noli timere messorem (defyuntildeath) wrote in summerview, @ 2018-09-24 20:47:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | jayati guerra, znerissa drake |
Relax, take it easy
Who: Jayati and Nerissa
When: 9/24 lunchtime
Where:The Spa
It was a well-known fact that the surface of this craphole world was comprised of approximately seventy-two percent ocean and less than five-percent had been explored. Kind of a good thing, in Nerissa’s view, because that meant less for humans to fuck with - some secrets were best kept contained, and if they knew what truly lurked beneath the surface? Things would just turn upside down and not in a helpful way.
Still, she was fine with sharing the secrets of marine-based treatments and the benefits they held - as long as customers doled out the cash. It was a slow day at the spa, however, which meant that she wasn’t doing much sharing at all - after a few morning appointments (a seaweed bath and a kelp body scrub for two separate clients, check those off the list), she was free til later on after lunch. At first she kept herself busy with restocking the shelves up front with things like algae masks, hand cream, and cleansing jelly (her own special recipe, thanks) - but then she said ‘fuck it,’ because she wasn’t a damn stock girl.
Now she could be found casually leafing through catalogues at the front counter, to get the latest in shoe designs, while chewing on a stick of neon pink bubblegum. Her ‘look’ was casual as well; black leggings, a ‘Weekends are for Waffles’ t-shirt, tall black boots, a cardigan thrown over her shirt. Not very intimidating at first glance. But at work, she tended to shy away from inflicting poison and death upon consumers. That was a shitty way to earn tips.
Jayatiwas not the spa type. Not that she was touch sensitive, though she definitely had her days and moods, who didn’t? But hatching in a literal nest with nine other squirming dragons had made sure she was forcefully adapted to touch and affection at an early age. That and growing up in crowded camps and villages of one kind or another.
No, it wasn’t that. It just seemed silly, and it smelled so strong. What was the point anyway? So the only time she visited the spa in the 20 years she had been in town was if a crime was committed or if she simply needed to talk to one of the employees.
Today was the latter. Nerissa’s attitude didn’t match the bubbly one usually associated with this line of work, and that made Jayati more readily inclined to visit with her a bit more than she would normally. So while the reason for the visit - barrier guard schedule in light of someone who had recently left - was business, she had also brought food. It meant she intended to linger for a few minutes, something that neither had found would make them more grumpy than their default. Luckily. Her bag smelled strongly of curry, not too spicy but still with a kick, good and proper for a woman from a land that ate poisonous animals with a gleeful grin but still not as strong as she made it for herself along with some pastries. Jayati fussed over people. Mother henned them. The town was her primary horde, and she looked after them. Even if not so much in words and kind smiles. She pushed open the door to the spa, refrained from wincing at the strong smells and relaxed incrementally when she spotted the woman she was looking for, “Good,” A glance at the clock, still morning, barely, “Morning Nerissa.”
“Jay! Hey!” was the greeting Nerissa gave, not intending for it to rhyme and sound completely stupid, but she was caught off guard by a visitor - she’d been up front, lost in the world of snazzy footwear (which was intriguing to her when she wore a form that actually had feet) and quickly stashed the catalog so she could devote her attention elsewhere.
Dragons - yeah, Nerissa liked them. They had a few things in common with her kind (the sheer size being one of them); anything that could breathe fire was a-ok in her book. Besides, who knew what oddness the ever-weakening barrier would bring - so they all had to stay on guard, and sort of look out for each other.
Some were more snarky about it (hi, that was her) than others - but she genuinely had the best interests of people in Summerview in mind. “..I smell something delicious. If you brought me food I might kiss you.”
An amused eyebrow was raised at her word choice, there was a time when she wouldn’t have liked the shortening of her name but over the last century or so she had grown...Accustomed to it. However, around her own kind, she found that she liked it. Nerissa was one of her’s, in her own way. It was almost familial. They couldn’t fly together like her siblings and her might have, were they in the same region, but she would take the bonds where she could get them.
Besides. There was something oddly comforting around someone who probably looked at mortals the same way. How amusing it was when one of them thought they could snap at her, when one of her fangs were the same height as them in her true form. It was amusing until it was aggravating. They were both out of place, although when you could breathe fire or spit venom - shouldn’t any place be yours that you want?
