case #003 ☕ [dicated]/[action]

[themuse]

[If anyone walks into the kitchen, they will spot an unfamiliar teenager rifling through the kitchen cabinets. A coffee craft sits next to the sink filled with water, and the young brunette manages to knock a bag of coffee out of one of the cabinets, powdering it all across the counter.]

Oh crap.

[Her journal is open on the counter next to her, recording every frustrated grunt and mumble. Although residents of the castle might not recognize her, Kate Beckett is no stranger to the castle at all - even though she remembers it as a confused seventeen year old and not as a grown adult.]

Ugh, is there anyone around here that knows how to work the freaking coffee machine? I cannot do today without some caffeine.

[As it happens, even as a teenager, Kate still can't make a decent cup of coffee. She also happens to be experiencing her first temporary loss.]

Comments

[clever_girl]

[Serin pauses in the doorway to the kitchen as she takes in the sight. Teenaged civilians weren't exactly the kind of people she dealt with on a daily basis, but she could adapt. The coffee maker, though, was more a source of confusion than anything else. The tech was ancient, and even then she'd inadvertently become used to others dealing the coffee out for her; she was just about in Kate's boat.

That and she just knew no brew could compare to what the Huragoks had whipped up on the Port Stanley. Still, it's worth a try, especially if she can get to know this girl in the process.]

Need a hand? [She's still in her uniform, 6`6" of charcoal grey and black detailing, hair pulled back and a carefully pleasant expression in place.]

[themuse]

[For Kate, there was something about the coffee maker that was a little too advanced. Everything in the castle was like that, actually, and every once in a while it rubbed her the wrong way. She knew she'd skipped a little over fifteen years when she got to the castle, since it was still the late '90s back home, but it never sat with her right. Like she should know what was going on but didn't; like she wasn't getting some inside joke she knew she should get.]

Sure.

[Kate was a tall teenager, but the other woman still towered over her and looked up at her, offering her a smile.] I'll get the hang of it eventually.

[clever_girl]

[Serin pushes off the doorjamb and closes the distance so she can get a better look at the coffee maker. She'll figure it out, it'll just take a moment to visually suss it out. She can play it cool and start by clearing up the spilled grounds until she's certain.]

I didn't think coffee was quite the hit with kids your age.

[themuse]

[ Kate raised her eyebrow. ]

I'm seventeen, not seven. Believe me, I'm trying to get into Standford for college. Coffee is definitely a hit when you're pulling all-nighters for AP classes.

[clever_girl]

Stanford, the one on Earth? [She finishes with the loose grounds and dusts her hands over the sink. She faintly remembered hearing of Stanford before, but she couldn't exactly place where it was located.]

[themuse]

Is there a non-Earth based one? [ She was actually curious, although her tone was teasing. ] But yeah, the one I'm looking at is in California.

[clever_girl]

They probably have a branch on Reach. Most of the bigger universities like to have at least some sort of standing on a handful of inner colony worlds. Expands their sphere of influence and helps pull in students who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend their mother installation.

[She pokes at the coffee maker, making sure the filter was in place and doing subtle last minute checks before she introduced grounds or water to it.] Are you from Earth?

[themuse]

Yeah, definitely an Earthling here. New York City, actually. [ Kate leaned over, watching the woman work with a curious look on her face. She was smart and making coffee wasn't rocket science, and Kate had no idea why she sucked so much at it. ] That's good, though, that those schools are still accessible. Are you... Not from Earth?

[clever_girl]

No, I'm not. [Her movements with the coffee maker are careful and precise. She is still figuring out as she goes, with the intention of getting Kate to believe she knows exactly what she's doing.] I grew up on Reach but I was born on Cascade ...

[Her movements falter, and she pauses. She shouldn't have said that, why would she say that? Shit what was going on. She closed her mouth in a slight frown and turned her attention back to the coffee maker. Maybe that's what she needed, some caffiene, but somehow she didn't think it was that simple.]

dictated;

[raisingdad]

[Alexis is flipping through her journal, checking the morning posts when she comes by one assigned to Kate. But the voice... isn't quite Kate. It sounds a little like her, but since when does Kate not know how to work the coffee machine?]

Kate?

dictated;

[themuse]

Alexis?

[ Kate remembers her, of course; but she doesn't know her in the way that she used to. The castle's taken some liberties with those memories. ]

Hey, what's up?

dictated;

[raisingdad]

Hey...

[Alexis can't see her, but she can tell something isn't right, just by the tone of her voice.]

Do you need help with the coffee maker?

dictated;

[themuse]

Yeah, if you've got a free minute that would be awesome.

dictated;

[raisingdad]

Okay...

Where are you right now?

dictated;

[themuse]

Kitchen. And promise you won't laugh at me. I promise, I am not usually this incompetent, there's just... Like, seven buttons this thing. Our coffee machine at home has one.

dictated; -> action;

[raisingdad]

I won't laugh at you... I'll be there in a minute, ok?

[She shut the book and walked quickly to the kitchen, a bit worried at what she might find. Kate's voice had almost the same timbre but the words didn't sound like her. Something was wrong.

Alexis arrived in the kitchen to find a tall brunette, similar in shape to Kate, but a bit more gawky, examining the coffee maker.]

Kate?

action;

[themuse]

Hey!

[ Kate looked up from the coffee machine and smiled. Alexis didn't look any different to her, of course, and she acted completely normal and comfortable in her presence. ]

Sorry, I hope I didn't pull you away from anything important.

[thebestseller]

Going without caffiene?! That would be such a tragedy. Really, you should have come to me first.

[themuse]

Didn't want to bother you. I figured be busy being important... Running a bar or something.

[ Like Kate was going track down some guy her dad's age and ask him for help with the coffee machine. Sure. ]

[thebestseller]

I'm never so important that I can't help a damsel in distress.

[themuse]

Woah, I am not a damsel. I just... Ouch! [ That was her fingers catching on the hot plate. ] Yeah, I could use a little help.

[thebestseller]

Be there in a jiffy.

[And Castle arrived at the kitchen a few moments later. Kate was so familiar... yet so young-looking. He hoped that this wouldn't last.]

[themuse]

[ Once Castle came in, Kate greeted him with a smile, leaning against the counter. ]

Hi Mr. Castle. I talked to Alexis earlier but she hasn't come down yet.

[thebestseller]

[Castle smiled back; despite the weirdness of the situation, he was still at ease.]

Well, I'm glad to hear she's looking out for you. So, what's the trouble?

[themuse]

Uh, I think it's me, mostly. I spilled coffee everywhere and I'm not actually sure how to program it. I think it's just more advanced than what I'm used to and usually I can figure this stuff out but... [ She sighed, shrugging. ] It's an 'everything's going wrong' kind of morning, you know?