Welcome to Gaia! ::

Her spunky brunette cousin was like a phantom in her life, reaching out unexpectedly and in odd places. Post cards from places Sid had never been, of things she had never seen. Text messages out of the blue at three in the afternoon. It was nice, at least, to know that London was out there somewhere, still kicking around and living life the way she wanted to live it. She was another piece of her past, like Rob, that reminded her of better times.

When Sid's phone went off, she cracked an eye open and squirmed in her bed, reaching blindly for the small device. Maybe it was Rob, wanting her to come out and have lunch, or any one of her numerous friends with a lead on an art gallery opening, a movie in the park, or someone having a house party. The name was a surprise and the small woman dragged herself out of her sleepy haze to frown at the screen.

Outside? The ********? Had London sent her something? The things she got were usually the small, cheap kind... never anything needing collected off the stoop. And how long had it been, since the last time? Almost a year, though she'd sent her the new address when she moved here.

Dragging herself out of bed, Sid pulled on an enveloping t-shirt that hung past her hips and shuffled down the stairs, hanging on the banister as she made the corner to head for the front door. Thin fingers ruffled her sleep messed hair, face devoid of makeup in the magical hour after getting up. When she opened the door, she was already looking for the package, but what she found was another short woman with brown hair ombred to caramel. She almost didn't recognize the face, save for a few photos that had come in text message or with the postcards.

"London?" Sid blinked stupidly before breaking into a grin. "Jesus ********, what are you doing here?"

She swung the door open wide as she reached to pull the other girl into a hug.

"God, I haven't seen you in person for like... ********, I don't even know how many years. This is probably the best surprise I've gotten in forever." Sid laughed, giving way as London pushed her backwards.

The old Victorian was pleasantly cool inside, though, and the door heavy when Sid grabbed it to swing it shut behind them. It made a satisfying thump when it closed and the young woman waived an arm towards the stairs and the rooms off the entrance.

"Welcome to Casa del Attewood, my Home Sweet Home." She looped her arm loosely around London's neck, giving her a little squeeze. "My flatmate, Rob, owns the place and his parents live on the other side of the duplex, but they don't really come around, so its not real awkward. He's been reno-ing it for a while now, but he's got a good bit done now, including a little recording studio in the basement. I've got my own room, which is pretty great."

She tugged the arm she had around London's neck. "Are you planning to stay for a bit? Do you need a place to crash? We've got a couch and I've got a bed, both of which I know beats sleeping in your car. Not much for food here though... but there might be some cold pizza in the fridge if you're hungry."

Sid steered them out of the vestibule and into the hallway, hanging a left into the living room. Large windows faced out the front of the house and opposite though, a wide opening let into the dining room. The DJ steered her cousin towards the large, comfortable, but mismatched couch that waited there, releasing her to plop down into the cushions to put her feet up lazily on the coffee table. A large area rub under their feet warmed the hardwood.

Sidney couldn’t help but grin, and it was smug. She shifted from a lazy to sprawl to draw her legs up under her, crossed and tucked for something more conspiratorial.

“Robin Attewood.” She said as she leaned forward, her hands braced on the cushions beside her legs. “Boy from over the pond that I knew when I was a wee little thing. His mum and mine were mates, so we used to play together. Sort of lost touch when I went to live with my Aunt, but when I was looking to move away from New York, I got in touch again and BOOM.”

She made exploding motions with her hands before she ran them through her bright hair, shoving it back off her face.

“He’s the frontman of a punk band now and plays damn near everything. When they aren’t doing gigs, he’s out on the streets busking with his guitar like a dead-beat, but you can tell he’s doing well enough here.” She said as she gestured, animation in her face and her hands. As much as she didn’t say it, her pride and affection were loud in her expressions. Rob was a good guy, and she wasn’t afraid to show how much she adored him. He’d been one of the only good things in her life lately, a safety net when she fell and a rock to stand on. Shelter from the Negaverse storm.

“And while the kitchen floor might have been the first place we got down and dirty, believe me, it was not the last… that boy has stamina.” Sidney laughed, her tone dripping with suggestion and approval. “But its all fun and games. Its not like he makes me pay for my room and board that way… he’s actually been super chill about the rent situation until I’m back up on my feet and doing regular gigs, you know? Its nice, they aren’t always a super steady thing so I’m gonna end up suddenly out on my arse because I hit a string of bad luck. You’re going to have to meet him when he gets back, I’m betting you two would hit it off fabulously. And I’m sure he’d be happy to have my cousin around for a while.”

The small woman snorted and shifted her weight so it pressed into London, balancing them. It was comfortable and it felt almost like no time had passed at all since the last time they’d seen each other. It was funny how that happened sometimes with people.

“Not really.” She laughed, waving a thin hand. “He’s like… screamer punk and that’s not really my style. I’m more electronic and techno. I like it when he busks though. Then its just him and his guitar, unplugged, and you get to actually hear his voice. I wrote him a song once. It came out really well and he makes it sound good. Maybe when he gets back I’ll make him sing it for you.”

London didn’t really need to know everything behind that song and Sid was pretty sure she’d enjoy it just for what it was. She couldn’t help remembering the day she’d sung it with Rob the first time and how it had felt to hear something so personal in his voice. Of course, before long they’d set aside his guitar and put his voice, and hands, to better uses, but it was still a treasured memory. She didn’t have so many of those lately, not since Ice.

Shaking herself out of it, Sidney smacked London’s leg with the back of her hand. “We should probably get your stuff out of the car, huh? So we don’t have to do it later. I have some good weed if you wanna get high and watch some movies. There might be some cold pizza too, and we’ve got bottled water. Kinda s**t all else though, I’ll need to go grocery shopping, I guess.”

Sid laughed and took the offered hand, putting her slight weight on it as she hauled herself to her feet. She was still in nothing but a tshirt, but considering it was a man’s large, it hung decently past her hips. Still… maybe a pair of shorts were in order, if she was going to be carrying things around.

“Lucky! Sounds like you’re off to a good start.” She said as she tugged her shirt down and headed for the stairs. Her bare feet were quiet on them as she trotted up, a hand on the banister and her thoughts already racing ahead with plans for this new addition to her life. It might not be for long, who really knew? But she was going to make the most of it.

Oh man, it was gonna be fun to see how Rob took it all.