[IC] Hopefully Sanctuary

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy slammed the door behind Stewart. She took a couple of deep breaths before locking the door. She was sure that the other woman had questions. How could she not? Even if the empath had only felt a small portion of the emotions she experienced there would be questions. Most she couldn't answer without jeopardizing Devika and that wasn't something that she was willing to do. She would protect the other woman as much as possible.

"Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting him to show up today. That should be the last of our visitors for a few days." She assured Devika. She wanted to reassure the other woman that she was safe here even if that wasn't the complete truth. Roxy planned to do what she could to make the empath as safe as possible.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Okay..." Devika said slowly. She could still feel remnants of Roxy's anger flowing from her. "Who was that, if you don't mind my asking? You... obviously didn't want to see him. Plus you're radiating rage like a space heater." She chuckled weakly. Something had gone amiss out there, that was for certain.

But what?

"If you can't tell me, that's okay. I just want to make sure you're alright."

[KatherinWinter]

"That was an asshole who wasn't supposed to be here." Roxy answered. She tried to calm down. Her anger wasn't helping. She was used to hiding her emotions but that didn't seem to be enough. Not if Devika was picking up her anger. She didn't want to make Devika uncomfortable.

"I'm fine. I can handle him." For the most part. It didn't help that she couldn't defend herself. Vincent had earned the right to touch to a certain extent. He love to push that but she knew he would never cross that line. He wasn't brave enough to risk the consequences. He knew she wouldn't hesitate if he did. She just had to find a way to deal with him.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika raised her eyebrows, very curious but not asking the dozen questions that were on her mind. "Some asshole, huh? If you say so." She did want to respect her privacy and all. She just hoped this asshole wasn't going to be a frequent trouble, especially if he knew where Roxy lived. Maybe he was some kind of jilted ex-boyfriend or something. Roxy seemed like the type to like tough guys.

"Do you want help calming down? I won't use my power on you, but I do know some good breathing exercises if you'd like to try them." She tried to smile a bit, to show that it was alright. Everyone got bad, it was just dealing with it properly that was key.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shook her head. "I don't have the patience for those things. I'll work it off." She assured the other woman. She made her way back over to the art piece she was working on. She took a piece of bent metal. She set it on the floor. Then she picked up a hammer. She started beating the metal with the hammer. She had learned the best way that the best way for her to deal with her anger was to vent it. Physical activity like beating the crap out something. She restricted these vents to inanimate objects. After about an hour the anger and frustration had diminished. "Do you want to have something delivered for lunch?" They had ordered food and it should be delivered soon but if Devika wanted to cook they should probably head up soon. Cooking took time.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika couldn't help but stare as Roxy beat several dents into the piece of metal. She understood immediately that meditation would never be an option for Roxy. No, she had to move to get her energy out. Still, did it have to be so noisy? She flinched several times at the noise, and sort of wanted to cover her ears, but managed not to do that. After a bit, she simply went upstairs and left Roxy to work it out. Once the noise stopped, she came back down.

"Lunch delivery would be good. I'm not quite sure what I would cook today." They were still waiting on most of the groceries. "Well, we had pizza yesterday... Hm..." She tapped her chin with a finger, thinking.

"How do you feel about Thai food?"

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy had order Devika a set of top of the line noise cancelling headphones. She was sure once the Empath had them Devika would be more comfortable. They should arrive tomorrow. Hopefully they would help. She felt better after imagining Stewart's face where the hammer hit the metal. The metal was now straight and she mostly had control of her emotions. She should be able to keep them under control for Devika.

"I have no idea. I've never eaten it. But I'm opening to try it. Whatever you want is fine. I have no preference." Roxy assured the empath. She was hungry. She didn't care what they had as long as they eat. Now was a good of a time to try new food. It was something that Devika could do for her sense she would never do it for herself.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Alright, Thai food it is. We'll start you with something simple and not so spicy. Pad Thai. It's a noodle dish with peanut sauce." She paused, looking suddenly concerned. "Wait, you aren't allergic to peanuts, are you? If you are, we'll find something else for you." She whipped out her phone and started looking up a local place.

