Thirtieth PSI

[a_gentle_boy]

[action, dated back a few days]

Comments

1 - hope this is okay!

[thief_of_truth]

[Kay's walking through the park and almost misses Lucas on her way through, but catches him just as she's leaving and doubles back. He looks pretty upset about something, so she approaches slowly.]

...Hey. Everything okay?

Of course!

[a_gentle_boy]

[As he hears someone calling to him, Lucas quickly wipes at his eyes before glancing up, smiling tremulously when he sees who it is.]

Hi, Kay. Uh-huh. Everything . . . Everything's fine.

[thief_of_truth]

...You don't look fine.

[a_gentle_boy]

Um.

It's nothing too important. Just. A close friend of mine's . . . gone. I know crying doesn't help anything, but . . .

[Lucas tries to speak as casually as he can. He knows it's stupid to cry.]

1 - /slides in early.

[ergaleomancer]

[[Theta tries to get a walk in every day, and frequently that brings her to the park, even to the furthest corners. She doesn't particularly like children, but she's also making a very conscious effort to try to fake it and be nice. She hasn't missed the fact that it's a boy, or at least what looks at first glance like a boy, and boys rarely cried in her world. That meant whatever it was was serious to him. She limped over and sat down heavily on the bench, and stayed still awkwardly for a moment before speaking, her voice strained as the normally loud and abrasive man tried to force herself to speak in a gentle tone.]]

Good day. ...Are you...going to be all right?

[[She puts her hand on the back of the bench, leaving herself open to be hugged, but not going so far as to actually offer one to him.]]

[a_gentle_boy]

[The unexpected appearance of the stranger is a surprise to him, and although he is quite fond of hugs, his instinctive reaction to a stranger is closer to aversion. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even be certain that she wasn't a drone . . . Her injury would suggest otherwise, but it was possible. Regardless, it was embarrassing to be seen like this, and so he dries his tears and briefly flashes a pale smile.]

I-I'll be fine, miss. Thanks . . .

[ergaleomancer]

[[She almost corrects him about calling her miss, but it's a lot of trouble to explain and he doesn't look like he can handle it. She doesn't buy his smile, though.]]

You certainly don't look it. ...Let me guess, someone's been droned?

[[It isn't a hard guess for Theta--it's the only thing like death here, and the only thing that she thinks would warrant tears.]]

[a_gentle_boy]

Um.

[Lucas had a lie ready in place. He'd been running when he'd tripped and twisted his ankle and it had hurt quite a lot. But if she'd guessed so quickly, there wasn't much point in it.]

It's silly, but I couldn't help it.

3

[rapier_ex]

-Virginia eventually trots up on Quicksilver, giving Lucas a smile.-

Never knew you were a shutterbug.

[a_gentle_boy]

[All trace of his tears are gone by now, and he smiles softly back.]

Hi, Miss Virginia. A-Ah. I'm sorry, I don't think I understood what you said . . .

[rapier_ex]

You know, right? Shutterbug? Camera enthusiast?

[a_gentle_boy]

Oh! . . . Only recently. It's really neat, isn't it? Being able to capture people's images so quickly like this.

er, right, I guess I should say this is option 3, sorry ^^;;;

[has_a_name]

*a certain somebody is at the park at the lake, holding a briefcase and looking at the still duck-less pond with a vaguely forlorn look*

No problem.

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas, too, eventually wanders over to the pond, thinking that the reflections would make for pretty pictures. He slows down as he approaches, pausing as he sees the woman.

She looks a bit sad.]

Hi, Miss Nanashi . . .

[has_a_name]

... oh...

*she turns*

... hello, Lucas...

[a_gentle_boy]

[By this time, there's no sign that Lucas had been upset earlier. He approaches.]

Is everything alright?

A

[ra_ra_razputin]

[OH NO NOT AGAIN. This is the third person he's come across in almost as many days! But as this is sort of Raz's job he's gonna come over and try to help anyway.]

H-hey! Are you okay?

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas looks up at the voice, surprised, then quickly turns his head away. He probably should've gone home to cry . . . ]

I-I'm fine. I'm fine . . .

[ra_ra_razputin]

No, you're not. But if you wanna be alone, I don't blame you.

[a_gentle_boy]

Sorry.

[Lucas doesn't make any indication of whether he wants to be alone or not. Actually, he is apologizing more for, in his mind, 'making a scene'.]