Enter .... Stonebridge

[Argus Steele]

Nausea was the first feeling to sink through the wall of confusion as Eve readjusted to her physical senses, and it took all she had to keep from losing her grasp on it right then and there. Someone was touching her, and that didn't help matters at all. The young woman was feeling very sensitive suddenly, had a hard time sorting out of her perceptions. She was shaken by the hands on her shoulders, which she tried to twist away from.

"Elf? Eve!! Snap out of it girl!" It took a moment longer for her to recognize the voice as belonging to Argus Steele, and realize that it was him touching her. Shaking her. The shaking was what had pulled her out, dragged her away before she could really even try to help Jasmine...

Jasmine. Turning her head that quickly made her stomach twist and do a backflip or two, but she managed to hold on - barely. The girl lay very still in bed with both doctors hovering close by, and hooked up to numerous machines to monitor her vital signs - which were almost nonexistent. "Oh God..." Looking from there to Steele, Eve's eyes teared up, and all the color was gone from her cheeks. She wanted to fall apart, wanted to break down and cry or scream or just snap altogether and leave it all behind. But she couldn't do that, because it wasn't her, because it was someone else.

For a moment she didn't know what to do, what to say. Eve hadn't told Steele much about what had happened when she'd faced off in Molly Ann's room with that daemon; she'd usually avoided the topic, or refuse to talk about it at all. Now...now she was thinking she might need to spill it all out.

But she couldn't do it there, not in front of Dr Cromwell and especially not in front of Dr. Maxwell. She'd be committed again before she could even finish talking! She didn't want to leave the room, but had to settle on dragging Steele out into the hallway by his sleeve, but kept herself in clear sight of Jasmine.

Eve folded her arms to keep from fidgeting, glancing often back into the room at the girl, and kept her voice low. "In the house, when I was the girl's room, some other things happened. I thought it was just what's-her-name screwing with my head, but when Jasmine touched me, I Saw the same thing in her. She's trying to kill Jasmine, and...and...I think it has something to do with me." A second of hesitation, before going on. "It's...She *looks* like me, but it's not me. I was gonna do...something when you woke me up."

...She was sure that didn't make much sense. Or absolutely any at all, really. Explaining wasn't easy, and she was cursing herself for not just telling him about the encounter to start with. On top of that fact, Eve wasn't sure what to do, or what she *could* do with Maxwell and Cromwell hanging around. That complicated things, and she had doubts that a mere touch would duplicate those results. Jasmine had been *reaching* for her then, and Eve had been receptive...would it even work with an unconscious person? There were just too many answers that she didn't have.

[Argus Steele]

Now this wasn't good. Newp. Not at all. He wasn't sure what happened between the two frails in there, but Steele had two choices. Well, not really. Eve needed to get her head together, and they needed to talk about what she had just told him. He had an arch of the eyebrow about what happened with her back at the house. Granted he knew something happened, but didn't want to push her until she was ready to talk about it.
The good thing was he could escort her out of Stonebridge without drawing any suspicion to either of them.

It was her friend in there, so Eve's reaction would be normal, even by Dr. Maxwell's high standards. So, when the Doctor asked if she needed to talk, Argus placed his arm around her, stepping between the good Doctor and his former patient, offering a stern expression of his own before responding ... "She just needs to get some air, then you can play twenty questions with her ... If she lets you." Now you can bet the house, that Dr. Damon Maxwell had probably had more than his fill of this arrogant outsider, and this latest interjection didn't sit well with the Doctor, no, not at all.

Eve might have thought the expression on Doc's face hilarious if not for the circumstances - in fact, she didn't even notice at all. She was too busy trying to breathe, trying to quell the nausea and clear her eyes. Falling apart wasn't going to help her here, and wouldn't help Jasmine at all. Considering that she seemed to be the only one that had any idea of what was going on...then again, maybe not considering that she was in the company of a many that seemed well acquainted with the unusual.

Truth told, she didn't really want to touch or be touched right now. She felt too open, too..delicate. But the arm kept Doc back, and gave them both an excuse to get out of there. Not to mention that she wasn't feeling terribly steady on her feet at the moment. "I don't think I'm up for a session today." Not until she decided what to say to Maxwell - if anything at all. This *would* become the hot topic in their sessions now, and she only hoped that she hadn't done or said anything weird while she was in Jasmine's mind.

