Log: Aurora and Walter Summary: Aurora visits Walter at work. This is a problem for many different reasons, especially the reason for why she's visiting. Then there's an "incident" and a receptionist will have a fun story to tell later.
aurora: Sometimes Aurora got into these moods. Moods where she was disagreeable, and obnoxious, and loud, where her mind would race with all of these amazing wonderful and magical ideas and she'd want to follow through with them regardless of how ridiculous they were. Some might call it hyperactivity, others mania, most would just say she was being really freaking crazy.
Unfortunately for Walter, today was one of these days. She'd woken up with pretty much The Greatest Idea Ever, gotten dressed, packed a bag full of clothes and headed to his work - he'd (perhaps stupidly) given her the address a few weeks prior.
Now she's getting pissy at the poor receptionist because Walter isn't at the office ("This is where Walter works, chienne." She had snapped "Why isn't he here?!.") The girl had called him, and hadn't even let Aurora speak to him on the phone, so now she's being twice as difficult and decided to sit herself up on the poor girl's front desk and wait for her boyfriend to come and find her, idly kicking her feet from side to side and chewing on a lock of her own hair.
walter: Due to Aurora's .. erm, sickness, Walter had to tell his boss that there was an emergency. Which wasn't a complete lie, because Walter wasn't completely sure.
It was weird to Walter. He'd never had an emergency like this! (Even if it wasn't really). He was minding his own business: sitting on the top rung of a ladder, top-half apparently missing as it was in the ceiling of a local restaurant while he futzed with the lights. His boss then handed him the handy little walkie-talkie phone, and the next thing he knew, he was asking to leave early.
So when Walter rushes into the building, his brow is furrowed. When he sees Aurora, he quickly snatches the glasses from his face (she made him so nervous). "What's wrong? Are you all right?" It's not Jean-Paul, is it? Did they finally arrest him for all that suspicious activity at his hotel room?
aurora: "WALTER." Well it's about fucking time, boy. She leaps from the desk, and moves (perhaps a little too fast in public) toward him, throwing her arms about his neck as is customary. "Nothing is wrong." She leans back a little to cast him with a slightly reproachful look. "Why does something have to be wrong? You are always worrying, mon cheri, if you are not careful you will get old man wrinkles before your time." She kisses him again, "I thought I would come visit you, that is all. Let's go to Vegas, oui?" Like, right now. See how she slipped that in? There's only a slight pause, "Aren't you going to tell me I look pretty?" Watch out, Walter. It's one of those moods.
walter: He's quick on the uptake, "You look beautiful." Wait, Vegas? He's not even getting paid for a full day because of this! He attempts to move the both of them towards the door. Something he could easily do, but he doesn't want to man-handle her, nor disturb her while she's already clearly ... off. "I'll take you when you turn twenty-one."
aurora: "Merci. But I should not have to ask, hmm?" Aurora frowns, worrying briefly that maybe he didn't love her anymore, if she now has to prompt him. And then he begins to gently guide her toward the door and so she breaks contact with him, stepping backward and tossing her head a little disdainfully "But that is nearly three years away, Walter!! And besides, my identification card says that I am twenty one already." She flashes a glance at the receptionist, who is doing her best to look busy, whilst still eaves dropping.
walter: "I'm not as fast as you, Ms. Beaubier. You have to be patient with me." It's all completely true. He had planned on telling her... eventually. "I don't have an ID that says I'm twenty-one. So that plan, as thrilling as it is, is slightly flawed." Walter did get paperwork through the hotel that says he's not only American, but allowed to work here. He just didn't ask for it to lie anymore than that! Oh gosh, he's not talking to Aurora like she's a child, is he? Walter always worries the inflection in his voice is wrong somehow. "Only slightly."
aurora: "Non." Mierde, why doesn't he understand?! She frowns and grabs his hands, sort of pleading, now, eyes large and blue and puppy dog-esque with a slice of wild on the side. "It is alright mon amor, Tessa will make some for you, it is what she is there for, oui?" Aurora kind of shakes his hands, as if this is all terribly urgent, "Let's go to Las Vegas and have an Elvis marry us!!!" Then they can have wedding cake which is totally what Aurora really wants right now. Wedding cake with a little marzipan Walter & Aurora on the top.
walter: "Wait wait, slow down." WHOA. PUMP THE BRAKES. "You want to go get married?" Walter glances back at the receptionist. And that's when he decides this conversation? Needs to go OUTSIDE.
