[log] pleased to meet you

[lowtohigh]

It isn't easy, planning around Argine's health. Now and then, after all, she simply can't keep an appointment, simply needs to stop and sit, simply stops being a Ten and a mother and becomes a woman struggling against her own mortality. There's a good deal of hoping when it comes to setting dinner dates. A good deal of hoping in general.

But tonight was going to go well. The date had been set a week in advance, and was going to stick. The former Queen has been resting all day, her former Ace hovering and attending with nervous energy. The kitchens had been more than happy to pull together an early meal for three, to drag a table up to Argine's quarters and find a comfortable chair for the woman to rest easy in during an extended conversation. Everything is falling into place. Eileen should be ecstatic.

Is, in some ways. And is also starting to get ridiculously nervous, the way a young person gets when introducing their significant other to their only living parent.

So as the hour draws near, Eileen worries. Frets. Helps her mother pull herself properly into the semblance of the regal woman she used to be and get her settled in at the table. Argine's tsk is soft as she smooths her daughter's cheek, tells her to run along and get ready, not worry so much about an old woman.

She barely sees herself in the mirror as she throws on a bit of makeup, runs her hands through her hair ineffectually and calculates that she doesn't actually have enough time to change out of her usual fare.

Goes to loiter nervously at the door and wait for CJ to arrive. Maybe stealing a kiss before bringing him in will soothe her jangling.

Comments

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

The reassurance is nice, at least. The squeeze of his fingers around hers, the warms of his arm on her shoulder, the bright smile on his face.

She shifts contentedly against him, gets her legs pressed slightly against his as she tilts her head away from his with a brow arched.

"Is it really that simple? Chili fries?"

Of course it is. He'd always been so good about that--making the world simple. Manageable. Had been telling her since they were children that she made things too complicated.

thank god for lazarus, or Id have to retype by hand every other post.

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

It's a soft laugh he emits while looking at that cute face she makes when she doesn't quite believe something, murmuring "Probably. Then again, with you cuddled up against me I'd be happy eating worms." Life is simple. Find something you love, and hold on. Hold on no matter what. Find joy in little things, every day things, don't let unnecessary stress bog you down.

Spend time with the people you love, your family, eat things that taste good, and things that aren't your favorite too. Take naps on sundays, rest on the day of rest the lord has given you. Pray in thanks, not just when you are troubled. Simple. It could always get more complicated if you went further out than that, but why? Follow the basic rule: make others happy the way you wish they made you happy.

Everything else worked itself out.

"Aren't you happy too? Sitting here with me, your mom liking me, getting ice cream for dinner? Isn't that all we really need? Each other, something yummy, the love of our parents?"

LJ o999

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

That... requires actual thought. She doesn't mean for her smile to fade or her nose to wrinkle slightly in concentration.

But she's not certain. She is happy, really, with this. She's got her health, a good man who adores her beyond belief, a comfortable position in her Suit and, for the moment, her mother--and her mother's approval of everything she was.

What else could there be?

"...I'm happy," she decides after a few beats, settling back more properly against his shoulder. "But..."

But she needed to be Ace again. She needed to accomplish something, be known for herself and not for what her parents had done in her childhood.

He understood that, didn't he?

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

She was thinking again, that little wrinkle in her nose. That adorable little wrinkle that meant she was over-complicating things again. It made him smile, the little fold of skin. It made her adorable. He loved that about her.

Pulling her close, kisses her forehead gently, and squeezes "You'll get it back, and maybe then you'll want for nothing else. I'll be there to make sure you have all the other things that make you happy. At least, that's what I'm hoping."

"And every step from here to there, too. Be happy Eide, I want to fill your life with joy."

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

It's not so bad to get tangled up in thoughts when she's got him at her side to kiss at her forehead when her brow sets to furrowing. It's impossible, after all, to keep the expression in place with the warmth of his lips against her skin. Completely soothing to have him so close, looking after her, keeping her grounded.

