[IC] Hopefully Sanctuary

[KatherinWinter]

"No rush on my part." Roxy assured her. She wasn't in any hurry to face that awkward situation. It would be awkward for everyone. Even though it was a private moment she would have to be there. She would on the outside looking in. They might try to include her but she wouldn't really belong. She couldn't. She wasn't part of their world. No matter what kind of relationship Devika had with her family it would be completely different from anything she had known.

"Maybe we should pick up some noise damping headphones. The city has to be a lot loader than where you lived." Roxy suggested. She remembered how quiet it had been in the cottage. Too quiet for her so she could easily see how the opposite could be true for the empath. Some soothing music could help too but she didn't mention that. She wasn't comfortable making too many suggestions. Devika no doubt knew what worked for her and what didn't.

Luckily it was only a short time before the cab pulled up in front of the garage. Roxy handed the driver her card and got out as quickly as she could. She hated enclosed spaces. She didn't know if she could have survived if she had been forced into isolation. The only upside would be that she would be far from people.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Noise canceling headphones. That's a good idea, I didn't think of that." There was a lot to consider, but Roxy seemed like the intelligent type. She was sure the other woman would have plenty of ideas.

"Thanks for the ride." She murmured to the cab driver as they got out. Then it was back in front of the garage. She could see that Roxy looked a little ill at ease, and Devika wondered just why. However, she didn't ask. It was far too early to ask something like that, even if she was a bit worried.

"Shall we get inside and get to that pizza?"

[KatherinWinter]

They had arrived at the right time because the pizza arrived just as Roxy unlocked the door to the apartment. She signed the receipt before heading inside. She set the box on the table before going to the cupboard. "Do you want a plate and some silverware?" She asked. She knew some people eat pizza like that. She didn't understand it but she would respect Devika's choice if that was what she wanted to do. "What would you like to drink. I have several sodas and I think the milk should still be safe to drink."

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika followed Roxy inside, with the smell of the pizza wafting invitingly after her. "No thanks, I'll just eat with my hands." Devika grinned. "Pizza is not a silverware kind of food."

She wondered how long it would take to not feel like a guest in Roxy's space. "As far as drinks, soda will be just fine, thank you!" Mostly she was eager to get to the pizza. Groceries were one thing, but most fast food places didn't deliver so far out where she used to be. She could think of a whole list of things that she wanted to eat. Maybe it would make the transition back to the city more fun.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy nodded. She opened the fridge and took two cans of pop. She set them on the coffee table. "I don't have a table so we will have to sit on the couch or stand." She told the other woman. She had lived alone so she hadn't thought she need a table. It was something she might need to reconsider. She opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice. She was glad that Devika was alright with eating the pizza in a more relaxed way.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The next day, Devika awoke reluctantly, looking haggard. Last night had not been good. Who knew a city at night could be so noisy? Honking and people still on the streets, and she could swear, just swear she heard a gunshot at one point. She struggled through her morning routine, then slowly made her way to where the kitchen was.

"Please tell me there's coffee..." She pushed her glasses up and yawned huge, exhaustion written all over her.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy was up early. She always did. She showered and got dressed. She wore a black t-shirt with black jeans. It was her normal attire. She didn't own much that wasn't black. Once she was dressed she made her way into the kitchen. She started the coffee pot than leaned against the counter to check her email and messages. She never got very many but she checked every morning because the few she did get were were related. Even online she was an introvert. It wasn't that she didn't want to connect but that she didn't know how.

"There's coffee." Roxy assured her. Unfortunately there wasn't another mug. Having lived alone so long she only had one of everything. So Roxy dumped out what little was left in her mug and washed it. She would have to buy more things. Luckily they had the internet for that. "You need to order those headphones today. I will see about soundproofing your room."

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Thank you." Devika took the mug with a shy, sleepy smile. Her own clothing was brighter and full of flowers and pretty designs. She preferred clothes that flowed and moved with her. "If you can't soundproof the room, I'll just have to buy a ton of earplugs, too." She would have to unpack some of her own dishes. Like Roxy, she didn't have a whole lot, so it would fit just fine.

"I guess I'll be putting things away for most of the day. Hopefully I'll get my computer up and running, as well." She was already missing the internet. Not that her little web of friends wouldn't get along without her for a few days, but she missed them.

"What are you going to do?"

[KatherinWinter]

"I can soundproof it. People do it all the time. I will order the supplies today. It might take a couple days for them to get here thought. We will have to get you headphones to used until then." She wasn't looking forward to another trip but it might be the only way to make the empath more comfortable. That had to be her priority. Not her comfort. They could go to one of the bigger stores and get everything at once.

"Well since you are staying up here I guess I will just work out and order the things we need. I don't know who close we need to be and I don't want to test it by being on two different floors." She would have to rearrange a few things but that shouldn't be an issue. She had a good reputation and was usually able to get jobs done quickly. Rescheduling shouldn't be too much trouble.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Thank you, Roxy, for doing this for me." Devika was utterly grateful to the other woman for going through all the trouble. "I'll have to do some research, but I think the government recommendation is to stay in close contact for the first few weeks, and then test the tether as we get closer. For now, I guess I'll have to be on the same floor, and pretty near to you besides. I guess we'll just have to get used to each other." She grinned a bit, but inwardly was fighting a bit of nervousness. It would take a while for them to really get along, and until then, Devika was basically Roxy's shadow.

"Roxy, would you like some breakfast?"

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shrugged. It wasn't like she had any choice. The more comfortable Devika was the faster she would settle in. The faster she settled the smoother things would be for both of them. She made her way to the work out area of the apartment. She had a target on one wall and throwing knives lined up along another. In between the two was a fighting dummy. She headed towards it. "I rarely bother with breakfast. I doubt there is much but help yourself to whatever you find. I can show you the app I use for ordering groceries and we can place on order."

