Finding Patience

Shoshannah Mitchell
[how are we doing today? char+perf]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9) ( success x 6 )

Shoshannah Mitchell
[and how aware are we?]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (4, 6, 7, 7, 9, 9) ( success x 5 )

Patience Mason
[Scanning...Per+Aware]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 5) ( fail )

Shoshannah Mitchell
It's not at all uncommon, really, to find random college students holed up under trees, in grassy knolls, on handy concrete walls with their guitars and their coffee treats or sodas and their friends, just having a good time in the summer weather.  It's somewhat more rare to find a lone troubador, but, well.  Just look at her and it's not difficult to tell why people stay away.  She is what she is, and what she is is terrifying on a base, instinctive level that's difficult to put words to.
She feels like bad omens, like ill fortune, like death approaching.
Still, she doesn't seem particularly unhappy sitting alone with an odd, whimsical ukelele in her lap, singing along as she plays something oddly bright and pop-y that is both at odds and perfectly fitting with her brightly colored mish mash fashion.  Somehow, she pulls it all together; somehow, she makes it work.
And her playing?  Well, it kind of makes sense when performers are weird, doesn't it?  It puts it in context a little more.  No one that good can be perfectly normal - or even near it, really.  But even with how good she sounds (both instrumentally and vocally), her attention is nicely, neatly split.  She watches people as they scurry around her, avoid her.  For the most part, she's a bit on the sneer-y, disdainful side; there's definitely a chip on her shoulder.
Every now and then, though?  Every now and then there's a smile, a flash in her strange eyes, and it's enough to take one's breath away.  This particular coed doesn't feel like a part of this world - nor does she look like it's all she sees.  It's enough to make anyone uneasy.

Patience Mason
The Santa Fe Art's District is a favourite of many, it was a place of livelihood and excitement, one could find wonder down ever alley, a bit of magic in every performance. It was a wonderful place to be...if one had the eyes that were open and willing to see. Even with her abrasive nature, and otherworldly feel Shoshannah was apart of that magic, her very nature adding its own unique feel to the area, and making it greater for it.
Another approached that stood out, adding her own sense of wonder and strangeness to the scene. She was like Shoshannah in a sense, a feeling of oddity and strangeness pervading her, most would think her not real, or an elaborate bit of costuming to suit someone's idea of an add campaign. Yes she was like Shoshannah the lonely troubadour in a sense, but beyond that...they could not be any more dissimilar.
Patience Mason strode down the street like she had stepped out of the thirties, or perhaps even earlier. A knee length dress of dark brown covered her form, the stylings and patterns inlaid into the dress bringing mind to the fresco's and designs of an earlier era, of the oft imitated but never replicated Art Deco period. Solid lines of geometrical importance flowed through the dress, and impressions of clouds and the sun dotted area's beneath her bust and upon her back. Upon her feet were a plain black pair of kitten heels of a sturdy and dependable make, though no designers logo or ideal could be placed upon them.
She moved along like a piece of an old film, a single solitary frame which had been cropped out and tossed into the technicolored world of the modern day, she stood out because she was timeless in a sense that few could fathom, and those who could not felt all the more uncomfortable in her presence.
She strode slowly but precisely along the street, her head turning this way and that to take in the sights and sounds, her sky blue eyes missing nothing as she pushed a singular stray hair of dirty blonde locks back over her ear, her eyes..somehow, manage to drift past Shoshannah....and that in of itself..is an oddity indeed.

Rhodes
[where my favorite magi at?: awareness!]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10) ( success x 5 ) Re-rolls: 1

Shoshannah Mitchell
There's a certain luminosity in the air and just as Patience's eyes are skating over Shoshannah, taking no notice (an oddity, indeed, on top of so many), the younger woman's own blue eyes (sky, water, snow - the purest, clearest distillation of blue in existence, for which there may be no words) arrow to the woman-out-of-time (Ms. Cellophane?  But without the arguable benefit of being invisible, only the feeling of having stepped out of a vintage film), piercing her, pinning her.
you could look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I'm there doesn't at all fit in with what had come moments before, and perhaps the non sequitur draws attention that the ownere thereof hadn't initially.  It's targeted, that bit of lyric.
"Hey," is all she says as Patience draws nearer - it's polite, the greeting, simple.  It leaves so many options.

