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 Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:46 pm
Quote: One of the stands at the Emporium's carnival seems to be constantly swarmed by people. Taking a closer look, you see that they're selling... hot buttered rum? There seems to be a butterscotch flavoring for those not old enough to drink, as well. What could be the big deal about it? You take a break from your busy life (or shopping or whatever it is that you’re doing) and decide to give the drink a try - and find that the secret recipe has the most curious of side effects! For whatever reason, the buttered rum has brought out a childlike side of you that you haven’t seen since… well, since you were a child! For the next twenty-four hours, your mood has lightened up tremendously and you’ve suddenly got the inquisitive, playful and energetic nature of someone half (or more!) of your age. What in the heck was in that drink?
Suri had played along, for the sake of being 'fun' or 'not a workaholic' or whatever it was that people did at carnivals, but so far all she'd gotten for her efforts was a frustrating questionnaire and a mouthful of bitterness that wasn't sitting well in her gut. She'd tried this all before--going out, meeting people, socializing and being in the moment. None of it felt as satisfying as the moment of discovery after a difficult battery of tests, and she couldn't help but feel like that's where she should have been instead, waiting for her data to process at home with her cat.
Still, her immediate priority was to get the disgusting taste out of her mouth, and so she lingered outside of the radius of a throng of people surrounding a buttered rum stand, looking for the shortest line to join. In spite of the assault on her taste buds, she didn't feel particularly hurried to make a decision or jump in line; somehow, she felt confident that she would have a way through if she just watched and waited, and for once her intuitions felt strong enough to trust. So, fidgeting with the ribbons in her hair, she shuffled from one foot to the next, pouting her lips as she scanned for an opening between the shoulders of the crowd. Suri crinkled her nose--as densely packed as it was, it was difficult to even see the cart without lifting onto tiptoes.
Why did everyone in Destiny City have to be so tall?
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:40 pm
The tea had a certain level of spicy that sat on his tongue, just before the back of his throat, and the persisting feeling kept him warm in a way that had nothing to do with the beverage he politely consumed. There was a slight flutteriness that settled in his stomach-- or, it didn't settle exactly, it sat in his stomach in the same way that nerves liked to sit in his stomach and he was terribly, terribly aware of this flutteriness but he couldn't exactly name what it was.
Still, the cup was small enough that drinking it quickly wasn't a problem and he was able to dispose of the cup shortly after drinking it. When he'd turned around, he'd bumped into another patron, green eyes blinking as he both recognized and didn't recognize. It took a few minutes of staring too long after his apology to recognize her.
The woman was the very same that he had run into at the coffee shop around Halloween.
She seemed not to notice who he was immediately and was kind enough in her dismissal of his apology that...well, the flutteriness of his stomach traveled to his heart and he found himself swaying after she left.
It didn't take him long to follow after her, Tristan feeling warm about something that had nothing to do with the tea that had initially warmed him. He waited, watching her as she observed the line to the hot buttered rum, before he approached her.
"Need a hand?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:48 pm
At first, Suri didn't realize she was being spoken to. And then, when she realized that there was someone close to her personal space, she glanced over and got an eyeful of torso. Pursing her lips, she continued looking up until she saw a face, and then she frowned. His was a face she'd seen before, but then again, everyone was starting to look familiar, and it was starting to make her fidget.
"I--this isn't a hands on activity," Suri responded plainly, crossing her arms. "There's just no line--I'm sorry, have we met before?" Leaning forward, she squinted, trying to puzzle out where she knew him from. He wasn't from Argent, but...
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:12 pm
Tristan wanted to touch her.
It was a strange impulse that he hadn't had in-- well, he didn't know the last time he'd felt the impulsive urge to touch a stranger. In fact, one of his hands nearly reached for her, the spice of the tea still heavy on the back of his tongue, before he reeled the urge in and wrapped his hands around his camera.
The action helped ground him, fingers fiddling with the lens as he looked at her with a sheepish smile and hunched shoulders.