aurora: "WHY NOT." She is smiling as widely as possible now, fiddling with his hands, lacing her fingers around his a little distractedly, refusing to budge from where she is standing. "One bottle of vodka each and we would not even remember it!! And then there would be cake! And neon signs and sex! This is the most MAGNIFIQUE IDEA EVER, N'EST CE PAS??" Receptionist: trying to remain invisible.
walter: Wha-- who-- my-- "Vodka? Why wouldn't you want to remember it?" Oh boy is he ever starting to rethink things. Look at the big picture. "If, if we were to get married in a cliche place, wouldn't you think Niagara Falls would be better?" That's much prettier and most importantly, much more farther away.
aurora: "Vodka! Mais oui! I have some in my bag! Would you like some? I can get it out, and we can start drinking now - it will make our trip go much faster do you not agree?! Mon frere stole it for me a few weeks ago, I have been saving it because it is in a glass bottle, which is the better kind." Then what he said sinks in, "You want to go to Niagara falls?" Grasping his hands again, "REALLY?"
walter: "I don't want to drink, it's only the afternoon!" A beer with lunch was fine, but vodka at this time of day? What do you take him for?? "Aurora, let's-- let's just go back to the hote--" Argh, is that receptionist still listening? She's going to think Walter ordered this girl off the internet. "Let's go home, why do we have to go get married right now?" Or at all!
aurora: It only takes her a split second to leap from one thought to the other, and she drops his hands, staring at him a little angrily. "You don't love me." He hates her. She's too tall and too fat and doesn't have a job. And he doesn't want to marry her or go to Vegas where the lights are bright and sparkly and where there is cheap cake.
walter: Sweet merciful Christ, it's like a stoplight. "I love you! I love you... so much." She's so pretty when she looks like she might burn the place down. "But it would take forever to get the paperwork and to drive there, why can't we just go to a fair, or the mall, or to a really fancy restaurant?" He's willing to blow a whole paycheck to make her stop this.
aurora: "No you don't." She's pulling this same old shit, uses it on Jean-Paul all the time, like a little kid who doesn't get her own way. "If you loved me you would take me to Vegas or Canada or somewhere that is not that that fucking falling down hotel!" She's kind of hysterical now, not meaning what she says, doing it for attention, because she can't help it. Ride it out, Walter, just ride it out.
walter: As much as he wants to keep her calm, as much as he wants to give her want she wants-- he can't. Walter becomes a little nervous now, chewing his lip and fiddling with his keys. "I'm not a liar." If she'd let him continue to work, maybe he could afford something nice for her! Maybe he needs to work more. A second job?
aurora: "Everyone else is." She snaps, "Everyone lies to me. Why not you too?" The receptionist has completely abandoned all pretenses and is blatantly staring at them both. Aurora doesn't care if she's not making much sense, and she shoves him a little. Not hard, but in an angry, girly sort of way.
walter: Walter's shoulders slump. "You think I'm like everyone else?" He barely moves when she shoves him. Like a tree in the wind, you half expect to hear his trunk creak. "You think I'm horrible like that?"
aurora: "Well, aren't you?" She retorts back angrily. Everyone is horrible. Everyone lies. Everyone thinks she's whore. Vegas would have fixed everything, wedding cake would have made things okay.
And then she starts to cry.
walter: "No, I'm not." Walter's got his sadface on, but Aurora's pain is more important than his! Even if her pain is self-inflicted. He forgives her easily. He attempts to put his hands on her shoulders, "I'm not, c'mon, Aurora."
aurora: She takes a few great big shuddering sobs, allowing Walter's hands on her shoulders and then falling into his chest. She likes the smell of his work uniform, and buries her face in it. Aurora doesn't even know why she's crying. Maybe it's because she didn't get her own way; fighting with Walter is different from fighting with her brother. Walter doesn't fight back. "Je sais." she sniffles, "Je regrette...I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I want to go home. Will you take us home?"
walter: "It's okay. I'll take us home." Walter gives her a little squeeze, before guiding her towards the door. He tells the receptionist, "Sorry, lady."
Walter doesn't want to fight Aurora! He puts his shields up and goes limp. Figuratively and maybe a little literally.
aurora: Maybe she's the horrible person. Up until moving to the hotel, she's never had people love her and be lovely to her, maybe she doesn't know how to respond in kind. Clinging to his shirt, she finally lets him take her out. "We can go to Vegas another day." She finally conceeds, resting her cheek on his shoulder.
walter: At this point, Walter wouldn't mind sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her, but that's even a little cheesy for him. Walter takes her home and doesn't ever bring this whole situation up. Ever.