[DRP] The Second Hand Unwinds (Preacher & Chester)

[Smerdle]

french girls

He had avoided asking about the artwork, firstly because he'd been too timid to and then because of her hands. But now Chester was far less timid, at least about things like this, and Preacher's hands were healed. He tried to open nonchalantly, but he still sounded idiotic.

"So... you draw?"  

[Smerdle]

ready, set, go

Ever since Odal's note had arrived weeks ago, Chester had largely let his gym membership lapse in favor of bike rides, long walks, and doing magic. There had been other reasons too, namely that a lot of the treadmills and rowers really wanted to be something else and he wasn't about to start dismantling other people's property just to get them out of his head, but that would be easy enough to ignore in exchange for getting back in the swing of things.

He'd asked Preacher to teach him... whatever she did... and he was slightly afraid that it would be too much, that he would throw a kettlebell into a child's face or uppercut a soccer mom and that would be the end of everything. Ultimately, he had shown up because he'd realized he was being particularly stupid, but it was still a concern, however small. Still, it stood to reason that if they could change the fabric of the world again without anybody noticing, he could do very little to mess this up.  

[Smerdle]

john jacob jingleheimer schmidt

Chester had been over this proof at least eleven times, having moved past the surly glaring phase through the pen cap chewing one to arrive at the frustrated-fingers-through-the-hair climax. He had to take a break before he got to angry throwing or all was lost. He had only ever reached that point once, years ago, and it hadn't been pretty.

He turned to Preacher, blurting out the first question that sprung from the litany of things he eventually wanted to ask her.

"Do you have a middle name?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

ready, set, go

Preacher grinned up at Chester. It was highly tempting just to jump in and throw a lot of kicks and stuff at him. "Well, we gotta stretch out first. I do some kickboxin', but ********, muay thai is dirtier n' better. D'you wanna learn some o' that or like a reg workout?" She was so going to bully him into running with her. (Maybe it would help keep her more consistent, too.)

She bounced on the balls of her feet. They had co-opted a classroom that wasn't currently in use at her gym and was also blessedly free of people. Usually, Preacher had to skulk about and glower until one of the yoga infested rooms freed up. "Coulda prob'ly did this at home, but I bet I'd break somethin'."  

[The Semblance of Unity]

french girls

She swung her legs idly at the kitchen table. "Yea, I draw. Did I never show ya tha s**t?" Preacher most definitely had not shown him and she knew that. Feeling oddly apprehensive about it, she tapped her palms on her bare thighs. (Her shorts were jean cutoffs that she never, ever wore outside, but here it was okay.)

"Did ya wanna see?"  

[The Semblance of Unity]

broken

"Hey," she said, leaning against his door jamb after having cracked his door. "Hypothetic'ly, what would ya do if one ya mechanical beasties broke?" Hypothetically, she repeated in her head. Her arms were clasped behind her back.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

john jacob jingleheimer schmidt

She hoped he wouldn't notice, but she'd been sneaking glances at Chester's epic face journey for some time. That pen cap surely wouldn't survive - a casualty of the war. Preacher blinked at his question.

"Yep, it's Chester." Her lips twitched; this was an obvious lie. Reaching over, she pushed some of his messy hair into a semblance of his regular style. It was kind of difficult; he was tall and she was not, and Preacher wasn't even sure what had possessed her to do so.

"I know ya got one. C. N. P. What is it - nyquil, neighbor, never without m'permission?" Actually, she still had his little business card tucked away in a drawer upstairs, although she hadn't looked at it in some time.

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[Smerdle]

ready, set, go

"Breaking things was definitely a concern of mine," Chester admitted. "But it wasn't you doing it, it was me." He smiled, shaking his head. "Since we're the only things here that can break, let's try muay thai." 'Dirtier and better' sounded enticing. Scary, but enticing.  

[Smerdle]

french girls

"I do." He didn't add the 'only if you want to show me' that he was tempted to, mostly because he really did want to see. Even if she refused, he didn't want to seem wishy washy about it.  

[Smerdle]

broken

"Hypothetically?" Chester asked with only the barest inflection. He wanted to tease, but he didn't want her to think he was mad. "I'd cry a lot, probably."

He turned toward the door. "No, seriously. I would just fix it." A slow smile crept across his face as he watched her. "Why do you ask?"  

[Smerdle]

john jacob jingleheimer schmidt

He laughed, his math anger fading as she brushed at his hair. His default reaction in this sort of situation had always been awkward internal panic, but now he just felt warm, happy, and yes, fine, maybe a little embarrassed for feeling those first two things. It was a cycle of shameful self-awareness that he wasn't sure it was possible to break.

"That is quite the coincidence." He raised his eyebrows like this was news that belonged in a scientific journal somewhere. "Mine is Nicholas, for a family friend. Average and boring."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

french girls

She looked at him for a long moment, clearly trying to think if he could possibly have any ulterior motives. Preacher couldn't think of anything so she slid from the stool to go rummage up her most recent sketchbook.

"Does this mean ya gonna let me draw ya?" She pulled it free from a bag, carefully keeping the loose papers in it. It was clearly old and worn. Preacher hadn't bought a new one in a very long time and older drawings had newer drawing in the space around them. She tossed it at Chester and pulled out her phone to fiddle with it nervously.

"Court stuff's in tha back."

Quote:

realism style, lots of sketched portraits from people watching, a picture of gloom's in there, of people she knows, court architecture, something that suspiciously looks like just the collar/chest area of chester's court outfit that one time etc

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

ready, set, go

"Wellll, ya can't break me, though you can try." She winked at him, then dropped into the base stance for Muay Thai and kicked his legs apart a bit.

"Copy me - legs close, but not tagether - one in front, 'kay?" Preacher reached out and grabbed his arms, sliding her hands down to his. She curled them into fists and pulled them up near his face. "Like that. N' ya always, always kick with ya shin, 'less y'aimin' for tha stomach." Low kicks, mid kicks, high kicks - which she couldn't ******** do on Chester, damn his height. "Try ta punch me."  

[The Semblance of Unity]

broken

"Oh damn. Here I was hopin' I'd get ta see ya dissolved in tears and get ta pile on that comfort." She was clearly still guilty as ********, but trying to joke her way out of it.

Slowly, she brought her hand out in front of her. "I... mighta been... maybe.... doin' stuff and 'e just... fell over. Splat." The doing stuff had, of course, involved dicking around with the little machines, but she didn't feel like owning up to it. Her eyes were a weird mixture of grey and orange, although she refused to meet his.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

john jacob jingleheimer schmidt

Her eyes were a flash of pink and she grinned. "Quite the coincidence, indeed." A laugh sputtered out of her. "Nah, I ain't got one n' it costs money ta add one. Maybe if I ever trick someone into gettin' hitched, I'll change it then - think it's free then. Though I don think it'll happ." Although she had no idea if a person could add names then, or if it only worked for last name shenanigans.

"I'd say Nicholas suits ya, 'cept you'd think it was me callin' ya average n' boring, but it ain't. St. Nick. If ya could change ya name, would you?"

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