( Now the bots had mentioned something about some people finding familiar pieces of their homes here as a sort of settling in measure, but she's not seen anything that would count as particularly familiar herself. Granted, she's mostly seen the hospital, and this one forgot that patients like to see color more than blank white walls. Maybe she can ask about painting the hallways sometime.
The concept of whole buildings, particularly ones like castles or monasterys, could find themselves replicated here is a different level to "something familiar." Those were usually not small. )
That's incredible. The whole castle? The whole former monastery? Now I'm wondering... do either of them have working plumbing? ( She glances to Clive, scratching at her temple lightly in a sort of sheepish way. ) It's hard for me to guess exactly what your level of city infrastructure is back home. Do you guys have sewage systems and indoor plumbing?
( Because how would that work, also being ported in? Would it connect to whatever existed here? Or in other parts of the apparently sprawling landscape?
His upturned gaze at the surrounding buildings has her looking at them again too, trying to see them from his point of view. It's harder, she realizes. Her wonder at the concept was run out as a very young child. Now it's more the unique style of individual buildings that captures her attention. Still... )
The building I work out of back home is probably four times the size of that one.
( She gestures to the ten story tall building down the road. )
That's what I said. Yeah, the whole building. And all the grounds it rests on. The castle belongs to the king of one of the nations from my home.
[At this, Clive does frown. He's not sure how much he should share, considering she saw the state he was in upon arrival. He scratches his cheek.]
It, uh, belongs to the guy who caused the wounds you saw. Found out later that he's here. Somewhere.
[He glances at Alex.]
I wouldn't worry about it, though. Between what I have been told and what he told me himself, I don't think he is going to do anything like that while we are here.
[Clive's I hope. stays behind closed lips.]
I suppose my question of 'what is indoor plumbing' would probably answer your question, huh?
[Clive furrows his brows at the 10 story building, trying to imagine it four times the size.]
( Her eyebrows climb up when he says it belongs to the guy who'd beaten him bloody before he arrived. More hormones than sense, Alex remembers saying. She doesn't precisely look convinced when she says: )
If you say so. I don't know that there's any advantage to pursuing conflicts from home while we're here... but people are people. Some just can't help themselves.
( But she's not the one who needs to be convinced. Her own hard time believing the same would be if Viper or any of the other EVER related persons showed up here. They might want to save their world, technically. Given their exploitative treatment of people back home, however? She's not sure how nice that saving would look. )
Haaa, it does, unfortunately. Plumbing is the miracle of having... I don't know what you call them, maybe something like a water closet? Like the restrooms at the Gold Saucer. Flowing water inside, to sinks or toilets or showers or baths, water clean enough to drink or cook or bathe with. And sewage systems. Never underestimate the amazing reality of well made sewage systems.
( Also hope forever not to run into reasons to need to be in those sewage systems. Ideal world is never needing to: reality is just dealing with whatever comes up (or goes down the storm drains).
Alex tips her head back, studying the building and considering if she can even try to explain. )
Well... keep in mind, I'm not an architect, but... Cranes. You use giant cranes to get the steel beams in place, concrete — basically what we're walking n — and then smaller metal bars called rebar? Buildings need to be able to move with the earth or the winds when they get that big. You don't notice when you're inside, but if they weren't built to handle the pressures of nature, they'd end up buckling.
( ... She'll skip over explaining that she thinks foundations are important too, after a few "building fell because it was build on a sand plain" news stories from decades past. If she hadn't been half-watching documentaries that touched on those, Alex wouldn't have thought about it herself. Skyscrapers simply were In the rebuilding after the Catastrophe, there'd been cranes all around the city. )
[Clive fights back a chuckle at Alex's dubiousness. He finds a fondness growing for her frank and open demeanor. It's a rare thing to find.]
Well, I'm hoping he behaves. Wouldn't be surprised if he decided that he needed to train me or something. He's... weird. Very convinced he is doing the right thing.
