There had been some progress in the few months since Cruz's little project started. His initial intent with merely getting Anita out and about with her friends more was highly successful, but the ulterior motive was left unfulfilled. Each meeting with friends had been well received; Anita always came out of them with a smile and appearing more upbeat, even if she hadn't necessarily been down in the first place. Then there were missteps, confusion on his part or the other party's, and ultimately any time someone approached Anita with the intent to initiate physical affection, they were reproached.
It was frustrating, but Cruz determined this was the case with strangers. Only they truly appeared ready to throw caution to the wind and test the waters without hesitance. Everyone else, whether they wanted to kiss her or not, simply did not pick up on this intent or refused to show it. He didn't understand why. Why deny her from something so wonderful? Why deny themselves?
Cruz poured over his list again a few times. Shepard and Mordekai were busts, Leo was gone, Henry already had someone he wanted to kiss that wanted to kiss him back (not that Cruz thought that really ought to make a difference but there was no reasoning with humans on this, it seemed). Justin was someone else to consider, but he had only recently become acquainted with the man and he could sense reluctance. The frei underlined his name as a note of possibility for the future.
He checked through Anita's recent calls on one of her days off. The phone was out and she had disappeared into the bathroom. There weren't very many calls; some he had made, people from work, Minerva. It didn't take long for him to get to calls from months ago, reaching all the way back into early March. One friend he hadn't bothered with yet was Ronan. He mainly recalled the man bruised and bloody in the jungle. That was a poor memory. He did recall seeing him in much better sorts at the boil but neither of them had a chance to speak.
The toilet flushed and Cruz closed the phone. It was set neatly back where he had found it and he returned to his perch upon the sofa's arm. Anita was in the middle of a game, Minerva was lounging in the other room with a salad and a television program, and Tango was sprawled out on the hardwood. Cruz stayed quiet as Anita returned, drying her still damp hands on the bottom of her shirt. They flashed each other a smile and then it was right back to business.
Cruz allowed the seconds to tick by at an agonizing pace.
How was he to approach this? He couldn't just text or call Ronan himself like he had with Shepard and Mordekai. Those had just barely managed to succeed. If he initiated too much himself then Anita, and others, might grow suspicious. No, he needed a different tack. Something sly but a way for Anita to do this herself. Cruz wrung his hands around the ripped hem of his ribbon.
"Nita," he tested softly.
She didn't turn her head away from the screen, but she did lean slightly toward him and hum.
"Have you talked to Ronan?" It took all of his strength not to grimace. This wasn't subtle at all.
Anita glanced at him then, just barely for a second. "Why?"
His heart was crawling up his throat. Cruz shrugged.
"Oh. You know..." she paused the game and let her arms go limp with the controller, "yeah. Right before the boil. He said he managed to snag something."
Cruz reeled. He stayed still by anchoring himself on the arm, digging his claws into the fabric, but the croc did his best to appear passive. "Snag something?"
"Mhm. In his bottle. I... forget what he said it was, now. Damn. He said he turned everything into Lab already though, so," Anita turned to smile at Cruz, "you should have a new friend on the way."
His eyes nearly took up half of his face with the sudden understanding. Cruz's rune gleamed with excitement, his mouth curved in a strange smile somewhere between relief and confusion. That was wonderful -- but not at all what he had hoped to get out of this conversation. "Don't remember what he got?"
Anita clicked her tongue. "No. Do you wanna know?" she leaned back on the couch, letting her legs lay straight out.
Cruz could only stare stupidly for a few seconds. Then he nodded so fast he almost felt dizzy. Anita laughed.
"Okay, okay. Maybe I should give him a call... I kinda want to talk to him anyway."
He lost his anchor on the couch arm and nodded more. Anita already wanted to talk with him? About what, he could only wonder, but surely that was a good sign! "Been a long time since you talked," Cruz assured her. She nodded, taking it into consideration. Without even being prompted, he floated over to the table and retrieved her phone. "Did you eat, 'Nita?"
"Hm?" It was her turn to look confused. Still, Anita took the phone without question. Instead of going to dial immediately, she held it in her hands and stared at the ceiling. "Um... not much yet today, i guess."
"Should eat." Cruz tried not to press the idea too aggressively. He'd yet again managed to stumble his way so far, it would be a travesty to let it all fall apart now due to being overzealous.
"Yeah. What, do you think we should all go to lunch?"
We? All? Cruz froze. A dull, prolonged 'uh' left his lips.
"Well-- I guess that wouldn't really be fair, would it? Making you go out when you've got the buffet at home today," she gestured toward Minerva's room. Somehow, Anita was managing to put this all together herself. Was he this good or was Anita just on point today? He couldn't be sure. "If he's free it might be nice to get out. Otherwise it won't take long to confirm the soul, at least."
Finally, she thumbed through the contact list and Cruz felt himself lower to the floor. To try and salvage some form of subtlety, he crawled himself over to Tango and buried his face in the dog's fur. The pup didn't care and Anita just smiled at them until Ronan picked up the phone.
The call was made around 2PM that Saturday. Ronan and Anita agreed to meet at The Lighthouse, a neat little beach side cafe with a perfect view of the surf. Anita arrived a bit early and kept to drinking water and piddling around on her DS until Ronan arrived.
Ronan had been a bit surprised by the invitation, but he was still more than happy to get it. A few minutes after Anita had arrived Ronan came walking down the road from the bus stop, waving when he caught sight of Anita and heading over.
"Hey!" he said, sitting down at the outdoor table. "Thanks for the invite."
She hadn't caught his wave initially and was quick to save and snap her DS shut when he was a few short yards away.
"Hey! Thanks for comin' out." Anita tucked the system into her pocket and adjusted her seat, then took another sip of water. "Sorry it was kinda spur of the moment. How've you been?"
"Not a problem!" He gave a short thank you to the waiter as he dropped off another glass of water, taking a short sip himself. "It's been pretty good, mainly just keeping up with work and dealing with a full household now that summer's here. How about you?"
Anita offered the waiter a quiet thanks as well.
"Oh yeah? You got munchkins or something?" She grinned. "Been okay. Just trying to keep up with work and Cruz, you know."
He gave a nod at Anita's reply. "I'm taking care of my niece Maili, along with Kris who's staying while out of college. She was at the crawfish boil with me." Finishing another drink Ronan took a look at the menu. "So what do they have here?"
"Oh, nice," Anita mused before picking up her own small menu. "Soups and salads, mostly. They've got some really good crab cakes, though. Might get one of them."
Ronan's eyes practically lit up at the mention of crab cakes. "I think might have to get one of those too." Scanning over the menu his eyes found the afformentioned culinary treat, but instead of a single dish there were several variations. "Crab cake club? That sounds interesting."
She gave a short chuckle at Ronan's enthusiasm as she scanned over the selections. "Oh yeah, that should be good. Mmm, they have cream of crab soup, too." Quietly, she mumbled 'is it too hot for soup?' and tilted her head a bit at the sea breeze. It was fairly cool when the wind was blowing.
"Was Maili at the boil? I don't think I met her, and I know Kris was playing some of the games with us but I don't think we met formally. Are they sisters?"
Ronan shook his head. "She wasn't at the boil, no. And they're not sisters actually." He paused to think of a way to explain the odd situation. "Kris had a rough time with her family so I took her in when she was going to high school. She does consider me to be somewhat of an uncle though, so I guess they could be considered siblings in a way," the selkie said with a grin.
"Ahh, okay." To Anita, that just read as a more distant relative; an easy enough explanation on Ronan's part. "Maybe I'll get to meet her someday. Oh, that reminds me--" she adjusted in her seat, arms leaned against the metal table, "--you ready for the new addition?"
Ronan's eyes sparked at the mention of the upcoming raevan, still somewhat in awe that it was actually happening. "Working at it, though not sure if I'm there yet. We're currently cleaning out what'll be their bedroom." He shook his head. "I just wish I had a better idea of when they'd actually be coming along."
Anita couldn't help her eyes bulging and rolling slightly at the mention of time. "Yeah, I know. Seems like it's wildly different for everyone." She wasn't sure when precisely Duncan or Troxel had put in their bottles, but she knew at least one of them was still waiting. "You're not alone in that, at least. I think there's a couple on the way?"
"Mmm... that is true." He'd known from the get go that there was no definite time period for how long it'd take for a raevan to arrive, but it was still unpleasant to deal with.
It was at this point that the waiter came by once again. "You guys ready to order?"
Anita nodded just as the waiter arrived. She leaned back and gave a quick scan of the menu once again, offering only a quiet 'um' before deciding for real. "I'll have the crab soup and a root beer, please."
"Alright. And for you, sir?"
"I'll have the crab cake club," he said, figuring he might as well try it.
The waiter nodded and gathered up their menus. "We'll get those out to you soon."
"Thank you," Anita smiled to the waiter and promptly returned her gaze to Ronan. As soon as the waiter was gone, conversation resumed. "It might be good for you to talk to Duncan and see what kind of prep he's done. I think it's been several months, at least, since he handed his in."
"Duncan... he was at the boil right?" Ronan knew the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He really needed to expand his lab contact base. "And that's... a really long time." There was a pause. "Though I guess most of my wait is on my head."
"Mhm. He and Mordekai were the ones that set it up." Anita didn't quite mean to scoff at that span of time being 'long' but-- she did. She leaned forward a little, lowered her voice, and gave Ronan a wry grin. "Try two years."
Ronan nearly spat out his drink. "T-two years?" He took a moment to clear his throat, attempting to compose himself. "Was... was that Cruz? I am so sorry."
Anita gave a tight smile. That was a suitable reaction.
"It's okay. I don't think that's normal. Extenuating circumstances and all." She shrugged. "I doubt you or Duncan'll have to wait that long."
"I hope not." Ronan shuddered, then went quiet. "Especially since it took me so long to get my bottles back in," he said after a moment. "I don't feel great about it, but stuff kept coming up and... I guess I kept waiting for a way to not have to kill something myself." The selkie turned his glass as he thought. "Do... do you have any idea why the soul bottle would have made me sick? I've never heard of something similar happening."
Anita's brows knit. "It made you sick?" She frowned. "No... I haven't heard anything like that, either. Hm." Anita chewed her lip and stared down at the table. "My dog didn't like it. Kinda spooked him. And then... I had a weird dream once, I guess, because of it."
"Huh. I guess your dog's reaction does make sense." While Ronan was glad for the raevan that would be coming into his life, and the other raevans who had gotten a chance to see the world, he wasn't going to miss that damn soul bottle one bit. "Glad I don't have to worry about it anymore at least. Uncanny to the extreme."
"Yeah, it spooked him when it was empty but not when it was full -- or less, anyway." Anita shrugged. "Maybe you're just sensitive to that kind of thing? I mean, it's kind of a ******** up bottle..." she laughed under her breath.
Ronan paused, thinking on his selkie nature. "Yeah, I think you're right. And it is, really," he said, grimacing. "At least something happier wil be coming out of it." He glanced around the table, seeing the waiter returning with a tray of food. "Ah! I think that's our lunch."
She smiled at the sentiment; it was definitely a nice thought, and they seemed to be on the same page as far as soul capturing was concerned. Anita thanked their waiter when their food arrived and was quick to start on her drink, letting the soup cool a bit first in the salty air.
"So you were saying about the whole 'no killing' thing-- I know you told me what you got but I'm having trouble," Anita gestured vaguely toward her head.
As soon as the sandwich was in front of him the selkie went ahead and took a bite, and he had to keep himself from eating it all at once. "Oh that is good." Ronan took as second bite as Anita asked her question, swallowing a couple seconds after she finished. "You mean understanding what happened?" He didn't want to launch into a whole story until he was sure what she'd asked.
"Well that, and I forgot what you got," she gave him an incredulous look, smirking slightly before blowing on a spoonful of soup.
"Flying fox," he said simply. "Grey headed if you want to be specific." There was another bite of the sandwich. "The keeper that accidentally let it out still has their job, but they're essentially on probation now. Called the raevan Cesc since he has a power to find things, and we did find it, but by the time we did it was exhausted and fell out of the sky." He stirred his drink with the straw. "Broke its neck in the fall. I think that's about the only time I was glad I had the soul bottle on me."
"Barkbat! Right, right." Now she remembered.
Anita listened and nodded as Ronan explained. She gave a hiss and a grimace at the poor thing's injury. "Yikes. I would have been, too..."
"Yeah..." There was a brief silence as he continued to eat. "What about Cruz? What happened with him?"
She took Ronan's silence to eat as her cue to as well, closing her eyes a moment to savor the soup. Without opening them or her mouth, Anita scoffed and smirked until she swallowed. "a*****e stole my bottle."
"Stole it?" He looked at her, image of a crocodile trotting around with a soul bottle in it's mouth coming into his head, and he had to work to not laugh into his sandwich. "It sounds funny now but... that must have been terrifying. Mugged by a crocodile!"
"Almost got my hand," Anita grabbed the middle of her forearm and wiggled her fingers towards Ronan from across the table. "Yeah, I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do. Didn't seem to want me to go back inside the building through the doors so I had to scale a bit. Got to call Animal Control but I was ready to get some tape for his mouth myself." Now she could laugh at how ridiculous her train of thought had been, but she was a lot younger and scared at the time.
Her goofy demeanor subsided into a calmer sort of introspection as she looked at the table, smile lopsided. "It was Winter. What the hell was a croc doing out then?" Anita shook her head. "Cold got to him. They said he was old, weather wasn't right for him. I'm sure the bottle helped, he had it for about an hour."
Ronan gave a small nod as he listened, looking down at his drink. "Sometimes you have to wonder if an animal knows it's their time. Or if they're just tired." It wasn't a common occurrence but he'd seen it before, just a quiet resignation and eventual rest. "I'm glad they got a second chance at least. Cruz seems more than happy now."
"Yeah, that's what it seemed like to me... Old and tired." Looking for a place or way to die. Her brow creased for a moment. She thought of the gazebo. Anita's gaze lifted abruptly at Ronan's mention of Cruz and, a second later, she managed a smile. "Yeah. He's definitely not an ornery old croc."
There was a laugh. "Pretty much the opposite from what I've seen. If it weren't for the teeth and the scales I'm not sure I would have pegged him as one." At this point Ronan realized he was already half way through his sandwich. Woe. "Speaking of Cruz... would you be alright with meet ups once barkbat is around?"
Her smile flattened and Anita tilted her head chidingly. "That's a silly question." She dragged it out to take another sip of soup; it was in a tea cup rather than a bowl. The place certainly was certainly a tourist venue. "You just give me a shout when the time comes and you know we'll be there."
Another chuckle. He guessed it was a silly question. "Alright. Any other 'playdate' suggestions?" He knew they'd talked about this over the phone but it would hurt to go over it a little more clearly in person.
Anita stuck her tongue out when he laughed. "Hmm. Well like I said, Ethiriel's a good calm sort. I think she could really use the company. Zul's good. Duncan's, of course, whenever they pop up. Um-- I-- think there's one named Rhede? I keep forgetting his name. Anyway, his guardians are nice and he seems nice too. He was at the boil. Pink hair?"
"Rhede...?" The name didn't sound familiar, but then she mentioned pink hair. "Oh! Cesc!" Ronan laughed. Apparently Anita had met him, but not under the same name, and it could very well have been after his soul capture. "Hmm... I think I might try and meet up with Duncan sometime soon. We're both waiting for raevans on the way after all."
"Oh, is it?" Anita clicked her tongue and threw her hands up. "There Shep goes, tellin' me somethin' else. I'll clear it up next time I see them." She laughed and shook her head while going for another sip of soup. Her lunch was almost gone too. "Yeah, I think you should. Duncan'll probably feel better having a waiting comrade. Do you want me to give him a heads up or anything?"
"I met him with someone named Vivi, so that might explain it." He just had a couple bites left of the sandwich and he set it down for a moment. "I think that'd be nice. Having a mutual acquaintence usually helps with stuff."
"Ahh, maybe." Shepard and Vivi did certainly have different ways about them, it wouldn't be surprising if they called their charge two different names. "I think the soonest I'm seeing him is the fourth? Mordekai mentioned something about that, anyway. If I don't see him before then, I'll let him know when I go over there."
"Sounds good!"
The waiter returned, topping off their drinks. "Everything taste good?"
"Wonderful, thank you," Ronan said.
"One or two bills?"
"Yeah, it's great!" She laughed at how quickly the waiter seemed to be ushering them along. It was getting to be tourist season after all, so they needed to keep the customers moving. "Two, I think?" Anita glanced at Ronan for confirmation.
He nodded. "Two."
The waiter gave a smile. "I'll be back with them in a second then."
Ronan watched him go, noticing different groups of people waiting at the front of the restaurant. It seemed to be busy enough that they wanted people out of here once they finished eating. Oh well.
"Pushy," she mumbled under her breath with a slight smile. Her soup was cool enough now that Anita chose to forgo the spoon and just sipped the rest of it down. "But yeah, I'll let you know what's up when I get a chance to talk to Duncan. He's been kind of busy with job changes, if I'm understanding right, so it'll be better to just do it in person, I think."
"Makes sense!" He took the last bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly to enjoy the last bit of flavor. Damn that had been good. "And thanks." The waiter was already walking back their way with the bills. "So do you want call things good after this?" Lunch had gone a bit faster than he'd expected.
Another quick thanks was given to the waiter and Anita got some cash from her wallet. "Yeah, if you're good. Did you wanna talk about anything else?"
Ronan also gave a short thank you, setting out his money. "I think we covered everything! I'd say about the only thing would be to let me know on the Duncan stuff."
"Yeah, of course. I'll give you a call when s**t's settled on our end."
"Sounds good!" The waiter took their money up to the register, returning after a couple moments with their receipts and Ronan set out his tip, taking one last sip of water before standing up. "And once again, thanks for the invite."
Anita pointed her finger at Ronan and grinned as he left his seat. "You betcha." She lingered a few minutes more, just to enjoy the last bits of her soup and water before heading back home.
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:24 pm
May 23rd, Saturday -- Overdue
The last Kawana Lane Farmer's Market day came and went. Anita and Minerva weren't able to make it, due to their schedules, but they passed the word along to their co-workers and local friends – particularly about the Hartline booth. The first day of the 4th Street market was unfortunately missed as well. Summer was truly gearing up, which meant Anita was getting swamped at work, and things at the Bank of Gambino were no less hectic for Minerva.
At home, Cruz was beginning to grow anxious. Anita having less time meant it would be harder for him to set anything up for her. That resulted in him accompanying her to work on several occasions and taking a different approach to things. Strangers were a new avenue that he'd left previously untapped. The results were less than ideal, so it was back to square one for the would be matchmaker. Trial and error was not his strong suit, nor patience, and Cruz found himself frustrated at home with Tango while everyone was getting too busy to even make phone calls, much less hang out.
Anita sent Mordekai a text on the 22nd as a safe means of preparation; she was off that coming Saturday and wanted to know if he was, too. Coffee was suggested again, if he was interested.
Summers were usually coupled with busy weekends, as well, but he was more than happy to oblige, and knowing a bit earlier meant that Duncan had a chance to make his pie. Given that the car was going to be used, though, Mordekai took his bike and made his way over to Gambino in the morning when Saturday came around, Pyrex containers of mashed potatoes and meat pie on the front basket. He dropped the two items off at Anita's apartment before making their way over to the cafe, both to lighten the load and to see Cruz and Tango, at least, and Minerva, if she was home.
Anita: -decided not to bother with the hoody today and was immediately grateful when she got her cold drink; slouches and sits low in the outdoor seat with her eyes closed and head leaned back after taking a long sip of the frozen treat- ”S'gettin' hotter.. Tourist season's really gonna kick into gear soon.”
