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Sascha Connolly, Ph.D. ([info]bohemiarhapsody) wrote in [info]nosuchplace,
@ 2009-10-20 20:52:00

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Entry tags:sascha connolly, susie medina

Thursday: February 14, 2008
Who: Sascha and Susie
When: Early morning
Where: Sascha and Irei's bungalow and surrounding waters
What: Good morning, neighbor. :)

Sascha had never been much of an early riser. Somehow it had always been a necessity for him- morning classes were such a bitch sometimes- and he usually chose to combat the god-awful hours by downing a pot of black coffee. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't; on this particular morning, the caffeine was taking its own sweet time kicking in.

Not that he really needed another excuse for being so on edge- after all, the voluntary search parties were scheduled to set out today, and Sascha was already feeling a little anxious. He was far more concerned about Dione's well-being than he appeared to be, and the guilt he felt over his last confrontation with the blind medium was still fresh. If he'd only told someone what he'd discovered then, maybe her abduction could have been prevented; she could have been taken someplace safe, someplace that twisted maniac couldn't find her...but it didn't matter now. She and Adrienne were both long gone, and now it was time to find them.

The rising sun blazed red across the surface of the lake, and Sascha slid a lit cigarette between his lips before leaning his elbows against the railing and looking out over the lightly rippling water. He'd already assembled a small kit to take with him on the expedition and had otherwise prepared himself, save for his obvious lack of concentration. His thoughts were all beginning to blend together distractingly in his head, and as he reached up to rub at his temple, his lighter slipped from his fingers and into the water below.

"...shit," he muttered a little belatedly, glancing over the railing to see if he could spot the lighter somewhere beneath the waves. The water around the bungalows was shallower than other parts of the lake, but hardly enough to allow him to wade out and retrieve the personally engraved item. It figured, though. What a perfectly discouraging start to the day.

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-22 02:17 am UTC (link)
The morning’s rays had found Susie plagued with guilt. Despite having never actually met the missing women, she couldn’t help but worry. It wasn’t a good sign that they had been gone so long. Her night had passed in relative tranquility. She doubted the same could be said of theirs. Sheltered as she’d been, Susie knew that atrocities existed in this world.

Unable to shake off the lingering ghosts of her nightmares, she decided to take a swim. It was good to finally be spending more time in water. If she was careful and didn’t push herself, maybe she wouldn’t have to come back to land today at all. Remembering to bring a towel for when she returned, Susie set out.

The water kissed her skin as she submerged and shifted. Luxuriating in it, she allowed a bit time to pass before surfacing. She made slow and lazy circles as she climbed back up to the dock to make sure she’d hidden her towel in a dry spot. After that, she fully intended to search out some local sea life. Intent upon her purpose, she didn’t notice someone else was there until his shadow fell over her. Susie looked up, shading her eyes, to see whether it was friend or foe.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-22 03:39 am UTC (link)
Strangely enough, this wasn't the first time a pretty young thing had delivered herself straight to Sascha's bungalow in such a manner, and he felt a vague sense of dèja vú wash over him at the sight of two bright eyes blinking up at him. It was the last thing he'd been expecting, honestly, but he'd begun to learn that in this strange new world, the unexpected was practically guaranteed.

Sascha blinked silently at the girl for a few moments, gauging her reaction, before slowly resting his chin atop his crossed arms and looking down at her with amusement dancing in his eyes. She looked young, but that didn't detract from her delicate features one bit. Hell, he needed a mood booster, anyway.

"Good morning, starshine," he said with a smile and a friendly wink.

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-22 04:11 am UTC (link)
Susie eyed the man carefully, trying not to make any snap judgments as he set his chin down on his arms. Knowing they shouldn’t, his slow movements made her like him. Slow was good. And the look he gave her brought a smile to her lips. He looked like someone who maybe knew how to have a little bit of fun.

Susie blushed and pulled gently back into the water when he winked at her. She dipped down only enough to brush the surface of the water with her lips. His casual use of the endearment made her feel all flustered and her pulse did an odd little dance. This wasn’t the way people normally spoke to her. Or at least, not people she’d just met.

Gliding back towards the dock to reclaim the pace or two she’d lost, she let her mouth quirk into a shy little grin. “I think it’s a little late in the day for stars.”

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-22 05:06 am UTC (link)
Sascha's smile only widened as he watched the girl. She had the same look he'd seen a dozen times over in some of his students- curious and interested, but wary of the sudden attraction. Her uncertainty was clear from her body language, and Sascha made another smooth gesture with his hand as he lifted the cigarette to his mouth and took a drag. Look at that- he'd even gotten a blush!

"Never too late for stars, sweetpea. Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't still there." He grinned then, one of the flirty little smiles he usually reserved for more playful interactions. "This may be moving a little fast, but could you do me a favor?"

Sascha gestured down at the water below. "I dropped my lighter, and I'm pretty sure you've got a better eye for underwater exploration than I do." Just as added insurance, he made sure to give her his ridiculously adorable "pleading puppy dog eyes" look. Hey, every little bit helped, right?

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-22 06:18 am UTC (link)
It’s a good thing he didn’t seem to expect a response when he told her that the stars were always there – Susie couldn’t have come up with one if she’d tried. But when he smiled, she reflected the expression. Unconsciously she coasted forward and rested a hand on the dock.

