Participants:
| Scene Title | Popopopop |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Eve returns from her adventures time traveling to a worried and angry Eimi. (Drugs are fun). |
| Date | March 14, 2018 |
The room is large, a mid sized stage with tattered curtains hanging around it and two spotlights that face it. There were a number of mismatched theatre seats arranged in a half circle facing the stage, a long dark purple rug running through the middle of them. A chandelier that is sometimes on and only lights up halfway hangs in the center of the room. Even when music is not being performed people congregate around the stage, drinking or smoking. A 420 Friendly sign hangs near a mirror hung up behind the bar.
The bar area has a few mismatched chairs and boxes for chairs. A lone armchair is placed near the bar, the owner usually occupies it when she is in. The bar is a bunch of wood and steel welded together and repurposed as a bar, there is a black glass that is fitted around the middle of often smear from people’s knees and boot heels. A really old television set with a VHS player sits behind the bar propped up on a stand. The bar is as well stocked as you can get nowadays, there’s even an exotic alcohol or two rumored to be under the bar. A modest grill stands in the corner right next to the bar, nothing fancy just greasy food.
In the corner of the room near the stage and it’s green room door is another door that is usually locked.
It had been a few hours since Des and Ray had left the Oracle Room and Eve.. was out of sorts. There were pillows thrown all around the room. The lights shut off and only the light of the candles and the fire allow the pale seer to be seen. Her light pale blue dress rustles as she moves, a paint drenched hand goes to mark up the canvas with an old paintbrush. It was time to open another pack but it would do for now.
The events that transpired over the last three days have cracked the fragile grip of sanity she clings too. At least for now, it will take some time for her to get back to that place. To stability. Her movements swift as she works on the canvas, head tilting a bit of her hair falling into her eyes but she continues as if not noticing it.
The crackle and pop of the fire sprinkles the background with noise. There is no music on.
Her breath was hurried and her eyes that milk white color as she worked. Documenting the dream she had while in a Refrain vision that turned into time traveling? She still wasn't sure but presently she was immersed in the murky waters of her ability, the echoes reverberating in her head the swell of the river crushing her. “Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop.”
She's been saying it on a loop since Des and Ray departed.
“PopPopPoppoppopopopopopopop.”
It's also the faint sound of Eimi's return upstairs in the loft, the teenaged teleporter returning via a window rather than the ground floor. The sound of displaced air as she moves, quiet pops marking the teleportation. And a few minutes later, she's made her way downstairs to check if Eve is back from being missing. The door opens, slightly, and Eimi peeks in for a moment before properly entering.
"Eve!"
The words are tinged with relief, even as Eimi's brows dips sharply and furrows at the state of the pillows and the rest of the room. And then, more quietly, "Hey there." Eimi crosses over to near the seeress and it's only the fact that the woman is painting that stops Eimi from throwing her arms around her in a hug right away.
The older woman doesn't immediately respond to Eimi’s calls. Instead she finishes the painting, her mind elsewhere. That vacant expression on her face as she paints, “Popopopopopop.”
She says it over and over again as her eyes begin to fade back to their natural light gray coloring.
It takes her moment to reorient herself, she was back in the real world. Her gaze takes in the finished painting and her expression grows pained.
There on the easel sits a painting of a woman with gray streaks in her hair, her eyes closed as she lays fast asleep in a hospital bed. It's Des, it's the woman that Eve saw in that room at the Institute. The wrinkles on her face stand out. There in the corner, a door stands open allowing a sliver of light to land on Des’ face. There in the doorway a severe looking woman stands with arms crossed. Erica Kravid.
“Popopopop-” her mouth snaps closed and she wheels around to face Eimi eyes wild in the light. Eve looks confused for a moment, unsure of whose in front of her. “Hop-Hopper.” She says softly and she says into the younger woman’s arms.
The come down had passed and Eve was left exhausted and after the painting of her dream of the future, her eyes roll. “All the horses, ride in the wind. Sword swift as the nightblade.” Her hands ball into fists. “All the King's horsemen gallop to their doom. Popopopopop.”
