Adia Costas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chiron_survivor) wrote2019-01-04 09:10 pm
chiron_survivor) wrote2019-01-04 09:10 pm
A special visitor. ((for rogueinladysclothing))
On the day that Amelia is supposed to visit, Adia spends more time than usual cleaning up the cabin, outpacing even Caspar as she bustles about their tiny home to make sure everything is in its proper place. This is the first time she's having a Nexus friend see where she lives, and she wants it to look its best.
Caspar sweeps the floor methodically. Even a little sluggishly. He's been quieter than usual since the New Year began. Maybe it's because he hasn't a good glass of wine since the Solstice; Seth's attempt at sparkling apple cider didn't go much better than his previous attempts at brandy.
Or maybe it's something else. She's been giving him the chance to tell her in his own time. Regardless, she hopes Amelia's visit will improve his mood.
The coordinates she sends Amelia are not for the inside of the cabin, even though that would be the most cautious. Instead, they teleport her to the garden behind it. It's dormant now, the perennials resting until it's their turn to blossom once more, but there is plenty of evergreen forest further in the distance to give the landscape some color. From this spot, Amelia will get a lovely view of her friends' cabin, made of wood but surprisingly modern in its design, with a slanted roof and a large, open-air patio attached.
"Hi, Amelia," Adia greets her when she arrives. "Welcome to Atlantis."
Caspar sweeps the floor methodically. Even a little sluggishly. He's been quieter than usual since the New Year began. Maybe it's because he hasn't a good glass of wine since the Solstice; Seth's attempt at sparkling apple cider didn't go much better than his previous attempts at brandy.
Or maybe it's something else. She's been giving him the chance to tell her in his own time. Regardless, she hopes Amelia's visit will improve his mood.
The coordinates she sends Amelia are not for the inside of the cabin, even though that would be the most cautious. Instead, they teleport her to the garden behind it. It's dormant now, the perennials resting until it's their turn to blossom once more, but there is plenty of evergreen forest further in the distance to give the landscape some color. From this spot, Amelia will get a lovely view of her friends' cabin, made of wood but surprisingly modern in its design, with a slanted roof and a large, open-air patio attached.
"Hi, Amelia," Adia greets her when she arrives. "Welcome to Atlantis."
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"We might need it later," she says in reference to the package, "but I'll let you know if it comes to that." She doesn't know if they'll get to the hair braiding or not, but that seems like a much better activity for inside. Fingers cooled by the mild Winter air won't do much good when it comes to that sort of activity anyway.
She takes a sip of her mocha and then nods in answer to Adia's questions. "Very much so, thanks in large part to your help. I've set a schedule for cleaning that helps keep me organized and allows me to plan my other daily activities without worrying I'm missing something." Her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink as she adds, "The tableware have been an amazing addition. I was able to donate the old pieces I had and was inspired to replace other things in my apartment to match. The set gave me the inspiration to coordinate and make the place feel more... like a home." And that is no small feat. There's still plenty of mismatched things in her apartment, but the new towels, bath mat, and sheets match the perfect set of tableware her friends gifted to her.
After taking a moment to hide in her coffee so she can keep herself from blushing more, she smiles at her friends and gestures to their cabin with her free hand. "How has your home been progressing? Any new additions recently with the onset of Winter?" It seems unlikely, given how mild the weather is, but with the addition of Princess and Zelus? Anything seems possible.
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"Go ahead. I'll come find you if the fire fizzles." The piglet grunts and then dashes off towards the barn eagerly, slipping under the doors, her rear wiggling for a moment as she squeaks through. Caspar snorts at the sight before gesturing with his to-go cup. "She likes to check on the goats. It's hilarious, they all crowd around her because she's so warm."
Amelia's admission that the tableware inspired her to coordinate more of her appointment has Caspar looking damn pleased with himself. Look at what he got the ball rolling on. "I knew you'd like the color," he says smugly before taking a sip of mocha.
