concoursec | Shopping & Chat Chitting [CLOSED] Backdated Aug 13th

Grell was surprised to hear he made it, and looked to him anew. "You did?" Her eyes went back to the flag, letting a couple of her fingers feel the stitches and material of the fabric. "Truly a wonderful talent to have. It could come in handy." She stepped back and sat upon the desk. From that viewpoint, she could see how everything came together.

"Had I known this was in your office, I would have come ages ago!" Idly, her feet dangled and swung from her perch, hopefully not sitting on any papers.

Edited 2013-08-18 08:15 (UTC)

"I don't know if you'd call it talent. Took me almost half a year to get right." It had kept him busy. Kept him focused. He'd torn up four false starts before this one for various reasons. This one Namur had made him keep and so he had. He sipped his rum again.

He didn't mind if she was sitting on papers because they'd be all the better for it.

"You met Pops once, aye?" he said, offering her the bottle of rum. "What did you think of him?"

"Better you than I." Grell had little patience for making things. She knew she was better at destruction.

At the question, Grell hummed in thought, thinking back on when she first met him. "When I look back on that time, I admit to being quite...flustered. I've never actually had any father figure in my life, or afterlife." A smile crept up on her face at Whitebeard's reaction to hearing Marco was getting married. "I wish all fathers were like that. Warm, kind, protective, and...well, there for their children."

Green eyes look to Thatch.

"I think he's a wonderful man." She kind of missed him, even after just that one encounter.

It was good to hear someone speak about Pops again. Especially in tones like that. She didn't know him as well as Thatch did. She couldn't. But she knew him well enough to matter and that was the only thing that was important.

"Aye, he is-- was--" He winced a little, taking a sip of rum. "Ace was his favorite, you know. Other than Marco." But Ace was everyone's favorite. Everyone loved him. Even Marshall had liked him enough to give his position over and that was saying something since he'd been a pretty shrewd guy.

"Some days I wish I could have been a better son..." But that was neither here nor there. "But can't change the past. Can only go forward into the future, right?" Painful as that was at times.

"Is." She didn't want to correct him, but with Time Compression being a thing that happens, it was best to remind him. "I can see his appeal. He's rather adorable, in his own way, and will make a great older brother."

Really, she just couldn't wait to be that little sister. She had seen it in a lot of cinematic records, of course.

Grell furrowed her eyebrows a bit at Thatch's wish to be a better son. She couldn't see how he could be anything else. "Why do you wish for that?"

Is? He will never understand that. Even if he probably should. Ace is dead and he isn't. He himself should be dead and isn't. And if Pops comes by...he doesn't know. It will be adjusting. Shifting again. Pain and chaos and confusion but good things too, he imagined.

"Older brother?" Thatch raised his eyebrows at that and smirked. "No doubt being the young sweet maiden that you are." This said with sincerity since many women were also young sweet maidens no matter their age or marital state.

"We should have a party for him when things settle in," he said, picking around her question. "Will you lend me your planning expertise, sweet lady?"

Maybe one day she'll explain it to him. Death is a complicated thing, after all, but she was the only expert.

"Ah~! Of course! I'll even convince him to let me paint his nails!" For no other reason than she could. She had various shades of red in her arsenal.

Yes, their family. Who knew how long this settling period would take. Grell didn't like just sitting around and waiting, wishing she could walk away, do something else, and then return to find things better. "I'll lend a hand however you wish. And speaking of such..." She crossed her legs while holding her gaze at him. "Does my question bother you, Thatch?"

"You can probably convince Ace of anything if you ply him with enough meat." Or even mention it in his presence, sometimes. Though apparently Luffy was worse? One way or another, Thatch knew too damn much about that kid. Still, he nodded gratefully at her willingness to help. He was about to thank her when she continued.

"Aye. A bit. But I don't intend to answer it." Because, since they were family, he could give answers like that. Though it wasn't as if he was angry or even annoyed at her. Just straightforward...though mostly because he couldn't see a way to divert her from the topic.

She made a mental note of that and nodded. "But where would I get meat?" It shows how often she cooked.

His statement is refreshing, causing her to smile softly. "See~? It's not that hard to say!" By him being direct with not answering, it said a lot about the feelings he had. If he were to avoid the question, it would...just anger her.

"Do you think you could guess as to why I'm here, darling?"

He half wanted to tell her to stow it but, well there was no point in souring an interesting conversation just because she said something that prickled him. He should be grateful she wasn't pushing the issue and he was so for the moment, he might as well enjoy himself.

"I can get you all the meat you need, sweet lady," he said with a grin, taking one of those long long legs into his lap and absently massaging her ankle. "As for what you're here for, I can't say. Maybe the start of a scandalous rendezvous?"

Even if he did, she wouldn't take much offense. The ankle rub was rather nice, making her relax a bit on the desk.

"We're already in the gossip column. How much more scandalous can we get?" Grell gave him a wry smile before shaking her head. "That isn't it though. I came to check on you." She adjusted her glasses before continuing. "I'm not Marco, but he's stretching himself quite thin as of late. The least I can do is alleviate a bit of his responsibilities."

"Oh, I could think of a thing or two," Thatch said, seeing that she liked that and slowly working his way up to her calf. "Things that would even make Miss Tattler blush." If she wasn't already. Though the joking tone was gone when she said she was checking up on him. Did he really need checking up on? ....Aye, probably. Considering he'd ran out the other day. And he still wasn't sure what to do, to be honest. How to handle it when he didn't feel like he could handle anything Ace related. At least not without screwing everything up.