A request wasn’t what she’d been expecting. She didn’t know what she had expected, but it wasn’t that. Curious, head tilted to the side and she waited to hear what he wanted. People didn’t usually ask her for anything. Susie wondered if it was because they didn’t think she’d be all that helpful.

When he gestured down at the water, she turned her gaze to follow the direction. There was definitely something there that threw off a silvery little light. Susie wondered if he really couldn’t see it. She knew that she saw better as a mermaid than when she was walking around on two legs.

“Mm. I think I see it.” She was about to dive for it when she pulled back. If she retrieved it for him now, he’d take it and leave. She didn’t at all mind fetching his lighter for him, but first she wanted to hear him talk some more. Her impromptu plan wasn’t all that clever, but she hoped it would be affective. At least, he’d have to come up with some response. In mock thoughtfulness, she mused, “If I dive here, then you’ll still get splashed. Rather defeats the purpose of you not going after it yourself, doesn’t it?” Oh, she wanted to see what he’d do with that.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-23 01:53 am UTC (link)
Sascha pursed his lips thoughtfully. Truth be told, the girl's sudden hesitation had caught him a little off-guard, and he almost thought she'd refuse his request. Ah, but he'd been too quick to judge; she was only playing a game with him, wasn't she? He could hear it in her words, in the light, playful tone of her voice.

Sascha loved games. Especially games with pretty girls.

"You may just have a point," he said as he slowly straightened up and circled the edge of the railing to the stairs. "I'll just stay out of range. These are still front row seats, after all." He smiled with the cigarette still between his lips and gave her a two-fingered salute before sitting down on the bottom step, obviously intending to watch her.

He was just about to say something else when the loud, scraping clatter of claws against wood distracted him, and he looked up just in time to have Brasco collide with his chest and knock him back against the steps behind him. Sweeney tried to nose her way in beside the spastic black dog, tail wagging happily as she greeted her master in a much calmer fashion. Sascha just laughed and pushed the eager canine's muzzle out of his face as he looked back over at the mermaid.

"Seems like you've got an audience, Miss. Sweeney even looks tempted to join you. If it were a few degrees warmer, I'd probably do the same." Sweeney had noticed the stranger before her playmate and was currently ducking her head down over the edge of the dock, whimpering for attention.

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-23 02:46 am UTC (link)
Susie was enjoying the playful banter. And if he wanted to watch, that was fine by her. Vain little creature that she was, she thought it might be possible that she was worth watching. Not that anyone had ever told her so, but she thought her tail was pretty.

The scratching noise against the wood of the dock nearly sent her fleeing across the lake. Only the fact that she’d really been enjoying the chat stopped her. She didn’t want to leave.

She had only pulled back a few feet, slipping through the water with ease. But hearing his rich laughter fill the air, she deemed it safe to re-approach. Warily her gaze wandered over the creature in front of her. The corners of her mouth shifted back upward, and she said, “Oooh, Canis domesticus.” With a wide-eyed expression, she turned back to the man. “Is it okay – it won’t bite me? I don’t want to get bit.” Many of the dogs Susie had come into contact with while growing up had been kept for hunting or protection. She wasn’t certain if that was the case here. But it seemed to want attention, and Susie could relate. If it came close enough – and the man said it was alright – she’d be happy to scratch its ears.

Brain catching up with his words, she added belatedly, “You’d both probably think the water’s a bit cold today. I think it’s cold.”

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-23 03:37 am UTC (link)
Sweeney shuffled eagerly on the dock and barked, tongue lolling as she waited to be petted. Sascha made a motion to her with his hand, and she circled over to his former spot and leaned down so that her head was within reach of the mermaid.

"You'll have to excuse her if she's a little sloppy with her kisses," he said with a chuckle. "She didn't learn that from me. Go on, she won't bite. Sweeney's always happy to make a new friend." Brasco also seemed curious, but Sascha thought it best to restrain the more muscular dog until his pretty new acquaintance felt comfortable with one dog. He scratched at the mutt's throat.

"If my dog learns your name before I do, miss, I'm gonna feel like a real jerk. I'm Sascha, by the way. Sascha Connolly. I'm one of the Vice Council members." He reclined against the stairs and leaned an elbow on the step above him. "And you are? Aside from an enchanting conversationalist, of course."

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-23 04:03 am UTC (link)
Susie held out her hand palm-up for Sweeney to sniff. Formalities over, she tenderly pet the dog and ruffled its ears. She adored animals but hadn’t had much of a chance to interact with the more domesticated ones. This one didn’t seem too scary. Susie giggled when his warning about the kisses proved true. The waves gently rocked against her, so she flicked her tail out to get better leverage.

Oh, he was doing it again. His flattery made heat rush to her cheeks. She’d never even met anyone who talked like that. Alex had called her pet names and treated her kindly, but he had known her – had raised her. This man didn’t even know her name. Eyes still on the dog – it seemed the safest place for the moment – Susie formed her reply. “I’m Susie. I’m sorry, I don’t really know that much about the Vice Council. Aren’t people on councils supposed to be serious and go around wearing suits and things?” It wasn’t that she was skeptical. He just wasn’t what she would have expected, and she was honestly curious.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-23 11:09 pm UTC (link)
"Are you trying to tell me I'm not serious?" Sascha watched as the newly revealed 'Susie' stroked the dog's head, shaking his head and laughing to himself. Her cheeks had turned a very flattering shade of pink, and he was more than happy to take credit for that fact.