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Fair enough. I love breakfast, so I guess I'll be ordering a lot of groceries." She looked curiously at the target, and the knives sticking out of it. Now she was intrigued. "Do you really throw those? That's a stupid question, of course you did... Can you show me?" She grinned widely. "Can you show me how you fight? I've never met a woman who could do that kind of thing."

While she asked, she started picking out groceries with the app. More or less healthy things, but enough for both of them. She had a feeling that she'd be doing a lot of the cooking. If left to Roxy, they'd be having a lot of black coffee and pizza. Neither terrible things, but there was always room for more.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy studied Devika. No one had ever asked her about her training. Not that many people knew about it. She picked up one of the knives. She twirled it. "If you want to learn I suppose I can teach you." She throw the knife across the room. It flew across the room landing in the center of target. She wasn't showing off. Not really. She was just warming up the same way she had for years. She had been throwing knives since she was thirteen. She had started learning hand to hand to hand combat much younger.

On the app Devika would see Roxy's list of previous purchases. Most of which was simple prepare foods like cereal, chips, cans of soup, microwave dinners, and simple things like that. She had no skill the kitchen so she mostly avoided it. The best she could do was an occasional eggs.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Whoa!" When the knife hit the target, Devika clapped and cheered. "Roxy, that's amazing! And you did it so casually! How long have you been doing that?" She couldn't believe her new roommate was a knife thrower. It was almost like a circus act. "I'd be honored for you to teach me."

The app was helpful, but she definitely realized that Roxy was not a cook. That was fine by her - Devika liked to cook just fine. It would be good to have someone besides her to cook for. "Any preferences for things you like to eat, Roxy? I think... if it's alright with you, I'll do most of the cooking." Hopefully Roxy wouldn't be offended by that.

[KatherinWinter]

"I started throwing knives on my thirteenth birthday." Roxy answered as she picked up another knife. She remembered the day well. She had been so proud to get the throwing knives. She had thought they were a symbol that her father was starting to see that she could be a useful member of his organization. She had hoped from there she would be able to prove that she was worthy of being his heir. But things changed soon after that.

"The kitchen is all yours." Roxy assured Devika. She had no skill in the kitchen. She avoided it as much as possible. "I really don't have a preference when it comes to food. I'll eat anything." She preferred meat but since she couldn't cook it she didn't ask for it. She was curious how skilled Devika was not that it mattered. The other woman was obviously more comfortable in the kitchen than she would ever be.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika whistled softly, impressed. "I think my 13th birthday was at a water park. Nothing so impressive as you." She started in on the app, ordering lots of fruits and vegetables, good meats, and other things she liked to cook. "I think besides the empathy, which is more a trait than a skill, the coolest thing I do is knit. Maybe I can make you a nice scarf!" She laughed a bit, then went back to watching Roxy throw knives.

"So, who taught you how to throw knives?" And why - that was a question, but Devika figured it was just for a cool party trick. Not that Roxy seemed the partying type, honestly. She figured it was a parent or an older sibling trying to pass on a unique and fun skill.

[KatherinWinter]

"I've never been to a water park so I can't really say." Roxy shrugged as she picked up another knife. She hadn't ever wanted the type birthday parties that other girls had. She knew that was impossible. Now she looked back and saw just how gullible she had been. No wander her father had been able to fool her for soon. She had known him better than anyone. She should have been prepared for what happened but she hadn't. She had been blind.

"No one taught me. My father simply gave me a set of throwing knives." He had told her that he expected her to be able to hit the center of the target by her next birthday. She had been so determined to prove herself that she had hit the center six months later. With that she graduated from a trainee to an operative."He said he expected me to be able to protect myself. So I did."

[Mistress Dizzy]

"That's..." Devika struggled for a polite word. "Well, really impressive, that you managed to teach yourself such a skill. You should be proud of that." She winced inwardly - not the best interaction. She could tell Roxy was getting tense, and so she moved off the subject. "If you're willing to teach me this, I should teach you something in return. I'm not sure what, though. You don't seem the type to sit and knit, so... maybe cooking? It's a good skill to have in any case. Everyone's got to eat."

Devika was on an entire separate train of thought while she spoke. What kind of strange father gave her daughter a weapon, but no instruction? It was a modern age, to be able to defend yourself wasn't unexpected. Heck, her own parents had signed her up for self-defense classes when she'd been younger. But it just struck her as so odd. However, she wasn't going to say a word about it. Call it empathy, or call it common sense, but she had a feeling that question had land mines behind it.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shrugged. She supposed that was fair. Not that she cared about fairness. If the empath wanted to waste her time trying to teach her to cook. She wasn't going to refuse but she had little doubt it would be successful. She had tried to learn once but she didn't have the patience for it. She was better with mechanical things. She left the cooking to those who knew what they were doing. She didn't mind paying them for their knowledge.

"If you want to try you to teach me we can try. My last attempt to learn wasn't that successful." The throw a third knife before. Throwing helped destress her. Later she might move on to practicing with the her attack dummy. She needed to be active. She wasn't used to be still. Not working meant she needed to find something else to fill the time. Practicing was a good way to do that.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Well, don't give up hope. Maybe there are some things you can't learn on her own." Devika grinned her dimpled grin, and then approached the knives.

"Would you mind if I tried throwing one?"

She wanted to learn so badly, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she wanted to be that interesting. Honestly, if she wasn't an empath, she'd be pretty boring. A large part of her wanted to change that.