undergrounds | Started by daylight next morning blithe and early

[Annie's phone went off, and she shifted her cup of tea from one hand to the other as she angled into her bag for the small rectangle. Pulling it out, a new notification read that Finnick was running late, and he'd be there as soon as he could.

Okay, that's fine. Not the end of the world, and she told him that, shooting him a text back followed by a heart. She was fine at a coffee shop. Toootally fine at a coffee shop. She could just get a seat and pull out her book and-

no seats available. Great, super, super great. Putting her phone back in her purse, Annie started to fiddle with the ends of her hair as she glanced over the assortment of people sitting, trying to judge if anyone was getting up soon. She really didn't want to stand around for the next half-hour or however long. Finally, her eyes settled on a young man sitting alone. His cane gave him away as blind and therefore, Annie wasn't exactly going to impede on him, she didn't think.

Gingerly, she approached him and cleared her throat.] Uhm- hi. Hi, this isn't, ah, usually a thing I ask people? But my boyfriend's running late. I was hoping that maybe... I could sit here? Just for a few minutes. We don't have to talk, it's fine. Or, ah, if you'd rather not. That's fine, too.

Edited 2016-05-26 02:46 (UTC)

[ With the way people go about their day, Matt hardly pays any attention when he's not out on patrol. The sounds become their own kind of white noise, a preferable alternative to the quiet in his office when he's reading page after page of legal text. The coffee break is a welcome reprieve-- good for getting his thoughts together (or skipping out on work, as his secretary seems to believe.) He's actually a bit spaced out when she approaches him. ]

Hm? [ Not that he's unused to being approached in cafes, but her words are something of a surprise. ] Oh. Of course, please. [ He waves a hand vaguely toward the rest of the table. ] I'm not using those. I guess it got crowded while I wasn't looking.

[ Haha, get it. ]

[Annie shouldn't laugh. It's not polite to laugh. But here she is, giggling as she slides into the seat opposite him.] Sorry- sorry, I shouldn't be laughing- but-sorry.

[she's bright red, and honestly she's glad he can't see her, because she's absolutely certain she matches her hair.] It- yeah, it is crowded. My boyfriend- he's running late. Sorry.

It's alright. I set that one up.

[ He chuckles right along with her. Blind humor, it's something you learn to love when you're, you know, blind. He might not be able to see her, but he can sense the spike in the temperature of her face. Yeah, this is why he doesn't tell people the details of his powers. ]

So you've told me. You might have picked a rough date spot, though. Unless you want to take this table when he gets here, which-- I mean, I'm almost done with my latte, so you're fine.

[She shakes her head, then stops, when she realizes, no, he can't see her. Her blush remains.]

No- oh, no no, I wouldn't do that- that's really rude. Gosh, no, sorry. We're just meeting here.

I just didn't want to stand.

[ Yeah, he can hear that but it's ok. He knows most pauses when people talk tend to be for gestures. You sighted people and your gestures. ]

Don't worry about it. It's fine, really. I'm mostly just avoiding work here.

[ He shrugs for her benefit, mostly. He has his own firm and yet still finds time to escape for coffee. That's commitment. (No, it's not.) ]

Oh. [Well, that makes it a little bit better, she thinks.]

What's the job you're avoiding? If you don't mind me asking- if you want me to just be quiet please just ask and I won't say anything. [Was she speaking too fast? Probably.]

[ No worries, Matt's hearing would literally pick up on her even if she whispered and mumbled. ]

Ah, I have my own law firm. I guess my secretary would kill me for taking this long but work's been slow lately.

Oh, wow! [She smiles at him some more, because she really just can't help it.] That's amazing. Wow- what, ah, what sort of law?

The problem with picnics (other than they were a better idea in theory than in reality) was that he knew what to pack for them, but had no real desire to eat anything that involved the amount of effort picnic foods did.

So, hunks of cheese, glistening fruit, and a half loaf of baguette were sat in the sun. Henry was more involved in his books than with his bounty-- though the wine was half finished, the only parcel he'd touched.