"I don't think I've owned an actual suit in years. Fortunately for me, the dress code at the university was pretty lax." He tapped at the deck with one foot and waited for Brasco to sit before adding, "I used to teach literature. Now I just work at the library. Well, sometimes it's work."

A sudden movement against the surface of the water caught Sascha's eye, and he gaped just slightly at the beautifully spotted tail that rose into view. He'd only ever met one other mermaid before- Miss Marit, it had been- and her scales had been more of a luminescent blue-green, the sort of color typically used to depict the creatures in the storybooks. She'd angled herself facing away from him to better reach Sweeney on the deck above her, but the glistening fins themselves were only an arm's length away.

The girl seemed a bit distracted at the moment, so rather than ask permission, Sascha simply reached out over the water to curiously caress a bit of fin. "What about you, Suzie Q? How do you keep yourself busy around this place?"

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-23 11:32 pm UTC (link)
If she hadn’t been listening more to his tone than his words, Susie would have been afraid she’d offended Sascha. But no, she didn’t think he was very serious. Then again, judging by the laughter in his voice, neither did he. The dog was a bundle of nervous energy and kept most of her attention. It was so soft and fun to touch.

He caught her interest when he mentioned working at a university. “My stepdad used to work at a college, but he left when he met my mom. He taught English as a second language and computer-stuff. He loved books.” These were fond memories and, as long as she was in the water, were safe from the feelings of desolation she had over her family. Besides, she couldn't be sad now. There were puppies.

She looked up when she felt his hand on her fin. Susie hadn’t realized he was quite that close. Overcoming her flighty instincts, she decided it was okay. After all, she would have been curious about the tail too if it hadn’t been her own. In the moment of distraction, she had let her hand fall away from the dog’s shoulder. She was going to answer his next question, but the puppy grew impatient and nudged her for attention.

Making a split decision, Susie called out, “Wait right here. I’ll be right back.” She didn’t stay to see if he’d follow her directions. Instead, she swam a few strokes over to her bungalow – it wasn’t far. Quickly, she searched out her towel and grabbed it. Returning took just a moment longer, since she tried to carry the towel above her head. Unfortunately, she wasn’t careful enough. A corner of the towel caught and draped into the water.

She wanted to play with the puppies, and she just couldn’t do that from inside the lake. Consumed by the direction of her thoughts, Susie didn’t take the time to consider what kind of reaction her actions would garner. To play with the puppies, she had to get out of the water, so she would.

Using her arms, she pulled herself onto the bottom step. The shift to human was never quite as smooth. Slipping into mermaid form was easy. Back wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t as swift either. Lifting her tail up out of the water, she was able to complete her change. Quickly, she wrapped the somewhat damp towel around her. She hoped she hadn’t offended Sascha. Some cultures had weird notions about nudity. Well, if he didn’t like it, he didn’t have to look. Susie tucked the towel into itself to help it stay in place. Mission accomplished, she turned her attention back to the dogs.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-24 12:23 am UTC (link)
Sascha listened to the girl speak about her step-father, the love evident in her voice. He wanted to ask more about her, but his experience with other individuals in the haven had taught him never to assume anything about family. So many had lost their loved ones in the aftermath of the virus that he was probably better off considering everyone on their own until proven otherwise. He didn't necessarily want to stir up any painful memories during their first meeting; hell, he wasn't even really over the loss of his own family, and that had been six years ago.

"Books are easy to love, and you can take them with you wherever you go." Sascha paused in his caressing to catch her eyes before amending with a grin, "Well...maybe not everywhere you go." He'd expected another laugh or smile, but instead Susie threw him for a bit of a loop when she murmured something about waiting and suddenly shot off in the direction of one of the other bungalows.

She returned just as quickly, of course, and before Sascha could even get a word out, she was hoisting herself up onto the dock beside him. And she was...how to put this delicately. Well, for starters, she was completely naked. Not that Sascha minded this at all; in fact, he rather enjoyed the view, and there was no way in hell he wasn't going to sneak a peek. And from the look of- well, certain things- she was also a bit chilly. That much he could understand, because he had several layers on and still felt the bite of the cold morning air.

Sascha made no pretense of averting his gaze as she practically flashed him, and he noticed that a large splotch of her towel had managed to become wet in the process. Now that just wouldn't do- it was much too cold for the poor girl to sit around in a damp towel, regardless of how much he might have appreciated the sight. He reached out and settled his fingers over her shoulder, wincing just a bit at how cool to the touch her skin felt.

"Just looking at you is givin' me goosebumps, sugar," he said in his honeyed Savannahian drawl, gesturing at the bungalow with a nod of his head. "Come inside and warm up for a minute, will you? Or at least let me bring you something a little warmer than that wet little rag."

Now it was Sascha's turn to depart suddenly as both Sweeney and Brasco swarmed into his place, each one licking and drooling and whining for her undivided attention. The barrage of canine affection continued for several minutes until Sascha emerged from the front door, a folded up flannel shirt in one hand and a not-quite-piping-hot-but-still-pretty-warm mug of coffee in the other. He took a sip as he held the shirt out to her in offering. "Put this on first. If you ask me nicely, I might let you have a drink."

