JGOB | Afternoon | Monday | July 12

[therewaslife]

After his classes, Bod didn't immediately go back to his room. Instead, he ventured into town, just walking idly before eventually stopping in at the bakery. It was hard to ignore the smells wafting through the open door. Once inside, he couldn't make an absolute decision so he ended up getting two donuts, a danish and a cinnamon roll with some hot chocolate to drink.

He would never eat all of that but it'd looked good and, if worst came to worst, he could take it back to his room and save it for later. Sweets were a luxury he really liked having access to. Food and drink in hand, he found a spot at a table outside the bakery, deciding that being outside today was a good plan. He could enjoy the warm weather and watch people as they passed by.

[Town places are open and donuts are good.]

Comments

[vanillajello]

And some of the people passing by watched him back. Or, not so much watched as noticed him, grinned, and wandered over. People like Kate.

With a bag from Wonka's in hand. It was that kind of a day.

"That's a lot of pastries for one," she said in greeting, though that bag in her hand? Really looked kinda big. Not much room to talk.

[therewaslife]

"Help yourself," he offered, pushing his bag of baked goods towards her. "I couldn't decide on what I wanted so I bought them all. They'll get eaten eventually. Hullo, Kate."

[vanillajello]

"And you call me indecisive," Kate tsked, plopping herself down into a chair by his table and setting her own bag down before reaching for a donut. "Hello, Bod."

[therewaslife]

"You are indecisive," he said, smiling over at her. "Sometimes, I am too. What brings you into town? Boredom with the things in your room?"

[vanillajello]

Kate shrugged. "Eh, Home Ec was kinda weird," she said, taking a bite out of her pastry. "And I ran out of candy over the weekend. Had to do something about it."

[therewaslife]

"Home Ec was weird?" Bod asked, curious about that since he'd taken the class last session. "What made it weird? Was it the underwater basket weaving class?"

[vanillajello]

"... What?" Yeah, that was even weirder. "Uh, no. It was sewing. But the teacher's weird. And I think he was kinda hungover."

[therewaslife]

"I took that class last session," he explained, picking a piece of his cinnamon roll off to eat, "and we had to try and weave baskets underwater. It was difficult especially when you don't know how to weave."

Sewing, though, he remembered that class for far different reasons.

"I was not good at the sewing class," he shared. "My fingers were aching by the time class ended."

[vanillajello]

"Hah, mine are completely fine," she said, a little smugly, wiggling the fingers of her free hand at him. "Sewing's no problem for me."

Underwater basket weaving, though, that probably would be.

[therewaslife]

"Well, I'd never sewed before," he said, reaching to grab those wiggling fingers now, "so, of course, you're probably going to be better than me at that. Thankfully, I don't think I'll ever really need to sew."

[vanillajello]

She didn't bother to even try pulling her fingers to safety. Of course not.

"Hey, your life might depend on your sewing skills one day." ...She couldn't think of a single way that would come to pass. "It could happen."

[therewaslife]

"If that happens, I'll come find you and you'll save me," he said, lacing his fingers with hers since she hadn't objected. "You'd be my hero."

[vanillajello]

"Heroine," she said idly, giving his fingers a squeeze. "And then you'll owe me your life."

[therewaslife]

"I owe several people my life," he said, moving to rest their joined hands on his thigh underneath the table. "I'd just have to add you to the list. It's a good list, you'd be in good company."

[vanillajello]

"I'm pretty much my own good company," she remarked, licking her fingers after finishing off her pastry. "But I don't doubt that."

[therewaslife]

Bod smiled at that, having almost predicted that lack of modesty. He really liked when she thought so highly of herself.

"It's a small list. My mum and dad, Silas, the Sleer," he said, chewing on his cinnamon roll thoughtfully. "And then I'd add you and you could make the list awesome since that's your strength."

[vanillajello]

"Well, I do make most things I'm involved in pretty awesome." she agreed with a few nods. "Except the ones that are beyond saving, by I don't think that's the case here."

[therewaslife]

"I would seriously begin to wonder about your state of mind if you thought I was beyond saving and still spent as much time with me as you do," said Bod, laughing and leaning an elbow on the table.

"At one point, maybe I was beyond saving," he said, shrugging, "but I think I've gotten past that."

[vanillajello]

"When were you ever beyond saving?" she asked, quirking a brow at that. "I really, really doubt that."

[therewaslife]

"There was a time," he said, nodding quietly. "I was almost beyond saving because I was an idiot. I acted selfish and headstrong and stupidly gullible."

Sometimes, Bod could still see Ghûlheim when he slept. Those instances were fewer and far between thankfully.

"And I almost died because of it."

[vanillajello]

"Oh." That made her a little quieter too. She gave his hand a little squeeze, pursed her lips for a bit and didn't immediately say anything else.

She looked thoughtful, before deciding, "You know, there's been way too much death in your life."

[therewaslife]

"This one was my fault," he said but he didn't completely disagree. "I was lucky that there were people that cared enough about me to come after me. I didn't think they would."

He definitely didn't think Miss Lupescu, of all people, would. "I've gotten used to death, I think."

[vanillajello]

Kate winced, and just barely kept herself from making a face. "Ugh. Don't say that."

It made a lot of her own problems seem so insignificant, for one thing. Though that wasn't even remotely the reason for her words.

[therewaslife]

"I'm sorry but I think it's the truth," he said, looking down at the table and brushing his thumb back and forth against the tabletop. "It's just...I became very accustomed to being around it while I was growing up."

[vanillajello]

"Hmph."

It made sense, it did. Unfortunately that didn't mean Kate was entirely comfortable with it, but she was doing her

Issues she couldn't talk about.

"Anyway," she said after a moment, "you can't have been beyond saving. No one gets over being beyond saving. Semantically, it just doesn't make any sense at all."