"It sounds like you've finally made your apartment your own, Amelia. I'm so happy for you." Adia smiles, although she tries hard not to go overboard in her praise. She can tell her friend is already self-conscious enough about it. "What you see here is pretty much how it's been the last few months. I'm going to put in another garden bed and Caspar is working on a lean-to for Zelus so he doesn't have to be outside in inclement weather.
"So he doesn't come into the house with wet, soggy feathers," Caspar adds. And wet, muddy feet, and the sour attitude that comes from being out in the elements.
"That was one time," Adia is quick to interject. "But he's too big for our cabin, anyway. He needs his own space."
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Her cheeks darken a little at Adia's praise. "I'm trying, at least. It could still use some work, but it's improved a lot since you last saw it." Amelia's honestly proud of how much she's accomplished in less than a year. Her apartment is not only habitable, but also organized, clean, and attractive day after day. For someone who's never lived alone, that's a feat the rogue is happy to claim so soon after moving into the place.
The gentle ribbing between her friends has the rogue hiding behind her coffee cup for a moment. No need to tease Caspar further with the smirk she's having trouble suppressing. "I'm certain he'd appreciate that anyway, right Zelus?" Amelia turns to the Braviary with a smile. "A nice, warm place to rest your head close to Adia seems like the perfect option."
She takes another sip of her mocha before asking, "What do the two of you grow in your gardens? Mostly vegetables? Or do you have space set aside for spices and herbs as well?" It's an honest curiosity for Amelia. She may not be running her family's business anymore, but all things related to spices and herbs will always be of interest to her.
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"A vacuum." Caspar sighs wistfully. "That'd beat out a broom any day."
"Our electricity grid can only handle so much, so we try to stay low-tech where we can," Adia explains. She doesn't seem to mind, but then again, she's not nearly so desperate to keep every speck of dust out of the house like Caspar is.
As for where Zelus would like to rest his feathery head, he peers down at Amelia, then pecks at his roost. He has the perfect place already. At least, when it isn't raining.
"Oh, all kinds of things," Adia answers in regards to what they grow. "Carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers. We have a raspberry bush that keeps threatening to take over the entire garden. I grow herbs, too, but only a few kinds. I've been looking into medicinal properties for some of them. That's our biggest gap right now, you know. Trying to replenish our medications. If there's anything natural we can use instead, we've been trying."
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The rogue nods along with Adia's list of vegetables - all good things to keep on hand in her mind. At the mention of medication, Amelia's brow furrows slightly. "Was the list I gave you in the past helpful for that?" she asks. "I can also find more books from the library, if you'd like. It's may not the right time of year to find seeds in the Nexus for some of the herbs or roots I might suggest, but no reason you couldn't get ahead on planning."
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"I'm glad you got the hang of it," Adia says. "I would have recommended bagless, too, you don't need that extra step." Far be it from her to find Amelia's learning curve laughable. As for the list of herbs, she smiles reassuringly. "Yes, that was very helpful. If there are other books you can recommend, that'd be great. I think Caspar could use a good pain balm."
Caspar blinks out of his thoughts. "What?"
She gestures to her waist. "Oh, you know. When your side was acting up on New Year's?"
There is a brief flash of guilt before Caspar forces out a small laugh. "Yeah, that. Sure. Couldn't hurt..."
Feeling awkward for bringing it up, Adia quickly finishes the rest of her mocha, then stands up. "Would you like to see inside the cabin now, Amelia? Oh, I can show you the beehives first, if you like, although nothing's really happening right now."
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"I'd love to see the beehives first, if you don't mind. You were so excited about getting them started that it seems right to start our touring there. Maybe we could take a quick turn through the orchard, too? If it's not too cold of course." She smiles at each of her hosts in turn, then gestures to Adia. "If you let me know what you've managed to start growing and the type of soil you're working with, I can offer suggestions for medicinal herbs along the way." It's by far her most knowledgeable subject (one reads all the books they can on such things when it's essential to their business), and all the tidbits will give her a good starting point for later library research.
