When a Phoenix meets a Raven

[Samantha McManus]

"It's possible. Given what I saw in her mind it's even likely."

"I just... I don't know how to handle that, Altamira."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Once people have made up their minds about you, it's extremely difficult to get them to change their minds. It's like swimming upstream, and even a river goddess will have trouble doing that.

This is especially hard because she brought herself harm thanks to her belief in you. That's hard to accept, hard to justify that with your conscience. This is not the ideal first encounter."

[Samantha McManus]

"And I suppose part of it is just that I know how to help her as the headmistress of a school. I don't know how to be that goddess to her that she seems to want."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"It's not really that different. You're providing a sense of...vindication, I suppose. Of guidance. You're just coming from a different angle.

It's difficult, because I don't think you're even sure what you stand for. In that guise, anyway."

[Samantha McManus]

"It's not as if hovering over battlefields is that accepted a hobby these days."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"I'll admit, war and death aren't the sunny, happy elements normally. They have their noble sides too, however, if you choose to focus on them. And, of course, the Morrigan's wings spread out wider than that."

[Samantha McManus]

"I suppose they're just the louder notes. Easier to pick up."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Society has involved since the Morrigan took an active role. Most people aren't involved in life-and-death struggles every day. That means her role needs to evolve, as well.

And there's nothing to be ashamed of, watching over death. That's the last journey most people will take, and they need someone there to give them a helping hand."

[Samantha McManus]

"The last time I tried, conscious or not, I wound up with a ghost in my head."

[Altamira Vazquez]

Mira raised her eyebrow at that. "Got a little lost along the way?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Miss Valentine's sister. My old roommate and if I'm truthful best friend. I didn't even know I was doing it when she died. She's still in here, though I think she tends to wander in my mindscape."

"Bell saw her in there. I think it influenced the... staging of this recent incident."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"It gave her ideas, did it?" Mira said, her eyes darkening. "She's taking advantage of your inexperience."

[Samantha McManus]

"Bell has always had... ideas on what I should be."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"You'll find that's a common refrain. Everyone has ideas about who you SHOULD be. At the end of the day, though, the only one who gets to define it....is you."

[Samantha McManus]

"In fairness, she has rather strong ideas about who everyone ought to be."

"I just happened to have the misfortune of holding her attention longer than most."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"You ARE rather appealing. You got the Phoenix here giving you tips, after all," she smiled.

[Samantha McManus]

"I'd just thought that was ginger solidarity."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"There's probably a paper in trying to explain why so many of us are redheads."

[Samantha McManus]

"Was even more confusing when I was a student at the Institute. 'The Irish redhead. No, the other one.'"

[Will Stanton]

"You didn't use 'the one with the air of divinity about her'?"

[Samantha McManus]

"There was an air of something about me back then, but I doubt 'divinity' would have been the word they used."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"And I guess I didn't look much like the Phoenix, pow pow."

[Samantha McManus]

"Is that the formal title?" She smirks.

[Altamira Vazquez]

"I'll try swinging that proposal at the next meeting of the Very Important People club."

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't know if they're very big on sound effects."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"That brings me back to my point, though--I'm the one who gets to define what 'being the Phoenix' means to me. And that's different with everyone I meet."

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, and we wouldn't be in this situation if certain parts didn't feel... natural."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"And that's OK! There are a great number of perks and benefits to your situation, and it's entirely natural that some of them feel like it's something you've been missing for all this time.

And it's OK if to some people, you are the Morrigan, untouchable paragon of conflict and struggle, and to some people you're Samantha, nervous Catholic girl from school, and everything in between. There's no rule saying that you have to be consistent with everyone all the time, or that you can't go 'on' and 'off' as needed."

[Samantha McManus]

"I go back and forth on my thinking on it. Sometimes it feels... I don't know, safer? To compartmentalize myself like this. To be strictly professional when I'm in the office and not breathe a word of it."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"You're afraid of what would happen if you embraced it--or are you afraid of how people would treat you if you embraced it?"

[Samantha McManus]

"More the latter, I suppose? It changes a context, in a way."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Oh, it absolutely changes things. That's why it's so important to set guidelines for everyone you interact with. I treat the people I am Altamira around differently then I treat those I am the Phoenix around.

[Samantha McManus]

"But it never quite goes away, aye?"

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Depends. My strategy works with Kevin, but that might not work for you."

[Samantha McManus]

"That's different. I think that's a place you'd want to be vulnerable."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Besides, you can't sleep with all of your potential problems.

People will usually follow your lead, as long as they know who you are trying to be."

[Samantha McManus]

"Which is... ah, how did you put it? A 'red-haired primal goddess'?"

[Altamira Vazquez]

"At times, yes. You have aspects inside you that transcend modern attitudes. It's perfectly natural to want to express that."

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, but I get the impression that I'm insufferable enough even without that."

[Altamira Vazquez]

"Oh, please. What ever gave you that idea?"