Between a Rock and a Safe Place

Cast: date: 'September 30, 2012'
place: 'Fitzroy Square'
participants: 'Mairwen Sandraudiga Yuki'
synopsis: 'Mairwen and Sandy get to know Yuki and make sure that she''s got a safe place to stay for the night.'
log: "Early evening finds Fitzroy Square to be a moderately popular place to be. The cool snap of autumn fills the air and has most people pulling their jackets close against the chill bite in the air. A few young children play hide and seak among the statues while their parents pretend not to see them; laughter making the imminent darkness seem lighter and non-threatening.\n\nOne of the patrons of the gardens sits alone on a bench, trying to watch everything at once as she quickly consumes a sandwich before heading back to the office to get a little more work done. Mairwen does have a deadline, after all, and she can't just end her workday whenever she feels like it. Not with her boss breathing down her neck and demanding that she redo the sketches of the idea she had for a new line.\n\nEarly evening, as good a time as any to sit back, relax, and enjoy an iced coffee. That would seem to be the idea behind Yuki's drink of choice as she approaches the bench in question. She's hardly dressed for the chilly weather though, a flimsy white t-shirt and thin pair of faded jeans. Her white sneakers are probably the warmest things she's wearing. She does have a jacket though, which she sets on the bench first, a cushion for herself. She keeps a respectful distance from the woman eating her sandwich, looking away and losing herself in the scenery, her gaze occasionally drifting towards one of the other benches she can spot as she watches for any of them to free up. A few more hours and this place will be empty enough to sleep in.\n\nMairwen glances at the younger woman as she sits down, her brows drawing together for a moment before she decides that the blonde isn't the threat that she's felt following her for… months now. She does shift a little farther towards the other end of the bench, trying not to make the movement obvious, but probably failing miserably. If one were to judge by the amount of sandwich she has left, the woman in the pink tweed business suit probably hasn't been there for very long, and will likely not be leaving as soon as she might wish.\n\nShe's silent for a couple of minutes, only finishing one more bite of her dinner, before she half turns to address Yuki, \"Aren't you cold?\" She has a distinctive Welsh accent, though it's faded, some, from living in London for so many years.\n\nYuki shrugs a little and looks over at the woman, offering her a smile, \"I like the cold,\" she answers, before demonstrating just that by sitting her drink down beside her and leaning forward, tugging off her shoes. Bare feet, no socks. She wiggles her toes a little before pulling her lets up, planting her feet on the end of the bench, and turning her eyes back from the pink-suited woman, \"I could ask you the same thing,\" she says, speaking to her without looking, letting that hang for a moment before she does finally look back, having done another visual sweep of the park, \"If y'are, there's a jacket here. Just been the one arse on, so's clean.\"\n\n\"Um… I guess you do…\" Like the cold. Mairwen shakes her head in wonder at the sight of the other woman taking her shoes off. She takes another small bite of her sandwich, shivering out of sympathy, \"I've never met anyone that liked the cold as much as that.\" And drinking an iced coffee, on top of everything else! She glances at the statues, giving the area a quick scan to make sure there's nothing trying to sneak up on her, and jumps when one of the shadows moves!\n\nWhen the moving shadow resolves itself into a little boy dressed in dark gray hiding from his friends, she chuckles nerviously and glances over at her erstwhile companion to see if she saw her jump at nothing. Then she's being offered a jacket that's clean because there's 'just been one arse on it' and the fashionable woman looks scandalized, \"Um… Thank you, but I think I'll pass. I'm warm enough in this.\"\n\nThe blonde can't resist a grin at the scandalized look the woman gives her. If she noticed her jump, and it would be hard not to, she doesn't draw immediate attention to the fact. Instead, Yuki takes her drink and brings it to her lips, sipping some of it down as she nonchalantly looks around yet again, though she's not so subtle in looking in the direction her new acquaintance was when she jumped.\n\nTurning on the bench a bit, leaning back against the armrest and letting one foot hang off the end and on the ground, she gives her attention the more fully to the woman, \"So, you 'ave a kid 'ere or something?\" she asks right out of the blue, perhaps giving away that she noticed the jumpiness, but clearly coming to the wrong, if logical, conclusion.\n\nMore of the sandwich is consumed as they sit in silence for a few moments, Mairwen never really stopping her not so subtle survey of the area; peering hard at the shadows, as though trying to make sure that there's nothing hiding within that's going to jump out at her. When the other woman asks if she's got a kid, a look of surprised shock registers on the designer's face and she shakes her head, \"No… I work near here and was just grabbing a bite to eat.