matermali | eb }{ inbox

So I don't know where a place is that sells cannabis, but I can probably find one? I have a thing where if I've smelled something before... I can usually find it. ( She wrinkles her nose, because that sounds weird saying that out loud but it's the whole three-headed-dog-monster thing. ) Want me to look?

I admit I have some reservation about sending you into the streets for such a trivial errand. I would not want to create trouble for you. Though...I have not attempted to look in Eidris, yet.

Honestly, I would have thought that scent would lead me to the correct stall, but I suppose it is a reminder that I am all-too human. [ No, don't you dare.. Let her pretend! If she can die from tripping on a curb, then she's human enough. ] The scent of opiates is quite over-powering near certain areas. It would not be so for you?

I'm on the streets a lot as it is. Eidris doesn't have the creepy surveillance like Minaras does. Mostly people go to markets or spend time with the dragons. I bet the markets will have something.

( YEP. Red's just gonna bite her lip at that and not say anything. Because what can she say? She still doesn't know entirely what she sensed from Vanessa only it was- it was overwhelming. Not human though. ) Honestly, the way all scents are for me would probably be over powering for most people. I've learned how to... adjust to it all and really focus on just one over the others. Or maybe not learned? It's part of me. Whatever.

I am no stranger to feeling as though I am being watched, but even here it is...different. Unknown.

[ Not that she wasn't exhausted back home. Perhaps it's just the fact that she has yet to really have a break from it. She is exhausted, though the strain in her voice is subtle. ]

What I wouldn't give to freely wander a market without the chilled tickle on the back of my neck from unwelcome eyes which peer from unseen vantages. I envy you. Though, I do not envy the overwhelming of such a sense, no matter how keenly you have honed it. Are you certain you don't mind?

( Red can guess what she means about being no-stranger to being watched especially after their last conversation, but it does seem different in Minaras. No gods or god-like beings, but other forms of surveillance.

She's grateful she ended up in Eidris instead even if the dragons dislike her. Generally, she can avoid them. )

Yeah, wish you guys could catch a break from all the being watched. But nah, I don't mind. I'm used to it. Honestly, it'd probably weird me out if I ever lost that... ( It helps her feel more aware of her surroundings. ) How much did you want?

[ Whether or not she is willing to admit as much outright, it's very clear from the conversation they shared the night before last, that Vanessa is not faring well in Minaras. Fei's been curious about the city, but never enough to venture over, aware that it would require a fair bit of maneuvering on her part. The frantic look on her friend's face was all the motivation Fei needed to put in the effort and sneak through at sunrise.

Not the best with direction, it takes her some time (and at least one window looked in she shouldn't have) to find Vanessa's rooftop before she can scale her way to the bedroom's window and tap on the glass with the hilt of her sword, watching the sky while she waits. ]

[ When she hears the tap on her window, Vanessa isn't so startled this time, though it seems different from the clack of a pebble. She's already dressed, of course, having been in the habit of readying herself before those strange pocket watches trill their alarms at six o'clock. She is still at her desk, though, penning a letter, when the tapping on her window steals her attention.

Expecting the Doctor again with such an entrance, Vanessa stands, only to jump a little when she turns to see a figure directly at her window. Learning that she may never become accustomed to how her companions like to drop in, Vanessa tilts her head in curiosity as she squints and moves closer.

When she sees who it is, she hurries to pull the window open, remaining to the side so that she won't block the other woman's entrance. Why...does nobody use her door? Does the droid put them off so much? It would have no problem with a woman visiting her, but then this may be normal for Fei. There's a lot that Vanessa doesn't know about her. ]

Miss Zhou? Please, come in before you fall. Are you all right?

[ Having forced herself to put aside her ramblings from the other night, her first thought is that something must be wrong with Fei, or perhaps her beloved. Is it Red? ]

[ That, too, she can understand. While Vanessa may call herself cursed at times, she also can't imagine living without her spiritual gifts. She isn't so sure she could ever be happy in a normal life, though that makes her even sadder.

