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You say "*quietly* Tarrant? Are you awake?" into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "*sounding sheepish and with half a
yawn* All too recently, but yes, awake. I'm sorry for crashing like that. It
was unbearably rude." in Tarrant's voice.
You say "It's quite all right. If you are tired, of course you should sleep.
There's no need to worry about rudeness in that--not with me." into the
communit.
Your communit crackles to life and blares "I think I managed to half-catch up
on sleep." in Tarrant's voice.
You say "That is wonderful. Sleep is always good. *pause* There's actually a
reason I am calling, other than to check on whether you were awake. I am
thinking about having dinner, and wondered if you would like to join me."
into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "I'd love to do so, certainly. Name the when and where and I shall present myself." in Tarrant's voice.
You say "I was thinking of my quarters? And please come up whenever you like, the rest of my day is free, thank goodness." into the communit.
Your communit crackles to life and says "I'll be up there in a jiffy, then, if you'll pardon me just a moment to get cleaned up first." in Tarrant's voice.
You say "But of course. Take your time, cha'trez." into the communit.
Someone's knocking on the door. Maybe it's Tarrant. (If you like, you can
'reply <words>'.)
Corian calls, "Come in."
Tarrant enters from the Elevator Lounge.
Tarrant has arrived.
Corian comes out from the kitchen area, offering you a somewhat tired smile.
From the smell of it, she's recently put some of that vegetable stew into the
warmer. "So how was your rest?" she inquires.
Tarrant pads in, still looking perhaps less than awake, but he's trying. From behind his back he pulls several yellow daffodils keeping company with cornflower blue frosted flowers. (That sounds like a breakfast cereal for rabbits.) "Good, it was a good thing. Rest perhaps is something you could use as well, love. You look tired. Radiantly beautiful, but tired."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Corian smiles brightly at the flowers, and she's not even a rabbit. "Oh, they are lovely, thank you. Let me find some water for them." After a bit of rummaging, she comes up with a vase, cleanly carved of the ironwood of which her father is so fond. "And I am tired, yes--the meetings today were difficult. But I will go to bed early to make up for them."
Tarrant grins in a decidedly pleased fashion, "I'm glad you like them, I wanted to bring some sort of thank-you. And well, let's be honest, in the less than awake state I found myself in all I could think was... 'Corian's pretty, flowers are pretty. Pretty is good.'" He nods to that last, "That would seem to be a sound plan, certainly. Difficult meetings, anything troubling?"
Corian settles the flowers into the vase with a pleased smile, twitching them
into a pleasing arrangement. "It is nothing troubling, no, merely
beauracracy--this new job, apparently, is causing some trouble. My current
employers are uncertain as to whether I will be able to handle the volume of
work with the additional responsibilities; those at the school have similar
concerns. And some of the children's parents don't know if they want a
relative unknown teaching their malleable younglings." She shakes her head,
looking somewhat amused. "They continued the discussions after I left. We
will see what the morrow brings." And then the warmer pings, so that she can
end this spammy pose by going to get the food.
Tarrant follows a couple of steps to the kitchen, so as to be able to offer
assistance if possible. "Ahhh, so they caught onto your plan of warping all
the small children into being evil overlords who would stalk the land and
ravage what they found. Darn. Is there a plan b?"
Corian blinks for a moment, then dissolves into quiet laughter. "Actually, plan B is now in effect. I am trying to appear as meek and innocuous as possible, in the hopes that they will not become overly suspicious." After she notices your presence, she suggests, "If you get the bowls from the warmer, I can pour the tea?" See? Asking for help isn't that difficult.
Tarrant nods amiably to that, moving to take the bowls from the warmer. "Ahh, sneaking up on them, it sounds like a sound plan." Winking, he emerges from warmer rummaging with the bowls. "Seriously though, are perhaps some of their concerns sound? Not as to warping the chillu...kids, but as to the work load."
Corian murmurs something about covert operations, doing the aforementioned
pouring. "I do not believe they are," she adds, rummaging for spoons as well.
