Kaze bumps into Belle

[Kaze]

Kaze laughs out loud nearly spitting his drink at Belle's improvised pantomime! "Yeah, okay!" He says, "Maya, I'm pretty sure that means something totally different in, like, American Sign Language!" He laughs again!

"Seriously though, that's totally what I want too, but I have another big work project working with like organic chemistry, you know? That's Life I guess." He says thoughtfully.

He sobers up a little when Belle invites him to give more details on his sparring experience with Phoenyx. "Oh. Well, you know, our training is hard, I mean it used to be, before I quit. Yeah. Before that, I broke some ribs once when she got close. I was kind of, you know, chemically enhanced at the time. It was a work thing, but I felt bad about it. She wasn't going to let me apologize or anything, but actually, we haven't sparred since then, not really."

Kaze thinks for a quick moment and says, "Nothing really, no. Halloween has been pretty quiet since I've been here. A couple years then, actually almost three."

He sips his drink which is a hot cocoa and thinks for a minute and then says gently, "Hey. I know we practically just met and everything, so...the thing is, I trust my feelings, and I have a good feeling about you. So, just an idea to think about, I have a condo in walking distance of the the U, and it's got a pretty nice work/living space to it, but I am not really up to you know, securing it the way I want yet. I want to learn more about that. I think I could learn a lot from you. So, you don't need to answer like right away, you could tell me in a month if you want, but if you wanted to save up, you could take the bedroom and I would crash on the futon in the living room, and you could help with the security and you know, take advantage of the work environment. It's a really chill, peaceful place to work."

[Belle]

Belle sticks her tongue out cheekily at Kaze. "Oh shut up! I suck at languages." She laughs along with him; laughs like she hasn't in a while. She nods as Kaze describes his Life studies. "I've wanted to get better at Life myself. I guess it's a work in progress." She giggles; sometimes double-speak could be so dang ridiculous.

Her smile fades just a bit at the mention of Kaze's strength. Damn! I can't imagine what guardian angel guided that hit. "I don't think she'd hold that against you, at least not from what I've seen. Alice respects strength of body and strength of character, and as far as I can tell you didn't mean to hurt her." Actions have consequences. Phoenyx's words echo back in Belle's head. Funny how friendships can get so broken and yet stay the same. It was clear Kaze and Phoenyx didn't foster any real animosity, though Phoenyx seemed more emotionally closed off.

Belle takes a moment to process what Kaze is offering. Wait...is he offering a Sanctum? She looks genuinely surprised, but pleasantly so. "I mean, are you sure? I'm flattered, and I'm really grateful, don't get me wrong. But would this be cramping the style of anybody who's already established?" It didn't sound like Kaze had a Cabal going, but she wouldn't want to be a third wheel. Plus, she didn't know how serious he and Jenn were, and would hate to get the in way or cause suspicion. She wasn't sure how jealous or nosy his girlfriend was. "If not, then I'd totally accept!" Belle wasn't the kind to look a gift-Mage in the mouth. Besides, collaboration between Mages was what got stuff done.

[Kaze]

Kaze grins, obviously glad Belle can take his teasing. He nods seriously when she says that she too wants to learn Life arcana better.

"Yeah, that's what's so messed up." Kaze says when Belle tries to reassure him about having broken Phoenyx's ribs in sparring. "I totally did mean to hurt her. That's the deal, in the-in the department we were in, that's how you train. That's a lot of why I had to get out." He says soberly.

"Oh, yeah totally! I need help from someone in your specialty with security, for the work side of things, and I have the place to myself, most of the time. Lately me and a bunch of guys have been there working out the details of a club we're starting, but we're going to get a separate club house for that, so it won't be a problem."

He smiles, "Maybe we can find room for a library." Kaze offers.

Kaze grins, "Jenna's totally cool too. She's not in our business, but she totally gets security. She's got a body guard who stays with her at her place, so I am sure she'll understand."

