Selection

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy had found herself in this library twice before. The first time, she had been intent to filter through an otherwise overlooked building in order to find something someone else couldn't. There had never been any indication that anything great would be there, but she tried anyway. And while she always had to expect that she might run into someone, she never expected to run into anyone like her.

The very next night, she went back. There was that odd sense of loss; like she had left something behind despite the fact athat she knew she had everything with her. She returned through the same high window as the night before.  Another interaction with the one who lived there; a fresh set of lips against hers and she had practically run from the feeling associated with it.

Then, she herself was gone. Travel and a single night in her hometown, and she was coming back again. The sun was slowly sinking behind the higher buildings; it was the first time she had set foot in that place  with daylight echoing through.

No one else was there. And really, that was perfect. No distractions for the work Lucy had to get done.

When the door opened, Lucy heard it from the second an initial sound was made. A few tension-filled second as as she waited to hear the footsteps allocated to that movement. It wasn't until she recognised them - and she could do so already - that she thought to make herself known. "It's just me." She called out; it wasn't as if it was strange to invite herself in. And it wasn't as if she would have noticed Lucy's still presence any other way.

[Penelope Blaise]

Two nights in a row, company had visited her. Although not staying for long, it was enough time to cause an impact. Rather than a ripple, as far as Penelope could, this woman was a tidal wave. One that washed over her and her home before sinking back into the ocean. The signs were still there, but she wasn't, nor was there any indication of her return, either.

After all, why would she show up again? It shouldn't have been a surprise. A disappointment on the next night when there was no sign of the thief.

While returning to her home, she walked in not expecting a visitor. Stepping through the threshold of the door, she locked it behind her. On top of that? An extra measure of security in the form of a bar that came across the length of the door. Tired, dark eyes still scanned the premises, as she always did. Intruders weren't common, but it was a safety measure that needed to be taken into consideration.

Often, she knew someone was there before they realized it. So when a voice called out to her before she was aware of a second presence, it startled Penelope more than usual. Her muscles tensed as her head shot in the direction, recognizing the accent before she could lay eyes on the returning visitor.

Setting down her bag on a table, Penelope took a few short steps closer to her. "I thought your people were better at this sneaking around thing."

[Lucy Serrano]

Confidence was all about capturing composure. As far as bluffing her way out of a situation, Lucy was a master. When she didn't come back, she knew she must have left questions behind; how does anyone break a cycle - however short - and expect to return without a word? Confidence. Captured composure. Bluffing.

"Good enough to announce myself after being here for hours." She replied, twisting around on the ball of her heel to finally catch sight of her. It was all about not following the knee-jerk reaction that came along with being face to face with someone. Keeping her eyes upwards and the corner of her mouth dragged into a grin; nothing more genuine, and no drop of her gaze to catch sight of slightly familiar lips.

"I could stand in your face and steal the contents of your back pocket, and you wouldn't have a clue." She added, a single raise of her eyebrows almost daring the theoretical challenge. Until her gaze dropped downwards to filter over what it was she was wearing.

[Penelope Blaise]

By the time the thief had turned, the surprise that had initially flooded her features had vanished, replaced with a practical stonewall expression. The grin she wore was practically irksome in its own way, as were the dark eyes that landed on her. Admittedly, it was hard - impossible, even - to read this woman. In return, she'd get nothing from the Brit, either.

So she'd been here for hours. Penelope crossed her arms. Was she waiting for her to return, or only chose to show up purposefully after Penelope had left for her errands. If she had, why was she still here? Questions flooded her mind as she lost eye contact, her back straightening with stiff muscles. Her palms pressed down against her dress, as if smoothing out the wrinkles and dust would help settle her mind as well as the fabric.

"Doubtful." Penelope replied with a raise of her own eyebrows in return, even if the Australian couldn't quite see the physical cue, her tone was challenging enough. Having caught the thief her first time breaking and entering, her own ego was bloated enough to take on the challenge.

"Why did you come back?"

[Lucy Serrano]

Doubtful. Lucy scoffed in an uncontrollable way, indicating towards her with her hand briefly. "Well, yeah, you don't have pockets." She denoted quickly, but it didn't stop the way her attention lingered over the fact. But both hands pressed against her own hips then, and she turned her attention away. It wasn't exactly easy to look away, but she did her best to make the thought as fluid as possible.

"I already did once." She replied, rolling her shoulders in a small shrug. And she wasn't about to let the concept hang around any longer than she needed to. An answer, and she should have been done with it.

"It's a bit darker in here. Darker than it was." She continued on, though this was the first time she'd been around with any kind of daylight present. "Half the windows are totally sealed. A few boarded up. Or locked properly. Or trapped; don't touch the higher ones."

"Instead of fourteen points of entry, now you've only got three."

[Penelope Blaise]

A valid observation from the thief and Penelope nodded. It was impossible to steal from a person's pockets if they didn't exist. As the Australian turned, it gave the opportunity for her own eyes to follow the curve of her form. A quick enough glance, but barely modest in its existence alone.

Yes, she had come back once. And then something happened, which lead to a night alone. Correlation hadn't always meant causation, but it seemed likely to be the case in this instance.

However, the chance to respond was never granted to her as the thief kept talking. The change of subject was was hard to keep track of, but she followed nonetheless. It wasn't until it was pointed out to her did she take notice in the darker state of her makeshift home. Candles often did the trick to light up the space at night, but this was different. It wasn't dark outside yet. So her attention turned to the windows, and as she pointed out, they were different.

"Why are you doing this?"

