Mar 02 09:56:55 105 PA

From Chronicles

The current game time is: Mon Mar 02 09:56:55 105 PA.

Kingsdale - Plaza Park

The Kingsdale Plaza Park stretches out to the west approximately sixteen-hundred feet until it meets with a residential area. The ground is covered with sporadic grass and wild flowers. Deep craters from some long-ago weapons fire cover this area of the park making the ground uneven and in some places difficult to walk. Nonetheless, this area has seen extensive use by the people of Kingsdale. Bike trails criss-cross the area and one of the craters has been filled with water where duck and other water birds come. These waterfoul seem to have quite a good living too, with people almost always present to feed them. Here and there are stands of conifer trees that people often sit beneath to read and otherwise forget the trials and tribulations of city life. The exception to this is during the night though, and nobody comes to the park after dark unless they are either foolhardy in the extreme or looking for trouble. The wind blows through the area unhampered and on good days it carries with it the laughter of children feeding ducks and the sweet scent of pine and wild flowers. Benches and places to sit are also scattered through the park area, and to the south is a Pavillion of five statues -- all previous dictators and people of note to Kingsdale's past.

Near one of the craters, a small figure is sat. Her back is straight and she is looking at her hands, her expression thoughtful. She turns them over, inspecting the palms, and then the backs. She is dressed in armour, the scorch marks on the back, and has a ion gun holstered at her waist.

Her face is a little grubby, the dark dirt a contrast against the pale skin, and her eyebrows are knotted, although her mouth curves in a little smile, causing the dimples to deepen either side of it, bunching the girl's cheeks up.

Desmond likes this place. With the dangers outside of the gates, the hunger for a taste of the wilds is strong with him. Thus when not working or working out or resting in some other way, this is a place where he might be. Especially in the evenings, when fewer folk are about. When he has a bit more privacy to let loose. Running through the small strip of cultivated wilderness still feels a bit hollow, but he drinks in what he can of it. Any presence of another body draws his attention, thus does he spy Caliopa's small frame. At a distance she seems somewhat familiar, but he can't rightly be sure. Feeling the urge, he slinks a bit closer, using a roundabout path to circle near whilst using cover to glide in and get a better look at her.

Closer up, Caliopa has removed the ion pistol and is inspecting it carefully, with a small smile, her head tilted. She slowly sheaths it, before rising from her perch and stretching, the movement arching her back as she raises her hands above her head. She turns slowly, looking around the park slowly, her expression thoughtful, considering.

Desmond observes Cali curiously from behind a thick tree, where he's moved to, just a bit to her right and a dozen feet away. It is her. In armor and armed.. pleased? But dirty.. a curious mix. But observation can only do so much for one's curiosity. Thus he slips out from behind the tree, speaking before she might catch sight of him. "Cali?" He takes care with his volume of his deep voice, allowing her to react before he does more than alert her to his presence.

Caliopa turns slowly at the call, her eyes narrowing as she looks for the figure. Briefly she stares at him with brown eyes that look dark in her face and then she blinks, almost blank for a moment before she forces a smile. "Yes?" Her voice sounds hoarse, her face pale under the dirt.

It would be hard to mistake one like him, from the stature, to the rolling basso profundo tone. Still, Desmond moves forward just a bit to make sure she can see him well enough. "Your appearance is.. at odds. You are well?" The requisite curiosity in his tone, just a bit invasive.

Caliopa sits down abruptly on the seat she was on before, her forehead wrinkling. "At odds?" She repeats softly, shaking her head, and staring around in a perplexed manner. "I don't...I don't feel very well." She shakes her head quickly, a strand of hair falling over her face. "There was something ..." she hesitates, searching for the word, "Horrible. Horrific." She shudders, giving the park a faintly confused look.

Desmond frowns as he moves closer, concerned with her manner.. then more so when she talks of horrible things. Before he knows it, he's come to kneel beside her, though that may not do much to erase the effect of his presence. "Tell me what you saw." There is a firmness in his tone, insistent like a slow push. Instinct motivates hand to rise, to provide a touch, but he stays that reaction before it truly begins.

