who ? xavier ansari and aisling astor when ? thursday afternoon where ? some coast what ? walking and tea status ? complete
Sometimes Aisling felt like she had to look after everyone in the house. This was not a criticism. Aisling liked the boys a lot, even Axel, mostly, and she disliked when any of them didn’t feel well in one way or another. It was normal, though, all of them got into moods, all of them went through periods of feeling better or worse. Perhaps some of them struggled more than others, but Aisling was a big believer in being able to support each other through whatever. It wasn’t as if it was hard to prepare some tea, to encourage a walk, in fact, Aisling was quite looking forward to it; she wasn’t sure when the last time she had been at the seaside had even been.
There were two flasks full of hot tea, two mugs and a packet of biscuits in Aisling’s bag. A warming charm already surrounding her as she waited at the bottom of the stairs for Xavier to appear. She’d even found a hat to wear. It wasn’t as cold as it could have been, but it was still only March and undoubtedly the hat, the warming charms and the hot tea would be welcomed sources of warmth once they did get to the sea.
“I was thinking we could apparate to Cruden Bay?” Aisling said when she finally spotted Xavier. “It’s open and sandy there,” she told him offering a smile. Aisling liked beaches, to her they always seemed like a good spot to clear one’s head, so hopefully it would work for Xavier, too, and he’d be able to get some sleep later.
--
Xavier really didn't know what was going on in his head, or with his body. Sleep was something he'd never had trouble with, and it was one of his favorite things. Feeling so restless and unable to get that escape from awake-ness, it felt like it was starting to take a toll. His body ached, mind wouldn't quiet, and it all combined to make him feel like he was going to implode. Having tea and a walk on a beach sounded like a great escape, even if it didn't have any kind of lasting effect on him.
He went down the stairs to find Aisling waiting at the bottom, and he offered her a tired smile. "Cruden Bay sounds good," he replied, running his hand through his hair before letting his arm drop to circle around her waist so they could Apparate together. "Did you want to do the honors or me?"
-
“Oh, I’ll do it,” Aisling replied, fetching her wand as she leaned into Xavier’s hand automatically, without a thought. She apparated them easily enough, making sure to pick a location that wasn’t too close to the beach as to get them noticed by other people, but still not so far that it wouldn’t be a quick walk. It wasn’t as chilly as Aisling had originally anticipated for, but she would struggle to describe it as warm either. With warming charms and tea, they would be okay, though, she decided.
Putting her wand away, Aisling took Xavier’s hand, pulling him towards the path that led to the seaside. “I haven’t seen the sea in ages,” she told him as they walked. “It seems silly not to come down to the sea more often when it takes us next to no travel time,” she added with a small shrug. Perhaps that was why they didn’t, because it was always right there so everyone just forgot that you should not just could.
--
Xavier let her apparate them, his arm automatically curling a little tighter around her until he felt the breeze off the water hitting him. Hogsmeade wasn't a particularly noisy place to live, save for visiting weekends for Hogwarts, but there was something extra quiet and peaceful about the seaside. Maybe it was the way the waves rhythmically crested and crashed against the shore, giving a white noise element to everything else.
His fingers laced with Aisling's when she took his hand, walking alongside her on the path. "I couldn't say the last time I saw it," he mused, thinking on it for a moment. "Greece, maybe? I don't much think about going around here." He slipped his free hand in his pocket and shrugged. "I don't really think about going places much, which I should since I can. It's too easy not to take advantage of it."
Being on the beach was something he'd always liked in the past - didn't matter what beach, so long as it was one. The water was relaxing, if the sun was out that made it even better. Their trip wasn't so much that kind, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. Plus there was tea. "Thanks for coming with me."
-
“Mmm,” Aisling hummed in agreement. They really should go down to the seaside more often. Perhaps once it got warmer, she would suggest a day out to the band. The English coast probably, since it got warmer quicker there. They could definitely make a day out of it. Aisling made a mental note to get some buckets and spades, so sandcastles could be made and perhaps one of those inflatable balls because the boys would probably enjoy that. She was a big fan of the bonding activities for the band, even if getting them to go to the orchestra always involved at least one objection to appropriate attire.
She gave Xavier’s hand a squeeze when he thanked her for coming with him. “That’s no problem at all,” she assured him. “Glad to be of use,” she added with a grin as they walked. “Have you been having trouble sleeping for a while?” Aisling asked mostly conversationally and only with the slightest touch of concern. There were plenty of reasons for why someone couldn’t sleep and she was pretty sure that sometimes there just wasn’t a reason at all, it would go as quickly as it had come. Still it was best to check.
