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April 30th, early evening
Cool. Clinical. Composed. Lauren took a deep breath before knocking at Steve's door, denying the crowd of emotions and reactions that were currently trying to make her stomach churn. Being hysterical wouldn't help anything right now. But maybe talking to Steve could.
"Come on in!" came Steve's voice from the other side of the door, which took it as a sign that it should open. Steve was in pants and a t-shirt, and he stopped rubbing a towel through his hair as he turned towards the door, and pushed still damp hair out of his eyes. "Lauren, hi," he greeted her with a warm smile. "Come on in." He only then seemed to realise that she did not look as composed as she usually did, and frowned. "Is everything alright?"
"Um. I... well, am I interrupting anything?" she asked, stepping into the room. "Do you have time to talk?"
"Of course," Steve assured her, inviting her farther into his quarters. There wasn't much furniture (or much space), but he gestured at one of the two chairs. "Please, take a seat. Would you like me to try and get something drinkable out of the replicator?"
"No, no that's okay." Lauren waited until Steve had taken the other seat across from her, then let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping forward. "I'm sorry about this, I just... I didn't know who else to come to."
"Of course," Steve nodded, features schooled in a very natural earnest look. He refrained from saying anything more, letting Lauren take her time, since it did not seem to be an easy thing to bring up, whatever it was.
"Last week, when we were trapped in the Sanctuary I... took it upon myself to speak to the vampires in the group with the aim of helping them to organise a donation schedule in case we were trapped there," she explained after a long pause. "I was trying to help."
Steve nodded again, in acknowledgement of that fact. He had offered his blood to Caroline, but not gone as far as Lauren had; and perhaps he should have, all the more so if whatever seemed to weigh on her now was linked to the vampires. Or, Steve hoped, Klaus. "What happened?" he asked, quietly, steadily holding her gaze.
"They... didn't want my help," she replied, shaking her head. "And rather than continue discussing it, when they had had enough of it Klaus... compelled me to accept their opinion and drop the issue." She was pale as she said this, shifting to wrap her arms around herself.
Steve frowned. "Compelled you?" he echoed. He certainly knew the word itself, but was not sure what Lauren meant by it, in this case. How Klaus could have done such a thing. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"I'm not sure how his powers work, but he was able to successfully convince me to drop the discussion and believe - not just accept but actually believe - that their opinion was correct."
Steve frowned, then stood, needing to move if he wasn't going to do anything just yet. He was still frowning, and he turned back to Lauren after taking a few steps. "But it's - worn off? Whatever he did."
Lauren frowned - she seemed to be doing a lot of frowning lately. "Yes. I remember what happened and I don't have the conviction that I did. I'm extremely worried about this, Steve. It really doesn't bode well." She left out the part about feeling sick and violated - they didn't need feelings right now, only facts.
"I've never trusted him," Steve agreed. "Was Caroline in on it?" Because they needed facts. They needed to know how this - this compulsion - worked.
"Not exactly - I mean, she and Pam didn't initiate it, but neither did they stop him," she said, shaking her head. "So they're complicit, even if it wasn't their doing."
Steve came back to the chairs and sat down opposite Lauren again. "What do you think about talking to Caroline?" He thought that it was worth a shot - and that she would explain - but he had often been accused of being too naive, and he wanted to hear Lauren's opinion. Besides, it was her free will that had been attacked.
"And saying what? Your boyfriend subverted my volition, please tell me why that wasn't a horrible violation of whatever basic rights we have on this station?" Lauren asked, her tone bitter. "None of them have approached me since we've been out, I'm sure they'd be happy to let it stay a secret forever."
"And asking how it worked," Steve answered evenly. "I think she might tell us, and we need to know." He paused, backtracking through the conversation with a frown. "Pam is also a vampire?" He had barely talked to the young girl, but he would have no more pegged her for one than Caroline.
"Yes, she is, as far as I can tell. She seemed more reasonable than the other two at first, but..." She trailed off, then gave a shrug. "You're welcome to speak to her, ask her how it works. I don't trust them, and I think people need to know what they're capable of so they can be safe."
Steve nodded. "That's why we need to know how it works. And if there's a way to counter it." He sighed with frustration. "This is why we need some sort of judicial system in place. There should be consequences." And he was not giving up on that. He frowned again as he looked at Lauren. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Lauren said shortly, though anybody looking at her would know that was patently not the case as she sat there fidgeting, her strong-boned face tight with upset. "Just... please be careful when you're dealing with them. They obviously don't respect us and have no qualms about doing what they like to get their way."
"I never trusted Klaus, and I barely know Pam," Steve answered, slowly, as he picked his way through his thoughts. "But Caroline's just a lost kid. I'll try and get her to talk to me."
"Sure. Good luck." Lauren waited a moment longer and then stood, tugging at the ends of her sleeves distractedly. "I'll just... well, you know how to get a hold of me if you need anything."
Steve nodded, but he called out her name when she turned to go. "The same goes for you. Anything." Steve might not be the best at reading people (especially women, experience had taught him), but even to him, it was clear how upset Lauren was - and with good reason.
