Running with the Shadows of the Night

[Ryn]

Even if Ryn didn't understand the deeper intricacies of Katarina inviting her on not-a-date, she's smart enough to put together that this is important in some nebulous way. It's pretty much for that reason alone she'd gone to the undercover department for some clothes. Of course they don't have the exact things that had been recommended to her so she's forced to improvise. Black tights are easy enough and happen to go well enough with her worn out sneakers regardless of Ryn being cognizant of that fact. The weirdly fitting jacket is harder and after rapidly getting frustrated falls back on what she understands. Protective and actually covering more of her torso, made from something that reeks minimally of human-wrought fibers. A leather biker jacket. Underneath that she makes a concession to color and finds the least 'pastel' thing she can find, a purplish-maroon plaid shirt. She looks at herself in the mirror and decides she can't tell if this is even remotely in line with the advice she'd received. She doesn't hate it and that's really the best she can do. To any sensible person it looks... passable.

It's in that outfit and holding two bags of (unpopped) popcorn that she knocks on Katarina's door. She feels itchy beneath her skin like she does when too many eyes are on her, but they're imaginary. She doesn't like it and keeps having to stop herself from twitching her head around to look for things that aren't there. Any halfway sensible person could tell the deva is, perhaps for the first time in her existence, nervous.

[Katarina Kane]

Some music was playing inside Katarina's room -- music that stopped when Ryn knocked, followed by some thumping and slamming.

"Yes! Yes, one second. One moment..." Katarina called from inside the room, taking just a moment longer before she opened the door, looking around.

"Ryn! Oh, it's you. What's going on?" she asked, regaining her composure.

[Ryn]

"You said we would watch the television again." she says and holds up the bags of popcorn to lend credence to her statement.

"I brought food." she adds after an awkward pause. She'd briefly considered hunting down a deer or moose but pivoted at the last second, considering that the Siren might frown on her bringing a raw haunch of meat. Too forward.

[Katarina Kane]

"I did! You did...sort of," she said, catching her breath and smiling. "And you...dressed up again. It looks...you look..." she said, stuttering a moment.

"It looks good on you. It's...an effort, yes?"

Tension, for sure -- trying to pretend things were normal when they very much were not. An effort, indeed.

[Ryn]

Ryn shrugs slightly but smiles, oblivious to the tension or at least it's nature. "If it pleases you, then it's good."

"You're out of breath." she notes, glancing past her to check for signs of danger or battle.

[Katarina Kane]

Everything behind Katarina looked safe enough -- something may have been shoved under the bed recently, but no obvious signs of danger or distress.

"It is...fairly normal, at least, to try to make sure things look acceptable when someone comes over," Katarina explained, knowing that Ryn had trouble with basic concepts sometimes. "Quickly moving things around can be a little tiring, that's all."

[Ryn]

Things she didn't want her to see. That made sense, she'd gotten upset when she'd learned Ryn had been watching her, after all. She nods.

"Okay. As long as you're not in danger. Can I come in or do you need more time?" she asks and seems genuinely prepared to stand outside the door if need be.

[Katarina Kane]

"No, no, you can come..."

She paused.

"..Did you have a way to...pop that popcorn, or were you going to just eat the kernels?"

[Ryn]

"Pop it?" she asks and curiously looks at one of the bags and proceeds to tear it open. "Oh. It's just dried maize." she says, surprised and confused but pops one of them into her mouth. There's an audible crack as she crushes it between her teeth. It tastes just as expected and not at all like the kind of snacks humans normally seem to eat these days.

[Katarina Kane]

"Um. Yes. Normally, we heat it up, and the kernels burst open.

If you, uh, prefer it like this, we can leave it.."

[Ryn]

"It's maize." she shrugs. Even she has to admit it's pretty boring as far as food goes. "Let's do it your way. Show me."

[Katarina Kane]

"We'll have to raid the staff kitchen. I don't exactly have a way to heat things up in here," Katarina pointed out.

Left unsaid was the fact that Ryn was clearly dressed up, and might not want to answer questions if someone saw her dressed up. Very careful subtext and implications there, which I'm sure the deva would immediately understand.

[Ryn]

"Sure." She's certain she could make a fire with what Katarina has on hand, but she probably wouldn't like that. Instead she turns and makes for the small kitchen that is mainly used for making coffee.

[Katarina Kane]

It's not like the staff facilities in the House are swarming with people -- most Agents are allowed to leave, after all! -- but they also weren't entirely empty or anything. And so Katarina did her best to avoid the looks she and Ryn got as she headed into the kitchen, opening up cabinets as she began to look for a popcorn popper of some description, digging around as she looked. Updating the appliances in the staff room may not be the number one option on a secret society's budget.

[Ryn]

Meanwhile Ryn, having already opened one of the bags, finds an old pan. She puts it on the stove and after some fumbling manages to turn on the heat. There's probably more to it, humans love making things ever more complicated, but how difficult can it be? She takes a single kernel, drops it into the pan and watches. After not too long the starch inside explodes and the popped corn flies out of the pan, much to Ryn's surprise. But instead of being startled her hand snaps out to catch the puffed up kernel.

