Sev looks at the drink dubiously as the two stepped into the elevator, the doors sliding closed with barely a sound as Eva punched in a floor number. Bring it to her lips, she took a very slight sip, wincing as the mix of heat and the acrid flavor hit her tongue. None the less, she swallowed the mouthful of this new drink, the flavor holding in her mouth even after the liquid was gone.
"Uh...its alright, I guess." she muttered, holding the drink with a lot less interest now that she had confirmed her suspicions.
"Don't really have a taste for it, though."
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
The elevator silently and quickly climbs upwards, reaching the requested floor in seconds. The stainless steel door slides open and presents a hallway adorned with red carpet, running away both to the left and right of the elevator.
Evangeline steps out of the small box into the hall, turns to her left and stops almost immediately outside the door of the room directly adjacent. She retrieves a keycard from her jeans pocket and slides it through the electronic lock, the door making a mechanical tick as it unlocked itself.
I always choose this room because it's on the corner of the building. Means it gets extra windows.
Evangeline slides the door open and casually strolls in. Upon entering the main room she is greeted by a - to Sev - unfamiliar young Kusarian woman sprawled across a blue three-seater couch, holding a young infant in her arms and feeding it with a bottle.
The strange girl, seemingly in her mid teens, features long, dark brown coloured hair and a decidedly juvenile complexion. She appears to be wearing a uniform of some description, offering the visage that she was nowhere near old enough to have a baby of her own.
Nevertheless, she carried an obvious motherly aura about her as she fed the infant in her arms - a silly, heart warming smile unrestrained across her face.
Evangeline quietly wanders over to the couch, in the process discarding her coffee on a table along the wall; the new woman aware of her arrival yet unmoving - the task at hand taking priority. The proud mother kneels down to lap level and gently strokes the baby's forehead as it drinks from the bottle, its' closed eyes offering the appearance of it being only barely awake.
Eva, now bearing the same silly, warm grin as the yet-unnamed girl, brings her arm back and shuffles around on the floor to a sitting position, maintaining her gaze on the months-old child.
Have you been a good girl while mummy was out, hmm?
Sev blinks a few times, not quite sure how to react.
"You...have a child?" she said, Eva's personality and the facts presented not even close to adding up in her mind.
Putting her coffee down next to Eva's, she ignored the group for a moment, looking around the room. It was nice, not too elaborate, but hardly standard for Manhattan. However, with nothing to compare, Sev could do little but apply it to her own home, which caused a few pangs of loneliness manifested in a slight frown and a flick of the ears.
Sighing, she looked at Eva.
"Can I take off this junk now?"
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline briefly turns to Sev before the baby reclaims her attention.
This is Sanya, my daughter. She's... ohh.. about 6 months old now - born last December.
And the one whose lap she's borrowing is Kana, one of my girls - and Sanya's babysitter.
The woman now identified as Kana turns to face Sev and stares for a moment, a blank yet harmless expression across her face.
Kitty~!
Kana starts giggling profusely, having noticed Sev's distinct likeness and relating it to Vixen.
Evangeline recovers from her seated position and, after standing, gently pets Kana on the head; the girl allowing a soft giggle to escape her lips whilst grinning broadly.
The impression offered is, perhaps, behind Kana's shimmering hazel eyes and soft, motherly expressions, there was not much happening.
Sev blinks a few times at Kana, before shrugging and removing the beanie and sunglasses, revealing she wasn't quite the same as Vixen- her hair minorly different, and her eyes filled with little more than confusion, quite opposed to Vixen's nature.
"Well, thats...unexpected." she said, choosing her words carefully as she removed the thick jacket, and then after some thought, the not-quite-pristine pants and singlet she was offered before, leaving her in the one piece suit of quartz-esque material, which seemed to have 'grown' down her arms in the time it took to reach the hotel.
"I don't know how you deal with these...-really- uncomfortable." she said, rolling her shoulders and stretching.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Kana idly observes Sev undressing, her body unmoving with a bottle in one hand and an infant propped up by the other. Evangeline joins her in observing Sev undress, watching as the clothes she'd lent were discarded.
As Sev reveals more and more of her features, Kana's eyes light up in adoration. Sensing impending doom, Evangeline quickly scoops up baby Sanya and her bottle, taking them from Kana's hands without her even noticing.
Kana stands to her feet, her modest, slightly faded uniform falling down past her knees and coming to eventual rest around her lower legs. Freed from the burden of carrying Sanya, Kana diligently places both hands in front of her and offers Sev an unexpectedly traditional bow before returning to standing position.
Hello, my name is Fujiwara Kana. It's nice to meet you.
Sev's gaze locks with Kana's deep, chocolate eyes, the teenager - as always - offering a warm and honest smile.
The accent with which she speaks seems to stand out and differ from those used by both Misaka and Fumika, despite all three women being Kusarian in origin - Kana's voice coming across as more informal and with less articulation. She also speaks slower than her compatriots, using simpler terms.
Sev blinks a few times, before composing herself, nodding her head in recognition.
"I'm Sev...uh...V-Seventeen-Two-Five...or I was..."
Her ears flicked back, the smile unnerving her.
"Its...nice to meet you...Kana."
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Kana giggles loudly and jovially bounds at Sev, catching her in a sudden embrace. Wrapping her arms around Sev's back, she buries her face into the crux of Sev's neck, Kana being slightly shorter than her new "feline" friend.
Kana rubs her cheek over Sev's exposed fur above the hemline of her undersuit, seemingly entranced by Sev's coat.
Meanwhile, Evangeline continues to observe the unfolding scenario whilst also supporting her daughter in her arms.
Sev stumbles back against the wall, her mouth hanging open as she tries to find the words, her brain slowly icing over at the sudden movement. She visibly shuddered, tensing as Kana toys with her fur. Flexing slightly, she found that Kana's grip was surprisingly strong- It took some effort to even move her arms, and she was sure to use only the minimal amount of strength required to extricate herself from Kana's embrace, shying back from her, a mixture of embarrasment and pure, slapped-with-a-trout stunned. After a moment, she looked at her feet, letting out a slight cough.
"U-uh...sorry...just...please don't..." she said quietly, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms protectively, still not able to look Kana in the eyes.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Kana stares in dumb silence for a moment, unable to understand what had happened. Her eyes begun to shimmer as tears welled up inside, her fragile heart wounded by Sev's coldness.
Evangeline quickly puts down Sanya's bottle and, with her free hand, gently pets Kana on the head, ruffling her glossy brown hair in the process.
Kan~aa!
You don't need to cry sweetie. It's not your fault, okay? Sev just hasn't had a bath for a while and doesn't want to offend.
She speaks as if talking to a girl half Kana's age, with a deliberately soft and gentle tone.
Isn't that right, Sev?
However her tone changes dramatically upon addressing Sev herself, cutting through her with an icy-cold glare.