Turning to Caspar, she asks, "Will you be joining us? Any information about your injury would be helpful to me for recommendations as well."
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When Amelia addresses Caspar directly, his expression turns guarded. Yeah, he knows that she knows. "You know what, I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on the fire. You ladies have fun, I'll see you when you get back."
Adia's expression turns vaguely disappointed, and it just about breaks his heart, but that he manages to keep completely under wraps. She leans over and gives him a kiss goodbye before gesturing for Amelia to join her. "C'mon, I'll show you the beehives first."
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As the two of them walk along, Amelia turns to her friend with a concerned face. "Is everything all right with Caspar? He seems even more guarded than usual." Not to mention he lied to Adia, and she knows how much he hates to do that. He must feel like he has a good reason, but that doesn't make it any more right to do so.
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Much like moody boyfriends, apparently, because when Amelia expresses concern, she casts a furtive glance behind her, as if worried that Caspar will overhear. She's clearly noticed the change, too.
"He's been a little down since New Year's," she says quietly. "I think this time of year reminds him of the War. He doesn't sleep as much as me, you know, that's a lot of time to spend awake in the dark..."
That's her best guess, anyway. He hasn't told her if something specific has been eating at him. And sometimes he's so good at pretending nothing is the matter that she wonders if she isn't imagining things.
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All talk of Adia's hobby falls behind when she speaks about Caspar. She can't relate to going through the kinds of things the Cylon has, but being trapped inside with nothing to do but think? Well, being a shut-in has helped with that.
"Is there something special about New Year's Day that would bother him?" she asks, her tone soft and low. She doesn't worry that Caspar is following - it would be fairly easy to hear him if he was - but the lower tones aren't ones Adia slips into lightly. If her friend is this worried, then Amelia is, too. She hesitates for a moment before continuing. "Are you sure he's sleeping enough right now? If there's something bothering him, he might be avoiding sleep to avoid dreaming about it." It's not uncommon for anyone and it's something Amelia understands all too well.
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As far as Caspar's drop in attitude goes, she gestures for Amelia to follow her and heads towards the orchard, leaving the bees to their seasonal slumber. As they approach the neat rows of barren trees, she mulls over her friend's questions. "Not New Year's, no... it's not the anniversary for anything, so far as I can tell..."
Sleep seems to be a more delicate subject. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and shrugs pensively. "Honestly, I don't know. He only needs about four hours of sleep." She picks at a thread on her scarf and adds, "I know he doesn't like to dream, but he hasn't complained to me about it..."
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"If it was a bad dream or nightmare that bothered him, he might not be ready to talk about it," she offers, uncertain if that's true but wanting to give Caspar the benefit of the doubt. "It might also be that he doesn't know how to start a conversation about whatever's bothering him. It's a common thing for anyone to do." Herself included.
Amelia diverts their stroll through the trees to approach one of the larger ones. Her eyes track to the few clouds hanging low in the otherwise blue sky through the bare branches for a moment as she thinks through how to say what's on her mind before she turns back to Adia to speak.
"Maybe he needs help to speak up the way I did," she starts slowly. "Until Harley... made it my choice to take that first step, I couldn't do it. She offered her help and guidance, but she let me do the hard work of opening up." Speaking of Harley is difficult for Amelia, but she's pushing through it to help. Adia and Caspar deserve to be happy, and any disruption to that, even self-made, is something the rogue wants to see worked out. "Maybe he needs someone to be there to offer him that hand, and make it seem possible to take that leap."
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She pauses when Amelia does, watching her silently while her friend looks up at the sky. When the rogue finally imparts her advice, it's met with mild surprise. These are some of the same issues that Amelia struggles with, but it sounds like she's made a great deal of progress in handling her emotions. She's even able to talk about Harley without misery. It makes Adia smile briefly, happy to receive the suggestion from someone who's experienced this themselves.
"I think you're right. It's not easy for him to talk about his problems. I don't think that sort of thing was encouraged during the War." She bites her lip, thinking back to when he came to see her on Atlantis, after the Quorum had pardoned him. He had told her so much... like a confession, of sorts. But after that, he rarely brought up his past. It hadn't seemed relevant before.
