smile ~ {{roxanne nakamura/silas everard}}

[ROXANNE NAKAMURA]

His reaction was clear in the ever so slight way he jerked away, and though she knew it was a simple reflex - probably to the randomness and possible insultingness of her question - found herself wondering if he would take offense and refuse to answer.

But as Roxanne observed him, waiting patiently for the answer that would either satisfy her curiosity or request she leave, she noticed that he didn't quite look confident in what he would do either. Starting to doubt he would speak at all, though trying to remain optimistic and have hope despite it, she interlaced her fingers and set them in her lap, an effort to keep them from tapping out more of Mozart's fortieth symphony.

Then, to her great surprise, he spoke, and not in a tone of forced courtesy as was usually used by adults trying to get rid of her either. The astonishment flew across her features briefly, her red lips forming a little 'o,' but she quickly recovered and found herself biting back a smile of triumph. "Well..." She began, speaking to him now, averting her gaze to cast a quick look around the shop. There still weren't many customers, and those that were present were already taken care of. "I'm not going anywhere." Roxy permitted herself a small smile, just a hint of teeth and a mere fraction of her usual exuberance, but tried to make it look like she was someone he could trust.

Because she was. And she wanted him to know that. So she added, "And I'm excellent at getting people out of their shells." Her smile grew a bit, eyes still warm though now there was a playful spark in them, too, masking whatever sincerity that was present.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[SILAS EVERARD]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll3/carriesmatic/2010/BLUEVICTORIANBACKGROUND-1.jpg); border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #f1ca97, bTable][style=font-family: courier new; text-align: right; color: #FFFFFF; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: -10px; padding: 5px 30px 1px 5px;]I was just guessing at numbers and figures[/style][style=font-family: harrington; text-align: right; color: #ABA9AA; letting-spacing: 1px; line-height: 5px; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;]Pulling your puzzles apart.[/style][style=float: right; width: 270; padding: 10px; height: 310px; overflow: auto; background-color: #C2C2C2; opacity: 0.4; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #808000; font: 10px verdana; color: #000000; text-align: justify;] "You are, aren't you?" The admittance was accompanied by a wry, almost imperceptible twinge of the lips. Not quite another smile, but rather close. He took in her expression, one of mild surprise and masked victory before tugging the éclair plate forward with a fingertip and absently, slowly spinning it as he mused. "I'm not going anywhere." The words, full of her earnest, bright sincerity, carried a bit more weight than she would ever know. After all, most everyone he'd permitted himself to care about had gone somewhere sooner or later- precisely where varied. But the one constant was that it had always been a place where they'd become lost to him for good. It was a few moments before he finally gathered the nerve to raise his eyes to meet hers, gazing evenly up at her from beneath dark blue lashes as he removed his glasses, folding them and placing them delicately on the table. Just how Alice-like she was, perched on the edge of a table of her own, gazing warmly at him with that expression and the verge of a little smile on her lips, struck him for the second time and he cleared his throat, impassive expression finally slipping slightly. "You.. remind me of someone I knew.. once." It was another admittance, a decidedly random one, but it was a small step toward his story- which she seemed to want to hear. [/style][style=float: left;] [/style]

[atrb=style, height: 80px; overflow: auto; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #000000; font-family: verdana; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]TAG,~ ~ ~ LYRIC,~ ~ ~ NOTES,~ ~ ~ CREDIT,made by LUCI of OTE. steal & die. ; Edited by Maeka of Defrauding Fate.

[ROXANNE NAKAMURA]

A million things to say rose up at his one comment, which seemed both wry and true, but with an effort Roxanne pushed them all down, forcing herself to stay attentive and listen to his story without interrupting. It was what she did, after all. It was what she'd promised to do.

He seemed to dawdle, spinning the dish with a finger in such a way that made her want to do the same - though knowing her, she'd probably end up losing control and breaking it - and hesitating before meeting her eyes again. She herself was unaware that it might be weird that she was staring, just watching him and waiting patiently for an answer, since he seemed to be willing to give one.

A faint glimmer of something, she wasn't sure what, seemed to light his blue eyes when he finally did look at her, though it wasn't exactly a lasting look. Roxy found herself unable to say much to his words, slow and almost stumbling, very unlike how he'd spoken before. She allowed herself one tiny reply, not wanting to distract or bother or whatever else it was that she did to generally annoy adults. "Someone you knew?"

