After the Mobots pieces are picked up (tag Darcy)

In such a short amount of time spent on the island, there had already been so much confusion and chaos. But honestly, should she have expected anything less? Darcy was used to crazy things happening, so why would a möbot invasion be a surprise? Especially with so much differing of opinions surrounding Oddities. You either loved them, hated them, or were one of them. There wasn’t really much middle ground left. And despite her line of work as a doctor, and being very busy; she was ordered to take the day off. While she might have protested, she was glad for the break. She had exerted a lot of her strength over the last five days healing people with, and without, her ability. She did her best not to take on anything she couldn’t work through, but you’d be surprised what she considered injuries she could work through. She decided to fill her day off with interesting things to do, starting with tennis lessons. 

Darcy made quick work of French braiding her blonde hair before settling on a white tennis dress she’d purchased before her move in preparation for her new hobby. She put on a pair of blue sneakers and put her phone, pager and wallet all in a drawstring bag. She left the hotel and headed for the fitness centre. It wasn’t a far walk, but it definitely didn’t look as nice outside for the trip as it had her first day on the island when she signed up for her classes. Things were getting cleaned up, but not everything could be repaired in five days. Had it truly on been five days? 

She shook the intrusive thoughts from her mind and exhaled a deep breath. Darcy wanted to enjoy the day, it beat sitting in her hotel room feeling useless. She gave her name at the front desk of the fitness centre and followed the directions to the tennis court, she was told to look for Madison Quinzell. Darcy spotted her on one of the tennis courts in a pink dress, holding the equipment she’d need for the lesson. “Hey, I’m Darcy. I’m not late, am I?”



Madison Quinzell

“Nice to meet you Madison!” Darcy said, her voice sounding much more cheerful than she intended. To say she was a bit nervous was an understatement. And her embarrassment was about to deepen as she considered what she knew about tennis. 

”To be completely honest, I don’t know much. I just always thought tennis looked like a good way to let off steam and stay in shape.” She felt her cheeks begin to flush from embarrassment as she explained herself. She shrugged.

”I’m a doctor, so I figured tennis would also be a way to stay active without worrying too much about getting hurt.” Darcy gave a nervous laugh, she didn’t want to admit that she was also trying to push herself from her comfort zone and actually do more than just work all the time. That or read. Not that there was anything wrong with it, she just was sorely missing having people to interact with outside of work.

Madison Quinzell

The fact that Madison didn’t immediately laugh at her or make her feel ridiculous did wonders for putting Darcy at ease. She felt the tension melt away from her shoulders and her smile became more natural and less nervous.

“Thank-you for not laughing at me. One of my patients did when I told him my plans for stress relief.” She said with a smile and gave a nod to Madison’s explanation of the plan for the day. Darcy might not have been the most athletically inclined person, but she felt as if tennis would be a good fit for her. She paid attention to how Madison recommended holding the tennis racket and gave a few practice swings in her right hand.

“Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been giving tennis lessons?” She asked with a raised brow, Madison seemed completely at ease as she instructed her, something she recognized from some of her best teachers during her years in med school. Some people just had a gift when it came to being able to instruct others without making them feel like an idiot. Darcy gave a few more practice swings, changing her grip slightly until it felt more natural.

Madison Quinzell

“Oh my gosh, were you here when all that went down with those robot things?” Darcy’s curiosity was piqued. She had been about to leave for work when everything started going down. She aided a few people on her way into work, but the chaos that became the hospital was on a whole other level. With most equipment on the fritz, she stepped into a few patient rooms to ensure they didn’t suffer unnecessary losses. And it wasn’t the first time she worked with fractured ribs. Luckily for her, she had a high pain threshold and healed much faster than a regular person.

“It all seems like a blur now, the hospital was a nightmare.” She shook her head lightly, remembering all the bruises she woke up to the next morning. Despite healing quickly, if a wound was severe enough she dealt with a bruise for a day or two. Thankfully all the major issues were healed and no bruises were visible when she got up today.

“That’s really awesome, I’ll do my best to be an attentive student! And I’ll have to check out the other areas of the fitness centre sometime, if I fail at tennis I need a backup plan.” She joked with a playful wink and smile. She didn’t intend to ‘fail’, but she didn’t want to just assume tennis was her sport either.

Madison Quinzell

“Wow, sounds like you both made a great team against those bots.” Darcy said with a half smile, amazed at how much people could accomplish when they worked together in a crisis, instead of apart. She shook her head, just the idea of the rest of the world going on unbothered, it was sickening.

Hell, she only left her last hospital after she got fired for using her empathy healing on someone when a transplant fell through. Apparently her healing the patient lost the hospital money because the insurance wouldn’t pay a hospital that let an Oddity use their ability to save a life.

“The hospital that fired me before I came here, they cared more about money and the bottom line than they did that I saved a patient’s life. So I’m not at all surprised by the rest of the world just watching on.“ Darcy sighed with a shake of her head. It was enough to make one sick when they thought about the state of the world.

“Those are some great hours, especially when I have energy to blow from a rough night at work. Thanks!” She smiled again, already starting to think about how she could plan time after getting off work to swing by and use other areas of the fitness centre. Her attention returned to the racket in her hand and she nodded to Madison.

“I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be!” She chuckled slightly, though no longer nervous as she was when she first arrived.

Madison Quinzell

“Exactly! But if the roles were reversed and Oddities stood by and watched when they could help, they’d still insist at we were the villains.” Darcy shook her head and then sighed. It was exhausting, no matter what good she did, she wouldn’t forever be made out to be a villain simply because she could do something that science couldn’t explain.

“I’m an Oddity, empathy healing. Sort of explains exactly why I went into the medical profession. Apparently hospitals can’t bill for services rendered by an Oddity.” She laughed softly and shrugged. Such a broken system, it only cared about bleeding people’s wallets dry and didn’t actually want to make people well. “Oh, it’s possible. Don’t be a stranger if you do see me, I might need help not looking like a complete outsider in a gym!” Darcy teased with a chuckle. She wished she were only joking. Athletics weren’t her strong suite.

Darcy took a steadying breath as she waited for Madison to start throwing balls her way. Why was she so uneasy about it? It’s just hitting a ball with a racket, and only her first lesson. She didn’t need to be good at it, she was her to learn. With these thoughts she awaited the first ball and gave a slightly awkward swing, the second and third swings only slightly less awkward. She felt silly, but she knew it was all part of the process. She needed to stop being so critical of herself in this regard, it was supposed to be fun after all.

Madison Quinzell

“That’s exactly how it is. You’d think that maybe they could appreciate the fact that I’m actively trying to save lives. But no. They expect me to save someone’s life, and god forbid I fail.” Failure wasn’t actually something Darcy did much when it came to her line of work. Especially now that she was actually working in a hospital where her gift was not only known, but encouraged. It was a literal night to day difference in what she had been so accustomed to throughout the years.

Darcy couldn’t help but blush a little as she smiled. “I’ll greatly appreciate it!” She chuckled as she shook her head.

She took her time and then shook her head as she felt a bit odd handling the racket in her hand. It was larger than most of the work tools she handled on the daily, and she felt ridiculous as if she was moving in a more exaggerated manner than necessary. She paused to hear Madison, giving a quick nod as she exhaled and tried to loosen the muscles in her arms so her swing wasn’t so rigid. She gave a few practice swings and attempted to hit the next array of balls headed toward her. Two out of the three were hit from the first batch. Then one out of three, another two and FINALLY she managed to hit all three consecutively.

“Like that?” She asked, giving another practice swing and feeling a little more at ease with the movement.



Madison Quinzell