Safe as Houses

Characters: Divine Sophie
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Sophie, aka Fox makes contact with Divine, setting up a safe house for her to escape for, while both women determine ways they can help each other's situation.
OOC Date: Tue Mar 13 00:54:53 2018
IC Date: Tue Mar 13 00:54:53 2018
Where: Safe house somewhere on the East Coast

The operation was ostensibly designed to catch some invisible man called "wark", who had supposedly been sabotaging DEO operations for a week or two now. Anonymous sources had leaked the information, along with a tip that you needed some sort of augmented vision to be able to detect the guy. Granted there was no invisible man, really. Not that it mattered, the people with fancy offices had decided "Wark" was totally a real thing. The information had been sufficient of course to secure a mission drafting for Divine, and never mind the location specified in the tip.

Williams New York, up near the boarder with Canada was a ski resort once upon a time. Now it was a ghost town, a place no roads really lead to anymore. An elevated defensive position, easy to spot the approach of any curious onlookers. The Ski lodge of course was high, and thus the glass was shockingly mostly intact. Granted the roof was giving way, but that gem of mid 80's interior design had mostly survived. A perfect place for a clandestine meeting, of course.

It's where "Fox" waits, rocking neat white disruptive snowy camo'd gear and a stark almost moonlight hue of rubber polygonal fox mask. Ever the fashionable hitwoman, of course. One hand resting on the carbine in her lap, as the other lofts a trashy romance novel she'd discovered up here. Waiting, for just one woman to drop by..

Flying through the sky, Divine halts, drifting amount the scattered clouds as she frowns, looking down at the resort. Well. So now she has to find some invisible guy? Well. She supposes it's possible, but seriously…

She does scan over the resort, and quickly zeros in on the one outstanding person on the property…enough that with a woosh of displaced air, she's there, floating over where Fox waits before she lightly touches down. "…Wark?" she says after a moment, looking faintly amused.

"I was going to call myself "Xof" but I felt like it would be in poor taste, too on the nose hm?"That mask rolls upwards, as she sets the novel aside. "I felt like you needed a day off, and obviously this Wark guy is -really- good at hiding right?"The mask does little to hide that grin, you can hear it in the voice sure. "I brought you a disguise, and I got a car hidden. What do you say, need a day off like a normal fucking person?"

She hops down from the table she was perched upon, lifting that mask gingerly with a smirk. Not like it'd do much against present company mind you, right? "I got some stuff to get you shook out, once we start making moves that is. A safe house, but we need to get some stuff to make it livable. Bedding, towels, clothes, food. Figured you might like to be apart of that, right? Plenty of time to see a movie or whatever too, if you fancy. That Wark guy, could take hours right?"

Divine clasps her hands behind her back, blinking as Fox lists out the preparations, then says slowly. "Wow…thank you." she says softly, smiling big. "That sounds like a wonderful way to pass the time until Wark shows his face!" She grins a bit, then walks over, looking a little more serious. "Yeah, that'd be helpful. I think they might be wondering about me." She frowns. "My handlers have been a bit weird in interacting with me lately."

"Well I don't have the sort've resources to spring you myself, but I can at least make it a pain for them to get to you. Anyway, street clothes!"and a clap, as Fox sets off. Carbine slung casually under arm, leading down into the core of the building into a what service tunnel leading back down the mountain? Anyhow the place may smell like mildew, but hey it's private right? Fox pauses, slinging a duffel bag over to Divine with a smirk. Jeans, chuck tailors, Carhartt hoody so nothing fancy then. Yet, anyway. "I've been skimming pretty hard where I can, get you a little nest egg so you can keep your head down."And a step, as she eases herself into the doorway to turn her back and let Divine change.

"I still need to find you papers, but I can get you out of the country. Not enough money to retire to somewhere warm, not yet anyway."And a beat, as she finally just rolls that helmet off completely with a roll of the shoulders. "How's your spanish, or French by the way?"

