Getting back in touch. ((for rogueinladysclothing))

[chiron_survivor]

It has been several days since Adia has been in the Nexus.

Truthfully, her visits to the Nexus this past month have been a little sparse. She spent most of her time working on her new home and processing the emotions unearthed by her time in her Nightmare, making peace with the death of her Cylon ex-boyfriend.

And then her Cylon ex-boyfriend turned out not to be dead after all. And, well...

They had a lot of catching up to do.

But she is in the Nexus now, getting Caspar a PINpoint of his own. On a whim, she decides to get herself a new PINpoint, too, something that looks less like a stopwatch and more like a smartphone. As she transfers over her contact list, she realizes with a guilty start that she hasn't been very good at staying in touch with anyone lately.

Well, no time like the present. She'll start with the first person on her list, Amelia. She's actually seen Amelia a few times in the secluded garden near the library, but they haven't done much more than exchange pleasantries. No mention of what happened at the Halloween party. Adia didn't want to poke at fresh wounds.

But untreated wounds have a bad habit of festering...

Hi, Amelia. Thanks for the books you reserved for me, I'm returning them today. Would you like to meet up somewhere? I have some news to share.

Comments

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia's more than happy to avoid any topics that bring Adia down. The happier her friend is, the less likely the rogue will say anything about her own troubles.

"He's the domestic type?" she asks, a hint of a teasing note in her voice. She can't help it, really, because the thought of a Cylon dusting a house or chopping firewood seems terribly out of place. Endearing, but against their nature. "What kinds of things has he done for the place to make it more like a true home for the two of you?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia grins in response to Amelia's teasing tone. It's not something people would suspect of a Cylon, especially not a Five, but she always had a feeling that Caspar would enjoy playing house, back when she knew him as something of a homebody on the Chiron.

"The first thing he did was build a wardrobe for our clothes," she says with a laugh. "But he built shelves, too. Put together furniture, improved the wiring to the generator... stuff like that. He helps garden, but it's not his favorite thing to do because he gets dirty." She leans in, as if sharing a scandalous secret. "And I think he's scared of the bees. Or scared for me. When I'm working on the hive, he has to go back inside the cabin because he gets too nervous."

[rogueinladysclothing]

The little "secret" Adia reveals to her earns a honest, open laugh from Amelia. The idea of anyone being afraid enough of bees (or anything, really) to hide away that way is really amusing. She's fairly certain she's never seen anything quite like what her friend is describing in her whole life. Not this viscerally, at least.

"Sorry," she says when her laughter subsides. "I know I shouldn't laugh, but it's a very funny thought." A beat so she can laugh a little more. "Does he watch you extra close while you're outside with the hive, too?" She's honestly imagining him peeking out of the closest window now as she works with the bees, wanting to go help but unable to do so.

[chiron_survivor]

"I don't think he can bear to look at all," she admits, "But it's hard to tell. I don't have the best peripheral vision with my headgear on."

She feels a little bad for bringing it up; she knows that Amelia is not being mean-spirited with her laughter, but she's pretty sure Caspar wouldn't appreciate it. It was too strange of an anecdote to not mention, however. "He helps with just about everything else, though. Even the cooking. He doesn't need to eat that much, but he has a real knack for knowing how long to cook any particular thing. Nothing gets burned or over-boiled on his watch."

[rogueinladysclothing]

The anecdote is appreciated, not only for how well it broke up the tension, but also because it was just... funny. Sometimes a person simply needs to laugh at something so out of the ordinary.

"That's a very useful skill to have when you live on your own." One that Amelia's never worked on because, well, she doesn't live in a place where she has to cook for herself. It helps that she prefers to eat fruits, breads, and dried meats when she stays in for days at a time. "Do you grow any herbs or spices in your garden for your cooking? I can offer some suggestions based on the kinds of foods you prepare." A beat, and she smirks again. "I have quite a bit of experience with that, actually."

[chiron_survivor]

"I remember he used to make random stuff with his electric plate so we wouldn't have to go to the mess hall for every meal." She smiles softly at the memory. It's nice when something from his past matches up to his present. It gives a continuity to their relationship despite the three years apart.

Amelia's offer is met with a bright smile. "I'd love to hear your suggestions. We have a little herb box in our windowsill currently, we'll expand to the garden outside in the spring. You carry herbs around with you, right? I didn't realize you used them for cooking." Now that she thinks about it, she's not sure why Amelia has all those herbs on her, except to make tea sometimes.

[rogueinladysclothing]

She shakes her head after Adia asks the second question and takes a moment to finish off her ginger ale. "I don't have any place to cook with them. The inn has a wonderful cook that I'm happy to put to work since I don't have a kitchen in my room." It simplifies her life a lot, actually, and that's something Amelia doesn't mind at all.

After flagging down the waitress for another drink refill, she turns her attention back to Adia. "My family were-- are spice merchants back home. I grew up learning all about them and their uses. What I always have on my person is for medicinal purposes - basic first aid and the like - or additions to tea. Much of it can be used for cooking as well, but I don't use it that way." The lack of kitchen being the main reason why, of course.

"I always suggest the basics when someone is beginning an herb garden - oregano, basil, sage, dill - but what to grow really depends on what you're cooking most often. Rosemary is another staple that's often suggested, but it can be offensive to the senses. Bay leaves and mint are far less common, but equally useful." She pauses, smiling sympathetically at Adia. "Let me know if I should slow down or if I'm getting too carried away. Sometimes I feel I know too much for my own good."

[chiron_survivor]

The waitress refills Adia's glass as well. She smiles gratefully and takes a long sip while Amelia talks about herbs. It makes sense that she would know a lot about them, considering her family's business. And fortunately the spices that she talks about are ones she's familiar with -- some of which grow wild on Atlantis, which makes incorporating their uses even easier.

