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She lives for others (Action/Video)
[A gentle, inviting voice with just a pinch of sadness makes its way to the comms. A woman on a crummy couch is sitting there, with cats milling around in the background. The lines on her face seem to come from either the ravages of time, or sorrow. Possibly both.]
"Hello, everyone. You've probably never heard of me; I mean, I've never really been invited to any parties or anything. Oh, um, anyway, I'm Natalie. Ever since that scare with the ghosts, I've been a little afraid of leaving the house. My husband moved on some time ago, and it's been...difficult without him. I still have my cats, of course." She weakly smiled as one leaped over her lap.
"Oh, sorry about the sob story. Anyway, I thought of meeting people through the newspaper, but it looks like they've stopped making deliveries. We were very private people, my husband and I. No children, and we didn't do much entertaining. I guess it's been kind of lonely, now that that's gone." She sniffed, wiping her nose.
"So, if anyone would like some company, I'd really appreciate it. It's not much," she said, gesturing to her dilapidated surroundings. "but it's home."
[ooc: here begins the Empress plot. You can respond in the main comment body, or visit her house in a comment left below.]
Action: Introductions
A shy smile pulls at her lips as she steps forward. Her hand reached out towards whichever cat was near to run her thin fingers along its fur. "Is there anything I can do for you?" She felt awkward.
The woman had said she was alone and yet she has a lot of cats. That's more than Terra was used too.
Re: Action: Introductions
"Branford! Your first name wouldn't happen to be 'Terra', would it?" She unstuck a magnet from the fridge, removed a piece of paper, and handed it to her.
"So polite! I'm glad you asked. Could you pick up a few things for me? The store's only about a twenty minute walk from here. You go down the street, take a right, and you get to highway 46. Take another right on the sidewalk, and you'll see the local place. There's a dear. While you're out, I'll put on something."
Action: Introductions
"Alright." As she walked from the house she stopped to bid the cats farwell. It was bright outside and so as she walked to the store she took the time to enjoy the rays of the sun. She'd read and then reread the list in her hand to make sure that nothing would be forgotten.
Terra found the store without mishap and looked at it's selection. Once she found everything on the list she paid and then began to head back towards the woman's house.
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Natalie was impressed. She took off so fast she didn't even confirm if that was her first name. What a helpful young girl; and attractive, too. Why was Klaus so repulsed by her, then?
"Just set them on the table, Terra." She was testing to see if she responded to that, just to know for sure without having to repeat the question. Natalie had, true to her word, busied herself by making something. A salad; likely one of the worst Terra had ever seen. The only parts of it that were edible were the croutons Terra had bought; everything else was added from her own garden, a monument to decay. The leaves were brown, hardly fit for even rabbits.
"Dig in! It's been a while since I've cooked for someone else, but you don't get the chance every day, right? Oh, don't worry about me. I've already eaten."
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"I couldn't eat your food." The look and taste of the food didn't really matter to Terra. She was used to bland or tasteless food and at times rotten food. She hadn't been the most important puppet when it came to travel and what the soldiers ate.
Even without that, she felt bad for eating when her host didn't. Wouldn't she want her own food?
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-1 year for the refusal, however polite. She had slaved over that, dangit, and she's just going to refuse!? She thought there might be something weird with this one.
"Oh? Is something the matter? You're not allergic to any vegetables or anything, are you? You're so thin, I just assumed it'd all agree with you. Again, don't worry about me. Like I said, I don't get to do this very much."
Whatever course the salad took, she'd go in to conversation anyway.
"I've actually heard a bit about you. I hear you've been starting a new business. How's that going?"
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"That's right, I'm going to open a flower shop." It wasn't a secret considering Terra had been talking about it with a lot of people. Soon it would be together and she would be able to announce it's opening.
"Do you like flowers?"
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That's a good girl. "Is it any good?"
"Going to? Hmm. The way some people talk, you'd think it was already chugging along. Guess you can't trust everything you hear. Well, good luck with that."
"I love flowers. Too bad they don't love me, hah hah. You're probably pretty handy with them, if you're starting up a greenhouse. I suppose that keeps you pretty busy, but what else do you like to spend your time on?"
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"Well, I have the space for the shop. I need to make sure I have flowers to sell. It's a lot of work. I'm still learning a lot of things." She paused taking another bite of the food. "I'm also learning how to cook more."
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"Oh, good for you!" She almost got the envy out of her voice on that one. Attractive, hard-working, obedient, domestic, young. There was only one thing missing to complete the package: willing. Might as well get to the heart of the matter. Oh, and one other thing.
"Do you dye your hair? It probably looks fine without it. And have any men caught your eye?"
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“My hair is naturally this color.” She wasn’t sure why but she assumed it was because her father was an Esper and in so, connected with the plant and it’s magic. However, when it comes to men she’ll receive a confused stare from Terra. “I’ve never been in love, if that’s what you are asking.”
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That's the third one today that flat-out refused to talk about anything romantic. Were the sexes just oblivious to each other?
"The first time hits you the hardest; believe me, I know." She picked up her dish and ran it to the sink, talking along the way. "And there is a first time for everything, dear. You can't tell me not a single boy made your heart thump? Not even a little?"
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"I wonder how I will know..."
She wanted to love and be loved but the concept was foreign to her. She had to learn what it really meant and it wasn't so easy to explain feelings.
