The Dead Savant

DeletedUser37114

(OOC: Interactions with Giles cleared with Regal)

Harper woke to the sensation of someone shaking her. Not roughly, at least, which was nice, and his... sounded like a him... voice was nice. And for some reason she'd been horribly betrayed and left to sleep alone. Well, easy fix there. She grabbed the hand shaking her, pulling gently until she felt someone's weight settle next to her, then it was an easy reach around a nicely toned chest... yes, definitely a he... and she had a cuddle buddy. "Morning," she mumbled as she buried her face into one shoulder, eyes still closed, and it didn't take long to get a gentle echo back. She didn't feel great, her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and her stomach burned a little... How much did she drink last night? It couldn't have been all bad, apparently someone had taken care of her, though she still had clothes on, so someone probably had to carry her into bed. Mary never could hold her liquor and Harper was currently in her form, so that made sense... Wait, was she on a mission? The sheets were a little rougher than Harper preferred, but they weren't exactly coarse either, which meant that she wasn't out in the field somewhere. And mister nice guy was telling her that there was breakfast and that he was hungry, which was cute. So safe, civilian, and had company, probably worth getting out of bed for.


Opening her eyes was harder than she thought, she must've really gotten smashed, and the light elicited a shadow of the splitting headache she was expecting. What she wasn't expecting, however, was to recognize the man in her bed. Green hair, handsome, green eyes... Giles. That was his name, and him being here and... she hadn't been drinking last night, she'd... Harper shuddered, walling that thought off. Everything was fine, Giles was here, she could trust him, no need to freak out right now. So she smiled and kissed him gently on the lips, enjoying the intimacy and warmth, though the range of emotions that that flew through his eyes wasn't exactly calming. Probably because she'd been- Nope. Not going to touch that. Not going there, this was going to be a good morning. Harper slid over Giles, enjoying the feel of his body against hers before rolling clumsily out of bed and stumbling her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A glance in the mirror told her that she looked pretty decent, all things considered, though the fact that her reflection almost felt like a stranger's was a little disturbing. Understandable, since- Nope.

Harper splashed a little water on her face, emptied her bladder, and came back out to find Giles working on his portion of breakfast and her stomach reminding her that she hadn't eaten in a while. Food was wolfed down with an embarrassing lack of manners, though something about licking her fingers clean afterward felt sinfully indulgent. Not like- Nope. Just focus on sipping coffee, no need to go there. Though since Giles was finishing up too, she did need to talk with him. Explaining was important, since she'd- Nope. Nope nope nope. Explaining could happen later. Though she did probably need to be gentle, he looked kind of tired, he might be kind of emotionally worn out right now, so no making a pass at him, that would be a terrible idea. Even though she really wanted to, needed some personal contact and someone to care and she just needed... "Giles... I know this might be out of nowhere, but would you be willing to-" A knock at the door saved Harper from blurting out exactly what she wanted him to do. She watched with appreciation as Giles took his swords to the door, good to know that he was staying armed and wary, and peered around him to see who was knocking.

Ashley. Of course. Harper's face fell from an indulgent smirk to a neutral mask, hiding the raw anger she felt on seeing the woman. Someone had sold out the group, back when- Nope, shouldn't go there, shouldn't- back when they'd gone on that mission, Raypool- Nope, don't- knew way too much, had to have had someone in the group... and she could be patient. Giles was putting away his weapons, so he didn't think she was an immediate threat, at least. The suit bags probably weren't concealing weapons and Ashley couldn't take them both, just throw the hot coffee in her face and Giles could... But the potential traitor was a Savant now. Super speed. So her best bet was to play along for now. The top suit bag apparently contained a suit for Giles, and Giles took a little while to think before accepting the gift. Well goodie, magical bulletproof suit. Wouldn't be the strangest thing she'd seen, but she wasn't going to trust it that it would stop a bullet without taking it out to a range. But for now, she just wanted Ashley out of the room, the potential traitor didn't need to be here, she didn't need to be talking to Giles, and Harper wanted her gone. Sliding up behind Giles, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and leaned around to give Ashley a cool stare. "A couple aspirins, please, and a 'do not disturb' sign," Harper said, not bothering to hide the chill in her voice. "Plus a side of get out and turn off whatever cameras or microphones are in here." Not that she really expected to be left alone, but she had needs that hadn't been met in too long and a very attractive man who could help her with that and who was currently talking to another woman. Twenty minutes with him and she'd be good, and that traitor needed to stay away from Giles.
 

