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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2026 7:23 pm
"Make yourself at home," Micah said as she opened the door, stepped inside, and held the door open for her guest. It wasn't often that she invited people she just met to her home, but wanting to talk shop that didn't involve anything in the medical field was an extenuating circumstance that called for an exception to be made. "Sorry, it's a bit bare. I haven't really had the time to decorate."
Which was true. Most of her time was spent at work, resting for her next shift, or otherwise cleaning or cooking to clear her mind so she could properly rest for her next shift. Up until recently she'd rarely ever taken a day off, and now that she was starting to do that it wasn't so that she could decorate her apartment. It was a place to rest her head, but it felt far from what her opinion of a "home" was supposed to be. Still, it was her space, so she kept it neat and tidy and impossibly clean.
It was a decent sized place considering its location in the city—within walking distance of the hospital where she spent ninety percent of her time—and granted it was fairly plain, it looked plenty comfortable all the same.
They walked into the dining room, which consisted of just a small table for four. The kitchen was directly ahead, while the living room was to their left. There was a cozy looking couch that had a couple of blankets draped over the back and cushy looking pillows. In front of the couch was a coffee table with a single candle at its center and a few medical journals neatly stacked on one end, and a TV on a stand on the opposite wall.
It had more of a minimalist vibe rather than a barely furnished one, with some potted plants neatly tucked away in quietly thoughtful spots to fill out the space just a bit more.
"I've got some steaks marinating, unless you have dietary restrictions? And for drinks, I've got beer, wine, or if you're more into cocktails I can probably put something together depending on what I've got left from the holidays."
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2026 8:50 pm
“I’ll take wine, thanks. I’m not a huge drinker, but I do love a good glass of wine. No dietary restrictions, thank you for asking.” Sabrina looked around, pleased with how the place looked, it was nice. She sat herself on the couch and continued to look around. “So, shall we wait for the drinks to start on the gossip, or do you want to continue talking about the useless weapons before talking about your situationship?”
For some reason, that was really what she wanted. So much of her own life was spent watching over her siblings and the idea that she could just listen to someone else’s drama and just…ride the wave? That sounded absolutely…thrilling. For lack of a better word. She wouldn’t have to be emotionally involved, wouldn't have to rough anyone up…(maybe, at least), and she wouldn’t have to worry.
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2026 9:16 pm
"Red's okay, I hope," said Micah as she strode over to grab a pair of wine glasses first, then went for the wine. She poured a modest amount into each glass before putting the wine away, then picked up both glasses and headed toward where Sabrina had settled on the couch.
"And maybe the weapons first. My, uh, situationship..." she paused then, her lip curled slightly and her brows furrowed together so she wore a look of mixed apprehension and uncertainty. "It's complicated, not to mention delicate." She clinked her glass to Sabrina's before taking a sip, sighing, and then turning to walk back to the kitchen. "Maybe after a few more glasses," she said, though she was doubtful they'd ever get there. She wasn't the sort to go beyond getting tipsy around anyone, never mind a new-acquaintance-slash-potential-friend.
Setting her glass down, she rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands first, then got to cooking. "To be honest, I've never thought much about the weapons situation. One of those 'is what it is' situations that didn't feel too productive to question. I bet if we talk to the Code or whatever you called it, it'll give us that sort of answer."
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Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2026 9:44 pm
“Red is perfect.” The only thing better than a red was a nice Rosé, but she would never turn up her nose at a red. Especially free red. “Heard.” Situationship talk after a few glasses or…maybe not any situationship talk today at all. Which. Was fine. She respected privacy, she just…was curious, and didn’t have people to gossip with.
“I’m going to go up…maybe tomorrow. Maybe later…maybe Saturday? I want to see if I can find this signet ring…to just see what all of the fuss is about. I’ll let you know how it goes afterwards. Are you going to be going to your Wonder anytime soon? You could try to look as well, maybe. I don’t know how long I’ll be up there for….do you have advice for that? Like…how long were you up on yours the first time?”
She took a sip of her wine and hesitated. “You said it’s a large forest so I’m assuming you’ve been there a few times to like, know that it’s big.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 4:15 pm
"Tomorrow," she said as she put the steaks on, letting the loud sizzle of them hitting a hot grill take over for a second before following it up with, "I've got a bag packed and ready to go so I can spend a few hours there a little more comfortably." There were other inconveniences besides the place being large. The lack of facilities, to name the main culprit of why she didn't stick around too long...
"Mostly camping gear," she continued, followed by the sound of a pan sliding into a rack in the stove, and then more sizzling shortly after that. "I haven't found any buildings yet, so you can imagine it's a bit like regular camping, except somewhere off in space."