Caliopa curls herself up, wrapping her arms around her waist, drawing her knees up. Her eyes flicker to one side, staring at a plant that has done little to deserve the expression of horror in her eyes. "A thing... a man, with wounds, lots of metal in him. Oh god... it pointed at me, said I am in danger..." Her breath leaves her in a short puff, revealing it all was said in one piece of air. "It saw me." She whispers, looking around, her eyes faintly confused.

Desmond's brow furrows deeply. More from the way she speaks than what she says. A feeling wells up within him and he turns his head to the side, scanning the area briefly before he fixes on Caliopa again. "There is naught here. You are not assailed," he assures her. T hough his ears continue to sweep and flick restlessly. His audio radar active. The hand lifts again, this time placing a broad palm against the back of her armor. Likely no more than the weight of the touch tangible to her.

Caliopa shudders and curls herself closer in, her arms tight around her stomach. "Nothing here, no..." She hesitates, lifting confused eyes to him, "I don't remember..." She trails off, confusion mingling with the horror on her face. "I..." The word stops abruptly and she twists, turning to look up at him for an instant, an odd expression on her face as she leans forward, kissing him lightly on the nose, rises from the seat and begins to walk towards the exit of the park.

Being in this city has been a long string of confusion moments for Desmond. His prior experience with humans has left him ill prepared for the sort that populate this city and Caliopa proves once more to be a fresh source of odd behavior. He's about to speak to her strange words when she leans in to kiss his nose. It has about the same effect as if she'd have punched him in about the same place. The big cat freezing with a moment of shock. More than enough time for her to stand and start her departure, leaving him to look after her. He snaps out of it quick enough and rises himself. "Cali?" He starts to follow. Concerned at her strange behavior, but unsure just how to approach the subject.

Caliopa just keeps walking, shooting him a look over her shoulder, her mouth in a curve, as she leaves the park, her hand dropping to the ion gun. She doesn't respond to the call of her name, not even pausing in her steps, as she turns onto the main street. If anything, the strangeness of her actions concerns Desmond all the more. Something is wrong. He's going to follow her. At the very least until he's sure she won't do something.. unfortunate.

Caliopa hesitates at the exit, tilting her head and turning slowly to face the following man. "You know... I don't feel like being alone..." She lowers her head, peeking at him through thick lashes. "So..." Her voice drops to a soft purr, and she lifts an eyebrow, waiting on his response.

If Cali's stop hadn't brought him up short, the words she sends his way would have done it for sure. Various emotions flit across his dark face. Confusion.. concern, even a moment of clear interest. Yet before any one can take hold of him be huffs and shoves the tumult aside. "You are not in your right mind," Desmond states. Though he hasn't that much experience to draw on at this moment. "I will escort you to your residence to see that you arrive unharmed." As if he were offering her a compromise on her stated feelings.

Caliopa takes a step forward, moving closer to him. Her movements are graceful and her beautiful face shows hurt briefly, before it leaves again, "You sure... I so don't want to be alone, ..." She hesitates, running her tongue lightly across her lower lip before making a pout of her mouth. "Why not walk me to yours? I want company tonight..." Her voice lowers to a soft, inviting purr. "Make me feel alive?"

Desmond actually shifts a half step backward when she moves toward him. A fortunate thing for him that his place is entirely inappropriate for such things. "You would not find my lodgings accommodating." Not to mention he doubts Moe would like him bringing women back to the small room he's allowed to use. He steels himself, despite various factors the play against his will. "No.. I will take you to your abode." Perhaps trying again for compromise, if only to get her moving, he approaches and will take her hand in his. "Show me where." He doesn't yet know that she considers the truck she owns as a home.

A flicker of irritation passes behind the lovely brown eyes before she ducks her head, hiding them under lowered lashes. For a moment, she is still, and then, lifting her head, her smile broadens. She moves forward again, her hands reaching out to touch him, "Could always do it here..." She murmurs softly, her eyes warm and full of ..something hot and dangerous. "Now. You know you do want to..."