Eimi can wait, and her brows furrow as she takes in the subject matter of the painting, the expression, the colours. There's a little bit of pacing, the normal sort unusually enough. When the painting is finally finished, Eve does get a hug, and it's a tight hug, Eimi holding on for a moment and burying her face in the older woman's shoulder and then raising one hand to brush a stray hair from Eve's face. "You were gone," is what the teenager says when she takes a step back, but her hand is held out to Eve. The words are quiet, but there's a whole host of emotions in them. Worry, and pain, and fear, and more worry
The painting is looked at one more time, but then Eimi holds her hand out to Eve. "I made cookies," she says, gesturing towards the upstairs. To get out of the oracle room, away from the painting, just for a little bit.
"They're not as good as yours."
“I'm sorry dearie I was called away by a samurai and a lady.” because the gold eyed lady seemed like such a lady, respectable. “She put my head back on, it was primal.” The seer switches from traumatized to thrilled, she's been that way since she arrived back. “I'm sorry I worried you.” She goes to place a hand on Eimi’s cheek and smile faintly.
“I wander. Not as much as I use too Hopper. A woman has to go and do what she's gotta do right? Right right, let's go taste these cookies. I'm hungry.” She's always hungry.
Eve is slow as she exits the Oracle Room before the teen but then she zips up the stairs and disappears from view. When Eimi would get to the top Eve is laying on the bar a fresh cookie in her mouth. “Oh Hopper,” she says around her bite of the baked good, “This just the doctor ordered!”
“So what happened while I was away?”
“Did you take my drugs?”
Eimi follows after up the stairs in her usual manner, although one hand comes up to rub at her head. "A samurai," she repeats under her breath, dubiously and shaking her head. "Not really quite primal." But that's all to herself, and she shuts the door to the upstairs behind her and goes to sit on one of the stools near the counter.
She does take a cookie for herself, chews on it.
"You were gone," the teenager repeats, and there's still that edge of hurt in her voice. Which is better than no emotion or inflection at all, the words that follow are just flat. Eimi's gaze doesn't leave Eve, as though she fully expects the seeress to disappear from view at some point. "I mean I don't like being in one place. I have things I do, and all. I get that," Eimi says, "but there is gone and then there is gone, and you shouldn't do the second." She takes in a deep, shaky breath, pauses in speaking (lecturing the older woman?) to take a bite of the cookie. They're decent cookies, actually, although there are a few that are a little burned around the edges. Distraction and worry aren't the best friends of cooking.
"You shouldn't do the second without telling someone. We were worried." Pause. "Gillian didn't know where to find you either."
The last question is directly answered, but obliquely.
“I'm sorry! I would promise to not do it again but I try not to lie.” Usually the truth is so zany people think she's lying anyway. “I will make an effort to leave notes though. I promise. If I can help it, I will not just disappear.” She hold up a hand in a salute and smiles brightly. “It was insane Eimi, it was scary too. I died again. Literally, but she put me back together. She said unite and poof gone.”
Not making sense is her forte.
As Eimi says what she does about Gillian the older woman’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh shit, you already told Gilly. Of course. She has the Refrain?” Eve groans and makes a note to go see Gillian in the morning. “Damn it.” She snaps as her brow furrows and she chews on her lip before grabbing another non burned cookie. She’ll have to fix this little problem of having no more faeries blood.
Eimi nods, and listens, and eats the rest of her cookie. Sense or no sense, the teenager can listen. "Notes are good," she agrees, and then pauses for a long several seconds. Thinking. And then Eimi adds, "If I go off somewhere or doing something that means I'm going to be gone a while, I'll try to leave one too." After all, reciprocality is only fair.
One elbow leans on the counter, and Eimi leans her head in her hand, "Colette is at work," or else she'd have gone to her first, probably, "and Colette trusts Gillian and so do Brynn an' Joe and Lance," is the explanation that's offered.
