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 Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:52 pm
He wondered what would have happened if he’d forgotten being Paul instead of forgetting everything that had happened while he was corrupted. Certainly Tallulah wouldn’t be here, tucked up against his chest--would she had left when he didn’t recognize her? No, she would have… she would’ve still come in and talked to him. But she wouldn’t be here, in his arms, warm and real and still lighter than she ought to be. He took a deep breath and smiled into her dark hair, a hand cupped gently over her shoulder and the other draped over her waist.
“I don’t know anything about it,” he said. “One thing I haven’t got: the internet.” He hadn’t really needed it to feed his own terror and concern. He wondered how long it would take his mother to realize he was missing… certainly Raleigh would notice first. He was supposed to go spend tomorrow with his little brother, going to see a movie or something--he shook his head to clear it. “Presumably, it is in space.” Which could be a joke, if only he felt like joking about it.
He sighed. “I’m not supposed to go anywhere until Finn and Kaatje finish whatever it is they’re doing,” he told Tallulah. “Since they don’t have contact information for me. So, uh, would you mind staying with me? I’ve been given permission to order pizza.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:53 pm
Tallulah could fix this. She had the technology! Careful, as to not jostle Nick too much, she reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out her phone. “Internet,” she said, unlocking it. A quick search for Oenone - object in space did the trick. “It’s a main-belt asteroid,” she announced. “Not much else here - hey, you’re named after a nymph.”
She looked at Nick. There was nothing about him remotely nymphlike. She smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Whatever Finn and Kaatje were doing, Tallulah figured, they were probably counting on her babysitting Nick, anyway. Well, she could do that. She reasoned that she was beyond qualified. “It would be my pleasure,” she informed him, and toed off her shoes to drop them beside the chair. His arms were comfortable. She didn’t want to move.
“I love you,” she sighed, leaning her head against his collarbone. “I really, truly do.”
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:53 pm
An asteroid. He was named after a nymph, and he, or his starseed, or his past self--he wasn’t sure how it worked--came from an asteroid. The utter absurdity of it all combined awkwardly with a strange relieved feeling that he didn’t know the source of and, in fact, he felt kind of nauseated. “And you’re a princess,” he said. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine. She seemed like everything a princess would be, you know, smart, responsible, polite--and the fact that she was beautiful didn’t hurt. He considered this, staring out at the curtain-covered window like it held the secrets of the world. It was as good a bet as any, he decided, that senshi had princesses.
“I love you,” he told her, and he knew he must have; he remembered being terrified that something would happen to her, that he would wake up and there would be no Tallulah just a phone call or a text message away. He stroked a hand over her hair and smiled, peacefully, thinking that if he had to stay here for a few days, it would be alright as long as she came to visit. Kaatje and Finn could do whatever they needed to do, he would just--hold Tallulah, and hold together, and not think too terribly deeply about things.
He kissed the top of her head, and wound a lock of her hair around his fingers. “So. Kaatje made me get a haircut. What do you think?”
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:54 pm
Tallulah was about the furthest thing there was from a princess, but she bit her tongue. She knew he was referring to the myth her moon was named for, and she nodded, but in all of her explorations, she’d never found any evidence for actual royalty existing on ancient Europa. But explaining ranks would have to wait - Nick losing all his memories as Spinel meant he had no point of reference for any senshi matters. He was practically newly-awakened!
Which was sort of adorable.
“I like it,” Tallulah said brightly, reaching up to brush her fingers through Nick’s now-short hair. “Did she pick the style?” She had a feeling Kaatje had picked the style. “Kaatje has good taste,” she said, looping her arms around his neck. The ponytail was gone, she noted, and with it, any suggestion of the ridiculously long hairstyles that corrupt senshi wore. “Do you like it?” she asked.
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:55 pm
He nodded, letting her fuss with his hair and loop her arms around his neck, because it felt good and familiar to be held; and he smiled, because she liked his hair, and it felt good that she liked him. “Yes, it’s a nice change,” he said. Sure, there’d been some trepidation--he’d had long hair for almost a decade, since he was like fifteen--but in the end, the feeling of all that hair on his head had made him too nervous, too convinced that someone or something was looking for him…
It was not a good feeling to have. He was glad it was gone. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, settling his cheek on top of her head. “I’m really glad.”
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