Feb 19 22:02:28 106 PA
From Chronicles
The current game time is: Fri Feb 19 22:02:28 106 PA.
Located to the east of the Library is an open garden that extends from the floor, up five stories to the skylight ceiling. The garden is forty feet across with a large, polished marble staircase circling the garden extending up to each floor. The staircase has dark, highly polished mahogany railings on both sides of the ten foot wide staircase. In the center of the garden is a fountain about ten feet across. The fountain depicts ten individuals of varying race and sex who supposedly founded the Kingsdale Library. A book placed on a pedestal is located in the center of the ten statues and spews forth water that flows past the statues feet and into the fountain pool. Marble benches circle the fountain and seem more decorative than functional. Marble paths circle the fountain and garden joining to many pleasant areas to think and enjoy the tranquility of the garden. Flowers seem in constant bloom and the hedges of the garden are said to be the healthiest and most beautiful in Kingsdale. The most striking thing about the central garden is that it is a hanging garden. Plants, flowers, and ferns line the walls extending from floor to ceiling on tiers. During the day sunlight enters the central garden filling the area with light that almost has a magical effect especially at noon when the sun is at its highest.
Nestled into a small alcove, Sage seems quite distracted as she plays with an electronic PDA device with her fingers hesitantly punching the display. She frowns before giving a defeated sigh as she hands it over to the snickering nearby teenager. "I guess you're smarter than me..." she says softly, "I think I hear your mother calling anyway." She makes a dismissive gesture, which only brings a tease from the teenager before he moves off. She still looks puzzled, her hands working as if she were still trying to figure the device out that she doesn't really look around much yet.
Caliopa is later than her new usual routine, making her way to her favourite bench slowly. Over her shoulder is slung a bag of books and other bits and pieces, and her now routine baggy top has been replaced with a vest top that zips to her throat, leaving her arms bare. Her combats are new as well, black and baggy, with many pockets, hanging over her boots. As she pauses, surveying the gardens, her gaze rests on the other woman and her mouth curves into a friendly smile. "Hey!" She calls, hesitating before moving towards the woman.
The hand motions showing her thought process with an invisible hand-device slow to a halt as Sage is roused from her train of thought. A mild blush coming to her features as she looks up to see Cali there, wondering how long she may have been watching. She hastily brushes her hands against the pants as if to cover up that her hand motions had been there in the first place. A smile coming to her lips, "Cali!" She blurbs out with a little too much enthusiasm, before taking a moment to settle herself and rise slowly from her sitting. Her gaze drifts over Cali looking for any lingering signs of her injuries from the other day. "Hi... I was thinking on your offer, and I had a couple questions." She looks back to Cali's face when saying this. Having already made a fool of herself in her own estimation, her hand raises to nervously finger one of the sets of beads in her hair as if to draw comfort from it.
Caliopa's face shows nothing but friendliness, as she perches on one of the walls, dropping the bag on the floor. She either saw nothing or didn't think less of it. "I hope I got the answers, I ain't that good with quizzes..." It is a good humoured comment, offered with a small smile, the woman's eyes a little worried. "There is a place in Raleigh's retreat... two bedrooms. It ain't got furniture, but it ain't a real problem..." She bites her lower lip, stopping the flow of words, waiting for the questions from the other woman, her gaze flickering to the nervous gestures, with a small frown.
Sage gives a soft chuckle as the other woman says she's no good with quizzes, and takes a breath before she begins to compose herself once more. "Well, I think you've already answered a couple of them." She notes softly before noticing the small frown. Although her hand had begun to fall away from the beads, she raises it once more to simply gesture at them. "They remind me of past accomplishments." She explains, before letting her hand drift back down. "I guess I'm a little off today." She adds, before giving a slight shrug as she prepares to move on. "I was wondering if you had any particular ground rules... I wouldn't want to step on any toes." She seems to have calmed herself that only an inquisitive look comes to her features, "And, does it have a kitchen? I can be handy with cooking..."