"Huh. That's pretty fun." she decides even before popping the white cloud into her mouth and chews thoughtfully. It's kind of bland, but the texture is a lot different and fluffier. She takes a couple more seeds and chucks them into the open pan, waiting for each one to pop to grab it out of the air. Being hard to predict means it becomes purely a game of reflexes for her to play.

[Katarina Kane]

The first pop startles Katarina, so much that she jolts and bangs her head on top of the cabinet she was searching in, letting out a string of Croatian that probably wasn't fit for print.

"A little warning next time, Ryn," Katarina mumbled, pulling out one of the Agency's patented pieces of state-of-the-art technology.

[Ryn]

"But look, I figured it out! You didn't say it was a game." she says and throws another handful of kernels into the pan, this time bopping the exploding popcorn so it'll land in the bowl that comes with the contraption Katarina has unearthed.

[Katarina Kane]

Katarina watched for just a minute, and then tried to stifle a burst of laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I forgot sometimes you did not have a normal childhood," she said, between bursts of laughter.

[Ryn]

Ryn is surprised she doesn't mind the laughter at all. It's not usually a reaction she causes and while she's visited terrible things on people who dared mock her, with Katarina it's somehow different.

"If children do not play this game then they are missing out." Ryn decides, though a couple of pieces of popcorn 'miss' and bop against Katarina's forehead before ricocheting into the bowl.

[Katarina Kane]

"We are normally discouraged from playing with our food," Katarina said, stifling more giggles.

[Ryn]

"That's just bad advice." Ryn declares and finally locates the lid that goes with the pan. She upends the rest of the kernels into the pan and proceeds to use the lid to catch the popcorn, moving the lid fast and smoothly enough to not lose any of the ones already caught.

[Katarina Kane]

"It is good advice if you want your five-year old to sit still and finally eat," Katarina nodded. "Or if you want to move on to other things without making a massive mess."

[Ryn]

"You just have to do it right." Ryn grins. And in her defense, when the last kernel pops she has not dropped a single one, despite them being stacked pretty high on the lid.

[Katarina Kane]

"Alright, there is no way you were able to find a flat surface on all of those as they were flying through the air. So how did you do that?" Katarina said, crossing her arms.

[Ryn]

Ryn moves the lid fast enough that when she tilts it sideways and even upside-down for a second, the movement keeps the popcorn pushed against the lid in it's rough mound, the lip of the lid keeping them from spilling over the sides. She finishes with a flourish that presents the lid to Katarina like a bouquet of flowers. "I'm very good." she says with a cocky grin.

[Katarina Kane]

"Well, let's see if you can manage to keep all of that from making a mess on the way back to the room," Katarina laughed. "Or do you need a larger challenge so you can continue to show off?"

[Ryn]

Oh does she ever want to show off. But Katarina still believes her to be fundamentally human, so she can't push it too much.

"Only if it pleases you." she says, no less confident but with a little bit of restraint.

[Katarina Kane]

"Do what you would," Katarina said, waving her hand with a laugh. "Far be it from me to be an anchor for your newfound childish game."

[Ryn]

"And yet you're laughing." she says smugly but does upend the lid onto the bowl for easier transport.

[Katarina Kane]

"I am, at that," Katarina agreed. "It's quite the different side to you."

[Ryn]

"One few have seen." she admits. Mostly because she's never particularly cared to seek out the company of humans or others, but at least in part because nobody bothered to look. She's a monster even the gods feared after all.

[Katarina Kane]

"Well, it's nice. And refreshing. So, keep it up," Katarina said, not really knowing the weight those words might have.

[Ryn]

Easier said than done. Ryn has no idea how to gauge what Katarina will find amusing, perplexing or terrifying. Well, she can guess what will definitely fall in the later category, but aside from that it feels like the only way to find out is the hard way. Which normally suits Ryn just fine but in this case it would some at Katarina's expense.

"I will try." she says and it almost sounds like a question. Attempting something is strange and confusing. She's used to doing. Things being predictable and absolute. Maybe not the exact outcome but her own steps? They're supposed to be on solid ground.

[Katarina Kane]

"This isn't a Yoda thing, is it? Do or Do Not, there Is No Try?" Katarina joked.

[Ryn]

"This 'Yoda' is very wise." she nods.

[Katarina Kane]

"This 'Yoda' has his head up his butt," Katarina countered. "The first step in doing anything worthwhile is making an effort. And even if you fail, even if you don't 'do', sometimes you'll accomplish something else along the way."

[Ryn]

"Hrm." Ryn makes a contemplative noise. "I think it's less about the trying and more about the doing. Less doubt. Less worry."

[Katarina Kane]

"Less incentive to improve, to do better. Oh, you didn't succeed the first time, you might as well give up," Katarina countered. "An odious little goblin man, that Yoda."

[Ryn]

"You know words better than I do." Ryn shrugs slightly. "I mean... doing things with your all."

[Katarina Kane]

"And that's what I would call trying. You get out there, even if you don't know if you're going to succeed, because the act of trying itself is worthwhile."