closed;

[fidele]

Who: A dorky couple vinovidivici & fidele
When: June 8th, midday
Where: The roof of the boarding-house in Sector 4
Summary: Picnics and feelings after eventful illnesses and poker nights!
Warnings: meatballs dropping from above?

[ A small suitcase is packed with a lunch perhaps two sandwiches too large for the two of them, for lack of an appropriate wicker basket for a picnic and the unpredictability of such a date idea. From the roof of the boarding-house the hubbub from the Newcomer block party can be heard, even from half a sector away. Occasionally an excited group of would-be visitors pass down the streets below; it doesn't occur to Chane to attend the party on this day, to follow the crowd. It rarely does.

Less so on a day when a single other person capable of halfway understanding her nearly feels like too much to cope with, but she won't say anything when Claire had the energy and manners to make half of the lunch himself and help carry her for the trickier parts of climbing the fire escape stairs to the roof. She's quieter than usual, although she is unaware of it, mind busy with thoughts and situations and people that cause her normally ceremonial-like motions in laying out the mat on the edge of the roof particularly slow as she kneels. At least she doesn't seem to think anything of this unusual picnic spot. ]

Comments

[vinovidivici]

[ Claire's first action on making the climb is to be momentarily distracted by voices rising from the street below. The sound carries so clearly, you can practically make out their conversations! He hops up onto the precarious line of brickwork edging the rooftop and eyes up the people heading home with block party paraphernalia strung about them. Maybe going along and winning some kinda giant novelty stuffed animal wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Satisfied that the old "nobody ever looks up" cliché is still in full effect (good to know when he takes up the silent killer shtick again) Claire pivots and drops back onto the roof. He's on the cusp of making some observational remark to Chane but he gets caught up in observing her instead. Her expression is detached - in his mind's eye he can see the confused expression that would follow if he did bring her out of her thoughts, started talking about going the the block party and getting her an oversized monkey to keep her company when he's not around. So he keeps silent for the moment - although given the heaviness of her movements he'd rather bring her back to the here and now soon. Since the sun has warmed the brick he toes off his shoes one by one and leaves them by the side of the rug, still formal from the ankles up with his summer jacket and the suitcase dangling from one hand, and watches her for an opportune moment to catch her attention. ]

[fidele]

[ The sun warms her skin as she stays mostly unmoving, and after completing that drawn-out task of layout out their sitting space, it takes a moment for her mind to catch up with the sense of loss in her empty hands for something to do. There isn't even a specific name or face she can label her thoughts with, they change so quickly and fluidly-- a mass of various concerns.

But her current thought is visibly on the next part of setting up; instinctively glancing aside for the suitcase leads her gaze to Claire's shoes by the rug, the suitcase handle in his fingers, the slightly expectant look in his eyes. Somewhat predictably her expression is bright, unassuming, brought almost completely out of the worries overshadowing her previously when faced with... being watched, already. Claire keeps doing this. Her question is a quiet what is it if anything, accentuated with a gentle lift of her open hand for the suitcase. She doesn't mind finding him watching her but his reasons continue to be a mystery. ]

[vinovidivici]

[ Sees her refocus - not just on him but her surroundings - and hands over the case, brightening even though he gets a bout of butterflies. Now would be the time to say something and he hasn't yet worked out a way to ask what she was thinking without prying or seeming insensitive or whatever the hell it was Rachel had once said about him...

If only he had more of a way with words. He's a step or two away from bashful foot scuffing as he shifts his shoulders in a suggestion of a shrug, speaking as if in response to her unspoken question. ]

I only say this out of a mixture of interest, concern, and because your thoughtful face is particularly charming. But uh, whatcha thinking so hard about?

[fidele]

[ Taking the suitcase carefully in both hands and opening it swiftly, settled on the mat-- the falter at his question is more in her silence than in her motions. Concern. He is concerned for her.

It doesn't make sense in correlation to her thoughts she now realises, with a flicker downwards of her eyes, were probably unintentionally obvious to him on her face. Rather than dwell on that gap of understanding between them, she keeps her eyes down, nearly shakes her head to dismiss his worries. But she's tired of not knowing the reason why any of this matters-- and it makes as little sense for him to ask this as it does for her to answer him properly. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to meet him on this level that she doesn't quite understand.

Like a swallow before speaking, she shifts and tucks her legs up towards her body a little hesitantly, glancing up to Claire once more. It's testing the waters, his honest interest in her-- although that is something she does not have to second-guess. Will you listen? ]

[vinovidivici]

[ There's barely a beat before he's folded up neatly and sat down cross-legged next to her, angled so he can still look at her intently from under his fringe. ]

Of course.

[ - And he almost says "Shoot" on the end of that but he swallows it along with a mouthful of air and seals his lips. To be honest, he was kind of surprised that she asked - especially after his awkward questioning - and now he's doing his best to cover that up and come across as serious. It's kind of a thrill that she's thinking about opening up to him and he's determined not to blow it. He's making a conscious effort to look like a cover boy for Good Listeners magazine, if that was a real thing. ]

[fidele]

[ With that confirmed, it comes as a slight shock to her that she doesn't know where to start, what to put into words, or which feeling should be imparted and which left untouched. She even wonders, gently sucking her lip in thought, what he might want to hear or would understand easily-- or something he's already come into contact with.

It takes a lot of effort not to buckle a little beneath his intent look and glance aside-- while being listened is a good feeling, up to a point, all that comes with it and being singled out specifically for that reason against the quiet at the rooftop puts her on the spot. She realises her gaze has strayed to some indistinct point at his shoulder and looks up. Something he already knows. When was the last time she'd had a moment to talk to him about Claudia-- or wanted to talk to him about her? ]

[vinovidivici]

[ Normally he'd have blurted some comment out during a pause like this, but being asked outright to listen by his fiancée isn't exactly normal. Throwing himself into the novel situation he keeps his tongue down and his eyes carefully scanning hers (apart from the briefest unconscious flicker down to her lips) in case what she wants to say can be seen there instead of heard in his head. Claire makes a concentrated effort to hold that quiet focus even when she trails off to stare at his collar for a while, but is starting to falter by the time she looks back at him because of a still small voice is suggesting that he might be coming on too strong.

Before he can break the silence she looks back, eyes still inscrutable, which he takes it as an O-K to say something. After this much time she must not know how to word what she wants him to hear - or how to begin. He leans an elbow on his knee and props his chin on his hand, grin pushed up lopsidedly by his fingers.

With a head nod towards another crowd of block party-goers: ] This anything 'bout why you didn't feel like joining those guys?

[fidele]

[ The suggestion comes as a surprise in contrast to what she's dwelling on, but with a blink and a renewed openness in her eyes in response, it sounds... plausible. To so often understand the root of her emotions, her anger, her fear, her sadness, does not prepare her for understanding her own reactions to them. Her unwillingness to confront the people in question, or to take those small steps amongst crowds of strangers that are so difficult, even now, yet manageable with a little courage.

It's clear in her momentarily stunned look that she hadn't connected the weight of these worries with her preference for seclusion on this day. Maybe. A second of thoughtfully considering this, and she gives the hint of a nod, facing her lap, interlinking her fingers as she reinforces that. Probably.

She doesn't follow Claire's motion towards the people below but a phrase rings softly and clearly to him, one she would not be able to-- or want to-- express on her features. AGI agents are there. ]

[vinovidivici]

[ Claire scoots a little closer so their knees are touching and puts a hand on her back. His wrist hovers over her shoulderblade. Her uncertainty seems like a minor problem compared to the threat of a mafia turf war or a ransom but he doesn't stop to think about how disproportionately great the protectiveness he's feeling is, compared to times he's worried over those kinds of issues. ] Y'know you don't have to worry about that when you're with me. If you wanted to go I'd've stopped 'em pulling any funny business.

[ He looks perkily at her for a moment before his face draws more seriously. It's not such a cut and dried issue as that. When she works with the agents in question it's not just a matter of keeping them at bay for the day by threatening them with a hammer borrowed from a fairground test of strength. That tactic probably wouldn't go down well in Tonegawa's office. ] What trouble're they giving you?

[fidele]

[ The trust his words can evoke in her is renewed with a wave of warmth as she feels his hand on her skin; unfortunately it doesn't quite put any of her uncertainty and worries to rest as it might usually. I know, her eyes read, unfocused on anything before her even as vividly as she feels his presence. But-- she pauses.

Thinking of herself as separate from him in the crowd is, for once, very strange. To assume his protection at all times compared to the underlying knowledge of his protection should she need it-- is that how he sees her? Sees the two of them? Despite the company each of them keep, and their approaches...

More than the topic at hand, almost, the notion of having considered them together concerns and threatens to swallow up the rest of her worries entirely. Quickly, she becomes self-conscious of the fact, leaning back against Claire's hand slightly and eyes brightening to refocus on his question. It won't get past his sensitive radar for every emotion that flickers through her looks, or her mind, for that matter, but at the very least it can signal that she doesn't want to talk about that right now. Again, she whispers; They know Tonegawa. I'm not in his favour. He might have spread something about me. ]