Oh, he wants to. To him, some memories are as fresh as they were upon their crafting. Remembering her.. remembering their times. Hot and dangerous.. very apt. But even then those pleasant remembrances are chased by what came after. A moment of weakness on his part fades, his eyes firming as he takes her hand from where it did lay, squeezed softly with more care than one might expect from one of his size. "No." He looks into her eyes firmly as he expresses this. He lays his other hand on her shoulder, a careful grip used to keep her in place as he speaks. "I would not take advantage of you when you are not thinking straight. I will accompany you to your dwelling, but I will not do as you ask. Not like this." Oh, part of his rails at his stupidity. That wilder side of himself, yet it isn't right. No matter how enticing.

The flash of something hotter and dangerous in a different way is almost hidden by the lowering of those thick lashes that lie against the pale skin like raven wings against snow. Reaching up, she runs her hands up his chest, winding them with surprising strength around his neck and pressing herself against him. The armour fails to hide the shape of her body, nor the lashes the heat in her eyes. "I'm thinking very straight..." She lifts her leg slightly, nudging his legs with it. "Please?" The soft word has a real plea to it, a husky, soft, totally feminine word.

With Desmond more focused on keeping her from leaving, he didn't expect her to try and get even closer to him. Thus she finds it an easy task to invade his personal space. In part because, after her initial reactions to him, this goes opposite to what he'd expect. The lifted leg gets a low grunt from him and prompts action. Cali will feel his arms move around her. The initial squeeze potentially uncomfortable to one of her build, though her armored state will guard against it this time. Not just that, but a low, hollow growl rolls up his throat. Instinct winning for just a moment before his head shakes and he stares hard at Caliopa. "You flirt with danger," he tells her firmly. Releasing her suddenly, a careful push to get her off of him, taking a few steps back if he can manage it without harming her. "You do not want to know that side of me." The big male's voice rough for a moment before the deep tone smoothes back out.

Caliopa returns the stares, her balance kept, and her hands releasing him. For a second, she tilts her head and then she smiles, a slow smile that deepens Caliopa's dimples, the innocence of them at odds with the movement of her hands as they go to the fasteners on her armour, unclipping it and letting it drop to the ground. The ancient t-shirt and combats hug her figure, "I do...I really do.." She breathes the words, her hands going to her waistline, half turning from him, as she moves to slide them over her hips. There is a flash of white panties, surprisingly demure, as the combats slither to the ground and she steps out of them, kicking off her boots at the same time. "I believe you are wrong... I do want..oh very much." Her voice is a low, husky noise, a seductive purr.

Oh, he's stunned again for a moment. Though not just because of the sheer lunacy of it. There is that, but its compelling. She is pleasing tot he eye.. and aggressiveness calls to him. It was simple to ignore before, when she was but a mouse. Now.. even though she is so much smaller, it is compelling. But even with the dark voice in the back of his mind whispering in his ear, reason keeps a firm foothold. "Not here.." Either way, that much is easily agreed upon. Reluctantly by that dark voice, but the point is conceded. "Dress yourself." A firm request.

Caliopa rests one hand on an almost bare hip, putting all her weight though one leg. She smiles, a lazy almost feline smile that women have when they are sure of their man. "Why... don't you think you can?" The soft purr is a tease and she turns, twisting her waist, as her hands grasp the bottom of the t-shirt, slowly pulling it upwards, baring her back enough to reveal that there is nothing beneath it. She slants an inviting look over her shoulder, the white panties hugging her backside. "Now... here..." She whispers.

Desmond takes a step toward her. His expression hard.. required to be so as he feels instinct grapple against the restraints he confines it with. Another step. Then he is next to her. His eyes lowered toward her, his right hand lifts, lightly passing his fingers along the curve of her shoulder. Such temptation. His interest is obvious in most every way it could be for a man. Still.. his hand lifts, shaking slightly. He can try once more, can't he? "Not here." spoken in a lower tone. "Cali.. gather your things.. take me to your home. I will.. watch over you.." He can't quite say it.. perhaps he might still find the steel to do just that. Perhaps.

Caliopa peeks over her shoulder, her mouth a feline curve, her eyes dark and filled with promises. Slowly, lazily, she follows the movement of his hand with a stretch, using the movement to lift, and drop the t-shirt from one hand, lifting over her head. "Here..." she whispers, half turning, the movement both modest and so very not at the same time, the look over her shoulder inviting, the plait falling to brush the simple, innocent white panties. Her eyes drop, and the heat in her eyes rises, as she returns them to his face, "Please..."

