noli timere messorem (defyuntildeath) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-02-12 11:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | jayati guerra, player: dorothy |
Hey, it's going to be okay
If one is looking for answers, and one is determined, they are likely to find them. How exact, accurate, or helpful those answers would be. In this case, someone had displayed enough curiosity about things that this time (luckily) the right sort of people heard. It was an important distinction to make, because there were definitely a great deal of wrong people. Possibly more wrong than right, depending on your definition of things. Someone had told someone else who had told Jayati’s friend, and here she was.
This was not necessarily her forte. Jayati wasn’t the most outgoing, or warmest. Ironic considering what she was, or so she had been told, but she knew Atlantic City better than some, and she had been living in the town long enough that she had a decent sales pitch, all things considering. That and she was a definition of an Authority Figure, technically. So here she was, waiting to have coffee with someone who was by any Species’ perception, a child. Which was, granted, a little weird, but hopefully it would be fine. The coffee outing after dinner but before any sort of curfew had been arranged by one of the counselors at Dia’s school. She was a Witch whose family had roots in Summerview, she was good enough at hiding that she was officially on the payroll for keeping an eye out for other Witches whose families may have forgotten the gift, Gifted humans who were just Awakening, or even Teenagers and the like unfortunate enough to be Turned. This was not the first time she had contacted Jayati for something like this, although someone was often sent in her stead. Not this time though. She took a careful sip of her mug of hot tea, watching the door from where she was leisurely leaning back against the wall, debating on a scone. The Hob that had opened up the bakery in town had, unfortunately, rather spoiled her though. Dia stood, staring at her suitcase, for what seemed like an eternity. What did one wear to meet with a total stranger over coffee, when it wasn’t even a date? Frustrated, she selected her favourite pair of jeans, then closed her eyes and picked a shirt at random. She smiled when she saw what her hand had chosen--arguably, her favourite T-shirt. It was black with a brilliant white horse head printed on it in sparkly paint. The mane was a rainbow of sparkles. Lisa Frank would have loved it. Dia certainly did. Apparently, comfort and familiarity was the order for tonight, so she skipped the makeup and donned a wide metal bracelet. Her sad, dirty sneakers finished the look. She smiled at the mirror and then locked the door on her way out. A few minutes later, the little bell on the door of the coffee shop jingled as she entered. Her black eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the mysterious Jayati person, but she wasn't sure what she was looking for. So, she stepped up to the counter and ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, plain black coffee, and paid with the quarters that she had been saving for laundry day. With coffee now in hand, she turned and looked back out across the customers. Dia, who as far as Jayati understood, had been raised mostly by Humans or entirely so, probably wouldn’t appreciate that she had a distinct scent — that all Vampires did. Her’s was odd, yes, but it clung to her still, and maybe some others wouldn’t have picked it up, but Jayati had few centuries under her belt, and Dragons tended to have stronger senses even on two legs. It was a gift from those whose second (or True, depending on your perspective) forms were animal like. It helped too, that Dia was clearly looking for someone. So she lifted a hand even as she leaned back against her chair, the familiar comfort of one of her leather jackets pressing into her from where she had draped it over the back. Poor thing, so vibrant, and right on the cusp of getting swept up into a world darker than she realized even existed. How did her mother feel about this, or did she know at all? Damn. Jayati was suddenly lamenting a possibly burned bridge with Mircea, and trying to decide if he would hold that against her if she suddenly showed up with a teenager for him to mentor. The young girl smiled brightly with closed lips. A happy tip of her head sent her hair bouncing as she took a few energetic steps and then suddenly stopped. The coffee, which she had been trying not to spill, suddenly lurched forward over the rim of the cup, creating a Jackson Pollock design on the tile floor. "Oops." Setting the cup down, she hastily grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped up the spill. Then, with slower and more careful steps, she joined her new friend at the table. "I'm Dia," she said, holding out her free hand. Oh, the girl was hopelessly endearing already. Of course she was. Because with the issues regarding her sister and bits of her past returning to town, just what she needed was to adopt a young Vampire. Ah well, there were