#chatzy: nadia

[rocket-remmy]

A Tale of Two Nadias || Nadia, Notia, and Remmy

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @humanmoodring​ and @whatsin-yourhead​ SUMMARY: Remmy talks to Nadia. And Nadia. They come to a somber revelation.

People had to sleep. People with heartbeats, even faint ones, had to sleep, and Nadia was no such person, even if she was able to, occasionally, hang out with them. Regan had to sleep, Blanche had to sleep, and Sammy was kind, and sweet, but sometimes, sometimes, Nadia needed to be alone. Even like this, she was an introvert. But she liked being in places where there was life and light and noise. Even when she was younger and at home, she liked to take walks by herself, exploring the neighborhood where she lived. There was always light, always evidence of life. White Crest wasn’t Phoenix, though. Sometimes, the streets were just dead. But she wandered them anyway, trying to keep herself tethered in the moment. One foot, then another. She made sure her feet didn’t slip into the sidewalk, made sure that she avoided fire hydrants and light poles and cracks. If she didn’t pay attention, if she wasn’t careful, she’d end up blinking and it would be morning or mid afternoon. Losing time was the scariest. She didn’t know where she went, and she was so worried that one day she wouldn’t make it back. She moved her boot out of a weed that grew up through a crack in the concrete, concentrating more on her steps than where she was actually going.

 Remmy needed to find Nadia, and they needed to find her fast. She was going to do something stupid, or hurt someone, or someone was going to hurt her, and Remmy needed to help. They had to help. They’d failed Lydia, they couldn’t help Deirdre, and Constance was seeming more and more like a lost cause. There had to be at least someone they could help, right? There just had to be. Their feet pounded the pavement as they ran around town. They didn’t know where they were going, or what they were looking for, but they just needed to keep going. To find her. She had to be somewhere, but she was probably good at hiding. She was a criminal, after all. She’d hurt people, just like Lydia, just like Deirdre. So why did Remmy care so much? Was she really lying the entire time? They couldn’t decide. They just needed to see her, find her. They need to-- “Nadia?” They skidded to a stop. There she was, across the road, except-- she was see through. “Wait-- real Nadia?” They crossed the street quickly, dodging a car on their way. “I thought you were with Blanche? And-- oh, shit, sorry. Uh, I’m Remmy. Blanche’s friend. Are you-- what are you doing out here?”

 Looking up at the sound of her name, Nadia locked eyes with the stranger as they walked towards her, a bit surprised that someone could see her. Was this a stranger? They clearly knew her far better than she knew them and-- and they looked familiar. Like someone from a dream. “Real Nadi-- I mean, yeah, sort of?” She was, she was, she was. She was real. “Yes, I’m real.” She looked around, made sure that they wouldn’t be overheard. The street was pretty dead, aside from the two of them aside from the car that almost hit this person, causing Nadia to flinch and reach out like it’d do something. Though, maybe that meant that it was still quite dead. At least on her end. She was a bit confused. “I, uh, I’m staying with Blanche, I, like, bounce between her apartment and a friend’s cabin. But they sleep, you know, and I don’t, so sometimes I just… walk.” Remmy. It took her a second to process. Remmy. Nadia’s eyes widened, and she imagined she’d feel sick if she actually had a stomach. “Oh, god, fuck, you’re-- I’m so sorry, and we’ve-- I almost fucking killed you.” She put a hand over her mouth, and then she just stared at them. The way they’d started talking to her didn’t make sense. Why did they differentiate her as the real Nadia? “You… You weren’t looking for me, were you?” she asked quietly.

 “Shit, s-sorry, I didn’t mean like--” Remmy started, but immediately stopped, because they didn’t know what they did mean. “I meant you’re actually Nadia. Not...Cordelia Nadia.” It still felt strange saying the name and attributing it to someone who had asked to be called a different name. But Remmy supposed it wasn’t fair to Naida, either, to have her name stolen like that.  “What? Oh, n-no, you don’t have to apologize for that! It wasn’t you. It was, you know, other you,” a beat, “Cordelia.” They looked around the street, wondering if she was somehow nearby, “I-- no,” they admitted quietly, bouncing on the balls of their toes. “Sorry. I just-- I think she’s going to do something stupid again. And I--” how did they explain to Nadia that they might actually care about the person possessing her body? That they didn’t want her to suffer anymore than she needed to? Would Nadia hate them? They swallowed. “Is everything okay? I-- I mean of course it’s not okay okay, you lost your body, but I just mean…you look kinda lost.”

 “Hey, no, don’t apologize, seriously,” Nadia said, feeling bad for the way Remmy stumbled over their words. “But, yeah, I’m just Nadia.” It was a struggle, to imagine that someone thought of her and Cordelia as a… the same. Maybe the same was too strong of a word, but having the same face, the same voice. It reminded her, just a bit, about the fact that for awhile after everything with Kaden and Regan in the cabin, she hadn’t been able to tell where she ended and Cordelia began. “I was there, though. I remember… flashes. It might as well have-- I was there.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You know, I didn’t know her name until pretty recently. You can-- I mean, she’s Nadia, to you. You can call her that.” She frowned, torn between anger and absolute fear at the thought that Cordelia could be doing something awful. “Of course, of course she’s doing something stupid. I mean, she doesn’t have anyone to stop her, and she’s spiralling.” Nadia looked away. “Not, like, that I was good at stopping her.” Did she really look lost? She looked around the street. She was lost. “I mean, it’s going? I’m, uh, it’s totally going. You? I mean, it’s been-- How long has it been? Since-- since. Are you okay?”

