[hr][i][h1][color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color], [color=Springgreen]Cindy Keagan[/color], [color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color], [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color], [color=gray]Quentin[/color] & [color=darkslateblue]Reed[/color] [color=gray]Tay[/color][color=darkslateblue]lor[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Zombiedude101] & [@Tsukune][/sub][/i] [hr][hider=MACINTOSH PLUS - リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー (Piano Cover)][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToOO5_JDL7k[/youtube][/hider][hr] [U][I]Oakdell Harbor, White Coast[/I][/u] Taking Cindy's car was always a pain in the ass for Meifeng... mostly because of all the God damn [i]rules[/i] Cindy set for a passenger ride. All retarded things because she doesn't want to get her fancy car all dirty. Though, the ride from Headquarters to Oakdell was not a particularly long one. They arrived in front of the bar which was located on the boardwalk of Oakdell. Cindy, of course, was the first one out of the vehicle, followed by the athletic Meifeng. The bar in question was the Sugarbush Tavern. A small little bar that was located on the boardwalk in which many members of RAVEN and DOVE were frequenters of. Not that the bar owners didn't mind; business was business to them. Cindy in particular was no stranger to the place, since she spent [i]plenty[/i] of time here. Casually strolling up, Meifeng kept her hands in her pockets. "Heh, nice place," She said. "You sure the others are gonna show up?" "Yeah, yeah, girl, I got this." Cindy said, flagging Meifeng off as they stepped inside. Even at this hour, the bar was alive with tourists who were drinking and having fun like everything was fine again. Heh. It kinda reminded the two of them of Verthaven. The bar wasn't too fancy, but it had fine wooden furniture, and it was finely illuminated with a bright light over head. It wasn't a particular closed-in bar, as there was a porch that gave everyone a good view of the beach, and the doors were [i]always[/i] open. The counter was a fine brown wood, and had stools up against it. However, at the bar was a familiar face. "Mom?" Meifeng said, genuinely confused as to why Lihua was here. She put her hands on her hips, and stared the older woman down - who was merely sitting on the stools, enjoying her drinks (which was a strong alcohol). "Well, I didn't expect to see [i]you[/i] here." Meifeng said in a rather smartass tone. In response, Lihua merely turned her head, and shrugged, "I didn't expect myself to be walking in here... but your friend Cindy was kind enough to invite me." Lihua turned towards Cindy and said, "Thank you, Miss Keagan... I needed to get away from where I was." "Yeah, you're welcome." Cindy confidently said, she stepped behind Lihua. "...Do you want to sit at a table somewhere? I don't think the stools are the best seats..." "Whatever suits you best." Lihua said as she merely grabbed her bottle, and glass, and carried it over to the nearest empty table, in which Meifeng and Cindy followed her over and sat down. It's been awhile since Meifeng's actually got both Cindy, and Lihua at the same place. Usually, Cindy and Meifeng speak to each other on a professional level. Though this felt... odd. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking..." Meifeng trailed off. "...And don't take this as me being an asshole, but what made you want to invite my mom?" "C'mon, Meifeng," Cindy said with a smile on her face. "I stopped seeing her as just "your mom" ages ago. I see her as a friend now." Cindy said. "And I figured that we could get along..." "...And I also was conversing with Ms. Keagan via text messages and she simply suggested it." Lihua started off. "I'd rather be here, than listen to Jiao-Long..." "Oh, you were chilling with Jiao-Long?" Meifeng asked, raising her eyebrow. "You know, Mom... you're going have to [i]stop[/i] hating him [i]some[/i] day." Meifeng cooly said, even though the top was a certain sore spot for Lihua. Since the two had some [i]hefty[/i] parental issues, that they more or less took out on each other. Honestly, this was why Meifeng made peace with her mother. "I am trying..." Lihua said, "It's just... hard. It really is. Even though he helps me, and I'm showing him smiles, but I'm finding it difficult to truly forgive him." Lihua answered. "...Worst of all, it feels like I'm letting mere mention of him sour my mood." "You just need to stop trying so hard for a moment, and