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-24 06:39 am UTC (link)
The behavior of the dogs was a far cry from swimming in a school. Schools of fish were the height of grace – every movement uniform, every turn timed to perfection. Fish never collided. When they swam like that, a kind of hive-mind mentality took over and they were all one. While still in a union of their own, these dogs were the exact polar opposite. They bumped, nudged, collided, and practically ran over and into everything in their path. In the span of a moment, Susie had been licked, stepped on, and nearly knocked over. And she decided she liked the dogs better. This, she decided, this was real beauty. Grace was cold, aloof. The dogs were filled with vibrancy and life. She nuzzled into Sweeney’s fur and wished she could have been a dog instead.

She started when Sascha touched her shoulder. Very little time had actually passed, so she felt silly for getting so caught up in her thoughts. She just really liked the puppies.

Susie hadn’t realized how cold she was until he touched her, his hand burning like a brand on her skin. When he spoke, though, she felt a pleasant warmth seep all the way down to her toes. She hadn’t noticed the accent before. He didn’t have to leave, really. All he had to do was stay and talk to her and she’d be fine.

But when he stepped back, the dogs returned with renewed enthusiasm. Apparently they could sense that they’d found a willing playmate. Susie was kept busy trying to pet and scratch and caress the chaotic creatures.

When Sascha returned, Susie accepted the shirt with as much grace as she could muster in her disheveled state. “Thanks.” Susie offered him a grateful smile. More carefully this time, she slipped the shirt on over the towel – she really didn’t want to offend him. Pulling the tails of the shirt down and fastening a couple of loose buttons, Susie finally let the towel slip. The top was ridiculously large on her, but she was used to clothing that didn’t fit. When she had been forced to leave her hiding place – before she came to the haven – she’d had to make due with whatever clothing she could snatch up.

Holding her arms out to her sides, Susie asked, “Better now? Does this mean I can have some?” She looked longingly at the cup. “It smells like coffee,” her eyes shutting in delight. “Tell me it’s coffee.” Oh, if he had even halfway decent coffee, she’d adore him forever.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-25 05:16 pm UTC (link)
Sascha quirked an eyebrow at the girl's attempt to preserve her modesty. After the peep show she'd given him earlier, he figured it must have been more for his benefit than any personal reservations. The thought struck him as a little funny, actually; not that Susie could have possibly known, but during the warmer months, Sascha would spend a good deal of his own time in the water...and he didn't even own a swimsuit. Talk about a healthy body image.

As he glanced over the young mermaid, his own shirt draped a bit humorously about her small frame, he felt a tiny spark of possessiveness. It had only been recently, since he'd come to stay in this haven, that he'd become friendly with so many women that hadn't ended up as one night stands. Sascha had only ever loaned his clothes to a scant few women: there had been that time with Emily and her drunken, half-naked debacle; Mitsuko, on occasion, who wasn't so much a one night stand as a friend with benefits...recurring benefits; and Annie, although she had been something altogether different. It was a strange, irrational sort of thing to feel about a girl wearing a shirt, but it was his shirt.

"Much better," he agreed automatically, snapping his fingers and issuing a rather firm mental command that had both of the dogs immediately seated at attention by his feet. Without batting an eye, he sent another brief command via their mental connection, and he smiled and reclaimed his former spot on the step as both mutts quickly complied by lying down to either side of him. It was actually quite an impressive-looking feat from the outside, especially since he hadn't uttered a single word aloud.

"I was wondering if you'd even be interested in coffee," he chuckled as he turned the mug in his hands and offered it out to Susie, handle-first. "I've been drinking it since I was twelve, but most kids don't seem all that impressed. It's usually an acquired taste- y'know, for old fogeys like me."

Sascha had no idea how old his companion was, although he'd assumed she was close to the age of the students he had taught at the university. It had occurred to him, somewhere around the time that he'd been ogling her (beautifully) naked body, that maybe she wasn't exactly in the "safe" age range, whatever that might have been here in Elysium. It wouldn't necessarily have been the first time he'd crossed a few boundaries, but now that he and Susie were developing a comfortable rapport, he wanted to make sure there would be no reason for awkwardness.

"Careful, there's no sugar," he said a little absent-mindedly as she raised the cup to her lips. "I have to keep it strong. Mornings are my mortal enemy, and that's my only defense."

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-25 07:38 pm UTC (link)
Susie missed the possessive look on Sascha’s face. She was too busy wondering what had gotten into the dogs. One moment they were falling all over themselves and the next they were acting tame. Maybe it was because Sascha had come back. She knew that some people had a ‘knack’ with animals, but this was a bit much. It made her wonder what she was missing. She didn’t even know this man and, here she was, on his porch with his dogs, drinking his coffee. Not to mention, wearing his shirt. It made her feel a bit insecure. Maybe she had overstepped some boundaries. But there were puppies and now coffee.

She was rescued from her doubts when he handed her the coffee. Oh, God. Coffee. It wasn’t even that she liked to drink it. She’d never been fond of it before. But it smelled like home. It smelled like Alex – like early mornings chasing the sunrise over waterfalls. Holding the cup close to her face, she breathed in the aroma.

