Energize and Enliven (Delilah)

[Sakhmet Richmond]

It was an undeniable fact that Delilah's discovery by Ra had lead to a certain amount of discomfort in the Richmond household. Sakhmet had to admit to her brothers that she'd been hiding another person in their house, without discussing it with any of them. And it had been obvious that Delilah wasn't comfortable with being found out.

Even so, Sakhmet felt a certain amount of freedom now that she didn't have that secret looming over her head any longer. She didn't have to tiptoe around or sneak food upstairs when people weren't looking (which was difficult with so many siblings) or worry that someone might notice how much food was going missing.

And now Delilah could roam the house at will.

This meant more freedom of movement for Sakhmet, as well, as she'd been spending a great deal of time in her room in order to keep the older woman company. Now they could relax in the living room and eat little appetizers or fruit or popcorn and watch movies or play games.

For instance, today Sakhmet had decided to teach Delilah how to play Dance Central.

"I'll do the first one," She told her friend, sweeping her arm so that the song menu came up on the screen, "And then you can do the next. If your ribs start to bother you we can do something else, but it's really a lot of fun."

[Delilah Pryce]

Sakhmet's dirty little secrete was finally out in the open and while Ra wasn't too happy about it at first, he was still letting Delilah stay in the house. This allowed Delilah more room to roam around in and while she still favored staying harbored in Sakhmet's room when her brothers were around, she now came out when the house was rather empty or near empty. Her ribs were still quite tender, but healing as best as could be expected. Sakhmet had insisted several times that Delilah go to the hospital but so far, Delilah had managed to ward that trip off. She didn't want to put herself out on the radar so to speak. What had went down at the MSAD compound was rather violent and while no official word was hitting the streets, Delilah knew something was going on behind the scenes. She hadn't felt the probing mind of Sean Neville which meant he was busy with something else or really had no interest in finding her. Either way was fine with Delilah, but what worried her most was the lack of police chatter. It wasn't like what had happened at Gabriel's house was something which would go unnoticed, after all, it was a pile of smoldering ruins by now.

One thought which kept coming back to Delilah was just how long she was going to stay with Sakhmet and the safety of the Richmond house. Eventually, who and what Delilah was would come to light and that sort of worried her. Sakhmet had all too eagerly bought into Delilah's quickly crafted lie of how she ended up in her present state of being and while lying to people never really bothered her before, it did now. Odd feelings for Sakhmet had developed in the short time Delilah had been with her and perhaps it was those feelings which brought about this feeling of guilt. Heck, she hadn't even admitted she was a meta yet.

Downstairs with Sakhmet, Delilah stood behind the younger woman, smiling as Sakhmet insisted on playing some dance game. Sakhmet waved her hand around, bringing up the game menu and then explaining how she would show Delilah how it was played. Delilah only smiled and made a motion with her hand to indicate Sakhmet start the show. Delilah hoped Sakhmet would pick something a bit difficult, as this would give Delilah the opportunity to open up to her new found friend. Just how much she would open up was questionable. If Sakhmet took kindly to her new friend being a meta, then maybe Delilah might go ahead and admit the rest of her story as well. Then again, that might need to wait for another time.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she contemplated the song choices. She didn't want to scare her friend off with any choices that were too complicated, and she didn't want to look like she was showing off, either.

"Mmmm...." She finally settled on Cascada's Evacuate the Dance Floor, a song she enjoyed for its own merits. It was only considered a warm-up, but it would give Delilah an idea of what to expect. If she'd known that the other woman wanted her to choose something difficult she would have, but it just didn't seem fair to her to start right off with something hard when Delilah hadn't even played it before.

"They have a break down you can do first." She explained, "So you can learn the moves. But I'm skipping that part. This one isn't too difficult and I've done it before."

The song began to play and she did her best to imitate the moves shown on the screen -- and her best was fairly good, due to both having played before as well as spending a lot of free time at clubs. She still wasn't perfect, though, and every time she messed up she'd go into fits of giggles that made performing the next move difficult as well.

The break down was her favorite part, because it meant she could just jump around and gyrate while being silly like the Richmond she was.

"Eeeh, see? Easy!" She laughed when she was finished and the game had announced her score. She dropped onto the sofa, giving the other woman a huge grin. "So now it's your turn, come on, show off your moves."

