There is a slight urgency to Cassandra cleaning up her apartment. John has seen her place a right mess before due to her crafting materials, but today feels different. Today she feels as if things need to be in a correct order, like a ritual.
She keeps thinking about that dream she had, The one where she sat out on a balcony with him, holding hands saying... something. She wasn't sure, but they were words that she couldn't make out. An oath she can only guess, but she isn't sure.
Ready?
That's the word that's stuck in her mind. Looking for a simple confirmation that the other is okay, a confirmation that the other cares. That's just one word. There are three other words stuck in her head, words neither of them has said out loud yet. She wants to. She almost said it before, just before Gerrit came over the last time. She's worried she'll chicken out again or it just won't be the right time. That moment was perfect though, just not the right timing.
A stray thought of insecurity crosses her mind. What if he isn't there yet? What if it scares him? What if he thinks that that's reason they should stop being together? No, that's ridiculous. They do tend to leave you in the end though, don't they? It happened one time. One time is all it takes to be insecure, right?
Then there is everything else. They need to talk about the progressions in the status of their secret. They should talk about flubs, which she isn't looking forward to. She's had her share, one big one in particular. An idiotic one, no less. Alcohol was not her friend that evening, but really, she was just playing with fire. Maybe for a minute she just wanted to be burned. She'd already used the two words already, but it might not change the need for another conversation.
Tonight the nervous Polychromatic has chosen to wear the same red dress she wore the first time she, John, and Geritt had gotten together for a meeting. She had just felt like there was something in the way he looked at her, but she doubts it at the same time. As if she can read John 99.9% of the time accurately when he isn't actively emoting. Wee bit of eye rolling. She's learning though, the little things.
Looking down at the dress, she remembers the way they sobbed together and then danced it out. That seems to be their thing, crying together and then dancing. This dress is lucky it survived that night given she submerged herself in a hot shower while still in it, trying to make it all go away - trying to make everything go away, feel something for a moment. She felt something, but she didn't know what it would turn into. And now she's fallen so hard...
As she waits, she quickly braids her hair loosely to the side, over her shoulder as is a common style for her now, and puts on just a hint of tinted lip balm and eyeliner. She forces herself not to go overboard. Just an eye and tinted lip will do.
Aria, in the meantime, is playing with a catnip mouse, shuffling around as she bats it across the floor. Little high pitched mews fill the apartment as the playful thing runs around. The kitten is a little bigger now, more full bellied and her kitten fuzz has mostly grown out into somewhat regular fur. Cassandra scoops up the grey kitten, much to Aria's somewhat discontent, and gives her a few pecks on the head.
"Hello, little one. Are we going to be nice to mommy's love today? Maybe consider showing him how sweet you are?" The kitten snuggles up in Cassandra's arms after a moment, nearly like a ragdoll, sweet, soft purrs radiating from the soft ball of fur. She'll either hide or maybe consider taking a good look at him. She hoped for the latter. Nothing is sweeter than a kitten curled up with a man.
Cassandra sets Aria down, who immediately goes back to playing with her mouse, and then finally sits down with her harp, which is set in the corner of her crafting area near her cello. A little music will calm her down. She begins working on her accompaniment part that she'll use when she plays with Sera.
James Turner Shane