bakerstreet | Feel seen

[ Hahahahaha yeah fun totally...... ]

Hang on, buster. What happened to LADIES first? Is chivalry dead? Did you kill it?

[ Just to be safe, before he can get a word in edgewise: ]

My guess is—well, it's not even a guess at all!

You're not keen to admit it, but I know. I know. If anything happened to any of us, it'd bother you, wouldn't it?

[ It's entirely possible that her version of "us" might not extend to his version, but the confidence is there. Maybe. Mostly. Well, whatever. It's too late now. The assumption's out there, so there's no need to ask outright.

Would it bother you? ]

[ wow, shorty just steamrolled right over him, didn't she?

didn't even leave him any room to interrupt or anything; not that he would, because chivalry isn't entirely dead. he's gotta let the lady talk, even if what she's saying is ... well, disarmingly bold. he can't say he's surprised. this one is outspoken and direct when she wants to be, and that won't serve his preference toward reticence about this very thing well the longer they keep talking about it.

he was the one who opened this can of worms, though. he's going to have to roll with the punches before he starts dishing his own out. ]

Nothin' would happen to either you or big girl if you didn't stick your noses in places they don't belong.

[ he isn't denying or confirming what she's saying. after all, she said she knows, inferring that she does without a doubt, and if she's so certain she's correct, then she doesn't get the satisfaction of being told she is!

because she is, of course. she's right that it would bother him. ]

But I'm not takin' risks 'cause I like playin' babysitter for free. Guess that's what sets us apart.

I wouldn't be stickin' my neck out for anybody if I had a choice.

[ is he being slightly more stand-offish than normal just to make sure he maintains a comfortable distance with this girl? possibly.

he has to remind her that he only begrudgingly accepts her as a travelling companion because she's too stubborn not to follow after them. ]

Edited 2024-08-08 21:17 (UTC)

[ C'mon, Wolfwood. Wash off all the muck coating your tongue. Would sharing some honest-to-god, no-nonsense words of affirmation kill you? (Don't answer that)

Whether his justification troubles her, Meryl isn't keen on showing it. Well, she's trying not to. ]

Choice? So... you're only sticking your neck out because someone's twisting your arm over it?

[ It's all about balance. The way a gun recoils when you press the trigger, the way a cat's scratch is your reward for pestering it; if he pulls, she will push. ]

From where I'm standing, it sure does look like you do have a choice.

[ he was getting to words of affirmation! really...! and he will! at some point. ]

You're spot on, shorty. I already made the call. Nothin' I can do to change it now, and you're dead set on throwin' yourself into the mix and makin' it my problem, aren'tcha?

[ she doesn't know what that call was, how he's putting everything on the line for something he values more than his own life, and he's too entangled in the mess he's gotten himself into to back out now.

as long as he has those kids and miss melanie to protect, he doesn't have a choice.

but enough about that -- isn't it his turn to ~~deflect~~ share his assumption? ]

Still not riskin' life and limb over a crush.

[ let's make this light-hearted again. he wants to go back to teasing her! ]

A CRUSH?????????

[ Die. Die. Die. Die. D— ]

[ does she want to bite his head off now? ]

Seems like that's what it is to me.

Don't worry. Your secret's safe, shorty -- I know how to mind my own business.

[ Biting his head off would be the "good ending" in this scenario, probably. Why does he sound so sure of himself? The nerve! ]

Secret?! There is no secret!!

[ Yeah, can't you tell by how high-pitched her voice is getting right now?

Heavy, HEAVY sigh. Let's take it down to a five, Meryl. ]

The heat must be getting to your head. There is NO crush to be had. None. Let's just squash that bug and bury it before it multiplies.

Who said anything about bein' hot? That what you're gettin' all red for?

Maybe you should siddown and have yourself a glass of water.

[ whether she's turning red for real or not, he's pointing it out! ]

Y'know, I can't think of any other reason why a woman in her right mind would chase after a guy across the scorchin' desert.

[ 'I am NOT all red." The rebuttal's so clear on her face, you can practically hear it. ]

Running around the desert beats sitting behind a desk all day. That's for sure. There doesn't have to be a complicated reason behind it.

[ Yeah, whatever, Meryl. Very cute of him to assume she's of 'right mind' to begin with, by the way. Just about anyone who's stuck on this planet has to lose a few marbles just to get by. ]

Grabbing a drink doesn't sound so bad, though.

[ you're all red, girlie! could argue it's a sunburn, though. you wearing your sunscreen?

also, maybe the implication was intended to be that she isn't in her right mind, but he wasn't going to say that part out loud. ]

Sure. You're followin' us around 'cause you're bored.

Could always become a bandit if you're lookin' for a real excuse to run around the desert.

[ without so much as saying another word about it, he'll pass her his own canteen of water. it's only about half-full, but depending on how parched she is, it should do the trick. ]

You're too sharp of a whip to be shufflin' around paperwork anyway.

[ there... a compliment. kinda. ]

Edited (gd formatting) 2024-08-09 20:04 (UTC)

[ The water goes down a hell of a lot easier than his compliment, but it's a solid start. Who knows—maybe with enough practice, he'll be come a true Casanova. Doesn't that sound nice? ]

You're saying my wit is better suited for larceny, then?

[ A rhetorical question. Almost a joke. Barring some sort of Robin Hood scenario, he knows just as well as she does that she's not cut out for that life. For a multitude of reasons, actually, but morals seem to be the most obvious.

The canteen's drained in seconds flat (sorry), followed by a satisfied 'ah' and her holding it out for him to take back. ]

I wouldn't say it's boredom. It's more of a preference. An inclination?

[ Just as hunters hunt and takers take, insurance ladies...run around the desert in pursuit of powerful, dubious men. Apparently.

Meryl's casting a sideways glance. ]

Ugh. Is this just your long-winded way of saying you'd rather not have my—our—company?

[ the canteen is returned and he makes a show of turning it upside down and giving her a pointed look that could possibly be translated as 'you owe me'. he's keeping track of his favors, don't you worry. ]

Company's gettin' together for a couple of drinks and you happen to be a real riot when you get a little blitzed, Shorty.

[ that is to say he doesn't hate the girls' company. in fact, the nights they've 'coincidentally' ran into each other in random, podunk towns have been fun and memorable, dispersing a bit of the bleakness overlying the daunting road ahead. ]

[ Almost starting a riot seems a little closer to the truth these days... She's choosing to interpret this one as a compliment, though, intended or otherwise. That's two. A new record!

There is no sign nor inkling of remorse for the state she's left his canteen in, either. Call it retaliation, call it petty. She offers him a somewhat blasé shrug.]

And the other times? Is that all just 'babysitting' to you?

Milly and I can handle things just fine on our own. You'd know if you gave us a real chance to show you.

[ ...Well. 'Fine' with stipulations: No Gung-Ho Guns, in fact, no genetically modified humans and/or otherworldly inhabitants of this planet, no lost technology stretching the bounds between science and fantasy...

Outside of that, yeah. They'd do just fine! ]

Feel seen

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he's so tsun.... help....

she's gonna have to get to chewing to get to the gooey center!

1/????

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OK, I'M DONE

Re: OK, I'M DONE

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