\" She shrugs one shoulder, \"Tis better than sitting indoors all evening.\" Especially when she would be there completely alone and with most of the lights turned off.\n\nSandy didn't tend to stick to one part of the city, for no single part had claimed her yet, instead, she was as always, a drifter, a foreigner, looking for some thing to entertain her. The heavy black cane in her hand helped offset her slight limp, though it wasn't overly apparently if she truly had a limp, or taken up the effect to make her self seem more pathetic, weakener then she was, less likely to be jumped by people, or perhaps, more so. Sandy didn't exactly have a reputation in London for being sane by those who dealt with her after all!\n\nYuki looks down at her drink as the woman speaks, watching the ice shift about before she takes another sip of the beverage. Cold as it is, it's hard to tell by looking at her. Hair not standing on end, no goosepimples, not even a shiver. \"You think that, I'll switch you. A couch or bed's a lot more comfortable than…\" she trails off, shrugging and looking down at her leg still on the bench, knee resting against the back, smiling and glancing up at her conversational partner again, \"Forget I said anythin' there. Name's Yuki, an' I don't work,\" she finally gets around to introducing.\n\n\"No, I just don't like…\" Mairwen trails off with a frown, \"You don't have anywhere to stay tonight?\" She sounds startled at this revelation, \"And you're just going to sleep anywhere you can find?\" Again, the fashionista looks scandalized at the thought, \"There's no way!\" She sits up and turns to actually face the younger woman, \"You can say 'no' if you want to, but I have a perfectly comfortable couch you can sleep on tonight. I'll have to ask that you leave while I'm at work tomorrow, but if you meet me back here around 5:30, I can help you find somewhere you can stay tomorrow night.\" Because sleeping on her couch forever just wouldn't work! She smiles at the introduction and offers one perfectly manicured hand, \"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yuki. I'm Mair.\" She hasn't noticed, yet, that another of her acquaintances is also spending an evening in the Square.\n\nSandy's cane falls heavily as she takes a path way through the square to draw her closer to Mairwen, and the hapless doe she's taken upon her self to help. She hasn't spotted Mairwen yet, not that was she speficially looking, for once she was just out for a walk, not even with a headfull of whiskey and cider.\n\nYuki shakes her head a little and laughs, \"I's tempting, I'll 'ave to give it a thought,\" she says, neither accepting nor declining immediately, instead taking another sip of her coffee to give herself a moment's break. As the other woman draws ever closer, Yuki does spot her, giving her a nod of greeting before turning her attention back to Mair, \"I'm sure I'll be 'round, w'atever the case. Stayin' in one spot too long doesn' sit right. Jus' seems if I stay still then…I don't know…like somethin' bad might 'appen,\" she admits, either truthfully or to try and explain herself, as if one has to apologize for being homeless.\n\nMairwen nods, her expression completely serious and honest, \"Take all the time you need. If you don't decide before I have to head back to the office, I'll come back by here when I'm finished, okay?\" She takes one more bite of her dinner before frowning, \"Have you had anything other than that coffee today?\" Then Yuki is nodding at someone and a flash of panic washes over Mair as she looks in the direction the other woman is looking. It takes her a moment to recognize Sandy from the pub, but a quick smile tugs at the corners of her mouth when she does and the dark haired woman waves at her erstwhile sparring partner, \"I didn't expect to see you wandering around here, Sandy.\"\n\nYuki's explination, or maybe apology, has Mair frowning at her, \"I…\" She takes a deep breath and lets it out again before she speaks, \"I know what you mean… It seems like my flat is a safe place, though. I've never felt like there was anything bad could get me until after I walk out the door in the mornings.\"\n\nSandy seems to quickly realize Yuki is homeless, and it's almost like money materializes in her hand from a pocket. \"Here, it'll do my liver some good to have a few days with out a drinking allowance.\" She says, giving Yuki what can only be described as a heart felt smile, the pounds are rolled thick, god knows how Sandy made her money, she never seemed to be with out it. \"I'm pretty sure alot of it is fantasy, girls in tight outfits, running about, all jiggling, hitting men over the head with nerf bats.