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Jeremiah Hamilton:
The Green Room was hustling and bustling with the usual mix of morning coffee-seekers and third-shifters getting something to eat before heading home, soft but peppy music playing through the speakers. Jeremiah was sitting at his usual table near the office, a tea in hand and his eyes on the crowd, both to make sure his staff didn't need any help and to watch for Lucia's arrival. It had been a good morning so far, and with any luck that would continue to be the case.
Lucia Diaz:
A woven basket is hanging from the crook of Lucia's left arm when she comes in, very much in the style someone might use if they were going on a picnic, though not quite the size of a full blown picnic basket. She steps through the door and then to one side to be sure she's out of the way while she looks around, even though it only takes her a moment to spot Jeremiah and head in his direction. As she approaches his table she does so with her head down and her shoulders hunched slightly, like she's doing everything she can to seem even smaller than her five feet, and she seems to be very good at giving exactly that impression. People can clearly see her, but nobody really pays any attention to her, like she just blends into the background.
At his table she says, while still looking down at the floor, "good morning, Jeremiah. Thank you for making time to see me." Her voice is only just audible, barely loud enough to be made out over the normal sounds of the cafe.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah smiled warmly as Lucia approached, giving her a little nod. "You're welcome. Thanks for giving me a call. How have you been?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia glances up like she's genuinely surprised to have been asked how she is, but only for a second. "Well enough," she answers in a way that doesn't conceal the fact that the answer is more complicated than that, but she doesn't get into it just yet. She slides the basket down her arm, takes it in both hands, and holds it out instead. "I made mallorcas for you," she says. "To apologize and to say thank you."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
His eyes lit up as she mentioned what was in the basket, taking it from her with a smile. "Thank you. Not sure if she's mentioned it but I have a major sweet tooth."
"Would you rather talk down here or upstairs? I can keep things quiet over here as needed."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia shakes her head. "I'll make note of it," she says. The statement promises a well fed sweet tooth in Jeremiah's future, and a boon to his dentist if it wasn't for magic likely making that not a problem. "Upstairs, if you don't mind?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sounds good." He nodded and stood from the table, grabbing his tea along the way. "Would you like something to drink before we head up?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia shakes her head again, only silently following him to the stairs and then up them. Last time she was here she was a little bit more talkative, but it did help once they got out of the main room and upstairs where it was just the two of them, so maybe that will continue to be the case.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah held open the door to the studio all gentlemanly-like, finding a safe place to set the basket down before claiming a seat for himself and allowing her to do the same. "So, how 'well' is 'well enough'?" Cutting right to the chase, it seems...
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia's shrunken in posture eases a little once they're no longer in the presence of so many strange eyes, but her own gaze still remains focused on the floor. She smiles faintly -- at the floor -- when he holds the door for her, and takes a seat when she does, but continues looking down, now at her hands where they sit on her lap. "Much better than when you came to help Polly. I need to say thank you, for that. Thank you, and I'm so sorry."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Good." He nodded, looking her over. "You're welcome, and apology accepted. You both were alright in the end, and that's the important thing."
Lucia Diaz:
"I'm..." Lucia glances up for a second, with her irises catching the light and flashing green for a fraction of a second during their motion. "I've heard someone say the phrase "still fucked up about it" before, and I think it applies. It feels like everyone has forgiven me except myself."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
The flash of green was noted, his head tilting a bit before he nodded. "That can be the hardest part, honestly. Lord knows I have a few things that still needle me to this day in those darker moments."
Lucia Diaz:
The look Lucia has on when she glances up again is unusual. Maybe a little disappointed? A little frustrated? It seems almost as though she was expecting a harsher response to all of this than she's getting. By the time she looks down again, a blink of the eye later, the expression is gone. "I'm just glad she had you to bolster her then, and presence of mind to ask for it."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I'm glad I was able to be there as well, both for her and for you." He replied, watching her with a small smile. "You were expecting me to be more angry about this, I'm guessing?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia's hands start moving, start forming a few words in ASL. "People should," they start to say, her lips moving to form words along with the hands, but not voicing the sounds, then both stop and the hands return to her lap.
