Garden of roses

[Alicia Silvers]

The month having gone on in full swing, almost having lost track of just how many different clubs, activities, or other matters she had spent the first half of this month engaging herself with especially in a city where she now had been residing for some time. Not really certain when she had stopped to stay in one place for this long since the prelude, not recalling any of her lives to have been lingering for this long.

Tonight though finding herself back at an old comfort spot, not exactly sure how flowers had managed to create an area she would use as a temporary escape, perhaps just the knowledge of their brief time around, perhaps spired by the recent chance to discuss science in some manner, or perhaps just the knowledge of how much it broke her routines to venture to places like these.

Walking through the McKinley Rose Garden, actively seeking out to try and steer clear of random Kine, having no interest to get lost in any conversation with them nor having to spend any time dealing with strangers if she could avoid them for that matter.

Softly humming to herself, casually dressed, as purple eyes looks over the environment, bending down with parting purple lips, to observe one of the freshly in bloom roses whilst softly humming to herself as false life flushes through her veins.

[Alicia Silvers]

Bookkeeping

[Diana Warren]

Diana had decided to explore what passed for wilderness in Sacramento. California, for all its beauty, seemed strangely lacking in truly wild spaces, especially within the city limits. There should have been more green, more untamed places where concrete surrendered to earth. Still, McKinley Park boasted a renowned rose garden, and that was enough to pique the savage's curiosity.


She carried herself like someone who belonged wherever she stood. Every movement was effortless, deliberate, confident. Black jeans hugged an athletic frame, while an asymmetrical metallic gold tank top left toned abs exposed beneath the evening light. Advertising was part of the job, after all. She had arrived with a handful of established clients already lined up, but a personal trainer survived on reputation and visibility. New city, new opportunities.


Her pace slowed as she stopped beside a cluster of deep crimson roses.


Her favorite.


The scent of flowers filled the air until another sound drifted through the garden.


Humming.


Diana became perfectly still.


She turned toward it with measured steps, silent and controlled. Rounding the flower bed, she froze once more. An almost tangible tension settled around her, the restrained energy of a serpent poised to strike.


Her Beast erupted.


It snarled and clawed against the confines of her will, demanding pursuit, demanding violence. For one dangerous heartbeat she imagined blood arcing through the air, scattering across the petals.


I wonder if it would simply blend in.


Several long moments passed before the instinct receded to an audible swallow. Her shoulders relaxed by degrees, and she trusted herself enough to move again.


"Good evening."


Her voice was calm, betraying none of the battle that had just taken place beneath the surface.


"I'm Diana Warren. I just moved here from Denver."


She offered a polite smile but made no move to extend a hand, content instead to remain where she stood among the roses.

[Alicia Silvers]

Beholding the roses before her eyes, quietly giving her eyes room to breath them in, putting it to memory with deep calm breaths. Left hand gently extended, touching upon its most outer layer of petals, trying to remember the sensations such a sight and scent once invoked within her, curious how she could turn such a thing into a nightmare for anyone unfortunate enough to catch her in a bad mood.

Silently grinning to herself as the sudden sensation of a beast strikes within her, tensing up, breath stopping, humming ceasing, unable to move a muscle as visions of extending vines dances up within her, wrapping itself around the roaring beast, forcing it back down to submit and remain calm around her.

Shooting up, with a spin away from the unknown predator, she had been spotted that much was certain but not like her possible assailant had gone by unnoticed either. Eyes locked upon the woman with careful deliberate steps backward before filling the space between them with her own harmonious voice.
"Good evening Ms.Warren." Flashing a calm confident smile towards the unknown woman. "That is a nice fit, albeit a strange one for this scenery." But reminiscent of someone else. "What brings you here tonight?" Senses sharpening, not ready to trust a complete stranger, especially not with recent events of the domain and how that had turned out for to many of them.

Perception, 4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-06-24 10:32:32	Alicia Silvers rolls 5 to Perception (wit+com) (10 Again)	9, 10, 8, 4, 3, 8	4 successes

[Diana Warren]

Diana slowed her approach rather than stopping altogether, hands hanging comfortably at her sides where they could be seen. The corner of her mouth curled into an easy smile, entirely at odds with the alertness in her hazel eyes.


"Well," she replied, her voice warm and unhurried, "it's comforting to know my sense of fashion still gets noticed in the middle of a garden."


