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Cabot and Associates - Tuesday, 10/6

Fiona hadn't really spoken to anyone. Fiona was, in fact, sort of avoiding people. That said, she couldn't avoid her job, or at least her work ethic wouldn't let her, and so she was here, sitting at the desk, completely unable to focus.

She was making a very good show of pretending to focus, however. You'd actually have to look at her notes to see that she'd written the same thing three times. You'd also have to know Japanese, Italian, and a Mandarin, but that was besides the point.

The Law offices were open.

[ocdless but I'm here!]

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It was also difficult to avoid people who didn't realize they were being avoided. Griff showed up bearing two cups of coffee, made just the way he liked it (so sugar, sugar, and more sugar).

"You look busy, should I come back later?"

She looked up, almost startled, before shaking her head and giving him a wane smile. She noticed the second cup and that made...

Well, it didn't make everything better, but it helped.

"Is that for me?"

"Thought you might like delivery service since you're working," he replied, smiling a little and making his way to the desk. "You okay?"

She held out her hand for the coffee, since she was curious as to how it might taste. She'd never had it before, after all.

"Thanks. And yeah, I'm all right."

No, no, she wasn't.

"Did your friend enjoy her time here?"

He passed her the cup and leaned against the desk, deciding she didn't quite sound as all right as she claimed, but he wasn't pushing it. "Alejandra had fun. She was glad to meet you."

She took a sip of the coffee, found it just the right temperature, and took another sip. Like with everything else, she could taste it but she couldn't quite enjoy it.

Tasting it, however, was a distinct step up; it left no impression, but there was at least the experience. The variety itself might become nice after a while.

"I was glad to meet her. She was very nice."

Very pretty too. Don't say that. Don't say that.

"What're you up to today?"

"I was surprised she was on such good behavior, not sharing anything horribly embarrassing about when I was nine," he remarked. "But I'm not doing anything. Just delivering coffee and...that's all I had planned so far."

"I don't suppose you would mind sticking around for a while?" she asked carefully after another sip of coffee.

"I mean, this is nice, but the company is better. Even if you won't tell me embarrassing stories about when you were nine."

"Company is something I think I can do," he said, going to pull over a chair so he could join her. "How'd your family like the visit?"

"They liked the island. And Aunt Dallas is going to see what she can do about getting Eliot here. I don't think it'll work, but it'd be nice."

She missed her brother. There'd been a heated discussion through text messages, but even that had had to be in something of a code and all the care they put into it didn't really allow for much emotion. It had made her long for the days when she could just whisper under his door or through the grating in their room.

"Uncle Aaron said he liked the teachers he met. Aunt Dallas said she really liked Professor Maximus."

Eyeroll. Such an eyeroll.

"I'm really not surprised. But yeah, it went okay. Eliot hung out with Jonothon and did music stuff, so he was happy."

"That'd be good, having him around," Griff agreed. "Especially if he's already made some connections here."

"He knows a few people."

She peered up at him from behind the coffee cup.

"You, Dinah, Jonothon now. Peyton, but she's graduated. I'll get him here sometime. Hopefully soon. I think he'd have a blast."

"So until then, you gonna be all right?" Griff wondered.

That made her look up again from the coffee.

"'All right'?"

Then her eyes dropped.

"I'm that obvious, huh?"

"Just a bit," he shrugged. "You don't have to share, though. 'Specially if you're not up to it." He didn't need to be the pushy kid.

"Aunt Dallas brought some news, that's all."

She sipped at the coffee.

"Nothing I can do about it," though the swallow was a little hard that time.

"We'll deal."

He frowned. "Bad news?"

"Not--"

How did you tell your boyfriend that your mother and most of your family had decided they'd kill you if you stepped out of line?

"Not bad, I guess. Just unhappy. The Council made a decision on us."

Mother made a decision. Because we dared stand up to her. Because we said no. Because we didn't want to follow her blindly anymore after we found out she'd lied to us.

"It doesn't change anything for the moment. We just didn't expect it."

"Ah," he said, figuring that was close to his concept of bad. Decisions made on people and all. "Anything I can do?"

She sipped at the coffee, considered her options, and looked up at Griff.

"I wouldn't object to a kiss. Or a hug."

Or anything that would remind me that I'm not a beast that'll need to be put down for everyone's safety someday.

"Is that all. Should be able to manage that." He scooted his chair closer and set his cup on the desk before leaning in to give her a hug.

She might have tugged him closer and kind of clung a little. And she certainly wasn't shaking; that was just the old (new) office chair or something.

"You're really sweet to me," she said quietly, near his ear.

Giving her a bit of a squeeze, he didn't know how to be really reassuring about things he didn't understand. "Should I be mean?"

She shook her head.

"Only if I'm being a jerk," and she pulled back a little to smile at him weakly.

"Fair?"

Edited 2009-10-07 01:23 (UTC)

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