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Library, Sunday 11/06

Raven was actually an hour early for her shift that morning, because daylight savings time was confusing. She was actually glad to have an extra hour to clean up because the botany section had decided to sprout flowers. It was actually quite lovely, and the flowers did fill the air with a pleasing scent, but the overgrowth was making it difficult to move through the section and into the next.

After persuading the plants to keep the aisle open, Raven returned to the front desk. She had her laptop open to a Rumor Gal website, but her thoughts were decidedly elsewhere.

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The fact that he still had his scarf up probably said a fair bit, didn't it?

"I... I've been keeping busy," he replied, his own voice going soft. "Busier, the better. I have half a mind to start wandering around town, just picking up more work all around." No free time meant no time to think. That suited him well enough. "I've spoken to a few people since I came back. Tara, George, Squall. All paid me a visit Tuesday. But other than that..."

A shrug. He'd gone for coffee. He'd been totally baffled when some Irish bloke had sat down at his table. But he hadn't really actively reached out to anyone just yet.

"I am certain Karla will be by soon, but I believe she is away from the island right now," Raven said. "And I would come by every day myself if you would not get tired of me."

She lifted a hand to touch his arm, rubbing it up and down in a comforting gesture. "How are you sleeping?" she asked. She couldn't take away everything he'd gone through, but she could at least make certain he got a good night's sleep.

Jono nearly managed to point out that she wasn't in any danger of driving him mad any time soon, but then she'd asked that question, and he frowned a little.

... A little more.

"I'm... not doing much of that, really," he admitted. "Not that I was ever terribly good at getting rest, granted. But I... I feel it more, now, I suppose."

Guilt. It was guilt that was doing it.

"You do," Raven said. She wasn't sure how the Apocalypse blood might compare to how the psionic fire reduced his need for sleep, but a constant waking mind and the thoughts that might run through it was surely not good for him.

"Please, let me help you," she urged, moving her hand up to try to touch his cheek. "You know I can make certain you have peaceful dreams."

Oh, lord. Those cheeks. To his credit, Jonothon didn't flinch as her hand reached for his face, in spite of... well. He was hardly comfortable with his face at the best of times. Now, with everything that was wrong with him right at the front of his mind all over again, it was hard to ignore the fact that a touch to the cheek meant running her fingers over those trails, like scars, that traced up along the edge of his upper jaw.

"I know, luv." He sighed, relenting and leaning his face against her hand. "And I'm tempted. Ridiculously so. And at th'same time, it feels like... cheating, somehow."

Or like he wasn't punishing himself enough for the things he'd done.

Or something.

She cupped her hand against his face, fingers lightly brushing his check and the line that ran along it. "It is not," she said. "A few hours of peace is not cheating. Your mind might escape to more pleasant times in sleep on its own anyway. I would just be helping you on your way."

She knew how troubled his sleep was even in the best of times, so that escape wasn't entirely likely. But still, it would not be as if she were taking the guilt and sorrow away permanently.

"Just one night?" she pleaded. "The rest will be very good for you."

You and your logic, Raven!

"... Just one night," he agreed, nodding a little. "Because I'm liable to break my hand with a hammer or electrocute myself or something while I'm doing renovations if I don't manage to get some sleep soon. But I'm not going to make a habit of this, Sunshine."

"I know," Raven said, a gentle smile curling her lips. She couldn't say she wouldn't let him, because...she probably would until Karla or someone took her aside and smacked some sense into her. That would be cheating, no matter how much she ached to take his pain away.

"Tonight?" she said. "The sooner you are able to get some rest, the better, particularly as you are doing the renovations."

"Tonight's fine," Jono murmured. "I might turn in a little early, actually, if I manage to get the rewiring finished this evening. I... I won't say I don't need th'rest. I probably look at least as awful as I feel right now."

He wasn't about to peer at himself in a mirror to be sure, mind.

"You do look tired," Raven confirmed, "but not awful." She was, of course, just a little biased.

"But rest will do you wonders," she said. "As soon as I am done here for the day, I can come to your apartment. I will even stop to pick up dinner if you would like." Some sort of comfort food, she decided.

"... You would?" A pause. "Nothing too rich, though, please. I can get dinner next time, luv. You don't need to keep feeding me, I mean..."

Rich foods apparently made his brain stop running. But not in a happy going-to-get-some-sleep kind of way. As he'd learned yesterday.

"It is no bother," Raven smiled. "But you may buy dinner next time."

She was considering a few possibilities, like macaroni and cheese or spaghetti, but to keep things simple.... "Pizza?" she offered. "Would that be acceptable?"

"Pizza's fine," he agreed, trying a wry smile on for size. "I already know that's a safe option."

No surprise burning, like the curry. No oh-god-my-brain-is-shuddering, like with the hazelnut hot chocolate. Pizza was... pizza.

Mostly, his trouble with pizza was just how much of it he wound up wearing before he was through. But that was easier to deal with, at least.

"Pizza it will be then," Raven said happily. "I will get one half with vegetables and one half with meat. What would you prefer?"

She'd stop by her room before as well to pick up some candles as well, not with any thought of romance, but to try to create a relaxing atmosphere.

"Er... pepperoni?"

Pepperoni was a pretty generic pizza topping. Generic was easy enough to think up on a whim like this.

"Please?"

He had no idea. He really, really didn't.

"Sorry. I'm still kind of figuring out what's enough to floor me, really. So far, the answer seems to be 'practically everything.'"

"I understand," Raven said. "I merely do not wish to assume I know what you will like. But if I do not know and you do not know, then it will be a great deal of experimentation. It will be fun to find out your favorites."

Someday, when he was feeling more up to it, she'd sit him down at a table full of different types of food just to see what he liked. And hopefully not give him too much of a stomach ache during it.

Edited 2011-11-07 02:09 (UTC)

"It'll certainly be interesting," Jono allowed. "Or, at least, educational."

Definitely educational.

"... I'm pretty sure I liked that curry, once I was done making faces at it," he offered. That was something, right?

"I like spicy," Raven said, "but it is better when you are prepared for it."

She made a mental note to be nice and actually warn him about anything that might be very spicy or sour in her hypothetical buffet of food.

Really, the faces he would make otherwise would have a double-dose of hilarity attached, considering the face he was currently wearing. But it would probably take only one or two surprises before he'd just stop eating anything she gave him, if she wasn't gentle about it.

"Much," he sighed. "Hell, I had a hot chocolate yesterday that bloody near floored me."

"You did not get a shot of peppermint in it, did you?" Raven said with concern. "I learned the hard way of the foolishness of that, which you should remember."

She had fond memories of Vail despite that little error, however.

Okay, Jono had to smile a little bit, in spite of himself.

"Hazelnut," he clarified. "Syrup, not liqueur. It's just... been quite some time since I've put chocolate into my mouth."

He had pretty much faceplanted into the table.

"Then I will be certain not to get chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert," Raven said, a teasing smile in her eyes. "I would not want you to be overcome."

Cinnamon bread now, maybe. Those could be safe enough.

"... Bloody hell. I don't know if I'd survive one of those just yet."

Though he was rather hoping for the day to come when he would. Because wow, it had been a while.

"Eventually, though. I fully intend to eat one again eventually."

"We will ease you into it," Raven promised. "Just a little bit at first, until you are ready to take more."

...not dirty. Really!

If Jono noticed anything dirty about that statement, he wasn't going to be the one to ruin the moment by pointing it out.

"Bit by bit, hm? I suppose that's th'safest option."

It would keep his forehead from bruising, at least.

Library, Sunday 11/06

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Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]