"I threatened her with a knife," she whispers. "Not on purpose. I wasn't there. I didn't see her. I still did it. People should be angry. Why aren't you angry?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
An air of understanding wrapped around the Warlock as he leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on his knees and hands folded in front of him.
"Because I know about what you've gone through - not you specifically, mind, but the Lost in general - and I understand that sometimes what's here slips away now and again." Sirius calmly offered, his tone patient. "Polly was surprised that I caught onto that as quickly as I did, even before I knew what she was, but I understand it better than most."
Lucia Diaz:
"Being understandable doesn't make it ok," Lucia continues to whisper with her head hanging in shame. Her own current turmoil doesn't stop her from noticing something in Jeremiah. "I hope you don't mean that you've had your own traumatic experiences that help you understand. If you have, I'm sorry to hear that."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"True, but I'm not one to blame people for things outside of their control."
"I have, to the point where it reflected itself in how the magic I cast manifests until recently. Thank you, though." He smiled quietly, bittersweet though it may be. "I'm also a student of the mind, and I do my best to understand the various paths that thought and action can take."
Lucia Diaz:
"So the only person who isn't forgiving me is myself." Lucia sighs quietly and spends a little time twisting her fingers with each other as she thinks. "How much did she tell you about the other things we talked about?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"That you talked about your pasts, set expectations and things like that, along with other things that weren't her place to tell me. I think she wanted to leave that to what you would be comfortable with discussing with me directly, if at all."
Lucia Diaz:
"Yes. We discussed that we both want to be able to call each other girlfriend." The cautious, quiet tone and the way she glances up at Jeremiah offer a hint that she isn't sure what reaction he might have. "And that we love each other."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
To her possible surprise she found a small smile on his face, nodding in return. "I'm glad you were able to say it to each other. I could feel it that night, and I definitely don't blame you for it. She's a magnificent woman."
Lucia Diaz:
Somewhat less cautious, "she is. I told her I know exactly when the last time I felt safe with someone was, and that was over a century ago as the time here puts it, and longer as I experienced it. There's nobody who is more important to me." She shakes her head. "I don't understand why that doesn't hurt you. Or why what you two share doesn't hurt me like I think it should."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I feel the same way about her. There was a long time that I didn't let myself connect with people on that level because of what happened before, and she just jumped right in and did what she does best: bring light to the places that need it most. I don't know what I'd do without her at this point."
He sat back in his seat, looking Lucia over. "It would be selfish of me to assume that I'm the only one who could have that deep of a connection with her. She has enough love in her heart for the both of us, as I see it."
Lucia Diaz:
"Yes. I wish I could see me the way that she sees me." Lucia's head shakes again, slowly and slightly. "The Lucia she knows and loves and the Lucia I am feel like two completely different people." She finally looks up and keeps her eyes up. "I think you're right about her ability to love both of us. Maybe more. Since she loves you, I feel like I want to know you too."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"We tend to see the flaws in ourselves before the good, I've noticed, while from the outside they can get a good look at the whole thing." He met her gaze with a small smile, the kindness and understanding within his eyes clear to see. "I'd like to know you better as well. Whatever you're willing to share, and I'll do the same."
Lucia Diaz:
"We already talked a little about what we both do, right? A little about why." Lucia shrugs, like she isn't even sure what more there is to say. That, despite the fact that there is so much more, and she's talked about many of those things with Polly, recently. "I'm no sure where else to start."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He sat back in his seat, mulling a moment. "Where are you from originally? I was born south of Boston myself, although I traveled up and down the East Coast over the years due to my father's work."
Lucia Diaz:
"Here, actually," Lucia says with a little bit of a smile. "In Philadelphia. My parents were from Puerto Rico, but I was born here, in 1904, like I think I mentioned previously. I've done a little traveling but not very far. Not even as far as Boston. What kind of work did your father do?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You mentioned it was a while back but not the exact time, least that I can remember." He smiled a touch. "He's an architect, still working in the field as far as I know. Haven't talked with him or my mother since I was in college, though."
