( it may be dated, but she is not the modern creature she's so capable of appearing. Diana favors her sword over every weapon she's seen and tried in decades. truly hard to find comfort and mastery in another weapon when she's held a sword in her hands for centuries, after all. it makes her think of home, and as bittersweet as the thought is? she needs those little pieces of the girl she used to be.
hungry? well, considering the length of their day and the voracity of their hike, even Diana and her superhuman temperament are starting to feel it. ) Starving, ( she decides, and if she was supposed to play it cool and detached, she has already failed. look, there's nothing wrong with having an appetite! ) I figured a meal could be a part of our stopping. Did you have something in mind?
[ He's not king of Atlantis. Nor even a citizen in more than name, the only title he lays claim to is that he protects the oceans. The duty of an Atlantean king. Orm is doing — whatever the fuck he's doing. Arthur does his own shit. ]
[ But he carries Poseidon's trident. His back is always straight, in Vulko's heart Arthur is a king. ]
Fish, [ he says, like that's hilarious. ] I don't mind lobster, either. Let's take a look around.
[ There are lights up ahead, they should consider how best to be incognito. ]
( given a chance to declare a preference, Diana likes lamb. the occasional venison, if she wanted to hunt it herself. however, she has no battle with seafood, so gives him half a smirk at his demand. )
Seafood it is.
( their thoughts seem to be of a similar pattern as they make their way toward the limited lights of civilization. ) These people are quiet, and traditional. They would find it strange for a man and woman to travel unattached. We would be better to tell them we are related, or wed.
( she does not care which, though they do not look particularly similar. half siblings, perhaps? )
[ Even by every stretch of the imagination, he understands how people look at what's different. He was a boy growing up in Maine, a young man coming into Atlantis, and there are things that cannot be pared down or stripped to be offered up. ]
So, lead the way, dearest.
[ It's deliberately exaggerated — they should damn well get a few laughs out of their attempt to fly under the radar. ]
( they wouldn't have to resemble each other much for that, but, it also might be a bit harder to believe. marriage was likely a bit more comforting to the quiet greek villagers they were likely to run into, however. Diana agrees it's the safer call, and shifts slightly to pull a ring she'd been wearing on her pointer to the more traditional ring finger. a little more convincing to prying eyes. )
Ah, wonderful. You already sound a beleagued married man. You're good at this. ( he's exaggerated, she's teasing. there's something bittersweet about a feigned marriage, looking back and thinking of the only man who had made the prospect appealing. Diana has never been married, and she doubts she will. this is as close as she will get. )
[ He has no such ring. Arthur simply walks beside her, having no other way to assert any presence and no desire to be domineering. It's too dramatic to call this a battlefield, but there are roles, and he understands. He snorts. ]
You're the only one with that opinion.
[ Like her,marriage doesn't appeal to him: for the simple fact that there's no one with the same life experience. Clark is his brother, the closest Arthur can have to family other than his own father. But anyone else on this world — they don't walk between the land and sea, they don't know how to look up at the sun or down towards the trench with the same breath. He's alone. ]
( a man not wearing a wedding ring is far more normal than a woman to do the same. while Diana has never been much impressed by sexist limitations, she has learned to play them like a fiddle.
has she ever thought about marriage? her playfulness fades, just slightly. this is the sort of question she might have retreated from, before. now... well, answering it isn't easy, yet she's honest. )
Yes. Mostly after it was already too late. ( what it would have been like, if he were still with her. occasionally she'd wonder, daydream... only to realize the pain in that impossibility. )
[ Not everyone needs water to drown. A man of the sea understands. He'll never die that way, but its effects are pronounced. Did she think about marriage, in this world, and how to inhabit it, with where she came from? He doesn't know if that's possible, if it ever was. Some things make it easier, but the one thing Arthur doesn't do is hold to false hope. That's too close to drowning him. ]
[ Her answer isn't encouraging. ]
Hard to find somebody, [ he says, agreeably, finishing a thought she didn't bring up. ]
( hard to find and harder to keep, especially if you are an ageless amazon that very well might outlive everyone she ever meets. if Diana lets herself she finds it too easy to find those she might love. for the longest she imagined it was better to avoid. these days she's not so sure. )
They do say there are plenty of fish in the sea, ( Diana says, and oh yes, you can tell just from the look on her face that she thinks that she's hilarious. ) You don't need to marry to enjoy your time with someone. Don't worry, this will only be for the night.
