Mairèad & Chadley: January 28

Chadley parks the bike and steps off. He looks down, grumbles something about sand, and half-runs over to her. It already seems like the whole situation is making him nervous. "I, uh. I got your letter back."

Mairèad says: Y'did? What 'appened wiff you an' yer stalker-girlfriend?
Mairèad grins up at Chadley, laying out some of his favorite foods on a checkered, though faded, picnic blanket. She's also set her sword aside for the time being.

Chadley sits. At a distance appropriate for friends. "Haven't seen her since. I'm thinking about just ignoring the problem and hoping it never makes itself apparent again."

Mairèad sets out a pitcher of pink lemonade and scoots closer to Chadley. Not too close, just closer than they are, because he is not dead and she is Mairèad. "Did she rilly lie t'Mr. Thomaston 'bout ha' you met?"

Chadley reaches out for a bread roll. It's just far enough away that he has to scoot a bit away from her to get it, so he does. He breaks it in half. "She did. Told him I saved her... Light knows- and Cecil knows- that I couldn't have done that."
Chadley smiles faintly as he spreads the butter. At least he knows he's pathetic.

Mairèad , meanwhile, reaches out for the cups on the other side of Chadley. Again, more scooting. She pours two glasses of lemonade, offering him one. "You'll git be'er. I mean...they're right, y'know yer attitude needs 'elp."
Mairèad says: But I know you, an' I know this's whatchoo always wan'ed. Yer gunna be a great palerdin, Chad.

Chadley 's shoulders slump a little bit for some reason, and he takes the cup. "My attitude doesn't need help, people just need to stop being idiots."

Mairèad shakes her head, drinking from her own glass and making a face at the lemonade. More sour than she likes. "Well, they do need t'stop bein' idiots, but yer attitude makes 'em more wanna be idiots. They jest do it t'git a rise outta you."
Mairèad says: But if you stop reactin' an' jest start bein' like " 'ey, I don' care..." then they'll git bored.
Chadley says: I've tried the ignore tactic with your friend Stehl. It doesn't work.

Mairèad says: Tha's 'cause 'e's retarded.
Mairèad says: An' 'e ent me friend.

Chadley takes a sip of the lemonade himself. It's hard to tell if he thinks it's too sour, because his expression is already stuck in a distasteful frown. "Who -is- he?"

Mairèad says: No idear. 'e's always on fire, though, an' 'e kills deaders an' cultists fer a livin'.
Mairèad says: If 'e din' 'ave such a bad attitude 'imself, 'e'd be brilliant, but as 'tis, I fink 'e's got special needs.

Chadley says: Maybe he's been hit in the head too many times. Or maybe all that fire's cooked his brains.
Chadley says: I feel kind of bad for him now.

Mairèad chuckles at this. Progress! She reaches for a roll herself and shifts position, somehow leaning even closer to Chadley, though not touching him. "See, thar y'go! If you keep that in mind when 'e's bein' obnoxious, it'll 'elp you t'not git so upset at 'im!"
Mairèad says: 'Leastwise tha's what Matteo Fuckin' Crowe tells me 'bout deaders.

Chadley says: What, just remember their brains are rotted and their souls are gone, so they can't use logic?

Mairèad says: Ezzackly. That an' rememb'rin' that they been through more'n you'r I could compare wiff. ...though I still try an' fry 'em if they got ghouls inna Cathedral. Or onna steps.

Chadley says: ... I'd not tolerate them within the city, personally.
Chadley says: Ghouls, I mean. Deaders, either, but what can you do.

Mairèad reaches over Chadley again, this time for a piece of fried chicken. Om nom. "Seersly. Wish they weren' allowed inna city, but I giss they be war 'eroes na'r sumfin'." She wrinkles her nose in distaste and sighs, leaning back against Chadley's shoulder and nomming chicken.

Chadley suddenly looks visibly uncomfortable, but doesn't scoot any further because that would put him in sand. "I don't trust them. Who knows what Arthas did to them. They could snap and attack any day."
Chadley says: I hate to sound paranoid, but it's not without basis in truth.

