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 Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 4:23 pm
For a while she was still super embarrassed that not only did Tristian take photos of her, but that she cried like a child in front of him. And she knew she didn’t have a pretty cry like some actresses or models to, but her cry was very much ugly and blotchy and not at all attractive. Which was why she tried not to cry in the first place because there was no coming back from it once she did.
But after still not being able to find any information or any clue as to where Aluminite had disappeared to, Charlie found herself thinking more and more about Tristian and how he reminded her of the Captain. It was probably wrong of her to compare the two since she was sure they were both vastly different, but it wasn’t her fault that they were both ridiculously tall and kind and didn’t seem to mind that she was, well, relatively crazy. She was used to people shying away from her antics, so when someone seemed not too put off by them, it was nice.
“Hello, this is. Charlie. We met. A week ago. And you -- no that’s not good,” she muttered to herself as she backspaced on her phone, trying to figure out a way to text him and it not be weird. “Hi. How are. You. I am. Well -- no that’s not good either,” she practically cried in distress.
She sat on the steps of one of the history museums, her bag from school slung over her shoulders. She’d gotten off early that day and had been wondering about him so she figured this would be a good time to try and meet up. But what if he was already doing something?? Or didn’t have any interest. Either way, she’d already spent the last ten minutes trying to figure out something to text.
“Do you like. Coffee -- oops!” she gasped as she accidentally hit send, nearly dropping her phone in the process. Shoot. That was not even a full sentence!! Why the heck did she even type that?? Maybe he wouldn’t see it or just ignore it and she would just sit there miserably, with her head on her knees, hoping that maybe he would just not respond.
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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 11:02 am
He thought about Charlie a lot.
Partially, because she was the only person he knew outside of Fiona's social circle. The most prevalent reason was because Charlie left too many echoing impressions on his being. Hope, was the strongest. Faith, was another that surprised him, because Tristan didn't know if he was any sort of believer but something about the woman made him feel like there could be something for him to believe in.
There were several points in the days that followed where he would pull out his phone and look to see if maybe she had messaged him. He had her number and he could have messaged her first, but there was the coiling worry that was ever present in his chest these days that kept him from acting on his impulses.
Things had been easier for the man when he could hide behind the lens of his camera and participate in the world as an observer instead of an active participant while he was still getting his feet beneath him in this new identity. (He thought a lot about the man he must have been, from what his spotty memories told him.)
Tristan had been laying on his bed, flicking through the digital shots he had taken recently, several nature photographs and a few of Fiona she worked diligently preparing her hospital wing, when his phone buzzed on his chest. Surprise got the better of him, camera slipping from his hands and nearly crashing into his face when he stopped it centimeters before, eyes squeezed shut and body braced for impact. Tris was sitting up quickly, legs folding beneath him in a cross-legged manner, and he hurried to set the camera aside to focus on the phone.
Do you like. Coffee.
He was responding without thought.
[To Charlie: I prefer tea.]
Hesitating, he quickly added a follow up.
[To Charlie: Would you like to go get some? ..If you're free, that is.]
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Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:47 pm
I prefer tea.
Charlie stared at the text when she finally had the courage to look. She blinked at it because that response seemed so familiar and yet it wasn’t that she didn’t really know what to do. She nearly jumped when the second text came through, her heart already racing because she had no idea what she was doing. She just thought it might be nice to see Tristian again.
[To Tristian: I am free! That would be amazing! Do you want to meet me somewhere? I am at the History Museum, but I don’t mind calling a cab.]
Already she was stoked. And then she realized that she probably looked horrible because she just came from her art class and hadn’t had a chance to wash up completely. She still had charcoal on her face that she didn’t even know about.
Maybe she would just wash up at the museum before meeting Tristian. Charlie stood up to start heading up the stairs but then paused, because what if he texted her back and she needed to quickly catch a cab. She started heading back down and stopped again, because he hadn’t texted back yet, so that should still give her time to freshen up, right? Back up the stairs and she stopped because she really wasn’t sure how the reception was inside the museum and that would be bad, especially if she needed to respond right away.
By now people were staring at her because she couldn’t seem to make up her mind on what she wanted to do, but that was fine because she was too busy trying to decide what to do that she didn’t notice them.
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Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 9:24 pm
Tristan had started to lace his boots and pack up his camera while he waited for Charlie to get back to him. Even if she said that she wasn't free, his restlessness creeping up on him and sitting on his chest. He decided that he would get out of the house regardless, because staying holed up in his room wasn't doing him any good.
