(Untitled)

[aimedforthemoon]

from here:

Esfir's room is still mostly as painfully neat as ever, but there are changes. If the models of air-and-starcraft are gone from her desk, the books are still there in neat piles and there is a pin-up board on one wall, complete with photographs from her old life.

There are also bookcase-building materials on a sheet on the floor.

Comments

[almosthonorable]

Ben follows Esfir upstairs -- still wearing jeans, an ugly button-down, a brown leather jacket and that damn badge, much to his disappointment -- and surveys the room.

"All right, Lieutenant. You got me, so use me."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Plan to," she says, taking her hat off and putting it on the bed before taking the blueprints off him. They are also spread out on the bed and she starts to study them.

[almosthonorable]

"Likin' the sound of that."

He's smiling as he glances from the prints to the materials and tools.

[aimedforthemoon]

"I do have to ask...has a woman ever thrown anything on you?"

[almosthonorable]

"Never."

A beat.

"You thinkin' of changin' that?"

[aimedforthemoon]

"You won't know until it happens."

[almosthonorable]

"Take that as a yes."

[aimedforthemoon]

"Don't hold your breath."

[almosthonorable]

"Can't do that -- I got some shelves to put together."

He might be smirking as he picks up a hammer.

[aimedforthemoon]

"But do you know what the dimensions are? And how they are to be built?"

[almosthonorable]

"Not yet."

A glance at the prints.

"Figured you'd tell me exactly what you want."

[aimedforthemoon]

She nods.

"I'm building them short and wide, so I can stack them and move them easily. Metric or Imperial?"

[almosthonorable]

"Makes sense."

A pause.

"Uh."

Hopefully, "Inches and feet?"

[aimedforthemoon]

"Imperial. Great. Just...follow the tape-measure, oke?"

[almosthonorable]

"Yes, ma'am."

And he does, to the letter millimeter.

[aimedforthemoon]

A little while later, Esfir sits back and looks at her bookcase.

"What do you think?"