Mairèad nods her agreement, still crunching on chicken. "Tha's why they got guards inna Cathedral...but...oh Chad, y'shoulda seen it t'ovver day! I was tryin'a be respec'ful an' git this deader t'take 'is ghoul outside, an' errybody yelled a'me!"
Mairèad says: 'e 'ad a ghoul inna -Cathedral- an' errybody yelled at -me-. What the fuck!

Chadley says: The Cathedral Square's become nothing but a beacon for brain-addled undead, loose women, troublemakers, criminals, and feral wolf-men.
Chadley says: That doesn't surprise me.

Mairèad says: Dun' surprise me neither. Jest...nngh. Ha're y's'posed t'practice respect on 'em when they're so...-like tha'-?!
Mairèad leans back enough that she can look up at Chadley. Her face now somewhat resembles his. Deaders suck, man.

Chadley says: ... Ehh. My dad always told me that I only should respect people that have earned it.
Chadley says: Looking back, that's kind of a weird thing for a paladin to say.
Chadley says: But I agree.

Mairèad says: ...said the same fin' t'me t'ovver day.
Mairèad stops looking at Chadley and stares out over the beach, silently nomming her chicken still.

Chadley stops drinking his lemonade mid-sip and his gaze slides over onto her. Not putting the cup down, he says, "What."

Mairèad says: Yer dad talks t'me. Or the corpse what were yer dad. 'e ent bad, fer a corpse wivvout feelin's.'
Mairèad says: Leastwise -'e- knows 'is place.

Chadley shudders. He puts the cup down and picks up a piece of chicken. He begins to tear strips off of it into even pieces and sticks them between the pieces of a halved roll. "I'm sorry."

Mairèad says: Ent s'bad. You'd be surprised...erry time 'e finks 'a you, 'e lights up like i's Win'er Veil.

Chadley bites into his sandwich, talking as he eats, "Yeah. He's dead. They're shiny. They do that. Light up."
Chadley swallows. "Said yourself they don't have feelings."

Mairèad says: They don'. I fink i's jest instinct that 'e remembers from bein' alive. 'skinna nice when y'consider...well. Nevarrrmind. Don' rilly wanna fink 'bout dads t'day.
Mairèad leans back against Chadley again, tugging the last bits of meat off the bone of her drumstick before pitching it to the side like the classy lady she is.

Chadley snorts. "Instinct, right. You- hm? Have you spoken to your, uh... dad again?"
Chadley says: I mean, no-- sorry. You didn't want to talk about it.
Chadley tries to shrug her off of him.

Mairèad sits up, less because he's shrugging her off and more because she wants more food. "Talked to 'im t'ovver night. 'e din' stick 'round fer long an' jest wan'ed t'know if 'e needed t'give me any money."

Chadley says: ... Nnh. What'd you say? Anything?

Mairèad says: Said 'e din' owe me nuffin'. An' walked away, 'cause fin's was gittin' crazy.
Mairèad takes a huge bite of roll and chews a bit balefully, going back to leaning against Chadley.

Chadley 's brow furrows and he tries to shrug her off again. "Do you consider that closure?"

Mairèad remains unshrugged off, biting off a bit more roll. "Fuck no, but I ent gunna keep chasin' 'im 'round Stormwind when 'e obvyussly dun' wan' anyfin' t'do wiff me."

Chadley leans forward to grab... the farthest thing away he can, which is apparently the honey. He stretches out forward, which would probably cause her to have to sit up, and grabs it.
Chadley says: Guess not.
Chadley says: Anyway, I'm sorry.

Mairèad , rather than sitting up, falls sideways into his lap like a very talented person. She then actually sits up, blushing. "Ent yer fault. I nevarrrr 'spected 'im t'be an angel...'e's a pirate, not a 'ero like yer dad was."

Chadley does scoot a bit away at this, now almost in the sand. He jumps a little as he squeezes the honey and it practically explodes onto his sandwich.
Chadley says: ... I'd hardly consider him an angel, either.
Chadley sets the honey bottle aside and wets a napkin, trying to get it off his chain legguards.

