InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Be seeing you"

Katya Alkaev (redhorse_tea) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-05-13 15:49:00

Entry tags:

javert

Who: Luther and Katya
What: Going to the movies
Where: Starting at Katya's and moving to the local theater
When: Around 6:45
Warnings: Irritability

For some ungodly reason, Katya had emptied her entire closest. She couldn't figure out exactly why because it didn't exactly matter, but she was now quite aware of the fact that everything she owned was covered in cat hair.

Babushka, on her perch on the window sill, looked immensely pleased with herself.

And it wasn't as if what she wore would matter anyhow. This wasn't... what did Americans call it... a date. This was her making judicious use of a profitable opportunity. She supposed she could have contacted Eliot via the forums, but he seemed much more interested in older movies and she wanted something she could talk with her employees about. And they all swore by the movie. In Russia, she had always enjoyed pointless action movies. There was something cathartic about watching a bad guy get pummeled half to death and then some. Finally, she found something moderately acceptable that wasn't covered in cat hair. She pulled it on, slid her feet into wedges - she could use the height - and stared at herself in the mirror.

Behind her, Babushka yowled.

"Hush, I have fed you already," Katya told the cat. She played briefly with her hair before deciding to leave it down. Moving from her bedroom to her living room, she was just in time to hear a knock at her door. Flicking some of her hair over her shoulder, she unlocked and opened the door with one brow arched. "Inspector Luther, da?" she asked, giving him a once over.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 01:43 am UTC (link)

"Not as much anymore," Luther corrected. He wasn't sure if she meant currently or if it her English, but it couldn't hurt to clarify. He shrugged once more, weaving their way around a couple who were having an intense conversation in the middle of the sidewalk. His eyes stayed on them for a moment before he looked back to her, "I've been all over the states and crossed the borders north and south a few times. Never left the continent."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

redhorse_tea
2010-05-15 02:00 am UTC (link)

"You have been to Mexico?" she asked. "This place, I have heard is gorgeous." But too much warm weather was a bit overwhelming. She liked the coolness of the Atlantic Northeast, especially in fall and spring. Summers got a bit too hot for her, but not unbearably so. She thought she might enjoy a brief trip to a beach like in Mexico. "Where else? I have heard, there is great canyon in America. They say it is very beautiful. Have you been there?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 02:13 am UTC (link)

Luther laughed, shaking his head. "I've only been a few miles from the States. What I've seen is disgusting." With a rueful shake of his head, he led her into Bellum which had appeared sooner than expected. He kept his eyes on her, even as they moved to the stairs, not even thinking about his leg. "The Grand Canyon is impressive though. I've been there twice-"

His leg twisted sideways as he stepped up the stairs, causing a shooting pain up his leg. Luther's speech was cut off as he winced and reached for the rail with his free hand. From where he stood, he only made his balance more awkward as he stumbled towards her.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

redhorse_tea
2010-05-15 02:26 am UTC (link)

With a quiet gasp, Katya shifted toward him as he fell, trying to catch him. She wasn't incredibly strong, but she spent a lot of her time lifting heavy boxes. But it was awkward. Her arm was wrapped with his, and they were side by side. She tried to guide him down as gently as possible, to control his descent, but she didn't know how well she succeeded. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Pulling away, she let Luther stand on his own, not wanting to hurt his pride. "These stairs," she said, "they are a little tricky sometimes."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 02:36 am UTC (link)

He didn't end up sending her crashing to the floor which was a relief. Normally he did do better with balance and being on his guard. What was it about the women in Bellum that had him failing at it? His mouth tightened into a thin line and only made more awkward by how close they were.

He pulled away as she did, letting his arms move from hers completely. He coughed, in a poor attempt to cover it and he nodded. "I'm fine and yes." He looked up at them, eager to have a distraction, and honestly felt like he could glare at them. "They dislike me more than the elevator does."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	redhorse_tea 2010-05-15 03:23 am UTC (link)
	With a small smile, Katya ascended two steps and then waited for him. "The elevator, it is causing troubles?" she asked. "Is broken? I do not ride it often." She didn't. There was no point in using the elevator to go up a single flight of stairs. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 03:40 am UTC (link)