It was both a prompt and a request for clarification. In a way they were the same thing, asking him to go on with his story, as it seemed to be. What it was that made him so quiet. What it was that made him keep his hands to himself and eyes averted from others, that kept him from talking but allowed him to still harbor a hidden pride. She wanted to know, for no apparent reason other than to satisfy her own curiosity. And, maybe, give him a friend. Roxanne wasn't really sure which would come first.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[SILAS EVERARD]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll3/carriesmatic/2010/BLUEVICTORIANBACKGROUND-1.jpg); border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #f1ca97, bTable][style=font-family: courier new; text-align: right; color: #FFFFFF; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: -10px; padding: 5px 30px 1px 5px;]I was just guessing at numbers and figures[/style][style=font-family: french script mt; text-align: right; color: #ABA9AA; letting-spacing: 1px; line-height: 5px; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;]Pulling your puzzles apart.[/style][style=float: right; width: 270; padding: 10px; height: 310px; overflow: auto; background-color: #224C94; opacity: 0.4; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #808000; font: 10px verdana; color: #000000; text-align: justify;] The doctor nodded, impassive expression flickering briefly and revealing the hesitance hidden beneath as he considered the prompting, choosing his next words carefully. Her eyes were what spurred him on, glittering with interest. "She was a bit older, of course, but.." He looked up at last, the wintry feel of those dark blue eyes utterly gone, and for a moment, he seemed almost overwhelmed with something. Memory? Nonethless, he'd defrosted, if only a bit, and it suited him. "You really are quite like her. In behavior, certainly. Even in appearance-" Here, he finally smiled again, trying to let her know that nothing was meant by the next statement. "-Pink hair aside, if you'll excuse me. And even so, she was just the sort to dye it pink..." And a bit of warmth entered his once-bleak expression as he regarded Roxanne, who, still seated on the tabletop, seemed to be making a visible effort to listen attentively and not cut him short with questions, though if one judged by her expression, she was bursting with them. It was positively endearing, and as a result, that smile didn't fade. The plate eventually stopped spinning and he gave her his full focus. As he plowed on, against his better judgement, his voice slowly lost that halting, stuttering quality it'd gained when she'd first begun her sudden interrogation, returning to its original smooth, deliberate silkiness, only barely altered by the accent. "Her name was Alice, and she was my fiance- er, for a while." [/style][style=float: left;] [/style]

[atrb=style, height: 80px; overflow: auto; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #000000; font-family: verdana; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]TAG,~ ~ ~ LYRIC,~ ~ ~ NOTES,~ ~ ~ CREDIT,made by LUCI of OTE. steal & die. ; Edited by Maeka of Defrauding Fate.

[ROXANNE NAKAMURA]

The transformation he was going through was amazing. That was the only thought to really cross her mind and encourage further speculation. One minute he'd been stumbling and awkward, his words edged with an accent she hadn't been able to place, and the next they were clear and flowing, confident and considerably warmer than they had been.

So she sat there in a kind of awed silence, hanging on to each word that left his lips, her whole body angling towards him in anticipation for the next detail. He had that kind of voice, the kind she'd always liked as a child - the sort that made fairy tales come to life in such a way that a person could sit there for days on end, listening to them talk, even if they read the same line over and over again. He even had that story teller's look about him: intelligent, with glasses (not to be biased against people with bad vision, but it was true, Roxanne thought), and a rare smile that, when offered, made the receiver feel all the better for finding it.

And of course, the story itself was astonishing. Never had she been referred to as similar to another - not her father, mother, sister, or brother - it was always just her, Roxy, one of a kind. Somehow it was comforting that there were others like her - or... other who had been? Confused by the last statement, but not wanting to interrupt for fear he might stop completely, the teen looked at him expectantly, nearly falling off the lip of the table in her impatience.

Dimly the waitress half of her mind called for her to take his dishes to the back and make sure all the other customers were taken care of, but she ignored it. Waitressing could come later, but a chance to hear this man's story... well, she didn't know how often that opportunity came up.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[SILAS EVERARD]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll3/carriesmatic/2010/BLUEVICTORIANBACKGROUND-1.jpg); border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #f1ca97, bTable][style=font-family: courier new; text-align: right; color: #FFFFFF; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: -10px; padding: 5px 30px 1px 5px;]I was just guessing at numbers and figures[/style][style=font-family: french script mt; text-align: right; color: #ABA9AA; letting-spacing: 1px; line-height: 5px; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;]Pulling your puzzles apart.[/style][style=float: right; width: 270; padding: 10px; height: 310px; overflow: auto; background-color: #224C94; opacity: 0.4; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #808000; font: 10px verdana; color: #000000; text-align: justify;] She looked so earnest, eyes bright, that he paused, sipping at his cooling coffee and returning his dark gaze to hers, though he absently folded the napkin into miniscule triangles as he did. "You look like you have a question."He finally said, with a wry but warm little smile, well aware that it was an understatement. "Go ahead." He was already telling the story-- the entire story, it seemed-- and so it was only logical to be a bit more specific. To tell her precisely what she wanted to know. It was an odd way of seeing things, pairing logic and precision with something as imaginative as storytelling, but the realization never crossed the doctor's mind. His were thoughts of mechanics and sensibility, the things that would have at least run across another's never once entering his. Turning cogs and rationale. Not bad, per se-- but perhaps he could use a bit more perspective. No, he could definitely use a bit more perspective. His smile turned a bit wistful as he studied her, setting his empty cup on his empty plate and for a moment losing himself in thought. [/style][style=float: left;] [/style]

[atrb=style, height: 80px; overflow: auto; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #000000; font-family: verdana; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]TAG,~ ~ ~ LYRIC,~ ~ ~ NOTES,~ ~ ~ CREDIT,made by LUCI of OTE. steal & die. ; Edited by Maeka of Defrauding Fate.

