work. I mean, I don't think I could beat him in a fight but… he was stupid to give me this power," she laughs a little - it's a bit of bravado that she doesn't completely believe, but it does make her feel better. "I'm not worried about it! Everyone has their struggles. Just like a mutant who has to learn how to control their powers."
The rat girl's ears flush red on the inside as she blushes. "I… yeah, well. I keep worrying I'll copy someone by mistake and they'll have unstable powers," Tabitha mumbles, "And then I'll like… explode or something. Boom, rat face over there, rat tail over here…" She coughs softly, and shakes her head. "Well, probably not but… but why did it have to be a rat? If I had to get switched up couldn't I have been a panther or something cool?"
Fiona blinks, "Switched up?" she wonders, looking a little bit confused, "But, yeah, I don't really… I mean, I don't really get how the physical attributes mesh with power copying." She obviously doesn't mean any offense by it - more from an academic standpoint. "You would figure… well, like if it were half-man half tiger, for instance, he'd be really strong, instead of breathing fire. I guess it doesn't always have to be logical, though."
Tabitha nods slowly. "Sometimes it is logical," she murmurs. "I copied everything that other mutant had to offer and kept it… I can hear and smell really well, and I'm… a lot more agile than I used to be." She brushes her fingertips over her muzzle. "I'm slowly getting used to it. It's… not so bad as it used to be. I just kinda miss looking in the mirror and seeing *my* face." She pauses, and finishes off the glass of water during the silence. "Anyway… don't mind me being whiny about it. I get that way sometimes."
"Oh, you mean," Fiona blinks, "You copied it from another person /permanently?/" she blinks - well that would certainly explain a lot. "But… I thought you said you couldn't do that? At least you didn't copy someone who was a living bomb or something, like you said, though."
Tabitha shrugs her shoulders lightly. "I only ever took someone's powers permanently just… once," she replies. "I don't know why I did. Though one of my Dad's friends thinks it was because I suffered pretty massive trauma in the process… so when I healed up, I kept what I'd copied." She coughs softly. "I don't think it'll work that way again though… and I don't want to find out anyway."
"Oh, I see…" Fiona nods, looking around the room. "So, you don't live with your parents, anymore, I guess. Your dad sounds like he was a pretty nice guy though, not the type of person who'd kick out his own daughter…" Judging by the expensive stuff he bought her, anyway - and maybe the way she talks about him.
Tabitha glances down at her knees, and sighs heavily. "I had an awesome Dad," she mumbles. "Except that… he hates mutants, with a passion. Always tought me to hate them to, that it was okay to be afraid of mutants and want to get rid of them. Mom…" She pauses. "Well… well it didn't help when Mom died from complications of a car accident brain injury, and a mutant was at the wheel of the other car. And then suddenly Daddy's little girl is a mutant too." She shakes her head slowly. "He didn't kick me out. I stole his wallet and ran away."
"Oh…" Fiona trails off, looking at the toes of her boots again. "Well, my parents don't hate mutants! So if you ever need a place to stay, for a little while, anyway, you can crash at my house!" she offers - yeah, that's good, right? "I do have some trouble with them now and then, but… They are pretty tolerant of all my bullshit."
Tabitha cocks an eyebrow. "My own Dad was going to shoot me in the head while I was asleep," she mumbles. "To put me out of my misery." She rubs the side of her head subconsciously. "But… don't go out thinking you're gonna kick his ass or something, okay? Just… leave him alone. It's best if you leave him alone. I don't think he even knows what city I'm in. But… thank you for that, Fiona. If I'm ever hurt or frightened that's one more place I can go, though maybe I better go meet them sometime? Most people find it pretty shocking when some random rat chick shows up on their doorstep."
"They'd probably just think it was nice that I finally had some friends!" Fiona says cheerily, nodding, "Well, I don't think I was planning on going after him. Though, I could definitely find him if you wanted," she nods, "I can find pretty much anybody, no matter where they are. I mean, if I have a little piece. It's like voodoo."
Tabitha perks an eyebrow. "That must be handy," she murmurs. "But… no. Don't go looking for him… he is not a mutant, nor does he use magic… but he is far more dangerous than the two of us put together. Please, Fiona, believe me when I say that. He'd beat you before you realized you were in trouble… I was lucky enough to escape." She shrugs her shoulders lightly. "I look in the mirror at myself.. this face… and I used to think I was a monster. But I realize it was never me."
"Wait what…" Fiona furrows her brows, looking rather confused. "Was your dad a gangster or something? I don't get it. I mean…" she rubs the back of her neck, shaking her head. "For what it's worth, I think you look just fine. I mean, there's almost nobody on earth who looks like you. Some people pay millions of dollars just to TRY to be unique."
Tabitha shakes her head carefully. "No, he's a hunter," she replies. A cryptic response if ever there was one. "I…" She pauses, and looks down at her knees. "Thank you," she says, very quietly. When she looks up again, there is a bead of moisture in the corner of each of her eyes. "Thank you, Fiona. That means a lot to me."
Fiona moves to give Tabitha a hug, squeezing an arm around her shoulders, "You just gotta have the right mindset," she laughs.
~ Fin ~
