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[closed] and then bombs happened after snark
Who: Belph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
axilium) & Elcia (compossible).
When: Backdated to after this call, whenever those two stop being... them.
Where: Some nice restaurant somewhere??
What: Going on a date, which is code for "I have ulterior motives and this is not going to end happily" when it comes to these two.
Rating/Warning: Major spoilers for Area-X, but prooobably none otherwise.
[Belph, as surprising as it might seem, quickly heads to the arranged restaurant, despite being sorely tempted to arrive late. It'd be the sort of thing expected from him, and he actually doesn't want to hang out with Elcia right now, knowing what he has planned by the end.
... It's also for that reason, however, that he forces himself to be there on time. He won't give himself the chance to back out of it, because as unpleasant as this might be, it's a talk that he needs to have with her. He feels guilty enough over having withheld the information, when she has every right to know (though it was not something he wanted to be dropping on her so soon after her death).
Not that he wants to be dropping it on her now, but he might as well get it over with.
And so, he's waiting at the restaurant, looking as laid-back ever, but he knows how well Elcia understands him—he doesn't do casual social outings like this.]
axilium) & Elcia (compossible).When: Backdated to after this call, whenever those two stop being... them.
Where: Some nice restaurant somewhere??
What: Going on a date, which is code for "I have ulterior motives and this is not going to end happily" when it comes to these two.
Rating/Warning: Major spoilers for Area-X, but prooobably none otherwise.
[Belph, as surprising as it might seem, quickly heads to the arranged restaurant, despite being sorely tempted to arrive late. It'd be the sort of thing expected from him, and he actually doesn't want to hang out with Elcia right now, knowing what he has planned by the end.
... It's also for that reason, however, that he forces himself to be there on time. He won't give himself the chance to back out of it, because as unpleasant as this might be, it's a talk that he needs to have with her. He feels guilty enough over having withheld the information, when she has every right to know (though it was not something he wanted to be dropping on her so soon after her death).
Not that he wants to be dropping it on her now, but he might as well get it over with.
And so, he's waiting at the restaurant, looking as laid-back ever, but he knows how well Elcia understands him—he doesn't do casual social outings like this.]
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That's why she wanted it to be at a nice restaurant. At least they can get a nice meal out of all of this suffering.
Either way, she strolls there, also on time (but a little later than usual), and equally calm as ever (she's not).]
Well.
[She could say hello like a normal person, oooor--]
Don't you look at home.
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Don't I always? This place had better be good, though, if it's your recommendation.
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[hence this date.]
Let's go.
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[... If there is a 'next time', he thinks. He supposes it depends on how she takes the news.
Elcia's strong, so she'll likely get over it, sooner or later. Even so... he wonders for just how long they can keep acting like this, when there are obviously so many problems at hand, and he's just going to add to them.]
Ladies first.
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[Nothing in life is free, after all.
Either way, Elcia does go first--not because she's a lady, but because she likes to go first. And because it's a few more moments where they can avoid talking about anything, while they get seated, and get their menus.
Elcia peers at the menu.
........ No place here has any of the food she's familiar with, really, she may as well blindly pick one.]
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—Namely because he's picking what looks to be the spiciest thing on the menu. Oh, and a cocktail.
He's having his alcohol whether you like it or not, okay.]
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But she doesn't get one, instead asking for something sweeter and less alcoholic, and picking something at random from the menu. Good enough.
Then she sets her menu down, and she meets his eyes.
...]
...Think that'll be spicy enough?
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We'll see whether it burns my mouth off or not.
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[Glad we're on the same page as ever, here.
And now, she would not let him down half a dozen alcoholic beverages in an attempt to get drunk in front of her.
But for now, she just sips her water. Hm.]
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[He glances around the restaurant, before thoughtfully—]
Is it weird, getting to eat food like this?
[... It's weird for him, seeing all sorts of food commonplace for everyone, and not just the filthy rich.]
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[She shrugs a little. It's very different from living on the streets, after all. And while she had upped her lifestyle, it hadn't been very long before that had all gone to hell too.]
It's not like I know what half of this stuff is. Just because you're always right at home. [honestly, what a pain.]
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[a pause]
And then maybe cry a bit, since it is my wallet that this is coming out of.
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[they're such good friends.]
But I guess I'm also hungry, so maybe not.
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[Once a street urchin, always a street urchin. A good meal is just too important.]
It was close though.
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It is good to know, though, that my money isn't going to waste.
[Especially now that he doesn't basically have an unlimited supply of it—though, to be honest, he enjoys that. It's nice to be normal.]
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[She still could've picked something godawful.
Who knows.]
I guess an alcoholic doesn't have much to spare, huh?
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[whoaaaa.]
That's impressive.
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What can I say? Never underestimate how resourceful I am—and when I feel like putting in the effort.
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Though--]
But it's also something I don't worry about, seeing as you're the laziest person I know.
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[... Considering he was resourceful enough in investigating Irina's murder, and what he has to tell her will very likely surprise her indeed.]
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Yeah. Maybe one day.
[Silence, again.
She pauses, and sips her drink, and--]
Why are we here, Belph?
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[Really, you couldn't at least wait until the meals had arrived, Elcia? Belph smiles wryly for a moment, not quite looking at her, before his expression becomes something closer to neutral as he meets her eyes.]
I'd understand if you don't really want to talk about it... but how were the Middle Ages? You met some guy called Livan, right?
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[The response rolls right off her tongue--but waiting has never really been her style. So she just nods, unsurprised by what he knows even if she did lose her watch, and unbothered about talking about it.]
It's not a big deal. I met Livan, yeah. He helped me out a little bit. [But only a little bit.] The rest of the Middle Ages was a bit of a loss, really.
[murderous pedophiles, really.]
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He doesn't want to tell her. He still doesn't want to, but he knows that there's no going back now, so... looking at her in the eye, he speaks in a low voice.]
... You know, on the day that you left for the Middle Ages, I did some investigating of my own. [...] I think I know who killed Irina.
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Well.
That's certainly a bombshell after all. She's not really sure what she was expecting, but...that's also not it. Slowly, she blinks, expression sobering up rather rapidly, and then--]
Who did it? [What's the point in doing anything but cutting to the chase?]
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Belph is quiet for a few moments, before he speaks. He can't delay this for any longer.]
Did you know that that man named Livan has been to our dimension a few times?