Logs:Trick of the Light

Trick of the Light

Players

Hyde Park
27 August, 2022

Fiametta detours with Darwin on her way home.

Another summer evening heavy with humidity. It's late enough that the traffic has thinned out and there's only the occasional passing of headlights along the illuminated shopping strip. Once more, Darwin is dressed in far too many coats as he awaits Fiametta just outside a coffee shop. He's got himself a lemonade, slightly more fitting for this hour.

Fiametta walks along, her eyes drifting down to her phone now and then, as if she's checking directions or messages. This late at night, her coppery hair shouldn't have its usual glow--and it is somewhat diminished, but as she passes by each streetlight or light from a window it seems to catch, a little ginger flare now and then in the dim evening light. She's wearing a sleeveless cropped halter top in a bandana print, low rise jeans adding to the midriff that's showing, though a way too oversized black hoodie might well ruin that effect as it's tied carelessly around her waist. A large black bag is slung over one shoulder. No heels or platforms, but comfy sneakers, which probably means that she's the shortest Darwin's seen her.

Her eyes skim over the many-coated Darwin at first--he's the wrong shape. But then they quickly drift back. "Darwin," she greets him in her soft-spoken voice. "You're not hiding something under there, are you?"

"What?" Darwin smiles, bewildered, then realizes, "Oh, hah. No. I'm just... cold. In the summer. When everyone else is in tank tops." He bites his lip. "Solomon pointed it out and now I'm beginning to think there really is something wrong with me." He swirls the ice in his drink, looking Fiametta over briefly. "I can wait if you wanted to get a drink--?"

"If you're so cold, why're you getting an iced drink?" Fi continues, eyes still slightly narrowed. She steps a little closer, if he doesn't retreat. She looks at his eyes, in that unsettling direct way of hers, though in this case she seeing if his are red, if his skin is flushed. Darwin might even imagine that at any moment one elegant hand could snake out to cop a feel of his /forehead/ checking for fever. But fortunately, or alas, she does manage to control that impulse. "Mmhmm," she says, finally, but then shakes her head. "I think I'm good. We can walk, if you like. Maybe I'll be a little less sore tomorrow." There's a rueful curve to her lips. "I might need to take tomorrow off from practice."

"I like lemonade!" Darwin insists, and stands his ground as Fiametta draws closer. At first, he doesn't know where to place his eyes, darting back and forth under the scrutiny. His eyes seem clear, at least under the lighting, skin perhaps a shade paler than it ought to be. "Yeah, let's walk. In the direction of your place, at least. Tomorrow's a new moon, a good day for laying around," he agrees. "That big meeting's tomorrow, though," he adds, quieter.

She looks up at the sky, as he mentions it, though her gaze also returns to linger on his too-pale skin. She doesn't push, at least not right away, instead strolling along companionably. "You been working a lot lately?" she asks quietly, perhaps wondering if that's the connection between needing to lay around. "Yeah, it is. It'll be interesting to see who shows up, and what's talked about. I've heard about the barbecue down under from enough people that I bet that's gonna be mentioned." She seems fairly confident in that. "You ever been? To the meeting, I mean. I assume you didn't join in the shenanigans that are going on that we don't like."

Darwin keeps a leisurely pace, sipping at his drink. "I've been grading a lot of papers. Not the kind of work that makes your sore, just mentally exhausting. By twelve AM I'm cursing myself for assigning all this crap." He chuckles. "Barbecue. I've never been. I haven't really tried reaching out until lately." He scoffs, still smiling. "I'm poorly socialized. Shenanigans? ...The fiery zealots? No. Those people are insane. They... need to be handled."

The redhead's expression softens just a bit. "I loved high school," she admits. "Guess I never thought much about what it'd be like, having to grade all those classes worth of papers and stuff. "Do you wanna be more socialized?" she asks, curiously. There's no judgement in the stormy blue eyes that rest on him, either way, but then sighs quietly. "If they like fire so much, that mean that it don't hurt them as much?" she asks, so very casually. "Or do they just not care if they get burned?"

"Bet you were pretty popular," Darwin says. "You've got a very warm aspect about you." At the question, Darwin grins to himself. "Yeah, I do. It helps that I have a really sweet roommate. I'm just... I've never had much in common with others that are... like me. I'm being raised by Lost folk," he laughs.

"If you're looking for reason in those wolves..." Darwin's lips curl. "I don't know for sure if they're actually from the Fire-Touched tribe but it sure sounds like it. They're vicious and numerous, they worship the truth above all else, whatever the hell the truth is, and I've been /trying/ to help some people get enough silver, but... it's tricky. I imagine if they're burning themselves for that cow spirit, they don't care about the pain."

