a christmas dinner

[typed]

Paul’s door leads, as ever, to the houseboat. (A much improved houseboat in terms of cleanliness, we might add.) It opens out onto the living room, which is no longer a refugee camp for loose papers, but actually a living room. The coffee table at the center has a couple of rolls of wrapping paper on one side, and a few books on the other. The ashtrays and glasses that used to litter the surface are nowhere in sight.

There’s also a lamp on, which Paul neatly steps around as he makes his way across the room.

“So, um. It’s about a ten-minute drive from here,” he says, drawing a set of keys from his jacket pocket, and grabbing an umbrella from a stand by the front door (better safe than sorry – the rain’s been a bit on and off throughout the day).

“And by ten, I am considering traffic. Which shouldn’t be too big of an inconvenience.”

Comments

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"So long as you don't mind me stealing some of yours."

[untiedtheknots]

"Fare trade."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Wonderful."

Because that Pasta Pescatore is damn good.

[untiedtheknots]

"So...back to the desert island. Other than curry--and a boat--what's the one thing you'd want to bring with you?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Good question. If I said my typewriter, would that include paper and ink?"

[untiedtheknots]

Artemis gives it a moment's thought.

"Don't see why not."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Then I think I'd bring that. Writing's kept me - as much as I hesitate to use the word - sane so far, should work on a desert island."

[untiedtheknots]

"Hey, we've all got our comfort objects."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"And yours would be?"

[untiedtheknots]

"Probably my girls--my dogs."

Her bow is a close second, but she can build another. She can't build another set of them.

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"How many of 'em have you got?"

[untiedtheknots]

She grins.

"Six."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"They get along well?"

[untiedtheknots]

"Mhm, although they have had a while to practice."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

He snorts.

"A while?"

[untiedtheknots]

"...that is kind of an understatement, huh."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"You could put it that way."

He is most definitely not smirking.

[untiedtheknots]

Neither is she.

"And the understatements continue."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"... I feel like I should be following that up with an understatement, too."

[untiedtheknots]

"But then we might be understating things all night and then where would we be?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"At something resembling an impasse, probably, although I think it would largely depend on the kind of understatements being made."

[untiedtheknots]

Artemis mulls this over along with another forkful of pasta.

"Like a lesser or greater understatement? Say...an underpass versus spelunking?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

He nods, after a moment's thought.

"Kind of like that."

[untiedtheknots]

"Ah."


Shrimp.


"Just making sure we're on the same page."

Even if she does kind of suspect that the book itself was just hurled out the window of a moving train.

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

If it was a book to begin with.

"Because, I think, one extreme has the potential to turning into airy smalltalk, and the other into philosophical talk.