7972/Sentinels: Mall Aftermath

Sentinels: Mall Aftermath
Date of Scene:	20 June 2019
Location:	Xavier's Office / Classroom
Synopsis:	Mila, J'onn and Frank meet to talk about how to handle Mila's accident at the mall. Mila is assured she will not be arrested but warned to learn to control her powers.
Cast of Characters:	Frank Quaid, Martian Manhunter, Mila Mitchell
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

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Frank Quaid has posed:
After Captain Quaid visited Xavier's School looking for information about the mall incident, word spread around the staff; that incident was not going away. The student was going to have to talk with the police. Serious incidents had happened before with mutants coming into their powers, and Captain Quaid had always helped deal with them, even back when he was a sergeant. It was a delicate balance, trying to find a resolution that limited risks for the student, and the school.

So there had been some coaxing to get Mila to agree to meet with Captain Quaid. An appointment was made and J'onn was available to be there to give support to Mila and watch out for the school's interests as well. As with previous meetings of this kind, it was strictly off the record. No recordings, no lawyers and nothing said was to be used by NYPD. It had taken a lot of time to build up that trust.

"I hate these," Detective-Sergeant Elaina Bever says with a sigh. She is driving Quaid's black unmarked Tahoe and turning onto the Xavier School driveway. In her early 40's, the head of Special Crimes Unit's major investigations team is dressed in black slacks, a blue button up blouse and a black police raid jacket with the all the police tabs tucked away and out of sight.

"Yeah," Frank agrees as he taps away on his Blackberry. "But they came through, found the girl. Knew they would. It's a good sign every time they do. You know how long it's taken to build up trust." Frank is wearing a conservative blue pin-stripe suit with a white shirt and yellow paisley tie. His broken nose is covered by nose brace and he has two black eyes, though the swelling has gone down and they are quite yellow.

"After last night? Let's hope things haven't changed," Elaina says.

Frank snorts, but his forehead creases. He shares that worry.

Elaina pulls the truck up to park to the side of the building near the staff vehicles. They walk along the front together to the stairs and into the lobby. On the way, Elaina waves to a couple of students she knows. Frank is buried in his Blackberry and the endless stream of private messages and emails that are his constant nightmare. He puts the phone away once they are inside the lobby and looks for the staff member that was to meet them. He does not recognize the man.

"Captain Frank Quaid," Frank introduces himself to the staff member and holds out his hand. "And Detective-Sergeant Elaina Bever. Just Frank and Elaina is fine. Thanks for setting this meeting up."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
It hasn't been long since J'onn managed to get a place in Xaviers as a teacher, and that time has been spent mostly focusing on the more mundane aspects of teaching, as mundane as teaching in a school for mutants can be at least. Today, however, he has been called to assist with something that, however, goes after his regular duties.
The new science teacher, known under the name of John Green by the various students and even part of the staff itself, presents himself as a tall man with an athletic build wrapped in a tailored blue suit, whose professional aircut and general impeccability don't stop his blue eyes from showing life and kindness in equal measure.
It was a few minutes ago that the man contacted Mila, asking her to follow him and leading her into a small but comfortable office, only to move to intercept the police once she's safely there. A bit of telepathy, the smart using of illusions and the general suggestion to look away made sure that Mila managed to slip into the room without noone noticing and now, as the man approaches the officers, he casts a smile their way, extending his own hand to shake Frank's. "greetings Frank, Elaina... I am John Green, just John will do, the science teacher." he introduces himself, retracting his hand after a brief handshake "if you would like to follow me please, we will move to a more private and hopefully comfortable area." he adds, hoping to be followed by the officers as he turns and starts walking the short way that will lead them in the room where Mila is supposed to be waiting for them.

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell sits alone in a small office.

"I'm calm. I'm calm. I'm calm," she keeps repeating to herself as she sticks her clasped hands between her knees, while her legs shake. "It's just a chat. Just a chat. Nobody is here to straight-up handcuff you. Or feet-cuff. Or both. Or put one of those black hoods on your head while you're handcuffed and footcuffed. Or drag you in prison. And then gang-cudgel you when you're out of sight."

The leg shaking gets more and more pronounced.

