Posts: 27
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Caith Alwood
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Caith on Aug 29, 2015 14:39:35 GMT -5
With her palette on her lap, and a fine brush in her hand, Caith painted in watercolor. The soft colors made for a blended image, a painting that was both colorful and cloudy. Caith worked from movies and old pictures she had seen in books—books from long, long ago. She painted a misty mountain range on a cloudy day. Down in the valley, she muted her colors to the point where they were almost solid white. What lied between the towering peaks was a mystery. Only a few faint rays of sunlight broke through the clouds and the thick fog, shining down into the valley, where tiny blue sparkles tried to break through the white veil.
But despite Caith’s focus on her painting, she heard Momo inside, and she wasn’t surprised when a knock came at the sliding glass door. Caith looked over her shoulder, absentmindedly cleaning her paint brush in a cup of water, and she said, “That’s fine. Just watch where you put the ladder.” On the inside of the sunroom, there were plenty of paintings that could get scratched up or torn by the ladder’s legs. Outside, Caith had a few flowers up against the wall that wouldn’t appreciate pounds of steel and ribbed, plastic feet.
When Momo retrieved her ladder and came back to work on the windows, Caith was still busy with her painting. But as she painted, she decided to ask, “Do you enjoy cleaning, Momo? You seem to be very dedicated to your job.”
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Posts: 30
Preferred Name: Momo
Pronouns: Her
Character Name: Momo
Status: Seeking RPs
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Post by Momo on Aug 30, 2015 14:14:39 GMT -5
Momo was careful to not knock her ladder against anything as she entered the sun room. She carefully moves a couple things out of the way so she can get as close to the windows she can so she can clean in safety. As she climbed she thought of the best way to answer the question.
"Do I enjoy cleaning? No. No I actually do not like the action of cleaning. I DO like the outcome of cleaning. I like the organizational aspect of the act of cleaning. The taking of a space that was cluttered and dirty and in some cases no longer functional and restoring it, making it useful and wanted once more. Cleaning is easy and orderly. Your actions have clear and predictable outcomes. It does take thought and knowledge about what cleaning solution for what application and how to clean in a efficient and timely manner, but rarely do I have to worry about things going wrong."
Momo pauses for a moment making sure she leaves no streaks as she wipes the windows. She also knows that some of the things she is about to say could be considered inflammatory. Tentatively she continues, "For much of my life I was very much not in control of anything. My parents through no fault of their own, are Lower Class and it became clear to me from an early age that I would most likely be Lower Class as well and this loss of control of my future made me frustrated and angry. I couldn't really blame my parents for something they had no control about and those who actually could change something was miles away from anywhere I could reach. That anger and frustration had to go somewhere though, so I started cleaning to feel productive. Along the way I found I was good at it. I found I was good at bringing order to the disorderly. I found a sort of peace in changing what I could about the environment around me. So I decided to branch out and bring this order to others so they could do what they do best. Maybe the change I want can be facilitated by me doing this little part and help them out in this way."
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Posts: 27
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Caith Alwood
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Caith on Sept 2, 2015 9:34:02 GMT -5
For a second, Caith's brush stopped. She quirked her brow and glanced over to Momo as the woman started delving deeper and deeper into her personal life. That was… unexpected. Caith didn't mind, of course, and she went back to painting, listening to Momo's every word despite all appearances.
Momo talked for a good while, and Caith didn't want to interrupt. She added details to her mountains, and she masked some of the brighter blue sparkles so they wouldn't be as easy to spot in the fog. Only when Momo finished talking did Caith say, "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, Momo. At the very least, you're introspective."
Dipping her brush into a cup of red paint, Caith continued, "Our system is broken—though to say that makes it sound as if it was ever whole. It's oppressive, constricting, and controlling, but it's not impossible to overcome. I'd like to think you and I are evidence to that fact." The mountains became hotter, fiercer, and once again Caith had to mask the blue sparkles down in the gorge as the dark red mountains made them too easy to spot.
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Posts: 30
Preferred Name: Momo
Pronouns: Her
Character Name: Momo
Status: Seeking RPs
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Post by Momo on Sept 2, 2015 13:13:56 GMT -5
Momo enjoyed Ms. Alwood's candidness. It was unusual to hear people talk so candidly about how the system was broken. It may have just been because Ms. Alwood was of the Middle Class, Lower Class workers that speak so openly often find themselves in trouble. Not that speaking about it in such general terms would be enough to get someone in trouble, but often times people who do or do so to loud or often are often scrutinized a little more often. Minor infractions are often judged more harshly than others. "Random" searches are a little more often. She was young and not that vocal, her father on the other hand was not as subtle and growing up she had put up with a lot of traffic stops and house visits.
"Would you consider me introspective? If I am I get it from my mother. She always said that if I were to question anything I have to question myself first and my motives. We are alike in proving a broken system?"