Lucia Diaz:
For just a second Lucia looks like she wants to ask about why not, only to convince herself she probably shouldn't ask about something that might be a sensitive topic. What right does she have to pry? "That seems like a job that pays fairly well, isn't it?" That seems safer.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Very well, at least for the caliber of work he was known for. I wanted for very little growing up, which bit me in the ass ultimately in terms of being a person you actually wanted to be around." He smirked at that. "I got some of that smacked out of me in high school, thankfully, and going off to college and getting more exposure to the 'actual' world did the rest."
Lucia Diaz:
"Things were a bit the opposite for me." Lucia looks over at the basket she came in with. "I grew up in a place with two rooms, and one bathroom that was shared by everyone on two floors. I started working as a housekeeper when I was eight to help bring in a little money."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"That must've been rough. Big family, I'm guessing?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia starts answering but hesitates. She re-starts. "Just my mi mami and my dad and me, until I was five. Then just my dad and me," she says. A week ago she wouldn't have been able to talk about this with anybody, but then she did, and now it's easier. "He killed her," she says quietly.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
His eyebrows shot upward at that, clearly shocked. "I...wow. I'm sorry to hear that."
Lucia Diaz:
The comment is only acknowledge with a nod at first. "I learned to make the mallorcas from her," she murmurs with another look at the basket. "They were a favorite of hers." For some reason she seems to be trying to be a bit stoic about it, but it's not working very well. She ends up rubbing her eyes with the edge of her hand. "Do you want to try them? She was also the one who taught me I shouldn't visit someone without bringing them something to thank them for their hospitality."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I would, yes." He nodded with a small smile. "Would you like one as well?"
Lucia Diaz:
"Please," Lucia says.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
With that he stood and headed over to the basket, grabbing two of the pastries and moving to sit beside Lucia before handing her one of them. "Thank you for bringing something that was so close to your own heart. It's a good way to carry on her memory and share it with others."
He lifted his own mallorca in a quick toast, offering a simple "Cheers" as he let her take the first bite.
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia takes one with a smile, but barely. "You're welcome," she says, before taking that bite. She's not quite as good at making these as guitars, but not far behind.
"What is your favorite kind of music?" she asks. "Other than Polly's." Which is obviously the first answer, right?
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He took his own bite after she did hers, letting out a low hum of contentment. "That," he commented after finishing said bite - the man had some manners - "is amazing."
He started to answer then paused as her addendum, chuckling quietly. "Got me there. Overall I lean more towards jazz and other styles like that, but I'll listen to anything at least once. Never know where you can find something worthwhile."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia takes another bite. Briefly silent, briefly transported in her memories, she takes a bit to respond.
"Jazz was a big thing when I was young." Her expression remains a bit remote, one foot in the past and one in the present. "I used to stand out in the street outside where musicians were playing, or sit leaning against the front wall, until someone came out to chat me away. I always loved the sound of the piano. The way its notes lingered and blended. I always told myself some day I'd learn to play, and be famous."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Right there with you. I started off with the piano growing up and picked up other instruments later, but it was always my favorite." He looked towards the piano nearby, smiling a touch. "You sounded pretty good when you did that little test run tuning it before. Do you still play much nowadays?"
Lucia Diaz:
"There are other instruments I love," Lucia agrees, quietly but eagerly. "I love the way that I can feel a drum all the way down to my bones, or the way a violin can sound like it's crying in sorrow or joy. My earliest memories about music are the sound of my mother singing and listening raptly to the sound of a piano being played across the street from where we lived, though."
She shakes her head. "I can make decent instruments for other people but I'm no musician. I don't play."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"No musician, she says." He replied with a smirk. "You have no idea how many people I hear say that, even when they come to me for tutoring. If you have music in your soul then you're a musician, simple as that."
"Being able to make instruments with the skill you have shows that you know them, and I'm sure you can make them sing just as well." He tilted his head towards the piano. "Give it a go if you like. I'd like to hear it."