She glanced down at the black jeans and metallic gold top before lifting her gaze again.


"I've never been particularly good at dressing for the occasion. I prefer dressing for myself."


Her attention never left the woman's face, though she deliberately gave the impression of someone with nothing to hide. The measured retreat earned a faint nod of respect.


"As for what brings me here?" Diana tilted her head slightly. "The same thing that brings most people into quiet places at night—fresh air, solitude, and the opportunity to think without someone trying to sell me something."


A soft laugh escaped her.


"But judging by the way you spun around, I'd say you've had enough surprises for one evening."


She stopped advancing, leaving several yards between them.


"Personal trainer by trade, free agent by preference, and just taking advantage of a pleasant night."


Her expression remained relaxed, but there was an unmistakable steadiness beneath it.


"I could ask what brings you here, but I suspect we're both aware that neither of us owes the other an explanation."


For a heartbeat, the silence settled between them with all the tension of two wolves deciding whether they were rivals or simply passing through the same territory.


"So how about we settle for honesty instead? I have no interest in making enemies in the dark."

[Alicia Silvers]

Feeling relatively confident the woman was at least alone, either that or whomever she had brought with them was either far away or adept at hiding.
"Whom would miss a chance to marvel at the usage of gold or silver, now you have my curiosity spiked though." Keeping the distance between them whilst glancing towards the gold. "I think you would look drop dead gorgeous with a dash of silver lamé." Flashing the woman a grin to accompany the words.

"There are times when the area is a necessity." A lesson she had forced on herself more than once. "So why should we cast such a curse upon us at common nights, are we not beyond such trivialities?"

Leaning her neck back ever so slightly with a brief soft laugh, perhaps not genuinely born but filled with all the calm of one.
"Solitude? And still you approach me?" Slightly cocking her head. "Did you begin to miss the chance for real company that quickly?" Not like Kine´s could offer anything close to it.

Backing up ever so lightly, making certain to keep ample space between the two of them.
"Or perhaps you are the one here to sell me something? Regular PT or any of the more niche ones?"

Gesturing towards the flowers all around them.
"Owe no, but it is no secret, I simply wanted to enjoy the flowers for a quiet night, limited as this garden is."

Unable to hold back a brief chuckle.
"Honesty? Well not me against." They were inherent liars so not like that meant anything. "Nor I, there are plenty of ones to make an enemy out of to go around, and I would so hate to disrupt the tranquility of the gardens."

[Diana Warren]

Diana's smile widened, amused rather than offended by the easy compliment. Her gaze drifted over the stranger's attire with deliberate consideration before returning to meet her eyes.


"I'll keep the silver lamé in mind if I ever decide subtlety has become overrated." A quiet laugh escaped her. "Though I suspect gold suits my complexion better."


She folded her arms loosely, making no move to shorten the distance between them. The flowers swayed gently in the evening breeze, carrying a faint sweetness that neither of them had any real use for.


"Necessity and preference rarely walk hand in hand. Sometimes a place is simply quiet enough to hear yourself think."


At the observation about solitude, one brow arched.


"I approached because someone standing alone in the middle of a rose garden dressed like they belong in an art gallery is difficult to ignore. Curiosity is one of my more persistent flaws."


The mention of personal training earned a genuine chuckle.


"I promise I'm off the clock. No sales pitch, no introductory session, no exclusive membership package. You look perfectly capable of surviving the night without my professional guidance."


Her attention wandered briefly over the blossoms, taking in the careful symmetry of the beds and the flashes of crimson and ivory beneath the moonlight.


"They're beautiful in a fleeting sort of way. Here for a season, meticulously cared for, admired by hundreds, and gone before anyone truly notices they've changed."


She looked back to the other woman, her expression composed but warm.


"As for honesty, I find it has its uses. The truth, offered at the right moment, tends to make people far more uncomfortable than a lie."


A corner of her mouth lifted again.


"And I agree. There are far more deserving candidates for enmity than a stranger appreciating flowers on a quiet evening."


For a moment she simply stood there, neither advancing nor retreating, comfortable with the space between them.


"So perhaps we leave the roses undisturbed, spare one another the ritual suspicion, and enjoy the rarity of a peaceful conversation. If either of us turns out to be disappointingly dangerous, there will be plenty of nights left to remedy the oversight."