ArchivedLogs:Intent

Intent
Dramatis Personae Isra, B, Shane
In Absentia	2014-12-14 Set just after eggtheft.
Location <NYC> The Grotto - Harbor Commons - Lower East Side
The basement of this home does not much resemble the upper levels at all. Stony and rather cave-like, its flooring is rock -- where it has flooring, anyway. The majority of the space in the center of the room is taken up by an indoor pool, of sorts, though the stone ledges around its edge and the tiny ripples of waterfall burbling down into it from stone steps leading in give it more the feel of an indoor /pond/. Somewhere in the side a door leads out to the riverside, and around one rocky wall a small bathroom /also/ has the feel of being carved out of the stone. For the most part, though, the room is just taken up by Pool -- though in the wall on the farthest side away from the pond there's been recessed shelving and storage space cut right into the stony facade. It's been oddly warm out today and it's warmer still in here. Damp as ever. Outside it's dark; dinner has finished, recently. In here it's dark, too, no lights on, though there's some glow from Bastian's holo-projector (currently projecting the intestines of some robot or other into the space beside the pool), as well as from one of his dragonflies -- currently hovering beside the pool, where it appears to be very /intently/ focusing attention on the large grey egg that is, at the moment, held in the hands of one small blue shark. The camera bag is resting at the edge of the pool, open and emptied of its contents. Said small blue shark is in the water, egg held in both webbed hands, claws tapping lightly against the eggshell. A low growl rumbles from the teenager's chest. Face pressed up against eggshell. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Shark #2 is perched on a ledge at the edge of the pool, also inspecting the egg. Also growling. Claws also extended. Eyes opened to their full (enormous) width, they take up the majority of the narrow blue face. Thin arms hug thin shins, and teeth are bared in a snarl. Rrr. Isra bounds down the stairs, wrapped only in a black-and-rainbow batik sarong. She stops at the edge of the pool and sinks down low on inhumanly long legs, wings pulled in close, tail lashes the air wildly. A faint growl rises from her chest and escapes through bared fangs. Her pupils have dilated so far that her irises are only thin green rings around the black. One of her ears flicks toward the drone, then the other at the egg. She starts walking around to the pool, the long way around, watching the twins appraisingly. As she goes, the growl softens to a barely audible rumble, and her tail sways slower. In the space of a few seconds she has traversed half the territory between savage beast and mild-mannered teacher, but the fangs stay bared. Both sharks keep teeth bared, as well. Twinned pairs of huge black eyes snap up to look at Isra. Thing 1 holds the egg close against the chest, face still pressed up against its shell. Snufflesnufflesnufflegrowl. Thing 2 slips further into the water with a quiet splash, moving to claim the egg instead. Arms curl snug around it, tucking the grey ovoid under the chin, teeth still bared and growl rumbling low. Thing 1's brow furrows, shoulders hunching inward and eyes moving from Isra to lock onto the egg. Isra comes to a stop and sink low. Taloned fingers curling down over the edge of the pool and digitigrade legs coil, ready to pounce. Her wings mantle out and her tail sweeps weaves slowly, catlike. One ear swivels warily toward the drone, but her eyes flick from one shark to the other. The volume of her growl increases again, but only because she has opened her mouth as if making ready to speak, though ultimately she does not. Only watches. Very intently. The drone only hovers, humming quietly and continuing to scan the egg. Thing 2 curls in further around the egg, growling louder in answer to Isra and watching her right /back/. Takes a step back, further away from the edge of the pool, black eyes just a hair wider. Thing 1 steps inward, between Isra and the other sharkpup. Black eyes shift back to Isra, claws slowly retracting to pull in to tiny pinprick points. The growling subsides, lips closing over sharp teeth. Isra goes completely still for a moment--eyes unblinking, even the tail freezing mid-motion. But then the growl dies in her throat, and her wings sag until the index phalanges come to rest on the floor. She sits back on her heels, looking suddenly haggard. Thing 2 gradually stops growling, as well. Slowly. Gills start to open again under the water. Thing 1 stretches out an arm, hand turned upward. Thing 2 stares, for a while. But then places the egg gently in the upturned palm. Thing 1 is slow to move back towards the edge of the pool, not actually climbing /out/ of the water but up onto the ledge at the pool's edge, shifting into a crouch at the water's edge and cradling the egg in both arms, palms cupping it against slim chest. Thing 2 follows slowly, clambering up onto the rocky ledge and reluctantly resting chin against their twin's knees. Kind of /glaring/ at the egg. Shoulders shivering. Gills shivering. Eyes eventually closing. Isra shuffles around to the twins, her movements still fluid, if sluggish. One vast gray wing curls around both shark pups as she, too, sits down on the ledge. She lays one hand on the egg, purple-green talons--hers do not retract--clicking on the shell softly, but she makes no move to take it. A small growl rumbles up from Thing 1, mild and automatic, brief, arms not moving from the egg. Thing 2 snaps teeth -- clickchomp! -- against Isra's talons. Reflexively, really, eyes not even opening. Crouched with muscles still wire-taut up under Isra's wing, still and quiet, both twins are perhaps themselves giving their very best gargoyle impressions.