[For Mathias & Veronica]

[thewordofweb]

After the strange personality happenstance and the obituary and the fight that came after that, I've come around to thinking that I'm long overdue for a nice bit of respite. Surfing, sunning, fishing from a dock (considering I'm trying to respect Joe's wishes by not going out too deep), and sticking around friends. Today's plans involve checking on Mathias and I'm heading in the direction of his place with a bag filled with the provisions for surfing.

And possibly a quarter of the cookies Joe baked off while he was feeling...'under the weather' so to speak. It's a good day, though. For all my recent emotional turmoil, it's a decent day and maybe today I can convince Mathias to drop me by and meet this new girlfriend of his.

After all, he'd been ever so eager to talk about her before. "Mathias!" I call warmly as I arrive. "You in?"

Comments

[plantfood]

Thus far, Mathias has done an excellent job of not talking about what happened during those few days, with the exception of making a request of the building crew. He and Stacy have begun to move their things to the hut on the beach, but as far as he's concerned every other thing he said or did during that time never happened.

Except for the part where he called Veronica his girlfriend. Repeatedly. To her friends and his friends and possibly even to her face, he isn't sure. They're doing an excellent job of ignoring that elephant in the room, however, and he's already with Veronica near his new place when he hears Webster's voice.

And the only thing he can think to say now is, "Oh, shit."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

Veronica tenses, tipping her head up to find the source of the voice, alert. Now that she's back to normal, mercifully, she's been intent on enjoying herself in completely normal ways - not anxious, not chirpy, not desperate for anyone's affection - content to pretend the last few days never happened. The labels affixed to their relationship? She'll cross that bridge when she comes to it - as herself.

This, though, requires immediate attention. "That doesn't sound good," she says. "What, should we hide?" She's only half-kidding.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I can hear voices talking and I bear in the direction. I still have my senses sharp and well from my Army days, but I can clearly tell it's Mathias, so I'm not about to pounce or do anything stupid. "I've got things for surfing or fishing if you take your pick?" I call out and hesitate before taking those last few steps and pressing my lips together to hide my amusement. "Or not. I didn't realize you had company."

[plantfood]

They can't hide, although he thinks it's an awfully good idea, considering all the things he'd said to Webster. On a normal day, Mathias isn't particularly bothered by anything, but on a normal day, he hasn't just spewed everything to a new friend.

"I just... said too much to him," he explains quickly to Veronica, hoping she'll understand, then turns toward Webster when he begins to speak German. Smiling awkwardly, he gestures at Veronica. "Webster, this is Veronica. Veronica, this is Webster."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

"Too much about what?" Veronica begins, though even as she does so, she has an idea of the answer and it's not a good one. It's too late, though. Already Mathias is making introductions.

"Webster? Sounds like the name of a man whose parents desperately wanted him to win the science fair," she says. "Or the county spelling bee." Alright, so she's a little testy, on guard, their afternoon interrupted. It's to make up for a few days of loving everyone. Besides, what kind of person walks toward voices without understanding more than one person's there? It sounds to her like an excuse, a feint. Offering a hand, she smiles brightly. "Nice to meet you."

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I just give her a wary look, unable to keep smiling because I've seen so much worse in my own home and not from family. I shake her hand and nod. "David Kenyon Webster. Most go for the second, Mathias went for the third," I note ruefully with a broad grin. "And my parents had high hopes. Hence why I was Harvard bound."

"Mathias mentioned you!" I say with great delight. "I was hoping to meet you at some point." Better now than never.

[plantfood]

"You are not going to be as nice as everyone else and just forget that the past few days ever happened, are you?" Mathias asks on a sigh, although he's expected as much. He can't be that lucky, of course, that would just seem a little too unreal.

And there is, strangely, a little part of him that wants Veronica and Webster to like each other. It's been a long time since he's had a male friend and an even longer time since he's had a girlfriend. Or not a girlfriend, he isn't sure.

"Let's get it out in the open, then," he continues. "Veronica, when I saw Webster last, I suspect I gushed about you for about an hour."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

Veronica's brow raises as if in surprise, but the truth, clear enough on her face, is that she suspected as much. It's what Mathias meant by 'too much,' she's sure, and the thought is, admittedly, nauseating. Funny how that used to be the kind of thing that would have flattered her, and now it just freaks her out.

"And only said good things, I assume," she says dryly. "Well, that's no fun. Why doesn't anyone just call you David?"

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"My boyfriend calls me Dave," I explain with a shrug, finding there to be some solace in knowing that he has a name reserved for him. "It's pretty much the most personal name I've got. Even my family calls me Kenyon. And yes, all good things. Lovingly flower-tinged poetically prosed good things." I look her up and down and glance to Mathias. "Does she speak German?"