“You a cheap date, or am I just special?” The snark was softened by a grin as she set her bag on the counter and started pulling out what equated to a thermos in bowl form. Jayati had a not so secret loathing of microwaves, and had been known to puff up like a cat when people put food she had made in one. Along with the curry came some fresh naan bread, though she had been known to break out a lovely baguette now and then.
"Both," Nerissa winked, clearly fine with making a teasing reference to her status as a cheap date (which, hey, sometimes the shoe fit - mostly you just had to feed her and she was happy). She eagerly poked around in the goodies Jayati brought; the scent of the fresh naan also grabbed her attention because carbs. She didn't really need to watch her weight - her human form was simply a meatsuit to wear so she didn't perish on land; after all, a sea serpent couldn't slither around where those with two legs gathered - but still. Sometimes she tried to watch it because being a chubby sea snake wasn't going to do her any favors.
However, now wasn't one of those times she'd be mindful of her carb intake.
"Let's take this in the back," she suggested. "We'll have more privacy." Plus, the scent of curry mixed with beauty products wasn't always palatable to clients.
But there was a break area tucked away from the massage rooms - she headed there, opening the shared fridge door and assessing the beverage situation. "You'll join me in eating, I hope? And let me know if you want anything to drink. We've got a supply of bottled water in here, and...looks like some kale smoothie shit, but I can't even bring myself to steal that."
Truthfully, Jayati wasn’t entirely sure how nutrition worked for creatures like them. Did her flying count as exercise for both shapes? What about if she ate a few sheep in her true form, or even people, would that make her stomach queasy on two legs? There was science behind it, surely, and someone who had studied and experimented, but she had never looked into it. If it became a problem then she would and until then she would just grin at Nerissa while giving her an eyeroll full of equal parts amusement and exasperation, “Perhaps if you learned to cook…”
She nodded, following without question as she carefully carried the goodies she had brought, a bit curious about seeing more of the spa than she had before.
Her eyes darted about the room as she took it in, setting the food down before unpacking it properly. It wasn’t a full picnic or anything, but it was adequate. Her head shook as she pulled out a chair and sat down, “Water would be nice, but I ate before I came. I munch while I cook.” Jayati gave a wry, subdued smile as she patted her stomach, digging out the fork and spoon she had brought and placing everything in front of Nerissa. “How has your morning been? Anyone irritating?” Her legs stretched out under the table, always feeling a little cramped and restless everytime she sat down.
“Oh man. Not today, so far, but I could tell you some stories.” Nerissa brought over two bottles of water, settling at the table and - she was just so ladylike - began digging into the food. But she was hungry (or perpetually hangry, more like) and her enthusiasm was clearly ‘compliments to the chef.’
She loved curry, she loved spicy anything - it was why she took her Bloody Mary’s with extra spice, in fact - and she wasn’t a person who minded not being able to feel her lips for a bit after consuming something tasty. “Most of the time the question I get is ‘can you get rid of my wrinkles?’” she snorted. As if it were that easy.
“But I’m just glad I’m not on waxing duty. Waxing old hairy men is truly the worst - it doesn’t matter if hair is being ripped out, they still get a boner.” And having to wax in between ass cheeks - nope, that cost big bucks and she wasn’t ashamed to be picky about clients in that regard. However, she was eating, so she wouldn’t go into too much detail. “Anyway, how have you been? It’s been a minute since we’ve patrolled together.”
Jayati watched the younger woman with undisguised amusement, though she was pleased as well. It was nice to be appreciated in any capacity, and for her food was an excellent reason. It was something she took pride in. Taking care of people without having to hug them and speak caring, sweet words was one of the reasons she had spent a century or two becoming so good at it.
Her lips curled in distaste at the thought as she uncapped the water bottle, taking a sip as she listened, “I don’t understand people.” A little belatedly, she shucked off her leather riding jacket, soft with age and wear, “I’ve had most of my wardrobe since I moved to this town, and I mostly only dye my hair so I don’t forget what year it is when I look in the mirror in the mornings.” That was a little morbid and cynical but Nerissa wasn’t the type to get offended by her bouts of cynical dryness anymore than she did at her vulgarity.
