A Bitter Pill To Swallow

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Graybridge Hospital

"Well, I'm sure Anna might want to stay in the treatment room with her boyfriend over getting coffee. Maybe she'll be in more of a mood for coffee if Brock wakes up. Until then, she might need some time to process her feelings about her significant other being brought to the ER unresponsive." Dave shrugged, still suspicious that Smythe said she came to the hospital to help after a meta-attack. The one thing he did agree with her in was the quality of the hospital canteen. There might be common ground there but it would be hard for a sandwich and coffee to allay Dave's suspicions about the councilwoman... "I've thought about the offer but it's a bit of a poison pill to have the city, or any hint of 'official authority' associated with the Group. A lot of metas don't trust the city, state or federal government to be honest...
There's a bit of a feeling out there that anything with government backing has strings attached or is a trip to the TANC waiting to happen and that'll keep away the people who truly need the services our Group provides... I hope you understand." he flashed his unsettling, hollow eyed smile at her.

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Graybridge Hospital

"Uh, sure, we can do that," she says following the politician's gaze, convinced that it's not a great idea but what can she do?

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
Augusta is in the limelight now: the bargain, the focus, the desperation in Tanya's eyes. She has seen this, lived it. In her advocacy for fair treatment for TANC rights, she has been eye to eye desperate men and women and children, and promised the impossible. These aren't lies, it's confidence. She knows people, knows the system, and while she doesn't have power, she has successfully employed leverage before. And here in Dark Lips Books, most of her campaigns have been planned and executed. This is home turf.

"You don't know me, but I am a famous TANC rights activist. Maybe you've seen me on the news or podcasts advocating for rights. I get things done there, I've made things better. I saw Belinda just a few days ago, and she needs to get out of there. Help me, and I'll employ every resource I have to get her moved."

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
Augusta glances back at Eva, and then says, "It's a deal. I'll start working on that today. So tell me, what's in those blue and white pills, how is Floyd involved, and if you recognize that guard uniform."

Her heart races, potentially the first bit of truth about what has happened to her is on the cusp of being told to her. Eva's own troubles reside on it too, so she focusses to repeat what she hears word for word to the big blond later.

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
"Mike," Eva says as she tries to slip past the man, but is foiled when his trying to move out of her way only puts him back in her path and they bump into one another lightly. "Ah... sorry. It's just -- I need to talk to that woman, I was supposed to meet her here and-- oof!"

Another juke to try and get past him, and another jostling bump as he tries and fails to get out of the way. Eva's cheeks redden and she blows a stray strand of blonde hair from her face before settling her hands on either side of the man's chest. She's lifting him easily then, up and out of her way, and she's apologizing. "Sorry about this, but I've gotta talk with... with..."

Just then, Eva catches sight of Augusta and Tanya near the door, and -- they're talking! She was sure her 'sister' would bolt, but Ang had her attention. And so instead of finishing her thought, the stupendously curvy woman puts Mike back on the ground and exhales dramatically. "You know what? Sorry for being rude. My friend has it covered." Dusting off his shoulders and chest with a (for her, gentle) swipe of her hands, she wrinkles her nose in a continued apology.

"So, um, what did you want to see me for?"

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
Augusta gives her a hug briefly, not much more than a shoulder squeeze, and mouths, "Thank you." She steps back, and adds, "That's so much more than I knew before. I was dosed, and things have happened to me, not exactly like you and Eva, but similarly weird. Did you want to take the car to the lake? Eva and I can find our way back to the hospital."

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
With one eye on the girls at the door, Eva is ready to give up on talking with Tanya. Things seem to be going okay, so instead she sits in the booth the little blonde vacated, and motions with her head for Mike to do the same.

"Yeah, you can," she says, finally smiling as she settles in. Surprise and embarrassment lights her face when he mentions the store, and what happened that night.

"Oh my God! I forgot all about -- your arm! Are you okay?! Life was been like a roller coaster these last few days, and I'm sorry I didn't check up on you!"

When the man reaches out with his hands, Eva's demeanor and posture change -- she's not used to public displays of affection, not by a goddamned country mile.

"Yeah..." she says, looking around, blushing a bit, "yeah, yeah I'm okay."

