Participants:
| Scene Title | Bad Habits |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | During the Yamagato Fellowship Gala, the Ruizes find a quiet spot. |
| Date | April 7, 2018 |
Everything at the gala is beautiful. The building, the art, the people, everything from top to bottom.
It's also overwhelming for someone who has been all but hermited away for years. And is only just starting to try to come out of her cave. This was a little too far out. So Lynette and Mateo have found themselves a little quiet. While most others are still looking at the art and the water garden, they have slipped away from both and are out on a small patio that the other attendees haven't discovered yet.
"God, I need a cigarette," she says on an exhale as she leans her arms against the railing around the area. She doesn't mean it, of course. Or rather, she does mean it, but she has no intention on following through on that impulse.
She's not the only one overwelmed. Mateo has never been to anything remotely like this. Ever. He'd let her dress him, and let her buy the ticket and gone along with everything thrown at them, but he's still looking around as if he's a kid in the middle of a theme park. Shining lights and flashy displays and everything. He, of course, did not protest as they found their way out onto a patio that seemed more or less abandoned. He knows they are still under Yamagato's watchful eye, and any hint of privacy is made moot by people who wander by. But no one except them has stopped. So that's something.
He laughs at the words. "I didn't know you ever did," he comments as an aside, though really he shouldn't be too surprised. People who run rehab clinics usually once had the habits they try to help people stop. He knew drinking had been one, probably, and Refrain, but cigarettes… "I wouldn't be against one either, though I've never partook." Some music filters in from the main areas, music that would be suitable for a nice dance.
Like the one she helped teach him how to do for their wedding. He still hadn't been very good at it, always trying to look at his feet.
"Like a chimney," Lynette says, giving him a sidelong look at his laughter. But it comes with the hint of a smile. She straightens and turns toward him instead. "I have always been a creature of very bad habits," she notes, as if confessing something. Of course, he already knows that. Even if she has been trying to change that since before he met her.
She glances toward the main room, then back at him again. She might have picked out his tux, but he's the one that looks good wearing it. And she will enjoy the view while she's got it. There's little doubt that she's thinking about the last time they were all dressed up. It wasn't that long ago, after all. "You're handsome, have I ever mentioned?" she asks, her head tilted. Her smile, also.
"I guess now your worst habit is me," Mateo responds, letting the joke be at his expense as he grins at her, the smile causing a slight crevice to appear in his forehead. It's a common sight when she catches him genuinely smiling, not the polite small smile that he usually reserves for others, but the one that is mostly just for her. The one that he has when she makes him laugh, when he makes her laugh— when they laugh together.
"And I believe you've mentioned it once or twice. I better be— to be on the arm of someone as beautiful as you." The golden dress makes him think of the lightning, the sun, of the light that she brings to the darkness of his life. Which she always has done, for a long time.
That music, the clothes— it does remind him of that day. Not very long ago at all. And after a quick glance around, to see if this area has enough room for— well— mistakes, he asks, "Do you want to give me another dancing lesson? I'm afraid I forgot my last one." He's slept since then. And he barely passed the first time.
"I guess it is," Lynette says with a laugh. Since he is a terrible distraction at the best of times. And those are the best times. And his smile makes her smile wider. Warmer. It's an expression she didn't even know she had before him. "Oh good, I would hate to think I forgot to say so in all this time." The compliment gets a chuckle, and she comes over to rest her hand on his cheek.
She might have had other plans, too, but when he brings up dancing, she perks up a little. "Oh, are you ready to brave another?" she asks, teasing. But, of course, it doesn't take much to convince her, although his claim that he doesn't remember it gets a wry look. But she'll play along.
She reaches for his hand, moving it to rest on her waist. "This hand goes here," she says before her hand slides up to rest on his shoulder, her touch a little teasing. She takes up his other hand, positioning it with hers just so before she looks back to him again. "We'll start simple. Small steps, back and forth. Maybe a little circle if you're feeling confident."
"I'm willing to take the risk. These are sturdy shoes." Which means her feet might get the brunt of his mistakes, should he make them. Mateo's teasing, as he allows her to move him around, shifting his hands as he still tries to look down toward his feet. But she's pushing his chin up before he can keep them there that long and he smirks, nodding. "Small steps, got it." One step back and forth, in a small circle—
And there he goes looking down again, sure that he's about to step right on her feet with each step. At least his hands are in the right place.
"Well, then so am I," Lynette says, although her shoes are much less sturdy. She believes in him, apparently. And she follows easily, giving the impression— as she has before— that she might secretly be quite good at dancing, even though she never does it outside of these sprinkledd occasions with him.
The fact that he looks down at his feet gets an indulgent smile. Her fingers move to lift his chin again, her smile crooked by the time he's looking up again. "No cheating," she says, a tease on her words. "You walk without looking at your feet, right? This is just like that." Of course, the other way she helps with keeping him from glancing down is by pressing closer, her hand moving to his back instead of his shoulder.
"I don't tend to walk this close to someone else's feet," Mateo responds defensively as he tries to keep from looking down, tries to pay attention to where his feet go even if he can't see them. He hadn't been amazing at their first dance, either, but he'd done his best. And this isn't even that good. He's somehow more nervous, their wedding had been an intimate affair by comparison, that sound in his head still pulsed. Perhaps from nervousness about the cameras earlier.
