school: beau

[shaft]

Comments

[disreguarded]

[she hates this! she hates seeing people bottle this up because they have to. her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt.]

Yeah. Probably. [...] You guys were close.

[shaft]

We were.

[ I never even clarified how close. ]

She cared about me a little too much.

[disreguarded]

[he might get the sense that she's like, desperately trying to not be too nosy about this.]

That sounds awfully self-deprecating.

[shaft]

Quite unlike me, isn't it?

[ He smiles at her, and chooses to elaborate for once. ]

She confessed to me last week, and I turned her down, but... She didn't give up that easily. [ Probably because of his mixed signals. ] I just wish she'd spend her affection on someone who could've devoted themselves to her.

[disreguarded]

[claude please]

Can you not? [a beat.] Do you not want to?

[shaft]

[ He looks a little awkward, which is better than looking depressed. ]

I don't know what I want, but that's something I have to figure out myself.

[disreguarded]

[fair enough. she rubs his arm a little.]

Yeah. Not a decision anybody can make for you. [...] Come on.

[she just? takes his hand? we're going places now, apparently.]

[shaft]

[ She just? Lets her? ]

... Where are we going?

[disreguarded]

[drags him off]

To get smoothies. And booze.

[shaft]

[ ... ]

Both of these things sound really good, actually.

[disreguarded]

I figured they might. [she teases.] Iris made a really good one for me, it was like, mangos and rum. I can recreate it.

[shaft]

She drinks?

[ He seems dubious.

Her... weird stupor on Wednesday aside. ]

[disreguarded]

She really fucking does not. You give her one drink and she turns into a dog.

[she's very amused.] She knows I drink, though.

[shaft]

I don't drink either.

[ But I'm ready to start. ]

We only ever had musty old wine back at the manor.

[disreguarded]

[claude shows up hungover to trial and that's why he passes out for the last half]

Ugh. Wine. [wrinkles her nose.] ... You know that's what my family is famous for? Wine.

[shaft]

Oh yeah? [ He didn't expect that. ] It's associated with nobility where I come...

[ Staring at Beau like, are you a noble? ]

[disreguarded]

[grouchy noise.]

Yeah. Exandria too, mostly. [she rolls her shoulders.] We're not nobles, but my dad's a really successful, famous merchant, so. Close enough.

[shaft]

Wasn't the life for you, I'm guessing?

[ Squeezes her hand. ]

No ball gowns and suitors?

[disreguarded]

Ugh, abso-fucking-lutely not.

[imagine beau in a ball gown]

It's a whole thing. I hated it, so I stole his fancy wine and I sold it on the black market for half the price.

[shaft]

[ He laughs at that. ]

Good for you. Though he's too bad he was such a shitty father. Seems like there's a lot bad parenting around here.