July 2017
((OOC note: This takes place as Senka and Phoenix have begun dating, and Takara is studiously avoiding both of them at all costs. Aiko, the wounded warrior referenced in Company, is living with them now, and Takara has reached out to Eri Maeda and Mist Gul regarding his condition))
Senka had a habit of losing track of time and being late. She didn't mean to, but it happened. Thankfully she hadn't specified what time she would be over, just "soon." Soon ended up being about an hour and ten minutes later. She had to order the food, get a bag ready for overnight and then got herself ready. Things were still new, and she was pretty sure during that phase you were supposed to try and look really great all of the time. Nix had seen her probably at her worst already, but she could try to erase that mental image from his mind and replace it with something nicer.
Once she realized how much time she had spent getting ready and that the food bag and night bag would weigh her down, she decided to grab a cab.
The overnight bag was slung over her body and the Chinese food held in one hand, she knocked on the door.
It was easy to have his room clean because it already was. Having swapped rooms with Senka, everything had been cleaned and moved and so that part of life didn't need to be worried about. That left him making sure he didn't look like crap, and though he liked his kinda lame catch-phrase and joke t-shirts, it wasn't exactly what you wore when you were trying to impress.
The best he had was a black button up, short sleeve shirt and some jeans. The button up wasn't too formal because of the sleeves, and it was patterned with a semi-military look because of the buttoned tabs at the shoulders and the way it fit. His hair was getting too long, but a little gel and some combing and the messy look seemed purposeful.
Against the usual, he was ready when she knocked on the door and hurried over, in socked feet, to open it up, "Heyyyy."
The master bedroom had become home to three, sometimes four people: the wounded Lion himself, his two caregivers, and more often than not when she was actually here, Tsuru. It was its own little isolated world, seemingly separated from the rest of the house.
The door rarely opened except to admit or discharge one of them, to bring in food or new medications. Sometimes there was the gentle hum of calm conversation, sometimes urgent pleas for calm. Every once in awhile - particularly in the early mornings - there would be an outburst from the frightened Lion, confused and fearful in this alien place.
Just now, all was silent. He was asleep or perhaps under sedation, the two caregivers had taken the opportunity to rest themselves, or read. Takara was not among them.
"Hi." There was an awkward lull because Senka wasn't really sure how these things went. Steps forward had been made but did that mean you started greeting one another with sloppy kisses, a hug maybe? She wasn't sure.
One hand smoothed down the summer dress she wore. It was the colors of ripe peaches. She leaned forward and placed a quick kiss to his cheek and then handed over the food while stepping inside.
"So is Tsoo home? Senka v'want to see she." There was Senka, getting right to the point and probably perplexing Nix on who she was really there to see.
"Come in," he smiled when she kissed his cheek. Nix figured they were at kissing hello, considering the dates that had turned into sleepovers. His shoulders rolled back and he glanced at the master bedroom door and then looked at her, "So... Aiko's in there and I wouldn't... knock or say hey. Tsuru may be there or not, hard to tell, but it's kinda quiet right now so I wouldn't think so."
He motioned for her to come with him, stepped backwards to where the open kitchen was. Everything about it was lined up against one wall that had a window that faced out into a backyard kept neat because the needles from the pine trees kept any grass from growing. Popping up in the shade of the trees were ferns that looked like puffs of green.
"How's it going?" He opened up the cabinet to pull out some plates. It seemed a little more civilized to eat the food on plates instead of straight from the box. He didn't think Tsuru would be joining them, but he got the idea that Senka was hoping for it. He'd go along with that hope, no problem.
"Ay-Ko." She repeated. There was a hint of questioning in her tone. She felt like she should know who that was but truthfully she couldn't recall. It was hard to keep up with who was coming and going. Not that it was really anything Senka needed to know, not unless they wanted her to.