Did he just refer to her as a ‘kid?’ Her eyes narrowed. After all she’d been through. After everything that had happened to the world. She didn’t believe in childhood any more. “I’m not a child.” Her chin tilted proudly and the look in her eyes dared him to disagree. “I’m 18.” A look of doubt crossed her face. “Maybe.” Oh, God. Just what was the date anyway? Why did she never look these things up? She knew her birthday was close. Probably. But that was something Alex had always kept track of for her. To cover her confusion, she lifted the drink to her lips. She just wanted a little stability – a little reminder of home.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-10-25 08:44 pm UTC (link)
Sascha blinked in surprise when Susie's demeanor changed at the mention of her age. He wasn't stupid when it came to interpreting women's expressions; though he'd married young, he'd learned quite a bit about living with the opposite sex, and he knew exactly what that look meant. Uh oh.

He was about to explain that he hadn't meant it quite as badly as it had sounded, when suddenly her expression changed again. Now she just seemed....bewildered. "Maybe?" Alright, so he probably shouldn't have sounded so amused at her confusion, but it was sort of funny. "You don't know how old you are? When's your birthday, Suzie Q?"

The mood between them had changed- not necessarily in a bad way, but there was definitely a tension now, a bit more solemnity. It didn't exactly bother Sascha, but he much preferred her brilliant smile to the sad, pensive expression on her face.

"Y'know, you remind me of a girl I knew back in New York," he said casually, smiling and trying to make up for his faux pas. "We met during a literature survey class; I was a teaching assistant, she was a student. She was shy and quiet, but when you really pissed her off, she wasn't afraid to let you know...and there were a few times when I really pissed her off." He paused reflectively, glancing at Susie's face and holding her gaze. "She had blue eyes, too."

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[info]swim_away
2009-10-25 11:48 pm UTC (link)
More confounded then offended – though the laughter in his voice wasn’t helping - Susie tried to recover and answer the question. “It never seemed all that important before. You people with your cities and your dates…” She ran a hand over her eyes to try and straighten out her thoughts. She wasn’t a tame mermaid and playing at being domesticated was difficult. “Alex was like that too. He nearly had a heart attack when I said I’d never had a birthday party. It just wasn’t mum’s thing.” Despite their differences, Susie felt like she needed to defend her mother. “I was born in March. Why? What day is it today?” She swore to God, if this kept coming up she was going to start marking days off on the wall. Why was this so important to everyone?

Susie was well on her way to getting worked up again when Sascha started talking about his past. The first words reminded her so much of her conversation with Zane when she arrived at the haven. He’d had the power to calm her too. There was just something about the way the cadence of a voice changed when someone started a story. Immediately, the tension drained from her body. She swayed a little at its sudden departure, almost as if it were the only thing holding her up. Tranquil again, she stayed silent and listened.

He stopped and looked into her eyes. His expression was filled with meaning, but it wasn’t the kind Susie could read. She felt utterly out of her depth. Her limited experience with people left her lacking, and she realized it. She just didn’t know how to counteract that deficiency.

There were questions Susie had when the story ended. It didn’t feel…finished yet. Last time she had been able to coax more information out of Zane, but this felt different. The situation wasn’t the same. She’d already tread too much upon this man’s generosity; she wasn’t going to push him any further. If he wanted to share more, that was up to him.

Better, Susie still felt a little shaky from the roller coaster of her emotions. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so prickly. I keep forgetting how much tougher everything is outside the water.” It was as much of an explanation for her behavior as she could put into words.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-05 04:01 am UTC (link)
"'You people'?" Sascha mouthed the phrase again and shook his head, thoroughly amused at his companion's irritation. This was really getting to her, wasn't it? "You really shouldn't jump to conclusions, little Miss Sunshine- you don't even know what I am." He nudged at her with the toe of his boot and smiled to show that he'd meant the remark good-naturedly.

"It's good to hear that you have some concept of where you came from...or when, I guess. No worries, this is still February- it's Valentine's Day, actually." He propped his chin in his hand with a semi-thoughtful look. "So I'll be 31 on the seventeenth of March, and you'll be...eighteen? Maybe." The question in his voice was obvious. "On the...what day again?"

The longer Sascha talked, the more relaxed the little mermaid seemed to become. His story was far from finished, but he could tell from the slightly overwhelmed expression on her face that his words were having some sort of impact. "No need to be sorry, sweets. It takes a lot more than that to offend me." He gingerly stroked along the ridge of Sweeney's skull as he spoke. "Feel a little like a fish out of water, huh?"

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[info]swim_away
2009-11-05 04:30 am UTC (link)
“Yes, you people.” Susie grinned and stood by her statement. “I may not know what you are, but I know where you live.” It was an accusation rather than a threat, and a friendly one at that. Susie ticked his offenses off on her fingers. “One, you mentioned having been in New York – and since you mentioned a university, I’m figuring you didn’t mean some backwoods brook. Two,” she marked off a second finger, “you live there,” gesturing to the house as if her meaning weren’t already clear enough. She dropped her hand and wrinkled her nose. “And three, now you’re asking me about dates as if they mattered. So, yes – ‘you people.” She was being mouthy and she knew it – and she didn’t care. It was all in good natured fun anyway.

