milliways_bar | (no subject)

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sallie reynolds

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Joe comes in to the bar early to drop of a note and a simple bouquet of perfect tulips. He lays them on the bar and asks, "Can you please see that Sallie Reynolds gets these? Thank you."

Dear Sallie,
I hope you are feeling better today. I enclose these flowers in the hopes that they will brighten your day. I would love to treat you to a cup of tea soon, so please let me know when you are feeling up to it.

Sincerely,

Joe Blomfield

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She was checked out by Dr. Ford yesterday, and Sallie's up and around today just as she normally is. More or less.

The woman comes into the bar with an aim for coffee. Sometimes tea just doesn't cut it, and --

Hunh. She doesn't recognize the handwriting, so when Sallie opens the note, it's more of a surprise than it should be.

Joe tells himself that he is coming back to the bar for lunch, just lunch. Not checking to see if a certain silver-haired woman is there as well.

When his eyes happen to catch sight of said woman, hesitates a bit, then sits down at a table nearby. He wants to see her reaction to his note before he approaches.

Any reaction might be hard to read, depending on where Joe's sitting.

Sallie's coffee comes in a clean white mug, along with far too much sugar to be proper.

She places the note next to the tulips, one hand playing with a stem there or a petal here all the while.

"I took a guess on the tulips, but they were too lovely to pass up," Joe says as he walks up to the bar. "I hope you like them."

"Oh! Yes, um."

Sallie hates saying 'Um'. Damnit.

"Xiexie." Another pause. "Thank you, I mean. Please, sit."

"You are very welcome. It was the least I could do."

Joe sits besides her, trying not to look at her arms for hints of more medical care.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Fine." Offered too quickly, then rethought. "Better."

He doesn't need to hear about all of this.

On a lighter note as Sallie pushes around the sugar she just dumped in her coffee, "Finally got Malcolm to leave me alone."

Joe raises an eyebrow with a smile. "How did you manage that? He seems like a very persistent fellow. And one who loves his mother."

"I think it was some combination of threatening to never cook for him and him knowing I have a good throwing arm. One o' the two."

Joe laughs and sits back in his chair, studying her face. "I would indeed be terrified if I was in the line of fire."

And there's just no response to that, is there.

Sallie smiles, shifting minutely. "You're not missing work somewhere?"

Joe smiles, a tiny touch of wickedness in the twitch of his lips. "Are you trying to be rid of me, Ms. Reynolds?"

...

What is going on, here?

"...No."

"Good." Joe notes the confusion on her face. "To answer your question, it's my lunch hour, so I thought it would be pleasant to spend it here." He looks down at the flowers. "I was also hoping I might see you."

What the hell for?
Sallie glances at the flowers, and tries to regain some sense of composure about this conversation.

"You're being very thorough," Sallie offers dumbly.

Thorough?

Thorough? Now it's Joe's turn to be confused. He decides to smile and just move forward.

"I do what I can. I hope you would tell me if there was anything else I could do for you."

With Joe sitting to Sallie's right, she slumps forward slightly against the bartop, left elbow sliding forward leading to her hand covering half of her face. Her right eye is still trained on her company.

"'Fraid I don't even know what to do for myself, today," Sallie offers apologetically, almost laughing. "I'll be alright."

"May I at least buy you lunch? I would enjoy the company and I always feel better after I eat." Joe reaches over to lightly touch her hand. "Please."

It's been a long couple of days.

"I can eat." It's polite and not really convincing; she's not really hungry.

But she's not going anywhere, either.

"Excellent." Joe's smile is wide as he gestures grandly at the bar. "Anything you'd like."

"Anything I'd like, huh?" Sallie rolls her eyes, ordering a small bowl of hodgeberries. "Saying that because you're not making it."

"That is sadly true. I'm afraid the extent of my culinary arts extends to beans on toast."

Joe eyes the bowl of berries. "Are you certain that's all you would like? A bowl of soup, perhaps?"

In a light tone of consolation: "I promise to eat like a horse later."

"Fine, I'll let it pass this once." He looks curiously at bowl of berries. "I don't believe I have seen berries like those before."

"Quirk of terraforming. They didn't exist on Earth-that-Was."

Sallie pushes the bowl slightly towards Joe. "They're more tart than you expect."

Joe nods his thanks and takes a berry, eyes widening at the bite the berry gives at the back of his throat.

"I believe that woke me up sufficiently." He takes a bite of his soup.

"I am afraid I won't be able to escape back here like this for a few days. I have an important show coming up soon."

Right. Work.

Of course.

"Is everything on schedule?"

Y'know. With the scores of women you will be dressing up in undergarments?

Joe nods. "I have a few pieces to finish, but I think it should be a success. Though that is truly up to my customers to decide."

It's a question Sallie's not actually wanting to ask, but it's an important one anyway.

"How do you not have a...companion, at home?"

Uh oh. Joe squirms a tiny bit in his seat - he knew this subject was bound to come up. How to explain Edythe...

"I...there was a woman in my life recently. But we are no longer together." He's avoiding specifics, but he's fairly certain Sallie isn't going to let him get away with that.

Uh huh.

"Then why are you twitching?"

"I wasn't twitching," Joe lies. "My relationship with Edythe was never dependable." His eyes narrow a touch. "I'm not certain that she was with me for any other reason than my connections."

What did she want to be, a dressform?

"I don't really understand."

"She runs a salon in London, a very exclusive one. She sells my line in her shop which is, unfortunately, hosting my show." Joe shrugs, sighing a bit. "I would cancel it if I could but it's much too late for that now."

"Ah. Business and pleasure..."

Joe grimaces. "I guess I deserve that. Though I would never make that mistake again." He gives a bitter little smile. "The gossip sheets certainly made a lot of that."

And what would they make of someone from another universe?

Gossip sheets, Sallie understands. She is not often a subject of them, of course -- they tend to stay focused on political and social figures in the City.

Church socials are bad enough.

"I suppose you'll have to stop being so high-profile."

Joe smiles ruefully. "I would not be opposed to that. I've been thinking more and more lately about my early days in the industry. There is not much notoriety in gentleman's hosiery."

"Somehow, I think you would miss the life you have now. A little."

"I might. I have gotten a bit soft in my old age. Not sure I would be too useful anywhere that needed heavy lifting." He gives her a small smile. "But retreating from the public eye is not something I would be sad of."

"Soft is okay."

"I'm glad."

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