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Gallowglass has taken to finding lovely spots through the city to practice his sketching. That's how, on this lovely day, he finds himself sitting across from the Japanese house at Fairmount Park. For one, it's free; two, he can't get kicked out of a public park. Not unless he really tries, anyway. For once, he is not wearing basic black - le gasp! He's turned out in a buttery short-sleeve button down and a pair of teal chinos. His sketchbook is open in his criss-cross lap, and he's working out the rough shapes of what looks like a tree.
Rhapsody enters from somewhere off to the side, looking at the tree he's drawing and to the little copse that it's a part of, she seems to relax just slightly as she falls into the shadows of the trees. Wearing faded blue jeans that look to have seen better days, a white v-neck T-shirt and a pair of white canvas shoes. She unslings her guitar from her back and sits down against the tree next to the one being drawn, obliviously starting to tune an old acoustic guitar.
Well, this is new. Gallowglass squints at the new arrival, his pencil going still. Blondes have this tendency to wander into his life; he may be a little guarded. Don't fucking tell her she's attractive, his brain insists. For now, he seems content to watch for a moment, taking note of her true appearance.
Once the guitar is tuned to her satisfaction, she strums it once, a simple chord, happy with the results, she leans back, looking up through the branches. She starts idly plucking, a simple theme, then some variations on it, occasionally she stops, starts over again, after a few minutes she starts lightly humming along, smiling serenely.
He weighs his options. She seems remarkably happy to sit by herself, but Gallowglass also likes to meet other Lost. He taps his pencil on his sketchbook, jaw sliding to one side, and then hauls himself to his feet to make his way over to the girl. "Hey," he announces, his voice a low rumble.
Rhapsody opens her eyes and looks up to see who greeted her, and up... and up, then back down again, and back up as she slips her guitar into the case again and makes her way to her feet. "Hello." She replies, with the smallest of smiles. "Wow." she says, almost involuntarily after .. taking all of him in.
Gallowglass shifts on his feet, rubbing the back of his neck with one huge hand. "I'm Gallowglass. Want some company?"
She smiles a litlte wider and nods. "I'd love some company, I hope you'd also like some company, since you asked. I'm Rhapsody, I'm, well, pretty new here I guess, just came up from New York." She looks around then, and back to him. "Should I expect to run into more of us here? Like, is this a hotspot or am I just lucky." She grins up at him, eyes shining.
His expression softens; he drops to a crouch beside her, then fully onto the grass. "There's a lot of us around; not sure if they're here in the park. You been to the Freehold and all that?"
Her eyes follow him down to the ground, now she's looking down at him slight, she debates and then sit back against the tree, scooching forward just a bit so when she leans back she's more or less looking at him. "Oh yes, yes, of course. I've observed all the proper formalities and etiquette, sworn my oaths. I've been accepted in the city in good standing and such." She nods just a bit. "Do you like it here?"
Gallowglass mulls over his answer for a moment, brow furrowing. "...Yeah," he decides at last. "Yeah, I do. Freehold's full of good people. People worth protectin'. Had a bit of a rocky start, but...now, things are better. So yeah, I like it here. S'my city."
"A rocky start, hrm? Those are never good." She nods as she talks, then looks him over again. "Still, it makes me happy you worked it out, you look like you might be pretty good at protecting things. Is that what you want to do then? Protect things, people, is that what you want to do then?"
"I mean...yeah, it's what I want," he admits, nodding. "I figure it's somethin' I'd be good at, and it keeps th'darkness out." He taps his temple with two fingers.
Rhapsody leans forward a bit, looking at his temple. "The darkness, you say?"
"Yeah. You know...everythin' that happened. Feelin' any of it, I can just...try t'become someone new."
"hrmm, yes, yes I see. So.. the Darkness you went through, not some..creeping sneaking thing inside of you?"
"Oh! yes," he clarifies. "No monster twistin' around inside, promise. Just regular old me." He gives her a lopsided smile.
"What about you; what do you want? What are you planning t'do here?"
"I haven't really decided yet, I've only... recently gotten back, to be honest. I'll figure something out as I go." she smiles brightly, leaning back against the tree. "For now, I'm just reveling in my freedom, I'll do what I want to do when I want to do and follow my whims until something pressing comes up."
"S'a good way t'set out," he nods, expression one of approval. "Think you'll do what you did before everythin', or gonna try somethin' new?"
