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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:12 pm
Penelope hesitated in front of the door and thought, again, about simply going home. After the hard fight at the dining hall, the Shame Senshi had not been able to remeet with Europa. They had just been seperated by too much fighting and the desperate need to escape as the dining hall came tumbling down around them. She had been grateful to get the chance to see her friend and fellow Jovian escape, but beyond that, she didn't know what had happened to her until she had recieved a message saying that Tallulah had been taken to the hospital.
The black-haired teenager had come armed with a basket of apples, the quickest get-well gift she could think of and scrounge from her materials at home. She hadn't wanted to risk allergies with flowers or chocolates, but she still wanted to show her teammate that her efforts were appreciated. After arriving at the hospital, she had quietly asked the nurse at the front desk if she could see Tallulah, explaining that she was a friend. The nurse calmly told her that Tallulah had been stitched up during the night and was set to go home this morning, but after seeing Penelope's hurt expression, she had told her the room number and advised her to hurry. She might, might still be there.
Now, Penelope stood in front of the hospital room and fidgeted, knocking the basket lightly against her leg. Her own shoulder wound had flared up after the fight, but she was lucky to have escaped as well off as she had. She was nervous, not used to initiating contact with others. But... Europa, Tallulah, had sought her out after her own injury, reassuring her that someone cared and giving her a lovely card to cheer her up. Penelope hadn't expected, hadn't asked for her to do that; she was merely reporting to the more experienced Senshi what had happened, in case if impacted the other Jovians. Tallulah had extended a hand beyond professionalism and... Penelope couldn't allow her, now, to suffer alone.
So, taking a deep breath, she placed the basket on the ground momentarily in order to knock on the door with her good hand.
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:38 pm
Tallulah Cowden had sixteen stitches in her side and a reproachful-looking father who wasn't letting her out of his sight. The fact that he'd momentarily disappeared down to the nurses' station notwithstanding, Tallulah was pretty sure she was grounded until her 19th birthday for this stunt. The knock on the door came as a surprise. Tallulah jumped a bit, then winced when that tugged on her stitches.
Limping across the tiny hospital room, she cracked the door open and peered into the hall, expecting another nurse or the cute attending doctor or probably just her dad. Her expression brightened considerably when she realized it was Penelope, though. "Come in!" commanded Tallulah, pulling the door open further and ushering her friend in. "My dad went out for a bit," she explained, shutting the door behind the younger girl.
"So I got sixteen stitches," she said conversationally, sinking delicately back onto the hospital bed. "Running right up the side of my stomach. That's gonna be fun to explain to my next boyfriend, right?" It was kind of a scandalous suggestion, but her dad wasn't here now. All joking aside, Tallulah grimaced. "They really did a number on us. And all those people - and that building."
Her mouth twisted into a hard line. "And people call us terrorists?" she asked, slightly shrilly. "We've got an image problem. Forget the prison. New assignment."
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:21 pm
Penelope smiled when Tallulah opened the door, expecting to be able to engage in pleasantries, hand over her get-well gift, reassure her new friend that she was appreciated. Then, the door opened and she was pulled inside too quick to even say a word!
Penelope was a little overwhelmed at all of the information Tallulah was throwing at her. On the whole, she was a reserved soul who spoke little, particularly about heself. So, to go from a shocking number of stiches to a romance to the Negaverse to getting a new assignment? It was sort of like walking into a verbal tornado, and all she had to defend herself was the basket of apples that she clutched in her good hand.
Still, the black-haired teenager couldn't help but admire the other girl's ability to balance her personal life and her professional one as a Senshi. Whether Tallulah or Europa, she was always thinking of what to do next, how better they could serve. It actually made Penelope feel a bit ashamed; ever since recieving her own injury she had been nothing but a twisted knot of doubts, the same doubts that had plagued her from the very first day of being a Senshi. Doubts about whether she was the best person to wield this power, doubt about if she could actually affect change... doubt as to whether she was doing more harm than good. But Europa... Tallulah never seemed to doubt, never seemed to falter.
That was why Penelope immediately shifted her mind towards the task that Tallulah gave her, shifting her hold on the basket of apples as she replied, "I didn't... realize how badly people thought of us. I mean, I knew on some level but... I never thought they'd fight us." She paused here because even the memory of it was painful. But... perhaps there was something they could do, something that Ganymede, Valhalla, and Vin approved of. Penelope added, "I was going... to present at the next meeting, on the last project but... if you'd like I could tell you now, what we talked about. It might... be a solution, or well... a way to combat the bad image, at least."
