Rosita Espinosa (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
handleyourshit) wrote2032-07-23 01:51 pm
handleyourshit) wrote2032-07-23 01:51 pm
"I need something to wear to the next party. It'll probably be Halloween themed." A little grimace. Going out around people dressed as monsters is going to be a trial.
"You need a lot of things to wear," Rosita snorts, and dumps both their glasses before dropping them into the dish washer.
"Come on. Tell me what your last Halloween costume was, or I'm dressing you as a Care Bear."
"Come on. Tell me what your last Halloween costume was, or I'm dressing you as a Care Bear."
She doesn't exactly roll her eyes at the response but she doesn't exactly not, either.
Still it's fair and she doesn't press. He doesn't actually owe her anything, even if he's operating under some kind of notion that he does; he hasn't asked her for anything.
"Well that's your business," she says, and shrugs. "But I do appreciate the apology, and I appreciate the view."
Still it's fair and she doesn't press. He doesn't actually owe her anything, even if he's operating under some kind of notion that he does; he hasn't asked her for anything.
"Well that's your business," she says, and shrugs. "But I do appreciate the apology, and I appreciate the view."
"I hope that I can show you I mean it," He says, in reply to the bit about the apology. "It's important to say it, but the words mean nothing if you don't back it up with action. I am not volunteering to be kidnapped again but... I've learnt a few things since then."
Its not been a long time for her of course, but for him it's been a lifetime.
"We should probably head back towards the city. We'll start loosing the light soon enough."
Its not been a long time for her of course, but for him it's been a lifetime.
"We should probably head back towards the city. We'll start loosing the light soon enough."
"I don't," she answers, but she smiles when she does because she's not rejecting it - she just hopes they're not in that position again, together or separate.
And then she's looking around again, less to scan for threats and more to consider the forest itself around them.
"You're probably right. But I think I'll keep going a while." He doesn't have to go with her, she means.
And then she's looking around again, less to scan for threats and more to consider the forest itself around them.
"You're probably right. But I think I'll keep going a while." He doesn't have to go with her, she means.
"Oh, God," he sort of huffs a laugh at the idea.
"I think I went as a new vampire. Marks on the neck, cheap fangs. A cape." He hadn't been trying to win any contests. "My boyfriend went as Frankenstein's monster, another friend went as the mummy. What about you?"
"I think I went as a new vampire. Marks on the neck, cheap fangs. A cape." He hadn't been trying to win any contests. "My boyfriend went as Frankenstein's monster, another friend went as the mummy. What about you?"
He pauses, looking out in the same dorection as her.
"It's a nice path. Just watch your footing- about a half mile on from here, it gets a lot more overgrown."
And then there's a brief moment of hesitation. He would let Evie go out on her own, wouldn't even spare a thought to it. And while this woman isn't an assassin, while Jacob has lost enough friends recently, he doesn't disrespect her but insisting she come back or he stay with her.
Instead he nods, trusting Rosita to know her own mind and her own ability.
"Thank you for the walk. And the talk."
"It's a nice path. Just watch your footing- about a half mile on from here, it gets a lot more overgrown."
And then there's a brief moment of hesitation. He would let Evie go out on her own, wouldn't even spare a thought to it. And while this woman isn't an assassin, while Jacob has lost enough friends recently, he doesn't disrespect her but insisting she come back or he stay with her.
Instead he nods, trusting Rosita to know her own mind and her own ability.
"Thank you for the walk. And the talk."
[He doesn't knock, but he does use his key. So. There's that. He's semi-civilized.
Even if he does have his gun, his knives, and his lockpicks with him, and even if he is wearing new steel-toed work boots. ]
Ro?
Even if he does have his gun, his knives, and his lockpicks with him, and even if he is wearing new steel-toed work boots. ]
Ro?
Here. [The click of a gun safety is soft but clear from deeper in the suite, and Rosita turns up out of the bedroom a few moments later with only the knife she keeps on her hip at all times.
She's been awake though, and she glances at the few weapons Jesus doesn't normally wear so others can see them, at the boots.]
Early Christmas shopping?
She's been awake though, and she glances at the few weapons Jesus doesn't normally wear so others can see them, at the boots.]
Early Christmas shopping?
I'm going back to Veracity in the morning. Quick in and out recon. I'm going to send my intel back to you and two others--I need you to watch for it, keep it safe.
[Just in case he does find anything worth keeping.]
[Just in case he does find anything worth keeping.]
So that's a yes.
[It's a joke to smooth over the complicated flicker over her face of the news that he's going back to Veracity: a bright, hot spike of anger for it in general, but also keen interest, and a faint smattering of guilt. She shakes it off in the next moment, focuses.]
What's going on?
[It's a joke to smooth over the complicated flicker over her face of the news that he's going back to Veracity: a bright, hot spike of anger for it in general, but also keen interest, and a faint smattering of guilt. She shakes it off in the next moment, focuses.]
What's going on?
I interrogated someone there with Vrenille who knew what was going on. We were too busy trying to get to the prisoners to spend more time there.
...I'm going with Jacob.
...I'm going with Jacob.