Which is exactly something this shopping trip is meant to help. She will have to ready a gift (as well as payment) for Red's endeavors. ]

I suppose that will depend on what they charge, if you should locate some. I would only get a small amount for now, until we can be certain of its quality. No more than a few grams? I will certainly compensate you.

Fall? [ Fei asks dubiously on her way through the window. ] The silly dangers of this stinky realm do not concern me.

[ They probably should, the dragons, the monsters, the dead - but Fei has made her way by being fearless, even when she doesn't really feel that way, and like an old familiar sweater slipping into that habit in these strange surroundings was a very easy thing to do.

Once she's through Fei straightens up, letting her fist meet her cupped palm so that she can bow, and greet Vanessa properly, the frown on her face deepening when her friend asks if she's alright. ]

You are the one who isn't alright Lady, I have come to help you out of danger, and take you back to Eidris if you require rescue.

[ There's always the chance she's being held hostage in this big house, or the city at large. Vanessa looked far too harried to not be in peril, as far as Fei was concerned. ]

Cool. I'll check out the situation. I have some gold, but yeah, I'd appreciate that. ( and she'll use a bit of that gold to buy herself some of it, because damn, she could use it. she wonders if any of her housemates would be down to get high too. hrm. )

I feel like a drug dealer, which is way cooler than a hall monitor. ( .....ahem. ) On my way now.

[ It was an exciting evening, but not in the good sense. Jim spent most of it fussing over Finn, worried about his injuries, blood loss and his overall weakness and dehydration, and ended up passing out from sheer exhaustion at some point.

The one good thing about it was that they both managed to get some good sleep. Finn is looking much better now, and Jim is careful not to wake him up as he climbs out of bed to go to the kitchen, in hopes of finding them something for their breakfast.

He's looking through one of the cupboards for mugs when he hears someone approaching, and he speaks up before looking over (or noticing that the steps are those of someone wearing actual shoes, so probably not Finn). ]

You should have stayed in bed.

[ That's when he glances over, pausing in a moment's surprise. ]

Oh. Sorry— Vanessa, right?

[ While Vanessa is so often occupied with courtesies in public spaces, she often feels more welcome to set those aside in the privacy of her own home...even if this isn't really 'home'. Fei's own manners, at once both foreign and familiar, only remind her that she's never really invited her in before. Have they both been so occupied since the citadel had split them up? ]

Really, Miss Ives will suit. You needn't bow. [ She wasn't even 'Lady Vanessa' in London, and despite posing as a well off heiress here, she isn't about to parade such falsities with friends. They may not be especially close, yet, but she likes Fei too much to enforce distance at all times. ] Just Vanessa, in private company, if you like. You are in my private chambers, after all.

[ She'll motion for the nearby sofa against the wall, not wanting to keep Fei on her feet after such a climb. How was she able to do that? Vanessa hasn't ever met anyone quite so adept at scaling walls. Not anyone human, at any rate. ]

My humors must have been disturbed the other night, likely from poor sleep. Doubtless it is that I am homesick, and nothing more. I gather that Eidris would not soothe such an ailment.

[ It's far more than being homesick, but that seems to simplest excuse. It's something that any of them can relate to. ]

Would you like tea? I will request some.

[ Understanding that Red means in a very illegal sense, as opposed to the drugs a doctor might deal, Vanessa feels a twinge of guilt. Not for her own sake, but for Red's. Perhaps the girlish form she carries has some effect on Vanessa after all. ]

Please don't engage in anything that might put you under any suspicions...or in danger. It certainly is not so necessary to me that I would trade your company for that of any drug. Next to your safety, the desire is petty.

[ Even if they haven't spent much company together since splitting up. She still worries from afar, but must trust that Red will know how to handle herself in any scenario. ]

I wish you luck.

...that's... uhm, that's very sweet.

