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[ Beatrice can feel some of that pain, of course, but she won't let the link break. Not now. She grimaces, sharing a portion of that agony. She suffered alone for years, six, one thousand, and the thought of that befalling somebody else is unacceptable.

To her great disappointment, she has to weaken the link before Rey's episode stops. But she stays silently by Rey's side, soothingly running her fingers through her friend's hair, listening to her breathing start to slow. It's at least a minute before she suddenly rises. ]

Right. You're eating something.

[ She says this with complete determination. This is an inevitability. She strides over to the kitchen to see what she has to work with. ]

[In her current state, Rey hadn't even been able to think about her empathic connection, that undoubtedly extended to Beatrice now. She just... didn't want to think about anything.

[Not even when part of Rey wishes to protest when Beatrice gets up again. In an ordinary circumstance, she would feel embarrassed that she needed someone to care for her (again) at all. But her whole many lives were far from ordinary.

[Taking a few extra moments to focus on her breathing, Rey just lifts a hand to gesture vaguely at the kitchen area.]

Should be... somethings. To make a sandwich with. In the fridge.

[It wasn't anything fancy, but Rey did have a refrigerator installed after she had the power grid set up. Inside the retro-style box would be some bread, cheese, lunch meat, some vegetables from Konoha's garden... Things you need for a good hearty sub.]

[ Beatrice would probably feel the same way. She doesn't want to be pitied. But she'd also wished, with a desperation that turned to rage, that somebody, anybody, had helped her while she was hurting.

So she can't ignore her friend while she's like this. ]

And this witch will take some as payment for her kindly deeds.

[ She's quite impressed by Rey's selection. She thought that it would probably be much more spartan than that. Subs aren't really a thing where she's from, but she kows how to make a sandwich, and she makes one for each of them, quickly and efficiently.

She brings it over on a plate. ]

Here. If you can eat now, you should.

[When it comes to food, Rey is anything but spartan. It comes with wanting to try so many things, after not being allowed the proper senses to actually enjoy food before.

[So when Beatrice offers her the assembled sandwich, she doesn't hesitate to accept it -- or bite in almost immediately after. Her eyes are still somewhat foggy from the occasional flashes of visions and pain, but she's getting used to them now.]

Thanks. Is really good. [Rey manages to get out after a while, mouth still full like the rude barbarian that she is.

[Table manners are something she's pretty short on, as after that first bite, her stomach roars a reminder that she hasn't eaten at all that day. She doesn't even stop to clean off the crumbs and sauce from her cheeks.]

[ Beatrice understands that well enough. In her lonely life as a servant, she was limited in so many ways. Accordingly, she spent a fair amount now on food, elegant clothing, trips to different corners of the world.

She cackles at Rey's gustatory enthusiasm. The witch likes to try different foods, but she usually has better manners than that. ]

What a spirited woman! You dare to devour a witch's homemade sandwich in so uncouth a manner?

[ She's glad that Rey is managing to eat, at least. She strikes Beato as the type that doesn't take good enough care of herself, toned physique aside. ]

[That trademark physique would probably seem less impressive given the fact that Rey never had to work for it, or so Rey believes. Her bodies had been perfectly sculpted to bear the strength she was always meant to represent. Low-maintenance and ever-unchanging, she could be in stasis for several years and be ready to take on a tank when activated. It also means that she can get by on the bare minimum when it comes to sleep and food.

[Such things are neither here nor there at the moment, however. Rey just grunts a response to Beatrice's comment at first, not even bothering to talk yet with her mouth full.

[Between bites, she manages to get out a few words:]

Not sure how long it's been since the last meal.

[There you have it. Not even an apology, but a half-assed excuse before she goes back into consuming the remains of that sandwich in less than a minute.]

[ Beatrice hasn't done much to test the limits of her magical body, herself. She's never been placed in that sort of position, and in any case, she's afraid that if the world finds a crack in her mask, the whole thing might unravel. After all, like all of her magic, her existence as "Beatrice" is a story that she tells to the world.