worst distractions she supposed. At least it would keep her grounded when Ethan decided to fuck with her. A smile twitched at her lips as she finally sat down, and she extended one rough hand to shake her’s, “Jayati. I appreciate you meeting with me.” Really, she meant trusting a stranger enough to meet after only being told that she might be able to ‘offer some guidance about some questions she had’, or at least, she was pretty sure all their mutual friend had told her. Then again, curiosity was a powerful thing. “I was told you had some questions I might be able to help with.” “Ah, yes. Hopefully,” Dia answered. She sipped at her coffee to gather her thoughts. It was too hot and too bitter, but she'd given up too much laundry money to throw it out. “So, the thing is...I'm allergic to the sun,” she began, fully expecting to receive the usually expression of disbelief. “Like, really. Allergic. Like, you know how most people who burn in the sun can just put on sunscreen or carry an umbrella? Yah, that doesn't do squat for me. I still get way too toasted for comfort. And my mom doesn't really believe in doctors because ‘there's people in 3rd world countries who deal with this just fine without them’, and I can't afford to go on own, so it's never been treated, but I was hoping there was some way to manage it that, you know, didn't cost a fortune.” She laughed lightly. “And my boss, too, would really love if I could accept a day shift.” Oh no. This was really starting to looking like a puberty talk, and not just because Dia was spectacularly young. Not that Jayati never encountered people her age, there were families on the Island and those who moved there, but there were other adults there. The Witch counselor at the school who had met her though had shared a theory though, and Jayati’s gut and nose was telling her it was true, as unlikely as it was, though she’d like Mircea to confirm it. Though her mind did snag on the oddest thing, “Your mom doesn’t believe in doctors? But they’re real, how does she not —” Her head tilted before she shook her head, deciding that by belief she didn’t mean how people don’t believe in Unicorns (thankfully) but more like support for some reason. Finally she continued, taking another sip of her tea and yanking her thoughts back on track, “I don’t believe it can be cured, but I do think I know what it is and some people who can help you learn to live with it better. Let me ask you this though, when did it start and you spoke of your mother, what of your father?” Jayati could walk on eggshells and be more delicate, probably, but it wasn’t her forte and might as well get the girl used to it. She wasn’t the only several-century old creature who had left that behind or never learned on the Island. Taking the questions one by one, Dia answered without any sort of offense or hesitation. “I’m guess I was born this way. I don’t know. It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. My mom and I just kept to the nighttime because of it and the neighbors got used to it, I guess.” She shrugged, unconcerned. “As for my dad, I don’t really know anything about him. My mom refused to talk about him. All I know is that she met him here, somewhere in this city, and that he died before I was born. She would never tell me his name, but I think there must be records somewhere. I would like to find out that side of my medical history, if nothing else. Who knows? Maybe I have cousins somewhere.” Well. That raised the possibility up significantly, didn’t it? It was rare, but it was possible. So rare that Jayati wasn’t sure she had ever met one, only read about it or heard from others. She could already hear that oddball mermaid scientist in town squealing in happiness at the mystery Dia presented, “And how do you feel about getting secrets from your mom? Because I have the feeling she’s not going to react well to my theories.” At least, from what little she had said about her. Dia’s smile slipped and, for the first time, she looked at Jayati with something akin to distrust. “What do you mean, getting secrets from Mom? You can't tell her I'm here! She'd make me come back home.” Now worried about that possibility, Dia sat back in her seat, and chewed on her lip. Her coffee sat ignored. That made things simpler. Jayati sipped at her tea, unphased by the girl’s now obvious suspicion, more bothered by the lackluster tea than anything else. Humans in the hemisphere so rarely appreciated it. “I wasn’t planning on it. I am pro-secrets, myself. At least, for safety’s sake.” Jayati raised golden eyes to the girl before they skirted around the coffeeshop, glad that they had managed to pick a time where it was mostly empty. “I’d like you to come to the Island where I live, It’s filled with people like you, and who are smarter than me. You can learn about, well, you, and the world in general.” Another sip and a twitch of her lips into an amused smile, thinking of one of the girl’s original complaints, “You can get a job somewhere open all night, and no one will care you’re keeping secrets from your mom.” “Really?” Dia asked, cautiously hopeful. If Jayati wouldn’t give