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Some people might see the money that comes to Zoya as the daughter of a wealthy Russian oligarch as perks, but Zoya treats the situation more tactically than that. More useful obligation than personal benefit. There's a mask she wears for the public, and the wealth is part of that. Most of the money goes to causes other than herself, but maintaining the appearance she does is an effective tactic that she's not going to discard. There are times it's convenient, like when she new to town and looking for a Sanctum and finds an expensive penthouse with a dormant Hollow in it. They like to form in high places, and there aren't many higher in the heart of the city.
When Zoya suggests Fox come meet up to check the place out the Thyrsus gets directed to take the elevator in The Laurel, all the way up to the 48th floor, where it opens to a dramatic elevator lobby that has a door at either end of the hallway. Both of them bear the same address. Zoya's sitting in a chair in the lobby typing furiously on her phone.
If there's anyone who looks ridiculously out of place in a space like this? It's Fox. She spends some time downstairs convincing people that she really does need to come upstairs and she is a guest, and then gets let into the elevator. The door goes ding! and the elevator dispenses one (1) grubby, tiny Thyrsus. She's wearing a worn-out black t-shirt with the words THE FIRST PRIDE WAS A RIOT stenciled onto them in white, ratty cut-off jean shorts, and beat-up sneakers, laced securely on (for running purposes). Her ubiquitous backpack is strapped in place by both straps.
"Zoyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" she crows, and comes running pell-mell toward the chair. "I could have flown up! I didn't think about that. Next time I'll fly! I haven't been a crow or a pigeon in a while. I don't like being a pigeon, though, city pigeons are chronically stupid because most of them are basically living on the pigeon equivalent of potato chips, the poor things. Do you know about the history of city pigeons? This is a really fancy place."
Who gave Fox espresso?
"Oh, I definitely keep all the balcony doors locked in case someone tries to fly up there," Zoya says in Russian without looking up from her phone. She even lifts a finger like she's asking Fox to hold on for a moment before she finishes what she's typing and sends it off with a zwoop! sound. "Sorry. Someone was being a shit on the internet, which I know is like trying to put out a bonfire by throwing popcorn at it, but..." She gets up to return the hug that probably started while she was still sitting. "I've never asked an pigeons about their history. That's more your thing. Promise me that when you laugh at how ridiculous this is you'll remember I'm laughing about that too?"
There is in fact a hug, and a Fox in Zoya's lap, which happens regardless of shape, it seems. She's small, thankfully, so flinging herself into someone's lap isn't that big of a deal. A noisy smooch for her cadremate's cheek, and the Orphan sighs dramatically. "The internet is a shitfuck," she pronounces solemnly, "but sometimes you have to tell people that they are in fact being a shitfuck in a sea of shitfucks." Being back in Philly sure has affected her accent and her vocabulary.
"Oh you can read about the history of pigeons on the internet. Basically they were like... pets? But then people got sick of them and abandoned them, and just assumed they'd be able to eat whatever they found. That whole 'be free!' bullshit where people just eschew their responsibility to animals and think that tame animals will be okay. But the thing is that there's fuck all for pigeons to really eat in the urban landscape that's good for them. And being chronically undernourished changes an individual on a literal molecular level. So imagine how unhealthy you'd be if for several generations all your grandparents ate -- literally all you ate -- was popcorn and potato chips. Which, mind you, is also an issue with regards to food deserts. Humans living there are chronically undernourished and over generations it makes people unhealthier. It's just that the same food deserts that affect humans also affect a lot of the animals that live in those same food deserts." A big noisy smooch to her cheek punctuates that infodump.
"Zoya, babe, I just went on for like a huge paragraph about the health of pigeons. Nothing you could do would be more ridiculous than me."
Although she listens with interest Zoya seems surprised by only part of what Fox tells her. "Oh, I know for sure what being malnourished and underfed can do to humans. I work with a couple of charities from time to time that are heavily focused on that, especially in urban centers." She squeezes the Thyrsus briefly. "I didn't know pigeons were the same kind of deal, though." She nudges Fox to get up. "Let's go inside. One advantage to the absurdity of this place is that there's plenty of room for my studio and some workshops, so we don't have to put any of those kinds of facilities somewhere else. Also, there's a dormant Hallow. Mind the construction around that. I'm getting some walls moved so that it's in its own space."
Hopping up from Zoya's lap, Fox nods solemnly. "Yeah, a lot of animals are. Humans don't think about that." But Fox does. She grabs on to the straps of her backpack and rocks back and forth on her feet, green-gold eyes glittering brightly. They're more vulpine than her eyes have been recently, which might be an indication that someone's been using her Attainments a lot. She might need to turn that down a bit or she's going to have a harder time than usual passing for a Normal Person. "Hollow!" She gasps. "Oh, you are the most clever Zoya to find it."
"I'm just lucky despite not being an Acanthus," Zoya laughs and takes Fox's hand to lead them toward one of the doors. "I'm just sorry I haven't gotten in here to show you sooner. I ended up getting really busy as soon as I got to town. I've been working on some art for your friend Lux? In Philly a couple of weeks and already planning how to deface it by literally putting my mark on it! Then there's this thing going on with someone posting YouTube videos that infect devices and people with Fae magic, which I handed off to the Changelings." She opens the door into a truly absurd penthouse, all marble and glass and a complete lack of furniture still, but an amazing view.
She knits her grubby little fingers into the much-more-refined fingers of the Obrimos. They're sort of a study in opposites, a thing that never ceases to delight Fox. She smiles up at her cadremate, listening intently. "It makes me happy that you're busy, though? Like... that means you're doing stuff, hopefully that makes you happy to do and matters. " She swings their hands between them, listening. "... woah, really?" Fox has slid more toward technoshaman recently, so the latter makes her blink a lot. "Speaking of, I want to learn more Forces. Like... any. And some Prime. If you can help me?"
She stops. Blinks. "... holy shit." For someone who sleeps wherever she lays her head, this is definitely a change.
"Of course I'll teach you. Do you really think you had to ask?" Zoya smiles before it morphs into something more self deprecatingB. "I guess you do have to ask, otherwise I never even know you want me to do it."
"Anyway, I didn't want this place to fall into the hands of someone who either wasn't going to make use of the amenities that are actually important in it, namely the Hallow," Zoya explains. "Or someone who was likely to abuse them, like the Seers of the Throne." She points back toward the door. "I'm planning to do a lot of work on that side of the floor to separeate it out from our Sanctum space and set it up as a temporary living facility for people who are in need of short term housing. Not necessarily Mages, but houseless people in the queer community who need a place to land short term. People fleeing domestic abuse situations. Basically keeping an eye on social media for people in my new local community who need help, and doing something to help them. We don't need an entire floor for a few mages."
She starts walking for the tour. "There's the kitchen over there," she points. "It's not stocked yet. I'm still living in a hotel. Construction and all. Bedrooms are down there." At this point she just waves a hand in a shooing motion. "You know what? You'd probably prefer to explore instead of be guided, right? I'll just follow you."
"I didn't think you would say no, but it's very mean to assume that someone will do something for you! So I had to ask, because I would not want to make you feel like I wasn't being polite and kind to you." Fox grins up at Zoya, flashing her little sharp teeth at her, and then leans up to kiss the round of her shoulder, a familiar sort of gesture.
"No, that makes perfect sense, and you're very smart to have done that," agrees the little Thyrsus, doing a lot of wide-eyed looking and an awful lot of listening. And the longer Zoya talks, the more Fox's face goes pink in the cheeks and her eyes light up, all delighted and a little besotted, really. "I missed you so much," she sighs. "And all of your smartness and kindness."
Her eyes glitter again when Zoya makes a shooing motion. She pauses, unties her shoes, and kicks them off. Whenever possible, Fox prefers bare feet. And then? Pap pap pap she goes running off toward the kitchen. "Can I have a lot of plants in my room?" she yells over her shoulder. "I never can have a garden if I don't have a house!"
"Stop, you're going to make me blush," says a Zoya whose cheeks are already pink, and whose smile is saying quiet clearly that she doesn't really mind. "You can have as many plants as you want. I love green in my living spaces! Try to keep it a little reasonable, let's not stack plants on the couches or anything, but make it home!" She follows at a more sedate pass, not making a real effort to keep up with Fox, just to keep tabs and stay in range for conversation. "Obviously we can set up a landing area for you on the balcony. Maybe put a trunk out there with some changes of clothes? Not that I care if you just want to run around naked, either."
