open ] can you understand being alone so long

[doctorofdeath]

Her arrival into the city of Chicago had been quiet, easily missed, just another wanderer pulled from their world and brought here. There had been the typical feelings of disorientation, confusion, uncertainty, fear. The fear hadn't abated yet, and had in fact gained some strength in the last few days, as her mind begins to accept that this is

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[smithnjones]

Martha Jones steps out of the Kashtta Tower, releasing a breath as she heads down the stairs for the moment. She isn't even going anywhere at the moment though she frequently has about a handful of places to go every day. It's been hard to leave the Tower with everything that's been going on there. She feels as though if she did leave, the entire Tower would collapse like the Conrad did before it.

She's only outside to breathe the fresh air. There was simply the overwhelming need to step away from the stuffiness that exists indoors at the moment. Even though she's only been out here for a moment, she already feels worlds better. Some of the tension in her shoulders relaxes

[doctorofdeath]

Maura is pulled out of her reverie by the voice, and before she takes another sip of coffee, she turns her head towards the source, smiling softly. A lot of what she knows about the city is still so new that it's entirely too premature to conclude anything. She's heard things, though, about angels and demons and "wanderers," and is astute enough to begin piecing a lot of it together by now. But Maura is never purposefully judgmental (even if she'll say things sometimes that are just perfectly logical questions to her, but which may have broader, more offensive meaning to others), and wouldn't presume anything about the young girl approaching her without some frame of reference.

She smiles, and looks up at the sky, then back to Martha. "Actually, outdoor air is oftentimes cleaner than the air indoors. Our sensory perceptions, and what we observe with our own eyes, make us believe otherwise. It does feel fresher."

[smithnjones]

"Really? I hadn't realized that. It definitely feels that way at times, yes," Martha says quietly, smiling slightly because she likes learning new facts. She's always been smart, but her expertise is more toward the medical field and the business field once she fell through the Rift. The latter she learned while having a hotel hoisted on her by a First Angel who died suddenly

[doctorofdeath]

"The air indoors is prone to inadequate ventilation, and generally has a higher concentration of gases and particles, in contrast with the air outside," she expounds further, simply used to conveying information that she knows. This is also why she didn't have many friends growing up, or even as an adult for a long time.

Once the young girl introduces herself, and mentions she's in charge of the Tower, Maura perks up even more. "Dr. Maura Isles," her smile broadens as she reaches out to shake Martha's hand. Of course, to some, the fact that she includes the title of 'doctor' with her name would seem to be arrogant. But to Maura, it's simply who she is. It's a fact that she's a doctor, there's no hidden meaning to it. "I arrived a few days ago. The existence of this place at all seems entirely fatuous, but as I've eliminated most external explanations for my presence here, I have to accept that this is all...real, and not simply a hallucination, or a product of traumatic brain injury."

[and_dontgetcute]

There's coffee, and then there's coffee.

It's nothing against the Kashtta cafeteria. It is good -- most of the time -- but there was a great coffee place not too far from there that had the best beans Flack had ever had. Add to the fact that the woman blended in a bit of cinnamon, and something else his rift ability hadn't quite figured out yet, and Flack was a happy camper.

If you thought he'd been a foodie before? His rift power has now made him twice as bad.

He's coming back to his office near the Kashtta, cup of coffee in hand, when he notices the woman standing on the stairs. She reminds him a bit of Stella, in the way she dresses at least, and that's enough for him to make the approach.

"Nice morning."

Even after a year in Chicago, he still sounds distinctly New York.

[doctorofdeath]

Maura does tend to be a bit more fastidious when it comes to her coffee, even if she'll consume that mediocre coffee in the cafeteria of police headquarters when the need for caffeine overrides her usual standards. The taste and smell awaken so many memories for her, though, and that might be at least half the reason she's got the cup of coffee in her hands today.

Despite everything, it is a nice morning. And the man addressing her has a friendly face, so she smiles at him before responding.

"It has been nice so far," she agrees. His accent is noticeable, and she can't help remarking on it. "Your accent is distinctive; inner city...New York?"

[and_dontgetcute]

"You're good," he says with a smirk. "But I guess an accent like that tends to stand out in a place like this."

He shifts his coffee cup to his free hand before moving closer, extending a hand to her. "Don Flack. I don't think I've seen you around before." Especially not coming out of the Kashtta. He tends to keep track of stuff like that, or at least tries to.

[doctorofdeath]

She's aware that her accent will be more difficult to pinpoint: upper-crust Bostonian, not as easily traceable as the accent he has. But not as cute as his accent, either.

"I am good, though I only dabble in phonology," she says this very politely, no trace of arrogance in her tone. She knows that she's good at a great many things, and wouldn't deny that, but she's also quick to compliment others. It's not egotism or conceit on her part, it's not an attempt to elevate herself above everyone else. It's more a naive self-awareness, an acknowledgment of her skills, and what she's capable of, and an inability to be humble if it means lying about the fact that she is good at something. She is, of course, fully capable of admitting to something she is not good at.

The awkwardness she carries herself with should be a good indication that she's not a braggart, as well. She's also very eager when she shakes his hand. "Dr. Maura Isles. You wouldn't have seen me, no, I only just arrived a few days ago."

[smileforaliving]

Neal is actually heading in the opposi8te direction, though he does happen to have a cup of coffee in his hands as well.

he has found that, if he wants a good night's sleep, going somewhere that is not. the Kashtta is pretty much a must at this point. His choices are rather limited considering his radius but there are at least a couple of hotels that he considers worth staying in.

Of course, he has to get the money to stay in them but that's no problem either.

