The Aspire may be closed, but it's well known to be where Dielle and Jon live. There's also a buzzer with three numbers on it, outside the front doors, so that if one wants to call up to either of the two apartments (or the closed office of the Aspire,) one can do so. At this point, Dielle is well used to having to pick up the phone to tell people they're closed.
On this particular day, however, she's got her bag, and she's wearing a long, well-loved black wool coat over her clothes and she's on her way out of the Aspire, presumably to go somewhere, when she realizes that someone's outside. She opens the door. "Hey there, can I help you?" she asks of the blonde on the other side of the door.
The golden-haired young woman on the other side of the door blinks blue eyes at Dielle. "Oh! Hello! I just tried to open up, but I guess you're closed? I can come back later." She stuffs her hands into the pockets of her light jacket, which has seen better days and is kind of ragged at the hem in a spot where it looks like it might have snagged on something.
Dielle says, "Naw, it's all good, the Aspire ain't gonna open again, to my knowledge. Just that I live upstairs, so this is kinda my front door, too." When the coat falls open, it shows that she's wearing jeans tucked into cowboy boots, and a GODAWFUL sweater from a thrift store, of horizontal stripes of some sort of terrifyingly ugly light olive green and a horrid shade of purple. "Mind if I ask who you are before I invite you in?"
"Oh. Oh, well, if it's not somewhere that's open, I'm not sure why I'd go in," Peggy says, lower lip curling under to be lightly chewed. "I'm Peggy." She removes one hand from her pocket and thrusts it at Dielle. "I'm kind of new in town and still finding my way around?" It comes out like a question.
Dielle takes Peggy's hand and shakes it firmly. She doesn't turn it into a firm-handshake contest, though. "Dielle. Sorry, I'd assumed you'd come to find either me or Jon, hadn't occurred to me that you might have just wanted to go to the gym. It's nice to meet you!" Her accent is very, very Southern, sounding like she comes from somewhere in Texas. "Unless you wanted to come in for a moment to chat, before I give you directions for someplace. Not like it's freezin' or anything, but..." As Dielle stands there, she realizes something. "But it's gonna be too damn warm for this coat, that's for sure. Bleah."
"If you don't mind talking a bit... sure," Peggy says, offering a little smile. It borders on timid. When she's allowed inside, she has a quick glance around. "It's a shame this place isn't open. I'm kind of looking for a place to train? I'm not sure I could afford it here. Or anywhere, really. But I definitely need to find a place."
Dielle says, truthfully, "There's the Iron Church, Damion owns that. Kind of a down-and-out gym, but it's where I train when I want people around, or take my clients. I'm a personal trainer." She's noted the young woman's Mantle, and says, "Damion's also Summer. And I wish I were a business-person, I'd reopen the place, but honestly, I don't have the time or energy. You part of the Freehold yet, Peggy?"
"Umn, I just joined the Freehold," Peggy sayas. "I'm staying in town for a while and it just seemed like the right thing to do. You're a personal trainer?" The golden-haired Fairest perks right up. And she can be pretty perky. "What kind of training? Like, for people to get stronger? Maybe weapons? Or are weapons too weird?"
"Weapons ain't weird, but since I do it as a living, it's mostly strength and agility training. Mundane kind. But I'm also Captain of the Harvestmen, the local militia. So not as much time to train people in weaponry. On the other hand, some of the best fighters in the Freehold are under my command and we got a couple of sparring events coming up with practice weapons." Dielle looks pretty proud for a moment and adds, "The Harvestmen are a pretty cool bunch, too."
"So you're a warrior?" Peggy asks. Which is kind of a funny question, but that's one way to put it. Her eyebrows go up. "And Captain of the local militia. Wow. I'm lucky to have run into you, then! That's what I want to do. I want to be a fighter. A good one." She nods. It's a firm, decisive nod... though she deflates again a little. "I'm just not sure where to start. Any tips?"
Dielle nods. "You're Summer, right? I've got two suggestions, since you're in the freehold. The first is to ask around in your Court. Damion's a good guy, and can fight. The other is check my group, because there's a couple of people who are /itching/ to share their skills. Ummm...one of them's Vorpal, but if you choose him as a teacher, I'm also going to point out that he thinks he's a god. He's a good guy, but his philosophies sometime got me goin' "Huh?" at him a lot." She grins at Peggy and says, "I'd say "join my group", but it comes with a certain amount of danger and I don't know if it's what you want. Hey, the furniture's all still here, wanna have a seat?"
Peggy nods, her ponytail swinging as she selects a seat and drops down into it. She sits with her knees together. Ladylike, even, and with a straight back. Excellent posture. "Um. A god? That's a bit... strange. And sort of arrogant, isn't it?" She bites her bottom lip again. It's a little chapped. "I can do danger. I'll prove myself."
"Well, there's a group who think they're all gods. Most of 'em are such high Wyrd that they're kind of unnerving. He's one of 'em. I tend to take them with a bucket of salt, myself, but I do try to keep an eye on them. They're mostly...removed from humanity in some ways." Dielle also takes a seat, after shedding her coat and draping it on the back. "And it's entirely arrogant, yeah." She takes a breath and says, "How long ago did you escape, Peggy?"
