the boardwalk ; sunday evening

[necroslacker]

At some point during the brunch, Sam had decided he'd had enough and he'd left. He hadn't gone far, though. The shop he used to work out so long ago was still standing and, on a whim, he'd purchased a skateboard. The craftsmanship looked good and it felt good in his hands.

Board in hand, he'd come down to boardwalk and wondered if this was a good idea. Sure, there was still a half pipe in the yard but no one had used that for awhile. But, for some reason, Sam felt an urge to skate that he couldn't ignore.

Eyes closed, he let the setting sun warm his face before he dropped the board and hopped on. He was unsteady for a minute before everything came flooding back and he kicked a foot down and got himself going.

He'd missed this.

[Open post, open Sam]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Envy had ducked out of the brunch pretty early too. Like Fandom was sucking out some of her considerable ability to withstand crowds. She was just taking a walk now, killing time until her portal. Sending messages back and forth with Lucas. Right now, she missed him.

Fandom made her so sentimental.

And guess she wasn't the only one. She was surprised, and yet not, to see Sam on the boardwalk.

[necroslacker]

Sam didn't immediately notice her, too caught up in the feel of the board beneath his feet and the wind on his face. When he did notice her, he didn't react save for kicking his foot to bring his board closer to her.

He whizzed by her and said, "People are gonna think you're stalking me," before stopping behind her and turning the board around.

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm Envy Adams," she pointed out idly as she turned to look at him. Phone still in hand. "A lot of people would immediately assume I'm the one being stalked."

[necroslacker]

"That would be the stereotypical thing for someone like me to do, wouldn't it?" Sam asked, standing on his board and watching her for a moment. "I know who you are."

[whenshewasnice]

"I know you do." Actually, most of the time she wasn't all that convinced. "I just thought it sounded better under the circumstances than pointing out I'm famous."

[necroslacker]

"Yes, I know you are," Sam said, sighing and rolling himself back and forth. "Haley often provides me with updates of your tours and appearances."

[whenshewasnice]

"And you listen." She glanced down at her phone when it buzzed again, though she didn't check the message itself. "Progress."

[necroslacker]

"I listen to a lot of things," Sam said, closing his eyes and feeling, just for a minute, everything that had died in the area. He let that feeling seep into him but stopped just short of bringing anything to the surface.

Didn't need to do that. He silently apologized to those that might have wanted to come up and let them be.

"I hear a lot of things these days," he said, opening his eyes and letting a breath out after that momentary bit of indulgence.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy watched him while he did... whatever he did. She still watched everyone. Sometimes she put them into songs.

She'd done it to him, too.

"Such as?"

[necroslacker]

"You're curious about specifically what I'm hearing?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing towards the ocean. "Or looking for some generalities?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Making conversation." Trust her to find a third option. "We don't talk much. I'm just curious in general."

[necroslacker]

"Well, I always hear the dead," Sam told her because she knew what he was so it wasn't a huge secret. "Sometimes, they're in pain, sometimes they're so upset, it hurts, sometimes they're just as calm and neutral as you are. I listen to them."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy was not terribly surprised by this, no.

"And what of the living?"

[necroslacker]

"What of them?" Sam asked, shrugging. "I hear them too. But, I'm more selective about who I listen to."

[whenshewasnice]

"That, I know." Selective might not have been the word she would have always used, but she was not interested in an argument, so she didn't comment on that. "I hear you talked to Peter, earlier."

Well, she'd seen it first. Then heard a little bit about it from Peter.

[necroslacker]

"Yeah. He stood out so I went to have a chat," Sam said, crossing his arms and still rolling back and forth on his skateboard. "I thought he might be some of your entourage considering the suit and all."

[whenshewasnice]

"No, just another person whose job demands a sharp image." And one of those very few people she'd always, always considered an equal. "Besides, he was wearing suits when we were still going to school here."

[necroslacker]

"Didn't know him then," Sam reminded her. "Don't really know him now. But, you know, he thinks he knows me."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy shrugged. Unperturbed. "Heard enough about you to form a one-sided image."

Over the years.

[necroslacker]

"Sure I have you to thank for that," Sam said casually. "So, thanks."

[whenshewasnice]

Another shrug. She wouldn't apologize.

"Friends talk."

[necroslacker]

And Sam didn't expect her to apologize either.

"About a lot of things, if Peter's to be believed," Sam said. Some of them had bristled (well, one thing had really bristled but he wasn't saying anything about that right now) and some he'd just ignored.

"People have said worse things about me. I'm used to being judged."

[whenshewasnice]

"Peter said he thinks your heart is in the right place."

Clearly there were horrible, judgey things being said about him all around. (Those, too. But they didn't need to be repeated here.)

[necroslacker]

"Yeah, and he also said he remembered me as the guy who was trying to be friends with you just so I could sleep with you," Sam told her because, well, that one was the one that had ticked him off a bit.

"But I'm glad he thinks so highly of me."

[whenshewasnice]

"Like I said, one-sided idea," Envy replied, shrugging that off. "In parts muddled because he's Peter and it took him a long time to start caring about relationships."