\"\n\nYuki raises a hand to try and push away the offered money and even refuses the sandwich, \"Thank you both, kindly, but it's nothin' I've earned, and I eat better than you'd think,\" she explains, smiling cheerily enough. Her hand just briefly brushes Sandy's fingers, her skin cold as ice, certainly a good deal colder than the air, \"It's not all so bad, really. If you know where to look there's always food to find or a place to rest,\" she continues, before silencing herself with another drink of her dwindling coffee, the ice so close to melting completely, though these last few cubes seem quite stubborn about it, \"Mmm…\"\n\nMairwen scowls, \"We wear period clothing and do not use nerf bats.\" She rolls her eyes and settles back on the bench, taking a moment to make sure there's still nothing visible watching her, \"I fight with a real rapier,\" though it has no edge and has a rubber tip to minimize the risk of injury, \"And there are others that fight with rattan swords. I've known a couple of people that have gotten badly injured while fighting!\" So there! \n\nWhen her offering of food is turned down, Mair frowns, \"Please? It really is too much of a sandwich for me to eat, and I'd hate for it to go to waste.\" Specifically, she'd hate for it to go to her waist. \"You'd be doing me a favor, really.\"\n\nSandy's voice suddenly cracks with authority, demanding respect and people to give heavy consideration to it. \"Take the money.\" She says, it's not a request, it comes out as an order, madness, annoyance, all of it dancing in her eyes. \"I spent my entire adult life serving to protect and help. You can take the money willingly, or I'll shove it in your top and risk some fucked up sexual assault charge. I'm hardly afraid of the Cops with their billy clubs.\" She says, then her eyes flicker to Mairwen, softening in their intensity, tone shifting to a more docile one. \"I know, but I figured it's worth teasing to see your reactions. I won't show up wearing period outfits to spar though.\" She says with a slight grin.\n\nYuki jumps back a little at Sandy's intense tone, almost spilling what's left of her coffee, \"A'right, a'right…I'll take it,\" she concedes, reaching out and taking the offered bills, tucking them down into one of her pockets before she reaches out for the sandwich too, smiling softly as she gives in to Mair's insistence too, those same ice-cold fingers brushing against her hand in the exchange, \"Thanks, both of you,\" she says, though she does look, in an odd way, a little upset over the ordeal, \"I've never been in a real scrap before…no protectin' and no helpin' others. Just a bloody lot of runnin' and runnin', on and on. I'm used to fending on my own…\" she says, explaining a little of her view before bringing the sandwich in, taking a bite out of it, showing no concern for eating after another. No hesitation at all.\n\nThe sudden command from Sandy has Mairwen flenching and pulling back from the taller woman, looking startled and even a little afraid. The switch back to 'nice Sandy' leaves the fashionista looking mildly confused, but she just shrugs, \"You will, if you're borrowing any of my gear. It's all period.\" Yuki's admission earns a look of deep sympathy and a shake of her head, \"No one should have to live like that…\" That's it! If she can't find somewhere that the younger woman is willing to stay, then she's going to insist that she stay with her! Home is the only place that Mair has ever felt that there wasn't something out to get her, after all…\n\nSandy leans a bit on the cane, still under the guise of needing it to maintain her self. \"I don't need money as much as you do. I am a retired veteran, a soldier who paid her dues. Now I pass these benefices onto you.\" She says, eyes locking onto Yuki's body, as if peering through it, an unnerving thing to say the least. \"If you will not take Mairwen on her offer, then you can use my flat, I haven't spent a night there in weeks, perhaps some one should.\" She says, no fear of Yuki harming her, or taking her stuff, though with how she was, how much did she own? \"Oh, and Mairwen, I can afford my own equipment.\"\n\nYuki sits her coffee down, but at this point there's nothing in the cup but stubborn ice cubes, \"Mmm…\" she seems almost to say something, but stops, swallowing her bite of food instead, just polite after all, \"Don' know if it's any way to live or not, but with w'at I've 'ad to run from, stayin' in one place never seemed a right bright idea,\" explained and almost punctuated with another bite of the sandwich. Little mind as she's paid to it, it'd be a wonders if she even knew what kind of sandwich it was.\n\nMairwen gives Sandy an odd look when the other woman says that she hasn't stayed in her flat for weeks, but doesn't comment on it. Presumably the other woman has just been staying somewhere else; maybe with a boyfriend? She shrugs one shoulder at the refusal of borrowing her gear and shifts on the bench, crossing one leg over the other, \"If you insist. I do have spares, though.\" She winces in sympathy for Yuki's experience and shakes her head, \"I know how it is to feel like you want to run from everything.\" Either run or stay locked up and never leave the house! \"It's still no way for someone to live.\"\n\nSandy does offer commentary on having to run and hide all the time, it is in her nature. \"I prefer to stand and fight, and have some glimmer of hope to see a new dawn. There is withdrawing, and there is running forever. You withdraw to fight again, but you can't run forever, even if you stay and enjoy life briefly before it's snuffed out, it's worth a moment of freedom.