7449/Queen Consequences

Queen Consequences
Date of Scene:	19 August 2021
Location:	Arrowcave
Synopsis:	Oliver comes home after having discovered the tracker in his suit and discussion ensues with his sister. With Felicity trying to fend blows in the middle.
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen

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Thea Queen has posed:
Another night, another patrol out in the city. Someone had to pick it up now that Oliver was in no condition to be out there. Unless they wanted a pile of bodies to start accruing in the streets. And it had been hard enough the first time to get the Arrow be forgiven for what he had done during his more ..., violent times. Going back to it now? Might mean being hunted like a criminal.

It was those kind of thoughts that plagued Thea as she made her way back down onto the Arrowcave, clad in her black and red vigilante outfit, the hood down from her face, along with the mask, just the tired young sister making her way in, rubbing at her forearm, which is hurting rather painfully!

"Why do they always got to have a crowbar..." she complains to no one in particular, tossing the bow over to the side and casting a look around. She wasn't sure if anyone would still be down here tonight or not.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Does Felicity ever really sleep...or go home at this point with everything going on? There's a the cameras that let her know that someone is coming down and a visual confirmation that it's Thea, who is looking a bit beat up. There's a frown that makes her brows furrow and her glasses shift. She takes a moment to adjust them before she's moving, her heels clicking over the floor to grab the first aid kit.

"Is getting hit with a crowbar better than being shot?" she poses the question to Thea. "I'm not sure if a bullet wound is easier to manage than bruised and fractured." she states. She wasn't a field operative. Or she wasn't one yet.

She offers a bit of a smile, "Want me to look at that and you can tell me about your evening?" she asks as she wiggles the first aid kit she has in her hands at her as she steps back into view.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Hey Fel..." There's a strained smile on Thea, the usual sharp eyes with bags under them, tired beyond the usual. When was the last time she slept? Some questions are better left unanswered. There's a look over Felicity's shoulder when she approaches, searching, then her voice quieter when she questions. "He is not here?" was she relieved at not having to see her brother back into those times? Or worried that he was somewhere unaccounted for? Maybe a bit of both. Which wasn't good.

Yet Felicity's question has her look back to the hacker extraordinaire and she manages a small smile. "Definitely being hit with a crowbar *is* better. I am just being complain-y.." though at the offer she nods and starts taking out the upper-leathers of her suit.

"Thank you."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity gives a look over the younger woman and there's a gentle smile, "Hey Thea." she brightens a bit more. Trying to shake off the broodiness that was rubbing off on her from all that they were dealing with. The blonde gives a look over her shoulder and her shoulders slump just a little, "No, not here. Then again he might turn up at any moment given his usual entrances." she admits as she turns back to Thea.

"I'll make a note in the journal, crowbar over bullet." she chuckles a bit. Trying to lighten the mood. She pats the table they have for these kinds of things, "Just hop up and take a load off when you're ready." she tells her.

The thank you makes her give Thea a bit of a head shake, "We've got to keep taking care of things. And that means that you need some rest." she tells her in a gentle tone. "Maybe take a nap after I patch you up? Or take a hot shower and eat?" she suggests.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea hops up onto the table as she finishes getting out of the top half of her armored suit, teeth gritted together. Underneath? A shirt top. She takes a look down at her forearm. Bruised? Indeed. She lets out a sigh. "I am just glad the suit took most of the hit." which considering the zone where she was hit was already a touch blue it meant it had been no gentle tap! "Are you keeping a journal with the best ways to do vigilantism?" she asks in a lighter tone. She understands the joke, and the need for it really. Then she lowers her tone as if they were in some kind of conspiracy and asks. "Does it involve daily salmon ladder-ing over there..?"

A nod towards the infamous place where Ollie normally does those things with the bar. Usually without a shirt! That knave....

That last suggestion about resting has her letting out a sigh. "Or maybe all of the above. Shower, eat, nap." she admits, "Might be in for some of that.." sharp eyes then taking in Felicity more intently. "And how have you been holding up? With all that's going on?" lips pressing to a thin line.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    Speak of it too often and it shall appear. It's through one of the underground vehicle entrances and on a motorcycle that Oliver shows up. It might be noted that his Arrow costume, sans Green, is missing, but it has been since the night Thea caught him in the act. He's not wearing it now.

    He pulls the bike into the spot it was missing from, pulls off his helmet before killing the motor and just sits there. If the distance between him and the girls was less, they might see that clenching of his jaw, that little muscle on the left side that pops just so when he's grinding his teeth to keep from blowing his top.

