InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Waited patiently for the Lord"

Mercedes "Mercy" King (animal_doctor) wrote in indarkness_logs,
@ 2010-10-08 22:00:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2032 10, mercedes king, severus snape

RP: So, it's not a dream ...
Characters: Mercy, Sev
Time/Date: Evening, October 8
Location: library
Warnings/Rating: None anticipated
Summary: Mercy has concluded this isn't actually a dream
Status: Complete

After the music had died, she'd been pleased. She wasn't sure what she was meant to expect for the following week, and while she'd seen a couple of questionable entries that implied something might be going on, it wasn't anything to affect her.

She also didn't know a lot of people here very well, so it wasn't as though she exactly felt comfortable hitting them up for conversations.

While she'd thought a lot about Severus, she hadn't quite managed to run into him for any extensive period of time. Which, she supposed, was just as well while she was settling in. She'd taken a couple of days to thoroughly explore the island, another couple of days holed up in her room while she gave her sanity serious contemplation, another day or so just wandering around in a daze, and then ... the week was nearly over.

She had met a few people in her wandering. She'd had a decent conversation with a Lily who was a friend of Severus, and who she'd been hard pressed not to badger for information about him. But then, Lily didn't exactly strike her as the sort to spill too much information about another person anyway.

She'd also met Dug, who quickly put an end to the mystery of what dogs would say if they could talk. Strangely enough, it wasn't so very far off from what Mercy had always imagined dogs saying.

Now though, she was done seeking out random people, and she was ready to let random people find her. Carrying her current book in progress to the library, Mercy plopped herself down into a chair and opened up the book. She was fairly certain that she'd be interrupted in no more than ten minutes, and she set the timer on her watch to see if she'd win that bet or not.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 12:30 am UTC (link)

Well, that had been an interesting reaction, hadn't it been? Mercy was content to abandon the facetious monkey conversation in favor of pursuing the suddenly more interesting topic.

"She had nothing but positive things to say about you," Mercy assured him quietly. "You ... just look a bit worried that she was telling stories about how you're a puppy kicker or serial killer or something." Though she supposed he could be; it wasn't as though she really knew that much about him or his past aside from the one or two things Lily had mentioned about his childhood.

Now though, she was a little curious if there was more to their past than either of them had let on. Granted, it wasn't her place to pry, and she didn't know either of them well enough to dig like that ... but perhaps it would come out eventually. She'd just have to be patient about it.

She could be patient. Really.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 02:11 am UTC (link)

Severus shook his head when Mercy assured him Lily hadn't said anything bad about him. He had never thought she might, even if there was more than enough material for her to choose from. Lily simply wasn't like that; she would let bygones be bygones, because she knew he had chosen the right path in the end. Though he did give something of a wry smile at the examples Mercy had used. He didn't particularly like dogs, though he had never gone so far as to kick a puppy. And he was a killer, even if not the serial type. But he didn't feel like mentioning either of those things just now, either.

"No, it isn't that," he answered quietly, with a shake of his head, and he licked his lips, wondering if he ought to tell her what the real trouble was. He didn't know her very well, after all, but ... he wanted to. Part of him wanted to excuse himself, say he was sorry to have bothered her, and go hide in his room. But another part of him didn't want to leave. At all. Neither part, however, particularly cared for the idea of telling her this. "When we were younger," he began, but he paused to lick his lips again. "I, ah -- well, I suppose you could say that I stalked Lily, as well ... but also unsuccessfully."

He shrugged then, a little helplessly, and looked away, not entirely certain how she would react to that revelation. But one thing was certain: if her response happened to be as negative as he imagined it might be, he didn't want to see her face before she left.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 02:26 am UTC (link)

Mercy nodded slightly, waiting for a continuation or explanation or some cue as to how she was supposed to feel about that. Or how she was meant to react. Was she supposed to reply with 'yes, there was this charming guy at college. We had the same major and dated some but it didn't work out'? Wasn't that kind of the story of life? You met people, you dated, and sometimes it didn't work out.

"So ... did it end badly? Is she a jealous ex and I should sleep with one eye open?" Lily hadn't come off that way, so then Mercy wondered if it had been a one-sided thing. He'd pined and she ... what? Hadn't acknowledged? Hadn't been aware of? Had played the 'let's just be friends' card?

She was curious now, and she studied him openly, blue eyes intensely seeking his.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 03:37 am UTC (link)

Had it ended badly? Very badly indeed, even if there had never been an actual relationship to speak of. But when Mercy asked if if she had to sleep with one eye open, Severus actually sniggered. He looked up then, not a bit surprised that her gaze was focused so intently upon him again. "No, nothing like that," he answered with a slight shake of his head. "She never knew. Still doesn't, actually, and I'd prefer it stay that way, if you don't mind."

