InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "For Ever"

Holly Jasmine Page (shewhodrifts) wrote in commandhq,
@ 2018-04-01 14:05:00

Entry tags:

danny costa, holly page, p: mena, p: mj

Who: Holly Page & Danny Costa
What: First Meetings
When: Seventeen minutes after this
Where: Agent Barracks
Rating: PG-13?

Holly glanced at the clock and pushed off from where she had been leaning against the back of the couch. Danny was two minutes late meeting her and Holly - having spent a long time in the military - valued punctuality quite highly. Instead of waiting around any longer, she went off in search of her erstwhile agent.

She had familiarised herself with his file, and his powers - which she had agreed should remain off for the foreseeable future - along with what little she knew of his life before joining the Regiment. She knew she might have her hands full: just one more agent that might be difficult to join the ones that she already had. But it wasn't so bad, she had a few that were genuinely willing to work with her and so even though some of her agents would never be sent into the field if she could get away with it, she was determined to make sure that every single one of them could defend themselves if it came down to it.

That would include Danny Costa, but probably way, way down the line.

Her feet took her to his room and she knocked on the door sharply, knuckles rapping against it firmly.

"Danny?" she called, accent crisp and clear even on that one word. "You're late."

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truthorfiction
2018-04-01 02:29 pm UTC (link)

It was not intentional on Danny's part to be late but his relationship with time was about as good as the one he had with reality which was not very good at all. He honestly didn't really think about time the same way everybody else did and as a result he didn't really know how long fifteen minutes was so when Holly came to find him he looked genuinely perplexed.

He was late?

Danny blinked, got off his bed, crossed the distance and opened the door to greet who he could only assume was his handler, Holly. "Sorry, I didn't realise I was late." The look on his face was pretty much open and transparent, clear he hadn't meant to be missing in action. "You must be Holly."

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-01 02:47 pm UTC (link)

Holly looked at Danny for a moment before she just drew in a slow breath and offered him a smile. He looked young and lost, and even though she knew from his file that he wasn't that much younger than her, he looked it and he just... felt it. He seemed so young and lost and it made Holly's chest clench painfully.

"It's okay," she said, "You have a clock in here, don't you?" she asked, "Maybe just keep a better eye on the time going forward." Her smile was soft and gentle, easy. She didn't let herself into his room, even though the door was open. She firmly believed that the agent rooms were their personal space and she would never just let herself in without permission or prior agreement.

She tilted her head, holding her hand out to Danny. "I am, Holly Page. I'm here to look after you while you're in the facility. Thought I'd come and introduce myself to you in person and answer any questions you might have. Do you want to talk in here or shall we go somewhere else?"

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truthorfiction
2018-04-01 04:02 pm UTC (link)

Danny's eyes slid in the direction of the clock that Holly was referring to and simply nodded his head. She seemed.. nice, but a lot of people seemed nice on first meeting. From past experience Danny knew just how quickly nice could turn nasty and he was always wary regardless.

He eyed her hand and took a moment to try and ascertain if she was actually there and not some sort of figment. Of course it would be hard considering his powers had been turned off, which he understood, but still habits were hard to break especially as they had been with him so long.

An inhale was taken before he reached out to take a hold of her hand in his. "Somewhere else is good."

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-01 08:21 pm UTC (link)

Holly relaxed a little when Danny took her hand. She shook it firmly, but not too firmly as he had a skittish look about him that she recognised. She also didn't keep the hold too long, a shake and then she let go. "Do you want to talk in private or would you be comfortable in the common area?"

It was all about making sure that he felt comfortable. It was a key component to building trust and from what she knew of his file - as limited as it was - trust was something that he had been sorely lacking in the past few years. She would change that, rebuild it if she could.

She led the way away from the rooms and towards the common area, not getting comfortable as she waited for his response. If he wanted to go somewhere more private, they could head to the staff barracks, or somewhere outside. But it was chilly and was threatening rain, so if outside could be avoided it was for the best: Holly's hair when wet was not worth seeing.

"And try not to look so worried, Danny. I'm not here to hurt you."

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truthorfiction
2018-04-02 11:25 am UTC (link)

Danny's eyes strayed to the point where their hands met and he took a moment to really look at Holly's hand. It was distinctly female yes but it was different than say Kat's or Clara's, the skin for example felt rougher around parts of her palm and there were callouses along the edges of particular fingers. She was clearly somebody who had or did a lot with her hands and the strength in her grip suggested to Danny that she was in good physical health.

"Common area," he finally said after a prolonged moment of silence. Less chance of being alone, he didn't like being alone with people in positions of authority. Nobody could hear you scream or that's what he had come to learn. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and fell in step beside her, another slow considering look being given to his handler and the way she carried herself. Confident, strong, self assured. She clearly meant business.

He ducked his head when she tried to reassure him and rotated the ring on his thumb, nervously, old habit. "I've heard that before."

