[ 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.
[ And through the magic of Narration, Kate is waiting for him at the main exit. She's all bundled up and ready to go. There are butterflies in her stomach and it's not just because she's about to see her sort-of boyfriend. ]
[She doesn't have long to wait. It's just a minute or two before he appears, tucking the tails of a scarf into the wool coat he'd clearly donned in the elevator. He smiles when he sees her, eyes crinkling slightly at the edges.]
He dropped down behind in an alleyway like he was in a bad action movie, and started making paranoid accusations and threats. Apparently the fact that he lost me in a crowd means I must be leading some sort of insane double life.
[He lifts his free hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, as though warding off a headache.
A little too late for that.]
I assumed he was under some sort of influence - there's been more than enough of that going around lately. It seems I've misjudged.
[ Adam can't be leading a double life. An alleyway is the worst place to confront a stalker. What if it hadn't been Winter? What if it had been an actual threat? There would have been no one to help him. He could have been killed. The concern shows on her face. ]
Did you know it was Winter that was following you? You could have been hurt. What if it had been someone with an axe to grind against ADI. Adam.
[ She has a concern. More than one actually. ]
Winter is... He's complicated. [ To say the goddamn least! ] Whoever had him before he arrived here, used him as a weapon. Sometimes he doesn't think of himself as a person.
Honestly? I wasn't certain I was being followed. I'm not any more immune to paranoia than anyone else.
[He glances away, looking a little chagrined.]
Ducking down an alley to see if I could spot someone isn't one of my brighter moves, I'll admit that. I might've watched a few too many bad movies myself.
[Or he might've wanted a minimum of witnesses in case he had to dispatch his stalker. It's probably one of those.]
I'm glad you weren't hurt. I'd be very upset if you were.
[ Kate would be very upset if something bad were to happen to Adam. She likes him. How much does she like him? Enough to know that she does. Feelings are hard.
She's not going to tell him that Yelena has been teaching her to spot a tail or how to evade them. He doesn't need to know just yet that she's practicing Spycraft 101. That's a conversation for a much later time if it all. ]
I can't explain it all because there's a lot that I just can't say without betraying his confidence. [ More than she already has anyway. ] So it's best to be straight-forward with him. No cutesy doublespeak, no innuendo, just say what you mean.
[He grimaces slightly, as though reflecting back on the conversation.
Which he is. Just not for any particularly benign reason.]
I told him I thought he was acting like he was under the influence of one of the Entities. His own, probably. A different one, possibly. He didn't take it well. No wonder, if he's been used like that before.
[ She's still holding his hand. In her mind, it had all been a horrible misunderstanding. It's something that she doesn't know if it can be fixed or not. Kate wonders if it might be for the best if it's just left alone. She's not sure. ]
You didn't know him when we all first arrived. He was so different. It took him a long while to come out of his shell. Sometimes, he didn't think of himself as a person.
[ She tilts her head up at him. There's a hint of something like adoration in her eyes. She appreciates that he's being understanding about this and she trusts him not to use the information she's given him against Winter. ]
Thank you for being so understanding about this. I dislike it that you two had to meet that way.
[ But she doesn't know how to fix it. How does she correct getting off on the wrong foot with Winter? It is probably best left behind them all. (Kate, no.) ]
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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.
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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?
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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.
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[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.]
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[ Which she still thinks is a waste of time, but humans are allowed their quirks. ]
You have met Bruno? He is other roommate.
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[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.
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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?
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[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.
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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.
text; un: cupkate
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[ And through the magic of Narration, Kate is waiting for him at the main exit. She's all bundled up and ready to go. There are butterflies in her stomach and it's not just because she's about to see her sort-of boyfriend. ]
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Ah, my rescuer. Shall we?
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And after they start their walk on the way to the café, she says... ]
So I met one of your colleagues in Research. Urianger? Have you met him yet? He talks in a very interesting way.
[ As to the reason she had originally contacted him? Yeah. Yeah. She'll get there. ]
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Just in passing. It's a small department - everyone runs into everyone eventually.
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[ She squeezes his hand. There is no easy way to bring this up. ]
So, Winter told me that you two met up recently.
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[He gives her a sidelong look, expression shading slightly weary.]
That's a shockingly mild way of putting it.
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[ She let's out a breath, really not wanting to have this conversation. ]
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Yes, he said much the same about you while he was threatening my life.
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[He lifts his free hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, as though warding off a headache.
A little too late for that.]
I assumed he was under some sort of influence - there's been more than enough of that going around lately. It seems I've misjudged.
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Did you know it was Winter that was following you? You could have been hurt. What if it had been someone with an axe to grind against ADI. Adam.
[ She has a concern. More than one actually. ]
Winter is... He's complicated. [ To say the goddamn least! ] Whoever had him before he arrived here, used him as a weapon. Sometimes he doesn't think of himself as a person.
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[He glances away, looking a little chagrined.]
Ducking down an alley to see if I could spot someone isn't one of my brighter moves, I'll admit that. I might've watched a few too many bad movies myself.
[Or he might've wanted a minimum of witnesses in case he had to dispatch his stalker. It's probably one of those.]
That does explain a few things.
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[ Kate would be very upset if something bad were to happen to Adam. She likes him. How much does she like him? Enough to know that she does. Feelings are hard.
She's not going to tell him that Yelena has been teaching her to spot a tail or how to evade them. He doesn't need to know just yet that she's practicing Spycraft 101. That's a conversation for a much later time if it all. ]
I can't explain it all because there's a lot that I just can't say without betraying his confidence. [ More than she already has anyway. ] So it's best to be straight-forward with him. No cutesy doublespeak, no innuendo, just say what you mean.
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[He grimaces slightly, as though reflecting back on the conversation.
Which he is. Just not for any particularly benign reason.]
I told him I thought he was acting like he was under the influence of one of the Entities. His own, probably. A different one, possibly. He didn't take it well. No wonder, if he's been used like that before.
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[ She's still holding his hand. In her mind, it had all been a horrible misunderstanding. It's something that she doesn't know if it can be fixed or not. Kate wonders if it might be for the best if it's just left alone. She's not sure. ]
You didn't know him when we all first arrived. He was so different. It took him a long while to come out of his shell. Sometimes, he didn't think of himself as a person.
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[He even means it. Objectively, that sounds like an incredibly shitty thing to have gone through.
It just doesn't make him feel at all forgiving, or at all disinclined to shove Winter under the bus if the need - or opportunity - arises.
A threat is a threat.]
Might be best if I avoid catching his attention for a while. Until his temper's had a chance to cool, at least.
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[ She tilts her head up at him. There's a hint of something like adoration in her eyes. She appreciates that he's being understanding about this and she trusts him not to use the information she's given him against Winter. ]
Thank you for being so understanding about this. I dislike it that you two had to meet that way.
[ But she doesn't know how to fix it. How does she correct getting off on the wrong foot with Winter? It is probably best left behind them all. (Kate, no.) ]
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[He smiles a little bit wryly.]
Just haven't crossed paths much since. He isn't a regular fixture in Research.
[Which is definitely a relief.]
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Small mercies, I suppose.