(no subject)
::Coincides with the later stages of Miss_Lockhart's party::
Arusha had made this walk, or part of it, many times before; from the Garage, down the street, over the road where the white sand began to crunch beneath her feet and down through the low hillocks to the beach. The last few times, she hadn't made it all the way - the time before last she'd been looking for Rak, and then the walk with Kurt while he explained, or tried to explain, about George. She didn't quite get it, or at least not the same way he did. It was baggage, heavy baggage, and the weight of it would bear him down far more than he'd ever intend.
In short, it had been a while since this walk had provided the relaxation she expected from it. Even now she was still a little wired as she reached the seawall and stopped, looking around. The empty expanse of sand stretched away in either direction, it's pale edge moving in rhythm as the waves slipped in, foaming at the cusp, and retreated back into the rich, rippling blackness of the sea.
"Hey."
Her head snapped round. Mulder had come to a stop beside her, hands in his pockets, and having quietly taken in the view for several minutes was now looking at her. "You OK?"
"Yeah." It wasn't that much of a lie. She'd half-expected a bunch of revellers to have beaten them here, or at least one or two rampantly smooching couples. And didn't those just seem to be everywhere.
"We gonna stay this side," he waved vaguely toward the low stone wall, "or we gonna sweat?"
Rusha chuckled. "Let's sweat." She put her hands on the top of the wall, lifting herself up and over. Mulder followed, and they walked down toward the water. The going was harder here in the soft sand, and the extra effort distracted them until they reached the firmer footing closer to the water's edge.
"At the risk of sounding cliched," Mulder remarked, the breeze ruffling his hair, "it's a beautiful night."
"It is."
"You can see almost every star."
Rusha followed his gaze upward. Darkness, speckled with light. It wasn't a canopy, as some described it, or a dome. It was distance, emptyness - endless and ever-reaching. The closest you could get to seeing forever. And the stars glittering. Winking. Beckoning. 'You can see almost every star' ...
"You're not OK, are you?"
Again he startled her, dragging her eyes away from the view overhead. "I will be." Closer to the truth. But then, where the truth was concerned, Mulder had never been happy with 'close'.
"Still feeling fifth wheel?"
"Yeah." she kicked the sand, not so much upset by the emotion as embarrassed by it. "Every damn conversation was ending with watching other people smooch each other. It was funny for a while, but then ... "
"I'm with you there." Mulder started them walking along the damp sand. "Makes you feel like you're the designated driver or something."
"Makes you feel distinctly second string." The words were unnecessarily sharp and loose before she could stop them. "And yes, I do realise that's being stupid."
Mulder looked at her and nodded agreeably. "As long as you realise."
Arusha shook her head. "I started the evening worrying about juggling two dates, and ended up with none. One didn't show and the other found something more appetising."
"Well." Mulder gave her a half-smile. "No accounting for taste."
Rush shoved her hands into her pockets. "Eh." she shrugged, "Shit happens. And I really shouldn't be bothered by it."
"No, you shouldn't. But just because an emotion isn't rational doesn't mean it isn't real."
"Great." Rush almost smiled. "Now you're channelling Yoda as well."
"Hey, c'mon, Yoda's the main man!" Mulder stopped, turned to look at her. "Listen to me. The guy who didn't show probably just got caught up somewhere. And the other one ... it's his loss. Seriously."
This time, in spite of herself, Rusha did smile. She stepped forward and gathered him into a hug. "Thanks, Spooky."
Mulder's arms settled around her shoulders in return. "Anytime."
Arusha had made this walk, or part of it, many times before; from the Garage, down the street, over the road where the white sand began to crunch beneath her feet and down through the low hillocks to the beach. The last few times, she hadn't made it all the way - the time before last she'd been looking for Rak, and then the walk with Kurt while he explained, or tried to explain, about George. She didn't quite get it, or at least not the same way he did. It was baggage, heavy baggage, and the weight of it would bear him down far more than he'd ever intend.
In short, it had been a while since this walk had provided the relaxation she expected from it. Even now she was still a little wired as she reached the seawall and stopped, looking around. The empty expanse of sand stretched away in either direction, it's pale edge moving in rhythm as the waves slipped in, foaming at the cusp, and retreated back into the rich, rippling blackness of the sea.
"Hey."
Her head snapped round. Mulder had come to a stop beside her, hands in his pockets, and having quietly taken in the view for several minutes was now looking at her. "You OK?"
"Yeah." It wasn't that much of a lie. She'd half-expected a bunch of revellers to have beaten them here, or at least one or two rampantly smooching couples. And didn't those just seem to be everywhere.
"We gonna stay this side," he waved vaguely toward the low stone wall, "or we gonna sweat?"
Rusha chuckled. "Let's sweat." She put her hands on the top of the wall, lifting herself up and over. Mulder followed, and they walked down toward the water. The going was harder here in the soft sand, and the extra effort distracted them until they reached the firmer footing closer to the water's edge.
"At the risk of sounding cliched," Mulder remarked, the breeze ruffling his hair, "it's a beautiful night."
"It is."
"You can see almost every star."
Rusha followed his gaze upward. Darkness, speckled with light. It wasn't a canopy, as some described it, or a dome. It was distance, emptyness - endless and ever-reaching. The closest you could get to seeing forever. And the stars glittering. Winking. Beckoning. 'You can see almost every star' ...
"You're not OK, are you?"
Again he startled her, dragging her eyes away from the view overhead. "I will be." Closer to the truth. But then, where the truth was concerned, Mulder had never been happy with 'close'.
"Still feeling fifth wheel?"
"Yeah." she kicked the sand, not so much upset by the emotion as embarrassed by it. "Every damn conversation was ending with watching other people smooch each other. It was funny for a while, but then ... "
"I'm with you there." Mulder started them walking along the damp sand. "Makes you feel like you're the designated driver or something."
"Makes you feel distinctly second string." The words were unnecessarily sharp and loose before she could stop them. "And yes, I do realise that's being stupid."
Mulder looked at her and nodded agreeably. "As long as you realise."
Arusha shook her head. "I started the evening worrying about juggling two dates, and ended up with none. One didn't show and the other found something more appetising."
"Well." Mulder gave her a half-smile. "No accounting for taste."
Rush shoved her hands into her pockets. "Eh." she shrugged, "Shit happens. And I really shouldn't be bothered by it."
"No, you shouldn't. But just because an emotion isn't rational doesn't mean it isn't real."
"Great." Rush almost smiled. "Now you're channelling Yoda as well."
"Hey, c'mon, Yoda's the main man!" Mulder stopped, turned to look at her. "Listen to me. The guy who didn't show probably just got caught up somewhere. And the other one ... it's his loss. Seriously."
This time, in spite of herself, Rusha did smile. She stepped forward and gathered him into a hug. "Thanks, Spooky."
Mulder's arms settled around her shoulders in return. "Anytime."