Mairèad watches Chadley try and get the honey off of his armor with a slight frown. "Me neither. But...compared to me dad, I mean. S'diff'rnt."

Chadley says: ... Yeah. I think I know what you mean.
Chadley frowns as a piece of the napkin sticks and rips off instead of cleans the honey. He sighs.

Mairèad is finally fed up with Chadley's inefficient honey-removal. She grabs for a napkin herself and, wetting it with her tongue, starts working on the honey herself. "Lemme do that. Dads're weird, y'know? Mams ent. They make sense."

Chadley frowns deeper, holding out a hand to stop hers. "I can do it, Mair just-" He tries to take the napkin. "Gimme that."

Mairèad looks up at Chadley somewhat balefully and gives the bit of legguard a couple of firmer scrubs. "No, 's'a'righ'. I almos' got it anyway."

Chadley scowls and rests back on his hands. He looks out at the water and lets her scrub at it, figuring the less he argues the quicker it'll be over.
Chadley says: Fine.

Mairèad continues to scrub silently, finally managing to get the bulk of the honey off. "Thar. You'll hafta polish it when y'git back t'Redridge, but ovverwise, 's'good's new."

Chadley says: ... I could'a done that myself.

Mairèad tosses the balled up napkin at his head. "Yahar, but I did it faster."

Chadley blinks. The napkin bounces off his head and onto the blanket. "How is one supposed reach your desirable skill of honey cleaning if they're not given any opportunities to improve?"

Mairèad smiles winningly. "Well, first y'watch a master an' learn 'er techniques. Then she lets you start tryin'...on less impor'ent fin's, like 'er own armor...an' then, when yer good a'that, yer a master."
Chadley says: Oh. Well, I didn't watch.

Mairèad says: Could show you agin.

Chadley says: I think it's clean.

Mairèad wordlessly grabs the bottle of honey again and dabs a tiny bit on Chadley's thigh. "Not anymore."

Chadley says: ... Mair, what the fuck.

Mairèad giggles, grabbing for another napkin and looking at Chadley with a devilish grin. "Ha're y's'posed t'learn anyfin' wivvout adversity, mm?"

Chadley says: Yeah, but you don't start trouble just to fix it!

Mairèad says: Whaddya fink trainin' is? Don' worreh, jest watch what I do, okie?
Mairèad takes another napkin and waits for Chadley to start watching.

Chadley falls into his trademark deadpan and stares at her.
Chadley says: -Fine-.
Chadley blinks at Shore Crawler.
Chadley stiffens... and then relaxes again as the crab wanders away.

Mairèad grins and wets the napkin again, leaning in and beginning to work on the new dab of honey. "Na', see, y'gotta make circles like this. Li'l ones, not big'uns. An' don' press down too 'ard, or yer napkin'll git stuck."

Chadley says: Okay. I get it. Give it here.

Mairèad raises an eyebrow at Chadley, stopping in her cleaning but not moving away. "A'righ', you give it a try, then, an' I'll watch."

Chadley snatches the napkin. He stares at the spot that's dirty from both honey and, worse, her spit. He folds the napkin in half and wets the new spot. He does exactly as she did, looking sour.

Mairèad watches the entire process, smiling approvingly. "Rill good, Chad. Tha's ha' y'do it." She still doesn't move away from him; quite the opposite, she starts with the leaning again.

Chadley gets it about as clean as it'll get, and then slowly looks down and over at her. "You're leaning."

Mairèad is in fact. "Mmhm."

Chadley says: ... Can you not?

Mairèad sits up, frowning, clearly disappointed. She stares straight ahead and starts picking at a piece of dessert--red velvet cupcakes.

Chadley says: I- I'm sorry, I just... personal space...

Mairèad picks at the cupcake still. "I know. I jest've missed you s'all. Easier bein' meself 'round you, y'know?"

Chadley says: Um. I guess.
Chadley eats the last bite of his sandwich. This is awkward.

Mairèad says: Dontchoo 'ave a easier time bein' yerself 'round me?

Chadley says: I'm always myself.

Mairèad says: Wivvout people finkin' yer a bad fer it?

Chadley says: I don't care.

Mairèad sighs quietly and goes back to picking at her cupcake. "I'm sorreh. I din' mean t'make you uncomftubble. Jest...wan'ed t'day t'be like it used t'be, remember? 'afore we 'ad t'be grown-ups?"

Chadley says: ... Don't want to ruin your day. Sorry for being sour all the time. Didn't mean to not be fun.

Mairèad takes a second cupcake and hands it to Chadley as a peace offering. "Y'gotta right t'be uncomftubble. An' i's more yer day 'm worried 'bout bein' ruined."

Chadley takes the cupcake. He just... looks at it. "I am having fun." He says this in the tone someone would say, "I am in statistics class," but it's Chadley, so for all the world knows, he actually is.

Mairèad gives Chadley a wry half smile and takes a proper bite of her cupcake now, managing to get icing all over her face. "D'you like it 'ere? Thought it'd remind you 'a bein' 'ome."

Chadley is significantly more careful with his eating, managing to contain all of the icing in his mouth and not his face. "Hmf. These're good," he comments with a full mouth.
Chadley swallows. "And... we didn't have a beack at home, and it was more woodsy... but I like it here."

Mairèad says: I'm glad.

Chadley says: It's quiet.

Mairèad says: Yahar, 'tis. Chad?

Chadley looks at her, half-biting into the cupcake. "Hm?"

Mairèad takes another bite of cupcake and then, before she can change her mind about doing so, leans in and kisses Chadley lightly. She's almost cringing as she does so, as if expecting the inevitable freak out to come.
Mairèad kisses him on the cupcake. She is that talented.

Chadley drops the cupcake and scoots away. Way away, into the sand, with eyes wide. "Tch- the- you- Huh?!"

Mairèad actually does cringe now. Yep, exactly what she expected. "...y'droppped yer cupcake," she observes and takes another bite of hers. Her cheeks have gone horribly red.

Chadley lifts a hand and waves it from side to side. "Yeah, uh. No. No, ignore that. Go back to the part where- did you just -kiss me-?!"

Mairèad nods. Bites her cupcake again. Chews. Swallows. She is being way too quiet for herself.

Chadley brings his hand up to his mouth, fist clenched, and exhales sharply onto it. "Okay. Okay. Aha- uh." He looks like he might start laughing, of all things. "Why?"

Mairèad chews this particular bite of cupcake forty times before swallowing and speaking again, in a low, embarrassed voice. " 'cause I l- 'cause I like you."
Mairèad says: An' I jest wan'ed t'see if I still did...'cause i's been a while.

Chadley fumbles over several words for a moment, apparently changing his mind every time before saying something. Finally, he settles again on, "Why?!"

Mairèad finishes her cupcake and crumples up the wrapper, still not looking at Chadley. Instead, she picks up her sword from where she let it down. " 'Cause I kin be meself 'round you. You don' 'spect me t'be anyfin' ovver'n what I am."
Mairèad says: Y'know me be'er'n I know meself an' yer kinna...kinna me 'appy thought.

Chadley 's fingers dig into the sand and he bites his lip, straining to look directly at her and not just flee.
Chadley says: I-
Chadley says: Uh.
Chadley says: I...
Chadley says: ...

Mairèad says: ...sorreh.
Mairèad sets to work removing her boots, belt, vest, and trousers. Without many more words than just that she's sorreh again, she sloshes into the water.

Chadley scoots back onto the blanket and pulls his knees up. He rests his chin on them, looking more confused than angry.

Mairèad treads water for a minute and then dives under. If Chadley could hear underwater, he'd hear a loud, primal scream of frustration, but as he can't, he'd probably just see bubbles.

Chadley doesn't even see the bubbles. He crosses his arms over his knees and rests his head in them, still looking like he's been slapped in the face.

Mairèad stays underwater for a long time; probably more than most normal people would consider healthy. Eventually, the bubbles subside and she emerges, just her nose and eyes above the water, watching Chadley almost mournfully.