[Delilah Pryce]

Delilah watched Sakhmet with a wide smile. The younger woman was rather good at this game. Delilah had to admit she found the game interesting. It wasn't anything like real dancing, something Delilah could be considered. She had copied many dancers in her lifetime and could dance any sort of dance out there. After this game, she might share a few of her skills with Sakhmet, providing the young woman didn't flip out.

Sakhmet missed a few steps, laughing wildly missing even more, which meant Delilah would be missing them as well. Every move Sakhmet made, Delilah's mind copied, even the wrong ones. Delilah wished she could improve the steps, but what was copied, was copied. Delilah found herself laughing as well, finding enjoyment in Sakhmet's enjoyment of the game. This moment, was one of those rare moments, when Delilah was truly happy. She hadn't been this happy in a very long time, a testament to how much Sakhmet had touched her.

Sakhmet finally finished the game, her score very impressive. Delilah stepped up, bringing up the menu in the same manner as Sakhmet had. "It won't quite be my moves your gonna see," she half mumbled as the game began. Delilah's body just took over as it always did, her movements, and timing exactly the same as Sakhmet's, even the mistakes. Delilah smiled and laughed as her body went through the motions. This was rather fun and while it tugged hard at her still healing ribs, she pushed the pain aside. Letting out a sigh of relief and putting her hand on her hurt ribs, Delilah looked to Sakhmet as the exact same score appeared on the screen.

Delilah bit her bottom lip in some worry. "I've not really told you everything about me," she said, biting her thumb nail in worry as well. Delilah dropped her head as if she were a child who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I'm a meta," she said, still chewing on her thumb nail, her eyes darting up to judge Sakhmet's reaction.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet's smile was slightly confused as Delilah mumbled something about them not being her own moves. Granted, they were the moves that the kinect was telling her to make, but they were still dance moves. Many of the dances listed tried to guide the user through the moves used in the music videos, even. So of course Delilah hadn't choreographed them herself, she was merely copying, but that was how they kept score.

She drew her knees up to her chest, not even pretending to hold back the continued giggles as her friend made many of the same mistakes she had. "That was really good for the first time!" She complimented, impressed by the fact that they'd both achieved the same score.

"I...sorry?" She hugged a throw pillow to her chest as the older woman began what sounded to be a serious confession. Sakhmet hated serious confessions, and her mind whirred with the possibilities: did she have some sort of incurable disease or she was a wanted criminal? What could possibly cause her to look so ashamed?

The secret that she confessed, however, was....

Shocking.

Shocking because Sakhmet found it outrageous that Delilah would ever be made to feel ashamed of being meta.

"All my brothers are meta." She offered, giving the other woman what was intended to be a reassuring smile. "I'm actually the only one who isn't, if you can believe it. My younger brother, he attends Hammel. That's why we moved here."

[Delilah Pryce]

Once again Sakhmet amazed Delilah with her innocent heart. Never had Delilah encountered anyone with such care in them as Sakhmet Richmond. She was Delilah's lighthouse in the chaotic storm which was her life. Such a profound effect Sakhmet was having on Delilah, but that effect was still far from changing Delilah's dark heart. It wasn't like Delilah was born like this, full of so much rage and hate. No, the monster she had been for so many years was the by product of a very sick and twisted man. He had taken such a sweet heart and turned it into something black and cold. Now, however, Sakhmet was changing that cold black heart back into the caring one it was originally meant to be.

Looking up fully to Sakhmet now, Delilah smiled and shook her head in her disbelief. Instead of being the odd woman out, it was Sakhmet who was the minority in this house. Delilah wondered how that felt, if it felt the same as she had felt when out in the real world. To be outnumbered by others so different from you. It was a scary thing, but Sakhmet wasn't bothered by the fact and if she was, she did a good job of hiding it. Sakhmet was so full of life and joy and Delilah found herself wanting some of that for herself now. She knew she could never be like Sakhmet, but just being around the other woman did lighten the heavy burden on her shoulders. Delilah was able to drown out her savage memories and focus on the present moment with ease whenever Sakhmet was around.

Delilah smiled joyfully, like a little girl who had just gotten a new puppy. "I was worried you might not take so kindly to me once you found out I was a meta. Not many people are accepting of us, even here in Pilot Ridge," she said, putting her hands up to her chin, the tips of her fingers almost touching her lips before dropping them to her sides. "You've been so awesome to me Sakhmet....I won't ever forget this......and I meant that literally...I've got a photographic memory," she said, smiling, felling so very elated. Delilah had never had a friend before and while the words had not been spoken out loud, she felt she and Sakhmet shared this special bond of friendship. Then, in a quick change of face, Delilah's smile became more mischievous and sly. "You want to see what else I can do?," she asked, rubbing her hands together.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet pursed her lips in disapproval at reality. She was well aware that metas had difficulty earning acceptance. "I know," She admitted, tugging distractedly on the tag attached to the pillow she was hugging. "Being different is difficult."

