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Jeremiah Hamilton:
The Green Room is a cafe tucked into the center of the Spring Gardens neighborhood, done up in warm woods and a paint job to match the name. Tables are set up both inside and out, with the interior also hosting a wooden stage - currently unoccupied - and a counter near the front with a view into the kitchen beyond it.
The evening was winding down, with the night's band relaxing with a round of coffees at one of the tables and the staff tidying things up. Jeremiah was doing his part in the clean-up efforts, dressed casually in jeans, boots and a grey shirt with a coiled serpent done up in the pan flag colors along with a pair of chunky black glasses.
Lucia Diaz:
Sitting at an out of the way table, where she's been for the last two hours, is a petite Latina in jeans and a black turtleneck whose posture makes her look tinier than her five foot height would suggest. At least she's been buying drinks, but aside from occasionally getting up for another one she's just been sitting and listening to the band, watching the people, and otherwise being a pretty normal patron. She's been by herself for hours, so maybe she got stood up, but she also has a guitar case sitting on the floor next to her, which she picked up and carried with her any time she got up, so maybe she's there hoping to convince someone to give her a gig.
In either case, as more of the patrons start to file out, cleanup gets under way, and all of that, she's still seated there, occasionally look over at Jeremiah with eyes an absolutely gorgeous bright green. They seem to catch any light they possibly can, and it makes the bright green of them light up every time.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Her presence had been noticed, of course, and as the Warlock made his rounds to check on the remaining patrons Lucia's table came up next in the rotation. The guitar case caught his eye, looking it over curiously before giving her a warm smile. "Good evening, Enjoyed the performance, I hope? Anything else we can get you?"
Lucia Diaz:
When asked about the performance Lucia looks over at the band, relaxing with their coffee nearby, then up at Jeremiah for only a fraction of a second before her eyes go back down the table and she lowers her head. "I did," she answers simply, at first. "I still have coffee." She speaks so quietly it would be impossible to hear her if the music was still playing and it's a little hard even still.
Right about when it seems like that might be all she says she glances up again, and once more the overhead lights catch her irises as her gaze shifts. Her hands start to fidget on the table before she clasps them together. Her nails are short, carefully trimmed, and stained with ink, or grease, or pain, or something similar around her cuticles and under the nails themselves. It's not a lack of hygiene, just so much time spent working with her hands that there's no keeping them all the way clean.
"You're Jeremiah, right?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He did lean in a touch, watching her speak as much as listening to make sure he didn't miss anything. He smiled as he nodded. "Good to hear, and I am, yes. How can I help you?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I'm Lucia," the young woman says. At least, she looks like a young woman. "I'm a..." Then she realizes she's not actually sure exactly what she is. A friend of Polly's? A girlfriend? "I know Polly," she settles for. "Has she ever mentioned me?" She doesn't look up from the table the whole time she's speaking.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Ah!" His smile widened, making a 'may I?' motion to the seat across from her and waiting for her clearance before taking it. "She has, yes. Nice to put a face to the name, finally."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia only nods as answer to the gesture to the chair, but when he does actually know who she is she looks up, startled. She actually seems to be more than a little surprised she even came up. "She did?" A little more confused, "you seem happy to see me."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Why wouldn't I be?" He replied, taking the seat and looking her over. "A friend of hers is a friend of mine, and I know you two are close."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia's nervousness manifests in her going completely still, rather than in her fidgeting. She has to think about the question, about what she wants to say, and she finally settles on, "jealousy?" The question might say more about her than it does about Jeremiah.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
His features softened at that, his tone reassuring as he answered. "I've known that she sees other people since we started dating and I haven't had any issues with it. You have nothing to worry about."
Lucia Diaz:
"I knew, too." Lucia is not a very talkative person at the best of times, which this isn't, but she's trying, and continues to try. "At first I didn't want to hear about the others, but they're important to her. She's important to me. Not knowing started to bother me more."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I haven't asked her much about you or the others, I'll admit, but I'm more than willing to get to know you more and allow you the same with me." He smiled quietly, letting her guide the conversation. "Where would you want to start?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia? Picking the direction of the conversation? Quick, a distraction! She doesn't have an answer that's conversational but she does have a starting place. "I made something for you," she says. She pushes her chair out carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible, trying to get as little notice, and crouches down to pick up the guitar case. She moves her coffee cup out of the way and puts the case on the table, then flips its latches and opens it.
