lune "an advantage!" clairobscur (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am[ open post ]
overflow etc etc
overflow etc etc
overflow etc etc
overflow etc etc
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am
no subject
They have so much time now, after all. They'll get to grow old together. Watch Sophie and Gustave's children grow up. Watch Maelle grow up. Sciel might be able to imagine it clearly – and she smiles fondly at Sciel's description of it – but to Lune it still all seems... fantastical.
As for what she wants...]
There is one thing I know I want for my future.
[She leans across the table and plants a soft kiss on Sciel's lips. The unspoken end of that sentence: you.]
And yes, of course I'll have dinner with you tonight.
[That's the promise she's made to herself, after all: knock off work at sunset every day, and devote the rest of her time to Sciel. If she doesn't, she might just lose their relationship, and she's already lost too much time with the woman she loves.]
I've been told there's something called a work-life balance. [A gentle tease, echoing words that she originally heard from Sciel.] And, allegedly, it's supposed to be good for you.
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Even so, it is nice to get more of her girlfriend lately. More often than not, the eternal scholar has managed to set things aside when the sun goes down, emerging from her study only to be rewarded with a glass of wine, amusing story, or a passionate kiss. Often: all of the above. This pleases Sciel, of course, not only because it gives her more time with the woman she loves, but because it also seems to be doing some good for Lune. Letting her more easily fill the room in her life that she'd worked so hard to earn, to carve out. To be able to look up from her many tomes to see the impact that her efforts have had on the people around them.
The soft kiss is met with a deep, adoring smile as Sciel rises out of these musings, steeped as they are in her overwhelming fondness for the other woman. ]
Phew, wasn't sure that would work out. Glad you're taking a chance on me. [ There's a lilting laugh as she leans forward again to steal a kiss of her own, thumbing, feather-light, over Lune's cheek. ] I promise, ma belle, that you won't be disappointed.
[ Sciel, for her part, is...only slightly nervous. Just a little!
The echo of her own past words earns another laugh as Sciel leans back, crossing her arms and nodding approvingly. ]
Believe it: it exists. [ It'd actually been difficult for Sciel herself, first being a farmer and then a teacher, but she at least subscribed to the concept. ] I think I've seen the results firsthand. Your mind's not off someplace else...at least fifty percent of the time? Up from something like...twenty.
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[She's joking, a little bit of gentle self-mockery at her tendency to overthink. Lune knows she gets in her head about things, thinks instead of allowing herself to feel, builds walls of rationality and research and books around herself when what she should be doing is pulling those walls down and existing in the world, this wonderful new world they've helped to create.
Sciel helps with nudging her towards that. Little by little, the more time she spends with Sciel, the easier it becomes to simply be – enjoying Sciel's company, smiling fondly at her jokes or the fifth failed dinner attempt in a week (not that Lune's an any better cook), playing music while Sciel hums along and even sometimes dances, knowing that Sciel has had so much darkness in her past and trying, in however small a way, to give back the light and joy that Sciel's given to her – without her mind getting in the way.
At least fifty percent of the time.]
Have you got anything in particular in mind for dinner? [she asks, as she finishes up her eggs.
A pair of laughing children run by, maybe nine or ten years old, one shouting at the other to keep up as they barrel along. Not too long ago, those children would have had a life expectancy of barely more than a decade. Now they have all the time in the world, plenty of time to just be children.
Lune's eyes follow them as they pass, and suddenly all those unnameable doubts and strange uncertainties curl through her mind like sharp black fingers clawing at her. But when she tries to grasp onto them, to put words to what they are, they vanish, leaving a sour taste in her mouth and her head fuzzy and ringing.
She blinks, realising she hasn't heard Sciel's answer to her question.]
Sorry. I must not have gotten enough sleep last night.
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No pressure, then. [ Sciel murmurs, voice light and teasing in return. There's a deep breath -- one tinged with the salt of the water not far off and the aromatic steam wafting up from their drinks -- and then a satisfied exhale as she leans back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other.
Of course there's some pressure, since she wants things to continue as they have been...or progress, in this case. But it's still Sciel, and she, for the most part, is still able to move through life with a sort of ease unique to her. Especially since they'd succeeded in their mission and come back home, where every challenge now feels like it pales in comparison to their previously-thought-impossible task. ]
What's on your to-do list for the day? Besides dinner later. [ There's always a list, with her girlfriend, and so she asks after it with pleasant focus, as if it's the most important thing in the world to her right now (and not because she'd happily listen to Lune talk about anything).
At the question, she hums and tilts her head the other way, stalling a little. She does have a plan, but it'd be suspicious if she admitted as much, since she's usually the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type. ]
Well, since we're out now, I'd been thinking...more of a picnic. I've got some things I want to get together, and maybe I'll even scrounge up a blanket. [ The food she'll grab later in the day, once she's parted ways from her partner, at least for a while, along with some wine, maybe some flowers. The blanket and everything else is already tucked away in their flat where she hopes very much it won't be found.
Lune seems...especially unfocused, and so Sciel frowns a touch as she notices. Once that ends, though, and her attention returns, so does the little smile. ]
S'okay. I was just saying that I'd been thinking we have something like a picnic. Unless you meant what kind of food? If so: anything you want, or don't want, in particular?
[ A low-key dinner is all the better for tonight, if Lune's already a little tired. She leans in again, reaching out to take her girlfriend's hand in her own and give it a little squeeze, thumbing over her knuckles. ]
Maybe...you can get some rest between now and then, hm?
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She must be tired. That's all.]
Nothing to worry about. I'm more used to having sleepless nights than not.