DeletedUser28032

Materialising within the same corridor as they had the previous afternoon, Dante would give his head time to settle down from the jump before sauntering down the corridor in a leisurely fashion, placing an arm about Tonya's slender waist as he does so. He supposed he really ought to inform English or one of the other spooks that he was within the Bat cave but to be honest if they hadn't factored jumpers like Tonya into their security measures then it wasn't his problem, besides which he curious to see how they would react when they did finally realise that he was here.

Rounding the corner that would take them to Giles and Harper's room, casually flipping the bird to a poorly hidden camera as he did so, Dante would try and work out what he was going to say to them when he got there. It had been three months after all, and Harper had been shot in the head, though perhaps that wasn't the best topic to begin with...ah hell he'd think of something when he got there!

Upon reaching the door to there room Dante's hand would reach for the handle in order to let himself in before thinking better of it, remembering how close the two of them had been, and would instead in an uncharacteristically polite fashion knock on the door and wait for a response, casting a guilty glance at Tonya as he did so "what? I can be polite when I want to be"
 

DeletedUser31931

As Harper responded to Ashley, the distrust immediately obvious within her voice Ashley sagged slightly as she realised that in front of her stood yet another person whose trust she had lost. Given that she’d seemingly died in the FBI’s care, this was perhaps understandable, and Ashley had no idea what she’d been through with Raypool and the DSRP, but she doubted it had been pleasant. “Message received. For what it’s worth, we disabled the cameras in here last night, we only had them when you were here alone because we were worried about the power suppression bracelet. We're not the FBI anymore, and even when we were, we didn't spy on residents.” As Ashley turned to leave, the knock at the door came and she stopped, clearly not expecting anyone to be arriving anytime soon. Moving to the door, she slowly opened it, smiling as she saw Dante and Tonya. “Hey, I was just heading out, but if you’re here to see Giles and Harper, is it okay if I borrow Tonya for a minute?”

“Go on Dante, I’ll be with you in a minute.” Ushering Dante into the room with Giles and Harper, Tonya closed the door behind him as Ashley set off to the end of the small corridor outside of their room, leaving the group to discuss what they wanted.
 

DeletedUser37114

Huh. Apparently Ashley wasn't going to put up a fight, though the protest that they'd disabled the cameras last night was hilarious. If they'd disabled them, they'd figured she was perfectly safe and fine, that Giles had her. Which, he did, but she'd been- nope. Plus- nope, nope. Not going to think about that, pretty boy, needs. She apparently didn't have anything for a headache, but he could get an aspirin after she was done. After she was very much done. And then someone knocked. Harper sighed and squeezed Giles a little tighter, straining a little not to give away just how badly she wanted to murder whoever wanted to chat with either Giles, Ni- nope... her, or Ashley. Hopefully, it was Ashley, that way they could all just...

Of course not, apparently Soldier Boy survived the sky falling down. Probably wouldn't be a good idea to ask where he'd been, it didn't look like the months had exactly been kind to him. Though... He'd left the group. He left the FBI right before the mission. That mission. Slunk off and now he was back and the world had gone to Harvard on a harpsichord. If that didn't scream traitor, she wasn't sure what did. It probably wasn't smart to point out that she suspected him, telekinetics were awful to deal with unless you could catch them by surprise, but she just wanted him out... "You have thirty seconds," Harper said, voice rough and low, fixing Dante with a stare that would peel paint. "To explain why you weren't the one who sold us out. Or you can get out, wait an hour, and maybe I'll give you five minutes. Your pick." She tightened her hold on Giles further, maybe almost to the point where it was painful, not that Harper wanted to hurt him, she just needed him so badly...
 

