Nicholas D. Wolfwood (wolfwood) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-04-17 15:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, lulu, nicholas d. wolfwood |
Who: Lulu and Nicholas D. Wolfwood
What: Coffee date
When: 4/15
Where: Lulu's shop, then a coffeehouse nearby
Rating/Warning: PG13, a bit of talk about the recent plot and PTSD related things
Status: Complete
Wolfwood had started to relax a bit more in the week or so since the bombing. It still irritated him that he’d reacted that way; he knew everybody was human, but somehow, he’d thought himself made of sterner stuff. Still, he felt better-ish now. Good enough to go to coffee with a nice, attractive woman, definitely.
He showed up at the door of her shop around seven, which was marked as her closing time on the door. Walking in, he nodded a hello to the salesgirl, asking if Ms. Webster was in. He hadn’t wanted to draw attention to himself, but Lulu was nowhere to be found, at least visually.
She was in her office. When one of her assistants came to the back to fetch her for her coffee date, Lulu smiled and leashed up her dog. She figured that Wolfwood wouldn’t mind a puppy around. At least she hoped not.
The petite woman in the form fitting black dress with the black pitbull cut a striking figure in the middle of the store. “Wolfwood, it’s nice to see you.”
He remembered the dog from before and smiled both at Lulu and Pepsi. “Likewise, to the both of you. I hope I’m not early.” He looked right on time, but still. “It’s been too long; have things been going well?”
“You’re right on time,” she beamed. Starting toward the door, Lulu smiled, then opened the door for Wolfwood as well. “Did you have any specific place in mind?”
“I did, if that’s okay; there’s a nice little spot down around the corner on Trabuco.” It looked classy enough for a woman like this, but they wouldn’t sneer at him and his cast. “They have an outdoor patio, so we could probably get a table right next to where you could tie Pepsi.”
“That’d be nice. He likes people watching as much as I do.” She hated leaving him in her rooms above the shop while she was out, especially if there was a place for him to sit. “If not, we could take our drinks to a park.”
“That sounds fine.” Wolfwood opened the door for her with his good arm, waiting for her to close up if need be when he was through. “People watching is good fun. Though I admit I’ve been caught a couple of times.” Hell, she’d caught him looking at her, hadn’t she?
The shop ran just fine without her, and Lulu smiled up at him. “I think it’s half of where my ideas come from,” she confessed. “Shall we?” Pepsi had his butt plonked down on the sidewalk, patiently waiting to be led somewhere. However, the swishing of his tail indicated that he wasn’t exactly upset by being outside.
“People watching?” That made Wolfwood smile - a sadly underused gesture lately - and he nodded. “Yeah. Sure, let’s get going. Best not keep the dog waiting.” He’d never had one, but he liked them. “Seems kind of harsh to let him outside and then not start to move along.”
“He knows we’ll go somewhere,” Lulu beamed. She took his good arm, holding it lightly with her own. “So. How have things been for you?” She left the question open-ended, so that she wouldn’t bring up anything bad.
He wanted to be honest, but not go into detail. “A little difficult, but not too terrible. The typical things that soldiers coming back deal with. They say the arm is going along well, though. Small favors.”
“Nightmares, I’d assume.” Lulu smiled sadly. “My childhood beau, he was going to go into the Marines. I worried for him.” And then he’d gotten shot two blocks from his house. Oh, irony.
Wolfwood winced. “I’m sorry to hear it. For all the advantages, it’s pretty rough on families. I don’t know how my mother managed.” Especially after his dad had died.
“I’m sure she’s stronger than you think she is. Even if you think she’s very strong!” Lulu chuckled. She knew that’s how lots of good mothers tended to be. Not that she’d know, never having had a good mother.
“Mom’s steel all over.” Wolfwood chuckled. “My dad died when I was twelve and she’s managed since then.” His mother was his hero, and he’d known a lot of heroes in the service. “Still. I’m her son, I worry.”
“Of course you do. I was a foster child, but ... I think I was sort of a mother to a lot of the kids who stayed with us the longest. And I know I feel that way about my friends Yuna and Rikku. I worry about them so.”
Wolfwood nodded. “You’re a very solicitous person in your business.” At least, she had been to him. “It only makes sense that would carry over in other areas of your life. I think it’s a good thing.” She didn’t seem like the type that would be nosy, just helpful.
“It’s led me to some friendships that are wonderful, it’s true.” And perhaps to maybe marry men who were in love with other women and should’ve stayed one night stands.
“It is a skill, to know how to look after the people in your life without looking pushy.” Wolfwood stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. “I don’t think I have it, really. I got used to looking after people in the service, but in the service, you can also do it loudly.” He smiled, remembering yelling at his guys and trying to keep them in shape.
“Some people need that.” Lulu remembered snapping at Wakka in the dreams. “Sometimes people won’t listen any other way.”
“That, ma’am, is very true.” Wolfwood chuckled. “Sounds like you speak from experience, too.” He didn’t want to ask really personal details on what was essentially a first date, but still.
He changed the subject. “How has business been? I’m sorry I haven’t been in since my first time, though I have gotten compliments on those sweaters.”
