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[heiroglyphs]

VERA WEISZ

You have reached the voice mail box of Vera Weisz, heiress of Weisz Manufacturing. Please leave a message.

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[burndownforwhat]

[ Jen pulls up to a light and just stays there even while it's turned green while she replied again. it's dangerous but, again, no one's out here at this hour and there's a light shining down so she should be fine. only someone who's blind would miss all that yellow and gold in the middle of the lane clearly not moving.

"I had a hunch you might be up.
If I was wrong, I'm sorry for waking you.
I could have waited until morning but I couldn't sleep."

finally, she decides to at least pull over properly and put down the kickstand, doing so quickly before adding a final plea:

"I wouldn't be bothering you if it wasn't important." ]

[heiroglyphs]

[Vera is up from her desk, changing out of her nightgown and into something at least remotely appropriate for being outside at this time of night: a pair of sweatpants and one of her fiance's t-shirts.]

What could be this important?

[burndownforwhat]

[ Jen was hoping to discuss things more clearly in person, of course, but it seems Vera wasn't going to give her even the benefit of the doubt without that clarity. fine. it's not like Jen lacks any means to accurately convey the feeling of wrongness she's (literally) wrestled with.

"I think my Semblance is broken." ]

[heiroglyphs]

This is literally your soul.
How can a soul be broken.
And not in your philosophical yoga way.

[burndownforwhat]

[ "I was hoping that you, as the only other person who could understand this problem, would be able to tell me."

Jen sighed. if she knew the answer would she be making such an urgent request at an ungodly hour? she took hold of her slipping patience and rubbed her face. she got herself ready to ride again, whether it was to Vera's, or just back home.

"I don't expect much but I just need to see if there's anything you can do. Please." ]

[heiroglyphs]

[She really wants to go on some kind of rant about how she's not a doctor and even then how would a doctor know how to fix souls. There's just something nagging her right now that maybe there's really something she can do for the poor girl. Who even knows what right now, but as far as they know, they're the only two people in the entire world that have these abilities. Maybe something can be done?]

My door is unlocked. Take the fire escape.

[burndownforwhat]

[ "I'm on my way."

despite the urgency Jen does take the time to spell it out. but after that? she burns some serious rubber getting there, only to park a fair distance away. she knows Vera has to be discrete - and she can appreciate that - because having a lady-friend over in the middle of the night for reasons not adequately explainable to any witnesses would just start a bunch of ugly rumors. or something.

anyway, the last thing she wants to do is cause Vera any more trouble than she already has.

she arrives in about fifteen minutes, a little out of breath from her ascent but otherwise fine. Jen's still wearing the biker jacket as she makes her way up, and her hair is tied back in a ponytail, but depending on the lighting the coloration of it and her eyes will be plainly visible. and familiar... ]

Vera...?

[heiroglyphs]

[When Jen steps inside, she'll find the apartment dimly-lit, the heiress sitting o the couch nursing a cup of coffee while the news plays on the enormous flat screen across the room, illuminating the smaller girl in blue light. Turning towards the noise, she casts a bit of an exhausted glower in Jen's direction, as if to say "I can't believe I'm putting up with this right now".]

So what is the actual problem right now? How are you broken?

[burndownforwhat]

[ Jen closes the door as quietly as she can and just sort of stands there for a long moment, staring at the floor. she deserved that look, too, but it didn't make it easier to watch it happen. she took a deep breath, sighed, and stepped forward. ] I'm - It's... not working. Not the way it does in my memories. [ there is flexing of the fingers of her right hand, the doll-like joints still moving as smoothly as ever. for someone who just seemed to click with every physical reminder of Yang's life forced upon her, the fact something so important wasn't working was very disturbing. ] I can... show you. If you want.

[heiroglyphs]

[God she looks like a kicked puppy. This is really upsetting her, isn't it? Or was it from the fight they had before? So a person yelled at you, get over it.

She sits up in her seat, taking another sip of her drink.]

As long as your "showing" does not involve you trying to hurt yourself to show you cannot block it or something.