It was Valentine’s Day? Her thoughts and movements stilled for a moment as her losses once again washed over her. Stupid holiday, anyway. She’d never cared about it before. But Alex had always done something nice – like bring her flowers. Automatically, she answered Sascha’s question. “Yeah, on the 15th.”

Susie looked over at the dog as Sascha pet Sweeney’s head. She really was a sweet puppy. It was good to know she hadn’t offended him. Susie knew she got a bit worked up sometimes. The ‘fish out of water’ comment had her raising an eyebrow. “That. Was. Terrible.” She punctuated each word with mock exasperation.

She lifted the mug to her lips again. God, it needed sugar and cream. The times she had had the drink before, it had been more like cream with coffee than coffee with cream. That had been when she’d gone through the phase of mimicking everything her stepfather had done. He drank coffee, so she did too – even if the taste was distinct. Her eyes widened and she set the mug down. The realization cast a shocked pallor over her features. “I forgot your lighter. I’m so sorry. I did mean to get it. I could get it now?” She didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay and talk and play, but the lighter probably shouldn’t stay in the water any longer. Rather than move immediately to retrieve it, she waited to hear what her companion would say.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-07 09:17 pm UTC (link)
Sascha watched her tick off the reasons on her fingertips, and he drew in a last mouthful of smoke before stubbing out the cigarette butt on the step beside him. She made some compelling arguments, he'd give her that much. This was the sort of banter he'd been missing since he'd left the university- this spirited debate and discussion, this exercise in reasoning- and the sense of familiarity left him grinning.

"Damn, Suzie Q," he said with a chuckle, exhaling a rather impressive plume of smoke through his nostrils. "Remind me never to lecture you again. I think my ears are bleeding." Ah, so her birthday was March 15, was it? What a coincidence- that just so happened to be Mitsuko's birthday as well, if he remembered correctly. Popular day.

Brasco had long since grown tired of playing the obedient lapdog and had wriggled his way over to the mermaid on his belly, whining for more attention and licking at her fingers whenever they came into contact with his muzzle. Sascha just shook his head at the mutt's affectionate behavior and waved off Susie's, critical remark. "Wasn't it? Just comes naturally, I s'pose."

Honestly, Sascha had almost forgotten about the lighter, and he would have been perfectly content to go on schmoozing with his pretty new acquaintance had she not reminded him of it. As it was, the lighter was probably waterlogged enough to be out of commission for the rest of the day. No bother, though- he'd just have to swipe one from Irei. Again.

"Yes, you could get it now," he echoed with a smile, retrieving the mug of barely touched coffee and gulping down the remaining liquid. "I'll still be here...well, for a little while, anyway. Want me to hold the shirt for you?" This time he made no effort to hide his devious little smirk.

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[info]swim_away
2009-11-08 04:29 am UTC (link)
Sascha was absolutely terrible and brought out the sassier side of her. Susie decided she liked him fine. He was fun to talk to. “Your ears are not bleeding, but even if they were, it’d serve you right.” She smiled brightly to show she didn’t mean her words. “Now you know better than to argue with me.”

Susie responded automatically to the dog’s whine. She raised the fingers he’d licked and enthusiastically scratched his head. There was no reason to encourage Sascha. She let his comments go, but asked instead, “What’s this one called again?” It felt inexcusably rude not to know the puppy’s name. The other one, she was pretty sure, was Sweeney.

His response surprised her. For a moment she was hurt – convinced all the conversation had been a ploy to get her to fetch his lighter. Her eyes widened when she realized what he’d done. He’d turned the tables on her. “You’re teasing me!” She waved him away before he could explain. “I still think you want your lighter, but you sound like you’re teasing. It’s about the shirt isn’t it? Look, shifting with clothes on has a whole set of problems.” It was about the clothes wasn’t it? She nibbled at her bottom lip. Susie was fairly certain that was it. “I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong.”

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-08 07:59 pm UTC (link)
"This one's name is Brasco. Let me warn you- he's a real handful." Sascha was thoroughly amused by the sassy little redhead. She reminded him of Annie more and more every second; something about that spitfire nature hidden away beneath layers of shy timidness. He briefly wondered, as he watched her stroke behind the black dog's ears, if Susie was ticklish on the back of her neck, too, but knew better than to test the theory. Brasco seemed to be eating up all of her attention at the moment, anyway. "I think you've got an admirer."

The surprise and revelation was evident in her voice, and Sascha couldn't quite stop himself from laughing aloud. What, him? A tease? Oh lord, she really was young, wasn't she? They'd only known each other for a few short minutes, but Susie obviously had a lot to learn about him- and vice versa.

"I'll take your word on that," he said through a thinly veiled chuckle, trying to hide his grin behind his fingertips. "That's truly amazing, sweet pea, what gave it away? Was it something I said?" His tone was light, and he propped his chin in his hands and leaned toward her in mock enthusiasm. "You must be some kind of mind reader, right? Here, what am I thinking right now?"

Dear God, he really was a horrible person wasn't he? Especially since what he was about to do might really freak out his current company- but oh well. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

I'll give you a hint- it definitely has to do with the clothes.

Yup. Going to hell.



*Denotes mindspeak

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[info]swim_away
2009-11-08 08:25 pm UTC (link)
Brasco. Brasco and Sweeney. She could remember that. Very formally, she looked at the dogs face and said, “Well, Brasco-the-Handful, it is very nice to meet you.” With that she continued to scratch his ears.