"And for me, mango curry. The hotter, the better!" She started ordering, and pulled up the ingredients for pad thai so Roxy could look. "Here we are. Sounds good?" It was good to have new experiences, Devika thought, and what better way to experience than to eat! That was probably half the reason she was pudgy, come to think of it.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shook her head. "No I'm not allergic to peanuts. I'm not really allergic to anything." She assured Devika. She didn't want the empath to worry about her. She would eat whatever. She might not be used to spicy food but she would eat it if that was what she was given. She had learned young to eat whatever she was given. Being picky had never been an option for her.

"That looks fine. We'll go upstairs and eat. That way you can relax." She usually eat while she worked but Roxy didn't think that Devika would appreciate that. The empath seemed to the type to eat at a table. She cleaned up a little before heading up the stair. Relaxing wasn't something she did. Well not the way most people did. She preferred to stay active. The busier she was the less she had to think. She preferred not to think if she could avoid it.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Alright, ordered. It says 20 minutes." Devika cheerfully headed upstairs. She made sure the table was clear and clean. Roxy was definitely right, she was kind of an 'eat at the table' person. She settled there and gazed at Roxy over her glasses.

"I can tell you're feeling much better now, even without my power. I'm glad for that." She smiled a bit. "If that guy comes back, maybe I can deal with him next time. Tell him you're not home or something." Though that begged the question of where Roxy would be. Even after such a short amount of time, Devika could tell Roxy was a homebody type. Not one to go roaming the city on adventures. It suited Devika just fine, especially since she'd never be the adventuring type. Sadly, out of necessity rather than desire.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready for people." She was pushing herself and she knew it. Maybe she'd be ready for one person or two, but that would likely exhaust her limits. Still, her senses worked rather like any other muscle. It needed to be pushed to get stronger, after her years in isolation.

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy snorted. She was sure that Devika was trying to help but she couldn't see her being able to handle Vincent. "No offence Devika but I don't think you can handle dealing with Vincent. Don't worry I've got it." Which was mostly true. She could handle it for the most part. She just didn't like that he could push her boundaries. She had once been respected and untouchable but than she had been replaced and lost everything.

"Don't push yourself Devika. I can lose a few day of random customers. My regulars won't mind the wait. An emergencies can be handled without the owner present we need to." Roxy assured the empath. She had worked hard since she took over to prove herself to the regulars they knew that she wouldn't close down without a reason. She would explain as needed but so far there hadn't been a need.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"You saw right through me, huh?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Very well. I was just trying to make sure you weren't bored or missing business." But if everything was going to be okay, then yes, Devika could use an extra day or two.

The food arrived shortly afterward, and they sat at the table with containers of noodles, peanut sauce and curry. "Mm... I think this is the best idea I've had yet. I hope you're liking yours." Devika seemed to be using the chopsticks with ease, chowing down with happiness. "So what is the plan for tomorrow? There's got to be something I can do to assist you while you're working."

[KatherinWinter]

"I'll be fine Devika. A few days isn't going to hurt me." Roxy assured the empath. She had savings if needed but she doubted that it would be. She hadn't taken time off since she started working at. It was probably good for her to take time off. She could work on her metal work for awhile and she could do small emergencies. The tow truck could drop off the vehicle outside. She didn't know how much space Devika needed between her and others so she would keep as much space between the empath and others for now.

She took her food and eat. It was good. Better than most of the stuff she eat. "Not bad. Thank you for the suggestion." She would have ordered a sandwich if she bothered to eat at all. She didn't always. Sometimes she didn't bother. Roxy supposed that wasn't something that she could do for awhile.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika nodded. "Well, Roxy, I'm really glad you like it."

