Calling in reinforcements [Tagging Adia]

[rogueinladysclothing]

"That's it!" she screams at the stove and the charred remains of what the rogue was assured was an all-included meal that 'just needed a little heating' before being served. This is the second meal she's burned in the past hour and enough is enough. "I'm done with this!"

It took far longer than Amelia wanted to get to this point, but now that it's here... Well, it's time to call in someone she can trust to help her. She can't call Harley anymore and Steve is plenty busy with his own home and work, which leaves only the woman who's supported her far more times than she thinks she ever had the right to ask of her.

As she tosses the dirty, but otherwise still good, pan into the garbage along with the burned food, she dictates a message to Adia on her phone.

Hi Adia. Do you have a little free time today? I dreams no don't you dare start smoldering on me ah have need of some help. Please.

She sends the message without double checking it, as she instead focuses on cooling her hands so she doesn't burn anything else. When she can again handle her phone, she digs into the settings to send Adia the coordinates into the small living room of her new apartment. That done, she sends one more follow up message.

Please hurry. It's been a long day and I'm losing control of myself.

Maybe not the best thing to say, but she wants to be honest. It's been a very rough transition to her new way of living and she doesn't know how to fix everything that's gone wrong. She will, however, take the time to ground herself out of the way of the coordinates she sent so that her magic isn't so volatile when Adia arrives.

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[chiron_survivor]

It's a blissfully uneventful trip, as short as it is, and when they enter the warm little coffee shop, the remaining tension within the scientist's frame finally relaxes completely. She only has good memories of this place from the time she visited with Caspar, especially because it was a place in the Nexus that he could introduce to her, and not the other way around.

Already accustomed to Farel's terse manner, she smiles shyly at his comment, although it helps that Amelia takes up the mantle of playful banter. "The usual, with whipped cream," she confirms. It tickles her a little to think that she has a "usual" here. "Thank you."

And then, as an aside to Amelia, she adds quietly, "I wanted to know where the chocolate whipped cream was coming from, so I insisted."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Wordlessly, Farel takes the orders in stride and starts crafting their mochas with unmatched skill and speed. It helps that the pair in front of the counter now have regular orders without variation.

"I'm glad he brought you," Amelia says with a smile. "It's only fair he got to treat you in person when I wouldn't let him buy the first one for you." Not that she would have let it be any other way, but it seems worth mentioning. Besides, it's incredibly endearing to hear that Caspar is taking Adia out to places like this for something as small, but enjoyable, as a well-made cup of coffee.

Before she can say anything else, Farel clears his throat to get the two women's attention. Amelia offers him payment for the drinks before reaching for one of them. A small sip, and she exhales a content sigh. "Thank you. It's wonderful, as always."

Once both women have their drinks and he's been assured that no adjustments are needed, the barista turns his attention back to cleaning the machine and Amelia takes the opportunity to lead Adia to one of the small standing tables. They can enjoy their first few sips of their mochas before they officially begin their shopping. "What else has Caspar showed you here in the Nexus?" she asks, genuinely curious. "Or are you still showing him everything?"

[chiron_survivor]

"Is that what that was about?" Adia asks with a surprised laugh. "I mean, I knew he was getting me mochas from the same place you were, but he didn't say anything about that first mocha other than the fact that you took him here." Not his typical style, letting someone else treat his girl. Amelia must have made a good case for herself.

Reaching for her own drink, she follows Amelia's lead and takes a sip that's mostly whipped cream, but it's delicious as always. "Thank you," she echoes, giving Farel another smile before he returns to his previous task. It reminds her that Caspar also knows how to work an espresso machine. Kind of makes her wish she could see him in action one of these days, although the thought of him as a barista is a little too unbelievable. He'd make Farel seem downright sunny in comparison.

She joins Amelia at the standing table and takes another sip of her mocha before setting the cup down and absently adjusting the strap of her messenger bag. "Boutiques, mostly," she admits with a look of amusement. "We've been to a couple shows in the Theater District, too. There was a musical about cats...." Her nose wrinkles. "It was... interesting..." That's her polite way of saying that grown men and women dressed as cats is not really her thing. "But it's mostly me still showing him around. Sometimes he'll be really enthusiastic about taking me somewhere nice and then it'll turn out I've already been there..."