 “Well, I mean…” Remmy started, rubbing the back of their head, “even if you were there, I-I don’t blame you. Or her, really, but that’s...complicated…” they muttered, glancing down. They knew everyone else thought Cordelia was bad and nothing but, but Remmy had seen a side of her they supposed she hadn’t shown anyone else here. There was a lost, scared girl inside of all the rage and anger and loneliness, and Remmy just wanted to reach her. Just once. Remmy wanted to try and save her. “No, no,” Remmy said, shaking their head, “she’s Cordelia. She’s just...confused, I think. She died really young, and that’s-- well, I think anyone would be desperate for a second chance if they got it, like that. And I-- I wanna stop her. I wanna help her. I know she’s done some real bad shit and you don’t have to agree with me or even like me, but I--” they swallowed, “I think she deserves a chance to go peacefully.” Nadia’s next words struck Remmy a little painfully in the chest. They looked away. “I’m fine, really. I-- got over it, obviously. It, um-- there was a way to stop the poison, I guess. My friend helped me. So, really, I’m okay.”

 “Uh, thanks. Thanks,” Nadia said quietly. She didn’t know how they couldn’t blame her, or Cordelia. Cordelia had poisoned them. Cordelia had robbed people. Cordelia had killed people. There were a lot of things for her to be blamed for, a lot of things that Nadia would be blamed for. “Confused is… a word for her, yeah.” But she personally didn’t think that Cordelia was confused at all. “I was a lot younger than her when she possessed me for the first time,”  she muttered. Twenty-one, actually, in comparison to Cordelia’s mid-thirties or whatever. Not even out of college, not having lived her life. At least Cordelia had gotten to have a dazzling career. She frowned, though, but she wasn’t mad. If anything, she understood what Remmy was saying. “I’m not, like, upset that you want to help her. I mean, you know more about her than I do, you probably got to see a side of her that I’m probably not even capable of seeing in her. I don’t-- I don’t want her to suffer. She should get to move on.” She paused and looked at her feet. “I just don’t think that’s possible.” She sighed in relief. “I’m glad your friend was there. Morgan, right? She figured everything out pretty quick, you know. I, like, vaguely remember her. She cares a lot about you.”

 “And I was a lot younger than her when I died,” Remmy pointed out, “that doesn’t mean it wasn’t…” But they didn’t finish. Justifying Cordelia to Nadia didn’t seem quite like the right move. They shook their head. “All I mean is...it’s not meant to be comparable. And I-- I’m so sorry,” they deflated, “that that happened to you. I can’t even...imagine what it’s like, to have your life stolen.” Well, they could a little. Not in the same way as Nadia, sure, but their life had been stolen from them the second they signed those recruitment papers. And now, almost fifteen years later, they were finally getting it back. “Maybe it’s not possible anymore, but I-- I can’t just give up without trying. And if-- if she’s doing something stupid or bad, I might be the only person who can stop her. So I have to try.” It was that simple, really. They just had to try. “Morgan? Oh, um--” they looked around, then back at Nadia, “Y-yeah, she’s...yeah. I know.” Even if she hated their guts right now. Even if she looked at them like they were just as bad as Constance right now. They looked back at Nadia. “I-- I don’t want to like, leave you if you need help or anything, but I-- I really should go find Cordelia. You can um, come with if you want? She can’t see you, right?”

 “Wait, dead? You’re… That’s why you can see me, isn’t it? I’m--” Nadia laughed a bit anxiously “I think you probably know me better than I know you.” She didn’t think she was going to get used to someone knowing about her because of Cordelia, recognizing her even when she’d never met them before in her life. “I get what you mean,” she said. “I do. I really do. It’s not comparable, and she was-- is a person.” And people sometimes ruin lives. It was a thing. Cordelia was a piece of shit, but… Nadia would have felt bad, saying that in front of Remmy. “Hey, no, don’t apologize. You don’t have to-- It really could be a lot worse. At least I can actually try to return to my body.” That was more than Nadia could say for Cordelia. She did feel bad for the ghost. She did, she really did. But that didn’t change that Nadia knew she was going to have to be destroyed. “You’re a good person for trying, you know? You really are.” She watched Remmy for a bit, wishing she hadn’t said something that made them stutter like that. But when they asked if she wanted to join them, she just shook her head. “No, I can’t come with you. I don’t… She’ll know I’m there. I’ve been able to sense ghosts since the first exorcism, and she-- I think she’d recognize me.” The thought of that would have made her sick if she’d been able. She smiled softly instead. “I think I’m just gonna walk around for a bit more. It’s a nice night. But… I hope you find her, and I hope that you still recognize in her the person that you care so much about. You deserve that, Remmy.” She didn’t have to be an empath to see how kind they were. They deserved kindness in return.

 “Oh, um-- yeah,” Remmy stuttered, forgetting that being undead wasn’t really common knowledge, “I thought maybe you knew since...she knew.” Cordelia knew what Remmy was and she hadn’t told another soul, but she still wanted Remmy to believe she didn’t-- or couldn’t-- care about them. It was contradictory, really. “It’s-- yeah.” Complicated was the only word that came to mind, but it was more than that. “I-- I’m sorry she did all that to you. No one deserves that…” they shuffled a little on the sidewalk, looking at her as she explained why she wouldn’t come with. It made sense, of course she didn’t want to come with. Remmy suddenly felt bad for ever asking. “S-sorry, no, I-- sorry…” They back peddled a little, rubbing the nape of their neck. “It’s, um-- yeah. Thanks, I-- I hope she is, too. Just-- take care of yourself until you can get your body back, okay, Nadia? You-- a lot of people care about you.” 

