all the missing pieces of my heart

[edgeoftheknife]

Characters: Raine and Erskine
Date: 2/14
Location: Some swanky restaurant
Situation: Without their significant others, they might as well hit the town for Valentine's Day to cheer each other up
Warnings/Rating: Probably none



It was tempting to hole up in the shelter and forget all about Valentine's Day. Without the relentless push of the candy companies and the greeting card corporations, it wouldn't be all that hard to forget about the day altogether here in Keeliai. One or two Foreigners might mention it, but Erskine could ignore the network for a day or two.

Except he wasn't the only one alone, was he? Hell, he ought to be used to it--he'd spent most of his life alone. There were other people, people he cared about, who had it just as bad, if not worse. He'd pushed Solomon to propose to Raine, and then shortly after the wedding....

Raine being alone on Valentine's Day wasn't precisely his fault, but some of the pain of it probably was. The least he could do was try to help, even if only a little. Distract, maybe. Which was why he was waiting for Raine outside one of the nicest restaurants in the Fire District on the night of the fourteenth, determined to... well. Be a distraction, if nothing else. Smile and crack jokes and tell stupid stories. He could probably pull that off.

Comments

[ruinsprofessor]

She hadn't been expecting the invitation, but it was a sweet one. And if it gave her an excuse to see that Erskine was doing well, then so much the better, really.

So Raine met Erskine outside the restaurant, with a fair approximation of a smile and her staff nowhere to be seen. She'd dressed up a little, though her hair was the same as ever, and the bracelets she wore -- including the Asclepius charm he'd once given her -- were in evidence, rather than hidden beneath her sleeves. "There you are," she said, when she'd oriented on him, and made a beeline for him. "It's always good to see you, Erskine."

He seemed well enough, on a first glance at least.

[edgeoftheknife]

Erskine wore suits like a second skin, so it was hard to tell when he was truly 'dressed up.' The only reason it was evident this time was because he'd actually broken out the black Bespoke suit he kept in his closet for special occasions. It wasn't every day an impeccably tailored, bullet-proof suit was called for.

(Hopefully the bullet-proof part wasn't actually going to be called for.)

He smiled as Raine approached, torn between whether to offer a hug or a kiss on the cheek or... nothing at all. Raine had never seemed terribly comfortable with friendly displays of the kind, even when she'd been trying to comfort him after reappearing in Keeliai. In the end he settled for reaching out to rest a hand behind her elbow, figuring Raine could make the determination about whether a hug was called for.

"Thanks for coming. I thought it was a better idea than sitting inside and sulking all night."

[ruinsprofessor]

She'd known Erskine long enough she didn't have any especial reservations about drawing him the rest of the way into a hug, and her touch was light but genuine.

"You're right," she agreed easily, when she'd stepped back to take his arm. "If it wasn't for this, I'd likely be at my research again. And while that has its merits, several of my friends have pointed out that I could do better about taking breaks."

If nothing else, she can do so in memory of Skulduggery's many efforts to drag her out and give her a hobby.

"And it's kind of you to offer."