Open 'verse RP [Open -- Separate threads fine]

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He'd come home out of some weird need to find his roots, again. Or something. At the current moment he couldn't remember. Souvenir shops lined the streets he roamed too long ago. The house had burned over three centuries before and even the alleys were swept now. There had been nothing to bury, and no money for more than a mass grave had there been, so there were no markers, nothing to see, nothing to kneel at.

Wandering into the new St. Paul's, built after he left, after the fire that took them, he nonetheless felt something settle. He sat in a pew for hours, trying to remember what it had felt like when he came home, saw this, sat here the first time, a different man. Not Matthew. Not Takezo Kensei. Something else, someone else. A man without country, time, family.

For a time, he'd thought to find it again, but now the dream seemed farther away than it had even when trapped in that cell, and he was cold.

It was well after dusk when he left. He found a pub, a table in a corner, and with a wry smile that cursed all the years in between, he ordered a whiskey and asked the bartender to leave the bottle, working to bury himself in the one thing left that had any familiarity or link to the old.

Comments

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"Oh, she can certainly do that," Adam said with a slight laugh, then tilted his head and studied her, as if that hadn't even occurred to him.

"I suppose you're right..."

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She arched an eyebrow, idly tapping her manicured nails against the side of her glass. "Do you not intend to honour whatever quaint marriage vows you took with your wife?" she asked, a faint smile ghosting over her lips, there and gone.

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"I hadn't..." He frowned a bit, then gave her a wry smile. "Do you know, I hadn't thought about it?"

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"Then it's highly likely the answer is 'no', mmm?" the Rani shot back, completely bemused. "If you intended to, you'd have answered me so straightaway, without hesitation."

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"It's been a while since I was married," Adam said, frowning a bit at his whiskey glass.

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

"Is that an observation, or an explanation?"

The Rani took a healthy swallow of her whiskey, coughing slightly. "It's been centuries since I was married. I imagine I can sympathise."

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"A bit of both, I think," he said with a wry smile. "I ... well. Faithfulness.....I am...relatively decent at it."

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"Relatively decent," she repeated, the whiskey making her tongue tangle in the words almost imperceptibly. "But not completely, mmm?"

She picked up her glass with a shrug. "I've never believed one should limit oneself, or that one's desire for another was a reflection on one's partner. But that's just me, and my aversion to petty, pointless morals. I also respect the wishes and beliefs of my friends. If you choose to observe those vows, I will stop pressing."

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"Oh, now, where would be the fun in that?" he asked, lips curving in a smirk.

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She laughed at that, raising her glass in faint salute.

"I believe I've been given permission to keep at it, then. Fantastic. I always do love a bit of fun..."

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He raised his as well, smiling. "As do I."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

She raised her glass a bit further, the alcohol's warmth spreading through her and making her more relaxed, a bit less cautious.

"And here's to hoping someday it goes beyond just a challenge to rise to."

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Adam smirked a bit, nodding. "To someday..."

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The Rani nodded as well. "To someday..." she murmured, tossing back what whiskey remained in her glass.

She eyed the bottle, as if trying to decide if she needed more, but set the glass down on the table instead, leaning back in her chair a bit.

"Are you staying nearby? Will you be able to make it back all right?"

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"It's not too far, and I can call a cab if the Tube's not running," Adam said with a sigh, frowning a bit at the bottle.

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

She raised an eyebrow at that sigh, a touch concerned.

"What is it?"

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"Nothing," he said with a shrug.

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

That didn't bode well, in her books. The Rani sat up straighter, and leaned forward a bit, studying his face.

"Adam." Her voice was a little more firm this time, but no less concerned. "Tell me. What is it?"

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"Just...the night. The holidays. The place. I should have gone to Tahiti or something, not come back here."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps not, no."

She slid her hand across the table, taking his warmly.

"What can I do?"

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He squeezed her hand gently and smiled. "Have a very Merry Christmas, for me."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

She returned the smile, nodding at him. "I will do. Can I do anything to ensure the same for you?"

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"I...," he sighed and shrugged. "I honestly do not know."

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The Rani frowned, her brow creasing with concern.

"Do you intend to stay and continue drinking, or can I at least see you home? Or whatever reasonable facsimile you have, at the moment, your lodgings."

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"Home would be good," he finally acknowledged. "I've got a townhouse here I reopened."