Caliopa gives a quick, small smile, the worry not fading from her eyes. "They're pretty." She comments softly, quietly, before tilting her head at the woman's comments. "Little off?" She questions, leaning forward slightly, resting her weight through her hands on the wall. "I ain't really a domestic type. I ain't able to cook, 'n' I tend to forget time, forget to eat when I'm workin'." She hesitates briefly, before speaking bluntly. "I forget sometimes that folks ain't used to havin' machine pieces all over the place, 'n' I ain't good at rememberin' it so I ain't gonna pretend I am. I don't always remember to sleep neither,..." She pauses for a moment, frowning slightly. "Yeah, got a kitchen for sure."
It seems to be Sage's turn to frown as if concerned about the words uttered by Cali or the look in her eyes. She blinks once as she hears the part about machine pieces all over the place. She takes a moment to absorb what has been said. A re-assuring smile comes to her lips, "Well, I may not be entirely domestic myself... but, perhaps we were meant to meet and live together." She tries to keep a light tone as if to lighten the mood. Something else troubles her as her hand, almost unconciously, comes up to touch her fingers against Cali's cheek before she realizes what she's doing before the contact goes any further. "What's wrong?" She asks, tilting her head with concern coming into her own eyes.
Kid comes into the garden quietly, her coat open and loose on her shoulders. She has a largish book in hand that looks to be old and worn by the soft uniformity of the leather binding. She has the thing open, casually flipping the pages as she studies the text idly. Her expression a light, thoughtful sort of frown. For a few moments at least, she'll meander her way forward without really paying a great deal of attention to her surroundings. Though she will ultimately be wandering in the direction of Cali and Sage.
Caliopa offers a quick smile that doesn't remove the worry from her eyes, giving the other woman a thoughtful look at the touch, not pulling away. Then she speaks, in a quieter voice, designed to reach only the other woman. "I see thin's, mostly when I touch stuff, or when I listen to the machines. Sometimes things kinda reach out 'n grab at you, 'n' you ain't got a choice. I had a nightmare. A true seein'. I saw Kingsdale levelled by a bomb the Coalition sent. Because the undead had overrun us. Because we went to Laramy to help them 'n' weren't able to fight both undead 'n' them coalitions." She pauses to take a breath, the breathlessness lessened by time but not gone. "I lived, 'cause Kalvin took me away. Everyone died." She speaks flatly, as if what she saw was real. Kid could overhear if she was close enough.
Sage seems too focused on Caliopa to notice that Kid has walked into the garden. Only concern plays into her eyes as she looks at Cali, with a patient expression. Perhaps, having been practiced from troubled times in the past. Her hand seems forgotten as Cali speaks, only to move in a soft caress against the other woman's cheek. A brief shift of her gaze confirms what she just did, causing a small twitch to show on her lips as if amused or mildly embarrassed as she begins to withdraw the hand. Her gaze shifts back to Cali before the hand begins to move once more. "Take it from me... no matter how clear the image may seem, it is only a possibility or a message that needs attention." She says, "I have often glimpsed possible futures... and found they can often be very misleading. It must not be ignored, though." She tries to keep her voice soft and mainly for Caliopa but it could be overheard by someone else close by.
Kid does end up hearing part of it, the girl moving near enough that her special ear picks up the tail end of Cali's low talk. The familiar voice draws her attention, though most of the words are gone before she's focused enough to perceive on a conscious level. But the last few she gets and her frown lingers as she looks towards the source of the voice. She approaches as Sage is talking, coming into view to the side towards the end. Her expression sits in a mixed region when she does appear, a few moments of quiet before she calls attention to herself. "Hey Cali." The words light, with an honest lean of greeting to them, though somewhat subdued, her eyes flicking towards Sage again after they're offered.
Caliopa reaches out, touching the hand lightly, giving a quick smile, as if to reassure. Her cheeks flush slightly and she nips her lower lip. "I ain't one given to seein' them so I listen when things feel like they gotta be heard." She speaks bluntly, "I'm goin' to tell 'Nita what I saw, keep her from goin' to Laramy yet." Kid's arrival pauses the topic, not because Caliopa doesn't feel comfortable to talk in front of her, but because Caliopa turns her head and gives her a quick smile. "Kid, you doin' alright?" She nods at the other woman with her, "This is Sage, she is a friend of mine." The friend descriptor is given easily, and genuinely. "Might share a place."
