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It's cold, but Fox isn't bothered: Life Mastery plus Forces means she's quite comfortable. She's still dressed for the weather, mostly, but only so the Guardians don't get fussy. A heavy wool coat, jeans, and even shoes! A rarity for Fox! Her stringy hair hangs down around her face as she crouches down, reaching a hand (gloved, fingertips exposed) to gently pet the head of a pigeon. The animal coos at her, fluffs its feathers, and then takes off, flapping up to a nest hidden in the eaves of a maintenance shed.
She was not comfortable. The cold sunk into the black leather jacket, found skin, bone, and marrow. But she liked the biting cold. She liked feeling it at her core. It was the right sort of discomfort. Her eyes nearly glowed in the night air as she explored the park, the arch, the bridge, the lush greenery, that even in the decline of winter, was like a tiny jungle in the city. Blond curls hung about her face like a mane, as she prowled through the grounds, hunting for distractions.
Vorpal would have been cold had she not been so fortunate as to be blessed by the powers that be with a girlfriend that had crafted her a particularly comfortable wolfskin leather coat. And so is she dressed, hood up and snug round the ears, while she wanders, noting the sound of happy pigeons and drifting in such directions until she catches sight of Fox, starting to say something before noting the relatively near position of someone on two legs. "Good evening! Got some tasty treats for our refugee bird buds?"
Fox is little. At least right now. She could be nearly any size she likes, but she stands only five feet tall by default. When she's addressed by Johnnie, she flashes the reedy woman a bright smile that's full of teeth far too sharp for a human mouth. "Hi, Johnnie! Yeah, I brought some carrots and some dried crickets. It's important to make sure they're getting enough protein this time of year. Well, always really."
When she glances in Jolene's direction, her eyes briefly catch the light. Humans don't normally have eyeshine, either.
She eased closer to the two women, close enough to have something to watch, not so close as to invite herself into their conversation. Yet. She was in jeans, slip on shoes, a too big black leather jacket, and a dark black shirt as she moseyed slowly, closer and closer. Her eyes had a glow to them, a sea green color that was better suited to opal and mother of pearl, than human eyes. But she didn't want to intrude, not really, probably, just....passively participate. People watching was an art after all!
"Would they like mealworms, perhaps? And- did you say carrots?" Johnnie asks, ears metaphorically perking as the footsteps she thought she heard earlier sidle closer. Familiar scents, recognized footprint cadence... certainly still not a guarantee of identity, but enough to guess, and no reason not to.
"Evening, Jolene. Are you well, I hope?"
"I imagine they would! They like insects, really. And they don't get enough protein from the things that people feed them when they come feed the birds. Unsalted peanuts are good, too. And yeah, carrots! What they don't take, the raccoons will." Fox turns her face toward Jolene as she approaches, wiggling her grubby fingers in her direction. "Hi!" Her head cants slightly to one side: her eyes are wide and curious, her gaze fixed on the wolfblood. "Is she a friend of Lux's also?"
Her scent, she was the ozone in the air before rain, the sweet smoke, of cherry wood, real vanilla, peppery, creamy, slightly sweet. "I am..." Not that she would admit if she wasn't. There were rules in the book of Jolene! She looked at the wiggling fingers, the figure behind them, Johnnie who she could only say she knew.......briefly at best. "Hi....and no, I've never met Lux, though maybe I should have." She laughed, pulling on merriment like a favorite bit of armor as she eased closer to them. "I'm Jolene." She offers to Fox, lifting her fingers and wiggling them in greeting.
"Good," cooed Vorpal, pleased to hear it- or so it seemed, it was hard to tell, really. "Unsalted peanuts, dried bugs... got it. Hm. I'd no idea they liked carrots..."
"Lux isn't necessarily someone you'll meet, though if you do, it's more the fortune for you," Johnnie explained gently. "Petra led her and some friends of hers on a merry chase through the woods. Thought it'd be funny to lead them to "the big mean fairy who turned her into a deer."" Johnnie rolls her eyes, but it's a very gentle signal to the others that current company at least knows what she is without necessarily exposing either of the others.
"I was the big mean fairy, of course."
