Welcome to Gaia! ::

Bastion once thought he knew everything about Mjoll. He knew just how she liked to part her hair. He knew exactly how Mjoll liked to drink her favorite tea (Darjeeling with a hint of honey and lemon, no milk, hot enough to still puff with steam.) He knew how she favored the color of the sky on a crisp morning, powder blue - not the garish blue of a cloudless afternoon. He knew she liked to keep her schedules, and hated to be late.

But the more she talked, the more he realized he did not know. And it saddened him to think that all this time, spent fantasizing about what it would be like to hold her hand, had blocked him from the chance to simply get to know her as a person. He felt like he'd never met Mjoll in his life.

And now that he finally had the chance..

"You're right." He whispered, his voice hoarse with regret. "You needn't do anything. I should have told you long ago, but I didn't, and now I am with someone." He didn't hesitate when favoriting the word one, over pony, because it simply didn't seem important to him. He would not belittle Sophie by trying to explain the confusion surrounding their relationship, to Mjoll. Even if the ghoul hadn't called him since prom, he respected her enough to assume theirs was a relationship until he was told otherwise.

He reached out, in a move he'd dreamed about all of his life, and brushed her hair with his hand. He could feel her slipping away, but he'd never been this close before. And his eyes continued to sting with the threat of tears.

"I have something for you." It came to him like a slap in the face, and he pulled away, digging into his robes for what he knew he'd been holding for a while now. "I've had it for so long.. it's getting kind of silly."

He pulled out a long chain of links, each one studded with tiny diamonds. There were two layers of the golden links, that rested against one another and chimed gently when they touched. He'd shown it, unfinished, to Nergui the first time he'd seen her. Now, the piece was finally complete, and he'd kept it with him always, tucked away near his heart. "Her name is Mjoll. I guess.. I didn't know it at the time, but I made it for you. So you should have it, at least."

He slowly pressed the links into her hands. "Do not refuse." He demanded. "Trust me. Just this once, even if you don't know how to respond, just don't refuse this."

Friends.

Hey, Mjoll, nice to see you today. How's business? Seen anything interesting lately? Who's your new-

He almost choked at the thought of seeing her with another man, and his reaction was so ridiculous, so utterly shameful, that he had to laugh. Even as he chuckled, he nodded his head helplessly.

"Yes, Mjoll. I'd love to be friends with you. I'd love to be anything with you. I'm willing to try this."

He reached up when she turned and held the necklace around her neck, clasping it easily together. It only took a second, so it was unnecessary for his hands to linger at her neck they way they did. The little strands of hair that had escaped her up-do were brushing against his fingers, though, and they distracted them. Tiny little golden strands.

His hands pulled away as if they'd been burned, and he held them behind his back. "Well, let's see it."

Bastion gave the necklace a good, long, look, before he nodded. But then his face lit up in an amused smile. "Come on, Mjoll. It was made for you. Every single thing about it was made with you in mind. The necklace looks beautiful on you because it was created to belong there; not because of the color of your outfit. You could be-"

And here, he stopped, because he managed to catch himself before saying something completely and horribly inappropriate, which would have ended in him dying of blood loss.

"-c-could be wearing neon yellow and it would still good right." Good save, Bastion. You're the best under pressure. A+

At least she wasn't the only one blushing now.

He'd already tried to give her the profits from the sale before, and she'd pushed it right back at him. It felt insulting to try again.. as much as he wanted to. So he picked up the satchel, and reluctantly pocketed it. "We will get ice cream." He announced, standing to pick up some of his parcels. But one of his fingers lifted as he paused. "If you allow me to treat. It's the least I can do."

He picked up the parcels, took a step, and then turned to look at her again, aghast with embarrassment.

"Heeeey." He whined. "What's wrong with my outfit??"

Bastion relaxed, a little. He might have been trying to see if he smelled. "Well, no. Clothing means little to me. I'm not very interested in worldly possessions, Mjoll, I live in a - "

Nope.

" .. Ahh, prom was, different. I didn't make my costume, Sophie did. She's a seamstress. I would have just gone in my formal gowns, otherwise. Have you ever seen me in anything else?"

He chuckled quietly. Had she ever seen him? "If you don't take the money, I will just use to buy more supplies, and probably give everything I make away. I don't really profit much, anymore. I just want to see people wearing something I made. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it is the only reward for my efforts that I truly desire."

"I don't enjoy a nice night on the town. I don't enjoy a nice anything on the town." Bastion muttered under his breath. "It's a wonder I come out here at all to do my trading. That is where I will use all this money. I will hire someone to do it for me." He laughed, a deep sound that shook him. "I shall give you your commission from this before you leave me today, then. And - I. I thought. We were getting ice cream?"

How in Medea's name was he going to convince her to not bring the items back to his place? He never wanted her to see the hovel he worked in. The shame was forcing him to become desperate.

"Yours!" Bastion filled with delight. "Oh, yes, please. That would be much better." He took a deep breath of relief, and gave her a bright grin. "Lead the way, my lady.

He didn't even really care if they got ice cream or not. The entire thing had just been a welcome distraction to keep her away from the hovel he called home, but she'd offered a much more pleasant alternative.

..And then he realized what he was saying, what she was saying, and his heart sped up tenfold. The home of Mjoll. It probably smelled like her. No, Bastion, get those thoughts out of your head. You're a changed man now, he told himself. You're going to be her friend. Friends went to each others homes all the time. This was perfectly normal.

His hands were shaking.