Reaching Out [Fareeha]

There was an intense internal battle between staying on the line and waiting for her to answer the call or ignore him, and just hanging up and spending another four hours working up the courage to call her back.

Mido had never been good at talking to people in general, much less his sister who always seemed to look at him like he was an airhead, there was a deeply seeded intimidation felt towards her, even if he was sure she cared for him, it had never been expressed in a way that didn't come off as overbearing, there were expectations that they'd tried to force him into fulfilling, and he was always reminded when he fell short. He knew they came from a good place, but he suffered deeply now because of it.

But after a few minutes a familiar voice jolted him from his thoughts, and he jumped so badly he scattered the papers and pens that were on the table in front of him "Ah F-fareeha! Uh..." He paused and felt a reflexive cringe at her words, sure she didn't know why he looked like a mess, but her words stung all the same.

"I haven't had the best few months." He said bluntly, "it's...I guess it's not important..." Was he really important? He mentally shook the thought away, "listen, I...Like you're into all this military stuff...And I...We could use your help." He hadn't even considered that maybe she didn't believe or know that Ana was alive, "mom can't figure this out and...It's bad..." He ran a hand through his hair, "someone got a hold of me an...Got inside my head...Made me deliver some message..."

He shook his head, "it's been kind of bad...I-I dunno...I could use your help...Mom could too." He gave her a look and swallowed, "she's not dead. She...We had tea in my living room...Like..." He was babbling way faster than he meant to, his scattered brain hopping him from one thought to another faster than he could keep up as he tried to process what he wanted to say, "We need your help, me and Mom..." He could only wait now for her to parse his broken babbles into what he hoped would be sensible words.

The unfortunate thing about Mido was that the more anxious and overwhelmed with a situation he got, the less able to piece together his thoughts he became, and the longer this conversation went on the more his anxiety started spiking and getting the better of him, "NO! It was not in my own head! Don't tell me that!"

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling that sticky, hot tingling all over as he tried not to freak out right here in front of his sister who clearly already thought he was a basket case, "I'm already doubting everything! I'm already feeling crazy!" He wasn't helping his case and he knew it, but he wasn't in the state of mind to be any more put together.

At the question, he did pause, screwing up his face, "Video? No...." He tapped the side of his head, "I was in King's Row, and then I was In Indiana!" He'd stepped back from the table now, pacing across the video feed, "I delivered some message to mom about how...Like..." He paused as he tried to remember, "Overwatch should give up...Because they can't win?" He was speaking faster than he intended now, "I left my girlfriend in Europe...Jesus..." He glanced back at the screen, as if only just realizing again that he was talking to someone else.

"Someone made me travel across the country! Deliver some weird ass message to mom! And we can't figure out who!" He ran his hands through his hair, "I can't remember!" He glanced back at her, finally taking in her offer, "Yeah, I'm still in Chicago...We could really use your help..." He still didn't entirely realize how crazy he sounded, he'd never been the best at picking up social cues or reading people's reactions, his brain thought and he spoke, that was often how his mind worked, "you need my address? I think I gave it to you...Can't remember...But yes. Please come. We could really use your help and...And Mom really misses you."

She didn't believe him. He'd been ruminating on that fact since she ended the call, that tone in her voice that set his teeth grinding because he hated to so much. He knew all he could do now is wait, she would see once she got here that he wasn't crazy, and then for once maybe he'd be the one who could look sensible for a change.

Waiting alone in his apartment was torture, however, and he found himself wishing more than anything that maybe Jessica would end up back here before Fareeha arrived. He at least managed to get a shower in so he didn't look half as crazy as he felt.

Sleep hadn't come to him that night, it was something he was used to, especially recently, and he'd taken the time awake to call Jessica and tell her what was going on. He didn't know if doing so would summon her back from her trip, but he supposed there was a part of him that hopes maybe the phonecall to her might do just that. He didn't want to face his sister alone, without someone who knew the way his brain worked there to translate between them.

His luck did not hold up however, and by the morning when he realized he was indeed going to have to face this alone, it did little to calm his anxious nerves.

He was halfway through a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal when his doorbell rang, causing him to jump terribly. This was it, there was an anxious lump in his throat as he hopped in the elevator to the ground floor of his building. It took him a few minutes before he actually opened the door, and his eyes immediately fell to the floor submissively when he saw her, "H-hey...Uh...Thanks for coming..." He waved a hand for her to follow, "M-my uh...My flat's on the top floor, the rest of this is just work space..." He cast a glance up at her as he led her to the elevator.

Her words did manage to ease his own anxious tension a little, but only just, as he was still battling with wondering how he planned to convince her that he hadn't gone up the river crazy. It was easier said than done, he realized he knew a bit more than her about the situation, and the frustrating thing about that was knowing that he wouldn't be able to get the information to her in the kind of precise way that was needed for such a huge thing.

At her scolding for using the elevator, he ground his teeth in a visible cringe, "I haven't slept a full night in weeks." He said bluntly, looking back at her, "I have no issue with stairs it's just...I'm very tired..." He was glad to be back up in his living space, being in his own place made him feel a bit less boxed in, though he had to resist rolling his eyes, "I usually do. Things just...It hasn't been good." He was about to tell her that it was fine if she helped herself, but stopped when he noticed her doing it anyway, feeling a little put off by what felt like a careless gesture, why ask at all, he wanted to say, but instead he bit his tongue, "Yeah uh, go ahead..."