Regardless she nodded. She couldn't imagine Tsoo being alone with a man. Not in the way Senka had been alone with Nix recently. She figured it must be one of their leaders or someone to do with the war. Another thing she still struggled to understand and felt rather stupid about whenever talk of plotting and planning came up. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the night she suggested they use hookers to distract the enemies and the look that had received. Namely from Nix. A tangle of anxiety and embarrassment seemed to be spreading through her stomach and made her feel queasy.
She followed Nix to the kitchen but glanced towards the shut door. Nix had said he wouldn't go in there or say hi. But...
"Yous don' even know if she dere? V'where she be if not here? Don yous like keep up wis she?" Her head tilted in confusion. She never quite understood the relationship between Nix and Tsoo or what exactly he was to her. Or wasn't.
"Senka- is fine." Itchy. In pain. Aching all over. But she didn't voice it. There was nothing anyone could do to help her. Not yet.
"Well, she's not really my responsibility anymore. She knows her way around and now she's in charge of Aiko. The most I do for her is help the other caregivers get up to speed and get like, groceries or whatever. Communicate back to the home world." Nix was not a soldier or an important figure for the war. At best he was a guy that facilitated, which was exactly what he was doing.
Once she set the bag down, he began opening the Meng boxes and dishing out the food onto the plates, "She's just been really busy and worried, you know? If she's not here she could be securing supplies, I dunno. I guess she probably likes having a minute to herself." Maybe she folded her cranes somewhere in quiet solitude to keep it all together.
"I thought you two went out and did girls night and cut loose every now and then?" He recalled Beltane and the dress she had come home in, which he would have appreciated more on any other woman than her at the time. He felt less... obligated to be careful around her, except that she was still Tsuru.
"Booot, she's yous frend, no?" She recalled Tsoo saying they were not really friends, but Senka hadn't really believed it at the time. She just figured the way Nix and Tsoo got along was like two siblings who annoyed the crap out of one another but were also protective of one another. Maybe she didn't know that much about them after all.
"I's hasn't seen her since- since v'we, Senka an' Nix kiss at de Inn. Dat v'was on de sird of de mons." The 3rd of the month.
"She v'was gone, not ansv'werin' tests, not show up for de plans v'we have. She jes not v'really talkin' to Senka. I's dunno v'where she head at, jes v'what yous tell Senka an' dat she have so mush on she plate." She looked down to the plates he was dishing up but she didn't feel that hungry.
"If she not talkin' to Senka or Nix den she's holdin' it all in. She's gonna crack yous know." Senka could speak from experience, although she was pretty good at hiding the things she was dealing with. She was so honest and straightforward, yet there was so much she refused to let surface. She knew it was only a matter of time before it all caught up to her.
"Yous v'really don' listen to she? Jes let she like- mmm- do de ventin'?" She was staring at him with a hint of irritation.
"She should have been more den yous v'responsibility Nix. Nobody v'want to jes be like sumbody problem to deal wis. She's all alone here wis nobody. Dis is like- like de culture shockin." Her tone wasn't harsh, but she was a little shocked by how she was now seeing Nix and Tsoo's relationship.
"Girls need people to vent to. V'we jes v'want sumbody to leesen. V'we don' v'want yous to fix sings, v'we jes need an' ear. Senka is like- stupid wis de v'war stoff. She probably don' sink she can talk to Senka abouts it. An' yous- " She made a pffft-ing sound. "Mens."
"Yeah, I mean, we're friends but we don't like... uh," they didn't really text each other or hang out. Or... well, were they friends? He had always sorta thought that they were because he liked her okay, could have liked her more than okay, and they had lived together. They were also united by a common cause, which was hard for him to find in anyone.
Phoenix paused when Senka pointed out the white elephant in the room. It was the sort of elephant that could end a new relationship, and maybe that's why he was avoiding it. Was she silent and withdrawn now because of him and Senka? What was it Senka had said? Chicks before ****?
"She does have a whole lot on her plate. That's totally true. I mean, Aiko isn't right in the head so... yeah, that guy is a handful and I think she kinda knew him growing up. The war is like... different for her than it is for me. I left when I was a kid, but these are all people she grew up with and knew, you know?"