"Thanks," she said with a thin-lipped smile. "And thanks for listening."
"Of course," Steve told her with a nod and a sympathetic half-smile.
"Come on in!" came Steve's voice from the other side of the door, which took it as a sign that it should open. Steve was in pants and a t-shirt, and he stopped rubbing a towel through his hair as he turned towards the door, and pushed still damp hair out of his eyes. "Lauren, hi," he greeted her with a warm smile. "Come on in." He only then seemed to realise that she did not look as composed as she usually did, and frowned. "Is everything alright?"
"Um. I... well, am I interrupting anything?" she asked, stepping into the room. "Do you have time to talk?"
"Of course," Steve assured her, inviting her farther into his quarters. There wasn't much furniture (or much space), but he gestured at one of the two chairs. "Please, take a seat. Would you like me to try and get something drinkable out of the replicator?"
"No, no that's okay." Lauren waited until Steve had taken the other seat across from her, then let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping forward. "I'm sorry about this, I just... I didn't know who else to come to."
"Of course," Steve nodded, features schooled in a very natural earnest look. He refrained from saying anything more, letting Lauren take her time, since it did not seem to be an easy thing to bring up, whatever it was.
"Last week, when we were trapped in the Sanctuary I... took it upon myself to speak to the vampires in the group with the aim of helping them to organise a donation schedule in case we were trapped there," she explained after a long pause. "I was trying to help."
Steve nodded again, in acknowledgement of that fact. He had offered his blood to Caroline, but not gone as far as Lauren had; and perhaps he should have, all the more so if whatever seemed to weigh on her now was linked to the vampires. Or, Steve hoped, Klaus. "What happened?" he asked, quietly, steadily holding her gaze.
"They... didn't want my help," she replied, shaking her head. "And rather than continue discussing it, when they had had enough of it Klaus... compelled me to accept their opinion and drop the issue." She was pale as she said this, shifting to wrap her arms around herself.
Steve frowned. "Compelled you?" he echoed. He certainly knew the word itself, but was not sure what Lauren meant by it, in this case. How Klaus could have done such a thing. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"I'm not sure how his powers work, but he was able to successfully convince me to drop the discussion and believe - not just accept but actually believe - that their opinion was correct."
Steve frowned, then stood, needing to move if he wasn't going to do anything just yet. He was still frowning, and he turned back to Lauren after taking a few steps. "But it's - worn off? Whatever he did."
Lauren frowned - she seemed to be doing a lot of frowning lately. "Yes. I remember what happened and I don't have the conviction that I did. I'm extremely worried about this, Steve. It really doesn't bode well." She left out the part about feeling sick and violated - they didn't need feelings right now, only facts.
"I've never trusted him," Steve agreed. "Was Caroline in on it?" Because they needed facts. They needed to know how this - this compulsion - worked.
"Not exactly - I mean, she and Pam didn't initiate it, but neither did they stop him," she said, shaking her head. "So they're complicit, even if it wasn't their doing."
Steve came back to the chairs and sat down opposite Lauren again. "What do you think about talking to Caroline?" He thought that it was worth a shot - and that she would explain - but he had often been accused of being too naive, and he wanted to hear Lauren's opinion. Besides, it was her free will that had been attacked.
"And saying what? Your boyfriend subverted my volition, please tell me why that wasn't a horrible violation of whatever basic rights we have on this station?" Lauren asked, her tone bitter. "None of them have approached me since we've been out, I'm sure they'd be happy to let it stay a secret forever."
"And asking how it worked," Steve answered evenly. "I think she might tell us, and we need to know." He paused, backtracking through the conversation with a frown. "Pam is also a vampire?" He had barely talked to the young girl, but he would have no more pegged her for one than Caroline.
"Yes, she is, as far as I can tell. She seemed more reasonable than the other two at first, but..." She trailed off, then gave a shrug. "You're welcome to speak to her, ask her how it works. I don't trust them, and I think people need to know what they're capable of so they can be safe."
Steve nodded. "That's why we need to know how it works. And if there's a way to counter it." He sighed with frustration. "This is why we need some sort of judicial system in place. There should be consequences." And he was not giving up on that. He frowned again as he looked at Lauren. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Lauren said shortly, though anybody looking at her would know that was patently not the case as she sat there fidgeting, her strong-boned face tight with upset. "Just... please be careful when you're dealing with them. They obviously don't respect us and have no qualms about doing what they like to get their way."
"I never trusted Klaus, and I barely know Pam," Steve answered, slowly, as he picked his way through his thoughts. "But Caroline's just a lost kid. I'll try and get her to talk to me."
"Sure. Good luck." Lauren waited a moment longer and then stood, tugging at the ends of her sleeves distractedly. "I'll just... well, you know how to get a hold of me if you need anything."
Steve nodded, but he called out her name when she turned to go. "The same goes for you. Anything." Steve might not be the best at reading people (especially women, experience had taught him), but even to him, it was clear how upset Lauren was - and with good reason.
"Thanks," she said with a thin-lipped smile. "And thanks for listening."
"Of course," Steve told her with a nod and a sympathetic half-smile.