Peggy makes a face. It's somewhere in the wince family, and she's trying to hide it but she's kind of failing. "A few months ago, actually..." she confesses. "But this is my first Freehold." Her nose wrinkles. "How long has it been for you?"
Dielle says, thinking back, "About four years or so. Little over. Have you gotten any tutelage on what all the general weirdness is in Lost Society yet?" She's sober, and nodding, and watching Peggy very carefully.
"Just a little," Peggy admits, clasping her hands together on her knees. Also, now she's blushing just a titch. It's gold, not pink, but then... Treasured. "Courts. I've only just joined mine. Avoiding true Fae. Staying hidden. Things about contracts, which I'm not very good at. I understand you can go back into the Hedge, but I'm not sure why. Unless you can do it to rescue other people?"
Dielle shakes her head. "There's...well, among other things, there are markets in the hedge. And fruits that can do any variety of things, from heal you to letting you breathe underwater, or dumping you back OUT of the hedge in case of danger. There's all manner of things in the Hedge that Lost can use to craft armor, clothing, weapons, and that kind of thing. Jon once went in and ended up with the stuff to have someone make a dress for me that's made of the light between twilight and dawn, for instance." Speaking of, her mantle is pretty strong, and it's got the effect of making everything around her look like it's brand new, instead of pretty new. There's also a warm breeze around her that's cut through with a cool one, like that cool breeze you get in summer that cools you down. She takes a breath, and says, "The markets are generally run by hobs. There's two near us, I believe, but it's better to never go in alone, and be VERY canny about what happens. If you make a bad bargain, you're still stuck with it."
"That sounds pretty," Peggy admits, when Dielle talks about her dress. There's a wistful look, and then she shuts that down. Bam. "Weapons and armor. I should get those. I won't go alone into the Hedge or to the markets. I suppose I'll have to meet some more people to be able to do that. Where's a good place to find others?" She does have Ashe's little leaf pin on her coat. Hopefully she didn't steal it, but... it's one way of knowing who's pledged to the Hold.
Dielle says, thoughtfully, "We're all over the damn place. But careful when wandering in Fort Brunsett. There's some Hunters around, that don't seem to have a problem killing us." She takes a breath and lets it out. "There's a backroom at Crossroads Cafe that's just ours. The Jewish bookstore in Tamarack Falls is owned by one of my friends, Gisa, and her man-thing, Alonso. They're both Lost and Dawn, so I can recommend them. The Iron Church is run by Damion. There's a coffeehouse called Cat-22 that's Lost-run. It's not owned by freeholders, though." She pauses, then says, "By the way, being a girl and being a warrior doesn't mean giving up pretty things. I don't wear dresses very often, but that's mostly because it's Vermont. Summer is short and it's too damn /cold/, most of the time. But you can be a kick-ass, tough as nails bitch who wears makeup and short skirts or whatever you damn well want. It's not an either-or thing."
Peggy nods every time Dielle names a place. She's got an air about her like she'd be taking notes if she had a pen and paper in front of her. Finally, she golds again at the cheeks. "Point taken." Regarding the pretty things. She pauses, then adds, "Skirts seem... really short these days."
Dielle says, "They're all over the place, from skirts that seem to be belts to skirts that go all the way down to the ground. Mind if I ask what year it was when you were Taken?" She's grinning, she can't help herself. She's sort of exuding 'like' at this girl.
"Nineteen thirty-seven," Peggy replies. "Things were... very different. Time passed strangely when I was Away. I found my younger sister. She's quite old now. It's... odd."
Dielle nods, understandingly, and says, "It's a hell of an adjustment, sometimes. Ok, weird question: do you have a cell phone?" And she pulls out a notebook from her purse and a pen, and writes down a number on it. "Because this is my phone number. If you ever have any questions about...well, things. Anything, really, feel free to call me. If I don't know the answer, I'll usually know who does." She passes the piece of paper over, and adds, "Plus, now you know where I live, and I can show you how to operate the buzzer, if you need."
"Oh, we had buzzers," Peggy tells Dielle with a crooked little smile. She takes the paper and folds it, carefully tucking it inside a jacket pocket. "I don't have a cell phone, no. I don't really have any way of paying for one, as I understand it. I think I need a job." Gold about the cheeks again. She's a blusher.
Dielle sighs. "See, I could offer you one, but this place isn't open. On the other hand, you could pledge with someone for money, it's one of the better things about being Lost. As long as you make a promise you can keep, you get things you need." She blows out her breath and says, "There's a /lot/ to learn about our society, and you've got to learn about modern mundane society on top of it. I'd really, truly suggest getting some kind of a mentor who can take you under their wing. I mean, I'll do what I can for you, but I'm kind of all over the place these days. Which reminds me, you DID want to join the Harvestmen, right?"
