[ After her shift that day, she has a shower (unscented soaps only, even months since arriving and choosing to stay in human form) and a bath (which involves a generous amount of sea salt, to make her feel a little less homesick, and to better nourish her skin). Which is why, when she emerges into the common area, her hair is damp, and she's dressed in a loose-fitting pajama set.
She's in the kitchen when her new roommate arrives, boiling noodles to go with the decidedly ocean-thened ingredients she's already prepared: seaweed, fish broth, fish cakes. There are vegetables too, because she has come to enjoy human food habits.
All she dies at first is watch the door open and the man come in. Far less aggressive than she was in her first month here, she doesn't hiss, and she only tenses a little bit in preparation for a fight. Instincts, and old habits, die hard.
[He'd been told when he was given his rooming assignment that he would have roommates. He'd been told the names of those roommates.
He hadn't been told anything else about them, not history nor temperament nor anything else that would give him any idea of what to expect. Being the cynical sort, he's halfway certain that the lack of information is in retaliation for the sheer number of other questions he'd asked.
Still, it doesn't take a thorough background to note the tension in the woman in the kitchen, or the predatory edge to her gaze. But there's no harsh hum of warning at the back of his head, and that makes his choice easier.]
Yeah.
[He lifts his hands, and stays where he is near the door. Given lifetimes of practice, he's very, very good at appearing unthreatening when he wants to.]
I'm Adam. You must be Katrina. Didn't anyone let you know I was coming?
[ In her home, among her people, his response denotes submission to her authority and strength. Here... well, by now she's well aware of the effect she has on people if she acts like herself at her most guarded.
She exhales slowly, consciously relaxing her stance, her gaze going more neutral. ]
Yes. [ They had. ADI isn't running social experiments. She's sure of that by now.
So he's probably not a threat to her or Bruno. She doesn't immediately trust him, but she will behave herself the way humans do around new people. ]
I am Katrina, yes. You are new roommate. This is peaceful apartment. I think you will like living here.
[There's a flash of humour in his expression, though he's curious as much as he is joking. The building so far looks as orderly as the rest of the intact portion of ADI's property - or, at least, the part of it he's seen - but if even half the story he's been sold is true, the population must be unusually diverse for company housing.]
[ She heads back to the kitchen and sets another bowl by the stove. When she answers, she's looking at him. It's how she is, still, even knowing it can be unsettling to many. ]
We do not leave mess. If we make mess, we clean.
[ She pauses to turn off the stove, letting the soup simmer. ]
Not many rules. This is like small tribe to me. I protect roommates if there is attack when we are together.
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easilyamused) wrote2030-01-01 12:00 am
first meeting in the apartment (finally smh)
She's in the kitchen when her new roommate arrives, boiling noodles to go with the decidedly ocean-thened ingredients she's already prepared: seaweed, fish broth, fish cakes. There are vegetables too, because she has come to enjoy human food habits.
All she dies at first is watch the door open and the man come in. Far less aggressive than she was in her first month here, she doesn't hiss, and she only tenses a little bit in preparation for a fight. Instincts, and old habits, die hard.
Then, only a few seconds later, she calls out. ]
You are new.
no subject
He hadn't been told anything else about them, not history nor temperament nor anything else that would give him any idea of what to expect. Being the cynical sort, he's halfway certain that the lack of information is in retaliation for the sheer number of other questions he'd asked.
Still, it doesn't take a thorough background to note the tension in the woman in the kitchen, or the predatory edge to her gaze. But there's no harsh hum of warning at the back of his head, and that makes his choice easier.]
Yeah.
[He lifts his hands, and stays where he is near the door. Given lifetimes of practice, he's very, very good at appearing unthreatening when he wants to.]
I'm Adam. You must be Katrina. Didn't anyone let you know I was coming?
no subject
She exhales slowly, consciously relaxing her stance, her gaze going more neutral. ]
Yes. [ They had. ADI isn't running social experiments. She's sure of that by now.
So he's probably not a threat to her or Bruno. She doesn't immediately trust him, but she will behave herself the way humans do around new people. ]
I am Katrina, yes. You are new roommate. This is peaceful apartment. I think you will like living here.
no subject
[There's a flash of humour in his expression, though he's curious as much as he is joking. The building so far looks as orderly as the rest of the intact portion of ADI's property - or, at least, the part of it he's seen - but if even half the story he's been sold is true, the population must be unusually diverse for company housing.]
no subject
[ Which she still thinks is a waste of time, but humans are allowed their quirks. ]
You have met Bruno? He is other roommate.
no subject
[He...can be. But he's socially adept enough to find it elsewhere.]
I don't think so, unless he works security on the part of the building that's been collapsed. I didn't get all of their names.
no subject
Chatty is new to me. Hard.
[ To say the least. Which she knows is ironic. ]
Bruno is not in security. He is... not shy. Cautious. He has many fears, but good heart and strong mind. He is good roommate.
I am cooking soup. Would you like?
no subject
[He looks over the portion of the living space that's currently visible, idly noting the incidental evidence of lives lived.]
Are there any house rules? Aside from ADI's restrictions, I mean.
no subject
We do not leave mess. If we make mess, we clean.
[ She pauses to turn off the stove, letting the soup simmer. ]
Not many rules. This is like small tribe to me. I protect roommates if there is attack when we are together.