[Clive nods at the explanation about plumbing. That makes a lot of sense. He does doubt that the monastery or castle would have that installed in their magical transfer or build or however that works, but only time will tell.]
That was a miracle and I wish that we had it back home. I could take a bath without having to haul water. It was amazing. I felt very spoiled. I'm not sure if the places I mentioned will have it or not. They don't have them in their home world.
[Clive is familiar with the disgusting nature of having to climb through sewage tunnels. While they may not have plumbing, they do have a system of human waste disposal in castles.]
I also don't know what cranes are. I'm sorry.
[He is definitely feeling a little dumb right now.]
( She just raises her eyebrow at the comment about training, but she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. It's not her world, and her own interpersonal relationships back home included working with the most prominent, least information known about leader of a criminal organization, who kidnapped her from the abduction she'd planned to get his attention with, then forced her to shoot him in the chest. Their working relationship has slowly gotten less actively on fire since.
Somehow. )
Yeah... Just watch yourself, I guess. And if he needs a show thrown at his head, let me know. I've got decent aim.
( It's also not a threat, unless the guy has a fear of shoes, in which case, suffer.
Alex wrinkles her nose a touch thinking about massive buildings without the benefits of plumbing. )
I hope that's something the bots could help install. Just imagine? All those hot baths you and everyone else could be having in those beautiful stone buildings. ( She leans over a touch, dropping the volume of her voice to say, tongue in cheek: ) They may or may not really be beautiful, but they're aesthetic is, even if they aren't.
( It's nonsense, but the way she grins after she says it and winks before straightening up is proof she's very aware of her nonsense. Then she has to laugh, gently slapping her hand against her forehead. )
No, of course not, don't be sorry. It's like talking about your favorite foods with someone from another country, and they keep staring at you because they have no idea what you mean. Hmm... Think of cranes like big pulley-and-lift systems. They can be moved around, and they lift heavy objects to where you want them placed for your building project. Does that make any sense?
I'll try to be careful. My brother wants to see if we can get him to work with us when we get home, too. I'm not holding my breath, but if Joshua wants it, then I will do whatever I can to get it.
[He's got years to make up for and he isn't going to waste them because Barnabas has, in Clive's opinion, pretty backwards beliefs about what saving people actually looks like.]
That would be amazing. I'll have to ask about it when I get to Garegg Mach. If they don't, I'll try asking the bots or Aurora or something. I wouldn't mind getting a little spoiled. Once I get settled in would you like to come visit?
[In this case, he would be getting very spoiled. Having to haul, purify, and heat your water before you could take a proper bath took a lot of work. To the point where Clive would usually just bathe in the cold water. If the water around the Hideaway wasn't practically toxic, he would just jump in the lake directly.]
Ah, yeah. That makes sense. We have systems like that to haul heavy things either up or down. We have lifts for the same purpose, except those can also carry people.
( There's something in the whole, if it's what this brother Joshua wants, then I'll do whatever I can to get it that hits really hard for being the big brother in a sibling relationship. )
Here's to hoping they already do! Hot baths and hot showers are the best. Or cold ones during the summer heat like this. Then again, there is a beach this close, so we can just go swimming...
( She trails off, and shakes her head again. Alex knows she's getting distracted, but swimming really is wonderful when the summer heat gets too heavy. )
I'd love to visit! Then I can meet your brother too, and everyone else there. And everyone deserves to get a little spoiled. If we're not getting spoiled by others, than at least we can spoil ourselves, right?
( She grins, teasing just a little, but believing very firmly in whatever counts as self care. Her own balance might not be great, but she does give herself treats here and there as motivation to keep fighting whatever good fight she needs to face. )
Yes, lifts for people! Or goods. We have those in buildings and stuff like that too, but cranes are... special ones for building. You know, just let me try and draw you one later, there's no way I'm explaining any of this well.