Still, it seemed a waste to let good cheese rot away in the rare London warmth, so with a cursory look around, spotting someone who looked both bored and very nearly too thin, he'd make a slight gesture at the food, after an awkward beat of eye contact.

"I bought this-" Explained, forgoing 'hello'. "But don't have an appetite. If you'd like to take it off my hands, I'd appreciate it."

This was not the weirdest thing ever. But it was pretty close. Some strange man approaching her in the park, offering her his food. It sounded like something an inexperienced fae would do. Annie was human, and couldn't tell that Henry was magic in any way, shape or form, so she should have probably been suspicious.

But a nice, handsome guy was offering her food in the park, and it was rude to say no, and Annie Cresta did not want to be rude. "Oh!" she said, surprised as she looked up from the book on her lap. "Uhm- it's not, ah, tampered with, is it? I mean, if not, yes, I could have some. I'm not- ah, not really hungry, either." Her stomach rumbled. "Or, haha, maybe I am. Sorry, it looks like really nice food." Seriously, that was an expensive cheese.

Squinting at her, and then squinting at the food thereafter.

"...Cheese can be left in the sun for up to two hours. It's been forty-five minutes. You have some time before it's been tampered with."

Clearly neither understanding the implication she was making, nor the implication on his own actions. Ironic, for a man who was not above poisoning people, to obviously have very little clue that that was a tactic used by the modern man to re-enact the cave man.

"Oh- I, ah, never knew that." her family had not raised cows, as it were. But she had known some people that did, made their own cheese and everything.

That wasn't what she meant, but hopefully, hey, he was just a normal, non-poisoning human. Maybe she'll just watch him eat some first.

"Uhm, I guess I will? Do you want me to just, ah, come over? When I'm hungry? Or?" Did he want her to sit with him?

"..."

He hadn't considered that, actually. Really, he'd like her to just take the food away and stop speaking, but he suppose since he was the imposition here, it would only be gentlemanly to make room.

So, giving a nod finally, he'd scoot over to give her more than enough space.

"Yes, that's fine. Help yourself to the rest, as well. The bread is fresh, the fruit should still be chilled, and red wine doesn't do poorly in the sun."

Annie really only talks when she's nervous, so he'd be fine.

"Oh, wow, uhm. thank you. It looks delicious." She stands and moves over towards his blanket, gingerly sitting on the corner of it. "I think I'm okay without the wine." She's not a huge drinker, except every once in a while, and having not eaten, she'd pass.

But she'll take a handful of grapes instead.

"Can I- ah... What's your name? Sorry. I'm Annie."

A nod to that, appreciative. He liked to have something to occupy himself as he read, and be it alcohol, tea, or coffee, drinks were the addition of choice.

"Henry." A polite nod, though not offering a hand. "Are you from London? I'm finding the majority of those I meet here are not."

Edited 2016-05-26 03:18 (UTC)

She shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm from Inishmaan. Ireland." He was American, he'd have no idea where Inishmaan was, let alone the Aran Islands in total.

But she couldn't name the United States, so there was that, too.

Popping a grape in her mouth, she chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "I can tell you're American. With your accent. It's, uhm, a giveaway." Awkward. "Sorry, Henry." Yep, only talked when she was nervous.

A slight tilt of his head, agreeing with her.

"They often are."

He tried not to gamble with British or Irish accents, however; they could be from anywhere, and he felt it was impolite to play guessing games.

"One of the lesser-known states, I'm afraid. ...Your home is near Dún Chonchúir then, is it?"

Woah.

Annie blinks.

"Yeah- you know it?" Odd, she hadn't thought many people knew about Dún Chonchúir. "I've been a few times. Uhm- School trips." When she was at a more mundane school, before she'd gone to the Fourth District to train.

"That's, ah, really impressive." She smiles at him, a little less-nervously this time.

"I do." A small nod. "I have an interest in archaeology. However, I've never been. Is the area impressive?" Mostly rubble now, but with imagination, perhaps it would be.

Annie nods. "It's beautiful. I miss it, but going back... Uhm, it's not really... an option for me?" She still owned her small family home, but there was nothing for her there. Just memories and ghosts.

