maskormenace | TWO ❀ TEXT.

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TWO ❀ TEXT.

( guess who's back, back again? here she is, the grumpy savior, and... unbelievably, she's doing kind of okay. not, you know, great... but kind of okay.

she comes as a woman on a mission, though... however embarrassing it is. )

easy to pick up hobbies that you do with your hands, and go

sidebar: does anyone want a dreamcatcher? because I've got a lot of dreamcatchers.

( no seriously. a lot of dreamcatchers. she can get about an hour of sleep a night on a good night, so far, and the rest of her nights are spent failing at crafting and making dreamcatchers. )

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A musical instrument. Piano or guitar, I would think. What is a dreamcatcher?

not sure I have the skill for piano. guitar maybe. do you play?

it's basically a woven net of sorts. folklore says it can catch nightmares but I can't really say I believe that. they're pretty, though.

I do. Both, actually. I actually found piano to be easier, though admittedly I think it takes longer to learn. Which doesn't really make sense, now that I think about it. If you are giving them away, I would like one then.

I can see it. guitar has a limited amount of variation, compared to a piano.

sure. I've got plenty for the taking. I work at a party planning company in Heropa, think you could come around and pick it up?

Either way, if one of them catches your attention, I recommend it. Music can be very cathartic. I believe that can be arranged, yes.

might be worth a shot, but the process of learning might work against me. it'll take longer than I want to wait.

then come on down and take your pick. there's plenty to choose from.

I would think the learning itself would be a distraction, too. When would you be there?

might be the wrong kind of distraction. I want to turn my head off, not keep it buzzing over what I'm trying to learn.

it's a 9-5, unless I'm out for an event. and those are generally off the clock anyway. no weekends.

It is your choice, of course. I'm sure there are other things you could also do. Art, maybe? I shall stop by tomorrow, then.

it's been suggested. I might look into a class or something. nearly failing high school art made me decide I was incapable, but maybe I was just too stubborn to try.

I'll see you then.

Creative fields of study can be frustrating until they click. I'm sure you'll find something. Indeed.

[ooc: Any interest in an action thread?

I'll find something. trust me.

thanks for the advice, and I'll see you soon.

[It is early afternoon the following day when the redhead steps quietly into the store, glancing around. She'd realized halfway there that she didn't actually know what Emma looked like, but she could ask, right?]

[The idea of a party planning company reminded her of Sybil a little more than she liked, but she was putting that out of her mind as she closed the door behind her and turned to scan the room for an employee.]

( the receptionist is overly cheerful with an incredibly bright smile — it dampens a little when the request is made. the girl promises to call the dreamcatcher lady up anyway, leaving a bit of time to admire the lobby. there's a bunch of pink, glitter, and princess themed decorations; and a bunch of pictures of delighted little girls. even the staff seemed to be doused in that aesthetic.

when Emma herself shows up, though, she doesn't seem to have bothered. jeans and a loose sweater, and her hair piled on her head instead of much care put into her appearance. she's not what one would call a star employee. she does her job and tries to do her best to make kids happy on their big day, but she's not cut out for princess life. ironically.

since she didn't exchange names, for a moment she's uncertain, lifting a brow. ) You don't look like you're in the market for a princess party, so I'm guessing you're here for a dreamcatcher? Come on, my office is back here. ( she nods back that way, and heads toward it a beat later. ) Emma, by the way. Got a name?

[Red offered the woman a smile and a nod when she approached, moving to fall into step next to her as they headed further into the building. As was her habit now, she slipped her phone from her pocket before the conversation really started, and one-handed typed up a few words after Emma's question.]

['My name is Red. It's nice to meet you in person.' was written on the screen. She'd even figured out how to make the font for this big enough to be readable at a glance.]

( the silence rings a few seconds before she turns her head and notices the offered message. huh. well, not was what she was expecting, but hey. why would it come up in conversation, anyway? she nods at the texts but her attention returns to Red's face when she answers. )

Red, huh? I have a friend that used to go by that. ( really long story, don't ask. she offers a tired smile to the introduction, though. even though she seems visibly weary, Emma is trying not to let that completely wear down her mood. ) Nice to meet you in person, too.

( her office door is the only one hanging open, and she sweeps in and leans on her desk, and nods toward the pile on a chair near the door. ) There you go. Take as many as you want, the more the merrier. ( she had not been joking about the mass quantities, clearly; there's at least thirty stacked into the chair, all different colors and patterns and decorations, but all dreamcatchers nonetheless. )

[Red took a moment after she approached the dreamcatchers, looking them over, her expression clearly impressed. And then she typed something on her phone, and rather than show it to the nearby woman, tried something new...an app a friend had given her.]