"Oh goodness!", she finally cracks, and darts to stand, to pace around frantically. "I'm a horrible person! I'll get a lifetime sentence!" She turns about, and her nervous walk picks up speed. " No, worse! The state of New York will bring death penalty back specifically for me! They'll restore the electric chair! No, they'll go even further back and restore /hanging/! No, they'll restore /both/!" Her voice trembles while her rolled up hands cover her moth, as if she was biting all of her nails at once. "I'll be hung from an electric noose!", she whimpers, on the verge of tears.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank and Elaina follow J'onn through the halls to the meeting room. Frank walks with his left hand in his pocket. Elaina is relaxed and smiles to the students they pass. She jokingly does the 'watching you' fingers to one student she had talked with before and was on good terms. They both laugh.

It is impossible not to take in Mila's state the instant they come into the room. Frank sighs slightly. Elaina's face softens from a smile to a look of concern. They both look to the teacher speak first.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn :escorts the two officers and, even before opening the door, his mind catches a couple of thoughts here and there, and the ones in Mila's head are not exactly the most pleasant of ideas about a premature ending through a mix of old and modern execution methods! Or, at least, that's what his mind gives as a definition to all this. Since his telepathy, even if not advertised, isn't a secret either, he quickly forms a link with Mila's mind while he's approaching the room, at least if she is going to jump out of her skin it won't be in front of the officers right? Then in the gentlest of voices, if mental communication has a voice, he greets her with a 'hello, Mila, I am John, the teacher, and I will be there shortly with the two officers! They seem to be nice people and, don't worry, you will not end hanging from a, what did you say, electric nose? However I will be in telepathic contact with you the wole time, should you need to ask me something without them earing for whatever reason, just, well, think.' he gives a few seconds for her to assimilate the message, then turns the handle and opens the door of the office with a "well here we are! Mila, they are, hmm, well they'll introduce themselves probably!"

Mila Mitchell has posed:
((Wait! What!)) are the thoughts that come back from Mila's mind. ((You heard that? AaaaAaAAAaaAAaaaa...)) She pales, but the embarrassment, at least, helps her regain a semblance of composture as the agents walk in. "Oh... uhm... Good afternoon," she says, and scoots with as much nonchalance she can manage to sit down on the chair. At the appearance of the police agents, a subdued jazz theme that would be perfectly at home in a film noir creeps up in the background. Mila freezes in panic as she ralizes this, but her next reaction is more effective: she holds her breath, shakes her head, and the music ceases abruptly. She spends the next few seconds breathing in and out rithmically.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Elaina walks over to the young woman and crouches down in front of her to avoid looming. She holds out a hand. "Hi Mila, I'm Elaina," she says with a friendly smile. "I'm a police officer, and this is my partner, Frank. I know this is frightening, but we're just here to talk, okay? And Mr. Green is here with you, nothing is going to happen to you. This is all off the record, we just want to figure out how to help you. We work with a lot of mutants and metas, so I promise, no matter how weird things seem to you right now, we won't be shocked or offended."

Frank glances at John while Elaina talks as if looking for permission to continue given Mila's state. If he gets an affirmative, Frank sits down at the table. He smiles a bit for Mila when he is introduced, but is still a serious looking person. He leans back in his chair a bit.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn just offers a smile in answer to Mila's thoughts, a physical, visible smile, then closes the door after everyone has made its entrance and moves to a nearby chair, slightly to the side, being there without being intrusive and far from being the main focus of the conversation. He just gives Frank an affirmative nod and then his eyes will just start scanning whoever happens to be talking.

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell , reassured by Eliana's people skills, gives a single nod. Once Frank and J'onn have made their move and secured their position, she moves to sit at the table. Hands clasped, in her lap, she tries her best to settle on the chair, but it takes her a few movements, as if she wasn't really comfortable in that seat.

Or her skin.

She steals a glance at Frank, but apparently the serious expression is enough for her to divert her gaze at once, this time settling on Elaina.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Elaina moves to take a seat. She gives Elaina a reassuring nod.

"Mila, we really appreciate you meeting with us," Frank says, sitting upright again. "Takes a lot of courage. Elaina and I don't have mutations, so we can only imagine what you're going through, talking with us says a lot of good things about you. I'm sure Mr. Green is impressed, to."

