Seeking Sanctuary

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

What neither Scarface nor the Ventriloquist seemed to realize is that they'd already taught Poison Ivy the lesson that they seemed to be trying to teach her now during their last encounter. She'd been unprepared to face a gang of criminals and so had to bring out her defense of last resort from the beginning, and even that had proved to be barely adequate and only combined with negotiation. That had been a bit of a humiliation on it's own: a man had gotten too close to getting the better of her, even if he'd have died in the process. Even before they'd left it had occurred to her that she may face the entire gang again or others like them and would need to be ready for it.

And so when her words seem to be upsetting them, she's not overly concerned. She thinks that she has an understanding of their methods: guns and brute force. Perhaps if Rhino had come with a gun of his own she'd have forgotten the latter and would be caught off guard now. But though when the Ventriloquist first says something about a special surprise her eyes widen a little in concern - there are, after all, a number of types of weapons that she'd have difficulty with. But a monkey wrench is not one of them, so the moment she sees it that slight tension is gone.

But tellingly, there isn't that cocky trace of humor to her expression as she remains right where she is. Normally she's type to gloat just a little when she has the upper hand, but this time mind's already past the point of figuring out how to deal with the situation and has begun to evaluate it. What is this supposed to be? A test? A betrayal? A joke? It's almost absentmindedly that she reaches out mentally to nudge the four closest vines on the wall - more than enough.

That she doesn't move is only partly confidence - the other part is that it's easier for the vines on the walls to function properly if she isn't running all over the place. They're simple things, primitive compared to what she will be capable of later, only responsive to two commands. And it's the first one they follow now: at her mental touch they detach themselves from the wall and attempt to bind any large-sized creature within their range aside from Poison Ivy, recognizable by her scent. Their movements are surprisingly quick, especially since they're designed to take advantage of the momentum of falling off the wall, but could stand for a bit more accuracy. However, they make up for that flaw with a certain mindless persistence - if they miss the first time they'll just keep trying - and how Pamela didn't have to incorporate too many animal features into them; add too much animal and they'd recoil from injury or being detached from their host plant.

But what they are most is strength - as one might expect given that she'd had Rhino in mind when she designed them. She saw the warping of the metal on her front gate and so had some idea as to what lengths she'd have to go to in order to prepare something to subdue him. Though fortunately, since the vines aren't intended to be lethal, how tightly they grip depends on how hard what they catch fights back. Perhaps the Ventriloquist's best escape from them is if he remembers what she said about the back corner of the lab quickly enough. But whether he does or he doesn't, the only thing that will stop them now is Pamela's physical touch.

"You're in my domain - I am in charge," she says flatly as she watches her vines move. This is all so much less civilized than what she'd been going for. Why couldn't he have just taken a shot at her like she asked? Oh well, his fault.

[sincereagape]

The Ventriloquist was hoping for a physical fight. He had determined that they were just about even in skill and strength. She possessed the greater dexterity, speed, endurance, and athletics. He had the edge in ferocity, and experience. Win or lose, a brawl would have fulfilled his desire of aggression towards Isley. However, he never had that opportunity.

A look of sheer horror came across the face of Arnold Wesker. Bearing down upon him were four large vines that had detached themselves from the wall. Possessing below average agility, the first vine was able to easily ensnare itself around his waist. He had only a second to look down before the next vine entangled his legs at the knee point, disabling any chance he had of fleeing towards the back of the laboratory.

Frozen in fear, he looked up at Isley. Mouth a gape, eyes blank and wide. She had learned from their first meeting. She had evolved. She had adapted. The sign of an intelligent person was one who learned from their disadvantages, failures, humiliations, and miscues. An intelligent person never made the same mistake twice. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the third vine wrapped itself around his arms, forcing the Ventriloquist to press the upper limbs against his body. It was the same position one would take if constrained in a stray jacket.

The monkey wrench immediately clattered to the floor, the metal hitting the ground echoed a ‘clang’ through the greenhouse. The Ventriloquist let out a sharp scream as the vines lifted him from the ground, and held him in the air. He continued to grasp onto the motionless puppet, whose arms and legs were now flailing to and fro.

Two-Face would have remained calm, continued to threaten Ivy, and willed his way out of this predicament. The Joker would have literally laughed in the face of danger and use his unpredictable mind to liberate himself from the grasp of the vines. The Ventriloquist simply panicked. His DSMV—Multiple Axis I diagnosis of paranoia, anxiety, fear, and schizophrenia were exasperated by the situation. He looked right and left for any sort of escape, but all he saw was doom. He tried his best to take deep breaths, but it only flowed with his hyperventilations.