Micah paused long enough to take a sip before she started organizing the sink and rinsing off a few plates and things.
"Mm...my first visit was maybe an hour?" She did that so-so gesture with her free hand, then moved to take another sip before getting on with the dishes. "I didn't know what to expect or see much of a point, and I didn't know there was a limit to how often I could go, so I left after I realized it was just a massive forest." Truly a wasted opportunity, she realized several visits later, though it was a minor regret at worst. She could rectify it by making up for that lost time, not to mention now that she was a little bit more knowledgeable about being a knight and what sorts of things she could be looking for, she imagined she would be more productive now.
"I would say standard things—water, a flashlight, a notebook, and a spare jacket or blanket in case it's cold?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 4:44 pm
“Oh, that’s awesome!” Camping gear, it sounded like she was going to try to be spending more than just a few hours but…really, it would be a safe camping trip. No serial killers, no bears…most likely…huh. The appeal was there, really.
“There’s a limit? Do you know what that might be?”
Her note app was up on her phone and she was typing a few of these things in, simple notes that hopefully nobody else could understand.
“That sounds good. Necro’s was very cold, and he’s another Saturn person like I am…I hope it’s not that cold and dreary though…but we’ll see, won’t we. I hope you have a good time. It’s going to be the safest camping you can do, or that’s what it sounds like to me.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 6:33 pm
"I space my visits out on a monthly basis," she said, focused on the stove now. "I haven't tried to go any sooner than that. I have a pretty rigid work schedule so the structure works pretty well for me."
The conversation carried from there, with Micah elaborating just a little bit on her experience with traveling and what she'd seen so far on her Wonder. The short answer to that was, other than the trees and empty lake, nothing. So the topic naturally moved off into other knight life areas—their weapons, again. Fight training came up, which Micah encouraged taking up something to help with that. She suggested her own gym, where she trained in Krav Maga, but didn't press the issue beyond that.
And then it eventually circled around to civilian life things, with her very reluctantly touching on her situationship. She hadn't had nearly enough wine, but Sabrina proved easy enough to talk to, and as someone who was well outside of her social circles (if one considered the circles one very actively avoided as still part of their social circles) she didn't mind delving into it just a little bit.
In effect, all she told her in so many words—and without naming names or defining who they were to each other prior to the situationship—was that her situationship was a weird sort of limbo of amazing sex and no labels. Which, she admitted out loud after finishing her second glass of wine, she'd at one point thought was the dream but somehow it just...wasn't in this case.
"Anyway," she said, finally glancing at the clock and then down at their finished meal and the mostly empty bottle of wine. "Like I said, it's a situationship.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 7:37 pm
Sabrina listened and contributed to the conversations. The steak was delicious, and the wine was delightful.
She was quiet after Micah stopped talking and folded her arms on the table, humming softly. “Do they make you happy? In the situationship. Are labels something you’re interested in? And have you told them if that’s the case…because honestly, they can’t know if you don’t tell them, Mic. I know that our significant others are supposed to read our minds but…they can’t. Not that I have any personal experience. I’m as single as they come, but…I’ll just tell you what I tell my brother, and that’s to talk to them. If it’s meant to be. They’ll listen. And if they don’t….get the hell out of there because that’s red flags. Well.”
She broke off and lifted a hand to her mouth, teeth tugging at her thumbnail. “Maybe not in this situation but at least you’d know where you stood. And you’d be able to plan better. Or plan at all.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 7:48 pm
She waved her hand in that dismissive way she often did, as though the idea of talking had no business being anywhere near the proverbial table. "Not an option," she said simply, expecting that to be enough of an explanation to someone she had deliberately left lacking a lot of information. "Not that we can't talk, but it's not our default." Which was perfectly true, though it wasn't at all helpful in this particular scenario.
"Anyway, I'm sure we'll eventually get it sorted. It just takes a while." She shrugged. "Lots of waiting."
She nodded at the clock, and then at Sabrina. "It's getting late. Did you want to stay the night?" Smiling then, she lifted the wine bottle and gave it a little shake.
"I think I've got one more of these, though I think it's your turn to do a bit of the talking."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 7:57 pm
Sabrina chuckled and nodded. “I’d love to, yeah. Thanks. I don’t have much to talk about but, I’ll do my best.”
Her own life was…boring. It was why she had kept up with being Trier, after all. Adding some spice to things...maybe one day she’d add someone for her to…enjoy. Thus far, there was nobody but. That was fine. She didn’t need anyone but. That was fine.
She had time. And now? She had a friend too.
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