milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Lilly in a bar.
something something orange blossom
probably rain too.

[ooc: if the psuedo-haiku isn't scaring you away, ping da emmy gee before tagging, as this is semi-plotty.]

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"I see."

Yes, that's amusement, right there. The grin is hidden behind a sip of tea -- only, y'know, not really hidden at all.

Lilly eyes the drink suspiciously.

"Tea again? I thought I was getting you converted to coffee."

She takes another sip from her giant mug.

"Tea doesn't have nearly enough caffeine, for one thing."

He blinks. "Converted?"

Alain drinks rather a lot of coffee. And has for years, at least when it was available.

A shrug. "Felt like tea today. What's caffeine?"

Yes, but he has not yet fully renounced the evil tea.

"Caffeine's the stuff in coffee that helps keep you awake," Lilly explains. "I'd be asleep right now if not for it."

Quietly, "Didn't sleep well?"

Lilly looks down at her coffee cup and shrugs.

"Not so much, no."

A moment, and then he shifts a little closer and slips an arm around her shoulders silently.

Lilly leans her head on his shoulder, sighs.

"Well, hey. It gives me an excuse to drink more coffee, right?"

Softly, "Want me to stay, tonight?"

Lilly looks up, surprised, and smiles at him.

"Say thankya, sai. But I don't want to keep you up, too."

He knows Lilly uses 'sai' as whim takes her, rather than as a formal address. It's still weird, now and then, to hear it in a conversation like this.

A small smile back. "No trouble."

Beat.

"It'll give me an excuse to drink more coffee."

Lilly laughs.

"Well, in that case, definitely."

He grins. "It's a deal, then."

"Deal," Lilly agrees. Her smile softens, and she leans up to kiss him gently.

"Thanks."

He returns it, just as lightly.

"Welcome."

Pause.

Then, softly, "Would'ee speak of what's wrong, Lilly? For I'd hear."

Lilly studies her coffee cup for a moment, Roland's voice echoing in her head.

("You feel anything wrong -- anything -- come find one of us. Please.")

It's really, really tempting to do just that. But Roland's gone, and she knows how that hurts Alain and the others. She can't do anything to add to that, not unless she has no other choice.

And so, she just shakes her head and doesn't look up.

There's a long, waiting silence. He's studying her. Worried -- visibly, or it would be if she would look up.

Finally, he sighs, defeated, and bends his head to drop a light kiss in her hair.

"Yeah, I kennit," Lilly tells her coffee cup.

"I just don't..." she trails off, sighs.

"It's probably nothing, anyway."

God, she hopes that's true.

His arm tightens around her, slightly.

He doesn't say anything.

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