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[futures_of_ash]

It had not been a good week for Rachel. She could admit that to herself. For reasons various and sundry she knew that she should not be indoors. No, not when she was on edge and almost snarling at shadows...

But she was on shift. She had a Duty, and she would not abandon that, no matter how hard, personally, the endurance of walls

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[gotham_knocking]

There's a tiny voice in Alex's head that's telling him it would be smart not to go that close to Rachel. It's the same voice that tells him to avoid dark alleys, riots and political fundraisers.

So today he's going to tread carefully. And those questions he had about Goldilocks? Maybe some other time.

"Hey." He is seated at the bar, coffee and newspaper at hand.

[futures_of_ash]

"Hey" she echoed in passing, a wash of heat crossing from one side of his back to the other as she paced past him.

"How'd it go?" just because she was edgy though, didn't mean she forgot the important things in life.

[gotham_knocking]

Hard to miss that flare of warmth. Hard not to wonder about it.

"It went really well. The restaurant was great, she was gorgeous, and we played such a nasty prank on someone. It was everythng we hoped for." He smiles wickedly.

[futures_of_ash]

"Good" it was almost a growl, but unintentionally. She was still pacing though, her voice oddly clear no matter how far she managed to move away.

"Prank?"

[gotham_knocking]

Still to the story. Ignore the feeling that she's not herself. She likes stories, he knows that.

"Well, Raps and I were joking about how we could tell people that I could afford a new apartment because I had a sugar mamma...a woman keeping me? So we decided that she would pretend to be that woman, and that we'd show each other off to an old...associate I never liked. He fell for it. Couldn't believe that any woman that beautiful would even talk to me, let alone support me. You should have seen his face.

"It was really fun. Kinda wild."

[futures_of_ash]

This was Rachel stressed, on the lake she would have been far calmer. It had that effect on her.

"I never understood that" she stated, less growl in that one, seemed stories really did help. She didn't elaborate for several minutes though "Thinking looks had anything to do with life."

[gotham_knocking]

He's gonna ask, right. He's gonna ask what's wrong. But he needs to work his nerve up. He can put on an act and play the kept man in a room full of strangers, and he can't just ask his friend? Can he?

"It's...it's a guy thing, I think. We like to be with pretty women, and never mind that some pretty women are absolute bitches, and that some of the nicest women are not so pretty. It's like a competition.

"And I'm not going to deny that I was attracted to Raps right away becuase she's so...well, attractive.

"But she thinks I'm handsome. I'm not going to deny that I don't think i'm that good looking. So she must see something I don't. So yeah, there's more to life." And she's the only person he's likely to admit this to.

[futures_of_ash]

Rachel tilted her head to the side, slowing her pacing as she contemplated that revelation. It was a distraction, and distractions were good!

"I...don't see people like that. Unless I try. Everybody is beautiful..."

[gotham_knocking]

He considers this. "Then you're pretty unique, Rae. I think most of us, we look for beauty. Or money. Or some one thing we want. It would be nice if we could all be like that, but you know people." He shrugs.

"That said, I hope you'll forgive me if I find Raps, or Buffy, or Vicki Vale to be prettier than most. Guess I got a thing for blondes." He smirks.

[futures_of_ash]

"Everyone's light, and even the shadowed ones..." she shrugged, flame rippling with the motion as she sighed. Perhaps...unique vision aside...it was simply a matter of the dog looking up to humans.

Perhaps not.

"Blond is nice to play with" she agreed, hair wise of course.

[gotham_knocking]

"You've gone blonde?" The idea that Rachel would ever do that seems odd. Artificial. Not like her. (He doesn't like bottle blondes. Or at least, doesn't like knowing.)

[futures_of_ash]

"Gone blonde?" she repeated, not understanding the remark at all.

[gotham_knocking]

"Dyed your hair. You said that blonde is nice to play with." What else could she mean?

[futures_of_ash]

"Why would I have to dye my hair to play with hair?" she blinked, flame fading a moment.

"Real blonde is better, and I can see it better too."

[gotham_knocking]

"Oh...you mean other people's hair?" This must be some kind of girl thing, right? Because he doesn't think she means playing with a lover's hair. And perhaps because he can't really see that anyway.

"I agree. Though real blondes are few and far between." He smiles at the fact that he has one (and can be sure that a woman whose hair grows that fast is not using anything on it).

[futures_of_ash]

"Yeah" she admitted, pacing back and ruffling his hair gently. It felt like static electricity to no small extent...but she liked hair.

"They're not uncommon" she pointed out, puzzled. "In my worlds...."