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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 5:53 pm
Who: Lorenzo, Claire
Where: A café near the train station in Barton called "The Whistle Stop Café".
When: Sunday afternoon, on Lorenzo's day off.
Weather: Snowy and brisk.
__________________ Lorenzo Fisch stood outside The Whistle Stop Café trying to look conspicuous.
This was not particularly difficult. Lorenzo always attracted attention, despite that most of the time he was assiduously trying to avoid it. His limbs were just a bit too gangly, his hair just a bit too flyaway, and his clothes just a bit too strange, and though he was one hundred percent human and by far not the strangest individual you might see on a Gaian street, the sense of not-quite-right-ness about him attracted more second glances than some people got for looking ostentatious on purpose.
Even when he did want attention, this tended to be more trouble than it was worth. Sure, it was easy to find him in a crowded street, but it was hardly good for first impressions, and in this particular instance, Lorenzo was hoping to come off as a responsible future guardian as opposed to a gangly, sleepy teenager halfway out of a Phase. He straightened his perennially-crouched back and tried to look Keen and Professional, checking his phone to see what time it was.
He was nervous, even though it had been a few days since he had cold-texted Claire Holmes. He hated meeting strangers, especially strangers who didn't have dead relatives that needed resurrecting to distract the conversation from wandering into polite small-talk. But he was even more nervous about whether he would be a good caretaker for the rusalka, and if at all possible, he wanted to make sure that she felt like she was still connected to her culture even on Gaia. The Lab directory had said that Claire was the guardian of a leshy, so if he could make a connection with her, it might make things easier for the rusalka when she was born. Until the rusalka emerged, doing this sort of busy over-preparing was much preferable to just waiting and worrying about every possible circumstance he could be underprepared for.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 6:03 pm
Claire had to admit she was a bit perplexed at the unexpected text the other day, much less from a name she had not recognized. The mention of the Lab was enough for her, though, and quite honestly she had not received an updated list of any new guardians since she had gotten her own briefcase more than a year prior. Meeting Nell at the New Years Eve party had assured her that there were many more new faces to get acquainted with. So, she had brightly responded and plans were made to meet in Barton at the end of the weekend. It was exciting, in a way, to help another newbie guardian - a way to pay it forward, she thought, much as Anita and Zeke had helped her when she had known next to nothing about it.
Of bigger interest to her was the mutual connection that their souls shared - both were Russian entities. Claire was glad that Lorenzo had been so straightforward about it, which although appreciated still touched a few sensitive memories. She had already discussed what had happened at some length with a handful of other people, but if it could help, then she would be glad to push her misgivings about the incident aside. Six months had already elapsed since then, the sting had certainly lessened - there were brighter things to look forward to, and she only hoped that what information she could provide would be of any use.
She slid into a vacant space at the Whistle Stop Cafe's tiny parking lot, and she took a moment to check her phone to make sure she was not too early. The snow that had followed her from the foothills was coming down in earnest, and she was a touch reluctant to get out of her warm car with only leggings and a dress to protect her legs against the elements. There was also a bit of nervousness on her part, seeing as last time, she had been the one to arrange an informational meet-and-greet out of the blue, and now the tables had turned. Claire straightened her coat and took a moment to gather herself, smoothed her dress, and stepped out into the cold. With the car door locked, she hustled against the chill wind to round the corner to the front, where they had arranged to meet first. Even if he had not been the only one waiting outside, Lorenzo did strike up quite an impression, and as Claire slowed her walk in her approach, she had to marvel at the difference between the reality and her own assumptions; she had expected that he would be older, given his formal manner of speech (or rather, text). It was not a count against him, however, and only served to strengthen her resolve to do her best for him as a Lab contact.
"Lorenzo?" Claire smiled gently, waiting a beat for confirmation before she extended her hand to him. "I'm Claire, it's nice to meet you; thank you for waiting." Another small breeze kicked up the snow and her legs were numb from the cold. She glanced up at the accumulated snowflakes on the necromancer's head and nodded towards the cafe behind them. "Shall we go inside?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:30 pm
"Claire!" Lorenzo said, latching onto her greeting a little too cheerfully. "I'm Lorenzo, although you know that already, of course." He handed her a business card which was printed with his name, credentials, and the cheerful slogan: 'Practical necromancy for practical people.' He continued, "I wasn't waiting long at all!" Afraid that some horrible freak misunderstanding would cause him to forget the time, he had actually showed up half an hour early. "It's nice to meet you, too."