He should have recognized Marco was stretched thin. He should be able to see that and take care of everyone so they weren't like so much scattered sheep at the moment leaving the poor pigeon to try and round everyone up again. But that wasn't something he felt like he could do. Ironically, even after he'd known Marco for so long and what being a first mate was for maybe longer, Grell was better at it than he was.

He couldn't even say he was surprised by this.

"Don't worry about me, lass. I don't plan on leaving for a long time." Since that was really the only thing he could do. Otherwise he wasn't he hell of a lot of help.

"Do you think she blushes easily? After all, she's seen so much~!" Tattler was everywhere there was juicy gossip.

"I'm sure you won't," she replied, smiling lightly. "I'd drag you back." The drawback of knowing a reaper. The massage felt heavenly, making her flex her muscle there. In that moment, she remembered something. "Marco told me that we aren't that different from each other, when it came to our pasts. He hasn't told me very many details of what happened to you, but I'm aware." She was trying to be a subtle as possible, but it wasn't her strong point. "Despite dealing with DEATH for a living, having it so close to home isn't quite the same."

She gave a shrug.

"The moral of the story is this: if you need to simply talk, I'll be around. I'd..." Every time she thought about her own fate, it made her stomach churn. She gripped tighter to the edge of the desk, but her smile never faded. "I'd be willing to tell you my tale."

That...was quite an offer and one Grell didn't offer lightly, he noted by the way she clenched at the desk. He continued to massage her leg, taking the other in his other hand, trying to soothe her and maybe make her spine melt a little. Though he appreciated the offer, it wasn't something he wanted to hear just now. He could barely deal with his own story even now.

"I'll take you up on that one day." A promise that he would when he was ready. That he wasn't just dismissing her. "Thank you, sweetheart." As for talking...he wasn't sure what there was to say. There was so much she couldn't know just because she hadn't been there. Hadn't lived it.

"Let's just say I'm not the person I used to be... and I doubt Sparks would appreciate it if he found out." When everything changed, you wanted at least one constant. Thatch had always considered himself to be that constant-- though he'd since found he was mistaken.

Relief washed over her, and the second leg added to the massage helped. She nodded softly, letting her grip loosen on the desk.

"I doubt any of us could stay the same, even if we wanted to," she replied, standing and making her way to stand behind him to give him a neck massage, starting at the base of his neck. Grell was used to not having much of a constant until now. It made life interesting. "As long as we like what we've become, along with the rest of our clan, then I believe that is enough."

To like what they had become? Did he? He wasn't entirely sure of that. Perhaps because he wasn't entirely sure what he had become to begin with. Who was he now.

"Aye, that's the rub." Thatch leaned his head forward under Grell's skilled fingers. He can feel himself relaxing already. "And a good one, too." He hummed appreciatively as she hit a particularly sweet spot. "Dear lady I am at your mercy. Name anything you want and it's yours"

Grell grinned, even if Thatch couldn't see it. She then leaned down to place her lips his ear, never stopping the massage.

"There are many things I'd like from you, darling, but I'd rather earn them."

Never a more pleasing sound than a woman's voice next to his ear. Even more pleasing when her hands where still on him.

"And how would you earn it, Sweet Red?" It was a dangerous game but, could he resist? Not for anything in the world.

Her manicured fingers made their way to just the base of his hairline, while the other fingers walked their way over to his front, stopping just over his heart.

"By worming my way inside your heart." A vague explanation, but she wasn't going to tell him in detail. Especially when she didn't know how.

"Greedy wench. You want us all, do you?" He took her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles lightly. "Though I suppose in this case, we're the lucky ones."

In a smooth move, he pulled her around into his lap with a little twirl and dips her with a chaste kiss to the forehead.

"At any rate, you already have mine, my dear."

This was the first time someone had ever called her a wench, and so affectionately so. Crazed, devil, murderer, trash...but never wench. Interesting.

"Of course you're all very fortunate. What would you do without me?"

The quick twirl was unexpected, so Grell squeaked, surprised to find herself in his lap and so chastely kissed on her forehead. She hued a bit with a giggle, swinging her feet lightly. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

"But of course not, Sweet Red," he said keeping her tipped even as he kissed his way up her forearm before slowly pulling her up, oen hand supporting her back while with the other, he pressed her hand to his chest to where his heart beat.

"It beats for only you." He grinned. "And Marco. And Ace. And Namu-chan. We have a secret love, me and my fishman. But, ma belle, you are the most divine." And he kissed her cheek, close to give her a sweet hint of something a little more.

Grell smiled softly, feeling the heartbeat by pressing her hand flat against his chest. It was strong beneath her hand, and the body it pumped for was warm. The human body was an amazing thing. "If mine could beat, I'm sure it would for you all, as well. Maybe even Espio." She giggled softly at this secret love. "Oh, Namur, is a lucky little fish~! Hey may have some competition~!"

That something more was well noted, and she used her free hand to stroke his jawline. "Please don't forget that~!"

She sighed before standing. "I should let you return to you work." Grell looked back to him with a smirk. "I hadn't intended to stay so long, but the company was rather pleasant."

"Fishman, sweet Grell. Just 'fish' is something of an insult." He smiled at the hand along his jaw, then offered her a hand to get to her feet. "I'll keep it engraved in my heart." And then in utter sincerity. "Likewise. Thanks for stopping by. I'll join you for lunch a little later if you're not busy."

The hand was taken, of course. It made for a more graceful ascent. "Ah, yes, I shall remember." She didn't need a shark biting her for a minor slip up. "It was my pleasure~! I should be free. I plan to station myself in the cafeteria. Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of having lunch without you."

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thatched - 2013-08-20 01:03 (UTC) - Expand