 “We didn’t really communicate that much, surprisingly. Most of the things I know about her are from her feelings, or other people.” Or the things she’d done. Nadia almost didn’t know what to do with this situation, seeing the way someone actually viewed Cordelia in something other than a negative light. “Thanks,” she said, and she meant it. Remmy seemed so kind. She worried, for a moment, that Cordelia would do something to take that from them, but she had to hope that Remmy’s kindness was stronger than any bullshit that Cordelia could throw their way. “You don’t have to apologize, I swear. I even appreciate that you asked. I just… can’t face her. Not right now.” She would, soon, and she wasn’t quite ready to deal with that, yet. “I’ll do my best. And, uh, thanks. Take care of yourself, too, Remmy.” She paused, wanted to say more, to warn them, but she didn’t think they’d appreciate it. Instead she waved and walked off, and she hoped they found what-- who-- they were looking for.

 Remmy watched Nadia go for a moment, wondering if what they were doing was really right, or good. But they weren’t sure, either, that they had time to linger on that thought. After every other failure they’d been through, they felt as if they had to put everything they had left into this. Into helping at least one person. Into proving that they could be better than Lydia. That they could stand their ground on their convictions. Once Nadia was out of sight, they turned, and started back on their search. They had to find Cordelia, they just had to. They spent almost the whole night looking, they were worried dawn was going to break before they could find her. It was a good thing zombies couldn’t get tired. They spotted her, finally, coming out of a bar, and once Remmy stopped, they realized that a zombie could get tired, just not physically. Their heart felt heavy. “Nadia?” they called out, keeping a distance from her. She wouldn’t have known they were coming, she couldn’t feel their emotions. “I-It’s Remmy.”

 Honestly, Nadia couldn’t tell if her head was fuzzy because she’d drank too much or from the overpowering scent of someone else’s perfume. Or maybe it was from the heady feeling of being surrounded by so many people, so many emotions. But it was very fuzzy by the time she walked out of the bar. She didn’t even realize someone was calling her name until she looked up. She saw Remmy and smiled, momentarily excited to see a face that she knew liked her. Before she remembered that it wasn’t so certain that they liked her at all. The smile quickly faded, though she took a step forward, legs steady despite being pretty fucking drunk and in heels. “Heya, Remmy,” she said, putting a smile back in place. She was briefly reminded of the first time she’d met them; they’d found her in the middle of the night, then, too. She wondered if this was something they just did, wandering around in search of damsels in distress. “How’s it going?”

 Cordelia was drunk, Remmy could tell that much. They almost felt a hiccup of hope when she smiled at them, but it was washed away when the smile faded and her eyes turned sharp. They paused, unsure if they should approach. She wasn’t trying to shoot them or stab them, yet, so that was nice. Did she know how to kill a zombie? Would she try and kill them? They took a tentative step forward. “I was looking for you,” they said in lieu of answering her question. They were sure that wasn’t really what she meant when she asked it. “I just want to talk,” they said, taking another step, trying to not scare her off. If she ran, they supposed they could run faster and probably catch her, but chasing her down wasn’t really something they felt like doing at the moment. Or ever. “Can we go somewhere?”

 “Looking for me?” Nadia asked, and a smirk worked its way onto her features, cool and not at all kind. “Well, cutie, you found me.” Maybe the night was salvageable. She wasn’t going to kill Remmy-- after the first failed attempt, she didn’t even think she could. But she could still have fun with them, if they behaved. If they didn’t try to turn her in to that fucking medium. “Talking’s no fun.” She pouted, just a bit, as she walked towards them. Hopefully, she wouldn’t startle them away. She wished she could tell what they were feeling, even if they did wear their heart on their sleeve. Seeing wasn’t the same as knowing. She was close to them, almost close enough to touch. “Where do you wanna go?” she asked, voice practically a purr. “What do you wanna do?” She hoped this wasn’t some redemption bullshit, though she figured it probably was, unfortunately. As long as they didn’t try anything foolish, though, she wouldn’t have to fuck ‘em up. 

 Remmy could feel their throat beginning to close as Cordelia came closer. But they stood their ground, didn’t move. Swallowed the lump in their throat and looked at her with steady eyes. “I just said,” they pointed out, “I just wanna talk. And, I dunno-- make sure you’re not doing something stupid. You...kinda seemed like you were going to do something stupid.” Whatever that meant, Remmy wasn’t sure. They knew that Cordelia wasn’t a good person-- in life or death-- and that she was no a poltergeist, but something in them just wouldn’t let go of her. Something in them so desperately held on to the idea that they could do something to save her from herself. From the pain that she would surely endure if she tried to hang on to Nadia’s body. And maybe that was just it, maybe Remmy already ached so much for her knowing the pain they’d both gone through, and not wanting her to have to feel that again. “We can go to the park,” they offered quietly, “there’s some secluded benches.”

 “Well, damn.” Nadia said, but she wasn’t particularly surprised. “Like I said, talking’s no fun.” She narrowed her eyes, feeling indignant rage bubbling under the surface. “Something stupid? Like what? Be specific, Remmy. What kind of stupid things would I be doing?” She hadn’t killed anyone tonight, that wasn’t stupid. It wouldn’t have even been stupid if she’d killed someone; it’d have been thrilling. She almost regretted not going home with someone, especially with the way this conversation was going. She gritted her teeth, though, counted to ten, and then let out a sigh. “I wasn’t gonna fuckin’ do anything stupid. But, yeah, alright. Yeah. Park sound’s nice.” Fuck. She bent down, taking off her heels and losing a couple of inches. She looked Remmy in the eyes, motioning them forward with the hand that had her shoes dangling from her fingers. “After you, then.”

