4806/Afterlife: Welcome Home

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Afterlife: Welcome Home
Date of Scene: 20 January 2021
Location: Afterlife
Synopsis: A family reunion, Daisy's next life. Jia teaches her daughter how to hear the song of the universe and makes a connection with her that they have both wanted desperately. Daisy is welcomed home.
Cast of Characters: Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson




Bobbi Morse has posed:
    The sounds of life are starting to spread across Afterlife. Those who live here have jobs and friendships and found family. Breakfast is being made. The sound of cooking and general chatter can be heard. There's a knock on the door and then it opens. A young man with dressed in jeans and a white suit shirt says, "Good morning. Daisy, Jiaying would like to see you - just you. This way if you please."

    He motions with his hands and then steps back outside. The sun is still rising but this high up in the mountains they meet the morning rays sooner. He tucks his hands behind his back and waits quietly for Daisy to join him so he can take her to Jiaying.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Sleep didn't come for a good while, or at all, as Daisy lied there in bed and waited for the next morning, her only solace being both Matt nearby, sharing warmth and caring along with her 'aunt' Bobbi on the other bed nearby. So when the young man comes in and knocks Daisy is already up, moving around the room and making it *very* difficult for other people to catch some sleep too..

"I will be fine.." She tells both Matt and Bobbi, lips pressed to a thin line and she offering both a small nod before starting to walk after the young man, slipping her hands into her pockets. She casts one last glance at the room before following along, her eyes taking in the surroundings, the decor or people they may come across. Yes, she was nervous as heck. But spy training was an instinct for her already.

"So, what's your name?"

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "I'm Ethan," he says and then motions. His walk is patient as they stroll along the tiled stone floors of the gallery surrounded by plants and people watering them already. Morning dews make the job easy. He keeps glancing toward her expecting to see something from her but of course doesn't ask - that'd be rude.

    "This way," he says and leads them out through a tall archway of stones and along a path surrounded by lush green trees to a gazebo looking out over an immense valley set between tall snowcapped mountains. Standing in the Gazebo - Jiaying, her back to the Afterlife as she enjoys the slow trickle of sun bursting against the peaks of the mountain tops.

    Ethan smiles and says, "I'll. uh.. leave you to it." He turns and walks back the way he came.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Good to meet you, Ethan. I am Daisy. But .., you already know that.." Daisy grinning faintly back at the young man, following along and casting a look around the stone floors, then over to the plants and working people. "No internet, no tv.., really makes people get to work real early, mmm?" casual conversation! But it's mostly to dissipate the nervous bug she is feeling inside..

As they make way and she again spots her mother she takes a moment of pause, swallowing and nodding mutely towards Ethan before moving forward, careful steps to make sure this isn't some dream and she may just wake up at any moment.

"Good morning." She says in a low tone, taking her hands from inside her pockets.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Jia turns when she hears Daisy's greeting. The sun fully crests the mountains behind her at that moment bathing her silhouette in sunlight. The effect lasts barely a second before it has skipped over the edge enough to illuminate the whole world. Jia is smiling when the glare wares off. "Good morning," she walks forward to meet Daisy.

    Her eyes look over her searchingly, like she's taking in every little bit of her. "I've dreamt of this moment for twenty six years," she says and then laughs just a little bit, "and I don't even know what to say." There is a distinct wetness at the corners of her eyes, "Hello.. my Daisy."

    A tear rolls down her cheek and she steps forward and wraps her arms about Daisy and holds her. The crisp morning air cools the skin while the tears are still warm.

    She lifts up Daisy's hands and clasps them in her own, "I never thought I would ever see you again. Your father, he made me a promise. He never lost hope." She glances down a moment and says, "I did. I thought I had to move on without you.. for everyone else."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
There is always that moment of uncertainty. Of not being sure whether she will be accepted or not. It has been years, and while she has been looking for her family for all these years it doesn't mean the vice-versa had to be true. So to hear that her mother had not forgotten her .....

