Neil wasn't sure that anything could wipe the grin off his face--not even Ahkaten of the Thunder, in full shift, taking flight. Not even those winds could sweep his smile away, and after worrying for about ten seconds he decided he didn't give a fuck. It wasn't weird or overstepping to be glad she was okay with that.
"Good." he replied simply, still grinning like an idiot. "That's--I'm glad. I'm glad, I know it's only been a day? But I missed you, kiddo."
"That's cheesy," Charlie retorts playfully and teasingly. How else is she going to respond to that kind of thing? With a response that shows the feelings mutual?
"I missed you, too."
Of course she god damn is.
"And I'm sorry for my part of things. I was a jackass."
"Tellin' you, kiddo: you're not a jackass." he assured her, absently sticking a hand in his pocket to grab his phone and check the time--and maybe to tap out a quick message to Regina, but he's quick about it and pockets his phone again before he refocuses on Charlie.
"Being a paranoid asshole's what I do for an actual living, I let it bleed out into my personal life." he went on, clapping his hands together and rubbing them briskly. "So I make restitution in pizza and ice cream. Do you know any places around here? Oh, and just 'cause I'm that crazy about you...we can go deep dish if that's your thing. What's left of my inner New Yorker will bear up under the burden."
"I just like food," Charlie states for the second time in as many days. As a homeless kid, she really couldn't complain about what she ate, especially since a lot of it was either stolen or paid for with money she got from pawning stolen goods. Which technically, makes all her food stolen. Probably.
"Just...can we eat outside? I want to be outside. And I don't care what kind of pizza. Honest."
"Fuck yeah, we can eat outside--hang on, lemme check a source." Neil offered, pulling out his phone again--and promptly grinning like a flat out moron at the text that was waiting for him before he asked for Regina's advice on eateries. When he was done, he gestured sheepishly with the phone before putting it back in his pocket.
"Regina--she knows her shit, and she knows this place pretty well. I told you 'bout Regina, right? Honest to God queen, real classy, ballsy as hell..."
"Your overnight dinner date?" Don't even play, Neil. Charlie may not have that empathic bond with him yet? But she's not stupid. For a street kid who did her best to avoid friendships and interactions, she's good with reading people.
She heads out her door, taking Neil with her and locking it behind the two of them.
"You have only just now told me her name, so let's hear the rest of it."
Laughing as she hauled him out the door, Neil felt his cheeks warm a little at being called out--but happily started talking as she locked the door.
"Okay--like I said, she's a queen in her world. Name's Regina Mills, and she's beautiful. Real high class, smart as hell, tough as nails, and for some stupid reason she thinks I'm worth givin' the time of day."
He started to say more--to tell her how alike they were, Charlie and Regina both strong women with stronger personalities, how it was one of the reasons he'd grown so fond of both so fast--but his phone buzzed again. Stopping to read Regina's messages, his face again lit up like the sun as he responded, stopped to delete an unwise remark, then sent his response before pocketing the phone again.
"She's also resourceful--got a couple recommendations for good places to eat. Grab some pizza--maybe a salad, too, I'm into the easy access to produce here, forgot how good tomatoes are--then we'll forage for some ice cream. C'mon, we're headed to Attleton, boardwalk--yo, you got your amulet, right?"
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 02:57 am (UTC)"Good." he replied simply, still grinning like an idiot. "That's--I'm glad. I'm glad, I know it's only been a day? But I missed you, kiddo."
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 08:17 pm (UTC)"I missed you, too."
Of course she god damn is.
"And I'm sorry for my part of things. I was a jackass."
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 08:31 pm (UTC)"Being a paranoid asshole's what I do for an actual living, I let it bleed out into my personal life." he went on, clapping his hands together and rubbing them briskly. "So I make restitution in pizza and ice cream. Do you know any places around here? Oh, and just 'cause I'm that crazy about you...we can go deep dish if that's your thing. What's left of my inner New Yorker will bear up under the burden."
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 09:15 pm (UTC)"Just...can we eat outside? I want to be outside. And I don't care what kind of pizza. Honest."
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 09:27 pm (UTC)"Regina--she knows her shit, and she knows this place pretty well. I told you 'bout Regina, right? Honest to God queen, real classy, ballsy as hell..."
Not that he's into this woman or anything.
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 10:35 pm (UTC)She heads out her door, taking Neil with her and locking it behind the two of them.
"You have only just now told me her name, so let's hear the rest of it."
Re: Action Prose - Retconning to evening of 9/1 because I am a chowderhead
Date: 2018-09-07 11:09 pm (UTC)"Okay--like I said, she's a queen in her world. Name's Regina Mills, and she's beautiful. Real high class, smart as hell, tough as nails, and for some stupid reason she thinks I'm worth givin' the time of day."
He started to say more--to tell her how alike they were, Charlie and Regina both strong women with stronger personalities, how it was one of the reasons he'd grown so fond of both so fast--but his phone buzzed again. Stopping to read Regina's messages, his face again lit up like the sun as he responded, stopped to delete an unwise remark, then sent his response before pocketing the phone again.
"She's also resourceful--got a couple recommendations for good places to eat. Grab some pizza--maybe a salad, too, I'm into the easy access to produce here, forgot how good tomatoes are--then we'll forage for some ice cream. C'mon, we're headed to Attleton, boardwalk--yo, you got your amulet, right?"