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]

"... 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.

[untiedtheknots]

At this point, it might have been origami.

"Which would you prefer?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

Very pretty origami.

"The latter?"

[untiedtheknots]

"Philosophy about the nature of understatement or something else?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"I'm not picky."

[untiedtheknots]

"Me neither.





Not sure if this is philosophy, but...what's your favorite thing to write about?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Crime beat is and will always be my thing," he says, without hesitation.

"So, I think it's a salient point. I mean, I can't imagine writing anything else. The crime beat - you get so involved with the people. It sucks you dry, but it's completely worth it."

[untiedtheknots]

"What do you like best about it?" she asks.

"Figuring out the puzzle, or telling the story?"

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"A combination of both."

Beat.

"Is that a cop-out?"

[untiedtheknots]

"Eh, don't think so."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"It's - true, though. I work the skin off my back trying to collect the facts, and putting them together for people to read - it's pretty damn rewarding."

[untiedtheknots]

"Sounds like it."

Artemis has always been partial to a good story.

"Taking something so disjointed and setting it all in a way that it makes sense, that everything flows..."

--is not too far from healing and the thought makes her pause very slightly when she reaches for her water glass.

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Best gig in the world," he says, possibly a little smugly.

(The pause, he catches - he's trained to see things like that, after all - but refrains from asking after it.)

[untiedtheknots]

She grins.

"Speaking as somebody who's tried a lot of gigs, I believe you."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"I could introduce you to the people over at the Chron," he says, jokingly.

"They hate me, sort of, but I bet they'd love you."

[untiedtheknots]

"How come?

Not that I don't think I'm completely loveable, but..."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"Because you're completely lova-- oh, you already took that one."

Smiling a little sheepishly, he rubs the back of his neck with his fork-less hand.

"In as few words as possible, and also - possibly the least well thought-through: you're one of the best people I know. If I thought I could go on without sounding like a suck-up, I would, really."

[untiedtheknots]

And cue blushing.

"Oh, is that all."

[averyhasagun.livejournal.com]

"I mean - I could go on. But I'd probably sound like a fifth grader."

And he is not turning red at all, what are you talking about.