[plantfood]

This is not going at all the way he's hoped and both of Mathias's hands clench into convulsive fists as he tries to figure out a way to make this entire conversation run smoothly.

He knows the first step is to not start speaking another language, as if he has something to hide, so he shakes his head. "No," he answers in English. "She doesn't speak German. And I think the best idea all around would be to forget the past few days happened, ja? Then we can just go about this as if we were regular people with regular lives."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

"Wait, what happened during the past few days?" Veronica asks, brow furrowing in innocent bewilderment. She's gotten good at that, at pretending this or that never happened, face a perfect mask except for just the faintest hint of mischief that always gives her away. It doesn't matter to her. She's more than ready to let all that go, never to hear just what this florid poetry apparently consisted of; she heard some of it, and the meaning was sweet but the effusiveness beyond bizarre.

She looks at Webster pointedly, all but daring him to fill in the blank when she clearly wants it left unspoken. For Mathias' sake, she's got to play nice, but already she's wary of him.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I raise a brow as I look at her and I wonder at if someone can just be that good at repressing. "Well, if that's the way you want to play it, fine. Nothing happened," I politely note, though it's a lot less friendly and warm than before. "None of it was bad and none of it was particularly horrifying," I promise her before shooting Mathias a dubious look. "Anyway. I was going surfing, though I'd invite the both of you. Or I can let you to your denial."

[plantfood]

Mathias takes a breath, waits one beat and then another, then nods at Webster's request before he looks at Veronica. "Would you like to? I'm not very good, the two of you can both laugh at me every time I fall off my board."

He doesn't completely understand why he wants them to get along so badly and he knows he can't force such a thing. It would be absurd to think everyone on the island would get along, but it doesn't stop him from wanting it all the same.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

The way Veronica figures it, it's never her fault if someone else can't read a joke. Still, she musters up her best polite smile, looking between them. She'd rather have time with just the two of them than share, or else be alone, but it's not like she's met all that many of Mathias' friends. A little effort to be nice isn't such a difficult thing.

"Sure," she says, shrugging. "I'm not very good at it either, but it's not like I've got anything else planned. Shall we?"

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

I let out a quiet exhalation of air and try to relax. I have every reason to. Joe loves me, I'm fine, we're both fine. He's normal and I don't have to worry about keeping secrets. "I was eager to meet you," I admit. "And this is before Mathias went crazy on the descriptives. You just seemed to make him happy when I had to pull his teeth to get him to mention you," I note in conversation to Veronica.

One glance is afforded back to Mathias. "I'm still in my bounds to say this stuff, right?"

[plantfood]

"If you would like me to turn several different colours, then yes," Mathias answers, reaching for Veronica's hand unconsciously. By now he knows that Veronica understands he isn't much of a talker, so he isn't too worried that she might get the wrong impression from what Webster has said.

"Webster, ah... he also found me that day on the beach," he explains quickly. "It is how we met."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

Veronica's brow arches at that, understanding at once the day he means. Days on the beach are too commonplace for many to distinguish themselves. Realizing this distracts her from wondering, at least for the moment, just why Webster is so curious about her.

"Oh," she says. There's no ready quip for that. There doesn't need to be. Instead she just gives his hand a squeeze, taking a step closer, small, unconscious promises that she's there. "That was... a difficult day."

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

Now, I don't so much give the annoyed front that seems to come easily and nod my head. "Yeah," I agree quietly, giving Mathias a small smile. "And he hasn't been able to shake me off his path ever since. The beginning of a beautiful friendship, I believe some people would say. He kind of indulges me in my talking about my relationship, so I poke about his. It's all meant in friendship and I don't pass it along to anyone."

[plantfood]

There are two reasons for Mathias to want to change the subject now and he squeezes Veronica's hand gently in return before he gestures to the hut they've left just behind them. "Stacy and I decided to move out of the Compound," he tells Webster, because Veronica already knows.

The hut has two bedrooms, a definite step in the right direction, he hopes.

"Near the beach, out of the jungle," he continues. "It makes it easy to go surfing."

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

A dozen different quips and questions spring to mind, but Veronica knows all she's doing now is bristling, getting herself into some needless pissing match. He's Mathias' friend, and for the moment, that'll have to be good enough. It doesn't make her less tense, but it does allow her to smile and nod. "The Compound can drive you as crazy as anywhere else, so you might as well go insane outside of it, right?"

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"I think we're all scheduled for a breakdown at some point," I say with a rueful smile, softening slightly and not settling on my default of petty irritation. "Although, living on your own, vaguely, has got to be better than my situation." I glance to Veronica and manage a weary smile. "Daily torture. It's horrible."

[plantfood]

"How many people live with you?" Mathias asks, because he's never actually been clear on that. It surprises him sometimes, as he's always been drawn to loners, people who prefer to spend time on their own and don't need the company of others.