DeletedUser28032

Personally speaking Dante would have preferred it if English had not borrowed Tonya as introducing her to Emerald and Barbie had seemed like a pretty good starting point, though apparently he didn't get a say in the matter as the pair of women disappeared down the corridor leaving him alone with Harper's unexpectedly venomous question concerning his loyalties. Sighing heavily to show that he found such lines of conversation to be highly boring, after all how many times had people asked him to prove his loyalty to one cause or another during his days in the military, Dante would respond in his characteristic drawl "one, because I don't sell out friends and team mates because if nothing else it's extremely bad for business, and two because if I had sold you out you'd all be dead" because if nothing else Dante was efficient and had little patience for macho posturing. Had he decided to turn on them there wouldn't have been any monologue-ing, or boasting of his plans or any of that kill the ones you love BS. They would have all simply died in a hale of gunfire and their bodies dumped on a patch of waste ground "now have I past your little test? Because if so can we can the paranoia routine because I can be far for irritable and paranoid than you ever will be darlin'" he said, clearly narked by the way he was being treated.

Turning his attention to Giles he'd offer the guy a friendly smile as he spoke to him in a fairly reasonable voice all things considered "Morning Emerald, how are things with you? Or do I need to prove my loyalty to you as well?"
 

Deleted User - 819397

Ashley didn't take Harper's pointed jabs well judging from the way she slumped a little, but she recovered well enough, moving on and saying she'd leave them in peace for now, and that the cameras were disabled, not that Harper (or Giles for that matter) really believed that. Granted, his skepticism was based in that this mysterious Carlo person wouldn't give a damn about personal privacy, regardless of what Ashley did, rather than doubting the sincerity of how the former FBI agent said it. She was making an effort, he knew that much, and he hoped the sympathetic grimace he gave her conveyed that much. But superiors in the organization she belonged to had ruined him once before, and we wasn't about to give them another chance by trusting what was told to his face.

As Ashley headed for the door there was a knock, which surprised everyone it seemed. Giles attempted to prepare to summon his swords, just in case, then groaned and stopped as his headache worsened to almost migraine level until he stopped trying. Ok, he was useless for now, got it. Good news was it was Dante strolling in...or perhaps not good news, as Harper continued her attack, just shifting targets to the mercenary in front of them. And then proceeded to tighten her hold on the former aristocrat to the point breathing was getting a little difficult. Dante returned in kind, though was showing restrained, thank everything, before turning to him. "I've got a massive headache because I had my swords out all night, but otherwise I'm ok..." he grimaced, mouthing 'sorry' as he shook his head. "Look...we both had a rough night, and getting into a loyalty discussion isn't going to work right now, I don't think. I'll be honest and say two of the three people I trust in this place are in the room right now, and the third is the one who brought me here...but right now I don't think we're going to like the outcome of the conversation if we insist on having it now. Harper's been asking for some time to get her head on straight since she woke up, I think that's probably the best course of action right now...and my head hurts too much to play mediator right now, anyway." He grimaced at Dante, a mix of sympathy and pain working their way into the expression. "If you give us a little time I promise we won't be such disasters when you introduce us to your lady...right now I'd be embarrassed to meet anyone new." A poor attempt at humor, and Giles knew it, but hell, the situation really, really needed it right now...
 

DeletedUser28032

Unlike Barbie whose mood was acerbic and decidedly and if memory served uncharacteristically unpleasant, Emerald thankfully was is usual friendly self, if a little run down with the guy explaining that neither of them had had much sleep and that he had a screaming headache as a result of over exerting himself "Yeah...I know all about rough nights, Don't think we've managed to spend an entire night asleep since...this" Dante replied sympathetically as he tried to encompass the complete horror show their lives had become with a single hand gesture.

With Emerald explaining that perhaps now wasn't the best time for them to have this little reunion Dante would give an understanding nod of his head, sure it kind of made things awkward for him seeing as his ride home had disappeared but he could understand where they were coming from "sure...I'll tell you what, if you fancy a chat or need springing from this rat hole call me" he said, moving over to the desk and scribbling a mobile number onto a folded scrap of paper "for your eyes only ok? If someone other than one of you two calls this number I'm crushing the phone into a cube" he said whilst handing Emerald the scrap of paper. The last thing he wanted was for English or Siri using it to try contact him or more likely track him down but then again that was the joy of having multiple burner phones.