He moves too quickly for her to get out any objections or questions, to even sort out if she should go with him or stay behind as backup as he'd said before he offers the last bit.
She blinks. "Is this because of that post he made?"
She blinks. "Is this because of that post he made?"
"Yeah. I didn't want him talking about it over the network so I met him in person." And, as is often the way with Jesus, things snowballed extremely quickly.
"Alright," she agrees, because that all makes sense to her; Jesus is always so willing to go alone, and he's good at it, so she decides she's fine not offering to go as well.
"Give me the map I gave you back, I can mark off the tunnels that aren't open anymore." Because of course she's tried to go back but hasn't made it as far as actually going into the city yet. "Taking him on a test run?"
"Give me the map I gave you back, I can mark off the tunnels that aren't open anymore." Because of course she's tried to go back but hasn't made it as far as actually going into the city yet. "Taking him on a test run?"
A little smile, conspiratorial, because yes. He's doing this to see how Jacob does. It's not his only reason but it is a reason. "Anything I should know about him?"
She crosses back towards the kitchen, starts messing with a pastry box sitting on the counter while she shrugs.
"He was raised fighting. Family business, he said, and I saw it in the pit." She still wishes, uselessly, that she could have gotten him to listen. He would have been so much more effective in the fight that freed them, but never mind.
"He moves light too. I don't think you'll have any problems from a skill side, but I'm not convinced his days of going off script on a whim are behind him."
"He was raised fighting. Family business, he said, and I saw it in the pit." She still wishes, uselessly, that she could have gotten him to listen. He would have been so much more effective in the fight that freed them, but never mind.
"He moves light too. I don't think you'll have any problems from a skill side, but I'm not convinced his days of going off script on a whim are behind him."
He nods slightly, almost to himself. "How did he die?"
Rosita is looking down at the cake she's working on cutting pieces of, her long hair loose and hanging over her shoulder, so her face is hidden when her expression goes troubled.
She hates having to admit this, but: "I didn't see. There was... a fight or something, I don't know." She'd been so tired and so off balance at that point, and woken out of a brief sleep; so unwilling to be attached to strangers that were just going to die in front of her if they kept going the way Jacob had been going.
"The guards were already in by the time I knew anything was happening, and they were hitting people, and by the time everything calmed down he was already dead."
She hates having to admit this, but: "I didn't see. There was... a fight or something, I don't know." She'd been so tired and so off balance at that point, and woken out of a brief sleep; so unwilling to be attached to strangers that were just going to die in front of her if they kept going the way Jacob had been going.
"The guards were already in by the time I knew anything was happening, and they were hitting people, and by the time everything calmed down he was already dead."
He nods slightly. He won't ask Jacob about it, but every time someone dies here he's left with gnawing questions.
They don't matter right now anyway.
"He told me something, about how time works while we're here."
They don't matter right now anyway.
"He told me something, about how time works while we're here."
By the time she turns back around with the cake, she's focused again, more than willing to jump on whatever there is to move forward on rather than linger.
She barely even registers what she's asking about when she says, "Yeah?" and shoves a piece of lemon drizzle cake - storebought - at him with a fork.
She barely even registers what she's asking about when she says, "Yeah?" and shoves a piece of lemon drizzle cake - storebought - at him with a fork.
He takes it, and finds he still has a little eagerness for a dessert. Empty calories, loads of sugar--just what he's missed for years.
"He said time stops back home when you come here." He eyes her, wondering if she'll reach the same conclusion he was lead to.
"He said time stops back home when you come here." He eyes her, wondering if she'll reach the same conclusion he was lead to.
There are so many foreign concepts here - people with powers, people who die and go on living, people who disappear and go somewhere else and are never heard from again - but it still takes Rosita a moment to process that.
The way her gaze snaps up to his, though, is evidence enough she's just thought of the same thing he has. Still: "What's that mean? Stops? Stops how?"
The way her gaze snaps up to his, though, is evidence enough she's just thought of the same thing he has. Still: "What's that mean? Stops? Stops how?"
"It just freezes. You return to the same moment you were taken from. He went home and lived twenty years from the same second he came here from." He almost forgets he's even holding the cake now. "Rosita, when you go home, you'll still be pregnant."
Or she'll be pregnant again.
Or she'll be pregnant again.
There's so much that any given person from either of their communities carries with them and never speaks of, no matter how it chews on them; the most successful of these people can keep going indefinitely, can compartmentalize so it doesn't hurt them, can function through anything. Rosita is no exception. She's mentioned things to Jesus, even mentioned this, but as she assumes is true with him too that isn't where it ends. No one else will ever see how deep this particular hurt goes, or the moments she spends alone worrying and agonizing over it.
She blames the broken arm and the pit and the contracts and the city but fully half of what Rosita has been wrestling with is what to do about this baby, what anything means, if it does - if she's hurt it somehow, if the city has, if life has. And now Jesus says that to her and she just stares back at him.
She blames the broken arm and the pit and the contracts and the city but fully half of what Rosita has been wrestling with is what to do about this baby, what anything means, if it does - if she's hurt it somehow, if the city has, if life has. And now Jesus says that to her and she just stares back at him.
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