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It's been quite a happy week for Zivs! Last night, they camped out in the Hollow with Ros, and this morning they came home and puttered around the new house for a while before texting Sage to ask them if they'd like to come over and see said house.
There are new 'affordable housing' developments in NE Philly, single family homes on tiny little postage stamps of land. Little saltbox houses, one story, with a couple bedrooms and just enough 'yard' to put a grill, a table, and a couple of chairs out in, and a little front porch, where Ziv waits now. It's getting to be too chilly for tank tops and short shorts, so the mermx is currently wearing a flared skirt covered in genderfluid pride mermaid scales and a t-shirt with the logo for Netflix's The Old Guard, sitting on the front porch in one of two rocking chairs.
A car pulls up a few houses down the street - compact, practical. One (1) Sage emerges, neon tubes glittering in the afternoon sun, dressed in a drapey linen tunic and pants in a muted green. Sage green, even. They have a tote bag emblazoned with "Grow Your Community" and various potted plants, and they squint around, eyeing the house numbers until they see Ziv.
They give them a wave and the car chirps as they lock it on their way over.
"Ziv! What a lovely place!"
"We were lucky to get it!" Ziv calls back down the block, waving their webbed hand in greeting and rising from their rocking chair. (It's theirs, you see, because it has a Star of David carved into it, as opposed to the other one, which has an oni mask carved into it.) "I happened to talk to the right person at the right time, and... yep! Lucky."
"Come on in. I was thinking about ordering dinner, if you're hungry?"
"I could eat dinner, sure." Sage nods with a smile. "I brought something that would probably be considered a housewarming present, even if it's not quite the right occasion. But everyone can use a little basil in their life, right?" They laugh and pull a little potted basil plant out of their tote bag.
"It's taking over my garden, but it will do just fine indoors."
Accepting the pot with both hands, Ziv grins broadly, the lights in the dark water of their skin glittering prettily, yellow and green and white. "Oh, I think it's perfect, thank you! Basil is delicious." They carefully cradle the little baby plant against the side of their body, because Ziv is a wimpy little twink, and then open the door, holding it. "I was thinking about sushi, maybe? It's Sukkot, so fish -- and cream cheese, in the Philly rolls, if you like those -- is perfect. Or maybe Indian?"
"I'd be happy with either of those." Sage nods. "Lets do sushi, I usually save that for special occasions, for whatever reason, so it will be a treat."
They look around curiously as they're led inside, taking in all the details of Ziv and Eko's life that can be found in a place like this.
It's still a spare little place at the moment, not too much decorated: there's a couch and a loveseat in the living room with a little flat-screen TV that's got dings on the edges of it -- probably came from Goodwill, though the couches look new and matched. There's a metal hamsa hanging on the wall of the little kitchen that's open to the dining room -- still empty, no dining table yet. It's tidy, but spare.
"Sushi it is! Give me a sec, I'll order. Any requests?" Ziv asks, padding off to the kitchen to set the baby basil in the kitchen window, adding, "I've got soda and water if you'd like something to drink."
"Water's good, and I like avocado, but other than that I'm not picky." Sage smiles. "How are you settling in here?"
"Excellent!" There's a water jug in the fridge, since no one drinks the tap water in Philly if they can help it. Ziv pours two tall glasses of water, puts the jug away, and carries the glasses over, passing one to Sage. "... pretty well, honestly?" They settle in on one end of the couch, setting their glass down on an octopus ceramic coaster, pulling their phone out of their skirt pocket to start a GrubHub order. "It's weird to have a fixed address, I will admit. How are you settling in?"
"Oh I've been just fine. As much as I've wanted to get more involved in the Freehold, I've found myself returning to the habits I've ingrained in myself over the past year. And finding it rather incredible that it's been an entire year." Sage settles on the other end of the couch and takes a long drink.
Their forehead wrinkles up in confusion, and they hold up one hand as if to say 'hold that thought,' then finish the order. "I got plenty, in case Eko joins us, but if there are leftovers, that's fine, too. Once the food gets here, there's a sukkah out back. I'd just go out there now, but, we'd never hear the doorbell," they explain. Their phone gets set down on the table, then. "What habits, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, garden, eat, sleep," they say with a rueful sort of smile. "Perhaps with a little socializing on the weekends, and it's not rigid by any means, but I've not left myself much time for socializing outside of networking events. And it's a simple schedule, and has suited me just fine thus far."
