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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2021 20:08:27 GMT -8
“The rule is! Always jacuzzi before the massage! One of the best pieces of advice I got from the Elders at temple. Turns out they did more than complain in the sauna, and actually had some pretty good self care tips.”
The fairest, in his finest pair of floral print shorts with towel in hand pranced up the stairs and tossed his towel on the chaise before dipping a foot into the jacuzzi, with a small ‘ooh’ and walked around the edge to the stairs entering. It was early as all heck at the Qua Baths and Spa at Ceasar’s Palace. A wonderful, venue and dead quiet when you got there at the crack of dawn and maybe bought out a few extra slots on the reservations to make sure you had some quiet time. Archie waded into the warm, bubbling delight. “Then it's massage, mani and pedi, all with a face wash. I don’t know about you - but afterwards I am getting my moustache tended too because these whiskers are going wild.”
Kai Rose
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 14, 2021 20:33:43 GMT -8
"I'll get my moustache tended to as well. Maybe a whole beard trim," the Polychromatic joked in reply as she descended into the baths, stroking her non-existent facial hair. She wore a black one-piece with interesting cutouts that tended to highlight her athleticism. As she entered, she let out a long, low sigh and found a jet to put her back against. The story about his Elders earned a smile. "One thing's for sure. Your Elders have the right idea. You a religious fellow, Archie?" He hadn't struck her as the type, but then, most people didn't wear their religion on their sleeves.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2021 23:26:43 GMT -8
He wouldn’t dare make a joke about her moustache. She could and may possibly kick his ass.
“Religion, up for debate. I know more Lost see it in a negative light. I can get it, and have my own fights with the matter. Either way, it's a community - a place I can talk in a way that people will understand me - completely differently if I need too.”
It was nice to know there was always a place to go where you could let loose in a familiar tongue. The downside he had found to know more than one tongue is that when you couldn’t use it it was disappointing.
“How about you? Any place of worship for you other than the gym?”
As he asked he slid through the water and sat on the bench, jet right up against his back.
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 15, 2021 12:43:42 GMT -8
It was a hot topic, and not one she usually felt inclined to engage in. "Religion is complicated... but anyone who has experienced what we have has no business suggesting there can't be a God. If there is a Divine Plan, though, I'm dying to know what the hell it is." She shrugged, water running off her shoulders into the bubbling pool. "The fact that there's a community, though. That's the key. A link to normalcy." Every Changeling had their Touchstones. If this was one of Archie's, then who was she to say he was wrong? "The gym's just work, part of the job."
She lifted her arms out of the pool, resting them on the edge.
"How are you settling in? Any new clients? Any new boss?"
To most Lost, the two most interesting things about any up-and-coming Lost with a Real Job and a Real Life were How Were They Doing and Who Were They Swearing To. People like Archie were real assets, with their shit together.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2021 12:51:43 GMT -8
“I am settling more than fine. More so I have just stopped being a wallflower of sorts and decided to do more than come and see how much free food I can get out of these parties, and do more than the most minor networking. There has been enough interest. There is no lack of ability in Vegas, and there are plenty of Lost looking to show what they got - it only gets better when they know that the one looking out for them understands just how far things can be taken without being a problem for the community.”
“Still joyfully self employed, don’t have any need to go looking for options when there is plenty of room to let offers roll in on their own.”
He raised a hand, rolling it in a circle.
“Speaking of which, I never did hear how you make ends meet? What would you say your regular line of work is again?”
He had a curiosity about the relatively unknown (to himself at least) Ms. Rose.
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 16, 2021 10:48:58 GMT -8
It sounded like his business was actually taking off. That was good. A busy Spring was a Spring that wasn't getting into underworld nonsense and tomfoolery. "I'm glad things are going well. With this crowd, I'm not surprised we've got folks who are wanting to get their name out there. The trick always seems to be safety and not drawing heat onto themselves by going too fast." You know. With superpowers. "Building it legitimately makes for lasting gains that can be counted on. In a community of folks who are largely transient, that mindset is often rare. The Wise have to live it, though, and sometimes we have to remind people of that truth. I'm glad that you are doing so as well."