"I suspect more people than I might have patience for," he admits, turning to Veronica and giving her a faint smile. It's barely more than a quirk of his mouth, but he hopes she can read how grateful he is just through that.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

"You mean more than one?" she teases, brow lifting. It's simpler to behave, she finds, if she focuses on Mathias, if she filters this conversation through him. In a way, it's just a reminder of why she's playing nice at all.

And true, the fact of Stacy's presence still sits uneasily with Veronica, but this new place, it's a step. Separate bedrooms, for one thing. It's not like she can't understand the loyalties formed, the bond inherent in enduring the same tragedy.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"Until recently, there were eight of my fellow soldiers," I admit with a shrug. "Now there's something like four and the teenage girls that the man who puts us up took in. It's just Joe and I living together, though," I say quietly, managing a soft smile in Veronica's direction. "My boyfriend," I explain. "And constant pain in my ass. Mathias has yet to meet him. I'm sure after this, he plans to torture him."

[plantfood]

"No, but I do have plans to torture you," Mathias answers lightly, in an uncharacteristic moment of truthfulness that doesn't have to be pulled from him. It's well deserved at this point, he suspects, and it will happen, one way or another.

"It will be nice to be out of the Compound," he allows after a moment, although he's still nervous about being so near to the jungle.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

"And not sharing a room with a snake," Veronica offers, deadpan. The whole Nagini situation still amuses her endlessly. There might have been some small measure of guilt when she'd read the rest of the series despite some of the characters being around, sure, but she'd enjoyed Harry Potter too much before the island to give up on it here. "So teenage girls, huh? Very Dickensian. He running some kind of orphanage?"

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much. We're his pathetic boarders. We can't seem to find other places," I say with a shrug. Though, I think that the one thing tying us there is the lack of desire to change. "It beats bombed-out shelters and co-opting dead kids' rooms while they're off to war," I finally admit, which may sound dark, but it's the truth.

[plantfood]

It's easy to forget that Webster has come from such a different time than he has and it's only when he says such things that Mathias makes himself think of everything his friend has gone through. He feels guilty for it, but he's relieved there was never a need to go to war while he was enlisted.

"It's easier to avoid that here," he says.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

"Which war? If you don't mind me asking." There are those who, saying such things, might strike Veronica as self-righteous - there's a certain pretension, not in suffering, but in laying claim to it, which she knows well - but it's to Webster's credit that he doesn't. He's a man who's seen terrible things. He's in good company that way.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"Well, it didn't have a name back when I'm from," I clarify first, because I don't want to sound as if I've been naming things. "But I enlisted with the paratroopers in 1942. I was off to war in '44 and it was early April of 1945 when I got here." I don't smile now, not anymore, still remembering that day and Janovec's death, his blood still on my hands.

[plantfood]

"The Second World War," Mathias murmurs, although he's sure by the dates that Veronica has figured that out for herself already. It still unsettles him in a way, knowing Webster has seen those awful things, remembering the stories his grandparents had told him of bombings.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

Veronica's brow raises and she nods absently. "Seems like there's a lot of veterans of that one around here these days," she says. It's hard to have anything but respect for the deed, at least, and strange to think of. She serves alongside Winters and he can't be even a decade older than her.

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"Those would be the aforementioned loud roommates," I smoothly admit, without missing a beat. "For the most part. Easy Company has a tendency to turn up in groups places. It's annoying and relished at once. And I have to be grateful especially for some of them being here."

[plantfood]

Mathias frowns thoughtfully at that, then looks over at Webster. "Are all the vets from the Second World War people you know?" he asks, wondering how that works. It was a big war, spanning too many years for that to be just coincidence and although Mathias himself has no real interest in researching the reasons behind the arrivals, he's sure someone must.

[neptune-sleuth.livejournal.com]

It's too big a coincidence for it to encompass all of them, logically speaking, but Veronica's been around long enough to understand that logic doesn't always have a lot to do with it; or, rather, the island has a logic of its own by which it operates. As much as it galls her, she hasn't yet figured it all out. "Winters, too?"

[thewordofweb.livejournal.com]

"He was Captain Winters when I was shot and by the time the war was ending in Europe, he was Major Winters, yes," I agree with a fond smile on my face. "While he wasn't my favorite officer, he was one of the best there was." But I don't think anyone can compare to Lieutenant Lipton and Captain Speirs. They seemed to be born for the tasks they were appointed. "I've met people from other wars, just none from the one I'm in, unless they're Easy company. Well, with one exception. The man that carved a desk for me...Amsterdam, he was Infantry."

[plantfood]

"One veteran you didn't know," Mathias murmurs, fascinated by that. There's a part of him that understands trying to pry into Webster's past like this might be seen as rude, so he says nothing more on the topic. But it's still in his mind and he'll still be thinking about it for a long time coming.

"Strange how these arrivals work," he says simply.