Devil/Angel
Chapter Three: Communication
Failure
The
issues that these advocates arise in response to can vary widely. Some subjects claimed that after simply
switching jobs or moving to a new location the advocates seem satisfied and
became absent again. Most commonly though, advocates are
created to solve relationship problems.
“What we have here…is a failure to communicate.”
Sara was snapped back to consciousness by the rather strange combination of her dream and the words that had been spoken. Looking at him through sleep-blurred eyes, it became apparent that it was Tiwaz who had said the movie line. But t had been a perfect imitation of Paul Newman. Sara stared at the scene before her.
Tiwaz was leaning back against her alarm clock, adopting the attitude of the character he had just quoted. Fiona, on the other hand, looked pissed. “Oh, don’t give me that shit. You think you’re cool, quoting lines at me? Make up your own arguments…But I don’t think-“
She was starting into her next argument on whatever had been the subject, when Tiwaz pointed mutely at Sara. Fiona, who seemed to be growling, flopped down dejectedly. Tiwaz looked evenly up at Sara, before breaking into a large smile. “Good morning!”
In response, Sara flopped over onto her other side, desperate to block out these early morning annoyances. To no avail. Fiona flew above her head, which Sara was trying to bury in the pillow, for a while. Sara caved first. Without a single word to either of the advocates, Sara prepared for work, ending up at her breakfast bar with a bowl of cold cereal and Fiona as company.
The silence was finally broken by Sara’s cell phone ringing from her belt. She flipped it open, turning her back on Fiona. “Sidle.”
It was Catherine’s voice on the other end. “Hey Sara, don’t bother going to the lab. We got a new case and Grissom’s got all hands on deck.”
Sara was rather relieved to have a case on her hands. Perhaps that would make these figments of her imagination go away. Maybe boredom was the issue they were sent to deal with. Even in her head it sounded too good to be true. Catherine rattled off the address after Sara grabbed a pen and scrap of paper.
“Got it. See you there.” Sara said into the phone and hung up. Fiona and Tiwaz were now standing by her cereal bowl, looking at her. Dumping the bowl into the sink, Sara sighed. “Come on.”
As they indeed part of
the otherwise sound mind, advocates can provide support and advice in a work
environment However, if a host finds the advocate distracting to their concentration
the advocate will usually refrain. Many hosts have claimed to find them
helpful, especially for recalling small details.
Tiwaz and Fiona were surprisingly quiet at the scene. Every once in a while, one or the other would direct her to some piece of potential evidence that she might have missed otherwise. It was almost like with working with two duplicates of herself, she thought.
The scene was one of those that seemed to have more amounts of blood and gore than seemed possible, yet was not particularly disturbing to Sara. True, the things humans could do to each other would never set right with her, but one got used to the scenery of the aftermath eventually.
Finally, Sara herself was sent back to the lab with evidence. It was delivered with the quickness and efficiency that people expected from her in regards to her work, which left Sara in the break room with the empty coffee pot again. It was quick work to set another pot brewing, and while she was doing so, her phone rang once more. Again, it was Catherine, this time calling her to tell her that they were closing the scene and not to come back.
As the filter was dripping dry, with Sara waiting to pounce as soon as the brew light went off, Grissom entered the room. Fiona, who had been sitting on the faucet head, let out a small squeak and flew over to prod Tiwaz. He had been on top of the coffeemaker, apparently enjoying the smell. But Sara still hadn’t noticed the extra presence in the room, intent on her caffeine.
“Hello.” It was a simple greeting, but it made Sara jump slightly and she whirled around, looking for the source. She found Grissom, standing at the break room table, and half smiled. “Hey.”
There was a bit of an awkward silence, before Sara spoke. “So, I found some blood evidence. Sent it to DNA.”
Grissom wasn’t regarding her, but instead was looking at the Daily crossword puzzle someone had left on the table. “Good.”
Again, silence. A small click behind Sara signaled that the coffee was done. It was a welcome reprieve from the uncomfortable quiet. When she turned again, he had disappeared from the break room.
On the coffeemaker, Tiwaz gave Fiona a pointed stare. “See? A failure to communicate.”
Advocates are always
aware of the psychological issue they arose in response to, hosts are not
always so aware. If the host does not understand why the issue is being dealt
with at the present, one of two things can occur. If the advocates feel the
issue can be resolved quickly they will continue their efforts.
Sara held the impromptu conference in the empty restroom, pacing quickly back and forth. “So, you guys are here to, what? Fix Grissom and my relationship?”
“Or lack thereof,” Fiona remarked in a smart aleck tone of voice.
Tiwaz sighed heavily. “Help you fix it. We’re just here to help.” He glanced over at Fiona quickly, but Sara missed it in her pacing.
Sara stopped and looked over at the duo. “I don’t need your help. I’ve got this under control.”
Fiona stood up from where she had been perched on the sink fixture, she looked at Tiwaz, who seemed to silently acquiesce to her. “Obviously, you don’t. I don’t think you ever did. He is one of the reasons you started drinking.”
Here was where Tiwaz jumped into the conversation. “You let this lack of control affect the other areas of your life. It brought back bad memories for you. You let things spiral out of control, because you didn’t think you could do a thing about it.”
Sara froze. “Wait. How do you know? About…the…everything?” She seemed to be unwilling to say something aloud.
Unusual for her, Fiona seemed quieted. “We’re a part of you. We know how you think, how you act, what you’ve been through.”
If it hadn’t been prefaced with the first sentence, Sara might have been a little scared by what Fiona had said. Of course, the fact that they were simply parts of her imagination that had grown separate voices scared her a little as well. “Alright. I’ll accept that. But, what do you expect to do? I’m at something of a stalemate with Grissom. Ever since…” She trailed off.
Fiona finished up for her. “The confession?”
“Yeah. Since then I haven’t known
how to act around him. And then my almost
There was silence in the bathroom for a second. Fiona flew up to Sara’s shoulder and patted her cheek sympathetically.
Finally Tiwaz, from behind the
two, spoke. “I think,” Fiona and Sara turned to him. “That I have a plan.”
