hadriel_logs | i could make you care [OPEN]

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i could make you care [OPEN]

Who: Rey and You!
What: Over time, Rey is starting to let herself feel again since the Assassin event. But it's not without effort. Bring it on, fireflies.
Where: Various.
When: May 1st-10th.
Warnings: Language and potential assholery on Rey's part.

I. Home (Spire Two, 301)

It's been a few days. More than enough time, one would think, to allow oneself to start being human again. The problem is, Rey isn't human. Never has been and never will be, even when she had believed herself to be as such during her past lives she had lived as different women. Those memories, along with the hopes and dreams and aspirations of those women, have been inaccessible for quite some time now. It's just safer this way.

Rey doesn't sleep much, if at all on some days. Most of the time she spends her hours in her apartment, checking up on the fish long enough to feed its stupid face just so that she can leave all over again.

Whether you're there by chance or as a concerned individual, it makes no difference. When she opens the door to leave her apartment, she doesn't expect to bump into any familiar or strange faces, but she does anyway.

"Apologies," she says in the same monotone that's plagued her since she had locked her emotions away. It's become a problem.

II. Fireflies (May 3rd-7th)

The sudden appearance of the little insects (and the lack of lighting throughout the city) do not go unnoticed. Rey has seen such flies before during her various travels throughout the world, but something tells her early on that these are no normal bugs.

Before long, they become an obvious nuisance, oftentimes following her around while attempting to rest upon her shoulders or her head of short mahogany hair. Whether she's taking a reprieve at the park, on patrol, or heading to the bar, the damned things seem to have taken a particular interest in her. And it's no mystery as to why.

Despite their endeavors, the little bubble of happiness they're intended to rouse have no such effect on Rey. That would require allowing herself to feel delight, and she hasn't felt a damned thing after she had almost been manipulated into killing a girl. She can't let that happen again, or give their captors what they want. This includes locking away the good along with the bad.

So, no happiness for Rey. No matter how many little delightful fireflies land on her. From time to time, she can be found with at least twenty of them having perched on her, and she bearing the utmost visage of apathy imaginable. Occasionally she flicks one off an arm or her shoulder, sending an insect spinning through the air before flying away. Other times she just crushes one without any sense of pity or remorse. It's their fault for bothering her.

Perhaps she'll care eventually. Perhaps not. The poor things seem determined, though.

III. Wildcard

[ooc: Want to do something else with Rey for the first half of the month? Hit me up with whatever you desire or I can whip up a super special awesome starter just for you!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[following this]

Coffee seems to have worked for bribery in previous attempts, so Maketh feels confident about bringing it over this time - and ti mix it with whatever whiskey that Rey has managed to dig up.

It's a social visit. Maketh isn't quite sure how one goes about those. She shows up in uniform just in case, rapping on Rey's door with her usual efficiency.

Or would have. The door has seen better days.

Maketh knocks on the wall instead. "Rey?

It isn't until she hears the nearby knocking does it occur to Rey that she probably should have provided Maketh with the room number when she had invited her for coffee.

No matter, though. It's just a floor away, as Rey makes her way down the stairwell to find Maketh in front of her old apartment door. Or, well, what's left of it, anyway, thanks to Nick breaking it fairly recently.

"Apologies," she says as she approaches Maketh from behind. "It'd be better if we just go upstairs. It's more hospitable."

Since she still hasn't made the time to clean up the mess she had left in her own abode.

"Oh, I - all right."

Maketh doesn't ask what happened to the door. It's fairly obvious someone kicked it in. She can only guess at the circumstances, and it feels like the wrong thing to ask at the doorway. She adjusts her bag, touching it briefly to make sure the coffee is right where she left it. "Did you...move?"

Rey opens her mouth to say no, but hesitates because she really doesn't know the answer. The state of her apartment, while not totally demolished, isn't in such a wrecked condition that's made it uninhabitable.

"Um. Not sure yet," she says, reluctant, and somewhat devoid of the emotionless inflection she had carried since her last meeting with Maketh. She just turns to head up the stairs.

Maketh opens her mouth, but decides not to speak. There will be time for that later, if she can think of the proper words. She nods just once and follows Rey up the stairs.

Fortunately it isn't a long climb, as Rey only stops at the room just above her old place and opens the door. She leave it ajar for Maketh to enter and close on her own accord.

Maketh follows silently, wondering again what prompted the move and whether that occurred before or after the demise of the door. Perhaps she'll think of a tactful way to ask that once the coffee has been brewed. "You have whiskey, I assume?"

"Yes, no worries," Rey simply says as she reaches into one of the kitchenette counters to extract a bottle.

Among the few things that needed to be transferred to Nick's place, it was not forgotten.

"All right."