let it happen." Meifeng answered. "I'm certain he feels the same way, too." "...I don't know - but I'll settle things with Jiao-Long sooner or later. Let's not discuss that and sour the mood with my family problems." Lihua stated. "So, out of sheer curiosity, who else did you invite to this bar?" "Oh... just a few of the others we met back in, you know." Cindy said. "Shizuka, Reed, Quentin..." Cindy trailed off, letting out a sigh as she brought back bad memories. Putting down the glass, Lihua said, "Don't be ashamed to talk about it." She bluntly said. "Dancing around it, and bottling it up... No good for your psyche." She looked over to Cindy and flashed her a smile. "Especially since you're a DOVE now... people are counting on you." "Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right," Cindy said. She didn't like opening up like this - only out of fear that people would treat her as if she's being whiny - but she was around friends. People that experienced the same thing she had. "Well, I just sometimes think about all the friends and family I lost... like, more than just the, you know, the psychopaths and monsters we ran into there." Both Lihua and Meifeng listened intently. "You know, Jackson, Jen, Lucy, Trevor, Cass... and, hell, every other person I knew there." Cindy said. "I just sometimes wonder what life would be like if they were still alive. How that would impact me." [hr] Shizuka raised an eyebrow when he received Cindy's message about some get-together. [i]Why now, of all times?[/i] No, he wasn't really complaining - a mere mention of Cindy's name was more than enough to dump all his work to someone else without wasting too much breath - but he couldn't help wondering why she wanted to meet him in a bar... especially when nothing she said could coax him into getting himself drunk, ever. Instead of his RAVEN-issued vehicle, it was quicker to get to the place on his bike (not to mention, saving him from the trouble of trying to find a nice parking spot). He reached the bar with the neon sign that read 'Sugarbush Tavern': the bar was situated along the boardwalk, with an open concept that would give its customers a decent view of the beach. However, his eyes wasn't interested with the night scene; he scanned the tourist-filled bar for a familiar face. Correction: three, in fact, and they seemed to be deep in their own conversation. Cindy was hard to miss (she was probably the best-dressed among the rest - who obviously screamed that they were tourists through and through); same for Meifeng for her [i]bulk[/i]--- He stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on the third person. [i]Zhao Lihua.[/i] The last person he wanted to meet to further spoil his night. He was about to leave when Cindy called out to him. "...Shizuka, come oooooon! I can see you." Cindy looked disappointed for a moment. "You came all this way to immediately walk off?" Rolling his eyes, Shizuka turned around and re-approached their table, before he sat down in one of the empty seats. "Well..." He looked from Meifeng to Lihua (whom he had narrowed his eyes at). "I hope you don't call me out here just for a drink." "...Of course not," Cindy said, leaning back in her chair. "I called you out here because I also want to talk... and we're, you know, friends, and all that." "And don't you forget it," Meifeng said. Lihua kept her mouth shut, because she noticed the narrow glare that Shizuka shot her way. She would have returned an even fiercer glare, but she rather not sour the mood, and further ruin their bad relationship. It seemed Shizuka still holds a grudge against Lihua for what had happened seven years ago. "Right." Shizuka acknowledged Cindy with a small smile; the two of them had come a long way to form a good bond (back then at Verthaven they pretty much hated each other's guts). He couldn't say the same with Meifeng - well, their relationship certainly had improved, but with the recent shitstorms it was starting to go downhill again. He didn't appreciate to be reminded by [i]Meifeng[/i] that they were still... 