"I would be doing somewhat less translation, and working with the children
only three afternoons each week. I have worked longer hours in the past, on
quite a few occasions."
Tarrant heads with the bowls to the area in which eating has occured in the past, settling them onto the table. "Well then, let us hope that they come to a favorable decision then, and not inflict more meetings upon you."
Corian trails along behind you. "More meetings would be really quite bad," she says, setting down the glasses and the spoons. "Yesterday was bad enough, but today was somewhat worse, even with the break in the middle. All the talking, in half a dozen different languages--it was most unpleasant."
Tarrant shakes his head in a sympathetic gesture, "It sounds downright
miserable. Early to bed is sounding like a better idea all the time for you,
love. Lots of warm blankets and some sleep."
Corian nods as she perches lightly on her side of the couch. "I am most
definitely going to go to bed early tonight, yes." She spoons lightly at the
stew, apparently considering the vegetables before she actually eats them.
"But I have no meetings scheduled for tomorrow--yet--which is some
consolation."
Tarrant takes up his own bowl and spoon, settling back to sit politely, but
still lean into the back of the couch. "Is there any way to avoid them being
scheduled? Do you ever get days off?"
Corian explains, with a rueful little smile, "The meetings pertain to the teaching job, so I should likely try not to avoid them. They should not be happening for much longer. And I get days off, of course. My schedule is, for the most part, very flexible. Very little of what I do is urgent, after all." She finally eats the stew, but slowly, savoring each bite.
Tarrant takes a bite of his own stew, looking rather pleased. "Amazing stuff," he murmurs. He nods, "Okay, avoiding meetings is bad, yeah. That's of course assuming you want the teaching job. Still, some time off soon might be good."
Corian nods agreeably to that. "Some time off would be nice. I wasn't going to
go in until tomorrow afternoon, so that perhaps I can recover from these past
few days." She rubs lightly at her eyes before taking another bite, murmuring
something that sounds like it's in Edrilac.
Tarrant regards you, his expression one of concern. "As soon as they finish off these meetings then, you should take a day, or two. Catch up on all that missed sleep. Relax, do nothing that means anything."
Corian pokes at a carrot in her stew. Looking up to meet your gaze, she says calmly, "I did not miss that much sleep, cha'trez. I went to bed well before midnight last night. Though that does sound rather pleasant."
Tarrant resumes the consumption of his stew, nodding. "Sometimes it's not just
missed sleep though that makes people tired. It's been a hectic week. A day
off just to do nothing's always nice."
Corian pauses a beat, then nods. "Of course, it most certainly is. And I will
take the opportunity for that, should it present itself. If I weren't being
considered for this job, I would take tomorrow off." She chuckles quietly,
shaking her head. "Of course, if I weren't being considered for this job, I
likely would not be so tired."
Tarrant grins at that, finishing off most of his stew and settling the bowl
aside. "A lot of things work in circles like that. The idea is to keep an eye
out for the crack and hop out of the circle when the opportunity presents
itself."
Corian, after scooping up a few more bites of her own, sets aside her bowl as
well, taking up the tea instead. "Well, perhaps the opportunity will present
itself tomorrow," she murmurs thoughtfully. "In any event, I will certainly
make an attempt to take it easy."
"Sounds sensible," Tarrant smiles at you rather fondly, "And hey, if you do get
some time off tomorrow, and feel like wandering at all, you can come make fun
of me and Gardner and construction 101."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Corian brightens somewhat at that. "Did you get the permit, then?" she
inquires. "I was uncertain. Clara was wondering about the progress of the
treehouse, but I wasn't quite sure about it."
Tarrant nods amiably, grinning as he takes a sip of his tea. "Yeah, it was
really relatively simple. It turns out the person we needed to get it from
has kids. Nothing could've been easier."
Corian ahs quietly, her expression one of amused understanding. "How perfect.
And you'll be starting tomorrow?" She sets aside her glass as well, shifting
her position to a more comfortable one. "That should be an adventure,
certainly."