He looked down again then, shaking his head once more. He had dodged a bullet when Lily had seen his Patronus and apparently had forgotten to ask him about it, but he didn't relish the subject coming back up any time soon. It would only make her feel awkward around him, and that was the last thing he wanted. On the other hand, he was glad that he and Mercy had been able to drop the teasing pretense that he hadn't been stalking her.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 04:12 am UTC (link)

Mercy fell silent as she thought about that and attempted to translate what he meant to say from the words he was speaking. What did he mean? That she should know he'd pursued someone here when they were younger, and that meant what, exactly? That she shouldn't bother trying because the second Lily batted her pretty little lashes at him, he'd go running? That his heart was taken but she could have his body? She was a little amused at that thought, and a smile briefly twitched the corners of her lips.

"All right," she finally said. "I'm not completely sure what you're trying to convey here. You ... chased her and she didn't notice, and ...? I'm a little stuck on what comes next," she admitted. "I'm not going to rush off and tell her that once upon a time you liked her, or anything like that," she assured him. "So if that's all you were after, consider it covered."

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 05:31 am UTC (link)

Severus wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to convey any longer himself, if he were being completely honest, but he wasn't sure he should actually say that. He simply wasn't very good at this sort of thing. Of course, having been cloistered away at a boarding school for ten months of the year, on top of being generally unsociable, didn't exactly help his chances of meeting women, and then there was that whole spying thing, as well. He couldn't have gotten close to people. It had been dangerous for him, and it had been dangerous for them, too.

But here, things were different. He wasn't a spy, and though he was trapped here, he had to get close to people in order to survive -- and not only Lily. In addition, even if he still wasn't precisely sociable, he found that he did still enjoy the interactions for the most part. Present company most certainly included. And that made him feel guilty, but why? Because even if he had loved Lily all those years, or at least convinced himself that he did, he had not exactly started pursuing her immediately upon arriving here, had he?

"I know you wouldn't," Severus answered quietly, with a frown, shaking his head. If he'd been worried about that, he never would have told her in the first place. He would have simply closed himself off, as usual, and left before saying anything at all. That likely would have left Mercy hurt and confused, and that was the last thing he wanted, as well. Even if she still was more than a little confused. But he trusted her. He wasn't certain why, and his instincts told him he shouldn't, but he did anyway, all the same. "I just ... didn't expect you to mention her, that's all," he finished with another shrug.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 02:17 pm UTC (link)

While that hadn't really clarified anything, Mercy wondered if maybe that was one of those things that just couldn't be clarified. For whatever reason, her mention of Lily had incited that reaction, and ... that was that. Maybe it was one of those things that was simply too complicated to put into words.

So she shrugged and offered him a smile. "All right. I'll try to warn you next time I'm going to mention her," she replied. It was still a somewhat baffling situation, but maybe once she got to know both him and Lily a little better, some light would be shed on the topic.

"So, in a not so subtle attempt to shift the topic," Mercy began with a grin. "What should we discuss now? The fine selection of reading material? The price of tea in China? Possible methods of escape?" She, of course, was being mostly facetious; none of those things really mattered but she did want to climb to a somewhat safer topic of conversation.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 04:44 pm UTC (link)

When Mercy said that she would warn him, Severus actually managed to look up at her again with a small smile. "I don't think that will be necessary," he answered quietly, with a shake of his head. He likely wouldn't have such a strong reaction the next time, after all, and he imagined Mercy would simply try not to mention Lily from now on. He had just been about to add that he didn't want to talk about Lily -- he wanted to talk about her -- but she changed the subject before he had the chance.

"Why did you decide to become a veterinarian?" he asked, quietly, and he smiled again at her expression. Only after he'd asked that did he realize the topic might still be a rather treacherous one. No doubt she would turn the question around and ask why he'd become a teacher, and that wasn't any easier an answer than ... why he'd acted the way he had at the mention of Lily's name. But at least she was still talking to him, and that question about Lily possibly being a jealous ex ... well, that rather meant this wasn't one-sided, didn't it? Or at least not as one-sided.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 04:52 pm UTC (link)

"Because I couldn't be a truck driver," she replied promptly before she tipped her head back and laughed quietly. "Honestly, I don't know. It just ... seemed to be where my strengths were. I grew up around animals, had an affinity with animals, and it just seemed ... like the way to go. I had good grades in sciences in school, and I was accepted to a few other colleges, but ... Tufts was the best for what I wanted to do. So there it was."