Still, he was intensely relieved that after a few minutes of waiting, his phone lit up. Finishing knotting his laces, he checked his phone, scanning the message and being unable to surpress the grin.
[To Charlie: I can meet you there.]
Going to the museum was the most logical choice, because she was already there and he didn't want to force her to catch a cab. Phone in hand, Tristan picked out a jacket that he tugged over his arms, he snagged his wallet and keys from the nightstand and left his room. Once both were situated in a pocket, he typed up another text.
[To Charlie: Should be there in 15-20, are we meeting inside?
Halfway out of the house, he stopped and debated doubling back for his camera because he felt more confident and capable when it was in his hands but...No. He needed to stop hiding behind the lens and focus on the present. Again, he had means of transportation from Fiona's kindness, which he tried so hard not to abuse but was grateful for because it meant that he didn't have to wait for an uber and could just head that way himself.
Twenty minutes and he got to see Charlie again.
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:39 pm
Her response back was a simple sure! when Tristian responded that he would meet her in about twenty minutes, her heart feeling as though it were fit to burst. She was more excited than she probably should be, because she’d only ever talked to Tristian once, and maybe he wasn’t used to her yet, and then he would think she was way too energetic or something, and then he wouldn’t want to talk to her any more because she was annoying or something along those lines.
She waited as patiently as she could outside of the museum, making herself comfortable on the steps once more, her chin propped in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. She didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic about it because it might overwhelm Tristian, but she really was excited.
When she saw him finally, she hopped up from where she was sitting, restraining herself as best she could as she made her way over and beamed up at him.
“Hello! It’s good to see you again, how are you?” That was pretty standard to say, right?
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:38 pm
Driving felt weird and Tristan often wondered, any time he got behind the wheel of a car, how often he drove beforehand. Had the person he used to be afraid of cars and driving? Reflexively he wanted to say no, because he knew how to drive but he was left wondering how much he still needed to rediscover about himself. Parking was easier than he expected for the day and, in truth, he was grateful to get out of the car even as he paid for parking spot with the cards that Fiona had prepared for him.
He was, slowly, earning his own keep through his photography and hoped that he would be able to open his own bank account soon once all of the details for his identity were finalized. When he felt more comfortable in his own skin, he would look for a proper job.
For now, Tris was focused on meeting up with Charlie, with the mere thought creating a bloom of happiness in his chest that he didn't know if he'd felt in a long time. There were moments, so many moments, with Tourmaline that were filed with strong emotions and maybe...maybe whatever memories he lost of the other side of her were filled with that happiness, but there was not a single memory of Aluminite that wasn't tainted with a sharp edge of wrong and fear.
Hello!
Her voice caught his attention immediately, head snapping up and gaze searching for her automatically. "Coucou!" He called, cheerily, that smile she was fond of breaking out across his face. In that moment, Tristan couldn't have looked happier. "I - " he hesitated, glancing down and suddenly looking shy. "I'm glad you messaged me." He seemed to reach for her, before he drew back into himself with a shake of his head.
"Where do you want to go?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:47 pm
The first time she met him, she thought he looked so sad. He still did, so whatever was going on in his life didn’t seem to be getting better, or if it was it was doing so very slowly. She smiled up at him regardless, because despite the sadness in his eyes, he had such a beautiful smile.
"I’m glad you responded!" she said with a laugh, ignoring the fact that she still felt a bit flustered over the fact that she messaged him in the first place. She was glad she did, because it was surprisingly nice to be able to see him again.
"Oh! Well, I know there’s a café down the street, but if you wanted, we could always go to the one in the museum. I think they’ve got a display of medieval armor in the cafeteria area! But if you’d rather go to a normal café, that’s fine, too!" she suggested, not really caring where they went as long as she got a chance to make sure that he was doing okay.
"I almost thought you wouldn’t text me back," she admitted, probably obviously too thrilled to realized that was probably something weird to say. "But I’m glad you did. I didn’t bother you, did I? I mean, you weren’t in the middle of anything I hope!" Because that would be horrible.
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:23 am
Sadness seemed to be a staple for Tristan, especially as he struggled to navigate the nightmares and gaps in memory brought about by the removal of chaos from it's harsh grip on his starseed. There was a lot of adjusting he needed to do, but when he saw people like Charlie or Fiona, he was reminded what it was like to see the sun come up over the horizon after weeks worth of darkness.