It's enough to have tears burst out of her... No spy training could had handled that! So when wraps about her she leans forward, resting her forehead against the woman's shoulder. "Mother.." she murmurs, shoulders racked by sobs for a time, too much happiness for her to find any measure of control. "I am here now." her tone trying to be reassuring. That she'd be here for her family. It had been the sole reason of why she had infiltrated shield those years back, to find her family. Even if SHIELD itself had become her family afterwards..

But right now she can see nothing else but her Mother, and a need to make up for all those years they were apart. "I never stopped looking either."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "I know Daisy. I know," she says and places a kiss upon Daisy's forehead. She wipes the tears off her cheeks and smiles. A small laugh. "I've never been good at this bit. Talking to people," she says and turns to look out at the growing sunrise. It seems to be moving so fast over the peaks.

    "Welcome Home," she says with a capital H.. not Welcome to Afterlife. Welcome Home. "I want to hear about everything. How you grew up, who looked after you, how you ended up in SHIELD. Everything," she says even as another tear slips down her cheek.

    She's dressed in a Cheongsam of muted reds and browns but it doesn't look old or worn. Her hair is up in a tight bun. In particular, the scars on her face that have never quite healed from Dr. Whitehall's experiments. He found ways to hurt her and to let her know deeply that he could do it. He revelled in it.

    She leads Daisy over to the gazebo and its amazing view and then sits, patting the seat next to her for Daisy to join her. "I know you must have a million questions too. The first time I saw you I wanted to run over to you and wrap you in my arms like we just did. I wanted to so badly.."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
With Jiaying reaching to touch her cheeks it has Daisy looking down to the space between them, smiling quietly. Talking to people was perhaps one of those things where Daisy didn't pick from her mother, being the people person that she was, able to make a friend almost anywhere. But right now? She was feeling just as awkward, unsure on what to say. "How many times do we get to talk for the first time with someone we have been looking for so long?" the faint smile telling that she understands. Even if the moment feels just perfect in her mind..

"Afterlife.." She then echoes, eyes up and turning to look towards the place itself from that advantageous position. "This is.. I did not know what to expect. But this truly feels like home." mostly because of her mother, but still.. Though when she asks about Daisy's lifestory? That's enough to have her laugh. "Uff, I hope you have a long time for it." really! Her life could make a movie! Or perhaps a series, mmm?

Daisy follows her mother up to that gazebo, settling down, her clothing contrasting with Jia's, jeans and a shirt, along with a jacket and a pair of boots. It's what she likes for travelling. Comfortable and sturdy enough. "So did I.." she takes Jiaying's hand, "And when I heard what had happened to you. When Bobbi told me what they had done, and how you had escaped, I couldn't stop until we were able to meet." she shakes her head slowly. "We can finally be together.."

Jia did appear to tell her to put her questions so she asks, "Afterlife. What is this place?"

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Jia wipes her own tears away and rests her other hand on top of theirs. "Afterlife. Mistranslation. But the name has stuck now. This is Lai Shi. Next life. It's for our kind, Inhumans. When we go through our change. This becomes our home. This is the way it has been done for centuries."

    She looks over to Daisy and says, "A place where we can be safe, where those who have newly gone through the change can learn who they truly are and understand their gifts. An extended family, sometimes to augment, sometimes to replace ones that were lost. Afterlife is your birthright Daisy. If I had had my way, you would have grown up here with me."

    "Does it hurt?," she asks and looks down at Daisy's arms, "What happened? was it SHIELD?" There's a genuine look of concern upon her face. This is a woman who knows excruciating pain like the back of her palm.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Centuries..?" It's a bit of a surprise for Daisy that this has been going on for so long, specially without it being known to the rest of the world. Her eyes roam the fields, the houses, all looking so peaceful. Whatever this was it was clear to her that it was working. Peace could be found here. "To know that our people has been around for centuries ... I had no idea of this legacy until a few years back. It was something that .., wasn't easy to come to terms with." even she had a lot of help, both in Matt and SHIELD itself.