( She says this with a smile, not feeling bad about her own lack of architectural or civic engineering know-how, but aware more and more it's not like powering through will necessarily produce results. )
[He knows what gave it away, but he would still like to hear Alex’s thoughts on it. Spending time with her had been a balm and today is no different.]
There is so much more here than I thought there would be. I like it a lot better than the Golden Saucer already. Being able to go outside is a big plus. This place could be untamed wilderness and I might still like it better than the other place though so. Not a high bar.
[Clive’s smile that he gives Alex is bright.]
I would love for you to meet Joshua. Honestly, I would love for everyone to meet Joshua, but I could probably talk about how great he is for way too long so I’ll save you that monologue. There are a couple of other people that are living there, too. I haven’t met everyone yet, but the man who invited me is named Yuri. He is very generous.
[Closed off and defensive, sure, but also kind and giving. People were complex and Clive didn’t begrudge him his secrets. Everyone had them. As long as the people he cared about were safe and nothing untoward was happening at the place he was to be living, Clive didn’t mind all that much.]
I do like giving gifts and doing things for others. It is very fulfilling. Probably one of my favorite things to do.
[Clive pops open the map in his device and takes a look. The beach isn’t too far from here.]
Do you want to go to the beach? We can stop off somewhere and put these away. Today definitely has the weather for it.
Being protective of his interests and also supportive of whatever he wants to do. Younger siblings don't usually get to support their elder siblings in the same way, even when we want to.
( She gives a small shrug of her shoulders, masking where this bothers her: Caleb is her adoptive brother in all meaningful senses, but since recent events, there's a wall between them where he thinks he's allowed to protect her, but she's not allowed to support him. When conversations stop being conversations and people end up drugged so they can't interfere for their own safety...
It's better to start thinking about other topics. She might understand the urge, but she can't agree that she appreciated the means. Or the consequences for the kids she'd been concerned about. )
It's definitely big! Also eerie, having so few people around... not to discount the bots, and they're really trying their best, but this feels like a city that forgot it was supposed to have people even living here.
( She's used to living in a city of multi-millions. Being confronted with this was like walking into a No-Hunt Zone, only without the danger.
Her attention is back on the present as Clive talks about Joshua, and then mentions another person named Yuri — keeping track of the names and tucking them away in memory, she smiles in return. )
Yeah, see, even if I hadn't already guessed, that right there? Big older brother energy. It's sweet. ( The desire to boast about someone they're proud of. Maybe it stands out more to her because it'd always been her and Caleb and their grandma, the woman who'd adopted them both and made sure they had a home after they'd lost whatever ones they'd had before the catastrophe. Even knowing now that Josephine hadn't taken her and Caleb in at random... and had in fact been part of that childhood Alex can't remember, didn't take away from what she'd been to Alex after, allowing her to grow up when it sounds like other forces would have preferred she didn't. Dimitri for one. )
I'll look forward to meeting both him and Yuri then. Is there anything you or Joshua can't or won't eat?
( May as well start planning a "move in" food present early, she'll need the opportunity to scope out what's even available in this city. It's also the direction her thoughts head when Clive talks about how he likes giving people gifts and doing things for others. She's similarly motivated, though spending time with people she cares about also ranks high for her. Maybe she's always been a bit lonely when she's alone. )
The beach? Sure! Maybe while we're finding somewhere to put everything we can find someplace with swimsuits too. I'd love to get out into the water... the city I've lived in all my life is built right on the shoreline like this. We might even see local fish! ... If a city like this can be said to have anything 'local.'
We spend so much of our lives protecting our younger siblings that when they get older it is a difficult habit to break. I would love to protect Joshua from anything that could hurt him, but I know that I can't. I -
[Clive glances away and is quiet for a moment.]
Anyway, he is grown now and I need to let him make his own decisions. I know he wants to support me, too. I'm... I'm trying. Got any advice?
[Clive takes this opportunity to look around at the city. With this many buildings, it is eerily quiet. The lack of the sounds of life, despite the bots efforts, sends an uncomfortable shiver down his spine.]
