May 7th and beyond - Nailah's apartment

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:39 am

It started in the afternoon of the 7th with the sound of furniture being moved around, only broken up on occassion when Nailah was leaning over a book or three, cross-referencing things. In the evening things quiet down as she's mostly hunched over what seem to be old issues of National Geographic, making notes as she flips from photo to photo, ignoring the articles completely in favour of detailed shots of walls and tablets, reading what's written on those instead.

The next day a couple of packages arrive while Nailah is at work but when she gets back they mostly go ignored for now while she continues her renovating project. She does unpack the compass though to help her line things up properly. Next she goes about hanging up cloth panels, basically seperating a good portion in the corner of her living room. Then she goes about gathering some of the decorations she already had, focusing on the few genuine (though not actually historical) pieces to bring into the newly created 'room'. The rest of the day she spends on drawing (and to some degree copying) elaborate designs.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:51 am

"This is... impressive," Victoria mused, peeking in the not-quite-closed door, even as she tapped on it to knock.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:54 am

Nailah looks up from the books and magazines that are lieing opened on the table in front of her.

"Good afternoon Victoria. It helps when you were already decorating in the right direction for years." she smirks faintly.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:05 am

"Very true," Victoria said, stepping inside. She closed her eyes for a moment. "Odd how the rules of feng shui apply regardless of what pantheon you're following," she mused.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:14 am

"Really? Something New Age got actually right? But good to hear I am apparently on the right track."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:20 am

"Oh, you know when they get something right, because it'll be the thing you can never get them to shut up about," Victoria mused as she glanced over Nailah's shoulder to see what she was getting her information from.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:26 am

There were a couple of books on archeology and anthropology and a bunch of National Geographics and the like, in particular the Egypt specials they had published over the years. There are a bunch of notes scrawled next to the glossy images, probably on the translations of the hieroglyphics pictured. The texts are mostly free of them as Nailah was quick to give up on the mostly useless informations in them.

"Depending on who you ask they won't shut up about any number of things though. Want me to read your hand?" she adds with a smirk.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:00 am

Victoria scoffed. "I had one little idiot try convincing me that palm-reading was meaningless because the only true way to read someone's future was to read their areolas," she said in a disgusted voice. "I didn't want to touch him, but I had to give him a black eye on principle."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:06 am

"I wonder what he expected to happen." she shakes her head. "And if you are capable of doing so it doesn't matter what you read the future from, it could be the little dust balls under the closet for all that matters."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:15 am

"Does it really surprise you that there are girls stupid enough in the world to be bought by such a stupid line?" Victoria asked with a smile. "I'd imagine that the next day he found some girl with low standards and her fortune was a mediocre time in the back of his car."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:20 am

"Sadly, you're probably right. Anybody smart would have asked why he didn't see the black eye coming though."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:20 am

"Well obviously, to read his own nipple, he had to use a mirror, so he accidentally read it backwards," Victoria said, very seriously.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:44 am

"If you fall for that you deserve what you get."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:51 am

"Well, to be utterly fair, that's what many people would say about legitimate magic," Victoria pointed out.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:55 am

"And I would assume that is intended. I certainly got sick fast of people asking me to tell them the answers to next weeks test."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:56 am

"Well, that's why you don't see me fortune-telling. And making sure that people know I can turn them into frogs," Victoria replied brightly.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:04 am

"You really do enjoy your peace and quiet and being left alone, don't you?" she asks, not really sounding accusatory.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:05 am

"Only from the stupid people," she reasoned. "I reference you to that goth girl from the store."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:09 am

Nailah just smiles faintly. "We were all young and stupid once. As I am sure you had the questionable honor of noticing."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:28 am

Victoria smiled faintly. "It isn't exactly a luxury I understand. How their parents can tolerate it is absolutely beyond me."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:32 am

"You'll see." she smiles quizically.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:34 am

"I'd tend to hope that instill the idea to have a modicum of respect for me in my daughter."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:39 am

"Good luck. And not because I think you in particular need it. Every parent does."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:40 am

Victoria sighed. "Don't I know it," she mused, absently straightening a statue. "Sometimes I think I ought to try to find my father. See if one of my mother's old employees or traveling companions knows who it is."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 7:47 am

"And then? From as little as Sam told me it sounded like he may not even know of your existence."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:01 am

Victoria sighed at that problem. "I know," she admitted. "And then it would have to depend on why he didn't know. If it was because he was just a kind soul that my mother didn't want to get wrapped up into her life... maybe talk to him? Maybe just leave him alone? But if he was like that, I'd like to think she would've just left me with him. I mean if he was so important to protect, I should have been, too, right? So it's more likely that either he wouldn't have anything to do with me or he was a worthless son of a bitch, in which case I guess it would depend on how much of a son of a bitch he is." She said it a little sadly, like someone would talk about how much it would cost to fix an engine problem.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:07 am

"For some people it can be important to know where they're coming from. From what I can tell you take after your mother a lot, so maybe that is enough. But that is obviously something only you can find the answer to."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:13 am

Victoria nodded, leaning against the wall. "Yeah," she sighed. "She's not here, though."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:27 am

"At some point you will have to allow yourself to trust someone. No one can go through life all by themselves..."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:29 am

Victoria frowned at that. "Why," she said, her voice a little cooler, "Does everyone seem to assume that I haven't tried to? That I don't try to?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:36 am

"I'm sure you have and you probably got hurt because of it. Though I'm glad to hear you haven't given up."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:37 am

Victoria seemed a bit mollified by that. "You just can't keep trying," she said. "Not all the time. You get to a point where you just have to stop for a while or you'll go crazy. Or feel too desperate."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:43 am

"I know where you're coming from. At least I had the comfort of knowing it'll be better one day, even if that brought along it's own unique problem."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:45 am

Victoria nodded. "How did your parents take it?" she asked.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:55 am

"They were thrilled. Much more so than me. I hated it. I despised how I ended up looking, that I couldn't walk down the street without everyone staring. But most of all I hated that every bit of control over my life seemed to get sapped away from me with every vision I had."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:59 am

"Like everyone's deciding what your life is going to be like except you. Because what you wanted? Who cares about that?" Victoria said, and this time her voice seemed to catch through the bitterness despite her general icy control of herself.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:09 am

"Very much like that. It took a long time for me to break out of that line of thinking, but I had the benefit of slowly realizing a lot of the things I had seen happened because of my decisions, not despite. This is probably where the similarities end, but it's important to realize that, even without anyone leading you in a certain direction there are moments you have have to let happen because they're out of your control."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:11 am

Victoria was quiet for a moment. "And will things ever be in my control? Can you see that?" she asked, her voice rough.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:29 am

"Even if I could see something like that at will, would you really want to know? I am certain they could be, but I am not convinced it would be worth it. Everyone has to find their own way, but I don't think you would really be happy with that path."

by **Victoria Valentine** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:46 am

"I don't know," she said, swallowing hard. "It doesn't matter, though. As pointless as everything looks, I have one reason that's not going to go away." No, she didn't intend to stroke her belly for emphasis at that point, but she did it anyway.

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