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Description

(A snippet from an RP with Artoveli )

He stepped over beside her and gave a little shrug. "You got a lotta tough stuff on ya. Thought you could use a little pal to talk to an’ cuddle them nights ya can't sleep. Course, you can always call me. But I figured this little fella would do in a pinch."

The line of her mouth wriggled a little as she wrestled with her conflicting responses to Rover’s words.

“Rover... I...” I need you to know, she thought, I’m not the sort of adult who’s in the habit of cuddling stuffed animals! “I... Thank you. This is a very kind gesture.”

She picked up the cat and managed a smile. It was a pretty good approximation, minus the lack of whiskers. “Not bad.” She turned to him. “I’d rather talk to a person than to a stuffed animal, but I’ll definitely find a spot for him in my room.”

Rover had been a trader long enough to recognize the forced smile, and felt his insides wilt. He had thought it would be the perfect thing to bring a real smile to her face through all the nonsense. He had kind of hoped it was a little thing she could look at and think of him. But somehow he had misread things again. Was it because he was so ignorant when it came to humans? Or was it just not something she personally was interested in?

He managed to keep the disappointment off his face as he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So... uh... what was it you were callin’ this meetin’ for? Leastwise I’m here, heh.” He spread his hands out in a little shrug.

Anne had been a human long enough to recognize the patent disappointment written all over Rover’s body language, and it made her feel guilty on top of everything else. She’d been trying to react kindly and politely, and not indicate any of the overblown negativity she was also feeling. But kindness and politeness weren’t really the desired responses to a well-thought-out, one-of-a-kind gift.

She felt tears pooling in her eyes, though they didn’t show on her holographic face. “I’m sorry, Rover... I... I can’t react properly to this right now. I’m thinking clearly, but I’m not... feeling clearly.” She felt the tears roll down her face. “Because...”

She reached up slowly and tapped the pin, turning off the hologram. Suddenly she was back in her green shirt, looking at him with startlingly white eyes, streaks of white powder traced down across her cheeks.

“Here now, no need to apologize to me. It’s just a…” He stopped mid-sentence as her true appearance revealed itself. His own face paled a little, but the shock quickly morphed into concern. He reached out and took her hand in his right. “Doesn’t hurt none, does it?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t hurt at all. I wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t rubbed my eye at the party... That was why I had to leave so quickly.”

She wiped the powdery tears from her face and looked down at the dust in her hand. She felt a little more still, now that Rover knew. “I wanted to discuss the plan for tomorrow. Where we need to go, how long it will take us to get there, et cetera. Doctor Featherstone says he has a starting point for us, but I don’t know how long it might take our ship to get there from here. Curly suped up our engines a bit when he dropped us out here, but we’re not exactly a Vassi Sunspinner.”

“Well, that’s a comfort anyhow.” He gave her a little sympathetic smile and gently wiped a bit of the residual dust off her cheek with his thumb.

He nodded, listening to the rest of her explanation. “Well, I don’t see why we can’t have that meetin’ soon as the sweep’s done with. Ain’t like none of us have stayed up late before. Little Tom’s the only one with a set bedtime. Who knows, this place might be closer than you think.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m fit for polite company right now… Anyway, it takes hours to search this ship manually. I don’t want to add to that, when we could all just meet up in the morning instead. I would definitely benefit from some sleep...”

She looked back at the cat on the table, utterly ashamed at her reaction to it. If only he’d waited and presented it to her some other time. Couldn’t he read the room?

But there she went, blaming him again. She definitely needed to sleep.

She gently picked up the cat and held it. “Thank you, Rover. Really.” She gave the doll a sad smile, then reached up and tapped her cospin again, returning her to her former, much more put-together self. “I think I’d better retire for the night. But I’ll send out an invitation again in the morning, okay?”

Rover wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a tight hug. He hesitated just a moment before adding a small kiss on the temple. "Get some shuteye, Darling. It's been a long day." He gave her a little smile.

She stiffened, surprised like she had been that morning when he’d suddenly planted a kiss on her cheek. “Rover… you shouldn’t kiss me when I’m infected like this. It might be in my skin. I don’t want this happening to you too.”

He didn't flinch or shudder at the thought. He see-sawed his head a bit, frowning as if he were deeply considering the pros and cons. "Hm… Might be worth it." He patted her on the shoulder. "But I'll hold off for your sake."

She didn’t find it funny, but refrained from telling him so. Instead she walked to the door, cat in hand, and opened it. She turned back to him.

“Goodnight.”

And she left. The spot where he’d kissed her tingled all the way back to her quarters.