"But you should go. If you, ah, if you get the chance...?" Helpful. She's so helpful. Maybe she should just move on to some strawberries and stop talking asap.

"Bad memories?" Sitting back, setting his book down on his knee, open to it's correct page. Usually, these things were to do with family, but he didn't want to pry outright.

"It's a bit of an arduous journey. I don't mind boat travel, but if suppose the summer might be kinder for that sort of thing."

Annie nods. "yeah. Yeah, something like that." She glances sidelong to avoid looking at Henry. bad memories was really putting it mildly, though.

"I love boats," Annie says lamely. "I grew up around them. uhm if you get the chance- the scuba is really great out there, too." One of her weirder talents. other than killing vampires.

"I'm a fan of boating, myself." Yachts, mostly, but he had had a few creative and deeply illegal ideas in mind for a tugboat before moving here.

"Scuba diving no, though. I don't think I could be the type. Is it for the fish, or are there some ruins to explore?"

Edited 2016-05-31 20:31 (UTC)

"that's great- my da- he used to have a fishing boat." The boat was probably still moored near their old home. she hadn't wanted to sell.

"great ruins," she told Henry. "It's a bit hard to see. And cold. I haven't gone in a while though. no reason." she did swim a lot, to no one's surprise.

"Was he a fisherman, or was it a hobby?"

A little surprised by that, honestly, as he was by finding out there was any earthly fact he didn't know. "I wasn't aware of the ruins in that area. BCE, or early Empire?"

"Both- after my mother uhm- he started doing it for a living." He'd retired when Annie decided to learn to hunt.

"uhm... I don't know? I'm not ah, an academic?"

"I see. ...Have I pried too much? This seems like a difficult topic." Shifting the bread her way. Food was comforting to most people.

"oh! no, no," she said but was hardly convincing. "I'm not good at talking. not really. especially not about myself. but it's okay, if you're curious." She avoids the bread but smiles. "I just live with my gran. That's all."

everyone else was dead.

"I see. Is she originally from London, or around those same parts?"

Settling in to have more wine, in hopes that that was easy enough to convince her to eat.

That gets Annie to nod. "yeah- we have a flat in ah, in Kensington.." Hopefully he had no idea what that meant. "Family home. it's hers. not mine." She lived there, still. but spent a lot of time with her boyfriend in his flat.

"You're very wealthy, then." Of course he knew what it meant. He wasn't the kind of American who didn't know up from down, Marylebone from Dalston. "Or she is. It's a very nice part of town. Are you happy there?"

"She is." Annie is quick to say it. She doesn't like talking about money. Most people don't even know she has money until they get to know her. if they get to know her.

"I do- It's not home home exactly. But I like it. where ah- where are you living?"

"The Notting Hill area." Lightly, tilting his head. He was sure she'd understand the implication in turn.

"Otherwise, I agree. I prefer Paris."

Annie nods. "beautiful area." Because it was. "great for walks." Just not at night when you could get eaten by a wealthy vampire. But she did understand the implication.

"I've never been. Is it as pretty as everyone says?"

"It is." Rarely did he agree with common consensus, but when it came to Paris...

"The train from here is quite a quick route, I've been told. It's worth the visit. It's a calmer city. More like this park. But very grand."

Annie considers this- it is so close and it would be nice to get out of London for a quick jaunt. fewer memories than if she went to Ireland.

"Yeah- maybe. maybe I can convince Finnick to go with me. he deserves a vacation." With the elections he had been so busy, so stressed out. ...and then he'd stabbed a guy.

a witch, but still.

"Finnick is a friend of yours?" Brows raised, surprised to find a name he actually recognized on her tongue, and one that certainly had very few owners.

That gets her to smile. Blush, even. "yes- he's my- he's my boyfriend." and it felt so good to be public about it.

"I see. He seemed like a good man." A smile, curt; as much as he could smile. "I met him recently. I hope the stress of the elections has worn off?"

he knew Finnick. okay, that wasn't odd. Finnick was popular, and Henry's explanation helped iron out the details. "oh- no. A little?" how did he know about the elections?

"Are you...?"

Started by daylight next morning blithe and early

For Matt

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Annie; Park, yes?

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