Deciding that he'd best leave the pair of them alone Dante would start making his way over to the door only to stop and seemingly stare into space before fixing his sights on a corner of the room, an evil grin appearing on his face. Holding out his arm he'd then make a quick beckoning action and a large crack would appear in the plaster work. He'd spent years planting and finding surveillance equipment and so finding the bug hadn't proved too much of a challenge "a sign of good faith" he drawled sardonically as he tossed the bug at Harper's feet for her to do with as she pleased.

Offering the pair a quick two fingered salute he'd walk out of the room and head back the way he'd come, hoping to find Tonya somewhere along the way as he didn't exactly fancy hanging around the bat cave by himself, and god alone knew what kind of trouble he get himself into without adult supervision.
 

DeletedUser37114

Dante was as irritable as usual, which if Harper were less... whatever she was right now, would have been fun. As is, his replies weren't particularly convincing. If someone had- Nope. Dead then- Nope, stop. Not the time. Didn't matter what he said, didn't make sense. She'd been left alive for sure. So either he didn't know about- Nope. Or he was lying or... It didn't matter. He was making a pass at Giles, and he was hers, he didn't get to take him... Harper wasn't quite sure why she wasn't screaming in Dante's face right now, but Giles just felt... really nice against her. And his voice sounded soothing. Tired, but soothing. So instead of letting go, Harper just relaxed, closed her eyes and listened to the timbre and cadence, the unsung notes and chords there. Not the words, the words were irritating and unnecessary. Just the music. That is, until a crack and clatter knocked her out of her focus. She opened her eyes and tuned back in just in time to watch Dante walk out the door as a small plastic object clattered to her feet. Something about a bug... Harper bent down to pick up the device as her world shrunk back down to the room, a little clarity leaking back in. Alone, with Giles. That was what mattered. "Honey, lay on the bed please," she heard herself drawl, words slurred a little. She wandered to the bathroom, tossing the bug into the toilet and flushing before stumbling back out and collapsing on top of her lover. He really did have nice eyes, green like fresh mint and limes. "Mmmmmm..." she purred, going in for a gentle kiss, pulling away to nip at his bottom lip. "Giles... Giles..." she muttered, half to herself. She didn't want to think right now, there were cracks spreading, and... hopefully he was willing... "Do you want me?"
 

Deleted User - 819397

It was with some wincing that Giles pulled himself off the bed and into the bathroom. On the plus side, his headache wasn’t quite as severe, and in an emergency he felt he could get his swords out. On the downside...he was probably going to bruise...yep, one was forming now. Plus, he didn’t feel that the teeth marks needed to be quite that deep. He could only hope it had helped the currently snoozing Harper. The tears hadn’t made the situation clearer for him, that’s for sure. Had it been out of desire, necessity, or a mix that she’d initiated? He shook his head with a sigh, splashing water on his face. A day ago she was dead. Now she was back, and he was questioning his place with her. Out of all the things that he’d expected following Toby to do, this wasn’t even an option. Speaking of, he hoped that everything was alright with him...when they left, he’d need to make sure he came with...he was more uneasy being here than Giles was.


Returning to the main room, the former aristocrat went to examine the suit Ashley had brought in more detail. It really didn’t feel any different from how his clothes normally did, which lended itself to a little skepticism about the claims she’d made about the fabric. He pulled the jacket out and slipped it over his bare shoulders, testing its range of motion, and finding it was no different than his muscle memory told him it should be. Though something felt off all the same, and a quick inspection revealed a note left in one of the pockets. Frowning, he opened it, his expression deepening to a scowl as he read the neat writing. Damn everything. This wasn’t helpful. This was the opposite of helpful. He resisted the urge to crumple or tear the paper...Harper would need to weigh in when she woke up. Regardless of anything else involving the two of them, he was going to make up for his mistake a few months back. He’d failed to protect her, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen again...he owed her that much. Obviously if, once she’d stabilized a bit, she still wanted to be with him...but if not, he could at least guard her until this crisis was over. Whether that meant staying here or getting the hell out.


