(no subject)

[seasidelove]

Who: Wonderducks and their visitors!
Broadcast: None!
Action: The Wonderduck
When: RIGHT NOW

[Alright guys! What are you up to this month? Hopefully having fun. And ignoring whatever disaster is going on in the kitchen because they've gotta make due somehow.]

Comments

[dancingmd]

[Daneel, you worry too much. She takes that hand in hers without a second thought.]

In a week or two you won't even know it was ever there, I promise.

[thezerothlaw]

I will always know it was there, Beverly.

[Always. He will always remember. He squeezes her hand gently, though.]

[dancingmd]

[Ah... the downside of perfect memory, she supposes. She doesn't like the thought of him remembering her in pain.]

Well, we'll just have to give you lots of good memories to go with it, won't we?

[thezerothlaw]

That is the ideal solution, I think. We've already accomplished much in that regard.

[So long as the good outweighs the bad, he's pleased.]

[dancingmd]

I think so too.

[She leans in and drops the ice pack for a moment in order to give him a nice long kiss on the lips.]

And I already feel better than I did when I came in.

[thezerothlaw]

Good. I'm glad.

[He puts his arms around her, pulling close.]

That is precisely what I would hope my company would do.

[dancingmd]

[Closer, hmm? She likes this, being pulled into him: it's reassuring. She curls into his embrace, her palms resting lightly on his chest.]

Surely by now you realize the effect your company has on me.

[thezerothlaw]

I had noticed a pattern, in fact.

[That may or may not be teasing. Still, he'll hold her like this, as long as she wants it.]

[dancingmd]

[Teasing? Oh ho! A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. This must be investigated further.]

A pattern? Am I so predictable then?

I LOST THIS NOTIF

[thezerothlaw]

You are hardly predictable. A repeated reaction to a stimulus I've noticed before does not make you simple or, for that matter, easy to understand.

oh no ;; rude, dreamwidth

[dancingmd]

[Wryly, and with a smile to match:] Well, that's a relief.

[She slides her hands up to rest her arms on his shoulders.]

Still, I am curious as to what these patterns are, if you don't mind.

[thezerothlaw]

In this case, that you are typically cheered by my presence, and pleased by physical contact.

[He's lost the thread of teasing and is now just explaining patiently. Teasing is hard. Still, he kisses her anyway.]

Which is, I confess, gratifying.

[dancingmd]

[That's all right: she's delighted that he tried. It briefly crosses her mind to carry the teasing further - so many ways to play with that word, "gratifying" - but she ultimately decides to be a little more serious.]

I'm glad to hear that because I like making you as happy as you make me.

[thezerothlaw]

What I define as "happiness" is different than what it is for you, I'm sure, but you do, nonetheless.

Which is... novel, in some ways.

[dancingmd]

But you've been happy before, haven't you?

[She glances over at the abandoned sketchbook beside them. To use his words, it is gratifying to know that she can make him happy, but it still saddens her to think that that is a novelty for him. Surely there have been others. Perhaps not in a relationship such as theirs, no, but people who are important to him nonetheless.]

With Elijah and Giskard?

[thezerothlaw]

With them, yes.

[Absolutely. There is zero doubt about that. They also made him happy.]

My relationship with partner Elijah was, of course, rather different than my relationship with you, though I was no less grateful for it. The experience is... different. New.

[dancingmd]

[Her shoulders relax. Good. He deserves to be happy and she hopes he can find more people like them, when he returns home.]

I admit, it was... unexpected. I'm not always very good at this, at opening up to people romantically, and it often takes me a long time to admit to my feelings, but... it's easier with you, somehow.

[thezerothlaw]

[He looks at her with open curiosity.]

Do you know why?

[dancingmd]

Your empathic abilities help. [She laughs, just a little.] I never can hide anything from Deanna either. Which is good, if frustrating sometimes. Makes me acknowledge my emotions, keeps me from bottling them up.

[She rocks back as she thinks, dropping her arms from his shoulders, resting her hands instead on his thighs.]

But it's more than that, I think.

[thezerothlaw]

[He smooths his hands over hers, then reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ears.]

I don't mean to frustrate you. Still, I admit that it's something of a relief to not have to hide this from at least one person.

[dancingmd]

[See? How does she begin to adequately explain that nice warm fuzzy feeling she gets from these little gestures of affection? It's wonderful that he can feel it with her.]

Frustration is not always a negative thing. It can help spur us to change and to grow, and that's how I see it in this case. You haven't done anything wrong.

And you know... There are people here you wouldn't have to hide your abilities from. I know of at least one other who is mildly telepathic, if you ever wanted an introduction.

[She respects why he needs to be cautious. People can react violently to things they don't understand, and she can't vouch for everyone in the fleet. As much as he is protective of her, so she is of him. But Finrod, Finrod she trusts. More than that, Finrod would have a better chance of understanding.]

[thezerothlaw]

[He blinks, mildly surprised.]

I would greatly appreciate that, yes. It would be... helpful, to be able to converse with someone else on this matter, to be able to compare and learn. Likely, this person would have had their abilities longer than I have, as well.

[Sometimes, even Daneel feels sort of isolated.]

[dancingmd]

Trust me, it's been much longer for him. [Several thousand years in fact.] I'll talk to him, see if he's amenable.

[There could be some elvish cultural barrier she doesn't know about - after all, Finrod spoke to her telepathically in a time of danger, when it was necessary. She has no idea how they view such things on a day-to-day basis. Still, she has confidence in him.]

[thezerothlaw]

Thank you, Beverly. Please let me know. I do appreciate the gesture, whether or not he is willing.

[He wraps her hands in his.]

You are so often doing thing for my benefit. It is... strange.

[dancingmd]

That's what people do, when they love someone.

[There. She said the word. She's still working out how she loves him - romantically, platonically, the lines are blurry - but there's no doubt that she does.]