Lucia Diaz:
"In my soul." Lucia lets the words roll slowly out of her mouth, like she's trying the feeling of them as much as taking their meaning. She puts one hand over her heart, and what Jeremiah can't see is the chromed metal of her delicate fingers, and what he can't hear is the soft whirring of gears and clicking of the finest clockwork mechanisms from inside of her. She gives him a brief, doubtful look before gazing at the piano, and her do their thing where the catch the light at certain angles and almost seem to light up. They're beautiful eyes, and a vivid green so rare in people with her complexion. Rare in anybody, with that striking shade.
If there's one thing her decades have given her it's a ability to just give in to what other people want, whatever her own needs or doubts. She puts her pastry down and slide off her chair go to take a seat at the piano, where she looks at the keys in thought. Deciding where to start, what to play.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Sirius smiled as Lucia looked his way, his head tilting slightly once again at the almost-literal light in her eyes. He had thoughts on the cause but kept them to himself for the moment as she stepped over to the piano, letting her decide where the muse would take her.
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia sits and stares at the keys a bit longer before even raising her hands to them. There's another pause as her fingertips rest on the keys, long seconds where her breathing changes and all of her tense and anxious posture starts relaxing into something more at ease.
Her fingers start moving suddenly, going into the start of a piano rendition of After You've Gone, where she starts out slowly and builds. More and more flourishes come into her playing as it goes on and on, and by the second minute of the song her hands are blurring over the keys and one of her feet is stomping a counter rhythm with a heel on the floor.
The wizened isn't trained, has never taken lessons, and her playing is full of soul, for every doubt she seemed to be silently harboring about even having one just a short time before. Jeremiah has been in the business to long enough to recognize sheet natural talent when he sees it, and Lucia plays like she was born to play, with a sense of meter and timing and how to play around with it and make it work for her that many life-long musicians never achieve.
She becomes so transfixed by the process that when she's done, and the piano's last notes continue their fading into silence, she doesn't actually seem to have noticed she's stopped right away.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
The guiding star was set aside as Lucia began to play, its purpose fulfilled for the moment. Jeremiah sat back in his seat, eyes closed and his foot lightly tapping out the beat as he let the music wash over him. It had been some time indeed since he came across someone with that level of raw talent, and his mind began to spin with the possibilities that could come forth if she focused them further.
When the song ended he let the silence linger for a long moment before he looked to Lucia with a brilliant smile. "That was magnificent."
Lucia Diaz:
His words break her out of whatever trance she's feeling and she jumps a little, remembering where she is, before turning to face him. "I love that one," she says. "But I let a few things get away from me in the middle, I think."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You were making it your own, and you were fantastic." He replied, the smile still in place. "You're naturally talented, but if you ever want to refine it further I am all for helping you with that."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia only briefly meets Jeremiah's eyes before looking down at the floor, like she's so prone to doing. "Thank you. I wouldn't want to take up your time. I'm sure you have so many more important things to do."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"It wouldn't be a bother at all, trust me. I'm happy to make time for friends, especially for something they enjoy doing." A simple word, friend, but a meaningful one, and he watched for her reaction to it.
Lucia Diaz:
Up come Lucia's eyes again! It's a sharp motion this time, not a hesitant lifting of the gaze, that comes as a result of her surprise. "Are you sure? It doesn't seem like a waste if I'm not going to do anything with what you teach me?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I'm sure. You getting something out of it is the important thing, not 'putting it to use'." Insert air quotes here, although he doesn't deign to do the accompanying hand gestures. "Doing something for your own enjoyment is valid, too."
Lucia Diaz:
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Lucia truly look like nobody has ever told her she's allowed to just do things because she wants to, before. They have. Polly has. Polly regularly tries to convince her that it's even true. She just still has an expression like it's a foreign concept any time it comes up.
"I would like that," she says quietly.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Perfect. Let me know when you want to come by and we can make that happen."
He watched her for a moment, that look on her face not going unmissed. "I'm guessing that taking time for yourself is difficult, yeah?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I will," she says.
