Peter Kimura Whelan (itakunai) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2015-12-27 20:47:00 |
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Dinner had been a feast of chicken -- like real chicken -- and vegetables (and they weren’t even canned!!!!!) and now they’d moved on to music and dancing. Bea was pretty sure she could get used to life like this, but even still, she missed all of her friends back in Austin. But maybe by going on this trip they’d learn some stuff and be able to have the best of both worlds. Moving over towards Pete, she nudged him with her shoulder and smiled. “Wanna go try that line dance they’re doing? I thought stuff like that only happened in movies. Too bad we don’t have any cowboy boots to wear.” "Uh, I'm very okay not wearing cowboy boots." Sure, he'd spent the last nine years of his life in Texas and was more or less fated to die there at the rate the world was going -- and what a fun thing to think on one's birthday, too -- but that didn't mean he needed to lower his standards. Pete turned to face her, returning her smile even if it was a bit more subdued than the ones that usually graced his face. "But if you wanna dance, we can." “Whatever, I think I could rock a pair of cowboy boots,” Bea grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the other dancers. Though she hadn’t known Pete for very long, she felt like something was a little off with him tonight. Maybe if she got him to dance for a while it would brighten his mood. “Have you ever done this before?” The music was nowhere near as loud as some of the clubs he'd frequented with Savannah and Demi back before the world went to hell, but it was loud enough for him to want to move to its beat once they came to a stop right in the middle of the dance area. They were surrounded by Luckenbach residents who clearly didn't care about stopping for two Austinites who were still trying to figure out the steps; Pete did his best to keep up so they wouldn't get trampled under their feet. "Yeah, I know a couple of people who are really into this kind of thing," he said, unable to stop the grin that came unbidden at the thought of fond memories from years ago. “It's my first time,” Bea said, moving as best she could in the beginning just to not throw off anyone's rhythm but after a few rounds of all the dance moves she began picking it up well enough that she looked like she could actually fit in with all this. To be fair, the dance wasn't hard and it was a perpetual loop which made it even easier to learn. Pete didn't speak up at first; how could he when he was too busy focusing on picking up the order of the movements and following the rest of the crowd? Bea seemed to pick it up faster than him, too, which wasn't all that much of a surprise, but still. Pete had always prided himself on his dancing abilities. (Not that he really considered this dancing.) Still, it was enough of a nice change of pace for him to add, "This almost kinda feels like things are normal out there, you know?" Bea nodded at his words, feeling a smile on her lips. “I like it. Things get kind of crazy at Fox Grove--” what with the hangings and teen pregnancies and all “--sometimes I miss all the order and normalness.” She didn't miss the authority, because they were actually doing just fine in taking care of themselves without “adults” but sometimes structure and routine were lacking with a bunch of teenagers calling the shots. "I think I get enough of that at the UMCB," Pete said lightly. "At least, I work enough for it to feel like we have order still, you know? But at the same time it's hard to forget all the shit that's going on outside when you're there. This place is just like a totally different world. It almost feels safer, in a weird way." “I guess since you're doing the same thing still it feels normal for you,” she said but then nodded, “But it does feel safe here. I like it.” As the song ended, Bea joined in on the clapping for the band, then turned to Pete. “Want to dance another? Or I was thinking of getting some air outside if you want to come.” As much fun he'd admittedly had during that first song, Pete could only take so much country line dancing at a time. He'd probably end up back on the dance floor eventually that night, but for now he was content to follow her off to the side. "Some air sounds great." Bea led them outside, wrinkling her nose at the pair who were smoking by the door, and led them further away until they were upwind of the smoke. “Here, this is good,” she smiled, pointing to a picnic table that she assume used to be there for picnic breaks and whatnot, then sat down on the bench. He took a seat next to her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So what's up? I mean, not that I think you're super grouchy looking or anything but it kinda seems like something is wrong. So. If you wanna talk about it, you can.” She was as subtle as a freight train, but she had good intentions. "Oh, yeah?" He turned a little, facing her more, and rested his head on one of his hands. Despite the grouchiness that he did feel -- stranded from all of his friends in an almost too-idyllic town wasn't the best birthday, no -- he couldn't help but smile at how upfront she was about it. "I dunno. Just kind of a shitty birthday night, I guess." Bea’s brows raised as her mouth formed a comically-perfect “O” in surprise. “It’s your birthday? Oh my God Pete. Why didn’t you say anything before now? If I’d known I totally would have tried to find you a hostess snack cake and made everyone sing to you, at the very least. Can I do anything to make your birthday better?” She asked, earnestly. She couldn’t even imagine spending an important day like that away from home and all her friends. Sure, Luckenbach was pretty cool, but it wasn’t like anyone here knew Pete well enough to make his day special. "I don't know. It didn't feel like the right time to bring it up?" He shrugged, knowing it was a pretty thin excuse. "They actually stay pretty busy here, you know? And I guess besides Ben, I didn't really have anyone else to tell. Wow. That sounds a lot sadder than I had intended it to be." Was he actually a lot sadder than he thought he was? "But it's not a big deal, you know? Glad to be alive still and all, but." Pete shrugged again. "It's just another day." Scooting closer to Pete, Bea reached out a hand and touched his arm, rubbing it reassuringly. “Hey. You don’t have to do that. You know, pretend like it’s not a big deal when it is? It’s okay to be upset. I would be super upset if I were in your shoes.” It was quickly becoming pretty obvious that Bea was pretty good at reading people. It was kind of alarming, actually, how good she was at it. Pete hadn't even really known that he was feeling all that upset about it until she'd made him think about it. "I mean, I guess it just sucks that this place is pretty cool and stuff, but we can't even tell anyone about it. And I dunno. I miss people. But I guess it could be worse, you know?" “Yeah, it could be worse,” She agreed, pausing a moment before adding, “But it could also be better. I’m sure we can still do something to make your birthday good.” "Yeah? Like what?" He grinned a little, despite himself. "More line dancing? That was kind of fun, actually. More than I thought it'd be." “We can dance more if you want. Or… Something else…” she trailed off, leaning in closer to him. In her experience, she’d noticed that physical contact was one of the most effective ways to comfort someone. It felt good and it shut the brain down, so it was a total win/win, though Bea didn’t know Pete well enough to know if he would be into it. "Like what?" Pete asked again, feigning ignorance even though her body language was saying all the things she wasn't yet saying out loud. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to pick up on it as well if he hadn't been the kind of guy who'd made similar moves on girls, but there they were and there he was, actively considering making out with a girl he barely knew just to stop from thinking about shit that bothered him. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. He closed the distance between them with a kiss, his touch tentative at first until he was able to gauge her response. Bea smiled against his lips, kissing him back gently to start. It wasn't like she even knew Pete that well but he was from Austin and that gave them some instant kind of comradery while they were away from home. Plus… He was super hot so why wouldn't she want to make out with him? Moving a hand to rest on his thigh, she leaned in closer and deepened the kiss. He returned the gesture in kind, one of his hands settling on her waist and his fingertips curling under the hem of her shirt, and thought idly that if this would be how he'd end up closing his birthday, he couldn't really complain much at all. |