--
The squeeze to his hand made Xavier smile softly. Of course he knew he could count on his bandmates for a lot of things, but that didn't mean he expected them to always be around for doing whatever. It was nice to know that Aisling was willing to do something as trivial seeming as walk around with him.
"Um, just this past week," he answered, giving a little frown as he thought about it. "Usually I sleep no problem, really well actually. But now I lie down and it's like nothing shuts off. I don't even have a lot to think about but it's all right there at once, and I can't get comfortable, or I'm too hot or too cold, it's just a mess." He shook his head and huffed out a breath. "Who knows. I can't think of anything that happened that might have caused it."
-
“Well,” Aisling started with a small frown. “There are many reasons for not being able to sleep. I know you said everything feels uncomfortable, but by now that might just be a part of sleep deprivation, so perhaps we need to get you a new mattress?” She said, always the practical person. To Aisling it seemed that if the problem was just a need for a new mattress, then at least that was something they could fix quickly. “Get new pillows and new blankets and maybe move your bed at a different angle?” She offered. All of those would be very easy to achieve.
This of course, wasn’t going to fix the way all the thought pooled in Xavier’s head at once, but it might be a small starting point. “Are they just general thoughts like ‘why doesn’t anyone ever volunteer to mop the kitchen floor’ or more worries like ‘does everyone expect me to volunteer to mop the kitchen floor and I just haven’t noticed’?” Aisling asked, before giving Xavier a small grin. “Because I definitely have the former a lot,” she added jokingly.
--
Of course the practical approach wasn't one he'd given much thought to. Xavier supposed he could get a new bed, all new things, but then if that didn't help wasn't it an expensive bout of trial and error? Money wasn't exactly a worry in his life, but still. He supposed it couldn't hurt to give it a try, and if nothing else he would have more pillows in case someone came along and snatched one again.
"Is this your way of asking me to mop the kitchen?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her before shaking his head. "Sometimes it's things like that, dumb stuff that isn't important. Mopping the floor, did I remember to put the milk back in the fridge, where did I leave that book I was reading earlier... that stuff. Gets deeper sometimes, but none of it's something that needs taken care of then." He scrunched his nose. "Like the floodgates are open up there."
-
“I won’t object to you mopping the kitchen floor,” Aisling replied with a laugh. She had already had a similar conversation with Ken. Seeing how they all knew magic, it really was surprising how often Aisling had to wonder why things didn’t get cleaned. Not that she was necessarily more of a solution than a problem, but at least she recognised that things needed to happen. In general, though, the house always was a degree of tidy that Aisling was happy with.
She nodded along, listening to Xavier explain it. Aisling thought she understood reasonably well what he meant, she certainly sometimes got distracted with worries about things, but she was also friends with Ashleigh and if there was anyone who did anxiety spectacularly well, it was Ashleigh. “You can always talk to me about those things, you know?” Aisling offered. “Or Ken or Andrew, maybe even Axel,” she added, in case Xavier would rather talk to any of them, which Aisling felt would be fair. She liked to think of them as a reasonably functional family, since heaven’s knew most of them needed a functional family.
--
"I know," Xavier said quickly, because he did. He felt comfortable talking with any of his bandmates, but it wasn't like he was going to go wake one of them up in the middle of the night to do so. "Sometimes I think it's harder to put into words."
So much of what went through his mind only made sense to him, or was something he wasn't sure how he would phrase if he tried to talk about it. He'd never considered talking his strong suit, anyway. Words were hard, though slightly easier with Aisling because at least they had more languages in common than one. "I don't know. Sometimes it hits me how weird it is, being from two different... worlds. I don't know if that's what's getting me right now, but I think about it a lot."
-
For Aisling, talking had never been an issue. She found voicing her thoughts easy and engaging with people even easier, but that also meant that Aisling was very aware that not everything felt the same way. Still, there wasn’t much she could do but offer to be there to listen if Xavier needed it. She would have also assured him that he could wake her up in the middle of the night if he wanted to, had she known that was something that needed to be pointed out.
Aisling did get what Xavier meant. Obviously, her two worlds were rather different from his two worlds, but that didn’t really change the fact that she could relate to the sentiment. “I guess, sometimes, it’s the mediation between the two?” She offered. “An identity crisis of sorts, perhaps,” she added more thoughtfully. Aisling was well aware that even if she had to just live in the Muggle world, her upbringing would for many appear like living in a completely different world. In a way, the magic world was almost easier, because so many more people came from old, rich families. Even if a lot of them didn’t recognise Aisling’s name as anything but Muggleborn.
