alnifolia | open rp post 2.0

Yeah, what a damn shame.

[ She takes that as a confirmation of her suspicion, thank you, and laughs quietly to herself before she turns her head to look at him properly. ]

How've you been? I have to admit, I was pretty sure I'd never run into you again.

I've been— good. Mostly. Busy.

[ He could make a joke about how business is booming, but maybe that's a little macabre? It's sad how true it is, though. There's really no shortage of people who want other people dead.

He also resolutely does not add, Yeah, that was the intention, to her comment about never crossing paths again, because clearly that's not really working out for him, is it? ]

What about you? Had any trouble since...? [ He gestures vaguely. The last time they saw each other, he had warned her about the price on her head. ]

[ It's Kasumi's turn to give a dismissive shrug. ]

I'm still around, aren't I?

[ So clearly, whatever party (or parties) had it out for her have not followed through on that end. Though she has to wonder if that might change after running into Peter. She's kept her end of their bargain all this time, and sure he warned her about the last time someone sent a hitman after her, but Kasumi would be hard-pressed to think that meant anything beyond his continued gratitude for her silence, and that this gratitude continues to hold up after months on end. ]

You're not the only one who knows how to pull a disappearing act.

[ He flinches a little at that, and if it were possible, he stares more intently at the station's high ceiling. ]

Yeah. Guess so.

[ He shifts his weight, almost nervous. Then, ]

I'm, uh. I'm glad you're alright. For what it's worth.

[ Fancy that, an assassin telling a thief (one that was also a previous mark, even) "I'm glad you're alright." She's silent for a moment as she looks at him with an incredulous look on her face, even though he's pretty set on staring up at the fake night sky. ]

Thanks. [ A beat, then: ] What's your deal?

[ There's something... different about Peter Quill tonight. If Kasumi had to describe it, she'd say he seems nervous, when she's only ever known him as a man on a mission--well, several missions. To kill people in cold blood. The last few times they'd met, she would flirt with him and maybe he would flirt back, but for the most part they would part ways and go about their respective businesses. She knows she overstepped boundaries last time, when she said she was interested in him. She knows it's why he cut her off afterwards. But if he were so adverse to the idea... ]

Why did you come after me back there?

[ “What’s your deal?”

Yeah, that’s the fucking question of the hour, isn’t it?

It’s not like Peter can really pin down an answer for that, so it’s just as well that she moves on. Not that he has an answer for that second question, either, and part of him wishes his back were to a balcony, right now, so he could just tip himself over and avoid having to respond. And, yeah, maybe it’s a pretty stark contrast between the Peter Quill of now and the masks he wore before. Because before, he had answers. Right now, he mostly just has a metric fuckton of questions.

So he’s quiet for a second, lowering his chin and glancing over at her. Then, ]

Guess I was just surprised to see you. In a place like this, I mean. Caught me off-guard.

Surprised in a good way, I hope.

[ She's pretty sure it's the exact opposite, but oh well. ]

Well, I can assure you that our running into each other here is a complete coincidence. And that I'll be gone from your life again as soon as I walk out of this place.

[ Kasumi wears a wry little smile on her face, as much as she's protesting inside. But that is what Peter wants, right? ]

Right.

[ He lifts a hand, rubbing at the back of his neck again, and he curses himself for the way something twists at having his own words thrown back at him. He kinda had that coming, though, didn’t he? ]

I, uh.

[ He stops himself, clearing his throat. Then, lately, ]

… Right.

[ you said that already, Quill. ]

Eloquent tonight, aren't we?

[ Kasumi gives him another lingering, almost withering stare caught somewhere between wanting to say more and leaving things at that. In the end, she just shifts her gaze away from him and instead at the scenery beyond the terrace which, sadly, isn't much. Mostly just more buildings and stuff. ]

I didn't have anything planned for the rest of the night. So, you know. Just take your time.

[ … Right.

(You already said that. You can’t think it too, Quill.)