How many people reached for their Crown too often and caught a bullet for doing it?
"I work construction. Day laborer. Reduces the amount of time I have to spend at the gym."
That last bit was led with an amused smirk.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2021 20:54:15 GMT -8
“Day laborer? Kidding me, right? Take up dance seriously, work half the time, make the same amount of money. You already have a reputation for all the crazy things you have done at the parties and festivals. Like a professional diver really - all the wow, none of the splash really. I mean, if you weren’t hunting for mundane comforts I wouldn’t be surprised if you caught the attention of the middle nobility sooner or later.”
He offered a shrug with the compliment about her ability to drum up attention.
“You sound like an architect more than a day laborer - so in the broadest sense what are you trying to build? I think there is more to Kai Rose than coming to parties, being generally upbeat and positive, and doing a triple back flip - so to speak.”
He was curious, the talent was there and there was too much going on behind those eyes for it to brutish. Seldom did people focus so much on themselves without wanting to get somewhere.
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 17, 2021 11:15:00 GMT -8
Kai muttered, "You're right, but... I don't want the public attention, Archie. I don't have ID yet." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully, as if to make a point about how bad that sort of attention would be. "I'm working on it, but I'd rather not have ICE up my ass." It didn't matter how badass you were. Uncle Sam was always harder eventually. She leaned forward a little, her head the only part of her that was out of the water as he asked what she was about. She raised her voice back to a normal level. "What do I want to build? An identity. A life. A world where things are safe and good for our people. Everyone has a different point of view on what that is, of course, but I like to think we'll all able to go in a roughly similar direction on that eventually."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2021 7:48:05 GMT -8
“ICE? You’re pulling my leg that you’d get the boot. Never would have guessed, but I mean what should I expect anymore right?”
A basic curiosity, Rose had not struck him as non-American but it wasn’t always something he thought about right away seeing as there were more Fairy level things to worry about. Or maybe she was bullshitting him, he didn’t know much about her at all. She was generally a wall with a smile, not that that was a bad thing.
“I mean, admirable. If it's not too sensitive - did you manage to take your life back? After everything that is.”
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 19, 2021 11:10:59 GMT -8
Kai shifted uncomfortably, her skin flashing a sickly green for a moment. She didn't feel like she needed to explain the xenophobia that ICE showed when they felt the need. "I'm American. But no. I haven't, which is the problem. She is out there somewhere, and I don't really know who or where. Sometime, I might look. I'm just trying to finish finding my feet in the here and now before I look to tomorrow." She lurked just above the waterline, her head like a shark's dorsal fin as she started to slowly pace in the hot tub. "There are holes, Archie. Things I don't remember, lots of them. For the moment, I aim for solid ground and do what we all must do at the start: pick up the job. Put the pieces together. Bend the knee to someone whose philosophy makes sense..." She flashed that smile, but the green was flowing into angrier reds and her Mantle flared, her stronger angry colors forcing his stage light back. "...and fight like hell so that all of us can keep it."
She paused a beat, smirking as she injected a little humor.
"This is the way."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2021 17:01:11 GMT -8
Archie knew, but resisted the fact that he had been extremely lucky with his own situation. It was always a tug at his heart string when he heard how others weren’t able to get what he had. He was never going to regret, change, or shun his advantages - but it was always the kernel that his experience felt somewhat less valid because it did not have the same salt in his wounds. “How much do you even remember? Do you know who you were or is it worse than that?”
He had heard of some pretty bad situations out of the hedge in idle minglings but nothing he had experienced himself. He attempts to tread delicately but appropriately, gauge her mood about it. Sometimes Lost just needed to talk about things, even if it was the most basic parts of their new life - so they knew others could understand without making it a suffering pageant. “Were weapons always part of your religion?”
