||008|| - voice

[hejhej]

[A long, annoyed sigh. Lisbeth doesn't really like to apologize - hell, some would even say it's not in her vocabulary. But from what she experienced in the past week, there were a few people she cared about enough to apologize to for her unbridled behavior.]

If I was excessively agitated or violent towards you, I'm sorry.

Except for that Sylar asshole.

Comments

[hostage]

[When he gets to the kitchen, he leans against the door frame and just stays there. Like he's suddenly afraid to get too close.]

I, uh... I think it's my fault.

[hejhej]

[She turns off the stove when he shows up. She frowns.]

What do you mean? I went into that fight knowing what would happen.

[hostage]

I mean your power. Um...

[He rubs at the back of his neck, fixing his gaze on the floor.]

I was talking to someone about what happened with Sylar. Like, how he ran away halfway through killing me, and she said, like... Maybe I took his power away. 'cause there's this thing called Voids or Nulls or whatever, and their power is taking away other people's powers. She said I'm maybe one of them.

[hejhej]

[She listens to him intently, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to process it all.]

If that is the case, then how do you do it? Just by being in the room?

[hostage]

I don't know. I don't even know what I did with Sylar. Like, when he was attacking me... I couldn't move. I couldn't think. It just happened.

She said it doesn't usually last forever, the Null thing. But it's been a long time for you, right? What if it really is just 'cause I'm here? What if it's getting worse, with you being around me?

[hejhej]

[She stares at him, taking a puff from her cigarette.]

I think it stopped the night I found it. That was the first and last time I.. tasted fire.

[Jesus, this all sounded weird.]

[hostage]

We were together that night, right? I must've fucked it up then...

[hejhej]

Neither of us knew. Don't feel guilty.

[Her voice wasn't pleading - it was demanding.]

[hostage]

How am I supposed to not feel guilty? I took away your power! And you coulda died because of it!

[hejhej]

I'm standing in front of you, aren't I? [Her tone was level.]

[hostage]

Barely! Jesus...

[He sinks back against the wall, rubbing his palms over his eyes.]

Why'd I get stuck with this..?

[hejhej]

[She saw that it bothered him, but she didn't know what to say or do. She watches him sink against the wall.

Lisbeth looks around awkwardly before she approaching him. She kneels down beside him and reaches out to touch his shoulder comfortingly when she stops.

The night she lost her power they held hands. She didn't know what transpired between he and Sylar and she suddenly has telepathy, a power that Sylar had as well.

She and Jesse had sex that night in the bathtub.]

No. [She suddenly says.] I do have a power. Just not mine.

[She stands from her position and looks around the kitchen. The chair. Remembering her fight with Sylar, she reaches up and lays her palm flat like she was pressing against a wall.

Will. I want to move the chair.

The chair moves a few inches away from the breakfast table.]

[hostage]

[Jesse's hands drop back to his sides and he watches her get back up. His miserable expression shifts to bewilderment. He's not sure what power he's expecting to witness when she gestures, but when the chair moves of its own volition, he jumps in alarm and scrambles away from it - because his first thought is Sylar's here.

But of course he isn't. It's just the two of them.]

Wait -

What. The hell.

[hejhej]

[She puts her hand down when she notices his reaction.]

Did you make physical contact with Sylar when he was cutting into you? Did he suddenly stop after you touched him?

[hostage]

Uh. His hand... was on my throat...

[hejhej]

[Her voice and tone were cut and dry, as if she was explaining some kind of mathematical equation. She spoke quickly, without taking a breath or for him to jump in, as she pieced it together in her head.]

You held my hand the night I found my power and that's when you took it. Sylar grabbed your throat and that's when you took his. Later that night we had sex and that's when.. you gave me his power.

[She almost felt sick to her stomach - she had a piece of this animal inside her.]

[hostage]

[Jesse's gaze drops to the floor while he processes all of this. So, wait - he infected her with Sylar's power like some fucking STD? He shakes his head, not in denial, but because that is not okay. That's even worse than just taking her power away. That's sick.]

No, no, no...

[hejhej]

[She sighs because she's upset, she's angry. The telekinesis hadn't been some gift that ultimately saved her life - Sylar knew it was his, that's what he'd meant when he said she was broken. He knew how she'd gotten it too.

And then they shared that little moment where he gave her a few pointers on how to use it. Lisbeth's hand shot out behind her as she held it back towards Jesse.]

Take it. [She demands firmly.] Take my hand and take it away.

[hostage]

[Jesse jerks back.]

Wait, but - What if I mess it up? What if I make it worse?

[He doesn't even know what worse could look like, but if he could pick anyone to experiment on, it wouldn't be Lisbeth.]

[hejhej]

[She turns around to face him, her hand still outstretched.]

He taught me how to use it. I don't know what could be worse.

[Upon closer inspection, one would see that her hand was shaking.]

[hostage]

[He did this to her. He should make it better. He's afraid, but he should at least try to make it better. Only he doesn't even know for sure whether it's something that can be controlled. And maybe he can only swap it out once, or...]

Jesus. Uh...

[He takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes. For some reason, he feels like that'll help his concentration. Isn't that how it goes in movies?

Then he takes her hand.]

[hejhej]

[It's a tense moment that leads up to him finally grabbing her hand. Lisbeth was expecting the transfer to hurt and readied herself for it. However, none came. In fact, the whole kitchen was silent, a clock ticking in the distance. How long did this take?

She waits five seconds. One minute. Three minutes. When five minutes had passed, Lisbeth let go of Jesse's hand.

Did it work? She looks at her hand. She doesn't feel any different.]

[hostage]

[Jesse looks at his own hand, then at Lisbeth. He doesn't feel any different either. He wishes this was more like a video game. A status message or a power bar would be really useful right now.]

Did it..?

[hejhej]

[She couldn't tell. Lisbeth turns back to the chair she'd just moved and concentrates on it. She uses the same hand gestures and everything.

The chair didn't budge an inch. She tried a little harder. Nothing.]

Any harder and I'll pop a vein.

[hostage]

Oh my god. Thank god.

[He steps forward, pulls the chair out with his hand, and sinks into it. He'd been pretty close to either passing out or vomiting. Who knew superpowers were that stressful?]