He followed her obediently into the café, shaking the snow out of his hair as best he could, although he could already feel it getting damp and melty. Running an ineffectual hand through it, he approached the counter to order a club sandwich with an extra pickle and a hot peppermint mocha, nursing the drink gratefully in his frozen hands. "Please," he offered, turning to Claire "Let me pay for you since you came all the way out here to meet me. It's the least I can do."
For the first time, he took a moment to size her up just as she had sized him up outside of the café. She looked well kempt and friendly and far more mundane than he had been expecting. Not derisively so- Lorenzo certainly had nothing against mundanity. But considering the nature of the program, he had expected a more unusual kind of guardian to be the type likely to sign up to care for a magical child. He supposed Duncan hadn't looked particularly unusual either, although he knew for a fact that Duncan represented magical clients. He began to feel a niggling worry that he might be seen as odd by these people, and that they might not want their raevans to associate with the rusalka because of him, and that he might end up causing his own client to be ostracized, but he stopped that train of thought, mentally scolding himself. He had met several guardians and looked into the community thoroughly before he went to Russia. He was just looking for things to fret over.
Nevertheless, he was glad that at least he hadn't worn his work cape.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2016 11:39 pm
Claire studied the business card while Lorenzo ordered; she was not a complete stranger to practitioners of necromancy, although her dealings with them had been limited to fielding phone calls and making appointments for some necromancer clients of Mr. Harris's when she had still been a paralegal in his office. Still, though, it served to remind her that guardians with the Lab were a varied bunch, and variety was the spice of life, after all. She tucked his card into her purse, intending to pass it on to her mother as she did not have anyone who might need raising any time soon (Ivy, however, was out among the older community quite often and if Claire could help steer some more business towards Lorenzo, then she was glad to pay it forward), when he had offered to pay for her lunch. "Are you sure?" Not that the cafe was very expensive but it was still quite a kind offer. "Thank you. As long as you let me pay for dessert, anyway - if you're the dessert type. I know I am." Her smile brightened and she, too, turned to give her order - a bowl of chicken noodle with half of a turkey sandwich, and a coffee with extra cream.
"Shall we find a seat?" Food in hand, she scanned the cafe interior for a free spot and found a small table far enough from the door to avoid a nasty draft whenever a new customer entered. She gestured towards it with her coffee cup, careful not to move too quickly unless she wanted scalded fingers. "Over there, perhaps?" The beginning of the meeting was proceeding as most First Meetings go, and soon they would get to the meat of the matter; if Lorenzo had trooped around in Russia as she had (and during winter, no less - she had to give him credit), his adventure had to have been as memorable as hers... but hopefully less traumatizing.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 12:47 am
Lorenzo waved a hand. "Not a problem!" He cut himself off just before he could say 'business is booming', remembering that in his profession, not everybody saw that as a good thing. Settling for, "And I'm always up for dessert," he headed over to where she pointed, sitting in a place with a good view of the window, although at the moment, there was nothing to look at but a grimy, snowy day. He had quite his fill of snow and grime in Russia.
He found himself unsure of how to continue the conversation. He was quite sociable when it came to networking professionally (networkmancy, he often joked, against the will of his peers), but this wasn't quite networking professionally, and it wasn't quite a friendly get together either.
He tried, "I'm Lorenzo Fisch," and remembered he had already said that. Fumbling and trying to backpedal, he added, "I'm a necromancer." He remembered the business card. She already knew that, too! Was there anything else she needed to know?
"Iiiiiii... Just got back from meeting with a client in Russia. I enrolled in the Lab 305 program on her behalf, not my own." Maybe now they were getting somewhere? This could be getting somewhere. "I meant to contact you earlier, since I was informed that you had also gone to Russia for your soul capture, but I," hadn't been able to work up the courage to text her, "Ended up being too busy to make the time, what with the preparations for my trip."
What of it?
