"One plain bagel." Alex said pulling a face. "One black coffee and one stress ball." She added as she handed Maggie the items.
"Is that your way of saying Kara is going to make me suffer in today's training?"
"No, that's just me being nice." Alex said. "But if you aren't going to use the stress ball, we should put it away before Kara gets here."
"It's not actually Kryptonite." Maggie replied.
"I know. But it will upset Kara regardless."
"Perhaps I should take it to the class today and use it as a distraction technique." Maggie mused.
"That would be mean, especially when Kara is trying so hard to do what you told and learn about police procedures."
"Learning to negotiate is not he same as learning about procedures." Maggie pointed out. "Maybe if the DEO ever followed procedures you'd know that."
"We have plenty of procedures. You just don't like them as not all of them are-"
"Legal?" Maggie suggested.
"I was going to say consistent with NCPD procedures." Alex said as there was a knock on the door. Taking the stress ball off Maggie, Alex put it in a drawer before opening the door.
"Hey partner." Kara greeted happily looking at the Detective.
"Kara."
"Maybe if you had a real breakfast you'd do better in class." Kara pointed out.
"Not all of us need sugar and E numbers to operate." Maggie said.
"Do you want anything?" Alex asked her sister.
"No, I ate on the way over." She said before looking at Maggie again and asking. "All ready for today?"
"Yes."
"That didn't sound enthusiastic." Kara said causing Maggie to point at the empathy jar.
"Seriously, you want to charge me for being myself?"
-00-
"Good morning everyone." Cruz said as he set up the dummy. He then looked round the room, making sure everyone was there before starting.
"Okay, today we are going to draw on what we have covered so far and to get the hostage taker to agree with us. To do that you need to paraphrase, but using active listening." He said. "'That's right' is good. But 'you're right' is bad." He said shooting Emily. "One is a break through moment, one is shirking responsibility. But to get to that break through you have to demonstrate that you understand them. That is not done by being parrot. That is done through combining what you have done so far and then paraphrasing. So today you need to listen, mirror, show empathy, keep them talking, then paraphrase." He paused looking for hints of understanding. He then said.
"Over the last couple of weeks I think we have all been entertained by Sawyer's anti Supergirl rants. Lets flip it round. Cape you will be the hostage taker. Sawyer, talk her round. But Cape, don't make her life easy. In fact make it impossible. You can use what ever methods you want."
"I can?"
"Yes. But to be safe let's say no powers."
"So can I shoot Emily?" Supergirl asked.
"No, I'll do the shooting, something tells me you will be too nice about it." Cruz said. "Okay Sawyer, you have heard that Supergirl is upset, your job is to talk her down. You can start when you are ready. And Cape remember you can do whatever you want."
"Hey, what's going on? You look upset." Maggie started.
"Like you'd care." Supergirl replied.
"I care." Maggie said.
"Care?" Supergirl mirrored.
"Yes, I care." Maggie said.
"Care?"
"Yes care." Maggie snapped.
"And with that we have one dead Emily." Cruz said shooting the dummy. "Sawyer, you must remain chilled. Getting angry means Emily dies. Go again form 'care'."
"Of course I care." Maggie said forcing herself to sound calm. "Do you feel like you don't deserve be cared about?"
"What the hell was that?" Cruz said shooting Emily. "All cape has said is care. Why are you assigning issues. The only issues you assign are ones they have confessed to. Again."
"Why do you think I don't care?" Maggie tried.
"The constant criticism."
"Criticism?" Maggie asked.
"The endless barrage of complaints. I try to help people but you make out I am Lex Luthor."
"Lex Luthor?"
"It's like you think I sit on a throne somewhere killing children for fun."
"I don't think you are like Lex."
"So you saying I'm crazy?" Supergirl asked as Cruz shot Emily.
"Cape needs to think you are on her side." Cruz said. "You as the negotiator must come across as that. Cape can act as crazy as she wants, you can't. You also can't argue with her on that. Go from 'killing children for fun'"
"It sounds like you feel I treat you pretty badly." Maggie said.
