2007-08-23: Denial Ain't Just A River In Egypt

Starring:

Felix_icon.gif Claudine_icon.gif Church_icon.gif

Summary: More visitors for Felix, still stuck in bed. Claudine brings brownies(no porn), and Church brings the Times. Banter is had.

Date It Happened: August 23rd, 2007

Denial Ain't Just A River In Egypt


Hospital Wing, Primatech Paper, Hartsdale, NY

Well, at least the withdrawal is tapering off - the fever's broken and the twitches have eased. That's sort of the silver lining in this particular cloud. Felix is just sort of limp and vaguely conscious in his bed, staring rather absently up at the ceiling. Not really waiting for anything in particular.

"House keeping!"

It's a cheery chirp of the young Filipina who has brought in another tray of baked goods. This time, it's home made, made from scratch espresso brownies to keep all the agents chipper as they go through the drudgery of the day. She has on a blue Columbia t-shirt, giving away her other affiliations as she heads in and beams brightly.

"Hi there, Mr. Ivanov! I brought some LoTR and Star Wars. Since Disney wasnt your thing, I figured that might help! I also made some brownies..would you care for some? If you're going to get drugged up on something, it might as well be caffeine instead of those awful drugs you were on. You really should consider attending the DARE program..or something."

The agent's expression is completely puzzled. Claudine is such a bizarre false note in this place. It's as if they let Girl Scouts in to sell cookies to supposed mujahideen in Gitmo. "I'm not hungry," he says, "But thank you anyway." The manners are reflexive, at least in English. "I…the movies. You pick," he says, vaguely. She's totally gonna ruin some of his favorite films for him, attaching them to memories of this place. It's like A Clockwork Orange.

Well that's all assuming they dont turn his brain into swisscheese. She's fine with showing lots of movies, cause she's fully aware of the Haitian's capabilities and will happen in the end. But for now, she isnt telling.

Claudine hrmms for a few moments as she pops in the first of the LoTR trilogy and nods, taking a seat beside him. "So, how are you feeling, Mr. Ivanov? Asides from letting you go, is there anything I can do for you to make your stay a little more comfortable? Porn perhaps? I found an old stash through Anders stuff, and hey, I was going to throw it away, but I'd thought I'd ask first.."

The squeak-eek of sneakers on tile precede Lawrence's arrival to the hospital wing, and at some point during Claudine's nattering and movies he suddenly appears to stand in the doorway. He wears his usual button-up today, but the jeans show a lack of want for being formal today. Leaning on the open frame, he waits until it's safe to speak. "Sure you're hungry. You just won't eat what we give you." The agent smiles, tapping his fingers over the other side of the door frame. "More baked goods? And porn? Jeez, Salonga."

And now Felix looks completely disgusted. What an odd thing for him to be prudish about. "No, thank you," he says, trying to keep his voice even, shaking his head. Church's appearance earns him a wearily tolerant look. At least he isn't cursing him in Russian.

"What? It was Anders' stuff! I got his old office. Lemme be.." Claudine grumps a little as she has no use for Amateur Girls 19 or MILFs 35. She rolls her eyes a little and crosses her legs to get a tad bit more comfortable as she motions towards the brownies. "Espresso brownies..I totally stole the recipe from Starbucks, but they're delish."

Someone else is making the mistake of dangling sugar and or caffeine in front of Lawrence, but he's not going to complain! He saunters in, hands free of any folders, but there is a copy of the times under his arm instead. "Mind if I have one?" … "A brownie, not the porn."

Well, at least Church seem benign enough, when Claudine is around. That's something to be grateful for. "What now, Church?" Felix asks, rather impatiently.

"Oh dears, I am ignored.." Claudine says with mock annoyance and melodramaticness that only the bubbly teen can muster. She nods and motions towards the tray of brownies, "That's what they're for, since he's not eating them.." she replies with a shrug of her shoulders. Her attention is back over to Felix and she hrmms, crossing her legs, watching the two.

"What, I can't just come in and visit? I'm tired, you're tired, we're all tired, so why can't we just enjoy the company?" That's good enough for Church to go by. He carefully plucks up one of the brownies before pulling up a seat next to Felix, pulling the fat newspaper out from under his elbow.

Felix jerks a wrist impatiently against his bonds. "Hey. You want to do more to endear yourself to me?" he suggests, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, "Put me back in a cell where I can at least move around. Please," He gives Claudine an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I'm not much for sugar at the best of times."

"How about some borscht? I saw a recipe for it on the food network and I could always make some? Or at least, I'll try to make some, I've never done that before.." Claudine says matter of factly as she muses for a few moments and looks over to Church at Felix's request. "Considering your track record, I dont know if that's a good idea.."

"What about if I just undo those shackles for you? We can't put you in a cell yet." He nods along with Claudine at the end. There are a few reasons, but Church isn't saying. "Want a section of the paper? I mostly flip through it anyway, devour the crossword, catch up on news, see what's on stage…" Brownie meet mouth. The older man seems to savor it, even. Ooh, nice. "Ahm ah 'red ta funnies' guy." Nomfnomf. Food in his mouth.