She lightly tugs at the scarf around her neck. "I thought I had made it obvious that I'd always listen to him, but maybe it'd be better if I actually said something."
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Amelia can't begin to count the number of times she though about letting someone in but didn't. It was something always on the tip of her tongue with friends like Adia and Steve, but she could never convince herself to say something. When she finally opened up to Harley, it was like jumping from the top of the tallest building she could scale and floating gently in the calming waves of the Inner Sea all at once. It was terrifying and freeing at the same time, and it was one of the best decisions she ever made.
Smile warming a bit, the rogue walks over to Adia and offers her hands to her friend. "Caspar trusts you, I'm sure of it," she assures Adia. "Try talking to him, and I'm sure you'll be able to work through this together."
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When Amelia holds out her hands, Adia takes them gratefully. "Thanks," she says, giving them a gentle squeeze. "I think I needed the reminder." From Amelia, of all people, which makes her smile again, looking far less troubled.
For sure, she'll tell Caspar that if there's anything that's weighing on his mind, he can share it with her. And who knows? It could be something so minor that it's fixed with a simple discussion, and she would have been worrying over nothing. That's certainly happened before. She'd prefer his gentle teasing over it than being left in the dark.
(Never mind that he didn't have any problems last Winter. No sudden shifts in mood, nothing unexplained. She pushes that thought away as quickly as it comes to her. Everything will be fine.)
Remembering the entire point of Amelia's visit, she lets go and gestures to the bare trees around them. "Well, what do you think? It's more impressive when they're bearing fruit. We picked so many apples, it was like a full-time job for a little while."
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"I think it's impressive now," she counters with a small laugh. "There are so many trees here, more than I'm used to after living in the Nexus for so long." True, there are plenty out in The Wilds, but that's not exactly a place she likes to roam through. Getting lost in a place like that is something the rogue would like to avoid for the rest of her life at all costs. "Was it only the four of you - you, Caspar, and your friends - picking the apples? I can't imagine how many days it must have taken to collect them all with an orchard so large." A beat, and she laughs to herself. "If I'd known there were so many, I'd have offered to come visit at night to help out," she teases.
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Well, that and the magic. And reality shifting.
"Sometimes other friends came to help, but mostly it was just us. We tried not to over-plant, and we donated any extra to the food banks. But yeah, it was a lot of work." She laughs softly at the memories of picking apples and listening to Seth and Caspar's sarcastic banter, or taking turns carrying Jason so that Maggie could get a break now and then. "I think by next year we'll have an electric cart. The picking isn't too much of a burden, but I know that Caspar was getting a little tired of dragging it around. You have to pick apples by hand, anyway, or they'll bruise."
Amelia's teasing offer puts an amused smile on her face. "Climbing up and down ladders at night sounds dangerous, but I bet you'd be great at it."
When her friend is done admiring the orchard, she'll steer her back towards the cabin. She can see that the outdoor fire is out, although there's a pleasant puff of smoke coming from the cabin's chimney. "Did you want to drop by the goat barn? I don't think Princess is there anymore, she probably helped Caspar light the fire inside."
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Adia's offer of visiting the barn gets a shake of the rogue's head. "I'd much rather see your home. It's beautiful on the outside, and I'd love to see all of the work you've told me about on the inside. Besides, I don't want Caspar to think I'm taking too much of your time for my own while I'm visiting." She smiles and gestures toward the cabin. "Let's head back and see what he and Princess are up to."
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Somehow she doubts that her boyfriend is concerned with Amelia taking up too much of her time at this particular moment, but she's happy to skip the goat barn. It smells in there, anyway, which doesn't bother her, but after all this fresh air, she doubts Amelia wants to surround herself with hay and goat fur.
She opens the front door of the cabin and ushers Amelia in first.