[It's easy to brush off sleep deprivation when it's all she's ever really known. Even now, her mind has a regrettable tendency to latch onto some problem or question late at night, turning it over and over and refusing to let her sleep until it's the small hours of the morning and she needs to get up in just a few hours.]
I've been going through the 42s' journals. They were in contact with the grandis for most of the year before their deaths, and they learned a lot about the Continent, the terrain, the flora and fauna, grandis culture. The 53s also had information about Continental flora in their journals – they were testing the use of plants in medicine and poisons. If we make a return trip to the Continent, the information those Expeditions gathered will be invaluable, especially if we want to establish more permanent lines of communication with the grandis and create sustainable settlements on the Continent. It's a lot more than a day's work, of course– [Of course.] —but I was planning on working through more of those two journals today. I'm trying to collate all the information I can and organise it by subject matter so it can be easily referenced.
[She could go on. She might, if she had all day to sit around and tell Sciel about her work instead of doing the work.
Maybe...
Well, she's not sure how interesting Sciel would find it, but she likes talking to Sciel about anything at all, really. And Sciel has a very different way of looking at the world that sometimes gives Lune a new perspective on whatever she's working on. Maybe she could take a day off and spend it just... talking. About her work, about Sciel's work. Sciel's work must be so different now that her students can expect to live past their teens. She'd love to hear about it.
Yes, that might be nice. And Lune's got so many days in her future now, she wouldn't have to feel nearly as guilty as she once would about taking a day for herself.]
I could go over it with you some time. There are a lot of really interesting findings in there.
[And, oh, Sciel's asked a question about dinner, hasn't she?]
A picnic. What's the occasion?
[That's purely a joke. She's found nothing out of the ordinary in the flat and has no clue what Sciel is planning.]
It sounds lovely, [she adds hurriedly.] And I wouldn't ask you to cook. [No offense.] Salad would be good for a picnic, wouldn't it? I think the place around the corner does a salade landaise and a salade périgourdine? You could pick up one of those. And, [she adds with a smile,] a bottle of wine.
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Sciel listens to her girlfriend talk about he 42s, their journals, and how it all factors into her day with a small, but earnest smile. She would listen to Lune talk about most anything, as they've established, but it's more than simply humouring the person she loves. The way Lune talks about it makes Sciel care about it all the more, as the mage is able to present the details and questions and everything in a way that makes it feel...accessible, and important. Sciel doesn't get the sense it's something Lune is doing on purpose, as if to bring it down to a more approachable level, but the effect is there all the same. Her...enthusiasm, maybe, or something like it effuses into the words and draws Sciel in every time.
By the end, she's leaning forward, chin on her palm and braced against a propped-up elbow, eyes twinkling fondly. ]
I'd really like that, cheri. [ She stresses. ] I want to hear more about what you've found, and how it's going to shape our upcoming 'expedition.' [ There's a pause, and then a flash of her teeth in an impish grin. ] ...Plus, I'm all for visiting the Grandis again to see if they've got any more clothes for us. That first set was incredible.
[ She's no fashionista, but, come on. Who wouldn't have liked the uniforms they'd been given, dyed to shine as brilliantly as the surrounding snow?
That's more a joke than anything, though, but she's still looking a little mischievous as they move back to the subject of their evening. ]
I'd offer to make dinner, you know I would, but...well. I'd actually like it to be nice. [ No offense taken! Cooking is decidedly Not her thing.
Lune helpfully suggests something she would be interested in, though, and Sciel commits it to memory, nodding as she taps a finger on the table. ]
Sounds perfect. [ A bottle of wine goes without saying. ] And the occasion is that it's a day where I'd like to have a delicious, private meal with my favourite person. So...just another day, really.
[ Far from it. Though...to be fair, she'd say the same thing even if she didn't have an ulterior motive. They've got all this time and they'd managed the impossible, so each new day is a reason for celebration, big or small.
Sciel cants her head a touch, peering across the remnants of their morning. ]
No rush, but...when you're ready, let's take the scenic route back.
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I don't know about the scenic route. I really do need to get back. Tonight, though, I promise I'm all yours.
[For the few moments it takes her to finish up her coffee, though, she allows herself the indulgence of letting her eyes wander over Sciel's face, studying the little twitches of her lips as she speaks, the way the corners of her eyes crinkle, how her smile distorts the topography of her skin and tugs at the scar tissue on her cheek and nose, the shifting colours of her eyes as the light hits them differently whenever she moves her head. Lune could study Sciel for years, she's sure, and still find more details worth remarking upon. And the more she thinks of Sciel, the further away that strange, momentary headache feels, until she's forgotten all about it.
She sets her coffee cup down and deposits a few francs on the table, enough to pay for the meal and tip the serveur.]
So. Is this picnic going to be in the flat? Do I need to move any of our furniture around? Or have you got a spot outside in mind?
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"Need" to get back? Or...? [ It's a key distinction, with Lune. Because not everything needs to be done as soon as possible (one of their many, recurring subjects of conversation when it comes to the mage's work). ] Not to be greedy, but...I will, a little bit. Could I convince you to spend the day with me? And tomorrow you can get back on track, I promise.
[ Probably. Sciel is weak when it comes to her beautiful girlfriend, and she's often unable (and/or unwilling) to just let Lune work. Not if there's a kiss to be stolen, or a story to be shared, or...anything else, honestly. It doesn't take much. ]
Ah. [ Back to the picnic. ] I've got a spot in mind. Nothing you need to worry about, though I'd like to keep it a secret until it's time. [ Then, quickly: ] Don't set your expectations too high. Set them...medium-high.
[ Her plans involve the roof of their building, after all, which is not the most glamorous place in the city. It will have a lovely view, though. Especially if it ends up being a clear night. ]