Moving a little further down the hall, away from the stifling atmosphere of the room, she leaned against the sill of one of the barred hall windows, forehead against the cool glass. "...Did I say anything while I was out?" Trying to focus, ground herself, breathe. She was pretty confident Steele was on her heels, but still kept her voice down.

The good Doctor would attempt to have his say however ... "I commend you on your timely intervention back there in assisting us. HOWever, when it comes to the welfare of Eve, I have known her a lot longer than whatever this relationship you have formed with her and I will not allow you ..." He would not get to finish, for Argus had now stood between him and Eve ... "And we have all seen the results of your wonder work, Damon. She just needs to go out to get some air, after considering what happened back there with her friend. So get your head out of your professional ass, and look at the bigger picture for a change."

There were some interns and nurses that were passing by or witnessing this little exchange, either smirked or grinned, or coughed to fight back a chuckle at someone who didn't appear to be intimidated at Dr. Maxwell's bedside manner. Oh how the tension was thick between those two!! Leaving the good Doctor to stew in his collective juices, Argus gave Eve her personal space, until she was ready to talk. Glancing back over his shoulder, Argus continued to match stares with Dr. Maxwell who was still standing down the hallway, before he was finally summoned back inside Jasmine's room.

"Do anything? Nah. It was about a good 10-15 seconds before I shook you. The kid did stop struggling though. She calmed down, then her vitals went, well ..."


That meant she was in Jasmine's mind when it happened. Had she just been reaching for Eve because she was a familiar face, or did Jasmine want her to see that? She wasn't sure which to think; she wasn't sure what having the other in her head would have felt like...well, for someone else anyway.

Her pulse was still quick, but she'd manage to stop feeling like she was going to throw up, was reasonably sure that the world was stable around her. And the cold glass had felt good against her face. Still, she had to stand up straight, stop looking like she needed Doc's assistance. She was glad he'd gotten Maxwell to back off, though; she wasn't sure *what* she might have said or done if he'd kept pushing her... The young woman had straightened and though still a bit on the too-pale side, she looked more stable. Even so, she couldn't help but throw a look toward Jasmine's room. "But what if...?" She couldn't say it. It felt like a jinx to say it, as if saying it could cause the girl to fade entirely.

...But who was to say it wouldn't happen with them right there? Eve wasn't sure she could reach Jasmine again, wasn't even sure if last time had been more than just a fluke of sorts. And she had to face it: she couldn't talk there, tell him what she knew, what she'd Seen. Too many eyes and ears around them. But Eve couldn't help being a little reluctant.

"Hey, slow down. We are just going out long enough to get you some air. We can even just sit in the SUV, alright?" While Argus was escorting Eve outside, there were indeed others there that witnessed what happened inside Jasmine's room, and found it ... Quite interesting indeed.
Once outside, Argus unlocked the doors to the SUV, getting in on the driver's side, cutting on the radio, and turning the volume down low enough to where it would offset the thick silence. He'd give her a little more time before looking over at her ... "Amber? You online?"

-Always, Tommy. I'm still researching the info on Eve's medication, what's up?-

"Not sure, but I think you need to hear this."

Oh, lovely. She had a bigger audience than she thought. Eve wasn't fond of the idea of leaving, even though she didn't want to be there - but she didn't feel like she had much choice. "Alright. I guess I should start with what happened in the house, hmm?" Resting the back of her head on the seat, Eve closed her eyes, brows knitting briefly. Seeing it all again in her head. "I...Well, sweet and to the point, I ran into myself several times. Well, four to be exact, but those *were* me - times already gone by. Jesus, but that sounds whacked."

A breath she didn't realize she'd been trying to hold, and another before starting over. "Well, after those four, another came up - what looked like a future version of myself. She was... powerful. In control. But I hated her, because she was so selfish. Arrogant. Everything I can't stand. We sort of...did battle. I thought it was all just part of the illusion, but I...I missed a warning sign." Opening her eyes, she glanced down at her hand. Fingers flexing, curling and uncurling slowly in her lap. "...Remember what happened to the light fixture in the guest room? That was me, accidentally slamming a book into it after exploring telekinesis. That part wasn't illusion, so it didn't occur to me that...that *she* might not have been either."

Eve turned to look at Steele, eyes wide, an mix of fear and guilt playing across her face. "I Saw her again in there, in Jasmine. And I didn't...I couldn't...She wouldn't *leave* her, and I think it's because of me." Again, she wasn't sure she made any sense at all. Which seemed to be pretty common for her lately.

<They can't help you Eve. Telling them will only bring them closer to ... Their own ... Death. >

[Argus Steele]

"Eve?"