She gets up from the piano bench and returns to her other chair, and the mallorca waiting there, so that she can continue eating it. After she's done talking, anyway. "I never really think about it," she admits.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Get you there. So much to do, so little time to do it." He nodded, reclaiming his own pastry. "Carving out that time for yourself is important, though, even if it's just an hour or so to give yourself a chance to recharge."
Lucia Diaz:
"I just sleep at night," Lucia says, in a reaction that's a little bit... odd. "I don't... run on batteries or plug into the wall." It doesn't seem at all like she's joking. Like she thought he meant that more literally than he did, and for some reason is prickly about the idea.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Catching that discomfort he paused, giving her an apologetic look. "I meant in a metaphorical sense. Sorry if that touched a nerve."
Lucia Diaz:
"No." Lucia's uncertain look says maybe a little bit, despite the no. "I thought for a second that maybe you could see me. The real me, I mean. Never mind. I'm not good at making time for myself, though. Except when Polly visits, I guess."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Not currently, although it's something I can learn how to do." He let that topic sit where it was, however, nodding as she continued. "My usual trick for that is setting an alarm when I know I'm going to be on a project for a while. Works pretty well overall."
Lucia Diaz:
"It's not really remembering to stop that's the issue for me. I just feel like there are important things I should be doing that I'm not, if I go do something else." Lucia shrugs. "There's always something to be done."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Fair enough, but remember that you're important too.
Lucia Diaz:
"Polly keeps telling me that, too." Lucia sounds like someone who might, might finally be starting to believe it
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Because it's the truth. You matter to people - her, me - and you need to take care of yourself, too."
Lucia Diaz:
"I do take care of my needs. I just don't have many of them," Lucia says like she actually believes that, even if Polly knows that isn't the case for sure, and Jeremiah probably does as well.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He gave her a quiet look at that. "Or many of them that you actively think about, maybe. Don't forget things you might want in there, too."
Lucia Diaz:
"Those aren't needs, though. Most of the things I want seem to be related to my work, with some exceptions. Spending time with Polly, or making things for people i care about, I do address those wants." Lucia shrugs. "There isn't a lot of other things."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Fair enough. That's a good start." He nodded quietly. "Is there anything that you've wanted to do recently that felt too frivolous to do on your own?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I-- I don't think so?" Lucia says with a small shrug of her shoulders. She does seem to pause to actually think about it, though. "Not recently, but-- No, I don't think I could do that anyway."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Do what?" He asked with a small smile.
Lucia Diaz:
"Ride a horse," Lucia says with a quick glance at Jeremiah and just the faintest touch of pink coming to her cheeks, like she's embarrassed to even be thinking about this, let alone saying it.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sounds like fun, and I'm sure there are places in town to do it." His smile widened, a spark of excitement in his eye. "Would you like to do that with me?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia shakes her head vigorously, eyes a bit wide, only to immediately realize how that might be taken incorrectly. "I would like to, but I can't. I-- It-- I'm..." She stammers a little blushing deeper, but looking down at her hands in a way that suggests shame, more than simple embarrassment. "It's complicated. There are reasons I don't usually like touching people, or animals, or anything else that moves on its own most of the time."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Gotcha." He nodded, not seeming to be perturbed by her explanation. "Something to do with what happened over there, I'm guessing?"
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia slowly nods. "I--" She takes a deep breath. "It's harder to explain when you can't see me. Do you want to hear about what happened to me over there anyway? I don't usually talk about it. Polly trusts you, though."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I would. As much as you're comfortable talking about, that is; I know pushing too hard on that front can be rough for you."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia spends a little while figuring out where to start. It's a good opportunity to finish her mallorca. When it's gone she wipes her fingers on her pant leg and finishes her thought-gathering. "I was a servant over there, in a realm that would probably be considered a cyberpunk dystopia. Not that I was aware of either concept at the time. I look like a robot myself, except for my face." She holds a hand up. "My skin, if you can call it that, is all chromed metal, my joints are finely wrought clockwork mechanisms, everywhere the metal of my skin doesn't cover glows green from within."
