Aja had just gotten home. She leaned against the door as she shut it, just happy to be home. Listening for signs of life in the house, she heard nothing but silence. It wasn't completely unusual, but it was rare.
Pushing herself up off the door, Aja went to the kitchen and grabbed herself a beer, then went to the living room and was sitting down after the very long day when her phone rang. She almost dreaded answering it, till she saw who was calling. Tristan. She smiled and picked it up.
"People are going to start to talk, Larson." "Saying what?" he answered, she could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh, I don't know. Suppose they could just fill in the blanks." She smiled softly and glanced around. "I'm glad you called." "Yeah?" "Yeah...it's the oddest thing, really." She said. "Just hearing your voice feels" good. Relaxing." She smiled and kicked her shoes off. "That's a good thing, right?" "Yes. Especially after the day I've had." She leaned up, grabbed her beer, then leaned back into the couch as she twisted the cap off the bottle.
"Rough day, Rabbit?" "Beyond the telling." She answered with a sigh. "Don't suppose it's anything new. Just my own impatience getting the best of me." "You want it done so you can get back to work?" "Yes." She exhaled slowly. "I mean I know it's gotta be done and I want it done, but it's just disrupting everything." "Aja, there is more to life than work." "I know. I go out. I make time fer other things." "Not saying you don't, Love." He said soothingly. "Yer not' Sounded a lot like ya were." "When you leave the yards, you're still doing stuff for everyone but you." "Am not." She protested. "No?" he asked amused. "I doubt that hanging out in the Inn could be considered doin something fer someone else." "So hanging out with Anya, Petyr and the others isn't for their benefit?" "Not just theirs." She protested again trying to keep a lid on her normal snap tone. He wasn't other people. She had to remind herself of that. "What do you get out of it?" "Uh...ya know." She shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "People ta talk to." "Someone other than Rico and Mami?" "Yeah." That would work for now. She wasn't always sure how to articulate what it was she thought. They were both silent for a moment before he spoke again.
"Aja" Where do you see us in a couple years?" Tristan asked which Aja shrugged at. She really had no answer for that. He waited for a moment or two before speaking again. "I can't see you, Rabbit. If we're going to figure all this out and get back to where we were, you're going to have to talk to me." "Ya think this is easy?" she asked him sort of annoyed but it was more with herself than him. He just happened to be the one who made her think about this stuff. "No. I don't. I've always known that you don't trust people very much." He spoke calmly to her. Proving perhaps how well he understood her. "And it's a detriment?" "It's one of the challenges." "Makes me sound like a pain in the arse." "Well, there is that." He laughed. "Ima gonna hang up on you." She shot back with a grin. "No you won't." the amused reply came back. "Fine." She grinned as she shifted her position on the couch. "I won't hang up." "Good girl." "Ya know what ya can do with that bit." She laughed a little and then got up to pace around the room aimlessly. Toying with things on the shelves.
"You haven't answered the question." "No?" she said lightly setting down a crystal figurine she had been looking at. "I bet that's irritating." She grinned a little. "You're trying to distract me." "Does that mean we're gonna take ta sending telegrams?" "What?" "Well, ya took ta calling me so I couldn't tempt ya off the subject with something else." "Not the worst idea in the world." He laughed as he slowly stepped into the living room, but still out of sight as he watched Aja with a grin on his lips. "Then again. We did agree to take things slow, till you got used to me being around again. Or are you saying that you miss our romantic romps in bed?"
"Not gonna say I don't.." she said going to the window and looking out into the dark. "But we're not who we once were. Things are ?" she trailed off running her finger down the glass in though. "different." "Worse?" he asked watching her shake her head before she answered. "Different." She clarified again and leaned against the window sill. "Not sure what the afterlife is like...if ya change what you like, but it allows other things to change. Who we are. Time. Space." "Too much?" he asked quietly. "No. Tris." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's enough ta make this new...again." she paused looking up towards the stars. "Ya've always been the one.." "I like that idea." "I do too." she said. "And I don't. Losing you was not at all fun." she took a deep breath quickly adding. "And that's not yer fault." "But I was the cause of that pain, which you'd like to avoid." "Yes." she admitted slowly then took a deep breath. "Never been scared of much. But that was a very dark time. And usually I handle the dark stuff with the greatest of ease...but this wasn't something done to me, or something I saw but someone I counted on taken."
He watched as she turned from the window and started pacing. When faced with over emotional things, he knew Aja always felt the need to be active, doing something so it couldn't sink in too deep. A method of self protection that she hadn't seemed to abandon.
"I can't do anything about that, Aja." "I know." she said stopped and settling on the arm of the couch. "I'll deal with it in time. It's my own disaster." "Didn't say I wouldn't help you through it." "You don't need to, Tris. It's not a mess of yer making." "It's not about that, Aja. It's about me being your partner. And if we're going to do this, you can't keep shutting me out when it gets hard." his logic was sound and she knew it judging by the tiny grr sound she made and the sigh that followed.
"Fine." "Don't be petulant." "I'm not." "You are." he grinned. "I bet you're doing that cute little pout too." "Yer cracked." she finally smiled and he nodded. "Have to be. You're my wife." "Oh, you are too funny, Larson." she laughed lightly and he took an easy breath.
He knew what to do with her when she was joking around and light hearted. It was the more serious introspection that made him wary. She was unpredictable when it came to deeper emotions. The wrong idea could set her off looking for space and freedom from the emotions over taking her. He'd seen her do it before.
"I'll be home in a bit. Why don't you see if Maria has dinner ready?"
"Sure. See you soon." she hung up the phone, completely still for a moment. When she finally moved, she clipped the phone to her belt and went into the kitchen. He stepped into the parlor and looked in the direction she left in thoughtfully.
