All Memories Are Fresh

Participants:

cat_icon.gif kinson_icon.gif

Scene Title All Memories Are Fresh
Synopsis Cat explains a bit more of herself.
Date February 3, 2009

Village Renaissance Building, Cat's Penthouse

Arriving by any of four elevators, visitors will find they open into three foot corridors facing wide double doors made from sturdy southern pine which swing outward and have the strongest locks available. The stairs lead to single doors, also outward opening, at the end of three foot corridors. Entry requires both a key and a keycard; other security measures are a video camera and voice communication terminal at all doors. The 4th Street side has floor to ceiling windows interrupted only by the access points. Cream colored curtains are normally kept closed.

This level has enough space for sixteen apartments. There is an office space with reception area, conference room, and executive office; a room for archery practice and other forms of physical exercise; a very well appointed kitchen and dining area; a music zone with an array of instruments, electronics, and amplifiers; an entertainment area with an HD set covering an entire stretch of wall from floor to ceiling; a locked room where security footage for the building is recorded and can be monitored; a laundry room; a staircase for roof access; central air and heating; the main bedroom and a few smaller guest rooms; plush deep wine carpet everywhere except the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms; and track lighting everywhere overhead. The light levels can be lowered or raised in the entire place, or selectively by segments. The overall decor suggests the occupant is a woman.


As Teo was in the elevator and on the way down, Cat headed for another one, intending to come up to her penthouse. "We're having a meeting Friday evening," she tells Kinson. "To link up and start charting the way forward from here. Hopefully you can make it. Brian will be there, and that'll go over well." Her eyes roll a bit. "Teo asked me to be nice, says he's torqued about being left, and I'll explain it. But if he chooses to label me coward, he'll label me coward. I'll not worry about it." But is she really a bit worried about it? If she weren't, why mention it? The elevator doors open, she steps into the car.

It's been some time since the Wednesday evening when she came back from the battle and shared herself with him. Over that time, he's seeing what she can be like. Cat isn't one to always say where she's going when she leaves, she'll often just take off without explanation. Occasionally she'll leave him in the penthouse alone, other times she suggests as gently as she can he should stay in the safehouse apartment marked 401. On those occasions he's given a keycard to open the door.

When he does stay in the penthouse, it's in a guest room. The scattered occasions she's shared herself with him have been in either that guest room or the safehouse apartment, never her own bed. The bedroom she uses, in fact, is off limits. It may well seem she's using him for his body and as a sounding board, dismissing him otherwise, but then there are times like when she spoke with Teo earlier and her mood lightened when Kinson arrived.

One thing is very clear: Cat has issues and they won't be going away any time soon.

Something about being a poet, and that leading to dating others of his kind as it were, is that even though he's younger he's become accustomed to being around women with issues. He's become a fair expert at dating them. The main thing is to just let things flow where they may and above all: Don't force it. Anything. (unless they've made it previous clear they enjoy such, then by all means..those kinda girls are few and far between.) So Kinson has become pretty good at reading body language and the like. The conversations he's had with Cat have given him a lot of insight.

Though even though she /acts/ like she's using him, he doesn't let it get to him. He doesn't try to get closer, and reads the signals as they're given. But, therein lies the rub: He's a poet, and at heart, a romantic no matter how much he tries to disguise it. So despite the fact that it's a long road ahead, he's thinking that he just might have a chance here. He hasn't begun the romantic gestures, just yet. That might take a little longer, but he's ready. Oh so ready. When she takes the elevator, he joins her, having not been given a reason not to. He takes the elevator up with you. He doesn't anything quite yet, though.

The elevator reaches the top floor and she opens those double doors, heading inside and moving toward the kitchen, where there's a bottle of red wine and a glass. Cat's mind is on enjoying some of it. As she strides across the floor, covering the distance between the entrance and destination, she glances back over a shoulder to see if he's following, and if he is seems to feel him welcome in doing so. But she doesn't speak, not a word is said until she's there and has the bottle open, a glass being poured. "Are you a beer man, a whiskey man, or wine?"

Kinson shrugs a little, "I don't drink too much, but I can handle some wine." he says, amiably. "If I drink.." he trails off. "things can get a little wild."

