milliways_bar | (no subject)

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(no subject)

[OOM: Practice talking to girls]

Trapped. That's what Harry's been these many weeks past, and of his own doing too -- that's not to be denied. The more he must smile and bow and expend his manners, the more he wishes for a horse and a sword and a Scottish border raid. When a door in Philippa de Coucy's house opens into Milliways instead of yet another solar full of nursemaids and noble daughters, to say his relief is palpable is only to concede to the limits of language.

So, though his hair is combed and he's trussed up in his finest visiting suit, it's a pretty good time to meet young Harry Percy. He's making a beeline for the Bar, intent on trying some new food or drink that's beyond the scope of his era. Go on. Ask him how his quest for a wife is going.

11 PM CST Oh no, guys! You're wonderful; I have to go to sleep. Will tag up tomorrow!

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Ava is still somewhat undercaffeinated, and therefore mostly seizes on the most concrete point.

"Thirteen-eighty-seven?" she says.

"That's insane! I have a couple friends from back in the past from me? But they're not even from Earth, so I don't know what year it actually is. That is so cool."

"It is cool?" A brief moment of frowning gives way to understanding, because let's face it, Harry's still a teenager, and teenagers are always mangling the language for fun, and context makes everything clear anon.

"Yea, I suppose," he says, but he's got a little smug trollface going on, no lie.

When Ava spots his expression, she snorts into her coffee again.

"... Nice to meet you, Harry," she says.

"Okay I'm really sorry, I'm just a little loopy right now."

"Loopy," he repeats slowly (and by the way, Ava, his accent makes everything hilarious and amazing). "What should cause such a state?"

Yeah the accent is not helping!

It reminds her a little of Nick, which not-helps in whole other ways.

"Um," she says, smothering a trace of giggle. "I haven't been sleeping too well lately."

"Marry, what devil could plague you?"

Uh, sorry, Ava. For as skeptical a dude as Harry Percy he is, he sure does like his figures of speech.

... Wow, this middle ages guy is surprisingly perceptive.

"I, you know, there's a lot of that going on around here, sometimes?"

"...what's that?"

Don't say actual devils, Ava.

"Actual devils."

Facepalm. "God's blood, but this place will confound me at every turn."

It's only now, several swallows of coffee later, that she reflects that maybe Harry was being metaphorical.

"Sorry," she says with a faint grimace.

"It does that. I think maybe forever?"

"So long as such nonsense does not follow me home."

Now he's frowning, though. "What devils can you mean, though? Why do they keep you from sleep?"

"Dude, I don't know," Ava sighs.

She is no longer sure whether they are both on the same page.

"For the record, no actual devil or demon or ghost or anything is literally stopping me from sleeping." She rubs at her temple, then pulls her hand away with an absent frown.

"Then what is?"

He eyes her drink suspiciously now.

Ava snorts faintly.

"You're really curious about this."

He shrugs.

"A little."

Yes.

She sips.

"Why?"

"Why should I not be?"

~~ACTUAL DEVILS.~~

"I don't know. Curiosity's good."

Unless it kills you.

"What specifically are you curious about, though, just so I'm on the same page?"

"If you cannot sleep for want of protection from a devil, I've no means of comprehending that. If it be something a little closer to earth, well." He shrugs. "I love to sleep, and hate to think of it denied."

"Oh, well," she says.

I could help you comprehend that, buddy.

Ava's lips quirk.

"I guess I'm just stressed out. I got into a fight with some of my friends."

"...is that all?" Harry laughs. "God's me, I should never sleep if such things weighed so much on me. Shall it not pass?"

"I guess?" she says. "I mean, I think they forgive me, it's just ..."

A pause.

"Have you ever, like, done something, and then had it really hit you later?"

"Maybe."

(Much more often than he'll allow.)

"Well, this is one of those."

She sighs.

"And it's weird, and I need more coffee."