What's up with you. The question stung more than she probably intended and he glanced over at her, "nothing...Everything...Just..." He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head in response to the question about the video, "I didn't. Mom sent me a letter though. Asked me to meet her at a cafe just down the street from here." He didn't realize he was pacing again, "face what facts? Mom's alive. She's in Indiana..." He ran a hand through his hair anxiously, "I didn't ask for any of this y'know?" He was muttering rapidly now, "I was at an art exhibition in King's Row...I left my girlfriend there...I've tried so hard to never be involved in this..."

He glanced up at her, "But I-I'm not crazy, Fareeha. Mom is alive. She's been over to my house, she sat right where you're sitting!" He shook his head, "but now I don't even know what thoughts are mine anymore." He made a distressed sound, "I can't sleep because there's stuff in my head that isn't mine...But It's gone when I wake up." He looked up at her, "Mom can't figure this junk out...No one can..." He sighed heavily, "it's all so messed up..." He knew he sounded crazy, even he could tell that, but trying to coral in his thoughts was like trying to hold water as it slipped through his fingers.

Jess could hear the raised voices even as she climbed the stairs and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes behind her sunglasses. She'd finished up the last job she'd been working on last night and had intended to head home today, but then Mido had called and it had been all about his sister flying in and his mom and all of his crazy family drama coming back to hit him in the face all over again. He really just needed to drop the lot of them, he was a good guy and better off without lugging all this around with him all the time.

It didn't help that she'd driven most of the night to get back home, bag slung over her shoulder, biggest cup of coffee she could find with a truck stop logo emblazoned on the cup gripped in one hand, a box of pizza with some of the grease already slipping through in the other. SHe didn't care it was still early morning, she'd been hungry. And knowing Mido he hadn't eaten yet either, not as stressed as he'd been about all of this.

She pushed the door open with a foot and an elbow, letting herself into the main living space. "Hey, I'm home, I brought food..." She paused, looking over the scene in front of her.

There was no mistaking the two were related, both tall and strikingly attractive, the same skin tone and features. So this must be his sister, who apparently had not at all been kidding around when she said she was currently on her way. Damn, she'd beat Jess here from...Egypt or wherever she'd come in from. That was impressive, she had to admit.

What she didn't like though was the way she was hovering over him, a phone clutched between them, seemingly in the midst of an argument of some sort. She hadn't been able to make out the words, but whatever this was didn't look like a happy family reunion.

"Uh...hey?" She came further into the room, towards the table they sat at to start dropping her things on it. She was quite short compared to the two, messy brown curls fell loosely over the undercut hair below, bits of tattoos showed under the half rolled up sleeves of her flannel shirt and she bit at a ring in her lip as she regarded the two, trying to decide what to make of them and this situation. "So...I'm gonna guess you're the sister? So...what exactly's going on here?" She asked, trying not to be rude straight out of the gate, but obviously sounding guarded as she looked between the two.

Show me. Mido's face went slightly pale when Fareeha asked him to show her the letter, which was was certain he'd thrown out when he last cleaned out his drawers, "U-uh..." He turned and started to rummage fruitlessly through things, only stopping when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, glancing into her eyes, "yes." He didn't pick up the mocking tone in her voice, as he'd never been able to pick subtle tones like that up, "She's in the new base. In Gary." His eyes widened when she suggested the broke up, gasping, "No! We didn't break up!" He pulled away from her, not liking feeling trapped and pinned. He felt better when he was moving, "She's out of town right now.."

He was cut off when she exploded at him, startling and shrinking down on instinct. He had a good foot or so on Fareeha height wise, but he still managed to shrink himself to be smaller, allowing her to loom over him as she grabbed his hand and shoved the phone into it, "O-o-okay..." He stammered, about to make the call when he heard a familiar voice, "J-jess!"

The amount of relief he felt seeing her was almost visible, but it didn't lessen the overwhelmed anxiety that he felt being cornered, "w-we were just....You know..." He gestured with his free hand to his head, "with the mind control...And mom..." He cast a nervous glance at his sister, "th-this is Fareeha. She...I...Mom needs her help...And I'm not crazy!" He glanced at his sister again, "Jess knows! Jess knows she was right here!" He glanced at the phone, "I-I was gonna...Call her...So Fareeha could see!" He felt a lot better having Jess here, much less alone and overpowered than he had before.

As tired and cranky as she was Jess would have been willing to give this woman a chance. If the first words out of her mouth hadn't been just to tell Jess how she was going to kill herself with her food choices. She turned back to the table and locked eyes with Fareeha as she flipped open the pizza box and took out a slice, tearing half of it off in one bite while not wavering her eye contact. As she aggressively chewed on the piece she slowly raised a middle finger as well before turning to look back at Mido.

"Yeah, you can call her. I mean, I don't think she really goes anywhere or anything, right? She's too busy keeping the rest of those assholes in line." She half grinned. "Dude, I thought she was gonna punch the shit outta that one guy..."

She was quick to frown again at Fareeha. "Family matter? Cool. I'm his family, let's talk." She said, leaving no room for argument.

At the questioning about his mother she folded her arms over her chest, half a piece of pizza still in one hand. "Woman who obviously looks just like the two of you except she's old and has an eyepatch? Yeah, she's been around a few times." A pause as something else sunk in and she in turn looked angry. "So, wait, what? So if you don't believe him that she's here...why did you come all this way? Just to tell him you think he's crazy? What the hell, you couldn't have just done that over the phone? He's not crazy! And he doesn't need people in his life who are just gonna dismiss him as if he is!" She had long been fiercely protective of Mido, and that was rising strongly to the surface right now.