Ferri Emlott - Happy Place (Pt.5)

[Alora DeVeau]

OOC: The latest in a series from @Arys chronicling the past of her NPC, Ferri.  I'm really enjoying this storyline!

 

IC:

 

((Somewhere on Cardassia Prime))
((Time Index: four years ago))

Even in her dazed state, Ferri noticed that the room behind it was very different, and reminded her of a teacher's office, kept in warm natural colours. There was a desk, a shelf with PADDs, and two sofas facing each other, with a low table in between. The large window allowed a view into a luscious garden and bathed the room in sunlight. It was comfortably warm here, and the scent of freshly brewed Redleaf tea filled the room. 

Garo: Ezak. Unhand her.

Ferri had been so taken in by the room that she hadn't noticed the man who had sat by the sofa and was now making his way towards them. He was tall, dressed in a neat and expensive-looking tunic, and wore a frown of disapproval. It took the young woman a moment to realise that said frown was aimed at the other man, Ezak, and not at Ferri. 

Ezak nodded and let go of her, and a moment later he had left through the door that had brought them here.

The man's sharp gaze softened as he regarded Ferri, his voice calm and almost comforting as he spoke. 

Garo: Ferri, is it? Come on, have a seat. ::he motioned towards the sofa:: My name is Garo.

She nodded, though not out of agreement. Ferri didn't want to talk to the strange man. Ferri had tried to talk, but they had left her in that room for days or weeks - she didn’t know. She neither knew where she was, nor how long she had spent in maddening silence, with huger and thirst gnawing at every fibre of her being. 

Garo seemed to notice her hesitation and reached for her hand. He didn’t pull her, but instead, he gently but firmly led her to the sofa and sat her down.
The material was some kind of leather, cool and soft to the touch.

Here in this pristine room, Ferri became aware of how disgusting she was. She hadn't showered ever since she arrived here. Her hair was matted and greasy, and her wrinkled clothes hung from her thin frame. 

She was ashamed, and just about ignored the need to apologise for being so disgusting.

Garo: Do you know why you are here, Ferri?

His voice was soft as he spoke, and Ferri observed him making his way to the replicator sitting by the side of his desk. 

Emlott: Because... of Irrot and Nal.

Those were the names of the two men Ferri had killed, and she wasn't at all surprised that the authorities knew. She had never planned to get away with it. She had never planned for them to die. 

Garo: That is correct, Ferri. ::to the replicator:: Irmok-tea, sweetened. Not too hot. 

A moment later a cup of bitter-tasting liquid materialized, and Garo carried it over to Ferri, setting it down in front of her before taking a seat opposite of her.

Garo: When did you decide to kill those two men? 

There was no accusation in his voice. 

Emlott: I didn't.. I.. 

She reached for the mug, wrapping her hands around it, and soaking up its warmth. It was an acquired taste, but it was something to drink, and despite its temperature, she gulped it down greedily.

Garo waited until she had finished before he spoke again, still calmly, a gentle correction rather than admonishment. 

Garo: Please don't lie to me. 

Emlott: I didn't mean to kill them… I just wanted information… 

Garo: What happened?

He waited, and as Ferri did not reply, he got up and crossed the room to get something from his desk. Upon his return, he placed a small metal box on the table between them, and opened it. 

Garo: You used one of these, didn't you?

Ferri nodded. The chip-sized modulator was referred to as an Enhancer. Once attached, it was designed to target an area of the brain that contained not only the masterplan of a Cardassian's physiology, but also stored their deepest anxieties. 

Garo: What do you know about them? 

Emlott: … I know they are called Enhancers. I.. ::she swallowed hard. She had seen the device in action - would Garo use it on her?:: I… know it targets the primal nexus with neutrinos that mimic stimuli requesting information for repair after an injury. It causes panic attacks. They... they are torture devices. The Obsidian Order used them to gain information.

Garo: How did you hear about them? 

Emlott: They were mentioned in a history course I took. 

She hadn’t even liked the teacher much, or paid particularly much attention to the class. The idea of an Enhancer had stuck with her because of a joke a friend had made - something about using one to figure out if her partner was cheating.
Ferri had laughed it off, and yet, she had remembered it when she was in need of a tool to gather information. 

Garo: And how did you get one? 

Emlott: I… had a friend, his family owns a small collection of items from before the war. Books and… some maps… paintings. He told me how to get in touch with someone collecting and selling those items. I got it from there.

He responded with a frown, and reached for his own cup of tea, savouring the taste before replying. 

Garo: Could you just purchase it? It must have been expensive. 

Emlott: I... stole it. 

Garo raised furrowed his brows, and for a moment he seemed almost impressed at the statement.

For a moment it seemed like he was going to inquire further, but then his line of questioning returned to the issue at hand. 

Garo: What happened then? 

Ferri once more remained silent. She had gone through the events of that evening again and again and again, and she felt guilty for not regretting what she had done.

She had sought out Nal and Irrot, the two men associated with the disappearance of her sister Kara. After almost a year of preparing, she had managed to circumvent their house's security systems and tried to force them to tell her what they had done to the girl.
But Enhancers were a tool of ‘last resort', when other means of sensory destabilisation had failed. In the hands of someone not trained to use them, their use could easily result in a brain bleed. 

Garo: I will make a guess. You used them, and those men died. But you didn't want that. You wanted information about your sister. 

Emlott: ::nodding:: Y-... yes... 

Ferri felt tears welling up in her eyes, and was too tired to hold them back. She barely noticed Garo getting up, until he sat down next to her, and to her surprise, his voice was compassionate as he spoke.

Garo: Did you find out anything? 

Emlott: They-... Irrot just... screamed and... I tried to do it better the next time, but Nal said he couldn't remember.... and... then he started crying but it was blood and.. and.. 

