Twisting and Turning, Your Feelings Are Burning...

[not_a_wonder]

Parkman Plaza, Boston Common -- Vanessa Kapatelis is seated on the concrete retaining wall that connects the three bronze statues known as Learning, Industry, and Religion. She is between the man depicted using a compass and reading a book (Learning) and the man using a jackhammer (Industry).

Nessie is dressed rather smartly in a light pink skirt, pale mint green sleeveless blouse, and a blazer of a slightly darker pink. Her curly hair has been tamed with a flat iron and braided back away from her face. Her brown flats match the brown purse that she clutches on her lap. She would blend in with any of the young professionals that frequent the business sector of Boston. However, Nessie looks rather stiff and nervous as she waits, scanning the crowd for familiar faces.

A message was left on her voicemail a few days ago, instructing her to call back at a particular number. Jason Todd answered and confirmed that he'd located Donna Troy. They arranged a time to meet in Boston, when Julia Kapatelis would also be in the city. Nessie would get a chance to explain things to Donna, and hopefully they'd go on to meet up with Julia.

The therapist said it was necessary to talk out her feelings with her mother, but despite all her own training in the field of counseling, Nessie was still frightened of it. Julia hadn't meant to harm Nessie, ever, but the harm had still occurred. Addressing it... was not something that the Kapatelis women did.

And if Donna decided this problem was not worth her time... Nessie would either have to do this alone, or resort to having Jason come along as backup instead. (Nessie appreciated his willingness to help, but worried about how Julia would react to Jason.)

Nessie clutched her purse closer and silently counted to time her breathing, 'In -- two, three, four, five -- and out...' just like she'd done for Jason once. She had to stay calm.

Comments

[red_hood_rat]

Donna glances down at her outfit, apparently contextualizing the reason Jason called it out.

"So that's really the whole reason I'm here?" she asks. "To back you up with your mother? I was expecting..." she side-eyes Jason. "... trouble."

Donna shakes her head. "Listen. I'm here for you, I promise. But before we talk with your Mom... maybe we should just talk."

[not_a_wonder]

"What, did you think Jason would lie?" Nessie puts a hand on her hip and gives Donna a look. "He's my friend, but I'll grant you didn't know that. Still... what possible benefit could he have to lying about me?"

Nessie looks over at Jason, silently asking for some help -- or at least the truth. She can work with information, but not the refusal to share it.

She switches her attention back to Donna and says calmly, "If you want to talk, that's fine. That's probably fair. There's a couple benches near the big oak that we can claim for a while."

[red_hood_rat]

"I really don't know, Vanessa. It's--" Donna sighs exasperatedly.

"Oak works for me," is all Jason says.

Donna glances back at him. "Could you hang back? I want to talk to Vanessa alone for a few minutes."

Jason shrugs, looking at Nessie.

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie does not look happy with the condition that Donna gives, but she keeps her voice mild as she says to Jason, "I'm sure it will be fine. And if she rips out my traitorous heart, that's a sign for you to run the other way."

[red_hood_rat]

Jason snorts, while Donna shoots her an expression both reproachful and hurt, but leads the way to the oak tree.

"Vanessa... Nessie?" Donna says, not sure which form of address Nessie currently prefers. "How exactly did... this --" she gestures vaguely at Jason. "Happen?"

[not_a_wonder]

The pair of them leave Jason behind by the statues for now. Nessie doesn't apologize for what she said -- she's not sorry, and she wants Donna to know that the lack of trust goes both ways.

"Do you even know where I work these days?" Nessie asks, but doesn't wait for her answer to go on. "I work in Gotham City. Because it's one of the worst off places, so it's the place that needs the help the most. I assist in placing the kids whose lives get torn apart -- by drugs and crime and supervillainy -- in safe homes where they can heal, whether that's in Gotham or out of it. The Red Hood noticed what I do, and he started calling on me to help when he ran into kids like that, breaking up all kinds of illegal trades."

Her chin goes up, displaying some of the scars on her throat, as she locks eyes with Donna. "I know what it's like to passed around like an object. He stops that, for these kids who can't save themselves. We stop that. And he respects how hard I work to make up for the bad I did."

[red_hood_rat]

Donna listens -- actually listens as Nessie speaks, waiting for her to finish. After Nessie stops, Donna is quiet for a moment, thinking.

"I knew him when he was a kid," she says. "He was a good kid. His death devastated Nightwing and hurt us all. When I heard about what he did when he came back, I didn't know what to think. When he came to me after Duela's death and we got dragged into the hunt for Ray Palmer, I gave him a chance."