 “I dunno, getting yourself hurt,” Remmy said immediately, wondering where the bite in their voice came from. Wondering why they were still so concerned with someone who clearly didn’t want to be saved. “Falling out of more windows, maybe?” They waited a moment for her, wondering if she would even go with them, or if she’d turn and walk the other way the second they walked by. But they sighed and trudged forward, and motioned for her to follow, leading them down the street from the bar to the Common. It was always so eerily quiet here at night, like a bubble existed around the area that tried its hardest to keep out all the shit from the town. Remmy led them to a bench and sat down, hoping Cordelia would join them. “Are you...how are you?” they asked, suddenly realizing even after all their searching and all their worry, they had no idea what they actually wanted to say to her. 

 A look of mock hurt worked its way onto Nadia’s features. “That was one time. You ever gonna let that one go?” Truth be told, the sharpness in their tone wasn’t something that she expected or really liked. She knew Remmy was pissed at her. Like, it was a fucking given after the hurt their medium pal. But she’d hoped that they still saw enough of a person in her to not to express their anger. She stewed on that as they walked, Remmy’s back to her, briefly. She could’ve just walked away. She probably should have. But she’d liked them, once upon a time, before they’d hurt her. She wanted them to still like her, too. She sat beside them, angling her knees to brush against theirs. “Me? Oh, I’m doing fucking fantastic. New place to sleep, new jobs. I go out every night, have a ton of fun. I’m really living my best life, I think.” She’d killed four people, watched the life fade from their eyes. It was like she was adding more life to herself, everytime she did it. “What about you, cutie? You making it?”

 “No,” Remmy said with a shrug, “probably not.” They knew Cordelia wasn’t a good person-- she hurt people. She hurt Blanche on purpose. She was a poltergeist. She had probably killed people at this point. But Remmy couldn’t let go of the want, the need, to try and get through to her somehow. They were done watching people suffer. They just wanted one person to hold onto. Their eyes fell to their touching knees and Remmy swallowed. Once upon a time, they’d have liked this. Sitting here, talking to her. Being near her. Once upon a time, Remmy thought they might have actually liked her in a way more than friends. “So you’re happy?” they asked, looking back up at her. “I’m-- kind of struggling. Surprised you care to ask, though. I thought you hated me.”

 Rolling her eyes, Nadia snorted. “Of course you won’t.” Had she even thought, for a moment, that they would? No, Remmy didn’t seem like the kind of person to let anything go, even when it’d end up better for them. Hell, they’d seemed so sure that they could still help her move on, even when they both knew she was passed that point. Moving on wasn’t an option anymore. “Happy?” she asked, rolling the word over on her tongue. Was she? Depended on what qualified as happy. Killing, stealing, and just fucking destroying things gave her a major sense of satisfaction, but she didn’t know if that qualified as happy. Still, she gave them a large grin. “Babe, I’m ecstatic with the way my life’s going right now.” She let it shift off of her features just as quickly as it came, though, sighing sharply through her nose. “Should I not have asked? I don’t hate you, Remmy. You upset me, and I wanted you to fuck off, but I don’t hate you. I hate a lot of people and things and even places, but you’re not one of ‘em.” She actually didn’t know what she thought of them. She really didn’t hate them, but she was more lukewarm to them than she had been. She could still act like she cared, though. What she was hadn’t ripped her off all abilities to be a damn good actress. “I’m sorry you’re struggling. Seriously, you don’t deserve to.”

 The hesitation was all it took for Remmy to know Cordelia was lying. But they weren’t going to point that out. Blanche had said she was a poltergeist, she was beyond saving-- but here she was, sitting here, talking to them. Normally. She wasn’t hurting anyone right now, was she? Would she hurt someone else if Remmy let her go? Had she already hurt people tonight? They looked away. Lydia was unsaveable now, dead and gone and irredeemable. But Cordelia was still here. She still had a chance to change and do the right thing, poltergeist or not. Right? “That’s just life though, isn’t it? A struggle.” They looked back over at her, into her eyes. As if pleading with her to hear them out. “You really don’t hate me? I mean, I’m glad you don’t,” they sighed, “I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it, if you did. So many things have changed, so many people have hurt me. I don’t why I’m trying so hard for you, Cor-- er, Nadia…” They rubbed their head again. “Sorry.” Sometimes it felt like they didn’t know anything, anymore. They were losing so much, letting go of someone else, however cruel they might be, felt too painful.

 “I mean, sure, life’s a struggle, but it’s not supposed to be all the time.” Nadia would stand by that, especially now. “Sometimes it’s gotta be fun, you know?” Things had been mostly fun for her, lately. Or, least, boring, with brief flashes of fun that she chased like a hungry hound after a rabbit. She couldn’t handle boredom like she could before. She chalked it up to… not quite missing Nadia Diaz, but not being used to her not being there. Even when Nadia had been asleep, she’d still been a presence in the back of Nadia’s mind, and it was odd not to have her there. She had to fill the emptiness somehow. Dancing, fucking, killing. She had to fill it somehow. “No, I really don’t hate you. You haven’t really done anything hate worthy.” And they hadn’t, seriously. Hating them would be so easy; it was pretty fucking easy to hate everything, but she didn’t want to. Hating them would take time outta hating other things. She felt a muscle in her jaw twitch at their words, though, and she looked away. “I’m-- that’s shitty. I don’t know why you’re trying so hard for me, either, though. I mean, I’m hot, totally.” She sighed. “Cordelia Gregory is dead. Her body? Worm food. But Nadia Diaz’s heart’s still beating, and I’m the one that’s making it beat. Until I stop it, I’m Nadia. Okay?”