her away, but would help her out instead, life was about to get a whole lot simpler! Then she wavered. “It’s not, like...a country island, is it? I really want to live in the city. Any city will do, I suppose, but definitely city.” On the other hand, if it did turn out to be a country island, Dia wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to be her own person with people like herself who would keep her secret. Honestly, it seemed a little too good to be true. Though it would definitely make her mother sad. “I’ll tell my mom...eventually,” she promised. She didn’t want Jayati thinking she hated her mother, after all. The laugh at that was not an unkind one, “I was born in a village in Nepal that no longer exists on any maps, I think your version of country and mine might be different.” There was an echo of warmth in her smile right alongside the amusement, still finding her endearing and long past being hurt when talking about her lost home, “But while it is a small town compared to Atlantic City, it has a movie theater, bowling alley, a nicer coffee shop than this. A beach where we host festivals. Atlantic City is just a short drive away as well.” Damn, she should write the brochure, apparently. Her fingers drummed on the table for a moment, “Are you wanting to move there permanently? You won’t be the first to come at a young age, but it’s a big decision, and people who aren’t like you — like us — won’t be able to visit.” Jayati would have to insist that she at least visit the island, especially since her knowledge was limited and she could be a danger to herself or Humans at some point (and therefore, the rest of the community) though if the girl’s mom was that controlling than it may be either permanent move or nothing at all. Jayati had Dia’s riveted attention the moment she mention the theater. Though she tried not to show it too obviously, her eyes still lit up with the excitement of hope. She listened aptly and even sipped again at the coffee. It seemed even more bitter now that it had cooled off considerably. “I would love to visit,” she answered, “but whether I move there or not will depend entirely on how much it costs. I’m only making part-time minimum wage right now and I can’t really afford the little I have. So, if this is, like, uptown NYC--” Dia shrugged “--I just can’t. Unless I got paid more.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on the backs of her hands. “How hard would it be to work at the theater?” Hmm. So that was the main selling point, huh? Surprising, considering how rampant smartphones and streaming was these days. Even Jayati, who mostly still preferred her DVDs or just being outside knew that. Maybe it was her mother’s doing. The cost issue was immediately waved off, because honestly, if there were any benefits to a long lifespan and the instinctual need to hoard things, it was that paying for things stopped being an issue for a good portion of her fellow residents. At least, the non hedonistic ones who learned a little self discipline. “The theater is always hiring, but don’t worry about that. You wouldn’t be the first new arrival I took in, or we have a B&B with an owner who I think doesn’t realize he’s supposed to be charging money,” That was, unfortunately, only partially a joke. Sid did charge when he remembered, but it was often a pay what you can, “And the Bakery owner bought the whole building and it has a lot of space above it. If you don’t mind your room smelling like brownies all the time.” It wasn’t like the girl was going to require a lot of space or would cause damage. Jayati would suggest Mircea, the most knowledgeable vampire she knew, except his guest bedroom was probably covered in books. “The point is. This town exists to help people like us. It would be a shoddy attempt at that if we drove out folk for reasons like that. We’ve had people arrive in a lot worst states.” “Wow!” Dia breathed. “It sounds like some sort of scam, to be honest. I mean, how can all that even be legal? Or possible?” She shook her head in amazement, then chuckled, hoping her friend didn’t think she was rude. Unless it was a scam, in which case, she needed to be a lot more rude! She looked at her coffee and smiled. If she could stay at a bed and breakfast for next to nothing, she could afford to throw away her coffee. “Well, I don’t have to work tonight. Should we go now? Or a later date?” Alright, she would have to be forgiven for snorting into her cup at that reaction. It was as if she had presented the girl with video footage from Willy Wonka’s factory on the island instead of just telling her she wouldn’t have to worry about rent for awhile. For fucksake, the girl was sixteen. She shouldn’t have to worry about that sort of thing no matter what. It may be 200 years or so since she had heard her mother’s voice ringing about community and taking care of the village, but some things were hard to forget. “Legal has some different definitions in Summerview. Along with possible.” Jayati stood, rolling her neck from one side to the other as she finished off her tea, “Wait until you meet the Baker, her magic smells like Paprika and