Jun 05 07:04:23 106 PA - Vixen Pours Her Heart Out
From Chronicles
The current game time is: Sun Jun 05 07:04:23 106 PA.
Maya gives him a glance, her lips pressed together, eyes brighter than perhaps is normal but she is gone before Leonard could comment, turning her back on him and walking out of the deli, her chin lifted, her back straight, oblivious to those around her. She is hugging her coat to her, her umbrella left behind, forgotten, lying flat on the chair where she sat.
Vixen comes up to the Deli with cig between fingers and a relaxed mood displayed. And amid the lunch group. But as she enters? Maya? Getting a load of the look, Vixen shifts to the side, letting her go without a word. Her brow furrowed just a little. After a moment she moves around to enter herself, though her attention lingers back a bit. That'll come clear later, surely. So her attention turns forward and she spies Leo. Clearer. She considers him idly as she starts towards the counter itself. She is here for food, after all.
Leonard appears decidedly unhappy, although whether that is of any great concern to the world at large is quickly becoming dubious. His partially-devoured sandwich is picked up once more and a bite taken to be chewed with both extra gnashing of teeth and the scowl of pastrami failing to remove the bitter aftertaste.
Vixen doesn't draw attention to herself, though she does watch Leo from afar as she filters through the line. Her lips pursed faintly, expression thoughtful. A simple, well loaded sandwich being her chosen delight of the moment. And once she has it, she goes over to Leo's table. She lays her sandwich down on the table then drops into Maya's place, considering Leo. "So what happened?" Asked with a measure of neutrality in her tone and expression. The umbrella shifted aside, but kept close. It'll show up in Maya's room later today.
Leonard only reacts as the sandwich hits the table, his attention finally pulled outward and to Vixen. He observes her relocation of the umbrella to sit, exhaling a sigh before giving a reply. "Very little. Simply making more acquaintances. It's utterly amazing how quickly some can change, isn't it?" His tone is firmly in the hazy realm of wearily-bluned sarcasm.
"There's always a reason," Vixen opines, eyeing him. "Maybe it ain't always clear as day and simple, but there is. That's usually been your problem the way I see it, Leo. You don't understand things. Which is fine, everyone has times they don't understand.. but then you don't try and figure it out when you don't. You dig a little, but when the going gets tough you back off and take the easy path." She casually unwraps her sandwich as she states as much, the two sharing a 'friendly' little lunch.
Rasputin comes walking up from the basement, a soft tune on his lips as he humms along to himself. He is carrying a wooden box, with various burlap sacks stacked inside of it. He nods to the lunch crew, as he goes over to the large sink behind the counter and begins to work. Apparently, he is cleaning up some potatoes, corn, and other vegetables. He hums to himself as he works, paying the customeres little mind.
"With the gracious assistance of my acquaintances," Leonard notes with a gradually firming tone, "I'm beginning to understand a great deal. The fact that there is no easy path would be a noteworthy example." His hands lift and spread in a gesture of reveal. "Are you proud, yet?" Weariness begins to lose to sarcasm.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Leo. You mean am I glad you're miserable? Part of me is, I guess. Cause how do you think I've been feeling lately? There's a certain vindictive pleasure that maybe you feel like I've been feeling. But part of me is just sad cause despite it all, part of me still likes you. And part of me hoped that maybe you might come after me." Vixen shrugs then, starting into her sandwich.
Rasputin contines to clean the vegetables. He humms softly to himself, the tune slowly filters out into the rest of the deli. The words can't be heard, but it is a soft ballad seems to be about lovers lost and hearts broken. Of course, it has a soft Russian uptick about how such is life and things like that are to be expected. Damn those Russians. Rasputin finishes quickly enough, and moves over to a large cutting board. With quick flicks of his wrists he begins to chop and dice up these vegetables.
Well, that's ...different. Leonard's knack for having his intentions misinterpereted may have taken some pity on him. Then again, given the discussion that left Vixen with an extra umbrella, most everything has become suspect. Either way, the growing wit deflates. "I did offer to pursue, and you adamantly declined, Vixen. There may be no easy path, but if you throw enough obstacles in the way..." His shoulders roll. "I simply wore myself out."
