Slapdash visit

[Guest]

[[Earlier, in the June of 2012]]

The beat of the arabesque jazz tune pulsed in the bulky, yet stylish orange and gray headphones that rested over Aishe's ears as she ambled down the worn out streets of Central City. Her feet moved in time with the beat of the song; her body's rhythm in sync with the rhythm of the music. The hot sun beat down harshly on her dark skin like heat from an oven. But compared to the inferno that was the heat of mid-day in Ishval, it wasn't all that bad. What really irked the short-haired Ishvallan woman was the humidity that day. The air was so thick you could choke on it, and she was feeling uncomfortably sticky from 20 of being outside in the heat as soon as she got off the train. She'd already stripped down and changed into a black tank top and khaki shorts, but after the nice dry arid air of Ishval, the moisture in the air here was still driving her crazy.

"Fuck all, where was his apartment again?" Aishe mumbled to herself in annoyance. She wiped the collecting beads of sweat off of her forehead and slipped her headphones down to her neck where the music still played faintly.
She reached down into her pocket and retrieved a crumpled up sheet of paper. Opening it up, she looked over the address and crude directions she had written down with a look of vexation set upon her face. It was somewhere around this neighborhood, right? She glanced around her surroundings-- looking over the collection of various buildings, shops, and houses that cluttered the street, hoping to catch some clue as to which might be Spade's apartment. Considering the fact that Central had just been screwed over by RIOTE for the second time in the past year, this particular block of the city didn't look all too beat up. In fact, the whole city seemed to have fared better than it had after the bombings. But how long where people going to put up with being subjected to terrorist attacks and foreign invasions? Amestris was a mess right now. It couldn't take care of itself, so how could it expect to take care of Ishval? Ah, but it wasn't time to worry about that now. She'd have plenty of time to discuss that with her contacts in Creta once she caught her flight to London.

After several more minutes of searching, she stumbled across a high-end looking apartment complex further down the street, which she was certain was the building she was looking for. Ducking out of the oppressive heat wave and into the buildings slightly cooler interior, Aishe headed up the stairs briskly, anticipating both the chance to see her brother again and to relish the chance to relax in cool air.
Finally, after making her way up a few floors, Aishe finally stopped at the door of the apartment that belonged to her brother. Or at least, she was pretty sure it was the right one. She knocked several times and listened for movement inside.
"I swear to Ishvala, if he's not home I'm going to break in. I'd risk going to jail for a shower right now." She muttered as she pinched the front of her tank top and tugged on it over and over in a quick motion to air out her sweaty chest.

[Shula Brighton]

The sticky heat outside was thick, the kind that liked to cling to your clothes, skin, and hair and make going anywhere just moist and generally unpleasant. It was odd, Shula thought, the wather mimicking how it was in South. But she was at least used to the moderate humidity and the arid heat, but she couldn't help but tease that she brought it with her for the weekend. Weekends off were a blessing, and even if Spade worked tonight, he was off tomorrow. Well, sort of off. Being Head of Central meant he was never truly off-off, but close enough for now. She'd make Spade take a whole weekend off to spend with her eventually, even if she had to tie him to the damn bed.... Shula smirked, wrapping the cord of the vacuum up. Then again, if I pitch it like that, he probably wouldn't have any objections at all.

She didn't have to come up so early since Spade wouldn't be off until that night, but it beat waiting and then being stuck in the afternoon rush traffic to get into the city. No thanks. But that did mean Shula was left to her own devices until he got off work, and for a change, she would enjoy just doing nothing. Well, almost nothing. But there was no research or deadline looming over her head to ruin her date night. Lisbeth had South well in hand and was up to the minute for all the projects going on to help get South stronger as a whole. Papa had already checked in on her, and she'd escaped any impending fights with her mother for the time being. For the night, the world would be just fine without Shula, and she was more than fine with that, spending the sticky day in the comfort of Spade's large apartment as she tidied the man cave and kept Fro company.

Part of Shula still couldn't believe that of all the things to bring back from Carraig, of all the pets Spade would find... he'd bring home a chicken. And yet, some part of Shula was totally not surprised in the slightest. Fro was a sweet hen at least, and being some fancy show breed from Drachma made her pretty cute, even if the crown of feathers on top of her head made her look like an overturned feather duster. Still, free eggs and cheap pet food. And after the apartment had been tidied, dressed only in a tiny cami leotard and leg warmers (despite the heat), Shula slowly came to accept that Bach must have needed the quiet clucking and cackling of a Poludzie hen to go with the music. Arms holding onto the back of the sofa, Shula stood en point as one leg moved gracefully back and up, straight above her head. Her right arm lifted to reach back and pull her leg closer to her, her torso arching more as she exhaled. This. Felt. Incredible. For once, she was relaxed, and finally her body was shifting to looking more healthy. She was happy. And tonight she'd make them a nice dinner and---

Someone was... knocking? Shula checked the clock on the DVR. It was still way too early for Spade to be home, and he hadn't said anything about expecting packages. Lowering her leg as fast as she could without hurting herself, Shula made a fast sprint across the apartment, steps awkward in pointe slippers. "Just a second," Shula called out, ignoring as one legwarmer slipped down her thigh and rumpled around her knee and calf. Back en pointe her body extended, unlocking the bolt and high chain, hating that the freaking peephole was so damn high. Really, what good did it to to have it up THERE? "Sorry, sorry." The door unlatched, it opened wide to reveal.... Aishe. Shula blinked, surprised. She hadn't seen Spade's sister in ages, and she looked like she'd definitely had her fill of the afternoon heat. Shula stepped aside to let her in, beaming and forgetting entirely that she was really just in a leotard and legwarmers as she shut the door behind the taller woman. "Aishe, come in! I didn't know you were in town. Where've you been?"