2717/When a Banshee cries for help

When a Banshee cries for help
Date of Scene:	01 August 2020
Location:	Lobby - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Siobhan moves into the Titan's guest lodging while they try to help get a handle on her mysterious spiritual 'else'.
Cast of Characters:	Caitlin Fairchild, Siobhan Smythe, Donna Troy, Kian

---

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
An invitation had been extended to one Siobhan Smythe not much previous; to come to Titan's Tower. No promises were set in stone, but it was definitely implied by Caitlin Fairchild that Siobhan would be welcomed as a guest and invited to discuss her particular issues in an atmosphere of trust and security.

So a few Titans are assembled in the Lobby around the appointed time, waiting for Siobhan to arrive. Caitlin's there of course, dressed up just a smidge in snug-fitting jeans and a modest peasant blouse in lavender, with a square-cut neckline and puffy sleeves. Wedge sandles give the outfit a cute, casual look.

She whips a mini-frisbee across the lobby and her pet drone takes off with a buzz after it. It's fast enough to intercept the disc, reroutes in midair, and flies it back to Caitlin.

*DingDingDing!* The front door sensor goes off, and Caitlin bids her drone to sit. She looks at the other two Titans with a flashing smile. "I think our guest is here," Caitlin says, and moves to open the doors and invite Siobhan inside the lobby.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Some might dress up or put on their best for meeting new people. Never was Siobhan's style. She just shows up in her usual outfit. Technically, the jacket was new so that was nice. Either way, she just shows up as she is. She did, however, stop off and grab a trio of pizzas though. One that was half cheese and half pepperoni, another that was meat lovers and finally a veggie style pizza. Never know with people. When the door is answered, she grins at Caitlin and nods to her, "Hey." She states simply enough, "Anyone order pizza?"

She nods to the three hot boxes and then smiles to Caitlin, "Somethin' for everyoe, I imagine." Her Irish accent still holds sway over her voice even as she looks over to the others that have arrived to greet her, "Oye, I guess I was right about figurin' dere'd be more dan just you here." She chuckles.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna is dressed down just a smidge, which is to say that this is one of those rare days she's not wearing armor. Instead it's smart black jeans, a sky-blue t-shirt and demi boots. It's not that she's much more comfortable this way - she has worn armor for far too much of her life not to be comfortable in it - it's more that sometimes a change is good.

    As they await the arrival of Caitlin's mystery guest, Donna spends the time taking photos of the frisbee-catching drone. Not for any kind of scientific evaluation, but just for fun. She's using a rather fancy and expensive DSLR and going for shots that are distinctly more aesthetic than evaluative.

    From time to time she stops snapping photos to rub the ears of a large German Shepherd that is sitting watching the front door with a look of worried patience. The dog's ears prick up when Siobhan approaches the door and he gives a brief whine, but when he realizes it's not /his/ human he satisfies himself with giving the new arrival a friendly wag of the tail and goes back to his vigil.

    "Pizza has long been considered the ideal gift to bring along when visiting," Donna tells Siobhan with a smile. "Welcome to Titans tower. I'm Donna Troy. The dog is Bear. Don't blame us, we didn't name him. The guy with wings is Kian."

Kian has posed:
    Kían gives a sort of wan smile to Caitlin, flexes and re-folds his wings, and... waits to see what happens.  Too much stuff going on lately.  Meeting a new potential team mate is about all he can handle right now.
    He too is dressed casually -- or really, nearly the only way he's seen dressed: sandals, kilt, and his ever-present pendant.
    He doesn't exactly snap to attention when the door alert goes off, but his head snaps up and...
    ...and...
    ...and he whispers to Donna, "Hwat language iss she speak... speaking?  It iss not soundin' like Eng-lish I haff learned so far...."  On the one hand, ever since Garth temporarily gifted him with temporary fluency, his English is a *lot* better.
    On the other hand, Kían has never heard an Irish brogue before.
    He bows slightly when introduced, greets with a quiet, "/Kié/," and tilts his head inquisitively.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Ooh, pizza," Caitlin chimes, and she accepts the gift with a happy expression. It's true-- pizza never goes amiss when meeting new friends. "That was thoughtful of you. C'mon, there's a little conference room over here we can use. Oh-- Siobhan, this is Kian, one of the new Titans. He's from another planet. And this is our team leader Troia, *my* bestie, who is from Theymscira. ...which is practically another world, also."