"Unbind me, please," he says, with almost pitiful eagerness. "Why not? I mean, I don't need to be in a bed to keep from being injured."

"That sounds kinky.." Claudine quips as she goes on one side, starting to unbind the shackle to the bed. It must be uncomfortable afterall. "Just be good, okay?"

Church waggles the newspaper around in his hand as he finishes chewing on the brownie. "No, but we need you here to make sure you don't get worse somehow. And if you so much as try anything stupid, keep in mind-" He leans over to work at another binding. "-she is able make the earth swallow you whole, I am able to blow you into teeny-tiny Felix-bits, and you will not be able to get far, period. Be a good boy. Vasili was one yesterday, and now it's your turn."

Felix just nods, suddenly very solemn. Owlish even. He's willing to behave.

Claudine gasps as she finishes removing the shackles to the bed and eyes Church. "You're not suppose to tell him what I can do?" she says with a slight pout. And she can do a lot it seems and she shakes her head. "Dont liten to him. I cant do a thing. I'm just your regular college co-ed intern." Riiiight.

Lawrence scoffs lightly. "Then be more vocally proud of your…college co-ed…ness." He means something else entirely, but nevermind that- because now he's briefly thinking about those college girls he just mentioned. "Paper, yes-no?" He asks Felix again, and this time without even looking at him. Lala-land. DND.

"Sure," Felix says, stretching a bit, now that he's unbound. He eyes Claudine. "That's your ability?" he wonders, cocking his head at her.

"Being cute? Yes, that's my ability.." Claudine says, ignoring the talk of all her earthbending abilities, cause she doesnt like talking about it much. Anyone with the Company knows she hasnt used it since Sylar killed her younger sister, at least not outside her training sessions with Orion anyway..perhaps she's atoning for something.

"Exactly. Ain't she adorable." Felix can have the first parts of the papers. Lawrence drops the sections over his lap carefully, eyes darting up to look him in the eyes for a moment or two. "She probably cries gumdrops and craps rainbows." He's teasing, and smiling, but it's all in good fun.

Felix just looks bewildered. Are they pulling his leg again, or? But he scoops up the fragments of the paper, the most important part being the date. How long has he been in here?

"That puts a whole new meaning on skittles, taste the rainbow, doesnt it.." she quips, winking towards Felix with a hearty laugh. Claudine chuckles softly as she eases back down into the chair.

The date on the paper signals around a five day passage. "I'm not tasting -that- rainbow, cupcake, I'll tell you that right now." Lawrence lifts the newspaper to shake it open. Seems like the Editorials section this time.

Five days. He's been gone for five days. They have to be looking for him, right? Stan, at least, has to notice he's gone. And Aileen, and Samantha, and Namir. That's something. Felix's expression is unreadable, as he runs his eyes over the times, worrying at his lip. "You work with the earth?" he persists, ignoring the jokes. No wonder they're willing to leave her alone with him - he's no threat to Claudine, apparently. He and Church and Claudine are in one of the hospital rooms - apparently Church is in good cop mode. Claudine has actually brought in movies - Fellowship of the Ring, specifically, though Felix is ignoring the film in favor of trying to divine something useful from the paper, and ask questions of Claudine. He's been staunchly denying his own Evolution, but that doesn't mean he's not horribly curious about his fellow mutants.

Harumph. Claudine eyes Lawrence a little, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out towards him. She takes a deep breath and sighs a little as she pulls off her jade bracelet that's always on each wrist. She's only taking off one and nods and grumbles. "Well, if you want to put it simply..I work with multinary inorganic compounds" she says, just getting sciencey on him. See! She isnt a total ditz.

The bracelet in her hand starts molding into different shapes molding from sharp needle to a horse before going back to a bracelet which she puts back onto her wrist. She isnt going to give away all her abilities.

Church tips down the edge of the newspaper to watch. "Oho." Even he thought it was neat. He can't do much in terms of little things like that. Not really. Unless you count being a human heater, lantern, slicer, demolition ball, rocket…well. Yes he can do a bit. But he can't do -that-.

This has Felix absolutely fascinated. Movie and newspaper are both completely forgotten. His gaze darts from Claudine's bracelet to her face. "Can you do that to any sort of inorganic material? Metals, for instance?" He glances around the hospital room. "Could you burrow right through a stone floor?" Totally finding some way to bribe her to let him out. Apparently curiosity is the lure, since Dine hasn't been any sort of threat.

"That's my little secret, Mr. Ivanov. Please, if I wanted you out I would've done it before. But you're not in a bad place. I was once a patient such as yourself, and they helped me to learn to control my abilities.." Claudine says matter of factly as she runs her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath once more.

Church laughs. Hahaha. "Yeah, man, she's not taking you anywhere…" The pages turn in his hands. "You're here cause you exhibited similar things. Either you don't know about'em yet, or you're still being weird about it…" The man speaks wholly from behind the Opinions section.

"Abilities tend to manifest when one is feeling in danger or when pressed. Perhaps that is what needs to be done." Church should know that Orion activated her abilities completely when shooting at her as she was jogging in the park. She looks over to Church with a wry grin, "Want to bring in some boulders for me, Mr. Church?" Yup, she's going to smashy Felix.