"She doesn't vent to me, that's not like how it is with us." Nix shrugged a little and then opened a drawer, drawing out two forks. One was put on the plate of random stuff he put together for her and the other rotated in his hand. He turned, leaning back against the kitchen counter as he took a bite out what she'd brought. It was good, and he would have said as much if Senka didn't look so distressed and like she might think his tangent was a sign of not caring.
After he swallowed a bite of the food he sighed when he looked at her, "I mean, if she wanted to talk she could just talk to me, you know?"
She listened patiently and tried to give the benefit of the doubt. His end comment had her eyes closing to slits and she stared at him with a look that said, really?
"Mens." She repeated. Granted Senka clearly had no problem just saying whatever it was she was thinking or feeling, but not all women were like that. Hell, she didn't even know if she knew Tsoo well enough to say what she was like. Given what she did know, how ladylike Tsoo was and the way she was brought up, she doubted open communication was something she was used to. Just saying how you feel? Whatever you want?
Her nose scrunched up.
"Yous not frends. If yous frends den yous v'would know sumsin' is v'wrong. An' YOUS don' know." She grabbed a towel and swatted him with it and then huffed. "Is not jes dat she have mush on she plate. She alv'ways have mush on she plate, she didn't jes not show up before or jes not test Senka back. Sumsin' is v'wrong. I's tellin' yous." She went to her bag and opened it, pulling out a piece of black lingerie.
"Yous sees dis? Hm?" She held it up and let him get a nice long look at it. "Yous v'want to see dis on Senka, den dis get fix first. I's can't jes sleeps wis yous v'while Tsoo is fallin' aparts or havin' freak outs." She stuffed the lingerie back into the bag and walked back over to him. She put a hand on his to pause him from taking a bite and then she leaned in to kiss him. Both to provide some reassurance but also to give him something to think about.
"After yous eat, take cold shower. Yous gonna needs dat 'cause Senka is gonna v'wait until Tsoo get home an' talk to she an' makes it better." She gave him a pat-pat on his shoulder and then turned to grab her own plate to pick at.
((OOC note: This takes place as Senka and Phoenix have begun dating, and Takara is studiously avoiding both of them at all costs. Aiko, the wounded warrior referenced in Company, is living with them now, and Takara has reached out to Eri Maeda and Mist Gul regarding his condition))
Senka had a habit of losing track of time and being late. She didn't mean to, but it happened. Thankfully she hadn't specified what time she would be over, just "soon." Soon ended up being about an hour and ten minutes later. She had to order the food, get a bag ready for overnight and then got herself ready. Things were still new, and she was pretty sure during that phase you were supposed to try and look really great all of the time. Nix had seen her probably at her worst already, but she could try to erase that mental image from his mind and replace it with something nicer.
Once she realized how much time she had spent getting ready and that the food bag and night bag would weigh her down, she decided to grab a cab.
The overnight bag was slung over her body and the Chinese food held in one hand, she knocked on the door.
It was easy to have his room clean because it already was. Having swapped rooms with Senka, everything had been cleaned and moved and so that part of life didn't need to be worried about. That left him making sure he didn't look like crap, and though he liked his kinda lame catch-phrase and joke t-shirts, it wasn't exactly what you wore when you were trying to impress.
The best he had was a black button up, short sleeve shirt and some jeans. The button up wasn't too formal because of the sleeves, and it was patterned with a semi-military look because of the buttoned tabs at the shoulders and the way it fit. His hair was getting too long, but a little gel and some combing and the messy look seemed purposeful.
Against the usual, he was ready when she knocked on the door and hurried over, in socked feet, to open it up, "Heyyyy."
The master bedroom had become home to three, sometimes four people: the wounded Lion himself, his two caregivers, and more often than not when she was actually here, Tsuru. It was its own little isolated world, seemingly separated from the rest of the house.
The door rarely opened except to admit or discharge one of them, to bring in food or new medications. Sometimes there was the gentle hum of calm conversation, sometimes urgent pleas for calm. Every once in awhile - particularly in the early mornings - there would be an outburst from the frightened Lion, confused and fearful in this alien place.