Rhodes
She's back on this street again, and after only a few days.  Sid counts that a victory in the name of Not Being Afraid.  Which isn't to say that she's not afraid as she walks along, hands in her pockets, head down.  If she weren't afraid, if she felt completely safe, her awareness wouldn't be cracked wide open, extra-senses feeling out into the warm sunny, smoggy day for the touch of resonances both familiar and not.
Because he was here the last time she came.  And no matter how things turned out Friday night (because woo, email scenes that aren't finished!), she still feels that edge of nervousness.
But she's back.  There was a parlor she noticed in passing, a kind of memory that sticks in her mind's eye like an after image, like the purplish burn spot one gets when one looks at the sun a little too long.  She wants to see it again, wants to go inside and look around and maybe possibly ask questions but first something else catches her attention.
Music, of course, that she hears.  The sound gets her to pause, lift her chin, look around.  Drifting along with it, drawing her attention like a compass finds magnetic north, is the resonance.  Angry.  Defensive.  The resonance of a certain teenager she knows, not well but well enough.  And another, strange yet strangely familiar.
Sneakers scuff on concrete and she changes her direction to follow all of her senses.  Sid sees Shoshannah first and her eyes brighten and the corners of her mouth quirk like they're considering mabye lifting up a touch.  She notices Patience second, which shouldn't be if she'd only been going on sight.  The woman is incredibly tall and dressed like she's a step out of time.  Sid knows that she is.  Her lips actually curl a little into a small but genuine smile as she nears the unlikely duo.

Patience Mason
Patience had been prepared to walk on by, to continue on her way past Shoshannah's position. Leaving the curious woman with her curious ukelele to their own lyrical devices. But the lyrics themselves, and then the hey in particular snap the woman out of whatever unknowable thought she was having and brought eyes so very similar to Shoshannah's towards the woman, and locking there before her body followed suit, the six foot frame turning smoothly before stepping towards her, a small pleasant smile and a nod given to Shoshannah as she approached.
The woman's hair, though free and flowing in its lower extremities was bound up into a pair of curls which seemed to form laurels upon the top of her head.
"Appropriate sociological and noospheric signifiers and entreaties to your direct actualized personage miss." The woman said without a pause or a smirk, there was no sign that she was making fun, her voice simply flowing like one would simply say 'hi'.
"It is of visual remark that the vibration oscillator your personage is utilizing at this temporal juncture is of unusual but....intriguing dimension and ascetic principle." She seemed to nod appreciatively...
What had Shoshannah gotten herself into..

Shoshannah Mitchell
Blink, blink.
Glance around.
"I . . . uh."  What had she gotten herself into is a good question, indeed.  Shoshannah, while reasonably intelligent in a lot of ways that make little sense to everyone else, is not at all prepared for conversations like this.  "What's a vibration oscillator?  I mean, I know what the words mean separately, obviously . . . oh!  You mean the uke?"  She'd been edging into more concretely defensive for a moment; no one likes being talked to in ways they don't understand, after all.  "Yeah, Mr. Man's cool.  I like him."
She doesn't stop strumming absently, nimbly flowing from one silly song to the next - folky, uke driven versions of all sorts of things, a few bars here, a chorus there.  She's good, this girl.
"I like your shoes.  Those are hot."

Patience Mason
Patience listens to Shoshannah talk, and where the Ukelele player had trouble understanding Patience, the Etherite seemed to have little problem understanding her. When the younger woman pointed out her shoes Patience hiked up her skirt ever so slightly to reveal the heels a little better, sticking one out gently and waving it about with a smile.
"Your positively aligned verbalized acknowledgement of these ambulatory assistants is logged and accepted in a pleasant and agreeable manner Miss. These particular assistants are of particular quality and durability as I assured that the quality and purity of the required materiel was of super nominal standards at the temporal juncture of assembly and manufacture, which this personage undertook specifically." She seems quite pleased, and quite happy for the compliment, even if she gave Mirriam-Webster a run for their money.
She let the hem of her skirt fall once more and she smoothed out the dress with her hands before continuing on, her gaze metting Shoshannah's once more. For some reason the woman seemed unphased by the young woman's otherness...perhaps she was simply to used to her own?
"Is your primary objective in this venture to ascertain and induce transfer of monetary script for services rendered? Or is the objective driven by entirely philosophical and self attenuated means?" She inquired curiously.

Rhodes
As Sid comes closer, she picks up snippets of the conversation at hand and her smile turns a little wry.  She picks up the pace, to get there more quickly, but then slows a little.  These are people that she likes, one of whom she walked hand-in-hand through a nightmarescape with, watched amazing things morph and come to life in an other realm.  The other is newer, but Sid feels she knows her fairly well.  At least, she understands a bit of her make-up, the structure of the cells of her skin, things that she'd studied in her spare time over the course of last week.  That's a kind of knowing, just not the usual kind.
Then again, Sid hadn't tried to get to know Patience in a usual manner.
But she's learned to be unsure of herself around people over the years.  These two that she likes, they're talking and she might be intruding.  The hesitation lasts all of two steps before Sid is frowning (at herself, but outwardly) and kicking up that pace again.
"Hi," she greets, nodding to Shoshannah.  "You were playing," she observes rather astutely.  "It was lovely."

