fandomtownies | Fandom Post Office, Wednesday (11/21)

She has class second period, otherwise she's here to assist you.

The milkshake ninja wasn't exactly being so ninja-like today, as he slipped into the post office and set his offering on the counter with a light smile.

"Brought you a milkshake," he said, in case, you know, she hadn't noticed.

Beauty looked up with a relieved smile from her book, and reached out for the milkshake, although she hoped to catch A.J.'s hand as well.

"Strange kind of week, isn't it?" she said softly. "I, um...guess I seemed pretty stupid on Sunday. Unless that wasn't...I mean, maybe you don't remember..."

[ooc: Sounds like a good plan to me!]

"No, I remembered," A.J. said with a nod, letting Beauty catch his hand and giving it a little squeeze before drawing it away and shoving it nervously back into his pocket. "It was kind of awkward, wasn't it? I didn't know I was older, you didn't know I expected you to be. It was just...a, um, weird experience all around, really..."

Frowning a little at A.J.'s nervousness, Beauty fidgeted a bit with the cup between her hands.

"I missed the radio broadcasts over the past few days," she offered, just in case there had been something that A.J. was embarrassed over and hoping she hadn't heard about. Because really, she could imagine plenty of times when there were things she'd just as soon people not get gossip reports about. "Was it...did you have fun? Being from your future and everything?"

Ducking his head slightly, A.J. scratched the back of his head. "It was...okay. Um, interesting, I guess, and then, wouldn't you know it, yesterday, I woke up, and was back to how I am as you see me today. But, uh..."

Well, as far as most of his segues into things like this went, A.J. was feeling this was a pretty good one. "I...kinda woke up with Annette."

It was an excellent segue, in fact for a moment Beauty didn't really even notice anything of particular importance about the statement.

Then her eyes widened a bit, and hard on the heels of the initial twinge of jealousy came a worry that there'd be trouble for A.J. over that.

"Oh...she was...adult too, I suppose? There isn't going to be another fight, is there? I guess...I mean, you always have had a fondness for Annette..." Beauty couldn't help but wonder if she'd really been twenty years older, whether that might have been her, and her cheeks flushed.

"Anything that happened," A.J. assured her quickly, hands back out again and held up almost in defense, "happened when we were both consenting and single adults. It's just...timing worked out that when we woke up, that wasn't so much the case any more. I mean, we got past it, worked it out, I just...wanted to tell you because, you know, I just...I didn't want it just...coming up and making things...um, weird. Between....uh, you two."

Yeah, like he was really more worried about awkwardness between Beauty and Annette here...

Beauty was quiet for a long moment, as she sorted through all of her thoughts on the subject, decided which ones were rational and which weren't, and considered what she wanted to say. Then she gave A.J. a hesitant smile.

"I can't exactly hold a person's future against them, can I? And...I mean, it isn't like we're promised to each other or anything. You...I don't have any right to say what you do." She bit at her lip and dropped her gaze toward the floor. "I'm a little jealous. But I'm not going to be stupid over it."

Leaning forward a little with his elbows on the counter, A.J. couldn't help a small grin at hearing something like that, although he tried to bite it back. "Jealous? Really?"

Looking up with a worried expression, Beauty searched A.J.'s face for any indication that her admission had upset him. Seeing that little bit of a grin, she exhaled in relief and answered it with another tiny smile. "A little. I...wish I could be part of your life somehow, after we leave school. And...I suppose I'm a little jealous of what you and Annette have shared."

There was a soft smile for the first part, as he thought that they had kept in touch, thanks to letter, but he also realized that that wasn't at all what she meant and that last part made him drop his eyes for a moment. He didn't really know what to say to something like that, except, eventually, "You know?" His eyes stayed down, his cheeks starting to turn a little pink. "If...if I had the choice, to, you know, change, switch who was in that bed with me yesterday morning, I would..."

Face flushing again as well, Beauty ducked her head, but couldn't hide the smile that crept out. "You would? I mean..."

She wasn't sure exactly what to say, but it was a wonderful feeling that A.J.'s words created, and Beauty wished not for the first time that the school's housing arrangements allowed for just a little more privacy.

"I was glad to hear that we kept in touch," she finally murmured, glancing up through her hair.

[ooc: Will be on and off SP for a while as I am baking pies. :) ]

Biting his lip again against another light grin at her response, A.J. looked over at Beauty in a fashion not dissimilar from the way she was looking over at him. His words had put rather nice thoughts in his own head, too, thoughts that made him think now about pushing back that hair in her head softly, letting his hand linger lightly against her cheek, but...he didn't. He was reluctant, and didn't understand why, because it wasn't very logical. After words like that, it wasn't like she'd refuse or even dislike it. But for now, just smiling lightly at her, still too oddly nervous.

"So was I," he said quietly. "We should try more, though."

Once again, Beauty mentally bemoaned the fact that they always seemed to be talking across a counter. Especially with the way A.J. was looking at her. At his words, she shot him a bright smile, and nodded.

And then her face fell, as she remembered where it was she'd be going when the day came to leave Fandom. "Oh, I wish we could," she murmured.

A.J. frowned slightly at the dropped expression, and his head tilted in. "Why...why couldn't he?"

Even as he asked he felt, for some reason, like he knew, something about the past few days, but the details seemed fuzzy.

He had to have known, Beauty realized. The adult A.J. had to have known about her situation, it was the only way they could have corresponded.

"Do you remember being older? The things that you knew...or, I guess, will know in future?"

A.J. bit his lip almost guiltily, worrying, because, clearly, there was something he should be remembering, but couldn't. "Only what happened the past few days, to be honest," he admitted. "I mean, I mentioned a lot of stuff, but I can't really even remember doing that stuff? It's all fuzzy."

