Find the lady of the light gone mad with the night

[oceantier]

Who: Lapis and the residents of Agent Apartment
What: Lapis finds her beach home invaded by ghost hunters, mediums, and general rubberneckers after this article.
When: Night of the day the article comes out, likely late.
Where: The one and only Agent Apartment.



It had been late when she'd returned to the beach, ready to cast off her human guise and settle into the night and the soothing, rushing murmur of the waves.

But what she found was not peace.

The beach was teeming with people -- teenage girls clutching each other and giggling helplessly, daring each other further (along with boys who looked like they'd prefer to be doing the same thing), individuals in the elephantine confines of what looked almost like hazmat suits, waving long metal rods that sounded bursts of static and light, an elderly woman holding what looked like a lit bundle of twigs and leaves, the sharp aroma of it curling upward on the air. Men and women of all ages lounged or traipsed about, looking for all the world like this was some sort of exotic holiday.

"Here!!" An eager onlooker shoved a paper into her hands; she could read it by the glow of the headlights. "Pretty awesome, right? Are you here for the seance too?"

Lapis stared at the paper for several long minutes, a roar in her ears that was not the ocean. Back at the people. Back at the paper.

. . . Silently she turned in place and headed back toward the city.

She arrives at J's apartment even later. She says nothing as she enters, perching on the edge of the couch, the paper dangling from her hand.

Comments

[spokethetruth]

Signless takes the paper and squints at it. Something about a blue dead woman in the ocean...it takes him a few moments to figure out what this has to do with her. And then...

"Oh...they saw you and got curious, did they?"

He sits down on the couch next to her, still looking it over. He scratches the scalp beneath his horns.

"It should be fine. Rumours spread so easily."

[oceantier]

"They're all over." For her turn, Lapis doesn't sound nearly as sure, her voice muffled in her hands. "I didn't mean to be seen. It's cold -- what are humans even doing out?"

[spokethetruth]

"Humans seem...ambitious? Some of them live in places where it is always cold, and what would they do then?"

He smiles sympathetically.

"They'll get bored, I'm sure...especially when they fine nothing, with you here."

[oceantier]

Not go out for moonlight makeout sessions on a deserted beach seems like a good idea to Lapis, but she's not nearly snarky enough to even attempt to give that words.

"It's . . . not just them. Other people . . . they've seen me too. They came up on me suddenly; I wasn't expecting them, and with them right there, I couldn't change. They know I'm not a ghost. What if one of them . . ."

She can't even finish that question. She's making a mess; she knew she would make a mess. She'd just wanted a little peace . . .

[spokethetruth]

Signless's expression softens as soon as he can tell this is a deeper worry than just annoyance at a spectacle. He frowns, sitting up a little so that he can address her more directly - to show that her worries have his attention.

"No, Lapis...it will be okay. There are many strange things that could have happened, and strangers are quick to provide solutions to their own questions given enough time. The truth is the last thing they would expect, now. You are valuable to us, as we can protect each other if need be."

He wants to put a hand on her shoulder, but he's not sure if she would like it. She is a shy creature, most of the time.

[oceantier]

She isn't used to being touched . . . though that doesn't mean one from him wouldn't be appreciated. Gentle touch is still a revelation and a mystery . . . something that startles her, but something that slowly, slowly, she is learning to crave.

For now, though, his voice is gentle and attentive, and that's a form of touch in itself, warm. She's quiet, still folded in on herself, but she listens. Absorbs it.

Gradually her hands come down a little, at least so her face is visible. "I didn't . . . mean to risk us -- or the mission. I just . . ." Hesitation. "I just wanted to be alone."

That might sound a little strange now, given that she's among people. But she doesn't even consider that.

[spokethetruth]

At that, he does rest a hand on her should, careful to watch for a negative reaction to ensure he doesn't outstay his welcome. He leans over a little, offering a more easy smile.

"Every action comes with a risk. I have spent much of my life hiding, and sometimes it's just a matter of luck. Or, bad luck. There is no shame in wanted to be in your element, especially in such a trying time."

[oceantier]

She stiffens a little under his hand -- but again, more because being touched is not something she expects. She relaxes again beneath it, both from the warmth of his hand and the words that accompany it.

"Thank you . . ." The words are a murmur. While she can't completely let go of her anxiety, he's been kind, understanding . . . and that weighs more than he knows.

She'd like to know more -- why has he hidden? Even more, what has been the cost? But such things seem deeply personal, and she's not sure she can ask.

[spokethetruth]

Happy that she seems receptive to that offer of comfort, he lets his hand rest there for the moment, his expression brightening. He would have no issue sharing those stories with her, provided it comes up. He's spoke on them many times during his work as a preacher.

"I'm just glad to help. You know you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." He sits back a little, relaxed in her presence. "If there is anything I can offer you, let me know."

[oceantier]

"Thank you," she repeats, and lets out a breath, leaning back in turn. "I know it's okay to stay here . . . and I'm glad. But."

She doesn't know how to qualify it entirely, and grapples for words. "The city . . . feels strange. I'm not used to it -- so many people. Noise. Activity all the time, no matter what day or time it is. Holding my form as Luna . . . it takes energy, but.

Sometimes I feel like being in the city takes it more."

[spokethetruth]

Signless listens quietly and nods, pulling his hand away to just maintain a presence besides her. He looks thoughtful, as if remembering something.

"It can be frightening...especially when it's still hard to trust others. This place is so different for some of us...there is probably more of a reason than just sunlight that I've stayed here for most of my time so far. I think it scares me, too...even if it's in a different way."

He's a social person by nature, but...this is different. It's not the activity him, it's just seeing all the ways it could go wrong if he acts foolishly.

[oceantier]

She wrestles with that as well . . . though in this particular case, she's attempting to express something more. But dipping into exactly what it is . . . that's a challenging feat.

So for long moments, she's quiet, eyes slipping closed, trying to piece it out.

"For a very, very long time," she says at last, voice a hesitant wisp, ". . . it was just me. I was . . . trapped. People forgot me -- where I was, even who I was. No one could hear me. No one could see me. I was alone. For years. And more."

"All that time . . . I wanted people. To be seen. Heard. But now that they're there again . . . Sometimes . . . I can't. Sometimes everything is so bright and loud I want to shut my eyes, cover my ears, hide until it all goes away."

"For a little while . . . the ocean lets me do that. The noise stops. My mind stops spinning. I remember who I am again. I can come back and try the noise again."

Her eyes slip open a crack, peek sideways at him. "Does that make sense?"

[spokethetruth]

Oh, god. He's not sure what the cause of what she's describing would be, or how long is a very long time to a gem, but whatever it is makes his heart sink. He's known she was struggling with something since they met, but it's beginning to sound like a much greater abuse than he's anticipated. It's hard to know where to start.

"I understand...I do," he says softly. He thinks of the horrible things trolls sometimes do to each other, and he wonders if it's the same. "It can be so hard to...adjust, when coming away from something terrible. I'm so very sorry you had to go through that, Lapis. I'm just happy you can find what peace is available to you."