Persistent.. Desmond releases a low, husky breath, the lifted hand dipping. But not to move away. Force makes itself known as the arm moved about her waist, the turning her toward him. Given her open willingness, he anticipates no trouble in doing such. Though even when he has her against him, the stark smallness of her nags at him. He remembers earlier.. the match with Katsumi and concern creases his brow. "I do not wish to harm you," he tells her warningly. How easy that would be.. yet he hasn't the will to push her away at this moment.

Caliopa tilts her head back, staring up at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly, invitingly open. "I'm stronger than I look..." She whispers, going on tiptoe, and whispering against his skin, "And I may enjoy it...pain can be sooo much fun." The whispered words end when her tongue licks against his chest and then she bites gently, slanting a look upwards, inviting, teasing, "Please..." Her eyes flicker over his face, as she releases the bite, tilting her head back so it is bared and her plait brushes across his hands.

A weaker willed man would have long since crumbled. And he isn't far off. He has to still this teasing.. before he can't truly control himself. That would go poorly for her. In a way, that train of thought aids her cause. Tricking himself, in a way. His head lifts, eyes sweeping the dark park smoothly. Eyes attuned to the dim cut through it to see that none are near. Satisfied he returns his attention to her. The pace of his breath speeding just a bit. Even so, it takes him a moment to speak the word. His restraint to deeply ingrained, it hangs on to the last. "Yes." Lowly rumbled, the word accompanied by a light prickle at her lower back, The retracting claws in his fingertips twitching forth just slightly against her skin.

Caliopa arches her back, half closing her eyes, giving every sign of someone enjoying the claws on her back. She slides her hands up, curling her arms around his neck. She grips her hands behind his neck, her body stretched against him to do so, and slowly slides her body up his, until she wrap her legs around his waist. She buries her face into his neck for a moment, nipping the skin there sharply, before lifting her head slightly, licking the skin she bit. "Please..." The word is felt, more than heard, against the wet skin.

Please isn't needed for him any longer. He will take her to the ground right there. With that strange mix of firm and gentle. His reason continues to prickle, but at this point it only serves to feed the more primal aspect of him.. flaunting the taboos. Just like with her.. A low growl rolls up into his throat. The logistics of what lies before him not touching his mind in any significant way. It will be done. Here and now, as she has managed to draw from him.

Caliopa is with him for moments, a pleased chuckles breathing across his skin before something changes, and then the girl is rigid in his arms. Still as a rabbit in headlights for a long, silent moment and then a gasp, and not of pleasure. She is twisting, pulling away, noises of fear, and her legs are gone from around his waist, her hands pushing rather than holding, and her eyes wide, drowning in total, undeniable terror.

For a moment he doesn't quite catch onto what is happening. It's easily mistaken in his mind, feeling the desire allowed to rise within him. He even touches her intimately before her squirming starts to push past his focus on the moment to feed his reason. Then he pauses. Confused again. He forces himself to look into her eyes. What he sees there cools his rising desire. His reason and honor race forth to take firm hold again and he releases her, even as his instinct, his desire screams in his head and in other places. The transition is disorienting enough for him that he pushes himself up and away, staggering a few steps before he reaches a tree to lean against. The what, why and how clamor for answers and for a moment he can only lean against the tree with his eyes closed and tremble bodily as he takes what was allowed free and shoves it forcibly back into its locked box. Something he does with intent focus as anger is one of the stronger urges that need be quelled before he can truly trust himself in the now.

Caliopa falls as he pushes away, unable to support herself, her face utterly sheet white. She curls herself up, hiding her body, shaking visibly, her eyes on him as if he might turn and attack. The complete lack of understanding in her face, along with the terror that brims in her eyes, are obvious. She curls herself against a tree base, hugging her legs, pressing backwards, almost waiting for him to act.