Mordekai: -pops open the cap of his iced coffee and nods; glances up at the sky while taking a sip; smiles- “Guess y'all get a lotta tourists 'round here?”
Anita: -nods and rubs her face, sits up a little to sip her drink then rests it against her cheek- ”Plenty. It's not so bad though, it's usually on the beach and the restaurants.” -glances over- ”What's your guys' busiest season over there?”
Mordekai: “Can't really blame 'em for bein' here, then...” -looks over at the beach, then back at Anita; laughs- “At the farm or 'round Barton? Either way, it's summer, 'round June... gonna get buried alive under a pile of fruit and vege'bles.” -quiet chuckle, takes another drink of coffee- “Speakin' of which, might hafta dump s'more food on you 'round then, too... is that okay?”
Anita: -smiles and shrugs, keeps the straw in her mouth even when not sipping- ”No surprise there.” -blinks at the question then laughs, sits up properly and smiles- ”Yeah, of course. You think we're gonna turn away free food?”
Mordekai: -laughs sheepishly and shrugs, takes another drink- “Jus' don't wanna bother you too much-- but oke! That'd be a lotta help, Duncan hates throwin' away stuff... jus' tell me if there's anythin' y'all really like an' anythin' y'all don't like, yeah?”
Anita: -grins and shakes her head while stirring her drink- ”Couldn't even imagine.” -takes another sip and nods- ”Will do. I'm glad it helps you guys out too, we really appreciate how much you've been sharing with us. I know I keep saying it but I really mean it, thank you.”
Mordekai: -smile softens; he chuckles and shrug agains- “Jus' don't want it to happen.” -nods, then, and smiles a bit wider; scratches the back of his head, glances at the table- “Yeah! S'not a problem... s'always too much food to feed jus' two people.”
Anita: “I'll bet.” -smirks and drinks; slaps her free hand onto the arm of the patio chair and sits up suddenly- ”Mm! That reminds me, there's something back at the apartment for you.”
Mordekai: -nods, then startles a bit and raises his brows; leans back in his chair; immediately responds- “Is it a pony?!”
Anita: “Yes! It's a pony!” -lightly kicks her heels against the ground and looks over at him- ”Do you wanna finish your coffee first or--” -nods vaguely toward the apartment complex-
Mordekai: “Yes!” -laughs, then looks curiously up at Anita; smiles, almost apologetically- “Wait, you—actually got me somethin'...?”
Anita: -giggles and glances away, only to look back kind of dumbfounded- ”Yeah.” -grins and thumbs vaguely toward the apartments- ”It's all wrapped up.”
Mordekai: -laughs, confused and a bit flustered- “Aw, no way, I din't even do anythin' for you... ah, if it's for all the food, ye'know, s'all Duncan or Stephen's stuff, ain't even mine...”
Anita: -looks even more baffled; shakes her head and laughs- ”No, dude. It's your late-as-s**t birthday present.”
Mordekai: -glances at Anita, already sheepish, then blushes more at the mention of his birthday-- laughs- “What! How d'you know 'bout my birthday?”
Anita: -grins and tries to look a little more sly- ”It's too late. I saw your driver's license. Gonna steal your identity and everything. Just thought I'd be a good sport and give you a consolation prize.”
Mordekai: -bursts into laughter and shakes his head, raises his arm in resignation at Anita- “Man! Y'coulda asked for it an' taken it just as easy! I'm rippin' you off, ye'know.”
Anita: “Naaaah. I'm sure my thievery will work out fine.” -gives him a straight faced grin for a bit, then scoffs and taps the table with the bottom of her drink- ”Now I'm kinda anxious to see if you like it.”
Mordekai: -his smile smooths out, and as his laugh evens, he stands up- “No doubt in my mind. But if y'wanna see my shittin' my pants sooner'n later--” -gestures to the apartment complex, grinning- “We can go.”
Anita: -hides her face in a hand to laugh again before standing; pushes her chair back where she found it with her heel- ”Alright, madam.”
The walk back continued to be filled with laughter and idle discussion. Before long, Anita and Mordekai were back on the third floor, in front of room 10 while Tango yipped and barked.
Anita: -shushes Tango, laughing quietly while trying to find her key-
Cruz: -pulls Tango back a bit when Anita gets the door open and smiles at them both- ”That was fast.”
Anita: -sidesteps inside quickly so Mordekai can get in before she closes the door, then shrugs and heads further into the apartment- ”Yeaaah, I forgot something, 'cause I'm duuumb.”
Mordekai: -grins over at Cruz and Tango, then toward Anita as he steps through the door; looks around the rest of the apartment, as if he's curious- “Wow, this pony's awful quiet. Hooves don't even clop.”
Cruz: “Not dumb.” -scrunches up his face, then looks back at Mordekai and tilts his head- ”What pony?” -grins and lets go of Tango's collar and lets the pup skitter against the wood and barrel towards Mordekai-
Anita: -sets her drink down on the table and heads into her bedroom, pulls one of the drawers open and walks out with a medium sized box wrapped in dull brown paper covered in dark paw prints- ”Got it!”
Cruz: -floats to Anita's side and peers at it- ”Not a pony.”
Mordekai: -smiles, shrugs- “Anita tol' me y'all were hidin' a pony in here, so I had t'see it-- Tango!” -laughs and kneels down to greet him; scratches behind his ears and hugs him- “Hi!” -looks up as Anita leaves for her bedroom; he laughs delightedly at the box and its wrapping paper- “Aw, no, thank you! S'perfect!” -smiles at Cruz- “Or is it?” -pets Tango's back and leans down as if to talk to him in secret- “Anita's too nice, Tango. We gotta plot our revenge.”
Anita: -grins and shakes her head- ”It's not just me, you know. Even your boyfriend was in on it.” -nods at Tango, who is leaning himself against Mordekai while he's knelt down and, as always, trying to lick his face-
Cruz: -lifts his brows at Anita, then seems to understand- ”Me and 'Nerva signed the card!”
Anita: “That's right.” -walks over and holds the box out for Mordekai, a plain white envelope with his name written on it resting on top- ”So you gotta tell us if it's good or if we gotta take it back to the pony store.”
Mordekai: -looks up at Anita, laughs, then looks back down at Tango; ruffles his fur- ”I'll be, I shoulda known-- ack!” -laughs and tilts his head to the side, squeezes his eyes shut at the face licks- “Thank you, Tango!” -grins up at Cruz once he's tilted away enough to avoid licks to the mouth- “An' Cruz, an' 'Nerva-- what'm I gonna do with y'all bein' so nice-- oh!” -laughs and takes the box, gently, and carefully rips open the envelope first- “Lemme read the pony instruction manual first...”
Cruz: -beams excitedly when Mordekai acknowledges his involvement, then creases his brows while keeping his smile and looks at Anita- ”It's not a pony.”
Anita: “Shhh.” -smiles and leans over to Cruz's ear, whispers- ”We're joking.”
Cruz: -leans back to look at Mordekai again- ”Oh.” -smile returns in full with a short chuckle-
The card was laid out much the same as Duncan's was for his birthday. On the outside was a cute image of a sleepy puppy with a cone shaped party hat sitting lopsided on its head and a gift wrapped bone bigger than its head with the paper torn off on one side. The interior had a note from Anita, Cruz, and Minerva in separate inks and handwriting, as well as a signature for Tango at the bottom which was suspiciously written in Anita's scrawl with a small crudely drawn paw print beside it.
”Happy birthday! It's been a surprisingly long time since we first met. Things got off kind of rough but we all hope things are going better for you. You look better. It's been really great getting to know you and I'm very happy to have you as a friend. I didn't know our birthdays were so close, either. Guess we're supposed to be buds! We weren't sure if you were in need of replacements but these are pretty handy, so we figured what the hell! Hope you like them and that we're on time for your next birthday!” – Anita
”Mordicai, it is good to see you smyle and laff! It makes me and Nita smyle and laff two. Nita smyles alot. Your a good frend to us and to Tango. He luves you lots! Thank you fore all youre smyles, hugs, and kisses. Thank you fore beeing our frend.” – Cruz
”Hey, sugar! Thanks for all the damn food! Hope you have a great one!” – Minerva
”Woof” – Tango
Mordekai: -it takes him a while to read through the card-- a few minutes, in fact-- but he manages to; his smile is calmer than it was before, subdued and calm but not unpleasant. He notices the signatures and chuckles at Tango, and looks up at Cruz and Anita- “Sweetest instruction manual I ever read. Thank you. Now-- this...” -he sets the card and envelope down next to him, opposite of Tango, and inspects the box and wrapping-- he manages to slide his fingers against it and find where it's taped; he unwraps it instead of tearing it, and quickly, too, and his smile grows as he recognizes the present-
Cruz: -grins and ruffles his wings when Mordekai finishes, had been floating a bit impatiently-
Anita: “Glad you liked it.” -smiles and exchanges a glance with Cruz, then they both raise their brows at how Mordekai chose to unwrap the gift- -squats down on the floor and folds her arms on her knees once he's got it open- ”We know how much you cook and – well, you seem to like it, so cutting boards seemed like a decent gift.” -smiles hopefully, but there's an uncertain grimace as she finishes-
Cruz: -lowers himself to the floor as well, welcoming Tango to his arms while keeping his eyes on Mordekai and the gift- ”And there will be three of you – small frei, medium Duncan, big Mordekai.” -beams at the three sized cutting boards-
Anita: “They're maple. I hope they're sturdy enough.”
Mordekai: “I do! These're nicer cuttin' boards'n the ones at home, thank you--” -chuckles and turns the cutting boards around in his hand, clearly pleased, then laughs fully; looks up at Cruz and grins- “I'll be sure to keep 'em safe for if our petit Frei wants to learn how t'cook!” -sets the cutting boards down on the floor and stands up to kiss Cruz on the forehead- “Thank you for considerin' 'em, too!”
Cruz: -brightens and smiles back at Anita; blinks at the kiss, not expecting it, and rumbles pleasantly- ”Thank you--” -rubs his forehead and lifts his brows at Mordekai- ”Hope they come soon.”
Anita: -smiles when Mordekai kisses Cruz, nods and stands- ”Can't wait to meet 'em.” -laughs a little and waves her hands- ”So, yeah! Happy late birthday. I'm glad they'll be good for you.”
Mordekai: -picks his cutting boards and wrapping paper off of the floor, pats Tango on the head, and smiles wide at Anita and Cruz- “You'll see 'em soon, promise!” -chuckles and nods, pats the cutting board- “Thank you much! Still cain' believe you knew 'bout my birthday... gonna put these t'good use straight away-- anythin' you or Minerva wanna eat? I gotta make y'all somethin' for all this.”
Anita: -laughs and scratches her head, then glances over at the kitchen as if it will give her some ideas- ”Um--”
Cruz: “--'Nerva likes lots of chopped veggies--”
Anita: “--you really don't have to--”
Cruz: “--and 'Nita likes--”
Anita: -places a hand over Cruz's mouth; the croc continues talking anyway- -keeps her hand in place and smiles apologetically at Mordekai- ”Thank you. If you have a specialty, or something you really like cooking, I'm sure it'll be great. Or, you know, what's Duncan's favorite?”
Mordekai: -smile grows at the interaction-- he shrugs, laughs- “No real specialty! Duncan's favorite, though? He's got a few...” -taps his chin and looks up at the ceiling- “Slow-roasted garlic and butter chicken, grilled vege'bles, potatoes fried wid' chicken fat... chili, cornbread like my tante used t'make it. Chowders. Mac an' cheese... ah...” -shrugs- and grins- “Could go on! Everythin' is fun t'make, though, really. Any of 'em sound okay t'you?”
Cruz: -pulls Anita's hand off his mouth when Mordekai starts listing things, then just holds it; doesn't seem perturbed at all-
Anita: “Oh man, all of that sounds good...” -bites her lip- ”Can we request the slow roasted chicken, grilled veggies, and cornbread? Ah, god, that's too much...”
Mordekai: -raises his brows and nods, grins- “Yeah, 'course! Not much at all, you kiddin'? 'Round when should I drop it off, y'think?”
Anita: “You sure?” -laughs- ”Thank you. Uhhh well Cruz is home at just about any time, mom's schedule is kind of wacky right now due to some transitional bullshit. I think my next day off is Thursday?” -glances at Cruz-
Cruz: “Think so.”
Anita: “Right. So really, you can pop on over whenever you want. Just give us a call.”
Mordekai: “Oke! 4th Street market's on Wednesdays, so I'll prolly have to drop it off 'round then, yeah? I'll phone ya.”
Anita: “That works! Thank you so much.”
Cruz: “She'll be happy.” -smiles and floats lower to give Tango some attention-
Anita: “Yeah, mom'll flip. She's a sucker for good cooking.” -smirks-
Mordekai: -nods- “Sure!” -smiles and glances down at Tango when Cruz tends to him, then glances at Anita; smiles a bit wider and dips his head a bit, shrugs at the floor- “Hope it'll be okay, then...” -glances over at the balcony- “Speakin' of cookin'... I should prolly leave y'all be an' get goin', gotta make dinner... y'know what time it is?” -rifles through his pockets-
Cruz: -glances at the clock on the cable box while Anita digs in her pocket to retrieve her phone- ”Four-thirty-eight.”
Anita: -has her phone open for a split second before closing it again and returning it- ”Yeah, that.” -laughs- ”Well thanks again for coming out. Will you say hi to Duncan for us?”
Cruz: -smiles and grumbles- ”Yes, please.”
Mordekai: -flips up his phone as Cruz tells him the time, then pockets it again; keeps his hands in his jacket pockets and nods- “Yeah, gotta go-- an' sure! 'Course I will. See y'all later, then, yeah?” -kneels down to offer a hand to Tango- “An' you stay golden, Tango.”
Tango gave a resounding bark before licking Mordekai's hand. As often happened these days, Cruz held onto the dog while Mordekai left to keep him from following. Anita waved and they both said their goodbyes in unison with warm smiles.
June 14th, Saturday -- Burgers 'n Dogs
Mordekai dropped off food that following Wednesday after the 4th Street market ended, as promised. Fortunately, the 4th Street market began at 2 and ended at 6, which was supremely earlier than the one on Kawana Lane. It meant a decently timed meal for everyone.
When both of them could and wanted to, they made casual calls to go to Starbucks. Most of the time, different days were better for the two, but compromises were made and Saturdays seemed like a good bet. Duncan was fine enough with driving to Gambino more often if Mordekai needed the car, anyway, as it was a good enough excuse as any to see Rebecca and the children.
One of these particular Saturdays, Anita had a different suggestion of venue. Hot coffee seemed a bit silly to her on a beach in the thick of Summer, so she offered an alternative: milkshakes. Whether Mordekai was into that or not, at least there would be ice cold water. The prospect of burgers seemed to get his attention well enough, so they took Duncan's car and headed over to Sand Dollar. It was already past noon and the sun was beating down. Clear skies with hardly a breeze to offset the pounding rays, their only reprieve at the outdoor tables was that all of them were equipped with large umbrellas.
Anita: -about halfway done her cheeseburger and slowing down; her elbows resting on the table to hold up her burger- ”How's yours?”
Mordekai: “Mmm.” -he raises up his quarter-eaten burger, then takes a drink from his bottle- “Yes.”
Anita: -smiles and takes another bite- ”I forgot they had beer here.” -frowns while chewing when her phone vibrates- ”Ugh, what.” -digs it out of her pocket and looks at it then promptly returns it without answering- ”Stop that.”
Mordekai: “Pretty sure y'go t'hell if you own a burger joint an' don't sell beer...” -laughs quietly at Anita's response to the phone, sets down his burger on his tray- “Whosit?”
Anita: -smirks a little at his quip while her phone continues to buzz- ”Someone from work. They're still talking about E3 and I just want to enjoy this burger with my friend.” -rubs her eye with the back of her hand and leans forward to take a sip of her shake through the straw-
Mordekai: -flashes a smile and chuckles, then leans back in his chair- “Aw... ah, E3?”
Anita: “Oh.” -sets her burger down- ”It's a video game thing. Convention. I had to pay attention to it all week for work and I like watching it for myself, too, but it's three days long and it gets exhausting.”
Mordekai: “Ooh-- work stuff, I getcha. S'it not over yet...?”
Anita: “It finished earlier this week but I'm not going to stop hearing about it for the rest of the month.” -stirs her shake- ”It's really important for the industry and lets us all get a peek at what to expect in the next few years. There's just a lot about it that makes it easy to get jaded.” -scrunches up her face and whines- ”I just wanna play video games.” -drops the expression immediately and goes back to her burger-
Mordekai: -raises brows, then laughs tiredly- “What all d'you even get jaded 'bout wid' video games? I don't really know much 'bout 'em. Other'n you press buttons'n' they do fun things.”
Anita: -laughs and pinches the bridge of her nose- ”Uh-- it's a lot of stupid s**t, honestly. Like--” -scoffs and shakes her head but manages a smile- ”I don't really want to go into a huge thing about it. Poor design choices, inaccessibility to new audiences, putting a coat of paint on the same s**t they sold last year for the same ridiculous price, sexism. It's stupid.”
Mordekai: -pouts and sips his beer while listening, then rocks the bottle with his palm against the surface of the table- “Damn, games're gettin' complex. Last I played a game, it was 'bout a bitchin' purple dragon an' a green lesbian, guess they were two diff'rent ones? Y'know of 'em?”
Anita: -smiles and shrugs, then laughs- ”Would know the purple dragon anywhere; that's Spyro.” -smirks and tries to think, covers her face with a hand and laughs- ”Remember anything else about the green one?”
Mordekai: “Right! Spyro. An', ah, y'go through caves, yeah? Use bombs'n s**t t'get through things? An' there's that annoyin' blue pig guy I could never get through...”
Anita: -nods and listens-- nearly spits her milkshake when she registers what he's talking about- ”Ah--” -laughs and covers her mouth- ”Link...? Uh, rather, Zelda? Legend of Zelda?”
Mordekai: -looks to the table in thought, then raises his head again and laughs, snaps- “Yeah! Legend of Zelda! You played it?”
Anita: “Yeah.” -laughs and hides her face- ”Yeah, I have. Um, I actually have both of those back at the apartment.” -glances over her shoulder to see the view; the sun wasn't calming down at all- ”Do you wanna just head back and finish the burgers there? It's hot as hell anyway...”
Mordekai: “Really! Das awesome!” -laughs, too, and glances out at the sun when Anita does-- hums and shrugs, takes another drink- “Sounds good t'me-- yeah, it is real ********' hot...” -rubs the shoulder of his flannel, which is already unbuttoned, anyway, then yawns into his palm-
Anita: -scoffs and gestures to him- ”I'd be dead if I wore that today. Any kind of sleeve is too much.” -wraps up her burger and grabs her shake, steps away from the bench seat and waits for Mordekai before heading back to Duncan's car- ”I can drive if you're tired.”
Mordekai: -laughs quietly- “I got years of practice.” -polishes off the rest of his beer before wrapping up his burger; he stands and holds the back of his neck for a moment, cracks it, then follows after Anita to the car-- glances over and shakes his head- “Mm, nah, 'm good, but thanks... jus' been a long week.”
------------------------
Anita: -opens the door and immediately has to hunker down and hold Tango across the chest while moving inside to keep him from running into the hall- ”Huh. I knew mom was out but I guess she took Cruz with her.” -lets Tango charge Mordekai once he's in and the door's closed-
Mordekai: -moves to the kitchen table to set his burger down- “Guesso... they doin' somethin' fun?” -laughs and kneels as Tango runs toward him, wraps his arms around the wolfhound, then scratches his back; smiles calmly- “'Ey, boy, s'nice seein' you...”