-

The next few days passed rather quickly. Devika started working on her 'New Empath in Town" blog series, and Roxy surprised her with a fancy set of noise canceling headphones. She was so touched, she wanted to cry. But she kept it in. She couldn't go crying at the drop of a hat until her and Roxy's bond was better. The headphones helped immensely though, they offered Devika a place to retreat whenever she felt overwhelmed.

"Good morning Roxy." As usual, Roxy had been up long before she had. Devika wondered how she did it every morning. Discipline, probably. She was jealous.

"I think I'm ready, and I mean it this time. You can open up the shop."

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy didn't mind the few days that she didn't open shop. She finished the horse whe was working on. When Devika indicated that she was ready for the shop to be open. She simply raised an eyebrow. "I'll arrange for the sculpture picked up and we'll see how that goes." She didn't want to overwhelm the empath. Still it would be good to get back to work. She was starting to get restless.

She took out her phone and schedule the pickup. Then she headed down. She saw no need to advertise that the shop was open. Not until she knew that Devika could handle the emotions. If they were lucky Stewart wouldn't show up but she wouldn't put money on it. He had been quiet the last few days and he wouldn't stay away long.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"I have to say, Roxy. I really admire your work." The metal horse was definitely a piece of art that she could tell Roxy had worked hard on. "I can tell you put a lot of love into it." She gently patted the horse's metal side.

Then she sat down near the garage. To say she was nervous would be to state the obvious. But she had her head phones, she had meditated, she had done all the things to make herself prepared for people. The only thing to get her through it was to do it, and see the other side. Who knew human interaction could be so hard?

"God I'm such a wimp. I can't believe I'm actually afraid." She buried her face in her hands, groaning slightly.

[KatherinWinter]

"I wouldn't call it love." Roxy argued. She didn't think of the art she did as love. It was the way she relaxed and unwind. The fact that she could sell her creations was beneficial. She didn't really need the money but it was nice to know the work wasn't going to waste. "The truck should be here in about an hour. I'm going to flip the sign but I'm not opening the bay doors yet." She figured that would keep the traffic down and give Devika a chance to adjust.

She made her way to the door and turned the sign and unlocked the door. She didn't expect much traffic today but that was fine. She wanted to start slow. Overwhelming Devika would only drag out the adjustment time. Which would only make things worse. She polished the horse so it would be ready to ship when the truck got there.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"You're so unromantic. I think all art requires some measure of love." She smiled a bit.

Watching Roxy go to the door, Devika felt a little flutter of fear. It was just the unknown, calling to her. She hadn't seen another person for weeks, not counting Roxy, and she was praying that this first encounter went smoothly.

She had to talk, to get the fear out of her system. "Where do you get your ideas from? Is it something that comes from your own mind, or do you just bang it out on the metal and see what happens?"

[KatherinWinter]

Roxy shrugged. She couldn't deny that. Romance wasn't a thing that existed in her world. She had no experience with it. The door to the store opened and an older man stepped into the shop. His emotions were mostly calm. He was a little worried. He smiled when he saw Roxy. It was cleared that respected her. "Do you have a moment Ms. Roxy?"

"Of course Paul. What can I help you with?" Roxy asked

"It's Tilly's chair." The older man said.

"Do you need help bringing her in?" Roxy asked.

"No. No. I got it." The older man assured her. He stepped outside. It was only a couple of minutes before he pushed a electric wheelchair into the shop. In the chair was on old lady. She lookedattheman with love in her eyes. "It's acting up again."

Roxy walked over to the wheelchair. She checked a couple of things. "Devika can you climb the later up to the top shelf?" She pointed to a shelf that held several small plastic containers.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Devika felt not a flood of emotions from the old couple, but more like a warm blanket of them. The old man was calm and soothing. The old lady less so, she was nervous but that abated when looking at her husband. Both of them seemed like lovely people. She was drawn out of her reverie by Roxy, who asked her to get something.

"Yes, sure." She went up the ladder, looking at several containers of things she didn't know. "Which one do you need?"