The Recovery of One Owen McCormack [CLOSED]

"Hello, Ms. Smith," Came an amicable reply from Owen, sounds of typing filling the split-second pause that came between, "I appreciate the visit. Thank you." As to devote most of his attention to his guest, he quietly lowered the lid of his laptop-- about halfway, which left his hands on the keyboard if need be-- and looked up from the screen. She took a seat beside the bed and looked conflicted, for a moment, before continuing with a bit of a joke. Owen gave a smile-- whether out of politeness or genuine reaction, it would be difficult to tell-- and nodded, looking out of the window that was on the side of his bed opposite Ms. Smith.

"I suppose I do, yes." Especially for a factor-absent human. "I don't like saying it was luck, considering you were there, but I suppose that's a bit of what it was." And with that, all he could do was shrug. Owen looked back to Ms. Smith and gave another nod, this time forcing a smile that might have been a bit easier to see through. "It's just-- put a few things in perspective for me, I think. But-- enough about me. Are you alright? Has there been any new trails on Gawain? How is your work treating you?"

Kore seemed-- a bit cloistered, emotionally, if her averted gaze was anything for Owen to base a foundational assessment off of. Much of his job was searching for things like that. Small tells, little microexpressions and changes in behavior that dictated some subversive emotional response. Ms. Smith seemed like the type to hide weakness instead of display it-- while she seemed quite confident in wearing her thoughts and judgements on her sleeve, expressing actual insecurity was another matter entirely for most people.

Owen, however, was not here to analyze her. Nor was she here to be analyzed. He supposed she came here as an ally, or as a friend. The latter was the most surprising to him, truly. He didn't have much in the way of friends. Grymskull was certainly an acquaintance and a coworker, but "hanging out" was relegated to on-site activities. Friends-- and acquaintances, for that matter-- didn't usually pry, so he kept his distance for the current topic, instead allowing her to naturally engage him again when she found it fitting. He held his gaze on her, though. That didn't change.

"Ah, MIRA is still in talks with the French Gendarmerie nationale, I believe. The current administration is very reluctant to engage, at the present moment." Normally, the information would be confidential, but Kore was an affiliate of the government-- albeit not with MIRA. She deserved to know as much as he did, if not more. She could actually do something about the Gawain situation, for starters. As evidenced by both their performances at Atkinson. "As much as I'd support direct intervention, it'd jeopardize too much." That was that, then. Business talk was taken care of. She'd asked him something about himself-- something that took him a good long moment to consider in silence. His mouth opened, as if considering a response-- only a dull click of air came out, words unspoken.

A moment later, and he spoke.

"I... am... extremely expendable." He stated, matter-of-factly. His tone wasn't depressed, nor was it remorseful. In fact, it was almost surprised, as if a great relief washed over him at the confession. "Perhaps not to MIRA, or to you, or even to myself, but-- in the grand scheme of things. I've been considering my own mortality, I suppose, and--" His gaze traveled over the room as he spoke, finally settling on Ms. Smith as he faded into silence. His polite smile resumed. "-- this is... hardly a nice topic to discuss, I'm sorry. But I suppose that's what's changed."

He shrugged, then, and opened his laptop. Owen typed as he continued. "I got into this job on an internship. Out of college. MIRA wasn't even MIRA, back when I was hired. I joined to help people. Small cases, profiling victims of collateral and budding heroes that were considered for affiliation. I was able to get a sense of what needed to be done-- what people wanted. What the people wanted. I also got an understanding of how easy it is for people like me-- unmutated and normal people-- to slip by the wayside. To be shunted aside. I suppose I never had to confront that aspect directly, until Atkinson. It was sobering."

Another shrug.

"It only makes me want to help others more. That's-- that's the true revelation, I think. Not that it's very easy for me to die, but that I have even more of an obligation to prevent that feeling for everyone and anyone. Nobody, nobody should ever have to feel that. That... that hurt. That awful, awful... pit. It's a burden. A burden people like you and me have to share so others are spared from it, I suppose. Not that-- we're alike, in terms of physical attributes. You have-- well, you know."

Yet another polite smile, followed with a simple nod. "Apologies for going on for too long, there." Best to steer the conversation away, maybe. "See any new... shows?"

Owen gave a nod at Kore's words, sharp and to-the-point. He opened up his laptop again, having taken her words to be as transparent as he could be at the moment-- which included working as he was talking to her.

"I suppose it's something that I'm feeling, at the moment. I might request a raise." Tapping filled the silence as he sorted through his workflow on a document revision application. "Yes, I think I'll do that."

His work continued for another moment before he looked up from the screen and glanced towards Ms. Smith. "I have my responsibilities at MIRA, and that's enough. I'll have to wait until I hear back from the doctors to get fully cleared for work again, but I feel... fine, all things considered. There's not much else I can do that's really new-- I'm hardly cut out for field work. I'm sure that's been demonstrated. That was the first time I'd even fired a weapon at someone." Owen rubbed at the back of his head with one hand. Itchy scalp-- these hospital beds were horrible. He was adjusting every hour to keep himself from getting irritated.

"I appreciate your visit, Kore, and your help. It's been tiring, these past few days, dealing with... everything. I'd rather be back out there."

"I'm aware I can still help people without powers, Ms. Smith," Owen began, promptly falling a bit silent once he realized that the remark might have come off as a bit blunt and rude. An apologetic smile creased onto his face as he adjusted his glasses. "I sincerely appreciate your insight, and I think I'd like to get involved more with certain outreach activities. Maybe-- ah, maybe get involved with that Gallery of Heroes Banquet..."

Owen began to sort through his laptop as he spoke. The world fell away for him in the midst of his search, only for him to snap out of his trance and glance over to the demon-hunter. "A raise isn't-- just about money, for me, thankfully. It often comes with a promotion. A promotion means access to more resources," He stated, typing out a message to meet with his Level Director. "And MIRA has quite a bit of that. I think-- for the first time in a while, the government has the right idea with this sort of thing. I know it'd be a bit stupid of me to seek employment with an organization I didn't believe in, but I don't think these sorts of... goals would be attainable, if not for people like you. Or other heroes. Or even me. We all believe in the same thing. I just-- I suppose I want to contribute a bit more, and I know where to start. I appreciate the help. Sincerely."

He gave a smile, and extended his hand.

"Just a few more tests and I'll be out, I believe? I'll speak more with you then. It's a pleasure to keep in close correspondence with you."