It will take time.. a minute.. two before he feels he can trust himself again. Desmond draws a slow, deep breath at that point and lets it free, his eyes opening slowly. A trace of that anger lingers.. but just a residue. Annoyed. What is this? His head snaps in Caliopa's direction, but her posture doesn't allow that lingering rage to catch root. He sets his jaw and straightens, approaching. Kneeling on his way to gather the discarded articles of clothing. He drops them onto her lap.. or onto her legs, then steps back again, averting his gaze. "Dress," he barks tersely, only allowing himself to catch her in the periphery of his vision.. to get a sense of if she is acting or not.

Caliopa doesn't move for a moment then reaches cautiously for the clothes, tugging the t-shirt over her head and only then moving her legs. She keeps her eyes on him as much as she can, staying on the ground as she tries to dress without flashing any skin to the man. She winces as her back presses into the tree, one hand sliding around to touch the claw marks, her face revealing utter, complete confusion. Finally, in jeans and the t-shirt, she stays curled, hugging her knees, at the base of the tree, watching him with wide, terror filled eyes and a white face.

Once Desmond has a sense that she has dressed, he turns his eyes toward her and frowns deeply. "I don't know what game you look to play, but that was dangerous of you," he tells her firmly. "I.." A pause as he seeks to resolve just what he wants to say. His mind still plagued with questions. "I do not like to be toyed with," he states, finally. For lack of something to distract himself with, he turns and starts to gather up her armor, lightly tossing each piece to land within reach. Better it is than shaking the truth from her as that dark voice suggests.

Caliopa looks up at him, total complete bewilderment in her face, her eyes glistening with tears of confusion. "Play... I don't..." She doesn't reach for the armour, tightening her arms around her legs, rocking slightly. Finally her eyes leave him and squeeze closed, the moment drawing in her eyebrows and tightening her mouth to hold back tears. "What... where..." She sits, surrounded by her armour pieces, white faced.

This only confuses the big cat further. He frowns and stares hard at her. Trying to pierce the veil of this seeming innocence and bewilderment. Yet he cannot.. it is too real. And he cannot maintain anger in the face of it. Just as before, it doesnt' feel right. Another slow breath before he moves just a bit closer and dips to a knee, fixing her with a gentler look. "Cali.. I do not know what is wrong, but I know that you should not remain here." He must default back to his original intent. "I will see you to your home.. I know not what else to offer but that."

Caliopa shudders and pulls back, cowering from him, the tears brimming on her lashes. She shakes her head instinctively, using her legs and arms to hide behind. "I don't know...what..." The words hold an entire universe worth of bewildered fear, and her combat covered knees frame a white face that holds huge brown eyes that are rapidly glazing. "Please please..." The words hold as much urgency and appeal as before, but are utterly difference, holding as much fear as the others had held heat.

If only he could truly know what she wants. Desmond is locked in a lingering state of indecision, with numerous urges and paths all vying for supremacy. Amid it, that stain of anger tries to seep through again, but he denies it. It does not belong. His eyes close for a few moments, then snap open once more, calmed again. There is but one thing that he knows, he must get her way from here. "Cali." Spoken lowly, attempting to squeeze a soothing tone from his deep, basso profudno. "Relax.. I will not harm you." Placing certainty into those words as he will not. He gently reaches out to touch her shoulder with the tips of his fingers. "Be calm, please. You are not in danger.. you are safe." Words he will repeat lowly to her, seeking to lull her from her panic with the steady cadence of his voice.

Whistling in the rain's downpour comes Dr. Kelley from along the plaza path, his hood up, his cloak dripping, yet he looks quite happy from what a casual observer might see. But when he spots the big cat, his face loses some of its friendliness - and gets even worse when he spots the cowering Caliopa. Angling off the path, he approaches the big tree when she's cornered, and says in a surprisingly thoughtful voice, "Nice afternoon, Huh? How are you two doing?"

She utters a short, panicked shriek at the touch, lifting her arms to cover her head. She hides her face against her forearms, her hands clasped over her head. She freezes, rabbit in headlights, her voice repeating a word hoarsely over and over, "Don't, don't..." She seems utterly oblivious to either of the men speaking, just curled up at the bottom of the tree, rocking slightly, just repeating the word over and over. The glimpses of her face are sheet white.