"I could help with that," he blurted out, somehow with a voice still soft and uncertain. When Suri leaned in he tensed up, green eyes blinking when he found himself leaning forward enough that their nose might've brushed because he felt possessed by the urge to lean in and--
Curbing the desire he straightened, gesturing with his camera filled hand at her outfit. "The outfit--it's very festive. Would you, uh, mind if I took a picture or two of you? After hot rum, of course."
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Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:28 pm
In an instant, Suri regretted letting her curiosity get the better of her caution. Even if she was starting to get a vague nagging sensation of where she’d seen his face before--had it been in line somewhere?--it all flew from her thoughts the moment she realized that his hand was lifted, moving towards her, to trap and to choke--
--No, that wasn't it. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but the image that came to mind was something more gentle and tender. Just as dangerous, but in a different way.
But his hand fell before she had a chance to react to it, and Suri minimized the flinch she’d started by squeezing her hands around the strap of her purse, eyes wide and lips closed. This at least felt true--he wasn’t trying to hurt her. She didn’t know what to do with that.
She didn't know what to do with compliments, either, which was a funny thing to think about until he opened his mouth and called her festive. He had to be talking to someone else...but he was looking at her, wasn't he? “...Oh. Thank you.” Suri couldn't help but fidget with a ribbon in her hair, regret the attention it brought her, and she glanced from his face down to his camera, held by dangerous hands. But maybe this was the sort of thing that happened at winter festivals--and with no one joining her, she’d need some kind of proof that she’d gone in the first place.
It wasn’t difficult to recognize that his interest in her was linked to the oddity of her prosthetic, even dolled up as she was, even though he was professional enough that she hadn’t caught him staring at the ugly hunk of metal making up her ankle. Even if she had an intuition that he was being sincere, she couldn’t ignore the logical conclusion she came to. His interest had to be ulterior in some way, but seeing that she could make use of what he was offering, she decided to let it slide, just this once. Because she was feeling ‘festive’.
“If I can have a copy,” Suri finally replied, tilting up her nose. “And. If you go through that line for me. Then...yes, you can take a few pictures.” If she was going to be gawked at anyway, she might as well get a warm drink out of the deal.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 7:23 pm
Her flinch was met with a slow blink, Tristan reacting to the almost unnoticeable reaction in slow motion; green eyes closing and reopening and the shift of his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels, the way he wrinkled his nose and tried to offer her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He'd even stepped back, despite the desire to step closer, to maybe reach out and steady her--
But he hardly knew her and she seemed to flinch under the simple idea of being touched.
Tristan wonder if it was just because it was him or if it was something else, and then he wondered who hurt the dusty blonde enough to make her react like that. Then he wondered what he would do with such information-- he wasn't a violent person, if he could avoid it, so there would be no way to change whatever had her reacting like that except maybe offering himself as a safe space.
Would she like that?
Tristan wanted to know.
He wanted to know everything she might be willing to share with him.
"Okay," he agreed, almost a little too quickly, rocking back onto the balls of his feet like an excited child. "Are you sure you don't want to keep me company?" He sounded hopeful, probably too hopeful, but he wanted her to say yes because he didn't know if he could focus on getting the drinks if he was too busy wondering where she was. Or if she'd actually wait for them.
"Oh," he said suddenly, blinking several times before he offered his hand. "My name is Tristan, you're welcome to call me Tris if you'd like. It's nice to meet you."
Again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:35 pm
Well. He was enthusiastic, Suri had to give him that.
If she was being honest with herself, she didn't particularly feel like going with him--the crowd around the stall was starting to look rambunctious, and she wasn't in the mood to get jostled around. Still, she had the nagging sensation that if she didn't go with him, that he would somehow fail to get her the rum, which defeated the point of this conversation in the first place. So, with a sigh, she reached forward and placed her gloved hand in his, offering a brief but professional shake. "Well I wasn't going to make you go alone," she huffed, pulling her hand back into her jacket pocket a moment later. "I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own drink, I just...don't care much for close quarters, is all." Suri glanced him down and up--she had a hard time believing it was a feeling someone of his height could empathize with.
"My name is Suri," she responded in kind, trying to think about the last place she'd been where her reputation hadn't preceded her. Thinking, she pursed her lips, trying to place where she'd seen him before. "It's...nice to meet you, too." She let the silence hang heavy between them, staring off at the front of the line. One section was the loudest, but she saw a family with kids who just couldn't wait and were likely to leave before they reached the counter, clearing up the queue.
"...This way," she decided, taking a few cautious steps towards one part of the crowd and standing in line. Suri hated to admit it, but just having the photographer there did something to put her mind at ease. He wasn't going to hurt her. She was safe. Fidgeting in silence, she eventually managed to remember her breeding and think of some smalltalk, blase as it was.
"...So. You take pictures for the carnival, then?" She wasn't sure what else to ask him about--surely they couldn't have that much in common.
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Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:31 pm
Tristan's height, mixed with his broad shoulders, helped him in large crowds. People tended to give him a decent berth when it came to lines and slipping through gaps in space. It was easy to make himself a shield that kept others away from the hustle or bustle for the most part.
He nearly reached for her shoulder to draw her closer and away from the people who mixed and mingled but he remembered her touch aversion at the last moment and he stuffed his hand into his pocket and tried to pretend the action hadn't almost happened.
"Yes ma'am," he answered, following her closely but not close enough to step on her heels.
His trailing after her seemed to keep some people away, which he considered a small victory.
"Ah," he cleared his throat at her question, hand resurfacing to scratch at the messy, curly locks on his head. "No. I mean, I'm a professional photographer, but I'm here of my own choice. I like to...I like to take pictures of things, in general. Most people here seem happy." He wanted to be a fraction of as happy as some of the laughing families seemed to be. "I like capturing that. It's for pleasure this time, not business. What about you? What brings you here?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:01 pm
On a hunch, Suri's gaze snapped back to Tristan, expecting his outstretched hand but seeing nothing in the space between them. She was starting to think something in the tea was making her feel jittery--too much caffeine, perhaps? All the more reason to clear it from her palate with a nice cup of hot buttered rum, something to soothe her nerves and ward away the chill.
Still, her eyes crinkled a little when he said yes, ma'am, a smile that didn't quite reach her mouth.
As he explained himself, Suri settled in to the space around him, following his gaze to the throngs of people also at the carnival. Families, friends, couples, cast in the glow of the lights from the stalls, huddled together and smiling and sharing so much of themselves. Even she had to concede that they...seemed happy. She wondered how they ever managed to pull that off, how fleeting those moments would be before inevitably they were crushed by the weight of reality.
And then he was looking at her, asking her questions, and Suri found herself shrinking away from the interest until she pursed her lips and reminded herself that it was polite to engage in proper conversations, that she was a person outside of her work, and that if she just tried it, she would be perfectly adequate at talking to strangers, opening up a little. And that's what she'd come here for, right? To prove she wasn't afraid to open up?
"...I'm people-watching," she answered, her eyes following as the impatient family ahead of them left, putting them next in line. It was easier to call it that than explain that she'd come here because someone had tried to tell her that she was no fun and never got out, that she'd planned on connecting with people but never actually shared those plans with others, that she'd been goaded with a challenge and once again risen to a knee-jerk reaction in anger. Since when had she become such a slave to her own impulses and emotions?
She didn't let on that she thought professional photographer didn't sound like much of a real job, mostly because he seemed put-together enough that it was likely he held down something more substantial to take care of his basic needs. People were allowed to have multiple jobs and interests and hobbies that paid for themselves. Suri simply...struggled to understand what that was like, to not have all of her eggs in one basket.
"So...personal as well, I suppose," she nodded, pausing their conversation to make her way up to the stall itself. In spite of asking for his assistance, she ordered two drinks on her own, paid for them without any fuss, and held one out to Tristan once the transaction was complete. She didn't think of it as any particular kindness--the cost of one drink was inconsequential, and it was more convenient to pay on one card and get them out of line, out of the throng of people.
Still, because her curiosity was getting the better of her, she had to ask, "So you planned to come here alone? That sounds lonely."
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 2:29 pm
If Suri had voiced her thoughts that being a photographer wasn't a real job, Tris would have likely agreed with her. While he very much liked hiding behind his camera and taking photographs that he found appealing, he knew that he wasn't the most talented photographer out there and that, if he were being honest, the only reason he was 'successful' as a professional one was because of the kindness of the woman who took him in and the plethora of connections she had.