Tarrant nods to the question, holding his glass in both hands, balancing it. "That's our current plan, yeah. He doesn't have as much time as I do, so we're going to work on it as much in one day as we can." He grins, nodding, "It should be a riot. But still, it'll be worth it."
Corian's lips quirk at that. "I will definitely try to make it out to the park,
then. But do be careful, all right? Even the lowest branches of that tree are
rather high, after all."
"I will," Tarrant nods, although with a hint of a grin. "I come from a long line of tree climbers. Besides, the first thing we'll build will be the platform, and then the rest of the work will be from that."
Corian looks rather reassured by that, pillowing her head against the couch,
but in a position where she can still watch you. "That is good, very good. It
will make it much less likely that you or Gardner will fall quite so far."
Her hand makes its way towards yours, but pauses, coming to rest on the couch
instead. Too far, oh, the horror.
Tarrant settles his glass on the table, shifting closer at the abortive attempt at reaching, bringing over his own hand as well. "And we'll be being careful. I have no desire to fall out of a tree. It's humiliating."
Corian echoes the closer-shifting, ending up right next to you, and takes your
hand. "And it seems potentially painful as well. It seems that you have
broken and battered yourself enough, recently."
Tarrant smiles in an entirely delighted fashion as you echo his movement, shifting up the other arm rather tentatively across the back of the couch. "Enough to be well reminded to avoid such a situation, certainly. I'm sure we'll be fine, well, aside from the occasional whacked thumb, which last I checked was not a deadly injury, although I wouldn't swear in court to that."
Corian chuckles very quietly at that, settling lightly against you. She's tired
enough to rest her head against your, even. "I do believe that you are
correct, assuming that you do not whack your thumb hard enough to break it.
That, after all, is most deadly."
Tarrant gently shifts the arm down so that instead of simply being across the
couch, it is around you. He's altogether gentle, but he's trying to be
comfortable and comforting. "I think I can try to avoid that as well.
Especially since we've decided to primarily use screws and drills and all.
Screws are sturdier, and we want this to last."
Corian doesn't shy away from the presence of your arm, and, in fact, offers you
a quick smile. "Having it last would be good, yes. I am sure that the
children would appreciate that--will appreciate that. Are you going to use
wood?"
Tarrant all but melts at the smile, echoing it with a delight tinged shy one of
his own. "Yeah, well for some parts. Pressure treated and coated with a
plasticine paint. For other parts we'll use plas-steel and all. Everything in
bright colors."
Corian nods to that, expression thoughtful. "Of course, of course. It would not
be a true Sectassian treehouse without the bright colors. That sounds just
perfect. The children will love it."
"We left some bits out of my original idea, as we didn't want any of the kids
getting hurt." Tarrant sounds remarkably contented, but then who can blame
him? Considering where he is and with whom? "And it'll be fun. Especially at
night in the rain."
Corian's sigh is rather contented as well, if somewhat tired as well. "That
will be just wonderful. I do enjoy being out in the rain, but part of that is
the sound, and the feel of the air. Enjoying that without getting wet would
be pleasant."
"I'd have to agree with that last. I think though, I'd best acquire a raincoat at some point." Tarrant chuckles quietly, "Or else, with the frequency of drenching storms here, I'm never gonna get out of the building."
Corian inclines her head to that. "A raincoat would be useful, certainly," she murmurs, sounding alert still though she lets her eyes close, quite relaxed. "I have most definitely gotten quite a lot of use out of mine."
Tarrant is in a lesser known spot of heaven, and although you cannot see it, he
is grinning in an entirely lovesick and bemused manner. His voice lowers just
a bit, "Considering my aversion to being doused with cold water at random,
yes. And then I can go puddle hopping with you."
Corian chuckles very quietly at that, though her eyes are still closed. You're
comfortable, after all. "Did the children tell you that I like to jump in
puddles? I do hope that you did not witness my puddle hopping. It is somewhat
undignified."
