[hr][h1][i][color=dodgerblue]Lihua Vuhong[/color], & [color=gray]Baron Moreau[/color][/i][/h1]
[i]Written in collaboration with [b][@Spoopy Scary].[/b][/i][hr]


"You can speak French?"

That was the first thing that came out of Lihua's mouth. Probably not the best way to start off their conversation, but if he was willing to answer a few questions, then she had no choice but to press on. 

"Have you ever been to Quebec?"

"I've never been to Canada."

"Yes, well, some of us speak French there."

"Oh.... pi- [i]Oh[/i]."

The wine that Meifeng spilled had already formed a puddle on the ground, and Lihua was personally debating whether she should get some more. She merely let out a sigh as she decided to focus on the matter at hand, just talking to Baron. Even if they weren't particularly... romantic, Lihua at least considered him a friend. Though she just couldn't get a solid read on him like she could anyone else in this city. Something she has little experience in. She was hoping that he felt the same way - enough to have a chat with her.

"You are a psychologist, right?" Lihua asked. Of course this was selfish, and Baron had every damn right to hang up the phone right now and get some . "I could use a little he- I mean someone to talk to, if you can spare the time. Thing's... aren't looking that good from my end." Was all Lihua was willing to spare.

"Huh..." Baron muttered to himself. He took a glance at Washe before turning back to talk on the phone. "Well, begin whenever you're ready."

She was a bit disappointed they couldn't meet in person - since Lihua always preferred a face to face conversation - but there was that sneaking suspicion that he was lying to her. He did tell her that this conflict involved more than just the Fiends, after all. Why would he just up and leave if he said that? If she had a better grip of herself, she would investigate.

Truthfully, what the Dreadnaughts were up to, at the moment, were none of her concern.

It took a little bit of pride swallowing for her to begin, but she figured that she'd start from the top. "There was this little operation that NEST partook in against a certain group of baby kidnappers known as the Changeling Unit." She wondered if she should admit whether or not it was her child that was taken - but at this point, she barely cared since she was probably the laughing stock of NEST (They know she can't protect her children). "... They took my other daughter." She let out a sigh, before she continued. "I got the man behind it to admit it, and reveal the location of their hideout." 

"NEST raided their hideout and dispatched them relatively easy - retrieving all the children they have kidnapped, but once we had their leaders cornered...." Lihua paused again, wondering how she should phrase this. That thing haunted her. [i]Why[/i] it was haunting her she was trying to find out. "I don't know what happened, but this metallic... [i]creature[/i] appeared out of no where and came to their rescue. It slaughtered two squads of Agents, and left many more injured."

"A metallic creature?" Baron questioned with a certain degree of intrigue and shock. He looked at Washe. They both knew about this, or at least, heard about it. Siphoned data from reports, but it did sound like a different story when hearing it first hand from a survivor. The words they use, and the connotations attatched to them, had much greater impact than objective observation. Two squads of NEST agents. [i]Slaughtered.[/i] Like how a farmer would cull chickens and cows.

"Eventually... It came down to me and it." Lihua said. "I... tried my best, but it...." She was trying to power through this, but why was she sounding so [i]weak?[/i] Everyone who met her known her as a fortress, but this? "... [i]It nearly killed me.[/i].. I was saved by reinforcements."

"And right when I get back to base, I immediately get suspended for injuring another Agent during the fight." Lihua admitted it - it was shameful, but it was her responsibility. She wasn't the type to make up excuses, or lie. "Every since I got back home... I don't know, I've constantly been thinking about what it said to me. Having [i]dreams[/i] about it."

Lihua closed her eyes for a moment, before she came out and said,  "I think I'm losing it."

Baron made the sound of a rueful sigh over his side of the phone. Over a brief moment of silence, he began talking again.

"We're over the phone, so I can't write this down as an professional diagnosis, but to me it sounds like post-traumatic stress disorder."

PTSD... Lihua sighed. Of all the things she survived, of everything that happened, this is what causes her to fall apart? It angered her, but it is it what it is. She just needs a little help - even though she hates to admit it. For a moment, she thought about stopping to grab herself a drink - but Meifeng was right. She can't drink her life away.

"I..." Lihua was at a loss for words. She let out a sigh, and put her hand on her forehead. Her eyes focused on the table she was sitting at. "How do I cope with this?" She asked.

"I can do some digging and see if I can recommend you a specialist in psycho and cognitive therapy in your area." Baron said. "I'm sure there are some fine occupational therapists in NEST - they just aren't specialists, and not all of the best doctors work with the government. Just know that even if I were the one helping you, it isn't going to be easy. It's a long road. The disorder is never [i]truly[/i] cured."

"I understand." Lihua has considered getting therapy before, but never really thought she'd need it up until now. Well, things change - and maybe it's time for her to change. She thought about it a bit, and thought about something concerning PR-1. "Thank you for your help, Baron." She nodded her head. "There's one last thing I wanted to ask you; the thing that nearly killed me, I get the feeling that it's more than just a monster. It's words... I feel like it's a [i]person[/i] rather than just a weapon. A metahuman like me. I need some advice as to go about that."

There was also a small part of her that sensed some [i]similarities[/i] between herself and it.

Fascinating. This wasn't too far off from what he wanted to look into and study. The psychology of metahumans, and of their societies, that which also poses a moral question. Are they human? Perhaps he had no right to say they weren't - besides, in doing so, he'd concede that neither was he (still a thought he couldn't get used to). He already asked himself questions should his study come to this point.

"Tell me this: do you believe in magic or mythical monsters? Medusa, Big Foot?" Baron asked.

"... With some of the stuff I've seen on the job, anything's possible." Lihua replied.

"Well, I don't." He asserted. "As far as I'm concerned, anything can be explained logically whether we're yet able to or not. The meta-human condition has been insisted upon as a scientific and natural phenomenon, and we have no reason to believe otherwise. Some of the events so far witnessed are outlandish and fantastical, but they're real. I believe in the condition. I don't believe in metal men. Advanced artificial intelligence has not been invented yet. What's left? What's the verdict so far?"

Mr. Moreau was correct. Metahumans are a strange and confusing phenomenon, and it was unlikely that anyone was going to figure out what they are, where they came from, and [i]why[/i] they exist in the first place.

"Listen, Lihua." Baron began. "True evil isn't real. People can commit atrocities and do terrible things after they rationalize it. If you want to get cut into their motivation, find out how they rationalize their actions. People aren't born sinners."

"I... understand." Lihua spoke in a more assured tone. As Baron spoke, she thought about what she should do. How she should handle this problem of hers. It was risky, but she was willing to risk it so that she doesn't fall apart. Though, she had to resist the urge to note how [i]similar[/i] Baron and PR-1 sound right now. Frightening. She still understood it well.

"Thank you again, Baron. I now know exactly what I must do." Lihua nodded her head. "Goodbye-" She tried to say, but Baron had something to say.

"Excusez-moi, one last thing, miss."

"Yes?"

"Jean Montague."

Lihua laughed a little bit. "... That answers one question." There was the full possibility that he was lying again.

"Laisse tomber... that's an out-dated and dangerous callsign."

"Well, your secret is safe with me." Lihua said, nearly playfully. [i]I'll just add it to the evergrowing list.[/i] She hung up the phone, and put it facedown on the table.

Lihua let out a sigh, and realized that she has a lot of work to do. For starters, she'll have to get in contact with Maximilian soon as possible. She fully expected him to hate her, but she was hoping to appeal to him somehow.

To reconcile with her demons.