InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Draft Gore!"

Zadkiel Thrush (lifeibreathe) wrote in we_float,
@ 2010-05-15 23:07:00

Entry tags:

character: katherine athena, character: zadkiel thrush

Why would they be looking at my shoes?
Who: Zadkiel Thrush and Katherine Athena
When: Sunday, May 16, 2096, 2 pm
Where: Ray's Boathouse
What: Zadkiel meets with Katherine to discuss a few things.
Status: Closed, Complete

Zadkiel had every intention of getting to Ray's Boathouse early, but the city continued to defeat his sense of direction (which he'd always thought of as being quite good), and he only just barely made it on time.

He stepped inside and walked up to the podium where a man in a suit stood, looking down his nose. The man looked him up and down, taking in his slightly wrinkled jacket, khakis with the discolored bottoms (even though he'd just washed them) and his Converse sneakers. He hesitated long enough that Zadkiel started to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm here to meet with Katherine Athena?" he managed. "Sir," he added belatedly.

"This way," the man said, leading him into the dining room. Zadkiel followed obediently, his eyes just ahead of him, feeling terribly conspicuous.

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	lifeibreathe 2010-05-17 01:00 am UTC (link)
	He shook his head. "I'd never heard of them before you mentioned them." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

oceantoocean
2010-05-17 01:05 am UTC (link)

"It's odd that they take an interest." Katherine glanced over at his plate, then back down at the salmon she had her fork poised over. "Do you want some of this? You can at least recognize it."

Her eyes looked for the waiter but saw no one. They were never around when you needed them and always when you quite pointedly didn't.

"Anyhow," she continued. "How is it you're not on the Grid?" Her tone remained friendly and companionable, as if she was making small talk.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lifeibreathe 2010-05-17 01:18 am UTC (link)
	"The shrimp and the clams I recognize," Zadkiel said. "It's all right. I just didn't realize that the rice would be black." He took another bite. "If by 'on the Grid' you mean known the government in general, I'm not on it because I'm not. I didn't know it was compulsory to be registered with the government until I applied for a job." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

oceantoocean
2010-05-17 01:24 am UTC (link)

"You're one of the first I've run into who wasn't on it." Her tone was equally matter-of-fact. Katherine sensed that this wasn't a topic that she should push further, not if she wanted Zadkiel to open up in the future.

"You work at a clinic?" She asked lightly. "What is that like? My mother is a hospital administrator and she used to tell absolutely ridiculous stories at dinner."

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lifeibreathe
2010-05-17 01:30 am UTC (link)

"It's interesting," he said. "It's a low cost clinic, so we tend to get a lot of people who can't afford to go anywhere else. Some of them live on the streets. A lot of those aren't quite all there. It can make for some strange moments. One of the doctors, every morning, comes by and wishes me an uneventful day. At first I didn't understand, until we had an eventful day, and then I started saying, 'And you.'"

"Do you have children, ma'am? Or brothers and sisters?"

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oceantoocean
2010-05-17 01:38 am UTC (link)

"No, no children. I have a younger brother, much younger--I was twelve--Rafe--but he's..." Katherine hesitated, not knowing quite how blunt she wanted to be. Then again, it wasn't anything the papers hadn't covered. "Rafe's got a drinking problem. Whether or not he's speaking to me depends on how bad it is."

Her smile went sour. "It isn't anything that isn't public knowledge, of course. That's the danger of going into politics." She lifted her glass and took a drink. "And you?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lifeibreathe 2010-05-17 01:45 am UTC (link)
	Zadkiel nodded. "I have five sisters. All older." He actually smiled, the first time she'd seen him do so. "One of them helped me leave. To keep me safe." He didn't know why he was telling her this. He probably shouldn't. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	oceantoocean 2010-05-17 01:46 am UTC (link)
	"Names?" She smiled back. "I always wanted sisters when I was a girl. Especially after I had a brother." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lifeibreathe 2010-05-17 01:49 am UTC (link)
	The smile faded, and there was a pause as he decided whether or not to give her even that. But none of them had his last name anymore. She couldn't find them... "Why do you want to know?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	oceantoocean 2010-05-17 01:52 am UTC (link)
	"It's the kind of thing people ask one another," Katherine realized why he thought she was asking. "But never mind. It's really none of my business." She gave him another easy smile, taking a bite of the salmon and asking, "So, what do you think of Seattle?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lifeibreathe 2010-05-17 01:57 am UTC (link)
	"It's confusing," he said. "I keep getting lost. And everything is so gray. Not just because of the rain. The buildings, the streets... so much gray. It's sort of depressing." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

oceantoocean
2010-05-17 02:12 am UTC (link)

She nodded, and continued to speak of light things until the meal had ended. This was not the time to delve into Zadkiel's past, curious as Katherine was about it.

At the meal's conclusion, she stood up, neatly paying the check and glancing over at Zadkiel. She wondered what he must think of all of it, whether it was so far out of his experience--whether everything was--that anything she said seemed just as normal as the rest.

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lifeibreathe
2010-05-17 02:16 am UTC (link)

Zadkiel stood up as well. "Thank you very much for the meal," he said. "It was very kind of you."

He shifted his weight, nudging the toe of one sneaker against the other, once again feeling out of place and conspicuous, as if everyone in the restaurant (although there weren't very many, it still being only mid-afternoon) was looking at him, able to tell that he didn't belong here.

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	oceantoocean 2010-05-17 02:26 am UTC (link)
	She glanced down, catching sight of his shoes, then paused before leading him out of the restaurant. "Can I buy you some shoes?" (Reply to this) (Parent)

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