Luckily, the woman didn't say and he didn't have to admit such thoughts to a woman who was practically a stranger. A stranger he quite wanted to get to know, but a stranger none-the-less.
"People-watching," he echoed, thinking about how that was, technically, what he had also come to do. The thought made him smile, edges of his mouth curling upward as he listened.
Tristan was, however, incredibly surprised by the drink offering. Green eyes blinked several times, even as he accepted the warm cup with slightly chilled fingers. "Thank you," the man mumbled, looking humbled-- or more so than he perpetually did - before he tried to guide them out of line.
He struggled with not touching her to do so, but he was trying to be respectful wants be damned. "It's not lonely, I met you."
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:56 pm
“Think nothing of it,” Suri retorted back, with a flippant wave of her hand. “It just made it easier to get out of line, is all.” She took a few cautious steps away from the crowd before she actually sampled the drink, slowly bringing it to her furtive lips, where she found it to be warm and sweet on the palate, delightfully spiced. Rum wasn’t generally her drink of preference, but it did the job of keeping her toasty on a cold winter night, kept her hands from shaking, and eased some of the constant din at the back of her mind, the need to crunch numbers and rake over problems until their solutions became clear.
“It’s not bad,” she conceded to her company, taking another sip. Something about the aroma gave her deja vu, reminded her of home and simpler times and she puzzled over it, scrunching her nose. It felt like she’d had it before...but she couldn’t place where, thinking further and further back until she glanced over at Tristan, who she also had to concede was not bad, though she kept that part to herself.
“...Thank you, by the way,” she said finally, once they were free of the cart and its patrons. “It’s...well...I appreciate it.” Suri felt like she could trust him enough to articulate the difficulties of being a short woman with balance concerns in a crowd, but that was surely something he could see and judge for himself, and nothing she need bring to light if he didn’t. Still, it put her in an uncomfortable situation, one where she felt like she owed him something more than the photo or two he’d asked for. Suri didn’t care much to be beholden to anyone, least of all this trusting stranger with his soft green eyes...she thought, for a moment, until an idea struck her.
Maybe it was the rum, or the deja-vu, or the proximity to good company, but Suri’s face felt flushed and warm, and she almost didn’t feel fatigued after her day in the lab. She felt oddly energized, not in the way an orb or a starseed would replenish her, but simply...awake, and aware. Not in pain. Like she did before the incident, perhaps even further back. It made her feel...childish, impulsive, like she wanted to take risks. “Do you like stars?” Suri blurted out, looking from him to the night sky. “There’s--that is to say--the Geminids are tonight. And they’re quite striking, some years, with the cloud cover clear like it is...would you like to see them?” At once, she clammed up again--because who would want to stargaze with a stranger? He just wanted to take photos and move onto the rest of the carnival, where he could look at actually happy people. But that same nagging sensation, that deja vu, gave her the sense that he might want to stay. She prayed it was true.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2019 5:38 pm
Tristan opted out of pointing out that she could have been out of line without him if she had so chosen. Yes, she had agreed to allow him to photograph her but that didn't mean she would at the end of the day.
Still, he was privately pleased that she stuck so closely to him and didn't appear to be wanting to hurry on her way.
With a cup in hand, Tris brought it up and let the scent of spice rum waft up and fill his nose before he took a sip. It sat on his tongue for a moment before he swallowed, savoring the taste as it went down. "You're the one who's really doing me a favor," he countered with an almost uncomfortable shrug.
He did however, make it a point to follow her in a manner that allowed him to support her if her balance faltered for any reason.
Taking another sip, he felt the rum warm his entire being and he felt...giddy, almost, at the prospect of meeting someone new who didn't seem to mind spending time with him. He had meet Charlie that way and while the girl was near and dear to his heart, he had been a terrible friend to her and had failed to reach out at any point or return any of the missed texts while he had been awol.
This was a fresh start and he looked forward to it.
"You want to stargaze?" He asked, sounding dumbfounded before a shy grin spread across his lips. "With me?"
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