Arcos put his hand on Aries shoulder as he bumped into him, his mother putting a stop his rather inappropriate actions. At least his brother had taken the hint. Eliza looked at him uncertainly, an almost confused look on her soft features, her eyeridges raised and slightly furrowed. He noted that she switched from pleased, to uncertain, to the familiar gratitude that patients showed around his mother, back to uncertain. She seemed almost to be stretching for something, searching for something, but he couldn't identify what. Or if that was even what she was doing. He smiled and nodded at her reassuringly, perhaps she thought that his mother was going to hit her?
Not that it would have done anything. While the woman in front of him had soft features, fluffed curves and a sweet, if sad, looking face, she'd be able to tear his mother to bits a moment if she wanted to. While he was much taller than she was at his almost 8 feet, the ferret woman dwarfed his little healer of a mother. There was nothing for the ferret mutant to be uncertain about.
She seemed well kept, for a mutant out and about. Usually, when the children finished tracking their mother, she was with someone less...savory. Everything about this woman's bearing, the way she stood, the way she addressed them, had an entirely different flavor from anything he'd seen before. She seemed a strange mix of affectation and genuine, as if she were trying to lie and having a hard time of it. Sometimes her smile was artifical, closed mouthed with no teeth showing at all. But then, the few times she'd smiled what was obviously her smile, the tips of her canines showed, and her eyes crinkled, and the feeling she gave off was more pleasant. Her dress was also well kept, for a mutant. The entire mutant population was used to patched and altered garments, except for the very few who happened to have very human frames and could fit into things as they came. Eliza's skirt had a mend in it, he could see, but she seemed to make a concerted effort in her dress to not be provocative, despite the fur covering her. It reminded him of his mother when she was in the company of others besides her children. "Always error on the side of modesty," she would say. Hence his sister being forced to wear a shirt, despite the fact she didn't need it.
Either the woman had a unit she was with, in order to be so put together,or she was a woman of extraordinary emotional fortitude. Either choice was impressive to the bear.
His eyes grew wide at Eliza's story.. She was a good storyteller, she moved to match her words, giving the listener the pleasant visual of the story she was telling. At the end, he laughed, a gruzzly snorffling sound, the reference to Aladdin not lost on him.
He was surprised his mother would encourage the woman in front of them to recount stories about her daughter, it wasn't her style. She usually encouraged a mutant to think fondly of their past life, but to move on, and telling stories about one's children did not tend to leave one with the feeling of moving on. While having no children of his own to draw experience from, he remembered all too well what happened to his family when his mother had lost one of her own children.
Then remembered. Tracking his mother, that is what they had been doing. And when they found her it always meant the same thing. "Mama," he said quietly and politely, "the time."
All four of them burst out laughing, Eliza's flare of the dramatic an easy match for Phoenix or Aries! Disney movies were a favorite of theirs when they were young, they were gentle enough that Phoenix had let the children watch them, and they were non-human enough that they did not give her nightmares the way so many novels did.
Medusa's upper body shook as she laughed, a hissy sound, much like Ernie on Sesame Street, her siblings used to tease. Her chained belt shook slightly, tinkling gently.
Aries snorted his own chortle, a thing that sounded something in between a huff and a snore.
Phoenix drew her lips in and trying to squelch her laugh. It must be the mother in her, but a child brandishing a knife, even if it was for fun, was a dangerous thing, she knew. But then, in retrospect, how many very dangerous things had she endured in raising her own children? More than most people would probably want to admit. But she'd never had a knife pointed in her direction. "That," she said, getting a hold of herself, is quite a story."
"Mama," said Arcos gently, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "The time."
She sighed, and looked at Eliza. "The children say they are tracking me, but what they are really doing is fetching me and telling me it past my curfew." She looked behind her lovingly at her brood. "Why don't you go ahead, and I will help Eliza back to her manhole." She turned to the ferret. "If you're finished for the evening?" Her voice changed, to one a bit less playful, "Especially if you won't get another chance again any time soon," she echoed Eliza's previous words.
Upon hearing the wonderful cacophony of laughter, all distinct enough that she could probably distinguish the owners should she hear them again, Eliza felt a wave of relief and pride rush through her. Eliza was not necessarily a wallflower, but it was always a nervous thing to show off her more exuberant side. There was always a danger in putting oneself out there but she loved the buzz she got from a warm reception. She allowed her arm to drop and laughed as she stepped down to rejoin the group. She was amused to see Phoenix regaining her composure enough to comment and nodded in agreement. "It was quite a scare, that thankfully ended without harm. But the playpen got a lot more use after that."
She looked to Acros at his interruption and then to Phoenix to meet the woman's gaze for a moment before she turned to dismiss her children. Eliza was not happy to be reminded that the coming of the sun meant the end of her time on the surface. It was obviously a common pattern for all mutants... and their mothers. Her nose flared in agitation at the reminder that she had now to return to the lair, her burden both heavier and lighter than when she had left it. She took a deep breath and let it go in a huff of resignation.