A little tip to one side of their head. "If it suits you just fine, that's good," agrees Ziv. "If it stops suiting you, though, you'll ask for help changing that?" Their white irises come swimming out of the blackness of their eyes when they make eye contact with Sage, only visible during said eye contact. A subtle smile tugs at the corners of their mouth. Joyeuxs gotta Joyeux, it's sort of reflexive.
"It does suit me - but yes, of course I would." Sage nods, and even smiles, but the smile doesn't quite meet their eyes. They meet Ziv's gaze and then hold it for just a little too long. Like they're trying extra hard to be sincere.
And it would probably work, on most people.
Sage takes a sip of their water, seemingly unconcerned by the lie. "It's lovely that it's still nice enough weather to enjoy your sukkah, yeah? I feel like it could end up a little miserable, if it rains all autumn."
It would probably work on most people, but apparently not on Ziv. Their head tilts juuuuust a little bit further to that side that they've canted it, and their eyebrows arch up, and they reach for their water. A small sip thereof. "Mkay," Ziv agrees, not pushing. It's not like they didn't just make it clear they didn't buy the lie.
"Yeah, it would be pretty rotten. I would probably only go out in a raincoat to eat a meal in there, and that's that. But it's nice out today, so... good to make the best of it, you know?"
Sage will happily pretend that they didn't see Ziv catch them in a lie. "Oh absolutely, I look forward to seeing it. I've been spending my evenings in my garden, I'll miss it when it gets too cold - or when it's too dark by the time I get home. But for now, as you said. Make the best of it."
Another small swallow of their water, and Ziv rises when the doorbell rings. "Speaking of," they agree, and pad barefoot to said door, accepting a handled paper bag from the delivery guy and passing over cash for the tip. "Shall we?" And they come past the couch, picking up their water, and head for the glass porch door that leads into the miniscule backyard.
Sage follows, taking their water with them, and lets out a happy sigh when they're outdoors again.
The mermx looks over their shoulder and smiles lopsidedly at that happy sigh, leading their barefoot way to a sukkah made of wooden trellises on three sides with cloth carefully secured to the inside of the trellises for privacy's sake, and branches layered over the top of the sukkah. Inside, there are four dining chairs and a little dining table. (Oh, so that's where the table went.) Ziv sets their water and the bag on the table and starts unpacking the sushi. Philly in October at this time of day is brisk, and there are blankets stacked in a milk crate off to one side.
"Oh this is adorable," they say of the sukkah and of the tiny backyard in general with a wide smile. "May I?" They point to a blanket, and hang their tote bag off the backs of one of the chairs. "I've considered starting proper trellises, I have some kind of janky ones for my beans, but something for flowers could be nice." They look up through the branches, then at Ziv as they sip their water.
"Oh, of course! They're out here to be used. Can you grab me the one with the otters on it, please?" Ziv finishes setting out the stuff, tucks the empty bag under the table, and reaches a hand out to claim said blanket. "Yeah, we can't leave this out here all the time, or it wouldn't be a kosher sukkah. But it's nice that we have a little shed we can put the pieces in, and maybe next year I can set something up for roses or the like."
"Of course." Sage digs through the pile to get the otter blanket, and takes the one off the top for themself, wrapping it around their shoulders once they've given the other one to Ziv. "Some sort of greenery would be lovely, absolutely," they agree with a nod, and eye the containers of sushi hungrily before choosing one that's clearly got avocado.
There's a set of avocado and tuna wraps in the batch, and it was set in front of one of the chairs, almost like setting a place. Ziv unfolds the big fleecy blanket and drapes it over their lap, wrapping their legs underneath it. "I've always been obsessed with roses. My mother had them, climbing up our house. The old-fashioned ones, not like the hybrids you get today. They're sort of ... messy and sprawling and the smell of them kind of punches you in the face, you know?"
"Mmmm." Sage curls up in the chair in front of the tuna and avocado wrap. "It was too cold for roses, but we had sunflowers. My brother and I used to plant them in a circle, to make a fort." Their smile is bittersweet.
