ArchivedLogs:Toast

Toast
Dramatis Personae Isra, Regan
In Absentia	2014-12-23 '
Location <BOM> House of Leaves - Ascension Island
A small log cabin halfway between the main clearing and the beach, this little lodge is nestled alongside a twist in the stream. A large mulberry tree by the water has had a tire swing hung down over the creek; its branches seem in occasional need of pruning for how they butt up against the side of the cabin. Inside, the cabin is small and neat. Its entry room is a small sitting space, an eclectic host of artwork hanging on the walls. It holds an old but very comfortable black leather couch, a sunny yellow throw rug in front of the fireplace, a pair of large bookshelves on the back wall, a small oak coffee table in front of the sofa. A little dining table along the left side wall stands next to a window; pushed up against the wall, it has room for only three chairs. There's a tiny kitchenette off in the back. The right wall has a door leading to the bedroom. Its queen-sized bed is usually covered in an abundance of pillows and blankets, bright yellow and dark blue. A desk stands against the window, often littered with books and notes. The bathroom is small, tiled in pale stone, with a claw-footed bathtub. Cold rain drizzles from a gray sky, faintly luminous for the city lights reflected from its underside. The whole world outside seems damp and unfriendly, but there is a healthy flame in the fireplace, filling the cabin with its scent and warmth. Isra has just levered the cap expertly off of a tall green bottle, its ornate blue label displaying a bell and the words "Original Hard Cider" in gold lettering. Her skin has been painted dark blue with lighter purple on the ventral side, especially her face and the palms of her hands. Bright silver markings accent her form throughout, highlighting the ridges of her horns, the backward sweep of her pointed ears, and the talons on hands, wings, and feet. Silver, too, is the lifelike pattern of flight feathers on her wing membranes. She wears a simple black wrap tunic with silver piping, and a handkerchief skirt similarly colored. Pouring the effervescent contents of the bottle into two champagne flutes, passes one to Regan before perching herself on an arm of the couch. Next to Isra, Regan is far less colourful; grey thigh-length cashmere cardigan worn open over a plain black blouse, slim-fit black trousers. She has nestled herself against the opposite arm of the couch, legs tucked up beneath her and her laptop rested on her thighs. The laptop is set aside on the coffee table, hands freed to claim the champagne flute instead. She lifts the flute, watching the firelight play through the bubbling cider with a small curl of smile on her lips. Isra's wings settle across her shoulders with a soft rustle, painted feathers catching the firelight as it leaps and twists. She glances at a window, city lights looking all the more distant outside through the rain and mist. When she turns her eyes back the pupils contract again, swallowed up by green irises as they readjust to the light. Inclining her head--backswept horns pointing to the rafters--she holds her drink out toward Regan, though she offers no toast. Regan's head tips slightly up where Isra's tips down, shaking blonde hair back from her face and resting a cheek against one loosely-curled fist, her elbow propped against the back of the couch. She lifts her drink back to Isra's, the quiet clink of glass on glass joining the soft crackle of the fire and faint patter of rain on the windows. Somewhere beyond, a second burst of firelight is refracted through the rain-spattered windows, flaring bright and then gone, soon followed by a thump of feet and a still-brighter blue-white flare. Regan watches these lights, too, through the bubbles in their briefly-joined glasses. Her smile tips just the faintest bit higher, at the corners. Her eyes slip just the faintest bit more closed. The small settling to her shoulders might be resignation, or perhaps just a shift with a soft exhalation of nearly-laughter. And, quiet, she lifts her glass to take a deep long drink.