2943/Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes
Date of Scene:	16 August 2020
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Rising from the ashes is hard, but Mori finds some help from new friends.
Cast of Characters:	Mori Merritt, Nadia Pym-van Dyne, Caitlin Fairchild

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Mori Merritt has posed:
Sometimes it's good to forget your bag at a friend's house. In Mori's case, it means the only physical things she actually actually cared about are present. Her messenger bag is at her feet as she sits on the edge of the fountain, her sketchpad ready, pencil in hand, ready to work. But she isn't actively drawing. She's staring at the page, but there's nothing there. In the distance, the dorms are visible, the one damaged dorm building already in the process of being rebuilt. Displaced students need to be returned, after all, and there are thankfully those with abilities to speed up the process. Momentarily, the pencil rolls out of her hand, but she doesn't move to fetch it.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia has been a busy girl lately, here, there, and everywhere. She hasn't really been seen around the Titans Tower much since the events surrounding Bushwick's resizing occured, rumor is she had a bit of a mental breakdown and needed some time. Then she turned up on the News in Genosha halfway around the world when Magneto re-entered the world and made his ascent into space. And most recently apparently helped rescue a large number of college students from a dorm fire at NYU, that's how she met Mori and what ultimately brought her back to the Tower and Caitlin.

There was something about that fire, the unrelenting intensity of it and how suddenly when she isolated one particular individual the source of the fire seemed to vanish in an instant. While she couldn't be sure, it gave Nadia a strong suspision that one Mori Merritt might have uncontrolled fire powers that could pose a danger to herself and others. So, she turned to the experts at helping young people with wild powers, the Titans, specifically her friend Caitlin.

So it is, after asking around campus, the two Titans arrive in the park. "They said she should be somewhere around here." Nadia informs Cait as she leads her towards the place they were told Mori is to be found.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"It's really good of you to take the initiative like this," Caitlin bids Nadia. She's not precisely hurrying, but Caitlin doesn't want to dawdle, either. The redhead isn't just a minor celebrity; she stands out in a crowd, especially on a college campus. It's a little too hot out for a hoodie so she's in brief tan shorts, sandals, and a green tank top. A near-transparent white overshirt offers some modesty. Several hair ties are being employed to keep her red locks up off her neck so she can stay cool.

When Nadia spots Mori they put their heads together for a second and then make the approach. Caitlin lingers back a few steps behind Nadia, offering passive body language and a friendly and unobtrusive smile. Fingers curl loosely into the mostly-decorative pockets of her shorts while she does her level best to not tower over Mori like a giant ginger henge.

Mori Merritt has posed:
At first, Mori doesn't seem to notice either of them. She stares blankly at the page, perhaps just enough for it to be awkward. She then notices her dropped pencil first, scooping it up before looking up at the two. It's impossible not to be towered over, as she's seated and Caitlin's already about a foot taller than her. She's probably doing a great job of giving her shade from this angle. While she doesn't seem to recognize either of the two, her response is cheerful.

"Hi," she offers, sounding only the tiniest bit tired. She doesn't entirely know why they're approaching, but she scoots a little to give them room if they want to sit on the fountain's edge. "Uh, welcome to the fountain. I'd usually be a good hostess and offer a granola bar from the stash in my bag, but I'm kind of all out."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
"Hi!" Nadia offers Mori a cheerful greeting waving at her, "I'm Nadia, I um," she's never done this before, "I am also the Waspette, I pulled you out of that fire the other day, I'm sorry if that was a bit traumatic, I was in a bit of a hurry, there were just so many people to get out of there and the fire was so intense." she glances back towards Caitlin for a moment perhaps silently praying she will not ask questions about why it might have been 'traumatic'. "Anyway I just wanted to uh talk to you. Crazy thing there being a fire right? Oh this is my friend Caitlin!" she gestures to the towering red head, "She's really nice."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's immediately digging in her bag, an old canvas bookbag with a faded 'Columbia University' logo that looks like it's seem more than a few years of hauling books. "It's okay," she promises Mori, and produces two cellophane-wrapped snack bars. "I almost always have food with me just in case of an emergency." One's offered to Mori and the other to Nadia. Both look home-made, but made with care.