"Elf??"

"Mmmmm. Hey frail. Comfy?"

Awkward silence? Maybe once there was time to sit and sort all of what just happened. Argus watched as she slid back over to the passenger side before starting up the SUV and putting it in drive. Argus glanced into the rear view mirror, only to chuckle to himself as the pair drove off. "Dehm, Amber, I guess your little crazy ass idea worked!! "

-Theo, my place, ASAP. Jared's already en route.-

"On our way."


She'd been more confused than anything when it came to 'waking up' to find herself half-laying across Steele. A blink or two, and she'd realized that her head hurt massively - the word 'headache' didn't do it justice - and with a tiny groan, she'd managed to move herself back into the passenger seat without her skull actually cracking open - though it sure as hell felt like that was what was happening. The light had been too much for her eyes, leading her to close them, press the heels of her hands against her temples, elbows braced on her knees. It had felt like a withdrawal migraine, like what she'd dealt with after taking herself off the APs after her release...

Needless to say, she hadn't said much for the ride over, trying mostly to get the pain and nausea under control. More than once she'd almost told Steele to stop or pull over right then. By the time they reached Amber's place, she was reasonably sure she wasn't going to be sick in the next five minutes, though she still wasn't quite herself.

Jared was waiting for them just outside Amber's abode, as the SUV pulled up ... "What in the Hell's going on? Amber's acting all weird ... Even fer her!!! Did I miss something Argus?"

Steele would shut the driver side door, scratching his chin.... "I got to meet the good Doctor, and he's a dxck. I think he has the hots for the Elf here, and was trying to pull the Alpha male bullshxt with me."

Eve was kind of glad to be out of the SUV, to get to move and feel the solid earth beneath her sneakers - even if she *didn't* feel like the most stable person at the moment. It made everything seem a little more real somehow, even if she knew that at Amber's place, there could be different facades up. Reality was relative, but she was willing to work with it so long as there weren't daemons or the dead running around. "Really? I always saw him as the kind to go more for your type." Responded a little dryly, with her voice a tad lower than usual, stormy eyes still narrowed in order to deal with the light. Not fully recovered, maybe, but bouncing back enough to joke around. "But yes, he is an axs now, has always been an axs, and I'm sure will continue to be an axs. Hi, Jared."

"Then the Doctor needs a Doctor, 'cause my gate swings for the gender has that occasional wide eyed look. "

Jared would just look from one to the other, shaking his head. "Please don't tell me Steele is rubbing off on you!! Gods save us from two wise asses!!"

Amber's doors would open once again of their own accord, beckoning the trio inside. Argus' smirk turning into a smile, seeing that whatever happened with Eve, she was already trying to recover from it, or at least pretending to. They would meet up in the main living room which featured an actual 21st century look. Southern style of course. Jared kept looking about the room for several moments, as if he were searching for something/someone ...

"Okay, where's our hostess? And what's with the modern look? I thought she was all gone with the wind?"

Argus wasn't listening to Jared right then, his focus was more on the chilled bottles of beer that was waiting for him. There were also assorted sandwiches and fruit juices. "Its because this is serious, Jared, and we don't need illusions right now."

A slight hum proceeded her entrance, but there was Amber ... In the flesh!!! Be it via a state of the art wheel chair. She looked .... more pale than usual, her voice sans that rough edge she spoke with. A quick nod given to all before her eyes lingered on Argus ... "Theo, we have a serious problem, and it's, well ... Eve." That announcement had all eyes on a *certain* someone.

Sublimating her fear and anxiety was something Eve had gotten good at over the years - it was still there, but set aside to worry about later. At Jared's comments about Steele rubbing off on her, Eve could only shrug. There wasn't much way for them to know that she always had that smart-alecy side, right along with a too-tender heart - but it was harder to see beneath the defensive layers she'd had to construct over the years. She followed the two men in, hooking her thumbs through the little belt-loops on her jeans, looking around. Well, it definitely looked much different from the last time she's seen it..

Seeing Amber in the flesh left her blinking in surprise, eyes widening just briefly.. And...just ignore that deer in the headlights look that came with Amber drawing the attention her way. Who, me? "It's...I mean..." Back up, start over, try again. "I'm not sure I really understand anything that's happened today." A shrug, mouth tightening a little. "What *was* that?"