    When he finally swings his leg over to get off the bike, he's holding a ziplock plastic baggie in one hand. Not a word as he approaches, just that clenched jaw until he's close enough to drop that baggie somewhere near the girls. Inside it, clearly visible, the smashed bits of the tracker he found in that suit. "This is unacceptable..." Through those clenched teeth and jaw.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"The suits are pretty great in that regard. And I'd rather have everyone covered in armor than trying to take people on in evening wear." Felicity chuckles to that. "I'll try not to hurt it anymore than it already is." she promises. "Not much to do really, muscle bruising and things. Nothing seems broken though, which is good." she tells her. The comment about the journal makes her smile, "You never know when you'll have to get into the field, might be good to have a book of notes." she muses softly.

There is a look to the salmon ladder when it's mentioned and there's a sigh, "I hear that bar in my dreams." she shakes her head as she turns back to Thea and starts to wrap the arm that's injured after cleaning it with antiseptic wash.

The sound of the motorcycle and Oliver's arrival makes her straighten her spine, "Oh shit." she whispers to Thea. Then she turns to look at the man as he approaches. Oh...he is BIG mad. "What is unacceptable exactly?" she asks him.

Thea Queen has posed:
"You won't be able to be reading that journal *while* out in the field though.." Thea notes with a low, humored chuckle, the indication that nothing is broken apparently lifting her spirits some. She raises her arm to let it be bandaged without much of a complaint. Perhaps a touch unusual. But maybe she is just too tired to give much of a fight about all the fuss around her arm. "You didn't need that journal when out there with me though.." she notes, perhaps indicating there is some hope for Felicity still!

She is just about to chuckle quietly at Fel's comment about listening to the bar in her dreams when the sound of that motorcycle drowns it. Kills it really. Her jaw seems to press together in that same manner that Ollie's does. Oh yes, tension. There's a lot that was left untold after their last meeting.

"I agree with Felicity. The only thing unacceptable here is that nice piece of hardware having been smashed." oh, if only words could cut!

Oliver Queen has posed:
    Oh yes, he is Big Mad. Oliver snatches the bag back up and waves it in Felicity's face and then Thea's "*THIS*. I'm not a damned dog that needs a lojack in case I get lost." It's a snarl that, a tone not heard from him in a whole lot of years. "Don't. Do. It. Again." Each word spat out and so very angry.

    To Felicity directly, he adds, "Unless you want to find yourself out of a job." It's unlikely that he *means* it in the long term, but for now he's that pissed off... and he's that much not the Oliver they knew a few short weeks ago.

    He tosses the thing back down on the table and heads for that salmon ladder to work off some of that tension. Maybe that'll be apology enough, especially when he strips his shirt off along the way. Of course to Thea, his own bruises from that fight in the Glades and subsequent chase, still visible, might just be something way less than an apology.

    *ClankCLANK* More dream fuel there, little techie.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Yeah, but maybe note studying before exams helps in the field too." Felicity chuckles to that. But any joy or joking that she was going to continue with Thea gets quickly stomped on by Oliver's mood. There is a bit of a wince when he waves the bag in her and Thea's faces and there's an exasperated sound that leaves her, "We realize that you aren't a dog that needs a tracker but we also don't want you out there getting hurt. We can help." she tells him.

The threat of him firing her if she does it again though renders her speechless. She gives a look to the smashed tracker in the bag and reaches out to pick it up and stare at it for a moment before she hears the clank of the ladder.

Oh lord. "I don't think I can fix this, but it's alright." she mutters to Thea. Was she referencing the tracker or the situation they were having with Oliver?

Thea Queen has posed:
"Sure. Do you even *know* why we got those trackers installed in the suits in the first place? All of the recent ones have it.." Thea sputters out, anger boiling close to the surface. "It was *your* idea, because you didn't want to find one of us out in the gutter, dead because we wouldn't know where to find them. This is for our own protection, as much as yours." and admittedly, it was also used to keep track of Ollie in his old suit. But details! "And thanks for the concern about my arm.." so bitter.

Yet it's visible she is close to exploding. This reminds her of the time she was down doing drugs and alcohol non-stop. All the secrets that were being kept from her helping. Still, she takes in a breath, perhaps counting to ten in her head before looking over to Felicity, "Sorry.." she mutters about the outburst.

A look down at the tracker and she shakes her head, "He would never fire you." she reassures Fel. Oh, she knows.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    *CLANKclank* "You chose this, Thea... it's not like you were shot or something." *CLANKclank* Being an asshole to keep everyone at arm's length, wasn't that another 'old' Oliver trait. Hiding his concern behind anger or indifference? It's the latter this time, indifference.

    How does he *talk* when he's doing that?!

    *CLANKclank* "Maybe you should just quit, then, huh?" *CLANKclank*

Felicity Smoak has posed:
The tension isn't lowering. Apparently it is going to snap. Whether Felicity wanted it to or not. She gives a bit of a relieved look to Thea, "I know, just..." she shakes her head at things. Then Ollie is digging into Thea and being an asshole to deter them.

