Catch-all: Alex

[soulus]

Comments

[chanteuser]

[ well she doesn't... tear herself away? the contact isn't bad -- it seems to be the lack of a warning that makes her tense in surprise. ]

-- What are you doing??

[soulus]

Isn't that obvious?

Are you not having similar troubles, yourself?

[His fingers on her elbow are gentle, at least—far more tender than his answer.]

[chanteuser]

Well... yes but I don't start by staring at someone until they're close enough to touch their elbow?

[ hello? ]

[soulus]

That may be the case for you, but I'm not you.

[Hello. His fingers peel away from her elbow ever so slightly.]

[chanteuser]

[ absently, her hand raises to sorta. hold his fingers in place against her elbow.

she looks bewildered by this but here they are. ]

I noticed that much. Are you going to start charging any minute now?

[soulus]

[Oh. That's nice. (It's not, but it feels nice.)]

Neither of us agreed to this contact. There's no point in charging for that.

[chanteuser]

[ she looks almost a little exasperated. ]

Is everything in contracts with you, or something?

[soulus]

Nothing in life is free. Even time is money.

[chanteuser]

That's a depressing way of looking at things. [ even if isn't a lie, exactly. ]

[soulus]

Is it? I believe it's productive.

[chanteuser]

Everyone needs money, but seeing everything as a potential transaction must suck the life out of it. [ she lives with men for hire, after all. she gets the contracts and payments value of some things but the benriya don't apply it to everything they do in their lives. ]

Don't just get enjoyment out of something, rather than thinking about what to charge for it?

[soulus]

I get enjoyment when I'm paid.

[Not that he's asking for payment right now. It's excruciating in a way.]

[chanteuser]

[ poor baby ]

That's-- [ really sad. wow. ]

Surely there must be other things?

[soulus]

I like easy money.

[chanteuser]

You could just work a job. That gets you guaranteed money.

[soulus]

My job is bounty hunting. Anything else would pay too little.

[chanteuser]

Bounty hunting? Like odd jobs?

[ ... this is familiar. ]

[soulus]

[Well, he supposes, she isn't wrong.]

It isn't unusual for bounty hunters to accept odd jobs between the pursuit of bounties on fugitives.

[chanteuser]

Yes, I know.

[ said slightly drily. ] While they don't do bounties all the time, I do live with two people who take odd jobs and hits for a living.

[soulus]

You're rather wary of deals for someone who lives with them.

[It's said less in an accusatory fashion and more as a statement.]

[chanteuser]

It's their job, not mine. I just take their calls.

[ ... that's really all it is, at the end of the day. ]

[soulus]

An intermediary?

[chanteuser]

More like a secretary.

[soulus]

[There's a thoughtful pause before he retracts his hand, slipping away from Alex's touch. Before he can say or do anything else, something fluffy brushes along her leg as Rupe walks around her to approach Rufus.]

[chanteuser]

[ the brush of floof makes her freeze, her gaze shooting down to see what just touched her. ]

...

[ awww. sorry rufus, she's immediately crouching down to get a better look at lil' rupe over here. ]

Hello there. [ and then, directed at rufus: ] Is this your pet?