Strong King - ArchieToday at 4:52 PM R&R How is Kai holding up with heavy talk? Cross Wits + Empathy @dicecord-CoD roll 6 and prove we're friends now. Dicecord-CoD BOT Today at 4:52 PM @strong King - Archie rolled 6 dice and got 2 successes. 9 2 5 6 9 5
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 20, 2021 16:06:15 GMT -8
"Not much. Most of us who have recently come back don't remember; even if they say they do, I don't buy it. Not really. It's just abstractions and feelings, not reality. Reflections of a human mind trying to piece together something it does not yet have the emotional language to process." Every single person she'd spoken to who was fresh out of the Hedge either was honest and admitted they didn't really know, or came up with some story to try to express the wisps of belief about what had happened to them.
Kai's limited reserve was up, but as Archie got the hang of it, her emotions could be read on her skin. She was feeling guarded, a relative stranger asking her some very complicated questions, but she wasn't angry or upset about it. Beneath the guard was a certain calm, like she was okay with the talk for the moment. His last question flashed her skin gold with genuine amusement.
"Weapons and armor are a part of my job, like a laptop, a martini and a dream are parts of yours," she said with a chuckle. Her relationship with anger wasn't Biblical. "We're here to keep us all safe, and at times, keep the world safe from us. It's good work. Necessary work. And so I choose the job. I don't have to. Some of us don't."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2021 19:45:50 GMT -8
She had so little, it was scary to have that emptiness. The fog for him had cleared away quick enough that he was able to put something into motion - after all the crying of course. He had to muse for a moment just how much she did or didn’t know, or would admit. He wouldn’t fault her for holding back, the lives of the Lost were their own, their previous ones more so and they were often right to be guarded about them. This wasn’t an interrogation so he left that where it lay.
“Alright, alright, you know what - it is nice to meet a conversational Rose - hah, pun - for once. So let me ask this first things about this, you can dish it out but you are also one heck of a party goer, and I don’t mean the having fun type - I can see the roots from some kind of hosting in there and I will be shocked if you haven’t been known to host a mixer or two. How do you reconcile the role of Ruby Court, and its place as bastion for those filled with anger, rage, frustration, etc.”
“Not all Summer is soldiers, and not all soldiers are summer. Do you think the court is too synonymous with its duty? And I am not trying to take shots here - I am curious, I swore to the Antler Crown, and if there is a court with a reputation, wowza.”
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Post by Kai Rose on Feb 21, 2021 23:32:32 GMT -8
"I've always been conversational, Archie. I just don't volunteer a lot of information about myself, and when other people decide they're going to have angst, all attention suddenly shifts onto them. It's easier to pop some corn and tune into the drama. Co-dependence multiplied by everyone wanting to be understanding multiplied by folks wanting to know that people care about them so they double down on Caring Really Hard... it makes for a room where certain people end up the constant center of attention." She sounded exhausted by it. "I get that people need support, and I offer it regularly, but imagine being a supernatural being who can't stop feeling their feelings during times when everyone's feelings are sprayed all over the public stage."
The question warranted an answer, however brief. "How do I reconcile liking to form a community with good partying with being part of a Court of war? It's easy. Freedom isn't free." She grinned at him. "What's the point of fighting if we don't bother to be a part of the home we want to return to when the battle is done?" Kai gestured at the spa, the water, the whole thing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2021 12:09:34 GMT -8
“Freedom isn’t free, country music song or not definitely has the air of truth around it - and I couldn’t call myself a member of our community without having a respect for the work of the Spear, possibly more than any Court in at least a vocational sense. But talking vocation, is there really a way to be angry and not be a soldier, or is this a reflection of our culture? I have yet to meet a Rose who couldn’t throw hands or something similar. Is it an expected fate that swearing to the Spear comes with the need to stand on the line?”
A curious question, but one that had at times bothered him. Courts had their stereotypes of course, the rank and file made abundantly clear, but there were times that the Spear largely felt like a job more than a loose affiliation. The moving parts were tighter, the purpose clearer, the implication open for interpretation.
“Are those who can’t fight better off finding a home elsewhere? Color me curious having felt the reach of expected duty myself - not myself, but I have known more than a few people who took up mandated arms in the name of the Homeland.”
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