She looked thoughtful. "The better question is why'd I opt to be a large animal vet," Mercy continued with a grin. "But that's simple enough. Domestic vets are a dime a dozen, even in my area of the world. We needed more vets trained for farm animals. The cows, the goats, the pigs, the horses. Especially the horses for the Amish folk." She shrugged and smiled. "It's tough work, but I like it."

Though she was at something of a loss around here, unless they were planning on filtering in some sick cows or something.

"What about you? Always wanted to be a teacher?"

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 05:49 pm UTC (link)

Severus chuckled when Mercy said she couldn't have been a truck driver. He knew that was what Yanks called a lorry, and it was undoubtedly an amusing image. "That was my next question," he answered, raising an eyebrow, when she mentioned being a large animal vet. She was such a slight thing that he would be exceptionally worried about her treating such large animals, but ... well, it really wasn't his place to say anything about that, was it? They had only just met, after all.

"Actually, I never wanted to be a teacher," he replied with a shake of his head. "I wanted to be an Auror -- a Dark wizard catcher," he quickly added, because she wouldn't know that term, he didn't think. "They are the elite in Magical Law Enforcement, but my marks weren't good enough. Particularly in Transfiguration." She likely wouldn't know that term, either, apart from the Biblical reference, but he would explain, if she was interested in hearing.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 06:11 pm UTC (link)

"So teaching was the follow-up career option?" She inquired. She reasoned out transfiguration by context; it wasn't so hard to break apart the roots.

"Suppose it makes sense. Those who can't do, teach, right?" She thought that was the saying at any rate. "Did you like it at least?" Blue eyes searched his face, studying him curiously.

"Are they an elite force then? Your Aurors? Like Navy SEALs or the Marine's special ops or green berets or whatevr?" It made sense to her; if he had to have high marks to get in, then not just everyone could join up, right?

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 07:19 pm UTC (link)

"Not exactly," Severus answered with a small shake of his head, when she asked if teaching had been his follow-up choice. It hadn't even been in the top ten, honestly, but it really hadn't been up to him, by that point. "My follow-up option was to open an apothecary. I borrowed a bit of money from a friend, and my business had just started to take off, when--" When his entire life had been turned upside down. "I had to give it up, because of the war."

When she asked if he'd like it, he shook his head again. "I despised teaching, actually, but it was necessary." Necessary to his cover, of course, and he wondered if she would ask why, but he still opted not to say, in favor of talking more about Aurors.

"I'm not entirely familiar with those groups, so I couldn't say, you understand, but possibly. From what I've read, I think they would be closer to the FBI or possibly the Secret Service?" He gave a slight shrug. "They are sometimes assigned to protect high-profile targets in wizarding society, in addition to tracking down wanted Dark wizards."

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 08:34 pm UTC (link)

"War?" That caught her attention, and she nearly pointed out he was too young to have fought in the war. Granted, she was thinking WWII, and didn't take into account that he wasn't even from the States and thus wouldn't have been involved of any of their later wars or other shenanigans.

Then she recalled that whole time difference thing they were likely engaged in, and she made a gesture with her hand to brush off the question. "Keep forgetting we're from other sides of the planet and completely different times."

Nodding to his description of the Aurors, she shrugged a little. Sure, FBI required grades and the like. Or so she assumed; it had never been a track she'd given any thought to pursuing. But still, they wanted smart guys protecting the president and whatnot, right?

She didn't pry, though she'd have liked to. She was a very prying sort of person. But she was working on her social skills and not digging and prodding for information not freely volunteered.

"So what do you do here? I mean, we don't have jobs or anything like that, so ... besides reading and enduring whatever joy they're tossing at us at any given time ... what's there to do?" She very nearly added 'practice making babies?' but thought that was probably a bit pushy and highly inappropriate.

Even if it was probably true.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 09:10 pm UTC (link)

Severus nodded his confirmation when she asked about the war, and then he smiled, shaking his head, at the bit about forgetting. "What time are you from, if you don't mind my asking?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Not that it made a great deal of difference, but he'd said the wizarding world was rather old-fashioned, and now he wondered if the two of them had the same idea of what old-fashioned would entail.

"I do a little potion-making, whenever our captors oh-so-generously provide us with ingredients," he said, tilting his head with a slight shrug. "And a little teaching, here and there. And recently, I've taken to stalking -- I mean talking to you." He paused briefly to smirk, and then added, "Personally, I hope to do a great deal more of that last one, in the future." Then he raised his eyebrows, questioningly, though he really didn't expect her to say no, absolutely not.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 09:47 pm UTC (link)

"Twenty-ten," she reported. "So really, things here don't seem that different to me. You know, aside from the whole 'kidnapped' aspect of life as we know it." And the lack of job and purpose and the absence of her truck and family and friends and ... so, all right, things were horribly different here. "What about you?" she pressed.