"Like Elaina said, we're both police officers. I've been one for about 20 years, Elaina just a little less. I'm in charge of a bunch of teams, some that deal with just your kind of situation. Elaina investigates things like what happened at the mall. She's married, but doesn't have any kids. She works too much," Frank confides.

Elaina's eyes go wide and she smirks playfully. "Pot calling the kettle black. He's /not/ married and has no kids because he never stops working," Elaina says with wink to Mila.

"I don't really know anything about you, Mila. Mind telling us a bit about you?" Frank asks.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn is impressed too indeed, and that's confirmed with a nod and a smile aimed at Mila herself. While chuckling slightly, he probably recognizes the attempt at establishing a contact, nodding again in approval but, being an observator in this matter and a safety system more than an involved subject, he limits himself to a quiet observing

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell fidgets with her fingers. "Well, I'm Mila, uh, Mila Mitchell... and... and... uh... I'm not married and don't have kids either..." Anyone skilled at reading expressions, like Mila's interlocutors probably are, will notice her realizing what she's just said and regretting it. "...ah... I... I have not much to say, really. I'm nothing special, really. I've graduated high school. I was going to college. I mean, I still am." She fidgets more. "I... I like music, and gymnasitcs, but... but I doubt that matters right now, hm?", she says, without making eye contact except for a very brief moment at the end, and then returning to stare at the table, and letting out a short, nervous laughter.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Elaina chuckles a bit. Frank smiles.

"It matters to us, we like to get to know the people we talk with," Elaina says. "We've met a lot of students here."

"But you're right, it's not the real reason we're here," Frank adds. "Truth is, what happened at the mall was pretty serious."

"I can already tell you're not a bad person, Mila. But we'd all like to know what happened there," he continues in a straightforward way. "Can you walk us through it? Start from before you even got to the mall right up until you found your way here."

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell fidges a bit in thought. She goes through a gamut of expressions, from concentration to reflection, from disgust, to shame, to quiet, to fear, disgust and fear, again. In fact, she has a couple of small involuntary starts as she recalls, nothing big, just a sudden jolt in her posture and her breathing pattern breaking to gasp for air. "Well, uhm, see, we were going to meet with the girls at eleven-fourty-five, at the usual pizza place at the mall. My... my sneakers were this close to giving up-" she hesitates. "To give up the ghost, so I left earlier to buy a new pair." She thinks some. "I arrived at Shoe-In at three minutes past eleven. I had everything planned. Twenty-three should be more than enough to choose and buy shoes, six minutes allotted to waiting in line and paying... I mean, it was a busy day, a three minutes buffer in case of snags, and then three minutes to walk over the pizza places and join the girls. I would have arrived ten minutes early if none of my buffer would have been used, and seven if it was used in the worst case, giving me extra time to spend with them." Wow, someone's obsessed with punctuality?

"...but anyway, er... yeah, fate had... something else in store for me. The rest of the day was a trainwreck, of which you saw only the end."

"I went to buy a new pair of shoes exactly like the ones I was dismissing... this brand and model, here," She says, pointing down at the ones she's wearing. "...and once I get to the right section, I find out that the clerk assigned there is a mutant." She laughs very nervously and looks off into a corner of the room, scratching the back of her head. "...Imagine that. Me, disgusted by a mutant, walking to a different section of the store specifically to avoid being served by her..."

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank listens attentively and nods as Mila tells her story. Elaina makes a sympathetic face when Mila talks about being disgusted by a mutant. Both officers stay quiet though, even when Mila pauses. They just wait patiently and expectantly for Mila to fill the space.

