nostraightlines | [eudio] IC inbox

I'm right here.

[ Impatient impatient, Cole. Ramse comes out of his room and walks over, reaching out to take one of the bags from him. It sure smells amazing. ] What's all this? How much did you get..?

Chinese food, best in town. And enough to feed either an army or us. You gotta -

[He's about to walk past into the kitchen when he sees it, and his lips immediately start to twitch. He opens his mouth, which stretches into a huge smile as soon as he does it, then closes it again when he realizes he can't play it cool; his words come from just barely pursed lips.]

Uh. Ramse. [He clears his throat pointedly.] You got a little. On your face.

[ The bag he takes from Cole is heavy for takeout but he trusts Cole that it's the best in town and he is hungry. So-- wait. What's with that look. ]

I've got what?

[ He reaches up with his free hand but touches his chin instead of his cheek. Totally missing it. ]

Bit higher. [Now that he's got a free arm, he gestures to the right spot, and his shoulders are starting to shake with silent laughter.] Right there.

[ What is he laughing at, what's so funny? Ramse frowns and rubs at the spot indicated, and his fingers come away stained with something bright red. He blinks, then realizes what it is. ]

--Celeste.

[ Of course she wouldn't tell him. He lets out his own huff of amusement, then shakes his head and goes to put the bag down so he can go clean his face off. ]

Stop laughing, Cole!

[N o p e he's set his own bag down and he's following after, laughing freely now that it's been discovered.]

I didn't think Sheva wore that colour. You really are making friends in a hurry, huh?

[ Ramse goes to the bathroom and grabs his washcloth, turning the water on to clean up. It turns out that lipstick actually takes a little bit of scrubbing, and his voice is bordering on grumbly as Cole teases him. ]

It's been there for hours...

[He's just leaning in the doorframe, watching with eyebrows arched. At least the laughter's trickled off, or mostly.]

It's a brand new world out there, huh? Lipstick, heels - I heard some of 'em stick on fake eyelashes 'cause theirs aren't long enough. [He's got a lot more experience with that world than Ramse, but only with watching it - he wasn't exactly kissing a lot of women in 2015. That's come since he got to Eudio.] What's she like?

Yeah, I've noticed the makeup and heels. Not fake lashes, though, why do they need that? They don't need that.

[ Nobody needs that. He finishes wiping off his face and turns off the water, answering Cole as he wrings out the cloth. ]

Celeste? She's young and really sassy. Jokes around a lot. It's not like that, though, she was just congratulating me on the job too -- it was actually her idea.

Don't ask me. I still don't get the heels.

[He considers Ramse for a second, deciding whether or not to believe him, then finally nods. If she's as young as some of the ones around here, it's probably not like that at all.]

At least there's some kids here who aren't traumatized. [Shaking his head, he leads the way back to the kitchen.] You noticed how many young women there really are around here, though? Girls. I'm not used to seeing anyone that young around, never mind girls.

[And they've got a singular fondness for him. He just won't bring that part up.]

[ Well he doesn't think it's like that, anyway. ]

She's not traumatized, just bitter about some things. [ He dries his face and follows Cole back out. ] I've noticed there are a lot of young everyone. A ton of them are still teenagers. We're old, here.

[ And the number of kids who've had as bad a time of it as they have, or worse... well. They were both at the group meeting. Ramse shakes his head, reaching to start unpacking their dinner. ]

Time to break out the canes and lawn chairs, brother.

Who hasn't got things to be bitter about? [He's pulling out cartons as well, then going for plates because he's really become so much more civilized. And why not have a bit of everything all at once?]

Hey, you can throw in the towel if you want. I got a babyface, or so I hear, so I'm still in the game here. Just - not with the kids.

[Really. Not ever. 20 clears the kid bar, right?]

Nobody I've ever met. [ They've fallen into a pattern in the apartment already, Ramse pulling out utensils as Cole goes for the plates. Despite their issues, lately it feels like they've never been apart.

