@vdova ; video

[waytodie]

[Her hair is in two messy twin braids. Her eyes are glassy. The sharp-eyed might notice she's probably, definitely drunk. The less-so might just assume she's overly tired. Her tongue presses into her cheek as she considers how to start this one, but in the end she just rips the bandaid off quickly: ]

So, tell me, how is it that you handle grief?

[She probably won't be elaborating on why she's asking, unless she has a certain level of familiarity with you, but you can try. People closest to her probably already know what this is really about: Her sister is gone. From Moorecroft. From Etraya. From the top side of the dirt. Gone and back to dead, and Yelena is spiraling.]

Comments

[matermali]

I am not one to offer advice on any 'proper' way to go about it, truth be told. What I do know is that you are not alone here, even if you feel otherwise.

[ Coffee never hurts, either. ]

I can brew us something of finer quality than what the café has on offer, if you are of a mood to come by the house.

[ Any supplies that came with the house are limited quantity, but this should count as a worthy use. ]

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[waytodie]

It definitely feels like it right now.

[And it's kind of strangely nice that someone pointed it out? Like somehow in this one singular case, she's almost okay with being seen in that way. She doesn't know how to make sense of that, so she chooses instead to simply ignore it for now.]

Yeah... all right. Thanks, Vanessa. [She disconnects the feed and pulls herself together as much as she can for the moment before heading out, winding her way through the streets of the city toward the old Victorian place she'd been to before when she'd first met the woman. She knocks on the large front door with the side of her hand and waits.]

[matermali]

[ The knock at the door draws Vanessa from her preparations. With a gentle twist, she opens the door, her eyes immediately softening at the sight of Yelena.

She steps back, gesturing for her guest to enter. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts from deeper within the house. ]

Welcome. Please, come in.

[ Her voice is low, warm despite its slightly husky quality. As Yelena enters, Vanessa closes the door behind her, then leads the way towards the parlour. It's dimly lit, with heavy curtains drawn against the outside world. A small table near two plush armchairs and sofa holds a silver coffee service, steam rising gently from the pot.

For now, the fireplace remains dormant. ]

Make yourself comfortable. How do you take your coffee?

[waytodie]

Hi. [She greets her as she steps inside, voice flatter than usual, but that's probably not exactly a surprise, given the circumstances of their meeting this time.

She follows Vanessa through the house, still in a bit of a marvel over how fancy it all feels. She picks out one of the chairs and folds her arms around her middle, letting out a soft breath before she answers: ]

A little cream, enough sugar to take out the bitter and not ruin the flavor. [Beat.] Thank you.

[matermali]

Of course.

[ Once Yelena's cup is prepared and set in front of her, Vanessa 'sits' (leans, really) against the armrest of the sofa with a cup of her own—nothing added, so she must wait a few extra moments for it to cool down. ]

Would you like to talk about it?

[ Not about the coffee, although she won't protest if Yelena feels like sharing a surprise obsession. ]

[waytodie]

I'm not even sure what to say. [She admits, her voice smaller than it's usual vibrance would indicate.] I just want the pain to go away.