"Can I watch sometime? I've never seen anyone concoct a potion before," she said. Which she supposed was something of a given. "Unless it's something personal that we non-magical sorts aren't supposed to be exposed to."

She grinned when he admitted to stalking her. "Well, if you'd like to continue stalking me, that's all well and good, but you could always drop me a note on the network or under my door and we can actually plan to meet places. Save you a bit of hunting about for me. I'm a master at hiding, after all."

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 11:08 pm UTC (link)

"Nineteen ninety-eight," Severus answered with a nod. "And things are quite a bit different for me, but only because -- as I said -- the wizarding world is a bit old-fashioned." Even the kidnapped part wasn't all that different from life as he knew it. There might not have been a white line, but he still hadn't been free by any stretch of the imagination. But ... they could get into that some other time.

He chuckled, shaking his head, when Mercy asked if she could watch him brew. Though he wasn't saying no -- he was simply amused that she'd want to. "Normally, it wouldn't be something I could show you, but I don't see why not," he answered with a shrug. "Well, except for one thing I make 'round here. It is maddeningly complex, and I am also trying to teach two others to make it. I wouldn't want my pupils to become distracted." He paused a beat and smirked again. "Or their teacher, for that matter."

When she said she was a master at hiding, he nodded, with a quiet, "You are, at that." But then he gave another slight shrug. "Actually, I think you've talked me into it. Obviously I'm not very good at this stalking business, and I daresay my energy would best be concentrated elsewhere."

He paused again, however, licking his lips, as he wondered where exactly they could meet. It wasn't as if there were any posh restaurants on the island for him to take her on a date. And he tried very hard not to roll his eyes at the thought of a romantic fake-moonlit walk just inside the line. Ah, well. They would simply have to make the most of it, since they were stuck here and all.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 11:32 pm UTC (link)

"Is that the teaching you mentioned?" She assumed, but for all she knew, he taught ... chorus, or something. "But all right. Where do you do your ... potion-making?" She wondered if there was a place, or in the kitchen, or ... somewhere outside in case they exploded. Some chemicals exploded, right? So why not some potions?

"I do promise not to try to distract you though," she assured him. "I certainly won't ... well, touch you or blow against your ear or play with your hair, or anything like that. Those count as distractions, right?"

She grinned a little wickedly at that, nodding in agreement to his 'new plan' of attack. "Suppose it isn't as though we can say hey, let's meet on the corner for coffee, is it?" She realized. "So what do people do who are trying out a relationship?" She paused. "That is what we're doing, isn't it? Suppose I might be getting a bit ahead of myself with that."

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delicate_power
2010-10-11 12:22 am UTC (link)

"It is," Severus answered with a nod. Or at least part of it. Come to think of it, he hadn't heard from Ariana since their powers had been returned. He needed to speak with her and see if she come to a decision yet regarding Occlumency lessons.

When she asked where he brewed, his cheeks started to warm, because ... well, he had thought nothing of it before now, which really said he had no designs on Lily any longer, and he really ought not feel guilty. But seeing as he did where Mercy was concerned, it was another matter entirely. "I usually brew in the study area of my room," he answered with a shrug that was as casual as he could make it, in the circumstances.

And when she listed all the things she wouldn't do to distract him, well, his cheeks were probably starting to glow, by then, they were so warm. Because it was distracting enough just to hear her say all that. Especially the idea of her playing with his hair, for some reason. He couldn't imagine trying to brew amidst such distractions. But still, somehow he managed to reply with a quiet, "I would say so, yes."

He shook his head when she mentioned meeting on the corner for coffee. That was right out, but then he frowned. He wasn't exactly the person to ask what people who were trying out a relationship did, here or elsewhere. Except then his eyebrows shot right up. Because, well, he wasn't the person to ask about that, either. "I think so?" he wondered aloud, his tone far more uncertain than he would have liked, but he really didn't know. And he sincerely hoped that he wasn't getting ahead of himself, as well.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-11 12:35 am UTC (link)

"Ahh, I see. All the potions parties happen in your room. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. What other sort of parties go on there?" she teased gently. It was a little amusing to watch his cheeks flush like that, and she was starting to get the impression he didn't chat up many women. Or ... he didn't flirt much, at any rate. Or wasn't often flirted with. Maybe in the magical world, the dating customs were different.

