11715/The Value of Trust

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The Value of Trust
Date of Scene: 23 June 2022
Location: The Coffee Bean
Synopsis: Gladys asks to speak with Iris about everything the Titans have been keeping from her, about her daughter - and politely expresses her disppointment, while trying to find the best way forward.
Cast of Characters: Madison Evans, Irie West




Madison Evans has posed:
    It has been several days since Madison returned from Egypt sooner than planned. The teen was doing better - little by little - and has been in to see a therapist already. Gladys had insisted that happen quickly. Madison still insisted on spending time at the Titan Tower - something Gladys had only reluctantly agreed to.
    Today, the woman has arranged for Irie to meet with her after the end of her work shift. Knowing that one location is much the same as any other to the speedster, she picks a coffee shop not to far from her work, and settles in with a cup of tea, and a dainty little tart covered in fresh fruit. Madison herself was nowhere to be seen.

Irie West has posed:
    Iris arrives, not by super speed, but by Uber, which is unusual save for the circumstance that she's not allowed to use the Speed Force lest she ages any further. It's annoying to say the least, but better safe than sorry. She scans the tables to find Gladys, and is a little surprised to see that she's alone.

    She gets herself an iced double shot latte, with coconut, caramel and chocolate. A German chocolate cake flavored drink, and takes it to the table and sits down.

    "Hi, Ms. Evans," she says, her voice devoid of the youthful exuberance she normally has. She's in trouble and she knows it.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Iris," Gladys greets the woman. "Have a seat, please." She's still perfectly polite as she greets the girl- no, woman, her shrewd eyes studying the woman her daughter claims at her 'best friend.'
    A woman who is clearly now twice Madison's age.
    "It's happened again?" she asks. "You've... changed? Aged?" She's not without sympathy as she adds simply, "I'm sorry. That must be difficult."

Irie West has posed:
    Iris lets out a breath. "Yeah. It happened while I was out in space," she says. "I had to resonate the Speed Force with the vibranium alloy hull to..." She stops herself and shakes her head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I did it to save lives, and I'd do it again."

    "When I age up it's more than just physical," she explains. "It's mental and emotional, too, otherwise I'd have the mind and emotional maturity of a six year old." She scowls as she takes a sip of her late, "I'm not sure /how/ it does it. Nobody is. But, I've got some of the smartest minds in the world working on it."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Well. I do, sincerely, hope you can figure it out. I can only imagine that it's extremely upsetting. I know it worries Madison, as well - the few times she's brought it up, at least." Gladys takes a drink of her tea, her gaze focused almost solely on the woman across from her.
    "I was hoping you could fill me in on some of the things that have been kept from me? I haven't pressed Madison yet - I'm still giving her time to recover from the school trip and everything she witnessed. But as you can imagine, I'd like to know just what sort of danger my daughter has been putting herself in behind my back."

Irie West has posed:
    "Yeah, okay," Iris says, fidgeting with the tall cup in front of her. "I mean, what do you want to know? She's been going on missions with the Titans." She looks up and gives Gladys a wan smile. "I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how she is."

    "On the missions I do what I can to protect her, but she tends to be a little headstrong and reckless." She purses her lips, "To be honest, that's me as well. But I've been doing the superhero thing for /years/ now. My father is a superhero. It's in the family. I know what to expect"

Madison Evans has posed:
    "What do I want to know?" A frown pulls at her lips, and for the moment Gladys looks genuinely angry - though who can real blame her? "I went to know //everything.// Where has she been going? What has she been doing? What danger has she been in? Has she been hurt? Where were the //adults// in this? Why did none of them stop her? Or talk to me - even once?
    "Damnit, Iris, she's my daughter! I should not be finding out about all this for the first time... //now.//"

Irie West has posed:
    Iris cringes for a bit before taking a deep breath and looks up at the woman before her. "Gladys," she says, her tone serious. "Your daughter is my best friend. I /respect/ her. She wanted to tell you on her own terms. I... probably could have pushed her to tell you more than I had, but I was a teenager most of the time and we were afraid of how you'd react." She shakes her head, "I can't answer for the other Titans, though. You'd have to ask them."

    "As for what kind of missions she's been on..." She rubs the back of her neck, trying to ease the tension that's been building back there. "Most recently we've been venturing into Wonderland. Like... Alice in Wonderland but a bit different from the books. It's not inherently dangerous, but you have to be careful while you're there since it runs on different rules."

    "We went to New Kronos, once," she says. "That one wasn't her fault, though. She was visiting me and we just kind of got sucked into it." She brightens a little bit, "She did really well, though! She even kinda saved the day." She carefully avoids mentioning that she had to sneak past an entire army to save the day, though.

    "That's about it. It's not as bad as you think." Taking a sip of her iced Latte, she continues. "When she's with us in Wonderland, her safety is our top priority. It's /my/ top priority. But we've never encountered anything I didn't think she could handle."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "When you were a child, I could accept that excused. But by your own admission, you have an adult's mind and emotional maturity now, Iris. I wish you had come to me. I wish you'd had the courage to tell her to talk me - or that you would have to, but that never happened, did it?" Gladys asks in a disapproving tone. "I'm- quite frankly, I'm disappointed. I thought the Titans were more trustworthy than that. And now I'm torn between telling her to stay out of the tower to protect her physically - at a time when she's emotionally vulnerable and need her to support her. It's not ideal."
    She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, and following this with a drink of her tea. "She's never been hurt in any of these little... adventures of hers, though?"

