Simultaneous release

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

She was cute.

Really cute.

Lochlann wished he felt better. He wished he wasn't zoning in and out of rational thought as the fog in his head swirled around his brain. He wished he was as alert as she was, that he could share her enthusiasm.

Lochlann enjoyed the show she put on with the machine. He liked that she made something as simple as getting ice cream into an adventure.

She'd picked his favorite flavor, too. When she dropped the coins into his hand, Lochlann felt a moment's apprehension. It felt very wrong taking her money and using it to get ice cream; he didn't know what her situation was like outside of here. She could really need it, and she was using it to get him ice cream. Of course, Lochlann realized that this was a horrible thought, because he was not giving her enough credit. It has not his place to doubt her when he knew nothing about her. He'd have to trust her.

So, Lochlann put the coins in the machine, and when the ice cream dropped out he'd picked it up. Lochlann slunk slowly onto the ground, his long legs stretching out before him, until he was sitting across from her with his back pressed against the side of the machine.

"Thank you," he said. Carefully, Lochlann took the top off the icecream and dug in with the wooden spoon. He took small, measured scoops. Lochlann savored every bite as though he was eating ice cream on the beach while seagulls flew above and the ocean sent waves roaring to the shore behind him.

"It's been a long time since I had ice cream," Lochlann told her. "I don't even know if I had it on the island yet, but I'm sure I have. I mean, it can't have been two years since i had an ice cream, right?"

He sighed but it was a content noise.

Eating this ice cream with Dani made him feel like he was somewhere else.

"We tried to make ice cream once," Lochlann said. He was sucking on the end of the wooden spoon even though there was still ice cream in his container. "My sister and I. We didn't think it could be that hard. We'd just gotten the cows, and we were excited, because they had so much milk."

He took a small bite and then continued the story after it'd melted in his mouth.

"Well, I brought home a book from the school library, and Lillianna and I decided we were going to do it. Only....we didn't have any electricity at the time, so I don't know what we were thinking, because even if we made it, we had no place to store it. I guess we thought we'd just eat it."

He shook his head and drew himself back to the present, then looked up and gave her an embarrassed smile. he left the story hanging in the air and instead asked, "Did you and Riley ever do anything you knew was a bad idea?"

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

Lochlann was still sucking on his wooden spoon as he listened to her story. It took him a long time to eat his ice cream. Unlike his smile, his appetite was a constant thing. Lochlann could almost always eat something. However, also unlike his smile, Lochlann was always at war with his appetite. He didn't want to want to eat things, but he wanted to smile.

He did both readily while Dani finished her story, and when she covered her face with her hands and looked embarrassed, Lochlann could only laugh.

"That's cute, though," he said. "Well, maybe not the outcome per se, but getting to spend that kind of time with your sister. It makes me a little jealous. Things were a bit strained with my family."

He took another bite of his ice cream. He increased the frequency he was eating it now, only because it was starting to melt and he didn't want to waste it.

The idea of her eating bubbles still made him smile.

"What sort of foods did you make?" he asked. "Out of the bubbles, I mean?"

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

Lochlann smiled at the thought.

"I can make a good shepherd's pie," he said. "If you ever want it sans bubbles, hit me up when we're out of this hell hole."

Lochlann enjoyed the feel of her pressed against his side. The hum of the machine behind them and the gentle weight of her body where both reassuring somehow. he felt less alone with her here.

"Oh, it was beyond a disaster," Lochlann said. "So, we were really young, and we didn't consider things like measuring. When it said, a cup of sugar, we made a cup out of our hands and just tossed it in the bowl. Only, Lillianna went to milk the cow, and I went to get the sugar, so we both came back with vastly different amounts of ingredients."

Lochlann shook his head. "And add to the fact that the milk that comes out of a cow's udder is not the same as the milk you want to use for, well, anything."

Lochlann sighed.

"When my father came in and saw the mess in the kitchen, he had to walk back outside. I'm sure it's the only way he managed to not murder us, right then and there."

Lochlann couldn't even remember what state they were in when that happened. Everything just sort of...blended together.

"I've gotten much better at cooking now, I swear, but I've never tried to make ice cream again."

He cast her a side long glance. He felt like he should be doing something more for her birthday, but Lochlann already had a plan in mind.

He swallowed and it still hurt. he kept forgetting. Lochlann mussed his hair and then rested his hands on his knees, holding his empty ice cream cup limply in one hand.

"So," he said. "Another fae."

