xp_logs | Hope and Betsy: first encounter (Reply)

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Coming back from some late night investigation, Hope meets new mansion inhabitant Betsy Braddock.

Hope yawned as she stepped inside. Nightclubs were not her usual haunts, but to with the mother of a young kid missing, even Hope had stepped up to do the needed fieldwork. Plus, it helped she had a connection to get in the door. Her coat she dropped over the railing of the stairs to pick up later but her shawl she wrapped around herself. The LBD and statement necklace were a tad chilly.

And she was craving a nice latte, so she quickly headed to the kitchen.

“I need to figure out where they buy this from,” Betsy thought to herself as she grabbed the good green tea from the cupboard above the stove. She wasn’t quite sure who was responsible for keeping the kitchen stocked, but she still felt a pang of guilt when she realized that the packet that had been mostly full when she arrived was now more than half empty. Hopefully no-one else liked the stuff quite as much as she did, it was too good quality to be cheap.

She poured in some water to the electric kettle, then sensed another presence approaching the kitchen and added some extra; whoever it was might not want tea but at this point it was just good manners.

The lights were still on, though that was not unusual even at this hour. She was a little surprised at the who though when she entered and automatically pulled herself a little more together. "Oh hello, You must be Betsy. It's good to meet you in person. I am Hope." She quickly introduced herself.

Betsy bit back her first reply - 'must I?' - and reminded herself to be nice. The lack of sleep was starting to make her irritable. “Nice to meet you too, Hope,” she said instead. “Would you like some tea? I found some excellent Gyokuro in the cupboard.” She gave the other woman a curious glance. “That is a lovely necklace. I’m surprised your schedule allows for such late nights though.” Her tone of voice was more admiring than judgmental.

Considering the hour, tea might be a better idea. "Thank you, I would love some." She moved to one of the cupboards and pulled down two delicate china cups. "Such good tea deserves a equal vessel." Hope quipped before coming back to the Betsy's implied question. "There is a mother of two young kids missing. If a short night helps to find her, I am glad to do so.”

Betsy added more leaves into the pot she’d set down next to the kettle, then poured some of the hot water into the cups Hope had provided and swirled it a couple of times before tipping it into the pot. “The water needs to be cooled down first, if it’s too hot it spoils the tea,” she explained. “So, duty not pleasure then. But yes, that does sound like a small price to pay for a noble goal. I hope you made some progress?” The telepath checked the tea then filled a cup and passed it to Hope before pouring another one for herself and perching on one of the bar stools by the kitchen island.

Hope let the tea cool a bit, thinking back to credit card she had quietly slipped from a target's pocket, photographed and slipped back in again. The photo's were in Sue's email now so she could do her thing. "I got a promising lead to pursue, but it's to be seen what the result will be." Carefully she took a small sip, letting the flavor role around in her mouth. "It is really good.”

Betsy's pleased smile was quickly hidden behind the pretense of taking another sip of tea. While she didn’t want to let herself think about <i>why</i> correct tea preparation was so important to her, having someone appreciate the effort caused a warm glow that had nothing to do with the jade-green liquid. “I’m glad you like it, and I hope your lead proves successful,” the purple-haired girl said sincerely. “It all sounds very stressful though. Do you ever have the chance to do things just for yourself?"

"It's a way of life I have grown used to over the years here. Luckily I still find the time to curl up with a book now and then and I am able to attend a play or a concert regularly." Hope explained. "May I ask how you have been so far? It is quite late to still be up."

“While I do find it slightly disconcerting that living here seems to cause one to develop an irresistible urge to devote one’s time to saving the world, at least I can be comforted by the fact I may still have time to enjoy opera,” Betsy smirked at the other girl, then looked down at her tea, swirling it in her cup.

“I am doing alright. I mean, I miss my brother and my body is just having some trouble adapting to the time difference… You know what, sod it. No, I’m not alright. I just got my brother back and now he’s on the other side of the ocean, I can’t get any bloody sleep, and frankly I’m terrified this whole thing,” she waved her hand to encompass the kitchen and the mansion surrounding it, "will turn out to be an elaborate practical joke and at some point someone will turn around and tell me that no, you can’t hear people’s thoughts, you're actually just delusional. It’s not like I don’t have the history for it.”

Hope nodded sympathetically. "When you all put it together like that, it does sound rather overwhelming.Especially with being separated from your brother so soon. You are still standing though and still going on, step by step. I would call that a good start, even if it's a lot at the moment. Sometimes it's the only thing you can do.”

Betsy was still staring at the tiny vortex forming in her cup. It took some effort to tear her eyes away and turn her gaze towards Hope. “Mmmh? Oh, yes. It does seem that way sometimes. Thank you.” She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have unloaded it all on you like that. I’m just… I’m just tired. I should go back to my room and try to get a bit more sleep.” The telepath emptied the rest of her tea and slid off her bar stool. “It was a pleasure to meet you though, Hope. I hope that when we next have a chance to talk I will be better company.”

"Do not worry about it, Betsy. And I should follow your example and go up too." Hope emptied her own tea cup, gathering up both cups and setting them by the sink to clean in the morning. "Sleep well."

“You too, Hope. I hope you find your missing person soon.” With that, Betsy gave Hope one last smile and made her retreat.