( And Red's not entirely used to that at all, but it's this group and how they react to each other and how they react to her. Vanessa knows though - she has felt the monster inside of her, and still she acts concerned. )

But uh, unnecessary, it's not illegal here, and I found some.

I can swing by. I wanted to visit Minaras.

[ Whether the drugs are illegal or not, Vanessa has to assume that illicit activity will always lurk in the alleyways around such shops. If a doctor isn't prescribing it, then the lack of regulation invites trouble.

It seems she had nothing to worry about, after all. ]

So swift! I ought to have sought out your skills long ago.

[ Of course, she hadn't even thought to ask until Red offered, but she still feels foolish for not having been as successful in the hunt.

The address is written out. Though it's an apartment, it takes up the entire top floor, so shouldn't be hard to find once the building's located. ]

Yes, of course. You are always welcome. [ Even if her neighbors may not agree. ]

Edited 2022-09-24 20:04 (UTC)

[ Where she usually has a lighter step, this morning her concern for Finn has left Vanessa feeling unlike herself. It may be hard to tell, given the perfection she insists upon her clothes and pinned-back hair, but her smile is thin and her eyes feel strained. That doesn't make her gaze any less keen; perhaps the concerning state Finn brought himself home in has only sharpened her observations, if anything. His 'friend' seemed to have everything under control despite the chaos of their entrance last night, although Vanessa still hasn't slept well.

The droid is already moving past her to begin its work in the kitchen. Seeing Jim looking through the cabinets, the droid waves it's arms a bit and rushes over to begin brewing coffee. Ignoring it for the moment, Vanessa keeps her gaze on the houseguest and nods. ]

Yes. Vanessa Ives.

[ 'Miss Ives' would be proper were they still in London, but he isn't the first to use her Christian name so casually, and she is hardly the type to be offended by it. Over-familiarity seems common in their group of outsiders, so she takes it in stride. ]

And you would be...Mr. Kirk?

[ She knows next to nothing about him, so she can only hope she's using the correct title. Having already heard the name 'Jim', she can make the connection to the James Kirk that the Merchant mentioned when naming everyone during her arrival.

She wants to ask about Finn, how he's doing, does he need anything, what exactly happened...but. She must remember her manners, first. She can gauge by Jim's behavior that Finn isn't in a state of emergency at the moment. ]

[ ooc; i thought i had responded to this before now, i'm so sorry! my brain is in the twilight zone. ]

( Red can honestly... find Vanessa without an address, which is obviously weird, which is why she asked for the address. So she doesn't have to admit that she can find anything/anyone that she has... gotten a 'scent' of before. God, it's a Cerberus thing that's tied into the body she currently inhabits.

And it's-

Yeah.

She gathers the bag together, following that feeling, heading in that direction. Until she's found her home, and she knocks on the outside-

She's smelling blood too, which is. Yeah. Worrying. )

[ It isn't until Vanessa opens the door with a polite smile that she realizes that her blood totem may impede Red's entry. Would it? She's curious. Do those from Hades truly count as demonic, or dark? Perhaps not.

She steps aside to let the lovely creature in, watching with a curious fascination to see if it gives her any trouble. Vanessa should warn her, but it isn't as if it would cause pain if it did restrain her. Truly, she hopes there is no impediment, but there's a simple fix if so.

Hades is not the same as Satan, she reminds herself. It should be fine. ]

I am so pleased to see you. Please, come in. I warn you, there is a ward against certain beings. I don't know if it will affect you.

( Red steps forward into the home - she feels something weird, something that makes her feel strange, nauseous. She stops abruptly before going any further in at the moment.

Her expression twists into something like confusion. )

It's not really stopping me.

But I can... feel it. You're doing this to protect yourself?

( That makes sense. After what Red feels from her aura, Vanessa needs to be careful. )

[ Her fingertips touch her chin while she watches, sensing the discomfort and feeling a flicker of guilt at being the cause, even if there was no helping it. It seems that Red's status is more complicated than she had given it credit for. ]

A habit borrowed from home. Should those who seek me find their way to Serthica, I cannot be too cautious.