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

“A banshee,” he echoed, and then a small smile broke out from his face. Banshees. Another solitary fae, to an extent. No allergy to iron, though, or at least none that Lochlann could remember, but of course, there were always exceptions. His brother Lawrence, for example, had no allergy to iron at all

Lochlann chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“Water horse,” he said, quietly. “I think I might have gotten more flak than you have, but I don’t mean to turn it into a competition. But, I think I can understand. The flak, I mean.”

Lochlann chewed on the inside of his other cheek and then confessed, “I’ve never been inside a faerie ring.”

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

Lochlann appreciated her hand squeeze.

It made him feel better, somehow, that she knew and he felt like she understood what it was like.

"I am excited to meet someone I can tell that to," Lochlann confessed. "And not have to worry about my life afterwards."

He squinted at her and then, testing the waters, teased just ever so slightly. "Or do I have to worry about that?"

She could take it either way: teasing about her Banshee nature, or teasing that she might want to kill him.

He offered a shy smile and gave her hand a squeeze back.

Now that the words were out, he felt like he had no secrets, and it was a strange feeling. Never before had he just so easily told someone this. Sure, he'd let Chloe know, but that'd been a different situation. Turning into a horse and trying to sleep with someone when drunk was significantly different than uttering the words to a stranger.

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

Lochlann was about to ask her a million and one questions, but the attendants made the announcement and stifled the words in his throat.

They were getting antsy, and he knew that was partially because of his reputation which, unfortunately, was not entirely undeserved. Last night, after all, Lochlann had raised hell.

So he nodded and clasped her hand and whispered, "Or sooner."

And then he let go.

---

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

When he heard her voice, Lochlann opened the door and slid into the room. He shut the door behind him and then kept one hand behind his back. Conviently, it was the one holding the cupcake.

He really oped that she wouldn't think he was holding a knife or something creepy.

"Dani?" Lochlann whispered in the darkness. While his night vision was good, with the damned bracelet on it was taking longer to adjust to the shadows. He didn't cross her room.

Now that he was here, this was starting to seem like a bad idea, and Lochlann was beginning to regret it. He steeled his nerves and told himself not to regret it. If she was only being him nice to in the moment, it'd be better to find out now while there wasn't a crowd.

"I..uhh...are you awake?" he asked.

Dumb question. But he didn't want to alarm her.

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

What was he doing here?

The whole thing seemed a little extreme, but he couldn't help it. Birthdays were important to him.

"It's your birthday," Lochlann said. "For a little bit, yet."

He took a few hesitant steps towards her bed, giving a sharp glance towards the hallway, and then he froze. No one was there, but he felt like he was being watched. he inched a bit closer.

"And, I was sad that you had to spend your birthday eating ice cream with me," he said. "When you could have rented an amusement park."

Another step closer.

"And it's probably ridiculous," he said, "And no where near as epic as an amusement park, or as sexy as hentai theaters--"

Where hentai theaters sexy? Ugh. THis was hard.

"But.."

he held out his hand with the stolen cupcake towards her.

"Happy Birthday, Dani."

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

"You're welcome," Lochlann said. His voice was soft and hushed, but it still felt loud in the confines of this damned building.

When she patted the bed, he settled down onto it next to her and cast his eyes to the floor. He was looking at the ground but when he caught Dani reaching out to him from the corner of his eye, Lochlann turned his head too quickly.

She'd probably been aiming to kiss him on the cheek.

Instead, Lochlann caught her by the mouth.

He was surprised, and he imagined she would be, too, but he still pressed his lips back to hers. It was a gentle press, no heavier than a butterfly landing on a flower petal (THIS IS THE DUMBEST METAPHOR I EVER WROTE ARE U HAPPY U HAVE TAKEN ME TO THESE DEPTHS) , but Lochlann relished it all the same.

He realized he had goosebumps even though his skin was on fire.

RE: [Event] Simultaneous release

She'd jerked back and Lochlann felt his face burn hot.

He was glad it was dark so she couldn't see how red he was certain his face had turned. He'd enjoyed that and it'd seemed like she'd hated it, so Lochlann felt bad. He felt bad about most things.

He was going to get up to leave when she asked him about the cupcake, and Lochlann nodded.

"It's chocolate," he said. "The one doctor brings them. He leaves his lunch in the fridge in the orderly room, because one of the other doctor's has been stealing his lunch for the past couple of weeks, so he thinks if he puts it there, no one will touch it."

Lochlann shrugged and hoped it served as explanation enough.

"I hope that doesn't make you feel bad about eating it," Lochlann said. "Because you deserve the cupcake more than he does. Trust me on that one."

Lochlann hated Dr.Hart and hoped he burned in hell, but he had the distinct impression that Aiden would enjoy that.