Giles shivered a little as his body reminded him that he wasn’t particularly warm right now, shaking him out of his thoughts. He returned the jacket to its hanger and moved back towards the bed before stopping. His emotions clashed for a moment, and he diverted for the shower. More time to think was what he needed. Any comfort that being by Harper would give him would be more appreciated after he’d thought things through. After all, as far as he could tell there were no good options moving forward. He’d need all the comfort he could get.
 

DeletedUser37114

Harper woke with a start, sitting up hard, gasping for breath. Needed to get out, escape from... Wait. Bed was nice, sheets were good quality. Where was her night gown, she'd gone to sleep wearing... She growled in frustration and tapped her forehead. Think. Resistance base. She wasn't Nicole. She wasn't Nicole. She was Harper Song. Harper Song. Harper Song. And she'd been... Oh. Yeah. Harper felt her muscles, tensed to the point of near pain, relax slowly as she heard the shower running. Giles. He was here, he hadn't left her. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Harper kicked the covers off, blinking blearily as she looked around the room. Giles' suit, with a piece of paper next to it. Not important. Better idea, showering, since she felt vaguely gross. Standing up, she winced a little at the twinges in her legs and lower back. Stretching felt nice, as did the walk across the room to the bathroom and sneaking the door open. Harper probably wasn't the most quiet or sneaky about it, but she didn't want to scare Giles. He'd looked rough, probably because... Not right now, she'd get the story from him after she got cleaned up. Sliding into the warm water behind him felt good, as did gently hugging him from behind, wrapping her arms around for a gentle hold. No words, no apologies, no excuses or explanations, just warmth and contact and comfort.
 

DeletedUser31931

Dante
As he exited the room, Dante would see Ashley and Tonya at the end of the corridor, deep in discussion. With the sound of the door opening alerting them to his presence, Ashley finished her explanation, Tonya nodding as the British woman placed her hand on Tonya’s back, giving her a reassuring rub. Turning around, Ashley nodded at him and slid past to run some errands, leaving Tonya stood alone in the corridor with him. “So, were Giles and Harper okay? You weren’t in there all that long.”
 

DeletedUser28032

It didn't take him long to find Tonya as she was only stood a short distance away down the corridor, deep in discussion with English up until they realised that he'd returned at which point tings were quickly wound up and English departed. A quick glance at his face would inform Tonya that things hadn't quite gone as he'd planned between him, Emerald and Harper "Emerald was alright, Just a little run down Harper on the other hand was in a mood...not to mention the fact that she being very twitchy and paranoid and trust me I know twitchy and paranoid" he said with a weary sigh "So...how'd things go between you and English? She didn't sign you up for anything stupid did she?" he asked with a touch of concern in his usually gruff voice. He wouldn't put it past English to try and sign Tonya up for some kind of deep cover work, which was the last thing her tenuous grip on sanity needed...not that he could stop her if that was what she wanted to do. It just meant that he was the one would have to pick up all the pieces when it all went wrong.
 

Deleted User - 819397

It took more effort than Giles wanted to admit not to jump as the bathroom door opened. For a brief moment he thought about escape options, then thought it through. He was in the Resistance base. If the NYPD had come for him, there would have been a fight, alarms, something. And Harper would have intercepted anyone coming in more than likely...meaning it was probably...yep, that was Harper, the gentle embrace confirming it for him without even needing to turn around. He leaned into it for a moment, unsure what to say. Nothing seemed right, but at the same time not acknowledging anything was the wrong answer too. Finally, he decided on, "I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you, I could've made myself look like the other guard, or close to it. Maybe then you wouldn't have..." he cut off, shaking his head. "I'm not about to make that mistake again...as long as you want me around that is..." He figured this was a good angle to approach where he stood with her from all perspectives, and he did feel it was important to apologize...after all, he'd broken his word...even though she wasn't dead, it was no excuse for how things had gone. Unfortunately, he didn't think it would ease his guilt any, but...it was something. And that was all he had to go on for now.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles seemed tense, understandably enough. Wasn't like he'd been sleeping in paradise, from the sound of it. He'd been wary, much more so than he'd been when they'd first met. Harper should have been happy that he'd taken some of her lessons to heart, but... It hurt. It hurt to see him hurting. And that ridiculous apology confirmed that he was, more than anything. She should probably comfort him, make sure he knew she still cared, be gentle. Maybe tell him just how touched she was that he thought she was the one who'd be rejecting him. But should and would were never closely intertwined when it came to her choices. "You're an idiot," she said without even a hint of heat. "I was an idiot too. They knew we were coming, Giles. They knew everything. We all got played and whether you were with me or not wouldn't have made a bit of difference. 'Should haves' were worthless once that mission got started, they were..." she trailed off, tightening her hold on Giles.