The dark haired Kryptonian catches the bag easily, then unzips it, pulling out the clothes and setting them out on a nearby table, then starts stripping out of her 'uniform', such as it is, just leaving her in the heavy sports bra she's packing before she starts pulling on the clothes. "I can speak either fluently." she answers, pulling the hoodies over her head, then buckling the jeans closed. "My sister….I've been talking with her more too…" she admits. "She…might want to help. I don't know how yet." She frowns. "I dunno if I like just…hiding." she admits after a moment. "I've put up with them forcing me to go where they want fo ra while, having to go hide out because of them wouldn't be that different, would it?"

"Your sister is as subtle as a gasoline refinery explosion, at night. Her involvement means you will have to handle this out in the open, and that might complicate things."Sophie glances back, and well then it's onward down that service tunnel in the dark. "Secrecy gives you room, time to break loose of them and plan your actions. This is the DEO, you go rogue out in the open and they're going to give me a very short target list. "And a pause, as Sophie ducks her head to light a cigarette. "I won't pick you over my girl, and if I get turned loose it will definitely get wild and messy. Innocent people are going to get caught in the crossfire, and that's presuming I'm all they send."

There's an ancient heavy steel door at the far end, which takes a grunt of effort to pop free to expose a darkened underground parking complex. "Being secretive, allows you to strike at them tactically. You don't need to give them a target, you can chose your time and place. It's also more humiliating, because it proves their ineptitude. The entire premise of the DEO is that they can find people like you, and control you. You picking them apart, shatters their illusion of control. It challenges the most important monopoly."And well there's a ratty old Chevy blazer Sophie stops behind, dropping the tailgate to set her helmet down and get that plate carrier unclipped. "You need to make them stick to your timeline whatever you do, alright?"

Divine snerks at the characterization of Kara, stepping into the shoes and stuffing her usual outfit in the duffel, boots and all before slinging it over her shoulder as she walks back over, following along, as she listens. She's still got a vaguely pugnacious, stubborn expression on her face however. She's really not one to do things…well, quietly. Or stealthily often. "My timeline?" she asks curiously as she steps by the Blazer. "And yeah, I guess, but DEO doesn't known I exist really. Not really what I am, anyway. CADMUS does." She frowns thoughtfully as she studies you. "…you're really putting yourself at risk for me. If they figure out what you've done, it won't be prison, they'll try to take you out completely…you have to be careful." She considers. "Or…maybe…I could do something for you too…"

"And how exactly do you think the DEO will react to that information, rationally? They find out you exist, and you have a beef? They'll panic, it'll be a madhouse."Sophie steps aside to change, into jeans and bummy barn jacket for maximum backwoods appeal. "And yes, your timeline. With distance and secrecy, you decide what you do and when you do it. Action will always beat reaction, you get into a brawl on equal footing and you give them the advantage."

That old Blazer fires up with a growl, before Sophie reaches over to pop open the door for Divine. Casually tucking that SiG of hers under a thigh, before belting up. "They figure out what I've done, they grab my girl and they tell me to off myself or else. I will comply, because the alternative is worse. The Renard may just have enough juice left to get another incarnation, part of me survives maybe. My girl, she doesn't get that chance no matter how slim. So yeah, no prison for me."Casually glancing across towards Divine. "I won't say I wouldn't appreciate my entire file getting destroyed, but I don't want you putting anything at risk for me. I don't deserve that, not from you."

Divine…or maybe Karen now…slides into the passenger seat, closing the door with a thump. She snorts. "You've put yourself at risk, and the woman you love at risk, for me. Someone you barely knew at first. You could have just done your job and ignored the situation I'm in. Let me keep believing everything I'd been told. I owe you." She frowns. "I don't know what CADMUS has on you, if anything. But I know they watch the DEO, and they've got ins to take action against them if they decide they need it. Nuking a record might be something I can pull off. Especially if they've erased it everywhere else."

She pulls the seatbelt over, clicking it into place, then inhales. "…I get what you're saying. There's no reason to fight fair. I don't know yet how to pull that off. My sister is going to say…go public so they can't call me on it, control the story. They don't want people to know they've been creating clones, so there's something to that, but there needs to be more."