His teasing caused her blood to rush faster and she knew she was blushing again. Her skin had always been fair enough that any onset of emotion was reflected in her cheeks. Under other circumstances, Susie might have become defensive, but in this case teasing was good. It meant he wasn’t angry about her lack of proper attire. She laughed aloud when he accused her of psychic abilities and things were right between them again.

Eyes wide with shock, she looked up at the man. A small doubt danced through her mind, but she dismissed it. She knew what she’d heard – or rather, hadn’t heard. It was a long moment before her reaction flooded through. Smile breaking over her face, the questions started. “That was you? You’re right, I didn’t know what you are! Can you talk to anybody? Do you call it talking – that’s not the right word for it, is it?” She crinkled her nose and widened her eyes even further, “Does that mean you can read minds too or just, you know, speak to people?” Susie forced herself to stop. She wouldn’t get any answers if she kept going. This was fascinating.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-08 09:29 pm UTC (link)
There it was again, that blush. Coupled with her wide eyes and the utterly shocked expression on her face, she looked absolutely, irresistibly sweet. She'd probably been the apple of her father's eye- er, stepfather, that was right. The professor.

Sascha couldn't quite explain it, but he'd taken an almost instant liking to the girl. He felt a strange connection to her, something he imagined must have been very close to brotherly affection. Of course, he'd never had siblings, so he could only assume this was the equivalent.

But that definitely gave him license to tease, didn't it? It was a big brother's job! He cupped a hand over his ear and leaned closer yet, cocking an eyebrow at Susie. "Wait, what was that? I was right? Hold on, I must not have heard you correctly. Say that into my good ear." He turned his head in the other direction. "One more time? And try not to mumble, I can't understand a word you're saying." Oh yes, he'd milk it for all it was worth- and then some, probably.

"Let me...try to answer some of those questions," he said, waving his hand in a sort of pacifying gesture. "And slow down before you hurt yourself. I like to call that particular trick mindspeaking, although there's probably a more technical term for it. Up until about four months ago, I communicated- mindspoke- exclusively with canines, but since I've been here...I don't know, something happened. It's like my abilities have...expanded. Now they work with just about anyone."

Sascha reached over and tapped against Susie's temple with his index finger, folding in the rest of his fingers and extending his thumb so that his hand resembled a gun. "And yes, it works both ways. I can project my own thoughts into someone else's mind, AND I can read their thoughts, too." He grinned. "So, tell me...what's on your mind?"

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[info]swim_away
2009-11-08 09:59 pm UTC (link)
Susie was a riot of giggles at Sascha’s teasing. He was over-the-top, but he was wonderful. She hadn’t laughed like this in…well, in a really long time. God, she’d missed this. If she could freeze time and sit on this man’s porch in this moment for the rest of eternity, she would have.

She wanted to roll her eyes at his act, but she couldn’t. She was to busy laughing. Dogs completely forgotten, he had all of her attention. Susie leaned against the railing so as not to fall over.

Quieting down, she was utterly attentive to his answers. Mindspeaking was a good word for it. Descriptive and to the point. When he mentioned that he initially had started with canines, Susie looked over at Brasco and Sweeney with a more appreciative glance. They were good dogs for putting up with him. She wondered what it was they would have said to her if they could.

The idea that he could read her mind once again set the gears of her thoughts into motion. Fear was probably the expected reaction. Would probably have been the sensible one too. It wasn’t hers. Carefully leaning in so that the conversation wasn’t publicized down the dock, Susie put her thoughts into words. “If you can read thoughts - maybe you don’t need me to say this out loud, but I think I need to hear it too-“ The words she chose were careful, thoughtful. “If you can read thoughts, does that mean you can learn everything about a person? That you don’t have to have any more misunderstandings, no more awkward conversations?” The ability to avoid those was a powerful enticement.

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[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-19 03:03 am UTC (link)
Sascha tilted his head thoughtfully at Susie's questions. It was strange, but he'd never really thought about those sorts of things at any great length- probably because Irei was the only person he engaged with his powers on a daily, recurring basis. With everyone else, it was more of a novelty: time for Sascha's thought of the day, brought to you direct by telepathy-R-us!

"I...suppose that's possible," he said just as carefully, regarding the little mermaid with amusement. He'd had very few encounters (of the mental persuasion, anyway) that ended this...well. Most people were caught so off-guard by his abilities that they became defensive, even if he hadn't been trying to pry.

"I've never really considered that before, but it makes sense. Just remember, I haven't had these newer powers for very long, so nothing's been refined quite yet." He leaned in to meet her, mirroring her actions and smiling. "But y'know, that would make meeting new people a lot less interesting. Conflict and intrigue- now that's exciting. Plus, it would be an awfully big invasion of privacy, and I'm not really into that."

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[info]swim_away
2009-11-19 06:49 am UTC (link)
Oh. Yeah. It probably would be a huge violation of mental privacy. And she would have let him leave it there if it weren’t for the fact that she realized – she hadn’t said the phrase aloud. The one he projected into her thoughts was a mimicry of what she’d been thinking at the time!

