tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

When; Friday morning
Rating; PG
Characters; Toshiko Sato

warped_inside and Martha Jones

miss_jones; possible appearances by Dawn Summers

tothelibrary and/or Jack Bourdain

head_chef
Summary; Martha drops in to attend to Tosh after her run-in with Snape.
Log;

The door to the apartment is unlocked, Tosh made sure to ask Dawn to see to that. The door to her bedroom was locked, but tricksy little sisters are hard to keep out.

Not that Tosh actually cares, because she's just curled up in bed wishing something very heavy would fall and crush her now please.

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Martha enters the apartment, finding her way to Tosh's room easily enough and knocking.

"Tosh, it's me."

"Come in."

Tosh's voice is muffled by her pillow, which she's been hoping might smother her into unconsciousness. She has wet towels wrapped around her hands, which are sporting nasty boils.

"Oh..." is all she really has to say initially, kneeling next to Tosh's bed as she places a hand on the woman's shoulder, to initiate contact before trying to inspect her hands. Those look...uncomfortable, putting it lightly. They look like they ought to be lanced, having passed--evidently--the smaller stages, but as they're magically-induced, Martha isn't positive that handling it in an orthodox and non-magical way is very wise. She does, however, change the wet towels with new ones, heading out into the bathroom without a word to get new ones. When she returns, wrapping Tosh's hands as delicately as possible, she sighs.

"What sort of work were you doing that it made him feel it was necessary to do this?"

"Just data compilation," Tosh murmurs, having emerged from hiding to watch Martha. "Was testing the encryption, and it gave, and I think it was done that way on purpose. Tried explaining but he won't listen and I've been threatened and called names and shouted at and Lieutenant Hawkeye's angry now. And all over some stupid pattern analysis."

She's obviously been crying, which is understandable considering the pain she's in. And how scared she is.

"Tosh." Martha isn't sure about the work Tosh is doing, and who is mandating it. If Hawkeye is angry, it had better not be at Tosh. She was just doing her job, right? In any case, she finds it questionable altogether but pausing, she gives Tosh a quiet look, not particularly telling but sympathetic in between the lines.

"Tosh." She says the woman's name again as she turns, leaning up to put a hand on her shoulder again, offering a sort of half embrace, if she doesn't mind it. "I'm sorry." And she is, for a number of reasons. "Did you...well, this is magic. I can't...I'm not qualified in the least for that, unfortunately. But maybe he'd be willing to remove the...this," she nods at Tosh's hands. "If you got rid of the data you have on him? I know it's your job, but your superior should put you first, over some irrelevant coding." She doesn't mention that she has a relatively good idea that Snape isn't exactly the sort they have to worry about here, based on what she's seen of him on the network and what she's read of him in books she'll never mention to anyone actually related to them.

"It wasn't her orders, I run my own department, do my job the way I think it needs doing. God, I don't even keep personal data, I'm only looking for numbers. Why can't people understand that?"

At some point when she's feeling herself again, Tosh will have a better idea of why her approach to the situation is all wrong. Eventually.

"Can't exactly do a lot when I can't even touch my computer," she adds, muttering. "I'll...I'll try, Martha. But I don't know how I'm going to satisfy him when he seems to think I'm keeping information I don't even have."

"That's..." she pauses. "Well, I think that part of the problem here is that, even though in our world I'd go as far as to say it's acceptable--we've got some kind of idea of our own rules anyway--it's not the same here. Even if it's just numbers," a thoughtful look goes here. "It's that he didn't want it touched at all, likely. Even if it's just patterns you're looking for, it's not entirely comforting to think that someone thinks they can go around, looking into my business, I have to admit." She squeezes Tosh's shoulder very gently.

"But I'll talk to him about it, if that's alright. I think, well, I'm not sure what was said, but I'll at least make sure he understands it's strictly number work, and if it's less that, more the other thing," she frowns. Invasion of privacy on face value is certainly enough to cause trouble anywhere. "Well, you can't very well undo what's done, so that's not fair of him to expect. I suppose getting rid of any data, even if it's just codes, would have to suffice, providing he's feeling reasonable."

Fat chance, she thinks, not with a disparaging tone so much as a tired one. People crossing wires is a common thing in the City, but she rather likes Severus Snape, for all his seemingly detached and frowning manners, and she adores Tosh. Problematic, this in the middle business, but she's still hopeful it can be resolved in a path-of-least-resistance kind of way---from hereon out anyway.

"Obviously no one who encrypts things wants them touched." Tosh understands the point in a theoretical sense. She just has trouble seeing how it applies to her, when she knows the work she's doing is necessary and important.

Shaking her head, she frowns at Martha. "I don't want anyone else involving themselves. Lieutenant Hawkeye's spoken to him already, and I know what he wants. I just don't see how I can do that -- erase every bit of data related to his journal, without compromising the project completely. I may as well just scrap it. And how am I supposed to prove I've done that, when he won't take my word for it when I tell him I'm not collecting personal information? I could just...make something up, and show it, and say 'here's the data I've removed', but I can't prove anything."

She's tired of trying to defend herself at this point, and turns her head into the pillow again. "Can you just make it hurt less, so I can think properly? I'll figure something out."

