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[laserhawk]

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[livlaughlove]

It's private, at least. And pretty.

[Livio just smiles, relaxed, hoping it helps Dolph feel more at ease.]

I get it. I really only remember living at the orphanage and the compound, so a "home" is weird to get used to. I only have stuff other folks've given me to decorate mine. [Like a certain carved plaque.]

[laserhawk]

[ he nods, not surprised livio gets it. ]

I lived on the streets. So I don't really remember what it was like.

But . . . maybe it'll come to me. In time.

[livlaughlove]

[That pulls at Liv's heart strings, but he doesn't draw attention to it unless Dolph continues to do so. He tries not to think about his time, if he can help it.]

Maybe! I'll have to make ya a whole set o' stoneware.

Oh -- that reminds me. What d'ya like to drink? You a coffee guy? [He seems like a coffee guy.] Tea? Cocoa, even?

[laserhawk]

[ dolph considers this for a moment. ]

Tea, I guess.

[ alex was a coffee person. dolph didn't mind it, quite liked the bitter taste. but lately . . . ]

I have some, I think. If you want.

[ he should . . . do host things shouldn't he. what the fuck are those. dimly, he tries to recall what levi had done when dolph arrived. ]

[livlaughlove]

Tea. [Good to know!] What kinds?

[Livio could literally not give less of a shit what an attentive host Dolph is. He is far more interested in just spending time with him.]

Oh. I'm okay. I just wanted to know so I can treat ya, put that dinky lil thing to use. But if you wanna have some, I can wait.

[laserhawk]

[ dolph pauses for a moment, recalling a vague memory. ]

Darjeeling. It came from my father's country. Though I don't know if a magical fantasy place would have it.

[ he gestures for livio to take a seat if he wants. ]

I can make us both some.

[livlaughlove]

Hm.

[Livio is mostly quiet as well, taking the time to commit that to memory. If nothing else, he could wish for some leaves, right?

He does as directed, though he sits down very slowly and carefully. He's already broken a chair since he arrived...]

Alrighty, then. Thanks.

[laserhawk]

[ dolph nods curtly as he goes to fetch them both some tea. it doesn't take long and he's back to two mugs. one was livio's newfound mug that dolph is using and he hands livio a plain one.

while lacking in experience, dolph is generally quick when it comes to upskilling. the tea is hot and not too sweet, enough to taste the notes underneath. dolph watches livio's reaction from the corner of his eye, curious. ]

[livlaughlove]

[Does Livio flush a little seeing Dolph use that already? Maybe so.

And he's already grateful that Dolph insisted. A lot of drinks seem to run sweeter than Livio's taste, and he's rapidly growing to appreciate earthy flavors.]

It's good! Thank you. [For now, he holds the mug close to his face so he can breathe in the aroma.] Clean water was hard enough to get on No Man's Land. So sprucin' it up like this wasn't really somethin' I got to enjoy much.

[laserhawk]

[ dolph nods, understanding this easily.]

For us, it wasn't a lack of resources but a matter of wealth. Eden didn't let you have anything you couldn't afford.

[livlaughlove]

There were definitely folks back home who hoarded certain Plants 'n what they produced... but I don't think they could hold a candle to yer Eden.

[If that's a whole lot of shit that needs explaining, well... oops.]

[laserhawk]

Plants?

[ like... Processing plants?]

[livlaughlove]

Oh. That's a whole thing, huh...

[How to be succinct...]

Back home, capital P Plants are livin' beings that act as generators for... pretty much everything. Oxygen, water, food, energy. You name a thing, there's prob'ly a Plant for it. But they're... a finite resource, so... y'can imagine how stingy folks are with the ones they "own."

[laserhawk]

[ dolph scoffs. ]

Yeah. I know all too well.

We had water, but I never saw things like rivers or lakes. Not until I got here. Everything was metal. Gleaming city.

I mean, we didn't call it "No Man's Land" but Eden is a bit of is misnomer.

[livlaughlove]

Sounds kinda like one o' the Seven Cities. Metal everythin', at least.

[And in turn, Livio sighs. He isn't a stranger to that, either.]

Guess bad people everywhere like to trick ya 'n draw ya in with the biblical stuff.

[laserhawk]

They do seem a little obsessed.

[ dolph sits next to him, casually knocking their knees together. ]

But we're out. Wild as it is.

[livlaughlove]

[Being close to Dolph as opposed to thinking about the bad shit? Sign him up! He might even scoot his chair to the point of touching, and lay his head sideways on Dolph's shoulder.]

We sure are. Fuck 'em both.

[laserhawk]

Fuck them all.

[ his hands threads itself in livio's hair, combing through. another familiar motion he's not thinking too hard about. he had missed this. he had missed having someone to care for. ]

That was my dream. To leave Eden behind. Find a nice place to live quietly.

[livlaughlove]

[It's... almost entirely new to Livio, honestly. But he finds it comforting. Is this how cats feel getting pet?]

Oh...

Well... At least ya got part o' that. I know this place ain't exactly Heaven, [though it is terribly pleasant for what Livio imagines is Hell,] but it's sure better than elsewhere.

[laserhawk]

[ he's good at it too. firm, but he doesn't pull hard. with a hint of nail against the scalp. practiced and nostalgic. dolph hums. ]

Yeah. There's a beach here too. I checked it out a while back.

[ vash told him about it. and dolph went there, let the waves lap at his feet. listened to the silence of it all. and mourned alex all over again. ]

Ever been to a beach?

[livlaughlove]

[If he keeps it up he may get an inadvertent low hum out of Livio.]

Can't say I have. That the sort of place you like?

[laserhawk]

[ his fingers pause for a moment before resuming the long strokes. ]

Yeah. The idea of it seemed nice. Drinks, people who just wanted to relax. Warm and sunny.

[ he hesitates again. ]

It was Alex's idea.

[livlaughlove]

It does sound nice...

[After a moment, Livio blinks up at Dolph. He can only imagine what goes through Dolph's mind.]

I think it'd be okay if you still liked the idea, too. If you think o' somethin' else, that's alright, too.

[laserhawk]

[ he snorts lightly. ]

I wish I could. It's not like he even believed in it. No happy endings for us.

[ and it stings that in a way, alex was right about them. neither of them ended happily. that was the price alex was willing to pay, but dolph had not. maybe that makes him naive. ]

Guess I'm struggling to come up with new ones.

[livlaughlove]

[Maybe not for them, but Livio doesn't want Dolph to give up on himself.]

Well... After bein' here, I can't say I recommend the desert. Least not without water 'n shade. I'm not sure what else there is... Forest? Mountains? [Yeah, he's at a loss otherwise. But he shifts to put his arm around Dolph once more, hold him close.]