"I-I thought we should know each other since the raevans we'll be taking care of are both Russian. I think it'll be important for my client to, uh, keep in touch with her heritage. As it were."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:01 pm
Claire slid into the seat directly across from Lorenzo, careful to avoid tipping over her soup and coffee as she did so. Her hands came to rest clasped together in front of her on the tabletop as a moment of silence elapsed between them while her companion was puzzling out how to start things off. He opted to start with his name, to which she raised her eyebrows gently, and then his profession - his nervousness was palpable and she felt a pang of sympathy. At least when she had gone to her first informative meeting after becoming a guardian, Aaron had been with her to help push things along. She thought about reintroducing herself following his example - not that she had a current occupation to add to that (would "former paralegal" work there?) - but upon second thought it might sound a touch patronizing, but Lorenzo charged forward, despite his apparent nervousness. Again, Claire had to give him credit; he was handling this as professionally as possible, and judging by the circumstances preluding his soul capture, it sounded like he was very professional. Certainly much less sloppy than her idea of, "take the bottle with you and see what'll happen."
She waited until he was finished, taking a sip of her coffee, before replying.
"Oh no, not at all! It took me and mother quite some time to prepare for our own trip to Russia, I think half a year or so. My visa was terribly out of date." She laughed softly. Lorenzo was very straightforward and she appreciated that; he seemed to know what he wanted out of this meeting and that made things easier. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, if our Raevans are going to be agreeable to it, anyway. But with that in common, it's a very good start." She cupped her hands around the mug on the table and for a beat, wondered where to take their conversation next. "I'm not sure what the Raevan will take away from their leshy soul, or if they'll necessarily be at all like the leshy I met, but if they are, then I don't think there will be anything to worry about. And both the leshy and rusalka are so connected to the land and nature that hopefully they'll sense that with each other." Voicing that out loud made it sound like she was reaching a little, and she backpedaled a bit herself, resting her chin against her propped hand. "What was the rusalka like?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:33 pm
As Claire patiently parried his awkward stabs at conversation, Lorenzo began to feel slightly more comfortable, and he relaxed slightly in his chair. By the time it was his turn to talk again, he felt far more in his element than he had since they had met- relating his impressions of the undead to others was one subject he could definitely manage.
He caught himself just in time, though, remembering that Claire wasn't a necromancer, and a literal retelling of the events of his soul capture might put her off future friendships, as the literal retelling of events involved the rusalka trying to kill him more than once. He took a sip of mocha and gave himself a moment to think, trying to formulate an answer that was honest but not unsettling.
"...She was desperate," he decided, tracing the damp ring his mug had left on the saucer. "She had been a rusalka for so long and was so out of place in the community she was trapped in, that she had nothing left to fuel her but fear of a real death."
He scoured his brain for something else, something more positive to say, or at least some attribute that wasn't wrapped up in the fact that she was a rusalka.
"I don't think that she remembered much about her life. Rusalki are fueled by select strong emotions that persist after death. I'm not sure, but I feel like it must be a little bit like being drunk or dreaming- the way you feel things and act upon impulses is different, and there isn't much logic involved in the process. So while you remain alive, or un-alive, you lose many of the things that defined you in life."
This wasn't making the rusalka sound any better. He wracked his brain once more.
"But she did remember some things. She tried her hardest to remember something about her life, and she felt like it was important." He remembered the corpses of her victims arrayed in the glade he had captured her soul in, and added, "She desperately wanted to remember the people she cared about."
It was the best he could do, and he decided it was time to change the subject.
"What about the leshy? Had you planned to meet one in Russia? What was that encounter like?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:59 pm
Lorenzo found his stride when she posed her question, and Claire leaned forward on both elbows, her hand lowering from under her chin to cup her coffee mug. His description of the rusalka sketched out finer details to the creature she knew from folklore, learned second-hand from Arina when Claire and her brother had been children. Lorenzo's line of work gave him that additional understanding, and she nodded gently when he cherrypicked the right words to describe her state of being so that Claire could understand. Rusalki were not painted in a very sympathetic light in many of the stories she remembered, however fuzzy the details were to her now years later, but the man sitting across from her was doing his best to tell her about the rusalka he knew without dismissing her flaws, ever caring about his client's rights. She took a draw from her quickly cooling coffee as Lorenzo's tale wound to a close and he redirected the same question back to her. It was Claire's turn now to sit in the hot seat and her heart fluttered a little as she mused on his words, setting the mug down and pulling her plate towards her, although she did not reach for the sandwich.
