It's evening in the back room of the Jewish Bookstore, and Gisa is settled on one of the couches like she owns the damn place or something. She is leaning against the arm, a pillow tucked between her arm and that of the couch. Propped on the end of that same couch arm is a half-full glass of red wine, balanced neatly. One ankle's propped on the opposite knee, forming a platform on which she can rest her book -- a battered volume that's clearly well-loved and quite old, with post-its sticking out of various pages and notations in the margins. Things underlined. That sort of thing. Her right hand balances the book, holds a pen, turns pages right to left occasionally, and sometimes makes a little note in a margin or underlines something. Thoughtful Golem Face. The shin on her forehead glows with a gentle, steady light. If this seems like a way that people have seen Gisa before, well, it's not like goylomim are the most innovative of creatures when it comes to daily activities. They run on routine, almost compulsively so.
Alonso has been earning his keep around the store being Gisa's errand boy. But it's fairly evident the wanderer is getting a little stir crazy. He's got his gear collected and on one of the tables and is cleaning it, polishing it, and generally treating it as though it's going to be time to use it before long. The item of his present focus is a bow, currently unstrung. It's clearly hedgespun, looking a bit like it might be very old ivory. But very probably not, given the givens. He's whistling to himself, a decidedly Spanish tune by melody and rhythm both. Just needs some castanettes, really.
Dielle shows up in the back of the shop, peeking in and then coming in fully once she sees the room is inhabited. She's got a gallon jug with her. In it is a brown liquid that looks cold. She's wearing a t-shirt of a unicorn with a headpiece around its horn and a cape, that reads "Sarcasm is my superpower". She's accompanied by a mentor-bug.
Robbie came in with Dielle in tow. Someone mention a welcome cockroach infestation? One seemed to be showing up with a tiny thimble, wherein had dirt, and a teeny tiny succulent. There was no ceremony but he reached out extending it to Gisa and carefully handed the miniature thing over. He signed <<Not much of a snack so I didn't eat it, but it was cute and thought it would make you happy>> Withthe black hollow eyes, and the layers, and coagulating shadows and blue sparkle flecks in his eyes there was little mistaking the Brother of Silent Nights. Not always a great omen, but hey neither are bugs. Rock, meet bottom. Generous bottom dweller at least. A look was given to teh Spaniard with an uptilt of his head and a wave.
Some cockroach guests are welcome. "Do we need to go into the Hedge to gather fruit, so you do not clean your weaponry until there is nothing left of it, Alonso?" Gisa might be totally serious -- it appears that she might well be, her monotone never really gives much away -- and she slowly rises from her seat when the most welcome bug infestation and his apprentice arrive. "Thank you, Rorschach," she offers, "I will put it with the others. It is very sweet of you to bring me a gift." And then Dielle gets one hand rested on her shoulder in greeting. From Gisa, that's practically a hug. "Shalom, my friend. Can I get either of you something to drink? How are you both?"
"I go where I feel I am needed, Gisa. With the murdered dead, I am at a loss for knowing what use I might be here. If you have need of hedgefruit, then yes, we should go gather it. The road is a long one, and it has many stops along the way. This is but one for me, yes?" Alonso responds to the cockroach's uptick of his head by dipping the brim of his hat with his fingers and offering a smile. "Good evening again, my friend." He pushes up from the table and slides the bow back into his bag. With company present, there's no need to distract himself. "And I hear congratulations are in order?" This to Rorschach, no doubt in reference to the aforementioned murderer's capture. Such as it was.
"Actually, I brought you something to drink. Peppermint tea sweetened with maple syrup, and not very much of it. I made it hot and cooled it down, it's pretty good." Dielle puts the jug down and pats Gisa's hand on her shoulder, a little awkwardly. "Alonso, are you sworn to the Freehold yet? Because if so, there's stuff we could tell you to explain why you should stay. If not, kinda can't. It's awkward."
Robbie shrugged an expression and signed to Alonso letting the others translate, but also not doing injustice to teh man to not direct his attention to the person he was talking to. Could be why he hung back a bit, to not block view of his hands. It was the equivilent therein of not turning your back on half the group so spoken words were cut off in polite conversation. Creature of subtle courtesies. <<Glad we are to end another nightmare. I'm not one to celebrate the hunt so much mourn that it was necessary lest I become like them. Appreciation though, is noted. Took many of us.>>
"It never hurts to have more hedgefruit put aside," answers Gisa to Alonso, rolling her shoulders. "It was our intention to hunt him more deliberately, but it is what it is." Because Nana is terrifying and accidentally kills people. Just saying. Her attention swings to Dielle, and then she raises her eyebrows as Dielle brings tea. "I'll grab glasses." And so she does, her hands clinking against the glasses almost musically as she brings them out of the cupboards. She translates for Rorschach, giving a word-for-word as he talks.
