[for Henshaw] but if you try sometimes

[piqued]

He was here for a Completely Unrelated Reason, but he's forgotten it now.

It's not something he doesn't Understand, really. He's got a Sense of why there are pages upon pages of writing on this desk, why there are familiar Names scattered through them and where the Impulse to craft a more perfect world comes from, although he himself had never been able to take pen to page about it.

But he's got his own Stories. He's got a whole Universe in his mind where Isaac and Urania have lived Happily Ever After in their very own Castle in the stars, where Victor and Zoë have their own beautiful Children, where his Father and Mother are Very Much in Love.

That doesn't make this tale involving himself and Zoë any more Sensible. That's why he's here puzzling over the pages rather than Whatever he came here to do, barely paying attention to the door.

Comments

[piqued]

"You've written libel concerning myself and a person I care for very dearly--" Says the man who clearly knows very little about Shipping beyond his own garbled definition. "--and you want me to apologize?"

[rumourhasit]

"Yes. I wasn't planning on publishing my writing or telling people about it. You're the one who's insulting me and my work."

[piqued]

There's a snort as he twists her closer by the wrist, chin lifting a touch. "The writing isn't the question. It's the content that I find insulting."

[rumourhasit]

“Find it insulting. I don’t care what you think,” she says defiantly. "You don't scare me."

[piqued]

Didn't she get taught to be scared of Spades? Silly girl, Nelly. The twist of her wrist is almost completely unconscious. "Get rid of them."

[rumourhasit]

She winces, but doesn't back away. "Make me, Declán Chives."

[piqued]

"You've no right to address me by my name." But he's losing his polish. His voice is dropping away from its Affect and into its rough, sharp, Kitcheny accent. "An' no way stopping me takin' them myself t' destroy them."

[rumourhasit]

"Oh, don't you dare," she warns, reaching out to shove him lightly. "Don't you even think about destroying them. They're not yours to dispose of."

[piqued]

The shove is barely noticed. "What, an' my name 's yours to disparage?"

[rumourhasit]

She splutters at that, almost laughs. "You can't prevent me from saying your name. You can't prevent me from speaking and writing as I'd like, no matter what you do."

[piqued]

"Speaking?" This tug to get her closer comes with the twist to hold her arm behind her back. "Have you been telling people abou' this rubbish?"

[rumourhasit]

"Are you-- deranged? I'd lose my job!" Her voice is slightly shriller now, though she doesn't quite cry out as he twists her arm.

[piqued]

"Then why d'you just leave it lyin' about like this, Miss?" Honestly.

[rumourhasit]

"Okay- okay, I understand, I'll be more-- let go of me!"

[piqued]

The snort is slight as he pulls her arm a little farther up along her back. She's much lovelier when she's flustered like this. "You'll be more what, Miss Henshaw?"

[rumourhasit]

She gasps in actual pain, then grits her teeth. "Discreet. I'll be more discreet, now, please?"

[piqued]

"There's a good girl." Not that he's letting go. Just pressing a delicate kiss to the edge of her eyebrow. "Don't let me find them ever again."

[rumourhasit]

Her breath hitches again, but this time it's in more than fear and disbelief than pain. "I- I won't? ... Chives?"

[piqued]

He doesn't Understand the sound. Is already letting go of her wrist and leaning back to fix the buttons of his cuffs. "Yes, Miss?"

[rumourhasit]

She winces as her arm returns to her side, looking up at him warily. "You- kissed me."

[piqued]

"...not really." Not on the lips. Surely that meant it didn't count for much of Anything at all.

[rumourhasit]

"But... a little." It was still a kiss. On her face.

[piqued]

The sigh is absent, a bit Frustrated, as he finishes fixing his cuffs and moves to neaten his tie. "And is that quite a problem?"

[rumourhasit]

"Just... not a lot of... no one does that to me." She waits a beat, then shakes her head. "Never mind," she mutters, turning away to start shuffling her papers together.

[piqued]

There's half a heartbeat before he lets himself actually Pause.

"...so write about that."

Something that had Actually Happened.