She puts the hand down. "The thing that matters in this context is that the body I was given there is extremely sensitive to touch. If I'm touching inanimate objects I can deal with it. Touching living things can be... too much. When I hugged Polly the other night, when you showed up, that was the first time I ever even gave her a real, full-contact hug like that. She's so patient with me, and I don't know if I'll ever understand why, but I can't imagine being able to be comfortable sitting on a horse."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah took a moment to polish off his own pastry, listening intently as she spoke. She could see a brief 'ah hah' look on his face as the description of her mien made a few things click into place, nodding quietly when she finished. "She's patient because she cares about you and wants you to be comfortable; she was surprised that I was willing to do the same for her at the start."
He sat back in his seat, mulling for a moment. "I might be able to help with that, maybe. One facet of magic that I'm proficient in involves elemental forces, and there might be a way to make a really thin air cushion between you and it so it's not direct contact."
Lucia Diaz:
"You want to turn me into a hovercar?" At least Lucia seems amused by the idea, rather than incredulous.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Effectively." He replied with a smirk. "It's a thought, at least."
Lucia Diaz:
"It is. I think this is an idea worth testing for sure," Lucia says with rising enthusiasm. "I'm all for experimenting for solutions to problems. I spend a lot of my time doing that. Trying things, seeing if they work, making notes about what does and doesn't, revising."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Same here, and getting a new perspective on things you may be stuck on always helps too."
Lucia Diaz:
"When you're trying to do you're not sure anyone else can do, trial and error is often the only way, too." Lucia pauses before adding, "like making diamonds in specific pan pride colors, or developing your own faux leather that looks a lot like the real thing, but protects against bullets better than kevlar."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Indeed." He nodded with a smile. "I am still blown away by the work you put into that guitar, by the way. I end up marveling at it as much as I play it, won't lie."
Lucia Diaz:
Lucia's eyes are often darting up to look at people and back down, and it's a habit that she enacts again now. A couple of times. After a couple of repetitions she smiles. "If I'm being honest with you, which I'm trying to be, I'm proud of the work I did on that one."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You should be. It's magnificent work and a joy to play on top of that."
Lucia Diaz:
"Trying to figure out a design that suits someone I had never had a proper conversation with is always a little of a challenge." Lucia's brief smile is warm. "I enjoy it, though. I think some people might say it's my love language, to try make things for people that are well suited to them. I enjoy doing it even for near strangers, though."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I can imagine, and you hit the nail on the head. The sigil in particular was a pleasant surprise; like I said that day, most folks don't get that reference. I don't use that name these days like I did before, but it carried me well for a while."
"Not a bad thing, that. I'm more of a quality time or words of affirmation guy myself, but whatever brings you joy is the important thing."
Lucia Diaz:
"What made you decide to stop using it?" Lucia's genuine curiosity comes out in the question. "I do enjoy quality time, too. I'm not good at words of affirmation. Or words, really. Making things for people is something I can do for them even when they're not around, though."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I grew out of it, basically. Those like me choose a Name that we can use as a focus for our magic, and when I first Awoke Dantalion was one of the entities in the Ars Goetia that called to me. Over time the connotations behind the name didn't mesh with how I was developing magically so I changed it."
Lucia Diaz:
"That makes sense to me," Lucia says after briefly thinking about it. "Lucia isn't my original name either. It's not the same thing, but Lucia is far more who I am now, and the more time that passes the more I start to see my old name as belonging to someone else."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"It suits you." He nodded, smiling after a moment. "Kind of fitting that we three all have ties to light in some way. Polly being what she is and you and I through our chosen names."
Lucia Diaz:
"I don't think that I know your current chosen name," Lucia says with a slight pinch of her brows. "Or I forgot it, if you mentioned it to me. Or I didn't recognize the connection to light, so I'm not making a connection now."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
- I hadn't mentioned it yet. Sirius, after the star."
