Alex (fatheralex) wrote in thefield, @ 2009-03-27 16:36:00 |
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Current mood: | embarrassed |
I'm too sexy for my shirt
Who: Angelica & Alex
Where: The river!
When: day 13, late morning
What: Alex is excited for a bath. Angelica is finishing hers up. Embarrassment and apologies ensue.
Angelica hadn't heard anything from Alex after she'd dropped the apology onto his hammock, but she could understand it if he didn't forgive her. Honestly after her altercation with the fucking sharp stick man, she understood a little better how she acted and how people saw her. If she looked nearly as bad as he had then she regretted her actions. Fucking asshole had been practically foaming at the mouth from the beginning. She'd been nice, or she'd been trying to anyway. It obviously hadn't worked out. Now there was talk about becoming nomadic, honestly it was getting to be too much. Angelica needed to find friends, she was getting damned tired of the solitary thing. She couldn't do it any better than any other human being could if she were honest with herself.
One thing was true, after Ryan had talked about bathing it had tempted Angelica. She had gone and bathed and now found herself sitting at the base of a tree trying to comb the tangles out of her curly, red hair with her fingers. It wasn't exactly the easiest of jobs, but she did feel clean now, for the most part. Her jacket was in her hammock and her gun was where it should be in it's holster, hidden by the jacket. She didn't want to cart it around, and honestly there was no way to keep it on her when she was bathing. So rather than getting it wet or risking anything she'd left it there figuring no one was dumb enough to go through her shit. Or they shouldn't be that dumb anyway.
Angelica was hoping she'd run into Alex soon enough. She needed to grow a pair and apologize in person. She needed to do that. She'd been wrong for the way she'd treated him. Her nana and pops had taught her better than that and she was disgracing them right now, honestly. Angelica hissed as she caught a particularly nasty snag in her hair and started wiggling her fingers around furiously trying to get it out.
"Ow, damn it."
She muttered, trying to swing her head a different way to get the tangle out. Being stuck here wasn't good for her, period, but maybe she'd adapt one day. And she still needed to find Alex some time too. Great.
As an unspoken rule, Alex did not bathe with anyone else, which frequently meant that he bathed at somewhat odd times, as opposed to the end of the day like most people seemed to favor. Coming back from their trek into the great beyond had left him with an urge to bathe like no other and he hadn't managed to get to the river yesterday like he had wanted, what with people bathing themselves and the work to be done. The river area looked clear and he had already stripped his shirt and shoes off, carrying them as he walked and set them on the shore before pulling his pants off revealing white men's briefs. That was when he heard the voice. Whirling around, he was shocked to find Angelica sitting there...though at least she was fully clothed.
Eyes wide, he tried to cover himself and pull his pants back on at the same time, which didn't quite work and he ended up jumping on one foot and risking falling over. "Angelica!" he said, finally regaining his balance enough to fall, though his composure had long since fled. He was blushing scarlet, mortified.
Angelica hadn't bathed with others around. She didn't want to. Cleaning yourself was generally a private time. Angelica didn't do the whole communal showers or any of that. She liked to shower at her apartment in the privacy. She had gotten her bath already. She was fine. It was just that her curls were particularly stubborn, honestly otherwise she might have been gone already. She honestly wasn't paying a great amount of attention to her surroundings. That's why it was a surprise when she heard movement. Angelica looked up quickly, one hand still stuck in her hair to see....Alex.
This was definitely a different sight of Alex. If Angelica hadn't felt bad for her last remarks to Alex, she'd have a lot to say now. HE was in his....tightie whities! She couldn't seem to turn away. It was like when you came up on something strange happening, she just couldn't turn away, it wasn't going to happen. Her blue eyes were glued to him, frozen. She wasn't moving, wasn't really breathing much, just watching him. Her eyes never pulled away, and she didn't show that she was aware of anything until he yelled her name. At that moment she blinked, trying to fight the laugh that was bubbling up in her throat. She wasn't embarrassed at all, honestly. She'd seen men in less, but his case was different. Angelica cleared her throat and grinned, bringing up her loose hand in a wave.