That bore a bit of consideration, and Mercy figured she'd consider it later.

Her grin broadened when he sounded so very uncertain about them starting a relationship. "Well, we don't have to," she assured him. "I just thought perhaps it might be something I'd like to try. Though if you aren't interested ..."

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delicate_power
2010-10-11 12:53 am UTC (link)

"Not all of them," Severus answered, raising an eyebrow. "Just to good ones." Though he wasn't sure where he mustered even that much aplomb, considering that his cheeks were on fire. "None, I'm afraid," he added, after she'd asked after other sorts of parties. Because when one thought of parties, one naturally thought of Severus Snape.

He ducked his head, shaking his it with an embarrassed smile, when she said -- wait, what? They didn't have to ... try out a relationship, he imagined, and his head shot up again so fast that it almost made his neck smart. But she was smiling, still, so ... was she simply teasing him? "No, I -- I am," he insisted, shaking his head again. "I am interested." And he couldn't believe he'd actually just said that aloud. So much for aplomb.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-11 01:06 am UTC (link)

"You'll have to let me know where the bad ones are, so I can avoid them," she said as her brows lifted. Though she doubted very much there was such a thing as a potion party. Or that there were bad ones if there was such a thing. She wondered if they were like raves, and she thought about that for a moment. Honestly though, she wasn't sure what he'd make of 'so hey, can you make a potion with the same effects as Ecstasy?'

Mercy grinned slightly at the thought before she shook her head.

"Then it's settled. We're interested in getting to know one another better. Starting with a potion party in your bedroom," she added playfully. "Or ... starting with a walk outside. Or coffee out on the bench. Or maybe dinner and a movie in the rec room?"

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delicate_power
2010-10-11 01:22 am UTC (link)

"Any that I am not hosting qualify as the bad ones, of course," Severus answered, grinning, but then he shook his head. Potions parties. Now that was a laugh.

He started to correct her and say a potions party in his study area, but ... well, it was mere feet from the bed anyway, so no point in pretending otherwise. Still, that probably wasn't the most proper way to start out this attempt at a relationship, so he opted for one of the other choices, instead.

"How about a walk?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Are you free tonight?" Then he cast a quick glance at her book and added, "I would hate to tear you away from your reading." Well, he actually wouldn't mind at all, but he also wanted to give her an escape route, if she happened to have made other plans for the evening.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-11 01:42 am UTC (link)

"Good to know. So if anyone else invites me to one in their room, I'll turn them right down. Because it's probably a trap. Or a bad sort of stalker."

She smiled when he offered to go for a walk. "I haven't made any plans, and I assure you ... you're far more interesting than my book." She grinned as she lifted her eyes to meet him. "Besides, it's only fair right? I distracted you from your reading my first night here."

Mercy eased out of her seat and offered a hand to him. No time like the present, right? "Unless you had something else you wanted to do first?"

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delicate_power
2010-10-11 02:07 am UTC (link)

"Indeed," Severus answered with a quiet snigger. Though he supposed, technically, he was a bad sort of stalker, as well -- in the sense of being rubbish at it -- but that didn't seem to matter. She had been patient enough to bear with him until they'd gotten past the need for it anyway. He smiled when she said he was far more interesting than her book, though considering her assessment of that book, it might not have been the highest of compliments. Still, he would take it and be glad for it. "That does sound fair," he answered with a nod and a mock serious expression.

When Mercy rose and offered her hand, he took hold of it, slipping his fingers around hers without hesitation. But then ... well, there was something else he wanted to do first. She would likely think it was silly, or at the least exceedingly old-fashioned. Severus had almost convinced himself not to do it, in fact, but then he threw caution to the wind. He drew her hand to his mouth and pressed a light kiss against her knuckles before rising from his chair. And he did not release her hand, either, as he answered, "No, I didn't. Or at least, nothing else." Then he jerked his head toward the library door with a quiet, "Shall we?"

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animal_doctor
2010-10-11 02:40 am UTC (link)

Mercedes watched with a sort of amused interest as he kissed the back of her hand. It wasn't as though she'd never had anyone do that before (high school boys trying to be charming, back in the day), but somehow it seemed more gallant when he did it.

"We shall," she agreed as she lightly laced her fingers with his. It simply felt more comfortable to hold hands that way, and she didn't think too much more beyond that, as far as the positioning of her hand within his.

"Where shall we walk to?" she inquired. "The wrecked shack? The rotting shack? The shack that Jack built and someone else knocked over?" She grinned a little. She actually had no idea who'd been doing the improvements on one of the little shacks she'd wandered by, but it had definitely appeared worked-on.