shroudedinsecrecy | INBOX (IC)

For work, yes. That does seem lucky though. They're pretty good at offering jobs that suit people, aren't they? It's... a little worrying actually.

[ He glances out of the window then, looking towards the "sky" before finally turning his attention back to her. ]

At least it's something you're comfortable doing though. There are some really... weird jobs here.

[She...hadn't really thought of it as worrying. Even if it meant such a placement without consulting her first meant that...perhaps their abductors knew a little more about her than desirable....]

Yes, so I've heard.

May I ask...which job you accepted?

Me? [ He leans back then, tapping the table before he reaches for the small menu that's in a holder to the side. ]

I work at a magic shop and as a magician for hire. I... [ He laughs then, giving her a smile. ] I ended up working up at the cosplay cafe because of Athena as well.

[ And he's a shady poker dealer that cheats for extra $$ but Iris doesn't need to know about that. ]

[He and Phoenix should definitely get together for shady poker matches that they both cheat at. Because that would go oh-so-well.]

That's nice that you two get to work together.

But...um...what's...'cos-play'?

[ They truly should, though his cheating involves magically changing the cards so ... it's a little meaner. Sorry, Phoenix. ]

Yeah. [ He... clears his throat. Mostly because. ] Costume play. It's a cafe where... the people that work there dress up and pretend to be someone else. I mean honestly it isn't that bad but--

--you've really never gone to visit her before?

[That sounded...quite, interesting, actually! Dressing up and playing pretend? She wondered what kind of outfits were involved.]

I haven't, actually. Should I?

[ It is pretty fun sometimes, actually. Sometimes distracting. Really he just seems to have fun gossiping with the alien ladies that come in at times. ]

You should. I'm sure Athena would appreciate it at least. Though she doesn't spend as much time there as she used to. [ Because she's an idiot overworking herself all the time... ]

[Ah, and that was where they differed. Iris ~~almost~~ never gossiped. ~~And when she does, it's only by accident okok~~]

That's...a good thing, though, right? If she's not working so hard.

I know...she was having money trouble for a little while. Mr. Mosley...he told me what he did to her. [Taking her money for that little 'prank'] I offered her some of mine if she were to get in trouble, but I hope that means she's doing better now.

No, she's still working hard. [ He reaches up to rub his temple. ] It's just across 4 different places.

[ And now his mouth twitches. ] She told me about that. Apparently Mr. Wright paid her back though, but I honestly don't know why he didn't just ask you to begin with. [ Speaking............ of gossip. ] She never has money though, I doubt that's going to change anytime soon.

I told him the same thing.

[In fact, she's gotten quite upset over it at the time. Wondering what she could have possibly said or done that would lead him to think it would be better to ask her under false pretenses. Or, for that matter, to have to ask at all.]

How can she never have money if she works that much?

[This wasn't gossip, shh. It was friendly concern over poor Athena's perpetual financial woes.]

Love makes you do strange things though, you know. It makes you insecure. Makes you doubt yourself.

[ And he's seen as much heartache from it as he has happiness, so... ]

She spends it just as quickly, really.

[ No no the ... thing about what Phoenix wanted to ask was the gossip!! Because Athena told him everything... ]

[Love.]

Yes. I...suppose it does.

[ Are you saying it's otherwise?! ]

Don't worry about it too much, I can't say I haven't done something similar-- [ a pause ] --I'm just better at being direct.

[ And rude..... ]

[. . .]

[Does...does that mean Merlin basically admitted he loves Athena? How sweet! If slightly surprising, from Iris' perspective, given how...fast they seemed to be moving. ~~Then again, any relationship seemed fast compared to hers~~]

...what did you do?

[ Iris......... he's still under twenty and hasn't really been in love before, who knows for sure--but he has told her that, yes. ~~Seriously Iris, up your game~~ ]

Honestly it's probably better I don't say, I don't think either of us looked good that night. [ He's talking about a fight though really, Iris. ] It's a lot harder when you're from two entirely different timelines as well as worlds.

Any relationship can have its own challenges.

But...I suppose you're right. Many here do seem to come with their own unique hurdles to overcome.

[Same world, yes, but...an eight year difference that...shouldn't have been.]

Exactly. So don't let it get you down, I'm sure that over time he'll stop doubting himself and you'll work things out. Andddd. [ He leans to cross his arms on the table. ] I'm always willing to lend an ear if you need to talk to someone.

[She smiled softly at that, nodding at his generous offer.]

Thank you. But...we did work things out. At least, I think so. After I found out about what happened, I...went straight to him to talk about it. [The difference between her and Phoenix. She'd learned her lesson well enough to realize that direct confrontation in that situation was best.] He promised that he wouldn't do something like that ever again.

I just...didn't want there to be any more lies between us.

[ He goes quiet while she explains what happened after, and she might notice that his eyes dip to the table a bit as she finishes off. "I just didn't want there to be any more lies between us".

His arms shift a little, using the movement as a means to cover him not replying right away. ]

At least he knows now, right?

[ But he doesn't say anything else. ]

[She did notice, in fact, though with her current train of thought, she couldn't be certain if it was meant towards her own subtle admission of past lies, or something a bit more...personal.]

Yes. He does.

[A pause, followed by:]

Are you...alright?

So hopefully it won't happen again. [ It seems to only last for that moment though as he shifts to get comfortable, and even then he only gives her a laugh that's more like a puff of air. He squirms on the seat, then says: ] These aren't that comfortable, are they?

Do you know your order already, I can call them over once we know. They probably think we're wasting time at this point.

[That...certainly didn't answer her question. If anything, it brought about more questions.]

Yes, actually. You can...call them over. I'm ready.

[ What of it, Iris? He can pretend he's being weird because he can't get comfortable if he wants! ]

Alright. [ It's quick enough to give the waitress a smile and ask her to come over, letting Iris go first while he quickly glances the menu over. There's a lot of stuff he hasn't tried so it's going to take him a minute. ]

[He can pretend all he wants. She couldn't stop him from doing that any more than he can stop her from feeling concern.]

[Though, at the moment, she focused on picking up her own menu and placing an order for a small sandwich and cup of herbal tea.]

[ Now you know how frustrating it is...

Though once she's finished he orders a bigger sandwich for himself, finding that now they're sat down he's pretty hungry. He asks for a black tea though, choosing something a bit more like what he's familiar with. ]

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