What's inside is a guitar. The body of the guitar is a pretty close to a Les Paul shape, but modified to be closer to the symbol that's inlaid on the front. The wood of the guitar is a deep purple so dark that it looks more like it's black except at certain angles, and the front panel of the instrument looks like it's onyx.
The most striking thing about it is the pattern that's inlaid there, though, and it's one that Jeremiah is probably going to recognize instantly. It's the sigil for Dantalion, drawn out with tiny glittering gemstones that fade from one color to the next around the shape of the sigil. Pink, yellow, cyan. The stones are so small and the colors so carefully chosen that the pattern isn't just a single color, then the next, but an ombre from one to the next.
The fretboard is made of the same wood as the body of the guitar, with gold frets and the inlaid fret markets are gold keys. The tuning knobs for the strings, too, are the heads of keys, each of them unique in their shape and with detailed filigree carved into the metal itself.
The craftsmanship of every piece of the instrument contains a painstaking attention to detail.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Oh?" Cue a curious arch of the eyebrow as he watched her grab the guitar case, swiftly followed by pure wonder as he saw the instrument within. He was silent for a long moment, simply marveling at the craftsmanship involved and the thoughtfulness of the gift. The sigil earned a small smirk, reaching over to trace a part of it lightly before looking to Lucia with a warm smile. "This is magnificent. Thank you so much."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia sits back down with a little nod. "You're welcome," she says. "I'm sorry I don't know you well enough to personalize it any more than I did. If there's anything about the sound that isn't your preference let me know and I'll fix it." For all that this particular instrument would probably be many thousands of dollars as custom work, if it's not something that belongs in a museum more than on a stage, she acts like the whole thing is no big deal. No trouble for her. Not worth making any fuss over.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You did a fantastic job on that, honestly. Not many people catch the reference in my username, so nice work there." One could see the instrument almost become a part of him the moment he put his hands on it, gingerly taking it out of the case and holding it just so as he looked it over in detail. "This must've taken ages...what sort of wood is it?"
Lucia Diaz:
"Purpleheart," Lucia answers. "Also called amaranth. I have to be sure to use UV protectant stains because the wood loses the dark purple hue and turns browner under ultraviolet. I recommend trying to keep it out of the sun. The front paneling is black onyx, the gemstones are lab-grown diamonds, and the fret markers are gold. The tuning knobs are only plated, because I didn't want them to be too soft. The diamonds are what took the longest, especially getting the cyan right." She lists all of this off like it's still not a big deal at all, like making diamonds yourself to put into a gift that you're giving to someone the first time you meet them is just a normal thing that people do. There isn't the slightest hint of anything like pride or boasting. She might as well be reading her grocery shopping list.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Will do." He nodded along to the rest of the materials list, looking at her once again at the mention of the diamonds. "You made them? That's...I'm honored that you put this much effort into this. It's fantastic."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia nods her head and starts to look kind of embarrassed by the praise. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to make a good first impression. I want to get to know you if you're interested in that." She looks around them. "You were busy, though. Do you want me to come back another time? Or at least wait for you to finish?"
Chances are Lucia is getting way more attention now than she was before that guitar came out, if the band is still sitting nearby.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
The trio at the counter were indeed looking towards the table at this point, admiring the new instrument as much as it's current holder was. Jeremiah smiled as he carefully put it back in the case, giving her a little nod. "Well, you've definitely done that. I'm good to talk once we're done closing up for the night; if you'd like you can head to the studio upstairs and I'll be there in a bit."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia looks arounds, spots a likely route upstairs, and points at it while giving Jeremiah an inquiring look. That way? The longer she's getting attention from the strangers the more uncomfortable she seems to get.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Said route was a wooden door on the wall near the entrance of the cafe, and he nodded with a smile as she pointed that way. "Head straight up and you can't miss it."
When Lucia made it into the studio she wound find that the space was homey in a way, infused with the sort of care that any artisan put into their primary work space. The largest bit of real estate was taken up by a grand piano, accompanied by a collection of other string and brass instruments on one wall and a multitude of music books on another, with photographs of Jeremiah and various other folks dotted here and there and a few chairs she could lay claim to while she waited. Another door was on the far wall, closed for the moment.
Lucia Diaz:
This could be a good opportunity to pry but Lucia wouldn't be Lucia if she pried when there wasn't a good reason, and just her own curiosity isn't a good reason. She looks around to take in the space but otherwise finds a chair, sits down on it with picture perfect posture, hands resting on top of her thighs, and waits.
