#apt verse

The common room was unusually quiet today. With the rain pattering down outside, the lights seemed a little extra welcoming. Isae walked down the stairs to the common area with a book tucked under her arm. A thick heavy book good for reading all day long in a comfy chair. Thankfully, the common room was full of comfy chairs. She found one near a window and settled into it quietly. 

After a moment she shifted and set her book down to meander her way to  the coffee bar, rummaging through the drawers to find tea bags. Quietly and methodically she made herself a cup, chai tea, perfect for a cozy day in. She wrapped her sweatered hands around the disposable mug and made her way back to her seat. 

Perfect.

Or it would have been perfect if there weren’t an orange cat sitting on her book. 

“Oh hello there little one.” She knelt to the ground to greet the cat face to face. Giving a good bit of distance she cocked her head to the side, “I don’t suppose you wanted to read with me?” 

Isae packed her lunch today, thinking it might be nice to eat outside in the solarium. It was very well taken care of and she couldn’t help but feel the love that was poured into it all. It was a very nice place to be. Plus the weather was just utterly lovely. A nice breeze on a high 70s day with a few scattered clouds forming puffy amorphous shapes. Ideal for a small picnic.

Quietly she packs an apple, and a sandwich neatly cut into triangles wrapped in wax paper and tied together with twine. She packs a small bag of chips, and a bottle of white grape juice. Finally a brownie from the pan she just baked. Hopefully Mr. Tuesti will welcome the sweet treat when he arrives back home. She packs it all inside a small wicker basket. 

Leisurely she made her way down the stairs and through the common room. Exiting the Common room into the day’s sun she throws on her sunhat. A straw hat with a wide black ribbon wrapped around the base. 

She walks softly towards the solarium, not necessarily meeting the eye of anyone lounging about in the sun, looking more towards the clouds. 

Isae made her way through the outdoor garden, and into the greenhouse. The warm sun turning warmer as she makes her way. It seemed she wasn’t the only one with the idea to visit the solarium. Most of the benches were taken and she struggled to find a spot. Finally she found one with a lone stranger towards the very back of the greenhouse. 

Which used to be a pretty scary place to be.

It still was on certain days.

But not today, today there was just the cool air and the stars. It was easy to feel both infinitesimally small and part of the cosmic fabric of the universe, a thread that would unravel the whole blanket should something happen to it. It was nice to feel small but important. She began mapping constellations, starting with Ursa Major. She counted her way through astrology, like a ritual. 

Anyone who happened to watch her could see her whispering the names to herself as her eyes seemed locked on the heavens. Probably looked little creepy, a girl, alone in the dark, whispering to herself. 

The sky was nice and grey. Like a storm was rolling in, it was much too warm and much too late in the year for snow unfortunately. But that was the color grey they sky was. And it was just the way Isae liked it. She had sat in the common room for about an hour now, alternating between watching the sky and re-reading a favorite book. Her tea long since finished and she found herself restless.

Which was odd for her as she was very seldom restless. 

Perhaps a walk outside would do her some good, some stormy air and a walk to the solarium and back would do her some good. And no one would be out lounging by the pool anyways, so she felt significantly less self conscious about going for a walk on her own. She tucked her book neatly into her messenger bag and swung it over her head. With a little sigh she set about her walk.

It was a leisurely walk, down the path that ran beside the pool, through the outdoor garden, and into the solarium. That was the intended trail. About halfway through walking beside the pool she had lost herself in thought. Not paying any attention to her surroundings, her head with the storm clouds and if it will rain. And perhaps she should choose another book from upstairs. And I wonder what I shall make for dinner?