Anita: -goes the same with her burger once Tango's on the loose, then goes to put her shake in the freezer- ”Shopping, I think. He'll get a full meal out of her, either way, so that's good.” -smiles at them both while Tango tries to put his paws on Mordekai's shoulders to lick his face better-
Mordekai: -crashing hard with finally being in a relatively quiet environment-- goes from a kneel to a sit, and blinks over at Anita- “Ooh.” -smiles at her while petting Tango's back- “'Ope so. I wish he could eat. Saw somma the Raevans were able to back at the boil....” -turns back to Tango when he places his paws on his shoulder-- keeps his mouth shut and hangs his head, tilts it to the side, and laughs quietly, too passive at the moment to do much else-
Anita: -pats her stomach while walking towards the entertainment center- ”Maybe when he gets a tummy.” -glances back at them and scoffs, turns around and takes Tango gently around his middle- ”Come on, don't do that...” -seats herself on the floor adjacent and pulls Tango to her lap so he can still give Mordekai affection without climbing all over him- ”There. Sorry.”
Mordekai: “Yeah... an' then he'll get a feast. Like Thanksgivin' times five.” -watches tiredly as Anita pulls Tango off, then chuckles and shakes his head- “No, s'okay, s'jus' his way of sayin' hi...” -scoots closer and scratches behind Tango's ears; tilts his head to the side and smiles- “He got less slobber to 'im 'n Seeb does, anyway.”
Anita: -smiles easily but her brows stay apologetically upturned- ”Still... Aw, I want to meet Seabiscuit.” -ruffles Tango's shoulders lightly and kisses the back of his head- ”Don't you, bud?”
Mordekai: “S'all okay...” -smiles wider and hums- “Aw, y'all should... 'e's prolly lazin' around an' eatin' right now.” -leans forward and scratches Tango's back- “'E's so big, Tango, huge, like three of ya, but he's a softie. Softer'n grass, even.” -sits straight again and places both of his hands by his temples, wags his pointer fingers- “Got clipped ears... some assholes did it to 'im an' then decided to leave 'im in front of the store, anyway. I dunno why he still likes people.” -rests his hands on his lap, then glances over at the balcony- “Dogs're too good for people.”
Anita: -scratches Tango's sides slowly and smiles while listening- ”Aw, buddy...” -pouts and nods, wraps herself loosely around Tango and looks at the balcony too- ”They really are. But--” -leans forward and cups Tango's cheeks, squishes his face gently and matches her expression- ”--they got so much love to give.”
Mordekai: -glances out at the balcony, still, until Anita grabs his attention fully with squishing Tango's face-- his smile grows into a genuine one, and he laughs, albeit quietly-- pets Tango's head- “They do...”
Anita: -gives Tango a short scratch between the shoulders; he lets his ears drift lazily to the side from Mordekai's hand and pants contentedly- ”I'm glad the pups have a good friend.”
Mordekai: -nods and tilts his head to the side, closes his eyes, and hums- “Yeah...”
Anita: -smiles and glances back to the balcony, stays quiet for a bit until she looks back and notices Mordekai's eyes are still closed- ”You sure you're not tired? You can lay down.” -points to the sofa bed still pulled out, sheets still messy on one side from neglecting to straighten it this morning-
Mordekai: “Mmnh...” -remains where he is and lays down on his side at the suggestion- “I ain't that tired...”
Anita: -laughs quietly and buries her face in Tango's fur- ”If you say so.” -takes Mordekai's cue and lays back, immediately closing her eyes and sighing; the wood floor was refreshingly cool compared to outside-
Mordekai: -lays there with his eyes closed for a bit-- opens them after a bit to idly scratch Tango's head-- takes notice that Anita's laying down, too, which gives him cause to relax even further and not worry overmuch about keeping up conversation-- rests his hand near one of Tango's paws and closes his eyes again-
Anita: -adjusts when Tango moves to lay down between them, he's still excited and pants a little but when he sees both of them are calm and still he rests his head on the floor near Mordekai's hand and Anita rests a hand on top of his other paw- -yawns quietly-
It took Anita a few minutes to drift off but, before long, she and Mordekai were out like lights while Tango cozied up to them. Their food remained on the kitchen table and, aside from Tango's ears swiveling to hear the muffled noises of neighbors, all was calm and quiet. Cruz and Minerva returned from their shopping trip about a half hour after Anita and Mordekai got in. Tango's hurried movement and barking jostled both of them and Anita rolled herself toward the couch to pull herself up. After some stretching and a few jokes, Minerva decided to get a pot of coffee going so Mordekai could have a pick-me-up before the long trip home with Duncan.
Cruz was very adamant about offering Mordekai a hug before he left this time. As always, Tango hated to see him leave and wanted to follow. Anita made sure they were still supposed to drive over on the fourth of July, that he didn't forget the rest of his burger, and then saw him out the door.
Cruz and Anita are invited to their first real Fourth of July celebration at Duncan's and meet another of Mordekai's friends: Damien Lark.
------
All of the commotion from downstairs seemed to quell as soon as he shut the door. Cruz floated beside it, hands clasped, and strained his ears. The TV turned off and there was a procession of footsteps. He heard the front door and hurried to the nearest window peeking out over the front porch. A dim glow from the covered porch light was broken by several different bodies as the boys all evacuated the house. Cruz craned his neck to try and get a head count but it was impossible to see past the awning.
There was a pervasively warm feeling pouring out from his rune. At first, that tingling feeling that rose up his spine from it had been a nice feeling. It quickly soured and was now more akin to a cloying hot sweat between his ribs; that was the sensation that lingered, above all else, and it had strengthened when he got further down the stairs to investigate.
Cruz glanced to the door, still ajar. He peeked back out at the front yard. There were faint puffs of smoke. Carefully, the frei wrapped his fingers around the frame and peeked out into the hall. It was dark upstairs and the level below was quiet.
The relief of having no legs or weight to apply to the floor boards as palpable as he floated along, ribbon inches from touching ground. He grasped at the bannister of the stairs and peeked, sliding slowly down. Mordekai's back was turned towards him as he spoke to a closed door.
”Everyone but Duncan gone out. Lyons an' Farrer're out back an' everyone else is out front...”
Even as he stopped on the stairs, that warm and unpleasant feeling persisted. It grew stronger the closer he came to the door, Anita's haven from... a kiss.
The door handle turned. Cruz crawled himself back into the darkness of the upstairs as quickly as he could manage. Neither of them seemed to notice. Burgers were mentioned. The two departed. Only when they said their goodbyes to Duncan and the front door closed did the croc brave descending further. One peek out of the window confirmed them heading to Duncan's car and all of the other boys, minus Lyons and Farrer, were gathered across the steps.
When the car drove off, that incessant feeling all but ceased. What remained he had difficulty identifying; there was still a warmth to it but not one that bordered on sick. It was faint, as his rune was becoming – returning to its normal glow – but it was still present.
His brows furrowed. Duncan was still in the kitchen, to his knowledge, and the idea of engaging the man again after telling him goodnight twice was undesirable in the wake of this confused mess. However, with that feeling slowly fading, Cruz was desperate. This new sense was strange and he wanted to understand all he could about it before it dried up.
The frei resolved to keep things brief. He floated in, rubbing his eyes despite feeling wired, and gave Duncan a smile and small wave. All he was doing was seeing where everyone was, nothing more. He left the man to his tea.
It was strange seeing the living room abandoned. The backdoor was shut but he could make out muffled speech. Again, what lingering sensation he felt in his rune strengthened the closer he came. Farrer was giving Lyons a tongue lashing but Cruz wasn't interested in their words. If Anita was the recipient, then one of the two was the culprit. He floated between them with the door as a barrier. It was hard to tell when he was so close but the feeling did become less concentrated when he drew nearer to Farrer.
So it was Lyons that kissed Anita.
The realization that she had been kissed at all sent Cruz's heart racing. Now it was doing so again, from apprehension. Duncan said Anita wasn't pleased with the kiss and, from what he could understand of the unfamiliar feeling, that was accurate. Why wouldn't she have wanted a kiss from one of the boys, though? They weren't strangers, she and Lyons especially seemed to get along with how they were horsing around with the poppers earlier.
Not wanting to rouse suspicion, he pulled himself away from the door and floated back out of the kitchen with another tired wave and a final “good night”. If Duncan addressed him further, Cruz didn't hear it. His head was pounding with thoughts. He didn't feel tired anymore.
When he returned, the sheets of the bed had cooled. They were comforting. He buried himself in them and curled up, as if making a nest. Only his head was visible and, against the girth of the queen sized bed, Cruz felt very small.
Was Lyons no good? Is that why he was being scolded? Were any of the boys good for her? Cruz deflated against the mattress, staring into the low light of the room. Was anyone good for her? This shouldn't have been so difficult. To the frei, it seemed like his guardian was intentionally turning every opportunity away. She didn't – couldn't – know what she was missing out on if she wasn't even opening herself to possibilities.
His eyes flashed opened, wide in the night.
Justin.
He never said how or why or what it felt like but Justin confessed to kissing Anita before. Cruz gripped the sheet. Why couldn't he sense those feelings? It was so long ago, ”before you were around, Cruz,“ Anita hadn't even mentioned it – not once.
But they talked. They were friendly. He never got any sense of hot, sick apprehension from Anita when Justin was around. She would smile and laugh and joke. What was different about this?
Cruz pressed his face into the pillow until his nose was so squished he couldn't inhale. He growled, low and rumbling, as he held the sheets so tightly his tanned knuckles turned white. Then he relented, flowing back limply.
All he wanted was for Anita to be happy. Everyone to be happy. Why was it so difficult? Why was she so picky? And why, why, was everyone so careful to tiptoe around things like telling someone you want to kiss them was the end of the world? He couldn't understand. Justin tried to explain it to him but it just made him more confused. Anita would scarcely talk about it even when pressed.
He laid awake until the residual feelings of the kiss were entirely out of his rune. It made him feel calmer with them gone but that didn't make sleep come any easier. Cruz's mind wouldn't stop.
There had to be a better way to go about things, something more effective in bringing people together and letting them be happy without all of the self imposed stress they embraced about “courtship”. Perhaps this sense, if it wasn't a fluke, would be instrumental somehow. If nothing else, it couldn't hurt to sense the feelings involved with a kiss from both parties. Maybe he could speak with Justin again soon. Time and again, it went back to him as the only readily available source that he knew without a doubt wanted to kiss Anita. So they had in the past, that was a long time ago. Things were different. If Justin tried again, maybe this time he could assure the man that Anita didn't dislike it.
After all, her reaction couldn't have been anywhere near this uncomfortable if she was so friendly with Justin. Cruz sighed. He hoped that was the case, at any rate. Every way he turned, every time he learned something new, it seemed like his understanding of it was being fought or pushed aside. Contradictions happened constantly.
Humans made relationships so troublesome... and yet they desired them, quite clearly. They desired kisses and affection, it was plastered everywhere from books and magazines, movies and television. Kissing and affection were held on quite a high pedestal and Cruz couldn't agree more with the level of importance it was shown. And yet, they always seemed to be the main cause in why they had trouble attaining these things. They brushed off opportunities, shied away from the very contact they sought.
They wanted it so badly and yet they couldn't be trusted to seek it out on their own.
Cruz's eyes fluttered open, half lidded.
That was it; they couldn't do it on their own. In the realm of kissing, they were their own worst enemy – out only to sabotage themselves. No more. If that was the happiness they sought, they would get it. Anita, Justin, anyone. Everyone. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind: this was his purpose. Suddenly sensing their kiss only served to solidify this. Bringing others together, some how, some way.
Sandy Castles, No Princess [RP with The Semblance of Unity]
Cruz's fingers clung stiffly to the sand coated system as he parted ways with Ethiriel. His smile was crooked and his brows knit above uncertain green eyes. "Okay... bye." he offered weakly, not sure what else to say with how suddenly he was back to being alone.
Across the way he could make out Anita as she and Mordekai lead Tango from the drinks bar and over toward the items Damien haphazardly set up before abandoning them. The red head was still at the bar, chatting with a short man and a much taller one on either side. Cruz chewed his lip and glanced closer to the waves, pausing as he caught sight of Justin. For a moment he felt his rune constrict.
"Justin?" Cruz's voice came out meekly. Somehow it managed to carry over the waves. The frei approached with the sandy DS held out in both hands. "Is this...?" He was sure it was Justin's. He was also sure it was broken. Water and electronics were bad, he learned that very early on. But was it salvageable? Was their conversation from before as broken?
--
Justin had turned towards the bar, hoping that even from this distance, he could spy his DS. Perhaps he'd pulled it out along with the nymph. Perhaps he hadn't. Perhaps the beach was an awful idea. Perhaps the entire day was a collaboration of pros and cons and, oh boy, were the cons winning. That was a lot of perhapses, and none of them were particularly reassuring. Just as he sighed, a voice drifted to him across the waves. Reluctantly, he turned toward Cruz. Floating there, the raevan looked so vaguely forlorn on the beach that Justin swore he'd stepped into a Nicholas Sparks book. (Not that he read such novels, but his sister had, once. She burned it after.) And, of course, in Cruz's hands was Justin's DS.
Cruz was not big on his list of people to see, but... Gingerly, reverently, he took the sand-encrusted DS from Cruz's hands. His mouth pinched into a frown as he turned it on., It spluttered to life, somehow, but the screen was riddled with water, causing the graphics to bleed and shift. And, with a last mutter of Pokemon music, it died. "Cruz," Justin said heavily, "why did you have my DS?"
--
The hesitant look Justin gave him caused Cruz's run to constrict further. It felt tight and dim. He floated lower, posture hunching as he released the system to its owner's hands. The system's death rattle made his lips curl. "You dropped it," Cruz stated plainly, "when you walked away." Both arms fell limp at his sides before they met at his bare chest. His heart was racing but it felt sluggish all the same. The tip of his ribbon dragged against the sand.
Even so, the frei kept eye contact.
"Fell in the water... Can you fix it?" he grimaced. It was a weak question. No passionate distress nor enthusiastic optimism. Cruz's voice was a soft murmur.
--
Justin relaxed slightly. He'd been half-sure that Cruz would start pushing him again. Justin had a soft streak for Cruz's earnest demeanor, but... enough was enough. Surprisingly, the frei was simply subdued, quiet, although he stared at Justin. Holding his poor 3DS in one hand, he ran the other through his hair, not noticing that he swiped a streak of sand into the dark strands. It was just his bad luck today. A part of him wanted to lash out at something, but Cruz hadn't really done anything, and Justin couldn't yell at a kid. His frustration cooled abruptly into defeat.
"I don't think so, Cruz. It's dead, dead, dead." He sighed and forced a smile to his face. "Thank you for finding it, though, and holding onto it." It was nice that even though they'd fought, Cruz hadn't just left it lying in whatever wave he found it in. Cruz wasn't the type to, anyway. "Cruz.. I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. Do you wanna help me give this thing a decent burial?" Snapping it closed, he popped the game out, tucking it into his pocket. If he were lucky (probably not), the game just needed to dry out.
--
The croc wrung his hands. His mouth upturned as he pouted, staring mournfully at the DS. Time of death confirmed: whatever o'clock in the afternoon. All he could do was nod at Justin's thanks. There was no way he could have just left it there. He had his own DS, he knew it was important -- and expensive. Cruz opened his mouth as Justin apologized. He promptly closed it. His eyes widened and glistened and for a moment there was silence.
"It's okay," his voice wavered. Thankfully, Justin appeared to want to spend as little time on the topic of their botched conversation as he did; none. "Yes... Where will it go?"
--
Justin still felt a little uneasy, but he caught the shimmer of Cruz's eyes and frowned. He put a hand on the croc's shoulder in some sort of attempt to be reassuring. Actually, like in most situations, Justin had no idea what he was doing. "Hmm, well, we could bury it... Or uh-" He chewed his lip and threw the DS up, catching it again with a flick of his wrist. He didn't really need to be careful with it, he supposed. Not anymore. "I think this DS has had a good, long run in my hands, Cruz," he finally said in a melodramatic tone.
"A burial at sea, Captain Cruz? If we toss it out far enough it could wash up on another shore, like a weird message in a bottle." It was a funny, stupid thought, and Justin knew he shouldn't really litter, but... The DS had been a good lieutenant. Justin's throwing arm wasn't great, though. "Do you want to do the honors?"
--
The touch helped. It made Cruz relax his shoulders, allow his arms to dangle back at his sides. Neither of them knew what they were doing. He gasped softly when Justin threw the DS, then issued a rumble when he caught it all the same.
"Burial at sea?" Was there such a thing? Didn't you need ground to bury something? Cruz chuckled softly as Justin explained, managing a wry grin at the image of the DS washing ashore. Unlike a message in a bottle, though, the unfortunate finder would be stuck with a system that didn't play. A water clogged, sand and salt crusted paper weight.
Reflexively, the frei held his hands out when the DS was offered. "You want me to?"
--
"Yeah, why not? You're the one who found it for me, Cruz. I'm just lucky it wasn't my phone." He could live without a DS for a while. While the loss of it stung a little, Justin was determined to just let it roll off of his back. Impulsively, Justin ruffled the croc's hair.
"I don't like the sea very much, but I guess my DS did - a dangerous attraction. I hope it does wash ashore and confuse someone somewhere." He chuckled, dropping his hand from the frei's head. With a wry-sounding sigh, he saluted Cruz sloppily. "Do the honors!"
--
Cruz rumbled uncertainly, but managed a fond and sympathetic smile at the system in his hands. The frei supposed it wasn't as important as a phone but it was still a shame for it to go this way. Hopefully at least the game Justin removed would be salvageable. The croc quirked a brow. Didn't like the sea very much? What ever was Justin doing at the beach, then? Well, this wasn't the time to pry. Cruz chuckled when given the salute.
He tested the weight of it in his hands, trying to decide which arm would be better for throwing. After a moment, he decided to go with his right and pulled back. "Ahoy!" The DS sailed through the air passed the breakers. It fell like a rock into the tide with a graceless splash -- and it didn't float. Cruz hovered a little higher, craning his neck to see past the sea foam. It was long gone, immediately dragged to the bottom and pulled into the ocean by the current. "Maybe a crab will find it," he mused quietly, lowering back to his standard height.
--
It disappeared without a noisy splash, instead sinking down, down. Justin did not stare after it, feeling the horizon try to drawn him in. He shivered under the hot sun. "Hmm... finding a broken DS would be enough to make anyone crabby." He grinned at the frei, clearly pleased with his stupid pun.
"Anyway, I think I'm gonna call it a day," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. Even though he'd only been at the beach for a bit, the day had dragged, full of hot sand and not as fun as he'd originally anticipated. Justin felt, well, fried. "Cruz, keep me updated on your project's progress, ok?" As long as he wasn't the target of the project. He shrugged and waved to the frei before taking off down the beach.
Before the end of the festivities, Cruz and Anya reconcile.
Snoofington
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:31 pm
Doki Doki PANIC!
Minerva was taking a nap when the three returned. They entered quietly with Cruz at the front, Tango's leash in hand. He set the dog loose once Anita close the door. It seemed they were all worn out after such a long day out – the pup promptly lay against the cool wood floor. Anita and Cruz exchanged fond glances to each other, then at Tango, while the frei hung up his leash.
The frei rubbed his eyes and gave his guardian a limp wave. ”Gonna lay down with 'Nerva,” he murmured, already sounding quite bleary.
”Rest up,” Anita smiled while removing her sandals and accessories; keys, wallet, and phone were removed from her jeans and set on the kitchen counter.
Cruz exited the main room and drifted across Minerva's bed, settling next to her and curling up in the crook of her arm. Anita leaned to get a better view just in time to see Minerva adjust and pull Cruz closer. She opened one eye and smiled, Anita waved and gently pulled the bedroom door until there was just a crack of space.
