|
Post by Teja on Mar 31, 2014 2:14:18 GMT -5
Teja was already so frequently characterized by those who knew her only in passing as 'quiet', so it wouldn't seem unusual to the coworker who came after her that she was so reticent. The urge to cry had subsided, as it had been a couple hours, but she felt somewhat empty inside.
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 2:38:27 GMT -5
He arrived shortly after 4, to allow her enough time to gather her things without his having to stand and wait for her and give the impression of impatience. He looked a little windblown and distracted, but smiled firmly, pleasantly, when he saw her again.
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 2:53:46 GMT -5
Teja looked like she'd been dragged forty miles by her ankle.
She said her greetings very meekly as she left the shop with him.
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 2:57:11 GMT -5
"Did I cause you any grief by distracting you for so long this morning?" he asked, heavy brows knitting together over the nosepiece of his sunglasses.
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 3:00:42 GMT -5
"No, nothing like that," she said, looking up at him finally - someone so tall could be avoided in that capacity for a while. "I've just had a visit from Loki and I think we might be....... breaking up."
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 3:05:48 GMT -5
It somehow clicked, very quietly and in the back of his mind, that this was quite possibly an advantage of its own, but as things were, he looked deeply concerned.
"I'm sorry."
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 3:19:49 GMT -5
"He was thinking about..." She sought a polite way to word this. "Going to bed with someone else, but he wanted to ask first. But it got sort of... complicated when I tried to ask what this meant for, you know, us."
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 3:38:25 GMT -5
Krolock nodded sagely, uncertain of what to say.
"He values your feelings, that much can be said."
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 3:57:25 GMT -5
"I mentioned you," she said a little quickly, with a nervous glance at him. "I didn't do it trying to make him jealous, but it came out like I was trying to match him, and when he showed his distaste I said..."
She frowned. The memory had gone fuzzy in her misery and anxiety, and she couldn't remember the exact wording.
"Well, I said I'll look older than him in five years and older than you in thirty, I think it was. He left just like that. That was it. He's probably gone and slept with his friend by now. I don't know what's going to happen when I go home. I don't know if that was it or not. It's sort of been an open wound ever since it occurred to us, and then he asked me to stop talking about it, stop bringing it up. Actually, that was the reason, I think, anyway, he first showed any interest in vampires."
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 4:12:05 GMT -5
"I imagine it would take far longer than that for you to look my senior, my dear," he said, with a short, dismissive laugh that showed his teeth all the same.
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 5:02:04 GMT -5
"People mistake my mother and I for sisters," she admitted. But she looked upset nonetheless.
Truthfully, given that Loki's apparent age was a little varied, they probably had longer than five years. But to Loki that wouldn't be long at all.
She continued to be too frank and open with Krolock out of anxiety; it seemed easy given how much she'd said to him earlier.
"We've talked in the past about being temporary, but I can't not think about it - isn't that just going to make it harder? I mean, am I going to be looking back and saying, oh wow, I wasted my youth. I mean, most people think they wasted their youth and they don't age at different rates from their spouses."
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 5:07:08 GMT -5
The wind caught Krolock's hair and fanned it out like a long iron-colored banner. He quickly gathered it over one shoulder to subdue it.
"And you would prefer to grow elderly? My child, had I known, I would have chosen years before."
The lie slipped easily from his tongue, a bit of unthreatening, friendly suggestion.
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 5:31:21 GMT -5
"I miss not thinking about it," she said, not hiding her weariness or her resentment. "I'm not supposed to be thinking about it. I keep thinking, it's not his fault, but.... he didn't tell me until we were involved. Actually he didn't tell me. I sort of figured it out. I'm so glad he isn't mayor, he never thinks about anything, he's awful at plans. He gets one idea and then he just reacts and things get more and more out of hand."
And then I've got to do all of the planning and thinking and speechwriting, she thought to herself afterwards. If they'd tried ruling the world, and here was the truth, it would have all been her.
|
|
|
Post by Graf von Krolock on Apr 4, 2014 18:00:07 GMT -5
"Did he listen to your counsel, or did he silence you at every turn?"
|
|
|
Post by Teja on Apr 4, 2014 18:54:27 GMT -5
"Oh, he listens. He'd better."
|
|