"Hey....I think your face might be the color of my hair right now."
She fought back another laugh and tugged a few quick times, managing to get her fingers out of her hair. This was awkward....and different.
That was probably very true. Toppling awkwardly to one side as he sort of lost most higher brain function combined with his legs being caught in his pants he sat there for a moment before trying to get himself situated. And his pants back on. He could handle his shirt being off, though that wasn't a common occurrence either, but at least he was a guy. He needed his pants on. Now. Yesterday, preferably.
"I think you might be right," he finally managed after he got his pants put back on. Pants were a good thing. Leaning over he reached for his shirt, pulling it on as well. "I didn't mean to disturb your bathing," he muttered, not really looking at her. Of all the people to have this happen in front of! There were others he wouldn't care to be mostly naked in front of, but Angelica was on that list given her attitude and penchant for sarcastic remarks and because she was a woman. The sarcastic comments were strangely absent, though he didn't entirely notice yet.
Generally Angelica would have made her sexual remark already. She didn't feel that was good for this point in time, though. Mainly because of the last time she and Alex had really had a conversation, she'd called him 'Father Tight Ass'. She was right, though. He was toned and didn't have a bad body, but he was a priest. She could understand his embarrassment and even felt a little bit bad. He didn't have anything to be ashamed of, but she knew that he didn't want to be seen mostly naked anywhere near Angelica. She was trying to be nice and to have decorum for the most part, even if a grin was covering her features. She couldn't help it. Who got to see a mostly naked priest? Very few people that's who!
"That's got to be a record or something, Alex."
Angelica grinned, standing up and continuing to run her fingers through her hair to get rid of all of the tangles. She watched, fascinated for some reason, as he pulled on his pants and reached for his shirt. She honestly just couldn't force herself to look away. When he spoke she shook her head.
"I'm finished already. I was just fighting with my damn rats nest of a hair."
She said with a shrug, catching another snag and ripping it out, not wincing because she was used to it by now, her hair had always been difficult. She felt so....awkward.
"A record what?" he asked, reaching for his boots, pulling them back on. He couldn't resist the question even as he realized it was probably a set up. He had received her apology...but the apology was meaningless until she demonstrating why she was apologizing. He had already forgiven her, but he hadn't quite forgotten just yet. He would bathe later. When no one was around.
"Record for brightest blush, don't think I've ever seen that color on someone's face."
Angelica grinned, watching him pull his boots back on. She wasn't sure if they were okay, but man she had so much that just wanted to pop out of her mouth right now. She was holding back, though. It was an effort, but she was holding back. She wasn't generally one to just keep her mouth shut. It was so awkward. It was funny too, though. And it shouldn't have been, but it was!
"IF you want I'll get out of your way so you can clean up. Promise I wasn't trying to sneak a peek," Angelica grinned a little, trying to show that she hadn't meant any harm or anything. She had meant her apology and she was trying.
"I know," he replied, nodding as he tightened the laces so he could lace them back up. "I didn't look. It's alright. It's just...been awhile since I shared a river with a group of people I barely know for bathing," he cracked a half smile at the lame attempt at a joke. "I'll come back another time, I think. And check to make sure no one is sitting where I cannot see them," he added with a rueful nod. This was awkward. "I miss indoor plumbing and hot water," he added for no real reason, other than to try to salvage the situation, "And soap. I know we found those soap pods, but still. I like soap."
Angelica was amused that he didn't just ask if she'd go away. Any other person might have just made sure she left them alone. Alex, of course, wasn't like everyone else. In a way he was much better, but he was still human and normal in a lot of ways. It wsa weird how if she had met him anywhere else it would have been much different, but the circumstances were different. "Guess you better look next time, might not be me, might be someone trying to watch you strip down." Angelica joked with a smirk, finally twisting her hair into a sloppy bun and pulling it up on top of her head to leave her neck free and open. She grinned at his comments. "Hot water.....that sounds like heaven." She nodded and then grinned. "I miss shampoo and conditioner and body wash too." She threw in with a grin. Bizarre, but she was going with it.