Yeah, I get that feeling, too. I can't imagine what it is like staying here. For how big all of this is, I think it would be too quiet for me.
[Although most places might be more quiet than he is used to, what with how close everything is in the Hideaway.
At her next big brother comment, Clive smiles.]
I'm not very picky. Joshua hates carrots and likes sweets.
[Clive gestures towards the apartment complex.]
We are supposed to have rooms there if we want one. I don't know if they are assigned, but we can stop by yours and drop the stuff off and then go.
( Alex studies Clive's face as he speaks, getting the sense that there's more going on than he's saying. Which is fair. She's not giving every nuance and detail of her life to him or anyone else, no matter how relaxed and casual or deep and touching the conversation. They're friends, and friends take time to know each other, to whatever degree they become close.
To her, that seems natural. )
My advice? ... Keep trying. I don't know if Joshua is the type to say this, but when we tell you we want to share your burdens, let us. The more you hold back, the smaller we feel. And no matter how bad you think something is, you can't drive us away. Even if it's an impossible situation... we just want to stand at your side. That kind of thing.
( She says, brushing her hair back off her face and behind an ear. These are the sorts of things she's said to Caleb, but it gets complicated... and ah, well. Maybe one day he'll be able to tell her genuinely what's happening, and let her face his fears with him. Then again, maybe Zayne will let her help out too instead of hiding in dark alleyways channeling his alternate universe self, but nooo, he ran off and went on sabbatical from the hospital. )
It's way too quiet. Maybe that's what the appeal is in letting people gather in the one apartment building, or how people can do like what you're doing — move into another place and live together as a group. Can't feel as lonely when everyone around you is vibrant, right?
( She quirks a smile at the note on hating carrots. It's such a funny thing to her, and not at all the first time she's heard it. Her cardiologist is the same way. )
I have a feeling that if Joshua and my friend Zayne ever met, they'd be the perfect food friends. He also hates carrots and loves everything sweet. Anyway, you're right. I did get some kind of key card from one of the bots, so let's swing on by and see what my new temporary home looks like!
( From the outside of the building, Alex is expecting... to be unimpressed. This expectation doesn't change when they make their way to the building, let alone when she digs out the keycard and finds the correct apartment. Everything is dated old in her eyes, but is at least functional and doesn't have any weird smells.
Alex unloads her pillowcase onto the empty table, gesturing for Clive to feel free and do the same. She'll worry about getting house slippers and the like later on, if she can even find any, but for now she's not going to pretend there's any priority in removing shoes at the door. The apartment doubtlessly needs a deep cleaning as it is, just so it can feel more like her space, less like an abandoned place. )
Well, that's that. I wonder what kind of options this city has for decorating... but that's a later thought! Shall we head for the beach?
[When Clive realizes that Alex is studying him, he looks down at her and makes eye contact, letting her do what she feels she needs to do. He understands that need. When she speaks, Clive reaches out and gently takes her arm so they stop.
It’s his turn to search her eyes. Her intensity feels personal and he wonders what she was going through at home where she had built up so much passion about this. He is guessing things were a little tense, but if she wanted to tell him, she would.
He smiles when she is done, a gentle warmth filling his chest. She reminds him a bit of Joshua, passionate and tenacious. He nods and starts walking again.]
Noted. Thank you, Alex. I’m sure Joshua will be happy that we had this conversation. I can’t say that I will be able to change overnight, but I will try. I would never want to make Joshua feel small or unwanted.
[Clive nods.]
I think living somewhere that is reportedly closer to what I am used to seeing will help me be more comfortable, too.
[Clive smiles at the mental image of Joshua having a food buddy where they could go to places that they liked and not have to worry about catering to others desires. It was oddly cute.]
I would love to see that. Maybe Joshua can make a friend like that here. I don’t know how passionate he is about trying new foods, but having someone who won’t try and force carrots on him will probably be a relief.
[Clive looks down at the card.]