Caitlin looks around, then elects to kneel down next to the bench so her head's on a little more even level with Mori's. The bag goes on the bench and she rests her hands loosely on her thighs. "I'm Caitlin Fairchild," she clarifies. "I'm with the Titans. We're a superhero group." She does a serviceable job of keeping her obvious pride from beaming through too much. "Nadia said you had a ... really rough night. That maybe it was the sort of thing you'd like to talk about with someone who..." She bites her cheek, thinking. "Someone who maybe kinda understands how rough nights like that can happen accidentally," she clarifies. Her tone is very delicate and careefully non-accusatory. Moreover, it sounds like the voice of someone expressing a *personal* experience and resonating real empathy for Mori's distress.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Oh! Thank you so much. That was..." Mori's not sure what to say about the fire. "... anyways, thank you for that." Whatever elements of trauma the situation brought about, she still seems to at least be pulling things together somehow. She offers them both a smile. "Well, new friends are good. New /nice/ friends are better." And then... Caitlin's got food. She's being handed food. "Okay, careful, you're treading into best friend territory by feeding me." She is more than happy to munch away at the bar, using it as convenient distraction for a moment.

"Please don't tell anyone about that. That's..." There's a bit of frustration on her expression. "That's not my thing? I don't do fire. Do people just wake up and suddenly do fire? The alarm was what did it. It made me feel sick and I couldn't do anything. Bleed out my ears or vomit or something, so I don't really know /what/ happened. But I couldn't do that yesterday."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia's eyes light up when she is handed food, not just food but Caitlin's homemade food, "Wow Mori, you really lucky, Cait is an /amazing/ cook." she seems really hyped to unwrap the bar and take a bite, expression one of pure happiness.

"Sometimes, things just happen, like it wasn't there the day before and then bam! And when it shows up you don't know how to use it. That's how they say a lot of mutant powers happen." she munches thoughfully on the snack bar, "Maybe the noise triggered it, those alarms can be pretty loud but they're usually not vomit loud, that'd kind of defeat the purpose." she pauses thinking, "Have you always been sensitive to noise?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin smiles appreciatively at the effusive praise. They /are/ pretty good, and while delicious, have all the texture of something made with lots of high-quality ingredients and a lot of care. She fishes a protein shake bottle out of her bag, shakes it with a flick of her wrist, and takes a few gulps.

"Hang on, Nadia," Caitlin murmurs when Waspette's curiousity starts getting out ahead of her. A hand lifts and rests on Nadia's wrist apologetically and she looks back to Mori.

"Before we get to all of that, we really just wanted to make sure you were okay, and that you're feeling safe here. Sometimes these accidents happen because of stress or panic or any number of issues. Is this the first time something like this has happened to you?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori is way into eating the bar. "This is really good." That and she seems /really/ hungry. "Pretty lucky," she agrees with Nadia, nodding her head. There's a bit of a sigh, doing her best to recall the sound. "I mean, I'm a little more /aware/ of things than most people, but I've heard that alarm before and it didn't sound like that. This was way more high-pitched. I dunno if someone tampered with it or something. Not sure why they would do that, though." She shakes her head.

Caitlin's line of questioning does get her attention. "Oh, I mean, I feel safe. As safe as I guess I can be ordinarily." That, of course, is an odd way of putting it. Mori does follow it up though. "I'm not sure I'm ever not in a stress or panic, though, it's kind of a..." She searches for the right words, but they don't seem to come. "Brain thing?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia falls quiet, content to eat her snack bar and turn over the things Mori is saying in her mind when Caitlin asks her to hold her questions for the time being. She is at least mildly self aware that her curiousity can become a bit overpowering. Though when Mori talks about being in a constant state of stress and panic she blinks a few times, "What do you mean a brain thing? Like a tumor or an aneurysm?" She was not expecting that and the damn holding back her curiousity just crumbles.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"Nadia," Caitlin prompts in a low tone. Her hand's held parallel to the ground, then lowered a few inches. "Just a little," she suggests, as if adjusting Nadia's enthusiasm levels slightly.

"I meant more in the sense of... if you're worried you're going to have an accident again," she clarifies for Mori's sake. "Or if anyone's gone around pointing fingers and you eneded up with some unfair accusations."

She hesitates. "Not to say we're not both willing to listen. Nadia's a physicist and my PhD speciality involves metagenetics. If you need a safe place to talk about some things or get examined, we're definitely equipped to help you out."

Mori Merritt has posed:
But Nadia's asked the questions and Mori's going to answer. "It's not a tumor! I've been to doctors, they've all said it's /fine/. But it's not fine. They said anything I was experiencing was just psychological trauma or something, hallucinations, that none of it was real. It's not fine, though, and I can prove it." She doesn't, however, elaborate immediately on her proof, because she's looking at Caitlin now. These are important questions too.

