Mar 10 15:31:04 105 PA

From Chronicles

The current game time is: Tue Mar 10 15:31:04 105 PA.

Desmond is out again this afternoon, prowling the park. Away from much of the noise, the crowded nature of the city, here he can run and let his thoughts drift to the back of his mind as he relishes the purity of motion. The simple challenge of moving with stealth, mind focused on each minute shift of muscle as he drops to a low crouch within a mess of brush, easing forward carefully to peer from the brush, out into the nearby open land of the park. Testing his skills by pretending there is an enemy present who must be observed silently.

In the open land of the park, a small figure is walking up and down, not pacing but slowly walking, looking down at her bare feet. Her cheeks are glowing with pink, and her lips are curved in a small smile. Each step is taken with care, concentration and enjoyment of the bare foot walking. Occasionally, she tilts her head back, looking up at the skies. The last time, she laughs suddenly, and twirls, arms out, until she falls over into the grasses.

Desmond goes stone still when he spies that slight figure. Her.. A low rumble starts to work up from his throat, but it slows almost at once. That feeling, it is gone. A frown, followed by a furrow of his brow as he studies her intently. The visial examination merely a conduit for one more mental. But it isn't there.. the feeling is gone. He relaxes, but lingers. His thoughts whirling. He glances about. No one too near. Still, he hesitates. But not for too long before a decision is forced and he stands, making his way out of the brush smoothly. He will move a little closer to her. If she doesn't sight him by then, he'll speak her name just loud enough to be heard. "Cali."

Caliopa props herself up on her elbow, the giggle fading as her gaze lands on him. "Desmond.. uh, hi." She sits up, her hands rising to quickly smooth hair that is loose and in chaos from the whirling. "Um. How're you?" She props elbows on her knees, watching him warily for a moment, glancing around. One hand fiddles with a strand of hair, her teeth nipping her lower lip quickly.

Desmond receives the fullness of her reaction with a stoic silence, keeping a notable distance, his arms easing back to link, hands joined behind his back. As if 'self hobbling' himself to give reassurance. "I am fit and well," he replies to her question. A pause before he starts to speak. "I can sense.. you are not ridden any longer. I am glad to sense this in you," he states. "I know now what happened that night.. I understand. It was not truly you and I will hold none of what occurred against you. It would be improper."

Caliopa rises to her feet slowly. "Atti kinda got rid of it." Her voice is low, the smile entirely gone, along with the glowing cheeks. "I'm sorry 'bout that night, I didn't..." She shoves her hands deep into her pockets, looking down, avoiding his gaze. "I ain't entirely sure I understand it all, and I ain't sure I want to ask but..." She takes a deep breath, lifting her gaze, "What did happen?"

"You expressed interest in me. Sexually. You disrobed before me and I gave in." The words given by Desmond with a simple matter of factness. The simple truth, though the last few words hold a rueful tinge. A display of disappointment in self. "Then.. you were struggling and I released you." He pauses, considering her. "I suspect that you will remember.. it released you then, did it not? I only regret that I was not of a proper mind to notice that you were.. not yourself."

The colour rising in her cheeks is not a happy red and her gaze drops down to the ground half way through his first sentence. "Yeah, right then." She mumbles, swallowing and blinking quickly, "Ain't your fault. My best friend didn't figure it neither." She hesitates before speaking slowly, "I know in my head that it weren't me, but it kinda was my body, and I'm sorry it did that with it." Her hands are clenched in her pockets, her shoulders hunched.

"It was not you," Desmond states, as if that were the final word on that detail. "I hold you at no fault for what occurred and it will not effect how I consider you, Cali." If only life could be full of straight and narrows as firm and immovable has his deep voice sounds, where the grays are all ordered into what is and what is not. A pause, thick with his thought as to how to say what comes next to his mind. "I would like for us to begin again. As if newly met once more," he suggests.

Caliopa ducks her head, red hair falling to hide her face for a moment, her hand rising to swipe across her cheeks before she replies. "I'd kinda like that too... I appreciate you not blamin' me for it." When she lifts her face, she is smiling, almost the bright and sunny one. "Hi, I'm Cali...Well, Caliopa, but only my pa calls me that." She holds out a hand, tilting her head.

