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| Scene Title | Rooftop Hangout |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Just a casual afternoon |
| Date | February 17. 2019 |
RayTech Rooftop Atrium
Glassed in atrium that looks out on Richard Ray's rooftop garden.
Living in the corporate housing of RayTech is not exactly a hardship. In point of fact, as far as Elisabeth is concerned, it's rather like living in the lap of luxury. Although it's cold outside on the rooftop gardens that Richard has and the flowerbeds are all mulched down and winterized, the blonde and the little girl holding her hand have been out there looking around. As they come back in through the atrium space that leads out onto that area, their faces are pink with cold and Aurora breaks free and skips along just ahead of Liz.
"Hey, don't you get on that elevator without me," Liz calls behind her. "Let me tell Aunt Harmony you're coming first!"
The petite, hazel-eyed sprite just looks back and rolls her eyes. "Mummy, nobody's in the el'vator! Daddy said I can go in it alone between number 2 and number 4 long as it's empty an' Grampa an' Aunt Harm know I'm coming."
Elisabeth looks suspicious. Did he really say that??? Mental note, check with Richard or see if her girl is trying to see if Mummy and Daddy actually talk.
Black, perpetually wind-blown coils frame tattooed visage and nearly blend into the backdrop of equally black clad shoulders. Devi wears a black sweat with a plunging neckline that seems to offset the very purpose of the warm, plush material. Black boots, ripped denim, and the ensemble is complete with a heavy black trenchcoat. Shes making for the rooftop with a pack of smokes in one hand and a six pack in the other. Hey, everyone has their own ways of acclimating to this lap of luxury and Devis is the wonderful method of avoidance.
Broad boots stutter in their paces, glass bottles clink as theres an abrupt stop to stop a shin-level collision with the little girl when shes calling back distracted to her mother. "Oh, hey now." The bikers voice is a husky, low tone. "What do we have here, hm?" She squints playfully down at the child. "You look a little young to be workin here… "she teases, sparing a brief glance up at Liz.
Aurora stops dead and backpedals. She stares at Devi. "Wow." She scoots backward toward her mother and squeaks, "She's all pink."
Elisabeth doesn't seem overly concerned about Devi's arrival, recognizing her from their last meeting, and she lifts a hand to cover her mouth. The idea of black-clad Devi being pink is an image that cracks her the hell up and she is fighting to stifle laughter. "Well… that's not the color I would have expected," she says, trying to keep a straight face. "Hey, Devi. How's it going? Meet Aurora. Aurora, this is Miss Devi. She works for Daddy."
Pushing sandy-blonde hair out of her eyes, the little girl peers at Devi as if assessing whether she's safe to be around.
One penciled, dark brow rounds higher. "How'd you know my favorite color?, " she tease on. "You a Little Spy?" She winks. "That's why the hired you then, eh? No one suspects the Spy Kid." A simple gesture and the pack of smokes is tucked away, freeing a tattooed hand and running in through her tousled locks. It's during this brief moment that dark eyes flit between Aurora and Liz more than once and with more curiosity than has been permitted previously. She clears her throat and addresses the kid one last time. "I won't bite-cha. I only beat up bad guys." She grins and then has not choice but to do the adult thing and finally address Liz. "So…" Her lips purse off to one side and she nods a couple times. "You guys, settling in alright?"
Aurora's gaze is way more savvy than such a tiny child should be. "Okay," she replies warily. Then she apparently decides that if Devi's here, she must be all right. She bounces in place. "Mummy, can I go see Ricky an' Lili now?" she asks impatiently.
Elisabeth rolls her eyes, glances at her phone, and then says, "Yes. Aunt Harm is waiting for you at the elevator. Go."
Aurora races to the doors and when they slide open, she goes in and reaches way up to press the correct number.
As the doors slide shut, Elisabeth drags both hands through her hair and grins at Devi. "Settling in all right. She's way faster at it than I am," she admits candidly. Gesturing around at the tables, she offers, "I could use a little company?"
Devi painted blue lips part while picks at something in her back teeth, considering the invite. After a moment her lips turn down slightly at the corners in a why-not way, accompanied by a shrug. "Seeing as the Spy Kid's abandoned you so quickly, I hate to see a lady sitting alone."
Devi moves to the indicated table, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it on an empty seat. She slides down and pulls two of the bottles from the cardboard carrier and sets to using the butt end of her lighter to pop a top. "Not sure what grade of company, I'll be mind," she words are molded over a husky chuckle.
Grinning slightly, Elisabeth moves to drop into one of the chairs. "The Spy Kid…. it's a good nickname for her. She sees every-damn-thing, I swear it." There's a wealth of regret in those words, though they seem like that should be a good trait. "You're one of Richard's most trusted people," Elisabeth says bluntly. "It means I need to know you. And you need to know me. So that when shit hits the fan again and the fucking chessboard comes back out, we're all on the same page." She reaches out to take the second beer when the lid pops off and takes a swallow from it, offering a grin. "So — tell me what he's got you doing around here for his company?"