"You fought once. At a bad time for me," Vixen puts in. "And when it got rough, you gave up and quit." She looks at him firmly. "Ran away. Like you said you don't anymore. If you don't think I'm worth sticking it out for, then how much am I really worth to you, Leo? And to what end if I came back with you? How many girls have you been doing?"
Rasputin clips his knives a few times as he cuts up the vegetables. He seems to enjoy his work to a great deal. The slow ballad changes over to something a little more snappy, almost happy. He finishes with his work, he puts it all into small containers for later use. Then goes over and begins to wash all of his knives, cutting board and hands.
"My sex life seems to be the topic of the hour." A snort announces the return of snarky Leonard as Vixen continues to hold his attention over those washing knives. So long as the sharp objects are out of her reach, they're not an issue. "One. An additional half if you wish to include some interrupted play. How is it that /I/ ran away when you made the decision and left? Everyone was perfectly content so long as I smiled and nodded and did little else. The moment I stop, friends seem to become acquaintances." Another roll of his shoulders. "More confirmation for you, and I'm getting less convinced that your decision was for the worse. "
"Did I say I want you to smile and nod and do little else? I wanted you to be strong. I told you I liked it when you countered me that time. I wanted us to be equals. Not you being lesser." Vixen frowns deeply. "In the end, while maybe I've disagreed with you on a lot, I've only asked one thing out of you. One thing. To be faithful. But I was even somewhat willing to bend on that towards the end. Stupid, maybe, but stupid me I liked you. I didn't want to lose you by being too clingy. Part of me still likes you despite all this shit, cause if it didn't, knowing what you're out there doing wouldn't hurt as much as it does. But I guess you don't care. You're feeling no pain I guess.." she starts wrapping her sandwich again, with barely a bite taken thus far.
Rasputin thoroughly cleans up the cutting board and knives. Then puts it all back on the counter to dry. He runs sharpening steel along the blades a few times, with a *slick* *clack*, *slick* *clack*. Then puts them away. He looks around for what other prep work needs to be done. Finding none, he says something with the current person working on shift. He smiles and grabs a pitcher of water and a pot of coffee. Then begins to rewater and recoffee people. He makes small talk with the tables, and moves on. Finally he reaches the heated discussion of lovers lost... "Dobryj den! Would either of you be wantink more cafe or waterink?"
And so the cookie crumbles, right along with Leonard. Apparently Vixen's best policy of honesty is not as hypocritical as he had begun to believe. There is still emphasis, but it isn't entirely harsh. "No pain?! Of all the things you took with you, that wasn't one of them. If you're so worried that I've filled your shoes, I haven't. I can't even fill the hole you decided to leave, and not for lack of trying." The loosed tirade ends in a sigh. "It would be if you despised me, or I you."
"No, Leo. I don't despise you," Vixen tells him. "At least, not when I'm thinking instead of ranting. But I can't trust you.. not yet. And the more you do what you do, the less I can. The more I will hurt and the stronger that irrational hate will be because instead of trying to fight for me, you're turning away. Running away because I'm not worth it to you." She rises, gathering up her sandwich a long with Maya's left umbrella. "I'm not going to tell you to come after me. I'm not going to fall back into your arms in a moment. It won't be that easy. I want you to show me how much I mean to you. To convince me I'm your one and only. That I can make you mine without reservations or fear. Maybe I'm asking too much, but I can't ask for less. I can't let it be how it was, no matter how much I liked the times we spent. I can't not be selfish. I can't not want all of you and I can't not want to give you all of me in return. I hope you understand.. I really do." And then she turns, going as well. Though with less ire left in her wake. And Poor Ras ignored before the sudden outflow of heartfelt words.
Rasputin blinks as Vixen rises in front of him, and Leonard ignores him. He smiles a bit, and quietly moves to another table. The lunch crowd, of course, has all gone a little quiet as the heated conversation between Vixen and Leonard has become adictive as all get out. He moves along, giving more coffee and water to people. Then makes his way back behind the counter.
