[Shaw is lying on her back on the grass, legs crossed at the ankle and a bottle of whiskey laid sideways across her stomach. She does stillness well when she's exhausted, or when she's lying in wait for a target with a sniper rifle in her hands. She doesn't normally do well with stillness in the service of relaxation, but alcohol is one of only a few things that can change that. And even though she already has her own bottle, she makes grabby hands for Laura's, sitting up on her elbows as she does so.]
[Shaw, by all appearances, looks okay - which is to say that she's uninjured, and her face shows no signs of major sleep deprivation. Beyond that, it's usually not so easy to tell with her, and today is no exception.]
Same old, same old.
[She sighs, tilting her head back to look up at the stars.]
[ that's exactly when laura becomes stumped. not that she expected to hear from her, nor did she expect the invitation to come hang out, which makes her think tonight is more of a distraction.
and that was more than fine with her.
laura glances up, too. ]
It really could have. I mean the whole daylight in a cup is bad enough, but at least people can avoid it so none of their truths come spilling out.
[ she takes a decent swig off the bottle and leans over, propping herself with a hand down on the grass. it puts her slightly more closer and after a second she bumps Shaw's knee gently with her own. ]
[ laura watches shaw, brow pinching after she's done talking. ]
Doesn't it help that you have people here -- a wife? I mean I hear you. It's reached peak level of predictable in that you can always expect something to happen every few weeks.
[ she slowly combs through the grass, shrugging lightly. ]
[The unspoken sentiment is heard and understood, and she bumps Laura with her shoulder again. Affection may not come naturally or easily to her, but she's still capable of making an effort, if a little awkwardly sometimes.]
[ judging by her face, she's not sure either. laura hasn't decided yet how these Feelings make her feel. ]
I know.
[ a beat. ]
Sweeney finally expressed how he feels about me. Like in the 'I could've scored with another chick and didn't because all I could think about was you' way.
[Right. The husband she'd married for all the wrong reasons. Shaw exhales, considers the whiskey bottle, and takes another pull from it.]
I'm the last person who should be giving anybody advice on their love life, but, uh-- you guys have been dancing around each other for at least a year, right? More seriously since last spring, from what you told me then. It's not like you're jumping into it on a whim."
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Nothing much. You bring me a present?
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[ laura holds it out by the neck until it's taken and looks her friend over. ]
So, are we celebrating something or drinking for distraction?
[ either or is fine. she's good at helping with both. ]
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[Shaw informs her, handing her own bottle (one-third empty) to Laura before popping open the new one and taking a swig directly from it.]
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[ she makes the switch and looks at the label of the bottle Shaw gives her and unscrews the lid to give it a taste, which turns out to be not too bad.
laura pulls her legs in and shifts to face the other woman more. ]
So, we haven't talked much. How's things going with you?
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Same old, same old.
[She sighs, tilting her head back to look up at the stars.]
Port could've been worse.
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and that was more than fine with her.
laura glances up, too. ]
It really could have. I mean the whole daylight in a cup is bad enough, but at least people can avoid it so none of their truths come spilling out.
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It wasn't really like that, even if you went. You didn't have to talk about diddly if you didn't want to.
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[ since it sounds like she experienced it. ]
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[Shaw lifts a shoulder in a shrug, the back of her shirt scraping against the ground and rustling the grass.]
I'm cool with that.
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[ she takes a decent swig off the bottle and leans over, propping herself with a hand down on the grass. it puts her slightly more closer and after a second she bumps Shaw's knee gently with her own. ]
You okay?
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I've been worse. Just not really looking forward to heading back off into space.
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Doesn't it help that you have people here -- a wife? I mean I hear you. It's reached peak level of predictable in that you can always expect something to happen every few weeks.
[ she slowly combs through the grass, shrugging lightly. ]
What's really holding you here, besides Root?
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[Her eyes land on Laura's restless hand, and she gives her a little nudge.]
And hey, just because almost everything about the Barge screams wrong to my brain doesn't mean I'm not glad I met you assholes.
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The feelings mutual, you know.
[ then comes an amused snort ]
So much so that there might be a small part of me that regrets not sleeping with you more than the one time.
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Laura Moon.
[Shaw says very seriously, sitting up on her elbows.]
We're sitting here, we're drinking whiskey together. You gotta tell me if I was your first. First woman, I mean.
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[ she brings the bottle up and nods assuringly. ]
I'm not going to forget that night.
[ or shaw, for that matter. ]
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Back at you. But, uh-- are you okay?
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[ she knows what question follows that so she takes another full swig and swallows it back. ]
But yeah, I'm Feeling something.
[ she pauses before settling her gaze back on shaw again. ]
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[ Shaw says lightly - she likes her self-deprecating jokes more than one might think. ]
You can talk about it, if you want.
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I know.
[ a beat. ]
Sweeney finally expressed how he feels about me. Like in the 'I could've scored with another chick and didn't because all I could think about was you' way.
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Is that... good?
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I don't know.
I don't want things to go the same way they did with Shadow.
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I'm the last person who should be giving anybody advice on their love life, but, uh-- you guys have been dancing around each other for at least a year, right? More seriously since last spring, from what you told me then. It's not like you're jumping into it on a whim."
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What we were doing in the spring wasn't exactly anything exclusive. But he did say he'd give up sex with other people for me.
I'm not stupid, right? That sort of sounds like taking the next step?
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