She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. "Not if I can help it. I ... let's not talk about that. I'm sure you understand." She nods a litlte. "Tell me about some of the people that live here?"
"Completely," he nods. "Well, let's see..." He rubs a hand along his jaw. "What court are you?"
"I'm spring but, you know, I'll talk to anyone." She nods a bit. "Sometimes, when you're spring, you almost spend more time with the other courts anyways, so I don't worry too much about who's what, I guess."
"Oh sure, just figured it'd give me a jumpin' off point," he explains. "I don't...really know a whole lot of the other Lost that well," he admits, his jaw sliding to one side. "There's Petra, she's a healer in th'Spring court. Prob'ly th'nicest person I ever met. Nicest Lost I ever met, anyway. There's Aurelio, he's a Summer; he blows glass, which I find a little funny for obvious reasons." He gestures to his appearance, smirking. "Alain, ain't sure what court she is but I'd guess Winter if I had to wager. And there's Rosalyn - she likes horses." He rubs his jaw. "Mearcstapha knows everythin' that's goin' on all th'time..."
She nods, following along, though she does giggle a bit at the glass blowing comment. "Is there a lot... going on?"
"Don't honestly know," he admits. "I been busy gettin' my shit together; took a group into the hedge once, and I got patrol comin' up. Other'n that, I don't know. You'd wanna talk t'him, but I can introduce you. Uhh, there's Mel, they're pretty great too, real sneaky. Artie, he's a Summer page too. Pretty clever, knows what he's doin'."
"Sounds like an interesting bunch." She nods with a smile. "Start must not have been too rocky if you know all of that already, or you've been here for.. a while." She doesn't really ask the question, so much as look him over again, maybe she's looking for a reaction, maybe she's just checking him out, who knows?
"I been here a little bit, but I pay attention," he counters, stretching out to recline on his forearms. "Oh, and vampires are a thing."
"And I forgot about Drake, which is a dick move because he's one of my favorite people. He's a Springer too, gold dragon. Little weird, gives horrible advice. Do not take his advice. Trust me."
A faint whistling winds it's way through the trees, an upbeat little ditty. It takes a few moments before the person follows the sound, as Astrid appears, walking slowly enough that she can't possibly be sneaking up on anyone in anyway. She's wearing linen shorts in a creamy color, topped by a periwinkle top, over which she has a dark grey sweater, and leather brogues on her feet. The everpresent leather messenger bag is laying along her hip, and the breeze catches the small pieces of hair that frame her face.
She's still hung up on the vampire thing, she eventually nods slowly in reaction to the Drake bit. "I don't.. think I need any advice right now, but I will remember that when I do. Now back to th-" Someone else approaches, she glances over at said other person and then back at Gallow with a 'we'll come back to that later' kind of look.
Gallowglass, glances at the other, back to Rhapsody. "What's your plain name?" He whispers, quickly.
"Let's just stick with my stage name" She says with a grin and a wink.
Gallowglass nods, giving her a thumbs up. With that, he whistles a little song in Astrid's direction, mostly to get her attention without harrassment.
The sound stops as she turns to look that way, some expression flickering over her face, before her feet take her their way. Raising a hand, drawing close, she gives an dimpled smile. 'Hello! How are you?'
"Hey, Astrid," he replies, a sort of warm-gentleness suffusing his features. "Good. Was takin' a stab at drawin' th'cherry trees. This is Rhapsody; she's a singer. Or a musician of some kind, anyway. Rhapsody, this is Astrid Percy."
Rhapsody looks up at Atrid with a smile and a little wave. "Hello! I'm not really anything yet, aspiring musician, maybe, we'll see. It's nice to meet you, either way. Are you two friends?" She asks, looking between the two of them.
'Why, yes, we are friends,' she says agreeably, glancing at Gal. 'Always a pleasure to meet a fellow music maker.' She settles down on a rock, pulling her legs up so she can rest her arms on her knees. 'Are you from here, Rhapsody? What a beautiful name, it's so evocative of the notes that create our art!'
Gallowglass relaxes in the grass, folding brawny arms beneath his head so he can gaze up at the sky. The nice, safe, sky. "We are friends," Gallowglass confirms with a smile. "Astrid is a gifted musician too."
