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

[changehistory]

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

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

"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."

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

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

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

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."

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

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

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

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?"

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

"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?"

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

"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?"

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

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."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

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."

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

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

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "I'll see to it. Give me a moment."

The Rani sat up straighter, and whistled to summon their waiter. She settled the bill quickly, signing her assumed name on the credit card slip, then fishing a few bills from her pocket for a generous cash tip.

She then rose to her feet, watching Adam, just a hint of concern in her eyes. "Is it close enough to walk, or shall I also arrange a cab?"

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

Adam watched her sign, frowning a bit. "You didn't have to pay...." Even if really he doubted there was much concern, given her financial schemes. He really had to get involved in those.

He got to his feet, just a bit unsteady. "It's London. Everywhere is close enough to walk." Which was a gross exaggeration.

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

The Rani smiled, linking her arm gently through one of his. "I realise it's the gentleman in you protesting so hard," she murmured, bemused. "And I appreciate that. But in all fairness, I'm the one who demanded the more expensive drinks. And I don't mind indulging those I'm fond of. Happy Christmas. Now... where are we headed?"

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

He placed his free hand over hers, squeezing a little as they stepped out into the cold. "Thank you, then. I'm still leery of using cards, and haven't managed to get any in an alias yet. Little details of life that I keep letting slide by." He nodded his head in the direction of home, feeling it, knowing where he was in this his city.

"Covent Garden."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

"Dylan can arrange that for you as well, if you like," she replied, "To be completely honest, I'd no idea about any of this sort of thing until I met him. He's quite good at what he does. I've identification, passports, credit cards, degrees, an entire life story, in papers and bits of plastic."

She fell into step easily beside him, her long strides matching his own. "Covent Garden. I vaguely know where that is."

[changehistory.livejournal.com]

"Really?" he asked, tilting his head. "I used to have people for that, but after my ... incarceration, most of my contacts are either retired or dead. It's hard to build a network from scratch again, when it had been so self-perpetuating."

He smiled a little. "It used to be the theatre district, the opera, the artists lived there. I've always preferred being around creative people."

[thisway-comes.livejournal.com]

'I never used to have people for anything," the Rani mused. "It served me well enough for a while, but... between you and me, it's easier, and comforting, having them now. Dylan and I can of course help you with whatever you need, Adam."

She nodded a bit. "Did you find it inspiring? Or comforting?"