Let’s hope it works.
[Clive follows Alex silently, looking around and taking in all of the sights around them. Everything here was so strange. And Dion was right. The lights do hum. That would drive him mad. He follows Alex’s lead when they get inside and sets his bag on the table. Unlike her, he doesn’t dump it out.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-07-02 12:55 am (UTC)The concept of whole buildings, particularly ones like castles or monasterys, could find themselves replicated here is a different level to "something familiar." Those were usually not small. )
That's incredible. The whole castle? The whole former monastery? Now I'm wondering... do either of them have working plumbing? ( She glances to Clive, scratching at her temple lightly in a sort of sheepish way. ) It's hard for me to guess exactly what your level of city infrastructure is back home. Do you guys have sewage systems and indoor plumbing?
( Because how would that work, also being ported in? Would it connect to whatever existed here? Or in other parts of the apparently sprawling landscape?
His upturned gaze at the surrounding buildings has her looking at them again too, trying to see them from his point of view. It's harder, she realizes. Her wonder at the concept was run out as a very young child. Now it's more the unique style of individual buildings that captures her attention. Still... )
The building I work out of back home is probably four times the size of that one.
( She gestures to the ten story tall building down the road. )
Pretty incredible what people can do, right?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-03 11:16 pm (UTC)That's what I said. Yeah, the whole building. And all the grounds it rests on. The castle belongs to the king of one of the nations from my home.
[At this, Clive does frown. He's not sure how much he should share, considering she saw the state he was in upon arrival. He scratches his cheek.]
It, uh, belongs to the guy who caused the wounds you saw. Found out later that he's here. Somewhere.
[He glances at Alex.]
I wouldn't worry about it, though. Between what I have been told and what he told me himself, I don't think he is going to do anything like that while we are here.
[Clive's I hope. stays behind closed lips.]
I suppose my question of 'what is indoor plumbing' would probably answer your question, huh?
[Clive furrows his brows at the 10 story building, trying to imagine it four times the size.]
But how do they do it?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-04 06:48 am (UTC)If you say so. I don't know that there's any advantage to pursuing conflicts from home while we're here... but people are people. Some just can't help themselves.
( But she's not the one who needs to be convinced. Her own hard time believing the same would be if Viper or any of the other EVER related persons showed up here. They might want to save their world, technically. Given their exploitative treatment of people back home, however? She's not sure how nice that saving would look. )
Haaa, it does, unfortunately. Plumbing is the miracle of having... I don't know what you call them, maybe something like a water closet? Like the restrooms at the Gold Saucer. Flowing water inside, to sinks or toilets or showers or baths, water clean enough to drink or cook or bathe with. And sewage systems. Never underestimate the amazing reality of well made sewage systems.
( Also hope forever not to run into reasons to need to be in those sewage systems. Ideal world is never needing to: reality is just dealing with whatever comes up (or goes down the storm drains).
Alex tips her head back, studying the building and considering if she can even try to explain. )
Well... keep in mind, I'm not an architect, but... Cranes. You use giant cranes to get the steel beams in place, concrete — basically what we're walking n — and then smaller metal bars called rebar? Buildings need to be able to move with the earth or the winds when they get that big. You don't notice when you're inside, but if they weren't built to handle the pressures of nature, they'd end up buckling.
( ... She'll skip over explaining that she thinks foundations are important too, after a few "building fell because it was build on a sand plain" news stories from decades past. If she hadn't been half-watching documentaries that touched on those, Alex wouldn't have thought about it herself. Skyscrapers simply were In the rebuilding after the Catastrophe, there'd been cranes all around the city. )
no subject
Date: 2025-07-04 02:55 pm (UTC)Well, I'm hoping he behaves. Wouldn't be surprised if he decided that he needed to train me or something. He's... weird. Very convinced he is doing the right thing.
[Clive nods at the explanation about plumbing. That makes a lot of sense. He does doubt that the monastery or castle would have that installed in their magical transfer or build or however that works, but only time will tell.]