But for Rey and everybody else, that story is real, able to be seen and touched. Even if Beatrice, or Sayo, is afraid of pulling the thread too hard. Without that, she's just a hideous, miserable thing that committed unspeakable crimes out of emotional weakness. Better to be a witch. ]

Honestly, shall I need to hire a nanny for you? Stoltezza! [ Why yes, she has practiced her Italian. ] Why, if you keep me coming over here I might have to do something drastic!

[ Not that she has much room to criticize. She often went without food for extended periods during the times she felt the least human. She can feel herself teetering on that edge, lately.

Beatrice's smile is a bit strained, as her heart is ripping itself to pieces over Jessica right now, and that has turned her thoughts towards dark places, but she's happy to see Rey enjoying her sandwich. ]

...Really. Kainé doesn't want that, and neither do I.

[There's a part of Beatrice's comment that gets a snort and a dismissive wave from Rey.]

Oh, non mi rompere le scatole. [Did she really learn Italian because of her love for opera?

[Yes. Yes, she did.

[Still, she stands by her retort, even if Beatrice has a point. Which is why Rey casts a more sobering glance to her friend.]

But really, it's fine. Trying not to make a habit out of it these days; Kainé and Konoha help make sure of that. [Implying that it was indeed a habit of hers at one point, though not always by any fault of her own.]

[ That earns a hearty cackle from Beatrice. Rey probably has a better understanding of the language than Beatrice, who just picked up bits and pieces of different European languages from the Ushiromiya library. English is probably the strongest of those. ]

And here I was prepared to unveil my magical cauldron that makes delicious soup every night, and my boar that roasts itself on a spit each morning!

[ She's glad for both of them. Even if it gets bad, they have people to look out for them. And perhaps that means each other, too. ]

[When Rey leaves the bar one night, someone's following her.

Someone who quickly decides that her ghost-quiet tendencies were a terrible idea for following someone who had similar reactions as herself, so Kaede scuffed a foot against the snow to announce her presence.

After a few more steps, she did one better, and spoke up properly.]

Hey.

[Kaede stopped about two meters back, shifting onto a heel. There was a small object in her hands, wrapped in nondescript brown paper.]

Uh. Here.

[Movements still stiff and awkward, a vector picked up the gift, and drifted over towards Rey to offer it.

It's a knife. A karambit specifically, small but colorful.]

[Even if she can't be understood, Rey flexes her language abilities sometimes, now that she knows these otherworldly translators aren't perfect. (It's particularly a common habit in bed, but that's another matter entirely.)

[Beatrice might be jesting just then, but Rey pauses in the middle of her next bite. Chewing slowly, she blinks at the witch.]

Are... those actually thing?

[Look, you never know with magic, okay?]

[It's a good thing that Kaede's common sense sunk in sooner rather than later, as it didn't take long for Rey to realize that she was being followed around. It doesn't help that she's used to it sometimes, often venturing into the less savory neighborhoods in the city.

[But the Sapphire District isn't a known seedy location, so her hackles were especially raised. It isn't until she recognizes the voice that she starts lowering her guard.]

Er, hey--? [Rey starts, only to be cut off when she sees the package being (seemingly telekinetically) presented to her.

[Mouth snapping shut, she looks down at it, staring before accepting the offering out of the air. She keeps the comment that Kaede could've just given it over like a normal person, but Rey knows enough about both of their tendencies that neither of them are normal.

[After a brief pause, she starts to peel open the wrapping, unveiling the knife within.]

Huh. [Box in one hand, she picks up the karambit to study the colorful metal.] Is that... anodizing titanium?

[She'd seen blades like this before, but never tried one out.]

Something like that. [Quietly, Kaede scrambled to remember what the people working at the shop told her. It seemed so simple just a few minutes before.] They said it was harder than steel, but more brittle.

[And lighter, which was why she was so unfamiliar with it; light metals weren't what killed diclonius.]

It looked nice.

[More stilted awkwardness as Kaede scuffed a foot again.]

You can have it.

[Nailed the gift giving ritual, 11/10]

[With her free hand, Rey gives a few flicks of the wrist with the knife. It doesn't take much for her to get a good feel of it. Light. Easy to move. She could make good use of something like this is she goes camping again, or needs it for anything else. Something is always bound to come up...]