Speaking of which - her eyebrows drew down sharply at that new image, leaning back and away from her with an expression of disgust. Jayati had pulled bullets out of screaming men, and that wasn’t pleasant at all, but she might rather have that than a leering man with a boner she had no choice but to interact with. “I’m glad I’m not eating.” Even so she was havin to force her mouth to let go of a scowl, “I’ve been fine, I thought I’d run the schedule by you today. Nothing exciting. The barrier breach. Had a...Surprisingly pleasant encounter with the town mechanic.” They actually had a few, but there was one clearly in charge, who had been there even longer than Jayati had been in town, “What about you, anything new?”
Oooh la la. She was intrigued by the possibility of what ‘a surprisingly pleasant encounter’ could be. Very rarely could such attributes be used to describe an encounter with Nerissa, or at least not in her opinion - she wasn’t made to be pleasant, more like vinegar as opposed to honey.
“Nothing exciting that compares to a mechanic here on this end,” she chuckled, breaking off a piece of naan to stuff into her mouth. Though she chewed with her gaping maw closed, of course, she wasn’t entirely a savage. “So he’s cute? Tasty?”
Granted, for her, tasty could mean a few different things - she’d been known to swallow men whole as appetizers; a ship’s worth could be dinner, maybe. And she was curious because she didn’t have much reason to frequent the town mechanic.
“But yeah, schedule. Right. Just let me know when I’m on and I’ll be there. I’m not working very late these days.”
Nerissa earned a raised eyebrow for that expression that broadcasted exactly what she thought about that little tidbit Jayati dropped - which may, in retrospect, have been a mistake. Apparently. Oh well, they needed a bit of benign excitement.
“He’s cute enough, I suppose. I guess it’s nice to know for sure he isn’t wearing a glamour on that front.” Honestly she hadn’t thought about his appearance much, maybe she had considered it twenty years ago when they just met, but what he was and his possible threat level was more important. Daniel didn’t have that otherworldly beauty that walked the line of eerie and disquieting that some of the other races were born with.
She reached out to break off a piece of the bread herself just to be ornery for that comment, “He looks like he might be. Though I still don’t know if that ranks him as ‘exciting’ But I may have misjudged him initially. “ Air quotes were silly, but also one of her favorite modern ‘inventions’ thank you very much.
Her hands were unnecessarily dusted on her jeans before she dug into her bag to pull out the notebook with the schedule to slide it over to her, “Good. I put you on the evening guard for next week because I know you have to get up early sometimes. That’s also the same window the last two breaches have happened.” There was something there, to her putting confidence behind putting Nerissa on guard then. In case something slipped through, she wanted someone there who wasn’t lacking in necessary viciousness when needed.
“Sounds good,” she nodded, taking the notebook and sweeping dark eyes over the schedule. Committing it to memory, really, because it was something Nerissa didn’t want to screw up - she never had before, and didn’t intend to start. And not just because a disappointed Jayati seemed like the equivalent of the bitter bite of the cold felt in the arctic tundra.
Whoo. Normally Nerissa couldn’t breathe fire, but with only a few more bites of her portion of curry remaining, she felt like she damn could well try. She had to take a long drink of water for a second there. “No breaches will happen on my watch. Though next time we’re on patrol together, I’ll have my questions ready about tasty mechanic.”
Now she’d have to go to the auto repair shop and check him out. Yep.
Jayati nodded, pleased to have that actual bit of business over with. The barrier patrols were something that both came easily to her and...Not so much. She had worked with soldiers before, in wars big and small scale, and most of the people who lived here weren’t that. Some were older than her, most younger, and it was a fine line to walk with a serious duty with intense consequences without treating them too harshly. This job had been her’s for nearly twenty years and she was still relieved when it went well ,”If it does, let me know before you just eat them.”
It was 2018, but some still handled things the old way. That didn’t completely exclude her. They weren’t human, why should they act like it?
She rolled her eyes as she popped the ‘stolen’ piece of bread in her mouth, “I’m going to regret telling you about that little development aren’t I?” The question was as dry as a desert, but at least it was accompanied by a resigned sigh instead of a glare. The bowl was eyeballed speculatively, “Alright. I’m impressed. I don’t suppose you have any recipes from back home you could share, now that I think about it?”
Nerissa just grinned - because what, she was simply curious about these sorts of developments! “Hey, you gotta pep up a slow day somehow in this sleepy little town,” was her excuse - and that also included dishing the dirt. Spilling the tea. Gossip girls. All of those phrases, whatever. There was something special about it that even thrilled Nerissa’s black-oil, sizzling soul.