"They'd be disappointed with the view," he commented, it wasn't to say that he thought he was ugly so much as he just didn't really think about what other people saw when they looked at him. His beard was getting itchy, he noticed randomly, wondering if it was bugs or because it was growing. He kept it neatly trimmed and it had been awhile, even at home, since he had. Now his boots were retried and he stood, "It's the little things, that matter most," nodding at her, he turned to head back towards camp.
"Depends on the person, and what they think of you before seeing the view."
Angelica shrugged and rubbed her neck, scratching at the barcode tattoo on the back of her neck. Angelica watched as he scratched his beard. He didn't seem to want to talk much. Angelica couldn't blame him, he might not be happy yet. When he stood, Anglica nodded. "Things you take for granted." She agreed and took a few steps to walk with him. She better just bit the bullet now. She needed to do this.
"I'm sorry... I don't know if you got the note, but....what I said was wrong, I was taking shit out on you and I shouldn't have."
She had said it. She had needed to say it too. Angelica scratched her head. She wasn't sure he'd accept it, but that was okay. She'd been an adult about it either way. That had been for both of them. If he didn't forgive her it was his hang up and something she couldn't change. He'd gotten more from her than a lot of others would have. That was something.
"Thank you," Alex replied, meaning it, "I got your note before we left. I accept. I didn't have any paper to reply back and I didn't think you wanted to speak of it. It might be more effort than you're used to, but if it wasn't difficult, the achievement wouldn't feel so good," he said, getting the impression that she would understand what he meant. Angelica was not stupid and she was quite accomplished. She was a good person, but she was not always a nice person. The two were not mutually exclusive. She would work on the nice part and would get it, he was certain. It would just take time and some guidance.
"Welcome." Angelica said and nodded. Alex was a good man, priesthood aside. He was a good man period. She was glad he hadn't replied via paper. And she knew that she had needed to do this face to face. It was better for her that way. "The effort was kind of needed in this case." She stated, feeling awkward and looking at the ground. "Need to learn the lesson and avoiding the problem probably won't help get there any. Got to figure out the communication and socializing things somehow." She joked and looked around. She just...it was really different for her. She wasn't a nice person, or always a good person, but she wasn't evil. She was just...human.
"You will," he assured her, one hand on her shoulder, in a reassuring gesture, "It takes time and effort, but you can always ask. And a good way to test things is to think if you would like what you said said to you by someone else. I know it sounds cheesy, but if you wouldn't want to hear it said to you, neither would others," Angelica was human, they all were. But it took huts to be a cop and brains to be a detective. She was a good human.
"Yeah, maybe one day, when I figure out how to stop putting my damn foot in my mouth." She grinned and turned to him offering him a nod. Alex was a good judge of character to an extent. she didn't know that he was right about her, but he seemed to know what he was talking about otherwise. "We'll see if that works for me. Have to try it out one day." Angelica said with a nod. She might not agree with Alex, but he was a pretty good choice for a friend either way. She hoped they'd get there otherwise she might end up pretty damn lonely.
Lonely was a common problem for priests. When people looked at them, they didn't think, "clergy" or "Catholic" or "man" no, they thought "celibate freak" well, maybe not 'freak,' but always celibate. It was often the only thing people knew about priests. It meant women, in general, either stayed away out of some altruistic belief that they shouldn't tempt them or drew them closer with the idea that they could make a priest sin. And some men did give in to the temptation, but it was rarely the woman's doing and more the priests. Men tended to stay away as well, thinking things like dating or sex was a topic that could never be discussed or that priests were gay and wanting in their pants. Or that of little boys. Well, there were priests who did that too...and were excommunicated for it. Priests could and did discuss sex. And it wasn't safe to assume anymore that a priest had never had sex with another person before entering seminary, even if they did not speak of it. And while priests might be friendly with their parishioners, they were rarely friends. It led to a lonely life a lot of the time.
"You'll get it," he replied. "I'll see you around, alright?" he smiled, then headed back up to the camp. Of course he'd see her around, there weren't exactly a lot of people here.