"If you'll have me," Peggy says, brightening again. "I'm really... I'm not very good. Like I know which side of the sword to hold and I can swing it. And I think I'm okay punching things." She holds up her hand and curls it into a fist, except she curls her fingers over her thumb, which is an excellent way to break your thumb. Oh, dear.
Dielle immediately shakes her head. "No, no, you'll break your thumb that way. Thumb on the outside. Like this." She demonstrates. "And do your best to keep your wrist and arm straight," and she demonstrates that, too, "so you don't break your wrist. And aim for fleshy parts as much as possible. Here," and she demonstrates the throat, "or here," and she indicates the solar plexus. "Those are good points because you won't break knuckles. But if you're getting here, the solar plexus, hold your fist like this," and she shows Peggy how to hold her fist. The arm is angled so that the pointer knuckle is on top, but with the arm straight. "Because the rib cage comes down like this," and she indicates the angle, "and that way, you get your whole fist right in there, pow." She's awfully enthusiastic about it. "And then you've knocked the wind out of them and it's damned hard to fight without breath."
Peggy dutifully follows along, reforming her fist and nodding. Her ponytail bobs each time she nods. It is a bouncy, swingy ponytail. "Okay. Under the rib cage at an angle," she says, smiling brightly. She looks over at Dielle with a big smile, full of admiration. No hiding it. Peggy is now a Dielle fangirl. "Thank you so much! I could learn a lot from you!"
With a slight chuckle, Dielle says, "If you hang around me, you will! I should warn you, I got a mouth on me that won't quit, and I spent a considerable amount of time bartending at strip bars, so I don't got a lot of modesty. There's better fighters than me, too, but I'm pretty ok at teachin' the rudiments of shooting, archery, fist-fighting and how to figure out how to make a weapon of most anything."
Peggy leans back a little, as though cussing might be catching. "Oh," she says, eyes widening. "...A strip club? Really? You weren't... that wasn't... you must have met some, um, interesting people there."
"Well, I was a horse for most of my time Over There. You kinda learn to be ok with runnin' around nekkid, since clothes for a horse mean a harness and saddle and there's not a lot of cover in those. What I learned is skin is skin. And that people can live through damn near anything, and some things just ain't as bad as others. Strippers are just people, sellin' what they got. In their case, it's a lot of tease and some skin and some promise, at least when they're on stage. And when they're offstage, doin' private dances, the customers ain't supposed to touch 'em. I'm not gonna say it's empowering, it's not. Bein' seen as meat for the takin' is kinda damaging, whether you're male or female. But it's not about sin, either, y'know? It's men or women, tryin' to make it through. I got a lot of sympathy for that. It ain't easy."
"Oh, and when I say bartending, I mean I served people drinks, took their money and when I needed to, helped the bouncers get rid of some of the more drunk and violent types. But it ain't because of modesty. I don't have much. And as a unicorn, I find that true purity of spirt is a lot more to be honored than purity of body."
Peggy's eyes widen. Dielle's opinion of her might just worsen now, because she breathes, "You were a unicorn?" Her eyes are so big now. "I used to love unicorns when I was little. I had a collection of statues and things. Loved them. So much."
Dielle lets out a hearty laugh, and says, "Oh, lord, I'm gonna tarnish all your childhood memories, I'm so sorry in advance! It's worse, I got no clue what happened to my horn!" She tilts her head back to show the scar in the middle of her forehead, which she rubs a bit, still chortling.
Peggy leans forward to peer at Dielle's forehead. "You lost your horn?" she asks, blinking. "That seems kind of hard. Was it gone when you escaped? Maybe someone cut it off. I mean, that's part of the unicorn legend. Their horns being magical. Maybe someone stole yours." She pauses. "...Would you want it back?"
At something of a loss, Dielle says honestly, "I got no clue how I lost it. I know it was while I was escaping, but beyond that, the memories just ain't there, yet. I got Cassian and Vorpal lookin' for it, since Cassian's somethin' of a merchant and Vorpal hunts. But I do want it back. Not to wear, I think if I had a horn now, I'd stab people with my head and one of 'em would be Jon and I don't want to stab him. Not accidentally, anyhow. Hard to make out with a guy when you got a horn that makes it hard to get close to your face."
Peggy's cheeks golden again. Making out? Oh, dear. "That... does sound awkward. You, um, does Cassian thing he's a god, too?" Peggy unwinds her hands and rests her palms on her knees.
Dielle shakes her head. "Not that I know of. He's a good guy. GREAT with hedge fruit, too." She ignores the blushing, though. "And a good person to go to with a dead body."
"...Do you have to deal with a lot of dead bodies?" is Peggy's next question, again somewhat wide-eyed. Shit you better get used to as a warrior, Pegs.
Dielle shakes her head. "Not very often. Actually, just once." Her phone goes off and she says, "Aw, crap. I gotta go, I'm so sorry. If I don't, I'll miss my appointment and we've had to postpone it twice and she's a good client. It was nice meetin' you, Peggy!" She stands up and grabs her bag, gesturing towards the door. "I'd like to meet up again, sometime, though, so feel free to leave a note at the door if no one's home!"
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