alnifolia | open rp post 2.0

[ “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?

[ His hands tense their grip on his upper arms, and he’s silent for just a hair too long before he says, ]

… Yeah. [ Quiet. Just the tiniest bit strained. ] I... guess? Not really sure.

[ Because it’s not like he’d know personally, or anything. ]

[ She gives him a measuring glance. Is he actually nervous? ]

I'm guessing you've already tried going cold turkey.

[ Strange, she's getting a feeling of deja vu... ]

... Something like that.

[ actually, that was pretty on the nose, but he'd rather not admit to it. ]

Kinda hasn't worked out, though.

Then what about the opposite? Facing the problem head-on.

[ She tilts her head at him, puzzled. Then, after another contemplative moment...

She's got a vague feeling she's involved, in some fashion. Maybe he's trying to figure out where people he knows that aren't work contacts or clients fall in the spectrum of interactions an assassin has with people that don't involve killing them. But he somehow... can't stop thinking about it? (Kasumi, for once, is a little clueless, if only because of how confusing he's been all this time.) ]

[ He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. ]

I mean, maybe. It's an option.

[ Not an option he likes, granted, but an option all the same. He glances over at her, sees the puzzled look on her face, and offers a half-hearted little smile. ]

It's one of those things where... you've known your whole life that this one thing is true, but then later on, you start thinking, "Maybe it's not so true after all?"

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