Iskaulit Mingle

[passingthrough]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Nah!
Action: Iskaulit
When: April!

[So many spaces to explore. So little time.]

Comments

[axiomed]

[ He squeezes back. His own feelings were wound up in his need for logic. Charles is a teacher first and he was Wanda's teacher. Getting frustrated and hurt over her loss is a trenchant situation he can't fall into. Deep down, he knows he'll never be fully rid of the sting of people leaving, of watching people leave. ]

Well I appreciate them greatly.

[exothermia]

I'd hope so.

[axiomed]

Of that, there is no doubt.

[exothermia]

[Erik lets go of Charles's hand, so he can pick up a scone. It's enough, he thinks, to do something like this. Take some of the pressure off.]

[axiomed]

What did yours say? Your bracelet.

[ There would have been a message on it, no doubt. ]

[exothermia]

[He pauses with the scone halfway to his mouth, and then lowers it. Letting out a sigh through his nose, he replies, switching smoothly between Polish and English.]

Ojciec - it means 'father'.

[A crease forms on his brow as he touches the bracelet in his pocket. It's a question that's run around and around his head for hours, and he still has no answer to it.]

I don't know why.

[axiomed]

[ Ah. Charles takes a sip of the tea. He can't say he knows either. It was an odd move by Wanda, but she's not here to explain herself. ]

Maybe there doesn't need to be a why.

[exothermia]

[That's unlikely. Wanda would have had a reason... but Erik will never know it. It won't stop him gnawing it in his darker moments, though.]

...and yours?

[axiomed]

[ His smile is faint. ]

Hope. Apparently I'm a one-track record.

[exothermia]

Still... it's a meaningful gift.

[axiomed]

I won't deny it.

[ There seems to be more on his mind, but it clears away. ] As I said, she was always considerate.

[exothermia]

[Erik watches Charles for a moment, before returning to his scone at last.]

Mmm. She was asking about gifts in the last conversation I had with her.

[Not that he had been in the mood for that topic. He was rather terse with the woman.]

[axiomed]

[ He chuckles. ]

She was still annoyed that she provided a chess set. I really need to be more varied in my interests.

[exothermia]

It was the right gift - just one that others had already thought of. She shouldn't have been hard on herself for that.

[axiomed]

I probably shouldn't have mentioned it to her.

[exothermia]

[He shrugs.]

It was still a very different kind of chess board. We haven't even used all the functions yet.

[axiomed]

They take forever to figure out.

[exothermia]

Let's have a game later, then, and dedicate our time to getting one to work.

[axiomed]

[ He blinks, surprised by the offer. ]

Certainly.

[exothermia]

[And why not? It seems fitting to play a game on the board Wanda got for both of them.]

Good.