[ he hasn't, of course. asked. rather, rip has dashed his way around the periphery of his request -- letting peggy fall for the oldest gambit in the manual. she'd filled the details in for herself, leaping from one assumption to another. sparing him the indignity of a question, however unwittingly. if she were angry enough, she would then refuse to also spare him the next obvious question: what had he expected for the evening?
but peggy thinks she doesn't want that question answered honestly. but she doesn't want it answered dishonestly, either, when she has got herself convinced she could likely sniff out the lie. besides, the subject at hand is far more fascinating than the difficult politics of the heart -- a subject that's only grown more and more complicated the more she studies it.
best stick to these more familiar mountains and valleys. even so, she's not quite so quick as rip is to celebrate this thin edge of possibility. she shakes her head even as she admires the way in which his whole composure seems to relax.
no -- relax is the wrong word. unwind, perhaps. her attention ticks from the angle of his elbow to the rise and fall of his breath.
dourly: ] Don't let your hopes get so high.
[ admiration only takes her so far -- the rest of the way sees her slide almost naturally into the role of counter-weight to rip's exuberance. ]
no subject
but peggy thinks she doesn't want that question answered honestly. but she doesn't want it answered dishonestly, either, when she has got herself convinced she could likely sniff out the lie. besides, the subject at hand is far more fascinating than the difficult politics of the heart -- a subject that's only grown more and more complicated the more she studies it.
best stick to these more familiar mountains and valleys. even so, she's not quite so quick as rip is to celebrate this thin edge of possibility. she shakes her head even as she admires the way in which his whole composure seems to relax.
no -- relax is the wrong word. unwind, perhaps. her attention ticks from the angle of his elbow to the rise and fall of his breath.
dourly: ] Don't let your hopes get so high.
[ admiration only takes her so far -- the rest of the way sees her slide almost naturally into the role of counter-weight to rip's exuberance. ]