Adia Costas (
chiron_survivor) wrote2019-01-04 09:10 pm
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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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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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Adia laughs and shoos her paws away. "Thanks, I've got it covered." She does tear off a strip of wrapping paper for Ana to play with, but the rest she puts into a neat pile on the side. "Ribbons!" she says happily when she sees what's inside. "These are so pretty, Amelia, thank you. Yes, I'd love to get a braiding lesson." She has not forgotten their Yule conversation in the slightest.
The question about shoes has Caspar hesitating slightly. He would prefer that she remove her boots. It's hard enough to keep a cabin floor clean without people bringing all the outside in with them on the soles of their shoes. But it's also not typical of a request from him. Nobody walked around barefoot on a basestar. (Well, except for Leoben sometimes, but that's because he's weird.)
"Whatever you're comfortable with," he says finally.
Adia gestures over to a woven basket by the door. "I have a spare pair of slippers in there if you want to wear them instead."
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The offer of the spare slippers is one Amelia's vaguely uncomfortable with - wearing clothes that aren't hers, even shoes, is something she has very little experience with. But her boots are dirtied from the walk through the orchard and her feet will get cold on the hardwood floors even with the fire going, so she sets aside her slight anxiety to be polite. "I appreciate that, Adia. Thank you." She smiles at her friend briefly, then removes her boots and sets them by the door next to Adia's shoes before stepping into the spare slippers. They're a little tight on her feet, but still more than comfortable enough for wearing while they sit around.
After hanging her coat by the door and adjusting her scarf to hang loosely about her neck, she takes a seat at the table next to Adia. "It's so comfortable and warm in here," she notes with a smile. With a small laugh she adds, "I forget sometimes how far along technology of every kind has come since the kind of age my world is in."
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Caspar relaxes a touch when Amelia's shoes go by the door instead of all over the kitchen. He takes the seat on the other side of Adia. There is one more chair, and that's about the number of people who can sit around the table comfortably. "Me, too," he chimes in, reaching over to pet Anastasia, who is looking over those ribbons longingly.
Amelia's comment has Adia looking at her curiously. "What was it like on your world? How did you keep your homes warm?"
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"Open hearths and wood burning stoves, mostly," she explains as she removes the ribbon from the end of her hair. As she loosens her braid and begins combing out her tresses, her eyes focus on something that's not on the table in front of them. "My family's home was made from a combination of stone and wood, which helped retain some amount of heat, but kept smaller ovens throughout the house to keep it warm. We also kept the fires going in the living room and kitchen to keep the bedrooms directly above them warmer during the cooler months." She never thought much of it when she lived on Kairn, but it makes sense to her now that she's lived in the Nexus for so long.
Shaking her head a little, she undoes the last few locks of hair making up her braid and smiles at each of her friends in turn. "We also kept rugs on bedroom floors and bought fur lined blankets for our beds. Winter was never really that harsh, though, which I think made it easier for us. We never had to worry about bitterly cold temperatures or ice building up on the roof like towns further inland did."
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"Your hair is so long," she says a little enviously while she sits back down. Anastasia has already moved onto Caspar's lap and seems content to stay there for the time being.
Having heard so little of Amelia's home world, Caspar pays attention to her answer. "It's the same here," he tells her. "Although some of the buildings downtown have radiators. What was your world's level of tech?"
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The bathroom gets a quick glance from Amelia, but her focus is mainly on Caspar as he asks after her world. "Techniques in carpentry must have improved, then. I don't feel a single draft, and that was a commonplace thing even in the most well made houses." She laughs softly as she works out a stray knot in the ends of her hair. "After some reading, I've determined my world's technology most closely relates to that of Renaissance Europe on most versions of Earth. We traveled by ship or by horse, had only a few cannons on city walls for protection, and were still harnessing the power of explosives. Medicine isn't all that advanced either, but blacksmiths were quite well versed. Several of my friends were able to make weaponry from meteorite without any struggles, despite the higher temperatures and extra force required."
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She picks up her brush and runs is through her hair. Having it been under a hat for part of the day has made it a little staticky, but it's manageable otherwise.