Susie moved forward only incrementally. She wanted to give the impression of intimidation without actually closing the small distance. From there she gave him a particularly disbelieving look. Eyebrows raised, but head tilted down, she stated, “I’m not entirely certain I believe that answer.” Okay, so she was still teasing him. She didn’t mind, was actually quite intrigued by the idea, but Susie felt like chastising him. She moved her head so that her chin stuck out smugly. “Just how much did you pick up besides that thought anyway?”

Despite her words, Susie’s smile reached all the way to her eyes. Even if he wasn’t psychic, she was sure he’d notice that. She made a mental note never to take up gambling; hers was an obvious tell. Besides, cards were all well and fun until Alex started on about “Go Fish” – because there weren’t already enough bad jokes about mermaids of small stature with particularly red hair. She had a personal score to settle with Disney.

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OOC: I'm thinking...maybe Irei can come in after Sascha's next reply? That work?
[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-20 01:59 am UTC (link)
Ah, she really was a smart cookie, wasn't she? Sascha could tell that the solemn look on her face was mostly for show, and he batted his eyelashes coquettishly at her.

"Well, mostly," he amended with a smile, "I mostly try to avoid that. Like I said, though, I don't have total control yet. Can I really help if a few thoughts slip through the cracks every once in awhile?" He winked again, refusing to elaborate on her question. "Just be sure to screen your thoughts around me, sweets. I can't be held responsible for any embarrassing discoveries."

Sascha reached over to pat Susie's knee. "Didn't occur to me to ask 'til now, but are you hungry at all? I'll bet Irei's got something good whipped up for breakfast, and I'm half-starved. I think my stomach's starting to eat itself."

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Re: OOC: That works for me. Let's see how it goes?
[info]swim_away
2009-11-20 03:37 am UTC (link)
Susie’s faux-serious exterior cracked when he fluttered his lashes. The action had her grinning and shaking her head. He didn’t behave at all like any adult she’d ever met, but she really enjoyed talking to him.

His wink had her thinking that while he might not be able to defend himself from stray thoughts, it was more than likely he either was better at it than admitted or that he wasn’t upset by it. Either way, Sascha was being absolutely wicked. And she didn’t mind at all. “Right,” Susie looked dubious, “screen my thoughts. Because I’ve got psychic training and all.” How on earth was she supposed to ‘screen her thoughts?’

“And just what do you mean by embarrassing discoveries?!” Susie realized that with Sascha, he actually might elaborate. She quickly amended her statement, “No. Never mind. Don’t tell me. I don’t think I have anything to hide, but you’d probably find something, wouldn’t you?” Which was really too bad. It would have been nice to have someone who could just understand her.

With the easy rapport they’d been developing, Susie had neglected Sascha’s increased proximity. It wasn’t until he put her hand on her knee that she flinched away. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she’d expected him to touch her. The movement was instinctual – she was out of the water and therefore felt less safe in general – and she regretted her reaction immediately.

Susie tried to recover by agreeing to whatever it was he was saying. Food was okay. She hadn’t eaten that morning, still not having much of an appetite. But he was hungry, and she still wanted to talk to him. “Yeah, food. I didn’t have any breakfast before I decided to swim. So, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Belatedly she asked, “Who’s Irei?”

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OOC: You're up, Hino!
[info]bohemiarhapsody
2009-11-24 08:16 am UTC (link)
That's right, "wicked" was right up Sascha's alley. He'd always had a bit of an odd streak about him, and he tended to seek out people with an equally strange sense of humor as companions. Susie could definitely roll with the punches, and she seemed to be nicely suited for the job. Plus...ah, well, she was still naked under that shirt. That was at least ten extra points in her favor in the grand tally of things.

"I don't go looking for secrets unless you give me a reason," he said in his most reasonable tone, schooling his features to look more solemn in mockery of her earlier bluff. "You'd be surprised how many people think they want your attention...until they actually get it. Anyway, it's not exactly my mission in life to embarrass every pretty girl I see." He couldn't quite keep the corners of his mouth from quirking up in a grin. "Well, not all the time. Mostly." Damn, even he didn't quite buy that. "Never mind. You get used to it."

Sascha had been chattering away so insistently that the girl's sudden flinching away caught him by surprise. He wasn't sure what had caused it, exactly- had he gotten too close? Surely not, he'd been sitting here all along. It must have been the touch itself that she was uncomfortable with, although he couldn't quite figure that one out, either. He'd touched her before, hadn't he? The nature of the reaction was instinctual, so even if he had tried to pick up on her line of reasoning, he wouldn't have gotten much.

"He's the reason I haven't starved to death yet." Sascha tried to inject a little humor into the awkward moment as he pushed himself to his feet and carefully offered a hand to the little mermaid beside him. Realizing that he should probably clarify that statement, he added, "He's my roommate. Best friend. We lived together for a few years back in New York, too."

Sascha made a rather grand gesture of opening the door for Susie, bowing slightly to her as she and the dogs passed over the threshold and into the bungalow. "A word to the wise, though- he's a little grumpy in the mornings, so just ignore anything he says that sounds mean. Especially if it's about me." With that small warning, he turned and called out in the direction of the kitchen to the aforementioned grouch, in a voice way too chipper for that particular hour of the morning. "Oi, I hope you're not naked. We've got company!"

*Italics denote Japanese

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