The touching of the hands isn't shied away from, but it doesn't linger either as the hand only pauses briefly before moving to settle into a more natural position. Sage smiles faintly in return, before she seems to take heart in how Cali responds to her. The concern begins to fade away as if she's satisfied by the response, and steps back as a voice speaks up from nearby to be able to turn slightly to accomodate a third person. "We've met." She says simply, as she looks to Kid. Before looking back to Cali, "I want to." She affirms, before shifting her gaze to rest between the two. A thoughtful expression sets in once she's not looking at either in particular.
Kid actually frowns faintly when Cali mentions sharing a place with Sage. She seems.. displeased. Though it's a flicker that comes and goes rather quickly. "Oh." The word sounding as bland as it looks. There is a moment of silence for her before Kid firmly advances down a path of conversation, her expression remaining schooled from too obvious a lean in any direction. "What were you talking about before.. about people dying?" Not quite what she heard, but she goes this way. As with her expression, she keeps her tone middle of the road, though somewhat polite.
Caliopa's smile is quick, pleased, genuine as Sage states her intent and she nods quickly. "Seems sensible. There is a place up in Raleigh's, 'n' it has two rooms." She gives Kid a direct look, speaking bluntly. "'n' I knew you ain't one for movin' from your place to another, 'n' I ain't rightly feel safe down that way." The quick explanation is given without signs of guilt or anything but affection. "Dream I had. All folks dead, 'cept me, Atti 'n' Kalvin. Kalvin's circuit's fried, 'n' because we went to Laramy for 'Nita. I ain't goin'."
Sage's facial expression shifts to neutrality as her gaze shifts to Kid when it seems like the offer she just accepted had been offered to Kid at another point in time. There is no regret or concern on her features, though. She lets this topic go without comment as she looks between them as the topic of people dying comes up once more. "I find it odd that I haven't felt anything beyond the obvious..." She comments thoughtfully as if to herself. "I suppose I should be careful what I wish for by the sounds of it, though."
"Yeah.. I guess so." Murmured lowly by Kid in abstract response to Cali's reasoning, though without firm conviction. The brief mention of her dream only gets a bemused expression from Kid,t he young woman not seeming quite sure what to make of it. "Sounds like a pretty bad dream," she murmurs, there some actual care in that tone. "Probably cause you ain't getting enough sleep or something." Sage's comment on the topic only gets a vaguely confused look from Kid, though she doesn't seem inclined to ask.
Kid's words about sleep draw a quick blush from the girl, her cheeks turning pink. "Uh no, I slept like a log after." She mumbles, turning the topic quickly away from her sleeping patterns. "Um, Sage, she does brain healin', the plants here..." She shakes her head, becoming more coherent with determination. "She bought one back from bein' nigh on dead. Was a pretty amazin' thin'." She kicks the heels of her boots against the wall upon which she sits. "Wasn't a dream though. It was a seein'." She hesitates before lowering her voice, "At the end, there was a bloke in a cloak, said I weren't gettin' away that easy, wakin' up. If we go to Laramy, I'm gonna die alone, with cats."
Sage has grown accustom to people giving her confused looks and doesn't seem inclined to explain her comments any further. Perhaps even before she ever came to the city. A brief flicker of amusement passes across her features before Cali begins to speak of her abilities. Her gaze moves to rest on Cali as she speaks about it, unsure of whether to make any comments. Instead, she seems to decide to take the compliment with a small smile and murmurs, "Thank you." She does glance to Kid, though, wondering if there would be anything more than disinterest in the young woman's features. But, the comment of the man with a cloak draws her attention back to Cali. "What did he look like?" She asks curiously.
Kid glances at Sage again when Cali mentions her abilities. This doesn't seem to prompt much from Kid but a continuation of her carefully schooled expressions and even tone of voice. "Yeah.. seems some people can do lots of things." Despite herself, she can't help the subtly negative lean in her voice, but she keeps it mostly even and disguised. But when Cali starts talking about her dream again, Kid focuses on her, ultimately responding with a slight shrug. "I guess I can't say much about it. I'm just.. normal. Don't really know anything about that kinda stuff." Subtle resignation lacing those words. Again, something she can't quite bleed entirely from her tone, despite her intent to do so.