Just now, all was silent. He was asleep or perhaps under sedation, the two caregivers had taken the opportunity to rest themselves, or read. Takara was not among them.
"Hi." There was an awkward lull because Senka wasn't really sure how these things went. Steps forward had been made but did that mean you started greeting one another with sloppy kisses, a hug maybe? She wasn't sure.
One hand smoothed down the summer dress she wore. It was the colors of ripe peaches. She leaned forward and placed a quick kiss to his cheek and then handed over the food while stepping inside.
"So is Tsoo home? Senka v'want to see she." There was Senka, getting right to the point and probably perplexing Nix on who she was really there to see.
"Come in," he smiled when she kissed his cheek. Nix figured they were at kissing hello, considering the dates that had turned into sleepovers. His shoulders rolled back and he glanced at the master bedroom door and then looked at her, "So... Aiko's in there and I wouldn't... knock or say hey. Tsuru may be there or not, hard to tell, but it's kinda quiet right now so I wouldn't think so."
He motioned for her to come with him, stepped backwards to where the open kitchen was. Everything about it was lined up against one wall that had a window that faced out into a backyard kept neat because the needles from the pine trees kept any grass from growing. Popping up in the shade of the trees were ferns that looked like puffs of green.
"How's it going?" He opened up the cabinet to pull out some plates. It seemed a little more civilized to eat the food on plates instead of straight from the box. He didn't think Tsuru would be joining them, but he got the idea that Senka was hoping for it. He'd go along with that hope, no problem.
"Ay-Ko." She repeated. There was a hint of questioning in her tone. She felt like she should know who that was but truthfully she couldn't recall. It was hard to keep up with who was coming and going. Not that it was really anything Senka needed to know, not unless they wanted her to.
Regardless she nodded. She couldn't imagine Tsoo being alone with a man. Not in the way Senka had been alone with Nix recently. She figured it must be one of their leaders or someone to do with the war. Another thing she still struggled to understand and felt rather stupid about whenever talk of plotting and planning came up. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the night she suggested they use hookers to distract the enemies and the look that had received. Namely from Nix. A tangle of anxiety and embarrassment seemed to be spreading through her stomach and made her feel queasy.
She followed Nix to the kitchen but glanced towards the shut door. Nix had said he wouldn't go in there or say hi. But...
"Yous don' even know if she dere? V'where she be if not here? Don yous like keep up wis she?" Her head tilted in confusion. She never quite understood the relationship between Nix and Tsoo or what exactly he was to her. Or wasn't.
"Senka- is fine." Itchy. In pain. Aching all over. But she didn't voice it. There was nothing anyone could do to help her. Not yet.
"Well, she's not really my responsibility anymore. She knows her way around and now she's in charge of Aiko. The most I do for her is help the other caregivers get up to speed and get like, groceries or whatever. Communicate back to the home world." Nix was not a soldier or an important figure for the war. At best he was a guy that facilitated, which was exactly what he was doing.
Once she set the bag down, he began opening the Meng boxes and dishing out the food onto the plates, "She's just been really busy and worried, you know? If she's not here she could be securing supplies, I dunno. I guess she probably likes having a minute to herself." Maybe she folded her cranes somewhere in quiet solitude to keep it all together.
"I thought you two went out and did girls night and cut loose every now and then?" He recalled Beltane and the dress she had come home in, which he would have appreciated more on any other woman than her at the time. He felt less... obligated to be careful around her, except that she was still Tsuru.
"Booot, she's yous frend, no?" She recalled Tsoo saying they were not really friends, but Senka hadn't really believed it at the time. She just figured the way Nix and Tsoo got along was like two siblings who annoyed the crap out of one another but were also protective of one another. Maybe she didn't know that much about them after all.
"I's hasn't seen her since- since v'we, Senka an' Nix kiss at de Inn. Dat v'was on de sird of de mons." The 3rd of the month.
