noreasonneeded | IC/Overflow Post

That is probably true. You should enjoy things on occasion, you have faced plenty of suffering, you deserve at least a nice night on occasion.

Putting my phone away. Focusing on you. Shall we sit here awhile longer, or head back to your place?

That very much sounds like you're trying to take me to bed.

[Her cheeks turn a bit pink.]

You have to pick a book or two that you want to "borrow"

That is an eventual goal.

Right, right. Council and Towers, that would be in the local history section, yeah?

[He slowly gets to his feet and then offers her a hand with a small intake of his breath.]

[That definitely sends a little shiver down her spine. She feels wanted.]

Should be.

[She takes his offered hand to get up from the floor.]

I promise I won't spend the rest of the night just doing research once I get them.

[He heads with her towards that section and begins browsing through the tomes.]

You just have to read them once anyway. You and that giant memory of yours.

That's true.

[His memory is extremely handy like that. While his friends have impressive talents that Kaz lacks, he wouldn't trade his for the world. Though he imagines they feel much the same about those skills that make them who they are.]

I suppose I just meant that I'm not going to turn this into purely a work night. Not after all you've put into this.

I know you won't. If only because I am prepared to wage pillow warfare if you are working too much tonight.

[Her memory is similar though not quite as photograph as his is. She does have many more years of memories taking up space though]

Pillow warfare, is it? That sounds dangerous, what are the negotiation terms to avoid it?

[He gives her a teasing look over his shoulder as he flips through one book briefly to scan before deciding against it and putting it back, picking up another.]

Perhaps you can't avoid it. Maybe I am simply too chaotic to negotiate.

[She has picked a book from the shelf to flip through while he looks.]

Oh? Then what is my incentive to cease working, if a pillow will find its way to my face regardless?

[He gives her a teasing look at that.]

Ah, but if you aren't working you will be distracting enough to keep me from loading my pillow weapons.

My scheming face in action isn't distracting enough? Next thing you're going to tell me is that the sexiest thing about me isn't how many mathematical equations I know.

[He's very much teasing her back now, he's not planning on spending the night working.]

It's not. It's your meticulous book keeping that really turns me on.

[They can both very easily fall into playful teasing.]

You know I could do all the book keeping in my head. I only have ledgers for investors and legal purposes.

[He gives an eyebrow waggle at that as he puts one book aside on the Council, then starts looking for one on the Towers.]

And yes, it is very sexy that you can do book keeping in your head.

[His mind is very, very attractive. His brilliance is just so impressive.]

I remember when I first got my office in the attic. At the end of a long day I'd thump upstairs, grumpy I had to write down everything that could just reside in my head perfectly fine. And Jesper would sit in the seat you always do now and turn whatever was on my desk into something he could toss in the air and catch. Sometimes he'd toss it to me too and we'd break up the book keeping with a few rounds of catch. We were like fifteen, sixteen at the time.

Not much has changed.

Except now I also get much prettier and quieter company.

[He smiles at her.]

I can't shape-shift objects either. Bit of a shame really.

Nina has been working with me to see if I can learn some basic healing, only partially so I can patch you up better.

[And partially because she is the only one Kaz would allow to patch him up.]

You've never made me run out of pens and staplers.

[Although these days Kaz just keeps a stress ball in his desk for when Jesper visits to play with.]

You say that like I need patching up often. Duct tape and spit usually does the job.

[He gives her a teasing look at that as he picks out another book, because it's easier than admitting that yes, while he's getting used to touching her he still hasn't really managed it with others. It would take a lot of mental preparation to give Nina a hug or Jesper a handshake. A long road ahead of him indeed, though he's not sorry he's started this journey with Stella. Even if he is a stubborn mule who hates to admit he needs help sometimes, especially when it comes to patching up. He does know that she just wants to help him, and perhaps sometime it will be bad enough that he can't manage it on his own.]

Ready?

I could start stealing pens.

[She hopes she isn't keeping Jesper away. Though she halfway suspects if he wanted to visit, he would come in regardless of Stella being around.]

If I am able to heal your cuts and bruises with a wave of my hand, you'll stay in fighting shape without the worry of ripping open stitches. I'd say that's worth it.

[of course she would also heal anyone else that needed it. But she is allowed a closer proximity to Kaz than anyone else, so she would absolutely use it to help him.]

Ready if you are. Did you find something useful?

[Jesper absolutely does still come and bother Kaz.]

If I'm near death I'm not opposed to you saving me. For other ailments, it depends. There's something to be said for working through pain rather than having it solved with a handwave, and it also sends a message to others that I can still fight and get on my feet without needing you to lay hands on me first.

[He's not going to use her as a crutch every time he gets hurt, but for serious injuries, he's not again some help.

At her question he gives a nod, holding up his two books aloft in the air.]

Yeah, I think I did. A date with a beautiful woman and some potential useful information, it's been a great night so far.

[She points a finger at him]

That's only true if your injuries can be seen. Otherwise it's just you being tough for no reason.

[She thinks that's a valid point. He doesn't need to be tough in secret, he needs to be tough on display.]

Good. I'm glad you've found something useful.

If I pop a stitch and bleed through, they can see that. If I'm limping harder, or favoring a side, they can see that. And there's no point in getting fixed and faking it, because it's good for me to know I can thrive through it, too. I'm not a man who needs to have every cut and bruise healed. It's good to know that I can live with some pain, that I can take a beating and get back up and hit back harder on my own because I won't always have someone with me. Because I also think that feeds into my attitude, and they can sense that, too.

[He's not budging on it, it makes sense to him. Quick fixes have their place, but not for every purpose.]

Me, too. Let's clean up and put the fire out, and then we can get going.

You live with pain everyday Kaz. You don't need to suffer more to prove that you can. You already know you can.

But fine, if you insist on suffering, that's on you. But it hurts me to watch. I don't want to see you in pain, just like you wouldn't want to see me.

[But she gives a little shrug of the shoulders.]

Let's hide our evidence.

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