11566/A Call for Help

A Call for Help
Date of Scene:	12 June 2022
Location:	A phonecall between an Eqyptian hotel and the Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Madison calls Irie for help after a traumatic event - and is evacuated to the Tower, where Irie recieves a panicked call from Gladys Evans.
Cast of Characters:	Madison Evans, Irie West

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Madison Evans has posed:
    It may be getting late in Egypt - but it's still early afternoon on the East Coast of America. By the time Madison gets back to the hotel, she's been clued in to the fact that she's invisible - and has rectified the situation. School staff help the children off the bus, and back into the hotel - with many of them converging en masse into a few rooms to talk, or cry, or numbly watch videos on the hotel wifi. Madison, however, ends up alone in her room, pacing, and wiping at her cheeks to brush away the tears that keep coming back. She pulls out her phone and stares at it, thumbing through her address book - scrolling up and down a few times as she tries to decide who she's calling, before clicking on her best friend's name.
    "Irie?" Somehow - the simple, questioning greeting carries a lot of pain, fear, and uncertainty with it - even while being bounced off a satelitte.

Irie West has posed:
    Iris has been busy looking through stacks of textbooks on relativity trying to come up with at least some suggestion of a solution to her current aging problem when her phone rings. It's the Duel of the Fates so that can only mean one person: Madison.

    "Hello, Mads?" she asks, sounding curious. It should be getting pretty late in Cairo. When she hears her named filled with grief and fear she straightens up. "Mads? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "No," Madison answers. The raggid sound of her breathing makes it clear enough the teen has been crying. "I wanna go home. I don't wanna be here anymore. I just wanna go home." She wipes at her eyes again, and flips onto her bed before she asks. "You think- can't Terry- you think he'd come and get me?" she asks in a small voice - almost as if she's afraid to hope - afraid of the disappointment if the answer //is// no.

Irie West has posed:
    Iris is silent for a bit, thinking. "I... probably, yeah. If he has the Cheshire cat. If not then I'd have to get a hold of Gar, but he'd do it too." Another pause, "Want me to get them to come get you and bring you here?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Yeah," Madison agrees. "They'd do that? I'd- maybe that'd be better 'n- 'n going back to Happy Harbor. I don't want to-" She stops pacing, to flop face-down onto her bed, and bury her face in the sheets.
    "I think everyone's coming home," she finally admits, after rubbing her face on the sheets, and then turning her head so Irie can hear her. "But I don't wanna- a plane ride takes too long. I wanna get out of here //now//."

Irie West has posed:
    "Of course they would," Iris says, her voice gentle and reassuring. "You're our Jedi. Just hang tight. I'll make sure somebody will come get you even if it means I have to /run/ over there myself. Gonna go now, okay?"

    When she hangs up she immediately calls Terry, praying to whatever gods are listening that he's carrying the Cheshire Cat right now. When he answers, he sounds a bit drunk. "Hey Terry?" she asks. "Something bad happened out in Egypt and Mads needs a rabbit hole home. Can you go get her and bring her back to my room? Cool, thanks."

    When she hangs up, she sends a quick text to Mads: <Terry is going to come get you. Make sure your things are packed.>

Madison Evans has posed:
    "...okay," Madison answers. The voice is almost inaudible. It's clear enough she doesn't want Irie to hang up - but at the same time, she knows that's how she gets home.
    Terry'll come. He'll be here any minute so- so she should make sure she has her stuff ready.
    As she opens her bag to start putting her things in, tears streaming down her cheeks, she spots some of the souvenirs she'd bought for herself, and for her mom, and for the Titans... Bringing back souvenirs from //this// trip just doesn't feel right, though. She doesn't want to remember. She doesn't want to give people things from //this// trip. So she starts dumping it all out - a few little statuettes, a painting on papyrus that includes her name written in hieroglyphs, some local dried fruits and things she'd bought for her mom - it all gets dumped out on the floor. Only the things she packet with her get put back into her bag.
    When she hear's the text from Irie, she picks up her phone, tapping out 'on it' before resuming her packing.

Irie West has posed:
    It only takes a few minutes for Terry to show up in true Terry fashion: In drag like Priscilla Queen of the Desert. His gayety dampens, however, when he sees just how much in distress Mads is. He quickly opens a Rabbit Hole to Iris's bedroom and ushers Mads through.

    As soon as Iris sees Mads she immediately grabs her and pulls her into a hug. "Ohmygod," she breathes. "I'm glad you're not hurt." She relieves her of her suitcase and sets it down next to the bed. "What happened?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison falls into her friend's hug - and is immediately incoherent in her sobs, leaving poor intoxicated Terry to explain to Colette and Duncan where Madison was - and get permission to evacuate the rest of the student body.
    Though he'd had no trouble getting Maddie back to the Tower, pinpointing Happy Harbor takes him five attempts, including the halls of congress, a Cast Members Only section of Disney World, and an ABBA concert in London, where he wandered lost for five minutes, under the impression that he'd died and gone to heaven. Oops.
    It takes Madison a while to calm her breathing down enough that she finally manages to force out, "She's dead. D-d-d-... Doc-tor... M-Mac..."

Irie West has posed:
    "Whose dead?" Iris scowls in concern as she hugs Mads close to her. She tries to make out what she's saying. "Doctor... MacIntyre? Doctor MacIntyre is dead? Oh, God! What happened?" She releases Mads from the hug and tugs her by the hand to join her on the bed, which she immediately puts her arm around her when she does so.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I don't know..." Madison admits quietly, as she lets herself be redirected to the bed. She hides her face against her friend again as she repeats. "I don't know. Th-there was- s-s-so much... b-blood," she manages to get out. "Sh-she got... stabbed." She frees one hand, to tap herself on her chest, indicating where Doctor MacIntyre had been struck.
    Any blow to the chest like that had the potential to be compeltely devastating.