“Have you?” Lulu beamed, looking very proud. “I’m glad. And it’s been well. You don’t have to apologize, I assumed you were busy.”
“I’m glad it’s been going well. And yes, I really have gotten a few compliments.” Wolfwood chuckled. “My physical therapist asked where I’d gotten the navy one.”
“I hope you told them. I do fairly well, but one can always do better, I suppose.” She smiled at him, leaning a little more into his arm. It was nice to be near him; he smelled amazing.
“I did, yes. And made a point of telling them the owner was a very nice woman.” Wolfwood had actually called her ‘lovely’, but that was a little awkward to admit to someone. “Maybe he’ll give me a pass for this week’s goals, so I can quit PT a little sooner.” He was kidding, of course, but God, he hated physical therapy. He felt useless.
Lulu laughed brightly at that. “It must be so frustrating, physical therapy. I cut myself with a pair of tinning shears last year, and while I was healing, I was incredibly ... I felt so useless,” she murmured. “And that’s nowhere near what you’ve experienced.” She showed him the ragged scar on her palm.
Wolfwood winced. “That looks like it hurt.” He wasn’t much for comparing pain. “That is one thing we have in common, though, clearly. We like to be useful.” He pointed up the street to an awning that was visible. “There’s the place.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “That we do. I don’t think there’s an idle hand between the two of us.” Well. That had sounded vaguely pervy, but she hoped he didn’t notice.
“I think it makes us live longer.” Wolfwood had noticed it sounding vaguely pervy, too, but under no circumstances was he going to let himself fantasize about this woman. At least not in her presence. She’d probably know somehow.
They got to the coffee house and he held the door for her with his good arm. As she walked through, the light caught the side of her face, and he blinked. Were her eyes actually red? That would be unusual, even for here, but it was oddly pretty.
She smiled when he opened the door, and they started for the patio. Pepsi sat down obediently once they were at a table, rolling onto his side closing his eyes. Lulu set down her purse and rifled through it. “What would you like?”
“I tend to prefer black coffee. I’m boring that way.” Wolfwood smiled. “It was one of the few things I missed the most out in the desert.” They hadn’t gotten much in their rations, and he’d actively traded and paid money for other guys’ coffee.
“Me too,” she beamed. “I’ll be right back. You boys be good in the meantime.” Lulu wanted to do something nice for Wolfwood; his smile was gorgeous, and she wanted to see it more.
Wolfwood chuckled, looking down at the dog. “You’re pretty good most of the time, huh,” he said to Pepsi, who looked up with a doggy smile.
Lulu returned with two black coffees, two cookies, and a croissant for Pepsi. She smiled at Wolfwood and handed him his drink. “Black it is.”
“Thank you.” Wolfwood smiled, amused as she turned to give the dog his treat. He seemed excited, and Wolfwood chuckled. “Is this one of his favorite things? Or does he just generally like treats?” He seemed like a really nice dog, which mattered.
“Oh, he just really likes treats.” Lulu broke the croissant in half and then broke it down even further so that it was easier for him to eat. “He was in the shelter for a while because of his breed, so I probably spoil him too much.”
“Oh, is he a pit bull or a rottweiler or something like that?” Wolfwood wasn’t up much on what breed was what. He just thought Pepsi looked like a nice dog. He seemed to be smiling all the time.
“He’s a pitbull, yes.” She gently rubbed the tips of Pepsi’s ears, smiling to herself. She wasn’t a cooer, but her voice was fond. “He’s terrifying, isn’t he?” As if in response, Pepsi sighed and showed his belly, eyes closed.
Wolfwood chuckled. He knew the rumors about pit bulls. “Oh yeah,” he said, amused. “A real monster. Doesn’t seem fair to talk so much crap about a breed just because of a couple. That’s like saying all people are awful because of Hitler.”
“It’s more in the raising. If an animal is treated poorly, it’ll react in kind. Humans are monsters, not animals.” Lulu smiled, knowing that Pepsi was the closest she’d ever get to being a mother.
“Makes sense to me.” Wolfwood sipped his coffee, nodding. “Mm. That’s good stuff.” Ten times better than Starbucks or whatever the base coffee had been..
Lulu smiled a little, leaning back. “How have you been?” She knew that all of the mall bombing reports couldn’t have been easy on him.
She’d asked him before, but somehow, he felt less inclined to gloss it over. “Managing,” he finally said. “I told you about PT, but I’ll admit the bombing kind of upset me.” He’d figured out that he’d been able to compartmentalize pretty well til now: Over There was the gunfighting and the casualties and the chaos; over here should have been calm. It had been hard for the two to mix.
“Of course it did. You’ve been trained to react in a very specific way to that sort of thing for a long time, and this time you didn’t have to. It’d be frustrating.” Lulu had wanted to help, but there was no need.
That was honestly more perceptive than he’d thought she would be on the subject. “Have you known any other soldiers? I don’t want to sound rude, but you don’t seem like the type.” A lot of women who hung around with soldiers were somehow more used to coarseness. Lulu was too elegant.