"There's insulation behind the wood panels," Caspar explains. Then he falls silent, his expression turning a bit confused. Renaissance Europe? Adia is the "expert" on Earth history, not him. But more detail is forthcoming, so he doesn't bother asking anything.
At least until she mentions the meteorite.
"Was that commonplace on your world? Meteorites large enough to smelt?" That's kind of cool, actually. Space rock weapons.
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She's about to ask about insulation - what did they use in their cabin and was it easy to make? - when the question about the meteorite comes up. The rogue's face turns a little more somber and she shakes her head as she turns her gaze to the unnecessary task of straightening the ribbon from her hair against the table.
"No, there was never any recorded history of meteorites that large before my city was struck by one the size of a large cart. There wasn't any record of four raining from the sky all at the same time either." She sighs and tucks her hands in her lap under the table so she'll stop fidgeting with her ribbon. Come on, Amelia, lift yourself up from the sadness and focus on the weaponry.
"Most of it was kept under lock and key by the city guard, but several of my friends wanted to work with more of it than the small pieces they were able to recover after the city was safe again. I wasn't directly involved with the... acquiring of the stone, but I helped misdirect a few people and get some copies of keys made for them." Her lips tug into a brief smile as she looks up at her friends again. "I honestly wasn't expecting anything from them in return, but the two blacksmiths worked together to make my rapier for me. My hairpin came later when my inventor... friend asked what I wanted for my birthday. It was the first proper piece of jewelry I received as a lady."
...dreams, talking about home and the best and worst parts of it isn't ever going to get easier. Amelia exhales a small, silent breath and then sits up properly again, forcing herself to let go of the pain to focus on the moment.
"I'm not sure how many others were able to get their hands on enough to make weaponry or armor, but my band of five hand plenty between us. Arrow heads, plate mail, a hammer, a rapier, and the sturdiest wrist crossbows I've ever seen." Her smile turns a tough wry, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Everyone we went against had a right to fear everything we brought to a fight."
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Caspar has all sorts of questions, but for the moment, he has to deal with a cat in his lap who is trying desperately to reach for those ribbons. "Here," he says to Anastasia, setting her on the floor and dropping the discarded wrapping paper to the floor. He sighs and dusts off his hands. "I don't think a kneazle and hair-braiding lessons mix. You still have that rapier, Amelia? Did your blacksmith friends figure out what metals the meteorite was composed of?"
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"There was no way to do something like that on my world," she offers as an explanation for her laughter. "Or if there was, my friends never explained it to me." Her shoulders rise and fall in a half-hearted shrug. Testing for the purity of a material before using it for a blade or armor makes sense, but Amelia's not certain anymore if it makes sense because of what she knows of blacksmithing or because of knowledge she's picked up in the Nexus. Her lips tug into a small frown as she shrugs again. "I never thought to ask after something like that either."
But this is hardly the reason for her visit and they've been distracted long enough from the braiding lessons she promised. Turning to Adia, Amelia manages a small smile as she nods to her friend. "Are you ready for our lesson? It'll be a bit of show and tell, and then a lot of practice so you can get the feel for it while I'm here to offer advice."
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Even if it's made from a common metal, a meteorite weapon is cool bragging rights.
As the conversation moves on, Adia feels both relief and a smidge of disappointment. She was hoping to hear a little more of Amelia's past, but she has to admit that Caspar has a deft touch at putting their friend at ease. Too bad he likely wouldn't open up to Amelia about his problems, they seem to understand one another better than even she does at times.
"Sure," she answers, smiling and putting her hands on the table. "I'm ready."
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With Adia on board for their lesson, Amelia smiles briefly and then sweeps her hair back over her shoulder. As she settles it down her back, she shifts to give the other woman a better view of her hands. "I'm going to explain what I'm doing as I show you the first time, and then you can give it a try. It may take a few attempts to get the basics, but I'll be here the whole time to help, I promise." It's a skill few take to with ease the first time, but Amelia has confidence that her friend will pick it up without too much trouble.
