Logs:When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
Dramatis Personae Kitty, Leo	2022-02-14 "Yep. It sure is. Valentine’s Day."
Location <PRV> Kitty and Marinov's Apartment {Cathaus} - Lower East Side
This high ceiling, fourth floor apartment is on its way to being well lived in. The walls are a light cream colour, the spotless hardwood floors stained a rich red-brown. The door opens into the living room, always bright with natural light coming in the windows or the glow of the twin pink rock salt lamps nestled on the one of the sills. Small succulents and other resilient, cat-safe houseplants dot the windowsills and nearby surfaces – one on the low coffee table between the faux-leather couch and the television mounted on the wall, another on a ladder bookshelf squeezed into a corner. There are no rugs, nothing that can collect fur, but the couch and floor are both covered in pillows. On the wall opposite the television, there is a framed poster of the Cat’s Eye Nebula from an astrophysics conference. To the left of this space is a small kitchen, just large enough to fit two people in it, if one of them can walk through other people. To the right is a small hallway, leading to the washroom and two bedrooms. One of the bedroom doors has a small blue mezuzah on the doorframe, held in place with wall putty. The apartment is softly lit tonight, the glow of the salt lamps reflecting off the windowpanes and doubling their effect in the living room, casting a light pink sheen on the whole space. A three wick candle sits on the coffee table, surrounded by two bowls (one full of yellow round corn chips, the other with gold and orange popcorn) and two heart shaped red chocolate boxes. A little bright red plush conversation heart, embroidered with pink Xs and Os, is tucked into the corner of the couch. The television is on, but set up to Youtube instead of Netflix — the volume is low on an hour long video of Edith Piaf songs. Kitty is perhaps overdressed for just staying in and watching movies. She’s in a shin-length sapphire blue velvet dress with gauzy semi-sheer burnout of stylized stars above the rather low neckline of the bodice, the empire waist below this cinched with a gold fabric belt in a pattern of heraldic suns and moons that wraps all the back around to hang loosely just at her hips, and fishnet stockings. A pair of tall black heels lean just beside the doorway, pulled from obscurity or possibly someone else’s closet. Her hair is hanging loose but neat around her face (just decorated a little bit with a glittery eyeshadow and mascara), Magen David pendant resting on her collarbone and hamsa ring on her index finger. Perhaps the absurdity of how much effort she’s put in finally hits her when Kitty lets Leo in, for there’s a rising pink blush in her cheeks. "I got chocolate," she blurts out by way of greeting. "The ones with the little cups." At the door, Leo has for just a moment forgotten to enter; he's frozen on the threshhold with eyes wide and mouth just slightly agape, still dressed for the cold in black double-breasted peacoat, red newsboy cap and soft knitted scarf in red and black. There's a bouquet of flowers tucked into the crook of his arm -- pink lilies and deep purple iris -- and a bottle of rose held in that hand. He draws a breath -- doesn't say anything, first, just dips his head in acknowledgment, his own cheeks darkening as he steps inside. "Thank you -- chocolate sounds -- I mean, this is -- I mean. You look --" He blinks, lifting his gaze as he offers out the flowers and steps out of the red-accented black Chelsea boots he's been wearing. "Really lovely. I brought wine and -- well. It's Valentine's Day." Kitty’s mouth opens too, forming a small o of surprise before she goes to take the bouquet. “It — yep. It sure is. Valentine’s Day. Thank you,” she manages to add, “you — these are gorgeous, you didn’t have to.” She stands there a moment longer, just sort of gazing into the flowers with a pleased small smile, before slipping into the kitchen. “We’ve got a vase in here somewhere, should get these into water — how was out-of-town? Meet any new jellies?” A little bit of the nervous edge in her tone fades when she’s not looking directly at Leo, but not all of it. She grabs a knife, the blade of it curiously matching the backsplash of the kitchen sink, to trim the stems. "We missed you." "The Midwest was -- an experience," Leo says carefully, taking off his hat and slipping out of his coat; underneath he's in a diagonally color-blocked mandarin collar button-down in red and purple, each cuff lined on the inside with the color of the other, and black slacks. "I mostly met sick Idaho.. ers? Idahoites? What do you call those? And Nebraskans. I can't. Exactly say I full-throatedly recommend..." His brows are scrunching deeply. "Well. It's nice to be back." He's trailed Kitty to the kitchen, setting the bottle of wine down on a counter. "Kind of in the nick of time, too." “Idahoans? Maybe I’m thinking of Indiana.” Kitty fills a vase with water and flowers, taking a moment to rearrange some of the stems just so. “I feel like maybe I should be a little offended on behalf of my fellow Midwesterners, but I also left, so.” She pulls out two wine glasses, goes to pull the cork from the bottle. Her smile fades. “It’s been. An eventful weekend for sure.” Kitty fills the glasses, holds one out to Leo. “I… maybe you can pass on my thanks. For putting off me having to register. To the appropriate parties.” "Idahoans," Leo tests out, then shakes