But I still wake up, I still see your ghost;

[youfallback]

Characters: Carolina and York
Date: Backdated to Tues or Weds
Location: York's suite, metal sector
Situation: Potentially awkward dinner with York and Carolina. Probably some small talk and serious discussions of Bad Things.
Warnings/Rating: Freelancer Things, awkward, etc. Maybe language.


[Things like having dinner shouldn't cause Carolina's stomach to twist and turn uncomfortably in her gut, but if they're short talk after her arrival had told her anything, it was that things were unbearably different between them. Conversation wasn't easy, wasn't natural, wasn't anything like it used to be. Even under the intense pressure of the Project, they'd still managed to talk as people when the job was done.

As she approaches his door, she reminds herself that it can happen again. They can re-build; they have to be able to re-build and she refuses to believe otherwise. So, she's out of her armor, her braided back and dressed in something she'd found here on the turtle, an open-collared cross garment with plain trousers and boots. Not her usual style, but she hoped it'd give the aire of her being at least mildly comfortable instead of her armor.

After a moment of hesitation, she raps as gently as she can against the door before stepping back and reminding herself to breathe.]

Comments

[youfallback]

[Carolina's stirring some of her food up as he speaks and she snaps her gaze back up to him. It's a startling thing to hear, truth be told, just behind "you were my greatest creation." So she just kind of stares at him, a little shocked but not in a bad way, and pauses her chewing for a moment or two.]

[agentdork]

...was that the wrong thing to say?

[ He's not sure, honestly. York hesitates a moment and then pushes himself up, grabbing his bowl and starts to take it to get it washed, getting Kara's food set aside while he's at it. ]

[youfallback]

No, it's-- [But then he's getting up and guilt crushes down on her shoulders. She takes a moment to finish her meal before getting up to follow him in. She notices him setting food aside, but has obviously no clue about who it might before.] It was the right thing to say, York.

[agentdork]

[ His hands are still wet when he turns to take her bowl, reaching out with his left hand to touch her shoulder, gentle. This time, he doesn't pull away. ]

Okay.

[youfallback]

[She doesn't need to look down at his hand to know it's there and after a moment, she reaches up to touch his forearm lightly with her fingers. It's oddly relieving to be able to touch him, to just feel him warm underneath her fingertips and even while it's a huge breach in now non-existant protocols, it's something she's always wanted. Even more so now since she found his journals.

After a moment, she smiles a little more genuinely, her gaze meeting his if he doesn't turn away from her.] I missed you too.

[agentdork]

[ Oh, his heart. :(

York's smile widens just a touch, and he squeezes her shoulder lightly, drawing back only after a moment when he realizes they're just standing there. ]

How's your place, by the way?

[youfallback]

[When he draws back, Carolina tries to keep her fingers from trailing along his arm, reminding herself of where they are.]

It's nice. Met one of my neighbors already. [Not on purpose of course, but it was still progress, in her book.]

[agentdork]

...yeah? I'm assumin' they're not the one who called you a stalker, huh?

[ He's done good so far, keeping the touching to a manageable level- they're not a thing, goddamnit, and he'd been good at keeping those feelings down and away when they had been on the run but seeing her here and now is just a shock of cold water all over again and it aches. ]

[youfallback]

No, not the one who called me a stalker. [That at least earns a wider smile for a flash of a moment.] My neighbor's name is Bruce. Bruce Wayne.

[agentdork]

Think I've heard of him, but I don't know.

[ York shoves his hands in his pockets a moment and then realizes her bowl and such needs cleaned and takes that to the sink, rolling his sleeves up to start washing it. ]

So, I-- you mentioned Wash was alive. Is he-- okay?

[youfallback]

[When York rolls up his sleeves, Carolina reaches over for a towel to help dry things as he finishes washing them. It also allows her to stand closer with the easy excuse of 'we don't want to drop a dish.']

Yeah. He's got a good group of friends now. [Whoops that sure came out 100% wrong.] He let go of things a lot earlier than I did.

[agentdork]

That's-- I'm glad.

[ He knows what she meant, and passes her dishes carefully, looking down at the suds a little regretful. ]

Kid never deserved to get as deep as he did.

[ And York doesn't even know how bad it got. ]

[youfallback]

[Carolina accepts the bowl and starts drying it with her usual level of efficiency.]

No. No, he didn't. [Really, none of them deserved what had happened. None of them deserved to be part of an attempt to bring back the dead.] None of us did.

[agentdork]

...No. That's true, we didn't.

[ Thought they were fighting for the greater good, all of that bullshit, and-- well. No, no, they weren't. It was a sobering realization. ]

[youfallback]

[She's grateful that she doesn't have to explain at least that part to him. He knows what the Director did to the Alpha, had tried to convince her that the Director wasn't doing the right thing and she hadn't listened.]

We're here now. [She does her best to sound mildly hopeful, to really grasp what she'd said to Church.] We've got a chance to move forward.

[agentdork]

Moving forward isn't so hard, either.

[ York finishes the dishes and turns to her, leaning against the counter, smiling just a little. It widens, as he realizes it's true- they can really do this, they can be okay. Now, she can too. ]

[youfallback]

[When he finishes washing the dishes, Carolina sets about drying them off. His smile does grant her some relief as she works and she's glad that he's taking something good out of this.] No, it's not.

[Okay, so that one's a lie, but she's working on making it a truth.]

[agentdork]

[ Except, it's not home. It's not where Delta is, it's not in the past where he has a chance of fixing things. York glances at her, wanting to ask about Texas, about if she knows if she's okay, but he knows better than to do that. ]

So what now?

[youfallback]

[She finishes drying the dishes as he asks his question and she's not sure if he means what they're going to do after cleaning up or what they're going to do in a more abstract sense.]

Re-building was my plan. [She's going to try and go for the abstract sense.]

[agentdork]

Here? Or back home?

[ Since he's not sure what she's going back to, honestly, and that's probably the most important part. ]

[youfallback]

Woke up in the ocean here. [Which, really, had been incredibly frustrating the first couple days, but she's coming to slowly accept it. She wanted Church around to help with that, but that's just how things seem to work here.]

[agentdork]

[ York nods, glancing at the couch, touching her arm lightly to see if she wants to join him over there rather than standing around in the kitchen. ]

At least this place isn't so bad.

[youfallback]

[She nods and heads over toward the couch but not straying too far from him. After all these years, getting to touch him is probably the best thing she's had.]

Depends on the part of town. [Unfortunately, that was a little more bitter than she intended.]

[agentdork]

...yeah, it ain't all butterflies and sunshine.

[ He can't stop the wryness to his tone, either, because he knows. ]

[youfallback]

[Carolina settles down on the couch without much ado, leaning on her elbow on the back of the couch and keeping her body language open.]

It really isn't.