"I've been looking over the past events, and they seem to tie into Eve ... Or more importantly, her abilities." Argus would nod in agreement in between swallows. "Yeah, I've been seeing sort of a pattern myself with Elf." Argus would point at her before continuing ... "My theory is, they are getting her to use those powers of hers more and more ... The book store and the fire? I don't think that was her, but it could have been used enough to make Elf ponder it. Loosen you up a tad. Then there was Molly Ann... Then in Stonebridge with Jasmine. They're seeing what you can do ... Maybe using that to even keep tabs on you."


Jared? He was doing the tennis match head movement, with nothing to add just yet.


She liked this less and less, the more she heard. Her fingers curled, uncurled, and she finally paced further into the room, nibbling her lower lip thoughtfully. Something one of the daemons had said was bouncing around in her head, rebounding off the proverbial walls. 'Soon she will be strong enough to take over your physical body, leaving you nothing more than an...after thought.' Finally, shrugging, she looked up at Steele, features carefully blank. "Did you hear what she was saying? That...she will just take me over eventually?" A moment of nibbling her lower lip, brows drawing together in a frown. By the look on her face, she didn't like that, not at all. Was that she walked around with Nora inside? The very idea made her feel dirty, to the point of wanting to scrape at her skin. "But if there has to be someone inside of Stonebridge, would it have to be someone I've been around?" That made sense to her, but her logic was often a bit off.

"If so...why not Doc? He's been 'treating' me since I was a kid. But there are a *lot* of people that work there, and that's not even mentioning the people locked up..." It was probably part of the game, to make them think themselves into circles. It could certainly be effective for tiring her out, mentally.

Jared would clear his throat, now ready to add his input... "So you think that Mortimus bugger might have been involved with the ones that looked for Eve at the coffee shop? So why kill him? Loose end maybe? Served his purpose? Then the whole thing with Molly Ann and her parents? Anyone else see how that screamed setup? And from what you're all saying that something happened at Stonebridge? We're bloody puppets!"

Argus finished off his first beer, while reaching for the second ... "Mind games. They're Daemons, people. And we have what they want. It's not about logic. The longer we have Eve, the more she's learning about not only herself, but what she can do. They're trying to keep her and us off balance. Let's play the betray card, and make us paranoid about Elf here, and drive her to them. Bush league tactics. Hey Amber, did you find anything on Molly Ann?"

Amber looked up, like a light bulb suddenly went off, doing the ole face palm. "Dammitt Theo, I'm sorry!! I almost forgot!! You were dead on!!! She was once a patient of .... Dr. Cromwell, of the Safehaven Institute, in Seattle. He transferred to Stonebridge several years ago, bringing Molly Ann with him, releasing her in the care of Foster Parents that he recommended himself ..."

Jared's only response was a muttered ... "Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun!!"

For a moment, she had the weird feeling that she was on the outside of the situation, looking on. They had a way of talking about her as if she wasn't present, but then again, she wasn't putting in much that was terribly useful, either. But...but was Steele talking about taking her *back* to Stonebridge? Naturally, that one didn't sit well with her, made her eye him all blank-faced for a moment, just listening in. "Cromwell. Yeah, he was an ass too." Reminded her of Maxwell sometimes, but..harsher, maybe. They both had that 'doctor knows best' attitude that really *had* made her want to lose it. If he was involved, it wouldn't surprise her too much - but it *would* surprise her if Dr. Maxwell wasn't involved. Ah well, her instincts couldn't be right about everyone, never mind that her own dislike and distrust of the man made her a bit biased.

This was all getting to be enough to make her want a beer herself; instead, she picked up a bottle of juice. Mostly toyed with it rather than drank it, picking at the label with a fingernail. By her way of thinking, Cromwell had certainly had plans for Molly Ann, else he probably would have kept her locked up, beneath his thumb. Maybe she'd been an experiment, or someone they'd apparently been keeping tabs on, like her. Maybe not.

Amber would nod once again, in response to Eve's comment, as she handed Argus another file ... "You'll like this one." Argus' arched an eyebrow before opening/reading the folder ... Then he arched his eyebrow again before passing the folder to Jared, once he read it, began swearing in his New Zealand dialect. Shaking his head, he handed the file over to Eve. Inside was info on two males. She knew the faces of both. One worked in the bookstore that burned down, Mortimus. The other was the one that came with the girl that Eve when she worked at the coffee shop.

Both were former patients of .... DR CROMWELL!!!!

"Just gets better and better." After looking the file over, Eve gave her head a shake. "Lovely." Looked like the good doctor had been busy. "Alright. So what's the next step?"