She beckons everyone along to the conference room and sets the pizzas down. Some plastic flatware and napkins are dug out of a cabinet and Caitlin passes them out to everyone.

"You can tell them anything you told me," Caitlin tells Siobhan with an encouraging smile. "Believe me, we've heard it all."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A look over at the other two and she gives them a once over before raising her hand in a wave, "Hello." She then blinks at Kian, "Oh, ye don't speak English well den, I take it?" She asks and grins at him, "/Kié/." She repeats to him and she hmms, "It means peace, right? It is...more dan dat." She stops and looks down a moment, trying to think on that. She hasn't heard enough to learn it though, "Say more in your language if it is easier for ya." She nods her head, "I'll understand it in a moment."

She then nods to Troia, "And it's good to meet ya, too." She states before turning and smiling down at Bear and reaches out to pet him with a grin. Then...she literaly lets out a series of growls and small barks that are indistinguishable from a dog. She then stands up again and hmms.

"Well, as for saying all I have said to ye. Well, dat's a lengthy ting but I suppose I can get started with sayin' I'm Siobhan, as ye likely 'eard." She nods again, "And well...I'm essentially cursed to be the Irish Angel of Death."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Yeah, Troia or Donna Troy. Whichever, doesn't really matter to me." Themyscira? She would have looked the part a lot more if she'd been wearing her armor, and you don't generally think of Amazons with cameras, but there are those metal braclets on her forearms and she does have an unusual accent.

    Talking of accents, "Remember how we've told you there are hundreds of languages on Earth, Kian?" she says to the confused bird-man. "Well English is several of them. It's spoken in many different countries and over a large geographical area. Everyone speaks it slightly differently. We call that an accent if it just sounds a little different, or a dialect if there are some differences in grammar or vocabulary. She's from Ireland I think. You'll understand most of it once you get used to the sounds.

    Bear tilts his head when Siobhan starts barking, ears pricked curiously. He watches her a few moments, then tilts his head the other way. Eventually he responds with a friendly but non-commital "Mrrf," and goes back to staring at the door

    "You speak dog?" Donna asks Siobhan, faintly amused. "I wouldn't bother, Bear seems to speak English pretty well. A curse, hmm? Do you mean a /bean sí/?"

Kian has posed:
    Kían blinks, opens his mouth, then closes it again.  "Thank you but no, I mus' learn Eng-lish bet-ter."  He's gotten used to people just picking up his language automatically -- Mórigan /q'miríth/ did it, Cap-tain Mar-fel did it, it seems to be something that just happens sometimes.
    He glances up at Donna -- the birdman's only 5' tall, he has to look up at almost everyone -- and nods.  "I under-stand.  Like I speak my language with the ak... ak-sent of my worl', even though we all speak /Akiár'shak/ on both worl's.  It will be good to learn, to listen."
    With regard to Bear, it might be noticed that Kían tries to keep someone between himself and the dog at all times.  That's a lot of animal, especially to someone not used to them.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Once everyone's settled in at the table, Caitlin passes out pizza and then serves herself. Two slices are slapped atop one another to make a sandwich and she takes a few polite bites, digging in with an appetite. In fact she's powering through it with a defiance for modest bite size and a tolerance for the heat of the bubbling cheese.

"Oh like heck you knew that off your head," Caitlin challenges Donna. It sounds only about 50% sincere as far as protests go. "You looked that up before she came here. Admit it!" she challenges the Themysciran, and points a finger. J'accuse!

She also nudges the vegetarian pizza closer to Kian; he's a growing birb, after all.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A smile is given to Donna and she considers her response carefully before saying, "Well, for one, I speak all languages I have ever heard." She nods her head, "It comes with the territory I suppose." She nods her head and then she considres the dog, "And dat is a smart dog, den." She chuckles, "As for the other part." She bites her lip and shakes her head, "For does dat might know the word better. Banshee." She nods her head, "And I don't think I'm a banshee. I am pretty sure I am THE Banshee." She nods her head before shrugging.

She smiles to Kian, "And I'll do my best to speak clearly but...no guarantees. My accent seems to find its way into everyting I say." She chucles and shrugs.

She takes a seat at the table with a nod to Caitlin and takes a slice of pizza for herself. She then looks over at Caitlin and smiles before looking to Donna.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna's reply to Caitlin is in the form of her tongue, stuck out provocatively, and a face made. It's anyone's guess whether that's an admission or denial of Caitlin's accusation, but it's a mode of communication - or a refusal to do so - that has been common between the pair for years.