Irie West has posed:
    Iris has the decency to look ashamed, eyes downcast and fingers playing with the cup. "I-" She starts to argue, but thinks better about it. "I'm sorry." Her apology is heartfelt, though.

    "She's never been hurt," she says. "Like I said, her safety is our top priority."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Thank you," Gladys replies, taking a sip of here tea once more as she regards Irie in silence for a few moments. She lets the silence drag on for a few moments before she remarks, "You know what I want. I want my daughter to be safe. I want her to grow up, and to be able to make decisions for herself. I- I wish she wasn't as driven, as she seems to be, to throw herself into danger." She takes a moment to stare at the tart she hasn't touched yet, before looking back to the woman across from her once more.
    "You have a unique perspective on the situation. You were teens together. Now... you abruptly have an adult brain capable of understanding just how much danger there is in the things the Titans do. What do you think I should do?
    "Do I try to keep my teenaged daughter away from the Titans? Do I start that battle with her, and risk our relationship?" And potentially lose the battle, if she proves headstrong enough. "Or do you see another way forward?"

Irie West has posed:
    "Talk to her," is Iris's immediate answer. "Listen with an open mind and an open heart." There's a hint of nervousness behind her answer, though. "I know you still see her as a child, but she's not. She's a young adult. She's starting to come into her own."

    "The missions that we've taken her on..." she says, carefully choosing her words. "They weren't inherently dangerous. Sure, there's always a chance of danger going into Wonderland, but there's always a chance of danger out here in the world, too. Look at what happened in Cairo. That had nothing to do with the Titans."

    She purses her lips as she continues, "Your daughter is a mutant and has powers, and she wants to use them to help people. We help her train, partially because she wants to, but also because we want her to know her limits and how to use them safely. We train her to recognize the difference between a threat she can handle, and one she can't. Since she's a mutant, she may become a target for nothing other than being who she is, and we want to make sure she knows how to defend herself."

    She's silent for a moment, ruminating on how to phrase what it is that she's about to say next. "Look. Madison has the potential to do great things, and be a great person, and be a hero that everybody looks up to. She wants to do this, and I want to support her, but I also want to keep her safe."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "No, it did not. There was some- a tourist captured it on cellphone video. It's not the clearest thing to watch, but- that Madison had to- see something like that..." Gladys lets out a heavy sigh, and abruptly she looks worn, worried, and tired.
    "There are good reasons that I worry. It is dangerous - heroes die. And even if she does come home - her friends might not. She'll have to see that, and live with that. It don't want that for her." She grits her teeth for a moment before adding, "But it isn't my life."
    She takes another sip of her tea before adding, "I worry. I worry that she's not doing to have the chance to finish growing - to develop the impulse control she needs to keep herself safe. That she'll act without thinking, because her brain isn't done developing. It keeps me up at night."
    She runs her hand through her hair ands, "I hate this. I don't know that there is a right answer."

Irie West has posed:
    Iris shrugs helplessly. "You're a good mom. You'll do what you think is best for her." She takes a sip of her latte and suggests, "Maybe talk to Donna first? That may help you decide what to do."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I suppose," Gladys agrees - though she presses her lips together before adding, "I'm furious, Iris. I'm furious that no one told me. That no one spoke to me. It makes it very hard for me to trust the Titans, and- I dont know. I'm trying very hard to separate my anger out of the equation. I want to make the right decision for my daughter. Not the decision that simply hurts the Titans the most."

Irie West has posed:
    "I know," Iris says, fiddling with her cup after taking a sip of the latte. "We made a mistake. /I/ made a mistake. If anything the Titans owe you an apology, too, which is why I thought you should talk to Donna. You're owed that at least. Whatever you decide to do, the Titans will honor it."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I hope so. I would like to believe that," Gladys agrees. She finally cuts into the tart with a fork nibbling at the treat. She savors it, before adding, "I know how much Madison values your friendship. Moving out here, and away from her friends and the life she knew... was hard for her, but once the pair of you became friends... She's been so happy. She loves it here.
    "I wanted to make sure she didn't feel... different. That having gifts did not make her something to be ridiculed, or stood apart from other teens. And I didn't want her to feel like she's //better// than other teens. I think I've succeeded in that, but- I just hope it wasn't a mistake - moving out here. Bringing her."

Irie West has posed:
    Iris looks about to say something, but changes her mind. Instead she takes a slow sip of the latte before finally saying, "Really, only time will tell."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Gladys nods - weariness weighing down on her features as she takes another bite of the tart. "I suppose so. Anyways - I do appreciate your time. And... I am glad that Madison has been able to rely on good friends to help her feel wanted, and welcomed, and cared for. I just- I truly hope I never have cause to doubt your trustworthiness or reliability, again."

Irie West has posed:
    "I hope so too," Iris says. "Now that you know she doesn't have any excuse to hide things like this from you. If she... if she decides to do something rash, or if something happens, I'll make sure you know."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Thank you," Gladys answers in a serious tone. "Please keep her safe. I know you would never deliberately let her come to harm, but- Keep her safe. And thank you again for coming to speak with me, Iris. I have a lot to think about."