"oh, maybe we could play together, Gal could come listen." She grins, assimilating Astrid's nickname for him without a second thought. "I'm originally from New York but it was just... too much for me down there, so now I'm here, trying something a little new but... I guess close enough to run back home with my tail between my legs if things don't work out here." She sighs. "Not terribly courageous, but it is what it is, I suppose."
'I think it is terribly courageous,' she says earnestly. 'Leaving things that are familiar and known to try something new is the epitome of courage! If you need some help, let me know. What type of music do you play? Are you looking for gigs, or more along the lines of teaching?' The smile doesn't leave her face as she talks. 'Gal's a good guy to know, I'm sure he can help you out, too. He's been a great friend to me.' Hard to tell if the word friend has a little bit of oomph or not.
He smiles up at the sky, noting that compliment and tucking it away. "I do my best t'be a pretty good guy. Sometimes it works out."
She nods appreciatively at Astrid's words, she might have been about to take her up on the myriad of offers but that word friend, hrmm. She smiles a bit bigger and looks between the two of them. "So how did you two meet?"
"I was eatin' some pie at a diner, mindin' my own business, and social butterfly here decided I looked like good company," he explains, his tone laced with genuine affection. "I lucked out, in summary."
'I do like to make conversation with interesting people,' she agrees, with a quick laugh. 'He was pretty big and I think probably could look intimidating if he had to. I needed someone to sort of ... go with me to classes and such, so he fit the bill!'
"What kind of classes" She glances at gal, looking at the sky, then grins conspiratorially to Astrid. "Is he as solid as he looks?"
'I mean, he hasn't had to do anything, but I imagine he is,' she says with a nod. 'I teach some classes on music, and take some classes on music, mostly,' she adds. 'Do you have a place to stay yet?'
"umm, I could actually use a place to crash until I find something more permanent." She looks at Gallow and snakes her foot out, toes poking at his calf.
She gives Astrid a confirming nod.
Mark the day: Gallowglass blushes. He stammers or mumbles some kind of response; at Rhapsody's prodding, he offers an apologetic expression. "Uh...I'm kinda...between homes right now," he notes quietly. "But...give me a week and I could probably help you out?"
'You're welcome to stay with me, until then, or whenever,' she adds, waving a hand absently, trying to bite back the grin at Rhapsody's action, and not managing to stifle a giggle at his face.
He shoots Astrid a hard glance, gaze averting to the ground; he nods. "Yeah, we can still get you set up t'stay somewhere safe. Just...still gettin' my feet under me."
"Oh, I can stay with Astrid, that sounds just fine." She shrugs a shoulder. "If Im too much trouble I'll just go back to my no-tell motel. It's not great, but it's not boring!" She laughs a little. "Don't fret about it Gal, I don't really expect anyone to do a lot for me, but I'll take it when it's offerered."
She sighs a little at his look, fiddling with the cuffs of her sweater. 'Sorry, I've just never seen you blush. It wasn't meant to be cruel, and I apologize if it was,' she says, before nodding to Rhapsody. 'I can't imagine it'll be trouble. My parents are gone for the summer, so I have the house to myself. There's plenty of room,' she adds, a touch wistfully.
"I don't blush," he retorts, but it's without teeth; perhaps amused disdain. "I...I...glow." He makes a face. "Shit, that don't really work either."
"I could keep making you do whatever it is until we all agree on what to call it if you want." She says with a laugh.
That gets a laugh out of him, abrupt and surprised. "No, Rhapsody, we're good. No need."
'Glow is what girls do when we perspire,' she says, with a quick laugh.
She sighs at that. "Alright then, I'll do my best to contain myself, I suppose."
"Yeah, I mean. Pace yourself," he advises, giving her a grin. "I do a lotta shit you can tease me about, don't worry."
Rhapsody glances at Astrid for confirmation and elaboration
'He's not wrong,' she agrees.
'That's all I have to say about that,' she adds hastily.
He jerks a thumb at Astrid, nodding. "She would know. I do a lot of stupid shit around her."
'I think we have it ironed out now, though. Rhapsody, do you know anyone else in town? When did you get here?
"Oh, not really, the front desk guy at the place I'm staying, a few shopkeepers I've seen more than once, but no, this is probably the first like.. conversation I've had with anyone for longer than a little bit, or that's more than , uhhhh, transactional? I've only been here about a week."
'What made you pick Philly?'
