(no subject)

[very_sharpe]

The shop had survived the Purge night in one piece, more or less, but Thomas felt shattered through and through.

At the moment he was bringing stock out of the back, putting things on display once more. Before the Purge, he and Steve had cleared the entire front of the store, removing anything valuable, so that if anyone did manage to break in, there wouldn't be too much to damage that couldn't be fixed.

He moved slowly, though. He had hoped work would help to get his mind off of things, but he couldn't focus. He wore all black, which was unusual since he'd started living here. Every part of him felt heavy. He couldn't believe that she was dead. After everything they had been through, everything she had survived. How could it have ended like this?

What was he going to do?

Thomas was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of the little bell over the front door of the shop.

"Sorry, we aren't properly open-- Oh, Daine. Please, come in."

Comments

[very_sharpe]

Her voice drew him back out of it and a small smile tugged at his mouth. Still sad, but better than nothing, wasn't it?

"I think I would like that very much. Any combination of that, really." Whether they went to the beach or out into the country, Thomas thought a nice cup of tea and being somewhere else sounded like just the thing he needed.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine lets out a quiet breath when he comes back to himself, smiling in turn, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Kit," she says, bending to lift open the backpack for her. If the dragonet is bothered by how brief their visit to the shop has been, she knows better than to show it. Instead, she clambers back into the pack without complaint.

"Maybe the countryside would be better," Daine says as she shrugs on the pack, her gaze distant. The beach is near enough to town that it's more likely to still be a mess, now that she thinks about it. She would like to show Thomas the seals -- they're sweet and charming, once you get past their shyness -- but if they're going to be picking around broken glass, it wouldn't be safe for any of them.

Saying as much would bring the mood back down, though. "It's normal enough around the farmhouse," she says instead. "There are just a few spots we'd want to avoid. Some folk who got too close ran into a few skunk friends of mine." Venturing a more genuine smile, she adds, "You could meet them, if you liked. I ought to thank them in person."

[very_sharpe]

Thomas laughed a bit as he collected his coat, his gloves, his scarf. He made sure that he had his keys so he could lock the shop up behind them.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind meeting some skunks, so long as you could promise me that we'll be safe. I don't know how many baths it would take to get that smell off, but I'm not overly eager to find out."

He was certainly in need of distraction, but he would rather not have that kind of distraction.