 Remmy was quiet for a long time. They didn’t quite understand why Cordelia wanted so badly to be Nadia. Not just in name, but in body, too, it seems. If she had loved her life so much, then why was she trying so hard to leave it behind. Remmy let out a long breath. They knew what they had to say was only going to anger or upset Cordelia, but they knew, at this point, it needed to be said. “But she isn’t dead,” they finally stated, turning a tentative eye to look over at her sat beside them on the bench, “she’s you.” They reached up, slowly, and put a hand on her chest, over her heart. “You might have Nadia’s body, but you’re still Cordelia, you know. It’s the spirit, the mind, that makes someone a person. Not the body. Not the fingerprints or the hair or the eyes. Cordelia Gregory’s body might be worm food, but she doesn’t have to be.” They looked into her eyes squarely, “You don’t have to suffer.”

 “Yeah, well, outside of this body, I’m pretty fucking dead.” Nadia looked down at where Remmy’s hand pressed against her chest, Nadia Diaz’s frantic heart beating in her chest. Because it was her heart, she’d won it fair and square but… it also wasn’t, and there was little she could do to change that. She leaned away, though she gave them a savage grin. “Cordelia’s dead, Remmy. You wouldn’t have liked her, anyway. Or maybe you would’ve, if your taste in people’s as shitty as it seems.” She couldn’t do this. Nadia looked away from Remmy, standing. “I’ve got nothing waiting for me but suffering, babe. I wracked up enough of it when I was Cordelia. Forgive me for trying to outrun it while I can.” Actually, all she had waiting for her was nothing. That’s all she had left for herself. “But, hey, I like being like this. I wanted this. Can’t complain for getting what I wanted.” Nadia gave them a wink. “It’s been fun, cutie, but I’ve got thing to do. I’ll walk you home if you don���t try and save my soul.” 

 Remmy looked at Nadia-- at Cordelia-- and felt the words digging deep into their chest. She was right-- she was dead. As dead as Remmy. Technically more. If they could trade places with her, they would. But she didn’t think she wanted that. There was something about Nadia’s body that Cordelia had become obsessed with. Her words were a painful reminder of all the friends they’d lost along the way, and how they’re heart craved to hold on to something to someone. But this-- this was wrong. This wasn’t it, was it? Remmy watched Cordelia stand and looked up at her. They stood up, stiffly, and gave a sigh. “I’m sorry, Cordelia,” they muttered, but motioned for her to lead. “I won’t try to save you anymore.” Because, sometimes, people just couldn’t be saved.

[detectivedreameater]

How To Tell A Lie|| Nadia and Marley

Why drink alone when you can drink with somebody else?

Finishing her beer, Nadia figured she’d have just one more before she paid her tab and headed back home. The more she did this, go out and drink or eat in public places, the better she was getting about being around people. She still hated it; it still stressed her out and made her horribly uncomfortable, but she no longer felt like she was on the verge of having a really bad time. She usually just tried to focus her weird empath abilities on one person at a time, like the bartender. It would have been better if she went out with people that she knew; might make things easier. But Nadia was stubborn, and, really, very few people enjoyed going out late on a weeknight. She had to be one of the few people in town not trying to get on a normal sleeping schedule now that the sun was back. She motioned for the bartender to fix her one more and sighed, trying to untangle his boredom from hers. 

The myriad of bars that existed in White Crest were begging to bore Marley. They were all the same. You had your tame, upper middle class bar- Dell’s. You had your weirdos bar- Soul on the Rocks. You had your cop bar, the karaoke bar, the “supernatural” bar, and the “magic” bar. And that was about it. There were little dives here and there, but none of them ever really lasted. So it was with a finality that Marley found herself back at The Perfect Pint. It was the best bar in town if you were looking for good, cheap beer and a good, cheap, lay. Which Marley was looking for both. But what she found was something even better. The girl at the bar, looking more placid and bored than even the bartender, had something a little special. Marley didn’t even need to look at her to know it. It wafted off of her like the smell of fresh baked bread. Fear. Picking up her drink, a dark stout, Marley shifted the few seats over and sat next to the woman at the bar. “Wanna know a secret?” she asked quietly, leaning in with a grin. 

 Not expecting anyone to come up to her, Nadia started a bit as the curly haired woman moved in beside her and leaned in close. She wasn’t so easily startled; well, that was a lie, but she was a bit jumpier than usual. Ever since Regan had stayed the night, she’d been sleeping a bit worse, like something was inherently wrong and she just didn’t know it. She tried not to think about it. Confident and cool, the woman had that muted quality that Nadia was learning to associate with two different kinds of people: those that were really closed off, and those that were supernaturally inclined. She cocked her head to the side, interested in how this conversation was going to go but ready to easily let the other woman down if she was just coming over to flirt. She gave a soft smile. “Sure, what’s the secret?” 

Marley shifted a little. Whoever this girl was, the fear radiating from her was almost enough to just bask in. But Marley being Marley, she wanted more. She shifted the sunglasses on her face a little, pointing towards the back of the bar. “There’s a spot in the very back where the sound gets weird, and you can hear almost every conversation in the bar,” she said, before leaning away, taking a sip of her beer. Whatever was up with this woman, Marley wanted to know everything about her. And she could easily find out-- that’s what she did, after all. She was a profiler and a damn good one. “It’s a good cure for boredom,” she said with a shrug, “just saying.” 

Not exactly what Nadia was expecting, but her grin widened a bit. “Yeah?” She didn’t really need to hear every conversation going on in the bar, but this woman didn’t need to know that. And, besides, it might be fun. She was a bit buzzed and more than a little bored from hanging around the bartender for too long, and this woman was interesting. “Sounds interesting. I bet I could tell you if they’re lying or not.” She usually played her game from a distance, reading people’s emotions and then making up stories as to why they felt that way. However, if they could already hear the conversations, then it was easier to switch things up. It was fun to occasionally be a human lie detector. “Because I won’t lie, it has been a bit boring, which I’d probably be okay with if I wasn’t about to fall asleep right here.” 

