driftfleet | (no subject)

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.

[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.

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.

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?

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.

[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.

[He looks at her with open curiosity.]

Do you know why?

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.

[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.

[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.]

[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.]

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.]

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.

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.]

Edited 2016-04-16 03:04 (UTC)

[That's a surprise. And yet, it's not the first time someone's told him that they loved him, in some context, in some meaning. It doesn't matter which meaning she wants. They're all valuable to him. Daneel's expression doesn't flicker, but he leans forward, resting his forehead against Beverly's, a small and gentle gesture of closeness.]

Thank you.

[Not a usual sort of response, but he's not even sure he's capable of love, in the sense Beverly would want. He'll have to think on equivalent emotions, to be sure. In lieu of confessions, he kisses her, because it will please her and it will please him and it's a different type of confession.]

You are extremely significant to me, you realise.

[Perhaps it's not the usual response, but it's the honest one, which she prefers to him saying something he isn't certain of for her sake. Besides, she doesn't expect or need any big declarations. A kiss is more than enough.]

I do. I knew it that first night I slept in your room, when I was so [Lost, scared, upset...] Vulnerable. I saw it in your reactions, felt it in how you took care of me.

Edited 2016-04-16 15:54 (UTC)

I'm glad. I'm aware that my reactions are not as pronounced as they might be, nor as obvious. Sometimes that is a benefit, and sometimes not. In the case of expressing affection to those I would call my friends, it often is not.

[Friend is a much more comfortable word for him, a word he gives much more weight than some others might.]

It's what I needed though. A sense of stability, someone to ground me. [She was so emotional in those weeks after the calibrations, too much so. Daneel's calm reliability made a world of a difference to her.] And now... I've done the whirlwind, passionate romances, the big gestures and declarations. I don't want that again. Perhaps your affections are more subtle but that does not make them any less meaningful to me. Every gesture, every kiss, every dance step - they're all important.

I'm glad you think so.

[He kisses her again, gentle and lingering.]

This is, after all, still new to me.

[As they break from the kiss she lets out a little pleased hum.]

Even so, you are much better at this than you realize. [She grins.] Especially kissing.

I've been fortunate in my recent opportunities to practice.

[With Beverly, of course.]

It is an interesting art.

[She laughs, delighted once more by how he phrases things.]

An interesting art indeed.

[She moves her hands to his chest again and guides him down to the mattress with the gentlest suggestion of a push.]

And one I am more than happy to help you practice.

[He lets himself be guided, his head tilted to one side with an expression of faint interest, though his interest is certainly more than faint.]

It is kind of you.

[He leans up to kiss her, one hand on her cheek.]

[She smiles around the kiss, then bites her lower lip as she straightens back up to try to gauge his expression, mild though it is.]

You wouldn't be teasing me, by chance, would you?

Edited 2016-04-19 04:52 (UTC)

I'm not very skilled at teasing.

[That's not much of an answer.]

Perhaps I am trying.

(no subject)

dancingmd - 2016-04-20 22:08 (UTC) - Expand