"It's not that he can't be nice, or heroic, or that I can't believe he can change. I always believe in redemption. It's an Amazon value. But I've seen how unstable and unpredictable he can be. He can be brutal and vicious, and he'll kill without a second thought. And it's worse because it comes out of nowhere, and he doesn't even understand why you're upset."

"There is something broken in him. And I don't want you to get hurt because of it."

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie doesn't say a word. There's so much -- maybe too much -- that she could say about this. Maybe starting with 'you knew me when I was a kid, too, before life messed me up'. But her eyes are hard and angry...

And she steps in close, throwing a sharp, vicious elbow into Donna's side. Even as that impacts, she brings her purse up, strap flying as a distraction while tries to drive her left heel into Donna's ankle and throw off the older woman's balance. The unexpectedness of the move lets it hit, and Donna yelps --

Then Nessie wraps her arms around Donna's torso and heaves her up -- belly to belly -- before throwing her in a sprawl to the ground. Donna lashes out with a kick to drive Nessie back, but Nessie ducks low and twists one of Donna's arms into a joint lock.

"Vicious," she hisses out, "unpredictable. And there's plenty broken in me, sister. Isn't it lucky that we birds of a feather flock together?"

Donna could probably break the hold. She's much stronger than Vanessa, and what offense that Vanessa was able to mount didn't do much harm even with the advantage of surprise. But she lies there for a moment, staring into Nessie's angry eyes, and says, "You're not a killer like he is."

[red_hood_rat]

Jason's plan to give them space lasts about until Nessie starts throwing hands, at which point he runs over there immediately.

"You're not a killer like he is," is the first part Jason manages to catch. So it's with some idea as to the inciting incident here that he asks --

"Whhhhat the fuck is going on here?"

[not_a_wonder]

It's through clenched teeth that Nessie responds, forcing herself to speak in a low voice. "You don't know anything. You don't know anything. Tell Sandsmark I'm not a killer, and see what she does to you."

"You were under Dr. Psycho's control!" Donna exclaims in protest. She breaks the hold that Nessie has on her, simply by overwhelming the other woman's strength, and reaches out to grab Nessie by the upper arm --

"Stop!" The cry from Nessie, full of anguish, is more than it ought to be. Not as powerful as it once was, it's still far too loud and far too physical -- enough to push Donna's seated form back toward the oak tree. Nessie chokes, and blood paints her lips and chin. She scrambles back away from the both of them.

[red_hood_rat]

Jason reflexively clamps his hands over his ears at the level of noise that hits him, though the step he takes backwards is probably more out of shock than actual force.

Donna, for her part, is staring wide-eyed. "Your voice --" she says.

"Shit, Nessie, you're bleeding," Jason says, rushing towards her. "Let me see --"

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie brings her hands up to hide her face, and coughs again -- blood splatters, in tiny aspirated droplets, onto the sleeves of her jacket. When Jason says, "Let me see," Nessie shakes her head as if to refuse.

"I thought... I thought Dr. Anderson was able to help you!" Donna moves closer, unable to hide her worry. Diana had said that Vanessa was doing fine. This looked to be the furthest thing from 'fine'.

[red_hood_rat]

"Speaking as someone who's had a lot of shrapnel removed," Jason says, still staring at Nessie, "I'm guessing they probably couldn't get it all out."

"Nessie, you're fucking bleeding, please let me make sure you are not about to choke."

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie wheezes, then spits up a gob of blood and mucus that probably coated her whole tongue -- it basically lands in her lap, and ruins her skirt. There are tears streaming down her face when she looks up at Jason and Donna again, but... after a moment, she lowers her hands and raises her chin.

Her lips move without sound, but it should be clear that she's telling him, 'Then look.'

One hand moves to press against her heaving chest -- someone with particularly sharp ears might hear a high-pitched, machine-like whine in counterpoint to her pained breaths. Donna hangs back for a moment longer, since Nessie didn't address her, and waits for Jason to approach instead.

[red_hood_rat]

Jason inspects the area carefully, pulling one of his gloves off -- and yes, he was wearing those even with the suit -- to probe the area. At this distance, the remaining cybernetics are apparent, as are the scars on her throat from various surgeries. As for her throat itself, Jason has to dig out the penlight on his pocket knife, as well as a small mirror he's carrying around because that's who he is as a person, but he definitely sees damage around the area of the cybernetics.

"Looks like whatever's left did some damage," he says. His tone is surprisingly observational and neutral, and Jason frowns as he investigates further. "Not really my area, but I don't think this is dampened properly... it's pulling at the surrounding tissue when it activates. But the injury's not real bad... I don't see anything that needs immediate medical attention."