But if they hadn't recognized him when he applied for citizenship, what were the odds someone would notice him on television? They probably wouldn't air it anywhere anyone who knew him would see— if anyone had even survived.
His foot gets a little to close to her toes, catching the edge of her shoe and causing him to pull back with a grimace. "Sorry." He'd missed a step, obviously. "It's okay, I got this— " He can play a guitar and piano, how hard can dancing be, really?
Lynette leans in to press a kiss to his cheek at that response, perhaps to clue him in to the fact that she doesn't mind if his footwork is off. Because she doesn't. His best or his worst, she still enjoys it.
His arms are never a bad place to be, after all.
At the missed step, she gives him a little squeeze. "You know," she says, after a moment, "I'm suddenly glad our wedding was small." She nods toward the bulk of the party. "This is more than I thought it would be." It's something of an apology, without actually saying so. But it's also just conversation, as if she might be trying to distract him from thinking too hard about the dance.
"More certainly describes this," Mateo responds, glancing away from her to look through the opening and inside. Even this more private area has people shuffling through, some looking for their own place to spend in private, others just looking around. None stay as long as they have, yet, but there's still people. The privacy is pretty much in their heads.
But at least they have a personal bubble they can call their own. He's not going to be stepping on anyone else's feet, or backing into anyone on accident either. That's what makes this feel more private.
"But you look wonderful." Not as good as their wedding day, of course, but she had practically been glowing then. He would not have been surprised if he had gotten a shock every time he touched her that day. "I do wish we would have brought Silvia. It's a beautiful set up. Of course, if I can manage to get a job here, maybe I can bring her when there's less people so she can see the art."
The distraction seems to be working. He's not paying attention to what he's doing and while he's not exactly graceful, he's not stepping on her feet this time.
Lynette's fingers slide up along his neck, ending up in his hair. Completely by chance, of course. "Thank you," she says to the compliment, "I am glad to have an excuse to wear this." Because she has had this dress for a while and no real excuse to wear it. Which is a common problem with her closet.
"I don't know that I'd want her to have to walk that gauntlet to get in," she notes as far as bringing Silvia. "But that's a good idea, bringing her in later." She looks back to him, though, some amusement in her expression, "We should probably look at the art ourselves at some point." Of course, she doesn't make any move to end the dance, so perhaps she means they will also need to come back later.
"Of the three of us, she might actually enjoy the attention," Mateo posits, but doesn't push on it. He can't even think of what questions they would have for her, but who knew. He did wonder what the reporter had been wanting to ask his wife, but he knew better than to subject her to that again. Which is why they would stay until he thought it was actually safe to leave. Who knew if they would hound on the way out as much as the way in.
He had been hoping to do some face to face with members of Yamagato at this, but he doubts he would get the chance to. He'll just have to wait for the test results and see if they try harder to find his degree than— well— then they did.
"You can wear it anytime you want at home as far as I'm concerned." Just don't expect him to wear this often.
"You have point," Lynette says, "and she's probably the most charming of the three of us, too. But that might be something to worry about on its own." The last is noted with a teasing smile. Silvia being pretty and charming is bound to make trouble one of these days.
Lynette herself doesn't seem too curious about what the reporters might ask her. Whatever they wanted to know, it was probably something she didn't want to talk about today, here. What she's known for, while often painted as heroic, is mostly painful memories for her. The sort of questions that would ruin the whole night. Dancing is better. Art is better. Even the crowd is better.
"I wouldn't want you to get used to it," she says dryly to his suggestion, "how could I surprise you on special occasions, then, hmm?"
"I'm sure you would come up with something," Mateo responds with a grin that tugs all the way up to his eyes, wrinkling them slightly as he tries something adventerous and moves in an attempt to spin her around and pull her back against his chest. Unless she suspected it from the look in his eyes, it probably didn't look wonderful. And he might have tried to go further than that, but— well— it also brought her closer to him again and he just decides to stop dancing…
So that he can kiss her.
The one good part about not bringing their teenager with them— she doesn't have to make sounds at seeing them kiss in public.
"Such faith," Lynette says, and his grin makes her smile turn dreamy and wistful. Like she still can't get over seeing it. Maybe she never will.
It's pretty clear she didn't expect to get spun, but she also doesn't seem to care if it looks good or not. Her hip bumps a table, but it stays upright, so all is well. When she's pulled back in, she laughs gently until her hands end up against his chest. He stops dancing and she is right there with him. Her fingers curl around his lapels and she leans into the kiss. Deepens it. It's probably a good thing the reporters are elsewhere, too, because it really isn't a kiss that should be happening in public. But she also pulls back before too long. "You're making me wish we had just stayed home," she says, her smile turning crooked.
"If it wouldn't risk the possibility of my ever getting a job here…" Mateo whispers against her lips with that grin that shows that he might consider getting kicked out for doing something in public they probably should not. He's sure someone will end up getting thrown out for that reason, and well— he'd rather it not be them.
"Let's go look around, make the ticket worth it's price, then we can head home." And enjoy the evening in the way they prefer.