The quiet of the apartment and the stillness of everyone within easily lulled Anita into feeling sluggish. She crawled onto the sofa bed with her knees and lowered herself onto her front, face mashed against the mattress. It was surprisingly comfortable.
All in all, the day had been good. It was nice seeing everyone again, it was the first Lab beach function Cruz attended, and it all felt rather nostalgic. The events continued past sundown and everyone seemed to have a good time.
Anita let out a contented sigh and deflated against the bed.
On the floor, Tango adjusted. He sat up and stared at Anita for a few seconds until his eyes started to close again, then leaned forward to rest his chin against the bed frame. When his head started to dip, the hound forced himself to his feet and mounted the fold out. He flopped next to Anita gracelessly, his back against the slight curve of her side. She draped an arm across him.
”Would have been nice to hang out with Mordekai some more, though, huh?” she spoke against the bed, fingers slowly running through the fur on Tango's chest.
It was a large group they arrived with and an even larger one after they gathered on the beach. Compared to their more recent hang outs, the two hadn't gotten a lot of face time. Anita turned her cheek against the mattress, earning a view of the back of Tango's head.
”Didn't get to see your buddy much.” Tango stretched and groaned. She lightly pat his ribs.
He wasn't really the one that was disappointed, though, and that made Anita frown. Was that selfish? It was an unusual feeling for her despite often wanting to hang out with friends. There she had it, a big group of friends, a Lab get together that she wasn't rushing around at while trying to help out, and something about it didn't quite feel fulfilling.
Maybe 'selfish' wasn't the right word, 'ungrateful' seemed more appropriate the longer she thought about it.
Anita sighed and cozied up to Tango, reaching out to hold one of his paws while practically spooning him. They had been hanging out an awful lot lately, which was very nice. It was a good change of pace, a comfortable distraction from the usual mundane schedule. All of that just made her feel more confused; shouldn't that be enough? Mordekai already hung out with her more than most of her friends could as of late, and she appreciated it a lot, but it still would have been nice to have a little time to themselves like usual.
Walking Tango might have been a good opportunity. Getting the pup away from the crowd, just for a little while, and they could have a few minutes to talk and laugh, just them, before going back to mingle with everyone else.
She buried her face in Tango's fluffy neck. That was selfish, wasn't it? Definitely ungrateful. Why should she get to whisk him away, even briefly, when everyone else wanted to have a good time with him too?
Her thoughts stopped in their tracks.
The better question, then, seemed: why would she want to?
Anita's heart stammered. A wave of heated embarrassment rolled down from her face all the way down to her toes. She let out a long, drawn out breath and closed her eyes, gave Tango's paw a squeeze then lightly bounced it against the bed. Was she really that stupid?
”Don't worry,” she mumbled, ”I won't steal your boyfriend.”
Tango licked his chops.
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:33 pm
Twitterpated
His nap with Minerva wasn't long. Cruz felt rested and content, energized from the sunny beach and so many warm, familiar faces. Even if things had been a little bumpy, what with Ethiriel's disappointingly abrupt departure, putting Justin on the spot (only for his poor DS to meet its untimely demise), and the shaky truce with Ana, if it could be called that, the whole day still felt successful and well spent somehow.
The frei floated out from Anita's mom's room, low enough to the floor so that his ribbon dragged, and waved as he passed his guardian by. Tango was flopped over on the sheets beside her, snoozing as well.
Who could blame the pup when he had such an exciting day with so many people?
Cruz nearly made it all the way to the balcony door when he glanced over his shoulder. Anita hadn't moved. She was sitting up on the pull-out, knees up to her chin and arms wrapped around them, lightly chewing her thumb nail and staring at a completely empty space of floor.
He waved again with no response.
”Nita?” Cruz tested, though with the blanket of sleep still slowly lifting his voice came quite soft.
Nothing. With a frown, he pulled away from the balcony and crossed the living room toward her. ”Nita,” he spoke clearer this time. One of Tango's ears twitched.
”Huh?”
Anita looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She stared at him with doe-eyed confusion that she couldn't manage to blink away.
”Hi,” Cruz smiled. He raised his hand to wave, again.
Only then did her look melt away. "Hi," Anita smiled and waved back, ”Sorry.”
Cruz wouldn't have given the incident anymore thought, had the rest of the day not been filled with similar behavior.
Here and there Anita appeared as lucid as ever but, for the most part, there was an absentmindedness about her that was uncharacteristic and strange. Sometimes it was like she was just waking from a nap but Cruz hadn't seen her sleep since the previous night.
She moved sluggishly and seemed distant, either lost in thought or perhaps her mind was completely blank. Her clumsiness was increased; controllers, her DS, and other (thankfully) non-breakable items slipped from her hands at an alarming rate. Speaking to Anita on this particular day was like trying to talk to through molasses; either she didn't notice the first few tries or her mind took extra time to process things – having a full conversation was almost impossible.
There was some pink to her skin that wasn't normally there, as well, concentrated in her cheeks. Did she get burnt? Maybe the sun had been too much today and cooked Anita's brain a little. She probably just needed rest.
Cruz nestled himself atop Tango's back later that day. His arms wrapped lightly around the wolfdog's sturdy neck like a brace and Tango carted him around weightlessly.
In the kitchen, he watched Anita make herself a small meal. She set the plate in the microwave, just two slices of pizza left over from yesterday, and went to work on getting herself a drink. The pitcher of filtered water sloshed a bit unsteadily in her grasp even as Anita held it still over the glass.
The croc frowned as he observed his guardian. She stood quite still at the counter, though her eyes almost seemed to glaze as she stared not at the cup but through it. It was like she wasn't seeing anything at all, similar to Ethiriel's vacant gaze.
Even Cruz became lost in that moment. Time seemed to stand still while Anita's eyes were unfocused-- it resumed quite suddenly when she stepped back and cursed. Water overflowed from the glass, it leaked all over the counter and dribbled onto the floor.
Several times that day Cruz became startled. Anita was no stranger to bumping into things, catching herself on corners and doors, but the frequency at which she did so today was astounding. If he collected each instance of stubbing her toe, knocking her elbow, or catching herself on door frames, there could easily be a rhythm. While normally these happenings were followed by a deadpan “ow” or Anita laughing through her teeth, if it was actually painful, each of these was accompanied by a gasp or a curse that seemed to worsen as the day went on.
It became obvious to him that Anita was getting frustrated with herself.
After several hours, Anita all but gave up. She walked to the bottom of the sofabed and let herself collapse face first onto it with her arms out. Her nose must have squished uncomfortably, as this earned a tired “ow”. From there, Anita fell quiet and still. It was probably for the best, all the trouble she was getting herself into. The sun had already long set and it was only an hour or two before Anita's usual bedtime, so she stayed safely in place for the rest of the night.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't fare much better morning come. Anita had a late start getting up for an early shift and tripped her way out of bed. Once she was out the door, he settled on the edge of Minerva's bed with the same doe-eyed look Anita gave him before.
”Is Nita okay?”
Minerva relaxed back onto her bed, one arm propping her head up while she rested on her side. ”I think she'll be okay,” she said, running her fingers through Cruz's hair.
He frowned. ”What's wrong with her?”
”Hmm,” she hummed, hand slowly briefly, ”Maybe... She's kind of done this before.” Cruz tilted his head; his stare alone could have bored a hole through Minerva's skull. She laughed. ”When she was in middle school, she got it really bad for one of her friends.”
”Got what bad?”
”A crush.”
Cruz balked. ”Crush? What happened?”
”Nothing, unfortunately. I don't think she ever told him, since he had a girlfriend. They stopped talking after high school.”
”No, Nerva-- crush. What?”
Minerva stared at Cruz a moment. Oh!” she laughed and covered her eyes, ”I'm sorry, buddy. A crush is when you really like somebody.”
He stared, hanging apart. ”Crush is... when you act weird because of friends?”
”It's when you act weird because you like someone more than a friend.”
Cruz's brows furrowed. His lips pursed and jutted away from clenched teeth. ”Don't get it. More? How?”
Minerva leaned back to observe the frei with child-like wonder. It only made Cruz lean in further, his hands clutched at the sheets.
”Like, you want to spend time and have fun with your friends but, with a crush, you want to be with them all the time, be closer, kiss them--” She stopped, only to laugh a moment later, ”Oh-- oh, I forgot who I was talking to, sweetie, I'm sorry. I guess that's a poor definition, huh?”
”Mm,” the croc rumbled thoughtfully. To label someone as “more” than a friend didn't sit well with him. Cruz frowned. Wouldn't that make it seem like friendship was less important that this crush business? That couldn't be right.
Wait a minute-- In an instant, his eyes lit up like green stars. Cruz whipped his head to face Minerva. ”Nita wants to kiss someone?!”
The look she gave him was nothing short of sly. ”Maybe. She has a lot of guy friends, it's not really surprising.”
The sparkle in his eyes faltered. ”But... she hasn't wanted to kiss any of them.” He knew this disturbingly well, for all the trouble he'd gone through.
”Well, maybe she didn't know until recently.” Minerva pushed his bangs out of his face. ”It's just a thought, anyway. I could be completely wrong.”
'Maybe..."
If this was true, then that left one hell of a mystery for him to solve. Who on earth could it be and what about that day changed things for her? Did she meet someone new?
A pang of guilt trickled in. Where did this leave Justin? He was at the beach that day but the more Cruz tried to bring them closer, the more Justin resisted. What if this was a new opportunity? As far as he could tell, Justin was the only one of Anita's friends that not only wanted to kiss her but, as Minerva described, wanted to be with her all the time. He wasn't even allowing himself that courtesy – when did the two of them hang out, just them?
Cruz couldn't let Justin throw the chance that Anita might have realized she was enamored with him away. If that was, in fact, what happened then it was time for someone to take initiative – even if it had to be him.
There were an awful lot of 'maybe's in this theory that unsettled Cruz to the possibility. Still, he couldn't help but feel a lingering surge of excitement. Could it really be possible? There would only be one way to know for sure and that meant watching Anita's behavior more closely.
Cruz and Anita are invited over to Trox's to meet Tatiana and collect some parting gifts.
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:37 pm
A Comfortable Place [IM RP with Atmadja]
Cesc waited, unsure, outside an apartment complex he’d never seen before. His finger hovered over a buzzer. His mind filled with thoughts.
1) It was too early. 2) He was still dressed in the clothes from the bar. 3) He smelled like smoke and alcohol. 4) He hadn’t shaved. 5) It was still too early to bother anyone else, especially what practically amounted to strangers. He didn’t move. His finger remained frozen where it was. The early morning sun beat against his back like an encouraging hand. All he could think about was the bus in the jungle, the weeping face of another Raevan, the unsteadiness of his hands leading him to safety. To a place where he could sleep. A woman in pigtails who looked worriedly over the broken and bleeding mess of them all and tried to help.
He pressed the buzzer.
There was a marked delay from when the buzzer sounded.
Seagulls flew overhead, squawking in hushed tones as though even they wished not to wake the inhabitants -- or perhaps muted by the offending noise of Cesc's arrival.
After nearly two minutes, the buzz and click of the door opening came through and he was given entry to the building's main floor. Apartment 10 on the third floor. That's where they were.
Cesc didn't move as he waited for a reply. For two minutes, he stood still, his wings folded neatly against his back. He might have waited an hour like that, never pressing the buzzer again.
The door clicked and Cesc floated inside. He found an elevator. Pressed the right button. Kept his thoughts at bay before they tugged him back, back through the door and back toward the ocean filled with an immense and blood-deep shame. Why WAS he bothering these people? He raked his fingers through his hair and tried to look presentable.
He didn't know.
But he knocked on the door of apartment number ten, regardless.
The delay with the buzzer was inexorably longer than the one following his knock. A dog barked immediately. Behind the door, soft sounds of clattering chains and an undone lock heralded its opening.
She was in her pajamas.
Anita rubbed her eyes and held the door half open. Behind her, closer to the center of the room, Cruz floated lazily by the sofa with one arm anchoring himself. The other held onto the dog's leash which was hidden beneath a cloth bandanna.
"Hey," the croc's guardian croaked despite smiling. It was a sleepy smile, but genuine.
"I'm sorry--" Cesc said immediately, like a reflex. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to wake you -- bad sense of that --" He gestured to himself, trying out a faint smile. "Made of dawn and everything, so..."
He was not himself, and he knew it was evident. His eyes were not clear, his mouth was not happy, his speech was not fluid. He knew he needed to explain his presence, but there was nothing in him that gave up explanation.
"I don't..." he started, sounding aimless. "I don't know why I'm here, actually."
Anita's brows creased at the apology instead of a hello. Their dog shifted and tried to approach but Cruz held him fast. Tango whined but, with enough shushing from the frei, he sat down and merely panted.
Her mouth opened. Cesc continued. She closed it again and kept her smile that was growing more concerned with each word.
"Want to come in?" Cruz asked before Anita was able to.
She looked over her shoulder at him. They exchanged glances; Cruz's eyes widened and flickered toward Cesc in a silent plea.
"Yeah, please," Anita opened the door more and stepped to the side. Her bare feet slapped quietly on the wooden floor, heavy and clumsy, "c'mon in. Sorry about, uh," she gestured vaguely to Tango, "dog."
Cesc floated in, his head bowed. He smiled that same faint smile at Anita as he passed, and waved limply at Cruz as he entered. "Cruz, hi."
"Oh, no," he said, absent. "I like dogs. They're ..." He paused, lost for words, like he had been so often as a newborn. "They're good."
He looked around himself, around the apartment. It was a comfortable space, filled with an air of love and affection. There was no familiarity in it for Cesc, bare acquaintance as he was to its occupants, but he could sense that much nonetheless. It was a good place, a safe place, unmarred by secrets or murder or death. It had life in it. Laughter. A pretty dog, a friendly woman, a frei who by all accounts seemed as gracious and pleasant as Vivi described him in the past.
He was polite, regardless of his disheveled appearance: "You have a beautiful home."
His next remark, however, was less expected. "Is everything good? You both? You're..." He gestured vaguely between Anita and Cruz. "... both good?"
The door was closed with a muted thunk. Anita didn't bother locking up again for now.
Cruz returned Cesc's wave with a much brighter smile than either of them. He had to dig his nails back into the sofa to keep Tango from taking advantage of the sudden loosened grip.
"That's good," Anita chuckled quietly, "Just let him sniff your hand and all. You know."
Tango was already extending his nose as far as he could with Cruz holding him back.
"Oh, thank you. Uh, yeah. Yeah, we're-- great," Anita smiled a little brighter but her brows were still curved over half lidded eyes.
A quick glance to Cruz affirmed this; the croc nodded quickly in agreement and allowed his smile to broaden. "Very good."
"Want some water?" she offered to both raevans as she approached the kitchenette in the far corner, "Rhede?" His name was said as clumsily as the rhythm of her step, unfamiliar and hesitant.
"Oh, yes, thank you," said Cesc, slowly sinking toward the couch. He put out his hand for Tango, smiling at the dog, and then began to pet him between the ears. He felt his shoulders relaxing as he did so. Dogs. He liked dogs. Most animals. They were uncomplicated. They gave freely of themselves.
He looked up at Cruz, his smile still dazed, and then back to Anita. "I'm glad to hear it. You're both, ah... you're both friends with Shepard, right?"
Tango instantly eased after sniffing Cesc's hand. His eyes glazed contentedly, ears slacked to make way for affection, and the way his jaw hung open was like a pleasant smile. Cruz slowly allowed his grip to slack and, before long, Tango was slowly wagging his tail and behaving.
"Good boy," the croc purred while scratching him between the shoulders.
Anita retrieved three glasses, all for water. The two frei's were given their glasses before she bothered with her own; Cruz's was room temperature and Cesc's was chilled without ice.
"Mhm," she answered a bit absently. Both of their smiles held on. "Vivi, too, but we don't see her as much." Anita scoffed lightly as she returned to ready her own glass. "Sorry we haven't seen more of you. Did we-- get properly introduced?"
Cesc kept looking at Tango, rubbing the dog's ears. The sharp, shocked quality of his expression was slowly fading into a look of worn care, his bright eyes less glassy, his smile less vacant. He took the water and drank deeply before he replied. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been.
"I -- actually, I don't think so," he said. "We sort of met in the jungle, I suppose. I'm Rhedefre. You can call me Cesc, or Rhede, whatever is easiest. I suppose I really know you more by reputation." He smiled at Anita. "Anita, the one who managed to not get anyone in her team too injured. And Cruz --" The 'z' was replaced with a hard 's' sound, the former letter impossible to form in Cesc's mouth."-- the kissing crocodile who helped Iorek and led me to the bus."
His smile faded. "... I'm sorry to only see you all in bad times. I hope we can remedy that sometime."
Cruz watched Cesc carefully as he sipped at his own water. With Tango subdued and content to amble around between the three of them, he perched upon the back of the sofa with his glass. The frei held it in both hands and kept his lips on the edge of the glass even when not drinking.
Ice clinked into Anita's water, settling and cracking with the change in temperature. At their explained reputations, she couldn't help but scoff. "That was kind of a fluke, wasn't it?" The scar on her own arm was a testament to that. Melisande's bite and ruffled feathers, more so.
She raised the glass to her lips just as Cesc apologized again, then slowly set it back down without drinking. "Yeah. Of course." Anita offered a lopsided smile. "Any time."
"You good?" Cruz lowered his glass. His smile didn't falter but, like Anita, his brows offered more insight -- worry.
Cesc shook his head. He looked up at Anita, his eyes earnest and clear. "No," he said, his smile small and sad. "It wasn't a fluke."
He looked back down at his water, the smile slowly slipping from his face, his fingers drumming slickly over the cup's sides. He blinked heavily, and his mouth curved downward. For a moment, he looked unhappy and older, lines in his face where they had no place being.
"No," he said. "We had -- Shepard and Vivi had -- a friend, she..." He couldn't make out the words quite right, couldn't bring the truth out. It wasn't his place to say. Wasn't his truth. Wasn't his friend. He'd hated her. He'd hated her and treated her just that way, and now she was gone. He could not apologize, nor take it back, nor make amends. It was final, cut in stone, seared in flesh. It would never heal. He'd hated her. "It's not good."
He took another drink of water and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I should go be with them. I don't know why I... woke you both... you didn't know her."
Anita shrugged and looked down at her water with a humble smile. She missed the change in Cesc's expression -- but Cruz didn't.
The croc's smile dipped when the stag's did. Hers followed at the sound of his voice.
"Oh," was all Anita mustered.
Cruz reached out for Cesc's arm as the dawn frei took another sip. His fingertips just barely brushed his shirt when he apologized again.
"No, it's okay. We're happy to have you." Cruz nodded with Anita's assurance. He finally made contact with Cesc's arm, palm rested. Anita spoke where he could not. "Sorry to hear that, that's..." she huffed, "that's rough."
Clearly neither of them understood the scope of the situation. Their friend 'passed away' like Clive 'passed away'.
"You can stay a bit if you want to. Or, uh--" Anita fumbled, "--do you want a ride?"
"No, no." Cesc leaned forward, putting his cup on the table. He felt like there were spines on the couch, like the apartment was trying to urge him to leave. Why had he brought in his own... unpleasantness? This was a good place. A safe place. He needed to leave before he tracked in anything else, any bad luck, any sorrow. These people, sweet and kind and normal people, they didn't deserve it...
... although, really, that didn't seem to be too much of a consideration, who deserved it or didn't...
"I like the walk. It's alright." He smiled, a touch of helplessness around the expression. "I'm sorry I woke you. Thank you for being kind."
Cruz watched them both worriedly. The stag's body language was very similar to how he found him in the jungle -- only this time his injury was on the inside. Even Tango picked up on it, nosing Cesc's fingers slightly in a big for more affection. A pleasant distraction.
"If you're sure..." Anita's smile wavered, though she willed it not to. "You're okay. Really."
