transgressings | inbox for duplicity;

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.

I suppose there is no way for us to truly know when we will be returned to our futures, either.

[ From all that she has seen, it happens before anyone is even given the opportunity to say their goodbyes — which may be for the best, in the end, that it is not allowed to become some prolonged farewell, that those who leave do not need to dread an endpoint. ]

Yes. Versus the ones who... perhaps have more freedoms here than they ever would have been afforded.

[ She nears herself too closely with that comparison, that smile fading somewhat as she leans forward to place her teacup in its saucer on the table. ] It's... difficult to reconcile emotions that seem to war with one another even on the better days.

No. In all the conversations I've had here, I've never noticed any tell before someone simply disappears.

[He comes close to asking her if she's speaking of herself with that statement. It seems so, but it also seems impertinent and perhaps cruel to dig into something that wilts her smile so.

On the latter, he can agree fully and says as much.]

Yes, and some days are not the best.

[While she is still leaned forward with her hand near, he reaches for it with his free one and simply offers a gentle squeeze. His hand is warm, dry, and still as rough with calluses as it was when he arrived here. Not a day goes by he doesn't ply his sword work still.]

It does not make the losses any less troublesome to comprehend.

[ And she does not wish to linger on such depressing subjects, not while he is here with her now, sharing a moment that has proven to give her some respite from letting her thoughts take her down a somewhat darker path.

His hand covers her own and she smiles beneath its weight, its warmth; hers is pale, slender, rather cool in comparison to his but made warmer by the tea she's been sipping, as though its heat now seeps outward through her to each limb, each digit.

She turns her hand over, fingertips gently tracing against the lines of his palm, allows herself that lingering hold, and her mouth curves when her eyes lock to his. ]

But this is not one of them.

No, it doesn't.

[He makes no attempt to pull back or away. By nature he's not touchy feely. With her it feels natural. Comfortable. His fingers curl around and press without squeezing too tightly.]

And no it isn't.

[Actually, it's a good day. He's glad he came.]

((OOC: Good wrapping up place for this one?))

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