The Park, Saturday Evening

[suitably_heroic]

Atton had gone for a walk, as he did almost every night here, now. Alone with his thoughts, and the quieting life of town. But then he'd seen the lights at Caritas, felt the tell-tale bustle of Three Minute Dates, and he'd just... kept going.

He hadn't been in the mood for Three Minute Dates in a long time.

(It maybe also wasn't the only thing - or person - that he'd sensed today. And maybe he didn't quite know what to do with that right now, improbably, even though he and Si were on fine terms and he wasn't nearly the mess he'd been the last time he'd stayed in her universe, forever ago as it seemed.)

So instead he found himself at the Park, as he so often did, too. Lingering near the edge, by a tree, watching the ducks settle in to sleep, occasionally turning around to see if he could get a glimpse of Caritas.

It had been, he reflected, a good decision to pick up therapy again last month.

[[ expecting one, but open ]]

Comments

[notconflicted]

"It also gives you the chance to create new habits," she mused.

[suitably_heroic]

"If you figure out a couple good ones, I'd love to hear about them," Atton said.

It was... mostly snark.

[notconflicted]

"I'm not the one to ask," she said. "But I hear knitting is popular."

That was definitely snark because the first part was very true.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton laughed. "Yeah, uh, if that's number one in the new hobby pool, I think I'll stick to doing angry rock covers of pop songs in bars for 34 people."

[notconflicted]

"This is why I'm the wrong person to ask," she said with a shrug.

[suitably_heroic]

"Si, we've talked about how you need hobbies."

[notconflicted]

"Easier said than done," she told him. "If I had free time I'd have been here earlier."

[suitably_heroic]

"You could make free time," Atton said lightly. "You just don't want to, because weirdly enough, your work is your hobby."

[notconflicted]

"It's not that I don't want to," she said. "I'm not sure I know how to have anything else at this point."

[suitably_heroic]

"You say 'I need a couple of hours to myself'," Atton said, "You go somewhere, you order a nice cocktail, and then, I don't know. Watch some holos. Do some diamond art. Knit."

[notconflicted]

"Going somewhere requires a bodyguard," she pointed out. Really it required that guy he didn't like.

[suitably_heroic]

Ugh.

"You don't need a bodyguard to get a nice cocktail delivered to your apartments," Atton retorted.

[notconflicted]

"Maybe," she said with a nod. "So we have that part covered, then."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton rubbed at the back of his neck. "Are you happy?" he asked.

[notconflicted]

"Happy's complicated," Sia said. "I'm all right."

[suitably_heroic]

"Happy is only complicated for the miserable." Atton looked out at the sleeping ducks. "But don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

[notconflicted]

"Thanks for that," she said. "I'm not sure how many people would believe you anyway."

[suitably_heroic]

Atton snorted. "People have no imagination," he said. "But I will come over and mix you drinks and bring you yarn, if I have to."

[notconflicted]

"I wouldn't mind that, actually." Minus the yarn.

[suitably_heroic]

"All right," Atton said lightly. "The quest to find you a hobby will continue, then."

[notconflicted]

She nodded. "Maybe not actually knitting."