"A couple hundred murders, kidnapping, robbery, weapons, assaulting an FBI agent. The DEO, has kind of an awful lot. The dicking over CADMUS thing is one thing, the fact I'm doing it without authorization is the issue. I mean it was this, or lethal injection. Renards, like me? We don't do, peacetime very well."Sophie offers, as she gets that truck moving. Pulling out of that parking garage and easing down ancient gravel roads at a decidedly reasonable pace. "I am not a nice person honey, I was once but it was a long time ago."

"Helping you though, I couldn't stop if I wanted to. It's the way I'm made, this is why I exist. Granted back then it was the Romans, or other tribes I guess. Nowadays, we got the Cartels and the DEOs and CADMUSes of the world. Just your luck, the last Renard died when he did. That there's no war for me to go get wrapped up in. It's not kindness, it's instinct."Or so Sophie offers, perhaps more cryptically than intended really.

Divine looks a bit skeptical. "I think you underestimate yourself." she says finally after a moment. "I don't care if you're a perfect good person, anyway. I'm not. I've killed people on orders. I've stolen things. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I didn't have something like you did to drive me into a rage. To want that sort of revenge." She quiets, then notes softly. "And maybe that's good, because…if they took someone I cared about like that…I wouldn't hold back." Such a simple phrase, encompassing the sheer catastrophic destruction an unrestrained Kryptonian could unleash.

"Maybe we should just set the DEO and CADMUS on each other and let them rip each other apart then, but there probably are good people in both who think they're doing the right thing. Or people like you, who were trapped into working for either side, not because they wanted to. I've heard rumors about a Suicide Squad of metahuman villains…expendable, because they don't care if they die. I don't want you to end up like that."

"I had a choice though, and I made it."Sophie retorts, quietly. Easing that big truck onto the freeway and then, well it's just a car ride in a beat up old Chevy. A most mundane way for two very metahumans to be spending time for certain, but hey at least the radio's playing Talking Heads. "I belong where I am, I -like- what I do. I enjoy the game of it, the production, take it away from me and who knows how I'd entertain myself. Killing off cartels isn't acceptable apparently, so how long before your sister or someone else decides I'm just another murderer?"

"Anyway, we're getting morose. How do you like your sister? I tried to get her to be a little less, preachy but I'll be honest some people are just born that way. I'm not sure what some crazy french bitch in a mask can do about her self-righteous bullshit."And a shrug, as she hits the exit.

Karen lets it drop as she rests her hands in her lap, closing her eyes. "She's…I dunno, it's still…awkward. She hasn't tried to preach to me, but it's…it's just weird that she's so…so….." She waves her hands around. "…accepting. That she wants me to be her sisters, even after all the laws I've broken, the crap I've done. She has to know I've done bad stuff, right? I mean, I'm not a psychpath or something, but…" She huffs. "…we've texted a few times though. Just…general stuff. Not talking about CADMUS or what I've had to do or anythign like that." She tilts her head back. "It's…nice? She…I believe she cares. I don't understand it completely." she admits.

"You don't have to understand, just accept. I think she's just that way, though she -really- doesn't care for me. I think I enjoy the bloodshed a little too much for her."And a beat as she swings the Chevy into a strip mall. Hey, bed bath and beyond because of course there is. "You thought about what you're going to do? Start dating, find a job, that stuff?"

Karen shifts a bit. "…kinda…started dating." she admits, the usual more gruff woman looking a bit…well, shy, about that? "She's…a metahuman I met. Just randomly. One of those heroines who just does stuff cuz she can help." She smiles a bit. "…snuck out a couple times to see her, though I've been trying not to push it." She glances over. "Other than that…well, I'm really good with tech, kinda like my sister. I could probably make good money being a contract techie or something. Lets me work remotely too, so it'd be easier to lay low, establish a cover ID, that sort of thing, y'know?"

"You know what you should do? Secretary work, jokes aside you become invisible. Back when I was still on the run, I did it for this Auto-salvage company. Hung out on the phones all day long, browsing the fencing subreddit and trolling in French."Sophie offers a smirk at that, as she tugs the door open and holds. "Sounds cute though, You need someone in this kind of work. People put us in perspective, you know? People like us I mean, raised in this world?"