She waits perfectly still, staring into space, like she just went into power saving mode and will boot back up as soon as there's a reason.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah joined her in the studio about fifteen minutes later, a healthy amount of pep in his step as he slipped through the door, a couple of water bottles in one hand in case they were needed while they talked and the guitar case in the other. The latter was carefully set off to the side of the door once he was inside, moving to claim the piano bench as his own seat.
"So, other than being an immaculate craftswoman," he began with a smile, "what else can you say about yourself?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia's right there on the chair when he comes in. Her eyes shift to make note of who entered before they lower, and she sits looking at the ground until he sits down and addresses her. When she's called an immaculate craftswoman just a hint of pink comes to her cheeks and her shoulders hunch up a bit.
She spends a little while trying to figure out how to answer the question. She's not the best conversationalist as it is, and she seems to be struggling with what might actually be worth saying about her on top of that.
When she does answer it's not really a direct answer to the question, but it is something significant about her. "I actually prefer fixing things instead of making new ones," she admits to him.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Nice. I can do some basic repairs but I tend to leave that to people who know what they're doing." He nodded, looking her over. "What do you like to work on the most?"
Lucia Diaz:
"My favorite thing to fix are people's old treasures," Lucia answers. This topic animates her more. She actually lifts her eyes up and looks at Jeremiah as she continues, showing some enthusiasm. "Things they've had since they were children that are falling apart, or family heirlooms that have started to come apart, or had accidents." She remembers that she should ask about him, too, so she does. "What made you decide you wanted a cafe?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He couldn't help but smile at her clear enthusiasm, nodding along with her answer. "I wanted to set up a place for people to mingle that didn't involve alcohol for those who don't partake or don't like being around those who overindulge, as well as somewhere that local talent of all ages could take the stage and show their stuff. I've done my best to keep it a safe and welcoming place, and so far we've pulled that off."
Lucia Diaz:
"Those are good reasons." Everything checks out as far as Lucia is concerned. "I don't drink alcohol, so I understand. I don't go out much, either." She looks around the apartment and then at Jeremiah before frowning, briefly, slightly, and then returning to her neutral expression. "I don't understand why you're being so nice to me."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
The brief flicker of emotion was noted, his head tilting slightly to one side in curiosity. "Not sure why I wouldn't be. She enjoys being in your company, and what her happy makes me happy."
Lucia Diaz:
"I don't understand why I make her happy, either," Lucia admits quietly. "I know I do, and I'm glad, I just don't get it. Do you ever feel that way?" Her eyes look at him, searching, and then go to the piano second later. She doesn't seem to be able to manage eye contact for more than a second or two. "May I?" she asks.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sometimes." He nodded, then smiled a rough as she looked towards the piano and got up from the bench so she could sit there herself. "Go right ahead."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia hurries over to the piano and sits down, but the first thing she starts doing isn't to play, it's to start checking tuning. It's probably all fine, but she's quick and methodical as she goes down the keys with her head ever so slightly cocked and checks each one in turn. "I'm surprised you say that. Is it normal?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
The piano was indeed perfectly in tune - his own keen sense for pitch wouldn't allow it any other way - and he grabbed another seat to watch as she went through each key in turn. "Normal enough, I'd say. Sometimes things we do hits just the right button for someone even if they don't necessarily tell you what it is. In general I try to be kind and understanding to others and that usually does the trick."
Lucia Diaz:
Once she's done checking the tuning, Lucia stands up on the bench and starts peering at internals. Carefully going through, checking the mechanics between each key and its hammer, making tiny adjustments. With tools. She just walks around with tools?
"It doesn't seem like it's that easy," Lucia says. "I mean just being kind and understanding. I try to be, but I don't think most people like me."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Why would you say that? I've found you to be very pleasant company so far."
Lucia Diaz:
"That's not the same thing," the Wizened points out.
She works quickly, going through the guts of the piano, at least where she can easily reach them without taking anything apart, and making fine tunings. Occasionally she'll stop to make sure that the actual tuning of the sound hasn't been impacted.
"If I left right now do you think in a few days you'd be saying to yourself, 'I miss Lucia. I wonder if she wants to spend time together?' Honestly?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He watched her work with mild curiosity, smirking a touch at the question asked as he thought on it for a moment. "I would, if only because you made a point of reaching out to me and I am interested in getting to know you better. Watching you work has been fascinating as well; would love to see you in your proper element."