'Okay' was Anita's blanket term for goodness, Cruz knew. He was okay. They were okay. Everything was okay. Except for the thing that was wrong. Things would be okay is what she really meant, as far as the croc could tell, but being told it in the present sense was always reassuring to him. He hoped it was the same for Cesc, too.
"It's a nice walk," her voice and smile were more awake the longer they spoke of sobering things, "If you or Shep or Vivi want to stop by, you know you're all more than welcomed."
"Yes," Cruz agreed firmly after finishing his water. "Should come over again. Tango likes you."
Cesc patted the dog affectionately, scratching behind on ear. He thought of Grumpaws, his ancient cat. The hateful thing, he'd stayed on the armchair all yesterday, watching them all warily, doing nothing to help or soothe. A dog. Much better to have a dog. "I like Tango, too."
He lifted himself then, his smile a little stronger. Nothing was better, not really, but it was nice -- helpful -- settling to hear someone say that it would be. Maybe, somehow, things would find a way of being okay. Like the jungle, eventually, had been.
"And yes, thank you -- I'll let them know... I'm sure they'll be happy to come by, after..." He let the sentence trail off. He wasn't sure how to finish it, anyway.
Rhedefre floated to the door. "Thank you again. It's good to see you all well."
They both smiled at that. Anyone who liked Tango was good in their books. He even seemed to wag his tail in appreciation.
After... 'the funeral', their minds filled in the blank for Cesc. They didn't need to ask questions. He had enough on his mind.
Cruz took hold of Tango's collar again. This time he wasn't overeager and complied without a fuss.
"It'll be good to see 'em," Anita nodded. She walked to the door with Cesc and opened it for him with some hesitance. "Say hi for us?"
Cesc nodded as he went over the threshold. He felt a mild sort of guilt, although he felt generally better, stronger, like he'd pinched off a piece of their strength and peace for himself, and given them his worry in return. He had to go home. Then he had to go to the station. And that was his reality.
Anita and Cruz, though... he didn't know. They didn't have to do anything, not that he knew. Nothing like this.
"I will," he said. "And thank you again."
Snoofington
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:39 pm
Turnabout Mode [IM RP with The Semblance of Unity]
From: Justin ok. don't forget to delete these texts Received: Fri July 22, 12:59PM
The next day, Justin showed up to the mall in a freshly laundered shirt and still-damp hair. He dithered about killing time until he could force his own nerves into order. ********. This wasn't going to go well. There was no way a pretty girl like Anita would want to go on a date with him. But standing next to the build-a-dragon looking gloomy would get him absolutely nowhere. Sighing, he shoved his hands in his pockets, searching for Cruz. He, uh... needed a plan of attack.
Luckily, the green frei was, in fact, very very green and thus easy to spot. He imagined Cruz was a nightmare to keep track of around Christmas. "Psst, Cruz. Hey, it's me. So, uh... yeah." He was at more than a bit of a loss as to what to do next. He clearly could not just waltz in and ask her out at the counter. It'd be horribly uncouth and humiliating for at least one of them. Work was for work.
As had become the usual during the last few months, Cruz was floating about the fountain outside of the game store rather than lounging around inside behind the counter with his DS. He kept a firm eye out for Justin, perhaps just as nervous-- for him but also for Anita.
"Ah," the croc fidgeted as Justin approached, wringing his hands, "Hi. Hi..." His gaze flicked to the game store.
Justin opened his mouth to greet the boy and paused. For a moment, he just looked, really looked at the croc and laughed a little bit before clearing his throat. "Cruz, why do you look so nervous? T-this is kind of just on me if I fail... surely you aren't worrying about that?" He glanced towards the store, pale eyes trying to pick out that familiar head of hair.
Cruz grimaced. Every word Justin spoke made his head bow lower until, finally, he nodded. "Don't want you to feel bad..." He wanted this to work. "Want you and Nita happy." Together? Maybe. If not, then all he wanted was for them to not be sad after this. That was the last thing in the world he wanted.
He chuckled and shoved his hands further into his pockets before realizing, abruptly, he'd run out of pockets and was just standing there with fists in his pants. Justin coughed and was thankful (not for the forst time, and certainly not for the last) that his darker complexion helped conceal some measure of his embarrassed flush. "Ok, Cruz... when and where? I cannot and will not do it inside the store."
The brief silence between them felt like an eternity. Only when Justin coughed did Cruz raise his head and, thanks to the man getting back to the point at hand, smiled-- just a little. "Yes. Lunch is soon. Ah... fifteen minutes?" he craned his neck to the store. Anita was bagging. "Get food with her?"
"Ah, ok. Wish me luck." Justin breathed deeply. He needed to pre-order DA:Inquisition anyway, so this could sort of maybe be like killing two birds with one stone. Except neither things were birds and he really didn't want to kill Anita. Maybe slay her with his wit - his non-existent wit. Justin thought Anita was probably about the nicest girl he'd met (even his ex didn't measure up, which was good, he supposed. A guy really couldn't go around comparing women to his ex-girlfriends). He clapped the frei on the shoulder and entered the store before his nerve completely deserted him.
Cruz watched Justin take his first brave steps into the store. If he were feeling more humorous, he might have given a salute. Instead he meekly muttered, only to himself, "good luck..."
There was only a small line of customers when Justin entered and Anita was already finishing with one. "Welcome," she said reflexively without looking up from the register as she printed off another receipt. When they were shipped off with their new games, Anita finally realized who it was that entered the store and threw Justin a fond grin.
"Hey! How's it goin, man?" Her hands scanned the next item with obvious practice-- she didn't break eye contact save for greeting the next customer.
"Hi, Anita." The smile he threw back at her was just as fond, even if it was nervous. He hopped into line and waited patiently for his turn. He knew that in retail ignoring a customer for a friend was a huge blunder, and he had no intention of getting her into any trouble. But Anita was quick and efficient, her hands effortlessly moving in patterns of routine. Soon, he was at the front of the counter, facing her. She was pretty (she always looked pretty, Justin thought), and he almost forgot exactly why he'd come in.
"How've you been? Oh! Can I pre-order Dragon Age: Inquisition? For PS4." Okay, part one completed. One of his hands fidgeted nervously in his pocket. And this was still the easy part! "Anita, there's something I want to talk to you about - I'm about to go grab lunch. Do you want to come? T-that is, if you have a break or get off soon." He shrugged and scratched at the stubble darkening his jawline. s**t! He'd forgotten to shave! "I just don't wanna hold you up while you're at work."
"Hey," she reiterated once it was his turn to step up, "I've been okay. Good. Uh-- yeah! Of course." Anita leaned over to start typing, "How much do you want to put down-- oh--" her brows raised curiously. She didn't appear suspicious in the least, though after a moment there was a tinge of concern. "Yeah, sure. I can go in ten. Is everything okay?"
Oh. He hadn't thought that far. Blinking owlishly at her, Justin fumbled, nervous mind not quite capable of numbers. "Twenty," he blurted out. Justin tried to flash her a reassuring smile. "And everything is fine, just had a lengthy question." It wasn't lengthy - it was short and unbearably awkward, but hey. Maybe he did have a chance. After a moment, he fished out his wallet, passing her the money. "Anyway, wanna meet me in the food court?"
Anita laughed and resumed typing, "Twenty. Okay. Usual deal, we'll give you a call and email when it's ready for you." She gave Justin a relieved smile that it wasn't anything bad. "Sounds good! Go ahead and get a table, I'll just be another couple minutes."
"Alright. Thanks as usual, Anita. See ya in a few." With that he folded his receipt and slid it in his wallet, heading outside. With a deep breath, he shot a meaningful look at Cruz and headed to the nearby food court. He idled the time away by buying a drink at a random place - it didn't matter which and he was a little too nervous for food. Flopping down in a chair easily in view of the store, he pulled out his phone and began to play a game. Intently.
When Justin came back out, Cruz returned the look with barely restrained worry. He tried to smile and wave but it was feeble; that had to be fixed by the time Anita came out and the croc did his best. She was on a mission for food as it was and only stopped to say hi, ask what he was up to, and give a few kisses to his hair. Cruz was quick to deny an invitation to lunch with them, insisting instead that he was going to look through the Disney store.
That was a lie. A white one? He thought so.
Anita retrieved her dinner, a small order of teriyaki chicken in a plastic container and a bottle of water. Finding Justin was easy; it was a late lunch as it was so the food court was far from packed.
"Hey again," she chimed as she sat across from him. As soon as her butt was planted Anita worked on readying her meal.
"Hey," he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. It was the final countdown, the moment, now-or-never, the... Justin stopped himself right there. There were any number of enormously silly titles he could string together, but none of those words meant anything at all. "So," he paused and then shrugged. Like ripping off a band-aid all at once, perhaps this conversation was best done quickly rather than let the weight of his own nerves drag it along. Justin rubbed the tip of his nose briefly. The smile he gave her was crooked and one lone dimple popped in his left cheek. "I guess I just wanted to, uh. Well, I have found that I really like you and wondered if you wanted to go on a date sometime?" He promptly sealed his lips before the rest of the words that threatened to pop out could get free. The 'if you think I'm alright's, the 'but oh of course you don't have to's, every biot of backtracking he sealed away. And then, Justin held his breath, eyes not quite meeting hers.
With the preface of a 'lengthy question', all Anita could figure was something Lab related. What else would be lengthy? If it was a question about games, he could just look it up and he certainly didn't need to ask her outside of the store for something like that. So, when the question finally came, Anita's fork halted halfway to her mouth. She stared at the table, blinked, then lowered her hand and straightened up in her seat.
Her voice was soft but it probably did little to soften the blow. "I-I'm sorry-- what?"
If he thought he could get away with slinking down under the table or simply sliding off his chair to roll away, Justin might have done either of those. Both. He cleared his throat and flushed. "I... uh. sorry, maybe I should've asked after you were done eating." His fingers twisted in his lap, the drink sat forgotten on the table. ********. "I... I really like you, Anita. And w-wanted to know if you maybe might want to go on a date.. or something?" His voice squeaked on the last word and he grabbed his drink like a man discovering an oasis in a desert. "Sorry."
While Justin's flushed cheeks were easy to hide, Anita's complexion was far from forgiving. Heat rose in her ears as soon as the question properly registered and seeped visibly to her cheeks from beneath her bangs. Her gaze dipped down to her food when Justin called attention to it. She was still holding the fork.
"Oh," she answered, lips hanging open with a slight tremble, "oh, I-- uh..."
Finally she let go of the fork. Anita sat up straight with her hands in her lap, though one quickly combed through her bangs and pushed them back as if to give her some relief from the sudden heat of the situation. "I'm-I'm flattered," she began hesitantly, "I just-- wasn't expecting that." She let out a sharp breath, almost mistakable for a laugh.
Anita bit her lip. It was her turn to go to her drink like a woman starved. "It's okay... I-I don't really know what to say." Even after getting the cap off she didn't take a sip.
Well, now he'd made her feel awkward too. He rubbed a thumb along his jaw. "Y-you know, Anita. Uh, it's ok if you're saying no and stuff. I understand. I would just need the word 'no'." There was a pause, the kind of moment that might normally be filled by a breathless chuckle. Instead to lay heavy between them. "Sorry if I made you feel awkward though, Anita. N-not my intent. I just thought it'd be better to say something, you know... rather than not." Justin stumbled over his words, as graceful as a bull in a tutu. Idly, he wondered if Cruz was watching and hoped not.
Her lips closed tightly when Justin spoke up again. She chanced a glance at him, long enough to catch his eye, then looked back down and finally took a sip of water. Right. She needed to be clear. "Okay..." Anita offered quietly. It was a slow and idle motion as she shook her head; he must have felt just as awkward, if not more, with how she was responding.
"Y-yeah, thank you." Maybe it was strange to say, given the circumstances. She closed her eyes and took a breath. Then another sip of water. Another breath. Anita nodded-- nodded. "I-- I'd really--" The bottle crinkled under her grip. "Can we stay friends...?"
Anita's stomach took a small leap. "I'm sorry..."
Justin took a deep, silent breath, and another. He rubbed his hand over the back of his head, feeling his damp hair curl around his fingers, and slumped down into his seat a little bit. She was so obviously uncomfortable that it made him feel even worse. He should have never said anything at all. He picked up his cup, put the straw to his lips, but did not drink, instead setting it down, carefully replacing it into the ring of condensation that glistened on the plastic tabletop.
"O-of course we can still be friends," he said haltingly. An end to their friendship was the last thing he wanted. Anita was... special to him. Justin just needed... "But I.. I'll need time. I'm sorry - I-I didn't expect to feel this way or anything, so I... need some time. Sorry." He bit his lip as another 'sorry' tried to leak out. Scooting his chair back, he began to stand. "I should go."
She smiled, hesitantly-- it didn't keep its strength long. Anita nodded down at her water bottle and took a slow sip. "Sure..." Another apology hovered on her tongue but she held it back. It wouldn't do any good, would it?
Justin took to standing and Anita stared up at him like a deer in headlights. "Uh... o-okay." There was a pit in her stomach; it didn't seem like this was a 'still friends' kind of conversation after all with how quickly Justin wanted to make his exit. "I'll see you another time."
She watched Justin go and took a few moments to gather herself before finally starting on her lunch.
While Cruz hadn't been spying, and in fact gone to the store he told Anita he would be at to disable it from being a fib, he was a fidgeting mess back at his usual fountain perch. The frei kept a hawk-like gaze to everyone passing out of the food court. Crowds were always thick in the Summer and it was difficult to discern who was who until they were but a few yards away.
All the same, he picked Justin out easily-- Anita wasn't with him. He was walking alone and, in that brief moment when their eyes met and Justin took his leave, Cruz felt his heart sink.
She said no. Like every other time, with everyone else, she said no.
Cruz moved against the crowd, weaving through bodies on the wrong side of traffic. When he reached the courtyard threshold, he scanned for that familiar head of hair -- Anita was always easiest to identify by her hair. There she was, alone, eating with the same sort of sullen look Justin wore.
That was different. Normally when Anita turned guys down, she was quick to bounce back. It didn't drag her down, though she may have seemed confused or perturbed. This was a colder look, a lonely look, one he never wanted to see either of them wear -- least of all due to his meddling.
Months were ticking by with no progress. This little project of his, started back in March, hadn't even earned a hint of success until just last week, and now... Maybe he was wrong. He didn't want to give up but Cruz couldn't deny this was beginning to feel quite hopeless.
Cruz gets a lesson in flower meanings and daisy chains in Duncan's garden. art by rookeries
"Red tulips... they're very good Valentines flowers-- you give them to someone you want to declare your love to."
Snoofington
Merry Krampus
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Snoofington
Merry Krampus
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 2:16 pm
You, too? [IM RP with Rookeries]
Isaac was faced with a slow and empty day off. He chose to skip the day visiting his sister and shmoozing with his parents to walk around Gambino to run a few errant chores. He started in the morning, and by afternoon, he ended up in the mall again. As it were, it was Hell wandering in a mall alone.
Given that, he hunkered down at the Food Court and looked through his Contacts List for anyone to see. He knew one person in particular who worked in this particular mall, fortunately, so he was quick to scroll down to her name. He was one step away from texting her until he realized how lazy that would be-- instead, he stood up and left his table to drop by GameDepot. He doubted she wanted to go to lunch at her workplace if she wasn't already here, anyway.
Isaac: -once he arrives at GameDepot, he immediately walks to the counter to see if Anita was there at all, though he does glance at a few game shelves on his way there-
Anita: -was just in the middle of ringing up a customer so doesn't see him at first, finishes up with them and spots Isaac just as she starts helping the next person in line- ”Oh, hey.” -gives him a short smile and starts ringing the games up-
Isaac: -smiles toward her and nods- “Hey.” -takes out his phone to check the time, then walks behind Anita's current customer- “How's work? You got time for a break soon-ish?”
Anita: -offers the customer a quick smile, too, and starts bagging- ”Work's fine. Um--” -peeks at the clock- ”--I haven't taken lunch yet. Got some time to kill?” -laughs quietly and gets her customer their games and they step away from the counter-
Isaac: “Cool.” -raises brows, then shrugs, laughs- “That's why I'm in here, right? Yeah, I was just going to ask if you if you wanted to go grab pizza.” -shrugs- “Well, lunch, but that's basically always pizza for us.”
Anita: “Nothing wrong with pizza.” -grins and waves over to her manager, pointing at her bare wrist as if it were a watch and gestures with a thumb out of the store-- the signal seemed to be enough and she ducked out from behind the counter- ”How've things been?”
Isaac: “Damn right.” -crosses his arms and watches as Anita gestures to her manager, then walks to the GameStop exit, shrugs- “Same old, same old, I got a day off today. How's it been for you?”
Anita: -tucks her hands in her pockets and heads out into the mall proper, a bit crowded from the lunch rush- ”Ahh, lucky. Mine's not for another two days. It's been okay, can't complain.” -scoffs quietly- ”Haven't had an a*****e customer in a while, that's always good.”
Isaac: -doesn't have too much of a problem wading through the crowd; stands in front of the pizza place to look over their menu, shrugs at Anita- “That sucks. This is my first day off since... I don't know, 10 days ago?” -laughs- “God, good. Surprising for GameStop, though, like, I thought that s**t would be non-stop.”
Anita: “Jeez, they're workin' you.” -shrugs and glances over the menu as well- ”Well-- people get pissy but I mean... those kinds of customers, you know? They're starting to thin out. There was just a stretch there where it was like every damn day.” -scoffs and shakes her head-
Isaac: “I know. Our boss needs to get his s**t together, we're super understaffed.” -crosses his arms and walks closer to the counter once deciding on something to eat, laughs and nods- “Oooh, those kinds of customers. My bad. Wow.” -takes his wallet out of his pocket- “I would've lost my s**t if I were you. Like, 'chuck a CD at their face and hope it shatters' lose my s**t. You know what you want, or can I go?”
Anita: “Man.” -clicks her tongue- ”It's been a problem in the past, so one of my managers has a system in place. You saw.” -looks down at his wallet and where they are in line, then back up- ”Nah, go ahead.” -takes a step up behind him when he gets closer to the counter-
Isaac: “Yeah, that guy. Seems like a cool dude.” -nods- “Thanks.” -goes ahead to the counter to place his order, then quickly files out of line after paying for Anita-- checks his phone meanwhile-
Anita: -smiles- ”Yeah, Dutch is pretty cool. He's the only one with that system, though...” -gives Isaac a quiet thanks for opening the space and makes her own order, a slice of extra cheesy pepperoni-- steps aside afterward to wait for their plates- ”Kinda sucks having a manager that doesn't care about it, though.”
Isaac: -looks up from the line when Anita is out of it, quirks his brows- “Why wouldn't one of your managers care about it? It's their job to give a s**t.”
Anita: -lifts her brows and purses her lips, shrugs and looks at her feet- ”She doesn't think it's a big deal or that it's expected. Making a mountain out of a molehill.”
Isaac: -smirks, then scoffs, clearly exasperated- “Well, ******** her.” -once his order's up-- two slices of Chicago-style pepperoni-and-sausage pizza and a soda-- he walks over to retrieve it, then walks to the soda machine to fill his empty cup- “At least one your bosses is cool. I'm just surprised the female one doesn't have your back.”
Anita: -manages a scoff too and follows after once she gets hers- ”Yeah, I don't really get it. Sometimes she kind of encourages it? Like it'll be good for business or something.” -scrunches her face up and heads for an empty place for them to sit once Isaac's got his drink- ”Whatever, Dutch is the higher up and I think he's starting to get fed up with her, anyway.”