She frowned down at the pillow and added, "When I was growing up I thought my family was normal. Then my parents sent me to live with Ra because they wanted me to have a stable life and education, and it was very different and adjusting to that was quite problematic because, you know, not everyone's parents are archaeologists who think naming their children after ancient pantheons is a good idea, and not everyone has an older brother who is married to another man and not everyone's siblings are meta and not everyone is bi or pan and most people, they don't understand it, and coming from a place where that was normal, I couldn't understand them, either."

She glanced back up at Delilah, hazarding a smile, "I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't meta. All my older brothers were, they all went to this school across the pond and it seemed like such an interesting thing, even knowing that people were prejudiced against them. For awhile we thought Horus wasn't meta, so I wasn't that alone, but then he was and that was hard, I'm the only girl and now I'm the only baseline human, as well. Isis can change gender, though, so I suppose I'm not entirely alone in gender but it's still not quite the same."

That was her roundabout way of saying that she, too, had suffered discrimination and she understood why Delilah would be hesitant about being open.

"But at least in the Richmond house you don't need to worry, nobody will hold that against you."

The photographic memory made her giggle, delighted at the idea someone would always remember their time together, "Oh, that's so interesting!" She caught the mischievous look the other woman was giving her, having seen the same wicked glint in the eyes of her brothers many times before.

"I would love to see what else you can do." Whatever it was, it as sure to be entertaining given the smirk on Delilah's face right now.

[Delilah Pryce]

When Sakhmet opened her mouth it was like an emotional bomb going off and Delilah was at ground zero. Sakhmet slowly and emotionally rattled off one sentence after another, the look in her eyes full of hurt and confusion. Delilah just stood there, her hands falling to her side and her breathing becoming slow as she intently listened to Sakhmet unload such a heavy weight from off her chest. It seemed like all this had been building over a long time and Delilah's heart began to ache. Here was Sakhmet, surrounded by loving brothers, but none of them to confide in. Men were so useless and Delilah wondered how Sakhmet had managed to become the rainbow of joy she was today. Who would have guessed behind those cheery eyes was such a torn and hurt soul? Delilah not only felt hurt for Sakhmet, but ashamed as she herself was guilty of taking advantage of this delicate flower.

Delilah almost shed a tear and to be honest, it felt good this time. To know there was someone out there who hurt and who could understand your pain was a relief. As Sakhmet unloaded on Delilah, Delilah approached her slowly, still listening. "Meta or not, your special to me," she said to Sakhmet as Sakhmet finished her rant. The bond between the two was growing on Delilah's side and she hoped Sakhmet felt the same. As it stood now, Delilah would tear down the gates of hell with her bare hands if Sakhmet asked her.

Then, just like that, the moment shifted and the two woman were smiling mischievously at one another. Taking a step back, Delilah took a breath and did a standing back flip, wincing some from her hurt ribs as she landed perfectly on her feet again. "Assumed muscle memory is what Hammel called it," she said with a smile, "It basically means I can do anything physical after seeing it once, just as long as its not something super powered," she said with a rather proud smile on her face. "You like classical music?," she asked after spying a piano in another part of the room, then heading off that way. Delilah could play several pieces of piano music, along with almost every other instrument known to man. She could be a dancer, a painter, woodworker, or just about any other profession which involved complex physical movements.

Sitting down at the piano, Delilah smiled and looked over in Sakhmet's direction as her hands instinctively fell to the piano keys. Delilah thought about the piece of music and then her body did the rest. The song started off slowly and softly and after a few notes, if Sakhmet was into classical music, she would recognize the song as Moonlight Sonata.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Sakhmet wouldn't have called her brothers useless. She loved them, and in most situations she felt she could be open and honest with them. She never mentioned feeling alone as a baseline human because she didn't want any of them to feel guilty about being meta; that wasn't something they could control, after all.

She returned the other woman's smile, however, pleased to hear that the woman she'd taken in was grateful. More than grateful, even. She thought they were becoming friends, and it was nice to hear that she wasn't just imagining that.