That was a miracle and I wish that we had it back home. I could take a bath without having to haul water. It was amazing. I felt very spoiled. I'm not sure if the places I mentioned will have it or not. They don't have them in their home world.
[Clive is familiar with the disgusting nature of having to climb through sewage tunnels. While they may not have plumbing, they do have a system of human waste disposal in castles.]
I also don't know what cranes are. I'm sorry.
[He is definitely feeling a little dumb right now.]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-05 06:46 am (UTC)( She just raises her eyebrow at the comment about training, but she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. It's not her world, and her own interpersonal relationships back home included working with the most prominent, least information known about leader of a criminal organization, who kidnapped her from the abduction she'd planned to get his attention with, then forced her to shoot him in the chest. Their working relationship has slowly gotten less actively on fire since.
Somehow. )
Yeah... Just watch yourself, I guess. And if he needs a show thrown at his head, let me know. I've got decent aim.
( It's also not a threat, unless the guy has a fear of shoes, in which case, suffer.
Alex wrinkles her nose a touch thinking about massive buildings without the benefits of plumbing. )
I hope that's something the bots could help install. Just imagine? All those hot baths you and everyone else could be having in those beautiful stone buildings. ( She leans over a touch, dropping the volume of her voice to say, tongue in cheek: ) They may or may not really be beautiful, but they're aesthetic is, even if they aren't.
( It's nonsense, but the way she grins after she says it and winks before straightening up is proof she's very aware of her nonsense. Then she has to laugh, gently slapping her hand against her forehead. )
No, of course not, don't be sorry. It's like talking about your favorite foods with someone from another country, and they keep staring at you because they have no idea what you mean. Hmm... Think of cranes like big pulley-and-lift systems. They can be moved around, and they lift heavy objects to where you want them placed for your building project. Does that make any sense?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-05 09:25 pm (UTC)[Clive pauses.]
I'll try to be careful. My brother wants to see if we can get him to work with us when we get home, too. I'm not holding my breath, but if Joshua wants it, then I will do whatever I can to get it.
[He's got years to make up for and he isn't going to waste them because Barnabas has, in Clive's opinion, pretty backwards beliefs about what saving people actually looks like.]
That would be amazing. I'll have to ask about it when I get to Garegg Mach. If they don't, I'll try asking the bots or Aurora or something. I wouldn't mind getting a little spoiled. Once I get settled in would you like to come visit?
[In this case, he would be getting very spoiled. Having to haul, purify, and heat your water before you could take a proper bath took a lot of work. To the point where Clive would usually just bathe in the cold water. If the water around the Hideaway wasn't practically toxic, he would just jump in the lake directly.]
Ah, yeah. That makes sense. We have systems like that to haul heavy things either up or down. We have lifts for the same purpose, except those can also carry people.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 07:12 am (UTC)( She trails off with her own smile. )
Bet you're the older brother, aren't you?
( There's something in the whole, if it's what this brother Joshua wants, then I'll do whatever I can to get it that hits really hard for being the big brother in a sibling relationship. )
Here's to hoping they already do! Hot baths and hot showers are the best. Or cold ones during the summer heat like this. Then again, there is a beach this close, so we can just go swimming...
( She trails off, and shakes her head again. Alex knows she's getting distracted, but swimming really is wonderful when the summer heat gets too heavy. )
I'd love to visit! Then I can meet your brother too, and everyone else there. And everyone deserves to get a little spoiled. If we're not getting spoiled by others, than at least we can spoil ourselves, right?
( She grins, teasing just a little, but believing very firmly in whatever counts as self care. Her own balance might not be great, but she does give herself treats here and there as motivation to keep fighting whatever good fight she needs to face. )
Yes, lifts for people! Or goods. We have those in buildings and stuff like that too, but cranes are... special ones for building. You know, just let me try and draw you one later, there's no way I'm explaining any of this well.