Shoshannah Mitchell
"I'm not asking if you're looking for a date or anything."  This comes wryly, and perhaps in a harder fashion than is intended - or perhaps not.  It's difficult to tell with this prickly girl who speaks of temper and otherworldliness just by being, even without added perceptions.  "And even if I were, I don't put out.  So there's not much service rendered, is there?"
And then there's Sid, and for just a moment there's a hint of relaxation, of comfort.  It's difficult to come through what these two women have together without some level of understanding; sometimes that breeds discomfort and resentment, but not in this particular case.  "Hey, Sid.  Thanks - I dabble sometimes.  You doing alright?"

Patience Mason
A brief gambit of emotions flows over Patiences features at Shoshannah's response, her features widen momentarily in concerned and apologetic shock, before knitting together in a moment of confusion, before at last finding humour in the situation, the woman letting out a dulcet laugh as her hands came together, her head falling back as she did so, before righting herself and shaking her head, a hand mimicing the motion.
"Negative. Negative, This personage is not inquiring as to your current socio-hormonal symbiotic status, nor is it attempting to ascertain your fertility or current copulative viability." Another chuckle that is almost a titter rises from her lips as she gestures to Shoshannah's ukelele, her other hand reaching into a slit in her dress to pull out a five dollar bill.
"I am attempting to ascertain wether your primary objective is to acquire monetary recompense for the vibrative oscillation in a harmonic methodology you are currently undertaking." She said with a nod, as if that completely cleared up the misunderstanding.
Then Sid is there, and the woman's face brightens at the sight of a familiar face and she nods to the other woman witht hat same pleasant smile. "Social noospheric and temporally positively aligned acknowledgements Sid. This is an unpredicted and atypical sociological encounter type, but positively aligned regardless of percentages."

Rhodes
She catches that bit from Shoshannah, where she asserts she's not asking for a date and she doesn't put out.  Sid, having missed precisely what brought about that response, frowns with her own confusion.  Patience comes out of hers first, and laughs, sounding delighted.  Sid's reddish brows rise above the dark frames of her glasses as she looks between the pair of them.
Then Shoshannah's asking if she's doing alright, and Sid doesn't answer immediately.  Her gaze drops and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, her hand falling to the strap of her bag where it meets the pouch.  She has to think about it, which could mean anything.  A second ticks by, then another, and she shrugs a shoulder.  "I'm...I'm okay."  Then she grins, actually grins a little at Patience, and she answers her as though she understands her perfectly, which, she almost does.  "I'm glad to see you, too, Patience.  You two have met?"

Shoshannah Mitchell
"Oh!  I was just practicing.  Change of scenery, you know.  's why I landed here."
Goodness only knows where she had Padre drop her and her bike (which is now leaning against a nearby tree, or sign, or . . . something) off, however many hours ago; she's always been an independent girl, at least as long as anyone in Denver has known her.
"We just met now.  Patience, hmm?  I'm Shoshannah."  That comfort exhibited with Sid isn't applied to others - or at least not to Patience, not yet.  Shoshannah is guarded and, as mentioned before, tends towards the hard and prickly.

Patience Mason
Sid gives away the Etherites name and it doesn't bother the woman one bit, if anything she takes it as an appropriate, if unorthodox  introduction from the woman. She actually curtsy's ever so slightly to Shoshannah, her skirt lifted once more as she spoke. "It is an acknowledged and actualized temporal juncture of note to actualize your personage Shoshannah." She said to the woman with a pleased air about her.
The bill she was holding in ehr hand is placed back into its pocket, hidden within the folds of the woman's dress now that it had been ascertained that she was simply practicing in public.
Her next question is directed at Sid, the woman gesturing between the three of them with a meaningful look in her eyes as she asked. "Is there a rationalized commonality between the three individualized personages at this geographical locality aside from genetically assigned gender traits?" She asks with intent. "I enquire for clarity, as well as the security of sociological elements which could be exposed at this juncture."

