[ Of course they fucked with it. They better not have encouraged her to spend that time shopping around for another contract. Philippa doesn't need the assist. ]
Just another dog and pony show. And an incompetent one at that.
[ He reads it in her voice, effortlessly picturing the dryness of her expression. Lorca doesn't need to see her every day. Not even every week. Having the choice whether or not to taken from him transformed the negligible distant into a searing ache. ]
Typical of the Down. We were left to idle under the threat of being paired with native Dominants should our contracted partners fail review. It did not go over well.
[ Focused and rife with egress. She can walk out without embarrassing him.
Talk is a minefield. Lorca makes his own retreat, the conversation on her last message. He needs a drink already, after that. Instead, he heads onto Victrix's floor. Does a bit of glowering, engages in some toothy chitchat at the bar. Not for the first time since Philippa's death (it is vanishingly unlikely she will ever return as the version of herself that he knew here), he would rather be in the streets or at Patch's, earning Michael's disapproval.
He may still find himself there, at the end of the night.
At Neptune, he slips the host a few extra bills for a pair of seats along the wall. He orders for himself, only himself. Michael Burnham would never stand him up, unless the universe needed saving. Lorca doesn't know what she drinks in mourning. ]
[ She doesn't drink in mourning. Not typically, not enough to have an established order. When the server greets her shortly after slipping into the seat across from Lorca, her mind reaches for the last drink she shared with Philippa. In no time at all, a glass of red wine is set before her.
Had Lorca gone to Patch's instead, he might have found her by coincidence. Wrapped around the delicate stem of her glass, Michael's knuckles are the raw red of torn skin. She drinks quietly, allowing the loaded silence to stretch on, growing heavier with each passing minute.
It was thoughtful of him to invite her here. That's the truth she has been struggling against since his first message. Not just what it says about him but how it reflects back on her. The walk over cleared her head enough to see it. ]
I left you alone with this before, when it was Christine. [ She has to speak around a knot in her throat, unmistakable. ] I'm sorry for that.
[ Lorca's glass rests snugly in his hand, yet to be christened with a sip. He watches Michael nakedly, and doesn't mask how she takes him off-guard with her opener. They don't talk about Christine, though not for any confirmed reason. He thought she might be a little jealous, in her heart of hearts. Not necessarily of their relationship, but of how well Christine fit in here.
Michael's condolences are as she previously assumed: Unnecessary.
He cared for Christine. And he does miss her, but it's not the same. Except in one regard. ]
If she were to show up at the next Orientation, [ he muses without fancy, an undertone of moroseness to it, ] odds are she wouldn't remember me. Or any of this. [ A small gesture to their surroundings. ] Part of me hopes I never see her again, because of that.
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3/1
Date: 2025-03-16 04:11 am (UTC)Just another dog and pony show. And an incompetent one at that.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 04:45 am (UTC)[ DTF failed to convince the city to reassign contracts this time. She has no expectation this will be their last attempt. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 05:01 am (UTC)What were conditions like for you?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 05:23 am (UTC)You?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-16 08:48 pm (UTC)Shared luxury accommodations in an obvious attempt at entrapment.
If I were the Creator I'd be insulted.
[ But he presumably approved this so yet more proof that he can't be that smart. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 12:21 am (UTC)They'll win his favor sooner or later.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 12:26 am (UTC)[ He's sick and tired of feeling watched, and of having no-stakes conversations. ]
I'll be home soon. Meet me there.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 12:54 am (UTC)[ Being cut loose and forced to find another contract is not the same as being reassigned to the next available native Dominant. ]
ETA 15
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 05:14 am (UTC)Time to put on ] Coffee?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-17 05:11 pm (UTC)@lorca, text
Date: 2026-01-19 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-19 04:40 am (UTC)the first way was so funny
Date: 2026-01-20 12:27 am (UTC)i was trying to give more than 1 word 🥲
Date: 2026-01-20 12:36 am (UTC)he read it as two ✌️
Date: 2026-01-20 05:48 am (UTC)Don't diminish me.
...and he was right to do it
Date: 2026-01-20 06:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-01-20 06:58 am (UTC)You presume to know how I feel about her.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-20 02:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 02:12 am (UTC)Where would you like to meet?
no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 02:26 am (UTC)Neptune.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 02:44 am (UTC)I'll meet you there.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 04:26 am (UTC)Talk is a minefield. Lorca makes his own retreat, the conversation on her last message. He needs a drink already, after that. Instead, he heads onto Victrix's floor. Does a bit of glowering, engages in some toothy chitchat at the bar. Not for the first time since Philippa's death (it is vanishingly unlikely she will ever return as the version of herself that he knew here), he would rather be in the streets or at Patch's, earning Michael's disapproval.
He may still find himself there, at the end of the night.
At Neptune, he slips the host a few extra bills for a pair of seats along the wall. He orders for himself, only himself. Michael Burnham would never stand him up, unless the universe needed saving. Lorca doesn't know what she drinks in mourning. ]
no subject
Date: 2026-02-01 01:45 pm (UTC)Had Lorca gone to Patch's instead, he might have found her by coincidence. Wrapped around the delicate stem of her glass, Michael's knuckles are the raw red of torn skin. She drinks quietly, allowing the loaded silence to stretch on, growing heavier with each passing minute.
It was thoughtful of him to invite her here. That's the truth she has been struggling against since his first message. Not just what it says about him but how it reflects back on her. The walk over cleared her head enough to see it. ]
I left you alone with this before, when it was Christine. [ She has to speak around a knot in her throat, unmistakable. ] I'm sorry for that.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-02 04:34 am (UTC)Michael's condolences are as she previously assumed: Unnecessary.
He cared for Christine. And he does miss her, but it's not the same. Except in one regard. ]
If she were to show up at the next Orientation, [ he muses without fancy, an undertone of moroseness to it, ] odds are she wouldn't remember me. Or any of this. [ A small gesture to their surroundings. ] Part of me hopes I never see her again, because of that.