Full Name: Eric Russo

DOB: 2/23/96

Sex: male

Hair color: blond

Eye Color:  blue

Height:  5'10”

Weight: 180

Nationality:  American

Residence: Nua Tosu Ranch, Seacouver, Washington
 
Personality: Eric is a born leader and he knows it.  He fancies himself a ladies' man. He is confident and highly intelligent (which he knows) and he believes that he can out think everyone in any given situation.
 
History: Eric was put into the system when his mother killed his father during a domestic squabble, landing her in prison for 30 years.  He had been bounced around from foster home to foster home before arriving at Nua Tosu.
 

I found this article on the Internet and thought it was worth sharing.

 
Mary Sue (.n)- (Classic definition) Someone who defines her self as the most beautiful, most powerful, most intelligent, most loved in every way, and is more or less perfect yet somehow manages to be perfectly modest so everyone loves her and she would do no wrong. This type of character is the type that does nothing more than attribute to her own qualities and make posts centered around them and herself.

 
WHY WE DON'T ALLOW MARY SUES:

 
 

• Mary Sues slow down the plot.
• Mary Sues scare off other potential players.
• Mary Sues tend to post aimlessly.
• Mary Sues glorify themselves.
• Mary Sues are extremely annoying,
• Mary Sue posts generally have no point.
• Mary Sues tend to want all the attention.
• Mary Sues seem to have no weaknesses.
• Mary Sues are generally perfect and therefore boring.
• Mary Sues make RPGs slowly and painfully die!

 
TYPES OF MARY SUES:


Aside from the "classic" form of Mary Sue, several other varieties exist. All are equally repugnant. Below are descriptions of Mary in her various incarnations. Keep in mind that while characters with flaws and interesting, well-developed histories and personalities will undoubtedly resemble these descriptions to a limited extent, what makes a Mary a Mary is her absolute specialness and uniqueness in regard to whatever trait is being described... in other words her "most-ness."

 
1. Classic Mary Sue

 
This is the first characterization brought to mind when we think of Mary Sue. This character is often the most beautiful/handsome, funniest, friendliest, smartest, most athletic, wealthiest, most psychically/magically gifted, most beloved, strongest, most heroic, most virtuous, sexiest, and best dressed character in the entire game. Classic Mary Sue has no faults, and she makes no mistakes. She can do anything (even if she's never attempted it before) and end up doing it better than anyone else. She has a host of abilities that are very unlikely for someone with her experience or place in life. She often comes into very superior abilities in the middle of the game, with no preamble and often even surprised by them herself. She is extremely insightful and often has trouble distinguishing between character and player knowledge.

 
2. Tragic Mary Sue

 
This Mary Sue is subtler, and is the pitfall of some writers who, in a genuine attempt to avoid the Classic Mary Sue, have heaped way too many tragedies onto their characters (she is referred to in some circles as the "Anti-Sue"). The Tragic Mary Sue is viewed as a pity-beggar, an attention-getter. She usually comes from a very terrible and lamentable existence--usually as a slave, an abused servant, a prostitute, or some other lifestyle most of us couldn't imagine being in. At every turn of her life, she has met with one ill fortune after another--from torture, ****, poverty, becoming an orphan, having the only person who ever loved her murdered... you get the idea. Sometimes this Mary is hideously ugly or strangely deformed. Other times, if the author just can't seem to actually let go of the compulsion to be classic, Tragic Mary Sue will still be, underneath all her dirt and heartbreak, very beautiful, if only the right person would reach out to her. This Mary Sue begs for pity. She is designed to tug on the heartstrings of the other characters so that they will approach her, work really hard to pull her out of her jaded, reclusive existence, and elevate her to a higher status. She fulfills the need of her creators to have other people "save" them and make them feel loved.

 
3. Belligerent Mary Sue

 
Just like all great warrior princesses, the Belligerent Mary Sue is tougher that anyone else, she has unmatched (and often unexplained) fighting skills, and she has an extreme "won't take crap from anyone," attitude. She can immediately defeat any adversary single handed. She's often well muscled and athletic, but even if she is petite, she can still inexplicably beat the crap out of any other character; she never loses any in-game encounter she is a part of. She has a tough exterior, she flaunts authority, she doesn't make friends easily, and she doesn't care about anyone, knowing that she can only depend on herself. Other characters must really, really work hard to befriend her. This Mary Sue is the epitome of overly done independence. She is our need to lash out against social convention and the ties that bind us.