Alonso attends Rorschach as Gisa translates for him, bobbing his head once in understanding. "True. Deaths weigh heavy on us all. I simply wished to express my relief that it is over and no others will go missing because of the killer. It is a cold comfort, I know." Alonso finishes zippering up his bag and removes it from the table so that it can be used for hospitality, carrying his things over to the corner to set them down out of the way. Dielle is considered once that is done, his expression set in a thoughtful frown. "That is a difficult situation. You see, I am an anarchist by personal ethos. Anarcho-socialist, if we're being precise. When it comes to doing what needs to be done for my friends and my comrades, I will act with selfless and single-minded determination. The whims of crowns, on the contrary, are of very little interest to me. Very little motivation. Which is not to say that I look down upon you all for having sworn, or think poorly of your very necessary mistrust and caution. Simply that for me? Swearing an oath to serve a stranger and potentially several strangers in a row chosen by the whims of the Wyrd which has already afflicted me with prophetic visions such that I have very little reason to trust its judgment... well. That gets more complicated, you must understand." Alonso considers the matter for a moment more before asking, "Is the problem you cannot elaborate upon very much an existential threat to the people here? Do you *need* my help, not necessarily per se, but in a general sense? For this I might swear as a matter of convenience in service to the greater obligations I have to you all as comrades. If only for a season or so until the matter is safely resolved."
Dielle says, truthfully, "That's the problem. I don't know how much of a threat it is. And it's a threat to the freehold. I just suspect that before the end, we'll need as many warriors as we can get, and yet, I can't say more than that. Which is partially because I don't really know a lot about it." She helps Gisa with the glasses and says, "Who wants tea?"
Robbie signed to Alonso frankly <<Yeah I ain't a huge fan either, but I'm hoping a legacy of productive working togetherness erupts in our wake upon my retirement.>> He cracked and grin and had a particular love for anarchy to no oen's surprise. He looked to DIelle and nodded, his eyes followed Gisa and asked her curiously <<I'd ask if you need help but I know better. I'd ask if you want any but you wouldn't want to trouble us. So I'm going to say I will help you can you guide me in what way I can make your day less a burden to you?>> Hecatches on and really they were all together wholly different in that regard of not wanting to bug people...no pun intended.
Translation comes from Gisa, speaking to Alonso what Rorschach signs; she sets the glasses out, and steps back, letting Dielle pour portions of this special drink she's brought. And then, to Rorschach, she answers: "If you would like to choose one of the pots where the succulent isn't crowded and choose for it a friend, I would like that." The bug is, indeed, learning how to wrangle a golem. Lastly, though, she turns to look at Alonso. "It is a seasonal pledge, no longer. So you can choose or not choose every season, depending on whether you think someone is, or is not, a... what is the word, ahum, 'jack ass.' There is -- there are -- several things with which you could help, from what I know of you so far." Which may or may not include 'not making fun of copper wire jewfros' just saying.
"Summer will be upon us soon," Alonso observes, "I suppose it will do me no particular harm to serve until then. And it will no doubt easy all of your nerves more than a little." Alonso considers Gisa, of all people, as he seems to be weighing the matter. As though she were of some particular sum in all of his calculating. "And if you take me up on my offer, I would need to be around more in any case. So. Yes. I suppose I can swear to your freehold. I will see to it tomorrow, as I am in for the evening." Decision made, he waggles a finger Rorschach's way, "I suppose this means I should find a way to pledge for sign language. Making Gisa or Dielle translate for me is inconvenient and rude, when other options are available."
Dielle looks momentarily proud. "Kinda had to learn it. Don't help when I can't communicate with my teacher in the way that's easiest for him, y'know?" She takes a deep breath, lets it out and commences pouring. It turns out peppermint tea sweetened with real maple syrup is way, way tastier than it has any right to be. It's not a /lot/ of syrup, so it just gives the tea a complexity that it didn't have before. "And I don't find pledging to a freehold to be any harder than pledging to a person. Frequently easier, since all I /really/ have to do is not murder other freehold citizens. I can manage that, most of the time."
Robbie signed back to Alonso, <<I'm a bug. I ask for no consessions on my account, but all are appreciated, neighbour>> There was a smile that warmed from teh roach. But there was a grin that sharpened to a keen edge as Gisa relented what he COULD do to her as favour and with no other commentery focused on that singular task tending to the succulents to assuage his concerns of taking care of their host.
Moving a sleepy Alonso.
Allons-y, Alonso! Off to the little caballero's room with you, or whatever. "Well, he could learn it, or he could pledge for it, whatever works for him." The long look that Alonso gives her when he's weighing the matter has the golem turning sort of awkwardly aside. The shin on her forehead gutters and flares briefly, and she clears her throat. "Not murdering people is one of my specialties," she offers drily to Dielle. "Usually." That's probably golem humor. Probably. She takes the glass that Dielle's poured for her, and raises it in salute, with the tradtional "L'chaim!" before tasting. And then she stands there for a few minutes, clicking her ceramic tongue against the roof of her mouth. Really tasting it.
Dielle grins and says, "Cheers!" She sips her own tea, and makes sure Rorschach has his own. Then she chooses a couch and flops on it. Since Alonso's gone, she says, "Does anything know what's up with the Soundless? By the way, Rorschach, that was a HELL of a poem. Me and Jon were in the back."
Robbie signed unhelpfully <<They are quiet. Unlike Cardinal and I haveing an argument.>> bug humor. He climbed down from teh bookshelf which really involved the tall, lanky bug, to be up on his toes to sort things out. He came back and pressed his lips together itching behind an antenna, <<thankyou. Really. It was that one, the one of escaping addiction, or the one of escaping the ppast. Was feelin this one most>>
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