“Do you ever feel like this is just passing?” Aisling asked, basing the question on something she had thought of before. “Like one day you’ll get a letter saying that your time’s up and you have to go back to being a Muggle?” It was a strange feeling, but it was there for Aisling nonetheless. Perhaps partially because of how long she had spent living and working in the Muggle world before joining Quake, but even so, there had been a letter inviting her into the world, it wasn’t too hard to imagine that there could be one asking her to leave.
--
Identity crisis was a good way to put it. Xavier knew he was so fully immersed in the wizarding world, but that didn't change the fact that he had one foot firmly planted outside of it. It was somewhat the opposite of how it had been before he's joined Quake, where the only time he was around magic was during his spare time, and the rest was all for the "normal" world.
"Yeah, all the time," he admitted, bringing his hand up out of his pocket to rub his face. "Back when it all started, I kept waiting for the day I woke up, because it couldn't be real? I think part of that's still there. Doesn't always seem real, so one day it'll prove not to be. Hasn't happened yet, but doesn't mean it won't. Everything flipped so fast the second they brought that letter, and I left for school, so it could just as quick go away, right? At least, feels like it sometimes."
-
Aisling could very much understand that feeling, since similarly to Xavier, she had been much more immersed in the Muggle world before joining Quake. To Aisling, the band had been a new beginning, one she had never realised she needed. It wasn’t like Aisling had been unhappy whilst playing for the Philharmonia, hardly, but at the same time, she also had never considered the sort of fun music could be when you didn’t follow strict rules. Quake had changed all that for her. More so than that, her bandmates had accepted her for who she was, not for how good she was at playing the violin. It had and still was odd to Aisling to have musical friends who didn’t base their friendships on how good a musician you were.
“Well,” Aisling gave a soft sigh. “If you get a letter then so will I,” she assured him. “And then we can just rent a house in non-magic London and have discussions about who should mop the kitchen floor,” Aisling said with a smile. It was hardly like she thought they actually would, that she thought that there was a chance for this to turn out not to be... real. But even if magic wasn’t a fleeting thing, Aisling had plenty of those feelings about being a part of Quake. “I guess it’s hard to convince yourself that just because you know it won’t happen, to actually feel like it won’t,” Aisling said more seriously this time, as she glanced across the sea, to the horizon that looked so far away. “It helps me a lot to have you all around me,” she admitted softly. “To have a reminder of all the things that are great and nice and not going anywhere, I guess,” Aisling explained, looking back at Xavier. She didn’t know if that helped him in any way, but she could only really explain her own position, offer a comparison if it worked.
--
Xavier smiled softly at what she said, the thought of being thrown back into the Muggle world somewhat easier with the knowledge of having someone at his side who knew where he was coming from. It wasn't something that would happen, he was fairly certain, but it was still nice to know. Even if he would have to mop the floor occasionally, and without the help of magic.
"I am pretty great and nice and not going anywhere," he replied with a light teasing tone in his voice, but he brought their linked hands up from between them and pressed a soft kiss against the back of her hand. "I think the same way, about all of you - I don't think I would have done well just out on my own with everything, probably why I didn't ever work in a magic place before Quake, or live somewhere like Diagon or where we do in Hogsmeade. It's good to have people."
-
“Yes,” Aisling agreed, a smile on her lips at Xavier’s kiss. That was probably part of it, the way Aisling found it so easy to get on with all of them, but yet it was never the same with any one of them. To her they worked like clockwork, where each was a different tiny clog, but all spun together perfectly well. “That’s the point, though,” she said with a nod, more to herself than anything. “We’re here for each other and if you can’t sleep, we’ll fix it,” Aisling told him somewhat determinedly. Perhaps it wasn’t a promise she could make, but it was hardly going to stop her.
Spotting a big piece of driftwood just ahead of them, Aisling grinned. “Lets sit and drink tea,” she informed Xavier, walking towards the driftwood, it would work well as a bench. Once there, Aisling let go of Xavier’s hand so she could fetch the mugs from her bag, handing him one before pouring the tea out. Warming charms or not, the tea still felt delightfully hot as it warmed up the mug Aisling was holding. She shuffled closer to Xavier, pressing their sides together as she watched the sea and sipped the tea.
“It’s nice, this,” she commented, not referring to any one thing in particular when she said ‘this’ but more a combination of all of them.
