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Tucked squarely underneath the center of the table, Fred watched as another pair of feet moved purposefully past the door. Then a tail. Then another pair of loafers, this set with an actual penny on one side. She couldn't think for anything who was actually that wistful anymore, and consider the possibility of someone's son or daughter -- an unnoticed gift to a father that hasn't even discovered it yes. Then some shining black patten kitten heels, moving a good bit slower than the rest. That would be Harmony.
"When do you think they'll figure out that we're here?"
"Well I can't rightly say cupcake. Depends on if they actually start looking."
There was a soft drawl in his voice that Fred noticed Lorne only used when he was around her. It wasn't mocking, or overdone. Just a note of affection between friends. And she really couldn't mind. He had the ears and the voice the pull it off, and it always eased the occasional pangs for home before she even knew to really feel them.
She looked wistfully at the bottom part of the door again.
"Everyone's so busy lately. And I'm just as guilty of it. But you would think every now and then we could manage lunch."
There was a bit of bitterness she couldn't quite keep out of her voice. Maybe it was because it was just Lorne, sitting with her. Her chin didn't need to be up with him. It never did. There wasn't any point of pretending when he could see right though it anyway. And there was something liberating about that.
For some people that meant copious amounts of alcohol, a microphone and a dimly lit stage with Lorne watching on while they left all of their insides rest on the outside. For Fred? It was sitting quietly under a conference table, with her knees tucked up and all the rest of herself at rest.
Angel was still taking a meeting. Charles, at court. Spike doing whatever it was that suited Spike that particular day. And Wesley was still in the middle of some ridiculously complicated negotiations with a demon species Fred couldn't even pronounce.
It sometimes made her sad, tinged with a little bit of lonely. She loved her work, she did. She handn't realized how much she desperately missed it all until Knox took her on that first tour of the lab. But sometimes Fred needed the hotel and what they were there, together, so much she couldn't sleep with it.
She smiled when she was ready, and he knew to let her get there all on her own. Under a table. Her labcoat spread out like a picnic blanket. Watching the world pass them by, if only just for lunch.
"At least we got their food too."
Lorne laughed at that, glancing at the carnage around them. She'd ordered enough Chinese food for six, after all. And not any Chinese food either. From the very same place that used to deliver to the hotel. Fred had offered to tip extra, but once she mentioned the address it hadn't been a problem.
Secretly? She wanted there to be a problem. It wasn't that the food was worth the extra effort -- it was that they were.
"Your name will be my battle cry Freddles, when I have to spend that extra hour on the treadmill."
She and Lorne had eaten it all. Every last drop of that delicious, effortless Chinese food. Their favorites and everyone else's as well. The containers all stacked together haphazardly in a shape that vaguely echoed the Hyperion, bits of rice sticking to the outer edges in some sort of attack on the unsuspecting inhabitants within.
Fred didn't worry. The day would be saved, in the end.
There was that chin of hers, lifting just so slightly.
"Oh stop it Lorne," the uplift evident in her voice. "You're beautiful and you know it."
"Tell that to Charles' Lo Mein, wrapped around my middle like a spare tire."
She moved to swat him then, but mid strike went though an obvious change of heart. Her head ended up resting on Lorne's shoulder instead. His head dipped to rest near hers, as if he knew it was where this was going all along.
"I mean it Lorne."
"All right, my little task mistress, I'll make it two hours. You're right."
His cheek was ridiculously soft where it brushed against her forehead. Fred closed her eyes.
"Stop it," she chastised softly, thinking she could stay here all day. With her labcoat catching the delicious crumbs of his conversation. "You're wonderful. Beautiful, and green, and wonderful."
There was a bit of silence then, and Fred somehow knew they were thinking the same thing. About the past. About Pylea. And about what it meant to both of of them.
But Fred didn't see Pylea or what happened to her there when she looked at Lorne. She didn't see anything but him. He was more than that place. He was also a big part of why she started to believe she could be more again too.
Lorne shifted then, resting his arm on her shoulder and pulling her the smallest of degrees closer. Fred fell into him a bit, thinking of wistful and far away things.
He chuckled -- a knowing sound.
"A least that extra padding can be put to good use."
Her eyes peeked open, but she didn't bother contradicting him again. Instead Fred was lost in the way the perfect green of his skin contrasted against the bright violet of his suitsleeve. Her fingers brushed where the two met. It was more than a bit beautiful.
"I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, if they had the choice."