\" She says in a firm tone.\n\nYuki rolls her shoulders and draws her legs back up, feet resting on the end of the bench again, toes curling up and gripping at the end of makeshift cushion she's made for herself. \"I don't rightly mind runnin' personally. Been at it long as I can remember, not much of a fighter,\" she says, \"Things I run from, I'm not sure can be fought an'ways,\" she finishes her thought, before another occurs to her and she smiles, looking up at Sandy, \"Sorry, I almost forget…I'm Yuki, pleasure meeting.\"\n\nMairwen just listens to the other two women for a few minutes, looking completely flabergasted that they talk about running and fighting. After a moment she stands, \"Well, if you two ladies will excuse me, I have to get back to work so that I don't end up staying all night.\" She turns to Yuki and offers a smile, \"If you'll meet me here, I shouldn't be more than a couple of hours.\" She pulls a business card out of her purse that has her name, office number, and the address of her office printed on it, \"Come here, if you get bored, or anything, before I get back, okay?\" She flashes a less certain smile at Sandy, \"It was good to see you again. I'll let you know when I'm ready for that sparring match.\" She barely waits for the two to respond before she's hurrying off, her purse clutched tightly.\n\nSandy's eyes track Mairwen as she leaves, giving her a smile. \"I'll see you around Mairwen! We need to get dinner together some time, maybe the wine will rush to my head and I'll make cute passes at you.\" She teases before suddenly sliding down to sit next to Yuki and she leans in close. \"I see every thing clearly.\" She whispers quietly, in a confiding tone. \"That which you flee, can be fought.\"\n\nYuki looks around, checking to make sure no one else is around, before she turns in her seat again, bringing both lets up in front of herself, between her and Sandy. She reaches down, tugging up on the left leg, exposing up to the knee. In the shadow of her pants scars are visible, but they vanish as soon as light touches, then she passes her hand over, and in the darkness of her shadow the scars reappear, \"I've carried these since my earliest memory,\" she explains, tugging the pant leg back down, shoulders slumping just a little bit, \"I'm no good in a fight, jus' not my nature…I find safety, an' I sleep…then I wake up, and start runnin' again. Run, sleep, eat, and repeat. I don' ask for much out of life except to live until the end, and I'll be 'appy to enjoy every moment 'til then,\" she shares, smiling warmly enough, \"Speaking of sleeping…if she's jus' gonna be a couple hours or so, I may as well catch some zeds here while I can…while there's people about an' I don' have to worry.\"\n\nSandy's eyes flash with concern for Yuki, she seems to know what fear is like. \"There are some who fight that which attacked you. Look into me, see what I suffered.\" She says, placing her fingers on Yuki's cheeks, to force her to look, like she could impart some of her own ability onto the girl. \"Can you see me?\" She almost purrs.\n\nYuki nods her head in understanding, or at least it would seem to be understanding, \"I see you, jus' like you've been since you got 'ere. No 'air, no eyes, no mouth…weird t' talk to, but not the strangest thing I've seen,\" she admits, eyebrows raising as she smiles, \"Would it be permissible to catch a nap while I can, until Mair gets back? You can tell me all about this fight later…but right now…\" she shakes her head a little, \"…right now it's all a bit much to comprehend. If I'd known, I wouldn't have gotten th' bloody decaf.\"\n\nSandy relaxes slowly as Yuki shows understand, fingers leaving her skin. \"You can sleep, I will sit beside you.\" She says, sounding pretty convincing of it, and the way she settles the heavy cane over her lap, she likely intends to make sure nothing happens. \"Sleep until Mairwen comes back, she can give you food and a better bed. We'll find you clothes and place to shower regularly.\" She promises.\n\nYuki smiles a bit, \"S'what washrooms are for, i'nit?\" she asks, watching Sandy, bringing up the rest of Mair's sandwich and stuffing down what remains. Large bites, minimal chewing. The food was a gift, no reason to let it go to waste. And while she can't speak with such a full mouth, it gives her that much more time to listen to the woman. Even as the last of the sandwich still stuffs her cheek, she's scooting down a little on the bench, cup of coffee, empty as it is, being kicked over in the process as she shifts about, stuffing her jacket up a bit, forming it into a makeshift pillow. \"Thanks…\" she says, looking at Sandy again before rolling towards the back of the bench, curling up and closing her eyes.\n\nSandy will remain vigilante, because Yuki was marked, and until she proved her self an agent of The Gloom, she would treat her as a possible ally… she also pitied the girl.\n"
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