--
Xavier wished it was as easy as Aisling made it sound. He wasn't sure how well he would do in the coming days or weeks if he didn't start getting more sleep, because he was already feeling worn down from it. When Aisling led him to the driftwood, he was glad for the promise of tea. It always made him feel good, even if it didn't help him sleep. So he gladly sit on the driftwood and took a mug from her when it was offered, cupping it in both his hands and taking in its warmth.
"It is," he replied quietly, nudging her shoulder gently from where they were pressed together, his gaze fixed out on the sea. It was calming, the water rushing toward the shore and the breeze blowing along. "Should definitely come places like this more often."
-
Aisling agreed, even if silently, as she drank her own tea, watching the sea. There was something very calming about the view, about the vast, empty space around them. She didn’t know whether it would help Xavier, whether any of it would actually go towards him clearing his head, helping him sleep, but even if not, it was still lovely. Of course, she hoped it would, but even if not, there were other things that might.
“We could always get you some sleeping potions if this carries on,” Aisling said thoughtfully. She had had them once or twice, usually during the weeks up to big concerts, when all she did was practice day in and day out until her fingers ached. “They are very effective,” she added. There were also calming potions but Aisling wasn’t too convinced that they necessarily helped with sleeping, even if they were probably assumed to. Sleeping potions, at least, did exactly what their name indicated.
--
The tea was warm and soothing, and Xavier drank it slowly as they sat there watching the water. It was so calm there, uncluttered and easy seeming. He gave a quiet sound of acknowledgement when Aisling mentioned the sleeping potions, because he had thought about them, but wasn't always the quickest to move to potions whenever something was going on.
"Might have to," he said, his nose scrunching briefly before he took another sip of his tea. "I don't want to feel like I have to but if changing my bed and all that and it doesn't help, maybe." He looked over at her, his brow furrowing. "I've never had one. Have you?"
-
“A few times,” Aisling replied, taking a slow sip of her tea, looking at the sea rather than at Xavier. “Before I auditioned for the orchestra, then a few times during playing there, the stress of the practice was--” she paused, thinking of a word that would encapsulate the sort of pressure one felt when practicing for one of the world’s most recognised orchestras. “Immense,” she concluded with a small shrug. It didn’t necessarily explain exactly how bad it had got at times, but they both knew music well enough to recognise the kind of importance practice held.
“We could get you a pet,” Aisling said, finally glancing over at Xavier, smile playing on her lips. “Ken and Axel have dogs, I’m getting squirrels,” which, albeit, wasn’t exactly the sort of animal you cuddled in bed with but then Aisling wasn’t really one to require a pet for comfort. “Andrew has Evan,” she added with a small chuckle, since Andrew didn’t have a pet, but Aisling knew that Evan had stayed over more than once, which meant that Andrew, too, got someone to sleep with for comfort.
--
Xavier took a long sip of his tea as he listened to her. He couldn't imagine what it had been like to audition for something that big, or to play for them. His Muggle job had been for important people, but it was something he hadn't had to think much about. It was just words, switching languages in his brain. He did that most days.
"You're getting squirrels?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Of course he knew about the dogs, and had seen someone new around the house and assumed that was Evan. Maybe he should get a pet, but he wasn't sure what he would go for, or what might help. With dogs already in the house, it would require more thought if he actually decided to. "What kind of pet do you think would suit me?"
-
“Oh, yes,” Aisling said, the excitement in her voice appearing without effort. “Haven’t you heard?” She asked but carried on speaking before he could answer, because he clearly hadn’t heard. “Ken and I decided to have a squirrel house in the garden, so I’m getting squirrels that will live there,” she explained. Aisling honestly was very excited about the project. Squirrels were great and she looked forward to having her morning coffee in the garden, watching them run around and do squirrel things.
At his question, she pondered briefly. “A cat or a rabbit, maybe? A ferret?” She offered. “Something cuddly that you could have in your bed? I hear that can help with sleeping,” Aisling added. She was hardly the expert of whether sharing your bed with a pet or a human for that matter was actually in any way helpful to sleeping, since Aisling wasn’t too sure she had ever shared her bed with anyone or anything. “So perhaps not a lizard,” she said with a laugh.
--
Xavier grinned softly in response to her plan to have squirrels. He hadn’t been aware that squirrels were animals that could be kept, but if she wanted to have them then who was he to say no? Plus a little squirrel house in the garden would be cute, assuming the dogs didn’t go after them.