Isaac: “Jesus Christ.” -resists the urge to roll his eyes while filling his cup with Pepsi- “You know what else would be 'good for business?' Making everything a dollar. They'd have customers out the door, but that doesn't make it a ******** good idea.” -scoffs and follows after Anita to the table, then takes his seat- “Wow, good. Throw her a** out the door.”
Anita: -hangs her head and laughs, tucks her braids behind her shoulders and heads to the table after him- ”That'd be great for like a week and then it'd be awful.” -takes her seat and gives Isaac a tight lipped smile, as if to try and hold it back, before taking a bite of pizza- ”So what's the deal with your boss and being understaffed? Just not hiring or being too picky?”
Isaac: “Yeah, and having guys hit on your employees would be great for like a few hundred dollars then be ******** terrible. Semantics, shitty manager dude.” -smiles at Anita in return for hers and takes a sip of his soda; rests it on the table and shrugs- “A little bit of both? He tried hiring and he didn't really like anyone. He's a super elitist video nerd.”
Anita: -chuckles with her mouth closed, full of pizza, and quietly mumbles 'or ******** terrible from the start' with a shrug; sighs and rests back against her chair at that news- ”Come on, guy, don't be that way. Supply and demand extends to employment, too, a*****e.”
Isaac: -laughs at her commentary a bit; shrugs- “I know, he's an idiot. I'm surprised his video store's even been around this long.” -takes a bite of his pizza, gestures toward Anita once he places the slice back down- “Anyway, what are you up to besides work?”
Anita: -winces slightly and looks to the side, mutters- ”Might not before long if he's not careful.” -returns to her slice and hums quietly, glances back with raised brows- ”Mm? Not a whole lot, I guess.” -scoffs and smirks- ”Bein' lame--”
Isaac: “Probably not. It'll get sent to Blockbuster heaven like the other video stores from the Great Redbox Massacre.” -nods, takes another slice of pizza-- smirks and stares skeptically at her- “Wow, that wasn't vague or anything.”
Anita: -smiles and relaxes in her seat, looks up and pauses then hangs her head-- laughs- ”Sorry. Talking about myself--” -makes a vague hand gesture, a quiet 'pff', and slight eye roll- ”What do you wanna know?”
Isaac: “Pff. Talk about yourself if you want to, dude.” -leans back in chair and shrugs, sips his soda- “Well. How are you being lame?”
Anita: -smiles, bites her lip, and looks to the side-- not quite what she meant- ”Mm, work takes up a lot of my time. Play the games I sell, most times I'm free.” -shrugs- ”That's pretty lame.”
Isaac: -shrugs- “Eh, that doesn't sound lame to me. You failed the Lame Test. Care to try again?” -smirks and eats his pizza-
Anita: “Oh, you're the certified lame judge, are you?” -laughs, crosses her legs and gestures to him- ”What would qualify as lame in your books, and then maybe I will.”
Isaac: “Well, I'm a certified cool judge, so yeah, I'm pretty well-learned on the spectrum.” -sets his pizza down and shrugs- “Something lame is, like... something so overwhelmingly stupid that you can't blame anyone for judging you for it. Including yourself. Like--” -looks up and thinks- “Like trolling on Yahoo Answers everyday for the past month. That's lame.”
Anita: -rests her chin in her palm and takes another bite while he explains, brows raised expectantly-- covers her mouth and sits back up straight to laugh- ”Oh, okay. Poor word choice, then. Boring, I should say.”
Isaac: -squints at Anita then laughs; sighs and shakes his head, as if disappointed, and sips his soda- “Fine, you win, that did sound pretty boring. Pretty sure I'd kill myself if I played video games after being around video games all day.”
Anita: -holds her arms out a bit as if to add a flourish to her shrug- ”Sell what you like and play what you sell.” -quirks a brow- ”So you don't watch any videos when you're not working, is that what you're saying?”
Isaac: “I guess.” -accentuates a frown and shrugs, looks up- “Eh, you got me there.”
Anita: -smirks smugly from behind her pizza- ”Nothing wrong with that.” -takes a bite and thinks for a moment- ”What's your favorite movie?”
Isaac: -shrugs and takes a bite of his pizza in thought, looks up at the question-- leans back in his chair- “That is a loaded question.”
Anita: -looks taken aback despite her smile- ”No it's not, it's innocent.” -pauses- ”Unless it's lame.”
Isaac: “So you say. You'd be surprised.” -laughs, shrugs- “My number one favorite of all time is Spinal Tap. No question about it.”
Anita: -raises her brows- ”I haven't seen that. Gonna have to change that soon, huh?”
Isaac: -raises brows right back, nods- “Yes, you need to see it. I own it, there's no excuse.”
Anita: “Oh, well then--” -nods and sets her crust down- ”My people will call your people, see when we can pencil it in/”
Isaac: “By all means.” -hesitates, but smiles at her- “Actually-- I've been meaning to ask you if you wanted to hang out outside of the mall for a while. Like, all joking aside.”
Anita: -sits back and rests her hands in her lap, smiles back- ”Yeah?” -takes a quick glance around the fairly busy food court- ”There is only so much to do at a mall. That'd be fun.”
Isaac: “Yeah, totally.” -laughs and nods, hangs his head a bit and hesitates a bit, shrugs, then looks back up at Anita- “Yeah, it would be. But, seriously-- is it a date, then, or...?”
Anita: -nods and digs in her pocket to check her phone for the time- ”Yeah, just need to figure out what date.” -laughs and looks at the small calendar in her phone despite neglecting to fill in any of the days-- oops-
Isaac: -quirks his brows at what Anita does, then glances skeptically to the side- “Uhuh.” -looks back at her and chuckles, semi-confused- “I'm... taking that as a yes?”
Anita: “Hm?” -looks up from her phone and smiles-- then it clicks- ”Oh.” -stares intently at the table while her smile fades- ”Date.” -grimaces and closes her phone- ”I-I don't know...”
Isaac: -stares; his smile only fades slightly, as he's uncertain- “...You don't know?”
Anita: -chews her lip and keeps looking at the table rather than him, shoulders slouched- ”I'm-- I'm sorry, I didn't--” -huffs; leans over and lightly bonks her forehead with her phone hand- ”I can't.”
Isaac: “You... can't. Okay.” -frowns, but only lightly; looks more confused than upset, even, and glances at Anita- “Sorry, are you-- seeing someone, or...?”
Anita: -rests her phone in her lap, then covers her face with both hands- ”No, I'm not...” -sighs; hesitates- ”I... have feelings for someone. I'm sorry.”
Isaac: -sits back in his chair, though he's still glancing at Anita- “Oh... well, okay.” -scoffs and looks to the side-- hesitates a while, remaining silent, but spares her from being asked who it may be- “..Well, this is awkward.”
Anita: -drags her hands down her face and stares at the ceiling- ”Sorry...” -keeps her cheeks covered loosely with her hands; continued hesitation- ”Did... you still want to hang out? Sometime?”
Isaac: -grimaces- “It's-- whatever.” -shrugs nonchalantly, glances to the side- “Yeah, sure. Just hit me up, I guess.”
Anita: -nods and finally rests her hands on her legs, straightens up in her chair- ”Okay...” -stares at the remaining pizza crust on her plate- ”Thanks for having lunch with me.”
Isaac: -straightens, too, and tries to smile more genuinely at her, though his expression falls flat- “Yeah, sure.” -glances to his empty platter, save for his soda, then looks toward the foot end of the food court- “I should probably head out soon.”
Anita: -finally manages to look at him, returns his smile but it's about as unconvincing- ”Right. My break's almost up, too.” -tucks her phone in her pocket and moves to stand up, taking her plate- ”I'll see you.”
Isaac: “Right.” -stands when she does and tries to smile again, without success, and picks up his platter-- nods, then waves once- “Yeah, see you around. I guess text me or something about Spinal Tap if you're still interested.”
Anita: -pushes her chair in and matches his wave- ”I will, thanks. Have a good day.” -winces slightly, tries to smile again, then goes to throw out her plate-
Isaac: -throws away his platter contents and places it on top of the garbage bin afterward- “Yeah, you too.” -nonchalantly smiles at her and waves one more time, then walks away to leave the food court-
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:46 am
Ground Control to Major Tom [RP with Rookeries]
The last time the two of them got together one on one was all the way back on the fourth of July, though it was even further back in June that they made particular plans for it. August seemed to come so quickly. It was only with Cruz's insistence that Anita went out again for a coffee run. All times previous, Mordekai had made the long trip from Barton to Gambino but this time Anita volunteered. It took a little convincing (Mordekai didn't seem keen on putting her through the trouble of driving all that way) but, before long, she pulled up to the Clarke household and off they went.
It was overcast with the promise of sprinkles now and then. The windshield barely got a sprinkle that seemed to stop just before they parked outside of the coffee shop. Anita closed the driver-side door and held her palm out to catch any falling droplets. Bone dry.
”Maybe it'll pick up later,” she gave Mordekai a sidelong smile as she tucked her keys in her pocket. The parking lot was far from crowded, given the weather. It seemed they missed the lunch rush or folks decided a rainy Saturday in Summer wasn't the most appealing to grab a coffee on.
Mordekai was tired, but he was happy. The on-and-off cold from autumn tended to have that effect on him. When Anita contacted him about getting coffee again, though, that sedated feeling seemed to ride away a bit and he was left quietly bursting with excitement to see her again. The days always seemed to grow a little longer in the autumn season, and it felt like it had been ages since they'd last seen each other.
He was sunken into his seat and half-dazed the whole car ride to the cafe, and though he was comfortable and warm in the car and with Anita, he tried to will himself into being more awake and talkative. It half-worked by the time Anita parked and closed the door behind her. Mordekai left the car soon after and looked up, too, at the bone-dry sky. He chuckled.
"Hope so..." He adjusted the beanie on his head and smiled back at Anita, expression a bit muted but genuine. The blond took notice of the empty parking lot and continued forward, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets-- he walked slowly, to make sure he was walking beside Anita, and hummed. "Seems pretty empty today, huh?"
”Yeah. Quiet.” She rubbed her arms to get rid of some of the chill while the walked. ”Not bad, though. Nice and calm.” Anita gave him another smile when she reached for the door, holding it open for him and entering afterward.
Starbucks tended to be fairly quiet even when crowded, almost like a library, so the difference inside was hardly noticeable. They had their pick of the litter as far as seating went, though, and there was only one person in line ahead of them. Anita ordered her usual, no food items this time, and moved to the side for him to place his.
”Getting chilly,” she mentioned quietly, pulling her hoody closer around herself. Starbucks always ran their air conditioning a bit high.
Mordekai nodded in agreement; he smiled at Anita and issued a quiet 'thanks' and walked into Starbucks, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets.
One look around Starbucks was enough to confirm that Anita was right-- it was very quiet and it was very calm. He didn't take long after Anita to order his Americano and follow behind her. He was feeling the effects of the cold in the cafe, too, and he chuckled sympathetically when she pulled at her jacket. The most he could do was unroll his sleeves and button his cuffs.
"Yeah, damn... prolly tryna sell more coffee to people by freezin' their butts off, first," he smiled tiredly and rubbed his arms; he glanced at the espresso bar. He looked back at Anita and whispered: "It's workin'."
Anita mouthed 'oh' and smiled. ”I'm a rebel, getting a cold drink.” She pulled her arms further into her sleeves so her fingers were scarcely visible.
”That reminds me-- I forgot to bring them but I landed some free blankets and pillows. Might help a little with the boys staying over as often as they do.” Her drink was placed on the counter and Anita gave the barista a quiet 'thank you' as she held it in both sleeve covered hands.
Mordekai laughed and shrugged while adjusting his beanie again, to hide his ears more from the cold. "You are. Dunno how y'do it, man."
Once his name was called, Mordekai walked to the espresso bar to pick up his Americano. The cup was an inviting warmth that he held without complaint in his calloused hands, which barely retained or felt heat themselves.
He raised his brows when Anita spoke up and uncapped his drink, letting the stream rise from the espresso. Mordekai grinned and laughed-- he hadn't heard from Ben or any of the others since the fourth of July, so the reminder of them laying bare-blanketed on the floor was an appreciated recollection. "Oh-- thanks," he glanced down at his drink-- it was still a little too hot to sip, "They'll appreciate it. 'Specially if they're comin' over Thanksgivin'..." The blond shrugged in uncertainty.
”It's tasty,” she retorted lightly, taking a sip of the straw.
Anita smiled and watched the steam waft from his cup. It took her a second to start walking towards a table. ”Is it gonna be as big as last years?” She pulled a seat out for herself and settled in. ”I need to check if I can go this time. If I'm invited again--” Anita laughed hesitantly.
Mordekai trailed after Anita toward a table-- he chanced a sip of his coffee while waiting for her sit first, then took a seat of his own. When realizing his beverage wasn't too hot, he took another sip and shook his head at the question-- then nodded almost immediately afterwards. He placed his coffee cup on the table, though his hands were still wrapped around it. "Ah... well, I wanna say it ain't gonna be, but... Rebecca's gonna be runnin' things this year. Ye'know how she is."
Anita's hesitation surprised him, to say the least-- he raised his brows and laughed in return, then nodded in earnest. "'Course you are, no question 'bout it!" he evened his smiled at her, "'Ope you can make it. That'd be real nice."
She couldn't help a small laugh at Mordekai's initial indecision. The idea of Rebecca running a family gathering made her brows raise and she winced playfully. ”Just have to see, then,”
”Thanks,” she chuckled, ”I didn't want to be presumptuous.” Anita hung her head to take a sip of her vanilla frap, ”I know Cruz and Tango had fun last time. I did, too.” The last bit was added as an after thought. Thinking more, with Rebecca at the helm it might be safer to let Tango spend Thanksgiving with the rest of the family instead.
Mordekai held his coffee midway to his lips and laughed-- he hung his head and set the cup back down without taking a sip, and sounded half-worried. "Yeah..."
He took a drink of his coffee after some thinking, and offered Anita an enthusiastic nod. "No thanks needed, ye'know, you're always invited to anythin' we do at Duncan's house," he glanced shyly at the table and smiled firmly, "He-- really likes you, so... an' Cruz an' Tango're invited too, 'course." Mordekai grinned at the edge of the table. "Everyone loves havin' y'all around."
While Mordekai paused for thought, Anita chanced a glance-- it lasted longer than intended as he continued staring at the table. ”Aw, hey,” she gave a soft laugh, ”Same for you, you know, both of you.” There was an odd sense of deja vu as soon as she said this. Strangely, the room felt less chilly even as she took a sip of what was practically a milkshake. ”I--” Anita started, laughed, then tried again, ”We love being around. Thanks for having us.”
"'Course," Mordekai assured, matter-of-factly. He chanced a look away from the table toward Anita with a small, shy smile, then took another sip of his coffee.
"And--" he stared down at his cup again-- he'd begun talking preemptively; he thought over his choice in words while staring at the coffee cup cap. "Thank you, too," he let out an awkward laugh-- why was he being so sheepish? "For-- what y'jus' said, ye'know-- ah, if y'all ever have a gatherin' sometime, we'll try to drop by."
”Sure,” she laughed, voice soft. Anita looked down at her drink. The whipped cream was looking a bit lopsided. She smiled. Now that her gaze dropped, Anita found it difficult to raise again. In the mean time, she slowly stirred her drink. ”Or whenever,” she added quietly with a small shrug. Her bangs blocked her view of his face. ”Doesn't have to just be holidays or big groups.”
Mordekai found it difficult to train his eyes on Anita for long, too, and he eventually dipped his gaze down at his coffee cup. His bangs weren't nearly as long as Anita's, but they were just present for him to hide behind, were he to duck his head down enough-- and he did, though he couldn't help but smile. He turned the cup slowly around his hands and laughed-- he was going to laugh a lot today, he expected-- and nodded.
"That-- would be really nice," he eased into a lopsided smile, then scratched the back of his beanie, "Anytime y'want us around, we'll try to get there..."
That laugh, as seemed to be a growing trend, made her smile stronger. Anita uttered a light one in return, though kept herself visually occupied with her drink. She nodded appreciatively and took another few sips.
A calm quiet settled between them for a bit. Even so, Anita's mind was buzzing with things to talk about. After a minute or so, she finally lifted her head. ”Oh, yeah. I met your friend, Cam, a couple weeks ago,” idly, she tapped the top of her straw with a finger, ”He mentioned you guys were doing a bar thing. How's that going?”
Mordekai worked on his drink as the silence filled between them both. He wasn't sure if he had too many things to say or not many at all, and he didn't want to bother Anita with something uninteresting-- but in the midst of his uncertainty, Anita spoke again. He looked happily up at her while working on his coffee and brightened a bit at the mention of Cam, then he set his cup down and offered a shrug and grin.
"Yeah, ah, he-- w-we--" he laughed haplessly and quietly hoped Anita didn't find his fumbling too exasperating; he fiddled with his coffee cup and tried again. "We're-- doin' good on it, ye'know, schedulin' for open in October. S'in a real nice part of Gambino..."
If you wanted to drop by. He chose not to say the last bit, and instead took to his coffee.
On the contrary, Anita watched patiently while Mordekai collected himself. Her smile grew, both from his enthusiasm and as a reassurance. She set her drink down and let her arms hang loosely between her knees.
”That's what he was saying,” Anita nodded, ”So it's like-- a whole bar?” To better clarify, she held her hands out to measure some vague amount of large space, then dropped them again. ”Are you gonna be tending, or...?”
Mordekai held his arms out in return for a general scope of the bar. Given how he hadn't seen it with people in it, still, the infrastructure seemed immense-- and he was excited for it, and to tell Anita about it, which reflected in his grin.
"Uhuh-- a whole bar... fully stocked an' clean." He chuckled and nodded, then picked up his drink in his enthusiasm, though he had no mind to drink from it just then. "Think so! Maybe-- 'til he finds better people for it, ye'know," he shrugged and held the cup closer, "So-- not for long, prolly."
His expression softened and he quieted, growing a bit apologetic-- he offered Anita a sincere smile nonetheless. "Know you ain't so into drinkin' an' all that, though... but-- ah," he wrung his fingers together, "We got lotsa food'n stuff planned for it too, if you're ever 'round."
Her eyes widened along with her smile to match Mordekai's grin. It was nice seeing him light up about something, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds – or, in his case, the rain finally falling during a cloudy day.
”Wow,” Anita murmured so as not to interrupt. She didn't know much about the situation but it definitely appeared to be something Mordekai was enthused, even passionate, about. That was definitely worth encouraging. ”Ah-- yeah, but...” she laughed and pointed a finger at him, her smile turning a bit playful, ”food is very good. I'd like to stop by, sure.” Maybe even on opening day, if possible.
Anita picked her drink up again and rested her elbows on the table, sitting a bit closer. ”Sounds like a good time for you. I hope it works out.” Her drink was half gone.
Mordekai relaxed in his seat and took another hefty drink of his coffee. Given how small his order was and how quickly he was drinking it, despite the temperature, he was almost done with his drink too. Without thinking, he mimicked Anita's movements slightly and sat just a little closer toward her, his arms and hands rested comfortably on the table top.
"Thanks... hope you're able to-- but, ah--" he laughed, "'Nough 'bout me, huh? Whatchu been up to lately, 'ow's life been treatin' you?"
Once the topic switched to her, Anita made a small hesitant sound-- then laughed. ”Um... well, you know,” it wasn't quite the same old, same old, anymore, ”Work's starting to slow down a little, with the rushes ending. Oh, Cruz has been raving about those bracelets. We're trying to get them to his friends, he really wants to share them.”
Anita bit her lip, eyes wandering as she searched for topics. She didn't want a repeat of lame and boring, like Isaac was given recently. Not ever, but especially not now.
”We got the flowers on Tango. He doesn't mind them at all but they, uh, got a little crushed because of how he lays around.”
