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 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:21 pm
"I'm kind of feeling like that's a challenge," Cesc murmured as he fished his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it, finding Shepard's name and sending him a quick message, both thumbs a second slower than usual. Autocorrect was making salad out of his message, so when 'think you can pick us up?' showed up as 'Thank you can pick up up?', he deemed that acceptable and hit send.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:23 pm
Zuri watched him peck out the message, and she couldn't help giggling after a moment. "I am not in any way challenging you," she said, raising her hands in defeat. "Because if we get lost, I am far too full of food, and you'll just have to leave me and find help. And that won't do at all."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:25 pm
"Achh," Cesc groaned, ticking his eyes up from the phone screen with a grin. "See, now that just sounds like a subtle dig at my strength." He reached out, poking her side. "I'll have you know I'm, like… only 30% chump weakling these days." He laughed, holding up one arm and patting his bicep. "The rest ranges from 'moderately-okay' to 'might not lose an arm wrestling match to that baby.'"
His phone screen brightened, illuminating the background--Guy Smiley and Grumpaws, sleeping entwined--and text message from Shepard that said: "we'll come u. not far rn."
Cesc smiled at that: "I bet you anything they had dinner right around the corner. Probably spying on us."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:28 pm
"Well, I was mostly implying that I have in fact made a puffin of myself tonight, and that I'm surprised I'm not dragging the ground with all this fish in my belly," Zurine responded with a laugh, wriggling at the ticklish poke and wrapping her arms around her middle, mock-protectively.
After a moment she leaned over to peer at the picture on his screen when it lit up, too tipsy for boundaries. "Probably they did. Protecting our virtue, as clearly we need it protected." The tone of her voice was playful, teasing.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:29 pm
Cesc snickered at her quip, and he tilted his head as she spoke and nodded sagely, as though he were trying to see whether she was, indeed, floating any lower than usual. He made a show of leaning forward, looking down at the sidewalk and then back up at her, and made a 'uh huh, uh huh,' sound to indicate he was mulling over his findings. In his state, his movements were a little more loping and boyish, and his straight face did a poor job of staying, well, straight.
At last, and with a laugh, he straightened, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Right? I'm sure they are," he said, shaking his head. "You'd think we'd have proved by now that we can be trusted." He paused. "…well, not to Vivi's standards. She's probably simmering with disappointment we DIDN'T get up to any trouble."
Did getting Zurine tipsy count as trouble? He wondered, but was himself too buzzed to make that call.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:31 pm
Zuri laughed and pushed at him playfully, handsy in her giddiness. "Well, trouble is relative, I suppose," she said softly, leaning her head back to look up at the sky and taking a deep breath. She was not focusing on those loose-limbed movements, that irrepressible smile. "Regardless of what we got into or didn't, though, I've had a lot of fun..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:32 pm
"I had a lot of fun, too." Cesc turned slightly to look at her, his shoulders relaxed, his smile easy. She was haloed in backlight, catching the flyaways in her hair and making the darkness of her eyes and eyelashes one, giving her a smokey, indistinct look, like a vision, a mirage. His gaze lingered.
The honk of a car horn startled him, and he looked up to see both Shepard and Vivi laughing from the inside of it. With a snorting laugh, he moved immediately toward the car, hollering: "JERKS!" as he went.
"Did the young ones have a good time?" Vivi sang as the door opened, and Cesc waited for Zuri to enter before he did.
"Absolutely," he said, resting back onto the seat cushions.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:33 pm
Zuri was all aflutter with laughter and smiles and startlement as she slipped into the car, grateful that they didn't have to find their way back, feeling warm in her chest and belly in a way that she rather thought had little to do with wine or food. Whether it had ever not been the case, Zuri felt at home, happy, comfortable in her skin as she nestled back against the cushions, letting out a soft breath. "It was wonderful," Zuri said, smiling. She hoped that, one way or another, she could keep hold of that warm feeling of -belonging- for awhile.
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