She displays a slight grin at that admission, and for a moment curiosity shows in Cat's eyes, but she doesn't ask about past events of a little wildness. Maybe she will at some point, maybe she won't. A slow sip is taken from her glass, the bottle is set down, and she settles into a chair at the table. One hand gestures, inviting him to sit as well. "December 9th, we were taken out of our apartment," Cat begins. Her eyes go distant as they do when she's replaying a memory.

The shorter brunette speaks into the phone more "I don't hear it anymoreI think he left. All right. Thank you." She hangs up the phone, and looks back over. "Sounds like all the drama's past."

Her concern is growing with the lack of answer to her most important question. "You do live in the building, don't you?" That same concern has Cat moving to unlock and open the door so they can exit, her ears also picking up that which Dani says. The quiet from outside. "Good night," she offers.

"Not all of it." Odessa's serene smile returns as she takes a step back toward Ethan. Her hand flexes once at her side and she seems to have skipped back a step. There's a subtle pain in each of the other women's arm and drowsiness begins to settle in. Her eyes halflid as she leans over to use her weight to shut the door, serenity turning to mischief. "Yes Good night."

A slow grin raises on Ethan's lips. "Good night, girls. We'll see you when you wake." Ethan intones as he slides the cellphone out of his pocket. A text message is tapped into the phone. 'Pick up.' And then sent. The cell phone is slid back into his pocket. He walks over, watching Dani, and then Cat. To watch their inevitable fall.

Dani blinks, rubbing her arm at the sudden stinging sensation. "Wait what the" that's about as far as she gets before her legs begin to go all jelly on her. She wobbles, then drops to the ground with a thud.

Things go rather less smoothly for Odessa as she moves to lean against the door. That act has placed her between the taller woman and it, as she went to unlock so the pair could exit. Her eyes blink, she rubs at the arm where the sting was felt, and sleep starts to take hold. "What, what the?" Confusion registers as she struggles to stay awake and on her feet, a battle Cat loses within a few more seconds. The departure of consciousness has her going down slowly. Her frame is folding up, crashing towards the smaller Odessa on the way to the floor.

"Ten days later a classmate I hired to take care of our apartment called to say a message was left there. I went back then for the first time, and read it. Her last words written on a hamburger wrapper, slid under the door. Our tree was still up, I sat by the tree and played a Pretenders tune on my guitar. Back On The Chain Gang. I still have that apartment, I won't give it up, even though it was compromised. If it wasn't, and with the defeat of Vanguard it could be safe again, I still couldn't live there anymore. She lived there, and the memories would trigger so easily."

"That's why I'll share any bed but my own with you. Life is short. Things happen. If I shared my bed with you, and something happened, I'd never be able to use it again."

Kinson sits down and is quiet as he listens, until she finishes. He takes a deep breath. He gets out his notebook, and stares at a blank page as if he sees something there, but isn't. He pulls the pen out from the spiral, and looks over at you. He cants his head as he stares, and writes without even looking at the paper. He then tears it out and hands it to you. It reads:

Cat with such sad eyes
I wish that one day you heal
and take me in heart.

Then he speaks. "I won't ever ask that you share your bed with me."

She reads what he wrote, and shows a slowly spreading smile. Cat is touched. It does register. Moments later she takes a long sip, a proper drink, really, from that wine glass, and rises. "You're a grand poet." Her eyes meet his. "Thank you for understanding. It's been just over a month, some would say it's too soon to take the steps I've taken with you, and the memories are so fresh. But I'm me. All memories are fresh. I can't let that rule my life, and I won't. Those last words, she wrote don't hold guilt, don't blame myself, find someone else, live well. I'm getting there, by steps. Maybe someday I'll lose the fear of letting someine that close again. Maybe not. Thank you for the patience as I start to find out."

She sets the wine glass down, and starts toward one of the guest rooms, looking back over her shoulder part way.

Kinson smiles and walks over to the table. He raises the wine glass to you in silent salute, drains it in one draught, and then follows you into the guest bed room. The only sound is the gentle thud of his backpack as he lets it go and joins you.


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February 3rd: Is This To Ground Enough?
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February 3rd: There Is Also Beauty
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