Caliopa gives Kid a slightly confused glance at the tone, before responding to the question, her forehead wrinkling slightly. She speaks slowly, cautiously, her gaze resting on the tips of her boots as she tries to visualize the man. "Had long red hair, 'n' a black cloak, with a hood..." She shakes her head, "Said somethin' like wakin' up isn't going' to save me from him." She shivers slightly, blinking before lifting her gaze back to the two women. "Mostly, I see folk who owned old machines I'm workin' on, or bits that are broken. Ain't so much with the dead 'n' dyin'..." Her teeth nip at her lower lip as she finishes speaking.
Rather than interrupt Cali's train of thought on the appearance of the man, Sage waits for the description to be given, and tries to imagine what the figure must look like. "He could just symbolize something... or be part of what's going on." Sage comments, before clearing her though. "And... Kid doesn't care much for my ability to sense emotions." She murmurs, only keeping her tone down to avoid being accusatory rather than remorseful. She glances towards Kid, as if wondering whether a sharp rebuttal might come.
Kid doesn't have much for the description. It doesn't ring any bells for the girl. Though she does shift her attention to Sage when she decides to bring up Kid's dislike for her abilities. The girl frowns faintly, but doesn't say anything directly to this. She breathes out a low sigh and steps over to Cali, a hand lifted to gently touch her upper arm. "I'm sure you'll figure it out," she says simply. Seeming to mean it as well. "Seems you got help enough." Ok, a little bitterness edging that. After, she turns, the book held with her arms crossed over her chest as she starts to walk away.
Caliopa glances between the two of them, coming out of her thoughtfulness as they exchange words, her frown deepening as Kid speaks and begins to walk away. "That ain't fair, Kid." She calls after her, the worry in her brown eyes deepening, her emotions on her face to be read by anybody passing, the worry and hurt at Kid's reaction. "It ain't like I don't bring my troubles to your door enough. Or that I ain't rightly grateful for you bein' the first real friend I had here." She hesitates before speaking bluntly, loudly, "Or like I don't love you like a sister." She sighs, leaning back into the wall, giving Sage an apologetic glance quickly. "Kid is like a porcupine. All prickly outside, 'n' inside she is all soft, 'n' the best person I know." Those words are murmured beneath her breath, possibly forgetting Kid's hearing.
When the mood seems to shift, Sage becomes silent as she watches the interaction between the two. She shrinks a little back into herself as she looks between the two. She holds her ground, though. Her gaze shifts to Cali as if wondering whether there'd be any negative emotions sent her way. Yet, the response is soft with no accusation. "I've noticed the prickly part." She murmurs quietly, but there is some tension that leaves her body as she speaks.
Mention of fairness doesn't stop Kid's retreat, though the talk of love does bring her up a bit short. Her shoulders tense a little and she turns her head to glance back slightly, just enough that an eye is visible. But she makes a point of not turning about fully, keeping her expression veiled. At first she seems like she might speak.. say something. But after a few moments she turns her attention forward again and hurries off with her head ducked slightly. No explanation, they mystery of her tightly veiled state left uncertain.
Caliopa watches her leave, sighing softly before turning back to Sage. "She shows that the best." She acknowledges, with a small smile, wrinkling her nose. "She is rightly kind, under the prickles." She hesitates before revealing a little clue of her relationship. "When I first came here, I was livin' in my truck. She came, bothered me 'til I got out, met people, 'n' bought me stuff. Like lipstick..." A twitch of a smile, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes.
Sage nods faintly to Cali's words about Kid, "I felt something from her that didn't quite add up." She comments, still keeping her voice softly. She glances to see if Kid has indeed left before looking back to the other woman. She raises a brow faintly as Cali confides more about Kid. "Well, she did start to let me ask her questions... but I doubt she'll be buying me any... lipstick." Her gaze considers the woman's lips, before rising to look into her eyes once more. "Never had much use for stuff to make me look... different." She hasn't decided what to think of the use of make-up yet. "Made some stuff to protect my lips, though." She admits, before giving a shrug. "I suppose my clothes may look a funny around these parts too."