"Then I guess you probably don't remember anything I might have told you about where I'll be going after I'm finished with school."

Or before, for that matter, if the Beast got impatient.

Beauty began toying with her milkshake again, looking down at it rather than at A.J. "This probably isn't the best time or place to tell you the whole story. But there's this...kind of arrangement that I've promised myself to, on account of something that happened to my father, and after I leave here, I don't think I'll be able to ever come back. Or go anyplace else, I suppose."

A.J. blinked, the frown deepening, especially because he wasn't sure he understood. Or that he might understand, and didn't like what he was fathoming. "What...do you mean?" he asked, slowly, and then shook his head. "Er, um, we could...do you want to talk about it? We could, if you....you don't have to either," he added quickly. Partly because it made him nervous to hear something like that. "It's...up to you."

"I'd like to talk about it, A.J.," Beauty said quickly, looking up with a pleading expression. "It's hard sometimes to keep it all to myself."

Then she scowled and covered her face with her hand. "God, I'm sorry, I sound like such a baby."

"What are you talking about, Beauty?" A.J. frowned a little bit more still, but his expression was a sympathetic one as he reached out softly to draw her hand away from her face, ducking down if he had to to look at her. "You do not. You sound like there...something really big there..."

Beauty clasped her fingers around A.J.'s hand, exhaled a long breath, and then began to speak very quickly. "There's this wood near our home, and it's enchanted, because of a Beast who lives in it. A...man, under a spell that turned him into some kind of creature. And my father ran afoul of him, and the only way we could save him from being made a prisoner for the rest of his life was if one of us agreed to go in his place. That's where I thought I was headed, when I wound up here instead. To the castle."

It sounded so ridiculous, standing there in the post office and talking about things better left to legends.

If it weren't for the conglomeration of a varying factors, like the fact that he was a bit more open to things like that actually happening and the fact that Beauty could tell him it was raining on a clear day and he'd still believe her simply because she wasn't the type of person to just make something up at a time like this, A.J. probably would have thought it was ridiculous. But, as it was...

He frowned thoughtfully. "So....technically, that's where you should be now, but that didn't happen? And that's why you're always...why you sometimes say you don't know how much longer you'll be here...."

Nodding, Beauty said, "I don't know what happened, why I'm here instead of at the castle. I'd guessed that maybe...maybe he felt that I should have a chance to do something I've always wanted to do, first. He has to know, because if I just hadn't shown up, he'd have gone looking for my father, and that hasn't happened."

She shrugged one shoulder, and tried out a half-hearted smile. "So yes, that's why I say I don't know how long I have. And why I said I wished that there was a way to do more than just write to you."

The frown on A.J.'s face stayed, still thoughtful, with a nice touch of disappointment on how the image of him storming a castle for a rescue wasn't exactly working out well for anyone involved. Especially since he probably could never ride on a horse by himself ever. And then his brow furrowed. "Well, maybe, I mean...it's like...he doesn't know because by the time you get back, no time will actually have passed? Does that make sense? I mean, I was just myself from twenty years in the future; I'm not even from this time, but I'm here anyway, and you're not, so would it really be that....um, far-fetched if, like, no time at all was passing and that you'll be able to be here for a year or more or whatever, and still, this guy wouldn't even know the difference?"

And then he grew quiet at he looked at her, because now he sounded crazy.

At first, Beauty couldn't quite make heads or tales of what A.J. was saying, but as it slowly began to dawn on her what he meant, her expression brightened. "You mean that because of whatever causes all these strange things to happen here, that maybe...maybe so long as I didn't go back there, it wouldn't make any difference how long I was away, because none of its...it's like maybe none of it's happening there. I could even be here for years, and maybe that wouldn't matter, because the Beast can't tell, because it's not time for me to arrive yet."

Her hand tightened around his at the thought that maybe, if she was lucky and very careful how she went about it, she could have something of a real life after all.

"Exactly!" A.J. smiled, squeezing her hand back, although he really wasn't even sure exactly what she'd said, or even what he said, but, hey! It seemed to work, whatever it was, so that was good, and she wasn't all depressed anymore, and that's what mattered. "See, so it could all work out!"

"It could," Beauty agreed. She wasn't sure she really believed it, but the possibility was better than having no hope at all. "It's an interesting kind of story, I guess, when it doesn't involve you personally. If you'd like to hear the whole thing sometime."

Now she regretted not having told A.J. sooner, simply because somehow, he always managed to find a way to make her feel better.

A.J. nodded a little with a light smile. "If you don't mind," he said. "I mean, you can tell me when you're not working or something. Another time. I could...paint your toenails again and you can tell me. If you want."

A slight flush crept into Beauty's cheeks at the memory of what happened last time A.J. painted her toenails, but she smiled at the offer and leaned across the counter to kiss his cheek. "I think that sounds perfect, A.J. And not just because it means I get to be pampered by you some more."

"Well, I mean, I guess if that's a problem, you could pamper me for a change."

"I would gladly pamper you for a change," Beauty retorted. "You deserve it, after being so ill." She leaned her chin on her hand. "How would you like to be pampered?"

"I think you've owed me a foot massage for quite some time. Somehow, you keep managing to shirk out of it."

Beauty's mouth dropped open and she stared indignantly at A.J. "I do not! You keep coming up with other ideas is all."

She'd totally intended on making good on that offer, honestly. "Then that's what we'll do, and no changing your mind about things or trying to distract me this time."

"Fine," A.J. nodded firmly. "It's a deal."

Gladys is her usual self, and moddable.

The also-moddable post box is there as well.

Tired. :/

Fandom Post Office, Wednesday (11/21)

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Gladys

Post Box

OOC