[b][center][h2]Paige Kennedy[/h2][/center][/b]

Paige was finding a good rhythm in her footing as they walked and though her head was still swimming the cool of the night was helping her get her bearings back. She looked calmly at the lights of the city, the cars passing by, signs, people, sounds- all of it. Being observant was part of her job and she couldn’t help but look at the details in everything. Seeing others walking together, [i]couples walking[/i], while still holding on to his arm was making her feel in part like a passenger in her own body. She knew what it looked like, but for the moment she was okay with it. It was nothing that hadn’t happened before. He was only her steady, drunken guide to Sol City… [i]right?[/i] She shook her head only so slightly at the thought, not even enough for him to notice.

The sounds of the street didn’t permit for a lot of conversation and neither said much along the way. The walk itself felt good enough for the moment, though as they continued her thoughts kept swirling, gaining traction against her alcohol intake when the wind gusted and her steps carried her with him. She missed home terribly and he was the only link back to that place, [i]that time[/i]. Her grip tightened slightly at the thought. He was right, she would get through it, but the nuance of it, she knew, felt incomplete. She looked down at the sidewalk momentarily knowing there was something else missing and she wasn’t just homesick. Her hold on his arm remained in spite of herself and still being aware of her inebriated condition, she knew she could store the thoughts away and just blame it on the alcohol later. [i]No problem[/i].

As they entered the lobby of the high-rise she could see a few casual glances come their way as people came and went. The warmth and modern décor of the building were entirely welcome to her and she had to give him credit for walking all that way without his jacket and not so much as even a shiver. She wriggled out of it and folded it over, handing it back to him before turning to look at herself in a nearby mirror as he spoke about the place. Her braid still looked decent, but strands of her hair had fallen away around her face in their usual, slightly disheveled fashion and she tried in vain to corral them with the others. Still unsatisfied, she glanced back from the mirror and noticed his collar also slightly off kilter from the walk. As she turned and started to fix it for him an older couple walked by and the lady of the pair smiled warmly at her. 

Paige looked at the woman blankly as her fingers suddenly stopped around his collar. She looked back at him, her olive eyes meeting his as her hands fell away slowly and she turned her glance away from him. “Maybe I just needed a walk…” She said quietly, “I probably should be getting back… it’s been a long day.”


[@RoccanIronclad]