The neighboring elevator dings and the little indicator lights up showing another car has arrived. But it isn't anyone from the residential floors arriving. Squeaks' head pokes out of the opening doors first, then the rest of her follows with quick steps before the doors can slide shut on her. She only gets a few feet away before making her own sudden stop, with blue eyes finding actual people where she's usually not found anyone. She hovers for a second on wondering if she should go down the elevator again, but then it isn't like she's in a restricted place — and she recognizes one of those faces besides. So she slinks onward, like she's totally meant to be there.
Devi wets her lips with a sip of beer and a pass of her tongue. Damn if that vibrant blue isn't staying hard and fast. She rubs the pad of a thumb along her lower lip as her eyes search Liz's face. There's a moment there were her pupils dialate too fast and too large. It's a brief thing, perhaps even gone unnotice in the garish glare of the lights in the atrium. With a squint and a small clearing of her throat, its as though it never happened.
"Most trusted? That's what he told you?" The biker bitch lets the ambiguous question hang in the air. She leans forward and her black fingernails pick at the unassuming label on the beer bottle while her eyes remain upon the blonde. "I deactivate Warren's shit and build new stuff." She lifts the bottle, pointing the neck out at Liz. "What do you plan to do around here?" She smirks and adds in a waggle of her brows for good measure.
A brief glance is turned to the elevator and the sneaky kid with a lofted brow.
"Red King's Rook," Elisabeth replies in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's all I needed to know about where you stand in the hierarchy of trust with him." She doesn't dodge the other woman's direct gaze, not seeming in the slightest uncomfortable or challenged. "I haven't decided what I'm going to do just yet," she admits, toying with the beer bottle. "I'm still figuring out that I don't live in a combat zone anymore — tough to come back from."
A flicker of her eyes toward the new arrival tells Devi that Elisabeth has noted the younger girl… and that Squeaks already has a place of trust in the blonde's world because Liz continues to keep her eyes on Devi as if Devi's the one she's vetting. "Hey Squeaks. How's it going?"
The young teen's eyes stay on Liz and Devi, even though she's not actually walking straight toward them. It's a wondering thing, puzzling about their conversation more than her own business. She understands what deactivating means, but calling someone a chess piece? That's a little weird. "Hi Liz," is a quiet answer to the greeting she's given. Squeaks lifts up her lanyard, because that totally explains why she's there. She fills in a second later with a sighed, "Just finishing some things. Are you good?"
Another sip and Devi's dark gaze is pulled back around to the blonde. Red King's Rook. That earns a tilted smile and a mischevious glint in dark, ebon-lined eyes. Squeaks? Well, that and its person get a lofted brow. Nicknames are kind of her thing, afterall. The biker no longer meets the blonde's eye, using the teen as an excusably source to pinpoint a half-interested gaze. Even still, her husky tones are addressed in a fashion that carries on the conversation and clearly denotes them for Liz. "I'll be honest, chicky. I dunno what all happened out there. And, frankly, not sure I wanna know." Another sip and finally her attention swivels back. "When you figure your shit out… When shit hits the fan… Hell, when shit cools down, even. I'll be here." Is that an offer of support? Friendship? Or a threat?
"Nice out here today," Seren remarks to seemingly no one as the stairwell doorway swings open. Seemingly no one given no one else walks with them. A brightly-colored gryphon-like creature clings to their bicep, with a swinging purple lion's tail and a blue and green feathery face like an eagle, save for the golden snout in place of its beak. The bright colors and patterns running up and down its form make it look like an alebrije come to life, complete with unnatural proportions. Seren lifts one hand to stroke its back between its patterned wings, not noticing anyone else outside at first. And when they do, neither does it bother them. "Oh!" Seren starts at seeing Devi and Elisabeth, giving them a shy grin. They gesture with their hand around the roof, "Mind if I let Baird get some air?" All the while noticing the other two on the roof as well, smile brightening at them both. "Hello," they add cheerily for the smaller woman.
Elisabeth's never exactly relaxed right now… she's still struggling with that 'coming back from battle' mindset, it's pretty clear. But she smiles when Devi's gaze comes back and she says softly, "You probably don't," want to know, that is. Because it's crazy-ass shit. "But having you at my back is definitely something I could get used to," she adds, taking the offer as one of friendship. Raising her voice just that little bit, she calls to Squeaks, "Yeah, I'm good kiddo. Devi's one of Richard's people." The tone implies that Richard's people are her people too, so it's all good.
Taking a sip from the beer, Elisabeth then notes the next arrival. The atrium up here is a busy place apparently, even in winter. Not that she could blame anyone — it's clear sky outside, so there's a ton of light in here and out on the balcony where the garden is. "Hey, Squeaks… check out Baird," she tells the younger girl. Aurora will be sorry she missed seeing the creature. "I gotta get you somewhere around the munchkin," she tells Seren. "She will be thrilled."
"Hi," gets directed at Devi, with a flick of Squeaks' eyes and a solid focus on the all-black dressed woman. "Everyone calls me Squeaks, so you can too." At the new voice, her eyes and head swivel to look at Seren and then Baird. It's that one more than the person it clings to that really draws out a wide-eyed wondering. "What is that," she asks, excitement dragging itself up and over her natural suspicions of grown-ups and strangers.
