mordechai | 001. open post // quiet little burials.

[ There are perks to being a shapechanger, such as looking like a mundane-looking fox that can lift a six pack of beer in it's mouth with relative ease ( she's up-ended bigger things before -- completely by accident -- like the oven she crawled under and lifted by mistake because something bit her tail and of course she ended up jerking to her feet ) while maneuvering up the walls towards an intended target.

She would have brought more, but walking on all fours is quicker than walking on two; the trade-off being one mouth in place of two hands.

Trotting over now, tail swishing like a puppy happy to see it's master, before she plunks down her butt to squint at you because Mindspeech has that awkward stipulation of eye contact first.

Come on, Alistair. She brought you some birthday booze? ]

[The first thing Alistair had done after his talk with Deirdra was go right back up to the gates of the South District and set up all over again.

Sue him, he's under virtual house arrest and fucking bored.

Maybe that is part of the reason why he knew she was coming a while back. Still, he doesn't turn to face her, not until she's right there. Their usual routine.]

You didn't have to.

[Yeah, he's grousing. It's only because he knows that she can take it.]

[ There's a soft clink as she sets her present down.

( I know. ) Yeah, won't even try to get you to say that you're glad to see her.

Peering at that leg, and then looking back up. ( The lot of you are so bad at house arrest. ) ]

Because we don't need to be under house arrest.

[Wait.]

Okay. Some of us don't need it.

[He'd like to think that he counts in that party.]

[ Deciding that she's not going to comment on that.

Lia called her a precocious, little shit once, in the aftermath of Operation Nyx. And for a long, long time she was really proud of that -- because when Liandrin Delacroix gave you a non-compliment, it was something that you just took.

She's older now, though. And she knows when to keep rein on that mouth of hers that tends to run off all on it's own.

So. Picking up the booze now, and bringing it closer. Sitting down again, just blinking up at you. ]

Edited 2014-03-05 23:59 (UTC)

[...

Fine, fine. He's picking up one of the cans now. It's a six-pack, so yes, he's getting his usual position. As for yours...

Here. The third can, in your direction.]

[ ...O-oh.

Blinking at that can now. It's been a while, after all, since she's had the opportunity to sit down with you like this. Nearly a quarter of a century, in fact. If her math is right.

Shifting back into human form now, shoulders a little hunched in shyness rather than intimidation.

Her head is bowed. And yeah, she's smiling as she pops that can open. ]

[Watching your reaction with a tiny little smile, and then lifting his can up in your direction.]

Happy birthday to me, I guess.

[ And answering that, before she takes a sip.

Mmmm. Good beer. Very good beer. ]

You guess? [ Daring ( just a little bit ) to send you a look. And then: ] Happy birthday, Alistair.

[ Taking a breath now, glancing over what she can see over that wall. It's not much -- she is incredibly short in comparison to most of the people she runs with, yourself included. ]

How are you?

[Following her gaze now, because it's easier to disguise one's tells that way. Usually.]

Could be better, but when you take everything that's happened so far into consideration... I guess I'm all right.

[ Quiet at that, taking another swig of her beer.

Silence has long since become a comfortable way to pass the time with Alistair after all. ]

[Taking a swig on his end too.]

How are you?

[He rarely bothers asking. If he does, it's because he actually wants to know, and actually gives enough of a fuck about you to ask in the first place.]

Same as usual.

[ She's stretching her neck from one side to the other when she answers. ]

Get up, teach at Balamb, help at Haven, bug my husband, bug my son, whine about daughter not coming home. [ There's a fond look in her eyes as she looks down at that beer. ] I'm good.

It's been... interesting. [ Scrunching her nose a little at that. Because yeah, things have kind of picked up as of last month. ]

[Barking out a laugh at that statement, and topping it with a rueful shake of his head.]

That's the catch word of the year, from the looks of it.

[And they're not quite at the halfway point of 2063 yet...]

[ Here's a soft "mm-hm" from this one. ]

It's good to have you around more, Alistair.

[ It kind of goes without saying that she hopes you won't just up and disappear on them again... but you go where you choose to, when you choose to. ]

Got more of a reason to be around now.

[And less excuses, but that goes without saying too. He knows, for a fact, that he needs to stop running away. Doing that the last time did more damage than he had originally anticipated.]

There is that.

[ She is pleased. She's gonna light herself a cigarette now, so there goes her pack on the ground beside her, and then lighter and tin. ]

Any word on your erstwhile protege -- or rather, former protege.

[ Brows furrowing as she takes that as a reminder for herself. Kaz is under Paolo now, last she heard. ]

Heard on SERAPH that he and Paolo are doing fine. That's all that matters to me.

[You know Alistair. Once something's Going, he doesn't check on it until somebody tells him to, or until he notices that something Isn't Right.]

[ And that's all the answer she needs from your end, because let's face it, this is you. ]

Kaz is sweet kid. [ You'll note that she's saying that with much fondness, even as she's flipping the cap of her bottle. ]

Too sweet. He'll need to stop being soft soon.

[Soft gets you killed in their business. There's a difference between warm, compassionate and all those other words and 'soft'.

You're familiar with his definition, Cisco. You filled it out, once upon a time.]

[ That, she did. But a body learns, eventually. You have to, if you're going to keep on sticking by the hunt.

Her last conversation with Kaz had been an interesting one. She can still see the look on the kid's face when she'd handed him that bottlecap necklace. ]

He'll learn. [ Lifting that bottle again for a sip just as her eyes follow the path of something small moving in the distant dark. ] The ones who get it always do.

[ And she has a feeling Kaz gets it. Or he will, soon enough. Some people just needed the right kind of nudge out the door, after all. ]

Not always, but I suppose they usually do.

[Maybe he is grousing, but he'd like to think that he's being realistic.]

001. open post // quiet little burials.

Waking the Dead 2.0 : 5 May 2063, Late Evening : Those who have the most, live the longest.

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