( She says this with a smile, not feeling bad about her own lack of architectural or civic engineering know-how, but aware more and more it's not like powering through will necessarily produce results. )
no subject
Date: 2025-07-08 01:19 am (UTC)[He knows what gave it away, but he would still like to hear Alex’s thoughts on it. Spending time with her had been a balm and today is no different.]
There is so much more here than I thought there would be. I like it a lot better than the Golden Saucer already. Being able to go outside is a big plus. This place could be untamed wilderness and I might still like it better than the other place though so. Not a high bar.
[Clive’s smile that he gives Alex is bright.]
I would love for you to meet Joshua. Honestly, I would love for everyone to meet Joshua, but I could probably talk about how great he is for way too long so I’ll save you that monologue. There are a couple of other people that are living there, too. I haven’t met everyone yet, but the man who invited me is named Yuri. He is very generous.
[Closed off and defensive, sure, but also kind and giving. People were complex and Clive didn’t begrudge him his secrets. Everyone had them. As long as the people he cared about were safe and nothing untoward was happening at the place he was to be living, Clive didn’t mind all that much.]
I do like giving gifts and doing things for others. It is very fulfilling. Probably one of my favorite things to do.
[Clive pops open the map in his device and takes a look. The beach isn’t too far from here.]
Do you want to go to the beach? We can stop off somewhere and put these away. Today definitely has the weather for it.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-08 03:20 am (UTC)( She gives a small shrug of her shoulders, masking where this bothers her: Caleb is her adoptive brother in all meaningful senses, but since recent events, there's a wall between them where he thinks he's allowed to protect her, but she's not allowed to support him. When conversations stop being conversations and people end up drugged so they can't interfere for their own safety...
It's better to start thinking about other topics. She might understand the urge, but she can't agree that she appreciated the means. Or the consequences for the kids she'd been concerned about. )
It's definitely big! Also eerie, having so few people around... not to discount the bots, and they're really trying their best, but this feels like a city that forgot it was supposed to have people even living here.
( She's used to living in a city of multi-millions. Being confronted with this was like walking into a No-Hunt Zone, only without the danger.
Her attention is back on the present as Clive talks about Joshua, and then mentions another person named Yuri — keeping track of the names and tucking them away in memory, she smiles in return. )
Yeah, see, even if I hadn't already guessed, that right there? Big older brother energy. It's sweet. ( The desire to boast about someone they're proud of. Maybe it stands out more to her because it'd always been her and Caleb and their grandma, the woman who'd adopted them both and made sure they had a home after they'd lost whatever ones they'd had before the catastrophe. Even knowing now that Josephine hadn't taken her and Caleb in at random... and had in fact been part of that childhood Alex can't remember, didn't take away from what she'd been to Alex after, allowing her to grow up when it sounds like other forces would have preferred she didn't. Dimitri for one. )
I'll look forward to meeting both him and Yuri then. Is there anything you or Joshua can't or won't eat?
( May as well start planning a "move in" food present early, she'll need the opportunity to scope out what's even available in this city. It's also the direction her thoughts head when Clive talks about how he likes giving people gifts and doing things for others. She's similarly motivated, though spending time with people she cares about also ranks high for her. Maybe she's always been a bit lonely when she's alone. )
The beach? Sure! Maybe while we're finding somewhere to put everything we can find someplace with swimsuits too. I'd love to get out into the water... the city I've lived in all my life is built right on the shoreline like this. We might even see local fish! ... If a city like this can be said to have anything 'local.'
no subject
Date: 2025-07-10 12:27 am (UTC)[Clive glances away and is quiet for a moment.]
Anyway, he is grown now and I need to let him make his own decisions. I know he wants to support me, too. I'm... I'm trying. Got any advice?
[Clive takes this opportunity to look around at the city. With this many buildings, it is eerily quiet. The lack of the sounds of life, despite the bots efforts, sends an uncomfortable shiver down his spine.]
