transgressings | inbox for duplicity;

That is all too true.

[It was true at home, and it hasn't changed for him here. He buries himself in work, looks up, and the season has changed.

He appreciates that she doesn't call him on his verbal slip. It's something else that hasn't changed with time. He can put both feet in his mouth at once. His smile widens and some of the color fades.]

An easy enough request to oblige. Thank you.

[He walks into the next room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings and finding that they are still a bit reminiscent of where she was before. He has seen far worse in the Down. Turning, he waits to take his seat until she does.]

Anything new in your world of note?

[ With the advance notice of his arrival, she had been given adequate time in which to make preparations, and the tray containing a small teapot and two china cups in their saucers already waits for them as she proceeds to assume a seat in front of the low table. ]

You still take yours... what was the word you used, once? Unadulterated?

[ There is a coyness to her smile as she inclines forward, her gaze finally shifting away from his face while she carefully pours each of them a cup's worth and then proceeds to add several sugar cubes to her own. ]

I suppose this would be the biggest change. [ She looks up to acknowledge their environment, then picks up the cup of plain tea and holds it out to him. ] Though I must confess that I always found Mr. Gray's residence a bit... large for my own liking, even if I was instructed to think of it as my home as well.

Yes, just so.

[There's an echo of mischief in his expression. He's pleased that she recalls. It's flattering and not something that happens to him often.]

It was an impressive residence. This is charming. I'm glad you have something suited to your tastes. I should invite you to dinner. It's not right that you've not had the chance to see my home, too.

Of course.

[ And she, in turn, prefers a degree of sweetness that may be somewhat more off-putting in comparison, although she's taken care not to inadvertently get her own cup confused for his. ]

There are... traces of that old house here. [ In some of the bigger furnishings, as well as some of the items she had made a point to rescue before departing — many of them secluded away in her bedroom, while others, like the crystal decanters that hold several different liquors, sit only a few feet away from them. ] And far be it from me to protest such an invitation. [ She lifts the cup to her lips, quietly murmuring prior to taking her first sip. ] Especially if it brings with it the promise of your company.

[He nods as he looks about, recognizing a bit of the furnishing, seeing the truth in what she says.]

Now you're flattering me.

[He grins and subsumes it in his sip of tea.]

I'll endeavor to make it pleasant. [A bit of a tease. Being pleasant is hardly an issue for him.]

I'm open to food suggestions, either for or against. I've finally learned the ins and outs of that blasted fast range top. I only burn things now if Blade distracts me.

Is that what I was doing?

[ Of course, she's very much aware of how her words could be interpreted, and there's a somewhat coy nature to the smile that briefly renders itself across her lips as she leans forward to gently set down her teacup in order to retrieve one of the macarons instead. ]

Well, depending on the dish, a bit of char can often add more flavor. [ She's still amused as she takes a small, careful bite, waiting until she's finished chewing to speak again. ] Regrettably, I am rather dismal at cooking. If I were ever to host you for dinner, I would not subject you to the results of my efforts in the kitchen. Not if I wished to maintain your friendship.

[He graces her with a look. She knows very well what she was doing. His eyes crinkle at the corners in his smile. Once she has a macaron, he feels better about taking one for himself.]

Ha. I'll keep that in mind when picking the menu.

[He can do any manner of meats quite well now. They're not as delicate as the vegetables.]

I'd do my best not to take any disasters personally. However, if we're ever in a position where take out is the choice, I've grown fond of pizza.

[He takes a bite of the cookie and chases it with the tea.]

[ The odds that she would be presented with some form of confection and then not be able to indulge with just one are severely unlikely, especially for anyone who knows her fondness for sweet things; she knows he won't begrudge her that instinct, either, noting how he elects to similarly sample from the box with a small smile on her lips. ]

Oh, I've had that. [ Pizza, she means, although the situation in which she'd tried it for the first time are probably more indicative of the circumstances in which they are often encouraged to entangle with one another. ]

A dear friend of mine, who is unfortunately no longer in the city, ordered it to be delivered to us once. It's quite good. Though I suppose bread and cheese is a somewhat timeless pairing.

Then perhaps I'll order in. It is very likely to be better than anything I'd make.

[He smiles while she recounts her first time to try it.]

My first experience with it came shortly after I arrived here and found another from my world. We spent a couple of months trying new things all over the city. It was one of the few foods we could agree on.

[Macarons are another, now that he thinks about it, taking care to wipe any stray crumbs from his lips.]

I won't tell a soul if that proves to be the case.

[ Besides, it's not as if she would be any better-qualified to cook an entire meal from them start to finish, so she really can't sit here and in good confidence judge his decision to rely on an outside source for their future dinner engagement.

Still, it brings a faint smile to her lips to consider it now, the notion that they are talking in those future terms, something for her to look forward to. ]

What did they prefer that you were so staunchly opposed to?

Our little secret.

[Which is a silly thought. That they'd order clandestine pizza and never tell a soul he didn't cook. This is why he enjoys her company. The little moments, the beats between the larger points.]

Oh, Maker. He loved very rich food, cream sauces, intense spices, the more exotic the better. I fear I'm a simple man from a simple country. My tastes reflect it.

Indeed. [ She hums her agreement against the rim of her teacup, a quick sip taken while her eyes linger on his face, and then she moves to finish the rest of her macaron in small, measured bites. ]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with simplicity. Though — [ Surely he's glimpsed where her preferences lie, more towards the sweet than anything else. ] — I feel compelled to ask you what your thoughts are in regards to desserts.

Well. One of my colleagues from Antiva would say my taste in desserts is abysmal because I adore...[He pauses and leans forward, tone dropping conspiratorial.]

I cannot overstate this enough. Adore a good butter cookie.

[He leans back again, looking very satisfied with himself and sipping his tea.]

Not to say other desserts don't have their charms. There is just something about that first crisp bite. She spoiled me horridly, having them delivered to my office as bribery whenever she believed I'd be against her plans. There were times I made noises to that effect just for the cookies. If she should ever come here, you must not tell her that.

Why, Mr. Rutherford, you astound me.

[ She utters it as if she finds his confession truly appalling, although the smile that takes shape across her mouth as he briefly inclines himself in her direction would be more than enough to dissuade him of the notion that she is being anything but facetious if the tone of her voice was not evident. ]

As you have not given me her name, I suppose I would be at a disadvantage in both seeking her out and divulging her secret, so it will be kept safe for the time being. [ She sips her tea again, then gently replaces it in its saucer. ]

But you have revealed your susceptibility to bribes, and that may be invaluable information indeed.

It would be the height of foolishness for me to reveal a weakness and the name that could incriminate me all at the same time.

[His smile is spreading wider, more difficult to contain but still closed lipped.]

Perhaps I'm of sterner stuff now, have learned from my past mistakes.

[His reach for another macaron makes a liar of him on the spot.]

Most discerning of you, for I cannot say I would not attempt to wield such a weakness to my advantage.

[ Whether she is emboldened by their proximity, their natural ability to easily reconnect after so much time apart, or perhaps the sweetness of the macaron still lingering on her taste buds, the instinct to let the conversation drift along certain lines is as casual as always, between them. ]

Yes, I believe you must be.

[ She studies his face, her own smile rendering itself in her features even more definitively at the sight of his. ]

Certainly no more time for sweet indulgences.

[He holds his composure for a beat or two, laughter finally breaking through even as his cheeks and ears both pink.]

Why, Ms. Ives, I have the oddest sense we aren't speaking of desserts anymore.

[It isn't long before he has regained enough control to take another sip of his tea, hazel eyes warm over the rim.]

[ It is an entirely charming response, one she finds herself witnessing with a smaller chuckle as she briefly glances down to curb the full breadth of her smile. ]

No, I don't believe we are.

[ She reaches for her own tea primarily to fill her hands, the cup remaining in the saucer that perches on her knee when she does not elect to sip from it immediately. ]

Though given our unique circumstances, perhaps a change to a certain subject is always rather inevitable.

Edited 2020-09-30 01:58 (UTC)

Perhaps it is at that.

[There's warmth in his gaze and a certain degree of comfort in how he holds himself. Despite the pink in his cheeks, he's not taken on the back foot by the shift.]

There is one first, I believe. We're both entirely ourselves today.

[If he wasn't, it would really be news to him.]

Ah, yes. Both in mind and in body.

[ Though as he'll recall her saying before, she does not harbor any regret regarding what transpired between them, either on the night itself or when he had come to her in an attempt to make amends, seek forgiveness that had already been extended to him.

There is a different feeling that suffuses her now, as she turns her glance to him to discover him looking in her direction, and she lifts a hand from its grasp on her saucer to gently cup one of those cheeks in her palm, thumb sweeping over the light dusting of pink in his complexion. ]

Though you would be welcome here regardless.

[He nods. The body would be less of an issue overall. It's still pleasant to know nothing but the enjoyment of one another's company is his reason for being here today.

He leans into the touch with a slight cant of head, eyes briefly closing. There was a time he'd not have admitted to himself that he needs such things occasionally, simple though they are.

Lifting his free hand across, he takes hers gently, presses a light kiss to the second knuckle of her index finger, and squeezes affectionately before releasing.]

I know, and I... I feel very lucky in that respect. Not many are as accepting.

[He's sure it's why he's so comfortable with her. Few in his life ever approach without judgment.]

[ Even now, as she touches him, there is no underlying intent behind it apart from reiterating what he must already be aware of from her — a sense of appreciation, of camaraderie, of fondness she naturally holds for him without anything interfering or manipulating her to sway those feelings toward something more intense and difficult to suppress.

And she does not initiate with any sort of reciprocation in mind, either, which is why his move to take her hand in his surprises her slightly, elicits a warm, closed smile from her at the gentle press of lips he returns. ]

We have been through a great deal, I think. Much more than we ever would have, had we remained in our own worlds.

[ She glances down to the contents of her teacup, now nearly down to the dregs. ]

But I can only bring myself to feel gratitude for a place that awarded me the kindness of your friendship.

I'm not entirely sure that's true. I've been told some things that have me...concerned...about what I'll face upon my return, should it ever come to pass.

[An insane old elven god seeking to bring about the end of the world in pursuit of a lost one? It's a bit much, but even so his personal losses here hit differently. He believes he grasps what she's saying.

That latter part is much easier to agree with unequivocally.]

Yes. You are...most unexpected and yet most welcome in my life. In that respect, fortune has smiled indeed.

Of course. Things that those from your future have already lived, I assume?

[ It is easy for her to forget, sometimes, that she is the outlier, one of the few who does not have a future to return to if that day should ever come, who does not have anyone here in possession of a knowledge of her beyond the last moment she remembers from her own world.

But his words prompt a smile, even while her gaze is still lowered, before she finds his eyes again. ]

Unexpected, I think, would be the best word to describe it. But regardless of how it happened, I am... appreciative of it, especially in a time when those we care for can vanish so quickly and without warning.

Yes. And as they mention my presence, I can only assume I'm there for it, as well.

[Comforting in some ways to know he survives the turmoil in multiple worlds, but it leaves him with more questions than answers.

His expression falls a bit and he nods.]

Too quickly. It's difficult to know how to view it when it's people who perhaps didn't care for it here and are better off in their respective homes.

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