Maketh sets her bag down on the counter, then begins setting out ingredients. It's a simple recipe, all things considered - and often made just by dumping a shake of something strong into a cup of already steaming coffee. But there's a proper way to do it as well, and that's what Maketh intends to follow.

First, brew the coffee.

"I'm not a good cook," Maketh admits. "But this I can do. A friend taught me."

She shrugs. "That's fine. Am not much of a cook, either."

Rey heads towards the table, not much different from the one in her old apartment. She decides to leave the bottle of whiskey on the counter for Maketh to do whatever she pleases with it.

"Will leave you to it, then."

"It won't take long," Maketh reassures her. And it really is a simple thing. While the coffee is brewing, add sugar to the bottom of the mugs. Then mix with whiskey. It would be better with good cream, but that's a detail. Maketh busies herself with the coffee maker. Thankfully they're almost identical apartment to apartment. "How...how have you been, Rey?"

It's good. Rey is in no rush, and she doesn't have any concerns of any backlash in the event that the apartment's owner arrives. She doubts that he would mind all that much.

At Maketh's question, Rey just waves a hand. "Am, debatably, doing better since our previous encounter. Well, according to some people, perhaps."

Eh.

Maketh hesitates, lining the mugs up in a neat row. "Some people?"

That's an interesting way to phrase it.

"Perhaps not 'some people' so much as... Nick. This is his place, by the way."

Though Rey just assumes that some people would agree with recent developments.

"It is?" Maketh glances about the kitchen, wondering if she'll see some hint of Nick's personality squirreled away. Not that he's been anything but straightforward so far, but she's still curious. "I didn't know you were...friends?"

Rey rubs her forehead, tapping the tabletop with her other hand. "Mm... Suppose that's what we are."

Friends seem like the sort of people who would give enough of a shit to break down your door when they think you're in trouble. And also not resent you for being a bitch, even when they were treating you with kindness the whole while.

Yes, that's the stuff that friendship is made of. Right?

"It can be hard to know," Maketh says softly, turning back to the coffee maker when it dings. "I don't think I had friends before I came here. Just allies. It's strange to realize that."

For someone who had once believed not to have any friends, the number of people that Rey gives a damn about is alarming. She can probably count the actual friends she had before coming here on one hand (give or take a few missing fingers, though) -- which is more than what Maketh seems to have had. Which is sad.

It makes her penchant for reckless action a little more difficult, knowing that her actions are perhaps hurting someone, just as they had in light of recent events.

"Wouldn't necessarily say that it's hard, but it is... confusing." She sighs, leaning back in the chair.

"I find it hard," Maketh admits, though her voice isn't sad. More curious at the changes she's undergone since coming here. Everything is so different and none of the old rules apply. Or at least not the ones she had believed were important. She mixes the whiskey in with the sugar, shaking the mugs until everything is well mixed. "Perhaps it will be easier in time."

"They do say that time helps, yes."

Or heals wounds or some shit like that. It's done a number on her, that much is for certain.

Rey squares her shoulders, folding her hands over her lap as Maketh works on finishing their drinks. And she waits, her gaze trained on the wall in front of her.

Or something.

Maketh pours the coffee slowly, careful to get just the right amount. Not too much, not too little, and just enough room for cream. She found some of the real stuff in Delight's bar not long ago - not the powdered stuff, but actual cream. "All right. Ready now."

Two Irish coffees, coming up.

Rey is silent as Maketh delivers the drinks, before holding out a hand to offer to relieve her of one of the mugs.

"Thank you," is what she does say after a moment of terse quiet. "Have never tried whiskey in coffee before."

In case she hadn't said so already, which she may have. It isn't that the combo had never occurred to her; she'd known plenty of people to do this with their drinks. She just hadn't been much of a drinker before, what with lacking in the sense to actually enjoy it.

"You can add other things as well," Maketh says. "Spices, different milk. My friend -- he would add an entire chocolate bar, let it melt in the coffee."

Itani's brother had been kind to her. And unlike the others, Maketh knew exactly what had happened to him. She'd seen the holo-recording of his execution.

Maketh shakes her head and drinks. It goes down easily. "Do you like it?"

She would be lying if Rey claimed that those things didn't sound appealing. While she has an affinity for bitterness, she has developed a certain sweet tooth as well.

"This will be fine, for now."

There is always room to change her mind.

Rey pauses, starting out with a small sip of her coffee and quickly differentiating the varied taste from the regular kind, with the slight pleasant burn from the alcohol. She blinks, and takes a longer drink this time.

"It's good," she says afterwards. "Really, good."

Maketh brightens, ducking her head. "Good! I haven't made it in a long time."

It's simple, but she wants to get it right.

Irish Coffee Time!

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