"I was...until I wasn't," Fi admits, though it's with a distant sort of smile. "That's just how things go, right?" But then she listens, quietly. "Not looking for reason so much as..." she pauses, thoughtfully. "I can work with fire. I mean I know the thing that's the really bad thing also likes fire a lot. I was just wondering about the followers though." She shakes her head a little, with a quiet sigh. "A whole /bunch/ of people who worship fire." Her tone is almost longing, but there's an edge of humor in it as well.

"Seems to not really much matter what kind of thing someone is, lots of people try to be alone. I'm sure for some that's the right choice, but...I'm glad you're giving other people a chance too. Little riskier in more ways than one. But I think it makes us stronger."

"Oh? You got, like--" Darwin gestures with his fingertips, probably to indicate flames but it looks more like a flower blooming. "That kind of... uhm. Mmmmagic?" He winces slightly. "There are probably really great people out there that worship fire! Worship fire fall the great stuff it brings. Just not these assholes."

Darwin watches Fiametta with growing fondness, which lingers even has he's forced to evade a light pole. "I think so too. Gotta' look out for the weirdos. And that includes Javi! I wonder how his date went."

"I like fire," Fi admits, with a little gleam in her smile. It's a little mercurial twist, softness to sharpness and then back. Though Darwin has seen a little bit of that predator instinct that seems at odds with her delicate appearance. "It just never occurred to me that there'd be people around now who worshiped it, though. Then someone told me it wasn't really the fire they were worshiping, that's just the spirit of it. Or something. Though definitely not something to tangle with alone. Sol mentioned something about a cow too. It made me a little hungry for barbecue. Maybe they'll have barbecue chicken pizza or something at the meeting."

But then her eyes widen ever so slightly. "Oh, that's /right/." She hides a smile, almost shyly. "Well, at least I'm not rushing home. More time to find out, I guess."

"I like fire too. I like sitting in front of fireplaces. There's no fireplace in my apartment," Darwin laments. "Oh, yeah, Solomon really didn't like how it was a cow despite there being no actual proof the cow started the disaster. Kinda' funny. But spirits don't care about the truth, they care about perception. Emotion."

Darwin blinks. "Home? What do you mean?"

"Mm." This information about spirits seems to be filed away quite deliberately, though there is perhaps a dangerous gleam in the young woman's eyes, as embers rise to play in the depths of her dark blue eyes. The soft glow of the streetlights against her skin could easily be a trick of the light as well as she walks companionably at his side. "Maybe Sol is just disappointed that it's not a bunch of fire ants or something." Another might say that sarcastically--but she doesn't appear to have an ounce of it in her voice. "I decided to go home a little early, since patrons were kind of thin, and my--the owners were super busy with other stuff tonight. But I figured I wouldn't rush back home."

"Fire ants," Darwin repeats through a chuckle, trying not to double-take too obviously at what may be a trick of the light. "Alright, well. We can take the scenic route. Behold the dazzling gleam of retail, the glimmer of the windows at that Target, the lush clusters of shopping carts, perfect grazing for the patrons of CVS." He shivers, then tosses the rest of his lemonade in a trash bin. "Okay, an iced drink was a bad idea," he mutters, pulling his coats tighter. "Barbecue chicken pizza is starting to sound /great/ though. Wonder if there's any nearby." He sniffs.

Fi narrows her eyes at him again, especially at that shiver. "Are you sure something didn't happen to you?" she asks him. "I don't remember you wearing like 5 zillion coats the first time we met. There it is, that temptation to feel his forehead. She almost reaches out, but stops herself. Not before her fingertips hover over the hand that just tossed the cup. Even at that close distance, it's her that has heat rolling off of her skin, as if she were feverish. Her pale skin remains so, however, without a hint of a flush to her, and she carefully tucks her hands into her pockets. While he sniffs the air, she gets out her phone, and looks up late night pizza places nearby. SOME people. "You want some company? I hear the pizza place where the Thingy is going to be held has good stuff, but I guess I don't mind pizza for dinner two nights in a row."

"I don't /think/ so," Darwin says, clearly unsure of himself and troubled by it. His fingers curl in the air, briefly chasing that thawing warmth from Fiametta's hand before it draws away. "I... maybe I'll make an appointment somewhere." He perks. Ah, right, handy technology. "Yeah, def. Lead the way. Thingy? Allthingy?" he teases as they head off.