The Ventriloquist continued to shriek and squeal as his body could not cease to struggle. He tried to shift his legs, stomach, arms, and neck, but the harder he seemed to toil, the tighter the grasp of the plants clamped.

“Ivy! Please let me go! I’ll do anything! I’ll say anything you want! Just plea—Aaack!”

The fourth and last vine shrouded itself around his throat, constricting any screams or speech…making it difficult for the Ventriloquist to breath. Thoughts of coercing, manipulating, and exploiting Pamela Isley had become extinct from his mind.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

It's difficult to read the expression on Poison Ivy's face as she watches her creation coil around the man who would attack her. Yes, this is how things should be! And though she pauses to relish the moment her face is strangely blank. While the situation may be disastrous for his psyche, it's pure bliss for hers. However, that moment passes and she's left to wonder what to do with him now that she has him. And she seems in no particular hurry to decide, even though her plant literally has him by the throat. Strangulation of the victim was an obvious possibility, so she'd had the foresight to not make her vines too sensitive to struggling - the little movements of someone attempting to breathe go unpunished; it's the failing of limbs that it seeks to halt, so she knows that it will stop after a point. And she can take her time pondering her many, many options...

Well, now that she literally has a captive audience... "I could have done that at any time since you entered the greenhouse," she begins as she leans against the planter she's standing next to, "But why didn't I? Obviously I have little need to fear you, and that probably terrifies you. I have my own money, I don't need your protection, I have my own contacts and resources, and if I simply wanted to remove you as a complication in my life I could have killed you or had you tied up and waiting for the police by now. I'd be a hero.

"But I haven't, and while I have your undivided attention, allow me to explain why," she continues, "I must admit that half the reason I agreed with you before was simply to get rid of you, but as I've had time to think it over I'm come to realize just how valuable you are to me. I'm playing a dangerous game; one you've been playing for a long time. And I must admit that you're good at it, recent mistakes aside. And though I'm obviously a quick study, and playing it carefully, it takes only one mistake. And if and when I make that mistake, without you I have no backup - no Plan B. And that's besides the advice you could give, the people you know, and all the other things that you bring to the table. You're simply too valuable of an asset for me to discard so easily.

"Unless, of course, you try doing things like this, you stupid man. Were you even listening when I mentioned traps, and the vines not reaching the back corner? Though I suppose this is far more than you could have imagined, so I guess I can forgive your lack of insight," she continues, abruptly stepping away from planter and walking toward the Ventriloquist. "But what I haven't decided about yet is the pipe wrench. Tell me, exactly what was the thinking with that? And please, tell the truth - you're in no position to tell lies," she says as she reaches up and touches just the fourth vine. It immediately relaxes the moment she makes contact and then slips away as the plant starts to reattach itself to the wall, starting at the base - the trap resetting itself. Obviously she's only decided to give him back the ability to speak and breathe comfortably, not to let him go.

The moment she does so she steps away again - not that she has any fear of the man while he's in this condition. Rather, she doesn't want to keep him within pheromone range for too long - while they're good for convincing pretty much anyone of pretty much anything, it doesn't necessarily "stick" after they leave her presence. And this is one situation where she needs what is said to matter in the longer term. Besides, she's guessing that disrupting his clarity of thought isn't the best thing for him at the moment.

[sincereagape]

There was the truth. Then there is the truth. In any situation it is usually good to be honest or at least tell a half-truth. Living beings; man, plant, or animal can sense when they are being lied to; and most creatures that exist respect and appreciate when they are being showered with words of authenticity. Whether they can accept what is said or not.

Poison Ivy was right about many things in her dialogue. Arnold Wesker and Scarface were no position to fib. They are now forced to be honest and upfront with their intended plans for Pamela Isley. But there were certain ways to be honest. One could tell the truth in a malicious manner, desiring to cause harm or provoke an individual. Or one could be regretful, apologetic, and atoning with their words. It was the latter that the Ventriloquist truly felt at this moment. Being the target of emotional abuse and plagued by constant failures in life, the Ventriloquist did not have the ability to be strong in times of adversity. He did not have the emotional, mental, or physical capacity to get up after being kicked down. It was who he is, and it is a flaw he was still learning to live with after 35 years.

Because of his anxiety, paranoia, and neurotic personality, the Ventriloquist had struggled greatly to escape from the clutches of the vines, resulting in an iron like grip which was more then his meek strength could handle. The vines brandished him in front of Poison Ivy.

“Wan—ted. Wan—ted to incapacitate and beat you to the brink of death, so we could burn your research…” the Ventriloquist responded. Hanging his head down, so that he was looking at the floor. The Ventriloquist’s voice was one filled with fatigue and defeat. The volume of his response was barley over a whisper. “We planned to strip you of all of your money, resources, contacts, and dignity…..It was our intention to……betray you all along.”

She was correct. The Ventriloquist was now terrified of her. She no longer feared him. From now on no matter how loudly Scarface yelled, she would not be intimidated. Why? Because there was no way they could overcome her abilities to control plant life. There was no way they could develop a weapon as dangerous as the sarin. She would always be prepared.

His hand released the grip on the Scarface mannequin. It dropped silently to the floor, despite falling with the speed of an anvil thrown off the roof of a building. He was practically cocooned by the plants. The Ventriloquist was at her mercy. There were indeed many things she could do to him. His main goal at the moment was to not end up a prisoner of the vines.

“I—I—I now realize it was a terrible mistake to even CONSIDER crossing you,” the villain spoke as he began to lose consciousness. “Poison Ivy has proven to be stronger then the Ventriloquist. She is the winner in their game of power….she is the one in control…”

His words began to trail off. The Ventriloquist hoped that his admittance of defeat and acknowledge of her dominance within this kingdom was enough to convince her to keep him around. He was hoping it would be enough for him to be released.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Betrayal... Even though she has the man at her mercy, Pamela struggled to control the anger. And she doesn't doubt the truth of his words at all - any idiot who was lying would have figured out something better than that to say, and besides the man seems much too overcome by what's happened to still be plotting and scheming. She's been betrayed before - it's what made her this.

But what saves him from further anger is the realization is that while he tried to betray her, he didn't come even remotely close to succeeding. She'd proven much too powerful for that, and in a way she finds herself almost grateful to him for trying and failing so miserably. Since the betrayal by Dr. Woodrue she's been carrying the fear that something of that sort might happen to her again, but now she can maintain the hope that she's become strong enough to prevent it from ever happening. Not that she'll become complacent now: she recognizes this as an individual incident, knows that there are stronger people out there than this man, and knows that even this man would be successful if the circumstances had been more in his favor. She's still vulnerable, but not nearly as much as she used to be.

But that still doesn't tell her what she should do with him now. Does he know too much? Perhaps, though it would be so easy for her to deny everything and claim that he's lying - a story that, given who he is and who she is, would probably go down remarkably easily. Is he a threat? Possibly, though at the same time she's guessing that she's fully impressed upon him just what he's dealing with, so he's much less likely to cross her again. But if he does, he'll be very careful about it and that's a risk she'll be prepared for. The more she carefully considers the situation, the more she realizes that the best option is to let him go free - he still has the potential to be very useful, after all, and she's not at all a cruel person at heart. Of course, if she's to let him go it will have to be in the exact right way...

"I'm sure that if I attacked you in your own place the situation would be reversed," Pamela admits first, perhaps sensing that the Ventriloquist could use a few positive words right now. And as she says them she steps forward again to touch just the vine holding his legs. "But you're right to think that I'm dangerous, and becoming much more so all the time," she adds, "These vines were not that difficult, and the method I used to create them is capable of so much more - I only need more practice." After eyeing the position of the vines one more time she touches the one wrapping his arms, and as she guessed the last remaining vine around his waist sags slowly under his weight until he's on the ground.

"I've decided to forgive this little misunderstanding," she continues, "But we're not done talking, so if you try to run I'll simply catch you again. And perhaps this goes without saying, but just in case - assume I'm prepared for any other form of trouble from you. Let's keep this civilized, shall we?" Having given that warning, she touches the last vine and immediately steps back over to the planter.

[sincereagape]

The last vine gently and mercifully releases him to the ground. Immediately the Ventriloquist staggers forward and drops on all fours to the ground. His breaths are rapid and quick. He does this to rest and is a natural reaction after being engulfed by the vines. His large wired rimmed glasses sat crooked on the bridge of his nose, and one portion of his grey slacks on the left leg had been torn off from knee to ankle, leaving an exposed fibula bone.


“Th—th—thank you,” the Ventriloquist murmured, not bothering to look up at Isley and continuing to stare at the floor. “Ye—ye—yes civilized. No more acts of aggression. No more thoughts of betraying you..I--I--promise..”


The Ventriloquist reached into his jacket pocket, took out the small revolver and tossed it across the floor to signify the statement.

His grey tweed suit was tattered and wrinkled, and there were numerous stains and large collections of dirt gathered all over the blazer. Looking to his left, the Ventriloquist spotted the lifeless form of the Scarface mannequin. Why was Scarface being so quiet? Where had he been during the confrontation? Almost on cue, Arnold Wesker began to hear the voices again.


Stupid dummy. I knew going against her would ‘be futile.


“Then why didn’t you warn me? Why did you encourage me?” The Ventriloquist now spoke above a hushed tone. Poison Ivy would observe that the Ventriloquist addressed the physical representation of Scarface and not to her.


Because I knew you didn’t like her. We needed to exterminate your hostility for our new ally, in process I found out bits and pieces about the way she thinks and what she is capable of power wise. You did a good job dummy, at the only thing you can do…fail


“Why didn’t you let me in on your plan?” Asked the Ventriloquist.


Because I knew you wouldn’t be able to set aside your loathing. Because I know there is no compromising with you when it comes to hate, unless you were degraded. Because I knew you wouldn’t listen. YOU NEVER DO!


“That’s not true,” the Ventriloquist screamed. “That’s not TRUE!”


The Ventriloquist reached over with one arm, picked up Scarface and threw it against the Greenhouse wall. The Mannequin splattered and then slid down the reinforced glass. Scarface had left him out to suffer! Scarface had used him to take the fall, used him as fodder to learn more about Isley. The Ventriloquist would have to work on combining and molding the personalities together. At this rate, if Scarface continued his corruption of Arnold Wesker, they would both cease to exist.


The Ventriloquist began to snivel. In addition to the usual emotional and physical abuse he suffers from Scarface, he had just endured this great trial of shame. Still on all fours, he looked up at Poison Ivy.


“S---s—so wh—wh—what next?” He asked with a sniffle that prevented snot from running down his nose. “I n--n--now know that the back co—corner of your laboratory is the safest place, a---a—nd that is where I sh—should hide in case someone vi---vi---visits.“


The Ventriloquist readjusted the spectacles that were beginning to fall from his face.


“I need ab—abou---about a week to gather my—my—myself together. Ar---are you still going to pro—protect me for the time being?”

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

He promises? Yeah, sure he does. Probably even means it right now, but Pamela has her doubts about what that means after he's had a chance to pull himself together again. The revolver isn't the least bit surprising - someone who leads a group of men with machine guns to question and rob a single woman living alone that they have no to reason to suspect is dangerous doesn't not find a way to get a gun even in this sort of crisis.

And just as he's gotten further educated about her, the half of a conversation she observes in silence tells her a bit more about him. She knows very little about psychology, let alone anything about the complicated issues that plague the Ventriloquist, but it doesn't take a genius to tell that he has some real issues with how he views himself. And it's also easy to guess that it's been brought to a new low - time to be gentle if she wants her ally fully functioning as quickly as possible.

"Of course," she responds immediately to the question, "So long as you keep what just happened in mind and take note of the fact that you are out of second chances, I don't expect we'll have any more trouble." A lie, but at the moment a white one. In the back of her mind she's already redesigning some of her defenses - the vines work well, but could always be improved. But now that he knows about them and hinted that she has something that can stop bullets, something new and unexpected should be added...

"But I also wanted to say one more thing," she suddenly continues more seriously, "Unlike people like you, I prefer not to coerce people. I'd rather have an unhelpful acquaintance than an unwilling ally. Whether now or at any future moment you want to walk away from it, I'll graciously allow you to do so - as long as you don't purposefully choose a moment that is inconvenient to me." And she figures that this is a good moment to say so: it could be that now that a hint of her full strength has been impressed upon him he'll decide that she's too dangerous to work with, though she hopes that it will instead make him feel safer in spite of that show of strength. And it's an honest enough offer - gives him a way out that does not involve betrayal.

Glancing around herself, Pamela sighs and adds in a more normal but irritated tone, "Now unless you have anything else to say to me, clean up your mess" her eyes drift from revolver to Scarface to wrench "and go get settled in. I have other things to do today." And she starts now by beginning cleaning up her own mess - many of the plants between the vines on the wall and the Ventriloquist are in pretty poor shape, but not unsalvageable by someone with her skill.