"They were prepared. Disturbingly prepared." Harper sighed. She was pushing what she was comfortable talking about even with Giles, some things were better left in the dark. "So to make sure that doesn't happen again, I propose not being idiots. We stick together, period, full stop, caesura, fin. Right or wrong, we don't let each other out of our sights for any longer than is really necessary. No going off on our own, no being heroes. I cover your back, you cover mine." She smiled into Giles' back, continuing to hold him for a moment before letting go and stepping away, letting her small smile really show. It felt good to say it out loud, and from a pragmatic point of view... No, screw pragmatism. If this was a trap, an error, a mistake, it didn't matter. She was done with going it alone. "On that note, some jerk left me all lonely after a very sweaty nap and I need someone to help me clean up. Wanna help a girl out, Pretty Boy?" Maybe she was being a little too obvious, she probably didn't need to pose at all. Maybe a coy smirk was a little too much. But she trusted him and liked the idea of someone attending to her. Screw it, nobody was stopping her from being a pretty little damsel in distress if she wanted to be rescued from the evils of feeling vaguely sticky.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Harper's gentle admonishments were expected, more or less...it seemed like a theme, people telling Giles it wasn't his fault. He knew it was just a way for them to make him feel better, but he appreciated the gesture all the same, coming from her. What came next though...her suggestion that they stick together no matter what, no more going it alone more than they absolutely had to...that he could absolutely get behind. "Of course," he agreed as she released him and stepped back, allowing him to turn around and give her a small, honest smile in return for hers. "Being sorry for the past doesn't mean a damn thing if we don't work to change things in the future. I'd take it back if I could, but I can't, so...guess you're stuck keeping me around, so long as this is ongoing." He hesitated for a moment, then in a brief moment of focus allowed his hair to return to how it had been when they'd first met, his preferred style. There was no point in hiding who he was at the moment, and honestly he felt good. Better than he had in a long while. And that meant he was a lot more comfortable looking how he wanted to. He did however let it stay wet, as he was still showering, and on that note...with a chuckle, he moved out of the main stream of water to let Harper take his spot, reaching for the shampoo. "You just relax and let me get you cleaned off then, it'd hardly be fair to make you do it if you were left so rudely like that..." This felt nice. It almost felt...normal. It wasn't the first time they'd shared a shower, and it wasn't too hard to pretend, just for a moment, that the last three months hadn't happened. And in the interest of forgetting, if his hands lingered or wandered...well, that was all with the same goal, wasn't it?
 

DeletedUser37114

And he was smiling again. Good. A shift back to that ridiculous hairdo and an acceptance of her proposal had her rolling her eyes as she stepped into the recently vacated stream of slightly-too-hot water. Being told to relax was pretty much expected and Harper closed her eyes and wiggled a little as she heard him messing with the shampoo. The sensations as he started working his hands into her hair felt... absolutely wonderful. She'd had spa experiences that didn't feel as nice as this. Rinsing and starting on soap was, if possible, even better. Intimate and caring in all the right ways, especially when he'd linger or add extra caresses. Of course, he was a perfect gentleman, but definitely one that knew that the only difference between a gentleman and a player was that the gentleman took care of a lady afterward too. Alas, it ended too soon as the warm water abruptly stopped and a quiet voice was telling her that they should probably get out. Nodding loosely, Harper opened her eyes and worked herself free of Giles' loose embrace with a sigh.