"Thank you!" She responded earnestly, "I never thought I would be glad to find a stranger in my house, but I am. I mean," She clarified hurriedly, "I am not at all glad that you were evicted and attacked, but I'm glad we met."

She settled onto the couch, wide-eyed and eager at Delilah's demonstration of her skill. "Oh, that's lovely!" She cooed at the piano playing. She was much more of a dance music fan than classical music, but she could appreciate that the piece her friend was playing sounded complex, and looked it to by the way her fingers moved across the keys. Nubs was the one who collected the instruments, like he collected everything else, but she was glad for it.

"So anything you see someone else do, you can do as well? That's so interesting! You must be able to perform so many skills, that's fantastic. Do you cook? Maybe you can help me out in the kitchen some. The boys want a party, and having some help would be wonderful..."

[Delilah Pryce]

Delilah's fingers moved over the keys of the piano of their own accord, her body remembering the movement her mind had copied what seemed like ages ago. The savant back at the sanitarium had played such lovely music and unknowingly, he had given so much to Delilah. She used to watch him for hours playing on that keyboard, mainly because she was amazed at what she could do afterward. Over the years since, Delilah had copied many techniques and skills, some useful, others not so much. It really was a wonderful skill to have and had served her well in her life thus far. Delilah smiled as Sakhmet complimented her skill, even letting out a childish giggle. It felt so good to just be herself, her true self. Here with Sakhmet, Delilah didn't have to worry about what was lurking around the next corner, because it was always Sakhmet who was there.

As she finished the piece, Delilah flexed her fingers and sighed. She didn't have any personal skills anymore, everything she knew or did had belonged to another somewhere in her past. Nothing was original or unique with Delilah, just a faded copied version of another person's greatness. That thought was kind of depressing which didn't really help considering the emotional and mental level of Delilah to begin with. She had been off her medicine for some time now, both the prescribed and non. The shakes were coming back, as were the nightmares and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would have to find her comfort again. Thankfully, Sakhmet had been there, even if she didn't understand what might be going on in Delilah's mind and made things a bit more bearable.

"I wouldn't exactly call what I do cooking," she said as Sakhmet mentioned something about helping her with some food. "I can basic stuff, nothing fancy or really delicious. Cooking isn't a skill that can be copied I'm afraid. All the fancy knife work, sure, but as far as cooking, real cooking, I can't mimic that," she said with a slightly depressed tone. "But," she then began quickly, a brilliant thought striking her, "I'm a quick study. You can teach me, after all, your the best cook I've ever met," she said, giving Sakhmet a compliment. Sakhmet could teach Delilah what she knew and explain all the finer details of cooking. It would take a small amount of time, but it could be done and when done, Delilah would have a real skill. Something she had to actually learn and work at, not just something she picked up by standing and watching. She would have something to call her own.

[Sakhmet Richmond]

Had Sakhmet been aware of Delilah's insecurities regarding her skills she would have been distraught; just because her method of learning was unconventional (and probably would have disqualified her from certain types of competitions) didn't make her skills any less real or impressive. People had innate abilities, even if practice was necessary to perfect raw talent, and the ability to mimic was apparently Delilah's. It seemed rather magical to Sakhmet, but that was because she would never be able to rival her friend in that regard.

"Oooh. That's still helpful, being able to pick up knife work and such quickly." She decided. No use denying that the other woman's meta ability would give her some advantages; it did. But that was just the way life was. Some people had advantages over others. She had advantages herself, being completely able-bodied, so she couldn't very well complain about people having other advantages that she didn't.

"Would you like to learn?" Her face lit up at that idea, and even more so at the compliment. "I would love to teach you!" None of her brothers were interested in learning, not even Isis, who came the closest to ignoring gender roles by virtue of his own meta ability. The rest of them, despite a lack of heterosexuality in the Richmond household, managed to keep to masculine gender roles at least where household chores and cooking were concerned.

"I have a tonne of recipes." As if that were any surprise. "If you don't mind, you can help me cook dinner every night. And dessert. Baking is fun, and it's usually quite easy. I'll teach you some simple recipes first, and when you're comfortable with the basics we can try for some more complex meals. But for the party we'll mostly be doing desserts and appetizers, so nothing too crazy."

She lead the way into the kitchen, pulling two flower-print aprons out of the pantry and handing one to Delilah. "I'm afraid it can get a bit messy in here." She apologized.