"We grow all of those, although I use the first two the most. Caspar loves mint. He uses it as a breath freshener." She smiles to herself, thinking about why that's so important to him, before returning to the conversation at hand. "Oh, you're not getting carried away at all. Can you tell me about their medicinal properties? I've been researching that, too. Hermione lent me a book."

[rogueinladysclothing]

It's a relief to hear she's not going on too much about all of this. With all of the advanced technology Adia has access to, Amelia thought this might be boring for Adia. She smiles a little to herself as she takes a sip of ginger ale, then fidgets with the glass as she starts to explain things.

"Mint, in addition to being a breath freshener, helps with nausea and headaches. Sage is good for the mind, helping with the recalling of details of events in one's memory. Garlic can be used to treat wounds, aloe vera to treat burns or rashes. Thyme can be used to treat coughs and chest colds. Valerian is an aid for sleeping... And then of course there's things like eucalyptus and cloves for antibiotics, lavender and jasmine for calming the mind, and many others." A beat, and she huffs a laugh. "I'm sure you have medicines that do all of these things already, though."

...yeah, she really could go on for days about all of this without trying.

[chiron_survivor]

Quite the contrary, Adia appears very interested on whatever Amelia has to say on the topic. She almost takes out her pen and notebook, but with the table covered in the remnants of their shared meal, she decides it's better to not bother.

Some of the information Amelia shares is already known to her. Some is brand new. "We have medicines for some of those things," she replies. "But they often don't work any better than an herbal remedy. Except for antibiotics... and I suppose it depends on the severity, too. Anyway, any successful alternatives we can find would be really helpful. It'll be a while before we can manufacture certain medications."

[rogueinladysclothing]

She nods, smiling a little more. It feels good to be useful to her friend again. "I can write down what I know for you to take back with you to your world, if you'd like. I can't promise the accuracy of all of it - I'm not healer, after all - but if nothing else it'll make for a well cultivated herb and spice collection for your food."

More jokes? She must be feeling better if she's able to manage that.

[chiron_survivor]

"That'd be great, Amelia, thank you." She laughs at her final comment. "I can't complain if that's the final result. Fresh spices make everything taste better."

The lift in Amelia's mood has not gone unnoticed by her, but she most certainly does not comment on it, not wanting to make her friend self-conscious. She looks over the rest of the pizza and sighs happily. "That was really good... I wish I had room for more, but I'm stuffed."

[rogueinladysclothing]

"I'll let you know when it's ready, then, and we can meet up again for lunch or coffee." Amelia can and will use any excuse to get her friend something nice, even if it's only a simple meal or drink. It all makes a difference in the end and she knows it.

She waves a hand vaguely and shakes her head. "I'm too full for anything more either. I'd say we did pretty well, finishing off two thirds of the pizza." A small smile as she asks, "Did you want to take the rest with you? I don't know if you have a way to reheat it, but I'd hate for it to go to waste."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia smiles warmly at the offer. "I'd like that." She's missing the subtext of Amelia wanting to treat her again, instead focusing on the simple pleasure of seeing her friend again.

A small thoughtful frown appears on her face. "That's a good question, I don't know if we have a way to reheat pizza the right way..." She shakes her head and chuckles a little. "It doesn't matter, it's just as good cold." So says the woman who formerly lived the academic life. "But, sure, if you don't want it, I'll take it home with me. I know Caspar will like it."

She'd normally put up more of a protest of taking someone's leftovers, but she knows that Amelia will only insist harder. Better to not let the pizza go to waste.

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia much prefers to treat her friends when she's able to do so. Without a place of her own or any real desire for various "things" that people make up their lives with, she has a lot of money saved up and nothing to spend it on. Spoiling her friends is her favorite way to use her money and the most comfortable way of showing how much she cares. Even if it's something as simple as buying a meal and sending the extras home with the other person, the rogue is content.

"When you have him hooked on it, it'll be a good excuse to come back here," she offers. When the waitress comes by once more, Amelia offers her a few coins from a pouch on her belt and asks for a box for Adia. She disappears only for a few seconds to get it, setting it down on the table with a cheery "Thank you!" before leaving the two women to finish off their drinks and goodbyes in peace.

Alone again, Amelia smiles over at Adia. "Thank you for coming here with me. I think I needed this." The company more than the food, but she doesn't want to admit that part out loud. "It's been nice seeing you as well, and hearing that things have changed for the better."

[chiron_survivor]

Perhaps once she's aware of how much money Amelia has saved, she'll be less concerned about the imbalance in who treats whom. Besides, she can find other ways of repaying her friend's affection. There are many ways to show someone that you care, and Adia is comfortable expressing most of them.

"Good idea," she says with a soft laugh. Caspar doesn't need to eat much, so he tries to save his palate for the highest quality he can find. She's pretty sure this pizza will meet his expectations.

She gives the waitress another smile in thanks before draining the last of her soda. Amelia's words keep that smile on her face, her typical look of warm fondness for her friend. "I'm glad," she replies. "Let's have another study date soon, okay?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

"That sounds wonderful," she agrees, escorting Adia to the door when the pizza is all packed up. She smiles at her friend and offers her hand once they're outside so she can give Adia's a small squeeze before they part. "I'll text you soon, Adia. Be well, and take care of yourself until then."

Her smile warms a little more as she releases Adia's hand and then makes her way down the Plaza. She won't text Adia like she should and instead leave the notes with a librarian for her friend, but she'll still do as she promised. But recovering takes time and Amelia's not ready to open up like she needs to. But when she is ready, they'll be able to find a new normal that works for them both.