Description

(A snippet from an RP with Artoveli )

He stepped over beside her and gave a little shrug. "You got a lotta tough stuff on ya. Thought you could use a little pal to talk to an’ cuddle them nights ya can't sleep. Course, you can always call me. But I figured this little fella would do in a pinch."

The line of her mouth wriggled a little as she wrestled with her conflicting responses to Rover’s words.

“Rover... I...” I need you to know, she thought, I’m not the sort of adult who’s in the habit of cuddling stuffed animals! “I... Thank you. This is a very kind gesture.”

She picked up the cat and managed a smile. It was a pretty good approximation, minus the lack of whiskers. “Not bad.” She turned to him. “I’d rather talk to a person than to a stuffed animal, but I’ll definitely find a spot for him in my room.”

Rover had been a trader long enough to recognize the forced smile, and felt his insides wilt. He had thought it would be the perfect thing to bring a real smile to her face through all the nonsense. He had kind of hoped it was a little thing she could look at and think of him. But somehow he had misread things again. Was it because he was so ignorant when it came to humans? Or was it just not something she personally was interested in?

He managed to keep the disappointment off his face as he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So... uh... what was it you were callin’ this meetin’ for? Leastwise I’m here, heh.” He spread his hands out in a little shrug.

Anne had been a human long enough to recognize the patent disappointment written all over Rover’s body language, and it made her feel guilty on top of everything else. She’d been trying to react kindly and politely, and not indicate any of the overblown negativity she was also feeling. But kindness and politeness weren’t really the desired responses to a well-thought-out, one-of-a-kind gift.

She felt tears pooling in her eyes, though they didn’t show on her holographic face. “I’m sorry, Rover... I... I can’t react properly to this right now. I’m thinking clearly, but I’m not... feeling clearly.” She felt the tears roll down her face. “Because...”

She reached up slowly and tapped the pin, turning off the hologram. Suddenly she was back in her green shirt, looking at him with startlingly white eyes, streaks of white powder traced down across her cheeks.

“Here now, no need to apologize to me. It’s just a…” He stopped mid-sentence as her true appearance revealed itself. His own face paled a little, but the shock quickly morphed into concern. He reached out and took her hand in his right. “Doesn’t hurt none, does it?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t hurt at all. I wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t rubbed my eye at the party... That was why I had to leave so quickly.”

She wiped the powdery tears from her face and looked down at the dust in her hand. She felt a little more still, now that Rover knew. “I wanted to discuss the plan for tomorrow. Where we need to go, how long it will take us to get there, et cetera. Doctor Featherstone says he has a starting point for us, but I don’t know how long it might take our ship to get there from here. Curly suped up our engines a bit when he dropped us out here, but we’re not exactly a Vassi Sunspinner.”

“Well, that’s a comfort anyhow.” He gave her a little sympathetic smile and gently wiped a bit of the residual dust off her cheek with his thumb.

He nodded, listening to the rest of her explanation. “Well, I don’t see why we can’t have that meetin’ soon as the sweep’s done with. Ain’t like none of us have stayed up late before. Little Tom’s the only one with a set bedtime. Who knows, this place might be closer than you think.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I’m fit for polite company right now… Anyway, it takes hours to search this ship manually. I don’t want to add to that, when we could all just meet up in the morning instead. I would definitely benefit from some sleep...”

She looked back at the cat on the table, utterly ashamed at her reaction to it. If only he’d waited and presented it to her some other time. Couldn’t he read the room?

But there she went, blaming him again. She definitely needed to sleep.

She gently picked up the cat and held it. “Thank you, Rover. Really.” She gave the doll a sad smile, then reached up and tapped her cospin again, returning her to her former, much more put-together self. “I think I’d better retire for the night. But I’ll send out an invitation again in the morning, okay?”

Rover wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a tight hug. He hesitated just a moment before adding a small kiss on the temple. "Get some shuteye, Darling. It's been a long day." He gave her a little smile.

She stiffened, surprised like she had been that morning when he’d suddenly planted a kiss on her cheek. “Rover… you shouldn’t kiss me when I’m infected like this. It might be in my skin. I don’t want this happening to you too.”

He didn't flinch or shudder at the thought. He see-sawed his head a bit, frowning as if he were deeply considering the pros and cons. "Hm… Might be worth it." He patted her on the shoulder. "But I'll hold off for your sake."

She didn’t find it funny, but refrained from telling him so. Instead she walked to the door, cat in hand, and opened it. She turned back to him.

“Goodnight.”

And she left. The spot where he’d kissed her tingled all the way back to her quarters.