002 # text # un: skyenet

[evite]

[ do you know what happens when it's late and raining too hard for a girl to go down to the garage to work on her own personal episode of pimp my ride? late night text posts happen. this time, it's a shit post. sorry, not sorry. ]

riverview, we need to have a talk.

[ it's very serious. ]

att: are you fucking kidding me.jpg
if i could give this zero stars, i would.

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[evite]

[ it's a good thing this isn't a live video feed. the fond little smile that curves up the corners of her mouth would totally kill any attempt at keeping up her stern expression. ]

Don't worry, I have my top people on it. [ top people. just not necessarily the tall people. ] They're very motivated.

[ a soft laugh at her own joke fills a bit of dead air. the weather has really put a damper on her plans for the day, and being cooped up indoors has left her feeling a bit... well, antsy. the kind of antsy that lends itself to absentmindedly clicking pen caps and needlessly rearranging her own furniture. ]

Something like that, yeah. What's keeping you up?

[otherflash]

[ Just hearing her laugh is enough to brighten his mood considerably from where it was a few seconds ago. Which isn't surprising because she has that effect on him in general. ]

You do seem to have a knack for knowing how to properly motivate people.

[ Is that something he has come to learn through personal experience? It's a possibility. As for what's keeping him up, there's enough of a delay between her asking the question and the time it takes him to respond that one might get the feeling there's a little more going on than he's willing to admit. ]

I wouldn't say anything is keeping me up. [ Liiieee. ] I'm just getting a head start on packing things up before we move. Living in a place with eleven bedrooms and almost as many baths is a bit excessive given there's only two of us here now. It's a lot of house to clean even for me.

[evite]

What can I say, it's just part of my charm.

[ if he's properly motivated by her particular brand of enthusiasm, well, more's the better. just means she'll have plenty of opportunities to continue motivating him. and as for his moving escapades, skye only has one reaction: eleven bedrooms? what kind of batshit crazy house has eleven bedrooms? is he living in an abandoned boarding school? ]

Sounds like you could use a change of scenery. You know, if we're both going to be awake for no reason — [ even if they're both awake for stupid reasons neither of them really want to fess up to yet ] — maybe you could take a break from all that heavy lifting and keep a girl company instead.

[otherflash]

Charm, huh? Well, you're not going to get any argument from me.

[ The number of bedrooms may seem absurd, but there was a period of time when almost all of those rooms at Wayne Manor were filled with people from some version of home. The mansion didn't feel so big then. But now he couldn't be more aware of the size of the place since the only thing occupying the space is reminders of those who have come and gone.

A change of scenery definitely sounds like a great idea. ]

You know what, I could use a break now that you mention it. [ More importantly, he has a hunch she might need one just as much as he does. ] Just give me a minute to tidy things up a bit around here, and I'll be over.

[evite]

[ of all the parts and pieces of settling in, finding a space to call her own has been the hardest part. the city might have been kind enough to allot her a private room in the communal housing buildings, but there was still expectation to meet and mingle with suitemates in the common kitchen and bathroom spaces that skye really had no interest getting to know. combining that with an uncomfortable realization that even a private room was a little too nice too soon had spurred her desire to find something a little more her own speed.

thus, skye's spent the last few weeks busier than ever — when she's not finishing up a contract job or honing her powers on her own or under supervision, she's working on her van or running errands for the shop guys to find needed machine parts or practical accessories to fill up the space. it hasn't exactly made her a great candidate for whatever flavor of emotional connection had brewed between them, and now that she had a moment to think about it, skye had to admit she felt a little bad for not being a little more available.

no reason to make him do all the work... again. ]

No, it's fine, don't rush. Take your time, and I'll come meet you?

[ whether she wants it to or not, her voice rises up at the end, turning what should be an easy statement into a bit of a hesitant question. ]

The bench in the park okay?

[otherflash]

[ Wally hasn't had much difficulty finding productive ways of spending his time while Skye has been busy doing her thing. There's always problems arising outside of the walls, still plenty of areas of the moon left to be explored, and many places and things that are desperately in need of repairs all of which match up perfectly with his particular set of abilities.

And with the mansion empty and him not knowing how to deal with his concerns about Roy, he had been happy to throw himself into all that work along with the regular shifts he has as a member of the Perimeter Guard (even if it has left him feeling a little rundown as of late) because staying in motion meant there was less time for thinking.

