reverie overflow.

[vecna]

i still haven't put something less stupid here

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[velluminous]

Quiet, you.

[vecna]

[At least she’s not upset with him because he tried to one-up her! Great twirl or otherwise, he’s pretty sure her dip was more dynamically impressive.

Sips his wine.]

You were still the better dancer.

[velluminous]

Ha! Of course. Buttering me up.

[ Sholmes was right. she does hate to take a compliment. ]

[vecna]

Only stating the truth. You have the advantage of practice. And upper body strength, apparently.

[velluminous]

[ she brushes her fingers over her own bicep, somewhat self-consciously. tips some more wine into her mouth. ]

Well.

[vecna]

Take the compliment, Sprezzatura.

[She seems allergic to them, truly. Henry swirls what’s left of his wine.]

Was there anything else you wanted to do while we’re in here?

[velluminous]

Ms Vaux. [ the correction is automatic, muttered because she doesn't believe he'll adjust anyway, and she follows it quickly with: ] No, nothing.

[ because anything else is not being entertained today, no matter how unexpectedly welcome this sojourn ended up. her heart aches already, missing it anew. ]

[vecna]

[Frustratingly, no, the correction will not stick. But less frustratingly, he is not inclined to keep her stuck in her own mind, and so—]

Then we return to where we were. Are you ready? Close your eyes.

[velluminous]

[ is she ready? is she? she takes a short, soft breath but doesn't answer yet, instead passing one final look around her observatory, exactly as she left it. the room smells like wood smoke.

closes her eyes ]

...I suppose there we have it.

[vecna]

We can always come back to it.

[Another dive into memory, if she would have it.]

Some other time. For now, open your eyes.

[And just like that, they will be back. Sitting at the table amid the canteen, junk food still half-eaten before them, Henry with his elbows on the table and a trickle of red eking warmly down his nose. He smiles.]

Still with me?

/2

[velluminous]

[ if her lashes are a bit damp when she opens her eyes again... who's going to notice? the plants??? ]

Mm. Still with you...

[velluminous]

[ kneejerk reactionary silence at that blood, but then she snaps into rigid motion and leans across the table so she can stem it with her sleeve ]

[vecna]

[Henry will notice. What else would garner his attention more?

But such observations are easily interrupted when she leans forward and catches his blood with the fabric of her sleeve. His brow furrows and he leans back instinctively, leaving red smeared just under his nostril.]

Don’t worry about the blood. It’s normal and more frequent here.

[Brings up a finger to touch that spot, instinctive.]

[velluminous]

[ leans back, too; she plops back into her seat, nearly upending her terrible beer. ]

Oh. I... didn't mean...

[ to do that ]

[vecna]

It’s fine.

[He says, distantly. Drops his hand, rubbing blood between forefinger and thumb.]

Just a side effect. You’ll be seeing it often, I’m sure.

How do you feel?

[velluminous]

[ queasy, she realizes. queasy and unimaginably melancholic; every atom of her aches for that place in her memory. not this prison. ]

I'm alright.

... thank you for taking me there.

[vecna]

[Just “all right”. Though Henry has never dealt in pleasant memories, he knows the weight they can hold. The long shadows they can cast in a mind.]

You’re welcome. It isn’t so bad, is it? Delving into memory.

[—though he does wonder, a bit belatedly, why he had humored her? Did he uncover anything of particular note, shadows crawling about, secrets hidden in every corner of the room?

...No. They looked out a telescope, discussed a fantastical city, drank wine, and danced to music. Not exactly his MO. Not exactly his aim. Well. Maybe it rebuilt a few planks of that burnt bridge between them.]

[velluminous]

Mm.

[ she releases a very soft sigh, running her fingers over the bloodstain on her sleeve.

perhaps, she thinks, this is how it is for elves, who trance and dream of the past, of moments gone before--centuries and lifetimes separating them from things they can never return to again. ]

Did you like it?

[vecna]

[That is a strangely difficult question to answer, simple as it is. Maybe harder to be honest about — they had done little more than mundanities, but at least they had been sincere in her appreciation of them. No playing at false pretenses with her cheap wine and cramped space to dance to. No feigned appreciation for that impossibly large moon hanging in the sky.

Leaning back, considering her, he supposes he can allow a small accedence on his part. Some honesty. There’s no harm in it.]

I did.

[There.]

I liked seeing how you lived, too. What you surrounded yourself with. It speaks volumes for a person.

[velluminous]

[ laughs softly, instinctively. she's got his approval, huh ]

Oh, Mammon.

[vecna]

[Quirks his lips at that response.]

What?

[velluminous]

I am sure they are colourful volumes indeed.

[vecna]

It showed me that you were passionate about your work. That you practically lived for your studies.

And that you could have used someone to help you straighten up.

[velluminous]

[ whaps him under the table with her tail ]

Hush. I had more important things.

[vecna]

[Wow! Thwapped at the knee, Henry scoots his legs further under his chair like it would make a difference.]

Like what? Where did you even sleep -- on the floor?