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:11 am
Tallulah crossed her legs, thought better of it, then crossed them the other way. She smoothed out her hospital gown. "Just give me a little teaser," she decided. It was encouraging to hear that some of the Jovians had met to put together a plan, but she didn't want to steal anyone's thunder. "And then all of you can present at the next meeting."
Whenever that might be. With so many people gone to the Surrounding, she wasn't sure when there'd be enough people in one place to have a proper meeting again. Sooner or later, in fact, she was sure she'd have to go check on this Surrounding situation herself. What was she waiting for? A sign?
Whatever the case, until then she'd stay on Earth, gather her strength, and plan.
"There's always going to be someone who doesn't understand," she sighed. "I've been trying to do outreach since day one, practically - did you ever see the Youtube videos? I won't be offended if you didn't, it was years ago and I was younger and dumber. Some of them were from before I even got in on the Senshi game - I was making videos of Senshi in action, just trying to show that they were superheroes. Astraea got mad at me eventually, so I had to stop."
She looked rueful for a moment. Maybe Astraea had put the kibosh on a good thing.
"Could you pass me my jeans?" she asked, pointing to the chair that held her freshly-laundered civilian clothes. "This hospital gown's doing nothing for my modesty."
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:23 pm
Penelope immediately launched into her most professional tone, her back stiff as she tried to maintain her posture for her report. Which... was probably ruined, somewhat, by her having one arm in a sling and the other supporting a basket of apples. "We decided, collectively, that we could not force anyone to be purified... because we didn't want to turn into what we hate. But we thought that maybe we could get more information out there, to the public, to those that are being recruited by the Negaverse. Tell them the differences between our groups and our causes and... maybe that would help stem the tide somewhat."
The black-haired teenager shook her head when the older girl asked her about the Youtube videos, a small blush on her face as she admitted, "I... wasn't really interested in the monsters or anything until I was awakened. I mean... I was attacked in the library, once, but after that... I mostly just tried to forget about the experience instead of looking further into it." Which, really, she hadn't been ashamed of at the time--it had seemed natural for her to distance herself from the terror of the living storm, from having to literally throw a book at it to distract it so her future best friend could open a window, from having to dive out of said window. How many others had experiences just like hers and did nothing about it? Those were the kinds of people that they would be trying to reach with the podcasts... but if Tallulah's Youtube videos had failed, what was the chance of their new plan succeeding?
This cycle of self doubt, however, was cut off fairly quickly by Tallulah's next question. "O-of course!" Penelope stuttered, wondering why she hadn't thought to offer the clothes to her friend before. She carefully set the basket of apples down and reached for the stack of clothing with her good hand. Once she was cetain that she had a solid grip on the heavy fabric of the blue jeans, she moved to hand them to Tallulah, "I'll just... turn around and let you get changed."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:27 pm
"They ran these through the dryer," frowned Tallulah as she carefully squeezed into her jeans. Ripping out her stitches while putting on pants would be a really undignified way to earn herself a longer stay in the hospital, and she was keen to avoid that at all costs. Buttoning her pants, she reached for her shirt.
"That sounds like a really great idea," she said, in response to the Jovian plan. Now more than ever, the senshi needed some good publicity. She was dreading what the papers would say in the morning. Tallulah held up her shirt for a better look at it before she put it on. There was still a blood stain on it, but it was no longer dirty. Ruined for sure, but serviceable enough just to get home in. She stripped off her hospital gown and pulled the shirt over her head, not even bothering with the bra. It didn't seem worth it - all she was going to do after this was go home and fall asleep.
"Huh, maybe I'm the odd kid out - I was way into finding out more before I was awakened," she'd never really spoken to other senshi about how they felt about the conflict before they got involved, even in two years active duty.
"Forcing people who don't want to to be purified is definitely against our best interests, anyways," she agreed, holding out a hand to Penelope. She gestured to the basket of apples. "Those look heavy. Let me take them? I'd make a joke about them keeping the doctor away but I think we're both well past that point. You all can tell me more at the next meeting?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:28 am
Penelope picked up her basket of apples again once Tallulah had taken her clothing. She was honestly far more relaxed than she probably should be, but having the more experienced Senshi take control was appropriate in her eyes. Having the other girl's approval of the plan that the other Jovians had suggested only solidified that calm, though the idea of what the news would say made the black-haired girl bite her lip. "It won't be good, I'm sure. They were dressed as us... and claiming to be us, claiming that we were like them." The memory of it gave the girl's quiet voice a hard edge, and she couldn't help but curl her good hand into a fist. The memory of it--the gall of the Negaverse to pretend to be Senshi, the damage they had managed to inflict... yes, they had to work to make sure such a thing never happened again.