"I like to make you blush because you're extra pretty when you blush and then I want to kiss you even more!" comes called from another room. Fox sticks her head back out of the bedroom she'd wandered into, grinning brilliantly at Zoya. "I mean I don't think we can put a tree in here, unless it's bonsai. But I'm gonna get so many plants! We'll have so much oxygen. It's so good to have so many planties." Yes, she said 'planties.' Like they're babies. "Maybe I'll put some stuff out to encourage the crows to visit me. I love crows, they're so smart. I made some friends of them." This is called over her shoulder as she pap pap pap off to another room. "OH WOW THE WINDOWS! There's so much LIGHT!"
And then she comes running across the hallway to the next room. "I don't have to be naked anymore because I got really good at Matter! But sometimes I like to be naked!"
"Sometimes you have to be naked," is where Zoya starts out in her various responses once she catches up, only because Fox was in a room and has to come back out. "Times like when you're showering it helps to be naked. Also a lot better for snuggling, fucking. When it's really hot outside and the air conditioning doesn't work." With a look toward the windows she agrees, "the light's impressive. There are electric sun shades for most of the windows, but some of them on the south side, for the bedrooms, are fancier. You press a button and they turn opaque based on an electric signal. It gets really intense on sunny days otherwise, plus this gives you actual privacy in case someone who can fly drops by, or someone has a drone or whatever."
She comes back into the hallway, pap pap pap padding toward Zoya. "Showering, taking a bath, snuggling, fucking, hot times! Yes, those are all good reasons. Sometimes it's just nice to be naked. Like on a really nice spring day when the air smells all good and it's the right temperature and you just want to have the air everywhere." A big sigh, contentedly. "Drones are butts," she comments. "I mean, I guess they're not terrible for some reasons but oh I hate getting harassed by someone who doesn't know what they're doing when I'm just trying to be a Night Heron and they're like 'gasp rare bird.'" She wanders up close again and there's another hug for Zoya. "This is good. I'm proud of you."
"Did you see the bath tubs by the way? Oh, there's a pool on the other side of the building. On the 48th floor. Anyway, I wish people wouldn't fly drones over people. It's dangerous." Zoya watches while Fox explores, then when Fox returns with a hug she pulls him into her arms. "Plus, people sometimes get nosy with them." She's no stranger to having people go out of their way to get scandalous pictures of her, either. It happened plenty in Russia. "What's a night heron? I'm not familiar with that one. I do think one of the disadvantages of being up this high above everything is that beautiful spring days like that feel so far below you. The air's going to be nice, but you can't really see the flowers as individual things of beauty, only as the whole. Missing the trees for the forest, as I think they say in English?"
"... what!" Fox gets all big-eyed at mention of a pool. "I love swimming. And baths." She lets out a soft, contented sigh, squeezing the Obrimos around her middle and leaning his head on her shoulder. "Yeah, it's mean when people do things like that. I don't like when people bother you and invade your privacy. It makes me want to bite them." The little Thyrsus snap-snaps her sharp vulpine teeth, head back on shoulder. "Night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, is a heron which has a white underbelly and a black cap on its head and black wings. It's like... everywhere in the world except Australasia, so it's a pretty good go-to bird if I am somewhere and don't know what's native. They're about two pounds and very pretty. But not exactly common, so people stare."
A pause, a frown. "I think it's the other way around usually, but I think in this case... the way you said it makes more sense."
"I could do without the pool really, they're a big hassle to maintain, but since it's here already I'll take advantage." Zoya shows Fox her grin of mischief. "Plus it's private, so skinny dipping is always an option! The privacy invasion? That comes along with the role I've decided to play for my Order. I get to be a public face, instead of a secret spy, and it opens some doors, but sometimes the doors open while I'm still getting changed. Or something. That metaphor got away from me." She puts her arm around their shoulders. "My point is that I've never not been in the public eye in my entire life, you know? Not even when I was a kid. I don't like some of what that means, but I'm used to it."
"Is it a chlorine pool or a salt-water one? I like salt-water ones better, they're less shitty. And warmer! I didn't know that until recently. It's like being in a warm ocean. A little weird at first if you're not used to them, but... I mean if it's here." That mischievous grin is matched in turn by the little Thyrsus, and she pushes up on to her toes to kiss Zoya's nose. "I like this idea. Swimming is a favorite and skinny dipping is the best. Wet lycra is, let's be honest, kind of weird." A small frown follows when she lays out the role she's chosen. "I can understand that," she admits. "And I know you're used to it. But that doesn't mean it's not, like... shitty. It is shitty when people are like that."