"What? Oh, no, this isn't... this isn't the sort of thing that happens. The worst that happens is that I usually zone out and just sort of don't respond for a while? Not too damaging to people unless I stop in the middle of the street, but that's mostly on me." She rubs the back of her neck. "People just think I'm weird? I don't really hurt anyone."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
There are so many questions Nadia would like to ask right now, ALL the questions really. But she again steps back to munch on her snack bar and let Caitlin, with her actual psychological training, help Mori. That's why she went to get her afterall. Though it's only a matter of time until the next barrage of questions, restraining Nadia's curiousity is like trying to hold back a tsunami, ultimately futile in the end.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"I really don't mean to nose into your personal life," Caitlin apologizes. "I know it's scary to think about and it's easier to say it's not serious. Even if the only thing that was happening was that you were having these, uh... 'zone out' sessions in traffic, that's a serious problem. You could get hit by a car or fall over in the subway. If they're linked to--" she gestures vaguely at the fire damage. "Then I think it might be a good idea for you to get some professional help to make sure you're not doing this accidentally when you zone out."

She looks up at Nadia. "Do you think they're linked?" she inquires of the younger woman.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Oh, I mean, I don't mind. People don't usually ask so many questions, they just think I'm nice but weird. It's not easy to explain everything about it anyway and it's frustrating to see it in my head and not be able to describe it," Mori holds up her sketchbook. "So I draw it." She taps her head. "Photographic memory. So if I can draw it well enough, people can see inside my head. I don't zone out, I'm just... not present even while I'm present." She shrugs a little bit. "The fire is new, so I'm not sure what to do about it, and I haven't really found anyone who believes the rest of it. They aren't hallucinations. That's not how I remember things. I remember things if I see them. I have to /see/ them. But I remember all of the things I see."

There's a gesture to the sketchbook again, and then she holds it out, equidistant between between the two of them. Who will touch it first? Either way, when opened it's got a few normal pictures, and mostly... odd ones. Strange landscapes in great detail, architecture that doesn't seem familiar in design, star patterns obscured by multiple moons. It's what you'd expect to see if someone were drawing sci-fi novel covers, but in great detail.

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia thoughtfully munches on her snack bar, "Maybe it is some kind of psychokinesis, she said she had a headache, that could be indicative of something mental. From a physics perspective if her mind is capable of effecting molecules and according to the observation principle in Quantum Physics theoretically we all are, but the molecules could become agitated to spark flame."

She turns back to Mori, "if you're willing it might be best to get you into a controlled environment. Anecdotes can provide clues but without a proper lab setting it is difficult to acquire real reliable data from which to construct a hypothesis. Maybe if you're having trouble expressing your thoughts we could construct some sort of device to convert your thoughts directly into image data and project it on a screen."

She looks back to Caitlin with her biology expertise, "Does that seem feasible to you?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin's nodding agreement with Nadia's suggestion, and looks to Mori. A reassuring smile's flashed. "It's a nice lab," she assures the woman. "Nicer than my first dorm room, anyway. It's no fun being cooped up with electrodes but at least it's got a comfortable bed and a Playstation."

She examines the sketchbook and flips through a few of the images; Caitlin's got no eye for the nuance of art but she nods appreciatively at Mori's clear talent for it. "But whatever it is, it's something I think you should get a handle on sooner rather than later," Caitlin suggests. "Disassociative fits and possible pyrokinesis don't together well. Maybe we can rig something up to jog you out of it if you start spacing out again."

She pushes off her thighs and moves smoothly to a standing position, dusting her knees off. "But only if you want to. We're not from the government or anything. We're just here to help if we can," she promises Mori with her friendliest smile.

Mori Merritt has posed:
There's definitely a grateful look shot in Nadia's direction at even the idea of it somehow making sense. Mori looks hopeful. "Do you think you could make it where it projects sound? I hear things too but it's hard to remember what it sounded like. My memory only really extends to vision. And it... sounds weird? I don't know that I could make those sounds, exactly." She's rapidly looking between the two.

"I don't know that anyone's really offered this kind of help before. Everyone just told me 'see a doctor' and no one ever told me anything /useful/. I'd appreciate the help, if there's anything you can do, even just a little."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
Nadia finishes her snack bar, folding up the wrapper before sidling over to peer around Caitlin at the notebook as she flips through it, "And this is what you are seeing? When you space out?" She asks curiously looking between Cait and Mori. "Cait, I mean there's probably some potential psychological explanations for this, but like that one looks kind of like this place that was trying to take over Earth once, I think it was called... Wraith World." she looks up and says "Don't worry, we stopped it." for Mori's benefit, and then peers at her. "Do you have any missing time? I watched a thing on the History channel recently that said sometimes Aliens abduct people and they have missing time. Maybe Aliens did something to you!"

When Mori seems agreeable to going with them, Nadia looks up at Cait and takes a step back as if giving Mori space to gather up her things, "Okay! Let's go! I'm sure we can help you!" She's very upbeat and optimistic at least.