Felix turns a guileless blue gaze on Church. "What brought me to your attention?" he asks, quietly, ignoring Bilbo's birthday party on screen. "What have I done that makes you think I'm part of this mutant census you're attempting to assemble?" Claudine gets a sour look. Well, that would work. Shoot at him, he can stop the bullets. That's why half the NYPD knows he's some sort of oddball.

"No boulders, sorry. And our attention-" The newspaper in front of Lawrence's face lowers a few inches. "-was brought to speed by Giselle. Not to mention the tidbits here and there about other instances wherein you may have done something unnatural to a man." He smiles over. "I suppose we could try to shoot you dead, though. That way it would be die or expose yourself. But, I'm not here to talk about shooting you." Though it does bring to mind something that Candice could do. Perhaps throw beanbags that look like pistol bullets. Hmm.

"Things happen. Wierd things whenever an evolved is stressed. I figure if we stress you out enough, something will happen sooner or later.." Claudine says with a shrug of her shoulders as she goes back to eating her delicious delicious brownies. Yum.

Done something unnatural. Felix almost snickers at that, having misread the statement entirely. "Muldoon, huh?" He says, shaking his head. "You don't think she might be mistaken. Or lying? She's with Babenkov, and he's had it in for me for years, as you see," he notes, gesturing lazily at himself. "You could shoot me. And I'd die. But what other instances? What'd Muldoon claim that i'd done?"

"I knew her way before she knew Babenkov, and back then I learned that she wasn't one to exaggerate or exacerbate." Lawrence leans back in his seat, foot tapping lightly on the floor. "In that newest claim, she claimed that you slowed her to escape being punched a good one. Normally she lands every punch and backs up every threat. Among your record and hers, if you didn't get a black and blue layer, there's something going on. It's not luck. And just recently the other day, I know that you used something to help push me. I've been around here long enough to know when there is something else."

"Oh, so he's a telekinetic then.." from the descriptions that she's heard off, she thought it would be obvious. She wrinkles her nose and looks over towards Felix a bit and hrmms for a few moments. "It makes sense if that's whathe's done. I'd say either that or something more exotic that they dont know. If that's all you are you're totally not special at all. Telekinetics are like a dime a dozen. My best friend's boyfriend is a telekinetic!" She's just joking about that, but she's trying to get under his skin. Sometimes men do strange things over hurt pride afterall.

"If I were a telekinetic, would I have stayed here, bound as I was?" Felix points out to Claudine, tone mild. "Hell no." He shrugs at Church. "Then she's mistaken. And you are, too. That's mere panicked strength."

Church squints at Claudine from across the bed. "Telekinesis is honestly near the bottom of our list." He turns an arched brow to Felix. "I also saw you literally stop Vasili in his tracks. Stuck him until I distracted you." Which was certainly long enough to see it in effect. "But, whatever you are or aren't, you're here now, and even if you don't know about what you can do, I'm sure that there are tests to determine that." Annnd he is hidden back behind the paper. "We'll see how things go from here."

"You're dumb. In the words of my ex, you sir, are an idiot." Claudine tells Felix as she shakes her head a little and grumbles a little while shaking her head. He hasnt figured out that they probably nullify whatever powers he has, so she just oyes and shakes her head. "You know..we can always ask what's her face..she has similar powers. I'm sure she could do something.." she's talking about Jenny in this case.

"What gives you the right?" Fel demands, and all semblance of being reasonable is just gone. He hasn't hauled himself out of bed to come for Church because he's still too weak, but his tone is furious. "How in the hell do you justify this Brotherhood of Mutants bullshit? No matter what you imagine I can do - was I harming anyone? How dare you intervene in my life. You've fucked my career to hell and back, assuming I get out of here alive and whole. Which I still seriously doubt - you're gonna let me walk out of here and spill the beans? Yeah, it sounds like X-files craziness, but I am fucking FBI. And I swear to you, I am going to do everything in my power to have this place torn down." He's not shouting, but his voice is a venomous hiss.

What's that sound? Oh, there. It's the sound of Lawrence Church not listening. Talk all you want, Felix, because you'll never remember a thing.

"Why do people always get so self righteous?" Claudine asks. Pot. Kettle. Black.

Felix just deflates. God, this place is so insane. There's really no response to that complete indifference, and he sags back against the pillows. "Seriously, though," he persists. "What's the point of this exercise? Whose curiosity is satisfied? And who has power and wealth enough to fund this?"

"King Midas." Lawrence says simply from behind the newspaper.

"That's what he said." Ha! Claudine's trying to be funny, but for now she's chewing on a brownie while watching LoTR in his room. But, just for good measure, she pulls out a piece of coal and hands it to Felix. "Crack that open. There's a present inside." If/when he does, there's a little diamond. Another demonstration of the young girl's powers. It's imperfect, but hey, it's still a neat trick.

Well. That's why they keep her around. Felix's eyes get round, as he plucks the glittering stone from the bit of carbon. "I see," he says, drily, and lapses back into his earlier silence.

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