"Well, technically she wasn't raised in this world, but another dimension." Karen notes. Because that's a serious sentence that can actually be said in this world. "But she's…nice." she admits with a faint smile. "Mm, I dunno if I could do secretary work, especially if I got stuck with a boss who wanted to get grabby." Her eyes narrow. "…and they do that a lot, seems like." Or maybe she's just lucky. Or gifted, at least. "Mmm. I dunno, it's kind of putting the cart before the horse to think about a job like that first, I guess?"

"No, it's important to have goals."Sophie retorts, kicking a cart out from the row and letting it drift over to Divine. "Oh the dimension thing, well. I mean is she like us, ripping off car doors and so fourth? If she isn't, I'd say it's -fine-. You spend too without like, living with a more normal person? You get skewed, you lose your anchor. That's what happened to the last Reynard, the one before me? He just went mustang entirely, and got himself snapped."

Karen snags the cart pulling it free, then starting to follow along. "Ooooooh yeah. She is definitely a rip the doors off the car sorta girl, if she gets mad enough." she admits. "I don't know exactly how she does it. I don't think she does, but…" She mmms. "No, I get what you mean. But it's kinda nice to have someone I don't have to be…super careful with? Or worry I'm going to accidentally hurt them or something." she says thoughtfully. "I guess it depends what you want to anchor to, right?"

"Spend time around regular folks, I mean it. I'll introduce you to my girl if that's more comfortable, but you need to set up safeguards against getting yourself into a bad headspace."hands thrust into jacket pockets, as Sophie draws up alongside Karen. "So this place, two bedrooms, one full bath. It's not a -nice- place, but it's yours. So legit, you wanna put your chick there? Go for it, do whatever. It's important, that you make it your home though. I mean this is -yours-, you know?"

Karen considers that, turning the idea over in her head. "…it…feels weird to think that I have a house? And that you found one for me…" she admits. "But…isn't it just a temporary thing, until I can find something more secure? And you might need it…." she says, frowning to herself.

"Well as long as you want it. I mean don't get too excited, it's not a -nice- house. It's small, it's near the train tracks. It's also not worth much, because I've bought more expensive motorcycles. That said, it's yours. Stay or go, you can make that decision. As for me?"Sophie shrugs, eyeing comforters casually. "I have a place, I have backup places. I can secure a few million in a night if I need it, and hell I survived Brazil and Colombia as a fourteen year old girl on my own. The CIA couldn't find me, neither could the DEO. I have nothing to worry about, as long as I get some sort of warning. That said, I'll be out of touch for awhile. Maybe spend some time down in South America, follow the last Reynard's foot steps to find his stash?"

Karen considers that, looking over. "…that kinda sounds fun, honestly." she admits. "Want some help with that? And…well…" She frowns curiously. "Can you tell me what you'd need me to do something about in order to disappear?" she says slowly. "I mean…ideally, if we had something on your bosses that was bad enough that they'd back off on you and your girl rather than risk it getting out…"

"Alex Fisher, was a CIA case officer down in Colombia back in the day. He knew Jean-Pierre from their work in the second world war, brought him down south to kill Pablo Escobar yeah? He doesn't like that the DEO played games with me, was there for the big turf war with the DEO when I came out of hiding. He might know something, but my case officer has a safe somewhere with all the stuff in it."And a shrug. "I don't know how to find a retired spook though, guy's a ghost."

Karen frowns. "Did he deal with other metahumans? That might have put him on my bosses's radar, enough that they'd try to keep a thumb on him, or at least know where to put their hands on him." she says thoughtfully. "Well…if I'm out, I'm gonna have some time on my hands…no reason I can't down there and take a look around?"

"Well Jean-Pierre was a company asset, they didn't seem to know what to do when I popped up though. DEO outbid them before they knew it was a bidding war, I mean I was looking for actionable intel that day. CIA wanted to play games, but I hear tell they took it pretty personal. Their OCA guys know who I am at least, and I know Jean-Pierre was like a murder machine for regime change games down there. You might find the company pretty friendly, because the DIA is absolutely dicking them hard. All the Intel-oriented metas, go to the DEO and the DEO doesn't share. Nevermind SHIELD, who hates both of them. Granted, I don't have any clue what they'd think of me long term. I do contract work with them, but I think it's just so they can watch me."And a little shrug. "Jean-Pierre was into some shit though, I don't know what all. There's stories he got ahold of a nuke or something, and I know he had a stockpile."

