tragic_mask | (no subject)

"Okay," she says, and puts on her own socks.

"Then again," he says, contemplative, "I've never agreed with the people who proclaim moderation in all things. You can be extreme in some way, as long as you follow it up with being extreme in the opposite direction."

She tilts her head, thinking about it. "Sounds difficult. I mean, being a workaholic one day, and a slob the next, or an extreme rock-climber, then a couch potato."

"Exactly," he says. "I'll spend a week working, and then a while indulging myself, or just doing nothing. Sometimes I forget to eat. Sometimes I drink too much. But it all balances out, somehow."

"That's very Zen of you," she says.

"I have my moments," he says. "More so lately."

"Really? And how are you normally?"

"Less balanced," he says. "More... troubled, I suppose. But I'm enjoying this."

"Good," she says, and kisses him.

He returns the kiss, and smiles at her.

An ordinary, sincere smile, nothing more complicated than that.

And he doesn't say anything, because he doesn't need to.

She, however, decides it's time for important decision-making.

"Do you want to go get breakfast somewhere?"

"Breakfast," he says after a moment. "Breakfast, yes. We have the rest of the pizza here, but we may want that later, and I think I want proper breakfast food. A waffle the size of a plate, maybe some bacon."

"We should just go down to Denny's," she says. "If you don't mind the low-budget, slightly cheesy atmosphere."

"That would be perfect," he says with a smile, standing up. "Do they have the paper placemats and crayons? If not, they should."

"Oh, I'm sure they do," she says, sagely.

"Excellent," he says, and offers her his arm. "Are there any valuables we need to secure before we leave?"

"I don't think I brought anything valuable," she says, and takes his arm.

"And all my valuables are on my person, and nobody is likely to steal them," he says. "Let's go, then."

"All right," she says, and goes through the door.

He walks with her, checking to make sure the door locked once they are out of the room. "And we'll have coffee," he says. "Possibly quite bad coffee."

"Probably," she agrees. "It's part of the experience."

"As long as we avoid poisoning," he says with a smile. "Do you ever get sick? I don't, usually."

"Not really. Sometimes I feel sick to my stomach, if I swallow a fatal plant or something."

"...well, you should be careful what you eat," he says. "But it is comforting to know that it can't seriously harm you."

"Yes, I'm practically invincible," she says. "Though it's not pleasant, you could certainly ram a sword through me without major repercussions."