Lucia Diaz:
Being watched doesn't seem to bother Lucia. It slows her down. It slows her down a lot. How would Jeremiah know that, though? Her normal speed is still faster than most people would go.
It doesn't take very long before she sits back down on the bench and puts her fingers on the keys. She starts into a little bit of jazz piano, playing in a way that tries to make use of as many of the keys she just adjusted as possible.
She's good. Not world class, but good, and her playing and sense of timing are both excellent.
Unfortunately, she also plays for only as long as it takes to test what she did, and then she stops.
"So I'm interesting, and you're curious, but that's still not the same as liking someone, is it?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He nodded along as she started to play, smiling quietly as she put her own skill with the instrument on display if only for a short while. "I like what I've seen so far, for what that's worth."
Lucia Diaz:
"So do I. I didn't expect to," Lucia says without turning to look at him. "I thought I would be more jealous, which is why I never wanted to meet you before. I finally decided I wanted to know who else was so important to her, though."
Depending on what Polly has told Jeremiah about her he might not know how hard Lucia is trying right now. How rare it is that she's even offering this many words at all, let alone about her feelings.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Polly hadn't told him much, admittedly, but Jeremiah prided himself on being able to read people and he was getting a pretty solid impression of the Wizened before him. "I do my best." He replied with a small smile. "What else would you like to know?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I don't know. I'm not even sure what's safe to ask." Lucia turns around on the piano bench to glance at Jeremiah, then she gets up and goes around to the side of the instrument, drops down, and scoots under it to start checking things from the bottom. "I'm a little worried I might have done something wrong by just coming and talking to you like this, but I didn't think about it until it was already happening."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Well there's the usual 'how did you two meet' or things about my past in general. I'm open to talking about the spooky side of things as well if you're so inclined." He met her gaze when she looked his way, smiling a touch as she scooted under the piano for further inspection. "I'd say you're in the clear. Doubt she'd be upset about you coming by."
Lucia Diaz:
"You're spooky?" Lucia asks from under the piano. "I was trying not to pry. I'm never sure how sensitive people are with that kind of thing." She's rummaging around doing something, but it's not very noise and doesn't sound dangerous. She could be putting a bomb in the piano, but probably not.
"How did the two you meet, anyway?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Mmhmm. Willworker, or Awakened if you know the term. We found out about each other on that front later, though."
His curiosity did get the best of him in the end, dropping into a crouch to see what she was working on under the piano. "Busking in the park, amusingly enough. She and a friend had gone out to play and I was already out there, and the impromptu jam session that followed was enjoyable enough for both of us that we went out on a proper date after that, and thus things went from there."
Lucia Diaz:
"That makes sense. The sigil. Did you know I'm lost?" Lucia scoots back out from under the guitar and gestures at it. "Everything should feel a little bit smoother, now. How long has it been since then? You've been together for a while, haven't you?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I did, yes, although not much more than that on that front." He moved aside to let her get out from under the piano, retaking his seat on the bench and giving it a quick test run. Much like with the guitar he seemed to become one with the keys as he played, even that small scales test immaculate. "Very nice...thank you."
"It'll be three years in July."
Lucia Diaz:
"I'm not sure how much more of of interest there is to tell." Lucia goes to her seat again and sits down on it, now that there isn't an assigned task for her to do. Even self-assigned. "Are you involved with other people too, or only Polly?" She ignores the thanks except to look down at her feet.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"What other interests do you have outside of repair work?" He inquired, smiling a touch as she looked downward. "Just her."
Lucia Diaz:
"I've actually been learning more about modern music," Lucia answers as she sits there, looking down and away from Jeremiah. "I was born in 1904, so things have changed a lot since I was growing up." The timeline might also explain why it was jazz piano she played, when she played briefly. "Polly is a lot of help with that. I've been finding I really like music. Well, not all of it."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
His eyebrows shot upwards briefly at the mention of her age, the surprise smoothing out after a moment as to not add any awkwardness to the conversation. "Between you me and the lamppost there's some that I'm not a fan of either, but I keep an open mind because you never know where you might find good talent. What have you found that you like so far?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I've heard people talk about how they do or don't like a genre, some people don't like hip hop, or they don't like pop." Lucia shrugs about it. "I think the feelings of the song are more important for me. So far I haven't had someone tell me about a genre that I didn't like, even if I didn't like most of the music in the genre. Does that make sense? There's always something good, isn't there? Otherwise why would people like it? Why would new people be inspired to make more of it? The thing that's most important to me is composition. My favorite things feel like they were carefully crafted."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Right there with you, along with the emotion that goes into the piece. Even something that's a little shaky composition-wise can still catch my attention if you can feel what they're trying to convey through it."