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell was kind of expecting the duo to urge her to skip to the point, but seeing that they do not, she fidgets a bit more. "...so, uhm... well, I normally wouldn't tell this story, but... see, as I walk to the formal shoes section, there's this lady who's /positively/ drooling over shoes. Literally. Completely raptured. She was like a kid with unlimited credit in a candy store. So. Uhm. While I'm watching to for the clerk to go away, or at least end up busy serving someone else so I can browse the shoes in peace, I bump into this strange lady... what was her name?" She concentrates. "...Fiona. She was called Fiona, yeah." She waves her hands. "She was fine, it was very light bumping, you know, all she did was dropping the shoes she was holding! But then she... uh... she kind of picked them up the wrong way and... and..." There comes the disgust. "...her ankle bent the wrong way, she started swearing with an Irish accent, which is weird, considering she otherwise sounded a local through and through, and I ended up with her lunch on my outfit." She sighs. "So, uhm, yeah, we both got new outfits, and I got to my appointment late. I... well, I normally am never late. I take a lot of pride in making sure I follow a strict schedule... and... I pretty much was the joke of the day." While she narrates this last part, she has a reflex where she briefly clenches her fists.

It's hard to tell if it actually happened, or it was just an impression, but... did the lights in the office dim just a little? Did the people in the room experience a brief moment of dizziness, as if something was wrong with their balance, associated with it? In any case, it passed as soon as it started, lasting only for the time it takes to clench and unclench one's fists.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank's left eyebrow raises at the part about Fiona, but he keeps quiet. He nods encouragingly at points. Elaina blinks at the last part, her forehead creases slightly, then she blinks and refocuses on Elaina. Once again the two officers let the silence stretch on for Mila to fill.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn sat quietly there, listening, his mind forming images just as Mila recounts her tale and, earing her talk about time in such a precise manner? It has the most precise side of him cheer in appreciation! That however is kept behind a neutral expression, his eyes on mila when she talks, on the officers when they ask questions, and on mila again when she answers. Then his senses register something, maybe a brief moment, but for someone with the mental speed of a computer it shouldn't be hard to identify, and all his nine senses now are alert while his mind tries to send a feeling of reassurance in Mila's direction. Hopefully subtle enough!

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell calms down at the subtle suggestion, then sighs. "So, uhm, anyway... then... there was... plenty of... teasing... And... and... and... someone decided to make a... joke about particularly sentitive subjects... and... and..." Mila can't hold it anymore and sinks her face in her hands, sobbing.

"As if on cue, I broke down." Mila's narrating voice, disembodied, but audible by everyone, comes from nowhere in particular, clear and audible, like a voiceover on a movie. "It was just as well, that point had been on the news. If one removed the hateful commentary and the sensationalistic editing, the facts pretty much lay bare in front of everyone." Mila sobs harder at the manifestation of the voice. "People disoriented, people lying down, the ones who used to be my best friends bleeding... what else there is to say?"

"I didn't mean it! It... it just happened! I didn't mean to hurt people!", Mila's real voice continues.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Frank's eyes narrow when the disembodied voice starts and he looks at J'onn for direction. Elaina looks slightly alarmed.

Elaina glances between J'onn and Frank as she gets up from her chair. She grabs a box of Kleenex off the table and moves to Mila's side. She holds the box where Mila can reach it and touches her shoulder gently. "We believe you," Elaina says softly.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn glances briefly at the two officers, with another almost imperceptible nod, maybe a subtle attempt at communicating that things are not yet about to escalate. Or, at the very least, he truly hopes so! He moves his chair a bit closer to Mila as well, his presence trying to be as comforting as possible, intention reinforced by intensifying slightly the subtle mental suggestion that tries to communicate to Mila's mind that it's all in the past, noone is judging her, and people are just trying to understand, as friends.

Mila Mitchell has posed:
The only sign of 'escalation' is the noise that the box of kleenex makes, kind of like an old wooden chair dragged against a floor. Not like that of a box of tissues. She grabs a few, in succession, drying her tears, blowing her nose, and tossing them into the nearby trashcan. The room is silent now, and after one last sniffle, Mila manages to say, composed enough, "...don't worry about the voiceover. It's harmless. Been going on for a while now." She even manages to pull a side of her mouth into a smile. "...well, harmless for everyone else. It /does/ have a tendency to reveal embarrassing details about /me/..."

Frank Quaid has posed:
"Oh God, just what you need when you meet someone cute," Elaina says with a bit of a smile. She pats Mila on the shoulder and goes back to her chair.

Frank gives Mila a moment and then speaks to both J'onn and Mila. "You're not the first person whose mutation hurt people. It's not something we take lightly, but it's not something we blame you for either. It's like having a heart attack or a seizure. You can't control that. And there's case law that recognizes that, as long as you come forward."