'friends'. "Old time's sake, huh... So I guess we're left with Reed and Quent to complete this circle." [hr] It didn't take long for the Taylors to cross the distance between Reed's apartment in Greencrest Heights and down to this touristy bar. Granted, he'd have never called it a short walk, but seven years in this city had given him a good idea of how things were. Quentin, for the most part, was just happy for a chance to stretch his legs again after that shitshow at the mall. "Say, thanks for letting me have your couch," Quentin put a hand on Reed's shoulder for a moment as they were just about to head inside the tourist bar. "Well, it's not like you've got anywhere else to be, is it?" Reed chuckled, before nodding. "Besides, it's good company for the cat." [i]That[/i] solicited an amused snort, not least because that same cat had kept him up late a few times with its midnight wake-up calls. Stepping inside, Quentin tapped on his brother's shoulder. "I'll get us something, you go find 'em." It solicited a nod from Reed, who went off to go find the others in the touristy place whilst Quentin faced the bar. "Yooooo, Quent!" Meifeng shouted with a wide smile to get Mr. Taylor's attention. She was glad he made it. Cindy certainly had something if she was able to gather Quentin, Shizuka, and Lihua. Quentin... Now that was a name Lihua hadn't heard in so long. It felt like yesterday which Lihua and him were fighting alongside in NEST. Ah... She could never look back at those times fondly. What she could do was look forward. When Quentin finally walked over with a bottle in either hand, Lihua smiled at him kindly. He returned the gesture, markedly surprised to find the Zhao Matriarch here. Part of him had wondered how retirement had gone for her, even with Mei's brief mentions. Shizuka turned his head when Meifeng called out to Quentin, but he directed his attention to the other Taylor. "Hey, Reed." "Hey, Shizuka? Good to see you, I ran into Haru the other week." Reed took a moment to greet his brother's colleague with a chest nudge. Shizuka almost blurted out to ask him how his airhead twin had been doing lately (he was so caught up with work that he couldn't make time to have a get-together with his family), but in the end he settled with an "Ah ok", and managed a chuckle at Reed's friendly gesture. His idiot brother was old enough to take care of himself; he shouldn't keep worrying so much about him and learn to let him go. "It's great to see you again, Reed." Meifeng said. "It's great that we got the old gang back together." "Yes, yes, very excellent. Hello, Reed." Lihua said as she took a sip of her drink, very casually. Her sharp eyes scanned Reed as he sat down. She had kept in contact with Reed, but not Quentin. A small issue when she was busy going out and living her own life. She looked among the group. Seven years ago... at the rise of a new era, Lihua was fighting for her life alongside these people in the Verthaven disater. An event she thought she would never get out of alive. Though, they all left... changed people. "So... from a veteran to some young blood," Lihua asked, turning her head over to Cindy - though, she was speaking to the entire group. "How has the whole business being treating you...?" "Not good." Cindy started off, letting off a sigh. "Ever since the mall, shit's been flarin' up left an' right. Everything's on the verge of going crazy." Slamming her drink down on the table top, Meifeng loudly snorted in an unlady-like manner. "Yeah, and worst of all, everyone's acting like we're not trying to help them," Meifeng looked over at Cindy, and shook her head. "When all the two of us have been doing is protecting them." "Yeah, yeah, everyone wants to run their mouth until they need the big bad Metahuman to be stopped-" "Girls, enough," Lihua quickly cut them off like a mother, as she exasperatedly took a sip of her alcohol. "Two of you sound like children, not RAVENS, not DOVES." She rolled her eyes up into her head. "You should know by now that people are [i]inherently[/i] going to criticize you." They both shut up when Lihua started talking. That was the thing that Lihua had about her; she rarely spoke, but when she did, everyone listened. "You two should have this lesson hammered into your heads by by now; not [i]everyone[/i] is going to trust you, and treat you like paragons..." Lihua stated with a sip of her drink. "I, uh, understand that." Cindy stated. "Clearly, not." Lihua was quick to reply. "Let me share a little bit of my wisdom to you," She placed her drink on the table, and shook her head. "Far as I can tell, RAVEN is still full of the same meatheads that comprised NEST." Lihua started off. "...And, of course, still has the Agents the organization is [i]supposed[/i] to be comprised of." Reed, for a change, was inclined to give his own thoughts on the matter. "Look, I understand how you both feel. Think [I]I[/i] like taking abuse from the people we're trying to help? It's a fact of the job. Now, maybe that's just something I picked up on the VPD, but it still works here." Quentin shrugged at the bickering, but had a mind to back up his brother on this one, to a point. "People won't always appreciate us. So fuck 'em, and get things done anyway, whether they like it or not." Shizuka glanced at Quentin before he spoke up, "...I won't go that far to say that, but yeah it's not easy to earn the trust of people when they're all clouded by fear." He still remembered what Daphne had said to him seven years ago: "[i]Metahumans are ultimately not gods - we are no different from human beings, just a tad more special.