Ah, thanks. It's pretty. [Rey nods, giving it a few more test sweeps before deeming it an effective gift to keep on her person.

[For now, she'll keep it tucked away into the deep pockets of her cargo pants. Probably wouldn't be very nice to go walking around with a pretty conspicuous knife.

[Afterwards, she casts Kaede a hesitant look.]

Got something for you, too. At home, though. [She didn't exactly think to bring everything she'd planned to give out to her place of work.] Can go get it, or... You can just come along, if you'd like. Whatever.

[shrug]

[Owlishly, Kaede blinked.]

You--oh.

[Through a little weak point in her armor, something softer peeked out. Bewilderment, yes, but also something hopeful, even a little grateful, that she might have had an impact on someone like this. Well. A nice impact. Not the ones that involved missing limbs and unending grudges. She had done a nice thing this time.

Having it turned back on her was more of a surprise. But...she supposed it'd be worse to refuse. Or at least more of a bother to extract herself from the situation.]

I--sure. I'll go.

[Whatever Rey was expecting, she isn't sure. But Kaede had been kind enough to bring her a gift right now, so it just seemed appropriate to return the favor.]

Come along, then. Apologies, it's... quite a walk.

[By that she means it's a flashpoint teleporter away, and a hike into Emerald Park before they're there. Rey never minded being way out here, far from the reaches of the city and unwanted visitors. The only kind she tends to get here are the ones she's expecting.

[In a little over half an hour later with only the occasional attempt at small talk, Rey is leading them to a little round house by the river. Casa de Shithogs is a modest but cozy newly built home, with a pretty decent land around it.]

Well, um. This is it.

[Gesturing towards the front entrance, Rey starts opening the door for Kaede.]

[ When the shooting started, Alex was attempting to help get other civilians out of the way through using her speed to get them behind a wall or any kind of cover. Back and forth she went, until a stray bullet manages to Knick her leg, throwing her off guard enough to tumble and roll across the ground.

The injury isn’t too bad, but with bullets flying, she finds herself helpless covering her head and staying low to avoid getting hit. She scrambles for cover— only finding a bench to hide behind. But both sides were trying to close in on each other now, and if they find her—-

That’s when the announcement goes off, someone’s voice urging for peace and love, instead of the ongoing violence. It doesn’t seem to take effect, not right away, seemingly infuriating them more as they draw even closer. ]

[There was a time where Rey would've just minded her own business. This gang bullshit had nothing to do with her. She could avoid Ruby Underground until they got their shit together, she decided.

[Then the fights broke out onto the surface, and it got harder to ignore. If she didn't have so many people that she gave a damn about in the city, it would've been so much easier. But it's not. So now she's finding herself in the middle of ducking civilians down an alleyway to get out of the line of fire. Sure, she might be a little banged up, bruised, and there's some blood on her lip from having taken a fall, but she's seen people in far worse conditions.

[After pointing the next gem the direction of the clinic, Rey turns to find the bench where a familiar woman is hiding behind.

[Cursing under her breath, she stoops behind a currently abandoned food cart display, getting as close to the bench as possible. Even after the broadcast, Rey doesn't trust that they'll actually just stop what they're doing... right?

[With a discreet whistle to catch Alex's attention, Rey attempts to wave the woman over behind the cart once she sees an opening. If they hurry, they can get out of this without being seen.]

[ The whistle does catch her attention, swiveling her head until she spots someone near by. It takes a moment, frazzled as she is, and surprise colors her face when she recognizes Rey. What was she doing out here—-

No, this wasn’t the time.

Her heart beats hard against her chest, waiting for the right moment before sprinting over to where the other woman is. She almost trips, feeling the pulsing of her wound from the sudden movement, but she tumbles right into Rey. ]

S-sorry! But why- what are you still doing here?

[Despite the trip, Rey holds fast when Alex stumbles in, managing to catch the other woman just in time before they're noticed. She doesn't remove her arm around Alex, even after she glances over to find that none of the hostile gems have noticed their position.

