WHO: Ben Braeden, Claire Bennet (future), Sam Winchester WHERE: an ice cream stand and the park its in WHEN: Saturday, August 5, 2006; after lunch WHAT: Chaperoned ice cream eating and the inevitable Serious Talks. RATING: TBD STATUS: thread; in-progress
Tightening his grip on Jack's leash, Ben took the offered ice cream cone and then backed away from the stand. He probably could have left the English Mastiff puppy, now four months old and bearing a semi-alarming eighty pounds, at home to be watched for the short while they'd be gone, but the dog gave him a certain in-control feeling that Ben didn't want to admit to not having otherwise. He didn't want to feel weird or awkward or uncertain or stupid today, but he already was feeling a few of them because he didn't know what he was supposed to do on this outing thing. Sam had said he wanted to talk, wanted to listen, and Ben still wasn't buying, which was why it had taken him days to decide to come.
Why couldn't that decision have been the hard part?
With single-minded focus, Ben polished off the first third of the top of his ice cream cone in one bite, effectively filling his mouth with the frozen confection, the giant puppy on the leash beside him eyeing the cone with the same single-minded focus. A full mouth meant he could prolong talking awhile longer.
Grandma always said it was rude to talk with your mouthful. So what if this was the first time he was actually going to listen?