 
4. "Floozy" Mary Sue

 
Like her Classic cousin, this Mary Sue has a wide range of superior skills, but they are specific to the ability to attract the opposite sex. Her physical description exudes sensuality, and she is never without her ample bosom, full and pouting lips, entrancing catlike eyes and long lashes, red mane of tousled curls, or voluptuous figure and hip-swaying walk. This Mary Sue can seduce any man, she gets anything she wants just by flirting, and all other woman generally hate her. Her morals are very loose, and she may skirt the border of being considered an "evil" character. This Mary Sue attempts to attract the attention of every male character in the game, and her player is often very disappointed if she doesn't.

 
5. Copy Cat Mary Sue

 
Copy Cat Mary is most easily spotted in fandom games, especially by those who know the fandom very well. She is basically the description, history, personality, and destiny of one of the well-known cannon characters, only with a different name and some minor adjustments. She's also usually related to an already famous character in a way that would be impossible, based on the canon material. In Harry Potter games, she might be Harry's long lost twin sister who also bears a scar on her forehead from the night Voldemort killed their parents. In Star Wars, she's Luke and Leia's younger sibling who was hidden away from the Emperor and trained on a remote planet by one of the last Jedi Masters, destined to lead the Rebellion after Darth Vader killed his mentor. Duplicating a Cannon Character or closely relating your character to one is often viewed, at best, as unimaginative, and at worst, as an attempt to make your character more important than she would be if relying on her own merit.

 
6. Transplant Mary Sue

 
Transplant Mary is similar to Copy Cat Mary in that she is some modification of a well-known canon character from a particular fandom. The difference is that the character is passed off as an original character in either an original game she has no business being in or in a non-crossover, canon game of a completely different fandom. For example, some players attempt to use "Buffy Summers" from the BTVS fandom in anything from Star Trek to Twilight games. While some legitimately original characters might be inspired by a favorite canon character, Transplants have several characteristics that are very obviously taken straight from the canon character. Most commonly, these characteristics include: Name, Physical Description, Personality, Background (often modified to fit the game), Occupation, Family Members, and Celebrity "Play By" Image. One or two similarities, alone, does not mark a character as a Transplant Sue, but in combination, several of these "borrowed" traits can be very obvious to someone familiar with the canon character. A sub-species of the Transplant Mary is the Transplant Celebrity Mary Sue, for whom many traits are clearly based on those of a popular celebrity or are a Hodge-podge of television and movie characters the celebrity has portrayed.

 
7. Inside Mary Sue

 
Some Mary Sues are "inside jobs," meaning a player (usually the game's owner) creates a new Race or Species for use as PCs and gives a detailed description, including all of the things the race can do and all of the things they definitely cannot. Then, the creator turns around and immediately introduces a new character of that race who happens to be the exception to the rules. The logical progression is that the creator is not satisfied by any of the currently existing races and, therefore, needs the added specialness of his/her character being an entirely new species. Because they created the species, they're now presented with the danger that a new player will create a new character of the same species, thus, reducing the original character's specialness. The solution is for the creator to "build in" a rule for the species that, as it happens, doesn't apply to their character for some strange and rare reason (and which would be unlikely to have occurred to other subsequent characters created from the same species). This preserves the character's "uniqueness" no matter how many new characters are created of the same species. The character is now special because it is of a previously non-existent species (and the only member of that species upon entrance into the game) and because it is, remarkably, also an exception to its own species' characteristics. This two-fold specialness actually makes it a Double-Layered Mary Sue--it's a Mary Sue with a fail-safe, backup system.

Duncan feels someone touching his shoulder and he opens his eyes. One of the female Flight Attendants is leaning over him and smiling. She says, "sorry to wake you, sir. But the Captain has turned on the Fasten Your Seat-belt sign and we're getting ready to land."

Duncan: Oh. Sorry. Thank you.

Duncan sputters...trying to clear the fog of sleep from his brain. The Flight Attendant smiles and moves to wake up another passenger. Duncan fastens his seat belt and looks out of the window at the landscape below. When he had left for Paris he had hoped that he would return under better circumstances than the ones he is returning to. When he had left Joe and Zoe off at the Paris Airport, he had figured he'd better be ready should he get a call telling him he needed to come home. So when he got back to the barge he packed a suitcase and set it by the door. That phone call came late the night before and he was on the first available flight back to the states. His thoughts went to Joe and Zoe. Even though everyone knew that this time would come knowing something is going to happen and dealing with it when it happens are two different things.

Richie gets as close to the doors of the Air France terminal as he can and pulls up to the curb. He keeps the motor running and turns on his emergency flashers then begins watching the terminal doors for MacLeod.

Duncan 's plane lands and taxis to the boarding gate...pulling up to the boarding tunnel. The Captain thanks everyone for flying Air France and a Flight Attendant opens the exit door causing a slight change of pressure in the cabin and Duncan has to yawn to open up his ears. He gets up, takes his carry on out of the overhead compartment and follows the other passengers out of the plane. He smiles and thanks the Flight Attendants as he passes them at the door and, once in the boarding tunnel, picks up his pace and heads for the baggage claim area. He retrieves his suitcase and makes his way through the crowded terminal. As he approaches the terminal doors he feels the buzz of another Immortal.

Richie feels an Immortal buzz and opens his door...getting out and standing where Mac will be able to see him.

Duncan walks through the doors of the terminal and looks around. He sees Richie standing by his car...waving frantically and he waves back. He hurries through the maze of people scurrying in and out of cars.

Richie: Hey, Mac. Right on time for a change.

Richie says then gets back into his car and reaches across to the passenger door and shoves it open for Mac.

Duncan grabs the door when it flings open and tosses his suitcase and briefcase in the back seat then gets in and fastens his seat belt.

Duncan: Thanks for picking me up, Richie.

Duncan says after he closes his door and settles in for the ride home.

Richie: Not a problem, Mac. I'm glad for something I can finally do to help. I know that you guys have gone through this before....more than once....and are used to it but I just feel so dammed helpless. I almost hate going to the bar anymore because I hate seeing how sad Joe is. It seems like it was just yesterday he was floating on cloud 9 because he and Zoe had just gotten married.

Richie says sadly as he pulls away from the curb and maneuvers through traffic to the airport exit.

Duncan: Like I told you once before.....you never get used to losing someone you care for. No matter how many times you go through it. And it never gets any easier.

Duncan says quietly as he watches the scenery go by.

Duncan: Sometimes I think it is harder to watch a friend go through it than to go through it yourself.

Duncan says thoughtfully.

Richie: Yeah. Methos told you Zoe has gone blind....right?

Richie asks as he pulls onto the freeway and heads for the city and MacLeod's loft.

Duncan: Yeah. When he called last night.

Duncan says and shakes his head.

Duncan: Makes you wonder how much more both of them can take.

Duncan muses.

Richie: Joe's been a rock but you can see it in the back of his eyes. Back behind the diluted cheery bravado he shows to his bar customers. I don't think I could be that strong. I'd be a total wreck.

Richie says shaking his head.

Duncan: Nah. I think....if the woman you loved was going through this you would be strong for her when she needed you to be strong. I've seen you in times when someone was relying on you and you were strong for them.

Duncan says, remembering the mortal girl, Laura, and the Immortal, Mikey, and the way Richie had taken the lead and been there for them.

Richie: Yeah....well.....that was different. That didn't involve watching the woman I love die from a terminal illness that can't be cured and barely treated.

Richie says, honestly. He gets off the freeway and starts maneuvering through the mid-day city traffic.

Duncan stares out of the window on the passenger door without seeing the buildings zipping past them. His thoughts are of his friend Joe and how he can best help him. And of Zoe and he tries to imagine how she must be feeling. Most Mortals.....those with the ability to have empathy for their fellow humans....can some what imagine having a terminal illness.....knowing, in advance, that their time was short....because they knew that they would all die someday anyway. But it was harder for an Immortal to imagine dying slowly because they couldn't get illnesses that could slowly kill them. His thoughts were also of Methos and how Zoe's situation was affecting him. Whether it had brought back some painful memories. He rode the rest of the way to his loft in thoughtful silence.

Richie pulled into the alley along side of the building MacLeod's loft and Dojo were in and parked his car.

Richie: Here, ya go, Mac. Home sweet home.

Richie announces.

Richie: Want me to help you with your stuff?

Richie offers, even though he knows that Mac is capable of hauling one suitcase and a brief case up a flight of stairs.

Duncan: No. I got.

Duncan says as he unfastens his seat belt and opens the door. He puts one foot out of the car and turns to look at Richie.

Duncan: To be honest....I think I need to be alone for a while, Richie. You don't mind, do you?

Duncan says hoping that Richie doesn't get his feelings hurt over this.

Richie: Oh. Sure, Mac. No problem. The Dojo's closed today so I'll just go on home. Just make me a promise.

Richie says looking directly into MacLeod's eyes.

Duncan: What's that?

Duncan says, quirking an eyebrow, curiously.

Richie: Call me if you need anything. I mean....really. I'm just a phone call away.

Richie says with a reassuring smile.

Duncan looks at Richie and is reminded just how much he has grown up since the first time they met. He smiles and nods his head.

Duncan: You got it, partner.

Duncan gets out of the car, grabs his bags from the back seat and closes the car door. He pats the roof of the car and holds his hand against the passenger door window as a wave goodbye, then heads up the stairs and into the building.

Richie smiles proudly, hearing MacLeod call him partner. He waves and pulls out of the alley and heads for his own apartment.

Duncan doesn't bother to unpack. He simply tosses his suitcase on the foot of his bed, sets his brief case on the floor at the foot of his bed and flops down on his back...sprawling across the width of the bed. He stares for awhile at his ceiling then drifts off to sleep.


 

 Nikki wanders through the rows of vendors selling everything from the contents of someone's garage to fresh produce and baked goods.  Old bicycles, lamps, area rugs, gaudy velvet paintings....all once someone's treasures...now just dust gatherers.  Every once in a while, Nikki stops and examines a display, asks a vendor about an item on his table filled with old nick-nacks or squeezes a loaf of fresh bread or smells a piece of fresh fruit.  She loves spending Saturday mornings among these aisles of the Seacouver Open Air Market and Swap Meet...the aromas...the sights...the sounds....the whole atmosphere. It reminds her of going to the market with her mother when she was but a lass.  She even has the whole excursion down to a science.  She starts at the row farthest from the parking area and slowly walks up one aisle and down the next, making sure to look at each table.  When she sees something that interests her she stops and examines it...asks whatever questions she has and...if there doesn't seem to be any other interested parties (and depending on how interested she is in the item)....either remembers where the item is so she can come back to it and if it is still there...purchase it.  Or ask the vendor to hold it for her.  Once she has walked through every aisle and is confident she has seen everything offered...she then goes back through and purchases the items she has either had set aside or took the chance they would still be there.  That way she doesn't end up hauling a growing load around that usually included something fragile, heavy or an awkward shape.  She has been coming to the Open Air Market for a couple of years and has never left without purchasing at least one item and during the Spring and Summer she always stocks up on fresh produce...especially the Summer fruits (like peaches, cherries, strawberries, plums, mangoes, cantaloupe and watermelon.). 

Jeffery Kerby crosses the Seacouver City limits and sees a large billboard advertising the Seacouver Open Air Market and Swap Meet and decides that is where he wants to stretch his legs after the long drive.  He follows the directions on the billboard and when he arrives at the event he parks his van and gets out.  He stretches his stiff muscles, locks his van and heads into the Open Air Market.  Starting at the row of tables closest to the entrance he begins to leisurely stroll along the rows...stopping at almost every vendor to see what they are selling.  He buys an apple from one and continues browsing as he enjoys the juicy sweetness of the fresh fruit.

Nikki has finished wandering through the aisles and heads back to one of the nearest vendors she had stopped at earlier.  It was someone selling stuff that they had had in their attic and garage and they have the complete set of Edgar Allan Poe's stories and poems...leather bound and in pristine condition.  She picks up one of the books and opens it to a random page.  She reads, “For my own part, I have never had a thought which I could not set down in words  with even more distinctness than that with which I conceived it.  There is, however, a class of fancies of exquisite delicacy which are not thoughts and to which as yet I have found it absolutely impossible to adapt to language.  These fancies arise in the soul alas, how rarely, only at epochs of most intense tranquility when the bodily and mental health are in perfection, and at those mere points of time where the confines of the waking world blend with the world of dreams.  And so I captured this fance where all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”  It isn't until the elderly man behind the table comes up to her and says, “Ahhh.  A Dream Within a Dream.  One of my favorites,” that she realizes she was reading the poem aloud and she blushes.  “I take it you're a Poe fan?”  The elderly man asks and Nikki nods.  “Have you heard this one?”  He asks and tilts his head back and closes his eyes.  “If I could see the sky above/ And my mind could be set free / As wild white horses reached the shore/ I'd stand alone and oversee/ And if the bridge before me burns/ Should I turn my eyes away/ And still the voices I can hear/ As clear to me as light of day/ I believed in my dreams/ Nothing could change my mind/ (Nothing could change my mind)/ Now I know what they mean/ How could I be so blind?/ Cold sands of time/ (Winds that blow cold as ice/ Sounds that come in the night)/ Shall hide what is left of me/ (Come from Paradise)/ I've been though times when no one cared/ (Words that were mine),” the elderly man recites from memory.

Nikki:“I've seen clouds in empty skies/ When one kind word meant more to me/ (Shall last as a memory)/ Than all the love in Paradise/ I believed in my dreams/ Nothing could change my mind/ (Nothing can save me now)/ 'Til I found what they mean/ Nothing can save me now/ (Through all my days are trances)/ (And all my nightly dreams are where thy gray eye glances)/ (And where thy footstep gleams)/ (In what ethereal dances, by what eternal streams)”

Nikki recites the end of the poem.

Nikki:To One In Paradise.  I love that one.  I love all of his stuff.

Nikki says with pride.

Nikki:How much for the set?

Nikki asks the elderly man.  He quotes her his price and she decides that it is definitely a bargain and purchases the set of books.  The man puts them in a shopping bag and hands them to Nikki and she thanks him and heads for the next vendor she had wanted to go back to.

Jeffery moves into the second aisle and stops at a vendor selling custom leather items such as wallets, knife sheaths, vests, jackets and hats and he examines one of the knife sheaths.

Nikki purchases a couple more items and decides that, with the books, her load is getting a bit heavy and she heads for the parking area.  As she passes the second aisle from the entrance she feels an Immortal buzz and looks at the faces of the people nearby. 

Jeffery feels the buzz of another Immortal and looks around.  He doesn't see anyone looking particularly curious about the people in the aisle but he puts the knife sheath back on the vendor's table and begins to slowly walk down the aisle...looking at the faces of those he passes.

Nikki doesn't see anyone who is also looking around so she figures whoever it is is beyond her immediate sight which means they can't see her either so she picks up her pace and heads for her truck.  She places her purchases in the back seat of the cab and grabs her duster from where it is draped over the back of the passenger seat.  As she drags it over the drivers seat she simultaneously grabs her sword from the floor between the door and the seat and covers it with her coat. Using the door as a shield from anyone walking by, she puts on her coat and inconspicuously sheaths her sword into the lining of her coat.  She closes the door and locks her truck back and shoves her hands in the pockets of her coat.  With her head lowered she re-enters the Open Air Market and moves around behind the first row of vendors. She slips to the back of the Open Air Market and moves from the end of the vendor side of the first aisle to the cover of the building that housed Market office, the restrooms and a small snack bar.  Along side of the building is an area set up with a few picnic tables and a playground for the children.  The playground consists of a swing set, merry-go-round, sand box, jungle gym and a make shift tree house made on a free standing platform but built next to the trunk of one of the trees that shade the area so that when kids climb up to the platform they think they are actually in the tree.  The platform is about 20' above the ground with a Birdseye view of most of the Market.  The platform provides a coin operated telescope, a tire swing, a slide that winds around the trunk of the tree, and a couple of barrels to sit on.  Nikki climbs up the ladder to the platform.  She ignores the strange looks the kids already on the platform give her and she heads straight for the telescope.  She fishes a quarter out of her pocket and drops it into the coin slot, then looks through the telescope.  Slowly, she pans it over the entire Open Air Market.  She and the other Immortal are far enough apart that she no longer senses him....her....it.  She adjusts the strength of the telescope to its maximum and slowly moves back across the Market.

Jeffery comes to the end of the second aisle and heads up Aisle 3.  He no longer feels an Immortal buzz so he figures that whoever it was had either not felt him or just wanted to leave and avoid any trouble and the latter is just fine with him as he is enjoying the Swap Meet.  He moves on up the aisle and comes to a stop just short of the midway point when an item in a glass jewelry display case catches his attention.  He steps up to the vendor's table and looks into the case.  He flags down one of three ….what appear to be your basic housewives....women running that spot.  When she comes over to him he asks to see a small dagger.