Now that was intriguing. Was this woman something “extra” as well? Interest piqued, Marley took the bait. “Oh yeah?” she tapped the side of her glass. “Well, before you go on, I should probably lay out on the table that I’m a profiler,” she said, giving a grin, “so if you wanna play the “who’s lying” game, then you’re on. But I think I’ll win.” She nodded towards the place she’d pointed out before. “Wanna make a bet?” She asked, picking up her drink and sliding from the chair. “Whoever gets the most right, wins. Loser buys the next round. Does that sound less boring?” 

Raising her eyebrows a bit, Nadia really looked at the woman in front of her. A profiler? She’d never met one before. She wondered if that was something she’d be good at, but she shot that down pretty quick. Being able to sense a person’s immediate feelings wasn’t the same as knowing their character. Plus, she was a wanted criminal with a record a mile long. Still, it’d be interesting. “Is there much use for profiling in White Crest?” she asked. There was a shit ton of crime, sure, but most of it seemed to get covered up at the end of the day. She didn’t imagine there were many suspects that needed to be interviewed. Nadia grinned, took a sip of her drink. “I’m no profiler, but I’m really good at understanding people,” she said. “I’m game. Question is, though, how do we know who’s right? But, yeah, this is already less boring.” 

“That’s the thing,” Marley said, motioning for the other woman to follow her as she led them over to the corner booth where the bar echoed endlessly for them to eavesdrop on. “Profiling is useful everywhere,” she shrugged, sliding into the booth and motioning for her to follow. Marley wanted to know so much more about her. What made her scared? Why was she here alone? What abilities did she have that could let her parse out someone lying? “Oh, leave that part to me,” she said, giving a smirk. “I have a knack for getting people to tell the truth.” As she leaned back and surveyed the rather quiet crowd tonight, she finally took in the sight of the woman full of fear. She was a rather pretty sight to behold, aside from the bags under her eyes, and the taught way she held her body. Stress, perhaps? Paranoia? Marley needed to know. “Alright, you pick first,” she said, gesturing to the crowd.

As she followed the other woman to the back of the bar, Nadia realized they hadn’t even exchanged names. “Alright, fair, Ms. Profiler. Sounds like a useful job to have.” She smiled, “I’m Nadia, by the way.” She sat down across from Marley and leaned forward a bit, resting her elbows on the table. “Really?” Nadia asked, but she already believed the other woman. Marley seemed incredibly sure of herself, especially about getting people to tell the truth. Made sense, if she was a profiler. Seemed to kind of be a big part of the job, figuring out a person’s agenda. Nadia rolled her shoulders a bit and scanned the bar. They really could hear everything. She could hear someone ordering a drink at the bar, as well as the guy that seemed to own the place trying to schmooze a few people. But she focused on the couple sitting by the window. Usually, Nadia hated being around when relationships were falling apart, but they were kind of fun when she played this kind of game, especially when she could feel the tensions coming off of them in waves. “Yeah, alright. Them.” 

“Really, really,” Marley said, giving a mischievous grin before following Nadia’s line of sight around the bar. “Please, Ms. Profiler was my dad. You can call me Marley.” There weren’t too many fun faces to pick from, and no one overly interesting, but the couple in the corner was definitely about to argue. The way the man was slumping in his chair, his posture uninterested and annoyed. The tightness of the woman’s lips, the way her legs bounced-- even the clothes she was wearing. It was easy to tell. “Alright, let’s see what they say,” she scooted a little closer so they could both listen, grinning as the woman asked her partner where he’d been the other night and he answered with “working late”. This one almost felt too easy, but Marley glanced sideways at Nadia.  

“It’s nice to meet you, Marley,” Nadia said with a bit of a laugh. And it was. Between the buzz from the alcohol and the easy confidence Marley gave off, Nadia was already a bit less stressed than she’d been before she came to The Perfect Pint. She might even be able to get a few decent hours of sleep, though she doubted it. Best not to think. She allowed herself to ease into the moment, not just focusing on the couple’s words but also their actions, their body language, and, yes, their emotions. Tense shoulders, a tight lip, and the fact that the woman’s thought were angry as hell as she remembered a woman’s name on a cell phone number all seemed to point to the fact that the man was lying, and that was even before she got a good read on him. He was just… bored. He didn’t care about this, probably would rather be anywhere else. His excuse was hardly even that. It was just meaningless words. And he didn’t care. “Well, he’s lying, sure. He’s also kind of a piece of shit. He doesn’t even care,” Nadia said. Then she looked at Marley. “I mean, that’s the kind of vibe he’s giving off.” 

Marley grinned. “Pleasure,” she said, before turning her focus back to the couple, wondering what Nadia would read from them. She had to admit, this was kind of fun. She’d initially just come over here for the feast, but it was a plus, now, that she actually had some entertainment. She wrapped one hand around her beer and let the other rest against the back of the booth as they both watched. “Mmmm, sure, yes,” she hummed, “the vibe.” It might’ve just been Marley reading too far into things, but Marley was a profiler, she never read too far into things. Nadia had something special about her, and now the itch to know that was there, too. “What sort of vibe do you get, then, from me?” she asked, turning to look at her. “Can you feel it? See it?”  

Oh. Nadia felt, in that moment, that she’d overshared, just a bit. “I mean, his posture, for one, suggests disinterest in the conversation, despite the fact that she’s chewing him out,” she said, stalling for just a bit to try and parse together what she wanted to say. The thing was that Nadia still wasn’t incredibly comfortable with being an empath, despite the fact that she was trying to learn to control her abilities a lot more. Honestly, being an empath had fucked her over so many times that she’d rather be nice and boring and normal. If normal even existed. She turned to Marley and tapped one finger against the table a few times. “You’re very confident, but I don’t think you need me to tell you that, huh? And it’s…” People knew about empaths, they were a thing. “It’s a feeling.”

