behind the cellar door

”Safety in numbers?” He questions and she nods her head in a bright way – her dark hair dancing along her shoulders with the movement, slightly obscuring the haggard X on the side of her neck. But soon enough, they’re home, and she waits patiently on the doorstep of her ransacked home to allow him to pass. But he poises a question first, and she nods her head again as she turns to look back at the two floor home. “It needs a lot of work, but according to everyone it’s abandoned so I took it over.” She shrugs lightly as if it’s nothing big. But the task to fix it up is a big one, and likely one she’ll need friends with. At least it’s enclosed and warm, and safe for the most part. As he steps beside her and enters the home, she closes the door behind them to keep the warmth in. There isn’t a lot here – a few discarded fur wraps and extra jackets she’d found in the dressers in the floors above. She offers him a smile as he speaks, moving toward the oil lamp to the side of the fireplace and turns it higher to allow for more light. Then, she goes to work to light some of the other candles around the area. After she’s completed that task, she turns to the fireplace and tosses a few pieces of wood within before igniting those – though not without staring into the fire and reminiscing over her abilities. A small sigh slips from her lips, but she turns back to Seiji and gestures to the chairs that make up most of the living area. They’re old and not the best, but at least it’s something. Suddenly, she thinks that she should offer him something else – like water after all of the drinking they’d done. Stepping toward the kitchen, she grabs two glasses, mismatched but useable and fills them before returning. She sets his on the stand closest to him, beside the edge of one of the chairs, before she removes her jacket and furs and is left in a long sleeve sweater of sorts, pulling her hair back to place in a small braid. She sits and glances to him with a small smile. “Shouldn’t take long to warm up now, hopefully.” She says quietly, staring back at the fire as the light of the room finally takes shape. There’s pain missing and chipping in the corners, but it looks well decorated despite everything that likely happened to it. Absently, she raises a hand to rub against the X scar on her neck as if to reassure herself it’s there before letting her hand drop and taking a deep sip of her water. “It’s not much but… It’s better than sleeping out in the street.” She announces, looking through the veiled window at the snow that’s falling. KiadA and here you come, with a shield for a heart, and a sword for a tongue.

coding