Subtle Virtues

Participants:

f_delilah_icon.gif alexander_icon.gif

and Walter Trafford

Scene Title Subtle Virtues
Synopsis The beginning of a visit between old(and new) friends. Walter doesn't stay mad, Al, don't worry. You'll be coloring raptors too before long.
Date May 2, 2019

The Dancing Boar


It is midway through the respective rushes of lunch and happy hour, there being a few people placed around the low light of the Dancing Boar- but only enough to create more of an atmosphere than would an empty tavern. At least two men at the bar, exchanging idle conversation while they finish up amber mugs. At one end of the counter is Walter, crayons out and a coloring book open. He's not quite in the lines, but at least his color matching is rather keen.

Delilah is behind the bar, pulling back some glasses left by the recently departed patrons and pushing them into the bin for one of the younger waitresses to haul back for washing. The television is on, with some tidbit on an upcoming special- something to do with the anniversary of some particular and familiar deaths.

And there's Al, in the window, everyone's own personal memento mori. He's dressed plainly, as he comes ghosting up to the bar, not far from Walter. The boy gets a long and curious musing on. Teo has a child, and there it is.

"Hi." Walter is quick to aside to his sudden sitting mate, peering up and over at him and offering a red crayon. "You want a go?"

Al is the last person Delilah expected to 'ghost' in again, and so when she looks up at Walter, she double takes, then immediately gravitates over to the two, though with an obvious hesitance. "How are- things?" What do you ask a ghost? "God, this is still weird, I'm sorry- do you all- know how you're getting back?"

Once more, Walter is already way ahead of her. "Mom, he's a time traveler he doesn't have cooties, jeez."

"Awright," Al says, in that accent, still thick despite all the years in New York. "No, thank you, honey," he say to Walter, putting a gentle hand on his head for a moment, almost a benediction. He shakes his head at Delilah, expression wondering.

Delilah stands across from the two other redheads now, leaning her arms onto the bar and looking intently at Alexander with the moment's big brown eyes. It feels like the look is longing; Delilah knew him, but not as well as some others. But that does not change the fact that her son has Jesse's middle name as his own. "…Do you think you guys are going to be able to get back?"

His own eyes are curiously opaque, despite their blue clarity. Not innocent, precisely. "I don't know," he says, gently. "Part of me is weak enough to hope we don't."

"Is it because you're scared to? For some reason?" There are several that she'd be scared of! Is it safe to assume other people would consider them? I mean, time traveling is a flighty business. Is he scared to mess up this string? His string? Is he scared of what he'll be knowing when he goes back? Her eyes move to Walter, coloring in a Stegosaur.

"I want to stay here," Alexander says, voice as kind as he can bring himself to be. "I love Teo. I'm happy here," It's that simple, clearly. HE looks to her, and asks, "May I have a glass of cider?"

"I can see how that'd be a gamechanger." Delilah chews on the inside of her lip, nodding and turning herself to gather up a drink for him. Meanwhile, beside Al, a familiar little voice pops up, and Walter meets him with his eyes, shaded slightly by his Teo-brow. Hrm.

"You're dead here. You can't stay." He doesn't aim to sound mean- but- Walter tells it like it is.

"And why not?" Al says, with the faintest hint of defiance. "What if we can't get back? What then?"

Delilah gives Walter a look of Death when she comes back with the cider. He doesn't see it. "If you can't get back, fine- but that doesn't mean you should stay just cause you wanna…" There might be a little bit of jealousy there from the little guy. "Where you come from needs you more cause you haven't…done stuff yet there. You did stuff here…" He is his father's son.

"Walt, stop." Mom's goading is …weak, however.

Alexander notes, regarding Walter patiently, "What I did was get jailed, and then died. Someone murdered me, for what I was? If that's what they need me for….they can go hang," His tone is bitter.

Walter thins his lips. "You don't get it. You were a hero. All of you. A hero for people like us. So you gotta go be a better one cause now you know what not to do wrong." With that, the boy screws his face up in silent anger, gathering his crayons and toting off his book to sit over at a booth instead. Pointedly throwing a tantrum.

Delilah just pushes over the drink, face apologetic. "He's got… lots of opinions."

Al sips from his cider, apparently unbothered. "No. I don't," he says, flatly, and looks back to Walter's mother with a shrug. "He's entitled to them."

"He didn't have some bad points. But I really- I don't care what you guys decide. What you decide, when the time comes." Dee watches across the tavern, her son glancing up at her only once. "As long as everyone is happy."

"And you? Will you be happy?" Al asks, tone suddenly challenging.

"If everyone else is good, then I'm good too." Dee avoids a direct answer at first. "If you mean about you and Teo- well. He's my friend, not my husband." Though by her sound, she would not mind that much either. "I've been happy, Al. I don't think that it would change much if any of you decided not to go back again. Maybe I'd be a bit more, because I'd have some of my friends back." The redhead smiles, sad and sweet at the same time. "So- yes. I would be."

Alexander doesn't seem to believe that, by the way he watches her. Honestly, the chill in the blue eyes is disturbing….and really should render them green. "Good," he says, finally. As if they'd just sealed a deal.

"If you don't believe me, then you must not have met me back where you're from." Lilah eyes him back, almost sharply. "Else you'd know it was true. I thrive on the happiness of others. I may have been jealous for those years you two were together, but it was never bitter." She even laughs now, lips turning in a smile. "I loved all the love I was around like it was my own. Still do." Hence, her undying happiness.

She's got a greater heart and a more generous soul than Al. Because Al looks…suspicious, to put it that way. "You're very kind," It has an air of accusation.

Suspicion is fine. As long as he tries to believe her. Dee just shrugs and smiles again, glancing over at Walter, still coloring. "Growing up in your- our world? Someone had to be."


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