Her brow is clear as she leans back, smiles quietly back at him and lifts one hand to smooth back his hair just briefly. Just for a bit of contact.

"It is. Mostly. The bits with you in it, anyway." Her sigh is soft, not unhappy. "It's going to be a long road, you know, CJ. A lot more stress."

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

"Then I'll be in as many bits as possible, if that's all it takes." His other arm reaches out her to give her a proper hug, to envelop her and keep her safe, even just in spirit for those long years ahead.

"Just remember, every time you feel stressed, that you're working towards something. And the journey is what shapes you, and what makes it worth it. Like those models. The paper ones? Mine aren't perfect. Bad folds, too much glue, too little glue, crooked walls. A lot of time and effort going into them to build them. But it's the imperfections that make them mine, make them unique, make them important to me, make me love the finished product. You taught me that when we were little, remember? When we built that boat together."

He gives her a soft squeeze, brushing his lips against her ear "This is the same. Remember the journey, the mistakes. They're what help you learn, how you improve, what will make you appreciate finally getting there, the most. And I'll be right beside you when I can, helping you fold, singing songs to you, applying glue, reminding you that it's ok to smile."

/magic hands

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

She fits in his arms so snugly. His words hit her core so precisely. There's not much more in the world she'll ever need but this to keep her sane when the world starts to turn upside down all over again.

Without that first boat to glue them together for the rest of their lives.

"What would I do without you, mm?" She swivels for a careful kiss against his lips. "Yo sería totalmente perdida. I'd be a completely different person, I'm sure."

A much angrier person. A colder person. A person actually teetering on the edge of breaking.

/applause!

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

She started it, he's just repaying the favor. She said the same thing to him when they were little, just with children's words. Almost. She was never, sadly, quite a child.

"No se... algo. But I'm here, and you're here, and that's what matters. You're you now, and we will never know. But I love this you, because you're wonderful." he kisses back, caressing her cheek.

And then the food comes, and ruins the moment, almost. But he kisses her cheek and thanks the waitress again, keeping her close. He grabs a fork and stabs some saucy, cheesy fries, murmuring "Ice cream first? or fries?" wiggling the fork as he looks at her. "Ladies first"

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

No moment ruined. Not really. Because at the end of every moment, they're still sitting next to each other, just like this. This moment, the next moment, all the moments after this.

Her own fingers catch at the spoon, lift a scoop of ice cream toward him. "Trade you."

And open goes her mouth, expectant and trusting.

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He moves the arm around her shoulder to cup his hand beneath her chin as he lifts the messy fork towards her mouth, and inside. As soon as it's in place he leans closer and Ahuummm's around her spoon, mm'ing when his lips pull back and he kisses her wear.

"Delicious."

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

Silly noises, of course, are absolutely required while taking a bite off someone else's fork, so she manages a satisfying 'nom' sound as her own lips close around the spicy mess he's offering. It's just a little much, and she sets the spoon down to grab a napkin and dab at her lips as she chews.

"Slightly more delicious than shepherd's pie."

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He laughs "Only just." He stabs more fries and leans over the plastic basket to not spill on his own pants, when he pushes them into his mouth, and chews, warm and spicy behind sweet and cold. It's good, and he exhales, stroking circles along her arm.

"Ok so, how do we convince my parents that you are as amazing as you are?" he licks the spicy sauce off his lip.

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

She hums softly, takes a scoop of ice cream to chase the spice. All in all, a lovely sort of dinner. Or, at least, a lovely way to be ending the day with him.

The question, however, has her properly sighing, blowing cool air through her lips and slumping very slightly. "Maybe that should wait. It might not be so bad when I'm Ace again, right?"

That might cancel out the not being Spanish or Catholic or without blood on her hands.

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He laughs, giving her a soft nudge "You know, it doesn't have to be now. But we could start planning now." He spears more gooey fries, but waits to lift them.

"Mm, maybe, but that's less important to them than it is to you. They just don't know you yet. Only 'of' you." He grins, caressing her hair. "You like Spanish food, right? Maybe if you came on a Sunday, that might impress them. But, it's a long day, and you'd have to face mama Ramos, and everyone else. Not just my parents."

