[Room 1001]

[2goodarms]

Curtis is getting better at remembering they have unfettered access to water. He still forgets to shower sometimes, but when he does remember, he makes up for it by indulging for a good long while.

Sorry, Edgar. It's probably gonna be another forty-five minutes before you can get into the bathroom this morning.

Comments

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar's stretched on his hammock, finishing winding his handmade twine into a ball, occasionally whistling idly. Every so often he throws an amused glance at the bathroom door.

So long as the water's unmetered and doesn't run out, he's got no objections to lengthy showers.

[2goodarms]

Good thing Curtis isn't the type to sing in the shower. Or, well, ever. Edgar might have some objections then.

In a mark of true generosity, the water thumps off after twenty-five minutes. Curtis emerges five minutes after that, clad in an undershirt and pants, toweling off his hair as he moves to his hammock.

"All yours."

[hate_gettin_older]

"You left me some? Thanks ever so." Edgar grins as he shifts off his hammock and makes for the bathroom, dropping his ball of twine on the windowsill en route.

[2goodarms]

Feigning surprise, "Oh, did you want hot water?"

He swings the towel around his arm, scrubs it against his side to dry, and drops it in an unceremonious heap before grabbing his sweater.

[hate_gettin_older]

Mostly just to tweak Curtis a little, Edgar keeps his shower short -- after three minutes the water's off again, and after another five he emerges.

"So did Dejah tell you where we're supposed to meet her?" he asks, tugging on a clean t-shirt.

[2goodarms]

"At her place, I think? It's a couple floors up. If she's not there she's probably in the forge."

In deference to the weather -- which feels like it's been getting warmer lately -- Curtis leaves his jacket on the hammock. The hat comes with, though: he pulls it on as they head to the door.

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar grabs his jacket as he follows.

He hasn't been to Dejah's place yet, and frankly he's a little curious.

[2goodarms]

From the outside, it doesn't look much different from their own room. There's a flat, rectangular patch above the doorknob that looks smoother than the surrounding wood -- but other than that, it's another nondescript Milliways door just like their own.

Curtis knocks. "Hey, Dejah?" he calls.

No response. He exchanges a quick glance with Edgar, shrugs, and leans his palm above the doorknob as he waits to see if she'll answer.

Something whirrs, clicks. He jerks his hand back, staring, as the door swings open on its own.

[hate_gettin_older]

He looks up at Curtis, warily. "Is it supposed to do that?"

[2goodarms]

"I don't think so," he says, bewildered. Curtis gives the door a poke with two fingers, nudging it open another inch. "I mean, she's got it set up so she doesn't need a key, but -- "

He stops.

Shit. This is the Barsoomian equivalent of her giving him a key to her room, isn't it.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah hears the door and doesn't look up. "Just a moment..." She's got to get this core unit seated properly and it's a delicate job using just a long thin pair of tweezers. The core is half the size of a postage stamp and sits just above the unit's wrist joint.

The room is still as large as it was, but fully two thirds of the stuff that was in it before is gone. There's only one bookshelf now. Only one couch and one rug in front of the fire place. Her writing desk is still separate from her work bench, which is covered in the schematics and parts for the prostheses. Her desk only has two stacks of books on it. Her bed still dominates the far corner, with its silk drapes and full canopy. And the bath beyond doesn't look to have changed much either.

And on a small table beside the door, a simple kettle and two mugs on a tray with a plain cannister of tea.

"There." She turns to Curtis, beaming. "Good morning. And good morning to you, Edgar." She's dressed in a simple pair of khakis, a white sleeveless blouse that shows off her clan markings, and simple boots.

[hate_gettin_older]

... Edgar might be staring a little.

(At the room, not at Dejah.)

[2goodarms]

Yeah, he feels you, Edgar. Curtis'll give him a minute.

"Hey," he says, unconsciously returning the grin. "The, uh, door let us in. Sorry about that."

[dejah_thoris]

"No, that's quite all right. I keyed the door to your palm print. I believe I mentioned that before, didn't I?"

She does her best not to notice Edgar staring.

[hate_gettin_older]

It takes Edgar a moment to pull it together, but he manages admirably.

(What does she even do with all this stuff? All this space?)

"Anyway," he says with his best smile, "good morning."

[2goodarms]

"...You did?"

Sometimes, like now, the compartmentalizing backfires; Curtis honestly can't remember Dejah saying that. He blinks, but, like Edgar, pulls it together quickly enough.

"Never mind. How's it going?"

[dejah_thoris]

"It's going very well," she stands and carefully sets aside her tools, closing up the compartment she was just working on. That done, she moves to join them. When she's in reach, she holds out a hand to Curtis.

"Did you want to look around Edgar? I know you're curious." If his eyes were any wider, they'd fall out of his skull.

[hate_gettin_older]

He's about to decline, until his eye falls on her outstretched hand.

And instead he smiles again, innocently, and says "Why thanks, that's very kind."

[2goodarms]

Uh-huh. He knows that voice. He doesn't know why Edgar has that voice right now, but suffice to say he will be keeping a very, very close eye on him.

Curtis takes Dejah's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as his smile warms.

[dejah_thoris]

She leans in to brush a quick kiss against his cheek and then settles back, eyes bright.

"It's all right," she says. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I don't mind."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar wanders away through the vast expanse of the room, bending to peer at the fireplace, craning his neck to look at the sketches on the writing desk.

(Surreptitiously glancing back at Curtis and Dejah, every so often.)

[2goodarms]

He scoots closer to Dejah, settling next to her with their fingers still entwined.

Keeping his voice low, "You didn't stay up all night, did you?"

[dejah_thoris]

"No, I slept a few hours," she says, grinning from ear to ear. "I finished the core. Still have to run some diagnostics and then finish out the sensory network. Have you eaten today?"

She leans in as she asks, equally conspiratorial.

[2goodarms]

Oops, says Curtis' face.

Sheepishly, "Not yet? I will. I promise. Forgot to grab something before we came up here."

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah's chin drops and she raises an eyebrow. Her thumb caresses idle circles on the back of his hand.

"We can stop and pick something up on the way out. I haven't eaten yet either. And you can step away for a few minutes while you eat, and Edgar and I can eat together. Is that -- would that be all right?"