There's a puff of air in the form of a shorted chortle. Devi's smile curls around the mouth of the beer bottle as Elisabeth's reply seems to cast her in a whole new light. She finds herself nodding in approval and leans back in her seat. "Just remember, you fuck his shit up and I'll teach your kid to ride a motorcycle and call you Liz instead of Mommy." Then again, she'd probably teach her to ride anyway if she gets the chance.
Devi's attention passes back over Squeaks, and to Seren. No, not Seren - Baird. The woman lifts a hand, resting her fingertips briefly at her temple and then extending her hand in a quick open-hand gesture towards the griffon-glowy-snouted-thing. "Man! That thing makes my head… It's like a good acid meets bad math. Does it even need air?" Devi groans, slumps deeper in her chair, knees spread wide, and chugs deeply. She looks over the butt of the upturned beer bottle to Liz with playfully wide eyes.
Seren greets the question from Devi good-naturedly, even as their brow furrows down. "Well, I'm certainly not going to figure that out unless Baird wants to go for a long swim. That'd be very rude otherwise." Their free arm lifts, adjusting the knitted cap over their short-shorn hair while the arm with the creature on it is shrugged out. The gryphon lets out a distinctly bird-like noise as its resettled, feathers ruffling and its wings prepping for flight … before it starts purring as it fixes its attention on Squeaks' and her reaction to it. A flare of color runs down the feathers along the side of its face, the rainbow gradient traveling from head to tailtip.
"I'm Seren, and this is Baird. Baird is … whatever he feels like being." They can't help but laugh at that, their head tilting. "But he's always friendly."
Elisabeth's grin at Devi holds a wicked edge to it around her beer. "You'll have to get past her uncles and her father to do that, you realize?" she offers. "And knowing her uncle, he'll probably teach her worse before you get to her," she laughs. Kain is nothing if not more than willing to teach Aurora what she wants to know… of course, she hasn't asked for anything dicey from him yet. To be fair, he hasn't taught her firearms! Which is better than Richard threatened, as Liz recalls. The blonde is softly chuckling at her own thoughts. But she murmurs quietly to Devi, her blue eyes softening visibly, "Believe me when I tell you that I would move mountains for him."
Turning her attention back to the younger two in the room, Liz sips her beer and simply looks amused at the reaction that Squeaks offers. Baird seems to have that effect on most people, even Liz herself. It's fascinating.
"Hi," is both to Seren and Baird, a more whispery sound that does nothing to hide Squeaks' curiosity. She scuttles after Seren, though she keeps her distance from the stranger. She might be willing to investigate the little beastie thing, and even though Seren seems nice, they're still unknown grown-ups. "What's Baird? Can I touch it? Where do you get one?"
Devi grins at Elisabeth's warning for all the love and protection in Aurora's life. But then the other woman's words and expression turn gentle and serious. For a moment the dark haired woman bites the inside of her cheek and her eyes dilate anew - as if she could see into the inner workings of Elisabeth's mind. Or, perhaps her heart? With a blink the oddity is gone and Devi is rolling her head and shoulders as if to banish some discomfort in her tatooed neck. This time, she has no response.
Devi finishes off the last of her beer and sets the bottle aside. Black-painted nails reach for another at the same time Devi is rising from her seat. With the other hand she slides the little cardboard carry and the three remaining bottles Liz's way. "You have offspring and a Redbird to deal with, you need them more than I do." With that Devi takes up her jacket. She watches Baird and its entourage while she seems to consider a moment more and finally adds. "If you ever need more… company or whatever," here she gives a little swirl of her hand, "I'm in 108. I don't babysit, though. Too many complaints about kids picking up bad habits and shit." With that she turns to the elevators. "See you 'round…" There's something hanging there, something missing, even as the lift dings and opens up. Elisabeth didn't get a nickname.
Seren's eyes light up just as much as Squeaks does, more than happy to share. They crouch down slightly to let Baird and Squeaks become more eye-level with each other. All the better for checking the other out! "Baird is Baird," is reported matter-of-factly, knowingly. "He came to me when I was little and we've been very good friends ever since. I don't think there's another Baird anywhere in the world." Head tilting, they smile at the creature. It acknowledges them in return by nibbling at the end of their chilled nose, eliciting a chuckle.
Seren wipes at their nose, turning back to Squeaks with a slightly raised brow. "You can touch him, you just have to be very gentle." Because you're always supposed to be gentle when greeting strange animals, definitely not because her hand would phase through if she pressed hard enough. "Let's let him do his thing for a minute so he gets all his energy out, and then you can sit down with him for a minute?" they suggest, standing upright to begin heading toward a more open area. "Come on, Baird…" and guest!
Elisabeth studies Devi thoughtfully as she watches the other woman go. That there's something slightly off-kilter she can tell. What it is, she can't put her finger on. Pushing the thought away, she slants a glance toward Seren and Squeaks. "If you want to see Aurora, poke in later, Squeaks. She's hanging with the twins for a bit." She swings out of her chair and takes the rest of the beers with her — Richard's in her place often enough that keeping beer in the fridge is definitely prudent.