Jeffery holds takes the sheathed dagger from the lady and slides the small dagger out of its sheath. 

Jeffery: Where did you get this?

Jeffery asks the woman who explains that her oldest son had gone through a phase of collecting interesting and ornately designed knives and daggers and when he grew out of the phase he sold off most of his collection and this was the only one left.  She also explains that she doesn't know where her son had gotten the dagger.  She recognizes the look in Jeffery's eyes and says that he looks like he recognizes it.

Jeffery: Or one exactly like it.

Jeffery says with a nod.

Jeffery: My great grandfather had one that looked exactly like this one and he passed it down to my father.  It was supposed to come to me but it turned up missing after our garage was broken into and several things we had stored in the garage disappeared.  I was just a kid...like maybe 11 or 12.

Jeffery lies.  Then his attention is grabbed by another item in the same display case.  He slides the dagger back into its sheath and looks into the case at a large star shaped crystal...the kind that hung from large chandeliers. 




The woman saw the direction of Jeffery's gaze and opened the display case and took out the crystal.  She informed Jeffery that it was genuine Australian crystal and that it used to be part of the huge chandelier that used to hang in the old ballroom of the now defunct Seacouver Arms Hotel.  She explained that her husband worked on the crew that demolished the old hotel and he had come home with a large box of pieces of the old chandelier then she handed it to Jeffery.  He stepped back out of the shadow of the canopy that covered the vendor's space and held the crystal up to the sunlight.  It reminded him of one that his mother used to have hanging in the front window of their house and he used to love watching the rainbows form on the walls and ceiling when the sunlight caught the crystal just right.

Nikki is just about to give up her telescopic search when she sees the sparkling reflection of something colorful in one of the aisles.  She adjusts the telescopes power and focuses it until she can clearly see a man standing near the middle of one of the aisles, holding up something that colorfully catches the sunlight.  She manages to squeeze a little more strength out of the limited telescope and gets it focused just as the man lowers the object in his hand and she gets a clear look at his face.  She doesn't need to feel any buzz to know that the man in the telescope's sights was an Immortal.  She stares at him through the lenses until the time that her quarter bought runs out and everything goes black.  She steps back away from the telescope and backs up to the farthest railing of the platform and leans on it.  She may not have seen the man's face for over 100 years and the time she did see him....over 100 years ago....was only once and briefly.  But she has no problem remembering who he was.  She closes her eyes and can see Kerby's cold and emotionless face leaning over her...his sword poised to make the final slash of their battle. In her 177 years....it was the closest Nikki had ever come to losing her head and she had never forgotten what she saw and felt during what should have been her final minutes on this earth.  The only reason she walks around today was because her deputy and the posse he had gathered together to hunt the Immortal she had beheaded came riding up to the cabin where their fugitive had been hiding out and Kerby had had the good sense to make himself scarce but not without vowing to Nikki that they would meet again someday and he would finish what he had started and she had never doubted it for a minute. She opens her eyes and hurries down the ladder.  Using the building as cover, she goes back the way she came, leaves the Market place, gets into her truck and drives out of the parking area.  She drives to Joe's Bar for a needed drink.

Jeffery purchases the small dagger and the crystal from the housewife, gets into his van and goes in search of the local police station so that he can check in with them, show them his credentials and let them know who he is after.Nikki finishes her fourth tequila shot.  She thanks Mike and leaves him a generous tip then leaves the bar.  Instead of heading for any of her usual destinations (Methos', Amanda's or home) she heads for Stanley Park and follows the road to the tip of the island where she pulls into a turn out/parking area, gets out of her truck and follows the path that first drops down into a shallow gorge then follows the stream up to a majestic waterfall where the path ends.  She steps off of the path and walks down to the water's edge.  She sits down on a log and takes off her boots and socks and sticks her feet into the stream.  She closes her eyes and listens to the sound of the water cascading over the rocks of the waterfall to the small pond at its bottom.  After a few minutes the sounds of the nature that surrounds her have relaxed Nikki enough to clear her mind so she is able to think about her options and decide what she should do next.