When she finds him again her hair is still damp--it often is around him, she's realizing--and she's in a more fall-appropriate skirt and top. She has the book tucked under her arm and she's finding it harder to give up than she'd thought it would be.
"This is it," she says, kneeling in the grass and offering it to him. It's an older text, all about dragons and centaurs.
In the grass beside him are a couple of flowers with long slender stems and small blossoms. They've been partially twisted around each other.
He takes the book when offered and starts to casually peruse it while tapping his ash, making sure to avoid the pages. Sweeney's not that much of a dick. And it would be good to have more books on hand, now that there's a market for lending.
Without looking up, he speaks casually. "How much do ya want fer it?" After all, there had been a few initial offers.
"A full bottle if you've got it," making herself look up from the book. Silly thing to be attached to, but it's the first book she's ever picked out just for herself, the first one she's spent time learning new words for so she can fully enjoy it. "I'm sharing with a guy now but this whole fucking month would be better if I could just be drunk till it's over."
He chuckles, pausing his page turning without looking back to her.
"Ya best be a light-weight 'bout it then. 'less he is." Going that long on a bottle is a tough task.
Sweeney's glad that she has a new man in her life. Hopefully he's not fucking gay and can actually fuck her whenever she likes. One less thing for him to stress about.
Unfortunately for her, Crozier is--was--her father figure. But she plans to set a little aside for Steve as well, who she hopes will be a lighter weight than she is on account of having never once been drunk. Not that she'd fuck him drunk, but a little liquid courage might help loosen things up a bit.
"Yeah I wish I had more things I actually cared about," she grimaces. "A bottle's not going to last long."
"Really?" He turn his glance her way with lifted brows.
"Nothin' else ya care 'bout?" The question is honest, not suggestive. Seems a bit strange given how...intense she is about everything. But Sweeney acknowledges it doesn't always translate.
She shrugs a shoulder. "I don't own anything back home but clothes. Doesn't seem any point in keeping a lot of stuff here."
There are a small handful of things: a rose Connor gave her, for example. And she has a flower from each of Gerard's bouquets drying between the pages of heavier books. But she can't imagine sacrificing those for alcohol.
"Hmm." Sweeney mulls on the dilemma, his gaze focusing on the ceiling. He thinks for almost half a minute. Then his attention turns down to her.
"A'right, I'll make ya a Deal. The book," he starts, his fingertip tracing feather-light over the page it's open to. "For a bottle and five cigarettes."
Sweeney's attention shifts down the nearest path before returning to her. "After port, ya bring me a loaf of sweetbread ya make yerself fer 'nother bottle." His voice is firm in his clarification.
"A whole proper loaf. None of this mini ones or muffins or shit like that." His brows lift, putting the ball in her court. He almost never looks to set terms himself unless the deal is mutual.
Let it never be said he's not merciful.
Edited (Additional conversation) Date: 2021-11-16 12:52 am (UTC)
Her smile is warm. "I can do that. A whole loaf, for you." With a little 'S' carved on it, too, she thinks.
"It's just...you know how we all get accused of being alcoholics? This guy actually is. I can go without booze if I have to but he'll literally die. And," a small, shaky breath. "I can't let him die. So. You're gonna get the best fucking sweetbread you've ever had."
"Thanks." She holds it to her chest and watches him a moment. "Have you had more blackouts? Besides," a wave, indicating the one where she took Gerard to see her surfing all of a half hour ago.
His hand is already back in his jacket, but he slows and stares down at her.
Are you fucking kidding me? Hell of a way to ask for a favor.
Sweeney knows damn well that being around her is a risk for inviting that fucking Frenchie, and he doubts talking about him is going to do any favors in that department.
"Fuck if I know." He pulls out a small tin. Inside is a package of tobacco and some papers. Sweeney starts to roll the first cigarette.
"Ya lookin' ta fuck me in the grass or somethin'?"
"Yes," she says, a little smirk at the corner of her mouth, but oh she does mean she would do it. "My last bruise went away two days ago. I came here to smoke and just ended up smelling the trees, the air...imagined the smell of your sweat with the cleanness of the grass grinding into my back..."
She pulls her lower lip through her teeth as she considers that, decides that if anyone did walk in they're just as likely to walk out...or to watch, like he said. It's not like there are cops around. Well--one. But she doubts Ortega would care enough to do anything about it.
"Oh," she reaches into her shirt and pulls a small bag of weed from her bra. "For you. For a cigarette." Which gives him the option of smoking it on his own, too.
He's already curled the paper for the third, readying it to be filled, when she makes the offer. Sweeney's not expecting it, and there's a moment when he stares at the bag with a little too much focus. Is this something he really wants? That's blurring some lines he's not sure he wants to cross.
"You sure 'bout it?" It seems like a lop-sided trade if it's as rare as he's been led to believe.