"But when I did come to terms with it, I knew I couldn't just leave them be without use. It's why we have them, isn't it? To be able to protect others.." clearly she feels Jia may have the same penchant for heroics that she does, her smile widening further..

It's a smile that wanes some when she asks if it hurts, gaze straying down to her arms, remembering that indeed she is powerless now. "Sometimes. Not as much right now. I .., overused my powers during a mission. It worked but .., I seem to have burned myself out of being able to use them.." she admits, opening her hands and looking down at her palms, "Nothing comes when I try to call for it."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    "Yes. Centuries. Inhumans have lived along side humans for a very long time. Some say since the beginning," she says little else on that though. "What happened to you - it's not the way things are done. We find potentials and invite them here. We evaluate them, then if they are right for their gifts they go through terrigenesis. It's wrong that this was forced upon you, without anyone to guild you."

    There is a slight furrowing of her eyebrows when Daisy mentions using her powers to protect others. That her little girl is out there in the media spotlight... "it's better that humans don't know we exist. Bad things happen when they learn about us. Every time."

    She looks down at those hands and turns her lap toward Daisy, then rests them upon her lap. She looks down at them and then looks to Daisy and gently strokes her cheek, "I think I understand." She nods her head and then continues, "Without someone to guild you, you've been feeling your way. That must have been very hard, not understanding yourself. Our gifts are given to us when they are needed."

    She looks back to Daisy and says, "They call you Quake?" She looks a little disturbed that she has a nickname that seems to be making fun of her. "But causing an earthquake was a mistake. That is not what your gift is truly about. You must have figured that out by now..."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"But ..., there's a reason for us to have these powers right? Protecting others? Doing something to keep our world safe..?" Daisy asks, face again turning up to she can look at her mother's eyes and expression. "It's as you say.., our gifts come when they are needed." there is no taking the hero out of Daisy. "The people at SHIELD, they understand me, they have helped me. And so has Matt." nothing like a good reminder that she brought her partner here.

She is then silent for a while as Jia inspects her hands.. No bruising is visible anymore but there are still some wraps under her shirt, around her wrists. It still a painful reminder of that saudi arabia mission. "Quake." she confirms, grinning faintly. She likes that name! "There are others though but .., eh, more said in jest. Like Tremors. I tried Replica for a small while, but it didn't pick up." of course she would mention that Replica. Maybe she is looking for validation for her GREAT name choice..

Those last words do seem to snap her attention though and she blinks, "What is my gift about?" she then asks, curious.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    At the mention of Matt and SHIELD her brow furrows again. "Replica. I like that one," she says with a small smile. She looks Daisy in the eyes and says, "You might not be ready to hear this yet, but the world will never accept you. For a while they may cheer your name.. but something will go wrong, something will happen. And then soon, you will be their villain. Those stories of villagers with pitchforks? they are about us..."

    She pats her hands and smiles. "We keep a record of every inhuman gift ever revealed to us. You are not the first to be in tune with the song of the universe." She looks back to Daisy with a smile and says, "I think I understand how you hurt yourself."

    She places a hand over Daisy's chest and says, "You are trying to affect the world from within here. You vs the whole wide world. You need to let the world in." She lifts up a hand and says, "I want you to close your eyes.. and listen. Listen to the sounds you hear. The.. vibrations? Don't try to change it, just accept what you feel."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
These days it's more about twitter accounts and burning people online instead of pitchforks. But Daisy doesn't comment, she knows Jia still has a long way to go to get used to the modern times. Specially if she was taken by Whitehall for so long. "The world is changing... People believe we can make a difference. SHIELD does too. They have been...." she was about to say family, " ... very supportive of me."