"Well, not exactly," she admitted with a half shrug, her finger picking at the rim of the plate. "To be completely honest with you, I was stumbling around in the dark for a while on what to actually do." Her fretting over the news of killing something to make her Raevan felt distant now, given all that has happened since her soul capture. "It didn't feel right for me to take a life just to get something I wanted." It occurred to her that she was not addressing the question at hand, and she chalked it up to her own nerves; she had done a fair amount of dodging when it came to reliving her soul capture that by now, it was second nature to do so.
"Meeting the leshy was by chance, believe it or not." Or by orchestration; she was still somewhat convinced that her mother and Arina had something to do with it. Claire stopped playing with her plate and leaned back in her chair, reminiscing. "It was.. surreal. I mean I had stories to go on but stories are never completely reliable." She laughed softly, dismissively, at her own memories of turning her jacket inside out and swapping her boots on her feet, her indignance as the leshy laughed at her. "But I think he was lonely for company; he had not been visited in a long time and his family wasn't around any longer." The dull tone of the leshy's borrowed voice as he spoke about the death of his wife echoed in her ears. The thought of death itself drew the memory of his last moments to the foreground; she could almost feel the pressure of the leshy's reassuring hand on her head as he died. "The soul capture was not intentional on my part, but given the circumstances, he saw it as something more preferable to a real death, much like your client did." Arina's assertion that he wanted to come home with her still felt strange and somewhat overblown; truly she did not deserve that much credit. She reached for her coffee again but merely cradled it between her hands. "It was a trip full of ups and down, I guess," she finished rather lamely, huffing a small laugh before taking a sip. Her gaze, which had been all over the place and nervously avoiding Lorenzo's as she spoke, finally settled back on him. "Looks like we'll have our hands full when they get here, but I hope they can be friends when that day does come." Rusalki got a pretty poor rap in Slavic lore, but leshies had their share of contrasting, unsavory tales as well - Claire hoped that they would find a happy middle ground together.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 8:18 pm
Lorenzo nodded. "I have to admit, I was surprised by the number of applicants I met who joined this program without a particular soul in mind," he admitted, "Considering the burden it would place on them to acquire one." He shrugged uncomfortably. "Of all the programs that I researched to try to help the rusalka adjust on Gaia, Lab 305 seemed to be the most suitable for the rusalka, but it also was the one that came with the highest price in exchange for the transformation it offered." He took another sip of his mocha and looked up. "But I'm glad to see that the guardians in this program consider these things carefully. It makes me feel like regardless of their reasons for applying, they're well suited for their roles."
He considered what she related to him and raised his eyebrows, remarking, "Well, I can't say I know as much about leshyie as rusalki, but I've lived in communities of supernatural beings long enough to know that whether the person who meets them chooses to or not, they'll rarely come out for someone they don't trust." Or feel threatened by, he supposed. He could hardly imagine a leshy feeling threatened by someone as comforting and quiet as Claire seemed to be from her first impression. "It sounds like you were able to relate to him on a personal level. That's rare enough, even amongst Gaians, I'd say."
Hearing about Claire's encounter made him a little more strongly inclined to think well of her- having grown up with an undead father, he tended to view people who could deal with the supernatural on a personal level as people he could trust.
"I'm sure they'll be friends," he agreed hopefully. "But I know that I, at least, will have my hands full." He laughed nervously. "As a necromancer, I'm confident in my ability to look after a rusalka, but as a twenty-five year old, I'm less confident in my ability to raise a person."
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:28 am
"It is rather surprising, isn't it?" Claire swirled her coffee around in the mug, speaking only once Lorenzo had paused. "But I agree. The trade-off of taking a life in order to create a new one is a heavy burden to deal with and it's important to take it seriously." The similarities between their own respective soul captures, aside from the obvious geographical one, were striking. "On that note, I'm not certain that very many others in the Lab had a similar situation to ours... at least not many that I am aware of." Saying that thought out loud sounded rather self-centered, and that was not her intent. After flustering for a second for the right words, humming a low note while her thought process rebooted, she found her footing and continued. "What I mean is..I suppose that is the benefit we have - we were able to speak with them in a way that perhaps others weren't with their chosen souls." She took a small sip from her quickly cooling coffee and lowered the mug slowly back to the table. "At least they were given a chance to decide, have a say in the matter. I didn't know if I did right by the leshy for a long while there, but this conversation makes me feel a little more at ease about it." She looked at Lorenzo, cheeks pink from his praise and eyes creased in happiness, and took advantage of the gap and redirection in conversation to tuck into her sandwich.