Caliopa glances at the other woman's clothes, her expression revealing that she sees nothing odd, but then clothes aren't something she cares about. "Felt somethin' that didn't add up?" She questions, her gaze lifting to Sage's face curiously. Her forehead wrinkles slightly, "I ain't much one for lipstick but seemed important to Kid, tryin' to make me look at me,..." She hesitates, ducking her head, avoiding a thought, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Reckon most folks look funny sometimes."
Stangely, no one has mentioned anything about her clothing looking strange. Sage smiles faintl at the question, "She'll say one thing, feel another at times." She gives a shrug afterward, "But, she can be stubborn about it." She has amusement creep back into her eyes as Cali admits not to being much of lipstick, before it shifts to curiousity at the blush. "I suppose." She concedes, before pausing to think. She mulls the question for a moment, "When can I move in?" She asks, "I think my previous arrangements are running out."
Caliopa nibbles at her lower lip, her thoughts showing on her face. An uncertainty overlaying the thought that bought the blush to her cheeks. "Room is free now, if you want. I'll stay on a piece where I am, jus' til Kalvin is sure my body ain't gonna decide it hates the thing." She nods slowly, frowning thoughtfully, "I'll move some stuff over, meantime. And you can get yourself in. Apartment twelve..." She rummages in her pocket, drawing out a ring with two keys on it, holding one out to the other woman after detaching it.
Sage's gaze takes note of the nibbling and expression on Cali's face. She tilts her head as she studies the woman. "If you're worried about what I'll think of the room..." She begins to speak, unsure of whether that's what's been putting the woman on slight edge when the topic of her moving in comes up. She frowns faintly, "Who's Kalvin? And what thing?" Some confusion and uncertainty creeps into her own features. She gives a faint nod to the comment about the apartment. She extends her hand, but simply lays her palm out flat to allow the woman to decide whether she truly wants to hand it over.
Caliopa goes still for a moment before dropping the key into the woman's hands. She stops before speaking slowly, "A bit ago. Not so long I guess. A robot shot my heart out. Kalvin is my friend, but he is my doctor 'n' I'm stayin' with him. The thing is the heart he put in, to replace it..." She trails off, her gaze flickering between the other woman and her boots, embarrassment drawing red into her cheeks. "I ain't worried. Either you'll like them or not. If you don't, I can afford it alone."
The key is left on a mostly open palm to give yet another moment for the woman to snatch the key away, but Sage will tuck it away if that moment passes. "Oh..." She says, concern and other emotions playing on her face. "I'm not sure I could have fixed that myself..." She says, as if too herself. Her hand begins to rise again, but she pauses it for a moment, before simply playing with a beaded segment of her hair. It doesn't seem a nervous motion, more of an idle one to explain her hand movement. "I wish I knew why you seemed embarrassed... but I don't think your room will be a problem. I'll even cook a good meal for you..." She offers, before looking around the garden. "I guess I'll have to start thinking about getting some stuff together."
"I was lucky." Caliopa speaks softly, her gaze following the nervous movement towards the hair, her forehead wrinkling. "I jus' get that way sometimes. Things come into my head, makin' me blush." Caliopa wrinkles her nose, sliding from the wall and bending to pick up her bag. "Meals are always nice, 'n' I'll always eat it but you ain't got to be beholden to me." She slides the bag over her shoulder, tilting her head slightly. "I best go. Time for a nap, I reckon." She smiles again, quickly.
Sage raises a brow faintly at the mention of being lucky, but she doesn't seem to ask since the woman is still standing here. "Ah..." She says softly, unsure of what to make of it still. Then, she gives a faint shrug to the mention of not 'beholden on me.' "As I've been told, there isn't much point in cooking if you can't share it." She nods softly, "Get well soon, Cali." She says softly, "I'll try not to change things too much while you're recovering." There is an undertone of amusement in her voice. Tags: caliopa, sage