His shoulders sag under her stare, and he glances off to one side, weight shifting again as he fidgets. ]

Listen, if you’d rather be somewhere else – and, okay, at this rate, you probably do – I won’t stop you. This was clearly a bad idea.

Never said it was. You're the one who's been brushing me off.

[ She heaves a sigh as she shifts her stance, too, leaning over some more as she folds her arms across the top of the railing for a contemplative moment or two before she turns to face him again, with her side leaning against the railing. ]

Honestly, though, you're acting like something's seriously bothering you--and I'm no doctor, but keeping that kind of thing in is seriously unhealthy. I'm just--you know, here. If you need to talk. Or I could leave, if that's going to calm you down.

[ There’s something inherently ridiculous about this whole thing, honestly, and for a second, it suddenly strikes him. How stupid he’s being. How stupid his half of the conversation has been. For a long moment, he stays silent, aside from huffing out a laugh or two at himself, and pinches the bridge of his nose with one hand. ]

I didn’t realize you counted psychiatry as one of your realms of expertise.

[ Her expression softens a bit when he laughs--she's sure he's laughing at how terribly awkward this all is, but that's already an improvement over his indecisiveness over whether this should be happening or not. ]

I'm an expert in a lot of things, actually. I'm full of surprises.

Oh yeah? [ He casts her a slightly challenging look, one eyebrow quirked up. ] What else have you got under your belt? Veterinary experience, I’d bet.

[ Easily and teasingly, almost like it's a catchphrase, ]

Wouldn't you like to know?

[ His nose wrinkles a little. ]

I mean, kinda now, yeah.

Well, definitely no veterinary experience, sadly.

[ He huffs out a sigh. ]

Yeah, figured that one was a long shot.

[ He falls quiet again, examining some crack in the floor, then, ]

I, uh. What should I be calling you, right now?

Hana. [ She casts him a sheepish look. ] Means "flower" in Japanese, for your information.

And you?

[ A hesitation, then, quietly, ]

Peter Quill's fine.

[ To head off any questions, he lifts both shoulders in a shrug. ]

I'm off the clock.

[ She looks genuinely surprised by his response, and it shows. ]

Huh. Alright. So, what's bugging you, Peter?

[ It feels like it's the first time that she's calling him by his real first name, at least out in the open like this. Weird. ]

[ You.

— is how he nearly replies. But that’s not fair, and really, it’s more him than her, and more the thought of her than actually her, anyway, and—

He huffs out another quiet little chuckle. Jesus, he’s a wreck.

At length, he settles on, ] Just have a lot on my mind. It’s not anything you wanna hear.

[ Then, wryly, ]And besides, there’s a distinct lack of overstuffed leather couches for me to sprawl out on, and I don’t think you’ve got a notepad and a pen. Pretty sure those are a prerequisite for me bearing my soul.

[ She quirks her brow at him, a little unsure, but it fades into a small and sincere smile. She has no doubts that an assassin has their fair share of Thoughts about Things at any given time unless they're that cold-blooded, but--well, she doesn't mind that there's still this sort of human side to Peter, apparently. Of course, she is blissfully unaware at the moment that the real reason Peter's been so on edge is her. ]

Try me. I'm a good listener.

[ Ah. He falters a little, because he was hoping the bit about couches would’ve thrown her off, and maybe he would’ve explained Woody Allen movies to her, because man, it’s shocking how many Terrans know so little about the classics—

He flounders for a second or two, scrounging for the right words, then, slowly, ]

I guess, uh. If you really wanna know. I’ve been kinda— you know when it’s like, you… think about something, when you know you shouldn’t? But you keep looping back around to it anyway? Like getting a song stuck in your head.

[ She looks off to the side thoughtfully for a second. Sure, it sounds like getting a song stuck in your head. But to Kasumi "actual hopeless romantic" Goto, it also sounds a lot like-- ]

Or like having a crush on someone. Right?

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