Chadley looks up where she emerges, face half-covered by his arms. He accidentally makes eye contact and looks back down. It looks like he mutters something, but she'd probably be too far away.

Mairèad does mutter something, though with her mouth underwater, it just comes out as bubbles. She submerges again, this time actually sitting on the ocean floor and apparently sulking there.

Chadley looks back up. After a moment, he stands and removes the outer chain layer of his armor. He walks to the shore, stares at the water for a moment, and eventually (and cautiously) steps into it. He sits, resuming the same position he had before.
Chadley 's head is just above the water.

Mairèad , being underwater and sulking, doesn't quite notice this. When she eventually comes up for air again, because fuck drowning deaths, she jumps a little bit to see Chadley having come so close. "...hi."

Chadley looks at her, somewhat sulkingly, but also somewhat apologetically.

Mairèad 's hand emerges from the water to push her hair out of her face, though it flops determinedly back into her eyes. After a few moments' silence, she decides to go for broke. After all, he's already looking at her like she stabbed his grandmother, might as well just go for it. "I lied."

Chadley 's voice is low, just above a whoarse whisper. "About what."

Mairèad takes a deep breath, though she isn't cringing when she speaks. "I don' like you. I love you." And with that, she swims toward the shore, sitting on the sand and not caring much that she's getting it all over everything.

Chadley 's eyes clench. The lower half of his face sinks below the water and he lets out a breath, causing a burst of bubbles as she had done. Lifting his head again, he just says, "I'm not good at these things."

Mairèad quietly and patiently wrings out her oversized shirt onto the sand. Sleeves, cuffs, hem, seam. She pauses when he speaks and admits, quietly, "I know. Ent known you all yer life fer nuffin'."

Chadley says: I'm a coward. I don't like talking. I don't have money. I can't spend time. I have nothing to give you. Please tell me this is a prank.

Mairèad squirms uncomfortably in her wet shirt and finally just removes it, tossing it aside and lying back to dry off in the sun. She shakes her head. "Y'ent nevarrr 'ad any 'a them fin's. Ent a prank."

Chadley 's breath grows a little short and uneven as his thoughts process and he enters into panic mode, though it's interrupted as he accidentally snorts water up his nose. His hands clap over his face and he swears.

Mairèad props herself up on her elbows, somewhat alarmed. "Y'a'righ'?"

Chadley nods, waving one hand in her direction dismissively so she stays away. "Yeah. Water." He sniffs and pinches his nose, now looking more uncomfortable than he did before. "What do I do here."
Mairèad says: Blow out so the wa'er comes outta yer nose 'stead 'a inhalin', so y'don' drown.

Chadley 's eyes close again. "I don't mean -that-."

Mairèad lies back again, resting her arms above her head and closing her own eyes. "Y'do whatchoo wanna do, Chad. If y'don' wanna be wiff me, I'll git over it."

Chadley says: Um, well. There's a rather large difference between what I want and what I think I can do.

Mairèad says: Ha' d'you mean?

Chadley still doesn't turn around to face her. "I'm just... not- I don't... I can't..." He hunches down into the water a little bit more. "I- of course I like you, but how-" He flinches as he admits this. Why he flinches when she's said the same thing is a mystery.
Chadley just lowers back into the water entirely. Can't talk under here, nope.

Mairèad opens her eyes and props herself up on her elbows again, watching him. "How what? I don' unnerstand."

Chadley pops up from the water just long enough to say, "I don't-- I don't know!"

Mairèad sighs and pushes herself up, sloshing into the water again and sitting beside him, heedless of the drying she's undone. "It's okie if you don' know. You don' gotta know."

Chadley says: I don't like not knowing.

Mairèad says: Mos' people don't. But...I jest wan'ed you t'know that i's...I mean. If y'gotta go 'way an' fink 'bout fin's, tha's okie. An' if y'kin't do it, tha's okie, too.
Mairèad sinks down so that just her head is above the water as well, adding in a mutter, "Wouldna pushed fin's s'fast if Bryn din' fink I should."

Chadley says: Bryn is an idiot and she annoys me.