Refreshing, enlightening, hope filled.
"Of course," he replied, looking perplexed. He wouldn't have given her his number if he hadn't intended to respond. Tris didn't have many friends, but he considered Charlie to be one. Or he wanted her to be at least.
"Cafe is fine," he nodded, grateful that it wouldn't be a long enough walk to warrant using the car. Driving made him feel weird, enough so that he wasn't keen on doing it more than he needed. "Oh, well, the museum doesn't sound bad." He glanced over at the building, wondering what the costs might be like.
Tris didn't want to take advantage of Fiona's generosity more than he already was.
Luckily, he was easily distracted by Charlie's statement and this time he couldn't stop the way he reached for her. "Why wouldn't I? You're- " You're my best friend died on his tongue. "I like seeing you." He said instead, flush creeping up his neck.
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:05 pm
She didn’t know how, but Charlie knew she wanted to make Tristan happy. Somehow. One way or another. He had such a beautiful smile that she wanted to see it all the time. And she was sure he would feel better if he smiled more. She knew she felt better if she smiled, even if she wasn’t always as happy as she seemed. Smiling was contagious, usually! So if she kept smiling, then maybe he would.
Charlie blinked in surprise when Tristan reached out for her, and she turned to look up at him in concern when it seemed as though he looked a bit flustered, her own face heating a little at his comment about liking to see her. That wasn’t something she was used to hearing from people. Usually they tired quickly of her enthusiasm, or thought she was just amusing for a while, like a show pony, but that was all she was good for.
"I like seeing you, too!" she said, a bit breathlessly as she smiled up at him, taking a step away from him but only so she could reach out for his hand, tugging on it to lead him up the museum steps. There weren’t many people that she saw outside of her classes, so the fact that he liked seeing her was, well, it made her heart feel all fluttery and light and it was such a nice feeling.
"You don’t have your camera with you," she suddenly realized, looking back at him once they reached the front entrance, looking at him in concern and hoping he hadn’t just forgotten it.
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:35 pm
Relief, it was always relieving to be around Charlie who seemed so genuinely interested in him and his well being. Normalcy was not something he expected or thought himself capable of but...
He felt like it was possible around her, even if it was just temporary.
"Charlie I - " he stopped, eyes wide and staring at her hand in his, words fleeing his conscious and he just followed dumbly instead. It was strange, how warm and comforting her hand was despite how small it was. He tugged her to a gentle stop just long enough to slide his palm against hers and slip his fingers between hers.
He was doing so because it was more comfortable, it wasn't anything more complicated than that. (He could hear himself lying.)
Charlie's question made him flush and smile sheepishly. "Ah, I didn't bring it." It was sitting in it's bag on his dresser back home. "I didn't want anything to detract from the time I got to spend with you."
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:03 pm
Charlie was completely content with letting Tristan’s fingers slide between hers, and she gave his hand a small squeeze once their palms were together. But when he tugged her to a stop, she did so, and looked up at him with curious eyes.
Whatever she’d expected him to say, she didn’t expect that. And it was probably obvious with how her face immediately heated and she gaped at him in almost shy embarrassment. He left his camera so he wouldn’t be distracted when spending time with her?? Was that really true? Was he just saying that to make her feel better about everything? He was a really nice person so she wouldn’t put it past him either way, but.
“Oh,” she managed to say, wishing it wasn’t so obvious that she was flustered. “Okay then. Um. That’s fine,” she rambled, trying to ignore the way her heart was fluttering funnily in her chest. And Tristan was a little flushed too. And that smile of his was always nice to see.
“Okay, um, well, there’s the café, this way,” she said, feeling stupid that she couldn’t put words together. What were words? And she was still holding his hand. Was that okay? Should she pull her hand away? But she liked how warm his felt, so she didn’t.
She gave his hand a little tug as she awkwardly turned to lead the way to the café, trying very hard not to think about how sweet he was to say something like he did. She only let go of his hand when it came time to order, and got herself a hot chocolate (because she really shouldn’t have more caffeine), and waited for him to order as well as she dug around in her bag for her wallet.
“Here, I can pay,” she quickly offered. “I invited you, after all! It’s only fair.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:54 am
Hand holding was nice and Tristan wondered if it was something they would be able to do more often, or if it was merely something the person he'd been had liked. Regardless, the man thought he might like to hold Charlie's hand more often if he could.