[Thank fuck, they should be clear. She grimaces at the familiar scent of blood, but bites back before commenting.]

Could be asking you the same thing. [Rey gives Alex a pointed look, having a feeling that one of them isn't as combat-ready as the other.

[Not that it's any of her business. These fights are occurring anywhere, so no one can consciously stay out of harm's way. Rey just glances towards a nearby alley and nods.]

This way should be safe.

[Times like this, she is grateful to have the knowledge of the city's layout as she does.]

[The teleporters always made Kaede feel a bit nauseous, but she follows without complaint. Even though her stomach insisted it was still falling for the first ten minutes of the hike, all she let slip was a stiffening of her shoulders that gradually relaxed the further into the park they got.

Kamakura didn't have forests with trees as big as this, and Kaede tended not to wander too deeply into what woods were around in winter. But now she had nothing to worry about from the cold, and she could crane her head up with impunity to see what was in the canopy above or after flashes of movement between the trees from some bird or deer.

The house was smaller than she expected, though it fit in with the trees neatly. And...if it didn't need to handle guests, she supposed it was just the right size.]

Looks warm.

[Kaede hesitated just a little at the door, glancing at Rey as if making certain she was welcome there, as if that wasn't already obvious. But the other woman opened the door and swept those concerns away, and Kaede stepped inside.]

[Despite not actually knowing that much about Kaede (or Lucy/Nyuu, when they had met in Lunatia), Rey had a good feel that they were similar in various ways. She didn't dare to make things awkward by attempting conversations on the way there, and she tried to make the trip as quick as possible. She doesn't even blame Kaede's reluctance to come inside seemingly uninvited, until it's clear that she left the door open for her.

[Once they're inside, she shuts it, trapping what little warmth there is inside. There isn't much in the ways of central heating, but it didn't bother her nor Kainé that much -- they were both resilient to the cold.

[Still, it's probably worth it to ask...]

It... could probably be warmer, if it bothers you. [She glances over to the woodstove in the makeshift living area.] Can set up a fire. Am usually the one who heats up the place.

[Since her body is a walking powerhouse of such energy.]

[Kaede's vision didn't need to adapt to the gloom as much as she thought; there were more than enough windows here.]

Rey. [Kaede didn't move, but something poked a finger into the taller woman's shoulder. The light filtering into the house caught the reflection of a vector.] It's fine.

[Even if she hadn't been a Ruby herself, Kaede was used to tolerating cold; there were many times in her life where she had to make do staying outside instead of in a...newly vacated house. But it seemed like a nice thing to say about this place.]

[Right. It's strange not being the only one in the world capable of self-producing heat the way Rey was equipped to, but that just means it's less work for her.

[Much like how those vectors make less work for Kaede, it seems. Rey isn't surprised when she feels the invisible hand touch her. She just blinks for a moment, nonplussed with herself.]

Ah, if you're sure...

[Rey will just retrieve one of the boxes from the shelves, where she'd stored the other presents. She'd labeled them to make sure she got the right one, at least.]

You can sit wherever, if you'd like. [Rey nods over to the couch or the dining table. The odd thing about this place is that nothing seems to really match, like they just picked out whatever from different locations. But that's become part of its charm since she and Kainé started living here, making it their home.]

[Kaede nodded, and quietly shuffled over to the table to pull out one of the chairs. Once she'd gotten comfortable in it, she started to glance around again, first subtly, then more openly as she realized no, she wasn't seeing things. Not all the chairs were the same make, the cushions were sometimes different colors. It reminded her of the odds and ends she gathered and left on her desk; a pressed flower, pretty stones, a scrap of pink seashell. An eclectic gathering of things that meant little on their own, but represented something more when put together.

By the time Rey came back, Kaede was leaning as far back in her chair as possible to get a better look at what was on the shelf without actually getting up. She only stopped when she noticed the scarred woman's presence again, slowly sitting back up and crossing her ankles like she'd been doing nothing at all.]

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Backdated Brumfast Gift

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Make Love Not War

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I thought I replied here aaa

it's cool, lol. notifs were borked for a bit, anyway.

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