"Dignity shmignity, and to be honest, I didn't know you were a puddle jumper, I
was just meaning figuratively, considering your taste for rain." Tarrant is
trying to be comfortable, trying to make his words quiet and soothing.
"Puddle hopping is a good thing. What's the use in being all grown up if you
can't be childish once in a while?"
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Corian opens one eye to smile at you, then closes it once more. "Oh, I can be
childish with the best of the children. I just would rather that the rest of
the universe did not know that. But it's all right if you know. You would
find out soon enough, I suppose."
"I won't tell, then. I can keep secrets, promise." Tarrant assures softly, voice lowered still further at the concept of secrecy. "That I can do. Dignified I probably couldn't manage. But secrets, that I can do."
Corian doesn't quite yawn, but comes close to such a gesture. "Good," she murmurs. "Thank you, cha'trez. I knew I could trust you with my horrible secret." Her tone is one of tired amusement. "Though Xalin's older brother was not quite so discreet. He announced it in Medbay, quite some time ago."
"Miz Clara wouldn't tell either. Now, for the rest of them, I couldn't say."
Tarrant's accent is perhaps a half hair richer, almost a drawled purr, soft
and rumbling. "I don't know about -horrible- however. I think it's a
wonderful secret."
Corian, for a moment, almost purrs, herself. She -likes- that accent. "It is
wonderful that I like to jump in puddles with small children, and get my feet
wet?" Her inquiry is quiet, and a bit more drowsy.
"Exactly," Tarrant replies quietly, a decided smile audible in his tone. "It
means you know how to enjoy life, instead of simply living it. Sometimes kids
have the right way of things."
Corian lifts her head so that she can look at you, cloudy gray eyes somewhat
fogged with sleep. She returns the smile, looking decidedly content.
"Sometimes they do, you are quite right. And that is why I would like that
job--I would enjoy it, because of the children."
Tarrant gently hugs you with the arm he has wrapped around you, "A good reason
for you to get the job. So many people wish merely to make adults of
children, which is backwards."
Corian smiles at that, resting her head against you once more. "Children rarely
have enough time to be children," she murmurs. "Why make them be adults too
soon? They should enjoy their childhood."
"Exactly," Tarrant agrees with a quiet chuckle, "Elsewise they become terribly
unhappy adults, as they never learned to be kids."
Corian does yawn, this time, though you might not be able to see the gesture.
"At least the parents seem to agree with that," she murmurs. "Most of them
seemed honestly interested in whether their children would be having fun if I
became their teacher."
"Perhaps you should get some rest, dearheart," Tarrant murmurs quietly, his tone still carefully soothing. "So tomorrow does not come so hard."
Corian nods to that. "I should get some rest," she echoes, with another muffled yawn. "I am rather tired, yes. The second crash is going to hit soon, I am afraid, and I will not be able to stay awake once it does."
Tarrant shifts to plant a gentle kiss atop your head. "And as much as I would
simply love to sit here and hold you while you sleep, I doubt it'd be
comfortable for your back."
Corian lifts her head once more, gray eyes holding wistfulness and uncertainty
besides the tiredness. Did you just kiss her? She's a little too tired to be
altogether certain. "Well," she says slowly, voice decidedly hesitant.
"You... you could stay."
Is that a little bit of hope? It certainly is. Tarrant nods to that slowly,
"I'd like that, if you wouldn't mind." His own expression is quite wistful as
well.
"You could stay," Corian repeats, sounding a little less hesitant. "Clara
said..." She shakes her head before adding, "Today was somewhat less than
pleasant. I would rather not be alone tonight. Please... I would like it very
much if you would stay."
"And I would like very much to stay, so I think we have a simple solution to
this. I will stay." Tarrant brings up his hand, gently brushing fingertips
along the line of your jaw. "I am sorry however that your day was less than
pleasant."
Corian smiles brightly at your response. "Good. That is wonderful. Thank you,
cha'trez. And my day has gotten much better, in the past few hours--much,
much better."