    "Isn't there supposed to be one for every family? Though Raven would be the one to talk to if you want to know about the sidhe really, not me," Donna admits as she takes a slice of the meat feast pizza for herself. "When it comes to the supernatural, there's little she doesn't know, or at least know where to find out. She has been known to look things up in libraries that don't exist. Still, one of our members claims to be THE Cheshire Cat, so I don't tend to question these things too closely. When it comes to the supernatural, it seems there is often more than one truth."

    Donna makes sure the pepperoni is close enough for Kian to reach too - which he can take as meaning that one doesn't have chicken on it. "So, Siobhan. You said cursed. I assume that means you weren't born this way?"

Kian has posed:
    Kían seems disinterested in the pizza this time, though he does have a large tumbler of his favorite purple Kool-Ade -- best evidence that Earth people are both intelligent and civilized.  "Ban-she?" he asks mildly, almost but not quite getting the pronunciation.  "I do not yet know this word... I know 'ban' and 'she' but that makes no sense to put them together."
    He glances between Cait and Donna.  "If I ask, will this be one of those Earth things I will not under-stand?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Handy talent," Caitlin mutters enviously. She's speaking around the last bites of her improvised pizza sandwich, and wipes her mouth and fingers tidily before reaching for another two slices to stack up.

"Uh... lemme see if I can summarize," Caitlin tells Kian. She glances at Siobhan for confirmation as she goes. "It's a myth. Sort of a ghost or a faerie, depending on who you ask. All I really know about them is that they cry and scream and that there's a Dungeons and Dragons spell that kills anyone who hears it."

"I'm afraid I'm a little lost past that point. I don't know the difference between 'a' banshee, and 'THE' Banshee," she apologizes.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A sigh and she shakes her head, "According to legend and myt', dere is or was?" She shrugs, "But dere was also a queen." She states to Donna and nods to her, "I don't know what is true and what isn't but...I was born dis way. It's my family dat is cursed." She nods her head, "My ma was the bearer before me."

She takes a bite of pizza and sighs before smiling to Kian, "It is Banshee." She states, "One word. And it is a word dat isn't really English eitter." She shrugs and then blinks at Caitlin, "I don't know much about uh...Dungeons and Dragons but, yes. Dey scream. I scream." She then states, "And I'm fairly certain there's a great deal more to it dan even dat but I've not really...allowed it out much."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "It's Irish," Donna tells Kian. "Most Irish people speak English, but they have their own language too. And it's two words, not one." Donna flashes Siobhan an apologetic grin. "Kind of. It's a single word in English, but it derives from two words originally in Irish. It means 'woman of the fairy mounds."

    Okay, Caitlin was probably right that she'd been looking things up. Or possibly consulting with Raven.

    "The legend says that they can be heard screaming at night, and the scream presages a death in the family," Donna clarifies Caitlin's summary. "Each of the old families of Ireland was supposed to have a Banshee of their own, but the story is that one of the oldest and noblest of those families had twenty-five, with a queen banshee ruling over them. Perhaps that's the queen you mean, Siobhan?" She arches an eyebrow in Siobhan's direction. "Oddly enough, there is a member of that particular family who is a friend of ours. Perhaps we should introduce the pair of you. /Carefully/."

    Donna flutters her hand dismissively in Caitlin's direction, grinning mischievously. "Don't worry about the Dungeons and Dragons thing, Siobhan. Cait's just showing her inner geek. You say you don't allow it out very much. I take it that means you feel you're pretty much in control of it?"

Kian has posed:
    Enough of that landed that Kían blinks at Siobhan.  "So... hyu can tell hwen someone is goin' to die?"  Blink.
    Blinkblink.
    Blink.
    "Please do not let me know hwen it is my time.  I would rather not know."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Let's keep potential Gozer scenarios from happening," Caitlin says with a dry tone, and pats the air at Donna. She clucks her tongue at Kian and gives his arm a reassuring pat before focusing back on Siobhan.

"Where are you living at?" Caitlin inquires of the girl. She's eating politely but steadily, putting away the pizza like she hasn't eaten in days. "Surprise superpowers can be kind of scary. Doubly so if there's a civilian population around. Do you feel safe where you're at? Or are you worried about the people who live in your area?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A look over at Donna and then she tilts her head, "It's...complicated." She states, "Basically, I, for the most part decide when I go full Banshee but..." She looks down at the pizza before looking up at Donna, "Once she's out, dough." She nods her head, "Once I'm fully the Silver Banshee." She considers, "I am not all myself at times." She nods her head, "And I really don't know what all she can do but..." She shrugs, "I know it's incredibly strong and more." She shrugs.