"Just that it was close, I visited a few times as a kid, seeing the liberty bell and stuff." She shrugs a bit. "it was just, the path of least resistance, I suppose. Hopefully it was a good choice, but ... I found you guys, so I might have? Does your house have a pool?"
'Oh, yes,' she says. 'It's still cool enough that we haven't opened the outdoor pool, but the smaller one is available year round, since it's in the greenhouse.' Stretching out her legs, she looks at the sky. 'I'm ready for warmer weather.'
"A pool in a greenhouse," Gal murmurs, as if it's a novel idea. "That must be pretty nice, with the plants growin' and all." He cocks his head up at the sky, peering into the blue. "It'll get warm before too long, I figure."
"That does sound cool." says, in agreement with Gallow, then she looks at Astrid. "Is there something specific you like about the warmer weather, or do you just like being warm? Like, are you really into beaches or something?"
'No, I just like being warm,' she says, laughing. 'I spent the winter in London, where I believe the chill sank into my bones, and I'm still trying to get rid of it. Why, do you like beaches? Gal, what are your thoughts on beaches? Yay or nay?'
Gal purses his mouth thoughtfully, brow furrowed. "Ain't never been at an ocean beach. Been at the fake beaches out on th'river, but that's about it. I like those."
"Well, I guess we'll have to take him to the beach! I love the beach, in the past the worst thing was always that.. I had things waiting for me when I got back and it was always sort of distracting, I don't think I have that anymore, sooo.." She thinks, and then nods. "I definitely need to hit the beach again this summer. I bet it will be a whole different experience." She sits up to stretch a bit. "I'll have to start saving up for a new suit."
"Better try it, then," Gallowglass agrees. "You could probably borrow a suit from Astrid, for the time bein'. I got it easy, I just gotta wear shorts."
'Oh, we will absolutely have to go! We have a place down south, we can go whenever you'd like.' Then she dimples. 'Oh, I absolutely have an extra suit or 5 you can use.' Then she arches a brow. 'Why would it be a whole different experience? Simply because you can relax and enjoy it, without having things waiting for you?'
"Yeah, exactly that." She nods and looks over at Astrid, then down at herself, then at Astrid again before nodding. "Yeah, that would work, I can borrow one of your suits and Gal can wear a pair of white shorts and we can hit the waves."
His brow furrows, puzzled. "White shorts...?" And then, of course, he realizes, and his lips part in surprise.
Astrid looks from one to the other in puzzlement.
'White would look very good with your skin tone,' she says. 'Honestly, however, I always go for what is most comfortable.'
"I told a buddy I'd stop wearin' so much black, but...we can compromise and I'll get some blue shorts," Gallowglass allows, snorting.
'Oh, blue is a lovely color.'
"When you said compromise I thought you'd land on grey, but I'm sure whatever you wear, we'll still have fun. Can we do fires on the beaches around here?" She looks between the two of them, but mostly at Astrid.
'I don't know about here, but we can at the beach by the house,' she says. 'It's a private one, so there's no problems with it.' She claps her hands, excited. 'When would you two like to go?'
Gallowglass shrugs, gesturing to the pair. "Whenever you two want, really. My schedule is open except in th'mornings or if I'm waitin' for you at your classes."
"I don't have any kind of schedule yet." She shrugs as well.
'Oh, mornings are going to be hard. I mean, unless you want to just go for a day? If we leave right after your job, and then come back late that night, you should be ok?'
Gallowglass squints at Astrid, the wires not quite sparking. "...Astrid, which beach are you talkin' about?"
She blinks, then arches her brows. 'Hilton Head?' she says, somewhat confused.
Gallowglass' expression softens, a smile curling his features. "Well...we go all th'way there, might as well stay th'night, right?"
'I don't want you to miss work, or get into trouble,' she protests. 'I hadn't thought about that.'
"I'll come along for the ride whatever you two decide." She says with a grin.
"I can take a day off," he assures, giving her a nudge. "C'mon. It'll be fun, we can celebrate Rhapsody's return to the beach."
'That sounds wonderful,' she exclaims, laughing. 'I'll make the arrangements.'
"Good." He nods. "I'll see about gettin' a car, unless you want t'take yours?" He directs at Astrid. "Not sure how much it costs if you gotta drag th'driver along."
She shakes her head. ‘Uh, I have it covered. If that’s ok? I mean, it’s just so much quicker to fly? The plane is free.’ Her side eye towards Gal is a little uncertain.