Mordekai's grin grew as Anita spoke. He was unintentionally leaning forward as the conversation went on, but he caught himself before he was practically draping over his half of the tabletop; he leaned back in his chair and adjusted in his seat a bit, a bit flustered that he was gradually tilting like that.
"Glad to hear things're slowin' down for you-- ah, ye'know, y'still been sellin' Legend of Zelda?" his smile lit up again, and he chuckled at the mention of the Frei and the bracelets, "'Ey, das great! Have y'all tried makin' any new ones, too?"
He laughed lightly when picturing Tango. He shook his head and scratched his head. "Yeah, guess we shoulda figured that would happen... sure he still looks cute as hell," he grinned up at Anita, "An' he gave us an excuse to make 'im another one."
With Anita's traveling gaze, she scarcely registered Mordekai moving forward. It was only when he adjusted himself back that she took notice, but even then she just offered him a smile before looking back at the table.
”Yeah, there's a new one coming in September, so everyone's preordering. Always lots of Zelda,” she crossed her legs at the knee. As she spoke, the more hunched she became over her drink but her smile never left, ”He made a few. I tried but it came out kinda dumpy. I'll give it another shot later.”
Anita grinned right back. She folded her arms against the table and laid her hands down, fingertips barely escaping the ends of her sleeves. ”Damn, I'll have to get a picture next time. He was ridiculous,” she laughed.
"Really! A second one? I gotta look into it, ye'know, Jerri's real into games." He smiled while taking a sip of his drink and shook his head, doubtful, "Sure your's are great. But if y'ever need more flowers, we got y'all's back."
There was only a sip or two left in his cup, now, and he chose to savor it. He placed it a bit away from him and rested his arms against the table. Mordekai was never one to keep his hands vacant for long, though-- he found his glance lingering toward Anita's fingertips. He blushed and looked away toward his coffee cup lid-- he gingerly grabbed it and rotated it around in his hands. He trained his smile onto the lid.
"That'd be nice," he piped up. He laughed but kept it quiet. "Ridiculous an' always charmin'."
Anita's eyes fluttered and she delayed a sharp laugh. A second one.”Is he? I'll have to chat him up sometime.” She smiled and hung her head, leaned it gently from side to side, ”Ehh,” Anita laughed, ”Thanks. The apartment's been much more colorful since.”
While Mordekai busied his hands with the lid, a few of Anita's fingers idly tapped on the table in a soft rhythm. Instead of bringing her drink closer, she leaned over to the straw and took a sip. ”Always charming,” she concurred as her fingers stopped to lie still.
She watched the lid twirl slowly between his hands, a faint smile present as her gaze moved from the lid itself to his tanned and freckled fingers.
"Mhm!" he shook his coffee cup and stared at its almost-empty contents in thought. Did finishing both their drinks mean they had to leave? Mordekai glanced up at the menu contemplating another one, but maybe-- maybe Anita wanted to leave soon. He smiled a little regretfully down at the table. "Ah-- maybe if y'come over Thanksgivin'... ye'know, if y'tell 'im you work at a game store, sure he'd visit... he lives real close to you." He grinned. "Glad to hear it."
Mordekai spun the lid around between his palms like a wheel. Even while occupying his hands, his glance still flickered back to Anita's hands, visible just past the lid. "Always," he offered in quiet, bemused reply. With the awkward pause of conversation, he gave Anita a careful smile.
He looked down at her hands again, too, no longer hidden in jacket sleeves. Mordekai turned his head to look toward the table and stopped rolling the lid-- instead, he held it in his hands, as carefully as if it were glass.
Anita idly picked at her sleeves, both arms resting on the table. There was still a small amount of her drink left, just barely, but she didn't seem raring to get up either. ”I'll have to mention it, then,” she smiled, first at Mordekai and then at the table.
Conversation tapered off again into a gentle quietness. Anita's smile stayed while she glanced at her drink, her own hands, and Mordekai's. The lid stopped spinning and, for a second, she held her breath without meaning to. Anita pulled her drink back over and sipped at the last dregs of vanilla bean frappuccino and whipped cream until the straw protested and gurgled. She stopped that quickly and set the empty cup down with a quiet scoff.
”Hey,” she pressed both hands flat on the middle of the table. Anita hesitated, eyes on Mordekai's hands with a muted half-grin-- she looked up. ”You wanna do thumb wars?”
Mordekai looked up toward Anita as she finished the last of her drink. His expression fell, if only for a moment, and his grip around the cup lid tightened as he prepared to finish off his drink and leave. He freed one of his hands from holding onto the cap to grab his drink.
With Anita's 'hey' he finished off the last of his drink-- he backed up with his chair a bit, taking that as a signal to leave. "Y-yeah," he responded, grabbing onto the back of the chair to stand, "Let's-"
”You wanna do thumb wars?”
"Oh--" Mordekai stood half-standing from the table, brows raised. Awkwardly, he looked at himself-- he was crouched, his a** closer to the seat than not. "Ah--" gently, he sat back down; he was red, slightly sheepish, but he felt strangely happy-- maybe, maybe-- she wanted to stay, too, just a little longer.
"U-um-- yeah, sure..." he broke into a more earnest grin-- carefully, placed his empty cup back down on the table and extended his hand toward her. He broke into a smile. "You gonna kick my a**?"
At Mordekai's seemingly abrupt move to stand, Anita's own expression fell-- not to disappointment but into stark confusion. They both “oh”d at the same time. Anita pulled her fingers back, only to let them rest flat again when he chose to seat himself. There was a slight pink to her cheeks, too, that started to ebb once he agreed.
”Maybe,” she laughed under her breath, ”it's been a while since I played.”
With his grin, it felt easier for her to give a bigger smile back. Anita extended her right hand but halted just before making contact. ”Were you-- Did you want to get a refill first?” she laughed and nodded to the counter behind them. It certainly seemed like that was what had been interrupted.
Mordekai relaxed into his seat again, though he did feel damn foolish. As Anita's face bloomed pink, so did his, and he found it hard to look over at her without growing even redder. He smiled and shrugged. "That makes two of us," he wiggled his thumb, and laughed, "Don't think I've played in years..."
Anita's ease in expression allowed him to ease up, too. Was there a way to will himself into not blushing-- to calm down? When Anita halted, he looked up, brows raised. A refill. He wondered if leaving even crossed her mind. You don't want to leave?
"Ah..." he stared nonchalantly at his empty cup. Another refill would give them more of an excuse to talk, didn't it? But he didn't want to interrupt Anita. He shook his head weakly at first, then firmly the second time, his hand still displayed at the center of the table-- he grinned playfully. "After this... an' if you win, I'm gettin' you somethin'."
Anita scooted her chair in to sit closer to the table. She adjusted her arms comfortably so both elbows were resting on them and, for a moment, assumed a pose more like she was preparing to arm wrestle than duel with thumbs. It was dropped for a more casual and loose posture.
”Are you?” she quirked a brow, wanting to sound just as playful, but somehow it came out more genuinely surprised, ”Then, if you win, I'll get your refill.”
Despite Mordekai agreeing, and their hands already being so close, Anita continued to hesitate. Her fingers hovered just out of reach for a few seconds, until she became acutely aware of how long she was taking. Better to get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid. His palms were rough, worn, and his fingers a bit chilled. When her fingers tucked against his and their thumbs were in position, his hand practically swallowed hers if not for her own lengthy digits. God, was she really that pale?
”Ready?”
"Deal." Mordekai smiled surely at Anita and waggled his fingers. He looked down at both their hands while waiting for Anita to close the distance.
When she did, the first thing he noticed was that her palm was warm against his own. He could barely make out Anita's pale fingers between his own, but how soft they were made him become (suddenly, rapidly) aware he was. He was here, at a cafe, briefly holding hands with Anita. A friend whom he held very dear.
He smiled softly down at their hands; flustered, he snickered at the size of her thumb versus his. "Ready," he replied, quieter than he wanted to.
”Okay,” Anita smiled and looked down at their hands a moment longer.
With their thumbs perpendicular, Anita began the game. ”One, two, three, four,” her thumb drifted to the left of Mordekai's, then to the right, as if knighting it, ”I declare a thumb war.” As soon as her mouth closed, Anita's thumb snapped to attention. It suddenly bent and curled around Mordekai's in an attempt to trap it.
Mordekai watched in silence as Anita chanted to begin their round of thumb wars, mimicking her thumb's actions, and like that, it began. Anita was quick to begin moving every which-way around his thumb. He attempted to dodge every which-way, but Anita was fast and his hand was both very big and nubby compared to hers. For all intents and purposes, he was simply flicking his thumb from side to side.
"Oh, god, even m'thumb's clumsy," he laughed; he wasn't the most reactive in anything, so it was proving difficult for him to find an opening to get on the offensive.
Her eyes widened a bit at Mordekai's thumb movements. Anita bit her lip to try and hold back the quickly growing smile but it was futile. While his thumb seemed to just wag, Anita's reeled back, moved side to side, dipped and weaved. Still, thanks to the size difference, she was managing not to pin him. Yet.
”You're giving me the slip,” she chuckled. With that, Anita pulled her thumb back and stopped moving, almost like her thumb was staring his down. It twitched to one side, a fake out, then dipped the opposite way to try and wrap around the back of his and pin it down.
God, he was bad at thumb wars. Even with his hand warming, it was difficult to articulate much action against Anita's deft thumbwork. He pealed with soft laughter when Anita spoke up. "An' you got me cornered-- ack!"
He failed to predict Anita's fake-out, and like that, his thumb was pinned. "Y'got me!" he wriggled his thumb to try and free himself, but it was too late, "'Ave mercy!"
Anita instantly pushed down on Mordekai's thumb once she seemed to have him locked in. A lopsided grin formed quickly at his feeble wriggling. ”Mercy?” she repeated quietly. Anita lowered their hands so they were both against the table. For just a few seconds more, she pressed more firmly to keep him in place-- then lifted her thumb like a pop top.
”You did good,” she laughed, sitting up straighter while leaving her arm to rest on the table.
It only took a brief moment for her eyes to cast down from his back to the table-- and their still connected hands. Anita quieted; her smile waned but managed to stick around, brows creasing just a bit over the bridge of her nose. Compared to the game, her grip on Mordekai's hand was lessened. Even so, she couldn't muster the energy to let go.
"Mercy," he pleaded, attempting to sound desperate, though his grin nearly mirrored Anita's. He sighed quietly and propped his other arm across the table to rest his chin against it. He smiled warmly up at Anita and shrugged. "Dunno... you go easy on me?"
Mordekai trailed his eyes toward where Anita was looking. Their hands. He rested the side of his head against his other arm and watched, a little careful and a little curious-- and, though Anita's hands felt lighter against his palm after the thumb war, she did not move, and neither did he. Mordekai's expression calmed, and he attempted to give Anita an assuring glance, even if he was boundlessly lost himself.
Cautiously, he offered her hand a gentle squeeze.
Beneath her hair, Anita's ears burned. It took her a second to register that Mordekai asked her a question; her lips barely parted and nothing came out until that very soft squeeze brought her to attention. Anita made a sound somewhere between a laugh and clearing her throat.
”Nah,” her voice was a little unsteady through her smile, ”we're both rusty, remember?”
It was difficult for her to will her eyes up to meet his even briefly but the mere idea of moving her arm seemed insurmountable. There was a delay in response, a noticeable hesitance, but she returned the squeeze just as gently. Her thumb, which had sat limp once the game ended, brushed almost undetected over Mordekai's knuckles. The movement was slow and soft, extremely careful, as her thumb brushed once, twice more, then settled against the back of his hand. She could feel her heart beat in her ears.
"S'pose so," Mordekai offered in simple response. It seemed meager, but he couldn't find much else to say, not anymore, while heat was rising in both their cheeks and they were both so focused on their hands, still intertwined and unmoving. When-- softly, minutely-- he felt Anita's thumb brush his knuckles, he brushed hers knuckles back. He attempted to be sleight, but he was never very subtle-- instead, his thumb ran gently over hers, movements slow and trackable.
It was difficult not to feel very, very aware of himself, and suddenly, as he felt the soft creases of Anita's knuckles, he grew unsure. "Is-- is this-- okay?" he asked, his voice barely past a whisper. He didn't want to scare Anita away-- he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but-- was he? Hesitantly, he lightened his grip further, his eyes trained on Anita. "I'm sorry--"
Her eyes fixed keenly on Mordekai's thumb as it moved, matching her own. There was a slight tingle that traced after the movement, lingering faintly even after he halted. It was hard to hear him when her ears were flooding; their redness spread past her bangs and lightly flushed her cheeks.
Then he apologized and his hold on her hand weakened. She squeezed just the slightest bit tighter.
Anita closed her mouth quickly. This time, she couldn't look up at him. Her other arm bent against the table, crooking itself to the side. Before she could stop herself, Anita cradled her head in that arm and completely hid her face against the table.
Let go, she urged herself, but each time it seemed like her arm would do the opposite if it even bothered to respond at all. Against his, her fingers trembled. Her grip wasn't strong, he could undoubtedly pull away with even the weakest effort, but for what it was she held fast.
When he felt Anita squeeze his hand, Mordekai froze. Amidst all of his nervousness, his anxiety that Anita wanted to go-- this was, maybe, her way of telling him it was okay. He smiled, albeit still uncertain, but his hand lingered where her's was. He kept his grip loose, just in case, but he rested his head against the table and watched as Anita sunk her head around her arms. "Anita," he murmured, just in case she hadn't heard.
She seemed flustered-- they both were, and Anita seemed stone-still. Slowly at first, Mordekai's smile grew a little wider, then he tilted his head to rest it against the table on the other side. She wasn't moving.
Maybe she wasn't okay, but not for the reasons he'd assumed. He flustered, even if he doubted it very much, and even if every inch of him did not want to move his hand away.
"'Ey..." he called out; again, he lightly squeezed Anita's hand, then gently rocked it. He rested his free hand on the top of his head and rested his chin against the table-- Mordekai's uncertain smile grew into a sympathetic one, brows upturned, and he managed to chuckle. "Planet Earth to 'Nita, 'Nita, I think we lost ya..."
He didn't squeeze back after she did. Anita's eyes were closed tight, pressed against the black fabric of her sleeve. When he called her name, she couldn't muster her voice to call back. She gripped her own sleeve but otherwise remained still.
Though she heard him moving with the faintest shuffling, Anita didn't dare peek up. Even when he called to her again, she couldn't bear to move. This was so embarrassing, all she had to do was loosen her grip and pull her hand away. She didn't want to-- but, certainly, he did. Why else would he be trying to get her attention? Her pulse flooded her ears again with the return of that light grip, holding her hand back rather than letting his be held.
Despite herself, Anita laughed. She curled her arm tighter around her head and kept her face covered, but she laughed. The gentle rocking of their hands, him still holding on. Somehow, she gained the fortitude to move her hand with Mordekai's.
”Hi...” her muffled attempt was so soft already, to be muted by her arm it was practically inaudible. She tried again, with only a minor adjustment to let her voice carry, ”Hi, ground control.”
Anita's laughter was all he needed to brighten back up completely, and his happiness filled him enough to warm him to his toes. He smiled wide as he tightened his grip on his beanie. The gentle motion of their hands, how quietly Anita spoke-- they were all small things he was quickly growing to cherish.
"Hi," Mordekai repeated-- he laughed softly, then rested the hand atop his head against the table. He hummed quietly-- he held Anita's hand a little more firmly and swayed, just a bit, "Ground control to 'Nita... commencin' countdown, engines on?"
Still, he didn't let go. He spoke, and laughed, and kept holding her hand. The frappuccino in her tummy was practically bubbling thanks to the all of the butterflies swarming inside. It was such a foreign feeling, one she could scarcely recall from years ago but that threatened fluttery resurgence on recent occasion.
It took a great deal of strength to lift her head just enough to uncover her eyes. Anita's face remained covered from the bridge of her nose down, her green eyes peering across the table at Mordekai's clear blues for the first time in several minutes, now. They creased and upturned along with her eyebrows, pushed forward by the smile hidden away.
”Nita to ground control...” she hesitated, fingers trembling against his-- she firmed her grip in return, ”I'm floating in a most peculiar way.”
Mordekai's eyes squinted as he looked delightedly back at Anita, her eyes finally showing. He pulled his free arm closer to himself to border his mouth, too, though he was grinning enough to pull up the corners of his cheeks. Without meaning to, he hummed pleasantly when Anita responded back-- he rested his head against his arm and felt her trembling fingers between his.
"And the stars look very different today," he continued.
She watched Mordekai adjust, sort of mimicking her current posture. It made her smile more and, between their rocking hands and hidden grins, Anita was lost for a few moments in appreciating certain features she never had the chance to openly admire before – not with him looking at her straight on. The slope of his nose, his ruffled hair, each of his freckles from cheek to cheek and all over. His eyes especially drew her in; they were tired, certainly, but also bright and for the moment there was a gleam of warmth to them that made it hard for her to focus on much else.
”Ah--” she stopped, finally looking elsewhere. One again, she hid her face against her arm and laughed. Anita squeezed his hand. ”I forgot the rest...”
Mordekai had known Anita in pieces before, but never as a whole, and as he shyly looked across toward her, he smiled with a demure sort of wonder. The way she moved and spoke now and before translated perfectly to the softness of her palm and the assuring grip of their hands. Slowly-- timidly, maybe-- he came to understand that this Anita had been the same Anita who searched a garden for fairies, the same Anita who sat on the car roof looking for Pisces on a cold night, and the same one fell asleep to sunrise at the peak of New Years. The same Anita who was there that one summer, but offered him the privilege of friendship anyway.
This realization, perhaps, was the reason why the gleam of warmth in his eyes continued to grow, for Mordekai finally understood that he cared for Anita Bishop very, very much. Quietly, he laughed, then hid his grin against the crook of his arm-- he glanced toward the table, then back at Anita. Singing seemed much easier than speaking (what could he even say?), and he was happy to continue.
"And," he began, swaying still, smiling all the while, "I'm sitting in a tin can, far above the world-- Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do..." he trailed off after the last part of the stanza, and-- after a pause-- laughed brightly, unsure of what else to do. They were holding hands, and it was okay, and Anita had returned from space. Things were good.
He continued the song where she could not; Anita drew a calmer breath, her body relaxed against the table and suddenly it felt very, very comfortable. Words were hard for both of them, she knew-- their past conversations regarding anything meaningful were clumsy and spotty, they tripped over each other and misunderstood, but when it came to positive things they were so easy and comfortable. She felt right at home.
Though she wracked her brain with what followed in the song, it continued to elude her even with Mordekai's assistance. Anita sighed through an airy laugh. The idea that this could go on indefinitely crossed her mind, that they could just float in that tin can in space. Her forgetting the lyrics gave Mordekai the perfect excuse to pull back if he wanted to stop but there he was, holding on and singing more. Singing and smiling and holding her hand.
Anita lifted her head. Her cheeks were less flushed but the faint pink still lit up her pale complexion. She kept her head bowed slightly with an uncertain smile and a hand on her face. ”Should we, uh--” Leave? Get refills? Change songs? ”--what should we do?” she laughed. The rocking of their hands slowed. Her index finger coiled loosely around Mordekai's.
Mordekai laughed softly, then a companionable silence filled between them as he continued admiring Anita and her hand with his. He hung his head and bobbed just slightly to the rest of the tune in his head-- though I'm past one-hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still, and I know which way to go...
But-- really-- did he? He brushed Anita's knuckles and grinned, raising his brows to accentuate that he didn't know. Still-- he recalled his bet, and he glanced back at the menu-- he'd forgotten about the cloying smell of coffee grounds and artificial cold for a moment. "I--" he nodded toward the menu, smiling wide, "Think I owe you a drink, still." He contained his laugh to a soft chuckle; he was more flustered than Anita was, now, his cheeks and nose still tinted a less-than-faint hue of red.