Rhodes
Sid understands that prickliness of Shoshannah's perhaps more than the young woman would want to know.  One day some time ago she found a chink in that armor and caught a glimpse at the girl beneath.  Since then she hasn't seen much of that girl, at least she hasn't gone looking for her, but it has made her feel more protective of her.  Not that anyone would likely consider Sid the protective type, at least not of anyone but herself.  She is quiet, shy, withdrawn usually.  Her self-preservation instincts are top notch.  And yet.
She catches something of that hardness, and though she comes as close to trusting Patience as she does very few others, Sid shifts her stance again.  It's a subtle maneuver, one that brings her a little closer to the younger mage.  Not quite a barrier, but she's there, offering a quiet kind of support.
Reaching up with one hand, she tucks some of her hair behind her ear, brushing it back from her face in the process.  "Ah," she starts, and frowns thoughtfully.  "We're all, um, para...digmically...active," she finishes quietly, a little pleased with herself for remembering the woman's own words on the subject.  If they could barely understand what she meant, surely other sleepers would be even more perplexed as to the meaning.

Shoshannah Mitchell
".....is it Learn an Obscure and Antiquated Form of English Day and I didn't get the memo?"  There's a furrow of Shoshannah's brow and like the time spent researching how one might come back from Nephandi-hood, it's quite possible the only thing keeping her afloat with Patience's end of the conversation is her affinity with languages - her semi-educated guesses, as it were.  This makes it slightly easier to take, but not much.  Not enough.
The younger girl stands, now, having stopped playing and put her ukulele away, and glances between the two older women briefly.
"I actually need to head back, anyway.  I'm not at Padre's any more, if you hadn't heard - I'm out in the sticks."  At the chantry, she means, and this is obviously more for Sid's benefit than Patience's.  "You can tell her what she needs to know, yeah?  I'll trust your judgement."  Which . . . says a lot, really.  As far as Sid knows, the only person Shoshannah trusts is Pan - or at least as far as she knew until now.
The uke, in its case, goes into a clearly custom saddlebag on the bike, and Shoshannah's ready to go - as quickly as they'd run into each other, their little group is exploding.
"See you soon?"

Patience Mason
Sid clarifies and affirms a theory that Patience had been formulating, and when that happens she looks at Shoshannah with an appraising eye, perhaps formulating in her mind what type of magi the woman was. It would seem however that Patience would have to wait for such introductions, the specifics would come forward another time.
Shoshannah packs up, turning to go and Patience raises a hand to wave at the woman. "I anticipate that your geographical movation via dual wheeled transit medium will be without incident and of nominal quality Shoshannah, I also predict to within 87.6543% likilhood that our distinct actualized personages shall occupy the same relativistic geographical locality within the next lunar tranversement cycle." The tone in her voice is exaclty like one might expect someone to say 'fair well' but its gregarious and expounded in the way Patience speaks.
She would watch the newly identified mage depart, before turning towards Sid and inquiring with a tilt of her head.
"To what conclusive end did your biochemical analysis of my formerly integrated dermal and follicular cell structures arrive Sid?" She looks rather intrigued, perhaps hoping the young woman had found somethign she had not.

Rhodes
They are rather like a unknown chemical mixture, and no meeting ever mixes the same.  Sometimes they collide violently and explode apart, which like now isn't always a bad thing.  Sometimes, like with the Verbena, it's gentler.  And sometimes it's dark and frantic and ready to explode and wipe out a city block.  These three strange chemicals mix and swirl and separate again, and it seems like that should be no big deal.  Except when Shoshannah says that, or asks that, about learning a new language with no one getting her the memo, Sid frowns.  "Oh, ah," she starts, but doesn't finish.  Shoshannah has to go, and in the end it's not the most important thing, letting her know she hadn't meant to exclude her.
She nods, because she had heard, and that frown doesn't exactly leave her face easily.  And she nods again, because she knows, or has an inkling of understanding, of how distrustful the Dreamspeaker is with most people.  The teenager is trusting her and that lifts one of the darkened corners of Sid's heart a little.
And she nods a final time, yes, to see you soon.  It's a hope more than a certainty, because with Shoshannah living so far away (not really all that far, but farther than she did before) the chances for random encounters becomes limited.  There's a sort of yearning in the Orphan's dark eyes, in the particular set of her frown, but she merely waves Shoshannah goodbye.
That is, until Patience says her own farewell.  Sid's frown gets turned on the woman, but she shakes her head.  "Take care, and see you soon," she says by way of translation, but also for herself.
When they are alone on the path, Patience asks her about her findings, and Sid can only shrug.  "I saw what you said.  You're...stuck...at a cellular level.  I'll research what I can, see if there's something that can be done to...I don't know, bring decay back into the equation."  She feels weird saying it, but it's true.  The woman is not aging, her cells are not decaying.  She's got a few of them still, or did, kept in a container so that she can continue to monitor them, maybe even begin some experiments.  Though the very idea terrifies her in a way she can't articulate.