(Untitled)

[emptiedstreets]

Ronan Nolan's got a corner booth, table covered with his usual avalanche of school notes, textbooks, and several empty mugs of tea.

He's bobbing his head to the music playing over his headphones; after a moment or two, the Irish wizard begins singing along-- softly at first, and then increasingly loudly as he forgets himself.

"--isolation

Comments

[nita_callahan]

Nita's just going to lean here against the booth and see how long it take him to notice her.

(It might have something to do with the fact that as soon as she actually talks to him, it's going to get awkward. Maybe.)

[emptiedstreets]

"MOTHER I TRIED PLEASE BELIEVE ME," Ronan continues, voice now approaching something near a dull roar. "I'M DOING THE BEST THAT-- oh goddamnit."

He bangs his head against the table with some force.

"How long were you standing there, then?"

[nita_callahan]

She snorts. "Just a minute or two."

Folding her arms -- "This is an interesting change. Normally I'm the one getting surprised."

[emptiedstreets]

"Turn about's fair play, then," Ronan says dryly.

[nita_callahan]

"It's kind of fun.

"Lotta work?"

[emptiedstreets]

"Little bit," Ronan says by way of reply.

The 'pretend nothing happened' gambit seems to be working well so far. Might as well keep it going, he reckons.

[nita_callahan]

"Should I not bother you?"

The lightness there is just a little forced.

[emptiedstreets]

"If that's what works for you."

Ronan scowls up at her.

"I--" he begins, and then swallows the rest with a bitter twist of his lips.

[nita_callahan]

She frowns. "What?"

[emptiedstreets]

"I have a lot of revision to do," Ronan says curtly. "And I'm--"

He lets out an explosive blast of air between his teeth.

"Look. I'm-- I-- focking hell," and the next is a truly ear-blistering blast of profanity in Gaelic.

[nita_callahan]

"Jesus, Ronan--"

She straightens up, abruptly.

"And I kissed that m--?"

The rest is cut off by her slapping her hand over her own mouth, mortified.

[emptiedstreets]

Ronan watches her, eyes dark.

"Won't happen again, then. Since it seems to be-- distressin'."

[nita_callahan]

Which is enough to make her drop her hand to snap, "Distressing? I'm not the one who ran away."

[emptiedstreets]

"S'what I'm best at," Ronan says, hands circling the headphones resting against his chest. "Buggerin' off."

[nita_callahan]

"If I didn't know better, I might believe that."

[emptiedstreets]

"Yeah? Well, then-- pay attention." Ronan begins gathering up the papers and books, stuffing them back into his knapsack. "Because you're about to have front-row seats to a demonstration of one Ronan Nolan Jr, buggering off in finest style.

"Go-- go find your Kit, do a bang-up wizardry, and--"

The next is said under his breath, only barely audible.

"Get out of my head."