Desmond jerks his head up and around when Kelley speaks, having been far too invest in trying to deal with Caliopa, his awareness allowed to slip most disgracefully. Still, he doesn't look guilty in expression, the question met with an immediate answer. "Something is wrong with her," he states in no uncertain terms. "She was acting oddly and then she.. was normal again." As he imagines she is now acting toward him as he as expected her to. "I cannot soothe her.." His attempts to soothe ending, the big feline rocking back slightly as he rises.

Dr. Kelley furrows his brow and moves in next to Caliopa, careful not to touch her. "Cali? Cali, can you hear me? It's Doc Kelley. I don't know what you're hiding from, but you're safe now." Then, after a second thought, he asks, "Did you have a vision?" He leans closer, balancing on one knee.

The rocking slows slightly, and her buried head shakes a denial. She shakes her head for a minute, before lifting her head slowly, revealing a dead white face and eyes that are filled with confusion. She moves slightly, away from the tree, the movement showing spots of fresh blood on the t-shirt she wears. "Where...?" She whispers, fixing those eyes on Kelley.

Desmond remains silent, his brow furrowed with concern. Not just for the oddness of her behavior, but what could be assumed. His eyes slip toward Kelley's back, going utterly cold for a moment as his mind races. A narrowing of them, then a slight shake of his head, his expression slid back toward impassive. No.. not yet. "We should move her from this place. I would have taken her, but I do not know where she takes residence."

Dr. Kelley moves toward Caliopa, asking Desmond, what was she doing, exactly, when you met her? And how did she change?" Raindrops drip off his hood and onto the muddy ground. To the diminutive woman, he asks, "Caliopa, why are you bloody? Do you mind if I put my hand on you? I don't want to frighten you." His voice is calm and gentle, fatherly in a way, and hopefully comforting.

Caliopa shakes her head slowly, allowing the touch, her eyes watching Kelley. "I don't know... I don't know..." Her face is bewildered, and she is shivering now, from the cold, the wet and the fear that is written in every line in her body. "I don't remember...I was with the others, then here, and he.." She trails off, tightening her arms around her legs.

Desmond was actually in the process of considering just how to describe the last few minutes. A dulled version of the truth works. "I came upon her here, alone. She was.. she seemed normal at first. But not quite. I spoke to her. She did not react to me as she has before. Before she was always cautious, but that caution was gone. She was.. not herself. Then she became this." He motions toward her, some concern in his tone. "She will not move on her own, but I fear she would struggle if I attempted to take her elsewhere. It would not appear.. proper."

Nodding with the big cat's logic, Kelley says, "I think that you were correct, Mr. Desmond. I think that there's more to the story, but that can wait for another time." Putting one arm under her shoulder and another under her knees, Kelley carefully lifts Caliopa up and out of the muck at the base of the tree with surprising ease. "C'mon, Cali, I'll take you back to AIM, if you'll feel save there. Do you want me to try and reach Atticus?"

Caliopa shivers and clings to Kelley, burying her fingers into his clothing and holding on tightly. For a moment her eyes are clear of the panic, and the fear, and she opens her mouth, speaking in a shaken voice, "No... I don't want him to see me... not like this." She rests her head against Kelley's chest, closing her eyes, and when they open they are slightly unfocussed, the pupils dominating, taking over the brown.

Desmond says nothing in regards to Kelley's speculation. Instead, he picks up her discarder armor piece by piece and whatever other items there are of hers, preparing to follow the two of them. He's silent, his face a stern mask that veils all. Though there is a vague sense of displeasure about him. But for and at what remains a mystery.

"If you would be so kind as to follow us at a distance, Mr. Desmond, that would be wonderful," says Dr. Kelley. He moves toward the exit of the park, trying to keep the unfortunate woman as dry as possible by staying beneath the trees. "I'm taking her to AIM, sir, in case we get separated."

Desmond will do just that. He recalls where AIM is, so he shall follow at a discreet distance. Just a rather large feline carrting undersized armor. Nothing to see here.

