(Untitled)

[liliesfromluce]

There's been a certain point that Luce has to admit that maybe, just maybe, there is no return for her. That maybe her one-way ticket to this place is going to be permanent and maybe she's here for some sort of karmic punishment because of Rachel or maybe she just needs the beach vacation

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[lastof_five]

"Dear God, I hope not," Helen said, laughing a little as she stepped around to face Luce. "I think being married to me would be incredibly...frustrating on many, many levels. Best to leave that to the professionals."

She gave her a quick little smile, smoothing down the front of her sundress. "Faring well, Luce?"

[liliesfromluce]

"Bored, occasionally, but bored is better than distressed, isn't it?" she points out, trying to feel optimistic as best as she can. "Hello, Helen," she greets. "You look lovely. Mark the loveliness with some flowers?" she offers, holding out the bouquet.

[lastof_five]

Helen took the flowers and lifted them to her nose, inhaling lightly.

"They're beautiful, as usual. I'll take them back with me and we can spruce up the hut. It's dreadfully lonely looking now."

[liliesfromluce]

"Any recent changes to make it so?" Luce asks, trying to keep casual, even though there's always the chance (the very bad chance) that 'lonely looking huts' is code for something bad. And while she wants to hear about it, she doesn't want to pour salt into a wound.

[lastof_five]

"Breakup," Helen said, deciding not to go in any further detail. At least, not right now. "It went a little less well than I expected it to, not that those things ever go easily. I could use the cheer of a nice set of flowers."

[liliesfromluce]

"Breakup flowers..." Luce says as she closes one eye in a dead-squint in order to give it a good thought. "Well, if we're going to think about those, I like bluebells. There's a sort of melancholy beauty to them."

[lastof_five]

"I've always been fond of them," Helen said, laughing a little at the absurdity of picking flowers for a breakup. "Did you know that blue is my favorite color? I've always been fond of violets though. My father used to say they reminded him of my eyes."

[liliesfromluce]

"I think it would suit you," Luce agrees, turning to regard Helen slightly better, her hand cupping her cheek soft as she can and staring up at her, looking carefully at the colour of her eyes. "The next party we have, you should wear a corsage. A tasteful and modern one, but you should," she insists.

[lastof_five]

"It can be a not so modern one," Helen said, shrugging a little. "I'm not such a modern woman, not really. I like old things, little touches of nostalgia. Far too few people stop to smell the roses these days, don't they?"

[liliesfromluce]

"Well, not when there's too much to distract away from roses, no," she admits with a rueful smile. "I'm the same, though. I mean, it's my business to love flowers, but put on a good match of football and I can barely remember there's anything else in the world."

[lastof_five]

Helen wrinkled her nose a little. "I never got into football so much. My best mates all loved it though so I was always a bit jealous."

She smiled a little. "I was always much more fond of a good book and a rainy afternoon."

[liliesfromluce]

"I did love a good heckling," she admits with a fond sigh, leaning her cheek on her palm, staring at Helen for a long moment. "I mean, there's not so much of that here. Not much sports at all, actually," she says, as though it's just occurred to her.

[lastof_five]

"I imagine the community aspect of it is nice," Helen said, trying to remember what James had loved about the sport. "I think common bonds amongst friends is one of the things this place is missing anyway...we're all from every corner of the earth, aren't we?"

[liliesfromluce]

"Well, you and I are from like places," Luce says with a big grin on her face that says how happy she is about that. "It's always nice to find other Brits about. Not that I dislike the americans, but you miss your own culture, it's true."

[lastof_five]

"I haven't been home in a very long time," Helen admitted. She didn't count the failed mission to protect the UK sanctuary amongst trips home, not by a long shot.

"You make me so nostalgic, Luce. I wouldn't have traded my work for anything, no, but being here...I don't even have the option of booking a flight for a holiday."

[liliesfromluce]

"I was heading to a holiday before I got here," Luce says ruefully as she works her fingers dextrously as she can in knotting up the ribbon best as she can. "I got my wish and then some. I'd have liked to have been home five months ago, really. Not that I dislike people here, but I miss my Mum and my business and my friends."