(no subject)
Three hours. Three hours since Malone has gone missing. Or as Marguerite says, since he's not been here. He doesn't like it. And that damned fruit making everyone so bloody unconcerned...but Zhaan said there's no lasting effects from it, so Malone is his first priority. He could be in trouble. Hell, he probably was, knowing that boy.
One of the tents they were given by Kirin lights up in the night. Someone's returned.
"Malone?" Roxton asks, pushing the cloth aside.
Marguerite grins lazily up at him from the cushions, relaxing in her bodice. "You might have knocked," she purrs, getting to her feet.
"I'm still looking for Malone," he answers, coming in. He looks tired. He feels tired.
"Why?"
"Because I haven't found him yet."
"No, I mean why do you care? He's a big boy." She starts to circle him. "He's not your responsibility."
"You're all my responsibility," Roxton replies seriously, swivelling his head to follow her movements. She's stops behind him.
"Everyone?" she asks into his shoulder, eyes looking up at him. He loves her eyes. "Even me?" So full of emotion always, fiery when they're fighting, mischievous when she's teasing him. Or now, full of hope and desire.
She's never looked at him like that before.
"What's wrong with you?"
Marguerite's smile fades, but not her look. "Nothing's wrong." She reaches up to put one hand on his neck while the other takes off his hat, dropping it on the floor. "For the first time in my life, nothing at all is wrong." She leans up to kiss him and he lets her.
But he doesn't let it last long. "You've had too much wine," he says softly even as she puts both arms around him.
"It's not the wine, John," she smiles. "Or maybe it is, but...for the first time...I see everything so clearly. I see you," she caresses his face, her skin catching on the roughness of the shadow of his beard. "I see myself. Please don't make me be who I was." She takes a step away, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "Just let me be who I am." She tugs him down to the cushions with her. "Please, John. Just for tonight." She kisses him again, and again he pulls away.
"Malone-"
"Can take care of himself." This time he kisses back, his own hand coming up to entangle itself in her long dark locks as a harp begins to play somewhere outside.
Wait. He knows that tune.
"What?" Marguerite asks, trying to pull his face back to hers.
"Ode to Joy," he says, troubled, looking back at her. She lets out a soft laugh that's cut off by a sudden fierce kiss. "Later." Roxton climbs to his feet, grabbing his hat and ducking out of the tent.
He can hear Marguerite shouting after him, and he knows he'll catch hell for that later, but, well, when isn't Marguerite irritated with him? Right now...
"Where did you learn that?" he demands of the woman playing the harp.
She smiles and keeps playing. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Who taught you?" Roxton grabs her hand and the music stops. She looks up at him with a look of confusion.
"Let go of me."
"Was it Sinta? Or was it Veronica's parents?"
"You're upsetting me," she answers, refusing to look at him now.
"Kirin said he'd never heard of them," Roxton continues determinedly. "But that can't be, can it? Or how else would you know Beethoven?" He throws her hand down just in time for the guard behind him to place a hand on his shoulder. He turns to face the man.
"You're upsetting the lady," he says in that same flat tone most of the guards have here, but there's a look of warning about him. Roxton smiles apologetically.
"I'm sorry," he says simply before hitting the man in the stomach. The guard doubles and crumples to the ground. "My mistake."
Which is when the second guard cracks him in the back of the skull.
((Dialogue from the Lost World))
One of the tents they were given by Kirin lights up in the night. Someone's returned.
"Malone?" Roxton asks, pushing the cloth aside.
Marguerite grins lazily up at him from the cushions, relaxing in her bodice. "You might have knocked," she purrs, getting to her feet.
"I'm still looking for Malone," he answers, coming in. He looks tired. He feels tired.
"Why?"
"Because I haven't found him yet."
"No, I mean why do you care? He's a big boy." She starts to circle him. "He's not your responsibility."
"You're all my responsibility," Roxton replies seriously, swivelling his head to follow her movements. She's stops behind him.
"Everyone?" she asks into his shoulder, eyes looking up at him. He loves her eyes. "Even me?" So full of emotion always, fiery when they're fighting, mischievous when she's teasing him. Or now, full of hope and desire.
She's never looked at him like that before.
"What's wrong with you?"
Marguerite's smile fades, but not her look. "Nothing's wrong." She reaches up to put one hand on his neck while the other takes off his hat, dropping it on the floor. "For the first time in my life, nothing at all is wrong." She leans up to kiss him and he lets her.
But he doesn't let it last long. "You've had too much wine," he says softly even as she puts both arms around him.
"It's not the wine, John," she smiles. "Or maybe it is, but...for the first time...I see everything so clearly. I see you," she caresses his face, her skin catching on the roughness of the shadow of his beard. "I see myself. Please don't make me be who I was." She takes a step away, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "Just let me be who I am." She tugs him down to the cushions with her. "Please, John. Just for tonight." She kisses him again, and again he pulls away.
"Malone-"
"Can take care of himself." This time he kisses back, his own hand coming up to entangle itself in her long dark locks as a harp begins to play somewhere outside.
Wait. He knows that tune.
"What?" Marguerite asks, trying to pull his face back to hers.
"Ode to Joy," he says, troubled, looking back at her. She lets out a soft laugh that's cut off by a sudden fierce kiss. "Later." Roxton climbs to his feet, grabbing his hat and ducking out of the tent.
He can hear Marguerite shouting after him, and he knows he'll catch hell for that later, but, well, when isn't Marguerite irritated with him? Right now...
"Where did you learn that?" he demands of the woman playing the harp.
She smiles and keeps playing. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Who taught you?" Roxton grabs her hand and the music stops. She looks up at him with a look of confusion.
"Let go of me."
"Was it Sinta? Or was it Veronica's parents?"
"You're upsetting me," she answers, refusing to look at him now.
"Kirin said he'd never heard of them," Roxton continues determinedly. "But that can't be, can it? Or how else would you know Beethoven?" He throws her hand down just in time for the guard behind him to place a hand on his shoulder. He turns to face the man.
"You're upsetting the lady," he says in that same flat tone most of the guards have here, but there's a look of warning about him. Roxton smiles apologetically.
"I'm sorry," he says simply before hitting the man in the stomach. The guard doubles and crumples to the ground. "My mistake."
Which is when the second guard cracks him in the back of the skull.
((Dialogue from the Lost World))