Logs:Making Noise

Making Noise
CN: References to police/fascist violence
Dramatis Personae Blink, Jax, Tian-shin
In Absentia	2020-10-17 "Who is gettin' heard?"
Location <NYC> The Tombs - Lower Manhattan
It's been a long -- long night at Central Booking. Jail Support is always a waiting game, slow and tired and a job of it to keep energy up for the comrades who eventually trickle back out through the doors. Much of the diehard members of the jail support crew seem just a bit more worn than usual, more heavy, with Dawson's familiar constant presence no longer among their number. Whatever earlier fire Jax had during the speeches, the marching, it's somewhere far from here right now. He's just recently checked back in, quiet and polite, with the clerk, but with nobody imminently forthcoming he's now taken himself off to a chair to slump in it, face pale and a faint curl of shadow creeping around his limbs. At some point he must have gone somewhere, showered, changed; his rainbow-flower-patched overalls and soft blue-green flannel is not the same (likely tear-gassed and mussed) outfit he'd had on all day before, his purple-blue-green hair neatly combed, comfortable sneakers traded for his well-worn purple Doc Martens. His fingers lace together, elbows propped on his knees, one thumb running restlessly back and forth against the opposite thumbnail (its colorshifting purple-green nailpolish is just starting to crack) and his eye fixed on the floor in front of him. Tian-shin had been here for a good chunk of the night, and though her presence has been more intermittent once court came back into session she's still been stopping by every couple of hours, dragging slower and slower each time. Despite her exhaustion she is imminently presentable--shark black pantsuit over a pale pink blouse, no-nonsense black heels, attache case never leaving her side. Her long black hair is twisted up into a neat bun and held in place by a black lacquer hairstick tipped with a rose quartz cabochon, her makeup subtle and freshly touched up to mask the dark shadows under her eyes. This time she is accompanied by an eager young Care Bear with snacks and caffeine in tow, but she hand-delivers an Evolve travel mug to Jax. "It's more candy than coffee," she says as she holds it out, though her tone does not sound apologetic in the least. "We might not be seeing anyone come out for a little bit, at least not without being arraigned first. They're pulling hard to find charges." Blink has been napping fitfully, curled up in one of the camp chairs for a little while. She's also at some point gotten away to change, and is wearing a soft purple thigh-length tunic over black jeans and slouchy black boots. Her hair is loosely and messily braided and tied off with a stark white ribbon. The smell of coffee and the stirring of the others around wakes her, though, she levers herself groggily up to fetch a cup of her own before drifting over to Jax and Tian-shin. "Hey," she says, eyes still not fully focusing though she's sucking down coffee in an effort to correct that. "Sorry I doze off. Is there anything I can fetch? Or anyone need a ride somewhere?" Jax's eye lifts slowly, and the small twitch-curl of his lips suggests an attempt to summon a smile that never comes. There's gratitude warm in his tone all the same as he takes the coffee with a soft thanks. "'course they are. What a nightmare. I seen so many people gettin' beat out there -- you know how many Purifiers they done bring in tonight?" It's a transparently rhetorical question, quiet and bitter. He sinks back into his chair, sipping slowly at the coffee. "I'ono if we're gonna need rides for a bit yet," he tells Blink ruefully. "They're really dragging this one out. Y'all holdin' up aright?" Tian-shin rubs her temples slowly. "I wasn't on the street all night, but--I saw enough. Of course, a lot of the beating was coming from the cops themselves, so..." She shakes her head, deliberately slow. Her eyes flick over Blink, her brows gathering in concern. "You can check in with dispatch, they might have supplies that need moving? But it's quiet right now, none of that is urgent and you may want to save your strength for later." Her lips press together thinly. "I'm...probably going to need to take a siesta later, but I'm..." Her eyes drop. "Well, I'm functional. How about you?" "It was awful," Blink agrees. "There were so many humans -- so many bigots literally just out there to hurt people. How can anyone still believe the cops are here to protect us?" The twitch of her lips is cynical. "Well. Anyone who still believes that in the year of our Lord 2020 isn't going to be convinced by any evidence, I guess." She drinks deep from her coffee, wrapping both hands around the paper cup as if cold. "I'm so tired. I tried to go home and sleep but..." She shakes her head. "Couldn't." Her eyes go glassy, making the unnaturally huge green irises look even more uncanny, but she blinks back the tears. Then, very quietly, "I miss him so much." Jax lifts a shoulder, his shrug quick and jerky. "I'm -- well. Two-thirds of my kids are in jail so I guess doin' a real good job on the parentin' front right now." He lifts the cup a little mechanically, taking another sip of the coffee. "I think folks is real committed to believing --" He just shakes his head, jaw tightening. "What serves 'em