Martha sighs yet again but stands, walking over to the room's door, grabbing her messenger bag--a little less conspicuous than a medical bag, and just as efficient for these house calls. She then leaves the room, grabbing a glass of water, and new towels--again, because changing them as much as possible will help ease the pain a little, warmth bringing down the smaller boils, in theory, though maybe not because, again, magic.

"Here," she offers the glass and mild painkillers. She has antibiotics but is hesitant to use them, especially if Severus can be negotiated with--not likely but she can try. "Technically," she says, "I'm involved already, and he doesn't abhor my existence, so, I'm letting you know now that I'll probably talk to him, rather than tell you I won't and go ahead anyway." Another pause, and then, "I'm sorry I can't help you more right away. I really am."

At the idea of Riza talking to Severus, she cringes inwardly. Spoken to? From what she hears, the lieutenant is levelheaded as any, but that doesn't mean it would be any less offensive to the man in question concerning the need to be spoken to at all.

And cue another inward sigh.

Tosh manages the glass as best she can, thankful for what Martha can do, and just the comfort of having someone calm and professional looking after her. After a moment of studying Martha's face, she seems physically to relax and give in, and nods.

"Thank you for being honest. I really will try and think of some kind of compromise."

"I know you will. For now though, those should help," she nods at the painkillers and takes the glass back, careful of Tosh's hands of course. "And rest as well. Just, give me a day or so, and I'll see what can be managed from my end. Sleep might even be best," she adds thoughtfully. Packing up her bag again, not that she removed much, Martha glances at Tosh's hands with a mild look, somewhere between sad and disappointed, not in Tosh or Severus, just that the situation ended up like this. She shrugs to herself a bit, rolling her shoulders back and adjusting her coat, which she never even bothered to take off.

"Just rest," she repeats and then, "I'll check back in with you later today if that's alright?"

"I'll try and sleep if I can," Tosh agrees, hating to see that look on Martha's face. "Tell Dawn it will be all right?"

She slides down under the covers and watches Martha get ready to leave. "Will you update me on Gwen and Jack, please? Just...let me know that they're both okay."

For a moment, Martha just stops, everything in order, just eying Tosh quietly, not scrutinizing but more or less trying to say: don't worry.

"Of course I will. I'll be back later with a full report," she half jokes, walking back over to lean down and give a brief, one-armed hug, the other carefully out of the way because it's the one with the bag in it and she would really rather not accidentally hit Tosh with the bag on top of everything else.

"I'll be back before you know it. You'll want to kick me out," she smiles, backing toward the door, and out of it. Then she reappears briefly. "Oh but if you can't sleep---I really hope you can even for a bit---try to change the towels often. That will help too."

Tosh smiles up at her at the hug, feeling as though she's probably just tired out enough to get a little sleep, especially when the pills kick in.

"I will, and Dawn will help. She missed out on ordering me around and telling me to sleep when I was sick before, I know she'll be glad for the chance now. Go take care of them, Martha."

This is Dawn, respecting boundaries and knocking on Tosh's door. She gets points for that, right?

"...Tosh?" Worried Dawn voice.

She does indeed, and Tosh appreciates it very much. Although she'll probably relax her rule on boundaries until she's recovered from this.

"Come in, Dawn. Can you get me some warm towels? Just run them under water."

Dawn thinks this is probably a good idea.

"You have some in here, or should I grab them from the kitchen?"

"Should be some by the sink," Tosh answers quietly. The painkillers have helped some, but they've also sapped a lot of her energy. Or maybe just relaxed her enough to realize how worn out she feels.

"Got it." And Dawn heads to the kitchen for hot towels, as well as more tea and a bendy straw. And maybe a little deep breathing.

Another knock, because pissing off Tosh is not on the list of Things To Do Today. "Can I come in?"

"You don't have to knock, Dawn. I'm sorry for yelling at you about locking my door."

The last thing Tosh wants is for Dawn to feel like she has to walk on eggshells. Especially right now.

Don't have to tell Dawn twice. She opens the door quietly, then steps in, balancing the tea and towels on one arm.

"Hey, Tosh." This Dawn's Indoor Voice. It will likely not happen again soon, Tosh; enjoy.

"Obvious dumb question, but how are you?"

Tosh also appreciates the use of the Indoor Voice, although it makes her a little sad and guilty that Dawn feels she has to use it.

"A little better. Martha gave me some pills, and said it should help if I keep up the warm towels. You brought tea?"

It's mostly to spare Tosh's head. Dawn is pretty sure her big sister is feeling headache-y right now.

"That's good. And I did! More purple tea. Complete with bendy straw!"

Dawn sits on the side of Tosh's bed and sets down the tea, then peers nervously at her hands then the towels then back at Tosh's hands. "How... How do I do this?"

Definitely headache-y. Dawn is very astute.

"I like the purple tea, thank you," Tosh says, with a tiny smile. She uses her elbows to shift into a semi-sitting position and holds out her hands. "Nothing special, just unwrap them carefully and wrap the fresh towels around them. It's just for the heat, it helps some and Martha said it would be good."

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Log; Ongoing

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