"She v'was gone, not ansv'werin' tests, not show up for de plans v'we have. She jes not v'really talkin' to Senka. I's dunno v'where she head at, jes v'what yous tell Senka an' dat she have so mush on she plate." She looked down to the plates he was dishing up but she didn't feel that hungry.
"If she not talkin' to Senka or Nix den she's holdin' it all in. She's gonna crack yous know." Senka could speak from experience, although she was pretty good at hiding the things she was dealing with. She was so honest and straightforward, yet there was so much she refused to let surface. She knew it was only a matter of time before it all caught up to her.
"Yous v'really don' listen to she? Jes let she like- mmm- do de ventin'?" She was staring at him with a hint of irritation.
"She should have been more den yous v'responsibility Nix. Nobody v'want to jes be like sumbody problem to deal wis. She's all alone here wis nobody. Dis is like- like de culture shockin." Her tone wasn't harsh, but she was a little shocked by how she was now seeing Nix and Tsoo's relationship.
"Girls need people to vent to. V'we jes v'want sumbody to leesen. V'we don' v'want yous to fix sings, v'we jes need an' ear. Senka is like- stupid wis de v'war stoff. She probably don' sink she can talk to Senka abouts it. An' yous- " She made a pffft-ing sound. "Mens."
"Yeah, I mean, we're friends but we don't like... uh," they didn't really text each other or hang out. Or... well, were they friends? He had always sorta thought that they were because he liked her okay, could have liked her more than okay, and they had lived together. They were also united by a common cause, which was hard for him to find in anyone.
Phoenix paused when Senka pointed out the white elephant in the room. It was the sort of elephant that could end a new relationship, and maybe that's why he was avoiding it. Was she silent and withdrawn now because of him and Senka? What was it Senka had said? Chicks before ****?
"She does have a whole lot on her plate. That's totally true. I mean, Aiko isn't right in the head so... yeah, that guy is a handful and I think she kinda knew him growing up. The war is like... different for her than it is for me. I left when I was a kid, but these are all people she grew up with and knew, you know?"
"She doesn't vent to me, that's not like how it is with us." Nix shrugged a little and then opened a drawer, drawing out two forks. One was put on the plate of random stuff he put together for her and the other rotated in his hand. He turned, leaning back against the kitchen counter as he took a bite out what she'd brought. It was good, and he would have said as much if Senka didn't look so distressed and like she might think his tangent was a sign of not caring.
After he swallowed a bite of the food he sighed when he looked at her, "I mean, if she wanted to talk she could just talk to me, you know?"
She listened patiently and tried to give the benefit of the doubt. His end comment had her eyes closing to slits and she stared at him with a look that said, really?
"Mens." She repeated. Granted Senka clearly had no problem just saying whatever it was she was thinking or feeling, but not all women were like that. Hell, she didn't even know if she knew Tsoo well enough to say what she was like. Given what she did know, how ladylike Tsoo was and the way she was brought up, she doubted open communication was something she was used to. Just saying how you feel? Whatever you want?
Her nose scrunched up.
"Yous not frends. If yous frends den yous v'would know sumsin' is v'wrong. An' YOUS don' know." She grabbed a towel and swatted him with it and then huffed. "Is not jes dat she have mush on she plate. She alv'ways have mush on she plate, she didn't jes not show up before or jes not test Senka back. Sumsin' is v'wrong. I's tellin' yous." She went to her bag and opened it, pulling out a piece of black lingerie.
"Yous sees dis? Hm?" She held it up and let him get a nice long look at it. "Yous v'want to see dis on Senka, den dis get fix first. I's can't jes sleeps wis yous v'while Tsoo is fallin' aparts or havin' freak outs." She stuffed the lingerie back into the bag and walked back over to him. She put a hand on his to pause him from taking a bite and then she leaned in to kiss him. Both to provide some reassurance but also to give him something to think about.
"After yous eat, take cold shower. Yous gonna needs dat 'cause Senka is gonna v'wait until Tsoo get home an' talk to she an' makes it better." She gave him a pat-pat on his shoulder and then turned to grab her own plate to pick at.