( she pats his arm, as if he were genuinely concerned he'd be stuck married to her the rest of time. )
For the sake of our friendship, we should keep it that way.
( amazons and atlanteans weren't exactly as friendly as they had been once upon a time. there was not a lot good she could quote from Themyscira. she's doing him a favor.
they're getting closer to the village, and she takes his arm. not all married couples require such proximity, yet closeness makes the cover come easier. )
Keep the fish jokes to yourself, and we've got a deal.
[ He's heard every single one of them. Especially from the fish. They too aren't as funny as they like to think. ]
[ Arthur accepts the contact without remark. It doesn't seem worth remarking on, nor making light of. They greet a few others on the path, stop and ask for directions as any newcomers are wont to do. Once in town, he nods, ]
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hungry? well, considering the length of their day and the voracity of their hike, even Diana and her superhuman temperament are starting to feel it. ) Starving, ( she decides, and if she was supposed to play it cool and detached, she has already failed. look, there's nothing wrong with having an appetite! ) I figured a meal could be a part of our stopping. Did you have something in mind?
no subject
[ But he carries Poseidon's trident. His back is always straight, in Vulko's heart Arthur is a king. ]
Fish, [ he says, like that's hilarious. ] I don't mind lobster, either. Let's take a look around.
[ There are lights up ahead, they should consider how best to be incognito. ]
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Seafood it is.
( their thoughts seem to be of a similar pattern as they make their way toward the limited lights of civilization. ) These people are quiet, and traditional. They would find it strange for a man and woman to travel unattached. We would be better to tell them we are related, or wed.
( she does not care which, though they do not look particularly similar. half siblings, perhaps? )
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We don't look related.
[ Even by every stretch of the imagination, he understands how people look at what's different. He was a boy growing up in Maine, a young man coming into Atlantis, and there are things that cannot be pared down or stripped to be offered up. ]
So, lead the way, dearest.
[ It's deliberately exaggerated — they should damn well get a few laughs out of their attempt to fly under the radar. ]
no subject
( they wouldn't have to resemble each other much for that, but, it also might be a bit harder to believe. marriage was likely a bit more comforting to the quiet greek villagers they were likely to run into, however. Diana agrees it's the safer call, and shifts slightly to pull a ring she'd been wearing on her pointer to the more traditional ring finger. a little more convincing to prying eyes. )
Ah, wonderful. You already sound a beleagued married man. You're good at this. ( he's exaggerated, she's teasing. there's something bittersweet about a feigned marriage, looking back and thinking of the only man who had made the prospect appealing. Diana has never been married, and she doubts she will. this is as close as she will get. )
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You're the only one with that opinion.
[ Like her,marriage doesn't appeal to him: for the simple fact that there's no one with the same life experience. Clark is his brother, the closest Arthur can have to family other than his own father. But anyone else on this world — they don't walk between the land and sea, they don't know how to look up at the sun or down towards the trench with the same breath. He's alone. ]
Did you ever think about it?
[ Hey, might as well ask. ]
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has she ever thought about marriage? her playfulness fades, just slightly. this is the sort of question she might have retreated from, before. now... well, answering it isn't easy, yet she's honest. )
Yes. Mostly after it was already too late. ( what it would have been like, if he were still with her. occasionally she'd wonder, daydream... only to realize the pain in that impossibility. )
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[ Her answer isn't encouraging. ]
Hard to find somebody, [ he says, agreeably, finishing a thought she didn't bring up. ]
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They do say there are plenty of fish in the sea, ( Diana says, and oh yes, you can tell just from the look on her face that she thinks that she's hilarious. ) You don't need to marry to enjoy your time with someone. Don't worry, this will only be for the night.
( she pats his arm, as if he were genuinely concerned he'd be stuck married to her the rest of time. )
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They don't say that where you're from, [ just to be contrary. ]
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( amazons and atlanteans weren't exactly as friendly as they had been once upon a time. there was not a lot good she could quote from Themyscira. she's doing him a favor.
they're getting closer to the village, and she takes his arm. not all married couples require such proximity, yet closeness makes the cover come easier. )
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[ He's heard every single one of them. Especially from the fish. They too aren't as funny as they like to think. ]
[ Arthur accepts the contact without remark. It doesn't seem worth remarking on, nor making light of. They greet a few others on the path, stop and ask for directions as any newcomers are wont to do. Once in town, he nods, ]
That inn?