"Did you tell me where you grew up, and it fluttered out of my brain like a bit of flotsam? Sometimes my brain doesn't hold on to details," Ziv confesses, dipping their head forward a little bit in an awkward gesture. They crack open a container of Philly rolls and then snap apart the provided chopsticks.
"Northern Vermont. About twice as long ago as you'd think, to look at me. When winters were still winters," they joke, and take a sip of water before they grab a pair of chopsticks too.
And then it's sushi time, not talking time, and they contentedly munch on a piece. Their chopstick skills are a bit rusty, but serviceable enough to get food from container to mouth.
"Oh! That's right. You did tell me once, and then I forgot." There's a bit of a scribbly pink neon blush that flickers across their dark-water cheeks. "I do miss real winters. At least -- winters where it wasn't... " Ziv makes a vague gesture with one hand. "Blizzards and nothing in the middle."
But then, indeed, it's time to eat, and Ziv pops a roll into their mouth, letting out that content little sigh that comes from eating really good food.
Sage finishes off half the roll before they poke around at the other containers for some variety. "Sometimes I just want to drink tea and curl up by the window and watch it snow. And tend to my little greenhouse." Because of course Sage has a little greenhouse. "I'm not ready for snow yet, but the cooler weather is nice."
There's all sorts of variety, though it's all kosher -- no calimari, no shrimp, etc. Just fish and sometimes cream cheese. Lots of spicy stuff, including volcano rolls, crunchy rolls... Ziv knows and loves their sushi, apparently. "I just assumed you liked Winter weather," they offer, once they polish off their first Philly roll. The volcano roll is next! Spicy food. "I do like being inside and cozy. What are you growing in your greenhouse?"
"I'm trying my hand at orchids, with mixed success," Sage explains between bites. "Some herbs, both culinary and medicinal. Or recreational, as it were," They grin. "I've been resisting the urge to plant a cutting in my Hollow, just to see what might happen."
Their hands flutter as if stirring the water around them, rather than air, even though they're holding their chopsticks in one hand. "Oh, I love orchids! They're such a wonderful bloom. I love how... intricate and strange and beautiful they can get." Ziv's dark eyes glitter brightly, reflected light in them. "... I have to say, I ... am curious what would happen."
"Don't tempt me," Sage's blue light pulses as they pluck a piece of spicy tuna from the container. "I feel like any testing would require multiple sober folx willing to bring us back from a Clarity coma." A beat. "That is, if that's something you'd be interested in. Hypothetically, of course, I am not seriously considering it.
They sure do look thoughtful, for someone who isn't seriously considering it.
"I'm Spring, darling, I'm supposed to tempt you to give in to your desires," laughs Ziv, picking up a piece of Volcano Roll and popping it into their mouth. "I think if we did have people on hand to help us, it might be fascinating to find out if there are medicinal benefits. I mean, can you imagine if it goblinified in a useful way?"
"Twist my arm, why don't you." Their neon sparkles as they laugh, a buzzing electric underdone to it. "In truth, I have been looking for an excuse, but it didn't seem safe to start alone - what if it aerosolizes, and suddenly I'm high off my ass, in my Hollow, alone, you know?"
Laughter again, and their eyes glitter all the more. "I don't think I literally could," Ziv answers, lifting one of their noodly arms and showing the lack of their bicep muscles. "Oh, no, I get you. But, you know. If it's you, me, and then we have Eko to trip-sit, or Rosalyn... " their voice trails off thoughtfully. "I'm sure we can find people to look after us. The experimentation could be worth it."
Sage nods decisively. "It's a date, then. I'll put a cutting down when I get home tonight, and keep you updated. I have your number, right?" A beat pause, and their cheeks glow. "We've been texting, of course I have your number." They shake their head and eat another piece of sushi.
"You know I still haven't managed to run into Eko since she's been here?"
"Is it, then?" Ziv answers, smiling lopsidedly and popping another bite of volcano roll into their mouth. "Yes, you do have my number," they agree after swallowing, fanning their tongue with delight and taking a swallow of their water.
"Yeah, she's been doing a lot of patrols since the whole roots thing was going on. I haven't even seen her as much as I'd like to, and I live with her. She comes home and passes out." A small, regretful smile.