"You? Big and mean? Hmm. Hard to believe." There's more than a bit of wry in Fox's tone-- she can probably believe it. "Lux is delightful and if you meet them you'll know." She rocks on her feet, tucking her hands into her pockets. "Hunh." Her gaze fixes onto Jolene, and she looks at her for a long minute as if assessing her.
And then her gaze flickers just a bit to Jolene's side - right at the Ensih spirit that accompanies her. Those keen eyes focus there for a moment. Then back at Jolene. Then at the spirit. Then Johnnie.
"Well, I'm hungry. Want waffles?"
Fox never was a subtle thing.
She saw it...she also 'heard' it, the little sounds, the first speech, the loyal companion, seeing like for like. It did how ever draw a chuff of sound from Jolene, a sound not well suited for human throats, though it didn't slow her down at at all. "I confess to leaving before merry chases, but I will trust that you aren't so big and mean as led to believe." She smirked faintly, her main of curls in her face. "You were definitely the big mean fairy though, well cast I dare say." eyes glittering as they lingered on Johnnie for a moment before moving to Fox.
"I....have never turned down waffles." Wondering if she should admit that, could it be leveraged against her? The things you learn to worry about when you keep company with spirits!
Twitch.
One brief, solitary, single twitch of an eye. Like a crack in that peaceful mask.
"... certainly." A deep breath. "I'd be delighted to accompany you to enjoy waffles. I don't believe I'll be ordering, though, so please don't concern yourselves, it'll be quite alright if you two eat."
It's probably a very bad idea to pop out of nowhere beside a Changeling, but when you're a being with great cosmic power and a very bad (but very handsome) influence in your life, sometimes you just take the bad idea on the chin like a champ.
Suddenly there is a Leta. She appears behind Fox, gently poking either of their sides. A slender woman with somewhat gaunt features, Leta looks like she ought to be utterly frigid in this weather -- even bundled up in her black coat with gold filigree -- but she seems fine. Even chipper.
... and most importantly, only a little bit stoned.
"Boop!"
Probably Fox should be startled and leap at Leta and be like BAD INFLUENCE, YOU'RE THE GUARDIAN, VASHA WILL BE SO MAD! But she saw the Space magic in her Keen Periphery and the moment she hears Leta's voice, her eyes light up and she spins around and flings her arms around the skinny woman's neck, peppering her face with kisses while she shrieks a delighted "LETA!"
"Leta we're going for WAFFLES, are you hungry? Oh you're stoned, I bet you're hungry. You can have Johnnie's, she never eats. That's why she's SO SKINNY." Yes Fox is Jewish why do you ask. "Let's go get waffles. We can talk better there and I'll sit on your lap and get turkey bacon!"
"I fucking love waffles, but I confess, I love french toast more....does that count against me....?" She pauses, and looks heavenly as she tries to decide, and then her phone buzzes and she looks absolutely shocked, as if any noise on it's part is an epic event and eyes it. "I'm going to trust French toast is a legitimate options, alas....I need to take this." (I want all the rp!.....but sleep is winning Thank you guys, she will mosey off to take a call)
Leta catches the flying Fox -- she's getting better at not falling over when the little ball of energy plows into her noodle-y body with force. "Oof," air escapes her lungs, and she grins broadly. "Hello to you, too!"
She offers Fox a little kiss on the nose, and wiggles her fingers at Vorpal and Jolene in greeting and goodbye.
"I'm... so very good with getting Waffles and-slash-or French Toast. Maddie's?"
It's more a function of Johnnie's preternatural calm and alertness that prevent her from flying off the handle when there is suddenly An Leta. Strange person, out of nowhere, but then Fox flies into her arms and there's no need for - well. Not much cause for alarm. Behavioral markers, dilated pupils... there was a time Johnnie might not have made the guess, but her instincts- and her trust in them- were beyond the pale, so when she felt for a moment that she knew what that was, she didn't question it. "Yes, waffles, I think, would be wise. I imagine you've had plenty of experience playing trip sitter, Fox? Would you say Maddie's is a fine place to bask?" A gentle guess based on their obvious closeness and Fox's constant focus on the wellbeing of others.
The Orphan pulls her head back and looks at Leta for a moment, and then smooches her. "Yep, Jackie, I'm very good at that. Especially for Leta." Then she wraps her arms around the Mastigos and starts bundling her off towards Maddy's. More talk once they're not in the park!
Continued in Philosophies of Winter And Autumn
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