Luther tentatively put weight on his left leg again, wincing only slightly. He followed her, moving to walk past her - slowly, but well enough to show that he was alright with keeping going. After all, she was only on the second floor. "It doesn't cooperate with anyone - it seems to have a mind of it's own. A friend and I investigated it once." He paused. "Actually, that's how we met."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

redhorse_tea
2010-05-15 03:53 am UTC (link)

She thought, now, that she had heard something like that about the elevator. It was unreliable at best and took someone places they didn't necessary want to go. Now that she had some sort of confirmation, she was incredibly happy she was only on the second floor and wouldn't need to use the elevator extensively. She couldn't imagine having to walk to the penthouse, for example, on a regular basis. "I will keep this in mind," she said. "That the elevator is not so good for getting places, but good for meeting people."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 04:32 am UTC (link)

He managed a small smile at that, making his way up the final stairs. "It is. If you have free time an hour of riding it randomly can have unexpected results." He smiled as he said it, almost ready to let laughter hide his awkwardness.

Down the hall to her door and he stopped in front of it, as custom dictated. His weight switched from his bad leg to his good and his arms went behind his back. There was a brief pause, before he said in a tone that surprised himself, "I did enjoy myself this evening. Thanks for inviting me along." Awkwardness and all.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

redhorse_tea
2010-05-15 04:49 am UTC (link)

Following him to her room, Katya let her mind wander back over the evening. She hadn't expected to chat with him quite so easily. She hadn't expected to like him. But he was surprisingly easy company even after she put her foot in her mouth. So when they stopped at her door and he thanked her for the invitation, she gave him a tentative smile. "Da, I was enjoying this as well," she told him, meaning it.

Reaching into her purse, she searched around for her keys. She found them and pulled them out but paused before unlocking the door. "If you are not minding..." This was such an awkward moment. Katya fussed with her keys for a minute, looking at her hands instead of at him. She didn't know why asking the question was so hard. It shouldn't have been. It was just a bunch of words. "Perhaps you might like to be seeing a movie again? Next time, it would be your choice, da? But if you are thinking this would be okay, then I could be giving you my phone number, and you could be giving me yours?" She made it sound as much like a question as possible and refused to look at him, just in case he said no. She was only human; no one liked rejection.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 05:00 am UTC (link)

Luther couldn't help but return the smile, moving back slightly as she unlocked the door. He watched her, not realizing she was asking something beyond some space as she got her door. The words sunk and he blinked at her.

It wasn't the fact that she'd asked that surprised him. No, it was the fact that he did want to go again. Even if it had been awkward - it would be as much as it would this time or even right now...Luther slowly nodded, reaching for a piece of paper and a pencil in his pocket.

"I'd like that," he said, looking to her - hoping she'd look up at him - and then down to write his number. He tore off the sheet, handing it to her as well as the pencil and pad.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

redhorse_tea
2010-05-15 05:19 am UTC (link)

Relief swept over her when Luther said he'd like to do something with her again. She had been terrified - irrationally so - that he might say no to her. Lifting her face, she gave him a bashful smile. After taking the sheet of paper and sliding it into her purse, Katya scribbled her number down with a quick and efficient hand. She handed both pencil and pad back to him. "Tonight, it was very nice. I am glad to be seeing American movies." Should she say it was good to go with him? No, that was just too much.

Katya hesitated a moment longer at her door, feeling like she should say something else. But what else was there to say? She was about to speak when Babushka yowled loudly from the other side of her door. Embarrassed, Katya coughed, trying to cover the sound. "My cat, she is not so understanding of me not being there for her. Good night, Inspector," she said giving him one last smile before slipping into her apartment and shutting the door.

She leaned heavily against the inside for a moment, ignoring Babushka who continued to yowl and cry as she twined around Katya's feet. After a few minutes, she kicked off her shoes and hurried into her room to undress and collapse on her bed. She had an early morning.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sentinelstar
2010-05-15 05:36 am UTC (link)

He took it with a wry smile, hands brushing against hers a bit longer than he intended. It slipped back in his pocket and he nodded. "Me too," he said again, unsure of what else to say. Her slipping inside only made him feel slightly relieved and he headed towards the stairs.

At his own speed and thoughts, he made it to his room in ten minutes. The door was shut softly and he took the pencil from his pocket. On Katya's sticky note for 207 he wrote carefully trustworthy and then after a series of dots he wrote friend? before scratching it out. Mouth twisted wryly, he copied her phone number and circled it. With a final nod, he headed to his computer. He did have one more person to report to before calling it a night.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -