Suds and Fun

[Seraphina]

Laundry. She hated it. But it was one of those joyous things that went with being an adult.

And while her building had machines, she liked the ones at the laundry mat better. They were bigger, and it made washing a very oversized puffy comforter easier. And multiple machines meant she could get everything washed and dried in half the time! Totally worth it to her. The other bonus? Sometimes you met interesting people there. Instead of the creepy guy from her building who always seemed to do his laundry when she did. Yuck and creepy!

So there she was, sitting on one of the washers, long legs dangling in front of her, reading a book. She was very casual in yoga pants and a white tank top. And while some people looked horrible in yoga pants, she didn’t. A hoodie sat in her laundry basket, cause it was cold at night.

[Fawkes]

The Elemental enters the business, bag slung over his shoulder. It's on the smaller side, only needing to contain his four outfits. Bright blue eyes rove before settling on a machine in the corner.

Walking past the the beauty, Fawkes can't help but pause. She was unusually eye-catching, with metallic qualities blending seamlessly with flesh that the mannequin lacked. His porcelain face does not shift to betray any emotion, forever frozen in that dead stare.

A floral scent could have been just a pleasant perfume, if not for the blossoms ghosting from the dream beyond to land silently around her. Fairest, Spring. And powerful too, to bend reality and manifest such a blatant sigil that inspired feelings memories of new beginnings and tender fondness. It left him stuck in a moment of vibrant emotions he rarely felt. He added her to the Census.

The rusted gears of social niceties begin to whir to life, and Fawkes moves on to his corner before he starts to give her a reason to worry about his presence: he was still a stranger. Without backup, he didn't want to force an encounter that wasn't on her own terms.

Throwing the clothes covered with dust, oil, and mud without sorting any colours, he pauses for a moment considering monthly budgets, and finally strips the black t-shirt from his torso. Lack of sweat made laundry rare, but once in a while a job surprised him. The walking force of nature's carefully crafted form can only be described as chiseled.

[Seraphina]

Well he was new. Thinks the Nix as the guy walks in. Sapphires watch him over her book.

She couldn’t get a read off him, his emotionless face prevented that. But there was something uncanny about him. And the metallic scent tickled her nose. Summer?

And he was either shy, or thought he’d be bother her. She could work with either.

Hopping off the machine, she puts the book down and grabs her detergent. Long legs carry her over, a friendly smile on her lips,

“The detergent here sucks, so if you don’t have your own, I have some you can have.” It was true, most detergents at these places were overpriced and sucked.

“I’m Sera by the way.” Says the angelic voice, the smile remaining.

[Fawkes]

As the music hits him, he becomes rigid, lighting up that hollow space in his soul that was torn by the Hedge's thorns. His attention automatically looks towards the glass of the machine before he realizes it's the woman's.

Siren. This is bad.

She couldn't have known the significance; he was already enraptured, disappointed when the sound stopped and he felt empty again. Keep her talking.

"Fawkes," he says, staring for a moment as he slowly blinks away the fog in his mind, "Thank you." He takes the offering despite the whispers of paranoia about accepting gifts from faeries. As a reflex, his quickly scans the bottle as she hands it to him, looking for any hidden scripts. He's clearly fumbling, despite the lack of smile or frown. Her presence was a lot.

Taking the precious seconds, he tries not to abuse the amount of detergent, and with lack of practice barely takes any at all before presenting it back to her. "Do you live here?" bright glass eyes look around the business, "In the city?"

[Seraphina]

The smile widens, “Nice to meet you Fawkes.” If she noticed his fumbling, she didn’t say anything. That would be rude, and Sera wasn’t rude by nature.

Though it was concerning.

Accepting the container, she nods, “I do. Been here a few years actually, but I haven’t seen you before. Did you just arrive?” she was used to being able to read people, but not tonight. "It's quite an exciting city." how do you start a conversation with someone you couldn't read?

[Fawkes]

Fawkes turns on the machine before he answers. She was clearly trying to engage, which was flattering, he supposed. Was that the right word to put to it?

"Yeah," he runs a hand through his hair, "I've been meeting your community. Tight knit." He looks at her, "Friendly. Needs better security." The Elemental props himself on top of the washer, leaning forward so he doesn't tower over her.

"Your people are welcoming," his focus drifts towards the manifestation of her Mantle, giving her a solemn nod of acknowledgement, "Do you lead them, M'am?"

[Seraphina]

Oh, so others had met him. That was good.

Nodding, golden scales catching the light, “We are pretty tight knit. We were pretty small for a while, but our numbers are quickly growing. Which is great!” more to be social with!

A sigh, “Yeah.” There was also a frown, “Something needs to be done about that. But I think those in charge might be having a meeting about it soon. Especially with so many being vocal about wanting better security at out last party.” Urgh, she hated veiled talk. So annoying.

Leaning against a machine, “We tend to do that.” She says with a laugh, light and musical in tone, “Me?” sapphires widen as she giggles, “No. I turned that down, I’m not a leader.” Not her thing.

“Where did you move here from if you don’t mind me asking.”

It was hard to miss John coming through the door. Especially when he dropped the second bag.

The gloves were unexpected and worth asking about.

Waving with a wide smile, “Hey John!” says the Treasured, “Never thought I’d see a guy with more laundry than me.” She jokes.

[Mable Wood]

Mable had a large rolling cart with a couple of trash bags in it. She looked a little like a perky bag lady strolling down the street. She opened the door of the laundry mat and deftly steered the cart in. She looked at the row of washing machines and found two empty ones side by side. She opened the first bag and a strong acrid smoke smell poured out and filled the air. Mable put in the environmentally safe laundry detergent and a special odor absorber. She was determined to help this family save at least some of their clothes after the fire. She opened the second bag and repeated the process. Once that was done she took the two bags and placed them into another bag to block the smells and threw them away. Next she went to the restroom to wash up.

When she emerged she looked around and spotted a familiar face, "Sera? Hi. I'm Mable, from the festival of lights. Good to see you again." Mable gave a little nod before heading over to the seats. She was prepared to sit down to read a book, she didn't want to interrupt Sera and her friends.

[Fawkes]

Fawkes nods; it was wise to understand when leadership was not suitable for one's ability. At the mention of a meeting, his eyes flash.

"Good. I came at the right time. I'm sure our department heads will be calling a meeting to rework the employee agreement." If the wishes of his Court were underrepresented in the Pledge, he wouldn't be quiet about it.

At the request of his history, he cocks his head. The automatic response of 'none of your fucking business' is locked before it passes his teeth. He liked listening to her; the music cadence of her voice was layered and painted half-formed lyrics. She had not done anything to earn such a rude response. See John, I'm learning.

"Traveled around California for work. I work here now," he says. The Elemental doesn't seem to register John's greeting until Sera breaks his fixation. Gaze goes to the bags, automatically checking for anything potentially dangerous. A Mirrorskin with a catalog of outfits to house his covers isn't anything unusual.

He fishes around for another topic of discussion, and remembers she had been reading when he entered. "Is it interesting?" he points at the forgotten novel.