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[hostileterritory]

"This is David. Leave a message."

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after pairings are announced

[viking_seer]

[ She sounds pretty pleased. Not with herself, just... pleased. She likes David. Or at least, she's concerned about him and now she gets to do it professionally. ]

Hey, David. I'm sure you saw the announcement? How do you feel about meeting up to see how we want to proceed for the month.

[hostileterritory]

[He's a lil confused by that pleased...ness. He hasn't done her assignment, or finished it, anyway, though he has made a couple of attempts since their last conversation.]

I did. Where would you like to meet?

[viking_seer]

Would you be all right with me cabin?

[hostileterritory]

That's fine with me. Should I bring anything?

[viking_seer]

Nope. Just let me know if you prefer tea, coffee, or water.

[hostileterritory]

Never say no to coffee.

[viking_seer]

I'll have a pot brewing then. That makes two of us.

[ And she'll be there. ]

[hostileterritory]

He'll knock, of course, and wait for an invitation inside before he enters. He was well brought up after all, mostly.

"Ma'am," he says, by way of greeting. "Good to see you."

Yeah, he's seen her at a distance and said hello in passing, but this is a rather different context.

[viking_seer]

"David," and she can't help but smile and there's a little laugh that she shakes off as she pours out a mug for him and herself. There's fixings on the main table.

"Sorry. Someone pointed out the other day that you have the same name as my husband."

[hostileterritory]

He takes his mug without additions. The strength of black coffee sometimes reaches him like it would if his sense of taste wasn't numb.

"You're married?" He didn't see a ring, but he still doesn't mean to sound that surprised.

[viking_seer]

She nods.

"I am, yeah," she says fondly. "I don't tend to wear the ring when I'm at work. Hazard for the fingers."

She tugs at her charm bracelet.

"I've got a little girl too. Her name is Logan."

[hostileterritory]

He makes a soft affirmative sound when she explains about the ring. Makes sense. And when she says she has a daughter-- well. It's rare for even his friendliest expressions to not have an edge. To not look like the smile might split on the edge of a blade underneath. Now, though, there's nothing but a fleeting smile.

"She give you that?"

[viking_seer]

"Made it for me, yeah," she explains as she holds it up for him to see the knotting and the little alphabet beads. There's a few charms on it. "Funny enough, it's my warden item. The charms change and tug me when I need them to."

[hostileterritory]

For some reason that puts the edge back into his smile, but he nods slowly. "Clever. Not really straightforward, but I suppose if it works it works. They all that way, warden items?"

[viking_seer]

She notices. But she wanted him to know. She's going to be the opposite of 'need to know' with this one, even if they're temporary.

"Everyone's is different, apparently. So far, I've had pretty good luck with mine. It's definitely convenient for getting around the ship, at least."

[hostileterritory]

"I can imagine that." Like a compass of a kind, tugging away in the proper direction. The unnecessarily whimsical thought that comes next is that it's like Saga's daughter leading her to where she needs to go. He clears his throat to shake that one off and takes a sip of coffee.

"I'll... do my best not to cause you any trouble." He's been thinking about trouble, lately. The slow burn frustration of being here makes him antsy, makes him want to do something instead of the passive nothing he's done his best to maintain. Outside of his encounters with Arthur, anyway.

[viking_seer]

She watches him for a long moment before she speaks.

"I appreciate that. And in turn, I want to try and get working if we can. If you don't object to that."

[hostileterritory]

Sorry, hang on, he's staring a little. "Ma'am?"

[viking_seer]

She raises an eyebrow.

"What part of that surprised you?"

[hostileterritory]

"Well," he says, and stops. "I suppose there's not much reason to be surprised."

[viking_seer]

She offers a wry little smile.

"I don't think it's fair to you to ask you to 'behave' if I'm not doing anything to get you out of here."

[hostileterritory]

"All right." The words are very measured, not reluctant, but somewhere in the same tonal region. Get out of here. That phrase sinks into him like a splinter. The reason for his restlessness starts to click.

"Uh, what kind of work did you have in mind?"

[viking_seer]

She hones in on that not quite reluctant tone.

"Are you interested in graduating? I guess I should start there."

She tilts her head to one side.

"That's going to determine a lot about what kind of work I'd have in mind."

[hostileterritory]

"I suppose." He doesn't not want to graduate. It just doesn't feel real, doesn't feel like an actual option, even though he's seen others posting about it when it happens.

But. Maybe the question isn't inaccurate in its premise. Graduation feels like a different kind of obedience. It doesn't feel like something that ends this new limbo. Just moves him to a different stage of the program.

Too bad he can't! Say! Any of that!

Fucking irritating.

The irritation even shows, in the way he bites his lips together briefly and exhales through his nose.

[viking_seer]

But he might notice her eyes sharpening just a little after he says 'I suppose', not with anger but with scrutiny. How she seems to almost be watching him go through those thoughts inside his own head.

And she nods.

"'I suppose' sounds like you might have some issues with it, even if you can see the logic in it. Care to share what concerns you might have?" A small smile. "I'm very willing to listen."