(no subject)

[tragic_mask]

Melpomene slept deeply without dreaming, and only woke up when the light between the curtains fell across her eyes.

It was a nice way to wake up. So now, as she opens her eyes, she stirs only slightly, and then settles back into a comfortable position.

Comments

[mechanicalswans]

"You could," he says with a quiet chuckle, "but then I would feel obligated to take it off, and you may not want that..."

[tragic_mask]

"Well, we're certainly going to try that anyway, sometime during this vacation, aren't we?" she asks.

[mechanicalswans]

"Minus the track suits, if possible," he says. "Unless you're just looking for something easily removed."

[tragic_mask]

"Depends on our strategy."

[mechanicalswans]

"Perhaps save the nakedness for the ride up in the elevator, or the ride back down?" he asks with a smile. "Elevators like that are always mostly glass, to look out at the view..."

[tragic_mask]

She shoots him a look, shakes her head.

"Shameless."

[mechanicalswans]

"You only live once," he says. "And we're never going to see any of these people again. Isn't that the line people always use?"

[tragic_mask]

"Yes..." she says, slowly.

[mechanicalswans]

He watches her for a long moment, and then chuckles quietly.

"I'm a bad influence," he says, "and you shouldn't let me be. The way people act in the wilds of Minnesota is not the way people here and now behave..."

[tragic_mask]

"Yes," she says gravely. "There's a certain dignity we must maintain in civilization. Like, no skinny-dipping in the Falls."

[mechanicalswans]

"...well, if it's far enough downriver, possibly," he says, chuckling. "But not above the falls, and certainly not in. It's illegal to be in the water there, you know. And that would make international news, not just local..."

[tragic_mask]

"Well, that would certainly immortalize us."

[mechanicalswans]

"My mother would disown me. But she'd still call me up once a week to remind me that I am still disowned and had brought shame to the family... and also, that I should probably eat more."

[tragic_mask]

She eyes him. "You look like you don't need her encouragement."

[mechanicalswans]

"Clearly I am wasting away to nothing," he says, gesturing to himself. "You can probably count my ribs from all the way over there. I'm still a growing boy... or something like that. You know how mothers are."

[tragic_mask]

"Oh, I sure do," she says, and surveys the table. "Well, I'm done. Do you want to get started?"

[mechanicalswans]

"With our sightseeing and being annoyingly touristy?" he asks. "Certainly."

[tragic_mask]

"Yes, exactly?" She stands. "Do we have some disposable cameras, or do we need to stop for those?"

[mechanicalswans]

"We'll need to stop for them," he says, leaving some money on the table. "If we go to the falls, they've probably got them in the gift shop. We'll need to be careful that they don't get too wet; if the pictures turn out well, we can have them enlarged and inflict them on anyone who comes over to the apartment."

[tragic_mask]

"Oh, excellent," she says, enraptured by the idea. "We could even have a picture party."

[mechanicalswans]

"Have the pictures digitized and make a computer slide show and desktop background of them," he grins, starting toward the door. "Email them to everyone we know, and ask them over and over again whether they liked the pictures, so they have to look at them."

[tragic_mask]

"Excellent plan, dear," she says. "Forget other people... hell is vacation pictures."

[mechanicalswans]

"I'm going to get drops of water on the lens, and continue to take pictures," he says, "and they'll be distorted and obscured, but I'll be proud of them anyway."

[tragic_mask]

"Brilliant."

[mechanicalswans]

"We can give prints of the pictures to everyone we know as holiday gifts this year," he continues, opening the door for her. "They'll love it."