Yeah, I get that feeling, too. I can't imagine what it is like staying here. For how big all of this is, I think it would be too quiet for me.
[Although most places might be more quiet than he is used to, what with how close everything is in the Hideaway.
At her next big brother comment, Clive smiles.]
I'm not very picky. Joshua hates carrots and likes sweets.
[Clive gestures towards the apartment complex.]
We are supposed to have rooms there if we want one. I don't know if they are assigned, but we can stop by yours and drop the stuff off and then go.
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Date: 2025-07-10 02:16 am (UTC)To her, that seems natural. )
My advice? ... Keep trying. I don't know if Joshua is the type to say this, but when we tell you we want to share your burdens, let us. The more you hold back, the smaller we feel. And no matter how bad you think something is, you can't drive us away. Even if it's an impossible situation... we just want to stand at your side. That kind of thing.
( She says, brushing her hair back off her face and behind an ear. These are the sorts of things she's said to Caleb, but it gets complicated... and ah, well. Maybe one day he'll be able to tell her genuinely what's happening, and let her face his fears with him. Then again, maybe Zayne will let her help out too instead of hiding in dark alleyways channeling his alternate universe self, but nooo, he ran off and went on sabbatical from the hospital. )
It's way too quiet. Maybe that's what the appeal is in letting people gather in the one apartment building, or how people can do like what you're doing — move into another place and live together as a group. Can't feel as lonely when everyone around you is vibrant, right?
( She quirks a smile at the note on hating carrots. It's such a funny thing to her, and not at all the first time she's heard it. Her cardiologist is the same way. )
I have a feeling that if Joshua and my friend Zayne ever met, they'd be the perfect food friends. He also hates carrots and loves everything sweet. Anyway, you're right. I did get some kind of key card from one of the bots, so let's swing on by and see what my new temporary home looks like!
( From the outside of the building, Alex is expecting... to be unimpressed. This expectation doesn't change when they make their way to the building, let alone when she digs out the keycard and finds the correct apartment. Everything is dated old in her eyes, but is at least functional and doesn't have any weird smells.
Alex unloads her pillowcase onto the empty table, gesturing for Clive to feel free and do the same. She'll worry about getting house slippers and the like later on, if she can even find any, but for now she's not going to pretend there's any priority in removing shoes at the door. The apartment doubtlessly needs a deep cleaning as it is, just so it can feel more like her space, less like an abandoned place. )
Well, that's that. I wonder what kind of options this city has for decorating... but that's a later thought! Shall we head for the beach?
Do you want to cap this here since its a good segue for the June mingle?
Date: 2025-07-10 10:40 pm (UTC)It’s his turn to search her eyes. Her intensity feels personal and he wonders what she was going through at home where she had built up so much passion about this. He is guessing things were a little tense, but if she wanted to tell him, she would.
He smiles when she is done, a gentle warmth filling his chest. She reminds him a bit of Joshua, passionate and tenacious. He nods and starts walking again.]
Noted. Thank you, Alex. I’m sure Joshua will be happy that we had this conversation. I can’t say that I will be able to change overnight, but I will try. I would never want to make Joshua feel small or unwanted.
[Clive nods.]
I think living somewhere that is reportedly closer to what I am used to seeing will help me be more comfortable, too.
[Clive smiles at the mental image of Joshua having a food buddy where they could go to places that they liked and not have to worry about catering to others desires. It was oddly cute.]
I would love to see that. Maybe Joshua can make a friend like that here. I don’t know how passionate he is about trying new foods, but having someone who won’t try and force carrots on him will probably be a relief.
[Clive looks down at the card.]
Let’s hope it works.
[Clive follows Alex silently, looking around and taking in all of the sights around them. Everything here was so strange. And Dion was right. The lights do hum. That would drive him mad. He follows Alex’s lead when they get inside and sets his bag on the table. Unlike her, he doesn’t dump it out.]
Yeah, let’s go. It’s a good day for a swim.