"Sure," he replies, giving her a tenative smile. He's trying! "Whatever you think is best; you travel more'n me, so you know what's good." The confidence in his tone is earnest.
"So... you have a driver and a free plane?" She asks, looooooking at Astrid again.
‘Ah. Yeah.’ She looks so relieved at Gal’s words, it almost rolls off her in waves. ‘I mean. It belongs to the family, we all use it. Right now it’s not scheduled for anything, so we can take it.’
She nods a bit, looking between Gallow and Astrid... then shakes her head, looking back at Atrid. "That's.. really cool, probably, maybe, seems your family gives you a lot of freedom, huh?"
‘In some ways,’ she says carefully, ‘I do have quite a bit, yes.’
"But in other ways?" He prods that old wound gently.
Rhapsody lapses into silence, looking between the two.
She shrugs. ‘There are limits. International travel likely won’t happen again without an escort, or 10. I have family expectations to meet, I’m supposed to comport myself a certain way the majority of the time.’
Rhapsody nods, seriously, then she laughs just a little. "What happens when you're allowed to travel internationally on your own?"
Gallowglass flinches, glancing at Astrid to watch her carefully; it is a blatantly protective expression on his face.
She looks away, smile gone. ‘I had some issues, last summer. My family had to get involved, and it cost quite a bit of money.’
‘They weren’t happy about it, the authorities had to be involved, and it caused a fair amount of gossip in the circles they inhabit. I was kidnapped, and my best friend died.’ She still doesn’t make eye contact, simply watching the pretty surroundings.
"ohhhhh" She nods a bit, looking at Gallow's expression, then back at Astrid, looking away, she smiles just a touch, the expression bordering on bittersweet. "I thought maybe you'd thrown a massive party and gotten some diplomat's kids too wasted or something. I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and glad you're safe now."
‘Thank you.’ She clears her throat, and smiles gently. ‘It was a lesson learned about being much more careful with actions, and it did end up with Gal getting a job.’
"It did," he affirms, nodding. "And now she's safe. No doubt about it."
"Are you teaching her how to keep herself safe too then?" She asks Gallow, curious.
"That comes next," he affirms as well. "Ain't about her dependin' on me. She already has strength."
‘I just try to stay where I’m supposed to, these days. I don’t have it in me to be a fighter, really.’
"Everybody has it in them to be a fighter," he replies, sitting forward. "Everyone. Better t'be a fighter before bein' one is all you got left."
She nods a bit to Astrid. "Well, if you change your mind, I can tag along and be your partner for practice or whatever, since Gal here is about two and a half of you. If I'm at your place for a bit I'll be around anyways."
‘There are different types of fighting,’ she says. ‘I’m not a violent person, but I’ve gotten better at running away.’ She smiles slightly at Rhapsody. ‘Maybe I can watch you two and pick something up that way.’
"I'm not even that good at running away." She offers with a laugh. "But sure,I can wrestle with Gal while you watch."
Gallowglass stares at Rhapsody, and then slides his gaze to Astrid. "You're just encouragin' her," he accuses, but it's amused and good-natured.
‘Maybe.’ She bites her lip to hold the smile back. ‘I can help you with running, though. I like to run, and climb things.’
"I don't need encouraging." She says with a smirk, then she looks over at Astrid. "Sure, we can give it a try. What kind of things do you usually climb?"
She clears her throat. ‘Oh. You know. Trees. Walls. Just ... things. Free-running, Parkour, things like that.’
"I -don't- know.." she says, grining. "Do you do flips and jump over alleys and stuff?"
He blinks at Astrid in surprise but holds his tongue, as if he's more than happy to snatch up anything he didn't know; Rhapsody is a great wingperson.
‘Yes? I climb walls and roofs, jump over alleys or run up straight surfaces, I can rappel if I need to, BASE jump, free fall. It’s all about letting the energy have someplace to go, really.’
‘I’m also pretty good at picking locks and pockets, too,’ she adds, looking abashed.
"Yes yes yes and yes, I will go with you to do all those things." She nods to Astrid with a grin. "I've never tried to pick a lock before, though I have gotten into other people's pockets now and again."
She slides a look at Gal. ‘Usually if I pickpocket it’s for a good cause, and sometimes I just slide money into them, if they look like they need it.’
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