A towel-off and light make-out session later left her sighing over the choice of clothes she had available. Or non-choice, really. Something told her that she would probably have been more irritated about Giles' sister's lanky proportions, but she couldn't quite feel it through the glow of her lover's recent attentions. She had a few choices and while none of them were preferred per se, none of them were really objectionable. One, wear loose clothing for a while until she got a chance to borrow or buy some new ones. Not great for her fashion sense, but tolerable out of necessity. Two, go naked until above clothing was obtained. That one was attractive if only for the stares she knew she'd get out of Giles, but probably not a great idea all in all. Third... Harper sighed. She knew it might be a bad idea to even ask, and it normally wouldn't have been an option after so long, but it would certainly make things easier... "Giles, love? I'm a little strapped for clothes that fit me. No offense, but your sister is a beanpole and I really hate walking around in clothes that don't fit. So if you don't mind... could I use her form a little while longer?" It wasn't going to be permanent, just a temporary thing until they found better clothing...
 

Deleted User - 819397

The showering done, Giles was dressing back into the same outfit he had been in when Harper tentatively spoke up, asking...ah. Lack of clothes...and while Giles had one of his suits returned to him, he didn't think Harper would go for either of them wearing something the Resistance had given him just yet. He personally didn't think it'd be harmful to wear, but he was somewhat skeptical of the supposed bullet resistance it now had, as he couldn't fathom how it could do that without losing most of its mobility. The other option she was suggesting though...that wasn't exactly ideal either, and he couldn't help but stiffen as she mentioned it. Speaking practically there wasn't any reason she couldn't, but...he didn't like it. He thought for a moment about a valid reason he could use, but came up empty. It wasn't quite through gritted teeth, but it was with obvious reluctance that he responded with a "yeah, sure. Just...I know it won't be her in there, but...being intimate in...any way, really...with my sister...I'd rather not. Is that a fair compromise?"

Upon being given the all clear the former aristocrat would turn around and head for the table where he'd left Ashley's note...he figured if they were doing one uncomfortable thing he may as well do more. "Suit had a note in it from Ashley. Apparently they're about to do something that's going to shake up the place again, make it as dangerous as things were right after...everything happened. Thinks we're better off staying here, but...I have friends we can stay with, if we left today we could absolutely get back to Boulder and go to ground before whatever they've got going starts. Take Toby...he's the one that brought me here, by accident, or...not accident but not knowing we were going here...but...take him and get the three of us out of here. I don't think staying here longer than we have to is a good idea, regardless of their intent to get us involved. Does that make sense?" If asked he'd hand her the note to read, while trying to remember that that wasn't his younger sister in front of him, and that in fact he still had her...and knowing him, the ass would have her regardless of what he tried to do about it, so no sense getting all worked up about it, regardless of how much he may want to...
 

DeletedUser37114

...And apparently she'd touched a nerve. Maybe naked really was the best option. Certainly would've been the more enjoyable for her, Giles certainly would figure out how well he'd pampered her. But if she had permission, and it wasn't for too long... Harper nodded her assent before twirling her finger to signal him to turn around and shifting once she knew his eyes were off her. Getting dressed from there was a matter of grabbing all of the clothes she had gotten used to wearing and throwing them on, a simple sky blue top and plain white skirt clashing only a little with the sneakers she shoved her feet into. Not that that really bothered her right now, the clean, comfortable clothing on her skin right now felt almost as sinful as wearing nothing at all. It would be really tempting to ask Giles to just take her outfit off her and- No intimacy. Not while she looked like she did right now. Focus.

Giles was describing something about a note from Ashley. A little strand of bitter, dark emotion coiled up at that idea, but Harper tamped it back down without much effort. Apparently things were getting dangerous here again soon and Giles wanted to go back to Boulder and hide with his friends and something about a guy named Toby who... who... Harper turned to face Giles, rubbing at her forehead. "Uh. Sweetheart, I think you must've done a really, really good job in the shower because I have no idea what you're talking about." She slid by him to check her reflection in the mirror for a moment, lamenting her lost compact mirror, and froze as a stranger looked back. That wasn't her that wasn't her that... was her. Harper Song. Harper. Not Nicole. Harper. Letting out a quiet growl of frustration, she looked away, back at Giles. "I got that first part mostly, you're going to have to explain this... Toby person later. Gimme?" She kept her voice polite and body relaxed, which would have been more difficult if she hadn't just spent the last while being rigorously spoiled. Scanning the note, Harper mentally kicked her brain into gear, working through the possibilities. "You said you wanted to get back to Boulder with friends... That was where you had friends... And I'm guessing that's where you spent the last three months. If you left, I'm guessing it's because you weren't safe there. Which means that there's some reason why you wouldn't feel safe there and that means it wouldn't be a good idea to go back. Um..." Think. He was going to argue Boulder was the best place because that was his home, not because it was safe. And home turf was worth something, but she had better options than that, think think think...
 