Garo: So it was all for nothing. ::he sighed, and then added:: Is that why your father and his wife didn't want to visit you here? Do you think he is disappointed in you? 

With that, Garo voiced what Ferri had always feared. Her father, Arla, had become distant after Kara’s disappearance, and he blamed her for giving the younger of the two girls the impression that taking a skimmer to visit her sister was okay. 

Had she not done so, Kara wouldn’t have run away from home. 

If she had not done so, those men would never have found her alone. 

Kara would still be alive. 

Ferri held her breath, wrapping her arms around herself, and squeezed her eyes shut. It hurt. Thinking about it hurt so much that she felt her very being breaking apart.

She didn’t see Garo regarding her thoughtfully, and then nodding to himself as if a decision had been made. But she felt him pulling her into an embrace that gave her the stability she so much needed. 

Garo: I understand. I’m sorry you didn’t find out anything. I know what it’s like to lose family. 

He held Ferri, despite the fact that she was dirty and disgusting, despite the fact that she had hurt people, despite the fact that she had a year to prepare, and still failed to surface any information about Kara.

Garo allowed her to calm down, before he inquired further. 

Garo: Her disappearance was a year ago. have you been looking for her all that time?

At first, Ferri didn’t answer, but after further encouragement, she wiped her tears away. 

Emlott: Yes. 

Garo: I am curious. How did you get into Nal’s apartment? They had an alarm system if I recall correctly. 

Emlott: I … circumvented it. I looked for the blueprints… they were… new buildings, some still for purchase. The… one underneath it… it was empty and.. 

Garo: Did you have help? 

Ferri shook her head. Anyone who might have helped her, did so unknowingly. She didn’t want them to get into trouble.

Garo: That is impressive. ::he sighed:: I would like to hear more about that, but I fear that's all the time I have for you right now.

Ferri’s eyes widened. Was he sending her back into that horrible room, to rot there for days, forgotten, with only her own voice for company?
Garo seemed to guess what she was thinking. He let out another sigh, and took her hand. 

Garo: I will do what I can for you, Ferri, as long as you cooperate. I can speak to Ezak to not be so harsh to you. 

Garo got up, and walked over to the shelf with PADDs on it. He picked one out, looked at it, placed it back, and got another one.

Garo: ::approaching Ferri and handing her the PADDs:: Here, something to read. They are my favourite works of literature, I would be curious to learn how you like them. 

As if called by an unsaid command, the door opened and once more Ezak stepped inside, wearing the same sneering disdain on his features. 

Garo: I’ve decided to allow Ferri some books to read. 

Ezak grunted a ‘As you wish’ and grabbed Ferri’s arm, pulling her to her feet once more. 

Garo: ::to Ferri:: Be good. It might take a while, but we will talk again as soon as I can arrange it. 

Ferri just about managed a weak nod before she was dragged out of the door.

TBC

---

Ferri Emlott
Cardassian Visitor
Starbase 118 Ops
J239809TA4

 

[Lt Aine Olive Sherlock]

I literally just copied this to post it here! Another great entry in this series! The pacing *chef's kiss*.

[Nestira Aristren]

Thank you ❤️ I am not sure what I am channeling here, and I am somewhat surprised that I enjoy it so much Stay tuned for more to come!

[+ Vitor S. Silveira]

I was also beaten into posting this here. Great sim @Arys.

Although I am very thankful for receiving the B-Plot award in Ops, I truly believe you are the one deserving it.

[Sal Taybrim]

2 hours ago, Vitor S. Silveira said:

I was also beaten into posting this here. Great sim @Arys.

Although I am very thankful for receiving the B-Plot award in Ops, I truly believe you are the one deserving it.

When our ship is full of good players, we -all- build one another up.

@Arys can attest that we support you @Vitor S. Silveira and your growth as a writer as much as we love Arys’ plot lines in return!

Remember - you can celebrate and love different people and have them all be equally valid.  Just like you can enjoy a variety of foods or books or movies and like them all!

a ship never runs on one perfect player, but with the collaboration of many good players.

so let’s all celebrate awesome sims like this, our awards and ongoing accomplishments and enjoy the stories together!

[Nestira Aristren]

2 hours ago, Vitor S. Silveira said:

I was also beaten into posting this here. Great sim @Arys.

Although I am very thankful for receiving the B-Plot award in Ops, I truly believe you are the one deserving it.

Honestly, I love to see how much you've grown as a writer (yeah yeah, you're not a writer, you're just a player, I knooooow), and I adore the integrity with which you play Tito. Can't wait to have Ferri wrap him around her little finger again  Easy victim 

[+ Vitor S. Silveira]

3 hours ago, Sal Taybrim said:

When our ship is full of good players, we -all- build one another up.

@Arys can attest that we support you @Vitor S. Silveira and your growth as a writer as much as we love Arys’ plot lines in return!

Remember - you can celebrate and love different people and have them all be equally valid.  Just like you can enjoy a variety of foods or books or movies and like them all!

a ship never runs on one perfect player, but with the collaboration of many good players.

so let’s all celebrate awesome sims like this, our awards and ongoing accomplishments and enjoy the stories together!

Hopefully we will keep enjoying them for many more years to come.  

I am thankful you guys put up with me and that I have a chance to write with you all.

Thank you.

(edit: typo as always)

Edited June 28, 2022 by Vitor S. Silveira

[+ Vitor S. Silveira]

3 hours ago, Arys said:

Honestly, I love to see how much you've grown as a writer (yeah yeah, you're not a writer, you're just a player, I knooooow), and I adore the integrity with which you play Tito. Can't wait to have Ferri wrap him around her little finger again  Easy victim