"That's never fun. I hope things stay calm enough that she's home more often soon." Sage's smile is kind. "You don't go with her on patrols? I suppose it could make things more difficult, overall."
"It isn't." A little shrug. "Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't," explains Ziv. "It's ... not always a good idea for the entire motley to go out together. For sanity's sake, basically. If something hits one of us, it's a good idea to have someone who wasn't there. I'm -- not bad in the Hedge, though. Just not good at fighting things... not without my boyfriend making me stronger." A winsome sigh. The delights of dating Mages.
"Mmmm." Sage nods. "That's understandable. Well I hope things settle down soon - for you and for all of us, honestly. We deserve a quiet winter."
"Do you think we're going to get one?" Ziv answers drily, finishing off the volcano roll and settling back to drink some water.
"What makes you think I know?" Sage's voice is light and joking, and they take the last piece of volcano roll.
"Well, you did decide to call yourself Sage," ripostes Ziv, reaching for another small container of Philly rolls -- chasing the spicy roll with one containing cream cheese seems to be a winning strategy. "Can you blame me?"
They open their mouth, and then close it again. "Sage, the plant," they finally huff, mock-indignant, before flashing Ziv a grin.
They flash a sidelong grin at Sage, both hands spreading out delightedly, and they settle back in their chair, as happy as a cat with a muzzle flecked with cream. "Oh, is that it?" Ziv answers.
"Yes." Sage has a very pretty pout, but they can only hold it for a moment before they break into a grin again. "How did you choose your name?"
Their eyes glitter delightedly, and they settle their hands in their lap. They pause for a moment. "Ziv means 'light' in Hebrew," they explain, "And when I had to come up with a last name so that Mearcstapa could put together a license and a legal identity for me, I picked 'Altshul' because ... I mean... it's funny to call yourself "oldschool" when you're a hundred years old."
Sage chuckles, nodding as they watch Ziv's neon flicker over them. "It's fitting, I have to say. I don't know if I can claim 'old school' for myself yet, though apparently the eighties are very much vintage now."
A little shrug. "I mean, I guess at the point where your childhood aesthetic comes back as a 'retro' look," Ziv concedes thoughtfully, reaching for their water.
"My childhood aesthetic was grass stained jeans and whatever t-shirts we could find at the thrift store in the back of the dented can store." Sage's voice is warm, like the memories are fond ones.
They smile lopsidedly. "Mine was Hebrew school and black twill pants," they answer, but the smile is likewise warm, and sort of wistful. "But yeah, you know what I mean."
"There were kids at my school who had all the latest fashions, and I sometimes wanted it, but I mostly just wanted to be out in the woods." Sage finishes the last of their water.
"Fashion wasn't really -- a thing? My parents wanted us to look... respectable... and my sisters wore pretty clothing, but... it was stuff my mom made. I have no idea if it was actually fashionable or not," Ziv admits wryly, and then scoots forward in their chair to pick up their chopsticks to take another bit of Philly roll. "Being out in nature wasn't really too much of an option for me. I grew up in the city. But I really liked the parks I could get to."
"Cities have always made me a little on edge. Everything is too close together." Sage shakes their head. "But being in the wilderness reminds me too much of before, at this point. So here I am in a city."
"I mean, there's always suburbs... " Ziv offers, their voice trailing off, and then sigh. "Never mind. No one actually likes the suburbs."
"They're the worst of both worlds, I think. The city's too far away to be convenient, and there's still not enough green space. So I go to parks, and escape into the center of the state when I can to camp and hike."
Another bit of Philly roll, and then they pluck up the last bite of that, popping it into their mouth. Two bites gone, and then they sit back again. "Mmm," Ziv agrees, noising thoughtfully while chewing. "I love the green spaces in this city."
"They absolutely are the reason I've stayed here for so long," Sage nods and wraps their blanket more tightly around their shoulders. "That, and the fact that I have just enough room to make my own green spaces. Even if the noise from the city is close, it's still green."
"I find the noise from the city comforting, even if it's a little disorienting sometimes," Ziv offers, their smile sympathetic. "The greenery reminds me that I'm ... here, though."
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