[Lucy Serrano]

With dark eyes turned upwards, Lucy missed everything offered to her. Or at her. She couldn't see the way Penny had glanced across her form, nor could she catch any potential confusion for her own movements and actions. Where she spent her time was that of her own choosing; no one could really own the library anyway. Yet somehow, the building was now completely associated with her.

There were no votes of thanks, and honestly, Lucy wasn't expecting one. Such words ran dry in a life like this; they were so rarely genuine, after all.

"Because," She replied, and she didn't look back; "Isn't it bloody obvious?"

And at that, she had to turn back around. She had to catch sight of anything the strange words might have launched. Though at a guess, she had to figure she was in for much more confusion. "You should be safe." Lucy concluded, raising her eyebrows in a rare look of brief clarity.

[Penelope Blaise]

Penelope almost laughed at the idea of something being so obvious. In a world where everyone was only looking out for themselves, she had trouble finding the obvious in an act such as this. Her eyes remained fixed on the various windows that were now properly sealed, unaware of the set of eyes that once again settled on her.

Safe. Was there such a thing as safe? A bitter thought, but it was pushed from the back of her mind in favor for the effort put into making a place like this more secure. Once a public building, it was no so overlooked that she didn't have to fight to claim it as her own. Now, it was hers.

The corner of her mouth twitched upward slightly. A barely existent smile warming her usually cold features as her gaze finally dropped back down to the person who did it all. With a daring step, she moved closer, but only slightly. "Leave the higher windows?"

[Lucy Serrano]

Lucy wondered how strained her own explanation sounded. She wondered if it was truly so hard to believe that anyone could put in so much effort for someone they didn't really know. Truthfully, it had surprised her too when the idea first struck; following a feeling had to be a point of call.

Of all the things that could have been questioned, Lucy didn't expect that. She glanced up at the windows that were now the product of their conversation. "If you open some of them from the outside, chances are you won't be breathing for much longer." She explained, though it was barely an explaination at all. And it clearly didn't bother her.

"But I left that one alone." She added loosely, waving her hand in the direction of the window she'd entered through. Not once, but three times now.

[Penelope Blaise]

Penelope kept a watchful eye on the other woman, or perhaps just a curious one. She could barely follow her sense of reason, but wasn't given the time to question it at all. Instead, her eyes were directed towards the first window she saw Lucy climb through. She followed the motion of her hand, landing on the windowsill that was untouched in any way.

She had to assume it was her mean of entrance as it was the time before, and the time before that. Pressing her hands together, Penelope stepped again, although to the side as she started a slow stroll around the space.

"Are you planning to stay then?" She asked, breaking the silence she herself had put in place. "You've seemed to have put a lot of effort into here."

[Lucy Serrano]

Everything in the new waste had a reason. Favours were never easy to come by, and nor was generosity of spirit by any means. The world as Lucy understood it now had lost the shade of humanity it evidently used to carry. She worked and ran in a faction that lived by such a proverbial code. Nothing was free, and that included work that was done, requested or not.

But she turned her attention back to the slow steps that circled the space. From the still-available window to the rest. She listened to the comfort that came with walking in a space practically owned.

"It's for you." Lucy offered finally, the remnants of a lighter tone dwindling on a breath; "You should be safe."

[Penelope Blaise]

Really, she couldn't be blamed for the reaction she gave. People always expected something in return, on some level. The idea that this woman wasn't confused Penelope on a whole new level. She did it as a favor, without being asked, to keep another individual she barely knew safe.

The burn of her first kiss still stung her lips. Penelope had assumed someone like Lucy - her entire group of people - would see it as nothing. She hadn't come back the night after, but she was here now. And, at the time, it certainly hadn't felt as if it were a mere passing moment.

She squeezed her own hands, coming to a stop and turning on her heel to face Lucy. Eyebrows rose, but more from surprise of her own words before they even passed her lips. "Thank you." She couldn't recall the last time she offered such a sentiment, let alone genuinely, to another individual.

[Lucy Serrano]

With paces at a halt, Lucy was back to studying the face she barley knew. There was surprise again; it seemed to be a regular occurance on her face, and it could become borderline offensive if she let it.

Was it so bad to be a little genuine?

"Yeah, well," Lucy started, because it was the best she could give in the form of a reply. Just as thanks was never offered, it was never received, and her reaction to it was weak. She wasn't one so easily thrown off guard.

"I turned up and you weren't here, so I..." a break in her chain as she shrugged her shoulders, "I realised how insecure it is here."

[Penelope Blaise]

Having stopped a decent distance from the other, Penelope now struggled to find her footing again. There was a strange pang of desire to bring herself closer, the same feeling the made it impossible to move her legs. Instead, she stared, studying the face that looked back her own. Dark eyes that were impossible to read despite how much could be said through eye contact alone.

She seemed surprised too, just as surprised to hear it as Penelope had been to say it. Although, it hadn't made the admission any less thoughtful. If she hadn't appreciated it, it would have been known.

"I've lived here for a while." She explained, although unsure if the explanation was needed or even wanted. "Most do not bother with a place like this, but the extra security is..." Penelope paused briefly, her eyes flicking down before she could resist the urge. "..comforting."

[Lucy Serrano]

Silence seemed to fall far too quickly, and it was so weighted that lucy didn't know how to react when it hit her shoulders. She hadn't considered how the interaction might go once she had done what she had done. It wasn't as it she expected to be asked to stay. Was that even what it was?

And now she was sharing details with the thief who expertly tripwired most available windows because she could. Because it seemed right. Because she had almost worried. Air felt trapped in her lungs, then. Eyebrows furrowed at the complete and sudden lack of any available words. Being so twisted was odd.

"For all I knew, you weren't coming back." She pointed out, losing caution as she breached the distance with a few simple steps.