Irie West has posed:
    "Oh God," Iris breathes. "That's terrible!" Tears start coming to her eyes, too, in response to Maddie's grief. Her grief now, too. She'd /known/ Doctor MacIntyre and now she's... gone.

    They sit there in silence for a bit, holding onto each other, giving each other comfort before Irie asks, "Do you want to sleep over tonight?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Can I?" Madison asks in a small voice. "I- I don't wanna go back to Happy Harbor," she admits. Even to her own apartment, with her mother.
    "I- gosh, I haven't called mom yet. I-I need to-" She should call her mother. Shouldn't she? She'll worry, if she doesn't hear from her!

Irie West has posed:
    Iris nods giving Maddie a squeeze. "Yeah. You've got your PJs already packed so you're all set. I can bring my laptop to bed and we can watch the new episode of Obi-Wan."

    "You don't... you don't have to call your mom right now," she says. "It's still pretty early over here."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Okay," Madison agrees. "Okay. I- umm... watching Obi-Wan sounds fun," she agrees. It's about the only thing capable of distracting her right now. After wiping at her eyes, though, she adds, "I should text my mom, though. So- so she knows where I'm at."
    She pulls out her phone, staring at her screen in uncertain silence for a few moments before she starts to write. 'I'm OK. Dr MacIntyre got attk'd. No kids hurt. At TT w/ Irie. Don't wanna talk rite nao.'
    Yeah. That won't be alarming at all - but she has to say something, doeesn't she?

Irie West has posed:
    Irie hesitates, reluctant to leave Maddie's side. "Do you... do you want anything from the kitchen? Water? Soda? Food?" She's all but wringing her hands in worry.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Maybe... Maybe some cocoa?" Madison asks, looking towards her friend for a moment, with a small, brief smile. "I think- well. Cocoa'd be nice, yeah?" Her gaze returns to her phone's screen, and she hesitantly hits send.
    The can of worms is opened now.
    Where does that saying even come from?

Irie West has posed:
    "Yeah. Okay." Irie zips out of the room super quick. It takes her a few minutes to come back with two mugs of cocoa, though. As fast as she is, she still has to get water to boil. "Okay. Here," she says, handing a mug over. "I even put little marshmallows in them." That's friendship right there for you.

    She unhooks her laptop from the dock that's on her desk and brings it with her to the bed, setting it up on her lap so they can watch the show. "I wish I had gone on the trip," she says. "I just... I haven't been feeling very school-age, you know? I should have been there for you."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "You're here for me," Madison counters. She holds the cocoa cradled in both hands - blowing at it, and taking a cautious sip. As she does - Irie's phone rings.
    Perhaps unsurprisingly the phone number in question belongs to Madison's mother - calling to check on her daughter.

Irie West has posed:
    Irie reaches over to where she's flopped the phone onto the bed and and picks it up, looking at the caller ID. "It's your mom," she says. Answering it she says, "Hello Ms. Evans."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison nods - not looking surprised. She stares down at her cocoa and murmurs, "Tell her, umm... I'll be home tomorrow?" she suggests - her tone a little uncertain, What else can she say?
    "Hello, Iris," Gladys' voice comes over the line. She sounds like someone who's trying very hard to come across as calm and reasonable - and not entirely succeeding. "Madison says she's with you? How, exactly, did she get back from Egypt? Is she alright? Do you know what happened? She didn't really say."

Irie West has posed:
    "Yeah," Irie says. "She's with me. We had Terry... uh... he's one of the Titans, teleport her back." She looks over at Maddie questioningly as she speaks. "She's fine. A little shook up." Irie is trying not to panic. She's playing the adult here which, now that's she's grown up, is how she usually feels. But in this instance? She feels like a kid.

    "Um. Doctor MacIntyre was murdered in front of the class," she says, her eyebrows drawing together helplessly. Gladys was going to find out sooner or later so she might was as well know now. "The rest of the class is safe, but Maddie didn't want to sleep alone tonight so I brought her over here.... if that's okay."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "WHAT?" Even Madison can hear that through the phone, as Irie shares what happened. The teen's shoulders hunch as she stares down into her cocoa. "Madison saw that happen? But she wasn't hurt? But- God, she doesn't need to have been //hurt// to- This is why I don't want her to-" The voice on the other hand goes silent for a few moments, as Gladys can be heard taking a few calming breaths.
    "Of course that's alright, Iris. As long as she feels safe, that's what matters. I- look, I'm coming over. Will you tell Madison I love her, and I'll see her soon?"

Irie West has posed:
    Irie winces and holds the phone away from her ear at Ms. Evans yell. When the volume lowers she puts the phone back to her ear. "Okay. I'll let her know." She disconnects the call and lets the phone flop back onto the bed.

    "Your mom says she loves you and that she's coming over." She gives her friend a wan smile, "I kinda figured that she would want to."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Well, at least the Tower's fixed now, yeah?" Madison remarks with a small smile. Her mom won't end up in 'New Kronos.' "She didn't sound mad or nothing?" she asks uncertainly - before the more logical part of her brain asserts itself.
    Why would your mother be //mad//?
    "Let's just watch the show," she declares. "We'll be done before she gets here from New York."

Irie West has posed:
    Irie shakes her head. "Naw, she wasn't mad. Just really concerned." She snakes an arm around Maddie's shoulders and gives her a squeeze. "Okay. Let's watch Obi Wan, then."

    She puts the laptop back in her lap so they can settle in and watch the show and enjoy their hot cocoa before Maddie's mom comes around.