Like a certain infamous chocolate shop. Adia blushes a little as she remembers. "I just remind him that it becomes special to me because it's my first time being there with him. It's easier now that he's been exploring the Nexus more."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia can't help the small, surprised laugh that falls from her lips. "I thought he had told you." Sorry Caspar, she didn't mean to out you! "But yes, I insisted on buying the first one when he suggested you'd like the coffee here. He also thought it might go over better if it didn't seem like he was trying so hard when you asked for a coffee that day."

Her smile becomes warmer at the edges as she listens to Adia. It hurts a bit to hear about others enjoying those things that she apparently fails at when it comes to relationships, but she does her best not to let it show. She truly is happy for Adia and Caspar, and that they're able to make things work between them despite all of their hardships and the terrible things that they've been through over the years. Both of them deserve this chance at happiness and to enjoy their love while in the prime of their lives.

She just wishes she could quiet her mind and keep her heart from falling into her stomach when the yearning for that same thing comes over her.

"The Nexus is a big place," she adds, looking down at her mocha as she turns the cup in her hands. "With a little effort, I'm sure the two of you could find new places together, too. Though perhaps without plays about cats next time?" There's a teasing edge to her smile as she meets Adia's gaze again, though it's a little forced. "The both of you could ask for recommendations from friends, too. I'm certain someone will be able to direct you to something new and fun that you can experience together for the first time."

[chiron_survivor]

"He said very little about your conversation, but believe me, that's a compliment." She takes another sip of the rich drink before adding in quiet amusement, "I know exactly how hard he tries, every time, but it's part of his charm."

The last thing she wants to do is remind Amelia of her own relationship problems, but it is impossible not to talk about Caspar without a great deal of affection. Her love for him is an unshakeable bedrock, the foundation that keeps her current fears and doubts from toppling her over. And despite his own worries, he has remained a paragon of support. Together, they are weathering this storm.

"It is a big place," she agrees, although that brings her little comfort in the context of where 'Josh' might be lurking. The teasing remark about choice of plays makes her laugh a little. "Yeah, fair enough. I think Caspar has sworn off all musicals for a little while." She tilts her head thoughtfully at the suggestion, then leans in and admits in a hushed voice, "I'd like to go dancing with him. But... well, neither of us really know how. I mean, aside from contra dancing, but he's not going to want to touch a bunch of strangers. It'd need to be somewhere more private than that."

She thinks back to Amelia's impromptu dancing lesson at the Halloween party, but she'd rather not bring up that night for a variety of reasons. And, now that she takes a moment to look at Amelia, she has the feeling that prattling on about wishful romantic activities with her boyfriend is not a great subject choice. "But, anyway, there's plenty of time to look into that. Did you want to try looking for a hardware store now? Maybe one is literally around the corner."

[rogueinladysclothing]

"I can suggest a few places for dancing, if you'd like. Places that aren't as crowded or that require you to come with a partner. Maybe those would be more to your liking?" There's no telling if they'd enjoy it, but it seems worth offering. Amelia can always give them the information and let her friends decide for themselves what to do with it. They're certainly not required to do anything that doesn't appeal to them, especially in a place as wide and as varied as the Nexus.

The rogue is grateful that Adia moves away from going on happily about her relationship with Caspar. She would never say anything about it and ruin her friend's mood, but not hearing about it certainly helps. Her smile becomes more relaxed as she nods. "With any luck, it will be," she agrees. "Let's head out, if you're ready."

Grabbing her cup in one hand, Amelia offers her hand to Adia and nods to the door. It feels good to walk hand-in-hand with someone like this again, though Amelia has to remind herself several times as they make their way around several corners and down a few streets that it's not Harley next to her. Dreams, why must this be so difficult for her heart to take? If this was for her benefit as much as Harley's, why must it continue to ache like this?