Marley could have easily left it at that, a feeling. Posture. But she was nosey, she liked knowing things. About people, about things. She’d been excluded all her life, tossed from family to family, wondering if she’d ever find somewhere that she fit in, that was hers. It felt like a need, more than a want, to know things. To know everything. And so, she raised a brow. “A feeling, huh?” rolled her head a second, tapping her fingers on the side of the glass. “I won’t push it, but--” glanced sideways at Nadia, as if she was trying to parse her out. The truth was, Marley had parsed her out the minute she’d seen her. Palpable fear didn’t come from someone normal. “You’ve got a little something...extra, right?” She shrugged, settling in. Wondered what angle she should play next, before glancing over at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. And you definitely don’t gotta tell me. But, if it makes you feel better,” she leaned in close again, giving a wary, if almost hesitant glance, “I do, too.” 

Nadia ran a hand through her hair and sighed a bit. Under the table, her leg bounced a bit. She’d never talked about it in person until now, she was beginning to realize that. It was such a separate part of her life, different from the possessed part and the criminal part. The empath part of her had always been there, and yet it was the part she knew the least about. She wasn’t even sure on where to begin. “I little something ‘extra’ is certainly one way to put it, yeah.” Nadia+. Just like your regular human, but with added anxieties and the inability to discern other people’s emotions from her own. A real gift. She looked at Marley, really looked at her, and then nodded her head a bit. “I could kind of tell. I’m beginning to recognize certain differences that some people have in comparison to others.” Nadia was still being a bit vague, unsure how much she could say and how much Marley knew. Not that Nadia was an expert, but still. 

Nadia was getting anxious, and Marley could tell. Maybe asking about all that was pushing her too much, and if she psuhed too far, she was certain Nadia would ditch. And she couldn’t have that. She at least needed a little more information about her, but it was becoming increasingly clear that whatever fears Nadia had, being ‘preternatural’ was part of it. It was clear, now, that she was either empath or aura reader, but since she wasn’t averting her eyes when looking at people, Marley was almost positive it was empath. “Oh yeah?” she quirked a brow. Somehow, she didn’t like that. That someone could parse her out, just because she felt a little different. Shifting, she tried to relax a little. “Okay, well, we started easy, how abooooout….” she hummed, glanced around, then found someone sitting alone at the bar, cradling a half empty tumbler. Sullen, slumped, eyes staring straight into the brown liquid in his glass. “Him. What’s he lying about?” This one ought to have been harder, for an empath. Knowing his emotions alone wouldn’t reveal his secrets, but maybe if she struggled, Nadia would turn to Marley for the answer. And feed right into her palm. 

Before turning to the man that Marley pointed out, Nadia took just a moment to take in the other woman. “Yeah, a bit.” Marley was a bit different, now, still confident, but… she looked more relaxed that she seemed to feel. However, Nadia wasn’t going to push it. Instead, she looked at the man. Clothes a bit disheveled, slightly greasy hair, vacant eyes, he looked and felt pretty fucking miserable. The bartender asked him, cautiously, if he was alright, and the affirmative response could be parsed out to be a lie even if one didn’t have the supernatural know-how to do so. She turned to Marley. “I mean, duh.” But what he was lying about and why? That hadn’t been a part of the game, had it? “Maybe his drink’s bad,” she said with a slight laugh. “Hell, I don’t know what he’s lying about, or why. Could be anything. What do you think?” 

“Here,” Marley said, leaning forward finally, elbows resting on the table as she pushed her drink aside, “is where my expertise comes in. He’s not just lying about being alright-- that’s too obvious. Anyone could tell he was lying about that. Can’t you feel it? That misery?” She pointed at him. “He’s not just lying about being okay, he’s lying about everything in his life. See the untucked business suit? The loosened tie? You’d think those’d be normal, right? He’s at a bar? But no. Look closer. There’s no tuck wrinkles on the hem of the shirt, which means its been untucked all day, probably. His shoes have scuffs on them, and usually if someone’s gonna wear shoes that nice, they take care of them. Lack of polish points to apathy. He’s either losing his job or losing what allows him to keep his job. No wedding ring, no tan line to indicate he ever was-- shouldn’t a guy like that be looking for someone to hit up? There were two attractive women and several other attractive men at the bar earlier, but he hasn’t moved, nor has he looked around. He came here to drink, but, he’s only had half a beer. So, then, what does that tell you? He’s preoccupied. Which means he knows something he wants to forget. It probably has to do with this job, or,” she paused, looking over at Nadia again, “he found out something that changed his whole world.”  

After all that, Nadia raised her eyebrows, thoroughly impressed. “Wow.” But she looked closer at the guy, taking in all of the little details that Marley mentioned. Good things, solid things, more than just facial expression and body language like she normally relied on. She never took clothing as anything more than minor details, and it was clear to see what a mistake that was. “Very impressive, Officer,” she said with an easy grin and a laugh. “Never would have thought about half of that. Damn, you’re good.” She looked at the man again, this time trying to pick his feelings a bit. Horribly miserable, and his job was on his mind a bit. She could see papers and numbers, sloppily written signatures running through his head. “You’re onto something about the job. He’s upset about it, I think. He doesn’t think about things in sentences, at least not when feelings are concerned. I’ve met a few people like that, actually, it’s really cool,” She turned to Marley and then looked away, taking a swig of her drink. “But that’s kind of boring and irrelevant. I really do think it has something to do with his job, though.” 