[ROXANNE NAKAMURA]

A light blush colored her cheeks as he gave her an amused look, calling her out rather accurately on her apparently not so well hidden questions. "Sorry." She blurted, with another small, sheepish smile, settling back onto the table as she relaxed without even knowing she'd been tensed up.

"I just... didn't understand the 'was.'" She stammered it out slowly, not wanting to scare him off by being too enthusiastic - though she'd already failed at that, she thought, and smiled some more. "I mean, you were talking about your fiance, Alice, and you said she was going to be your wife. And I didn't understand why she wouldn't be still...?"

Realizing she was being completely naive, Roxanne hurried to add, "I guess what I'm asking is, what happened? If anything did happen, that is. I don't..." Again she trailed off, her eyes narrowing a little as she watched him, trying to puzzle it out on her own even though the time for that was past.

She doubted this Alice had left him, he was too nice. Maybe that was a bad reason, but he certainly didn't look like the type of person girls would be so willing to love and let go. He had an air around him that spoke of loyalty and, well, deep emotions, to be exact. And she doubted he'd left her. Did something else happen, then? An accident, an illness, some other problem?

This was Utopia, but Roxanne was not so oblivious as to believe that nothing bad ever happened. There were still things the scientists had yet to solve, still things that not even the best could keep under control.

[/justify][/blockquote]

[SILAS EVERARD]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll3/carriesmatic/2010/BLUEVICTORIANBACKGROUND-1.jpg); border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #f1ca97, bTable][style=font-family: courier new; text-align: right; color: #FFFFFF; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: -10px; padding: 5px 30px 1px 5px;]I was just guessing at numbers and figures[/style][style=font-family: french script mt; text-align: right; color: #ABA9AA; letting-spacing: 1px; line-height: 5px; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;]Pulling your puzzles apart.[/style][style=float: right; width: 270; padding: 10px; height: 310px; overflow: auto; background-color: #224C94; opacity: 0.4; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #808000; font: 10px verdana; color: #000000; text-align: justify;] "Oh, no need to apologize." He watched as she tried to word her question with a good deal of stammering and faltering, his head tipped to the side and the faint ghost of a grin on his lips. Oh. Of course. His expression faltered just a bit, then faded, and the effect was as if a door had slammed shut after offering only the briefest glimpse of what was behind it. "Ah.. she.. ahem. She died." He wouldn't meet her eyes for fear that she'd see the soft, stale pain that lingered in his, but he did falteringly attempt to explain, his voice growing softer and somehow more fragile with each word that passed his lips. "..The.. The neighbor's daughter had left her toys on our apartment stairs-- quite a few of them. She wasn't looking at them, she was looking at me, she slipped on one, and she fell." He felt as if he should say something else, opened his mouth, and found that his odd little affliction, the one that left him fumbling for words and finding absolutely none, had struck again. [/style][style=float: left;] [/style]

[atrb=style, height: 80px; overflow: auto; border-style: dotted; border-width: 1px; border-color: #000000; font-family: verdana; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]TAG,~ ~ ~ LYRIC,~ ~ ~ NOTES,~ ~ ~ CREDIT,made by LUCI of OTE. steal & die. ; Edited by Maeka of Defrauding Fate.

[ROXANNE NAKAMURA]

All of a sudden his face was closed, the almost-smile he'd been wearing gone as if it had never existed in the first place. Immediately Roxanne faltered, her subconscious pulling up an answer even as she waited for his.

How could you be so insensitive? She demanded of herself, unable to decide whether she was more upset by her own stupidity or Silas' tale.

In the end it was both.

She listened as he attempted to speak, his words softer and even more breakable than when he'd first entered the shop with a wet coat and wounded pride. She honestly did not know what to say to comfort him. What was there to say? Sorry? It wasn't like she could apologize. The subject of his loss had been bound to come up sooner or later, hadn't it?

So why did she feel like it was still her fault?

"I'm sorry." She murmured, eyes lowering, full of all the sad emotions in the world. She didn't know what else to say other than that, the two lamest words in the planet. She felt like she should hug him... but that would be extremely inappropriate, wouldn't it? She couldn't decide, and ended up just sitting there uncomfortably, torn between moving closer and just staying there so he could grieve in silence.

[/justify][/blockquote]