“Maybe a cat,” he replied, shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t think a ferret is… cuddly? And I’d worry about squishing it, or a rabbit. Cats can be cuddly.” He’d never had a pet, but he wasn’t against them. It was just he’d had little sisters instead, which had kind of been like pets at the very beginning, not that he ever would have said as much to them. “I won’t get a lizard, or a toad or anything. Or a fish. Maybe I’ll have to look into getting a cat, but I’d have to make sure it’s not one of those that hates everyone.”
-
Xavier was probably right about ferrets not being very cuddly, Aisling didn’t really know, she had never seen one in real life, only read that they could be kept as pets. Somehow, she didn’t particularly feel like she was missing out. “Ugh, imagine sleeping with a toad in your bed,” Aisling commented scrunching her nose up in a marginal disgust. Why anyone would want a toad as a pet had always escaped Aisling. She had known of a few people in school who had them and it had always seemed like a weird and somewhat gross choice. Even a fish would’ve been better, in her opinion.
“As long as it likes you,” she said with a smile, bumping Xavier’s shoulder like had done hers earlier. “You can always test out whether sleeping with someone helps before you get a cat?” She offered. “Ken’s pretty good for cuddles,” Aisling added, because he was and Aisling would bet good money on the fact that Ken wouldn’t actually refuse to share a bed with anyone in the band, whether they needed to test out cuddles or just cuddle.
--
“I don’t want to,” Xavier said with a laugh, shaking his head. Toads had never appealed to him, and he couldn’t see what about them appealed to anyone but everyone was different, so he supposed that was why. A cat was a fairly safe bet, so long as the dogs wouldn’t go after it. He would certainly have to keep it in mind the next time he went somewhere he’d be able to get one, see how he felt once he was actually around them.
“Somehow I don’t think Ken would object too much,” he replied, taking another sip of his tea. “So I might have to see if he’s up for it sometime.” There were so many things he had to change around already, why not crawl into his friend’s bed for some cuddles? It certainly wouldn’t be the strangest thing that happened in their house. “Either that or find someone else who would want to cuddle me, wherever they may be.”
-
“No, I don’t think he will,” Aisling agreed smiling, before she topped her tea up from the flask, pouring some out for Xavier, too. “I would offer,” she added. “But I suspect that I might just attempt to have sex with you if I had you in my bed,” Aisling told Xavier, bumping his shoulder with hers. It sounded teasing and joking but there was a great deal of truth in it, Aisling was pretty sure she would. “And I’m not too sure I’m very good at cuddling,” she added slightly more thoughtfully.
Taking a sip of her tea, Aisling glanced over at Xavier. “Maybe we can help you find someone to cuddle with?” She offered. “Have the whole band go speed dating,” she suggested with a laugh. “Can you imagine?” It would certainly be interesting, Aisling thought. Not that she could imagine any of them taking it particularly seriously, but the tabloids would absolutely love it, she had no doubt.
--
Xavier couldn't help but chuckle at what she said, grinning softly as he held he refilled mug closer to him. "I'm sure you would, I'm clearly irresistible," he replied jokingly, bringing up his tea to take a sip. He paused, looking over at her. "Why do you think you're not good at it?"
He huffed out a breath at her suggestion of speed dating, because that sounded like it would be a disaster. "I can imagine," he said, shaking his head. "That would end... horribly, I'm sure." Even if none of them took it seriously, the thought of there being fans mixed in with the other daters... it had the potential to get messy. "Though I appreciate your mind went for a group activity rather than just taking out an ad in the paper. And no, I'm not going to do that."
-
“Clearly,” Aisling confirmed, smiling into her mug. At his question, she shrugged slightly. “I don’t know, I’ve never really cuddled with anyone?” She offered. It wasn’t said in a ‘woe is me’ kind of way, hardly. Aisling’s lack of cuddling did not come from her inability to attract cuddling partners, mostly from her distaste of the idea. “I don’t think I’m very cuddly,” she admitted honestly. “I don’t mind cuddling with any of you,” Aisling told him, meaning the band. “But other people are just--” She paused. “Icky,” because they kind of were. Aisling was perfectly happy to have sex with them but she had no interest in sticking around after.
“No point in doing it if we’re not all included,” she assured Xavier, leaning into to him with a grin on her lips. “I don’t really know how people meet other people,” she admitted with a small shrug. Aisling knew plenty of places she could meet others, but those were places like the horse races she had taken Andrew to. It wasn’t exactly an environment one would have wanted to meet people. “The party seemed to work well for Andrew, so perhaps we can throw another party before we have to settle for the adds in Lonely Hearts?” Aisling teased slightly. She wouldn’t actually ever suggest they took out a newspaper ad. That was just too common for her liking.