So while he has been a bit disappointed he hadn't been able to spend a little more time with her over the last few weeks since it's no secret he enjoys her company, things simply hadn't aligned that way. He probably could have done a better job initiating things if he wanted, but he's content with taking things as they come this go around. ]

Did you seriously just tell me of all people not to rush?

[ A lame attempt at providing some levity to counter the hint of uncertainly he detected in her voice. ]

But, yeah, the bench in the park is fine. I'll see you there, then.

[evite]

[ wally's gentle humor earns a quiet chuckle from skye before she cuts the feed completely; her spirit feels lifted, even just a little bit, as she makes herself presentable enough for leaving the house — which, all things considered, makes the trek out to the park that much more enjoyable, even in the rain. it isn't a far walk, but the grey skies have kept most of the city indoors for the better part of the day, so skye has a rare opportunity to take her time, unhindered by traffic or the accidental run-in with familiar faces.

she just hopes wally hasn't been waiting too long for her at the bench. maybe she can make it up to him (or at least make the waiting worthwhile) — since nowadays, her greetings tend to be a little more enthusiastic. ]

Hey, stranger.

[ the sarcasm is strong with this one. after all, would you kiss a stranger on the mouth as a greeting? (if you would, skye, maybe don't tell anybody that.) ]

[otherflash]

[ Her style of greeting more than makes up for however long he had been waiting in the park for her to arrive. Though, if he's honest, the wait was a particularly short one this time since the continuous downpour of rain that has plagued the day hardly provided him much of an incentive to show up too early for their late night rendezvous.

When the kiss ends, he pulls away with a grin which is pretty much his default expression under these circumstances. ]

So do you go around kissing every stranger you come across? Or, am I just special?

[ The less than serious line of questioning has his grin lingering around for a few seconds longer before it loses some of its' life. It does feel like it's been a while since they've had alone time like this, and while he's sure she didn't mean anything with the 'stranger' comment, he can't help but wonder how long whatever is bothering her has been doing so. ]

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Work's been pretty busy with all the new people we have here now.

[evite]

Only the ones who fish for compliments afterwards.

[ but she's smiling, so the words lack any real bite; it should be obvious from the way that she's not making any attempt to back out of the embrace that wally is exceptionally special in skye's book of acquaintances. there aren't many people in this place that she wants to be close with emotionally speaking, let alone physically. he just so happens to tick off both boxes.

as for his apology, she offers a quick shrug as an immediate answer, her hand reaching out to find his in the mess of his jacket pockets. a gentle tug or two is all it takes for them to fall into an easy walking pattern, one that skye is careful to plot under as much cover as possible to avoid any lingering rain showers. ]

As long as you're not avoiding me. [ not that she thinks he is. ] Plus, it takes two to tango, right? I've been all over the place, I feel like I haven't actually slept in days.

[ as they walk, they pass by a community bulletin board near the far edge of the park. one side is plastered with colorful flyers, many of which call attention to the upcoming festival skye's been hearing mentioned all around the city. ]

Not gonna lie, Dragosta sounds like a medieval European dragon party.

[otherflash]

[ The good-natured way in which Skye calls him out on his not so subtle fishing attempt manages to draw a gentle laugh out of him. ]

Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying.

[ It's okay, though, he doesn't need any compliments to know how special she makes him feel; the extra spring in his step he gets whenever she's around, the little thrill that goes through him at every smile she sends in his direction, and how his heart races with every kiss is all the evidence he needs. It's been so long since he's had something good in his life.

He's thankful for that, and for the protection from most of the rain, even if it's settled into a light drizzle for now, provided by the trees perfectly situated along their path as they walk with his fingers laced through hers. He nods along as she explains he hasn't been the only one busy, but at the mention of her lack of sleep, he quirks an eyebrow at her. ]

Sounds like I'm not the only one that needs to slow down and take a break. [ His tone is light, not wanting to pry if there's something more going on, but it carries an undercurrent of concern in it as well. A beat, before he offers up as an afterthought. ] And for the record, you are absolutely the last person I'd want to avoid.

[ The low rumble in the sky above captures his attention as their conversation falls into a bit of a lull while their journey through the park continues. But when she brings up the upcoming holiday that he was unaware of until this moment, his eyes drift back to her before following her gaze to the bulletin board, and after a quick read of the flyers, he lets out a low, pitiful groan despite himself. ]

Might be more fun if it was. [ His one Dragosta experience was filled with plenty of awkwardness and annoyances. ] It's basically a month long Valentine's Day where we're encouraged to kiss random people and find our soulmates. So I'd suggest being on high alert unless you want to take part in the shenanigans.