[EP] Research - Pro Aris Et Focis (OTA)

[st_artingpoint]

Some of Jane's memories were returning, thanks to Molly, and she had some intense conversations with Alex about her possible military background. All of this had her looking at her tattoos differently. There was one that was barely visible on her arm underneath a black patch of ink. Molly had done a glamour spell that was able to remove the ink cover but it was still faint. It was clear enough so that Jane could research it and she'd learned it belonged to the Navy Seals.

That got her even more motivated as she sat at a table with a scattering of books around her that had military images, a notebook and a mirror. Jane was in the process of trying to look at a smaller tattoo on her back and try to sketch it. Neither was successful and she was getting frustrated. She needed a way to catalog all of her tattoos so that she could start to see if anything related to any of the memories that were emerging.

Comments

[st_artingpoint]

"I'm sorry." Jane said automatically, "that you were caught in a war, but helping others is a good way to cope."

At least Jane hoped that maybe she'd helped others in the mission that she'd been on. There were flashes of a couple in a house that she'd been in, or a clinic. Jane wasn't sure what it meant, but she hoped that there was lightness along with the attack that she'd seen.

"I'm sure that they thought it was enough and that you helped them a lot."

[st_ackeddeck]

The war hadn't touched Emma as much as a lot of people she knew – she'd been lucky – but they'd all felt it. And no matter what Nathan or Alex said, she hadn't helped as much as she wanted to. She tried not to let her, "thanks," sound as awkward as she felt.

"Would you like to try a reading now? Or we could do it another time, if that would be better."

[st_artingpoint]

"Now would be great." Jane said eagerly, "uh, unless you need to prepare or something. I'm okay with later, too." She'd waited this long for answers, she could certainly wait longer.

[st_ackeddeck]

"The only preparation I need is having a deck, and I almost always have at least one with me." Only having three to choose from was the weird thing, and she still wasn't completely used to it. But she was only going to London for a few days; there hadn't been a reason to bring more than that with her. She had two of them with her today, the third back in her room. She thought for a moment, and pulled out her favorite, Shadowscapes, and set the deck on the table, in front of Jane. The cards were slightly longer than standard playing cards, and the deck had seventy-eight cards instead of fifty-two; sometimes it took people a moment to get used to the difference.

"Shuffle them, thinking about something you want to know. A more specific question usually gets a clearer answer, but I understand if that's hard without a lot of memories to draw on. You don't have to tell me what your question is unless you want to. When you feel like you've shuffled enough, stop, and I'll see what they can show me."

[st_artingpoint]

Jane took the unusual cards, larger than what felt 'normal' though she'd never handled cards since waking up. Like with most things, she let her instincts take over rather than thinking about it. It didn't take long for her to shuffle the cards, but she continued the movement while she thought of what she wanted to know the most. Who was Kurt Weller?

She set the cards down on the table, "one of my tattoos, the largest on my back is a name. Kurt Weller, FBI. If you could see anything about him and why his name is there, that would be great."

[st_ackeddeck]

The King of Cups was the first card Emma turned over, and with it, her gaze gone distant and unfocused, she Saw a man. Kurt Weller, she assumed, since Jane had told her she wanted to know about him. As she continued to lay out cards, they kept pointing her to groups, two of them, working together, working a cross-purposes. She Saw Jane in both. One group seemed to be led by Weller, which would fit with the King. The other, she could see the people, but less clearly, the images intertwined with a sandstorm that wasn't a sandstorm. One of the less literal visions, then.

"You care about him. And he cares about you. There's a connection there, a... relationship forming and growing stronger. And you work together. He trusts you." She didn't add, although maybe she should have, that she wasn't sure whether Kurt should trust Jane or not.

"And I keep seeing a sandstorm. A symbolic one. It has something to do with another group of people. Your hair is longer then, but..." she trailed off, adding another card to the spread, rearranging them in front of her. She shook her head. "I don't know. We can shuffle again, try to find out more, if you want. But that's all this spread wants to show."

[st_artingpoint]

Jane wondered if the symbolic sandstorm had to do with Project Orion, but the memories she had were less desert with a sandstorm and more vegetation. She filed away the information and concentrated on Kurt Weller. She'd been afraid that her assignment was Kurt rather than she was a part of the FBI. Even if she wasn't, it sounded like it was a good thing being connected to Kurt.

"No, that's great. It's helped me to follow a direction and maybe Molly can pull out memories to add to what you've found out." Even if Kurt was her future and not her past, it helped to know it was good rather than sinister.

[st_ackeddeck]

"Have you–" Jane had said Molly was helping her recover some of her memories, and Emma didn't know what that really entailed. Telepaths worked differently from empaths who worked differently from psychologists, etc.

"I could draw him, if it would help. If you don't already know what he looks like, I mean."

[st_artingpoint]

Jane's eyes lit up, "I would love that. I have no idea about anything about him except I have his name tattooed on my back." What intrigued her was it wasn't just his name it was FBI. She knew it had be something. Why else would she have where he worked as well?

[st_ackeddeck]

She could do a quick sketch now, but that would just be an impression. Something more accurate would be more helpful, she thought.

"You're in building three, right? Sorry, I don't know what room. I just, I should be able to have a really good drawing tomorrow, and could drop it off for you, if you want."

[st_artingpoint]

"I'm on the third floor there, room 214." Jane told her, "and that would be great. Thank you so much for giving me this." It was more than Jane ever thought she'd have.

[st_ackeddeck]

"Any time. I'll get the sketch to you when it's done." Emma gave a shy smile. "It was nice getting to know you a little, Jane."

[st_artingpoint]

"I can't thank you enough for this and it was nice talking to you, too, Emma." Jane smiled. Everyone that she'd met since arriving had been so helpful and nice.