Mairèad shrugs a shoulder, displacing enough water to give Chadley a small, unintentional splash. "She grew up onna streets. 'er boyfriend disappeared fer a lon' time recen'ly, an' she jest got turned inna a wergin."

Chadley says: Everyone's a worgen. We're probably worgen and don't even realize it.

Mairèad shrugs again, creating another small splash. "Still. Kin't be easy. She thought I should tell you all this s'I could figger out if I like you'r Shep more." She seems unmoved by her own bluntness.

Chadley says: Oh. Um. Have you figured that out?

Mairèad glances sideways at Chadley and then looks away quickly, cheeks flushing scarlet. "Well. I -like- Shep. I -love- you. Jest...I dunno. Nevarrr 'ad much experience wiff rill fin's like this, fin's what ent jest fer fun'r learnin'."

Chadley says: ... I think we're both pretty bad choices. But if you thought better of him, I- I guess I'd be jealous.

Mairèad says: Ha'come y'fink yer a bad choice?

Chadley submerges his face back underwater, just below his eyes.

Mairèad looks sideways at him again, smiling reluctantly.

Chadley says something while submerged.

Mairèad also submerges her head slightly, as if this will help. She bubbles a response.

Chadley looks at you.

You look at Chadley.

Chadley brings his head back up out of the water and sighs. "I jus' am, a'rite? Dunno what to do. Lemme think."

Mairèad lifts her head and nods. "Wanna go back t'Stormwind?"

Chadley says: ... Yeah. Fuck, I'm sorry.

Mairèad doesn't look at him, shrugging as she stands, still nearly bare. "Din' realistic'lly 'spect anyfin' diff'rnt. Not like this's a fairy story, right?" She forces a laugh and turns back to start tugging on her clothes, still leaving off the drenched shirt.

Chadley watches her stand, but immediately looks down and away when he notices her state of undress. "Nnh. No. I guess it's not."

Mairèad sits to tug on her boots, not looking back at Chadley. "An', I mean. I mean, seersly. Y'know, it's been two 'ole years. Din' 'spec nuffin' diff'rnt."

Chadley nods, looking like he's internally cursing himself right now. He stands and sloshes out of the water, creating a wet trail behind him in the sand as he grabs for his armor. "I'd be willing to try."

Mairèad pauses in buckling her belt when he says this, taking care to adjust her libram so that it doesn't get wet. "Y'mean it?" She still isn't looking at him.

Chadley says: Keyword being try. I can't promise anything.

Mairèad sighs quietly and adjusts her holy symbol around her wrist, turning it over a few times in her hands. Her vest still hangs open, though she wraps it around herself tightly. "...y'know, mebbe...mebbe we oughta wait 'til you fink you -can- promise sumfin'. Jest...y'know. If we're gunna do this, I don' wanna do it half-arsed. If I'm gunna love you, I wanna love you all th'way, not jest some."

Chadley loads his armor into a side-satchel on his bike, and sites on the bike's seat as he puts his boots back on. "Um. You're my only friend. I don't want this to make things shitty."

Mairèad moves from adjusting her clothes to picking up the picnic supplies, stowing them on the back of the bike. She manages a smile at Chadley. "Ha'come y'fink I was waitin' s'long t'say anyfin'? I've loved you since I was fitteen."

"I-- I'm sorry I don't know what to do." Chadley just keeps apologizing, relevant or not.

Mairèad gives him a brave smile. She's pretty obviously forcing down a lot of emotion, but she doesn't want him to feel bad. "Look, don' worreh 'bout it. I'm fine. Always fine. When y'figger out whatchoo wanna do, jest lemme know." She shrugs hopping into the sidecar. "Onleh you git t'decide what t'do nex' week."

Chadley starts the bike's engine and sighs. "This is gonna be an awkward ride home, isn't it."

Mairèad's grin grows slightly devilish, though she still presses her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to control any further emotion from escaping. "Always is wiff you, Chad." She bops him on the head with the flat of her sword, obviously attempting something like normalcy.

Chadley doesn't even flinch when he's bopped. It just kind of contacts his head with a clang. "Good to know." He kicks the bike into gear and drives off.