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This was too juicy for Natalie to resist. She quickly returned to her seat.
"You mean you've really never tried it? Not a thing? Haha! I think I've found the most innocent girl in this place. How adorable."
She settled in a little firmer, and magnified her gaze.
"Let me tell you. Being in love is a wonderful feeling; when you and another man just click, like pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes it's love at first sight, and sometimes you only discover it after a really nasty fight. It can come from anywhere, at anytime. They say it's like butterflies in your stomach. You'll think about that special someone all the time, but at the same time, you'll worry. You'll feel self-conscious. What if I say something stupid? What if I'm too fat? What if he's just being nice?
But eventually, you get past all that and just—go for it! It's really exciting. You'll grow to care for someone else more than yourself."
She took a breath, weary of laying on so many cliches at once.
"Still, it's hard to imagine you're totally ignorant. Boys must think you're playing coy; or they think you're taken, probably. You could probably get any guy you wanted, lucky thing. You can keep house, can't you? Can you vacuum? How many children have you thought of having?"
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"That sounds amazing. I want too..." Her cheeks flush slightly. "...feel that too." Assuming that she has the ability too but listening to Natalie go on about it made it sound wonderful and very much unlike anything that she has ever known.
Terra, however, hasn't felt any sort of love from romantic to familial. So she truly can't understand what it means except for the physical signs.
Her head tilted to the side curiously. "I don't know many boys. At least not here and my world... well, I don't think that's what people are thinking about." Except for maybe Edger but that was just how he was. He complimented all girls. "I can clean if that's what you mean and I haven't thought of children."
She was a little too honest.
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"Not at all? Oh children are the best part of love. You should have at least two; that way they can grow up with someone else their own age. Personally I'd keep going until you had a boy and a girl; very different experiences raising either one. And if you marry someone like a rancher, you'll want as many as you can for the free labor."
Speaking of which.
"Your clothes are so...unusual. A little revealing, don't you think? Wouldn't want any potential guys to think you're easy. Oh, but that's not what I wanted to say. You really must keep up on all the latest ways to clean. Here, I'll show you." She led the way to a closet, clearing a path of cats. Natalie hoisted a dusty vacuum cleaner.
"Ever used one of these?"
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When she spots the vacuum cleaner she shook her head. "No." The Empire only has strips of carpet and they have small little machines that clean it.
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"It's really handy for cleaning up dirt carpets. A lot of people use carpet these days, though some use hardwood. Good for getting out dust." And there was quite a bit of that going around. She showed Terra all she knew of vacuuming technology. Plugging it in, out lets, the bag that needed to be replaced every so often, etc. When she turned it on, the cats scurried. She did one stroke of the carpet, pointing out the difference in cleanliness between strips.
"Now, you try," she said, passing the tool to her.
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She nodded as she took the vacuum and then mimicked the woman's motions. "Like this?" It wasn't so hard but after a few motions of back and forth the young Esper fell into a pattern to cover the floor evenly.
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"Yes. Keep going! A good wife needs to make sure not to miss a spot." She'd check to make sure she didn't.
Once she finished (if she did), she'd be enthusiastically complimented before being rushed to the next task. Did Terra know how to do laundry? Dust? Shampoo the carpet? Iron? Grout? Natalie would happily show her all these things, and repeat the learning process all over again for as long as Terra let her.
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Bit by bit Terra was able to clean and as the house looked nicer she began to feel more accomplished. She looked over at Natalie with a curious gaze as her fingers carefully sorted through items.
"Where did you learn all of this?" It was very unlike the things she knew and while the tasks were easy they were also calming.
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What a diligent worker; no complaints over the grievous state of her house, and did all she was told. Natalie was liking her more by the minute. She was content to make small talk while watching Terra fold her clothes, though the question caught her off guard.
"Oh, um, my mother showed me. And I went to, um...finishing school, that's it. Those aren't around so much anymore; a lot of women choose careers and other selfish things. It's so hard to find girls who just want to be girls, you know? Oh, and don't forget to change the litterbox."
Dotingly, she continued. "It's such a shame, Terra. You could be on your way to finding a good man to settle down with, instead of all this flower business." Her pitch became excited. "So you really haven't found anyone?"
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She cleaned as instructed and really didn't mind. At times she felt that Natalie was being a little mean but it wasn't like the cruelty she was used to so it really didn't bother her.
At the woman's question Terra looked up curiously. "Why do you want me to? I mean... I want to...find someone but... it can't just be anyone." Not that she really knows.
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Natalie made a dismissive hand gesture. "Oh, no of course not. These things take time; you need to be careful. There's a lot of, um," she hesitated, not wanting to spoil Terra's innocence too quickly, "players. You know, guys that just aren't serious. 15 year-old boys in men's bodies; just awful. No, you need to look for the one. He's out there, somewhere, if you just know how to find him."
"Would you like to look? I still remember a thing or two from my dating days." Natalie ignored the question about her suspect generosity. Wasn't it obvious she was just your typical elderly woman, wishing to pass on what she knew of her ways? Honestly.
"Oh, and there's the upholstery. These cats just love to scratch."
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"I would like to look..." Except there were a lot of 'but's' that stopped her. There was so much to think about. She didn't know many here and while she's been on a single date that was a long time ago. She was usually awkward and while pretty she was also unsure. She couldn't ever bring herself to ask someone out and if she fell in love she's sure she wouldn't ever know it.
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