"Yeah, if that's true I'm sure they definitely were looking for him. Nukes kinda make people nervous." Karen says dryly. She considers. "…if we do this right, then…we might be able to balance the DEO with the other organizations who want to screw them over a bit. THey might be willing to stick a knife in on DEO just on principle.

"Well I mean, we still don't know who axed Jean-Pierre. I haven't reached out to Fisher, because for all I know he was the one who did it. Two thousand pound car bomb, speaks to a panic order right? leveled two city blocks, killed like a hundred fifty folks just to get him. As for the Nuke, god only knows. He was apparently a little, out there towards the end. Had a closer connection to the divine side of the Reynard kick, was speaking in tongues you know?"And a pause, for Sophie to secure dust ruffles because those are obviously important. "I don't have that kind of juice, yet anyway. Not enough lives taken."

"I kinda think you wanna tone back, not enhance your kill streak, Sophie." Karen says wryly. "But that's a name to start with. Fisher. If he's got a safe, I'll find it, can't hide it from me." she says, confidently. When you can see through walls, after all…it's hard to hide that sort of thing.

"I'm a literal divine instrument of violence and bloodshed, Reynards aren't an accident honey. I'm a weapon just the same as you, and I tried to go against my nature once before. I need blood sacrifice, or proper temples built with worshipers and all. Nobody around here is doing much worship, you know?" There's a shrug there, but then again aspects of the conversation are quite familiar. "Reynards are fighters, we're not nice things. We fight and kill, and visit horrible things upon our enemies. I'm pretty confident even if I could stop, I wouldn't want to. Not much in life even feels real, but some mad villainy? Feels like home."

Karen glances over, then notes after a moment of silence. "Sounds like an addiction, then." she muses quietly. "What about your girl?" she says thoughfully. "More or less real than slaughter?"

"The god who set this all in motion, is dead. Reynards like me, We're his revenge. With no patron diety, that means I need to take a more active role. No free powers, you know?"Sophie seems, well decidedly relaxed about the whole thing considering right? "She's real, but different. I stop, and I end up like some of the Reynards before. Crazy, suicidal or dead."

The Kryptonian purses her lips then pauses as you pass the hairstyle aisle, her eyes falling on one of the bleach kits. "…I guess I don't understand. It sounds more like a curse than anything else, if it pushes you to just need to kill to stay sane. Like it's looking to make you a serial killer or something."

"Well the Romans were invading, it was expected there would be endless war and the end of the world. I know what I look like, but I'm closer to a Fox than a Person. I need the hunt, and generally unfit for domestication."And another shrug, and a sly little smile. "I went to war with murderers, drug dealers and rapists. I got put where I am as a result, not my fault society never accounted for divine influence you know?"

The dark-haired woman shakes her head slightly. "I think thinking like that is guaranteed to make you end up less human over time. Weren't you just saying I needed an anchor? If your girl is your anchor, you want to think about acting more like her when you can. To keep you from sliding over the edge. And you obviously can select your targets, so it's not like you're an animal. YOu don't just hunt anyone you come across." She glances over. "I think these days, they might be a bit more willing to accept divinity, considering. I mean, we've got the freakin' god of Thunder flying around."

"I don't engage in open warfare with the DEO, because I have an anchor. I don't field dress drug dealers, pimps, pedophiles and murderers like deer because I have an anchor. It has an effect, but Reynards are not nice things honey. You get to a certain age, and you know who you are. See I made a choice, I'm owning that. You though?"Those eyes narrow, shoulders tighten just a touch. "Those assholes, never gave you a choice. That's slavery, and that's what I was invented to make war against."

Karen frowns quietly at that, glancing down at the cart, then pauses to walk over and snag the bleach she was looking at, dropping it in the cart. "…black isn't even my real hair color." she notes. "It's blonde. Like hers. They didn't want me to be too much like her." she murmurs.