Pushing herself up off the door, Aja went to the kitchen and grabbed herself a beer, then went to the living room and was sitting down after the very long day when her phone rang. She almost dreaded answering it, till she saw who was calling. Tristan. She smiled and picked it up.
"People are going to start to talk, Larson." "Saying what?" he answered, she could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh, I don't know. Suppose they could just fill in the blanks." She smiled softly and glanced around. "I'm glad you called." "Yeah?" "Yeah...it's the oddest thing, really." She said. "Just hearing your voice feels" good. Relaxing." She smiled and kicked her shoes off. "That's a good thing, right?" "Yes. Especially after the day I've had." She leaned up, grabbed her beer, then leaned back into the couch as she twisted the cap off the bottle.
"Rough day, Rabbit?" "Beyond the telling." She answered with a sigh. "Don't suppose it's anything new. Just my own impatience getting the best of me." "You want it done so you can get back to work?" "Yes." She exhaled slowly. "I mean I know it's gotta be done and I want it done, but it's just disrupting everything." "Aja, there is more to life than work." "I know. I go out. I make time fer other things." "Not saying you don't, Love." He said soothingly. "Yer not' Sounded a lot like ya were." "When you leave the yards, you're still doing stuff for everyone but you." "Am not." She protested. "No?" he asked amused. "I doubt that hanging out in the Inn could be considered doin something fer someone else." "So hanging out with Anya, Petyr and the others isn't for their benefit?" "Not just theirs." She protested again trying to keep a lid on her normal snap tone. He wasn't other people. She had to remind herself of that. "What do you get out of it?" "Uh...ya know." She shrugged even though he couldn't see it. "People ta talk to." "Someone other than Rico and Mami?" "Yeah." That would work for now. She wasn't always sure how to articulate what it was she thought. They were both silent for a moment before he spoke again.
"Aja" Where do you see us in a couple years?" Tristan asked which Aja shrugged at. She really had no answer for that. He waited for a moment or two before speaking again. "I can't see you, Rabbit. If we're going to figure all this out and get back to where we were, you're going to have to talk to me." "Ya think this is easy?" she asked him sort of annoyed but it was more with herself than him. He just happened to be the one who made her think about this stuff. "No. I don't. I've always known that you don't trust people very much." He spoke calmly to her. Proving perhaps how well he understood her. "And it's a detriment?" "It's one of the challenges." "Makes me sound like a pain in the arse." "Well, there is that." He laughed. "Ima gonna hang up on you." She shot back with a grin. "No you won't." the amused reply came back. "Fine." She grinned as she shifted her position on the couch. "I won't hang up." "Good girl." "Ya know what ya can do with that bit." She laughed a little and then got up to pace around the room aimlessly. Toying with things on the shelves.
"You haven't answered the question." "No?" she said lightly setting down a crystal figurine she had been looking at. "I bet that's irritating." She grinned a little. "You're trying to distract me." "Does that mean we're gonna take ta sending telegrams?" "What?" "Well, ya took ta calling me so I couldn't tempt ya off the subject with something else." "Not the worst idea in the world." He laughed as he slowly stepped into the living room, but still out of sight as he watched Aja with a grin on his lips. "Then again. We did agree to take things slow, till you got used to me being around again. Or are you saying that you miss our romantic romps in bed?"
"Not gonna say I don't.." she said going to the window and looking out into the dark. "But we're not who we once were. Things are ?" she trailed off running her finger down the glass in though. "different." "Worse?" he asked watching her shake her head before she answered. "Different." She clarified again and leaned against the window sill. "Not sure what the afterlife is like...if ya change what you like, but it allows other things to change. Who we are. Time. Space." "Too much?" he asked quietly. "No. Tris." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's enough ta make this new...again." she paused looking up towards the stars. "Ya've always been the one.." "I like that idea." "I do too." she said. "And I don't. Losing you was not at all fun." she took a deep breath quickly adding. "And that's not yer fault." "But I was the cause of that pain, which you'd like to avoid." "Yes." she admitted slowly then took a deep breath. "Never been scared of much. But that was a very dark time. And usually I handle the dark stuff with the greatest of ease...but this wasn't something done to me, or something I saw but someone I counted on taken."
He watched as she turned from the window and started pacing. When faced with over emotional things, he knew Aja always felt the need to be active, doing something so it couldn't sink in too deep. A method of self protection that she hadn't seemed to abandon.
"I can't do anything about that, Aja." "I know." she said stopped and settling on the arm of the couch. "I'll deal with it in time. It's my own disaster." "Didn't say I wouldn't help you through it." "You don't need to, Tris. It's not a mess of yer making." "It's not about that, Aja. It's about me being your partner. And if we're going to do this, you can't keep shutting me out when it gets hard." his logic was sound and she knew it judging by the tiny grr sound she made and the sigh that followed.
"Fine." "Don't be petulant." "I'm not." "You are." he grinned. "I bet you're doing that cute little pout too." "Yer cracked." she finally smiled and he nodded. "Have to be. You're my wife." "Oh, you are too funny, Larson." she laughed lightly and he took an easy breath.
He knew what to do with her when she was joking around and light hearted. It was the more serious introspection that made him wary. She was unpredictable when it came to deeper emotions. The wrong idea could set her off looking for space and freedom from the emotions over taking her. He'd seen her do it before.
"I'll be home in a bit. Why don't you see if Maria has dinner ready?"
"Sure. See you soon." she hung up the phone, completely still for a moment. When she finally moved, she clipped the phone to her belt and went into the kitchen. He stepped into the parlor and looked in the direction she left in thoughtfully.