"That's because you do."
"How else do I treat you badly-" Maggie started only for Emily to be shot again.
"This isn't a therapy session, although I think I'd recommend it for you, or at least your own Emily." Cruz said. "Cape here is upset, do you really want her to recall all the ways you have screwed her over, or do you want to do something positive?"
"Positive." Maggie said.
"Right, so what should you have said?"
"What would you like me to do differently?" Maggie asked.
"A little bit of appreciation would be nice."
"Appreciation?" Maggie asked trying not to sound indigent, but not trying hard enough causing Emily to get shot again.
"That sounded like you were offended." Cruz said. "Tone is important. Try again, maybe smile."
"Appreciation?" Maggie asked forcing a smile.
"Yeah, I save your life and all you do is tell me how we will never get a conviction. Is a thank you too much?"
"I could be a little more appreciative." Maggie said through gritted teeth.
"Your tone says different." Supergirl said.
"I will try harder. What else would you like me to do differently?"
"Not fine me every time I'm nice and show empathy." Supergirl listed.
"Wait." Cruz cut in. "You do that?" He asked Maggie.
"Only when she uses it against me."
"This is Supergirl we are talking about not Lex Luthor." Cruz said shaking his head. "Go on."
"Is it so hard to like me for me?" Supergirl asked.
"No." Maggie conceded.
"Is it so bad that I try to help the police and save lives?"
"No."
"Is it so bad working together?" Supergirl went on.
"No."
"Yet it sounds like you are getting stressed, just talking to me."
"No." Maggie said.
"But you would like me to be more like you. You know following procedures and being more cop like."
"That's right." Maggie said.
"Okay." Cruz said stopping them. He then looked at Supergirl and said. "I hope we never find ourselves on opposite sides, you would be a formidable opponent." He then looked round the room and said. "I hope you all noticed that despite Cape being the crazy one in that scenario she managed to use the skills from the last few weeks to force Sawyer into saying 'that's right'. Good going Cape. Sawyer you need to think more."
-00-
"You seem upset." Kara said getting into Maggie's car.
"What are you doing?" Maggie asked.
"Getting in your car."
"Why?"
"So you can drive me to the DEO."
"You can fly."
"I could, but then we couldn't talk. I think we need to talk. I seem to upset you by breathing at the moment, what's the real issue?"
"I feel like you don't respect me." Maggie said.
"Of course I respect you." Kara said. "No wait, that's not being respectful of your feelings. If you feel that way, then clearly I am doing something wrong. Which means you were right. I'm a bad person. I am no better than Lex.
"That's not what I said." Maggie said. "Why do you always go to extremes?"
"I don't." Kara said as Maggie turned into the traffic. "The DEO is in the other direction."
"I'm not going to the DEO. I'm going to the shooting range."
"Why?"
"To find my Emily."
-00-
"I can no longer tell if talking to Simon is a good or bad sign." Lena said entering Kara's apartment and seeing her friend talking to the sock.
"Today it is a good sign. We're ready."
"Ready?" Lena asked.
"To take on Landon."
"I thought you still had another week of training." Lena said.
"I do. But I think I have a reached a level I can compete."
"And Simon agrees?"
"Well, we have just reached consensus. But maybe you are right. According to the negotiator's handbook deadlines can be bad, I don't need that pressure."
"That explains so much." Lena commented.
"Hey, have you seen Maggie?" Alex asked entering Kara's apartment.
"She went to the shooting range." Kara answered.
"Why?"
"To find an Emily."
"Christmas will be easy this year." Lena said. "Although what do you think Maggie calls her Emily?"
"Based on our last discussion, Supergirl." Kara replied.
"Why is Maggie at the shooting range?" Alex asked. "And why would she call Emily Supergirl?"
"I don't think I can answer." Kara said.
"Why?"
"I think it would upset Maggie." Kara said. "But spoiler warning, Maggie agreeing with you is bad, but Maggie telling you that you are right is a really bad sign."
"Yeah, I know that." Alex said wondering how much of a waste of time the course was.