There was a moment of trepidation from her once Mordekai spoke. The dip of his head toward the menu, his quiet laugh, and the darkened tones on his face kept her at ease. Anita hung her head and smiled.
”Oh yeah,” she said, much softer than intended, ”I beat you.” As if a reminder, her thumb traced over top one of his freckled digits.
Anita picked up her empty cup and jostled it, sending the straw spinning around the small circular opening. Of course, he had to leave the table in order to get that refill. The fact Mordekai continued not to try letting go made her all the more hesitant to do so, herself. For the first time in a long, long while, she was relishing this contact; it warmed her from the inside. So that's how it's gonna be, she chided herself with another glance at their hands.
If they weren't willing to let go, they would just have to get in line together.
Snoofington
Merry Krampus
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Snoofington
Merry Krampus
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:48 am
Fall Down at Your Door [IM RP with Rookeries]
Leaving the cafe wasn't easy. They drove through the summer gloom in a kind of daze, and they held tight to one another's hands, even while Anita was driving. When they had to let go-- to get in the car, and to get out of it-- they quickly met hands again and held fast and steady. It was like a delicate lifeline, holding hands, and it felt cold and lonely to let go.
The sky was growing grayer and more overcast the further they drove into the Barton plains. By the time they left the car, the front window of Anita's Oldsmobile was sprinkled with rain, and Mordekai looked curiously up at the sky. Maybe the news in the morning was right today: that today was primed for an impressive storm in the evening.
He smiled with some degree of uncertainty. Storms were always a welcome thing, but this seemed to be an unwelcome exception for the first time in a long while. Storms meant a rough drive for Anita. Alternatively, it meant she had to go sooner than later. It meant no more holding hands-- for weeks, probably. Maybe months.
Mordekai stuffed his free hand in his jacket pocket to reach for his house key-- it jangled when he rustled it and he continued to look up at the sky, unable to will himself into straying too far from the Oldsmobile and toward Duncan's house. Instead, he offered a small smile at Anita, brows upturned. He hung his head after a bit to glance at the ground.
Anita looked skyward when he did. Her eyes fluttered when a drop landed on her face and she quickly hung her head back down. Even as they stood there, the light drizzle seemed to be yielding thicker drops instead of the light mist they had just driven through. Unlike at the coffee shop, where their hands were a bit fall-as-they-may, the two had since been able to adjust their contact for optimum comfort; their fingers laced into the spaces between each other, palms together and warm.
She perked up at the jingle of keys and returned his smile. Neither of them moved from the front of the car, though Anita's feet did shuffle slightly against the pavement so there was less distance between them. His uncertainty was clear and matched; she gave his hand a light squeeze. Like he offered to her at the table, Anita ever so gently swung their arms. They stood there together a few moments more, while she quietly observed him, then Anita took the first step toward the front porch.
He smiled at the ground when Anita squeezed his hand. He tried to match her reassurance by squeezing her's back, but all he could manage was a slightly stronger grip and a smile at the ground-- but, with her help, he managed to carry on after Anita's first step. He stepped delicately where normally he stepped so surely and without question toward the front porch.
Duncan's car wasn't at the front, which meant that he wasn't home yet, and the door was locked. He took his keys and jiggled it a bit-- the door had a tendency to stick lately-- and held it open for Anita to enter through. Inside it was dark, though a gloomy light cast over the kitchen just beyond the foyer.
"'Ome sweet 'ome," he managed, staring out into the hall. He looked back at Anita with a tired smile.
Even if it was all Mordekai could muster, it made smiling and walking ahead a bit easier. The rain was still gentle but already it was picking up. If it weren't for an early shift the following morning and how hellish the commute would be, she might have opted to stay. Her own footsteps were slow and careful, timed to match with Mordekai's even if their pace slowed.
The dim light of the interior made things feel strangely foreboding. This was a home she knew had seen hardship but always seemed so bright, warm, and welcoming despite it. Earlier in the day when the two left for the coffee shop it still retained that enveloping kindness. It was cold now, dark, and it made Anita feel unsteady. She smiled softly at Mordekai anyway. His fingers felt cold from the chilled air; she wrapped them up against her palm.
”Yeah,” Anita whispered, though she wasn't sure why. She turned and glanced back at the dreary yard, the overcast sky looking like a single cloud blanketing everything. With a quiet laugh, she hung her head. ”I don't want to go yet.”
Mordekai held Anita's hand in both of his-- he looked down at her palm, soft and warm, and tried not to let his frown overwhelm his expression. This weather was good. The house was good-- it was dark and overcast and quiet, which meant comfort and familiarity, but with Anita going, it felt restless and uneasy.
Please stay-- we could walk to the field, he thought-- but, with a tired, resigned smile and a laugh, he held it back. "You gotta, though, huh? S'gonna rain like hell soon," he managed; he extended his other arm out in a quiet offer of a hug, "Wish you din't have to..."
She nodded, matching his own muted smile of resignation. Anita had to get a move on, and soon, if she wanted to beat the weather to Gambino, but her feet felt rooted in place. That made it unintentionally difficult for her to take that offered hug. It was only two steps but each one felt inexorable-- like it would urge her out the door faster.
Anita wrapped her arm around his back unsteadily at first. With their hands closed at their sides, this hug already felt very different from any other they had-- from any she had in a long time. She dipped her head and hid her face against Mordekai's shirt. He still smelled like Starbucks.
”I'll come back soon,” Anita assured the both of them. For a moment, she couldn't tell whose heart she felt beating.
Mordekai gently wrapped his arm around Anita's back when she accepted the hug. He rested his chin on top of Anita's head and remained smiling, though more sullenly than he ever wanted to.
"Can't wait," he responded, his voice quiet and cracked. Mordekai grimaced and laughed through his nose. He was full of uncertainty and more melodrama than he wanted to be, but his eyes fell on the open door as his smile muted into a frown. Neither of them knew when 'soon' was, did they? Would it be weeks, months?
He pulled back from the hug just slightly, his mouth pressed into a waning smile. "Thanks for stoppin' by today."
Her fingers on his back pulled some of his jacket into their grip. Only when Anita felt his arm did she bring herself closer and get the courage to lean into him. She closed her eyes and breathed out. It was warm against him but outside was cold and unwelcoming. The drive was going to be long, quiet, and she wasn't ready.
Mordekai pulled away but Anita couldn't follow; she stayed where she was, her head bowed, one arm around him, their fingers together. ”Thanks for having me,” it was soft but Anita managed to push a smile through to her voice.
Why couldn't the rain just wait?
Mordekai rubbed Anita's back in reassurance when she leaned in closer. He smiled softly when glancing at Anita's fluffy bed of hair, her head still ducked down against his shirt; he tilted his head just slightly to the side to rest his temple against hers, then nodded.
"'Course." His voice was growing quieter to match Anita's without meaning to, but it felt like disrupting the stillness between them would sever their talking and make Anita leave even sooner. Mordekai hung his head slightly-- I'll miss you a lot. I've missed you a lot before, too.
He held Anita's back just slightly firmer, and cautiously, he leaned forward to give Anita a quick kiss on the forehead.
Anita took Mordekai's slight adjustments as a sign to perk up. It was time to go, as much as they both wanted to delay. Compared to the movement of her legs, her head felt much lighter. She lifted it in the hopes of looking at his eyes; Mordekai's chin connected sharply with the top of her head.
The sharp connect with his chin was enough for him to reel his head back to the side, but by force of will, he didn't pull away from the hand-hold. Instead, he let out a small 'oof and rubbed beneath his chin with the hand that was holding Anita's back, and-- more lightly and happily than he had since they got home-- he laughed.
"Oh, god--" he blinked and smiled apologetically down at Anita, "Sorry! You-- you okay?!"
She ducked as soon as they made contact. Her own free hand sought where their heads bumped while the one in his grasped harder. The first thing out of her mouth was a yelp-- not of pain but worry.
”s**t.” Anita oriented herself and her own apologies spilled over Mordekai's, ”Are you okay?! I'm sorry--” Once she registered his laughter it was easier for her to look less horrified. Reflexively, her hand reached out. She was delicate in touch, avoiding where she thought the bump actually was, and brushed some of his beard around it.
Finally, she managed a laugh too-- if only at her own expense. ”Didn't know your head was that close...”
With Anita's gentle touch, Mordekai leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on Anita's forehead, a quiet and immediate wish for her to feel better. He hesitated from pulling away, though, just a moment-- he flustered and hung his head, facing toward the floor.
"I-it's okay," he laughed a little more sheepishly, this time, then touched his lips-- was she okay, with a kiss on the forehead? "I'm sorry..."
There was a subtle, momentary flinch when Mordekai leaned back in. Anita closed her eyes at the kiss and breathed out of relief – and enjoyment; he couldn't be too upset if he gave her that. Timidly, her fingers brushed his cheek. What was he apologizing for, the knock that was her fault or the very sweet kiss? She laughed quietly and shook her head.
”Was that what you were trying to do?” Anita's voice wavered hesitantly, embarrassment apparent in her upturned brows and unsure smile. Both of her thumbs lightly brushed different parts of him, his hand and face, ”When I bonked you?”
Mordekai wrapped his arm around Anita's back again, and at her question, he gripped tighter against her jacket. He nodded a few times, one side of his head still rested against hers as he blushed despite himself down at the floor.
"Y-yeah..." Still, given her gentle hand against his cheek, he mustered up a small smile at her, then glanced timidly again toward their feet. His face was growing warmer the more she brushed his cheek, and he remained stone-still. His grip around Anita's hand remained firm-- it felt like his arm would fall off and follow Anita if she moved away.
Outside, the breeze was picking up, and like an urgent wind, it pushed the door closed so loudly that Mordekai flinched.
The door caused her to flinch in time; she turned her head back to look at the door. Anita held her breath. They didn't have a lot of time.
”Thank you,” she offered quietly. For the first time since they got inside, Anita moved their arms and held their hands between them-- over her heart. With the sudden decrease in time limit, it was pounding even harder. His cheek was warm and she pressed her palm to it, ruffling the hair behind his ear with her finger tips.
It was a tentative movement but they didn't have long and Anita didn't want to wait even a week to let her lose her nerve. Her nose brushed his reddened cheek. She touched the corner of Mordekai's mouth with hers and squeezed his hand.
”Is a lip bonk better...?” Anita's voice shook. She tried to laugh.
Mordekai dipped his head a bit and closed his eyes as Anita held their hands over her heart, his fingers curling between hers. He could barely muster a small nod in response to her thanks. He tilted his head and nuzzled just slightly at Anita's palm ruffling his hair, and when she stopped, he pressed his other hand gently over hers.
He smiled a little wider and leaned forward as he felt Anita's nose against his cheek-- and, as their mouths touched, he pressed his forehead against hers. He guided the hand he held over Anita's to her cheek, his fingers intertwining with her hair, curly and brown and soft.
Though he couldn't manage to laugh, not with their closeness, he smiled a bit wider and nodded. A head bonk was okay, too. He remained muted.
Where Mordekai couldn't laugh, Anita did for him-- very softly through her nose so that it was barely a laugh at all. She pulled her lower lip in under her teeth through her smile, tilted her face into his hand, and pressed closer. She felt a warm tingle all the way to her fingertips and toes.
Behind them, the wind whistled. Anita grimaced and moved her hand from Mordekai's face to wrap an arm around his shoulders. ”I gotta go,” she whispered hurriedly, leaning into a more natural hug with their cheeks pressed, ”I gotta go, I'm sorry.” Before letting herself pull back, Anita gave Mordekai's cheek a soft peck. Even after that, she only got as far as resting her hand on his shoulder and looking at his face.
”Soon,” she nodded. Her voice was a little more sure, if only to give herself the strength.
Mordekai's fingers curled against Anita's cheek as she leaned closer. He rested his head against her shoulder when she pulled back with the sound of the wind, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her waist, hand pressed against the smalls of her back. He nodded once a little weakly at her urgency, but it took a great deal of effort to pull away. When he did, he felt slow and lost and a bit embarrassed at how reluctant he was to see her go.
But Anita kissed him on the cheek, and despite his disarray, he smiled. It was a small smile, just barely a twitch of his mouth, but he looked up at her with upturned brows and with all the quiet, slowly-growing warmth he had. He nodded again and felt his cheek, just where she had kissed it. She had an immense ability in making him flustered.
"I know... it's okay," he smiled a bit wider and picked up the slack from his back, in return for Anita's small raise in sureness. "Real soon. I'm sorry for keepin' you..."
He kissed her on the cheek, too, and finally relinquished his hand from her back. Reluctantly, he loosened her grip on Anita's hand, too, and felt the cold from the breeze faze through their fingers. "'Ope you have a good day."
It was hard, parting ways, but they both knew the stakes; the roads were already going to be a mess, they would just get worse the longer she waited or else she would be stuck with a nightmarish commute in the morning. The rain was supposed to go all night.
Anita returned his smiles each time, big or small. It was often they would go weeks or months without seeing each other, sometimes without speaking, but the thought of that now made her chest feel tight. She let out a shaky breath at Mordekai's kiss to her cheek. The cold was quick to seep into her, too, with her back to the doorway.
”You too...” Before allowing herself to let go, Anita offered Mordekai's fingers one final warming squeeze. ”I had a really good time today.”
With that, she gave herself the final push. Their hands were empty of one another. To keep herself from offering hers back, as they had so quickly done where possible, Anita stuffed it into her pocket. The other followed as soon as she pulled her hood on. Before she turned to the door, Mordekai was given another smile-- this one was a bit wobbly, unsure, but it still met her eyes and was brightened in the gloom by the pink in her cheeks.
Saying 'bye' sounded too final now, so she mouthed it instead as she slipped out the door.
And I would walk five hundred miles...
Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 1:52 am
Smoke and Mirrors
While the skies had been clear most of the day, clouds decided to move in later into the afternoon. By evening, it was absolutely pouring.
The cover of the balcony above kept theirs mostly dry, though the few small potted plants were getting a good soaking. Cruz hovered by the sliding glass doors to peer out at them, then decided it would be best to bring them inside before they got too waterlogged. Tango attempted to help in his own way as the frei brought out a towel from the bathroom to lay across the floor, which meant he nipped and nuzzled Cruz's hands while he worked.
Just before the last one was brought safely inside, the front door opened and there was another dripping figure in the apartment. Anita was thoroughly soaked. She gave Cruz a short laugh and wave before going to retrieve a towel of her own, allowing him to finish up and close the balcony off.
When he followed after her, he couldn't help but notice a faint warm feeling trailing off of her, like the last embers of a dying fire. His rune reacted pleasantly, soaking in what little it could of the fading sense.
Anita was working on undoing her braids as Cruz approached the threshold, smile and eyes wide with curiosity.
”Have a good time?” he asked, drifting closer to the wall so she had room to exit.
”Yeah,” she laughed, her voice light but a little breathless, ”Wish it was longer, but-- weather.” Anita shook her hair out and ran her fingers through, wincing just slightly at a couple snags.
Even with how weak its remainder was, the feeling in his core was unmistakeable. He felt it now and then, ever since the fourth of July, from neighboring apartments and passing strangers. Unlike the last time he felt it on Anita, this feeling was nice and Anita seemed to be in a good mood because of it no matter how rained on she was.
She covered her head with a towel from the rack and fluffed up her scalp before working on drying the rest of her hair.
”You kissed someone?”
Anita halted.
The towel slowly fall onto her shoulders and she stared at the croc with stark confusion. ”I-- Yeah, I did. How did you--”
Cruz's hands clasped together in front of his chest; he took a sharp breath and floated higher. Her brows furrowed. Anita adjusted, opening her mouth to speak again, but Cruz was too quick.
”Mordekai?”
Her cheeks went pink. Without answering, Anita dipped her head and moved past Cruz into the open apartment. Her hands worked quickly with the towel to finish drying her hair. The croc followed after, towards their bedroom.
”You did!” he chirped louder than intended. She didn't need to answer anymore, he had all the confirmation he needed in his rune and in her cheeks. Cruz flew over to Tango, whose tail was already wagging hard from Anita's presence and Cruz's own bravado.
His celebration continued even after Anita disappeared behind the door. The mistletoe frei could hardly contain himself, whizzing about the apartment as fast as he could (which, considering his small wings, was scarcely fast at all) before scuttling along the floor for more speed. It was riling Tango up quickly and the wolfhound followed after, yipping with his own excitement and confusion. Cruz rolled onto his back for a moment to let Tango catch up with him, then latched onto the dog's front. With his arms wrapped around his neck, Cruz rubbed his face into the mutt's fluff.
He was only vaguely aware of Anita opening the door as he spouted a muffled holler, ”Finally!”
”Why are you so excited?” Anita asked, her laugh tinged with embarrassment. She was in a different, much dryer outfit, and started work on braiding her hair.
Cruz pulled his face away from Tango's fur and and beamed up at Anita. ”Wanted you to kiss for so long!”
She gave another sheepish laugh, then walked towards the couch.
”Are you happy?” Cruz pressed his cheek against Tango's while wrapping himself against the dog's back as he followed after Anita. ”Did I do good?”
”Y-yeah, I'm--” Anita paused. Her smile weakened. ”...What do you mean?”
Cruz's brows knit but his smile remained strong. ”Did I do good? Making you get coffee with him?”
”Huh? You didn't--”
”Was worried all this time, but it helped!”
What little of her smile was left faded completely. ”You didn't.” That wasn't the reaction he expected. It made keeping his smile as sturdy more difficult. Cruz's grip on Tango tightened. ”You tricked us?”
The way Anita's expression fell caused Cruz's to do the same. This wasn't right, she was happy when she walked in, she was happy about kissing him, why wasn't she happy now?
”N-no! Not-- I-- I was just trying to--”
”s**t,” Anita covered her face with both hands, ”No wonder that was so out of the blue. Are you kidding me?”
”But 'Nita--” Cruz whined, sinking lower against Tango until he wasn't floating at all, ”Y-you said you were happy.”
”I was!”
All three of them flinched. Anita recoiled, pushing her bangs back with a hand. ”N-no, that's not fair. I am happy. Happy with how this turned out. But--” Her voice wavered.
The pleasant feeling in Cruz's core was gone now, replaced with uneasiness and sickening warmth. His heart was pounding.
”This was very wrong, Cruz. That was dishonest.”
His eyes burned. ”N-Nita...” It took a moment for him to choke out his words. ”Just wanted-- wanted to make you both happy.”
Anita rested her head back against the sofa and sighed.
”Look...” she spoke softly, ”Just because this turned out alright doesn't mean it always will or that you meddling like that is appreciated. We thought we did this on our own and that was part of the happiness involved.”
Had his heart ever sunk so low in his chest before? Cruz couldn't be sure.
”S-so...” he started, voice quavered, ”No more helping people?”
She ran a hand over her face. ”No, that's not--” Anita sighed, ”You can still help people... But you need to make sure they know. You can't go behind people's backs like this.”
Cruz pressed his face into Tango's bandanna in attempt to stifle his weeping. ”O-okay...” Now that he started, it was difficult to stop. ”Sorry, 'Nita... Sorry.”
It was his guardian's turn to let out a soft whimper. She adjusted against the couch a few times before finally beckoning to him with her arms. ”Come here.”
He wasted no time floating over and burying himself against Anita's shoulder. Though she had taken the time to change into dry clothes, these would soon be soaked as well. She wrapped him up against her, pulled her legs onto the couch, and made room for Tango to snuggle beside them.
”It's okay,” Anita cooed softly, ”We're-- I'm-- I'm very happy with the result...” The croc hiccuped around a hard lump in his throat. ”So... Thank you.”
Thank you, she said, but Cruz heard more in those two words. You did good even though I don't like how you did it.
