called_lioness | (no subject)

(no subject)

Trees are all about, and it's not hard to find one that's easy to climb.

She misses trees that talk, truthfully, but she murmurs, "Thank you," to it anyway.

Possibly because it won't talk back.

She's not too high to be spotted if you want to look.

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Adam could pretend he wasn't out looking for her, but it would be pretty dumb. He sees her, maybe not easily and maybe not right away, but he sees her.

"Lucy."

"Adam." Looking down at him. "...Are you coming up, am I coming down, or shall we talk like this?"

He glances up at her, and strains his neck, and, well. It has been a while since he's been up a tree, so maybe Lucy finds an antichrist seated on a nearby branch.

"That better?"

"A bit. Likely saving your neck strain." She shifts, a bit, to look at him better.

"How are you?"

"Fine." And he lets the word hang awkwardly between them for a moment or two only before he rushes into his question.

"The hell's going on?"

"Rilian broke an oath to Blodwen and swore one to Caspian. Caspian's now in her sights, and she's promised him pain and betrayal. Caspian accepts this, because it keeps his son safe." She can't resent that, and wouldn't, but she can wish it was different, and she can still hate it. "Oh, and Jadis informed me that I still remind her of her sister and swore an oath to grant me a request I would make of her. But I'm more bothered by being terrified for my boyfriend."

"Shit."

And if it weren't for the fact that hugging her right now would likely involve floating her above the ground and suspecting that would freak her right the fuck out, he'd be hugging her.

"What would she-

what'll she do?"

"And damn, too," she agrees.

"I don't know."

Okay, maybe he can't hug her. But he can at least move a little closer and hold out a hand.

"Pain and betrayal."

Well. Certainly explains Caspian's reluctance the other night. Adam grimaces.

"Mmm."

The hand's taken and held a bit more tightly than is strictly necessary.

"So nothing overly new for the bar, really," with a weak smile.

That's no problem, Adam can squeeze back as hard as needed.

"I wish he'd flat out told me that."

Not that he had any reason to, with hardly knowing Adam.

"Half the time, with people around here, I feel like I never should've stopped."

"I wish he hadn't done it."

Understanding is not liking is not being okay with.

"Stopped what, changing things?"

"Reading minds. Whatever you want to call it."

There's a sad, sick smirk.

"Though that, too. Is there... anything that anybody can do?"

"Well, you could always kill her."

It's not really a serious suggestion.

"...Likely not. I was half tempted to ask Jadis if she could do anything," quietly, "because I've been wracking my brain, and I still can't think of anything."

"Could."

And it's mostly not a serious answer.

Mostly.

"You'll- you'll let me know if it, if it happens. Right? You'd do that before you went to Jadis."

"Mmm."

Mostly.

"You? I'd tell you, yes." Smiling a little. "I don't intend to, but if I did. I'd tell you first."

He nods, and squeezes her hand again and watches the ground beneath them.

"Thank you.

I know, after- we didn't always-

you're important to me. And that makes Caspian important, too."

"After was hard." Simply, looking down too, and watching their legs dangle.

"But you're still Adam. And I'm still Lucy. So I suppose you'll always be important to me, since neither of those seem likely to change."

She looks up at him, then. "Which is how I'd have it."

Adam kicks his leg sideways, knocking her one foot into the other and smiles, just a little, even as his voice is calm and serious.

"So long as you know that."

She kicks back, a little.

"I know. Always knew."

She considers him for a moment. "And I'm going to ask a favor of you, because of it. But it's a simple one."

"Anything."

Okay, well, almost anything. But close enough.

"If--well, if I should leave, at any point, would you watch out for Su for me?"

Just in case.

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled to see you, after all," Lucy says lightly, but her eyes are serious.

"--Please."

"Of course."

He won't ask where she'd go or why; not now, anyway. Instead, he just squeezes her hand again.

"Of course. Now, should we see about getting out of this thing?"

"Thank you, Adam."

There's really only one answer.

If things go very badly--and she hopes they won't, but if they do--well. She's never been through the door on her own, and someday she'll have to see what's on the other side. She hopes it's later instead of sooner, but.

Just in case. Promises are nice to have.

"Likely a good idea. Buy you a cider?"

"Not even a cup of tea will do?"

He smiles at her, though, and then they're on the ground, and does it matter how they got there? And he leads her into the bar, and he doesn't let go of her hand.

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