Now she was getting it. Marley gave a big smile, sinking back into the booth, satisfied. “I know I am,” she said with a wave of her hand, picking up her drink and swigging it. “It’s all in the details, you know? Not just the body language, although that’s a big part of it. It’s more than that, though. It’s the behaviors, small and learned and inherent. Put it all together, and there you have it-- a profile.” She tapped the side of her head. “I can know more about a person just by looking at them than talking to them. Although, sometimes it’s nicer, you know,” she shrugged, “to talk first.” Glanced at Nadia before looking away. She perked up. “Oh? No, no-- please tell me more. That’s definitely interesting. You can hear thoughts, then? Like, as part of the feelings stuff?” she asked, genuinely interested. She’d heard tell of empaths and aura readers, after digging into the supernatural community and what all that entailed. Turns out, powered humans were a big part of it. She’d always been so outside of any sort of community, it felt almost unfair that humans could be a part of a society she never got to be a part of. 

“That’s really cool,” Nadia murmured. She laughed a little bit at Marley’s self-confidence, though, the more she talked with the other woman, the less it surprised her. “People seem to say a lot more when they’re not speaking, I’ve learned. Their facial expressions, their body language, their clothes, apparently,” she paused, “their feelings. It all says a hell of a lot more than words.” She shifted in her seat a bit, feeling just a bit uncomfortable talking about herself. She ran a hand through her hair again. At least Marley actually seemed interested, though. There wasn’t anything malicious about it, that she could tell. “I, uh, yeah. Sometimes I hear thoughts. Only when they’re related to what the person’s feeling, though. Sometimes it’s images, sometimes it’s a voice. People think in different ways. It’s pretty cool, I guess.” It had always freaked her out, when she was younger, not know what the hell she was seeing or hearing. She got used to it, but, damn. It had been a lot. “What about you? What’s your, uh, something extra?” 

To lie or not to lie? Would Nadia be able to suss her out if she did? The perk of knowing when other people lied was also being able to lie really well yourself. And Marley was good at both of those. Telling Nadia what she was wouldn’t work here, so she’d have to work around that. And the best way to tell a lie, was to tell the truth. At least, most of it. “Well, like I said, I’ve got an eye for detail. I can...sense things that others can’t. Not-- not like you, though. It’s not a feeling. It’s more of a...well, sense, I suppose is the word. Stuff I can’t help but be drawn to. I think it’s part of why I became a detective, although I’d also like to think I did that just for me, too. Because I was good at something, and it could help people.” That part wasn’t a lie at all, although ‘help people’ was meant for just one person. One friend, lost long ago. She sighed, letting the feeling of the memory take over inside of her-- if Nadia could only concentrate on that, she wouldn’t need to pry further into the other feelings. She traced the rim of her cup slowly. “There’s lots of people here like us, you know? You just gotta know where to look for them.” 

Nodding her head a bit, Nadia thought that all made sense, and she couldn’t feel anything off with Marley’s answer. It’s not like she’d asked her what she was, anyway. “That’s pretty cool.” She’d never thought about using what she was to do anything. Not except for help Felix, which she hadn’t been and still wasn’t exactly thrilled about. It made her feel a bit awful, actually, that she was using her abilities to help a drug dealer that she was friendly with (and apparently owed) while Marley was actually trying to do good. “It’s awesome, actually, that you’re doing something worthwhile with yourself.” She took another drink. “I’m beginning to see that, actually. How many of us there are.” Did she include herself in with supernaturals? Could she not, at this point? “Have you always known? That you were different?” It felt strange to ask, but Nadia had to know if she was the only fool out there who spent so long in the dark about it. 

“I’m just doing my part,” Marley shrugged, “plus, I really like mysteries. And solving them. Needless to say, I was a big fan of Scooby-Doo and Sherlock Holmes as a kid.” She gave a soft chuckle, picking up her glass and finishing off her drink. “I always knew that I was, you know...different. I could feel it. But I never knew exactly what I was. Not for...a long time.” And that was the truth. She could still remember the wave of relief she’d felt when she’d found out. How everything made sense. Why no one ever quite understood her. Why she never fit in. “So, why’d you come to White Crest, then?” she asked, looking over at Nadia. 

“I can get that,” Nadia said with a smile. “Wanting to do something you’re passionate about. Even if that passion is Scooby Doo,” she joked. She sobered a bit and needed to take a drink. “I didn’t find out about-- well-- all of this until pretty recently. That’s actually one of the reasons I’m in White Crest.” She decided to be a bit careful with what she said next. “I guess I was kind of stumbling around for years, and then I just woke up one day, and I was here. Decided I needed to get my life together and figure my shit out, I guess. She raised an eyebrow and lifted up her drink. “Think I’m doing a damn good job with it, huh?” 

“Well,” Marley said, waving over the bartender, “I think we all have to start somewhere, right? As long as you’re still alive, you’re doing alright.” When the bartender came over, she ordered a second drink, then turned to Nadia. “On me. Even though we didn’t really play,” she smiled gently at her. “People like us, we gotta stick together, right?” If only the words could be true. If only it actually worked that way. Friendships, relationships-- they didn’t achieve anything. And Marley didn’t need anyone. She just needed a good, steady meal, and at the end of the day, wasn’t that the most important?  

Smiling, Nadia gave Marley a bit of a salute with her glass. “Thanks. Next time it’s on me, though.” She backtracked a bit. “I mean, if you’d like to get drinks again. It’s always less sad to drink with others, and, uh, you’re right,” she scratched the back of her neck, a little uncomfortable with the notion of it but unwilling to voice it. “We’ve got to stick together.” Maybe she was a part of the supernatural community, in a way. It was a comforting thought. Now, if only she could get a decent night’s rest. Things might be looking up.