"I honestly don't know," Zoya admits. "I'm pretty sure we can make it whatever we want to, since I own all of this, but if it's not what you want it might take some time to get someone to convert it." Sometimes Zoya is both Edgetender and Hearthmaster, but she does her best to wear both hats with aplomb. She leans to let him kiss her nose, squeezes with the arm around their shoulder, and suggests, "let's go check it? I do need to start working on some things to make my stay here more long-term legal. Fortunately, money can grease a lot of wheels. I wish it wasn't a necessity, but it still is."
That's enough to make Fox grin all the broader. "I don't like money, but it is awfully nice when someone else has it and doesn't mind spending it on things I like," he laughs delightedly. Another squeeze, and Fox lets go of Zoya at least enough that they can grab her hand and head off in the direction of the pool. After ever-so-many years apart from the rest of their cadre, the Orphan doesn't seem keen to be too long out of contact with any of them. "Tell me more about the art you're doing with Lux? They're pretty great, and I'm so glad you two are working on a project together. Being their friend makes my heart happy. I'm supposed to meet their partners sometime but there was a big problem and someone tried to kill them, and I'm supposed to let them handle that problem and not turn into an alligator and drag the person who tried to kill them underwater and roll her until she dies." Well, Fox, how do you really feel?
"I could close the accounts that my trusts dump regular allocations of new cash into, but why?" Zoya laughs too and starts to lead the way to the pool, hand in hand. "That would just mean it's sitting in some trust where it grows and grows and never goes back into the economy at all? That would be bullshit. At least this way I can donate most of it to people who need it a lot more than I do." She squeezes their hand in hers. "The art I'm doing? We're trying to get people dreaming again, some person apparently is doing things to make people stop? I considered actually setting up a Basilisk, but it would end up being too blatant, and not really so effective. We're trying to make art that will inspire their dreams. I'm working on some things we can print out on a vinyl printer and plaster up, since I'm not really a street artist. I haven't actually met them face to face yet, though!"
"I mean, that makes perfect sense when you put it like that, and I'm definitely not complaining about having a house on top of the city where I can fly to as a crow and then go skinny-dipping and house people who need it," he laughs, trailing after, hand in hand. "The more you spend the money, the better it is, so, I like that." Their hand squeezes back, and their feet pap pap pap after her. "Hmm. Yeah! They do, like, street art. Painting. I could maybe make their spray cans way better at doing art like I did with their knives." And then she blinks rapidly. "Well! When we're settled in here, we should have a party and then you can meet them! They're really cool. I met them when I was a fox."
"I don't think that buying this place does a lot of good from an economic perspective? It's more a necessity to take advantage of a strategic resource that happens to be completely ridiculous." Zoya laughs, because the idea of capitalism helping anything is ridiculous. "It does equip us to more easily do some other good, so I guess that's fine. But otherwise, yes, I try to use the money to support others. I did fund someone making me a set of orichalcum tools, and then paid for the materials for her own set." When they get to the pool side Zoya gestures at it and says, "here it is! Let's find out, salt water or chlorine?" Then she tries to push Fox in.
"NOT MY PHONE!" Fox shrieks when Zoya tries to push her in. All other considerations are tossed to the side as the Thyrsus dodges the attempt and drops down to the edge of the pool, flailing her little arms. "Sorry," she offers, crouched at the edge of the pool. "My phone is Special." She slings her backpack off her back, tosses it a couple feet away, and then stands back up. "Okay. You can push me in now." Oh, Fox.
Zoya stops when Fox starts to freak out and backs up to make it clear she's not going to keep trying. "Sorry!" she says. "You'd think I would know better when it comes to making sure electric devices are kept safe." She takes her own phone out of her pocket and puts it aside with Fox's, in case of treachery to come, and then goes over to casually shove Fox into the pool, grin plastered on her face.
"I wouldn't care, except I've been working hard on going technoshaman, and -- " And now Zoya's on her way back over after setting her phone down, and when the Guardian tries to push him into the pool? There is, in fact, treachery! Forewarned is grabbing forearms, apparently, and cackling as he tries to drag the Obrimos into the water with her.
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