Brownies.” The last bit was said as she leaned down towards her, a full out grin on her face and a wink, feeling more lighthearted and content than she had in awhile. Her cup was dropped in the trash can as she dug out her keys, “Now works. I cleared the night for this. Just in case.” “Well, alright then,” Dia said. She let her cup follow Jayati’s into the trash with a slosh. That’s what trash bags were for, right? Then she gathered her purse. A slight tinge of caution gnawed at the back of her head, but she pushed it away. Everything she had done since coming to Atlantic City was potentially dangerous. This couldn’t be any different. Besides, Jayati seemed trust-worthy enough. “I, uh, do have a car,” Dia said, “but I try not to drive it much, because of gas and all. So, I walked here. But, um, if I need to, I can go get it and follow you to the island.” Jayati held open the door for her as they walked out, glancing towards the truck she had borrowed just for this occasion. She hadn't’ known what Dia would have with her, or how raised human teenagers worked, honestly, so she thought it would be better to be prepared. Now she was glad for the hindsight. Her keys twirled in her hand as she considered the possibility of Dia driving herself to the island, probably unable to follow Jayati since she had to go get her car. Finally she shook her head, “If you’re uncomfortable riding with me I can wait for you and you can follow in your car, but I think it would be better if you came across the bridge with someone familiar to the town first time. We have people who watch the Bridge for our safety.” It was important to make that distinction. The Bridge Guardians were there to protect the townsfolk from the outside world, not to keep them in or anything else of that nature. After a moment of consideration, Dia nodded. That voice of caution tried again to get her attention, but she ignored it more easily this time. She followed her new friend to the truck and, by the time she was seated again, the caution had been completely replaced by excitement. “Why do you need protection?” she asked as she set her purse on the floor of the truck. “Is it--” But she couldn’t think of any possible reason that didn’t sound stupid or too fantastical, so she left the sentence unfinished. It rumbled to life as she buckled her seatbelt, the dulcet sounds of Sammy Hagar coming out of the reliable, if a little static-y radio. Part of her wanted to assign a better Adult figure to Dia already, Mairéad, perhaps. Ever the mother, that one. Too many people who could take advantage of her and lead her astray early on. The question had her pausing as she backed the truck up, thumb tap tapping on the steering wheel before she leveled a wry smile at her temporary charge, “Did you see the first X-Men movie? Humanity is not historically known for sharing, or being accepting to those that are different.” It was really the nicest way to put it. Dia was already going to have a lot dumped on her today, a few centuries of ugly history could wait. The girl’s expression, or lack thereof, plainly said that she had not, in fact, seen any such movie. However, she made her own connection. “Like the way native peoples have been treated in so many countries. That’s really sad.” She leaned back in her seat, quietly pensive. For the first time, she began to wonder if there was more to why she had been kept home so much, than what her mother had told her. If she were one of those different people (and she knew she was, since she had to keep a nighttime schedule), then maybe the other people would not have been so nice if she had gone visiting or had friends or anything else normal people did. At least, not in the little town that she had lived in, perhaps. Everyone at her job here in Atlantic City had been nice enough, so far. But even that theory didn’t really match her experience. The people in town had always been nice. To her face, at least. She knew they didn’t like accommodating her unusual schedule, but they had always smiled at her, hadn’t they? But then again, she hadn’t interacted with other people very often. Who could say how long they might have tolerated her if she had. Round and round her thoughts went, trying to make sense of it all, as they travelled towards Summerview. The journey to Summerview wasn’t a long one, only about 45 minutes from where they happened to be in Atlantic City, traffic being what it was at the time wasn’t bad but ugh, streetlights. This is why Jayati preferred flying. But it had music, both of them chewing on their thoughts and Jayati trying to come up with something vaguely more comforting and informative other than, “Pretty much.” Because it was just like that, but also worse. Though at a red light she did pause to send out a text message to Mai, asking if she had any freetime for a wayward teenager. She should be awake by now, probably already knee deep in dirt. The bridge guards didn’t give her any fuss other than a few curious looks, then the brief drive through town to where the Satyr was tucked away was quiet and subdued as she let Dia take in the sights. Especially since if Sid was