“My high school sweetheart enlisted and got into the Marines, but he passed away before he could be deployed, or even enter basic training.” Lulu smiled and let her eyes wander to her hands and her coffee mug. “In my dreams, almost everyone’s a soldier, really.”
Wolfwood winced. “I’m sorry. That’s rough.” When you signed up for the military, you expected certain things, but not to pass on even before being deployed. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“It’s all right. I was very young. The last thing Chappu would have wanted was for me to mourn for him into my late thirties.” Smiling, Lulu took Wolfwood’s hand and squeezed gently.
“It doesn’t make it any less rough.” He would have said more, but then she took his hand; then she smiled. She had a lovely smile, and really, she was right. Mourning too long damaged quality of life, and most people worth mourning would want their loved ones to live to the fullest.
He managed a damn-near-shy smile back. “Sounds like a good guy.”
“The way my romantic life works, every other man I’m romantically interested in seems to be.” The statement would’ve been brash if Wolfwood had known that her ex wasn’t one of those good guys she was talking about.
Every other seemed like decent odds. Wolfwood chuckled, sipping more coffee. “I seem to be attracted to women who don’t like to settle down. And you might laugh at me, but after being in the army so long, I started to think about settling down a few years ago.” Hopefully she didn’t think it was a come-on or something. He was just making conversation, at least for now.
“I always wanted to be a mother,” Lulu chuckled. “I understand the urge.” It was a strange confession, but Lulu found it was easy to be honest with Wolfwood. She expected that being a parent would never happen, but it had been a thing she’d always wanted.
He didn’t get scared at that statement; she wasn’t telling him she wanted him for some kind of insta-family. Just commenting. “I know it’s not a replacement, but I do imagine having Pepsi helps.” Wolfwood smiled at the happily chewing dog. “Somebody to take care of.”
“That, and my friends. I’ve always had something to take care of. It’s just interesting how life hands us alternatives to the plans we’ve made. Sometimes I even think of the business as my child. I certainly worry about it enough.” She chuckled, noticing she hadn’t moved her hand.
“Understandable.” Wolfwood had no idea what went into running one’s own business, but it was probably a hell of a lot of blood, sweat and tears. “I’m not particularly the caretaker; I just tried to look out for my guys. I still think of them and hope they’re not doing anything stupid.” He knew they were - it was part of the job - but he could still hope.
“Are you going to go back?” Lulu was surprised to find that she’d miss him if he left. “I know it meant a lot to you to be there.” She was leaning forward, interested in their conversation.
“No.” Wolfwood shook his head. It felt somehow strange to say it aloud, but he didn’t doubt his decision. “No, I’ve done my twenty. I’ve got my pension; I’m a Lieutenant, which is a decently high rank. I will miss the guys, but it’s time I hung it up.” He laughed a little, surprised at what slipped out next. “I think I deserve a life where I don’t actually have to worry about getting shot at on the daily.”
Lulu wasn’t surprised by what she did next. Moving closer, she leaned over to kiss him lightly. She was a forward woman, she wanted to, and she wanted him to know that she thought he deserved the same thing.
He wasn’t entirely sure what happened there, but he wasn’t complaining. Wolfwood appreciated her forwardness, and simply smiled when it broke. Pepsi chose that moment to sit up and bark, and he laughed. “Uh oh, you out of bread, boy?”
“He actually gets jealous,” Lulu chuckled. “My ex-husband used to joke that I was more in love with the dog than him. Which would’ve been funny had he not still been in love with his college girlfriend.” Lulu handed some more croissant over to the dog, grinning at Wolfwood still.
“Ouch.” Wolfwood winced again. “That’s just sad.” He wouldn’t have done this - asked her out - if he’d still been hung up on Belladonna. It wouldn’t have been fair. He did smile at the dog, though. “You could do worse than doting on your pet, I figure.”
“I’ll take him on a jog out of guilt later,” Lulu confessed. “Honestly, it was probably good that the marriage ended because of something like that. It made it fast, like ripping off a bandage. I don’t know what I’d do if a breakup was prolonged. I’ve never done that. I’m too blunt.”
“It’s not fun,” Wolfwood had to admit. “I had this girlfriend in my twenties and she waited for me even during the year I only got two months of leave. But then when I got back she just didn’t seem interested - but she swore she was. And so on. Life was a weird limbo - I was actually pretty relieved when she e-mailed me when I was back in Kandahar and told me she was dumping me for the cute coffee boy at the shop down the street.”
Lulu rolled her eyes. “Why wouldn’t she just tell you to your face? It would’ve hurt either way. Honestly, I think when people choose the spineless route it hurts more because you realize in that moment that they are spineless.” She preferred people with backbone. Finding out she’d chosen Nikola in error had hurt.
“Makes sense to me. Spinelessness is a character flaw.” There was a difference between being spineless and being tactful, after all. Wolfwood smiled. “You definitely don’t suffer from it, Lulu.”
“Nor you, Nicholas.” She tried out his first name, and smiled when she found it suited him. “I’d like to do this again, while we’re being terribly honest.”
“That would be nice.” Definitely nice. He’d only hoped it would go this well. “Let me know when might be good for you.” Hopefully the next time would go even better.