Then she chuckles at Kian and looks at him, "It's more complicated dan dat and honestly not exactly like the myths and legends say."

Finally she smiles at Caitlin and shrugs, "I suppose." She nods her head, "I live in Queens and, I suppose dey are safe. Probably." She shrugs, "Honestly, I have never had so much..." SHe thinks for a moment, "Excitement back in Ireland. This area is ratter..." She looks back in the direction of the city and then back to Caitlin, "Ratter busy?"

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna nods her head slowly. "You wouldn't be the first person we've met who transforms and isn't entirely sure of the thing they transform into," she says. "The most important thing is probably to take things slowly, be cautious, and try to get a sense of what this... other aspect of you... wants."

    "There is the Raven alternative though. She will probably be able to divine a lot about that other side of you. Perhaps summon it in some controlled manner. Maybe even let you talk to it."

    Donna reaches out for another slice of pizza, and tilts her head questioningly towards Siobhan, one eyebrow arched. "Maybe even rid you of the curse. /If/ that is what you want. 'Curses' like this are complicated things. Sometimes the line between a curse and a blessing is a narrow one. From what you've said, it sounds like so far it hasn't actually been a problem?"

Kian has posed:
    Physical contact equals mental contact, and Caitlin gets an inquisitive {/Gozer?/} before breaking contact again.
    He sips his Kool-Ade.  "If hyu think your powers are a curse, I feel the same about mine," he says quietly.  "Even if I haff use mine to be help-ful, I would rather not haff them."  He just states that as a fact, not as a hope or wish, and shrugs.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin winces at Kian's mental contact and waves a hand at him reflexively. "Kian, don't--" she ameliorates her tone before it can become sharp. "Sorry. Knee-jerk response," she apologizes to him. The redhead rubs her forehead with a grimace, trying to compose herself, and focuses back on Siobhan and Donna.

"Siobhan, there's no pressure to accept," Caitlin says, prefacing her words. "But if you want, you can stay here in the tower for a few days. We've got some guest housing on the property. It's not much more than a motel room," she admits, "but we keep 'em clean and ready for visitors who're trying to sort some things out. I'd like it if you stayed here with us for a few days. If you can," she amends, holding a hand up. "Let Raven and Terry both come talk to you. Maybe even bring in some outside help-- Dr. Strange, maybe?" she says, and directs the question to Donna. "I don't know anyone 'cept Raven, and she's not always feeling charitable about that kinda thing."

"But we can at least get you some answers," Caitlin tells Siobhan, "so you can make a more informed decision about your abilities."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Oh, it talks." She states simply, "It talks in here." She gestures to her head and then she takes in a sharp breath and then rolls her jaw a little, "I am not sure what can be done about it but part of me definitely doesn't want it to go." She looks to Donna, "Especially given all that has happened. As for a problem? Well." She sighs, "I have been keeping it hidden, pushing it down. It has been gettin' far meaner." She shrugs.

"Ah, Dr. Strange." She looks over at Caitlin and nods, "I know 'im." She nods her head and then blinks to Kian as she realizes what he says. She frowns a little at him before she looks down, "I don't know what kind of powers ye have." SHe nods her had, "But sometimes I do wish I didn't have 'em. Sometimes I wonder who I'd be without 'em." She sighs and shakes her head, "If ya are invitin' me for a sleep over." She grins over at Caitlin and nods, "I suppose it can't hurt."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna's lips curl up into a faint smile, and glances in Caitlin's direction for a moment before her gaze returns to Siobhan. "I doubt there's anyone here in this tower who hasn't asked themselves that question. Who would we be without... the things that we have. I suspect for most of us the answer would be 'someone with an easier life'. But also 'someone with a less interesting life'. "

    "I'm not sure that Doctor Strange would be any more helpful than Raven. From what I have heard his answers can tend towards the abstract." Donna smirks a little. "On the other hand, Raven's tend towards the sarcastistic."

    "I suppose the relevant question then, is /who/ she is getting meaner towards," Donna suggests. "That can be quite informative. Is she ever mean towards you? Or does she tend to be mean towards those you'd prefer her to be mean towards?"