"Whether I'm done or not, there doesn't seem to be much of a choice in the matter." She lifted her head to address the children, making sure to give a smile and look each of them in the eye. "It was very nice to meet you all." She tried to infuse warmth into her smile but already she could feel the lighter mood slipping through her fingers. Rather than perpetuate any awkwardness the ferret turned down the path. Her walk was slow and measured, drinking in the sights and smells of the small oasis of green life before returning to the concrete jungle. She stopped to wait at the edge of the park for the healer to join her.
She heard the smaller woman approach and started talking once Eliza judged that the Phoenix was in earshot, but chose not to look at her. "Your children are very unique. I'm glad I got to meet them." She gazed upwards, and was sad that she couldn't see the stars, but could tell that the black was turning blue, indicating that dawn was not too far behind. "Thankyou. Thank you for everything."
She finally turned to look at the healer. She'd know the woman for a few scant hours but felt her life changed for it. The emotions of the night threatened to assault her all at once but she held them at bay. There was business to attend to. "I know this may be asking a lot but…" She shuffled her feet nervously. "I need to know for sure. If I am… if there's going to be a child. Well, it changes a lot of things for me." She caught the woman's gaze pleadingly. "I don't know how to go about this, not as I am. Can you please help me?"
Phoenix was surprised by Eliza's quick decline in mood, she hadn't expected her question to have this kind of reaction. She'd asked it in a rebellious tone, but not everyone was as rebellious as she was.
She noted how polite Eliza was when saying goodbye, she looked each of the kids in the eye and nodded as each of them nodded in return. "Good bye," they said in unison, as if they'd been practicing it. She watched Eliza for a moment as the ferret woman walked down the path away from her.
"Alright?" Arcos asked, his voice so low it sounded like it was coming from her own torso.
Phoenix shook her head, "I don't know yet," she said, not knowing if Eliza could hear their conversation or not. She wasn't worried if she could or not, actually, as privacy was non-existent her world, and the world of everyone else she knew. You knew what someone was thinking about you if they said it out loud, and often times when they didn't. It was an issue that would have to become an non-issue if Eliza was going to be part of any kind of group, Phoenix thought. She smiled at her son, and reached up and patted his cheek. "Off with you," she said lovingly, and then walked to catch up with Eliza as her brood retreated into the darkness of the trees.
The ferret woman wasn't walking very fast, her gait was slower than Phoenix's had been when they were coming. Dragging feet, she thought, and felt her heart go out to the woman. She took Eliza's compliment to her children in stride, replying with only a smile, even if she couldn't see it. "Thank you for everything," the ferret said, and Phoenix wasn't sure if she was addressing her or not.
"I know this may be asking a lot but…" Eliza shuffled her feet nervously. That was the first time that anyone had said that to her, in...how many years? Almost 20? Asking a lot? Oh, the poor thing! She had no idea what she was in for. Phoenix wanted to wrap her up and take her home, or shake her and download everything into her head that she would need to know for this life. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would be made for it.
Were you? her voice asked herself in the back of her head.
She didn't know the answer to that. She hadn't considered it before.
"I need to know for sure. If I am… if there's going to be a child. Well, it changes a lot of things for me." Eliza caught the Phoenix's gaze pleadingly. "I don't know how to go about this, not as I am. Can you please help me?"
Phoenix's heart pulled so strongly that tears came to her eyes. "Of course I can help you," she said, before she knew the words were coming out. How in the blue blazes was she going to help this woman? She didn't even know how to identify is she was pregnant or not! All she knew about pregnancies were her two own, both of which happened more than two decades ago! She knew almost nothing about her living situation, only that it was in the sewer with a host that didn't want her coming to the surface. She didn't know about her diet, about her mixture of ferret and human, about her emotional make up...she'd known her for a few hours, and now she was being asked to help with something she wasn't entirely sure she could help with.
"Of course I can help you," she said again. She reached out and took Eliza's hand, it was soft and fuzzy. It would have been easy to stroke it with her thumbs just to feel the silkiness of the fur. By their conversations, Phoenix had surmised that Eliza must be in her very late twenties to late thirties. She wasn't as young as her own at almost two decades, that was obvious by her interactions with them. But she wasn't yet middle aged. At 48 years, Phoenix was firmly entrenched in that bracket.
"I will tell you what," she said, taking a great leap for a mutant, whether this newly mutated woman knew it or not. "I live in the Haunted Warehouse District, you can find it on any tourist map of New York City. Come by and see me. You can come during the day, there is never anyone there." She blushed, and looked up at the bluing sky. "That's not entirely true," she confessed, "we tend to get human visitors around Halloween, but the rest of the year it is empty." She smiled, please let it be reassuring, she thought. Don't let this woman see how much apprehension she had about giving out this information. "When you're there, you will find a wall of ivy. My warehouse is the one on the left of it."