[/i]" There was only so much DOVE and RAVEN could do to help ease the situation, and there were times they wouldn't be able to save every single person. "They are correct," Lihua agreed. "RAVEN, or DOVE, will not have the most ideal people inside of it, doing the most [i]ideal[/i] things - but, long as there's people like you all out there, I can't say the organization is one-hundred percent rotten. Only the uninformed, can." She nodded her head. Meifeng sighed as she silently agreed with them. "Yeah, yeah, I guess," She looked up at her mother - she's come a long way, yeah - but had more to discuss. More boring ass politics. "So, what are your thoughts on our good friends the Pure, and Allegiance?" "You mean the psychotics on that side, or the psychotics on the other?" Quentin asked, rhetorically. "They're two sides of the same coin, Mei - and they're not helping the current situation." "A fine example of misplaced well-intentions turned into extremism." Lihua said, knowing her opinion isn't the best. "Before you even say anything; they both had good intentions starting out; merely protecting themselves, and their interests, from perceived threats." Cindy raised an eyebrow as she thought about it. "Yeah, and it quickly became blowing up buildings." "Well-intentioned is a stretch now. Domestic terrorism and lynch mobs, it's gone too far." Reed said in response. "Yes, and yes, that's merely compounding a point I'm about to make," Lihua started off, as she let the words hang into the air. "The Pure feel a threat from Metahumans - something that even [i]I[/i] agree with - and they use that perceived threat to justify murder, and senseless violence." "And the Allegiance - they're no better. Quent, what was it you said? Using a kid to cause hallucinations and start a riot?" Reed remarked, knowing fully well just how disgusted his brother had been about it. "Yeah," Meifeng agreed. "I can't say that the Allegiance are the revolutionaries that will change [i]everything[/i]..." She put her hands up into the air. "When you get down to it, they really are just two sides of the same coin," Lihua stated. "But, that's the funny thing about altruism, good-intentions, valiance, and whatnot..." She started off, and looked at every member of her group. "...It's a slippery slope that can quickly become outright [i]extremism[/i]." Everyone listened and thought about it for a moment. "You get an idea of how to help people, and then you let yourself fall off... even if it doesn't happen instantly." Lihua stated. "In the end... you'll be no different from the likes of them if you aren't careful." That was mostly a message directed towards Meifeng, and what Lihua heard about the things she'd done to the Hands of Science... It really was a slippery slope. Meifeng was a paragon for RAVEN, but few know of the things she'd done behind closed doors. As Meifeng thought about Lihua's words, she looked away, uncomfortable. "This is advice for all of you," Lihua grabbed her glass from the top, and gently swished it around, holding it by the top. "Don't lose yourself. Regardless of if you [i]think[/i] crossing the line would help people, it won't." That was all Lihua had to say. Cindy was looking at Meifeng, and Lihua's little speech applied to her more than anyone - but, Lihua wasn't saying it to just Meifeng. Cindy knew that it applied to her, too. She knew that [i]anyone[/i] can lose themselves. Reed too, wondered if there was an ulterior motive here. For a moment, his gaze shot to Quent and he wondered... his brother had never really let go of what had happened to them in Verthaven. Sure, Quentin had said the words, [i]tried[/i] to move on, yet he read something else concealed behind that calm exterior of his. Not that he ever admitted anything. Shizuka regarded Lihua with amusement, dropping the hostile look from before. He didn't expect this woman to give such a speech, not with how narrow-minded she was back in Verthaven, but maybe Haruka had been right... that she had really changed. Giving advice from her own past experience really did make an impact on all of them - especially Meifeng. [i]Oh well - nothing better than the words from her own mother to drill some sense into her thick skull.