|
|
Post by Lucas Chevalier on Aug 30, 2021 4:33:54 GMT -8
Whenever Lucas went to the laundromat that was around a 10-15 minute drive from his place, he tried to keep a low profile. Whenever locals laid eyes on him, they either wanted money from him, they wanted to make money from him, or the more bold types would ask him if he wanted to go back to their apartment to "pass the time" while he waited for his laundry to be done. He would wear baggy clothes, with a baseball cap, sunglasses, and let his facial hair grow out into untamed scruff. Truth be told, he enjoyed a more low key look. Having to dress up for the various social events he went to for networking reasons was exhausting.
Then again, he felt exhausted in general these days. He felt like he was running on fumes and if he didn't find more recharge outlets he ran the risk of crashing and burning. Staring into the washing machine wasn't helping him recharge either. As he watched the laundry spin round and round, his mind was struck by several flash backs from the rite he performed with Golden Boy. The longer he stared into the laundry machine, the more disconnected he became from his surroundings. It wasn't too long before he felt like he was back in the darkness, clutched in Golden Boy's claws, covered in blood, and trying to keep a hold on Riley's hand. Except one the spinning started the two of them were torn apart and reality collapsed around them.
"Shit!"
He swore after his hand squeezed the cup of coffee he was holding out of a stress respond and the thankfully lukewarm beverage spilled all over his hands and partially on his pants. He sighed loudly. It would be his luck to get his clean clothes dirty while he was in the middle of cleaning his dirty clothes. A couple of people looked over at him but otherwise they didn't make eye contact with him and they went right back to staring at their phones, preferring to keep to themselves.
The Fairest mumbled a couple of times before shuffling over to where some of the cleaning supplies were kept and he grabbed a handful of paper towels.
|
|
Nott
.
Presence 2 (Animated)
Posts: 25
|
Post by Nott on Aug 31, 2021 14:38:35 GMT -8
Laundry day happened every nine days, give or take. It couldn't always be the same day or the same increment between days, because people might start to notice her. Or expect her. Or, even worse, start to get comfortable with seeing her face and be familiar. Nott loved a good weird conversation, but doing laundry was a Home activity that she only did outside of it due to necessity; the accidental intimacy of doing a domestic task in front of strangers was grating. Ideally everyone would pick the machines furthest from each other and sit in front of them, politely ignoring each other. But some folks never passed up a chance to people watch and she knew it was a losing fight. Especially as her motorcycle's engine drew eyes before she killed it out front.
Her eyes burned a constellation into the air, each stranger's face a point as she scoped out the room. Crossing toward the back corner, she moved past a dishveled man with a handful of paper towels and felt the twist of his mantle before spotting the fog. There was almost a sweetness to the familiarity of the emotion, nostalgia but with a bit of the veneer rubbed off. This wasn't her house, but it could be Winter's house for an evening.
Waiting what felt like an appropriate span of seconds after he returned to his seat, she dropped her bags into a seat one away from his and jerked her head up at the a machine. "This one's my favorite. You mind?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 1, 2021 23:15:01 GMT -8
Despite his best efforts there was going to be a last stain on his pants. Oh well, at least they were old jogging pants and they weren't anything he would wear on his various social escapes.
As he returned to his seat he noticed a flare of magic that was similar to his own. His gaze drifted towards the other Winter courtier. After a brief appraisal he came to the conclusion that this wasn't anyone he had worked with in the past.
"It's all yours. "
The Fairest responded with a welcoming smile as he sat back down in his seat.
"I like the machines on this side of the building better than the other side. I once lost $3 in quarters to the one in the middle which sucked because the main reason I save my change is for laundry. If I'm out of quarters it can make for an uncomfortable week. " He added with an amused grin on his face and a small chuckle.
|
|
Nott
.
Presence 2 (Animated)
Posts: 25
|
Post by Nott on Sept 2, 2021 20:18:08 GMT -8
Caring not at all for the specifics of the machines, Nott collected his words and chose to distill that he was also, perhaps, a regular. As she listened, she also got a better look at him. He was good looking, at least it seemed like he was- it was hard to tell beyond the sunglasses, ill-fitting clothes and scruffy facial hair. It felt like he smiled like someone who was attractive, whatever that meant.
"3 dollars?" she repeated with faux-incedulity, a laugh creeping in at the end. "I'd've chained myself to the soap dispender- what do they think we are, made of money?" Opening one of her bags, she shook the contents into a machine. "I have to appreciate that the laundromat refuses to update. No tap, swipe, whatever. Just good old fashioned quarters; and if you want to bad enough, you can get your money back! Not that I would condone such a thing, I am a very law abiding citizen, but I think a business should always have the option to be robbed." Soap, setting, button pushed.
First load started, she dropped into the seat her bag had been in. "I'm Olive, nice to meet you. If you've got dryer advice I'm all ears."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 3, 2021 4:46:40 GMT -8
"Right? Tracking down quarters in this day and age is no joke. Mind you, I wouldn't chain myself to any of these machines. I've seen what some of the regulars get like here when they are in a rush and they would probably shove you and me inside of the machine to get it going."
He snickered at the mental image. Every city had it's own flavor of local folks with their own unique quirks, communication patterns, and temperaments. Truth be told, the crowd here was relatively tame compared to the crowds he had come across in sketchier sides of Detroit. Then again, not too many cities could compete with a city that was regularly in the top 3 list for cities within the country with the highest murder rates. Add in that it had been a Winter stronghold for years and well...ghosts were at times preferable company to the living.
"Nice to meet you as well, I'm Lucas." He hummed softly while scanning the different dryers in the area before thumbing towards one near the back.
"I would avoid that one as well, at least if you like to do your laundry late at night. Since it's in the corner, folks seem to think it's more "discrete" and all kinds of strange things happen there." The merriment from his chuckle caused his face to light up despite the sunglasses and scruff.
"Even though we run in similar circles outside of laundromats, I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you newish to the area or prefer a more lowkey approach to all of the various community events that go on?"
The Fairest recognized that his depression caused his memory to get muddled at times. It was entirely possible the two of them had been at the same season coronations but he just couldn't remember it or he had been zoned out for a variety of different reasons.
|
|
Nott
.
Presence 2 (Animated)
Posts: 25
|
Post by Nott on Sept 15, 2021 20:01:49 GMT -8
She pursed her lips and nodded but didn't look back at the dryer he indicated- almost like looking at it would invite something untoward to happen. "Got it. Yea, I've been in the neighborhood for a minute or so but making sure I got my feet under me before I start dancing, if you know what I mean." Nott's hands moved in front of her like feet slipping on ice to illustrate the point. "I think I'm mostly settled in now. Gonna take a bit to really get used to this heat, though."
"What about yourself? Sounds like you've been around long enough to know a couple of tips and tricks." An elbow hooked over the back of her seat, she leveled her burning gaze at him but with her chin lifted, a hint of a smile in the lines around her mouth. Interested, instead of challenging.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucas Chevalier on Sept 26, 2021 12:35:12 GMT -8
"I've been here for around two years now. Sometimes it feels like I just moved here the other day. Sometimes it feels like I've been here for a life time. "
The Fairest surveyed the room to get a sense of how much privacy they had. A couple of people had left since they started talking although there were still a 3 or so other customers chilling on their phones or reading a book.
"I like it here better than the Strip. It's so loud over there, you know? Not just the lights. The whole atmosphere. Plus, we have all the delicious, cheap eats this way. " He added with a grin.
"The five dollar wings with a shot of Jack at Ellis Island is my go to on Wednesdays. "
|
|
