happy_dsign

Bay was late. It wasn't a big deal yet, she was still cooking, but she could use help with garnishing and boxing the food that was ready, and if she didn't have everything boxed and loaded in about the next 30 minutes, she was going to be late with this catering order. They were still not as frequent as she'd like, beyond her morning orders for baked goods around the city, and every good performance equaled good word-of-mouth. That was important, it was critical at this point.

She got some oil heating in a skillet to start working on the fried foods, since they needed to be relatively fresh, and then she pulled out her phone and sent a video chat request to Bay.

When they'd first got their packets and had been assigned to adjoining apartments it had seemed like the perfect set-up. That way they would both be nearby but would have their privacy. It had only taken a single night on her own in the apartment to change her mind on that front, though. All alone in an empty apartment, unable to hear if someone was moving around, without the security of knowing Bay was right there--she'd slept horribly, fitfully, getting up several times to walk through the apartment and make sure she was alone, checking the locks on the door and windows.

Finally around 4 AM she'd given up altogether and sat down at the kitchen table with her laptop. There were other arguments she could make, more logical ones than 'I don't like being all alone in my apartment', and she made the spreadsheet to prove it. Financially, sharing an apartment with Bay was a good idea. They could split the cost of rent and supplies that way, and with the monthly income this place granted to each resident, they wouldn't even need to work if they didn't want to. Plus they could share the chores. She could cook for them both, she was even willing to take care of the finances. God knew she'd helped her mom sort out bills often enough, and this time she wouldn't even have to juggle due dates and late notices and disconnect warnings.

This done she showered and got dressed, then made a batch of fresh banana muffins. By 7:30 she was at Bay's door, too impatient to wait any longer. She hoped that wasn't a mistake. By now, Bay should be used to earlier mornings than she had been at home, right?

She took a deep breath and knocked, plastering a smile on her face, with the plate of muffins held out in offering.

It had taken Daphne a week before she went back to the food truck, just to check it out and remove the bow, the first time. It was well-stocked with equipment and supplies, but it also had so much emotional baggage packed into every corner, she wasn't sure she could get past that and put it to good use.

But a few more days of staying away, thinking about all of the possibilities, all of the potential to do something all on her own in this place, had her back today, poking through the supplies with a pen and a notepad, taking inventory of everything the place had, checking out the various appliances (she'd need to talk to the building crew and see if they could hook it up with electricity and water, but there were some geniuses on the island, she was pretty sure they could manage it somehow) and figuring out what she would do with it. She had the side open to air out the truck and keep it cooler, though she was watching for anyone to approach so she could turn them away--for now.

He waited until she picked up her guitar, then took her free hand in his and walked them, quickly, towards the building, leading her down to the floor he practically had to himself these days.

Daphne clung to his hand as she followed, grateful for his rapid pace. She couldn't wait to get him alone and pick up where they'd left off.

When they reached his room she pulled away just long enough to set the guitar down safely on the unclaimed bed before she turned back to him and all but threw herself at him, her hands slipping beneath his shirt to caress his abdomen as she leaned up for a kiss.

Daphne woke to a shaking pillow, frowning and sitting up. She felt weird, disoriented. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, not recognizing anything in her surroundings, and her heart started pounding. "...Mom?" she called, clutching the blanket against her as her gaze fell on the sleeping stranger in the next bed. A whimper of fear, of panic escaped her as her head whipped around and she scooted toward the headboard, her eyes wild. "Mom!"

Daphne didn't know how long the graffiti had been on the compound wall, she didn't get around to the back of the building that often. She hadn't seen it when the compound had been all wild wild west, but today she'd just been wandering around, checking out the garden, then going to visit the chickens, and she'd seen it: the same street art that had been all over Kansas City, the little girl with axes and hammers.

There was only one possible explanation. She knew she hadn't done it, and was pretty sure Wilke hadn't done it, so that narrows it down to one plausible suspect.

She headed directly into their shared room, finding Bay already there, which saved her the trouble of tracking her roommate down. "Hi. We need to talk."

Daphne had decided to take Bella's recommendation and seek out Kate for some relationship advice--as it were. She didn't actually have a relationship, of course, which was part of the problem. And the two sides of this particular coin were starting to give her a headache.

She hung around the children's office near the end of Kate's shift, waiting for her to finish up so she could at least ask if she could have some time, if not right now than whenever Kate had a minute. Just hopefully soon. She couldn't keep running hot and cold on Wilke like this, it wasn't fair to him, but at the same time the thought of giving up on Kon without even knowing definitively if there was something to give up on made her heart ache a little.

Back home, Daphne had stayed up much later than she did on the island. Here, she had shifts at the bakery that started ridiculously early, so half the time she was in bed shortly after dinner, and was usually asleep by the time Bay even got in. It was one of the nice things about being deaf; as long as Bay didn't turn on the light, she could sleep through just about anything. No amount of noise would wake her, after all.

She was fast asleep tonight, alarm set for 2:30 so she had time to get up and shower, dress and grab some breakfast before starting her shift.

Daphne had shown Bay around the compound, given her a quick run-down on island life, and then Bay had decided to go explore the carnival that she'd abruptly appeared in on her own, much to Daphne's relief. She needed time to process this new development, to decide how she felt about Bay's presence here. Of all the people who could show up, it had to be Bay.

She went into her room, glancing at the empty bed across the way that would be housing Bay at least for a couple of days before unpacking the Deafenstein t-shirt that had appeared that morning, a present from her best friend that she couldn't even thank him for. She changed into the shirt, smoothing her hand down the front, and then looked around the room before sighing and going back out into the hallway. She thought for a moment, then went next door and knocked on the doorframe, hoping Dairine was there.