[Belle]

Belle thinks about her own experience sparring with Phoenyx, about what she said about how Arrows train. So that the rest of us don't have to. There was clearly no malice in Phoenyx, but she could see why Kaze might consider leaving the Arrows over hurting a friend. "Yeah, I'm not so sure I'd want to stay either. I guess for me there was that degree of separation: knowing that I'd never have to go THAT far." She wonders if maybe Kaze carried the same weight of anger she does; the same destructive potential that originally drove her to seek out Phoenyx to help channel it. ​"But I'm glad you're confident in your decision. Sometimes walking away from something is the only real choice." The smile she gives is clearly an attempt at encouragement, but there's a bit of pain behind it.

The idea of a shared Sanctum gives Belle a welcome distraction from past memories. "I can definitely find the Space to help you there." Oh the glorious double-speak. "And congrats on the future clubhouse!" She could definitely see Kaze as part of ,if not leading a Cabal. "And yeah, in our line of work, having a personal library never hurts." She's glad to see Kaze is flexible.

A bodyguard? Who still does that? Maybe the Obrimos found himself a lady of wealth? "Good, I'm glad. It's really hate to put anything between you two. Not that I don't trust you to be a gentleman, it's just sometimes people get the weirdest impressions from things." People talked...but people could go shove it for all Belle cared. As long as she knew she was doing the right thing, she didn't care too much what other people thought.

"Well, I'd say this earns a toast." She raises her coffee cup, pinky extended and all. "To the start of a wonderful partnership." Or a funny-as-hell sitcom.

[Kaze]

Kaze grins at Belle's agreeing to share a Sanctum! "Excellent!" He exclaims! "So, when you see the place you can totally add in, but for now, any 'rules of engagement' you want to get clear? Kitchen, bathroom, lights out times?" He offers.

"Other than, you know, the whole 'no making out after the second expresso' thing." He laughs!

"So other than working out with Alice, what have you got going so far? I'm probably going to be out of town a lot during the week, at least until I can get my travel benefits figured out. You got a library card? Enrolled in any classes? Found a church? Got a car?"

[Belle]

Belle chuckles with Kaze, glad the Obrimos was taking her in stride. "Okay big guy! Well for starters, let's agree to keep dress code safe for work in the public spaces. If it's too hot for pants and a tank top, we stick to our own quarters. Next, we respect our personal spaces: I don't go into your room or vice versa without permission unless it's an emergency." She liked her privacy when she was home; it meant she could jump straight into work and not worry about troubling memories. "I'm only out late on the weekends, so weekdays I like quiet time around 11PM. All work no sleep makes Belle a cranky...well, you know..." She would be polite, dammit! "As long as you're okay with alternating meals, I don't mind cooking either. Just don't expect me to play nursemaid. You're a big guy, I trust you to take care of yourself." Belle didn't think Kaze would try and abuse that, but if he wanted honesty then she'd give it.

"Library card was the first thing I got as soon as I touched down! Libraries aren't just books you know; it's free wifi, meeting spaces, places to learn about the community. I even saw a few fliers about Jacob's bookstore there." Belle had learned early in life to appreciate all the benefits of a local library, or any public building. "Car? Oh you haven't met Gwaihir?" She nods out the window to her vehicle: a modest looking, teal Honda Odyssey. "That thing's taken me all the way down the West Coast. It's a keeper." She looks thoughtful about classes. "I've been looking to sign up for some online classes once I'm fully settled. I imagine work will probably call for some long office hours." The Mysterium wasn't a cakewalk, contrary to what most would think. Hours of poring over research documents; observing and cataloguing Artifacts and Items; fortifying magical defenses with trial and error. It was like a doctorate and a full-time job rolled up into one. "I don't want to spread myself too thin too quickly. Hadn't really been looking for a church, but that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's nice to hear some encouragement from someplace outside of our own spheres." For Belle, religion was less about restriction and more about learning. Too many Mages in her experience dismissed religion simply because Atlantis wasn't a part of the creation story. They didn't see the moral core to it.