"To get started with the most basic style of braid," she says after a moment, "you'll need to separate your hair into three separate sections. Each should be as close to the same width as the other two." She pauses for a moment to demonstrate, taking a few extra seconds to show how she checks to size of each section and how she judges one against another. "Once you feel good about that, pull each section tight, and begin pulling the outside locks of hair over the one in the center, switching the side you pull from each time. Keep your hair pulled tight as you do this to avoid the braid twisting in on itself or turning over part way down." As she explains, the rogue's hands work effortlessly to weave her hair into a tight, perfectly symmetric plait down her back. She takes care to go slowly for Adia's sake, but as she nears the end of her braid, she pulls her hair over her left shoulder with one hand and turns to face her friend with a smile.
"When you get to the end," she continues, "you can decide how far down you want your braid to go. You can weave your hair until the very bottom, or you can stop a few inches up. It's all a matter of preference." She smiles, and then takes the end of her hair in one hand as she takes up her ribbon to tie off her plait with a neat little bow. "Make sure you pull your ribbon tight, and the braid will stay in place without trouble." Of course, Amelia realizes she makes it look very easy with how much practice she has, but she knows that everyone could do as well if they'd had as many years of practice as she has.
After checking over her work and giving her ribbon one last tug, she smiles at Adia. "Ready to give it a try?"
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That thought, in light of recent issues, brings a small frown to his face, but he forces it away. It's not the time for that. They're getting a hair braiding lesson, he'd best be paying attention.
Adia doesn't need to remind herself not to get distracted. She's a little mesmerized by the efficient way Amelia braids her hair. There's something vicariously soothing about it, and when her friend asks if she's ready to try it herself, she has to blink a couple of times before responding.
"Oh! Um, sure..." She reaches up to her own hair and divides it into three sections. The truth is, she's made a basic braid like this before, but she was often dissatisfied with how they turned out, so she makes certain to follow Amelia's advice to the detail. Evenly divided, each one held tightly to keep the braid from looking sloppy.
Her shoulder length hair means that she can't flip it over her shoulder to tie it the way Amelia can. "How's it look?" she asks, holding the end together.
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"Pretty good," she says earnestly. "The start of your braid is a little loose, but that's a trouble many people have. Be sure to keep a tight hold on each lock of hair as you pull them into place and, with a little practice, you'll be able to do it without having to think about it." And that is the true sign of any master, as far as Amelia's concerned.
She hesitates for a moment, fidgeting with the ribbon in her hair before asking, "Did you want to try again? Or would you like to see something else? I have a few other styles I could teach you if you'd like something a little more complicated to show off."
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Caspar clears his throat. "I don't get a turn?" he asks when Adia turns her gaze towards him.. The curve of his smile softens his otherwise serious look.
"Oh! Sure, go for it." Caspar gets up and stands behind her, gently brushing out her hair before separating it into three sections. She waits for him to get started before reminding him, "Make sure it's tight enough."
"Not a problem," he replies smoothly, each section perfectly divided.
A small grin appears on Adia's face, one that only Amelia can see. "Are you sure? It feels a little loose. You won't hurt me if you pull harder than that."
"Let Amelia be the judge of how I'm doing," he complains, a faint blush appearing on his face. Must be an inside joke between them or something. "There," he says, when he's done. "How's that?"
Maybe Caspar was a hairdresser in another life, because his braid, as simple as it is, is on point.
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She is, however, quite impressed by how quickly Caspar takes up the task of braiding Adia's hair. His precision makes it seem as if he's had practice before, but she has a feeling it's not that. Whatever the case may be, the finished braid earns a pleased smile from her.
"Well done," she tells him, a hint of surprise and pride in her voice. Given how well both of her students have taken to braiding, Amelia can't help but be proud of the work they've done. "I'll have you doing braid crowns before the end of the night if this is how well you take to the most basic braid. Adia's hair will never be anything less than fashionable if she lets you take care of it for her."
As she lets down her own hair again, Amelia makes a mental note to find a book of braids for the couple. She has a feeling they'll both enjoy it after these first braids.
"Now, who gets to try the next one?" she teases, setting down her ribbon on the table. "I promise to make it more of a challenge for both of you."
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A braid crown sounds amazing, although Adia is thinking less about fashion and more about how nice it feels to have Caspar doing her hair. This is a skill she really ought to pick up for herself, though. "I'll go first again. I need the practice."
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