That was what he was thinking when the weight of his admission hit the woman and her face blossomed into something red. "Oh - " he gasped, blinking in surprise as he looked at her, nearly the same height with her at the top of the stairs and him a few steps below. "Should I have brought it? I didn't - " Had he made a mistake in not bringing it? "I just wanted...to focus...on you." He looked away now, more embarrassed than before.
Luckily, Charlie seemed to functioning just fine, resuming their trek to the museum cafe. She kept her hand in his, which he took to be a good sign, even when he was disappointed to feel her pull it free near the counter.
He did his best not to show the disappointment, stuffing his hands into his jeans as he squinted at the menu. The tea selection was large and he wasn't sure what to order.
Here, I can pay.
Tristan looked at her with a furrowed brow, protest on the tip of his tongue. In the end, he swallowed it back down and nodded. "Only if you let me take you out next time." He countered with a shyer, softer smile.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:17 pm
The idea that Tristan didn’t bring his camera so he could focus on her was enough to make Charlie dizzy, because why anyone would focus on her was, well, it wasn’t something she expected for him to say.
She stared at him, face flushed as he smiled at her and said it was only okay for her to pay if he could take her out the next time. That was – would be – wonderful – and almost too much to believe. He was too kind, and sweet, and she was happy to be his friend.
"Okay," she agreed somewhat shyly as well, waiting for him to make his selection so she could pay, and then quickly flitted over to where the sugar and cream and napkins were kept so she could grab what they needed and then gestured towards some of the comfortable chairs they had near the displays.
The museum was busy, but not so much that they had to search for seating. Most people were just relaxing and enjoying their time there, which she fully intended on doing as well.
"You should tell me about yourself," she insisted as she held her drink up to sip at, curling her legs up onto the chair at an angle from the other empty one she assumed he would take. "You like photography and speak French. What else do you like?" she prompted watching him curiously and trying to not feel so shy, herself.
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:02 pm
Charlie agreed that he could pay next time, which mean that there would be a next time and perhaps that was the most remarkable thing about it all. Tristan didn't have much he wanted to hold onto in this new life of his, but Charlie, this remarkable girl who smiled like the sun and looked at him like he was worth a damn, was interested in spending more time with him and -
Well, he couldn't find the words to describe how that made him feel but it did loosen the weight of the guilt that perpetually sat heavy on his chest. Feeling like he could breath without a constricted throat wasn't something that he expected, but when he looked at his companion, it was hard not to feel the icy rush of air filling his lungs and warmth on his skin like he was getting to experience the first sunny day after months of rain.
He settled on some citrus and peach white tea, allowing her to pay despite the overwhelming instinct to insist on paying and followed her to whatever table she picked out. Sliding in to the seat across from her was easy, elbows resting on the table as he held his own cup in his hands. "Ah, there's really not much to know," he admitted quietly, unsure of how to explain that he didn't know what he liked outside of photography. "Literature, I suppose? But - " he seemed to grimace a little, pulling his arms closer and looking down at the lid who's edges he pressed his thumbs against. "That sounds so...boring. Generic."
He shook his head, setting his cup down and wiping his hands on his pants before he regained his courage enough to look up at her. "I'd really rather hear about you."
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:45 pm
"Not at all! I love literature!" she quickly countered his comment about it being boring, not thinking so in the least, and not wanting him to think that there was anything wrong with it. It made her heart hurt because it sounded like he didn’t think too highly of himself, which was horrible because she thought he was great. He was kind and sweet and made her smile, so whatever made him feel that way about himself made her heart hurt.
Charlie had lifted her cup to sip when Tristan said he wanted to know more about her. She stared at him, trying to ignore the way her face heated up, which was stupid because obviously she’d just asked him about himself, so why wouldn’t he ask the same thing in return.
"Oh, uh," she mumbled, trying not to seem too awkward as she lowered her cup back down, licking the chocolate from her lips. "I mean, I like art. I make jewelry. Nothing too fancy since I usually use the scraps from the classroom," she explained, pausing and then reaching to tug at the collar of her shirt and pull at the thin chain, a tiny golden fortune cookie at the end, holding it up for him to see if he wanted.
"I want to get better, but it’s a lot of work. I don’t think I’m quite good enough to market anything, but I would like to one day. Oh, and I play tennis when it’s warmer. I’m not too great at it," she said, a smile on her face as she looked up at him. "You should tell me what kind of literature you like. Is it just in general or do you have favorites?" It was easier listening to someone talk about themselves than her talking about herself.
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