Frank clears his throat. "Let me walk you through what I've suggested in that past to people in your situation. Get in touch with Nelson & Murdock, it's a law firm. Tell them what happened and that you met with me. They'll walk you through how to put together a statement about what happened. They'll even take care of getting it to my people and working with the District Attorney. Everyone will look over the statement and once the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, the District Attorney will close the file. Because you didn't commit a crime here."

"After that it's up to you what you do. Some of the people who were hurt might try to sue. It happens. But the case law is clear on that, too. You can't be responsible for something you don't have control over. Sometimes people want to make apologies. Sometimes they don't. That's something only you can decide," Elaina adds to Mila. "But what isn't optional is working with your teachers here, like Mr. Green. If your abilities get out of control again, there isn't a lot we can do. You didn't ask for mutation, but now that it's happened, it's your responsibility."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn ears what the officers say, and a smile forms on his lips while he nods in approval "All of us are here to help you and do so very gladly, so that you can learn and train in the way you desire and for the goals you will set for yourself. And actually, I've eard some pretty good things about that law firm so I am sure that is a quite good suggestion." he smiles again in Mila's direction "you're protected from the law and, well, you'll learn to protect from, other people as well. Sometimes they can be, hm, worse than those agents in uniforms but, I'm sure you'll do as well as possible"

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell replies to Elaina, "Indeed. True story, it did happen. This is my life now." but still in a jesting tone. She listens carefully to Frank's advice, and nods a lot at the suggestions. As he keeps explaining how everything will hopefully work out, or, at least, work out much better than she had initially imagined, her posture straightens more and more.

"Will do," she says at the end, with the terrified determination of a kid who's just got a puppy and was told that now the life and death of the creature are in her hands. She confirms her statement to J'onn, "I will try and do my best," her determination faltering a little as if the kid from earlier was told that while she is busy taking care of the puppy, someone will try to set her on fire.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"I wish there was an easier way, but this lets you put it behind you. If it's left, our file doesn't close and eventually we can't treat it as an accident," for the first time with real evident sympathy. Frank slides his card onto the table for Mila. "If you have any questions, or need to run something past someone, talk to your teachers first, they're good people. But I'm always available, too."

Frank and Elaina both stand. Frank nods a goodbye to Mila and walks over to shake hands with J'onn. Elaina comes over and offers a hand to Mila before doing the same to J'onn.

"We know the way, Mr. Green," Frank says. "Thank you for helping her with this. We really do appreciate the staff here working with us."

Frank is back on his Blackberry the instant they are out of the meeting room. Once the goodbyes are out of the way, the officers make their way back through the halls and out to the truck. They both climb in.

"Cute kid, I feel so bad for her. That voice thing? For a kid that age? That's horrible," Elaina says as she buckles up.

"Yeah," Frank grunts. "Think she'll follow through?"

"Oh yeah, she's a good kid," Elaina says as they pull out. "It's sushi today," she points out.

Frank sighs long-sufferingly. "Great. Gettin' raw from all sides."

Elaina laughs and they drive off.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn stands up and shakes Frank's hand, and then his colleague's hand, nodding in understanding at them "it was a pleasure Frank, Elaina, please be safe and thank you for your help and understanding" he then waits till the agents are out of the room, and tries to gently give a reassuring pat on Mila's left shoulder "you did wonderfully, Mila. You are free to go now, I made sure the other students didn't know about all of this so you're safe and, should you ever need anything, feel free to get in touch with me! Actually, I'd like to speak with you about something in the next days, but now, better get some rest, hm?" And there he waits an eventual answer, before leaving Mila to her device and returning to the watchtower, it's monitor duty today. And oreos for dinner! Because yes, he can dine with oreos.

Mila Mitchell has posed:
Mila Mitchell gets up with a slight tremor, as an aftermat of the the adrenalin rush being over. "...thanks. That was... thanks," she just says. "Oh, uhm, since both the police and you said I should contact you if I have any question... er... there /is/ a thing I have... you know, heard, those... stories that go around, from mouth to mouth, and... and I was... kind of... wondering about." She looks up at J'onn and asks, "...is it true that you could dine with Oreos?"