milliways_bar | (no subject)

*Tim leans over the back of the couch, sipping his tea.*

Congrats.

Cuthbert glances at him, and nods.

"Say thankya."

"You heard about Faith, yes?"

Cuthbert's brow furrows. "No? I saw her earlier in the week, but haven't seen her since then--something up?"

Tim winks.

"I have this nasty habit of keeping an eye on things. Yes, Faith is out of bar, doing Slayer work. Shes... not doing so great right now. And thats straight from her mouth."

He makes a face.

"Fuckin Milliways. Shes also here from five years in the future, blue and pregnant."

Cuthbert nods grimly at the first part--in his experience, "Faith", "out of the bar", and "Slayer work" don't have a good track record.

"Hope she'll be back before too long, then. And...blue and pregnant? I'm not sure which to boggle at more."

Fucking Milliways, indeed.

"Should be back soon. But she'll be... fragile isn't the right word, but I think you get where I'm headed."

Tim shrugs.

"apparently blue is all the rage on antar."

"...Blue and pregnant and living on another planet, even. Hunh."

Cuthbert shrugs as well, then nods.

"Well, thanks for letting me know."

Tim nods.

"My pleasure sir."

He leans back, as if to move off. But he's willing to talk more, if Cuthbert wants to.

She approaches, carrying a cup of hot chocolate, and waves as she draws near.

"Hey, 'Bert." A beat, and a soft smile. "Room enough for me?"

Cuthbert glances up and smiles at her. "Always."

She settles beside him, and leans up to kiss his cheek.

"How do'ee fare this even?"

Cuthbert tilts his head to return the kiss, one arm going around her.

"Not bad. Been a pretty quiet evening."

Then, pulling back, "Oh, hey--I haven't told you yet about the talk I had with Bernard last night, have I?"

She leans closer into the curve of his embrace and shakes her head.

"I remember ye coming home, a little--"

She'd been asleep at the time, mostly. At least for a while.

"--but ye didn't tell me such, nay."

"Well--you remember we had a note from him at the wedding, and it said something about my talking to him about a promotion?"

"Aye--" She pauses, then tilts her head back in order to look more directly at him, waiting.

"He, ah--he asked how I'd feel about being Co-Chief of Security, with Alanna."

Cuthbert, it's clear, is still a bit gobsmacked at being asked.

Her glance drops to the badge pinned to his shirt, and she lifts one hand to touch it gently, looking up at him again with a soft smile.

"What did'ee say?"

Cuthbert lifts one hand to cover hers, a smile starting on his face as well.

"That I'd talk to Alanna about it as well, but that as things stand, I can't think of any reason to refuse."

"Thee'll do well with it, 'Bert," she says, and oh, but there's complete certainty and trust evident.

"Thee'll do what's right, and this place -- aye, that'd be helpful here, say true."

Cuthbert nods. "It'll be...the justice here is different from Gilead or Affiliation justice, often, and I'll have to bear that in mind. But I think it's that way for Alanna, too, and she seems to do well with that part of it."

His smile widens a bit, and he leans in to kiss her cheek. "I'm glad I have your vote of confidence, in any case."

"Aye, 'tis," she says neutrally, thinking of a Death Eater and geases. Thinking of Tim, as well.

(neutral ground)

"But I trust thee more, anyhow." Susan stretches up again, this time pressing a kiss to his lips.

Cuthbert runs his hand up into her hair, letting the kiss linger.

There's been conflict between his personal life and Security matters before. If he can keep that from happening again, he will. If not...well, he'll deal with that when--if--the situation arises.

For now, he draws back, still smiling.

"So, how's your day been?"

"It's been well enough," she says, thinking back on it as she moves to rest her head on his shoulder. Golden hair falls forward, tangled bright against the green sweater.

"I saw Faith." A beat. "She were blue."

"Aye, I heard about Faith." He tilts his head to look down at her. "Didn't see her, though. How did you find her?" Beat. "Aside from blue and pregnant, that is."

"She were well, I wot," Susan says. "She were happy-- surprised to see me, a little."

She smiles suddenly, and it's very bright. "She has a horse, now. Then."

"Aye?" Cuthbert eyes her--he knows that smile. "Does, she, then."

He does, say true. At least there's naught of glitter to be seen.

"She does, aye." A beat. "She's named it after ye."

A beat, and then Cuthbert snickers.

"I'm flattered."

Susan giggles and leans up to kiss his cheek. "I told her it were better, mayhap, than letting ye name it."

Cuthbert looks deeply, deeply wounded.

But somehow, not wounded enough not to turn his head and return the kiss.

"Well. It's good to know she'll be happy."

"It is, say true," she agrees quietly. "Even if she's blue."

She doesn't mention the babe to come. There's no need to dwell on what they themselves cannot have.

"... I talked to Morgan, too." More softly.

There's a moment of hesitation before Cuthbert answers.

"...And how did that go?"

Her voice is very quiet indeed as she says,

"She'd not-- not known of the Death Eaters, or what-- what they believe. She'd known he's-- he's killed, and tortured."

She sighs, very slightly.

"She likes him. She said-- she said she'd be careful." Susan looks up at him with a rueful smile.

"Ye kennit, I wot."

Cuthbert returns the rueful smile.

"I suppose I do."

There's more he could say, but after last time, he's not going to say it unless doing so serves some purpose.

Susan runs one hand lightly over the sleeve of her rose-patterned green sweater, the one Anthy made her, say true.

Looking down at it, she says quietly,

"Susannah likes her."

Cuthbert glances down at her, his expression hard to read.

After a moment, "You didn't mean Morgan just now, did you."

Silently, Susan shakes her head.

There's a further pause, and then Cuthbert shrugs.

"Well. You like her. Meg and River like her. It's not as though Susannah's the first."

"She's not, say true." Susan's tone is still very soft, but she's looking up at Cuthbert now, with clear determination.

"But Susannah's a gunslinger, as thee are, and-- and not like River."

Cuthbert does not appeared swayed by this argument.

"Aye, but she's herself, Sue. And simply being gunslingers doesn't mean that she and I are never going to see things differently."

Susannah didn't grow up in Gilead, with Roland.

She never chose death over leaving him, either.

"Nay, I'd not meant-- of course ye'd not-- " She stops herself there, right there. A beat, and another, and she offers him another slightly rueful smile.

"Just because the two of ye are gunslingers doesn't mean ye'll always see things the same, I know. But I thought mayhap it'd mean -- it'd mean something."

"And it were Susannah who reminded me, 'Bert. Anthy-- she saw--"

(a rose of perfect beauty)

"--she saw the rose."

"It--" Cuthbert shrugs again. "It doesn't mean nothing, Susan."

But it doesn't mean as much as it might, if not for things he and Susannah have seen differently in the past.

Then, he smiles slightly. "And seeing the rose doesn't mean nothing either."

"Thee say true."

She's said all she's meant to say on it, at the moment-- and she doesn't want to fight over this, not again. Mayhap he'll come to see her way of thinking in time.

Susan smiles at him, and reaches up with one hand to brush an errant lock of hair back from his forehead.

Cuthbert might express doubt in regards to that hope, but he's not inclined to press the subject tonight, if she's not.

He leans into the touch slightly, still smiling gently.

Mayhap not tonight.

She runs her fingers through his hair and then slowly down the back of his neck, coaxing him closer to her.

Cuthbert shifts closer to her eagerly, one hand going to her waist.

And, for a time, all conversation between the two of them stops.