"You know, you could always pull off red too if you wanted to do something a little different? Or well, you could do a mask you know. Kind of shocked it feels like I'm about the only one doing a mask at all these days you know, all the cool kids just go skin tight spandex I suppose?"Sophie throws a glance towards Divine at that. "Or you know, some sort of symbology at least. Give people a little meat to dig into, right? Who wants to look like everybody else anyway, at least leather right?"

Karen frowns a bit, reaching up to touch lightly between her breasts. "….I wouldn't know what to wear here." she admits "And there's a reason for that. For me, anyway. My sister too. Skin tight means it's close enough to my body that my aura protects it. Otherwise it would shred in a heartbeat whenever I burst through anything or threw a real punch." She smiles, glancing over. "Not just because it looks good that way, I mean." She hesitates again. "…I get what you're saying. Maybe a mask, but…I'm so fucking sick of hiding behind masks. They have me do that. Pretend to be other villains, make it look like they get their powers from something else than it being natural to me." She shakes her head a bit. "But…a symbol." She frowns more at that, turning it over in her head. "I…I don't know. I can't…I shouldn't wear the S. I'm not…I'm not really part of their family. It'd be like me taking your fox mask as my own or something, it belongs to the Reynards. Not to me." She sighs a bit. "…maybe I'll think of something though."

It's a quiet little joint, off the highway a spell and situated in a little development that never quite caught on. Likely because of the train tracks situated directly behind the 'burb. Cute little ranch houses, pleasantly large yards long since fenced in. Sophie swings that Blazer up the drive into the garage, where she's left her Mercedes parked for the day it seems. There's a moment of fussing to get the light in the garage on, and the door pulled down.

Inside it's, well it's a little on the dusty and dingy side but there are at least blackout curtains and a few ceiling lights left. Nevermind the spare Fox masks (in different colors no less) left on a kitchen counter, or the Kalashnikov. "Well like I said, it isn't much but it's safe. Most of the neighborhood are retired folks, lots of Eastern Europeans so they'll keep their mouth shut. No basement, unfortunately, but the appliances all work."

Karen of course scans over the area with her x-ray vision, just to be sure there's nothing nearby that might be a threat, or a sign of someone watching the place. That done, she follows Sophie inside, looking around as she closes the door. "Cozy. Bigger than I was expecting, actually." she murmurs, walking over to run her fingertips over the assault rifle lying on the table.

"I checked over the place earlier, you can keep the "suchka" if you want. Hell I only found it because I hunted a dude down about a mile from here, Ukranian arms dealer."And a beat, as Sophie slumps casually against a living room wall. "It's also where the cash for this place came from, and some toys for myself. DEO was quite upset that the fire destroyed so much of the scene, so much arms and cash lost."Or so she muses with a sly grin. "Anyway, trucks yours too I suppose if you want it."

"I used to rip cash off the dudes I killed anyway, so this is all sort've bitch basic. They watch me too close for me to be able to hoard that much stuff on the down low, and they catch wind I'm starting to build up a cache again?"And another little shrug. "So money well spent, as far as I'm concerned."

Karen nods slowly. "I could help with that, maybe. They're not watching me, after all. Could help stock this place for you for when you need it later?" she offers. "And makes sense to me. Drug lords have too much money and guns anyway." She smirks a bit, glancing around. "I'll see about cleaning it up a bit too. At least, when I'm here." she admits. "I'm…I don't know how to pull that off exactly. Leaving, I mean."

"You just stop going back. Hell you could just stay here, call your sister. Tell her you're out, get your girl someplace safe. If they come for you, kill them."And a shrug "Look I'm by no means, a delicate flower. Enough bullets though, or a car bomb, or an Anti-tank Missile, or a bad enough car accident? That's the end for this Reynard, what're they gonna do to you? Tell you, that you've been a very bad girl and go to your room?" Slowly she pushes off the wall, offering Karen's shoulder a nudge. "Nobody can -make- you do anything. It's all a magic trick honey, they made you feel like they had some sort of power over you. It's all a shadow play, they can do -nothing- to you unless you let them."

"…I'm not invulnerable."

"…I'm not invulnerable." Karen murmurs softly. "They know how to hurt me. There are ways, and they've specialized in it. Not for me, necessarily…but to deal with my sister if she ever went rogue." She glances over as she's nudges, smiling weakly. "I…if I just vanished, they'll go crazy looking for me."