[/i] Lihua put the glass down on the table, and crossed her arms. "That said... I have one more thing to say concerning the Pure, Allegiance, and whoever else..." She started off, before letting out a sigh. "...They aren't the problem, they're merely the obvious one." She let the words hang in the air. "There's still people like Luis out there," Quentin pointed out, "You remember what happened in Verthaven. You had that shit with the gangbangers, then that [i]thing[/i] - and all the while the Changelings and the Hands were fucking us from behind. " Lihua nodded her head. "From my experiences, the obvious problem, is [i]never[/i] the problem," She started off. "There's always someone out there who can, and will, capitalize on the situation here." [i]It's what I would do.[/i] Lihua thought to herself. "Baybridge has... plenty of resources, and someone who lusts for power could make a move to claim it..." To that, Quentin could only nod. Lihua's words reminded Shizuka of the Overload incidents so far: the damage and casualties did succeed in worsening the tension between Metahumans and anti-Meta supporters, and it was going to be hell of a problem to deal with when the extremist organizations were adding more fuel to the fire. Not only creating more shits for them to clean up, but also making it harder to reach the true mastermind behind all this. "Anyway," Reed finally interjected, realizing this conversation had derailed from the original point of their meeting, "How's things?" "Fine as it's going to get," Lihua said, somewhat bitter. "I'm enjoying my job as a teacher, as always, and Lijuan is doing fine." Cindy realized they were drifting off towards politics... and while Cindy did enjoy Lihua's point of view, that wasn't the point of this meeting. "I'm doing pretty good, how about your-" Her phone buzzed for a second, a different notification this time. It's usually the notification she has reserved for emails. Cindy quickly whipped out her phone, and read the email. [quote][pre]>_To: CindyGKeagan@Gmail.com Hi agent Keagan, I think I need to have another meeting with you. Can I book something with you some time this week? Ellen[/pre][/quote] "Oh, boy, she finally wants to talk this time...." Cindy muttered to herself as she read the email. "Oh, Cindy, don't you know it's rude to use the phone when you're out?" Meifeng teased, sticking her tongue out. "Sorry, yeah, sorry, sorry," Cindy quickly apologized. "It was just my work email... I still need to check on that, since, you know, my shift is still ongoing." She said. "One of my cases wants to have a meeting." "Is it something urgent?" Shizuka asked, shifting his attention from Lihua to Cindy. He glanced down at his wind-up watch. "It's getting late - and I don't think I'd want to watch you all getting drunk here." "No, no..." Cindy trailed off as she held the phone in her hand. "Dealin' with that girl can come later - Though..." She looked at the time. "I need to get to Prince Ed-Field to check up on the Wright Institute." "The nerds?" Meifeng said with a toothy grin. "Yeah, not lookin' forward to their science-y bullshit... even though I was the one who made the deal in the first place." Cindy said. "How about this?" Meifeng said as she put her glass down. "We all go and endure their "science-y bullshit" as a group?" "Well, I'm definitely in." Shizuka smirked at the two girls who were obviously not looking forward to getting a possible lecture about some 'science-y bullshit'. For him, he just wanted to get to the bottom of this case and close the file for good. "It's the least we can do for that Kei boy and... Agent Aikau." Quentin swigged from his bottle once again, before shrugging. Reed, on the other hand, spoke for the both of them. "Sure." "Course, I believe I'm not allowed since I'm not a RAVEN like you young people." Lihua said with a smile on her face. She had no place there, anyway. She needed to get back to Lijuan, either way. "Yeah, would love to add you to the snore-fest, Mom." Meifeng said with an unlady-like snort. "It's your style!" "Sorry for bringin' this little get together to a sudden close," Cindy regretfully said as she looked among her group. "But, it was nice, even for the moment...." "Yeah, yeah, let's go!" Meifeng said. The group then went their separate ways.