[not_a_wonder]

Donna moves closer when Jason starts to speak, and touches one of Nessie's elbows. There's no more suspicion or anger on her face, just worry for her friend. Nessie holds her eyes for a moment before glancing away -- unable to turn with Jason still inspecting the damage.

Nessie taps at Jason's wrist to get his attention, so that he can look at her and read her lips. She mouths silently, 'Dampeners were killing me. What's left... can't come out, or it'll kill me.'

[red_hood_rat]

Jason nods, understanding. "You can type if you need... you got your phone, right? Might help."

Jason remembers spending a while not being able to speak, too... of course, his was for different reasons, and the phone wouldn't have helped him much, but it's something he thinks about surprisingly often.

"Pretty sure you're going to need to reschedule with your mother. Sorry."

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie spreads her blood-speckled hands and wriggles her fingers, looking annoyed at the suggestion. She really doesn't want to get blood on her cell phone, so she'd need to clean up before that idea is viable.

Donna goes to grab Nessie's purse where it lies on the ground, and starts to rummage around in it. After a moment, she pulls out a packet of tissues and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. She nudges at Jason, a silent request for him to get out of the way. Then she speaks to Nessie, "Here, hon. Let me clean you up a little."

Nessie considers that, then nods. She solemnly presents her hands to be cleaned off, and while she goes a little rigid when Donna continues -- cleaning her face off as well -- Nessie lets it happen.

"I'm sorry," Donna says quietly. Maybe to Nessie, maybe to Jason? It's not clear. "I shouldn't have pushed so much... I shouldn't have been so stubborn."

[red_hood_rat]

When Nessie spreads her fingers at him, Jason shrugs, muttering something about how phones can be cleaned... but it seems like Donna's beat him to it. Or rather, beat him to an even better idea. He moves aside at her prompt, standing by awkwardly as Donna cleans the blood off of Nessie. He doesn't acknowledge Donna's apology, assuming it's meant for Nessie, and instead says,

"We're all stubborn. Kind of the defining trait of the cape and cowl crowd, isn't it?"

[not_a_wonder]

Donna glances over at Jason with a sad expression, and says, "Maybe it shouldn't be. Maybe we should be more patient, more compassionate..."

Once she's been cleaned up, Nessie gets into her purse as well, pulling out her cell phone. She pulls up a Notes application and types out:

I didn't schedule anything with Mom yet. I figured I could call her after we decided who was going to come with me. I won't be able to talk for a day or two, though, so that plan is a bust.

Then she holds the phone out for one of them to take, so they can get a better look at her words.

[red_hood_rat]

Jason nods as he reads the message, then pauses.

"A day or two? How do you know --"

He cuts that train of thought off as he glances over at Donna, apparently too late to prevent her from picking up on his train of thought.

"Has this happened before?" she asks.

[not_a_wonder]

Donna offers the phone back to Nessie, so that she can type a new reply. Nessie swallows, then winces at the pain, before she begins. This time, there's some backspacing and rephrasing before she holds the screen up to where they can see it.

Dr. Anderson and her team know. We found out after the first round of surgeries to get out the implants that were being attacked by my immune system. Raising my voice above a certain volume while I am upset will set off the cybernetics that they can't remove.

First time was worst. Weeks with no voice. This time won't be so bad, I think.

I didn't let Dr. Anderson tell Mom or Diana.

"Why wouldn't y--" Donna cuts herself off, and shakes her head. "No, that's... It's your health. It's your body. You don't have to tell anyone you don't want to. But... is there a reason you didn't want people to know about it?"

Nessie gives Donna an annoyed look, and adds to the Notes document: Tell them I could still hurt them? Tell them that I'm still dangerous?

[red_hood_rat]

"Didn't mean to blurt that out in front of Donna," Jason says quietly to Nessie. "Fucked that up. ... sorry," he continues.

Louder, he continues, staring at and addressing Nessie but clearly also addressing Donna, "It's no one else's fucking business but yours. The Boy and Girl Scouts talk a big game about 'wanting to help,' but they don't actually care what you need. They just want to handle you."

[not_a_wonder]

Nessie just shrugs in response to Jason's 'sorry', flashing him a tiny smile to try to say that the apology is not necessary. At Jason's next declaration, though, she rolls her eyes and nods in exaggerated agreement.

Donna glares at Jason, annoyed at the criticism as well as the fact that Vanessa is agreeing with him. There's still a part of her that doesn't want to believe that the two are actually friends, and seeing Jason act familiar with Vanessa gets Donna's back up. She tries to keep her annoyance out of her voice when she asks,

"Is that really the way you feel, Jason? Or are you just trying to make the community sound bad because we don't agree with your methods?"

[red_hood_rat]

"Do you really want to know how I feel? Or are you just trying to discredit me because you don't want to admit I have a point?"