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-02 12:00 pm UTC (link)

Once they hit the common area, Holly indicated that Danny should take a seat, even as he stood there, nervously twisting his thumb ring. Anxiety was written across his entire body and the words that spilled from his lips made Holly's heart clench painfully. He acted like some of the POWs she'd seen before; conditioned from abuse into certain behaviours, expecting certain things and she had a momentary flashback to being in Afghanistan, when her unit liberated a group of women who had spent years being held as captives, how they didn't even more when they were free at first because they'd learned that moving meant they got whipped.

She clenched her teeth together and instead of responding immediately she took a seat on the couch and waited patiently for Danny to join her.

"I don't know everything that happened to you before you came to us," she told him, "but if anyone here tries to hurt you..." she ducked so that she was making eye contact with him, "I will hurt them first." And she meant that; the agents under her care were largely capable of taking care of themselves but Danny seemed so child-like and vulnerable. "That doesn't happen here and if anyone in a position of authority tries to abuse that, I will personally see to it that they get what they deserve."

She tilted her head, leaning back into the chair and forcing herself to relax her body language so she didn't look threatening or intimidating.

"I'm here to take care of you," she said. "That means I protect you and make sure that you get the care you need. I'd like you to speak to one of the psychiatrists we have here. Would that be okay?"

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truthorfiction
2018-04-03 08:09 pm UTC (link)

Danny did hover but after a deep breath he worked up the courage to join Holly in the common area where eventually he sank his weight onto a chair and he took to chewing on the edge of his thumb.

His eyes were large, watchful, and highly alert. That much was evident in hoe he watched Holly as she spoke, listening to the words spoken but more importantly paying attention to the inflection and tone. It seemed sincere, she seemed sincere, but he was reticent to let himself trust her as he had trusted people before and it had been the wrong move to make.

Then she mentioned a psychiatrist and Danny's eyes darkened to the point where they looked black. "I don't trust shrinks," he offered, voice surprisingly more confident than it had been a moment ago.

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-04 08:32 am UTC (link)

Holly watched the sudden shift in Danny's entire posture and voice when he told her that he didn't trust psychiatrists. She knew a little about what had happened, the files that had been recovered from the Cheshire Medical Facility lay on the desk in her room, briefly opened and scanned but when she'd realised just what horrors they contained she'd stopped, put them aside to read later. She wanted to see Danny first, not the file. Not the horror story.

An eyebrow arched and Holly just sat back in the chair. "No?" she asked, "Well, I do think it'd benefit you to see one. That's kind of a non-negotiable. But if you're concerned that they're not trustworthy, I can sit in the sessions with you." Unusual as a tactic, perhaps, but she'd heard of it being done before and if it would help built trust between Danny and whichever therapist he ended up seeing then it would be worth it.

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truthorfiction
2018-04-05 12:52 am UTC (link)

"No," Danny said simply because it was a fact, one he wasn't about to debate or explain. It didn't need explaining. If it did then clearly she hadn't read his file.

He could feel his jaw twitching and his ring was turned over on his thumb as he waited for whatever she was going to say next. Danny was for the most part a marshmallow however he had a distinct edge, a razor sharp one, he'd cut you in a second if he felt it warranted.

"Fine," he bit out a moment later.

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-05 01:14 am UTC (link)

Holly nodded her head. She understood that. "I can promise you that unless the circumstance is way outta my control, you won't have to go to medical to see one of the healers, doctors or psychiatrists without a chaperone."

None of the staff here was out to hurt the agents but it was easy to understand why he might not trust them. He'd had a horrific experience, and that took time to rebuild the trust that had been shattered. If it could be.

"I've noted you down as a non-combatant, which means you're not a field agent and you won't be sent out on missions. I noticed that you've applied to work at the shoppette, which is good. Keeps you busy. I would like to do some rudimentary training with you, but there's no rush to start that."

She folded her hands in her lap, brown eyes still fixed on him. "Do you have any questions you'd like to ask me?"

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truthorfiction
2018-04-06 07:31 pm UTC (link)

Non combatant? Well, that was good. Danny's powers were intense but at the same time he couldn't control them so they were a danger not only to himself but to others around him. Made sense not to put him in a field situation unless he could be trusted.

"Shelf stacker," he offered. "Means I can keep my hands busy without needing to get too involved with other people." Didn't trust himself around strangers, might be different now his powers were switched off, but he wasn't holding his breath.

Questions, questions, questions... Danny merely shook his head. "Not at this time, but I'll let you know if I can think of anything."

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shewhodrifts
2018-04-07 08:26 pm UTC (link)

Holly smiled a little. "That's good," she said, "It'll be good to keep you busy too, and it never hurts to have a little extra income. Sometimes we get to do runs to the outside world, so if there's stuff you want that the shop can't order in, I can try and grab it for you. Provided it's not restricted, of course."

When Danny said he had no further questions, Holly just nodded and got to her feet. "Well, in that case, I will leave you to the rest of your day. It was nice to meet you, Danny. If you need anything, let me know and I'll do my best to help you, and I'll accompany you to medical any time you have to go there just so that you're not alone."

She looked like she wanted to touch his shoulder but she refrained, just looking at him for a moment before she nodded and headed away. It was a start, and that, for the moment, was all she needed.

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