Tarrant seems somewhat disinclined to remove his arm from around you, but he
has to at last, so you can go to bed and all. His reluctance is obvious
however. "I am glad I have been able to be of some help. I do so enjoy being
with you."
Corian smiles warmly at that. "And I enjoy being with you as well. That is
rather convenient, yes?" She gives your hand a gentle squeeze, before getting
to her feet.
Tarrant remains seated on the couch however, despite his rather wistful expression. "It certainly is. But then sometimes things work out that way."
Corian regards you for a moment, then inquires slowly, taking on a hint of hesitancy once more, "Did you wish to sleep on the couch, cha'trez? I thought..." Well, no, she doesn't voice that thought.
Tarrant climbs to his feet in a smooth move, nothing sudden, not wishing to
startle you. "I'd assumed, considering previous arrangements... I am by no
means attached to the idea of sleeping on the couch, changing plans is
certainly possible."
You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.
Corian gives you a rather shy smile. "Thank you. I... well, I would rather not
be alone tonight."
Tarrant returns the smile, just as shy, rather hesitant as he reaches up a hand to your jaw again, fingers featherlight as he attempts to brush them against your face. He half shifts forward, as if to lean down to kiss you, a reflexive motion. "Then I would not leave you alone. Not for anything."
Corian stops. She doesn't move towards you, but neither does she move away from
you. She does smile, though, which is some encouragement. "Thank you," she
repeats softly, head lifting just a bit. "I am very glad that you are
staying."
Tarrant can't help it. If he gets smacked, he gets smacked. There are some things well worth getting smacked for. Hesitantly he bends down still further, attempting to gently kiss you, one hand still at your face.
Corian is kind, she doesn't smack you. Of course, she doesn't do much in the
way of kissing back, either, but a lot of that could be because she's gotten
smacked upside the head with the tiredness brick. Hey, as long as someone is
getting smacked. She looks maybe a bit surprised, but definitely not
displeased. A slow smile lighting her face, she says softly, "And so the day
gets better."
Tarrant straightens back up, looking rather sheepish, "I'm sorry, I just rather wanted to do that." Oh my, he reddens so festively. "Rest, you should rest."
Corian says softly, her smile warming, "You should not apologize for that. But... yes, rest, rest is an excellent idea." Of course, it's a few moments longer before she actually turns to head past the screen.
Tarrant turns slightly, watching as you head past the screen. After a pause he takes a step as if to follow, not entirely certain he's supposed to, but not wishing to offend if he is. In the end he pads along afterwards.
And you are met with a smile, so apparently you were supposed to follow. She
regards the bed for a moment, and a hint of her hesitation returns--though
the bed is a double, and big enough for two, especially when one sleeps as
compactly for Corian. She asks slowly, "Do you have a particular side that
you prefer?" Aiee, oh no, a decision!
Tarrant would probably get in trouble if he answered, 'Whichever side you're
on'. Instead he simply shakes his head. "No, I don't, either's fine with me.
I'm going to be more than happy either way."
That would probably make Corian flee, yes. She's close to that as it is. But she's also tired, and so picks a side at random and slides under her covers. "All right, then," she says, with a tentative smile.
Tarrant sits on the other side of the bed, carefully tugging off boots and
vest. He gestures at the lights, dimming them down, and then carefully
clambers into the bed as well with a quiet yawn. With a tired, but pleased
sigh, he murmurs, "Nice bed."
Corian turns so that she's facing you, curling up on one side. "I had to
interview quite a few before I found one I liked," she murmurs, tone wearily
jesting. She's in bed, she's fading very fast. "Learned how to interview beds
and couches at a furniture convention."
"Bet all the hotels were taken," Tarrant replies, sleepy himself. "G'night
love, sweetest dreams."
Corian murmurs a vague agreement, with a short laugh. "Sleep well, cha'trez,"
she adds, all but asleep. "Dream sweetly." And at that, she's out, fast
asleep.
Tarrant takes a moment more to fall asleep, as he's too pleased with the world,
but comfortable and happy he drifts off at last.