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

"Everyone at once? What, at church?"

It's actually quite unlikely he's seen her frightened before. Not much has seem worthy of fearing, after all, since she was somewhere between ten and twelve years of age. She's faced the life-threatening with absolute equanimity.

But the idea of meeting his whole family at once? That sends a mildly terrified shiver up her spine. Clearly time for shoveling more ice cream into her mouth.

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

"No..." he frowns, sigh "You know I'm always busy on Sunday, all day, at least until late. That's because after church we all... it's just a Spanish thing. We eat, and talk and take a nap..." he laughs "It sounds so stupid."

But that look and the shiver against his arm has him pause, and he looks at her pushing ice cream into her mouth, murmuring "Ok... not Sunday... just my parents then." He looks worried though "Are you ok?"

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

The shake of her head is quick, easy, and the press of her lips against his cheek lightly just a little cool, sticky. "It doesn't sound stupid. It's nice."

There was, after all, a lot she was going to have to learn about being part of a big family, at least eventually. Baby steps, however, would clearly be necessary.

"I'm fine." She drags the spoon idly through the ice cream for a moment, tracing patterns almost unconsciously. "It's just... I want them to like me."

Somehow, this felt almost, almost as important as knowing she could be Ace again.

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He combs his fingers through her hair, smiling "Maybe not."

He takes his bite, chewing before he grins, sighing "Me too. They just have the wrong idea." He leans back and stares at the ceiling, sucking on his lip. "Hmmm... well I guess we can just let it wait. But I don't care what they think, I just got your mom to accept me as your boyfriend, so I'm not going to let you go. That's final."

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

Of course it's final. Of course, even if her mother had disapproved, they would have managed to stick it out. And of course they could let it wait.

But.

"...they have the wrong idea? What idea do they have?"

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He coughs around his fries, and covers his mouth "... That since you're not a catholic, you're some kind of anti-catholic atheist who is willing to kill people to become ace again?" His voice lifts higher, an octave, almost falsetto as he ends in a question.

He blushes, shrugging softly "They just have no idea that you're smart, and beautiful, and kind, and not a killer, and not anti-catholic?" a slightly less high pitched question this time.

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

"...I can do that." She's not, after all, anti-Catholic. Or a killer in cold blood. And CJ, at least, thought she was kind and beautiful, and certainly there were few people in the world who wouldn't call her smart.

She sets the spoon down completely for a moment, shifts to settle against his shoulder properly just a moment.

"I'll wear a longer skirt, nn?"

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He holds her again, sighing into her hair as his other hand drops to just gently touch her bare thigh "Yeah, if we added immodest to the package, they'd really dislike you." He smirks, and clings to her.

"You're amazing, we just need to help them see what I know to be true."

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

She can't help that her leg shift slightly toward him as his fingers brush over it. The words that accompany the touch, at least, have her pulling her knees together properly tight again.

"You'll have to coach me, nn? What I should say and wear and all that."

[jovencitobaston.livejournal.com]

He pats her thigh gently and pulls his hand away, because lingering there is just going to lead to something less than good for public consumption before he shrugs. "Just wear a skirt that goes to the knee, instead of upper thigh, and be yourself. You're smart, Eileen. You're very interesting. You have goals, but that's good. People our age don't usually have goals. And if you compliment my mother on her cooking, you'll be at least half way there. And try to eat anything she puts on your plate. She's not as bad as my grandmother, but... it's just what they do. Feed people."

He rubs his hair "Um, anything else... anything else..." It takes him a minute "My dad likes classical music. So do you, you could talk to him about that?"

[lowtohighest.livejournal.com]

"Eat and talk about classical music. That's not so bad." There were plenty of conservative skirts and blouses and sensible shoes to wear. "That's really all there is to it, then?"

Something good to focus on. This would go well. At least as well as tonight had gone with her own mother.

Right? Right.

And yes, more ice cream.