Daniela Diaz (all_bright) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-09-18 21:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2019 [09] september, daniela diaz, nina clarke |
Who: Nina Clarke and Dani Diaz
Where: The office (Nina) and the duplex (Dani)
What: A phone call to check up
When: The evening of 9/6, around 6:30 PM
[With Mina in quarantine and Bea staying over at her friend’s, the duplex feels unusually empty. In a little while, Dani will probably go next door and see if Cherry wants some company, but first there's a phone call that she promised to make. Curled up in an oversized sweatshirt, her hair still damp from the bath she took to try and relax, Dani picks up her cellphone and chooses a number from the speed dial. A moment later, it rings.] DANI: [after Nina answers.] It's Dani. I … hope I didn't call at a bad time. NINA: Oh! Hi. No, this is good. [the adjective feels strange to say, though, and she winces.] I'm not working, I'm just… [she sighs then, clearly at a loss.] How are you? DANI: As much as I’d like to answer that with a polite ‘fine,’ it wouldn't really be true. Let's say, instead, that I’m coping. [she keeps her eyes lowered and deliberately avoids looking around the empty room.] I thought you might be the same. NINA: Yes, I. [She swallows heavily, showing her head.] I am. I've been sitting in my office for hours, going over all we know, but -- nothing makes sense. DANI: There's too much about how all of this works that we still don't understand. [her tone takes on a note of bitterness] And apparently, even with all their resources, the rest of the country is as clueless as we are. NINA: What do you mean by that? DANI: [she bites her lip, belatedly realizing this isn't the conversation she meant to have.] Well, immunity, for one. We never figured it out, of course, but if Denver has, they haven't passed the knowledge along. You'd think after three years they would have something. NINA: To my knowledge, we already know everything that they know. [Of course, it's not hard to consider the possibility of the national government withholding secrets, but she has to believe that Amanda -- or President Hemings -- wouldn't stoop that low. She takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.] Are you disappointed they haven't yet found a way to vaccinate for immunity, Dani? DANI: Of course. Aren’t you? [sighs] Logically, I know that these things take time, but it’s frustrating to feel at the mercy of the infection. Especially with so many friends sitting in quarantine. NINA: [another deep breath before she shakes her head, though she knows Dani can't see her.] Is there a reason why you called? [it sounds bad once it's out loud, and she quickly amends her statement:] Is there anything that I can do right now? DANI: [after a moment of silence] No. Despite all appearances to the contrary, I actually just called to see how you're holding up. Are you still at the office? NINA: Yes. [her voice is dry, sarcastic -- unusual for her.] How ever did you know? DANI: [ignoring Nina’s tone] You said as much. I was just confirming. [all too aware, despite what Kitty asked, that she's the last person qualified to give advice about overworking, she decides to take a different tack.] I'm not going to give you grief about being there. God knows I throw myself into work to avoid thinking about things all the time, because I feel less helpless if I can at least fix something. At the same time, I just want to make sure you know that I'm … I get it. If you ever get to a place where you want to talk. NINA: I know. [She still sounds defensive, but it's lessened a bit. Another deep breath, then:] I don't even know what there is to talk about besides all of the things that could have been prevented, if only we knew how or why this had happened. DANI: What about how you’re feeling? Commiseration is supposed to be a valuable way of coping. [she winces at her own detached phrasing.] I think I have almost as many friends in quarantine as out, at the moment, which is … well. Troubling. Terrifying. NINA: [she swallows hard.] Look, I don't know how I'm feeling. Both of those options sound… about right. DANI: I don't necessarily believe there's value in scrutinizing every emotional response to a situation, but -- [another sigh] All I know is that I've chosen to bottle things up in the past, and it's an imperfect solution. NINA: [suddenly, without warning:] It's different, though, because fixing something in this case means fixing all the wrong that's happened and making sure it won't ever happen again. I can't afford to not focus on what I need to do. That's not an option. DANI: [confused] I don't understand. What ‘fix’ can possibly do all of that? NINA: There isn't a catch-all. That's the problem. [she laughs, shaking her head, and takes a deep breath.] I have a problem, a big one, and people's lives depend on it, and I don't have a solution. Therein lies the paradox. DANI: No one can solve it alone, then, if it’s so complex. It would have to be more of a collaborative effort, by its very nature. NINA: Good thing I've got collaborators, then. DANI: [there's a pause, as she rubs a hand across her face, feeling suddenly drained.] Yes, I suppose so. NINA: [She's on edge, still, but Dani's tone deflates her slightly.] I'm fine, Dani, and I'm going to fix this somehow. I'm certainly angry about Kitty and Demi, and I'm absolutely unhappy about it all, and I don't -- People are counting on me, and I have to make this right. DANI: Wait -- [her voice catches] Demi? What about her? NINA: Oh. [she pauses, wondering how best to phrase this, before deciding there is no 'best' way. When she speaks again, her voice is much more gentle.] She was bitten today, too. Over in the UMCB district. DANI: [a beat of silence, as she closes her eyes and takes a steadying breath. it doesn’t truly help very much.] I’m sorry, Nina, I didn’t know. Kitty texted me, but the news about Demi … You heard from her? Does she have other injuries? NINA: Yes, she texted me. Just the bite, I think. DANI: That's better, I suppose, than the alternative. [despite being clearly shaken by this news, she circles back to their previous discussion anyway.] I understand a little more now, why you're feeling so driven. All of this -- it's a lot for anyone to deal with. Just remember that you can call me if it gets to be too much. Any time. NINA: [there's silence for a moment; Nina's breath is barely audible on the line.] All right. I will. [another pause, then:] Thank you, Dani. I appreciate the offer. DANI: Of course. Take care, Nina. |