"Ahh, there we go," she says suddenly, drawing attention to a quaint little hardware store as they turn a last corner. There's a few strange contraptions standing in the windows and wrought into the... gate that stands in place of a door, but Amelia leads them in without hesitation. A store with steampunk humidifiers stacked next to parts for consoles in a space faring vessel are hardly extraordinary after so many years in this place. "You said we should look for cleaning supplies here - was there anything else that might be good to pick up before we move on?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia smiles warmly at the offer. "You know all the great places, Amelia. You can send me the coordinates via text, when you have the time." And if Amelia doesn't feel like doing it until much, much later, that's fine with her. Maintaining a clean home is her first priority... and really, it should be Adia's, too. Dancing in the Nexus can wait.

The rogue's hand is gratefully accepted as Adia follows her out, sparing the blue-haired barista a smile goodbye. She'd wave, but she's not about to spill her mocha, and anyway, he's got an espresso machine to clean. It's nice to hold hands with Amelia, too, as it reminds her that she isn't alone and vulnerable. But it does strike her as a little out of character. She sneaks a peek at the taller woman and tries not to frown in concern. How long had Amelia been denying herself the comfort of a friend?

Fortunately, the inside of the hardware store is a good distraction. Adia stares in wonder at the variety of items for sale. No matter how many stores she enters in the Shopping District, the shine of discovery never quite wears off. "Ah... hmm? I don't know. I bet they have vacuum cleaners here, although I'm not sure I'd recognize them... let's stick with the cleaning supplies for now."

[rogueinladysclothing]

It is a little out of character for Amelia, but she can't help it. Adia brings out the desire in her and it feels so natural whenever they're together. If she happens to be holding a little tighter to Adia's hand as they walk through the aisles, though, it can hardly be taken as one thing over another. As much as a comfort as it is to Amelia, the rogue knows it's the same for her friend. They're together and nothing will happen to Adia; Amelia will make certain of that.

"If we happen to spot one you think looks good, we can always pay for it now and pick it up on the way back to my apartment," the rogue offers with a small smile. Hauling around a large machine like Adia described seems like it would be difficult, but nothing says a pragmatic woman can't make the good purchase when she sees it and then come back for the results later. It would certainly be a productive use of their time if they happened on one that would be a good fit for Amelia's apartment.

There's some aimless wandering as they try to get their bearings - why does this store have three aisles full of various sizes and styles of gears? - but eventually they come across a small section of cleaning supplies in the back corner of the store. Many of the bottles on the shelves contain exotic chemicals that Amelia's not certain she could pronounce, but the basic cleaning chemicals common to any version of Earth are scattered among them and the sponges, rubber gloves, and buckets that make up the rest of the supplies. The rogue looks a little confused by all of the strange names on the bottles, but the smell has her wrinkling her nose. "It smells awful back here. Is it these supplies that smell like this? Or only one of them?" Hopefully the ones they want don't smell quite so bad.

[chiron_survivor]

"Okay. I'm just wondering about the kind of vacuums that they have here..." The three aisles full of gears has caught her attention, too, and she can't help but imagine some steam-powered mechanical monstrosity lurking in another aisle instead of the sleek, electric-powered vacuums that she's used to.

The hand-holding unfortunately comes to an end when they reach the cleaning supplies and Adia needs to let go so she can gesture to the products. The sharp chemical smell is not particularly off-putting to her, but it clashes with the warm flavor of the mocha when she takes a sip, and she grimaces accordingly. "Um, well... the more powerful a cleanser, the more it will smell, unfortunately. The stuff you spray on counters, that's usually fairly mild, and floor polish smells fine once it's diluted. The stuff for toilets and and shower scum, that's naturally a bit stronger because of the ammonia..."

Her gaze drifts to a large bottle of bleach on display and suddenly she looks very serious. "Amelia," she says, turning her head to look meaningfully into the rogue's eyes. "This is really important, what I'm about to tell you. Never mix a cleanser containing bleach with a cleanser containing ammonia. It creates a toxic gas and even in a place with ventilation, it's super dangerous."

It had never been an issue for Adia, even before she learned about the deadly combination from a chemistry class, but considering her audience, she's not taking any chances.