[Which she pushed the button, her new Text-to-voice program kicked in, parsing out an artificial female voice from the screen that actually surprised Red.]

'They're lovely. And made by hand?'

[The voice said, and Red looked a tad embarrassed when it finished...but it was easier than showing people her screen, right?]

( Emma has dealt with text-to-voice before, so it doesn't surprise her quite as much. she nods, picking up one herself and running her thumb along the wooden frame. )

Yeah. I've got a lot of free time on my hands at night these days. ( it's no longer a particularly large secret, that Emma is dealing with a curse that renders her sleepless. still, it's not fun conversation, and she tries not to drag it out at random. especially with strangers. ) So I make these. My ex gave me my first, I've always liked them. Not sure they've ever managed to keep me from nightmares, though.

[Red reaches out to touch one of them, tracing her fingers lightly over the different threads before she types something into her phone.]

'I found few things will.'

[Nightmares were a subject she tried not to think too much on, given what her dreams had been since she'd arrived here. Too many regrets, too many things unspoken.]

[After a few moments she picked up one of the dreamcatchers, turning it over a few times. Hm.]

( Emma doesn't really have an answer to that, unfortunately. no, nightmares seemed to find you pretty well, no matter what you tried to do to avoid them. maybe magic could divert them, yet they seemed to creep up again all the same. she crossed her arms and watched Red admire the dreamcatchers, silent for a few paces before she spoke again. )

Find one you like? If there's not a color you're interested in, I might end up making one sooner or later if the rest of it doesn't work.

( she hadn't fallen asleep yet, but, making dreamcatchers was as close to a zen feeling as she could manage. maybe she just needed more practice and it'd work. )

'This one is lovely, really.' [Red typed again, letting the little machine talk and she turned to tuck the dreamcatcher into her purse.] 'Though if you make any more, I wouldn't mind seeing them.'

[She was an art nerd at heart, really. And these certainly counted for her. She typed some more as she turned back to Emma from the little pile of dreamcatchers.]

'Did you give any more thought to finding your hobby?'

Sure, if you want. I'll definitely be making them.

( Emma isn't sure she'd call them art, though it's unarguable that the more she makes them, the more complicated they seem to get. she can dedicate hours upon hours to making them and not even realize it, getting lost in the threads and the web until it's morning again. if only getting lost in it meant she'd find enough solace to sleep... maybe it was just a matter of time?

as for hobbies, well... she sighs. )

Well, kind of. I got a lot of suggestions, I'm gonna see if I can try the best of them. There were a lot that suggested painting or sketching, I'm pretty sure that's not for me.

[Red types some more as she walks over to Emma and her desk.]

'Honestly you won't really know what's for you until you try something. I adore languages, I studied them for my Selections, but I certainly didn't know I'd like them at first.'

[She hesitates then, making a hmm sound to herself, before she smiles.]

'Just a moment.'

[She shifts her bag on her shoulder, holding out her hand, and for a moment a strange green sword appears, the tip on the floor, the handle resting against her palm. Red closes her eyes, humming softly, and her other hand is surrounded by a swirling light. When it fades, she is holding a simple acoustic guitar.]

[The sword vanishes as swiftly as it appeared, and Red opened her eyes, smiling at her handywork before she set the instrument down against Emma's desk.]

'In case you decide to try it.' [She typed.] 'And in exchange for the dreamcatcher.'

Yeah, that's true. I'm not great at starting new things, but this is a good excuse to try.

( Emma doesn't like to fail, she'd intentionally avoid things she might succeed at just for the risk of not succeeding at them. this eased her frustrations, yes, but it also meant she missed out on things that weren't a sure thing. having to open her horizons was probably good for her, though it did needle her pride the more she tried and failed and had to try again.

she's not unused to magic. once upon a time, that display might have troubled her. now, well, her eyebrows lift and her expression is more curious than anything. she wouldn't have expected it... but it is sort of the norm, in this place, to have something unexpected. )

That's quite a trick, ( she notes, stepping near to strum a few strings. she remembers when Neal used to play guitar for her; she'd thought it was the most romantic thing in the world. she doesn't know if she can do it justice, but the idea of learning so she can show Henry something his father had loved once is tempting. ) Thanks. It seems like an unfair trade, so take a spare if you want one.

[Red just smile at that, typing a bit more.] 'Think of it as a downpayment when you find yourself making more of them, then.'

[As far as she could tell, there didn't seem to be a downside to the things she made, so she was rather generous with them.]

'And thank you again. I hope you have luck with the guitar.'

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dreamcatcher - 2016-12-23 03:53 (UTC) - Expand

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yeah I'm game!

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Sorry for the delay.

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