The garage area of Advanced Idea Mechanics is an extremely large single room, with a chemically treated (MDC) concrete floor. The walls, unlike those of the office are completely undecorated, giving the place a spartan, industrial feel. Which is fitting, considering the bustling of activity that is being undergone in this place. Most often, a suit of power armor or two is being worked on and occasionally a giant robot can be seen encased in scaffolding along one wall. At one time or another, just about any kind of job is visible being done. From weapon reloading, to repairs to outright radical modification. And it isn't just confined to robots and power armor, either. The occasionally light armored vehicle and even main battle tank are seen here on occasion. To help with the work itself the ceiling is fitted with huge cranes that move on mobile tracks, allowing them to lift into place things like weapons and giant robot limbs. For working on the latter as well, a massive support construct has been built into one wall complete with a crane of it's own, providing means to lift and secure for repair a robot that is missing both legs if required. Other equipment, from spot welders to laser torches to electronic toolkits can be found on benches and the like all through the area. As you watch, men in exoskeletons, sometimes assited by a vehicle or a crane carry things from two rooms visible down a short yet wide hallway, slipping under large blast doors. These doors close automatically behind whomever leaves, indicating perhaps that volatile materials are stored within.

"Before Desmond gets here, is there anything else you want to tell me," Kelley asks, having arrived about one hundred yards ahead of the big cat.

Caliopa shivers in Kelley's arms, closing her eyes, her skin slightly clammy under the rain. She keeps her grip on him as he carries her, afraid to let go. "I don't know. I was with the others, then I was there, and he was ..." Her face is white, and she struggles with the words. "holding me, and .. I don't know." There is genuine white-faced panic.

Kelley frowns and sets Caliopa down on the ground, covering her with his cloak to keep her warm and out shock. "Who are 'the others' whom you're talking about?" He sits on the ground next to her and pats her shoulder.

Caliopa huddles herself into the blanket, a strand of wet hair falling over her cheek. Her eyes are dilated, the white a stark contrast with her eyes. "Kid... her trip, we were looking for the ...the... a gang, to see what they are doing. This thing appeared, oh god, with things through it, so hurt, and it said it was coming, pointed at me, said it would hurt..." She trails off, a genuinely perplexed frown, "And then I don't remember... I don't remember leaving there, or getting to...or why he would.."

Desmond will be true to his word, coming in a bit after they do. He takes his time in picking his way back, neither over nor covert. He hadn't known this truck was her home. Something he muses idly whilst settling the pile of armor down by the back wheel. He will then look to Kelley and state, "I would like to speak with you alone." The firm set of his features giving no clues as to just what the big feline has in mind.

"I'm happy to talk with you, Mr. Desmond, but I'm fairly certain that this woman needs some competent medical attention. Watch her, but don't get close, while I go dial up the police," Kelley says. Patting Caliopa's shoulder one more time, he says, "You hang in there, Cali, you hang in there.." and begins dialing up the police on the mechanic's phone.

Caliopa blinks slowly, huddling into the blanket but shivering more and more with each passing minute. She bends an arm, resting her cheek against it, her eyes unfocussed, pupils dilated. Her skin remains white, and she closes her eyes, her breathing rapid and shallow.

Desmond frowns deeply and glances toward Caliopa for a moment. At this time, he can do nothing for her. He then turns and will follow Kelley. "I must insist," he will state, attempting to gently prevent the doctor from calling out for the moment. Be that taking the receiver or simply pressing a plunger, he will be firm on this point. "Before anything else, I would speak to you in greater detail.. without her overhearing. It will be quick, I know she is in danger." His voice low, intent that his will be honored.

Suspecting that he probably couldn't move the big cat's hand even if he wanted to, Kelley turns, his hair dripping, to face Desmond. In his quiet tenor, he asks, "Well, please, Mr. Desmond, go on, but do hurry, the lady doesn't have much time." There is a look of imminent concern on his face.

Kalvin is visible to be making his way into the facility at this point, his hands in his pockets and a relatively cheerful expression on his face. He has no idea a crazy woman, horny cat, and rabbit loving doctor await him inside.

Desmond decides to be frank and tot he point. "She came on to me," he states plainly. "When she was different she showed interest. Before anything could truly happen, she became.. normal." A motion back toward her, his hand removed from the phone. "I did not force anything from her and when I sensed her change, I released her. I'm sure you can fathom the reason for my reluctance to share this and how things might look. I would prefer if as little of this as possible were to be aired. Misunderstandings would be unfortunate." But does the doctor believe him? He speaks without pause, without a twitch to his expression or a flicker of his eyes, staring intently at the doctor.

