[private]

[subversion]

It's been a few hours. No, the tea didn't help; he's nervous, twitchy, can't keep still. Obviously the thing to do is wall himself up in a kitchen and cook with ridiculous amounts of onions.

[[OOC: private to stripesandheels. Adult content further down.]]

Comments

[stripesandheels]

[She makes it back, mostly intact- no. Who is she kidding? One thigh high has come off her garter belt, and rolled down. Her dress is rumpled, her hair is a mess. She ignores him, as she comes into the room, and drifts to the cupboard to get a glass down for water.

Higher than a fucking kite, would be the expression.]

[stripesandheels]

Unless you hate me for what happened. You'd be well within your right to. I think it might have been one of the worst things I've ever done to another person.

Except for shooting that guy in the foot, and the thing with the stolen cars, and hacking NASA.

[subversion]

[And it's so stupid, isn't it? He's always known he's better alone; people aren't worth bothering with. And if he was going to pick someone out of the crowd, it would never have been anyone like her.]

... you hacked NASA?

[stripesandheels]

Yeah, when I was like, twelve. I hit teenaged rebellion early- or maybe it was abandonment rage. Either way, I acted out pretty hard around then. Mostly electronically. I'd hit almost every covert agency I could find before I was seventeen.

[subversion]

I'm impressed.

[He really is; that's an accomplishment he can, deep down, relate to.]

You know, Ryuuzaki gave me a hard time about that when I got here.

[stripesandheels]

Hey, so I'm really fucked up. Tell me clearly- are we being friends, now?

[subversion]

I don't know any more.

[It's true enough. The floor's all lumps and bumps beneath him.]

[stripesandheels]

Okay. Let's make more rules.

[subversion]

[It's the first time he's really looked at her since she came in. Her eyes are gaping open.]

You don't believe in rules. I know that much.

[stripesandheels]

I do when they matter, Light.

[subversion]

[He's ready to just tell her to go. Get out. Never speak to me again. She's asking him what he wants, and - when was the last time he was allowed to want anything? When has he worked for something he truly wanted? Never.]

Do you remember that one episode where Picard died? I bet you do.

[stripesandheels]

Who am I in this metaphor? Q, or the Nausican?

[subversion]

Interesting. I think you're stellar cartography.

[stripesandheels]

You're being really obscure, or I took more than I thought.

[subversion]

[The whisk's resting on top of the bowl, half-forgotten as his fingertips weave tiny webs in the air. His eyes never leave hers.]

Picard was given the chance to go back in time, to make his life different. To put right something he thought had gone wrong, you see? But when he did - rather than captaining the Enterprise, he found himself a junior lieutenant. Working in stellar cartography.

[Breaking off, with a half-smile.]

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you're the starship. But that's a little gaudy as metaphors go.

[stripesandheels]

[She's the boring thing he ends up with if he fucks up his life? She didn't think it was possible to be even more hurt, but that does it.]

Maybe the mansion is Q. Like, really.