[ Ignoring the delivery for the moment, Vanessa moves to her side to better glance her posture over. Analytical in a sense, but not without compassion. ]

Does it cause any pain? I can make it easier for you, if you require.

Yeah. Important to be careful about it. It's good you warded this place like you did.

... I'm sure I'm not the first person who-

( She gestures toward the wards and then makes a face. She shakes her head, looking up at Vanessa. )

Mostly just makes me feel nauseous?

You are the first to show discomfort and still make your way through the entry.

[ Not wanting to worry Red, she refrains from mentioning that her ward has already had prior conflict with a demon. She doesn't want to imagine that he could also just make his way through, and only suffer nausea.

Red is hardly a thing of evil, though. She doesn't deserve even that much discomfort, especially not at the hands of Vanessa. ]

Hold, then. That won't do.

[ Joan would not be pleased with which Vanessa continues to permit in demons and similar creatures, but this world is too unfamiliar to play by the same old rules. Even the Cut-Wife of Balantree Moore would have to make concessions, though...something like nausea would not have moved that woman's heart. Vanessa had loved her for that hardness in her heart.

The small knife is out of her pocket and flipped open swiftly, and she makes a small cut on her thumb. It may be difficult for a normal person to see the small scars already on the fingertip before blood beads at the tiny cut, but Red is hardly normal.

Vanessa hesitates before reaching for her forehead, though. She isn't nearly as callous as Joan was, and it is best to ask permission before grabbing hold of someone. ]

May I touch you? You can clean off the blood as soon as I speak the words. It should ease any discomfort.

...so there was someone else?

( Red notes the wording there, because it makes it clear others have shown their discomfort. They just maybe haven't made their way past the point of entry. They were probably more demonic than her - whoever got stuck at the start. It's not like there's any real demon in here.

Just the complication of the Underworld.

She lifts her gaze as the knife comes out, as she makes that cut - Red can feel the power on the blood that spills. She takes a step back, guards herself, and then- )

Yeah. Sure.

You can go ahead. ( Especially if it will ease the nausea twisting in her gut, she- she needs that. )

[ Foolish of Vanessa to underestimate Red's perceptive nature. She smiles thinly in response, acknowledging her understanding but not elaborating further. Vanessa would hate to admit that she let a devil into her home. She doesn't want to look as unwise as it made her feel.

With Red's permission, Vanessa gently draws a cross upon the girl's forehead. The incantation is different, and even if Red may not be a Daywalker in actuality, Vanessa does not consider her a demon of the night, either. It should work well enough on her. If anything, Vanessa is christening her as a Daywalker. In this human form, is Red so different from a witch? A witch still discovering her own powers.

The words are whispered, but the harshness still congeals the air. True darkness looms in them, despite the incantation expelling the very evil the words seem to be mired in. They come from deep in the throat, the chest, the soul, as if spoken by something entirely inhuman. There's a flicker in her eyes as she speaks, barely controlled, but controlled it is. ]

Etsoo Sataan sha’am tu pemoder mendafa’. Etsoon moqaf yerkhomi lakwe em heraa zahomblar.

[ The pressure should immediately lighten once she stops and lowers her hand, head tilting while waiting for confirmation that Red no longer suffers from any ill will. ]

Better?

[ He did know Finn was sharing a place with Vanessa, so it's not like it's a surprise to find her here. Not as much as the other way around, he's sure. He does feel a little bad for the noise they've probably made the night before, even though he's not sure if she was in the house or not. She must have been though, he's sure he'd have heard her come in halfway through the night, light sleeper that he is.

He steps aside as soon as the droid takes up the breakfast duties, shooting an eyebrow up at it before turning his attention back to Vanessa. Taking a few steps closer to her, he offers a hand for a shake. ]

James Kirk, that's me. Jim will do just fine, though. [ He smiles apologetically. ] I hope we didn't make too much noise last night?

(( ooc: don't worry, it's okay! ))

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