star of wonder, star of night

[titaniumsinging]

In a quieter corner of the gardens near Stigmata, populated mostly by small streams and a series of ornamental ponds, a clear and pleasant soprano is singing a series of Christmas carols, most with a distinct emphasis on the 'Christ

Comments

[oleanderknife]

Hasibe and fire have an interesting relationship where it is so much a part of her and what she does not even surgeries could take the ability away; it still sometimes something that happens to her accidentally, or rather comes from her accidentally. But she manages it, and when it is controlled, it's certainly something to admire, so she stands in her heels and dress a little ways away, smiling faintly.

Just observing.

[titaniumsinging]

Gloria is physically unassuming in every sense - short, slight, wearing jeans and a plain green t-shirt with heavy boots, with a heavy winter jacket and a sweater abandoned underneath a bench. There's no lack of heat here, even if part of this practice involves learning how to contain it.

She finishes her song ('God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen') and takes a deep breath, pushing her hair back from her shining forehead, and then she notices her audience and looks torn between embarrassment and glowing exultation.

"Um- hi!" Judging by her smile, guess which one wins.

[oleanderknife]

Hasibe is somewhat dressed for the Ithaca weather--there's a white Balenciaga coat folded over a chair edge nearby--but for the given value of...her, which means she conceded to wearing stockings with her dress. Her own smile broadens, and she takes a step forward, apparently totally unfazed by the fire. (Although...given what she is and what Gloria is a member of, this could potentially be interesting on a number of levels.)

"Hi, yourself. I hope I'm not interrupting?"

[titaniumsinging]

"No-" Gloria turns her gaze upwards, briefly, and lifts her hands to close them slowly into fists, as she hums down the scale, the 'me re do' of it almost audible. The flames, already flickering without her focus, extinguish entirely.

"I was about to take a break anyway," she says, lowering her arms to her sides as she smiles at Hasibe again, and this is a lie, but she does need to take one. So interruptions are good. "I'm not- this isn't your garden? It's hard to tell here, but I can move, if you want me to."

[oleanderknife]

"It's everybody's garden, really, I just come here occasionally to think--" And roughly concurrently to this a big dog (puppy, really, but nearly grown and massive enough it's hard to tell) comes bounding after Hasi, and she gives Huan a mildly reproachful look when he tucks himself against her leg.

"I'm Hasibe. Chevalier errant here attempting to herd me into a chair is Huan. You were very good," she adds, "not a lot of people can channel into form so well."

Fire alone is simple. Controlling its shape, when it is inherently devouring and destructive when left to its own unchecked devices, is another matter altogether, but...well, Hasi has experience with that sort of thing, too.

[titaniumsinging]

"Thank you." She smiles at the ground, subdued by both the compliment and the fact that she's no longer channeling all the brightness of that through herself. "I- normally the problem I have is I can't sustain it, not like that. I'm better with light."

"And that's...shop talk, I'm Gloria, it's nice to meet both of you."

[oleanderknife]

"Mmm, I see." She won't presume and offer advice--what they do probably comes from ...slightly different places (though not all that different), but she does loop fingers through Huan's collar to keep him from going over to Gloria like 'A PERSON, IS SHE PACK, CAN I SNIFF HER, WILL SHE FEED ME, CAN I HERD HER TO SAFETY!!'.

"I like the song, too--it's Christian, yes?"

[titaniumsinging]

"Yes- wait, Hasibe as in H-a-s-i-b-e?" She's slow, slightly exhausted, and never had good reading comprehension. (Fact: when she's alone, she still mouths what she's reading as she goes over it, because it's easier for her that way.)

[oleanderknife]

"That's the one," she confirms, grinning, "the Nexus likes to do this--conveniently, mind you."

This is how she's met a few people, Henry among them, back in the day. It's like the Nexus wisely decides Hasibe must be given to people sparingly so that they understand that while she can initially appear calm, she is actually the sort of person who dances with whips made of fire while half-naked for money, presently.

[titaniumsinging]

"It is very convenient!" So this is delightful. She grins back, shaking her head. "I'm sorry I never got back to you, I've been busy - not now, you could probably tell, but before, I swear."

[oleanderknife]

"Oh, please don't worry, I know how it is--with auditions and everything half the time when I put anything up in that place, I end up abandoning it three hours later--I feel so unreliable! --Huan, honestly."

Huan is straaaaining forward with ears perked, managing to bump Gloria with his face curiously.

[titaniumsinging]

"The short attention span of the internet-" She wasn't quite paying attention to Huan, so when he bumps into her it's a surprise; she flinches back and laughs, awkwardly, holding her hands up with the awareness she should probably pet him and a deep reluctance to follow through on that.

"Hey, boy."