[closed post: a task]

[ravkanwitch]

Nina has been feeling more like herself recently. It's taken a few weeks of self care, a failed waffle experiment, many naps with Khitka, a history lesson from Kade, quality time with friends, and a few mildly distressing conversations with alternate versions of people that she knows – but she's okay. She'll be much better once Shen Yuan is back of course, but for now, she'll do what she does best and weather the storm.

There are few things she's considering in her mind but right now, she's flipping through some language books with Khitka curled around the back of her neck, dozing.

Comments

[futaille]

"Black leather jacket. Excellent. I'll get one of those for the next time I change him. And I'd love to see the tower."

[ravkanwitch]

"And ...sunglasses?" Nina says, with an eyebrow arch, as if to say are you picking up what I'm putting down. She stirs to stand up and it's also at this time when Khitka is disturbed from his slumber and stretches, uncurling from where he was snuggled against her neck with a big yawn.

[futaille]

He brightens as she mentions sunglasses. "Oh! Yes! Yes, absolutely, that will be his next ensemble." And as Khitka finally moves with Nina's shifting, Grantaire actually notices him. "Who is this fine creature?"

[ravkanwitch]

"And a red wig-- This is Khitka!" She extends her arm towards Grantaire and Khitka takes it as a signal to walk down the arm to check him out, whiskers twitching in interest.

[futaille]

"Good day, Khitka! Aren't you quite the well-behaved one?"

[ravkanwitch]

Khitka promptly tries to bite Grantaire's nose. "No, not polite!" Nina says, hurriedly pulling her back as she lets out a little hiss of frustration.

[futaille]

Grantaire laughs. "Khitka was being a contrarian. I find myself approving, even if it was my nose in peril."

[ravkanwitch]

"She also steals away at night and-- Khitka, no," Nina says in a low tone, as Khitka bites at her necklace and tries to give it a tug or two, as if demonstrating exactly what she does. "She sometimes steals trinkets and jewelry! I have a ring and I'm not sure who it belongs to, if it does belong to someone."

[futaille]

"Maybe the mansion was just kind enough to provide her with something shiny."

[ravkanwitch]

"Mmm," she says, voice considering. Khitka dooks at her in a scolding fashion; she could be a criminal if Nina just kept quiet. "It's possible but highly doubtful."

[futaille]

"In that case, I will keep an ear out for word of someone missing a ring. Maybe you could also put a note on the welcome table that if something small and shiny goes missing, check with you in case of ferret thievery."

[ravkanwitch]

She sighs, fondly, resigned to having a problem child. "Maybe so. — Well, do you still want to see if we can find a picture of the tower?"

[futaille]

"Certainly! I'm very curious."

[ravkanwitch]

"But you have to promise me that the next change you get, you'll change Jared's outfit to the one that I mentioned," she tells him.

[futaille]

"Oh, you have my word."

[ravkanwitch]

"Perfect," she says, before starting to lead the way to the library. "How have you been holding up, by the way? With--" She waves an all-encompassing hand. "--everything."

[futaille]

Grantaire shrugs. "I'm still probably one of the luckiest people here, so I can't really complain."

[ravkanwitch]

"I meant Shen Yuan," she says, gently. "The fact that it's possible for us to die here."

[futaille]

He shrugs. "It's possible to die anywhere. I wasn't really expecting this place to be any different. At least there's a way to bring him back, so that's a benefit over not being here."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina looks at him for a moment. Although she's (quite literally) acquainted with death, she'll never forget SecUnit's harrowing announcement. She wishes she could breeze through life like Grantaire does, but that's not who she is.

Also, it's perhaps not the time for this conversation. They're at the library; she smiles at him. "I think the book is over here!"

[futaille]

He's not all that far removed from dying himself, so the less actual reckoning with the subject he engages in, the more he prefers it. Shen Yuan is coming back, that's clearly the important part.

"All right. Let me see this future Paris."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina grabs one of the books of Paris that she remembers having a lot of photographs -- a travel book of some sort -- and flips through it. It's easy to find a photograph of the Eiffel Tower. "There!" She says, landing on one and pointing to the structure.

[futaille]

He looks at the picture. "Huh."

[ravkanwitch]

"Huh?" She asks, prompting.

[futaille]

"It looks like a plucked chicken."