[burndownforwhat]

[ she stopped in her spot, hands up. Jen was poised to deliver a pretty heavy blow to the palm of one hand with her metal one but halted herself and lowered both her hands while her eyes remained wide. ] How did you kn-? Oh. Heh. I guess you'd know about that after all. [ Jen smirked, briefly. figures Vera would have the memories to call her out on doing something reckless. ]

[heiroglyphs]

I know as much as you do about how all of this works, maybe more. You breaking your hand in my living room will not prove anything.

[Setting her cup on the side table, she pats the cushion beside her.]

Come sit.

[burndownforwhat]

I wasn't going to hit that hard. My hands are my livelihood. [ Jen moves closer, but sits a bit further away because, yes, it's still weird and she doesn't feel as if she deserves that spot. ] You've dealt with this longer. I'm sure you've experimented a bit with how it works for you. Or, at least, I'm hoping you have.

[heiroglyphs]

It's hard not to experiment when your Semblance can do as much as I can. But I'm not sure how much of it will mean things to you.

[She extends a hand over the couch, offering it to the taller girl.]

Show me how you activate your Aura without punching things.

[burndownforwhat]

[ there's a series of rapid blinks as she looks from Vera's face to her hand. ] ...my what?

[heiroglyphs]

Your what? My what? [She cocks her head, raising a brow.]

Your Aura. Projection of your soul. It is what allows you to use your Semblance.

[burndownforwhat]

[ Jen shakes her head, looking absolutely confused besides. ] No, see. I can still use my Semblance, but I'm not protected from getting hurt in the process. That's what I was going to show you. I don't... know what "aura" is except in the new age-y kind of way. Or what you just said. [ she furrows her brow. ] I think we found my problem.

[heiroglyphs]

...The Aura is what protects you. [She exhales through her nose, like, how do you not know this???]

There is also some healing, in limited capacity. I cut my hand last week making lunch, and in a few hours it was fine.

[burndownforwhat]

[ is it her fault that their experiences and memories are different? no. so that's what keeps her listening patiently because, as expected, Vera's practically an expert compared to her. ] Boy, I'm glad I asked you. Because I was sure I was going to have to knock myself out or worse to figure out how to make it work. [ a beat. ] You're sure they're not ... separate? If I have one, I should have the other. Right? [ a deeper frown, though. ] If they're a package deal then it makes even less sense that it's not working.

[heiroglyphs]

My understanding is that the Semblance comes from your Aura. You can't have one without the other.

...Please do not knock yourself out, especially not here. I'm not sure I can carry you.

[burndownforwhat]

[ Jen sinks into the cushions with a sigh, head back and eyes closed. ]

So, it's like I said. It's broken. Great!

[ she turned her head toward Vera and opened her eyes once more. ] How did you figure yours out? I know they're different but, like, there should be something in common... right?

[heiroglyphs]

...I was hit by a car. It sort of turned itself on to save me.

[She sits back against the couch as well, if only so that she doesn't have to look over her own shoulder at Jen.]

From there it was experimentation. What works, what feels good, what does not. It is sort of like... your yoga? Learning about your body.

[burndownforwhat]

[ hold the phone for one damn second! Jen bolts upright with her hands on her knees, and turns toward Vera, eyes wide. ] You were hit by a car?! When?! Holy shit, Vera, why didn't you tell me before? [ is this information "Yin" had while offline? who knows. if Jen did know about it she had somehow managed to forget it. no wonder Vera didn't want her to go toward extremes. ]

[heiroglyphs]

It is... not as dramatic as it sounds. I was leaving the coffee shop when a car pulled out of the parking lot. They did not see me. I maybe would have broken some ribs, but it would not have killed me.

[She looks away shyly. It's difficult to admit vulnerability like that, and it doesn't help that Jen would show this level of concern for her.]

We did not want to make a big deal of it. The more eyes looking, the more likely it was going to end up in magazines.

[burndownforwhat]

[ Vera was being rather casual about delivering that information. from a girl who probably couldn't handle spraining her ankle or dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome, to just calmly go "it would not have killed me"? ] Just break a few ribs? Jesus Christ... That's pretty dramatic! [ she put her hand to her forehead and took a few deep breaths. it was in the past, so there's no sense reeling from the news any longer. ] Well, I'm glad you were okay in the end. I don't know what I would have done.