and the trouble is

[snoobs]

WHO: HEMALI and VARIOUS
WHERE: All over.
WHEN: The month of September.
WHAT: Getting to know all her new friends.
WARNINGS: Some heavy petting/references to sex.

---

➊ OUTSIDE THE PORTER | de chima ( for SAM MERLOTTE )

[ Hemali had seen the look in Sam's eyes and even through a small screen she could tell what he was really after in this meeting. They might have been on opposite ends of a device, but she has no doubt she had gotten pulses racing and stirred something else — she has that effect on people and she likes to flaunt it when she can. Plenty of women might not have accepted an offer to meet up with a man they had known for all of an hour, but Hemali's not like most where she fears being alone with a stranger. No, she wants to see what Sam might do once he's face-to-face with her. Is he as bold as he is on the network? Only one way to find out.

She's getting free food out of this. Why not?

Waiting on the curb, she glances up and down for any signs of a truck rolling down the street. She's left Sam a message already, so he should be here any moment. ]

➋ A CAFE | maurtia falls ( for ALFIE SOLOMONS )

[ The cafe she's chosen to meet Alfie at is kind of grimy and gives off all kinds of warning vibes. Any imPort who steps in and isn't completely oblivious would notice at atmosphere isn't the most welcoming toward them, with piercing glares directed at them wherever they moved.

Hemali isn't bothered by the lack of manners on the locals' ends and not concerned they might try to intimidate her out using verbal or physical threats. She sits comfortably in the creaky chair, legs crossed neatly and her back pressed against it. She's playing around with the communicator in her hands, figuring out the settings and other applications while waiting for Alfie to emerge through the entrance. ]

Comments

[devoutish]

[It's an interesting place that she's picked, and Alfie thinks it says about her that she chose it. It makes her more interesting, in turn. He picks her out immediately after he comes in - she stands out - and makes his way over, tipping his hat before he sits down.]

Now, Hemali. Hemali, Hemali. Would that be a surname or a first name?

[snoobs]

[ She lays her hands down in her lap — picture of a perfect lady. Her eyes trail up and down, sizing Alfie up before he takes his seat across from her, then she adjusts her chair so she's closer to the table. ]

It's the name my mother gave me.

[ She doesn't know if she has a last name, if she ever had one. Her mother hadn't mentioned adopting her father's surname, but he was long dead by the time Hemali came around.

However, she's used plenty of fake names over the years. ]

Rao is my last name.

[devoutish]

We'll stick with Hemali then, yeah? Unless you'd prefer something else.

[Miss Rao would have been his default if she'd introduced herself with her last name included - he's a product of his time, after all - but she had started off by telling him just the name Hemali.]

[snoobs]

Hemali works, unless you have a name you want to give me.

[ Something complimentary, of course. She doesn't hide that vain attitude of hers at all. ]

Should I just call you Alfie?

[devoutish]

[His lips twitch up in amusement at that first comment, and he nods at the second.]

Yeah. Not gonna make you call me Mr. Solomons, am I. First-name basis will do just fine.

[snoobs]

Alfie it is then.

[ A peculiar name for a grown man, but her definition of peculiar has changed a great deal since her arrival to this world. ]

So Maurtia Falls is where you live? How do you like it?

[devoutish]

[The look he gives her clearly says not much, but his words are slightly more diplomatic.]

The most tolerable of these imPort cities. It's got the best climate. But where I live, right - that's London. That's home.

[snoobs]

Heropa isn't so bad. Small towns still have their appeal.

[ She's been through small villages with only a couple of hundred people to larger, crowded cities. The kind that you couldn't avoid bumping shoulders with every other person or nearly getting hit by a car while crossing the street. The streets here were busy, but there was more breathing room... a nice change of pace, honestly. ]

I had plans to visit London! I suppose that has to wait for a little bit longer till I get my bearings here.

[devoutish]

You're gonna transplant your plans from one universe to the next, just like that? Not hope to go home and visit your own London, but visit this one instead?

[It's so strange to him that people can do that. That people are willing to do that.]

[snoobs]

Why not? If I'm going to be here, I may as well just go where I please until I am able to go home.

[ She definitely plans to sneak into the Porter lab and access the damn machine herself, but Alfie doesn't need to know that. Nobody needs to know any of her real plans. ]

I wonder if they have flying cars there, too!

[devoutish]

They do. I've seen them on the street.

[And, okay, they are pretty impressive.]

