originallutece | (no subject)

No, but you did impede my work. Your father ended up paying me to play board games with you.

[Not that she sounds a bit displeased by it.]

At least the teaching was practical-- do you remember our first lesson? I taught you the solar system using my lunch.

[Now pay attention, she'd said, holding up her bottle of water. Imagine this as the sun-- it's the center of our system. All the planets revolve around it, there's nine in all, we'll use my sandwich as earth--]

[ Noctis softly smiles. It's been a long, long time since the day his father had dropped him off at Rosalind's desk. He remembers it very well. ]

You were late from your lunch break. Yeah, I remember.

Think Dad got me a book on the solar system on the way home that day.

Did he?

[Yes, that seems about right. Rosalind glances down at her lap, smiling faintly.]

I still have your drawing, you know. Tucked away somewhere back in England.

[ He tilts his head, looking a bit surprised. ]

You kept it?

Of course I kept it. It was the first time anyone had given me such a gift.

[ Noctis exhales a weak chuckle, looking down at his lap as he reaches to rub behind his neck. He remembers her pretty fondly, even if it's a faraway memory and he was so young.

He's kind of regretting they hadn't kept in touch after he turned 10. ]

Had no idea you were the sentimental type.

Hardly.

[She pulls a face.]

But it was sweet, and I wasn't about to throw it out. It clearly meant a lot to you.

[ Noctis snorts. ]

I do remember it taking me a long time.

All the planets, the sun, and even a fair few moons. And, if I recall correctly, an astronaut, which you were very eager to make sure I saw.

[There's a bit of silence, then. Rosalind glances away, a little embarrassed to say this, but--]

. . . I'm glad you came here. Not just tonight, I mean; I'm glad we both ended up here.

Albert II. First monkey in space.

[ He nods as he remembers, very fondly. Noctis falls into silence in tandem with Rosalind. Noctis very much recalls his time with Rosalind, and it's sad that he hasn't thought much about her until they crossed paths again. All of those memories are some of the best ones he's had. There were few women in his life, given that he'd lost his mother when he was born. Noctis never knew her, was an only child, and so while he couldn't be around other children much? Rosalind was a friend. And a source of inspiration. He'd looked up to her greatly. ]

Yeah.

[ Noctis finally looks up to Rosalind, though it's directly at the same time she looks away. ]

Me too.

[She only glances away for a few more seconds; then it's back to familiar briskness, friendly and fond but not quite so laden with emotion.]

Do you want me to make up the couch for you, or stick with blankets and a pillow?

[ Yeah, that silence is kind of needed. Neither of them are the best at this, but at least they make a conscious effort. Eventually, he loosens up. ]

Blanket and pillow is fine.

All right.

[She stands and gestures until he hands over his mug. Setting them in the sink (she'll deal with cleaning them tomorrow), Rosalind yawns as she heads into her bedroom. A bit of rummaging, and soon she returns with a pillow from her bed and a thin summer blanket.]

I'll be up at around eight tomorrow, if you want breakfast.

[A beat. She realizes to whom she's speaking and adds:]

I'll do my best to be quiet, but if you're not up by nine, I'll be waking you up.

[ Noctis accepts the blanket and pillow, standing up to set them down properly. He puts his hands on his hips while Rosalind tells him about what time she'll be up.

And yeah, way too early for his tastes. But he understands that he doesn't really have the choice of sleeping in when he's at someone else's house. He shrugs his shoulder casually. ]

Feel free to wake me up at 8. My eyes'll be half-closed, but I can help.

[ And, a beat: ]

G'night, Miss Lutece.

[ Yeah, yeah, it's Doctor now. But since they were on the subject of when he was a kid, it seemed to match the tone of their conversation. Noctis smiles genuinely at her. ]

[Ah. Rosalind smiles faintly, pleased by that.]

Good night, Noctis.