"Of course." She'd had him in mind when she took the stash from Tess. She's never forgotten what he'd said about the quiet, or the very brief relief he'd seemed to have the first time he'd fucked her. If anyone needs to have a respite from the world, it's him. "I haven't had a smoke today and I'm dying for one."
Sweeney's not going to point out that she's about to have five in her fucking hand. He doesn't point out that she could just smoke the fucking pot. She's offering, he's accepting.
He holds his hand out flat for her to deposit the bag.
She gives him a crooked smile, gives him the bag, and then pillows her head on her arm to watch him. As talkative as she usually is, he's one of the few people she can sometimes just sit with quietly.
Although around the fourth cigarette she murmurs, "I'm worried about you."
"We've got a lot of floods and breaches ahead." And maybe that's why she's watching him now, studying the way his hands move, the expressions he gives her. "I don't want you to lose yourself."
More than he already has over the years. But the problem is she also doesn't want Gerard to lose himself. "Am I making it worse?"
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 10:42 pm (UTC)"This is it," she says, kneeling in the grass and offering it to him. It's an older text, all about dragons and centaurs.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 10:51 pm (UTC)He takes the book when offered and starts to casually peruse it while tapping his ash, making sure to avoid the pages. Sweeney's not that much of a dick. And it would be good to have more books on hand, now that there's a market for lending.
Without looking up, he speaks casually. "How much do ya want fer it?" After all, there had been a few initial offers.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 11:02 pm (UTC)"Ya best be a light-weight 'bout it then. 'less he is." Going that long on a bottle is a tough task.
Sweeney's glad that she has a new man in her life. Hopefully he's not fucking gay and can actually fuck her whenever she likes. One less thing for him to stress about.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 11:06 pm (UTC)"Yeah I wish I had more things I actually cared about," she grimaces. "A bottle's not going to last long."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 11:11 pm (UTC)"Nothin' else ya care 'bout?" The question is honest, not suggestive. Seems a bit strange given how...intense she is about everything. But Sweeney acknowledges it doesn't always translate.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 12:42 am (UTC)There are a small handful of things: a rose Connor gave her, for example. And she has a flower from each of Gerard's bouquets drying between the pages of heavier books. But she can't imagine sacrificing those for alcohol.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 12:52 am (UTC)"A'right, I'll make ya a Deal. The book," he starts, his fingertip tracing feather-light over the page it's open to. "For a bottle and five cigarettes."
Sweeney's attention shifts down the nearest path before returning to her. "After port, ya bring me a loaf of sweetbread ya make yerself fer 'nother bottle." His voice is firm in his clarification.
"A whole proper loaf. None of this mini ones or muffins or shit like that." His brows lift, putting the ball in her court. He almost never looks to set terms himself unless the deal is mutual.
Let it never be said he's not merciful.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 04:48 am (UTC)"It's just...you know how we all get accused of being alcoholics? This guy actually is. I can go without booze if I have to but he'll literally die. And," a small, shaky breath. "I can't let him die. So. You're gonna get the best fucking sweetbread you've ever had."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:00 am (UTC)But he's working on not being a complete prick, and doing Annie some favors seems a reasonable place to start.
Sweeney reaches in his jacket and produces the bottle, offering the base to her.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:13 am (UTC)Are you fucking kidding me? Hell of a way to ask for a favor.
Sweeney knows damn well that being around her is a risk for inviting that fucking Frenchie, and he doubts talking about him is going to do any favors in that department.
"Fuck if I know." He pulls out a small tin. Inside is a package of tobacco and some papers. Sweeney starts to roll the first cigarette.
"Ya lookin' ta fuck me in the grass or somethin'?"
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:23 am (UTC)"Change yer mind 'bout that 'out in the open bit', have ya?" Sweeney sets the cigarette in the lid of the tin and starts on the next.
She'd seemed keen on seeing the showers emptied before she'd want to fuck him there.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:25 am (UTC)"Depends. If someone shouts would you stop fucking me?"
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:28 am (UTC)"What do you think?"
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:35 am (UTC)Maybe join in, if that's her thing and it ain't a fella in the market for a deep dicking.
The second cigarette sealed, he rests it beside the first.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:39 am (UTC)"Oh," she reaches into her shirt and pulls a small bag of weed from her bra. "For you. For a cigarette." Which gives him the option of smoking it on his own, too.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:44 am (UTC)"You sure 'bout it?" It seems like a lop-sided trade if it's as rare as he's been led to believe.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:50 am (UTC)He holds his hand out flat for her to deposit the bag.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 05:56 am (UTC)Although around the fourth cigarette she murmurs, "I'm worried about you."
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 06:00 am (UTC)"An' why is that?"
Sweeney lifts the cigarette to seal it.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-16 06:07 am (UTC)More than he already has over the years. But the problem is she also doesn't want Gerard to lose himself. "Am I making it worse?"
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