[snoobs]

I do wonder what else they have in this world. Teleporters, flying cars... maybe they've made it to other planets in space now?

[ One of the employees, who's been purposely taking their time making their rounds before getting to Alfie and Hemali's table, finally approaches them with a flat look and asks for their orders. ]

Cappuccino — with cinnamon on top.

[ She doesn't bother to offer her thanks and instead almost shoves back the menu to the waiter without as much as glance. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie does the exact opposite - he stares down the waiter, absolutely determined not to be the first to look away. It's only when the guy finally breaks first and averts his eyes that Alfie gives his order.]

Yeah, cappuccino. That sounds lovely.

[With the waiter gone, he looks back at Hemali.]

Now then, what's a cappuccino?

[shifting]

[it will be easy to spot him coming, the powder blue pick-up less than subtle as it rolls up alongside Hemali's waiting spot. Sam leans over to open the door, smiling like some young, dumb teenager on his way to prom. He leans over to open the door for her.]

Well, hey there. Going my way?

[cheesy. But cheesy can break the ice and ease any pressure inherent to an impromptu meet-up. This is a lot - Sam knows that. New world, new time maybe, new powers, and now a new guy she's just met offering to driver her to his house. Sam would like to credit himself with enough emotional intelligence to know that could overwhelm someone.

But as bold as his proposal was - she accepted it. A boldness in itself, and one the Southerner can't help but hope holds promise. People ground themselves in all sorts of ways.

The truck's cabin is small; her scent will fill the space for him once she climbs in, shuts the door. The first step to getting to know her a little better.]

Hope I didn't leave you waitin' too long. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be on wheels when the traffic's floatin' around you.

[snoobs]

[ The look on her face as she spots the pick-up truck heading her way. This doesn't scream tasteful or fancy in any way; a man with questionable tastes, she tells herself, although she will give him credit for being so bold as to offer to meet with her and cook her food. How good a cook is he? She'll just have to find out.

She lifts a foot onto the side before hopping into the passenger's seat. When she pulls the door shut she looks at him with a big, excited grin. ]

Does everything float in this country?

[ Her scent is unusual; it's not quite human, but not quite like any other mammal either. ]

[shifting]

More than should, definitely. [with a laugh at her enthusiasm, charmed by that adventurous energy. He really had to hand it to Hemali for apparently managing to find the appeal in inter-dimensional kidnapping. Maybe she's wanted to travel for a while now.

As soon as she's buckled he takes them back into traffic, the truck purring happily beneath them and the radio crooning something low and sweet. He steals a glance from the corner of his eye, nostrils flaring briefly as he takes in more than just her appearance. There's something there, definitely. Something that should maybe have him more on edge than he is, but only manages to make him curious. He's not in Bon Temps anymore; weird is nearly normal here. That's harder to come to terms with some days more than others, but mostly it means he doesn't have to pry her secrets free right this moment. Question can wait.

(Although, hypocritically, he immediately wonders if it she can sense any sign of his own secrets.)]

So, you've got two options I think you ought to decide between. Mostly just a choice 'tween breakfast or lunch. Either way I've got some boudin that's gonna play a part in it, so I hope you're okay with a little spice. [spoken lightheartedly - he assumes she is, of course. Spice is supposed to be big in India, right?

Which is about when it also occurs to Sam to ask, with a somewhat panicked expression:]

Shit, actually, are you vegetarian? Or - you haven't got any allergies to food or anything, do you? Sorry, I should've asked ahead of time.

[snoobs]

[ There are a number of things that bother her about this world, starting with the Porter itself. No machine should be capable of the power it has, with much of its potential apparently undiscovered. It actually makes her uncomfortable to think something in this world possesses so much power in the first place. ]

Let's do lunch.

[ She could make a comment about that assumption on spices, even if she does enjoy them in her food. ]

I enjoy meat, too. [ All kinds of meat. ] What do you eat?

[shifting]

Lunch it is then. Boudin and rice - I really think you're gonna like this. [offered with genuine enthusiasm as he drives them down the road, his face lit - boyishly pleased. Like he's about to cook for a lifelong friend, rather than a woman he's just met.

There may be a reason Sam's go-to form is a dog; it's possible he has a few things in common with them.]

I like all sorts of things. Meat, veggies, some Southern comfort food every now and again. Got a pretty wide taste. Always like tryin' new things too. [he shoots her a quick look, a smile.] So if after this you decide you want to return the favor sometime, I wouldn't mind.