...pfft. He chuckles, looking Cole over. ]

Babyface? Who told you that?

[ Maybe? It depends on the person for Ramse, 20 could easily still be too young. Hell, 30 could be, if it's someone who never had to grow up. He's a patient person but only to a point. ]

A couple people now. Then again, I got otter eyes twice too, so I probably shouldn't go with public opinion.

[He swings by Ramse, grabbing his fork and knife, and starts to serve up. Like clockwork, really. But there's a little dirty look thrown in there, because hey, it's not like he's lying.]

I dunno, people think I look young. I mean, you've seen Birkhoff. I probably look ten years older than him, not two.

[ Hey now, no glaring. He isn't saying Cole's lying about it, he just doesn't agree. Maybe if he shaved? ]

Don't ask me, man, I just think you look like you. I was never any good at guessing ages.

[ Ramse pulls down glasses for them and fills them with water, setting them on the table. Then he leans against the counter and watches as Cole serves. ]

Otter eyes? Do I want to know?

[At that, he holds up his hands in the classic display of innocence.]

I don't even know. Sad baby otter eyes. People say the weirdest shit about me. Don't you ever get any weird compliments? It can't just be me.

[ Sad.. baby otter eyes.... ]

Weird compliments, let's see.

[ He thinks about that, and comes up blank. Cole gets a shrug. ]

Only in the phrasing, like stuff I'm not sure was a compliment in the first place. I've got strong hands. Is that a compliment or just an observation? Nothing weird like otter eyes, though, that's for sure.

[That's kind of a combination of both times otter eyes came up. Don't ask, Ramse.]

Strong hands? [Now he's smirking again, shoving a huge mouthful of kung pao chicken into his mouth and talking around it as he chews.] Depends who said it and why. That sounds like a come-on to me, but I'm no expert.

[ Ramse raises and eyebrow and claims his plate, sitting himself down with it. It's all still hot and smells amazing -- he's never even had most of what Cole got, which he suspects might be why there's so much. ]

Oh please, man, how is that a come on? How can you make that a come-on? [ He takes a bite of dinner and looks up, impressed. Best in the city, huh? Hold that thought as he shovels another bite in. ]

This is good.

Told you. Best in the city. But still not as good as 2015 Philly.

[He licks at the inside of his mouth when Ramse doubts him, his face pure really.]

Unless they were hiring you to do manual labor. what do they care? Just saying it, that means they're thinking about your hands. Touching. Strong hands mean a firm grip. You can't make it not sexual.

[ Alright, Cole, he gets it. Hmm. He finishes off another bite before answering, brow furrowed. ]

I might have to do something about that.

Not your type?

[He's somewhere on the line between teasing and genuinely curious now, almost concerned. Ramse got damn serious when it clicked, and now he's wondering what the situation is. Not just pruriently, either.]

It's more that I don't think she has any idea what our life is like, what I'm really like.

[ The flirting was light and fun and he doesn't really want that to end, and if she's serious he'd be interested but. In a lot of ways she's just a kid. ]

[Oh. That is serious. The kind of divide in those situations can definitely be felt, sometimes to an offensive level, whether they mean it or not. There's a reason most of Cole's closer friendships and relationships have sprung from that exact point of common experience.]

You don't wanna scare her.

[Because he's not scary. Ramse is the opposite of scary. But if she's lived one of those beautifully normal lives, he could look like a monster, and that'd hit him hard. It hits Cole hard, and he's much closer than Ramse will ever be.]

[ He thinks that just seeing the amount of old wounds his clothes conceal would be a wake up call for her. Cole gets a nod; it's not even anything he'd do on purpose, but people like them have an intensity that can frighten people who don't understand it. ]

I don't. Right now I'm obviously not.

[ It hasn't even hit him yet, because he hasn't run into anyone who'd think so, that he could be seen as a monster for doing what he had to, to survive. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject