RP:Dinner At Midnight

Summary: After coming over to check on Hudson after a terrible party, they fall asleep on the couch together (no funny business) and get a bite of breakfast when they wake up. Follows behind the RP:In the Aftermath of the Worst Party Ever.

Sea Breeze

Alvina stretched carefully on the couch, next to a heavily sleeping Hudson. His breathing was deep and peaceful. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. The pair had snuggled up together after a very confusion conversation about this and that feeling and the like...but he was warm, pressed against her skin beneath the quilt. She closed her eyes and just laid there, trying to remember the last time she'd had the luxury of sharing a nap with someone. The sound was familiar and exhilarating; still the bard found herself trying not to nod off again. There was something special about this innocent situation of sleeping next to each other that acted as a balm for her heart. The process was gradual, but evident in the still air. The candle burned down and out, leaving them wrapped in complete darkness. Instead of trying to wake him, Alvina snuggled against the alchemist.

Hudson is used to sleeping alone, and so would have struggled to fall asleep with Alvina but for the post-party tiredness. And so, shattered from the last few days, he slips into a deep sleep. The couch isn't exactly supposed to be used for sleeping purposes, so he develops a bit of a soreness in his neck from napping on it. This becomes apparent to him as Alvina shifts beside him, catching him on the lighter end of his snooze. He likewise stirs, and is at first disoriented by the presence of a woman. It takes his drowsy mind a second to remember it's Alvina, and he wonders if Sargaso has since been home. No telling. He feels Alvina curl a bit closer, and in light of that Huds readjusts his arm to drape more cozily along her back. And then he stares at the ceiling and with purpose thinks about kickball. He needed to improve his base running, there had been an incident with a pop fly... Come to realize it, he wonders if Alvina may be awake, but he can't quite tell. He cants his gaze in her direction. "Alvina?" he whispers her name in the dark.

Alvina tilts her sleepy eyes up towards Hudson, shifting only slightly, a smile pressed to her lips. "Yes, Master Alchemist?" The title was mostly affectionate, though she was still astounded by his abilities. Long ribbons of flattened curls laced her cheeks and shoulders; evidence of a fitful sleep. Should she get up? Perhaps it would be best before any awkward confusion arose should Hudson's house mate return at this impromptu moment. Strange markings bit into her skin from sleeping somewhere not truly meant for sleep; rivets of texture patterns and sewing tracks decorated her fleshed arm. Her cheek bore a button imprint. Thankfully, these were more felt than see due to the darkness. "Good morning, " the bard said sweetly, pressing her palms against the couch surface to sit up right, her legs folding out to greet the floor.

Hudson's elbows likewise shift into the couch, propping himself up as Alvina untangles herself from him. He gradually eases himself upright, one hand rubbing at a soreness in his neck that had developed overnight. "Morning. Erm, I guess that was not so much a nap so much as a sleep," he comments a bit sheepishly, trying to stretch out somewhat. He looks a little rumpled, his hair plastered his skull on one side and simultaneously out in spokes on the other. He looks at Alvina as a silence envelops them, not a little confusion lingering over how to move forward. (Literally) sleeping together as they had felt shockingly intimate, not in an unsettling way, but in a way that inspired more gentlemanly behavior on his behalf. He looks at the kitchen rather pathetically. "I suppose we could go out and get breakfast, if you'll wait for me to put on actual clothes," he comments, one hand rubbing at the outcropping of stubble that's sprouted overnight on his cheek.

Alvina nodded, shifting to the side so they were more or less beside each other now as opposed to women together. She did her best to smooth the wrinkles out of her clothes and did battle with her limp hair while Hudson tended to his morning in whatever fashion he needed to. There was a mix of romance and detachment that hung in the air, quick to be dispelled with the right attitude, Alvina surmised. They were both exhausted for different reasons, but sleep brought back tact and personal space as well as an overbearing sense of self awareness. When she'd managed to straighten up as best she could, the bard stretched again and stepped outside to absorb some sunlight to lighten her mood. When Hudson reappeared, she would shoot him a dazzling smile. "Where to?"

Hudson moves to his 'bedroom,' which is to say the oversized closet off of Sargaso's 'room' (aka the curtained off area behind the couch), and makes the change into actual fresh clothes. Everything stays in a heap on the floor under his lofted bed for now. Laundry could be done later. He stops at the sink in the common room to splash cold water in his face and hair - which does a little to alleviate the bedhead he's developed - but stops short of shaving. He is thus moderately less scruffy, but still mostly scruffy, as he heads outside to join Alvina. "Hey," he says, squinting at the light that seems to be aggressively bearing down on them. "Um, Whaler's maybe?" he suggests. His gaze shifts to her hand (the flesh one), and, with a sharp intake of air, he reaches to take it in his. "I could go for some eggs and bacon."

Alvina nodded at his suggestion. "I'm not use to having breakfast in Cenril," she smiled though, grateful for a normal conversation. "Bacon and eggs some heavenly."She chimed in as they started in the correct direction. "Do you want to walk? How is Cleopatra?" The bard hadn't heard or seen anything from the horse she had accompanied him to obtain. "Are you feeling any better this morning?" Concern lit her voice to a warm hue that well matched the sand under their feet and the sun burst skyline behind them. Ribbons of her Autumn colored locks swayed with life in the sea breeze.

Hudson pulls Alvina along, the mention of Cleopatra stirring a mild smile out of the alchemist. "Let's walk unless you're embarrassed to be seen with me," he says with a self-deprecating duck of his head. "Cleo's with mum, getting spoiled I expect," he continues, his gaze catching hers with a glimmer of amusement. "I was thinking about our wings project the other day before all this happened. There's a bit else I've put on the back burner come to think of it." A beat here while they navigate a cross street, waiting for a carriage before crossing themselves. "I know you've said some things about your life that suggest you never had it easy," he says at length, "but I certainly have had it easy, I think. I think what I witnessed was the worst thing I've ever seen. I don't think I'll forget it anytime soon." He draws air through his teeth as he yanks open the door to the bar, releasing her hand to wave her inside. "Let me buy you breakfast, it'll cheer me up." He offers her a half smile as he follows behind her. "That's what we're doing here, yes?"

Alvina grinned, as if she would ever be embarrassed to be found beside him! She kept pace, kept her fingers laced in his, listened calmly. Mild embarrassment flared at the mention of her blurting out her life's story and immediately it felt like she'd said too much and made herself a fool...but sympathy sank into her heart at his honest declaration about the terrible death and she squeezed his hand in reassurance. "You can buy me breakfast," she said with a coy smile, "but only because your couch didn't do anything good for my back." Her limbs extended, mockingly, as she tried to lighten his mood with her own. It made her heart race when he smiled. "Speaking of your mother..."the bard started as they took a seat and waited to order, "Did she say anything about me?"

Hudson lifts his eyebrows as Alvina mentions her back, and with a smile that's like a secret, he wordlessly follows her to their booth, sliding in across from her. "Sorry your back hurts," he tells her as his gaze skims a menu out of habit. He already knows what he wants. "It wasn't so good to me either. Makes my bed seem downright comfortable in comparison." He scratches at his stubble as he slides the menu back from whence he'd drawn it. His gaze glides over Alvina's clothes, from yesterday, and her nonetheless freshly pressed appearance. Women are magic. He seems to sit on her question a bit, as if turning his reply over in his mind's eye. "Mum is very nosy," he says with an enigmatic smirk Alvina's way. "She asked me a number of questions about my 'friend she saw on the beach.'" Air quotes here. The waitress approaches, and Hudson looks to Alvina before ordering eggs benedict and a side of bacon for himself.

Alvina pushed her lips together in a rather funny way, attempting to appear like she was pouting (which proved difficult in the midst of a smile). Instead of ordering everything, hungry as she was, the bard settled on bacon, eggs over easy and a slice toast to mop up the remains. The waitress shuffled away, leaving water for the pair to enjoy while they waited for their orders. "I bet that just means she thought me suitable company for her marvelous son," she smiles, pouring the water from the pitcher into the two empty glasses before handing Hudson one. With a sly but playful look she added, "though I don't she'd be keen to run into me in your bed." In reference to his remark about the couch ailing him. Not for other, less honorable purpose.

Hudson wonders if women are all secretly in league with one another, and reaches to accept the glass that Alvina's poured for him. Her next comment draws a faint flush. "Well, must mums I would say aren't keen on running into their sons in similar circumstances," he comments carefully, the statement seeming rather half-finished as he's not really sure what he is supposed to say to that. He pretends to study a salt shaker, which is in need of repair, as the lid screws on a bit too loosely. "I am 27 though. And my mum is my mum. You can't imagine the number of very awkward conversations I've had throughout the course of my life." He slouches against the booth seat, his shoulder coming up in a shrug as his gaze connects with Alvina's. "So many. I think she finds it entertaining."

Alvina grins widely at Hudson’s very apparent discomfort due to her comment, but says nothing. He seemed caught off guard when he blushed, it was adorable. That must be why his mother did not limit herself around him, she though, sipping her own glass while keeping her gaze steady on her breakfast companion. In Alvina’s experience, men and young boys seemed well practiced at being unshakable; this must be the double edged sword of having women who try to fluster them. But men do the same, she argued with herself, thinking of all the times someone managed to say…really anything to the bard and her face caught flame like an oiled wick. “There is a mild satisfaction in it, I’ll grant you.” Her smile and direct attention came back in full force, lapping up the dialogue and returning her to the present. “Maybe she just wants you to be prepared in case some young woman comes along and tries to ruffle your feathers. Women, by rights, are mostly downright awful people…” This said as the waitress approached with the food, sending Alvina’s cheek into a deep red as she coughed in surprise, even though she had only been joking. “O-oh look! The food is here.” Her grin was a bit lopsided but thankful for an intervention.

Hudson throws a sidelong glance Alvina's way. "I think now it's definitely the case that she likes to give me grief," he says, his mouth tugging into a half-smirk of amusement as embarrassment softens Alvina's features. His eyes likewise gleam with quiet merriment. He leans back from his end of the table to let the waitress drop off his dish, muttering a thank you as she draws away. "Mostly downright awful people," he repeats Alvina's words back to her as he presses his fork through a cloud-shaped poached egg. "A bit harsh?" he suggests as he pops a forkful of the stuff into his mouth. He chews through a latent smile, then reaches for his water. "Seems I'm in a bit of a trap here. If I say, oh but surely not, I have found women to be on the whole lovely people, I dig myself into a bit of a hole. If I agree with the sentiment I'm quite in the hole just the same." He drinks from his water and lets that thought simmer. "So I'll settle for saying that women's secret natures were unknown to me up until this point. I suppose no real difference from mermaids in that case, minus the er obvious physical ones?"

Alvina laughs at his comment, “Mermaids are more women than we give them credit for, I think.” Though the bard was obviously female, she wasn’t easily offended and knew the strengths and weaknesses of her gender. It didn’t bother her much to announce or talk about them frankly. Least of all with Hudson. The bacon was the first to fall victim to Alvina, fingers laced in salty grease wrap around a napkin nearby to hid the evidence. The crimson of her cheeks dulls to a soft pink as her embarrassment fades. “I would say mostly true,” she said, instead of thinking his comment too harsh. “I think much the same about men,” she teased with a shameless smirk, before breaking the yolk of her egg with a timid poke or two from her fork. “But it’s all based on experience. You just need to meet a worthwhile woman to show you that we aren’t all bad. I’m not a good example, so you’re doomed if you think I’m going to change that opinion.”

Hudson cants his head at Alvina's remark. "I think you're right," he says, lifting a second forkful of poached egg. He doesn't dwell on the subject of mermaids for long, as they stir up unpleasant memories of the party. He drags the bread through the egg yolk about his plate. "You know. I think you're rather a pessimist, Alvina," says Huds as he lifts his gaze to hers. He chews on the bread he's soaked with the interior of his poached egg. "I find people to be pleasant on the whole." He goes about cutting in two his other poached egg, letting a silence spill out. "As for you, I think you're fishing for a compliment, but I'll bite." He wags an eyebrow in roguish reproof, gesturing with his fork. "I've found you to be rather sweet and kind and funny. And very warm at night. Maybe there's a secret Alvina I don't know though."

Alvina nodded along as he agreed with her. More of the egg disappeared without a trace, the toast running behind to clean up any trace of the egg’s existence. It was almost to her mouth when Hudson eyed her casually. Her cheeks flushed quickly as she stammered to protest. “N-no, I-“ The toast fell with a moist thump against her cutlery as she waved her arms across her face, dismissing his notion. “I would never!” She huffed at his rebuke before realizing he was only teasing her. At that point, she picks her toast up again and chews it in a long silence which she fills by eying him, rather tartly, and making soft “harrumph” sounds as she eats. Then, she smiles, unable to hold the façade of anger for long. “I’m practically a humanized sunbeam,” she narrows her eyes at him, taking another draw of water to wash down the last of her meal. “ You, sir, are the uncertain pessimist!” Her metallic digit waved casually in his direction before her wrist dropped to the table top. “ Very warm at night,” she muttered in mock disagreement, trying to restrain her smirk as best she could. “Well if that’s how you like to play this game, then lets! You are…” she paused, looking him over critically, “Too handsome for your own good, with a quick wit and inquisitive nature most would find irresistible. Your singing voice is lovely and your companionship is uplifting. Not to mention your deep dark secret of your mother’s novels.” Her eyes gleamed at him mischievously. “Are you quite ready to go?” She asked, feigning an indignant tone with laughter still in the depths of her emerald eyes.

