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[called_lioness]

It has been a good weekend.

There was some technical law-breaking, but Lucy feels that certain things are worth telling a tiny fib for--like weddings. That is worth it.

It has been a good weekend, and a good evening, and Lucy has bags and a flower in her hair and a smile that's almost as wide as her face as she enters the room through the painting.

Comments

[the_seafarer]

Wary, he takes the proferred book and cassette, and looks at it.

And laughs, and laughs.

"Mayhap," he says, finally. "Or perhaps I could lend it to Eustace."

[called_lioness]

"Don't bother," she says cheerfully, "I bought him one, too."

The last gift is a silver picture frame, with a lion on one side, and a unicorn on the other.

"I thought you might have something to put in it, and if not, perhaps we could get a photo taken of Rilian, or a drawing done," she says, a little uncertainly.

[the_seafarer]

Sitting up, Caspian holds the picture frame in both hands and looks at it for a long moment, with a smile, before glancing back up at Lucy.

"I haven't any pictures," he admits, but he's pleased with the gift and it shows.

He puts the frame down carefully on the bedspread, and leans over to wrap and arm around Lucy and kiss her cheek, and murmur "Thank you" into her ear.

[called_lioness]

"Then we'll get you one," she says quietly. "I know I like to see the pictures of my family, after all. You should be able to too."

She smiles and leans against him, murmuring back, "D'you remember when I said that coming home to you would be better than the holiday itself?"

[the_seafarer]

"Or better than running off with Adam," he comments, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Aye."


A moment, and he smiles into her hair.

"Is it?"

[called_lioness]

"Oh, that was a horrid plan. I told you, Adam snores."

She may or may not be telling the truth, but it's said Very Seriously as she presses her face against his shoulder. "Mmhmm. I should go away more often just to be able to come back."

[the_seafarer]

"I don't think I would like that at all," he tells her, also Very Seriously.

What a Terribly Serious conversation.

"You haven't any idea. I was horribly miserable without you."

Pining, even.

[called_lioness]

"Even with the twins to keep you company?" she asks with wide, surprised eyes.

[the_seafarer]

"Especially with the twins to keep me company," he assures her.

He doesn't quite look plaintive. The smile is getting in the way.

[called_lioness]

"Well, if you were so miserable, I suppose I'll have to not leave without you, then," she muses.

"And here I was planning to go out again next weekend."

She sounds mournful, but her eyes are laughing as she says it.

[the_seafarer]

"You could take me with you," he suggests, running his hand up her back and over her shoulder.

"As I suppose you'll be wanting to leave again sooner or later."

[called_lioness]

"I think you'd hate London," she says slowly, thoughtfully, unlacing her shoes as she does so, "if you saw it. But we could go somewhere else. And if we did go to London, I could at least show you where I grew up."

Lucy smiles, a bit, as she pulls the one shoe off, and then the other. "It would be nice to do so, anyway. Especially if you came with me."

[the_seafarer]

"There are other places we could go," he agrees, and sits back as she takes off her shoes, moving back onto the bed.

"Susan has offered more than once to take me to London--your London. I admit I am curious to see it, though I'm not certain I'll take her up on the offer. It would be nice to get away for a little while," a little ruefully.

[called_lioness]

"It's odd," she admits, standing and going to the dresser, "to think of you in London at all, but especially in my London. But you should probably see it sooner or later. One version or another. You really could see where I grew up if you went with Su. Did you move my clothes too, or just yours?"

Not that hers are ever in danger, really.

[the_seafarer]

"Just mine," he tells her. "And I would like to see where you grew up, though I think that you're right, and that I wouldn't like London very much at all."

Sitting back against the headboard, he watches her move about the room.

"Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go, Lu?"

[called_lioness]

She pulls out a nightgown and begins to undress, thinking as she removes earrings and sets them aside and then blouse. "Well, I never did see much of my world. In any version of it. I suppose we could go anywhere there. Or somewhere else. Though I think you mightn't like most of the cities."

[the_seafarer]

"Likely not," he agrees.

"Though I suppose they're necessary. Like Tashbaan."

Thoughtful, "By the way, have you seen much more of your friend, the Tarkheena?"

[called_lioness]

She waits til she's finished undressing and pulled the nightgown over her head, hair sticking up a bit, before answering. "Not much, but I imagine she's not entirely comfortable here."

That may be said a bit more dryly than strictly necessary, as she picks up her brush and walks back to sit on the edge of the bed and attack her hair.

"And I don't know if they're necessary or not, but I do know earth's full of them. We could go to the countryside, if you'd like. Is there anything you want to see?"

[the_seafarer]

"I would hardly know, would I?" he laughs, and moves forward to sit behind he, his hands on her shoulders as she brushes out her hair.

"I'd like to see whatever I could, you know. Or whatever you would want to show me. I've only ever caught one glimpse of your world, and I wasn't able to see much of it."

[called_lioness]

You could see my grave, she thinks before she stops herself and makes a face at the thought, brushing a bit more severely for a moment, leaning back against him slightly.

"I'd show you everything. It's not fair, that I've seen so much of yours and you haven't of mine, after all. London, I suppose, you really should see. We could go to Hyde Park. We went there this weekend, and it's still as lovely as I remember. There's London Tower, too, and the Parliament building, and--well, anything in London, I suppose. It's a bit hard," she confesses, "to think of what to show someone who's barely set foot in the world."

[the_seafarer]

He doesn't necessarily notice the pause, or the violence of her brushing, but his hands move on her shoulders, rubbing at the muscles there, and when she's finished brushing her hair, he moves it aside to kiss the nape of her neck.

"I'd like that," he says, simply. "City or no."

[called_lioness]

She sighs, a little, at the kiss and after setting the brush aside leans back a bit more, closing her eyes for a few moments.

"I like you," she says finally, turn her head sideways to brush a kiss against his neck, "and so I shall like to show you anything I can."

[the_seafarer]

He wraps his arms more securely around her, and smiles at the kiss.

"Then I will look forward to it," softly. And adds, "Come and sleep. You must be tired, and these are things that we can speak more of later."

[called_lioness]

"A bit exhausted," she admits and slips under the covers with him.

They're his rooms, but the bed is familiar now, and the blankets, and the soft sounds of sleeping dragons, and the feel of his warmth and weight next to her. It's because of all those things that Lucy murmurs, reaching out for his hand and twining her fingers with his, "It is good to be home."