--
Xavier could understand what she meant, though he perhaps did not feel the same. All the band, everyone was familiar, and they'd spent so much time together over the years that of course they could cuddle one another. Hell, even all kiss one another, as had been the case weeks before. They could do those kinds of things and not have some weird dynamic shift, they simply kept on like they'd been doing before. "Well I would gladly cuddle with you," he said, nudging her shoulder. "I'm glad you don't find me icky."
The party had done well for Andrew, but Xavier wasn't sure it would be the same for him. He'd talked to many people at that party, but hadn't exactly been looking for anything in particular. Parties weren't a situation where he tended to stand out - and he wasn't sure what situation would be that for him, either. "I don't know that either," he agreed, looking down into his tea. "People just... fall together like it's easy? But it's not." He paused, a slow smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "There's a song in that somewhere."
-
“Oh, really, quite the opposite of icky,” Aisling assured Xavier with a laugh. She couldn’t really pinpoint exactly what it was about Xavier, but Aisling wasn’t exactly shy about the fact that she definitely find him attractive. The thoughts she had about Ken, Axel and Andrew definitely fell in the category of mostly brotherly and platonic, this was not the case with her thoughts about Xavier. In a way, Aisling found it amusing just how easy it was for her not to have platonic thoughts about Xavier. “But I’m not sure whether my undoubtedly inappropriate cuddling is what you’re after,” she offered.
Aisling nodded in agreement that there probably was a song in this somewhere, the way people clicked and didn’t click, the way it wasn’t easy to find a connection with someone that went past a physical one. Personally, she had never sought one out, nor did she feel a deep need for it. To Aisling, most people fell in the category of ‘would’ and if she did, Aisling felt to need to keep them around any further. The only exception to that were her band and her closest friends, none of whom she had ever actually had sex with. The two things seemed rather... detached to Aisling. “Perhaps you’ll just have to settle for a cat for now,” she said instead.
--
Inappropriate cuddling perhaps would not help him sleep, but Xavier wasn't entirely opposed to it. For the time being, he just wanted to be able to sleep. He would settle for being quite the opposite of icky, and appropriately flattered that Aisling found him so. It's not as though his opinion of her was any different than hers of him, though he'd like to think he could manage to cuddle her without much escalation happening. Thinking back to how quickly a kiss had almost turned into a whole lot more, maybe not.
"Yeah, a cat," he said, tilting his mug to get the tea to swirl around inside before he brought it up for another sip. "New bed, new sheets, pillows, blankets, and a cat. Then if that doesn't help, I'll be a zombie forever."
-
“You won’t be a zombie forever,” Aisling exclaimed with a laugh as she gave Xavier a shove. “God, so melodramatic,” she added with a roll of her eyes but it was definitely more for show than any indication of annoyance. “You’re going to be able to sleep one way or another,” she assured Xavier. They’d get him all new sleep things, that would be a good start. Investigate getting a cat. Perhaps organise this cuddling experiment. And then, if all that failed, they could get him some sleep potions.
Finishing her tea, Aisling stuffed the mug back in her bag. “You want to walk some more?” She asked. They still had another flask full of tea and no rush to be anywhere, so there was plenty of time to sit or walk or walk and then sit again. “Go touch the sea, make sure it’s definitely as cold as it looks?” Aisling offered smiling.
--
Xavier grinned at her when she shoved him. Of course he wouldn't be a zombie forever, but it felt like he might. He was hopeful, with getting new things, that they might help. Taking the last drink of tea from his mug, he passed it back to her to put in her bag as well, then stood up to stretch out his legs after sitting there for a while.
"Let's go touch the sea," he said, offering her his hand - to help her up, to hold, it was really up to her. He would have warned her not to splash him, but out of all the band he figured she was the one who least needed him to say as much. "I hear water has healing properties, so who knows, maybe it'll fix me."
-
Aisling did take Xavier’s hand to help herself up, but she didn’t let it go once standing. It wasn’t even that Aisling consciously wanted to hold his hand, she just didn’t think of letting it go since it felt nice and oddly natural to just hold on. “Healing properties my arse,” Aisling muttered with a roll of her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from walking towards the sea anyway. “And you’re not broken,” she added, because he wasn’t. “Maybe just a little bit chipped,” Aisling assured Xavier with a laugh as she turned to look at him as they walked.
The sea was going to be icy cold, she had no doubt, and the air was quite chilly, but her hand was warm and that seemed to matter more anyway.