(open)

[broadswords]

WHO: nicky & YOU??
WHEN: today
WHERE: nicky's apartment
WHAT: FOOD?? CONVERSATION??
NOTES: related log for this post! starters in comments.
WARNINGS: none yet, will edit if needed

Comments

[broadswords]

It is not a problem.

[ But she had known his name. He still offers a pleasant smile. ]

Are we neighbours? Please, do come inside for coffee.

[morethan084]

[If he’s here does that mean Andy is too? Her stomach lurches at the thought of Andy not remembering her. Distracted by her thoughts, Daisy follows him inside. Only now realizing he had asked her something.]

Oh, yeah. I live down the hall with—

[Joric and her had never put a label on what they were.]

With someone.

[God, could she make this whole encounter any more awkward.]

[broadswords]

Ah,

[ It could be someone she’s come here with or a roommate. There’s never any profit in assuming. Nicky pulls up a chair and fetches a small plate for her, piled high with fresh cookies. And waves a mug from the counter. ]

I have coffee prepared. And tea as well, in the cupboard. Take your time.

[morethan084]

I never say no to coffee.

[Smiling at him when he pulls out a seat for her, Daisy takes a seat. Adjusting the seat closer to the table with one hand.]

Thank you.

[She reaches for one of the cookies,]

Did you make these?

[broadswords]

I did. Have you tried them before?

[ He starts to pour the coffee, bringing out a stirrer and a plate to set beside her. ]

[morethan084]

I don’t think I have, no.

[Taking a bite out of the cookie, Daisy moves her hand back when he sets the coffee and a plate on the table.]

It’s really good. Is there almond in it?

[broadswords]

Thank you,

[ Sincerely - because if this is her first go of it then!! It's better she eats something Nicky has prepared to his own high standards. ]

Yes, it is primarily almond flour. I do not add the vanilla essence many recipes call for.

[morethan084]

[Daisy smiles gently at his thanks before taking another, larger bite. Because if her mouth is full, she can’t ask the question thats been on the tip of her tongue.

Reaching for the coffee when she struggles to swallow all of the food in her mouth, she manages to wash it down.]

I see you made enough for the entire apartment building.

[broadswords]

— and more.

[ says Nicky pleasantly, taking a sip of his own coffee. ]

I am not sure how many will come, but it never hurts to have leftovers. Wouldn't you agree?

[morethan084]

[Daisy smiles against the rim of her coffee cup before taking another sip.]

No, it doesn’t.

[It’s easy to see why Joe married him, and her heart aches at the memories of Joe that come to the surface.]

It was kind of you to offer to cook for others. I’ve basically been eating every meal at the diner since arriving here.

[broadswords]

[ Nicky smiles. ]

Ah - then we will not stand for that. If there are leftovers, I will pack some for you. [ If there are no leftovers, he will simply make more so there are some. ] You are down the corridor, yes?

[morethan084]

Don’t get me wrong, I love diner food.

[Daisy explains, mirroring his smile.]

But I wouldn’t say no to left overs.

[She reaches for another cookie. They’re highly addictive.]

Not that I mind, but I thought coffee and dessert come after dinner?

[broadswords]

[ Bah, American diner food. The only plus point to French fries is that they go with everything. ]

Coffee and dessert come whenever we so choose, [ He winks at her. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy smiles at that.]

I can see why Joe married you.

[The words slip out of her mouth before she can stop herself, and she instantly pales once she realizes.]

[broadswords]

[ Nicky does not startle. He simply cants his head, very thoughtfully, and fixes her with a piercing expression. ]

You knew me, [ so her slip is not surprising. She is unusually relaxed around him - it is very subtle, but most strangers will always have some kind of space between them, verbal, physical. ] but I confess to not knowing you. Have we met before?

[morethan084]

[Daisy looks anywhere but at him, the urge to just leave rising. Gripping her mug tightly, her gaze meets his.]

We have.

[Swallowing thickly, she thinks of how to broach the subject.]

Before I ended up here, I was in a pretty similar situation. Except the place I was in, our goal was to undo our regrets by going through challenging missions and collecting something.

[Orbs, specifically. But that doesn’t feel like an important detail in this case.]

We met there. I knew Joe too, and Booker.

[The last name is harder for her to say out loud, but after a deep inhale she says…]

Andy too. She and I were close.

[She knew what their power was, is what she’s trying to say without actually saying it.]

[broadswords]

[ She finds him studying her still, unwavering. He listens. A world like this one - not hard to believe, being here now. And the others had been there. Most of all, ]

You knew Andromache?

[ There is a gravitas to her name - one Nicky himself does not deploy lightly. But the truth is the truth, and he wants to hear it from Daisy, wants to hear her say, Yes, she had known his beloved sister. ]

[morethan084]

[Tears prick her eyes at hearing her name. Pressing her lips together she nods, and quickly wipes the tears that rolled down her cheek.]

We worked together for a few years.

[broadswords]

[ She hears Nicky moving, and finds that he's come to sit next to her, and a tissue box has mysteriously appeared on the table. ]

So you knew us well.

[ To have worked together, she must have known, then. ]

Perhaps enough to know we are quite particular, hmm?

[morethan084]

[She knows the weight of having the knowledge of the healing powers, and how this could leave Nicky feeling uneasy at best. But she won’t lie to him.]

I know. But I won’t tell anyone here. It’s not my place to.

[Her promise might not mean much to him. He doesn’t even know her. Taking the tissue from him, Daisy smiles sadly but doesn’t use it. Not yet.]

[broadswords]

That is all I ask,

[ And to be asking someone he does not know well - yes, it does not sit well, not this soon after Booker's... mistakes. But who is to be faulted for the circumstances of their life? She can't choose to un-meet them, or to forget them, either. ]

As far as I know, I am the only one here.

[morethan084]

[Unsure of how he would feel if she were to reach out and put her hand on his arm, she instead just tightens her grip on the tissue.

She hasn’t told anyone here about her powers. The only people who know are Joric, and Xue Yang. Who had managed to find newspaper articles on her.]

I think she trusted me with—

[She doesn’t say ‘powers’ out loud, because someone might just walk in. After all, he had given an open invitation to the entirety of the population here.]

Your secret, because I’m different too.