The cabin, aside from a small bathroom, is one room, but is laid out spaciously enough to feel uncrowded. There is a queen-sized bed and nightstand in one corner, and a small wood stove in the other that seem to demarcate the sleeping and cooking areas of the cabin respectively. There is a table for dining or other projects and a small nook for reading and other studious pursuits. There are electric lights, but with the skylight and high, wide windows, there's no need for them to be on now.
Some of that spacious feeling might also come from the roof, which is high with exposed rafters. There are shelves and closets inlaid into the walls. The shelves hold many of the gifts that Adia has received from Nexus friends, including the picture of the solar system that Amelia gave them one year.
Caspar, as predicted, is poking at the fire, although Princess is not with him. There is, however, a brown-and-cinnamon tabby cat, curled up by the fire. Amelia might recognize her from the photos that Adia has shown her in the past.
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When they reach the cabin, Amelia takes a moment to take in the sight of everything. It's as homey and comfortable as Adia's described it to be and makes her feel as if she's been invited into her friends' most treasured space. She smiles warmly as she takes it all in. Stepping further into the cabin, her cheeks flush a light pink when she spots the solar system picture she gifted the couple. Even if she should've been expecting it, to see it on display makes her feel good about her choice for her friends. Sighing happily, she turns to Adia, her smile almost impossibly bright.
"It's perfect. I can't imagine a place more you, both of you, than this one." It's incredibly endearing to see and draws out a happy sigh from the rogue. "I'm honestly humbled to be invited into a place that's so..." She hesitates, searching for the right word. "So intimate."
She's not sure if that's the right way to phrase her feelings, but it's the best word she can think of. This place is them and there is nothing so precious as the space that a person keeps only for themselves. To see Adia and Caspar's home, one they've built together as a couple? It makes this moment feel more impactful than any time the rogue invited someone to her room at the in.
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Her friend's expression relaxes her immediately. It is intimate, isn't it? She's grateful that Amelia understands and respects that. "I'm glad you're here," she tells her, taking her hand briefly and giving it a squeeze.
Caspar looks up from the fire, his expression hard to read. He doesn't seem to have a problem with Amelia being here, but there's something a little like guilt lurking in his hazel eyes. If only Ellen hadn't shown up, things would be so much different now...
He stands up and sets aside the poker. The fire is good and strong now, and keeps the cabin at a comfortable temperature. "It's no five-star hotel, but we have lights and running water," he comments while dusting off his hands.
The cat pokes her head up at the sound of voices and fixes her golden eyes on Amelia. She stretches and pads over. "Mew?" she asks, pawing at a buckle on Amelia's boot. Is it time for pettings?
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Before she can ask about the work they've put into their home, Ana steps in to fill the gap. Amelia hasn't had many interactions with cats since coming to the Nexus, but she hopes it's enough to prevent her from doing something too awkward for the kneazle. "Hello there," she murmurs softly, kneeling down so that she can gently pet the cat between her ears. "You're Anastasia, right? It's nice to meet you."
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Ana purrs happily at the attention. Like her father, she appreciates such a respectful greeting. "That's Anastasia," Caspar confirms. "She'll let you pet her forever."
Adia slips off her coat and scarf, hanging them up on a hook by the door, then switches out her shoes for a pair of fuzzy ankle slippers. Amelia might note that Caspar has on slippers as well -- sheepskin loafers with a rubber trim. She sits down at the kitchen table -- Amelia's flowers are sitting in a vase in the middle, along with the wrapped package of ribbon.
"Oh, I guess I should open this now," she remarks, picking up the package.
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She's distracted enough that when Adia comments about opening up something, it doesn't immediately occur to Amelia what her friend is talking about. Looking up, she smiles and nods in affirmation. "Please. And then let me know if you'd like to use what's inside today."
Slowly, and with an apologetic smile to Ana, the rogue withdraws her hands and rises to her feet. She quickly notices the change in shoes as she removes her coat, and quickly looks over to Caspar. "Would you prefer I take off my boots?" she asks. "I don't want to break house rules by wearing them."
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