Even with the idea being his own, the big feline hesitates a moment before he slowly closes the distance between them. It takes a few moments as he doesn't rush. Even so, the closer he gets, the more stark their side difference becomes. Just near enough to comfortably accept her hand, he pauses, neck craned downward a bit. "Desmond," he returns, his hand slipping from behind to take hers. "A pleasure to meet you, Cali." Despite his size, his hand large enough to envelop her own, his grip is so very light, hinting at the restraint he imposes upon himself.

Caliopa has to tilt her head back to look up at him, a small smile in her eyes. "My pleasure." She squeezes his hand, less carefully given the size difference. "So. Um. Where do we go from here?" She withdraws her hand, shoving it back in her pockets. The colour in her cheeks rises slightly, and she nibbles on her lower lip. "Ain't something there is a routine for, making friends after possession..."

Desmond releases when he first feels her draw away. His hand disappearing behind again, the big cat taking a step back. To loom less and ease the neck strain factor a bit. "To be honest, I am not sure myself," he replies honestly. "We are.. very different you and I. I suspect we have little in common, which does not make for easy conversation." At a glance the differences are obvious. He pauses, taking a moment to snap upon something to query about. "You did seem.. happy before I approached. Something positive has happened for you?"

The colour in her cheeks changes and she smiles, an almost automatic reaction to the thoughts written so clearly on her face. "I kinda moved in with Atti...I couldn't be in the truck, not after what happened." She ducks her head, blushing brightly. "Very positive..." She gives him a bright smile, "Do you have someone, Desmond?"

The reaction her question gets is almost mirror opposite reaction from the big cat. A shadow passes across his already dark features, though it is a passing thing, that control rising quickly to slide him back into stoic neutral. "No." The finality of this perhaps suggesting his words might stop there, but he only pauses a moment before adding, "I'm pleased that a positive event has come for you after your troubles." And deep voice does have a positive note laced into it.

Her smile faltering at the look, she almost winces at her misstep. "I ain't good at social stuff, Desmond. Always get it wrong." She looks down, kicking a bare foot at the grass. "Um. I'm sorry I poked a sore bit." The smile she offers is conciliatory, "There might be someone..." she offers weakly.

Desmond shakes his head slightly. "You could not know what you refer to, there is no harm done," he tells her simply. A pause as he considers her last offering briefly. "Perhaps. Where there has been one, there can be another. But I do not truly seek. It is a more important thing to build resources and find my path in life. Whatever else there is to come, shall come in due time."

Caliopa nods slowly, glancing down, before she peeks at him throw her lashes. "I oughta put my boots back on..." She mumbles, before dropping to sit on the grass, tugging them on slowly. "My ma used to say what will be will be and there ain't a thing you can do to change it..."

Desmond considers the words given with a bit more thought than might be expected, several long moments of silence following. Eventually, he replies, "Such may be true, but I prefer to think that life can be guided. But in this case it is appropriate. Matters such as this are.. hard to predict. One cannot control who they encounter. But I don't anticipate meeting someone who.. would match one such as myself." Leaving her to draw conclusions on that vague statement.

Caliopa tugs her laces tight, giving him a look upwards, thoughtful. "There is someone out there for everyone..." She murmurs, clambering inelegantly to her feet. "Um, I guess I oughta go see Kalvin. I got to ..." She trails off, her mouth ahead of her mouth and the trail of red in her cheeks matches the speed. "See him about something." She finishes lamely.

Desmond is vaguely curious, but he restrains the show of it save for a passing flicker in his cool eyes. "Perhaps. Only time shall truly tell," he replies with that simple stoicism. He will dip his head once to acknowledge her words. "Very well. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cali. Perhaps we shall meet again." Said as if such an eventual meeting were truly in question from his perspective.

Caliopa smiles, tilting her head, "I hope so.." She murmurs, using a hand to pull her hair from her eyes. "Would be nice to have a chance to make a better first opinion..." She smiles at him, the smile warming her eyes, "I guess I'd better..." She turns, bending to grab her bag, hair swinging as she moves. "I'm at Atti's place, if you want to... um.. yeah." She lifts a hand, as she turns, backing off before turning away.