"Do you want dinner?" is the next thing that Eimi asks. "I found a cookbook at the market and got it for a pair of earrings I'd found in Ohio. It's where I found how to make the cookies." Which is impressive in and of itself, because so far the teenager's only demonstrated cooking skills had been cereal and sandwiches. And then a moment later and Eimi's brows knit, and she asks, quieter, "What's Refrain, anyway?"
“Ahh Bright Eyes would have just sent my Sister Seer Tamara. Though,” Eve snickers, “We know when the other is needed. See, t’was all fine and dandy.” It wasn't but still.
“I'm happy you've made friends your own age. The Lighthouse Kiddies are a good bunch. A crazy bunch, but still good.” She thinks back to all their adventures, “There was this time with a Turtle Telepath and a rollercoaster. Wow, good times.”
“Yes! Let's eat!” She makes a note again to see Gillian in the morning, she has errands to run tonight after dinner. Special errands.
“It's a drug that lets you relive memories. It's not for anyone but there was a question that needed to be answer. My friend Dorothy had to do the asking, then shake me like a magic 8 ball and HELLOOOOO NURSE.”
There's a pause, and Eimi furrows her eyebrows even as she pushes herself off the stool and pops over to in front of the cabinet to get out a pot, fill it with water and put it on the stove. Pasta, apparently, is the name of the game. A good meal to make scarce supplies stretch a little further.
"You were gone," Eimi repeats, and this time there's a slight tiny hint of a glare even though the words are as flat as ever. Apparently this is a point that the teenager isn't giving up on so easily, or perhaps that she's just determined to repeat enough times to get through whatever else is going on in Eve's head right now. Once the water is set and a few of the ingredients are set out, Eimi walks back over to Eve and gives her another hug, not letting go for a long minute.
"What if someone'd needed you, or had found out I was staying here?" Someone other than people they trust, is the implication. "Joe and Lance are cool. So is Brynn, and so is Hailey. There's another girl, too, her name is Silvia?" There's a smile, and the words are less flat now that they're talking about something that isn't making Eimi angry. "Joe took me to Raquelle's to get my hair cut the other day. It was really nice of him. Raquelle is going to see about starting a theatre."
The older woman looks really guilty now at Eimi’s words. Their like a slap but she imagines her just up and disappearing was just like that for Eimi. “Oh oh fuck, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,” she means it as she looks at Eimi in the eyes. She nods her head, “I will leave notes I promise. If I'm gone for a day don't worry. That can be normal! But if I'm gone for two then find Gilly again. She will know what to do.” The seer is sure of this.
As Eimi talks of the Lighthouse Kids (her nieces and nephews) and Raquelle there's a wide grin thrown the young woman’s way. “Ahhhhh he is a wizard with the blade. On your scalp. But he doesn't scalp, I guess if you insult his shoes. Don't ever do that Hopper, he is very serious about his fashion.” Just as serious as Eve is about her dresses. She has a ton of them, it's rare to see her in pants and a shirt.
“I'm very happy you have met friends and friends that I can trust,” Eve reaches out to Eimi and grabs her hand. “I promise I won't do that again. That not exactly ever.” Because she can't promise things won't ever be crazy.
“I shall sing at this theatre!”
There's a slight smile and Eimi clasps Eve's hand in return, and hugs her one more time. The reassurance, such as it is, is what the teenager needed to hear at the moment. At the apology, the glare goes away, although a hint of the worry remains in her expression. Then she goes back over to the stove, putters about with the cooking for a moment.
"They're good friends," she agrees. "You're probably pretty hungry after all that time travel trip stuff. Should be ready soon."
For definitions of soon that mean almost thirty minutes and a few instances of flittering pop pop pop about the kitchen via her ability. But nothing gets burned, the food is good if plain, and dinner is a lighthearted affair of sprawling about the main room of the upstairs and playing about.
All is well for now, and maybe even forgiven.