[the drive will take them along the main thoroughfare a ways before he takes a turn that that puts them on a two-lane road, winding with lazy curves and shaded by forest on either side. The turn for his house won't be obvious until he makes it, only a lone blue mailbox marking the dirt path up to his house in the woods. It's quiet out here, pretty. Lots of birdsong and natural smells. Sam parks, going to the other side to open Hemali's door for her, grinning.]

Here we go. It's small, but the privacy's got its benefits for sure. You're welcome to hang out on the porch if you like, or come inside and look around while I cook. Shouldn't take too long, I've had it simmerin' in a rice cooker. Can I get you somethin' to drink? Juice or water? Wine?

[snoobs]

[ So far he's managed to retain her attention. While she could write him off as a desperate, lonely man to eagerly jump at meeting her immediately, he doesn't come across as all that desperate. A bit excitable, but there's something about his behavior she can't put her finger on. It reminds her of someone (or something?), but the answer is just out of her reach.

If she should be concerned over the secluded area, she isn't; in fact, Hemali seems to revel in the environment. It's not quite like home, but she's always had a fondness for the trees and cool grass and earth...

She smiles, following after him but not before taking a moment to look around. ]

I'll take the wine. [ May as well dine in style. ] You live out here by yourself?

[shifting]

[he's happy to lead her inside, proving the rustic aesthetic of the small house isn't just on the outside. The space is small and open, the living room and kitchen side-by-side, with stairs leading up to an open loft with his bedroom. The only room with a door on it is the bathroom. Sam likes it that way - makes the space feel less secluded, less lonesome.

Of course, having someone over helps too.

The smell of heavily spiced, cooking meat is already wafting through the home, and he goes to open a window just to keep it from getting too hot, fishing for wine and glasses afterward.]

Yeah, just me. Although I had a raccoon sneak in the kitchen one time. [with a smile over his shoulder as he pops the cork.] You can take a seat wherever you like, or look around if it suits you.

And what about you? [he holds out the glass of wine.] Here or back home. You sharin' a place with anyone?

[snoobs]

[ A little too rustic for her tastes and it shows in the way she wrinkles her nose looking around. She's always preferred the modern, sleek interior designs of posh apartments or houses that were much too big for one person to inhabit by themselves. ]

Raccoons. [ She passes him an odd look for that, glancing at the windows then as if she'll spot one of those dirty, over-sized rodents crawling through. ] Do you normally let them in here?

[ She doesn't sit yet, taking the time to walk around and inspect the interior more closely. ]

I live by myself back home. Here I have [ ugh ] roommates.

[shifting]

With raccoons it's not so much 'bout what you let them do as what they find out they can get away with. [note with more than a little humor over a sip of his drink, which he lets linger in his mouth a moment as he watches her explore his space - getting a feel for her as she does the same for him.

He wonders again, briefly, what the scent of hers could mean. Damned if he isn't a little curious.]

Roommates can be good. Gives you a head-start on gettin' to make connections with people in a new world. You met anybody worth knowin' yet?

[snoobs]

[ She'll start poking at things the way a curious child would, too. If it wasn't so rustic in appearance, Hemali might have been impressed with the set-up, especially when one considers they come into this world with nothing. Sam had to have built this all on his own, one way or another. ]

I liked the lovely Raina; do you know her?

[ Raina and Hemali seem similar enough that it immediately drew her attention. Chilton as well by extension. ]

[shifting]

- Raina. [a stutter in his expression, a pause before he nods, slowly. Tries to recover.] Yeah. Yeah, we've uh, we've met. Talked some. She's a hell of a woman.

[her boyfriend, not so much.

Sam turns his attention back to the rice cooker, checking on the simmering contents inside - glad for the distraction. Looks like it shouldn't be too much longer.]

Glad you're already makin' friends. Maybe you'll make some more at your job. If you think you'll keep that - I know you said it surprised you, the one they gave. What is it you did back home?

[snoobs]

[ She immediately picks up on his hesitation, quirking a brow curiously. Something about his response tells Hemali Sam is bothered by something to do with Raina. Perhaps she shot down his advances once? ]

I don't have a medical license to practice, though I don't know how much medicine is involved in this job.

[ If there's any at all. She could probably get away with using her own abilities... ]

Oh, I traveled, but not for work.

[ Implying she doesn't actually have a job. ]