Irica Enters the Breakroom

Astrid looked up from her easel when the door opened. A girl stood there, her pointed chin darting about as she tilted her head this way and that, taking in the whole room with sharp, angular eyes. After a moment her gaze settled on Astrid, who waved her brush. "Hi," she said, voice arcing towards a question at the end.

The girl stepped closer, then hesitated, looking down at herself. She wore a high-necked, heather grey dress over black-striped hose, and black gloves that crept up her wrists under the flourishing bell sleeves. Her feet bore pointy-toed purple flats with scalloped edges. Letting out a sigh and a smile, her looked back up at Astrid, eyes bright as she tipped her head to one side. "Hello." Her voice was as sharp as the rest of her, but lower than Astrid expected, given the girl's small stature and frame and angular features. The girl leaned closer and stuck out one hand, awkwardly. The smile faltered slightly, and the girl put obvious effort into fixing it to her face more broadly to make up for it.

Astrid shook the girls hand and deftly dipped her brush back in her paint. She looked back at the canvas and leaned close to watch the bristles sculpt a delicate correction to the arch of a gull's neck. Satisfied, she glanced at the girl again. "So," she said in opening, "you're obviously new here."

"Here, yes." The girl took another step closer, peering intently at Astrid's painting, though she spared a glance at her footing and Astrid, seeming to gauge the distance between them before refocusing her attention. 

"Well, I'm Astrid."

"Oh! I knew I was forgetting something. I'm Irica." The girl beamed. "Your illusion work is very good."

"My... what?" Astrid followed Irica's gaze back to the canvas. "Do you mean my painting? It isn't finished yet." She waved the brush to indicate behind the canvas, where she'd had the room create a serene, north-Pacific beach. "The author gave me a room that could transform into anything, so I told the others I was claiming it once a week for artistic purposes. I think Lyra thinks I'm doing something kinky in here, but that's Lyra for you. Sorry. I'm babbling."

But Irica's gaze was eerily focused, totally intent on every word. This close, Astrid could see that her eyes were violet, or a blue so deep that it seemed to be, and there was a thin ring around the edge of the iris. It must be dark brown, Astrid thought, it must, because it certainly couldn't be red, as it appeared to be. The girl leaned in close to the canvas, lifting one hand and very, very delicately touching the tip of her middle finger to the paint. She drew back, looking disgruntled.

"It doesn't move," she pointed out, as if Astrid would be disappointed to hear it, "you'll have trouble tricking anyone with an illusion that doesn't move."

"It's not an illusion." Astrid reached out and waved Irica a few steps back, away from her still drying art. "It's a painting. It's not meant to trick anyone, it's just for people to enjoy."

Irica looked at it again, then behind it, where the real version was wafting cool sea air in their direction. "I don't get it." Then she perked up. "Want to see my illusion work? I've never been much good at it but I've been practicing a lot lately and I think I'm getting better."

"Sure," Astrid said, indulgently, frowning at her piece. Another layer of pale blue-grey along the cliffs would bring more light in to the scene, she thought absently, swishing the brush through the cup of water a few times and dabbing it dry on her apron. She reached for the grey, intending to mix some more paint similar to the shade she'd used before, when a low growl caught her attention. She froze, glancing up from under her eyelashes. "Um," Astrid said.

"There's something about the fur that isn't quite right, I think," Irica mused. "Hard to get all those little hairs to move in the right way. Don't you think?"

"Um," Astrid tried again, pausing when she was interrupted by another growl. She waited, but when there didn't seem to be any imminent limb-tearing or head-munching or torso-chewing, she lowered her tone and pressed, as calmly as she could manage, "That's a sabertooth tiger."

"Yeah, I read about them a while back. Neat, right? I figured it might come in handy. Sure to take just about anybody off guard, right?" Irica waltzed up to it and leaned in close to study the monster's face, eyes squinting tight as she took in her creation. "I suppose most people won't notice the details. It's not like you see a lot of sabertooth tigers at the park, or in the pet shop, or even out for a Sunday hike, or whatever it is people do on Sundays."

"Church, mostly," Astrid said, "least where I come from."

"Alright, well I doubt there's a lot of sabertooth tigers at church, either."

"No," Astrid admitted. "Think you could make it go away, now? You know, before it eats one of us?"

Irica glanced back at Astrid, then to the cat. Then back to Astrid. And then she laughed, broad and airy. "Illusion, silly. It's not really here." She waved a hand around, and it smacked solidly into the cat's neck, but the animal didn't budge. Though it did growl again.

"Looks like it's really there to me," Astrid pointed out.

Irica bit her lip and squinted hard again. Her hand abruptly shifted right through the tiger, and she grinned proudly. "What good would an illusion be if things went right through it?"

"Isn't that... not an illusion anymore?" Astrid shook her head. "What am I saying? You know what, I think I've had enough of this place for today. The painting can wait until tomorrow." She stomped at the floor and a narrow closet popped up out of the floor, filled with canvases and paints and brushes and forms and jars. Irica peered curiously at it as Astrid tucked her painting carefully in line with the other canvases so the paint wouldn't smear and folded up the easel. She thought for a moment and the room vanished her used paints and dirty water. With another stomp, the closet slid back into the floor and Astrid made for the door.

"You'll come back, won't you?" Irica called after her, pouting.

"Sure," Astrid agreed, "I'll even bring some friends." She smiled. "Lyra's just going to love you."