She would also share gossip to Jayati if she actually had any, but alas, she did not. However, she could share recipes. “Hm, let’s see - “ Sliding the notebook toward her again, she procured a pen from the depths of her handbag. “I think I may have something.”
While writing, she continued talking. “We used to eat stinging sea nettles - still do. But sea nettle soup is something my family started making when they became more land-dwelling, to ease into the cuisine on the surface.” Because where she came from, it wasn’t exactly cooked. However, this particular recipe had been known for awhile and passed on. “It comes out as a deep, dark green soup - but nettles are used for cleansing, usually, in tonics and stuff. So it may look odd but it’s actually very elegant and good for you.”
Of course, Nerissa couldn’t cook for shit - so the recipe was better off in the hands of someone who could.
“I’d rather it stay calm, isn’t that the point?” The point of a haven city that is, safe and calm. At least in her mind. Sure, Jayati got a little stir crazy sometimes, especially since she couldn’t fly long distances within the little town limits. But she’d rather have that than the chaos she had lived in before. Nerissa was younger, maybe that was what made her so lively.
Gossip wasn’t really her thing, although she was curious about how her people were doing. And if that curiosity helped her bond with someone, then why not indulge?
That same curiosity had her tilting her head to look at Nerissa’s handwriting and what she was writing down before it was ready. Another drink of her water, even as her head tilted to eye the page curiously, “That sounds fantastic. We have received some people from other regions who have some hard adjustment to this climate and way of living.” That was where her mind always went, the practical uses of things. But she found herself eager to try this new dish, both eating and cooking it, “You think some of the markets that cater to the sea folk would sell me the supplies I need? They can get a little uh, picky, about outsiders. I think.” It was a polite way of saying the few times she had gone shopping to the little market places that catered to the mer folk she had been given a scolding for asking questions, though she assumed it was a supply issue.
“They should but, eh...” Nerissa shrugged; she knew some of her kind could get needlessly ornery about shit - which was saying a lot, since she wasn’t exactly accommodating and friendly to outsiders either. It took some time for her to warm up, to be comfortable. “Just in case, I’ll go with you if you want. To get the ingredients for a big batch of this stuff.”
Stinging sea nettle was kind of difficult to find - but she was more than okay with assisting Jayati, especially if she wanted to use a pot o’nettles for something useful. Like helping with ‘adjustments.’
Fiiiiiine, Nerissa would help too. She guessed.
Jayati smiled at that, clearly pleased in her own subdued sort of way. Food was a good way of bonding, and having an inn at the different cultural marketplaces wouldn’t be bad for her work either. She looked over the notebook, already planning it out in her head and going through her pantry, a methodically organized thing that was far too well stocked for one person anyway.
“I appreciate it.” She folded the notebook up carefully, “And you volunteering to be my guinea pig as well. It’s very brave of you.” The smile took on a mischievous shadow at the seemingly benign statement as she stowed away her things, reaching out to tap the bowl with a brutally short but clean nail, “Are you done?”
As small as it was, this new happening had clearly brought a release of tension to her shoulders and looseness in the way she moved.
Nerissa nodded, “Yep, not a drop left. I can wash the bowl out here though, no problem.” And she got up to do that, making a quick trip to the sink for a squirt of shared dish soap and a scrub-down. It would be rude to hoover food and then return the dirty dishes - hey, sometimes she had manners.
“Thanks again for bringing me lunch,” she added, handing Jayati the now-sparkling clean bowl. “I better get back to work, but I’ll see you again soon.” Now it was time to get ready for her afternoon clients, oh jooooooooy.
That clearly surprised her, mouth opening to stop her and say it wasn’t necessary. But she knew better than to get in the way of someone like Nerissa when she made a decision. Well. As long, of course, as it didn’t put her in danger.
She took the bowl back with an appreciative nod, stowing it efficiently back in her bag with a satisfied expression. “Someone has to look after you.” There was a vague, almost lazy air of chastisement to the resigned tone, an admonishment for Nerissa not taking good enough care of herself. Someone had to fuss over those who needed fussing, and it might as well be her, “On our next patrol shift, but don’t hesitate to call me if you encounter anything before then.” With that she gave her a wave as she made her way out the door, scanning the lobby for anyone unexpected with every step.