Hudson finishes the rest of his eggs with an easy nonchalance, rather enjoying the girlish indignation that's coming off of Alvina in waves across from him. "I really agree, you are a humanized sunbeam, hence the warm at night," he says with an obliging dip of his head. He mops up the last of his food with a piece of toast as she continues. He snorts as she tries to get her retribution by complimenting him. "Thank you. I'm rather glad you think so," he answers with a self-deprecating tilt of his head, as if to suggest that he didn't quite see it that way but was much obliged in these circumstances that she did. He tamps down on a chuckle with a sip from his water glass, drawing his reply out as he's yet to address the deep dark secret of his mother's novels. "Right, well, my mother's novels were written by her. I doubt she wrote them in mind with embarrassing her son in his interactions with women, but here we are." He digs out his coin purse and pays out the amount left on the bill. "Let's go then," he says, as the task's complete. He slides out and waits for Alvina to do the same, placing a hand at the small of her back to follow her out. He isn't quite sure whether he'll be seeing her off in a carriage back to her place, or she had something else in mind, but he opts to wait until they're outside in the hopes that she'll spell it out for them.

Alvina leans against him once she stands with a cross expression, secretly elated but pretending to be otherwise for sheer sport. She only smiled and paused once they were outside the bar. “Never underestimate a woman’s resolve to embarrass, especially children.” She remarked, in reference to his mother’s book having nothing to do with him. All this talk of mothers made her heart ache a bit, so she did her best to shift the conversation. “You’re welcome to come back with me. You know, maybe you should ride up to visit Cleopatra and your mother. It might do you good to have some time away. Just to put more time and temporary physical distance between you and…everything.” Her eyes dropped to the sand as she turned to face him instead of standing at his side. “Plus Aria misses you, probably.” She adds, laughing a bit at the thought of that stubborn kitten missing anything that wasn’t sleeping or food. “And I have a proper couch that turns into a bed!” she added, as if this would be the selling point of the whole trip. “For you, I mean…” The accidental implication of them sleeping together again, more on purpose this time, seemed a bit too forward so she shrug her shoulders and cleared her throat while the rouge speckled her pale skin. It was rather clear she was homeward bound, not sure what to do with herself back at Hudson’s home since it seemed like the beach and the house itself were settled in…rather unsettling memories at the present time.

Hudson nods in mute recognition of Alvina's reminder about his mum and Cleopatra. His gaze wavers on hers as he considers her somewhat-jumbled suggestion that she come back with him. "What, really? Banish me to the couch?" he asks, and immediately regrets it as a red flush spreads over her cheeks. "Erm, I'm just teasing. Right." He exhales, letting the awkwardness dissipate as he remembers where he'd left his more gentlemanly set of manners. "As appealing as the idea of spending more time with you sounds, you're right in that I need to go see my mum and Cleo." He steps forward, then, bridging the distance between the two of them. Taking her by the elbow, he kisses her soundly on the mouth, the way he'd meant to when he had kissed her on the beach the first time. "Right. I'll write you," he says after that, releasing her to begin his trip uptown, to where mum lives.

Alvina tries to mumble something along the lines of saying he could drop by any time when she is caught rather off guard. Hudson steps forward, kissing her so boldly, in broad day light and in front of a bar no less! Her eye lids fall a few times, in rapid succession, before her brain appears to return to her body and she moves to go after him. “Wait, before you go…” she says, tugging on his arm, face stark red from the shock of his affectionate goodbye, “Please be careful.” At that, she wraps him in a warm embrace that lasts only a few seconds, but still conveys concern and affection. After she unravels herself from him, a little less red surprising, she would add with a soft smile. “You’re welcome by anytime, I mean. Tell your mother I said hello if she asks!” With that, the bard turns to walk back in the direction she’d arrived in Cenril from, hoping to make it home before too late that evening, humming lightly as she walked and thought about a silly alchemist she knew.

Hudson allows Alvina to wrap herself around him in a brief hug. He can tell he's surprised her, and that knowledge stirs a lazy smile on his end. He'd felt like kissing her on the street and so he had. It had been satisfying, too. It makes him feel mildly better about disappointing her in the way that he had the night before. He soaks up the slightly dazed, pink edge to her expression as they part ways, for real this time. "Easy," he says to her with a playful lift of his brows, obviously referencing her request that he put her greetings through to his mum. He doesn't elaborate further, though, just touches her on the elbow and turns to head on his way.