"Which is why I like secrecy. They cant hurt anyone, if they can't find them right? You get to play it safe and relaxed, waiting for their mistakes. Anyway, point is. You don't need to have this huge thing right upfront, you could just leave and not come back one day. You have the power. Not them, righto?"There's a shrug there, as Sophie hops up onto the kitchen counter, leaning back against those cabinets casually. "Or here, you keep getting bent out of shape on payment. So hows this. You get my file destroyed, my DEO case officer killed. Once thats done, you tell me where whatever fancy gadgets they have for you are. I'll blow them to hell, which won't be hard for me because I'm free. Fair?"

Karen ponders, then says slowly. "I feel like you'd be doing the harder of the two things, maybe." she says with a faint smile. "Well. Um. She considers that quietly. "I…yes. I guess…I guess I could just leave, couldn't I?" She looks like she's trying to wrap her mind around the concept. "Leave…" There's that expression her face she gets when she's confronting something buried in her brain, actually. That moment when her brainwashing throws a wrench into the normally smoothing moving cogs of her brain.

"Leave. You are in charge of you, always. Unless you and your girl are doing kinky shit I suppose, but yeah. You make this call. You don't need permission."And a pause, as Sophie digs about for her cigarettes. "Now say it out loud, make it real. Tell me, you're leaving. Go on, own this shit right here."

Karen blinks slowly. "I…I….can leave. If I want. I can leave." she says softly. She pauses, then says, a bit more confidently. "I can leave…because of you. Or my sister. Or my girl. Because I want to…"

And a clap "That's it, go on. Own it! Now don't tell me maybe, or whatever. I want you to look me dead in the eye, and tell me what you -will- do. Tell me, testify. Promise me, swear it. Make it something you can grab onto, right? This house, is your house. Your girl, is your girl."And a pause, as Sophie leans forward somewhat. Puffing on that cigarette. "You -will- leave, because you fucking deserve it. So let me hear it."

"I…I -will- leave." Karen says after a moment, a bit more confidently. "I -will- leave…and life will be better. I can find something…that means something to me. Not just orders. I can do things because I want to. Because I care about the people I want to help." She swallows, then wobbles, resting a hand on the wall. "…uh…." she says, squinting as she holds her head with her other hand. "…ow."

"Welcome to the free world, Karen."Sophie slips down, setting that smoke on the sink partition before circling around to offer Karen a Hug. "Own the pain, that's all they got left to hold you. So own it, alright? Nothing worth doing is supposed to be easy, but it's worth it. Things will be better, and everything is going to be just fine when the dust settles."

Karen inhales, then lets it out slowly, shaking her head to clear it. "Right…it'll be better. It'll be right, afterwards. It'll be better." She shifts into the hug, then slides her arms around the other woman and lifts her up playfully, laughing a little. "For both of us." she says, setting Sophie back down.

Sophie lets out an "urk!" at the lift, before she can relax. "There you go, see it's not so bad? When one life ends, another begins."And a final -squeeze-, before Sophie backs away to retake her cigarette. "We'll have to teach you how to cook, and get you used to driving everywhere but it'll be fine won't it?"

Karen admits. "Yeah, I've never really…driven. And nothing for cooking other than warming things up in a microwave." she admits. "I probably will burn water at this point." She tilts her head. "Are you good at cooking?"

"I am, we'll have you cooking in no time. It's fun, good for the soul. Driving, we'll tackle another time."She does at least manage a smile, before trailing towards the door. "Anyway I'm going to get home, you good here? I trust you can find your way back and all, right? If I need you, I'll drop some intel about "wark" again alright?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'll be fine. Have some cleaning supplies somewhere?" she says curiously. "I'll…get it less dusty, at least. Clean up." She smiles a little. "It'll look better next time you come by."

"I know it will, and uhm I think so in the hallway closet? Anyhow, be good honey. I'll be around."And with that, Sophie snags her masks and slips out into the garage. Leaving the AK-74M for Karen, because obviously Kalashnikovs make great house warming gifts.

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