She hadn't realized how possessive she was of her place of residence until she'd said those words, for the first time ever in the twenty years, she was telling someone where she lived. She knew that mutants were secretive about their living spaces, they needed to be. You never knew who was your friend and who wasn't. But she thought she was above that. She thought, she didn't want people to know where she lived because she didn't want them coming to her all hours of the day and night for medical help. But with saying it, with giving out directions out loud, she realized that it was a much deeper thing that simply that.
She was scared of someone other than a Grey Cat of knowing where she was.
"You can bring your host," she said, patting Eliza's hand in her own before dropping it. "I may have already met him. I know a lot of mutants in the city."
Eliza's bitter reply from earlier sounded in her head, "...there doesn't seem to be much choice in the matter."
To Phoenix, choice was of the utmost importance. It was what gave someone control over their lives, something that they could hang on to. There were things that were not choices that could be made, not any longer, but there were still things that could be.
There is always a choice, said the unbidden thought to her comfortingly.
"You know, there is always a choice in every matter, right?" She knew it sounded silly, so far from where Eliza had stated it, but perhaps she could relay some of the comfort that the unbidden thought gave her to ferret woman.
The fear that had been slowly crushing her, the bleakness of facing the unknown possibilities alone, was lifted with Phoenix's consent of assistance. She hated to be a burden on others but Eliza knew that there were times when you had to humble yourself and reach out. Some things were too important to let one's pride stand in the way. It was a lesson she was forcibly learning as of late, this just being the latest occurrence. Still, she couldn't help but feel another piece of her identity being stripped away. She used to be the one that others relied on, the one that people came to for help. Now she couldn't even figure out if she'd gotten herself knocked up without assistance.
The ferret-woman noticed the glassiness in the healer's eyes and was touched by the show of emotion. "Of course I can help you." she confirmed as she took Eliza's hand and the transformed woman had to fight back tears of own at the gesture. The only one who touched her with such tenderness was Gwyn. Her daughter was very tactical, sometimes overly so, but it was the only contact Eliza readily welcomed now. With the boys she had created an envelope of appropriate distance. Though she may on occasion offer comfort to Donnie, but he remained very clinical whenever he needed to impose upon her for samples to advance his research. Raphael and Leonardo had no problem respecting the distance she silently requested. Mikey's exuberance was something to be endured but even he had learned to leave her in peace, for the most part. Splinter was mostly reserved but had a habit of small touches that were not touches. His hand may hover near her shoulder in an approximation of comfort but he never actually pushed through the barriers she erected. Something that Eliza was thankful for and disappointed in.
She focused her attention as Phoenix invited her to her home and gave her directions. She played the key elements over a few times in her head to commit them to memory. Haunted Warehouse, wall of ivory, on the left. She nodded to indicated she had it though she would have preferred an actual numbered address. She sincerely hoped that she would find it ok. The thought of be out and about during the day was both tempting and terrifying.
Phoenix dropped her hand after patting it kindly and Eliza bemoaned the loss of contact, drawling the limb back to herself to wrap around her torso, as if she could retain the lingering warmth by bringing it close to her body. She listened politely to the invitation to bring Splinter along, knowing she would never extend it. The last thing she wanted was to involve anyone at the lair until she had proof, and even then depending on the results. She had so little privacy now and she wouldn't air her dirty laundry without cause.
"You know, there is always a choice in every matter, right?" Eliza looked into Phoenix's eyes at the comment and saw the comfort and acceptance that she was offering. It was too much and she had to look away. She felt trapped by circumstances beyond her control only to have them compounded by actions she should have. As if she could see them with her natural eyes, the paths of her life unfolded and she could see every divergent point where she could have made another choice. Become a new version of herself. Some choices she was proud of and some ashamed. On occasions the decisions of others came crashing into her and all she could do was compensate to the best of her ability to make it back to the person she wanted to be. Now the map of her life was full of drop offs and she didn't know if she would be able to build the bridges back to the person she was meant to have been.
Eliza swallowed roughly and addressed the healer though she couldn't look her in the eye. "Agency does not excuse us from consequences." She turned and started to move in the direction she remembered the manhole being in. After a few moments of walking together in silence she found her tongue again."I will come as soon as I can. But it may be some time before I can get away again." She glanced to the side to find Phoenix looking at the road ahead. "But I think I may be able to make it before the end of next week. I really do appreciate this." She worried her mind for anything else, finding the prospect of parting ways suddenly awkward. She scratched behind her left ear, unsure whether she should voice her next thought but at a loss for anything else.
"Do I owe you anything, for the head treatment, or is there something I can bring with me when I come?" Eliza smiled shyly, feeling young and foolish. "Gwyn can still go to the atm for me. She kinda gets a kick out of it. I can cover the expenses of any... um... supplies you need... to help me with my... ahh... condition."