He's heading back into the Kashtta, probably to go bug Peter when he notices her. She's a face he doesn't recognize and that strikes him as interesting. While he doesn't claim to know everyone who calls the Kashtta home, he does try and make it a point to be at least marginally aware of everyone around.

"Did you get that from the Tower," he questions, gesturing towards the coffee with an arched brow. She'll probably get directed towards somewhere that actually has respectable coffee if she says yes.

[doctorofdeath]

The first thing she notices about Neal is that he's very physically attractive; that's something she's never shy about admitting to herself, or anyone else, for that matter. So when she looks at him to respond, her smile is particularly friendly.

"Yes," she looks down at her cup, "it's mediocre, but it has the desired effect, which is increased energy, and a heightened sense of awareness."

[smileforaliving]

This is the first thing a lot of people notice about Neal, so she is not in the minority.

He smiles back at her, his expression amused. "Yeah, that's generally why people go for coffee. There's a better place a few blocks down and sometimes there's this woman who comes around with a cart. She has an excellent selection."

[doctorofdeath]

Maura is also not shy when it comes to flirting, and she has her eye on him a bit now. Her preoccupation with Chicago, and the Rift, makes her less forthcoming for the moment, though.

"Oh, really? Well, what would you recommend at this place?"

[willnotbemine]

Lena was out for her morning jog.

As is usual with her and her short attention span, she was distracted from the run. One thing led to another led to another, and the jog began far later than usual. It's late in the morning when she comes to a stop by the Kashtta, panting heavily. She braces her hands on her knees.

"I... used to be in better shape," she says as if it's a declaration, smoothing her hair into a ponytail. Lena straightens back up and notices she is not talking to herself. Thankfully, Lena has no problems talking to strangers. "It's hot today, isn't it? I kind of long for winter, until it comes and all the blanket forts in the world don't make a difference."

[doctorofdeath]

The other woman has good form when she runs, that's something Maura notices first, simply because it's hard to ignore. Maura enjoys running, herself, though like everything, she likes to spend a certain of time studying all the best techniques, all the ways she could possibly improve her performance.

Maura doesn't find anything particularly odd about the random conversation with a stranger. "There are any number of reasons for the shortness of breath you're experiencing right now," she offers. "Dehydration, inadequate allotment of time for stretching, atrophy of the muscles. The human body is remarkably resilient, though. If you get back into a routine again, it shouldn't be as difficult in a few weeks."

Maura takes another sip of her coffee. "I do have an affinity for colder weather myself."

[willnotbemine]

Lena turns to her, unable to not look a bit impressed with that. Underneath the admiration is a small level of amusement. "I'll accept any and all of these reasons over my butt getting lazy!" she says cheerfully, smiling over at her and stretching out her arms. "I like running, though. Clears my mind so I'll definitely be getting back into it."

She laughs a little. "Rainstorms are my favorite," she says, and then she stretches out a hand. "Lena Austen. I don't think I've seen you around the Tower."

Not that she lives there, but she's been hanging out at the Kashtta for mission-related purposes, and part of that's included eying new residents.

[doctorofdeath]

"Well, the muscles of the gluteus maximus can certainly sag if you don't engage in any sort of exercise regimen that specifically targets that muscle group, though it can't be technically lazy. The laziness is tied to the mind, which can be harder to train and overcome at times," she offers an amused smile. She does know it's not easy to get out there and workout all the time. "I do enjoy running, too. I actually tried to run the Boston marathon with my best friend, though we were interrupted by a corpse."

Maura reaches out to shake her hand in return. "Dr. Maura Isles. I just arrived here a few days ago, which is why you wouldn't have seen me before. There are things here which challenge my concept of reality, it's been an adjustment, to say the least."

[ramblinmann]

Randall isn't sure what he wants to do with his day, but he knows that he doesn't want to sit around his room or any other part of the Tower. He wants to go out and do something. He wants to not be here. He will freely admit that the Tower kind of weirds him out, but he's not really sure why. He just feels more comfortable when he's out and around in the city.

He's standing just outside of the Kashtta. He has his own cup of coffee that he got from the kitchen, and he's holding it in one hand as he looks down at his iPod and searches for a good song to start his walk with. It feels like something more than a tried and true kind of morning, so he's not sure what to go with. When he finally lands on something he presses play, grins, and turns to start walking.

He doesn't mean to turn into Maura. He pulls back his cup before it can spill on her, and he yanks the earbuds from his ears. "Oh! Wow, I'm...I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

[doctorofdeath]

Maura's head is turned in the opposite direction, people-watching, focused on the movements of everyone far beyond her. She's certainly not paying attention to her other side, or to the fact that a man's about to bump into her. It's a simple mistake, though, and despite being initially startled, she's more concerned that he's spilled some scalding hot liquid on himself than anything.

"Oh, no, no, it's okay, really. You didn't spill your coffee, did you?" It doesn't appear so, but she has to check, anyway. "My mind was elsewhere, I didn't notice you, myself."

[ramblinmann]

He doesn't spill the coffee on himself either, thankfully, but he does laugh a bit. "No, I'm fine, really."

His grin is wide and friendly. "So we're both to blame, it's okay. I think it's easy to get distracted around here." He slides his iPod into his pocket for the time being and takes a step out of her personal space.

"There's really no telling where my big feet will land me," he jokes.

[doctorofdeath]

"I was admiring the aesthetic of the building across the street," she remarks, smiling a little sheepishly. Now that gets a good look at him, she notices just how physically attractive he is. Very symmetrical.

And then she looks down at his feet, then back up at him to say, very matter-of-factly, "The metatarsus of your feet are elongated, though it would be unfair to blame them for the accident; your focus was simply elsewhere." There's not a shred of judgment in her voice, just a frank statement of fact, as she sees it.