in, well, the low-key part of the day was over. Oh well, only one way to find out, “Alright, let’s head inside and get you situated. It’s as good as a place to start as any.” Jayati told her as she stepped out of the truck, locking it and heading inside, surprised when the door opened before she could get to it. Sid was still figuring out the ins and outs of being an innkeeper. Or a Bed and Breakfast owner. Or whatever. Essentially not a bard. This week he’d taken a very hands on approach, greeting every guest at the door, attempting to anticipate every need. It was exhausting, but even though he was already a bit knackered from the day, he was looking absolutely stunning (but what else was new) in his best tunic (purple) and furry pants (some kind of dappled gray alpaca hair). Having been at the reception desk since dinner, bending a sharp ear for any vehicles pulling up, or footsteps up the path, he made a few short strides to the door and had it swung open before the Sheriff could even touch it. Now that was customer service, right? “Howdy, Sheriff.” He snickered at his own terrible joke. “What brings you to these parts?” He took in the pair of them on the front step and decided this was not primarily a social call. “Come in, ladies, come in.” “You’re the sheriff?” Dia whispered to Jayati, her eyes wide with astonishment. “Why didn’t you say so, when we met?” That certainly would have changed the entire tone of their conversation. Oh, Sid. He hadn’t been here long, all things were considering, but she was finally starting to adjust — as much as one can adjust to someone like him that is. Jayati sighed as she glanced down at Dia, “Because Teenagers running away from home aren’t exactly eager to run into authority figures.” The answer, like so many things from her, was dry as her one challenging raised eyebrow before she turned back to Sid, “This is Dia. She’s new in Town and needs a room that doesn’t get Sunlight, do you think you have a spare room for awhile? I told her we look out for each other here.” Hopefully that was subtle enough so as to not embarrass Dia but convey some of the situation to Sid. As out there and not subtle as he was, he was a Fae and a Bard (or so he proclaimed, and she believed it, frankly) so she had a feeling he was better with nuance and words than one might think, at a glance. He was, in fact, acquainted with the language of subtle looks. It was kind of important when one often needed to… What was the delightful acronym they used these days? Oh, GTFO. Or any number of other things. A “profession” that involved traveling to strange new places definitely required a good body language vocabulary. Yes. He read her loud and clear. But also, did she think he’d say no to more guests? The more the merrier! It wasn’t as though he was hurting for money anyway. And the girl with Jayati was such a curious little thing. Smelled like Vampire--not that this was an issue, he’d made friends with many a Vampire along the way--but also not quite? Curious. A puzzle. Sid liked puzzles. “Of course,” Sid said dramatically in a voice that suggested that the whole request was a given. “All the rooms have heavy curtains for the comfort of guests of all shapes and sizes.” There were Vampires, and then there were people who just liked the dark. He wasn’t here to judge. “Anything else? Dietary needs? We serve breakfast and dinner every day, and we do like to be accomodating.” Dia’s head swam with the suddenness of the changes to her life. It took a moment before she realised he was speaking to her as she surveyed the lobby of the establishment. “Oh! Um, no. Breakfast and dinner is fine. I can take care of lunch.” She hoped. This place looked expensive and, even though Jayati had said that they took care of their own, surely that didn’t mean that everything was free! She’d have to be very careful with her money if she was going to be living here. Maybe she’d skip lunch for a while. Or breakfast. Or both? She smiled, hoping she looked more confident than she felt. Oh there was too much youthful energy here for Jayati, even if she knew, rationally, Sid was far older than her. How much, she wasn’t sure, she tried not to ask too many questions of The Fair Folk. Jayati was a lizard and disliked being verbally batted around like a mouse, thanks. “Good. Great.” It took a moment, but she pulled one of her cards out of her wallet that just had her name, title, phone number, the address of the station on it, and the landline to the station for the rare occasion she wasn’t available, “Call or text me when you get ready to get out and about, I’ll take you to the theater and maybe the bookstore, but it’s pretty safe around here if you want to just wander down main street on foot. We’re fairly pedestrian friendly.” Finally, Jayati gave her a slightly uncertain pat on her shoulder and glanced back to Sid, “Don’t scare her off, yeah?” It was half a joke and half not, Sid was both easing Dia into their world and kicking her into the deep end all at once. Now she needed to return Daniel’s truck, talk with him and visit with Mai. Long day ahead already and it was just getting started. |