Lucia Diaz:
"Oh, I see. That is interesting, that all of us ended up with some connection to light." Lucia offers him a brief smile. "Mine wasn't even that way on purpose. When I escaped and got a new identity it was just the name I got. My old name was fine, but it's not who I am any more."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Nice little bit of kismet there." He nodded, returning the smile. "When did you get back, out of curiosity?"
Lucia Diaz:
"Five... six years ago?" Lucia guesses. "Maybe a little longer I think. The early time blends together a little bit. Things changed so much from when I was Taken to now that it was hard to believe that I was really out and not just in another place like the one I was in. It was an adjustment."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I can imagine. It was a good century or so, yeah?"
Lucia Diaz:
"As the crow flies, if that term applied to time." Lucia knows it's not a great descriptor, but it gets the idea across. "I think it was considerably long for my experience of time there. They don't always match up. Sometimes one of us will be there only weeks or months and come back to find a century has passed, or be there a decade and come back days after they left."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Interesting. Just something natural to where you all end up, I'm guessing?"
Lucia Diaz:
"I wouldn't call anything about that place natural." Lucia makes a face. "A common trait, I should say."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Touche. Will put it that way going forward." He nodded, a mental note made. "What's one of the things you enjoy the most about being here now?"
Lucia Diaz:
"About the world now? Or about my situation in the world?" Lucia asks, uncertain. "The answers are going to be different. I think I'd have liked to live in the time I come from more as who I am now than as who I was then."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Let's go with both."
Lucia Diaz:
"The internet," Lucia says right away. "It has never been easier to quickly access so many lies, and occasionally some useful information." It's hard to tell just from her tone, which is affectless enough in the delivery to come across as completely serious, that this is a joke, but it is. "For my situation? I was a poor immigrant woman who barely spoke English in the early 1900s. The freedom I have now, in comparison to then, is impossible to deny."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"True enough." He replied with a wry smirk. "It's a blessing and a curse, really; being able to connect with people worldwide is great, but the pockets of hate and misinformation that pop up do more harm than good."
"By the by," he added, "I do speak Spanish if you'd prefer that at times."
Lucia Diaz:
"Do you?" Lucia seems surprised. "I... I'm actually getting pretty used to speaking English. I think in English most of the time, these days. It would be good to use Spanish sometimes, and be sure I don't forget my roots. Not-- Not the good parts of them, anyway."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I do, yeah. Learned while I was out in California. Can speak that and French, along with some choice Italian curses thanks to one of my professors at Stanford." He added with a smirk. "Sounds like a plan to me."
Lucia Diaz:
"I know American Sign Language, as well as Spanish and English," Lucia says with a glance down and aside, an expression that seems almost to be shame. What reason there could be for that is unclear, of course.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Ah...I thought that was what you were starting to do earlier." He nodded, giving her a curious look. "Nothing wrong with it, though. If it helps you to communicate when you need to that's the important thing."
Lucia Diaz:
"No, I know there's not. Not normally. It's more-- I mean--." Lucia stops to gather her thoughts instead of stumbling on. "For a long time, not speaking at all in front of people who were my... betters... was driven into me. I struggled to give voice to my thoughts around most people, but I could bring myself to sign. I have that trouble less often now."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Ah...gotcha." He gave another small nod. "Glad it's not as much of an issue now for you."
Lucia Diaz:
"No. You can probably guess where a lot of that self confidence came from," Lucia responds with a twitching of her lips that hints at the idea of a smile being there, thinking about making an appearance.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I have a hunch, yeah." He replied with a smile of his own. "She's good for that sort of thing."
Lucia Diaz:
"She is," Lucia agrees. "What made you decide to learn those languages?" she asks, unaware that it's not an entirely uncommon thing in modern schools.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"French I learned in school and kept up with it after, and Spanish once I moved to California like I mentioned. Made sense to be able to speak with more people there while I was out there."
Lucia Diaz:
"It would, wouldn't it?" Lucia's nodding head punctuates the words. "Thank you for letting me come over to talk about things. I think-- I think I would be glad to be able to call you my friend."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You're very welcome, and I feel the same." He replied with a warm smile. "Thank you for coming by."
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