Acceptance of the Replica name has her beam though. She knew it! Best name. But now she is Aftershock as well so no coming back from that. Yet that isn't commented about either, her attention fully on the explanation Jia does about the inhuman gifts, "The song of the universe..?" it has her furrow her brows. Thoughtful. She knew she was keen with vibrations, much keener than simple earthquakes. Her training with Matt had shown her that. But this sounded different. Sounded .., real. "SHIELD got me a pair of gloves. They help me focus the powers." she explains, "As they work through my wrists and hands I can hurt myself if I overdo it. The gloves helped keep it steady."

It takes her a moment to process what Jiaying is trying to teach her but she closes her eyes. Let the world in? She takes in a breath and starts to listen, to the peaceful sounds surrounding the mountain, the flow of it. All too natural. The faint plucking of strings reach her ears, those vibrations... Is there really something underneath? But her brows furrow, the effort being too much right now, her whole body shuddering. "There is something but ..."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    The sound of ice crackling and melting as it drips in to a stream that runs windy past trees. Birds dropping leaves they've plucked off in to the stream. The sound of creatures moving about in the brush. The sound of Jia's heart beating, Daisy's own heart. The thrum of the air and the sound of everything warming up from the sunrise. But the biggest sound of all... is Earth.

    "Do you know who Nicolai Tesla is? He was an inventor. Eccentric. He had insights in to the nature of the universe that a mere human could only dream of. He also didn't understand what he was discovering. He built a radio and listened to Mars. He thought he was hearing broadcasts from Mars. 7.83hz," she says watching Daisy try to feel the vibrations within herself. She knows it must be hard.

    "But he wasn't hearing Mars, he was hearing a reflection off the ionosphere of Earth. He was hearing Earth. Daisy, everything vibrates. All the time. Composites upon composites, to make music -- to make a song. You can feel it can't you? the song?"

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Tesla... Of course, Fitz wouldn't shut up about him one night." Daisy murmurs about her friend, clearly she having made a few considering the smile she has on her lips. She is still trying to find it, that song which has eluded her for so long but it is also so obvious. Present everywhere, in all that exists, a song that tells in detail what everything is, if one but pays attention and listens.

Shackles are broken within, the ones which were keeping her power under lock and key, crumbling as both the happiness of finding her mother, of finally being whole, along with those instructions which help her look beyond who she was in the past. She touches it then, that song, letting out a soft gasp from surprised lips..

It only lasts for a moment, fleeting, her body still too bruised from before but tears flow down her cheeks. "It's ..., it's beautiful." she murmurs.

She had touched it again, her powers, and even if it was fleeting she knew everything would be well now that she had her mother.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
    Jia looks delighted at the expression on Daisy's face. "Our gifts are beautiful. I wish I knew what you could hear, or feel, or whatever it is you do.. we are all different. I only have scraps of notes about what you should expect." She laces her fingers with Daisy's in one hand and says, "But you can change your understanding of your gift."

    She motions out to the world, "You've touched things, at a distance. With your gift? Did you think you were doing that from within your hands?" She looks down at those arms again and says, "Whatever those bracers do, they are a crutch." Suddenly she nods her head, "It's settled. I'm going to train you to use your gift properly. We will start tomorrow."

    "Today.. let's get to know each other. Hi, I'm Jia. I'm your mother." There's colour instantly to her cheeks when she says that, it brings her such immense joy. "Welcome Home."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Maybe one day I can show you." What Daisy feels, and hears. She had done so with Matt, but his perceptions were quite more attuned than any normal person were. Fingers lace with Jia's in return, a squeeze following and she letting out a low breath. She re-opens her eyes, looking down at their hands together, how she is being told that she doesn't have to use her arms to touch her powers. She nods quietly, not hiding a big smile when Jia says she will train her, "We will. I .., want to do this." learning. Spending time with her mother..

"Hello, I am Daisy. Your daughter." She replies with a grin, leaning forward so she can embrace her mother again.

"There is nowhere else I would want to be right now." She murmurs, burying her head on the woman's shoulder.