In his admission, Lorenzo brought to mind a similar conversation she had had with another guardian what seemed like an age ago - Justin. He, too, had confessed that he was nervous about his impending guardianship, and if anything the frankness of such a confession only kept Claire's attention. The honesty was always refreshing and in her experience, it was more common to see people truck along as though everything were fine rather than admit hesitance. "If it makes you feel any better, you're not alone there." She took another bite, chewed thoughtfully and swallowed, offering him a small smile in return for his nerves. "Parenthood is a tricky track. No matter how much I wanted it, I don't know if I was ever as prepared as I thought I'd be. I don't think anyone really is, you know?" She laughed lightly, returning what was left of her sandwich to the plate. "Guardianship sounds about the same. I know some in Lab who view it like taking care of a child, and others look at it like caring for siblings. In the meantime though, it doesn't hurt to be prepared, and always good to have a decent support network in place." She grinned. "Have any preparation ideas brewing yet?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 11:36 am
"I'm glad," Lorenzo responded earnestly. "I'm not sure I could have taken a soul had the circumstances been otherwise. People," he hesitated, "People think all sorts of things about necromancers, but it's the kind of magic that relies heavily on contracts and consent. Even if I had been looking to join Lab 305 solely for my own purposes, psychologically I don't think I could have forced myself to do something like take a soul without being able to give that soul a choice in the matter."
"I definitely don't want to force the rusalka to think of me as a family member," he decided after a moment of thought. "I don't even think of myself as her family member. Guardian, that's a term I could maybe get used to, but I want to establish first and foremost that she's my client. The rusalka chose to be reborn through Lab 305, and more than anything, I'm a facilitator who wants to help her adapt as comfortably as possible to the transition." He had spoken at length with his mother about this, and with the Lab when he applied, but it was his first time saying it to an outsider in a similar situation to his own. "If her physical features are undead like her soul's were, that's obviously where I'm going to be most useful, but since she's not likely to remember her past, I'll also be trying to make sure she won't be deprived of a connection to her heritage. I've lined up a Russian tutor and I'm decorating her room in a style I think she'll be comfortable with. I want to let her choose her own name, too, so I'm preparing some options for her to look at." He looked embarrassed, and added, "I don't want to overwhelm her, but it's exciting to me! As a necromancer, I mean. It's very rare that we're able to help rusalki since their situations are so specific, and I want to make sure that I do everything I can to make her comfortable."
He finished up his coffee, and asked, "What about the leshy? Have you made preparations for him?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:13 pm
"That makes sense. It could be quite disorienting on a couple of levels there for the rusalka if she didn't have someone to help her acclimate." Claire chewed thoughtfully as Lorenzo explained his take on guardianship, and honestly it was one she had yet to hear. She was once again impressed by the young necromancer's professionalism, and the level of thought and care he had put into this endeavor. The idea of preserving the rusalka's Russian heritage was one that piqued the woman's interest. She finished her half-sandwich she picked up her soup spoon to dig into her chicken noodle, stirring around the contents of the cup as she nodded to Lorenzo's suggestions. Truthfully she had been so caught up in, well, 'baby fever' so to speak, that she had not fully considered the gift she had been given. Not that she had much of an idea of what to expect, but she had heard of the same tradition from Arina when she and Aaron had tried for a child the first time - perhaps that would be better than deciding on her own? Lorenzo's enthusiasm for the idea was contagious and she smiled, taking a sip of her soup.