[Kaze]

Kaze looks a little embarrased when Belle mentions keeping to the dress code. "Yeah, no worries. I...have to keep that in mind, actually. I mean, I did the jock thing, you know, locker rooms and stuff, and some figure modelling for art classes in college, so I sort of don't think about it sometimes and, yeah anyway I will keep it cool, I promise." He says.

He laughs! "Deal! I promise I won't expect you too cook, like, ever if you promise same!" Kaze says. "Seriously, I keep it clean, like no dirty dishes out, but I don't cook. I actually eat out a lot or just get take out or sometimes forget about it and just, like eat some protein bars...."

"Yeah, libraries are pretty awesome." Kaze agrees with Belle. "Oh, I do have like piles of books around right now and no bookshelves. I just never got around to it. I keep the place clean, but not exactly tidy, but I am good with upping my game on that."

"Oh. Right." Kaze says like he just remembered. "Um, so out in the living room I have a coop, like pigeons. It's for my studies, I mean like just observations and stuff, not hurting them or anything. I take good care of them, actually."

He nods when she mentions her car, and online classes.

"Oh that's awesome!" Kaze says excited when Belle says she can see value in church. "I mean, it would be cool either way, but I am into church, and for some people, at work especially, I don't know but I get the feeling some of them are touchy about that. I'm glad you're cool with it, Maya."

[Belle]

Belle gives a reassuring pat to Kaze's hand. "Hey, I get it. I won't hang you if you slip up, just want to make sure we have the rules down. And who knows? Maybe we'll just make it a winter thing and leave things open for negotiation in the summer." So the dishes are a sore spot, eh. "Again, not looking for stones to throw. Just want to make sure we don't get up in each other's business." Belle's biggest flaw as a roommate wasn't so much how possessive she was over her things (which she was) but how quickly she could flip out if she thought her privacy was being invaded. She opened up as she felt she could, and damn anyone who tried when she couldn't. "And honestly, I wouldn't mind cooking every once in a while...like birthdays or something."

Belle stops mid-sip. "Wait, seriously? Like actual pigeons? That's...kind of cool." Is he making super-pigeon familiars? "Not sure how that works with the smell, but I'm curious to see how the living room functions as an aviary." Not the weirdest room arrangement she'd heard of, but certainly creative.

"Hey, in my line of work it pays to be open-minded." Mystagogues in a nutshell: open mind, even when it hurts. "As long as it's not hardcore Diablo III shit, I'm all ears." Because when demons were involved, then it was time to open the hardcore light show.

Belle taps her cup, thinking about how this chance conversation had turned into a full-blown sitcom pilot. And already the broad range of minds in the Sacramento Mages was apparent: Phoenyx with her insane dedication and skill, Kaze his with welcoming nature and eagerness to learn. This was a good thing, this variety of minds. "You said you trusted your instincts, and that you had a good feeling about me. That really does mean a lot. War...people on my path, let's just say we don't trust easily." She reaches a hand out for a handshake. "But I have a good feeling about you, Steve. I'm looking forward to making this roommate thing work for real." There is an earnestness in her expression. She really does want the security, the friendship, the communication between peers. "I think this is going to be the beginning of a wonderfully magical experience." She winks, a little smugness sneaking into her expression as only can exist between a Warlock and a Theurgist in a room full of Sleepers.

[Kaze]

Kaze grins at Belle's leniency and grace expressed towards him and her positive predictions.

He nods, "Yeah. I think so too. So, what do you need to do? I mean, I have a truck, and I can help you move. Or maybe you want to actually see the place first? Figure out what to bring and what to ditch or upgrade?" He suggests.

Thank you so much for the scene! Awesome stuff! If you want to get this into continuity, I can close this scene and start a new on in the Sanctum, maybe with her moving in and him helping h

[Belle]

Belle smiles broadly. She was genuinely excited for an opportunity to set down some real, permanent, magical roots in Sacramento. "I think between my minivan and your truck we should be all set! Let's talk tour and schedule..."

I'm all for it! Thanks for the fun scene and the great opportunity.