[sincereagape]

Getting off the ground, the deranged villain slowly nodded his head in response to her order. He didn’t bother dusting himself off, but did take the effort to tuck in his dress shirt. The left side of his slacks was missing an entire piece of fabric from knee to ankle and there was a large tear on the right sleeve of the tweed jacket. The Ventriloquist kept his distance away from Poison Ivy. There was this uncomfortable recognition between them. Was it fear? Was it his paranoid sensitivity? He had this sudden feeling that she did not want him around, despite her stating otherwise only a few moments ago. Perhaps her offer for him to walk away from their agreement at any point was a subliminal statement meaning the alliance was worthless to her? What if? What if? One of the Ventriloquist’s main flaws throughout life was that he cared too much about what people thought of him. Hence, all of a sudden he felt extremely worried around her.


He continued to watch Ivy as she tended the plants. The Ventriloquist had determined that he would be safe here, as long as he did not try to cross, plot, or scheme against this woman. If he kept his head low, obeyed the rules, and selected his words carefully, he should be safe for the next week. The puppet master was reminded of her statements;


"I could have done that at any time since you entered the greenhouse, but why didn't I? Obviously I have little need to fear you, and that probably terrifies you. I have my own money, I don't need your protection, I have my own contacts and resources, and if I simply wanted to remove you as a complication in my life I could have killed you or had you tied up and waiting for the police by now."


The fact that she had not done any of these things yet was proof that she meant all that she said.

The Ventriloquist gathered the pistol, the monkey wrench, and eventually Scarface very apprehensive and very aware of the presence of Poison Ivy’s plants. Scarface was missing a chunk of his face after being thrown against the glass wall. That would have to be fixed. It was probably best to avoid interacting with the woman unless it was necessary. He did not want to give her an excuse to dispatch of him.


This degrading event along with the incarceration of the entire gang would serve as another record of failure in life. All of the positivity said or accomplished always seemed to be overshadowed and disproven by moments of utter disappointments and collapses. These consistent failures served as further evidence of the basic inadequacy which served as the foundation of his being.


After gathering his belongings and straightening himself…the Ventriloquist attempted to approach Poison Ivy to state he was going to settle into the basement. When he was only a few paces away from her, he raised a finger as if to say something, but then all of a sudden clamed up. Deflating his shoulders, he let out a deep sigh before turning around and leaving the greenhouse. Before exiting, the Ventriloquist took one moment to observe the surroundings of the area.


If there was any consolation from this degrading event, it was the fact that he was affirmed of the security in her home. Looking around the greenhouse he noticed that the vast domain was filled with exotic plant life and vegetation the likes he had never seen before. The Ventriloquist realized that Poison Ivy had only used a very small percentage of her arsenals of plants to defeat him. In addition, according to her, she had only used the most basic commands of the creatures that served her. Making him wonder even more about the potential of her capabilities? Rupert Thorne, the Riddler, Catwoman, Robin, Batgirl, and even the Batman would have an extremely difficult time capturing him while he was in this mansion. The only way he could be captured is Poison Ivy allowed it.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Attention fixed firmly to her poor plants that got caught in the line of fire, Pamela nevertheless keeps watch on the Ventriloquist out of the corner of her eyes. He's avoiding her - good! She finally has the respect that she wanted and deserves. Perhaps at the price of trust, but since she is actually trustworthy (at least in her own mind) that can be rebuilt. But though she would like him to trust her, he'll never get the same in return - but she's already surrounded by people she doesn't trust, so what's one more? The only difference between him and the others is that he's willing to sink lower than most of the various members of the wealthy elite she's normally with. A wrench indeed!

But any inkling he might have about her not wanting him here is certainly not unfounded. She'll probably always like the idea of this alliance much more than the practicality of it. It makes logical sense for her to have that resource; in case she wants to do anything especially dicey or if she needs something to fall back on. But when one steps away from logic and toward emotion he's still a man. And not one she especially likes, as a matter of fact. If he hadn't fallen into her lap like he did, then he's certainly not one she would have picked. But unless and until she's ready to get her hands very dirty, it's unlikely that she'll happen upon anyone better so at least for the foreseeable future her options on that are limited. Besides, now he's nicely broken in.