"Whoa, hey, we don't need to be going at each other, Oliver. We've got a lot going on right now." she grimaces at him.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Do you want me to tell you how many times you were shot? Because I know it." Thea retorts back to Oliver. Tension? Meet the Queen family. And indeed the bitterness continues. Yet she does have something of an advantage in that she *knows* that use of indifference to disguise the rest. Classic Oliver. "And no one is quitting here, Oliver. Nor should you quit on having faith in us."

She looks at Felicity and reaches up to tap her shoulder a touch, "Thanks for the bandage." a genuine smile on her lips and she slowly slides down from the table, hand brushing over the bandage. The tone though? It seems she's thankful for more than just the bandage. Perhaps for having her back.

"We need to figure out what happened to you, Oliver. That's what we should be focusing on. Not fighting between ourselves.." Did she ever imagine she'd need to be the voice of reason? Not in a lifetime! She's more used to being the rebel sister.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    Oliver finishes the ladder and lets himself drop gracefully to the ground. "And if I don't care, Thea? If maybe I'd rather not know?" He makes a broad gesture to all the stuff in the cave and adds, "I mean, sure, this is all nice... but what if I don't want to be *that* guy again? The one that... can't get it done because he's afraid of 'going too far'?"

    "What good is all of this just to lock up the worst of the worst so they can wind up getting off with a good lawyer or paroled in ten years?" It makes sense, doesn't it? That he'd reach this point? The point where the stories he's hearing of what he's *supposed* to be clash violently with his emotions, beliefs... the so very recent trauma, in his mind, of the island?

    "...and that 'lot going on' best not ever included tracking me like a toddler again," he points out to Felicity.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity gives Thea a bit of a smile, "It's no trouble." she tells her when she thanks her for the bandage. Then Oliver is talking about maybe he doesn't want to be /that/ guy anymore. "Even if you didn't want to do this anymore we still need to figure out what happened and why, Oliver." she points out as gently as she can. "If you don't want to do this anymore then no one is going to force you. That is entirely up to you." she states.

"We can find out what happened if you don't want to do this anymore." she adds after a moment.

Thea Queen has posed:
"The one that is a hero and part of the Justice League?" Thea then replies, "Or the one that saved this family from collapse? That guy?" the younger sister shaking her head vehemently, all those abandonment issues coming to the fore. She stops herself from continuing on her tirade when she hears Felicity, nodding slowly in her direction.

"No one is going to force you to do anything. But what Felicity says is what matters. We need to get to the bottom of what happened." Time to be objective! "And whoever did this to you is going to *pay*.."

She makes no comment about the trackers anymore. Is she perhaps considering more difficult to detect trackers? It's a possibility!

"And we *also* need to make sure you survive the fundraiser coming." Nothing like a little change of subject, "Have you decided on a suit?" then a glance to Felicity, "And have you figured out a dress?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
    "Oh, no... I never said I was *quitting*," Oliver corrects. "I'm just getting started."

    Blue eyes, haunted and reflecting all the turmoil they did when he came back all those years ago turn toward Thea. He lets out a little laugh, humorless that, "Maybe they did me a favor?"

    He turns away to retrieve his shirt and shrug it back on before pulling his phone from his back pocket. Speed Dial 2 - 1 is voicemail. He waits until Moira picks up. "Hey, mom!" He sounds cheerful, if remorseful like any dutiful son would before, "Listen, something came up, I can't make dinner tonight. .... I know, mom, I'm sorry ... business, potential investor ready to pull out, I need to fix it. ... I know, okay, yeah, tomorrow for lunch, text me with the place. ... love you too, mom."

    So easy, it was so easy this time for him to sell it. A few more days of that and Moira won't even have an inkling that something's wrong on her radar.

    "I'll be home before morning, Thea." He heads back for that bike and will be off to who knows where once him, and it, are out of sight.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity gives a look to Thea when she talks about dresses and there's a shake of her head, "No, I still need to get out to shop...or just order something online I guess." she shrugs. "We've been busy with things." she adds with a soft smile. "We'll get this figured out. I'm going to go over a few things and see if we can find out anything more." she tells her.

Oliver is not acknowledging her so she returns the favor, even if she feels like an asshole doing it. Her heels click along the floor as she heads back to the large computer screens to think on things...and get work done.

Thea Queen has posed:
"No no. I will help you choose. Least I can do." If anything Thea was rather proficient in putting each part of her life in neat little boxes. So the Thea that liked dresses? Yea, that one would help. "Later."

With Oliver then saying ..., all that.., it makes Thea's jaw to hang open a moment. As if she didn't believe all she was listening to. She is just about to go for some rather stinging replies when that talk over the phone happens. Lying easily, very much like Thea used to do in the past to hide her addictions. That seems to drain the fight out of her and she says nothing further to Oliver, slumping back on a chair, as if she had just been punched in the stomach.

It's only when Oliver leaves that she finally speaks up. "I should had taken your advice and just go for a nap, Felicity.."

Because now? She could really go for a drink. Of the alcoholic kind.