to believe." It's only at Blink's last quiet words that he looks up at her, starts to reach a hand towards her, drops it back to his lap. Nods, slow and mute. "Yeah." "Me too." Tian-shin bites her lower lip, her eyes flicking up to Jax again. "I'm working on it. Shane will still probably be easier to free, from what I saw of his arrest resport, but--" Her eyes widen, one hand lifting to her mouth. "Has--has anyone told B?" Blink wraps one arm around herself, rocking forward onto the balls of her feet and then back onto her heels. "There were so many journalists out last night but -- you're right, people are going to ignore what they don't want to see." She settles back down on her feet. "Don't they let her make phone calls?" "Thank you. I appreciate it." The wisps of shadow coiling around Jax's arms thicken, briefly, then fade. "She's allowed to make phone calls," he confirms, looking down to his hands, "but she -- mostly -- doesn't." He shifts in his seat, resting his coffee cup on one knee. "I don't think I even want to see what a field day the press is gonna have with all this. Journalists bein' out there is one thing, but telling an accurate story of what's going on --" His head shakes slowly. Tian-shin reaches for Jax, but drops her hand. "I can get in to see B," she hazards, "if you think it's best for her to find out--in person." She bites her lip again. "Might have to wait until tomorrow, though. I'm expecting a bumper crop of arraignments." She shakes her head, looking down at her hands, clasped together. "I've seen some of the reports already and--I can't recommend it." Blink's eyes are huge now -- and, as always, look even bigger than they actually are. "I'm sorry." She sips at her coffee, slowly. "Maybe...after a couple of days, at least, the indie journalists will be able to get their stories out. People like Daiki?" She sounds uncertain. "But telling an accurate story is never enough. It's about who gets a platform. Who gets heard." "I think it'd be good for her not to be alone when she hears, yeah. There's been folks pointin' out how if the Sentinels hadn't --" Jax stops here, one hand lifting to dig underneath his eyepatch. "I think it'd just be easy for her mind to run in all kindsa directions. Being alone all day every day ain't -- it'd be good if you could." He takes another gulp of coffee, rocking slowly forward and back where he sits. "Who is gettin' heard? We're out here makin' all this noise, and who's listening?" Tian-shin nods slowly. "I'll get up there first thing tomorrow," she promises, and looks ready to add something else when her eyes fix on some movement beyond their little group of rag-tag jail support personnel. Two MID officers have entered, flanked by four Guardians. Tian-shin's eyes narrow at them as she straightens to her full height. "What can we do for you, officers?" The officers look at each other, and it's a long, awkward moment before Officer Grayson--the older of the two, if not by much--says, "Uh, good day, Ms. Hua. We have orders to place Mr. Holland under arrest." He looks at Jax, his expression clearly uncertain. "If you'd come with us, Sir?" Blink's shoulders tighten. "We just have to keep making noise, right?" she says softly. "Until they listen?" She looks up at the cops, her eyes steady and accusatory. "What for? He's been here all day. Giving coffee and first aid to people being released is totally leagal." The clank of the Guardians, the familiar lines of the police uniforms, these things put a subtler tension in Jax's frame from the moment they enter. He doesn't look towards the officers until they've come near; it's only once Tian-shin addresses them that he looks up. There's no surprise in his expression, gaze steady on the police officers as he takes another sip of coffee; his shoulders are slumping, though, something deeply weary in his tone. "I'm sorry, officers, I don't think you done said what I'm -- being charged with this time?" His eye drops down to the black hip pack that's been under his seat, emblazoned with NYC Action Medical patches. His brow creases. He does stand, though, slow and just a little unsteady. "I don't s'pose," he sounds only mildly hopeful, "I might could finish my coffee first?" Officer Grayson has the good grace to blush, if only faintly. "The charge is inciting to riot, Mr. Holland." He pauses, studies the man he's been sent to arrest, eyes settling at last on the mug in his hand. "I'm sorry, Sir, it's not my call, but you have to come with us, now." "That is not going to hold any water," Tian-shin points out, wearily. "Could we just skip this entire charade for once?" "Sorry, Ma'am," the other, younger officer speaks up now. "You'll be able to visit Mr. Holland once we have him processed and placed." "Inciting to riot?" Blink repeats, gritting her teeth. "I feel like your robot pals there are the ones guilty of that," 'she says calmly. Her huge green eyes fix on Jax, "We...I guess we'll just have to keep making noise until you get back." Jax's 'ah' is mouthed silently, his head dipping in a nod. He sets his cup down carefully on the seat of the chair he just vacated, nodding to Tian-shin and Blink. "See the thanks I get for makin' it so nice an convenient for 'em?" His arms cross tight over his chest as he turns to follow after the officers. "I imagine we'll be making it a long time after, too."