Deleted User - 819397

Giles was taking things too fast, apparently, Harper was struggling to keep up. That was fine, he could back off and explain as he needed to...the important thing was that she agree to come with him, and...and that he remember he wasn't talking to his sister. That...that was going to be the hard part. Nicole wasn't here, she wasn't here, she was with him and wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. This was Harper in front of him, and he was thrilled to have her back from the dead. He really, honestly was. It was just hard keeping his thoughts straight with there being such a stark mismatch in people he cared about who were and were not in front of him. As she ran through her thoughts, he frowned as she made an assumption that...well, ok, he could understand why she jumped to that, it was the more logical of the two possibilities, honestly. Even so..."It was safe there. Or as safe as anywhere is anymore. Toby convinced me to come across the country with him. He...he's got some sort of imperfect precognizant ability. He gets feelings about things, and since I've met him he hasn't been wrong once. He had a feeling that coming here would be good for me...and..." the former aristocrat shifted, not wanting to go into more detail than he had to. "...Suffice it to say with how I've been...I listened because he hadn't been wrong to that point on his thoughts, and...you were here. So perfect record still." He shrugged. "Honestly even if the DPRS were watching my friends, I didn't move in with Rach until a week before leaving. Was pretending to be..." he cut off, remembering that he'd actually run into her while he was on the streets...that her appearance is what scared him into staying with his friend in the first place. He...didn't want to go there, for now, so instead he changed track. "I was living elsewhere until then, lot rougher than a friend's house. Didn't want to get them in trouble, you know? Finally Rach convinced me to move in, and right after that Toby showed up."

Giles chuckled. "Lot of explaining, I know, but bottom line is it should be perfectly safe to head back there, as long as we leave today before whatever they've got planned. Not sure Toby'll stick around, he kinda does his own thing, but from how he was acting he's gonna want out of here too. Get back to Boulder, we hide out with Rach, and wait for it all to blow over. Gets us out of here, keeps us out of sight..." he shrugged. "Unless you have a better plan, anyway...I think that's what we should do." He would be fine with most other plans, Harper had more experience than he did with this stuff, after all. He just wanted out of here. Ashley he trusted. The rest of the base, especially this Carlo person...the sooner they were gone from here to get away from them the better.
 
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DeletedUser31931

Tonya
Tonya nodded as Dante explained the situation with Giles and Harper. She didn’t exactly know either of them well, only really knowing Giles from the report they’d had as part of… the crisis. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts from that, she focused on the second part of what Dante had just finished saying. She thought back to the conversation and the plan that Ashley had just outlined to her. “It’s… uh… It’s not dangerous. Not really. But you’re not going to like it”. She paused. Ashley had said it was fine to tell Dante, as long as she trusted him to ‘keep mum’. “They need my help to break into somewhere. To break into… the old FBI base, the DSRP headquarters. Now before you go off,” she said, raising her hands to calm him at the mention of the location “before you do, hear me out. The base isn’t designed to defend against attacks by teleporters, I’m the only way in without setting off any alarms. It’ll be me, Trixie, and Kasumi. Trixie is there to keep us invisible, and we can get straight into the room we need to be in which will be undefended, we’ll be in there for five minutes, ten tops, and then we’re out. Please Dante, I caused” Tonya waved her hands around at the small, underground corridor they were standing in “this and this might be a vital part of fixing it. I know you’re not going to like it, but I’m the only teleporter they know of, I’m the only one who can help them pull this off. It has to be me.”
 
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