Caliopa 's eyes are closed, the lashes resting against the smudges beneath her eyes, making her face look translucent by comparison. Her breathing is shallow, and fast, and her skin looks clammy.

Kelley nods as he listens to the cat's words, carefully paralleling them against what little Caliopa has told him. "Thank you, Mr. Desmond, but you should probably go now, as I think your presence is not helping - for whatever reason. I assure you there will be no repurcussions for your actions until this whole thing is sorted out, and I will speak with any relevant authorities only if the matter persists. Fair enough?" he asks, carefully putting his hand back on the receiver.

Kalvin has his smile fade as he makes his way deeper into the facility and catches sight of Caliopa and where she is laying. He can spot certain problems in a person from across the room -- he's a doctor afterall. "What.... is going on here?!" He asks, raising his voice to be absolutely certain that the other two men hear it. Turning on his heel, he begins to approach them with a somewhat protective look on his face. "Is there something that you should be telling me -BEFORE- I have a look at her, gentlemen?"

Desmond frowns. The situation isn't so pleasing to him. However, it seems he has little recourse in the matter. "Very well." He turns and takes a step, then pauses. Tell her.." A pause, his head turning back toward Kelley. "Tell her I'm sorry." What for he does not elaborate. He hears Kalvin, but after looking toward the oddly colored man for a moment, Desmond will simply walk away. His duty in this is done. He has other things to attend to.

Caliopa doesn't stir even, lying entirely too still. She appears very small in the blanket, the lack of movement unnatural. Her breathing becomes a little more shallow, a little more rapid.

Remembering having seen Kalvin in action once before, Kelley moves toward Caliopa and says, "She was hallucinating, I think, when I found her. Going into shock, I think. But I'm not a very good medical doctor. She was sitting in the mud and the rain." He carefully leaves out the part about Desmond, as per the cat's wishes, and as it seems rather immaterial to the case at hand.

Kalvin gives Kelley a sort of very long look. "Do you have -any- idea what happened to her? Did this just come on naturally, or?" He then turns away, vaulting up into the bed of the truck with a thump and bends over her. Two fingers extend to take her pulse, and then a small scanner is waved over her. Experimentally, he pokes her and then his head turns towards Kelley. "You." He says, pointing at him. "Can you drive this thing? Or any vehicle that is here?"

Caliopa doesn't respond to the poke, but her skin is ice cold to the touch, the shadows under her eyes standing out dark against the paleness. Her breathing doesn't slow but becomes more shallow, a tinge of blue in her lips.

Kelley is about to answer the man's first question when he's interrupted by the 2nd question. "Yeah, I can drive the truck. Where do you want to go?" Kelley vaults up into the truck's cab and begins looking for a key.

Kalvin doesn't hesitate as he vaults off the truck again, meaning to lightly tug the unconscious one out of the bed and into his arms, so he can move into the vehicle's backseat. "My office. Kingsdale Enhancement Center. Drive, and step on it." He says, bluntly. "I really don't want to wait for an ambulance as I know all four are already out. Need to get her into something dry, in a warm bed, fluids and somewhere out of public eye."

Kelley floors it.

• VROOM!*

The truck comes to a screeching halt.

Eventually, the Kingsdale Enhancement Center is reached. Oddly enough, the doctor does not get too many odd looks for carrying a paitent in. He pauses; just for a second at the door. "Take her truck back where it belongs. I'll look after it from here. If you are her friend, come back in an hour to see how she is. And get me some sort of contact info for someone." And with that, he vanishes into the depths of the clinic to ply her with warm clothes, intravenous and a much warmer bed than that of her truck.

Caliopa is limp in his arms and so pale that she makes her previously white t-shirt look dark.

Feeling good at at least having gotten Caliopa in out of the rain, Kelley sidles up to the counter and leaves his own contact information for Caliopa, as she had requested that Attics "not see her in this condition." With that, he watches Kalvin depart down the corridor, hops back into the truck, and drives away.