Kian has posed:
    "Ai, sorry, I haff forgot," Kían says quickly to Cait, and slides his chair a little further away to avoid any further accidental contact.  "And hyu still haff not told me what a 'gozer' iss."
    He glances over at Siobhan, and decides to explain.  "I am tele... nnh. I am *a* telepath," he corrects himself.  "All my people are.  But only by touch with Earth people.  If hyu do not like to share hyour mind, hyu should know that."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Yeah, do we inflict her with supernatural boredom or mystical snark?" Caitlin quips at Donna, and shares a grin with the dark-haired woman.

"Anyway, Siobhan, point is that you need more information to make an informed decision. Power comes at a cost no matter who you are. The people who live in this tower know that better than most," she says, concurring with Donna's sentiment. So yeah, you can sleep over for a few nights," she says, with an amused smile. "If nothing else, you can come up for a couple of hot meals. Weekends are when I cook family style for everyone here. We'll get you set up with a keycard for the guest accomodations, and meanwhile we'll shop around for a mystic on call who can shed some light on your situation. We'll figure out a way to help you," Caitlin promises the Irish lass.

She leans back in her seat and looks over at Kian. "Have you seriously never seen Ghostbusters? That's going on the Movie Night list," she informs him. "The reference will make more sense then."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Well, at least it'll be a change of pace." She states, "And save me some money on food." She chuckles and shrugs, "I don't know this Raven person but I'll be glad to have any help I can to try to figure things out." She states simply enough, "And if you're askin' who the Banshee is mean toward...well." She states, "I'm fairly certain she doesn't like anyone dat is alive." She states simply enough and nods her head, "Mainly, she just wants to come out and wants me to give in." Siobhan lets out a sigh and shrugs.

"As for a telepath..." She considers that a moment, "I wouldn't want ya in me head if only because you might open yourself up to my utter half." She nods her head and points at her head, "Might not see or hear tings ya like." She then smiles at Caitlin, "I'll be happy to have the help eitter way." She nods her head, "In the mean time, I'll keep her under wraps."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "We can work on it, Siobhan. See if there's an accomodation you can come to with your guest. Find out some more about her. In the meantime, you bought us some pizzas, so it's only fair we provide you with a few meals in return, right?"

    Donna flashes the Irish girl a broad smile and takes another slice of pizza, settling back comfortably in her chair to enjoy it. No mention is made of Movie Night.

    There is a reason for this.

    Nine years previously, when Donna had been in the World of Men for just a few days, Ghostbusters had been the first movie Donna ever saw, on Diana's television in her Manhattan apartment. She wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the concept of movies, because they have moving image-frames on Themyscira, but those tend to be used to record histories and legends, rather than for entertainment purposes. The whole thing had been a very odd experience for Donna, one she had to keep reminding herself was a work of fiction. Slimer had made her laugh uproariously. Gozer had seemed like a worthy adversay. The demon dog gargoyles had her barely able to sit still, her fingers unconciously reaching for a sword as her eyes flashed with excitement.

    The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man though? Manticores, hydras and cyclopes she'd consider a fun day out, but that giant marshmallow man was /terrifying/.

Kian has posed:
    Kían blinks at Caitlin.  "I do not under-stand hyour movies.  They need me to know hyour culture to under-stand them.  And there is a line anyway.  Someone said I need to see somethin' called 'Flash Gor-don'?  Hwen I ask hwy, they said some-thin' about 'Bri-an Bles-sed'," he says, sounding the name out carefully.  "Did not ex-plain hwy."  He does not say who made the suggestion.  There are probably a handful of good candidates, though.
    "I haff been in Raven's mind," the birdman says, trying -- and failing -- to repress a shudder.  "Wass... nnh.  I do not haff the word.  'Scary' iss not enough for hwat it wass."  He just sort of lets his eyes rest on Siobhan.  "I do not think hyu can haff a thin' that scary."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Okay. For now, let's get you set up with a passcard and a bunk," Caitlin says, and gently thumps her palms on the table as if striking a gavel. "Meeting adjourned, then. Donna, if you'll nudge Raven about this, I'd appreciate it. Even if it's just something she can write on paper and slip under her door. I'll make sure the bunkhouse is ready for Siobhan. Kian, if you'll update the terminal to let everyone know she's here, I'd appreciate it," she requests of the avian.

"Hopefully we can get Siobhan through the weekend without any nasty surprises!"