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Posts: 27
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Caith Alwood
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Caith on Sept 2, 2015 14:39:32 GMT -5
"You answered my question in great detail," said Caith, her eyes still on her canvas, her brush steadily darkening the clouds. "Most people would say 'yes' or 'no' or maybe explain a little. You gave me much more. Honestly, before you even started talking about your anger and frustration I knew you had put a lot of thought into this part of yourself. Mainly, it was the detail regarding your dislike of the cleaning but your love of results. You might be surprised how few people can ever point out what exactly makes them happy."
Then, Caith set her brush down on her palette, letting its hairs dip into a cup of water. She then turned her chair fully and faced Momo, saying, "And no. You and I prove that we can overcome this broken system. I'm in a wheelchair, and yet I'm in the Middle Class. This system stacked its test against me; it tried to judge me as less of a person, and I know for a fact that it would have sent me to the Lower Class or the Slums if I hadn't proven myself. That is how I overcame it. And you—a woman born from the Lower Class and bound to the Lower Class—you're running your own business. You're taking control of your life despite your low status."
Caith then turned back to her canvas, adding more details to her painting. With a gray paint, she added a figure hiding in the fog deep down in the gorge, standing amongst the blue sparkles. "Yes, I'd say you and I have at least a few things in common, though you're welcome to disagree."
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Posts: 30
Preferred Name: Momo
Pronouns: Her
Character Name: Momo
Status: Seeking RPs
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Post by Momo on Sept 2, 2015 16:52:17 GMT -5
Momo chuckled a little. "As far as I can tell there is nothing wrong with what you said. Your assessment of yourself and I is both solid. I would expect nothing less from a detective. As well I believe I am done here. I am just going to the dinning room. Cleaning your chandelier will involve moving your table into the kitchen. I will move it back to its place in the dinning room. The chandelier will take the most time as it is very delicate work and it will be very time consuming."
Momo carefully maneuvered her ladder out of the sun room and it into the kitchen. Walking into the dinning room she sighed while looking at the table, "Well this will be a bitch to move, don't you think so Sarah? Nothing for it, but some hard work and determination. Lets do this." She cautiously starts lifting and pushing the table into the kitchen. It took her about a half an hour to wash all the little facets of the light fixture. After that it was quick work to move the table back quickly. She moves to the living room to quickly dust and shampoo the carpet. The foyer was additionally easy work. She double checked her checklist to be sure she was done. She quickly finished those last touches to each room and headed to the sun room.
"Well Ms. Alwood it would seem I am finished for the day. I will see you next week if you do not have this cleared up with Ms. Springs.
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Posts: 27
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Caith Alwood
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Caith on Sept 3, 2015 8:48:47 GMT -5
A smirk crossed Caith's lips, and she stopped painting for a moment, waiting until Momo was finished talking before saying, "Pretty sure I never told you that I was a detective." It was no secret that she was or anything, so she just snorted and shook her head, wondering how Momo had learned that. Perhaps Julie had told her, or perhaps Momo had read some of the documents on Caith's desk. There was, of course, the idea that Momo had profiled Caith from her appearance and her home. She wondered if Momo would do this with every house she cleaned.
Returning to her painting, Caith found herself lost in her brush strokes for the rest of the day. She didn't have a case to focus on, didn't have anything else to do, and she had felt inspired. By the time Momo finished cleaning, Caith had completed her painting, which she allowed to dry on the easel. She rolled back a bit to admire her work: the heavy contrast between the red mountains and the white gorge; the subtle blue lights along the bottom; the eerie presence of the mysterious figure. It was one of her favorite pieces so far, and Caith looked forward to hanging it up. She even wondered if Elgen would appreciate it. He probably didn't have the patience for art, though.
When Momo returned to the sunroom, Caith had just turned around to head back inside. She stopped and said, "Yes, I'll be sure to give Julie an earful later."
Even from simply glancing around Momo and through the sliding glass door, Caith could tell that she had done a good job. She rolled into the house, her wheels having been cleaned from giving that tour earlier. She no longer messed up her house as she made her way through it, inspecting Momo's work.
"Very nice." Caith then shut her eyes and focused, sending signals to her implant as she transferred a generous tip to Momo. "I'll see you next week."
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Posts: 30
Preferred Name: Momo
Pronouns: Her
Character Name: Momo
Status: Seeking RPs
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Post by Momo on Sept 3, 2015 22:28:17 GMT -5
Momo was over joyed at hearing that Ms. Alwood would see her next week. It she was going to be working for her next week! Ms. Alwood would not be fighting with Ms. Springs over her coming in and cleaning for her.
She won't lie she did turn her music up and danced and sang all the way back to her home/office. Since she hadn't been in business for long enough to warrant paying for office space and it had taken her so long to save up the money to buy her van, cleaning supplies and vault she felt holding off on an office to be wise. Oh has she been looking forward to this moment. For the last few years, ever since she graduated from high school, she's been working 2-3 jobs trying to save all she could to start her business.
After parking her van and inventorying what cleaning supplies she had used and added it to the notes on her clipboard. She finished up with her paper work, sent off her invoice to Ms. Springs, and put her files into a folder and it went into her vault.
The following week she knocks on Ms. Alwoods door at the same time she had stopped by the week before and started to do her job once again.
The End
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