Fred smiled again, her chin lifting that much more.
"I know I would."
OOC: Take care Andy, and safe journey. We'll miss you.
~~~Based on a reference in the Angel episode A Hole in the World~~~
"When do you think they'll figure out that we're here?"
"Well I can't rightly say cupcake. Depends on if they actually start looking."
There was a soft drawl in his voice that Fred noticed Lorne only used when he was around her. It wasn't mocking, or overdone. Just a note of affection between friends. And she really couldn't mind. He had the ears and the voice the pull it off, and it always eased the occasional pangs for home before she even knew to really feel them.
She looked wistfully at the bottom part of the door again.
"Everyone's so busy lately. And I'm just as guilty of it. But you would think every now and then we could manage lunch."
There was a bit of bitterness she couldn't quite keep out of her voice. Maybe it was because it was just Lorne, sitting with her. Her chin didn't need to be up with him. It never did. There wasn't any point of pretending when he could see right though it anyway. And there was something liberating about that.
For some people that meant copious amounts of alcohol, a microphone and a dimly lit stage with Lorne watching on while they left all of their insides rest on the outside. For Fred? It was sitting quietly under a conference table, with her knees tucked up and all the rest of herself at rest.
Angel was still taking a meeting. Charles, at court. Spike doing whatever it was that suited Spike that particular day. And Wesley was still in the middle of some ridiculously complicated negotiations with a demon species Fred couldn't even pronounce.
It sometimes made her sad, tinged with a little bit of lonely. She loved her work, she did. She handn't realized how much she desperately missed it all until Knox took her on that first tour of the lab. But sometimes Fred needed the hotel and what they were there, together, so much she couldn't sleep with it.
She smiled when she was ready, and he knew to let her get there all on her own. Under a table. Her labcoat spread out like a picnic blanket. Watching the world pass them by, if only just for lunch.
"At least we got their food too."
Lorne laughed at that, glancing at the carnage around them. She'd ordered enough Chinese food for six, after all. And not any Chinese food either. From the very same place that used to deliver to the hotel. Fred had offered to tip extra, but once she mentioned the address it hadn't been a problem.
Secretly? She wanted there to be a problem. It wasn't that the food was worth the extra effort -- it was that they were.
"Your name will be my battle cry Freddles, when I have to spend that extra hour on the treadmill."
She and Lorne had eaten it all. Every last drop of that delicious, effortless Chinese food. Their favorites and everyone else's as well. The containers all stacked together haphazardly in a shape that vaguely echoed the Hyperion, bits of rice sticking to the outer edges in some sort of attack on the unsuspecting inhabitants within.
Fred didn't worry. The day would be saved, in the end.
There was that chin of hers, lifting just so slightly.
"Oh stop it Lorne," the uplift evident in her voice. "You're beautiful and you know it."
"Tell that to Charles' Lo Mein, wrapped around my middle like a spare tire."
She moved to swat him then, but mid strike went though an obvious change of heart. Her head ended up resting on Lorne's shoulder instead. His head dipped to rest near hers, as if he knew it was where this was going all along.
"I mean it Lorne."
"All right, my little task mistress, I'll make it two hours. You're right."
His cheek was ridiculously soft where it brushed against her forehead. Fred closed her eyes.
"Stop it," she chastised softly, thinking she could stay here all day. With her labcoat catching the delicious crumbs of his conversation. "You're wonderful. Beautiful, and green, and wonderful."
There was a bit of silence then, and Fred somehow knew they were thinking the same thing. About the past. About Pylea. And about what it meant to both of of them.
But Fred didn't see Pylea or what happened to her there when she looked at Lorne. She didn't see anything but him. He was more than that place. He was also a big part of why she started to believe she could be more again too.
Lorne shifted then, resting his arm on her shoulder and pulling her the smallest of degrees closer. Fred fell into him a bit, thinking of wistful and far away things.
He chuckled -- a knowing sound.
"A least that extra padding can be put to good use."
Her eyes peeked open, but she didn't bother contradicting him again. Instead Fred was lost in the way the perfect green of his skin contrasted against the bright violet of his suitsleeve. Her fingers brushed where the two met. It was more than a bit beautiful.
"I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, if they had the choice."
Fred smiled again, her chin lifting that much more.
"I know I would."
OOC: Take care Andy, and safe journey. We'll miss you.
~~~Based on a reference in the Angel episode A Hole in the World~~~