"I think those are all very wonderful ideas. I guess I hadn't fully considered things like that." She admitted her fault with a small shrug and rested her chin in her palm. "I'm sure it would be very similar for the leshy, so I might have to do the same. Most of my preparations have been similar to.. to preparing for a child, I suppose. But I have so many ideas but no real idea what to truly expect that I end up in circles. I've got a lot of bookmarks saved on my computer and nothing concrete to go on." She laughed self-consciously, pushing the spoon around in her cup with her free hand. "But I do think that's a very good start. Maybe the leshy would feel more comfortable with some things from his homeland." Perhaps keeping the baby names book handy for her future Raevan would still be convenient, but she could lend it to them when they came into being and, as Lorenzo intended to do, let them pick what name they wanted. "What kind of things have you been buying for the room, or clothing? Do you have any specific websites or do you ask your contacts in Russia?" Her own enthusiasm was alight again.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 10:10 am
Lorenzo pulled out his phone and said, "I have a list of sites and I've asked researcher friends at my old university to help me with historical details and accuracy. We don't know when exactly the rusalka lived since the records are poorly kept, but we've been able to make a few educated guesses. Anyway, I've filled her wardrobe with traditional clothing from some different time periods so she can choose what feels most comfortable. For the room, I got another one of my friends to help, she's an interior decorator who does a lot of work redesigning homes to be friendly and welcoming to undead people from various time periods and places." He showed Claire a few pictures of an otherwise nondescript room in the process of a heavy makeover.
"This kind of thing is all part of the job of rehabilitation," he explained. "Although this is the most extensive preparation I've ever had to do for a client. I actually just started my practice last year." He looked a little sheepishly down into his empty coffee mug.
"But!" he continued, "If you'd like any of my contacts, I'd be happy to oblige. You can tell them I referred you and they'll be more than happy to help. The undead community is very welcoming, so long as you have somebody already in it to vouch for you."
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:15 pm
Claire sipped at her cooling soup while Lorenzo answered her question. His professionalism was out in full force and she was once again duly impressed - but it made sense, considering part of his work dealt with rehabilitation. It raised a lot of interesting questions for her and as she took careful sips of the remains of her chicken noodle, eyes on his phone as he held up a photo of his soon-to-be-Raevan's room, she found herself wondering if maybe she had been more off-track than she had originally thought. He had a great deal of resources available and to be offering them up to her as well was very generous.
"That would be wonderful, thank you." Sometimes it surprised her how much of the world was still unknown to her, but moments like this were a welcome surprise. While she had her mind's eye fixated on something akin to bringing a baby home, this was a good reminder that that might not be the case. The leshy might still hold memories of his other life and long for the comforts of home - how would bright, blocky colors and children's books cater to that? She thought back to the photo he had shown her of his Raevan's room in progress and wondered to herself, 'What would the leshy like best?' Her garden was a work in progress (winter put a temporary hold on such things), with plans for a stone path.. perhaps some trees would help the leshy feel more at home. Again, Lorenzo seemed to have his ducks in a row, so to speak, for someone who was just starting out. "Sounds like you have quite a bit on your plate, but seems like you've got a good plan of action." She smiled, hands around her empty soup bowl. "I wish I had something to offer back; seems you ended up helping me out more than the other way around." Claire laughed. "But I can definitely offer you and the rusalka some company whenever you are both in Gambino. I'm very interested to see how all your preparations develop." She hummed, eyes dropping to the table in thought, hoping she could do something other than take Lorenzo's much-more informed advice and at least give him something in return. "Oh!" An idea at last, however small. "What's your favorite baked good, Lorenzo?"
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:46 pm
"I'll email you the list," Lorenzo said, opening up his mail app. He typed furiously for a few minutes, then looked up, setting his phone aside.
"Oh, no!" he reassured. He was not quite sure how to express that Claire had been helpful to him- it seemed strange to say that she had been helpful by being soothing to talk to. But she was, and for someone as socially anxious as he was, it was appreciated. The one thing he couldn't provide on his list was friends, and the only way to find friends for the rusalka was to go out and meet them himself, which was much more difficult than asking a bunch of academics about home decor.
"That's perfect," he settled for. "Your company is more than helpful. And I'm sure the rusalka would love to meet you." He hoped she would. The unspoken fear that he had been edging around was that the rusalka actually would be dangerous, but, he reminded himself, he had to believe that if she had been possessed of enough willpower and humanity to contact someone and ask for help, that humanity would survive through the rebirthing process. She was not a monster, she was simply afflicted with heavy burdens.
His thoughts distracted him, and he stammered, looking up again. "M-me? I'm not picky. I guess, coincidentally, considering why we're both here today, I don't like Russian tea cakes." He held up the edge of his black cape. "The powdered sugar really shows on my clothes." He wasn't much of a baker, but he offered, "And, um, if you have any... pamphlets you need someone to design...?"
It was the best he could do.
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