Despite looking the way she does, the woman isn't used to this kind of attention. Whether it's because she's intimidating, inept at reading signals, or just hasn't been out and about enough since escaping Wyvern Lake, Eva just doesn't have reps at this. So she's surprised when suddenly she's reaching out and letting him take her hands. The contact is exhilarating, and her pale skin flushes further. She imagines those hands elsewhere -- it's easy with all that late-night TV she's watched -- then she interlaces her fingers with his, experimenting. It's a minute before she speaks again, and she licks her lips and parts them several seconds before she's able to find more words.

"I'll be back to the store, for sure. How are... repairs going? It was pretty bad, right?"

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books
"My arm is alright," Mike reassures Eva, smiling when she takes his hands and even interlaces her fingers with his. He seems to be flustered by the contact just like she is. He's not an unattractive man, but he's also not one to turn eyes and he does seem slightly overwhelmed by the fact that someone like Eva is actually showing interest in him. "It will leave a scar. My first real battlescar," he says with a chuckle. "But the cut wasn't very deep. I was lucky. And don't worry, Eva. My life has also been a bit of chaos after that day. I'm just glad you're okay." His eyes are warm behind his glasses as they meet Eva's for a just a moment before he looks down at their hands instead. "Repairs?" he asks. "Yes, the ground floor of the store is closed down still, but they say the structure of the building is still intact, so we can keep business going on the upper levels at least." He frowns thoughtfully as he says, "Can you believe they have no idea who that man was? There was so much police there, I thought for sure they had arrested him. But apparently, he got away."

---

Tanya shakes her head. "I can't drive," she says. "And they would wonder where I got the car. I'll just bike to my meeting spot as planned." She glances over her shoulder at the door. She really does feel like she should get going. The longer she spends here, the more likely someone will get suspicious about what she's doing when she was supposed to head straight 'home'. But she can't stop herself from turning back to Augusta. "Can... can you tell me what happened to you? How did you get dosed? With what? Only if you don't mind telling me, of course. Did it have anything to do with Plaxo?"

A glance tells Eva that Tanya and Augusta are still talking, and the black ops commando-come-barista briefly wonders if it wasn't for the best, having Ang handle the woman.

Letting go of Crandall's hands, the look at the two women grounding her and reminding her why she came to the book store, Eva nods but doesn't have much more to add to the subject of the damaged store or the culprit. She's just not as good someone like Augusta at this stuff -- small talk, conversation, niceties. The shapely twenty-something sits in silence for a few seconds before she can't stand the tension, blurting, "So... you say you were you going to ask me out again?"

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Graybridge Hospital

Dave rubbed his chin as the councilwoman tried to convince him. Sure. Drop on by the next scheduled meeting, I guess. Might as well get all that out of the way." What could it hurt? The only two others that regularly come to the meetings, other than Tim now, are here in the ER... One filling out paperwork and the other comatose. What could possibly go wrong with inviting Smythe to crash the meeting? Of Dave didn't know the councilwoman had bodyguards, he wondered if Tim would take another twenty to rough Smythe up in the alleyway...this time without Dave's interference. He snapped back from his daydream and focused back on the matter at hand.
"Now that You've gotten your invite, if you'll excuse us we have to check on our friends. Good day, Councilwoman." Dave bumped Melissa with his elbow and nodded to where Anna was scribbling on the stack of intake papers before wandering off in that direction.

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books

"I can't say. It just happened. I was dating Brian Floyd at the time, and then I started changing. Someone suggested that he might have slipped something into my drink, or food one night, but if he did I didn't notice. It happened to a friend with him, too, and she did notice him adding something to a drink, but he said it was sugar, I guess. I don't even know if it's possible, to change someone like that. But this helps, clearly Plaxo is doing weird things to people. Thank you."

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Graybridge Hospital
Melissa doesn't trust the woman but her hunger for affluence is always there in the foreground, waiting for opportunities. She is torn. Meet Peyton for coffee and schmooze some more, insinuate herself into her good graces, or stay with Dave? Why couldn't she have it both ways?

Glancing at Dave, she briefly shifts her eyes toward Peyton, then barely nods her head. She hopes that conveys her intentions to the man. Someone needs to get the low down on the councilwoman's true motives and she could be the one to do it.

"I might join you in a bit. I could use another coffee." Melissa drops the idea casually like they've been friends for years and hopes it doesn't ruffle Dave's feathers.

GRAYBRIDGE, 5 NOV 2023
Dark Lips Books

Augusta looks, and says,
"I don't know him sorry. I'm sure it's all right."