"I don't think that it's necessarily odd to be curious," Penelope reassured her friend. "And it seems like you to pursue the truth, above all else." When Tallulah gestured towards the basket, she quickly shifted gears and moved towards her. "Of course, I'm sorry! I didn't... know what else to bring as a get well gift... and I figured everyone liked apples?" At the mention of the next meeting, the teenager became more serious, nodding as she agreed, "Yes, of course. I'll report more fully and have the others discuss their thoughts too. Honestly, it was more their ideas than mine."
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:46 pm
"We'll just have to get the truth out there," replied Tallulah grimly, easing herself back onto the bed. She found it despicable, what the Negaverse had done, and yet had to admit they'd taken initiative where the senshi hadn't. Now if only their was a way to match their ingenuity while still fighting fair... "I mean, the truth is out there," she added, smiling weakly, and whistled the start of the X-files theme.
"I think apples make for a great gift." And, to demonstrate, she took a bite of one. "I mean, I don't think anyone dislikes apples." People who hated fun and deliciousness, maybe. Or else doctors.
"It's a bit too late for keeping the doctor away, though," Tallulah added, laughing weakly at Penelope. "Tell me all about it then, okay?" She frowned down at her abdomen reluctantly. Talk of meetings made her remember that she still needed to figure out what this Surrounding business was - or else, go there herself. Tallulah wasn't in any proper state for space travel but failing to investigate would be the worse crime.
"Anyways, we're senshi," she sighed, giving Penelope a world-weary smile. "We heal quick."
Tallulah glanced towards the door. "I imagine my dad's almost done at the nurses' station..." Angus had been gone an awfully long time, but in all possibility he was probably discussing the advantages of different varieties of gauze and liquid stitches. "Thanks for stopping by to see me."
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:23 pm
The X-files was a little past Penelope's time... but seeing Tallulah in good, determined spirits comforted her and gave her hope that they would succeed. The black-haired teen knew that she could do little on her own--probably even less with her arm, but with her experienced friend and ally... with all her friends and allies, she was confident that they could succeed. At least the older girl liked the apples, which was a weight off of Penelope's mind.
"Oh... it was no trouble! I mean... you came to see me first," Penelope finished quietly, aware even to her own ears how lame that sounded. With a nervous gesture of her hand, she added, "And... that's what friends do. Right?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 7:18 pm
"Yup," agreed Tallulah, who was of the opinion that she had the best friends on the planet. This Jovian team stuff was definitely working out in that everyone seemed so far supportive of each other. If you couldn't count on your allies to be there for you at your worst, then you couldn't depend on them when you were at your best. Or something along those lines.
"I'll take it slow for a day or two," she assured her friend. Tallulah had swung her legs back up onto the bed and made herself comfortable in anticipation of her father's arrival: the last thing she needed was to be grounded for disrespecting her stitches. "Then I'll go see what's going on on the Surrounding?" She'd gotten enough texts about it to pique her interest, after all.
"And I guess that's about all. Better see yourself out before my dad gets back, or he'll interrogate you about Spider-man stuff." It was said with a bit of a laugh, but Tallulah was dead serious. She was determined that her father not piece together any more superhero identities.
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:19 pm
The simple 'yup' might have been understated, bt to Penelope it was valued praise and reassurance that she had done the right thing in coming. For the nervous teenager, that was enough.
The Surrounding... Penelope did not know much about the place, aside from the name and that it had some connection to the students missing from Destiny City. Still, she was content to let Tallulah handle whatever was going on once she had taken a couple of days to heal. She assumed that the Senshi of the Deep could handle anything thrown at her and that if, for whatever reason, her fellow Jovian thought she would be of help, that she would call. So, the teenager nodded and smiled to indicate that she had heard the plan and took the second part of the directions to heart--leave the room before the father came back. (Although, strangely, Spider-Man was a character Penelope felt she could discuss. She'd read the main parts of his canon, anyway.) So, she waved with her good hand and made her way to the door, "Do take care, Tallulah... I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself more."
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:52 pm
"Dad can take care of me from here," Tallulah assured her friend, waving to Penelope as she left. And just in time, too, as Angus returned only a minute later.
"Was somebody here?" he asked, eying the bag of apples.
"Yes," replied Tallulah, "But you just missed her."
[Fin.]
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