his head. "I think the problem is the entire state. It's all just wrong. Is Ohio any better? I got called an awful lot of slurs considering some of the people calling me them needed us to fix their lungs up enough to keep speaking." This far removed from Idaho, he at least seem wryly amused by the hypocrisy. "I just don't know if --" His eyes hitch on the Magen David as he takes the wine glass. "It was a lot." His cheeks color faintly darker, and he looks down at the wine, dipping his head in a small nod. "I think they'll appreciate. Knowing it's appreciated. Between Jax and -- well. Everyone's got very strong opinions on how we should and shouldn't be tackling hate right now." When he looks back up it's just curious, and there's no weight of judgment in his tone. "You're going to, then? Register?" “Maybe Columbus is? If you’re out in the sticks though it’s all gonna be —“ Kitty’s face scrunches up in distaste “—like that. I’m sorry about, uh, the whole region.” Kitty cradles the glass in her hand, her eyes coming unfocused around some midpoint between the rim of her glass and the buttons of Leo’s shirt. “Jax was meant to be on a date tonight, too,” she says quietly. “I don’t know. I’ve got, like, on the one hand the generational trauma says absolutely not, but on the other hand —“ her eyes refocus as she looks up to Leo with a helpless shrug. “It’s not like the government doesn’t know what I can do, right? Like it’s all out there, anyway. I put it out there.” "I hope his date is enough of a gentleman to give him a raincheck if he -- when he gets out." Leo's shoulders tense briefly at this slip, ease again as he listens to Kitty. Her shrug is echoed in the small lift of his shoulder. "Yes, it's -- I think if I had more to lose that choice would -- be harder. But the uncertainty between what they do if you don't register and what could it hurt if they already know all about you --" He shakes his head. "In some ways I don't really envy you that decision." His cheeks darken, and he lifts his glass though does not yet sip from it. "Sorry, you made everything so nice and I'm -- I didn't mean to make things heavy. It's just been. You know." “I know, yeah,” echoes Kitty. “Not about — don’t be sorry not like any of this is your fault — anyways isn’t it a bit easier to deal with heavy things when you can talk about them? Maybe?” Kitty tilts her glass towards Leo. “And talking about them is better with friends.” She taps the side of her glass against his before finally taking a sip. Leo clinks his glass lightly against Kitty's, his grip on it careful as he takes a sip. "It is better. This is better. Thank you." After a small pause and a hesitant half-smile: "For inviting me, for all of this. It's been a long time since I --" His eyes have grown just a little wider, his cheeks just a little darker. "Oh --" he breathes out, his smile for just a moment easing into one that lights his entire face, "you said Date." Kitty’s cheeks flush extremely more pink, her returning smile suddenly nervous again before she dips her head down. “Um,” she says, very eloquently. “Yes, I did? It doesn’t — have to be if you don’t want it to be, it can just be like last year which was nice and very much platonic. But. Yes.” Kitty looks back up at Leo, twisting the stem of her glass. “Date was the general, um, idea.” "No, I want --" Leo starts hastily, before dipping his head as if that will hide his growing flush. "I just didn't want to presume that you'd even -- but I'm glad. I mean, I like you." His smile returns, small but warm. "Date sounds perfect." “Oh —" Kitty exhales, delighted, "-- good! I also — I wasn’t even sure like, if you did, dating, with women or otherwise, so I didn’t presume and then —“ Kitty’s blush has crept all the way to her ears now, visible when she tucks a curl behind one of them with a nervous laugh. “And I wasn’t even sure we were, you know, all the way good after last fall and just— Hi.” Her free hand reaches for Leo’s, tentatively brushing her fingertips over his knuckles. “I also like you. In case that wasn’t obvious yet.” "I haven't done -- dating, not since --" Leo shakes his head, small. "I kind of figured with my -- everything, nobody would... want to deal. With the cops and the -- maybe you get rabies and the -- all of it." Slowly his hand turns over, fingers curling up against hers. "But if you think we're good even with -- all of it? We can maybe start presuming." His smile quirks a little bit sheepish. "And on the bright side, this movie night has nowhere to go but more better since the last time." Kitty laces her fingers together with Leo’s, abandons her wine glass on a countertop and inches just a little closer. “Movie nights, famously hard to get right. Maybe you get rabies, maybe you invite over a ghost, there are lots of things that can go wrong.” She has to tilt her head up at this distance to look at Leo, does so with a soft smile. “I can deal. I would like to, even.” Kitty hesitates for just a moment before pushing up onto her toes, pressing a featherlight kiss to Leo’s cheek. "When you put it that way it almost sounds like we're the movie. In which case I'm glad --" Leo's eyes go wider when Kitty leans close, his breath briefly catching and his fingers tightening through hers at the brush of her lips. "-- we are switching genres." There's a slight unsteady flutter in it when he exhales and a hesitation before he lifts his other hand -- light as well -- to trace the line of her jaw. He leans down, this time, to touch his lips lightly to hers.