Lucia Diaz:
"The emotion can be important, but it can't be everything without the composition unless everything aligns." Lucia starts getting some energy in the way she talks about things again. Not unlike when she was talking about fixing people's treasures. "The writing of the lyrics, the delivery of the vocals, the tone of the music, it has to all be cohesive behind the emotion for the emotion to be enough."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Agreed. When everything lines up perfectly it heightens the piece in ways that wouldn't come across otherwise." He nodded with a warm smile. "I love seeing the moment when a performer hits that point and the crowd goes nuts. Best feeling in the world."
Lucia Diaz:
"I keep wondering what it would be like to go to a huge concert. I couldn't do it, but I like to imagine it." Lucia looks at the floor again, some of her enthusiasm for the topic dying. "I'm glad there are also places like your cafe. Where I can have my space, but still listen to the music."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I know there are some venues here in town that have private seating or VIP rooms that would allow for some space between you and the crowd. I can do some digging if you'd like." He offered with a small smile, giving a nod. "Happy to provide on that front. Like I said earlier, we strive to be welcoming for all our patrons."
Lucia Diaz:
Jeremiah gets a look like it never dawned on her that she might possibly be someone who could get private seating or VIP tickets. It's a strange reaction from someone who just casually gave him a guitar that's probably worth at least tens of thousands of dollars, if not more 0s besides.
If she made an instrument like that for many musicians they'd probably let her sit on the damned stage for a show if she wanted to.
"That's probably not the same as being in the crowd, but it's closer than I would get otherwise," she says once she puts her wits together again. "Thank you for the suggestion. What other things do you do besides music and the cafe and everything else we talked about so far?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You're welcome." He smiled, thinking a moment on the question posed. "I like to cook, although I'm not fantastic at it. I read a good bit, bike, do tai chi with one of my roommates on occasion, along with my own studies on the mystical front."
Lucia Diaz:
"Tai chi?" Lucia knows what the other things all are. That one is new to her. "How do you tie chi with someone?" She looks up at Jeremiah and waits for an answer, inviting him to talk more about the topic. Trying to let him talk about one of his interests, while also learning more about something she didn't know.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"It's a Chinese martial art that can also be used for meditation purposes. The style itself is more defensive overall, focusing on directing your opponent's movement rather than direct strikes, if that makes sense."
Lucia Diaz:
"Oh. That makes sense now. You said on occasion. Are you a warrior, or is it just a hobby?" People who make a lifestyle out of fighting is something that's just a part of her world, even if it's not for most people who aren't involved with the military or some other niches. She asks the question like that wouldn't be a surprise. "I'm not, but I know how to knife fight a little when I need to."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"More a hobby. I've always said that if a situation gets to the point where a fight starts I've done something terribly wrong." He said with an amused smirk. "Usually pretty good at deescalating tense situations like that when needed."
Lucia Diaz:
"I agree," Lucia says. "About a fight being a last option. In most cases I would rather leave the situation instead of fight things out, but if I can't leave I want to be ready." She looks around her. "I haven't stayed too long, have I? I appreciate how welcoming you've been, but I should probably go. Not overstay my welcome."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Not at all, no. It's been a pleasure talking with you and I don't have much else planned for the evening." He replied with a smile. "I get not being able to 'people' for too long, though, so if you need to head out I understand."
Lucia Diaz:
"I should. Get home, I mean." Lucia gets up again. "I'm glad I did this. I'm sorry if it wasn't the right thing to do. I hope it was good for you, like it was for me."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"It was, for sure." He moved to stand as well, heading for the studio door to escort Lucia out like a proper gentleman. "And thank you again for the gift, I look forward to playing it soon."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia doesn't seem to be exiting in a hurry, but she does seem to intend to exit promptly, an important distinction. She's not fleeing, she's just decided she wants to go home and she's making a polite departure. "Please do let me know if anything doesn't seem right about the sound, when you play it. I'll correct any errors," she says. "Thank you for your hospitality." When he opens the door for her she leaves, not looking back, just hurrying back home where she can have some time to herself.
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