She notices when he comes close and attempts to say something, but she does nothing to encourage him or indicate that she's even aware of his presence. If he has something to say that's important enough, she's sure he'll work up the courage to do so, and otherwise she's had enough of dealing with him for a least a few hours. If she actually liked people very much she wouldn't live alone. Still, she'll be sure to check up on him later, when she's in a better mood - a part of being a gracious host, after all.

Once she's done cleaning up she'll have to get back to work - so many projects, so little time! There's adding to the greenhouse defenses, perhaps seeing what more she can make that will do for outside - botanist or not, people expect to see normal-looking plants in their neighbor's garden and that plus the fact that so many hybrids don't like the uncontrolled environment limits her. And whether all of this is enough to combat all the trouble that she may face has yet to be seen - it was enough for the Ventriloquist, but that only means so much. She certainly doesn't have the confidence in her creations that her ally does.

[sincereagape]

Still, she'll be sure to check up on him later, when she's in a better mood - a part of being a gracious host, after all.

----When Isley goes to check on the Ventriloquist later in the day, she will not find him in the basement. It appears that he unpacked his items, changed his clothing (the torn slacks and the destroyed suit will be on the bed.)

----On the Ventriloquist's desk she'll find a blank piece of paper.
----She will also find a photo copy of Nina Stenent's driver's license which includes her address.


--The only other item she can see of note is a bottle of luminous paint or fluorescent paint sitting on a lamp table.

Something she did not have in the basement originally.

--She will also not be able to find the monkey wrench, the revolver, nor Scarface.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

A part of being a gracious host with a houseguest is to respect the privacy of said houseguest. But although Pamela is willing to lend her basement to this man, she still does not trust him - not even a little bit. And so when she sees that he's out, she immediately sets to prying. At first she simply looks over the items left strewn around, but the photo copy of the driver's license gets extra attention. Who is this woman, and why does the Ventriloquist have a copy of her license and only her license? She makes a mental note of the name so that she can look the woman up later.

However, when she notices the bottle of paint, a smirk crosses her face. Well, any idiot knows what to do now. She takes one last look around the room, paying careful attention to exactly how the curtains lie and the orientation of the two pieces of paper - she'll want to leave everything exactly like it was, after all. And then she closes the curtains to plunge the room into darkness. Time to see what glows.

[sincereagape]

[[The blank piece of paper begins to glow with a set of numeric numbers that seem to be ordered and separated in a specific way. The numbers on the piece of paper reads as follows.]]

9 19 12 25

9 19

20 15

4 1 14 7 5 18 15 21 19

19 20 5 1 12

8 5 8

4 1 14 7 5 18 15 21 19

20 8 5 14

11 9 12 12

8 5 8

[[There will also be a group of numbers that illuminates on the photocopy of Nina Stenent's Driver's liscense. This set of numbers reads the following.]]

5 24 16 5 18 20

9 14

13 9 3 18 15 2 9 15 12 15 7 25

20 9 3 11 5 20

15 21 20

22 9 19 9 20

8 5 8

---------> The ink is still very fresh. Not more then an hour old.

[Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy]

Frowning at the strings of numbers, Pamela hurries out of the room, only to return with a pen and a small scrap of paper of her own. She has no idea how long the Ventriloquist will be gone, after all, and she can't be found here standing in the dark puzzling over what they mean. She has to lift the corner of the curtains a few times so that she can see what she's writing and consult the numbers in the dark, but it's only a minute or so before they're copied down exactly. Codes - she hates codes! The moment she's done, she returns the curtains and papers to their original positions, takes one last look around to make sure that everything is exactly as it was when she first entered the room, then beats a hasty retreat back to her greenhouse.

Fortunately the code isn't as complicated as it first appeared and she has the messages figured out in a few minutes of careful thought. The first one makes her laugh. "Still hasn't learned his lesson?" she says out loud, shaking her head. Well, she'll have to figure out how to respond to that properly... Preemptively, even. The second note is shrugged off. After reading the first note she's all too eager to get the man out of here, and his methods don't concern her. Sucks to be Nina Stenet; she might as well forget she even knows about that one.

Rolling up the piece of paper, she stashes it in an empty vial, grabs a container from one of the cupboards, and fills the rest of the vial with the liquid inside. The acid quickly dissolves the paper, and when it's finished Pamela drinks everything in the vial. An odd way of disposing of evidence, perhaps, but very effective. Cleaning up after herself, she returns back to her lab work, the first note kept firmly in mind.